text:
JERUSALEM, May 4 (JTA) — Violent anti-Semitic incidents dropped around the world last year, but anti-Semitic propaganda continues to proliferate, especially on the Internet, a report released this week concluded. Major anti-Semitic attacks — including shootings, firebombs and arson — declined from 41 in 1995 to 32 last year, according to the annual "Anti-Semitism Worldwide" report, prepared by Dina Porat of Tel Aviv University. In 1994, the study found 72 such incidents. The report, published Sunday on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel, was co-sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League and the World Jewish Congress. Along with the drop in major attacks, the report found a drop last year in anti-Semitic vandalism. The only country where the report found an increase in anti-Semitic incidents in 1996 was Australia, which posted a 12 percent increase over the previous year. But the report noted a growth in the dissemination of anti-Semitic propaganda over the Internet, saying there were 39 World Wide Web sites that were overtly anti-Semitic. The authors of the report said the drop in violent incidents could be attributed to better worldwide enforcement of anti-terror laws. In the United States, the report said, there was a 17 percent decline in anti-Semitic incidents since 1994. The report also found a decline in Europe, but warned of the rising popularity of extreme right-wing parties there, including the National Front in France and Jorg Haider's Freedom Party in Austria. In Switzerland, which has come under international pressure to determine the whereabouts of assets deposited by Holocaust victims in Swiss banks during the war, the report found an increase last year in anti-Semitic propaganda.
News Brief


text:
Top 10 notebooks 2011
We round up 10 of the best notebooks so far in 2011 from Sony,
It has been a relatively slow start to the year for notebook makers. Despite all the hoopla surrounding the launch of Intel's 2nd Generation Core CPUs (formerly codenamed Sandy Bridge), less than a handful of notebooks using the new technology have found their way to our Test Centre so far.
Nevertheless, we've seen some pretty good stuff so far in 2011, including some nifty tablets from Fujitsu, some stylish ultraportables from Sony, a couple of great little netbooks (which are, of course, a subset of the notebook category), and of course, Apple's new MacBook Pro.
Below are the best 10 notebooks that we've seen so far in 2011. Click the products in the round-up to see the specifications, pictures and full reviews, and if you already own one of these laptops, why not leave your own user review.
1. Sony VAIO SB Series (VPCSB16FG)
2. Sony VAIO YB Series (VPCYB16KG)
3. Samsung NF210-A01AU netbook
4. Apple MacBook Pro 15in (early 2011)
5. Dell Latitude E5520
6. Acer Aspire 5742G
7. Dell Inspiron M501R AMD triple core notebook
8. Sony VAIO Y Series (VPCYA15FGB)
9. Dell XPS L501x
10. Toshiba NB550D
In the next few months we'll be looking at a lot more 2nd Generation Core models from the likes of Dell, Lenovo, Toshiba and HP, and hopefully a lot more AMD Fusion laptops. It looks like it's going to be a bumper year for notebooks as vendors try their hardest to compete with the ever-growing popularity of tablets.
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8 / 10
The Samsung NF210-A01AU is a great netbook. It feels comfortable to use, it's light and it looks good. Best of all, its battery life is tremendous! It lasted over six hours when playing videos with its screen at full brightness, and over 10 hours when performing basic tasks. We recommend it to anyone who wants a netbook with excellent battery life.
- Review Date:
- Reviewer:
- Manufacturer:
- 7th March, 2011
- Elias Plastiras
- Samsung
- Rating:
- Price:
- Pros:
- Excellent battery life, very good keyboard, comfortable to use, matte screen, interesting design
- Cons:
- Sometimes sluggish performance, lots of preinstalled software, balance could be better

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Mark Dominik: Free agency moves a possibility for Bucs
It's still too early to know what form NFL free agency will take this year because of the league's continued lockout.
But when and if player signings resume, perhaps we should consider the Bucs as a team that could be active in the market.
In an interview this week with Sirius NFL Radio, Bucs general manager Mark Dominik tackled this subject with hosts Adam Schein and Rich Gannon. Originally asked about the Bucs' interest in the un-retiring Tiki Barber, Dominik artfully dodged the question but, in the process, answered one many Bucs fans want addressed.
"I don't know that we'd say anything about (Barber) right now, but I appreciate the question," Dominik said. "But I will say, we're going uncover and look (at players). I know we're building this football team through the draft, but we will get involved in free agency when it's appropriate – finding veteran players and adding people here and there to this roster. So we'll continue to look at that avenue as a supplement to the way we want to build our football team."
That certainly doesn't sound like a man who has no interest in the free-agent market. That said, it's probably not wise to go out and buy a personalized Bucs jersey with "Asomugha" stitched on the back.
But the Bucs have to feel they're in contention to win the NFC South and, possibly, more. Doing so might be a bit easier if the club made a few smart free-agent signings that augmented weak areas.
From the sound of it, Dominik isn't ruling it out.


text:
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Del Mar: Norvsky defends title in California Dreamin'
DEL MAR, Calif. - Norvsky, the second-stringer in trainer Don Warren's stable, won his second stakes of 2012 in Sunday's $100,000 California Dreamin' Handicap at Del Mar.
A stablemate of Acclamation, the champion older male of 2011 who won Saturday's Grade 1 Eddie Read Stakes, Norvsky successfully defended his title in the California Dreamin'.
Complete coverage of racing at Del Mar: News, PPs, and video
Ridden confidently by Rafael Bejarano, Norvsky closed from fourth in a field of five to win the California Dreamin' by a half-length over Brushburn, a 15-1 outsider. Norvsky was the 122-pound highweight, spotting his rivals from two to five pounds.
"It looked like he was loaded every step of the way," Warren said.
"Rafael just patiently waited and pulled him to the outside. It took him a few strides to get going."
Sent off as the favorite, Norvsky ($4.80) ran 1 1/16 miles on turf in 1:41.35. Leaving New York, who set the pace, finished third, followed by Holladay Road and Liberian Freighter. Leaving New York set a slow pace of 24.17 and 48.15 seconds, leading by as many as 4 1/2 lengths early.
Norvsky, 6, races for Bud and Judy Johnston and Robert Riggio. A gelding by Vronsky, Norvsky won the Grade 2 San Gabriel Stakes at Santa Anita earlier this year but had lost four subsequent races.
Norvsky has won 7 of 23 starts in his career. Earlier this year, Norvsky was a workmate for Acclamation before Acclamation won the Grade 1 Charles Whittingham Handicap at Betfair Hollywood Park.


text: Still missing Gossip Girl? Well, this is your lucky week. Not only did Blake Lively absolutely nail it at the Met Gala in a nude Gucci gown, but now our beloved Serena van der Woodsen has brought us another look we <3. Rocking a blue Gucci dress at the brand's Chime For Change event last night in NYC, Blake gave us a masterclass in all-weather leather. Long sleeves not a part of your summer steez? No matter. Go for a leather skater dress and dress it down with a pair of chunky boots for ultimate 90s cool. Boom! You're set.


text: The ninth and final season of How I Met Your Mother (7 and 7:30 p.m., CBS/Ch. 2) begins with a pair of episodes.We finally met the mother (Cristin Milloti) - well, future mother - at the end of last season. The new season will revolve around everyone else meeting her.I'm a little concerned about how all this will work. But I'm willing to give the show's writers the benefit of the doubt because we have eight seasons of (generally) fine work to date.Elsewhere on TV ...NFL (6:25 p.m., ESPN): Oakland Raiders at Denver BroncosDancing with the Stars (7 p.m., ABC/Ch. 4): The competition continues.The Voice (7 p.m., NBC/Ch. 5): Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green rejoin Adam Levine and Blake Shelton on the judging panel as the auditions begin. (Season premiere)Bones (7 p.m., Fox/Ch. 13): A management consultant is murdered ... and his body is partially eaten by bobcats. Ick.2 Broke Girls (8 p.m., CBS/Ch. 2): A new season of this unfunny sitcom begins.Genealogy Roadshow (8 p.m., PBS/Ch. 7): In this new series, folks learn about their family's past.Sleepy Hollow (8 p.m., Fox/Ch. 13): Ichabod and Abbie go after a witch.Mom (8:30 p.m., CBS/Ch. 2): Anna Faris and Allison Janney star as a daughter and her mother who are both recovering addicts in this promising new sitcom.Hostages (9 p.m., CBS/Ch. 2): In the debut of this limited-run series (scheduled to end in December), a doctor and her family are taken hostage just as she's about to operate on the president of the United States.Castle (9 p.m., ABC/Ch. 4): Did Beckett accept Castle's marriage proposal? (Season premiere)The Blacklist (9 p.m., NBC/Ch. 5): James Spader plays a former U.S. operative who turned double agent but has come out of the cold to help stop terrorists in this intriguing new series.Late Show with David Letterman (10:35 p.m., CBS/Ch. 2): Former President Bill Clinton is the guest.


text:
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|June 13, 2007, 07:43 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: March 13, 2007
Posts: 375
"light wieght" 1911's durability?
I am thinking about a WWII style springfield champion with the aluminum light wieght frame but in the past I have heard that aluminum framed 1911's are not durable in the long run. Is this just an "old wifes tale" or realy a problem? I am hoping to use it as an occasional cary piece and plan on shooting my mild 230g lrn reloads for fun. I love the look and feel of the 1911 but I have only owned one before, a Colt series 80 9mm commander, and it was a worn out dud. I would like to give 1911's another try and I can't afford to spend a bunch of money on one right now so the springfield looks like the one. any insight?
|June 13, 2007, 07:57 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: September 9, 2006
Posts: 193
Should be no problem
If the pistol is normally used, not abused. I have an alloyed framed pistol
but not l911, a Sig Sauer, and it is one of the most durable and reliable
pistol around.
Perhaps, it is just me but for my 1911's pistols, I prefer all steel, stainless
steel, or blued. The weight and trigger makes a good combination.
Just me!
|June 13, 2007, 07:59 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: May 24, 2005
Posts: 462
light-weight nineteen elevens
I have been showing my SW1911Sc no special treatment, and it has been holding up fine. Few thousand rounds through it. Granted, it is not 10 years old, but who has that kind of time for field testing before a purchase!
Carpe diem.
|June 13, 2007, 09:53 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: July 26, 2005
Location: The Bluegrass
Posts: 8,388
I know Kimber says they've tested their alloy frames to 20,000 rounds with no noticeable wear. I have seen posts on the Internet talk about getting 100,000 to 150,000 rounds from steel 1911s and sometimes "only" 20,000 or so for alloy 1911s. If you shot 100 rounds per month with this particular weapon, it would take 200 months or more than 16 years to wear one out (assuming 20,000 round limit).
Now weigh that against lugging an extra 10 to 15 ounces around all day with an all-steel pistol. I've chosen to carry an alloy framed 1911. I practice with both it and my all-steel 1911s. If I wear one out in 15 years or so, it is worth the trade off to me.
|June 14, 2007, 12:06 AM
Junior member
Join Date: April 21, 2006
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 2,450
I have one of the cheapest of the cheap aluminum-frame SA 1911A1s and it is a peach. After 10 years of fairly vigorous use it needs a new barrel, but any pistol would.
Some people say that some types of ammo (Rem Golden Sabre, mostly) will beat up aluminum frame 1911s with their sharp and chunky frontal profile. My pistol probably has 750-1200 rounds of RemGSs through it with no sign of trouble. The folks who say such things seem to know what they are talking about but it does not matter any more to me. I carried it with GSs for 7-8 years before finding that the pistol reliably shoots 200gr XTPs as well as Federal Gold Medal. I switched because of accuracy, not fear of a mangled pistol.
When I get a new barrel fitted I'll do the whole "find the best carry ammo" procedure again and if it likes GSs more than the XTPs, I'll switch back.
Don't sweat durability, though. Just keep fresh springs in it and it will reward you with lots of bangs with little or no hassle.
|June 14, 2007, 01:28 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: February 20, 2005
Posts: 2,455
In absolute terms Steel will always beat alunimum, it will wear longer, it does not make sand paper (alunimum oxide) when it corrodes(which it does easily) and in engineering terms Steel has the advantage of being much less prone to metal fatique, and easier to make quality repairs in via tig welding or other methods.
That being said in relative terms the Alunimum guns out there 1911 or otherwise hold up rather well, in other words tens of thousands of rounds and hard use, though personally I still go Steel most of the time.
|June 14, 2007, 09:10 AM
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Join Date: October 26, 2005
Location: Akron, OH
Posts: 328
I've had my Kimber CDP (aluminum frame) in 3" for over 4 years now and have shot well over 5,000 rounds through it. It is my primary carry gun. I use to carry a Kimber ULE Eclipse in 3" (all steel) before I purchased the CDP. The difference in weight is very noticeable and makes so you don't even realize you are carrying. The only advice is to stay away from +P ammo in your aluminum or alloy frame 1911.
|June 14, 2007, 09:34 AM
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Join Date: January 16, 2007
Location: LANCASTER,OHIO
Posts: 3,940
Anybody have any knowledge to offer regarding aluminum vs scandium alloy?
|June 14, 2007, 10:32 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: March 28, 2000
Posts: 4,055
Scandium is lighter than aluminum and more efficient at transferring dollars from your wallet to S&W's bottom line. Either will work.
For shooting, I prefer steel 1911s. For carry, I prefer my AL-framed Kimber Compact. Realize, however, that the lighter guns do have significantly more recoil.
|June 14, 2007, 02:33 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: January 17, 2002
Location: Alabama
Posts: 130
I have carried and shot a SA Lightweight Loaded model (5" gun) for over two years and two thousand rounds. No noticeable signs of wear other than the idiot mark I put on it.....
I figure is mine lasts "only" 10,000 rounds, it was worth the weight savings over a steel framed model.
The biggest point of wear on an alloy framed 1911 is the feed ramp due to aggressive JHP's eating up the softer alloy on their way up to the chamber. Springfield uses ramped barrels in all of their alloy guns to allow for this. This is one of the reasons I don't really worry about mine. The only modification I plan to make to mine is to swap out the factory firing pin stop for a fitted flat bottomed one. This helps delay unlocking a little and saves some wear on the frame. Not really necessary, but it will give me more piece of mind.
BTW- I shot a 5" steel gun back to back with my alloy and the difference in recoil, split times, etc. was negligible and I am far from the Leatham/Langdon/Miculek class of shooters.
|June 14, 2007, 03:25 PM
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Join Date: May 29, 2007
Location: St. Louis, MO area
Posts: 4,039
Remember, Springfield has the lifetime warranty.
If the frame does go out, they'll replace it.
|June 15, 2007, 09:52 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: January 26, 2000
Location: Texas
Posts: 101
From what I have heard on the lightweight aka aloy frames is some wear on the feed ramp due to some ammo's. I know many who have carried the aloy frame guns for many years. I retail the 1911 and have for many, many years and most of my clients who shoot a lot opt for steel and those who carry a lot opt for aloy of some kind. Mostly due to convenience and need were the issues not so much on frame wear.
Round count has been in the multiple tens of thousands.
My duty gun was a SIG P226 which is an aloy with 9mm and I finally over 16 years changed the barrel with no issue with frame wear, do not think it did not look worn with 16 years of in and out of a holster and just under 40K rounds over that time frame.
I have changed to the full size full stainless P226 in 9mm and talk about a stable shooter with the additional weight and lightrail.
Point being the lighter guns carry better and the heavy guns are easier to shoot.
Part of the trade off or you get what you pay for. i.e. lighter weight ease of carry and a bit harder to shoot a lot. Heavier gun, harder to carry easier to shoot more.
Hope this helps.
Be safe and keep the brass flying
Terry Peters
|June 15, 2007, 10:19 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: October 25, 2001
Location: Alabama
Posts: 14,120
"Scandium is lighter than aluminum and more efficient at transferring dollars from your wallet to S&W's bottom line."
Ectually, old chap, there is very little Scandium in the Aluminum alloy that S&W uses, just enough to refine the grain and increase the tensile strength a good deal. I wish somebody would do one of those gun and ammo company sponsored gunzine torture tests and try to shoot one to death.
I also think it would be interesting to put a lot of mileage on an aluminum Springfield until it gave out and see what they would say on their lifetime guarantee.
I don't believe you can put the P226 in the same category as a lightweight 1911 variant. The Sig-Sauers were designed as aluminum guns, the Commander and its descendants were adapted from a steel frame design.
|June 15, 2007, 10:25 AM
Moderator Emeritus
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Location: Indianapolis, IN
Posts: 15,982
An alloy 1911 will fail sooner than a steel one.
Most owners will not shoot theirs enough to find this out.
That pinch of Sc pixie dust that S&W is adding to their alloy frames is a good idea; I, too would like to see one tested to destruction.
2% Unobtainium, 98% Hypetanium.
The Arms Room: An Online Museum.
|June 15, 2007, 10:49 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: January 26, 2000
Location: Texas
Posts: 101
Jim's point on the SIG being designed as an aluminum gun is very, very valid. As with the 1911 in the original design it was steel and any change to gun requires modifications or "engineering." Guess it all depends if the "engineering" was enough. I have heard on some of the aluminum guns using a full ramped barrel.
As for the SIG 220 in .45acp although being designed as an aluminum gun there was no reported issue when the gun issued to the Texas Highway Patrol and the Arizona Highway Patrol.
Again, just some thoughts.
Be safe and keep the brass flying
Terry Peters
|June 16, 2007, 12:41 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: March 13, 2007
Posts: 375
Well, I took the plunge!! I bought a Springfield GI champion lightweight, just bought it about 5:30 this evening but hopefully I will have some time to shoot it this week, I am leaving in the morning to do some varmint hunting for a few days, but I think I might take it along, new toy !!!!!
|June 16, 2007, 06:26 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: February 20, 1999
Location: home on the range; Vermont (Caspian country)
Posts: 14,270
inquiring brain
What wears a barrel out after "ten years"?
I mean, I got over 40K through a 9x19 Nowlin tube that's about 12 yrs old, and over tenK through a BarSto 45 tube, and some other stuff (but, oddly, no worn-out barrels)?
"all my ammo is mostly retired factory ammo"
|June 16, 2007, 09:39 AM
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Location: LANCASTER,OHIO
Posts: 3,940
Congrats oldcars. Let us know how it works, and of course PICS!
|June 16, 2007, 02:00 PM
Junior member
Join Date: April 21, 2006
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 2,450
Hell, I don't know how many rounds it has through it, but I shot 2-3 boxes a few times a week for a full decade. The rifling is degraded through the first 1/2 of the tube... bad enough to easily notice. The barrel is not stamped with a maker so it may be SA or Brazilian made.
I never considered it a target pistol so I can't give you precise numbers on the degredation of accuracy. It went from "minute of beer-can" to "minute of paper plate" at 25-50 yards over the years. The bushing is still tight and everything looks and measures-out kosher except the bore.
I'm glad to hear your BarSto is holding up better than my el-cheapo 1911 barrel of indeterminate manufacture, but that's not really surprising, is it?
Edit: OK, I ran the numbers. The most it could have through it is 156,000 rounds. The least it could have through it is 104,000 rounds. I suspect the real number is somewhere between the two calculations.
|June 17, 2007, 09:19 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: February 20, 1999
Location: home on the range; Vermont (Caspian country)
Posts: 14,270
Thank you for a polite answer to a polite inquiry
100K explains it.
I expect the BarSto to last that long; the 9x19 Nowlin occasionally get subjected to Major Nine....
(and I got this SA 1911 in 9x19 w/factory tube; curious as to its longevity).
"all my ammo is mostly retired factory ammo"
|June 17, 2007, 09:35 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: July 9, 2004
Posts: 5,159
Just a few points:
I've had several steel and several alloy 1911s. I honestly don't think the recoil is noteworthy, but the weight certainly is.
I have a Kimber Ultra Carry (no ramped barrel, bought used). Someone (prior owner or 'smith) had sanded the ramp to ensure proper feeding. However, this sanding removed the hard anodizing, and subsequently the feed ramp was damaged by either mag followers and/or HP ammo.
I read this thread
and after talking with Chuck, sent the frame in to Rogers Precision. While he had it, I asked him to Dura-Coat the frame black.
It was back in short order, looks great and works perfectly. Chuck does absolutely beautiful work.
A set of rosewood grips later, it is my poor man's Ultra CDP clone.
BTW, later Kimber Ultra Carry models have a ramped barrel.
|June 17, 2007, 09:39 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: February 20, 1999
Location: home on the range; Vermont (Caspian country)
Posts: 14,270
one other thought
To paraphrase: "If one can afford enough ammo to 'wear it out' one can certainly afford enough money to get it fixed".
Yeah, what he said...
"all my ammo is mostly retired factory ammo"
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Robert J. Samuelson: Obama's budget is a politically expedient and lazy approach
one vote Salt Lake City, UTApril 13, 2013 9:05 a.m.
Now is the time to buy gold because the President is gong to ruin the economy. This safe haven will go to $3000 soon as Glenn Beck has been hyping for years. Tea partiers should speculate on gold more and bet the farm.
Hemlock Salt Lake City, UTApril 13, 2013 7:54 a.m.
That pretty well sums up the president's approach. He will probably file a workers compensation claim for a foot injury due to kicking the can down the road so many times. But at least it got him elected and for a politician, that's the end game. As our grandchildren shoulder the astounding debt, they will not thanks him.
UtahBlueDevil Durham, NCApril 13, 2013 7:12 a.m.
Worf - when you adjust for inflation - yes. Many.
But that isn't nearly as much fun, now is it. You could make like comments about many things.... and people... if you don't adjust for inflation.
The Taxman Los Angeles, CAApril 13, 2013 12:43 a.m.
Why does Robert Samuelson keep using the word 'lazy' when speaking of President Obama? Who uses that word to discuss a budget? Is it a shiftless, fried chicken loving budget too?
worf Mcallen, TXApril 12, 2013 9:56 p.m.
Has anyone, ever spent more money in a four year span?
David Centerville, UTApril 12, 2013 2:44 p.m.
Kent, to be honest, you and I both know that Democrats and Republicans employ the same campaign tactics. Republicans have pushed for entitlement reform for years. Then when a Democratic president puts SS reform on the table, the GOP criticizes him for hurting seniors. This is diheartening, frustrating, and feeds the poor trust that voters and Americans have for their political "leaders".
But Democrats do the same thing by stating one thing then doing the opposite. Politicians are laughing behind our backs because too many Americans don't follow and understand history and current events. Too many Americans are clueless, and are allowing ourselves to be led into bankruptcy and a form of Communism.
Nate Pleasant Grove, UTApril 12, 2013 1:54 p.m.
@Eric Samuelsen "But they [sic] incredibly easy to fix without cutting benefits."
So why hasn't Obama done anything to fix them? It's his job to recommend "such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient." Why hasn't he done this with regard to preserving Social Security and Medicare?
The writer said Obama is unwilling to grapple with these basic questions, and you haven't shown me that he is.
Eric Samuelsen Provo, UTApril 12, 2013 1:08 p.m.
If Social Security and Medicare are left COMPLETELY alone, yes, they will fail. But they incredibly easy to fix without cutting benefits. Just adjust the payroll tax ceiling.
Nate Pleasant Grove, UTApril 12, 2013 11:41 a.m.
Rather than complain about media bias, why not consider whether what is being said is true? This, for example:
"Obama remains unwilling to grapple with basic questions posed by an aging population, high health costs and persistent deficits."
I have not seen Obama engage on the sustainability of Social Security and Medicare. The fact is, if these programs continue on the same trajectory, they will fail. What is Obama's plan to change the trajectory? He has presented no such plan. To this point, he has been acting as if the problems do not exist.
I do give him credit for addressing Social Security in his latest budget. That is a positive sign, and should have been encouraged by the GOP. Instead, they invoked the same ugly politics they decried when it was done to them. This is no way to solve the problem.
"Compared with the size of the problem, Obama's proposals are tiny."
This is true as well. But at least it's a first step. Republicans are stupid to discourage Obama from taking further steps in the right direction.
Irony Guy Bountiful, UtahApril 12, 2013 10:51 a.m.
Doesn't matter the source, if it's anti-Obama the DN will print it.
Mr. Obama's budget is realistic. The SS adjustment is perfectly engineered to keep the system solvent over time. Now Republicans are attacking it because it will be "hard on seniors."
These people have no shame at all. One day they are clamoring for the President to save SS and when he tries to do just that, they attack him. It doesn't matter what he does. Like the DN, no matter what Obama does, they are against it -- even if it's their own idea.
photographermom South Jordan, UTApril 12, 2013 10:12 a.m.
Everything Obama does is lazy!
Kent C. DeForrest Provo, UTApril 12, 2013 9:39 a.m.
I usually find something of worth in Samuelson's columns. This one? Not so much. So President Obama is "timid" for proposing modest cuts to Social Security. These proposed cuts incensed his own party. You'd think the GOP would be dancing in the streets, because he finally put SS on the table. Well, you'd be dreaming then. Instead, the GOP's House Reelection Committee chairman blasted away at the President, calling this proposed cuts "a shocking attack on seniors." Is there no limit to their hypocrisy? They've been screaming for years to slash spending on Social Security and Medicare. When the President finally gives in, do they say, "Finally, now we can come to the table and bargain"? Of course not. Their hatred for this president knows no bounds. They criticize him for proposing Republican ideas, again and again. So, keep voting Republican, Utah. We certainly need more of this sort of irrational behavior in Washington.
george of the jungle goshen, UTApril 12, 2013 9:22 a.m.
20 years ago 1000,000.00 was [I thought] enough money to save for retirement. Now I don't that a
million will be. Not that I had any money in the first place. Now after our elected thought that they where entitled to SS not any of the deserving.
caleb in new york Glen Cove, NYApril 12, 2013 8:43 a.m.
but at least the deseret news got this editorial from the Washington Post which is considered to be a liberal newspaper.
LValfre CHICAGO, ILApril 12, 2013 8:29 a.m.
THe DNEWS as a whole ... this papers opinion is always anti=Obama. I thought journalism was non-biased?
The Real Maverick Orem, UTApril 12, 2013 6:27 a.m.
Oh wow. What a surprise. The dnews produces one my article blasting the president.


text:
Sandwiched between a pair of tough losses, the Cabot Panthers won a 10-inning thriller at Jacksonville 3-1 this past week.
Playing Thursday evening, Jacksonville struck first with a run in the bottom of the first inning. Courtland McDonald walked, stole second and then scored on a error to give the Red Devils a 1-0 lead.
Thanks to good pitching and tight defense by the Panthers, that was all the Devils would get for the next few hours.
Junior Zach Patterson pitched the first seven innings for Cabot, not allowing a hit until the sixth inning. Patterson allowed three walks and two hit batters, while striking out eight.
Cabot didn't score until the seventh inning when Casey Vaughn and Chipper Morris each reached on an error, with Vaughn scoring the tying run.
Jacksonville had a chance in the bottom of the seventh after the leadoff batter was hit, then sacrificed over to second base. Back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning sent the game into extra innings.
Neither team cold get a run across in the eighth or ninth innings, despite both getting runners into scoring position.
The Panthers finally broke through in the top of the tenth. Riley Knudsen led off with a walk, then was sacrificed to second. A double by Kason Kimbrell drove in Knudsen for the go-ahead run. Kimbrell would later score an insurance run on a double by Ryan Logan.
In the bottom of the 10th inning, Kyle Kaufman walked the leadoff batter after pitching a scoreless eighth and ninth. Knudsen was brought in and promptly got a grounder back to him to start a double-play and clear the bases. A grounder to second ended the game, giving Cabot a 3-1 win.
Cabot lost a 3-0 duel against Little Rock Central earlier in the week. Morris, Vaughan, Knudsen, Logan and Coleman McAtee each had hits in the loss, but each came scattered in different innings.
Knudsen and Kimbrell combined pitching to only allow four hits, but they came in two innings to provide the Tigers the runs they needed.
Against Fayetteville on Saturday, the Panthers couldn't contain the Bulldogs' offense this time. Fayetteville had two singles, three doubles and a triple in the first inning as Fayetteville was on the way to a 14-3 win.
Morris, Knudsen and Scott Burnett each had singles in the fourth and final inning.


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Driving time holds steady as population increases, report says
The D.C. region is growing by leaps and bounds, but when it comes to driving, it is actually holding steady with the same amount of drive time. That's the surprising assessment from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.
"The traffic is just deplorable," says Elliott Nash of Sterling.
Between 2005 and 2011, the Washington region's population swelled by nearly 350,000 residents, an increase of 7.3 percent. As a result, drivers on local roadways are convinced traffic congestion is getting exponentially worse.
"Takes more time. Where it used to take 10 minutes, it takes 30 minutes now," says Johnny Stokes of D.C.
But according to researchers who reviewed state transportation data, total daily driving on area roadways saw almost no change during those years, holding steady at 110 million vehicle miles each day.
They say it's unprecedented with the most-likely cause being high unemployment rates during the recession and recovery.
"And so if all of those people are back into the mix and back at work, would your trend show what this trend shows," says Marc Elrich of the Montgomery County Council.
Researchers say they are unsure.
"It goes back to even World War 2. We've never seen anything like this, so if the economy picks up, then we'll start to see the line go up again."
Telecommuting and e-commerce could also factor in with more Americans conducting business and making purchases online.
"Less of a demand to drive could lead to these declines," says Ben Hampton, a Council of Governments transportation planner.
Some also believe we're experiencing a dramatic, maybe generational, shift in commuting habits with more so-called "smart growth" around transit hubs.
"What I'm hearing more and more, particularly among people in their twenties and thirties, is they really don't want to get in their cars," says David Snyder of the Falls Church City Council. "They really want to be able to walk wherever it is that they work and wherever it is that they seek entertainment."
But when the economy rebounds, AAA Mid-Atlantic warns thousands of more drivers will return to the roads because biking and Metro have their limits.
"All of that will help a little bit, but let's beer clear. We need to continue to invest in our roadways," says Lon Anderson of AAA Mid-Atlantic.


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I'd Like to Load 38 S&W Lead Magtech Bullets
View Single Post
May 7, 2013, 05:37 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: January 20, 2009
Location: Overlooking the Baker River Valley
Posts: 1,637
I have 6 guns that are either .38 Spcl, or .357 Mag. and .38 S&W will not chamber in any of them. It is too fat to fit in the cylinder of any of them.
Is it possible Remington is deliberately making R38SW undersized so it will chamber in more guns?
Interesting. I have a couple dozen revolvers (and one semi-auto) in .38 Special and/or .357 Mag. I also have an old S&W Terrier in .38 S&W, so happened to have an unopened box of Remington .38 S&W 146 gr LRN cartridges on the shelf. I just took one of the factory-new .38 S&Ws and it fit into every one of the revolver chambers I tried it in (and I tried most, but not all of them) - in most cases it dropped right in, in some guns (my Colt Python and 357) it needed a little push, but it fit easily.
So, I hunted up my micrometer and I find that the Remington .38 S&W cartridges are .3808 at the neck and .3818 at the base, vs.the specified .3855 and .3865 for the cartridge. Looks like Remington may indeed be making them a bit undersized.
That said, I'm a great believer in shooting only the caliber a gun is chambered for, no matter what may fit, so I wouldn't dream of firing any of the .38 S&Ws in any of the .38 Specials and .357s - but I suspect nothing too onerous would result.
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Electrical Questions? Ask an Electrician Online.
Hello Terry.........my name is XXXXX XXXXX I will be happy to assist you with your electrical question. My goal is to exceed your expectations on Just Answer!
1) The voltage drop calculation for a 100 amp sub-panel, 240 volts at a distance of 170 feet results in 1/0 Stranded Aluminum which provides a 2.4 voltage drop or 2 AWG stranded copper which results in a 2.7 voltage drop. Due to the distance, Aluminum wire will be more cost effective than copper conductors. Code requires the voltage drop to be less than 3 volts.
2) Since a sub-panel, the feeder circuit leaving from your 200 amp main panel needs to be a 4 wire circuit, ie , 2 hots, 1 neutral and 1 equipment grounding conductor.
The 2 hots and 1 neutral can be sized as 1/0 Aluminum and the equipment ground size is a minimum of 6 AWG Stranded Aluminum.
3) If using PVC conduit, you can use Sch 40 gray electrical PVC, 2 inch diameter. For the conduit fill ratio, code requires a minimum size of 1 1/2" inch diameter conduit, however I would suggest using 2 inch diameter as this will make pulling the conductors much easier. The wires will need to be rated as type THWN insulation for wet conditions. Or you can use Underground Feeder (UF) 4 conductor cable as a direct burial. I always recommend using conduit for underground since you only want to trench this one time.
4) You will need space in the main panel to accommodate a 100 amp double pole breaker. The main panel and the sub-panel will both require an equipment grounding bar. Located at both the main panel and the sub-panel, the equipment grounding conductor lands on an equipment ground bar and never on the neutral bus bars. At the barn, you will require a minimum of (1) one 8 foot ground rod.
5) If using PVC, burial depth is a minimum of 18 inches. If using UF cable, minimum depth is 24 inches.
6) The sub-panel in the barn will need to be a main breaker type of panel and not a main lug panel. At the sub, the neutral wire must remain isolated from the panel metal enclosure. This means, do not install the green bonding screw or the copper main bonding jumper at the sub neutral bus bar. The neutral always remains floating in any sub-panel. The grounding electrode conductor to the ground rod can be sized as either 8 AWG or 6 AWG Stranded Aluminum. Depending upon your soil conditions, you may require 2 ground rods installed a minimum of 6 feet apart. Best to ask your local electrical inspector for soil grounding conditions in your area.
Hope this helps.........If you have any additional questions, let me know and I'll be glad to answer them for you.
Otherwise, don't forget to rate me before you log Off.The next time you have an electrical question, you can also request for me at:http://www.justanswer.com/home-improvement/expert-your-electrician ..........Thanks..............Kevin!
Terry...... Thank you for the excellent service rating as well as the bonus......much appreciated!
If you have any other questions, just let me know.
Take care and have a great day............Thanks..............Kevin!


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|From: Bill Clementson (billclem at gmail.com)
Date: Fri Nov 28 13:10:21 EST 2008
Hi all, I've posted a summary (with movie and ppt) of last night's lispvan presentation on my blog: http://bc.tech.coop/blog/081128.html Thanks Norm for a fantastic presentation! We had 15 attendees and the new venue looks like a keeper! Plenty of space, no noise, a projector, lots of free parking, and a fridge for our beer - what more could one want from life? ;-) Cheers, Bill On Wed, Nov 26, 2008 at 7:52 AM, Bill Clementson <billclem at gmail.com> wrote: > Hi all, > > Just a reminder of tomorrow's lispvan meeting. Remember that it is at > a new location. > > See you there! > Bill > > On Wed, Nov 19, 2008 at 4:11 PM, Bill Clementson <billclem at gmail.com> wrote: >> Hi all, >> >> Norman Jaffe has been using Lisp and Lisp Machines for more years than >> most lispvan members have been alive! Working on such a broad range of >> Lisp systems has given him a fairly unique perspective on Lisp as a >> language and Lisp Machines as a working environment (Norm gave an >> earlier presentation on "Wearing Lisp" at the April 2006 lispvan >> meeting). During this presentation, Norm will be showing off some >> actual Lisp Machines and Lisp Environments and talking about his >> experiences with them. >> >> We will have the meeting at a new location, The Hackery, (with a >> projector and a special meeting room!), so make certain you take note >> of the new location. >> >> Here's the "official" meeting notice: >> >> Topic: 0x20 Years of Lisp Systems, a Personal Journey >> Presenter: Norman Jaffe >> Date: Thursday, November 27th, 2008 >> Time: 7pm - 10pm (or whenever) >> Venue: The Hackery, 304 Victoria Dr (entrance off Franklin), Vancouver >> Summary: While at the University of Washington and Simon Fraser >> University in the early '70s, I was exposed to a wide variety of >> computer languages and systems. Most have 'fallen by the wayside', but >> four have influenced my travels through the computing landscape - >> Lisp, Smalltalk, Snobol and APL. Tonight I'll talk about where LISP >> has taken me, from informal 'Greenspun' code to dedicated hardware. I >> hope to show the breadth of Lisp systems and the exciting new >> directions that I see. >> >> Join us for a beer (bring your own - there's a fridge) and/or coffee >> and a chance to see some old and new lisp machines and lisp >> environments and to discuss what was, what is, and what could be! >> >> For updates (and additional links), see my blog posting: >> http://bc.tech.coop/blog/081119.html >> >> -- >> Bill Clementson >> >
|Posted on the users mailing list.


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Kenny Williams Deserves Our Patience While He Rebuilds the Chicago White SoxJanuary 3, 2012
Kenny Williams is no longer the only baseball general manager in Chicago who has a World Series ring.
With the November arrival of Theo Epstein, the room at the baseball table just got a bit more crowded. Epstein brings not only his World Series titles to Chicago, but he brings credibility.
And that puts White Sox GM Kenny Williams right in the spotlight.
For Williams, this off-season has been perplexing—from the hiring of first-time manager Robin Ventura, to losing long-time pitching ace Mark Buehrle, who followed former skipper Ozzie Guilien to Miami.
Kenny Williams and the White Sox kept busy this week by trading away slugger Carlos Quentin and middle-relief pitcher Jason Frasor to San Diego and Toronto respectively. In the two deals, the White Sox received a total of four young pitching prospects.
Simon Castro, Pedro Hernandez, Daniel Webb, and Myles Jaye are not the who's-who of MLB prospects, but they are all young. Castro is the oldest at age 23. Add to the group Nestor Molina, and the White Sox have five young pitchers to build around.
Among them, Castro and Molina may turn out to be good, solid middle-of-the-rotation pitchers. While many of us demand aces, keep in mind that many teams no longer have to luxury of having good number three and four pitchers.
Both Castro and Molina are considered hard-throwing right-handers who may have what it takes to pitch at U.S. Cellular Field. If they reach their potentials with the help of pitching coach Don Cooper, a 2013 rotation of John Danks, Zach Stewart, Phillip Humber, Molina, and Castro looks strong in the A.L. Central.
Many feel that the arrow is pointing downward, but the rebuilding process had to begin eventually.
We tend to fall in love with our favorite players and never accept when it is time for the organization to move on. The 2011 White Sox was a flawed team—slow, un-athletic, and lacking in overall fundamentals.
No team in the majors had a more unbalanced team than the Chicago White Sox.
This past weekend Kenny Williams swung the wrecking ball once more. Again, if three of the five pitchers that the White Sox have picked up via trades this off-season pan out by making the opening day roster within the next two years, Williams looks like a genius.
Since rebuilding has never been a part of his track record, he deserves our patience.


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Tangerine PR has been appointed by specialist fleet management company ARI Fleet UK to develop and implement a media relations campaign for the brand, following its rebrand earlier this year.
As a part of the agreement, Tangerine PR will also be tasked with establishing ARI's social media presence in the UK, as well as undertaking a detailed research project.
Tangerine's B2B team will seek to grow brand awareness within the fleet management industry and will oversee the production of three white papers on a selection of issues.


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Resident Evil: Extinction
Released: September 21, 2007
Resident Evil: Extinction - Original Score
Released: December 18, 2007
Formats: CD, Digital (64 min)
Resident Evil: Extinction
Released: September 18, 2007
Formats: CD, Digital (62 min)
Enter your e-mail address to receive weekly soundtrack and film score news:
The trailers for Resident Evil: Extinction featured music by The Crystal Method, James Newton Howard, Pfeifer Broz. Music, Robert Etoll, Groove Addicts, X-Ray Dog, Synchronic Music, Audio Machine, Two Steps From Hell, Synchronic, Charlie Clourser, Joseph Bishara, Ear Tonic Music / Jonathan Kranz, Cinetrax, Stamina Music, Collide, Tyler Bates, Extreme Music, and 300 Years Later.
If any information appears to be missing from this page, contact us and let us know!


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Checking in on Pedro Martinez
I'm sure you all know the background of the Pedro Martinez situation. One of the best pitchers in baseball, a huge signing for the Mets franchise in 2005, had rotator cuff surgery in the offseason and hasn't pitched this year. Well, with Pedro likely one rehab start away from returning to the Mets, I thought we might look at what type of fantasy production we should expect from him in September.
Rehab starts
First, let's check out how he's fared in his four rehabs starts.
08/08/07 | R | 3 IP | 67 Pitches | 5 K | 0 BB
08/14/07 | R | 4 IP | 60 Pitches | 3 K | 1 BB | 5 days rest (+20 pitches in the bullpen afterward)
08/20/07 | A+ | 5 IP | 72 Pitches | 4 K | 1 BB | 5 days rest
08/27/07 | A+ | 6 IP | 88 Pitches | 4 K | 2 BB | 6 days rest
The strikeouts and walks aren't ultra-important, especially considering it's only against rookie and A-ball talent. We're looking for signs that Pedro's arm strength is back and that he is healthy.
The 88 pitches were a good sign, but that he waited six days between his third and fourth start isn't. Still, he was supposed to pitch on Sunday in Double-A and was bumped to Monday so he could pitch in Florida, so I don't think that should be too much of a concern. He was ready to go after five days.
Still, five days between starts isn't exactly pushing it. He'll make one more rehab start before joining the Mets, so it'll be interesting to see how it goes.
Let's see what Pedro is saying about his rehab and his health. After his start Monday night:
"I felt good overall. I feel like I used all my pitches, and I was getting more confident as the game went on. The first two innings I felt a little out of whack."
Some are concerned that his velocity isn't quite there yet. Reports indicate his fastball was working in the 84-88 mph range Monday. It's been said that it was at 89 mph in his third start. Pedro's response:
"I'm not trying to overdo anything. Whenever velocity is needed, I'll click it. After the last game, we decided we were going to work on the cutter and the changeup. At this stage, when you are coming off an injury, you can't really work on all of your pitches at once. You just want to take one at a time."
As Pedro doesn't rely on—and hasn't thrown too many—mid-90s fastballs in recent years, I think that part of his game should be fine. After one more start, he should be able to work consistently in the 87-89 mph range, mixing in a couple in the 90-92 range. I'm not too concerned about his velocity. He has succeeded in recent years at a level very similar to where it is now.
What will be key for Martinez is, first and foremost, his ability to remain healthy and continue building up arm strength. After that, he will simply need to have good command of his pitches to be an effective starter. As he doesn't need to crank his fastball up much higher, he will need only to regain his old control and his old approach, which I think is a much smaller problem than many rehabbing pitchers face.
It seems Martinez agrees with this setiment, and it's encouraging to see that this is his focus:
"It's more about me getting command of my pitches than who I'm facing."
In one situation where the manager wanted him to walk a batter, he wanted to test himself:
"No, this is the situation I want, to see if I can make pitches, test myself. That was actually the key for the whole workout."
It's great to see that Martinez is working on his different pitches and is expressing pleasure with his progress. There's not much more you could hope to see before he actually returns. Here's another quote from after the game:
"My arm feels great."
Don't get too excited
While he threw all of his pitches, there are signs that he is still not completely confident in them. He'll reportedly throw his next bullpen session as if it were a simulated game, and make one more start against live batters before joining the Mets. In regard to his start Monday and the coming bullpen session, he had this to say:
"I'll continue to work on my changeup and my cutter, especially the back-door ones."
Those were the pitches he was working on Monday night, and I guess he still doesn't feel that they are where they need to be.
Closing thoughts
Overall, I have confidence in Pedro. His head seems to be in the right place. Hopefully, that will evolve into results—namely command of his pitches. He isn't there yet, but I think he is well on his way.
After his next rehab start, we'll look at the numbers he has put up in the past and the ones we expect him to put up in the rest of the regular season. For now, he needs to be owned in all leagues. The upside is there for him to be a dominant starter, at least for three starts. If he is still available and you need a starter who could help in four categories, pick him up.
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Excellent article. Pedro definitely has a lot of potential and it's great to see him expressing the importance of technique over speed. Gaining command of the pitch can often be more effective than trying to achieve the highest speed.


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It was a California case that led Duncan MacVicar to take up the cause of creating special criminal courts for military veterans.
In 2006, MacVicar took an interest in the case of Sargent Binkley, on trial for using an unloaded gun to rob a pharmacy in Mountain View. Although of different generations, both men are West Point graduates and Army veterans, and both have suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. Binkley, who was robbing the pharmacy for its pain pills, also had a painkiller addiction. He faced a mandatory sentence of 12 years in prison if convicted.
Binkley was convicted but avoided jail time due to the jury finding him legally insane at the time of the crime. He received mental health treatment instead.
The ruling "was like winning the lottery," MacVicar said in an interview with The Democrat. Too often, he said, men and women of the Armed Forces come home from service overseas with damaged bodies and minds - and wind up on the wrong side of the law as a result.
Newly inspired, MacVicar co-founded a nonprofit, California Veterans Legal Task Force, and began working on establishing special courts that provide the justice many believe veterans deserve. His work puts him in contact with judges and court administrators in counties around California, including in Yolo.
Although similar efforts had been underway already, "For me, personally, it was absolutely because of Sargent Binkley that I got into this," MacVicar said.
So far, his quest has been successful in San Francisco, San Mateo, Placer and El Dorado counties, and MacVicar is currently in touch with key figures in Yolo County.
"We did meet with him and he came to speak with our court, and we had our criminal justice partners there as well," said Shawn Landry, court executive officer of the Yolo County Superior Court. The criminal justice partners included representatives from the Yolo County Public Defender's Office, the District Attorney's Office, the Probation Department and the county Department of Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Services.
According to MacVicar, under California law if a veteran commits a crime and has a mental health problem, the judge can sentence that person to therapy - usually through the VA - instead of jail.
The law, put on the books after the Vietnam War, has "been modified a number of times since," MacVicar said. "I wrote a modification about three years ago."
Such mental health problems can include PTSD, traumatic brain injury or depression. "Those are the three most common psychological problems, especially among the younger veterans, but also with the older guys like me," he said. (MacVicar graduated from West Point in 1965 and fought in the Vietnam War.)
Add to that the all-too-common complication of substance abuse and addiction.
"Just about every defendant" in court cases like Binkley's has a substance abuse problem, MacVicar said. Facing physical pain and mental anguish, the veterans often "self-medicate" with alcohol, painkillers or other medications, he said.
The results are predictable: drunk driving, domestic violence and other crimes.
Once in court, veterans can be caught in a loop - going from jail to probation and back to jail again - without ever getting the treatment they need. And repeat offenders take up court resources.
That's where the veterans treatment court comes in. Military veterans, tried in such a court, can receive specialized sentencing, often in the form of targeted treatment, rather than jail time. "Most judges will not use an alternative sentencing scheme like this. And the reason they won't is, they are really busy," MacVicar explained.
"They can't keep bringing people back once or twice a month. ... That is done by these specialty collaborative courts." Specialty courts are common already in the superior court system. Drug courts, homeless courts and domestic violence courts are examples. Yolo County recently launched a mental health court. "This collaborative court idea works really really well," MacVicar said. "The outcomes are so much better in collaborative courts, recidivism rates are much lower." His ultimate goal, he said, is to pitch the idea of a veterans treatment court to officials everywhere, and "see to it that every county in Northern California who wants to have one can have one." (Yolo County has about 10,000 veterans. By comparison, Sacramento County has more than 100,000.)
Getting that done will take a great deal of organization, requiring "buy-in" from all the criminal justice partners, Landry said.
When it comes to establishing a veterans treatment court in Yolo, "We're in the exploratory phase of this," he said. "There are some veterans courts around the state and they operate in various capacities" - out of one courtroom, for example, or as a hybrid with other courts.
For Yolo, he said, the first step is to "perhaps visit various models of veterans courts that are out there throughout the state."
Budget-wise, creating a new court is "treated as a workload issue for us," Landry said. Some cases might take more time and effort, but if successful, "Then you have people hopefully transition out of the criminal justice system," which eases court resources overall.
Whatever happens, it won't be right away. Yolo County is still in the "information-gathering stage," Landry said, and experts on veterans issues say MacVicar has his work cut out for him.
"There's been several efforts to set up a veterans court in Yolo County, with no success," said Yolo County Veterans Services Officer Bill Wagster. He added that he "absolutely" applauds the latest effort by MacVicar.
MacVicar says some counties are easier than others - San Mateo, for example, required no convincing at all.
"My work varies in every county," he said, adding that "There is promise in Yolo County."
Follow Don Frances at twitter.com/donjfran


text: This is a similar post like I did for the motherboards but for Video card brands. Blue Excellent Quality with Superior tech support and Fast RMA Service. Green Excellent Quality With not so good Customer Support and slow RMA service Purple Mid Quality with Good Customer support and fast RMA service Black Mid Quality with Poor Customer Support and bad RMA Service Red Very Poor Quality with Very Poor Customer support and non-existent RMA service "you are on your own" ATI (workstation cards, not for gaming) Matrox (workstation cards, not for gaming) rating per glc ASUS Diamond EVGA Sapphire HIS Gigabyte PNY MSI Sparkle Biostar PowerColor VisionTek Galaxy Apollo Zotac XFX Jaton Chaintech BFG (OUT OF BUSINESS, DO NOT BUY, NO MORE RMA'S, IF IT BREAKS YOU EAT IT) I have never used Sparkle or Matrox so I have no rating for them


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Learn about this topic in these articles:
development of repeating firearms
...In 1885 Ferdinand Mannlicher of Austria had introduced a boxlike magazine fitted into the bottom of the rifle in front of the trigger guard. This magazine was easily loaded by a device called a clip, a light metal openwork box that held five cartridges and fed them up into the chamber through the action of a spring as each spent case was ejected. Other magazine rifles, such as the Mauser,...
invention by Mannlicher
Austrian firearms designer who invented the cartridge clip, which allows loading a box magazine in one motion.


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Artist description:
Gonna be away for awhile,wont be able to draw T.T If only i could transfer data like Shiro,people can understand what i'm thinking =w=
Java Draw Created Dec 04, 2011 460 x 640px Unless noted Copyright 2011 Onidevil555.
We encourage you to submit a comment and let the artist know what you think of this drawing. Please log in or join to post a comment.
Post a comment
xD LOL. the meter bar~ :D Lol. This reminds me of a game~ C: and aw@ description :c Don't we all?
T.T Bye bye Oni-sensei! I'm done with my homework XD I'll try to design it as fast as possible! Gonna miss your manga ;A; gonna miss shiro T.T


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Back in April, when it was announced that Playboy was returning to the Plains, we decided to investigate the circumstances (and results) of its previous Auburn panty raids, which began in 1981 and had continued in 5-10 year intervals through 2007. Our attention was focused exclusively on the circumstances and results of 1989. The question of whether two Auburn players photo-bombing their way into Playboy would fly in the age of The Auburn Family (TM) was the only angle that seemed interesting enough to serve as an excuse for a 1,200 word post (TWER is read for the articles, by God…)
But, as we were informed by a reader in a comment posted to our story on Auburn's latest "Girls of the SEC" contributions, somehow, somehow, somehow we overlooked 1994—specifically (in accordance with TWER's noble standards) the photo of five, scantily-clad (but at least still clad) Auburn coeds posing in the stands of Jordan-Hare with shakers, footballs, and a string of mini SEC team pennants.
And it kinda seems like that actually would have gelled with our thongy thesis even more than the shot of Erica Duh standing above running back Henry Love and wide receiver Dunican Casselberry. Those dudes supposedly just happened by the photo shoot and said "cheese"—it was a spur of the moment, personal decision, not a media appearance sanctioned by the Athletic Department.
Can the same be said for what went down in '94? Did Auburn officials give Playboy permission to shoot in the stadium (like they gave Bjork)? Or did the young ladies sneak in (like Jaime Edmondson)? Would that happen in 2011? Would eyebrows be raised and letters written if it did? Are we just looking for another excuse to extend our dominance of Google search rankings for "Auburn"+"Playboy"?
Related: British Bombshell wears vintage Auburn shirt in Maxim.


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Get a Sub (6 inch) FREE with the purchase of any Sub (6 inch) with large cold drink
(Open 7 days)
Founded in 1965, the SUBWAY® restaurant chain is the world's largest submarine sandwich franchise, with over 39,000 locations in 102 countries offering a fresh, healthy alternative to fast-food restaurants.
Subway has a large range of wonderful and authentic dishes usually of Fast Food cuisines. with Seating/ where you can avail best food quality services. Its menu brings you lots of delicious both vegetarian and non-vegetarian.Their cuisine is outstanding with an exceptionally high standard of courtesy and assistance to the customer and they use only the finest and freshest ingredients for their food.


text:
Oo Ramown + Jokern.
Also made this thread: http://www.reddit.com/r/tf2/comments/1edorv/6_hours_from_now_6v6_tf2_shoutcast_skidmark/
Will Skidmark Central after their recent draw against vinland be able to come up with a master plan to beat Crackclan? Is 2nuts, the newest addition to Crack Clan going make CC's life easier and surf all enemy rockets? Find out by tuning in to TeamFortress.tv with a new caster combo-wombo Ramown the Multiplay I48 LAN champion, Jokern the unknown swedish scout and Skyride completing the OnlineGamer.se trifecta on camera! ETF2L Season 15 week 2 maps are: cp_gullywash_final and cp_snakewater.
Oo Ramown + Jokern.
Also made this thread: http://www.reddit.com/r/tf2/comments/1edorv/6_hours_from_now_6v6_tf2_shoutcast_skidmark/
Ramown Unchained
Big Ramownnnnnnn
Is Warden camera man for TFTV and VTV tonight?
with Warden once again holding the camera
From the post on VTV
that's something we're attempting to figure out right now, seeing as he told us last night he was here to camera for us today :)
post updated with new details
ummm, when is this game CET? sorry i am not very familiar with the NA timezones. :P
if you login to the site with steam then go to your settings in your profile, you can set your timezone and you will get event times localized.
thx ^^, sorry for being generally retarded <:o)
:( i cant watch live streams because i get home as soon as it over every day or the last 5 minutes of it just get to see them talking to winning team its like the world punching me in the face. I hate u world XD
Don't worry, theres still 6 more weeks of ETF2L, and ESEA should be starting up in a week or so. You'll be able to catch some live games then!
Great job casting Ramown and jokern :)
What happened to the vod?


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Software Engineering Fellowship
The Leading Software Engineering Fellowship Exclusively for Women
- January 2 - March 23, 2018
- 12 Weeks
- San Francisco, CA
Get immersed in an environment proven to optimize for learning.
Surround yourself by a team genuinely invested in your success.
From Day 1, you will have an adviser supporting you.
Begin your career transition with top engineers by your side.
Learn one of the most in-demand languages in the tech industry.
Get set up to find a job you love post-graduation.
Even from my first day, it was obvious that I had found a special type of environment: one that was supportive, motivating, and inspiring.
One of the most in-demand and high paying languages to learn in the industry is Python – the core language of our curriculum. Companies that use Python? Google, Yelp and Dropbox to name a few. The primary language taught in many traditional four-year Computer Science programs at institutions is Python, further making it a competitive language to know.
Source: Lifehacker.com
The program runs Monday through Friday, 10am to 6pm. Download our Fellowship Program Syllabus to get a better understanding of our curriculum and weekly schedule!
Please note: Admitted students are required to complete ~30-40 hours of pre-work assigned by the Education team before beginning the program. Pre-work will be assigned 2-3 weeks prior to the program start date.
Early in the fellowship, you will be matched with experienced engineers in the field who are there to guide you as you begin your new career. Our mentors include engineers from Airbnb, Amazon, Reddit and other startups. Read more about Mentorship here…
Each fellow is assigned an adviser from our full-time education staff that ensures you have the support you need during the program. Your advisor is responsible for helping the rest of our education team understand where you are in the program and will advocate for what you need.
We are a diverse community in many ways, including educational background, ages, races, ethnicities, abilities and sexual orientations. We welcome people from all walks of life and believe a safe space is imperative for optimal learning.
The fellowship is both challenging and fun—we believe you learn more when you feel encouraged and surrounded by people you know. We have social evenings every Friday night where we host movies, games and other fun stuff.
What does your schedule look like while you're a fellow? Here's a breakdown.
Check out Hackbright alumnae blogs to get perspective on the program directly from past students
Our customized career services program includes career workshops, hosted career coffee, white boarding practice, resume building, interview preparation and much more. Learn more about our one of a kind Career Development program.
Each student gets several mentors dedicated only to them. A mentor is given as soon as the fellowship begins to help guide you through your career transition. Read more here.
Application Deadline: Wednesday, December 6th
Check out our full list of upcoming sessions.
Upon submitting your application, you will receive a notification within two weeks regarding next steps.
As of August 30, 2017, Tuition is $16,895.
Payment Plans: We have partnered with leading lending providers so that you have affordable payment alternatives. Learn more and check out the various payment plan options.
Tuition Rebate: Hackbright Academy will refund $3,000 off tuition for those who accept full-time job offers from one of the companies in our network. Terms and conditions do apply. See details here.
Discounts: Students who've completed our Hackbright prep course are eligible for a $1500 discount if enrolling in the full-time fellowship.
If the program doesn't meet your expectations in the first 2 weeks, we'll give you your money back (less your down payment).
A list of scholarships available at this time can be found on our Scholarships page. We would also recommend reading the Hackbright Academy financial aid and scholarship FAQ to understand the various opportunities.
Why women only?
We want to do our part to equalize this imbalance and we felt that a program exclusively for women was a good place to start. Our mission is to change the gender ratio in technology and to create an environment where women feel comfortable entering, and remaining, in the tech industry.
Who's this program for?
Our ideal candidate has an inspired desire to learn software development and wants an immersive environment to become a good developer.
Successful candidates have some introductory exposure to programming prior to the Fellowship. Maybe you gave a few programming tutorials a try but you're eager for a little more structure. You may have even taken a CS class once in high school or been tinkering with statistics packages.
Why Python and Web Development?
Python is an important part of the tech ecosystem. It's an excellent teaching language, indeed. It's the language of choice for both MIT's and Berkeley's undergraduate curriculums. More importantly, it's a commercially used language used by giants and startups alike. We like it a lot, and we think you'll like it too.
Software Development is changing. Within the last ten years, the web has gone from being a second-class citizen to the primary way software is distributed to people. Aside from toys, there is almost no marketplace for software without a network component anymore, and modern web development was critical to that change. Even if you go on to build mobile applications, you'll need to interface with a web component.
Build A Foundation
Build A Foundation
Build A Foundation


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I had a chance to use this seat while on vacation. It is comfortable and my son had no issues transitioning from his usual potty to 'going' on this one. No complaints.
There is a built in pee guard so no spraying to worry about. The handle makes it easy to take off and on as well as hang up when not in use. It is also easy to wipe clean and even give a quick was in the shower.


text: I think that having something to defend your home with other then yourself would be pretty nice...(even if that home is made of dirt) ___ADDED___ Sum people may not like this,(like most things) Because of worrying about players becoming lazy, not true if they are able to build something like this your not lazy you just enjoy using sum thing not controlled by you. In a game like this there should be tons of ways to do things and i just think this would be worthy thing to add to the game. If you don't like using things like these then don't and stick with your favorite ways of doing things.MOVE THAT GEAR UP EDIT: Here are sum ideas on how they would be used in game. - Use a generator to create power for the turrets. - In even more in depth thing would to make it so there would be batteries and you would use the generator to slowly charge them and each time a turret fired the energy level would decrease. A percentage would be nice or a thing like 250/250 and have upgraded forms of batteries. Also have a certain number of outlets per battery. - Have something for ammo like putting ammo into it directly or having sum thing connected to them to feed them ammo. - Have energy based turrets or bullet type or maybe both. - Unable to fire at certain bosses for balancing issues or simply do zero damage to them. - I don't know how PVP well work on this game lets just say the server would need PVP enabled to fire at players. - Knock back maybe? - Have turrets and generators in abandoned randomly generated military bases and you could disrupt it to turn off all the defenses to get loot easier. Those are just sum ideas.


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Ask a Lawyer and Get Answers to Your Legal Questions
Unfortunately, there is no way to just wipe your information from every site in a single move. Each site maintains its own information... so you would have to contact each site and ask that it be removed. In this case, if they are stating that you are a registered sex offender, that is untrue information. So you would be within the law to threaten them with a defamation lawsuit if they do not remove the false information.
If the sites say something true, like you were convicted of a certain crime... they don't have to remove that information.
The botXXXXX XXXXXne is that you will have to contact the site administrator for each site where the information is contained and ask them to remove it.


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With today's deal, $20 gets students access to an exclusive Gaelic soiree including transportation and access to four of the city's most popular clubs on the St. Patrick's Day Shamrock Club Crawl 2011 (up to a $50 value on the night of the event) hosted by Student Tours & Promotions. Choose between the following dates:
- Saturday, March 12 at 7:00 p.m.
- Thursday, March 17 at 7:00 p.m.
Doors open at Crocodile Rock on Adelaide Street West at 7:00 p.m., and at 7:30 p.m. a party bus will whisk you, your friends, and your soon-to-be-airport rides to three more of the city's most popular clubs where cover charges are eliminated and waiting in line, like challenging your rivals to a cutthroat quadrille, is considered a quaint clubbing pastime reserved for another night. Drink specials, party favours, and prizes await partiers attending local St. Patrick's Day Shamrock Club Crawl 2011 bashes across Canada.
Tickets for the St. Patrick's Day Shamrock Club Crawl 2011 increase in price as the date of the event gets closer. No matter when you buy, this Groupon represents the best deal available.
Student Tours & Promotions has more than 1,500 Facebook fans.


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We report on the design and characterization of focusing-curved subwavelength grating couplers for ultra-broadband silicon photonics optical interfaces. With implementation of waveguide dispersion engineered subwavelength structures, an ultra-wide 1-dB bandwidth of over 100 nm (largest reported to date) near 1550 nm is experimentally achieved for transverse-electric polarized light. By tapering the subwavelength structures, back reflection is effectively suppressed and grating coupling efficiency is increased to −4.7 dB. A compact device footprint of 40 µm 20 µm is realized by curving the gratings in a focusing scheme.
© 2014 Optical Society of AmericaFull Article | PDF Article


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Inside/Outside the (N.Y.) Times
Of course, none of it ever filtered into the pages of The New York Times -- too much gossip and personality and "not newsworthy" would have been the editorial judgment. Still, I had little doubt that I was hearing the insider's account, the true goods passed along by two players who had the town down cold. Over the years, I shared drinks and stories long into the night with other like-minded reporters. They were the best of companions, the most engaging tellers of tales. One correspondent who was wounded in Vietnam had been hauled up the ladder into a helicopter while the Viet Cong peppered the sky with gunfire; another had nearly lost his life in Central Africa, and had been forced to kiss the feet of the amused head of state; another told how the British prime minister had behaved with sang froid when he walked into his daughter's room and discovered her in bed with a man. (He backed out apologizing, and returned five minutes later with champagne and three glasses.)
I thought of these men and women as I read Max Frankel's memoir, The Times of My Life and My Life With The Times, an unabashed love song to journalism in general and The New York Times in particular. Frankel's stories are those of the knowledgeable observer -- though very different from those noted above. His accounts are more connected to the political events and personalities he wrote about as a foreign and diplomatic correspondent, and more tied to the inner workings of The New York Times itself. As a young reporter, he covered the failed Hungarian Revolution of 1956; then it was on to the Soviet Union, where he followed Chairman Khrushchev's moves; then a hop to Cuba and the emergence of Fidel. In the book are background reports about the publication of the Pentagon Papers; Nixon's journey to China (where Frankel earned his Pulitzer Prize); and Watergate. There are also portraits -- of publisher Arthur Ochs "Punch" Sulzberger (whom Frankel admires above all other men) and other editors (who receive less flattering notices) -- illuminating what can only be described as Frankel's corporate romance, his affair with The Times itself.
Moving from foreign correspondent to Washington columnist, then to head of the D.C. bureau before journeying up to headquarters in New York, Frankel became editor of The Sunday Times, then, when that position was abolished, editor of the separately run editorial page, and finally, in 1986, executive editor in charge of the most influential and important newspaper in the world. (He stepped down in 1994.) How much more inside can you get? Actually, a great deal. When he was a journalist overseas and in Washington, Frankel would imbue his stories with (at least) a hint of skepticism and more than a fair share of analytic fault-finding. But today -- and in his memoir -- he tends to identify with the corporate and bureaucratic world of The Times and so his accounts of struggles for influence and power carry the added weight of sounding "politically correct."
To understand Max Frankel's insider-outsider role at the paper, it is, I believe, necessary to step back and look at his formative years. "I was not yet three years old when Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, and I could have become a good little Nazi in his army," Frankel begins the book. "I loved the parades; I wept when other kids marched beneath our window without me. But I was ineligible . . ." Frankel and his Polish-born parents were, of course, Jews and, by definition, outsiders. The opening section of the memoir is riveting as he describes his family being pushed and pulled from Germany to Poland and back to Germany (it's complicated), and how, after the war had already begun, late in 1939, his mother finally persuaded an S.S. officer to give her exit papers. In America, at 10 years of age, Max quickly learned he was a different kind of outsider, living -- alone with his mother (his father didn't arrive until 1946, when Max had almost finished high school) -- in a streetwise, multiethnic New York City neighborhood. Frankel yearned to become part of the Other America, to assimilate, to belong. He discovered journalism, and that became his passport, first at Columbia, and then at The Times, his sole employer. In a sense, The Times was his American family, his home, first with James Reston, the Washington bureau chief, and then with publisher Sulzberger assuming the role of surrogate father.
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FOR A NEWSPAPER THAT MAKES THE WORLD ITS BEAT and presents itself as the paper of record, The Times emerges looking, to this reader, like a closed, insular company -- indifferent to or unaware of alternative newspapers and the "new journalism," and slow to implement the revolution in our cultural landscape (except as something to be reported). Blacks, gays and women push themselves onto the paper, which takes a liberal view of their presence, but at times (to them) appears patronizing. The newspaper's connection to its Jewish roots does not relax sufficiently to promote Jews to positions of editorial leadership until the early 1960s.
Throughout the memoir, Frankel's measured judgment, his skeptical take on politics and political leaders and, most of all, his decency shine through. (He was and is above all a decent man; I knew him slightly when he was the Sunday editor and I was working for the paper as an editor and writer). That quality, admirable as it is, gets in the way when he recounts personal stories about The Times and some of its top personnel -- if it doesn't completely obstruct them. There is no account, for example, of how book reviewer Christopher Lehmann-Haupt helped nix Walter Clemons' appointment as his co-reviewer by casually letting executive editor Abe Rosenthal know that Clemons was gay. (Lehmann-Haupt later expressed reservations about Anatole Broyard's shot at the job by telling Rosenthal that Broyard was "the biggest ass man in town." Rosenthal retorted, "If that were a disqualification for working for the New York Times, this place would be empty!")
And when Frankel relates the famous story of Rosenthal telling a woman reporter, "I don't care if you fuck elephants as long as you're not covering the circus," it is only as a means of explaining how The Times strives to be scrupulous about conflicts of interest. But the story was juicier than that, and more ambiguous. (The reporter had lived with a Democratic political leader in Philadelphia while covering City Hall for a local paper there. When the politician was indicted for corrupt practices and the relationship became public, Rosenthal summoned his new political writer from Washington, where she was now working for The Times, delivered his famous line and summarily fired her. Female reporters argued that if it had been a man, he would have got off with a scolding and a locker-room joke.)
Frankel does not convey the sense that he is hiding anything; just that as he ascended the editorial ladder, his perspective changed. He is no longer primarily the journalist, i.e. the skeptical observer. And who can fault him? But that altered vision has also prevented him from telling the tales that might have made a good and interesting book a great one.
Gene Lichtenstein is editor in chief of The Jewish Journal of Los Angeles.
THE TIMES OF MY LIFE AND MY LIFE WITH THE TIMES | By MAX FRANKEL Random House 546 pages | $30 hardcover
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Disease-impact models may rely on incorrect assumptionsEven when we know how a disease affects individual animals, it is challenging to predict what impact it will have on the whole population, and yet predicting how disease affects a population is a primary concern for wildlife conservation and even public health. In a new study from the May issue of American Naturalist, Anna E. Jolles (Princeton University and University of Groningen), Rampal S. Etienne (University of Groningen), and Han Olff (University of Groningen), contest two assumptions commonly present in models that try to predict how individual disease will impact populations.
Many models assume that disease acts independently of other causes of death. However, the researchers point out that it is possible for disease to kill those that are already doing poorly and would have died of starvation or been killed by predators, for example. Second, disease models usually assume constant environments, free from changes in food availability or catastrophic disturbances, such as drought or wildfires.
The researchers tested the assumptions by gathering field data on a herd of African buffalo struck by tuberculosis and following them through different conditions, including a devastating drought. They found that tuberculosis does explain increased mortality and decreased fecundity in some prime-aged buffalo, but older buffalo reflect the competing risks, and the increased survival and greater fecundity of buffalo in the herd without tuberculosis may compensate for some disease-related losses to the herd.
"Pathogens and parasites can have drastic effects, reducing survival or reproduction in infected hosts," write the authors. But they warn against drawing potentially misleading conclusions that may incorrectly influence how we think about epidemics--particularly chronic infections of long-lived hosts.
Founded in 1867, The American Naturalist is one of the world's most renowned, peer-reviewed publications in ecology, evolution, and population and integrative biology research. AN emphasizes sophisticated methodologies and innovative theoretical syntheses--all in an effort to advance the knowledge of organic evolution and other broad biological principles.
Anna E. Jolles, Rampal S. Etienne, and Han Olff. "Independent and competing disease risks: implications for host populations in variable environments," The American Naturalist 167:5.
Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 30 Apr 2016
Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.


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BIDYA, West Bank — Something about Bidya doesn't look quite right.
The streets that Mayor Ramadan Shatat tried so hard to keep clean are littered with trash. The taxi stand he planned is still an empty lot. The City Hall bulletin board is blank; no photos of city events, no updates on city business.
And what happened to the mayor himself?
"He's no longer mayor,'' says Billa Assaf, one of Bidya's 10,000 residents.
Today, Bidya is again under the control of the Palestinian Authority and its Fatah Party. Gone is Shatat, who went from ribbon-cuttings to arrest by Israeli soldiers to hanging by his wrists in a Palestinian jail. His offense? Being elected mayor on the ticket of Hamas, rival party of Fatah.
Now back at home, Shatat says his experience shows another face of the Palestinian Authority and Fatah, widely viewed as Israel's "moderate'' partners for peace despite their treatment of fellow Palestinians and a questionable commitment to democracy.
"It's not something that makes me proud,'' Shatat says, "but the circumstances of my imprisonment on the Palestinian side were much worse than on the Israeli side.''
A new professionalism
Hamas — whose charter calls for Israel's destruction — is deemed a terrorist organization by Israel and the United States. Among many Palestinians, though, it has a reputation for incorruptibility that helped Shatat, imam of Bidya's mosque, and other Hamas candidates win local elections in the West Bank in 2005.
Called Sheik Ramadan as a mark of respect, Shatat jumped into his new job with the instincts of a seasoned pol and the wonkish efficiency of a CPA. He helped Bidya get a new school, a park, a clinic and an ATM.
Chief among his goals was reorganizing a city government seen as a corrupt mess under its former mayor, a Fatah member. Shatat sent every household a report showing exactly how the town was spending its money, down to the last shekel.
"He's much better qualified than his predecessor,'' Tayseer Al Deek, an engineer with a U.S. humanitarian group, told the St. Petersburg Times in January 2006. "When I dealt with him, I didn't feel it was Hamas, but someone who was very professional.''
That month, Hamas swept parliamentary elections and took control of the Palestinian Authority. The United States and other countries cut off direct aid to the new government, sparking a power struggle between Hamas and Fatah and making it harder for Hamas-controlled towns like Bidya to get outside help.
Still, Shatat's administration continued to chalk up achievements, including a bank, a TV station and a branch of Jerusalem's Open University. On the very day in February 2007 when a reporter returned to town, Shatat was greeting Palestinian judges on hand to dedicate a new court.
Caught in power play
In May 2007, Shatat was preparing his annual progress report when civil war erupted between Hamas and Fatah. Hamas seized control of Gaza, and authorities began rounding up Hamas members in the West Bank, including mayors and other elected officials.
At 2 a.m. on May 24 Israeli soldiers knocked on Shatat's door, searched his house and took him away. He and a Bidya council member spent the next two months in Israeli jails, with frequent trips to court in leg irons and handcuffs.
At one point, "they said, 'If you resign from your position you'll be home,' '' Shatat recalls.
"We said, 'It's not good for Israel to ask us to resign because Israel asked for this election and we reached these positions through the democratic process.' "
The Israeli government acknowledges it arrested Shatat and others to put pressure on Hamas to release a kidnapped Israeli soldier and to back off its fight with Fatah and the Palestinian Authority.
"When Hamas captured one of our people, that was escalation that caused us to respond,'' says Mark Regov, an Israeli spokesman. Though Shatat had no apparent connection to the kidnaping, "if someone is a member of a terrorist organization, you can arrest them so you can question and investigate them,'' Regov says.
After his sixth court appearance, Shatat was released when he signed a statement that he was not a member of Hamas, that he would not speak for Hamas and that he was committed to law and order.
That Israel released the mayor meant "we found no reason to hold him,'' Regov says.
Days of abuse
Shatat's problems didn't end there. Warned against returning to City Hall, he took a vacation.
"While I was in prison,'' he says, "our people were attacked in the presence of (Palestinian) security forces, and they announced that Fatah is taking responsibility for Bidya and any member of Hamas who comes into the municipal building will be responsible for his own life.''
On Feb. 17, 2008, Shatat was arrested again, this time by Palestinians. He was taken to a prison near Ramallah, where guards cuffed his hands behind his back and hung him from an iron bar. He says he dangled that way for hours, with only short breaks for a sip of water, a piece of pita bread.
He was cursed at, he says, for spending money on city projects.
"I was shocked that most of the interrogation was about our achievements in the municipality. One of the questions was, 'Why do you need a court? Why did you bring the Open University?' "
After 33 days, Shatat was released, so gaunt his family didn't recognize him. Then he learned he was no longer mayor.
Rewriting history
Bidya's new mayor is Mostafa Dass, a contractor and Fatah member. He says the city council voted to replace Shatat because he and other Hamas officials accomplished nothing in their nearly two years in office.
How about the bank, the court, the park, the university, the ATM?
"They are liars! They did nothing!'' Dass thundered. "He cared only for his Hamas organization.''
Banished from City Hall, Shatat spends most of his time at home, tending his garden, researching his doctoral thesis on the Islamic economic system and watching his son, 2, while his wife works. His back was so badly wrenched he cannot stand for more than a few minutes.
Unlike many Hamas sympathizers, Shatat acknowledges Israel's right to exist and doesn't believe Palestinians should use violence to press their case for statehood. But he also thinks Hamas should have been given a chance to show it could govern.
Now 36 and unemployed, Shatat has appealed his firing to the Palestinian Supreme Court, though he knows he won't get his job back. His term would have expired anyway in December, and the Palestinian Authority is replacing all Hamas elected officials with Fatah members.
But Shatat still fields calls from Bidya residents frustrated that they can't get answers from City Hall. And he still has admirers.
"He was a good person. He used to work 15 hours a day,'' says furniture store owner Hamza Salam. "He brought the university, the clinic. It's the first time we've had things handled like in a real municipality, and they didn't give him time.''
And what of the new mayor's claim that Shatat did nothing for the people of Bidya?
"That's not true,'' Salam says. "I can say it to his face — that's not true.''
Susan Taylor Martin can be reached at email@example.com.


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Blog: Prepared for Regular War, Losing the Irregular Fight
|Vice Adm. Robert Harward, USN, deputy commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command, warns that the United States must be as prepared to fight in irregular conflicts as it is for conventional warfare.
The United States has yet to strike a balance between being dominant in regular warfare and being able to fight an irregular war, according to the deputy commander of the Joint Forces Command. Vice Adm. Robert Harward, USN, offered that the United States even might be losing the war in cyberspace.
"You can be militarily dominant and irrelevant," Adm. Harward stated as he reiterated what most military experts say-an enemy will not fight you in your area of strength. "Our adversaries know what we're doing ... they know better than we do," he declared.
While the United States may be losing in cyberspace, it will win in Afghanistan, the admiral said. However, the challenge it faces is once again a form of irregular warfare-in this case, information operations. The enemy is portraying U.S. forces negatively to the people of Afghanistan, and the United States must counter that. "The issue isn't who are the good guys and who are the bad guys in Afghanistan," he explained. "The issue is do they [the Afghan people] see us as the good guys or the bad guys."
Future national conflicts may arise from non-state players acting on behalf of a state. Hezbollah, for example, acts on behalf of Iran. This and other sponsored groups could take actions that lead to a war between another nation and the supporting state, Adm. Harward warned.


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"naruto200" wrote:I'm browsing KW on the PS3
I usually do it on the PC Wii or PS3
lalalalalalalalaalal sing it all day log lalalalalalalalallaalallaalalal
.... Wut.
You can browse KidzWorld through a game system?
.. Admittedly, I did not know that. /).(\ I just use my laptop.. (Obviously)
I can't sleep, sooo.. If my posts don't make much sense, just roll with it.


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Where's Marcus Fenix when you need him?
The Gist
Inversion is the newest third-person shooter from publisher Namco Bandai and developer Saber Interactive. Players step into the role of Davis Russell, a police officer in the fictional Vanguard City who is caught up in the invasion of earth by The Lutadores, an evil humanoid race of aliens (or are they!?). After Russell and his partner Leo Delgado are kidnapped and placed in a prison work camp, they bust out to rise up against their oppressors and save the world. As they search desperately for Russell's young daughter and attempt to stop the end of humanity, our heroes wield power over the forces of gravity, kill a bunch of baddies and eventually unearth the truth about Russell's daughter, The Lutadores and mankind's actual place in the universe.
The Good
For the first few chapters of Inversion, things are pretty great. The story is compelling enough, and the crumbling background of Vanguad City is a detailed and interesting setting. The origin of the Lutadores is an enticing carrot which dangles throughout the campaign's 8-10 hours, and despite other games with cooler weaponry, Inversion's arsenal is varied enough to keep you wanting more.
The promise of manipulating gravity with the game's highly publicized Gravlink (a backpack-esque device marginally similar to the energy whip from Bulletstorm) is exciting to say the least, and familiar gameplay/mechanics make it easy to jump right in and start popping off head-shots. The first half of the game is graphically fantastic, and fleeting moments of gravitational weirdness add a thin layer of unique action.
The Bad
In the weeks leading up to Inversion's release, we were teased with promises of a completely new kind of shooter, and most promotional images were of players blasting along the sides and ceilings of buildings with enemies on opposite planes attempting murder. And to a certain extent this does happen, only not nearly enough. In those rare moments when the game does allow us to vault onto the ceiling and take action, it's over before we know it. The Gravlink is sort of fun at first, but it won't be long before you're playing like any other third-person shooter and wondering why the hell there isn't more gravity stuff in a game that told us it would be all about gravity. Gravity...sorry, just had to say it again.
Just about everything from cover-based mechanics, sprinting animation and weaponry is lifted from the Gears of War series. There is even a drill-propelled vehicle that looks and acts so damn much like the grindlifts from Gears 2 that this gamer was wondering how the hell they got away with it. Repeated boss battles that grow far too difficult seem to exist merely to lengthen the campaign and are mind-numbingly boring. A complete lack of enemy variety (it's about 4 or 5 hours in before we're given an enemy type that's different from the initial chapters) is inexcusable.
Voice acting and music are both abysmal. Not only does it seem like the main voice actors were placed in a recording booth without any kind of contextual help to drive their performances, your AI partner shouting the same three phrases again and again and again grows tiresome within moments. I get it dude...you want me to go over that way, and i fucking will when I feel like it. The weird broken English spoken by the Lutadores may have been put in place as a foreshadow-y plot device, but it just sounds like angry babies and is laughably bad.
The Multiplayer
Online play features the usual suspects (death match and survival modes), but other than a few perfunctory matches, it simply isn't deep or rewarding enough to merit any sort of extended play. You may as well grab a Gears game and actually enjoy yourself.
The Bottom Line
Inversion is Gears of War meets Resistance 2 meets Homefront without the tightness of Gears, the enthralling fiction of Resistance or the...well, Homefront kind of sucked too, but you get the point. There's a fine line between inspiration and emulation, and Saber Interactive's inability to improve or tweak any of the concepts or mechanics that it so blatantly steals is weak. In a world where Epic's killer trilogy had never existed, Inversion might have had a fighting chance, but as it stands there are plenty of reasons to skip it. So unless you're really dying for a Gears clone while waiting for next year's Judgment, this one is a renter at best.
The Grade
Let it be known to all men and women that Inversion receives 2.5 out of 5 stars!
Developer: Saber Interactive
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Rating: M for Mature
Cost: $59.99


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Thank you to everyone who entered the final Writing Classes For Kids competition for 2012.
Once again we had a large number of entries from all around the world across all categories.
I am currently working on a publisher deadline so unfortunately, the judging will take a little longer than usual this month.
The results will be announced towards the end of January. Details of the new competition will also be announced at this time.
Thanks for your patience.
I hope you have an inspiring and creative 2013.
Happy writing:)


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Payment Processing
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MSA M20 Kore chrome UTV Wheels are the pinnacle of our engineering, research, development and design experience. We pulled out all of the punches on our M20 Kore UTV Wheels, releasing not one but three industry firsts. To start, the M20 Kore come standard in our brand new flat black automotive grade paint which sheds dirt, mud and debri fast making clean up a snap or in deep luxurious automotive grade chrome plating. The M20 Kore is available in an industry first +0mm offset which allows for better fitment, performance and stance for both ATVs and UTVs. Not impressed yet? How about 16″? Yes, the M20 Kore is available in the ever popular 14×7 and 16×7 (black only) which opens the door for a myriad of tire options, tread patterns and ply ratings. Our recommendation is the EFX MotoMTC 30x10x16, built exclusively for UTVs and tested tough to endure any terrain you plan to tear up. Don't settle, run the best – Run MSA wheels.
This product was added to our catalog on Monday 20 May, 2013.