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ttawa 91 @ Queen's 81 (Saturday)
The Gaels (5-12) wrapped up their final regular season home game with a strong second half performance in their 91-81 loss against the No. 2 Ottawa Gee-Gees (16-1) this Saturday night at the ARC main gym.
Patrick Street (Etobicoke, Ont.) led the Gaels with 22 points whileCy Samuels (Vaughan, Ont.) picked up a double-double performance with 12 points and 10 rebounds. The Gaels had a big night from rookies Tanner Graham (Kingston, Ont.) who scored 17 points and Sammy Ayisi (Toronto) who scored 10 points. The Gee-Gees were led by Johnny Berhanemeskel who scored 24 points and Mike L'Africain who scored 18 points.
The Gee-Gees exploded onto the court from the tip-off and grabbed the early lead which they never relinquished. The first quarter saw the Gee-Gees begin to pull away as they doubled the Gaels in shooting percentage from the floor and rounded out the quarter ahead 28-13. The Gaels created some resistance for the Gee-Gees in the second quarter but Ottawa stayed well ahead outscoring Queen's 22-14 and heading into the second half up 50-27.
After the halftime break the Gaels gained some traction on the court increasing their field goal percentage to 59% and outscoring the Gee-Gees 26-20. Heading into the final quarter of play the Gaels were trailing 70-53 against Ottawa.
The Gaels had a strong final quarter of play with Street leading the offensive front as the Gaels made their way to the basket to the tune of 28 points while Ottawa only racked up 21. The No. 2 team staggered as the Gaels hustled to the basket reducing the Gee-Gees lead to 10 points off a three from Tanner with 30 seconds left of regulation time. There wasn't enough time for the Gaels to pull off a comeback and the Gee-Gees topped off the night with a 91-81 victory.
The Gaels honoured their graduating fifth year athlete Greg Faulkner (Kingston, Ont.) tonight. Faulkner leads the Gaels with an average of 20.7 points a game ranking him No. 6 on the CIS charts.
"Greg has made a massive impact in practice and on the court since joining the team," commented head coachStephan Barrie. "Many of his past performances have been nothing short of spectacular. Whether we're down twenty or up twenty, he always plays the same way; with the same level of competitiveness and intensity."
Barrie recalls a game when the Gaels were down by 20 against Western this season and how the leadership Faulkner demonstrated at halftime gave his teammates the energy they needed to comeback in the second half. "He has a tremendous sense of self and it's going to serve him well in the future".
Source: Queen's Gaels
Friday, February 13
Ottawa 90 @ York 57
The York University Lions men's basketball team lost 90-57 against the No. 2 nationally-ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees on Friday (Feb. 13) at Tait McKenzie Centre.
Guard Johnny Berhanemeskel scored a game-high 27 points, with the 15th moving him into third place all-time in Ontario University Athletics (OUA) with 1,931 points. He also added six rebounds, four assists and a steal.
Despite the loss, the Lions retain their second-place spot in the OUA East standings with 18 points and a 9-8 record. The Gee-Gees remain first place in the OUA North standings with a record of 15-1 and 30 points.
The Gee-Gees made an immediate impact in the first quarter, scoring a trio of three-pointers for the opening baskets. The visiting team recorded 13 straight points in the first three minutes.Gene Spagnuolo (Maple, Ont.) broke the streak with the Lions' first basket.
Richard Iheadindu (Brampton, Ont.) intercepted a pass from the opposition's court and made the basket. Not long after that, Nathan Culbreath (Kingston, Ont.) intercepted another pass at half court for a basket as the Lions trailed 23-10.
An energetic performance in the first quarter concluded with the visiting Gee-Gees leading 33-12.
The Lions found themselves outplayed and outscored by the Gee-Gees' continuous three-point shots. The Lions called a timeout four minutes in after being unable to score in the quarter. Culbreath broke the dry spell with a shot from downtown.
The halftime score read 64-29 with the Gee-Gees leading comfortably.
The visitors continued their domination in the third quarter. Gabriel Gonthier-Dubue made three consecutive offensive rebounds before finally making the basket at 71-32.
Phillip Cunningham-Gillen (Hamilton, Ont.) subbed in for Spagnuolo. At 73-32, Gillen made a good steal, stopping a dangerous fast break by the Gee-Gees, and scoring on the counter.
The Lions increased their pace in the final five minutes of the quarter with quick attacking transitions. However, several opportunities were squandered with missed shots as the third quarter ended with the Gee-Gees still leading 77-42.
At the fourth quarter, the Lions started the game strongly with five quick points. Jon Dulmage(Brantford, Ont.) made a three-point shot after a good ball movement, and Iheadindu followed it up with a fast break layup.
Dulmage did well pressuring the opposition's long shot attempts as the Lions recorded more rebounds and steals in their own court, but the talented Gee-Gees, the reigning OUA champions, proved to be too much on the night.
For the Lions, Iheadindu recorded 13 points, five rebounds and one steal, and Spagnuolo had 12 points, three assists and one rebound.
Source: York Lions
Nipissing 64 @ Waterloo 91
The Waterloo Warriors hosted their first home game in over four weeks and defeated the Nipissing Lakers 91-64 on Friday night. It was Waterloo's first win after a losing streak of seven games and improves their record to 4-13 in the OUA West. Nipissing is winless in 16 games in their first OUA season.
Waterloo started quickly, with an 11-1 lead after just over three minutes played. By the first quarter mark Waterloo was up 26-11. Nipissing kept pace with Waterloo in the second quarter with a late flurry and the half time score was 42-28 in favour of Waterloo. At half time the Waterloo stat line showed no turnovers.
Waterloo regained their offensive focus to start the second half and quickly had a lead of 20+ points. Waterloo's largest lead was 30 points at one point in the fourth. The Warriors had both a rebounding and shooting edge as they had 17 offensive rebounds and an overall 39-32 advantage. The Warriors held Nipissing to just 3 of 19 shooting from long range.
Myles Charvis (Mississauga) led all scorers with 28 points while adding 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Charvis is now sixth in OUA scoring with 19.8 points per game and fifth in OUA in assists. Jaspreet Gill (Oliver) added 19 points for the Warriors. Mike Pereira (Waterloo) had a career best scoring night with 17 points. Muhammad Anwar (Mississauga) also had a career best of 9 points with 13 minutes on the court.
Nipissing had only a a single player in double figures as Jerron Rhodes had 17 points and 9 rebounds.
Source: Waterloo Warriors
Carleton 114 @ Queen's 45
The Gaels (5-11) fell 114-45 against the No. 1 Carleton Ravens (14-2) this Friday evening at the ARC in Kingston. Queen's was without leading scorer Greg Faulkner (Kingston, Ont.) and were no match for the defending CIS champions.
The Gaels were led by Sukhpreet Singh (Toronto) with 12 points and Patrick Street (Etobicoke, Ont.) with eight points. On the Ravens side of the action Gavin Resch put up a game high 22 points followed by Conor Wood with 21 points and Guillaume Payen Boucard with 17 points.
The Ravens dominated the court from the tip-off answering every Gaels basket with two of their own to double the Gaels shooting percentage. The first quarter went to the Ravens as they scored 29 points over the 10 points from the Gaels with Carleton guard Gavin Resch wrapping up the quarter with back-to-back threes.
After a slow first two minutes with no baskets from either team to open the second quarter, the Ravens picked up where they left off in the first hitting a 21-1 run. The Gaels found an edge late in the quarter as the Ravens defence staggered and allowed the Gaels through to score 10 of their 11 second quarter baskets in just the last three minutes.Cy Samuels (Vaughan, Ont.) ended the first half with a buzzer beating layup shot, however the Gaels still faced a 58-21 deficit at halftime.
The second half saw the Ravens continue to dominate the court on all fronts with Carleton grabbing 42 rebounds and shooting 74% from the charity stripe. The Gaels struggled to find their way through the tough defence, increasing their free throw percentage after halftime but staying well behind the Ravens. The National Champions were able to watch the seconds count down and, with the sounding of the final buzzer, grabbed their 14th win of the OUA season.
Source: Queen's Gaels
Windsor 103 @ Algoma 66
Algoma kept it close with the Lancers early in the first. Windsor began to pull away down the stretch, 19-10. Unable to overcome Windsor's tight defense, Algoma trailed 33-14 going into the second. Windsor applied a full-court press, widening the gap to 22. Algoma relied on outside shooting to chip into the deficit, but still trailed 59-33 going into the second half. Algoma got into a rhythm late in the third, exchanging baskets with Windsor, getting within 20. Unable to keep pace with the Number 7 Lancers, Algoma fell 103-66.
Windsor is now 12-5 in the OUA West while Algoma falls to 2-15. Rotimi Osuntola Jr. led the Lancers with 25 points. Sean Clendinning and Terrell Campbell both had 11 for Algoma.
Source: Algoma Thunderbirds
Laurentian 73 @ Laurier 65
The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks men's basketball team started off hot, but cooled off in the second half as they dropped their second straight game 73-65 at the hands of the Laurentian Voyageurs at the Athletic Complex.
From the opening tip off the Golden Hawks came flying out of the gates, outscoring the Voyageurs in the first half 36 to 27. Unfortunately for the Hawks the tides turned very quickly in the second half, as they were outscored 46 to 29.
Led by forward Sam Hirst of Collingwood, Ont., three of the Laurentian starting five scored in double figures. Hirst scored a game high 22 points, while adding seven rebounds and 3 steals in the game.
The Achilles heel for the Hawks in this game was free throws and points off turnovers.
Laurentian scored more points off free throws than Laurier attempted the whole game. The Voyageurs scored 25 points while Laurier was only able to net 11 of their 21 opportunities from the charity stripe. Hirst alone scored 14 of his 22 points from the free throw line.
Points off turnovers were also a big factor in this game. While both teams had similar numbers in the turnover category, Laurier at 15 and Laurentian at 14, Laurier was unable to cash as many points off of them as the Voyageurs. Laurier could only muster 10 points, while allowing 22 points.
Center Matthew Chesson of Whitby, Ont., led the way for the Golden Hawk as he scored 16 points coming off the bench. For Chesson, the 16 points was a new career-best.
Senior centre Kyrie Coleman of Washington, D.C., also had a solid night, almost netting a double-double as he scored nine points and grabbed 12 of Laurier's 53 rebounds in the game.
With the loss the Golden Hawks' record drops to 6-11 on the season. They sit four points ahead of their crosstown rivals, the Waterloo Warriors for the final playoff spot in the OUA West division
Source: Laurier Golden Hawks
Saturday, February 14
Guelph 69 @ McMaster 82
Some might describe it as winning ugly, but the McMaster men's basketball team went toe-to-toe with a physical group of Guelph Gryphons and came away with an 82-69 victory on Saturday afternoon in the Burridge Gym.
McMaster came out playing the tough defense it has had on display of late, and behind 12 first-quarter points from Taylor Black, grabbed a 22-12 lead after 10 minutes.,
The second quarter was not classic basketball as the Gryphons tried to muscle the Marauders, and the officials were willing to let the teams play. Mac's Aaron Redpath scored six late points to help his team win the quarter 12-11 and carry a 34-23 advantage into halftime.,
Guelph continued to play a very physical style in the third quarter and behind post Ahmed Haroon, who scored nine straight points, got the McMaster lead down to just 51-45 at the end of the quarter.
Both teams were struggling to find some offense, but gave up nothing easy on the defensive end. With McMaster leading 53-49 early in the final quarter, the Maroon got the spark they were looking for as Trevon McNeil scored five of the team's next seven points, including a huge trey, and the lead was back up to double digits at 60-49.
Now with some breathing space, the Marauders were able to maintain their margin and Guelph could not get closer than nine points for the rest of the contest. ,The final minutes of the fourth quarter turned into a parade to the free-throw line for both teams as the officials tightened up play considerably from the earlier action. Tempers flared late in the game and technical fouls were assessed on both teams, with one of the Gryphons getting ejected.
Top scorer for the Marauders was Redpath with 21, while Black chipped in 17. Guelph was led by Adam Kemp who scored 21.
McMaster won the battle of the boards 37-23, and actually shot the ball well from the floor with a 52% mark as a team. The Gryphons shot 43% on the day.
The win lifts McMaster to an OUA record of 14 and 3, while Guelph goes to 7 and 10.
Source: McMaster Marauders
Toronto 84 @ Brock 79
The Brock University men's basketball team fell to the hands of the University of Toronto Varsity Blues by the score of 84–79 Saturday afternoon at the Bob Davis Gymnasium.
Prior to the game, the Badgers basketball program honoured their graduating class, which included forward Ryan Flanagan and student therapist Thomas Edwards.
The Badgers had three starters in double figures led by rookie Johneil Simpson(Toronto, Ont.), who led all scorers with a 33-point performance. Dani Elgadi(Waterloo, Ont.) contributed with 22 points and 12 rebounds for the double double, while Matt Marshall (Burlington, Ont.) finished with 11 points in eight rebounds in the loss.
Toronto had four players in double digits, led by Julian Clark who finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Devin Johnson contributed with 18 points and 14 rebounds for the double double, Manny Sahota and Dylan Church chipped in with 13 and 10 points respectively.
For the game, Toronto shot 42.9% (30-for-70) from the field, 26.9% (7-for-26) from beyond the arc, and 81.0% 17-for-21 from the free throw line. Brock shot 38.3% (31-for-81) from the floor, just 23.1% (6-for-26) from beyond the arc and 78.6% (11-for-14) from the charity stripe.
Source: Brock Badgers
Windsor 98 @ Algoma 60
Algoma worked on keeping pace with the Lancers after being downed 103-66 in Friday evening's game. The Thunderbirds kept the match close throughout the first quarter of action before giving up a 12-point deficit heading into the third quarter. The Thunderbirds couldn't keep the pace for the rest of the game, falling to a final of 98-60. Rotimi Osuntola, the Lancers star forward, finished the weekend with 38 points, 17 rebounds, and 2 steals.
Windsor is now 13-5 in the OUA West while Algoma falls to 2-16. Terrell Campbell and Sean Clendinning earned 12 points each for the Thunderbirds.
Saturday marked the final home game for the women's captain Taylor McAllister, as she will be graduating at the end of the semester. Also graduating is Jamal Mucket-Sobersand Keith Golding.
Source: Algoma Thunderbirds
Western 58 @ Lakehead 67
The Mustangs looked tough for the first quarter, limiting Lakehead to 10 points and their defense near impenetrable. That same defense would start to show cracks as the second quarter wore on, and Lakehead trailed by one point at the break, 29-28.
Lakehead continued to play inspired ball in the second half, especially defensive shut down artist Alex Robichaud, who was tasked with guarding the league's second-best scorer Greg Morrow, who finished the game with 17 points, 6 below his season average.
The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks men's basketball team clinched a spot in the OUA playoffs with a win over the winless Nipissing Lakers 93-71 at the Athletic Complex on Saturday night..
The Golden Hawks started off slow, finding themselves tied at 18 after the first quarter, but came out swinging in the second. With great play on both sides of the basketball, Laurier outscored Nipissing 28 to nine and did not look back as they earned their seventh victory of the season.
With leading scorer Will Coulthard of Oakville, Ont., not in the lineup, the team stepped up and picked up the scoring slack as five players scored in double figures. Four of those five players were starters.
For the second game in a row Matthew Chesson of Whitby, Ont., came off the bench and provided the spark Laurier needed. He tied with Aiddian Walters of Vaughan, Ont., with a team high 17 points, grabbed seven boards, and had a game high four rejections on the night. Walters also had eight rebounds and two steals.
Luke Allin of Chatham, Ont., and Kyrie Coleman of Washington, D.C., each scored 14 points a piece, and rookie freshmen Chuder Teny of Kitchener, Ont., added 11 points in the game.
Nipissing had one bright spot in the game as freshmen Marcus Lewis of Brampton, Ont., had both a game-high in points with 24 and rebounds with 13 (seven offensive and six defensive). Both were career highs for the first year forward.
With the win the Golden Hawks records improves to 7-11 on the season and they officially clinch a playoff berth in the OUA West division. Laurier leads the Waterloo Warriors by two games with two games remaining in the regular season but the purple and gold hold the tiebreaker over the Warriors thanks to their two victories earlier this season.
Source: Laurier Golden Hawks
Laurentian 66 @ Waterloo 68
It was an intense match-up Saturday night as the Laurentian Voyageurs Men's Basketball team took on the Waterloo Warriors in a back-and-forth game that came down to the final minutes. Laurentian made a final push as the clock ticked down, but it wasn't enough as the Warriors took the game 68-66.
Laurentian struck first as Ryan Bennett sank a jump-shot to put them up by 2 points; not giving up the lead until 2 minutes in when the Warriors were able to take a 6-4 advantage. Waterloo was able to hold onto the advantage for the rest of the quarter and took a 17-13 lead after the first 10 minutes. They were able to extend their advantage to 10 points early on in the second before a timeout was called just past the midway point of the quarter. Laurentian took advantage of the timeout and swung momentum their way to start a comeback, taking the lead with 1:39 left in the quarter. Waterloo was able to shift advantage back their way however, and finished off the half up by 2, 28-26.
Voyageurs Ryan Bennett led the game with 11 points at the half, with Warriors? Myles Charvis a close second with 10.
The third quarter saw a close game with Laurentian tying it up early on. Waterloo took back the lead briefly before Laurentian pulled ahead with an 8 point advantage at 5:23 after a jump shot scored by Sam Hirst. Waterloo tied it back up at 3:05 and quickly took back the lead and ending off the third quarter up 45-41.
Waterloo came out strong in the final 10 minutes, pulling ahead of Laurentian by 11 points with 2:13 left to play in the game. Laurentian's Coach Swords called a timeout hoping to give his team some words of wisdom and get them back in the game. The Voyageurs came out fast and soon brought the game back within 2 points with 32 seconds left. They made a final push but were unable to come back and fell 68-66 as the final buzzer rang.
Charvis finished the game with a leading 23 points, as teammate Jon Ravenhorst led Waterloo with 9 of their 27 rebounds on the night. The Warriors shot 43.1% on field-goals, 13.3% on 3-point field-goals, and 66.7% (16-24) on free throws. Bennett led the Voyageurs with 20 points, as Tychon-Carter Newman led the game fighting for 10 of Laurentian?s 37 rebounds. Laurentian went 38.6% on field-goals, 13% on 3-point field-goals, and 61.3% (19-31) on free throws.
Source: Laurentian Voyageurs
Sunday, February 15
Carleton 87 @ York 45
The No. 1 nationally-ranked Carleton Ravens proved why they are the best team in the country on Sunday (Feb. 15) with an 87-45 victory over the York University Lions men's basketball team at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
The Ravens asserted their dominance early and often, taking a 29-11 lead after the first quarter and a commanding 49-16 advantage into the half. The Lions finally found their stroke in the third quarter by matching their total production from the first half, but it was not enough to slow down Carleton, which padded its lead to 75-32 after three and finished with the 42-point win.
Carleton's balanced offence produced three players who reached double digits in scoring. They were led by Connor Wood, who poured in 26 points on 9-of-17 shooting, including an impressive 8-of-14 from behind the arc. He also added eight rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Thomas Scrubb had 19 points, seven rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal, while Phillip Scrubb chipped in with 13 points, six rebounds and six assists.
The Lions were led in scoring by Nidun Chandrakumar (North York, Ont.) with nine points and three assists. Richard Iheadindu (Brampton, Ont.) scored eight points and had two rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Despite the loss, the Lions remain in second place in the OUA East standings with a 9-9 record and 18 points, well back of the first-place Ryerson Rams and their 32 points, but also well ahead of both Queen's and Toronto, which have 10 points each.
Carleton continues to sit in second place in the OUA North standings with a 15-2 mark for 30 points.
The Lions will end the regular season on Wednesday evening (Feb. 15) with a game against the crosstown rival Varsity Blues at the new Goldring Centre beginning at 8pm. They will then play their first playoff game the following Wednesday, Feb. 25.
Source: York Lions


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All good things have to come to an end. And so it is with Wonders of Life. This evening will see the broadcast of the fifth and final episode of the series. It has been hugely enjoyable and uplifting watching this programme. Last week I ordered the book that accompanies the series and I want to quote from Professor Cox's preface. Brian Cox – usually seen with a winning smile – does not mince his words about those who remain in denial about the truth of evolution:
"I write this in full appreciation of the so-called controversy surrounding Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. My original aim was to avoid the matter entirely, because I think there are no intellectually interesting issues raised in such a 'debate'. But during the filming of this series I developed a deep irritation with the intellectual vacuity of those who actively seek to deny the reality of evolution and the science of biology in general. So empty is such a position, in the face of evidence collected over centuries, that it can only be politically motivated; there is not a hint of reason in it. And more than that, taking such a position closes the mind to the most wonderful story, and this is a tragedy for those who choose it, or worse, are forced into it through deficient teaching.
"As someone who thinks about religion very little – I reject the label atheist because defining me in terms of the things I don't believe would require an infinite list of nouns – I see no necessary contradiction between religion and science. By which I mean that if I were a deist, I would claim no better example of the skill and ingenuity of The Creator than in the laws of nature that allowed for the magnificent story of the origin and evolution of life on Earth, and their overwhelmingly beautiful expression in our tree of life. I am not a deist, philosopher or theologian, so I will make no further comment on the origin of the laws of nature that permitted life to evolve. I simply don't know; perhaps someday we will find out. But be in no doubt that laws they are, and Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection is as precise and well-tested as Einstein's theories of relativity.
"If this sounds a little strong, then perhaps it reveals my genuine excitement in learning about the sheer explanatory power of Darwin's theory when coupled with recent advances in biochemistry and genetics. Modern biology is close, in my opinion, to answering Schrodinger's 'How' question. There are unknowns to be sure, which is what make the subject of these films doubly exciting. Some parts are speculative, but that is nothing to be ashamed of in science. Indeed, all science is provisional. When observations of nature contradict a theory, no matter how revered, ancient or popular, the theory will be unceremoniously and joyously ditched, and the search for a more accurate theory will be redoubled. The magnificent thing about Darwin's explanation of the origin of species is that it has survived over a hundred and fifty years of precision observations, and in that it has outlasted Newton's law of universal gravitation."

subset: commoncrawl


text: Share: Comments Print May 31, 2013 at 4:03 PM Injury updates from Sigi Schmid and why Chivas USA is especially dangerous this week Posted by Joshua Mayers Sounders FC coach Sigi Schmid held a conference call with local reporters Friday afternoon ahead of a road game against Chivas USA. Here is a full transcript with some injury updates, thoughts on Sharlie Joseph's increased suspension, Chivas USA's disarray, his own team's struggles, an MLS-only schedule from now on, Gold Cup chances for Brad Evans/Eddie Johnson, some advice for the MLS Disciplinary Committee and more… * * * (What updates can you give on whether Osvaldo Alonso and/or Steve Zakuani traveled and might be available?) "Alonso traveled down here. Steve Zakuani did not. We'll make a determination tomorrow morning and it'll be more of a day-of-game decision with Ozzie. He trained today, so that was good. Now we'll see how he feels tomorrow." (What did you make of Shalrie Joseph being suspended an extra game?) "The Disciplinary Committee looks at those things, and obviously that's their decision and their call. I think he has the right to appeal through the union. I don't know if he's going to use that or try to pursue that. That's something that he'd have to be asked. I try not to say anything there so I don't get in trouble." (What do you make of Chivas this week as they have a seven-game winless streak, a new coach, the league's lowest attendance, the press release defending themselves from a discrimination lawsuit and all that franchise disarray?) "I think it makes them all the more dangerous. I wish none of that would have happened this week. I wish they would've still had that same coach. I wish they wouldn't have had to put out the press release. I wish they wouldn't have had an interim coach right now. Because right now we're running in the blind. We're guessing. We sort of knew the system of play that the old coach was playing. We didn't know necessarily who the players were going to be on the field, because they changed the lineup so frequently, but we knew they played with three in the back. We knew that they sort of played with four or five in midfield. Sometimes four and three up front. Sometimes five in midfield and two up front. We knew that they were pretty constant in terms of how they tried to approach the game. Now we're going into the game and we don't know what changes the interim coach is going to bring. Is he going to switch to four in the back? Is he going to have them play more of a traditional formation? Is he going to have them play aggressively in terms of playing forward and making runs forward like the team did before? Those are all now, for us, unknowns. So from that standpoint, the topsy-turvy week that they've had makes it a little bit more difficult for us to prepare." (Have any of those old bad habits from earlier in the year creeped back in or are these recent struggles completely different?) "It's a little bit like when we played against Salt Lake. I thought against L.A. we had a terrible first half and dug ourselves a hole that we didn't get out of. In Tampa, it was an Open Cup match. It's one of those where the field wasn't good; it was a direct game in terms of style of play. They got a goal. We should've had one and should've equalized on the PK. Then all those things change and it's a little bit different. But we can't forget what got us back on the winning path. We have to go back to our roots of just working hard, competing for every loose ball, being quicker in terms of closing people down again, and just being better with the ball. We weren't good with the ball against L.A., and that really hurt us because we gave away possession too easily I thought. And then in Tampa it was hard just because it wasn't the kind of field you could really possess the ball on. That's a game that maybe doesn't always suit us as well as it might suit other teams. We have to do a good job of possessing the ball. We have to do a good job of defensively working as a unit and closing things down." (Is there a positive to being able to focus only on MLS now?) "Yeah. It's nice to be only focused on that, but also if I'm a player on this team, I'm disappointed, because there are also game opportunities that for some guys are now out the window. And so if you're a player who's not getting regular first-team minutes, you welcome the Open Cup, because you know that's a chance to get on the field and show you belong on the field more. That's where some guys in past years have sort of earned their way into playing time, whether it's Zach Scott in the initial years, whether it was an Alex Caskey or an Andy Rose — those guys earned their way in there. Now those opportunities are lost for those players, so that part is disappointing. We can focus on MLS, and our focus has got to be there, but now everybody's focus has got to be on training, because the only place you're going to earn time is in training and in the occasional reserve game that we have." (What is your message to the team going into Saturday?) "The message to the team is that you can't be complacent. You can't think you're there. The moment you think you're there, then something comes up and bites you in the rear-end. You can't be complacent. As players, you have to realize that every day you're fighting for your job. Sometimes players think it's like, 'OK, well I'm secure and I'm safe,' or whatever. You've got to just realize that you're only as good as your last game. Every day is a new challenge for all of us, for the coaching staff and the players on the field. People have short memories oftentimes, so right now it's about us getting people to think about this game on Saturday against Chivas and how we do in this game, and forgetting about the other two." (Do you feel it's just a couple tweaks needed and not overwhelming change?) "Like I said, in the L.A. game, I think our inability to possess the ball really hurt us and we didn't close them down. Our lack of quickness at times — or a lack of anticipation might be a better way to say it — really hurt us on the field. When you're defending all the time and you don't possess the ball, then defending well becomes a greater priority. And defending with greater concentration becomes a greater priority, and that was something that we didn't do. When I talk about going back to our roots, what I mean by our roots is we have to defend with good concentration, we have to anticipate things defensively, but when we win the ball, we also have to keep the ball. We have to keep the ball. We have to be goal-dangerous, but more so than anything we have to keep the ball and make the other team adapt their formation to us, rather than us having to adapt to them because we're giving possession away so much." (How do you handle Alonso and not wanting to rush him back before he's ready?) "What you always do in all my years of coaching is you try and make decisions that are best for the team, and usually the decisions that are best for the team end up being the decisions that are best for the individual, as well. In Ozzie's case, you can say, 'Oh, well it's best for the team to put him on the field,' but if putting him on the field in this game puts him into very high probability of reinjuring himself or making the injury worse, then that's really not best for the team. That ends up being the worst thing for the team. So what you're doing is constantly running that balance, that, 'Yeah, we need him on the field, so do we put him on the field? What are the chances of him reinjuring? What are the chances of him having a new injury as a result of this?' Those are the things you balance. You try to make a decision that's best for the team and that decision is usually best for the individual." (With so many veterans away, who are the leaders right now?) "We still have people. Obviously Djimi Traore can fill that role. He's a player with a lot of experience. He's shown some good locker room leadership, as well, for us, and he's an important guy there. Servando Carrasco has been around. He's on the field. You've got players like him that are available to do that. Zach Scott has been on the field. Kennedy Hurtado has played a lot of years here already. There are a lot of guys who can step up. For sure, in our game in Tampa, it wasn't a lack of leadership. I thought the guys were good about getting together as a group when the goal happened, really saying, 'Hey, we have to step this up a level,' and they did. So I was happy with that part of it, for sure." (It looked like Obafemi Martins talked with someone at the spot before taking the PK? Were you happy with him taking it and how that played out?) "At the end of the day, the players decide on the field who's going to hit the PK. We always write down before the game who is in line to hit the PK. Obviously Obafemi wasn't on that list because he wasn't starting in the game, and when the penalty kick situation came up, Carrasco was on that list. He had the ball. Obafemi and him had a discussion. He decided to let Oba take it. I'm going to respect Servando's decision and Oba's decision on the field. Sometimes you make penalties and sometimes you miss them." (Are you anticipating Eddie Johnson and Brad Evans won't be on the final Gold Cup roster?) "For that tournament, the initial list was 35 players, so that's kind of a catch-all. I think at the end, I don't know if they're allowed to have 22 or 23 for the actual competition. The Gold Cup has a unique twist in it where either after the group stage or the quarterfinal — I forget which, I think it might be after the group stage — you're allowed to trade out three or four players. You can take three or four who were on your provisional list and add them to your roster and drop three or four, which is a unique element of the Gold Cup tournament. I've talked to Jurgen. I know we had sort of had our discussions and have an understanding of where it is for them. I wasn't sure if Evans was going to stay all the way through all the World Cup qualifiers. It looks now like he might be, so if he is, I think his chances of being in the Gold Cup are decreased. And same thing with Eddie. (Is there any less stress on your players with not knowing what Chivas will be doing?) "I don't if it takes stress off the players. If you're approaching the game with a little uncertainty, it means you have to be a little more mentally attuned to the game, for sure, because you don't know, 'Are they coming with four? Are they coming with three in the back? Who is playing where?' So you have to be a little mentally sharper and be more in tune. You have to adjust quicker as you get into the game. I think it takes an edge off their players … because everyone has a new chance and everyone gets to regroup themselves. Everybody's got to show again what they're going to do, so there's a huge motivational push that happens for them. They know that even though it's an interim coach, his report is going to go to the new head coach. The new head coach is going to want to watch this game. Everybody is starting at ground zero again, so they're going to be highly motivated — more motivated, I think, than they would've been otherwise." (What do you make of veteran players being undisciplined and putting you in a bad place with lineup choices?) "Obviously you want to stay disciplined on the field all the time and you don't want players to get red cards. Sometimes the frustration level set in, especially in a game where the other team has pretty much dominated the game. You're a proud player and you're a proud individual and you're a proud team, and so a little bit of that pride plays into it and you maybe don't react ideally because of that. For me, the other side of the equation sometimes is, and taking nothing away from the incident and whether it should've been a red card or not, I'm not arguing that in any stretch of the imagination, but sometimes I think everybody — the league — has to look at certain players seem to bear the brunt of these kinds of outbursts. I know there was a slur by Marc Burch and there's a slur earlier in the year, and ironically they're both directed at the same player. Certain times you look at fouls and it seems like reactions or retaliations situations occur with the same guy. I think sometimes you have to look at it and say, 'What is this guy doing that we're not seeing to instigate all this stuff? Why does it always seem that players when they get caught with the hand in the cookie jar, so to speak, in retaliating, it seems to be against the same guy?' If there's a pattern there, I think that's something that the Disciplinary Committee needs to look at, as well — not just the pattern of the secondary retaliation, but also if there's a pattern, if there's a constant or the same guy on the other side of the coin. And I'm not saying Sarvas is that guy, because this was against Sarvas, but I'm just saying that's something that gets overlooked by the Disciplinary Committee. At the end of the day, I respect their decision and we have to be in control of our emotions. It's disappointing and I know Shalrie is disappointed." (Have you been able to watch Jordan Morris and the U-20s?) "I've recorded the game but I haven't been able to see the game yet. I thought I had it recorded here in my home at Manhattan Beach, but we had a blackout, so the recorder didn't work and I have to wait until I get up to Seattle to see it. I know Chris Henderson is over there watching the games in the Toulon tournament, so he saw the game. We're definitely keeping tabs on it, but I personally haven't seen the game yet." Comments | More in Stop and chats


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Monday, 30 December 2013
Emaho Magazine Miss Titus Review
As 2013 nears to an end, I am very pleased to say that my second publication is proving to be a great success with only a few copies left and great reviews! So with this in mind, here is a great new piece from Emaho Magazine written by Colin Pantall, here is a little excerpt from the piece.
"So Miss Titus is an investigation in some way. The first thing I notice about it is the beautiful packaging. The first layer is loose tissue, the next is orange paper (with the title mirrored in white) and then more tissue stuck with orange stickers (like the ones you get to mark sold works at some exhibitions).....
So after an inordinate amount of time and consideration, far more time and consideration than I normally give to photobooks. i get cutting. I can see a shadow of the first image on the visible page and when I cut, I see the original. it's a picture of a semi-nude woman (from Hawaii maybe) wearing a garland of leaves around her neck. Opposite there's a picture from Chicago of a semi-nude woman with fairy wings. I go back to the caption. it's Muriel Page and the visible caption says her '...wings are burned from her back many times a day on the stage of the Harding Theatre...' What does that mean. Back to the picture and still I'm none the wiser. I'll be puzzling over that for the rest of the day."
You can read the whole article here: http://www.emahomagazine.com/2013/12/colin-pantall-on-melinda-gibsons-miss-titus-becomes-a-regular-army-mac/
Posted by Melinda Gibson on Monday, December 30, 2013
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The odds of me getting fired seem to increase by the day. There's a strange thrill to sitting in a meeting, nodding your head like "yes" while your boss shares an idea that makes you scream a thousand unheard "NO's!" whilst taking notes to mock her on the internet later.
At some point they'll probably call me into a room, show me a screenshot of this blessed space on the internet, and I will join the ranks of the unemployed. On that day, I will likely do the following:
1. Send a mass email to every employee that works for this corporation, letting them know how much I've loved working here for the last five years. And by "loved" I mean "vengeance will be mine, thus sayeth the Aussa."
2. Smuggle out the box of weird mail I've received over the years: a bloody toothbrush, some unintelligible rap lyrics, a fake lawsuit, love letters, and all sorts of other treasures.
3. Write all the stories I hinted about keeping secret in this post.
4. Have some sort of epic reality TV show binge. I'm talking full blown "a dark part of my soul is opening up from watching this bullshit." Like Kardashians. No, no, stop. That's what I'll probably end up doing if they don't fire me.
5. Update my smuggled flash drive for the last time with all the stuff I keep in a folder on my work computer labeled "bullshit."
6. Steal my extra set of keys because that shit could come in handy for future devious behavior.
7. Let them know I was the one who's been sabotaging their bullshit ideas for the last 6 weeks whilst sitting in on War Room meetings designed to determine who the mole is. Make remarks like "that was really fun tracing the IP address that routed through my own VPN."
8. Pull out the box of files I've been keeping for the last four years so I could eventually write a book about this place.
9. Run all the stop signs on my way off campus, window rolled down, middle finger in the air.
10. Dance, motherfucker. I will dance all the way home.
Have you ever been fired from a job? What's the first thing you would do if you lost your job right now? Do you have any spiteful fantasies running through your mind?
Want to keep in touch? Drop your email below and I'll send you FULL POSTS anytime I write something new. Only want to know book news? Get on the list here.


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Rotting vestments hang across the withered flesh of this walking corpse, and its mouth hangs open in a silent scream.
Huecuva CR 2
CE Medium undead
Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +5; Aura faithlessness (30 ft.)
AC 15, touch 12, flat-footed 13 (+2 Dex, +3 natural)
hp 16 (3d8+3)
Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +4
DR 5/magic or silver; Immune undead traits
Speed 30 ft.
Melee 2 claws +4 (1d4+1 plus disease)
Str 13, Dex 14, Con —, Int 4, Wis 12, Cha 12
Base Atk +2; CMB +3; CMD 15
Feats Improved Initiative, Weapon Focus (claw)
Skills Perception +5, Stealth +7
Language Common
SQ false humanity
Aura of Faithlessness (Su)
The huecuva and all undead creatures within 30 feet receive a +2 profane bonus on Will saves made to resist channeled energy and positive energy effects.
Disease (Ex)
Filth fever: Injury; save Fort DC 12; onset 1d3 days; frequency 1/day; effect 1d3 Dex damage and 1d3 Str* damage; cure 2 consecutive saves. The save DC is Charisma-based.
False Humanity (Su)
During the day, a huecuva is cloaked in an illusion that makes it look, sound, and feel like the living creature it once was. This effect functions similarly to disguise self—if a creature interacts directly with a huecuva, it can attempt a DC 12 Will save to see through the illusion. Regardless, the huecuva's scent never changes—it always exudes a faint stench of grave dust and decay. Creatures with the scent ability receive a +4 bonus on any Will saving throw made to see through this illusion. At night (regardless of whether the huecuva itself knows night has fallen) this illusion fades and reveals the creature for what it truly is. The save DC is Charisma-based.
*Note: The Disease ability shown here indicates that filth fever deals Dex and Str damage but filth fever normally deals Dex and Con damage (not Dex and Str damage). The information above matches the PRD (the official source material) but GMs are encouraged to consider if this should actually match filth fever or if it is intentionally different.
Environment any
Organization solitary, pair, or cloister (3-10)
Treasure standard
Huecuvas are the risen corpses of heretical clerics who blasphemed and renounced their deities before meeting death. In unlife, they hate and seek to destroy those pious souls who keep their vows. Although easily mistaken for zombies or even skeletons, huecuvas have a spark of intelligence that makes them cunning and deceptive foes. During daylight hours, a huecuva becomes shrouded in an illusion that causes it to appear as it did in life—at these times, a huecuva might seek to infiltrate society to dwell among those it hates. When night falls, it emerges to seek out its prey. Fortunately for the living, the typical huecuva has only fragments of intellect remaining, so it is usually not long before the undead creature makes an error of judgment or simply reveals itself for the monster it is.
Most huecuvas remember little of their former lives except for the blasphemies that led them to their cursed fates. They often find themselves drawn to the ruins of old temples, where they rage against or seek hopeless absolution from the deities who so afflicted them. Huecuvas sometimes work in concert with other undead creatures that share the same area.
While most huecuvas arise when a god rejects a heretic priest's soul, forcing the slain to rise as horrible undead, a huecuva can also be created with create undead. The caster must be at least 11th level, and the body to be transformed must have been an evil cleric in life. The spell can be used to create a huecuva using the body of a nonevil cleric, but doing so requires a DC 20 caster level check. Creating a huecuva in this way is considered to be one of the most heinous things that can be done to a cleric that has passed away. The faithless aura of huecuvas created from the bodies of good clerics in this way grants a +4 profane bonus on Will saves to resist channeled energy and any effects based off that ability.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 3, © 2011, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors Jesse Benner, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, James Jacobs, Michael Kenway, Rob McCreary, Patrick Renie, Chris Sims, F. Wesley Schneider, James L. Sutter, and Russ Taylor, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Bonus Bestiary. Copyright 2009, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Author: Jason Bulmahn.


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Winter Commencement Exercises are Dec. 14 at the RiverCenter, Davenport, Iowa.
Winterim classes are Dec. 16-Jan. 11.
St. Ambrose will close for the Christmas holiday at 4:30 p.m., Friday, Dec. 20. Regular hours of operation will resume when the university re-opens Jan. 2, 2020.
Welcome back from break! Students can return to their residence halls Jan. 12.
Night classes begin for the Spring 2020 semester.
Daytime classes begin for the Spring 2020 semester.
Jan. 21 is the last day to add classes for the Spring 2020 semester.
For young professionals in the Quad Cities.


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California community colleges need Prop. 30
For the past 20 years, I've been privileged to serve as a community college president and chancellor in California, working alongside dedicated faculty and staff committed to helping students reach their educational and career goals. Last month, I was humbled and honored to be selected by the California Community Colleges Board of Governors as the next chancellor, leading the largest system of higher education in the country and advocating on behalf of its 2.4 million students.
Whether it's retraining unemployed workers for new jobs, helping students earn a degree or transfer to a four-year institution, or teaching recent immigrants to speak English, community colleges provide value not only to our students but also to California's economy.
Now, as we've been told frequently by leading economic researchers, California must dramatically increase the number of college-educated workers to remain competitive globally. According to the California Workforce Investment Board, nine of the top 10 skilled jobs in the next decade will require college training.
I have no doubt that California's 112 community colleges will rise to meet that challenge, along with the California State University system and the University of California. Producing the workforce that our state's economy needs, however, will require a collective refocusing of statewide priorities. We need to restore wide access to higher education, and we need to improve the success rate of our students.
California's premier system of higher education was intentionally designed to be interconnected. Thus, 55 percent of California State University graduates started at a community college, as did 28 percent of University of California graduates. The vast majority of nurses, law enforcement officers and first responders are trained at community colleges, and nearly half of UC's bachelor's degree holders in science, technology, engineering and math transferred from a community college.
Community colleges have worked heroically in the past three years to serve as many students as they can while their budgets have been cut by $809 million, or 12 percent. These cuts have led to denial of access to 485,000 students statewide. That's more students than attend all CSU campuses combined. The tragedy for these students - and for our state - is that many have been forced to leave California or delay their educational dreams, and in some cases an education delayed is an education denied.
This profound assault on access to our colleges comes at a time of peak demand. We have more workers than ever seeking retraining because of the weak economy, more veterans returning home seeking a college degree or training for civilian jobs, record numbers of high school graduates, and more students who are turning to their community college because of the budget-induced enrollment squeezes at CSU and UC.
This fall, the students who were lucky enough to get into community colleges were met with fewer classes, fewer instructors, higher fees and larger class sizes. And the problem of access could get much worse for community colleges. If Prop. 30 fails, midyear budget cuts would result in 180,000 fewer students being served, and could push some of our colleges to the financial brink. Passage of Prop. 30 would stop the cuts and allow colleges to begin adding back a few of the classes they have been forced to eliminate.
To ensure that more students achieve their educational and career goals, last year the Board of Governors' Student Success Task Force laid out a road map for increasing student achievement. The Legislature passed and the governor signed new laws to allow colleges to redirect existing funding to provide orientation, assessment and education planning services at the beginning of students' college experiences - a proven means of ensuring student success. Also, students must now declare a course of study early in their academic careers. The colleges will prioritize enrollment to reward students who are focused on educational goals.
Although we have always been the most cost-effective system of education in California, we will continue to find additional ways to save taxpayers and students money.
These twin goals of restoring access and improving student success will serve California well as we work toward powering our economy with workers who will need increasingly higher levels of education and training.
The higher education model brokered more than half a century ago in the 1960 California Master Plan for Higher Education helped propel California's economy to unprecedented prosperity. The right investments can restore the state's economy and revive the California dream.
Brice Harris is the new chancellor of the California Community Colleges System.


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Our Work
AIMSSEC identified the need to narrow the gap between opportunities for previously disadvantaged rural South African teachers with respect to transition rates into mathematics and science careers for their learners. The primary gap was identified in schools where there was a need for teachers to increase their content knowledge and their pedagogical approaches in order to raise the quality of teaching and learning mathematics.
AIMSSEC's programmes are designed to address this gap through the use of continuous professional development.
Goals of AIMSSEC:
• Up-skilling mathematics teachers through professional development courses;
• Establishing a network of teachers across the country for support, sharing of ideas and resources;
• Distributing teaching and learning resources
• Create an interactive school mathematics community; and
• Encourage further study of mathematics and mathematics education.
AIMSSEC is working to achieve these goals through the combination of:
- The seven-course sequence to train teachers to be mathematics subject leaders;
- The 3-month AIMSSEC Mathematical Thinking (MT) course, endorsed with 20 professional development points by the South African Council for Educators (SACE);
- The 2-year Advanced Certificate in Teaching (ACT, NQF level 6) course, which provides in-service training for mathematics teachers from intermediate, senior and FET phases; this is accredited by North West University following previous accreditation of the Advanced Certificate in Education (ACE) through Stellenbosch University and the University of Fort Hare.
- The 2-year Advanced Diploma in Education (ADE, NQF level 7) course which provides in-service training for mathematics teachers also accredited by North West University.
- The Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGE, NQF Level 8) is planned as follow-on course from the ADE in the future, so that AIMSSEC will be offering a professional development programme for mathematics educators.
These courses are designed for the majority of mathematics teachers who are mathematically under-qualified, preparing them to be more effective teachers, heads of departments and subject advisers. To develop expert teachers from the continuous professional development programme in South Africa, AIMSSEC follows a blended learning approach which includes: residential modules, distance learning, online forums, end of year examinations and interactive whiteboard sessions. AIMSSEC's first book, Mathematical Thinking in the lower secondary classroom, was published by Cambridge University Press (CUP) in 2016, giving hundreds of educators access to resources for professional development and classroom practice. This book is the first in a series.
The Aiming High website (aiminghigh.aimssec.ac.za) provides a range of innovative mathematical classroom activities aligned to Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) topics. Our Community of Practice (CoP), the Aiming High Teacher Network, supports lifelong learning, offers resources for teaching mathematics and enables teachers to share ideas, to support each and to receive help and advice from experts. AIMSSEC provides intensive ICT training on all residential courses, covering key ICT skills including email, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, GeoGebra and use of the internet.
This ICT course is currently offered as part of the ACT and ADE in partnership with NWU. The accredited ICT module will form part of the new ACT in 2016. AIMSSEC is currently exploring the future prospect of a Master's in Mathematics Education. To date, AIMSSEC has trained 1 707 teachers on the MT short course, while 215 teachers graduated from the two year ACE course. We thank all our sponsors for making this amazing opportunity to invest in South Africa possible.
Since our inception in 2003, we have:
- completed 31 three month Mathematical Thinking Professional Development Courses (CFPS), training 2039 primary and secondary teachers from all parts of South Africa,
- taught eight years of the Advanced Certificate in Education programme to train Subject Leaders (ACE)
- established close partnerships working with Fort Hare University and SUNCEP
- set up the AIMING HIGH Teacher Support Network with a new Interactive Telematic Education Centre in Mthatha,
- organized 20 Motivate videoconferences for learners,
- organized public lectures and talks at schools,
- formed partnerships with DrMath and Nokia Momaths to support learnerning using cellphones,
- taught enrichment classes for learners from local schools with help from AIMS students
- supported primary schools in Imizano Yethu and Gugulethu running workshops for teachers
- produced learning resources tailored to the South African Mathematics Curriculum,
- distributed information on use of free resources,
- organised a tour and 30 performances of Bubblz the Maths Clown in Johannesburg and W. Cape with workshops for teachers and free follow up-learning materials.
Going forward, we aim to:
- train 276 subject leaders in the Eastern Cape, 4 intermediate, 4 senior and 4 FET in each school district,
- run Mathematical Thinking and Advanced Certificate in Teaching (ACT) course to train over 1000 teachers in a decade and continue to support the teachers through the AIMING HIGH Teacher Network,
- run additional short courses for teachers e.g. Statistics and Probability, Geometry, Number and Algebra, Using I.T effectively in the classroom,
- publish the first 4 books in the AIMING HIGH series to provide material for teachers to run their own workshops
- develop open online courses specifically designed for students in Africa,
- organize Motivate videoconferences for learners twice a year,
- develop new interactive online learning resources, including publication of learners' work,
- distributed resources in other South African or African languages,
- establish a Maths Roadshow visiting schools,
- formalise and grow our curriculum development and research activities.


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My fellow New Yorkers, are you still looking for a gift for your Mom for Mothers Day? How about taking her to see a foreign movie? The New York Indian Film Festival is opening this weekend from May 7 - 14. I didn't know there was such a thing until I saw the ad at the back of the cab!
Is reading subtitles not your thing? It doesn't bother me. I actually LOVE foreign movies. But I don't think I've ever watched a real Indian movie before. Slumdog Millionaire doesn't count! That was a British drama, not made by Bollywood.
Well I'm curious now to see a Indian movie in Hindi or Tamil. It's something foreign to me. Bollywood is known to be one of the largest film industries in the world. That's why when I was in India I did say at the end of our trip that the one experience we missed was watching a Bollywood movie. Well, now it is here in New York! How about that? HA.
I'm going! But I have no idea which movie to pick. Any leads? I'm hoping to see some amazing costumes, jewelry, and settings. If nothing else I will be transported back to India for sure. I'm excited to be in a different zone for Mothers Day! This is a different way of looking at travel…with no passport.
Have a wonderful weekend. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all. For those of you who aren't Mommies, and don't have your Mama's near by… enjoy your day off!


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1.2 Million Boozers Have Driven While Over The Limit From Night Before
Rise In Number Of Drink-Drivers Arrested Morning After Drinking
1.2 million people have recently climbed behind the wheel the morning after drinking heavily without allowing time to fall below the legal limit, Liverpool Victoria has claimed. The insurance company's conclusion comes courtesy a survey of more than sixteen hundred people and their behaviour since 2012. And it seems that this "morning after" offence – for which perpetrators were punished as severely as those caught on the night – has become more common, or the police have become more proficient at catching the culprits. As such, the authorities arrested four percent more offenders between 6am and 8am in 2012 than 2011. This was despite an overall fall in the number of drink-related arrests. Furthermore, men were more likely to offend in this manner than women. Why? Because on average they consumed more than thirteen units of alcohol on a heavy night whereas women had roughly ten. Far less was enough to push motorists beyond the limit.
Drink Driving And The Law
Now, some people ignored the law without conscience but others committed the "morning after" offence by mistake. Why? Because they did not recognise how long the human body requires to process even a single unit of alcohol. It varies, in fact, from person to person based on gender, age, weight, metabolism, diet and whether he/she is on medication, etc. - but the National Health Service's rule of thumb is about an hour. Typically, a single measure of spirit contains one unit of alcohol and a pint of low strength lager, beer or cider contains two. In contrast, a large glass of average strength wine contain three units. The amount of alcohol in a person's system can be measured in the blood, breath and urine. To drive, a motorist must not exceed eighty milligrams per one-hundred millilitres of blood, thirty-five micrograms per one-hundred millilitres of breath or one-hundred and seven micrograms per one-hundred millilitres of urine. These tolerances are higher than in most countries which concerns safety campaigners. Why? Because even a small amount of alcohol can impede driving even if the motorist feels perfectly capable. The best route, therefore, is not to touch a drop before climbing behind the wheel. But those that cannot resist can at least ensure they are below the legal limit by purchasing a hand-held tester. These cost very little and are widely available.


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"This should scare you" -- Ontario Privacy Commissioner
According to some sources "Lawful Access" legislation could be introduced before Christmas. On the basis of previous versions of this legislation, privacy commissioners in Canada are expressing grave concerns about its possible contents.
We are talking about the expansion of surveillance without judicial authorization. This should scare you," said Ontario Privacy Commissioner Anne Cavoukian speaking at an Ottawa privacy conference on Novermber 29, 2011.
On October 31st, the Ontario Privacy Commissioner's office sent an open letter, a 20 page legal anaysis of this legislation to Public Safety Minister Vic Toews.
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Ayer 21 de Abril de 2016 murió Prince a la edad de 57 años.
Prince nos brindó grandes canciones como Kiss, Purple Rain o The most beautiful girl in the World.
Yo tengo especial predilección por esta canción, quizá no tan conocida, de Prince titulada Cinnamon Girl
Prince - Cinnamon Girl
Según Wikipedia la canción Cinnamon Girl:
"Cinnamon Girl" is a song by Prince, from his 2004 album Musicology. Besides the title, there is no connection to the song of the same name by Neil Young.
The single has been released in several formats. On September 6, 2004, the European CD single was released with four tracks: "Cinnamon Girl" (Album version), "Dear Mr. Man" (live at Webster Hall) "United States of Division" (which had been available only as a download) and an MPEG video of the "Dear Mr. Man" performance. Two weeks later, a similar single was released, but without the video. In November of the same year, Prince's NPG Music Club online retail store sold an Enhanced CD including the audio track, its music video, the lyrics and a five-minute segment of interviews and behind-the-scenes footage.


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Say what you like about London, you have to admit that the public transport infrastructure is pretty decent (if a bit cramped). But it could always be better, and Citymapper (yes, the app) are working on creating smart vehicles to service a society that keeps adding 'smart' in front of things.
For those of you who don't know, Citymapper is an app that connects to local public transport databases all over the world, showing real-time information about buses, trains, taxis, and the like, alongside a journey planner that can get you where you need to go nice and quickly.
This week the London-based startup will trialling a experimental 'popup' circular bus route. It's free to use, and will involve Citymapper's own green buses. Green is probably just the colour, though, I can't see anything about what these buses are powered by. Probably the same stuff that powers the rest of London's bus system.
Citymapper will be built into the buses, with big screens displaying the vehicle's position in real time (similar to how the app works). They'll also be fitted with USB charging ports, and because it's built into Citymapper's servers you'll be able to see an accurate picture of how busy everything is. On third party transport services, Citymapper has to guess based on historical data. It's an educated guess, but a guess none the less. But don't get any grand ideas of autonomous bus services just yet. These buses are driven by regular human beings. No word on whether they have free Wi-Fi either.
The whole purpose to better analyse how people are travelling, and ensure that routes can evolve and adapt to meet commuter needs. Citymapper believes that people need more responsive buses that can match needs in realtime, and improve the bus experience. If the trial is successful it'll likely spread out into other areas of London, and possibly into other big cities
The service starts tomorrow around the Temple and Blackfriars area, following the route dubbed CMX1:
It's not a very big route, but this is only a trial after all. It's not that clear when the trial ends, but if you're in London tomorrow and Wednesday it might be worth checking out. It is, after all, a free ride on the bus. [Citymapper via Venturebeat]


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Creating history in a sense, Sonia Gandhi this month became the longest serving president of one of the world's oldest political parties, the Congress Party,when she was anointed uncontested as chief of India's ruling party for the fourth time.
Since 1998, Italian-born Gandhi has been leading the party, which was established in 1885 to take on the might of the British empire. In effect, the Congress Party has been shaping India's direction and destiny for more than 120 years.
Destiny seemed to be calling when the wife of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi joined in the whirlwind that is Indian politics. Back in 1998, when the party was in a state of drift and steep decline, Congress decided to resort to the dynamism of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty to rescue the sinking ship, realizing that without the Nehru Gandhi name it didn't have a future.
Since then, its been the personal dynamism of Sonia Gandhi and her dynasty that has kept the party going. Indeed, she's largely credited with bringing the Congress back to power in 2004 after eight years out of power.
Yet despite her best efforts, the Congress is still a truncated party, with only a marginal presence in some of the important north Indian states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh. The idea that the Congress can be an umbrella organization representing all sections of society is now being challenged, with the lower caste, or Dalits, minority Muslims and even sizeable sections of the upper castes that have traditionally been strong supporters of the Congress gradually deserting the party.
Dalits now have their own parties and leaders, while Muslims are still not willing to forgive the grand old party for its apparent helplessness in trying to save the 16th century disputed Babri mosque from the hands of Hindu fundamentalists – despite the party heading the government in New Delhi. Upper castes, meanwhile, have largely shifted their loyalty to the Hindu rightist Bhartiya Janata Party.
In this changed political context, and despite an apparently small recovery in its fortunes lately, the Congress is still a shadow of its former self and it won't be easy for the party to cross the half way mark in the Lower House without the support of an alliance partner.
All this begs the question: How long can the party survive on the charm of the Nehru Gandhi family? And what if a situation comes to pass when there's no one from the family willing to lead the party? For now, of course, that's not an issue — no one would think of challenging Sonia Gandhi for the post of party president, while her son Rahul Gandhi is seen as an inevitable future prime minister.
But it's clear that the Nehru Gandhi family is not just the strength of the party, but also its weakness. Many sensible people now refrain from joining the party as they know that no matter how talented they are, their whole future would be dependent on the whims and fancies of one family and that they can anyway never think about reaching the top. Most of the young leaders who have joined the party in recent years are from political families, leading to a culture of nepotism that has in turn created disillusionment among those once interested in taking an active role in politics.
Today in the Congress, a Rajendra Prasad, a Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad or a Subhas Chandra Bose can't hope to become party president. It's clear, therefore, that although Sonia Gandhi has done great service to the party and the nation by reviving the sagging fortunes of the Congress – and besting the BJP – she would be doing an even greater service if she could manage to free the party from the clutches of a dynasty.
If the country's democracy is to be strengthened, there must be internal democracy in the party. So, let the party reflect on the great social changes going on in the country. Let the party give space to a Dalit leader or a backward caste leader to occupy the highest post.
History shows us that while dynasties cannot go on indefinitely, democracies can.


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A very thoughtful consideration of Halloween from the eyes of little children. Perhaps because I have spent the past two days at grief workshops, this article made me wonder if forcing little children to confront death and danger while playing at adult roles and power serves a greater function or at least has the opportunity to. The power inversion of being "grown up" for a day and the freedom of taboo and prohibition breaking is empowering, perhaps, empowering enough to help prepare youngesters to face the danger and death they are forced to confront. Does confront death and danger in this controlled fashion (it may not seem controlled to the kid but it definitely is) help prepare them for facing death and danger the rest of the year? It would definitely be interesting to study why children choose to dress up as whoever or whatever. I think there is are a lot of ethnopsychology questions that could be asked in this arena as well.
October 31st is America's curious anomaly. On October's last day, as trees defoliate and nature ebbs towards the deadness of winter, parents mark the day by lifting prohibitions. From sugar treats to stranger visiting, what is usually forbidden falls within kids' reach. That day children lampoon adults, dressing up in roles of mature power (princesses, firemen, astronauts, pirates); kids arrive at strangers' doorsteps and ceremonially threaten the grown-ups within with a veiled threat, "trick or treat." Without further ado adults hand over candy, normally a controlled substance in children's lives.
Remarkably moms and dads don't resent the entailed power inversion. They support it – helping with children's costumes and following close enough behind as young ones ring doorbells. Parents say they enjoy seeing their kids range around the neighborhood to collect booty. On this festival of inversion, when the small powerless become mighty and the big powerful do their…
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An unsolved murder tests bonds of love and family in Daniels' first HQN single title.
Beartooth, Mont., high school sweethearts Destry Grant and Rylan West were torn apart when Destry's brother was accused of killing Rylan's sister. Years later, when new evidence turns up, Carson Grant comes back to face the music, though he has always vehemently denied being involved with his ex-girlfriend's death. Destry and Rylan must come to terms with their feelings for each other and the ugly murder against the backdrop of family secrets, public sentiment and the unsolved mystery that becomes more and more tangled once the lovers and the sheriff begin to investigate. More and more suspects come out of the woodwork, forcing Rylan to reconsider how certain he is that his ex-girlfriend's brother is the culprit, or, if he is, whether or not Rylan is truly willing to give up the love of his life over the tragedy. As the investigation stirs up old wounds and uncovers new conflicts, Destry and Rylan find themselves on dangerous ground, both emotionally and physically. Despite the potential of some strong romantic and suspense elements, this effort falls flat. Daniels spends so much time setting up possible suspects, telling the reader that conflict, romantic/sexual awareness and even danger exists, then zooming to the next not-quite-authentic plot element, that the story and the characters never quite come to life. (Also, one scene in the middle of the book was so poorly rendered it gave away the killer—at least for this reader.)
An interesting premise, told through a fitful plot, disjointed character transitions and a general lack of chemistry.


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Innovation Station is a fun-filled, awe-inspiring attraction that has been developed specifically for fairs, festivals, amusement parks, community events and similar venues. Innovation Station features hands-on, immersive experiences that take visitors of all ages on an epic journey through the worlds of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics.
Through hair-raising demonstrations, high-speed challenges and interactive exhibits, visitors will not only become inspired to innovate and create, but they will walk away ready to experience and explore this wonderful world of ours in a whole new way.


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Nike has most Europe football deals, Adidas the most lucrative – study
Sports marketing research group Repucom said Nike had outpaced Adidas in Europe for the first time since the 2009/10 season to supply 26 of the region's top clubs, up five compared with last year.
Adidas is supplying 18, down four from last year.
Although it has been a serious player in football only since 1994, Nike is now threatening Adidas's leadership in the sport. At the World Cup in Brazil, it supplied more teams for the first time and put its boots on more than half the players.
Nike is ahead of Adidas in four of the five top European leagues.
The exception is the English Premier League, the most lucrative with more than 5 million shirts sold last season. Adidas has five English Premier sides, including Chelsea, compared with four for German rival Puma and three for Nike.
"Whilst Nike looks to maximise the number of teams it supplies, Adidas is going for the most popular, most followed and ultimately biggest selling clubs in the world," Repucom football expert Andrew Walsh said.
Nike has signed more top teams in Spain, Germany, France and Italy, a total of 23, compared with 13 for Adidas and five for Puma. Repucom said 3 million Spanish club shirts were sold last season, compared with 2.3 million for the Bundesliga and about 1.2 million in each of the top leagues in France and Italy.
"Adidas and Nike, with Puma in third place, have managed to keep a good headlock on the market," Walsh said, noting that U.S. brand Under Armour had not managed to sign another top side after English Premier club Tottenham Hotspur.
Adidas last month struck a record $1.3 billion (£770.21 million) shirt deal with Manchester United to oust Nike from the former English champions from the 2015/16 season, and it will also replace Nike at Italian champions Juventus next year.
Adidas expects record football sales of $2.7 billion in 2014, topping the $2.3 billion Nike reported for its financial year to end-May. While the periods are not directly comparable, Nike has suggested the U.S. company could exceed the Adidas figure for 2014 in its 2014/15 financial year.
Puma, the world's no. 3 sportswear firm, has replaced Nike as the kit supplier at Arsenal from this season as part of a strategy to restore a reputation for performance gear after it shifted too far into fashion.
(editing by Jane Baird)


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Hero Honda tries to breathe some life back into the old 150 cc Achiever..
How many Hero Honda Achiever's have you seen so far? To answer that myself, I'll have to admit "hardly any". Although the bike has a decent engine for a 150 cc commuter, the reason behind its absence from our roads is not too difficult to fathom. Just ask yourself the question, "Why do I buy the Hero Honda Achiever? What is its U.S.P?"
Honestly, when the Achiever was launched in 2005, it had no U.S.P that could attract customers towards it. The Achiever looked very much similar to the unsuccessful 135 cc, Hero Honda Ambition. Its ad tag "Some Fly Higher" was equally fuzzy.
Hero Honda did try to refresh the Achiever in 2007 by putting black colored alloy wheels as standard and some "new stickers". But even then the Achiever remained an elusive model on the roads. By now with hardly any new Achiever's to be seen on our roads, I had started to think that the Achiever has been eventually discontinued.
But with recent developments like Bajaj Auto successfully creating a niche with its Discover 150 as a 150 cc Commuter, and the recent efforts of Yamaha with its 150 cc SZ and SZ-X, there might be some opportunity for Hero Honda as well.
Looks like Hero Honda, with its new Achiever is trying once again to win the hearts of commuters who are looking for some 150 cc power. The Hero Honda Achiever mini site has been very recently updated with details of the new Achiever.
So what's new on the Achiever this time?
- New Graphics
- Black colored engine covers and Alloy Side Sets for foot pegs
From the mini site, it looks like that's all that is new..!!
The front disc brakes were already there and so were the black alloys and the rear "tuff up" tube. Also the engine tech specs are still exactly same as the older model.
So according to me, the Achiever's still got no USP. The only bright spot could be its price tag. Which if priced as aggressively like the Discover 150 DTS-i, would give the Achiever an USP. At least the Achiever's got a front disc brake, unlike the Yamaha SZ/SZ-X.
Hero Honda Achiever, Price:
By the way, the current prices that are being displayed at the Achiever mini site is quite impossible (Rs. 85,000 on Road..!!). Lets give some more time for Hero Honda to update the prices correctly.
Oh.. by the way, the new Ad Tag Line of "Solid, like you" makes sense and easy to comprehend this time.
Best of luck Hero Honda Achiever.
Hero Honda Achiever, Colors:
- Magnetic Blue
- Candy Blazing Red
- Force Metallic Silver
- Black Purple
- Black Blue
Hero Honda Achiever, Technical Specifications
Type: 4 Stroke, Single Cylinder,
Displacement: 149.1 cc
Max. Power: 13.4 BHP @ 8000
Max. Torque: 12.80 Nm @ 5000
Bore x Stroke: 57.3 x 57.8
Compression Ratio: 9.1:1
Ignition: AMI- Advanced Microprocessor Ignition
Carburetor: CV Type
Transmission: 5 Speed
Chassis: Tubular, Diamond Type
Front Brake: 240 mm Disc
Rear Brake: 130 mm Drum
Front Tyre: 2.75 x 18
Rear Tyre: 3.00 x 18 (Tuff Up)
Battery: 12 V - 2.5 Ah (Kick) / 7 Ah (Self)
Headlamp: 35/35 W Halogen
Starting: Kick / Self
Length x Breadth x Height: 2040 mm x 760 mm x 1120 mm
Wheelbase: 1290 mm
Ground Clearance: 160 mm
Fuel Tank: 12.5 (2.3 Lts Reserve)
Kerb Weight: 134 Kg (Kick), 138 Kg (Self)
Related Posts
- Bajaj Discover 150 DTS- Launched at a Shocking Price
- Yamaha launches commuter 150 cc, the SZ & SZ-Z
- Hero Honda launches the New 150 C.C Achiever [April, 2007]
This is to remind that the Views or Opinions in the blog are entirely mine unless explicitly stated. The Views and Opinions published in this blog should in no way be related to any other person or organization associated -- directly or indirectly -- with me.