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Charaine Boyd, MA
MIECHV Community Systems Development Coordinator, Winnebago County Health Department
Healthy Starts A-Team
Bio and Professional Experience
I was born and raised in Rockford and attended Northern Illinois and Judson University. My desire after graduating from college was to work with young children in a teaching capacity. I did so for a short time, however, the majority of my professional career has been in the public sector with over twenty years in local government and in the school system. I still have a love for government; watching the dynamics of politics, and a greater interest in how organizations lead and function.
I currently work in the public sector, but perform work of a different nature. At the Winnebago County Health Department, I work as Community Systems Development (CSD) Coordinator for an evidence-based Home Visiting Collaborative called Maternal Infant Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV), also called iGrow! I am constantly asked what my position entails. Simply put, a Community Systems position usually engage people (or organizations) who have an impact on systems to function optimally and more enhanced. In this position, I continually meet so many wonderful and interesting people. One thing that I have discovered is that often times people get caught up in their own world and tend to forget that interconnectedness can enhance what they do. If one believes things are going well without outside resources and connections, then they have not fully recognized the power and richness partnerships and collaboration may bring. Systems and people work better connected as a whole; making a greater impact, rather than working separately and fragmented.
I enjoy reading, walking and watching my nearly two year-old grandson learn, grow and develop. I am constantly amazed at how babies digest and process information. Recently, I nearly flipped when he held one finger up and said "I'll be back". He actually left the room and returned as if he knew one finger actually meant for a minute!
How did you get involved with Alignment Rockford?
I got involved with the Alignment Rockford Healthy Starts Team as part of the systems building work being done with the local Home visiting Collaborative. The goal and mission of Healthy Starts is closely aligned with the work and mission of the Home visiting program.
Shortly after my involvement, I was invited to attend Alignment Nashville in Nashville, TN. It was a unique opportunity and experience to see schools and community strategically plan and work in unison to achieve a common goal. You could actually feel the excitement, passion and energy as we observed meetings and actionable activities. I often reflect on the time in Nashville, and recall the feeling of a 'united mission' and a 'sense of urgency' in moving forward more than anything else.
Most people within the community are aware of the work being done within the High School Academies however many may not be aware of Alignment Rockford's focus on early childhood. Could you tell us a little about the Healthy Starts team you are a member of and why it is important for the health and development of our students and community?
I followed the Rockford School District in the developmental stages of College and Career Readiness. It was very needed and timely. I absolutely believe in the framework and scope of what it does to help students transition beyond high school. It gives them the best chance to succeed in learning and in life. I was pleased to be a part of Alignment Rockford Healthy Starts Team. Our work makes an impact at the earliest and most important stage, not only in readiness, but in the health and development of the child which is where it all begins.
Healthy Starts makes an investment by working for parents and students at a young age where the greatest impact can be made. Parents have the most influence on their child and are empowered more than they believe. They are the true experts when it comes to the individuality and uniqueness of their child, but many lack tools, resources and guidance.
One of our accomplishments was to develop a brochure: Ready, Set, Kindergarten! The brochure is an excellent guide for parents in developing and gauging their child's readiness and what they can do to aide in their child's growth. Areas such as, social/emotional, physical development, literacy and numeracy are covered. The brochure is also a community-wide effort as we are enlisting community supporters in the production and distribution. Information such as this is not always available and accessible to some parents, so our focus will be to get this brochure out to organizations and providers across the community. Knowing that early learning is enriched with a wealth of experiences, we are currently working on a continuum of experiences that children need from birth to Kindergarten.
How can you suggest community members new to Alignment Rockford support these efforts?
The Alignment Rockford Healthy Starts team consists of a diverse group of early childhood professionals, leaders, stakeholders, and community members who share a strong interest and commitment in the well-being and success of our children birth to 5. We want to help lay the foundation to foster positive growth for our children and recognize the value of equipping families with the tools and resources needed to excel.
Anyone can engage, serve on the team, or help in some way. An Invitation to Participate (ITP) is a fast-track method organizations can support our children that makes a big impact. When signed up, you can receive an invitation to take part in something that will undoubtedly make a difference.
Alignment Rockford has become a national recognized model for other communities in a short period of time. It is exciting when other communities can learn from us. That says not only a lot about who we are, but the impact Alignment Rockford has made engaging our community.


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Minor in Communication Studies
The Minor in Communication Studies complements any major. Whatever your career path, you'll need excellent communication skills to succeed!
Before starting the minor, you'll want to meet with an advisor to choose the courses that are right for you, your major, and your professional goals.
- 18 units, at least 12 must be upper division (100-level)
- You may count up to 6 units of G.E. (Core GE and/or SJSU Studies) toward the minor and G.E. requirements
If you're interested in minoring in Communication Studies, make an appointment with an advisor today!
Print out the My Minor Plan worksheet to keep track of the courses you complete.

subset: commoncrawl


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Women's Golf Tees Off at Murray State Invitational
Nashville, Tenn. – The Tennessee State women's golf team will take to the course to begin the season at the Fifth Annual Drake Creek Invitational hosted by Murray State. The two day event begins on Monday, Sept. 9 at the 6,178-yard, Par-72 Drake Creek Golf Club in Ledbetter, Ky.
Day one will consist of 36 holes of play followed by 18 holes on Tuesday. Both days are scheduled for a shotgun start at 8:00am.
The tournament features 11 teams, 69 golfers, from various conferences. The Tigers and host racers are two of six Ohio Valley Conference teams. Austin Peay, Belmont, Tennessee Tech and SIU Edwardsville from the OVC are joined by Dayton (Atlantic 10), Jackson State (SWAC), Marshall (Conference USA), Northern Kentucky (Atlantic Sun) and Western Kentucky to complete the field.
TSU returns sophomores Amelia Dap, Kelly Merkle and Sarah Needleman. The trio welcome sophomore transfer Laura Bremer and freshmen Erica Edwards and Natalie Spicer.
Full daily results can be found on tsutigers.com.


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Lovers/supporters/ practitioners of sustainable architecture and design have been collectively groaning and rolling their eyes over yesterday's news that the world's first billion dollar single-family home — it was initially dubbed "The Greenest of All Buildings" according to an appalled writer over at Inhabitat — has recently been completed on tony Altamount Road in Mumbai, India.
Built for Asia's wealthiest man, 53-year-old businessman Mukesh Ambani (the world's fourth richest individual, according to Forbes), his wife, and the couple's three children, the home — if you can even call it that — has 398,000 square feet of living space spread across 27 stories. (The 568-foot tall glass-and-steel tower can accommodate 60 stories, but the ceilings on each floor are rather, umm, high). All and all, this non-humble abode named Antilia boasts more square footage than Versailles.
Even though Inhabitat claims that Antilia "truly exemplifies the disease of excessive consumption, extreme wastefulness, and unsustainable living that is permeating today's society" of course we want to know what's inside such a perversely large home. Well, here we go: at least one swimming pool (natch), a fitness center, a 50-seat movie theatre, nine elevators, a ballroom, and enough guest rooms to gag a horse (and provide accommodations for a small convention, I'm guessing). There are also three helipads and a garage large enough to fit 150 cars. To keep things running smoothly at chez Ambani, there's a staff of 600. Good grief.
On the green front, The Guardian reports that Antilia was built with local materials and features a four-story, sunlight-absorbing hanging garden that was inspired by the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. This living wall helps to keep the interior of Antilia warm in the winter and cool during the summer months. Interesting enough, Antilia was designed by high-profile, sustainability-minded American architecture firm Perkins + Will (the firm behind Victoria B.C.'s Dockside Green) while Atlanta-based Hirsch Bender Associates oversaw the home's interior design scheme.
While it's easy to conclude that any sustainability that played a part of Antilia's design is negated by the home's egregious size, at least something went into it. I'll give it that much. But not much more.
An associate of Ambani defends him and downplays the home's lavish size, telling The Guardian:
He can't just walk into a cinema and watch a film like you or me. So he has built a house to his requirements like anyone else would. It's a question of convenience and requirements. It's only a family home, just a big one. It's just another home that someone is living in. It's no big event."
Via [The Guardian], [Inhabitat]


text: Titles says it all, tell us what you though of any movies you see. Well, I watch 'The Thing' last night and 'Cabin fever' this morning. The Thing was good, a bit cheesy but really decent. Cabin Fever however was a huge let down, I heard it was good but I couldnt get in to it.


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If you think your SSD is speedy, think again: this new Samsung SSD is capable of reading data at a frankly obscene 3,000MB/s.
Sadly, there are some caveats. First up, it won't run with a normal SATA-6 port — instead, it requires a PCIe hook-up. Second, it's actually intended for enterprise customers. But hey, we all do business, right? Right. While prices currently aren't known, the obvious downside to it being enterprise-only for now is that it will be super, super expensive, even if you do manage to lay your hands on one. If you do manage to get one, it'll come in either 400GB, 800GB and 1.6TB flavour. And then you can sit and transfer files and goggle at the progress bar zipping by. Then do it again. And again. And... [Engadget]


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Less Sleep Increase Risk Of Obesity?April 12, 2017 16:10
A study conducted at the Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia showed that the people who sleep less tend to weigh heavier than those who sleep more.
A clinical investigation, which included thousand subjects, reported that "total sleep time decreased as the body mass index (a measure of weight based on the height) increased."
Whether this means that the heavier individuals tend to sleep less or having enough sleep makes it easier for the people to control and maintain their normal weight, was not clear.
The authors of this study warn that "this does not establish a cause-and-effect relationship between restricted sleep and obesity (but) future investigations demonstrating success in weight loss via extensions of sleep would help greatly to establish such a relationship."
"We've put so much emphasis on diet and exercise that we've failed to recognize the value of good sleep," said Fred Turek, a physician at the Northwestern University in Chicago, who wrote a related article in a recent issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, where the study was published.
Some of the earlier researches have shown sleep deprivation to cause a decline in an appetite-suppressing the protein hormone called leptin, and also an increase in another hormone (ghrelin) which causes a craving for food. In addition to this, neuropeptides in the brain which govern sleep and obesity appear to overlap.
In another study, which involved more than 8,000 adults, researchers found that those who sleep only six hours per a day had a 23 percent risk of getting obese, five hours had a 50 percent, and for those who sleep less than four hours per a day had a 73 percent risk, compared to those who sleep eight to nine hours per a day.
Recent study will help to convince the people that enough sleep (minimum of eight hours per a day, which does not have any adverse effects or possible complications anyway) is essential, not only in controlling weight, but also in maintaining our health and well-being.
Indian-origin scientist has the answer for better sleep
Mrudula Duddempudi.


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Vita Chambers recently broke through with her single "Fix You," a frantic, fluorescent electro-pop flash that finds the 19-year-old pleading that she can heal a broken lover.
In a different context, Chambers has surely heard the song's desperate lament — "if you let me, I can fix you" — many times before. Signed to a record deal on her 16th birthday, she's spent the past three years trying on different musical looks, with no shortage of feedback from people who felt they knew best which direction to steer her career.
It was late last summer when Chambers — experiencing a "dark phase" that finally led to her move from New York to Toronto — decided she didn't want to relent control of the wheel.
"I always had a strong vision of what I wanted, but I was very open to people telling me things," she said in a recent interview from the head office of her Toronto-based record label.
"I still am, but it got to the point where I was being put down a road that I didn't want to go. And people were so used to me being all 'Oh sure, it's all right, sure I'll try that.'
"It's funny to say, it took me almost three years to finally find myself as an artist ... stand up for what I want," she added. "That happened quite recently, so I'm still fitting my way into those shoes. But I think I'm comfortable there."
The early signs are, indeed, positive.
"Fix You," Chambers' first single in years, is steadily climbing the Billboard and iTunes charts and has already wrested her first Juno Award nomination, for dance recording of the year. She'd just returned from the gym when her mother gave her the good news so breathlessly that Chambers at first thought someone had died. Then, she "freaked out, screamed, my neighbours banged on the floor ... it was a full-on production." She went to a movie and ate a hotdog to celebrate.
She describes a similar scene when reminiscing on being signed at 16. Though born in Vancouver, Chambers was whisked as a baby to Barbados and raised there until her music career, and New York beckoned when she signed that deal. Young as she was, she figured stardom was imminent.
"When I got signed, I thought: 'This is it. My life's made from here on,'" she recalled. "(But) it's only just the beginning. And being honest with yourself — that was a battle that I had in the beginning. I had a lot of people (saying): 'Oh, this is great, this is great!' And I'm living in the Twilight Zone almost."
It sure felt that way when, at 17 years old, Chambers was asked to open for Justin Bieber on his "My World" tour, which saw Chambers skipping across arena stages packed with fans suspended in a state of feverish frenzy over their impending brush with Bieber.
Meanwhile, Chambers frolicked backstage — a clip of the singer and a still mop-topped Bieber goofing around with a Segway in the dull halls of some arena is available online — and got a little used to the uncommon comforts of a pricey arena tour.
"Every night, it was 30,000 screaming kid girls," recalled Chambers, who spoke glowingly of Bieber and his assorted staff. "It was incredible. And it was a really horrible tease. Because we were so excited when we first went on (the tour) — and then you had to get off. And it's like, great, now I have to go do this on my own?"
Back then, Chambers' singles "Like Boom" and "Young Money" were pure bubble gum barbed with adrenalized rock guitars. She's about midway through work on her debut album now, and she says the electro pop of "Fix You" is a clear indication of her new direction. Rock is mostly in the past, though she suspects her debut record will reflect a diverse range of her influences: Imogen Heap, Florence Welch, Ellie Goulding and Kaskade.
A persistent point of reference for Chambers might be Rihanna, the similarly statuesque singer who was also raised in Barbados and also signed to SRP Records as a teenager. Chambers hasn't exactly avoided the parallels — in late 2011, she and Taylor Bennett recorded a YouTube cover of Drake and Rihanna's "Take Care" that has elicited nearly 300,000 views — but she says the comparison only goes so far.
"I don't mind it — honestly, she's an amazing artist," she said. "I don't think I'm like her, because we're two different people, but it's inevitable."
Among the major differences? "My Bajan accent really didn't rub off too much. When I say I'm from Barbados, people are like: 'Really?'"
Though she's still a teenager, Chambers has a beyond-her-years maturity, hard-earned over the rocky course of her first few years in the industry. If she wasn't then, she's grounded now. Though she dresses with as if bound for a chic high-end nightclub on this day — a bright red blazer and a printed top with electric blue skinny jeans and gunmetal grey platform heels elevated as high as Denver — she and her friendly, unassuming parents relax at a nearby Tim Hortons as they await the interview.
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When asked about their influence on her career, she first jokes that it's financial — rubbing a couple fingers together as her elders laugh nearby — before getting serious.
"In this industry you have so many people wanting to mould you into what they think their vision is," she said.
"So fighting — or not necessarily fighting, but standing for what you want all the time gets pretty exhausting. Having them there as my rock is really great."


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Chicago White Sox vice president/assistant general manager Rick Hahn will interview for the New York Mets general manager position next week, according to a Major League Baseball source.
… Hahn's expertise blends a firm grip of sabermetrics and physical scouting of players. He is a Michigan graduate and has a Harvard law degree and graduated from Northwestern's Kellogg graduate school of management…. His expertise in negotiating contracts and learning the scouting end of the game was essential in the White Sox promoting him to a vice president post in 2007.
UPDATE: No interview for Joey yet:
The outlook, however, doesn't look at promising for Sox bench coach Joey Cora, who aspires to be a manager. A source said Cora hasn't been contacted yet for the opening in Seattle.


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Welcome to the CatholicMom.com Prayer Corner!
In this space, readers are invited to share their prayer intentions and give thanks for prayers answered. When requesting prayer, please only list the first name or first initial to protect privacy. You can also simply mention that you have a special intention.
Each Monday as we begin a new week, we will open a new Prayer Corner.
Hear my prayer, O Lady: upon a firm rock establish my mind. Be thou to me a tower of strength: protect me from the face of the cruel destroyer. Be thou to him terrible as an army in battle array: and may he fall living into the depths of hell. For thou art shining and terrible: a cloud full of dew, and the rising dawn. Thou art beautiful and bright as the full moon: thy sacred aspect is as when the sun shines in its strength.
–St. Bonaventure
Thank you for your prayerful intercession for all of the intentions listed here.
For more opportunities to pray for and with our readers, visit our Prayer Request Forum.


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Blackberry's new flagship smartphone, the Blackberry Z10, is set to go on sale on AT&T in the US on March 22, according to sources speaking to Bloomberg. The phone was delayed due to "longer testing periods" by carriers in the US and has been available in Canada for some time, but it won't be long before US residents can get their hands on Blackberry's new hardware and operating system.
Blackberry (the company formerly known as Research in Motion) formally announced its new OS alongside the Z10 and the QWERTY-keyboarded Q10 at the end of January. The Z10 wasn't quite a home run for us, though we recommended it with reservations, and the OS turned out to have some attractive features.
Some Z10 features, like the predictive typing, body design, and build quality were great. Early surveys are showing that many Z10 buyers are former users of Android or iOS, indicating that even seasoned smartphone owners are willing to give Blackberry a fresh start.
At the time of the announcement, Blackberry stated that the Z10 would go on sale for around $149 with a two-year contract. Since none of the carriers have yet announced any concrete details, the pricing is still subject to their whims. Initially, the Z10 was announced for all four carriers, but Sprint has since decided to carry only the Q10.


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Vegetable-Stuffed Peppers
Total TimePrep: 10 min. Cook: 8-1/4 hours
Makes6 servings
- 2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1-1/2 cups cooked rice
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn, thawed
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 medium green peppers
- In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, beans, rice, 1-1/2 cups cheese, corn, onion, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, pepper and salt. Remove and discard tops and seeds of green peppers. Fill each pepper with about 1 cup vegetable mixture. Place in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
- Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover and cook 15 minutes longer or until peppers are tender and cheese is melted.
Nutrition Facts1 stuffed pepper: 342 calories, 11g fat (8g saturated fat), 40mg cholesterol, 550mg sodium, 46g carbohydrate (8g sugars, 8g fiber), 17g protein.
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Jul 7, 2014
I haven't made this yet, but it sounds really good. Hummmm
Jul 7, 2014
If you say it's Veggie stuffed peppers then make it just that. Only thing I kept in this recipe is the pepper. I put raw cauliflower in blender and grated to resemble rice. Added chopped zucchini, yellow squash and turnips. Used fresh corn off the cob, diced red peppers, onion, 1 clove of garlic. Saluted all veggies minus cauliflower rice & green pepper till denté. Add cumin, cyanne chili pepper, salt pepper to taste. Tossed in small can of diced tomatoes and stirred in "rice". Stuff peppers and grilled for 8-10 min. I make this in the m fall winter cooking for 2-3 hrs on low in crock pot. Now THIS is a veggie stuffed pepper.
Nov 28, 2012
there are too many great recipes to make an average one again.
Aug 6, 2008
I make a recipe similar to this, but mine has black beans instead of the kidney beans and yellow hominy instead of the corn. Either way, this recipe makes a very good meal.My finishing touch is placing one nacho-sliced jalapeno on top of each stuffed green pepper.


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A friendly social clan to discuss the demise of Ranching* in the post-apocolyptic era, but more importantly how do thrive after the maelstrom. Maybe discuss things like:
- what will happen to open range water rights?
- what to do with all the old branding irons?
- best ways to use old fence posts and barbed wire
- pre-name anti-clan posts as "PAP smears"
- pre-name weak wannabees ass "PAPer tigers"
- pre-name Clan forgivenesses as "PAPal dispensation"
- identify possible corporate sponsors
Looking for interested people, ideas and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism to assist those caught in transition, NOT flames, baits or trolls.
*NOT technical FARMING: which only refers to abuse of Unranked ? New Recruits
** NOT BOGROLLING: which is some neo-linguistic hype
GLG, soon to be recovering Rancher


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Student or Learner
Dear All
I am in the process of completing the CELTA Pre-Interview task, but as I haven't studied grammar/language in detail for a long while I was really hoping if somebody would be really kind and help me a little. I have drafted my answers but would be grateful for any guidance or ideas.
The questions I am considering are as follows:
For each pair of sentences below. firstly state what the difference is, secondly state what method you would use in class to help students understand the difference. Think about different options like using visuals, giving examples, creating a context or scenario, mime, real objects, definitions etc.
1a) When I got there the party started.
b) When I got there the party had started
The difference in meaning is...
To help students understand the difference I would...
2a) to intervene
b) to interfere
The difference in meaning is...
To help students understand this difference I would...
I'd be really grateful for any ideas and would like to thank you in advance.
Very best,
Dear Zara,
I've just got my pre-interview task and am feeling quite daunted by it. Mine focuses on verb phrases.
Though to get back to you. I would answer it something like this:
1) The difference in meaning is that a) implies everyone at the party was waiting for you, perhaps it was a party thrown for you or even that it was a boring party until you got there and liven things up. Where as b) implies that the party had begun before you arrived.
To help students understand the difference I would perhaps suggest a little role play. For a) maybe have a group of students 'pretend' to throw a surprise party for another student. Have them walk through the door, then the 'party' begins. For b) perhaps have a student pretent to arrive late to a party.
2) The difference in meaning is slight. While both a) and b) suggest someone or something has got involved with an activity or event to change the outcome, a) could be beneficial or negative whereas b) generally has negative implications on the outcome of the event. For example if someone is dying, a doctor may intervene to save their life. You wouldn't say the doctor interfered. Interfere generally has a 'stopping' effect and negative implications.
To help students understand this I would again suggest role play of different scenarios and ask students to suggest which word they would use.
E.G. - The doctor......to save the mans life.
'Do not........with my work!' Yelled the angry businessman.
If it was not for the police who..........the robbers would have escaped.
Hope this helps.
Like I said, I am not a teacher and have not passed a CELTA course, and am doubtful I will anytime soon. I'm just a native who likes helping out on this forum when I can.


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The Creative Coalition hosted its annual Spotlight Initiative Gala at the Sundance Film Festival by STK at the Sky Lodge in Park City, Utah. The event was an intimate, candlelit gathering attracting many big names from the entertainment industry
Ralph Lauren's Spring/Summer collection at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week was kicked off right with John Lennon's "No Body Told Me" carrying the mod 60's styles of this year's collection and was held at the St. John Center Studios in Tribecca
Genius of Love by the Tom Tom Club set the vivacious tone for the Nanette Lepore Spring/Summer 2014 Collection at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. This collection exuded effortless, yet chic style in a multitude of eclectic fabrics
Just recently, at Chelsea's Pier 59, Nolcha Fashion Week hosted over 19 fashion designers from around the globe; one of them was Claire Farwell of London who featured her Spring 2014 Essentials Collection
At the Comic Con Convention, the first annual anti-bullying red carpet event and press summit was held on Fifth Avenue at San Diego restaurant, Lou and Mickey's. Many authors, advocacy groups, and celebrities came out to support this campaign
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, also known as LLS, had their Man & Woman of The Year Grand Finale Awards Gala at the Ritz Carlton in Washington, D.C. This is the 22nd year the organization has put on this event to advocate for blood cancer
The Fusion de Filantropia & Fashion Show was recently held in Georgetown which benefited the American Diabetes Association. Chicago designer Mark Roscoe and UK's Karen Millen showcased their spring/summer 2013 collections
During Cannes, an art and fashion event was held at Villa Oxygene at Richard Nilsson's home in Vallauris, France, which showcased the Vilorija's spring/summer 2013 collection along with French artist Franck Katz
At the 66th annual Cannes Film Festival, the world red carpet premiere of the American film, The Immigrant received distinguished honors after receiving a nomination of the Palme d' Or, which is thee top honor a film maker can receive at Cannes
At the 66th annual Cannes film festival, Sebastian Sylvia's eerie flick Magic Magic was screened. This psychological thriller was filmed in Chile and stars English actress Juno Temple and Canadian actor, Michael Cera
During the 66th annual Cannes Film Festival, Natalie Dubious of Dubois Pelin and Associates orchestrated the "The Palace of the Stars" celebrity gifting suite at the International Carlton Hotel hosting an array of brands
Sun Valley used to be the stomping grounds of Hollywood's elite from the Hemingway's, to even tinsel town's very own, Marilyn Monroe and was brought back to Idaho during the second annual Sun Valley Film Festival


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Proximus CEO Dominique Leroy discusses a culture transformation that is helping restore agility and growth
The leading telecommunications, IT and media company operating in Belgium and international markets, Proximus (formerly Belgacom) was a company at a crossroads, seeking ways to restore profitability and regain lost market share. In this interview, CEO Dominique Leroy explores how the company is transforming the culture and why it is helping re-energize the company and enable the growth strategy to succeed. Watch the full interview with Dominique Leroy. Read the article.
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Changing bank culture: Lessons from the financial crisis
Former New York Fed Supervisor Sarah Dahlgren describes how failures in company culture contributed to the financial crisis—and why improvements... [more]
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Senn Delaney Chairman Dr. Larry Senn discusses avoiding...
Larry Senn, founder and chairman of culture-shaping firm Senn Delaney, a Heidrick & Struggles company, discusses why leaders need to pay... [more]
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Rob Carter, co-CEO of FedEx Services and CIO of FedEx Corporation, discusses bringing the People-Service-Profit culture principles to life at... [more]
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When he was USAA CEO, Gen. Joe Robles called himself Chief Culture Officer. He discussed why creating a high-performance culture at the... [more]
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Yum! Brands CEO David Novak shares insights on creating an...
David Novak, chairman and CEO of Yum! Brands, discusses why creating a recognition culture has been a key ingredient to long-term growth and... [more]
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MOUNT VERNON, Va., Feb. 2 (UPI) -- The sequined purple silk high heels Martha Washington wore to marry George show she wasn't frumpy, say curators in Virginia.
The wedding shoes, on display at Mount Vernon through Feb. 23, are part of a revamping of the first first lady's image, said Edward Lengel, senior editor at the Papers of George Washington project at the University of Virginia.
"We always see Martha with a withered face in her old age. But she was quite a beautiful woman in her younger years, and Washington loved her deeply," Lengel told The Washington Post in a story published Monday.
Contrary to popular opinion, Martha was not fat when she married George, Lengel said, adding that she loved reading Gothic romance novels and was a much sought-after diminutive beauty who handily managed five plantations left to her when her first husband died.
Portraying Martha as dumpy served to foster a sense of legitimacy for the fledgling nation, said Emily Shapiro, a curator at Mount Vernon, the Washington home near Alexandria, Va.
"The country was still so young," she said. "I think it was reassuring to see its leaders as older, distinguished, stately and gray-haired people."


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.333/.392/.486 in 72 ABs; 2 2B, 3 HR, 7 BB, 10 K.
It feels like he's pushing 30, but Martinez will turn only 22 later this month. He's been out of baseball for two full years, but the Sox aren't shying away from testing him. He played just 39 games at Kannapolis before his knee injury, but he's succeeding in Winston-Salem.
That could be a factor of the apparently friendly hitting environment at BB&T Ballpark, but if Martinez can finish the year healthy and hitting like this, the Sox have a genuine outfield prospect in the fold.
More prospects reports at the link.


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"The Voice" may have kicked off its fourth season Monday night with a stomping live band cover of "Come Together," courtesy of all four coaches — but by the end of the first round of blind auditions, all four were clawing over each other for their top contestants.
Even newbies Usher and Shakira, in for Cee-Lo Green and Christina Aguilera this season, showed how quickly they knew how to play the game, pulling every trick in the book to woo their favorite singers.
At the top of the heap was Monday's penultimate performer, 28-year-old Judith Green, the daughter of pro musicians and herself a former back-up singer for Michael Jackson. Judith, clearly at home on the stage, peppered Christina's own "What a Girl Wants" with her own effortless flourishes.
U.S. & World
Her performance led the coaches to shower her with praise and fight to the teeth for her on their teams. Adam Levine promised to "light himself on fire" to guarantee her presence on his team — a tack that, oddly, worked. Judith chose him as her coach.
And with the last act of the night, Adam nabbed his first team member.
Not that he hadn't contended for others.
The first act of the night had also united all the coaches in adoration — and in confusion.
That act was a pair of identical twins, the self-proclaimed Morgan twins, who marked the first set of identical twins ever to grace "The Voice."
"We do everything together," one of the statuesque blondes, wearing identical little red dresses, said. "Whenever we're apart, there's definitely separation anxiety."
Anxiety was nowhere to be seen in their confident performance of Alicia Keys' "Fallin'."
"They had me even before I knew it was a duo," Blake Shelton said of their song, awe-struck once he turned around and saw the pair. ("Like a Doublemint commercial," he remarked.)
Usher called them "pitch-perfect," Adam gave them "major unique points" and Shakira said she had major faith in their talent — but they chose Blake as their mentor.
Next up was Jess Kelner, a 21-year-old hairdresser from Austin whose low, silky voice and subdued take on the Elvis Presley classic "Can't Help Falling in Love" drew an Adele comparison from Adam. With Usher and Shakira competing for her talents, Jess went with Usher.
That came in spite of Shakira's insistence that Jess needed a woman's help — a remark that drew disbelief from her male cohorts.
But the gender call-out was far from the most shameless mode of persuasion Monday night.
That dubious distinction fell on the season's other brand new coach, Usher, when he, Blake and Adam fought over 16-year-old country upstart Danielle Bradbery, who sang a spirited take on Taylor Swift's "Mean" — in the first big performance of her life.
"Your pitch is amazing," Blake said, touting his country cred. "I wanna be the guy who introduces you to Nashville."
Usher's calling card? (Besides calling Nashville a state, to his fellow coaches' ridicule and his own horror?) His erstwhile protégé Justin Bieber.
"Are you bribing her with Justin Bieber tickets?!" Adam asked incredulously.
Whether or not he were, the bribe didn't work anyway. Danielle chose Blake.
But Usher got a team member of his own in another Belieber: the once-homeless Vedo, who choked up backstage thinking of what he wants to achieve for his mother. Although she is dying of lung cancer, she had urged him to compete and cheered him on from the wings.
Vedo's delivery of the Bieber hit "Boyfriend" won Usher over with what the coach called his "killer personality."
Shakira went home with two of the biggest surprises at the end of Monday night.
First she nabbed 27-year-old Mark Andrew, whose unusual take on Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," which he dedicated to his two late bandmates, she lavished with praise.
"I loved your performance from top to bottom," she told him. "I haven't felt this way so far."
Later, on a night full of surprises, Shakira nabbed one of the most stunning of them: Kris Thomas. The coaches, with their backs to the stage, mistook his falsetto-laden take on Whitney Houston's "Saving All My Love for You" for that of a woman — and after Shakira took a chance on him, she kept a poker face and didn't let on what she saw.
"I am so glad that you're on my team, because you are really a gem," she told him.
But plenty of other gems at the blind auditions just needed more polish before they could be picked. Construction worker and new dad James Irwin was one. Newark-bred bachata singer Janetza Miranda was encouraged to come back on the show again. And Leah Lewis, 15, was reassured that she had plenty of time to hone her craft.
"If you're 99 percent amazing and you're 15, you've got nothing to worry about, sweetheart," Adam reassured her.
"The Voice" is back for more blind auditions Tuesday night.


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Reflecting back on 2012 I would like to share the ten most popular posts on this blog. Several of them are by guest authors in my series featuring reviews of courses at the genealogy institutes, and I would like to express my appreciation to all of my guest authors.
The number one blog post was overwhelmingly the Ten-point Study Blueprint by Elizabeth Shown Mills. If you missed that one, or any of the other top ten, here are the links.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Best of 2012 Genealogy Education Blog Posts
Posted by Unknown at 3:14 PM
Labels: Blogs, Guest Authors, Institutes
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As 2012 comes to a close, and the Mayan calendar crowd snuggles deep into their shelters, the issue of the fiscal cliff hits us squarely in the face. To sell or not to sell? That is the question. Unfortunately, I don't think there's a real definitive answer to this.
In mid-1993, President Clinton raised taxes, to the chagrin of many, and to make matters worse, made the tax hikes retroactive to the first of the year. I remember being up in arms about this most egregious act. I even believed that his decision might be overturned, though I'm not sure by whom. Today, we have a little over two weeks before the Bush tax cuts expire. Along with this comes an increase in the capital gains rate, the expiration of the payroll tax cut and a brand new 3.8% Obamacare tax. Ouch!
If Congress doesn't act quickly, taxes will rise, the budget axe will fall, and every taxpaying American will have to ante up as they will be required to pay more. I said every "taxpaying" American because clearly there are many who do not pay income taxes. So do we sell and capture capital gains at the 2012 rate or risk a higher rate beginning in 2013? Hmmm.
At this point, I am leaning toward selling this year—especially for holdings with a substantial unrealized gains. However, there are a few additional issues to consider on behalf of my clients, including projecting the tax bracket for the client in the next few years and the level of risk that the individual investment carries.
Issue #1: Projected Tax Bracket
If the client's projected bracket is expected to decline, for example if they are retiring, you may want to wait. Obviously, there are numerous factors to consider here.
Issue #2: The Risk Versus the Expected Tax
How much risk does the investment have? Let's assume you have a $50,000 holding with a $10,000 unrealized LT capital gain. The expected federal CG tax if sold in 2012 would be $1,500 ($10,000 x 15%). $1,500 is about 3.0% of $50,000. Therefore, if the investment's standard deviation indicates that a 3.0% loss (or greater) is easily within range, then selling may make sense. This is because a loss of 3.0% would equal the tax paid if sold in 2012. Since realizing capital gains for 2012 means that you keep 85% of the gross sale (commissions and other fees not withstanding), wouldn't you rather have 85% of a higher number? Then you can reinvest and start over.
Issue #3: Macro Considerations
If we do go over the fiscal cliff, and a recession ensues, stocks will not react favorably. Hence, selling some positions now may be prudent.
Issue #4: Winners, Losers and the Wash Sale Rule
To lessen the blow, consider selling some losers to help offset the gains you plan to realize this year. Of course, you'll want to watch out for the wash sale rule if you plan to claim a capital loss.
Whatever your decision, make sure you document your actions. It's always good to have a paper trail to substantiate why you did what you did. Compliance will appreciate it. Finally, if you're an RIA, put on your compliance hat, sit back and have a cold one to celebrate another year of independence! There's nothing like it!


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Christina Bonivtch might just be one of the biggest Disney fans in America. Since her first trip to Disney World at 5 months old, she has visited the park multiple times each year.
Christina Bonivtch might just be one of the biggest Disney fans in America. Since her first trip to Disney World at 5 months old, she has visited the park multiple times each year.
�Disney World opened in 1971, and my parents started going in 1973, so it�s just been a family thing,� she said.
Ever since then, she has become a huge fan of all things Disney.
�Disney is my life,� she said, �My car has a Disney antenna; my house is like a Disney museum.�
Bonivtch, a Shelby High and recent Cleveland Community College graduate, also worked at the Disney store in Concord.
�That was amazing, just being able to work at the store there. It�s like going to work just feels like going to have fun every day.�
Bonivtch, who spent many years participating as The Star's mascot for county Christmas parades, has a tradition of going Disney for Halloween.
�This past Halloween, I was Snow White. And the year before that, I was Tigger,� she said.
Last year, Bonivtch was selected to intern at Disney World for the spring semester. Bonivtch, a UNC-Charlotte student, will intern at Disney until May.
�I�m a character attendant, which means, say I�ll have Mickey Mouse as my character, and I�ll bring him out to meet the guests,� she said, �I�m basically their bodyguard, to make sure everything goes right.�
Bonivtch said she is with different characters all the time.
�Next week, I�ll be with Monsters, Inc. for a couple of days. And it changes every week," she said.
Hollywood Studios is the park she works in, but she said she can pick up shifts in any of the parks.
'Our dreams came true'
Bonivtch learned about Disney internships a few years ago, when she was visiting the park with her family. She researched the program, called the Disney College Program, and applied for an internship for this semester.
�I finished my minor, so I thought it would be a great gap to take a semester off,� she said.
The paid internship allows students to live in Disney housing, apartments specifically for the college program. There is also bus transportation for interns.
When she applied, Bonivtch said, �I didn�t get my hopes up too much. I didn�t really tell anybody.�
But the phone interviews went well and one day while at college, Bonivtch received an e-mail.
�I got the email that said �Congratulations Christina!� and I just screamed at the top of my lungs. I couldn�t speak afterwards. It was so amazing,� she said.
And when Bonivtch told her cousin, another long-time Disney fan, about the internship, she found out that her cousin had applied to the program as well. The two were able to room together at Disney.
�We didn�t know each other was applying till we both got in,� said Bonivtch. �Our dreams came true to live at Disney together.�
In February, the two plan to run a marathon race around Disney World.
�We�re dressing up as princesses. I�m dressing up as Jasmine and she�s dressing up as Cinderella,� she said.
Bonivtch said reality hasn�t hit her yet.
�It hasn�t sunk in fully that I get to live at Disney World and meet all the characters,� she said, �It�s awesome to work here. It�s a dream come true for me definitely.�
Only a select few get the opportunity to be a character attendant.
�They pick the roles based on what they feel you would be best at,� said Bonivtch.
On her first day as a character attendant, she was able to work with Eeyore, her favorite Disney character.
�I�ll never forget opening the door and feeling nervous and excited, holding Eeyore�s paw and bringing him out to meet everybody,� she said. �It�s overwhelming but in a great way.�
Bonivtch said that when she opens the door, people pause, then run to their favorite characters.
'You can travel around the world'
Another of Bonivtch�s Disney favorites is the movie, "Toy Story."
�Toy Story is one of my all-time favorite movies,� she said, �One of my goals is to meet Woody and Buzz Lightyear.�
When she gets to work with the characters from that movie, she said �I�ll be more excited than the guests.�
Her two favorite parks are Hollywood Studios and Epcot.
�Hollywood Studios is based on Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s. They put you right in the show with all the attractions," she said.
Since Bonivtch was in theater throughout high school, she said, �Seeing the stage shows and behind-the-scenes is amazing.�
�Epcot would be another favorite (park) because you can see all the different countries. And all the people who work there are from those countries,� she said. �You can be in Mexico and a couple of feet away is Norway. You can travel around the world.�
At Disney World, Bonivtch said everyone is a kid. �There is no age limit,� she said.
'It's great to provide that magic for the guests'
Bonivtch said she would love to work at Disney World in the future, as there are many opportunities there. She also hopes to intern again toward the end of her education.
She said she misses her family and friends and hopes they will make trips to see her. But being at Disney World almost feels like home.
�Having my cousin here with me and being in a place that I know like the back of my hand already makes it easier,� she said.
A few weeks ago, Bonivtch finished her training.
�It�s only just begun for me, so next week I�ll get the full experience,� she said.
Character attendants have a great deal of responsibility, but Bonivtch said it is worth it.
�It�s rewarding when you see the little girls run up and hug you," she said, "It�s great to provide that magic for the guests. That�s our goal.�
Reach Molly Phipps at 704-669-3339 or email@example.com.


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Whether you work for your members, a cause or a global mission, Cresa understands your business model. We value relationships, not transactions.
The nonprofit approach to real estate differs from other businesses. Much like for-profit companies, associations and nonprofits run on strategic priorities and cost efficiencies. Unlike these profit-driven businesses, real estate choices are made through a more complex process that involves multiple stakeholders and decision models. Funding issues can be less certain, tax issues more constraining and approval processes more complicated. With office space as your second largest cost, creating an office environment that promotes your organization's mission to donors, members and guests and attracts the most desired talent become critical goals.
We partner with nonprofit occupiers to align their member needs, mission, goals and community relationships with their space and workplace strategies. No matter what type of nonprofit you are, we collaborate with your executive team, finance committee and full board of directors to ensure transparency and accountability for all real estate decisions. We are sensitive to staff involvement and work with you to create communication and change management plans. Our team applies an integrated approach to manage every stage of the real estate life cycle, from negotiation to implementation to the final build-out of your space. Cresa further commits to the nonprofit community through sponsoring client events, becoming members of industry associations, sitting on boards and volunteering our time to charitable causes.


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The stakes just got higher in what many worry is a burgeoning trade war. President Trump on Friday announced new 25 percent tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese imports Friday, and China quickly retaliated by announcing 25 percent tariffs to take effect July 6 on $34 billion worth of U.S. products.
"Historical evidence shows that tariffs raise prices and reduce available quantities of goods and services for U.S. businesses and consumers," the Tax Foundation's Kyle Pomerleau and Erica York wrote Thursday in anticipation of the announcement, "which results in lower income, reduced employment, and lower economic output."
Updating the Foundation's Taxes and Growth model analysis of the economic costs of the tariffs, Pomerleau and York concluded that, "These tariffs would result in GDP and wages falling by 0.06 percent in the long run, and more than 45,000 fewer full-time jobs. The tariffs would fall more on middle- and lower-income taxpayers, making the distribution of the tax burden less progressive."


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Incorporating cutting-edge style sensibility and the latest in frame and lens technology, Private Eyes reading eyeglasses offer an attractive alternative to old-fashioned "granny" readers. With looks ranging from classic to modern, funky to refined, and sleek to decorated, there's a frame for everyone; with an exciting palette of colors to choose from, the possibilities for looking stylish are truly endless. All models are offered in a range of prescription strengths, making Private Eyes readers a clear choice for the discerning, fashion-savvy woman.
Your Private Eyes readers may include:


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|12 volts
|7 ah
|5.30 lbs
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Slightly different to your current battery? click here for details
Power-Sonic PS-1270 F1 Terminal 12 volt 7 Ah Rechargeable SLA battery. Our Power-Sonic PS-1270 F1 is commonly used in emergency lighting, alarm systems, UPS systems, medical equipment, wheelchairs, scooters, spotlights and industrial equipment.
See our page How to find your replacement battery for more information.
Chemistry: Rechargeable Sealed Lead Acid
Dimensions: 5.95" L x 2.56" W x 3.70" H
Connector Type: F1 Faston 0.187x0.032 inch
Warranty: 1 Year
UL Number: MH 20845
Battery Qualifications: This battery meets JIS, DIN and IEC international standards, ISO 9001 certification and has the UL seal of approval
If your application runs on multiple batteries, make sure to replace all of them at the same time or you will dramatically reduce the lifespan of the new batteries by mixing them with older batteries.
You have to install your replacement batteries in the same original configuration they came out and are required to use your existing hardware and cables to reconnect the replacement batteries when applicable.
It is your responsibility to verify the battery or batteries being ordered match the battery or batteries in your application prior to placing your order. Please check your:
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A sister of the two Boston Marathon suspects has been arrested for allegedly threatening a New York City woman over the phone, police say.
Ailina Tsarnaeva, 24, of North Bergen, New Jersey, called the mother of her husband's child and threatened her, according to the NYPD.
She allegedly told the woman, "I have people who can go over there and put a bomb on you," police say.
She turned herself in at a Harlem precinct Wednesday afternoon and was arrested on a charge of aggravated harassment.
Tsarnaeva was issued an appearance ticket and released pending her next court date on Sept. 30.
A telephone number linked to Tsarnaeva was disconnected. Her lawyer, George Gormley, said he had left his office and would speak Thursday.
Tsarnaeva has been required to check in with Massachusetts probation officers since prosecutors said she failed to cooperate with a 2010 counterfeiting investigation.
Prosecutors said Tsarnaeva picked up someone who passed a counterfeit bill at a restaurant at a Boston mall and "lied about certain salient facts during the investigation."
At a hearing last October, Gormley said Tsarnaeva was pregnant with her second child and was unlikely to flee.
Tsarnaeva once lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at an apartment linked to her brothers, Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who were the subjects of an intense manhunt in the Boston area in the days after the deadly April 2013 marathon bombing.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is charged with building and planting the two pressure cooker bombs that exploded near the marathon's finish line, killing three people and injuring more than 260 others. He has pleaded not guilty.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev died after a gun battle with police.
Ailina Tsarnaeva told reporters from her New Jersey home shortly after the bombing that she had not spoken to her brothers in years.
"I'm not OK, just like everybody else is not OK," she said at the time. "No one is OK. It's very shocking."


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Bricked! Or, How to Resurrect a Dead Linksys WRT54G
Page 1 of 3
One of the more exciting developments for networking enthusiasts has been the evolution of open-source firmware replacements for certain popular, inexpensive routers (usually the famed Linux-running Linksys WRT54G).
While replacement firmware offers the promise of significantly expanded features, greater customization and mondo-tweakability, it also carries some risk. Should misfortune strike, you might, oh, lets say, render your router into a useless hunk of plastic. Or, as victims prefer to say, you could brick it. How does a router become a brick? And if it does, is there any hope of bringing it back to life?
The short answers: "by accident," and "yes... sometimes."
Bricks are very good at holding up the walls of your house. Bricks are not very good at routing network traffic. You dont want your router to suddenly become one. (Likewise, you dont want the bricks in your walls to suddenly become routers although that would be pretty cool, no?) But sometimes it happens. Often, you can avoid this fate by understanding how a router can become a brick.
There is an alchemy to turning a router into a brick. The most common formula is the bad flash. When you upgrade the firmware in your router, youre basically swapping in a new brain in place of the old. This brain controls most of the router's cognitive functions.
The upgrade process, described in The Open Source WRT54G Story, can require up to two minutes. If "Something Bad" happens during this process loss of power to the router, loss of network connectivity to the uploading PC you may have just bricked your router.
When upgrading your firmware, try to prevent "Something Bad" from happening:
- Be sure the power source is secure.
- Only upgrade through a wired Ethernet connection; do not use a wireless connection.
- Be sure to manually configure the IP address on your uploading PC do not rely on automatic DHCP address assignment.
- Be sure to disable any software firewall running on your uploading PC, including the Windows firewall.
RAM, Corrupted
Your router has a small amount of on-board NVRAM
For example, consider DD-WRT, one of the most popular open source firmware replacements for Linksys WRT series routers. DD-WRT is available in many flavors. There is a minimal build with only a base feature set. There is also a generic build which lacks optimizations, and some model-specific builds, among other variants.
When upgrading the router from the Linksys-branded firmware, you are supposed to step up by first installing the minimal DD-WRT build, and upgrading from there to a more feature-rich build.
However, when upgrading your router through DD-WRTs Web interface, you're directed to use the generic build.
Trip up on one of these finer points, and your upgrade may appear successful at first. But then you configure the router, it reboots, and hello Brickville, city of bricks. Most likely, your successful flash upgrade produced corrupted NVRAM.
You will always find message board threads by those who have disobeyed the upgrade instructions without dire consequences. These people can also eat pizza for three meals daily and never gain weight, and smoke a pack a day until theyre 98 years old. In fact, they often smoke and eat pizza while upgrading their routers. But the rest of us we're not like them. Just follow the instructions, carefully.


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Teams can use the AFL for a number of reasons including as: finishing school for top prospects, preparation for the transition to a higher level, either AA or AAA, as extra-playing time for a guy who was injured during the season or as an extra audition for a spot on the team's 40-man roster.
I covered the position players in some depth here when the rosters were announced, but seem to have skipped the pitchers. Anyway, the four pitchers are RHP Ryan Fraser, LHP Chase Huchingson, LHP Adam Kolarek and RHP Greg Peavey. None of the quartet made my Mets' preseason Top 41 Prospects list, and all are longshots to make this year's list.
RHP Ryan FraserWhat he is: The Mets' 16th round pick in 2010, Fraser made the transition to reliever this year. He has nice size at a solidly built 6'3" and sits in the low 90s, touching 93. When he was in Savannah, he had a slurvy breaking ball. He's a sneaky bullpen prospect who needs to improve his breaking ball to transition to intriguing. 2012: He made the transition to the bullpen and reached the double-A bullpen. He survived in Binghamton, but his walk rate jumped from 5.6% in the FSL to 9.0% in AA dragging his ERA from 2.08 (7 ER/30.1 IP) to 3.52 (13 ER/33.2 IP).
Why He's Going: Auditioning for a spot in the AAA Las Vegas bullpen to start 2013.
LHP Chase Huchingson (pictured at right)
What he is: A non-drafted free-agent out of Central Arkansas University, Huchingson is a 6'5" lean lefty who put up very good numbers in the SAL in 2011 before struggling with his control this year in the Florida State League. To be fair, out of high school, Huchingson had planned to play ball at Arizona State, and he was drafted by both the Rangers (out of high school) and Astros (out of Junior College) before the Mets swooped him up after a rough junior year in college. 2012: 24 G, 22 GS, 4.10 ERA, 120.2 IP, 120 H, 55 BB, 102 K. Huchingson has an extremely deceptive delivery in which it looks as though both of his arms and legs are flying at the hitter, and then releases the ball from a low arm slot. All of that would suggest a LOOGY future, but lefties actually hada higher OPS (.729) than righties this year (.689). I explain this fact simply: his changeup is his best off-speed pitch, while he often has trouble throwing his breaking ball for a strike.
Why He's Going: Trying to prove he deserves a spot in the AA Binghamton rotation to open 2013.
LHP Adam KolarekWhat he is: The Mets' 11th round pick out of Maryland in 2010, Kolarek has put up strong numbers in a-ball the last two years with a fastball/curveball combo where his heater is 89-92. 2012: Kolarek was dominant most of the year for advanced-A St. Lucie but was more hittable in August, when he allowed seven of his 18 total FSL runs. Lefties hit .197/.265/.211 against him in 86 PA in the FSL, while righties hit him at a more forceful .256/.329/.383 line in 153 PA. He made six appearances in AA that did not go well.
Why He's Going: To get in a few more innings to prepare himself for the AA bullpen.
Greg Peavey What he is: The Mets' 6th round pick in 2010 out of Oregon State, Peavey is a polished college right-hander without the pure stuff to be an impact MLB pitcher. 2012: Peavey, who is now 24, spent the entire year in the double-A rotation where he ran a 5.06 ERA in 25 games with just 84 strikeouts in 144 innings, with a 5.2 K/9 or a strikeout rate of 13%. He coupled that with a walk rate of 8% and allowed over a hit an inning.
Why He's Going: The Arizona environment will be a decent preparation for Las Vegas, if he makes it that far.


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Ray's Take Think you have your retirement plan figured out? Here's a sobering report: Fidelity Investments recently predicted that a 65-year-old couple that retired in 2012 would pay $240,000 for health care over the remainder of their lives. Those are expenses in addition to costs covered by Medicare under existing legislation, which could change.
Typically, Medicare covers just over half of a retiree's health care needs. Retirees are still responsible for deductibles, some co-insurance costs, dental, vision and long-term care, as well as premiums for Medicare Parts B and D.
All these costs are growing substantially too. That projected health care cost for a 65-year-old couple rose a full 6 percent from just the year before. Imagine that level of increase year after year!
Even with the additional coverage of supplemental insurance, health care costs are substantial. Many retired couples are surprised to realize that their supplemental insurance premiums are their largest regular expense.
While you can cut retirement expenses by living in a smaller home or taking fewer trips, you can't eliminate necessary medical care. It's vital to prepare for health care costs that will continue to rise – and be increasingly more important to you as you age.
What can you do? To start, try not to retire until you are fully eligible for Medicare, otherwise you might be spending tens of thousands annually for just basic health care insurance. When you do retire, shop around for different insurance options to supplement Medicare. It might be that the retirement insurance plan offered by your former employer is not the best option available. Even once you've picked a plan, review it against other options on a regular basis as coverage and costs can change.
Most of all, be sure to factor rising health care costs into your retirement plans. With longer life spans and cost increases that regularly outpace inflation, you don't want health care needs to leave you in a precarious financial position.
Dana's Take While you don't have any real control over increasing health care costs, you do have control over your own physical condition. If you start your retirement in relatively good health you may be able to avoid some of the costs associated with chronic conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes.
Physical fitness is every bit as important to your retirement years as financial fitness. It could be that investing in a gym or personal trainer now could make a substantial difference in your medical expenses in the decades to come.
Just like saving money, it takes discipline and time to make a real change for the better in your lifestyle. However, it might be even more rewarding: not only is there potential for reducing your health care costs, you'll also be in better shape to truly enjoy your retirement years.


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Game Grumps: Egoraptor Hated Old Dante.
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So I was watching yet another video of Game Grumps, and an interesting discussion came up about "overly cool characters". They were at first talking about Shadow the Hedgehog and how he was "too cool" to relate to. Then, Jon mentions something about Dante and Arin outright says "I hate Dante".
He explains that because of how "overly cool" he is is a huge flaw to his character. He said a few examples like how in the beginning of Devil May Cry 1, Trish completely destroys Dante's place and Dante acts so nonchalant about it. Or how whenever a big giant spider comes out of no where, Dante doesn't get scared even once at all or about anything. Also said that because of the fact he's not human, you can't relate to him in any way.
Now, I think Egoraptor is awesome for his animation, his great sense of humor, and seems like a real nice guy in person. However, when it comes to his taste in video games/characters (this is my opinion too so take it with a grain of salt if you disagree), I find it really questionable most of the time.
Honestly, I don't like Dante either, but I find Ego's reasons for not liking Dante to be a little pretentious. I mean, just because Dante is either really hard to relate too or not relatable at all, can't we like him because of the fact he's just cool? And why does he have to be "human" or resemble any human traits to be likable either? I think that's a little arrogant imo.
Mostly however, the discussion was about "overly cool characters" and Dante's name just happened to be brought up as one of the main examples. What do you guys or girls think about cool or "overly" cool characters? Do you agree with Egoraptor's reasoning or not? And why?
Egoraptor never mentions anything about the New Dante at all. That was in the title just to get people here to read the thread. I know, I'm mean, but it worked didn't it? ;)
captcha: "Your Feedback" Yep, your feedback here really is crucial as captcha says.
Well I never liked Dante as a character. I never gave a shit about the story in DMC games either though. I just enjoyed the gameplay.
Dante is, and shall forever remain, one of my favourite characters.
He's half human so the comments about that were half wrong.
Scared? Dante? Why the feth would anyone want him to be scared?
Those have to be the worst reasons for not liking a character i've heard.
But, each to their own.
Well it's just not to Arin's taste. He doesn't like it and he stated his opinion. I'm inclined to agree with him. It's shallow and boring and unrelateable. A character with zero vulnerabilities is the laziest piece of shit form of writing.
Granted, the DMC games were never meant to be games where you cared about the characters. You were there to kill giant monsters and see goofy antics (or were they? That fucking LIIIIIIIIIGHT scene trying to tug on heartstrings in the worst way possible makes me doubt that theory...)
And you're entitled to it.
I did understand "Overly Cool" as something of "Trying way too hard to make him cool", in the end is a matter of opinion, I like Dante but I can definetly see why someone could be bothered by it. Hell, I got bothered by it while playing Devil May Cry 4, they went a little overboard with Dante there... So I kinda see his point.
Didn't they say that they wanted to play Bayonetta in a previous video? I've never played Devil May Cry myself, but if Arin's description of Dante is any indication, Bayonetta is pretty much a female version of Dante.
I remember that too.
What's even worse is that Bayonetta is basically a feminist's nightmare of an extremely sexualized over the top woman. Basically, a Dante with big tits and ass. So why like Bayonetta yet hate Dante is very strange.
Fixed the thread title for ya. Please do not post misleading information.
Why do characters have to be relateable? Why can't they just be entertaining?
I prefer characters I can't related to since I'm a weak little girl who can't fight off hordes of demons or run across walls or take on an entire army by myself.
My first thought is, who cares if he dislikes the old Dante? Do you really need your opinion validated by someone thats in no authoritarial position?
For what its worth, Dante never showed fear because he had been through all kinds of danger before the game began. Even in the prequel (Devil may cry 3) he had seen a lot of stuff before. So if 3 is any indication I think its fair for him not to show fear against many of the creatures in the original Devil may cry. So even though I wonder why anyone cares about Egoraptors opinion I also think hes talking out his butt
Yeah, I see people stating these high and academic things about how this is not up to standards or that, hence they are bad. Well, yeah - Dante isn't up to standards as a character. I still find him entertaining. I still find other things entertaining, even though they seemingly "fail" other standards.
You can't?! But...I-I...I always looked up to you. I wanted to be just like you when I grew up. And now you destroyed my dreams D:
Life is about destroyed dreams. If you haven't already now is the time to shave your head, grow a 5 o'clock shadow and become a cynical alcoholic to relate to all the other game characters.
Will that at least let me move in slow motion on a whim?
Only if you have enough energy in the bar in the corner of your vision.
Whew, that was close. I thought you'd totally shatter everything I've been living for. I have painted a full HUD on my glasses, I have energy bar, HP and everything. I knew these would come in handy some time in the future!
Meh... If he doesn't, he doesn't.
I don't necessarily need him to like Dante. I like him enough already.
Although I can get into a debate about this stuff. Like how Dante has been hunting demons practically all his natural born life. Either he copes and mans up or he wouldn't survive. But there you are.
And it's less that he's cool with stuff other than that he doesn't give a shit. The Opening of Devil May Cry proved that Dante was way beyond stronger than Trish. If he wanted to, Dane could have decimated her. And he likely knew that too. So why put up a fuss? And I also doubt he had any real attachment to most of the things in that office anyway. Maybe if she'd targeted the picture of his mother but the rest? Meh.
But yeah, my thoughts. I have more.
A character most DEFINITIVLY dosnt have to be relatable for me to like them.
Hell, theres only *ONE* character that I have found somewhat like me in ALL my 16 years of gaming so far (Louis from Left 4 dead), and yet I can assure you, than I like WAY more characters than just one.
Also... why the hell did OP get warned. It would be nice if the ninja mods could at least state the reason of why it did get warned. Most of the times is obvious enough, but other times, such as this one, is not really clear at all... They really cant make it so it says: "User received a warning for this post. Reason: (Insert reason here)".
So...characters must always show a sense of vulnerability in order for us to like them? That's really stupid. And too cool to be likeable? That seems like another bullshit reason to not like something.
Real Dante was always fine to me. The games I played with him were entertaining as hell. If you cant make someone well rounded, rule of cool works just as well.
He seems to miss the point of Dante by a mile. He was NOT supposed to be a relatable character, he was supposed to be entertaining and impressive. The writers of the series KNEW that and rolled with it, but instead of making him a grim and gritty wish fulfillment fantasy (like 90% of Western protagonists, oddly), they instead made him HORRENDOUSLY self-aware and over-the-top. He's like an old pulp hero like Doc Savage, Flash Gordon, or even James Bond. Sure, there's a little more depth to him (like his complex relationship with his brother as well as him trying to live up to his father's legacy), but the point is he was supposed to be FUN. He's an antidote to all the other videogame protagonists who are completely stuck up their asses in trying to be taken "seriously" and utterly fail at it.
Well if i'd known that i'd have stolen that hat to start with instead of asking for it.
Your hat is mine puny mortal....
Although it will be mine another day I have the flu at the minute.
I happened to watch this episode earlier today, and I also thought that was a bit of a weird discussion. I don't think "coolness" has anything to do really with how relatable or well defined a character is.
Anyway, funny that this of all game grumps content gets a whole thread. I can think of a hell of a lot more stupid things that Arin has said on that show. He tends to be close-minded and pretentious when it comes to game design a lot of the time. I prefer when they just have fun and laugh while they're playing the game.
1. He's not wrong.
2. When they're just blabbing during Grump sessions, he's probably not putting in the time to think out long, well-reasoned defenses to his arguments, which is something he touched on during MAGFest.
Dante is a terrible character. Because he's part of a terrible story. Everything about the "old" Devil May Cry was completely over-the-top and ridiculously campy, including one-dimensional-protagonist Dante.
I will never cease to be amazed by the people who take the canon of Devil May Cry seriously. Capcom has some of the worst writers in the entire gaming industry, the only people who are consistently worse are probably Sonic Team. So, yeah, Dante is a bad character. But just because he's a bad character doesn't mean you're not allowed to like him, or think he's "cool". Just don't be surprised when people start criticizing him.
And this is coming from someone who does like "classic" Dante.
Considering this and the "Cracked thinks homefront is racist" topic up there, tonight seems to be "Someone has a different opinion to me, therefore they suck" night.
Although I disliked dmc4, I think that version was my favorite. The dialog didn't seem as forced(most of the time). But having listened to egoraptor's reasons, I think they're completely valid. He dislikes that particular archetype of character. I don't think he would like this new dante either.
Whether a character is "good" or "bad" depends on context. You can talk about how you like a character more than another, but that's entirely subjective. When you start calling characters you don't like bad, you lose a little integrity. I will freely admit that I have never beat a Devil May Cry game. I have the collection. I have all the time in the world to do it. I just won't. I hate the level design, I hate how closed in, confusing, and bland everything is, but I love Dante. It's funny that Egoraptor doesn't get this because he boasts about Zero all the time. Zero, at first, can seem too cool. In Megaman X, that's pretty much all there was to him. But you still wanted to be him because he was cool and capable. You saw him in action and thought, "Wow". Some of you, anyway.
That's who Dante is. Devil May Cry is taking that badass character, showing him being over the top, silly, campy, and fun, and then handing you the controller and allowing you to be him. That's why I pop in the disc from time to time. There's an almost guilty pleasure to it that no other game could quite capture, at least for me. There are so many beat 'em up games that capture the mechanics well, but they don't get the heart. And it's running around like a total tool, stringing up combos, being too cool for school, over the top, ridiculous, and dumb. Other games used that badass character to motivate you. You wanted to be them or beat them (but never in that same badass way, sadly). You were working up to being that powerful (but never that cool, sadly). In Devil May Cry, you ARE that guy. And it's magnificent.
He's a good character in that he fills a slot no other game or game series ever has, and even though I'm thoroughly convinced it's an accident, it's a marvelous accident. It may sound odd to some, but it's the purpose of the character in this case that makes him good. Great. Wonderful. Dante is one of the best characters in video games by that definition, and I proudly say so.
I'm really not sure what else I can say here. People have different opinions! Some people may like or dislike things which you dislike or like but it shouldn't mean you have to change yourself just because some random asshole says their own intake.
I disliked old Dante too. I thought he was an androgynous douchebag.
But then I think that about the new Dante too.
I don't like the new Dante as much as I liked the old. Mostly because it was refreshing to see a character that truly didn't give a shit and had fun with the game. Dante was supposed to represent the player who cared more about the crazy things he could do rather than his involvement with the story, hence why he's so happy whenever he gets a new toy and doesn't seem to be phased when he gets shot or skewered in a cutscene.
But at least new Dante isn't as bad as Nero.
Meh. I never liked nor respected game grumps (fuck me that's a stupid name), and this does nothing to change that.
Good or bad character, it's all just opinions.
I just never understood what's wrong with a character being camp and over-the-top. It works for James Bond, it works for all the Warner Brothers cartoons.
I... don't get it. So? He dislikes old Dante. So do I. What now? What is this thread for? Where is the discussion value?
Should we discuss how the opinion of guy A who clearly states that it is his opinion ("I dislike...", "I hate...") holds merit? It does not, it has as much merit as your and mine opinion on that subject matter.
Maybe I could takle your question... No, it does not work. There is always more to a character than 'overly cool' and it is always different executed. It is a characterisation which exectuion varies from writer to writer like seen in the new DmC.
Half the things they rant about on Game Grumps, especially in the Sonic videos, are at most half truths meant to get a laugh out of people. Did nobody watch Awesome May Cry?
Arin was referencing this animation short he did years ago.
I personally don't really like over-the-top characters outside of parodies, which DMC doesn't seem to be.
Doesn't really make them objectively bad characters though, just different.
Technically from a literature standpoint, Dante IS an objectively bad character. He's pretty much the definition of a flawless Marty Stu stereotype and would likely be completely unbearable if portrayed through something like a novel. But we have to keep in mind that he's not really there to present an intriguing character, he's the requisite bad ass propping up a hack and slash action game and in that context he ticks all the boxes.
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The White Sox have been looking to trade Matt Thornton since July and are still trying to move him, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Before the 2011 season, the White Sox signed the left-hander to a two-year, $12MM extension that covers the 2012-13 seasons and includes a club option for 2014.
The 35-year-old posted a 3.32 ERA with 9.5 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, 0.45 HR/9 and a 48.8% ground ball rate in 59 2/3 innings this past season. Armed with a fastball that averages 96 mph, Thornton figures to draw interest this offseason, as he did last summer, especially since the free agent market doesn't feature lefty relievers of his caliber. The Yankees, Blue Jays and Rangers are among the teams that may seek left-handed relief this offseason.
Thornton commented on his brief and unsuccessful trial as a closer last spring:
"Was mine an interim thing? If I had success, I'm sure it wouldn't have been," said Thornton of his abbreviated run at closer. "Obviously everyone knows what happened in the games I was in. Things just didn't go well for me in that role.
"Maybe it was a sign I wasn't meant to be a closer here. Over the years, I've done a good job of filling in as closer, and I believe in myself in that role and think I can get the job done at any given time when they give me the ball in the ninth inning. But the surge of [Chris] Sale this past year, what he did, and how good Sergio was for most of the year, this is the way it worked out.
"It's one of those things where things weren't going good for us and I was part of that in the back end of the bullpen," Thornton said. "They had to make changes at the time. Just the lack of performance was the most frustrating part for me, my inability to have success that I expect myself to have, prepare and dedicate myself to have all offseason long. It's very frustrating when you let the team down."
If Thornton is traded, with Chris Sale moving to the starting rotation, the only lefty in the bullpen will be Will Ohman.
UPDATE: Buster Olney in his video blog (1:52) says the Sox are trying to move Carlos Quentin, Gavin Floyd, John Danks, and Matt Thornton.
Other White Sox links:


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