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Strong rumours are circulating regarding plans for a European manned spaceflight capability. A firm announcement is expected later this month, which would outline a scheme based on modifications to the existing "Jules Verne" automated cargo module used to supply the International Space Station.
Spam in a can capability coming soon?
The BBC reports that German journalists heard of the plans on Tuesday from executives of the German space agency and continental aero-defence colossus EADS. EADS Astrium Space Transportation GmbH is headquartered in Bremen, where the advance briefing was given.
It appears that Astrium engineers are completing details of a plan to upgrade the Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) with the various extras it would need to carry humans into space and back again. This wouldn't be as big a deal as it might sound; the ATV is already habitable so that space station astronauts can enter it after docking and retrieve the cargo. As the Beeb notes:
It also has a pressurised section that is "human rated" in the sense that, once docked to the 340km-high station, astronauts can move around inside it safely in just T-shirts.
(NB: The space station is big, but not that big. And we suspect that the crew normally wear pants.)
However, there would need to be proper crew facilities for an independent manned trip, plus heatshield and landing systems for re-entry. The current ATV design is one-way only, intended to be thrown away after each mission.
But it seems that the Astrium boffins in Germany reckon they could fit this sort of gear to an ATV easily enough. Such a ship, shot into space aboard an Ariane lifter, would offer Europe (or anyway the European Space Agency, which isn't quite the same thing*) its own manned spaceflight capability. It wouldn't be a snazzy spaceplane like the long-since cancelled ESA Hermes; but even NASA has given up on such ideas. For now, humanity has largely abandoned reusable ships in favour of simple "spam in a can"** missions where personnel zoom into orbit scattering discarded boosters and drop back down to land by parachute.
The ESA is currently recruiting a new generation of astronauts, as it happens, but under current plans these individuals would only fly into space aboard US or Russian ships.
According to the Beeb report, full details of the manned ATV plans can be expected at the Berlin Air Show later this month. ®
*The ESA doesn't report to the European Union government in Brussels, having its own governing council and a different list of member states - though it does cooperate closely with the EU. Also, ESA has some transatlantic aspects, most notably via Canadian participation.
**Legendary US test pilot Chuck Yeager of sound-barrier fame is said to have stigmatised early US astronauts with this phrase. He was referring to their perceived lack of any useful control over their ships, in his view demoting them from the status of pilots to mere payload. That said, though the Shuttle does carry a pilot, he or she is generally thought to be heavily dependent on computer assistance.
Sponsored: Webcast: Ransomware has gone nuclear

subset: commoncrawl


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Ivanhoe Broadcast News Transcript: Q & A with Barry Hurwitz, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology and Biomedical Engineering, University of Miami, Miami, Florida. In this full-length doctor's interview, Barry Hurwitz, Ph.D., explains how a drug typically used in cancer patients may help people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
TOPIC: Overcoming Chronic Fatigue
Do we know what causes Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)?
Dr. Hurwitz: No. The cause is unknown. There are many important clues, and we're learning more and more as a consequence of this study and other studies around the country. But we don't know yet what the cause is.
There is a stigma that some doctors dismiss Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Is it challenging to diagnose?
Dr. Hurwitz: Yes. It's very difficult to diagnose it. You diagnose it by elimination of other potential ailments, and as a consequence, many individuals are misdiagnosed or undiagnosed. Today, about 1.3 million people in the United States have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It's more prevalent than multiple sclerosis, for example.
It's four-times more prevalent than multiple sclerosis and eight-times more prevalent than lupus. But 85 percent to 90 percent of the people who have chronic fatigue are undiagnosed. They're living with a disease. They don't realize they have this, what the reasons for this persistent and severe fatigue and relapsing. Sometimes they feel better, and sometimes they don't. They just don't understand what's going on, and they're pulling up their socks trying to make do, but they really have a problem. There's a physical basis for this problem. Unfortunately, in today's medical environment, physicians don't have a treatment for it, so there's not much that can be offered at this time, which is the reason for this study.
How do you come up with the number of 85 percent to 90 percent of the people go undiagnosed?
Dr. Hurwitz: There was a study done by Dr. Jason in Chicago, and what they did was telephone individuals and screen them over the phone. They interviewed them to see whether or not they might be individuals who have chronic fatigue syndrome, brought them in, and then diagnose them properly, and on the basis of that discovered that only 10 percent of the people that they randomly called were diagnosed, 10 percent of the people who had chronic fatigue were diagnosed with chronic fatigue, and the remaining 90 percent who they subsequently diagnosed with chronic fatigue were undiagnosed previously.
Does this misunderstanding about the diagnosis of CFS affect your study at all?
Dr. Hurwitz: Well, it makes it difficult for us to get the word out. It's difficult to identify individuals who have chronic fatigue because people just don't realize they have it. There aren't very many clinics available. We have an excellent clinic here. There's one run by co-principal investigator Dr. Nancy Klimas and she is probably one of the most internationally renowned individuals in this field.
Are you saying there are not a lot of clinics out there that diagnose Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?
Dr. Hurwitz: Right. There are very few clinics around the United States who diagnose this problem. There are some in the major metropolitan areas, but awareness of the disease and disorder is occurring and increasing and national agencies are beginning to increase funding for research in this area and important clues are being brought forward as a consequence of this research.
Why do you think some doctors are so critical of CFS?
Dr. Hurwitz: Well, the symptomology is very similar to flu and flu-like conditions and similar to other conditions, some of which have a psychological origin. For example, depression has similar types of symptoms such as fatigue and muscle pain and the relapsing nature of it. Chronic fatigue is often misdiagnosed as a psychological condition, and the consequence is that the medical field has, in general, a very poor history with respect to this disease. Many people with this have been diagnosed as having a psychological problem when, in actuality, there is more to it than that, and there's clearly a physical basis for this disease.
Give me an overview of your study in laymen's terms.
Dr. Hurwitz: We discovered that people who have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome have decreased volume of red blood cells. As a consequence, we are attempting to examine whether the drug Procrit will increase the number of red blood cells that these individuals have and improve their fatigue symptoms. So, we are enrolling about 150 men and women who have chronic fatigue, who have been diagnosed with this persistent fatigue that is severe and relapsing and is greater than six months of duration. Then, when they're enrolled in the study, they're assigned to the treatment conditions in which they receive the Procrit drug or they're assigned to the control condition where they receive a substance that is not the drug but is called the placebo.
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Explain how you think Procrit should work.
Dr. Hurwitz: Procrit is a drug that was created to emulate a normal hormone that is released from the kidney. This hormone acts on the bone marrow and affects the bone marrow to produce red blood cells. People who have chemotherapy due to their cancer or individuals who are on hemodialysis, because of their kidney failure, have tendencies to have decreased volumes of red blood cells. So this drug was created to treat these individuals.
Now, what we've found is that individuals who have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome typically have an inability to sustain an upright posture.
They feel faint under physical challenge or even mental challenge, and of course, their fatigue, as a consequence of this energetic expenditure, lasts for days and days. But, oftentimes they find that they become faint during these activities, and it was thought that perhaps there was a blood regulation problem — an inability to provide enough blood flow to the brain.
So in investigating this, we looked at their red blood cell volume and discovered that about 80 percent of the women who have chronic fatigue syndrome and about 60 percent of the men have decreased volume of red blood cells. And, so consequently, we thought this drug, Procrit, would help these individuals. Because the red blood cell transports oxygen and glucose to the cells, it's vitally important in providing the nutrients.
Without it, we feel fatigued, and so consequently, and very simply, we felt that if we treated this condition, perhaps we could decrease the fatigue and remedy the problem, at least in part.
Is Procrit working? What have you found?
Dr. Hurwitz: It's too early to tell right now. We're still in the middle of the study. Some people have shown remarkable improvement and have gone back to work, and in others it's been less effective. But in all cases, we've been able to increase their red blood cell volume so the drug is effective. What it's enabling us to do by understanding whom it works for and whom it doesn't work for, we're able to understand more about the underlying causes of the disease.
We're not only doing this treatment, but we're giving a comprehensive cardiovascular workup so we can assess the functioning of the heart in relation to its ability to perform under different circumstances, as well as looking at whether the immune system is involved, because for many people, the immune system appears to be abnormal. It appears to be activated and as if the individuals were fighting some infection, but no infection has been found to be the cause of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
So, it turns out there is an immune system hormone or substance that's released that actually causes the red blood cell volume to be depressed. That is, it stops the bone marrow from producing red blood cells. So, we're looking at this link.
Is the misdiagnosis of CFS and getting Procrit going to create a problem with insurance companies?
Dr. Hurwitz: I don't know if it's going to create a problem. If, indeed, these results show that there is a deficit in red blood cell volume in chronic fatigue syndrome, then I think the insurance companies will have to provide support for this type of treatment for these individuals. At this point, there is no accepted treatment and so consequently, it is very difficult for people with chronic fatigue syndrome to get support from their insurance companies.
Are there any negative side effects from Procrit?
Dr. Hurwitz: No. There have been no adverse events related to the Procrit administration, and this is a drug that has to be very carefully administered and monitored by the physician.
This information is intended for additional research purposes only. It is not to be used as a prescription or advice from Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc., or any medical professional interviewed. Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc., assumes no responsibility for the depth or accuracy of physician statements. Procedures or medicines apply to different people and medical factors; always consult your physician on medical matters.
If you would like more information, please contact: Alex Gonzalez University of Miami Behavioral Medicine Research Center 1201 NW 16th Street Miami, FL 33125; (305) 575-7154.
Source: Ivanhoe Broadcast News (http://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_channelstory.cfm?storyid=6924)
© 2003 Ivanhoe Broadcast News.


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Louie V (Lloyd Banks's Lil Brother) & Boogz Boogetz Live In Studio Acapella Freestyle
Louie V. LLoyd Banks lil Brother and Boogs Boogetz Live in the Studio With Freestyle Courtesy Blue Collar
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|Cisco CCNA Security Exams Objectives
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We have devised a number of Cisco practice questions and Cisco practice exam, which will help you in attempting the actual Cisco exam questions. Cisco practice test is the key tool to passing your Cisco exam. Cisco practice Tests have various exam-like sample questions, which give you an idea of the type of questions you should expect in the Cisco exam .To give you a comprehensive knowledge of the course work, we have also introduced a Cisco study guide. It includes all the information you need to know before your Cisco exam. All our Cisco study material is available online for purchase to aid the students Preparing Cisco Exams.
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Year of publication
- 2000 (1) (remove)
An ORDBMS-based Reuse Repository Supporting the Quality Improvement Paradigm -Exemplified by the SDL-Pattern Approach- (2000)
Comprehensive reuse and systematic evolution of reuse artifacts as proposed by the Quality Improvement Paradigm (QIP) do not only require tool support for mere storage and retrieval. Rather, an integrated management of (potentially reusable) experience data as well as project-related data is needed. This paper presents an approach exploiting object-relational database technology to implement QIP-driven reuse repositories. Requirements, concepts, and implementational aspects are discussed and illustrated through a running example, namely the reuse and continuous improvement of SDL patterns for developing distributed systems. Our system is designed to support all phases of a reuse process and the accompanying improvement cycle by providing adequate functionality. Its implementation is based on object-relational database technology along with an infrastructure well suited for these purposes.


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I'm staying here!
Sleeping cabin, spa, gourmet restaurant: Munich Airport aims to make passengers feel at home. Our reporter spent 25 hours there to celebrate the airport's 25th anniversary.
12:00 LH 2065 from Hamburg rolls to a halt and the first passengers leap to their feet. Oh, you impatient ones! Edging into the aisle, grabbing your carry-ons, raring to get home or onto your next plane. Well, I'm not joining you today, I'm exactly where I want to be: Munich Airport, Europe's best airport, and T2, the world's best terminal – that's not just me talking, it's what 14 million passengers say. I'm here to see what happens when the airport is no longer just a stop along the way. I sit at the gate: high noon. A Munich monsoon douses the panoramic window. The airport is to be my home.
13:45 Mirror check in the men's room. I comb, gel, add a little extra scent. Seeing and being seen is the name of the game here too, and checking everybody out. Look at him and, oh hell, look at me! A surfer dude rinsing his dreadlocks lends me toothpaste. We could become friends, but won't. A suited Asian shakes his head as I apply a pomegranate face mask. I tell him that I want to look good because I'm going on my first date.
15:10 Anneliese Herrmann – red hair, red dress – is immediately voluble, an anecdote machine, but kind. Herrmann heads the Lufthansa check-in operations at MUC and knows every crisis, situation and problem. She helps drunken sailors board their flight, arranges connecting flights for late arrivals and a room in a hotel if someone is stranded overnight. She weaves chaos into order, has 5000 numbers in her cell phone, and a smile for everyone. "The airport has grown, but it's still a manageable size," she says. She managed away the chaos when Eyjafjallajökull spewed ash across Europe in 2010, too. But now she's off again to the next gate, doing her routine rounds on foot and wearing heels: "If you're going to do it, then do it in style," is her parting shot to me. The fact that people love Munich Airport is also down to people like her.
17:25 The announcements become the soundtrack to my time. They aren't addressed to me, so I can enjoy them, relax into them. Their didactic tone opens a door inside me I never knew existed. This is the last and final boarding call. We ask all remaining passengers. Please proceed immediately. I lean into the voice as though it were a friend.
18:30 The shuttle takes me to the satellite, which still smells new and also of food. Erik Adlmüller, a former chef at the Adlon and the Kempinski Hotel Bristol Berlin, is head of catering.Are guests more difficult here because they're traveling and under pressure? Quite the opposite, Adlmüller tells me. People are less critical because the food at many airports is so – sorry – poor. It's different in Munich. "We work to a very high culinary standard," says the head of the kitchens in the satellite and in the public area of Terminal 2. He visits them all regularly and peeps under the lids. You have to offer people a few traditional dishes like roast pork no matter where you are, he says. He moves on and I start feeling hungry, so I beckon to the waiter at Schuhbecks restaurant: Roast pork, please.
20:10 I divide up my boredom portions. When and where is that still possible? We generally always feel we have to be experiencing something, working or simply functioning. At the airport, there is nothing to confront but ourselves, so everything is an agreeable variation on boredom, a rare commodity and therefore precious. At MUC, the luxury of time stands out in relief against the commotion of millions of flights. Having grasped this, I stroll toward the bar.
21:25 Bavarian is the dialect of hail-fellow-well-met joviality and everyone goes to Lenbachs. Gentlemen in trench coats, rhinestoned ladies, sneakered students, lowbrow jetsetters, elegant families, stressed-out seniors and stock-market traders toasting each other because the Dax index has risen. One trader tells me about the megadeal he's just sealed; I riposte with my overdraft, and we raise our gin-and-tonics. Finding this kind of common ground – even if it is simply travel – is all part of the airport sociotope.
23:55 The last guests trickle out of Terminal 2 and I'm the only person riding the moving walkway in the opposite direction, past shoe shiner, Vitra Lounge and Smoking Lounge, and on to Gate G, Level 4. Et voilà, the NapCab, my bed for the night. The airport is a test area for sleeping cabins. The door hums open to reveal a pallet, bedclothes and a desk – a four-square-meter hermitage. I switch the screen to Ambient Light, select Schubert's "Unfinished," and the Allegro tripples from the speakers. If this is the future, then the future is good.
04:12 I awaken. Nature calls. On the video surveillance screen, a man in salmon boxer shorts pads through the deserted terminal and into the baby-changing rooms before locating the urinals. Back in front of his NapCab, I watch him try to remember his key code. Fatigue turns to panic, then despair. Just as he just resigns himself to the ultimate embarrassment of greeting the day's first suit wearers in a state of semi-nakedness, the code pops back into his head.
09:20 I say hello to the cleaner, the same guy as yesterday. We know each other now, I am part of the scenery, like Tom Hanks in the movie Terminal. I shower in T1 and use my turtleneck to dry myself before noticing that the airport provides towels. Blithe and fresh, I meet customs officer Thomas Meister at the security checkpoint. He won't give me any tips about how to smuggle stuff on board, but does tell me about some of the things he's seized: turtles from Greece bound up in parcel tape; a dozen golden bracelets inside a plaster cast; monitor lizards from Oman; elephant dung from South Africa, although that was actually permitted. Customs brings 1500 criminal prosecutions every year. Some people know no better, but most of them do. Meister, grim now, says that all this dishonesty just spurs the customs officials on. And then the eternal question: Couldn't he just turn a blind eye? No, he cannot. "And you," he laughs, pointing his finger at me, "You are someone I would have scrutinized very closely."
12:30 Cheers! A pilsner at the Airbräu, Europe's only airport brewery. Master brewer René Jacobsen tells me it's hell here in the summer and that passengers have been known to miss their flight because they wouldn't leave the Airbräu. That's not going to happen to me! But then it almost does. I had 25 hours to get to the gate, and then I end up rushing… I blame the guest book in the Christophorus Chapel in Terminal 1. Entries like: Lord, let us safely reach our destination; Lord, please make my vacation free of care. Lord, thank you for my family and my life. I feel touched by the words, and their simplicity, that people have written beneath the cross just before boarding their flight. Then suddenly I hear my favorite voice, and this time it addresses me: Passenger Moritz Herrmann. This is the last and final boarding call. Please proceed immediately …
Getting there from Germany
Lufthansa serves Munich Airport (MUC) from 136 cities around the world, making it Germany's second most-important aviation hub.


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Scribblenauts is the new puzzle game developed by 5th Cell and published by Warner Bros. for the Nintendo DS that allows the user to use the freedom of their imagination to solve over two hundred puzzles. While Scribblenauts seems almost impossible to make, somehow 5th Cell has managed to put almost every object the user can think of into this game. This is the type of game that almost any person could get a kick out of. All the user has to do is write a word in a box, and that object appears on the screen. They are then allowed a certain number of objects to solve various puzzles any way they want to. It is that simple. The only problem is that it seems only a true gamer can really get the hang of Scribblenauts.
As an avid user of the Nintendo DS, I was truly excited when Scribblenauts out. A gamer hears of a game that can summon almost any object into the game play and they don't have to hear much more; it is an instant selling point. Who doesn't want to be able to write anything into a box and then have it appear on screen? That factor alone will shock and awe anyone who sees the game. When I started playing Scribblenauts I had already been thinking of the various objects I wanted to see. After blazing past the tutorial I immediately started summoning all the objects I had hoped to see in the game, and most were there. The ones that weren't are understandable because hey, it is a game for kids too!
The user gets to play as the main character which is named Max, and apparently Max is quite the hero. Max goes town to town helping people if they are in trouble and gets rewarded for it The user has access to a map where they can choose to go to a town and in that town there will be an assortment of different puzzles that they can solve. The user is always given a hint at the beginning of each puzzle that can be helpful or just plain baffling. Either way it is up to the user to solve the puzzle in anyway they can. The user successfully completes the puzzle when they grab the "Starite" that pops out when the puzzle is solved. Each Starite is worth a certain amount of "Ollars" which can be used to gain access to more towns. Sounds simple enough, but some of these puzzles might take the user a good amount of tries before they can complete them; whether or not it is because the puzzle is hard is a different story.
The look of Scribblenauts is great for what it is. It is not trying to have the best graphics, but most of the objects are clear enough to tell what they are. The monsters in the game are great as well as the animals, mythical creatures, people, vehicles, devices, food; basically everything. It is a simple 2d look that doesn't need to be better than it already is.
The puzzles in Scribblenauts are truly inventive. There are over 200 puzzles and they never seem repetitive. The user will find themselves using some of the same objects over again, but it never feels tedious. Whenever I had to defeat an enemy I would use "God". Whenever I would need to blow something up I would use "dynamite". But the user gets points for every new item that they use so there is incentive to be creative.
The one problem that I found with Scribblenauts, and it was a big problem, were the controls. Even though I had completed almost 100 puzzles I still could not get a hold of the controls. There were many times where I failed at the puzzle because I accidentally lead Max into a pit of lava or made him run into something that knocked over a bomb destroying the Starite. I never felt like I was in full control of the game. This was very frustrating and it would have been much easier to user the +Control Pad to use Max rather than tapping on the Touch Screen. But maybe this was the intention of 5th Cell because it definitely extends the length of game play when learning the controls is a puzzle in itself.
Scribblenauts has major lasting appeal because to totally complete a puzzle the user must solve it three different ways and not reuse any of the same objects. Also there is free roam mode where the user can mess around and summon any object just to see how much there really is in the game. The user can also create their own puzzles which I found fairly easy to do. There is a lot to do in Scribblenauts and it should give an infinite amount of fun to the people that really enjoy this game.
Overall I must say that this title is a must have for all Nintendo DS owners. Like I said this is a game that almost anyone can enjoy. This could be the next Brain Age type game for the Nintendo DS in the sense that everyone who has the system will own it. I would consider this a perfect game if it weren't for the controls. People with big imaginations will fall in love with Scribblenauts when they realize that they can put almost anything they want on screen. So if you own a Nintendo DS there is no reason to wait to buy this game. This is probably the most amount of fun a gamer can get for thirty dollars. Just don't break the system when the controls start to frustrate you.
Publisher: Warner Bros.
Rating: E for Everyone


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Home > Accessories > Purses > Bowling Pin 3D Nail & Craft Decoration - 5 pcs
Introducing 3D design Bowling Pin Alloy accessory for Nails decoration. It make your nails look elegant and special displaying your Bowling spirit.
Black, white and gold lining bowling pin.
Size: 15mm tall and 7mm wide
Also can be used to decorate your Cell Phone Case, Invitation cards, Birthday Cards, tablet cases, lamps, wallets, etc.
Great for Both Professional Nail Specialist or Nail Art Learner.
Compatible with both natural and artificial nails and easy to apply.
Can be used with nail polish, UV gel or acrylic nail, etc.
Clean the surface of your nails, brush and base polish before placing them on the nails.


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A Camp Lejeune Marine, accused of killing another Marine over the weekend in Jacksonville, faced a judge for the first time on the murder charge this afternoon.
The Marine Corps says both were members of 1st Battalion, 8th Marines and that the two served together in Afghanistan earlier this year.
Jacksonville police discovered 21-year-old Lance Corporal Randall Buford around 9:45 p.m. Friday at Liberty Crossing Apartments. Police said it appeared the Marine was shot in the head.
Police charged Lance Corporal Marcus Hunt of Carmen Avenue with an open count of murder.
At a hearing this afternoon, Judge Paul Hardison denied bond for the 19-year-old Hunt and gave him a court-appointed attorney.
Buford was from Pisgah Forest in Transylvania County and was a rifleman in the Marine Corps.
While some residents say they will now move because of the murder, the owners of the apartment complex say it's a safe neighborhood. "Suffice to say that while violence is a rare occurrence at Liberty Crossing, we place the safety and well-being of our residents and guests as our highest priority," said Bell Partners in a statement.
When asked, Jacksonville police could not provide us with crime statistics for that area today.
Previous Story
The Marine Corps has issued information on the victim murder, police say, by a fellow Marine.
An official with the 2nd Marine Division Public Affairs says that 21-year-old Lance Corporal Randall Buford was from Pisgah Forest in Transylvania County. We're told Buford was a rifleman assigned to 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. Officials say he joined the Marine Corps on Dec. 13, 2010 and was promoted to his current rank in September 2011. Buford was deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom from January to June 2012.
In the email to WITN, public affairs issued this statement:
"Our deepest condolences go out to the victim's family during their time of loss. This matter is currently under investigation and we will continue to work with local law enforcement as needed. Ensuring our Marines' safety and well being continues to be one of our top priorities because the loss of even one Marine is one too many."
Jacksonville police are investigating the murder they say happened at the hands of 19-year-old Lance Corporal Marcus Hunt, who is in the same battalion and regiment as Buford. Buford was found dead Friday night at Liberty Crossing Apartments in Jacksonville, with an apparent gunshot wound to the head.
Hunt has been charged by police with an open count of murder.
Previous Story:
Jacksonville Police are investigating the murder of a Camp Lejeune Marine.
Police say that it happened Friday around 9:45 p.m. Officers had been dispatched to the Liberty Crossing Apartments in reference to an unknown disturbance. We're told while on their way, it was reported that shots were fired at that disturbance. Police say when they arrived they found 21-year-old Randall Buford dead with an apparent gunshot wound to the head.
An investigation by detectives and agents of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service led to the arrest of 19-year-old Lance Corporal Marcus Hunt of Carmen Avenue. Officials say he was arrested and charged with an open count of murder. No bond was issued.
Police say they will continue to investigate.


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Join our live RV chat - click HERE
btw, I checked the Caltrans map for 45 ft Bus/Motorhome and RT 120 is OK for rigs over 40 ft.ken & sheila
Ken: I was specifically referring to westbound CA SR 120 off of US 395. The route known as Tioga Pass. I did not think rigs over 40ft were advised? I personally would still not recommend that route. JM2C. So glad you are coming.Steve
Any good suggestions for interesting places to stop on the way from Salt Lake City? Been to St. George, Death Valley, and Joshua Tree. Not interested in Vegas. We could take the week either before or after the forum.
Gonna pencil this in on our trip calendar for next year which is still in the planning stage. We're going to Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Nevada and Arizona but haven't picked a departure date nor a route yet.This sounds like a fun get together even though I've been to Yosemite about 30 times.
Chrystal and I were so looking forward to trying to fit this into our travel plans for 2017 but it looks like we won't be able to make it.We will be neck deep into building our new shop and probably won't even be able to get the coach out and enjoy it until the latter half of the year.We will be following along and hope to see a lot of pictures though so don't be stingy with them. Yosemite NP is definitely on our list of places to visit and this would have been perfect to see it with a group of friends.Mike.
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In a recent feature on the Steelers' website, Steve McLendon, who's slated to replace Casey Hampton in the middle of the defensive line, detailed some of the workout routines he's utilized from other sports in an attempt to make himself a better football player.
Among the particularly interesting sports mentioned were ballet and karate. But here's the really fascinating drill McLendon has tried with a personal trainer in Atlanta: watching pitches at a batting cage and focusing on picking up the ball.
Here's what McLendon said of his baseball work to Steelers.com:
"I think baseball is the scariest sport ever. I have a lot of respect for those guys. I take my hat off to them. I got in the batting cage, well close to it, and was watching the ball coming. I thought how do these guys even see this ball?
"That is how I learned the eye coordination, though. By the time the ball is released, they know when the ball is going to get there. If I can learn to watch the ball it will slow the game down for me. You can see when the pitcher is going to grip the ball and his throw and windup.
"It's the same with a center. You see him grip the ball, his windup is the snap. If I can catch his hand and am able to attack him, it will make me that much quicker and better applying pressure to the quarterback, running back and the offensive line."
The 27-year-old McLendon has appeared in 36 regular-season games for Pittsburgh, primarily as a backup to Hampton, whom the Steelers have not re-signed. This leaves McLendon as the likely starter at nose tackle, a position Hampton played so well over the years.
The time in the batting cages could well help McLendon. And watching Hampton for the last several years probably hasn't hurt, either.


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One major reason we love science fiction is for its ability to surprise us — and a great twist ending makes the whole preceding story feel better. But when a final twist feels random or silly, then there's nothing worse. What's your least favorite twist ending from science fiction or fantasy?
Please include a picture or clip. Thanks!
Top image: The U.S. version of Life on Mars.


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2XU Women's V:3 Velocity Wetsuit
- WW2355c
On Sale
Incorporating 2XU's new Intermediate Zone Stretch Panels for increased flexibility, the super slick V:3 takes the highly acclaimed V:2 to even greater heights.
Propriety 2XU features include Velocity Strakes for improved hydrodynamics and increased forward motion, Concave Water Entrapment Zones on the forearm and Propulsion Panels on the lower legs for greater power out of the kick. 2XU's outstanding Rollbar, Floating Zip Panel and Transition Panels are also included.
- Intermediate Zone Stretch Panels - Fluid Movement
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- Transition Panel - Seam Overlap Technology
- Floating Zip Panel - Extra Distance Per Stroke
- 520% Stretch Lining - Enhanced lateral Flexibility
- Rollbar - Improved Core Buoyancy and Body Position
- 2 Year Warranty


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"The choreography of "La Bayadère" is considered to be the first expression of grand scale symphonism in dance, predating by seventeen years Ivanov's masterly designs for the definitive Swan Lake (...). Ballets passed down the generations like legends, acquire patina of ritualism, but "La Bayadère" is a ritual, a poem about dancing and memory and time. Each dance seems to add something new to the previous one, like a language being learned. The ballet grows heavy with this knowledge, which at the beginning had been only a primordial utterance, and in the coda it fairly bursts with articulate splendor."
Arlene Croce, The New Yorker
Petipa constructed his ballet "La Bayadère" on a strong Romantic base using his own type of classical aesthetic. There are several typical Romantic features in this ballet – India is an exotic country, a very suitable space of action for all romantics, taking part in the performance are the ethereal beings, the whole theme of the ballet is typically romantic – selfless, overwhelming bayadère Nikiya's love, love as the highest meaning and expression of life. The essence of "La Bayadère's" plot is classical Indian literature, namely Kalidasa's drama Sakuntala and Goethe's poem The God and the Bayadere. These poetic works served as basics for more than one creation – before M. Petipa, such dramaturges as Augustin Eugène Scribe, Theofil Gautier, choreographers Charles Didelot, Filippo Taglioni and others, based their works on this special story.
Libretto for "La Bayadère" was written by Petipa himself and Sergej Chudekov, in this ballet there are certain typically melodramatic twists of the plot merged with the dramatic qualities of a romantic ballet. The music, written by Ludwig Aloisius Minkus, thanks to its rhythmical versatility and emotionality created a perfect background for a vivid, fiery work of theatrical art. However, the original artistic quality of La Bayadère (which was in no way lowered by later Petipa's ballets, based on P. Tchaikovsky's or A. Glazunov's music) was based in the high-class choreography and poetic generalizations which it displayed. La Bayadère can be described as a certain encyclopaedia of symphonized forms of the classical dance.
In Lithuania "La Bayadère" has not been staged. In 2006, as a prelude to this premiere, LNOBT presented "Shadows" as a separate production (stage choreographer Ninella Kurgapkina, designer Viaceslav Okunev, conductor Robertas Šervenikas).
Premiere: 31 December, 2007


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Monokrom joins Typekit
Welcome to the blog archives! This blog post is a little out of date now, and fonts from Monokrom are no longer available in the Typekit library. Please contact this foundry directly for information on licensing their fonts.
The original post is available below.
Please join us in welcoming Monokrom to Typekit. Just two weeks ago, this new Norwegian foundry by Frode Helland and Sindre Bremnes opened its doors with a small catalog of thoughtfully crafted type — "high quality, original designs with a Nordic touch." For starters, Faunus, Telefon, and Vinter are available in the Typekit library. These are for use at larger-than-body-text sizes, but are not all display faces.
Each of these Monokrom typefaces is rich in character: Vinter evokes the sweeping chill of Norwegian wintertime; Telefon, the warmth and romance of a bygone visual language; and Faunus, the lively blend of pen, ink, sunlight, and earthy, wooded landscape. The Monokrom site has a page about each design.
Upgrade to a Portfolio plan or higher to use Monokrom fonts. If you've never given Typekit a try, sign up (it's free!) and upgrade to a paid plan whenever you're ready.


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DS Stella
Reference: C031.210.22.031.00
Diameter: 31.60 mm
Adorning feminine wrists all over the world, the DS Stella cuts a fine figure as an elegant jewellery watch. Sparkling diamonds and brilliantly polished surfaces reflect the light and give these watches with a big date a highly decorative character.
DKK 3950.- Recommended retail price (incl. VAT)
Case: DS Concept Stainless steel 316L
Bezel: Stainless steel 316L PVD coating
Glass: Sapphire crystal Antireflection treatment on both sides
Dial: Silver Index
Movement: Swiss Made Quartz PrecidriveTM End Of Life
Water resistance: Up to a pressure of 10 bar (100m)
Bracelet: Stainless steel 316L PVD coating
Buckle: Stainless steel 316L Butterfly clasp with 2 push-buttons
Big date
The big date, also called panorama date, is a particularly popular display showing the date in an enlarged date window by means of two discs placed either next to each other or overlapping. This elaborate display allows the date to be read quickly and easily.
Dial with sun motif
The delicately lined pattern on this watch resembles the rising sun: elegant rays emanating from the centre of the dial give it a sophisticated finish and different effects are created as the light catches it from various angles.


text: Today's post comes from Kevin Coyle, Vice President, Education & Training at National Wildlife Federation (NWF). This year, NWF's Wildlife Week, March 18-24, celebrates trees and their importance to wildlife and people! March 18 to 24 is National Wildlife Week. And, this year, we are focusing on the importance of trees to wildlife and water. Our 2013 theme is "branching out for wildlife" and anyone interested in learning about trees, tree planting or wildlife should visit us online. We are often asked why trees are so important for wildlife and water. There are at least five compelling reasons: Trees consume water and can regulate stream flows Urban areas experience increasing amounts of paving and land development that convert large areas of spongy natural land to hard surfaces that cannot absorb water. When rain hits paved-over or built-over areas, it runs off directly into storm drains and eventually into area streams and rivers. A hard, fast rain, with no vegetation or natural land to slow it down can hit these water bodies with such speed and force that it will result in flooding and severe erosion problems. Downstream areas such as bays and estuaries can get deadly slugs of sediment and chemical pollution from these run-off surges. Anyone who has stood under a tree at the beginning of a rain shower (not advisable in lighting storms) knows that tree canopy absorbs falling rain. In urban areas this can reduce water run-off by as much as 10 percent and that can make a huge difference in the speed and erosive force of the rain shower. That is one reason trees are increasingly becoming a standard design feature for automobile parking lots which, left uncovered, are huge run-off generators. These same parking lots also heat up on hot summer days and contribute to spikes in temperatures know as "heat islands." Tree canopy is an effective coolant in these areas and that is likewise good for local wildlife and water. Trees also need water to grow and can help consume excess water in urban areas. Urban planners and designers are paying more and attention to filling remaining "plantable" spaces in cities and suburbs with trees. The recent trend of planting areas called "rain gardens" in parking lots and other developed areas that are specifically designed to capture rain water and help it percolate into the ground. This absorption is facilitated by tree planting. Trees remove pollutants from the air and water The science is also clear that trees and wooded areas help to filter pollutants out of the environment and can keep air and water cleaner. They cut down on sediment running into streams, rivers and bays and they also absorb chemical pesticides, and heavy metals, such as cadmium, that can be devastating to water quality, fisheries and wildlife. Trees can serve as anchors to stream-side habitat areas The term "riparian area" may not be front of mind for most people but such an area is the (usually narrow) zone of stream-side vegetation that follows the stream and occupies the space between the water and dry land. Because of differences in soils and the amount of moisture they hold, these transitional zone have many unique characteristics. In some farming and dry land regions riparian areas are the only places where trees are found. The trees there are playing an important role by stabilizing soils, cooling the water, dropping food and nutrients into the stream and providing moist environments for a wealth of native plants in the under-story These vegetative zones help to keep streams cleaner and they literally absorb and slow down food waters. In many parts of the nation, such as in the West, wooded riparian areas support as many as 70 percent of local species. They are vitally important to birds, insects, mammals, amphibians and many other creatures and when they are cleared for farming, development or just improved views of the stream, wildlife diversity drops sharply. Likewise, tree planting becomes an important first to restore degraded riparian zones. Trees provide resting places during migration Resident wildlife species certainly need trees but they are also important for our migrating visitors. Birds and insect species traveling over great distances need wooded areas to rest and refuel on their long journeys. Central Park in New York City is famous for being an area that attracts an unbelievable diversity of bird species despite being surrounded by skyscrapers and America's most dense urban environment. One study in the United Kingdom found that even a small area of an acre can be vitally important to migrating species in need of a little rest. Trees, living and dead, are great for food and habitat There are several fallen trees right outside the windows of the National Wildlife Federation HQ in Reston, Virginia. In February of this year, a staff meeting was put on pause so we could observe a beautiful pair of pileated woodpeckers driving holes into the logs and feeding on the insects inside. Live trees offer creatures important habitat for sure but dead trees are important too because they provide food, holes and cavities for nests and shelter. In the eastern forests, for example, a combination of shelter and food from living trees such as an abundant acorn crop combined with rotting trees and snags on the forest floor can provide an unbeatable safety net of support to wildlife species throughout the food web. National Wildlife Federation is honored to be affiliated with National Aquarium. Our reasons for joining forces include the protection of the Chesapeake Bay and other coastal areas. Forested areas, large and small, are vital to that goal! Join us this year in celebrating National Wildlife Week and supporting nation-wide tree planting programs! Tags: estuaries, national-aquarium-2, national-wildlife-federation, national-wildlife-week, tree-planting, trees, urban-planting Categories: Animals, Behind-The-Scenes, Conservation, News Previous Post Next Post


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Mini Mac and 'Shrooms
1/27/2016, 11:29 a.m.
- Kosher salt
- 1 pound mezzi rigatoni
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- Freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound wild mushrooms, such as oyster or shiitake, stemmed and sliced
- 4 ounces cremini mushrooms,
- quartered
- 8 ounces taleggio or brie cheese, rind removed, cubed (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 5 ounces pecorino cheese, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1/4 cup cooking water.
- Meanwhile, melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon to make a paste. Cook, stirring, until the paste puffs slightly, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking. Reduce the heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, until the sauce is creamy, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons butter and the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the mushrooms and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Season with salt. Push to the side of the pan and repeat with the remaining mushrooms.
- Reduce the heat under the sauce to low and whisk in both cheeses until smooth. Stir in the mushrooms and pasta and toss, adding the reserved cooking water as needed.
- Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and toast until golden; stir in the parsley. Divide the pasta among 8 small bowls. Garnish with the breadcrumb mixture.


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Tidying Up the Front End of a 1946 Ford Roadster Pickup
You know how there are some jobs that you just never seemed to get around to? The front of my 1946 Ford roadster pickup is a perfect example. It's been on the road for a few years now, yet I never seem to find the time to fit the front bumper or fabricate a lower pan. Matters were made worse by the ugly radiator mounts that were supposed to be temporary over a decade ago, and are not only still there, but were in plain view under the grille.
So, rather than re-mount the radiator (it fits just fine, why fix what ain't broke?), I decided to do the next best thing—hide those mounts behind a neat lower pan and bumper. I took the opportunity to move the bumper a lot closer to the body, and fabricated mounting brackets from 1 3/4-inch steel strap, figuring that it was so low it'd be worthless as an actual bumper, so I wouldn't need sprung steel brackets.
Armed with a 5x1-foot piece of 18-gauge steel sheet, 12 inches of 1/8-inch C-channel, some 1/4-inch plate, and 3/16x2-inch strap, I set to work, and have to say I'm pleased with the result. Now why didn't I do this years ago?


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Chris Knight: The movie is less a courtroom drama than an examination of the plight of the world's underclass
Capernaum is a remarkably humanist, harrowing story
There's something gut-wrenchingly effective about a child-in-peril movie, whether it's played for laughs – think Home Alone – or with deadly seriousness, as in Denis Villeneuve's Prisoners. But if that nail-biting tension is too much, be warned: Capernaum will have you chewing your fingers off.
Let's start with Zain (Zain Al Rafeea), a 12-year-old growing up in the slums of Beirut. I say 12, but his age is a little uncertain; even his parents didn't keep close track, and the movie isn't clear about how many siblings he has, but it's a lot. He's closest to his little sister Sahar, until she's sold into marriage and taken away. She's 11.
Wait, did you think Zain was the child in peril here? I suppose he is, but his plight is nothing to that of Yonas, a toddler and the son of illegal immigrant Rahil (Yordanos Shiferaw). After Zain runs away from home, he is taken in by the Ethiopian woman, and winds up providing babysitting services in exchange for room and board.
When Rahil is caught up in a raid, Zain struggles to find enough money to feed himself and the baby, which is where the real peril sets in. There's a shot of the older kid pulling the younger in a makeshift pram made from a pilfered skateboard and a cooking pot, with vehicular traffic whizzing by inches away from them. It's terrifying.
Capernaum – the unfortunately obscure title means a confused jumble – is the latest from writer/director Nadine Labaki, whose 2011 film Where Do We Go Now? won the People's Choice award at the Toronto Film Festival. This one doesn't quite fit the definition of a crowd-pleaser, but it did win both the Jury Prize and the prize of the ecumenical jury at Cannes last May.
It's a remarkably humanist story, although the set-up is a bit of a bait-and-switch. Trailers suggest this is the tale of Zain suing his parents, and indeed an early scene in the film has him declaring the reason for his legal action: "Because I was born." It's basically a citizen's arrest for failing to provide the necessities of life.
But the movie is less a courtroom drama than an examination of the plight of the world's underclass. Labaki drew many of the story's elements from real life, including her pint-sized star; the real Zain is a Syrian refugee who had never acted before, and now lives in Norway. So presumably his anger and rough speech comes from a real place, but that doesn't make the performance any less amazing.
And while Zain shows remarkable street smarts, he is also clearly still a child, with a limited knowledge of how the larger world works. One scene finds him practicing a story about why his "brother" Yonas is several shades darker than he is; he'll say his mother drank coffee while she was pregnant, or that all her kids start out black and then get lighter over time.
Labaki works hard to keep us in Zain's world, often by putting her camera near the ground so we perceive things from his level. That only ups the trepidation quotient, and the knowledge that, while the real Zain managed to escape his condition, there are thousands more like him, plying the streets of Beirut and other cities, an inch away from disaster.


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View this press release online at: http://rwire.com/446929


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1) Script Title: FaceScroll Custom scrollbar
2) Script URL (on DD): http://www.dynamicdrive.com/dynamici...roll/index.htm
3) Describe problem: I now find I need to set the scroll position and haven't been successful. I tried to rework John's solution to get the position, but position().top=-100 didn't seem to work. What's the trick to do this?
Thanks to all you guys...


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It has been exactly 40 years since the United States relinquished its postwar control over Okinawa, but events held Tuesday to mark reversion of the island chain to Japanese control were clouded by questions regarding the future of the continuing US military presence there.
It was significant that the main ceremony, attended by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, US Ambassador to Tokyo John Roos, local leaders, and hundreds of Okinawan citizens, was held in Ginowan: The city of 95,000 people is also home to Futenma, a Marine Corps air base that has become the focal point of a seemingly intractable dispute over the US military footprint.
A heavy concentration of military bases is Okinawa's legacy of its ideal strategic location and almost three decades spent under US control after World War II. Futenma, by far the most controversial base, draws complaints about noise pollution, accidents, and crime.
Weeks before the reversion anniversary ceremony, the US and Japan appeared to have broken the deadlock over a two-part 2006 agreement. The deal would require Futenma's relocation to a less-populated part of the island and the transfer of about 8,000 troops and their dependents to the US Pacific territory of Guam by 2014.
After failing to win local support for Futenma's relocation, Tokyo and Washington finally delinked it from the troop transfer, announcing in late April that about 5,000 personnel would move to Guam, with another 4,000 or so spread around other bases in the region, including Hawaii and Australia. Futenma, however, will stay put for the time being.
The 1995 abduction and rape of a local 12-year-old girl by three US servicemen prompted the US and Japan to find ways of lessening the military presence on Okinawa, which makes up less than 1 percent of Japan's total area, yet hosts three-quarters of all US bases and just under half its 47,000 troops in the country.
Despite recent progress on the troop transfer, Japan's government has failed to persuade the people of Henoko, a town located along a largely unspoiled stretch of coastline, to agree to host Futenma's envisaged offshore replacement.
The government's job has been made harder by opposition among potential host communities elsewhere in Japan. Sympathy for the people of Okinawa – where 20 percent of the land is occupied by the US military – has not been matched by a willingness to share the burden.
But resolving the Futenma issue is less urgent now that agreement has been reached on reducing the troop headcount on Okinawa, according to Jun Okumura, a Japan analyst at the Eurasia Group political risk and consulting firm.
"Separating Futenma from the Guam transfer takes the pressure off both parties to do something about it now," he says. "They can put it on the back burner until, or if, the political climate is more conducive [to base relocation]."
Kurt Campbell, the US assistant secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said the deal should satisfy critics in Congress who had dismissed the original plan as unclear and costly.
"We think it breaks a very long stalemate that has plagued our politics, that has clogged both of our systems," he said last month.
What people (don't) want
Many Okinawans, though, do not share Mr. Campbell's optimism. In a new poll of the island's residents by the public broadcaster NHK, 71 percent say people from elsewhere in Japan do not understand their plight, up 10 percentage points from a decade ago.
"Nothing has changed since reversion to Japan, when there was a growing expectation that US bases in the prefecture would go away," a 79-year-old woman in Ginowan told Kyodo News. "The Japanese government should examine the situation throughout Okinawa and find out how things really are."
Jeff Kingston, director of Asian studies at Temple University in Tokyo, says it is highly unlikely that Futenma will be moved.
"The Japanese government has known that since the 2006 road map," he says. "If that's the case, the remaining marines will stay at Futenma, and that is an accident waiting to happen."
Alternatives suggested by Jim Webb and two other US senators have gone unheeded, including the option of moving Funtenma's marines to the nearby Kadena air base.
"The Pentagon has ignored them and ignored public opinion in Okinawa, which is why we have the impasse today," says Mr. Kingston.
Okinawa's burden
Mr. Noda said Thursday he was aware of Okinawa's heavy burden. "I pledge again to alleviate that strain at an early date in specific and tangible ways," he said, adding that it was one of "one of the most important challenges for my cabinet."
The Japanese leader appears to have less to lose by sticking to the original plan than by suggesting alternative sites in Japan – a strategy that led to Yukio Hatoyama's resignation as prime minister in 2010.
"Outside Okinawa, most people support the US-Japan alliance and agree with hosting military bases, as long as they stay on Okinawa," says Kingston. "Politically, Noda won't have to pay that big a price. His Democratic Party of Japan is already a spent force in Okinawan politics, so why should he stick his neck out and alienate the US in the process?"


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Human rights and mental health (fact sheet)
The Ontario Human Rights Code (the Code) provides for equal rights and opportunities, and freedom from discrimination. The Code recognizes the dignity and worth of every person in Ontario and applies to the areas of employment, housing, goods, facilities and services, contracts, and membership in unions, trade or professional associations. In Ontario, the law protects you from discrimination and harassment in these areas because of mental health disabilities and addictions. This includes past, present and perceived conditions.


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LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga - DS
Release Date:16 November 2007
Also on:Nintendo DS Wii PC PS3 Xbox 360
Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Nintendo DS takes in famous scenes from every one of the six Star Wars movies, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga brings the epic Star Wars story to life in the palm of your hand. Combining two previous Lego Star Wars games into one package and throwing in a horde of incredible extras, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga on DS lets you play as over 160 of your favourite characters as you set out to master the Force and prove yourself a true Jedi. The game features the tongue-in-cheek humour typical of the series and makes use of the DS Touch Screen to let you unleash the force with simple sweeps of the stylus.
Super Gamer Dude
Nintendo DS
LEGO Star Wars II, the first LEGO game to be played on the Nintendo DS console, was an entirely disappointing and unplayable mess. But it's definitely a good thing that the game's sequel, LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga has no resemblance to its predecessor in the DS console. The Nintendo DS version of the game completely removes the remains of its predecessor features and really started from scratch, up to having a new development team to do the project. And in the end, the result is a very slick remake of the successful design found in the console, and reflects much of what makes the console version fun.
Never ever let the "LEGO" in the title fool you that this is a very childish game. The game may be focused upon the very famous kids' toy line, but the gameplay quipped in this game is definitely for the hardcore gamers who have experience. The designers of the game incorporate the LEGO brand in the style of its world and even its humor, that is, when a character dies, they shatter into pieces. The designers have constructed elegant structures and even mechanisms to move you through levels. The characters shine just like plastic when exposed to light. And though the title might seem to suggest a kid's product, the design is actually focused upon the gamer crowd who are definitely looking for some action in their games.
The game is an extensive cover-up of all the six Star Wars movies. Some important moments from the films have been used to become action sequences in the game. This also suggests that there are literally countless characters to play in the LEGO Star Wars, each being equipped with their own abilities. Some characters are light saber welding Jedis; while others are blaster toting rebels. The force comes into action by shaking objects to obtain hidden goodies or to move large structures from one side of a level to another in order for you to have access to previously inaccessible areas. And because this game is true to its being a Star Wars game, you can definitely expect a lot of battle droids and Stormtroopers to blast and whip, which is actually very satisfying.
The game might be aimed towards action, but a lot of attention towards the puzzle elements of the game is equally placed; and it's really this balance that makes LEGO Star Wars a superb videogame. The level designs may be designed in a linear fashion, but there are a lot of chances to move away from that path by using certain characters. There are certain doors that can only be opened by specific characters, and you have the choice whether to look for that character within the level you're in, or you can finish the level without opening that door and just come back once you've already obtained the character needed. The design of the game allows for replayability because of this particular element pertaining to the game's characters.
It must be pointed out that the console version of the game is more impressive. But the handheld team of the game's developer, Traveller's Tales, pulled off a vastly enhanced version to fit in with the handheld version. There might be some downsides within the game just like the game's weak presentation, but this game still proves to be a great one to play, especially that its predecessor was so much of a disaster.
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General Inquiries: email@example.com
Saturday at 8PM! @angelicamnegron , @apsiege Aaron Siegel, Meaghan Burke, @QuietCityMusic! Gonna be a fantastic show! @FirehouseSpace.
Tonight 8pm & Saturday 2pm: Iktus joins @cadillacmoonens at @SecretTheatreNY! Check out the @TimeOutNYMusic listing: http://t.co/DepqUWwWp3
Iktus performs at Eastman tonight 8pm Ray Wright room! We've been hard at work to preview a new piece by Jason Thorpe Buchanan. It's wild.
Thanks to @vcpianos for an awesome night at @corneliastcafe & @nightafternight for this great New York Times review! http://t.co/jKggR7Qnsq
This Wed Sep 4 8:30 Iktus performs as part of @vcpianos @contagiouSounds series at @corneliastcafe! Works by Cole/Bracken/Ford/Lorenzo/Smith


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"Ahhh! Coffee!" said our resident cowboy, Steve, raising his cup at the philosophy counter. "Let's raise our cups to whichever Brazilian came up with this stuff."
Very slowly, Herb Collins stood with his cup of coffee there in the midst of culture and education at the Mule Barn truck stop.
"Actually, Steve," Herb said, in his most professorial tone, "his name was Kaldi. He lived in Ethiopia."
And here Herb grinned fiendlishly at Steve. "And he was a sheepherder!"
"No way, Herb!"
"The truth, cowboy, nothing but the truth. In fact, it wasn't so much as Kaldi doing anything, it was his sheep. You see..." (and he turned to face the tables and booths to find he held a rapt audience) "... ol' Kaldi had noticed his sheep munching these red berries and going kinda hyper all over the place, looking for a lion to whip or something. Well, Kaldi knew that hyper sheep were too busy running around eating the plants flat to the ground to be putting on any mutton, so he decided to investigate. He chewed some of these berries himself and beat the sheep back to the ol' Mutton Mansion. He made a couple of laps around the house and said 'Man, I just can't live without my coffee!'
"Now that was about 1000 A.D., you know. The word got out, and people started up their drip machines, and morning stopped being such a dirty word. Of course, as with anything good, there are always party poopers who want it stopped. And so it came to pass with coffee. Six hundred years after Kaldi's sheep, a bunch of Christians (obviously on decaf) petitioned Pope Clement VIII to ban coffee, believing anything that made mornings pleasant must be the devil's drink. Being a fair-minded guy, the Pope didn't want to do that without giving it a try first, so he had some cardinal whip up a batch and he sucked it down. Well, he gave the drink his blessing, said it was an official Christian beverage, had a mug made with 'Clem' on it, and hung it over the sink.
"Here's to coffee!" Herb said to the audience, "The choice of sheepherders everywhere!"
Where does he get these things?
Brought to you by Tractor Supply Company, www.tractorsupply.com. "Everything but the tractor."


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Mojo Rails
Mojo Rails lets you bring the skatepark to your location of choice with their line of heavy duty professional quality ramps, rails, jersey barriers, and fun boxes. Mojo multi-sport rails and ramps are built to take a beating and last a lifetime, as they are constructed of extra durable welded steel, featuring a powder coat finish, while the top surfaces are made from a number of sturdy materials including Resin Wrapped Marine Board and Black Epoxy Wood. Mojo Rails is proud to offer a wide range of amazing ramps and obstacles including gind rails, kicker ramps, quarter pipes, fun boxes, pyramid boxes, and complete skateparks for your enjoyment.
Zumiez is the place to shop Mojo Rails, carrying a variety of ramps and rails, including kicker ramps, grind rails, quarter pipes, fun boxes, and even your own complete skatepark!


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The evolution of the global economy is fascinating. The definition of a "rich country" has changed significantly throughout the centuries. I was having lunch the other day with a Canadian friend, and she was comparing the good aspects of Honduras and Canada. She pointed out Honduras' cheerful environment, paradisiac beaches and fresh food, especially fruit.
Here in Honduras, I can buy 30 bananas for 50 cents. Can I do that in Canada? No. This is because of the abundance of tropical fruit grown in Honduras.
Centuries ago, countries like Honduras were considered "rich" based on their natural resources, central location, the quality and fertility of their soils, steady weather and available water sources. In this context, Honduras is very very rich! Now though, that definition of rich has become outdated.
Today, countries like Honduras –rich in the old definition but poor by current standards –play a secondary role in the world's economy. The current economy does not value these formerly desired characteristics as much as it used to. In some cases, the market even punishes national economies based on primary products, raw materials and agricultural goods. This reality has generated initiatives like fair trade around the world.
Honduras is this rich:
And they have to live like this:
At some point in the natural evolution of the economy these countries stagnated, while others moved forward with technology, information and manufactured goods. Causes of this stagnancy include corruption, weak democracies, weak institutions, low quality education and crime or conflict.
Probably the most awful reality is that these countries have to live with the junk that "richer" countries produce. The high consumption economy of the United States generates huge amounts of used goods every day, products that are seen as junk or garbage there. I have asked myself for years, what happen to all the cars and products that get too old for North American standards? Where do those millions of cars go? Well now I know. All the public transportation (urban and rural) in Honduras is covered by used American school buses. Those yellow old buses are now used as public transportation here. Most of them still have the names of the American schools where they were used.
There is a law in Honduras that allows people to import used cars. Accordingly, most people buy crashed or very old American cars for a small amount of money. You can imagine the current condition of these buses and cars. They are not safe, clean or comfortable at all. The amount that has to be spent in repairs is huge, but the small initial price is persuasive.
What seems like a practical short-term solution is catastrophic for national pride, transportation safety and the future of the country. How can a society evolve when it lives in the shadow of the U.S.? How is possible for these people to be treated as equals when they are surrounded by others' junk? We can't stop looking for a better and sustainable option, because what is clear is that emerging countries have to dream BIG!
Santiago Cortes is a Kiva fellow living and working in Honduras. He works most closely with Prisma Honduras, but is also helping the Orginizacion de Desarollo Empresarial Femenino (ODEF), another MFI in the country.


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Smith County, TXHome Menu
Constitutional County Court
As provided in the Texas Constitution, each of the 254 counties of the State has a single county court presided over by a county judge.
These courts have concurrent jurisdiction with justice of the peace and district courts in civil cases in which the amount in controversy is small. Jurisdiction is said to be concurrent when two levels of courts have authority to try the same type of case.
The constitutional county courts generally hear the probate cases filed in the county. They have original jurisdiction over all Class A and Class B misdemeanor criminal cases, which are the more serious minor offenses. These courts usually have appellate jurisdiction in cases appealed from justice of the peace and municipal courts, except in counties where county courts at law have been established. Unless the appeal is one from a designated municipal court of record (trial proceedings are recorded by a court reporter), the appeal takes the form of a trial de novo (a completely new trial).
In addition to performing judicial functions, the county judge serves as the administrative head of the county government. In the more populated counties, the administrative duties occupy most of the time of the county judge, and the Legislature has created county courts at law and statutory probate courts to relieve the county judge of most, and in some cases all, of the judicial duties usually performed by that office.
Important Links
Texas County Court Judge and the Commissioners Court
The county judge is the most visible official in county government. Often thought of as the county's chief executive officer, a county judge has broad judicial and administrative powers, including serving as the presiding officer of the county's policy-making body, the commissioners court. Referred to as "chief justice" by early Texas constitutions, the current office of county judge was established by the Texas Constitution of 1876.
County judges are elected on a countywide basis. Originally, the term of office for this position was two years but in 1954 the Texas Constitution was amended to increase the term of office to four years. Article V, Sections 15-18 of the Texas Constitution contains the legal basis for the office of county judge as we know it today: "There shall be established in each county in this state a County Court, which shall be a court of record; and there shall be elected in each county, by the qualified voters , a county judge, who shall be well informed in the law of the state; shall be a conservator of the peace; and shall hold office for four years, and until his successor shall be elected and qualified..."
Although they must be well informed in the law, there is no requirement for county judges to have a formal legal education or a licence to practice law. After election, however, a county judge is required to attain thirty hours of judicial education during their first year in office and sixteen hours every year thereafter in order to remain up to date regarding new laws and procedures related to their judicial responsibilities.
The county judge resides over the constitutional county court. While responsibilities vary from county to county, a judge may consider criminal, civil, probate, juvenile and mental competency matters. In larger counties, county courts-at-law have been created with separate judges to handle the large amount of work these cases generate. Also, in those counties in which the judge has judicial responsibilities, the judge has appellate jurisdiction over matters arising from the justice courts.
The county judge is the presiding officer of the commissioners court and is required by law to perform this function when present. In the judge's absence, any commissioner may preside over the court. It is incumbent upon the county judge to carefully abide by statutes requiring that meetings of governmental bodies be open to the public.
The judge is also a voting member of the commissioners court and works with the other four members of the court to approve the county budget and exercise administrative authority over county government operations. County judges do not have autonomous authority to set the business of the commissioners court or decide what motions will be heard; the entire court makes these decisions.
A major responsibility of the commissioners court relates to setting the county budget. In counties with a population under 225,000 the judge serves as budget officer of the commissioners court. During budget development, the judge along with the commissioners considers the funding necessary for the other county offices to carry out their duties.
County commissioners courts are responsible for many other functions, including: supervision and control of the county courthouse, county buildings and facilities; determining county tax rates; and filling vacancies in elected and appointed positions. Additionally, commissioners courts are responsible for building and maintaining county roads and bridges; letting contracts in the name of the county; administering and making key decisions regarding libraries, county hospitals, welfare programs, parks and playgrounds.
County judges perform a wide range of other administrative duties. These responsibilities include conducting hearings for beer and wine license applications, calling elections, posting election notices, and canvasing the election returns. The county judge also serves as the county's Emergency Management Director and has the authority to designate an Emergency Management Coordinator to serve as an assistant for emergency management issues.
The county judge may also represent the county at ceremonial occasions and on various boards and committees such as regional councils and governments. The may also serve as a member of the governing body or as an officer or director of another entity, except as publicly traded corporation or a subsidiary affiliate, or subdivision of a publicly traded corporation that does business with the county.
The broad range of responsibilities of county judge makes this office a very important office in county government. With a judge's judicial, administrative and ceremonial duties, it is also a very high profile position.
County Courts at Law in Smith County
Because the Texas constitution limits each county to only one county court, county courts at law are created by statute in larger counties, primarily to aid the single county court in its judicial functions. The legal jurisdiction of these special county-level trial courts can vary considerably and is established by the specific statute that created each court.
Smith County has three Courts at Law, each separately created by the Texas Legislature as the need has been shown. Our County Courts at Law handle the following types of cases:
- Criminal misdemeanor Class A and B cases.
- Civil cases. Civil jurisdiction of the Smith County Courts at Law is "concurrent" with that of the District
- Courts, meaning that the dollar-amount limitation that exists in some other counties does not apply here.
- Domestic cases (County Court at Law and Court at Law #2)
- Cases appealed from justice of the peace and municipal courts.
- Contested probate matters (County Court at Law #3)
- Juvenile cases, Class B and above (County Court at Law #3.)