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First Time Teacher Membership
You must be registered in or successfully completed a Nia White Belt training to become a member.
Nia Teacher Membership is a comprehensive continuing education program dedicated to supporting your Nia practice. Taking the White Belt is only the first step to Nia movement and mastery; ongoing practice is essential to embody the full value of Nia techniques and methodologies.
Nia Teacher Membership includes a teaching license. You may not teach Nia in any capacity without this membership.
To become a Member, you must
- Register and enroll in the Nia White Belt Training Intensive.
- Agree to the terms and conditions of the Nia Teacher Membership.
- Pay the Membership Fee.
Nia Teacher Members agree to follow these Terms and Conditions and any additional policies and guidelines referenced in these Terms and Conditions (such as "Nia Technique Brand Guidelines"), all of which can be found on the NiaNow.com.
1.1 The term "Agreement" refers to the Nia Teacher Membership Agreement you completed together with these Terms and Conditions and any additional policies and guidelines referenced herein, as such may be amended or modified from time to time.
1.2 The terms "we", "us", and "our" refers to Nia Technique, Inc.
1.3 The "Nia Marks" are the trademarks NIA TECHNIQUE™ and NIA™, and the logo shown at the top of these Terms and Conditions.
1.4 A "Nia Routine" is a choreographed body of work approved by us for the personal and professional use of Teacher Members.
1.5 The "Nia Written Materials" include but are not limited to the Learn books, Embody and Share books, workshop manuals, lesson plans, student handouts, advertising and promotional materials, resources, templates and other educational materials for personal mastery and professional use available on the NiaNow.com.
1.6 The terms "you" and "your" refers to the Teacher Member who completes and signs the related Nia Teacher Membership Agreement.
2. Fees
You agree to pay the membership fees described on Nianow (the "Teacher Membership Fees"). Teacher Membership Fees may be paid on a monthly or yearly basis. They are automatically withdrawn via our automated payment system. Teacher Membership Fees are subject to periodic review and may be adjusted from time to time. You will be notified of the then current Teacher Membership Fees at the time that your Teacher Membership is up for renewal.
3.1 Term. Your First Time Teacher Membership will commence on the day that you pay your First Time Teacher Membership Fees (the "Effective Date") and will continue for a term of 12 months. If you choose to continue your membership, you must purchase the Teacher Membership (Annual or Monthly) within 15 days after the end of your contract's expiration. If you do not purchase the Teacher Membership within that period and still later wish to join, you will be charged an Administrative Fee to reactivate your membership account in addition to the membership price. We will notify you by email prior to the expiration of the then current term.
3.2 Termination by Member. You may cancel your membership auto renewal by providing us with advance written notice AT LEAST 30 days before your membership is scheduled to auto-renew.
3.3 Termination by Us. We have the right to terminate your Teacher Membership at any time, with or without cause, by providing you with written notice of termination. If we terminate your Teacher Membership prior to the end of a 1-month term, we will reimburse you for the remaining portion of the term on a pro rata basis.
4. General Provisions
4.1 Relationship. The parties are not and will not be considered joint ventures, partners, or employees for one another. Neither you nor we will have the power to bind or obligate the other except as specified in the Agreement. Neither you nor we may make any representation to anyone that would create any apparent employment or partnership. You acknowledge that we are not in a fiduciary relationship with you.
4.2 Waiver. A waiver of any breach of any provision, term, covenant, or condition of the Agreement will not be a waiver of any subsequent breach of the same or any other provision, term, covenant, or condition. No waiver of any provision of the Agreement is effective unless set forth in writing and signed by the party granting the waiver.
4.3 Entire Agreement. The Agreement constitutes the entire agreement with respect to your Teacher Membership and supersedes all prior agreements, correspondence, representations, communications and negotiations between the parties that relate to the same subject matter.
4.4 Modifications. You acknowledge that we may update and/or modify the Agreement from time to time at our sole and absolute discretion. We will post a notice of any changes or modifications to the Agreement on the members-only section of the NiaNow.com website, and all such changes or modifications will take effect the first time that you login to the NiaNow.com website after such posting. If you do not agree to any future changes and/or modifications, you must terminate your Teacher Membership immediately. Otherwise, your continued payment of Teacher Membership Fees will confirm your acceptance of any changes and/or modifications.
4.5 Dispute Resolution.
(a) Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to the Agreement shall be determined by arbitration administered by the International Centre for Dispute Resolution in accordance with the then current International Arbitration Rules. The arbitration will be heard by one arbitrator and conducted in Portland, Oregon, in English and according to the laws of the State of Oregon. If the parties cannot agree upon an arbitrator within 30 days of filing, it is agreed that the tribunal will appoint an arbitrator.
(b) Notwithstanding the preceding, we may in our sole discretion, waive our rights under Section 6.5(a) above and have any dispute arising out of or related to the Agreement resolved by the courts in any country located in the territory, and in that case, you agree those courts will have exclusive jurisdiction in relation to that dispute.
4.6 Governing Law, Jurisdiction and Venue. The Agreement is governed by the laws of the State of Oregon. Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to the Agreement must be brought in the Circuit Court of the State of Oregon for Multnomah County or the United States District Court for the District of Oregon. Each party (a) irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of such court in any such proceeding, (b) waives any objection it may have to venue or convenience of forum, (c) agrees that all claims in respect of the suit or action will be heard and determined only in such courts, and (d) agrees not to bring any proceeding in any other court.
5.1 Overview. This Agreement provides you with a teaching license as set forth below. The Nia Marks and the Nia Written Materials are the property of Nia Technique, Inc. Individuals who teach Nia without having a current Teacher Membership are in violation of trademark and copyright laws. Any professional use of the Nia Marks and/or the Nia Written Materials that is not expressly permitted under this Section 5 requires advance written approval from the Nia Technique, Inc. You may not associate the Nia Marks and/or the Nia Written Materials with any other forms of movement.
5.2 Nia Classes. We grant you a non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the Nia Marks and the Nia Written Materials to teach one-on-one or group Nia classes (a) that are based on Nia Routines that have been choreographed and approved by us for general use, (b) that are substantially similar in form and content to Nia Routines that have been choreographed and approved by us for general use, (c) that incorporate the Nia moves and follow the Nia 7 Cycle format, or (d) that are adapted and integrated into your existing health profession, as approved by us. You may use "Nia" or "Nia Technique" in your class title and identify yourself as a "Nia (belt level licensed) Teacher".
5.3 Specialty Classes and Trainings. The license granted in Section 5 only includes the right to teach specialty Nia classes, such as "Nia 5 Stages" or "Nia 52 Moves," once you have completed the appropriate certification(s). The license granted in Section 5 does not include the right to teach Nia trainings.
5.4 Workshops. This license grants you a non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the Nia Marks and the Nia Written Materials to teach workshops in the Nia Technique.
6.1 Professionalism and Ethics. You are required to follow the Code of Ethics, which may be amended from time to time. You agree that all classes you provide in connection with the Nia Marks will be of professional quality and that in operating your business you will follow the highest standards of honesty, integrity and fair dealing. You will not do anything that would tend to discredit, dishonor, reflect adversely upon, or in any manner injure the Nia Technique or the goodwill associated with the Nia Marks.
6.2 Music Licensing. The music licenses we obtain for music used on NiaSounds compilations and in conjunction with Nia Routines do not include public performance rights. A public performance is one that occurs "in a place open to the public or at any place where a substantial number of persons outside of a normal circle of a family and its social acquaintances is gathered." This means that each location where you provide Nia demonstrations or classes must obtain a public performance license from the publisher(s) of the music on NiaSounds and Nia Routines that you use. In addition, you are not authorized to use the music in the NiaSounds CDs and the Nia Routines on your website unless you individually obtain a public performance license. In most cases publisher performance rights licenses are contracted through ASCAP, BMI and SESAC in the United States, and various other performance rights societies in other countries.
6.3 CPR Training. All teachers agree to maintain certification in cardiovascular pulmonary resuscitation from the American Heart Association, American Red Cross, or an equivalent organization outside of the Unites States.
7.1 Advertising. All advertising and promotional activities that you undertake must be in good taste, must display a high degree of consistency with our branding, and must reflect favorably on Nia Technique. Upon our request, you agree to submit to us, prior to use, all advertising, promotional and public relations plans and materials you develop. When you submit materials, you must include a description of how you propose to use the materials, in what media they will be published, and any additional information we may request. We will have 30 business days after you submit your plans and materials to approve or disapprove the submitted items. If we require additional information concerning your plans and materials, we can extend this approval period for a reasonable time following the receipt of the requested information. If we do not disapprove of the materials and/or plans within 30 days of our receipt of the items, plus such additional time as we may reasonably require, the items will be considered approved. For the protection of the Nia Marks, we have complete and absolute discretion when deciding whether to approve your advertising and promotional materials, plans, programs and activities and/or to require you to stop using any materials, plans, programs, or activities, even if we have approved them previously.
7.2 Reservation of Rights. We retain the right to use, and/or license other persons to use, the Nia Marks and/or the Nia Written Materials for any purpose and to market, sell, license, lease or otherwise provide to any other person the same types of services and products that we make available to you as a Teacher Member.
7.3 Limitations on Use of Nia Marks. You are required to follow the Trademark Guidelines as presented in Nia Technique Brand Guidelines (2017). Nia Trademark Guidelines apply to all uses of the Nia Marks, whether in print media, websites, webpages, or social media forums. Among other things, the Trademark Guidelines prohibit the use of the Nia Marks as part of any corporate name, trade name, domain name, or social media name, or with any prefix, suffix, or other modifying words, terms, designs, or symbols, or in any modified form. We reserve the right to review your use of the Nia Marks. Upon our request, you will cease using the Nia Marks in any manner that we believe in good faith to be in conflict with the Trademark Guidelines, our ownership of the Nia Marks and/or the Nia brand. You will not at any time, directly or indirectly, use trademarks that are confusingly similar to the Nia Marks.
7.4 Specialty Marks. To the extent the Teacher Members have completed a Nia Technique Teacher Training for a program in addition to the Nia White Belt Intensive Training, (e.g., Nia Moving To Heal, Nia Freedance, Nia Move IT, Nia FloorPlay, Nia 5 Stages) and remain a Teacher Member in good standing, Nia grants Teacher Member the corresponding specialty mark license ("Specialty Mark License").
7.5 Permitted Use of Marks
Proper Use of the Marks. Teacher Member agrees to use Nia Marks including adhering to the colors, fonts, stylization, proportionality and other elements of the Marks based on and in accord with Nia's brand use and trademark guidelines. Teacher Member agrees to follow all instructions, requests and/or demands made by Nia Technique concerning the member's use of the Nia Technique IP make best efforts to use the current versions of the Marks as provided by Nia Technique. Under License Language. Member must use the following "used under license" language on all materials, printed or electronic, which bear the Marks: "Nia® and the Nia Technique Fitness logos are trademarks of Nia Technique, Inc. used under license." Promotional materials. Member may use the Marks on flyers, posters, emails and other printed materials whose sole purpose is to promote Member's Nia classes or approved events. Such materials must include the "used under license" language. Email addresses. Member may use Nia or a Nia specialty Mark, for which Member is licensed, as part of Member's email address so long as Member uses such address solely for the promotion of Member's Nia classes and approved, related Nia activities. Domain Names + Related Use of the Marks. Member may use "Nia" or one of the Nia Specialty Marks, for which Member is licensed, as part of Member's domain name for a website promoting only Member's Nia classes and independent Nia teaching business. Member may not register a domain name containing the other Marks. Registration and/or use of a domain name must adhere to the terms of this Agreement, including: Trademark Notice. Member must include the "used under license" language on the home page of Member's website, which must reference all Marks used on the site. Link to nianow.com. Member must include a prominent hyperlink on Member's home page to nianow.com. Ownership. Member must identify his/her self as the owner of Member's Site by indicating his/her legal name on the home page. In addition, Member must post the following link on the home page to Member's Nianow profile: "This site is owned and operated by [YOUR NAME], a licensed Teacher Member. See my Nianow profile: [insert URL]". Competing Services/Goods. Under a domain name containing the Nia mark, Member must not sell, offer for sale, advertise or promote any services or goods except Member's Nia classes, approved events and related, authorized Nia merchandise and events. Transfer of Domain Name. In the event Nia determines it needs or desires to own a domain name registered or operated by Member incorporating the Marks, Member must, at Nia Technique's request, immediately transfer such domain name to Nia. Nia may reimburse Member for reasonable and documented out-of-pocket costs that Member paid to register the domain. Nia will not reimburse Member for any costs incurred in designing Member's website, creating marketing materials, or any other costs incurred in connection with the domain name. Teacher Member Identification. Member must be identified in the Whois listing as the Registrant of a domain name used by Member containing the Marks. Member must include a Teacher Member profile link in the domain name registration information. Member must not use a privacy protection service in connection with the registration of a domain name. Domain Name Containing Country Name. A Member wishing to register or use a domain name containing "Nia" and the name of a country (e.g., niaaustralia.au,) must obtain Nia Technique's written approval in advance of such registration.
7.6 Limitation on Use of Nia Written Materials. You will not alter the Nia Written Materials in any way. Unless you have received prior written approval from Nia Technique, Inc., you will not copy, reprint or disseminate any of the Nia Written Materials.
7.7 Company Actions. We, at our own expense and in our absolute discretion, may commence, prosecute and/or settle any infringement, copyright, unfair competition or any other action relating to any of the Nia Marks, the Nia Written Materials, and/or the Nia Routines and will retain any award or settlement obtained as a result thereof. You agree to comply with all reasonable requests made in connection with any matter relating to protection or enforcement of our rights to the Nia Marks, the Nia Written Materials and/or the Nia Routines. We will reimburse you for direct expenses incurred at our request under this section.
7.8 Notice of Claims and Inquiries. You agree to notify us immediately of any legal demand, action, suit or proceeding (any "Claim"), or any inquiry by a governmental agency or official, and/or any media outlet, relating to Nia. We may, on your behalf, undertake the defense of any Claim that we reasonably believe is likely to have a significant impact on the Nia Technique and/or the Nia Marks. If we undertake the defense of any Claim on your behalf, you will be required to pay all reasonable costs and expenses, including any attorney fees that we incur in connection with the Claim. We may voluntarily assist with such costs and expenses as we determine in our sole discretion.
7.9 Discontinuation of Use. Upon termination of your Teacher Membership, you must immediately discontinue using the Nia Marks and the Nia Written Materials, and shall immediately and at your own cost, remove signs and materials related to the Nia Marks from any owned or leased facilities, cease using any brochures, flyers, directories or other means of communication whereby you are identified using the Nia Marks, and remove the Nia Marks from any websites, or social media pages under your control.
8.1 Transfer by Us. We may assign or transfer all or any part of our rights or obligations under the Agreement to any person or legal entity. If we do so, the Agreement will be binding upon and inure to the benefit of our successors and assigns.
8.2 Transfer by You. You acknowledge that your rights and duties as a Teacher Member are personal to you and that you may not transfer any rights or obligations under the Agreement.
9.1 Indemnity. You agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless, us, our affiliates, and our and their respective officers, directors, owners, agents, and employees, from all fines, suits, proceedings, Claims, demands, actions, losses, attorney fees and damages arising out of your use of the Nia Marks and/or any acts or omissions of you, your employees and/or your agents.
9.2 Insurance. At all times during which you are operating a business that uses the Nia Marks, you shall, at your own expense, maintain in full force and effect with a reputable insurance carrier comprehensive general liability insurance in the minimum amount of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $3,000,000 in the aggregate, including coverage for professional liability, personal injury, products liability and damages to rented premises. Your insurance policies must contain a separate endorsement naming Nia Technique, Inc. as an additional insured and must be written as primary policies, without limitation in any way as a result of any insurance that Nia Technique, Inc. maintains. Your insurance policies must not contain a coinsurance provision or have a deductible in excess of $5,000. Your insurance policies must require that Nia Technique, Inc. be given 30 days written notice of cancellation. You must deliver to us at any time upon demand, Certificates of Insurance evidencing compliance with all of the requirements of this Section 9.
9.3 Limitation of Liability. NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING TO THE CONTRARY IN THE AGREEMENT, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL WE, OUR AFFILIATES, OR OUR OR THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, OWNERS, AGENTS, AND EMPLOYEES BE LIABLE TO YOU OR TO ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FOR SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INDIRECT DAMAGES, LOSS OF GOODWILL OR BUSINESS PROFITS, OR EXEMPLARY OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES IN EXCESS OF THE AMOUNT OF LIVELIHOOD MEMBERSHIP FEES PAID BY YOU.
after which a monthly or annual subscription can be selected.


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Power Amplifier BTL
Audio amplifiers operate either in a BTL (bridged) or single-ended ("normal") configuration. In the single-ended setup, the output lead goes to the "hot" or "+" side of the load (speaker or speaker box since we are talking audio) and the "-" or "negative" side of the load is tied to a common ground shared with the amplifier. In the BTL configuration, one amp is connected to the "+" side of the speaker (load) and a second amp is connected to the "-" side of the load. For this to work, the output signal from the second amplifier must be a "mirror image" (identical in every respect, but 180 degrees out of phase) of the output from the first amp. The BTL configuration is most often seen in low-voltage, battery-powered applications (like cell phones or "walkman" type personal tape or cd players etc) or in automotive applications over about 10 watts per channel.
In the BTL configuration, each amp drives half the load impedance. With the signals being out of phase, the voltage swing across the load appears to be doubled, and with each amp driving half the impedance the current is doubled. In theory the bridged pair will produce 4 times the power into the load that either amp acting alone could provide. In reality it seldom works that well.
This is an power amplifier circuit of a BTL system, which comprises a first op-amp chip which outputs an output signal having a same phase as an input signal input to a signal input terminal, a second operational amplifier which outputs an output signal having an opposite phase to the input signal, a voltage divider which generates a midpoint voltage of the input signal, a first resistor connected between an output terminal and a negative phase input terminal of the first operational amplifier, second and third resistors connected in series between the negative phase input terminals of the first and second operational amplifiers, a fourth resistor connected between an output terminal and the negative phase input terminal of the second operational amplifier, and an impedance converter connected between a midpoint voltage node of the voltage divider and a series-connection node of the second and third resistors. (end of abstract)
Gambar Rangkaian Power Amplifier BTL
List Componet:
R1, R2,R3, R4, R6..................... 10kOhm.
R3............................................. 20kOhm.
C1, C2, C3, C4........................... 10µF.
Catu daya (VCC) ±12 V.
R3............................................. 20kOhm.
C1, C2, C3, C4........................... 10µF.
Catu daya (VCC) ±12 V.

subset: commoncrawl


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The massive new sports facility opening on the former IBM campus in Fishkill will be one of the world's largest domes, according to Time Magazine.
The Sports KingDome, due to open later this year, was featured in a recent Time Magazine cover story on youth sports. You can view the story here.
Naming rights for the sprawling, $25 million facility will go to the highest bidder, the report said.
The Sports KingDome "will allow families in the populous northeastern U.S. to play travel soccer, lacrosse and baseball 12 months a year, just like they do in the Sun Belt," the Time report said.
For Daily Voice's previous report on the Sports KingDome, click here.
Click here to sign up for Daily Voice's free daily emails and news alerts.


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NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: DODGERS v PHILLIES
October 10, 2008
Joe Torre
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: Game Two
THE MODERATOR: Questions for Joe.
Q. You've managed teams where you got -- your bullpen allowed you to shorten the game to basically six or seven innings. Do you see something similar to with what they're able to do in getting to Madson and Romero and obviously Lidge?
JOE TORRE: You're talking about the Phillies. No question. It's tough to get to this part of the season part of the year without having a bullpen. And I'm not only talking a closer, I'm talking about people who can bridge that gap, because very rarely do you see guys going out there pitching eight or nine innings and the toughest to get through are the 6th and part of the 7th and you usually have a formula to get past that.
But they have some impressive people coming out of that bullpen, there's no question.
Q. After the walk in the third, the intentional walk, was there any consideration to pulling Billingsley at that point?
JOE TORRE: No, he's done too much for us. And, I mean, you've got -- he got the catcher and he pitched to the pitcher. We had a situation where we have the pitcher, I think he had four hits all year and he gets three in this game. So that's tough to sort of count on and defend against.
We certainly -- we gave up too much early, basically. But to me Billingsley has been too much to this club to take him out in a situation where he's performed so well.
Q. Can you talk about Chad in general? He just looked blow away to some guys -- Billingsley just locked some guys up and looked like he had some good stuff and gave up eight runs, how do those two go together?
JOE TORRE: As I say, the pitcher accounted for three of them. And that was a weird inning, the inning they scored the four runs because he gets through Burrell and Werth, strikeout, strikeout, and then all of a sudden the wheels came off at that point in time.
Very unexpected and certainly something that we certainly weren't prepared for. I'm sure he wasn't either. I think sometimes when he gets into a situation like that, he fights it and sometimes fights himself. And I think that may have been part of it.
Q. You and some of your players have been in this hole before in post-season series.
JOE TORRE: I remember.
Q. And come back on occasion. How much value, if any, do you think that has?
JOE TORRE: It's valuable for me because I can speak from experience. And sometimes when you're in that locker room and in that lineup, you tend to think things are worse than they are. You don't get to this time of year without having the capabilities of winning three or four games in a row.
And we just have to just get that feel back, because we all know when you're playing five-game, seven-game series, momentum is such a huge factor and one game is really all we have to think about at this point in time and that's what we'll do when we get home on Sunday.
Q. In 1996 I think you managed when your brother was ill, Charlie Manuel lost his mother today, and I'm wondering what you think it might be like to -- what was it like for you to be out there managing post-season games under situations like this?
JOE TORRE: It's a heavy heart. The fact that knowing that my -- I lost my one brother but my other brother was in the hospital. Part of the therapy for him was listening to us. And I know Charlie was telling me how he talked to his mom and has been talking to her obviously on a regular basis. And her concern for him was only go out there and win ball games.
It, again, sometimes gives you a place to hide where you're so busy that it's going to be a lot easier, it was a lot easier probably during the game than it is now when he goes home.
Q. Before the game you were talking about how impressed you were with Chad's game in Chicago because he was able to reel in his emotions, how would you evaluate his emotions today?
JOE TORRE: Well, I think the 1st inning was fine. I mean, he went through that part of the lineup and got away without getting hurt and then the second inning he gets the first two hitters out, the five and six guys, and then all of a sudden strange things happened. He gets ahead in two counts and wasn't able to put people away. And that may have unnerved him a little bit, but, again, you have to sort of fix this thing while it's going on.
And unfortunately, as I mentioned, Myers did the job with the bat tonight. He struggled a little bit. He got his pitch count up. Certainly pitched well enough to get through five and win the ball game. But his bat, which was the unexpected thing for us.
Q. Can you talk a little bit first about McDonald and then also does the way you had to use the bullpen tonight or just knowing you're going to be down for Game 4 ensure that Lowe is going to start that night?
JOE TORRE: I'll give you that tomorrow. I didn't even think about that one. But certainly Lowe is front and center. We're not afraid to do that. And the fact that Billingsley didn't pitch for long tonight. But I'll clear the fog out tonight and tomorrow at the workout I'll give you that.
But I thought McDonald was -- give me a first bit of action there in the post-season, here bases are loaded, get this guy out. And he strikes out Burrell and then just went on to pitch three more innings and going through everybody, obviously. And I was very impressed and I think we found out a little bit about that young man tonight.
Q. When the second pitch went behind Manny's back, did that raise an eyebrow?
JOE TORRE: Yeah. The thing that worried me about that situation was the fact that it was so tough to see at that time of day. And we all know how aggressive Myers wants to be, and how pumped up he gets. But the thing that frightened me more than anything was it was tough to see. I know it was tough to see for us from the side. So I know it had to be tough to see the first couple of innings up there.
Q. You know, you lose this game today, how comforting is it for you to have Manny Ramirez as kind of an ace in the hole when you guys are down the way you guys fell down?
JOE TORRE: It's so much when you can swing the bat one time and get three runs. I mean, that is certainly huge for us to all of a sudden, 8-2, 8-5 and now the game becomes a winnable ball game. Two different times we had the tying run at the plate. I thought Casey's ball was going to be up against and Shane made a nice play on it.
And then in the 9th inning we had the tieing run. So that three-run home run certainly put us in the position to scare somebody.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Joe.
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Low Vision
Looky 4+ HD Handheld Video Magnifier$669.00Discontinued
Low Vision
Children and individuals with low vision have lost a certain amount of their eyesight. This common impairment can sometimes be improved with medication, surgery, eyeglasses, or other proven methods, but the responsibility of accommodating students with low vision is one for teachers, counselors, and vision therapy professionals to take seriously. We offer an excellent selection of low vision aids for the classroom, at home, or on-the-go. EnableMart's mission is to eliminate barriers caused by impairments and disabilities in educational environments. Don't let your students with low vision lag significantly behind their peers. Explore our inventory today to encourage learning and fun for all.
Students with vision impairments may find difficulty performing daily activities. Help them start basic concepts in the best way possible by browsing our premium selection of low vision aids. We proudly offer calculators, color identifiers, talking software, magnifying devices, and so much more. When introducing mathematical concepts, our selection of large display and talking calculators are easy to see, reach, and operate. We also offer a wide variety of talking technology, including alarm clocks, telephones, thermostats, barcode packages, watches, checkbooks, and more.
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Make reading more accessible by investing in audio text readers with text-to-speech technology. These products feature attractive portable designs, are easy to use, and provide choices of naturally sounding voices your students will love and be able to understand. Some of the devices we supply can capture and read multiple pages at a time with superior accuracy and high megapixel quality.
Our low vision aids provide helpful solutions and encourage independence for individuals with low vision, macular degeneration, and other visual impairments. Contact us today to learn more or receive help finding the ideal solution for you and your specific students.


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No Bueno: In The News, Arizona Woman Mistakes "Superglue" For "Eye Drops" & Glued Her Eyes Shut!
"She reached for eyedrops and instead used superglue -- and it happens a lot more often than you might think." - Arizona News
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Main Page
From AIGPG Wiki
AI Game Programmers Guild for purposes of passing on knowledge and understanding of game AI. While titled as "public", this wiki is not open to be edited by the general public in the traditional manner of wikis. By "public", we mean that this is a space for the AIGPG members to assemble and communicate collective information to the public that is dynamic in nature.
There are currently two major sections open to the public. Please select one to continue:
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I love Indiana. I love driving through cornfields, playing Euchre, and getting swept up in basketball-mania. I come from a proud line of Hoosiers who faithfully watch the Indianapolis 500 and can sing all the verses to "Back Home Again in Indiana." I've even gotten misty-eyed at the end of the movie Hoosiers.
But I don't love the bill approved last week by Indiana's Senate committee. Modeled after Arizona's SB 1070 law, this legislation would require Indiana state police to ask anyone who arouses "reasonable suspicion" of being in the United States illegally for proof that he or she is a legal resident of the U.S. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? In addition, the legislation would enforce an English-only policy on government documents, hearings, and websites. It would also punish businesses employing non-sanctioned workers and would prevent undocumented immigrants from receiving in-state tuition to attend Indiana universities.
And sadly, Indiana's not alone. Copy-cat bills of Arizona's immigration laws have been proposed in California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina, and Texas.
Thankfully, a number of Hoosiers have spoken out against the bill. In a statement released last week, Indiana Congressman Andre Carson labeled the bill "ill advised," and voiced his support for provisions like the DREAM Act which grants citizenship to children of undocumented immigrants who complete college degrees or serve in the military. According to Carson, we must continue to reform immigration policies "in a way that ensures our country will continue to attract the best and brightest from all over the world."
Others oppose the inevitable racial profiling the bill would cause. In his testimony before the Senate committee, Indianapolis-area Superior Court Judge Jose Salinas reminded committee members that they've never experienced what it's like to have to prove their citizenship. "You're never going to be posed that question; let's be honest about that," said Salinas, who is a U.S. citizen, "I will. I have been in the past."
Still others oppose the bill because it would cost tax-payers too much to enforce or because they believe it is a federal issue that shouldn't be left up to the states. A DreamActivist.org petition my friend linked to on his Facebook page opposes the "anti-immigrant rhetoric" of the Indiana bill that "criminalizes immigrants" and "will bring fear and distrust in the immigrant community."
And I think these are all great reasons to oppose the bill. But for me, it all comes down to something much simpler: immigrants -- documented or not -- are our neighbors. Whether they speak English or Spanish, immigrants are people created in the image of God, people we are called to love. Instead of criminalizing and deporting our neighbors, we need immigration policies that embody gospel hospitality, embracing those among us who are most vulnerable and welcoming them into our society.
I love the Hoosier state, but I'm also trying to love my neighbors. Indiana, I hope you do the same.
Betsy Shirley is an editorial assistant at Sojourners.
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Photo: Manuel Balce Ceneta
The stalemate has been broken. Comprehensive immigration reform is off Washington's back burner and, for the moment is the focus of national political attention.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., calls the bipartisan framework unveiled yesterday by eight senators, "a good starting point." But, as the veteran of past immigration battles is quick to note, "we've been down this road before."
While the details must still be filled in — and, as Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz. notes, "the devil is in the details" — we now have a pretty clear idea of the contours of a final, bipartisan package.
Here are the "Big 12" issues addressed by the legislation:
- Border enforcement. The framework calls for securing U.S. borders with new technology, infrastructure and personnel. There would be an increase in the number of unmanned aerial vehicles, radio/surveillance equipment, and agents at each port entry.
- Curtail visa overstays. The bipartisan working group would create an entry-exit system that would track people entering the country by visas. This would prevent visa-holders from overstaying illegally, which Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. said accounts for 40 percent of illegal immigration.
- Prompt registration of undocumented residents. Any deal would require all undocumented immigrants to register with the government. They would receive probationary legal status (but no federal benefits) after undergoing a background check, paying a fine, and paying back their taxes. Immigrants who have not committed serious crimes will be allowed to work and live in the United States.
- A pathway to legalization … and citizenship. The bipartisan deal would create a process for the 11 million immigrants to earn a green card. Undocumented immigrants would go to the back of the line of prospective immigrants and meet a series of requirements including a background check and proof of employment in the United States. Eventually, they would be given the chance to become a citizen.
- An expedited path to citizenship for children. The plans would give children brought into the United States illegally by their parents a faster path to citizenship, likely through the DREAM act. The DREAM Act would provide children of immigrants an expedited path to citizenship if they go to college or serve in the military.
- Agricultural workers. The framework would allow workers in agricultural and food supply industries to be given a faster path to citizenship. It does not contain a robust "guest worker" program, something that is opposed by unions. The fate of a guest worker plan will be determined as the legislation winds its way through Congress.
- Streamline legal immigration. The lawmakers hope to reduce backlogs in family and employment visa categories to ease the immigration process and make it less cumbersome.
- STEM Visas. The plans would expand the availability of green cards to highly educated immigrants who earn a PhD or Master's in science, technology, engineering or math.
- E-Verify. The reform approach would implement an employee verification system that would require proof of both legal status and identity through non-forgeable electronic means. The system would include procedural safeguards to protect American workers, prevent identity theft, and provide due process.
- Employer sanctions. The framework includes penalties for employers who continue to hire undocumented immigrants — both stiffer fines and criminal penalties.
- America First. The compromise would seek to protect American citizens from immigrant competition by requiring employers to seek American workers first. Employers will be allowed to hire immigrants in a timely manner when they have been unsuccessful in recruiting American workers to fill positions.
- Flexible immigration quotas. The blueprint would increase the number of lower-skilled immigrants permitted to enter the U.S. when the country is creating jobs — and decrease the number when it is not. Eventually, these workers would earn green cards, because they will have made substantial contributions to their communities.


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On Sunday November 24, 2013 Anna Easteden introduced her brand Kaunis (soothing and anti-aging facial masks) to celebrities while collecting toys for the Toys For Tots Foundation. Guests received samples of Anna's luxurious product line while indulging in award winning cupcakes provided by Erieka Pimentel of Bubba Sweets (Cupcake Wars Winner), coconut water provided by Coconut O.N.E., jewelry by Wired For Freedom, and gift bags by Lisa Kline.
Some of the celebrity supports included: Timyra Joi (The Voice), Melanie Mar (Real Housewives of Beverly Hills), Kate Linder (The Young & The Restless), Taylor Hay (Yes, Virginia, A Day In The Life), Andre Gordon (CSI: Miami), Jo Frost (Supernanny), Mika Newton (Randy Jackson signed artist), Michael Vampire (Vampires Everywhere lead singer), Camille Licate (Small Shoes), Rowan Blanchard (Girl Meets World), August Maturo (Girl Meets World), Asia Monet Ray (Dance Moms), Jaidan Jiron (New Girl), Malia Tyler (Granite Flats), Katie Silverman (Happy Endings), Portia Berman (New Girl), Daniel Sanders (VP Sony), Paul H. Littman (VP Sony), Jake Pavelka (Bachelor, Dancing With The Stars), Carlo Mendez (Eva Mendez's brother, 90210), Al Walser (Grammy artist), Christina DeRosa (Pick & Roll), Carl Anthony Payne (Cosby Show, Martin), James Wilder (Vernoica's Closet), David Golshan (Bravo's Shas of Sunset), Said Fara (The Green Zone), David Fralick (The Young And The Restless), Lola Monroe, Beth Payne, Candace Fisher, Mechelle Epps, among others…
Kaunis started when creator, Anna Easteden, had really dry, flaky skin with acne that would last for weeks. She felt she had tried pretty much every single skin care product out there, ranging from cheaper drugstore brands to the most expensive and high-end products. This lead to the beginning of extensive research of different products, ingredients, vitamins, supplements and much more. Her persistence eventually lead her to improved skin that was beautiful, glowing, clear and younger-looking. Kaunis values great ingredients, which is why their products contain ingredients that are certified organic. They also value animals, so none of their products are tested on animals and all the products are vegetarian formulas. Kaunis is a Finnish word that means "beautiful"... For more information please visit the Official Kaunis Website.
Anna Easteden is a Finnish –born farmer's daughter, an international model and a Los Angeles –based award nominated actress. She started her career as a teenager after receiving a large modeling contract with a Japanese modeling agency. In Tokyo she modeled for: Kanebo, Sony, Nissen, Wacoal, Oricom, NEC and Lux, among many others. US work includes: Salvatore Ferragamo, Calvin Klein, XOXO, Hermes, Diesel, Pony, T-Mobile, Toyo Tires, Michael Antonio, and Jockey. Anna has acted notable TV-shows, such as: "Two and a Half Men", "Bones," "Days Of Our Lives" and "Passions." Her award nomination came from the Method Fest Film Festival from her portrayal of Nina in the film by Mika Kaurismäki, "The House of Branching Love", which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. In Finland, Anna is the host of "Wipeout", the same show as in America, but in Finnish, on FOX. For more information on Anna please visit Anna's Official Website.


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Packages are defined using PL/SQL. Therefore, this section provides some general information but refers to Oracle Database PL/SQL Language Reference for details of syntax and semantics.
Use the
PROCEDURE statement to create a standalone stored procedure or a call specification.
A procedure is a group of PL/SQL statements that you can call by name. A call specification (sometimes called call spec) declares a Java method or a third-generation language (3GL) routine so that it can be called from SQL and PL/SQL. The call spec tells Oracle Database which Java method to invoke when a call is made. It also tells the database what type conversions to make for the arguments and return value.
Stored procedures offer advantages in the areas of development, integrity, security, performance, and memory allocation.
See Also:
Oracle Database Advanced Application Developer's Guide for more information on stored procedures, including how to call stored procedures and for information about registering external procedures.
CREATE FUNCTION for information specific to functions, which are similar to procedures in many ways.
CREATE PACKAGE for information on creating packages. The
PROCEDURE statement creates a procedure as a standalone schema object. You can also create a procedure as part of a package.
ALTER PROCEDURE and DROP PROCEDURE for information on modifying and dropping a standalone procedure.
CREATE LIBRARY for more information about shared libraries.
To create or replace a procedure in your own schema, you must have the
PROCEDURE system privilege. To create or replace a procedure in another user's schema, you must have the
PROCEDURE system privilege.
To invoke a call spec, you may need additional privileges, for example, the
EXECUTE object privilege on the C library for a C call spec.
To embed a
PROCEDURE statement inside an Oracle precompiler program, you must terminate the statement with the keyword
END-EXEC followed by the embedded SQL statement terminator for the specific language.
See Also:Oracle Database PL/SQL Language Reference or Oracle Database Java Developer's Guide for more information
Package bodies are defined using PL/SQL. Therefore, the syntax diagram in this book shows only the SQL keywords. Please refer to Oracle Database PL/SQL Language Reference for the PL/SQL syntax, semantics, and examples.
plsql_source: See Oracle Database PL/SQL Language Reference.)
REPLACE to re-create the procedure if it already exists. Use this clause to change the definition of an existing procedure without dropping, re-creating, and regranting object privileges previously granted on it. If you redefine a procedure, then Oracle Database recompiles it.
Users who had previously been granted privileges on a redefined procedure can still access the procedure without being regranted the privileges.
If any function-based indexes depend on the package, then Oracle Database marks the indexes
See Also:ALTER PROCEDURE for information on recompiling procedures
See Oracle Database PL/SQL Language Reference for the syntax and semantics of the


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Horror Movies Costumes
Rate this costume:
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|23 comments · add a comment
Horror Movies
|Costume type:
|Costumes for Kids
This homemade costume for kids entered our 2011 Halloween Costume Contest,
A word from Crystal, the 'Horror Movies' costume creator:
Every year we have a theme, this year was horror movies! I hand made most of the costumes, from Freddy's glove to Chucky's outfit! Most pieces of clothing come from shifting through the local thrift stores & sewing what I can't find. Chucky's shoes are regular white shoes that I spray painted, Freddy's glove is plastic knives, cardboard & lots of hot glue & paint. I did the makeup, scars, cuts & burns with nose putty & liquid face paint. The 'vomit on the exorcist girl is oatmeal with food coloring! The kids love these costumes & had a great time scaring everyone! Freddy would tell people, "I'll see you in your nightmares" after getting his candy!
Desiree - Tiffan, Chucky's Bride
Tyler - Chucky
Luna - Regan, the Exorcist Girl
Trent - Freddy Krueger
Similar costumes:


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Photo JS
GM Jaan Ehlvest topped the field in Curacao to take home the trophy, 1500$ and the satisfaction of what he calls "being paid to be on holiday." Read the full story for games, photos and final report.
Read more...
Photo Francisco Guadalupe
With a no holds-barred attacking style, 13-year-old New Yorker Marc Arnold became our new Cadet (U16) Champion. He placed ahead of seven others in the 2006 edition held in Dallas(July 15-21).
Read more...
We recommend you solve these mates and helpmates beachside on your laptop-- with fritz turned off. E-mail or mail twelve correct answers before anyone else and get a free, signed copy of U.S. Problem Anthology, a problem collection compiled by Edgar Holladay.
Read more...
Rusudan Goletiani in a happy moment. Photo JS
The annual Curacao chess festival kicked off with the usual blend of sunbathing, time scrambles,and pina coladas. After four rounds, GM Jaan Ehlvest leads 4-0. Read the full story for photos and WGM Rusudan Goletiani's action-packed round three victory over GM Alexander Shabalov.
Read more...
Francisco Guadalupe
Robert Hess, the youngest player in the tournament, could have played in the concurrent Cadet Championship. He decided on the Junior because he revels in strong competition. Coached by GM Miron Sher, this soon to be Stuyvesant freshman relied on his confidence and nerves when it looked like Cinderella story Jake Kleiman would take it all... Check out our full report with games and photos.
Read more...
Blas Lugo attracted major sponsors to his first event. Photo JS
IM Blas Lugo organized his first major international tournament in Miami, Florida (July 7-9) and is already planning a winter edition. Dozens of strong Cuban-American players live in Miami, including GM Julio Becerra and young star of the event, Bruci Lopez who tied for first with GM Vladimir Georgiev. Others traveled from all over the country to enjoy the luxurious, well-sponsored tournament.Check out our report for games, stories and an incriminating snorkeling picture.
Read more...
Dresden at Night. Photo Paul Truong
Grandmaster Susan Polgar captures the World Women's Cup. The tournament, modelled after the World Cup of soccer was held in Dresden, Germany July 7-9. Susan defeated two rising stars to secure her victory- WGM Carolina Lujan from Argentina in the semi-finals and local favorite IM Elisabeth Paehtz in the finals.
Read the full story for games and photos.
Read more...
Chess Life Online is very sad to report that Grandmaster Aleksander Wojtkiewicz passed away on Friday, July 14.
Aleksander won the last five tournaments he played in. Click on the full story for memories, life and games.
Please send donations to:
Aleksander Wojtkiewicz Funeral Fund
4813 Fernley Square
Halethorpe, MD, 21227
Read more...
Fourth of July fireworks were best seen a few blocks from the hotel. Photo JS
Cheating scandals, fireworks in sync with rain, and a 1000$ blitz game. Check out our report and final photo gallery.
Read more...
Philly has big buildings too. Photo Jacob Okada
Action heats up at the World Open! Who will take home close to 30K? Check out our first round of photos and games. Longer report tommorow.
Read more...


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Life in Vancouver Through Joey's Eyes
Hi there! My name is Joey, and I moved to Vancouver from Japan in September 2017 for the snow. I know it might sound weird as it only snows in[…]
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The Wales international struck in extra time to complete a comeback as Arsenal defeated Hull 3-2 to pick up first piece of silverware in nine years.
The Tigers had shocked Wembley as they stormed into a two-goal lead with James Chester and Curtis Davies putting Steve Bruce's side well on top inside the opening eight minutes.
A wonderful Santi Cazorla free-kick halved the deficit before half-time, with Laurent Koscielny's equaliser taking the game into extra time.
Ramsey then took centre-stage as he hit his 16th goal of the season to end Arsenal's near-decade run without a trophy, and the 23-year-old was quick to dedicate the success to Wenger.
"It was mind-blowing," he said when asked about his feelings following the winning goal.
"I have dreamt about this day for many years as a young kid coming through and it hasn't quite sunk in yet.
"I'm more delighted for the team that we have actually won a trophy this year
I think we have deserved it
The manager deserves it as well - he has stuck by his players over the past few years after we were questioned a few times.
"He never had any doubt in us and we believed in ourselves as well and hopefully this will now be the start of many."
Ramsey, who missed almost four months of the season with a thigh injury, felt the first goal in their comeback - scored just nine minutes after Hull had gone two ahead - gave them the incentive to go on and be victorious.
"We knew ourselves that Cazorla's free-kick was important and we always believed we had time to get back into the game," he added.
"You could that they were dropping off a bit but I felt that we were in control and we took advantage of that in the end.
"In the second half of extra time, at 2-2, things are going through your mind about penalties
It was important to try and keep going even though the legs didn't want to and I managed to get into the box and score the winner."
Club captain Thomas Vermaelen lifted the trophy despite not featuring in the game, with Mikel Arteta once again leading the Arsenal side out.
The Spaniard claimed the effort shown to fight back from a poor start spoke volumes for the squad as a whole, and believes the nucleus of the side can now go on and add to their honours.
"We were favourites and we had more pressure than them," he said.
"The way the game started, going 2-0 down after eight minutes, it was a hard one to take psychologically but I think we showed a lot of resilience, composure and mental strength.
"To get through those difficult moments in a good manner and to lift the trophy, I think it is a great platform for the future and this club has got a tremendous future
We have some terrific layers at a young age, with big-game experience."
Source : PA
Source: PA


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Loryan Strant
( Loryan Strant )
Over 20 years in IT I have had the opportunity to work with many leading edge technologies - allowing me to be a part of major transformations in the industry. Starting out in web design prior to the dot com era, I then took on more technical roles and have been involved in some of the first Australian deployments of metropolitan networks, voice over IP and video streaming over the Internet. My technical experiences were followed by 10 solid years in various senior consulting positions advising both internal and external senior management / stakeholders on strategic technology adoption and selection along with delivery of solutions across a range of business sectors, and managing technical resources for delivery. Many of my roles have involved coaching and mentoring team members along with establishing incentive schemes to drive results and growth. One of my strengths is the ability to thoroughly understand each client's challenges and deliver solution in line with their unique business requirements. I am passionate about the cloud and the opportunities it brings. Having spent most of my career delivering on-premise business productivity technology, I co-founded Paradyne to deliver cost-effective solutions by means of the cloud. My deep technical expertise is backed by practical business experience, ensuring that customers get the best of both worlds – world-class technology that delivers real business benefits.


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Lions Drag Race Coverage from Eagle Field
Eagle Field, in Firebaugh, California, hosted the Lions Drags on Sunday, July 31st. Over 65 cars, trucks and dragsters participated in head-up, run what ya brung 1/8th-mile drags. After a quick break for lunch, the eight quickest doorslammers ran in single-elimination until only Stan Cotte in his '67 Camaro went up against Fred Bruce and his '69 Nova. They made it a close race, with Bruce taking the win and the $350 purse by a margin of .07 seconds. Bruce's winning time was 7.474 at 97.02mph to the hard-charging Camaro's 7.539 at 101.6mph. For information on future Eagle Field events, visit www.eaglefielddrags.com.


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This stoneware bonsai pot is 4 1/4" dia x 2 1/2" overall height x 2 1/4" interior depth. The pot is glazed with a licorice gloss glaze with a waterfall rim dip. The pot has a center drainage hole and wire tie holes.
All of my bonsai pottery is individually handmade so that no two pieces are ever exactly alike. I take the time to year date and serial number each piece. An Iker Bonsai Pot is truly a one of a kind unique piece. I handcraft each piece with a focus on how you might use it in your bonsai composition. My glazes and oxide finishes are high fire bonded to the pot which is made from my own custom blended stoneware clay that is vitrified and frost proof. Completely lead-free glazes ensure safety for both handling and your trees.
I properly finish and trim my work so that every bonsai pot looks finished and functions as required. You will not find unfinished, untrimmed bottoms on any of my pots.
My ceramics are shipped with largely recycled materials. I collect post-consumer boxes and packing materials from several local businesses. I work to maintain a high degree of business ethics. I take as much pride in the way I do business as I do the bonsai pots I make.
I fired 2-3 times per month so check back often.


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Sunday marked the end of Fantasy Basketball Week 12, which also happens to be the halfway point of the regular season. It doesn't just happen to be the halfway point, it's math. And because math has reared its ugly head once again, we might as well take this opportunity to crunch a few numbers from the Razzball Commentor Leagues. A couple inches below you'll see that the league leaders across all four leagues also happen to make up the RCL's total top four. Isn't it nice when everything comes together all clean and orderly like that? One representative from each league in the top four.
As of Sunday , January 16, the RCL top 4 were:
Team RBAej, White Shadow League, 337.5 total points
Mayweather's Baby Mama, Teen Wolf League, 319 total points
Team Richard, Blue Chips League, 297 total points
Charlemagne Barclay, Juwanna Mann League, 293 total points.
If you click on the RCL Midterm Rankings spreadsheet, you'll see that all four leagues were combined into one and each team ranked in each category from 1 to 48, just as they are ranked 1 to 12 in each category in their individual ESPN leagues.
Don't fret if you didn't make the list. You're still a beautiful and unique snowflake. Think of it this way, you made it into the top 50! Bully for that!
Some fun facts I noticed across all leagues:
- Among the top four teams, no player was owned more than once, although it should be noted that Mayweather's Baby Mama has only five players on his roster (Grant Hill, Bogut, Billups, AK47 and Terry) that were unowned on any of the other four teams.
- Not to take anything away from Mayweather's Baby Mama, but his Teen Wolf League has four of the five worst teams across all four RCL's. I won't name them, but you know who you are. Actually, you probably don't, as it's likely you haven't looked at your team since Oden was a week away from returning.
- North Kingstown RI deserves special recognition for having two different teams, both of which are among the 10 best in the league (No. 7 and No. 10).
- The four Commissioners of the RCL leagues are ranked in 4th (Charlemagne Barclay), 33rd (Stumptown Pirates), 40th (King & Duck), and 45th (Louie's Legends) … which is just weird.
- Team Richard would be significantly better if it pulled up its FG%. As of Sunday, it was ranked 39th out of 48. That's the second-worst single-category ranking of any team in the top 10.
- The worst is North Kingstown RI's FT% in the White Shadow League. It's ranked 43rd out of 48.
- Team RBAej doesn't rank first in any category, but ranks no lower than 13th in every category.
- None of the teams in the top 15 changed between their simple point totals and the point totals + team averages Power rankings.
Congratulations to the teams that are still in it. Generic words of encouragement about moral victories for the teams that are not in it, but are, at least, still trying. And zurberflipnoptic superkligg to those of you who gave up on your team before it was sweater weather outside.


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Transformers Prime Legion Class Bumblebee Toy Review
General Information:
Release Date: February 2012
Price Point: $5.99
Retailer: General release (Toys R Us, Target, Wal-Mart etc.)
Accessories: Blaster
- On Card (Official Photo)*
- Vehicle Mode (Official Photo)*
- Robot Mode (Official Photo)*
- Scan of card (back)
- Scan of Insert
- Vehicle Mode
- Vehicle Mode (Side)
- Vehicle Mode (Back)
- Vehicle Mode (Front view)
- Vehicle Mode (Angle view)
- Vehicle Mode (Rear Angle View)
- Vehicle Mode (Weapon attached)
- Vehicle Mode (Extra Weapons attached)
- Vehicle Mode (Extra Weapons attached, angle view)
- Robot Mode
- Robot Mode (Side)
- Robot Mode (Back)
- Robot Mode (Close up)
- Robot Mode (Angle View)
- Robot Mode (Holding weapon)
- Robot Mode (Holding extra weapons)
- Robot Mode (Weapons combined)
*Images with asterisks* and text below in italics from The Official Transformers web site:
BUMBLEBEE doesn't need to talk – his blasters do all the talking he needs. He is fast, smart, and skilled, which means that the DECEPTICONS have nowhere to run when BUMBLEBEE is on their tails! DECEPTICONS beware, because this BUMBLEBEE Intelligence Specialist figure is as tough and smart as they come! In robot mode, your BUMBLEBEE figure's snap-on blaster keeps his DECEPTICON enemies at bay. Convert him to sports car mode when he has a major need for speed! Keep converting him back and forth as the battle rages on!
Includes figure. Legion Class Series 2 001 BUMBLEBEE Intelligence Specialist. Ages 5 and up.
The first wave of Cyberverse Legion Class Transformers in the "Transformers Prime" line offers up many of the main characters featured in the television show. One of these is Bumblebee, whose form and attitude are largely inspired by his live action movie counterpart.
Robot Mode:
Despite all his fancy designs with tons of panels and robotic bits and pieces everywhere, the live action movie version of Bumblebee actually has a very classic Transformers form. Since the days of Generation One, there have always been Transformers with a standard design where the car's front end becomes the robot chest and the sides become arms while the doors wind up on the back as "wings" and the rear of the vehicle forms the feet. This same general design carried over into "Transformers Prime" when Bumblebee was brought into that show. With Legion Class figures, details are often distilled down into very basic shapes and parts, which is what happened here, bringing out more of the classic G1 design mentioned above.
Bumblebee's basic form matches what's described above (the front of the car becoming the chest etc.) but at the same time, many of the details are carried over from the CGI model. This includes his head sculpt, which features a central crest and large, round eyes as well as the look of layered armor on his legs (including the spike shaped knee armor). Smaller details are sculpted into the figure as well including the oval shaped details that form the arms and some intricate line work in the middle of the body. I was surprised to see that the car grille is actually sculpted with gaps in it, something that is rather unusual. Generally car grilles on Transformers are just sculpted details on a solid piece of plastic, but here you can see through the grille into the area behind the chest. Overall it's a great little sculpt that matches up well with Bumblebee as seen on TV.
Bumblebee is cast in yellow and black plastic. The yellow makes up most of the figure, and is a slightly darker shade than the one used on the "First Edition" version of the character. The black is found on the wheels as you'd expect, but also on his shoulder hinges/joints. Black, silver, red and metallic blue paint provide the detail work on this figure. I was happy to see silver liberally applied on the figure. You'll find it on almost every major part of Bumblebee including the face, chest, mid-section and legs. Black offers up some nice outline detail, particularly on the chest where it also provides color to the grille. A large, bold Autobot symbol is painted red on the center of his chest and the metallic blue is used to paint his eyes, making them really stand out. I'm very happy with the deco on this figure, it exceeds what I'd expect for a Legion Class figure.
There are six points of articulation on this figure. I am being generous and including the ability of his feet to swing back and forth on hinges. This is mostly a function of his transformation, but it does help with posing the figure as well. In either hand, Bumblebee can hold his blaster weapon (or any Cyberverse weapon). He also has holes on the sides of his arms that allow you to attach even more weapons! If you'd like, you can even store an extra one on his back thanks to a hole on his back. His blaster is a dual barreled weapon that is seemingly modeled on the weapons Bumblebee uses on the television show. The weapon itself has a hole to allow you to connect an additional weapon. The weapon is cast in rubbery, translucent pink plastic, the same kind used on the other Legion Class figures.
Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
- Rotate the arms so they point back.
- Swing the chest panel up.
- Connect the feet together.
- Swing the feet up.
- Push the arms in to form the sides of the vehicle.
- The weapon may be attached to the top or sides of the car.
Vehicle Mode:
Unlike his G1 counterpart, this Bumblebee has a mean looking Muscle Car styled vehicle mode. With a low profile and wide, aggressive looking design this is clearly a car built with power in mind. All the requisite details from the TV show's CGI model carry over to this figure including the large front grille and headlights, the engine sticking out of the hood and smaller details such as the four exhaust pipes in the back of the car. Overall this is a great looking sculpt.
The yellow plastic color continues to be the main color in this form with the black wheels offering some nice contrast. Paint applications use the same colors as the robot mode. This time out, the black paint is the most heavily used, forming line details that start at the front of the vehicle and then extend to the sides. The engine is painted silver and his windows are painted metallic blue. My only regret is that the back of the vehicle has no deco despite having some nice sculpted detailing, but this is very common with figures in this class.
Bumblebee can connect to three weapons in this form, two on the doors and one on top of the car. The bonus of his weapon is its ability to attach an additional one, giving him potential of quadrupling his firepower!
Final Thoughts:
Legion Class Bumblebee looks great and he has some nice play value thanks to ball joints and his ability to attach additional weaponry in both modes. He looks great and despite my one gripe about the rear of the vehicle not being painted, this figure is aces in my book. Highly recommended!


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On 12/12/12 Let's Remember the Only Ray to Wear # 12
Depending on where you might live on this big blue marble, the number "12" might have a completely different meaning. Most people who take the easy road and say it is a unit of measure, with 12 doughnuts or other items making a dozen. Other would probably be starting to feel the coolness of the approaching holiday season and immediately start humming the "12 Days of Christmas". In Tampa Bay, if you are a member of the Rays Republic, 12-12-12 can only mean one thing……3 times the Boggs.
Wade Anthony Boggs is a hometown Tampa Bay product who did his thing in Boston, New York before finally coming home and being a part of the first rendering of the Tampa Bay franchise. Currently over right-center outfield seats on the blue back wall of Tropicana Field sit the number "12" emblazoned on that wall to commemorate the only Rays player ever to see his jersey number retired from the Rays uniform ranks.
One section over and below his enshrined uniform number are the two yellow colored seats in the outfield that also mark the Rays first franchise HR hit by Boggs in the bottom of the 6th inning during the then DevilRays inaugural game on March 31, 1998. A second seat just a few rows up is also where is 3,000th hit, a Home Run landed putting him squarely in the record books at the time as 1 of only 2 MLB player ever to see his 3,000 hit ascend into the crowd for a round-tripper (NYY Derek Jeter did it also for his 3,000th on 6/9/2009).
Sure Boggs may have only played 2 seasons (1/9th of his career) in the Rays uniform and retired after a knee injury in 1999, before pulling on the Rays uniform one last season as their Hitting Coach. Most would view the Rays deciding to retire his number being based more on his past accolades than his Rays tenure, but here was a guy who played at Tampa Plant HS (1976 grad), and still lives in the Tampa Palms section of Tampa, Florida who gave an early generation of young baseball fans someone to idolize and admire as much for his past as his game preparation.
In the spirit of 12-12-12, maybe I should post 12 interesting facts about Boggs you might not have known:
1) Boggs actually played in the longest game in professional baseball history back with the Red Sox Triple-A squad Pawtucket in 1981 that lasted 33 innings and over 8 hours and 25 minutes. Cal Ripken Jr then a SS for the Rochester Red Wings and another Baseball Hall of Fame member also played in this endurance contest.
2) Boggs ranked 95th in 1999 in The Sporting News list of 100 Greatest Baseball Players and was a nominee for the Major League Baseball All Century Team.
3) Did you know Boggs was 121 plate appearances short of the required 502 at bats needed to possibly secure a 1982 American League Batting title during his rookie season ( hit.349). Boggs made sure to secure his first title the following season (1983).
4) Did you know Boggs was a member of the 1986 Red Sox squad that saw their World Series title hopes trickle down towards left field against the New York Mets. Boggs did get redemption in 1996 as a member of the New York Yankees when they hoisted their first World Series title in 18 years.
5) Everyone remembers Boggs jumping on the back of that NYPD mounted police saddle after Game 6 of that series, and strolling around the Yankee Stadium turf proclaiming who was #1 while on horseback, but did you know Boggs was weary of horses before his famous jaunt.
6) Boggs also had a pretty good knuckleball that he used 15 times (plus 1 fastball) in shutout inning back in a 1997 game against the Anaheim Angels when he wore pinstripes.
7) Boggs was voted the 5th Most Superstitious Athletes by Men's Fitness magazine.
8) Boggs once owned a fish camp called "Finway" up off 301 South in Hawthorne, Florida
9) Boggs would take the same route into the dugout basically running from Third to Home Plate and the end of every defensive inning. Boggs drew the Hebrew word "Chai" meaning "life" into the batter's box before each at bat, which was interesting since Boggs was not Jewish.
10)Every day Boggs took 117 ground balls, took BP at exactly 5:17, and ran pre-game sprints at 7:17. Boggs during his Rays career used to tap his bat head on the shin of his son Brett who was a Rays Bat Boy at the time.
11)Boggs once ventured into the WWF where he did a vignette with WWE icon Mr. Perfect in which Mr. Perfect played baseball. He remained friends with the wrestler and in 2007 Boggs inducted the late Mr. Perfect into the WWE Hall of Fame. Boggs recounted a hunting accident once with Perfect when he carried Boggs after he cut his leg badly on some barbed wire.
12) Everyone knows Boggs did a guest appearance in the "Bar Wars" episode of Cheers where he was sent by a rival bar as an apology, but the Cheers regulars thought he was a fake Boggs. He also appeared in a 2011 episode of Psych entitled "Dead Man's Cruveball".
Wade Boggs might not have amassed a long and storied career as a Ray, but he is still and will always be the only man who will have ever won the team's # 12 jersey. Bogg's played for 3 different teams during his 18 season career each time sporting his trademark number. If you put them all together doesn't it spell out 12-12-12?


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DWTS Cheryl Burke On Why People Should Try Ballroom Dancing, Attends Boxing Match
I started dancing at age of 4 and never stopped. Dancing is a way of life for me – a passion, a mission, and a profession. I've pursued it without a second thought for more than two decades, enjoying countless hours on dance floors around the world and on "Dancing with the Stars." ~Cheryl Burke
Dancing With The Stars Cheryl Burke has written a new blog for Mountain View about ballroom dancing and why people should try it. Here are a couple of reasons….
Here's the first reason that comes to mind: I don't believe there is any recreational activity with more far-reaching psychological, social or physical benefits.
Few pleasurable pursuits can result in the dramatic changes dance instructors see in their students. Trimming down to a healthier weight is one of the most obvious. But there are many others.
For overly serious personalities or people with stressful jobs, dancing adds balance to their lives. It triggers a sense of humor and playfulness. When you watch any beginning dance class, you are likely to see people smiling and laughing.
You can read more reasons why one should try ballroom dancing at Mountain View. She's very convincing, isn't she? They have a cute picture of her there too.
Speaking of Cheryl, she was seen with Jenny McCarthy at a boxing match in L.A. this week. As you might remember, Jenny was critical recently with the producers of Dancing With The Stars and their D-lister "talk the walk or walk the talk" cast selection. Anyway, below is Cheryl pictured at the event. You can view more pictures at Zimbio.


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Kriston Capps
Kriston Capps is a staff writer for CityLab covering housing, architecture, and politics. He previously worked as a senior editor for Architect magazine.
"Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work," Gustave Flaubert once said. I come back to this quote any time there is news of a Brutalist building being demolished or endangered. Whenever a Brutalist structure is scheduled for demolition, the city that hosts it grows that much more more regular and orderly. And that much less original, and, yes—in a couple of different senses of the word—less violent.
This week came the news that the Federal Bureau of Investigation isleaving its home in Washington, D.C. While plans to keep the bureau downtown were always a longshot, a short list of candidates released by the GSA confirms that the FBI will build a new consolidated headquarters in either Maryland or Virginia. Washingtonian spotted the release and wasted no time in celebrating the FBI's departure—despite the fact that the move will send as many as 4,800 jobs to the suburbs.
That's how much D.C. residents hate the J. Edgar Hoover Building. And really, that doesn't come close to painting how passionately people hate this building.
For sure, there are reasons to be glad to see the FBI gone. A study commissioned this time last year by D.C.'s former chief financial officer found that putting a new mixed-use development where the FBI Building stands would bring the city a slight gain in revenue. More importantly, though, the FBI's extraordinary security requirements would make the organization a bad fit for Poplar Point, a D.C. site that is still up for grabs. Even though the move will cost the city thousands of jobs, D.C. may be better off in the end with the FBI putting its 2.1 million-square-feet building and its astonishing 350-foot security setbacks—a fortress behind a moat—somewhere else.
Most importantly, from the perspective of thousands of D.C. residents, the District will finally be rid of the FBI's dark architecture. I will be sad to see the building go, as the city will almost certainly demand. Not only could it still potentially be put to good use, but whatever replaces the FBI Building will be regular, orderly, safe, and worse.
"There is no government building that more accurately reflects the soul of the bureaucracy housed inside," wrote Benny Johnson, easily Brutalism's most viral critic, for Buzzfeed. Shortly after, he was deposed for plagiarizing other writings, but no matter: This was a deeply original thought. It is an awesome building, unrivaled in stature and authority. Were future civilizations to judge ours by our architecture alone, they would surely pick the FBI Building as the seat of power, not the White House.
Its critics will simply say that it is ugly, which is a meaningless criticism, and I don't mean that as an appeal to tastes. Washington is filled with ugly buildings. This just isn't one of them. The FBI Building is utterly unique, unlike any other building in Washington. The are other buildings rendered in Heroic Concrete in a handful of cities—rhinoceroses like the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre in Baltimore, Mummers Theater in Oklahoma City, Prentice Women's Hospital in Chicago. Two of those are endangered; one is extinct.
Another stripe of critic will say that the FBI Building crushes the streetscape, and to the extent that this is true (it is not very true), it is not the building's fault. Cross 10th Street NW on Pennsylvania Ave. NW from the Hoover Building and you can order a $12 lavender gin rickey at Central Michel Richard. Catty-corner to the building at 9th and E Streets NW is Minibar, a molecular gastronomy restaurant with a $250 prix fixe menu. It is true that you cannot do these things inside FBI headquarters, but what do you expect? Whatever the totalitarian qualities of the structure, it hasn't cratered downtown.
While the FBI locked out street-level retail from its building, the same is basically true of the nearby Department of Justice, the Mellon Auditorium, and many other buildings in the federal core. This is not to say that storefront shops don't belong in federal buildings: One of the city's best coffee haunts, Swing's, is in the same magnificent Structural Expressionist building that once housed the Office of Thrift Supervision. Nevertheless—despite the fact that the FBI Building has denied the city another Cosi or craft cocktail bar—somehow Washington persists.
The city's cost-benefit study of the FBI Building assumes that what comes next will generate revenue. (A mixed-use condo building is always a good guess for new construction in D.C.) But I hope the city at least considers preserving the building and putting it toward other uses. It's not guaranteed that it would be cheaper to implode and rebuild than to renovate (though a Government Accountability Office report from 2011did suggest that demolition was the cheaper path for the FBI). It's just a thought, but I'd like to see the city consider the FBI Building as a facility for its growing homeless population, whose situation is truly brutal—and worsening.
This week, NPR science blogger and astrophysicist Adam Frank wrote about the science of cities, and the dangers in the effort to make city strategy "as quantitative and predictive as possible"—regular and orderly, if you will. Cities are far from being too scientific in the way they approach planning, but the prospect of making cities utterly boring is real. "Cities clearly are more than a new kind of physics problem," Frank writes. "They are also creations of the human imagination and, as such, they live or die by the quality of the imagination we bring to them."
Frank is talking about the potential of public art, but I see the same problem with the destruction of public architecture. So much of the criticism of Brutalism treats it like a failed quiz—a problem to be solved, a problem for which there are correct answers, not a piece of history that could be preserved and improved upon. Innovative, courageous renovations have saved Brutalist structures in Houston and Boston; the MacArthur Genius architect Jeanne Gang came up with a plan for adapting Prentice Women's Hospital, but by then it was too late.
No one has emerged with anything like a plan to save the FBI Building. I doubt anyone will. Critics will be only too happy to see it go, and some will point out rightly that any opportunity to build more housing in D.C. cannot be squandered. (On this fact, the science of cities is sadly correct.) But some want it gone because it's ugly. To those critics, I have to ask: What about Washington's recent record makes you think it could be replaced with anything better? What's the value in regular and orderly, if we lose everything that's violent and original?
Architects and planners have an obligation to protect health, safety and welfare through the spaces we design. As the George Floyd protests reveal, we've failed.
Two new studies have revived the long-running debate over how police respond to white criminal suspects versus African Americans.
Often ranked as one of the deadliest cities in America, Camden, New Jersey, ended 2017 with its lowest homicide rate since the 1980s.
A new report fleshes out the controversial demand to cut police department budgets and reallocate those funds into healthcare, housing, jobs, and schools. Will that make communities of color safer?
As national protesters call for defunding police, a movement for anti-racist "people's budgets" is spreading from LA to Nashville to Grand Rapids.


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The look on William "MoBetta" Ledbetter's face told the story. When he stepped into the administrative office at Kecoughtan High School Thursday afternoon, 17-year-old, guitar-playing blues musician was anything but blue.
There were hugs, smiles, laughs -- and more than a few camera flashes.
Thanks to a plan orchestrated by Norfolk blues singer Jackie Scott, Ledbetter was paid a surprise visit by two of his blues mentors, two nationally known musicians: Eddie Shaw, sax player and former bandmate of the legendary Howlin' Wolf, and Fernando Jones, founder of youth Blues Camps that take place in Chicago and across America.
They came to the high school to express their esteem for the young musician.
When a beaming Ledbetter tried to thank them, Shaw said that wasn't necessary.
"Just say you're going to keep the tradition going," Shaw said. "We're going to give you the ball and you'll have to run with it ... He's a good quarterback. he's going to win some games."
Jones agreed. "He's a fine young man, that's what's important," he said. "He's a student-musician. The blues needs kids who are musically literate."
Ledbetter impressed the two veteran bluesmen when he attended Blues Camp in Chicago last summer.
Shaw and Jones are looking for a few more good student-musicians. From 5:30-7 tonight at the Hampton Taphouse, they'll hold an open audition for students interested in attending Blues Camp.
Scott hopes that eventually a Blues Camp will be held in Hampton. Shaw and Jones spent time Thursday looking at places and talking to people about such a concept. "That would be great," Jones said. "But first we have to see if there's any interest."
Back at Kecoughtan, before they headed down the hall for a brief jam session in the class where Ledbetter takes guitar classes, the young musician said he was thrilled by the surprise expression of support.
"Oh my goodness! Whew!" Ledbetter said. "I'm shocked. I had no idea they would be surprising me at school right now. This is like the best day ever. I don't know how to express it."


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We are podcasting live right now. And by "we" I mean me and intern Aulistar Mark. What happens when an intern gets a live mic?
In this by-the-seat-of-our-pants edition I will regale you with stories of outer space (true ones) but we will mostly talk about all the big game news from the big shows of last week and this week.
Give us a call and let's talk some games. We will even answer your questions, unless you ask Aulistar if I am mean. He is not allowed to answer that.
Give us a ring — or listen live.
The weekly Kotaku Talk Radio podcast kicks off at 11:00 AM mountain time (1:00 PM ET) on Wednesday.
Call us on the air LIVE at (877) CHAT-212 or use Skype to dial in! You can also pick up a nifty, and free, iPhone App to listen to the show live here.
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We'll also continue to provide direct downloads of the show a couple of hours after showtime each Wednesday.


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TUSCALOOSA | Anthony Steen called D.J. Fluker out.
So did Cyrus Kouandjio.
And AJ McCarron.
The University of Alabama's 6-foot-6, 335-pound right tackle was challenged this season by his teammates, and he's thankful for it. It made Fluker a better player.
TUSCALOOSA | Anthony Steen called D.J. Fluker out.
So did Cyrus Kouandjio.
And AJ McCarron.
The University of Alabama's 6-foot-6, 335-pound right tackle was challenged this season by his teammates, and he's thankful for it. It made Fluker a better player.
"My right guard and my left tackle called me out and said, 'Hey, we need you for this.' And my quarterback did it as well," Fluker said.
"They were like, 'Hey, you can do it. I believe in you.' That's what a team is. Everybody depends on one another."
It wasn't like Fluker was loafing on the football field. It was more a case of Fluker doing enough to get by but not fully tapping his potential. His teammates knew that his size and strength could make him a force of nature, and they knew they would need that kind of force to get through the toughest part of the season.
They knew that Alabama didn't just need Fluker. It needed Fluker with an attitude.
"I tried to do my best every game, but sometimes you've really got to go out there and take what you want," Fluker said. "They know when I'm motivated I'm going to go out there and do it.
"When we have a big challenge, like when we played LSU, they were like we really need you this game, come on and step it up. When somebody calls your number, calls your name out, you've got to go out there and perform."
Fluker played well against LSU, and even better against Georgia in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game, where he and Steen took over in the second half and began to pave the way for a running back that ultimately broke the will of a highly-rated Georgia defense.
When things got tough in that SEC title game, Fluker became an emotional leader. He pumped his fists and screamed and fired up his teammates the way they had picked him up earlier in the season. As they demanded more from him, he demanded more with Alabama's season and national championship hopes on the line.
"When one of the guys gets motivated, they're all going to get motivated together," Fluker said. "That's the main thing is you've got to pick your teammates up when they're down, and that's what we do best. When we're down, somebody is going to pick you back up, and I felt that I was the guy to do that."
Tight end Michael Williams has lined up alongside Fluker enough times over the year to watch him grow into a player who can command more from others, and into a teammate.
"You saw D.J. as a freshman, athletically he had all that but he wasn't very confident in making this call or telling me to do this or that," Williams said. "Now he listens to me and I listen to him and we just gel together, and it's supposed to happen like that after three years of working together, being beside each other. The chemistry is there and we're a very good, cohesive unit."
Fluker is projected by some experts as a first- or second-round pick in next spring's National Football League draft, and he will soon have to decide whether to enter the draft or return for his senior season. Fluker said last week that he hasn't made that decision, and that it will be made in consultation with his family and the UA coaching staff.
That kind of career decision isn't what motivates Fluker. Right now, Notre Dame and the upcoming BCS National Championship Game is his motivation.
"Right now I'm really highly motivated," he said.
Reach Tommy Deas at firstname.lastname@example.com or at 205-722-0224.