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INDIANAPOLIS -- It was as rough of a first half as LeBron James has faced in his career, followed by as dramatic a comeback as the 70-year history of the NBA has ever seen.
The Cleveland Cavaliers erased a 25-point halftime hole to beat the Indiana Pacers 119-114 on Thursday and go up 3-0 in their first-round series. It was the largest halftime deficit overcome in the history of the NBA playoffs. Cleveland trailed by as many as 26 points early in the third quarter.
The Cavs flipped the script with a masterful third quarter in which they outscored the Pacers 35-17 (mirroring the 33-20 outburst they had in the third in Game 2), with James nearly matching Indiana on his own with 13 points in the quarter, including three 3-pointers that moved him into fourth place on the all-time postseason triples list, passing Kobe Bryant -- on the same night he also passed him for third on the all-time playoff scoring list.
Cleveland's defense was more impressive than James' offense, holding Indiana to 5-for-26 shooting in the period (19.2 percent). Indiana mustered just 40 points on 25.5 percent shooting in the second half.
James finished with 41 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists, his 17th career triple-double in the playoffs. Paul George had 36 points, 15 rebounds and 9 assists, just missing out on joining James to become just the second pair of opponents in league history to drop triple-doubles against one another in a postseason game (Walt Frazier and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it against each other in 1970).
According to Elias Sports Bureau research, James' ninth career postseason 30-point triple-double passed Oscar Robertson (eight) for most in NBA history. He also tied Jerry West for the second-most 30-point, 10-assist games in postseason history with 14; only Michael Jordan has more (15). James scored or assisted on 73 points, the most of his playoff career.
He played the entire second half and orchestrated a Cavs offense that had zero second-half turnovers after surrendering the ball eight times in the first half.
"LeBron willed us home, 41, 12 and 13, played the whole second half," Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said. "That's what playoff basketball is all about. You got to be willing to sacrifice and lay it on the line to win a game, and that's what he did for us."
After all the hand-wringing over the defending champion Cavs' start to the playoffs after they nearly blew back-to-back double-digit leads at home, it was their turn to put a scare into the home team.
Only they did it to completion.
The comeback seemingly came out of nowhere. The first half could not have gone much worse for the Cavs as they shot just 36.7 percent (18-for-49) while allowing Indiana to shoot 56.8 percent (25-for-44). They were outrebounded 26-17, with Thaddeus Young a particular menace on the boards, finishing with 10 offensive rebounds.
Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love did not play a minute in the fourth quarter after having combined to shoot 8-for-29 in the first three quarters.
Deron Williams (five points), Channing Frye (13 points) and Kyle Korver (12 points) led the Cavs' reserves, and the trio played nearly the entire fourth quarter with Irving and Love on the bench.
"I'll be honest, I didn't have a doubt in my mind," Frye said of the comeback. "I felt like everything in the first half, no offense to them, but I think that was us, we were being too cool. They were playing great, I don't think we were making them uncomfortable, I don't think we were being physical with them. To be honest, I don't think we were playing Cavs basketball."
The 25-point halftime deficit tied for the largest of James' postseason career, matching the time the San Antonio Spurs dominated him and the Cavs in the 2007 NBA Finals.
Korver pointed out the symmetry between the 26-point fourth-quarter lead in Atlanta that Cleveland failed to protect in the last week of the regular season, which ultimately cost the Cavs the No. 1 seed in the East, and the 26 points Cleveland clawed back from Thursday.
"That was a championship-level win right there," Irving said.


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Jewelry Sets / Beads
Jewelry Sets are the perfect way to accessorize and even better for Gift Giving. We have stunning sets in gemstones, 14k, Sterling Silver and Costume jewelry in every style imaginable. Whether you are looking at an elegant wedding set or something fun for a weekend out, you will find it here!

subset: commoncrawl


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Read here from PFT.
Now, let me preface this by acknowledging this guy has an injury history (which TT and MM despise) and he has underperformed in the NFL. And, we definitely have other positions we should be thinking about ahead of RB. Ok, got that out of the way.
But why not package some picks (and maybe a throw-in like Poppinga) for McFadden. Here's why. Anyone who saw this guy play in college or witnessed a few of his flashes of brilliance in the NFL knows this guy is freakishly talented. He is a terrific runner, has great awareness and instinct, but more than anything as far as the Packers would be concerned, he's a great pass catcher. He's multi-talented and could perhaps add a Wildcat option to the Pack's offense. He's a different style runner than Grant and would complement him nicely. And if he's not the every-down back, his injury risk may be reduced.
Chances are Oakland will be asking too much for him and end up not dealing him as a result. But I think it's at least an intriguing possibility. (I also think if he does get dealt, he'll likely end up in Dallas with his buddy Felix Jones because of Jerry Jones Arkansas fetish.)


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Rami Malek didn't quite believe the producers' enthusiasm around his audition tape for the starring role in the upcoming Freddie Mercury biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody.
The Mr. Robot actor tells Rolling Stone in a new interview that he thought someone was playing a joke on him when he was told he had gotten the lead in the long-gestating project Queen film.
But after speaking with producer Graham King and officially signing on, Malek set about preparing for his most challenging role so far: playing one of the most uniquely talented and iconic musicians of the 20th century.
There was no shortage of details Malek had to nail to be a convincing Freddie — from the singer's iconic stage persona to the way he squirmed during interviews, to his role among his Queen bandmates as a "peacemaker," Malek certainly had his work cut out for him.
Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor spent time with Malek talking about the late singer, telling stories and offering observations about Freddie's character.
"It was a beautiful thing to get it from them in person and see how much they cared for him," Malek said of his sessions with May and Taylor, who conceived the film some 12 years ago and fought for years to get a studio to buy in and a script approved.
Malek says he worked with a movement coach to nail Freddie's dance moves. He spent time with a dialogue coach to lock in Freddie's accent. The actor was also fitted with prosthetic teeth to replicate Freddie's overbite and the resulting insecurity he had with his smile.
"If you watch an interview with him you see how often he's trying to cover up his teeth with his lips or his hand," Malek described.
While other actors, most notably Sacha Baron Cohen and Ben Winshaw, had been linked to the role in years past, one thing the directors knew no thespian could recreate was Freddie's singing voice. Most of the singing scenes in the movie utilize Freddie's real vocals or those of a Canadian soundalike named Marc Martel.
Malek says he read every Queen book he could get his hands on and he watched every interview and documentary he could find. He was left with an intimate knowledge of the band's history and deep respect for Freddie's talent.
"His ability to unify people, no matter who they are, was so far ahead of its time," Malek said. "I can't think of anyone else that was capable of that."
Photos: Getty Images


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"What?" you say. "This isn't my middle school graduation! Why is Vitamin C playing? What's going on around here!" Well, ladies and gentlemen, it is my graduation from Saturdays to not-Saturdays, and I would be honored if you would take a moment to celebrate with me.
I have been your trusty Saturday Gizmodo-pilot for nigh on 15 months and it has been a pleasure, which is why I chose to commemorate the stint with this lovely jam by Vitamin C. It is also a pleasure. And did you know Vitamin C is the Vice President of Music at Nickelodeon? She is!
But anyway, for this last bit of my last Saturday in front of a monitor, before I become a more traditional workaday schlub, I am going to listen to Vitamin C on repeat and look at silly GIFs of people dancing. I could use a little company if you would care to join me. [Spotify, Amazon, iTunes]


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CDC's Solve the Outbreak app makes the grade but NASA's Comet Question doesn't.
This story is part of Nextgov's Building Better Apps project.
Building an educational game for a smartphone or tablet is a pretty tall order for federal agencies, Nextgov's app experts said.
The game has to be fun enough that it doesn't wilt when compared with apps from private sector leaders such as Zynga. But you can't ramp up the fun by compromising the app's educational value or you'll be short-changing young learners and failing to fulfill the agency's mission.
One app that crosses both these high bars is Solve the Outbreak , an iPad game developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Our reviewers gave the app 4.5 points out of 5, making it one of the highest scoring apps in the history of this series.
The app presents players with real-world disease outbreaks and teaches them about epidemiology and data analysis as they make decisions about how to respond. Along the way, players earn points until they reach the rank "disease detective."
Our reviewers thought the app was educational enough to be used in a classroom and fun enough to hold high school students' interest.
"This is the type of learning I love for kids to have," said Ted Chan, founder of Practicequiz.com and chief technology officer of Cook123.com . "It teaches that a lot of the math, biology, science and statistics concepts they are learning have meaningful applications."
The reviewers' only criticism of the app was that it's only available on the iPad. "It seems like it wouldn't be hard to create an iPhone version and multiply the potential audience significantly," iSpeech Chief Operating Officer Yaron Oren said.
Another app from NASA, however, didn't manage to be fun or educational, our reviewers said. They gave NASA's Comet Quest just 2.17 points out of 5.
The game claims to give players the experience of piloting the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission. But most of the app's educational content was tucked away in a "Learn More" section rather than integrated into the game itself, they said. So users could theoretically play the game and never learn a thing.
The game itself had good graphics and was free of bugs, the reviewers noted, but repetitive and not very fun to play.
"There isn't much to hold one's interest after you've played one or two rounds," said Andrew Borut, co-founder of Eco Hatchery.
Join us at Nextgov Prime Oct. 15-16 in Washington for in depth discussions about cloud computing, data security and much more. Registration is free for federal employees.


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Credit Suisse unveiled a new strategy ETN for generating income on gold. The Gold Shares Covered Call ETN (GLDI) attempts to generate cash flow on gold by selling covered call options.
GLDI maintains a notional long position in shares of the SPDR Gold Trust ETF (GLD) while notionally selling monthly out-of-the-money call options on that position. Holders of GLDI are entitled to receive variable monthly payments based on the notional option premiums received from the sale of the covered call options each month.
The note is the first exchange-traded product in the U.S. market to offer investors access to a covered call strategy on a gold investment and is designed to pay variable monthly coupons.
GLDI, which tracks the Credit Suisse NASDAQ Gold FLOWS (Formula-Linked OverWrite Strategy)103 Index, sells approximately 3% out-of-the-money notional calls each month while maintaining a notional long position in GLD shares.
The strategy is designed to generate monthly cash flow in exchange for giving up any gains beyond the strike price. The strategy provides no protection from losses resulting from a decline in the value the GLD shares beyond the notional call premium.
In a covered call strategy, an investor holds a long position in an asset and sells call options on that same asset. Call options provide the seller with an upfront premium payment, but require the seller to deliver to the buyer any upside an asset experiences beyond a set level.
"Gold is often criticized as a portfolio investment because of its lack of any yield," said Greg King, head of exchange traded products in Credit Suisse's Investment Bank. "Covered call strategies however, are designed to enhance yield in exchange for sacrificing part of the upside of an investment position. GLDI seeks to provide investors and their advisors an interesting new way to introduce monthly cash flows into their portfolios."
The index was created by Credit Suisse and is published and calculated by NASDAQ OMX. The strategy behind the gold income note is the following: O Call options with approximately 40 days to expiry are sold over a 5-day period each month within the Index;
O Approximately 30 days later, those same call options are repurchased over a 5-day period;
O The premium received, net of notional transaction costs, is paid out the following the repurchase of the options on or about the 25th of the month.
ETNs do not guarantee any return of principal and are subject to credit risk. If Credit Suisse were to go bankrupt, the value of its credit backed ETNs would likely be worthless.
Robert Hughes, vice president, NASDAQ OMX Global Indexes said, "Based on uncertainty in the global marketplace, investors continue to look for access to gold and income. GLDI provides access to these two key investment themes in a transparent rules-based methodology. Credit Suisse is a valuable partner of ours and bringing the FLOWS index family and GLDI to market demonstrates our shared commitment to giving investors more flexibility in customizing their investment strategies."
GLDI is listed on the NASDAQ and charges annual expenses of 0.65%.


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Apply now for a November start
The Architects' Journal is looking for an architecture or journalism graduate with a passion for sustainability to start in November. Responsibilities include posting on Footprint, attending and reporting on industry events, sourcing and reviewing books, researching images and helping compile material for the monthly Footprint section of the AJ magazine. Good writing skills and journalistic flair a must. Still photography and video skills desirable.
The position is unpaid, but travel expenses within zones 1 and 2 will be covered. We are looking for candidates who can commit to a minimum of eight weeks. Interviews will be conducted as applications are received.
The Architects' Journal is the UK's oldest architecture weekly. It operates from Mornington Crescent in London and is published by EMAP Inform, whose titles include the Architectural Review, Construction News and New Civil Engineer.
Please email your CV, a short (no more than 200 words) letter on why you are interested in the position and dates of availability to me, here.
What previous interns have to say:
'When I began at the AJ as a sustainability intern, I could never have imagined the amount of varied and interesting experiences that were to come; opportunities to attend talks on a wide range of topics related to sustainable design, visit buildings, attend openings and launches, and even visit factories manufacturing Passivhaus windows in Austria.
This behind the scenes access to the world of sustainable architecture and journalism developed my critical abilities; this is vital in sustainability because of the constant need to sift through greenwash and assess whether something really is as green as it claims. The experience also developed my understanding of the challenges facing sustainable building and how it relates to mainstream construction. This has added depth to my work in practice and helped clarify how I would like to develop my career.
The AJ's friendly staff were supportive and encouraged me to push myself. The experience took me out of the comfort zone of the architectural office and challenged me to try something different. It was great to work with people so passionate about architecture and I learnt a lot from being surrounded by this enthusiasm. My time at the AJ was fantastic and I am grateful that I was given the opportunity to be a part of the team.'
Laura Mark, Professional Diploma in Architecture with Advanced Environmental and Energy Studies, 2011, Centre for Alternative Technology
'Life as the AJ's sustainability intern was a fantastic learning experience and a great insight into the world of architectural journalism. Tasks were varied and rewarding - from visiting lectures, seminars and exhibitions, to browsing through sustainability books and understanding new renewable technologies - there was never a shortage of things to do!
It was a really enjoyable way to immerse myself in all things green. I felt at the 'front line' of all the latest sustainability news as it happened!'
Tierney Lovell, 6th year Architecture student, University of Edinburgh
'My time working as sustainability intern at The AJ involved seeing, reporting and writing about how successfully or not sustainable issues are manifesting themselves in architecture. At times I felt positively optimistic about the future of the planet; the job is immersed in a world in which people try their hardest to raise sustainability to the top of the agenda. There are so many aspirations, but currently many obstructions and foils as well.
What more to ask for than being involved with all of this on a daily basis? I am grateful to have had such an interesting and thought-provoking opportunity.'
Jo Leeder, MSc Advanced Sustainable Design, University of Edinburgh, 2010
Subscribe to Footprint by email and follow Hattie Hartman on twitter.
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Key Problem
The latency we are experiencing isn't applying the changes from the Distributor to the Subscribers (if we watch Replication Monitor it's latency is usually <1 second), it is the time that a transaction committed to the publisher database takes to get to the distributor.
Part of the issue is that we have several filters applied to one of our most volatile tables, and on every update/insert/delete LogReader.exe needs to check which publication to put that record in based on any filters applied.
From tests we've done it seems that each additional filter that is applied it can exponentially increase the time that the LogReader takes to process each transaction.
(edit 23/06/2011: added more detail about the filters)
In our setup of Replication we have several publication with filters on a highly volatile table (average of 1.5million transactions in a 2hr period). During heavy periods this can result in the LogReader running at a latency of 20 seconds (usually < 1 second)
We have identified several areas of improvement (reducing number of filters, reducing number of updates, farming out the processing etc..), one potential area of improvement is changing how the updates are applied.
An example table (to aid explanation)
myID int
myGroupID1 int
myGroupID2 int
Suspended bit
FilterFlag1 int
FilterFlag2 int
FilterFlag3 int
For replication to illustrate this we would have 5 publications of [myTable]:
Publication Filter
----------- ------
NoFilter1 [all records]*
NoFilter2 [all records]*
Filter1 FilterFlag1 = 1
Filter2 FilterFlag2 = 1
Filter3 FilterFlag1 = 1 AND FilterFlag2 = 1
- Other tables are combined into these publications which is why the same table with identical filters (none) are in more than one publication.
Current update process
The majority of applications that update this table do so by looping through their collection of objects, applying the change to that single object then committing their change to the database before moving onto the next object.
From a DB trace perspective this means we get up to 120 update statements when the change occurs
update [myTable] set Suspended = @Suspended
where myID = @pID
Proposed update process
As the object collections are actually based around the group ID's, one potential improvement is to do a bulk update (rather than individual updates) and then refresh the object collection. Reducing the number of update statements to 1 or 2 (depending on the business scenarios).
update [myTable] set Suspended = @Suspended
where myGroupID1 = @groupID1
and myGroupID1 = @groupID2
Impact on LogReader?
From an app processing perspective doing a single update makes sense to me (fewer round trips between the app and the database = quicker), however I'm not sure how the LogReader will treat both scenarios, as it needs to process each record updated by the transaction..
Will the LogReader process those records faster or slower on a bulk update?


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Unfortunately, the rank and file is very unhappy. There is remarkable discontent, and considerable anger, among the lesser physicians. That is, the test takers, the physicians in practice subject to the new rules, the ones who have to add one more rule, one more activity, one more form, one more check to their already busy lives.There's plenty more.
That discontent, that anger, that frustration on the part of practicing physicians is, in my opinion, very rational. It's a tough time in medicine. Our regulatory burden grows by leaps and bounds every year. We are watched and harassed, by CMS, by JCAHO, by our state medical boards, by our insurers, by our hospital staff offices and now, most painfully, by our own specialties.
Of course, all of it comes in the context of falling reimbursements, a federal government licking its lips for any spurious allegation of fraud and a system in which EMTALA forces physicians of all specialties to see patients for free, even as government insurance programs pay less than the over-head to see their patients (and fulfill the regulatory guidelines required for the privilege of doing so).
In light of all of this, I have to ask ABEM and every other board certifying body, a simple question:
"What are you people thinking?"
Here's the reality. Our certifying bodies should be our greatest, most passionate advocates. When the Institute of Medicine issued a report some years ago that said physicians were killing people on a scale consistent with the holocaust, ABEM should have looked at the data and refuted it. ABEM, and ABIM and all the others should have taken our fees, run out and found the best PR firm they could afford. "We stand by our physicians and we have serious questions with these research results and the way they are being interpreted." That would have been a good use of my dues. That would have merited high salaries for everyone in every board that stepped up for its members.
Instead, at every step, ABEM seems to argue that "the public" wants us to be watched more closely and tested more frequently. Except, I'm not confident that's true. The public never cares where you went to medical school. The public thinks most emergency physicians are interns hoping for a "real practice" someday. The public wants affordable, quality care. The public, in practical terms, doesn't know the difference between a physician, a PA and a nurse practitioner, and often calls all of them "doctor." The public, furthermore, tends to believe that mid-level providers are more attentive to their needs. (Despite their lack of board certification; shocking indeed!)
Go now. Read the whole thing.
From my archives on the same subject:
1) Posers
2) Alphabet Soup
3) BoxTop Board Certification
4) Board Certification - Pay to Play?
5) The Cost of Our Medical Licensure Complex


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By NICK PERRY and MARK BAKER Associated Press
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) — At least 49 people were killed in mass shootings at two mosques full of worshippers attending Friday prayers in an attack broadcast in horrifying, live video by an immigrant-hating white supremacist wielding at least two assault rifles and a shotgun.
One man was arrested and charged with murder, and two other armed suspects were taken into custody while police tried to determine what role they played.
"It is clear that this can now only be described as a terrorist attack," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said, noting that many of the victims could be migrants or refugees.
She pronounced it "one of New Zealand's darkest days."
The cold-blooded attack shocked people across the nation of 5 million people, a country that has relatively loose gun laws but few gun homicides and is so peaceful police officers rarely carry firearms. New Zealand is also generally considered to be welcoming to migrants and refugees.
The gunman behind at least one of the mosque shootings left a 74-page manifesto that he posted on social media under the name Brenton Tarrant, identifying himself as a 28-year-old Australian and white nationalist who was out to avenge attacks in Europe perpetrated by Muslims.
Tarrant is expected in court Saturday morning.
Using what may have been a helmet camera, he livestreamed to the world in graphic detail his rampage at Christchurch's Al Noor Mosque, where at least 41 people were killed as he sprayed them with bullets over and over, sometimes firing at victims he had already cut down. Several more worshippers were killed in an attack on a second mosque in the city a short time later.
According to the AP, Ardern said Tarrant had legally acquired five of the guns used in the attack. New Zealand's gun laws permit private firearm ownership, but carve out a special, more restricted class of "military style semi-automatic" weapons.
She vowed the country's gun laws would change in the wake of Friday's act of terrorism.
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, lamented that "these sacred places of worship were turned into scenes of evil killing" and said he had told Ardern the United States was with her country. He disputed, however, that white nationalism was a rising threat worldwide.
"I think it is a small group of people that have very, very serious problems," he said. "I guess if you look at what happened in New Zealand, perhaps that is the case. I don't know enough about it yet, they are just learning about the person and the people involved. But it is certainly a terrible thing, terrible thing."
At least 48 people were wounded, some critically, authorities said.
Police did not immediately say whether the same person was responsible for both shootings. They did not identify those taken into custody and gave no details about them except to say that none had been on any watch list.
While there was no reason to believe there were any more suspects, the prime minister said the national threat level was raised from low to high. Police warned Muslims against going to a mosque anywhere in New Zealand. And Air New Zealand canceled several flights in and out of Christchurch.
Police said the investigation extended 360 kilometers (240 miles) to the south, where homes in Dunedin were evacuated around a "location of interest." They gave no details.
World leaders condemned the attacks and offered condolences. Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan and other Islamic leaders pointed to the bloodshed and other such attacks as evidence of rising hostility toward Muslims.
"I blame these increasing terror attacks on the current Islamophobia post-9/11 where Islam & 1.3 bn Muslims have collectively been blamed for any act of terror by a Muslim," Khan tweeted.
New Zealand's prime minister said that immigrants and refugees "have chosen to make New Zealand their home, and it is their home. They are us." As for the suspects, Ardern said, they harbor "extremist views that have absolutely no place in New Zealand."
Witness Len Peneha said he saw a man dressed in black and wearing a helmet with some kind of device on top enter the Al Noor mosque and then heard dozens of shots, followed by people running out in terror.
Peneha, who lives next door, said the gunman ran out of the mosque, dropped what appeared to be a semi-automatic weapon in his driveway and fled. Peneha then went into the mosque to help the victims.
"I saw dead people everywhere. There were three in the hallway, at the door leading into the mosque, and people inside the mosque," he said. "I don't understand how anyone could do this to these people, to anyone. It's ridiculous."
In the video that was livestreamed, the killer spends more than two minutes inside the mosque spraying terrified worshippers with gunfire. He then walks outside, where he shoots at people on the sidewalk. Children's screams can be heard in the distance as he returns to his car to get another rifle. He walks back into the mosque, where there are at least two dozen people lying on the ground.
After going back outside and shooting a woman there, he gets back in his car, where the song "Fire" by the English rock band The Crazy World of Arthur Brown can be heard blasting. The singer bellows, "I am the god of hellfire!" and the gunman drives off.
The second attack took place at the Linwood mosque about 5 kilometers (3 miles) away.
Mark Nichols told the New Zealand Herald that he heard about five gunshots and that a worshipper returned fire with a rifle or shotgun.
Based on the video, the attacker was at the scene of the first mosque for about 10 minutes, and police did not arrive until after that.
The footage showed he was carrying a shotgun and two fully automatic military assault rifles, with an extra magazine taped to one of the weapons so that he could reload quickly. He also had more assault weapons in the trunk of his car, along with what appeared to be explosives.
The gunman said he was not a member of any organization, acted alone and chose New Zealand to show that even the most remote parts of the world are not free of "mass immigration."
Last year, New Zealand's prime minister announced that the country would boost its annual refugee quota from 1,000 to 1,500 in 2020. Ardern, whose party campaigned on a promise to take in more refugees, called it "the right thing to do."
Christchurch is home to nearly 400,000 people and is sometimes called the Garden City. It has been rebuilding since an earthquake in 2011 killed 185 people and destroyed many downtown buildings.
Before Friday's attack, New Zealand's deadliest shooting in modern history took place in 1990 in the small town of Aramoana, where a gunman killed 13 people following a dispute with a neighbor.
Perry reported from Wellington. Associated Press writers Kristen Gelineau in Sydney, Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia, and Chris Blake in Bangkok contributed to this report.
Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.


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I started learning Java with The OU and really enjoying it but the assessments are driving me absolutely mad. I'm not considering myself an idiot but some of my brain cells are obviously not functioning properly because I constantly get stuck on the questions, which supposed to be easy...
Here's my problem:
I've been asked to write a method allowing replacement of all occurrences of old string within the source string with the new string (my args). I'm only allowed to use protocol from the StringBuilder class. My method works in the way that it finds the occurrences of the old string (using the required method indexOf(Str, int) within the for loop) but it doesn't replace any (using either combination of delete/insert or replace) and it throws index out of bounds exception at me. Reading through the StringBuilder API didn't make me any smarter and I've wasted lots of hours running around in circles.
My question is: how can I convince the StringBuilder object (source string converted to StringBuilder object) to replace old string with the new one?
Any hints please? I don't expect anyone to write the code for me just would like to know what I'm doing wrong.
Many Thanks,


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Boston, Mass. – Early-life seizures are known to be associated with autism, and studies indicate that about 40 percent of patients with autism also have epilepsy. A study from Boston Children's Hospital finds a reason for the link, and suggests that an existing drug, already shown to be safe in children, could help prevent autism from developing in newborns who have seizures. Findings were published May 2 in the online journal PLoS ONE.
Led by Frances Jensen, MD, in the Department of Neurology and the F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center at Boston Children's Hospital, the study suggests that seizures over-activate a biochemical pathway previously linked to autism, known as the mTOR pathway, and that this alters the fast-forming circuitry in infants' developing brains.
In a rat model, Jensen and colleagues showed that early seizures not only resulted in epilepsy later in life, but also produced autistic-like behavior. They further showed that disabling the mTOR pathway – by giving the drug rapamycin before and after seizures – prevented development of abnormal patterns of connections (synapses) between brain cells, reduced later-life seizures and eased autistic-like symptoms.
"In children, there is overlap between epilepsy and autism, and epilepsy early in life has been linked to later autism," says Jensen of Boston Children's Hospital. "Our findings show one of probably many pathways that are involved in this overlap – importantly, one that is already a therapeutic target and where treatment can reverse the later outcome."
Specifically, the study demonstrated that a group of signaling molecules known collectively as the mTOR pathway shows increased activation after a seizure. This increased signaling – above and beyond the surge that normally occurs early in life – disrupted the normal balance of synapse and circuit development to produce epilepsy and altered social behavior. Rapamycin treatment inhibited mTOR signaling, reducing susceptibility to seizures and preventing seizure-induced changes in the synapses.
The study uncovers a new link whereby epilepsy and autism may interact in early development. Last December, Jensen and colleagues published a related study finding that seizures exaggerated excitation and synaptic strengthening too soon in a rat model, causing synapses to lose their plasticity — their ability to reconfigure in response to input from the outside world. When they gave the rats a drug called NBQX, which blocks receptors associated with excitation, these problems were reversed.
The mTOR pathway is already known to be over-active in tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) a genetic disorder treated at Boston Children's that often includes epilepsy and autism. The hospital is currently conducting a clinical trial of rapamycin in children with TSC.
"Our study suggests that even without tuberous sclerosis, seizures are inducing the mTOR pathway, and might on their own be contributing to the development of autism," says Jensen. "It appears that blocking the mTOR pathway briefly after the initial seizures may reduce the risk of later epilepsy and autism. This research also suggests that the fields of epilepsy and autism may inform each other about new treatment targets."
For further background, see this feature published last year in Nature Medicine.
Delia Talos, PhD, Hongyu Sun, MD, PhD, and Xiangping Zhou, MD, PhD, all of the Department of Neurology and Division of Neuroscience at Boston Children's Hospital,shared first authorship on the paper. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance, the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Meghan Weber
[email protected]
Boston Children's Hospital is home to the world's largest research enterprise based at a pediatric medical center, where its discoveries have benefited both children and adults since 1869. More than 1,100 scientists, including nine members of the National Academy of Sciences, 11 members of the Institute of Medicine and nine members of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute comprise Boston Children's research community. Founded as a 20-bed hospital for children, Boston Children's today is a 395 bed comprehensive center for pediatric and adolescent health care grounded in the values of excellence in patient care and sensitivity to the complex needs and diversity of children and families. Boston Children's also is the primary pediatric teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. For more information about research and clinical innovation at Boston Children's, visit: http://vectorblog.org.


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The main legal provisions that guide the FSB governance are: Law No. 11,887 of 2008; Presidential Decrees No. 7,055 of 2009 and No. 7,113 of 2010; Resolutions of the Deliberative Council of the FSB (Conselho Deliberativo do FSB - CDFSB), specially its Internal Regulations approved by Resolution No. 1 of 2010; and the Investment Policy, approved by Resolution No. 11 of 2013.
Strategic decisions are taken by the CDFSB, established by Presidential Decree No. 7,113, of 2010. This Board is composed of: the Minister of Finance, who presides it; the Minister of the Planning, Budget and Management; and the Governor of the Central Bank of Brazil.
Resolution No. 11, of 2013, instituted two chambers in the FSB governance structure: the FSB Technical Advisory Chamber (Câmara Consultiva Técnica - CCT), in compliance with article 6 of Presidential Decree No. 7,113, of 2010; and the Investment Planning Chamber (Câmara de Planejamento de Investimentos - CPLIN), which aim to guide the decision making process regarding the powers described in article 2, II, of Presidential Decree No. 7,055, of 2009. In general, CCT's tasks are to assist, to discuss and to propose resolutions to the CDFSB, while CPLIN's task is to discuss the operational and tactical aspects related to the FSB Investment Policy implementation, as well as other CDFSB determinations.
The National Treasury is responsible for implementing the decisions and determinations issued by the CDFSB and for the FSB management. Pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 7,055 of 2009, the National Treasury's tasks are to operate, to perform acts that are related to FSB objectives, and to exercise the rights of the FSB assets and rights. Moreover, National Treasury plays the role of the CDFSB's Executive Secretariat and performs activities related to monitoring the management of the Fiscal Fund of Investment and Stabilization (Fundo Fiscal de Investimentos e Estabilização – FFIE).
Within the National Treasury, the activities regarding the tasks of the FSB management and CDFSB Executive Secretariat are under the responsibility of the Under Secretariat of Planning and Fiscal Statistics, implemented trough the Fundo Soberano do Brasil Department (Coordenação-Geral de Gestão do Fundo Soberano do Brasil – COFSB) under Presidential Decree No. 7,482, of 2011, and National Treasury's Internal Regulations.
Roles and Responsibilities
The Presidential Decree No. 7113, of 2010, established the Deliberative Council of the FSB (CDFSB), with the following powers (article 3):
1. Regulating and ordering investments and withdrawals of the Sovereign Fund of Brazil;
2. Safeguarding the resources mentioned in Law No. 11,887, of 2008, seeking their investment risk and return adequacy;
3. Approving projects of national strategic interest, referred to in the Law No. 11,887, of 2008, article 1, meeting the best governance practices, subject to the item III of the article 3 regulation, from Law No. 11,887 of 2008;
4. Authorizing investment of resources in the objectives referred in Law No. 11,887 of 2008, article 2;
5. Setting the asset exposure limits by asset classes, operating agents, borrowers and maturities;
6. Approving return targets for each FSB asset class;
7. Elaborating the FSB annual budget, as provided in the regulation of article 3, item II of Law No. 11.887, of 2008;
8. Approving the hiring of operating agents, mentioned in Law No. 11,887, of 2008, article 6 paragraph 2;
9. Preparing technical report demonstrating the relevance of FSB's withdrawals , pursuant to Law No. 11,887, of 2008, article 5 paragraph 1;
10. Approving the Management Report and the Financial Statements of the FSB;
11. Approving, unanimously, the CDFSB Bylaws.
The CDFSB Resolution No. 11, of 2013, established the Technical Advisory Chamber (CCT) in accordance to Presidential Decree No. 7,113, of 2010, article 6, and the Investment Planning Chamber (CPLIN). The chambers have the following responsibilities:
"Article 1 The Technical Advisory Chamber (CCT) is established with the purpose of advise, discuss and propose CDFSB relevant resolutions, in accordance with the Presidential Decree 7,113, of 2010, article 6.
Paragraph 1 CCT will be composed of a National Treasury representative, from the Ministry of Finance, who will preside it, a Brazilian Central Bank representative and a Ministry of Planning, Budget and Management representative.
Paragraph 2 CCT's attributions are:
I – Previously analyzing the Investment Policy proposal and its revisions, to be submitted by NATIONAL TREASURY to the CDFSB;
II - Previously manifest about the investment proposals, which will be forwarded by National Treasury to the CDFSB;
III - Following the Investment Policy implementation, considering the Authority Policy, defined by the CDFSB;
IV - Monitoring overall risk exposure, the mitigation policies adequacy, as well as suggesting adjustments in the effective portfolios composition, if necessary;
V - Previously express about the Management Report draft, to be submitted by National Treasury to the CDFSB;
VI – Manifesting about the FSB proposal for next year's budget, sent by the National Treasury, as well as its revisions;
VII – Manifesting about the technical report draft submitted by the National Treasury, which demonstrates the relevance of FSB resources withdrawals, in keeping with the current macroeconomic view, pursuant to Law No. 11.887, of 2008, article 5; and
VIII - To pronounce itself previously on other decisions of the CDFSB.
Paragraph 3 It is National Treasury's responsibility, as the CDFSB Executive-Secretariat, to organize the CCT meeting's agenda, elaborate and file its minutes, and promote the material means to make it possible."
"Article 2 The Investment Planning Chamber (CPLIN) is established with the purpose to assist the CDFSB and the Minister of Finance in subjects related to the FSB operations, in accordance to the Presidential Decree 7,055, of 2009, article 2 item II.
Paragraph 1 CPLIN will be composed of the National Treasury's Under Secretary for Planning and Fiscal Statistics who will preside it, the Head, the Deputy Head and the managers of the Fundo Soberano do Brasil Department (Coordenação-Geral de Gestão do Fundo Soberano do Brasil – COFSB).
Paragraph 2 CPLIN's attributions are:
I- Prepare and submit FSB's investment proposals to the CDFSB, previously examined by the CCT, subject to the guidelines and limits established by the CDFSB;
II- Monitor the evolution of the country's economic cycle and assess the need to adjust the FSB investment strategy;
III- Monitor the results of FSB investments, discussing and filing the main determinants of the observed performance, the predicted scenarios relative to real developments, as well as the returns changes and portfolio risks relative to the benchmark defined by the CDFSB;
IV- Implement adjustments to the FSB investment proposals, following guidelines defined in the Authority Policy;
V- Prepare and submit the draft of the FSB proposal for next year's budget, as well as its amendments; and,
VI- Report to the CCT the performed transactions and other acts regarding the FSB management.
Article 3 The FSB Investment Policy is hereby approved, in the form of Annex I of this Resolution.
Article 4 The FSB Authority Policy is hereby approved, with three decision making levels to the FSB operations:
I- Strategic: responsibility of the CDFSB, in order to approve the investments general guidelines, as well as other FSB strategic guidelines;
II- Executive: responsibility of the CCT, which aims to ensure the alignment of the National Treasury implemented strategy to the CDFSB guidelines; and
III- Operating: level assigned to the National Treasury, as the FSB manager, in order to implement the Investments Policy approved by the CDFSB, as well as their other determinations.
Sole Paragraph. The qualitative and quantitative aspects of the Jurisdiction Policy, to be assigned to each level, will be approved by the CDFSB."
National Treasury
Presidential Decree No. 7,055 of 2009 provides:
"Article 2 It is the Ministry of Finance's National Treasury Secretariat responsibility to:
I- Perform operations and acts that are related to the FSB purposes and to exercise the inherent rights attached to FSB goods and integral rights, it may acquire and dispose FSB bonds, subject to legal and statuary provisions of the CDFSB determinations; and
II- Assist the Minister of Finance and the CDFSB on matters related to the FSB operations, providing all information requested.
Sole Paragraph National Treasury Secretariat must always act in the exclusive benefit of the nation, employing the diligence requested by circumstances in defense of their rights, and performing the necessary acts to assure them, as well as managing judiciously the FSB resources.
Article 7: The FSB financial statements will be released every six months and shall contain the following explanatory notes:
I- Assets Market Value;
II- Information on FSB expenses and administration fees and its average equity semester percentage; and
III- Information on expenses relating to its operation.
Article 8: The National Treasury Secretariat will elaborate every six months the FSB management report, which should include at least:
I- Description of operations performed in the semester, specifying their purposes, the amount of performed investments, revenues earned and the origin of resources, as well as the returns earned in the period;
II- Investment guidelines approved by CDFSB;
III- Information about:
a) Economic scenario of the financial market that the FSB operations are concentrated, related to the ended semester, and
b) Macroeconomic scenarios used for the following semester.
IV- Profitability of the last four semesters, and
V- The expenses debited to the FSB in each of the last two years, specifying amount and percentage compared to the average equity of each semester."


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When Should You Replace Old Hardware and Software?13 Nov, 2012 By: Robert Green
The cost of replacing outdated tools is substantial, and management often uses it as a reason to delay upgrades. But you're also paying a price by continuing to rely on those clunkers.
One conversation I have with many CAD managers — more than you'd think — goes like this:
"We run [fill in software name here] version [fill in the year] on seven-year-old computers, because my boss says everything works fine and he doesn't want to pay for anything newer. How can I convince my boss to update our tools?"
In this edition of the CAD Manager's Newsletter, I'll address this all-too-frequent problem from financial, staffing, and marketing perspectives by relating actual client stories and drawing conclusions as we go. Here goes.
Acknowledge the Objections
Because old software or hardware is still in use, senior managers often see no need to replace it — they think, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." The phrases I've heard management teams repeat over and over when defending the continuing use of old software and computers include:
- The old tool works fine.
- We've always done it the old way.
- New hardware costs lots of money.
- New software will require investing training time as well as money.
- New software requires customization.
- We're busy; we don't have time to implement updates.
- We don't want to pay upgrade fees.
My immediate response to all these objections might surprise you: Every one of them is right, to an extent. The thinking CAD manager will acknowledge that management has a point, and that it simply wants to limit spending in any way it can. However, if we never swapped out our old tools, we'd still be using pencils on drafting boards! So it's really not a question of if you should upgrade, but when.
You'll need to answer the inevitable management questions, "How old is too old?" and "How do we know when to change to the newer version?" with some degree of authority. To do so, you'll have to spend some time evaluating your own company's circumstances. You can also use the following real-life examples to illustrate that sometimes, choices that seem like they save money really don't.
Dangers of the Do-Nothing Approach
For the sake of argument, let's say that your company decides to change nothing, and continues to use the old software or hardware forever. What would happen? Here are some consequences that I've encountered in the field:
No hardware safety net. I once visited a manufacturing firm that used some mid-1990s CNC software on their shop floor. Upon opening the hardware rack to examine the tool interface, I witnessed a Gateway 2000 486DX/33 computer driving the tool via a 16-bit RS-232 serial interface. Now there are people reading this newsletter who have no clue what I'm talking about, but let me assure you that this computer was at least 19 years old.
My question to the CAD manager was, "What's your plan for when that machine or serial interface stops working?" and the reply was, "We'll deal with that when it happens." The CAD manager fully understood the gravity of the problem, but felt powerless to do anything about it because he'd been told "no spending" for years. I told him, point-blank, "When this machine fails, management is going to blame you." At that point we developed a strategy for reporting on the risk of the situation, and senior management began studying the possibility of replacing equipment based on risk management. We also decided that buying a similar vintage machine off eBay for $100 would be good insurance in the short term.
Lesson learned: Hardware will eventually fail, whether you are prepared for it or not, and the CAD manager will take the blame when it happens.
Questions to consider: How much will it cost your company when your antiquated hardware systems fail? Even if you can afford the cost of a rushed replacement, can you afford the project delays and employee downtime that will result from the failure?
Peripheral problems. I have a customer that has modern CAD tools, very progressive management processes, and a well-trained workforce, yet persists in running two 15-year-old plotters in one of its departments. Every time any software or network updates are implemented, these peripherals become a problem, and a mad dash to find updated drivers ensues. Much like the hardware failure scenario above, one has to ask the question, "Why do we depend on outdated devices that cost us time and divert attention away from our projects?"
Lesson learned: Sometimes other system tools receive upgrades while peripherals are ignored — and conflict is always the result.
Questions to consider: What will happen when you can't plot? Or print?
Operating system failure. At some point — and you never know when — some sort of system update or service pack may cause your old software to simply stop working. For example, I have to maintain an old computer/compiler for some legacy software I develop for a specific client. For that purpose, I have a dedicated 32-bit Windows machine with old versions of Visual Studio and Autodesk development tools on it. One day, an automatic Windows patch installed itself on that machine — and rendered the compiler environment unbootable! Fortunately, I had prepared a boot disk for the machine and could roll the installation of the patch backward to restore the machine without a complete rebuild.
Lesson learned: At some point, Microsoft no longer cares if your old CAD software still works! Backup disks are worth their weight in gold.
Questions to consider: Are you prepared for operating system problems? Do you have the required backups? Are you sure you can recover?
Indirect IT problems. When your CAD users continue using really old software, you may have to keep them on old 32-bit operating systems, which can compromise your ability to run other software applications. Over the past few years, I've encountered everything from AutoCAD R14 on Windows NT 3.51 to AutoCAD 2000 on Windows 98.
In cases where these old operating systems are left in place to support old CAD software, everything from modern e-mail systems to web-enabled tools to SQL database tools are no longer supported. These antiquated machines are now isolated and have to be "worked around" from an IT point of view, which means an inordinate amount of time is spent on older hardware.
Lesson learned: Old software requires old operating systems, which in turn may not support current IT tools.
Questions to consider: If you have to spend hours and hours supporting an old machine every year, are you really saving any money? How much IT money are you spending to keep old machines running?
Customer alienation. When customers start sending you files you can't open with your existing software, the really serious problems begin. You may be able to use utilities to save down from current versions to your old version, but sooner or later the kinks in your workflow become disruptive at best, and a technical show-stopper at worst. How will you handle it when you get a Revit file from a client and you only have AutoCAD 2006? What about when you get a SolidWorks file from a client and you only have AutoCAD 2008? How do you expect to cope when you get an AutoCAD Civil 3D project, but you only have an old v8 copy of Bentley MicroStation?
If you never share files with outside customers, then this scenario doesn't apply to you, but I see far too many companies that spend way too much time working around these types of problems.
Lesson learned: Even if time stands still at your workplace, it's still moving right along at your clients' companies.
Questions to consider: How can you deliver new work products to clients if you use only old tools? What will it cost you to work around these issues? Do outdated tools make your company seem old-fashioned, less competitive, or even incompetent?
Summing Up
The challenge now falls upon us all to estimate the financial risk our companies are taking when they choose to work with outdated computers, peripherals, operating systems, and CAD tools. By explaining the cost of doing nothing to your management, you may be able to persuade them to start doing something instead.


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Boy killed in stabbing at Spring High School; 1 charged with murder
4 victims, 3 persons of interest are all Spring ISD students
SPRING, Texas – One person was killed and three others injured after a stabbing Wednesday morning at Spring High School. Authorities say one lone suspect has been arrested in the case and is now charged with murder.
It happened around 7:10 a.m. at Spring High off I-45. Authorities said two school employees called police saying multiple people had been stabbed.
The soccer coach who dialed 911 stayed on the line with dispatchers until paramedics arrived, describing the tragic scene as school nurses and an athletic trainer gave CPR to the victim.
"We were told there was a fight. People started running. The next thing you know we had to get on the ground," the coach said on the call.
The coach then told police the victim was having trouble breathing. The coach told dispatchers three other students were in the nurse's office with stab wounds while this was all going on.
The sheriff's office confirmed that three people were injured and one person was killed during the incident that started with a physical confrontation involving a "cutting instrument."
One of the three students, a 16-year-old boy, was transported via LifeFlight to Memorial Hermann Texas Trauma Institute. He's listed in good condition.
Two other patients were transported via ambulance to Houston Northwest Medical Center with minor injuries. Of those two victims, one was transported to Memorial Hermann Texas Trauma Institute Wednesday afternoon in good condition.
The dad and aunt of 17-year-old Joshua Broussard confirmed to Local 2's Robert Arnold that the sophomore was killed in the stabbing.
"I went in, but I didn't want to go all the way to see him laying on the ground. That would have been too drastic," said Jason Broussard, Joshua's father.
Sources told Local 2 the trouble may have started on Tuesday, when Broussard elbowed another student's girlfriend.
According to investigators, just before the bell rang on Wednesday, someone allegedly bumped one of the victims as he walked through the cafeteria. A fistfight erupted and quickly turned deadly.
Investigators believe only one of the four suspects was armed with a knife and in just a few seconds he managed to stab all four victims. Authorities have not recovered the weapons used during the incident.
Investigators say school police responded in less than a minute, but by that time Broussard was already dead.
The Harris Co. Sheriff's Office said the sole suspect in the case is 17-year-old Luis Alonzo Alfaro. He has been charged with murder.
Deputies earlier took four persons of interest into custody to question them. Two of them -- a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old -- are now considered witnesses to a crime, according to investigators.
Detectives also took an adult relative of one of the suspects into custody after he refused to cooperate with investigators when they went to his house.
All of the victims and three of the persons of interests are students in Spring ISD, according to the Sheriff Garcia.
Sheriff Garcia said investigators were looking into suggestions that the stabbings were related to gang activity. However, deputies had not been called to the school about gang violence before Wednesday.
Broussard's family said the teen had nothing to do with gang relations.
"He wasn't a bad kid, he wasn't with no gangs or none of that. He was straight books and school," said Jason Broussard.
Jason Broussard also said his son was a true cowboy.
"He was in the rodeo, teen roping. (He) liked horses, cattle, anything to do with farming," said Jason Broussard.
Jason Broussard believes his son was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Robert Johnson, Joshua Broussard's grandfather, said all he wants is justice.
"I think they need to be caught and prosecuted," said Johnson.
A pastor for another of the young victims says he believes Wednesday's stabbing is more about senseless violence than gang activity.
"This was not gang violence, this was not gang violence. This was a lack of supervision and kids in a difficult situation were left uncovered and unprotected," said Pastor E.A. Deckard with the Greenhouse International Church.
When Local 2 Investigates tried to speak with Spring ISD Police Chief Victor Mitchell about gang activity on the campus...
"We'll I'm not sure of the gang activity on our campus, but one of the things we've done to make sure we don't have gang activity on our campus is we've implemented a gang task force to deter activity," Chief Mitchell said.
However, state records examined by Local 2, the latest numbers available, show during the 2011-12 school year for the entire Spring Independent School District there were 15 incidents of gang related school violence. Five prohibited weapons were confiscated, along with 1,250 fights reported and 45 non-illegal knives found.
School under lockdown for hours as parents worry
The school was placed under lock down shortly after the stabbing was reported.
"We want to ensure parents that we're going to do all we can to deter unwanted activity and make sure that this doesn't happen again," Spring ISD Chief of Police Victor Mitchell said.
Spring ISD Superintendent Dr. Ralph Draper said during the news conference that the school first took care of security measures, then protected the integrity of the investigation before communicating with parents over what happened at the school.
Dr. Draper asked everyone to keep the families of the victims and the families of all the students at Spring ISD in their thoughts and prayers.
Students were expected to be released at 10 a.m. but that was delayed. Just after 1 p.m., students were released.
According to Spring ISD officials, Spring High School will be closed on Thursday and Friday. Students will report back to school on Monday. Friday night's football game has also been canceled.
Spring High School sent out the following email to parents at 10:03 a.m.:
"This is an important message from Spring High School. Based on a preliminary report, a fight occurred this morning in the cafeteria. There has been one fatality and three students have been transported to hospitals with injuries. All other students are safe in their classrooms and will remain there while the investigation continues. Students will be released as soon as we have been given permission from the investigating authorities. We will call you again as soon as we have more details."
Parents and other families lined up along Cypresswood Road waiting to be reunited with their kids. Just prior to the students being released, a group of parents gathered together, held hands and formed a prayer group.
One parent we interviewed live on Local 2 spoke with his son on the phone inside the school. The student told him he was safe and watching the news coverage on TV.
Another parent told Local 2, "I have two daughters here....My daughter had text me to let me know that the stabbing is going on. But I have yet to hear or get texts from anybody at Spring letting me know that this event took place."
The grandmother of a 12th grader and an 11th grader at the school was told by the students that the principal put them back inside the classroom.
"He said that a big fight broke out. And that's all he knows. A big fight broke out and several people got stabbed and cut," she told us.
"When we do re-open the school, we will have a high level of security on campus," said Dr. Draper.
Crisis counselors will be available to assist students and additional security will be on campus as needed.
A vigil is planned for Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at the Spring Baptist Church, located at 1027 Spring Cypress Road.
Officials are setting up a phone line for parents to call with questions for the school. It will be available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. The information phone number is (281) 891-6575.
Anyone with information about those involved with the stabbing, what weapons were used or where the weapons are should call the Harris County Sheriff's Office at 713-967-5810 or the Crime Stopper tip line at 713-222-TIPS.
Copyright 2013 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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And the Aussie one is expected tomorrow.
I assume the funny names in parentheses are their domestic teams.
Graeme Smith (Nashua Cape Cobras, capt), Johan Botha (Chevrolet Warriors, vice-capt), Yusuf Abdulla (Nashua Dolphins), Mark Boucher (Chevrolet Warriors), AB de Villiers (Nashua Titans), JP Duminy (Nashua Cape Cobras), Herschelle Gibbs (Nashua Cape Cobras), Jacques Kallis (Chevrolet Warriors), Albie Morkel (Nashua Titans), Morne Morkel (Nashua Titans), Justin Ontong (Nashua Cape Cobras), Wayne Parnell (Chevrolet Warriors), Robbie Peterson (Nashua Cape Cobras), Dale Steyn (Nashua Titans), Roelof van der Merwe (Nashua Titans).
I'm surprised that Morne Morkel got picked and they've retained faith in Smith despite his abject form and Abdulla is probably selected on the back of his IPL heroics.


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Amuse Society
Day Trip Denim Jacket
She's a day tripper. The Day Trip Jacket is a rigid denim jacket with allover star embroidery and elastic at back waist.
*100% Cotton
*Turn garment inside out before hand wash cold
*Hang dry
Measurements for Small:
Bust: 41"
Body Length: 20 1/4"
Orders placed before 11am will typically ship the same day. Orders placed after 11am will be shipped the next business day. Excludes weekends and public holidays.
Shipping within Australia
Over $150 - Australia Post Express Shipping FREE
Over $100 - Australia Post Standard Shipping FREE
Under $100 - Australia Post Standard Shipping $10
Under $150 - Australia Post Express Shipping $15
Delivery is expected between 2-5 business days for Express Shipping or 3-10 business days for Standard Shipping.
*Please note: we are located outside of Australia Post's Next Day Delivery Network so we are unable to guarantee next day delivery on Express Post orders.
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Over $200AUD - International Standard Shipping - FREE
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All Orders - DHL Australia Post International Express - $40AUD
Delivery is expected between 3-10 business days or 2-5 business days if you select our Express option.
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Over $250AUD - Australia Post International Air Mail - FREE
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Delivery is expected between 5-14 business days or 3-7 business days if you select our Express option (shipping may take longer to some countries).
From 17th January 2020, all items are FINAL SALE under our closing down sale and cannot be returned for a refund, exchange or store credit.
We want you to be completely satisfied with your online purchase. If you change your mind for any reason, we'll gladly accept a return of any full priced or sale item within 30 days of your order date. All items must be returned in original condition, unworn, unaltered, unwashed and with their tags attached.
View full returns policy here.


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The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is an organization established in 1866 by Henry Bergh, who believed animals were "entitled to kind and respectful treatment at the hands of humans, and must be protected under the law." The ASPCA was the first humane society established in North America and is now one of the largest in the world. ASPCA is privately funded and is a not-for-profit organization.
What's the difference between local SPCA centers and ASPCA? Many states and communities have local SPCA institutions, and although they share the goal of providing humane treatment to animals, the organizations are not necessarily interconnected. If you want to be involved in local animal rights issues, contact your local SPCA organization. If you wish to get involved on a national level, contact ASPCA.
What is the purpose of the ASPCA? Henry Bergh stated the organization's mission in 1866 when it was founded: "to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States." It was the first animal organization authorized to investigate crimes and make arrests for cruelty to animals. The organization and its members are dedicated to animal protection through non-violent means. Their three keys for accomplishing this goal include "caring for pet parents and pets, providing positive outcomes for at-risk animals and serving victims of animal cruelty."
What does the ASPCA do? The ASPCA is involved in community outreach, animal health services and the prevention of cruelty to animals. Community outreach experts include animal welfare professionals, veterinarians, animal behaviorists, dog trainers, animal care technicians, adoption specialists and humane educators. Animal health services include an animal poison control center, animal hospitals, spay and neuter clinics, grief counseling and veterinary outreach. Anti-cruelty efforts involve field service, government relations and humane law enforcement.
How can you get involved in the ASPCA or a local SPCA center? ASPCA, as well as most local organizations, rely on private funding. Your donation can help the organization fund SPCA initiatives and establish animal treatment and animal parent educational centers. Other ways of participating include adopting a pet or volunteering at an animal shelter. Contact your local SPCA or ASPCA to discover more ways you can help animals receive humane treatment.


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Google recalled its HP Chromebook 11 power adapters for overheated (and reportedly melting) week, but has now released its newer, safer option.
Both Google and HP halted sales of the $269 laptop last month after first hearing reports, according to The Verge, but the official recall wasn't made public by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission until this week. Google will replace the power adapters free of charge.
The federal agency had nine reports of the Chromebook adapters overheating and melting while in use. However, one of the new features of the device was that it could be charged by any micro-USB cord from from most USB ports, so the adapter overheating was "unfortunate," according to 9to5Google.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
Google said that if affected only machines sold before Dec. 1, so the newer ones on the shelves or bought online will likely be OK. Still, the recall will hamper sales, especially since it happened so close to the busy holiday shopping season.


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Home › Classroom Resources › Calendar Activities
Calendar Activities See All Calendar Activities
Not your everyday calendar, here you can find important events in literary history, authors' birthdays, and a variety of holidays, all with related activities and resources that make them more relevant to students. View by day, by week, or by month.
May 8, 2020
Celebrate blues legend Robert Johnson's birthday.
Students learn about blues music and brainstorm subjects that might give them "the blues." Finally, they write their own blues lyrics and have the option to perform.
Grades 5 – 12
Types of Calendar Activities
Authors & Texts
Birthdays, publication dates, and more
Historical Figures & Events
Notable people and happenings in history
Holidays & School Celebrations
Special days and how to observe them
Literacy-Related Events
Celebrations that promote and encourage literacy


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Peace Salem and Shalom Party People!
I have made a painting of Jamiroquai and Jay singing on the Rock Dust Light Star World Tour. Caught the show at Birmingham, and danced all night. It was a great set up for a sexy night all round with my Wife
i have also done another here, but the orange themed one above is my own fave
http://www.flickr.com/photos/63634862@N ... otostream/
Peace and Love
Dean James


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Take action on the Downing Street Memo
UPDATE: Action is still needed so I'm moving this post to the top. Congressman John Conyers now has over 100,000 signatures and has set a goal of 250,000.
Dear Mr. President:Please add your name to Congressman John Conyers' letter to preznit bush.
We the undersigned write because of our concern regarding recent disclosures of a Downing Street Memo in the London Times, comprising the minutes of a meeting of Prime Minister Tony Blair and his top advisers. These minutes indicate that the United States and Great Britain agreed, by the summer of 2002, to attack Iraq, well before the invasion and before you even sought Congressional authority to engage in military action, and that U.S. officials were deliberately manipulating intelligence to justify the war.
Among other things, the British government document quotes a high-ranking British official as stating that by July, 2002, Bush had made up his mind to take military action. Yet, a month later, you stated you were still willing to "look at all options" and that there was "no timetable" for war. Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, flatly stated that "[t]he president has made no such determination that we should go to war with Iraq."
In addition, the origins of the false contention that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction remains a serious and lingering question about the lead up to the war. There is an ongoing debate about whether this was the result of a "massive intelligence failure," in other words a mistake, or the result of intentional and deliberate manipulation of intelligence to justify the case for war. The memo appears to resolve that debate as well, quoting the head of British intelligence as indicating that in the United States "the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy."
As a result of these concerns, we would ask that you respond to the following questions:
1)Do you or anyone in your administration dispute the accuracy of the leaked document?
2) Were arrangements being made, including the recruitment of allies, before you sought Congressional authorization to go to war? Did you or anyone in your Administration obtain Britain's commitment to invade prior to this time?
3) Was there an effort to create an ultimatum about weapons inspectors in order to help with the justification for the war as the minutes indicate?
4) At what point in time did you and Prime Minister Blair first agree it was necessary to invade Iraq?
5) Was there a coordinated effort with the U.S. intelligence community and/or British officials to "fix" the intelligence and facts around the policy as the leaked document states?
These are the same questions 89 Members of Congress, led by Rep. John Conyers, Jr., submitted to you on May 5, 2005. As citizens and taxpayers, we believe it is imperative that our people be able to trust our government and our commander in chief when you make representations and statements regarding our nation engaging in war. As a result, we would ask that you publicly respond to these questions as promptly as possible.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
Austin, TX 78701
Big Brass Alliance


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Program Accreditation
Chicago State University is a fully accredited, public, urban commuter and residence institution. Originally founded in 1867 as an experimental teacher training school, the institution has evolved into a multipurpose university committed to meeting the needs of the urban community.
The College of Education and the Department of Special Education, Early Childhood-Primary and Bilingual Education are approved and accredited by:
Accreditation includes full recognition of Bilingual Programs by Association of Childhood Education International (ACEI) for the Bilingual Program and full recognition of Early Childhood-Primary Programs by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).


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A Few of My Favorite 2012 Things
Dec 31, 2012 5:00 AM PT
As I look back on 2012, a number of products stand out as memorable. I figured I'd use my last column of the year to take a moment to recall each one and what made it special.
This is also the time I look back and pick my product of the year -- the one product that I just can't live without.
In no particular order:
The Chili Pad
For years I wondered why someone didn't use the technology that was used to cool astronauts and race drivers in consumer clothing and beds.
This is important to me, because my wife likes it warm and I like it cool at night, which used to mean either I was sleeping in a pool of my own sweat or she was bundled up like Nanook of the North.
Well the Chili Pad was what I asked for.
It circulates water as warm as 118 or as cold as 45 degrees for each side of a king or queen sized bed to ensure both parties have the temperature they need and there is no fight for the thermostat.
The Kindle Fire HD
I don't go anyplace without my Kindle Fire HD. This little tablet has been my constant companion when waiting for appointments and on long plane rides.
I read the Iron Druid Chronicles -- at least the current five books -- while I was traveling last week.
I can't tell you how great it is to get hooked on a series on a plane and then, when I have a WiFi signal, to get the rest of the books and keep going.
It's easy to use, and I even use it to shop on Amazon from time to time.
Nokia Lumia 920
I used a lot of phones throughout the year, but by far my favorite is the Nokia Lumia 920.
What really makes the difference for me is the quality of the camera -- currently the best in market on a phone. This is because it uses both high quality lenses and has active image stabilization.
I rarely use any of my real cameras anymore, and I rarely had them with me in the first place. This ability to take great pictures on the fly has helped me capture a number of moments I'd otherwise have missed.
Given Windows Phone 8 is similar to Windows 8, it is easy to use -- for me,anyway -- and very fast (one button) from pouch to picture.
Based on Qualcomm's Snapdragon technology, this phone is big -- but for me bigger has always been better, and it is also one of the most attractive phones I've ever used.
Lenovo ThinkPad X Series
Of all of the notebooks I used this year, the Lenovo ThinkPad X Series remains my favorite.
The reason is that it is well made, has the wonderful ThinkPad keyboard, wireless antennas that get signal when no one else is getting it, and a battery that will fast-charge to near 80 percent in 30 minutes.
Lenovo's high quality and focus on the laptop market has allowed it to grow by double digits and increase share at a time when its peers seem to be losing share.
A great screen, no issues, nice design, and fast recharge battery made this my favorite notebook this year. It's the best Intel-based mobile product I've used all year.
Microsoft Surface Tablet
Microsoft's Surface tablet is amazing.
It does most of what a notebook does, it is paper light, and it has an amazing battery life that appears to exceed 10 hours.
I've carried this on long trips and left my notebook at home, and while I miss having Outlook or a TiVo client to play back my TV shows, that 10-hour battery life and low weight trump these problems by a significant margin.
Who knew Microsoft, of all companies, could build a product this good? Based on Nvidia Tegra 3 technology, this product truly knocked my socks off.
Current Motor Performance Super Scooter
The Performance Super Scooter from Current Motor really impressed me this year. Suddenly I found I could almost live on an electric.
The extra performance of the Super Scooter -- which costs about 14 percent more -- makes all the difference in the world. It allowed me to buzz up and down the freeway at around 70 and not have someone trying to drive over me in the slow lane.
This scooter blends tablet and cloud technology so you can manage your charge, plan your trip, and electronically check on the bike to make sure it is charging when you are at work. There is a tendency for charging stations to go down leaving you at the end of the day with no power to drive home.
Kenwood eXcelon DNX9990HD Car Radio
I bought the Kenwood eXcelon DNX9990HD head unit to test out phone integration and installed it in my 2004 Jaguar XKR project car. It has worked almost flawlessly, and I've begun to use my phone as the wireless transfer vehicle for sound in the car.
Sound quality has been fantastic, screen and navigation near flawless, and fit and finish something I've been extremely pleased with for the last several months.
I researched this radio before I selected it, and it has proven to be better than I expected. It turned out to be a nice upgrade for the aging Alpine radio in the Jag.
Product of the Year: Nokia 920
At the end of the day, it really came down to three products that I couldn't live without: the Kindle Fire HD, the Microsoft Surface Tablet, and the Nokia 920. I sat them all on a table and tried to figure out if I could only take one, which would it be?
First because I can read, watch movies, and shop on all three devices, the product that was only used for these things -- the Kindle Fire -- dropped off the list.
I actually thought I was going to end up with the Surface tablet -- but it doesn't do phone calls, and I make a ton of phone calls.
While doing much productivity on the Nokia is painful, I can do it, which means of the three devices, if I could only take one, it would be the Nokia 920 -- so it is my product of the year.
It is actually the best-looking of the three. It is nearly as good a reader as the Kindle -- I use it on the rare occasions I've accidentally left the Kindle behind -- and it is still small enough to fit into a belt pouch.
Couple this with the amazing camera that it has, and the choice becomes all the more obvious. Nokia has built one heck of a phone.


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Twist & Try
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I'd like to see these techniques utilized to separate adult stem cells in order to determine if there is a bio-availability factor which can be isolated. dg
Sorting stem cells – American Institute of Physics
When an embryonic stem cell is in the first stage of its development it has the potential to grow into any type of cell in the body, a state scientists call undifferentiated. A team of researchers from Scotland has now demonstrated a way to easily distinguish undifferentiated embryonic stem cells from later-stage stem cells whose fate is sealed. The results are published in the American Institute of Physics' (AIP) journal Biomicrofluidics.
The researchers used an electric field to pull stem cells through a fluid in a process called dielectrophoresis. They varied the frequency of the voltage used to generate the electric field and studied how the cells moved, a response that was affected by the cell's electrical properties. The researchers found that differentiated stem cells could store a significantly greater charge on their outer membranes, a characteristic that might be used to effectively identify and separate them from undifferentiated cells. The researchers write that the wrinkling, folding, and thinning of a cell's membrane as it differentiates may explain why the later-stage cells can store more charge. The sorting method may prove useful in separating cells for biomedical research or ultimately for treatments of diseases such as Parkinson's.
Article: "Dielectrophoresis based discrimination of human embryonic stem cells from differentiating derivatives" is published in the journal Biomicrofluidics.
Link: http://bmf.aip.org/resource/1/biomgb/v6/i4/p044113_s1
Authors: Srinivas Velugotla (1), Steve Pells (2), Heidi K. Mjoseng (2), Cairnan R. E. Duffy (2), Stewart Smith (1), Paul De Sousa (2) and Ronald Pethig (1).
(1) Institute for Integrated Micro and Nano Systems, School of Engineering, The University of Edinburgh, Scotland (2) Centre for Regenerative Medicine, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, The University of Edinburgh, Scotland
via Sorting stem cells.
Related articles
- Adult Stem Cell Potential in Regenerative Medicine (repairstemcell.wordpress.com)
- Stem Cell Treatments for Multiple Sclerosis Sisters? (repairstemcell.wordpress.com)
- Spinal Injury Cell Treatments Misinformation (repairstemcell.wordpress.com)


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Fortuna Police Department press release:
On June 18th 2014 at approximately 6:00 PM, officers served a search warrant in the 1100 block of High Street in Fortuna. Upon entry into the residence, officer located a large scale commercial indoor marijuana growing operation. "With the exception of a small bedroom, the entire residence was being used to grow and process marijuana" said Sergeant Charles Ellebrecht. "The residence lacked a working bathroom, kitchen and the other necessities to be used as a residence". During the search of this residence, officer located more than 2,800 marijuana plants.
At about 6:15 PM, additional officers served an additional search warrant on a related property at 1484 9th Street in Fortuna. At the residence, officer located an additional commercial marijuana growing operation with both indoor and outdoor marijuana plants. At this residence, officers located more than 2,100 growing marijuana plants.
Due to major electrical and structural modifications, the City of Fortuna Building Inspectors responded and the High Street residence was determined to be unsafe and can no longer be occupied. Due to safety concerns, power service was also removed from both residences by Pacific Gas & Electric.
As a result of this investigation, officers arrested 54 year old Owen Donald Anderson of Fortuna and 54 year old Charles Eddie Horn of Fortuna. The two subjects were arrested on the following charges:
- Health & Safety Code 11366.5 (Operating a Drug House)Health & Safety Code 11358 (Cultivation of Marijuana)
- Health & Safety Code 11359 (Possession of Marijuana for Sale)


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I've only been here about 1 week or so and I didn't want to post pics because I didn't want people I know (like my bosses or coworkers etc.) to somehow come upon them one day and know my business. Then I just decided so what? It's MY business. I'm not doing anything wrong or anything I should be ashamed of. I post my picture because even though people shouldn't be superficial the fact is that physical attraction is very important to many people. I'm not going to lie, it's important to me too. That's usually the first impression you have of someone. She doesn't need to be gorgeous but I do need to see something in her that hooks me and pulls me in even if it's just a pair of voluptuous pouty lips or beautiful eyes I can get lost in.
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I agree with you totally. My searches have been made easier because I just automatically pass profiles with no pictures.
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Earlier last year, a Swiss architectural practice Lussi + Halter Partner AG have completed this 618-square-meters semi-detached residence located near the city of Lucerne. Overlooking the picturesque Lake Lucerne and set among lush woodland area surrounded by oak, birch, chestnut and evergreen trees, the two-storey house features a dark grey concrete façade and an overhang while 'continuous glass facade on the ground floor makes it possible for the inhabitants to enjoy a direct connection with their surroundings'.
More about the project:
'This unique semi-detached house is located in the community of Kastanienbaum ("Chestnut Tree"), not far from the City of Lucerne and on the shores of Lake Lucerne. In fact, the property abuts the lake at a woodland area mixed with oak, birch, chestnut and evergreen trees. Imagine the feeling of a stroll in the forest with its atmospheric interplay of light penetrating dense shadows, all leading to a flowering meadow; the goal of retaining this feeling played a major role from the project's very conception.
'The new construction is being located in this picturesque landscape in such a way that only a minimum of the existing terrain is being taken for the actual building. From a concrete deck, a ramp ushers you to the building where a concrete overhang defines the veranda area; from there, a wide stairway leads into the forest. The new exterior space attempts to preserve the existing atmosphere and is covered with a thick grove of birch and cherry trees as well as hedges. The strong presence of the landscape reinforces the perception of living in nature.'
'Due to the building's seemingly floating envelope, it virtually merges into the environment and thereby creates a clearly identifiable dual-purpose space: depending on how the wooden roller shutters are adjusted, the terrace becomes part of the interior or outdoor space. In this way, the open car port is able to become an enclosed garage.'
to the Lussi + Halter Partner AG website
discover more architectural projects realised in Switzerland on Architonic


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Nestled in a cluster of casita-style bungalows, with spectacular views of Camelback Mountain, Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Spa is a well kept desert secret that offers unique dining, serene relaxation and art-inspired accommodations. Let us enhance your stay at this newly opened getaway with our exclusive benefits, like $100 resort credit to perhaps spend on a special spa treatment or an early check-in and late check-out to enjoy every last second of this ideal desert retreat.
Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Spa's 201 bungalow-style guestrooms and suites, inspired by mid-century artists and architects, offer an intimate desert oasis that'll have you completely relaxed and revitalized by the end of your stay. Each guest room is surrounded in beauty — decorated with eclectic works from local artists on the inside, and surrounded by Scottsdale's sweeping mountain vistas on the outside. The hotel's two restaurants — offering locally sourced fare and craft cocktails — and luxurious spa, provide you with the perfect blend of relaxation and entertainment. Plus, the resort is just minutes away from Scottsdale's downtown. Call us today and we'll provide you with a list of our favorite local attractions and hot spots!


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Tell about USAN to other Azerbaijani-Americans - recommend us to your friends and family. USAN is a grassroots network and completely and fully relies on Azerbaijani- American grassroots for everything. Without you, there is no USAN. There more there are of you - the stronger USAN gets.
Quick bookmark USAN to:
Del.icio.us. Or you can bookmark USAN to a hundred social websites and blogs:
1) Black January commemoration
2) Op-ed on Sen. Obama's stance
3) The Caucasus: Frozen Conflicts and Closed Borders
4) Protest Travel Guide mistakes over NK and other Azerbaijani territories
5) Con. Michael McNulty (D-NY) Nagorno-Karabakh statement outrage
6) Vote 2008
7) USAN Conference
8) Thanking Congressman Ortiz and Congresswoman Foxx for Khojaly Massacre commemoration on February 25, 2008
9) Thanking Congressman Pete Sessions (R-TX) and Congresswoman Thelma Drake (R-VA) for joining the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus (CAC) in February 2008
10) Press Release: Azerbaijani-Americans commemorate the 16th anniversary of the Khojaly Massacre, call for its proper recognition
11) Nowruz Bayram is an Azerbaijani New Year, too
12) Armenia: Censors Block Printing Of Opposition Newspapers (media report)
13) March 31: Commemoration of the Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis
14) 16th anniversary of Shusha city (Azerbaijan) occupation by Armenian military
15) Congress should condemn Armenia's presidential elections and hold hearings
16) Concern about Mourad Topalian meeting with Members of Congress
17) Failed democratization of Armenia – a heist worth $2,6 billion dollars to US taxpayers
18) Azeri-Americans concerned about ongoing hostilities on the front lines
19) War on Georgia by South Ossetia and Abkhazia separatists
20) Model Azerbaijan: article in Washington Times on religious tolerance, a record to follow by all other nations around the world
21) Azeri Jews: Centuries of coexistence in Azerbaijan
22) Azerbaijan National Day: Celebration of Azerbaijani and American Democracy
23) Khojaly Massacre commemoration letter
24) Sumgait events of February 28, 1988: setting the record straight
25) Nowruz Bayram is an Azerbaijani New Year too
26) March 31: Commemoration of the Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis
27) Gross mistakes and double standards by Freedom House
28) A big thank you to Gov. Gibbons from Azerbaijani-Americans
29) Azerbaijan more than doubles its peacekeeping force in Afghanistan
The U.S. Azeris Network (USAN) is a non-profit, non-partisan, true grassroots organization which aims to educate, engage, energize, link and unite Azerbaijani-American voters across the political spectrum into the U.S. political process, on both Federal and State levels. USAN will facilitate, ease and automate the electronic delivery of letters, petitions, action alerts and major news from Azerbaijani-American voters to their State Legislators, Assemblymen, Congressmen and Senators, as well as the White House and the local media. This was especially important for the Azerbaijani-American community in the 2008 election year, when Presidential, U.S. House and Senate, and State and Local elections were held all at once on November 4th.
To communicate with your elected officials, legislators and media, click on a links above and follow the instructions on the screen. All information is private and confidential - only your name, address and email are transmitted to the officials you address your letters to. If you write from your business address, your title and business name can also be transmitted if you want it. USAN is encouraging grassroots activism and is open to all positive and negative feedback as well as draft letters on subjects important to the Azerbaijani-American Diaspora and Turkic-American communities, and the strengthening of the U.S.-Azerbaijan strategic allied relations. Some of the common questions are answered in the USAN FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions.


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Kevin Edson, the man arrested and charged for allegedly placing a backpack at the Boston Marathon's finish line Tuesday night, was arraigned in court today. Edson will undergo a mental competency test at Bridgewater State Hospital. Today, his family published a letter in the Boston Globe, apologizing for their son's actions and explaining his mental health.
In the essay, Edson's mother talks about her son's history of mental illnesses, including the fact that her son has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She also criticizes the city's mental health system and the difficulties of properly treating both of her sons. An excerpt:
Our son Kevin has been battling mental issues for several years. His illness has caused himself and our family years of anguish that is unimaginable. His multiple mental health issues, including the diagnosis of BiPolar Disorder, are a constant battle realized by multiple hospitalizations and close psychiatric treatment. Kevin is currently a college student and has not been living at home for several months. Unfortunately his mental health has deteriorated recently.
Boston is certainly, in many ways, a strong city. The first responders, the runners, the sports teams, the medical community and the citizens are all Boston Strong. What is NOT strong is the mental health system in Boston, our state, our country, and the world. I have two sons who struggle with mental illness and I have had to constantly fight for twelve years to get them the help they need. Advocating for assistance from mental health providers for my sons has been a full-time job.
H/t to Sean


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(CMT Offstage keeps a 24/7 watch on everything that's happening with country music artists behind the scenes and out of the spotlight.)
Garth Brooks was formally inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame last night (Oct. 21). But last week, he told the Wall Street Journal that he'd "still play honky-tonks today" if he could, adding, "'Cause that's the place; no arena or stadium show has ever equaled a honky-tonk."
Later in his career, when he was playing those arenas and stadiums, he said he was always trying to make the room as small as he could. So even with all he's accomplished in his distinguished career, it sounds like he's still just a guy who wants to play country music. And even one who isn't quite sure he was ready for the honor of the induction.
"It's weird. You wait your whole life for this kind of a call. And the second you get it, all you think about is 'It's not time yet. There's so many people that should be in here before my name is called,'" he told the newspaper.
Another sign that he belongs in such elite company? The passion of his fans. "If there's going to be a fight breaking out at the Thanksgiving table about what was the best concert anybody ever went to, you want your name mentioned," Brooks said. "That's what you want, and that's the most important thing to me–how passionate people are about who'll they believe and follow."
I've only seen Brooks in concert twice. Once in Kansas and once in Las Vegas. But I have no doubt I'd win any Thanksgiving table fight about why his concerts are the best. If anybody's feelings were hurt, I might bury the hatchet. But I'd leave the handle sticking out.