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Tuesday, March 5, 2013
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The world moved closer to punishing North Korea for its latest nuclear test Tuesday as the United States introduced a draft resolution, backed by China, with new sanctions aimed at reining in Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programs and preventing their export to other countries.
In response, Pyongyang threatened to cancel the 1953 cease-fire that ended the Korean War.
The draft resolution would subject North Korea "to some of the toughest sanctions imposed by the United Nations," U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice told reporters. She called the scope of the sanctions "exceptional."
The proposed resolution, worked out by Rice and China's U.N. Ambassador Li Baodong over the last three weeks, reflects the growing anger of the U.N.'s most powerful body at North Korea's defiance of three previous sanctions resolutions that demanded a halt to all nuclear and missile tests.
This one pledges additional measures if Pyongyang keeps ignoring the council with new tests, Rice said. North Korea's latest test was in February.
With the support of China, the North's closest ally, the proposed resolution is not expected to face serious opposition, though council members will send it to their capitals for review.
"We hope for unanimous adoption later this week," Rice said.
The draft resolution targets for the first time the illicit activities of North Korean diplomats, the country's illicit banking relationships and its illegal transfers of large quantities of cash, Rice said. It also adds new travel restrictions.
Hours before the U.N. meeting, and as word emerged of the U.S.-China proposal, Pyongyang threatened to cancel the 1953 cease-fire that ended the Korean War.
Any fresh international sanctions are certain to infuriate North Korea, which has claimed the right to build nuclear weapons to deter alleged U.S. aggression. Citing the U.S.-led push for sanctions, the Korean People's Army Supreme Command on Tuesday warned of "surgical strikes" meant to unify the divided Korean Peninsula and of an indigenous, "precision nuclear striking tool."
Hours after North Korea carried out its third atomic blast on Feb. 12, all 15 council members approved a press statement condemning the nuclear test and pledging further action. The swift, unanimous response set the stage for a fourth round of sanctions.
The sanctions have been aimed at trying to derail the country's rogue nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. In addition to barring North Korea from testing or using nuclear or ballistic missile technology, they also ban it from importing or exporting material for these programs.
North Korea's neighbors and the West condemn the North's efforts to develop long-range nuclear missiles capable of hitting the United States as a serious threat to Northeast Asia's delicate security and a drain on the precious resources that could go to North Korea's largely destitute people.
North Korea says its nuclear program is a response to U.S. hostility that dates back to the Korean War, which ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty, leaving the Korean Peninsula still technically in a state of war.
North Korea says Washington and others are going beyond mere economic sanctions and expanding into blunt aggression and military acts.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said President Barack Obama and the American people would like to see North Korean leader Kim Jung Un promote peace and engage in talks.
"Rather than threaten to abrogate and threaten to move in some new direction, the world would be better served ... if he would engage in a legitimate dialogue, legitimate negotiations, in order to resolve not just American concerns, but the concerns of the Japanese and the South Koreans and the Russians and the Chinese, everybody in the region," Kerry said in Doha, Qatar. "That's our hope."
The North's latest nuclear test was seen as a crucial step toward its goal of building a bomb small enough to be fitted on a missile capable of striking the United States. Many outside analysts still believe the North hasn't achieved such a miniaturization technology.
Rice said the proposed new sanctions build on, strengthen and significantly expand the scope of the strong U.N. sanctions already in place.
In an attempt to target North Korea's ruling elite, the draft resolution for the first time lists specific luxury items that all countries are banned from exporting to the reclusive nation, including yachts, luxury automobiles, racing cars and expensive jewelry, according to a Security Council diplomat familiar with the text.
The council banned the export of luxury goods after the first nuclear test in 2006 but it never spelled out the items. This resolution allows states to define "luxury goods" but says they must include the listed items.
The resolution also includes new provisions aimed at making it harder for North Korea to move around the funds it needs to carry out its illicit programs.
All countries would now be required to freeze or stop any financial transaction or services that could contribute to North Korea's nuclear or missile programs, or that violates the three previous sanctions resolutions which also prohibit virtually all conventional arms sales. It also calls for states to limit their relations with North Korean banks tied to illicit programs, according to the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the draft has not been circulated publicly.
The document includes what the diplomat called unprecedented new travel sanctions that would require countries to expel agents working for sanctioned North Korean companies. North Korean nationals would be returned home and other nationals would face a travel ban to make it harder for them to move around.
The draft also requires — rather than requests — states to inspect suspect cargo on their territory and prevent any vessel that refuses an inspection from entering their ports.
A new aviation measure calls on states to deny aircraft permission to take off, land or fly over their territory if illicit cargo is suspected to be aboard.
The draft would add three individuals described as agents for arms traffickers who are active internationally and two companies to the U.N. sanctions list. It would also add items to a list of nuclear and ballistic missile-related items and technologies banned for export to North Korea, including specific lubricants and valves critical for uranium enrichment.
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Was talking to folks from Chorus and Snap Internet yesterday while attending Sir Tim Berners-Lee session at Te Papag and we started talking about VDSL and UFB coverage.
Mark (Snap) asked if we have VDSL coverage here and I checked today:
Just outside it. Obviously can't get it from the back of the property (the little triangle tip) as it's a cliff.
Anyone else having similar kind of situation and want to moan, now's the time ;)

subset: commoncrawl


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VLC Multimedia Player Shows Changing Open Source License Is Hard, But Possible
from the easy,-it-isn't dept
Licenses lie at the heart of open source -- and many other kinds of "open" too. That's because they are used to define the rights of users, and to ensure those rights are passed on -- that the intellectual commons is not enclosed. Their central importance explains in part the flamewars that erupt periodically over which license is "best" -- many people have very strong feelings on the subject.
Those heated discussions are one reason why it's rare for an open source project to change its license -- usually it's just easier to stick with what you've got rather than provoke another argument over which new license should be adopted. But there's another major impediment to changing the licensing: the need to get absolutely everyone who has contributed code to agree formally.
That's not a problem when the code has been assigned by contributors to a single entity, often a software foundation, as happens with components of Richard Stallman's GNU (GNU's Not Unix) project. But the individual copyrights of perhaps the best-known open source code, that of the Linux kernel, have not been assigned in this way. That makes the prospect of contacting the thousands of people who have contributed code, and getting them to agree to a license change, not just hard, but probably impossible, not least because some of them may be dead. For this reason (and because Linus Torvalds doesn't want to change it anyway), Linux is likely to remain licensed under the GNU GPLv2 for the foreseeable future.
Another project where the copyright on code contributions has not been assigned to some central body is the popular multimedia player VLC. Since this is a major project with many hundreds of contributors, you might think it would be similarly impossible to get all of them to agree to a license change. And yet, against the odds, VLC has done just that, thanks to the tireless efforts of Jean-Baptiste Kempf. A fascinating post explains how he achieved this:
The initial license change for libVLC [VLC's main engine] was completed a few months later in December 2011. This involved about 150 developers and 80,000 lines of code. If a developer did not respond to the re-licensing request, that developer's code was rewritten.
But sorting out libVLC was easy compared to the rest of the code:
Then came the task of contacting the authors of the various plug-ins and modules, focusing on the playback modules first. This was a bit more challenging, involving some 300 developers and 300,000 lines of code. Kempf was kind enough to describe his methods for doing so in a few blog posts. He began with details of how to correctly compile the list of names and email addresses and the measures he took to appropriately narrow that list down to remove dupes, people who had already responded in the first relicensing phase, and so forth. His response rate for the initial emails was only 25%, with 25% bouncing and 50% not responding. This had to be frustrating but not entirely surprising. To deal with the remaining 75%, Kempf employed a variety of methods that could be described as stalking or resolutely resourceful, depending on your perspective; social media, the telephone directory, whois lookups, friends or co-workers, and showing up where they work were all fair game.
Impressive stuff, not least because Kempf did manage to get every single person to sign off in the end. Still, as the post quoted above goes on to note, you might think this is an extremely strong argument for using a contributor's assignment that licenses or assigns copyright to some central organization. But VideoLAN, the non-profit group that produces VLC, is located in France, which recognizes the creator's "moral rights", introducing a further complication:
Moral rights include the right of attribution, integrity, disclosure and withdrawal, and are based on the rationale that there exists a personal and inalienable bond between authors and their work. As such, moral rights cannot be assigned or waived.
That means even in the presence of an assignment, authors would still need to give their permission for a license change that would be valid in any country that recognizes moral rights.
The VLC experience confirms that changing a license is not something to be undertaken lightly. But it also shows that with perseverance it can be done -- once the flamewars have subsided, of course.
Follow me @glynmoody on Twitter or identi.ca, and on Google+
Filed Under: licenses, open source, vlc


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I have to say that I am very happy with how my card turned out for this sketch! I did have a bit of help though as there was a card class I took at Carousel Rubber Stamps back in 2010 that I absolutely loved! I wanted to recreate it but of course it used a punch I didn't own (and couldn't find), a stamp that by the time I decided I wanted it was no longer available and expensive shimmery paper..... You can see the original from the class here. Of course I was going through all the sketches Michelle had given me to digitize and came across this one and nearly fell off my chair as if you look at it sideways was perfect.... I guess it was time to try to create the same stunning effect using what I had on hand. The Artbooking cartridge and Create-a-shade Pearl Paint made this extremely easy and I'm really glad I waited so long as I actually like this one to the original as the Sentiment stand out more, and I didn't have to heat emboss and fussy cut out (by hand) the butterfly. Yay!
This first one show the colours the best and more true with the Celebrate sentiment but I adjusted the colours a bit in the Remember sentiment one so you could see the shimmer that the pearl paint mixture adds better.
I used White Daisy card base and for the top rectangle mat. The rest is all Colonial White that has been sprayed with a mixture of water and Pearl Paint. I am in LOVE with Pearl Paint for many techniques but this is by far my favourite!. :) I also sprayed some of the pearl paint mixture on one of my teflon craft mats and then stamped a swirl from Love Life in it and onto the top white piece randomly to add a bit of shimmer there as well and to provide some flight paths for the butterfly. I don't think you'll be able to see that in the photo though so you'll just have to trust me on that one.
All the pieces (border, Sentiment and Butterfly were cut from the new Artbooking Cricut Cartridge.
The ribbon is just some sheer ribbon from my stash that I got at Michaels when it was on sale.
Now go check out all the rest of the Design Teams wonderful creations this week (as well as the Top 3 from last week) HERE.
Also, if you'd like to play along with this weeks sketch you can find it and the link up for it HERE.
Products Used:


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Scroll below and check our most recent updates about Artem Kondratev Biography, Before Fame, Trivia, Family life, Net Worth, Salary, Age, Profession and Zodiac. You can also discover more information about Current Net Worth as well as Monthly / Year Salary, Expense, Income Reports!
You can click and edit on each item to provide us with useful information about Artem Kondratev
Artem Kondratev was born on January 9, 1998 (age 22 years) in Russia. He is a celebrated youtube star.
Comedy content creator who is recognized for publishing sketch scenes and vlogs on his Artem K channel. He also rose to fame for sharing lip sync videos on his artemmkeyy TikTok account.
Information about Artem Kondratev's net worth in 2020 is being updated as soon as possible by infofamouspeople.com, You can also click edit to tell us what the Net Worth of the Artem Kondratev is
He parodied a typical Russian on a plane in an early video.
One of his most popular videos featured him pranking his girlfriend by wearing handcuffs for 24 hours.
As our current database, Artem Kondratev is still alive (according to Wikipedia, Last update: January 6, 2020).
He was born in Russia.
Artem Kondratev is 22 years old. Artem Kondratev's height is Unknown & weight is Not Available now. Full body measurements, clothes & shoes size is being updated soon or you can click edit button to update Artem Kondratev's height and other parameters.
He and fellow YouTuber EverythingApplePro were both born in Russia.
Reference: Wikipedia, IMDb,FaceBook,Youtube,Twitter, Onthisday. Last update: 2020-9-04 08:31by blog Admin
Became famous as one of the three siblings featured on the family vlog YouTube channel Bratayley. She grew her fame on musical.ly earning over 13 million fans. She stars on the Brat web series Chicken Girls and A Girl Named Jo.
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If you spend a lot of time watching YouTube, the name PewDiePie would have popped up on your screen very often. And if you love video games, there is no way that you could have missed this name. Well, let us inform you that the YouTube celebrity with the most number of subscribers is not Justin Bieber or Rihanna. Sorry to disappoint you, this title goes to ˜PewDiePie '. Justin Bieber might have 24 million subscribers and Rihanna 22 million subscribers, but this guy here has actually over 103 million subscribers for his YouTube channel. Interestingly, the only thing that he does is post videos of himself playing video games. For all guys who love playing video games and get lectured about this, remember you can make a fortune out of this. For any kind of doubts regarding the same, we suggest that you approach PewDiePie
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Baby Ariel, a sort after name you got to know is an American sensation who is a famous social media personality. Relatively new in the social media space, this young 15 year old lass has been doing outrageously well at her vocation. She is in vogue for her activities on YouTube, Twitter and Instagram and is best known from the most famous Musical.ly app which she first downloaded in 2015. And guess what she did this out of sheer boredom and boy look at the fan following she earned as a result of that in just about 1 year. Her social media stardom has reached over 8 million users on the app, which has accumulated over 47 million YouTube video views. As of now, she has more than 700,000 subscribers and over 2.5 million followers. Ariel is just a typical American teen who adores Justin Beiber and probably she herself wouldn't have fantasized what it's like to be like such a freaking awesome personality. So people, let's scoop out some more information about this super cool teen who has captured so many hearts. Her powerfully electrifying popularity knows no bounds as she is the most talked about and gossiped star of YouTube whose subscribers are increasing at a crazily fast rate with each passing day. Bring it on girl! Way to go! Ariel also acted in zombies 2 alongside meg donnelly and Milo Manheim.
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Eric8 necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 111 diseños de 35 diseñadores freelance.
Little Mountain Farm Supply
We're a small (<5 employee's) retail store in the heart of horse country (foothills mountains, small town) of western North Carolina. We've been sneaking along for the last years with our old lame logo, so we need your help to freshen it up and bring it up to speed in 2010.
Simple yet effective is what we like and desire with this re-branding. We specialize in the premium lines of horse feeds, hay products and the best selection in the area of top quality pet foods as well. We're currently expanding our line of organic gardening seeds and products.
Our target audience is existing customers and new customers as well as customers who have shopped elsewhere in recent years. Our main target is those who are equine and pet customers, but also something that a general person will be able to appreciate. Stronger target on the pet & horse owners though.
A lot of higher end clients, mixed with some lower and middle level clients as well. We cater to each the same, so we're looking for a brand that is recognizable to all.
We'd like to see two types of logo's if possible..
Looking for a rural scene with a barn and mountain in the background and possibly a dog and horse in the foreground. maybe the outline of the animals with eyes/ears as well. not so much detail that it's difficult for t-shirts and or printing on things.
Also something not related to animals but with a barn, fence and mountains that grasps the general feeling of the area, rural & small town.
Use those loosely and feel free to be creative with something you think might portray a small town quality feed & supply store.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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Lesson Plan
A Getting-Acquainted Activity Using My Teacher's Secret Life
|Lesson Plan Type
|Standard Lesson
|Estimated Time
|Two 60-minute sessions
|Lesson Author
Champaign, Illinois
Children thrive in an environment where they are active participants in their learning. In this kindergarten activity, students listen to My Teacher's Secret Life, discuss the content, and make predictions about what the teacher and their peers do when they are away from school. After charting both student and teacher activities, the teacher models writing a book of his or her life outside school. Working at home with their parents, students draw glimpses of their personal lives on a planning sheet, and use it in the class to create stapleless books about their lives that they then share with their classmates.
Stapleless Book: Using this online tool, students can create an eight-page book just by folding and cutting.
The first days of school are crucial for setting a class atmosphere where children feel welcome. They will be meeting new people and discovering new things. Laying a foundation early for a community to grow in the classroom is vital for success throughout the school year. As Allen Koshewa notes in "Creating Harmony in the Classroom:" "In many ways, a classroom community is like an orchestra. The students all have different characteristics, but these overlap enough to allow for sections to emerge, groups with common interests and timbres." He goes on to note that the teacher is the conductor of this community. In this lesson, the teacher indeed plays a central role in conducting his or her class in sharing with each other.
Further Reading
Koshewa, Allen. "Creating Harmony in the Classroom." School Talk 5.4 (July 2000).
Fisher, Bobbi. 1995. Thinking and Learning Together: Curriculum and Community in a Primary Classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.


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Approaches to Wilmington North Carolina.
Description: Map illustrating the region surrounding Wilmington, North Carolina. Cities, forts, railroads, swamps, and batteries are noted on the map and some depths are shaded. This map accompanies the War of the Rebellion papers which include documentation of the Union North Atlantic Blockading Squadron. Scale 1:633,600 (10 statute miles per 1 inch)
Date: 1899
Creator: United States. War Department.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Map
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department


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Tackling childhood poverty
A New Delhi tailor cares for children from poor families with the aid of the Lufthansa help alliance. Playing for the Sunshine project's soccer team, the kids learn that teamwork is key.
A sharp blast of the coach's whistle sounds and Anuradha and Gudiya sprint off as if their lives depended on it. A 20-meter dash to the blue cone and round it once, then backwards to the starting line, tag the next runner – and take a deep breath. While the next child picks up speed, the others wait impatiently in the line. Everyone wants to go next and outrun everyone else.
We're at the Saket sports complex at the heart of India's capital, New Delhi. The large center includes tennis and basketball courts, a cricket pitch, a riding arena and a gym. The neighborhood is full of surgically trimmed shrubs, elegant apartments and expensive private schools. This is also the training ground of a soccer team that doesn't really seem to belong here. Gudiya, Anuradha, Akash, Vijay, Kundan, Keshav, Rithik and Amit, joyously kicking balls around as part of FC Sunshine, come from a district where life is far tougher; they are all from the Sunshine day-care center in nearby Said-ul-Ajaib.
It all started in 2000, says Kuku Arora, tailor, fashion designer and founder of Project Sunshine, which includes the football team. One day, he saw a young girl with only one hand sitting outside his store, tugging at the sleeves of passers-by and begging. After a few days, Arora – who has children of his own – simply couldn't bear it any longer. He found the parents and convinced them to let him take care of the two-year-old and her brother, who was selling vegetables on the street. More and more children joined the group, so many that he officially launched Project Sunshine in 2002. The name could also serve as a description of Arora, a man with an optimistic twinkle in his eyes that shines even brighter when he's surrounded by his charges. Supported by donors from all over the world, he and his wife, Priti, now look after nearly 270 children from the district. Arora smiles almost apologetically: "How could I have taken in one child, and not another?"
Life is tough in Said-ul-Ajaib: narrow lanes, families crammed into tiny rooms with barely enough space for a bed, a cupboard and a small gas cooker. Often, as many as eight families share a floor of the small houses – and one bathroom and one toilet. "Lack of water is our biggest problem," says Vijay, 14, looking serious. Canisters are stacked up outside his family's room. The water in the large tank on the roof is strictly rationed, and families only have access on certain days. "People often argue over it," he adds. There's a lot of conflict, injustice and poverty in this district. Most nhabitants are unemployed, destitution drives many to drink, and domestic violence is rife. And while the parents who do have jobs spend long days laboring as rickshaw drivers, maids or messengers to earn enough money for the family's next meal, the children are left to fend for themselves – creating a breeding ground for child labor and street gangs.
Kuku Arora's vision is to change this, and he reached an agreement with the parents: "They agree not to make their children work or beg, but instead to send them to school and afterwards to us. In return, they are not expected to pay a single rupee." Arora takes care of funding himself; he registers the children at school, organizes uniforms, books and pens, and – if necessary – glasses. In the afternoon, the kids do their homework in a large room next to his studio and then attend dance classes or computer courses, or receive extra tuition. Clean water, medical care, a shower or a hot meal – Arora wants the children to have anything they need. In the evening, they return to their parents for the night.
Initially, the 46-year-old paid for everything out of his own pocket, and friends and customers would donate money, clothes and books. There were times when the project threatened to overwhelm the couple. Ten years ago, their savings were exhausted. When on top of that, the rent went up by 200% because a new metro station nearby had rendered the area more attractive, Project Sunshine found itself on the brink of closure. Fortunately, it was then that they encountered Julia Hillebrecht, a Lufthansa flight attendant. In 2009, Hillebrecht organized emergency financial aid through help alliance and has since helped to arrange sponsorships. "Without her, we simply would not have been able to continue," says Arora.
Playing soccer has really boosted the children's self-confidence
That aid enabled the couple to set up FC Sunshine. Arora used donations to buy soccer shirts, cleats, shin guards and proper leather balls, things that the parents would never have been able to afford. The new stirrup socks that Gudiya unpacks and puts on before training cost the equivalent of two euros, money her parents would have to sell several portions of chickpea fritters to earn. Membership in the Saket sports complex costs 30 euros, which is roughly half what the family pays in rent each month. These days, thanks to Arora and his supporters, sports in New Delhi are no longer the sole preserve of the rich. The children have training four times a week, and it's obvious they adore soccer. On the way to the pitch, they effortlessly pass balls back and forth, bounce them over the curb, agilely dribbling around rickshaws and food carts. Asked if they have a favorite team, they unanimously shout "FC Barcelona!" On the pitch, it doesn't matter what your background is, what counts is determination and team spirit – a lesson that the children take with them into their everyday lives. "I want to work hard so that my family has a better life", says Vijay, who writes poetry after school and who would like to be a writer – if he doesn't become a professional soccer player. Anuradha dreams of a career as a pilot. And because nobody gets left behind at FC Sunshine, she writes down the math homework for her friend Pooja, who is visiting family in the countryside today before training.
"Playing soccer has really boosted the children's self-confidence", says Arora. He is proud of the results of his project. Roshni, the little girl with one arm, now teaches in the day-care center. Her brother, Salim, is studying and has also trained to become a yoga teacher. He pops by nearly every day, helps with the accounts and accompanies the little ones to the soccer pitch. These two embody Arora's dearest wish: "As soon as they're standing on their own two feet, I would like them to help look after two other children." Just like he did back then.
Finally, it's kickoff time. The referee calls the Sunshine kids to the match – against a team of middle-class kids. The whistle blows and Vijay immediately takes control of the ball. He dribbles in a zigzag past two opponents, casts a quick glance at the goalkeeper, aims for the right-hand corner and belts the ball in. Goal! A little later, Anuradha tackles a bigger boy, who is heading to FC Sunshine's goal, and manages to prevent a pass. The children give their all for the team, one for all and all for one. The match ends in a tie, but that doesn't really matter. Kuku Arora beams: "Soccer is helping the children to become a team." And that's something that will help them, both on the pitch and in life.
help alliance is the aid organization of the Lufthansa Group and its employees, and the mainstay of the airline's social commitment. A limited liability non-profit company formed in 1999 by 13 Lufthansa employees, help alliance runs some 30 projects across the world, most of them designed to provide young people with job training and a chance for a better life. Every cent donated goes straight to the projects.


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The Chicago Fire Player Development setup continued to show a lot of progress throughout 2012. It all started at the beginning of the year when the club announced the Kentucky Fire Juniors based in Louisville and re-launched the Michigan Fire Juniors on the west side of that state.
During preseason, the club also was able to bring its first team up close for the Juniors affiliates in Florida and Louisiana, playing friendlies in front of both groups in Ave Maria and New Orleans respectively.
In May, the club announced the expansion of its full-funded Academy program to run from U-18 all the way down to the U-10 age levels. The landmark announcement made the Chicago Fire Academy the only comprehensive, fully-funded player development program in Major League Soccer encompassing players in those age levels.
On the field, both the U-16 and U-18 U.S. Soccer Development Academy teams qualified for the national playoffs, with the younger group picking up fourth place in the nation during July's final tournament.
The club bagged two more national championships as the Super-20 side led by Steve Morris defeated the Columbus Crew 3-1 in the USL North American final in Bradenton, Fla. The victory marked the team's second North American title and first since 2008.
A little bit closer to home, the Paul Cadwell-led U-18 Youth Academy was crowned U.S. Club National champions after defeating MPS Bulldogs 3-0 in the final held on July 31.
From that championship team also came the amazing story of Reid Strain. Heading into his freshman year at Indianapolis University, Strain missed the Youth Academy's national championship tournament after being called up by the Puerto Rico U-20 side for CONCACAF World Youth Championship qualifying.
After impressing with the junior Puerto Rican side, he was asked to stick around and served as an unused sub in the territory's 2-1 loss to reigning World and European champions Spain on August 16 in Bayamon.
Most recently, the club had players on the rosters of three of the four NCAA Division 1 College Cup participants with six players that had Fire ties ending up collegiate national champions when Indiana University defeated Georgetown 1-0 in the final.
Jeff Crandall is Team Writer for the Chicago Fire Soccer Club. Contact him at firstname.lastname@example.com; Follow him on Twitter @JefeCrandall.
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Difficult to believe as it may be, My Bloody Valentine weren't always held in reverence. Many of those same critics who've spent the past two decades kneeling at the altar of all things Kevin Shields weren't quite so approving some five years prior to that. Let's rewind to the summer of 1987 when the departure of original vocalist Dave Conway seemed to have left My Bloody Valentine in turmoil. Hardly press darlings anyway, having received fair to middling reviews for the majority of their releases at that point, not to mention having garnered a less than favourable reputation as a live band of shambolic indifference. Indeed, the first time I set eyes on them, supporting then-Paisley shirted Byrds fanatics Primal Scream at Nottingham's now-defunct Garage venue, only those with a propensity for wishful thinking could have predicted the tumultuous future My Bloody Valentine were about to embark on. Several false starts, broken strings and a set veering between the occasionally sublime but largely amateurish far from being the stock of which legends are born.
However, two things stand out about that show. The first one being it was one of Kevin Shields' earliest as co-lead vocalist, Bilinda Butcher only recently having joined the band. Secondly, several new songs would make an appearance that evening. Many of which would be unrecognisable due to the constant stoppages throughout the show, but one aired near the end which would go on to define the band and indeed provide the template for a glut of artists and genres for the next 25 years. The song in question, of course, was 'You Made Me Realise'. There had been a slight hint of the band's progression on previous release Ecstasy, EP highlight and former live staple 'Clair' suggesting a change in direction was underway.
Borrowing as much from Dinosaur Jr and Sonic Youth as it did UK sonic experimentalists such as The Jesus & Mary Chain, 'You Made Me Realise' sounded like nothing else on earth when first released at the tail end of summer 1988 and still doesn't today. While the (in)famous holocaust segment was then only a twinkle in Shields' psychedelic eye, the harsh brutality of its chord structure coupled with Shields and Butcher's sweetly cooed harmonies ensured its status as one of that year's must-own records. Indeed, sifting through the other four songs on the 12-inch, each and every one could have been the lead track (or a-side as they were called back in the day) in its own right. From 'Slow''s meandering reverb to the coarse yet subtly alluring 'Thorn', via Butcher's pugnacious 'Cigarette In Your Bed' ("Scratching your eyes out with a smile") and the melancholic 'Drive It All Over Me', the 'You Made Me Realise' EP remains one of the most flawless collections of music ever released.
It's perhaps fitting then that on this 24-song compilation spread across two CDs, the first one is kicked into life by the five songs arguably responsible for re-igniting My Bloody Valentine's career. Follow-up single 'Feed Me With Your Kiss', released three months later to coincide with debut long player Isn't Anything, takes the Sonic Youth hallmark a tad further. Listen carefully and you can hear traces of 'Death Valley 69' in its make up. Heavier than its predecessor in many ways, although not quite as incisive, the other three songs on this EP offering a preview of what was to follow over the next couple of years. Buried in flange and tremelo, 'I Believe' isn't a million miles away in structure from some of the more downbeat moments on Loveless - think 'Blown A Wish' for example. 'I Need No Trust' also takes a Balkan-style guitar interlude and turns it into a druggy nursery rhyme about lust. Less memorable is the equally hallucinatory 'Emptiness Inside', another experimental diversion that wouldn't have made much sense upon release, yet represents an opening piece of the jigsaw culminating in 1991's unparalleled masterpiece.
And so, the rest of EPs & Rarities 1988 - 1991's first CD is taken up by the Glider EP. Signalling a drastic seachange and taking the soon-to-be-coined shoegaze sound to the dancefloor in one foul swoop, its dizzying rush of layered guitars, processed beats and breathy vocal retorts make 'Soon' one of the most progressive pieces of music to emerge from the acid house scene. Even now its luscious tones remain as captivating as on first listen in the spring of 1990. While the EP's title track may have sounded uncannily like an angle grinder set to music, 'Don't Ask Why' and 'Off Your Face' embarked on the same route as 'I Believe' and 'I Need No Trust' two years earlier. The former, Shields performing lead vocals on this occasion, takes the form of a disjointed paean. Drawing on the object of his affection ("See all your sorrow, but be happy tomorrow), its trippy sentimentalism accentuated by the latter's dreamy sanguine, where guitars become intermittent sighs for the song's duration.
The second CD is perhaps of more interest to avid collectors and those that were there first time around. Of the 11 songs contained within, three have never been released before while one only appeared in the UK as a limited-edition flexidisc with short-lived music magazine The Catalogue. Structurally pitched somewhere in between the sonic excesses of Isn't Anything and experimental passages on Loveless, 'Sugar' occupies a middle ground amply bridging the gap. Having been first released in 1989 as a split with fellow Creation band Pacific, its omission from the annals is perhaps something of a mystery. Of the previously unreleased material, 'Angel' resembles a lot of Isn't Anything's more frenetic moments, not least due to Colm O'Ciosoig's blistering performance on the drums. 'Good For You' meanwhile could quite easily sit alongside even earlier releases such as 'Lovelee Sweet Darlene' or 'Sunny Sundae Smile', only the noise infused middle section dropping the most subtle hint that it belongs to the era depicted in the compilation's title. Centered around Shields' double-tracked vocal arrangement amidst a barrage of reverb and thrashing guitars, 'How Do You Do It' isn't a million miles from the laconic thrust of 'You Made Me Realise' in many ways, albeit without the suckerpunch impact. All three beg the question that if they weren't good enough to be heard when recorded, then why now?
The rest of disc two features the two instrumental pieces only available as a limited edition seven-inch with initial pressings of Isn't Anything, the full ten-minute version of 'Glider' and the mesmerising Tremolo EP. Indeed it's the latter that suggests MBV's future path was still rather unclear, the orgasmic 'To Here Knows When' seguing into the Eastern-tinged 'Swallow' before 'Honey Power' takes a trip back into SST Records territory courtesy of an effects-heavy halo of guitar. As with many of its predecessors on the EP front, 'Moon Song' takes the shape of a mellow lullaby, lyrically simplistic ("When I'm with you, I don't know what to do") yet utterly sumptuous all the same. The two instrumentals switch from the full-on sonic assault of their first two Creation Records EPs ('Instrumental #1') to a more dancefloor friendly shuffle ('Instrumental #2') suggesting Shields was spending more time at clubs like Shoom than Dingwalls.
Although marginally falling short of perfection as a complete package, EPs & Rarities 1988 - 1991 is a fascinating collection detailing the unassailable rise of arguably the most influential guitar band this past quarter of a century. That their most revered EP started life as little more than studio experiments from a band supposedly in the last chance saloon speaks volumes. What happened next is history, although whether there'll be a continuation to the story remains to be seen.
9Dom Gourlay's Score


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With the disappearance of King Targon, the country Aris also fell into darkness. For a quarter of a century his younger brother Halgan has been ruling with an iron fist. After a near catastrophe on a small island in the east that remained unnoticed by most, another one is brewing in the north.
© 2008 Gameforge 4D GmbH. All rights reserved.


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In the wake of the recently adopted public pension reform by the state legislature, questions persist about the outcome: Did we get real reform, enough to shore up the system and protect the state from bankruptcy, or did we get a cosmetic make-over with just enough "reforms" to keep opponents off balance and at bay?
To be sure, few people are satisfied with the legislature's action. Public employee unions feel that they've been singled out as the primary source of the state's financial difficulties. Meanwhile, taxpayer groups and others believe that the legislature ducked its responsibility to balance the pension program. So perhaps the answer may lie somewhere in between.
By far the two largest public pension systems in California are the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) and the California State Teachers' Retirement System (STRS). Together, these two funds have an unfunded liability of $165 billion.
U.S. & World
So does the new legislation eliminate that gap? Not quite.
According to the first analyses by the two retirement systems, the new plan will reduce CalPERS obligations somewhere between $42 billion to $55 billion over the next 30 years. CalPERS is by far the larger of the two programs. As for STRS, the reform will cut its obligations by an estimated $12 billion over the same period.
Added together, these savings will amount to somewhere between $54 billion and $67 billion over the three-decade time horizon, approximately one-third to 40 percent of the shortfall.
If these figures are accurate (and we won't know for sure until the formulas and other data are mined in detail), the state will have traveled a long way toward addressing the pension reform issue. But it appears that more may need to be done. Why, then, didn't the legislature solve the entire problem at once?
Reform is tricky stuff in politics. The stronger the proposed change, the greater the push back from entrenched status-quo interests. That goes for just about everything from addressing endless corporate tax loopholes to altering delicate environmental protection standards.
To change any substantive policy area, legislatures must have near unanimity among their members, a rare commodity in Sacramento where powerful interests roam the halls at will, placing great pressures on policymakers.
Under the circumstances, the legislature did about all it could with pension reform. The state is not about to go broke. As the economy improves and greater returns accumulate to pension fund investments, the need for further reform may be minimal. Conversely, if over time the pension gap fails to close, the legislature may have to go back for additional pension surgery.
In the meantime, it appears that substantive change has taken place, and given Sacramento's contentious political environment, a positive step has been taken.


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The North American International Auto Show, the Detroit Auto Show to most folk, is arguably the most important event on the automotive calendar in the U.S. It's also the place where the global automotive community comes together for the first time each year, all hoping to find out what the major automakers have in store for us over the next 12 months.
In addition to some of the year's most eagerly anticipated new vehicle debuts, there's also the long list of concept cars to ogle as well as all the industry people to get updates from.
Last year there were a total 38 world premieres at the Detroit Auto Show and this year's expected to be even bigger. Some of the highlights include the all-new Lexus IS, Infiniti Q50 (the replacement for the G37) as well as the updated Jeep Grand Cherokee and Mercedes-Benz E Class range. Oh, and the highly-anticipated C7 Corvette.
Let's now take a look at many of the vehicles we know will be unveiled.
2014 Maserati Quattroporte: Maserati's flagship sedan, the Quattroporte, has been completely renewed. The new car grows considerably in length, allowing it to better compete with its German rivals while also providing space for a mid-size Ghibli sedan to join the ranks later in the year. The new Quattroporte also brings more engine options to the table as well as all-wheel-drive capability, should you require it. We're not completely sold on the looks just yet, though we're sure it will look much better in person than in the initial press shots.
2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra: General Motors has launched the latest versions of its tough-as-nails Silverado and Sierra pickup trucks, both of which are now bigger and brawnier than ever. They're also a lot more intelligent than ever, with both models offering new MyLink and IntelliLink connectivity features, a new damping system for the tailgates, accident-avoidance technology and more fuel-efficient engines. The only trouble for General Motors Company [NYSE:GM] is that Ford may steal some of its thunder by previewing its 2015 F-150 pickup with a new concept. This is still a rumor though we wouldn't rule it out completely.
2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA Class: One of the more interesting debuts is a brand new CLA Class from Mercedes-Benz. This will be the automaker's first compact model sold in the U.S., though it certainly won't be the last. The stylish sedan combines a sleek coupe profile with four-door practicality–and it should also be extremely fuel efficient. The only downside is that it's based on a front-wheel-drive platform, though MB is expected to only offer all-wheel-drive versions in the U.S.
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee: Jeep is introducing a substantial facelift for its popular Grand Cherokee model in Detroit next week. The new vehicle will sport revised styling, new LED lights, a revamped interior and a new diesel option. The new ZF eight-speed auto, which has already made its way into a number of Chrysler products, is also expected to be offered on the full 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee lineup.
2014 Infiniti Q50: Just last month Infiniti took the bold step of completely renaming its lineup, choosing to discard the alphabet soup of names currently employed in favor of a new Q-based naming structure that mimics Audi's strategy. This shouldn't come as much of a surprise as Infiniti's new global president has been an Audi man for two decades. The first of the new Q cars will be the 2014 Infiniti Q50, which is essentially the replacement for the aging Infiniti G37 sedan. It once again will be a spacious four-door sedan with V-6 engines and rear-wheel-drive dynamics, just this time around it's a Q and not a G. The new Q50 is a completely new design from Infiniti, though it is expected to share many elements with the next Mercedes-Benz C Class thanks to the alliance deal between Renault-Nissan and Daimler. The teaser image above shows the new headlight design which incorporates an LED 'eyebrow' similar to Mercedes' current headlight design trend.
2014 Lexus IS: One of the Q50's direct rivals, the redesigned Lexus IS sedan, will also be on show in Detroit. It, too, gets a sleek new look and V-6 engines, though this particular model will be retaining its IS 250 and IS 350 nameplates. Overseas, a new hybrid model, the IS 300h, will also be launched.
2014 Chevrolet Corvette: Easily one of the most anticipated cars of the show, perhaps of the whole year, Chevrolet's seventh-generation Corvette will be bowing in Detroit. We'll only be getting our look at the standard Corvette at next week's show, though this will still be packing a brand-new 450-horsepower LT1 V-8 engine that promises to rocket the car from 0-60 mph in less than 4.0 seconds. In addition to brute power, the C7 'Vette will also herald a new level of quality never-before-seen on the iconic American sports car.
2013 Nissan Leaf: In its third year on the market, the updated 2013 Nissan Leaf will have a slightly longer range, a new and lower-priced base model, faster charging, a more efficient cabin heater, and, perhaps most important of all, a "Made In America" sticker. The battery electric car goes into production at Nissan's assembly plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, this week.
Via Motors X-Truck: Electric vehicle startups come and go, but it's harder to ignore one fronted by "father of the Chevy Volt" Bob Lutz. Yes, we are, of course, talking about Via Motors, which last year in Detroit debuted a Chevy pickup converted to electric power. Via has started taking orders for the truck but deliveries are yet to happen, though that hasn't stopped the company from announcing several new models. One of these will be an extended-range electric pickup with more than 800 horsepower on tap.
These are the rest of the vehicles, including concepts, that we know are coming to the 2013 Detroit Auto Show:
- BMW 4-Series concept
- 2013 Dodge Dart GT
- Honda Urban SUV concept
- 2014 Cadillac ELR
- Hyundai Genesis four-door coupe concept
- 2014 Audi SQ5
- 2014 Audi RS 5 Cabriolet
- 2014 Mercedes-Benz E Class Coupe and Cabriolet
- 2013 Bentley Continental GT Speed
- 2014 Mercedes-Benz E Class
- Toyota Furia concept
That's just some of the cars and concepts we will be seeing at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show. But in addition to these, we'll also see the winners of the respective North American car and truck of the year awards, which once again will be presided over by a panel of judges including our own editor Marty Padgett.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection.


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Innovation: Transforming Ideas into Solutions
Innovation is vital to a company's success and very survival. But sometimes, innovation is placed on the back burner while companies focus on optimizing current process and perfecting current products and services. Even when we know how important it is to be innovative, we can feel overwhelmed and unsure of where to start. Process is as important in innovation as it is in every other part of a company. The Innovation Process moves people through the steps necessary to turn vision into reality, and it can be applied anywhere innovation and improvement are needed. Having a defined process can also help us make proactive innovation a priority, so we are never scrambling to innovate reactively.
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The Lord Jesus himself said: "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35
One of the strangest peculiarities of the human race is the hoarding habit. When it gets out of hand, psychologists call it "disposophobia". The rest of us speak of the "packrat mentality".
Different people hoard different things. Minimalists may frown at being called packrats, yet their bank accounts or foreign investments would usually confirm that that is exactly what they are. The rich are in fact the greatest hoarders, but we forgive them as it is more interesting to watch someone hoard Louis Vuitton handbags than what it is to stumble over your husband's junk in the attic.
The sin of covetousness, which underlies the hoarding habit, is humanity's most aggressive effort to compensate for the distinct sense of loss we experience without God in this world. It makes perfect sense, and explains why any effort at filling the hole in our soul is always met with further disillusionment.
As Rockefeller famously answered when asked how much money is enough: "Just a little bit more." Centuries earlier Solomon said: "Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income" (Ecclesiastes 5:10).
Jesus challenges the fallen and conventional wisdom of this world by pointing out that the ultimate answer for our ailments is not to keep on receiving, but to start giving. This teaching runs like a golden thread throughout the New Testament.
The words of Basil, Bishop of Caesarea in the fourth century, is worth quoting here: "When someone steals a man's clothes we call him a thief. Should we not give the same name to one who could clothe the naked and does not? The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry man; the coat hanging unused in your closet belongs to the man who needs it; the shoes rotting in your closet belong to the man who has no shoes; the money which you hoard up belongs to the poor."
Think about this for a moment. If the absence of God leads to covetousness, and covetousness to acquisition (let's not use the word "hoarding" here, just in case you do not relate), then the presence of God should lead to contentment, and contentment to divine forfeiture (a.k.a. giving).
It is a huge subject, and one I have been contemplating since the early seventies. I had not yet turned ten when my mom took me to the drive-in to see Zeffirelli's Brother Sun Sister Moon, and my life has never been quite the same. It remains my all-time favourite movie, and also the one that has inspired me the most.
Early this morning I received a notification of a post from one of my favorite bloggers, David McAnulty. It addresses the issue of the poor from a contemporary perspective, and I found it extremely meaningful. David says it so well that I prefer him to speak for himself. You can find it here.
Blessings to all.
(A few paragraphs of this post has appeared in Bloemnews.)


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Movies365: Watch Free Online Movies and Tv Shows
Movies365, inherently play a great role when it comes to the entertainment industry. People have their own preferences about what type of films they want to watch. This will be different for a child, a teenager or an older person. However, during the tech era, with the internet it is not necessary to rely on … Read moreMovies365: Watch Free Online Movies and Tv Shows


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Although the TSA is set to expand its popular PreCheck fast lanes this fall, the agency is under pressure to speed up screening for even more fliers, so all aspects of the checkpoint experience are being scrutinized. However, there's one culprit that isn't going away anytime soon: bin gridlock. Simply put, it's too many bins piling up on the other side of the detector, and not enough hands to move them off the conveyor belt. The TSA frequently has to call in extra help to keep bins moving during busy times. To get a closer look at this oft-overlooked side of security, I spent an afternoon earlier this summer at Dulles Airport as a volunteer bin-pusher.
The bin back-up can get so bad that the TSA has to pull non-screener staff away from desk jobs just to move the containers along—they simply don't have enough officers to handle inspections and housekeeping chores. And bin-lackey duties don't require any special training or certification (unlike the several weeks of training I did receive for my part-time screener stint six years ago. All it requires is some latex gloves and being fast on your feet. (For the record, my previous experience with TSA had no connection to this assignment.)
As it happens, volume at the airport that afternoon was busier than on a normal day, and by 3 p.m., the lanes were swelling. The posted wait times at the checkpoint, less than 15 minutes when I arrived an hour earlier, had doubled to 30. (Dulles is the first airport in the U.S. to display real-time waits.)
Conveniently, Dulles checkpoints have a spacious refresh zone so passengers can pull themselves together before leaving security; but that's really just a zone for losing things.
Experienced screeners say on a typical shift during rush hour, frantic fliers routinely leave behind belts, watches, and harder-to-replace items like laptops, cell phones, car keys—even boarding passes. A main fringe benefit for fliers signing up for PreCheck is that they get spared the security striptease: They get to keep shoes and jackets on and even leave their laptops in their carry-ons, and thus are less likely to have to pay a visit to the TSA lost and found.
But for the rest of the flying public, things could get worse, as airline fees inspire more fliers to haul their belongings through the checkpoint.
In the space of just one hour, the left-behind loot I picked up included: 1 passport, 2 laptops, 1 wallet, 1 belt, 1 boarding pass, and an airport parking lot ticket. And loose change: I didn't count it, but consider that the TSA last year collected more than $500,000 worth of errant nickels, dimes, and quarters nationwide; the money goes back to TSA coffers and is used for general security purposes, although some lawmakers argue it should be donated to charity.
There's also a sizable trove of items that aren't claimed, as well as a locker labeled "VAP," for voluntarily abandoned property, such as Swiss Army knives that many travelers simply surrender, given the lack of good alternatives (going back to the terminal to check it as baggage is clearly not an option for anyone in a hurry.) And as you may have heard, that trove is divvied up among states who can dispose of it at auction or even on eBay.
The screeners on duty the day I was there seemed to take it all in stride, like Kyle Martin, who, when I asked him why he joined the TSA, gave this pithy response: "It was either this or join the Army." So far, the TSA's workforce has been spared the damage from the sequester—but still, even fully staffed, the agency is having trouble streamlining the checkpoint process. It might just be that we're hauling too much stuff; last year, the TSA handled nearly two million passengers every day, and, on average, each flier pushes through two to three bins plus assorted carry-ons, backpacks, strollers, and sporting equipment.
So what's the solution, then? TSA chief John Pistole has pledged that by the end of 2013, at least 25% of travelers will be eligible for expedited security; Congress has set a goal of getting fully half of all fliers into some sort of fast-track program (keep in the mind that the TSA's mandate to keep things "random" means even PreCheck members will sometimes get sent back to the slow lanes.) More recently, the TSA said it will select some low-risk fliers at the time of booking to get expedited treatment. Still, the agency says you'll have a better chance of bypassing long lines if you sign up for PreCheck (at $85 for five years) and get fingerprinted and vetted at new locations that are set to open this fall, with the first ones at Dulles and Indianapolis.
Meanwhile, the humble bin is becoming a revenue raiser in itself. At many airports, such as Dulles, the bins carry advertising, and the resulting revenues help to defray the cost of the bins and the carts used to haul them back and forth.
While the TSA isn't directly involved, an official pointed out how much nicer the ad-supported tubs looked—the ones in this photo have a deep blue image, versus the utilitarian gray containers they replaced. A victory for aesthetics, perhaps, but fliers can only hope that the rest of the checkpoint drill will soon measure up.
Photos by Barbara Peterson; Photo of bins Courtesy TSA


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11:00 am Pokemon League @ Greenfield
Pokemon League @ Greenfield
Aug 30 @ 11:00 am
Play the Pokémon Trading Card Game every Sunday at our Pokemon League. Battle other trainers in casual matches, and earn marks for each game played. You'll earn awesome promo cards just by playing games—win or[...]
12:00 pm HeroClix @ Mayfair
HeroClix @ Mayfair
Aug 30 @ 12:00 pm
Play with your favorite super heroes, sidekicks and villains at our HeroClix events! New players welcome! New to the Game? HeroClix is a collectible miniatures game that centers on the world of superhero comic books,[...]
12:00 pm Magic – Commander @ Greenfield & North Shore
Magic – Commander @ Greenfield & North Shore
Aug 30 @ 12:00 pm
Play Commander, the most popular multi-player format in Magic the Gathering! It's also known as Elder Dragon Highlander or EDH. Each player brings a Commander Deck. Players are placed into pods of 3-5 and there[...]
1:00 pm Torg Eternity @ North Shore
Torg Eternity @ North Shore
Aug 30 @ 1:00 pm
Later today, earlier tomorrow, sometime next week, the world began to end. The invaders came, causing mass destruction simultaneously across the world and changing parts of the world into "somewhere else." Join us for Torg[...]
3:00 pm Commander at the Pub @ Oak & Shield Pub
Commander at the Pub @ Oak & Shield Pub
Aug 30 @ 3:00 pm
Join us for a casual Commander format Magic: the Gathering event—Sunday afternoons at Oak & Shield Pub! Upon arriving, you'll be given a pod of players to join, and settle in for an afternoon of[...]


text:
My brother Zvi, who now lives across the ocean, was stubborn in his youth. He decided to study a trade and earn his livelihood through his own efforts. If only he had chosen a refined trade such as watch making or photography, he would certainly have remained at home and studied with the famous photographer in our city of Lukashevka, as did our older brothers Elkana and Yitzchak, who also studied with him during their youth. However his heart was drawn specifically toward coarser trades such as auto mechanics and locksmithing trades that dirty the hands and the clothes. Therefore, he did not receive the agreement of our father, who saw this as a complete rejection of books. Mother, on the other hand, encouraged him and agreed to his plans.
One day my brother arose and traveled to Kishinev to study and work. On account of his work, he joined the ranks of the self defense, despite his young age. He was injured during the disturbances that broke out in Russia in 1905 with the abrogation of the constitution that was issued by the Czarist government. He returned home one day with his right hand wrapped in a sling, all feverish. We lay him to bed and gave him over to the care of Dr. Bilinski, a Polish doctor who was a friend of the Jews.
He returned to Kishinev after he recovered. After a brief period he returned and brought with him a large trunk, of at least a square meter in size. We brought the trunk into the room of our house that was called the office (Kontura).
My brother spent many hours each day alone in the office.
He invited me into the office one day, and from the trunk containing various implements he brought out a large revolver, black and flat, with a magazine that could take several bullets. It was called a Browning. He explained to me that he had mastered the art of not making a sound at the time of shooting. He showed me several other revolvers of various sizes: some were broken in the middle and resealed, and others were presented to me in parts. He showed me how to load and seal the gun before it is put in its case. My brother then gave me some sandpaper and showed me how to clean off the rust.
I was a young girl at the time, and I knew how to polish silver and brass objects with a cream. Now I learned something new, which is to polish steel objects with black paper. I had great pleasure when I saw the implements leaving my hands shiny and sparkling. While I was working, my brother was busy with the implements that were cleaned. He smeared them with oil and put them aside. After some time, I realized that these implements were being hidden, some in the wooden ceiling that was above the space between the double doors.
When father returned on the eve of the Sabbath from the estate in the village of Vorotets, where he served as the farm superintendent and accountant, there was no trace of the implements in the office.
That Sabbath afternoon, my parents took a nap as they usually did every Sabbath. The young children went out for a walk, and I left the house as well. When I returned from the walk toward the evening, I was surprised and astonished at the sight that I saw: my young brother Asher Zelig, the son of my parents' old age, was holding a bayonet in his hands and boasting to his friends outside about the weapons of the Cossack that fell into his hands. I advised him to go into the house, but he did not pay attention. I threatened him that I would tell father. However, he did as he pleased. I had no choice. I ran into the house and told my father about the matter. He was also astonished, and ordered my brother to come into the house immediately with his bayonet. The trickster entered the house, all excited from the game and surprised, and stood before father. Father ordered him to immediately place the bayonet on the table. Then he took his dear son over his left knee, and spanked him soundly over the soft place with his left hand.
Our house was astir after the Sabbath. The emotions ran very high. Finding the bayonet made it clear to my father that weapons were hidden in our house.
Fear of the police always pervaded every Jewish home in Czarist Russia. This was especially the case in our home, for my eldest brother did not present himself to the army exam, but rather fled to the United States. From that time, the police would visit us on occasion in order to collect the fine of 300 Rubles that was owing to the state treasury in accordance with the law. At every such visit, they would search and inspect all of the household utensils. They would record all of our possessions in a complete list, and place an insignia upon them. Thus, one can understand my father's fear. Such a lone bayonet, which was left exposed by chance, was liable to expose our secret and bring a great disaster upon the entire family.
I recall how I hid myself in a crevice at the door of the oven in that room and how my heart ached as I wailed along with my brother out of pity for the thrashing that he endured. Nevertheless, I did not regret that I had exposed the secret. My conscience was clear. I was certain at the time that I could not have done otherwise. The cleaning of the implements that I had done, and my knowledge of the secret made me a partner in responsibility for the safety of the hidden weapons.
One day in the afternoon, my brother Avraham Moshe broke into the house wailing, as he was holding his bleeding left hand with his right hand. He was asked to explain the situation. He explained between sobs that his hand was injured as he closed the heavy iron lock of the door. He was too young to have been included among the ranks of the self-defense, but he would diligently follow what was going on in the mysterious cellar. He decided himself that he should also practice with weapons. He secretly went into the cellar, and started to practice without any training. To his surprise, the bullet that was shot did not reach its intended mark. Rather, it reached an entirely unintended target. He also received his punishment for following after those who were older than he.
Dr. Bilinski also tended to him. He was also registered in the city hospital as having been wounded by accident.
My brother, who received his first immersion in fire, came to the Land during the Second Aliyah and was active in the Hagana.
My brother introduced the lad: My friend Mesha.
At dinner, my brother described the journey. Among everything, he pointed out that the wagon driver was surprised about the weight of the baskets. However after he explained that they contained presents for Mother, beef tallow and sheep's tails, he was satisfied. The elders broke out in laughter, and I did not understand the meaning of that laughter.
The next morning, when I entered the parlor, I saw the two lads sitting at the large round table that stood in the center of the room. A cloth was spread over the table, on top of which was piled some white, shiny powder. My brother rolled a rolling pin over the powder to break up the clumps, and his friend filled up the empty bottles.
What is this powder?, I asked. This is Bretolite Salt that is used as treatment for scabies, my brother explained to me. He added, I suffer very badly from this illness, and I have decided to take baths with this salt.
That evening, the two lads went out for a walk. Mesha, who was a jovial lad, wore a small straw hat with a narrow brim, which was tilted at an angle toward the right side. For some reason, he also took with him a bright, colorful woman's umbrella, in accordance with the style of those times. We were all astonished. However, since my brother had come from Odessa this time, and Mesha was from Odessa, we said to ourselves, This must be the style of Odessa.
The two lads would go out on their walk every evening, and return home at dusk. The umbrella would be with them on every walk. At times it was closed, and Mesha swung it around in his hand like a stick, and at other times it was open, hanging over his shoulder shielding his back, as Mesha went around with youthful naughtiness.
One day, I walked on the road of the nobility (Dvorianskia, later Alexandrovskia), and waited by the steps that led to the foot of Mount Ivanus. This was a regular weekday. It was late, and there were few people out strolling. Suddenly, my eyes noticed the two friends sliding down the mountain to the creek that led to the yards of the noblemen. Then, I heard the sound of a dull explosion. Fear engulfed me. With a pounding heart, I impatiently awaited for the boys to appear on the steps, so that they could accompany me home. Along the way, my brother asked me if I waited for a long time near the steps, and if I had heard the explosion. I answered affirmatively. The friends exchanged glanced that were laden with innuendoes, and they stopped talking about it. I understood that they were involved with the explosion.
When we came home, my brother informed mother that he intended to return to Odessa as soon as possible. After dinner, he went to the wagon driver. He returned with the news that he was promised two places, for him and for Mesha, on the wagon that was setting out early in the morning for Kishinev. As added security, he took a Ruble from the wagon driver as a pledge that he would not travel without them.
In the morning, the two friends took their two baskets, that now were very light, for they included only a few sets of linen that my mother had time to prepare, and the traditional cake that she would bake when someone would set out on a journey. Mesha took leave of us with great warmth, literally like a member of the family. The wagon set out, and we stared at it until it disappeared behind the corner of the road that led to the long bridge over the Reat River, the route that leads to Kishinev.
They set out on Friday morning. On Sunday evening, we were surprised to see my brother return home, all emotional and agitated. Great preparations immediately started in the home and the yard. My brother and my mother were involved particularly with them. At a late hour in the evening, mother came in and asked me to pour water on her hands that were dirty with clay.
In the outer wall of our yard next to the cowshed, there was a box next to the ground that was called the milk box. In this box were stored the butter churn, the milking tools, the filter, the clay pitchers, and other milking utensils. The next day, I found out that the door of the milk box was sealed and plastered with clay. That day, my brother took great care to plaster the entire tall wall. When the plaster dried, it was impossible to discern the place of the box.
During dinner, as we all sat around the table, my brother told us the following:
My friend Mesha, our dear friend who so endeared himself to all of you, was exposed as a despised provocateur. When we arrived in Kishinev, before we set out for Odessa, I was urgently called to an unscheduled meeting of the central committee. At that meeting, I was informed that Mesha was sentenced to death. The plan was as follows: Mesha does not know the member who was to carry out the sentence. He would be travelling with us to Odessa, in the same train but in a different coach. At a certain stop that was agreed upon from the outset, the train stopped for a certain period of time. Mesha and I went out to attend to our needs. The member waited for us in the bathroom, and there he shot Mesha with a bullet from a Browning. I and the member who executed the operation then returned to our places in the train and continued on until the next stop. From there we returned to Kishinev in a train that was leaving that station in the opposite direction.
Thus was our family saved from a great misfortune that might have awaited us.
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text:
Heyward aces test in the clutch against lefty
Big two-run hit helps erase any lingering concerns following jaw injury
ATLANTA -- Less than a week after his jaw was fractured by Mets southpaw Jon Niese's fastball on Aug. 21, Jason Heyward vowed that when he returned in time for the postseason, he would not be negatively affected by any lingering fear of facing left-handed pitchers.
Heyward provided some indication of this as he returned in time for the final 10 games of the regular season. But if there were any lingering doubts about how he would react to facing left-handers, he erased them when he laced a game-winning two-out single off Paco Rodriguez in the seventh inning of Friday night's 4-3 win over the Dodgers in Game 2 of the National League Division Series.
"I worked really hard to be in shape before my jaw actually healed so I could play," Heyward said. "It's not really a concern for me. I know if I was going to step back on the field to help my teammates, I couldn't think about my jaw or anything like that. Get out there and go have some fun."
After being frustrated in Thursday night's series opener, the Braves certainly had some fun Friday as they evened this best-of-five series. Their recipe included solid pitching and three clutch two-out hits, the most important of which was delivered by Heyward.
With runners at second and third and two outs in the seventh, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly called on left-hander Rodriguez, which prompted Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez to call Jose Constanza back to the bench and instead use Reed Johnson in this pinch-hit situation.
After the Dodgers opted to intentionally walk Johnson to set up the lefty-lefty matchup, Heyward looked at a pair of curveballs that missed the zone and then allowed a slider to pass before sending the next slider back up the middle.
"Play the matchups," Heyward said. "That's what the postseason is about. You go lefty-lefty there. Me, personally, I'm glad to have an opportunity to come through big for my team right there. Got a pitch and I didn't miss it."
Heyward's game winner was even more significant given the fact that Rodriguez ranked third among all Major League relievers with a .131 batting average allowed against left-handed hitters.
Before delivering this clutch single, Heyward had two hits in nine at-bats against left-handers since returning from the injury. Both came during his five-hit game against the Phillies last week.
Now, as he prepares for Sunday's matchup (8 p.m. ET on TBS) against Los Angeles left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu, Heyward will have even more reason to feel a sense of confidence.
"I think that was big," Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman said. "It's big for his confidence and we're facing a lefty on Sunday. So hopefully, he can carry that over."


text:
San Diego Comic Con wrote:1:30 - 2:30 Hasbro: Transformers Brand - Aaron Archer (vice president, Hasbro Design) and Jerry Jivoin (director, Global Transformers Brand) discuss the hottest Transformers topics including the Transformers Prime and Transformers Rescue Bots TV series, action figures, video games, comics, theme park rides and more. Attendees will also get sneak peeks at upcoming action figures and brand news. Jerry and Aaron will also host some Q&A for your burning Transformers questions. Roll out! Room 24ABC
(Doing Q&A first because of technical difficulties with the power point presentation)
Hasbro is going to re-release the Transformers Prime: First Edition toys this fall, around November. Exclusive to Toys R Us.
New episodes of the emmy award winning Transformers Prime cartoon starts up in the fall for the back half of season 2. No date specified.
Still looking at ways to bring the last waves of Dark of the Moon products to retail. It's on their radar. "Stay tuned."
Someone asked about a Metroplex toy ... teased us, but no final answer. "Would you guys like to see a Metroplex toy?"
... presentation begins.
Going through the Universal Studios presentation, and now the Jagex MMO. Nothing new that hasn't been covered at previous Transformers related events such as BotCon.
Transformers Prime Season 2 presentation
2012 & 2013 toy reveals
10 products lines
106 slides
112 character reveals
hundreds of incredible fans
1 amazing brand
Transformers Rescue Bots presentation
Bots & Robbers Police HQ 98643
2013 ... "Energize" theme
New 3" 2 packs with the robots with their human friends
Transformers Kre-o presentation
Kreon Microchangers
All new Kreon Microchangers Combiners
Transformers Prime presentation
Ultra Magnus (Voyager0
No Breakdown shown!
Transformers Cyberverse
Tailgate (Cliffjumper white repaint) shown
and a couple of other Cyberverse figures that I missed
Bot Shots
Starscream launcher
Bumblebee with G1 battle mask
New 2013 products
Jump shots
Spin shots
Flip shots
Blitz shots (traditional bash style)
Transformers Exclusives
Jetwing Optimus Prime - November A1616
Masterpiece Thundercracker - October, new Starscream mold
G2 FOC Bruticus in G2 packaging ... looks awesome!, commissioned one of the G2 artists, looks like a 1990s package
Transformers Prime First Edition (TRU exclusive)
Deluxes: Arcee, Terrorcon Cliffjumper, Vehicon, and Starscream
Deluxes: Bulkhead and Optimus Prime
China Imports
Will be at TRU 4th quarter
Bluestreak, Motorbreath, Hoist, Thundercracker
Sandstorm, Dead End, Brawl, and Laserbeak
Deluxes: Wheelie, Cliffjumper, Swerve, Springer
Voyagers: Hot Spot, Powerdive, G2 Megatron
DOTM Ultimate Optimus Prime (Year of the Dragon)
Transformers Dark Energon exclusive series (BBTS exclusives)
Bumblebee,Wheeljack, Knockout, Starscream (all clear)
Voyager scale Optimus and Megatron
Transformers Generations
Combaticons remolded/repainted into Wreckers
Impactor (Onslaught), Twintwist (Brawl), Topspin (Blast Off), Roadbuster (Swindle), and Whirl (Vortex)
Wreckers combine into Ruination
Generations Legends Eject, Ramhorn, Rewind, and Sundor
Blaster remold from Soundwave, comes with Steeljaw, will have out at booth
Linkin Park loves Transformers
"What's a rock star Transformer look like?"
Linkin Park gold G1 Soundwave in special packaging


text:
By Scott Corrales
UFO Digest Latin America Correspondent
Source: NOUFA (Noticiero Ufológico Autonomo)
Date: December 20, 2010
[Readers of INEXPLCATA will recall the redoubling of USO activity that occurred shortly after the Chilean earthquake of 2010, which even included reports of tall humanoids emerging from the water. Such activity has by no means ended, judging from the following report – SC]
More Reports from Bajo Molle Chile:
According to Alejandro Dávalos, [NOUFA] correspondent in Iquique, sightings are ongoing and increasing in Bajo Molle, Iquique – UFO activity that NOUFA has been reporting on for quite some time.
On this occasion it was night watchman Ricardo González Monrroy who saw a shining white light emerge from the sea on the night of Tuesday the 14th at 12:50 p.m.. The light blinked a few times, suspended in the air for a few moments, and then began moving horizontally toward the south before vanishing in the horizon. These strange lights do not make any sound whatsoever and are very bright. Moreover, on Friday the 17th of this month [December 2010], Mr. Edison Coronado, a draftsman for a company, left his office late at 10:00 p.m and became aware of a very bright light approaching land from the sea's horizon. Given that it wasn't a commercial airline route, he was startled by the light and stayed behind to look at it. As it grew closer, he was able to describe the light as a large moving star. When it was overhead, it stopped for a few seconds before accelerating, vanishing in a matter of seconds. Next, three luminous spots appeared in the place where it had disappeared, forming a triangle that blinked for a few moments before fading away.
The antecedents of the UFO case histories for this specific area (Bajo Molle) are quite old, and include luminous spheres that emerge from the sea. All of this has been confirmed by Alejandro Dávalos, who has been a privileged witness to this phenomenon. He adds that since the area is high up, looking down on the ocean, he has seen luminous spheres under the water more than once, which would make them USOs (unidentified submarine objects). Furthermore, he adds that more than once he has thought – as have many local residents – that there is a base or meeting point for these lights under the sea, making these sightings even more fantastic and bizarre.
Dávalos hopes to conduct a watch in the area, employing specialized cameras and people interested in the phenomenon, in the hopes of creating a high-quality record of these mysterious luminous spheres that emerge from the sea.
(Translation (c) 2011, S. Corrales, IHU. Special thanks to Raul Núñez)


text:
Amateur photographer Heinz Maier is making a splash with his water drop art.
He uses high speed photography to capture the moment droplets hit the
surface of water. The factory plant operator from Stuttgart has only been
taking photographs for less than a year and pursues his new hobby in the
evenings, when his job and his family allow. But already, Heinz's work has
been causing a buzz online, getting 600,000 hits in a matter of months.
Making a splash
Faster than a speeding bullet
Balloon pop art?
Snapping splashes
More Alan Sailer images
Faster than a bullet
High-speed images by Lex Augusteijn
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Accessibility links


text:
Peak District Tourist Information Website
The Peak District is a popular tourist area of Midland / Northern England and the location of England's first National Park. We aim to provide tourist information on the local sights, activities, history, flora, fauna and holiday accommodation for visitors to this lovely area of the UK.
Contact Details
We welcome any comments and any ideas for improving these web pages -
Cressbrook Multimedia, 53 Hall View, Cressbrook, BUXTON, Derbyshire. SK17 8SX


text:
Victor Duvanenko is a long-time contributor to Dr. Dobb's. He can be contacted at [email protected]
So far, sequential and parallel implementations of In-Place MSD N-bit-Radix Sort algorithm have been presented in Part 3 and Part 9. Both of these algorithms are linear-time O( dn ) with competitive worst-case performance compared to STL sort and radix sorts in Intel's IPP library. In the first part of this article, the concepts behind In-place MSD Radix Sort will be illustrated with a concrete example. The sequential implementation will then be revisited, simplified, and explained in detail. Plain function and function template implementations will be analyzed. In the next installment, the parallel implementation will build on this foundation.
The main idea of Radix Sorting is to sort numbers not by comparing them to each other, but by using the digits that make up the numbers. Most-significant-digit (MSD) algorithm starts with the MSD and progresses toward the least-significant-digit (LSD) of each number, while the least-significant-digit (LSD) algorithm starts with the LSD and progresses toward the MSD. MSD algorithm uses divide-and-conquer recursive technique and can be in-place or stable, implemented in Part 3 and Part 4.
Figure 1 shows graphically the steps taken in the MSD In-Place Radix Sort, where the original source array is split into R bins, where R is the radix, based on the most-significant-digit of each array element. Then each bin is split into sub-bins, based on the next-significant-digit, and so on. The number of recursion levels is equal to the number of digits that make up each array element, plus the root of the tree (which is the original source array). For instance, if each array element consisted of 64-bit numbers and we used 8-bit digits (256-Radix), then eight recursion levels would be necessary to process all 64-bits, eight bits at each recursion level. The run time order of MSD Radix Sort is the number of recursion levels, with each level processing the entire source array - O( dn ), where d is the number of digits.
To illustrate the MSD algorithm let's take a small concrete example of an array that contains several 8-bit numbers, and use 4-bit digits (16-radix). This is convenient since each digit is a single hex letter, and every number is made of only two digits.
The MSD of each number is ( F 0 0 5 3 1 1 E F 3 ). Based on this MSD, the array is split into bins (up to 16 of them) — ( 00 0F ) ( 19 11 ) ( 31 30 ) ( 50 )( E7 )( FF F3 ). If a resulting bin has more than one element, it is recursively sorted based on the next digit. Figure 2 shows a concrete example as a recursion tree.
Note that bin 0 is created in front of bin 1, followed by bin 2, bin 3, and so on, until bin E, and bin F. By placing all of the elements within bin 0 in front of elements of bin 1, radix sort accomplishes its job.
Another way of visualizing this process is to view the source array as a single bin that gets split into R bins at the first level, and then each of those bins gets split into R bins recursively, and so on.
Figure 3 shows the concrete example, which starts out as a single bin, shown in the top row as a single bin. This bin gets split into sub-bins 0, 1, 3, 5, E and F, based on the most-significant-digit of each array element (highlighted in bold in the figure), shown in the second row. Elements in the second row are sorted, if we look only at the most-significant-digits of each element (the digits in bold in the figure), and ignore all other digits. Each sub-bin that has more than one element is split/sorted further based on the second most-significant-digit, shown in the bottom row. Elements in the third row are sorted, if we look only at the top two most-significant-digits. Since the elements contain only two digits, the resulting array is sorted.
Note that Radix Sort algorithm does not perform comparison between array elements. Instead, it extracts digits from each element and moves elements into separate bins based on these digits. Bins are arranged in order, with smaller ones in front of the larger ones. This divide-and-conquer method is continues recursively until all digits have been used for sorting. The divide step works efficiently by splitting the input into radix number of bins at each level of the recursion tree.
Figure 4 demonstrates the steps during the first level of recursion. At the top the original source array of ten elements is shown. On the first step, the first element is examined (FF). Its MSD is extracted, which is F (shown in bold in the figure), indicating that the element belongs in bin F. This element is swapped with the first element of bin F. Thus, in step 1, element FF and F3 are swapped. Element F3 is now the first element of the array and element FF is in bin F. The empty slots in step 1 and subsequent steps indicate the array elements that are in their original positions and have not been touched.
On the second step, element F3 is processed, extracting its MSD, which is also F. This element is swapped with the next element of bin F, which has a value of 30. Thus, element 30 is now the first element of the array and element F3 is in bin F. On the third, fourth and fifth steps, the algorithm continues to figure out which bin to move the current element to, and swaps with the element at that location.
On the sixth step, the current element is 0F needs to move to bin 0, which is the bin that it's currently in. Thus, element 0F does not need to move. Instead, the algorithm advances to the second array element and processes from that location. On step seven, element 00 is already in bin 0. At this point, bin 0 is full, and the first element of bin 1 is skipped over, making the forth array element the one being processed (value 50). Element 50 is moved to bin 5 by swapping it with element 11, on step 8. On step 9, element 11 is processed and kept in place since it belongs in bin 1, which is where it already is. Since bin 1 is now full, the search for the next element to process skips over bin 3 and bin 5, ending in bin E Bin E has one element that belongs in bin E, and thus stays where it already is. The search for the next element to process ends up going past bin F and beyond the end of the array, at which point the algorithm is done processing the first level of recursion.
Note that after the first level of recursion array elements are in sorted order if we only look at the most-significant-digit of each element. The next level of recursion will take each bin and sort recursively within the bin based on the next most-significant-digit. This process continues via divide-and-conquer until sub-bins have one or fewer elements or all digits have been used for sorting — i.e. the least-significant-digit has been used for sorting.
On every step of the algorithm, an element is placed into the bin where it belongs. In other words, input array with ten elements takes ten steps to sort based on MSD. This is a key behavior that is part of the linear-time performance of MSD Radix Sort.