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So I'm enjoying my snow-free snow day and I'm watching some Saved By the Bell because WHY WOULDN'T I? I'm watching Home For Christmas, Part 1 (Season 4, Episode 24 - GOOD MORNING MISS BLISS COUNTS) and Saved By the Bell is throwing down some real truth.
In this scene, Zack is trying to woo Laura, who he met in the food court, and things are going well (because that Zack is a ladykiller!), until the homeless man that Zack met in the bathroom (Spoiler alert: it's Laura's dad! But the point still stands) walks by and waves. The next exchange is a fantastic bit of awesomeness rarely seen in SBTB:
Zack: I gave him some money; I just hope he spends it on food.
Laura: What do you mean by that?
Zack: Well, you know, when you give a guy a handout, you can't be sure if he's really hungry, or a wino, or worse. (chuckles) So, pick you up at 12:30?
Laura: Forget it. I just lost my appetite.
You go, Laura.
McUncool yells at people on Twitter, often in all caps, @joshuaadavidd.

subset: commoncrawl


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Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
The biggest football story I've heard recently has nothing to do with the Super Bowl. The biggest football story I've heard is that there's a third Manning brother. And he doesn't play football.
For those who don't follow sports, the Mannings are a football dynasty. The youngest is Eli, quarterback for the Giants and last year's first overall draft pick. The middle child is Peyton, arguably one of the best quarterbacks in the last few decades. And the eldest is Cooper, an institutional broker.
That's right - an institutional broker. I'm not even sure what that is but if I were in his place, I'd need to be institutionalized, too.
The father of the three is Archie Manning, a former MVP quarterback himself. Cooper did play college ball - and was regarded quite highly until an injury ended his career. And his ability to rub anything in to his little brothers. Can you imagine what Thanksgiving is like in that house?
"Pass the stuffing?"
"Like your brothers and I passed our way into the record books?"
"Yeah, dad. Just like that. Shoot me."
I always knew there were sports families - but I never gave much thought to the other brothers. You know, the guys who didn't quite make it. And they're all over the place. Rarely does a whole family break in - and so the father and son tales of glory are made that much more awkward by the son who is an institutional broker.
Barry Bonds, known for his 703 home runs and his 703 inch forehead, is the son of baseball perennial all-star Bobby Bonds and the nephew of Olympian Rosie Bonds. If Barry's steroid flap doesn't keep him out of Cooperstown, he'll be enshrined in baseball's Hall of Fame. Which will be a momentous occasion for everyone in the family except Bobby Bonds Jr. Junior never made the majors, but hung on as a minor leaguer for eight years before finally retiring. Did I mention the poor kid is also Reggie Jackson's cousin?
In 1990, Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Sr. became the first father and son to share an outfield together when they did so in Seattle. At the time, Ken Jr.'s little brother Craig was in high school, about to be drafted by the same Seattle Mariners. What a story - three Griffeys on one team! The hype was there - and several baseball cards and posters featuring all three were made. But Craig never made it past the minors. I wonder if he has any of the posters.
The Hulls are one of hockey's biggest dynasties. Brothers Dennis, a six-time all-star, and Bobby, a Hall-of-Famer, dominated the NHL in the 1960s. A few decades later, Bobby's son Brett became one of the top three goal scorers of all time. Brett Hull's agent? His brother Bobby Jr. Junior did have some hockey experience of his own - five years playing for low level minor league teams and one game of (get this) professional roller hockey. But using his famous last name, Junior now makes extra cash running a hockey training camp.
"Now kids, this is how you earn an income while slowly drowning in your sibling's enormous shadow."
It's got to be terrible for Bobby Jr. to represent his brother during negotiations. Keeping with the Mr. Saturday Night credo of "never manage family," his life is based on his brother's life. There's no way that could possibly be fun.
Sometimes having a famous sibling allows you to jump some hurdles and get famous as well, even if you don't have much talent. (See Simpson, Ashlee). But that doesn't work in sports. Just ask Ozzie Canseco, who is only as talented as his big brother Jose in brawling, going to jail and taking steroids. Ozzie couldn't cut it in the big leagues and he was dropped quickly. At least having a famous brother might get people to be nicer to him in prison.
It is possible that Cooper Manning, Bobby Bonds Jr., Craig Griffey, and even Bobby Hull Jr. are very happy with their non-sports lives. Maybe they're better off this way. Being a professional athlete is a tough, demanding life, where you have little time for anything outside the game. It's possible that not being professional athletes gives them more time with their families, more time to pursue hobbies, and most importantly, more time to bang their head repeatedly against the Thanksgiving table.
Enjoy the game.


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Miscellaneous Site Development Standards and Information
The following information is for reference and informational purposes. For the most up-to-date information, contact the Land Use Review office at 385-5905.
Miscellaneous Site Development Standards and Information
Prior to constructing anything at a property, you should contact the Utility Locators at 1 (800) 922-1987 to determine where existing utilities may be located. To determine if there are existing utility easements at a site, contact Colorado Springs Utilities at 448-4800.
Accessory Structures:
An accessory structure is a detached structure located on the same lot as the principal building and is incidental and devoted exclusively to an accessory use. Accessory structures of 120 square feet or less and eight feet (8') or less in height may be located anywhere within the rear yard area but cannot be located within existing utility easements. An accessory structure greater than 120 square feet or taller than eight feet (8') in height must maintain setbacks and obtain a building permit prior to placement and/or construction. Setbacks, in this case, for the A, R, R-1-9000 zones are 10'; the R-1-6000, R-2, R-4 and R-5 zones are 5'. PUD setbacks will vary depending on the development; contact Land Use Review at 385-5905 for additional information.
Fences that are six feet (6') in height or less are not considered structures and therefore are not subject to setback requirements. Fences over six feet (6') in height require a building permit and are considered accessory structures and are subject to the setback requirements for the zone district in which the property is located. Fences constructed at an intersection are subject to corner visibility requirements; check with the Land Use Review office for additional information.
Signs are allowed in all zone districts however, the size and type are strictly regulated. All signs must be secured to the ground or a building. A-Frame, portable or movable signs, inflatable or blimps used as signs, parked vehicles with signs and flashing or animated signs are prohibited. All signs, except for specified temporary signs, require a sign plan be approved by the Development Review Enterprise. Contact Kurt Schmitt at the Development Review Enterprise for additional information at 385-5072.
Recreational Vehicles:
Travel trailers or recreational vehicles may be parked in residential zones off of the street in the side or rear yards, but the vehicles may not be occupied at any time. If it is impossible to park in the side or rear yard, the vehicle may be parked in the front yard on a paved or gravel surface at least ten feet (10') from the back of the sidewalk. For additional information, contact Colorado Springs Police Department-Code Enforcement at 444-7891.
Building Setbacks:
This is the minimum distance that a structure, landscaping, parking, or other designated item must be from the property line to the front, rear and side of a particular property. The distances vary for different zones. All buildings, decks/porches and accessory structures must comply with the required setbacks unless otherwise indicated.
· Front Yard Setback: The area from side property line to side property line starting at the front property line and ending at the minimum front yard setback point as prescribed by the zone district or development plan.
· Rear Yard Setback: The area from side property line to side property line starting at the rear property line and ending at the minimum rear yard setback point as prescribed by the zone district or development plan.
· Side Yard Setback: The area located between the minimum front yard setback and the minimum rear yard setback that runs parallel to the side property lines. The width of the side yard setback shall be measured from the side property line to a point prescribed by the zone district or development plan.
All exterior lighting for multi-family, office, commercial, industrial, institutional and public facility development should be reflected away from any adjoining properties and rights-of-way as well as shielded to contain all light on site. Contact Land Use Review at 385-5905 for additional information or to file a complaint.
Building encroachments into setbacks:
Some architectural features are allowed to project into the building setbacks however there are restrictions on what can encroach as well as the amount of the projection. Some of the building features that can encroach include: cornices, eaves, canopies, chimneys, fire escapes, access ramps and uncovered decks. Bay windows, covered porches, decks or balconies cannot encroach and approval of a development application would be required to do so.
Corner Visibility:
No fence, building, landscaping, sign or any other obstruction between the height of three feet (3') and ten feet (10') above street level is permitted within the corner visibility triangle. The visibility triangle may vary depending on the type of street and speed limit thereto consequently, contact Engineering at 385-5908 for additional information.
CMRS (Commercial Mobile Radio Systems):
Cell phone transmission systems may be allowed in various zone districts within the City. The use of wall or roof mounted facilities are encouraged so as to blend in with the architecture of the host buildings as well as with stealth facilities that have their antennas and equipment concealed or camouflaged. Contact the Development Review Enterprise for additional information at (719) 385-5982.
Accessory Dwelling Units:
Accessory dwelling units may be allowed in some zone districts as long as the dwelling is subordinate to the principal residence and the accessory dwelling is under the same ownership as the principal residence.
Definition of a Family:
A family is defined under the Zoning Code as an individual, two or more persons related by blood, marriage, adoption or similar legal relationship or a group of not more than five (5) persons who are not related not counting domestic staff employed for services on the premises. These individuals would be living together as a single housekeeping unit in one dwelling unit. The family definition applies regardless of whether any member of the group receives outside services for mental, emotional or physical disabilities.
Definition of Junk:
Any manufactured goods, appliances, fixtures, furniture, machinery, vehicles, personal property or any other thing or part thereof, whether of value or valueless, that is demolished, discarded, dismantled, partially dismantled, dilapidated, or so worn and deteriorated that it would not be normally usable in its current state for its original manufactured use. This may include, but is not limited to, wood, used lumber, paper, glass, bottles, rags, rubber, scrap metal, tin cans, scrap material, waste, concrete, rubble, boxes, crates, building materials or machinery parts.
Carports and Detached Garages:
Carports and garages are allowed in any zone district as an accessory use but must be in connection with a principal use already existent on the property. The regulations are as follows:
1. For single family residences; a maximum of 1,200 square feet per unit with garage doors for no more than four vehicles;
2. For multi-family projects, a maximum of 600 square feet per unit with garage doors for no more than two vehicles;
3. The maximum amount of storage space within a garage cannot exceed 450 square feet;
4. The footprint of a garage cannot exceed the footprint of the principal structure;
5. Detached garages with a roof pitch of less than six to twelve (6:12) have a height limitation of 16' while detached garages with a roof pitch of greater than six to twelve (6:12) have a height limitation of 20'. The height of building is measured from an average elevation of the finished grade to the highest point on the roof surface.
For questions or additional information, contact the Land Use Review office.


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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee State men's basketball team outscored Belmont by eight points in the second half, but still fell to the Bruins 79-65 on Saturday night in the Gentry Center.
Patrick Miller led the Tigers in scoring for the 19th time and poured in 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting. The senior also added seven rebounds and five assists.
M.J. Rhett and Kennedy Eubanks also scored in double figures for Tennessee State (2-19, 1-6 OVC) finishing with 13 and 10, respectively. The duo also had eight rebounds apiece.
TSU outrebounded Belmont (13-7, 5-1 OVC) 35 to 29, but 15 Tiger turnovers led to 24 Bruin points.
Belmont's Drew Windler started the game by draining a pair of threes within the first minute. The strong Bruin open prompted Tennessee State head coach Travis Williams to call timeout at 19:10.
The stoppage in play did little to slow down the Bruins, as they extended their lead to 18 when J.J. Mann hit a triple with 11:50 to play before halftime. The basket made the score 25-7 and made TSU burn another timeout.
BU's lead swelled to 21 when Craig Bradshaw hit a jumper with just over nine minutes remaining in the half, making the score 31-10.
TSU trailed, 41-19, at the break. The Tigers' 19 was their lowest total in any half this season.
Belmont outshot TSU (53 to 32 percent) and won the battle of the boards (20 to 15) during the first 20 minutes.
Three Tigers scored points in the opening stanza while eight recorded baskets for the visitors.
For the second straight game, Tennessee State upped its intensity after heading into the locker room and started the second frame on a 20-4 run that included a strong dunk by M.J. Rhett. The string of baskets made the score 45-39.
Belmont was held without a field goal for the first seven minutes of the half and TSU outrebounded the Bruins 12-4 over the stretch.
BU eventually woke up and went back up by 13 when Nick Smith hit a three with 8:31 left.
Again, the Tigers did not back down and scored the next six points, four by Rhett. The run made the score 58-51 in favor of BU.
From that point, Belmont's shooters got hot, draining 12-of-20 (60 percent), helping their side to a 79-65 victory.
TSU raised its field goal percentage by nearly 23 points and upped its free throw shooting from 44.4 to 87.5 percent in the second half, but the 22-point first half deficit proved too hard to overcome.
The Tigers will look to rebound when they host Eastern Kentucky on Jan. 23 at 7 p.m.


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Greinke Leads Dodgers To 10,000th Franchise Win, 6-4 Over The Twins
MINNEAPOLIS -- Zack Greinke added to his century-best run on a historic night for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Greinke pitched six strong innings, Juan Uribe had two RBIs and the Dodgers earned their 10,000th win in franchise history, 6-4 over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night.
Greinke (5-0) struck out six and didn't allow an earned run through drizzling rain and temperatures that dipped into the 30s. He now has gone 18 straight regular-season starts of at least five innings while allowing two runs or fewer, the longest run since 1914.
He also has opened a season with wins in five straight decisions for the first time since he was 6-0 in his AL Cy Young Award season of 2009.
The Dodgers join the Giants, Cubs and Braves as the only franchises to win 10,000 games.
Manager Don Mattingly has been around for 275 of those victories. The laid-back former Yankee quipped that he might even keep a souvenir ball from this milestone victory.
"If I can get one, it wouldn't be bad to have one," Mattingly said. "It feels pretty good."
With the bases loaded and the Twins trailing 5-1 in the seventh, reliever Chris Withrow got Trevor Plouffe to pop out to shortstop on a 3-0 pitch to end the threat.
Plouffe's two-run double in the ninth made it 6-4, but Kenley Jansen retired Chris Colabello to earn his 10th save in 12 chances.
"That's why he's here. A chance for him," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said about Plouffe getting the green light on 3-0. "Get him in a fastball situation like that, that's what we want to see, and he took a rip."
Adrian Gonzalez, Andre Ethier and Yasiel Puig each added two hits and an RBI.
Eduardo Escobar had a career-high four hits and two RBIs for the Twins.
It rained most of the day on Wednesday and a tarp covered the pitcher's mound and batter's box at Target Field 15 minutes before first pitch.
Greinke wasn't fazed, and won his 12th game in 17 starts since Aug. 5. The right-hander has pitched at least five innings and allowed two runs or fewer in 18 consecutive regular season starts.
With Minnesota up 1-0, Drew Butera slid headfirst and touched home just ahead of Kurt Suzuki's tag after Hanley Ramierz singled to left in the third.
Gardenhire challenged the safe call by home plate umpire Chris Segal, but lost after the call was confirmed following a 2-minute replay review.
Uribe's two-run single made it 5-1 in the seventh.
Minnesota advanced a runner at least to second base six times against Greinke, but couldn't break through beyond Escobar's double.
Greinke had been 0-3 with a 5.63 ERA at Target Field entering Wednesday.
Kyle Gibson (3-2) allowed five runs in 6 2/3 innings and lost his second consecutive start after beginning the season 3-0 with a 0.93 ERA.
Twins second baseman Brian Dozier did his best to help Gibson. When Gonzalez's grounder to first took a bad hop and ricocheted of Joe Mauer's shoulder, Dozier hustled over, dove, and scooped the ball to Gibson with his glove for the out.
Tuesday's series opener was postponed due to wintry weather and the two teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Thursday.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Type Artist, Venue, Event or Festival name
While it's true that you never know what is going to happen, The Sentry covers most of the bases, providing protection from most everything that could happen within the seconds, hours, days, weeks, and months of the regular calendar. It's your won't-quit, always obedient, ever-watchful, and timely guard against mayhem. Unless otherwise ordered.
Movement: 3 hand Japanese quartz with day and date.
Case: 42mm wide, custom 100 meter stainless steel with hardened mineral crystal and triple gasket enamel fill crown.
Band: Grooved silicone with stainless steel buckle. 23mm wide.
Email Address


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Tron is back in the cinemas on 17 December and that means you're likely to be getting all gushy over the classic 1982 version of the film. And, if you're really into your arcade gaming, Tron the video game.
No, we aren't talking about the latest release from Disney for the Xbox 360 or PS3, but the original coin-operated arcade machine. The one that's featured in the new film.
We tracked down one of the machines in none other than Flynn's arcade on the South Bank in London.
The bad news, though, is that the pop-up installation was put on by HP to promote its new ePrint printer range in connection with the movie, and is shutting down very shortly. We also aren't sure where the arcade, that has been available for the public to play within, will turn up next.
The good news, however, is that we were able to grab a bevy of shots to share so you can at least relive the nostalgia through us.
Mega Tron (wrong franchise we know) fans will remember that there were actually two physical versions of the arcade machine - one with the light cycles, the other with the light discs.
We played the light discs version, which sees you playing as Kevin Flynn while he's forced to compete against Crom. You've got to dodge the discs, while taking out your opponent.
One controller is a spinning dial (very much like on a home cinema amp) while the other is a joystick.
Move the dial to pinpoint where you want to throw the disc, while moving the joystick to move Flynn. The better you do, the more opponents you'll have to face and the more platforms you have to negotiate.
There are no saves, although you do get 5 lives to keep you going.
A total throw back to an age long forgotten, the game may not graphically be a touch on any of today's modern game launches, but still has plenty going for it when it comes to gameplay.
It's simple, but strangely addictive as you manage the spinning dial and the joystick to avoid the light discs heading your way.
Certainly, If you can find the arcade it's well worth putting some money into a Discs of Tron machine. Now, where's our fluorescent leg warmers?


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By NICK STOVER
Contributing Writer
The Louisville Lightning, a third-year Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL) franchise, was knocked out of its first PASL playoffs at home March 2 by the Kansas Magic. The 9-5 loss ended a landmark year for the organization.
The Lightning defeated the Magic three times in as many months.
However, it is difficult to beat a team in any sport four times in a row.
Success is truly a double-edged sword when it comes to the Lightning's roster.
Over the past three years, ten players among the Lightning training camp claim experience with Major League Soccer (MLS) teams – not including Lightning Head Coach.
Being so decimated by success makes it a challenge to continually reload during the end of the season when others seem to be finding their stride.
Depending on who you talk to, this could be a sign Louisville is or is not the right place for a professional soccer team.
However, the Lightning maintained an average of more than 1,000 fans at home games for the third consecutive year, while boasting 30 percent higher investment from corporate partners and receiving more exposure in the local media than ever before.
It is the only indoor soccer team in the PASL (and possibly the entire country) to have had multiple games on television this season.
However, of all the achievements this year the Lightning should be most proud of its effects on Louisville.
Simply visit the team's web site or Facebook pages to glimpse the greatest trophies: pictures of smiling kids representing youth soccer clubs with derisive histories cheering for a common cause; lists of philanthropic groups such as Dare to Care and the Wayside Christian Mission who were helped by the Lightning this season.
Ticket sales have already begun, spring break camps are scheduled and summer tournaments in the community are being planned.


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My Stupid Industry
Lately the publishing industry has been trying to commit suicide over electronic rights. It's funny because every time in history a revolutionary new way to do business comes along, the first instinct of all established players is to strangle themselves with it. Movie studios fought the VCR. Microsoft fought the Internet. The music industry fought MP3s. TV networks are fighting PVRs. Eventually, these turn into important markets, fully embraced by the companies that tried to kill them. But until then everyone spends a lot of time throwing lawyers at anything that doesn't look like a traditional business model.
The first e-madness was DRM, of course. That's the code they wrapped around electronic books to ensure they couldn't be pirated. Well. "Ensure" is a big word. I'm not sure that any piece of DRM in history has survived an interested hacker. What it did ensure was a steady trickle of emails to my inbox from people who couldn't find an electronic copy of Jennifer Government in the right format for their device, or could but after they paid their money it didn't work.
Next came e-delays, where publishers held back electronic versions for four months following print publication. "The right place for the e-book is after the hardcover but before the paperback," said Simon & Schuster CEO Carolyn Reidy. This is a brave counterpoint to the more common wisdom that the right place for selling something is wherever customers want to buy it. So we were not just restricting e-books to particular formats within particular territories, but also to particular windows of time.
But that wasn't enough. Publishers didn't like the fact that Amazon.com started selling e-books for $9.99 each. (They thought that was too cheap, if you're wondering.) It didn't affect publishers' margins, nor authors' royalties, since Amazon.com was selling below cost to promote its Kindle platform. But still, publishers were uncomfortable with the idea of books being that cheap. So they went to war and forced Amazon.com to bump up prices to $13-$15, in exchange for taking a lower royalty on each sale.
Let's review. Amazon.com was eating it in order to allow you to buy books for ten bucks, instead of twenty or thirty, while paying authors the same royalty. Publisher intervenes, and now books are more expensive for you, while the author gets less. Also, the publisher gets less. Oh, and I didn't mention this, but during the war, Amazon.com took down all the "Buy" buttons for Macmillan books, so you definitely couldn't buy them no matter how much you wanted to and nobody made any money at all.
I won't say it's impossible for an industry to push retail prices up while pushing their own margins down and be successful. I'll just say that's not the way it usually works. Also, as a general rule, when customers want to buy a product, it usually works out best if the company lets them. I don't think there have been too many examples of companies making money while refusing to sell their products in the formats their customers want while also forcing retailers to charge more and pocketing less themselves. I'm not sure. But that's my feeling.
Meanwhile, rocked by the Global Calamitous Money Disappearing Event, publishers began cutting back what they do. Ten years ago, a publisher gave hopeful authors editorial advice, a printing service, a promotional budget, and access to bricks and mortar bookstores. There was really no viable alternative, short of becoming a small publisher yourself. To become a successful author, you needed a publisher.
Today, the promotional budget is more likely to involve encouragement to do something on the internet rather than a book tour. Publishers are still fantastic at getting you into bookstores, and physical books still comprise the vast majority of the market: you need them for this. But in e-books, you can click "Export to EPUB" as easily as they can, and without giving up 75% of revenue.
Also, publishers are getting less willing to make risky bets. Instead of taking an unknown author and striving to find her an audience, they want authors to establish their own audience in advance, via a website or similar.
Now, publishing is full of terrific, smart people who love books and want to promote authors. I haven't met a single person in publishing I didn't like. I even love my old Viking editor, who dumped me via relayed e-mail message. I forgive you, Carolyn. I really do. But the people in charge there are trying to sue the VCR. If publishing gets tomorrow everything it wants today, it will be smaller and less relevant. Imagine the world in in ten years, when e-books are 50% of the market: What will publishers offer authors? Not the ability to find an audience, if they're pushing that onto authors. Not the distribution network: anyone can get their book into an electronic store. Not promotion; or at least, not much of it. That leaves editorial and distribution of hard copy. Not to be sneezed at, for sure. Editorial in particular is often the difference between a great book and a mediocre one; I can attest to that. But if I've got a web site and a hundred thousand visitors, I'd think seriously about whether editorial and print is worth giving up 90% of my income. I would, at the least, drive a harder bargain with a publisher than if they were providing more services I really needed.
The publishing industry is trying to think long-term, like every industry that faced a revolutionary change before it. But please, this time, can we not batter ourselves to death? It's not that complicated, Publishing. I write stories. I want people to read them. I want as many people to read them in whatever format they want, wherever they want, as cheaply as possible, while I earn a living. I don't want lower royalties in exchange for higher retail prices. That's the opposite of what I want. I don't want to get emails from people saying they wanted to buy my e-book but they couldn't because it wasn't available or didn't work. This is text. It's not hard to put text on an electronic device. It's only hard because you make it.


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#946153 ST 622 Pro-trim Walk Trimmer
Cut Big Jobs Down to Size. The Ariens String Trimmer gets into those hard to reach areas going to work clearing the tallest, toughest grass and weeds. The 22-inch cutting diameter and 15-degree pivoting head make it easier to trim in those hard to reach places…an ergonomically designed handlebar that comfortably reduces wrist and hand fatigue….there's not an easier….faster….or more reliable way to put the finishing touch on a beautifully manicured landscape.
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November 1, 2012
Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News
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Results tagged ' Nick Green '
Rays Now 0-11 on May 14th Games
This date, May 14th, has always held a small special place within me. It has been a day of honest reflection and undefined possibilities. It has been the Alpha and Omega of my entire life, not only as a person, but as an athlete. In High School, this date usually corresponded with either the Florida State Class 5-A Track and Field championships, or the State Decathalon event held every year at the University of Florida. But since that time has long passed in my life, it has come to signify other things. But with regards to my Rays baseball, this date can be murder on me and the entire Rays team.
For the last 11 out of 13 years, the Tampa Bay Rays franchise has been unable to win a single game on this May 14th date on the calendar. In 8 of the past 11 years, they have gone down in defeat and it has brought my joy and happiness on that day to a sudden standstill. The only blemishes on that dubious record is the fact of two "Off Days" thrown on the schedule in 2001 and 2007 to break up the streak a bit. But in reality, this is one date that the Rays have a huge wall in front of them, and I am beginning to blame myself.
Since 1999, I have circled this date on my calendar hoping to see the roof turned orange after a Rays victory. But again this year we came close, but it was no celebratory cigar again to be lit on this date. It has been my epicenter of baseball for the last 10 years. Since 1999, I have either traveled to Tropicana Field or another city or sat idle on this day in response to where the Tampa Bay Rays were playing baseball.
That is right people, I use this date as my personal symbol of my commitment to my level of fandom to the Rays. It is my own form of special celebration to the team that descended on my home town to make me have more remarkable summer nights than just cruising the beaches with the windows open, or sitting in a sports bar watching the NHL playoffs.
So here I go doing a 11-year recap of those games and their results. Even if it brings up bad memories or provide a bit of funk, this is a date I truly wished would change in their 13th season (My lucky number). Most people will probably not give a big deal about all of this, but on this day…….It is what I say that goes….Got it.
1999: Tampa Bay D-Rays vs Anaheim Angels. (AWAY)That is right, the Anaheim Angels. The Halos had not gotten politically correct yet to include the "LA" region back onto their name. But in this contest the D-Rays starter Bobby Witt did not get any signs of offensive support and the then D-Rays fell to the Halos 8-3. A total of 5 hits were dished out by the D-Rays during this contest. The bottom of the Rays order did most of the damage with catcher John Flaherty hitting a homer in the game. But the Rays did show some defensive signs of life, converting three double plays in the game.
2000: Tampa Bay versus Toronto Blue Jays (AWAY)
This was my first trip outside of the country since my Army National Guard Tour almost 10 years earlier, and it was my venture to this awesome Canadian town. I got a wild distaste for customs on this trip, but that is a story for another time. In this game, the D-Rays sent starter Esteban Yan to the hill. Yes, the same Yan who would become the Rays closer later in his career and provide massive puddles of sweat on the pitching rubber. But the game belonged to Blue Jays starter David Wells, who just seemed to have the D-Rays at bay all night in this contest.
Wells threw a 7-hit 2-run game against the D-Rays, but the Rays Bullpen let the game get away from them in the end. In the bottom of the ninth inning, D-Rays reliever Albie Lopez gave up 2 runs to hand the Jays a 3-2 win. After the game, I got my first taste of feeling a bit out of place when a French speaking woman was trying to have a conversation with me in a neighboring pub, but I could only understand every fifth word. I only took French 1 in college. Guess that day ended up as a total disaster for me, both on and off the turf.
2001: Off Day
I decided on this day to just go on out and hit a local James Beard recommended eater that boasts its steaks and fine conversation during an intimate dinner. It was the first time I had ever ventured into this South side of Tampa, and I made my Visa credit card pay dearly for it. I had heard the praise of the food and atmosphere around Bern's Steakhouse for years, but this was my first entrance into the wine and steak primo emporium. If you have not heard of this fine dining experience, then you have missed out on some of the best foodie tales to ever tell at a cocktail party.
The interior is done in a classic French chateau style complete with the red velvet wall coverings and an over abundance of photos of people no one seems to know on the wall. But the real attraction is the telephone book wine list that has the World's largest and most opulent collection of wines. An added bonus to all of this is an extended aging process on all of their beef offerings, which translates into a bit of ambrosia on your plate. I am going to stop here before I drool and ruin another computer keyboard.
2002: Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Yankees ( AWAY)
This was my first baseball venture into the Ballpark in the Bronx. And I did wear my Rays gear into Yankee Stadium and had a minimal stint of problems. I had secured a seat right above the Rays dugout using a Yankee insider friend I knew while playing football for a great ticket. This game was over rea
l early as Rays starter Travis Harper did not last 3.2 innings before Rays reliever Steve Kent came on in long relief. It was my third game on this date, and I was beginning to think I was the cause for the losing on this date.
But in reality, the team was up against Yankees starter Roger Clemens, and he threw a 3-hit, 1-run outing on that night. Rays Leftfielder Steve Cox did have a good night, getting two of the hits in the game. My old buddy Greg Vaughn did get a hit as the DH also during that night. But in the end, the Rays fell by a 10-3 score because of a pair of Jason Giambi and Jorge Posada home runs.
2003 : Tampa Bay vs. Toronto Blue Jays (AWAY)
Here I am again venturing across the open borders on my trip to Canada, but this time I decided to bring a French phrase book (just in case). I decided to stay at Rogers Centre hotel this time, but it did not help in securing a win for the Rays. In this contest, my old Rays friend and current Jays starter Cory Lidle was throwing against the Rays. The Rays sent young starter Dewon Brazleton to the mound, who reminds me of Jeff Niemann sometimes, and he quickly got roasted with 7-hits and 5-runs in the outing. This was also during the time when the Rays had John Rocker on their roster, and after the game I chatted with him a bit in the hotel lounge.
But the Rays were beginning in this 2003 to show signs of the emergence of one of their key players in the Rays future. This was Rays rookie Carl Crawford's first full year in the MLB, and he had mixed results in this May 14th game. He did go 1 for 5 in the game, but Aubrey Huff was the star of this game, but even his bat was not enough as the Rays lost the contest 7-6. the Rays did try and mount a offensive counterattack by scoring 4 runs in the top of the eighth, but Jaye reliever Cliff Politte (Ironic a "Cliff" did me in) secured his fourth save of the season by shutting down the Rays offense.
2004: Tampa Bay Rays vs. Cleveland Indians (AWAY)
This was my first venture to "The Jake", and it was the first time I have ever been mesmerized by an "away" stadium. They were celebrating the 10th anniversary of "The Jake", and it did not even look a few years old at that point. This was the night that my flight got delayed in Atlanta and I was still sitting on the tarmac at 5 pm EST, but got on a alternate flight and the plane began its descent towards Cleveland-Hopkins Airport at about 20 minutes before game time. The plane banked just perfect so I could get a great shot of the stadium beaming with excitement.
I did not get into the stadium until the fourth inning, and it was "Ladies Night" at the ballpark. I have to say it was the best present I ever got seeing this stadium and going down to the Warehouse District and dancing until near dawn. I even got to catch a home run ball by Indians Casey Blake in the 10th inning of the game. Unfortunately, it was the game winner and I still have that ball in a special place in my collection. We lost that contest 8-7, and it was another friend, Rays reliever Lance Carter who gave up the home run to Blake that night.
2005: Tampa Bay Rays vs, Kansas City Royals (AWAY)
This was my first post-football visit to Kansas City. I did my usual old habit of hitting a few BBQ joints before the game, but the contest was the real treat of the night. I had always loved to see that night starter, Hideo Nomo pitch in his younger years in LA. Now the Rays had this aging Japanese superstar on their team, and I was anxious to see him pitch tonight. But the Rays offense ended up coming up a bit short during the 6-5 loss. Rays hitters Chris Singleton and Nick Green did their best to try and finally pull out a May 14th win for me, but it was not in the cards again tonight.
2006: Toronto Blue Jays vs. Tampa Bay Rays (HOME)
Yes, that is right. This is the only time I have seen the Rays play at home so far in their existence. But the home cooking was not enough this night as the Blue Jays took final control of the game in the top of the ninth to send the Rays faithful home miserable after a 8-3 beating. In the contest, the Rays gave up 3 additional runs in the top of the ninth to put the game out of reach for the Rays.
Jays starter Josh Towers took the mound and was not overpowering, but the Jays defense kept them in the game and the Jays produced just enough offense to pull the game out in the end. The Rays sent starter Casey Fossum to the mound and he had some success against the Jays, but could not keep the big inning from getting to him in the fifth. Rays reliever Chad Orvella gave up 3 doubles and a triple to Alex Rios that was the deathblow of the contest.
2007: Off Day
Since we were going to begin a 3-game series at the Walt Disney starting this morning, I decided to head on out to O-town and do some wandering of the region. I have to admit I am a bad Floridian. I have never been to Sea World, and have only been to Walt Disney World (before this series) twice in my life. I have not even been there since 1984, but was looking forward to hitting both downtown Orlando and the Disney adult complex after the game that night.
Instead, after the contest I headed over to the Hard Rock Cafe at Universal Studios and had a celebration dinner and then just hit the multitudes of clubs in the Orlando area. I did order an outstanding steak and lobster dish at the Hard Rock that gave me boundless amounts of energy for the night. I just wanted to have a great night before the Rays started their series the next day. I heard a rumor that Pop star Justin Timberlake was in the VIP area after doing some Nick show that afternoon. That is as close to getting "Sexy Back" as I have gotten in my life.
2008: Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Yankees (AWAY)
Back to old New York, New York. This would be my last trip into the old Yankee Stadium&nb
sp;haunts, and I tried to make the best of it. I did the usual Papaya King hot dog salute, and went down to Ground Zero, but I decided to sit in the Rightfield bleachers for this game. I do have to tell you I did get some wrath from the Bleacher Creatures at first, but by the end they were telling me a few places to have a post-game brew and maybe meet a Mets girl.
I think what went down better in their minds is the fact we lost a squeaker 2-1 to the Bronx Boys tonight. Yankee starter Mike Mussina kept his dominance over the Rays intact and tight in this contest only giving up one run in the top of the sixth inning. This was also my first sighting of Joba Chamberlain, who did come into the game, but was gone just as quickly after walking 3 batters. James Shields also gave up all of the Yankee runs, but still pitched a great outing.
It was my last time to stroll amongst this hallowed baseball shrine, and I did take a stroll through Memorial Garden before the game. I even stayed a half hour after the game and was whisked out by security guards as I did not want to leave. But I did, still wearing my Rays gear and getting a few Bronx cheers, but nothing too bad to get me put into Fort Apache. But tonight was different from the other May 14th dates to me. I was at the last Rays game I would attend in this old iconic ballpark. I ended up sitting outside the front of the stadium for another half hour before finally heading to JFK to sleep before my 10 am flight back to Tampa International Airport.
2009: Tampa Bay Rays vs Cleveland Indians (HOME)
On this night I had the feeling we might finally break the streak of not winning. Something in the air just felt different to me, and that gave me a immediate omen of a possible win. The Rays sent starter James Shields to the mound, but the Tribe quickly scalped him for 5 runs in the middle innings. It was a hole that the team would not come back from, even with 6-run effort to pull closer, the score was still 9-6 at the bottom of the sixth inning.
Just as quickly as we all began to sense a chance at victory in the stands after blanking the Tribe's hitters in the top of the seventh inning, Rays reliever Grant Balfour gave up two runs and the Rays had to settle for a 11-7 loss. Even the ninth inning run by Ben Zorbrist on a Dioner Navarro double play, it brought the Rays only one more out and a chance to seal a final victory on May 14th. But B J Upton struck out to toss all those percentages down the drain.
I hope I did not bore you too much with a special recollection on the date of May 14th through the Rays baseball times. I am lucky enough to have a home game again this season, and hopefully the team can break my curse of not getting a single victory on this date with me in attendance. You might notice that I had not included the date of May 14th 1998 on this blog. Well, that year I was here in St. Petersburg by my old dog's side before he was to put to sleep. He had been my close ally for 15 years and had recently suffered a stroke and could not hold his balance well.
So I was not in Kansas City where the team fell 10-3 that night. As you can see, this can either be a day of rejoicing or pain depending on how you look at it. I see it as a beautiful day for baseball. I feel a bit older every day on this date (hint, hint), but what has not aged is the enthusiasm and joy I feel inside my soul on this date in relation to baseball.
I truly have baseball in my heart of hearts, and I hope that shows most of the time. As I have gotten steadily older (about to enter another decade) I have been given the gift of remembrance of this date in time. And these past Rays games where I have either traveled or seen my favorite team take on the rest of the MLB from the comfort of my seat in Section 138 have all been classic birthday moments in my life.


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In the next day or two Phoronix Test Suite 1.8.0 "Selbu" Alpha 3 will be released. Among other changes, there are quite a bit of improvements to the GTK2 GUI. A lot of polishing has went on, fixing different widgets, the preferences area now works fully, Phoronix Global integration, making the GUI scale nicely to different sizes, etc. Below are a few screenshots from running the latest code.
Not only can you easily sort tests/suites now by what hardware subsystem tests you want, but also whether the tests are free/open-source or not.
Lots of new menu features have been implemented for Phoronix Test Suite 1.8.
No longer do you need to edit an XML file manually to change Phoronix Test Suite settings... A GUI is automatically generated for the preferences area. Changes are applied in real-time.
Settings for the result graphs can also be customized very easily through the GTK2 GUI.
You can view the installed software/hardware information quite easily.
There is basic Phoronix Global integration support beginning with Selbu Alpha 3.
Feedback is welcome and appreciated -- on both the interface and Phoronix Test Suite itself.


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June 11, 1992
Release # 92-096
PRODUCT: The "Kiddy Phone Wind-Up Educational Toy" and the "Tub Pets, Fantastic Bath Toy" distributed by Toy Power, Inc. The "Kiddy Phone" is a yellow plastic phone with moving eyes and a push-button nose. The "Tub Pets" is a blue dolphin or a green turtle with a baby pink turtle on its back. Both pets squirt water from their mouth.
PROBLEM: Components on these toys can separate, presenting a choking or aspiration hazard to young children.
WHAT TO DO: Consumers should take these toys away from young children and return them to the store where purchased for a full refund. For more information, call Toy Power, Inc. at 1-213-622-4625.
WASHINGTON, DC -- In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Toy Power, Inc. of Los Angeles, CA is voluntarily recalling two toys because small components separate from the toys, presenting a choking or aspiration hazard to young children. The "Kiddy Phone Wind-Up Educational Toy" (model #888) is a yellow plastic telephone with two moving eyes on the front of the cradle, a red push-button nose in the center of the rotary dial, three push buttons (red, white and blue) on its base, a small square drawing board inside the base, a red stylus, and a phone receiver with a mirror and a puzzle. A bell rings when either the blue or white button is pushed or when a wind-up key on the side of the phone is wound. The phone also serves as a bank with a coin slot in the cradle. The embossed label underneath the phone reads in part: . . . "MADE IN HONG KONG NO. 888."
Approximately 180 Kiddy Phones were sold in the Los Angeles area at various stores from August 1991 through December 1991. The phones sold for a retail price of $2.50 each. The wind- up key separated from the telephone and presents a choking hazard to young children.
The "Tub Pets, Fantastic Bath Toy" (model #31-062) is a blue dolphin or a green turtle. When the dolphin's top pink fin is pressed down, the back fins move and water squirts out of the dolphin's mouth. The green turtle has a pink baby turtle on the top of its shell. When the pink turtle is pressed down, the big turtle's feet move and water squirts out of the big turtle's mouth. The label underneath the Tub Pets reads: "MADE IN CHINA." Approximately 200 Tub Pets were sold in the Los Angeles area at various retail stores from January 1990 through December 1991. The Tub Pets sold for a retail price of $0.99. The small plastic and styrofoam pieces separate from the dolphin and turtle and present an aspiration hazard to young children.
Consumers are urged to take the toys away from young children immediately and return them to the store where purchased for a full refund of the purchase price. For more information about this recall, consumers may contact Toy Power, Inc. at 1-213-622-4625.
Neither CPSC nor the company is aware of any injuries involving these products. This voluntary recall is being conducted to prevent the possibility of injury.
CPSC is announcing this recall as part of its mission to protect the public from unreasonable risks of injury and death associated with consumer products. The Commission's objective is to reduce the estimated 28.5 million injuries and 21,600 deaths associated each year with the 15,000 different types of consumer products under CPSC's jurisdiction.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical or mechanical hazard. CPSC's work to help ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters and household chemicals -– contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 40 years.
Federal law bars any person from selling products subject to a publicly-announced voluntary recall by a manufacturer or a mandatory recall ordered by the Commission.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury go online to www.SaferProducts.gov or call CPSC's Hotline at 800-638-2772 or teletypewriter at 301-595-7054 for the hearing impaired. Consumers can obtain news release and recall information at www.cpsc.gov, on Twitter @USCPSC or by subscribing to CPSC's free e-mail newsletters.
Please use the below phone number for all media requests.
Phone: (301) 504-7908
Spanish: (301) 504-7800


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The Conficker Working Group has hailed its success in neutralising domains programmed to act as control hubs for the infamous worm, while lamenting its failure to mount a comprehensive clean-up operation against infected PCs or to bring its authors to justice.
Members of the Group reflect on the long battle against the infamous worm - which is inert, but still resident on an estimated seven million Windows PCs in 200 countries - in a (new report (pdf). It concludes that a "whack-a-mole" approach to fighting security incidents will not work, and the fight against malware should be viewed as a long-term battle.
Conficker first appeared in November 2008, prompting Microsoft and a consortium of the leading internet security providers including Trend Micro, Sophos and VeriSign to team up and fight the scourge. This was done chiefly through a combination of user education and by blocking or seizing control of domains that variants of Conficker were programmed to phone home for instructions on malicious activities.
Government bodies, ISPs and domain name registrars also got involved in the collective effort, which successfully prevented hackers from controlling the vast network of infected PCs they had established.
The effort was unprecedented at the time but formed a template for the later Mariposa Working Group, and a model for public-private partnerships against fast moving malware infections.
Rodney Joffe, senior technologist at Neustar and director of the Conficker Working Group, commented: "The Conficker Working Group was an overwhelming success in demonstrating how the global community, public and private, can (and should in the future) come together to combat common threats. However it is also a clear example of how this "best of breed" cooperation is generally powerless to stop determined attacks - Conficker remains undefeated, and no arrests have yet been made.
"The operation was a complete success; unfortunately the patient died," he concluded.
Conficker (aka Downadup) initially spread using a then recently patched vulnerability in Windows Server Service to worm its way into insecure systems. The malware also spread via infected USB sticks, which became its main route of infection as time went on.
The malware's aggressive scanning routines created a great deal of collateral damage by flooding networks with bandwidth-sucking traffic. Early victims included the Houses of Parliament and the UK's Ministry of Defence.
Months later secondary infections began cropping up in a variety of hospitals. Infection of the network of Greater Manchester Police obliged the force to take the unprecedented step of suspending access to the police national computer, as a precaution against the further spread of the worm and pending the completion of a clean-up operation, for several days back in February 2010. ®
Sponsored: Ransomware has gone nuclear


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I rescued Hogan at 6 months. He had a huge personality, and was extremely goofy.
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This is where to post if you need a dog trainer.
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Hello from the hotel… Thursday, day one of Comic-Con, is behind me. But what a memorable day it wound up being.
After getting worn down by the floor in the morning, I decided to check in to the Hall H line earlier than expected, and do a little blogging from the Hall H grass as I waited. Never happened. Unexpectedly, the line rolled right in to the auditorium, and I wound up getting in within 30 minutes or so. Practically no wait at all by Hall H standards.
The good news was, I was there in plenty of time for the Disney panel. The bad news was, for the second time in my three year Con career, I had to sit through a "Twilight" panel. LOL
But it wound up being an amazing day in the Hall. For having little plans or expectations on the day, I wound up seeing directors Tim Burton and Sam Raimi, Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams and John C Reilly… and then Jackie Chan served as a warm up act for the best panel I've ever seen… "The Expendables 2", which notably featured Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger sharing the same stage!
Click through to read about it, and see the pics of this amazing day in the Hall.


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A few months ago Microsoft spent time and money badmouthing Google with its "Scroogled" campaign which alleged that the search giant compromised user privacy and that its own product, Bing, was much more wholesome and "honest."
Microsoft is resurrecting that campaign by emblazoning that Google antipathy on mugs and T-shirts, according to Mashable. If you buy a $7.99 "Keep Calm While We Steal Your Data Mug," you also get this nugget of information and Google hate (unfortunately it's sold out):
Put 15-ounces of your favorite beverage into this stoneware mug to let the world know that even though Google is trying to make money on almost every aspect of your digital life, you're still calm. And fully caffeinated.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
Others include a T-shirt with a spider with a Chrome logo with the message, "Step Into Our Web." The product description reads, "Google's the spider. You're the fly. You probably know what happens next."
Almost all the products include the Chrome logo because it's Google's popular Web browser and likely because it's a direct rival to Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Microsoft's campaign is plainly self-serving, but its anti-Google mug selling out could mean that at least several people out there may agree with Microsoft's campaign. Or it's just a really cool mug.


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Adan Salazar
March 3, 2013
Austin, Texas 3D printing innovator Defense Distributed has been making headlines the past few weeks for doing what seemed impossible at first: manufacturing quality firearms parts using 3D printers and uploading the blueprints for anybody else in the world to download, and it's driving gun control proponents (excuse me, "gun safety lobbyists") absolutely crazy.
In January, we reported on Defense Distributed's groundbreaking printable 30-round AR magazine. Defense Distributed says the schematics for that magazine have already been downloaded over 200,000 times, spreading it far and wide. (Their latest revision of the magazine, the "Cuomo Series," is available for download here).
The organization's latest landmark gun part is a sturdy lower receiver capable of lasting more than 650 rounds, as exhibited in the group's latest awesome video. According to the group, it has already been downloaded more than 10,000 times.
That's a big improvement from their first attempt at a lower, which only allowed them to fire six rounds before it cracked. But this time, they didn't stop firing on account of a material defect; Defense Distributed says their lower could easily have withstood 1,000 rounds, if they had the ammo to spare.
Ars Technica, in a detailed piece, described how the recent lower receiver improvements came about: "Last year, [the] group famously demonstrated that it could use a 3D-printed "lower" for an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle—but the gun failed after six rounds. Now, after some re-tooling, Defense Distributed has shown that it has fixed the design flaws and a gun using its lower can seemingly fire for quite a while. (The AR-15 is the civilian version of the military M16 rifle.)"
Our January report highlighted Defense Distributed's gamechanger, a downloadable 30-round assault rifle magazine, and explained how the open-source innovation would be extremely difficult for legislators to regulate.
In a sit-down interview that was picked up by Guns.com, Alex Jones got a chance to talk with Defense Distributed frontman Cody Wilson about the success of his group's downloadable 30-round AR magazine. "It is a symbol," Wilson said. "They can try to go back to 94, and ban these things. But there's new methods of manufacturing and the Internet will preserve that file forever."
Guns.com's David Higginbotham immediately saw the immense importance of the open-source magazine and what it meant to preserving the demonized firearm, noting, "The 3D printing that seemed like an expensive novelty (or at best a proof-of-concept) may now be an integral means of preserving the AR-15."
Higginbotham goes on to say, "This is the start of something huge. Forgive my sense of hyperbole. I don't think I can exaggerate this enough. The AR platform, at age 50, is going the way of the AK 47. What once was a rifle built and regulated by the postwar industrial machine, will now be built, modified, and kept alive by individuals. And there's little the legislators can do about."
Gun Grabbers Shaking in Their Boots
Obviously those wishing to restrict gun rights are none too happy to see these successes come to fruition. Our report from last October noted how various corporate entities tried to stifle the group's vision early on. (See a more in-depth report in November's issue of Infowars Magazine.)
In a segment Friday, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow used the video of Defense Distributed's latest successful lower receiver test to disperse fear propaganda, urging Republicans, Conservatives and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to consider regulating the potential 3D printed weapons:
Here's an excerpt from the Maddow piece:
These guys are doing this for political reasons. They want guns to be, not only unregulated, but unregulatable. 300,000,000 guns are not enough. More, more, more is the solution.
But whether you agree with them or not, whether you find what they are doing exciting or terrifying or both, you have to admit that this does raise all sorts of interesting questions about law enforcement, and gun laws in this country. I mean, how do you go about regulating a gun if everybody can make one themselves at home, alone, one that can shoot a thousand rounds. There's no serial number on that lower receiver and honestly nobody bought it or sold it, it's homemade.
How is law enforcement in this country going to grapple with homemade high powered weapons? What will they do when these guys inevitably distribute the computer code for 3D printing a fully-automatic machinegun?
At the risk of sounding like a broken pro-Second Amendment record, I'll repeat what's come to be a characteristic gun rights mantra: what part of "shall not be infringed" don't you get?
The UK's BBC also felt it necessary to weigh in on our country's gun control debate, crafting a slick Second Amendment hit piece geared to demonize Defense Distributed and their vision:
The quality of the BBC video report can be gauged by its first sentence. The reporter, while running video of Defense Distributed's most recent successful lower receiver trial, says, "At first glance, it's simply an automatic rifle…" making the same stupid mistake that first lady Michelle Obama recently made when she stated that 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton was shot with "automatic weapons," – an error that stoked controversy after it was exposed that ABC edited the comment out of an interview. Nevertheless, the reporter continues referring to the AR-15 as an automatic weapon, despite the fact that people in the video are seen pulling the trigger each time a bullet is fired. (The people that don't even understand guns in the first place are the same ones trying to take them away.)
Another Crowdfunded 3D Printed Firearms Company
Defense Distributed may be the 3D printing firearm company that is getting all the media attention, but there's another 3D printing firearms groups who is also looking to flood the market with 3D parts, even exploiting gun law loopholes to do so.
A project called 2nd AM Arms recently reached their goal of $30,000 to fund a project that will flaunt gun laws by selling 80 percent completed receivers. In the way of Ikea furniture, this means a degree of effort would be required to make the part functional.
2ND AM sets forth their mission on their RocketHub posting:
2ND AM ARMS support the 2nd Amendment and we are starting an open-source rapid prototyping shop. We are offering "commemorative" 80% AR15 Lowers to those who support our project (these are not classified as firearms and can be shipped directly to your address). You will also be supporting the Second Amendment and 2% of all funds raised will go to the NRA.
For a $5 donation, the group says it will also send a copy of the Bill of Rights to notorious gun grabbers Dianne Feinstein and Barack Obama, with added text saying, "Not only will you not be allowed to take away our rights but your attempt at creating a ban has put one more gun into the hands of a responsible citizen. So, thank you. Signed, [Your Name Here]."
PopSci describes 2nd AM Arms' method of skirting current laws, and spells out the differences between Defense Distributed and 2nd AM: "The argument made by 2nd AM Arms… is that an 80-percent completed receiver is just part of a gun component, not a full-blown firearm, and as a such is not subject to the same degree of federal regulation.
"What that might mean: Buy it, and you could have complete anonymity."
[…] "With Defense Distributed, it's about people freely downloading schematics. With 2nd AM Arms, the dodge is by offering only a mostly complete product."
Obama Calls 3D Printing the "Next Revolution in Manufacturing"
The government is getting into 3D printing. During Obama's last State of the Union Address, he announced the launch of "manufacturing hubs" where workers would "master the 3D printing that has the potential to revolutionize the way we make everything." Defense Distributed would say he's definitely right about that.
Could the federal government be edging into the industry so they can later craft laws regulating it? Some legislators, like Congressman Steve Israel (D-NY), have already called for renewal of legislation outlawing undetectable firearms, but this will likely do little if nothing to curb the technology's potential.
Tony Cartalucci, writer for LandDestroyer, believes big government meddling in the technology is a surefire way to get it regulated.
Obama's mention of 3D printing is akin to the buzzing of a parasitic mosquito's wings before it lands, with its hungry, ever-searching proboscis preparing to bury itself inside its host and begin to feed. It is a warning, not a ray of light. It is a reaffirmation of the gravity this emerging technology holds and the responsibility that falls upon those in the tech community to protect it, keep it open, independent, free of the meddling of big-business and their political proxies, and instead, in the service of humanity.
While the gun control lobby is busy wondering what its next move will be in trying to control the emerging technology, gun enthusiasts are busy pondering more important questions like: "How long until we get the whole gun?" and "What are you gonna make the barrel out of??"
Indeed, it will be interesting to see what solutions Defense Distributed and others have in store for these phases, but if the past is any indication of what the future may bring, in my opinion, we could begin seeing a fully printed firearm by year's end.
It will also be interesting to see what new legal hurdles, if any, the government can conjure up to try to thwart these 21st century gunsmiths.
Check out Alex's Infowars Nightly News interview with Defense Distributed frontman Cody Wilson.
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Speculation that Porsche was developing a secret four-door 918 was rife leading into the Frankfurt Motor show, with AutoCar reporting the project, labelled 984, was so advanced models had already been fashioned.
But when approached by Wheels, Porsche execs dismissed the idea as 'rubbish', and claimed no such program exists.
They did however confirm Porsche's Ferrari-killing mid-engined supercar, or 'baby 918' is still destined for production at this stage.
No official word either if Australia is likely to receive any of the new, left-hand-drive only 918s, with the limited-edition 'green' hypercar expected to cost over $1.3 million.
Producing 661kW from its combination of a race-engineered 4.6-litre V8 and twin-electrics motors, the 918 will rocket from 0-100km/h in 2.8 seconds and hit 300km/h in 23 seconds.
Those numbers mightn't be as brutal as the new Ferrari LaFerrari or McLaren P1, but Porsche is confident the 918 will be quicker around a circuit thanks to its advanced four-wheel-drive and torque-vectoring systems.
All in a car capable of travelling 30km solely on electrical, zero-emission, power.
Porsche also had its new Panamera S E-Hybrid and Panamera diesel on display.
Flick through the gallery to check out the production 918 Spyder.


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Leah Rohlfsen
posted on Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - 1:13 pm
I am running two-part models for semicontinuous outcomes with two classes (males and females). I have 5 time points. I understand that the variance of the slope growth factor (
) is fixed at zero for simplicity in the example in the user's guide. However, I would like the variance of the slope growth factor to be estimated. When I free it, I get the following error message: THE ESTIMATED COVARIANCE MATRIX IN CLASS 1 COULD NOT BE INVERTED. COMPUTATION COULD NOT BE COMPLETED IN ITERATION 122. CHANGE YOUR MODEL AND/OR STARTING VALUES.
How can avoid getting an error without fixing
Thank you
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - 2:59 pm
Have you run the two parts separately to see if the problem occurs then. I would try that first. Other than that, you should send your input, data, output, and license number to
so we can see the full picture.
linda beck
posted on Friday, June 13, 2008 - 6:01 am
Hello! I'm relatively new to growth modeling and also conducting a two part model. As it is often the case in such models, I have to fix both quadratic factor variances in both model parts to zero. So there is only the linear slope in both parts left (sig. variance) to predict change with covariates. But their means are not significant (means of quadratic factor are sig. in both parts). What does the (in-)significance of linear factor means telling us since quadratic change and linear change are confounded and both parts of the two part model are confounded too!? And can one say for expample, that being a boy leads to more change on the linear slope of both parts (gender significantly predicts both linear slopes)?
greetings, linda beck
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Friday, June 13, 2008 - 10:19 am
Your model has three growth factors. Each has a mean and variance. For all growth factors, the test for the means is if they are significantly different from zero. This is not an interesting test for the intercept growth factor. For the slope growth factor, if the mean is not significantly different from zero, this means there is no linear trend on average. For the quadratic, it is the quadratic component. It is not inconceivable that the linear trend not be signficant and the quadratic trend be signficant. Early development may be flat with an increasing or decreasing trend later in development. If the regression of the linear slope on gender is significant, this means that for the group scored 1 where the other group is scored 0 has a slope that is signficantly different from zero.
linda beck
posted on Monday, June 16, 2008 - 1:28 am
ok, but the linear factor mean is positive, so it should be an early increasing trend. And albeit this trend is not significant on the average, it is different from zero for the group scored 1, am I right? Thank you!
greetings, linda beck
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Monday, June 16, 2008 - 9:29 am
Sounds correct.
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text: KTMrad 141 Report post Posted December 10, 2012 AMA members enjoy exclusive discount on Race Tech suspension for the track and the street PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- The American Motorcyclist Association is pleased to announce a new member discount with partner Race Tech -- an exclusive 15 percent discount on Race Tech suspension components, including springs, Gold Valve kits, shocks and more for competition and street motorcycles of all kinds. "Race Tech has long been known for quality suspension components and knowledgeable support in the racing and high-performance realms, and for many years now they've been a major player on the street side, as well -- particularly with the touring and Harley-Davidson segments," said Grant Parsons, the AMA's director of marketing and communications. "Race Tech's extensive product line offers something for all motorcyclists, and this discount is a great way for AMA members to save some real money when buying replacement parts or upgrading suspension." "Race Tech has a long history in the motorcycle industry, and we've built a business around helping riders enjoy life on two wheels," said Race Tech's Director of Marketing Chris Riesenberg. "We strongly support the AMA's efforts fighting for the rights of motorcycle riders on the road and off. It is our pleasure to extend a discount to the members who support the AMA and the continued healthy growth of the motorcycle industry. While we focus on building products to make each ride smoother, safer and more enjoyable, we are happy to know the AMA is on our side lobbying for our right to ride." Race Tech, innovative leaders in motorcycle suspension since 1984, has an extensive line of springs, Gold Valve fork and shock kits, custom shocks, tools, and replacement parts for dirtbikes, streetbikes, Harley-Davidsons, ATVs and UTVs. "This is just one more way for AMA members to save more than the cost of their membership by using valuable AMA discounts," Parsons said. "The wide selection of proven quality products makes Race Tech a perfect fit for AMA members, who are some of the most diverse and committed riders on the planet." To access the discount, go online to www.racetech.com, then call Race Tech directly to order at (951) 279-6655 and provide your AMA number. Race Tech representatives will verify your membership instantly and apply the discount to your order. For a complete list of AMA member benefits, go to www.americanmotorcyclist.com/membership/benefits. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


text:
To all the Jim Carrey-ass large co-op
To the clones, we bless the domes
Blow the vial, you know my style, large co-op
Freestyle all the way son
[Verse 1: M.A.R.S]
First of all let's talk about these ill capers
And fly ass frontin bitches that now caught vapors
Niggas run up on you with guns, snatchin papers
Outlined body chalk, is how they would scrape ya
From off the pavement, I hate gettin locked up
Cause that upstate bus reminds me of the slave ships
But then the bible never saved shit
I guess that's why every juvenile is in the same predicament
You wanna slang crack, or hold tecs, and do the concept
You can't make loot, when your moms is smokin up the product
I try to tell ya, don't let these streets fuckin fail ya
The way niggas be gettin clapped shit'll fuckin scare ya
But in the dark, we ran wild, so we killin em
Niggas scared, can't stand still, like fuckin helium
Fake niggas, they don't go platinum they go aluminum
Got em cloned the fuck up son, that's why we losin em
I'm lookin at this niggas longevity
To make a big play, but then it might be a mistake
Cuz if I get sent to D.C., I'm sendin Dice to DE
With three p's, so when I get out, he can see me
For real, cuz the streets is filled with snakes and rats
The snake will be that bitch and that rat will be that cool cat
With swollen pockets we gonna take you back home
Master Allah Rule Savior, never clone
[Verse 2: Black Thought]
I use the mic to slap you in the face and erase your taste
Disgrace your date put your title to waste
Dominant lyrical grace, from a place called wild
Illadelph Isle Pensy, that's the residency
Consistent currency, my pockets never empty
Some cats, believe they MC but we know they all fraud
Do a show in Philly niggas wouldn't applaud
Nobody know your record nor who you openin for
Can tell your squad's artificial while approachin the door
So you should prepare, for lyrical terror that's pure
Step up to the resevoir, of the soul proprietor style
Messiah or, the higher law down with Dice Raw
The matador, shorty connoisseur
Stompin whatever you build to the floor
Similar to that of a dinosaur
I told you I'm the rap predator
You insist to imitate, what for?
Superstar niggas is ten percent real, ninety percent invented
For a fuckin record deal
Comin with somethin veterans can't feel
I hit you like a steel anvil
Because you grafted off the next man's skill
But still I remain mellow, seeing the theatrics of Othello
But know the tactics of the P.L.O
These C.L.O.-N.E.S. fess
The phoniest cats is felonious (word)
[Verse 3: Dice Raw]
Dice Raw the juvenile lyricist corner store terrorist
Block trooper, conniseur of fine cannabis
Focus never weak, blow up the spot like plastique
Leave a nigga shook, to the point, he won't speak
Never half-assed, always live and direct
On bitches try to punk smell the panty and raw sex
Mad lights I had to black out, when fake niggas act out
Or step out of place, they get slapped in they face
All y'all niggas is fake, tryin to emulate my style
What grown man? In this game, to me you're a child
I trained wack MC's, in camps like ex-marines
Why the fuck you think you went home and had bad dreams
Of horrifying things, that your ass never seen before?
You traveled to the realm of Dice Raw
Where clones get they dome blown with chrome microphones
It's not your fault black, just the fact you wasn't shown
You'll come through this like a smurf
Unnatural it's not from this earth
Represent well I been like this since birth
And I won't be the last but I definitely was the first
Dice Raw big car Logan Vall sol-dier
[Verse 4: Malik B]
Don't come across that line or pay a cost
Knuckle games and hammer cocked ain't nothing sweet or soft
Win, lose, or draw to the jaw take one
Deranged lyrical launcher, or station
No conversation is needed, my task completed
Read a nigga up and down in the cut where I'm seated
Snatch you from your cloud of cannabis you ignoramuses
You laid on your lap, when I attack your glamorous
Lifestyle, I banged your head up with the white fowl
My character a product of this two-one-fifth trife style
I breeze through areas niggas would fear to walk in
Balance the talking, that galactic style as of a Vulcan
Your Star Trek ass will wrinkle
Spill these words and form into a sprinkle, cap you're brought up and the name of twinkle
My insight will crack the windpipe of y'all niggas
Whether small, middle-sized, or tall niggas
Just tie your name next when I start to X
Giving out flex pains of death so fuck a rain check
The insane vet, whether you ganked the brain wet
You proceed to lame check, the opposite of same sex
I annihliate your type if you violate
Making your blood rush, your pulse now at a higher rate


text:
Learn To Share
This story appears in the March 2001 issue of Entrepreneurs Start-Ups magazine. Subscribe »
For most of Buck's Unpainted Furniture Inc.'s 41 years of operation, the manager of each location has done the hiring for his or her store. But things at the 40-employee retailer in Minnesota's Twin Cities area have recently changed. Now all hiring is done by a new human resources department operating out of Buck's Bloomington headquarters.
"We had some industry people come in and look at us, and this was one of the first things they recommended," says vice president Ray Buck, 50, one of four brothers who together run the company their parents founded.
The advice isn't surprising. Centralizing company functions-in a manner now known as the "shared services" model-is one of the hottest trends in business today. Those who practice it say they can cut costs while improving the quality of the services shared. The latter of those effects is the impetus behind Buck's move to share human resources among its three stores.
"In the past, with each store handling its own hiring, if you were looking for a new sales-person and some-body came in, you began talking to them and maybe it worked out," Buck says. Most of the time, that was fine. But as employment regulations and issues grew more and more complex, the brothers realized that a shared-services setup would make it far more likely things would continue to work out over the long haul. "There are so many laws now, there are a lot of things that store managers simply aren't going to know," says Buck. "Just the way you handle somebody's application could become a huge thing down the road if somebody says they never got a fair shot at a job. To ward off things like that, human resources was something we felt we needed to have a handle on."
Mark Henricks is an Austin, Texas, writer who specializes in business topics and has written for Entrepreneur for 11 years.
More To Go Around
Shared services is a quickly growing business strategy in many Fortune 500 companies, according to Earl S. Landesman, an Ann Arbor, Michigan, management consultant specializing in the technique. Introduced in the 1980s when companies such as General Electric and AT&T were looking for a way to cut administrative costs for multiple business units, shared services has evolved into a more comprehensive and flexible tool for improving processes, enabling technology investment, generating profits and reducing costs.
In essence, shared services is a simple idea: Centralize administrative chores ranging from finance to document copying that are done in several different divisions of a company. Some companies charge their divisions for these services, setting prices and service levels competitive with outside suppliers. Others even allow internal service providers to peddle their offerings in the open market to other companies. The big payoff, though, is in overall cost savings.
Cost savings can be 50 percent or more, according to Landesman. Shared services does this by creating a critical mass that justifies larger investment in technology, such as computer systems, by allowing for economies of scale and by allowing companies to standardize such things as hiring procedures.
"This is a very fast-developing trend," says Andrew Kris, CEO of Belgian executive search firm Search Xpertise S.A. and an expert on shared services. "It's difficult to find a company that has not either begun to develop shared services or has had it for some time."
You can apply the shared services concept to any administrative function that would benefit from centralization. Any firm that, like Buck's, has more than one location separately handling payroll, purchasing, inventory or hiring could probably centralize those functions at a headquarters office. Administrative tasks that are clumped together can be handled with fewer people.
Sharing services may also help entrepreneurs exploit underutilized internal resources by sharing them with strategic partners. For example, a pizza restaurant located next to a video store can share its in-house delivery service with its neighbor. Entrepreneurial firms can set up similar shared services among other tenants of a building or office park. Cooperatives-such as the Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc. organization, which is owned by more than 900 cranberry growers-represent a further step in the shared-services approach, using a centralized effort to accomplish a function that would be impossible for the constituent companies or departments.
Where To Share?
There are a number of things to remember to effectively use shared services. First, not every business function is suitable for sharing with other companies. Generally, don't try to share with another company any service that is a core competency. For example, a software company probably would not share its software development skill because it would risk losing its competitive edge when other companies learned its hard-won secrets. Also, avoid sharing any function that involves direct customer contact. For example, you generally would not want to use shared marketing services with another company. Even when services are only shared with others in the company, shared services can involve risk. People at other divisions or locations who formerly used and provided the services may well be very unhappy under the new regime. "Many people feel disenfranchised as a result of shared services," says Kris. "They feel that they lose control." The fact is, they do lose control.
Business units or locations that once handled their own services are now dependent on a central location. The headquarters employees who will be providing the services to the separate units may also be discomfited. That's because, under the true shared-services model, other units or locations have to be treated as if they were customers, not underlings. For instance, instead of a home-office purchasing department telling store man-agers that all requisitions must be submitted on the 15th of the month, a shared-services approach would have the home office asking store managers when they would like to submit requisitions. It's a subtle but significant mind shift that not everyone can accommodate.
As a result of a need for different skills, implementing shared services often involves replacing a number of managers. Heads of remote locations who can't stand losing control may have to be supplanted by people with more flexible personalities. It's even more likely that the people who ran the services before they were shared will be replaced. That's because a shared-services operation is run more like an independent business than a typical internal fiefdom. "General management skills, not technical ability, are the key to running shared services," explains Kris.
The costs for putting shared services in place can come from several sources. Financial outlays will have to be made for hiring new people, training existing ones and often installing new technology. The good news is, investments in technology, training and process improvement are easier to justify and more likely to yield positive returns with the help of economies of scale when services are centralized.
Time is another resource shared services consumes. If you're lucky, you could get everything running smoothly in a year. And even after some time has passed, shared services is likely to add to senior management's burden. For many companies, shared services will remain an intriguing concept that just doesn't fit their needs. For others, it will represent exactly the right model to take advantage of a promising opportunity to make the most of home-office skills that other divisions, locations and even other companies can also use.
Buck's has just begun to share services. The company has plans to implement a shared online inventory system that will let each store know not only how many unfinished barstools it has on hand, but also how many stools are in the company's total inventory and where they might be. It's all part of an effort to make the company run better, says Buck. "Number one, we're hoping to be more efficient," he says. "If we're more efficient for [ourselves], we're going to be more efficient for our customers."
| The Shared Services Forum at www.akris.com is a large and expanding
online source of news, opinions, tips, resources and other
information on the subject of shared services for companies at
varying levels of sophistication.
Contact Sources
- Buck's Unpainted Furniture Inc., (952) 881-3945, www.bucksunpainted.com
- Strategic Financial Partners, (734) 971-7907, www.sfpa2.com


text:
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text:
Lately, few friends asked me for a good pumpkin soup recipe. I tried various pumpkin soup recipes before, but I was never thrilled about the result. Usually I love coconut, but not that much in my pumpkin soup, so that version was out of the picture. I tried some more savoury versions, but I was never fully happy with the result.
This was until I tried this version of Alain Ducasse. Guess when you gathered so many Michelin stars you ought to know how to make a good pumpkin soup…. and I can testify here that he does. The addition of leek gives the soup extra body and sweetness, while the rest of the ingredients make it simply delicious.The recipe is pretty simple, as it includes fresh, good quality ingredients and goes perfectly with this time of the year – Halloween.
cream of pumpkin soup
from Ducasse made simple by Sophie
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced,
1 leek (white part only), thinly slices,
1 pound sugar pumpkin, peeled and cut into small chunks (I had one small pumpkin and I used it all)
6 cups chicken broth
3/4 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
In a medium stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and leek, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until they soften and begin to look translucent. Stir in the pumpkin and a dash of salt and pepper. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, add the ricotta cheese, and stir to combine – I skipped this step, I just added the ricotta before serving
Transfer the mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Adjust the seasoning to taste. While the soup is cooking, heat a medium skillet over high heat. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream with a pinch of salt until the mixture forms stiff peaks. Ladle the pumpkin soup into warmed bowls and garnish each serving with the diced bacon – again skipped this, didn"t feel like having any meat component in my soup
Add a generous spoonful of whipped cream in the center of each bowl, some chopped chives, a dash of chilli pepper and serve immediately.