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MegaUpload was a 'mega conspiracy,' Justice Department alleges [Updated]
MegaUpload, one of the world's largest file-sharing websites, was shut down Thursday by the U.S. Department of Justice, which accused it of violating piracy and copyright laws.
In an indictment, the Justice Department alleged that MegaUpload was a "mega conspiracy" and a global criminal organization "whose members engaged in criminal copyright infringement and money laundering on a massive scale."
The Justice Department said MegaUpload, which had about 150 million users, tallied up harm to copyright holders in excess of $500 million by allowing users to illegally share movies, music and other files. Prosecutors said in the indictment that the site's operators raked in an income from it that topped $175 million.
DOCUMENT: Read the indictment against MegaUpload
MegaUpload was just one of the many services that allow for the easy sharing of large files online. Others include sites such as Mediafire and Rapidshare and cloud storage services that allow for shared folders such as Box.net and Dropbox.
One way MegaUpload differentiated itself was with its online marketing campaign that featured celebrities such as rapper/producers Kanye West, Lil' Jon, Sean "Diddy" Combs and Swizz Beats stating in YouTube videos why they loved using the site. Other videos feature tennis star Serena Williams, boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., Def Jam Records founder Russell Simmons and director Brett Ratner testifying to their use of MegaUpload.
The release of the Justice Department indictment came after dozens of websites, led by tech heavyweights Wikipedia, Craigslist, Mozilla and Google, altered their websites to protest two anti-piracy bills under consideration on Capitol Hill: the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA).
Critics of the bills say the proposed laws would give the Justice Department the ability to censor the Internet by giving the agency clearance to shut down a site without having to get court approval of an indictment, as it did with MegaUpload. Although the indictment was unsealed Thursday, it was issued by a federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia on Jan. 5, the agency said.
In a statement issued with the indictment,the Justice Department said "this action is among the largest criminal copyright cases ever brought by the United States and directly targets the misuse of a public content storage and distribution site to commit and facilitate intellectual property crime."
The Justice Department said that at its request, authorities arrested three MegaUpload executives -- officially employed by two companies, Megaupload Ltd. and Vestor Ltd. -- in New Zealand, including the site's founder, Kim Dotcom, who was born Kim Schmitz. The agency is also looking to arrest two additional executives.
The indictment charges the two companies with running a "racketeering conspiracy, conspiring to commit copyright infringement, conspiring to commit money laundering and two substantive counts of criminal copyright infringement."
According to the Associated Press, before the MegaUpload site was shut down Thursday, a statement was posted on the site saying the allegations made against it were "grotesquely overblown" and that "the vast majority of Mega's Internet traffic is legitimate, and we are here to stay. If the content industry would like to take advantage of our popularity, we are happy to enter into a dialogue. We have some good ideas. Please get in touch."
Visits to Megaupload.com on Thursday showed the website as unable to load. The Justice Department had ordered the seizure of 18 domain names it linked to the alleged wrongdoing.
[Updated at 3:42 p.m.: As noted by Times reporter Ben Fritz on our sister blog Company Town, the hacker group Anonymous has allegedly lobbed a denial-of-service attack that has temporarily taken down the websites for the Department of Justice and Universal Music as a move in retaliation for the shutdown of MegaUpload. Forbes is reporting that the same attack has struck the sites for the Recording Industry of America and the Motion Picture Assn. of America.]
[Updated at 3:50 p.m.: The Twitter accounts @YourAnonNews and @AnonOps are taking credit on behalf of Anonymous for the web attacks on the websites of the Justice Department, Recording Industry of America, Motion Picture Assn. of America and Universal Music.]
SOPA blackouts inspired protest around the world
Apple's iBooks 2, iBooks Author: Bids to own publishing's future
Wikipedia: SOPA protest led 8 million to look up reps in Congress
Nathan Olivarez-Giles on Google+


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A somewhat rare wet mustard pot with original lid and matching spoon, the pot and lid in the French reeded form, inspired by Sevres porcelains, the shoulders and lid rim with an underglaze blue lambrequin border, the pot with a double scroll handle, the lid with a square spoon opening and surmounted by an open 3-petal flower bud finial; the matching spoon with a rococo molded scroll handle and round bowl, the bowl with corresponding lambrequin decoration to the rim; unmarked.
Note: Wet mustard pots were designed to serve prepared mustard (a mixture of dry mustard, oil and vinegar), which was useful in adding flavor to meats – particularly those that had remained a few days in a spring house. A dry mustard pot also existed, having a baluster shape with tall cover and lacking a spoon.

subset: commoncrawl


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With a lineup that included only three starters at their normal positions, the Dynamo fell behind on first-half strikes from Steve Ralston and Kheli Dube and suffered their first home loss by more than one goal in 49 all-time home games.
New England Revolution (8-3-2) vs. Houston Dynamo (4-4-5)
June 12, 2008 -- Robertson Stadium, Houston TX
Scoring Summary:
NE -- Steve Ralston 3 (Kheli Dube 2) 8
NE -- Kheli Dube 4 (Mauricio Castro 1) 35
New England Revolution -- Matt Reis, Chris Albright, Michael Parkhurst, Jay Heaps, Amaechi Igwe, Jeff Larentowicz, Pat Phelan (Wells Thompson 80), Steve Ralston, Mauricio Castro (Sainey Nyassi 69), Adam Cristman, Kheli Dube.
Substitutes Not Used: Doug Warren, Sam Brill, Chase Hilgenbrinck, Chris Tierney, Brandon Tyler.
Home Team -- Tony Caig, Richard Mulrooney, Bobby Boswell, Patrick Ianni (Eddie Robinson 46), Craig Waibel, Corey Ashe, Ricardo Clark, Stuart Holden, Brad Davis (Chris Wondolowski 60), Geoff Cameron, Brian Mullan (Franco Caraccio 70).
Substitutes Not Used: Corbin Waller, Kyle Brown, Mike Chabala, John Michael Hayden.
Misconduct Summary:
HOU -- Ricardo Clark (caution; Tackle from Behind) 72
HOU -- Geoff Cameron (caution; Dissent) 74
NE -- Amaechi Igwe (caution; Dissent) 81
Referee: Mark Geiger
Referee's Assistants: Corey Rockwell; Frank Anderson
4th official: Colin Tait
Attendance: 14,655
Weather: Partly Cloudy-and-86-degrees
All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial


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It's been said that when the city planners sat down to design Washington D.C., their intention was to build a city that would intimidate and humble foreign heads of state. Well, I'm here to tell you that it ain't got nothin' on the Hamptons.
My friend Mike recently learned just how complicated life in the Hamptons can be for a first-time visitor from the nation's capitol.
I instructed him, "Mike—When you get to LaGuardia Airport, you will be in the borough of Queens, which is part of New York City. Of course, you will actually be in Western Long Island. Anyhow—head east. After a few twists and turns you are going to be on the LIE. That's short for the Long Island Expressway."
I continued, "I live on the East End. It's in Suffolk County. You will pass the county seat, which is Riverhead,. Don't be worried if you can't find any reference to the East End on the map because that's just what we call it. It's really 'Eastern Long Island.'"
I slowed down just a bit so he could take notes. "If you get lost, just remember you are going to the Hamptons. Now don't be confused when people reference the Hamptons, because it actually comprises many small towns, villages and hamlets. Also, you'll need to be aware that there is an East, West-, North-, South- and Bridge- Hampton. There's also a Hampton Bays. But really, all the East End is pretty much part of the Hamptons."
He made a telephone sigh as I finished my instructions. "If you get lost and have to ask for directions to my house, they may first ask if you're going to the North Fork or the South Fork. I live on the South Fork.
"Lastly—when you're going to my house, make sure you pay attention when you hit the roundabouts. Many people have never really driven on a roundabout and it can get quite tricky getting on and off the "merry-go-round."
Several hours past the scheduled arrival time, Mike called me and said he was definitely lost, as he had just passed a sign on the LIE that indicated he was in Dan's Country.
When I finally caught up with him on the shoulder of the LIE, he seemed dazed and confused.
Later that night, I tried to explain to him about Dan's Papers and Dan's Country.
"Well, it isn't a newspaper because it's only published weekly, but it has some of the elements of a newspaper, although it's really a magazine, but then again it's so much more than a magazine. And it's bigger than a standard magazine.
I don't know why it's called Dan's Papers instead of Dan's Magazine. Actually, it's even referred to as "Dan's Hamptons."
Mike responded,
"I am glad I am going back home in a couple days. Life is too complicated in the Hamptons."


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Temperature Graph°F
Further Ahead
July 2020
Around the Globe
Corona Virus Tracker
Radar & Maps
Severe Weather
Hurricane warning for New Orleans as storm aims for Gulf Coast ... again
Louisiana is bracing for its fifth strike by a named storm this season -- and AccuWeather forecasters are tracking the timing of Zeta and where the storm may make landfall.
LIVE: Zeta nearing hurricane strength once again over warm Gulf of Mexico
The 27th named storm of the 2020 season struck Mexico with hurricane strength and is poised to become the fifth storm of the season to slam into the Louisiana coast.
Unusual merge of Zeta and winterlike storm could unleash heavy rain, snow in Northeast
It's rare for tropical systems to help trigger winter weather -- but not unprecedented. Just enough cold air may meet up with Zeta and another storm to bring a taste of winter to some communities.
Fitness watches for winter that are water-resistant and versatile
Track your workout activity, your heart rate and blood pressure -- without the worry that your will fitness tracker will get wet.
Why do I feel more pain from old injuries when it's cold?
Many people complain of aches and pains as the temperatures drop and cold weather sets in.
AccuWeather School: Dancing hand sanitizer?
All of us have been using hand sanitizer a lot more recently. While it works to keep us healthy, you can also wow your friends with this neat trick (and learn something new in the world of science).


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Brother Industries, a parent company of Brother International South Africa, one of the leading global manufacturers of laser and inkjet printing devices, has won the "iF Design Award 2018" for four product categories. The iF Design Award 2018 received 6 401 entries from 54 countries and regions. This is the 11th consecutive year Brother has been named as an iF Design Award winner and has now received a total of 66 awards, including the 4 won this year.
Dale de Villiers, marketing manager at
The Middle East Paper Co. (MEPCO), has been recognised by Great Place to Work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The organisation's research and management consulting firm assess award applicants from over 100 companies on a variety of parameters before choosing the company most deserving of the title in each market. MEPCO was shortlisted among the top 20 companies across all sectors, including SMEs and large corporates in the private sector, as well as public sector and non-profit companies.
Field Advice, Scandinavia's supplier of food packaging, has recently signed a partnership agreement with Alpha Sky as part of its international expansion plans in the Middle East and to meet the increasing demand for environmental friendly disposable containers in the region.
Mark Remmy Sali, managing director of Field Advice, signed the Memorandum of understanding with Ayman Al Hilali, CEO of Alpha Sky, in the presence of Denmark's Minister of Environment and Food Esben Lunde Larsen.
Under the
Trelleborg's printing solutions operation has announced the launch of a major addition to its range of metal-back offset blankets for newspaper printing with the introduction of Vulcan Metal Times for Middle East and Global market.
Talking about Middle East market, Matthias Horn, regional director for EMEA, Trelleborg, said, "With the new developed Vulcan Metal Times Trelleborg provides a new solution for high demanding Newspaper Printing in the Middle East region especially for all Manroland
OKI Europe has received the 2018 pick award from BLI Buyers Lab for the ColorPainter M-64s printer during the SGI Dubai.
Talking about the award, Frank Janschke, senior manager, EMEA WFP product management, commented, "BLI is an unique body that checks on the demands of the end customer needs and based on the requirements they take several test on dimensional stability, print speed, colour gamete, pantone colour production, and many more. Earlier, the same M-64s has won the best innovative award
With three Flexofit seminars in Port Louis, Mauritius on 20th October, Johannesburg, South Africa on 24th and in Windhoek, Namibia on 27th October, Flexofit answered to an ever rising demand to professional education in the printing industry in Africa. The local expert audience in all three countries attended the seminars with industry speakers from international companies like Chespa, DuPont, Esko, tesa, Renzmann and Windmoeller & Hoelscher among others.
The first Flexofit Seminar took
Naturepak Beverage Packaging has moved to continue its success and business expansion by investing in additional Heidelberg Intro web-fed printing technology. Naturepak Beverage Packaging serves dairies, beverage and dry foods companies in the Greater Middle East, Africa and India Subcontinent from its two packaging plants in Damma, Saudi Arabia and Casablanca, Morocco.
The Casablanca plant was launched in 2011 as brand-new, state-of-the-art, greenfield operation encompassing the latest
Paper manufacturer, Middle East Paper Co. 'MEPCO, highlights its commitment to economic sustainability through three operational initiatives - MEPCO recycles 70% of its water in the production process, use of captive power generation to reduce power usage and lower operational costs and 90% of MEPCO's raw materials are locally-sourced by WASCO, its wholly-owned integrated subsidiary.
Sami Safran, CEO MEPCO commented: "Our resource-efficient measures see our overall production costs reduced
PartServe has been appointed as the authorised spare parts distributor for Samsung printers in South Africa. This is an extension of an existing agreement with Hewlett Packard prior to its acquisition of Samsung's printing business.
Samsung printer spare parts will now be available to repair agents through PartServe's carry-in centres countrywide. PartServe offers spare part distribution, centralised warranty services, remanufacturing services and outsourced repair capabilities for a large
SGI Dubai to attract printing industry stakeholders from Africa. "We are eagerly waiting to welcome the trade visitors from Africa to our show as we have a huge turnaround from the Africa region each year. The African economy is poised to hit a new high and set to grow to the next level. As per our research, there is a tremendous demand for state-of-the-art printing equipment in the growing African markets. A focussed approach from the African print industry can consolidate the sector further
Manipal International Press from Africa invests in Lombardi SYNCHROLINE 530 narrow web UV flexo press from Vinsak. It is a full servo multicolour press and can print on an extensive range of materials.
Talking about their investment, Pritam Choudhary, managing director at Manipal Africa, said, "We are moving to a new city and have invested in 10000 sq. meters. Printing plant as our production capacity has increased by 50%. As of now, we are having three Flexo and two gravure machines producing
Canon, a manufacturers of imaging and optical products, has launched its new range of Printer products onto the Ghanaian market.
The company introduced the new products in partnership with its Ghanaian distributor, Oman Fofor with a pledge to shore up its investments in Ghana.
At the unveiling of the new digital products in Accra, Amine Djouahra, the sales manager, Canon Central and North Africa, said the products with cutting-edge technologies were designed to add a whole new dimension to
The 17th Amman Interna-tional Book Fair will kick off on October 4 with a "specialised cultural programme", Jordanian Publishers Union (JPU) Chairman Fathi Al Biss said at a press conference.
Biss said that the 10-day fair, which will host representatives from the United Arab Emirates as the guest of honour, will feature Amman as the 2017 capital of Islamic culture, under the patronage of his Majesty King Abdullah.
"The book fair is a cultural, educational, enlightening and professional event
Afra International becomes the exclusive distributor of Edale for the Middle East region and Africa. Edale is a supplier based in UK for narrow-mid web flexographic and digital printing presses and converting equipment. Afra will be selling their FL3 for flexible packaging, FL-5 for carton as well as flexible packaging.
Talking about the partnership, Vinay Krishnan, general manager of Afra, said, "We have been looking up for a supplier like Edale and have been preparing us to offer better
Wide-format body Fespa has launched Fespa Direct, a new service that allows printers outside of its 37 association countries to access the benefits of membership.
The service, which costs €250 per year, was launched in June, shortly after its main Fespa expo in Hamburg and at the same time as the body launched a new website.
Fespa head of marketing Sarah Farrell said that the opportunity for individuals or companies to join Fespa from countries outside the Fespa network had existed for many years
South Africa's printing industry and Konica Minolta together brings skill development intiatives. Konica Minolta's partnership with Printing SA began in 2014, when they both created and facilitated a comprehensive training programme for 20 female business owners. Showing their contribution to the industry, Konica Minolta recently employed Brian Chauke, one of the graduates from the Printing SA Commercial Digital Printing programme.
South Africa's printing industry is working hard to help develop
Lexmark International's print cartridge recycling programme 'The Lexmark Cartridge Collection Programme (LCCP)' has picked up speed in South Africa where over 60,000 cartridges have been collected and recycled over the past year. The programme is voluntary and enables Lexmark customers to contribute to an environmentally friendly initiative where all types of Lexmark print and toner cartridges are collected by the company for free for total recycling.
"The programme has been running for the past
In 2015 HP's separation into two entities, HP Inc. and HP Enterprise, heralded a new chapter in the company's development. HP Inc. has used an 18-month reassessment period to define a marketing strategy for Africa that it believes will entrench its position and disrupt markets
According to the HP Inc. Q2 2017 earnings announcement, the company reported net revenue of US$12.4 billion, up 7% from the prior-year period, with the EMEA region contributing 34% of net revenue.
HP Inc. has offices in
Bapsfontein-based Colourtech Design & Print is the first company in Africa to purchase the latest technology in inkjet web printing with the installation of the Screen Jet520 HD. The company uses the press in combination with an Ibis book-on-demand machine and Hunkeler cut-sheet line, all purchased from Ipex Machinery, to process a range of educational and publishing materials.
Sonja Groenewald, Colourtech CEO, first saw the Screen Jet520 HD at drupa in 2016, and made a site visit to
DIGIprint, the exclusive Xerox distributor in Zambia, has opened the first Xerox Showroom and Service Centre in Zambia. The initiative is supported by Bytes Document Solutions (BDS), the authorised Xerox distributor in 26 sub-Saharan countries and apart of the Telecommunications, Multi-Media and Information Technology (TMT) organisation of Altron, the parent holding company. The new centre, officially presented by Yese Bwalya, director of communications, further positions Xerox as the
SE Litho has expanded its digital printing services with the purchase of a new Xerox Versant 2100 digital press from Digilogix and Bytes Document Solutions.
SE Litho's Andrew Armstrong says the printing market has evolved to the point where designers are no longer interested in the limitations of litho printing and expect equal or better printed products from their digital suppliers.
"When we first entered the digital printing market a few years ago – also with a Xerox machine – litho printing
Organiser of leading international trade fairs for the printing and packaging industries, Messe Düsseldorf will extend its portfolio to include a promising event in the Middle East: IPAP Tehran powered by drupa will be held for the first time from 12-15th October 2017 at Iran Shahr-e-Aftab (Exhibiran International).
Staged in cooperation with the Iranian organiser BRP, the trade fair targets all suppliers along the entire value chain for printing technologies from the segments of
Konica Minolta South Africa, a division of Bidvest Office, has announced that it is breaking into the local label and packaging industry.
"The world of labels is one of the most rapidly growing and fastest changing sectors in the entire printing industry, returning above GDP growth year-on-year for at least the past 30 years," states Leon Minnie, manager: production print solutions at Konica Minolta South Africa.
"We've found that most of this growth has come from self-adhesive (or
Asset Print, one of Cape Town's established full-service print shops, has opened the doors of its second premises in the city's southern suburb of Rondebosch. Built around the quality and volume capabilities of the company's all-new Xerox Versant 80 Press, Asset Print Rondebosch has taken the same blueprint that made its original CBD store so successful and reproduced it on a smaller but equally effective scale in the heart of the city's university district.
Asset Print founder, director and
Africa Print expo platinum sponsor, Konica Minolta South Africa, exhibited its production range at the East London expo, which took place on 15th February at the East London ICC.
The bizhub Pro & Press C1060/C1070 are aimed at print providers in a light- to-medium-level production environment, as each provides an easy transition into the digital print field, offering in-line finishing, precise colour consistency and image quality, alongside high media flexibility. The bizhub Press C1100
Canon has announced that it has launched a 'Celebrate Africa' campaign through an online competition where Canon is encouraging people from across the continent to submit images captured by them under any of the three categories: People of Africa, Africa's Citylife or Africa's Landscape and Wildlife.
More details can be found at www.Picfair.com/CelebrateAfrica. The competition will run from February 7, 2017 till April 15, 2017 and has a range of prizes to be won by those who send the most
The first books printed by Canon as part of the Room to Read literacy programme have reached school children in South Africa. 3,300 books have been delivered to 176 schools across South Africa as part of the Room to Read literacy programme, in partnership with Canon.
Canon began working with Room to Read and German-based publisher Goloseo, who initiaited the scheme at Drupa, in a bid to eliminate waste from print samples at trade shows. Canon sustainability director Stuart Poore said: "We are
Lagos based Academy Press has invested N 2b (approx. USD 636,000) in upgrading and modernising its press. The 51-year old print shop purchased a a six colour press, Concepta from Muller Martini, with output of 40,000 impressions per hour, and the Dimuken hologram applicator machine for applying hologram seal and hot foil stamping for security print and other sensitive documents, reported The Nation.
The Minister of Infor-mation and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed commissioned the state-of-the-art
The FESPA Africa and Sign Africa Expo reported satisfactory visitor turnout with 5592 unique visitors from South Africa and international countries, 941 return visitors and 6533 total visits to the expo. Eighty-two percent of visitors were owners or senior management and 79% are involved in decision making claimed the organisers.
The top 10 countries from Africa, outside of South Africa included: Botswana, Zambia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Kenya and Nigeria
Kenya-based packaging provider, Digital Packaging Innovations Ltd (DPI), has purchased an HP Indigo 20000 Digital Press, marking the first purchase of this press in the African continent.
The installation is set to be completed in late 2016, and as the company's first digital press, will allow DPI to enter entirely new markets.
"As leaders in the field, HP became the obvious partner for us to promote digital growth and disrupt the African print market," commented Kunal Chandaria, sales


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UPDATE: Dec 13, 2012 Want to watch the webinar? Here's the video recording.
In this marketing webinar hosted by Pardot, Mathew Sweezey shared tips on setting up a drip nurturing program for marketing and sales support. Click on the image to view a larger size, and feel free to share this with attribution!
Pardot has many other webinars and recordings, so check them out if you're curious about marketing automation.
Like this? Browse through my other sketchnotes, including my visual summary of The 5 Key Elements of a Better B2B Content Marketing Strategy by Nolin LeChasseur. I sketchnote technology/business conferences and presentations – if that sounds interesting, get in touch!


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Bible Baptist Church Pastor To Deliver Prayer Before Congress
He's pastor of a Baptist church, a race car driver, a father, a grandfather and soon-to-be great-grandfather. He's known to friends and church members simply as 'Preacher'. And as of Wednesday, he'll add yet another great accomplishment in his life-he'll deliver the opening prayer before a session of the U.S. House of Representatives. Reverend Mike Rucker, a native of Wichita, KS, has served as pastor at Bible Baptist Church in Wichita Falls since 1993.
"This is a real honor, a once in a lifetime event, so we're honored to be asked", Rucker said of being invited to give the invocation prayer on June 26. He and his wife Sherrie were invited to Washington, D.C. by Congressman Mac Thornberry. Rev. Rucker is also known as 'The Flying Preacher', a nickname earned through his other ministry, Rucker Racing Ministries. 'Preacher' races a late model dirt track car (his number is 316, for John 3:16) and has used his talents as a driver to help spread the Gospel for over 25 years.
The opening prayer before congress has been a tradition since 1774. The very first prayer of the Continental Congress was offered by Reverend Jacob Duché, Rector of Christ Church of Philadelphia on September 7, 1774. Rev. Rucker's visit to Washington marks the first time a Wichita Falls pastor has offered the opening prayer before the House. The prayer, limited by House rules to just 150 words, will be delivered at approximately 11:00 a.m. local time (12 noon eastern). You can watch online at http://houselive.gov/
You can also watch on Time Warner Cable channel 361, Dish Network channel 210 and Direct TV channel 350.


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Leveling the Playing Field
Over the last several years we've been inundated with stories of alleged use of Performance-Enhancing-Drugs (PEDs), from steroids to Human Growth Hormones and others. The most recent names linked to steroid use and actual legal action include Rogers Clemens and Barry Bonds, but let's not forget about Lance Armstrong's truly amazing come-back from cancer to capture yet another Tour de France. What about Alex Rodriguez, Mark McGwire or Sammy Sosa?
Baseball's not the only sport supposedly tainted by PEDs, how about track and field's line-up of athletes who've been stripped of Olympic medals, suspended or banned from competing; Marion Jones, LaShawn Merritt or Ben Johnson. Football, baseball, track, cycling and even the false positive test of WNBA's Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury who was playing for a Turkish team at the time. Women are not immune from these accusations considering rumors regarding the East German women's Olympic swimming team dominance during several decades from the 60's to the early 80's.


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Transform your ordinary bedroom arrangements into a more compelling decor with the Dexter king size platform bed. Made of sturdy MDF boards, Dexter with its open design and platform leg support, proves that elegance doesn't need to come at the expense of simplicity. Finely upholstered with a foam padded fabric headboard, Dexter is an easy to maintain toffee brown stained piece that admirably delivers both comfort and style.
Assembly Required: Yes
Mattress Included: No
Boxspring Required: No
Product Details
Overall Product Dimensions: 84"L x 75"W x 43"H
Total Weight: 202 lbs


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This cute brooch is sure to make you smile. Bright and colourful, this little guy has been lovingly illustrated and designed to be made into a Hungry Designs brooch. It has been drawn and coloured by Hungry Designs' very own Amanda Whitelaw and cannot be found anywhere else.
Illustrated and then laser cut out of wood, it is very sweet. Securely attached to the back is a brooch back. It measures just over 7cm tall and looks fantastic attached to a bag, jacket, cardi or hat.
Sweet and sassy, this little guy doesn't mind a wee spot of rain, but please don't forget to remove it from clothing before putting the item in the washing. It doesn't look anywhere near as cute when it's wet and cranky.


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Clarina Georgetown, January 24th , 2019.
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The manner in which you wear your hair can surprisingly change the manner in which you look. Appropriate styling can add the correct edges to your face or can even tone down a portion of the hardness that your face may somehow pass on. For youngsters haircuts are as imperative with respect to somebody more established. Actually it is amid your teenagers when you begin connecting with the outside world, make companions and colleagues, begin going out on dates, and some of you even begin your profession. High schooler haircuts that suit their facial settings in this way complementing their identity are what all young people search for. There are many heap youngster haircuts. You can look over short, long and medium hairdos or from formal, wavy, straight and dark haircuts. You likewise have the choice duplicate the haircut of your most loved superstar/star.
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Superb Post !! I really loved this post Amazing
a diverse digital database that acts as a valuable guide in gaining insight and information about a product directly from the manufacturer, and serves as a rich reference point in developing a project or scheme.
von klemperer discusses the challenges of completing the supertall skyscraper and how the materiality was informed by its neighboring buildings.
the roof overhang seems like it defies the laws of gravity, and acts as a cap extending the living space.
the flexible museum is a network of covered and open-air spaces that allow for a variety of programming.
the campsite consists of a series of unique architectural objects.


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Disney weddings are so passé. The hot new nuptials are Avatar-themed.
Sandstone pillars in Wu Lingyuan, a scenic area in Hunan Province, China, served as inspiration for the floating mountains of Pandora in Avatar. And the park rangers are organizing weddings inspired by the movie.
While Disney bridal gowns (and bridesmaid dresses) evoke the fantasy of being a fairy-tale princess, what fantasies are fulfilled by an Avatar wedding? Being an alien? Having aliens at your wedding?
Holding the ceremony in a beautiful location makes sense, but if you're expecting a 3D epic, you may be disappointed:
According to one bride, Xiao Tsao, who was married in a multi-couple joint service, "The Na'vi were a couple of forestry workers dressed up in long underwear dyed blue wearing some very unconvincing masks. It was really pathetic."


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Establish Meaningful Connections
Today's consumer is sophisticated, tech-savvy and almost completely immune to the brash lure of traditional marketing techniques. Social media marketing has impressive potential to make a powerful impact on the way your clients connect with your company. Providing useful, industry-related information and sharing your company's story is a way to establish genuine relationships with your customers. A brand that succeeds in relationship-building stands to enjoy customer retention after the purchase is complete and into the next buying cycle. Going forward, a company that is able to establish a lasting connection with their consumer base will find that they are more apt to trust that the products provided are premium quality and relevant to their lifestyle.
Social Media Services
Social media is not a static marketing service. In a world where thoughts are limited to 140-character tweets and filtered photos rule, your social media campaign must be flexible and adaptable. Social media marketing is always changing, and as a result, companies are adapting with it. Because of this, Turn The Page Online Marketing offers a variety of social media services that enable us to tailor a plan for maximum brand enhancement.
How We Can Help:
- Google +
- FourSquare
Whether you want Facebook community management or Google + training, Turn The Page Online Marketing has the perfect social media package that will maximize brand awareness and your ROI. And if you don't have time for the day-to-day nuances of social media, leave the management to our marketing mavericks.
Ready to begin creating authentic bonds with your online audience? To learn about our social media services, contact us at (816) 527-8371 or (844) 889-5001.


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This article is from the archive of our partner .
Halliburton's criminal liability related to the 2010 BP oil spill was resolved on Thursday when US District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo accepted a plea deal requiring the company to pay $200,000 for destroying evidence. That fine is the maximum for the misdemeanor charge, and Milazzo agreed that the punishment "adequately reflects the seriousness of the offense." The company will also donate $55 million to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
As the Guardian explains, this ends Halliburton's criminal liability in the BP oil spill, though individual employees could still face charges. On that note, a former Halliburton manager was also charged with destroying evidence on Thursday. Anthony Badalamenti is accused of instructing two employees to destroy data in the middle of a post-spill review — the same act that cost his former employer $200,000 today.
Halliburton will not face any charges related to the cause of the disaster, unlike BP and Transocean Limited — both companies have already agreed to pay $4 billion and $400 million, respectively, in plea deals related to those criminal charges. Phase two of the criminal trial, which will examine the extent of the oil spill and BP's attempts to stop it, begins at the end of the month. But Halliburton might not be done paying out money for its role in the disaster: the company still faces some possibly substantial civil penalties in a separate federal case.
This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.
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For Aytal Kursi, I have heard following ways of recitation ....
For Aytal Kursi, I have heard following way of recitation
1) Allahu la ilaha illa Huwal Hayyul Qayyoom
2) Allahu la ilaha illa Huwa, AlHayyul Qayyoom
3) Allahu la ilaha illa Hu AlHayyul Qayyoom.
Whether all the above is correct and how.
Jazakallah Khair
Wa alaikum assalaam wa rahmatlullahi wa barakatuh,
We can only judge from what is written, but it seems like one and three are correct as long as the reader is stopping on the word in number three because we stop with a sukoon on the last letter of a word.
If, as written, number two is read with the word with a vowel without connecting directly to the laam on the next word , then it is not correct. The hamzah wasl at the beginning of the word should not be pronounced when continuing, only when starting with this word.
And Allah knows best. Since we cannot hear the recitation, we can only judge on what we have extracted from the writing with English letters.
Wa iyyaakum.
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Turkish Ground Beef Pide
(Kiymali Karadeniz Pidesi)
Dough Ingredients:
7 gr active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/4 + 3/4 cup warm water
~2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil + 1 tsp olive oil
250 gr lean ground beef
1 tomato, peeled, diced
1 tbsp red pepper paste, hot
3-4 tbsp parsley, chopped
1 cubanalle pepper, discard the seeds, slice in 8
1 tbsp yogurt mixed with 2 tbsp water
In a small bowl, mix the yeast, sugar and 1/4 cup warm water. Stir well so the yeast dissolves. Let it rest for 15 minutes.
In a large bowl sift the flour and salt. Add in the bubbly yeast mixture, 3/4 cup warm water and olive oil. Mix and place the dough on the lightly floured counter. Knead well for about 10 minutes until it becomes smooth (no more crumbles). Then spread 1 tsp of olive oil inside a clean bowl. Place the dough inside and turn it upside down to spread the olive oil all over the surface. Then cover it with a clean, damp towel. Put aside for about an hour at room temperature until the dough rises to double its size.
Place the dough on the lightly floured counter. Press all over with your hands to get rid of any air bubbles. Cut the dough in 4 pieces with a knife. Knead and give a ball shape to each, cover with a damp towel, and put aside for about 15 minutes. Use your hands to flatten and then use a roller give a long oval shape each one. Place the mixed ground beef all over the top. Then arrange 2 slices of pepper on top (picture). Fold the long sides towards the inside, then twist the ends to give a boat shape (picture).
Place the parchment paper on an oven tray, then arrange the dough on top. Brush some yogurt mixture along the edges.
Preheat the oven to 500 F (250 C). Place the tray on the middle rack and bake for about 15 minutes. Immediately brush butter or olive oil on the edges.
Serve with parsley, red or white onion, sumac or lemon wedges.
Makes 4 Turkish Ground Beef Pide.
Labels: Bread-Pide


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San Francisco gets a disloyalty card, but we kinda still don't
Posted by TheShot on 21 Jan 2011 | Tagged as: Local Brew, Starbucks
If you're not aware of the disloyalty card concept, it originated a couple years ago in the UK from former world barista champ, Gwilym Davies. The kicker is that it's supposed to be the opposite of a customer loyalty card, where consumers are given financial incentives for repeat business. Like the kind you get from the big chains such as Starbucks and Peet's Coffee.
Instead, the informal disloyalty "card" offers financial incentives for consumers to sample the coffee at a variety of independent coffee shops in town — using something of a nudge-nudge, wink-wink informal honor system. The concept has since been mimicked in Seattle, Atlanta, Calgary, and elsewhere, and now it's apparently come to San Francisco: San Francisco Gets a Dis*Loyalty Card | ShotZombies. Participants in the SF card program include Stable Café, Epicenter Cafe, Coffee Bar, Sightglass, Ma'velous, Farm:Table, Four Barrel, and Ritual Roasters.
The idea has not only spread around the world, but it has even earned a few accolades of genius marketing from a few notables in the industry. We may have groaned in full-facepalm position when Gwilym Davies started spouting from the Gospel according to the Third Wave after winning the WBC crown. But he deserves credit for coming up with a cute concept. But beyond a cute concept, that's where we never really quite got it.
What dampens our enthusiasm for the concept is that it just moves the goalposts a little further back — rather than refute them altogether. So instead of locking repeat consumer zombies into one chain, we spread them over a few more cash registers. It essentially suggests replacing a monopoly with a cartel. To be truly effective, a program should encourage people to go beyond even the boundaries of something like the participants on a disloyalty card. But then again, we've gone beyond boundaries that any sane person ever should…
19 Comments »
19 Responses to "San Francisco gets a disloyalty card, but we kinda still don't"
hi there. my name is alex and i put together the san francisco disloyalty card. i appreciate you bringing attention to the card, and i'm sorry you don't get it. the concept of the card is simple. go try coffees from 8 different bay area roasters, and one of them will give you a free drink. stable represents de la paz, ma velous represents ecco, coffee bar represents mr. espresso, epicenter represents barefoot, and farm:table represents verve, so there's 8 different and excellent roasters on the card. its a punch card, just like loyalty cards, so each cafe will use its own marking system when you have a drink. no "nudge-nudge, wink-wink" about it. its about connecting the coffee community in the bay area by encouraging folks to try roasters they've never tried and visit cafes they've never been to. we only printed 1000, and each participating cafe got a stack to hand out. the card can be completed in any order so the free drink burden will be split up amongst participants. we'll see how things go this year and hopefully put together another next year. any suggestions you have to improve the concept would be appreciated. my email is alex(at)ritualroasters(dot)com.
I'm sorry, @TheShot, but that's a really dumb reason to be against this. This is a great idea that's intended to shine a little light on a bunch of independent businesses who are, collectively, not even making a tiny dent in the profits of Starbucks on a national level. Anything people do to encourage the public to try them out is a positive trend, even if it isn't as free thinking as you'd like. (You should also look up the definition of cartel, since you've said it twice: "a formal organization of producers and manufacturers that agree to fix prices, marketing, and production").
Also, your reply to Alex was a bit rude ("there's a lot of clever ideas that don't really have much value"). It sounds like you have an alternate agenda. Do you support someone who's not on this list? I noticed that Starbucks is the biggest tag in your tag cloud … 😉
I don't think the point of this is to get people to "repeat the cycle" (i.e. retrace one's steps, visiting each coffee shop again in order). I think it's purpose is to tell people about some other good coffee shops in the area that they may not already know about, and encourage them to try them out. People learning to appreciate good coffee benefits all of these coffee roasters.
"Blah blah, MONOPOLY. Blah, blah, CARTEL"
Those words you keep using, "monopoly" and "cartel," do not mean what you think they mean.
Please gain some degree of economic literacy, instead of using bullet words in a poor attempt to convey your negative feelings couched in misappropriated jargon. (*cough, typical leftist*)
The innovative dis-loyalty card is a great idea!
I think you're looking at the system the wrong way. Unlike a traditional card system, the main focus of the disloyalty card is not to encourage repeat business. The idea is birthed out of a larger effort to migrate the way that people think about coffee. While in industries like wine or beer, trying multiple producers is very natural, in coffee people tend to be extremely brand loyal. People look at quality in black and white terms – this roaster is better than other roasters. While the immediate economic benefit for that particular roaster is obvious, this mindset is limiting for an industry. There's good reason that other industries have worked to distance themselves from it. The disloyalty card is simply a piece of this movement. Even if you don't feel the card accomplishes this effectively, I would argue that you should support the card simply in hopes that other, similarly motivated efforts will evolve.
Normally I wouldn't comment but something about your whole attitude just pissed me off here. You are coming across as a sanctimonious douche, and I don't quite understand why.
Firstly, you've completely misinterpreted the idea of this sort of card. It is not a product in its own right. It is a promotional tool. The only gauge of its success is if it sells more coffee at one or more of the locations listed on the card.
Coming from SF and having moved to Calgary recently, the point in town here was not about the use of the card as incentive for free coffee as it is grouping together different coffee shops that share the same commitment to quality. Same in Toronto, which also has a variant (which I happened to see at Sam James Coffee Bar when I was there last Summer). Most people have never heard of these local shops but once they've been to one, a disloyalty card gives them a list of others in different neighbourhoods to encourage them to "buy local" rather than another cup of Starbucks or Tim Hortons. I've given it to friends & co-workers who would like seek out good coffee in town but aren't coffee geeks scouring the internets for the hot new place.
You keep saying that "there are many other, more effective means" to educate people on alternative coffee places. Firstly, give me an example of a more effective means of promotion that you speak of (not doubting it exists, just curious what you have in mind). Secondly, why would such a card be the ONLY way a group of shops do promotion? It's not like it requires a lot of investment — print some cards, distribute them, put up a website. It's simple, it's cheap, it make sense to most (excepting yourself), and last I checked it wasn't being seen as the "last great hope for good coffee".
It's just a promotional tool.
It's not a product.
It's co-marketing.
It doesn't have a huge opportunity cost vs. other approaches.
there's nothing sadder in the whole wide world than a solitary man writing a coffee blog who insists on referring to himself as 'we'
Listen, Greg, this Disloyalty Card, it's great. I show it to guests at Four Barrel all the time. It's especially useful to tourists who want to check out a lot of great cafes. It's all there, like a miniature coffee guide. Shops that are happy to promote other shops in our region.
That's all. It's not pretending to fix a "problem". It's just a sweet little card that promotes some solid coffee companies in the Bay Area.
You're doing a great job ruffling feathers, but deep down, I think you know that. And it seems like that's the only reason you even write blog posts like this.
Your friend,
Z-Man 5000
You lost me.
i just read your latest post and i agree that brown owl is exactly the type of place that a program like the disloyalty card should promote, and i'll argue that it does, however indirectly.
first, a not about how the roasters and cafes were chosen. the card i put together was in conjunction with good food month, so the only roasters invited were good food award entrants. and yes, all local roasters that submitted coffees to the good food awards were invited to take part in the card. the 8 represented agreed to take part and submitted the necessary details before the printing deadline. the roasters that don't have san francisco brick and mortar locations chose the wholesale account to represent them. there was no self selecting. i didn't pick favorites.
2 of the big differences between a site like yours and the dis*loyalty card are the audience, and the ratings. people can learn about coffee shops at your site, but they need the internet and the desire to seek coffee information there, and they need to rely on or filter your opinions. if someone relies on your ratings, why would they ever want to try #677, or even #2? if they filter your opinions, they might just look for a place near them that serves their favorite roaster. neither option does much to promote the greater coffee community. the dis*loyalty card is available to any person that visits one of the participating cafe. it says nothing about the quality of the coffee at the cafes, nor does it say that it represents the 8 best cafes in the city. it makes the assumption that most coffee shop customers don't know about all 8 roasters/cafes represented, so its purpose is to alert customers of one of the cafes to the existence of the others, and gives them a small (but arguably fun) incentive to try them all. from the feedback of the participants, it also creates a dialogue. as customers present their card to be stamped, employees can ask them what they thought of the other cafes, because they know right away where they've been. and as new roasters pop up in the city, they too become part of the conversation. for instance, if someone stops into farm:table, places like hooker's, little bird, or contraband will inevitable come up. places like browl owl will be part of that conversation, and it won't be "i give them an 8.2 out of 10", it will be "they are new, and its a cute shop, and they're really sweet people, and you should try them".
that's not to say that there isn't a place for the internet or consumer reviews in the world of specialty coffee, but programs like the dis*loyalty card are very different at their core.
thanks everyone, i love the dialogue.


text:
Winchester's Little Red School House receives grant
Winchester >> The Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation recently awarded a Historic Preservation Technical Assistance Grant to the Little Red School House Association of Winchester.
The grant program is funded by the Connecticut General Assembly, CT Humanities and State Historic Preservation Office/Department of Economic and Community Development through the Community Investment Act.
David N. Battista, President of the Association, reported that the grant will enable the Association to hire historic preservation specialists to evaluate the structural condition of the building and develop a plan of improvements to restore and preserve the schoolhouse. According to Battista, the condition assessment grant will serve as the Association's first step in renovating the building in celebration of its 200th anniversary in 2015. Battista anticipates that the conditions assessment will be completed by the Fall of 2013. Once the plan and budget have been established, the Association plans to seek donations from the community and apply for additional grants to undertake the restoration in 2014.
The Little Red School House, located at the corner of Platt Hill and Taylor Brook Rd in Winchester, was built in 1815 and was used continuously until 1908. It is the only remaining one room school house in Winchester. The Little Red School House Association of Winchester was incorporated by Charles Bristol in 1923 to preserve the building and to honr those individuals who taught at the school.
Battista confirmed the Connecticut Trust's $4500 grant award requires a 50% match by the Association. Battista would like to thank the private individuals, community organizations and area businesses who came forward with generous donations to help meet the $4500 in matching funds, including Northwest Community Bank, Litchfield Hills Conservancy, Valley Energy, Burns, Brooks and McNeil, Founders Insurance Group, and the accounting firm of Kimball, Paris and Gugliotti, P.C.


text:
Home / PBS / who-phone-stock
Klenn Harrigan is part of the Digital Marketing team at 3Pillar Global. His responsibilities include helping create content for the 3Pillar Website, assisting with support of 3Pillar's "The Innovation Engine" podcast, and various other marketing related support efforts. Klenn is a recent graduate from George Mason University, where he received a BS in Business Management.
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text:
I love that, for many of us here at MAKE, our families and friends get actively involved in sending us possible material for the magazine and site. Today, we ran a piece on some repair and maintenance tips from editorial assistant Laura Cochrane's dad. And tonight, our creative director, Daniel Carter, sent along this video, emailed to him by his father, Don.
Very interesting idea. And it makes a certain kind of sense. There's certainly no shortage of road surface. I wonder how daunting the engineering challenges are — that whole driving on glass thing? And then, there's the immense expense. Still… [Thanks, Daniel! Thanks, Don!]


text:
City of Lincoln
Mayor's Office
Mayor's Office
The Antelope Valley trails in Union Plaza reopened today after JAVA (Joint Antelope Valley Authority) contractors completed their inspections of the bridges over the trails. The trails from "N" to "Q" streets were closed January 4 because of problems with cracking concrete surface material on the bottoms of the four bridges above the trails.
City officials said temporary repairs have been made, and the trails are safe for pedestrian and bicycle use. Permanent repairs will be made this spring. The City will continue to monitor the bridges for signs of surface cracking. The investigation into the cause of the cracking continues.


text:
Navy SEALs serve as buffer between Afghans and Taliban
SHAH WALI KOT, Afghanistan -- The helicopter landed shortly after dawn on a remote hilltop in Kandahar province.
A combined force of U.S. Navy SEALs and Afghan commandos poured out and crouched in defensive positions as the copter's rotor kicked up a bank of thick, impenetrable dust.
When the air cleared, the men peered into the distance for assailants. Seeing none, they headed on foot to a small village to look for what they came for: "high value" members of the Taliban and caches of bombmaking material.
Special operations like these will be crucial to the future security in Afghanistan once conventional fighting forces pull back as ordered by President Obama, U.S. military leaders say. They will work with specially trained Afghans to prevent militants from gaining back territory won by the coalition.
Maj Gen. Tony Thomasis head of the recently created Special Operations Joint Task Forces Afghanistan (SOJTF-A), which aligns under one command all 23 NATO countries with special operations soldiers in Afghanistan. Forces from the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Australia now work together "for a potential long-term security strategy," Thomas says.
As NATO forces wind down their conventional troops, now down to about half of the 100,000 number of a year ago, the Pentagon believes that the most elite soldiers in the coalition will need to remain beyond the complete withdrawal scheduled for the end of 2014 to prevent a rollback.
"Nothing is absolute, but we anticipate being here for the long haul," says SOJTF-A spokesman Lt. Col. Todd Harrell, emphasizing that a longer-term presence of special operations forces "must first be discussed with the Afghan government."
U.S. special operations troops in Afghanistan include SEALs, the Army's Green Berets and other highly trained units. The use of special operations forces has been a contentious issue for Afghan leaders, who in recent years have been critical of "night raids," which Afghans say result in many civilian casualties.
Ministry of Defense spokesman Gen. Zahir Azimi would not comment on the possible presence of special operations forces beyond 2014, though he says the current special operations missions are "good at fighting the insurgency as long as Afghans are in the lead.
On this mission, they are.
Afghan and U.S. troops walk single file along a barely visible footpath in hopes of avoiding buried mines, known as improvised explosive devices or IEDs. Earlier this year, a member of this SEAL team lost an eye when an IED detonated in a compound they were searching.
On this day, the troops find a few explosives. They place them outside the village and detonate them, and the blast is powerful enough that the soldiers are showered with small rocks even though they are hundreds of yards away.
No Taliban leaders are found. The SEALs know militant fighters are in the area from the Taliban radio chatter they are monitoring as they conduct their mission.
"Insurgents are saying they are trying to get together to attack us," says the SEAL team commander, a young lieutenant. The SEALs are permitted to talk to USA TODAY but are barred from identifying themselves — to maintain their secrecy and keep their families from risk of a terrorist attack.
"They talk a big game on the radio, but they probably won't do anything," he adds nonchalantly while his men keep a watchful eye for gunmen along the nearby river valley and their Afghan counterparts interview locals and search homes.
The SEALs have pegged the village a "facilitators' area," or a community that assists the Taliban, usually involuntarily.
A small collection of mud-brick compounds dot the sloping, scorched hills of this southern province where the Taliban movement began. Villagers tell the Afghan troops that there are Taliban in the area but have little information to give on their whereabouts.
"They (Taliban) threaten to cut off our heads and shoot us," says one man questioned by the commandos. "They tell us to 'grab our weapons and fight with us.' "
Every SEAL mission is conducted with the Afghan commandos, notes Harrell, saying that the missions provide valuable training for Afghanistan's elite soldiers to one day shoulder alone all security responsibilities.
Capt. Ibrahim Sherzai, company commander for the Afghan commandos working with SEALs in Kandahar, agrees.
"For the commandos to improve, we need the Americans to keep helping us with our missions," Sherzai says.
He says his men are more than capable of "seeking out a target and destroying" targets on their own but often need the backup of the SEALs and their help training more recruits.
"I can't say for how long we'll need their help, but if you look at the situation in Afghanistan, we're going to need them here for a while," he says. "We need them to keep giving the commandos the best training they can."
The SEALs are considered perhaps the most versatile and well-trained force in the U.S. military. About 70% of applicants wash out before completing the more than year-long course that tests their physical and mental stamina.
"There are a lot of things we do in training designed to break you down," says a SEAL lieutenant.
He recalls long hours carrying a giant log with other SEAL candidates along a sandy beach and going days with little sleep. The exercises demand teamwork and help weed out weaker candidates.
"They induce physical stress to induce mental stress," he says. "The training is ultimately designed to find and mold guys that can handle it when the bullets start flying."
The SEALs trace their origins to 1942, when the U.S. military needed to improve its ability to defend beachheads and mount offensive operations in World War II. It created the Amphibious Scout and Raider School to train elite soldiers.
The SEALs were not formally conceived until two decades later when Arleigh Burke, former chief of naval operations, recommended to President Kennedy the creation of a counterinsurgency naval unit to conduct high-risk, small force missions in Vietnam that could perform in sea, air or land, hence SEALs.
Many experts say that special forces will need to remain a presence in Afghanistan to ensure the Afghans can maintain security for themselves.
Afghan commandos rely on coalition special operations forces not only for training and backup, but for transport and other logistical needs necessary to prevail in battle. Sherzai noted that Afghans are being trained to fly helicopters and operate other advanced equipment, but they still lack the resources to operate in remote parts of Afghanistan, where the Taliban is most prevalent.
"They still have some crippling logistics issues," says Maj. Fernando Lujan, a Green Beret who is currently a visiting fellow at the Center for New American Security in Washington.
The SEALs based here in Camp Simmons say they are up for the mission and want to ensure their Afghan comrades succeed.
A SEAL from this particular unit, whose mission was witnessed by USA TODAY, was killed a few days later in a crash of a Black Hawk helicopter. Seven American troops and four Afghans died in the crash.
The SEALs here know that the task they've been given means any mission they go on could be the one in which they die. Never letting one's guard down is one of the best ways to survive, they say.
"You've got to treat every compound you enter, every mission you go on, like there is someone there that is trying to kill you," says the petty officer.


text:
This floppy drive emulator is great for industrial control equipment. It has the same size as the ordinary 3.5 "floppy drive, same mounting hole locations and floppy drive.
Housing Material: ABS
Color: Gray
Model: SFR1M44-U100
Use normal USB flash drive as the medium for transfer design.
34pin floppy driver interface, 5V DC power supply, easy to install.
Capacity: 1.44MB 2HD Cylinders: 80 Tracks: 160 Sectors/Track: 18 Bytes/Sector: 512 Data
Transfer rate: 500 kbps Encoding method: MFM.
1000pcs partitions in USB flash drive can be used.
Built-in self-format function. (read relevant documents to use this function)
Not Support Jumpers
Floppy driver with below function needed:
Floppy driver with 34pin interface,and 5V DC power plug
Use 2HD flpppy disk with 1.44MB capacity
Format of disk : Cylinders: 80 Tracks: 160 Sectors/Track: 18 Bytes/Sector: 512 Date
Transfer rate: 500 kbps Encoding method: MFM
Suitable for industrial control equipment
8 segment numbers: represent partitions number
Green led: status of read and write operation
USB port: connect USB flash drive
Left button used to rise ten-digit, right botton used to rise single-digit
Press 2 button together to rise hundred-digit
Operation :
Format USB flash drive
Use built-in self-format function to format USB flash drive into 1000pcs
Use software in CD format USB flash drive under WINDOWS XP/2000, into 000-099
100pcs partitions.
Install an emulator on computer, and format every partitions by operate
driver A:.
use emulator UFA1M44-100, plug USB flash drive on it,connect to computer, it
will recognized as removabe driver A: or B: under WINDOWS XP/2000/7, format
every partitions.
UFA1M44-100 also built in self-format function.
Read and write data.
Install emulator on machine
Install emulator on computer
Connect USB flash drive on computer, read and write data directory by
software, under WINDOWS XP/2000
Use emulator UFA1M44-100, plug usb flash drive on it, connect to computer,
read and write data under WINDOWS XP/2000/7
Jumper setting:
S0:Driver select 0
S1:Driver select 1
Package Includes:
1 x USB Emulator
4 x Screws
2 x Jumpers
- CD_driver.rar - Click here to download


text:
The Supernatural star and his wife Genevieve Cortese welcomed a son, Thomas Colton Padalecki, on Monday, March 19, his rep confirms to PEOPLE exclusively.
Baby boy weighed in at 8 lbs., 6 oz.
After announcing that they were expecting, Padalecki, 29, and Cortese, 31, requested fans contribute to St. Jude's Research Hospital in lieu of gifts.
Thus far, fans have raised over $40,000 for the hospital, and the couple plans to match the final total.
Padalecki wed former Supernatural costar Cortese in February 2010 in Sun Valley, Idaho.


text:
Charlies Corner
Vault 1
Racing Days
Just A Touch
The Spirit Within
Afraid of the Tears
Five Emotions
Eight Letters
Completion of a Couple
The Weaker Sex
Struggling with Spiritual
In Fear
Y2K Revisited
Healthy Belief
My New Lady Friend
One of Those
Vault 2
Second Coming
For The Money
Turning It Around
Where is God?
Lost In The Fog
Is It Just Another Four-Letter Word?
Whom Do You Trust?
Is There A Silver Lining?
Is Your Frequency in Tune?
What Do You Believe?
What a Dilemma!
Make Love Enjoy Peace
Charlies Round Up
The War Prayer
Do It Anyway
If I Knew
The Choice
Dancing With God
The Wooden Bowl
Powerful Tips
Information Please
A Pink Heart
Ode to My Spell Checker
The Price of a Brain
Banned From Wal-Mart
Middle Wife
Theater 11
As A Man Thinketh
Blind Quilter
Little North Korean Girl Playing Guitar
Don't Bungee Jump Naked
Jack Russell Terrier Gets Wheels
Jackie Evancho
Paul Smith - Typewriter Artist
The Butterfly Circus
Tory Island dog swimming with dolphin
The Jive Aces - Bring Me Sunshine
Theater 12
Mozart Group - Live In Taiwan
Chooka Parker - Australia's Got Talent
Chinese Girl With No Fingers On One Hand Plays Piano
James Cagney and Bob Hope Dance Routine
Emmanuel Kelly The X Factor 2011 Auditions
Children Go Where I Send Thee
Chinese Balancing Act
A Place in the Choir
Cat On Boat Plays With Dolphins
Theater 13
Homeless Boy Steals The Talent Show
This is impossible
Larry Griswold
The Sleepy Man Banjo Boys
Duo MainTenanT
Surfing Bulldog
Annabel Carberry in A Glass of Red
About 30 Dolphins stranded and saved
How Music Saved Venezuelas Children
Duo Paradise Le plus grand Cabaret du Monde
Charlie Chaplin Dog Dance
4 Year Old Boy Plays Piano Better Than Any Master
Documentaries 1
The Siberian Apocalypse
The Himalayas
Genetic Roulette
An Inconvenient Tooth
David versus Monsanto
In Search Of - Coral Castle
Documentaries 2
Inside Secret Government Warehouses
Blue Gold World Water Wars
The Disappearing Male
A Lion Called Christian
America's Broken Dreams
Baby Born with 12 Fingers and Toes
Girls Eyes Produce Crystals
What's Wrong With Our Food System
Charlie Bit Me
Theater 1
Chris Bliss Juggling
Who I Am Makes A Difference
Animusic Pipe Dream
Top 100 Life Quotes
Who Is On First
Ben Underwood
Special Ballet
Singing In The Rain
Believe In Yourself
Quick Change Artist
Randy Pausch
Partner Equilibristic
Ambassadors of Harmony 2009
Theater 2
Bush Parody
Tale of Two Brains
Landon Shuffet
Esref Admagan
Red's Pledge Allegiance
Redneck Art
Get Service
The Fountainhead
Leo Buscaglia
Flying Trapeze
Two Guys In Coats
Theater 3
Conan O'Brien Pilobolus
21 Accents
Johnny Carson
I Am The Mom Song
Women of Whippoorwill
Nick Vujicic
River Dance
5 yr old Pianist
Boyanka Angelova
Stephen Wiltshire
Jessica Cox
Tenor Singing Voices
2012 Junior II Champs
Die Maiers Comedy Trapeze
Theater 4
Trick Dog
Twin Baby Moose
Crow and Cat
Skidboot the Dog
Dolphins Bubble Rings
Stacy Westfall
Bambi and Thumper
A Pigs Story
Elephant Paints
Elephant Soccer
The Flying Frenchman
Elephant Sanctuary
Crow Intelligence
The First Helpdesk Call
Theater 5
What A Wonderful World
Dear Elliott
Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe
The Ross Sisters 1944
North Platte Canteen
Celtic Women
Baby and Boxer
Kate and Border Collie
The Good the Bad and the Ugly
Opera Company of Philadelphia
Theater 6
Big Horn Sheep
Tell Me Why by Declan Galbraith
The Sling Shot Man
Dramatic Acrobat
Kevin Richardson - The Lion Whisperer
L'ours (1988)
Shag-Ra the Miracle Horse
Rachel and Chariot
The Red Sparrows
Laughing Bride
Jimmy Stewart Reads Poem About His Dog Beau
Theater 7
Entertainers-Bike Acrobatics
Life Is Like A Cup of Coffee
The Piano Stairs
US Naval Academy
Silent Monks Singing Hallelujah
Elk Calf Having Fun!
Vadrum - Barber of Seville
The Monkey Man
The Herd
Theater 8
Born Again American
US Soldiers Are Waking Up
Fordson Snow Machine
One Nation Under God
Ode To Forgetfulness
Defending Your Life
Alonzo Clemons
The Real Rain Man
Pigeon Impossible
The Best Cat Video
Sivan Garr Presents - I Love You
Theater 9
Suryia and Rosco
Animator vs. Animation
Sitting on Top of the World
Sound of Music
Dennis Swanberg - Bengy and the Zipper
Dillie The Deer
3 Guitars And A Tractor
Dancin' The Boogie
Mark Vincent
Dolphins Mud Ring Feeding
Great Chinese State Circus
Theater 10
Four Hands Guitar
Tommy Johnson
Libera Cats Duo
Miniatur Wunderland
Patsy Cline - She's Got You
Musical Leaf-Whispering Hope
Howard Drum Show
Breakfast at Ginger's
Free Hugs in Sondrio, Italy
Steven Seagal
Convert Man
Font Viewer
Theater 1
Ben Underwood
In Memory Of Charlie Phillips
"January 14th 1939 - October 6th 2020 - Rest in Peace Charlie"
The Amazing Ben Underwood
E-Mail Ben:
About Ben Underwood
Ben was born in Riverside California on January 26th 1992, and a very healthy baby indeed. He never spent any time at the hospital or doctors office, except for baby shots and oh how we all know what that's like. I'm not able to remember the exact dates, but sometime in February of 1992 I noticed that his right eye had a peculiar glow. His eye looked similar to the glow of a cats eye when caught in the head lights of a car. With in three days from the time I noticed his eye glowing, he woke up with the right eye pupil white and at that moment I noticed he couldn't see out of it. Two years old, he didn't cry or complain that anything was hurting him, neither did he act as though his vision was going. That day I took him into the pediatrician, and she immediately sent me to see the ophthalmologist. The first thing he said when he saw Ben's eyes was "There could be thirty things to turn you pupils white, but we will be looking for tumors." I believe that was the most frightening news I had ever heard. That moment began the year long trial.
The results of the testing was Bilateral Retnoblastoma (
cancer in both eyes
). I had never heard of cancer in the eyes. My father died of colon cancer in 1977 that experience had me totally frightened of cancer. One of the ironic things about Ben having cancer is that I named him after my father. For a moment I thought my baby had cancer because I named him Ben, and that I was so afraid of cancer, but I shook that thought quickly, my God is bigger than that.
I was told that this disease is only found in infants and up to the age of three. However, there was a case where a six year old was diagnosed with it. His tumor was a very slow growing one.
Ben's right eye was totally consumed by the cancer so it was removed after the second month a chemo. After that experience, we spent another eight months of chemo and then six weeks of radiation to try and save the left eye. Results were a failure. The doctors try to smooth things over and tell you, you can try other alternative medicine, maybe go to Mexico to save his vision. That moment I realized that I had to make a life decision for my child or lose his life. Of course, I would have him in any condition to have him alive.
Ben awake from the surgery and said "Mom I can't see anymore, I can't see anymore, Oh mom I can't see." Words of wisdom spoken to me from my pastors wife, sister Devon, "Don't let him feel your fears." After praying for strength and receiving from God, I said, "Ben YES YOU CAN SEE" and I took his little hands and put them on my face and said, "See me, you can see me with your hands," next, I put my hand to his nose and said, "Smell me, you can see me with your nose," then I said, "Hear me, you can see me with your ears, you can't use your eyes anymore, but you have your hands, your nose, and your ears." I tell this one thing, Ben has been seeing ever since.
The greatest gift in life is LOVE. What love is this for a man to lay down his life for a friend. Ben's siblings automatically took on roles and helped. His brother Derius, taught him how to find the seems of his clothing and the heals on his socks to put them on correctly. Isaiah who is Ben's younger brother always described our surroundings to make sure Ben saw everything. When we went shopping, I would let him feel on everything to see what it was. If he knocked something over and people would look, I'd just reply with, "Oh I am so sorry, he's blind." Of course, with compassion they would say, "That's OK." This was just a green light for me to tell Ben to continue looking and I would continue shopping or what ever I was doing. When I got ready to go I would hold my hand up and start snapping my fingers and say, "OK Ben lets go" and he would come from where ever he was and grab a hold to my back pocket. Everywhere we went I put his little hand in my back pocket to keep up with me. I guess this was my way of being his sighted guide.
I believe Ben started clicking probably right away. He was playing video games, riding bikes, skating, climbing trees, and doing everything he always did as if he never lost his sight. I treated him as though he could see and spoke visual. I don't know if I was in denial, but I made sure he saw everything. I'd put his had on the road and say, "look at this, the road is more ruff and the side walk is smooth." You name it, I've probably put his had on it. Ben says he practice to see how far his echo would go so he'd echo down the middle of the street. I'd say well how far did it go. He'd say "I don't know it just went away." He practiced on hearing his environment without echoing, so he could hear a trash can on the floor, almost anything around that's stationary. I say what ever works for him, do it. I'm not in a blind persons shoe, so I'm not going to judge.
When doctor Ruben saw Ben playing his game boy, he was totally amazed. He walked in the patient room and looked at Ben, walked over to the computer desk and looked into his chart, walked back over to Ben and looked in his eyes, then he look down to see if he was really playing the game. He finally look over at me and said,"His eyes are nucleated." I said, "Oh yes, he's blind." The doctor said, "How the heck does he play video games" and I replied, "He does everything, ride bikes, rollerblades, electric scooters, you name it, he will try it." Totally blown away, he thought you have to talk to other parents. People think it is the end of the world when they lose their sight he tells them that they can still lead a productive healthy life.
Since then, Ben was on the front page of the May 7th Sunday paper of the Sacramento Bee and the Observer. From there he was in the July 24th issue of People Magazine where they sent him to Sea World to swim with the Dolphins. Then we visited Los Angeles and were on the Ellen Show, after wards we were in Chicago for the Oprah. We also went to Japan and was on a talk show there for the Japanese community. There is also a one hour documentary of Ben's story coming in the early part of 2007 on The Learning Channel. The dates will be announced.
He has been on numerous radio talk shows, we also had an article in the Parenting Magazine. Ben has spoke to numerous classes and Senior centers. One of the most important thing in his life is to help someone else. I know God has a calling on his life and it isn't for him, it is for others.
Ben started writing a Novel in the 4th grade, he writes at a College level, and types about 60 wpm on a regular keyboard. His novel is Science Fiction, and I think he as written at least 20 chapters. He also wants to invent video games. I believe he has written it. This kid is so full of ideas and I encourage him to pursue them all. The sky is the limits and you can accomplish anything you set your mind to if you try. Don't stress on failure, because from their only comes perfection. The only place from rock bottom is up and failure is bottom.
Ben also loves Japan. He was already teaching himself Japanese, so when our Japanese friends came over he showed them what he had on the computer, songs, words and definitions. This blew me away, I said, "Your teaching yourself Japanese too." He wishes to pursue his College in Japan. So what I have done was get him beginning Japanese on CD, this way he could learn it easier. His school doesn't have anything for a blind person right now. You see, I am his mother and I will try ever thing in my power to make sure that he doesn't miss out on anything in life.
One thing that I truly get back from Ben being blind is that he truly sees people from within. When he hears someone say that someone else is ugly, or anything negative towards someone else. He says, "That's what's wrong with sighted people, you all look at one another and judge what you look like," I see that statement being so true. The most powerful part of it is that he can't judge from looks, only from spirit. This world would be a much better place if we all couldn't see.
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Might be in court on birthday: Salman KhanDec 14, 2012 IANS
Mumbai, Dec 13 (IANS) Actor Salman Khan, who gave Bollywood a blockbuster with "Ek Tha Tiger" this year and will hopefully repeat the success with the forthcoming release "Dabangg 2", says he might be in court on his 47th birthday Dec 27 in a 2007 hit-and-run case.
"On Dec 27, I am not doing anything. I am not very sure what I am doing that day. On my birthday, I myself might be in court," Salman told IANS.
Salman, who has been summoned by a Jodhpur court to appear before it in February in connection with a 1998 poaching case, says he might have a date with the Mumbai court regarding the hit-and-run case.
"I think they have asked me to come on Dec 27, but if the lawyers say I don't need to go, then I won't go and if the lawyers say, I have to then I will definitely go," he said.
While many A-list actors including Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Hrithik Roshan celebrate their birthdays in the presence of the media, Salman says it is something he will never do.
"It will never happen. Woh fraudgiri mujhse nahi hogi (I can't do that fraud with anyone). I can't do that and I am telling this very frankly - When the media is standing outside my house, with OB vans and all, my mother will make sure that their party happens outside.
"Not for any other reason, but if the media is there in the party, then the guests get very uncomfortable. SO nobody will be able to have a good time and within five minutes, everybody would want to leave," he said.
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