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As a Flores Island woman recovers in a Victoria hospital after a vicious mauling by a cougar, other island residents are recounting run-ins with what they believe is the same predator.
The 60-year-old woman had her skull crushed by the cat, but is in stable condition and expected to recover from the attack on the remote island in Clayoquot Sound. Her name has not been released.
Island resident Bill Dennis, who was working Monday at the Ahousat General Store, said he believes the same cougar responsible for Sunday's attack chased him and a friend June 19 after it swam across a channel to a float near the store.
"Me and another guy saw what we thought was a wolf or a dog in the bay and we went to check it out. I got within 100 feet of the float and it jumped out of the water like a fish and I thought 'Holy crap, that's a cougar.' "
In a phone interview, Dennis said the cougar challenged his friend on a ramp and then came toward him.
"It chased me up the other ramp and I didn't bother turning back. I ran as fast as I could to the top. It was pretty spooky."
Dennis said the cougar then turned away from him and went after his colleague again. "With everyone yelling and screaming, it went back toward the other fellow. It wasn't backing off. But it just went right by him into the bush.
"I would think it's the same cat because they saw it again a month later swim back across after supposedly stalking a schoolteacher. It was also bothering a tourist on Wildside Trail. Now, this last incident."
Dennis noted that there were other complaints in recent months of a cougar stalking and hanging around. "I've been stalked before by cougars and you never get used to it."
The woman was working outside her cabin Sunday afternoon when she was attacked from behind by the cougar, said Troy Haddock, maritime coordinator with the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria.
The woman's skull was crushed and half her scalp was missing following the attack, he said. She also suffered several puncture wounds before her common-law partner — who heard her screams and quickly came to her aid — stabbed the cat repeatedly with a spear and chased it off.
Conservation officers and a cougar hunter with a specially trained tracking dog landed on the island Monday and quickly found the body of the cougar about 50 metres from the attack site.
It is believed the cougar, a three-year-old male, died from spear injuries, but a necropsy will also be performed on the animal to determine what may have prompted it to jump on the woman.
One B.C. conservation officer is marvelling at the man's bravery for attacking a cougar with nothing but a spear.
"I'm pretty sure that this is the first time in B.C., if not Canada and maybe even North America, where someone has stopped an attack by a cougar with a spear and killed it with a spear," said conservation officer Sgt. Ben York.
"I understand why he did it, but it still takes a lot of bravery to do what he did and I'm glad he was there to rescue her," added York, noting that the cougar appeared relatively healthy. "You know it could have turned out a lot differently if he hadn't been around."
York said a coast guard ship was used to ferry the woman from the island to nearby Tofino. She was then airlifted to hospital in Victoria.
York said they may never know why the cougar attacked because sometimes cougars look at people as if they're prey.
He said the couple had some encounters in the last few months with a cougar that had been acting aggressively towards them. He believes it was the same animal that attacked the woman Sunday.
York said it appears likely the man tried to prepare himself for any kind of event and kept the spear handy.
"It may be that he just looked around for what he had available and made it ready just in case, and as it turned out it was a good idea."
York said it was obvious the man wasn't going to let the cougar have the woman without a fight.
"This was his partner of some years, so there's no way he was going to let that cougar have its way."
Dennis said that while the woman attacked Sunday was not a close friend, he's met her a few times. "She was very private and reclusive. She came by the reserve to get supplies every two or three months.
"They're nice people. They've lived there 30-plus years."
Iris Huebner, who also works at the store, also described the woman and her partner as "a very nice couple." She had heard of the cougar's behaviour before the horrific attack.
"It wasn't afraid of people at all. The parks guy said they had to take a lady out because it got too close to her and she was very concerned."
With The Canadian Press

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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Handbook of Central Banking and Financial Authorities in Europe
New Architectures in the Supervision of Financial Markets
Edited by Donato Masciandaro
Analyzing ongoing changes in the design of regulatory and supervisory authorities over the banking and financial industry in Europe, this comprehensive Handbook pays particular attention to the role of national central banks, the new financial supervisory authorities and the European Central Bank (ECB).
Show Summary Details
Chapter 13: The Netherlands
Henriette Prast and Iman Van Lelyveld
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text:
Laphroaig 1998-2019 | 20 Year Old | Dun Bheagan #6835 # 6837£270.00 £225.00
- Strength 54.9%
- Region Islay
- Bottle Size 70cl
Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Nowhere in Scotland is there a greater concentration of distilleries as Islay. With eight currently operational distilleries and a 9th closed legendary one it occupies a unique position in Scotland's whisky map. The character of the whiskies is equally unique. Given the lack of coal on Islay, early distillers took to using peat to dry the malt in their kilns, this lent the barley a uniquely smoky, phenolic and medicinal character that has remained with the Island's whiskies ever since. Even to this day some of the most famous and idiosyncratic of Scotland's distilleries are to be found on Islay. Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Ardbeg and Bowmore all hail from this small inner Hebridean island, as do Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, recent addition Kilchoman and the cult legend that is Port Ellen. Beneath that full bodied, phenolic, peat driven character you'll also find extremely fruity whiskies, very coastal, atlantic style drams, farmy, almost industrial style whiskies and even lighter ones such as modern era Bunnahabhain and Bruichladdich which dispense with heavy peat in favour of coastal freshness and abundant fruits. Whatever your taste, you might be surprised by variety and rich diversity Islay has to offer.


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|System: PS4, PS3*, Xbox One, Xbox 360
|Dev: TT Games
|Pub: Warner Bros.
|Release: April 8, 2014
|Players: 1-4
|Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p
|Cartoon Violence, Comic Mischief
Overall, Lego: The Hobbit is a pretty faithful recreation of the first two Hobbit movies, but this is also the game's biggest problem. It only covers the events of the first two movies and nothing else. The game just ends abruptly, leaving you wanting more, and this is a very purposeful decision. You see, the rest of the game, which will be based on The Hobbit: There and Back Again, will be coming out as DLC. A price and date hasn't been pinned down, but we could surmise that it would likely come out around the time the movie launches later this year.
This might make you flinch a bit when you consider picking up Lego: The Hobbit even at its discount $50 price tag for last gen systems and especially at its $60 price tag for current gen systems. Knowing that you'll have to drop another 10-20 dollars just to be able to see the end of the game feels like a raw deal. The game is fun on its own, but it doesn't change the fact that it's not really complete, and while it certainly does have enough side-quests to keep you playing for a while, it certainly doesn't have enough to keep you playing until December when the next Hobbit release hits theaters. Even if it did, if the DLC for the third movie isn't at least half as long as the game itself, it would make the game feel a bit unbalanced, and the chances of that happening are very unlikely.
Our advice? Don't bother picking up Lego: The Hobbit now. It's a great game, but it's not a full game. Instead, pick it up later this year when The Hobbit: There and Back Again comes out. It will likely be available at a discount price then and together with its DLC that will probably be at or just under the price of a full game. That way you can enjoy Lego: The Hobbit the way it was meant to be played.
Angelo M. D'Argenio
Contributing Writer
Date: April 8, 2014
Game Features:


text:
Group Booking Terms and Conditions
Because you are making a Group Booking, there are additional Terms and Conditions that apply. Please read them and click 'I Accept' below to continue with your booking
General Group Booking Terms
By making a group reservation through Hostelworld.com you agree to the following terms and conditions as set by Hostelworld.com and as set by the hostel in question.
- In order to make a group reservation on Hostelworld.com it is necessary to pay a deposit. The balance is due directly to the hostel according to their payment conditions.
- The booking deposit is non-refundable.
- Please note that any cancellations must be notified directly to the hostel at least 24 hours in advance of your scheduled arrival date, unless otherwise stated in the hostel's conditions.
- Hostelworld.com are not responsible for changes or amendments to your reservation once it has been processed. All correspondence with regard to changes to your booking need to be dealt with directly with the hostel.
- Cancellations for reservations must be made directly with the hostel and must conform with the individual hostels cancellation policy (see below)
- It is your responsibility to pay the balance of your accommodation cost to the hostel in accordance with their payment conditions (see below). Failure to do so may result in your reservation being cancelled by the hostel.
- Individual hostels may have special booking conditions relating to group stays, please read the hostel booking conditions carefully before making your reservation.
Hostel Specific Terms & Conditions
The remainder of the amount due will be charged to your credit card on arrival. Should numbers or room selection change, the per person deposit times the number of people who actually travelled will be deducted from the total accommodation charge levvied by the hostel.
Cancellation / No Show & Reduction in Numbers Policy
cancellation at least one day before arrival and if not we will charge one night no show
Additional Terms and Conditions
please let me know the arrival time and flight or bus company and we can pick you up free of charge but for the bus from bangkok we exactly do not where have to pick you up from
The following group types are not accepted by this hostel: Stag/Hen/Bachelor Party If you have misrepresented the type of group you are booking for, your booking may be cancelled by the hostel."
Any cancellations resulting from agreement to these terms and conditions under false pretences will result in loss of deposit.
Você deve aceitar os termos e condições para que possamos confirmar sua reserva.
WiFi Gratís
pequeno-almoço grátis
Jasmine Family Hostel
Descrição do alojamento
Free swimming pool
Free welcome drinking water
Free coffee between 12 and 4 pm
Free daily cleaning the rooms
Free BBQ grill and parties
Free high speed WiFi internet
bags storage room
Free DVD Movie
Free cold water on arrival
Free refill drinking water
Free books exchange
Free daily Newspaper
Free Guesthouse kitchen
Free Angkor guide books, Map
Emergency medical assistance service Ver as Regras da Casa
Verificar a disponibilidade
- Acesso gratuito à Internet
- estacionamento gratuito
- Lençóis incluídos
- pequeno-almoço grátis
- Toalhas Incluídas
- WiFi Gratís
- Acesso por cartão-chave
- acessos para cadeiras de rodas
- Ar condicionado
- Cacifos
- Chuveiros de água quente
- Cofre de segurança
- estacionamento
- estacionamento para bicicletas
- luz de leitura
- Piscina
- Piscina exterior
- Sala Comum
- Sala de reuniões
- Secadores
- Terraço ao ar livre
- Troca de livros
- TV a cabo
- Acesso à Internet
- Aluguer de Bicicletas
- câmbio de moedas
- Depósito de bagagem
- Passeios/Informações turísticas
- Recepção 24 horas
- segurança 24 horas
- Serviço de correio
- Serviços de lavandaria
- Serviços de limpeza
- Transporte de e para o Aeroporto
- Bar
- Restaurante
- mesa de bilhar
Sessão Expirada
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Por favor, digite a senha para a conta <% email %>


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Last week, I wrote this article about Michael Fassbender. It was offensive to some: the Fassbender fangirls. And one of them, she let me know:
Hi Lainey,
Your reading comprehension skills are sub par at best if you really think Fassbender yelled at the waiter in that article. You're such an insufferable, lying, c-nt. You know good and well he didn't but you'd write anything for the attention you think it's going to draw. I hope his people sue you one day. And you're a coward for not having a comment section. Everyone knows this. What's the matter, you ugly cow? Still upset Fassy didn't pay one f-cking iota of attention to you last year at TIFF? Nice watermarks on the photos, by the way. Why don't you take a tip from other sites like Just Jared and NOT put your hideous logo over people's faces? You've got stupidity for days, you know that? F-cking c-nt. This is why everyone hates you. And those pics have been on Tumblr since last weekend. Late, as usual, with your bullsh-t.
By the way, there's a rumor going around that you're the racist bitch who has been posting negative things about him online. I'm apt to agree and will help to spread that tidbit of info any way I can. I'm sure you understand how these things go.
You have a nice day.
"You've got stupidity for days" is a really great expression. But why would I post negative things about Michael Fassbender elsewhere online if I have my own website? No, no, don't answer that. It's a conversation that never ends. The point is, Michael Fassbender girls, Twi-Hards, Cumberbatch women, Gosling people, Brangelunatics, these FANS, they are very, very good at being angry and defending their beloved(s).
If I were the announcer (who, obviously, has stupidity for days) calling the Texas/Baylor game the other day, I would consider extra security. This comparison is HILARIOUS. Terrible, yes. But HILARIOUS. Listen:
Thanks MK!


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Graphic photos of victim may be shown in teen's murder trial
ADA asks to show photos at Wayland man's trial
Prosecutors have asked a judge to allow them to show graphic, close-up shots of a victim's wounds to the jury in the trial of a Wayland man charged with killing his ex-girlfriend.
The prosecutor in the trial of Nathaniel Fujita told a judge Monday that showing the photos is necessary to show that the victim suffered "distinct and separate" wounds.
The 20-year-old Fujita has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the July 2011 death of Lauren Astley. Both were 18 and had just graduated from Wayland High School.
Prosecutors say Astley was beaten, strangled and stabbed, and suffered one "jagged and gaping" throat wound.
The MetroWest Daily News reports that Fujita's lawyer said he may not object to "some" photos being shown. The judge did not immediately rule.


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The built-in flash on Canon's Prosumer DSLR lines is generally considered inadequate for most serious purposes. The Canon accessory flashes such as the Canon Speedlite 550EX Flash are much more versatile and powerful. The 550EX gets the light far above the lens (prevents half-moon shadows in your pictures) and does a much better job preventing the red-eye effect.
The 550EX allows bouncing the flash off of a standard height ceiling or off of other reflectors such as white walls, white foamcore, Photoflex and other commercial reflectors, ... The 550EX also allows the use of light softening and modifying accessories such as the Lumiquest Big Bounce, the Lumiquest Softbox, and the Sto-Fen Omnibounce.
Another benefit of Canon's accessory flashes is that they significantly help focusing on many EOS cameras. A pattern of the focus assist light projected by the flash helps the camera focus faster and more accurately - even on a low contrast surface such as a white wall. The focus assist feature can make or break a shot in low light situations!
The Canon Speedlite 550EX Flash is the largest and second most powerful of the Canon general purpose flashes.
Pictured above are the Canon Speedlite 420EX E-TTL Flash (smallest), the Canon Speedlite 580EX E-TTL II Flash (middle) and the Canon Speedlite 550EX E-TTL Flash (largest).
The Canon 550EX Flash is substantially larger than the Canon 420EX E-TTL Speedlite Flash, has more power, and many more features such as manual power selection, FEC (Flash Exposure Control) and manual zoom settings. Of course, it costs nearly twice as much as its sibling. It is slightly larger, slightly less-powerful and somewhat less expensive than the Canon Speedlite 580EX E-TTL II Flash.
Canon EOS 300D Digital Rebel owners should take note to the FEC (Flash Exposure Compensation) feature of the Canon Speedlite 550EX Flash. The Canon EOS 300D Digital Rebel does not have FEC built into the camera like most of Canon's other Digital SLRs. The 550EX will add a nice feature to your setup.
One feature of the 550EX is that it can be a wireless Master to trigger remote flashes (via light) such as the Canon 420EX flash and the 550EX. The 550EX can also be used as a wireless slave to other 550EX or to a Canon ST-E2.
I want to stress the importance of learning how to use Canon's E-TTL Flash system. The PhotoNotes link in my "More Canon Speedlite 550EX Flash Reviews" section below will get you well on your way to great flash photography results.
Bringing you this site is my full-time job (typically 60-80 hours per week). Thus, I depend solely on the commissions received from you using the links on this site to make any purchase. I am grateful for your support! - Bryan
Where you buy your gear matters. You expect to get what you ordered, and you want to pay a low price for it. The retailers I recommend below are the ones I trust for my purchases. Get your Canon Speedlite 550EX Flash now from:(Using the links on this site to make any purchase provides support for this site)


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Thank you for registering to attend our Miami Executive Workshop. The meeting details are provided within the calendar invitation, as well as the confirmation email you will be receiving momentarily.
If you have any questions you may email us here, or alternatively you may call us at one of our global offices.


text:
Q. What is the Dynamo Academy?
A. The Dynamo Academy is where the Houston area's most talented players come to train and play with the goal of one day being signed by the Dynamo First Team to a professional contract.
Q. How are players selected for the Dynamo Academy?
A. Players are selected in a number of ways.
- Center Of Excellence
- Academy ID Camp
- Scouting Network
Q. How is the Dynamo Academy different than other teams in the area?
A. Unlike other teams, we are a professional soccer club and as such can offer the following:
- Sign for the Houston Dynamo First Team
- Coaching, evaluations and direct contact with Dynamo First Team coaches
- Training with the first team
- Playing for the reserve team
- Play in games at BBVA Compass Stadium
- Invitations to top level international tournaments with some of the worlds best teams
Q. What teams does the Dynamo Academy have?
A. U11, U12, U13, U14, U15, U16 and U18.
Q. What leagues do the Dynamo teams play in?
A. See Table Below.
|8 v 8
|STYSA Dynamo/Dash League
|11 v 11
|U12, U13, U14, U16 and U18
|11 v 11
|US Development Academy
Q. How old do I need to be to play in the Dynamo Academy?
A. If you are good enough, you are old enough. Players below U11 age are encouraged to attend the Center of Excellence for exposure to the Dynamo way of training first. From here a determination can be made if the player is good enough to be brought into the academy teams.
Q. Is the Dynamo Academy free or do I have to pay?
A. Players that are signed with the U14, U16 and U18's have no charge. All other players have a small fee for the year.
Q. Do the Dynamo coaches speak Spanish?
A. Some coaches have the ability to speak Spanish, however, ALL training sessions are conducted in English.
Q. Where do the Dynamo Academy train?
Q. What time do the Dynamo Academy teams train?
A. Teams either train at 4:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m., or 6:15 p.m. depending on the team and the schedule.
Q. Can a Dynamo Academy player sign a professional contract with the Dynamo First Team?
A. Yes. Should a player demonstrate the qualities needed to sign with the Dynamo First Team, and they choose not to go to school, they can sign a professional contract.
Q. Does participation in the Dynamo Academy mean I lose NCAA eligibility?
A. No. All players retain their eligibility.
Q. Can Dynamo Academy players play with the Dynamo First Team?
A. Yes, but only in reserve team matches.
Q. Does participating in the Dynamo Academy give all the player rights to the Dynamo First Team?
A. No, but it does give the Dynamo First Team the ability to sign the player as a 'homegrown' player without the need to enter the MLS draft.
Q. Will the Dynamo Academy staff help with my college recruitment?
A. Yes. We have a wide network of college scouts from D1 to D3 who are in contact with us regarding the future players.
For more information on the Dynamo Academy, email firstname.lastname@example.com or call (713) 276-7500.


text:
Find the best Business DIRECTORIES IN QATAR
Qatar's largest business listing database
Managing Director
Chem-Dry's mission is helping people live healthy lives, which starts with clean carpets and a healthy home. Our proprietary hot carbonating extraction cleaning process penetrates deep into the fibers, removing an average of 98% of common household allergens from carpets and upholstery and 89% of the airborne bacteria in your home when a sanitizer is added.* Plus, our green-certified solution, The Natural®, contains no soaps or detergents so it's safe and non-toxic for your family & pets. And, Chem-Dry uses 80% less water than typical steam cleaning so carpets dry in hours instead of days, making it the safer and more convenient carpet cleaning choice. All of this means Chem-Dry cleans for your health like no one else.
Chem-Dry is the world's leading carpet cleaner, also offering cleaning of upholstery, tile and grout, and area rugs. Click to find a local Chem-Dry carpet cleaner.
Managing Director


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FIBA U19 World Champion USA Battles Past Serbia 82-68 To Claim Gold
Thanks to a dominant second half showing, the 2013 USA Basketball Men's U19 squad (9-0) is FIBA U19 World Champions for just the third time in the last eight U19 championships since 1987. Behind 17 points from Montrezl Harrell (University of Louisville/Tarboro, N.C.), the United States outscored Serbia (7-2) 42-30 in the second half to break open a tight gold-medal affair and claim an 82-68 victory in Prague, Czech Republic on Sunday night.
Also aiding the U.S. gold medal effort were Nigel Williams-Goss (Findlay Prep/Happy Valley, Ore.), who finished with 15 points and made 2-of-3 3-point attempts; Rasheed Sulaimon (Duke University/Houston, Texas) made 2-of-6 3-pointers and was credited with 12 points; Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State University/ Flower Mound, Texas) tallied 11 points and Elfrid Payton (University of Louisiana/Gretna, La.) finished with nine points and U.S. team-highs of six assists and five steals.
Aaron Gordon (Archbishop Mitty H.S./San Jose, Calif.), who averaged USA highs of 12.6 points and 6.2 rebounds a game, plus 2.0 steals a game while shooting 61.2 percent from the field, was selected MVP of the U19 World Championship. Joining him on the five-player U19 all-tournament team was teammate Jahlil Okafor (Whitney Young H.S./Chicago, Ill.), and rounding out the team were Vasilje Micic of Serbia, Dante Exum of Australia and Dario Saric of Croatia.
"I feel very, very honored my country asked me to coach this team. I think USA Basketball could have picked a lot of coaches who would have done a wonderful job," said USA and University of Florida head coach Billy Donovan. "I thought the thing that changed our team was we had a great group coming back from last year (2012 USA U18 Championship Team) that had some experience, and I think the adding of Nigel (Williams-Goss), (Aaron) Gordon, (Jahlil) Okafor, Justise Winslow, those guys being a little bit younger so to speak, added a different element to our team. It was a special team and I just feel honored that I could be a part of it."
Just as was the case when the two teams met in second round play on July 3, and the U.S. earned a hard-fought 71-62 win, this game too was a tight contest. Serbia led by as many as five points early, and the U.S. briefly enjoy an 18-point lead late in the game.
Serbia opened a 9-5 lead and the U.S., with Sulaimon contributing five points, went on a 9-0 run to move ahead 13-9. Thanks to a Sulaimon 3-pointer with 38 seconds left in the opening stanza the USA took a 26-22 lead into the second quarter.
Leading 32-29 the USA's Mike Tobey (University of Virginia/Monroe, N.Y.) and Okafor scored back-to-back buckets to up the USA's lead to 36-29, but Serbia outscored the U.S. 9-4 to end the quarter, leaving the Americans ahead 40-38.
The game remained up for grabs as the score stood at 48-47 in favor of the Americans with 4:28 left in the third. Williams-Goss connected on a 3-pointer, then the U.S. press forced Serbia into a turnover that resulted in a steal by Gordon, who fed Sulaimon for a score. Next Smart tipped one in at the rim and just like that the USA lead had ballooned to 55-47.
Leading 57-51 going into the final 10 minutes, Serbia scored first to cut the lead to four, 57-53, but that was as close as they would get as the U.S. countered with seven consecutive points and a 13-1 overall run that left it in front 70-54 with 7:01 to play. From there, the Americans' advantage never dipped below 12 points as the U.S. remained in control and posted the 82-68 win.
"I thought a couple of things happened to us," explained Donovan. "One, I think (Justise) Winslow, (Aaron) Gordon and (Marcus) Smart getting in foul trouble in the first half, those are three of our better pressing guys. We were never able to get the style of play, the tempo we really wanted and we were probably a little bit slower in certain cases then we would have been if those guys were on the floor.
"I thought in the third quarter, although we had to rest Justin because he had four fouls, we got back a little bit more to playing our style and we decided to go small and do a lot of switching. Really I thought Gordon and (Montrezl) Harrell, and even when Justise fouled out we put Marcus (Smart) at the four spot, but we just played small and I thought our press and our quickness and our speed was so much more disruptive in the second half than the first half because of the foul trouble we had to endure."
Serbia shot 59.1 percent from the field over the first two quarters, and was 5-of-10 from 3-point, and the U.S. was only able to force six turnovers. The second half was a different story. Cranking up its defensive intensity, the USA limited Serbia to 34.6 percent shooting in the third and fourth quarters and chased them into 11 turnovers.
"Serbia is a great team and they run their stuff very well and they make you pay," said Marcus Smart. "They have a lot of great shooters so it is kind of hard, you have to guard the 3-point line and protect the basket.
"We knew that they were going to get worn down and that was our goal, just keep bringing the pressure, a hundred times more in the second half and eventually they were going to wear down."
"It was very satisfying to come away knowing we did what we had to do and to come away with our goal and that was to win the gold medal," added Marcus Smart.
In finals play Sunday, Lithuania (7-2) overcame Australia (4-5) in overtime 106-100 to claim the bronze medal; Spain (7-2) got the better of Canada (4-5) 72-68 to capture fifth place; and China (4-5) beat Croatia (5-4) 94-80 to take seventh place.
Assisting Donovan with the 2013 USA U19 World Championship Team are Tony Bennett (University of Virginia) and Shaka Smart (Virginia Commonwealth University).
Originally known as the FIBA Junior World Championship, the tournament was held every four years between 1979-2007. FIBA now conducts the U19 World Championship every two years. USA men's teams are 78-13 in the U19/Junior World Championships and have now won five gold and three silver medals.


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Moore predicts a little pain ahead but integration process smoother than he expected
- 30 June, 2014 14:45
Former Express Online chief executive, Danny Moore.
Former Express online chief executive, Danny Moore, has predicted there will be a few more "bumps and bruises" ahead for the integration of Express Data and Dicker Data following his resignation.
The channel veteran, who stepped down as Express Online chief executive today, after the completion of the company's integration into Dicker Data, told ARN he had never intended to stay on, but was positive about the future of the business.
"Since the acquisition of Simms by the Express Data Group three years ago, it was always a three-year plan. That was abbreviated by the acquisition by Dicker Data back in February," he said.
"I was always there to help with the integration of Express Online into Dicker and that job is now done. I am looking forward to taking a little break until I consider the next move."
Moore's career at local distributor, Simms International, began in 1998 as Finance Director, before moving into the role of Managing Director in 2001.
Since then, Moore has overseen two major acquisitions and three integrations in the Australian technology distribution industry.
In 2006, Simms acquired KH Distribution, signalling the company's move into the Apple distribution leadership space.
Then in 2011, Simms was acquired by the Express Data group, as Moore transitioned into a CEO role with Express Online.
Moore said Dicker Data had a strong business model and a positive outlook, despite the loss of Apple following the acquisition.
"There is no doubt that there's big difference with Dicker Data compared to a larger ED environment," he said.
"But they are nimble, they are very intuitive, they know what's going on.
"The Express Online business is also the first to be integrated and it's ahead of schedule, which is very rare in a play of this size."
Express Online general manager of product marketing, Gavin Troxler, has also resigned.
Moore said he had been pleasantly surprised with the pace and quality of the integration.
"Systems are being integrated, contracts with major customers that needed to be renegotiated have been completed, all the back office stuff has been done, a number of people have been integrated," he said.
He said David Dicker saw Apple as a marginal business.
"It was very disappointing for me to see that not go ahead after what we built up over a long period of time - to hand it to our competition.
He said there was also very different cost model at Dicker.
"It's a very lean machine and there's no doubt the benefits that will come from the ED acquisition will go well beyond the loss of Apple.
"I don't think it will have a material negative impact on the overall business," he said.
Dicker was still a traditional distributor, according to Moore.
"They have got good quality people there and the model is slightly different and I hadn't seen that until I moved in to the business.
"If they can take the model that made them successful and scale it to the ED businesses, and I think they can do that, it will still be a clear differentiation against the other major players.
"There's going to some bumps and some bruises and a fair little bit of pain along the way through integration process but this has gone far more smoothly than I anticipated."
While Moore won't be a part of Dicker Data in the future, he is by no means finished with the channel and sees emerging opportunity in specialist areas of the market.
"I think it's a vibrant channel and it's in fairly good shape. It's going to be very interesting to see how the next two years unfold.
Moore said he had seen two acquisitions and three integrations over 16 years in the channel.
"I love the channel and I am very excited by some of the opportunities but they are very, varied and go anywhere from starting again, to investing into current players, to looking into a corporate environment."
"But I'm not sitting here ready to pounce like a lot of people think I am. I am genuinely taking some time out.
"I am looking forward to only a short break of a few months while I work out what to do, but I will be lurking."


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Romero and Ryan to DL
The Jays placed closer B.J. Ryan and rookie lefty Ricky Romero on the 15-day disabled list today. Ryan is out with tightness in his left trapezius muscle and Romero has a right oblique strain.
In Ryan's case, GM J.P. Ricciardi said he only learned of the injury a couple days ago and manager Cito Gaston said he didn't hear about it until after Wednesday's game. Both Ricciardi and Gaston said they didn't know if the injury dates back to the spring.
"They said trapeze — I thought it was a circus act," Ricciardi said with a laugh.
One reporter quickly quipped: "Some might argue it is."
No word on who the callups will be to replace Ryan and Romero on the roster. Brian Wolfe and Jeremy Accardo appear to be the likely bullpen candidates. For Saturday's start, it looks like it might be lefty Brian Burres.
Romero said he's felt some discomfort in his side for a few outings and he told the club about it after his start in Minnesota. He said he first felt pain after sneezing before that appearance. Brought back memories of when Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa threw his back out with a sneeze.
Ricciardi said Romero will likely be out until the middle of May, when the Jays also hope to have Jesse Litsch and Casey Janssen back in the mix. At that point, it's possible that — if the starters are performing well — Janssen could be headed back to the bullpen.
More info on both of these injuries will be on bluejays.com later. I'm adding more detail to the quick news story that's currently online.
Today's lineups:
1. Ian Kinsler, 2B
2. Michael Young, 3B
3. Josh Hamilton, CF
4. Hank Blalock, DH
5. Nelson Cruz, RF
6. Chris Davis, 1B
7. David Murphy, LF
8. Taylor Teagarden, C
9. Elvis Andrus, SS
Starter: RHP Kevin Millwood (1-1)
1. Marco Scutaro, SS
2. Aaron Hill, 2B
3. Alex Rios, RF
4. Vernon Wells, CF
5. Adam Lind, DH
6. Scott Rolen, 3B
7. Lyle Overbay, 1B
8. Rod Barajas, C
9. Travis Snider, LF
Starter: RHP Scott Richmond (1-0)
28 Comments
Wow, this isn't good. "I'll always remember how we got off to such a great start in 2009 before we started losing the few pitchers we had left." Man, the bats are going to have to REALLY go to work now. Ryan was struggling, but Romero has been special – there's a loss!
Tough news about Romero. In the case of Ryan I am glad that he wont be closing for a bit. Not saying that i'm happy he's hurt but just that he wont be playing for a bit because he has looked awful so far this year. Hopefully he can back a lot better.
I know injuries are part of the game but when will this team get a break . This makes it 6 pitchers out , Marcum , McGowan, Litsch, Janssen, Romero and Ryan . Other teams lose 1 and moan about it . Jays have dealt with this for the last few years , its crazy . Lets hope a few can return soon. Hopefully Accardo is doing well and can come back up
I just checked out the AAA pitchers hmmmm…Paul Byrd is looking to return , maybe JP should look at acquiring him . He can't be any worse than the options we have in the minors. Jays really need to look into their conditioning program
Nice start by Richmond tonight, he seems to be getting better over his last two starts.
Downs did a great job coming in for the save as well. Another series victory for the Jays!
It looks to me that Richmond's problem with left hand batters is over as a result of that real nice change up he's mastering which breaks down and away from lefties.
He's been over matching right handers since he came up but this new pitch keeps left handers off balance.
Although, as a rookie, I still expect him to have both good and bad games, I don't expect left handers to drill him anymore like they have in the past, which is really good news for the Jays.
Richmond is now 2-0, The only one better than him is Doc so far this year.
Downs did a great job tonight as did Carlson, Camp, and League.
Good to see Rios swinging the bat as well as Wells.
Overbay is starting to look like he did in 06.
I think the Jays will win 91 games this year. What do the rest of you guys think.
Before the season started i was saying 85. Thanks to there hot start my guess is now 90-94. The Jays are very fun to watch this year. It will be interesting to see how or rotation handles itself in Fenway on Yankee stadium.
It's really frustrating for Jays rotation.I don't know who will be replacing romero. About the games, I think they will win their share of games on the verge of offense 85-90 games.
JB reported ( on twitter) the Jays are calling up Brian Bullington, a right hand reliever from Las Vegas to fill the roster sport left open by Ryan. Bullington's gone 9.2 innings in 4 outings, given up 10 hits, 1 bb, 2 earned runs and struck out 10 for an era of 1.86.
For the starter, it certainly won't be Cecil who had another rough outing tonight in Vegas-his 3rd in a row and it won't be Mills who went yesterday. JB reports that Brian Burres, a lefty from Vegas is the current rumor, but it doesn't appear any call up has been done yet.
Obviously, I do not know how many games the Jays will win this year. However, I hope that it is enough for Cito to win manager of the year. Although his managerial style is, at times, unorthodox, it works. Moreover, I believe that Cito is a real gentleman — unfortunately, all to often a rarity these days!
Well, the last 2 teams to win their first 5 series each went on to win 100+ games. The good news is that they are on a pace to win 114 games, and they are pounding the bejabbers out of other people's bullpens, just like the 92-93 teams did. More sobering is the fact that, while they have beaten the teams that they should have beaten, they have yet to play any really good teams. How many games will they win? Ask me at the end of June.
In the meanwhile, I have waited 15 years for this, and I am going to enjoy every minute of it!
I don't think BJ is hurt. It's just about saving face. Both JP and Cito want him to either retool in the minors or start throwing in some games when the Jays are up 6 or 7 runs. They don't want it to look like they are demoting him.
Nice win last night .
BJ Ryan is scheduled to see a specialist the beginning of next week . It makes you wonder if he came back too early from surgery and is now paying for it .
I don't think they can put a player on the DL unless there is a physical reason otherwise Yanks would have put Wang on . Yanks sent him to pitch in the minors to regain his confidence and his control .
I think we will know by the end of May whether we have a potential or pretender, since the schedule is tough between now and then, with the normally dreaded west coast wing in LA and Oakland and multiple games with NY and Boston.
If they can get to 12 games over .500 by the end of May from 7 now, we might see some significant baseball in late September.
The thing this team seems to have, which is different than any team since our glory days, is a killer instinct. They don't give up even when they're a long ways ahead and they are beating the teams they should be beating. This hasn't happened for quite some time.
Love the name 162wins.
We have to fare well against the Rays this year and that will show me that the Jays will have a chance to make it. The Rays have been a thorn in our side for a few years now.
As for BJ i think Kate is right he may have come back to soon and it could be scar tissue.
You got to love that bullpen.
One of the bullpen pitchers that has turned around is Camp since the Jays picked him up, I used to love it when he pitched against us because i knew we were going to score some runs.lol.
Camp is another pitcher that can thank Brad Arnsberg for his success. He wasn't much before he got to the Jays, but his first Spring with us, he learned to throw another pitch (cutter? changeup?), I forget, but he has been lights out ever since.
Actually, it was a sinker, but I think Camp learnt it on his own, not to take anything away from Arnsberg. The two guys Arnsberg has really changed are Romero and Richmond. Arnsberg picked up the fact Richmond didn't have an out pitch for lefties nor a changeup. Now, the same pitch, does both.
FYI, For Camp, it was the change up that he worked on in the off season, but Arnsberg took an interest and it paid off. Camp had always been a sinkerballer. Before he came to the Jays he was abused by the DRays. As I recall, he finished second in the AL for games played. That can burn out an arm fast. The Jays really know how to use their players smartly. I live in St. Pete during the winter/spring and one has to follow the Rays in the paper!!! A few years ago Camp was always in the news because he played with a sad heart as his new wife almost died from a pregnancy and was sick for a long while. Then his Mum died suddenly. Kudos to JP for picking him up and giving him a second chance. Go Jays!!!
If the Jays can keep up a decent pace untill some of the injured guys return I think they'll win 90+, though my original gues was 84. I'd be happy to be wrong about 84.
I'm now hearing that Marcum, McGowan could be back by this year and Janssen, Litsch and Romero by mid-May.
So what Jays do you guys think will make the allstar game? Id say: Hill, Halladay, Rios, and Downs.
It might be accurate that Arnsberg also taught Camp the changeup, I'm not sure. What I do remember though is an interview with Arnsberg where he talked abut Camp's sinker-not sinking and that he had him change his grip to make it effective again.
When we first signed him, I wasn't all that high on the guy because we used to pulverize him when he pitched against us.
But whatever Arnsberg did had impact and he's ended up being a very nice addition to our pen.
I didn't know that you signed the players! And if you are not sure, than you are not sure. Thanks for choosing this great team though(if you did). Go Jays!!!!!
So I think we can safely add Camp to the list of Arnsberg refits, along with Burnett, Romero, Richmond, et.al. Has anybody noticed that League hasn't thrown a lot of pitches over about 93-94, at least that I noticed? I don't know if his stuff has more movement than it did at 100mph, but his control is getting a lot better, and he is very effective right now. That's Arnsberg too. Take a little off, get more movement, throw strikes, and mix up your pitch selection. Maybe his arm will stay attached to his shoulder a bit longer too. We're putting together another Arnie's Army here.
There was no need for that comment, you know damn well what I meant. Hey, if you want act like a jerk, I can certainly treat you like one-your choice son.
There was no need for that comment, you know damn well what I meant. Hey, if you want act like a jerk, I can certainly treat you like one-your choice son.


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Heston impresses onlookers with bullpen session
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Minor League right-hander Chris Heston's bullpen session impressed observers, including manager Bruce Bochy and catcher Buster Posey.
"He commands the ball well and has good sink on it," Bochy said of Heston, who finished 9-8 with a 2.24 ERA for Double-A Richmond last year. "I know it's just [throwing in the] bullpen, but this is his first big league camp."
Posey caught Heston and liked what he saw.
"He had good sink and run on his fastball to both sides of the plate, and he commanded his other pitches really well," Posey said.
Standing behind a fence, general manager Brian Sabean also appeared to be closely watching the 24-year-old Heston.
Bochy also liked what he saw from Tim Lincecum, whom Bochy said looked more comfortable than he did in his first bullpen session Wednesday.
"He looks great," Bochy said. "I thought the ball was coming out real nice today."


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Obama flubs the 'presidential' test
With Sen. Joe Biden slated to give Wednesday's keynote address at the Democratic National Convention, Barack Obama's vice presidential pick will stay in the national limelight awhile longer. Who among us can contain their excitement?
Not me. I can't wait to hear more from the man for whom brevity is a Rubicon he will not cross. Ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you something about Joe Biden, as Joe Biden himself might say: Joe is the guy who will tell the hard truths, say the unsaid things -- literally, not just figuratively -- in order to ensure that he has gone the extra oratory mile in service to this great cause, America, for which he will give not merely his last breaths but an unknowable number of breaths in service of the country he loves, never once tiring or being distracted by the grammatical ballast of the period, the wedge issue of the paragraph break or the thud of his audiences' heads soporifically smacking the tables in front of them. No, never let it be said that Joe won't say what needs to be said, not only when it needs to be said but the other times as well, again and again and, ladies and gentlemen, again.
Joseph Biden: Jonah Goldberg's column Tuesday said Barack Obama was age 12 when Biden was first elected to the Senate in 1972. Obama was 11. —
One can only hope that the perpetual motion machine that is Biden's mouth will, like a million monkeys banging on typewriters, eventually stumble on a plausible explanation for why Obama picked Biden, of all people.
It's a leaden cliche to note that the choice of a running mate is the first "presidential" decision a candidate makes. What, then, does it say that Obama's first such decision contradicts the alleged promise of his presidency?
In his career-making speech at the 2004 Democratic convention, Obama ridiculed "the pundits" who "like to slice-and-dice our country into red states and blue states; red states for Republicans, blue states for Democrats." But when it came time to act "presidential," Obama passed on several short-list VP candidates from red states -- the governors of Virginia, Kansas and Iowa -- in favor of the senator from deep blue Delaware.
Over the last two years, Obama's campaign has gone further, investing a great deal in this idea of Obama as a post-partisan candidate who transcends all of these silly categories. Quoting the candidate, the official Republicans for Obama website proclaims: "For the first time in a long time, we have the chance to build a new majority of not just Democrats, but Independents and Republicans who've lost faith in their Washington leaders but want to believe again -- who desperately want something new."
And to feed that searing appetite for the new, the bottomless yearning for the fresh, Obama picked a Democrat who was first elected to the U.S. Senate when Obama was 12 years old and Richard Nixon was still popular. When Biden -- already a seasoned pol -- first ran for president, Duran Duran was still thought of as the cutting edge of music. What happened? Was Robert Byrd too trendy?
And what about all that jibber-jabber about post-partisanship? When Obama, the most liberal member of the U.S. Senate, according to the 2007 vote scoring done by National Journal, picks the third-most-liberal senator, does that count as reaching across the aisle?
Even more flummoxing is Biden's actual record. Put aside the fact that Biden's biggest backers are trial lawyers and credit card company lobbyists (so much for attacking business-as-usual), there's the signature issue of Obama's campaign: the Illinois senator's superior judgment on the war in Iraq. In his months-long battle against Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Obama insisted that his early opposition to the war represented singular proof of his qualifications to be president. But Biden, with his "unparalleled foreign policy experience" in the words of an Obama senior advisor, supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq on the exact same grounds that Clinton did.
So Obama asks voters to value judgment over experience or expertise; but when Obama himself chose someone best qualified to be president in his stead -- "above all, I searched for a leader who is ready to step in and be president" he proclaimed in Springfield, Ill., on Saturday -- he went the opposite way.
Perhaps that explains why Obama accidentally introduced his VP as "the next president of the United States."
Now, of course, we know why Obama really made this choice. He thinks Biden will help with Pennsylvanians, Catholics, men and the working class. And Biden is ready to serve as the kind of partisan attack dog that Obama, until recently, decried as an unhealthy feature of our politics.
That's fine. Except it suggests that so much of Obama's new politics has been just words after all. And with Biden onboard, we know words are one thing the Democratic ticket will never run out of.


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WBruce on Family Tree Circles
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Journals and Posts
Hillmans of Elgin County, Ontario
The Hillman family originally came from the village of Westbury, Wiltshire county. George Hillman and Sussana Browne with their children emigrated from England sometime around 1829 to Mosa Township, Middlesex County in what was Upper Canada(Ontario) at that time.
They had 7 children one of whom John who married Isabella May moved to a farm in Clathan, Elgin County, Ontario in 1859. Members of that branch of the family have been there ever since.
It is that branch that I am directly related to.
It is especially interesting to link their lives to the times. To the changes in rural Ontario,to local and world events, and even to the increased popularity of hockey in Canada. The family have always been enthusiastic participants of hockey since the 1920's.
Other names that are associated directly with this family are Peckham, May, Turner, McKay, McCallum, Shoemaker, Steele, Thomas, McClellan, Rickard and Wallace.
- Displaying 1-1 of 1 Journals
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In the FCS Huddle: FCS All-Americans a deep group
Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Eastern Washington star quarterback Vernon Adams may seem like an easy choice for The Sports Network FCS Preseason All-America first team, but consider this:
The FCS level is so deep in dual-threat signal callers that the 10th-place finisher for last year's national player of the year award failed to make any of the three teams on this year's preseason squad.
Adams, a junior who was the Walter Payton Award runner-up, was one of 33 2013 All-Americans to be selected to the preseason team and one of five from Eastern Washington, which tied for the most selections by a school with Fordham, whose senior quarterback, Michael Nebrich, was the preseason second-team choice at the position.
Southeastern Louisiana senior Bryan Bennett and Villanova junior John Robertson shared third-team honors at quarterback.
All four quarterbacks finished in the Top 10 of the Payton Award voting for the top individual FCS honor. Princeton's 10th-place finisher, Quinn Epplerly, the 2013 Ivy League offensive player of the year who led the FCS in points responsible for per game, fell just short of being named a Preseason All- American.
Indeed, it was talent galore as the three preseason teams went 101 players deep, spread out among 59 schools and all 13 FCS conferences.
Dual-threat quarterbacks are certainly in fashion in today's game. Adams finished second in the FCS in total yards per game (373.3) just behind the national leader Nebrich (376.4). Robertson (306.5) and Bennett (300.8) finished ninth and 11th, respectively, in total yards per game. All four QBs rushed for at least 500 yards, with Robertson leading the position nationally with 1,405 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground.
The 6-foot, 190-pound Adams electrified all season as the Big Sky Conference offensive player of the year and the second-team All-America quarterback behind Payton Award winner Jimmy Garoppolo of Eastern Illinois. Adams passed for 4,994 yards and 55 touchdowns, which both rank third all-time in an FCS season, and rushed for 605 yards and four touchdowns for the Eagles, who upset nationally ranked FBS member Oregon State, won their second straight conference title and reached the national semifinals for the third time in four years.
Joining Adams on the preseason first team was his favorite target, Eastern Washington sophomore wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who hauled in 21 touchdowns as well as the 2013 Jerry Rice Award as the national freshman of the year. In addition, Eagles senior linebacker Ronnie Hamlin made the second team, and senior running back Quincy Forte and junior offensive lineman Clay DeBord landed on the third team.
Fordham's five Preseason All-America players were Nebrich, first-team choices Sam Ajala, a wide receiver, and Stephen Hodge, a linebacker, second-team selection Mason Halter, an offensive lineman, and third-team pick Dan Light, a tight end. Each a senior, they return to a Rams squad that set a school record with 12 wins in 2013.
Seven players returned to the first team after receiving top postseason honors last season. They were Kupp, South Dakota State senior running back Zach Zenner, Southern Illinois senior tight end MyCole Pruitt, Eastern Illinois senior offensive lineman Collin Seibert, Southeastern Louisiana sophomore kickoff returner Xavier Roberson, Norfolk State senior linebacker Lynden Trail and Missouri State senior safety Caleb Schaffitzel.
Zenner will pursue a third straight season with over 2,000 rushing yards, which hasn't been done on the FCS level. He finished sixth in the 2013 Payton Award voting.
Other first-team selections on offense were Northern Iowa running back David Johnson; Towson fullback Emmanuel Holder; New Hampshire wide receiver R.J. Harris; offensive linemen Robert Booker of Missouri State, Antoine Everett of McNeese State, Max Holcombe of Jacksonville State and Jack Rummells of Northern Iowa; all-purpose selection Rob Hollomon of Central Connecticut State; and Southern Illinois senior place-kicker Thomas Kinney. All are seniors except Holder and Booker, a pair of juniors.
The first team on defense also consisted of defensive ends Zach Hodges of Harvard and Davis Tull of Chattanooga, defensive tackles O.J. Mau of Gardner- Webb and Troy Moore of Sacred Heart, linebackers Quinn Backus of Coastal Carolina and Tony Bell of UT Martin, cornerbacks Harlan Miller of Southeastern Louisiana and Tye Smith of Towson, Tennessee State safety Daniel Fitzpatrick, Portland State punter Kyle Loomis, Illinois State long snapper Chris Highland and North Carolina Central punt returner Adrian Wilkins. Mau, Miller and Wilkins are juniors; the rest are seniors.
The Missouri Valley Football Conference, home to three-time defending FCS champion North Dakota State, had the most first-team selections with eight, while its 13 overall selections tied with the Big Sky Conference for the second-highest total behind CAA Football's 15.
Eastern Illinois and Southeastern Louisiana had four selections each, and eight other schools, including North Dakota State, collected three each.
The full FCS Preseason All-America team can be found at http://tinyurl.com/maslhoo.


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Seagate has ushered in the third generation of its hybrid solid state hard drives at Computex, showing off a slim, 7mm notebook model, as well as a desktop-sized drive, both of which aim to bring faster performance to mainstream notebooks and desktop PCs without compromising on capacity and price. They do this by combining a hard drive and a solid state drive.
The 2.5in Laptop Thin SSHD notebook drive has a standard SATA interface (6Gbs) and comes with 8GB of NAND flash memory built in to it, which is of the MLC (multi-level cell) type, rather than the SLC (single-level cell) type. It features a spin speed of 5400rpm and it has a single platter inside that delivers a 500GB capacity. There is a 1TB SSD hard drive available, too, which is 9.5mm thick and has two platters, called simply Laptop SSHD.
One of the key selling points of the Laptop Thin SSHD hybrid drive is its 7mm thickness. Seagate says it can be implemented in slim notebooks for a more reasonable price than an SSD-only solution. Furthermore, it can offer similar performance to an SSD-only solution when it comes to loading frequently-used applications, while at the same time offering a much larger storage capacity.
Seagate's senior director for 2.5in product line management, David Seesdorf, said "the drive is essentially self-learning" and that it features more advanced algorithms that can better monitor and detect the most regularly used applications on your computer and cache them for almost immediate loading. The cache responds better the more you use your system and the more consistently you load your favourite applications. However, the cache will also include data that Seagate, throughout its development, has learned would be beneficial to the end user to keep in the flash memory.
Seagate also said that the performance of the drive on its own would be on par with dual-drive solutions that can be found in many laptops, which include a separate hard drive and an mSATA-based solid state drive for caching. In that type of solution, notebook manufacturers can choose their own capacity flash module (usually 32GB), while with the single-drive Seagate drive solution this is fixed at 8GB.
The boost from the 8GB of built-in flash memory is operating system agnostic and can work on any computer. All of the data detection and analysis is performed within the drive so that the drive simply boosts the most requested data, regardless of the operating system that it is running.
Compared to the previous generation hybrid drives, the new laptop drives have a slower spin speed of 5400rpm rather than 7200rpm. The reason for this is so that heat and power can be better managed. Seagate said that because of the use of on-board MLC flash, a high level of performance can still be delivered at the lower spin speed.
Desktop users haven't been forgotten either, and the Desktop SSHD that Seagate has released also features 8GB of MLC flash memory, but with a lot more capacity and a spin speed of 7200rpm. The Desktop SSHD will be available in capacities of 1TB, 2TB, and also 4TB. Again, the aim of this drive is to bring a higher level of performance to desktop users in an affordable and simple solution.
The author of this article was flown to Computex in Taipei as a guest of Seagate.


text: Of all of the things you pointed out, the hu-dad seemed most interested in the fact that the humans were wearing shorts and sandals. We told him he could, too, but he muttered something about it being 11 degrees and there being a foot of snow on the ground. And he thinks we whine sometimes.


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Jamiroquai 2008Did you see the band perform in 2008? If so, tell us all about it here... Post your photos, set-lists, stories and more...
Yipeeeee! My boyfriend said we can go! His family live in Portugal anyway so he's been saying for a while that we should go over there and see them
I have a good feeling that Jamiroquai will come to Seoul! Duran Duran is coming next month...and I AM GOING!!!!!!
Lucky cow!
Have fun and don't forget the pics!
P.S. Tell them to play in bloody London
Wow, you lucky old thing you! Hope you have a really great time.
We're gonna go to Portugal for 2 weeks!! First week in Porto so we can go to the festival there, then a week in Lisbon where we can stay at my boyfriends grandad's house where we'll go to the SBSR festival again (my fella wants to see Duran Duran!)
Yay for me!
Polland - concert
AND WHAT IS RIGHT DATE OF CONCERT 21st OR 23rd JUNE 2008?
Hey people. Do you think that festivals are worse than single concerts. My Dad say about Jamiroquai concert in Hungary : " Hmmmm, it will be bad. They will play 2 songs and will be end."
So . Do you think that in festivals bands play only few songs and it's just not worth it. I dont' know if I should go to Sziget festival.
well it´s free i would definately go if u dont´have to travel too far!!
oh well ..i am sure they will perform more than 2 songs...at least 6 or something...but that is different from festival to festival and if they headline or not...
as i said before if u don´t have to big travel costs..i would go (but that´s what i would do...)
Single concert
Do you think that Jamiroquai will have their single concert in year 2008?
My Dad doesn't want go to some festival.
Re: festival
So, definitely NOT. The gigs in the Sziget (especially on the main stage, where Jamiroquai will perform) aren't shorter than single concerts. About one and half hour
More dates please!
I wonder if they could do a gig in Ibiza between 16 and 22 August?! (PLEASE!) I noticed there may be a date in August in Germany on funkin.com? and I've noticed its 16 August! I bet I miss anything near to the UK as we'll be on holiday! Typical!
Keep eyes open chaps!
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Grades 3 – 5 | Lesson Plan | Unit
Moving Toward Acceptance Through Picture Books and Two-Voice Texts
Students read and discuss literature about intolerance and diversity. They work with a partner to write two-voice poems that illustrate situations of intolerance at their school and suggest a step toward acceptance.


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BOSS Gary Whild saluted substitute Nathan Blissett for helping Harriers stay in the Skrill Premier play-off race with a vital 2-0 victory over Welling United at Aggborough.
Blissett pounced shortly after Michael Gash had put his side ahead in the 777th minute.
Whild said: "I'm pleased for Bliss. There's something there potentialwise. He gets a few goals, he's not somebody who hasn't scored.
"He's come on today and he's woke everybody up I thought. He's a presence, he was chasing things and that gives everybody a lift.
"I thought it was a great goal. It was a great ball in from Callum Gittings and you don't see many goals like that up on the back stick and powered in past all the defenders, so fair play to him."
Gash and Blissett hit the target shortly after Aggborough hitman Amari Morgan-Smith had seen his penalty kick expertly saved by diving goalkeeper Lee Butcher.
Harriers' win moved them up two places in the table to ninth, six points away from a play-off slot with four matches left to play.
Although Whild's men were unable to break through in the first half they went near to scoring through Gash, Adrian Cieslewicz and Nick Wright.
Leading markman Gash's two near misses arrived within the space of a minute with his first effort being well pushed away by Butcher and the second flying narrowly over the bar.
The alert Butcher then neatly clutched a drive from Cieslewicz and then followed up by sticking out a foot to stop a deflected shot by Wright from find the net.
The Wings made a bright start to the second half, but then started to struggle after Butcher had saved a 67th minute penalty by Morgan-Smith, who had been brought down inside the box by Blaine Hudson.
Harriers, who won 2-1 at Welling in September, took a big step towards securing the 'double' over their visitors when Gash cracked the ball in after a shot from Jack Byrne had rebounded off Butcher. It was his 14th goal of the season.
Determined Harriers made sure of pocketing three priceless points when splendid work by substitute Gittings ended in Blissett heading in from close range in the 84th minute.
Delighted Whild said: "I don't think we were at our best in the first half, but we still managed to create two or three chances. As soon as we got the goal we upped it a gear and we ran out comfortable winners."
HARRIERS: Lewis 6; L. Vaughan 7, Dunkley 6, Grimes 7, Demetriou 6 (Gittings, 75, 6); Cieslewicz 6 (Morgan-Smith, 56, 6), O.Keefe 7, Byrne 6, Bell 7; GASH 8, Wright 6 (Blissett, 53, 6). Subs not used: N. Vaughan, Verma.
WELLING: Butcher; Fazakerley, Hudson, Taylor, Obersteller; Beautyman, Wakefield, Healey; Sho-Silva, Lafayette, Ajala (Bender, 56). Subs not used: Turner, Karagiannis, Day.
Referee: Adam Bromley (Devon).
Attendance: 1,882 (49).


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Q. Is it fair for Wall Street traders to be making tens of millions of dollars a year?
A. As we pointed out in recent columns, this question has several levels. The narrowest applies specifically to traders: is this a legitimate profession? The second considers more broadly the question of large incomes for salaried employees. In this column, we discuss the broadest level of the question: Is it really fair or appropriate for anyone to be making tens or hundreds of millions of dollars and enjoying an extravagant lifestyle?
Jewish tradition has a nuanced view on this question. In Jewish tradition and Jewish history, obtaining wealth is considered legitimate both socially and religiously as long as a person gives charity, remains scrupulous in religious observance, and above all remembers to acknowledge God as his benefactor. Among the most renowned Jewish sages of many generations we find some who were fabulously wealthy and maintained a commensurate lifestyle. This begins with the patriarchs Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, all of whom are described in the Torah as being extremely wealthy, includes Talmudic sages such as Rebbe Yehuda HaNasi who was one of the wealthiest individuals in the Middle East in his time, and more recent examples such as Rabbi David Oppenheim, a seventeenth-century rabbi of great wealth alongside his great learning, from a prominent banking family.
However, Jewish tradition also reminds us that fulfilling these conditions is not practical for every individual. Wealth can be a blessing, but it is always a challenge and for many people it is so challenging that it is not a blessing at all. Modern economics has as an axiom that more is always better for every individual, but Judaism would agree more with the traditional view that there is an ideal amount for each individual, and that just as a person can be too poor, so a person can be too rich – all based upon a person's character and capacity for enjoyment and appreciation of material well-being.
The book of Proverbs (30:8-9) states: "Give me neither poverty and riches; provide me with my daily bread. Lest I become sated and deny, saying, 'Who is the Lord?', or lest I become impoverished and become careless with [oaths in] God's name."
Wealth and poverty each have their unique challenges. A wealthy person has a tendency to attribute his wealth to his own ability, and deny God's providence; a poor person has a tendency to take ethical shortcuts, including taking false oaths. Thus the author of Proverbs asks to be protected from each of these risks.
These challenges are different for each individual. One person is best off in modest circumstances and is distracted from God's service with even minimal excess, while another has the capacity for enjoying great wealth while still acknowledging God's beneficence, and feels deprived in modest surroundings. Standards also different from era to era and from place to place.
I do not doubt that there are individuals of refined taste and sensibility who are able to obtain great wealth, even income of millions of dollars a year, and still enjoy their wealth and maintain a sense of gratitude to God. I also have no doubt that these individuals are few, and that most people are better off with more sublunary salaries.
The important thing is that each person knows when to say "enough". When the patriarch Yaakov sent a huge gift of hundreds of animals to his brother Esav, Esav offered to decline the gift, saying, "I have much." But Yaakov insisted on giving them anyway, saying "I have everything" (Genesis 33:9-11). It would not be precise to say that Yaakov was content with little insofar as he was very wealthy. What is important is that Yaakov was content with what he had, with what God provided him.


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What is a science café?
Science cafes are public events inviting citizens and scientists in a discussion about science and technology. The aim of science cafes is to encourage citizens to dialogue with scientist, by bringing science into the everyday life of citizens.It is a way of democratizing science by engaging citizens in the making and interpreting of science.


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The NFL's labor impasse ended this week, but not before things got a bit messy. Commentators had a field day talking about the tarnished image of the stalwart league that many thought could do no wrong in the eyes of its fans.
Once it became apparent that those adoring fans wouldn't long tolerate games decided by bumbling referees, the NFL and the officials settled. The long-term damage to the league will likely be negligible, and it's doubtful the NFL lost any money.
The sport might be lucky in that regard. The history of labor strife in the United States has included riots, economic hardship and countless deaths from the coalmines of West Virginia and Kentucky to the steel mills of Pennsylvania and even The Los Angeles Times building.
The NFL's mess got AdvisorOne wondering about strikes that have cost companies and others dearly in terms of money. Here is AdvisorOne's list of 6 Strikes That Cost Companies Millions.
Great Hawaiian Sugar Strike, 1946:
Cost: $25.5 million ($203 million today, adjusted for inflation)
Hawaii might be best known as a paradise of the Pacific, but sugar industry workers were far from content in September 1946. They walked off the job in a call for better working conditions, pay, benefits and an end to racial inequality. Before the strike, the Big Five plantations were in total control. After, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union was in charge of benefits like medical and housing. In all, 26,000 workers went on strike. Ultimately, the sugar makers lost about $15 million ($118 million today) in revenue and had to increase pay and benefits to workers totaling $10.5 million ($85 million).
General Electric, 1969:
Cost: $79 million ($495 million today)
In 1969, workers for all unions associated with General Electric staged a strike seeking better wages and benefits. Maybe management thought the workers would never last long on the $25 a week they received in strike benefits. If so, management badly underestimated the will of the workers. The strike started in October 1969 and wasn't settled until February 1970, more than 14 weeks later. In the end, GE's fourth quarter profit dropped 85% from the previous year, and profit was off 22% for the year. Workers won wage increases of up to 6.5%, medical benefits, increased vacation and other concessions.
Cost: $650 million ($930 million today)
Tens of thousands of drivers for Big Brown, the United Parcel Service, struck the company in 1997. The strike lasted just 16 days, but the effects were devastating. Forget that the Teamsters managed to get everything they wanted, including, according to Florida's Sun-Sentinel, that 2,000 fulltime jobs be created over a year's time to eliminate many part-time jobs.
Management and workers might have expected things to get back to normal, but a year after the strike, the company had still not regained business lost to competitors like FedEx and, especially, the U.S. Postal Service. Also, about 60% of the workforce was still part-time and the company had laid off drivers to counteract falling revenue, according to the Sun-Sentinel.
Boeing, 2008:
Cost: $2 billion ($2.1 billion today)
Machinists for Boeing called a strike of 27,000 workers in September 2008 in a bid to win job protections and to make sure they maintained their health care benefits. It took 52 days and workers lost an average of $7,000 in base pay, according to The New York Times, while the company lost $100 million a day in deferred revenue and delays to the 787 jumbo jet. In the end, the union was able to win assurances against factory layoffs as well as keep health benefits.
California Supermarkets, 2003:
Cost: $2 billion ($3.2 billion today)
Most people take for granted how easy it is to get food of almost any kind these days. But in 2003, Californians were faced with a strike by workers at three major chains—Albertson's, Vons and Ralph's—that hit 850 stores. The stores remained open, but customers were forced to cross picket lines. The 70,000 workers of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union were seeking to halt planned wage cuts and a shifting of a billion dollars in health care costs to workers.
The strike lasted 141 days, during which many customers took their business to other stores. The companies lost a collective $2 billion. In the end, the companies agreed to pay the full health benefits for two years. In the third year, employees would pay $5 a week. New hires would be paid less under a new wage tier.
U.S. Postal Service, 1970:
Cost: Untold amount to businesses
When postal workers went on strike in March 1970, the world was radically different. Businesses and residences relied on the mail service to pay bills, receive payments and correspond with clients, vendors, friends and relatives. There was no email, no mobile phones and the cost of long-distance telephone calls made them a luxury for many. So, when 200,000 postal workers walked off the job to protest low wages (the top pay was $8,400, which translates to $49,000 today), high benefit costs (workers paid half their health insurance premiums) and poor working conditions, it hurt the economy. Workers also were infuriated by a 4% raise from Congress, which gave itself a 41% pay bump.
President Richard Nixon called out the Reserves to deliver the mail. The move was a flop and after two weeks an agreement was reached with Congress to reorganize the Postal Service and give workers their overdue raise. The bill was signed into law by Nixon in August. It's hard to imagine Congress moving that quickly these days.
More Top 10 lists from AdvisorOne:


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Believe it or not, at one point we actually fed our pets real food. That was, until people-food companies realized they could maximize their resources by mashing together all of their scrap meat, leftover grains, eggshells, and bones, injecting some vitamins, and cooking it up into "kibble."
Lucy Postins, founder of the human-grade whole-food pet food company, The Honest Kitchen, set out to change all of that, nearly a decade ago. Her line of dehydrated pet food is vibrant with colors from real, whole foods–green spinach, orange carrots, yellow bananas, red cranberries–and packed with protein from healthy and ethically raised animals, such as chicken, turkey, beef, and haddock. Additionally, she has a set of morals that drive everything she does: The Honest Kitchen won't sell to any pet store that sells puppies, in an effort to fight against puppy mills, and she's said no thanks to some of the big-box retailers as well in an effort to support independents.
What she didn't realize in those early days as she sat cooking up homemade dog food in her Southern California kitchen, was that she was about to shake the pet food industry to its core, creating a disruptive ripple effect. I recently sat down with her to learn more about how she puts principles over profits. Here's what she had to say.
In your mind, what is disruptive innovation, and are you using it to transform the pet food industry?
I think of disruptive innovation as creating something that consumers didn't realize they needed; it's developing a product that changes the status quo and refreshes the set of options consumers have, with something new that makes the old options (which they previously thought were fine) suddenly seem dull or flawed.
What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs who are striving to change an industry?
I think one of the main tasks for the innovator is often the communication. Since you're creating a product that meets a new need, there's work involved in explaining exactly what you've created and how it's better than what people are in the habit of using. The great thing with this task, of course, is that you're telling a story that's true and meaningful, as opposed to coming up with gimmicky messaging to try and differentiate yourself. With our products, once we put them to market, we found consumers were choosing to use them for a really wide array of reasons, so it's been challenging to articulate our messaging in a way that's concise but sufficiently explanatory, to every type of consumer who's interested in the food.
The thing that's helped us a lot in this is the fact that we are our own consumer. We're a company of animal lovers, making products we believe in that are good enough for our own pets to eat. That means we can connect with our customers at a deep level and have an empathetic way to tell our story.
On a practical level, besides staying true to your mission and values, I think listening to your gut is one of the most important things you can do as an entrepreneur. I'm a pretty intuitive person (and quite stubborn, too) and I think if you really believe in an idea or know in your heart that something's going to work, you should just go for it and not waste loads of time analyzing the numbers. It's equally important to have the freedom to fail and to know when to stop something if it isn't working out; I can think of a couple of occasions where I've failed to follow through on what my instinct has told me, particularly when it comes to employees not working out, and not severing ties quickly enough.
What has been the hardest part of going up against major brands with multi-million-dollar budgets in pursuit of what you believe is right?
It sounds strange to say, but when I look back I don't feel we have really struggled hugely. From the outset, we didn't have a major plan for aggressive growth; The Honest Kitchen has grown in an organic way and charted its own course on many levels so we've evolved without the pressure to be a certain size at a certain time. That means we have been able to stay true to our roots and allowed our values to thrive. In turn, that's further fueled our growth because it's deepened our connections with our customers who then feel inspired enough to tell others.
With that all said, we have of course had our challenges over the years and probably the most prominent for me have been the regulatory challenges from FDA and various state departments of agriculture, challenging our claims that our pet foods are human grade. Dealing with government agencies is exhausting at the best of times and it really took huge time and energy to prove the legitimacy and truthfulness of our human grade claim to the FDA, but we ultimately prevailed and received a "Statement of No Objection" from them. We also ended up in a legal battle with the State of Ohio, who also disputed the claim and refused to issue us a feed license until we took them to court and the judge ruled in our favor, based on our right to truthful commercial free speech.
What makes your company different from every other pet food company trying to make a difference?
Our human-grade status is a major differentiator. Our products are made in a human food facility on the exact same equipment used to produce various foods people eat. That really strikes a chord with consumers and sets us apart from lower quality, feed-grade manufacturers.
We're extremely selective when it comes to our suppliers, too. We've worked with many of the same producers since we began in 2002 and insist that all suppliers sign an annual "Vendor Pledge" to provide assurance of the quality and integrity of the ingredients we buy. We won't use GMO or irradiated ingredients, and don't accept any ingredients from China.
We also don't allow our products to be sold in stores that sell puppies; I'm strongly opposed to the puppy mill trade and believe that a responsible breeder's animals would never end up in a shop (or a shelter).
The other thing that makes us different is literally who we are as a team of people. It's amazing how many pet food companies are owned by huge conglomerates and driven solely by the bottom line, and/or run by old men in gray suits who don't even own a dog, let alone kick their spouse off the couch so the dog can have a comfy seat! My staff and I really put the animals first–pets before profits–on every level.
How do you believe your brand has the power to transform your section of the world?
We, along with a handful of other great companies who are producing top quality pet products, see ourselves as part of a movement of "indie" producers working together to raise the bar within our industry. The ultimate goal among us is to make people aware of the link between pet food and pet health, and instigate an upgrade from the type of pellets most people feed, to fresher, healthier alternatives like ours. I think The Honest Kitchen was a pioneer within our specific category (dehydrated, human grade whole foods), but we're part of a bigger movement all working together for the common good.
How do you stay focused during major challenges or when you feel like you've hit a wall?
Although it's a cliché, I think the work-life balance is extremely important, especially given that my husband Charlie also works here and that we have a young family. We feel it's important to have a good dividing line between work and home and to be as focused as possible in each area, when we're there.
I make it a priority to hike every morning with my dogs before work, to clear my head and get my "list"organized for the day ahead. I also rely a lot on a "to do" list each day at my desk. Checking off things as you complete them is so rewarding, especially in a role where you have a very diverse set of responsibilities and loads of daily interruptions.
If I do hit a wall, I think it's important to stop rather than try to struggle on. A quick snuggle with the office dogs (we have 10 here most days, including my two Rhodesian ridgebacks and a blind pug), taking them for a walk–or, being British, stopping to make a cup of tea–can really help to reboot the day.
What is the most valuable thing someone else told you that you've applied to your business?
Many years ago, I had cause to email Gary Erickson, the founder of Clif Bar & Co. I was writing to let him know how much I enjoyed his book, Raising the Bar, and offering to send some food for the dogs at their office. Gary emailed back with "….Your story is inspiring and confirming. I pray you continue to grow without losing 'control.' Don't give up equity, if so to the right people." Those words stuck with me during our three year search for the right minority investors at The Honest Kitchen and ultimately, in a strange twist, the stars aligned and Gary's own investment firm, White Road, was one of two we took growth capital from.
Another great piece of advice from one of our shareholders was to create a program that leveraged and rewarded our most passionate customers. Word of mouth has always been fundamental to our growth and formalizing how it worked to empower customers to be our spokespeople was a really smart piece of advice. That has ultimately become our "Honest Allies" program, which will further evolve into Honest Legends this year.
Why do you think your type of disruptive innovation will work? And why now?
I think it's working because the products create a real, tangible difference in the health of pets. Improved digestion, shinier coats, better skin, and reduced ear infections are just a few of the improvements people see in their pets. It's a natural talking point at the dog park, vet's office, or even in the line at the grocery stores. Our products do speak for themselves, there's a story attached and our customers are so connected that they're only too willing to share it.
What values do you operate from, and why are they important?
I think "pets before profits" is the most important value that sits at the core of our daily decision-making; it means thinking about what's right for the animal who is going to eat the food, often at the expense of the bottom line. Switching to 100% free range, antibiotic-free, and humanely raised chicken in our food made no sense from a fiscal standpoint, but has ultimately been good for business because it's healthier for the pets who eat it–as well as having a positive impact on the planet and on animal welfare as a whole.
Some of our other values are:
- Act intuitively. Go with your gut and do what we believe to be right even if it doesn't make sense to others.
- Customers guide us, not competitors. We're 100% focused on what our customers want and expect and really try not to pay any attention to what others in our industry are doing (unless it's something we're collaborating with them on).
- Only incredible things will distract us. Having a very involved customer base means we get lots of suggestions and ideas thrown our way.
- Walk the talk. I think it's essential to stay true to your values and do what you say. Our company name is our way of keeping ourselves transparent, open and honest in the way we operate.
- Respect the Earth and give back. We've always given a portion of our profits to charity, and based decisions on what's right for the environment–reducing plastics, utilizing recycled and compostable, SFI-certified packaging, and upgrading to certified organic ingredients when we can. Earlier this year the USDA approved the production of genetically modified alfalfa, and we immediately made the switch to using organic alfalfa in our products (absorbing the costs internally) to ensure our finished products remain GMO free.
If you could do one other disruptive thing in the world what would it be and why?
I'd love to be able to close the gap between the animal welfare movement, and those groups who are perceived as "animal rights activists" by some people who are involved in animals as a living. There are such extreme and opposing views about what's right and wrong, on everything from breeding to showing and other sports. There are insufficient punishments for those who do wrong by animals, and too much misunderstanding about the motives of those who are trying to protect the right of animals. Many issues are very polarizing and I'd love to be able to wave a magic wand to bring some common sense to some of the issues, make some new laws (and punishments) and find some middle ground.
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Shawn Parr is the The Guvner & CEO of Bulldog Drummond, an innovation and design consultancy headquartered in San Diego whose clients and partners have included Starbucks, Diageo, Jack in the Box, Adidas, MTV, Nestle, Pinkberry, American Eagle Outfitters, IDEO, Virgin, Disney, Nike, Mattel, Heineken, Annie's Homegrown, The Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, CleanWell, The Honest Kitchen and World Vision. Follow the conversation at @BULLDOGDRUMMOND.