text:
News: Politics
Obama: Is it all about him?
"[According to Michelle Obama,] America's illness goes far beyond a flawed political process: "Barack knows that at some level there's a hole in our souls." But they can be repaired… 'Barack Obama... is going to demand that you shed your cynicism. That you put down your divisions. That you come out of your isolation, that you move out of your comfort zones. That you push yourselves to be better. And that you engage. Barack will never allow you to go back to your lives as usual, uninvolved, uninformed.' So we don't have to work to improve our souls. Our broken souls can be fixed — by our voting for Barack Obama." READ MORE >
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Two articles in the August 2008 issue of ASBMB Today react to recent creationist initiatives. ASBMB's president, Gregory A. Petsko of Brandeis University, pulls no punches in his column, beginning, "They're at it again. Armed with another new idea from the Discovery Institute, that bastion of ignorance, right-wing political ideology, and pseudo-scientific claptrap, the creationist movement has mounted yet another assault on science.
In a September 4, 2008, press release, the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology urged Louisiana citizens and legislators to repeal the recently enacted "Science Education Act" in their state, writing, "The Act was drafted under the guise of 'academic freedom'
With the addition of Steven K. Nordeen on September 5, 2008, NCSE's Project Steve attained its 900th signatory. A tongue-in-cheek parody of a long-standing creationist tradition of amassing lists of "scientists who doubt evolution" or "scientists who dissent from Darwinism," Project Steve mocks such lists by restricting its signatories to scientists whose first name is Steve (or a cognate, such as Stephanie, Esteban, Istvan, Stefano, or even Tapani -- the Finnish equivalent).
National Center for Science Education, Inc.
1904 Franklin Street, Suite 600
Oakland, CA 94612
fax: 510-788-7971
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
I keep hearing rumblings the Mets are interested in Carl Pavano, who made $8.5 million last year with Minnesota at age 36.
While the pressures pitching for the Yankees are different than they are the Mets – the expectations in the Bronx are always greater – this is not a move they should be making.
I wouldn't want Pavano in the Mets' rotation if he were willing to pitch for the major league minimum.
Pavano's New York track record was mostly a long line of injuries – including not reporting being in an auto accident – and coming up small in big moments. At the time, his nickname was "The American Idle,'' for all the time spent on the disabled list.
As much as I want the Mets to make a move to show they have a pulse, let alone the desire to prove they want to be competitive, Pavano is notoriously thin skinned and not a good fit for New York. It was tough enough for him with the Marlins and Twins, so I wouldn't expect much in Flushing.
After all, after 14 major league seasons, he is 108-107 with a 4.39 ERA, so why should this year be different? How much of a pay cut he would be willing to take, I don't know, but can't they get a win-one, lose-one pitcher for half the price? I would think so.
Covering Pavano in the Yankees clubhouse was frustrating. He was short-fused, testy and without humor, and this was with a winning franchise. I can't imagine him being a day at the beach in Queens with a losing franchise.
I listed several pitchers still on the market yesterday, with several being a better fit than Pavano.
I also keep hearing the Mets have money to spend, but there aren't many signs showing that inclination. If it is the same media sources doing the shouting, one has to wonder the motivation. Is it real news or somebody doing a PR favor for ownership? It wouldn't be a stretch for it to be the latter.
That being said, if the Mets genuinely have dollars, they would be better spent on the mound on a fifth starter than in the outfield. Should the Mets land a legitimate starter, it could help in two categories in that he could take some of the load off the bullpen.
Conversely, unless they acquire a stud bat – and they don't have the money for that – a middle-tier outfielder won't improve the Mets significantly.


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If you have been to the Krause office at the Gazette recently, you probably recognized the change in decor — rather than office chairs, a floral-patterned sofa is being offered to visitors.
If you have been to the Krause office at the Gazette recently, you probably recognized the change in decor.
Rather than office chairs, a floral-patterned sofa is being offered to visitors.
While the comfort of guests is important for me, that is not the main reason for the addition.
No, I'm not taking naps every afternoon no matter how tempting that idea has become.
So what is the reason?
After far too many experiences of getting my vehicle stuck in the snow or wondering if I would make it in to work to accomplish my required tasks, I decided to take a proactive approach.
Now, if the weather gets bad I have the option of staying in town and catching a few Zs on this relatively comfortable, makeshift sleeping option.
I have to offer thanks to my sister's family who made the donation. (Chris and Keegan even delivered it.)
I really appreciate that.
I have been dreading this coming winter season for months, and when Tuesday hit I got that uneasy feeling.
After attending the Cardinal football banquet that night, the Krause clan headed west on the venture home.
My better half led the way with the Krause van, which has a much better clearance than the Oldsmobile. I followed.
The roads were slushy and driving was slow, but we made it home. I ate a little bit of supper and began to stew.
As an early riser, I planned to get up the next morning long before the world wakes up, but deep inside that "what if" kept gurgling. So, I did what I felt I needed to do.
I got back in the Oldsmobile, having packed my toothbrush and clothes for Wednesday, and ventured back into town.
The driving was even slower, but in about double the normal drive time I rolled into the parking lot, turned off the car and headed to my snow home.
Sleeping on a couch is not ideal, but it definitely beats not sleeping at all.
So, if the snow begins to fly and you see the Oldsmobile parked by the office or in one of the nearby lots late at night, you can be sure I am trying to sleep on the "bed" in my office.
As the old saying goes, "there is no place like home," and in my case that place for the winter is a home away from home.
I hate winter.
I want to extend my condolences to the family of Orrin Madsen. I have gotten to know Orrin fairly well over the years, as I had the privilege of meeting and talking with him at various venues including Memorial Day programs and Reede Gray school patrol installations.
Orrin was a good man, a strong supporter of the community and a veteran.
He always had a good story and was one who seemed to know everyone. I am going to miss not seeing him this coming Monday at the Veterans Day program. Thanks, Orrin, for what you did for your community. You are definitely one of those people who made your world better.


text:
Belonging Here
A Guide for the Spiritually Sensitive Person
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Profound empathy. Clear insight. A gift for healing. These are just some of the talents of the "spiritually sensitive" person—yet these apparent blessings can often become a source of loneliness, self-doubt, and limitation. Belonging Here is a lifesaving book that shows how our spiritual gifts become entryways into both the depths of human connection and our innermost selves.
Written by one spiritual sensitive for another, Belonging Here draws from Dr. Blackstone's personal story as well as her 30-year psychotherapy practice, which has focused on teaching clients how to integrate personal healing and spiritual awakening through an embodied approach she calls the Realization Process. Join this pioneering teacher to explore five of the most common challenges of the spiritually sensitive, along with exercises and meditations for living mindfully and compassionately with each, including:
- Thin Skin—how to create strong but permeable boundaries between ourselves and the external environment
- Landing on Earth—staying grounded within the whole of one's body by mending inner fragmentation
- Hearing the Cries of the World—how to open to our own joy even as we respond to the suffering in the world around us
- Shape Shifters—removing the protective masks of the false personality
- The Stranger—how to make the return from self-exile to self-acceptance
You can live authentically in a world that once seemed alien. You can find happiness and acceptance where isolation and confusion have reigned. You can come home at last, with Belonging Here.
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- Review for Belonging Here Review by Linda Reneau
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(Posted on 7/19/2012)
- Review for Belonging Here Review by Bernadette de Lange
'Belonging Here' is a welwritten and honest narrative of Judith' s experience with counseling and her personal growth in the process.
I, personally, found the exercises not easy to perform by myself (without anyone to correct me ( how much time to take between the lines? what to feel and how to accomplish it? ). But perhaps that is just me.
(Posted on 6/18/2012)
Hardcover Book
Contents Hardcover book (205 pages) Date Published June 01, 2012 ISBN-10 1-60407-796-4 ISBN-13 978-1-60407-796-4 Dimensions 5 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches Product Code BK02543
Contents 1 eBook (205 pages) Filetypes EPUB, JPG, PDF, PRC Date Published June 01, 2012 ISBN-10 1-60407-828-6 ISBN-13 978-1-60407-828-2 Product Code BK02543W


text:
DAC Collection Object Information
Holy Family with the Dragonfly,
Alternative title(s): The Virgin with the Dragonfly
Accession number: 1944.D1.211
Gift of George W. Davison (B.A. Wesleyan 1892), 1944
Bibliography: Bartsch 44 (vol. 8, p. 62); Campbell Dodgson 4; Joseph Meder 42; see Print Collector's Newsletter 18 (May–June 1987)
Work Type: print
Keywords: Click a term to find other records with the same keyword.
This object is in the following image group(s):


text:
I'm having trouble figuring out the controls in the game "Sam and Max Hit The Road" (the only Scumm compatible game I own), running on a Palm OS LifeDrive.
I'm trying to find out how to:
- Select "Walk" mode, after holding an item.
- Get a game menu on screen, if its in full-screen mode (no menu icon)
The documentation seems to apply to PCs with a keyboard. And if I were using a PC, I'd hit the "ESC" key to perform either of the above functions. I've read the FAQs and documentation, and tried some menu settings, with no luck. If someone would point me in the direction of a ScummVM Palm OS game control FAQ, I'd appreciate it. I can't even get Sam and Max to exit their office at the start of the game.
There are many things listed in the ScummVM readme file, such as "command line options" and "hot keys". If I'm NOT in "full-screen mode", I can pop up a game menu, but that's all. I tried the 5-way control, and it didn't do anything, Then I pushed the select button, and the game froze (music playing, no motion).
I'm in Landscape Mode, but have not run "Full-screen", since that eliminates the "menu" (the icon is hidden, so I can't tap it).
As it turns out, Full-screen mode works well! I selected "Wide (Hi-Res+)" and "Fullscreen" and "Low" audio quality. Now the animations match the voices rather closely. It runs smoothly at a decent speed, with no choppiness in the sounds.
The game only only locked up once, and the background music was still playing. It seems to freeze at random, but infrequently. This is a great improvement over the previous version!
Here's what I figured out so far:
To allow the characters to walk out a door:
First click the Inventory Box. Then select the icon for Max (and the view switches back to the main screen), then click the Inventory Box again. This places Max back into Inventory, and the cursor is in walk mode! Click the door to leave the room.
Is there a quicker way to do it?
In Fullscreen, the LifeDrive responds well to hardware key clicks. Press the "Home" key to leave Fullscreen and pop up the Menu icon. That's how to save/load/quit a game.
The 5-Way navigator moves the cursor around, and this allows you to slowly scan a room without "clicking" on any objects.
Don't know if it is the same on LifeDrive, but on my Tungsten C the following things work:
quote: Originally posted by kunarion
- Select "Walk" mode, after holding an item.
On the PC version the right mouse button can be used to cycle through the different cursor actions. On the Tungsten C this is mapped to hardware button 4 ( usually memo app).
quote: Originally posted by kunarion
- Get a game menu on screen, if its in full-screen mode (no menu icon)
Strangely enough, this is mapped to hardware button 3 (to do) as well, probably because in full screen mode there is no menu key or graffiti area on some devices.
Maybe the hard buttons have a similar effect on your device.
- Goetz
quote: Originally posted by kunarion
- Select "Walk" mode, after holding an item.
quote: Originally posted by kunarion
- Get a game menu on screen, if its in full-screen mode (no menu icon)
Thanks, goetz!
Since I could find no documentation about hard buttons, I hadn't fiddled with them. They usually just switch apps, which could cause problems. Those buttons had to be avoided in ScummVM Version 0.71.
Now I tried all the buttons, and here's what they do:
Home: Full/Compact Screen
Folder: Cycle Cursors
Photo: Skip Scene
Star: Game Menu
Landscape/Portrait Button: Horizontal/Vertical orientation
Voice Memo: (Nothing)
5-Way Navigator: Move the cursor.
Center Button: (Nothing)
While operating the Landscape button, the game screen went black, and the PDA stopped responding to inputs, with background music still playing. After running the game a dozen times (for 5-10 minutes each time), this crash has happened 3 times, and only when a button is pushed. I then must perform a soft reset.
Hi all,
And for the Palm Tungsten E2 the bottom right hard button, the Notepad one, is the switch between functions! Thanks for the hint kunarion. The audio quality is pretty poor on my Palm version - it breaks up a lot and I daren't have the music on as well, thanks heavens for the subtitles. Any advice on speeding up performance?
I'm stuck and having trouble controlling the binoculars. It's plugged in and magnified so I'm wondering if the mouse emulation is the issue.
I'm use version 11 on a Treo 680. What settings should I use?


text:
Suffolk, ss. Division of Administrative Law Appeals
Department of Public Health,
v. Docket No. PHET-08-486
James Perry,
Appearance for Petitioner:
Sondra M. Korman, Esq.
Deputy General Counsel
Department of Public Health
250 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02108
Appearance for Respondent:
James Perry, pro se
31 Yorkshire Terrace, Apt. 3
Shrewsbury, MA 01545
Administrative Magistrate:
Kenneth J. Forton, Esq.
The Department of Public Health's decision to deny the Petitioner's initial application for certification as an EMT-Basic was affirmed where the Petitioner had been convicted of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol three times in five years, had been found responsible for four moving violations since 2000, and had not participated in any meaningful substance abuse rehabilitation since his release from the House of Correction in 2006.
On June 16, 2008, the Department of Public Health notified James Perry that it had decided to deny Mr. Perry's initial application for certification as an EMT-Basic. The Department based its denial on Mr. Perry's criminal history and his driving history. On June 25, 2008, Mr. Perry filed a request for an adjudicatory hearing on the Department's decision.
A pre-hearing conference was held August 19, 2008 at the offices of the Division of Administrative Law Appeals, 98 North Washington Street, Boston, Massachusetts. At that time, a full hearing was scheduled for October 16, 2008. One day before the scheduled full hearing, the Department mailed a motion for summary decision to DALA, which I was not aware of until the parties had already appeared for the hearing. DALA received the motion by mail, after the hearing on the merits, on October 16, 2008. I proceeded with the scheduled hearing and informed the parties that I would not entertain the motion because Mr. Perry had no opportunity to file a written response, 801 CMR 1.01(7)(a), and the Department did not file a motion to continue the hearing.
Various documents were entered into evidence. (Exs. 1-7.) Mr. Perry and his girlfriend, Jennifer Bennett, testified on Mr. Perry's behalf. The Department did not call any witnesses. One cassette tape of the hearing was made.
Based upon the testimony and documents presented at the hearing, I make the following findings of fact:
1. James Perry, d.o.b. 9/9/82, resides with his girlfriend, Jennifer Bennett, at 31 Yorkshire Terrace in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. (Testimony Perry, Bennett.)
2. On May 10, 2008, Mr. Perry completed an EMT-Basic training course at Quinsigamond Community College. He received a grade of "A" in the class. (Testimony Perry; Ex. 7.)
3. On or about May 15, 2008, the Department of Public Health, Office of Emergency Medical Services, received from Mr. Perry an initial application for certification as an EMT-Basic. (Ex. 1.)
4. In the initial application, Mr. Perry checked "yes" to the following question: "Have you ever been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor in the United States or any country or foreign jurisdiction, other than a minor traffic violation for which a fine of less than $1000.00 was assessed (conviction includes a guilty plea or admission to sufficient facts)?" (Ex. 1.)
5. In 2001, Mr. Perry was convicted of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol. The Court revoked his driver's license and ordered him to participate in a sixteen-week out-patient rehabilitation program, which he did. After the rehabilitation program, Mr. Perry continued to drink alcohol. (Testimony Perry.)
6. On March 4, 2004, Mr. Perry pled guilty in Orleans District Court to operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol (OUI) and a marked lanes violation. He was sentenced to ninety days (suspended) in the House of Correction, two years of probation, and a two-week in-patient alcohol treatment program. After attending the program, Mr. Perry continued to drink alcohol. (Testimony Perry; Ex. 1.)
7. On April 20, 2006, Mr. Perry pled guilty in Barnstable District Court to his third offense for operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and operating a motor vehicle after his license was suspended for OUI. The Court sentenced him to one year in the Barnstable House of Correction, six months to serve with the balance suspended. He was also placed on probation through May 2, 2008. At the time of his arrest, he refused to take a breathalyzer exam. (Testimony Perry; Ex. 1.)
8. Mr. Perry has not participated in any substance abuse rehabilitation or treatment program since his release from the House of Correction. Mr. Perry has not consumed any alcohol since the day that he was released from the House of Correction, when he celebrated by having a couple of alcoholic drinks. (Testimony Perry.)
9. In addition to his convictions for OUI, Mr. Perry has been found responsible for the following driving violations: speeding on March 24, 2000; failure to stop on August 9, 2000; speeding on September 26, 2000; speeding on April 7, 2001; and speeding on November 16, 2003. Mr. Perry's license has been suspended numerous times and was ultimately revoked for eight years beginning on May 1, 2006. (Ex. 1.)
10. After reviewing Mr. Perry's application for initial certification, the Department denied it on June 16, 2008. The decision was based on Mr. Perry's criminal history and driving history. In making its decision, the Department considered the seriousness of the crimes committed, Mr. Perry's age at the time they were committed, the length of time since the crimes were committed, the actions of the applicant since the last offense and whether they are consistent with holding a position of public trust, whether the offense impairs the responsibilities of an EMT, whether the crime involved violence or abuse of any person, whether the offense involved a minor or a person of diminished capacity, evidence of rehabilitation efforts, and the applicant's prior history with the Department. (Ex. 1.)
11. An EMT's duties include treatment and transport of the sick and injured, often in unsupervised settings. EMTs routinely enter the private homes of patients, some of whom may be unconscious or in extreme physical and/or mental distress. EMTs also have easy access to certain controlled substances. (Ex. 1.)
12. On June 25, 2008, Mr. Perry timely appealed the Department's denial and included two letters of recommendation. (Exs. 2, 3, 4.)
13. The first letter of recommendation was from Mr. Perry's most recent probation officer, Brian T. Kavanaugh, who wrote that Mr. Perry had successfully completed his probation. (Ex. 3.)
14. The second letter was from Ann Dowd, a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist at Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, Massachusetts. She wrote the following, in part: "James is applying for our new Hyperbaric Technologist Program which requires him to have a minimum of EMT-B education prior to entering the program. This position does not require any driving and is supervised by staff physicians and nurses. We have found James to be a viable candidate for this program and would like to request that you clear the way for him to take the state EMT-B exam." (Ex. 4.)
15. On July 17, 2008, after reviewing the additional materials that Mr. Perry had submitted, the Department declined to reconsider its decision. At the same time, the Department forwarded the matter to DALA for further proceedings. (Ex. 5.)
16. The Department did, however, offer to send a letter confirming Mr. Perry's completion of the EMT-B course to the Hyperbaric training program. Mr. Perry did not respond to the Department's offer. (Ex. 5.)
Mr. Perry appeals the Department of Public Health's decision to deny his application for EMT-Basic certification. G.L. c. 111C, § 23, provides that appeals from Department decisions to deny certification be decided by an adjudicatory hearing pursuant to chapter 30A of the General Laws. The requirements for a chapter-30A adjudicatory hearing are listed at G.L. c. 30A, §§ 10, 11. The Department derives its regulatory authority to certify EMTs and control their licensing from G.L. c. 111C, § 9. The Department, through its Office of Emergency Medical Services, certifies EMTs at three skill levels: Basic, Intermediate, and Paramedic. G.L. c. 111C, § 3(b)(3) authorizes the Department to establish minimum standards for the examination and certification of EMS personnel, including EMTs. Those requirements are set forth in 105 CMR 170.800-910. To be considered for initial certification, applicants must also meet eligibility requirements set out at 105 CMR 170.910. Applicants must be at least eighteen years old; abstain from the abuse of drugs which impair professional judgment and/or practice; be free of any physical or mental impairment or disease which could reasonably be expected to impair the ability to be an EMT, or which could reasonably be expected to jeopardize the health and safety of patients; meet the training requirements applicable to the level of certification for which the person is applying; and successfully complete a Department-approved practical skills examination and the written examination specified in 105 CMR 170.941.
The Department may deny an applicant initial certification on the grounds listed in 105 CMR 179.920(A), including "[a]ny actions or omissions which would indicate that the health or safety of the public would be at risk should certification be granted." 105 CMR 170.920(A)(3). The Department considers the following factors in determining whether an applicant with a criminal conviction history is suitable for certification: the seriousness and specific circumstances of the offenses; the age of the applicant at the time of the offense; the length of time elapsed since the offense; whether the offense impairs or impacts on the skills, duties, and responsibilities of an EMT; whether the offense involved violence or abuse of any person; whether the offense involved a minor or a person of diminished capacity; whether the offense involved use or distribution of controlled substances; and other criminal history.
In this case, the Department denied Mr. Perry's application because he has been convicted three times for operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol: once in 2001, once in 2004, and once in 2006. In addition, Mr. Perry has been cited for speeding on four occasions since 2000 and has a string of license suspensions. After the third OUI conviction his license was revoked, and it appears that it will remain so until 2016. The Department concluded that this conduct would indicate that the health or safety of the public would be at risk if it allowed Mr. Perry to be certified and, accordingly, denied his application. Mr. Perry does not dispute his convictions or his driving record. Instead, his appeal is based on two arguments. First, he argues that he has reformed since his third OUI conviction and subsequent sentence in the House of Correction and that the Department should have taken this into consideration when making its decision. He additionally argues that the Department should not consider his criminal record or driving record because he does not plan to use the EMT-Basic certification to operate as an EMT or drive an emergency rescue vehicle. Rather, he wants the certification because his employer requires it as a prerequisite to applying for the hyperbaric technologist program at Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton.
Mr. Perry was convicted for operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol three times in five years. His most recent conviction was only two years ago. He also has four speeding citations and is not authorized to drive until at least 2016. The OUI convictions alone would have been enough for the Department to have made its case. OUI is an extremely serious offense, especially when considered in light of the position to which Mr. Perry aspires. As the Department has noted, EMTs occupy positions involving a high degree of public trust. They have access to patients' homes; they have access to certain controlled substances. EMTs must, therefore, exhibit trustworthiness, honesty, and good judgment in order to be considered. Mr. Perry's recent past does not support this conclusion.
The testimony of Mr. Perry and his girlfriend was aimed at supporting the conclusion that Perry has reformed himself. Notwithstanding his protestations to the contrary, Mr. Perry's testimony shows that he has actually made very little genuine effort at addressing his alcohol problem. After his first conviction, he attended a sixteen-week outpatient alcohol abuse treatment program. While Mr. Perry attended the required classes, he continued to drink alcohol. After his second conviction, he attended a more intense, two-week in-patient alcohol abuse treatment program. Mr. Perry likewise continued to drink after this second attempt at rehabilitation. Finally, Mr. Perry was convicted of OUI for a third time and spent months in the House of Correction, where Mr. Perry claims that an alcohol and drug counselor told him that Alcoholics Anonymous and similar programs would not help Perry because he has a "type-A" personality. I do not find this testimony credible. Then, after his release from jail, Mr. Perry celebrated by having a few alcoholic drinks-not the behavior one would expect of a reformed drunk driver. While there is no evidence to contradict Mr. Perry's assertion that he has not had a drink since the day of his release, the Department must take into account Mr. Perry's entire history, not just the last two years, when deciding whether or not to approve his application. The Department has met its burden of proving that Mr. Perry's criminal and driving histories indicate that the health or safety of the public would be at risk should certification be granted.
Finally, Mr. Perry argues that his driving record, including his OUI convictions, should not be considered by the Department because he does not plan on using his EMT-Basic certification to function as an EMT or drive an EMT vehicle. Rather, he asserts, the certification is needed only to enter a hyperbaric technologist program sponsored by his employer. The evidence, however, is equivocal on this point. While Nurse Ann Dowd asked the Department to "clear the way" for Mr. Perry to take the exam, earlier in the same letter she states that "a minimum of EMT-B education" is required to enter the hyperbaric technologist program. She clearly does not state that Mr. Perry must be certified as an EMT-Basic to participate in the training program. Mr. Perry has completed the required EMT-Basic course and received an "A" grade; thus, it appears that he is qualified for the program. Passing the certification exam would entitle Mr. Perry to fully function as an EMT-Basic. Even if the Department was inclined to grant Mr. Perry's request on the conditions he suggests, the EMT regulations make no provision for any such limited EMT status. Moreover, Mr. Perry's crimes and driving record do not show poor judgment only in his driving; they show poor judgment in general. Not only was it wise to consider Mr. Perry's driving record and convictions, the Department was also required to consider them pursuant to 105 CMR 170.910 and 105 CMR 170.920(A).
For the above-stated reasons, I recommend that the Department of Public Health's denial of Mr. Perry's application for initial certification as an EMT-Basic be affirmed.
/s/ Kenneth J. Forton
Administrative Magistrate
DATED: March 19, 2009


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text:
U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission
Federal Judge Imposes $1,000-Per-Day Fine to Induce Company to Comply
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today that YS&J Enterprises, Inc., which operates a Dairy Queen restaurant in Winston-Salem's Hanes Mall, has been held in civil contempt by a federal judge based on its breach of the terms of an agreement it entered into with the EEOC to resolve a sexual harassment lawsuit.
In December 2011, the EEOC filed a lawsuit against YS&J Enterprises, Inc., (EEOC v. YS&J Enterprises, Inc. d/b/a Dairy Queen, Civil Action No. 1:11 CV 01103, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina), charging that the company subjected an 18-year-old female employee, Chastity Hill-Cox, to a sexually hostile work environment. The lawsuit further charged that the company fired Hill-Cox after she complained about the harassment to the restaurant's manager.
In settlement of the EEOC's lawsuit, the company entered into a consent decree with the EEOC, which was signed and entered by U.S. District Court Judge James A. Beaty, on October 24, 2012. The decree required the company to pay $17,500 in relief to Hill-Cox as well as furnish significant remedial relief. Specifically, the company was enjoined from further subjecting employees to discrimination based on their sex or from retaliating against employees for opposing such discrimination. The decree also required the company to redistribute its policy prohibiting sexual harassment and retaliation to managers and supervisors; conduct anti-discrimination training for managers and supervisors; post a notice about the settlement; and report internal sexual harassment and/or retaliation complaints to the EEOC.
The company failed to pay the $17,500 to Hill-Cox or meet any other obligations under the consent decree, the EEOC said.
In January 2013, the EEOC filed a motion asking the Court to require YS&J Enterprises, Inc.'s to show cause why it should not be held in contempt for failing to comply with the consent decree. After a hearing on the EEOC's motion, the court entered an order on April 10 finding YS&J Enterprises in civil contempt of the consent decree. The order requires the company to immediately comply with all terms of the decree and provides for a fine of $1,000 per day, beginning on April 10, and continuing until the company has fully complied with the decree. The order further provides that if no compliance is secured within 18 days, the EEOC shall file a written Notice of Non-Compliance with the court for further consideration of the matter.
"When the EEOC agrees with an employer to resolve a case, whether through litigation or its conciliation process, the agency fully expects the employer to comply with the agreement," said Lynette A. Barnes, regional attorney in the Charlotte District Office. "The defendant in this case repeatedly ignored the EEOC's attempts to get it to comply, and this contempt order is the result."
Tina Burnside, EEOC supervisory trial attorney, added, "The court's order sends a message to employers that they cannot simply ignore an EEOC consent decree, and are obligated to fully comply with such agreements."
Darryl L. Edwards, the EEOC trial attorney who filed and argued the motion in court, said, "Once an employer agrees to the terms of a consent decree with the EEOC, and that decree is entered by a federal judge, it becomes a court order. The defendant here now has to pay a high price for ignoring its obligations."
The EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal laws prohibiting discrimination in employment. More information about the EEOC is available on its website at www.eeoc.gov.


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etour | My OHIO Portal
ATHENS, Ohio (Feb. 2, 2007) -- Ohio University recently has become the first university in Ohio and one of only a few U.S. universities who have launched functioning campuses in the popular 3-D virtual world, "Second Life."
The online Second Life software allows users to explore, build, collaborate, learn and participate in activities as part of a virtual society. Users act in Second Life as they would in the real world. The technology goes way beyond simple gaming.
Ohio University has been a leader in employing Second Life as an educational tool. Last year, the university became the first to extend this technology to middle school students; previously, no one younger than 13 was even permitted to log on.
The Office of Outreach is sponsoring the work of the Russ College of Engineering and Technology, which is using the software to support interactive video games that help area middle school students learn science. Ohio University Without Boundaries (OUWB) is researching the effectiveness of virtual technology in education.
Ohio University is one of only a few other universities -- Harvard among them -- to also offer experiences beyond the classroom.
Visitors to Ohio University's campus -- two connected "islands" -- can take courses and enjoy a host of other features like exploring parks and buildings, and joining real student organizations at the student center. The arts and music center features local artists and musicians. Facilities even feature art installations by current Ohio University artists in residence.
According to Christopher Keesey, OUWB project manager, Ohio University is unique in its approach. "We're not just moving the classroom into Second Life. We're innovating learning beyond what's already going on in the classroom with educational games, learning kiosks, student organizations and arts experiences," he said.
Visitors from across the world can access learning materials ? presentations, podcasts, blogs -- at kiosks. The experience provides more flexibility and an added attraction for younger learners who are more engaged by a virtual environment. Some courses combine traditional classroom learning with online delivery; stand-alone, online courses are also offered.
The Russ College's presence on the campus is marked by scale representations of both its real-life Stocker Center and Ohio University's planned integrated learning and research facility, scheduled to break ground this spring. The facilities give ample classroom and collaboration space for student projects and poster sessions.
Ohio University educators are holding classes in the virtual world. Katherine Milton, director of the College of Fine Arts' Aesthetic Technologies Lab, teaches an experimental media class that meets once a week in the real world and once a week in Second Life. Mostly new to this virtual world, the seniors and graduate students are examining it as a both a venue for performance and art, and as a platform for creative expression.
Milton says the goal is not to recreate our "offline" environment, but to find ways to create dynamic content and experiences that reach beyond it. "Second Life has elements of the physical world as reference points, but the real opportunity is in creating viscerally evocative and emotionally immersive works, experiences and environments specific to this platform," Milton said.
OUWB created its island to give users of its online graduate degree programs and certificate programs another way to access learning content. The group is also researching how virtual worlds can be more effectively used to create engaging learning experiences.
As part of a $1.7 million National Science Foundation grant, Russ College graduate students are working with area middle school science teachers to design interactive video games that will help children grasp hard-to-learn science concepts.
Assistant Professor of Computer Science Chang Liu said a major benefit is that the campus extends the reach of education. "Students can conduct simulated science experiments or engage in team-learning activities in our engineering buildings from anywhere, anytime."
Other research is specifically focused on the differences between a variety of online content delivery, from game-based learning to the kiosk approach. OUWB is testing how to place its current action-based learning architecture into a scalable, kiosk-style presentation. In another project, OUWB and the Russ College are collaborating on a nutritional game offering food choices from three virtual restaurants.
Merle Graybill, director of the university's outreach programs, and OUWB Director Muriel Ballou said Second Life has changed education as we know it. "OUWB and the Russ College's development of our campus puts us at the leading edge of the next big wave of interactive digital learning environments," Graybill said.
"Second Life appears to be a gateway to the future of blending technology and education in the very best scenario we, in higher education, have experienced thus far," Ballou said.
Second Life users can visit the virtual campus at the following Second Life URL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/ohio%20university/20/36/24/. To join Second Life, visit www.secondlife.com/.
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Media Contact: Coordinator of Media Relations Jessica Stark, 740-597-2938 or email@example.com, or Russ College Director of External Relations Colleen Girton, 740-597-1488 or firstname.lastname@example.com
Related Links:


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The Museum of Contemporary Art Zagreb
Marina Abramović (Belgrade, Serbia, 1946)
Rhythm 2, 1974
Colour film, Super 8, 35'
Marina Abramović is one of the most influential and renowned performance artists in the world. Rhythm 2, is one of her first performances performed in the Zagreb Gallery of Contemporary Art in 1974. It happens in several stages. The artist covers the floor of the Gallery with white paper and then sits at the table with a glass and two pills for patients with acute schizophrenia. The real situation that happens as a consequence of consuming antipsychotics is equalized with artistic act; ethical criteria are confused with aesthetic criteria, having a confusing effect on the viewers.
Warning: You are currently viewing the simplified version of this site. Please download and install Flash Player to view the full version.
Copyright 2010 MSU Zagreb


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October 12, 2012, 5:13 pm
Resident Evil 6: Another intriguing entry in the horror franchise, flaws aside (review)
Capcom is looking to make the sixth edition of its hugely popular Resident Evil series the biggest ever.
By giving gamers three intersecting campaigns — playing as Leon S. Kennedy, Chris Redfield and Albert Wesker's son, Jake — they've significantly upped the content quotient.
Like previous Resident Evil games, you are given a partner to help with the hordes of zombies and mutating monsters. It's an overall ambitious undertaking, but unfortunately it falls short.


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The Shaw Group Inc. has settled a class-action lawsuit filed by shareholders in 19th Judicial District Court, according to plaintiff firms Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP and Motley Rice LLC.
Under the settlement, which comes a few days before shareholders will vote on the company's $3 billion sale to CB&I, Shaw agreed to release analyses by its financial adviser, Morgan Stanley, showing the company could have increased its share price without selling. The settlement also provides a way for shareholders who vote against the sale to CB&I to get a fair price for their stock.
Gentry Brann, a spokeswoman for Shaw, said the Baton Rouge engineering, fabrication and construction company "absolutely believes" the sale offers a fair value to shareholders, since CB&I will pay 72 percent more than what Shaw stock was worth the day before the deal was announced.
"This lawsuit was brought by a few small shareholders as is fairly typical in this type of corporate transaction," Brann said in a statement.
One report by Morgan Stanley cited in the suit showed that selling Shaw's 20 percent stake in Westinghouse could add $7 to $16.43 of "theoretical intrinsic value" per share of common stock. Another report showed Shaw could add $11 to $19 per share by executing a variety of strategic alternatives, which included selling Shaw's ownership stake in Westinghouse and buying back shares.
In a statement, officials with Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP and Motley Rice LLC said the settlement "offers unprecedented relief" to shareholders by providing a class-wide, opt-in appraisal right.
Typically a fair stock price is determined by a judicial proceeding or an independent value, according to Investopedia.com. An appraisal right protects shareholders, preventing corporations involved in a merger from paying less than the company is worth to shareholders. Meanwhile, Shaw is urging shareholders to vote for the merger during a special shareholders meeting set for 9 a.m. Friday at its Essen Lane headquarters.
"Shaw's board of directors believes this merger agreement provides the best value to all Shaw shareholders and recommends shareholders vote for the proposal to adopt the merger agreement," J.M. Bernhard Jr., Shaw's chairman, president and chief executive officer, said in a statement.
Shaw cannot complete the merger unless the owners of at least 75 percent of the company's common stock vote in favor of the deal.
Under the proposed merger, Shaw shareholders will receive $46 in cash and stock — $41 in cash and 0.13 shares of CB&I stock. Shares of Shaw closed at $45.88 Tuesday, up 38 cents, to reach a new 52-week high.


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Festivarian Street Team
Our world is filled with thousands of future festivarians. Fine music-loving folks like you and me, who are forced to spend their days and nights stuck in big city traffic jam listening to music on a car radio. They've never experienced the lifelong friendships of Telluride Town Park or a relaxed afternoon in the St. Vrain during Folks Fest or an intimate evening in the Wildflower Pavilion. They need your help. They need someone to personally enlighten them in the ways of festivarian-ism.
And we're here to help you with this most important task. We'll send you posters and flyers and maybe a CD or two. All you have to do is share those with the people in your world. Stop by your favorite music store or coffee shop and help spread the word.
Fill out our quick online application, including your name, city, and your ideas for the festivarian street team. We'll support you on your mission however we can. And after you've put up some posters, we'll do our best to provide you with lots of festivarian love - CDs, t-shirts, and other goodies.
Don't wait any longer. Fill out the quick application now. If you have any questions email us at email@example.com.
2009 Posters
Telluride Bluegrass Festival
- 11x17 poster (6.1mb PDF file)


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WASHINGTON (AP) — Appeals court judges reviewing the conviction of former lobbyist Kevin Ring in the Abramoff scandal are questioning whether evidence of campaign contributions should have been allowed at his trial.
Ring, who worked under superlobbyist Jack Abramoff, was sentenced to 20 months in prison for giving meals and event tickets to public officials. The trial judge allowed evidence of legal campaign contributions, which prosecutors said showed how Ring gained access to public officials. But the judge also told jurors they could not consider the contributions as part of the "illegal stream of benefits" Ring was charged with providing officials.
Judge David S. Tatel said the campaign contributions were of some value in making the case. But he also questioned whether that was outweighed by the prejudicial or confusing effect to jurors.


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This is the time of year when California's 112 community colleges welcome new students to their campuses and begin to prepare them to meet their goals of transferring to a four-year institution or completing a certificate or associate degree that will help them enter the workforce.
These students, if successful, will go on to join a highly skilled workforce that has powered California's economy and attracted an amazingly diverse group of industries that have settled in the state. Firms in California range from technology, entertainment and aerospace to agriculture, health care and financial services. California is home to more than 50 U.S. Fortune 500 companies.
The governor's Office of Business and Economic Development reports that California is the No. 1 state for venture capital and foreign direct investment and generated more than 23,000 patents in 2009, which was substantially more than any other state. California has some of the fastest growing companies in the country and launches a substantial number of initial public offerings. Our lead in these areas can be attributed in large measure to a well-educated workforce that has been trained at outstanding educational institutions in the state.
But that lead is in danger. As has been well documented by economic forecasters, California's systems of public higher education are not producing enough college-educated workers to keep our economy steaming forward. That is alarming.
If California entrepreneurship and innovation are to thrive over the long haul, we need to educate more of our citizens for jobs that are available now and to develop a workforce that will attract more business investment.
With this challenge in mind, the California Community Colleges Board of Governors has set an ambitious goal to help California meet its workforce needs: Community colleges will seek to increase the number of students earning certificates, degrees, or transferring to four-year institutions by 227,250 by the time the next 10 incoming freshman classes, including those arriving at our campuses this month, are finished.
Achieving the completion outcomes will require increasing the system's completion rate for degree and transfer-seekers from 48.1 percent to 62.8 percent and completion rate for students in career technical education programs from 53.9 percent to 70.3 percent by the time the class of 2023-24 completes its studies.
The new goals also aim to increase the number of students who successfully complete remedial instruction, which unfortunately 75 percent of our students need when they arrive at our campuses. And we've set targets to increase the number of students who prepare educational plans at the beginning of their academic careers as well as the number of students who earn degrees under the Associate Degree for Transfer program, which has improved transfer with California State University.
How will we do this? A comprehensive series of policy reforms enacted by the Board of Governors has focused the college system on improving student success as it restores access that was lost after the draconian recessionary budget cuts we endured.
The reforms, part of our "Student Success Initiative," include giving priority registration status to students who participate in orientation, assessment and education planning; redesigning our student support services to help them stay on track academically; making it easier for students to transfer to CSUs; and collaborating with K-12 institutions to ensure that students come here ready to take college-level math and English courses.
A society must invest in the education of its citizenry to be prosperous. History is filled with examples of failed societies that chose not to make the crucial investments necessary to educate their citizens. This state has a proud legacy of empowering its residents through higher education. The results of that legacy are clear, and California's community colleges are committed to restoring it.
Brice W. Harris is the California Community Colleges chancellor.


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IO Changed Hitman: Absolution Following Nun Controversy
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Yeah, that puts ninja palace and sexy nuns-with-guns in the same category as "implausible but there to look awesome".
Exploit Japanese martial arts stereotypes = literally no one cares
Exploit Catholic stereotypes = "OH GOD NO!!! We don't even want play this game and we want it changed!"
That is in no way a Catholic stereotype.
Sexy Killer Nuns are a made up thing.
Ninjas are not a made up thing.
I for one enjoy latex clad nuns working as a team.
I fail to see how there was a controversy about this tbh.
According to the Vatican the Nuns of America are a rouge element anyway; all IO did was make them rouge and sexy.
O RLY? You can "envisage" a villain hiring lackeys and ordering them to dress a certain way for "the theatre of it".
Hmm, this applies to nuns-with-guns. Welcome to nunsploitation (yes, that's a word):
Robert Rodriguez can do it for promoting his motion picture, but it's pretty unheard of for any director to change film for conservatives having a backlash over sexuality... this side of the 21st century at least.
This is as close as video games can get to nunsploitation before the conservatives begin their sex-negative campaign.
Hitman series has NEVER COURTED PLAUSIBILITY!
He is a clone... from FIVE FATHERS, and he later killed them all then he massacred an army of his clone brothers mowing them down with a giant minigun. He assassinated the Vice President of the United States after saving a presidential candidates from some disgraced former olympians dressed in Big Bird costumes. Ever heard of that happening?
Actually, Ninjas (like seen in the game) ARE made up.
Ninjas never wore all-black, hung out in huge ninja palaces and wielded swords of samurai warriors. The ninja looks like a peasant, acts like a peasant and kills with a short dagger like weapon that looks like a farming implement though almost always it was poison or a contrived accident. Certainly not a ninja palace in 2000's Japan.
It's a completely concocted Japanese stereotype that has as much basis in reality as sexy nuns with machine guns, BOTH emerged in exploitation film in about the mid 20th century in their respective hemispheres.
Certainly most of the other things in Hitman are made up without any remotely plausible basis, like the depiction of central american drug kingpins, of Rotterdam biker gangs, of cloning... yeah, all that cloning of people in vats with 5 fathers and no mother sure sounds plausible to me. And on a scale of HUNDREDS being produced.
No it doesn't. Sumo Wrestlers would make good bouncers.
A bunch of women dressed as BONDAGE-NUNS going to do a hit on a man in a motel room is ridiculous.
Really? 90% of the list of missions suggest differently. Assassinating Russian generals, mob bosses, pornographers, rogue agents is all plausible.
Yes this is silly but at least it's covert. A group of killer sexy nuns is not covert.
Also I'd accept 'Face Off' in the Hitman universe but I wouldn't accept 'Kill Bill'.
A) Presidential assassination happens
Did you watch the chinatown gameplay trailer? People were complaining about the game "probably being a shitty blockbuster" until that came out, then they all suddenly disappeared when they realised hitman is still very much hitman. At most they'll probably have the odd actiony level thrown in, which would be good for switching the game up a bit.
People kill each other with Samurai swords ALL THE TIME. They do it in Australia in clubs.
And if a yak mob boss want to guard his paper walled hide-out with black pajama clad sword wielding security then I can buy that. It's silly sure.
Really? You don't think those things exist? Again like the Japanese mob stuff some of it might be anachronistic, but it's all plausible.
Not scientifically plausible sure. BUT COMPARED TO 7 WOMEN DRESSED IN NUN-THEMED BONDAGE-GEAR etc etc blah blah blah........................................................
The whole fucking point of the Hitman universe is that you have to sneak around to get anything done. If you can just turn up with a bunch of women who may as well be dressed as Vegas show girls then the universe does not make sense.
There is the willing suspension of disbelief and then there is Kill Bill Sexy Nuns.
It's the difference between the slightly-ridiculous, hyper-violent, Tarantinoverse and the Kill Bill Universe.
One is silly.
The other is ridiculous.
Let's put it this way.
I'd have no problems with Agent 47 battling SexyKillerNuns if they were guarding say,... A goth nightclub,.... or..... the studio of a bondage pornographer.
But out in broad daylight? In a motel car park?
In what plausible universe are Sexy-Killer-Nuns the people you call in that situation? Final Fantasy 16?
Holy shit, why the hell dd everyone lose their shit over a fucking trailer? Lighten up people, I hate how people are somehow offended by the trailer, I thought it was great, good action and actually made me interested in the game.
Have you played the Hitman game? Because I have. At least watch through all the lets-plays of two of the games.
Stop listing plausible things as proof the game is plausible an ignoring the implausible things. It's like watching Kill Bill and saying "well there ARE Yakuza clans in Japan".
How the hell is a mini-gun in a mental asylum covert?
Assassinated IN THE WHITEHOUSE? And escaping alive? You haven't played these games have you.
Sexy nun outfits "exist" as well as big-bird costumes. Big Bird costume is the most implausible disguise, it's as implausible as being dressed as nuns.
CAPS LOCKS ALL YOU LIKE YOU ARE STILL BEING INCONSISTENT IN YOUR REASONING! Is precedent the only thing that matters? Because there is no precedent to ninja palace in 21st century Japan. Some Australian bar fights using a samurai sword does not a ninja palace in the mountains make.
"then the universe does not make sense."
It's not going to make sense if you haven't played any of the games, or even the game in question.
Sexy Killer nuns is well within the suspension of disbelief along with mowing down armies of you clone brothers with a minigun.
"One is silly. The other is ridiculous."
Both are synonymous with each other.
Lot's of soundproofing.
It's stupid but it's better than women choosing to dress in the most non-covert costumes ever to kill someone in a carpark.
You're missing the difference between "realism" and "plausible suspension of disbelief".
Not outside of bondage clubs, films, and bedrooms.
A sexy nun costume would get you arrested in most places. A big bird costume would not.
What if they worked FOR a bondage pornographer, or or just some super freaky mob boss was just into that kind of shit.
They went to where Agent 47 was, which was (typically for a Hitman on the run) a seedy motel at the time where they knew he would be there, in the daylight.
It is as implausible as a clone from 5 fathers grown in a vat without even a mother mowing down hundreds of his clone brothers with a minigun. Or foiling an assassination attempt on a presidential candidated by a troop of disgraced olympic gold medalists disguised in big-bird costumes.
Only someone completely ignorant of the games could claim the nun trailer was inconsistent with the series precedents.
Ninjas in a Japanese castle is anachronistic but plausible themically.
Colombian drug lords in a 19th century villa is anachronistic but plausible themically.
Bondage Nuns coming to kill Agent 47 in a parking lot IS NOT PLAUSIBLE THEMICALLY.
By your line of reasoning it would be okay if aliens came down from the sky and Agent 47 had to fight against them on their space ship.
Are you saying that if you take a sexy-nun outfit outside a sex club, film set or a bedroom the outfit just disappears from existence?!??
Nope. They wear enough that it would never be considered indecent exposure. Both would get undue attention. And they approached in what looked like totally legit nuns habits, then they kicked the habit. Who knows how these assassins had been conditioned, what sense of "theatre" their employer expected of them.
If it was realistic, they would be dressed as normal civilians.
Pro-tip: PLAY THE HITMAN SERIES! They are good games and you might then actually know something about the subject that you are saying you can draw conclusions about.
I have TOLD YOU they aren't just anachronistic, THERE WERE NEVER ninja palaces! It's a concotion of exploitation martial arts movies of the 60's and 70's, even though it fits "themically" (do you mean "thematically").
It's entirely your baseless assertion that it doesn't fit thematically, the seedy motel is part of the Americana theme, nunspoitation is another part of Americana.
Aliens wouldn't be the weirdest thing in the Hitman series.
PS: you played any hitman games yet? Watched a full lets-play at least?
I've played that game and I agree it's ridiculous.
But I completely disagree that "the series precedents" are "consistant with" bondage-nuns coming to kill 47 in a parking lot.
A) 5 fathers is plausible enough given enough genetic recombinant research.
B) There is no real indication of where the asylum is.
C) The asylum is obviously well sound proofed.
Also if you can hire teams of people dressed like Bondage Nuns to kill people WHY WOULD YOU NEED 47?
No it's not.
Americana would be Wall Street Bankers, Florida Drug Dealers, Black Gansters, and Good Ol' Boys. All of which feature in exaggerated fashion in Hitman.
Hitman is about exaggeration NOT FANTASY.
Bondage nuns would be more appropriate in a German or Russian strip club.
To have them in broad daylight in a motel parking lot IS FANTASY.
Why the fuck would you dress as bondage nuns to go kill a guy in a motel?
On the other hand if I was attacked by a bunch of clones of myself in an insane asylum and I had a minigun I'd totally shoot them with the minigun... That would make sense from a motivational point of view.
But these ladies? I don't get the motivation to strap on lots of uncomfortable leather AND WIMPLES to go kill someone when:
A) Jeans and a T-shirt would make more sense covertly.
Come back when you have actually played through more of the series as you DO discover where the Asylum is and the police respond in force and find hundreds of dead identical twins (triplets, multiplets?) riddled with bullets. It is in no way covert. And even if Agen 47 tens to be covert, why should another separate group coming after him be covert?
And why would you need Agent 47? For one, if they are trying to kill 47 then he obviously isn't on their side, and for two, agent 47 manages to not only survive but kill all the assassins who came after him. You don't have any idea bout Hitman do you? You don't know who he is even working for now. He's an unstoppable killing machine, he's the best.
But nusploitation was mainly in AMERICAN exploitation films set in AMERICA! It's a part of Americana. Did you read that nunsploitation article? See films don't have this problem, games really are getting unfair persecution on this issue objecting to nunsploitation that films have used since the 1960's.
Don't know what you are saying about "fantasy" none of the games in the series have been reality. Are you failing to insinuate this is just fap material as that is utterly disingenuous and totally unconvincing though ceetainly easy to make a drive by baseless insinuation. No. It's designed to shock not for oogling.
Because their boss is a sick weirdo who has a "taste for the theatrical". Much like many of the previous opponents Agent 47 has gone against.
I mean did you play the ending of Hitman Blood Money. That's no way practical, entirely theatre that jeopardised their lives.
It's established by the logo the killer-nuns are all wearing these are not some freelancers who do things their own way being driven entirely by practicality.
The first line of
The article that YOU linked to is:
"Nunsploitation is a subgenre of exploitation film which had its peak in Europe in the 1970s"
In fact there is NO NUNSPLOITATION IN AMERICAN FILM APART FROM A RODRIGUEZ FILM SET IN MEXICO!!!!!
The taste for the theatrical should extend to having the guards of you hideout wear silly clothes, not the hired assassins you send out into the streets.
It's plausible that in the Yakuza mansion the guards are dressed in black and wear Samurai swords.
It's not plausible that they go out in public to kill people dressed like that.
It's plausible that all the rich men at the Melbourne Club are beating each other with leather whips. They don't do it in public though, they're respectable gentlemen.
Why? You just assert they wouldn't do that, yet with you giving no explanation?
Screw plausible. Minigun! Clone army! Big-bird assassins!
Why isn't it plausible for them to go out like that? It's not like it's going to make any difference, they are already wielding rocket launchers and fancy automatic weapons. They were in vanilla nuns attire till they drew their guns. You don't even know the back story. Don't you even CARE!!!?! Doesn't it even pique your interest what kind of circumstances could lead to such an attempt on Agent 47's life, in that way??!?!
Yes, but an American production made in English for an American release. A recent one. And IO interactive are European developers.
There is a difference between "High concept" and "Fantasy".
There is Face/Off or Jurassic Park or even Indiana Jones where concepts might not be realistic but otherwise events somewhat realistically happen around them.
(Note that this is the video game universe and in that Hitman is as realistic as Call of Duty 4)
And then there is Kill Bill or Charlie's Angels where realistic events get jettisoned for style.
Sexy nun hitsquad jettisoned realistic events for style. That wouldn't always be bad but we've had two games now (Contracts and Blood Money) where hyper-reality fiction trumpted the fantastical.
I'd prefer that they were wearing Jeans and T-shirts. That would make more sense.
To answer your obnoxiously-toned question, I've played the first three Hitman games. It's been at least 3 years since the last one, but I have played them. Yes, No.1 had the heavyset body guard in a robe, but it's not like he was going around wearing nothing but the sumo wrestler diaper-thing and nothing else. It wasn't a BDSM club under a meat packing plant, it was a party being hosted AT a meat packing plant; odd location, yes, but believable since you need a large building to host a big party and using a building you own would save money. Heaven and hell night clubs, hedonistic parties and assassinating high-profile targets are all within the realms of plausibility.
Outside of 47's origin, the series largely doesn't rely on science fiction plot devices or cartoonishly over-the-top scenarios. Yes you'll find some elements here and there that are somewhat outlandish, but nothing so blatant to date (that I've heard of) as killer gimp nuns. You don't, for example, see 47 use nanomachines to create a disguise as a rodeo clown so he can strap a block of C4 to a bull and lead it up into the stands of a rodeo to blow up the entire VIP box on a hit on the Governor of Texas because he's really a space alien in disguise, and escape by farting a jet pack out of his @$$.
And no, I didn't address self-censorship because frankly I wasn't concerned with that aspect of this event. But if you -want- me to, fine. Yes, companies are getting into a bad habit of caving in every time someone complains about something in their games. That is a dangerous habit to get into because it jeopardizes creative integrity. But on the flip side, sometimes people have to admit when they've screwed up and been needlessly insulting or disrespectful. It's not censoring, self or otherwise, or oppressing people to expect them to show some respect and taste.
I've never been a big fan of the series myself (don't like the aiming controls :P) but from what I gathered, people were pissed because a game that normally takes itself pretty seriously suddenly pit a cold-blooded assassin against a posse of rocket-weilding ninja hookers dressed as nuns. I doubt it was the "dressed as nuns" part that upset people the most, but rather the fact that the stoic Agent 47 was fighting a group of "rocket-weilding ninja hookers".
Well then that make even less sense.
Look most of "nunsploitation"
is set in European convents or European brothels. It's NOT AMERICANA and it definitely doesn't involve much nuns with uzis.
At least ninjas WERE actually about killing people, occasionally wore black and THEY DID USE KATANA just FYI.
Was John Rambo and James Bond raped early in their life? No? Typical. For male characters, it is either assumed they are badass by nature (James Bond), or that if they had an obstacle to overcome in the past (Rambo), that obstacle is hardly ever rape. For women, rape is a far more "popular" choice of obstacle. Whilst no writer openly claims that "WOMEN MUST BE RAPED TO BE STRONG!!", rape happens so often in stories, people have noticed the trend and the unfortunate implications of it showing up so regularly.
Most stories don't get boycotted for containing rape, which is just as well, considering how often attempted rape comes up in them. That said, I'm not surprised people have finally gotten fed up of how frequently female rape appears. Male rape doesn't happen very often in drama, so I suppose when it does, it feels like the issue is being treated with care and restraint. But for women in fiction, it happens so often that it has become a throw in detail for female characters, used by lazy writers to immediately put a woman in peril, establish a villain, or explain why a woman has become so tough. This is why you don't get boycotts over male rape. Speaking of which, are you suggesting people shouldn't have a problem with female rape portrayals? Coz' I can't figure out where you are coming from.
Listing a few examples of strong women who weren't raped doesn't disprove my argument that tough women tend to get raped. Spend more time looking up the rape tropes. It'll save me the trouble of having to list how often rape is used in character development.
"Hitman is as realistic as Call of Duty 4"
Hitman is like Kill Bill or Charlie's Angles. The Ninja palace. That's like something right you'd see in a Kill Bill film.
"Blood Money... hyper-reality fiction"
Of blood money, with the funeral scene at the end... with the feeding people to gaters... dropping chandeliers on people's heads... random hoedowns at a wedding...
You are trying to make sense of it by CHANGING things, that will not work. Explanations would be seeing the motivations, not changing the result.
It's like demanding the assassin stop wearing the disgraced olympians Big-Bird costume when they are trying to assassinate politicians.
You are demanding a very boring and predictable game.
That's not a DEFINING element of nunsploitation. It doesn't HAVE to be set in Europe.
Nunsploitation is entirely about (people dressed as) nuns doing what nuns wouldn't do, like being overtly sexual and wield big ass weapons and killing people. Films do this. But you act like games can't, even for a film that advertises a game.
First three games, so you haven't played Blood Money. Which is a shame as it's a great game and is quite relevant as the latest instalment.
You could stop trying to make all the insane and ludicrous scenarios and characters of Hitman seem normal and typical, you wouldn't accept that about the sexy nun outfits, I don't accept your excuses. You admit there are some outlandish elements, the sexy nuns would just be another example.
He hid a bomb in a cake to blow up a river boat captain.
He assassinates the Vice President of the United States... in the White House... and gets away with it.
This is a game about MURDERING PEOPLE and this is the game where respect and taste are important. Again, modern western soiety is going down the sinkhole because we are more freaked out by some women in miniskirts than innocent people being brutually and sadistically murdered (fictionally) as our entertainment. Not that I have a problem with that, but if you don't have a problem with that... then why freak out about a skirt?
Hypocrisy. If not, what else?
OK, now you are complaining about characters NOT being raped. When you see a male character get raped do you go "YES! Now lets hope all the male characters get raped".
Oh, by the way... Lara didn't get raped either. Some thug got frisky and she kicked his ass. That. Is. IT!
It's not like this is the first time we've seen Lara in this situation:
I said it before and I'll say it again. The people complaining are NOT Tomb Raider fans, they are passing bystanders with no understanding nor invested interest in the characters nor narrative.
Rape happens so often because so often thugs ARE RAPISTS! They are the type of thugs overdosing in testosterone, dumb and sexually hyperactive. It isn't the writer that is misogynist, it is the nature of criminal scum and out of control men high on power.
Yeah, Pulp Fiction really showed care and restraint, Deliverance too with lines like "squeal like a piggie!" repeated throughout the scene.
It's not lazy writing. That's like saying having the villain murder people is lazy writing. How are you qualified to say what is lazy writing, what books have you written? What published literary critiques have you made?
I'm saying if you don't have a problem with male rape you shouldn't have a problem with female rape. Otherwise you'd be a hypocrite.
Male rape is ACTUALLY common for one main reason, men are over-represented in films, especially in leading roles and rape is a compelling thing to drive narrative, not a lazy cliche. A poorly compelling narrative would be something like "I have to go to the shops to buy food because I have nothing to eat for supper".
The examples I list are major action heroines where rape is not a factor. Your theory is worthless, that just over-reacts to any rape anywhere where is isn't men being raped.
WHY OF COURSE I WA- no. I most certainly wasn't. Don't be a tool box.
I heard it described as an "attempted rape" (the infamous words of the studio's producer). In the trailer, the suggestion of an attempted rape is fairly clear. "Someone getting frisky" is not how I would describe sexual molestation of any kind.
Does this huge, blanket assumption cover all the escapists? And me?
Thugs or villains do not need to be written as rapists to make them come across as unpleasant or villainous. It's quite easy to communicate how brutish an antagonist is without resorting to it, like in Arkham Asylum. But many writers still like to go for the easiest way to invoke a gut response: make the villain a rapist.
Even though I have had literary criticism published, and that I can assure you I have a fairly hefty background in the subject, it is totally irrelevant. Lazy writing is simply when one uses cheap or exploitative devices to convey something, instead of relying on something more original or organic to the story. Revealing a character to be a rapist, apropos of nothing, is right up there with "we know they're villains because they're Nazi's/Arabs/Commies" in terms of lazy writing.
Incidentally, this is why Deliverance does a good job of handling the subject of rape; it isn't just thrown in to make the hillbillies seem extra evil. The entire story is centred around the rape, and the protagonist's response to it. That's the difference between sensibly approaching a serious issue, and exploiting it for the sake of a five minute action sequence. As for Pulp Fiction, well, it is in a movie called "Pulp Fiction", the entire premise of which is to celebrate trashy, exploitative schlock stories.
I never said I was fine with male rape, and neither did anyone commenting on the Lara Croft controversy. There is this strange assumption going around that because people ommit to mention male issues any time they want to discuss female issues, they must not give a shit about men. We shouldn't have to qualify every criticism we make of female depictions with "oh, and its bad that men get raped too". Of course its bad, but it is irrelevant to the particular discussion about Miss Croft.
The examples you gave are not representative of all action heroines ever written. Besides, Ripley was totally fighting off rapist aliens throughout the entire alien franchise. But that's okay - that's one of the few times where rape makes sense in the context, and is organic to the story.
Wait they didn't have any backstory planned until people started getting pissed? They actually were just there to be hot? Fuck this, I never thought I would say this but their stupidity has actually put me off buying the game. If they couldn't see this coming there might be problems in the gameplay department that they wont see coming until everyone's like "X is the worst gameplay mechanic ever" or "I can't believe they thought X was a good idea". That might sound petty, and maybe it is but this is just pure fucking idiocy to have not even considered giving them a backstory.
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Re: Distorted Visions of Buddhism: Agnostic and Atheist
Posted: Fri Apr 19, 2013 12:53 am
From my point of view the different Mahayana schools have already seen a lot of different adaptions that may have been the right thing at the time and place where they were made. But they are not necessarily the kind of adaptions that we need. If we start with the Mahayana, we then have to work our way backwards through the adaptions, unraveling the detours and deadapt the Dhamma before we can start contemplating what flavor of the Dhamma that may be right for ourselves. Better then to start with the Theravada, which is closer to the historical point of departure. On the other hand we can learn a lot from seeing how the different Mahayana schools adapted the Dhamma and broke away from the rigid orthodoxy - and some of those adaptions might even work for us - as long as we remember that each of those adaptions are results of a specific time and culture.Lazy_eye wrote:Kim O'Hara wrote: Here's a question I've wondered about. Assuming there is such a need for adaptation, which tradition is better poised to adapt? Theravada or Mahayana?
Many people would say Theravada is quite analytical, rational and compatible with science -- to a degree. It is also more stubbornly orthodox and bound by the authority of millenia-old texts. So when problem areas arise, such as the ones Alex mentioned, it can be hard to work around them.
Mahayana, it seems to me, presents almost the opposite scenario. With its pantheon of Buddhas and bodhisattvas and its many devotional practices, it seems inherently less rational in its outlook. It is also more heterodox compared to Theravada and thus (theoretically) more flexible. Since the legitimacy of Mahayana sutras is questionable and the canon is so diverse, reinterpretation presents less of a problem. And indeed Mahayana has generated a wide variety of sects and schools. (For exactly this reason, I find it a bit odd and even amusing when folks like B. Allan Wallace start playing dharma cop -- as though their own tradition wasn't a significant departure).
So what's better, from the science-minded perspective -- the more rational but rigid Theravada, or the more adaptable but less rational Mahayana? I am oversimplifying of course, but hope you can see my point.
I am a great fan of Batchelor. When I read his books, I found much that resonated with thoughts I already had. My own flavor of the Dhamma would be a mix of Theravada, Zen, humanism and science. I do not say that this is the only right flavor. Others have to make their own choices.


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Could we see an Argos-Lions Braley Bunch Grey Cup?
As strange as it may appear, the CFL's historic 100th Grey Cup may also be remembered as Braley Bowl XII.
Whether it's fitting, embarrassing, or somewhere in between, it's not a stretch to envision a scenario that sees the Argos and B.C. Lions playing on the game's biggest stage.
If this indeed does happen, and it's well within the realm of possibility, then David Braley is assured of emerging as the ultimate winner in ways that can't even be measured.
A year ago, his Lions won the Grey Cup on their home field.
Heading into Saturday's home kickoff against the Argos, the Lions have basically picked up where they left off last season, which began with a season-opening five-game losing streak.
There's no better quarterback than Travis Lulay, who is still learning — which is scary in itself — no better offensive line, no better defence and no better organization when it comes to evaluating talent and finding pieces to fit its system on either side of the ball.
In Toronto, Braley's other team has shown glimpses of being Grey Cup-worthy.
Saturday night represents one of those litmus tests for an Argos team that is 4-1 against Eastern rivals.
Predictably, no one associated with the Argos is placing any added meaning to their visit to B.C., but it is big nonetheless at a time when Toronto needs to measure itself against the very best.
The optics in the CFL are never good when one owner cuts the cheque for 25% of the league's franchises, even if it is a man of Braley's cache, influence and impeccable reputation.
Had it not been Braley's passion for pigskin, connections and deep pockets, no one can say what the southern Ontario market would look like.
Perhaps it would be fitting that the Argos and Lions will meet one final time with the stakes at their absolute highest.
For that to happen, a lot will depend on how the Argos match up in their second and final regular-season meeting against B.C.
In the East, the Argos are as good as Montreal, a team Toronto beat on the road, a team Toronto will visit next week, the only team, as of now, that's standing in the way of the Argos when the Argos aren't getting in their own way.
The Ticats remain the biggest wild card depending on how they react to their five-game losing streak. If ever a team has learned how to lose, it's the Ticats, a team that has lost its way.
The same applies in Winnipeg, but in the CFL so much can change at the drop of a hat.
Right now, the Argos are the best the East has to offer and the Lions are clearly the best in either division.
What kind of gap may be revealed by as early as late Saturday.
Scott Milanovich has waited for his Argos to get on some kind of roll, establish a level of consistency and create separation in the manner his former team, the Als, would invariably achieve en route to locking up first in the East and earning that all-important bye into the final.
It's why the Braley Bowl has the potential to be recreated in late November.
In the five previous stagings of the Braley Bowl, the Lions have toppled the Argos four times, the most recent in early August.
B.C. has become a house of horrors for the Argos, who can exorcize their demons if they play at their best.
Last year's loss in Toronto prompted the Argos to part ways with Cleo Lemon.
This year's setback spelled the end of Cory Boyd's run in Double Blue.
Saturday may be the last time the Argos and Lions play each other this season, but stranger things have happened and perhaps the strangest of all may yet unfold.
"When we don't beat ourselves, I think we're one of the best teams in the league, if not the best,'' Argos starting right tackle Chris Van Zeyl said. "We're at least in the top three."
A win Saturday against a very good Lions team and suddenly the Argos move up in class.


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Canadian Hottie is Closed
Canadianhottie.ca was a photo gallery & forum dedicated to Canadian models, babes & celebs. It was an off-chute of Canadaka.net with a single focus and allowed more mature adult content.
The website recieved 31,932,255 pageviews & 3,199,868 visitors. There were 14,179 photos in 226 galleries with 22,260 comments.
The site operated from February 2006 to October 2015. Thank you for all the visitors and members over the years!
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Results 1 to 6 of 6
#1 Video shows federal officials joking about cost of lavish conference04-05-2012, 06:51 PM
Officials with the federal agency now under congressional investigation over a lavish conference were captured on camera joking about the expense at the summit's "capstone" event in October 2010.
One official joked about how much was spent at a party hosted by the agency's commissioner. Another employee, in a mock music video, even sang about how he'd "never be under OIG investigation."
OIG stands for Office of Inspector General -- the office that earlier this week released a bombshell report that triggered firings at the agency that held the conference. The report found the Public Buildings Service, part of the General Services Administration, spent more than $820,000 on the meeting near Las Vegas in 2010.
Two House committees now are probing the agency. One of those, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, posted video of the GSA employees online.
The video shows one employee performing in the fake music video, which is laced with jokes and references that only federal employees are likely to get.
In the lyrics, the employee sings: "Donate my vacation, love to the nation, I'll never be under OIG investigation."
The creator was given an award at the conference, and named "commissioner for a day."
In the award speech, an official identified as Public Buildings Service Deputy Commissioner David Foley joked that "there's just a couple of small matters."
"The hotel would like to talk to you about paying for the party that was held in the commissioner's suite last night," he said, to uproarious laughter from the crowd.
The inspector general's office detailed in its report that a party was hosted by the actual commissioner in his "loft suite" for senior officials -- at a cost of nearly $2,000.
This and other parties, the report said, did not "fit any legal authority for GSA to spend funds on food."
The Public Buildings Service commissioner, Robert Peck, was fired in the wake of the report, as was another GSA official. The chief at GSA also resigned.
In a statement Thursday, the GSA condemned the contents of the conference video.
"This video is another example of the complete lack of judgment exhibited during the 2010 Western Regions Conference. Our agency continues to be appalled by this indefensible behavior, and we are taking every step possible to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again," a spokesman with the agency said.
The spending habits of the GSA and its subsidiary buildings service have attracted widespread attention in Washington.
Republicans on the House transportation committee on Thursday wrote a letter to the GSA inspector general asking for information about an incentive program they claim handed out "$200,000 worth of taxpayer funded iPods, electronics and gift cards for questionable reasons at best."
Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Calif., accused the administration of treating "hardworking taxpayer dollars like their own private slush fund."
Separately, the nonprofit advocacy group Cause of Action wrote to other federal departments asking them to disclose spending on "commemorative" items -- after the GSA was accused of spending more than $6,000 on commemorative coins at the conference.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012...#ixzz1rCmugoT8Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;
Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
And clever in their own sight! Isaiah 5:20-21 NASB
The criminal behavior of this regime and its underlings never ceases to astound. This is behavior and attitude learned and adapted from the top down.
Liberalism is just communism sold by the drink.
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- Mar 2010
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I had a discussion with my grandson about this very thing last night. I was pointing out that even at McDonald's the pace and attitude is set in place by one person. All problems and attitudes can be traced back to one individual. Even in large organizations.
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- Jun 2008
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Maybe it's just me, but has anyone actually ever heard of the Public Buildings Service??
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NEW YORK (AP) — Investors got a sharp reminder Thursday that the economy still has some weak spots.
Bed Bath & Beyond and Family Dollar plunged after cutting their earnings forecasts following a disappointing holiday season. Other retail stocks also fell sharply even as the broader stock market ended little changed.
The reports of weak sales disappointed investors, who had seen signs for several weeks that the U.S. economy was improving and that shoppers were returning to the malls.
"The consumers are supposed to be the fuel of this economy, and it doesn't appear to be happening," said Ian Winer, director of trading for Wedbush Securities. "If they're not spending money at the retailers, what's going on?"
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 17.98 points, or 0.1 percent, to close at 16,444.76. The Standard & Poor's 500 index added 0.64 points, or less than 0.1 percent, to 1,838.13 and the Nasdaq composite lost 9.42 points, or 0.2 percent, to 4,156.19.
The worst performer in the S&P 500 index was Bed Bath & Beyond, which plunged $9.93, or 13 percent, to $69.75. Family Dollar fell $1.37, or 2 percent, to $64.97.
L Brands, which owns Bath and Body Works and Victoria's Secret, reported that its sales rose less than analysts had expected. The company also cut its full-year outlook. L Brands fell $2.44, or 4 percent, to $57.75.
Even the bright spots in the retail industry had caveats. Department store giant Macy's jumped $3.96, or 8 percent, to $55.80 after the company forecast a 2014 profit that was above Wall Street's forecasts. At the same time, Macy's said it would eliminate 2,500 jobs as part of a reorganization that aims to save $100 million a year.
The disappointing news from retailers was more than enough to offset another positive report on the U.S. economy.
The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell by 15,000 last week to 330,000. The drop was slightly bigger than economists predicted, according to FactSet, a financial data provider.
The claims report sets the stage for the government jobs report for December, which will be released Friday morning. Economists expect employers added 196,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate remained at 7 percent.
Stocks surged into the end of 2013, but the momentum hasn't continued into the first trading days of 2014. The Dow and S&P 500 are down less than 1 percent this year.
In company news, Ford rose 30 cents, or 2 percent, to $15.84 after announcing an increase in its quarterly dividend to 12.5 cents per share from 10 cents per share. The news came a day after the stock gained 1 percent on word that Ford's widely respected CEO, Alan Mulally, would not leave to run Microsoft.
Abercrombie & Fitch jumped $5.49, or 17 percent, to $38.70 in after-market trading after the company raised its full-year profit forecast. The company now expects earnings of $1.55 to $1.65 a share, well above the $1.47 per share that analysts were looking for.
Alcoa slumped 39 cents, or 4 percent, to $10.30 in after-market trading after the company reported a fourth-quarter profit that fell short of Wall Street's expectations. Alcoa traditionally signals the start of earnings season, due to the fact it was a member of the Dow for many years. Alcoa was removed from the Dow in August.


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CHS Blog
Never Clean a Commode Bucket Again!
Bedside Toilet Liners are a hygienic and inexpensive alternative to washing commode buckets. Each liner has an absorbent pad built in that solidifies and neutralizes the waste for easy and convenient disposal. The pad is made for a polymer gelling agent that solidifies liquids which makes transporting easier. Just toss the liner in the garbage after use to dispose of it and cleanup is as simple as that. By disposing of the human waste in this way it eliminates contact between the staff and the waste, reducing contamination while saving time that was spent on washing.


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When it comes to romance, the red rose rules! And when it comes to delivering romance in a big way, two dozen gorgeous red roses are a brilliant choice.
Twenty-four stunning red roses are arranged with greenery and delivered in a feminine vase.Approximately 24" W x 26" H
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North Dakota Board of Nursing
|Board of Nursing
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text: Most puppies purchased online come from puppy mills with conditions like this – or even worse. Don't be fooled by websites. If you can't visit the puppy first, you may very well be getting one from a puppy mill. There are lots of great dogs out there. Know where yours is coming from.Find out more at sfspca.org.


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Blake SharpeArizona Diamondbacks
Infielder | Ht: | Wt:
|Diamondbacks | Three players injured in car accident
Tue, 07 Aug 2007 13:24:02 -0700
Nick Piecoro, of The Arizona Republic, reports Arizona Diamondbacks IF Blake Sharpe (skull), of Class A Visalia, sustained a fractured skull in a car accident Monday, Aug. 6. Two other players were injured in the accident; P Brett Anderson (concussion) suffered a mild concussion and P Cody Evans (back) had his back evaluated, but neither was admitted to the hospital. The others involved in the accident were C John Hester, P Hector Ambriz and OFs Cyle Hankerd and Greg Thomson. Hankerd was driving the Chevy Tahoe and reportedly lost control.
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Flash Draw Created Oct 07, 2011 338 x 470px Unless noted Copyright 2011 Lagger.
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A wonder!
I love it to see how a drawing is created! And I love this beautifull woman! Good work 5/5
why you didnt keep the glasses ....:p just kidding this is totally AWESOME
wonderful draw!
Beautiful and masterful done :]
sorry for that "3" :) it was a mistake. really impressive drawing, btw
I love her eyes 3
this is so good :D i love it... i wish i could draw like you~!! TT^TT