text:
Poor oral health is an independent risk factor for oral infection with human papillomavirus (HPV), including the strains associated with cancer, researchers reported.
In a nationally representative survey, people who reported they had poor oral health had a 56% increase in the risk of HPV infection in the mouth and throat, according to Thanh Cong Bui, DrPH, and colleagues at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston.
The increased risk was independent of other known risk factors, such as smoking and oral sex, Bui and colleagues reported in Cancer Prevention Research.
"The good news is, this risk factor is modifiable," Bui said in a statement. "By maintaining good oral hygiene and good oral health, one can prevent HPV infection and subsequent HPV-related cancers."
The link between oral sex and HPV made headlines this year when actor Michael Douglas reportedly blamed his throat cancer on oral sex, although he is also a well-known tobacco and alcohol user.
On the other hand, researchers this year also found that having an oropharyngeal cancer arising from HPV doesn't appear to put domestic partners at elevated risk of either the infection or the same cancer.
Bui and colleagues noted that poor oral health -- measured by such things as infrequent tooth brushing -- is a known risk factor for oral and oropharyngeal cancers.
But it has not been clear if poor oral health increases the risk of cancer indirectly by increasing the chance of HPV infection.
To help fill the gap, they turned to the 2009-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a nationally representative survey.
Some 3,439 participants, ages 30 to 69, had data on both oral health and the presence or absence in the oral cavity of 19 low-risk and 18 high-risk HPV types.
The survey had four measures of oral health -- self-reports of overall oral health, suspicion of gum disease, and the use of mouthwash to treat dental problems in the seven days before the survey interview, as well as a count by a dental hygienist of the number of missing teeth.
In a subset of 1,868 participants, data on oral sex behavior were available.
In a bivariate analysis among the full study population, Bui and colleagues found:
- The 27.8% of participants who rated their oral health as poor to fair had a prevalence ratio for HPV infection of 1.56 (95% CI 1.25-1.95).
- The 17.5% who thought they might have gum disease had a prevalence ratio for HPV of 1.51 (95% CI 1.13-2.01).
- The 53.9% who said they had recently used mouthwash to treat a dental problem had a prevalence ratio for HPV of 1.28 (95% CI 1.07-1.52).
- And an increasing number of lost teeth was also associated with the risk of HPV (P=0.035).
Being male, smoking cigarettes, using marijuana, and oral sex habits all increased the chance of oral HPV infection, Bui and colleagues found.
But a multivariate analysis suggested that self-rated overall oral health was an independent risk factor (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.15-2.09) because it did not change after adjusting for smoking and multiple oral sex partners, the researchers reported.
Bui and colleagues cautioned that the study is based on cross-sectional data and can't say anything about temporal relationships between variables. But they noted that oral HPV infection is usually without symptoms, and so is unlikely to affect self-reported oral health.
They also cautioned that the underlying data are based on self-report and might be subject to recall bias. Also, the number of participants was relatively small, so the analysis had limited statistical power, they noted.
The study had support from the UT Health Innovation for Cancer Prevention Research.
The journal said the authors did not report any potential conflicts.
- Reviewed by F. Perry Wilson, MD, MSCE Instructor of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Dorothy Caputo, MA, BSN, RN, Nurse Planner
last updated
Primary Source
Cancer Prevention ResearchSource Reference: Bui TC, et al "Examining the association between oral health and oral hpv infection" Cancer Prev Res 2013; DOI: 10.1158/1940-6207.


text:
By Edward Zelinsky
Warren Buffett has again called on Congress to raise federal taxes on affluent taxpayers. In an opinion piece in the New York Times, Mr. Buffett urged Congress to increase federal taxes on taxpayers with annual incomes greater than $1,000,000. As he has in the past, Mr. Buffett contrasted his effective tax rate with the taxes paid by the other employees in Berkshire Hathaway's Omaha headquarters.
Unsurprisingly, Mr. Buffett's most recent comments have provoked much commentary. President Obama endorsed Mr. Buffett's call for higher taxes on more prosperous Americans. Critics disagreeing with Mr. Buffett argued that higher tax rates, if implemented, would in practice increase taxes for many persons earning substantially less than $1,000,000 annually. Others argued that Mr. Buffett, if he feels he is undertaxed, can always make a voluntary payment to the US Treasury.
So far, both those supporting and those opposing Mr. Buffett's call for higher federal taxes have ignored the role played by FICA taxes in Mr. Buffett's calculations. The key passage of Mr. Buffett's editorial reads as follows:
Last year my federal tax bill — the income tax I paid, as well as payroll taxes paid by me and on my behalf — was $6,938,744. That sounds like a lot of money. But what I paid was only 17.4 percent of my taxable income — and that's actually a lower percentage than was paid by any of the other 20 people in our office. Their tax burdens ranged from 33 percent to 41 percent and averaged 36 percent.
Thus, FICA taxes play a critical role in Mr. Buffett's calculations. Mr. Buffett did not compare his effective federal income tax rate with his employees' federal income tax rates. Rather, he compared relative tax burdens by combining federal income, Social Security and Medicare taxes, including the Social Security and Medicare taxes paid by Berkshire Hathaway as the employer for each employee.
As they say, the answer you get depends upon the question you ask. Suppose that Mr. Buffett had contrasted his income taxes with the income taxes paid by everyone else at the Berkshire-Hathaway headquarters in 2010. The resulting numbers tell a different story.
Consider, for example, an unmarried administrative assistant who, in 2010, earned $50,000 working for Berkshire Hathaway. For ease of calculation, let us assume that this individual had no dependents and no itemized deductions. After deducting the personal exemption and the standard deduction, this individual paid federal income taxes of $6,344 on taxable income of $40,650 for an effective income tax burden of 16%.
Mr. Buffett's calculations show a much higher tax burden on this employee because Mr. Buffett added to the employee's federal income taxes the FICA taxes paid both by Berkshire Hathaway and by this employee. Those employer/employee FICA taxes in 2010 came to an additional $7,650, far more than the federal income tax this individual paid.
FICA taxes, which are a nuisance for Mr. Buffett, are a serious burden for this administrative assistant. For this individual, the combined federal tax burden including employer and employee FICA payments came to almost $14,000, 34% of his taxable income.
At this point in the discussion, many supporters of the Social Security system would say that Mr. Buffett, by aggregating FICA and income taxes, lumped together apples and oranges. Income taxes and FICA taxes, the argument goes, are not the same and should not be combined because FICA taxes purchase retirement, death, disability and health care benefits. The characterization of FICA taxes as purchasing Social Security and Medicare benefits bolsters the argument that these entitlement programs should remain untouched as we confront other federal expenditures.
A famous story about Franklin Roosevelt illustrates this point: A supporter of the New Deal complained to FDR that the FICA tax is imposed at a flat rate on the worker's first dollar earned. FDR defended the design of the FICA tax since no "damn politician" could in the future tamper with Social Security benefits because the FICA tax makes wage earners feel that they have, by their tax contribution, earned promised benefits.
Ironically, today's conservatives implicitly embrace FDR's logic when they decry that half of all Americans pay no income taxes. For these conservatives, it is no answer that many of these Americans pay FICA taxes on their first dollar earned. FICA taxes and income taxes, they suggest, are different.
As a transplanted Omahan, I am a Warren Buffett fan. Through his activity for the Giving Pledge and his personal contributions to the Gates Foundation, he has supported his principles with his money. I welcome Mr. Buffett's contribution to our pressing national debate about the federal fisc. As part of that contribution, I urge Mr. Buffett to publish a comparison of his federal income taxes (sans FICA payroll taxes) with his employees' federal income taxes and to clarify where he stands on the question of entitlement spending.
At the end of the day, I think that Mr. Buffett has done the country a service by his remarks and is correct to include the FICA tax burden of his employees in making his comparison of different effective tax rates. Liberals and conservatives alike need to be more forthcoming about the FICA burden on lower income individuals. It will be necessary to make politically painful changes to Social Security and Medicare to control federal spending. As part of a package which includes reductions to entitlement and defense spending, higher income Americans should pay higher taxes, hopefully in a fashion designed to minimize the economic inefficiencies inevitably caused by higher tax rates. However, additional taxes from affluent Americans, by themselves, will not solve the nation's deficit problem.
As the joint select committee on deficit reduction begins its work, the Oracle of Omaha should weigh in further on these issues.
Edward A. Zelinsky is the Morris and Annie Trachman Professor of Law at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University. He is the author of The Origins of the Ownership Society: How The Defined Contribution Paradigm Changed America. His monthly column appears here.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
India-Pakistan T20 tickets to be sold online
Bangalore - Over 7,000 tickets for the first India-Pakistan T20 tie at Chinnaswamy stadium here Dec 25 will be sold online from Thursday, former Test cricketer and Karnataka State Cricket Stadium (KSCA) secretary Javagal Srinath said.
Maximum tickets for public – 7,187 – will be sold online at www.bookmyshow.com for stands across the stadium at different fares, while 5,500 tickets for gallery stands, priced at Rs.250, will be sold Dec 21 through counters at the stadium," Srinath told reporters.
Online tickets are priced between Rs.1,600-15,000, with those for corporates priced at Rs.12,500 and executive lounges at Rs.6,000, and terrace seats at Rs.9,000.
Though the stadium in the city centre facing the famous Cubbon Park boasts of 35,533-seat capacity, only 12,687 seats are available to the general public, as the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has to provide the remaining seats to various associations, clubs, boards and VIPs.
"Of the total seats, 2,800 are reserved for KSCA members, 3,600 for cricket clubs, 3,400 for other cricket associations, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) 2,673, corporates 3,705, complimentary tickets 6,168 and the remaining for our staff and officials," Srinath said.
Tickets for about 500 fans from Pakistan will be issued through the PCB.
Police will provide security. "As per the guidelines, the stadium will be handed over to the city police for sanitising and making fool-proof security arrangements…movement of fans will be regulated and restricted," KSCA president and former ace leggie Anil Kumble said.
The match between the arch rivals will be played in the night from 7 p.m. onwards on Christmas day.
A four-member Pakistan official team visited Bangalore Dec 3 to inspect security and other arrangements being made for their team and their fans in the city.
About 500 Pakistani fans have been given visa to witness the two T20 matches and three one-dayers between the two countries. In addition, high profile persons, including former Pakistan players, will also be visiting India as PCB guests to watch the matches.
The second T20 will be played at Ahmedabad in Gujarat Dec 27 and the three one-dayers in Chennai Dec 30, Kolkata Jan 3 and New Delhi Jan 6.


text:
posted by Thom Holwerda on Wed 19th Dec 2007 21:35 UTC, submitted by borker
Trolltech has published a preview of Qt 4.4. "Qt 4.4 is one of the most exciting Qt releases ever, expanding the range of what is possible with Qt. While the release is still several months away, we would like to provide you with a sneak preview of several key new technologies set to be included in Qt 4.4."


text:
The jury found Samsung's gadgets infringed Apple's '647 patent, but not the '959 patent or '414 patent. Results were mixed for the '721 patent, with some Samsung devices, such as the Galaxy Nexus, found to infringe, and others not.
The jury awarded Apple only $119.6 million for the infringement.
Apple wanted more than $2 billion. The verdict is still being read, and the jury has also ruled that Apple infringed on one of Samsung's patents, awarding Samsung $158000 for it.
So, pocket change both ways. A total waste of money, public resources, the jury members' time, and the court system. Well done you, patent system.
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Or, perhaps, Samsung merely changed their design to match Samsung's own pre-Ipad/pre-Iphone design: http://lawpundit.blogspot.com/2011/08/samsung-digital-picture-frame...
Whether or not the fanboys' claim is true (that Samsung changed their design to match that of the Ipad), the claim is irrelevant, as Samsung obviously already had such an enclosure design prior to Apple.


text:
|Thread Tools
|Display Modes
Make America Great Again
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Springpatch
Casino cash: $33532
The Official Free Agency Repository Thread
We've done this in years past, and it was super helpful to anybody who didn't want to have to dig through dozens of pages.
We all know the drill here: whenever there is a free agency move, post it in this thread. I will update it here in the OP (along with the aid of any mods who want to help) to help establish one-stop shopping for all your football update needs.
Any and all updates are welcome. The more updates you clog this thread with, the more up-to-date and super-easy-to-follow this thread will be.
If a mod wants to sticky this, I'm cool with that:
New England Patriots:
re-sign CB Kyle Arrington
re-sign CB Aqib Talib
re-sign OLB Niko Koutouvides
re-sign ILB Robert Francois
re-sign DB Marquice Cole
re-sign OT Sebastian Vollmer
re-sign WR Julian Edelman
re-sign TE Michael Hoomanawanui
release FB Spencer Larsen
release WR Brandon Lloyd
sign DL Jason Vega
sign WR Danny Amendola 5 years
sign RB Leon Washington
sign DE John Abraham
sign S Adrian Wilson
sign WR Donald Jones
sign OT Will Svitek
sign WR Michael Jenkins
sign DT Tommy Kelly
New York Jets:
restructure WR Santonio Holmes
re-sign LB Josh Mauga 1 year
re-sign FB Lex Hilliard
re-sign LS Tanner Purdum
re-sign TE Jeff Cumberland
re-sign OT Austin Howard
release then re-sign OLB Calvin Pace
release OG Brandon Moore
release ILB Bart Scott
release S Eric Smith
release OT Jason Smith
release TE Josh Baker
release DT Sione Pouha
sign QB David Garrard
sign DT Antonio Garay
sign OG Willie Colon
sign RB Mike Goodson
sign K Nick Folk
sign LB Antwan Barnes
sign P Ryan Quigley
sign K Derek Dimke
sign SS Dawan Landry
Miami Dolphins:
tag DE Randy Starks
re-sign QB Matt Moore $8m/2 years
re-sign WR Brian Hartline $30.7m/5 years ($12.5m guaranteed)
re-sign QB Pat Devlin
re-sign DB R.J. Stanford
re-sign FS Chris Clemons 1 year
re-sign OT Nate Garner
re-sign LB Austin Spitler
release ILB Karlos Dansby
release OLB Kevin Burnett
sign WR Mike Wallace 5 years
sign ILB Danelle Ellerbe
sign ILB Phillip Wheeler
sign TE Dustin Keller 1 year
sign WR Brandon Gibson
sign OG Lance Louis
sign CB Brent Grimes
sign DE Vaughn Martin
sign LS Patrick Scales
Buffalo Bills:
tag S Jairus Byrd
tender TE Dorin Dickerson
DE Shawn Merriman has retired
re-sign CB Leodis McKelvin $20m/4 years
re-sign LB Bryan Scott
re-sign OG/C Colin Brown
re-sign TE Mike Caussin
re-sign RB Tashard Choice
release OLB Nick Barnett
release CB Terrence McGee
release QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
sign QB Tarvaris Jackson
sign OLB Manny Lawson
sign QB Kevin Kolb
sign DT Alan Branch
sign LB Marcus Dowtin
Baltimore Ravens:
trade WR Anquan Boldin to the 49ers for a sixth-round pick
tender TE Ed Dickson
place 2nd round tender on TE Dennis Pitta
re-sign QB Joe Flacco $120.6m/6 years ($52m guaranteed)
re-sign WR David Reed 2 years
re-sign SS James Ihedigbo
re-sign RB Damien Berry
re-sign OG Ramon Harewood
re-sign LS Morgan Cox
re-sign DT Bryan Hall
release OG Bobbie Williams
release SS Bernard Pollard
release ILB Brendon Ayanbadejo
sign DE Chris Canty
sign DB Chris Johnson
sign DE Marcus Spears 2 years
sign OLB Elvis Dumervil
sign S Michael Huff
sign DE Arthur Jones
sign MLB Rolando McClain
sign QB Caleb Hanie
Pittsburgh Steelers:
tender RB Jonathan Dwyer
tender RB Isaac Redman
tender DT Steve McLendon
restructure OLB Lamar Woodley
re-sign ILB Larry Foote 1 year
re-sign LS Greg Warren
re-sign WR Plaxico Burress 1 year
re-sign Stevenson Sylvester
re-sign WR Emmanuel Sanders
re-sign DT Steve McLendon
release OLB James Harrison
release OG Willie Colon
sign CB William Gay 3 years
sign QB Bruce Gradkowski
sign TE Matt Spaeth
Cincinnati Bengals:
tag DE Michael Johnson
tendered S Jeromy Miles
re-sign P Kevin Huber 5 years
re-sign LS Clark Harris Friday
re-sign K Mike Nugent 2 years
re-sign DE Wallace Gilberry $6.75 million/3 years
re-sign RB Cedric Peerman 2 years
re-sign LB Vincent Rey
re-sign TE Clark Harris 5 years
re-sign WR Andrew Hawkins
re-sign DE Robert Geathers
re-sign ILB Rey Maualuga
re-sign CB Adam Jones
re-sign TE Richard Quinn
re-sign WR Brandon Tate
re-sign OT Dennis Roland
re-sign CB Terence Newman
re-sign SS Jeromy Miles
re-sign RB Bernard Scott
release DB Jason Allen
sign QB Josh Johnson
sign QB John Skelton
sign OG Mike Pollak
sign TE Alex Smith
Cleveland Browns:
traded away OLB Emmanuel Acho for RB Dion Lewis
re-sign RB Chris Ogbonnaya
release DE Frostee Rucker
release FS Usama Young
release LB Chris Gocong
sign OLB Paul Kruger $41m/5years
sign DT Desmond Bryant $34m/5 years
sign TE Gary Barnidge
sign OLB Quentin Groves
sign DB Chris Owens
sign DB Kevin Barnes
sign QB Jason Campbell
sign K Brandon Bogotay
sign WR David Nelson
sign K Shayne Graham
sign LB Ryan Rau
Houston Texans:
re-sign OT Andrew Gardner
re-sign CB Brice McCain
re-sign OT Ryan Harris
re-sign ILB Tim Dobbins
release WR Kevin Walter
sign TE Phillip Supernaw
sign FS Ed Reed
sign P Shane Lechler
sign FB Greg Jones
Indianapolis Colts:
tag P Pat McAfee
re-sign DT Fili Moala
re-sign OT Joe Reitz
re-sign DT Martin Tevaseu
re-sign CB Cassius Vaughn
release S Tom Zbikowski
sign OT Gosder Cherilus
sign CB Darius Butler 2 years
sign OLB Erik Walden
sign CB Greg Toler
sign OG Donald Thomas
sign LB Lawrence Sidbury
sign OLB Erik Walden
sign DT Ricky Jean Francois
sign SS LaRon Landry 4 years
sign QB Matt Hasselbeck
sign DT Aubrayo Franklin
sign WR Darrius Heyward-Bey
Tennessee Titans:
re-sign K Rob Bironas $6.6m/2 years
re-sign S George Wilson $4 million/2 years
re-sign DE Keyunta Dawson 1 year
re-sign FB Quinn Johnson
re-sign WR Darius Reynaud
release LB Kevin Malast
release OG Mitch Petrus
release SS Jordan Babineaux
release QB Matt Hasselbeck
sign OG Andy Levitre
sign TE Delanie Walker
sign RB Shonn Greene $10m/3 years
sign DT Samie Lee Hill $11.4m/4 years ($4m guaranteed)
sign ILB Moise Fokou
sign QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
sign C Robert Turner
sign SS Bernard Pollard
sign DE Ropati Pitoitua
sign OG Chris Spencer
sign WR Kevin Walter
Jacksonville Jaguars:
re-sign CB Antwaun Molden
re-sign WR Jordan Shipley
release CB Aaron Ross
release CB Rashean Mathis
release SS Dawan Landry
release OT Guy Whimper
release DB Brandon King
release QB John Parker Wilson
release WR Laurent Robinson
release DT C.J. Mosely
sign OLB Geno Hayes
sign RB Justin Forsett
sign CB Alan Ball
sign DT Roy Miller
sign C Brad Meester
sign DT Sen'Derrick Marks
sign WR Mohamed Massaquoi
sign DE Pannel Egboh
Kansas City Chiefs:
traded a 2nd this year and a future pick for QB Alex Smith
tag OT Branden Albert
restructure DE Tyson Jackson
re-sign WR Dwayne Bowe $56m/5 years ($26m guaranteed)
re-sign P Dustin Colquitt $18m/5 years ($9m guaranteed)
re-sign OL Bryan Mattison
re-sign LS Thomas Gafford
re-sign LB Edgar Jones
release OT Eric Winston
release WR Steve Breaston
release TE Kevin Boss
release TE Steve Maneri
release QB Matt Cassel
release K Matt Szymanski
release OLB Andy Studebaker
release OG Rich Ranglin
sign CB Dunta Robinson $15m/3 years
sign S Hasain Abdullah
sign WR Mardy Gilyard
sign DT Marcus Dixon
sign TE Kevin Brock
sign TE Anthony Fasano 4 years
sign QB Chase Daniel 3 years
sign DE Mike DeVito $12.6m/3 years
sign WR Donnie Avery 3 years
sign CB Sean Smith $18m/3 years ($11m guaranteed)
sign OT/OG Geoff Schwartz
sign FB Ryan D'Imperio
sign LB Chad Kilgore
sign OLB Frank Zombo
sign C Tommie Draheim
sign ILB Zac Diles
sign ILB Akeem Jordan
sign ILB Orie Lemon
(Broncos, Raiders, and Chargers below.)
Denver Broncos:
tag OT Ryan Clady
re-sign S David Bruton
re-sign DB Tony Carter
re-sign DE Mitch Unrein
re-sign RB Lance Ball
release ILB DJ Williams
release QB Caleb Hanie
release DE/OLB Elvis Dumervil
release QB Caleb Hanie
sign OG Louis Vasquez $23.5m/4 years ($13m guaranteed)
sign DT Kevin Vickerson 2 years
sign LB Stewart Bradley
sign WR Wes Welker
sign DT Terrance Knighton
Oakland Raiders
trade for QB Matt Flynn for a 6th rounder, plus 2014 conditional
trade QB Carson Palmer for 7th rounder
re-sign CB Phillip Adams
re-sign OT Khalif Barnes
re-sign LB Kaelin Burnett
release WR Darrius Heyward-Bey
release DB Michael Huff
release DE David Tollefson
release DT Tommy Kelly
release MLB Rolando McClain
release OT Jason Slowey
sign DB Coye Francies
sign DT Pat Sims
sign LB Jason Hunter
sign OLB Kaluka Maiava
sign OLB Nick Roach
sign LB Kevin Burnett
sign DE Vance Walker
sign OT Alex Barron
sign CB Tracy Porter
sign CB Mike Jenkins
sign DE Andre Carter
sign RB Rashad Jennings
sign FS Usama Young
San Diego Chargers:
tender WR Danario Alexander
re-sign WR Richard Goodman
re-sign LS Mike Windt 4 years
re-sign RB Ronnie Brown
release SS Atari Bigby
release ILB Takeo Spikes
release TE Randy McMichael
release DT Antonio Garay
release OT Jared Gaither
sign K Nick Novak
sign TE John Phillips
sign OT King Dunlap
sign OG Chad Rinehart
sign CB Derek Cox $20m/4 years ($10.25m guaranteed)
sign RB Danny Woodhead 2 years
sign DE Jarius Wynn
sign WR Deon Butler
sign WR Dan DePalma
sign DB Cornelius Brown
sign C Rich Ohrnberger
Dallas Cowboys:
extend QB Tony Romo $108m/6 years ($55m guaranteed)
tag DE Anthony Spencer
restructure OLB DeMarcus Ware
restructure WR Miles Austin
restructure CB Brandon Carr
restructure TE Jason Witten
restructure OG Mackenzy Bernadeau
restrcuture OG Ryan Cook
re-sign C Phil Costa
re-sign ILB Ernie Sims
re-sign WR Anthony Armstrong
release ILB Dan Connor
release LB Brashton Satele
release FS Gerald Sensabaugh
release WR Anthony Armstrong
sign OL L.P. Ladouceur 5 years
sign OL Phil Costa 2 years
sign OLB Justin Durant
sign SS Will Allen
New York Giants:
place 1st round tender on WR Victor Cruz
re-sign OT William Beatty $38.75m/5 years ($19m guaranteed)
re-sign DE Justin Trattou
re-sign C Jim Cordle
re-sign DE Adrian Tracy
re-sign RB Ryan Torain
re-sign OLB Keith Rivers
re-sign QB David Carr
re-sign SS Stevie Brown
re-sign OG Kevin Boothe
re-sign C Jim Cordle
release RB Ahmad Bradshaw
release DT Chris Canty
release LB Michael Boley
sign DE Cullen Jenkins $8m/3 years
sign DT Shaun Rogers
sign CB Aaron Ross
sign K Josh Brown
sign FS Ryan Mundy
sign WR Louis Murphy
sign ILB Dan Connor
sign TE Brandon Myers
sign DT Mike Patterson
Washington Redskins:
re-sign LS Nick Sundberg 4 years
re-sign TE Logan Paulsen 3 years
re-sign FB Darrel Young $6.2m/3 years
re-sign OLB Rob Jackson 1 year
re-sign OG Kory Lichtensteiger 5 years
re-sign DT Kedric Golston 3 years
re-sign P Sav Rocca 2 years
re-sign LB Bryan Kehl
re-sign OT Tyler Polumbus
re-sign TE Fred Davis
re-sign QB Rex Grossman
release then re-sign CB DeAngelo Hall
release DB Korey Lindsey
sign DT Ron Brace
sign OT Nick Pashos
sign OT Jeremy Trueblood
sign CB E.J. Biggers
sign DE Darryl Tapp
sign QB Pat White
Philadelphia Eagles:
trade for WR Arrelious Benn and a 7th rounder from for a 6th rounder and a 2014 conditional
trade away RB Dion Lewis for DE Emmanuel Acho
restructure QB Michael Vick for the year
re-sign C Jon Dorenbos 4 years
re-sign DB Colt Anderson 1 year
release OT Demetress Bell
release DT Mike Patterson
release CB Nnamdi Asomugha
release QB Trent Edwards
sign QB Dennis Dixon 2 years
sign CB Bradley Fletcher
sign S Patrick Chung
sign FB James Casey 3 years
sign DT Isaac Sopoaga $12m/3 years ($5m guaranteed)
sign DT Kedric Golston
sign DE Connor Barwin
sign SS Kenny Phillips
sign CB Cary Williams
sign P Donnie Jones
sign DE Darryl Tapp
sign WR Ifeanyi Momah
Green Bay Packers
place 2nd round tender on CB Sam Shields
restructure DL Johnny Jolly
re-sign LB Rob Francois
re-sign ILB Brad Jones
re-sign OG Evan Dietrich-Smith
release CB Vince Agnew
release C Jeff Saturday
release CB Charles Woodson
release WR Donald Driver -- he has retired
sign CB Loyce Means
sign TE Matthew Mulligan
Chicago Bears
tag DT Henry Melton
re-sign RB Armando Allen
re-sign DT Nate Collins
re-sign OT Jonathan Scott
re-sign CB Kevin Hayden
re-sign QB Josh McCown
release WR Johnny Knox
release DT Matt Toeaina
release TE Kellen Davis
sign TE Martellus Bennett
sign OT Jermon Bushrod
sign TE Matt Spaeth
sign DB Zack Bowman
sign DT Turk McBride
sign TE Steve Maneri
sign SS Tom Zbikowski
sign OLB D.J. Williams
sign OLB James Anderson
sign OG Matt Slauson
sign C Taylor Boggs
sign DT Andre Fluellen
sign DE Kyle Moore
sign OG Eben Britton
Detroit Lions
announce retirement of OT Jeff Backus and K Jason Hanson
place a 2nd round tender on DL Willie Young
re-sign OLB DeAndre Levy
re-sign CB Chris Houston
re-sign LS Don Muhlbach
re-sign S Louis Delmas 2 years
re-sign OG Dylan Gandy
re-sign WR Brian Robiskie
re-sign DE Willie Young
re-sign FS Ricardo Silva
re-sign WR Kris Durham
re-sign RB Shaun Chapas
re-sign RB Joique Bell
re-sign OT Jason Fox
re-sign WR Brian Robiskie
release WR Titus Young
release OG Stephen Peterman
release DE Kyle Vanden Bosch
sign LB DeAndre Levy 3 years
sign OL Corey Hilliard 2 years
sign RB Reggie Bush
sign DT Jason Jones
sign SS Glover Quin
sign DT C.J. Mosley
sign K David Akers
sign K Havard Rugland
Minnesota Vikings
trade WR Percy Harvin to Seahawks for 1st & 7th rounder, plus 2014 midrounder
re-sign DB Marcus Sherels
re-sign OT Phil Loadholt $25m/4 years
re-sign OLB Erin Henderson
re-sign FB Jerome Felton $7.5m/3 years
re-sign WR Jerome Simpson 1 year
re-sign SS Jamarca Sanford
re-sign C Joe Berger
re-sign DB Andrew Sendejo
re-sign OLB Marvin Mitchell
re-sign CB A.J. Jefferson
release WR Michael Jenkins
release CB Antoine Winfield
sign QB Matt Cassel $4m/1 year
sign WR Greg Jennings $47.5m/5 years ($18m guaranteed)
sign OG Seth Olsen
Atlanta Falcons:
re-sign SS William Moore $30m/5 years ($14m guaranteed)
re-sign OG Garrett Reynolds 2 years
re-sign RB Antone Smith 2 years
re-sign TE Tony Gonzalez
re-sign CB Brent Grimes
re-sign OT Sam Baker
release DE John Abraham
release RB Michael Turner
release OT Tyson Clabo
sign RB Steven Jackson
sign DE Osi Umenyiora
sign ILB Brian Banks
Carolina Panthers:
re-sign TE Richie Brockel
re-sign CB Captain Munnerlyn
re-sign DT Dwan Edwards
release CB Chris Gamble -- has now retired
release DT Ron Edwards
release LB James Anderson
release LB Kenny Onatolu
sign LB Jordan Senn
sign DT Colin Cole
sign CB Drayton Florence
sign QB Derek Anderson
sign CB D.J. Moore
sign SS Mike Mitchell
sign WR Ted Ginn
sign MLB Chase Blackburn
sign WR Domenik Hixon
Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
trade WR Arrelious Benn and a 7th rounder to Philadelphia for a 6th rounder and a 2014 conditional
re-sign RB LeGarrette Blount $1.25m/1 year
re-sign LB Jacob Cutrera
re-sign LS Andrew Economos
release OLB Quincy Black
release QB Dan Orlovsky
release RB D.J. Ware
sign P Chas Henry
sign S Dashon Goldson 5 years
sign OLB Jonathan Casillas
sign WR Kevin Ogletree
sign OLB Jonathan Casillas
sign TE Tom Crabtree
sign DT Derek Landri
sign DE George Selvie
sign WR Steve Smith
sign K Nate Kaeding
sign RB Brian Leonard
sign WR Eric Page
New Orleans Saints:
re-sign DT Junior Galette 3 years
re-sign LS Justin Drescher
re-sign WR Courtney Roby
re-sign LB Ramon Humber
re-sign OLB Will Herring
re-sign C Brian De La Puente
release TE David Thomas
release CB Johnny Patrick
release OLB Will Herring
sign CB Keenan Lewis
sign TE Benjamin Watson
sign OLB Victor Butler
sign DE Kenyon Coleman
sign QB Luke McCown
sign FS Jim Leonhard
sign OT Jason Smith
sign QB Seneca Wallace
San Fransisco 49ers:
trade QB Alex Smith to Chiefs for 2nd rounder plus future picks
trade for WR Anquan Boldin from the Ravens for a 6th rounder
re-sign DT Ian Williams 1 year
re-sign LB Parys Haralson
re-sign DB Darcel McBath
re-sign DB Tramaine Brock
sign WR Joe Hastings
sign DE/DT Glenn Dorsey
sign LB Dan Skuta
sign S Craig Dahl
sign K Phil Dawson
sign WR Marlon Moore
sign CB Nnamdi Asomugha
sign TE Cameron Morrah
St. Louis Rams:
claim WR Titus Young off waivers, then release him
contract voided w/ RB Steven Jackson
re-sign DT Jermelle Cudjo
re-sign C Tim Barnes
re-sign TE Mike McNeill
re-sign DE William Hayes
re-sign OT Chris Williams
re-sign SS Darian Stewart
re-sign QB Kellen Clemens
release S Quintin Mikell
release OT Wayne Hunter
sign DE William Hayes
sign TE Jared Cook 5 years
sign OT Jake Long $36m/4 years ($16m guaranteed)
Arizona Cardinals:
trade for QB Carson Palmer for a 7th rounder
re-sign SS Rashad Johnson
re-sign DE Ronald Talley
re-sign RB Alfonso Smith
release S Adrian Wilson
release CB William Gay
release RB Beanie Wells
release WR Early Doucet
release LB Stewart Bradley
release RB Fozzy Whittaker
release S Kerry Rhodes
release QB Kevin Kolb
sign RB Rashard Mendenhall
sign CB Jerraud Powers
sign QB Drew Stanton $8.2m/3years
sign WR Josh Cribbs
sign LB Lorenzo Alexander
sign ILB Jasper Brinkley
sign CB Antoine Cason
sign DE Matt Shaughnessy
sign DE Frostee Rucker
sign DB Jonathon Amaya
sign DB Curtis Taylor
sign DB Bryan McCann
sign P Will Batson
sign OG Chilo Rachal
Seattle Seahawks:
trade for WR Percy Harvin for 1st & 7th rounder, plus 2014 midrounder
trade QB Matt Flynn to Raiders for a 6th rounder, plus 2014 conditional
re-sign LS Clint Gresham
release RB Leon Washington
release WR Ben Obomanu
release WR Lavasier Tuinei
sign DE Cliff Avril
sign DE Michael Bennett
sign DT Tony McDaniel
sign QB Josh Portis
sign WR Brett Swain
sign QB Brady Quinn
sign CB Antoine Winfield
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I just noticed that Denario Alexander was only tendered as an "original round" draft pick. He was undrafted. That means if we sign him, SD gets nothing.
I'd sign the guy in a heartbeat....low risk/high reward guy.
Dreams do come true...
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theres no compensation involved but by tendering him even at UDFA status, they can still match any offer to him. They want to see if a guy with such a bad injury history but still with the highest PER of WRs last season even has a market.
There would have to be a team out there that offers him a poison pill contract to get him away from the Chargers. I think it could happen but probably not.
hes essentially the type of player we wish Jon Baldwin was. A dude putting up monster efficient stats because hes drawing single coverage beating teams 3rd and 4th best secondary guys, hes a mismatch nightmare because no defenses were respecting him because of his bum leg and he put himself on the gameplan map because of it. I wish Baldwin would do exactly that, draw respect from opposing defenses.
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Updated, included Rashad Jennings re-signing with the Cardinals and the Ravens placing tenders on both of their TEs.
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After the tease that was the "three-day negotiating window," which turned out to be, it seems, a half-hearted way to generate even more interest into an already wacko start to free agency, today, finally, we will have deals announced. And I expect no shortage of them.
In fact, there are already quite a few free-agent visits already lined up -- whoops, oh yeah, I guess that technically violates the anti-tampering memo that went out last week, oh well -- and things will be fast and furious once 4 p.m. ET arrives. Saying all of that, this just isn't a very impressive class of players overall, and the tampering window has done nothing to change that.
So, I expect even more trades to come, and more restricted free-agent activity than normal, also, to try to offset what is lacking in these free agents.
There won't be any record-setting contracts at any positions, as best I can tell after exhaustive talks with agents and execs, and things are going to get pretty dry, pretty quickly once we get into the second and third tiers of players.
In fact, expect Percy Harvin, acquired in trade by the Seahawks on Monday, to do better contractually than anyone in this free-agent class. He has already agreed to a new deal with Seattle that league sources said is worth in excess of $12 million per year. But with the negotiating window winding down and the actual start of free agency nearly here, this is a positional look at what is going down:
This is not a very deep group, but there will be action. Kevin Kolb, Carson Palmer and Ryan Fitzpatrick could still be added to this group pending the resolution of their contractual issues, but for now, Chase Daniel has been very hot and league sources anticipate he will sign a deal worth in excess of $3 million a year, with Kansas City being very interested. Former Chiefs starter Matt Cassel is drawing interest from the Vikings to push Christian Ponder (Palmer would be a strong candidate here as well if he gets free, sources said), and Drew Stanton will likely land in either Jacksonville, Tampa or Arizona, also suitors for Cassel. If the Cards let go of Kolb -- which is a distinct possibility; a major pay cut there would likely be rejected -- Cleveland could be interested. Jason Campbell has been given a chance to stay with the Bears, and the Jets and Browns could be options, too.
Running back
Reggie Bush is in line to do the best of this bunch, with the Cardinals, Lions and Packers all possibilities. His versatility and special-teams play could still land him close to $5 million a year. Steven Jackson to the Falcons makes a lot of sense, and Denver and Miami are among the teams expected to bid aggressively for former Steeler Rashard Mendenhall. It might take a little while for Ahmad Bradshaw and Michael Turner to find a market -- Bradshaw back to the Giants could still make sense. Jackson will be a big fish, too, and several league sources believe despite all the rumblings that the Falcons will land him, there is every reason to expect the Packers to swoop in as well.
Wide receiver/tight end
Wallace will get pursued by the Vikings and Dolphins. If I had to take a guess right now, I would say he lands in South Florida. I don't get the sense that the market for Greg Jennings is shaping up as some assumed it would, and I continue to believe that it's possible he stays in Green Bay (and then the Packers ultimately part with tight end Jermichael Finley). Danny Amendola has his ticket punched out of St. Louis, with the Eagles among those eying him, and Patriot Julian Edelman would be a nice replacement for Amendola in that regard. I still have a hard time imagining Wes Welker anywhere but New England, though the sides have not exactly made a ton of progress or moved closer to a resolution, and with so few options around, a restricted free agent like Victor Cruz might end up receiving an offer sheet.
The tight end group is particularly thin. Fred Davis is likely to end up back in Washington on a team-friendly deal and Martellus Bennett could end up back with the Giants -- would not be a surprise. I don't hear much of a market for Dustin Keller, while Jared Cook is the best of the group and the Titans should have franchised him. The Rams are among his suitors, and if the Falcons are convinced Tony Gonzalez is in fact retired, this could be a perfect fit for him. Sources said Anthony Fasano is poised to do well on the open market, perhaps in the $4 million a year range.
Offensive line
Jake Long isn't the catch some thought he would be. The injuries and waning production have taken a toll. He'll still be the highest-paid offensive lineman, but we're not shattering any spending records here. The Dolphins (go figure), Saints, Falcons, Bears and Chargers are the teams in hottest pursuit of help here. In the end, the Patriots have too much at stake to let Sebastian Vollmer walk, though this does look like the end for Jermon Bushrod in New Orleans. The Falcons tend to keep their own, and they want to retain Sam Baker at the right price. Similarly, the Ravens are playing the market, but will they really be able to do better than Bryant McKinnie? Adam Levitre will be the highest-paid guard on the market, though a Jahri Evans type deal seems ambitious, and Kevin Boothe could be yet another lineman who ends up staying put.
Defensive ends/outside linebackers
Cliff Avril is the best in breed here, and the Lions desperately want to retain him, though that seems less likely by the day. The question is whether he reaches $10 million per year, which would help set the rest of the market for pass rushers. Tampa Bay is pushing hard for a pass rusher and several league sources believe they'll do what it takes to get Avril. Michael Bennett is bracing to leave the Bucs, and he is drawing nice interest as well, with the Eagles and Falcons also deep in on players at these positions.
Paul Kruger is another dynamic young pass rusher, and he could hit the $8 million per year threshold. The Browns are major suitors, and the Colts also are after him (Colts coach Chuck Pagano coached him in Baltimore). Detroit is targeting Jason Jones with Avril on his way out (and Jones has become very hot, sources said, though Miami, Dallas, the Giants and Chiefs are also looking to bolster his position. If the Bucs don't land Avril, sources said Connor Barwin is a possible target, and Barwin could end up staying with the Texans. Rams end William Hayes is in good position on the open market, sources said, with the Jets and Bucs among those interested in him.
End John Abraham visited the Seahawks and 49ers, but could take time for things to fully develop for him, given his age and the numbers of players at a similar stage of their careers, like Richard Seymour, Osi Umenyiora and Dwight Freeney. Pass rusher Victor Butler is a priority for the Jets.
Defensive tackles/inside linebackers
The Ravens strongly want to keep linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, and are trying to make that happen before the market opens. Brian Urlacher found a bit more interest than some would expect, sources said, though I am still not sure a cheap return to Chicago isn't his best option. The Redskins badly want to keep Lorenzo Alexander but he has other options and they have no cap room.
The Saints are still expected to release linebacker Jonathan Vilma, and 49ers tackle Ricky Jean Francois is in demand, with the Eagles, Titans and Colts among the teams looking to upgrade, and San Francisco hopeful of keeping him. The Titans are worried about losing Sen'Derrick Marks, while Oakland's Desmond Bryant, despite his recent arrest, is being seriously evaluated by the Raiders, Patriots, Seahawks, Eagles and Browns, sources said. Cleveland and Philadelphia seem particularly intent on bolstering their defensive line, while the Jets don't expect to keep many (actually any) free agents, though tackle Mike DeVito is a priority. It's doubtful Casey Hampton will have much on the open market, so perhaps a cheap one-year deal to return to the Steelers will make the most sense.
Defensive secondary
The market continues to be flooded with corners, which should keep the prices down. And there are likely at least still two more starters to be cut (Nnamdi Asomugha and Eric Wright).
Sean Smith should do the best of this bunch, given his age and skill, and the Chiefs, 49ers, Cardinals and Bucs are among those looking hardest at him. Brent Grimes might not find a deep market beyond what he could make going back to Atlanta, given his lack of size and his recent major injury. Steelers corner Keenan Lewis is going to do better than many expected, while there hasn't been much buzz on Cary Williams despite his strong play in the Ravens' Super Bowl run.
The Redskins are among those looking at Aqib Talib, though Greg Toler could end up being more their speed given their salary-cap limitations. And the Pats are working to keep Talib from hitting the market in the first place, otherwise they will wade into this market heavily.
As for the safeties, I continue to hear the Eagles will be the team to pay Dashon Goldson what he wants, or close to it. Glover Quin of the Texans might be the next best option, and he could stay in Houston, while LaRon Landry is going to do better than many expected, perhaps as a replacement to Goldson with the 49ers. The Giants are willing to keep Kenny Phillips after he sees what is, or isn't, out there for him on the market and the Lions would like to keep Louis Delmas as well. Ed Reed could still fetch $5 million per year on the open market -- Miami and Indianapolis are among the teams considering him, sources said -- and the overall depth of this position in the draft could work against these free agents, too.
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Well maybe he hasn't re-signed, but he's a Cardinal now. So he's at least signed.
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Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Would You Lock Me In A Cage?
"I don't think marijuana should be legal- it's unsafe and a gateway drug," a person may opine. "Oh really?" the libertarian should respond, "Well if I was using it alone in my own house, without threatening or disturbing anybody, would you lock me in a cage for it?"
This is where you should really press them: "No really. Would you lock me in a cage? Do you think you have a legitimate right to personally and forcefully grab me, put handcuffs on me, and lock me up in a cage?"
"Oh no?" you should rebut when they give the predictable response or some variant of it, "Not you personally, but for the government, it's different? How? Why? Governments are constituted of individual people, so they do not and can not have any powers that those people don't have themselves. In other words, you can not delegate to a larger group of people a prerogative that you don't have yourself. So if you can't rightfully lock me up for peacefully making a decision about my own body, neither can government."
This is a conversation libertarians had better start having with people about every political issue under the sun until they're blue in the face, and then repeat the conversation some more. This is how we will win. This is how we will show the world the monstrosity of welfare statism, warfare statism, regulatory statism, and police statism.
Libertarians must regain the moral high ground that is always claimed by the statists and to do this we must show the violence inherent in statism. Statism is not moral, it's not charming, it's not charitable, and it's not nice. Statist policies in the end, resort to violent force- to the threat of locking a human being up in a cage if they don't agree.
Ayn Rand made this connection very forcefully, saying that we must not practice benevolence at the point of a gun, and that the final argument of the statist is a gun. She was right. But when you use her approach in conversation, many people will be confused, and say, "Who's talking about guns? No one will point a gun at you for not paying your taxes."
But you know what they will do? They'll harass and threaten you, and finally they'll haul you off to prison. So we have to use the cage as symbol for the state's violence, because it's easier for people to make this connection, than with the gun. We must ask people this: "I understand that you believe in alms giving to take care of the less fortunate- I do too. But if someone made a choice you personally disagreed with and didn't give alms to the poor, would you lock her in a cage for it?"
If we press people long enough, most of them (unless they are dimwitted, truly malignant, or worst of all, moral cowards) will agree that we cannot just go around locking people in cages for disagreeing with our personal moral views about how to treat one's body or use one's finances. But that's what our government does and threatens to do all the time. That's how government operates.
Is it ever okay then, to lock someone in a cage? Sure. This guy for instance. John Gardner who raped and murdered two teenage girls in San Diego. We can lock someone like that in a cage. That's what government exists to do. It exists to use force against those who initiate its use.
It exists to protect the peaceful from aggression. But it should never use its cages or its guns on the peaceful in order to engineer a better society or inculcate some politician's view of morality. That would be an act of aggression in itself, and contradictory to the very purpose of government.
So next time you get in a discussion about a political issue and want to move the person in a more libertarian direction (or even simply get them to start asking the most pertinent question about any government policy), ask them- "Would you lock me in a cage for this?"
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/abardwell/ / CC BY-SA 2.0
8 comments:
Great exposition to help people understand the nature of a statist government. Force is the one constant that is always needed in a government like that, whether it's a gun or the cage.ReplyDelete
Excellent article! Although, I know we have different views on what qualifies as "warfare statism."ReplyDelete
Interesting point, and a very valid one against one element of statism: the prosecution of victim-less crime like drug use. But the problem with this mode of thought within the Libertarian community is the assumption that the use of a drug only affects that one individual. It doesn't. The use of the drug, legally or illegally, can infringe upon the rights of other individuals. This is why I have a large problem with the Libertarians support of legalizing drugs. Most Libertarians are trying to look at an elephant through a microscope with this. If all it amounted to were people smoking mary jane in the privacy of their own homes only impacting themselves, drugs like marijuana wouldn't be illegal.ReplyDelete
Great post... Much food for thought. Rand equated statism with force because government takes by force... through ill concieved laws that which it has no moral right to.ReplyDelete
A gun is deadly force... statist government is force by regulatory stangulation of the individual and society.
When a gun is used in the pursuit of providing food for onesself, in self defense, or to control the criminal element that would infringe on the rights of law abiding citizens it's use is proper and good.
When used to infringe on the right of others or in the commission of violent acts against an individual or society or for the purpose to control through fear its use is evil.
The same can be said of governmnt.
Statist government is always evil because it takes economic freedom from the individual and redistributes (a portion) the results of a persons labor as it sees fit.
Wes, good article.ReplyDelete
Robzilla, I would be curious to know which of my rights you would be violating if you used drugs. Thanks
- Michæl AtchisonApril 29, 2010 at 5:57 PM
While I agree with your conclusion (the government cannot lock people in a cage for doing things that don't infringe on the rights of others), I'm not sure I agree with your argument (the government cannot have powers that we wouldn't grant individuals).ReplyDelete
Presumably we do grant SOME powers to the government that we would not want to grant to other people—like the power to conduct a trial, or the power to search private property (with a warrant, of course).
Robzilla, a person using drugs may infringe on another person's rights, but they won't always. I don't believe they do usually, to be honest. That's the issue I have with prohibition; it inevitably restricts someone from a personal decision that wouldn't have impacted someone else in the least. That person's liberty was infringed simply because of what might have been.ReplyDelete
Carl- Yup!ReplyDelete
Teresa- thanks! And that's okay- all lovers of liberty are welcome here despite legitimate differences of opinion.
Robzilla- I think Grant asks a fair question. I understand that someone may endanger someone else's life by say- driving while intoxicated. And I believe that endangering others like that should be illegal and dealt with harshly.
But outlawing the use of alcohol altogether because someone might misuse it is foolhardy and wrong. Shall we outlaw all kitchen knives because they can be used for murder? Should we outlaw driving cars altogether since their use can violate your rights and threaten your safety and life? Hmmm? Of course not!
People have a right to peacefully make their own decisions without forcibly interfering in the lives of others, and only when they cross that line of forceful interference should the government act to stop them.
Finally, you conclude that if marijuana didn't affect our safety, it wouldn't be illegal. This is historically untrue. Marijuana was made illegal because of a moral panic predicated upon racist rhetoric, and motivated by special interests like the timber industry, which did not want to compete with industrial hemp.
Les- right on!
Grant- again- perfect question.
Michael- I would say that those functions of government you mention are corollaries to our natural and individual right of self defense.
Those things actually constitute not special powers for government, but careful limits on our right of self defense. Instead of my arbitrary search of your property because I think you might have stolen something from me (in a state of nature), I voluntarily consolidate and delegate my right of self defense along with yours in a duly-constituted and carefully limited state, which has restrictions on how it can carry out our right of self defense.
A jury trial and searches (by warrant only) do not grant government extra powers we don't have, they actually delimit and define our own right of self defense, protecting the people who we accuse of violating our rights by giving them a fair hearing instead of a lynching. Does that make sense?
Randy- exactly.
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An eight-day layoff did nothing to cool the University of South Carolina Beaufort softball team's bats - and especially not leadoff hitter Katie Rietkovich's.
The junior second baseman hit three home runs - including a grand slam - and racked up seven RBIs Monday in a doubleheader sweep. The 21st-ranked Sand Sharks beat Edward Waters 11-0 and 6-1 at Richard Gray Sports Complex.
Rietkovich led off the bottom of the first with a home run in each game, but she saved her biggest bomb for the second inning of the nightcap, launching a grand slam over the second fence some 30 feet beyond the outfield barrier to snap a 1-1 tie.
The leadoff shot down the left-field line in Game 1 proved to be all the support the Sand Sharks' pitching staff needed. Freshman Ashlie Layman (2-0) struck out six and allowed four hits over four scoreless innings for the win, and sophomore Kristy Cook struck out two in a perfect fifth to finish off the mercy-rule victory.
Maddie Byrd went 2 for 3 with two runs scored and three RBIs in the opener, and Taylor Triplett was 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Freshman Missy Hughes made the start in center field and went 3 for 3 and scored three runs.
The Tigers bounced right back in game two, answering Rietkovich's leadoff homer with a run in the second to tie it at 1. The grand slam doused any hope of an upset, though, and sophomore Caitlin Campbell (3-0) struck out six over four scoreless innings of relief for the win.
The Sand Sharks (8-0) will make a road trip to Georgia this weekend, facing Truett-McConnell in a doubleheader Friday and playing a doubleheader with Emmanuel on Saturday.
NOTES: The Sand Sharks improved to 32-2 all-time at Richard Gray Sports Complex, including a 6-0 mark this season. … USCB has outscored Edward Waters 74-1 in six all-time meetings. … Rietkovich is the second USCB player to hit two home runs in one game, joining Triplett (March 5, 2011, vs. Walsh). … Rietkovich is 9 for 13 with 10 RBIs and seven runs scored in four games since moving into the leadoff spot.


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The Central Connecticut lacrosse team dominated Liberty on Tuesday afternoon. The Blue Devils improved to 4-2 on the season with the 19-10 victory. The Blue Devils led 8-6 at the half and then exploded for an 9-0 run to start the second period. Central's offense was led by five goals from sophomore Mackenzy Ryan and four from senior Michele Conway.
Karis Walborn got the Flames on the board first with an early strike, but Conway answered with a goal off of an assist from sophomore Betsy Vendel. Walborn scored two straight goals to give Liberty a 3-1 lead before junior Ashley Mara scored to make it a 3-2 game.
The Blue Devils and Flames traded goals with Central tying the game at six on a free position shot by sophomore Mackenzy. The Blue Devils added two more goals in the final seconds of the half to take a 8-6 lead into the break. Conway had the first of those goals and junior Ashley Perkoski added the second on a free position shot.
The Blue Devil offense came alive in the second half as Central ran out to a 17-6 lead. Conway opened up the scoring on a free position shot with 27:54 left in the half. She registered the assist on the Blue Devils next two goals as Mackenzy found the net for the third and fourth time.
Conway, Mara, freshman Amanda Toke, and sophomore Meaghan McCurry each scored making it a 15-6 game before Mackenzy closed the 9-0 run with another pair of goals. Vendel assisted on three of the Blue Devils goals during that run.
Liberty's Nina Dunay scored a goal to cut the Blue Devils lead to 17-7, but Central answered quickly. The Blue Devils answered quickly as Conway and McCurry each assisted senior Lyndsey Mastandrea on back-to-back goals giving the Blue Devils a 19-7 lead.
The Flames scored three times in the final two minutes to make it a 19-10 game. Central goalkeeper Erin DeLancey earned the win while making seven saves. She improves to 4-2 on the season.
Conway finished with a game-high seven points, four goals and three assists. Vendel had two goals and four assists for six points, and Mackenzy scored five times to lead the Blue Devils in that category.
The Blue Devils return to action on Friday when they host Howard on Arute Field. That game begins at 3 p.m.


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The student will gain proficiency from the left seat when performing reconnaissance procedures, confined area operations, and pinnacle/ridgeline operations while using the in-flight demonstration/performance method. The student will also analyze and correct common errors and practice touch down autorotations.
At the completion of this lesson, the student shall demonstrate while simultaneously explaining the maneuvers, the in-flight demonstration/performance method. The student shall also exhibit instructional knowledge of common errors and continue to gain proficiency when performing touch down autorotations with instructor assistance.
Any deviations from the completion standards should be noted in the previous section. After completing an item in the Elements section, place a check mark next to that item.


text: If you love to embroidery this set is for you! It will fit in your 4" hoop. All patterns are in zipped folder that include SEW, PES, JEF, VIP, HUS. If your format is not in this list and would like it, just ask and if I have it available I will email you the set! THIS IS A DIGITAL DOWNLOAD! You may use these designs for personal embroidery, gifts, or to sell the finished product. This pattern was digitized by me from clipart used by various designers. You may not share, sell, or trade the pattern. My patterns may not be used in larger pattern sets that are sold or given away for free. .ART format is not available at this time. This pattern set is in a mulit-format zip folder. Please make sure your computer has an unzipping program before buying. If you do not have an unzipping program, there are many good free ones on the internet. You will need to unzip your folders to your computer before using them! This is very important as your embroidery machine's software for opening these files will not read them in a zipped folder.


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Inequality: What Does it Look Like to You?
Karin Rives
Se registró el día 13 de noviembre de 2012
- Artículos
We want to know! The World Bank has a new photo contest inviting anyone 14 and up to snap a creative and thoughtful photo with your camera or cell phone. If you live, work or travel in the developing world and see images you think show inequality, go for it! You may win a USD $500 camera.
Our photo contest website, where you can upload photos, is at http://www.worldbank.org/pictureinquality. You can also e-mail your photo to email@example.com. Deadline: December 6, 2012.
We believe that everybody deserves a fair chance in life, regardless of where they are born or who their parents are. Help us act on inequality. Be part of the change!


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MMORPG.com and Blizzard have partnered to give away keys to closed beta of the upcoming Warcraft-themed digital CCG, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft.
We'll be giving out 200 keys every day through November 7. Entering for your chance to win is extremely simple: All you need to do is tell us who your favorite Hearthstone hero is in the comments below and we'll select 200 winners at random later on tonight to receive keys to the beta.
If luck isn't on your side today, feel free to enter again tomorrow!
NOTE: We will be locking the thread at 10PM ET tonight! If you cannot enter after 10PM ET, then please try again tomorrow.
UPDATE: All right we're wrapped for the day. Keys should go out within a few hours. If you didn't win today, try again tomorrow!


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- Home
Sonos Play5Dec 16, 2016
How many zillion reviews are there for the PLAY5? It's a great piece, it simply works and the sound is easy to enjoy. This review will be a bit different, as I am focusing on the PLAY5's ideal use and exactly why you should or shouldn't want one.
Do you want ambient music throughout
LG B6 and E6 OLED TVsDec 05, 2016
If you were looking for an excuse to buy an OLED TV, here it is.
LG has recently dropped the price on its least expensive OLED TV with 4K resolution, the B6 series reviewed here. The 55-inch OLED55B6P is officially $2,000 while the 65-inch OLED65B6P is $3,000, but there's a
Power Matching Speakers and AmpsNov 01, 2016
I recently decided it was time to own my own home theatre and stop mooching our display models over the weekends. This seemed like a good idea because not only would I have my own dream setup, but I would be able to test other equipment against a known baseline for my reviews.
All I
Yamaha YSP-5600Sep 19, 2016
There's nothing wrong with spending a bit more for the BEST solution.
Yamaha's YSP-5600 is the most expensive mainstream soundbar available… barring enthusiast brands because, let's be honest, there's always obscure ways to show how full your wallet WAS.
The YSP-5600 has a very
Audioquest NighthawkJul 27, 2016
I'm writing this while having my grey-matter rearranged by Audioquest's Nighthawk headphones. Not my own pair, because I don't got phat stacks like that!
LET'S BEGIN BY SAYING THESE ARE SUPER COMFORTABLE! *sorry I have the hawks up really loud. I am a super-freak about how headphones
Braven XXLJun 16, 2016
BAM! Braven has just released the ultimate portable knock-around boom box. Yes. I know I'm not supposed to make absolute claims like "ULTIMATE!". However, I don't know of much competition in the armored portable music category. If you need a tailgate / camping speaker that can take some knocks,
Kaption Bluetooth Outdoor SpeakersMay 25, 2016
SYNC to your wireless device! These loudspeakers are engineered to reproduce music that is so detailed, you will hear music in a whole new way. Weather resistant and wall-mountable, making it perfect for outdoor listening.
JVC DILA 6th Gen ProjectorsMay 10, 2016
Firstly this is less of a review than my other articles, as I don't have the capacity to test an entire line of projectors. Also the gentleman in the video is our JVC rep Francisco. That said, these projectors are universally loved for their many talents.
First talent: Black levels;
OLED vs LEDApr 13, 2016
We are often asked what the difference is between LED and OLED. After all, isn't "OLED" just "LED" plus an "O"? Actually, despite the naming similarities these two technologies are completely different. The short answer is you want OLED. The long answer is:
OLED and LED are two
Paradigm H15NCMar 22, 2016
Active Noise Cancellation; because telling an airplane full of people to "PIPE DOWN!" isn't socially acceptable.
I know of only three companies that produce good noise-cancelling headphones. Those brands are Sennheiser, Bose, and Paradigm. The degree of cancellation is different for each


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The 2013 iPhone Photography Award Winners
The first photo above, a horse with a curiously human gaze, was awarded winner of the 2013 iPhone Photography Awards, taken by equine loving iPhone+Instagrammer, Holly Wesley of Scotland...
The iPhone Photography Awards (IPPAWARDS) is the first and the longest running iPhone photography competition, held since 2007 with the release of the 1st generation 2-megapixel camera equipped iPhone. The awards are a fascinating look at how much the world of personal photography has evolved throughout the years, including the progress of smartphone cameras technology itself.
All entrants' photos were taken using an iPhone, iPad, or an iPod touch, and each were permitted to use post-processing using image filter apps like Hipstamtic, Instagram, and CameraBag, but otherwise could not be altered in any way using desktop image processing program (the judges reserved the right to request the original image to verify it was taken using an iOS device).
He may only be 15 years old, but Utah based iPhone photographer Brolin Roney came in 2nd came overall as the 2013 Photographer of the Year with his colorful capture of an explosion of color during a paint powder party.
Check out all this year's winners at 2013 iPhone Photography Awards gallery page.
(Images: as credited/linked above)


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This marks the fourth career honor for Pelger, who was named Offensive Player of the Week on two occasions in 2011 and also was the Rookie of the Week once in 2010. Hahn earns her fifth career honor after garnering four defensive awards in 2011.
Attea becomes the second West Virginia freshman honored with Rookie of the Week this season.
Kaitlynn Pelger, Kansas State, MB, Jr., Olathe, Kan.
Pelger averaged 4.18 kills per set while hitting .440 over the weekend at the Golden Hurricane Classic in Tulsa, Okla. She added 2.45 digs and 1.09 blocks, while her five aces led the team. The Wildcats improved to 12-0 with wins over Tulsa, No. 10 Minnesota and No. 20 Dayton at the event. The junior opened the tournament with a double-double as she posted 11 kills on a .455 hitting percentage to go with 12 digs against Tulsa. Against the Golden Gophers, Pelger played a huge role down the stretch as she led the team with 16 kills. She also added nine digs, five blocks and three aces. Four of her kills came in the shortened fifth set alone as K-State hit an amazing .818 as a team with nine kills and no errors to dominate Minnesota in the deciding set. To close the weekend, the middle blocker pounded out 19 kills and hit an impressive .654 against Dayton. She also recorded six digs, two blocks and a pair of aces. Pelger ranks in the Big 12's top 5 in hitting percentage, kills, service aces and points.
Kristen Hahn, Iowa State, L, Jr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Hahn posted the second 25-plus dig performance of the 2012 season on Saturday as No. 25 Iowa State knocked off No. 1 Nebraska in the program's first-ever win over a top-ranked team and the first win over the Huskers in Ames. Hahn's 26 digs was a match-high and leaves her with a 4.63 average for the season, ranked fourth in the Big 12. The junior out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, also recorded two service aces and two assists in the win.
Nikki Attea, West Virginia, OH, Fr., East Amherst, N.Y.
Attea was named MVP of the Gold and Blue Classic after posting 34 kills, 3.40 kills per set, a .304 hitting percentage, 17 digs and eight blocks over the weekend. She had double-digit kills in all three matches this week and posted double-doubles in back-to-back matches against Robert Morris and Cleveland State. In the Mountaineers' three matches (all five sets) last week, Attea led WVU with 49 kills, 3.27 kills per set, a .278 hitting percentage and was third on the team in digs (28) and total blocks (10). She is currently ranked second on the team in kills (120), fifth in digs (62) and third in total blocks (33).
|Offensive Player of the Week
|Defensive Player of the Week
|Rookie of the Week
|Aug. 27
|Hannah Sackett, West Virginia, OH, Fr.
|Rachel Brummitt, Texas Tech, L, So.
|Hannah Sackett, West Virginia, OH, Fr.
|Sept. 4
|Yvonne Igodan, TCU, MB, Jr.
|Rachel Brummitt, Texas Tech, L, So.
|Emily Ruetter, Texas Tech, S, Fr.
|Sept. 10
|Caroline Jarmoc, Kansas, MB, Jr.
|Brianne Riley, Kansas, L, Jr.; Maria Fernanda, Oklahoma, DS, Sr.
|Emily Ehrle, Texas Tech, OH, Fr.
|Sept. 17
|Kaitlynn Pelger, Kansas State, MB, Jr.
|Kristen Hahn, Iowa State, L, Jr.
|Nikki Attea, West Virginia, OH, Fr.


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Thursday, Aug. 22: Watch Hewlett-Packard, Gap
Steven Russolillo joins the News Hub with a look at which stocks to watch, including Hewlett-Packard, Abercrombie & Fitch, Gap, and Pandora Media. Photo: Getty Images.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... the ... three stocks that were looking to be first ... the skis me HP HP yes last night the ... blue-chip Dow component had ... earnings last night not so high that the company I that that he ... did not meet expectations Meg Whitman the CEO Kimelman warrant that the company ... turnaround perhaps not moving as fast as previously NSA's in the promise that ... revenue would grow in fiscal twenty fourteen year fiscal year and now they're walking back on that walking back and yes I think it had also the TV HP when you look at the shares that some it's a new low at the end of last year to more than double the this year so excited they run this year the best performing got one right now ... but the morning now about this time around the people or getting a little bit at the ... Fed about it though ... not not so ... great the retailer's captain Abercrombie or forget Abercrombie Essilor Abercrombie reported a swing of really really terrible report on the company's ... earnings and revenue both missed expectations the outlook was well below what analysts were expecting ... the scene is in the teen retail space for awhile now for months in this quarter other companies like there was no also have been worn on there's ... also ... spent some segment for these guys get this one out later not when a teen retailer but ... that stock is up more than thirty percent this year ... our head of its heat of greater Spencer Jacob group this morning that the company could be the stock may be looking a little pricey here so those earnings come after the bell so they Last him briefly we got Pandora come get Pandora is another high flying tech stock or Dow stock is more than double the backcountry reports after the bell today ... was people are worried is Apple going to be coming out with their own Pandora like service that could be in the late summer there ... are ... some of the market so that's the concern in open court but the stock is done really really well and also is heavy short interest lot people are betting against it


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- Adult Adventure
- Some Body Parts
- Tools and Tapers
- Accessories
- Straight Barbells
- Curved Barbells
- Replacement Parts
- 14k Gold Only
- Captive Bead Rings
- Earlets & Tunnels
- Segment & Seamless Rings
- Ear Plugs
- Hide Your Piercing
- Genuine Diamond Jewelry
- Organics
- Spirals & Claws
- Charms
- Christmas Sale
- Circular Barbells
- Fixed Bead Rings
- Screwball Rings
Circular Barbells
Surgical Steel Circular Barbell$23.99
Clearance - Darkside Acrylic Circular Barbell$18.99
Big Ballin Circular Barbell$31.99
Internally Threaded Titanium Circular Barbell$34.99
Titanium Big Ballin Circular Barbell$31.99
Build Your Own Titanium Circular Barbell$31.99
Build Your Own Circular Barbell$31.99
14k Double Gem Side Set Circular Barbell$157.99
The Difference between Rings and Circular Barbells
Circular barbells are round in shape so they resemble rings in many ways. This is why it is important to understand the difference between body jewelry rings and circular barbells. Circular barbells have a round body but they don't make a full circle. Instead, they are open on ends so they resemble horseshoes. Each end has one bead or a gem attached to the body of the barbell. Body jewelry rings, on the other hand, make a full circle. Some of them have a little gap at the ends where a bead is inserted to hold the ring in place. Other than that, rings make a full circle while circular barbells only make about ¾ of the circle.
When to Use Circular Barbells?
Circular barbells are great jewelry pieces for many different piercings. You may use them for almost all of the piercings that can use rings. Examples include ear piercings, nipple piercings, lip piercings, nose piercings and numerous genital piercings.


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Colour Blossoms (HK - DVD)
We've taken a look at contemporary Chinese director Yonfan's poetic erotica, introducing various newcomers to the Asian ...
This review is sponsored by
Velvety camera work, an eerie soundtrack and S&M – it's all in a day's work for specialist Chinese director Yonfan, who has over three decades worth of contemporary cinema under his belt. What a pity that only now have I experienced the talents of this gifted individual. His latest opus, Colour Blossoms, revolves around five sexually charged characters and illustrates the tension when their lives intertwine with each other.
Meili (Teresa Cheung) is a HK estate agent who has been given the elaborate task of renting out Madam Umeki's gorgeous apartment. However the owner will only rent it out to a tenant who is truly special. Along comes a Japanese photographer named Kim (played by model Sho), who instantly draws Meili into a world of lust and seduction. As if one handsome man is not enough in her life, Meili also begins to tease police officer 4708 (Carl Ng). The tension reaches a climax as the fifth character is introduced - a mysterious dominating woman who plans to keep Kim for herself. However nothing is as it seems; the apartment carries a burden that Meili is completely unaware of but is destined to discover.
Colour Blossoms is a remarkably abstract film, expressing raw emotion and temptation as opposed to an explicit storyline. Everything from the plot structure to the director's choice of editing highlights this fact. Upon initial inspection, the film appears to be a detailed character study of a woman exploring her desires for the first time. On the contrary, Yonfan manipulates the viewer by establishing supernatural and melodramatic elements to create an unusual erotic hybrid. As a result of the unconventional subject matter, Colour Blossoms is vulnerable to not being taken seriously and subsequent mockery. However, mature members of the audience should be able to sit back and appreciate the artistic merit of what Yonfan is trying to portray.
The film displays various ideas of lust and desire but the underlying theme of everlasting love is predominant throughout the movie. Each character represents a piece of the bigger picture – 4708 frustratingly longs for a love that he knows he cannot have. Conversely, Madam Umeki reminisces over a previous passionate affair, yet still she is unhappy. The S&M scenes become a metaphor for pure love withstanding immeasurable pain and sacrifice.
Teresa Cheung is no stranger to the HK media but Colour Blossoms marks her acting debut. Cheung has started her movie career on a peak by delivering such an uncompromising performance. It is almost as if Meili was trapped inside a monotonous character and has only just been granted freedom. In addition, Teresa Cheung is undeniably attractive and has got a lovely set of curves at the right places. Astonishingly, the actress has passed the 40 year mark. Therefore, to have such a wonderful figure and to look so adorable at that age is truly amazing.
Veteran Japanese actress Keiko Matsuzaka transforms into the ecstatically camp, over-the-top drama queen, Madam Umeki, whose presence is always filled with glamour and instantly lights up the scene. Real life South Korean transsexual Ha Ri-su also plays an important role in the film. Ri-su has continually claimed that she is unashamed of who she is, which is precisely the reason Yonfan hired such a confident and persistent actress.
It is worth mentioning how Carl Ng handled the difficult task of playing officer 4708, someone who has no lines and relies on body language to communicate to the other characters, as well as the audience. His facial expression, eye contact and the way he touches inanimate objects are fine examples of non-verbal acting. 4708's torment is never made implicit, the viewer is fully aware of what he is going through simply by Ng's body movements. He manoeuvres elegantly with a stern look on his face; his cold stares are fixated upon Meili at all times.
As the title suggests, Colour Blossoms quite often relies on colours and exquisite cinematography to spark a romance with the audience. The shades are carefully selected to adapt with the relating costumes and background objects. A prime example would be the introduction of Ha Ri-su's character; the screen lights up with a powerful blue pallet. The camera movement is quite often very slow and off-axis. Many frames are in fact tilted to provide an unsure dreamlike mood. Furthermore, Yonfan enjoys following the characters to provide a feeling of voyeurism, which is very much in line with certain chapters of the movie. Consequently, the camera pursues the stars incredibly smoothly thanks to some splendid steady-cam work.
Colour Blossoms is a pleasure to listen to as much as it is to watch. Yonfan travelled to India to seek out one of Bollywood's greatest composers, Surender Sodhi, who has provided scores for over eighty titles. The music is authentically Indian in style but has been revamped to include synthesisers and other electronic elements. The results include wonderful sonnets and ballads that are slow but dynamic enough to emphasise the onscreen actions. A few chapters also have some poetry recited and turned into songs – one such poem is recited by a deep voiced narrator, who almost sounds like he is describing a 70's porn movie.
Retrospectively, the film has a unique multi-Asian vibe, employing actresses from HK, Japan and South Korea, featuring cinematography from China and music from India. In order to handle production of this magnitude, it would be expected that Yonfan equally creates a larger than life film. Colour Blossoms is perhaps slightly over-amplified in terms of content, which may lead to confusion and unintentional humour. The lives of these five individuals interact in their own private little world, so there are certain aspects of the film that are difficult to comprehend. However as long as the audience understands the meaning of pure love, pain and sacrifice then Yonfan can rest assured that his messages have been acknowledged. Ultimately, Colour Blossoms makes a refreshing change from all the idols infested, CGI-heavy, totally unfunny rubbish that is being exported from HK these days.
Colour Blossoms is presented in an anamorphic widescreen format, maintaining an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The cinematographer has utilised an expressive colour pallet, supplying the film with phosphorescent shades and calm monochromes. As a result, the primary and secondary colours are intensely distinct and bold. The warm reds, oranges and even the cold blues simply radiate with fantastic clarity. In terms of sharpness, the image presents admirable details but is perhaps soft on occasion. This is evident when examining hair and facial features, which are sometimes not as clear as they should be. The night scenes are nicely presented, not even the minor objects are lost in the shadows. As with the outstanding colour reproduction, the black levels are obligingly deep and eliminate any traces of grey.
The principal flaw with the transfer is the ridiculous amount of combing and ghosting. Every time a character or the camera moves, the edges leave an unwelcoming trail that greatly spoils an otherwise healthy picture. There is also noticeable edge enhancement, particularly during yellow or orange backgrounds, not to mention around the edge of the frame. Thankfully grain is not too heavy and the shade transition is quite smooth. Lastly, with the vast amount of colours used throughout the film, there is surprisingly very little smearing. Any bleeding is purely minor and undetectable unless the viewer really tries to notice it.
Colour Blossoms is blessed with two soundtracks in Dolby Digital EX 6.1 and DTS ES 6.1. Cantonese is the primary language but Japanese and English is spoken in the film as well. The soundtrack is primarily dialogue based, so there aren't any sophisticated surround or action effects. All the conversations originate from the centre speaker and considering that the film primarily takes place in the unreachable world of five individuals, there are not any opportunities to take advantage of ambient noise.
Where the audio truly shines is during Sodhi's unbelievably beautiful score, which resonates blissfully to every corner of the room with incredible aplomb. As mentioned earlier, the music seamlessly blends traditional Indian percussion-driven rhythms with synthesised ballads. In addition, there is a wonderful range of styles that adds enormous diversity into the soundtrack. Each tune is painstakingly separated into the appropriate channels to create a fully orchestrated effect. Even the rear centre speaker plays a vital role in emitting the dynamic vocal solos and chorus segments. The LFE channel rarely gets a moment's rest, always providing nourishing bass and depth to an already majestic soundtrack.
There is noticeable difference between the Dolby and DTS soundtracks, where the latter is undeniably superior. The music is comparatively richer and more aggressive, without sounding distorted. Even the LFE channel provides greater dimension and integrity.
The disc contains optional English and Chinese subtitles. The English subtitles are of excellent quality and appear at all times. They are legible and nicely paced, making it very easy to read and follow the story.
On the first disc, director Yonfan and producer Fruit Chan provide an audio commentary in Cantonese. Sadly English subtitles are not provided for this.
On the second disc, there is a 26m10s making of documentary, which has optional English and Chinese subtitles. This is quite a thorough featurette, primarily highlighting conversations between director Yonfan and leading lady Teresa Cheung. Cheung explains that the story is like an important chapter in her life and she wanted to make an artistic expression. Yonfan provides a comprehensive understanding of the ideas he wanted to portray and also discusses the characters' best qualities. Carl Ng and Sho also receive admirable interview time and light-heartedly talk about the sexual tension between all of the characters. A good section of this documentary also explores Surender Sodhi's involvement with the film, as the music played a vital role in capturing the essence. This is definitely a worthwhile documentary to watch after the film is over and explains some of the more questionable chapters of the movie.
Next up is a 4m50s music video for Solo River Blues, which is a slow Latin American ballad. The video is a montage of 'behind the scenes' footage that has been professionally edited to the song's rhythm. The crew appear to be hard at work but often find time to relax and laugh around. It is quite interesting to view some of the scenes in their natural light, as they look radically different after all those filters.
To finish things off, there is a trailer selection, photo gallery and cast and crew biographies (in both Chinese and English).
Colour Blossoms is a profoundly mesmerising journey of human sensuality and spirituality. Director Yonfan explores the inner depths of love, lust, pleasure and pain in a manner that is neither crude nor perverse. The poetic camerawork, luminous cinematography and Surender Sodhi's tranquilising soundtrack help create an enjoyable and thought provoking visual treat that is vastly different to conventional HK cinema. The DVD is easily accessible to Western audiences, providing English subtitles where required and a colossal DTS-ES soundtrack. If the viewer can ignore some of the more unintentionally comic and overly theatrical chapters then Colour Blossoms comes highly recommended.
You can order this title for $12.99 from top retailer Yes Asia.
Review by Bodhi Sarkar
Jonny "Me You" Senior Member Join Date: March 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 2,863
hmmm nice screen caps
Bodhi Member Join Date: February 2005 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 403
There are better ones in the movie
Nqnpipnr Nqnpipnr Senior Member Join Date: September 2004 Location: United States Posts: 765
Yeah, those ARE nice shots. Is this like one big porno movie or something?
Hey, speaking of nice screenshots, look at the avatars we three have...
Hey, speaking of nice screenshots, look at the avatars we three have...
Jonny "Me You" Senior Member Join Date: March 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 2,863
Quote: Originally posted by Nqnpipnr Nqnpipnr
Hey, speaking of nice screenshots, look at the avatars we three have...
lol, gotta love being a guy
Hey, speaking of nice screenshots, look at the avatars we three have...
lol, gotta love being a guy
For persons aged 18 or above only
Disc Details
Release Date: 2nd April 2005
Discs: 2
Disc Type: Single side, dual layer
RCE: No
Video: NTSC
Aspect: 2.35:1
Anamorphic: Yes
Colour: Yes
Audio: Dolby Digital 6.1 EX Cantonese, DTS 6.1 ES Cantonese
Subtitles: English, Chinese
Extras: Audio Commentary, Making of Documentary, Music Video, Trailers, Photo Gallery, Cast & Crew Biographies
Easter Egg: No
Feature Details
Director: Yonfan
Cast: Teresa Cheung, Keiko Matsuzaka, Sho, Ha Ri-su, Carl Ng
Genre: Romance
Length: 106 minutes
7Review Guide
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DFA Volunteers Donate 2,000 Lunches to New Mexico Food Bank
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Aug. 2, 2013) – A group of volunteers representing Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) provided a substantial charitable donation this week to the Roadrunner Food Bank of New Mexico. Volunteers assembled 2,000 lunch bags filled with nutritious, non-perishable foods.
Nearly 60 DFA volunteers donated their time to compile lunch bags that were donated to the food bank's mobile food pantry. The volunteers were in the area for the Cooperative's annual July Board Meeting and Strategic Information Conference. The annual gathering includes a program dedicated for spouses of DFA's farmer leaders and management, which engages them in the dairy industry and provides deeper insight into DFA's business.
"Serving our community is a core value for DFA," said Joyce Bupp, Board director and chair of DFA Cares Foundation. "This annual meeting takes place in a different city each year, and it is so rewarding to see our group give back in different ways in each new community we visit."
Roadrunner Food Bank of New Mexico is a statewide network of nearly 600 partner agencies and four regional food banks. As the largest food bank in the state, last year the agency distributed nearly 26 million pounds of food to residents throughout New Mexico.
Programs such as the food bank's mobile food pantry are beneficial for an abundantly rural state such as New Mexico, where food banks are not easily accessible for all its residents, said Stephanie Miller, director of development for Roadrunner Food Bank of New Mexico.
"The mobile food pantry is a very effective way to reach the underserved in our state who may not otherwise have access to such a program," Miller said. "Donations mean the world to us. Sadly, New Mexico is the number one state in the country for childhood food insecurity, and with few food manufacturers located nearby, we must rely almost completely on donations."
The lunch donations were made possible through the DFA Cares Foundation, which was initially established to assist DFA's dairy farmer members and others in agriculture communities affected by natural disasters. Today, the foundation has expanded to include community outreach programs, such as this food bank donation, as well as the DFA Cares Hotline, DFA's Member Assistance Program and DFA Scholarship Program.
Funding for DFA Cares comes from private, public and corporate donations. To donate to DFA Cares Foundation, visit www.dfamilk.com/dfacares or send a check made payable to DFA Cares Foundation to: DFA Cares Foundation, c/o Ron Hilmes, 10220 N. Ambassador Drive, Kansas City, MO 64153.
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Vermont Department of Health/National Weather Service/Vermont Emergency Management
News Release
June 18, 2012
Vermont Department of Health: 802-863-7281
National Weather Service: 802-862-8711
90-degree Temperatures in Vermont This Week – Stay Cool/Stay Safe
WATERBURY – The National Weather Service in Burlington has forecast temperatures in the 90s later this week. NWS says humidity will also steadily increase this week causing some locales to feel like 100-degrees on Wednesday. These hot temperatures could lead to heat-related illnesses in extreme cases.
While extreme heat can cause problems for anyone; the elderly, children, and people with respiratory ailments are more susceptible to the heat. Those populations are encouraged to take extra precautions to avoid problems during this period of extreme temperatures.
Some advice to heed during hot weather:
· Slow down, and avoid strenuous activity. Don't try to do too much on a hot day.
· Wear lightweight, loose-fitting, light-colored clothing. Light colors will reflect heat and sunlight and help maintain normal body temperature. Protect your face with a wide-brimmed hat.
· Swimming in rivers always carries with it the risk of encountering swift waters. According to the Agency of Natural Resources, following Tropical Storm Irene there may be more debris on the margins of the rivers; people should try not to swim near or around it if it's in contact with the water or attempt to climb over the debris.
· Drink plenty of water regularly and often, even if you don't feel thirsty.
· Limit intake of alcoholic beverages. They can actually dehydrate your body.
· Eat well-balanced, light, regular meals.
· Stay indoors as much as possible.
· If you do not have air conditioning, stay on your lowest floor, out of the sun. Electric fans do not cool the air, but they do help evaporate sweat, which cools your body.
· Go to a place where you can get relief from the heat, such as air conditioned schools, libraries, theaters, shopping malls, and other community facilities that may offer refuge during the warmest times of the day.
· Cover windows that get morning or afternoon sun with drapes, shades, awnings or louvers. Outdoor awnings or louvers can reduce the heat that enters a home by up to 80 percent
· Avoid too much sunshine. Sunburn slows the skin's ability to cool itself. If you are outside, use sunscreen with a high SPF (Sun Protection Factor) rating.
· Never leave children or pets alone in a closed vehicle.
· Do not leave pets outside for extended periods. Make sure pets have plenty of drinking water.
· Check on family, friends, and neighbors regularly.
Tips on treating heat-related ailments:
Heat Cramps are muscular pains and spasms due to heavy exertion. They usually involve the abdominal muscles or legs, and are caused by loss of water due to heavy sweating. Treatment includes getting the person to a cooler place to rest in a comfortable position. Give the person a half glass of cool water every 15 minutes.
Heat Exhaustion typically occurs when people overexert themselves in a warm, humid place where body fluids are lost through heavy sweating. Blood flow to the skin increases, causing blood flow to vital organs to decrease, resulting in a form of mild shock.
The skin will be cool and moist, appearing either pale or flushed. The person may have headache and/or experience nausea. There may also be dizziness. It is important to treat the person promptly, so the condition does not intensify into heat stroke. Get the person to a cooler place. Remove or loosen tight clothing and apply cool, wet cloths, such as towels or sheets. If the person is conscious, supply a half glass of cool water every 15 minutes, making sure the person drinks slowly. Let the person rest in a comfortable position, and watch carefully for changes in his or her condition.
Heat Stroke is the most serious heat emergency. It is life threatening. The person's temperature control system, which produces sweating to cool the body, shuts down. The body temperature can rise so high that brain damage and death may result if the body is not cooled quickly.
The person will have hot, red skin, with changes of consciousness. Their pulse will be rapid but weak, and they will experience rapid, shallow breathing. Body temperature can rise to 105º F. If the person was sweating from heavy work or exercise, skin may be wet; otherwise it will feel dry. A person suffering from heat stroke needs immediate assistance. Call 9-1-1 and move the person to a cooler place. Immerse in a cool bath or wrap in wet sheets. Watch for breathing problems. Keep the person lying down and continue to cool the body any way you can. If the person refuses water, is vomiting, or there are changes in their level of consciousness, do not give anything to eat or drink.
In cases of emergency or extreme illness call 9-1-1.
For more information, contact the Vermont Department of Health at 802-863-7281.
For Weather related questions call the National Weather Service at 802-862-8711 or visit http://www.weather.gov/btv for a complete forecast.


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Mitt Romney says that most big businesses in the U.S. are "doing fine" in part because of savings they get by keeping money in "low tax havens around the world."
Romney's assertions Thursday resembled President Barack Obama's declaration earlier this summer that the "private sector is doing fine." Republicans, including Romney, pouncedon the president's comments and cast them as an indication that he was out of touch with the nation's economic struggles.
Romney, speaking to donors at a campaign fundraiser near Minneapolis, drew a distinction between big business and small businesses. He said that, if elected, he would seek to make it easier for small businesses to succeed.
"Big business is doing fine in many places," Romney said. "They get the loans they need, they can deal with all the regulation. They know how to find ways to get through the tax code, save money by putting various things in the places where there are low tax havens around the world for their businesses."
Following Romney's comments, his campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul said the candidate "has long said we need to simplify the tax code, close loopholes and create a more level playing field for American businesses."
Romney didn't mention that he has kept some of his personal fortune in offshore tax havens, including accounts in Switzerland and the Cayman Islands. The extent of Romney's offshore investments is unclear, however, because the presumptive GOP presidential nominee has only released his 2010 personal tax returns.
Romney's campaign says he plans to release his 2011 returns later this year when the documents are ready. Romney has said he paid at least 13 percent of his income in taxes over the past 10 years.
Obama and his surrogates have said Romney has a responsibility to give the public a fuller picture of his finances. They often cite the dozen years of tax returns Romney's father, George Romney, released during his presidential campaign as a standard for candidates.
Obama campaign manager Jim Messina said last week that if Romney released five years of returns, the president's team would stop asking for more information. Romney campaign manager Matt Rhoades refused the offer.