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Filed under: Feature | Tags: Andrew Kippen, Avner Ronen, Blip.tv, Box, Boxee, Clicker, D-Link, Facebook, Hulu, Myspace, Netflix, Pandora, Revision3, Suicide Girls, Television, The Escapist, YouTube
Guest Writer: Martha Rivera
A sold out crowd gathered at the Williamsburg Music Hall in Brooklyn, NY last night for the unveiling of the Boxee beta as well as to catch a glimpse of the highly anticipated Beta Box.
Launched in 2008, Boxee is software that aggregates media content from the web and your personal computer and streams it on your HD television. It searches web based content providers like YouTube, Netflix, MySpaceTV, Blip.TV, CBS.com, Revision3, flickr, and Pandora, among others and brings the content straight to your living room television. Missing still from the list of content providers is the online video site, Hulu. In addition to streaming web content, it also pulls media content from your own personal computer including your ITunes, personal videos and pictures. Boxee is an open source platform allowing users to create their own apps. To date, there are over 300.
"Our biggest challenge is distribution," said Boxee CEO Avner Ronen. The hurdle is getting cable affiliates and major content providers, like Hulu on board. At the core of the problem is fear of piracy and concern that the advertising is stripped from the content. However, Boxee pulls online content as is, which includes the advertising that is attached to it. Boxee also has the ability to track a host of analytics far outweighing television's usage reporting. Ronen is hoping media companies and cable providers will become comfortable once they understand usage.
Four weeks ahead of its wide release at CES, Ronen introduced the beta software and Boxee Box, as well as announced the launch of 3 new apps: the hipster soft-core site Suicide Girls, the online gamer e-zine The Escapist and Clicker, TV guide, entertainment search engine and DVR all rolled into one.
Boxee Beta
Overall, Boxee Beta looks great and is much more user-friendly. The UI has been streamlined with a new layout. The menu, previously hidden, is now front and center. The home screen has been redesigned to feature the main menu, featured content, personal queue and the friend feed.
My favorite social networking feature is the ability to connect to your Facebook and Twitter accounts. Any media that your friends or followers share with you will automatically populate on your queue. Too busy to watch videos at work? Don't have the ability to watch video because you don't have an office or are on the go? Another feature allows a viewer to send media assets to your queue so you can watch when you get home.
The search function has also been streamlined. Now users can search for movies, TV shows as well as local and online content at once. Boxee Beta populates all content from your computer as well as from any web source that works with Boxee. Of note, you can now mark content as "watched." Better yet, the search function lets you omit "watched" content from the results.
Boxee focused specifically on TV shows in the Beta redesign. TV shows are now organized by season and episode. You can follow your favorite TV shows, and like Hulu, it will automatically populate your queue with new episodes.
Another new feature is the Global Menu. This menu is essentially the shortcuts screen. It provides quick access to predetermined shortcuts, favorite apps, history, and settings.
Other features include allowing users to interact with the apps without having to download them, a now playing button on every screen allowing easier navigation back to the player, a new Last.fm and flickr interface as well as a main background that changes based on the time of day.
As of this writing, 85% of Boxee's 700,000 users use a Mac. However, Boxee Beta has not forgotten about its Windows' friends. It will now run on Direct X, which will mean a better experience for the PC user.
Boxee Box by D-Link
The night also included the highly anticipated unveiling of the Boxee Box. Boxee partnered with D-Link, better known as the makers of wireless routers, to create the hardware. Astro Studios, the cutting edge designers behind products like the X-Box 360 and Nike, designed the sleek cube. This small black submerged cube will sit on top of the many boxes taking up space near your TV. The guys at Boxee hope that eventually you'll do away with all those boxes and just use the Boxee Box.
The Boxee Box will retail at $200 and will be available for distribution sometime in 2Q10.
Why Boxee?
I'm a three-screen user. I watch TV, while surfing on my laptop, with my phone not far away. Having used the Alpha, I don't know if I can give up my computer that easily. As I was navigating the web content on Boxee, I found my multi-tasking self wanting to toggle out of the screen to search the web while the video played. Because I was unfamiliar with the navigation, or more like because I'm a specific type of navigator, all of a sudden I felt trapped. According to Andrew Kippen, VP of Marketing, "Boxee is about fighting tradition. It's streamlining your viewing experience by consolidating it all into one. Boxee is the tip of the iceberg for what's possible."
The Boxee Beta version seems much more straightforward. It's easy-to-use features will allow users to not feel so (excuse the pun) boxed in. Then again, in this case, that's what the creators of Boxee want you to do. Engage with the content within the box.
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- Boxee Beta: Finally Ready for Primetime (Just About) [Boxee] (gizmodo.com)
- Boxee, a Start-Up, to Offer a Device to Put Web Video on TV (nytimes.com)
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Apple should just buy TiVo, relaunch as new box, and get it over with.


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Manufacturer Location: New Jersey & California
Official Page: www.innovation-usa.com
Innovation Living Furniture is a Danish company that has been in the furniture business for over a decade. They started their journey making bean bags in their early years and gradually moved into a full-scale furniture corporation. Inspired by the value of innovation they created some great stylish sofa sleepers with the help of some young designers in the late 1980s. From this point on they never looked back and today they make all kinds of furniture for homes as well as offices.
They established their enterprise in the United States in the early 1990s and have made 'Innovation' a global furniture brand that has production facilities in China along with Denmark and USA. In spite of being such a big player in the furniture business, 'Innovation' has always held its principles close to its heart. They believe in balancing innovation with the impact it has on the environment. The company has attained an accredited environmental profile and makes sure that all the recyclable waste is reused for other products and the non-recyclable one is reduced to ashes in low-polluting plants. This responsible outlook is what has made Innovation Living Furniture a unique brand amongst all its competitors.
The furniture that they make is very modern in its outlook and at the same time comfortable and long lasting. 'Innovation' uses the best quality materials of various types, to create furniture that is just one of a kind. With each product, they give the customer an option of choosing a texture that best suits them. These products have some of the most innovative designs that can make any space look bustling with style. The wide range of products by 'Innovation', like sofa sleepers, beds, coffee tables and chairs are all available at our store for an unbeatable price.
Innovation USA Inc, Dba. Innovation Living Inc. is based in Irvine, Los Angeles with distribution warehouses in New Jersey and California. The company is supplying and servicing USA, Canada and Latin America under the management and administration of Kjeld Jensen, CEO.
Our store has been in business since 2009. We set 'Customer's Satisfaction' as our main goal and the top priority. We admit that we're not always perfect, but we try hard to make you happy. We are always glad to answer your questions, help you to place an order. Don't hesitate to call us or send your messages.

subset: commoncrawl


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Is you spend 5 grand, you can get one of these sofa-sized plantains
Last edited by Fishooked; 04-30-2013 at 01:09 PM.
Cheating suspected in New England.
Giant bananas.
Good thread.
"and here's what really hurt.
I get to the Carnival and the Bucket dicks are giving $2.50 a toss. I decide I dont want anything more costly, so I don't lose my money in a rim-roll. I walk up and down the strip and walk into every tent. Some big places like toss the balloon dart and the famous places like water pistol horse race. Some of the little places that only the locals go to. Every place was like 5 bucks. Then I walk back into the bucket toss.... and still they have on the blackboard balls $2.50. ****ing hicks. I take it.
When the bell rings, because of that $2.50, I have a really slim chance of losing my money. I was bragging to everybody about getting $2.50 when they were all in danger of paying $5 at water pistol horse race.
Ball goes in - I win Free toss
2 balls - I win Rasta banana
3 balls- I win Xbox
I miss 323 consecutive throws
only way I lose
I miss 322, go home to get my cash jar and come back - I lose"
How could have he wont any money back? why didnt he just buy one?
so its OK to be dicks in here?
damn carnies
For once in my life I happened to become that sucker".....yup, one and only time he was duped, no question.
What a great story, gonna make me smile all day. lol simpletons.
"On the bright side, that IS a nice looking banana."
- Jason Collins


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Executive Summary:
|Windows Server 2008's read-only domain controllers (RODCs) will make your infrastructure edge servers more secure and reduce the damage an attack from the edge can cause. RODCs feature one-way-only replication, restricted user ID and password caching, and administrator rights restrictions. Malicious users, admins, and intruders will find it difficult to breach remote servers and even harder to extend a successful attack through a domain or forest.
Microsoft is marketing Windows Server 2008 as the most secure Windows OS ever. One of its most important new security features is the read-only domain controller (RODC), a combination of new technologies that not only increases the security of Active Directory (AD) data, but also drastically limits malicious and unauthorized access to your entire AD forest from remote domain controllers (DCs).
The RODC's one-way replication is its most effective feature for thwarting malicious attacks, but the new component also incorporates password-caching restrictions and administrator role separation. Setup and configuration of an RODC requires you to be knowledgeable and familiar with the new technology to take full advantage of its potential.
The Value Proposition
AD operates in a multi-master replication model, meaning that every DC holds a read-write copy of the AD database. If you're authorized to write to AD, you can change AD from any DC, and your changes are automatically replicated to the other AD instances in the domain or forest.
A consequence of AD data ubiquity is that malicious administrators who have physical access to a DC, such as an easily accessible DC in a branch office, can launch password cracking attacks against the AD database and obtain the passwords of all user and administrator accounts in the DC's domain. They can then leverage the passwords for elevation-of-privilege attacks that will damage or destroy the entire AD forest and its dependent services.
The Windows Server 2008 RODC reduces those risks. An RODC is a special-purpose, read-only DC. It doesn't let you write changes to its AD instance, but it can receive changes from other DCs, because it supports one-way (inbound) replication. You might think that the RODC is just a revival of the Windows NT 4.0 BDC, but it's much more than that.
RODCs have a one-way replication connection agreement with one or more writable DCs. Microsoft modified the Server 2008 AD replication architecture to ensure that an RODC's one-way replication agreement cannot be changed. For example, RODCs are not members of the built-in Enterprise Domain Controllers security group, which grants writeable DCs various write permissions to the AD database.
By default, RODCs also do not store any passwords in their local copy of AD. To allow authentication when no central writable DC is available (e.g., in the case of a WAN link outage), you can configure RODCs to store certain users', administrators', and computers' passwords. Microsoft calls this feature credential caching. You set up credential caching by establishing RODC password replication policies (PRPs). When a user authenticates for the first time, the RODC has to talk to a writeable DC. If the PRP allows credential caching, the RODC will be able to fully authenticate the user's subsequent logons without contacting a writeable DC. Credential caching distinguishes the RODC from the NT 4.0 BDC, which never stores passwords and always requires a PDC for authentication.
The RODC's one-way replication and restricted credential caching significantly reduce the AD attack surface and mitigate the risks of unauthorized AD access. An RODC makes it impossible for an AD information enumeration attack to reveal all user account password hashes in a domain and can better secure the AD servers in remote locations and other network sites that aren't as physically and logically secure as your corporate data center.
The RODC's one-way replication can also be useful in locations that connect to your data center over a low-bandwidth network. By placing RODCs in locations that require reliable authentication services even though they lack the physical security of a data center, you can let users at those sites authenticate even if the network link to the remote data center is unavailable.
RODCs are also beneficial when DCs must be managed by IT generalists who aren't AD experts and who might unknowingly compromise directory data (e.g., by accidently deleting an organizational unit that holds critical administrator and user accounts).
An RODC can even serve as an AD-integrated DNS server. DNS clients can't directly update data in an RODC's DNS application because DNS AD application partitions are read-only. RODC DNS servers always act like secondary DNS servers, automatically referring clients to a server that hosts a primary read-write copy of the DNS zone file to update their DNS data.
Setup and Configuration
You can host RODCs only on Server 2008 machines. RODC functionality is included in all Server 2008 x86 (32-bit) and x64 (64-bit) platforms except for the Itanium edition, which doesn't support AD.
Before you can install an RODC, your AD environment must meet several prerequisites. Your AD forest must be at functional level 2 to enable link-value replication. You must move the PDC emulator Operations Master role in the RODC's domain to either a Server 2008 or a Server 2003 SP2 DC because only those servers can correctly replicate with an RODC. Unless you install a brand-new Server 2008 forest, you need to upgrade your AD schema to the Server 2008 schema by using the Adprep command-line utility (included on the Server 2008 installation CD-ROM) with the /forestprep and /domainprep switches.
You also need to use Adprep's /rodcprep switch to update the AD application partitions' permissions. The /rodcprep switch ensures that application partitions, such as those used for DNS replication, can replicate to RODCs. Finally, there must be at least one Server 2008–writeable DC in the AD site with which your RODC AD site replicates. RODCs can't replicate the AD domain naming context with Windows 2003 or Win2K DCs because those Windows versions don't understand the concept of not replicating passwords to an RODC.
The Server 2008 Dcpromo AD installation wizard's Additional Domain Controller Options screen lets you install a server as an RODC, as Figure 1 shows. You can also install an RODC from media and as part of a Server Core installation—a minimal Server 2008 installation that installs only the bits needed to run a Windows server. A Server Core installation doesn't include applications or installation wizards. Because it also doesn't include the Windows Explorer UI, a Server Core installation must be managed from the command line.
The most important configuration task after your RODC is up and running is to define a PRP to control which user, administrator, and computer passwords can be replicated to and stored on the RODC. You can configure a PRP from the RODC's computer account properties in the Microsoft Management Console's (MMC's) Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in, as Figure 2 shows. To define a PRP, you must utilize user, administrator, and computer account group memberships. For each group you can specify whether the RODC is allowed to cache group members' passwords. The PRP's Deny permissions are stored in the msDS-NeverRevealGroup attribute of the RODC's AD computer account object, and Allow permissions are stored in the object's msDS-RevealOnDemandGroup attribute.
To further control the data that's replicated and stored on RODCs, use the RODC partial attribute set to block specific AD object attributes from being replicated to RODCs. Organizations can leverage the partial attribute set to protect sensitive data other than passwords—such as employee personal information.
The RODC's partial attribute set feature is similar to the classic AD Global Catalog (GC) partial attribute set, which determines the attributes replicated to a GC server. The primary difference between the two is that the logic for the RODC partial attribute set is negative: Attributes that are added to the RODC partial attribute set are not replicated to the RODC. AD attributes can be added to the RODC's partial attribute set using the attributes' searchFlags property. If you enable the tenth bit of an attribute's searchFlags property (i.e., set the bit to binary 1), you ensure that the attribute is not replicated to the RODC.
The final RODC configuration item is administrator role separation. On Windows 2003 and Win2K DCs, separation of the administrator role is essentially impossible. On those OSs, every administrator right or service-level role granted to a user on a DC is valid for all domain DCs. For example, if you give a user administrator rights to a file server that's on a DC or assign him or her a service-level role on that DC, such as Server Operators or Backup Operators, those rights also let that user manage—or mismanage—other DCs on your domain. Consequently, you should never install a DC on a Windows 2003 or Win2K file server to which a user has such rights. Doing so can be particularly costly if you deploy DCs in branch offices where a single server fulfills all roles (including DC and file and print server roles).
On an RODC, you can easily separate server administrators from domain administrators. When you deploy an RODC on a branch office file server, you can grant the local staff administrative rights to manage that file server without extending those rights to other DCs. Administrator role separation isn't available on writeable Server 2008 DCs.
To set up administrator role separation for an RODC, you can use the MMC Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in to access the Managed By tab of the RODC computer object's properties and configure the managedBy attribute. Alternatively, you can configure role separation locally on the RODC using the Ntdsutil or Dsmgmt command line tool's local roles option. For example, to define user Jan as local administrator on an RODC, you'd run the command
dsmgmt "local roles" "add Jan administrators"
This command enables the local branch administrator Jan to administer the local RODC. Jan can create file shares and add printer queues, but he doesn't have administrative rights on other DCs. If Jan were a malicious administrator, he could still launch offline attacks against the RODC AD database. However, the RODC wouldn't replicate his changes to any other DCs, so damage would be limited to that RODC.
Limit Your Vulnerability
RODCs will significantly change the way we design, maintain, and operate AD networks. The technology can greatly reduce the attack surface of DCs in perimeter AD infrastructure locations. An attack against an RODC will remain isolated and won't propagate to the AD forest. Also, since the RODC doesn't store administrator or user passwords, even a stolen RODC doesn't pose the same risk as the theft of a traditional DC. After you upgrade to Server 2008, you should deploy writable DCs only in fully trusted networks (e.g., data centers) and install RODCs in all remote locations.


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I'm trying to add a .dll. This .dll was part of the project already, but today it started not working. I've tried re-adding it, and even re-adding different versions of it clear back from 2009, I keep getting the same error.
Here is the error:
The primary reference "myDLL" could not be resolved because it has an indirect dependency on the framework assembly "System.Core, Version=220.127.116.11, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089" which could not be resolved in the currently targeted framework. ".NETFramework,Version=v2.0". To resolve this problem, either remove the reference "myDLL" or retarget your application to a framework version which contains "System.Core, Version=22.214.171.124, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089".
The project is in .NET 2.0, upgrading it to 3.5 or 4.0 is not an option.
The current version of the myDLL, which is the one that is also GAC'd, is compiled as 3.5, but (a) it has worked up until today and (b) even the older 2.0 versions I've pulled in still give this error.
One of my co-workers can open the project and add the .dll just fine.
I'm using VS2010.
I also tried rolling back the project to the last entry in our source control, same error.


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Students in the Kutztown Area Middle School jazz band got to jam with professional musicians on Dec. 5 when the Berks Jazz Jam kicked off its new season at Kutztown Area Middle School.
The students impressed the pros with the band�s jazzy renditions of popular songs �House of the Rising Sun� and �Norwegian Wood.�
Then students listened to the Chris Heslop quartet perform a few songs, including �Your Own Sweet Way� by Dave Brubeck, a jazz legend who just passed away. The students were invited on stage to jam with Heslop and Keith Mohler, Tom Witmer, and Dave Lazorcik.
Hosted by Mike Eben, the jam gives musicians an opportunity to play jazz in a live setting, while honing their improvisation skills in a supportive environment. Eben said the group has been offering jams at a music store for a few years but attendance declined. With last week�s jam in Kutztown the group is starting a new approach of bringing the jam to the students.
The jazz jam, which is funded through the Reading Musical Foundation, is scheduled to be at Exeter Middle School in February.


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Diet Guidelines Favoring Vegetable Fats Refuted
By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 6 (HealthDay News) — Enduring dietary wisdom — that polyunsaturated vegetable fats are better for your heart than saturated animal fats — may be turned on its head by a fresh analysis of a nearly 50-year-old study.
The reasoning has been that a diet rich in omega-6 polyunsaturated fats lowers cholesterol, and is therefore good for heart health. But an updated look at the study indicates that heart disease patients who follow this advice may actually increase their risk for death.
The original "Sydney Diet Heart Study," was initially conducted between 1966 and 1973, at a time when the cholesterol-lowering benefits of all polyunsaturated vegetable acids (PUFAs) were touted with a broad brush.
But in the ensuing years, researchers have come to understand that not all PUFAs are alike, with key biochemical differences — and perhaps varying cardiovascular impacts — observed among multiple types of omega-3s (found in fish oils) and omega-6 linoleic acids.
"There is more than one type of polyunsaturated fatty acid," explained Dr. Christopher Ramsden, who headed the re-analysis and is a clinical investigator with the laboratory of membrane biophysics and biochemistry at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
"And so, we were interested in trying to evaluate just one of these compounds, linoleic acid, by looking at this old trial using modern statistical methods, and also by re-including some original data that had gone missing from the first analysis," Ramsden explained.
The findings appeared online Feb. 5 in the BMJ.
The 458 male participants in the original study had been between the ages of 30 and 59 at enrollment, and all had a history of heart disease, with most having survived a heart attack.
The men were placed into two groups. The first group was told to consume linoleic acid, in the form of safflower oil and safflower oil polyunsaturated margarine, at levels equal to 15 percent of total calorie intake. This, said Ramsden, is equivalent to roughly twice the amount that Americans currently consume.
While omega-3 consumption was not affected, the men were also asked to lower their saturated fat intake so that it made up less than 10 percent of their diets. They did so by substituting safflower oil for animal fats, common margarines and shortening oils, salad dressings, baked goods and other products, according to the study.
The second group continued their routine nutritional habits, and both groups kept food diaries and underwent regular assessments during the three-year-plus study period.
By newly crunching all the original data the NIH team found that, compared to the no-dietary-change group, the linoleic acid group faced a higher risk of death, from both heart disease specifically as well as from all causes overall.
Article source: http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20130206/re-analysis-refutes-diet-guidelines-favoring-vegetable-fats?src=RSS_PUBLIC


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UND crowned Big Sky regular season champs
Courtesy: Mitch Wigness, UND Media Relations
Release: 03/01/2014
Release: 03/01/2014
CHENEY, Wash.-- The University of North Dakota claimed at least a share of the Big Sky Conference regular season title with a gritty 61-57 win at Eastern Washington Saturday afternoon. UND can win it outright Thursday at Southern Utah or if the Thunderbirds lose next Saturday against Northern Colorado.
Southern Utah (19-8, 13-5) also won Saturday to set-up a huge showdown Thursday night in Cedar City, Utah.
"It was a true team effort to have success today," UND head coach Travis Brewster said. "It goes to show you how tough the Big Sky Conference is-- 20 league games are a lot and it makes for a long season. It's a very exciting opportunity for the team, UND and the city of Grand Forks."
North Dakota (20-8, 15-4) was led by double-double performances from both Emily Evers (12 points, 13 rebounds) and Mia Loyd (11 points, 11 boards) to go along with Madi Buck's game-high 16 points.
UND was rolling early, piling up a 22-7 lead with eight minutes left in the opening half. Included in that stretch was 11-0 North Dakota run that featured threes from Makailah Dyer and Buck. Evers had a sequence where she collected a pair of defensive rebounds, two more on the offensive glass and buckets on both trips to help UND get out to a double-digit lead.
EWU (15-12, 11-7), who came into the game with a 12-2 home record, fought back and churned out 12 of the next 14 points to slice the deficit to five. The Eagles would whittle the lead down to two before Dyer beat the first-half clock with a layup and UND went into the break leading, 31-27.
Eastern took its first lead since 2-0 when it got a three from Lexie Nelson with 17:47 left. Buck answered with a big three from the right corner to quell any momentum shift and put North Dakota back in front.
UND again built its advantage to nine, 41-32, but had to fend off a pesky Eagle squad that was still fighting a long-shot chance at a share of the league title and potential hosting rights for the conference tourney. Marly Anderson scored on back-to-back trips, the second after a turnover forced by Jade Redmon and it was a one-point game at 52-51.
Laura Hughes gave the home team a three-point lead with 3:22 to go. Later, a steal by Loyd and a dish to Leah Szabla for the finish squared things up at 57-all and two minutes left. After Evers split a pair from the free throw line, Buck made a huge play defensively to help ice the game.
EWU had the ball trailing one with just under a minute to play when the senior jumped in front of a pass near mid-court and took it the length of the floor, finsihing with the left-hand on the fastbreak for a 60-57 UND cushion. The Eagles weren't able to get a good look from three in the closing seconds and Loyd hit a free throw on the other end to seal the win and sew up the conference's regular season title.
Hayley Hodgins had 14 to lead EWU with Nelson adding 12 and Hughes chipping in 10.
It marks UND's second 20-win season since transitioning to Division I (21-11 in 2011-12) and first-ever Big Sky Conference title (second season).
Notes: Loyd's double-double was her eighth of the season, tied for most in the league with Buck ... North Dakota's six conference road wins are tied for the most in the league (SUU) ... UND and Southern Utah-- both in their second season in the Big Sky-- are the two teams remaining to potentially host the league's postseason tournament.
North Dakota Basketball
3 NCAA titles, 17 conference championships
2014 Big Sky Conference regular season & tournament champions
2017 Big Sky Conference regular season champions
Live Video | Live Radio | Live Stats
Photos Albums | Videos & Highlights
Betty Engelstad Sioux Center
Big Sky Conference | Links
2017-18 Media Guide | 2017-18 Prospectus
Photos Albums | Videos & Highlights
Betty Engelstad Sioux Center
Big Sky Conference | Links
2017-18 Media Guide | 2017-18 Prospectus


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Objective coverage of church-state and religious liberty developments, with extensive links to primary sources.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Walmart Pharmacist Sues Claiming She Was Fired For Praying With Customers
ABC News reported yesterday that a former pharmacist at a Bakersfield, California Walmart store has filed a religious discrimination suit in state court complaining that she was fired for praying for customers to be healed when they requested her to do so. 59-year old Anhue Doan says that in the particular incident that led to her firing she was merely touching a customer and talking to her. Walmart says it has not had an opportunity to review the lawsuit, but that it makes reasonable accommodations for religious reasons.
Posted by Howard Friedman --PermaLink: 6:56 PM


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The Red Sox are leaning towards calling up Clay Buchholz to start one of the two games against the Angels on Friday.
Terry Francona said that Curt Schilling and Josh Beckett will not both pitch on Friday, which is Buchholz's next day to start. Buchhols, who turns 23 today, has allowed two runs or fewer in each of his last four starts for Pawtucket.
One roster scenario: DFA Wily Mo Pena (who cleared waivers last week), bring up Buchholz for the day, then call up outfielder Bobby Kielty.


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The only discordant note was the yellow rubber ducks, which a friend had sent him. Every time the President saw those ducks, he'd become irresistibly playful.Sounds like they had a fine time together. She was sleeping over all night when Jackie was out of town:
We named them after his family members, made up stories about them, and often set them racing from one end of the tub to other. It was part of his charm that he was a serious, sophisticated man with extraordinary responsibilities, yet willing to be completely silly.
I was so pleased with myself at being chosen by the President that I didn't feel self-conscious at all about wearing the same clothes at work two days in a row.What a trip. A power trip. Too bad for those other women (and men) who were not chosen. Did Alford wait until these inconvenient women passed away to preen about her powerful chosen-one status?
If my office mates noticed, I didn't care. I felt invulnerable, as if I were cloaked with the President's power.
It shames me to admit that I don't recall feeling any guilt. In my 19-year-old mind, I wasn't invading the Kennedys' marriage; I was merely occupying the President's time when his wife was away. If he wasn't troubled, why should I be? It was hardly by chance that in the 18 months I knew him, I never once met his wife.Isn't it funny that the "19-year-old mind" came up with exactly the same set of trite justifications that almost every lover of a married man/woman comes up with if they don't want to admit they know it's wrong?
As the summer wore on, I was pulled deeper into his personal orbit. But despite the increasing level of familiarity between us, I never rose above being the obedient partner in our relationship.Inappropriate... and way less sexy. And speaking of obedience, there's the dirtiest story, the one where she gives a blow job to Dave Powers, the President's special assistant after JFK whispers to her "Mr Powers looks a little tense — would you take care of it?"
Even in our most intimate moments, I called him Mr President. To do otherwise would have seemed inappropriate.
I don't think the President thought I'd do it, but I'm ashamed to say that I did.... Perhaps I was carried away by a spirit of playfulness.Later, she realized it was sordid, and JFK apologized, but nevertheless tried it again, asking her to "take care of my baby brother" — that is, Teddy.
Over at The New Republic, Timothy Noah, absorbing the blow-job incident, calls JFK a "monster."
ADDED: "The rubber swan is mine" is a punchline from Vaughn Meader's "The First Family" album — a big hit comedy record at the time — in a segment in which Meader as JFK explains whose bath toys are whose. (Thanks to Hagar in the comments for the tip.) (I note that "schwanz" is slang for penis, so I wonder if Meader was in on the joke of JFK with his toys in the bath.)


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Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter
Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley
Emma Watson as Hermione Granger
Michael Gambon as Professor Albus Dumbledore
Jim Broadbent as Professor Horace Slughorn
Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy
Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley
Maggie Smith as Professor Minerva McGonagall
Alan Rickman as Professor Severus Snape
Dave Legeno as Fenrir Greyback
Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange
Helen McCrory as Narcissa Malfoy
Jessie Cave as Lavender Brown
Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood
Freddie Stroma as Cormac McLaggen
Alfie Enoch as Dean Thomas
Oliver Phelps as George Weasley
James Phelps as Fred Weasley
Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom
Alfie Enoch as Dean Thomas
Jamie Waylett as Vincent Crabbe
Josh Herdman as Gregory Goyle
Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid
Warwick Davis as Professor Filius Flitwick
David Bradley as Argus Filch
Georgina Leonidas as Katie Bell
Isabella Laughland as Leanne
Hero Fiennes-Tiffin as Tom Riddle – Age 11
Frank Dillane as Tom Riddle – Age 16
David Thewlis as Remus Lupin
Natalia Tena as Nymphadora Tonks
Timothy Spall as Wormtail
Julie Walters as Molly Weasley
Mark Williams as Arthur Weasley
Gemma Jones as Madam Pomfrey
Rod Hunt as Thorfinn Rowle
Katie Leung as Cho Chang
Directed by David Yates
Another accomplished installment in the popular fantasy franchise, though it's hard not to feel like this is little more than an interim piece in the overall story, presumably leading to something much bigger next time around. Or at least let's hope so.
In his sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and his friends Ron and Hermione (Rupert Grint, Emma Watson) must contend with the continued threat of Voldemort's Death Eaters, while Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) has brought back the school's old teacher, Professor Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent), for reasons only he knows. After his father has been caught and jailed, Harry's arch-nemesis Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) is even more determined to take down his enemy, but Harry, Ron and Hermione seem more concerned with their sudden interest in the opposite sex.
It probably needs to be said as a caveat to this review that "Half-Blood Prince" is the first one of Rowling's novels that I didn't get a chance to read before seeing the movie. That really shouldn't matter, since one presumes that a good portion of the millions who regularly go see these movies won't necessarily have read the books either. It's also obvious from the last movie that the films continue to diverge further and further away from Rowling's novels, but rest assured that if you haven't read the sixth book, this review deliberately omits important plot points as to not spoil the experience.
After a fantastic opening scene in modern-day London of the Death Eaters attacking the Muggle populace, we see Harry enjoying his summer break until Professor Dumbledore shows up to take him back to the safety of Hogwarts. First, they must convince Dumbeldore's former colleague, Jim Broadbent's Professor Horace Slughorn, to return to Hogwarts for reasons Dumbeldore won't reveal. In the meantime, the Death Eaters have been trying to get at Harry–the only person to have survived an attack by their master Voldermort–and everyone at Hogwarts tries to get back to business as normal. Dumbledore asks Harry to become Slughorn's star potions pupil in order to get answers that might help them find Voldemort, while Harry's nemesis Draco Malfoy has been recruited for his own mission by the Death Eaters. Harry has found a special potion book belonging to someone known as the "half-blood prince," and there's a subplot involving something called Liquid Luck. If you're already lost then welcome to the world of J.K. Rowling's over-elaborate plotting and how hard it is to retain all of it when making a film adaptation.
David Yates becomes only the second filmmaker to make two "Harry Potter" movies back-to-back, with this sixth installment also bringing original screenwriter Steve Kloves back to the fold. At this point, if you haven't been religiously watching the movies based on Rowling's tomes, you might as well give up. As much as "Half-Blood Prince" tries to retain the done-in-one aspect of the previous movies, there are just way too many characters from the previous chapters making brief appearances you're not likely to know who anyone is. Instead, the focus is on the evolving relationships between the characters, something that's important to all good filmmaking ventures, but not when it bogs down the forward movement of the story, which is clearly the case here.
The young female members of the cast clearly steal the sixth film, especially Emma Watson's Hermione, whose acting has been consistent and solid throughout the series. By comparison, Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint don't seem to have improved very much, although at least Grint is getting away from the Stan Laurel routine he was doing so much in previous movies. There's no explanation for Harry's sudden change in demeanor since the last movie in which he was angry all the time; here, he's quite placid once again despite everything that happened. If someone told me eight years ago that Bonnie Wright, introduced as Ginny Weasley in the first movie, would turn into such a strong dramatic actress who could carry scenes as well as the three leads, I wouldn't have believed it. It's a testament to producer David Heyman and the various directors who've helmed the franchise that these young actors have been able to evolve and develop their characters so much. This movie would have failed miserably if that wasn't the case.
The verbal sparring between Ron and Hermione has played such a large part in the last few movies, and if you didn't realize where their relationship was heading then you've clearly never seen an episode of "Moonlighting." Hermione is finally realizing she has stronger feelings for Ron, who is as oblivious about them as ever, but the movie spends way too much time dealing with this relationship and how others get in the way. As entertaining as all the character interaction continues to be, so much time is spent dealing with the mostly inconsequential romantic relationships of the various characters that it completely overpowers the main plot. Sadly, it feels that the movie is trying too hard to retain the straying young women who have become enamored by the "Twilight" series, rather than remaining true to itself.
As much as the focus remains on the younger cast, this installment is clearly Michael Gambon's moment to shine as Professor Dumbledore after spending a good portion of the last movie in the wings. For the actor to follow the likes of the legendary Richard Harris in the role and make it his own character is quite an achievement. Similarly, Jim Broadbent does a great job filling in as this installment's "special guest," a doddering sycophant who has his own plans for Harry. (Alan Rickman's Severus Snape continues to play an equally large part in Harry's life at Hogwarts, although we can't say much about his role in the movie without spoiling it.) Over the course of the five previous movies, so many characters have been introduced and there's very little for many of them to do in this one, yet many of them make brief appearances in inconsequential scenes that are similarly unnecessary in the overall scheme of things.
Noticeably missing from this chapter is Ralph Fiennes' Voldemort, who played such a large role in elevating the level of menace in the last few movies. We do get to see the former Tom Riddle in his younger guise–one even played by Fiennes' nephew–but the main menace this time is his Death Eaters, who only really appear at the beginning, the end and a few scattered bits in between. For the most part, this chapter seems to be lacking in the epic magical fantasy that was such an important part of the series up until now – there really aren't any magical creatures for instance, and a lot of what happens could just as well have taken place in any episode of "Saved by the Bell," as the film strays from the fact that the story takes place in a school for wizards.
While Rupert Grint has previously been the film's primary comic relief, that honor goes to the duo of Evanna Lynch's Luna Lovegood and Jessie Cave's Lavender Brown–the latter is Ron's ditzy love interest–both of them keeping things light and fun throughout. Another pleasant surprise is the amazing transformation of Tom Felton's Malfoy from a sniveling and unlikable bully into a villain with real potential. Most of the film, we watch him putting things into a cabinet that makes them disappear, for reasons we don't discover for a long time.
By the time we get back to the actual plot, almost two hours have passed, and by then, you might have completely given up on caring who the titular "half-blood prince" is. That makes it the first time in the series you really start feeling the movie's length before the two-hour mark due to the amount of needless filler.
That's not to say Yates doesn't continue to prove himself an accomplished filmmaker, doing a fantastic job with what is evidently the weakest chapter in the series since its debut. He has created another fantastic looking film with a distinct look from its predecessors thanks to the gorgeous cinematography of Bruno Delbanel ("Amelie") while Nicholas Hooper's score continues to make one forget all about John Williams. The quality of their work is most evident in the last twenty minutes, when we finally get the exciting, fantastical climax we've been hoping for, but it takes way too long to get there. To be honest, other than the opening, a brief Quidditch match and the quest by Harry and Dumbeldore's quest to find an important artifact, there's nothing in the sixth movie that necessarily needs to be seen on the larger IMAX screen.
We won't divulge the two or three big revelations, though they're not nearly as groundbreaking as one might hope after having waited eight extra months for a movie that resolves little and doesn't really deliver on many things set-up in the previous movie. Instead, we're left once again with what is essentially a cliffhanger for the next movie, which one can only hope will return to the vast scope of the previous movies.
The Bottom Line:
If you're a diehard fan of the series and the way the characters have evolved over the previous five films, there's a lot of relationship stuff to enjoy in the sixth installment, but it's hard to forgive the most obvious problems with "Half-Blood Prince" in terms of its pacing, tone and storytelling, as well as the fact that it's deliberately drifting away from what made the previous movies work so well.


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The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) Football Committee voted on Wednesday to hold the CIAC Football Championship games at Arute Field on the campus of Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) beginning with the 2013 season.
The first four championship games at Arute Field will take place Friday and Saturday December 13-14, 2013 with one game played Friday evening and three games on Saturday. The CIAC has held its football championships at Rentschler Field the last three seasons.
"The CIAC Football Committee is grateful to CCSU for their interest and support in hosting CIAC events," CIAC Assistant Executive Director Paul Hoey stated. "CCSU is the perfect size to accommodate our spectators and creates an outstanding championship atmosphere. Their facility is one of the best in the state, and having a turf field available will allow for predictability with scheduling and field conditions."
Following recent expansion, Arute Field now boasts a capacity of 5,500. It has a modern press box, state-of-the-art video board and the partnership with CCSU will also allow for expanded on-line ticket sales prior to the event.
"Central Connecticut State University is extremely excited to partner with the CIAC in hosting their football championships beginning this fall," CCSU Director of Athletics Paul Schlickmann said. "This is an exceptional opportunity for our institution to showcase our beautiful campus and our premier athletics facilities to upwards of 10,000 parents, student-athletes and high school sports fans from all corners of the state. CCSU alumni have long been interwoven in the fabric and storied tradition of high school athletics in Connecticut. There is natural synergy in this partnership on many levels and we are proud to bring these events home to Central. We look forward to working with Karissa Niehoff, Paul Hoey and their staff and we are confident that the fans of Connecticut High School football will enjoy a first class experience at Arute Field."
"The Committee simply believes holding the championship games at Arute Field provides the best experience and atmosphere for our student-athletes and fans and makes the most sense for our organization at this time," Hoey explained. "Our relationship with Rentschler has been tremendous, and the decision to move to a new venue is not a reflection of any dissatisfaction with the people there or that experience."


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U.S. News
Pennsylvania: A Workshop Says Sex Need Not Stop With Advancing Age
September 26, 2011
Adapted from:
Around 100 counselors, therapists, social workers, and educators gathered Friday at Widener University in Chester for the first of what organizers hope will be an annual event focusing on sexuality and aging.
"If people can understand the changes they'll go through, they're much less likely to be upset by them, and they can maintain their intimacy as they age," said Peggy Brick, a longtime sex educator and founder of the Sexuality and Aging Consortium at Widener.
The workshops covered topics ranging from changing body image and chronic illness to retirement-community living and LGBT concerns. Session leaders discussed ways to help clients navigate their way through changes in sexual health.
Psychologist Carol Cobb-Nettleton led a discussion on how chronic conditions, such as hypertension and arthritis, and the medicines used to treat them can impact sex drive. "I teach my clients about the sexual-arousal cycle: desire, arousal, plateau, orgasm, and resolution," said the director of the Wayne Counseling and Family Services Center. "That way they can focus on what isn't working and what's in trouble."
Betsy Crane, director of Widener's graduate program in human sexuality, said the biggest obstacle to sexual fulfillment is often aging persons' own attitudes. When people undergo physical changes, she said, they may try to convince themselves that sex and intimacy no longer matter.
Philadelphia Inquirer
09.26.2011; Kristen E. Holmes
This article was provided by CDC National Prevention Information Network. It is a part of the publication CDC HIV/Hepatitis/STD/TB Prevention News Update.
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NEW YORK (AP) — On a weekend in January of 2010, Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios pivoted faster than even Spider-Man would dare.
A fourth installment of the hugely popular Spider-man franchise was planned, with director Sam Raimi and star Tobey Maguire returning to their trilogy of films that had earned more than $2.5 billion at the global box office and generally been hailed as a standard-bearer in big-screen comic book adaptations.
But by that Monday, Raimi's dissatisfaction with the script and the producers' eagerness for a new movie had come to a head. In a flash, the sequel was kaput, and a reboot was ordered up. Next Tuesday, "The Amazing Spider-Man" will be released, charting a new start for the web-slinger just five years after "Spider-Man 3."
Reboots of film franchises have been typically launched many more years later than that. But today, "five years is a lifetime in the movie business," says Sony Pictures co-chairman Amy Pascal. "I wasn't troubled by it."
Reasons for reboots vary from restoring dormant franchises ("Star Trek"), to refreshing long-running ones (James Bond) or improving on previous failures (The Hulk).
The Hulk was famously tried twice, in 2003 and 2008 by Marvel and Universal Pictures. Similarly, a new Superman ("Man of Steel") is due out next year from Warner Bros., a new start for the DC Comics' character after 2006's "Superman Returns" disappointed.
"The Amazing Spider-Man," on the other hand, comes close on the heels of Raimi's acclaimed trilogy. Though Sony's preference was to make a fourth film with the same team, Pascal now says they were "looking for a story that wasn't there," following the conclusiveness of "Spider-Man 3."
That makes the $200 million "Amazing Spider-Man" a somewhat daring maneuver, bound to face comparisons to the recent Spider-Man films and skepticism from some moviegoers.
To combat any Spidey fatigue, Sony has imbued the new, 3-D "Spider-Man" with youth: Andrew Garfield plays Peter Parker, Emma Stone plays his girlfriend Gwen Stacy and Marc Webb, whose only previous feature was 2009's "(500) Days of Summer," directs.
"The only time to take a break is when your franchise fails," says Avi Arad, a producer of the film and former CEO of Marvel Studios. "People want Spider-Man, so it's our responsibility to give them something new, something different and start a whole new generation of Spider-Man lovers."
Webb's vision of the film (written by James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent and Steve Kloves) is predicated on Parker's origin — tracing his history as an orphan and beginning with his parents. That also means, come high school, covering some of the same ground from Raimi's first "Spider-Man": the spider bite, the uncle's death, the school hallway showdowns.
"It's not like we're retelling the exact origin as Sam had done it," says Webb. "But I felt it was important for a new story to understand the character from the ground up because I feel like the inflection of this character was quite different than what we'd seen before."
That inflection is closer to the Spider-Man of the comics. Garfield's version of the hero is more sarcastic, lithe and twitchy — more of a rebellious teen.
The 28-year-old British actor from "The Social Network," who's fresh off an acclaimed performance in "Death of a Salesman" on Broadway, wanted to honor the previous incarnations of Spider-Man. A fan of the comics since childhood, he says taking on the role was less a decision to consider than a matter of listening to "my inner 3-year-old screaming at me."
"With Spider-Man, the legacy is so huge and there's so much to pay homage to and respect to, that you have to be as aware of it as much as possible," Garfield said.
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BALTIMORE — Fanya O'Donoghue had just learned she was pregnant when she happened to meet a group of nurses at a social gathering. She was looking for an obstetrician, and asked them whom they would recommend.
"All six of them said, 'Dr. (Nikita) Levy,' " she recalled.
Even now, after allegations that Levy photographed patients during exams, followed by the doctor's apparent suicide Feb. 18, O'Donoghue can't bring herself to believe those nurses steered her wrong.
For her, Levy is still the kind, dryly funny doctor who drove through the "snowmageddon" of February 2010 when she went into labor with her firstborn — who shepherded her through her next pregnancy with twins and celebrated their happy deliveries.
"He handed our children to us," said O'Donoghue, 35, who with her husband has three young sons. "I keep thinking this can't be true."
Like others who knew the 54-year-old Levy, O'Donoghue said it was hard to reconcile the warm and caring physician she knew as the same person now alleged to have violated his patients' trust and privacy. While it is not known what kinds of photos and videos Levy took, police say they seized an "extraordinary amount" of evidence from his home 11/2 weeks before he killed himself.
Patients and friends say Levy seemed devoted to his wife, Sandra, a nurse at Hopkins, and their three children. The Jamaican-born New Yorker had moved to Baltimore in 1988, bringing his love of the Yankees with him, and he and his wife were fixtures at their oldest son's baseball games at Friends School in Baltimore, they said.
"Even though they were busy, it seemed they would always make it to his games," said Will Harrington, 26, who graduated from the North Baltimore school in 2005 with Nikita Levy Jr.
"Everybody was pretty shocked by what we read recently. Because everybody in that family is the nicest, most generous," Harrington said. "It just doesn't seem like it is feasible that someone that raised such good kids could do something so fundamentally wrong."
Dr. Levy "was always a super nice guy," Harrington said. "I've had plenty of friends whose parents are doctors or do something in that field. Some kind of come off as standoffish or have that 'I'm better than everyone' mentality. I remember meeting him in high school. He was a nice, normal guy, not ever coming off as better than anyone."
Colleagues at Johns Hopkins Community Physicians, which offers medical care at clinics throughout the state, largely refused to comment last week. Levy was part of a close-knit office at the community physicians' East Baltimore Medical Center at 1000 E. Eager St., and patients said they also saw him at Hopkins' outpatient center on Caroline Street.
Levy often wore a ratty Yankees baseball cap, and arrived at work every day with a lunch packed for him by his wife, recalled Nicole Christian, a nurse who said she worked with Levy from 2000 to 2005.
"We see him as a funny guy, a lifesaver," Christian said. "This is a great loss for us," she said of the community of doctors and nurses who over the years delivered babies together and got together outside work a couple of times a year.
Levy's office at the outpatient center "seemed like a wonderful place to work," said O'Donoghue. "They were a family."
Even as she dreads every phone call now, thinking it could be police telling her she was identified in a photograph by Levy, O'Donoghue remembers how much "respect and friendship" she felt from him.
She sent Levy Christmas cards every year, and remembers taking a picture of him to capture the surprise and joy they felt when, less than a year after her oldest son was born, she learned she was pregnant again — and with twins, a sonogram showed.
"He was a more serious version of Dr. Huxtable, without the bad sweaters," O'Donoghue said of "The Cosby Show" character. "He had the warmth and the humor."
Levy, who became a naturalized citizen some 30 years ago, had lived in Queens and graduated from the Weill Cornell Medical College in Manhattan. He went on to complete his residency at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn before joining the Hopkins physician group in Baltimore.
Several medical school classmates, who hadn't seen him since their 1984 graduation, described him with words like "quiet" and "calm."
"He was a caring person who was well-liked by his peers," said Dr. Scott Hayworth of Mount Kisco, N.Y. "He was never inappropriate."
Hayworth, who has held several leadership roles with the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said he had never seen Levy at any of the group's meetings over the years. Representatives of the Maryland chapter of ACOG, as well as several Baltimore and Maryland medical societies, also said Levy was not a member.
Although they shared an Upper East Side apartment a block from the medical school for several years, Dr. Teddy Tong, who practices in Southern California, said he never got to know Levy very well.
"He was a quiet individual," said Tong, an ophthalmologist. "On weekends, he would return home, I believe to Queens."
Former patients say Levy gave them his pager number so they could always call him with any questions or concerns.
O'Donoghue said that when she went into labor during the 2010 blizzard, she contacted Levy and he called her three times as he tried to get to Hopkins Hospital. Realizing he might not make it in time, he called his wife, a nurse at Hopkins, who rushed to the delivery room.
"She held my hand," O'Donoghue said, and helped calm her during the delivery.
Levy had performed a procedure to turn around the fetus, which was in a breech position, allowing her to avoid a cesarean and deliver vaginally as she had hoped, O'Donoghue said.
Even as O'Donoghue tries to cope with the latest revelations, she said she mostly feels sadness, for the loss of her doctor and for the wife and children he left behind.
"My heart just breaks for them, he was so proud of them," she said. "The sad part for me is the thought of his memory being tarnished."
Levy and his wife purchased their large, brick, Colonial-style home in the 900 block of Hampton Lane in Towson area in 1992 for $420,000, according to state records. Now assessed at $750,000, the house sits on a wooded lot on the busy street, across from Notre Dame Preparatory School.
It was there that police were called, shortly after 7 a.m. Feb. 18, by Sandra Levy, who had awakened to find that her husband had apparently killed himself after two turbulent weeks.
Alerted by an employee on Feb. 4, Hopkins officials said they discovered that Levy had been "illegally and without our knowledge photographing his patients and possibly others." The following day, he was "quietly escorted" off Hopkins property — his access to patients suspended, Hopkins spokeswoman Kim Hoppe said.
Police searched Levy's home Feb. 7 and seized multiple hard drives and servers, and Hopkins fired him the next day. On Feb. 11, Hopkins sent a letter to Levy's patients saying he was no longer with the practice, and a week later, after police cleared the release of more information, sent a second and more detailed letter, Hoppe said.
Levy's wife had previously called police to the home on Feb. 13, saying he had been acting strangely since his firing, a source told The Sun. No police report was made after that call.
Sandra Levy called police to the house again Feb. 18, after finding her husband in the basement with a plastic bag taped over his head and a hose attached to a helium tank. He had left a note asking for her forgiveness in his car, a 2001 BMW. She told police that she had unsuccessfully begged Levy to get psychiatric help, a source said.


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Darksiders 2 is coming to the Wii U a bit later than the other consoles, but THQ and Vigil Games are packing in a few extra goodies for the wait, in the form of pre-order bonuses bundled all together.
On the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, you had to pre-order to get an access code for the Argul's Tomb DLC, but it will be included with the Wii U whether you pre-order or not. You'll also get some retailer-exclusive pre-order bonuses: the Death Rides Pack, the Angel of Death and Shadow of Death packs, and the Deadly Despair Pack. These grant you three additional side-quests, sets of early legendary armor and weapons, and a speed boost to your horse, respectively. The announcement also promises additional unique legendary weapons and armor sets, but doesn't specify what they are.
The announcement also mentions using the Wii U GamePad to access inventory and abilities, which may cut down a bit on the menu sorting of the other versions.


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I was at a midnight showing like everyone else! When the movie started it went dead silent!!! When the Cullen's were introduced that was when the first noises came...then Edward and the sighs, giggles, and gasps started!!!!! Girls of all ages were taken away with the movie and the guys loved the action and stunt scenes!
I loved the whole movie I agree with mostly everyone. The baseball scene was great. The Cullen's were able to let go and be themselves. Even Jasper didn't look like he was in pain. (I love when Jessica said that.) When Bella calls Rose "out" I was like yeah that will help you guys' relationship. When Emmett climbs the tree to catch the ball and Rose says "Yeah that's my monkey man!" Love that line!!
I love the scene where Bella goes to the Cullen house and they cook for her. Rosalie was great!!!! Alice, LOVE HER!!!!!!!! Japer was trying to be civil and pleasant! Love how Rose breaks the bowl and just acts like a ding dong the witch is dead which old witch the wicked witch, but that is her. Nikki did a great job!!!
I love when they destroy James. I love how Alice smells the blood and calls for Carlisle. Then how she prances over to James, jumps on him, and rips his head off. You don't expect small sweet Alice to do that!! Love it!!!!!!!
I love the scenes with Jacob. I am glad they added the part where they bring the truck over and introduce the Blacks to her. I just love Jake!!!! He was so cute! So Bella to hit people with the truck door.
I love the times when Bella falls.
WHO DIDN'T LOVE THE KISSING SECNE?????????? I like how she just keeps going when he tries to back off!!! The prom was great. I love the song (even thought the words make no scene. I bought the soundtrack when it came out, so I knew what songs would be in. I loved them!!!) while he is leaning her back!!!
I just loved the movie. I am going at least two more times with friends from nursing school and family. Who knows maybe I will go by myself as well!!! I know I will find new things to love the more I watch it!
I can't wait to buy it on DVD!! This one better be a 2 disc special edition!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Everyone was so hott!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my god they were amazing!!!! Way to go actors!!! Love Edward, Jasper, Emmett, Carlisle, and James!!!!
Thank you everyone involved for making this movie for all us fans!!!!!!!!!!!!


text: So, I am going to try and go the dentist next week. I *HATE* the dentist, so I usually get the works. Please tell me I can have nitrous oxide and of course the numbing stuff they inject into your gum, I may let them clean my teeth while I am in there so, it could be extended nitrous oxide. Is there anything I need to be wary or careful of? Baby is 9months old and we are still exclusively breastfeeding and have a family bed.


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Dumbest thread ever
Sanchez will be more responsible for these guys losing their jobs than anyone else.
Dumbest thread ever
We have debated his loyalties and fandom many times before. We know what he is, so why even bring that up? However, he is no clown. If you would just listen to and talk with him, you'd realize he's actually very intelligent and knows his football.
I've done so many times. I'm not the one making silly comments without debating his points, though.
Yep, you actually put up valid logical arguments and try to refute/rebut points. You know, actual intelligent debate and discussion.
Sec on the other hand /????
Think you might have misinterpreted this one. Sec was saying that your views are similar to mine, which, they aren't. It's why we disagree so oftenYes, I do have the same/similar point of view. However, I at least debate him on those views when I make snide remarks.
this is just an asinine thought, there is more money on the table for Woody if Manning is steering the ship over T-bow, hands down. Woody is not dumb, you can collect two fold with Manning, not only just the name, but also a legitimate shoot at being a contender that will rake in money.
Somewhere they got lost and missed the boat.
Take T-bow out of the mix right now, remove him from the team in your mind. Botton line, we have a D that holds up, if you have a top QB you need somewhat serviceable players on offense, if you have a somewhat serviciable QB, you need top offensive playmakers, we have neither. this falls on Tanny and Rex, not Woody. T-bow is not even in the equation except for the media.
If his name was not "T-Bow", he would not even be of intrest. if his name was Smith, Johnson or Goldburg he would not even be relevant.
There are minimal football reasons for bringing Tim in (great on 3rd and short, "WC", leadership, etc), but my main opinion is that Woody brought him here for the attention above all else. ****, why wouldn't he? If this were my Franchise and I had the chance to bring in the most polarizing football player in YEARS, do you honestly believe I would stop short of pimping out my own mother to get him here? Ohhhhhhhhhh no. No. No, no, no. Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
The specific point that I'm making though is actually one that C Man made earlier, which is that no one really knows. At best, one can offer the OPINION that Woody forced the move AND that it was done for PR reasons.
That said, it's also completely possible that Tanny, Rex and Sparano wanted Tebow here for "valid football reasons".
As outsiders, we just don't know. We might have opinions, but they are just that.
Going further, there are a number of ways where it could have been both. Perhaps Woody saw both sides, the football side and the PR value, and it was a win/win for him. Maybe Rex and company wanted Tebow for football reasons, and had to run such a decision by Woody and woody was all for it either purely for PR, or for both.
Last edited by Demosthenes9; 11-18-2012 at 12:54 PM.


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Dramatic Car Fire Rescue In Barnegat [VIDEO]
BARNEGAT – A driver trapped in a burning car in the township is rescued by two daring police officers on patrol.
Authorities say that Mario Dischiavi, 57, was incapacitated inside the blazing 2005 BMW 745i on Biscayne Road when Officers Lauren Keilitz and Michael DiBlasi responded to an alert resident's call. Police say the door latch was stuck, leaving officers with no way to reach DiSchiavi.
DiBlasi fetched a window punch from their patrol car and smashed the driver's side glass. Keilitz then overcame withering smoke and flames and pulled DiSchiavi from the wreckage.
He was treated for smoke inhalation at Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin. Investigators are now trying to trace the cause and source of the fire.


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Since there was no school on Monday, Nov.11, due to Veterans Day, the Hood River County 4-H members gathered at the OSU Extension Building to decorate their own aprons, as well as cookies, to give to people of the community.
As 4-H Ambassadors planned for only 10 participants, they were pleasantly surprised when about 25 kids showed up, eager to help out in any way they could.
The event was created to preview the upcoming event "Tie One on Day," on which you wrap a home-baked good in an apron and give it to a neighbor as an act of kindness. It traditionally takes place the day before Thanksgiving, to show the people around you that you are thankful for them. This idea was created by author EllynAnne Geisel, who has written four books about aprons, and Oak Street Hotel is working to bring Geisel's "Tie One On" exhibit to Hood River. Geisel believes that an apron is the symbol of history throughout all cultures, since every culture has some means of food preparation.
The day started with kids decorating aprons, which were sewn by Dani Annala, the 4-H Extension agent, while the 4-H Ambassadors baked chocolate chip cookies. Aprons were covered with felt flowers, puffy paint, glitter glue, and ribbon, and some of the kids wrote fun sayings on their aprons such as "good food, good times." By the time they were finished decorating, they wrapped cookies inside their aprons to give to someone special.
Before leaving, each kid had to say who they were going to give it to. Some said Grandpa, some said teachers, and others said their neighbors. Whoever they chose to give it to would surely feel appreciated and, in the spirit of "Tie One On," may even return the favor to someone else. The few remaining aprons were distributed by some of the Ambassadors at Hawks Ridge.
The apron recipients at Hawks Ridge were very surprised and grateful for the thought. Just giving them an apron and some cookies brightened their day, and made them smile. See whose day you can brighten this holiday season by giving something homemade to a neighbor to show that you're truly thankful to have them in your life.
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Neighbors Protest Planned Hotel in Amherst | News
AMHERST, N.Y. -- There was a heated meeting in the Town of Amherst Tuesday night over a proposed new hotel.
More than 100 people, all dressed in red, showed up to the meeting to try to convince the Zoning Board of Appeals not to approve variances for the project.
The 6-story tall, 137-room Hyatt Place Hotel would sit just behind the Lord Amherst Hotel in Snyder right by where Main Street meets Interstate 290.
Iskalo Development is asking for nine area variances to the zoning ordinances. Residents say the requests show the developer is trying to build too large a hotel in too small a space.
One of the variances would allow Iskalo to install an architectural feature to the top of the proposed hotel that would increase its total height to 77 feet. The ordinance only allows 65 feet in height on that property.
Iskalo says it would simply be architectural and would only impact the eastern portion of the building that faces Interstate 290. Residents on the western side just across a pond argue otherwise.
Iskalo is also asking for variances regarding parking space sizes, landscaping, sound barriers, and signage.
The zoning board of appeals will make its decision on the nine total variances next month.
If the project gets full approval, Iskalo hopes to start construction this spring, with the new hotel opening next summer.


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Rome, Italy, Feb 27, 2013 / 04:14 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- A conclave is similar to going on a rigorous spiritual retreat that is pervaded by silence, according to Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington, D.C.
"It's like going on a very, very strong, heavy retreat," explained Cardinal Wuerl in a Feb. 26 interview with CNA at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.
"It's heavy in the sense of leaving aside everything else, but this time the retreat's master is the Holy Spirit," he recalled.
He believes that while the conclave is focused on the actual voting, it is also a time of prayer and being open to the Holy Spirit. "I will be. And I'm sure it will be the same for all of the cardinals there, taking this time of quiet simply to open our hearts to that voice of the Spirit."
Cardinal Wuerl took part in the 2005 conclave that elected Pope Benedict by assisting a sick cardinal. Since he was made a cardinal in 2010, this will be his conclave as an elector.
"There's a silence that pervades the entire conclave, particularly in the Sistine Chapel," he said.
"I think that sustaining the serenity of spirit is why the whole idea of the conclave is quietness."
According to the cardinal, the next Pope will have two major challenges: fighting secularism and being media savvy.
"Great secularism is pervading the Church and prevailing all around us, so it brings a sense of urgency that we need to be re-proposing the Gospel," the cardinal remarked.
Cardinal Wuerl said that while a Pope cannot be physically present worldwide, he can use social media as a way to be present electronically.
He added that the most important thing for people to do now is to pray and ask God to send the Holy Spirit on the cardinals during the conclave.
"The expectation of all of us should be that out of this conclave will come, by God's providential plan, the Pope who will guide us well into the future," said Cardinal Wuerl.
In his view, Pope Benedict's primary legacy will be his insistence on the compatibility of faith and reason.
But his pastoral ministry and his call to the New Evangelization will also be among his accomplishments, the D.C. cardinal added.
"He's urged the entire Church to take a look at people who should be with us but have drifted away."
"Our task is to re-propose to this very secular world a wonderful mystery, a wonderful revelation of God being with us in Christ," he said.
Some in the media have floated that Cardinal Wuerl could become the next Pope, but he gives little weight to that idea.
"We have to keep our focus on the realm of reality and not fantasy," he quipped.


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Crossing the Religious/Secular Divide
One step is for everyone to stop making sweeping generalizations.
Click here if you are unable to view this video.
Give Tzedakah! Help Aish.com create inspiring
articles, videos and blogs featuring timeless Jewish wisdom.
(20) Anonymous, November 19, 2012 1:00 PM
First, let me say thank you once again for the close captioning. It is most appreciated! Second, I agree 100% with commenter #1 re: not cutting anyone else in line. There are exceptions to this of course, but we need to use common sense and courtesy in this arena. In my life I have asked women if I can cut in front of them in line at the ladies room, due to real distress. The response has always been affirmative. Just now I started to think about the "magic words" I learned to use when I was a child. What are they? The words are please and thank you. I just reminded myself to use these words more often, ESPECIALLY with my family!
(19) David Gr, April 14, 2012 3:14 PM
The Ladder of Religious Observance
I feel frustrated over the terms like religious Jews and non-religious Jews or observant and non-observant Jews. It's like an all or nothing type thing. I would venture to say that most "non-religious" Jews believe in God although they may not observe many of the mitzvoh. I personally pray to God daily, try not speak ill of others, try to help others, minimize work on the Sabbath, and so on. However, I don't keep Kosher, married a Gentile, turn lights on and cook during the Sabbath, and so on. So I feel like I am not at the top of the ladder but neither am I at the bottom. I wish more thought would be given to where you are on the ladder than to whether you are "religious" or "non-religious".
(18) Yaacov Seoane, March 26, 2012 1:12 PM
Love your fellow Jew
(17) arlene turini, March 25, 2012 12:14 AM
i really enjoyed this until the end; i just finished teaching the Hiding Place to my HS students and repeatedly was stated in the story etc et al that Hitler and his evil henchmen always used this word in reference to the Jews; he would say and try to accomplish "the final solution: " so when Lori said "we are the solution" it really unnerved me sorry!


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Dearest Finster, what a fine-looking Snowshoe kitty you are! You have a beautiful, sweet face with those lovely blue eyes looking out at me. You are full of energy and fun, chasing your humans and barking at them when you are ready to be fed. It sounds like you have your Purrrsons well trained. You all share a wonderful household and lots of love.
And how nice that you use your allowance to provide good behavior treats for your Meowmie's 4th graders!
Congratulations, darling Finster, on being selected today's Cat of the Day! We hope you and your family are all celebrating with a day full of fun and lovies and loads of your favorite treats.


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Not all front-ends are created equal. This fact has been painfully obvious, dating all the way back to the first- and second-generation Camaro. Some like four headlights, some like two, some like none. Some like a split bumper, some like one that goes all the way across, and some like one wrapped in carbon fiber. The fifth-generation is no different, thanks to the creation of the 2012 Camaro ZL1, which is by far the most aggressive factory offering yet. Though the chassis itself is identical to the V-6 and V-8, bolting up the ZL1 bumper is not without complication. For starters, the body lines do not line up with the hood. And ordering a ZL1 hood can be cost prohibitive (the carbon insert alone is $4,500), clearly GM's intent to ward off would be clones. Some talented body shops have been known to correct this issue with quite a bit of work, but in this story we wanted to show the easiest way around it. For that we turned to ACS Composite who designed a fiberglass version of GM's carbon insert that retails for around $550. Meanwhile we had to source the actual hood from our favorite GM parts dealer, Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center, for around $800. Factor in the bumper cover itself as well as the hardware, and you are out another $1,200 (not including the side skirts and a few other parts shown here). So, yeah, this is no budget mod.
Perhaps the biggest hurdle with adding a ZL1 front-end is finding a quality paint shop to do the work. For our installation we would be following along with Greg Lovell of AntiVenom, who has completed a number of great projects with the help of painter Rudy Gonzalez at Stingray Chevrolet with whom he will be entrusting his beloved Inferno Orange Metallic '10 SS. Past dealership experience may make you a little skeptical, but Rudy's work is spot-on and Stingray's state-of-the-art facilities are a large reason why. Rudy does custom jobs such as this in his off-hours, much to the delight of AntiVenom, which happily sends many Camaros and Corvettes his way. Sikkens water-based (aka waterborne) paint is the material of choice at Stingray. It may be eco-friendly, but many, including Rudy, say that it provides a significant advantage for color matching. Since we'll only be painting the hood and bumper, this is of particular importance on this job–especially when you consider how difficult Inferno Orange can be to match (though, always humble, Rudy said otherwise). Follow along as we walk you through the process of building your very own version of the ZL1.
Required Parts List for ZL1 Bumper
|GM Part Number
|Part Description
|R Bezel
|L Bezel
|Lower Grill
|DRL Retainer (2)
|R side flare
|L side flare
|1 duct, radiator air inlet
|1 baffle, radiator air side
|1 baffle, radiator air side
|L inner wheel wells
|R inner wheel wells
|Wheel attach kit, 2 per box
|Under pan
|Nuts, pkg of 10
|Bolts, pkg of 20
|Rivets, pkg of 10
|Retainer, 2 for the front grill and 14 for the rear diffuser
1. Even brand new body parts do not arrive in perfect condition, at least not if you want it to look picture perfect. Painter Rudy Gonzalez got started by blowing off the bumper to remove any loose dirt or dust, and using caulking putty on the scratches.
2. The next step is buffing the plastic with the DA using a cleaner to remove any dirt. Removing any dirt, dust, and foreign particles is essential. Otherwise they will become trapped under the paint, and lead to a bad paint job.
3. Rudy then takes some Scotchbrite to the bumper as the last step before taking it into the paint booth.
4. The bumper is sprayed with a degreaser once in the booth as the final step of cleaning, and then Rudy masks off the edges that will not only keep paint out of the joints, but also serve as the test area.
5. One coat of primer/sealer is used, and Rudy sands the rough areas smooth (since you can't sand bare plastic).
6. The bumper is wiped down with a "tach rag" to get any of the loose dust or debris prior to laying down the base coat.
7a-b. While Rudy was prepping his gun, I spied these two pieces. As you can see, the hood had already been painted, but some work was left to go on the ACS insert. Once smoothed out, it will be painted white to match the factory stripes.
8. Greg had just delivered the lower bumper/splitter as well as the ZL1 side skirts and Heritage grille. A factory SS or ZL1 grille will also work. Rudy will be applying some IOM along the edges of the grille as well as to the splitter and side skirts. These pieces are textured since they are unpainted on the ZL1, so it takes extra work to get them smooth and glassy.
9. The first coat of IOM is a medium-wet coat, which is not intended to give full coverage. The second coat, however, does and is more wet, but he is careful to avoid runs, tiger-striping, and orange peel by paying attention to the proximity to the surface and giving a 50% overlap. In between coats he touches the tape on the end of the bumper to know when it is tacky and ready for the next coat.
10. After spraying primer, color, and clear Rudy methodically cleans out his guns. He has a dedicated gun for each to ensure no mixing or foreign particles ruin the paint job. Each one is a SATA 3000 RP, a pressure fed high performance gun that is extremely efficient and works well with the new eco-friendly paint standards. Speaking of eco-friendly, Stingray Chevrolet carries only waterborne Sikkens paint that Rudy says is easy to color match.
11. The Sikkens base and clear dries surprisingly fast in Stingray's top-of-the-line paint booth, currently set at 98-degrees. After applying two coats of clear, the bumper is baked at 165-degrees for 35 minutes. After that, he'll wet sand with 1500 and 3000-grit before the 3-step buffing procedure–compound, polish, and swirl remover.
12. Fast forward to AntiVenom's skunkworks facility, where we'll be mocking up the new bumper with the factory SS hood and then swapping over to the ZL1 hood. Greg Lovell gets started by unbolting the factory SS bumper.
13. This also requires removing the plastic pins that secure the inner fenders.
14. There are plastic dowels that help line up and hold the bumper in place. Since we are just mocking this up, Greg gets the bumper fairly tight and uses just a few bolts to secure it.
15. The bodylines on the SS hood go right along the center bulge, which is about 2-3 inches to the left of the bodylines on the ZL1 bumper. Obviously this mismatch is reversed when using the ZL1 hood and the SS bumper.
16. The stock SS hood is unbolted and carefully placed aside.
17. Meanwhile the finished ZL1 hood was waiting to be plucked and slid onto the Camaro. In painting the insert white, Greg was obviously attempting to mimic the factory white stripe, which he also had painted onto the ZL1 spoiler.
19. Back at Camaro Now headquarters, Greg removed the SS bumper again as well as the bottom radiator shroud. The top piece is a new ZL1 piece, and the bottom is the factory SS. This is one of several support pieces needed to convert the nose. See the parts list for a full rundown.
20. Greg starts assembling the ZL1 bumper by snapping the freshly painted lower grille into the fascia.
21. The fog lights carry over from the SS, though new bezels are needed to retain them in the bumper.
22. This lower light (DRL) as well as the retainer is unique to the ZL1, and they install together.
23. Greg picked up this adapter harness from Gen5DIY that allows the SS to run the ZL1 Daytime Running Lights (DRL). He thinks it might be possible to run a factory ZL1 bumper harness, however, it would require some tweaking to the Body Control Module.
24. Next the Heritage grille is snapped into the fascia. Again, you can use any fifth-gen grille you want–Greg is partial to this one.
25. The trim ring was scavenged from the SS bumper, which has to be riveted into the new one with plastic GM rivets. After installing the Bowtie, the front bumper is complete and ready to install.
26. Greg lifts the bumper into place and slides it onto the front-end.
27. Brake cooling ducts were a must for Greg when doing the conversion, and we are happy to report zero clearance issues–even with the Fastlane air intake.
28. The ZL1 wheel wells are essential to pulling off the conversion, and thankfully they snap into place easily and look very slippery when installed. Notice the port for the brake cooling ducts. We also spotted "Z/28" curiously cast into them.
29. Like the brake cooling ducts, some may not consider the belly pan essential, however, Greg was not the sort to let it go. He wanted all the functional elements that go along with the ZL1 conversion. He later trimmed it to clear the ARH long-tube headers.
30. Again, rockers are not essential to the conversion, but Greg was going all out. Thankfully the installation was quick and painless. The new ones snapped into place in minutes.
31. Perhaps the hardest part was finishing the side stripe, which had been partially deleted in the bumper swap. Our deadline was pretty tight, so we went with the quickest solution. Greg cut this piece of vinyl by hand, and fellow SIM Editor Steve Baur used his surgical precision to install them.
32. All in all, the results were impressive and Greg couldn't be happier. The paint matched perfectly and really popped in the sunlight. While borrowing several ZL1 elements, he has managed to create something unique that contributes to his overall goal and vision for the build. Now it's your turn.


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Chronic Mind Block?
by, August 7th, 2012 at 07:15 AM (1020 Views)
Don't know why but it's already two years since I suffered from mind block. I'm usually productive with words, but these two years I haven't resumed my stories at all despite all the definite ideas - somehow writing them down makes the ideas seems stupid and thus I relent. I used to produce about 2-3 poems in a month and these two years I only invent 10.
I don't know what to do. I really hate to put everything to a permanent halt but now even words only sound beautiful in the realm of thoughts. I've read somewhere that this is a natural thing happening on early stages when people trying something new, but two years?
Sometimes I would just stare to my old works and wonder how I could create anything like those.


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Original URL: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/09/27/oracle_axiom_to_eject_netapp/
Axiom to boot out NetApp at Oracle
El Reg peers into crystal ball of storage
Posted in The Channel, 27th September 2011 16:29 GMT
Analysis It's surely axiomatic: Oracle will replace the NetApp E Series-sourced 6000 line of storage arrays with the Pillar Axiom.
Oracle dislikes OEM supply deals, seeing no good reason to send part of a customer's purchase money to another supplier. The company has bought the Pillar Data startup, which was funded by Oracle CEO Larry Ellison's Tako Ventures, in a zero-cash deal. Oracle now has its own unified storage – a block-storage array – in the form of the Pillar Axiom.
Pillar failed to establish standalone traction, competing with other arrays from EMC, HP, HDS, IBM, NetApp and others, and the company was rescued from a slow death by Oracle. There was only one product – the Axiom 600 – presumably as revenues were insufficient to fund continued supply and development of any others.
In his last blog, Pillar's CEO Mike Workman wrote: "We'll be working to build products and integrate them into the Oracle stack in a way that will take everyone's breath away. As the story evolves, we will see the true benefits of engineering the hardware and software, together."
It's now two months on, very early days indeed, but El Reg would hazard a guess that his team at Oracle, where he is SVP for storage solutions, not products we note, is doing just that: integrating the Axiom array with Oracle database software and providing a block-access alternative to Oracle's filers, the ZFS Storage 7000 line.
NetApp is happy that the supply contract with Oracle, which it inherited when it bought Engenio, will continue. But... why does Oracle need two block-storage array product lines? The 6000 line was never positioned as big data buckets or HPC data vaults, the direction NetApp marketing is going with the products.
It is conceivable that Oracle could push them as such, but it wants to build integrated hardware and software stacks using its own IP. The Axiom product fits in with that. The NetApp product does not.
Consider the Axiom's design: it ain't a traditional dual controller array, having Storage Bricks to hold the data, Slammers to control the I/O, and a Pilot to manage the shop via policy control. You can have NAS, SAN (FC) or iSCSI Slammers, and up to four of them in a 600. This is inherently more scalable than a dual controller array and it can be scaled up or scaled down.
What's in a name? A number.
There are three Oracle Sun Storage 6000 products: 6180 (to 112 drives), 6580 (256 drives), and 6780 (448 drives). To replace them and provide a classic three-box line-up of entry-level, mid-range, and high-end, Oracle would need three Axiom sub-brands. It has a naming problem too of course, since Axiom 6000 and Sun 6000 are incompatible. You wouldn't expect Oracle to call the next-gen Axiom a 6200 because of that. The 7000 numbers are taken by ZFS and a 5000 line would imply something smaller than the 6000.
How about the 8000? Oracle might be looking at something to overlap EMC's VNX line and go into VMAX territory. We could envisage an 8200, 8600, and 8800 if we wanted, and imagine the current Axiom with a brain transplant to the latest X86 processors, plus, maybe, an InfiniBand link to interconnect Slammers and Storage Bricks. That would boost the array's internal horsepower and bandwidth.
Tweak it with ZFS Storage 7000-style read and write flash caches in the Slammers, plus a healthy slug of SSD storage, and you would have fast and flash-boosted CPUs, shipping data over fast links from Storage Bricks with a flash tier, which would seem a good fast basic recipe into which to bake Oracle software.
If this were happening, and Oracle-stroke-Pillar is keeping schtum, then we would expect a Q1 2012 indication at the earliest. This analysis by the way is 100 per cent El Reg's work. We haven't received any nods or spin from insiders or anyone else. ®


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REED, DONNA J. Flushing
Donna J. Reed, of Flushing, age 81, died Saturday, July 6, 2013 at Concerned Country Care in Montrose. Funeral service will be held 11am Friday, July 12, 2013 at the Swartz Funeral Home, 1225 West Hill Road, Flint, Father John Ederer officiating. Burial in New Calvary Catholic Cemetery. Visitation 4-8pm Wednesday and 12-8pm Thursday and 10am Friday until the time of the service at the funeral home. A Vigil Service will be held 7pm Thursday evening at the funeral home. Donna was born in Flint on October 29, 1931, the daughter of the late Edward and Anna (DeGuise) Doutre and was a resident of Flushing. On January 24, 1948, she married William F. Reed in Flint and he preceded her in death in 2001. Donna was a Nurse's Aide at McLaren. Donna loved being a mother, grandmother and the neighborhood babysitter. Surviving are children, Michael (Mary Lou), Kathy (Clarance) Putney, William A. (Charlotte), Nancy (Ronald) Reed, Robert, Jill (Robert) Kendrick, Daniel and the late Dolores and Gary (Gail); 13 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren; sister, Mary Wright, brother, Donald (Diane) Doutre, brother-in-law, Claude DeShong. She was preceded in death by husband, daughters-in-law, Dolores Reed and Debra Reed, brother, Edward Doutre Jr., sisters, Anna Anderson, Ruth DeShong, Lillian Reynolds and Margaret Redwood. Special thank you to Concerned Country Care and Heartland Hospice for their care and support. Your condolences may be shared with the family at swartzfuneralhomeinc.com


text: Staff members from the Culinary Arts program at Nashoba Valley Technical High School in Westford recently prepared and presented heart-healthy fruit tarts for shoppers entering the Stop & Shop supermarket on Route 110 in Chelmsford. Chef-Instructors Fran Zentgraf, left, and Carley Engle, center, with Stop & Shop Nutritionist Julie Menounos, prepared the fruit tarts using crushed honey graham crackers, instant vanilla pudding, fat-free sour cream, fat-free half-and-half, skim milk, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, kiwis and Mandarin oranges. Engle said the fruit tarts allow folks to "keep the taste and cut the fat." Menounos said Stop & Shop is happy to have Nashoba Tech help the company spread the word about eating healthier foods without sacrificing taste.