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Teamlist Tuesday is here with #NRL Teamlists and officials for Round 12 confirmed.
Head to bit.ly/L...
3 days ago
The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles have beaten the North Queensland Cowboys in highly controversial circumstances at Allianz Stadium in front of 16,678. The Sea Eagles now advance to the first preliminary final at AAMI Park next Friday where they face the Melbourne Storm.
Things started quickly for the reigning premiers as they posted first points inside the first five minutes. Michael Oldfield went over off a short pass from Glenn Stewart. "Oldie" burst through the line to dive over in the corner, while Jamie Lyon pushed the conversion wide. As a result the score remained 4-nil to Manly.
A tactical play from co-captain Jamie Lyon saw the lead pushed to 6-0 after 18 minutes as he slotted the penalty goal.
Flying fullback Brett Stewart bolted onto a beautifully weighted pass from young winger Jorge Taufua. It was all Manly as they were running ragged over the travelling Cowboys. Lyon nailed the conversion to extend the lead to 12-0.
The Cowboys looked lost in attack for most of the first half, however they managed to get points on the board after 30 minutes through big running James Tamou. The prop-forward displayed his fancy footwork to dance over the whitewash, while Thurston swung the conversion between the posts to close the gap to six.
Manly had the final say of the first half with a penalty awarded on the half time siren, but Daly Cherry-Evans' field goal attemptfrom 30 metres out was unsuccessful. At the break Manly remained ahead 12 points to 6.
Match Details
Manly Sea Eagles 22 defeated North Queensland Cowboys 12
National Rugby League - Finals Week 2 - Friday September 14, 2012 7:45pm
Venue: Allianz Stadium
Referee: Shayne Hayne and Ben Cummins
Video Referee: Steve Clark and Paul Simpkins
Touch Judges: Paul Holland and Jeff Younis
Crowd: 16,678
Halftime: Manly Sea Eagles 12 North Queensland Cowboys 6
Leagueunlimited.com players of the match:
3 Points - Jorge Taufua (1 Try)
2 Points - Matthew Scott
1 Point - Tony Williams
Tries: Brett Stewart, Michael Oldfield (2), Jorge Taufua
Field Goals: Daly Cherry-Evans (0/1)
Conversions: Jamie Lyon (2/4)
Penalty Goals: Jamie Lyon (1/1)
Tries: Antonio Winterstein, James Tamou
Conversions: Johnathan Thurston (2/2)
LeagueUnlimited.com Live Commentary Despite reports throughout the week he might miss this clash, Manly captain Jamie Lyon will play tonight - his side is as per program. For the Cowboys, it's been widely reported and confirmed that Aaron Payne will miss tonight's clash. James Segeyaro slots in at hooker, with Anthony Mitchell the new man on the bench. The North Queensland side are 1-13.
Earlier in Toyota Cup, the eighth placed St George Illawarra Dragons smashed the minor premiers Canterbury-Bankstown 46-20. The Dragons will face the Raiders next week for a spot in the Grand Final.
Both sides have finished their pre-match warm ups, we will have kick off in a minutes.
The Cowboys are out on the park, just awaiting Manly and we will be UNDERWAY
1 min: We are UNDERWAY at Allianz Stadium in this first semi-final as the Cowboys kick off
1 min: UNFORCED ERROR Manly Sea Eagles
Anthony Watmough attempting to make a quick run for his players as dropped it looking for a quick play of the ball.
2 min: The Cowboys attacking looking promising as Thurston showed off his double pump pass. But on the second play after the change over Manly earn a penalty. Glen Hall penalised for holding down in the ruck. Manly find touch on halfway
5 min: TRY
TRY Manly Sea Eagles
Scored by Michael Oldfield. Conversion attempt by Jamie Lyon unsuccessful.
Michael Oldfield has posted first points thanks to a short pass offload from Glen Stewart. The Sea Eagles crafted the play thanks to a kick cross field from Daly Cherry-Evans. Jamie Lyon with the conversion attempt from the sideline pushes it wide of the sticks.
Manly Sea Eagles 4-0
8 min: UNFORCED ERROR North Queensland Cowboys
Matt Bowen unable to take the Cherry-Evans kick cleanly and he knocked it on as he came to ground. Glenn Stewart attempting to clean up the Bowen mistake also knocks on. So, Manly pack down and win the scrum on the Cowboys' 10 metre line.
9 min: UNFORCED ERROR Manly Sea Eagles
Jason King running on the inside of Cherry-Evans looking like a decoy runner but he dropped it before taking the ball. Cowboys come away with possession on their 10 metre line on the zero tackle.
10 min: PENALTY! Anthony Watmough has been penalised for having a second dig in the tackle. The Cowboys find touch and start their set on the Sea Eagles' 20 metre line.
11 min: Thurston fires a bullet pass out wide to Ashley Graham but he is bundled over the touchline with a big tackle from Jorge Taufua. Scrum feed packs for Manly on their 10 metre line.
12 min: Dean Whare with a massive run downfield out paced the Cowboys defence with a 60 metre run, but he was collected by Matt Bowen as he offloaded the ball. Cherry-Evans unable to take the offload and the Cowboys have it.
13 min: The Cowboys give up possession and the Sea Eagles attack from a scrum feed on the Cowboys 40 metre line.
14 min: Matt Ballin attempted a short kick for the in goal area but taken easily by Matt Bowen who took the ball to save points. They start their set on the 10 metre line.
15 min: PENALTY! James Tamou penalised for not clearing the ruck fast enough for the referees liking. Manly with an easily march up field as they attack the Cowboys line 30 metres out.
16 min: Michael Oldfield with a grubber kick to the corner as forced Matt Bowen to pass in goal to Gavin Cooper. Manly with a big play on the 1st tackle force a line drop out.
17 min: PENALTY! Cowboys penalised for hands in the ruck, but in the same set, Cherry-Evans was collected with a nice shot from Gavin Cooper. Looking at a shoulder injury but does remain on the field.
18 min: PENALTY GOAL
PENALTY GOAL Manly Sea Eagles
Penalty goal attempt by Jamie Lyon successful as Manly extend their lead beyond a converted try.
Manly Sea Eagles 6-0
20 min: TRY
TRY Manly Sea Eagles
Scored by Brett Stewart. Conversion attempt by Jamie Lyon successful.
Brett Stewart as busted through the poor Cowboys defences after taking a beautiful pass from Jorge Taufau who did some juggling to originally take the ball. Manly are running over the Cowboys here. Jamie Lyon with the conversion from in front make it a 12 point lead.
Manly Sea Eagles 12-0
24 min: A mistake from the Cowboys on the last tackle gives possession to Manly on their 10 metre line.
26 min: UNFORCED ERROR Manly Sea Eagles
Brett Stewart unable to take the kick as he knocked on. Cowboys attacking from a scrum 10 metres out from the Manly line
27 min: Michael Morgan puts a kick in for a goal line drop out as Manly force it in goal. Cowboys looking a little confused as they are just hoping something happens.
29 min: PENALTY! Anthony Watmough again gives away another penalty for laying in the ruck. Manly's defence will be testing once again as the Cowboys attack 10 metres from the goal line.
29 min: VIDEO REFEREE for the Cowboys, James Tamou the scorer. We are looking at a possible obstruction
30 min: TRY
TRY North Queensland Cowboys
Scored by James Tamou. Conversion attempt by Johnathan Thurston successful.
James Tamou is awarded his try after going through a gap to reach out and plants the Steeden over the line. The Cowboys prop stepping and powering over the line for first points. Thurston with a swinging kick at goal adds the extras
Manly Sea Eagles 12-6
35 min: Jamie Lyon cleans up the kick from Thurston and grounds it in goal before Matt Bowen dived on the footy. Line drop out for the Cowboys with a chance before half time to post points
37 min: Matt Bowen with a wobbly kick across the field finds the hands of Ashley Graham but he was out leapt by Jorge Taufua. Manly concede another line drop out.
39 min: Matt Bowen attempted a short grubber kick for himself but it was dived on by Matt Ballin for Manly. The Sea Eagles play it out of their own red zone.
40 min: WAIT FIGHT TIME!. The slaps are out…there will be PENALTY to Manly. The siren did sound, but the touch finder sees Manly get one play on the 30 metre line.
40 min: FIELD GOAL ATTEMPT
ATTEMPTED FIELD GOAL Manly Sea Eagles
Field goal attempt by Daly Cherry-Evans is unsuccessful as he rocketed it from the 30 metre line.
Manly Sea Eagles 12-6
40 min: HALF TIME now at ALLIANZ STADIUM sees the Manly hold a six point lead over the Cowboys, 12-6.
Both sides exiting the tunnel for the final 40 minutes of one of theses sides season.
41 min: Daly Cherry-Evans fires the kick downfield and we are UNDERWAY in the second half.
42 min: Brett Stewart caught the ball easily in goal to earn his side a optional 20 metre restart.
43 min: UNFORCED ERROR Manly Sea Eagles
Jorge Taufua has helped the ball out of the ruck with a hand from Ashley Graham. A luckily call for the Cowboys as they pack down a scrum feed on the Manly 40 metre line.
45 min: TRY
TRY North Queensland Cowboys
Scored by Antonio Winterstein. Conversion attempt by Johnathan Thurston successful.
Antonio Winterstein has taken a beautiful floating pass from Thurston to raced down the touchline to score. A great run from the Cowboys to capitalised on the lucky call. Thurston with the conversion attempt was pin-point as he locks the game up.
12 all
50 min: PENALTY MANLY! Tony Williams earns his side a penalty for Gavin Cooper not getting off the ruck fast enough. Big touch finder from Cherry-Evans sees Manly attack 30 metres from the Cowboys line.
52 min: VIDEO REFEREE for Manly…what a pass from Tony WILLIAMS! Jorge Taufua is claiming points
52 min: TRY
TRY Manly Sea Eagles
Scored by Jorge Taufua. Conversion attempt by Jamie Lyon successful.
Jorge Taufua has been awarded his try BENEFIT of the DOUBT as he reached out for the line and then had Ashley Graham help him over the goal line. Jamie Lyon with the conversion attempt from the sideline pushes the kick wide
Manly Sea Eagles 16-12
55 min: The crowd has been posted tonight at Allianz Stadium. 16,678 is the official attendance.
57 min: PENALTY COWBOYS! Thurston has been cleaned up without the ball after he kicked the ball. A quick tap taken 10 metres out.
57 min: A shocker of a pass from Thurston sees the ball fly over the touchline. Nothing was happening for the Cowboys and to the delight of the Manly fans who have travelled tonight their side packs down a scrum feed.
61 min: VIDEO REFEREE for Manly, looking a possible try for Michael Oldfield.
62 min: TRY
TRY Manly Sea Eagles
Scored by Michael Oldfield. Conversion attempt by Jamie Lyon successful.
Michael Oldfield is awarded his try after the video referee somehow ruled that Kieran Foran did not knock on. After the play Michael Oldfield dived on the loose ball and scored. A blunder of a decision will seemingly rob the Cowboys a win here.
Manly Sea Eagles 22-12
66 min: UNFORCED ERROR Manly Sea Eagles
Glenn Stewart makes an unforced error as he took the tackle. Thurston is targeted again by Manly once again as they pack down a scrum feed.
69 min: A mistake from the Cowboys sees Manly earn a 20 metre restart. Brett Tate went oh so close to the line to score but was short.
74 min: A mistake from the Cowboy sees Manly pack a scrum on halfway. Niel Henry on the sideline is all by in tears.
76 min: The kick from the Cowboys rolls dead and Manly will get the 20 metre optional restart.
78 min: VIDEO REFEREE for Manly, Anthony Watmough scores…
79 min: Anthony Watmough is penalised for taking out Brent Tate without the ball. Penalty to the Cowboys, but Thurston is unable to find touch. Manly will close out this game with the ball
79 min: Forward pass ruled from the Cowboys out of acting half. Manly will win here
80 min: FULL TIME at Allianz Stadium: Manly 22 def. Cowboys 12 in front of 16,678


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New charity website HopeMob takes a cue from Reddit by letting users vote-up the content [story] they favor. The soon-to-be launched website is the second "social giving" site founded by tech and humanitarian entrepreneur Shaun King. King said he wants HopeMob to be a platform for spotlighting untold stories and getting people help.
Now here's an ingenious use of stories that any for profit or nonprofit org can use: story voting.
This is another unique way of linking crowdsourcing with storytelling. You receive 23 story points and get to use these to vote on the stories you find the most compelling. This eventually leads to donations.
Find out what happens next by reading the article.
The only question that remains for me is, are these really going to be stories?
Nevertheless, how can you use this idea?
- If you are a nonprofit -- hook up with HopeMob and Shaun King. Or tailor his idea to your own organization's platform and needs.
- If you are a for profit -- collect business stories from your community, share them, give your readers story points to use for voting, and offer the winners your products/services for free (just an idea off the top of my head), which generates more stories, goodwill, prospects, and business growth.
- I'm sure you will have other ideas!
I love human ingenuity and HopeMob is a perfect example.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
ODU Sends Doubles Team to 2009 NCAA Women's Tennis Championships
By ODU Athletics
April 29, 2009
NORFOLK, Va. -- The NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Subcommittee has selected the 64 singles players and 32 doubles teams that will compete in the 2009 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championships, including the top doubles tandem for Old Dominion, senior Charleen Haarhoff (Durban, South Africa) and sophomore Nadine Fahoum (Haifa, Israel). The pair earned the Colonial Athletic Association's automatic bid in doubles action and will compete at Texas A&M University, May 20-25.
The singles and doubles competition will be conducted May 20-25 at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station, Texas, following the conclusion of the team championship (May 15-19). Texas A&M University, College Station will serve as host.
All matches shall be the best of three sets. Regular scoring and a 12-point tiebreaker at six games all will be used for all matches.
Haarhoff and Fahoum rank 56th according to the most recent ITA rankings. The Lady Monarch duo have gone 25-7 in doubles action so far this season, including an 11-3 mark at No. 1 and a 12-match winning streak in the fall that earned them a trip to the ITA East Regional Championship.
Both Lady Monarchs were named to the First Team All-CAA Doubles Team earlier this month, while Fahoum also was named to the First Team All-CAA Singles and Haarhoff earned Second Team Singles honors.


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Banner Engineering introduced the EZ-LIGHT K50L with an independent pushbutton. The pushbutton is mapped to a dry contact output and is designed for use with wireless sensor networks, specifically Banner SureCross FlexPower battery-operated devices. Operating independently from its attached wireless device, the K50L push-button consumes minimal power for electrical circuits or control, while three sourcing inputs control the green, yellow and red indicator lights. Its power-optimized electronics, combined with the company's SureCross wireless network, provide a suitable solution for call lights and machine status indication —e ven for remote areas without wired power or data connections. Banner's multi-function EZ-LIGHT indicators display multiple colors with solid (steady ON), flashing or sequenced flashing cycles. With an illuminated dome, the K50L provides easy-to-see operator guidance and equipment status indication—ensuring effective visual process management.
Featuring rugged, fully encapsulated construction, in addition to easy installation, the K50L is ideal for use in flexible and harsh work environments. Additionally, the K50L's compact battery module efficiently supplies power to the wireless sensor network configuration, providing up to three years of continuous operation. The K50L offers 18 to 30V dc operation and is available in cabled and quick disconnect models.
Banner Engineering
888-373-6767, www.bannerengineering.com [1] [1]


text:
Gamboge is a partially transparent, reddish yellow
pigment. First used as a colour name in 1634.
Gamboge is an extract from the Gamboge tree; a species
of evergreen trees of the famliy Guttiferae (or
Clusiaceae) which grow in the eastern part of the world.
The resin is extracted after the tree has grown for
10 years.
This extract is responsible for the colour of Buddhist
monks' robes, as they use the gum resin as a dye.
The synthetic version of this colour is not very
different from its natural counterpart.
- http://wordsmith.org/words/gamboge.html
- http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gamboge
- http://www.thefreedictionary.com/gamboge
- and Wikipedia
Gam*boge" (?), n.
A concrete juice, or gum resin, produced by several species of trees in Siam, Ceylon, and Malabar. It is brought in masses, or cylindrical rolls, from Cambodia, or Cambogia, -- whence its name. The best kind is of a dense, compact texture, and of a beatiful reddish yellow. Taking internally, it is a strong and harsh cathartic ad emetic.
⇒ There are several kinds of gamboge, but all are derived from species of Garcinia, a genus of trees of the order Guttiferae. The best Siam gamboge is thought to come from Garcinia Hanburii. Ceylon gamboge is from G. Morella. G. pictoria, of Western India, yields gamboge, and also a kind of oil called gamboge butter.
© Webster 1913.
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text:
Story highlights
- Zain Verjee describes how Kenya's national conversation has changed to security
- Verjee, a Nairobi native, says the coming together of all Kenyans has been powerful
- "Kenyans like us, are thinking of great escapes in ways we never did before," Verjee writes
I can't get the image of the bodies lying near the freezer at Westgate out of my mind, and recognizing two of the victims, their bodies splayed, their blood splashed against the stark white floor.
There is a picture of an empty blue twin stroller, abandoned on the rooftop that I've walked on countless times. There are pictures we did not air on CNN because they were simply too gruesome. It felt more shocking because this was a mall as familiar to me as the back of my hand.
"Westgate was like home to us," said my father to me over dinner in the kitchen this evening. And he was right - the mall was practically our second home -- it's where we met our friends, did the household groceries, and banking.
I'd often call home from London to find my parents at the new tapas joint sipping sangria, before that at Urban Burgers, Planet Yogurt or Artcaffe. Looking around now at our kitchen, the tea, coffee, white asparagus, beads, my favorite ice-cream (toff n'choc with nuts) wine glasses, mobile phones, are all from Westgate.
"Where shall we go shopping now," asked mum? "Nakumatt Ukay?" she said referring to a red brick shopping center 100 meters away from Westgate.
"But it's in the basement," said dad, "there's no emergency exit. Let's not go there."
Kenyans like us, are thinking of great escapes in ways we never did before. Wherever we are, what's the quickest route out? We are on edge on the streets, in our cars, and nervous in malls.
I was at a clothes shop at the Sarit Center mall looking for a new shirt to buy before presenting the "Westgate Attack Special," programme and something clattered to the floor. We all jumped in fear.
Friends and family are thinking twice about whether to go for dinner, lunch, run basic errands, and determine what could be safe and what is not.
The national conversation has changed to security. Each passing day brings greater revelations about the terrorist plot and the government's response. Every Kenyan I have spoken to is angry, about intelligence failures, and operational failures. Kenyans are acutely aware gunmen from Westgate escaped and many say our government has not provided us with sufficient answers: How? Where? When? Why?
Yet the coming together of all Kenyans has been powerful. The diverse community has pulled together -- all races, all tribes that are often source of tension in Nairobi.
Our politicians, bitter rivals, have supported the president. In the short term Kenyans expect to take an economic blow with fewer tourists coming here, less investment, less confidence amid the threat of further attacks. For the long term, many point to 9/11 in New York or 7/7 in London and note how life went on, and those cities bounced back.
Kenya is the economic powerhouse of east Africa, that won't change. Kenyans are resilient, that won't change. Kenya leads the region in creativity, media, free press, biotechnology, arts, music, literature, none of that will change. Kenya attracts investment opportunities around the world, that won't change.
Life will go back to normal: The matatu mini vans will break traffic rules, the traffic will be horrendous, the horses will race at N'gong on Sunday, Mama Mbogas will sell their fresh vegetables, someone will order a cold Tusker beer, and the hot smell of the Kenyan earth after it rains will rise, and so will the nation.


text:
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 15, 2007 - Surge-supplied U.S. and Iraqi security forces have contributed to a marked decrease of insurgent-committed violence in eastern Baghdad, a senior U.S. military officer said here today. "We have been effective, and we have seen violence significantly reduced as Iraqi security forces have taken a larger role in all aspects of operations," Army Col. Jeffrey Bannister, commander of 2nd Infantry Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team, told Pentagon reporters from Camp Liberty in Baghdad during a satellite-carried news conference.
In addition, Bannister said, he has observed increasing harmony among Sunni and Shiite residents in his sector.
During surge of forces operations that began in January, U.S. and Iraqi troops ramped up counterinsurgency efforts in and around Baghdad as part of a strategy that embedded units into local neighborhoods, Bannister explained.
The surge quickly accelerated improvement of the security situation across eastern Baghdad, said Bannister, whose area of operations includes nearly 2 million Iraqis, mostly Shiite, living in a dense urban area the size of Phoenix.
Bannister said his brigade partners with more than 12,000 Iraqi soldiers and police posted across three of Baghdad's 10 security districts. Bannister's troops, coalition forces and Iraqi soldiers and police are providing "a dominant security presence in the neighborhoods protecting the local population," he said.
More than 92 percent of the neighborhoods under his watch are now considered to be under control of U.S. and Iraqi security forces, Bannister reported. Since January, there has been a 69 percent decrease in enemy attacks within his sector, he added.
The colonel also reported that sectarian violence is markedly down since a ceasefire agreement was made with Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in August. Although some Sadr adherents appear to be disregarding the ceasefire, the majority of Sadr's followers "are following his pledge of honor," Bannister said.
Yet, progress that has been achieved in reducing violence in his area hasn't been easy, the colonel said. "We've had some tough days battling insurgents and criminal militias," he acknowledged. "Our persistence has paid off, and we're seeing an increase, not only in security, but (also) from Iraqi-citizen tips."
Iraqi citizens want to rid their neighborhoods of insurgents and other criminals, and they are uncovering many enemy weapons caches, Bannister noted.
Improvised-explosive-device attacks in his sector have gone down from a high of about 100 in January to about 20 in October, the colonel said. The decrease in attacks is due to several factors, Bannister said, including the successful execution of counterinsurgency strategy, a lull in violence during the September-October Ramadan holiday period, and the ceasefire agreement with Sadr.
"I will tell you the greatest accelerant for this decrease has been the (counterinsurgency) strategy, combined with enough security forces to get the job done," Bannister said. "Our dominate presence inside the neighborhoods has resulted in a much higher level of access to the population, and therefore, to intelligence."
These efforts have led to more cache discoveries and reduced space for the insurgents to rest and regroup, Bannister pointed out.
In addition, the people of eastern Baghdad have simply grown tired of insurgent- and criminal militia-committed violence, the colonel said.
Iraqis "are reconciling themselves to put an end to the senseless violence and lawlessness," he said.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
U.S., Iraqi Efforts Reduce Violence in Eastern Baghdad
Posted by Raymond Foster at 1:43 AM
Labels: army, counterinsurgency, criminal, military, police
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The Kenozersky National Park, The village of Tyryshkino (Tirishkino) , the Plesetsk District, the Arkhangelsk Region,Russian North.
Located in the south of Kenozero Lahti (Bay) south-west village Semenovo.Chapel Paraskeva, begin 19th century. Chapel of the "Cross" Assumption of the Blessed Virgin.8-sided "sky" in the chapel of Paraskeva.The holy grove, which is the chapel of Paraskeva.House with ornate carved balconies, 19th century.
Just in case you mistakenly heard that it was all ice and snow in Russia, take a peek at the Big Bikini Exposition. This is right on the river Moskva in Moscow!Moscow has been the capital of Russia for almost its entire history. The exception is during the period of the Russian Empire, which lasted from 1721 until the Russian Revolution 1917. For these two centuries the capital was St. Petersburg. The Russian Empire was the second largest contiguous Empire in world memory; only the Mongol Empire had been greater.Check out what's happening north of Mongolia these days, in ChitaAlthough you may not have heard of Sochi, on the Black Sea, they're building up quickly and hope to host the 2014 Olympics.Other periods of Russian history include the Tsardom of Russia, from Ivan IV to Peter the Great, and the Grand Duchy (14th-16th centuries).The earliest period of Russian history was ruled by the Novgorod Republic and Kievan Rus, which was the first Russian state dating back to 800AD in Kiev.Modern Russia remains one of the world's superpowers. They launched the earth's second satellite, called Sputnik 1, and were the first country to put a human being into orbit around earth. (The first one is called the Moon.)After the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia became a federal republic of 83 states.Text by Steve Smith.


text:
Linked by Thom Holwerda on Sat 22nd Sep 2012 22:07 UTC
Ubuntu 12.10 will include advertisements for products on Amazon. It will look like this - if you search, product suggestions will pop up. This seems like a rather slippery slope to me, and I certainly wouldn't want this on my desktop, laptop, smartphone, tablet, or anywhere else. On the web - fine, I'm on your site, not mine - but my desktop is mine, and mine alone. Not that it matters - open source, someone will disable them. Biggest concern: does this mean my search queries get sent across the web?
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RE[4]: It's just a lens
by Morgan on Sun 23rd Sep 2012 21:52 UTC in reply to "RE[3]: It's just a lens"
The real money in GNU/Linux and BSD is in the background, not as a retail consumer desktop OS. Put it on a server, sell services running on that server, and make some bucks.
Every web host I've ever used or researched seemed to be more successful with their *nix based packages than Windows. Unless you need something specifically offered by Windows IIS, there is simply no reason to run it given the licensing costs passed on to the user.


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Saturday, December 08, 2012 11:40 pm
North Korea considers delaying rocket launch
By HYUNG-JIN KIMAssociated Press
Scientists have been pushing forward with final preparations for the launch from a west coast site, slated to take place as early as Monday, but are considering "readjusting" the timing, an unidentified spokesman for the Korean Committee for Space Technology told North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency.
It was unclear whether diplomatic intervention or technical glitches were behind the delay. A brief KCNA dispatch said scientists and technicians were discussing whether to set new launch dates but did not elaborate.
Word of a possible delay comes just days after satellite photos indicated that snow may have slowed launch preparations, and as officials in Washington, Seoul, Tokyo, Moscow and elsewhere urged North Korea to cancel a liftoff widely seen as a violation of bans against missile activity.
Commercial satellite imagery taken by GeoEye on Dec. 4 and shared Friday with The Associated Press by the 38 North and North Korea Tech websites showed the Sohae site northwest of Pyongyang covered with snow. The road from the main assembly building to the launch pad showed no fresh tracks, indicating that the snowfall may have stalled the preparations.
However, analysts believed rocket preparations would have been completed on time for liftoff as early as Monday.
In Seoul, officials at the Defense Ministry, Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Foreign Ministry said Sunday they were looking into what might be behind the possible delay.
North Korea announced earlier this month that it would launch a three-stage rocket mounted with a satellite from its Sohae station southeast of Sinuiju sometime between Dec. 10 and Dec. 22. Pyongyang calls it a peaceful bid to send an observational satellite into space, its second attempt this year.
The launch announcement captured global headlines because of its timing: South Korea and Japan hold key elections this month, President Barack Obama begins his second term next month and China has just formed a new leadership.
The United States, Japan, South Korea and others have urged North Korea to refrain from carrying out the launch, calling it a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions on nuclear activity because the rocket shares the same technology used for firing a long-range missile.
China, the North's main ally and aid provider, noted its "concern." It acknowledged North Korea's right to develop its space program but said that had to be harmonized with restrictions including those set by the U.N. Security Council.
Past launches have earned North Korea international condemnation and a host of sanctions.
South Korean analysts said North Korea's announcement of a possible delay suggests the country wants to resume talks with the U.S. on receiving much-needed aid, or has yielded to diplomatic pressure by China.
North Korea may not fire the rocket if the U.S. actively engages in talks with Pyongyang and promises to ship stalled food assistance to the country, said Koh Yu-hwan, a professor of North Korean studies at Seoul's Dongguk University.
In February, the U.S. agreed to provide 240,000 metric tons of food aid to North Korea in exchange for a freeze in nuclear and missile activities. The deal collapsed after North Korea launched a long-range rocket in April.
Analyst Baek Seung-joo of the South Korean state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses in Seoul said China must have sent a "very strong" message calling for the North to cancel the launch plans.
"North Korea won't say it would delay the launch due to foreign pressure so that's why they say scientists and technicians are considering delaying it," he said.
The unexpected launch announcement was issued Dec. 1 as North Koreans began mourning late leader Kim Jong Il, who died on Dec. 17, 2011.
An April launch from the same new launch pad was held on April 13, two days before the centennial of the birth of his father, North Korea founder Kim Il Sung. That rocket broke up just seconds after liftoff.
The U.S. and other nations see the launches as covers for illicit tests of missile technology. North Korea has unveiled missiles designed to target U.S. soil, and has tested two atomic bombs in recent years, but has not shown yet that it has mastered the technology for mounting a nuclear warhead to a long-range missile.
Six-nation negotiations to offer North Korea much-needed aid in exchange for nuclear disarmament have been stalled since 2009.


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Thanks to Kevin from the Copyright in the Internet Age blog, as well as another, anonymous source, I managed to get access to all of Bethesda's filings regarding the Bethesda v. Interplay court case.
In the original complaint, Bethesda not only claims that the name Fallout Trilogy for a compilation sold in the United States and containing Fallout, Fallout 2 and Fallout Tactics is misleading and cannibalizes on Fallout 3 sales. They also claim that around August 2009, Bethesda became aware of compilations of Fallout games distributed under the titles Fallout Collection and Saga Fallout in other countries. "Upon information and belief" Bethesda alleges that Interplay began packaging, advertising and promoting these packages after Bethesda's launch of Fallout 3.
While a lot of Bethesda's arguments in the filings are reasonable, this claim is entirely false. Saga Fallout has been sold in Poland by CD Projekt since 2004, and the White Label Fallout Collection has been available in the UK since 2006, while a previous Ultimate Fallout Collection was released in 2004.
In the latest filing, after Interplay stated in its opposition that Bethesda's claims regarding the publication dates are false and attached photos of various editions of such compilations over the years, Bethesda states that none of these exhibits were authenticated and there is no way to verify the original dates. I guess all the stores offering them since 2004 and all the customers who have purchased them and posted about it on the Internet must have been deluded.
Well, I guess people who were asking whether to buy the Trilogy or the Collection pack in 2006, and reporting issues with the Trilogy edition in January 2007, before the Asset Purchase Agreement (APA) was signed in April 2007, were simply making it all up.
All of this doesn't mean, however, that Interplay is likely to win the whole thing, as some of its shareholders seem to believe. Bethesda refutes most of Interplay's arguments, citing various precedents and stating that Interplay "attempts to create an alternate universe". Here's a summary of the most interesting parts:
- Interplay does not have the necessary funds to fulfill the Trademark Licensing Agreement condition of securing 30 million dollars for the development of a Fallout MMORPG. And even if one were assume that they somehow did secure the money, by teaming up with Masthead Studios Interplay is still in breach of the provision that does not allow it to sublicense any of the development rights without Bethesda's approval.
- The Merchandising Rights provision did not "grandfather" any prior packaging, advertising or promotional material, so even if they were identical to previously used materials, they would need to be approved by Bethesda before re-release, which Interplay did not do.
- While Interplay claims that the APA gives it "perpetual" or "permanent" rights to sell previous Fallout games, the agreement itself actually uses the word "perpetual" in regard to Bethesda's acquisition of the IP, not to anything else, and the word "permanent" does not appear there at all. And while Interplay claims that there is no provision allowing Bethesda to terminate it, even in the absence of an express provision, termination for material breach is implied in every valid and enforceable contract. "The suggestion that a licensor of a trademark may not terminate the license even in case of a material breach and must forever live with continuing violations of its intellectual property rights by the breaching licensee is simply absurd."
- Interplay's claims that if Bethesda is allowed to terminate the merchandising rights, it is allowed to rescide the whole APA are, according to Bethesda, nonsensical. While Interplay claims that the merchandising rights were an essential part of the consideration and that without them, they would have never sold the IP, the APA itself mentions no such consideration, stating that it is "based on the fair value" and "for the cash consideration described herein", and Interplay's SEC filings about the agreement don't even mention the merchandising rights. Interplay claims that the contract is indivisible and the merchandising rights part cannot be terminated without terminating the whole agreement, while Bethesda points out a clause stating that if any part of the agreement is held invalid by a court, the rest of the agreement will remain in full force and effect.
- Bethesda terminated the Glutton Creeper Games Fallout Pen and Paper d20 licensing agreement because it violated the 2004 Exclusive Licensing Agreement, which did not allow Interplay to license any rights connected with Fallout to a third party. I managed to also get a copy of the agreement and it indeed states: "This grant of exclusivity to Bethesda shall serve to prohibit Interplay (...) from licensing (...) any product that uses in any manner the name, assets, characteristics and/or brand of 'Fallout.'". No idea why Herve Caen thought he could get away with it.


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2009 Baseball
Matt Perkins named HCAC Player of the Week
Matt Perkins named Pitcher of the Week in the HCAC
March 9, 2009
BLUFFTON, Ohio - Matt Perkins (Convoy/Crestview) was recently named Player of the Week in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference following his performance at the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Florida.
The senior hurler went 2-0 in his two starts last week in Florida. He threw 11 innings, giving up just one earned run for a 0.82 ERA. Perkins struck out six batters and walked just two while holding opponents to a .186 batting average.
Bluffton returns to action on Wednesday, March 11, when the Beavers travel to Chillicothe for another matchup with Muskingum College. The contest is slated to start at 4 p.m.


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If we could make a proposal to the Reds to pay half of Miltons salary this year if the Reds would cut him, and half of the city chipped in 5 bucks a piece, I think we could have Milty out of here with maybe just 1 more start.
If we could make a proposal to the Reds to pay half of Miltons salary this year if the Reds would cut him, and half of the city chipped in 5 bucks a piece, I think we could have Milty out of here with maybe just 1 more start.
Why not bump it to 10 bucks and use that money to buy a cheap seat in the ballpark for a night. That might help offset some of that salary too in a dreamworld
paying money to be entertained doesn't make a point. If half of this city was willing to pay just to see a guy go.............................that has a voice.
I am all for fan support at the games though......maybe the donation area should be just inside of the gates?
I am going to go out on a limb and say..........
I dont think this is going to happen
"Boys, I'm one of those umpires that misses 'em every once in a while so if it's close, you'd better hit it." Cal Hubbard
Count me in!
"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."
--Woody Hayes
Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball - Jacques Barzun
Ill toss in 80 bucks and take my lunch to work all week.
Are you Danny Graves?
How about just flood the Reds FO with emails asking for them to DFA Milton. I'm not talking "Milton is the sux" emails, but well thought out, reasoned and articulate emails. You may want to include who will replace him since there isn't a cattle car of options floating around. That might help too.
Oh yea, you can just send me the $5 instead.
a super volcano of ridonkulous suckitude.
I simply don't have access to a "cares about RBI" place in my psyche. There is a "mildly curious about OBI%" alcove just before the acid filled lake guarded by robot snipers with lasers which leads to the "cares about RBI" antechamber though. - Nate
That would be funny but it won't happen.
Most Vottomatic Player
Im not ready to pay milton off. Maybe after a few more starts then I would be ready. Fact of the matter is he didn't have all that bad of a start for a 5th starter. 4 runs in 5.1 innings still keeps the team in the game.
Tom Shearn... who knew?
Reds reccord when I attend in 2007: 6-1
I bet you couldn't get $1,000 ...
The lowest acceptable payroll amount for ownership to show they are not greedy pigs is 15 million more than they are currently paying. No matter what that currently is.
Championships for MY teams in my lifetime:
Cincinnati Reds - 75, 76, 90
Chicago Blackhawks - 10, 13, 15
University of Kentucky - 78, 96, 98, 12
Chicago Bulls - 91, 92, 93, 96, 97, 98
Everything that happens before Death is what counts.
― Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes
Board Moderators may, at their discretion and judgment, delete and/or edit any messages that violate any of the following guidelines: 1. Explicit references to alleged illegal or unlawful acts. 2. Graphic sexual descriptions. 3. Racial or ethnic slurs. 4. Use of edgy language (including masked profanity). 5. Direct personal attacks, flames, fights, trolling, baiting, name-calling, general nuisance, excessive player criticism or anything along those lines. 6. Posting spam. 7. Each person may have only one user account. It is fine to be critical here - that's what this board is for. But let's not beat a subject or a player to death, please.


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Ed. Note: BGH welcomes Chris and Kathleen, who are embarking on a project to explore the many hidden corners of the horror world in the new series: Horror by the Sub-Genre
This week's episode starts with a discussion of the merits of the Aussie cannibal flick "Dying Breed," and ends with a debate about which one of us is most American.
Nina's sister set off to the Tasmanian outback eight years ago in search of proof of the elusive Tasmanian Tiger. She never returned. There are rumors other mythical creatures living in Tasmania as well. In 1824, Alexander Pearce, also known as "The Pieman" escaped from the British Penal Colony held upon the island. Pearce was known to be a violent cannibal, proven by the fact that he escaped with seven other prisoners and only he survived, albeit with chunks of human flesh in his pockets.


text:
With principal payments coming due next year on loans for the Gravois Arm Sewer District's last construction project, the board of directors is proposing an across-the-board rate increase for users to help cover the cost.
With principal payments coming due next year on loans for the Gravois Arm Sewer District's last construction project, the board of directors is proposing an across-the-board rate increase for users to help cover the cost. Another phase of construction is also planned to try to get more customers paying on the system.
Public hearings are planned Nov. 18 and 21 to discuss the measure tentatively proposed to increase rates by 7.14 percent.
The GASD is currently meetings its obligations with about $1,200 left over each month.
According to GASD board chair Dave Taylor, the district will start seeing an additional payment of $7,500 per month in October 2014 as principal payments on the $5.2 million 30-year loan that was part of phase three financing begin. Phase three added around 600 users to the system.
The low interest loan was through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development which allows entities to pay interest only for the first couple of the loan as the service gets up and going.
The proposed rate increase now would allow the district to build up a reserve to help cover the gap when it comes, but the rate increase alone is not enough to continue meeting that obligation.
"We'll probably still operate in the red but hopefully for no more than a year," Taylor said.
A fourth phase of construction now in the preliminary planning stages is intended try to get 200 to 400 more customers on line in addition to the approximately 921 now receiving service.
There are a number of homeowner associations off of Route O and Route P that have sought service from the district, according to Taylor.
The new users would be selected based on their proximity to existing lines to make hook-ups cost effective in order to balance the expense of phase three.
Taylor estimated it would be a $4-5 million project with some kind of financing package likely through USDA Rural Development.
What rate increase means for customers
For residents that would mean seeing their monthly bill go from $56 to $60.
It is more complicated for commercial sewer customers who pay a minimum flat fee as well as per unit charges. Both the flat fee, $61.02, and the per unit charges, which vary depending on type of business, are proposed to be increased by 7.14 percent.
The increase would bring the flat fee up to approximately $65.38.
For motels and resorts, an additional $9.99 per unit is currently charged. That would increase to $10.70 per unit.
For food and beverage services, an additional $1.11 per seat is charged. That would increase to approximately$1.19 per seat. It also costs $55.48 for grease trap maintenance for retail businesses with commercial kitchens.
The school is charged an additional $1.11 per student which would increase to $1.19.
A gas station has an extra charge of $55.48 per month on top of the minimum flat fee. That additional charge would increase to $62.62.
These rates were set at the time of the last rate increase which was effective Jan. 1, 2012.


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Today's Featured Artist: Michael Godard
Transform your photos into one-of-a-kind, hand painted masterpieces!
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Dress it up, dress it down, or use it to stay organized while you're on the go. Our carry-all pouches can do it all. They're crafted with 100% poly-poplin fabric, double-stitched at the seams for extra durability, and include a durable metal zipper for securing your valuables.
Our carry-all pouches are available in three different sizes and with two different bottom styles: regular and t-bottom.
Care Instructions
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It was really disappointed with the quality of the product. I am sure the artwork is lovely, but it did not show up well at all on the zipper bag. The picture is very hard to make out, seems too light and a little blurry. It might be that the material of the bag is not the best for putting images like this on, I'm not sure. But I know it does not look as clear and crisp as it does in the image/picture. I bought this as a gift, and I am not sure I am going to give it because I am a little embarrassed by the quality and that she won't be able to really tell what she is looking at without really giving it a really hard look or me explaining it to her. For example, in the image on Fine Art America one can clearly make out the Bay Shores, on the bag, you can barely read it. For the amount of money I spent, I was really hoping this would be a nice product that would be special to my mom.
This is an orginal painting by SJ.Kim. It is on 18inch by 24inch paper canvas. If you have any questions, please contact me
I paint routinely. When I paint, I focus on two things: pleasure and originality. I don�t want and try to suffer myself to achieve a great work. Sometimes when I find myself trying hard to make a �masterpiece�, I pause and calm myself down until I become empty-minded. I enjoy the process of making paintings. Furthermore, I am really thankful for more and more people feeling happy through my artworks. Thank you all!! ** *Current Curriculum Vitae 2004, Nov: group exhibition (Key city Gallery) 2005, Jan: group exhibition (Artrageous Gallery) 2005, Apr: ��Arts around 2005�� hosted by Cranbrook district Arts Council(juried exhibition) -Honourable Mention: Lily pads 2005, May: ��Facing East�� group...
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If you're not happy with a purchase that you made on FineArtAmerica.com, for any reason, you can return it to us within 30 days of the order date. As soon as it arrives, we'll issue a full refund for the entire purchase price. Please note - Fine Art America does not reimburse the outgoing or return shipping charges unless the return is due to a defect in quality.
Fine Art America sells thousands of pieces of artwork each month - all with a 100% money-back guarantee. We take great pride in the fact that hundreds of thousands of artists have chosen Fine Art America to fulfill their orders, and we look forward to helping you select your next piece!
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Expedia Verified Reviews
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Don't miss out on a lower price on this hotel
Get an overview of this hotelWaterfront Mission Bay hotel overlooking marina
Popular property highlights
Tropical gardens
Located on the shores of San Diego's Mission Bay, the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa and Marina is a quarter-mile from SeaWorld and Mission Beach, and 3 miles from Old Town San Diego.
On-site marina
This resort features a large pool with poolside bar, a fine-dining restaurant, and a marina with sport fishing and boat rentals, with snorkeling nearby.
Rooms with a view
Hyatt Regency guestrooms have floor-to-ceiling windows. Amenities include Hyatt signature Grand Beds, 32-inch LCD TVs, and clock radios with iPod-docking stations. Standard rooms are situated in the 2-story (Bay 1 or Bay 2) buildings, not in the 17-story tower.
Languages Spoken
- English
Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa and Marina
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Amenities
Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa and Marina is located eight miles from the San Diego Convention Center and San Diego's central business district. A sandy beach is less than a mile away. Amenities at this Hyatt include a 24-hour business center, a conference center, and high-speed Internet access.
The resort has three swimming pools with water slides. Dining options include a poolside lounge, SWIM, and Red Marlin, offering a scenic outdoor terrace and spectacular views. The full-service marina treats guests to whale watching and sport fishing. The on-site spa, Blue Marble, is ecologically friendly.
Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa and Marina is a smoke-free property.
- Picnic area
- Express check-in
- Waterslide
- Number of outdoor pools - 3
- Elevator/lift
- Fitness facilities
- 24-hour front desk
- Poolside bar
- Porter/bellhop
- Express check-out
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Self parking (surcharge)
- Valet parking (surcharge)
- Terrace
- Luggage storage
- ATM/banking
- Concierge services
- Gift shops or newsstand
- Conference center
- Designated smoking areas
- Shopping on site
- Total number of rooms - 429
- Number of floors - 17
- Number of buildings/towers - 4
- Fireplace in lobby
- Number of bars/lounges - 2
- Full-service spa
- Marina on site
- Spa treatment room(s)
- Tours/ticket assistance
- Meeting rooms 14
- Year Built 1959
- Pool cabanas (surcharge)
- Coffee shop or café
- Free WiFi
- Sauna
- Babysitting or childcare (surcharge)
- Free wired Internet
- Smoke-free property
- Supervised childcare/activities (surcharge)
- Children's pool
- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- Spa services on site
- Breakfast available (surcharge)
- Number of restaurants - 2
- 24-hour business center
- Laundry facilities
- Spa tub
- Wedding services
- Garden
- Multilingual staff
- Free newspapers in lobby
Family Friendly Amenities
- Outdoor pools
- Children's pool
- Waterslide
- Free Wi-Fi
- Laundry facilities
- Babysitting or childcare (surcharge)
- Refrigerator
- Cribs/infant beds (complimentary)
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi , Free wired Internet
Languages Spoken
- English
- Chinese
- Dutch
- French
- German
- Italian
- Japanese
- Korean
- Portuguese
- Spanish
Self parking (surcharge), Valet parking (surcharge)
Room Amenities
- Premium TV channels
- Pay movies
- Hypo-allergenic bedding available
- Room service (limited hours)
- Air conditioning
- In-room climate control (air conditioning)
- Phone
- Refrigerator
- Coffee/tea maker
- Free bottled water
- Daily housekeeping
- Free toiletries
- Hair dryer
- Iron/ironing board
- In-room safe
- Desk
- Cable TV service
- Egyptian-cotton sheets
- iPod docking station
- Free WiFi
- Blackout drapes/curtains
- Connecting/adjoining rooms available
- Free cribs/infant beds
- Rollaway/extra beds (surcharge)
- In-room climate control (heating)
Where to Eat
Red Marlin - Offers fresh, California coastal cuisine. An open-air terrace with ocean views, sleek indoor and outdoor bar, and private dining options are available. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
SWIM Lounge - Pool bar and lounge. Features Pan-Latino cuisine and signature beverages.
Nearby Things to Do
The Hyatt Regency Mission Bay offers bicycle rentals and features jogging and cycling paths. The marina offers sport-fishing excursions and boat and water-equipment rentals. Blue Marble Spa offers massages, facials, manicures and pedicures; treatment rooms and a couple's suite are available.
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or near the hotel; fees may apply.
- Bicycle rentals nearby
- Water skiing nearby
- Golfing nearby
- Boat tours nearby
- Snorkeling nearby
- Parasailing nearby
- Surfing/boogie boarding nearby
- Hiking/biking trails nearby
- Kayaking nearby
- Windsurfing nearby
- Sailing nearby
Spa Services
Blue Marble Spa services employ ecologically friendly practices so that clients can benefit from the curative elements found in nature. Estheticians use organic or natural skincare products and minimize hot water use. Five treatment rooms include four private rooms and a suite for couples. The spa also offers a lounge for manicures and pedicures, five outdoor spa cabanas, a secluded garden, and a fitness center.
- Number of treatment rooms 5
- Couples treatment rooms
- Manicures and pedicures
- Body treatments
- Body scrubs
- Facial treatments
- Aromatherapy treatments
- Massages
If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please note them at check-out when you book your room.
- Accessible bathroom
- Roll-in shower
- In-room accessibility
Hotel Policies
Check-in time starts at 4 PM
Check-in time ends at 1 AM
Check-out time is 11 AM
Payment types
Children and extra beds
- Children are welcome.
- Kids stay free! Up to 2 children 18 years old and younger stay free when using existing bedding.
- Rollaway/extra beds are available for USD 20.0 per night.
- Free cribs (infant beds)!
- Pets allowed for an extra charge of USD 100 per accommodation, per week, plus a deposit of USD 100.00 per stay
- Dogs only
- 2 per room (up to 50 lb)
- Restrictions apply
- For more information contact the property at the number on the booking confirmation
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy.
- Deposit: USD 125.00 per night
- Resort fee: USD 36.00 per accommodation, per night
- Pool access
- Spa tub access
- Health club access
- Fitness center access
- Sporting facilities or equipment
- Business center/computer access
- Internet access
- Phone calls
- Faxes
- In-room safe
- In-room bottled water
- Concierge/valet service
- Additional inclusions
Optional extras
- Fee for buffet breakfast: USD 27 per person (approximately)
- Self parking fee: USD 38.00 per night
- Valet parking fee: USD 38.00 per night (in/out privileges)
- Pet deposit: USD 100.00 per stay
- Pet fee: USD 100 per accommodation, per week
- Rollaway bed fee: USD 20.0 per night
Hotel Name
- Hyatt Mission
- Hyatt Mission Bay
- Hyatt Regency Mission
- Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa
- Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa Hotel
- Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa Hotel San Diego
- Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa San Diego
- Mission Bay Hyatt
- Mission Bay Hyatt Regency
- Mission Bay Hyatt Spa
We should mention
Reservations are required for massage services and spa treatments. Reservations can be made by contacting the resort prior to arrival, using the contact information on the booking confirmation. Up to 2 children 18 years old and younger stay free when occupying the parent or guardian's room, using existing bedding. The property has connecting/adjoining rooms, which are subject to availability and can be requested by contacting the property using the number on the booking confirmation. Some facilities may have restricted access. Guests can contact the property for details using the contact information on the booking confirmation. Guests can arrange to bring pets by contacting the property directly, using the contact information on the booking confirmation (surcharges apply and can be found in the Fees section).
Awards & Affiliations
- This property is affiliated with the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) and welcomes lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) guests.
Stay More Save More 3 Nights
Book a minimum 3-night stay in a "Stay More Save More 3NT" rate category at least 45 days in advance of stay and receive a 30% discount off the room rate.
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State officials say it will cost hundreds of millions of dollars to repair the damage done to roads and bridges by Hurricane Ivan. One of the most expensive repairs will be to the Interstate 10 Bridge over Escambia Bay at Pensacola. It was seriously damaged by high waves.
At least one motorist who was on that bridge is unaccounted for, and the state is now catching heat for not closing the bridge.
Florida taxpayers can expect a price tag in the hundreds of millions of dollars to repair roads and bridges like the one damaged by Hurricane Ivan at Pensacola.
The I-10 bridge east of Pensacola was almost destroyed by the crashing waves. State Transportation Secretary Jose' Abreu says the near-total failure of the structure caught him by surprise.
"Even though that bridge was probably built in the late 60s, I mean today, we would have built it higher, still it was about 15 feet from normal sea level and it has been way higher than that to do the damage that it did.
At least one trucker who tried to cross the bridge was still unaccounted for more than a day after it collapsed. The Florida Highway Patrol fears there may have been other vehicles on the bridge too.
FHP is catching some heat for not closing the I-10 bridge as they did do with other bridges around Florida during this summer of storms.
The official response from Col. Chris Knight is that drivers should have known better.
"I think it was very well-publicized, radio-wise, television, print media, that at a particular point, don't be out, don't be out on the roadways, and we hope people heed those warnings. Obviously in that particular case, they didn't."
The FHP says barricades warning motorists away would have only added to the dangers in high winds. In the meantime, transportation officials predict it could take a year or more to repair roads and bridges that took a direct hit.
It could be a year or more before repairs are complete to the I-10 bridge. DOT Secretary Jose' Abreau says the upper part of the bridge needs major work, but the part below the water may still be useable.
"It looks like damage although structural in nature, seems to be at the deck area, the foundation is still okay. Now a couple of piers suffered some damage at the top, but the foundation seems to be solid. The scour, or erosion, at the bottom it seemed to have not taken its place."
Transportation officials say repairs to the bridge will cost at least $150 million. They hope to have a temporary bridge open within a few days.
In the meantime, divers have not located a trucker who went off the damaged bridge at the height of the storm. The cab of the truck was found in the mud under the water. Police say they have not ruled out the possibility that other motorists may have gone over the bridge as well.


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Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Are Blogs, Boards and ESPN Hurting College Football?
The coach whose name adorns the University of Michigan football building never won the last game of the season the first 12 years he was at the helm of the Wolverines. The man who is the winningest coach in Michigan history went 0-7 in bowl games during those first 12 years. Worst of all, the man who is in the College Football Hall of Fame had the audacity to go 0-3-1 in one four year stretch against Michigan's arch enemy, Ohio State.
Such shortcomings would not have gone unnoticed if the Information Age had been come to be a couple decades earlier. And no matter what the rest of the record, this lack of perfection would have had many Wolverine fans calling for Schembechler's head long before he voluntarily walked away from the game at the end of the '89 season. Variations of BanishBo.com websites would have been sprouting up for years.
While blogs and message boards, fan sites and sports-only cable channels have fueled fan participation and involvement unthinkable during Bo's first decade as U-M's head coach, such unending and fingertip focus has also led to an insatiable need for more. More comment, rumor and tidbits to fill the blogs, boards and pundit shows.
And that might not always be good.
The 24 hour news cycle has has, to a large extent, destroyed rational political discourse in America. From the likes of Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly on the right to Al Franken, Michael Moore and MoveOn.org on the left, political discussions, if they can be called that anymore, have devolved into a state of shout first, ask questions later...in a rude condescending way if the person disagrees with you.
Such shows, sites and political pundits are no longer about finding common ground and solutions, but seemingly about finding eyeballs and viewers. And the way to do that is to be more brash than the next guy. To say it louder. Angrier. More emotionally.
But not more accurately. Not fairer. Not more reasoned.
Is the 24 hour sports cycle doing a similar disservice to college football?
Today, a coach can go from playing for a spot in the BCS title game to the worst coach in the country in a span of three games. Just ask Lloyd Carr. From a three point loss, on the road, to the #1 team in America, less than 24 hours after Bo's death...to a complete coaching boob who should be fired post haste following the Appalachian State loss, the new hyper-sports world in which we reside seems to almost like a shark - it must be constantly moving, from hyperbole to breathless indignation, or it dies. Take a point of view, drive it home, don't stop no matter what actually happens on the field.
Last weekend, UCLA upset highly-ranked Cal. The victory propelled the Bruins into a first place tie in the rugged Pac-10, one of only two teams with undefeated records in conference play and controlling their own Rose Bowl destiny.
But you'd never know it from BruinsNation.com, the dominant UCLA website (and, full disclosure, a friend of the MZone). The site, which has made no secret of their desire to see UCLA coach Karl Dorrell fired asap, seemed to take no pleasure in their team's big victory, but instead only saw more reasons Dorrell should be fired. The post-game focus to this outside observer appeared focused on the negative because Dorrell was at the helm, instead of basking in the joy of a major upset.
And it actually bummed me out. Because if you can't enjoy the unexpected home upset, one of the great thrills of college football, what's the point of following the team and sport in the first place?
And I'm sure we're just as guilty of such things here at the MZone. While we never called for Lloyd to be fired after the miserable start to the season, we weren't exactly rational either. Many years ago, that would have just been bitching amongst frustrated friends. Today it goes out across them there Inter-Tubes for all the world to see. Hopefully adding something of value to sport and those who love it, not getting all Sean Hannity/Michael Moore on it.
13 comments:
- R said...
I'm a fan of USC but I root for UCLA (whenever they're not playing the Trojans). I used to read bruinsnation.com but they're delusional and it's just turned into witchhunt against Dorrell.
I wrote on the message board that Dorrell did a good job by beating USC, and the moderator wrote back that UCLA should beat USC otherwise Dorrell should be fired.
From that perspective, every other coach in the Pac-10 should be fired as well.
Dorrell has his faults, and his contract shouldn't be renewed, but there's worse coaches in the Pac-10 such as Stoops, Riley, Doba, Willingham. And before they were fired, Walt Harris and Dirk Koetter were also worse. (It's too early to tell if Harbaugh's better; Erickson @ Arizona State is a great coach and perhaps UCLA should have made a run for him).
If UCLA had a Michigan-like football budget then terminating KD and trying to attract coaches like Chris Peterson might be possible. Otherwise, they can't raise $$ to buyout his contract and even if they did, they could be stuck with an even worse coach.
I thought Toledo did a decent job w/ the program. He was one bad fumble call away from playing in the BCS championship
- October 24, 2007 4:14 AM
- drakeep said...
I think it's the polls more than anything else. The trashing doesn't happen so quickly in College Basketball or in Pro sports. But just like politics (which I thought was a brilliant comparison) College Football supremacy is left up to opinion. If in fact it was decided on the field in something crazy like a "playoff" a coach of a two-loss team that has rattled off 6 straight wins and put his team in position to win its conference could be easily forgiven because the chance at the ultimate prize is still viable.
But why innovate let tradition (read money) reign.
- October 24, 2007 10:18 AM
- Out of Conference said...
But without college football blogs, I'd have to buy pictures of scantily clad coeds off the back row of the magazine shelf at Quicky Mart.
- October 24, 2007 10:21 AM
- WingRG said...
Hey, Mr. OOC,
feel free to finger through my Play-dudes and tell me to go back to some country, I'm not actually from (written in a heavy Apu accent)
- October 24, 2007 11:14 AM
- CrimeNotes said...
Amen, brother.
- October 24, 2007 11:30 AM
- Matt said...
No matter what UCLA does this year, Dorrell should be fired because he's an awful coach. And it kind of sucks for UCLA if they do well. They are just so inconsistent it's not funny. I think Willingham sucks but he's not as bad as everyone says he is. He's a good recruiter, but a pretty bad game coach.
I don't get how Callahan might have any chance of staying on at Nebraska. It was so stupid to fire Solich (who we should consider, IMO). AD Peterson deserved to be fired for what has transpired all these years. Charles Woodson knew that something was wrong with Callahan from the start.
And somehow Sporting News ranked him as the 22nd best BCS coach. (If you want to see a real joke, see SN's "Ranking the BCS Coaches.")
- October 24, 2007 11:43 AM
- Matt said...
No matter what UCLA does this year, Dorrell should be fired because he's an awful coach. And it kind of sucks for UCLA if they do well. They are just so inconsistent it's not funny. I think Willingham sucks but he's not as bad as everyone says he is. He's a good recruiter, but a pretty bad game coach.
I don't get how Callahan might have any chance of staying on at Nebraska. It was so stupid to fire Solich (who we should consider, IMO). AD Peterson deserved to be fired for what has transpired all these years. Charles Woodson knew that something was wrong with Callahan from the start.
And somehow Sporting News ranked him as the 22nd best BCS coach. (If you want to see a real joke, see SN's "Ranking the BCS Coaches.")
- October 24, 2007 11:43 AM
- Dylan said...
This was a great article. Thanks you
- October 24, 2007 12:35 PM
- Daniel said...
If you asked me last year, I would have leaned towards the "yah, maybe it has. . . " but with the BTN in full swing, Blogs, Boards and ESPN is all Michigan fans have anymore!
- October 24, 2007 2:21 PM
- Joel said...
I'd hate to go through life as a bitter college football fan. You're at the top of the Pac-10 right now, UCLA. Enjoy it!
(but remember that Dec. 1 is coming...)
- October 24, 2007 2:37 PM
- LudaChristian said...
A good point. The world's gotten smaller, and as such it's not as easy to tune out the yelling coming from either end of the spectrum, world & sports politics alike. Personally, I think the media holds too much power... people tend to listen to and give too much merit to whatever comes out of the skwawkbox, whether they like it or not.
- October 24, 2007 2:42 PM
- Todd said...
Excellent post--lot's to think about.
Personally, my problem with the staff is not the difficulty with tOSU or the bowl games. Michigan is like most tradition-rich programs in that it often receives a ranking that does not reflect its actual prospects. This, and the high profile status of the Wolverines makes them a great choice for things like at large BCS bowl games against superior USC teams--which leads to mismatches in bowl games.
As for tOSU, I really believe that it's cyclic. Michigan beat some Buckeye teams that were much more talented and successful over the first portion of Carr's tenure (not that I wouldn't take Cooper back in a heartbeat).
To me, Michigan's problem is instead with our bad losses and repeated struggles with less talented teams. Our current staff doesn't "put teams away" like the current Buckeye teams typically do (I know what happened last week). It was obvious that something akin to the loss to App State would happen--I expected a loss to a better MAC school, but the level of teams are relatively similar. We can't crush EMU or Northwestern--but I'll bet we move the ball all day on November 17th.
That is the weakness of our program; we don't win all the easy ones or beat up on bad teams. That is why Michigan fans are frustrated--at least that's why I am.
- October 24, 2007 10:40 PM
- Brian said...
Don't forget about money! That has helped turn college football into a real life "what if" game that gives blogs, boards and ESPN a lot of ammo. The MNC is the ultimate "what if" game.
- October 24, 2007 10:54 PM


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Scott Schenter sat in a small cubicle and dreamed big.
In his late 40s, he was a property appraiser at the assessor's office who ached to be known as an international entrepreneur.
"My current job is working for Los Angeles County, I don't like to admit it," he wrote in a 2009 email to The Times. "I would rather be known for my expertise in my marketing and finance ventures."
But he needed money, and investigators say he knew where to find it.
Schenter was the first and lowest-level county employee arrested in a wide-ranging corruption scandal at the assessor's office. His odd business dreams appear to have inspired a scheme to sell property tax breaks for cash that spread to the agency's highest level.


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It is approximately 1,052 miles from Independence to Washington, D.C., but as the saying goes, "All politics is local."
While no one asked you your opinion, you probably agree with the latest polls showing disgust with our congressional leaders, including an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll that showed 60 percent of Americans today would vote out every single member of Congress. Yes, that includes your own representatives.
There's more startling news from a recent Gallup poll. For the first time in Gallup's history, a majority, 60 percent, of both Democrats and Republicans say a third party is needed and it is not the controversial, radical Tea Party.
I have been advocating a third party as far back as 2006. The issue then was the dismissal of eight U.S. attorneys and so-called voter fraud investigations in the Kansas City area, which have deterred or dissuaded Democrats from voting in recent elections.
In 2007, a USA Today poll found that 58 percent of voters said that both parties were doing such a poor job of running the government and that a third party was needed.
Fast forward to today amid news of sequestration, shutdowns, debt limits and budget battles. My way or the highway seems to be the new norm. Negotiation is now capitulation, and Congress has adopted a famous sports dictum, "Winning isn't the main thing – it's the only thing."
And what about our precious image of a working democracy? Former president Jimmy Carter told USA Today the world is looking at the federal government shutdown and sees "a democracy that's not working,"
Attempts have been made at creating a competitive third party, including the efforts of Texas billionaire Ross Perot, who garnered nearly 19 percent of the vote in the 1992 presidential election.
Creating a "country first" third party would involve many requisites such as a common cause, a doable platform, financing, conscientious leaders, political action committees and millions of grass-root supporters.
The polls indicate that perhaps the times they are a-changing.
A third party, with the overall good of the country as its paramount concern, is obviously needed – and not one with tea bags dangling from hats.
I give you President John Adams' toast: Independence forever.
Jerry Plantz lives in Lee's Summit. His website is at www.Jerryplantz.com. Reach him at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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This year Ducati was the featured marque and the theme was F1's and the derivitives from the F1 - Montjuich, Laguna Seca, Santamonica and the TT2 and TT1. The text is in Dutch but the photos speak for the depth and quality of the event and the Ducati display.
The Ducati museum in Bologna was also present with a large tent where a dozen bikes in the race history of the brand were exhibited. All V-twins, starting with a replica of the 750 racer (#16) which Paul Smart in 1972 the 200 miles from Imola won. Next up was the winner of the 24 Hours of Montjuich of 1975 (# 9) with its narrowed lower crankcase for extra ground clearance, and equipped with lights for night stages. The list of racers was closed by a team of 750SS Spaggiari and an NCR endurance racer. On the other side of the tent stood the TT1 and TT2 F1 which Marco Lucchinelli won the Battle Of The Twins race at Daytona in 1986. The four models were represented by 888, 916 and 999
For lots of photos of classic Ducati's click HERE


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Woodrow Wilson took office on March 4, 1913, exactly 100 years ago. He has never quite entered the pantheon of iconic presidents—no head on Mount Rushmore or memorial in Washington. Today, if anything, Wilson comes down to us as a bit bland and remote, a former university president and the bespectacled son of a Presbyterian minister. But in his day he was among the most controversial presidents in American history, sending millions of American troops to Europe in World War I and laying the groundwork for the United Nations.
In the century since his inauguration, the mild-looking Wilson has been labeled everything from Christ-like hero to Hitler-like villain. Today the argument over Wilson is still very much alive—and offers a striking picture of the wild swings and strange afterlife of political reputations.
Savior of Europe
After Wilson sent troops to aid the victory over Germany in WWI, the country had indisputably become a world power. When Wilson visited Europe to devise a peace treaty in 1918, 2 million French worshipers flooded the streets, and the mayor of Rome compared Wilson to Jesus Christ.
Hero of the Third World
Poor nations rejoiced when Wilson called for self-determination in a speech to Congress in 1917. People in Asia and Africa thought Wilson would deliver their dreams of security and freedom, in part because the United States, without a history of imperialism in the region, might liberate them from foreign masters.
Political failure
When Wilson failed to persuade Congress to join the League of Nations he had helped create, he "broke the heart of the world," in his biographer's phrase. In the 1920s and 1930s, political thinkers looked back and saw Wilson as responsible for the collapse of postwar peace. Wrote the economist John Maynard Keynes, "The disillusion was so complete, that some of those who had trusted most hardly dared speak of it."
Anti-Communist hysteric
Though Wilson had initially been friendly to the Russian Revolution, his attitude changed once labor strikes, race riots, and anarchist attacks broke out across the United States in 1919. In response, Wilson's attorney general deported left-wing activists, raided political groups, and arrested thousands. In the words of one historian, Wilson's "legacy of repression lasted for decades"; his administration's violation of civil liberties would provide a precedent for McCarthyism in the 1950s.
United Nations prophet
One man who didn't see Wilson's legacy as unsalvageable was his assistant Navy secretary, Franklin Roosevelt. FDR believed in Wilson's vision of a global forum of countries ensuring peace through collective security, and eventually adapted the idea as the basis for the United Nations.
Iraq War architect
George W. Bush invaded Iraq in 2003, declaring his intention to democratize the country and spark a democratic revolution in the Middle East. Bush's romantic rhetoric, if not his actions, were an updated version of Wilson's. "Wilson would recognize George W. Bush as his natural successor," wrote the historian David Kennedy in 2005. "Wilson's ideas continue to dominate American foreign policy in the twenty-first century."
Destructive naïf
To political science "realists," a group that emerged in the late 1940s, Wilson's belief that global violence could be prevented by laws and international negotiation rather than military deterrence was disastrously misguided. Thinkers such as Hans Morgenthau and George Kennan argued that whereas Winston Churchill saw that Hitler could be stopped only by strength, Wilson had fooled Americans into thinking they and Europe could avoid getting their hands dirty.
To some critics, including MIT professor Noam Chomsky, Wilson's fingerprints were all over the Vietnam War. They saw his rhetoric about "making the world safe for democracy" as little more than a rationalization for imperialism, arguing that Wilson had led the United States into World War I primarily to maintain open European markets and intervened in South America to scare off challengers to US power.
When the Cold War ended in the late 1980s, it seemed to demonstrate the universal power of the democratic ideal. Eastern Europeans brought down the Soviet Empire in large part because they wanted the self-determination and consensual government Wilson had promised them. Former critics now hailed his prescience. "I begin today in the light of just what has happened in the past few years to think that Wilson was ahead of his time," said diplomat George Kennan in 1989.
Of all Wilson's reincarnations, that of a Hitler-like fascist is the most unusual. Yet that is how he was characterized in 2010 when radio show host Glenn Beck and the Tea Party pointed to Wilson as the man who put the United States on a path to mammoth-government tyranny. "The Nazis learned their propaganda from the progressive movement in the United States," argued Beck. "They learned it from the progressives in America, Woodrow Wilson."
Correction: Because of a reporting error, this article previously said the United States had never fought a war outside its hemisphere before Woodrow Wilson's presidency. The United States fought in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War in 1898, and small American forces had also taken part in other overseas conflicts.


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The headline in the Gazette read "Nonprofits seek giving windfall on 12/12/12," and the subject lines in my overflowing in-box said things like "Please support our work on 12/12/12—here's how!"
Last Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2012, was Valley Gives Day, a 24-hour online fundraiser for area nonprofits, spearheaded by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. It was billed as a unique opportunity for local organizations working in the arts, education, social service and the environment to raise their profiles and donor bases along with funds, and for supporters to "help make our community a better place to live."
It was an attention-grabbing gambit that seems to have paid off for many of the groups whose fortunes I followed throughout the day. But as much as I hoped Valley Gives would prove a boost for the local theaters and other nonprofits I admire, I had an uneasy feeling about the whole enterprise.
Here's how it worked. Over 260 organizations in the Pioneer Valley had a 24-hour window to raise as much online cash as possible from as many donors as possible. The incentive was not just the opportunity to join with other groups in a collaborative fundraiser. Valley Gives was also a competitive race toward additional cash prizes for the groups that took in the most money and/or netted the most individual donations.
So the initial email and Facebook blasts I received, urging me to mark my calendar for 12/12/12, gave way on the day itself to increasingly excited updates that felt like the last lap of a Kickstarter campaign ("Home stretch for Valley Gives!"). And from groups who were within reach of the top of the pile came even more urgent posts as they sought to elbow aside the competition ("Help us get back in third place!").
In the end, the event met its million-dollar goal, logging over 10,000 donations from 6,646 individuals. And while none of the local theater troupes vying in Valley Gives qualified for the extra prize money, most of them came away with four- or five-figure totals and satisfying numbers of contributors— though I don't know how many of those were new donors or regular supporters making their annual contribution. One company, The Drama Studio in Springfield, ended the day only one spot away from the top-dollar winners' circle. They and Holyoke's Enchanted Circle Theater also came tantalizingly close to grabbing the day's additional 12th-place prize (continuing the duodecimal theme), ending up in 11th and 13th place, respectively, in numbers of donors.
To the extent that Valley Day brought extra resources and additional supporters to these organizations, everybody won. What unsettled me about the contest was that, well, it was a contest. In a sense, nonprofits are always competing for the limited pot of charitable donations, and I don't fault these groups for seizing the chance. I hope they did in fact pad their bank accounts and donor pools. But the whole effort struck me as somehow unseemly, un-collegial. And while the grail of extra prize money was an effective motivation, the outcome—those who got the most got even more—made it even more a win/lose game.
But the bottom line, ultimately, was the bottom line. And apparently, the system worked. I gave, too.•


text: SHOOTIN' SOME?HOOPS - With all eyes on him, Caleb Truog shoots his free throws during Sunday's Knights of Columbus Free Throw Competition at Corrigan Hall. A total of 28 youth between the ages of 10 and 14 participated in the event, which is a Winter tradition sponsored by Coucil 936 of the Knights of Columbis. -- Dan Voigt photo