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GIVEAWAY: What's Next for Berkley
NOTE: This post will close it's comments tonight at 8 PM CST and the winners will be posted in the A.M. Jane
I have SEVENTEEN Berkley ARCs of titles scheduled to be published in March, April and May including NYT bestselling authors like Christine Feehan and Lora Leigh. Cindy Hwang, executive editor of Berkley, has donated these books to giveaway to highlight some of their spring titles. Play the slideshow (there is a 4 sec delay) or click through the covers and then take a look at the highlights below. Drop a note in the comments with the title of three books you would like and anything else you think Berkley should know. Winners will be picked at random. I will note that Hard and Fast by Erin McCarthy has been read once (by me). It's hysterical and contains the following line "You are the hottest biscuit this side of the gravy boat."
This spring, Berkley has some really fabulous romances coming up, and it was especially hard to narrow down the list to just two highlights per month. So I cheated a bit and included three books in May. But there are many other exciting Berkley romances not mentioned here, so to find out about all the other current and upcoming books, check out www.berkleyjoveauthors.com.
- Known for her bestselling Psy-Changeling series, Nalini Singh has written a new paranormal series, this time featuring vampires and angels. It's darker and even edgier than her Psy-Changeling series, and I think of it as a bit of a hybrid between paranormal romance and urban fantasy, so the category on the spine is Urban Fantasy Romance–a first for Berkley. You may think that you've already read every possible version possible of vampires–with ANGELS' BLOOD, I guarantee that Nalini brings a real freshness to her world, a new twist that readers wouldn't have read before. Plus, it has all the sexual tension and passionate romance that readers have come to expect from Nalini. All that and one of the sexiest heroes ever (Raphael is definitely on my personal top 5 list)!
- Robin Schone is no stranger to romance readers–she's been one of the most innovative and popular names in erotic romance for years–a true groundbreaker. Now, she makes her Berkley debut with CRY FOR PASSION. Set in Victorian London, CRY FOR PASSION is sexy, intense, complex, and emotional–vintage Schone. Berkley also has a special bonus for e-book readers–a free e-book of her previous historical romance, SCANDALOUS LOVERS, is bundled with the e-book of CRY FOR PASSION, so e-book readers will get a great two-fer!
- Jory Strong made her name writing erotic romance e-books for Ellora's Cave, and she makes her Berkley debut with GHOSTLAND, a fascinating blend of urban fantasy and sexy paranormal romance–the second Berkley title that is categorized Urban Fantasy Romance. GHOSTLAND is set in a post-apocalyptic world devastated by plague and war, and where paranormals have come out of hiding, and where society is sharply divided along paranormal lines. A struggle for power among the ruling classes may allow the Djinns to emerge from their self-imposed exile to reclaim their rightful place in the world. Jory has created a fascinating, complex world rich with mythology, and grounded it with a fabulous romance as well.
- Known for her popular military-set category romances, DEFENDER is the first in Catherine Mann's fabulous "Dark Ops Defenders" series-'sexy romances featuring an elite squadron of fighter pilots who will do anything for their country-or their women! When a USO boat goes down in flames, test pilot Jimmy Gage pulls a scantily clad Chloe Nelson out of the shark-filled Mediterranean. Although she is grateful and he's hot as the fire that took the boat down, the last thing Chloe needs is a jet-jock to be her bodyguard-'until she inadvertently finds herself closer to Gage than she ever expected, and side by side in a dangerous mission. DEFENDER will be followed by HOTSHOT in May 2009, and RENEGADE in Jan 2010.
- Erin McCarthy returns to the stock car racing world with HARD AND FAST, the follow-up to FLAT-OUT SEXY. And if it's possible, HARD AND FAST is even funnier than FLAT-OUT SEXY. Erin is fabulous combining smart and sexy with laugh-out-loud funny, and there were moments in HARD AND FAST I literally could not stop laughing. The heroine, Imogen, is a character very close to my heart (I want to be Imogen when I grow up!), and her romance with race car driver Ty is bone-meltingly sensual. One of my favorite moments in the book is the camping scene–I'll just say I have a similar wardrobe to Imogen, and also learned the hard way that it's not the most appropriate wardrobe for hiking.
- SEA LORD by Virginia Kantra is the third book in the Children of the Sea series, which is her selkie paranormal romance series. In case you don't know, selkies are half-human, half-seal–on land, they're human but transform to seals in the water–as long as they still have their pelt. Take away their pelt, and you take away their ability to transform. SEA LORD is the story of Lucy Hunter and Conn ap Llyr, the selkie prince, and Virginia doesn't disappoint. Virginia's selkies are some of the most fascinating paranormal creatures around, and I love how she develops the selkies through their relationships (romantic and otherwise) with humans in her books. Lucy and Conn's romance is both epic and wonderfully intimate, and SEA LORD really delivers–both on the emotional front, and on the action front. The stakes are high in SEA LORD, and readers will feel every moment.
- From bestselling Deirdre Martin, best known for her hockey romances, comes WITH A TWIST. It's the first in Martin's fabulous new series about a large, loving Irish American family named the O'Briens who own the Wild Hart, a pub in the heart of New York City. Readers will love the Irish flair and charming cast of characters as they watch newspaper reporter Quinn O'Brien fall in love with Natalie Bocuse, the sister of the heroine in JUST A TASTE. They will also be pleased with surprise appearances from some of the heroes of Martin's hockey books.
Cindy Hwang is the executive editor of Berkley who is actively seeking fresh voices in romance. In her spare time, she enjoys Bravo Reality TV and cinema remakes of comic books.


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Researchers Use Google's Search Algorithms To Fight Cancer 52
MatthewVD writes "German scientists have modified Google's PageRank algorithm to scan tumors and learn more about how cancers progress. PageRank orders results based on how other web pages are connected to them via hyperlinks; the modified algorithm, NetRank, scans how genes and proteins in a cell are similarly connected through a network of interactions with their neighbors. This approach could also yield new therapies to help combat tumors."

subset: commoncrawl


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Wow, what the heck is going on in Toronto? How could such a large metropolitan city get saddled with such a crazy man?
Has he always acted this way? How in the world did he ever get elected in the first place? Seems like they are stuck with him
as he says he will not resign.


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Jean-loup Sieff, the master of black and white photographs, Barbara, his wife and partner, and Sonia, their daughter, a photographer also who leads a great career in fashion photography and short movies. Finally Sacha, their musician son, who mixes parts of interviews, famous songs and voices of well-known personalities.
The exhibition Les Sieff in Brussels is the summary of a common passion for photography. "My father was a craftsman; we lived in the back of his workshop, a universe full of meetings, creativity and knowledge. We were a simple family, full of humor, not without photographic confrontations, but always with listening and thankfulness). My father was a real father, loving, trusting and always giving", tells Sonia Sieff.


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Lynbrook, NY (PRWEB) May 21, 2013
Tools4ever, the market leader in Identity & Access Management (IdM/IAM) solutions, has made its Self Service Reset Password Management (SSRPM) suitable for BYOD. With the latest version of SSRPM, employees can now use the service on mobile systems i.e.; laptops, tablets, handheld computers and smartphones, so that end users can easily reset their Windows passwords anywhere, anytime. Once the end user has answered a set of questions correctly, the user may then reset his or her own password.
Additionally, CAPTCHA functionally was added to the available web interface. The CAPTCHA functionality requires users to enter the randomly generated letters and numbers shown in order to verify they are human. This functionality can easily be enabled or disabled by the system administrator.
Apart from SSRPM now being mobile-friendly, in the latest version it is possible to add SSRPM profiles on the basis of security groups. Previously, profiles were only assignable at the domain or Organizational Unit (OU) levels. This feature has been developed specifically for organizations which do not wish to modify their OU structure for the implementation of SSRPM. Additionally, the software has been translated into Chinese.
"We are seeing that the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) concept is being embraced increasingly," notes Dean Wiech, Managing Director of Tools4ever East. "This means we are also making all our Identity & Access Management software suitable for mobile systems and also for working from home. Thus we introduced offline support in SSRPM last year, for end users with a laptop but without a connection to the corporate network, who have forgotten their username and/or password but need to log into their laptop."
Self Service Reset Password Management from Tools4ever is extremely user-friendly. If end users have forgotten their username and/or password but still want to log in, they can click the extra 'Forgot My Password' button SSRPM offers. SSRPM then launches the self-service password reset wizard and presents a number of questions the user previously enrolled with. After the questions have been answered, SSRPM then logs the end user in automatically.
For more information about Self Service Reset Password Management (SSRPM), please visit http://www.tools4ever.com/software/self-service-reset-password-management/.
About Tools4ever
Tools4ever distinguishes itself with a no-nonsense approach and a low total cost of ownership. In contrast to comparable identity and access management solutions, Tools4ever implements a complete solution in several days rather than weeks or months. Because of this approach, Tools4ever is the undisputed identity and access management market leader with more than five million managed users. Tools4ever supplies a variety of software products and integrated consultancy services involving identity management, such as user provisioning, RBAC, password management, SSO and access management. For more information, please visit http://www.tools4ever.com.
For additional information please contact:
Tools4ever New York
Dean Wiech
Phone: 1-866-482-4414
Tools4ever Seattle
Tom Mowatt
Phone: 1-888-770-4242
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/Tools4ever/BYOD/prweb10750431.htm.
|Source: PRWeb
Copyright©2012 Vocus, Inc.
All rights reserved


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The Orlando Magic, who badly needed some good news, received welcome results from an MRI exam on J.J. Redick's sore right shoulder.
The MRI, taken Tuesday, revealed no structural damage.
"A huge relief," Redick said before he sat out the Magic's game Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers.
"There was some worry. I want to play. I don't want to be out long. At this point, it's basically just soft tissue. It's whatever I can handle. I tried shooting some before shootaround [Wednesday], and there's too much pain right now to play."
The news about Redick's shoulder should preserve his trade value, which has never been higher. Redick, who will be a free agent in July, will draw interest from contending teams that need shooting as the Feb. 21 NBA trade deadline approaches.
Afflalo to return
Arron Afflalo on Wednesday sat out his sixth consecutive game because of a strained left calf, but coach Jacque Vaughn said Afflalo should be ready to "rock-and-roll" Friday when the Magic face the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland. (Cleveland, of course, is the home of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.)
Afflalo has spent the last several days in California to attend to a personal matter, a team spokesman said.
Back in Orlando
Clippers small forward Matt Barnes entered Wednesday night's game with 2:55 remaining in the first quarter.
It was Barnes' second game at Amway Center since the Magic chose not to re-sign him after his lone season with the team in 2009-10 — a season in which he started 58 regular-season games and became a fan favorite because of his gritty style.
Barnes said he keeps in touch with Redick and Jameer Nelson, who are the only players who remain from the team that reached the 2010 Eastern Conference finals.
Barnes and his wife spent part of the Clippers' off-day Tuesday in Winter Park.
"It's good to be back here," Barnes said.
Draft night
Thursday night on TNT, Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley will draft players onto teams for the rookie-sophomore game at all-star weekend.
Nik Vucevic, who has been selected for the exhibition on Feb. 15, first met O'Neal when Vucevic was a student at Southern Cal.
"He actually introduced himself to me as 'Shaquille O'Nealovic,' '' Vucevic remembered. "I thought that was pretty funny."
Special guests
Atlanta Braves outfielders B.J. Upton and Jason Heyward, Miami Dolphins center Mike Pouncey, Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey and former major-leaguer Ken Griffey Jr. attended the game.


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"I feel the way I raise my children, I don't have to explain to you or anyone else, 'cause nobody knows the way I raise my children. So nobody knows the lessons that I've taught my children to understand, if they are mentally ready for that."Asked whether he's teaching the teenager the wrong lesson:
"It wasn't even about a lesson; it's what I wanted to do... I could do whatever I want to do and you can't question me about it."Yeah, it's none of our business. So... why do we even know about it?


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Difference between revisions of "Talk:Radio Stations in GTA IV"
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::::Sorry, I just wrote it on the Electro-Choc page ! But I've written it was speculative.--[[User:Loadingue|Loadingue]] 18:55, September 2, 2009 (UTC)
::::Sorry, I just wrote it on the Electro-Choc page ! But I've written it was speculative.--[[User:Loadingue|Loadingue]] 18:55, September 2, 2009 (UTC)
Latest revision as of 19:02, 2 September 2009
Shuffled Songs?
"In previous GTA games (prior to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas), radio stations were a single audio file, repeating after completing a loop. In GTA IV, the songs are shuffled and thus are never in any one order."
Can anyone actually confirm this? Granted, I got rid of GTA IV well over a year ago, but I can clearly remember that the stations I listened to were played in one continous loop - this was particularly evident with L.C.H.C., Electro-Choc, and The Journey. Is it possible that: a) I'm remembering wrong, b) A newer/edited version of the game now exists, c) Only some stations work that way, or, d) The "shuffle" aspect never actually made it into the final product?. - Hardrock182 08:55, 16 June 2009 (UTC)
- I own the Australian version of GTA IV on PS3, which I bought about a week after release, and I remember when I thought I knew the order of a radio station, but next time it seemed to be different, and it seemed to always be different. So I assumed that they were "shuffled". When I read this article a long time ago, it just confirmed my thought. Any edited version of the game would become part of the original version through the patches, so it's either an update (unlikely), or only some stations work like that. I have eliminated the possibility of it having been removed. Biggest GTA Fan EverTalk 10:50, 16 June 2009 (UTC)
- c) Not all radio stations are shuffled. There are a few of them that uses the traditional way of using one single audio file and loop it. I'll list the stations later as I'm not at my computer. It's mainly the stations that can't tell the news or weather, only dynamic stations can do that.--Spaceeinstein 18:38, 16 June 2009 (UTC)
The song in the first trailer for The Ballad of Gay Tony is "Pjanoo" by Eric Prydz. So, that song is going to be in the new playlist with the radio stations. The one question is : on which station is that song going to be ? I think it might be either K109 The Studio or Electro-Choc, most probably K109. What do you think of this ?--Loadingue 17:13, September 2, 2009 (UTC)
- The song is not in any way disco. I stamp it Electro-Choc.--Thescarydude 17:57, September 2, 2009 (UTC)
- I must agree. The piano made a disco-style, but the whole track is more electro-style. And now, I'm going to put it on the Electro-Choc page !--Loadingue 18:43, September 2, 2009 (UTC)
- I suggest putting it in a separate section (TBOGT songs, or something like that) until the music list and stations associated with them are released. It's still speculative to assume here. - ZS 18:46, September 2, 2009 (UTC)
- Sorry, I just wrote it on the Electro-Choc page ! But I've written it was speculative.--Loadingue 18:55, September 2, 2009 (UTC)
- Either that, or we have a section devoted to music tracks used in trailers. I'm sure that works well enough as a more permanent measure. - ZS 19:02, September 2, 2009 (UTC)


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Skip to comments.America's new Alamo -- we must not lose again
Posted on 08/08/2006 4:53:20 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch
Almost two centuries ago, a small band of national patriots joined Texans to launch a battle for freedom and sent a unifying rallying cry through out our nation "Remember The Alamo!"
Our nation is being threatened by a new Alamo, and the army is between 12 million and 20 million strong. The army is one that is creeping, walking, swimming and being driven in shadowy caravans across our nation's state borders. Instead of being armed with weapons of violence, this army is simply overwhelming American health care, education, and justice systems by refusing to enter our country legally. But the damage being inflicted is real just the same.
Texas and other southern state border residents have been feeling the impact of this invasion for decades on their health care systems. For example, Parkland Memorial Hospital the same historic Dallas, Texas hospital where doctors worked feverishly to save President John F. Kennedy's life in 1963 is in the midst of a multi-million dollar budgetary meltdown. Hospital officials estimate that approximately 11,500 anchor babies being born to poor and uninsured illegal aliens coming through its doors are threatening it with millions of dollars of non-reimbursable costs and could well place it on budgetary life support due to ongoing escalating taxpayer subsidized care.
How would you feel, as a dad or mom as you rush your daughter or son to emergency care at Parkland or any neighborhood hospital expecting to receive quick professional health care for your toddler or young one, to be faced upon arrival with a hospital emergency room wait for hours only to learn eventually that your young one cannot be treated and must go elsewhere because there are literally dozens of illegals ahead of you? You're just plain out of luck because people who are not even here legally have first precedence? Or worse yet, if you are in your car racing a newly expectant mother to the hospital only to find out that there's no room at the inn and you better look elsewhere because there are almost 11,000 illegal anchor babies and their illegal mommies ahead of you. How would you feel then?
This sounds tragically sad. Yet it can and does get sadder.
Last year, Dr. Madeleine Pelner Cosman authored a very critically acclaimed report in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons that exposed the dramatic costs and impact of illegal aliens on our American health care system. Her results were stunning. Cosman found that 84 hospitals were shutting their doors directly due to the exponential increase in illegal aliens giving births to anchor babies. Some try to shrug off the notion that the families are illegal saying that they are cheap labor who work to keep our produce prices down.
"There are uncalculated costs involved in the importation of such labor public support and uninsured medical costs ... by spreading previously vanquished diseases and threatening to destroy America's prized health-care system," noted Dr. Cosman, who died earlier this year.
Cosman also pointed out some very disturbing facts, "many illegal aliens harbor fatal diseases that American medicine fought and vanquished long ago, such as drug-resistant tuberculosis, malaria, leprosy, plague, polio, dengue, and Chagas disease."
Is America and its healthcare system willing to be destroyed slowly from within, only to succumb to another type of Alamo a battle that is entirely preventable? The answer has to be yes. The consequences are too dire to consider otherwise. But there is another preventable notch in the Alamo belt and it directly impacts our children's education and it necessitates a parental call to arms.
This new call to arms should be blaring loudly in PTA meetings dotting the landscape of our nation. From elementary schools, middle schools and high school meeting rooms across America parents are tackling their children's educational program budgets cuts and after-school events being slashed or shut down while much-needed tax dollars are being spent on illegal alien children because of an ill-conceived 1982 U.S. Supreme Court Case called. Plyer v. Doe.
The Plyer v. Doe decision created a U.S. Constitutional Equal Protection right for illegal aliens that is not found in the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. By fabricating a right for illegal aliens it snatched away a right of our own children's equal protection. After 24 years with illegal aliens and their children crushing our state and local education budgets we must correct this misdirected and misapplied constitutional decision by the U.S. Supreme Court by going to the heart of the Plyer v. Doe decision. And America will do it.
The economic impact of this decision is staggering. It is annually costing American kids and their families billions! According to the Federation for Immigration Reform, "The total K-12 school expenditure for illegal immigrants costs the states nearly $12 billion annually, and when the children born here to illegal aliens are added, the costs more than double to $28.6 billion."
For example, children of illegal immigrants in California, who represent nearly 15% of the kindergarten through 12th grade public school students, are costing PTA parents and other taxpayers $2.2 billion annually to educate illegal immigrant students in those grades. That's enough to pay the salaries of 41,764 teachers, or 14% of California's teachers!
Our America is being taken apart, state-by-state, city-by-city, school-by-school, hospital-by-hospital, and job-by-job. Meanwhile we willingly extend an olive branch because we have been convinced, tricked, hoodwinked, or guilt tripped into believing that as a nation of immigrants we are supposed to open our outstretched arms to all including those millions who willingly break our legal immigration laws.
That is not the American Way nor is it the American Dream that our children should be forced to accept. True we are a nation built upon legal immigrants who are proud to have sacrificed much, fought against all odds in many ways, and abided by the rules so that the nectar of the American Dream would be that much sweeter, that much more meaningful, and that much more satisfying because the legal immigrant followed the rules and proudly swore allegiance to his or her new nation.
Instead that noble concept of the American Dream has been hijacked in plain view and in sight of every American who takes the time to look up and see that we are being told that our laws which protect our citizens and legal immigrants alike should be stretched and compromised to fit the illegal alien who boldly crosses the border and brings along his pregnant wife and children.
This twisted notion is to apply for everything with a double standard because the illegal alien from Mexico knows that he will be fed, clothed, educated, employed and even defended because our nation of laws and rules don't apply to him and his fellow illegals. The exception of course is if the immigrant has the individual or collective misfortune to been found at our borders originating illegally from countries like Haiti, China, Africa, India, Italy, or any other nation.
But this protected class of illegals otherwise known as criminals gladly expects our nation to use its city budgets to take money away from our kids' classrooms, take housing dollars away from our own poor or our own hard-working single-parent households who live from paycheck to paycheck and who also have a dream, yes, a legitimate American Dream backed by the Constitution and guaranteed by the Bill of Rights that if their American-born or legally naturalized son or daughter studies hard enough, works hard enough, and keeps his or her grades high that he may have the opportunity to go to college or to a trade school or own and build a small business.
But not so fast... there's more!
The U.S. Senate "Dream Act" which is advocated by the National Parents Teachers Association (PTA) and by the Act's chief proponent National La Raza (The Race) believe that your child may have to give up some of his or her in getting into the college of choice so that the illegal alien student can go to the head of the class and get the benefits that he and his parents feel that he deserves: scholarships, tuition credits, preferences, etc. because, after all, he kept his nose clean and didn't get into trouble, i.e. he and his parents were able artfully to dodge the INS while here illegally. I ask you, should that accomplishment be rewarded while legal American children struggle on the sidelines again being put out of line?
So what are we left with?
Tax payers throughout America who are being asked to support illegal alien children who, along with their parents, were able to dodge the INS and enroll in American public schools. Local school officials are forced to deal with a large population of children who do not speak English nor do they possess legal documentation that is required of American-born or legally naturalized citizens. And local doctors and nurses are required to treat illegal aliens but cannot not tell INS that they were treating these illegals. They are all being told that ethically or morally one set of rules apply for our American kids and their parents and another set of fabricated morality rules apply for families and kids who after all are really invisible because they really aren't here, according to the school officials who can't report them and the doctors and the nurses and the social workers and all the other "officials" who they come across in their daily and weekly coming and going.
Where is the equal protection for the parents and the families of Americans? Where is our American "Dream Act" if it is not found in our U.S. Constitution?
There is a solution to this nightmarish attack upon our nation, and it is born out of Section One of the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment, which states: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside." It must be fully addressed now.
The 1982 U.S. Supreme Court Plyer v. Doe decision is a companion piece to this crisis and must also be readdressed and overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. The outcome would result in that the 14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution will again truly apply to its citizens and will allow for the renewed preservation of America's educational integrity. The new result in Plyer v. Doe would erase the Burger Court surrender of the U.S. Constitution to political correctness at the Constitution's expense.
Former president Teddy Roosevelt is a favorite of many Americans, and he put it so succinctly almost 100 years ago at the height of the mass European immigration. He said very poignantly "In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else."
Coming to America in "good faith" is key to President Roosevelt's remarks because to do less, by coming under anything less than legal means, is to disrespect our nation and its good charitable will.
Roosevelt went on to say, "Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all." The illegal alien who comes across our borders under a cloud of shadows owes his or her allegiance to his country of origin and therefore America must draw the line in the sand between the notion that our citizenship, our borders, and our nation's national language as well as our sovereignty is not up for barter or for compromise or open to shadows.
So let's send a unifying rallying cry through out our nation "Remember The Alamo!" We must not lose again because our future depends upon it.
Totally spot on article!
A quote from "Army of 12 Monkeys" - "...Too Late, too late".
amnesty am-nes-ty -n 1. a general pardon for offenses against a government
Ours is a history and a spirit of sacrifice and of self-determination. It is a tradition of independence, of self-reliance, of hard work, of courage and of responsibility. We are a civilization, built on principles, a legacy of freedom and a society of laws. THIS IS OUR CULTURE, and it is as unique and as deserving of respect as any other. To become an American means to stand up in unwavering support and in reverence of these essential things, to belong to something that is larger and more powerful than any individual, and to accept this culture as your own. It means not a surrender of your heritage, but an integration of your way of life into that which is American.
If you choose to not subscribe to these ideals... get out of our country.
I contend that our own government is the enemy this time.
Our government is not our enemy. The enemy are those natural individuals who hold the positions of authority. People are bad the basic structure of the old US of A is good!
Awesome article BUMP!
Most, though not necessarily all, aliens from Mexico are not coming into the country to have a second Reconquista (the first was the Spanish driving out the Moors).
Get a grip there, pocket monster, before folks start believing you're one of the paid pundits here who seize every technical error in a death grip while leaking clues that they weren't raised in this culture.
Everyone here knows that the Alamo was about Texas and Mexico - while the larger story was about the United States not sending support in a timely fashion...seems the same old "wait until it's too late" solution was as popular then as it is now. What's important is that the phrase "Remember the Alamo" has been a rallying cry adopted by this country whenever seemingly insurmountable odds need to be confronted with force of will.
Polio has been eradicated from Mexico and Latin America. India, Nigeria, and a handful of other countries are supposed to be the only ones with the disease remaining.
Whether or not "reconquista" is anything many aliens from Mexico think about, very many of them do in fact believe that the Southwest belongs to Mexico. This fact plays very strongly in their opinions of the U.S. and their right to be here in spite of our laws.
Or when my girlfriend's car was demolished by a drunken illegal who got nothing more than a couple hours in the county lockup for his crime.
Give it time, my FRiend. The popular backlash is growing, and will reach critical mass soon.
Good catch!
I believe you are correct, and I hope it happens sooner rather than later. The longer we wait to resolve the situation, the greater will be the pain and misery.
The problem is that most local school officials WANT more poor kids in their schools! More poor kids = more funding = more programs = more jobs for teachers and administrators.
Border states need to send in the national guard to stem the flood of illegals slurping down free, taxpayer funded social benefits.. The rest of us need to find the eleven ferral Egyptians gone missing and gone wild.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.


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new plan: -sell gold
- imform buyer he has suspicious gold amount
-warn player about buying gold being bad
The scary thing is, if you replace 'Gold' with 'Weapons', and 'Player' with 'Third World / Middle East Regime', then you have American foreign policy for the last forty years in a nutshell.
Dear Friend,
I request your assistance for an affair of the highest importance. I am Lalal 40th level gnome, whose account has been partially disabled. By hard work, I have amassed the total amount of 1'000'000 gold (one million golds) that is now blocked with said character. I solicit your help to move this sum to a new account. Due to changes of policies at Blizzard, it is of uttermost importance that this affair is conducted with the highest discretion. In reward for cooperation, I am ready to give you 10% of the total sum, that is 100'000 golds (hundred thousand golds).
In order for the transaction to take place, I need your account name and password. Be assured that I will proceed with uttermost discretion.
Money really isn't that important in WoW and Blizzard has accomplished a very good job in allowing the market for lower-level items to flourish (That is, it is easy for a low level player to sell their drops and make cash). There are very few top-tier items that you can buy, the rest are drops from which you must be a part of the group/kill. Nevertheless, there are still people who will pay 500+ gold for an item that is probably +5% better than what you could get yourself with a moderate amount of effort.
That said, money isn't irrelevant. At level 60, you still need cash in order to buy consumables, repair your equipment, and even save up for that pink elephant. IMO, the volume in the gold selling market is a testament to the lengths people will go in order to be 'King of the Hill' (IE, buy that item that is 5% better).
Getting gold is easy.
Which is all the more ironic since an inexperienced player at level 60 is basically worthless in the endgame content. The only thing I can think would go easily is ganking people of way lower level where skill isn't as much a factor. Although I have seen the pvp go wrong for some of those eBay level 60s.
The article talks about the possibility of monitoring large transfers of currency between players. Why not just eliminate currency transfers? It would have the additional benefit of eliminating all the begging in cities.
No doubt the farmers would find a way around this, like setting up auctions where they bid enormous amounts for commonplace items...but then something like that would be easy to spot.
There's another way to discourage this, by taking a tip from The Untouchables. When they couldn't get Capone for his blatant crimes, they resorted to nabbing him for income tax evasion. I would guess that a good percentage of these top farmers aren't paying taxes on their eBay incomes. Call the IRS and sic 'em, boys!
I've retired my WoW account because my machine/video card is a little outdated and the lag was impossible to live with in high-level instances.
But while I was playing, interfering with known gold farmers was quite a bit of fun. I always felt that it would be great to be part of a guild whose mission statement included anti-gold farmer activities.
Jesus, I am absolutely stupefied that people do this.
I've already written one comment [slashdot.org] about this in a different article and mentioned it in a blog post [blogspot.com] at my blog, so I'll try not to repeat that stuff here.
But for real, I'm truly saddened that the "RP" in MMORPG means so little these days. Everyone keeps taking about how much they hate grinding levels. Funny, when I used to play Dungeons and Dragons with my buddies, I never seemed to mind that my wizard was only level (whatever). Why? Because the point of the game wasn't to win, it was to have fun and (gasp!) socialize. Those of you who remember the old pencil-and-paper games, can you imagine a player offering a game master five bucks for 1,000 freebie gold pieces? If I were the game master, I would immediately figure out some heinous irrevocable death for that character.
What some people see as mindless grinding through levels, I see as an opportunity to meet other players, some of whom are rather interesting. What some people see as farming for game currency, I see as an opportunity to roleplay and boost my reputation. Not this silly reputation by ownership of a cool gametoy, but the reputation as someone who is fun and interesting to run missions with.
My MMORPG of choice is City of Heroes [coh.com]. One of my favorite characters is a Taxibot [taxibots.com]. We hardly ever level. We can't kill crap by ourselves. We have a lot of fun. The fun of the game isn't mindlessly killing mobs of enemies, although I do get fleeting enjoyment from figuring out strategies to defeat particularly tough enemies. The fun isn't even getting that new high-level power, although I do get fleeting enjoyment from seeing the cool effect of it. These things are supposed to add to the enjoyment of the game, not to be the enjoyment. My advice for MMORPG players (most MUD players figured this out a long time ago): If you really want to get long-term enjoyment from the game, get over that stuff quickly.
I get frustrated because I often wonder how many people even bother to read the mission descriptions they're given before they go to empty a warehouse full of villains. Sometimes I'll be in a group of people and I'll say something game-related ("We can't let Ubelmann succeed!"), and I often get responses that indicate that the people in my group have no clue ("Who's Ubelmann?"). Needless to say, those people don't get invited to run in a group with me again, and the people who do run with me regularly have lots of fun "grinding" levels, even if it is the 100th time we have been to disable the Rikti portal devices.
If level grinding has got you down and you've having so little fun that you feel the need to buy stuff on eBay or Sony's Station Exchange to use in the game, I'm begging you to play Progress Quest [progressquest.com] instead. We'll all have more fun, and you don't even have to spend a dime!
I know what the first replies to this post will be: Wah, people play games for different reasons. Yeah, well, if your reason is so that you can brag about your über-whatever with a gazillion gold to the lower levels, you're not playing at all; you're being a pompous ass that the game would be better off without. Do you go around in real life bragging about how much more money you've got than people on welfare? We're not impressed.
Damn, so much for keeping this post short. Oops, maybe I'll do better next time we have an "Buying virtual goods is a good thing" type of story.
hey guys
i just take free $5 from
http://www.brogame.com [brogame.com]
the code is : brogame001
use it and get $5 off your order
...there can be no public or private virtue unless the foundation of action is the practice of truth. - George Jacob Holyoake


text:
Shannon Rauth was a quadruple winner as Downingtown West topped Downingtown East, 97-84, in a Ches-Mont League National Division swimming meet at the Lionville YMCA on Friday.
for the Whippets (6-1, 7-3) in the Ches-Mont National meet. Rauth captured the 50- and 100-yard freestyles and was on the winning 200 medlay and 400 free relay teams for the Whippets (6-1, 7-3).
Emily Harris won the 200 IM, 100 breaststroke and the 200 medley relay.
For the Cougars (1-6 league), Carleigh Abromovitz took the 500 free.
Boys Swimming
Downingtown East 96, Downingtown West 90: Ken Richardson won three events as the Cougars (4-3 league) eked out the Ches-Mont National victory. Richardson was first in the 200 IM, 100 breaststroke and was on the 200 medley relay squad.
Quentin Cody won three events for the Whippets (3-4, 3-7), capturing the 200 free, 500 free and was on the 400 free relay team.
Hatboro-Horsham 56, Avon Grove 10; Germantown Academy 63, Avon Grove 15: Tim Douglas won both his matches for the Red Devils (5-12) in the nonleague tri-meet. Single winners included Edgar Ortiz (132) and Caleb Edwards (152).
Hatboro-Horsham 56
Avon Grove 10
106 -- Giuliani (HH) dec. Smith 15-2 (4-0
113 -- Torresani (HH) dec. Garcia, 6-5 (7-0)
120 -- Mowry (HH) wins by forfeit (13-0)
126 -- Sukert (HH) wins by forfeit (19-0)
132 -- Ortiz (AG) dec. Swiacki, 10-3 (19-3)
138 -- B. Humski (HH) tech fall Willis, 3:24 (24-3)
145 -- McLaughlin (HH) dec. Swank, 4-2 (27-3)
152 -- Edwards (AG) dec. Bodnar, 15-2 (27-7)
160 -- Beck (HH) won by tech fall over Boyd, 6:00 (32-7)
170 -- Douglas (AG) dec. S. Humski, 6-2 (32-10)
182 -- Tuerke (HH) pinned Wilson, 3:59 (38-10)
195 -- Hwang (HH) wins by forfeit (44-10)
220 -- Schuck (HH) wins by forfeit (50-10)
285 -- Wilson (HH) pinned Walls, 3:50 (56-10)
Germantown Academy 63
Avon Grove 15
120 -- E. Shirakawa (GA) wins by forfeit (6-0)
126 -- Riley (GA) wins by forfeit (12-0)
132 -- Kergides (GA) pinned Ortiz, 5:20 (18-0)
138 -- Gober (GA) pinned Swank, 5:07 (24-0)
145 -- Anthony (GA) pinned Willis, :35 (30-0)
152 -- Crozier (GA) wins by forfeit (36-0)
160 -- Grossi (GA) wins by forfeit (42-0)
170 -- Douglas (AG) dec. Corliss, 10-3 (42-3)
182 -- Sammak (GA) pinned Wilson, :39 (48-3)
195 -- Mehrgan (GA) wins by forfeit (54-3)
220 -- David (GA) wins by forfeit (60-3)
285 -- Doyle (GA) dec. Walls, 7-0 (63-3)
106 -- Garcia (AG) pinned T. Shirakawa, :52 (63-9)
113 -- Smith (AG) wins by forfeit (63-15)
Girls Basketball
Tatnall 52, Westtown 30: Jordan Weir paced the Quakers (4-12) with 16 points in the nonleague defeat.
WESTTOWN: Dobbins 6, Novak 1, Weir 16, McCloskey 2, DeLuca 3, Cornelius 2. Totals: 11 6-13 30.
TATNALL: Hagen 5, Marten 2, Dodds 23, Sparks-Faulkner 16, Deen 2, Grievelli 4. Totals: 20 12-15 52.
Westtown 4 6 4 15--30
Tatnall 24 14 10 4--52
3-point goals: Weir DeLuca.
District 1 seeding meeting postponed: The District 1 basketball seeding meeting to determine Class AAAA and Class AAA playoff pairings has been postponed from Sunday to Tuesday, 7 p.m., at Council Rock South.
The Class AA-Class A meeting is still scheduled for Wednesday, 7 p.m., at Plymouth Whitemarsh.
Ice Hockey
W.C. Henderson 11, Methacton 1: Eric Carreras and Cory Daszkiewicz combined for six goals and five assists to lead West Chester Henderson in the ICSHL Ches-Mont win.
Carreras had three goals and three assists, while Daszkiewicz had three goals and two assists.
Kyle Wicka chipped in with two goals and one assist. Sean Miller, Eric Beren and Brett Unger all scored a goal. Beren added an assist.
Connor Carroll made nine saves in goal for the Warriors.
W.C. Rustin 6, Salesianum (Del.) 6: West Chester Rustin led 6-4, but Salesianum scored the final two goals in the third period and gained the ICSHL Ches-Mont tie.
JR Barone had a big night for Rustin with three goals and two assists.
Michael Grande added a goal and two assists, Armen Asdourian had a goal and an assist, and Andrew King netted a goal.
Unionville 4, Downingtown West 2: John Kumpf�s two goals sparked Unionville in the ICSHL Ches-Mont meeting.
Nick Ward finished with a goal and an assist, while Matt Kowash and Bryan Aiken both had a goal.
Max Spatola and Chris Fabry scored for Downingtown West.
Great Valley 3, Downingtown East 3: Trailing 3-0, Great Valley scored three goals in the third period and gained the ICSHL Ches-Mont tie.
Ryan Knight, Trevor Cohn, and Alex Rocco scored to give Downingtown East its lead.
Mike Rispoli scored two goals, and Sanders Clark one for Great Valley.
Lander (S.C.) 14, West Chester 1: Jordan Wlodarczyk homered, but West Chester opened its season with the loss on the road.
The defending NCAA Division II national champions mustered just one run on three hits and made one error, while Lander (3-1) scored 14 runs on 13 hits and committed four errors to pick up the win.
Joe Gunkel (0-1) started and suffered the loss on the mound. He lasted four innings, allowed six runs, five of them earned, on six hits and struck out four.
Brent Roehrich, Ryan Swearingen and Ron Scull also saw action on the mound.
Mike Raimo and Dylan Zigman had the only other hits in the contest for West Chester.
Lander jumped on Gunkel early with two runs on four hits in the first inning. Lander shortstop Graham Ramos led off the bottom of the inning with a home run.
Men�s Indoor Track
Lafayette Rider Winter Games: West Chester�s LeQuan Chapman won the long jump and triple jump on Friday at the New York City Armory.
Chapman leaped 23-0 � in the long jump and 47-4 � in the triple jump.
Jay Jabat tied for first in the high jump, clearing 6-6 �. Jabat was also fourth in the long jump, and Joey DeCecco placed third in the high jump (6-4 �).
Mark van Teyens finished sixth in the 60-meter hurdles (8.61), Nick Drozd was seventh in the 400 (49.90), and Dillon Wallner placed seventh in the weight throw (44-6 �).
Women�s Indoor Track
Lafayette Rider Winter Games: Randi Boothe turned in one of her best performances of the winter season to lead West Chester inside the New York City Armory on Friday.
Boothe broke two school records, one of which she set earlier during the indoor season.
Boothe was third in the 60-meter dash (7.79), eclipsing her own school record from earlier in the year.
She followed up that performance with a third-place showing in the 200 (24.94), which set a new school standard.
Kiersten Bond won the long jump (18-5 �), Breanna Barber tied for second in the high jump (5-3), Kayla Owens placed fifth in the weight throw (42-4 �), and Nicole Smith was eighth in the 400 (59.19).


text:
Lake Park got off to a fast start in all three sets in volleyball Tuesday against conference rival and host Waubonsie Valley.
Then the Warriors battled back into contention three times, but the Lancers held them off in two of the three sets for a 25-21, 22-25, 25-18 victory in the Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division clash.
"It's great to come out firing, focused and ready to go," said Lake Park coach Tim Murphy. "And to get big leads. But we seemed to have a lull in the middle of all three sets. In our losses we usually make a few errors at the end of the game. But after slow starts, Waubonsie really stepped up their play."
In the first set Lancers (21-12, 4-1) jumped out a an 8-0 lead, but Waubonsie (11-20, 1-4) closed the gap to 22-21 before a pair of kills by Dillon Hock and one by Quin Krisik put the game away for the Lancers.
In Game 2 the Lancers seemed to be coasting with an 18-9 lead, but then Waubonsie Valley's Michael Simmons, recently returned from a season-long injury, took over with 4 kills to tie it at 19-19. A series of Lake Park errors helped the Warriors win and send the contest into a third set.
In Game 3 it was a similar story. Lake Park was ahead 12-7, and the Warriors closed the gap again to only a point before they fell.
Here the Lancers showed their diverse attack as five hitters scored on 3 kills, 2 blocks and an ace down the stretch.
According to Waubonsie Valley coach Al Lagger, the team has been working on comebacks in practice.
"We start the scrimmage with the starters down by 5 or 6 points and then challenge them to come back," Lagger said. "That translated to the live match today. We worked to fight back and we won the second set but fell short in the others. With a break or two in either set and we're there."
The coach is optimistic that the postseason will be successful with Simmons, one of the best players in Illinois, back on the court.
"The other kids have to get used to playing with him after he's been out so long," Lagger said.
Simmons scored a match-high 16 kills.
Hock had 8 kills in the first game and finished with a team-high 14. Dominick Terry had 11 and Sean Moore dominated the middle with 8 kills and 5 blocks. Anthony Amore was the dig leader with 19 and Krisik had 34 assists.
"This was a good win at a time when we have to get momentum going as we near the playoffs," said Hock, the team's only senior. "Our biggest strength is that we don't have a go-to guy. We spread the ball around a lot and other teams don't know who to key on."
"If we can continue to play the way we've been playing we can make a run in the playoffs," Murphy said. "Generally we play with a lot more energy than we had tonight."


text:
Surprise: Two Of Hollywood's Favorite Representatives, Howard Berman & Mary Bono Mack, Defeated
from the he-can-go-hang-out-with-rick-boucher dept
Another longterm favorite of the entertainment industry, Rep. Mary Bono Mack, who ushered in the ridiculous Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension and has been a regular supporter of the entertainment industry's crazier plans, has lost out in a very tight race.
As for Smith, he won his election to no one's surprise -- but the margin was actually a lot lower than I expected. He took it with 60% of the vote. In 2008 he had 80% of the vote and in 2010, 69% of the vote. It may not have been enough to tip the election, but perhaps young people in his district voted for internet freedom.


text:
Yep, you missed it.
For the first and only time, something that has "leaked" to the internet has been completely and utterly removed from it. You need to be quicker next time.
The MPAA downloaded a copy, thereby reducing the number of copies available.
Then grab a torrent, such as:
So has this site given up all pretence of being 'news for nerds' and become a side-project for the pirate bay now?
Every story concerning piracy takes the pirates POV, every criticism of thepiratebay is brushed aside, and now top stories are new hollywood movies, complete with +5 modded links to copyrighted material.
I thought bit-torrent was only used for free speech and linux distros?
+5 hyprocrites
Damn I wanted a copy of it and to be honest I will still see it in theatres.
I will never again willingly watch anything in a cinema so long as I live. Poor food, poor seats, poor video quality, and most of all poor company. The only advantage cinemas still retain over my living room is their sound systems, and frankly it's not worth the bother. I will wait for the Blu-Ray of any new film. It costs about as much as trip to the cinema anyway.
And if the studio refuses to release in my region simultaneously with others, I'll download the film. Tough luck guys. I had the money in my hand, ready to give it to you, but you gave me the finger instead. So guess what I'm giving you.
I will never again willingly watch anything in a cinema so long as I live. Poor food, poor seats,
Sad but true. The seating is awful and is almost essential to the overall experience with the movie. My sister was all hyped for me to see The Dark Knight a the Franklin Institute's IMAX claiming it was the greatest. I've never sat in a movie seat that so closely resembled sitting coach in an airline in my life.
The good news is some of the new theaters being built are catching on. I had the pleasure of going to new-ish AMC theater in Paramus, NJ (attached to the mall). It had lots of leg room, great video a
We should all go see it in theaters so we would have proof that piracy encourages revenue.
You've been marked Funny, but that might not be a bad idea. It'd be interesting to see a concrete example: Known movie, leaked, and measurable box office success. Then again, movie beancounters would likely claim that it could have been more...
I could probably live with most of these changes but for the screens. I've been to several different theaters here in San Diego, and I constantly marvel at how poor the picture is. The screens are often too bright with no contrast, or blurry. While sound systems seem to get upgraded every few years on a relentless campaign to deafen moviegoers, the screens and projectors seem oddly neglected. I've seen better film quality in the $1.50 theater in Eugene. There's no quicker way to make me feel swindled than to have to squint at a movie I paid close to $10 to view.
I've seen this leaked version of the movie and even though the special effects were rather gray
Do I think it will hurt the movie or cause any amount of financial loss? No, it's merely disrespectful and actually kind of humorous that anyone would ruin the initial exposure of what could amount to a great film.
Do I think that they will use it as a scapegoat, much like Ubisoft did when an unfinished and buggy copy of Assassins Creed leaked [wikipedia.org]? Yes. If their movie doesn't do well in the box office (Well as in higher than their expectations) this will be a perfect excuse for them to use with the media and to investors.
While I can't I'm sure the movie execs will.
Can you honestly tell me there are a significant number of people interested in seeing an action movie, minus special effects, who aren't also the fanboy-types who will see it in theatres?
I'm guessing it's more a matter of the same fanboys using up most of their watercooler talk, spreading details of the plot and spoilers over the next two months so that when it arrives they won't attract non-fanboys with the same enthusiasm.
The film is not due for release until 29 April in the UK and 1 May in the US.
Why not release it on the same day?
no really, I'm always a day late with these things myself
in both cases they want the release to occur on Friday night and get all weekend.
I think you're reading too much into the disrespect thing. I understand that from an artistic viewpoint you might have a certain idea of how you want your work received, but I think if the viewer receives more joy or whatever emotion from seeing inside the work as it were then it's best if they see it that way. Also you know people are never going to get precisely the experience you want them to, although many may lie within an acceptable range. If you accept that life is in the living, then you should acce
I kind of agree with you on art.
However, I view this as a corporate production by a committee - not a work of art.
It is no different than the latest "Fry's" add in it's essence.
I'll wait to see the finished product so the product can produce the appropriate tuned, tested, and approved emotional effects.
The story has common elements, but the details of those elements are very different.
IE, Logan works as a lumberjack and has a vaguely similar traumatic event happen while working there, but it is in a completely different decade and isn't in the same chronological order with other events.
And they kinda screwed up Deadpool.
Out of respect for the artistic integrity of the 20th Century Fox corporation? Now, that's funny.
If you like the book for its art, check out "Kingdom Come". Hands down, the best artwork I've ever seen in a comic book/graphic novel. Every frame looks like a painting. Good story, too, but the art.... wow.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_Come_(comics) [wikipedia.org]
You raise good points, but I think there's one thing to keep in mind.
Legality and everything aside - this is not a DVD rip, this is a workprint.
Workprints are rare - almost collector's items. You get the chance to see behind the scenes like never before. You see wire shots, greenscreen shots, placeholder CGI, rotated scenes, pre-colour corrected scenes, everything. Things you'd never get to see even on a 'making of' extra disc, etc.
Honestly, I enjoyed watching the workprint immensely, for the above reasons.
Reverse Streisand? I assume that's like the Reverse Cowgirl, only more horrific?
(lulz jk I know about the Streisand Effect. That's when she turns into a giant mechanical monster and battles Sidney Portier and Robert Smith)
the copy is forensically marked
Ummm if this was true then it wouldn't be an issue of asking the FBI to investigate it would be a matter of telling the FBI which guy to arrest.
It will be interesting to see how long it takes to secure a conviction in this case and just how truthful the statements on protection are.
Ummm if this was true then it wouldn't be an issue of asking the FBI to investigate it would be a matter of telling the FBI which guy to arrest.
That's only true assuming that only one person is known to have had access to the data stream (provably false.)
It's leaked 1 month before release. That unfinished copy was already a month old before it got uploaded.
This probably all has to do with being under paid in an industry that makes ass loads of cash for the few at the top, and hardly any at the bottom.
This probably all has to do with being under paid in an industry that makes ass loads of cash for the few at the top, and hardly any at the bottom.
An industry? You're describing the entire system.
Are you implying this wouldn't have happened in a utopian comunist country?
That is right, paying workers a fair wage is communist!
It talks about how the FBI has been called like it's a major disaster.
I can picture it now:
FBI: Hello FBI?
It's just the way the leak of a film gets more news coverage than more serious stories. It's like it's an international tragedy. I mean seriously, a film with chunks missing, temporary sound, CGI missing and so on. There are companies every day that have their security breached and IP stolen. Why does it get international coverage when it's a half-finished movie?
The real response from the FBI should be:
FBI: Here's your case number, take your ticket and get to the back of the queue
On a side note the BBC also said that Fox has had the download of the new film taken down now - that baffled me a bit, I doubt very much they've managed to get it removed from the whole internet, if they have they're the first company in history to achieve such a thing!
FBI: Hello FBI?
FBI: Wrong number. *Hangs up*
"Shit, there's a leak in project Wolverine. Quick, call agent Manghetto! And put me with the president."
"Mr. Obama?"
"No, the real president. Doctor Doomsday!"
My guess:
HEADLINE: "Code stolen from (unknown company) that calculates (some random data) STOLEN!!!"
doesn't really relate to anyone where:
HEADLINE: "(a movie you probably want to see) has been STOLEN!!!"
Many more people will relate to and understand. News comes down to numbers.
I can't remember where I heard the joke that "trying to take something off of the internet is like trying to get pee out of a swimming pool".
This is not an April Fool's joke. This is real AND no one can remove shit like this from the internet.
The cat is far out of the bag.
Is it alive?
I never understood the phrase to begin with. It's not like once the cat is out of the bag you can't put it back in.
My wife has two cats that I routinely track down and punish when they've scratched on something they shouldn't or whatever. Cats are not some ephmereal animaal that's impossible to catch or something. It might mean moving furniture or burning down a stand of vegetation, but they are catchable and it's often entertaining to do so.
20th Century Fox confirmed the copy had now been removed
Goodluck with that
The film is not due for release until 29 April in the UK and 1 May in the US.
This just annoys me. Release it on the same date.
"Even if you see the workprint you're still going to have to go see it in the theatre to fully experience the full movie with CGI effects fully intact."
Considering I like action movies on a screen bigger then 48 inches then yes.
According to its website, Rising Sun Pictures is an Australian visual effects company that worked on the film and is currently working on production of Terminator Salvation.
So when can I expect an early release of Terminator salvation?
The Federation Against Copyright Theft said a leak of this kind was extremely unusual as pre-release security had been tightened in recent years.
I had a full dvd rip of LOTR 3 two months before the movie was released to the movie theatres. By full rip I mean the DVD you would buy in stores when the movie was to be released to stores. This is not unusual/uncommon.
We are encouraged by the support of fansites condemning piracy and this illegal posting and pointing out that such theft undermines the enormous efforts of the filmmakers and actors and, above all, hurts fans of the film" the studio said.
Obvioulsy we will condem it, but that won't stop an "estimated several 100,000 times" of downloads from happening.
In 2007 director Eli Roth blamed an online leak of his horror film Hostel: Part II for reducing box office returns.
Yes there will be some people who say "meh i saw an early release so no reason to see it in theatres" There will also be people who want to see the completed version on the BIG screen.
In an interview with MTV he claimed: "You could buy Hostel: Part II for a quarter in Mexico City. As a result, in a lot of countries where the piracy was bad, they just didn't even release it."
This part is a shame...people who are willing to pay 25 cents for the movie because they want to view it but aren't willing to go to the movie theatre or buy it on legit dvd. These movies aren't free to make.
In a change from recent years, the adverts move away from the message that piracy is theft. Audiences will instead see a trailer, fronted by Dr Who actor Noel Clarke, thanking them for paying to come and watch a film.
About time - i would prefer to see someone thanking me when I buy/rent a legit dvd. I understand the need to have the message there, but I have seen it ton of times. I wish they would make it so I could skip over it.
Re: release date differences, it's only two days. Here in the UK we're getting a Wednesday release because the kids are off school, and it makes the opening weekend number bigger. The US marketing department apparently don't think it's worth doing something other than the usual Friday. It's hardly the biggest difference out there.
As for Hostel II, surely Roth's problem was more the phenomenally bad reviews prior to release that killed it, rather than some unusually large number of pirate copies?
About time - i would prefer to see someone thanking me when I buy/rent a legit dvd. I understand the need to have the message there, but I have seen it ton of times. I wish they would make it so I could skip over it.
Actually if I buy a DVD I want that DVD to be free of commercials, trailers, of everything but the movie (maybe behind the scenes can stay). Take out all the extra crap. I am paying for the movie. I do not need to see ads or other trailers.
Nothing gets on my nerves more than unskippable DVD chapters. It's bad enough that the stupid MPAA/FBI warning is pretty much always unable to be skipped, but lots of DVDs actually stick commercials and previews at the beginning that you can't skip over either.
On the other hand, if I pirate the film, I can have it in less than a half hour (less than the time it takes to run to the video store), the movie is never out of stock, I can watch it as many times as I want (making it superior to "on demand"), and all of that annoying crap is removed.
I only buy a movie on DVD if I really, really like it.
Nothing gets on my nerves more than unskippable DVD chapters.
I don't us it personally, but doesn't DVDShrink take care of that by letting you re author the disk leaving out the parts you don't want? Plus you then use the copy and keep your shiny factory DVD in a safe place where the kids can't trash it...
http://www.dvdshrink.org/why_en.php [dvdshrink.org]
I hate to ruin it for you, but he dies in the end.
Damn! now I have to see the movie to know who is this "he" you are talking about...
I hate to ruin it for you, but he dies in the end.
Since when did we start referring to freedom in the western world as 'He'?
Its a shame the FBI will spend time and resources to investigate civil crimes such as media piracy --- yet the FBI continuously fails to investigate political corruption, vote fraud, and a number of other seriously criminal acts that happen in the US.
I am somehow reminded (living in CA where it is illegal) of the local police and highway patrol constantly using their Cell Phones while driving...
I guess the FBI knows not to bite the dirty hands that feed them.
Nondeterminism means never having to say you are wrong.


text:
Trion Worlds has laid off some of its staff, a new report confirms. According to Gamasutra, about 40 team members were let go, including developers, artists, and designers. "As much as one-third of the development team working on MMO Rift" could be affected, according to the report.
While Trion has confirmed layoffs, it would not elaborate on which parts of the company were affected. The company told Gamasutra that the layoffs were "in response to market conditions, product timelines and the natural evolution of our company."
Rift most recently expanded with Storm Legion, which promised to triple the game world.


text:
The Kansas City Chiefs extended their unbeaten start to the season to seven games, the second-best start in the franchise's history, as they defeated the Houston Texans 17-16.
Jamaal Charles ran for 86 yards and a touchdown, while quarterback Alex Smith also ran for a score as the Chiefs eased to victory over the hapless Texans, who have now lost five consecutive matches.
Houston, who were without quarterback Matt Schaub through injury, handed a first career start to Case Keenum, who threw for 271 yards and a touchdown, but was crucially sacked by linebacker Tamba Hali, and fumbled on a potential game winning drive.
The Texans, who are now three wins behind the Indianapolis Colts in their quest to defend their AFC South title, had their miserable day completed by the loss of running back Arian Foster, who limped out of the game with a hamstring injury in the first quarter, and did not return.
With victory, Smith set the record for the most consecutive wins from a quarterback after debuting for a new franchise.
Success at home to the Cleveland Browns and away at the Buffalo Bills over the next fortnight will draw Andy Reid's side level with the efforts of the 2003 Chiefs, who were 9-0 before finishing at 13-3 – losing 38-31 to the Colts in the divisional playoff round.
It is possible they will return from their Week 10 bye with the opportunity of surpassing that record, when they take on divisional rivals and Superbowl favourites the Denver Broncos.
However, Kansas – who went 2-14 last season – are now the league's only unbeaten team after the Broncos' surprise 39-33 loss to the Colts saw them slip to 6-1.
Peyton Manning returned to his former side and threw for 386 yards and three touchdowns, but was outshone by his replacement – the first overall pick of the 2012 NFL draft – Andrew Luck, who matched his touchdown tally while managing the game superbly for the Colts.
Manning had a mixed night as he was also intercepted and fumbled for a Colts safety, while 20 of his 49 passes went incomplete. Indianapolis led by 19 points towards the end of the third quarter, but their visitors fought back superbly to set up a tense finish.
The Seattle Seahawks join the Broncos at 6-1 and top the NFC Conference, after a 34-22 success over the Arizona Cardinals, which saw Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson throw for three touchdowns.
Tom Brady and the New England Patriots missed the chance to move to the same record and widen the gap at the top of the AFC East as they fell to a shock overtime loss at the New York Jets.
New York trailed 21-10 at half-time, but responded with 17 unanswered points in the third quarter. Almost predictably, the Patriots came back and tied the game at 27 with 16 seconds left in regulation thanks to Stephen Gostkowski's field goal.
You could have been forgiven for expecting the Patriots to go on to claim victory, but Nick Folk kicked a 42-yard effort with 5:07 left in overtime to grab the win for the Jets.
Folk got a second chance after he missed from 56-yards moments earlier. But Chris Jones was called for unsportsmanlike conduct for pushing a teammate forward to try to block the kick, a new NFL rule.
New England had defeated New York in six straight regular-season meetings. The loss also ended the Patriot's 12-game winning streak against the AFC East.
In the second all AFC East clash of the weekend, the Bills defeated the Miami Dolphins 23-21 - the Dolphins third loss in a row.
Elsewhere, last year's NFC East winners, the Washington Redskins, earned only their second win of 2013 with a 45-41 success over the Chicago Bears. Their success came despite Matt Forte's three rushing touchdowns for the visitors, who also lost quarterback Jay Cutler to injury.
The Dallas Cowboys top that division after a 17-3 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. It was the worst possible day for the Eagles, who lost back-up quarterback Nick Foles (standing in for the already injured Michael Vick), while third choice Matt Barkley threw three interceptions.
New York's other team, the Giants, were also winners last weekend – beating the Minnesota Vikings 23-7 to claim their first success of the year. Despite being 1-6, they are just three wins behind the Cowboys and could still come back into NFC East contention.
Only two teams are still without a win this year: the Jacksonville Jaguars (0-7), who were beaten 24-6 by the San Diego Chargers, and the Buccaneers, who are 0-6 after a 31-23 defeat to the Atlanta Falcons.
Tampa Bay will at least be encouraged by the performance of rookie quarterback Matt Glennon, who threw for another two touchdowns in the defeat.
Jacksonville have the ominous task of facing the San Francisco 49ers at Wembley next weekend, with Colin Kaepernick and co coming off the back of a fourth successive win – a 31-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
The AFC North looks set to again be one of the most exciting divisions. The Bengals (5-2) moved two wins clear at the top with a 27-24 win over the Detroit Lions, but the Browns, Ravens (both 3-4) and the Steelers (2-4) have all impressed at times this season. Pittsburgh defeated Baltimore 19-17 last weekend in the all divisional clash while Cleveland lost out 31-13 to the Green Bay Packers, who have leapfrogged the Lions and the Bears to lead the NFC North.
In last weekend's only other fixture, the Carolina Panthers defeated the St. Louis Rams 30-15. The Rams also lost quarterback Sam Bradford to injury. The controversial Tim Tebow has been rumoured as a potential short-term replacement.
Full List of Week Seven Results:
Seahawks 34 (at the) 22 Cardinals, Buccaneers 23 (at the) 31 Falcons, Bears 41 (at the) 45 Redskins, Cowboys 17 (at the) 3 Eagles, Patriots 27 (at the) 30 Eagles, Bills 23 (at the) 21 Dolphins, Chargers 24 (at the) 6 Jaguars, Rams 15 (at the) 30 Panthers, Bengals 27 (at the) 24 Lions, 49ers 31 (at the) 17 Titans, Texans 16 (at the) 17 Chiefs, Ravens 16 (at the) 19 Steelers, Browns 13 (at the) 31 Packers, Broncos 33 (at the) 39 Colts, Vikings 7 (at the) 23 Giants, Bye Week – Saints & Raiders.
Week Eight Fixtures:
Panthers (3:3) at the Buccaneers (0:6), 49ers (5:2) at the Jaguars (0:7), Browns (3:4) at the Chiefs (7:0), Dolphins (3:3) at the Patriots (5:2), Bills (3:4) at the Saints (5:1), Cowboys (4:3) at the Lions (4:3), Giants (1:6) at the Eagles (3:4), Steelers (2:4) at the Raiders (2:4), Jets (4:3) at the Bengals (5:2), Falcons (2:4) at the Cardinals (3:4), Redskins (2:4) at the Broncos (6:1), Packers (4:2) at the Vikings (1:5), Seahawks (6:1) at the Rams (3:4), Bye Week – Ravens, Bears, Texans, Colts, Chargers & Titans.
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- Premier League
FA won't take action against Clattenburg
The Football Association has announced referee Mark Clattenburg will not face disciplinary action over a complaint of an alleged racist comment directed towards Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel.
The FA decided there is "no case to answer'' over the allegation the referee said "shut up you monkey'' to Mikel. An FA statement also said the complaint by Mikel's team-mate Ramires was "made in good faith''.
Mikel, meanwhile, has been charged for an alleged use of threatening and/or abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour in or around the match officials' changing room following his side's game with Manchester United on October 28.
Clattenburg spoke of his relief and said the last few weeks had been "the most stressful of his life''. He said: "I am looking forward to putting this behind me and concentrating on refereeing in the Premier League and other competitions.
"I am extremely grateful for the invaluable support of my family, my Select Group colleagues, the management of Professional Game Match Officials Limited and our union Prospect. The messages of encouragement from those inside and outside of the game have helped me through the most stressful time of my professional life.
"To know you were innocent of something but that there was the opportunity for it to wreck your career was truly frightening.
"Racism has no place in football and this experience should not discourage those to speak out if they genuinely believe they are a victim of abuse. However, there are processes that should be adhered in order that any investigation can be carried out in a manner that is fair for all parties involved.
"I know first-hand the ramifications of allegations of this nature being placed into the public domain ahead of a formal process and investigation. I hope no referee has to go through this in the future.''
Chelsea later released a statement on their official website, saying: "Chelsea Football Club accepts the Football Association's decision regarding Mark Clattenburg and welcomes the fact that the FA recognises the club and players were correct in reporting the matter.
"The FA states Chelsea took the correct action following the Manchester United match and encourages all players who believe they have been either subject, or witness, to discriminatory abuse to report the matter immediately to the match officials on the day, and in turn to the FA.
"The club also notes the charge brought against John Mikel Obi. While the player does not deny the charge, he will request a personal hearing to explain the mitigating circumstances. With regards to the Mark Clattenburg decision, the club accepts the case is now concluded and notes the FA states the allegation was made in good faith."
Chelsea FC cooperated fully with the FA and provided 11 witness statements covering all events during and after the Premier League game on October 28. Chelsea FC has a duty of care, as do all employers, to act responsibly when such allegations are reported by employees.
"We did not take the decision to lodge a formal complaint with the FA lightly and followed the correct processes and protocols throughout. The club carried out a thorough investigation, led by outside legal counsel, using all information available to us. As the FA makes clear, it is not uncommon for investigations to lead to no disciplinary charge being brought.
"All those directly involved have been subjected to scrutiny over the last weeks. Chelsea FC now hopes that all concerned can continue to carry out their duties without prejudice. We are committed to working alongside all referees and their assistants to ensure games are conducted in the right spirit and that all our players and staff accept and observe the match officials' authority and decisions."


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As a long time Legacy user, I have been interested in these new developments. For many months now, the Mesa Regional Family History Center has been offering classes in Ohana Software's FamilyInsight, Ancestral Quest 12.1, RootMagic 4 and Legacy Family Tree. The Legacy classes have been offered in anticipation that the program would become an official certified product. I have been teaching a lot of these classes and see advantages and disadvantages in each of the programs. I am very interested to see how Legacy Family Tree compares to the programs that already offer New FamilySearch connectivity. All three of the competing programs have been out for several months and have already gone through a number of upgrades. You would hope that Legacy Family Tree would have benefited from the experience of the other programs.
I run Legacy Version 188.8.131.52 on my iMac with Parallels Desktop using Microsoft Windows 7. Except for some initial difficulty in loading the program, I have had no trouble with running both the Macintosh and Windows 7 functions at the same time. As soon as the program is available I will be reviewing and comparing all three of the standalone programs. FamilyInsight is really designed as an add-on to Personal Ancestral File and has no file storage capabilities of its own, so it isn't really fair to compare it to the other programs.
It will be also interesting to see how the program all evolve, including the ongoing changes to New FamilySearch. Legacy Family Tree announced that Version 7.4 would have the following features:
Version 7.4 received official certification from FamilySearch in the following categories: Access, Print, and Ordinance Status. This will allow you to:The complete synchronization functions are apparently not going to be available until Version 7.5 is release in a few weeks (let's hope that it doesn't go too much longer).
- Match your Legacy individuals with FamilySearch individuals
- Combine potential duplicates that exist at FamilySearch
- View the real-time ordinance status of individuals
Legacy Family Tree has also created a special web site devoted to keep users updated on this release. At www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/fs.asp, they will publish the very latest information.


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February 20, 2008 > The 'green' jewel of Newark
Community colleges have traditionally been the Cinderellas of higher education. Compared to the glittering fame of Berkeley and Stanford, institutions like Ohlone College have quietly and unassumingly carried out their mandate - providing a strong education to the members of the community. These schools support a variety of goals for students of all ages; to pursue jobs in fields like bio-engineering, geology, television and film, among others, and making it financially easy for students pursuing a degree to rack up credits before they transfer to a four year college or university.Now a community college in our own neighborhood is showing the way to the future of education in this new century. The Newark campus of Ohlone College, touted as a 'green' campus, is a shining example of the innovative thinking of Silicon Valley and an inspiration to students who choose to study there.From solar panels to geo-thermal heating and cooling coils buried under the sod around the campus, every inch is a testament to alternative energy and sustainability. Even the insulation is made of recycled jeans and cotton; large enthalpy wheels arrange for air transfer to condition the air in the premises to remain crisp and clean. The use of natural light wherever possible brings down energy costs while giving the building an open, inviting look."The first question visitors have is about the cost of such innovation," said Leta Stagnaro, Associate Vice president of the Newark Center for Health Sciences Technology, "but while it is a little more expensive up front, the costs are easily recovered in energy savings over the years." The green initiative is also sending a positive message to approximately 3,000 students registered in the new school. They have embraced the idea and are constantly reminded by their environment of the mantra 'Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.' One student said, "I know this is probably a taboo subject, but could we please have a copier?" When Stagnaro assured her there was one available, she joked, "With paper, right?"Until a few years ago, the Newark campus of Ohlone College rented space nearby, from Newark Memorial High School and the University of Phoenix. Passage of a bond measure made it possible for the campus to have its own building. President/Superintendent Dr. Douglas Treadway suggested that the entire plan be reassessed with a focus on green technology. Under his leadership, the Ohlone College Newark Campus was developed as a cutting edge teaching and learning environment serving as a model for other schools who want to incorporate sustainable energy techniques..Today, the Newark campus hosts the entire Health Sciences department and shares general education classes with the Fremont campus. Health Science is one of the showpieces of the new facility.Nursing labs use 'intermediate fidelity' mannequins which replicate many human processes like a heartbeat and blood pressure. The lab is set up like a ward with mannequins in hospital beds simulating various conditions. Manufactured by Laerdal(r), these mannequins feature interactive software that provides realistic patient simulations for nursing students.A human simulator lab is also in the works, made possible with a grant from the chancellor's office. The lab will have two stations and be set up exactly like an operating room with a gallery. Cameras above the stations will provide a close-up look at the "patient" and students are expected to respond to various emergencies in real time with a debriefing later. The lab was originally scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2008, but intense lobbying from staff and students has moved the launch date to a month from now.Environmental studies, with an emphasis on service-based learning, are also in the cards. The campus is situated adjacent to the bay and a bioswail (a man-made drainage system) has already been put in place to capture and clean runoff water from the campus. Students will restore the wetlands around the campus and while gaining valuable field experience.Another innovation in the campus is the bio-tech department, under the leadership of Dr. Ron Quinta. The Learning Alliance for Bioscience (LAB) project, developed by Ohlone College with its partners from schools and industry aims to increase student interest in biosciences by offering programs for kids in high schools and middle schools in the area. The lab also offers courses to retrain workers laid off from other sectors in the economy, helping them to qualify for jobs with partner companies such as Genentech and Bayer."The one-room school house has for long time been the blueprint for how schools have been designed," said Stagnaro. "Essentially, schools are just many one-room school houses put together. With this campus, we had the opportunity to start from scratch and figure out what we needed to do to bring the concept of a learning environment in line with the advances in technology and expectations of students."By choosing to adopt a system of shared governance, involving both students and faculty in the design for the new campus, and by being environmentally conscious, Ohlone College Newark has become a shining example of the future.


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Celebrating 15 years of making a difference in Broken Hill
26 November 2012
The Broken Hill University Department of Rural Health (BHUDRH), the University of Sydney, has celebrated 15 years of helping to improve the health and lives of people in far-west New South Wales with the opening of a new $1.8 million Clinical Simulation Building by federal Health Minister Tanya Plibersek.
Saturday's opening was an opportunity to reflect on the department's achievements in research and clinical health, and to discuss how these are enabling the University's growing partnerships in the remote region.
The new facility houses rooms set up like hospital emergency departments to simulate trauma situations. Three high-tech manikins in the form of a man, woman and baby mimic real-life medical emergencies such as blocked airways and cardiac arrests, providing invaluable learning opportunities for students as well as practice tools for BHUDRH partners such as the Royal Flying Doctor Service (South Eastern Section).
The BHUDRH is one of 11 organisations across Australia that are funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing to increase recruitment and retention of rural health professionals, and improve the quality and appropriateness of health care for rural Australians.
Since it was established in 1997, the BHUDRH, led by Professor David Lyle, has made a significant difference, not just through the work of its researchers on population health, but also through the impact of student placements in enabling greater accessibility to health care.
Spurred on by this success, the University is looking at how it can develop its involvement in Broken Hill, exploring partnerships that will enable the University to contribute to the community more widely through research and student-led solutions that tackle complex health, economic, justice and social issues in remote and rural locations.
"Health is not just about doctors and hospitals," University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor and Principal Dr Michael Spence said at Saturday's celebration. "It's also about people who make a social contribution more broadly so that they can build up the fabric of communities in which good health can thrive."
Pilot programs include work by the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning and the University of Sydney Business School to provide innovative scenarios for the revitalisation of an abandoned power station in Broken Hill, offering up possibilities for the reinvention of the precinct through film production and tourism. The Business School is also working with the Wilcannia community, 200 km away from Broken Hill, to improve the sustainability and affordability of food supply.
Meanwhile, Sydney Law School has developed links to provide professional development for local community members working on social justice issues, while the Faculty of Agriculture and the Environment has undertaken geomapping and soil sampling to increase the evidence base around lead exposure.
A cohort from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences has also just returned from Broken Hill, where researchers from the Department of History worked alongside local high school teachers to help share the region's unique culture and heritage with their students.
"Projects like these give our students and researchers the opportunity to see that their work makes a difference in the community, and gives communities the opportunity to see the relevance and importance of university work," said Dr Spence.
The involvement of other academic areas of the University runs in parallel with the increased involvement of the health disciplines.
Since it was established in 1997, the work of the BHUDRH in managing undergraduate health student placements in the region has grown from 133 students (339 student weeks) in 1999 to 370 medical and allied health students (2039 student weeks) in 2011.
Earlier this year, the University received a federal government grant to enable the establishment of multidisciplinary allied health clinics in Broken Hill schools.
|Follow University of Sydney Media on Twitter
Media enquiries: Sarah Stock, 9114 0748, 0419 278 715, email@example.com


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READING, Pa. — A federal judge has thrown out the death penalty given to an eastern Pennsylvania man who's spent 15 years on death row.
District Judge Anita Brody also overturned Shawnfatee Bridges' murder conviction because prosecutors did not provide the defense with police records that could have impeached a key witness.
Bridges had been found guilty of the 1996 drug-related slayings of Reading cousins Damon and Gregory Banks.
The Reading Eagle reported Thursday (http://bit.ly/180dY95 ) that Brody overturned the death penalty because the defense didn't call an expert psychiatric witness during the sentencing hearing.
Brody ordered prosecutors to release the now 36-year-old Bridges from state prison in Graterford by Aug. 21 unless he is retried.
District Attorney John Adams says he'll appeal the ruling. He is also preparing to retry the case.
Information from: Reading Eagle, http://www.readingeagle.com/


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High School Students Hope to Cash In on a Closer Look at the CensusMarch 9, 2010
Teens Use Math to Evaluate the Census Count and Its Impact on the House of Representatives and Redistricting
This past weekend, March 6 and 7, more than 2,400 high school juniors and seniors participated in Moody's Mega Math Challenge, spending up to 14 hours using their math know-how to evaluate U.S. Census Bureau figures and methods in order to make recommendations for undercount adjustment, the best method for apportioning the U.S. House of Representatives, and the fairest way to draw Congressional districts. The teams of teen math whizzes submitted papers based on their findings, hoping to win a portion of the $100,000 in scholarship prizes that will be awarded to the top teams on Wednesday, April 28, after a rigorous two-stage judging process and presentation to a panel of professional mathematicians.
Because of the political ramifications of the final census count and its effect upon Congressional apportionment, there is considerable interest in the adjustment for the undercount, which is believed to have been quite significant in many areas in the 2000 census. Therefore, as the 2010 census begins, this year's problem, "Making Sense of the 2010 Census: To count or not to count, that is the question..." was especially timely and relevant.
The problem called for student teams to aid Congress by first deciding whether the census figures should be adjusted for the undercount, and if so, to indicate how. If the solution they supported introduced errors of its own, they were required to estimate how large they were, compared to the undercounts. Teams were also asked to recommend to Congress a method for apportioning the House of Representatives and were required to justify their recommendation as to why this method was superior to others for dealing with this issue. Finally, the students were asked what recommendations should be made to the states to ensure that Congressional districts were fairly drawn? In all aspects of the problem, teams were required to quantify their findings using mathematical modeling techniques, develop and defend their models, and justify their conclusions.
"The enthusiasm and energy that we have seen for this contest from thousands of high school teachers and students is terrific" says Michelle Montgomery, M3 Challenge Project Director and Marketing Director for the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. "The application of mathematics to real problems with social and political implications and the realization that you can use mathematics to do really useful things is exactly in line with the mission of SIAM."
All viable solution papers will undergo an extensive, blind judging process during the next eight weeks. Judging occurs in three stages: a triage phase in which all but the best submissions are eliminated; a second phase in which papers that are in contention for prizes are further calibrated, with judges arriving at and tentatively ranking the top 46 papers (six elite papers and 40 honorable mentions); and the third and final phase which involves presentations by the top six teams at Moody's Corporation headquarters in Manhattan on Wednesday, April 28, immediately followed by the awards ceremony.
Now in its fifth year, Moody's Mega Math Challenge is an Internet-based math competition open to high school juniors and seniors living in the 18 states along the East Coast. Funded by The Moody's Foundation and organized by SIAM, it challenges students, working in teams of three to five, to solve an open-ended, realistic, applied math-modeling problem focused on a real-world issue. This year, 531 teams participated in the competition, an increase of about 37% over last year. The M3 staff monitors many web sites to detect cheating, and has received emails during Challenge weekend directing organizers to potential rule breakers. Unfortunately, teams have been disqualified for using online homework help or question and answer sites.
To see the 2010 Challenge problem visit http://m3challenge.siam.org/login/login.php.
To see if your local high school participated in the M3 Challenge go to http://m3challenge.siam.org/pdf/2010_partic.pdf.
For more information on the Challenge, visit http://m3challenge.siam.org.
Awards and Recognition
2009 ASAE Associations Advance America (AAA) Award of Excellence
2008 Excellence Award, Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP)
2006 Graphic Design USA's American In-house Design Award


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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ The list of needed repairs at Kansas' public universities is declining amid increased spending and low bids from contractors scrambling for work.
The Lawrence Journal World reports that nearly 40 percent of regents' university buildings were built during the 1960s and 1980s when there was huge higher education growth.
With those buildings now aging and requiring major repairs, the Kansas Legislature approved funding in 2007. Federal stimulus money also was used for repairs. But from 2008 to 2011, the repair estimate grew to $904 million from $825 million.
Finally this year brought good news. Kansas Board of Regents director of facilities Eric King says the deferred maintenance backlog is coming in at about $800 million.
Regents Vice Chairman Fred Logan of Leawood says the story is ``really positive.''
Information from: Lawrence (Kan.) Journal-World, http://www.ljworld.com