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PHP Cookbook/Functions
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$add = create_function('$i,$j', 'return $i+$j;');
$add = create_function('$i,$j', 'return $i+$j;');
$add(1, 1); // returns 2
Starting in PHP 5.3, it is possible to define '''anonymous functions''':
$add = function ($i, $j) { return $i+$j; };
$add(1, 1); // returns 2
$add(1, 1); // returns 2
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=== See Also ===
=== See Also ===
[[PHP Cookbook/Arrays#Sorting an Array by a Computable Field|Recipe 4.18]] for information on <tt>usort( )</tt>; documentation on <tt>create_function( )</tt> at ''http://www.php.net/create-function''
[[PHP Cookbook/Arrays#Sorting an Array by a Computable Field|Recipe 4.18]] for information on <tt>usort( )</tt>; documentation on <tt>create_function( )</tt> at ''http://www.php.net/create-function''on <tt>usort( )</tt> at ''http://www.php.net/usort''.
Current revision
Functions help you create organized and reusable code. They allow you to abstract out details so your code becomes more flexible and more readable. Without functions, it is impossible to write easily maintainable programs because you're constantly updating identical blocks of code in multiple places and in multiple files.
With a function you pass a number of arguments in and get a value back:
// add two numbers together function add($a, $b) { return $a + $b; } $total = add(2, 2); // 4
To declare a function, use the function keyword, followed by the name of the function and any parameters in parentheses. To invoke a function, simply use the function name, specifying argument values for any parameters to the function. If the function returns a value, you can assign the result of the function to a variable, as shown in the previous example.
You don't need to predeclare a function before you call it. PHP parses the entire file before it begins executing, so you can intermix function declarations and invocations. You can't, however, redefine a function in PHP. If PHP encounters a function with an identical name to one it's already found, it throws a fatal error and dies.
Sometimes, the standard procedure of passing in a fixed number of arguments and getting one value back doesn't quite fit a particular situation in your code. Maybe you don't know ahead of time exactly how many parameters your function needs to accept. Or, you do know your parameters, but they're almost always the same values, so it's tedious to continue to repass them. Or, you want to return more than one value from your function.
This chapter helps you use PHP to solve these types of problems. We begin by detailing different ways to pass arguments to a function. Recipe 6.2 through Recipe 6.6 cover passing arguments by value, reference, and as named parameters; assigning default parameter values; and functions with a variable number of parameters.
The next four recipes are all about returning values from a function. Recipe 6.7 describes returning by reference, Recipe 6.8 covers returning more than one variable, Recipe 6.9 describes how to skip selected return values, and Recipe 6.10 talks about the best way to return and check for failure from a function. The final three recipes show how to call variable functions, deal with variable scoping problems, and dynamically create a function. There's one recipe on function variables located in Recipe 6.2; if you want a variable to maintain its value between function invocations, see Recipe 5.6.
Accessing Function Parameters
You want to access the values passed to a function.
Use the names from the function prototype:
function commercial_sponsorship($letter, $number) { print "This episode of Sesame Street is brought to you by "; print "the letter $letter and number $number.\n"; } commercial_sponsorship('G', 3); commercial_sponsorship($another_letter, $another_number);
Inside the function, it doesn't matter whether the values are passed in as strings, numbers, arrays, or another kind of variable. You can treat them all the same and refer to them using the names from the prototype.
Unlike in C, you don't need to (and, in fact, can't) describe the type of variable being passed in. PHP keeps track of this for you.
Also, unless specified, all values being passed into and out of a function are passed by value, not by reference. This means PHP makes a copy of the value and provides you with that copy to access and manipulate. Therefore, any changes you make to your copy don't alter the original value. Here's an example:
function add_one($number) { $number++; } $number = 1; add_one($number); print "$number\n"; 1
If the variable was passed by reference, the value of $number would be 2.
In many languages, passing variables by reference also has the additional benefit of being significantly faster than by value. While this is also true in PHP, the speed difference is marginal. For that reason, we suggest passing variables by reference only when actually necessary and never as a performance-enhancing trick.
See Also
Recipe 6.4 to pass values by reference and Recipe 6.7 to return values by reference.
Setting Default Values for Function Parameters
You want a parameter to have a default value if the function's caller doesn't pass it. For example, a function to draw a table might have a parameter for border width, which defaults to 1 if no width is given.
Assign the default value to the parameters inside the function prototype:
function wrap_html_tag($string, $tag = 'b') { return "<$tag>$string</$tag>"; }
The example in the Solution sets the default tag value to b, for bold. For example:
$string = 'I am some HTML'; wrap_html_tag($string);
I am some HTML
This example:
wrap_html_tag($string, 'i');
I am some HTML
There are two important things to remember when assigning default values. First, all parameters with default values must appear after parameters without defaults. Otherwise, PHP can't tell which parameters are omitted and should take the default value, and which arguments are overriding the default. So, wrap_html_tag( ) can't be defined as:
function wrap_html_tag($tag = 'i', $string)
If you do this and pass wrap_html_tag( ) only a single argument, PHP assigns the value to $tag and issues a warning complaining of a missing second argument.
Second, the assigned value must be a constant — a string or a number. It can't be a variable. Again, using wrap_html_tag( ) as our example, you can't do this:
$my_favorite_html_tag = 'i'; function wrap_html_tag($string, $tag = $my_favorite_html_tag) { ... }
If you want to assign a default of nothing, one solution is to assign the empty string to your parameter:
function wrap_html_tag($string, $tag = '') { if (empty($tag)) return $string; return "<$tag>$string</$tag>"; }
This function returns the original string, if no value is passed in for the $tag. Or, if a (nonempty) tag is passed in, it returns the string wrapped inside of tags.
Depending on circumstances, another option for the $tag default value is either 0 or NULL. In wrap_html_tag( ), you don't want to allow an empty valued-tag. However, in some cases, the empty string can be an acceptable option. For instance, join( ) is often called on the empty string, after calling file( ) , to place a file into a string. Also, as the following code shows, you can use a default message if no argument is provided but an empty message if the empty string is passed:
function pc_log_db_error($message = NULL) { if (is_null($message)) { $message = 'Couldn't connect to DB'; } error_log("[DB] [$message]"); }
See Also
Recipe 6.6 on creating functions that take a variable number of arguments.
Passing Values by Reference
You want to pass a variable to a function and have it retain any changes made to its value inside the function.
To instruct a function to accept an argument passed by reference instead of value, prepend an & to the parameter name in the function prototype:
function wrap_html_tag(&$string, $tag = 'b') { $string = "<$tag>$string</$tag>"; }
Now there's no need to return the string because the original is modified in-place.
Passing a variable to a function by reference allows you to avoid the work of returning the variable and assigning the return value to the original variable. It is also useful when you want a function to return a boolean success value of true or false, but you still want to modify argument values with the function.
You can't switch between passing a parameter by value or reference; it's either one or the other. In other words, there's no way to tell PHP to optionally treat the variable as a reference or as a value.
Actually, that statement isn't 100% true. If the configuration directive allow_call_time_pass_reference is enabled, PHP lets you optionally pass a value by reference by prepending an ampersand to the variable's name. However, this feature has been deprecated since PHP 4.0 Beta 4, and PHP issues explicit warnings that this feature may go away in the future when you employ call-time pass-by-reference. Caveat coder.
Also, if a parameter is declared to accept a value by reference, you can't pass a constant string (or number, etc.), or PHP will die with a fatal error.
See Also
Recipe 6.7 on returning values by reference.
Using Named Parameters
You want to specify your arguments to a function by name, instead of simply their position in the function invocation.
Have the function use one parameter but make it an associative array:
function image($img) { $tag = ''; return $tag; } $image = image(array('src' => 'cow.png', 'alt' => 'cows say moo')); $image = image(array('src' => 'pig.jpeg'));
While using named parameters makes the code inside your functions more complex, it ensures the calling code is easier to read. Since a function lives in one place but is called in many, this makes for more understandable code.
When you use this technique, PHP doesn't complain if you accidentally misspell a parameter's name, so you need to be careful because the parser won't catch these types of mistakes. Also, you can't take advantage of PHP's ability to assign a default value for a parameter. Luckily, you can work around this deficit with some simple code at the top of the function:
function image($img) { if (! isset($img['src'])) { $img['src'] = 'cow.png'; } if (! isset($img['alt'])) { $img['alt'] = 'milk factory'; } if (! isset($img['height'])) { $img['height'] = 100; } if (! isset($img['width'])) { $img['width'] = 50; } ... }
Using the isset( ) function, check to see if a value for each parameter is set; if not, assign a default value.
Alternatively, you can write a short function to handle this:
function pc_assign_defaults($array, $defaults) { $a = array( ); foreach ($defaults as $d => $v) { $a[$d] = isset($array[$d]) ? $array[$d] : $v; } return $a; }
This function loops through a series of keys from an array of defaults and checks if a given array, $array, has a value set. If it doesn't, the function assigns a default value from $defaults. To use it in the previous snippet, replace the top lines with:
function image($img) { $defaults = array('src' => 'cow.png', 'alt' => 'milk factory', 'height' => 100, 'width' => 50 ); $img = pc_assign_defaults($img, $defaults); ... }
This is nicer because it introduces more flexibility into the code. If you want to modify how defaults are assigned, you only need to change it inside pc_assign_defaults( ) and not in hundreds of lines of code inside various functions. Also, it's clearer to have an array of name/value pairs and one line that assigns the defaults instead of intermixing the two concepts in a series of almost identical repeated lines.
See Also
Recipe 6.6 on creating functions that accept a variable number of arguments.
Creating Functions That Take a Variable Number of Arguments
You want to define a function that takes a variable number of arguments.
Pass an array and place the variable arguments inside the array:
// find the "average" of a group of numbers function mean($numbers) { // initialize to avoid warnings $sum = 0; // the number of elements in the array $size = count($numbers); // iterate through the array and add up the numbers for ($i = 0; $i < $size; $i++) { $sum += $numbers[$i]; } // divide by the amount of numbers $average = $sum / $size; // return average return $average; } $mean = mean(array(96, 93, 97));
There are two good solutions, depending on your coding style and preferences. The more traditional PHP method is the one described in the Solution. We prefer this method because using arrays in PHP is a frequent activity; therefore, all programmers are familiar with arrays and their behavior.
So, while this method creates some additional overhead, bundling variables is commonplace. It's done in Recipe 6.5 to create named parameters and in Recipe 6.8 to return more than one value from a function. Also, inside the function, the syntax to access and manipulate the array involves basic commands such as $array[$i] and count($array).
However, this can seem clunky, so PHP provides an alternative and allows you direct access to the argument list:
// find the "average" of a group of numbers function mean() { // initialize to avoid warnings $sum = 0; // the number of arguments passed to the function $size = func_num_args(); // iterate through the arguments and add up the numbers for ($i = 0; $i < $size; $i++) { $sum += func_get_arg($i); } // divide by the amount of numbers $average = $sum / $size; // return average return $average; } $mean = mean(96, 93, 97);
This example uses a set of functions that return data based on the arguments passed to the function they are called from. First, func_num_args( ) returns an integer with the number of arguments passed into its invoking function — in this case, mean( ). From there, you can then call func_get_arg( ) to find the specific argument value for each position.
When you call mean(96, 93, 97), func_num_args( ) returns 3. The first argument is in position 0, so you iterate from 0 to 2, not 1 to 3. That's what happens inside the for loop where $i goes from 0 to less than $size. As you can see, this is the same logic used in the first example in which an array was passed. If you're worried about the potential overhead from using func_get_arg( ) inside a loop, don't be. This version is actually faster than the array passing method.
There is a third version of this function that uses func_num_args( ) to return an array containing all the values passed to the function. It ends up looking like hybrid between the previous two functions:
// find the "average" of a group of numbers function mean() { // initialize to avoid warnings $sum = 0; // load the arguments into $numbers $numbers = func_get_args(); // the number of elements in the array $size = count($numbers); // iterate through the array and add up the numbers for ($i = 0; $i < $size; $i++) { $sum += $numbers[$i]; } // divide by the amount of numbers $average = $sum / $size; // return average return $average; } $mean = mean(96, 93, 97);
Here you have the dual advantages of not needing to place the numbers inside a temporary array when passing them into mean( ), but inside the function you can continue to treat them as if you did. Unfortunately, this method is slightly slower than the first two.
See Also
Recipe 6.8 on returning multiple values from a function; documentation on func_num_arg( ) at http://www.php.net/func-num-arg, func_get_arg( ) at http://www.php.net/func-get-arg, and func_get_args( ) at http://www.php.net/func-get-args.
Returning Values by Reference
You want to return a value by reference, not by value. This allows you to avoid making a duplicate copy of a variable.
The syntax for returning a variable by reference is similar to passing it by reference. However, instead of placing an & before the parameter, place it before the name of the function:
function &wrap_html_tag($string, $tag = 'b') { return "<$tag>$string</$tag>"; }
Also, you must use the =& assignment operator instead of plain = when invoking the function:
$html =& wrap_html_tag($string);
Unlike passing values into functions, in which an argument is either passed by value or by reference, you can optionally choose not to assign a reference and just take the returned value. Just use = instead of =&, and PHP assigns the value instead of the reference.
See Also
Recipe 6.4 on passing values by reference.
Returning More Than One Value
You want to return more than one value from a function.
Return an array and use list( ) to separate elements:
function averages($stats) { ... return array($median, $mean, $mode); } list($median, $mean, $mode) = averages($stats);
From a performance perspective, this isn't a great idea. There is a bit of overhead because PHP is forced to first create an array and then dispose of it. That's what is happening in this example:
function time_parts($time) { return explode(':', $time); } list($hour, $minute, $second) = time_parts('12:34:56');
You pass in a time string as you might see on a digital clock and call explode( ) to break it apart as array elements. When time_parts( ) returns, use list( ) to take each element and store it in a scalar variable. Although this is a little inefficient, the other possible solutions are worse because they can lead to confusing code.
One alternative is to pass the values in by reference. However, this is somewhat clumsy and can be nonintuitive since it doesn't always make logical sense to pass the necessary variables into the function. For instance:
function time_parts($time, &$hour, &$minute, &$second) { list($hour, $minute, $second) = explode(':', $time); } time_parts('12:34:56', $hour, $minute, $second);
Without knowledge of the function prototype, there's no way to look at this and know $hour, $minute, and $second are, in essence, the return values of time_parts( ).
You can also use global variables, but this clutters the global namespace and also makes it difficult to easily see which variables are being silently modified in the function. For example:
function time_parts($time) { global $hour, $minute, $second; list($hour, $minute, $second) = explode(':', $time); } time_parts('12:34:56');
Again, here it's clear because the function is directly above the call, but if the function is in a different file or written by another person, it'd be more mysterious and thus open to creating a subtle bug.
Our advice is that if you modify a value inside a function, return that value and assign it to a variable unless you have a very good reason, such as significant performance issues. It's cleaner and easier to understand and maintain.
See Also
Recipe 6.4 on passing values by reference and Recipe 6.12 for information on variable scoping.
Skipping Selected Return Values
A function returns multiple values, but you only care about some of them.
Omit variables inside of list( ) :
// Only care about minutes function time_parts($time) { return explode(':', $time); } list(, $minute,) = time_parts('12:34:56');
Even though it looks like there's a mistake in the code, the code in the Solution is valid PHP. This is most frequently seen when a programmer is iterating through an array using each( ), but cares only about the array values:
while (list(,$value) = each($array)) { process($value); }
However, this is more clearly written using a foreach:
foreach ($array as $value) { process($value); }
To reduce confusion, we don't often use this feature, but if a function returns many values, and you only want one or two of them, this technique can come in handy. One example of this case is if you read in fields using fgetcsv( ) , which returns an array holding the fields from the line. In that case, you can use the following:
while ($fields = fgetcsv($fh, 4096)) { print $fields[2] . "\n"; // the third field }
If it's an internally written function and not built-in, you could also make the returning array have string keys, because it's hard to remember, for example, that array element 2 is associated with 'rank':
while ($fields = read_fields($filename)) { $rank = $fields['rank']; // the third field is now called rank print "$rank\n"; }
However, here's the most efficient method:
while (list(,,$rank,,) = fgetcsv($fh, 4096)) { print "$rank\n"; // directly assign $rank }
Be careful you don't miscount the amount of commas; you'll end up with a bug.
See Also
Recipe 1.10 for more on reading files using fgetcsv( ).
Returning Failure
You want to indicate failure from a function.
Return false:
function lookup($name) { if (empty($name)) { return false; } ... } if (false !== lookup($name)) { /* act upon lookup */ }
I n PHP, non-true values aren't standardized and can easily cause errors. As a result, it's best if all your functions return the defined false keyword because this works best when checking a logical value.
Other possibilities are '' or 0. However, while all three evaluate to non-true inside an if, there's actually a difference among them. Also, sometimes a return value of 0 is a meaningful result, but you still want to be able to also return failure.
For example, strpos( ) returns the location of the first substring within a string. If the substring isn't found, strpos( ) returns false. If it is found, it returns an integer with the position. Therefore, to find a substring position, you might write:
if (strpos($string, $substring)) { /* found it! */ }
However, if $substring is found at the exact start of $string, the value returned is 0. Unfortunately, inside the if, this evaluates to false, so the conditional is not executed. Here's the correct way to handle the return value of strpos( ):
if (false !== strpos($string, $substring)) { /* found it! */ }
Also, false is always guaranteed to be false — in the current version of PHP and forever more. Other values may not guarantee this. For example, in PHP 3, empty('0') was true, but it changed to false in PHP 4.
See Also
The introduction to Chapter 5 for more on the truth values of variables; documentation on strpos( ) at http://www.php.net/strpos and empty( ) at http://www.php.net/empty; information on migrating from PHP 3 to PHP 4 at http://www.php.net/migration4.
Calling Variable Functions
You want to call different functions depending on a variable's value.
Use variable variables:
function eat_fruit($fruit) { print "chewing $fruit."; } $function = 'eat_fruit'; $fruit = 'kiwi'; $function($fruit); // calls eat_fruit( )
If you have multiple possibilities to call, use an associative array of function names:
$dispatch = array( 'add' => 'do_add', 'commit' => 'do_commit', 'checkout' => 'do_checkout', 'update' => 'do_update' ); $cmd = (isset($_REQUEST['command']) ? $_REQUEST['command'] : ''); if (array_key_exists($cmd, $dispatch)) { $function = $dispatch[$cmd]; $function(); // call function } else { error_log("Unknown command $cmd"); }
This code takes the command name from a request and executes that function. Note the check to see that the command is in a list of acceptable command. This prevents your code from calling whatever function was passed in from a request, such as phpinfo( ) . This makes your code more secure and allows you to easily log errors.
Another advantage is that you can map multiple commands to the same function, so you can have a long and a short name:
$dispatch = array( 'add' => 'do_add', 'commit' => 'do_commit', 'ci' => 'do_commit', 'checkout' => 'do_checkout', 'co' => 'do_checkout', 'update' => 'do_update', 'up' => 'do_update' );
See Also
Recipe 5.5 for more on variable variables.
Accessing a Global Variable Inside a Function
You need to access a global variable inside a function.
Bring the global variable into local scope with the global keyword:
function eat_fruit($fruit) { global $chew_count; for ($i = $chew_count; $i > 0; $i--) { ... } }
Or reference it directly in $GLOBALS:
function eat_fruit($fruit) { for ($i = $GLOBALS['chew_count']; $i > 0; $i--) { ... } }
If you use a number of global variables inside a function, the global keyword may make the syntax of the function easier to understand, especially if the global variables are interpolated in strings.
You can use the global keyword to bring multiple global variables into local scope by specifying the variables as a comma-separated list:
global $age,$gender,shoe_size;
You can also specify the names of global variables using variable variables:
$which_var = 'age'; global $$which_var; // refers to the global variable $age
However, if you call unset( ) on a variable brought into local scope using the global keyword, the variable is unset only within the function. To unset the variable in the global scope, you must call unset( ) on the element of the $GLOBALS array:
$food = 'pizza'; $drink = 'beer'; function party( ) { global $food, $drink; unset($food); // eat pizza unset($GLOBALS['drink']); // drink beer } print "$food: $drink\n"; party( ); print "$food: $drink\n"; pizza: beer pizza:
You can see that $food stayed the same, while $drink was unset. Declaring a variable global inside a function is similar to assigning a reference of the global variable to the local one:
$food = &GLOBALS['food'];
See Also
Documentation on variable scope at http://www.php.net/variables.scope and variable references at http://www.php.net/language.references.
Creating Dynamic Functions
You want to create and define a function as your program is running.
Use create_function( ):
$add = create_function('$i,$j', 'return $i+$j;'); $add(1, 1); // returns 2
Starting in PHP 5.3, it is possible to define anonymous functions:
$add = function ($i, $j) { return $i+$j; }; $add(1, 1); // returns 2
The first parameter to create_function( ) is a string that contains the arguments for the function, and the second is the function body. Using create_function( ) is exceptionally slow, so if you can predefine the function, it's best to do so.
The most frequently used case of create_function( ) in action is to create custom sorting functions for usort( ) or array_walk( ):
// sort files in reverse natural order usort($files, create_function('$a, $b', 'return strnatcmp($b, $a);'));
See Also
Recipe 4.18 for information on usort( ); documentation on create_function( ) at http://www.php.net/create-function, on usort( ) at http://www.php.net/usort, and on anonymous functions at http://www.php.net/functions.anonymous.


text:
no matter what i do i cannot get 5.0 to load onto this device, i have no idea why i delete the vendor file.
im not new to this, and never had a problem loading any os, beta,leak or hybrid.
now i even bricked the phone during the process, then i would attempt to unbrick and apploader would say it cannot find software for the phone.
it couldnt find any software for the phone until i re added the stock os from uscellular,
so why cant i load it??
is the the F definition behind the 8230?? is this the reason??
can anyone help?
is there a way to get bbm 5.0 on here with just the 188.8.131.522 thats currently on the phone?

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Posted on June 06, 2012
For me citrus and spring just go together. I love a nice citrus fruit salad, shish kabobs with pineapple, or a tangy margarita. Now I have new favorite citrus recipe- Lemon Tuscan Sun Muffins. These muffins are super moist, and since there is no power mixers a little dense. The ricotta cheese adds a great flavor and texture to the muffin while giving it a bump up on the nutritional scale. Olive oil instead of butter also helps here. Then there is the lemon. Recipe calls for a whole lemon using the juice and the zest but if you are nuts about lemon you could definitely add more. As is you still get a nice creamy lemon flavor that is great with tea sitting out on the deck enjoying a sunny spring afternoon.
Lemon Tuscan Sun Muffins
1 ¾ cups flour
¾ cups sugar
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup ricotta cheese (I used part-skim)
½ cup water
¼ cup olive oil
1 egg
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
Raw/turbinado sugar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour muffin tins or line with paper liners and lightly coat with cooking spray.
In large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl mix together ricotta cheese, water, oil, egg, lemon zest and lemon juice. Add wet ingredients to dry, folding together until just moist.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins filling ¾ full. Bake for 10 minutes and then sprinkle tops of muffins with raw sugar. Return to oven for another 5-10 minutes until fully cooked. (Muffin top should spring back when lightly pressed with finger)
Tips- You can add raw sugar before baking but it will melt into muffin, will still taste great just won't look as pretty. For a raspberry lemon muffin spoon in a small amount of raspberry jam on top of muffins before cooking. Muffin will rise around jam creating a delicious raspberry center. If lemon isn't your thing, I think this recipe would also be great with lime, orange or grapefruit.


text:
Difference between revisions of "Islamabad"
Revision as of 07:56, 21 November 2012
Islamabad [32] has been the capital of Pakistan since 1963.
A relatively quiet city, Islamabad consists of mainly Federal Government offices, Parliment House, the official residences of the President and Prime Minister along with the Diplomatic Enclave, an area next to the Parliament House dedicated to foreign embassies and missions appointed in Pakistan; and covers an area of 1,165.5 km² (450 mi²) of which 906 km² (349.8 mi²) is Islamabad proper.
Although the majority of the population in Islamabad traditionally have been employees of the Federal Government, the wealth of the Musharraf years fuelled a boom in Islamabad and it is becoming an important financial and business city. In the last decade there have been vast changes in the city's traditional reputation. From it being a typical 9 to 5 city, Islamabad has become more lively with many new restaurants and hotels springing up to service this new wealth. A lot of international food chains have opened, and generally a great improvement in nightlife with increasing shopping areas opening till late. However during winter season streets are considerably quiet after dark.
Even now, Islamabad remains a city where people come from all over the country to enjoy its peaceful, noise-free atmosphere with a lot of greenery and nice surrounding scenery. It also serves as a base camp for people from the south and coastal areas like Karachi visiting valleys like Swat and Kaghan and northern areas like Gilgit, Hunza, Skardu & Chitral located in the Himalayas mountains.
You'll soon notice that Islamabad is laid out on a grid system - with E7, F6, F7, G6, G7 being the oldest sectors, F8, F10, F11, G10, G11, I8 being where the 'new money' has been invested. E8, E9 are occupied by military housing complexes and are effectively out-of-bounds, G7, G8 and G9 are the poorer areas where the city planners wanted the cleaners and office clerks to dwell. The H and I sectors are a hotchpotch of mixed use residential, academic and industrial areas. E11, E12 and even now D12 are under construction, there is even a G13 being built up. F6 and F7 are where most of the action happens, but the numbers of embassies and powerful Pakistani's dwelling in these areas mean a lot of security, concrete barriers and boomgates that happily are largely absent elsewhere. However in choosing your guesthouse F6 & F7 may be your best bet.
Get in
By plane
By bus
By train
Since First Class travel with Pakistan Railway is good, it's worth knowing that Rawalpindi, the neighbouring city, has railway connections with various major cities including Karachi, Lahore & Peshawar.
Get around
Taxis in Islamabad are abundant, popular and generally safe. Cost is around Rs70 - Rs100 per sector traveled, depending on your bargaining skills. Prices will be higher at night, especially departing from places like Jinnah Super (F-7). It is always advisable to agree the fare before traveling.
Car Hire is also a good way of getting around. Although road signs and directions are only available on main roads, the city's grid and numbering system make it relatively easy to find your way around. There are various car hire companies in Blue Area F-6 and also in G-8 Markaz where cars can be hired with drivers. Most major hotels have their own car hire services and are relatively cheap. A tip to the driver at the end of the booking period is appreciated but not mandatory.
Museums & Art Galleries
Parks, viewpoints and green spaces
Mosques, shrines & monuments
Cycling – Cycling is fast becoming a popular activity and also a mode of transport because of the suitable weather, scenic beauty and peace of Islamabad. As active in more than 300 cities around the world, the group called Critical Mass is also present in Islamabad. The group sets out at a set location and time (co-ordinated through its facebook page [44]), to pedal through set routes around and inside the city every sunday. Critical Mass Islamabad's mega event's attendance reaches 60 plus cyclists. The rides attract cyclists from all ages and both genders. New and second hand bikes can both be easily purchased for a wide range from Rs 4,000 to Rs 30,000 from Islamabad and Rawalpindi as well. If you're in the mood for some adventurous cycling down on one of Islamabad's beautiful scenic bike trails, get your bike ready. Alternatively you can hire decent quality bikes for adventures from K2Riders - based in F8/2 [45]
Horse riding
Go karting - F1 Traxx- Lake View Park (Rawal Lake) [46] - there is another track in Bahria Town, Rawalpindi
Shooting - Islamabad Gun Club [47]
Golf at the Islamabad Golf Club (next to the [www.islamabadclub.org Islamabad Club]. Two other golf courses are available in Rawalpindi
Fishing – Rawal lake
Climbing - there is a climbing wall in Rawal Lake's Lake View Park
Para Gliding – at Margalla Hills. The Pakistan Adventure Foundation is the place to call, reservations are recommended.
Rowing at the Islamabad Rowing Club, next to Lake View Park
Night Life – it exists, but it's not easy to find. Try befriending some hip locals, and see if you can tag along. There are no regularly open 'night clubs' in the city - however periodic special events are organised in various venues about once every two months - spread by word-of-mouth and increasing via Facebook. Less excitingly some of the embassy clubs in the diplomatic enclave have 'dance parties' and the like but these tend to be exclusively expatriate and rather low brow. See Jenny's List for details.
Jenny's List is an email distribution list which is worth signing up to if you are in town for a while - lists all the upcoming events in the city covering art exhibitions, restaurant openings, musical performances, dance parties etc. as well as people selling stuff. Email islamabadinformation at gmail dot com and ask to subscribe.
Walking in the Margalla Hills
The Margalla Hills are effectively foothills of the Himalayas – and are very easily accessible from Islamabad. However these are quite big, steep hills, and shouldn't be underestimated – if you are planning on a walk up to the top of the first ridge (ie where the Monal restaurant is) then sturdy footwear, a large water bottle, and a change of t-shirt are necessary (good chance you'll be drenched in sweat by the time you get to the top). Between March and November it is best to start walking in the early morning (before 7.30AM, or 6.30AM in the height of summer) as it is uncomfortably hot during the day.
There are many trails to choose from, some of which have been numbered by the city planners. The more popular walks are Trail 3, Trail 5 and the Zoo Trail. Google Earth gives a good way to orientate yourself before you set out.
Trail 1 – also known at the E7 or Faisal Mosque trail. Little used, in part because it is so difficult to find the trailhead. Head to the carpark to the rear of the Faisal Mosque, and look for a gate with a Margalla Tree Planting Project sign next to it. Head through the gate, take the first right, then right again (at a grey metal box with a hole in the top) through a small clearing, and turn left at the end. Walk north toward a large concrete water storage tank, and walk to the right of this on to a well defined path (GPS coordinates 33.734112° , 73.038421°) from here it should be plain sailing. Trail 1 winds its way up to the ridge, where you can turn right and reach the Pir Sohawa road, near the turn-off for Talhaar. Takes about 2 hours to get to the top. From Pir Sohawa road its a 20 minute walk to the Monal restaurant, and you can catch a taxi back in to town, or head down Trail 3 or the Saidpur village trail.
Trail 2 / Zoo trail – Trail 2 begins a little way up Pir Sohawa (just past the Jungle Shack drinks bar – GPS 33.7346° , 73.0545°) or you can start from the right of the entrance of the Islamabad Zoo. This is a good choice if you are looking for a 1-2 hour walk – the trail leads up to the Daman-e Koh viewpoint – if you want to continue walking a trail up to Cactus Ridge leads from next to the Police checkpoint near the entrance to Daman-e Koh. From Cactus Ridge you get a good view of where AirBlue flight 202 crashed.
Trail 3 - begins from Margalla Road, F-6/3 (the junction between Margalla Road & Ataturk Avenue). It is a little steep and strenuous in the first leg, which goes up to the Viewpoint and is about a 30 - 50 min. trek. After the Viewpoint you can continue on for another easy-going 45 - 60 mins and reach the Pir Sohawa, where you can choose from 3 restaurants for food, The Monal, Treehouse and Capital View Restaurant. This is the most popular walk, hence litter levels are high.
Trail 4 – this is a link trail between Trails 3 and 5
Trail 5 also begins from Margalla Road in F-5 (about 500m down from Trail 3 - opposite Judge's Enclave) and is initially an easier trail to climb. Trail 5 connects with Trail 3 (via Trail 4) and meets beyond Trail 3's viewpoint. If you continue on Trail 5 you eventually meet the Pir Sohawa road (33.7675°, 73.0771°) although it is possible to get lost on Trail 5 and veer too far east, ending up on the top part of Trail 6. Either way you'll eventually hit the Pir Sohawa road so it's difficult to get truly lost. From the top of Trail 5 it is 1.5km to the top of Trail 3 – hence you can do a loop, taking 3 – 4 hours.
Trail 6 is in the valley to the east of Trail 5. Start from the Trail 5 carpark, walk parallel to the blocked off dual carriageway heading east and then head north when you see the mouth of the valley. Walk past a small cluster of houses and then you'll come across a sealed single track road, follow this for a short while and you'll end up on the path, and follow this up the valley, ascending to the left side. You'll eventually end up on the Pir Sohawa road. From here you can head west to the top of Trail 5. The Trail is without signposts or markers, is little used but very scenic.
Saidpur trail - follow the river through the village (including ducking though some back alleys) and you'll emerge in a valley and a trail that leads up to the Monal restaurant - and hence you can easily do a loop coming down Trail 3. Saidpur trail isn't much used so it largely free of litter.
Bari Imam trail – for the more adventurous this is a good hike. Drive to Nurpur Shahan (east of the government complexs beyond the end of Margalla Road) – head to a road junction at 33.7457°, 73.1050° and turn left, until you reach a turnoff for a small guesthouse at the start of the trail (33.7569°, 73.1135°). The walk starts with steps leading up to the Bari Imam cave, then you can continue up the steep hill behind, then traverse round to the Pir Sohawa road, where there are a few cafes and a hotel (33.7843° , 73.1107° – it is about 5km from here to the Top of Trail 3 if you follow the road). You can return down the valley back to your starting point. Beware however that you pass into Khyber Paktunkwa on the walk and you may have to charm yourself pass some policemen.
Both Trail 3 & Trail 5 have large maps and guidance boards placed at the entrance.
For more walks and information buy a copy of Hiking Around Islamabad (available in Saeed Book Bank in F7 Markaz) or read through the original 1992 version.
Islamabad is divided into sectors, each sector having its own central shopping area (or markaz) where all local amenities are located. Some of the more popular markazes are the F6 Markaz (aka Supermarket) F7 Markaz (aka Jinnah Market), G6 Markaz (aka Melody Park), G9 Markaz (aka Karachi Company) and so on. There isn't much going on in the markets of F8, G7 an G8 that would interest the tourist. Each markaz has its own peculiarities and each one is worth visiting individually. However most things are catered for in each markaz i.e. clothing, shoes, fast food etc. There's always a real buzz in the evenings when all the shoppers come out, particularly in the run up to Eid.
Metro, [48] located way out in I11 is a huge Walmart type store selling groceries and household goods. Prices are good but not the cheapest in Islamabad - but if you are looking for a western style shopping trolley experience this is your best bet.
*Shopping malls in capital:
*Centaurus mega mall:everything in one package from multiplex to food court.
*AL Safa gold mall.
Information by SARMAD Iqbal.'
Foreign Currency Exchange is easily available from F-6 Blue Area where there are 100's of money changers in privately owned shops. It is advised to check the rate with a few of them before going ahead with it.
At first glance the visitor may feel that Islamabad offers little to excite the taste-buds, however beneath the surface there is a thriving restaurant scene. Many of the better restaurants are away from the main markets of F6 and F7. Most do not serve alcohol, but some allow you to bring your own. Call ahead to ask.
For ease of use restaurants are organised by sector:
"Inkantray" (Incantare) a nice place for hangout with friends. Mostly for shisha. In basement of Pizza Hut.
Blue Area
Diplomatic Enclave
Saidpur Village / Margalla hills
Rawal Lake
Drinking alcohol in public is nominally banned although most of the top end hotels have their own bars, as do some of the larger embassies if you befriend a diplomat. The windowless basement sports bar in the Marriot is probably the most frequented of the hotel bars.
Most Pakistanis though would find it extremely rude and offensive if you show or drink alcohol in public.
Non-Muslim visitors can obtain from the local police a so called 'non-Muslim declaration'. This permit gives you the right to legally buy a limited amount of alcoholic drinks like bottles of wine or beer. For instance, Pakistan's small Christian minority is by law allowed to consume alcohol.
Try local brands like Murree Brewery, in addition to that there are other brands such as Budweiser and Bavaria with non-alchoholic beer. There is a small off-license around the side of the Marriot hotel (next to the dry cleaners) - you'll need a 'non-Muslim declaration' (or maybe just a foreign passport if you turn on the charm) to be able to buy anything.
In soft drinks, all the usual western brands are available but better to try local limca cola which makes "pop" sound when opened. you can also try Pakola; Pakistan's premier soft drink brand which is available in different flavors like Ice cream soda, Lychee, Orange, Raspberry, Apple sidra, Vino, Double cola, Bubble up etc. A 'fresh lime 7-up' is a better alternative for people who don't like standard soft drinks.
In other drinks try strawberry milk shakes and dhamaka soda (dhamaka means bang - the bang that happens when one opens the bottle) from Jinnah super market.
Budget accommodation in Islamabad is fairly lackluster and questionably clean. There are many guesthouses around the city that make a nice alternative to a hotel.
Forthcoming luxury hotels that may or may not be built:
The area code for Islamabad is 51. To dial from within pakistan, dial 051-xxx-xxxx
The Police emergency number is 15. There are various Police stations in the city with staff available 24/7.
Stay safe
Islamabad is generally a safe and calm city. The security forces seem to have put a lid on things, and the city has been calm since the beginning of 2010 with no bombings, shootings or kidnappings (other than targeted at Pakistani politicians).
The police have set up numerous checkpoints on roads to sensitive buildings and on the roads entering the city. These are usually harmless and they'll wave you through, but to access Constitution Avenue (inc the Serena hotel) the police will want to look in the boot of your car.
While travelling in city, you should keep your national identity card, passport, or driving license with you to prove your identity.
Crime-wise Islamabad is safe. Men can walk pretty much anywhere in the city day or night with little to fear. Lone women will attract male attention, particularly in areas of the city not often frequented by westerners. The Red Mosque in G6 and immediate surrounds aren't recommended given the history attached to this area.
Stay healthy
Bottled water is a good idea. Although water in Islamabad is generally clean, it is mainly gained from mountain water and tube wells and may contain minerals your system is not used to, and may not be stored and carried in the cleanest of ways.
Most locals do not drink tap water, but may get water from Govt. istalled filteration plans. Tap water is normally boiled and it is strongly suggested that you carry bottled water and request it at all food places. If you are unsure about the hygiene of a particular place, try to avoid ice in all your drinks.
There are 3 major hospitals in Islamabad. Pakistan Institute of medical sciences also known as PIMS next to G-8 Markaz, Shifa International Hospital in H-8/4 and Poly Clinic in sector G-6.
Also, there are various private hospitals in every sector in Islamabad providing extensive health care with different price ranges. Ali Medical Centre in F-8 Markaz is one of them.
Blue Area and Super Market (F-6) both have the two most trustable names in drug stores, Shaheen Chemists and D. Watson. Both the stores are reliable and will be able to offer sound advice for minor ailments. They also carry a wide variety of European and American foods, albeit at a high price. They may even have a doctor at the facility, should a quick suggestion be required.
Although Islamabad may look relatively modern, superficially hinting at a Western lifestyle, there are some basic guidelines to keep in mind given the cutural values of Pakistan's society:
English Local Newspaper The Dawn, The News, The Express Tribune, The Nation & The Daily Times are national newspapers in English supplemented with local news sections.
Business Recorder is the only newpaper providing national and international business news. However, newspapers like International Herald Tribune, Financial Times, Khaleej Times, Gulf News, Sunday Times and etc., are also available. These international newspapers usually arrive in Islamabad a day after publishing.
All newspapers (international, national and local) are available at book stores in leading hotels like Serena & Marriott. They can also be purchased from leading book stores such as London Book House (Kohsar Market in sector F-6/3), Saeed Book Bank (Jinnah Super Market in sector F-7), and Mr. Books (Super Market in sector F-6).
Get out
Islamabad is well situated for day trips and weekend trips to nearby cities and attractions.
Day trips
Weekend trips


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And while on this subject, my colleague Dick Powell was right. In this age of instant communications, there's no reason why the Eclipse Awards shouldn't encompass a 365-day racing year.
Any racing season and the ensuing Eclipse Award voting process doesn't end when ballots are mailed to the voters. Is the Malibu Stakes on opening day at Santa Anita not a Grade 1? Is the LaBrea not a Grade 1?
Ask the connections of Declan's Moon whether the 2004 Hollywood Futurity run on December 18 made a difference.
I came to my ballot ready to concede the Filly & Mare sprint title to Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winner Musical Romance, who owns more than a one-race resume.
But I couldn't check her name off without first watching Turbulent Descent's quest for a third Grade 1 victory on the last day of the year.
Turbulent Descent not only didn't win but raced very poorly, showing no run in the lane after angling out into the clear at head-stretch. So it's Musical Romance for me, 4-for-13 record and all.
Determining the best in show in several categories this year was a lot like what the Iowa caucus process was; the lesser of evils in the minds of many voters.
Not even the most loyal racing fan thought 2011 was a banner year on the Thoroughbred stage. It did have its moments, however, the game's stars providing some of that impetus:
My personal favorite was Blind Luck's relentless pursuit of Havre De Grace down the Stanton, Delaware stretch. But there were others of note: The bumper-cars Big 'Cap; the O'Brien father-and-son act in the Turf; the entertaining Rapid Redux chase, etc.
But it is what it is, so let's take a look:
Steeplechase, 4 Year Old & Up
Not a lot of productivity among the leading candidates. A two-horse battle as we see it, but we must make three selections in each category or votes in that section will not be counted.
Black Jack Blues dominated in both U.S. starts, including the Grade 1 Grand National with a season's record of (8) 5-1-0, including a decision of his main rival, Tax Ruling, pulled up and eased in that event.
But Black Jack Blues declined the rematch in the subsequent G1 Colonial Cu, won by Tax Ruling, his second G1 this year, giving him a (4) 2-0-0 slate. With trepidation: 1. Tax Ruling 2. Black Jack Blues 3. Mabou.
Two Year Old Colt & Gelding
So, if I made an allowance for Tax Ruling, why not Union Rags, (4) 3-1-0, who had a much tougher time of things in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile after first winning a G2 and the G1 Champagne? Because Hansen's speed made his own good trip at Churchill, and after prior victories by 12¼ and 13¼ lengths, he stayed undefeated. That counts for a lot. Still, with some reservation: 1. Hansen 2. Union Rags 3. Creative Cause.
Two Year Old Filly
Had My Miss Aurelia remained healthy, took on and defeated colts in something like the 9-furlong Remsen at 9 furlongs, I would have given her Horse of the Year consideration, such was the state of the game. Grace Hall was undefeated with a G1 on her card and was a good second in in Juvenile Fillies: 1. My Miss Aurelia 2. Grace Hall 3. Weemissfrankie.
Three Year Old Colt and Gelding
Competing in the classics, everyone's goal on January 1 each year, makes you a part of the game's lore, especially if you have success. Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom was most impressive, was most game and classy two weeks later, and most unlucky three weeks after that. But the racing year doesn't end in early June.
Caleb's Posse, admittedly a sprinter/miler type, won half his 10 starts, including the two-turn Ohio Derby, the G1 Kings Bishop over Uncle Mo and the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile over elders and Preakness winning Shackleford. That makes him the most accomplished in our view: 1. Caleb's Posse 2. Animal Kingdom 3. Stay Thirsty.
Three Year Old Filly
With the exception of Royal Delta, various leading candidates took us to the highest levels then never could seal the deal. R Heat Lightning was a killer last winter at Gulfstream; then Plum Pretty took the divisional lead with Kentucky Oaks score. It's Tricky won G1 Acorn and CCA Oaks back to back and Zazu, with her two G1s, was good all year. Defending champion Awesome Feather remained undefeated in two starts didn't return from injury soon enough. Royal Delta, with Bill Mott calling the shots, simply improved with the seasons, each start more important than the last: 1. Royal Delta 2. Zazu 3. It's Tricky.
Four Year Old & Up Male
Had Acclamation, winner of three G1s, only had one important victory on dirt. If only Game On Dude, or Flat Out, won the Classic. If Tizway and First Dude only made it all the way to Louisville.
If Drosselmeyer did just a little more, or if Wise Dan raised his profile; any of the above had a chance at the brass ring. But that was the other major disappointment in a racing year gone by; the handicap class. With qualification: 1. Acclamation 2. Game On Dude 3. Tizway.
Four Year Old & Up Female
Havre De Grace and Blind Luck need no introduction, but it might have been interesting to see what would have happened had Awesome Maria--4-for-4, all graded, one G1—Awesome Maria made it beyond June 18. Finally, a top class no-brainer: 1. Havre De Grace 2. Blind Luck 3. Awesome Maria.
Three Year Old & Up Male Sprint
Never thought I would land here but after taking the allotted time to deliberate, Amazombie deserves the honor. Slate of (9) 5-1-3 is first rate, earnings of $1.3 million merits respect—and I'm not an earnings guy—four graded stakes wins, two G1s, including the Sprint, and never off the board in six graded stakes. Accomplishment and laudable consistency: 1. Amazombie 2. Caleb's Posse 3. The Factor.
Three Year Old & Up Filly Sprint
After Musical Romance, it was just as difficult. Ultimately I decided that winning half of six starts, including two G1s and a six-furlong score in 1:08.2 was good for place. Show was a female with a 4-for-7 slate, all graded wins, one G1, a track record of 1:20.2 and a couple of near records, too. Another difficult call: 1. Musical Romance 2. Sassy Image 3. Hilda's Passion.
Three Year Old & Up Male Turf
A two-horse race at the top with the top candidates going 3-for-3 in G1s; the other with four graded wins in five graded starts, including two G1s, the most worthy. The third choice was more subjective:1. Cape Blanco 2. Acclamation 3. St Nicholas Abbey.
Three Year Old & Up Female Turf
It was just one tough category after another. No filly dominated open company; the one that was dominant was a three year old racing with her own kind who failed in her biggest test of the year. And so it was Stacelita with her two G1s and a placing in the G1 United Nations vs. males: 1. Stacelita 2. Dubawi Heights 3. Winter Memories.
Trainer Eclipse
How do you fit four candidates into three slots? You don't. It was a breakthrough year for Derby winning Graham Motion. Bob Baffert was G1 prolific. Todd Pletcher was super prolific with many multiple graded-win days.
But it was Bill Mott that got the brass ring in prime time, his work with Drosselmeyer and Royal Delta things of beauty, especially the latter. And to get To Honor And Serve to finish on a high note after early season issues was the cherry on top: 1. Bill Mott 2. Bob Baffert 3. Graham Motion.
Jockey Eclipse
There are so many great athletes from which to choose. But for overall excellence and dominance without one mega-stable exclusively behind him; day-in, day-out; stakes-in, stakes-out: 1. Ramon Dominguez 2. Johnny Velazquez 3. Javier Castellano.
Owner Eclipse
For doing it in all categories: number of victories; stakes wins; variety of entrants from G1 to claimers at all high profile meets; as a breeder, et al: 1. Ken and Sarah Ramsey 2. Team Valor International 3. Live Oak Plantation.
Parenthetically, love the idea that Ramsey bets his money, helping the handle wherever he races.
Breeder Eclipse
If the mere mention of the name Stronach didn't almost always engender controversy, he could practically retire this trophy: 1. Adena Springs 2. Ken & Sarah Ramsey 3. Live Oak Stud.
Apprentice Eclipse
Very subjective. From what we've seen, young riders able to coax run from their mounts, attain positioning with just the right amount of aggressiveness, and with an ability to finish, in a photo it's:1. C J McMahon 2. Irad Ortiz Jr. 3. Ryan Curatolo.
HORSE of the YEAR
What a year; seriously thought of leaving this title open. But since the award will be presented in Los Angeles in any case, I decided to vote in Thoroughbred racing's version of the Iowa Caucus. Frankly, I fel there were very few viable options.
I settled on a standout individual that accomplished some notable goals, and for the willingness of the connections to raise their horse's profile when no one would have blamed them for taking a more prudent tack. Rick Porter is a successful horseman who knows how to cash out, but in this instance gave back to the game by making an unselfish sporting gesture.
1. HAVRE DE GRACE 2. Acclamation 3. Rapid Redux


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Ray: Anyone looking for answers to the Blue Jackets' lackluster performance should consider the glaring difference between last year's team and the 2013-14 version - no Vinny Prospal.
Ray: Anyone looking for answers to the Blue Jackets' lackluster performance should consider the glaring difference between last year's team and the 2013-14 version � no Vinny Prospal.
In the CBJ's playoff season, the team's glue was Manny Malhotra and its conscience was Mike Peca. Neither was there the next year, and it was dismal. Prospal was last season's glue and conscience, and its leading scorer. While his scoring is missed, it pales in comparison to his absent leadership and demand for accountability.
It is well known that Vinny loved Columbus and fans adored him. However, he was never approached by management and now sits in the Czech Republic. Sure, no other teams signed him, but his value was intrinsic to the CBJ organization. In 48 years as an NHL fan, I have seen few such examples of management failing to understand and appreciate the dynamics of play on the ice and impact on �the room.�
� John Mazza, Columbus
John: I'm glad you pointed out that no other NHL team grabbed Prospal because that, to me, is a strong tell. That's nothing against Vinny, but he pretty clearly isn't a long-term solution on the ice. But you're right that the room could stand a little sandpaper.
Mr. Stein: Don't get me wrong; I am a big Thad Matta fan. But after watching the amazing freshman talent on display in the Duke-Kansas and Michigan State-Kentucky games Tuesday night, I wonder why Matta no longer seems to be able to recruit top-tier talent to OSU.
We haven't seen a top recruiting class since the Greg Oden-Mike Conley group in 2006, and Matta especially seems to have difficulty recruiting top big men.
I am concerned that if this continues, OSU won't be able to compete at the level expected in the NCAA Tournament and may be relegated to the second tier in the Big Ten.
� Mike O'Connell, Columbus
Mike: I'm sure you noticed that Matta signed a top-five class for 2014, although it did lack the highly regarded big man you seek. There are real athletes in the bunch, though perhaps a notch below the UK, Kansas and Duke freshmen on the floor the other night.
Editor: I am perplexed about the lack of national coverage in The Dispatch. For the LSU-Alabama game (last Saturday), you did not even list the score in the Sunday paper.
I realize that the game ended around 11:40 p.m., but if Ohio State played in a game ending even later, there are still several pages on the game.
� Jerry Miller, Lewis Center
Jerry: Not only did we have the LSU-Alabama score in our late edition last Sunday, it was the feature game on our front page. And you're right that the 11:40 finishing time is why. We can slam a late-ending OSU game into early editions, but only because we have our own reporters filing stories before the game ends.
Editor: You said in the Mailbox (last Sunday) that the 1967-69 Buckeyes, in going 22-0, � faced a more formidable schedule than the current group.� In those days, Arizona, Oregon, SMU, TCU and Washington were not such great shakes, and don't forget that was during the Big Two, Little Eight era of the Big Ten.
OK, we didn't play the in-state schools then, but I don't think it was so different.
� Susan Kruest, Columbus
Susan: As Todd Jones' story Friday pointed out, the Buckeyes of 1967-69 did play some weak sisters, but their resume also included the pelts of some larger prey � No. 1 Purdue in 1968 and No. 2 Southern California in the Rose Bowl among them.
Ray Stein is sports editor of The Dispatch.


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Hi DisneyMom97. Welcome! We are so glad you are here. I'm a moderator for Work it, Mom! so please let me know if you have questions.
Hey, congrats on all the exciting changes in your life. Marriage, a degree, and a house, too. Wow!
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The lights are on
Since the release of The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Prima has released
special edition hard-cover strategy guides in celebration of Zelda's
legacy. Now it has gathered all of the guides into one box set.
The set includes guides for Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks, Skyward Sword, and for the first time, a hard cover edition of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D.
Also included with the set is a fancy box, a laser-etched metallic bookmark, and a numbered certificate of authenticity with a note and signature from Zelda series producer, Eiji Aonuma. The Skyward Sword guide has also been expanded, adding 100 additional pages.
You can head here to pre-order the box set.
[Source: Prima Guides]
Our TakeUsing a strategy guide, especially for a Zelda game, sort of defeats the purpose of playing the games, but this is a nice box set. I'm also a sucker for consistency, and I like how all the guides look the same, only with differing color schemes.
Email the author Kyle Hilliard, or follow on Twitter, Google+, Facebook, and Game Informer.
DUUUUDE!! Great year for video game collectors.... Do you know how much this will be worth in 10 years?! *** even 5 years..... sell it for triple of what you bought it for. Totally bout to pre-order this from Barnes and Noble.


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|Episode Description
|Friday, May 17, 2013 - 11:00 AM
"Smoke Screen"
The BARBECUE UNIVERSITY professor embarks on a new series with an intercontinental view of the world's oldest and most primal cooking method. He begins the odyssey with a demonstration of four ways to smoke a variety of foods, using a traditional offset barrel smoker, a water smoker, a charcoal grill and a stovetop smoker. G
|More on LEARN/CREATE (MT)
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"We have successfully negotiated a contract with Stacy and Witbeck/Herzog, A Joint Venture, that allows us to extend the construction of SMART's backbone to North Santa Rosa where it will serve a large number of residents and a regional shopping center, Coddington Mall," said SMART Chairperson and Sonoma County Supervisor Valerie Brown.
The negotiations include 37 miles of track, repair, rehabilitation or replacement of 20 bridges, reconstruction of numerous crossings and station platforms.
The joint venture is between Stacey and Witbeck, Inc., and Herzog Contracting Corp.


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This summer, the Law School will offer a broad selection of course offerings, included various "core courses" and courses required for Diploma Privilege and/or graduation. Numerous Clinical Programs, of course, will also be in operation.
A list of the courses currently being planned for Summer 2009 appears at the end of this message. One or two courses may still be added to the list & there are some opportunities for interested students to advise re certain scheduling preferences (see below). (Note: Due to high demand on the part of rising 2Ls, instead of offering Bus Orgs II in the 13-Week Session, we will instead offer Bus Orgs I).
As you may be aware, the University Registrar's Office has already sent out e-mails to all students regarding Web registration for Summer 2009. Please do not worry that the date for summer enrollment has passed. Unlike some Fall or Spring courses at the Law School, summer courses rarely, if ever, fill up. We can typically accommodate all interested students. I will send out a subsequent notice (next week) when actual enrollment for Summer 2009 Law courses and clinics will commence.
One important preliminary note regarding credit limits. In Intersession, a student may only take one course (but the one-credit Professional Responsibilities course does not count against this limit). For the entire Summer Term, Law Students may take a maximum of approximately 16 credits (not counting the Summer Session in Germany).
Three Week Intersession (May 26-June 14):
Professional Responsibilities 1 cr. [meets PR req.] 815-915 am MTWRF
Civil Procedure II 3 cr. [meets Juris. Cts. req.] 930 am -1230 pm MTWRF
First Five-week Session (June 15-July 19):
Labor Relations Law 3 cr. 800-1000 am MTWR
Family Law I 3 cr. 1015 am -1215 pm MTWR
Second Five-week Session (July 20-August 23):
Evidence 4 cr. [meets Evidence req.] 800-1015 am MTWRF
Jurisprudence 3 cr. [meets Legal Process req.] 100-330 pm TWR
Summer Session in Germany (International & Comparative Law) 4 cr. (enrollment by consent only; see Prof Barkan) [participating students may take Intersession and First 5-Week Session courses prior to leaving for Germany]
Thirteen-week Session (May 26-August 23):
[these courses might have slightly longer than normal class sessions in order to finish by late July/early August; instructors will confer about this with enrolled students]
Professional Responsibilities 2 cr [meets PR req.] either 320-520 or 430-630 or 530-730 M (see * below)
Business Organizations I 3 cr. 530-730 TR
Negotiations 3 cr. 400-525 TR
Trial Advocacy 2 cr 530-800 W
Cross-Cultural Negotiations: Japan 2 cr. (meeting time varies; enrollment by consent only)
* If interested in this Professional Responsibilities section, please e-mail Joanna Binsfeld (at firstname.lastname@example.com) by Tuesday, April 14th, and advise re whether you would prefer this course to meet on Mondays at 320-520 or 430-630 or 530-730. We appreciate that the summer work schedules of certain students may necessitate a course that meets later in the day).
Clinical Programs/Courses (require Consent of Instructor)
LAIP (Legal Aid for Institutionalized Persons) (Dickey, Ross) including 3-cr. Law & Correctional Institutions course in Intersession.
Prosecution Project (Kempinen)
Public Defender Project (LaVigne)
Consumer Law Clinic (Orr)
Family Court Assistance Project [FCAP] (Mansfield)
Judicial Internship Program (Schultz)
Neighborhood Law Project [NLP] (Mitch)
WI Dept. of Justice Externship (Kempinen)
Submitted by Kevin Kelly, Assistant Dean (Curriculum) on April 9, 2009
This article appears in the categories: Academic Support, Must-Know Info


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Welcome to the Monster Army's home on MPORA. Following the Monster Army means you are always in the know about action sports' fastest growing energy drink sponsor, and the one with the best vibe. Check out our Generals and Captains here with the Videos
Mpora © 2018 Factory Media Ltd.


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Ann and Darrell Gabhart of Lawrenceburg will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with a reception Nov. 16 at Goshen Baptist Church from 2 to 5 p.m.
They were married Nov. 17, 1964 at Goshen Baptist Church.
All friends and relatives are invited to the reception. The couple requests no gifts.
Sarah Lynn Schell, daughter of Tim and Janet Schell of Lawrenceburg, and AJ Snipes, son of Alvin and Carla Snipes of Frankfort, were married Oct. 4, 2014 at the Carter House at Lakeview Park in Frankfort.
The wedding was officiated by Pastor Jerry Montgomery.
The bride was escorted and given in marriage by her parents.
Megan Schell, sister of the bride, was the maid of honor.
Veronica Roland, sister of the groom, was a bridesmaid.
Rayne Nickerson served as the flower girl and Carell Nickerson was the ring bearer.
Wilma and Marvin Grace of Lawrenceburg will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with a reception Nov. 15 at the Anderson Room at Heritage Hall Nursing Home from 1 to 2 p.m.
They were married Nov. 19, 1964 at Corinth Christian Church Parsonage.
The wedding was officiated by Wm. Donald Miller.
Mrs. Grace, the former Wilma Royalty, is a daughter of Francis Parrott Royalty and Cecil Royalty of Lawrenceburg.
She is retired from Boone Hardware.
Mr. Grace is a son of Anna Mae McMichael Grace and Clarence B. Grace of Lawrenceburg.
Joyce (Sea) and Billy Stratton will celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary Nov. 12. They were married in 1949 in Anderson County and have four children (Sandy Humston, Wayne Stratton, Anthony Stratton and Tamara Currens), eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. She is retired from state government and he is retired from Square D. They are active First Baptist Church in Lawrenceburg.
Kim and Burt Paden of Lawrenceburg announce the engagement and forthcoming marriage of their daughter, Laura Paden, to Nathan Steele, son of Ben and Ronda Steele of Richmond, Virginia.
The bride-to-be is a 2009 graduate of Anderson County High School. She earned a Bachelor of Science in web design and interactive media. She employed as a web designer. She is a granddaughter of George and Norma Barnhart and Dorthy Paden.
The groom-to-be earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. He is employed as an audio visual technician. He is a grandson of Pat Kramer.
Mary Ann and Marvin Carlton of Lawrenceburg celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary on Oct. 2.
They were married Oct. 2, 1948.
They have five children Mary Jo Houchins, Rita Adams, Roger Carlton, Marvin Lee Carlton and the late Darlene Disponett.
From staff reports
Members of the Lawrenceburg Pierian Woman's Club have been busy making candy for the upcoming holiday season, according to a news release.
For the past several years, the sales of chocolate-covered bourbon balls and buckeyes (peanut-butter balls) have raised funds for scholarships and other community-service projects. Colorful holiday-themed tins containing 12 pieces of either type of candy are $12 for Bourbon Balls and $7 for Buckeyes. Call Fern Edgett at 839-9329 or Maria Cataldi at 598-3173 to place an order.
Copyright © 2018
The Anderson News is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Lawrenceburg, KY and the surrounding area.


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Baxter in race to be fit
Oldham are set to assess the fitness of forward Jose Baxter ahead of the visit of npower League One leaders Tranmere.
Former Everton youngster Baxter, who has been in impressive form since joining Latics on a short-term contract early this season, sustained a dead leg during Tuesday night's lacklustre 2-1 derby defeat to Bury.
Baxter is battling to face the Merseyside outfit, with whom he enjoyed a loan spell with last season.
James Tarkowski endured a torrid time in midweek, scoring an own goal before giving away the penalty that allowed Steven Schumacher to add the ultimately decisive second, but the teenager is poised to continue at the heart of boss Paul Dickov's defence as Jean-Yves Mvoto completes a three-match suspension.
He is expected to be joined at centre-back by Cliff Byrne, who featured against the Shakers despite sustaining a heavy blow to the ribs during last weekend's FA Cup win at Kidderminster.
Tranmere are without Paul Black, Abdulai Bell-Baggie and Andy Robinson.
Black sat out the trip to Hartlepool in midweek with a calf problem while Bell-Baggie was replaced in the first-half after picking up a medial ligament injury. Robinson, who had just returned from a hamstring knock, picked up a fifth booking fo the season and will serve a one-match ban.
Jake Jervis was handed a start at Victoria Park after recovering from an ankle knock and showed no ill-effects during his 74 minutes.
Veteran defender Ian Goodison is set to continue among the substitutes as he continues to search for his first appearance of the season after undergoing knee surgery in the summer.
Tranmere returned to the top of the table after picking up their first win in four games in midweek.
Source: PA


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For a long time there was a view among many scientists that the barking of dogs was not so much informative as it was just a "by-product" which emerged in the process of domestication. Like wolves, barking is rarely used in wild dogs and domestic dogs of certain breeds bark with pleasure, including when they communicate with their owners. Next to men, dogs would not run into the danger of being detected by their natural enemies when barking so it became more comfortable for them to use especially when trying to communicate with their owners.
Speaking about barking, one cannot forget the fact that different dog species can vary greatly in their tendencies to "talkativeness". This is due to the fact that in some cases, people deliberately seek to breed dogs with certain acoustic properties (for example, guard dogs must notify their owner of the approach of a stranger by barking).
Barking is a natural way for a dog to express many feelings.You should not wean your dog from barking if not knowing the cause. If your dog barks with a definite and appropriate reason, you must reward it. Alternatively "idle barking" or barking to attract attention should be ignored. Most trainers agree that the carrot-and-stick policy (where you reward good behavior with a treat) has always justified itself to be successful. Of course the best way to wean your dog from barking is to teach him to bark on command and offer him the appropriate response when he behaves appropriately.
No less important is the fact that the sounds of your dog's bark can indicate the health of your four-legged friend. It is known that the barking of dogs who suffer from pain is much more noisy than the barks uttered by healthy animals. If you have a pet that barks for no apparent reason or sounds anxious and noisy, make sure to consult your veterinarian as it may be an indication of a more serious problem.
Al Skender is a Raw Diet Educator for BARF World Inc. He's a self-proclaimed expert on the German Shepherd breed, owning several of them throughout his life. He enjoys being outdoors and prefers it to being stuck in front of the television, unless The Office or CSI is on. For more articles like these and to learn more about the benefits of raw food for your pets, sign up for The Intelligent Pet monthly e-zine at barfworld.com/ezine


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Hotel Hiring Rebounds as U.S. Tourism Overcomes SlumpAnna-Louise Jackson and Anthony Feld
Jobless Americans are using increased tourism as a pathway back to employment, finding jobs at hotels and motels as those facilities step up hiring to meet growing demand.
"With more people on the road, we'll need more people working in hotels," said Jan Freitag, a senior vice president at Smith Travel Research Inc. He cited a 4.1 percent increase in first-quarter hotel bookings from a year ago as a "very positive sign" that U.S. tourism is rebounding.
The Federal Reserve reported the shift in its most recent survey of current economic conditions, with data collected on or before April 2 indicating "strong" trends in several districts. St. Louis -- which encompasses all of Arkansas and parts of Missouri, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois -- reported that hotel-service companies "announced plans to expand operations and hire new workers."
A rise in leisure and business travel is "creating employment opportunities all across the country in the travel industry that is helping in the job recovery and benefiting the economy," said David Huether, senior vice president of economics and research at the U.S. Travel Association in Washington.
About 7.6 million people, or 5.7 percent of the U.S. workforce, held tourism-related jobs in March, the association estimates. The travel industry accounted for "a substantial component" -- 2.7 percent -- of 2010 gross domestic product, according to a Jan. 19 statement from the White House.
Diverse Skills
These companies need people with diverse skills for jobs that can't be outsourced, Huether said. The number of Americans working at hotels, motels and casino hotels rose 2.9 percent in February to 1.6 million from the same month in 2010, outpacing a 2.7 percent increase for all employees, data from the Labor Department show.
Marriott International Inc., the largest publicly traded U.S. hotel chain, has forecast that its U.S. staff will rise 6 percent this year to 212,000 from about 200,000 as of Dec. 31, Laura Paugh, senior vice president of investor relations, said in a telephone interview. Marriott operates hotels in all 50 states, and bookings nationwide have been "quite strong," with growth driven by leisure, foreign and business travelers.
The "good news" is that Marriott is "filling jobs when they become vacant," a change from the 18-month recession that ended in June 2009, when the Bethesda, Maryland-based company was reducing hours, Paugh said. "Occupancy is high enough that most people are working a full shift again."
'Pretty Solid' Recovery
That's a reflection of a "pretty solid" mid-cycle recovery in lodging that began in mid-2009, said Joel Simkins, an analyst in New York at Credit Suisse Group AG. Occupancy, at 63.6 percent in March, is approaching historic rates, as the return of business travel, which "really got hammered" during the recession, is driving the rebound in bookings, he said.
After years as a care giver, Angela Cook found work at a hotel in 2010, when the 43-year-old Los Angeles resident participated in a five-day training program to place jobless black workers in union hospitality positions. She says she needed a "boost of confidence" to jumpstart her career; she was on welfare and "looking for work was very discouraging."
The program made Cook "more employable," she says, and upon completion, she was hired as a cocktail server at the Wilshire Grand Hotel. While she was laid off when the hotel closed for renovations in December, she got a job last month with the Sheraton Universal in Universal City, California, where she's a banquet server for events including weddings, parties and business meetings.
High-End Comeback
The high-end market has "come back the quickest," and this probably will trickle down to road-side and economy motels, which also may add to their staffs, said Simkins, who maintains an "outperform" recommendation on Marriott and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.
U.S. lodging operators booked a record 1.07 billion rooms in the 12 months ended March 31, up 4.4 percent from a year earlier, based on data from Smith Travel Research. This "unprecedented demand" comes as construction of new rooms is at a 20-year low, so the increase is accommodated almost exclusively at existing locations, Freitag said.
Foreigners account for 14 percent of travel spending, and about half of last year's increase in industry employment was driven by these tourists, Huether said, citing association estimates. That's because they're likely to stay in hotels and eat out regularly while vacationing, he said.
Marriott's International Guests
The number of such guests at Marriott's U.S. hotels rose 7 percent during the last 12 months, with visitors from China and Brazil up 32 percent and 16 percent, Paugh said. While Americans still account for about 95 percent of domestic business, the company "would love to see the number of international arrivals increase."
That may happen following President Barack Obama's Jan. 19 executive order to increase tourism by making it easier for Chinese and Brazilian visitors to enter the country. Obama asked the State and Homeland Security Departments to develop a plan to accelerate visa applications for these countries, recommending the process be cut to three weeks from four months.
This is the industry's "hot topic du jour" as hotel operators are "salivating" at the prospect of more visitors from these nations, particularly in so-called gateway markets such as New York or Miami, Simkins said. While hotels in Florida have seen a "real explosion in travel from Latin and South America," he's cautious about Europe, because of the region's sovereign-debt crisis.
Rising Gasoline Prices
Rising gasoline prices in the U.S. may curtail the affordability of travel for some Americans during the summer, Huether said. The average gallon of regular unleaded is up about 20 percent to $3.86 -- 13 cents off a three-year peak -- from a low of $3.21 in December, according to Heathrow, Florida-based AAA, the largest U.S. motoring organization.
Higher prices historically have been "a non-issue" for Wyndham Worldwide Corp., although some say they prompt shorter trips, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Stephen Holmes said at a March 19 conference hosted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. The Parsippany, New Jersey-based company is "so geographically dispersed," it can accommodate travelers "whether they make a 300-mile trip or a 400-mile or 700-mile trip."
Wyndham, the fourth-largest publicly traded U.S. chain, is scheduled to report first-quarter earnings tomorrow, followed by Choice Hotels International Inc., manager of Comfort Inn and Econo Lodge, on April 26.
Low-Wage Jobs
Some of the jobs being created have low wages and no benefits, with hotels operating at smaller staffs than in the past, said Annemarie Strassel, a communications coordinator with Unite Here, a New York-based union representing industry workers. Employment still is 223,900 off the July 2008 peak, Commerce data show.
Even so, the industry's employees tend to be younger and more diverse -- ethnically and educationally -- than others, Huether said. Many people who are jobless lack a college degree, so tourism "provides opportunities to the very portion of our population looking for work."
Unemployment was 25 percent in March for teenagers 16 to 19 years old and 12.6 percent for people who haven't finished high school. The national rate, at 8.2 percent, has stalled above 8 percent since February 2009, Labor Department data show.
Cook, a high school graduate, makes $8 an hour plus tips in her new job, which she says is "great" even though she's part-time, so she supplements her income with care-giving work that pays $9 an hour. She hopes to increase her hours to become eligible for health insurance soon, she says.
The improving economy is leading to more events at hotels such as Cook's. Marriott's full-service locations generate as much as 40 percent of domestic revenue from event travelers, and there's been "an awful lot of strength" particularly for group meetings, Paugh said, with attendance strong and cancellations down.
The chain has plans to add as many as 15,000 rooms in the U.S. this year, which is "really meaningful" to generating more employment, she said. "The hotel industry is a great job creator."
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CHICAGO – Chicago's Urban Prep Academy can boast again about its academic prowess.
The 167 seniors of the school's two campuses, located in Chicago's Englewood community and on the West Side, have been accepted into four-year colleges.
Urban Prep is an all-boys school. The seniors, dressed in blue blazers and khakis, donned red and gold neckties Thursday to show Mayor Rahm Emanuel and others they received college acceptance letters.
According to school CEO Tim King, the senior class has obtained $6 million in grants and scholarships. He adds the school sends more graduates to Atlanta's historically black Morehouse College than any other high school in the country.
In praising the students, Emanuel said the city should celebrate those kids heading for college. He said it should be the expectation for every child.


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I have been having gobs of problems with southbend equipment. Most of the problems deal with non ignition on GS and GB series convection ovens. We go out and it is working then we get another call next week. We replace ignition board, HSI and flame sensor then down again. I think southbend has wire warness problems, but they will not admit that. It could be ignition module problems.
On the 3 I personally looked at recently, flame sense current was above 1 microamp. I always push all contact plugs togather.
I had a STRG-5G steamer last year, Gas valve voltage dropped out then came back. This steamer had a new gas valve, module, ignitor and flame senser. I also increased gas pressure. We lost this account over this steamer. (Hate not easily being able to see the flame on this steamer.)
I have a BGLM-40 tilt skillet that is running away. We just changed the thermocouple assembly, highlimit and thermostat board.
Anybody have any help they can offer me. Can't keep changing parts on these things. Southbend is pretty proud of their parts


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Claudio Marchisio's late double helped Juventus retain top spot in Serie A and condemn AC Milan to their second defeat of the season at the Juventus Arena.
In a game of few chances, it took two slices of good fortunes to see the hosts leave with all three points, with Daniele Bonera clearing the ball against the oncoming Marchisio to open the scoring, while the Italian's second saw goalkeeper Christian Abbiati allow the ball to inexplicably slip through his grasp.
The win is the latest sign that Juventus' revival under Antonio Conte is gathering momentum, while defeat for Milan leaves them in 15th in the league.
Udinese kept pace with The Old Lady with a comfortable win over Bologna, as Mehdi Benatia's close range finish and Angelo Di Natalie's second hall penalty ensured they stay level on points.
Claudio Ranieri's honeymoon period at Inter Milan ended with an empathic 3-0 defeat at the hands of third place Napoli. Joel Obi sending off led to Hugo Armando Campagnaro opening the scoring after Marek Hamsik's penalty was saved, before Christian Maggio and Hamsik himself netted to seal the win.
Roma's ruthless first half finish was enough to see them overcome a battle Atalanta. Bojan and Pablo Osvaldo's fiorst half goal put the home side in control, but German Denis' header gave Atalanta hope before Fabio Henrique Simplicio ended any arguments with a late third.
Rivals Lazio are also going in good shape going into the first Rome derby of the season as they beat Fiorentina thanks to Miroslav Klose's goal seven minutes from time, while Palermo are fourth following their win over Siena.
Sebastian Giovinco's double helped Parama overcome Genoa, Cagliari beat undisciplined Leccewhile Alejandro Gomez's 91 minute equaliser salvaged a point for Catania against Novara in a thrilling 3-3 draw.
The only other draw of the weekend came between Cesena and Chievo, who could';t be separated after a goalless encounter.
Do YOU want to write for GiveMeSport? Get started today by signing-up and submitting an article HERE: https://www.givemesport.com/writeforgms


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by the Rev. Andrew Kuyvenhoven
Monthly Theme:
The Prince of Peace, the Son of David, was announced by Isaiah. The story of his coming was proclaimed by the evangelists, each with a different emphasis. Jesus made God's kingship real in this world. Today, the kingdom is here—and it is coming.
Bible Reading:
Luke 2:36–38
Bible Text:
[Anna] spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem (Luke 2:38).
Something is missing in the many Christmas cantatas and nativity plays you and I have witnessed. We see children picturing Joseph and Mary. We see a manger with straw or hay. We see bathrobed shepherds and lots of angels. We see three wise men who come from the East. But we do not see Simeon or Anna.
That's a strange omission, because Simeon and Anna are the ones who have the clue to the whole story. In the Bible it's Simeon and Anna who give us the key to the Christmas event.
Anna, the prophetess, was either 84 years old or had been a widow for 84 years. She practically lived in the temple, urging God day after day to come and fulfill his promise—giving God no rest. And when the promise was fulfilled, Anna "gave thanks to God."
She was also the one who spread the news. She talked to "all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem." So there was a group of Old Testament believers who were keeping watch and had not given up.
"The comfort of Israel" for which Simeon was hoping is the same as the "redemption of Jerusalem" (see Isa. 52:9). Later, Luke will tell of Joseph of Arimathea who was "waiting for the kingdom of God" (23:51) and of Cleopas who thought that maybe Jesus was going to "redeem Israel" (24:21).
Even in the darkest hours of apostasy, there are saints who hope in the Lord and pray until the morning breaks.
Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.
A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this edition of Twilight are from the New International Version
Be sure to read the "Preface" and the "Acknowledgments" by the author.


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Former student excited to follow in her teachers' footsteps
JOHNSONBURG – As a former Johnsonburg Elementary School student, Kayla Nelson, the new Title I math teacher is inspired to be a part of the Johnsonburg School District as a teacher. "I am so excited and honored to be part of such a fantastic school district," Nelson said. "As a former Johnsonburg graduate, it is truly a privilege for me to return to the school district to follow in the footsteps of my elementary school teachers."Nelson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary and Early Childhood Education from Edinboro University. Nelson is currently seeking her Masters in Special Education from Edinboro University.Nelson said she became a teacher to be a part of helping kids become future leaders. "I decided to become a teacher so I could help guide our future leaders," Nelson said. "My favorite part of teaching is being able to work with children and help them succeed."As a Title I teacher, Nelson said her goals are directed at providing her students with a quality education while achieving success. "My main goal for this year is to be an effective facilitator," she said. "I want to provide the students with a quality education, and help students succeed academically."Pick up a copy of the Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2011 edition of The Ridgway Record for more.


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Computer doctored?
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Nope.. those guys are real
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text: The dude is 1 month older then me, so hes not as young as I would like if I was plaining on breaking the bank on him, but at the same time, he may be the best player at the position we need the most. I would have to look at a few diff. things. How serious was his injury? How does the Jets defensive scheme compare to ours (don't forget how N. Asi looked on the Raiders comared to the birds)? Character? Off the top of my head, I would say that id be willing to give a 1st and 3rd to get him, but I would have to do more research


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MGM Grand
You could argue about which is the largest hotel in Vegas -- but in our minds, MGM Grand sure feels like it.This resort, which sits near the south end of the Las Vegas Strip at the busy intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue, is so big it's like a small city. When you check in, you'll want to ask for a map so you can find your way around. It's that ginormous!Here's a number to further illustrate our point: 6,852. That's how many rooms there are at MGM Grand and its collection of related properties -- The Mansion, Skylofts and The Signature.MGM Grand is easy to identify thanks to the huge gold-colored statue of a lion that watches over the front entrance. Towering 45 feet and weighing 100,000 pounds, it sits on top of a pedestal that's framed by LED screens and fountains.Packing a powerful entertainment lineup, you'll have a roaring good time at MGM Grand. The Grand Garden Arena hosts concerts (see everyone from major recording artists like Justin Timberlake and Lady Gaga to legends such as Andrea Bocelli, Bette Midler and Barry Manilow), championship boxing and UFC matches, award shows and much more.MGM Grand is also home to the Cirque du Soleil production "KÀ." With some of the most sophisticated stage mechanics imaginable (say these two words with us now: "vertical stage"), this show is a visual wonder. It's comprised of acrobatic feats, martial arts and other cool tricks that we guarantee will amaze you. Plus, the plot about twins being separated by adversity and then finding their way to back to each other is pretty moving too.And Brad Garrett's Comedy Club features a rotating lineup of comedians (that often includes Garrett himself) who will have you doubled over in fits of laughter.In addition, MGM Grand is a partier's dream. Nightclubs and bars are tucked away in almost every corner of the resort. So let's get right down to it, shall we?Just inside the resort's front entrance is where you'll find a line forming to go into the hottest spot in town -- Hakkasan Las Vegas. Seriously, while other clubs claim to sizzle, they really fizzle in comparison to this one. Hordes of club goers come to Hakkasan, where they burn up the main dance floor while listening to the biggest DJs on the EDM scene.Among the places to drink, check out MGM Grand's Lobby Bar and center bar, called Centrifuge, as well as West Wing Bar and Whiskey Down. Tap Sports Bar has more than 48 draft beers -- plus, you can peruse sports memorabilia and watch games on 60-inch HD TVs.Eating at MGM Grand is like nowhere else, again because of its enormous size. There is literally something for every taste here.Devour what's considered the finest food in the world at Joël Robuchon. This is the namesake restaurant of the legendary chef who has received numerous awards (including enough stars to light the sky at night). His French cuisine creations are truly works of art. Next door, L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon offers a similarly divine menu, but in a slightly less formal atmosphere.At Craftsteak, Tom Colicchio has the preparation of steaks, chops and seafood down to a science. Michael Mina Pub 1842 provides a distinctive take on classic pub fare. You can savor in the richness of Creole cuisine at Emeril's New Orleans Fish House. Another imaginative menu -- with items like wood-fired pizza as well as pasta and grilled fish -- is available in Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill. Crush has a cool cosmopolitan shared-plate atmosphere. And then there's The Grand Wok and Sushi Bar, Fiamma Trattoria & Bar, Shibuya...and the list of fabulous, gourmet-caliber restaurants goes on and on.Casual meals are available at MGM Grand too. Hecho en Vegas prepares traditional Sonoran cuisine. If you're extremely hungry, head to the MGM Grand Buffet, which dishes up more than 30 different entrées, pastas, casseroles and fresh veggies. Quick bites are available at the MGM Grand Food Court, Avenue Café and Project Pie. Or grab a decadent treat at Blizz Frozen Yogurt & Desserts, Corner Cakes and the Sugar Factory retail store.For fun in sun, there's the Grand Pool Complex. Along with five swimming pools and waterfalls, you'll love the 1,000-foot-long lazy river. And summertime always brings steamy temptation courtesy of Wet Republic. This chic pool club is the daytime alter ego of Hakkasan.Want to bring out your best self in Vegas? Stop by the Grand Spa and Cristophe Salon for a bit of pampering. If you love the TV show "CSI," don't miss CSI: The Experience. It lets you jump into the role of a crime scene investigator and piece together evidence in order to solve one of three mysteries.We could continue describing even more amenities at MGM Grand...like the race and sports book or all the great places to shop. But, well, what's the point? This resort has everything and then some. You just need to come and stay here for yourself. Soon.
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We are a family of 5 and we would like to find a room that can fit all of us. Can you Executive 2 Queen Suite accomodate 5 persons?
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