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The story behind the title of Michael Kearns' memoir The Truth is Bad Enough is as delicious as the title itself. As Kearns' parents -- themselves worthy of a Tennessee Williams subplot -- battled each other at their divorce proceeding when Michael was a child, his father presented damning surveillance of his mother's many infidelities. The evidence was unimpeachable, but then the father tried raising the stakes by charging that the woman also physically abused him.
Kearns' mother couldn't be contained and interrupted the proceedings. "Your honor," she said. "Why is this man lying? The truth is bad enough!"
The truth is sometimes difficult, to be sure, but in the case of this engaging and fast moving autobiography, it's also hilarious. There's nothing more formidable than a drama queen with legitimate drama on their hands, and the life of talented, alcoholic, HIV infected, highly theatrical and perpetually horny Michael Kearns has had more peril than an Aaron Spelling series.
Kearns began his career in the midst of the "gay lib" of the 1970's even if Hollywood was tight lipped on the topic, and it is that disconnect that pushes the openly gay Kearns into an unintended activist role and confounds his career aspirations.
After a featured role playing the older brother of John-Boy on The Waltons, Kearns' future seemed secure. But test audiences reacted poorly to their scenes together because they showed the characters away at college. Kearns' character never appeared again. Rumors that he was fired because he was openly gay were untrue but persisted for years.
Meanwhile, Kearns had a boyfriend who had written a fictional book called The Happy Hustler, and for which Kearns had modeled for the cover image. In order to generate book sales, a plan was hatched to present Kearns as the actual Happy Hustler -- the book's author -- and send him on a press tour. Having been banished from Walton Mountain and still hungry for stardom of some kind, any kind, Kearns agreed to take on the counterfeit persona as a sort of exercise in ongoing performance art.
Kearns' drunken appearance as The Happy Hustler (a role he began taking far too literally in his private life) during a 1976 Tom Snyder interview sets the stage for both career success and life on a runaway crazy train. Kearns revels in drug and alcohol abuse as tricks and acting jobs come and go. He sleeps with celebrities and strangers with equal apathy. His status as the first openly gay actor of note invites curiosity and derision. He agrees to reveal his HIV positive status for an NBC interview almost as a lark, leading to a period of portraying "the gay guy with AIDS" in a collection of acting gigs.
I was drawn to Kearns' story for the Hollywood gossip -- but I kept reading because of something deeper and far more riveting. And it had everything to do with how our lives were fated to overlap.
My own memoir A Place Like This travels some of the same West Hollywood streets. I was a bottom-feeder on the Hollywood scene (an expression I should probably withdraw now for its literal inaccuracy) and I never knew Kearns, but we did have a liaison in common: our bedding of the detached and unhappy Rock Hudson. However, let the record show that while Kearns' dalliance was what gay men refer to as "standup sex," mine was brief but at least horizontal. So, um, I win.
Many other famous faces populate the book -- gay, straight, porn stars of various stripes, and the hypocritically closeted that Kearns, God bless him, outs on his pages with regularity. His characterizations of personalities we thought we knew are enlightening, gentle when need be, and sometimes quite sad.
The funny but famously acerbic Paul Lynde was kind and helpful to Kearns. Stage legend Leonard Frey (birthday boy Harold from Boys in the Band) sat despondently during a sexy gay house party, where looks trumped celebrity. The "monstrous" Charles Nelson Reilly was so threatened by Kearns' sexual identity that he cut short their visit in Florida to work on a project, throwing Kearns out of the guest house and squawking insults from the porch in his orange caftan as Kearns was driven away.
And then, Kearns' story includes a bizarre intersection between us that I found so revelatory and disturbing that I had to actually put the book down for several days while I reexamined an entire section of my life.
During the 1980s I owned a gay phone sex company, Telerotic. It predated party lines and the Internet; customers called our office and "ordered" the type of man they wished to speak with, and one of my employees (struggling actors, every one) would call back the customer and take on the persona of whatever the client had ordered. I had opened the company after working for a competitor and discovering I was a very popular choice among the clients and had, well, a way with words.
One day, playwright James Carroll Pickett contacted me. He wanted to interview me, observe me doing calls with clients, and get a feel for the business as research for a play he was writing. We spent a few evenings together, as I answered questions, smoked cigarettes, made funny faces while talking to clients, and snorted copious amounts of cocaine in my bathroom.
Months later I attended a performance of Dream Man, which would become the most heralded collaboration between the playwright and his theatrical partner, who performed the role of the phone sex caller in the searing one-man show.
The actor was Michael Kearns.
Watching the performance nearly thirty years ago was a surreal experience, but it was the playwright's inclusion of the mechanics of my nightly calls that were so striking to me: the rolodex box filled with client notes, the gimmicks I used to appear more engaged than I actually was, my tricks to get the client to call again by teasing him with an upcoming sexual adventure I wanted to be sure to share with him.
And I missed the point entirely. It wasn't until I read Kearns' book that the facts of the character he portrayed came into view: an isolated, frenzied and increasingly unhinged gay man with no prospects or esteem, playing to an audience of one -- whatever desolate client he could hold hostage during their phone call.
The play was an aria of anguish, but all I could focus on during that performance so many years ago was the damn rolodex cards. I was incapable of facing the "dark density" of the character, because if I scratched its surface I would have clearly identified the drug addicted, desperate young man that the playwright had come to interview. And I may have revealed far more to him than I ever imagined.
Dream Man would be performed across the country, in Spain, Ireland, Germany. And through those years I continued my destructive path, having lost an opportunity for my own moment of clarity in the dim light of that West Hollywood playhouse. Reading about it now, in this book, rattled me to the core, and the book sat untouched on my nightstand for several days.
The last third of the book focuses on Kearns' adoption of a baby girl born to a crack addicted mother, his selfless love for her, and how their bond throughout her upbringing conjures everything from his fears of AIDS mortality to his unresolved issues with his own troubled parents. These pages are filled with a grace and maturity that are miles away from the drug- and celebrity-induced selfishness of his life thus far, as Kearns gently guides the reader down to earth, into the bosom of family, after pages and years of breathless shenanigans.
"Acceptance is the answer to all my problems today" is a common refrain among those, like Kearns, dealing with recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. His book is imbued with that acceptance, just as reading it allowed me to accept whatever part of me was on display in the lonely, reckless stage creation Kearns most famously brought to shattering existence.


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|Amazon Testifies in Support of Federal Marketplace Fairness Legislation Before the Senate Commerce Committee
Washington, D.C., Aug. 1, 2012 -- Paul Misener, vice president, Amazon global public policy, testified today before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee. Following are his prepared remarks:
Thank you, Chairman Rockefeller and Ranking Member Hutchison, for inviting me to testify. Amazon has long supported an even-handed nationwide framework for state sales tax collection, and only Congress may create this framework. To this end, Amazon believes that Congress should authorize the states to require out-of-state sellers to collect the sales tax already owed, and we strongly support enactment of S. 1832, a bipartisan bill already before the Senate.
Mr. Chairman, at the Philadelphia Convention, which the Founders convened principally to consider the challenging issue of trade among the states, Congress was granted exclusive power to regulate interstate commerce. Exactly two centuries later, in 1987, North Dakota challenged this exclusivity and, following five years of litigation, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Quill v. North Dakota that requiring out-of-state sellers to collect tax would impose an unconstitutional burden on interstate commerce. Importantly, the Quill court also invited Congress to act, saying that this issue is "not only one that Congress may be better qualified to resolve, but also one that Congress has the ultimate power to resolve."
Far from an e-commerce "loophole," the constitutional limitation on states' authority to collect sales tax is at the core of our Nation's founding principles. For this reason, Amazon has steadfastly opposed state attempts to require out-of-state sellers to collect absent congressional authorization. We believe that, instead, Congress should enact S. 1832, the Marketplace Fairness Act, to authorize the states to require out-of-state retailers to collect sales tax at the time of purchase and remit those taxes on behalf of consumers.
Mr. Chairman, Congress should enact S. 1832 to protect the states' rights, address the states' fiscal needs, and level the playing field for all sellers.
Congress should act to protect the states' right to make their own revenue policy choices. For example, some states have chosen to eschew personal income tax, making them particularly vulnerable to uncollected sales tax. The right of any state to make such a policy choice effective should be protected by allowing states to ensure that sales and use taxes already owed are collected in a uniform manner, including when sales are made across state lines. And doing so would not violate pledges that are limited to questions of income tax rates and deductions.
The states' financial needs should be addressed. The states face serious budget shortfalls. Adopting sales tax collection reform is a way for Congress to help the states without spending federal funds. S. 1832 would simply allow the states to collect more efficiently the billions of dollars of uncollected sales/use tax revenue already owed.
Fairness among sellers also should be created and maintained. Sellers should compete on a level playing-field. Congress should not exempt too many sellers from interstate collection, for these sellers will obtain a lasting un-level playing field advantage versus Main Street and other retailers. Congress should rectify the current imbalance and avoid a future imbalance.
Mr. Chairman, the facts in the Quill decision arose a quarter of a century ago, and the Supreme Court's decision was rendered a year before the World Wide Web was invented. With today's computing and communications technology, widespread collection no longer would be an unconstitutional burden on interstate commerce, and Congress feasibly can authorize the states to require all but the smallest volume sellers to collect. Much attention has been paid to the size of a "small seller exception" threshold in federal legislation – and rightfully so. Such a threshold, which would exempt some sellers from any collection requirements, must be kept low to attain the objectives of protecting states' rights, addressing the states' needs, and creating fairness among sellers.
In this context, several kinds of small volume sellers must be considered. Foremost are the Main Street small business retailers who, unless the small seller exception threshold is kept very low, will forever face an un-level playing field compared to a newly-created exempt class of out-of-state sellers. Next are the online advertising affiliates, tens of thousands of whom have lost jobs or income as the result of ineffective, counterproductive sales tax laws recently enacted in many states. Congressional adoption of reform legislation would immediately restore the lost jobs and income by creating a national framework for state sales tax collection.
Small volume online sellers have received much of the attention, and not without reason. No one wants these sellers to shoulder alone additional burdens compared to those faced by the small business retailers who already collect sales tax in our local communities. Yet no one should want these online sellers to have a newly-created un-level playing field advantage over small Main Street businesses, and no one should want government to pick business model winners and losers this way.
The consequences of the threshold level are significant, because a surprisingly large fraction of e-commerce is conducted by smaller volume sellers. According to research commissioned by Amazon, only one percent of online sellers sell more than $150,000 per year. In other words, the $500,000 threshold in S. 1832 would exempt well over 99% of online sellers.
Fortunately, today's computing and communications technology will readily allow all but the smallest online sellers to collect and remit tax like Main Street retailers. Large volume online sellers already have and use this technology. Amazon, for example, collects tax on sales to consumers in states where our retail businesses have nexus. And the online arms of large multichannel brick and mortar retailers collect in the states where they have retail stores. Quite obviously, state sales tax can be collected across state lines, and the technology is not limited to large sellers. Rather, service providers also make the technology available to medium and small volume sellers. Thus, collection is either by sellers or for sellers. There are many service providers already: ADP, Avalara (which works with eBay), and FedTax, for example. Amazon also helps third party sellers by providing sales tax collection services to them, and we are committed to expanding these services.
In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, Congress may, should, and feasibly can attain the objectives of protecting states' rights, addressing the states' needs without federal spending, and leveling the playing field for all sellers. Amazon is grateful for the opportunity to submit these comments, and we look forward to working with you and your colleagues in Congress to enact S. 1832.

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Subscribe To Rooney Mara Replaces Blake Lively In Steven Soderbergh's Side Effects Updates
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Last we heard, Steven Soderbergh's Side Effects had hit a rough patch. Despite the recent casting of Oscar winner Catherine Zeta-Jones, Megan Ellison's Annapurna Pictures opted not to finance Soderbergh's prescription-drug thriller, and rumors linked that decision to the news that Green Lantern beauty Blake Lively was in the lead. Whether true or not, Soderbergh decided to make a quick casting change, swapping Lively for current Best Actress nominee Rooney Mara, star of David Fincher's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
Deadline says Mara "just committed" to join Effects, which was written by Soderbergh's frequent collaborator Scott Z. Burns (Contagion, The Informant!). She'll play Emily Hawkins, an unstable young woman addicted to prescription drugs who's trying to cope with her husband's recent release from prison. Without getting into too many spoilers (and the Deadline piece gives away more than it should, in my opinion), the film takes a violent turn, and could turn into a courtroom thriller.
Is this an upgrade? That depends on which actress you prefer, though many would argue that plugging an Oscar nominee into an open role instantly upgrades your feature. While Mara was fantastic as Lisbeth Salander in Fincher's Tattoo, we're anxious to see how she does in other meaty roles. (She largely played supporting parts in The Social Network and Youth in Revolt, and didn't get much chance to "act" in the Elm Street remake.) It's great that she's being given the chance to collaborate with vibrant filmmakers, which can only help define her career in the coming years. As for Side Effects, it begins filming in April and expects to pair Mara with Zeta-Jones, Contagion star Jude Law and Haywire star Channing Tatum. Sign us up.


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Taco Bell Tickets Sony PlayStation's 'MLB The Show 2012' To Launch Big Hitter Box
By Barry Janoff
May 21, 2012: Taco Bell is swinging for the fences with Major League Baseball and Sony to support the launch of its Beefy Nacho Burrito and the companion $5 Big Hitter Box on May 23.
The Mexican-food fast-feeder, which has been an MLB partner since 2004, will feature Adrian Gonzalez, All-Star first baseman for the Boston Red Sox, in multi-media advertising and activation.
Marketing will be anchored by a TV spot, Internet such as Facebook and Twitter and in-store materials including signage, cups and the $5 Buck Big Hitter Box (which includes a Beefy Nacho Burrito, Burrito Supreme, Crunchy Taco and a medium drink).
Taco Bell's activation also features an "Unlock the Box" tie-in with Sony featuring an exclusive "Home Run Derby" game built from PlayStation's MLB The Show 2012.
The Home Run Derby game will be available via the Taco Bell app for iPhone and Android. But when customers buy and scan the $5 Buck Big Hitter Box using the app, they will get to play as Gonzalez. Scanning the cup will also unlock special features, according to Taco Bell.
In the Beefy Burrito Nacho spot, which was filmed at Angles Stadium in California, a player hits a home run, and the camera tracks the flight of the ball to two fans in the outfield seats. Both guys are loaded down with nachos and appear unable to catch the home run heading toward them. But one guy's handful of nachos turn into one much larger Beefy Burrito Nacho and he has a free hand to catch the souvenir.
Earlier this year, Gonzalez was featured in a Taco Bell "Unlock the Box" TV spot and promotion that offered PlayStation's Vita as a prize.
The Home Run Derby Online enables users to compete with other players on PlayStation Network (PSN). People can compete against one or seven others online (2-8 players simultaneously) with all participants being able to see and swing at pitches at the same time while watching each hit.
Taco Bell, currently in the midst of its "Live Mas" campaign, will also have a presence at the MLB Fan Cave in New York this week to coincided with the unveiling of the Beefy Nacho Burrito and $5 Big Hitter Box. The box will be available through July 4.
The national chain will sponsor Taco Bell All-Star Sunday (July 8) at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, site of MLB's All-Star Game on July 10, featuring the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and the Taco Bell All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game.


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UMBC continues its series of contests against local rivals on Saturday, Sept. 21, when the Retrievers (6-0-0) make the short trip to the Ridley Athletic Complex to take on the Loyola Greyhounds (5-0-1). The 21st-ranked (NSCAA) Retrievers have won six straight games to start the season, while Loyola (RV) has captured five straight after opening with a 1-1 draw at St. Joseph's. The meeting will be the 25th between the local foes and kick-off time is set for just after 7:00 p.m. The contest is also the NSCAA College Soccer Game of the Week and will be streamed live on www.nscaa.com. Dave Johnson and Keith Tabatznik handle the play-by-play and analyst duties.
For the 10th time in its NCAA Division I history, UMBC has won six consecutive games. The Retrievers improved to 6-0-0 with a 3-2 double overtime victory over Navy on Tuesday, Sept. 17. Junior back Jordan Becker registered the game-winning goal with 7:57 to play in the final extra period. JR M Geaton Caltabiano recorded a goal and an assist in the victory.
The Retrievers were ranked 17th in Top Drawer Soccer and 21st in College Soccer News' poll and UMBC was tabbed as a unanimous favorite in the 2013 America East preseason coaches' poll. UMBC is No. 21 in the Continental Tire/NSCAA Coaches' poll.
Dating back to 2012, UMBC is now unbeaten in its last 15 contests (12-0-3) and has outscored their opponents, 38-10, in that span. It is the longest unbeaten streak since 1999, when that championship squad went 19-0-2 in the regular season.
SR F Pete Caringi III (eight goals in five games) was named Disney/NSCAA Player of the Week and College Soccer News' Player of the Week for games ending Sept. 1 and Sept. 8 respectively. He leads the nation in points per game (3.40) and JR M Geaton Caltabiano leads the nation in assists (5) and assists per game (1.00).
Entering play this week, UMBC and Delaware have the top scoring offenses in the nation with 3.20 goals per game.
The Retrievers have captured the America East title and advanced to the second round in the NCAA Championships twice in three seasons. The 2012 season marked UMBC's third NCAA College Cup appearance overall, having earned a bid in 1999.
UMBC now has 14 five-game (or more) winning streaks in its NCAA Division I history. The current streak was just the third in which all victories have occurred by two or more goals. The two others both took place in 1999, when streaks of five and six consecutive victories all include multiple-goal triumphs. The one-goal victory over Navy snapped the multiple-goal winning streak.
UMBC had gone 12 consecutive overtime games without a win (0-1-11) before the 3-2 double overtime victory over Navy on Sept. 17. The previous OT win was at Penn State (2-1) in October of 2010.
The Greyhounds come in with a record of 5-0-1, and have outscored their opponents, 12-5, this season. They had the second-highest total (27th) of teams receiving votes in this week's Continental Tire NSCAA poll. Sophomore forward Larry Ndjock returns after earning MAAC Rookie of the Year in 2012, and currently leads the Greyhounds in goals with seven.
Loyola rallied from a one-goal deficit to come back and earn a 2-1 victory over Princeton Wednesday night at Ridley Athletic Complex. Stephen Dooley scored the game-winning goal in the 84th minute.
This will be the 25th meeting between the Retrievers and the Greyhounds. The Retrievers have a 3-19-1 overall record against the Greyhounds and are 0-4-0 when playing at Loyola in the NCAA Division I era (1986). -The last four meetings have been won by the home team.
Kadeem Dacres and Pete Caringi III scored goals in a six-minute span early in the second half and Phil Saunders preserved the shutout by stopping a penalty kick with seven minutes remaining as the host Retrievers blanked Loyola, 2-0, before 1,319 fans at Retriever Soccer Park in the last meeting in September of 2012.


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Celebrate the new baby in your life with these vibrant swaddle blanket sets. These sets allow you to create the perfect combination with customizable colors and designs that will match any nursery.
Audrey & Bear swaddle blankets and accessories are must-have items! Made in the USA, they are super soft and stretchy. Our signature jersey knit fabric makes swaddling even easier than with muslin. The hats are designed to have the perfect amount of stretch so your baby will wear them comfortably all day long. These products are also versatile and can be used at delivery as a receiving blanket and daily as your favorite swaddle.
Swaddle blankets come in: Square (34 x 34 in), SMALL Rectangle (28x34 in), or LARGE Rectangle (34x54 in). You can also choose from SINGLE-SIDED (design on front, white on back) or DOUBLE-SIDED (double the thickness - design on front and back)
Our hats and headbands come in four styles: beanie, top-knot beanie, beanie with bow, and headband with bow (see picture). You can also select from three sizes: newborn, 0-3 months, and 3-6 months.).
After you order, we will send you a proof for approval. Within 72 hours, our design team will send you a proof to the email you use when you check out. Watch your spam folder to be sure the proof hasn't slipped into there – the email will appear from email@example.com. Your designer will work with you until your design is perfect - we want you to be completely happy!
Once approved, we will send your design to production (if we do not hear back within 5 days we will begin production on your order). To view our current turnaround from approval time, click here. We also offer rush production available at checkout if you need your item sooner.
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You'll never run out of power again! If the battery on your smartphone or tablet is running low... no problem. Just plug your device into the USB port on the top of this portable battery charger, and then continue to use your device while it gets recharged.
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When the battery charger runs out of power, just plug it into the wall using the supplied cable (included), and it will recharge itself for your next use.
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October 24th, 2017
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September 6th, 2017
Worst experience ever. Ordered on 16/08/2017 and estimated ship date was 21/08/2017, it's 06/09/2017 now and there is still no info when item will be shipped. Tried to contact pixels.com twice via contact form, no answer. Charger supposed to be gift for my father's birthday on 09/09/2017 but you managed to ruin it. Since I tried to contact You via contact form, and got no result. I hope that you'll read this comment and return me my money, since you failed to deliver product which is now useless to me because you weren't able to provide any info for couple of weeks
Elizabeth Layman
May 2nd, 2017
I bought this for my sister who is graduating soon. She spends a lot of time on her cell phone, and I thought this would be a personal and usefu giftl. The image is a bit dark but over all nice quality. The charger came with some charge (blue light came on). It looks easy to use, and I'm eager to see how my sister likes it!
*Before buying my work (anyone's work, really), be sure to zoom in and check out the image up close, making sure it's the color and/or style, that you seek. You can always email me with questions and suggestions too! :) Thank you!* May I first start off by thanking you for visiting my page and supporting my love for art. I've always had love for the arts, and share that love equally amongst the various ways one chooses to express themselves and/or talents. While going through the pages of my work, you will see that I am one of whom loves nature and my surroundings. I try to make visual what most take for granted & ignore via their everyday busy lives. I try to show the true beauty of the World around us....
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If you're not happy with a purchase that you made on Pixels.com, for any reason, you can return it to us within 30 days of the order date. As soon as it arrives, we'll issue a full refund for the entire purchase price. Please note - Pixels does not reimburse the outgoing or return shipping charges unless the return is due to a defect in quality.
Pixels sells thousands of pieces of artwork each month - all with a 100% money-back guarantee. We take great pride in the fact that hundreds of thousands of artists have chosen Pixels to fulfill their orders, and we look forward to helping you select your next piece!
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- Marcie Nitzberg, Google Reviews
"My company had an event here, we rented one of the tracks... So much fun! The tracks are nice and twisty and the karts go pretty fast. The staff were all super nice, friendly and helpful. Great way to spend an hour or two."
If you're looking for the perfect company event, you've come to the right place. Located in Sterling, Virginia near Washington, D.C., any business within the DMV is just a short drive away from thrilling races at 50 mph and unique team building activities. An Event Sales Manager will help you organize details like catering selection and a la kart options before your event begins, and your Event Captain will guide you through the day to ensure all your goals are met while your team has a truly memorable experience.
Nothing brings your group together like the heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat thrills of racing at Autobahn Indoor Speedway. After your event here, your group will leave happier, closer, and more recharged than ever. We guarantee it. It will Change Your Speed, or, your money back.
Download our Event Planning Guide to get on the fast-track to the most action-packed company event you'll ever experience. download the guide!
You've probably heard of a party with go-karts before, but never like this. At Autobahn, we skip the gimmicks and get straight to exhilarating races, comfortable facilities and fully customizable a la kart options for any event. Perfect for kids and adults, our Event Sales Managers will help you prepare every detail, while an Event Captain will ensure everything goes according to plan.Don't settle for another slow party. Gather your team, strap in and race on!
Monday - Thursday
Friday until 6pm
*Except Holidays
Includes 1 Day License
Save $7 Per Person
Saturday 10AM, 12PM, 2PM
Sunday 10AM, 12PM, 2PM, 4PM
Includes 1 Day License
Save $7 Per Person
Monday - Thursday
Friday until 6pm
*Except Holidays
Includes 1 Day License
Save $7 Per Person
Monday - Thursday
Friday until 6pm
*Except Holidays
Includes 1 Day License
Save $7 Per Person
Unleash you inner warrior in Dulles, VALearn More
Competition builds character, but it can be hard to draw the line. At Autobahn, we believe racing is the ultimate way to let loose, have fun and build lasting memories along the way. Our popular Blindfold Challenge, Pit Crew Challenge or Grand Prix formats are sure to bring your team together. Our team building activities drive employee engagement!
Renting our entire venue is the best way to provide a premium experience. Closing Autobahn from the public for your event enables your group to enjoy unlimited racing and complete access without having to experience the distractions that come with day-to-day operations. Perfect for large groups ready to race like the pros.
An event is only as strong as the food it serves. When you plan an event with us, your Event Sales Manager will help you select the caterer that best fits your group's size and dietary preferences. We will then handle the order and delivery so that your experience is both easy and efficient.
If you're looking to make an impression, reserving our track to race exclusively with your group is a good place to start. Reserving our entire facility—now that's how you leave your mark.
Autobahn Indoor Speedway's video game arcade is fun for the whole family. There are games for everyone to play, and you can compete against your friends for a variety of prizes. With entertainment and attractions popular with all ages, this is the perfect place to spend time before and after the track.
Renting our entire facility is the best way to provide a premium experience. Closing Autobahn from the public for your event enables your group to enjoy unlimited racing and complete access to the entire facility without having to experience the distractions that come with public Arrive & Drive racing.
per hour
Before or after regular business hours
per hour
Monday - Friday
11am - 6pm
per hour
Monday - Thursday
6pm - 10pm
Tax and reservation fee (includes Racing License & dedicated Event Captain the entire duration of your event) not included.
"Our event was fun from beginning to end. The bilndfold challenge had our whole team cheering and the racing was an exciting change of pace. The staff helped us deliver a top rated event that had our entire team feeling great! We will definitely plan another event at Autobahn and share this experience with others!"
"I have had 3 corporate events and a few team building day visits for my employees. The staff is always courteous and friendly and make our events a breeze. My contractor customers love racing so these are very exciting events for them – it helps draw the crowds. As for the facility, this is place is awesome! Their karts are fast and the tracks are great! It's a blast for adults, but they accommodate children too. I took my daughter there for awhile back and she loved it! Overall, I give you an A+ rating!"
"I would give this place 10 stars if I could! What an amazing experience they provided for our company event and that it was just pure fun, fun, fun! We were able to reserve the location before they opened and had the whole track to ourselves. Everyone has been working so hard in this summer heat, we thought it would be a great opportunity to connect outside of work (before work) and blow off a little steam. The people at Autobahn made everything super easy. They took photos of our time there (and sent them to us), they had trophies and medals for awards for the fastest times and team, podium pictures, and a really thoughtful and nice touch of a tire with all of our signatures on it with our company name. We will definitely be back!"
"I set up a company event here and it was easy to do. The staff was very flexible and accommodating since we had approx. 75 people. Everyone had a blast and loved to find out the results of the winners at the end. We had about 2 hours to race and this worked out well because everyone that wanted to race had multiple opportunities to do so. They also provided us with a conference room and another room for the catering company to use to set up lunch. Everyone left happy and would recommend for other company parties and events."
We can't wait to see you on the track soon. Our dedicated Event Sales Manager and Event Captains are excited to help you every step of the way. To start, fill out the form below and we'll get you on track to an unrivaled company experience.


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NHLPA Proposal wrote:Four Recall Rule – Unlimited recalls after regular season (move in the owners' direction)
Ok, I see where they went with that. They don't eliminate the four recall rule after the trade deadline, just open it up in the playoffs.
NHLPA Proposal wrote:Salary Arbitration – Elimination of walk-away from arbitrator's decision, but clubs can still "walk-away" by not qualifying a player
This makes sense. If you go to salary arbitration, you abide by the arbitrator's ruling.


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For those of you who use Twitter, I've added a new function to embed a tweet like a video or an image etc..
Here's how to do it...
To get the Tweet URL, go to a tweet on Twitter, click on the 3 dots icon below the tweet, choose "Copy link to Tweet" and then copy the URL like this:
Enter code:
[ tweet ]826567961775374338[/tweet]
The display on the forum..
Now, obviously without the spaces in [tweet] like using the quote function. You also only need the number code in the URL.
I hope this makes sense? If not, you can just ask me.
This should bring us down with the kids!
Also... if you would like to add a 'gif' just Google the gif you want and add the URL in the image code: [IMG]...gif URL...[/IMG]


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After many years AMD is finaly seaming to get somwhere with Cinima 2.0. The idea is for real time photo real animation to be able to create fully interactive movies. Where there is seamless intergration with live action and special efefcts and player control. Yea it is a big ask but in the last 5 years they have been starting to look like they are getting close....
Check out the images at the bottom and these demo youtubes.
Full Ruby Demo Sequence
http://game.amd.com/us-en/unlock_ruby_videos.aspx (like way old now but still godd compared to current stuff)
All these videos are REAL TIME rendered. Using this new tech they have been going on about for about 3 years but this is the first time i have really seen it.
demonstration was powered by a single PC loaded with a pair of (future) consumer-grade AMD RV770 graphics cards, Phenom X4 9850 processor, and 790FX chipset.
Not bad at all
- Real time image
- normal Map View
- Real Time Image
- Real Time Image


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Antique Carpets
Agra Carpet
Reference Number: 17333
Size: 12 ft 4 in x 11 ft 8 in (Size Adjusted)
Origin: North India
Woven: Last Quarter 19th Century
The city of Agra, located in the Uttar Pradesh state in northern India, is universally recognized as the home of the Taj Mahal. Carpet production was introduced to this area on a grand scale under the rule of the Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great in the 16th Century. Up to that point, Indian artisans primarily produced inlaid stonework, jewelry, miniature paintings, and lightweight textiles. Respected Persian weavers, who flourished under the rules of Shah Tahmasp and Shah Abbas of the Safavid Dynasty, were brought into these newly established court workshops to introduce the designs and oversee the weaving of pile carpets. Under British rule in the 19th Century, this industry was revived with the assistance of American entrepreneurs, resulting in the manufacture of larger made to order carpets whose designs were inspired from not only their predecessors, but from those of classical Turkish carpets as well.
Please Provide email for Request:


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Recipe of the day
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup chopped dried cranberries
2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger
1 tablespoon honey
8 slices cinnamon swirl bread
4 eggs
2/3 cup fat-free half-and-half
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground dry ginger
Butter, as needed
Maple syrup, to serve
Start to finish: 20 minutes; servings: 4
In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, cranberries, crystallized ginger and honey. Divide this mixture between 4 slices of the cinnamon swirl bread, spreading to just 1/2 inch from the edge. Top with the remaining 4 slices of bread to make 4 sandwiches.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, cinnamon and dry ginger. Dunk each of the sandwiches into the egg mixture to thoroughly coat and soak them.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt just enough butter to coat the pan. Working in batches, fry the sandwiches for 4 minutes per side, or until nicely toasted and heated through. Add butter between batches. Serve warm with maple syrup.
Nutrition information per serving: 470 calories; 230 calories from fat (49 percent of total calories); 25 g fat (12 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 230 mg cholesterol; 45 g carbohydrate; 5 g fiber; 21 g sugar; 15 g protein; 440 mg sodium.
— The Associated Press


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Welcome to the Kythera Island Project (KIP) webpages
KIP Directors:
Cyprian Broodbank (University College London)
Evangelia Kiriatzi (Fitch Laboratory, British School at Athens)
This site introduces a range of KIP research activities dedicated to studying the long-term cultural and environmental history of the island of Kythera (Greece) and its place in a wider world.
Main menu items are listed at the top of every page and further navigational tools are available where appropriate. If you have any comments or advice either on the site or its contents, we would be grateful for your input (see below for contact details).
Website design by Andrew Bevan and Debi Harlan, with
input from other KIP personnel
Last Major Site Update: 01 December 2003


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In Zillow-Trulia Deal, Making Room for Brokers
Zillow to Issue $3.5 Billion in Stock in Merger of Online Sites
Zillow Inc. and Trulia Inc., the two online real-estate giants that announced plans to merge Monday, have a message for real-estate agents that have grown increasingly concerned about their market clout: We're partners, not competitors.
Zillow, the most-trafficked real-estate website, agreed to buy Trulia, the No. 2 company, hoping to create a market behemoth that will dominate listings of homes for sale and other information that buyers and sellers covet....


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Just days after President Obama reiterated his call for an end to partisan gridlock in Washington, Rep. Allen West (R-FL) delivered an incendiary speech at the Palm Beach County GOP Party Lincoln Day Dinner in West Palm Beach calling on prominent Democrats to "get the hell out" of America:
This is a battlefield that we must stand upon and we need to let president Obama, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and my dear friend, the chairman of the Democrat National Committee [Debbie Wasserman-Schultz], we need to let them know that Florida is not on the table. Take your message of equality of achievement, take your message of economic dependency, and take your message of enslaving the entrepreneurial will and spirit of the American people somewhere else. You can take it to Europe, you can take it to the bottom of the sea, you can take it to the North Pole, but get the hell out of the United States of America.
Watch it:
West went on to say further that he "will not allow President Obama to take the United States of America and destroy it."
At a time when a rising number of Americans see a major conflict between the rich and the poor and feel that too much power lies in the hands of a few rich people and large corporations, nearly two-thirds of the country (66 percent) would be obliged to follow President Obama out of the door.
This 10-minute speech in West Palm Beach is only the latest controversy in a string of rhetorical hiccups for West. Most recently, he slammed critics who condemned the actions of a group of U.S. Marines who urinated on the dead bodies of Taliban fighters, referred curiously to undocumented immigration as an "invasion," and marked the repeal of DADT as the harbinger of America's military decline. Just a month ago, West chided President Obama for his use of "divisive rhetoric" when speaking about "equality and fairness" as he felt such words were contrary to "liberty and [the] pursuit of happiness."


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Sahaja Yoga founded by Mata Nirmala Devi, that is gaining greater acceptance worldwide for calming the mind and busting stress, contributes to promoting mental and physical health, according to a new study conducted in Australia.
The essence of Sahaja Yoga, described as mental silence, is much more than mere tranquillity, having several dimensions, including medically beneficial ones, Ramesh Manocha, senior lecturer of psychiatry at the University of Sydney Medical School, told IANS from Australia.
"We found that the health and well-being profile of people who had meditated for at least two years was significantly higher in the majority of health and well-being categories when compared to the (general) population," says Manocha.
Manocha was referring to his latest study on Sahaja Yoga, which focussed on meditation as mental silence, involving more than 348 people, conducted with colleagues Deborah Black and Leigh Wilson at the Sydney Medical School.
Fifty-two percent of the volunteers experienced mental silence "several times per day or more" while 32 percent were experiencing it "once or twice per day", according to Manocha, who is at the forefront of research into meditative disciplines.
"Our survey also demonstrated that practitioners had not only better mental and physical health but also a consistent relationship between health, especially mental health, and self-reported experience of mental silence," says Manocha.
Elaborating on mental silence, Manocha says: "As one learns to slow down the thoughts, the practitioner will start to perceive a small gap between each thought. With practice and by applying specific techniques, the meditator can widen the gap so that he experiences a thought or two and then a space of silence and then another thought or two."
"In this way, the gap between thoughts can be widened until there are long moments of no thoughts. Ultimately, the thoughts stop completely and the meditator remains fully alert and aware, but experiencing no thinking activity. This is 'mind emptiness' or mental silence of Sahaja Yoga," he said.
The outcome is a quietly joyful state rather than an extreme of manic happiness. Mental peace and emotional equilibrium in turn reduce levels of adrenaline and cortisol in the blood stream, decreasing blood pressure and lowering brain activity and slowing down the thinking processes, says Manocha.
"The first ever quality-of-life survey of long-term meditators we conducted involved almost every Sahaja Yoga practitioner in Australia, which points to the findings being more concrete than individual stories," informs Manocha.
Manocha's stressful life as a medical student turned his attention towards meditation and Sahaja Yoga. "I found the experience of mental silence distinctly powerful. The traditional western ways of dealing with stress, such as alcohol and tobacco consumption, were damaging my health," he recalls.
Since western scientists had overlooked this phenomenon, Manocha decided that he would subject it to scientific evaluation to determine whether it could help people in the west facing common mental and physical problems.
"We have actually done considerable research on the impact of Sahaja Yoga on work stress, bronchial asthma, menopause and mental health, involving hundreds of participants in many different contexts, all of which indicate its effectiveness," Manocha told IANS.
Two separate observational studies of participants suffering from menopausal symptoms and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder demonstrated promising outcomes. These were followed by a small but well-designed randomized controlled trial (RCT) of meditation for asthma, then a much larger RCT of meditation for occupational stress, said Manocha.
Their outcomes provided strong evidence that mental silence is associated with a specific, therapeutic effect. An RCT is one of the simplest but most powerful research tools to test the efficacy of a new drug, procedure or treatment on human health.
"There is credible evidence to support the idea that Sahaja Yoga meditation, and hence the mental silence experience that typifies it, is associated with unique effects," concludes Manocha.


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Each year, as a new PPG/Street Rodder Road Tour begins we have come to expect that for the first Tour there will be a few minor problems. The car is a freshly finished vehicle and usually has very few or zero miles on it. The maiden voyage is a shake down cruise that normally has a few surprises that we work through. This year the crew at The Roadster Shop did an excellent job of assembling the Speed33 steel bodied, Ford Racing powered 1933 Roadster. When I arrived at The Roadster Shop for the open house and Lokar Tour kick-off party the new Tour car actually had over 200 test miles on the Auto Meter odometer. I felt confident and comfortable. The Roadster was gorgeous and it felt good to drive. What I hadn't anticipated was a twist that was a little beyond our control. You can't control the weather.
After the huge kick-off party at The Roadster Shop on Saturday and the NSRA Appreciation Day at Heidt's on Sunday, Monday found our wandering band in Sycamore, Illinois. We had a fun day ahead of us with a morning visit to Auto Meter and then a get together to see the latest incredible projects in the works at Troy Trepanier's shop in Manteno, Illinois. We made the very short trip from our hotel to the Auto Meter facilities in Sycamore. As we walked in the door we were greeted by Auto Meter CEO Jeff King. Auto Meter gauges have been helping me monitor the vital signs of the last two Road Tour cars. Over the last few years some major changes have occurred at Auto Meter that have streamlined production and helped them to continue the high quality standards of their products. These changes have also allowed them to keep their products "Made in America". It was a very interesting morning as we got a real behind the scenes look at what goes into the Auto Meter line of products. After the Tour we pulled our cars up in front of the facility and the employees at Auto Meter had fun seeing their products being used in many of the cars that we were driving.
As usual on the Tour, I had been watching the weather reports both nationally and locally. It was a cold morning with the temps in the mid 30's. There was a forcast for rain and the skies were overcast. The folks in roadsters were bundled up and I was smiling ear to ear since my American Speed Company Speed33 body had some very nice electric windows and the Vintage Air heater was cranked up. As were pulled away from Auto Meter it started to sprinkle. No problem. Then it started to flurry very lightly. OK, that's a Road Tour first but still no problem. By the time we made it five miles down the road we were in the middle of a full blown white out blizzard with snow flakes as big as silver dollars. BIG PROBLEM. The snow was coming down very fast and heavy. We pulled over at the freeway entrance. Most of the others sedans had windshield wipers. The Road Tour Roadster was not equipped with a wiper. I had always relied on Rain-X for windshield water management. Well not this time. This time I needed Snow-X, a product that I quickly developed in my mind as I tried to see through the inch of snow that covered the windshield of the Roadster. After a brief discussion, most of the folks in the sedans decided to soldier on in hopes of driving out of the spring snow blizzard. I could not see out the windshield and was going nowhere. As luck would have it, Super Chevy Magazine's Associate Publisher Joe Rode was following the group in a rental car. I safely parked the Roadster off to the side of the road at the freeway entrance. Joe, myself and Heidt's new owner Marc Prince, who had been traveling with me in the Roadster all loaded up in the rental and headed to the store for provisions. The snow was not letting up at all. We went to the local Target and bought towels and window squeegee. I looked for a hooded parka and found instead a nice selection of the latest swim wear. It was the end of April. Spring is supposed to have sprung. After a quick lunch we made it back to the Roadster. The snow had lightened up and the temps were rising a little. The crisis had passed and gone from major problem to "this is going to be a great story" We rolled on with our sights set on Rad Rides by Troy about two hour away in Manteno, Illinois.
We were greeted at Troy's shop by Troy and his family and crew who all have a major part in creating the rolling works of art that folks have been enjoying for almost twenty years. The projects in the works were incredible. Troy and the crew took time to talk to us about each car under construction. As I introduced had Troy to the crowd upon our arrival I realized that looming over us, up on a lift was the breathtaking 2007 Detroit AutoRama Ridler Winner that Rad Rides by Troy had created and set a new standard for show car quality. Standing in Troy's newly remolded showroom we all realized how lucky we were to be able to meet the folks who create these wonderful works of art. We stayed at the shop and enjoyed some fantastic Mexican food brought it by a local favorite restaurant.
It had been a good day on the Tour. Some excitement, some very educational tours and an evening of food and camaraderie shared with some of the best craftsmen in our hobby. Yeah, I know, I have the best job in the world.
Be sure to check back here. We are headed for the Indy Museum, A stop at the shop that has already started on the 2009 Road Tour car and then on to Knoxville, the huge Lokar Open House and the NSRA Nationals South. You can get the complete story on this and all the Tours in the pages of Street Rodder Magazine. Talk to you soon.


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LeBron James has announced he is returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers from the Miami Heat.
The 29-year-old ended a seven-year spell with the Cavaliers to join Miami in 2010 and won back-to-back NBA titles with them.
But, in a first-person piece on the Sports Illustrated website, Ohio-born James said he was coming back to his home-town team.
He said: "When I left Cleveland, I was on a mission. I was seeking championships and we won two. But Miami already knew that feeling.
"Our city hasn't had that feeling in a long, long, long time. My goal is still to win as many titles as possible, no question. But what's most important for me is bringing one trophy back to North-east Ohio."
He added at the end of his essay: "I'm ready to accept the challenge. I'm coming home."
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DailyDirt: Playing Games With Robots
from the urls-we-dig-up deptRobots have mastered games like air hockey, and they're about to dominate other casual table top games. It's getting to the point that humans won't be able to play any games that computers aren't better at. Here are just a few other bots that might ruin your amateur winning streak (someday).
- German table tennis champion Timo Boll will play against an industrial robot arm made by Kuka. The match is scheduled for this March 11th, and the teaser trailer for the event makes the single-armed robot look like a formidable opponent. [url]
- Basement entertainment will never be the same because robots are learning how to play foosball, too. These robots can shoot a ball at speeds of 6 meters per second, enough to whizz by a casual foosball player, and pretty soon these bots will consistently beat humans. [url]
- Two-armed robots are ready to play billiards and have already managed to nail easy shots about 80% of the time. This humanoid robot plays pool similarly to a human, judging the difficulty of shots in order to plan a sequence of higher probability shots. [url]
Filed Under: ai, artificial intelligence, billiards, foosball, game algorithms, games, ping pong, pool, robots, table tennis, timo boll


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Apple, hourglass, triangle... We've got you all covered!
Whether you've opted for one block shade or a whole rainbow - here are what the blooms in your arrangement mean!
Minnie and Paul's charmingly laidback al-fresco celebration was peppered with boho-inspired details
Other than the obvious, these are the essentials you should get covered with your invitations!
The Livin' La Vida Loca singer has announced his engagement


text: Find this wine Find this wine Buehler Cabernet Sauvignon Really drinking nice. Mellow tannins nice fruit. From near St. Helena. Pin It Tweet 8 years ago by Oban89 More posts Plum Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 Good, not nearly as good as the buehler! 5 years ago by Airstream Dad Buehler Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon $21.99 6 years ago by Jbpezzetti Buehler Cabernet Sauvignon Buehler Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 6 years ago by Suemcarter Buehler Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 Good napa cab Sav! :) smooth but kind of basic. 6 years ago by Chris (Corkbin) Buehler Vineyards Napa Valley Beuhler 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon. Plum, dark cherry, a bit of oak, big and bold. Very good. The Tasting Room w D&M 12/29 6 years ago by Claudiahoot


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Micole, Oklahoma's Pride
About her daughter, Micole says, "I figured if I give up on everything now, just because she is in my life, then I am telling her that my dreams never came true because of her. That is not what I want her to think—that she put a hold on me, or kept me from anything.�
Where She's From: Lovely Micole Lynn was born and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. "I'm proud to be from Oklahoma,� the young Gemini tells The Black Star News. "My parents always told me never to let anyone disrespect me or represent me in any disrespectful manner.�
Micole's mother moved several times so she attended three different high schools before graduating from Del City High in Del City, Oklahoma, from where her older brother graduated and where her younger brother will follow. "I started modeling right after I graduated. The first photographer I shot with was Steve Lindblom,� she adds.
Where She's At: "I believe I am right at the beginning point and the break through era right now. If I follow through right and play the game right and reach for the stars, like Luda says, then I will be there in acting and modeling. I see myself being the next most-talked about celebrity because that is who I have always been.�
One challenge that this beautiful model and aspiring actress has already dealt with was having a daughter at an early age. Instead, she became more motivated and worked even harder. "I figured if I give up on everything now, just because she is in my life, then I am telling her that my dreams never came true because of her. That is not what I want her to think—that she put a hold on me, or kept me from anything,� Micole explains.
Where She's Heading: Her recent major project was being on Darda King's video. "I thank Darda King--it was in Swahili and I had fun and Darda is a real person.� (www.dardaking.com)
Micole has already learned a lesson she wants other aspiring models to grasp quickly. "Brainpower means no one can play you like a fool like a lot of people try to in the modeling business, and then just by being a female sometimes. So when you're beautiful and smart they respect you on a whole new level,� she says.
How does Micole prepare to step out? "Well I don't normally wear brand names because that means you have to buy a whole lot of extra things to go with it. All I do is go to the mall and buy what I have the money for. I love K-Swiss though and the all time classics.�
Micole's Words Of Wisdom: "Learn from the bad things and use them later.�
Micole's Secrets To Success: "No secret—just work hard.�
Micole's Favorite Three Movies: "Stealth, Pursuit Of Happyness, and The Little Mermaid.�
Micole's Favorite Books: "Dean Koontz is my favorite author.�
The First Three Things Micole Would Do As President: "End the war--of course most females will say that, lower gas prices, and send more aid to Africa.�
Micole's Favorite Cars And Why: "Lamborghini because it can drive really fast and the body is so nice. I love race cars.�
For more on this model and actress-in-training please visit
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- Ann GarrisonFebruary 22,2018 @ 08:03 PM
I think you have "Filtered HTML" turned on here. If you switch to "Full HTML," it will probably...
googletag.pubads().definePassback('6785150/BENN/BlackStarNews', [[300,250]]).setTargeting('fold',['BTF']).display();


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|Chattanooga, Tenn.
|High School:
|Girls Preparatory
ESPN The Magazine and CoSIDA Academic All-District Third Team ... Started 18 of 18 games ... Played every minute of the entire season ... Backbone of the center midfield and crucial ball winner ... Scored one goal and one assist for three points ... Third on the team with 29 shots ... Academic All Conference ... Two-time ESPN The Magazine and CoSIDA Academic All-District selection (2008 & 2007) ... Has started every game of her college career and has the longest active streak of consecutive games started at 56.
ESPN The Magazine and CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team ... Only sophomore on the Academic All-District Team ... Started 20 of 20 games ... Team's main cog in the center midfield, superior ability to stop the counter and win balls ... Scored three goals and had two assists for eight points ... Notched one game-winning goal ... Third on the team with 39 shots ... Academic All-Conference ... Started 38 consecutive games in her college career.
Started 18 of 18 games ... Played every minute of the entire season ... Freshman central midfielder had an immediate impact on the team as a strong physical presence in the middle of the field and showed an excellent ability to play penetrating passes and long balls forward in the attack ... Had one goal and two assists for four points ... Fired 22 shots, fourth most on the team.
Personal: Majoring in Mechanical Engineering ... Daughter of Richard and Susan Pesce ... Siblings: Annie and Jessie ... Favorite Soccer Player/Athlete: Eto'o
Before MIT: High School Soccer: Four-year-starter for GPS ... captain 2 years ... Awards: Tennessee Division II All-State Girls Soccer Team (2006) ... Club Soccer: Club: Redoubt Generals


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E.L.F.O. Picture.
|Picture location/name: ../italia/images/15_6_2007/ 0_52_44_NR1.jpg
|This picture is from 15-06-2007 (date-month-year)
at 00 : 52 : 44 (hour : minute : second)
The X-axis show the frequency. The Y-axis show the time.
|Created 2003: Christian A. Bråthe, Jan Steinar Kvilesjø and Lars Martin Dobbe
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The Leading News & Information Service For The Facilities, Workplace & Built Environment Community
Companies with a combined market capitalisation of over US$2.3 trillion and annual direct emissions equivalent to 73 coal-fired power plants are...
For UPS system builders and users, two battery chemistries predominate. Alex Emms, Operations Director at Kohler Uninterruptible Power, compares the two chemistries and considers why one remains dominant for UPS standby applications - and how that might change. Click image to read more
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Where Workplace Works, a workplace consultancy which offers a focused range of services, asks is your workplace working? Click The Image To Read More
Around the world, the focus on sustainable business practices continue to grow and grow and grow. So how do FMs create the motivation to recycle in the offices they run and provide something really visible to visitors, customers and board level directors? Click the image to get an answer from Method Recycling
Following a recent retender process, Jaguar Building Services have been appointed to a further three year contract term at 88 Wood Street. Click Image To Read More
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With fingers on the pulse, our team of reporters bring you the latest rumours and conjecture. Remember, you heard it here first...


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From inside the book
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An Overview of the Theory of Conjugated Polymers
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A.J. Heeger AsF5 atoms band band gap behaviour bipolarons bond alternation bond lengths calculations CH)x chain charged solitons Chem chemical shift coefficient conducting polymers configuration conjugated polymers correlation Coulomb interactions coupling Cryst decreases defects dependence dimerization discussed dopant dopant concentration doping doping levels e-e interactions effects electron spin electron-electron interactions electron-phonon ENDOR energy excitations exciton experimental finite polyenes frequency function Hamiltonian Hartree-Fock Heeger Hiickel hopping Hubbard model hyperfine interactions inter-chain kink lattice Lett linewidth magnetic Metals molecular neutral solitons nonlinear nuclear observed obtained one-dimensional optical absorption optical gap parameter peak Peierls Peierls-Hubbard model phonon Phys polarons polyacetylene polyenes polypyrrole polythiophene properties proton quantum quasi-particles Raman relaxation resonance Sect shown in Fig Solid State Commun soliton spectra spectrum spin density SSH model structure symmetry Synth temperature theoretical theory trans-(CH)x transition triplet valence bond values Vardeny


text: We prepare our dishes from scratch using the finest and freshest ingredients available. As much as possible we use fish from local waters and produce from nearby farms. While we are not afraid to try something new, most of our dishes are original recipes that we have developed over the years.


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Unreleased Miley Cyrus Track 'Pretty Girls (Fun)' Leaks Online [LISTEN]by Thomas Chau | PopCrush
Idolator has located a previously unreleased Miley Cyrus track that was cut from the 'Bangerz' album. The song was produced (but not finished) by Mike WiLL Made It.
Given that it's from Miley, it's not much of a surprise that the track is an upbeat club trap tune about partying. "If you came here to have a good time, If you came here to have a good time," Miley declares in the opening lyrics. "All the pretty girls just want to have fun, all the pretty girls just want to have fun" she continues later on. We then hear the instrumental portion of the song for a while, which was presumably reserved for another artist to rap over.
Even though it's incomplete, it's still worth a listen as the track without lyrics is pretty good as it is by itself. Click the 'play' button to hear the unfinished version of 'Pretty Girls (Fun).'
Update: The song has been removed. We'll keep you updated as we hear more!


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Meeting of the Membership
Saturday, June 23
ALA Membership Meeting I, 3:30-5:00 pm
Monday, June 25
ALA Membership Meeting II, 11:30am-1pm
ALA Membership Meetings and How They Work
What is an ALA Membership Meeting? ALA Membership Meetings are an opportunity for ALA members to make things happen in the American Library Association. ALA members can bring issues important to libraries and librarianship to the floor and decide how they might be addressed within ALA.
When are ALA Membership Meetings held? A Membership Meeting is held during the first two days of the Annual Conference and at other times that may be set by the ALA Executive Board, ALA Council, or by membership petition as provided for in ALA Bylaw Article II, Section 2.
Who may attend ALA Membership Meetings? All ALA personal members.
How is the agenda for the meetings set? The Committee on Membership Meetings is charged with planning the agenda for the membership meetings as specified in ALA Policy 7.4.10.
Over the past few years, the Committee on Membership Meetings has developed suggested agendas, which include some "hot" discussion topics to draw ALA members to the meetings.
The ALA members present at the meeting can change the proposed agendas at any time. Any discussion topics suggested by the committee, or others, are given second place to resolutions proposed by the ALA members.
Who makes membership resolutions? YOU--ALA personal members.
The resolution can be on any topic or issue that falls within the resolution guidelines (see reverse side of this page). It is important to remember that the Council Resolutions Committee must review all membership resolutions. Resolutions can be easily submitted well in advance of the ALA Annual Conference by sending them by Monika J. Antonelli, chair, firstname.lastname@example.com. The Council Committee on Resolutions will staff a table (#15) in the ALA Office Area at the Washington Convention Center: Sat., 6/23, 11am-1:00pm; Sun, 6/24, 1-3pm; Mon., 6/25, 2-4pm; and Tues, 6/26, 2-3pm.
All resolutions approved by the membership are presented at the next ALA Council meeting. "The presiding officer of Council calls for Council's guidance on the disposition of each membership item in turn." (ALA Policy 7.4.10)
A final thought.
This meeting is YOUR meeting. Members control the content of all membership meetings. Any member may speak on any topic by standing at a microphone. When the microphone number is called, you state your name, then say "ALA Personal Member" and speak to the topic on the floor. There is a bit of formality about this process, but it doesn't take more than a few minutes of observation to understand how things work.
Guidelines and
Guidlines for submitting Resolutions during the Membership Meetings are available in the ALA Handbook of Organizations. A quick reference guide to resolutions is also available.
ALA Constitution, Article IV, Section 4 (a,b,c)
ALA Bylaws, Article II, Section 4


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When considering which tools your users need and which map interactions make sense for their tasks, it's important to know which tools are available and current trends and user expectations. Equally important is understanding device and platform patterns as well as your users' various environments. ArcGIS Runtime SDKs provide many tools and capabilities out of the box, such as those for navigating the map, displaying information, and performing actions in context.
Easy and focused apps are trending
Apps are becoming more focused. Ease-of-use expectations (getting the job done quickly) are on the rise. User perceptions are more relevant in app design than they've been in the past.
Especially in the world of smartphones and tablets, today's trend is toward making apps more focused and targeted at a specific use case. Users are accustomed to using multiple apps to get their work done. They've come to expect an app to be focused on helping them get one or a small number of tasks accomplished quickly. More and more, users have a high expectation that an app will get the job done quickly and effortlessly.
Devices have become a part of most users' everyday life, even to the point that some users develop an emotional attachment to them. App builders and UX designers alike recognize that this attachment can come from a pleasant experience or a feeling of satisfaction when using an app. These feelings can derive from the app making the task fun, from the UI being particularly pleasing, or from the task just being just easy to do.
Devices (even desktops) have changed significantly. UIs are simplified, often animated, and aesthetically appealing. Touch screens and the touch-enabled mouse devices have had an enormous impact on the user experience. In addition to expecting a fast and easy experience, users have come to expect using an app to be an enjoyable and delightful experience.
The focused apps of today are built to run on a variety of devices, including small form factors. Long toolbars with multiple tools which some GIS users have become accustomed to are unwieldy and unnecessary. The story is similar for other tools. For example, in most cases, pop-ups are a better choice for an app than the Identify button. Pop-ups remove an extra click for the user to get to the same information. The same goes for a long table of contents pane with an endless number of layers. Often a long table of contents is a sign that the app doesn't target a specific enough task.
Map interactions
Think about how your users will want to interact with the map. Older applications required you to pick a particular tool on a toolbar to pan, zoom in, zoom out, or view the full extent. With touch screens, mouse devices, and trackpads, many of these tools can be provided through gestures, removing the need for tools on a tool bar altogether. In addition, the proliferation of devices that can provide their own location based on GPS or other technique means that you can use this information to change the map's extent without the user doing anything.
ArcGIS Runtime SDKs provide many of these interactions for you out of the box. But you still need to consider whether they're suitable for your app. What will the user expect to happen when they touch the map? Will they be able to use two fingers to pinch and spread the map (are they wearing gloves for instance)? Will they know to try a long press, double-tap, and a left/right swipe to open the search tool? For answers to questions similar to these, see the section Understand your users and their surrounding environment.
ArcGIS Runtime SDKs provide many gestures out of the box. Gestures aren't the answer to everything, but if you keep things simple, intuitive, and follow the device's standard practices, you can provide a lot of functionality in your mapping app without a toolbar.
Display information
Once you've built some default map interactions or gesture-based tools, the next step is to display some information to the user. You can turn complex data into rich, decision-making information for your users. If you understand your users and know what they want to achieve, displaying the right information in an appropriate way can reduce the need for additional tools. Older GIS applications have displayed tables and rows of data to the user, but modern approaches are more intuitive and powerful.
ArcGIS Runtime SDKs provide several API components to display information:
- Graphics—ArcGIS Runtime SDKs provide a graphics layer. Graphics layers allow you to add, to a map, graphics (points, lines, polygons, or text) that can be associated with a symbol to make the graphics look the way you want. Graphics let you provide a lot of information to users about something they have tapped on or an area they're interested in. However, you might need a legend or additional information to allow the user to interpret what you've added. For details on graphics layers, see Add graphics and text.
- Callouts—A callout is a small view that displays on top of the map and has a leader that can point to a feature on the map. You can use these effectively as long as you have enough screen real estate. You can embed text, images, and other items in these callouts to provide information. The callout can be considered part of the map as it is tied to a specific geographic location and therefore it moves as the map is panned or zoomed.
- Pop-ups, supported throughout the ArcGIS platform, are a powerful way to bring your maps to life. ArcGIS Runtime SDKs fully support pop-up configurations and provide you with views to display their content without having to write any of the UI code yourself.
- Platform-specific views—For native apps, there's a wide array of platform-specific views, widgets, and graphical layouts you can use to display information, such as graphs, pie charts, meters, categorized text, and so on.
Contextual actions
When you want to provide non-gesture based functionality or tools for your users, you want to ensure they appear at the right place at the right time. They don't always need to be executed from a toolbar.
For instance, let's say that a default map interaction of a long press adds a feature to the map and displays a list of actions or tools that can be performed on the location like viewing more details, zooming, or finding directions to the location. You can change these actions or tools based on the type of location the user pressed. This approach is typically better than exposing these actions on a toolbar, as they would be active only after a location had been selected—they might be greyed out most of the time, taking up valuable screen real estate and confusing the user as to when they can be used.
For capabilities that may be hidden, such as a long press in a blank area of the map as a way to add a feature, it is recommended you add in-app help. For example, to ensure the user knows that a long press adds a feature, when the user first opens the app, you could have an image of a finger "fly in" from the right, then animate it to mimic the adding of a feature, with a dismiss control the user can press once he understands the message being conveyed.
With contextual actions, you need to provide a clear exit path for the user, so they can return to where they came from. Use your target platform's best practice and navigation tools to provide this behavior.
Not everything can be done without a toolbar. If your app requires a toolbar, make sure you plan out where the tools will display and how the user will access or interact with them. You have many options to consider here, some of which depend on the platform and form factor of the devices you're targeting.
Tools on top of the map
Many map-centric applications add tools that hover on top of the map. This approach makes sense for tools that are directly associated with the map, such as navigation buttons (which may make it easier than a gesture to zoom and pan the map with one hand or when wearing gloves). The GPS tool can often be seen near the top of the map, and, since it usually navigates the map to your current location, this approach makes sense.
Tools on a toolbar
Android has explicit design guidelines for adding tools to a toolbar (or ActionBar, in Android's case) that are relevant to all platforms. Essentially, tools should be visible if they adhere to the FIT scheme (frequently used, important, and/or typical). If you are adding tools to your toolbar try to adhere to this guidance. Cluttered toolbars make it difficult for users to find what they are looking for.
Hidden toolbars
Another approach is to provide the user with toolbars or menus that are viewable only through a gesture or button click. This allows a number of tools to be shown at once but without them cluttering up the app's interface at all times. Patterns in use for hidden toolbars include the following:
- Slide out drawers—Menus or tools display from the side of the screen via a gesture or a button click. Lots of apps are using this approach so that commonly used tools don't clutter the app's screen real estate. The tools are easy for the user to show at any time and can provide a long list of scrollable menus or tools. Most apps use menu items with clear text and icons so the user knows exactly what will happen when these are pressed.
- Tool wheel—Menus and tools display in a wheel shape via a gesture or button click. This approach is more commonly used for showing multiple tool buttons (typically without accompanying text) rather than menus. Like the slide out drawers, this approach provides quick access to a number of tools for the user to quickly switch between. It's been used in apps for advanced drawing to allow users to quickly switch between the vast array of draw tools. It's also been used in camera apps, whfere the user needs to quickly pick the right setting to take pictures.
Platform concepts and patterns
Above all, it's important for your user experience and user interface design to incorporate guidelines, best practices, and design patterns specific to the platform you're using. This should include the icon styles to use (flat vs 3D), the use and design of tabs (top or bottom of the screen), app navigation tools (OS back button vs app back buttons) and the change in interface as screens are rotated or as the screens appear on different devices.
Your users and their environment
Additional important questions to ask yourself about your users and their surrounding environment are provided below. The answers can affect the user experience and how you present tools.
- Where will they be using the application?—Outdoors in strong sunlight? Indoors in a dark basement? At night? Or all three? The answer will affect the design of your UI and icons. A white background with dark text is good for an app used in strong daylight. A dark background with light colored text is best for dark conditions. Does you app need both a daytime mode and a night mode with different icon sets for each?
- How will your users be working with the application and what else might they be doing at the same time?—Will they be sitting down? Standing up? Driving? Flying helicopters? (ArcGIS Runtime SDK apps have been built for pilots.). The answer tells you if they are holding the device in one hand, two hands, or relying on a device docking station. This information, in turn, helps you determine which tools and gestures will work. For example, a pinch won't work to zoom out of a map if the user only has one hand available. Voice commands or some other handling should be considered in that case.
- What will users be wearing?—Will they be wearing gloves? If so, button and tool size need to take this into account. For example, bigger buttons and controls are needed for gloved fingers. Will they be wearing sunglasses, helmets, or other items that will get in the way of the screen and affect how the screen looks?
- What sort of device will they be using?—A tablet, phone, laptop, or an embedded device? These form factors will likely affect your choice of how best to provide tools. Phones require the ability to work with a single hand for most things. Tablets typically allow the user to place them on a surface so that two hands can be used (but this depends on how they will be using the application). For laptops, typically two hands are available for gestures and touches. Embedded devices might come with multiple ways to control the app, such as hard buttons, dials, and switches. An app may sometimes be connected to a keyboard and at other times not; in that case, you need to account for both scenarios.


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Australian Government Holds Secret Anti-Piracy Meetings; The Public Is Not Invited
from the so-20th-century dept
As Techdirt noted recently, policy-making behind closed doors is no longer acceptable. Until the end of the 20th century, it was hard for the general public to make their views heard, and so governments didn't really bother asking them. But that's no longer the case: the Internet has blown government wide open, and there is now no excuse for not consulting as widely as possible -- including the public -- before passing legislation or signing treaties.
That's a lesson that the Australian government seems not to have learned yet, judging by the following story:
The Federal Government has reportedly held a second closed door meeting held between the content and telecommunications industries to address the issue of illegal file sharing on the Internet through avenues such as BitTorrent.
The first meeting took place at the end of last year, and is part of the content industries' attempt to circumvent the Australian courts' refusal to order ISPs to act as a private copyright police force.
According to another report, the argument now seems to be mainly about who will pay for a proposed "graduated response" (three-strikes) scheme:
one source familiar with the discussions said local film industry representatives are concerned that the cost of operating graduated response schemes is too high.
Never mind the fact that the content industries not only want this kind of extra-judicial punishment, they want it for free: what's really appalling here is that "three strikes" seems to have been settled upon without any qualms about whether it is fair or would work, or whether it might be a good idea to conduct some research to find out. It's the usual evidence-free policy making that has bedevilled this area for decades. But that's hardly surprising, since the most important stakeholder here -- the public -- wasn't invited to the meetings to offer its views on moves that would have a major impact on using the Internet, on privacy and on civil liberties.
Another source said the content industry's response was to try to push the cost of managing infringement notices -- and an appeals mechanism for customers who felt they had been wrongly accused -- onto internet service providers.
That's not only unacceptable, it's extremely unwise in view of what the Australian government plans to do next:
If the content and internet industries reach agreement on a scheme to deal with copyright infringement, the Attorney-General's department is expected to put a draft proposal out for public consultation.
Given the way that such a draft proposal is being drawn up, any public consultation is likely to be seen as a sham, since the terms of the debate have already been set. And when the draft with a few token but irrelevant tweaks finally becomes law, guess how much public support that is going to have?
Follow me @glynmoody on Twitter or identi.ca, and on Google+
Filed Under: australia, copyright, piracy, public, stakeholders


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Jays targeting Borowski?
According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 35-year-old reliever Joe Borowski has garnered interest from the Blue Jays, along with the Indians, Giants and Red Sox. Borowski had a career-best 36 saves last year and prefers closing, but he reportedly is open to a late-inning setup role.
That's where the Jays could come in. RHP Justin Speier is getting a lot of interest and could get a deal worth $10-15 million. That would probably take Toronto out of the running to re-sign him. On the other hand, Borowski signed for the league minimum ($327,000) with the Marlins last year and made just over $1 million with bonuses. It'd likely take more than that to sign him, considering the market for relievers, but he could be a solid replacement for Speier. Toronto isn't ruling out using a youngster like Brandon League in the role, either.
3 Comments
Could be a good replacement or backup plan to League if he is cheaper than Speier. I still feel good about having a veteran in the bullpen, it looks rather young and inconsistent right now.
If Alex Gonzalez wants 4 years to whatever inflated amount, forget that. I rather have Johnnie Mac for this year. Then maybe JP can swing a deal later or Russ Adams would miraculously gain an accurate arm.
Barajas might be a good signing. Offensively he looks solid but in a crazy hitter's ballpark. Haven't heard much about his defense and gamecalling skills. For that reason, Zaun should be brought back although I see only decline in production from Zaun now. 3 years might be risky on Zaun, although he has been nothing but great as a Blue Jay.
Mulder and Gagne on incentive-laden contracts might be risks JP will have to take. I would not mind either, both are risk worthy.
Halladay, Burnett, Wolf/Meche, Chacin, Mulder? Lefties are always good in the AL East. McGowan or Marcum in long relief with Downs. Frasor, League, Accardo, lefty specialist, setup, Ryan.
Looks pretty good potentially…
If Borowski is too much, JP should just overpay for Speier. Speier has been nothing but solid as a Blue Jay pitching in the AL East. I doubt he'll give a 'hometown' discount but $5-6 million for him sounds about right in this market.
Or what about Kei Igawa? Could be a #5 starter or lefty specialist… But he's being posted, and for some reason I see reluctance by JP to spend money on posting. Would be nice to have an Asian player in Toronto, increased attendance and fan interest for sure. JP should think about taking the Bryan Colanego approach and internationalize the team.
It is as simple as this folks. We need to sign Zaun who as a catcher, puts out real good offense statistics and looks good behind the plate. That should save 3+ million to push toward a pitcher. If Lilly is going to command 8-10 million for 4 years, take that extra money from signing Zaun and go afer Barry Zito for 11 mill. The team would be sitting with a top 3 #1 starter; the top #2 and the top #3 in the entire league. The offense is now fine so if anything is left over…hit up relief pitching. Thanks for reading.