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PITTSBURGH — He might be baseball's most confounding player, at once a marvel and a miscreant. Bartolo Colon flunked a drug test last summer and served a 50-game suspension. Now he says he is pitching better than he ever has.
Colon is the 40-year-old ace of the Oakland Athletics, the only All-Star on the team leading the American League West. Few players are older or seemingly in worse shape than Colon, who is 5 feet 11 inches and every bit of his listed weight of 267 pounds.
And yet, after a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on Monday, Colon was 12-3 with a 2.69 earned run average, pitching with enough confidence and precision to be the league leader in fewest walks per nine innings.
"I believe this is my best year," Colon said through an interpreter after the game. "I never imagined, I never had any idea from the beginning of the season, that I'm going to have the kind of numbers I have right now."
Derek Norris, the A's catcher, said Colon had far exceeded expectations. The team got him mainly to log innings, Norris said, "but I also think that not a whole lot of people realized what he still had in the tank."
Who knew what to make of Colon last August, when he was suspended after testing positive for testosterone? He was 10-9 with a 3.43 E.R.A. when he was caught, after already pushing the system's boundaries with the Yankees in 2011.
Colon, whose career was sputtering because of injuries, had never told the Yankees that he was treated by a doctor who used Colon's fat and bone marrow stem cells and injected them back into his elbow and shoulder. The doctor had used human growth hormone in similar procedures, but said he did not do so with Colon.
It sounded shady enough, and the positive test, plus Colon's subsequent link to the Biogenesis investigation, seemed to confirm that his renaissance was a mirage, too good to be true. Surely his cheating explained his success, and Colon, without the drugs, would decline.
The A's thought otherwise, as they often do, and brought him back for one year and $3 million, more than he had made in 2012.
"Our organization thought he would be very similar based on what they saw in winter ball," Manager Bob Melvin said. "He was throwing with the same velocity he does right now, the same movement. It was an easy sign for us and we did it very quickly, based on what everybody thought he would be like, and certainly he's been that and more."
As a player with the San Francisco Giants, Melvin caught Rick Reuschel, another rotund right-hander who pounded the strike zone and thrived at 40. Players who carry so much weight and still succeed tend to be extraordinary athletes, and Melvin said Colon was a lot like Reuschel.
Colon is a slick fielder: quick off the mound, good at holding runners, deft at fielding bunts and flinging sidearm strikes to first. On the mound, he aims his sinker at a left-hander's hip and it bends over the plate. Against right-handers, he starts it outside and it clips the corner. Other times, he simply throws heat at 96 miles per hour.
"He's always had a great lower half," said Omar Minaya, who traded for Colon as the Montreal Expos' general manager in 2002. "Those pitchers that get their legs into it and drive like that, they put less stress on their arm and they can last a long time."
The A's could have used Colon last October, when they lost a division series to Detroit, three games to two. He was gone by then, but his teammates did not hold it against him. They were thrilled to have him back this season.
"He just makes everyone loose," starter A. J. Griffin said. "Everyone loves him. You always want a guy like that on your team, regardless of things that happened. If he had a bad attitude, it would be a different story, I'm sure. But he's just always happy."
Colon has eccentricities. For every game he wins, The San Francisco Chronicle learned, he decorates a game ball in brightly colored markers, with intricate designs, and gives them to the trainers as gifts. His music of choice before games: Adele.
Colon has a tattoo of Jesus on his left arm, and he is generally unobtrusive in the clubhouse. Yet he will sometimes rattle teammates by smashing a piece of equipment on a table, just for laughs. Coco Crisp, the veteran outfielder who saved Monday's game with a diving catch, said nothing ever seemed to bother Colon.
"Going back to last year, before everything happened, if you would have picked one guy in the locker room that you would think would get a 50-game suspension for the drug policy, nobody would have picked Bartolo," Norris said. "He's so quiet, and he's such a good guy.
"It is what it is. It happened. But we didn't feel any sort of abandonment. It was a suspension and it's part of baseball. A lot of teams have had to go through it. What makes our club so great is the fact that we pick each other up."
Norris called Colon a "great role model" for the younger pitchers, and praised him for handling himself with class. That sounds like a stretch, given Colon's drug offense. But Colon apologized when he reported to spring training, and the Oakland players, who are used to unorthodox characters, gain nothing from judging him. They recognize the good and ignore the sins.
"He's just always cool when he's out there, like it's not a big deal," Griffin said. "He just always has a plan."
If the plan was to cheat his way back to the majors, get caught, get a raise, and then become an All-Star while presumably staying clean, it was a strange playbook to follow. But Colon, in so many ways, is not like anyone else.


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Tagged: stories
Moments in Landscape
A conversation we started on Land8 was spotlighted as a featured discussion!
We posed the question to landscape designers: Where did your passion for landscape originate? What were the narratives you had growing up that defined and transformed the world into a canvas for you?
We generated some really interesting, compelling responses (some even recounted poetically), all of them which may be read here.
The responses we received are really exciting to us, as they help to accomplish two important things:
1) Affirm the vitality and social value of the profession (it can often be viewed pejoratively and is misunderstood as being "exclusive" or culturally/socially unusable or irrelevant).
2) Uncover a common thread that connects all of us–professionals and nonprofessionals alike. The land is our home to all the meaningful experiences we've had–and will continue to have. It's the book of all our experiences, the story of which, of course, is forever ours to write.
We encourage you to read this discussion here and join us in the conversation by telling your story in the comments. Share with your friends. Let's rethink our connections and relationships to the land.
Without it, where else would we be?

subset: commoncrawl


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How sweet: Colorado Ballet Auxiliary to present its Nutcracker Sugarplums
One of the sweetest events of the season is to occur the day after Thanksgiving, when Colorado Ballet Auxiliary hosts its annual Sugarplum Ball at the Brown Palace Hotel.
The ball is a time for family and friends to gather for the initial presentation of the 2011 Nutcracker Sugarplums. The 25 second-graders will be introduced again on Nov. 26 when Colorado Ballet opens its seasonal run of "The Nutcracker" at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. Leslie Dewell Smith is the Sugarplum program chair; Alyson Graves is coordinating the ball, with help from committees headed by Ghislaine Bruner, Cathy O'Neal, Stephanie Linafelter, Kimberly Hak, Deborah Donovan and Katy Brown.
Dr. Toby Cole will serve as master of ceremonies both nights. Cole will also recognize the Sugarplum Alums, girls who were presented in 2010: Ariana Azari, Marin Bombgaars, Juliette Bruner, Maya Dammen, Juliana Diecidue, Julia Donovan, Audrey Graves, Hailey Hak, Ashley Matthews, Meghan O'Neal, Caroline Plumleigh, Julie Plumleigh, Elle Smith and Lauren Sperry.
In the months leading up to the big nights, the Sugarplums have been fitted for their presentation dresses and taken part in activities that include an etiquette tea, a mother-daughter tea, a harvest-themed party and a holiday toy drive. Auxiliary members hosting these events were Hilary Gerlach, Liz Arnold, Rosalina Diecidue, Connie Plumleigh, Stacy McHugh, Kathleen Dammen, Andrea Stevens and Sara Ritz.
The 2011 Sugarplums, with biographies compiled and written by the Sugarplum committee, are:
Anna Scott Arnold, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Guy Arnold of Denver. Anna enjoys ballet and will be in a Nutcracker performance with the Denver Conservatory this December. She is playing the angel, a mouse and a bon bon. She also enjoys gymnastics and is a black diamond skier. She loves math, and playing math games, but also likes to draw, too. Her favorite places to travel are to New Zealand and Hawaii. Her favorite movie (much like Hawaii) is "Soul Surfer."
Sophia Birner, the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Mark Birner of Denver. She is a skilled horseback rider who loves to ski in the winter. She also loves rainbow sherbet instead of plain ice cream, and her favorite song is Taylor Swift's What I like about You.
Julia Cole, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Charles Cole of Denver. Julia loves ice cream, especially Denali Extreme Moose Tracks, orange sherbet creamsicle and orange sherbet. She is a great piano player, and also can do a convincing witch laugh. She likes to swim and bike, and if she could have any pet, she would choose to have a new pet each month. She would start with a giraffe in August, because according to Julia, they are good animals for August.
Paris Corporon, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Corporon of Englewood. She is passionate about sports, and she plays soccer very well. Someday, she hopes to be a veterinarian. Her favorite ice cream flavor is blue cotton candy, and she would rather swim in the summer to cool off from the summer heat.
Morgan Divita, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Marcus Divita of Littleton. She is passionate about ballet and loves ballet class and gymnastics. Her favorite ice cream flavors are strawberry and chocolate. She would rather be swimming in the summer than skiing in the winter because she likes warm weather, especially vacationing in Los Cabos, Mexico. She also loves to sing to Taylor Swift every chance she gets.
Lizzie Elliott, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. J. Paul Elliott of Cherry Hills Village. She is a very accomplished soccer player and swimmer. She likes to swim in the summer, and if she could pick any vacation, she would go to the Galapagos Islands. For a pet, she would pick a dog because they can be your best friend. Her favorite book and movie include all of the Harry Potter series.
Izzy Espinoza, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Espinoza of Denver. She is passionate about helping people and swimming, but also loves the snow and skiing in the winter. She likes to vacation in Steamboat Springs and when she's an adult she hopes to be a mommy. Her favorite song is Somebody to Love by Justin Beiber and her favorite book is Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss.
Emory Gerlach, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Graham Gerlach of Denver. She is passionate about reading and is also a gymnast and skier. This active girl loves visiting her great grandma's ranch in Wyoming and skiing in Chaos Canyon in Vail.
Sophia Saylor Giordano, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Mark Giordano of Denver. She loves art, especially painting. If she could pick any ice cream flavor to eat it would be lemon sorbet. She likes to ski because she can go fast and ski with friends, but she also likes to swim and jump in the water and make cannonballs. She is a very good soccer player, and likes to sing too.
Georgia Kane, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Kane. She is passionate about singing, dancing and theater, and is a great singer. When she gets older she hopes to be a designer and design dresses and clothes. She doesn't believe in ghosts but she believes in magic, and also likes rainbow sherbet when she's in the mood for ice cream. If she could have any pet, it would be a monkey.
Grace Linafelter, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Rod Linafelter of Cherry Hills Village. Grace hopes to be a teacher when she grows up, and would like to have a turtle for a pet because it is her favorite animal. She loves to ski and her favorite ice cream is crazy cookie dough on top of mint chocolate chip. Her favorite place to relax on vacation after all of that skiing, is Hawaii.
Isabelle Louis, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ehlias Louis of Denver. Isabelle is passionate about art, and is really, really good at math. She loves to ski and wants to be a ski racer, and hopefully a mother someday. She likes to vacation in Park City, Utah, and if she could have any pet she would have an otter because Isabelle thinks they are cute and do funny tricks. She likes to sing to Get Your Sparkle On.
Chloe Malley, daughter of Elaine Weng and Dr. Thomas Malley of Englewood. She is passionate about art because she says you can draw anything. Chole says that art makes her happy, especially when she can hang art up in her room and later on look at it. Her favorite ice cream is cookie dough, and she thinks cats are furry and cute. She would rather swim in the summer because she loves swimming and can go anywhere in the pool, although if she could choose, she would pick swimming in Hawaii.
Gracie McHugh, daughter of Dr. Stacy McHugh and Jerome McHugh, Jr. of Denver. Gracie hopes to be an artist and a fashion designer because she likes to create things that inspire her. She doesn't believe in ghosts, but she does believe in magic, because she says it's interesting to watch and seems real. She likes to sing and takes singing lessons, and her favorite songs right now are Break Your Heart and Dynamite by Taio Cruz.
Annalee Miner, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Scott Miner of Denver. She lives to sing, especially to Taylor Swift, and she is very good at skiing, soccer and sharing. She also likes mint chocolate chip ice cream and vacations in the mountains. Her favorite movie is "Winnie the Pooh." It's a really old movie that to her, just never gets old.
Elle Morris, daughter of Jane Ford and Parks Morris of Denver. She likes mint chocolate chip ice cream and when she's an adult, Elle hopes to be a doctor. She likes to swim and play with her friends, and likes the idea of a Hawaiian getaway. If she could have any pet it would be a lemur because they are cute and have a lot of energy.
Ainsley Nalen, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Nalen of Englewood. She loves vanilla ice cream and is a really good swimmer. She loves to swim in the summer and if she could choose she would pick a vacation to California at the Montage in Laguna Beach. She also likes dogs, especially goldendoodles and labradoodles.
Grayson Parsley, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Parsley of Englewood. She is passionate about singing, and likes rainbow sorbet for ice cream. She is a great big sister. Her favorite place to vacation is the beach in South Carolina because she loves to swim in the ocean with her dad. If she could have any pet she would have a gerbil because she thinks they are really cool.
Isabelle Ritz, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bryan Ritz of Cherry Hills Village. She attends Colorado Academy and is passionate about fashion. She would rather swim in the summer than ski in the winter, and likes to vacation in France and New York. She loves strawberry ice cream and watching the movie "Free Willy."
Natalie Grace Robertson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David Robertson of Cherry Hills Village. She is passionate about gymnastics because she thinks its fun and challenging to do. Choosing a favorite ice cream flavor is too tough because she loves dark chocolate and cookie dough. If she could go on a vacation anywhere it would be to New York City to see the Statue of Liberty. She also would like a pet Chihuahua because they are very small and cute. She would take it everywhere and even dress it up. She also likes the movie "Soul Surfer."
Khaki Sawyer, daughter of Drs. Kate and Michael Sawyer of Denver. Her favorite movie is "Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer," and her favorite book is Judy Moody Girl Detective. If she could vacation anywhere it would be New Orleans so she could go to Mardi Gras. Her favorite ice cream is peach. Someday she hopes to be a veterinarian, dancer or even a detective just like Judy Moody.
Bailey Lynn Shelden, daughter of Kittie Hook and Charles Shelden of Denver. She is passionate about cooking, and someday hopes to be a veterinarian. Her favorite ice cream flavor is mint chocolate chip, and she also likes to vacation at the cottage on Lake Wabessa in Wisconsin. She likes the snow and she likes to sing. Her favorite book is Kylie the Carnival Fairy and her favorite movie is "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer."
Kendall Stevens, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Stevens of Denver. She loves to make other people laugh, which could be a great trait later in her life since she hopes to be a doctor someday. She would love to have a dog to play with, and believes in magic and ghosts. She is a great gymnast and also loves to sing. Her favorite song is Dynamite by Taio Cruz.
Riley Stewart, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Stewart of Greenwood Village. She loves running and art and one day wants to become an artist or art teacher. Her favorite book is Ivy & Bean and she also likes Taylor Swift, especially when she can sing to You Belong with Me. She likes to vacation in Disneyland and has a sweet tooth: she loves chocolate ice cream with chocolate magic-shell.
Claire van Kempen, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wouter van Kempen of Cherry Hills Village. She really likes gymnastics, but when she grows up she hopes to be a veterinarian or zoo keeper. She already has a rabbit, a puppy and a fish to start her training. She believes in magic, and likes the movie "Soul Surfer." She also likes to read the book Good Night Little Bunny.
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314, firstname.lastname@example.com and @GetItWrite on Twitter


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Man, San Bernardino really is crap. Now we're not opposed to a bit of strong discipline on the part of parents. Yes, like any left-loathing lefty, we find the hippie self-esteem stuff annoying. But that said, Michelle Groh-Gordy, a columnist for the San Bernardino County Sun seems to take pleasure in crushing the dreams of her sons involving Bugattis, Corvettes and SLRs. Our defense? If your kids do grow up to own such vehicles, they'll be able to take good care of you in your old age.
Alternately, they'll flip you the bird and roar off in fits of horsepower-induced glee, hollering, "Sorry Ma, forgot to take out the trash." We're tired of San Bernardino. And Upland. We're also really tired of Upland.
How I crushed my sons' dream cars [San Bernardino County Sun]
It Was Twenty (One) Years Ago Today: Tank Crushes Cars in San Bernardino [Internal]


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As lawmakers consider reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, there is sustained interest in creative solutions to address cost concerns and improve efficiency in the student aid programs. To that end, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has generously provided grant assistance to organizations like NASFAA to work, first alone and then collaboratively, to present policy proposals through their "Reimagining Aid Design and Delivery" (RADD) project. NASFAA's work in the first three phases of the RADD project is detailed below:
Through a third Gates Foundation RADD project grant, NASFAA on May 7, 2015 released a paper exploring the potential implications of implementing prior-prior year (PPY). "Great Expectations: Implications of Implementing Prior-prior Year Income Data for the FAFSA" addresses expressed concerns, considerations, and benefits related to implementation of PPY. The paper argues the numerous potential advantages that have surfaced far outweigh the concerns. This paper is one part of a greater consortium with the National College Access Network (NCAN) and the Education Trust to simplify the financial aid process and increase access and success. The recommendations and implications were presented at an event on May 28, 2015 in Washington, DC. Read the full report >>
NASFAA on December 17, 2014 released a paper, written in partnership with two other policy organizations, on the issue of employer withholding in an Income-Based Repayment (IBR) system for federal student loans. The paper argues that automatically enrolling indebted students in IBR, and automating repayment through employer payroll withholding, could help to simplify the student loan system for students and radically reduce the number entering default. The organizations in this Phase 3 consortium included: NASFAA, New America, and Young Invincibles, with technical assistance from the Urban Institute and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Read the full report >>
Through a second Gates Foundation RADD project grant, NASFAA on March 20, 2014 released a paper, written in conjunction with four other policy organizations, calling on Congress to reform the overly complex repayment process for federal student loans by automatically enrolling
all new borrowers in a single income-based repayment (IBR) plan. The recommendations were presented at an event held the same day and hosted by the Committee for Economic Development. The organizations in the Phase 2 consortium included: NASFAA, HCM Strategists, Institute for Higher Education Policy, New America, and Young Invincibles. Read the full IBR RADD report and NASFAA's supplemental paper on income-contingent loan systems in other countries.
As lawmakers consider reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, the student aid programs continue to face severe funding and efficiency problems. With grant assistance from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through Phase 1 of their "Reimagining Aid Design and Delivery" (RADD) project, NASFAA in February 2013 released a policy brief examining the current systems of student aid with an eye towards reimagining how they could be improved in the future. The report included input, suggestions and feedback from NASFAA members across the nation and other members of the higher education community.
Download NASFAA's RADD policy considerations >>
Craig Munier, director of the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln and 2013-14 NASFAA national chair, discusses the work of the RADD Task Force at the 2013 NASFAA National Conference.


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A favourite wedding venue of ours is the Plas Isaf in Corwen. It was chosen by Adele and Aled for their ceremony and reception and I have to say this wedding had the most decorative effort of any I have seen so far.
An ancient Japanese legend promises that anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish. The crane in Japan is one of the mystical or holy creatures and Senbazuru is a group of one thousand origami paper cranes, in this case folded by a man and a woman to symbolise the patience and trust necessary to sustain a happy marriage. There you go, you learn something new every day! That is a serious test of a couples patience, but I'm glad they did because the Plas Isaf looked fabulous with hundreds of paper cranes everywhere you looked.
Adele and Aled married at the barn in Corwen, surrounded by family, friends and those 1000 folded paper birds. Not quite an ornithologists dream, but I did see a couple of Red Kites overhead which was nice as they were all but extinct in Wales until recently :). The ceremony was followed by a blessing in the garden and if legend is to be believed 1000 years of happiness. This was their day.
Feel free to leave a comment and share using the links below! Please Contact Us if we can help with your Wedding Photography.
Marie x


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Making tea your New Year's resolution
It's New Year's Eve, time for a new beginning. Last year is so 20th century. It's out. What's in is another chance with your life, in spirit as well as in mind and body. And tea is rightly part of the new you. Tea is good for your body, no … Continue reading


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Our Sponsors
International Society for Autism
At the ISA we understand the value of continuing Autism research.
The International Society for Autism sponsors and conducts research on empirically based treatment programs for individuals with autism. We also provide scholarships for indivudals whose financial situations would otherwise prevent them from attending clinical based treatment programs.
Increasing public awareness about the day-to-day issues faced by people on the spectrum is of up-most importance to the ISA. We advocate for the appropriate services for individuals across their lifespan and provide the latest information regarding treatment, education, research and advocacy.Throughout the year the International Society for Autism and its partners host comprehensive conferences on autism to help spread public awareness and share new research with the community.
Our organization is supported by the charitable donations of individuals and organizations who understand how important it is to continue making forward strides in Autism research.


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Project Description
Daniel was born in Mauritius, originally of Chinese descent, French by nationality. His job in the telecom industry requires that he travel frequently to multiple destinations including France, USA, Japan, Singapore, but he is now based in Dubai. He has always loved photography, but only became serious about it when he bought his first DSLR in Singapore, back in 2006. He joined Flickr around that time, where he discovered the world of High Dynamic Range photography.
He then aimed to perfect the technique of Digital Blending, which consists of manually blending multiple bracketed exposures in order to obtain the maximum dynamic range, while trying to keep a very natural look and avoiding the common mistake of many 'overcooked' HDR images. This slight element of the surreal, or hyper reality often found in painting became Daniel's goal. His main photographic interests are landscapes, and most particularly cityscapes shot from roof tops.


text: Full Issue (PDF) July 2016 Issue Download the Full July Issue PDF [IMGCAP(1)] To continue reading this article you must be a paid subscriber. Subscribe to IFR Magazine Get the next year of IFR Magazine for just $19.97. Get access to all articles published online. Features, reviews, lesson, quizzes - get it all. That's a savings of more than $14 off the regular rate. Or double your savings and subscribe for 14 issues for just $39.94. Subscribe Get IFR Digital Get 12 months of IFR DIGITAL for just $34. You get unlimited access to everything on the site including each monthly issue as a PDF. Subscribe Subscriber Log In E-Mail Address: Password: Login Forgot your password? Click Here. Already subscribe but haven't registered for all the benefits of the website? Click here.


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Capcom Japan Facebook page have released some details of the Banned Footage 2 DLC compilation which is coming soon (thanks Google translate!).
A level overseen by Lucas Baker involving gambling on the lives or death of other captives.
This footage with a tragic tone shows the Baker house in an earlier state than Ethan sees in the main game.
Jack's 55th Birthday
It's Jack's 55th birthday and his appetite must be fed. This episode has a comical tone quite different to Biohazard 7.
The Biohazard Japan Facebook page can be found here


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B-LINES® Handles
1 set of 2 handles for
plus $2.95 s&h
Work out as hard as you want without losing your grip. Soft but sturdy, these foam-covered handles are designed for maximum comfort and durability. So whether you're doing chest flys, bicep curls, or military presses, your wrists will thank you.
It's so easy! Simply insert each end of your resistance band into the opening in the notch of the comfort-grip handle. Tug the band to make sure it's snapped securely into place. That's it! You're ready to work out!
We want you to be 100% satisfied or your money back! If you're not satisfied with the performance of this product, please contact Customer Service for a Return Authorization number to return it within 30 days for a full refund of the purchase price, less s&h—no questions asked.
Carl Daikeler Chairman & CEO Beachbody
B-LINES® Comfort-Grip Handles Instructions
For use with B-LINES Resistance Bands.


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The Cheyenne HAWK Thunder ist a sophisticated machine, that combines the best of its forerunners mixed with brandnew innovations. The HAWK Thunder has more power. You can hear and feel it. The increased stroke and the power allow to tattoo precise lines in one go.
Welcome HAWK Thunder! Hello Allrounder. It's all about Power. All tattooing styles are now possible without the slightest loss of quality. Lining, Shading and Coloring on highest level with just one machine!
The Hawk Thunder's stroke has been increased up to 4mm. The increased stroke in conjunction with the rotational speed of the new drive and the optimized eccentric tappet provide very high speed and acceleration values.
The performance of the drive can now be used in a more effective way. You won't only notice the power, but you'll also hear it!!
More Power needs more Power:
If your Hawk Thunder is difficult to start, please follow these instructions:
Adjust your power unit up to 150 Hz or rather 12 V to get your HAWK Thunder started.
Fits all Original Cheyenne Hawk Needle Cartridges.
Technical Data HAWK Thunder:
Stroke: 4 mm
Needle amplitude: 4,5 mm
Weight: 77,5 g
Working Voltage: 5 - 12,5 V
Stitch per second: 70 - 170
The kit contains:
- 1 Cheyenne Hawk Thunder Drive
- 1 Cheyenne Grip, 21mm or 25 mmm
- 1 Cheyenne Power Supply PU II with cables
|Rotary Engine
|Machine Setting
|Liner & Shader


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Incroyable soulagement de la douleur et de l'inflammation. S'appuie sur plus d'études cliniques que tout autre produit de curcumin.


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On News 88.9 KNPR
On Classical 89.7
1289 S. Torrey Pines Dr.Las Vegas, NV 89146
Main Number: 1-702-258-9895Toll Free: 1-888-258-9895
More contact info
member station
Every week one our desert gardeners provides expert advice on making your desert garden bloom. They'll take you to some of their favorite landscapes in Las Vegas and introduce you to horticultural experts working in Southern Nevada.Angela O'Callaghan is Associate Professor, Nevada Cooperative Extension - Specialist in Social Horticulture. Norm Schilling is owner of Schilling Horticulture Group in Las Vegas. His prior experience includes horticulture supervisor at UNLV and lead groundskeeper at the Gardens at the Las Vegas Springs Preserve (formerly the Desert Demonstration Garden). He's an ISA certified arborist and teaches a variety of horticulture and tree care topics. You're invited to submit questions to Desert Bloom.Check out Norm Schilling's list of "Wonderful Plants on the Cheap and Easy" and "Norm's Favorite Desert Trees".Send your comments to firstname.lastname@example.com.
An aging pool brings all kinds of problems. Even though we love the lush look of plants surrounding a pool, Norm Schilling explains it's a potentially expensive dilemma.
Over a decade ago on this show, I talked about the opening of Cooperative Extension's office in Green Valley.
Resist the urge to feed the bad habits of your desert trees says Norm Schilling. There's water from the sky this week, but let desert trees do what they do best.
Before Summer heat kicks in Norm Schilling says take advantage of a window for transplanting. Some of the commonest plants in our yards are easy to propagate and now's the time to do it.
Weeds are uninvited guests. They arrive unannounced, take up space, consume valuable assets (like water and soil nutrients) and just won't leave, despite our best efforts.
If you've really been unlucky, you might have looked at your yard, vegetable garden or raised bed and discovered that you had an abundance of a white-flowered vining plant just appearing all over.
Agave's grow to be impressive large plants here. Norm Schilling takes a tour of his specimens in this edition of Desert Bloom.
Missed the super bloom in Death Valley - plan for one in your own yard next year!
So what would survive if you left your yard unattended for a couple of years? Norm Schilling has a real life example.
This winter's been a relatively wet one, so it really shouldn't come as such a big shock when many plants in this region respond to the abundance of water.
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BOULDER, CO - November 3, 2009
According to a report from industry analyst firm IDC, Webroot more than doubled its Web security software-as-service (SaaS) revenue from 2007 to 2008 – growing its revenue in this market faster than any other security vendor.
The report, "Worldwide Web Security 2009-2013 Forecast and 2008 Vendor Shares," also predicts growth in the SaaS Web security market -- set to reach $513 million by 2013 with a compound annual growth rate of 46.5% for the next five years -- will exceed the growth of Web security software and appliances revenue.
"Webroot has a long and successful history of protecting organizations and end users worldwide from Web-based threats," said Brian Burke, security program director, IDC. "They pioneered the anti-spyware market twelve years ago and have built a strong solution for Web and email security software-as-a-service, as indicated by their growth in market share. With their technology, strong roadmap and loyal customer base, we expect to see Webroot increase its growth as the industry further adopts SaaS security."
Webroot offers a complete suite of security products and services that allow customers to protect networks against malware threats; to manage security and acceptable use policies; to comply with internal, industry and regulatory security and use policies; and to analyze logs, reports, and data to ensure security and compliance. Delivered as a service, the Webroot Web and Email Security Services reduce total cost of ownership, keep threats from ever reaching the corporate network, and require no additional hardware or software investment.
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The report shows Webroot increased its Web security SaaS revenue from $1.0 million to $2.5 million between 2007 and 2008.
(1) IDC, "Worldwide Web Security 2009-2013 Forecast and 2008 Vendor Shares: It's All About Web 2.0 You TwitFace." August 2009, IDC #219502.


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Some days when I check what was bought via my Amazon Associate's affiliate program the previous day I just have to laugh. Here's a random sample of 10 items from yesterday's sales which I think has to be the oddest collection of sales I've every had in a day.
- Waring MG800 Professional Electric Meat Grinder
- 30 HP NorTrac Bulldozer and Backhoe
- Vote for Pedro Ringer T-shirt for men
- Intermediate Algebra, Ninth Edition
- Jerky Treats, Sizzlin' Bac'n, 11.25 Ounce Unit
- Walnut Gavel with Engravable Brass Band
- Pulse B-2 Tunable 2-Tone Bongos
- Tampax Super Absorbency Tampons, 100-Count Boxes (Pack of 2)
- Coomb's Maple Syrup, Premium Grade B, 32-Ounce Jug
- Gold Toe Men's Metropolitan Dress Sock, 3-Pack
You've got to love Amazon – considering all I ever link to are camera gear and books!
What's the weirdest thing you've sold via Amazon's Affiliate Program?


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Artist: Lee McCarthy
- Size: 30 x 20 x 1 inches (76.2 x 50.8 x 2.5 cm)
- acrylic on canvas
- One-Off / Ready to Send
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About the artwork
A piece from my abstract art collection, painted in acrylic on canvas. My interpretation on how friction is absorbed through my own expressive feeling. Signed, dated and comes with a certificate of authenticity.
Related CategoriesPaintingsAbstractsMedium (16 - 30")OilMulti-ColouredAbstract
Lee McCarthy
I have been creating art all my life. I paint in a acrylics and oils on canvas mostly but I do use other mediums from time to time. My main subject matter is that of the coast and sea as I am most inspired by these places. My inspiration comes from many sources, holidays,days out with the family and I visit the coast quite often as I live nearby. I hope you like my paintings as much as I have creating them. A member of the ABNA,published by Pyramid international and the art group. Studied art and design at LJMU.
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Brennan: Administrators fail Rutgers University
- Why wasn%27t university president curious enough to get more involved with men%27s basketball coach%3F
- University president and AD should join coach Mike Rice on sidelines permanently
- AD has a TV background%2C he should have known volatility of video of team practices
Rutgers, of all universities, should have known better. Rutgers should have known that a coach who fires basketballs at the heads of his players and assaults them at practice should not keep his job. The so-called leaders of Rutgers University should have known that if a coach is hurling homophobic and misogynistic insults at his male players, he shouldn't be allowed to represent the school for one more hour, much less four more months.
Rutgers should have known better because the school already has lived through such things. Its women's basketball team was the model of grace and dignity six years ago when radio shock jock Don Imus triggered a national scandal and lost his job by calling the players "nappy-headed hos." And just 2 1/2 years ago, Rutgers freshman Tyler Clementi jumped off the George Washington Bridge after a webcam set up by his roommate showed him kissing another man.
So how is it possible that at least one leader of this same institution of higher learning, its athletics director, saw hours of videotape of the atrocious behavior of men's basketball coach Mike Rice last fall, and not only failed to fire him, but welcomed him back to coach most of the season after a three-game suspension and a $50,000 fine in December?
MORE:Rutgers fires Mike Rice on Wednesday morning
Rice is gone now, finally, appropriately and very belatedly. He was fired not because it was the right thing to do, but because Rutgers grew uncomfortable and embarrassed seeing the awful videotape, obtained by ESPN, replayed over and over again across the nation. Were it not for the media attention, Rice undoubtedly would still be Rutgers' coach today. So now we don't have universities policing themselves, we have the media doing it for them.
There are two men who are responsible for allowing Rice to represent Rutgers four months too long -- two men who failed the students of Rutgers and their families, who failed the taxpayers of New Jersey, who failed that 2007 women's basketball team and who failed Clementi's memory. They are university president Robert Barchi and athletics director Tim Pernetti. Astoundingly, as of Wednesday night, they both still have their jobs. They still are employed by Rutgers and the people of New Jersey.
Barchi has not fired Pernetti, nor has Barchi been fired by the school's board of governors. Pernetti admitted that he watched every last second of the Rice videotape last fall. He saw every punch. He heard every anti-gay and anti-woman epithet. And he still wanted Rice to be his coach.
What's more, Pernetti said Barchi saw the video four months ago. Barchi said he did not. (Sounds like a great working relationship, doesn't it?)
If the university president did see it, he's as culpable as Pernetti. If he didn't, why didn't he? He wasn't curious enough to find out what was happening on his campus to young athletes he has been entrusted to watch over? His AD was suspending his coach for three games and fining him $50,000, and the president didn't want to know and see every detail? Has Rutgers learned nothing from the dreadful cover-up at Penn State, other than how to botch its own cover-up?
Pernetti's behavior is even more astounding considering his background, which should have prepared him to handle just such an event as this. He's a TV guy, working for years in programming for ABC Sports, then moving to the cable start-up CSTV and creating the first-ever 24-hour network dedicated completely to college sports. How could a man with that background not realize that all the damning footage he was looking at was going to get out?
Pernetti, 42, was given the perfect excuse to fire his coach -- first for his behavior, obviously, and also for not winning. Rice was very good at not winning. It's not as if Rice was Bob Knight, with his terrible behavior problems but three NCAA championship banners hanging in the rafters. It should have been an easy call for a young, up-and-coming AD at a school heading to the Big Ten. Instead, the Big Ten has to be shaking its head, wondering what just hit it. First Penn State, now this?
Meanwhile, back in New Jersey, some serious people have a few serious questions for Barchi and Pernetti.
"The leadership at Rutgers must explain to the people of New Jersey why Mr. Rice's firing didn't happen sooner and how such an abusive environment was ever permitted to exist at our state university," said New Jersey Assembly Higher Education Chairwoman Celeste Riley. "If the Rutgers administration refuses to explain itself, I will seek to get the answers the people of our state deserve as to why he wasn't fired sooner."
One coach gone, two officials in big trouble. Apparently just another day at the office at Rutgers University.


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Sunday, November 25, 2018
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Roll20 Mock-Up Map Grid
Posted by 8bitcity at 2:08 AM 8 comments
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Sketch - Girl 2
Drawing in MS Paint.
I had to make the actual image off-centered so it would show up better on the blog.
Sketch - Girl
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Battle for Zendikar - Robot's Red Deck Wins
You might here some talk about how RDW/Burn is gutted, but I'm here to show you that those claims are overblown. To put it bluntly, those people can't play burn in the first place. If mono red was as easy as people think, then every scrub would play it (instead, scrubs play Rhinos).
Burn lost three important cards: Lightning Strike, Searing Blood, and Eidolon of the Great Revel. Of the three, Eidolon is going to hurt the most. Searing Blood will hurt a little, and you won't miss Lightning Strike at all. Here is my decklist for this expansion, and it has already gone 4-0 at one event; this is how we do it:
4x Monastary Swiftspear
4x Hangarback Walker
4x Abbot of Keral Keep
4x Thunderbreak Regent
2-3x Chandra, Fire of Kaldesh
2-3x Mage-Ring Bully
4x Fiery Impulse
4x Wild Slash
4x Exquisite Firecraft
3x Titan's Strength
3x Temur Battle Rage
21x Mountain
4x Arc Lightning
2x Smash to Smithereens
4x Flamewake Phoenix
Xx Rest of your Titan's Strengths, Temur Battle Rages, Chandras, Smash to Smithereens, Mage-Ring Bullies
4x Roast
4x Infectious Bloodlust
1x Zurgo
Creatures Explained
The Thunderbreaks are your coffin nails. Keep four in the mainboard for most matches. He's that good (the same goes for Swifty, Abbot, Wild Slash, and Exquisite). Chandra, the Bully, and the Phoenixes can all be adjusted in the sideboard phases. You don't want the phoenixes if your opponent has a lot of fliers. You don't want bullies when your opponent can force you into bad combat (actually not as common as you think). You don't want Chandra when your opponent is packing too much burn or counters. I always keep at least 2 Chandras in my deck online (via Cockatrice), but at FNM I play with 3. Against a very aggressive counter deck, I might drop even more in favor of phoenixes.
Hangarback and the Bully fill the void left by Eidolon of the Great Revel. At least he finds a home in modern burn, but actually Hangarback is exactly what we want. First, he drops for 2, which the curve here really needs. Second, he can mana-sink, which means you don't need Lightning Berserker. I like Lightning Berserker, but he's very bad right now and doesn't play nice with the deck. Third, the flying tokens put extreme pressure on the opponent, and can save the game when Radiant Flames would wipe your board. Just run the fucker, it is a beast. Learn to tap him for a counter in response to stuff that would kill him and at end of turn.
The Mage-Ring Bully seems like a bad card, but he isn't. Two mana, solid 2/2, and prowess is a force to be reckoned with. His downside is only a downside if your opponent has creatures. We solve this problem with our slashes and impulses.
You can't play Abbot on Turn 2, as it is almost universally a bad move. Statistically, you want to use him to mill through more of your deck so that you draw and can use more of your cards.
Spells Explained
Fiery Impulse and Wild Slash give you 8x 1-mana removals. You will shred them. De-board an impulse or two if your opponent isn't running creatures, but I don't know of any standard deck without creatures.
Exquisite Firecraft is best saved as a finisher. Generally the rule of thumb is you don't want to be using these guys on removal, but this will depend upon the math of the board state and your intuition. Of course there are exceptions: you have to clear something like Soulfire Grandmaster, and you should do it quickly. All hope is not lost if you have to use all your Firecrafts, you just push the game into topdeck mode, hoping to pull Hangarback, Flamewake, Firecraft, or Thunderbreak.
Titan's Strength, Infectious Bloodlust, and Temur Battle Rage are all great cards even if they aren't as straightforwardly awesome as Searing Blood (which, also good for modern). I have dropped Infectious Bloodlust from my deck, but I don't think it's a bad card or choice. I just found the instant-speed combat tricks to be more useful in practical application. Play both tricks at once, on the same guy, and you swing your Bully for 14. Swifty for 12. This is turn three. Your creature is probably buff enough to survive the blocker and trample over plenty of damage. Or, if prowess will be enough to survive the block, play them on the unblocked creature.
Arc Lightning can be your savior. If they play elves, tokens, Jeski, aggro, goblins, thopters, whatever, then bring these into play. You probably have to drop a bully and some combat tricks.
Pilot the Deck
Prowess lets you stack aggro damage. If you get an opening (i.e. unblocked creature) Go ahead and play Titan's Strength if the scry would be useful and you don't also have Temur Battle Rage. Those two cards are your god-combo, so don't throw away half of the set lightly. Likewise, you want to always kind of hope for a Thunderbreak swing with Temur Battle Rage.
Keep clearing those creatures with wild slash and fiery impulse. Don't use wild slash for face damage unless you know for sure that you can win. You will lose the game if you opponent keeps his Soulfire Grandmaster, Seeker of the Way, or Drana for too long.
On that note, don't neglect spell mastery for fiery impulse. It's often best to use wild slash first, even though it can attack the face, because impulse will now clear mantis riders and other strong dudes.
Don't let managorger hydra suvrive at all. Same for Hangarback, Chandra, Nissa, Jace, Lilliana, anything with lifelink, etc. Really don't let anything live. Maybe a token. You might have to let elves live too, if you think they have a better elf.
Planning for Your MetaBecause I'm thinking of many different metas here, you'll want to tailor your deck for your own environment. For example, no one ever runs Abzan at my local game shop, so I don't even sideboard roast. If you know there are rhino decks, even a mainboarded set of 2x roasts wouldn't be out of the question.
First, if your meta is very powerful, I would run two Chandras and 3 Bullies. I run 3 Chandras and 2 Bullies at mine, as it is a much weaker environment than cockatrice (see; www.woogerworks.com).
Knowing a store's meta is usually not too hard for mono red, as you will have plenty of time to glance at other players' games with all your free time. Don't think about it too hard, however, and don't neglect to run the essential cards (including Hangarback walker and Chandra) until the next set.
Expect fiery impulse and wild slash to always be in the deck as well, there will be plenty to burn in this meta. Not sure there is anything wrong with packing the Hangarbacks Walkers through this set and reaping the rewards of victory. The card is stupid good.
Your Worst NightmareRadiant Flames. Board wipes. Other Thunderbreak Regents. You don't want to overextend yourself to getting wiped. Similarly, sometimes it might be better to ping them a few times without your combat tricks instead of inviting the kill-spell early on. This, however, is all in the mind-reading aspect of MtG, so judge your opponent well and don't play into his/her hand.
With that said, don't be afraid to take a chance! You are MONO RED! The red deck always wins*
Putting It all Together: Robot's Red Deck Wins
Here is the deck I play online. At FNM I used 3 Chandras and 2 Bullies in the mainboard, anticipating being able to flip her (which happened often, leading to many wins).
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Exquisite Firecraft
4 Abbot of Keral Keep
4 Wild Slash
4 Fiery Impulse
4 Thunderbreak Regent
21 Mountain
2 Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh
3 Titan's Strength
3 Temur Battle Rage
3 Mage-Ring Bully
4 Hangarback Walker
SB: 4 Arc Lightning
SB: 2 Smash to Smithereens
SB: 1 Mage-Ring Bully
SB: 1 Zurgo Bellstriker
SB: 1 Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh
SB: 4 Flamewake Phoenix
SB: 1 Titan's Strength
SB: 1 Temur Battle Rage
I wonder if the extra tricks are useless, however, and if I would be better off with roast. I just can't see myself swapping roast into the deck, same for draconic roar--I'd rather have fiery impulse. If they pack hate for artifacts and have strong fliers, however, I could see needing more combat tricks.
The other reason for the inclusion of the 4th Temur Battle Rage is that I'm not sure if this card is actually just fucking broken or what. I feel like it probably is really amazing, but I don't know what to take out.
I am confidant that this amount of creatures is needed in order for the deck to go off. Two less creatures and losing a dude becomes losing the game very often. Hangarback gives us some lingering effects, which we really wanted. Hangarback is just good fun and solves many problems for us. He's also a 4-drop if we have the mana, so no longer do we just rely on topdecking a dragon. It really is perfect. Bully gives us some cheap, serious threats that also works very, very with every one of our spells.
Zurgo doesn't do enough for us. He can't chump, so he basically has to attack to be useful. Bully also has to attack, but he has prowess. Your opponent might also let the bully slide, knowing she can kill it in two turns, but it will be two late. You slap down Titan and Temur for 14 dmg and your Swifty swings for 3.
We aren't going to have an delusions of winning on T3 most of the time. We will have the momentum, but the win will have to come on T5-6 for most games. That's just standard, and it's the price we pay for Thunderbreak Regent.
*the red deck does not always win, but it wins a lot.
Posted by 8bitcity at 5:30 PM 5 comments
Monday, September 28, 2015
The Problem with Duck Tales
Duck Tales is great, but it has a huge design flaw that proves glaringly obvious after years of absence--the pogo mechanic.
Before I get any further, I want my games to be tough as coffin nails, but I also want some standard of living: customizable controls, decent options, good hitboxes, etc. Duck Tales offers none of this. At the other end of the spectrum we have Super Meat Boy, an amazing game with incredible difficulty, but extreme care taken to ensure that the experience (often called "quality of life" in a game, is extremely high). In Duck Tales, the hit boxes are far too large for most things, but even this can be worked around. I'll leave the hit boxes alone for now, and get back to the point.
There is no reason to have to press down on the D-pad to activate the pogo stick. You only have to do this on the first bounce, then you can just hold B. This causes problems when you are pressing diagonal-down and the pogo stick disappears at the last minute causing you to take a hit. The only thing this does is make the game worse, if you think this adds challenge or difficulty...not sure what to say. They could have used controls similar to Castle of Illusion, just hit B in the air to start the pogo. Instead they copied Commander Keen, and the game is worse for it.
If B actually did something in the air, I could see the need to press down. But it doesn't. If B made you run, like in Super Mario, then this would make sense. But it doesn't. Again, you have to press an extra button for no reason.
I like my difficulty to come from level design, insane challenges, and precision timing. Not much of that here.
This problem is easily fixable if playing on a PC emulator, but it is a little complicated. You have to map the down arrow on your keyboard to the down arrow for your emulator, then, using Joy 2 Key assign both the down arrow on your d-pad and the B button to also activate the down arrow on the keyboard. If you did it correctly, you should be able to bounce without ever pressing down on the d-pad. This isn't without one small change: if your pogo stick misses a ledge, but only slightly, Scrooge will stick to the ledge and be ducking down. Not a huge deal.
Before you say this is cheating, just be aware that in the speedrunning/highscore community choice of controller, monitor, button mapping, control configs, etc. are all perfectly legal and fine. I consider this customizing the controls, but you might not. If you like how the game is now, then by all means, just ignore this topic. If you've ever been frustrated at the pogo stick disappearing milliseconds before you make contact with thr ground, however, then you might want to try out this trick.
If you don't like this setup, however, this is another option if you have some trigger buttons. It's much easier to activate the pogo if you map the right trigger to down as well. Now you can't say there is an advantage in mapping two buttons to the same button, and you are firmly in the realm of customizing the controls. The major downside is, of course, having to play on an emulator and not being able to use your cartridge.
It appears that the creators of the remastered version also agree with me, by the way, as it appears you do not have to press down in the new version to activate the pogo stick.
In the end, Duck Tales is still an amazing game.
Posted by 8bitcity at 12:08 AM 4 comments
Labels: 8bit, capcom, duck tales, ducktales, joy2key, NES, rant, Super Meat Boy, video game, video games
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Playing through Dragon Warrior again
Warning, some of the ending to the game is shown in the screenshots down below.
Not that I think many people are concerned about Dragon Warrior spoilers, but if one were I'd had to be the guy that ruined this game for someone else.
When I was five I only had a few NES games: Mario/Duck Hunt, Zelda, Friday the 13th, Karnov, Adventure Island II, and Dragon Warrior. I might like other games more than these, but somewhere deep in my subconsciousness these things are permanently etched into my brain.
So it's always fun to go back and re-explore the kingdom of Alefgard. This time I didn't even stop to take names, just grabbed all the Erdrick equipment at level 14 and then grinded my way to 20. I tried to beat the Dragonlord at 17, 18, and 19. No dice. Although certainly possible to do, it was absolutely impossible to defeat the Dragonlord without relying on at least 2 "coinflips." Essentially I was looking at something of a 25% success rate given my characters stats. I decided I'd rather spend the 30 minutes grinding from 19 to 20. If I had just done that in the first place it would have been much faster, but less fun.
If you want to complete the game quickly, you need to skip about 40% of the purchasable upgrades. As far as weapons go, avoid the bamboo pole; it's too weak and the club is better. Also avoid the Flame Sword, you do not need it; instead buy the Silver Shield as soon as you can, because you will use this for the rest of the game.
You also do not need to buy the Chain Armor or Full Plate. Instead only get Leather, Half, Magic. You could get Full Plate instead of magic armor, but I found that the extra 5000 gold was not too hard to get when fighting Goldmen and Wyverns south of Rimuldar.
The Axe Knight can be difficult, but I got a crit on him which gave me the armor early. I would suggest several attempts at him using repel water, and reset if you die. Rumors exist that sleep can work, but good luck with that.
Adding more party members to the game just slows down the formula. I wish more RPGs actually felt like you were the character, not some Starcraft Overmind issuing commands to an army of wizards and warriors.
On to Dragon Warrior II.
Posted by 8bitcity at 4:11 PM 7 comments
Labels: dragon quest, dragon warrior, NES, Nintendo Power, rpg
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Diamonds, diamonds are said to be a girl's best friend. With Valentines Day right around the corner, most men will be giving the gift of love by giving some form of jewelry that has a diamond or diamonds in it. Some men even find this particular holiday perfect for wining and dining the female and then proposing for her hand in marriage. And then there are always the men that are afraid of commitment, and these are the ones that show their love with a diamond necklace or earrings. Which is fine too, but lets not wait to long or you will lose the woman of your dreams and the money spent on that luxurious gift would have been for nothing. As we all know diamonds are nothing more than rocks and almost 50% of them are mined in central and southern Africa. Diamonds are mined from kimberlite and lamproite volcanic pipes that are brought to the surface in the form of diamond crystals that come from deep inside the earth where high pressure and temperatures form the crystals. Over time there has been some controversy over the way these jewels are mined and sold and are referred to as being (blood diamonds) by some African groups. But lets shy away from that subject and talk about how the loving holiday of Valentines Day is only a little more than a week away, so save your paycheck and buy a gift for the one you love like a diamond ring, or if you can't afford one you can always follow this tutorial on how to draw a diamond ring and send her one via e-mail. The easy step by step instructions shows you in detail how the diamond ring is easy to draw.
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text: It was the first day of school and a new student named Pedro Martinez, the son of a Mexican restaurateur, entered the fourth grade. The teacher said, "Let's begin by reviewing some American history. Who said 'Give me Liberty, or give me Death?'" She saw a sea of blank faces, except for Pedro, who had his hand up. "Patrick Henry, 1775." "Very good!" apprised the teacher. "Now, who said, 'Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth'?" Again, no response except from Pedro: "Abraham Lincoln, 1863." The teacher snapped at the class, "Class, you should be ashamed! Pedro, who is new to our country, knows more about its history than you do!" She heard a loud whisper from the back of the classroom: "Screw the Mexicans!" "Who said that?" she demanded. Pedro put his hand up. "Jim Bowie, 1836." At that point, another student in the back said, "I'm gonna puke." The teacher glared and asked, "All right! Now, who said that?" Again, Pedro answered, "George Bush to the Japanese Prime Minister, 1991." Another student yelled, "You're INCREDIBLE!" Pedro jumped out of his chair waving his hand and shouting to the teacher, "Bill Clinton to Monica Lewinsky, 1997!" Now, with almost mob hysteria, the teacher said, "You little punk ... if you say anything else, I'll kill you!" Pedro frantically yelled at the top of his voice, "Gary Condit to Chandra Levy, 2001." The teacher fainted, and as the class gathered around her on the floor, someone said, "Oh crap, we're in BIG trouble now!" Pedro whispered, "Saddam Hussein, 2003." Finally someone throws an eraser at Pedro and another student shouts "Duck"! Teacher, just waking, asked "Who said that?" Pedro answered: "Dick Cheney, 2006!"


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Harvard puts win streaks on the line against Cornell and Dartmouth to open the year (Gil Talbot).
Story Line
The Harvard men's swimming and diving team will begin the 2012-13 season traveling to Ithaca, N.Y. for a tri-meet against Cornell and Dartmouth Saturday, Nov. 10 at 4:30 p.m. The Crimson owns a 49-2 record all-time against Cornell and has won five straight meetings with the Big Red. Harvard also boasts a 69-11 record against Dartmouth with a streak of 40 consecutive victories over the Big Green.
Welcome Back
The Crimson welcomes back 29 letterwinners from the 2011-12 squad, including All-American's Chuck Katis, Oliver Lee, Chris Satterthwaite, Griffin Schumacher and Zach Walters. Harvard also returns eight All-Ivy performers from a year ago, including Spenser Goodman, Katis, Lee, Mike Mosca, Jack Pretto, Satterthwaite, Schumacher and Walters.
Fresh Faces
Harvard's incoming class of 2016 was ranked as the sixth-best recruiting class in the country by CollegeSwimming.com and includes four All-Americans, six state champions and six academic All-Americans. Five of the nine, Christian Carbone, Steven Kekacs, Jacob Luna, Tyler Rocca and Christian Yeager, competed at the 2012 Olympic Team Trials this summer along with eight current members of the Crimson.
Related Article: Men's Swimming and Diving Adds Nine For 2012-13 Season
Harvard owns an impressive record of 39-5 in duals meets since 2007-08 with a 16-3 mark at home in Blodgett Pool. This includes a pair of undefeated seasons in 2007-08 and 2010-11 and two Ivy League Dual Meet crowns.
Olympic Feats
Current assistant coach and former Crimson standout Alex Meyer '10 competed in his first Olympic Games this summer, placing 10th in the men's 10k marathon. Meyer stayed with the lead pack early and was in third place after the second lap, but fell behind before turning in his fastest split of the race, 18:07.1, on the final lap to finish 10th in 1 hour, 50 minutes, 48.2 seconds.
Tim Murphy, The Ulen-Brooks Endowed Coach for Harvard Men's Swimming and Diving, served as the head coach of Team USA's open water squad at the London Games. Along with Meyer, Murphy helped guide Haley Anderson to the country's first-ever medal in the 10k marathon with a second place performance on the women's side.
Related Articles: Meyer '10 Places 10th in Men's Open Water 10k Marathon; Murphy Guides Anderson to America's First Ever Medal in Open Water 10k Marathon; London Calling: Head Men's Swimming Coach Tim Murphy Blogs About Olympic Experience
Three Crimson Set PR's at U.S. Open Swimming Championships
During the off season, Chris Satterthwaite, Chuck Katis and Christian Carbone competed at the 2012 U.S. Open Swimming Championships. Satterthwaite competed in the 50, 100 and 200 free, setting a new personal record in all three events and just missing the cut for the World University Games rosters for the 100 and 200 free.
Katis competed in the 100 breast, 200 breast and 200 IM, and set PR's in all three events en route to the finals. Carbone competed in five events, and earned his best finish with an 11th-place showing in the 400 IM.
Harvard at U.S. Olympic Swimming Trails
The Harvard men's swimming program was well represented at the 2012 Olympic Swimming Trials as 15 current, future and former Crimson took to the pool in Omaha, Neb., vying for a spot in the London Olympic Games.
Chuck Katis turned in Harvard's best all-around performance with top-50 finishes in the 100 breast, 200 breast and the 200 IM. The rising sophomore narrowly missed advancing to the 100 breast semifinals.
Incoming freshman Steven Kekacs finished 46th in the 1,500 free, just six spots behind 2012 Olympian and current assistant coach Alex Meyer '10. Sophomores Mike Gaudiani and Reed Snyder also competed in the event.
Also competing in Omaha for the Crimson were current team members Spenser Goodman, Oliver Lee, Chris Satterthwaite, Griffin Schumacher and Zach Walters.
Mosca Impresses at U.S. Olympic Diving Trails
Mike Mosca turned heads at the U.S. Olympic Diving Trials as he and his partner Toby Stanley of Conway, Ark. placed sixth in the three-meter synchronized diving competition. The rising sophomore also advanced to the semifinals of the three-meter individual competition earlier in the week, and finished in 18th place.
Coaches Corner
Tim Murphy is back for his 15th season as the Ulen-Brooks Endowed Coach for Harvard Men's Swimming and Diving. Murphy has guided the Crimson to a 113-11 overall record in duals meets with an Ivy League mark of 104-9. Murphy's teams have captures six EISL titles while earning All-America honors in 22 individual events and four relays.
Head diving coach Keith Miller is in his 22nd season with the Crimson and has mentored 21 conference champions. Assistant coach Kevin Tyrrell enters his fourth season boasting three straight top-20 recruiting classes. Joining the staff this season is Alex Meyer '12, a member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic team and former All-American at Harvard.


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The third largest city in the state of Connecticut, New Haven contains numerous scenic locations for your engagement photography session.
One of the most famous buildings in New Haven's downtown area is the New Haven Public Library, located on the edge of the Yale University campus. Here, your engagement photographer can organize a portrait of your and your fiancee beside one of the towering Corinthian columns or seated on the building's white marble steps. Your photographer can also use the ornate front entrance to frame an intimate photo of you and your loved one. Afterward, the two of you can pose beneath the trees in the foreground of the building or beside one of the immaculate lamp posts, using the library's gorgeous neo-Georgian architecture as a backdrop.
Once you've finished at the New Haven Public Library, take a short walk over to Wooster Square, located just a few blocks away from the Yale campus. A popular photography location for tourists and New Havenites alike, Wooster Square is a small downtown park famous for its countless cherry blossom trees. Have your photographer take some candid photos of you and your fiancee as you take a leisurely promenade along the path that dissects the park. Dry weather permitting, you and your loved one can also relax on the square's lush green as your photographer takes some snapshots. Finally, pose for some truly romantic photos beneath one of the pink cherry blossom trees, which provide an amazing floral display in the Spring.
As a finishing touch to you engagement photo album, take a stroll along Long Wharf Park, which runs along the small waterfront district that goes by the same name. Here, your engagement photographer can snap some casual photos as you and your loved one take a walk along the fenced-off path. You can also pose for an intimate portrait out on Long Wharf Pier, which extends into the New Haven Harbor.
The prominence of New Haven in American colonial history makes it home to a number of historic buildings and landmarks. One of the most intriguing of these sites is the famous Pardee Morris House, a remnant of the Revolutionary War, which will provide a unique location for your engagement photo shoot. Once you arrive at this New Haven treasure, you can have your engagement photographer take some photos of you and your fiancee one the expansive front lawn or beneath one of the large shade trees in the front yard. Afterward, your engagement photographer can frame an intimate portrait near the front entrance of the house. You and your fiancee can then explore the exterior of the structure, stopping to pose in front of the white walls. Certain sections of the exterior walls are covered in aged red brick and will provide some rugged backdrops for your engagement photos.
After you've finished at the Pardee Morris House, take a short drive over to Fort Hale Park- another one of New Haven's historic sites, located just a mile away. The park contains a preserved fort from the late 18th century that is open to the public today. You and your fiancee can start off by walking through the park's lush grassy areas as your engagement photographer captures some snapshots. Pose for an intimate portrait on the park's miniature bridge. You can also have your photographer take some photos against the backdrop of the fort's exterior walls. Finally, walk to the edge of the fort near Morris Cove and take some seated photos on the large rocks that protrude into the water.
In addition to its numerous Colonial-era landmarks, New Haven is also home to some of the most gorgeous natural landscapes in the entire New England area. The most beautiful of these can be found at West Rock Ridge State Park, located in the northwestern part of New Haven. The park provides lots a seven-mile winding pathway that will work perfectly for the couple that loves the outdoors. As you and your fiancee explore the unperturbed wilderness, your engagement photographer can use your scenic surroundings as a natural backdrop. At the northwest corner of the park, you'll find the tranquil Konolds Pond, which is surrounded by lush greenery. If you're in the mood for an invigorating hike, make the ascent to West Rock Ridge, from the top of which you can enjoy breathtaking views of over 200 miles of New England landscape. From here, your engagement photographer can take some stunning engagement photos of you and your fiancee, using the New Haven Harbor and Long Island Sound to create a amazing backdrop.
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A number of you have asked about the status of the new coastal weather radar--the one destined for the Washington Coast. At the recent annual meeting of the American Meteorological Society, several of us had the chance to sit down with the NWS folks that are responsible for the installation of the new radar. Let me tell you what we have learned.
Bottom line: the National Weather Service is confident that the new radar will be operational by the end of September (2011).
So by the start of the next storm season, we will finally be able to see the details of incoming storms and weather systems. This is fortunate--next year will probably be a neutral El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) year...neither El Nino nor La Nina. Such years are the ones when the most powerful storms hit our region (but no guarantees storm lovers!!)
Now the details.
First, the location of the radar is now public knowledge: Langley Hill in Grays Harbor County (see map). A wonderful location, with clear views out to the Pacific Ocean (see coverage map below for .5 degree elevation angle). And the radar will able to see the heavy precipitation on the windward side of the Olympics and over the Willapa Hills. The National Weather Service is close to signing the final paperwork for leasing that site.
Second, the National Weather Service now has our radar in hand. This is not a new radar, but one used for training purposes by the military (and the only one available) and identical to the radars used by the NWS over the rest of the country (known as the NEXRAD or WSR-88D radars). I was told it was "lightly used" , sort of like buying a used car from an elderly grandmother. It will be completely refurbished and updated before installation. Using a preexisting radar not only saves money, but the NWS folks know how to maintain and service it. They were nervous about getting a new radar--one different than the current network.
Third, our radar will be one of the first in the nation to be updated with dual-polarization. All the current radars are single polarization, which means the electromagnetic radiation it emits has only one orientation--horizontal (see figure). In dual polarization, two orientations (horizontal and vertical) are emitted and received. Why is this good? Well, by getting the two orientations all kinds of magic is possible---determining the shape and type of precipitation, getting a much better handle on the intensity of precipitation (especially in terrain), and more. Eventually all the NWS radars will have it, but this will be one of the first.
Fourth, our radar will be the ONLY one in the nation using a zero degree scan angle. Weather radars scan in two ways. First, they constantly turn in azimuth (0 to 360 degrees). During the first scan the antenna is directly at an angle .5 degree above the horizon. Then it does a scan at 1.0 degrees, then 1.5 degrees, etc. Here is a figure that shows you the height of the radar beams for the various scan angles close to the radar (up to 120 nautical miles, 220 km).Now the lowest scan is near the surface close to the radar, but get 100 km out and the beam is 1000 meters up in the air! And at 200 km out the beam is 2000 meters (over 6000 ft) above the surface. So you are missing what is happening lower down. These radars can view 300-400 km out, so you can miss a lot at low levels, particularly at a distance. And WE want to see as much as possible at low levels over the Pacific!
Several of us have pushed the NWS to do something special with this radar, allowing a zero degree angle, and they have agreed. This will allow us to see much farther out at low levels than normal and will be a boon for viewing weather out over the Pacific. Again, no other NWS radar in the country has this capability--hopefully our radar will inspire the NWS to try this elsewhere.
During the next few months, a lot of action will begin at the site. Trenching for utilities, putting down a concrete pad, erecting a building for the generator, putting up the tower, and more. The radar should be installed midsummer. By late September a local meteorological revolution will occur and for the first time one of the stormiest areas in the country will be able to see incoming storms. And folks in the coastal communities and those in the marine industries of the Washington Pacific coast will have what the rest of us have enjoyed for years...decent weather radar coverage, with all the safety and economic benefits. Finally, I should note that Senator Maria Cantwell deserves credit for getting the resources to make this happen.


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When Dolphins owner Stephen Ross released a statement telling the world what kind of person he wants as the team's next general manager he included this sentence: "This individual also must be a person with integrity who is open-minded and creative."
"Integrity" is a word that should not be ignored here. Ross, I'm told, wanted that in there because right now the Dolphins don't have a very good reputation within the NFL personnel community for, among other things, the manner they traded Davone Bess.
Bess, as has been widely reported this week, is troubled. And as The Herald reported this week, he was troubled before the Dolphins traded him in April 2013 to the Cleveland Browns. Less than one month before shipping Bess out, the Dolphins learned Bess's family had him Marchman Acted so he could be evaluated and receive treatment for the emotional or psychological issues that seemed to be troubling him.
But while the Dolphins knew Bess was troubled, sources confirm they took a don't-ask-don't-tell approach on the matter when shopping and trading Bess. The Dolphins did not offer information on Bess's apparent personal instability, according to multiple sources.
[Update: Another source confirms the Dolphins did not offer information but did tell the Browns to "do their homework."]
Now, an aqua-and-orange bleeding Dolphins fan might smile and consider this a coup. They might think the Dolphins pulled the wool over the Browns. Ha-ha, yeah too bad. Buyer beware.
That is not how most NFL teams conduct business.
Most would have simply cut Bess rather than run the risk of seemingly serving up a potential lemon without some sort of disclosure to another team. Why is this?
Well, because even though players come and players go, and front office people come and front office people go, teams remain. And personal reputations remain.
And having a reputation as a team or individual that cannot be a trusted trade partner is a bad thing. You can be certain the people who made the trade for Cleveland will never trust former Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland again. You can also be certain the Browns will likely be distrustful of the Dolphins in the future unless fences are mended.
Credibility and respect are currency in the NFL and no one wants to be bankrupt.
You have no idea how many NFL people I talk to tell me about the respect they have for one another despite the fact they want to bash each other's heads in on game day.
Once upon a time the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys fought for NFC East dominance year in and out. And yet Tom Landry served up advice to young Bill Parcells. The Oakland Raiders roster was known an NFL rogue's gallery and yet Al Davis offered advice to practically any young coach or personnel man who called.
There was an honor code among these men and although the times have changed, much of that code remains. Not all of it, but much of it.
The Dolphins broke that code by not disclosing Bess's problems to the Browns. Indeed, if they'd decided they didn't want to break confidence with the Bess family because their son had been a valued member of the organization for four years, the right move would have been to simply cut Bess and walk away.
That message, I'm told has reached Dolphins ownership.
And that's one reason the word "integrity" was used in the statement Steve Ross released when he began searching for a new GM.


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Members of the Arts in Society knowledge community create and share knowledge in three ways: at our annual conference, through writing and peer reviewing books and articles for our journals; and in online interactions including Scholar, community newsletters, and our news feed.
We accept proposals for presentations at the annual conference throughout the year, with regular intermediate review deadlines. The content of your proposal should address the topics outlined in the Proposal Guidelines, fit into one of the presentation types, and include all requested biographical information.
Go to Submitting Your Work: Conference Presentations for information, timelines, and step-by-step instructions. If you wish to participate in the community but are unable to attend the conference in person, you may still submit a proposal for article submission.
We invite scholars and practitioners working in the arts to submit an article for peer-review and possible publication in one of the journals in the the Arts in Society Collection. If you are attending the International Conference on the Arts in Society, you may submit a complete academic article based on your accepted presentation proposal. If you are not attending the conference, you may submit a paper based on your accepted proposal for article submission.
If your article is accepted after peer review, publication in the Arts in Society Collection requires community membership. If you attend the conference in person, you receive knowledge community membership until one year after the end of the conference. If you are not attending the conference, we offer a stand-alone membership option.
Go to Submitting Your Work: Journal Articles to learn more about this process.
Common Ground Publishing welcomes proposals or completed manuscript submissions of the following: individually and jointly authored books, edited collections addressing a clear, intellectually challenging theme, or collections of papers published in one of our journals.
Go to Submitting Your Work: Book Proposals for more information.
As a supplement to either in-person presentations at the conference or to article submissions by members not attending the conference this year, we encourage members of the Arts in Society knowledge community to submit online presentations for the community YouTube channel. These video submissions may be PowerPoint presentations (with or without audio) or may come in another form of your choice. We link to online presentations on each proposal's page in the List of Accepted Proposals.
For information about submitting your online presentation, go to Submitting Your Work: Online Presentations.
Scholar is a cutting edge "social knowledge" technology. In Scholar, creators use a beautifully simple 'semantic editor' to created multimodal knowledge representations that include text, image, video, audio, dataset—and in fact, any other digital media. Other scholars can provide feedback on their knowledge using specially designed knowledge filters. Here, people can connect and interact with peers and knowledge community admins in free-flowing knowledge dialogues. In Scholar, you can create your personal profile and publication portfolio page and create new communities. You can also post a link to your the page in the Common Ground bookstore for your published article or book. Or, if you have chosen the open access option, you may share the entire article.


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The Last of Us: PlayStation 3 goes out with a big, big bang (review)
Naughty Dog, the game development studio behind the Uncharted series for PlayStation 3, had a lot to live up to. They had just finished the successful and critically acclaimed Uncharted trilogy and were introducing a new franchise at the 2011 Spike TV Video Game Awards. Expectations were high, to say the least. Thus began hype machine surrounding The Last of Us, a new horror-survival game. The excitement leading up to its release last month was immense in the gaming world, but would it live up to it?
Oh yes, it does.
The game takes place in a not-too-distant future, in a United States that 20 years ago was ravaged by a
virus viral fungus that turned humans into zombie-like creatures (and worse). The world is pretty much demolished with people trying to survive any way they can, living in militarized "safe zones" or taking up arms in abandoned cities and living life as a bandit preying on the weak.
You play as Joel, a smuggler living life one job at a time, who went through more in his life than what most men could take. But Joel's latest job is one he's reluctant to take.


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Hidden doors can be stored in the wall and taken out to divide rooms. They are often found in older Craftsman and Mediterranean-style homes in Palo Alto, he said, adding that they can separate dining and living rooms, and the craftsmanship of their paneling and glazing is a focal point.
Dining-room tables can be set for a dinner party with the pocket doors closed, then the spaces merged into one large room when they're opened, according to Stoumen. Other examples include a home office adjacent to living space, hidden by a pocket door, or even an exterior door (when stowed) that can merge indoor space with an adjacent porch, he added.
Barn doors, which are hung from a rail above the door opening, can "conceal work alcoves, sleeping alcoves, storage, even bathrooms," and take up no room other than wall space.
The flexibility and value they add to living situations is well worth it, although they cost a bit more and require adjustments over time, he added.
"Since they allow an unimpeded access, they are great opening onto porches, gardens and areas with a great view," he said. "During parties, they integrate indoors and outdoors in a way that is seamless and much less cramped."
Stoumen has been designing homes with pocket doors since the '90s, when he added a 10-foot-wide extension to the dining-room opening by the garden and pool.
However, pocket doors can cause problems more often than regular doors, according to John Hammerschmidt of Hammerschmidt Construction, Los Altos.
"I'm against them," he said.
Pocket doors slide into the wall, and rollers can wear out. He's also concerned that pocket doors in bathrooms could warp, due to the humidity in the room.
"Barn doors are good if the person is OK with a more modern look," he said, adding some people would rather have a more traditional-looking door. Barn doors are hung on a rail and slide open and closed.
Not many people have asked his company to install these types of doors, he said.
Barn doors are becoming very popular now and are a type of fashion statement, according to Bobby Stenrose, owner of Bay Area Molding and Door, Fremont.
People who want their doors to be visible use barn doors instead of the pocket doors because the barn doors are exposed at all times.
"Barn doors are fancy, stylish and exposed on the wall," he said. "Doors are furniture hanging from the wall."
While barn doors are getting more popular, he said pocket doors are "on their way out."
And more aesthetically pleasing doors are definitely on the rise, he said, especially in nicer homes.
Bi-folding doors, which stack to one side, are another option.
In the Southgate neighborhood, Stoumen designed a home with two sets of Italian folding doors that provide an 18-foot-wide opening between the kitchen and dining room and the garden and entertainment area.
Sophia Stevenson, vice president of America Italiana, San Jose, sees an interest in bi-fold and pocket doors as a new trend.
The company designs and manufactures windows and doors, including custom-made work for clients.
She finds clients can maximize indoor/outdoor access by using space-saving doors, such as bi-folds.
"It's a way to get more from a home," she said.
When the door is made of glass, the standard procedure is double-glazing. Stevenson said people now ask for them to be triple-glazed, with sunshades incorporated in the frames or with mosquito screens enclosed.
The investment in glass and ventilation saves energy and creates more of a visual space, she said.
Part of what drives up installation costs is creating the box for the pocket door, or adding in the right hardware for a barn door.
"It's a way for people to have more freedom," she said. "There's more flow between the inside and outside, people can enjoy nature and close off the elements when necessary."
For more Home and Real Estate news, visit www.paloaltoonline.com/real_estate.
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Theater producers love turning movies into musicals, and the energetic, Oscar-winning "Slumdog Millionaire" looks like a good candidate for a screen-to-stage makeover. But after years of negotiations proved fruitless, a planned London musical about the rags-to-riches game show contestant is now being developed without the participation of any of the film's key creators, including director Danny Boyle and composer A.R. Rahman.
The loss of Rahman means that the popular song "Jai Ho," along with the Indian songwriter's other compositions for the 2009 best picture Oscar winner, would not be a part of a "Slumdog Millionaire" musical.
Boyle, who is currently producing the opening ceremonies for the Summer Olympics, Rahman, screenwriter Simon Beaufoy and producer Christian Colson wanted to collaborate on the musical and talks about a potential "Slumdog Millionaire" adaptation started soon after the film's theatrical release.
But the quartet apparently asked for standard creative rights and ownership that producer Paul Smith, whose Celador Films made the 2008 movie, was unwilling to grant, according to four people close to the film who were not authorized to speak publicly.
"I'm certainly saddened by what's happened," Beaufoy said in an email. Rahman and Boyle's representatives confirmed that their clients are not working on the show, while Colson declined to comment.
Beaufoy is the screenwriter of the 1997 movie "The Full Monty," which was turned into a successful stage musical that debuted at the Old Globe in San Diego and transferred to Broadway in 2000. (Beaufoy didn't write the book for the "Full Monty" musical.)
The "Slumdog" musical is in the very early stages of development and might not open for a couple of years, but Smith has discussed hiring screenwriter Julian Fellowes ("Gosford Park" and Broadway's "Mary Poppins") and director Matthew Warchus ("God of Carnage," "Ghost: The Musical"), according to people familiar with the musical who were not authorized to speak publicly. A representative for Fellowes said the screenwriter is not currently attached to the show; an agent for Warchus did not reply to an email.
Smith said that "nobody is contracted or close to it" and that mention of any specific names would be "speculation. I cannot say very much because I don't have a lot to say. There's absolutely nothing at the moment." He said there could be some announcements about the show in the next several weeks. Smith acknowledged that without Rahman's involvement or permission, the musical could not use the film's songs.
Smith said that before the musical can be developed further he needs to acquire rights to some of the underlying material, including the book on which the film is based, Vikas Swarup's "Q&A," and the game show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire," which Celador created but later sold to Sony.
In addition to directing movies, the 55-year-old Boyle has a distinguished record staging plays in London, primarily at the Royal Court and at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Two years ago, the British filmmaker directed an acclaimed production of "Frankenstein." The 46-year-old Rahman's theatrical record is not as established. He collaborated with Andrew Lloyd Webber on the musical "Bombay Dreams" and the Finnish band Värttinä on a theatrical version of "The Lord of the Rings."
Musicals based on movies have a long history, but are doing particularly well on Broadway right now, even though "Leap of Faith" just closed after a very brief run. Among the current hit shows are "Once," "Newsies" and "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert." Disney's theatrical arm, which made the global blockbuster "The Lion King," is currently developing stage versions of "Shakespeare in Love," "Freaky Friday" and "Father of the Bride."
Broadway musical 'Leap of Faith' to close on Sunday
New movies-to-stage fund backs 'Flamingo Kid' musical
'The Lion King' surpasses 'Phantom of the Opera' as box-office champ


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What was assumed to be official White Sox news became just that prior to Thursday's game against the Cubs, when manager Ozzie Guillen announced rookie Brent Morel as the team's starting third baseman.
Mark Teahen will fill the super-sub role, playing third base, first base and the outfield.
"Teahen will be here just for his offense," Guillen said. "Moving around to different positions, it's hard for everyone. We don't expect him to be a Gold Glove. We expect him to do the best he can. There's no doubt if this kid [Morel] makes the ballclub, he has to play every day."
Guillen plans to protect Morel against tough right-handed pitchers, but won't use Teahen only against those high-end hurlers.
March 24, 2011
Brent Morel gets 3B
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Take our Grande Bay Resort video tour and discover the natural beauty and historic past of neighboring St. John, including videos of Cruz Bay, Trunk Bay, the Annaberg Plantation, favorite local sports like the Soggy Dollar Bar and more!
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