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From a contrarian I've had respect for throughout this fiasco. May want to factor in his views, especially if you are following some of the TV 'heads', and other "buy & hold" practitioners.
The Calm Before the Storm?
by Bill Bonner
Ouzilly, France
Is the rally over?
Not at all! The world's bankers say the economy is recovering. Investors believe them; they're bidding up stocks.
Stocks and oil are at their highest levels so far this year. With such profits at hand people figure they don't need the dollar. Investors run to the safety of the greenback when financial storms approach. But now...they think it will be clear sailing.
"Worlds bankers suggest rebound may be under way," says a headline at The New York Times.
Is the world economy really recovering? Should you buy stocks now to take advantage of this new bull market?
You already know the answer, dear reader.
After a fall comes a bounce. And along with the bounce come a lot of silly ideas. You see how it works? "Markets make opinions," say the old timers on Wall Street. When stocks are going up investors find reasons why they are going up. Pretty soon, they've convinced themselves that they'll go up forever.
But bounces do not last forever. They aren't giant turtles...they're moths. After a few months of flitting around bright lights, they dry up. When exactly this summer of winged love will end, we don't know. September or October is our guess. But we have little doubt it will come to an end soon.
Ultimately, stock prices depend on earnings. People compare the rate of return they can get from stocks to what they can get from other investments. Rising earnings signal higher rates of return, so investors pay more.
During the great credit expansion of 1945-2007, businesses could anticipate, generally, rising earnings. People were buying more and more things on credit. In a national economy, businesses pay wages and then the employees use the wages to buy products. The wages are a 'cost' to the business...but they are also the source of business revenue. When sales come from credit, on the other hand, businesses have the revenue but no wage cost. Profits go up.
Now, the cycle has turned. Businesses still have the wage cost. But instead of using the money to buy things, the employee uses it to repay loans for purchases made last year or the year before. Now the business has the cost but not the revenue.
As they say in the economic textbooks: bummer.
The process of de-leveraging will be slow. Maybe five years. Maybe 15. Maybe 25. It will go up and down...with high unemployment (businesses will cut their wage costs as sales fail to recover)...low prices (at least in real terms)...low profits...and slow growth, or none at all.
Is that bad? No, not at all. It's good. Economies need to adjust to the new realities of the post-credit bubble world. It will take time. And with the world's financial authorities fighting it every step of the way...it could take a LONG time. As we've explained in these daily reckonings, government is a profoundly conservative, parasite- protecting enterprise. It cannot draw forth the future - it has no idea what the future will be. Instead, all it can do is to try to recover the past. That's the idea of the 'recovery'...to try to coddle, protect and pay-off yesterday's success stories. From Wall Street to welfare...governments attempt to prevent correction.
Of course, it makes sense. Government's only real function is providing protection and order. What can it protect? Only what is...not what is to be.
And so the feds try to forestall and prevent the future from ever happening. Will they succeed? Of course not. The future will happen whether they like it or not. They can't stop it. The future will come.
But they can still make a mess of it.
More news from The 5 Min. Forecast:"The bank failure scene in the US turned a shade uglier over the weekend. By this time tomorrow, it'll probably be even worse," writes Ian Mathias in today's issue of The 5 Min. Forecast."For starters, Guaranty Financial of Texas went belly up late Friday and secured a spot in the history books. With $13 billion in 'assets,' the bank is the third largest to fail this year and tied for the 11th biggest bank failure in US history."Even more interestingly, the FDIC brokered Guaranty's assets to Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, a bank from northern Spain. We're surprised on two fronts here: 1) That a bank from Spain - strapped with double digit unemployment and a wretched housing bust - wants to bring their euros to I.O.U.S.A. 2) That BVVA already has a huge presence in Texas. With this acquisition, they will be the fourth largest banking chain in the Lone Star State. That could be an interesting trend to watch."Three other banks failed along side Guaranty: CaptialSouth, First Coweta and Ebank. That brings the yearly total to 81."This should put the FDIC's deposit insurance fund on its last legs. At the beginning of 2008, the FDIC's bank failure war chest had over $52 billion. At the end of the March 2009, the last time the FDIC has given us a look into the DIF, they had $13 billion left. 60 banks have failed since, including Guaranty and Colonial, which by themselves took out half of that remaining $13 billion. Only the FDIC can say with accuracy if there is any money left, but this chart gives you a pretty good idea of how the trend is shaping up:"The DIF does have a source of income - it taxes member banks a significant 'insurance fee.' But we have to think that the DIF is still in bad shape, perhaps even empty...and that the FDIC will soon be hitting up someone (Tim Geithner, Joe Taxpayer, and/or US banks) to refill their coffer."The FDIC will provide their second quarter report tomorrow, which among other things will include a look into the DIF and their infamous bank 'problem list'...could get ugly. We'll keep you up to speed."
And back to Bill, with more thoughts:
The Obama administration announced that it expects $9 trillion in deficits over the next 10 years. One of the great mysteries of our time is: where will the money come from? As we pointed out last week, even if every dollar of US savings is applied to the task, the feds will still be short. And if they make up the difference with funny money - from their quantitative easing scam - the Chinese vigilantes are likely to get cheesed off and dump their US Treasury bonds.
The evidence shows that the Chinese...and other Asians...are already trying to lighten up on their US debt holdings. This from The New York Times:
"Figures released by the Treasury Department this week indicated that China reduced its holdings of Treasury securities by $25 billion in June, the most China had ever sold in a month.
"Monthly figures can be volatile, and can be revised, so it is risky to draw conclusions from one month's data. In May, China increased its holdings by $38 billion, according to the Treasury figures.
"Nonetheless, the decline highlighted a fact....Asia's appetite for Treasury securities is not growing as fast as it once did. That means the United States will have to turn to other buyers, including American citizens, who are now saving as they did not do during the boom years, to finance the deficits... In the first half of 2009, China and Hong Kong acquired only 9 percent of the more than $800 billion worth of Treasuries that were sold.
"Japan, which was replaced by China as the largest foreign holder of Treasuries last year, has been a larger buyer this year, taking up 11 percent of the new supply of Treasuries.
"Ownership of US Treasuries by China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand - since 1994 - rose to 25 percent, from less than 8 percent. Since then, as budget deficits in the United States grew, the share has fluctuated within a narrow range. In June, it was 24.7 percent."
If Asians don't finance US debts, who will? We don't know... But the fewer bonds Asians buy...the more they are bought with funny money by the Fed. And the more the Fed buys with funny money the fewer Asians want to buy with real money.
How will this end? Badly...we keep saying. There is no way out. Either the feds cease spending more than they can raise honestly, by taxation and reasonable borrowing. Or, the system runs into chronic, mega deficits...like the chronic deficits in the private sector during the bubble years. Then, it blows up.
That is why we caution readers against the dollar and against Treasuries. Most likely, they will both go up this autumn...as investors flee to safety from the next market downturn. But the chances of them blowing up completely are too great. That's why we stick with gold - even though we would not at all be surprised by a period of weakness in the gold market.


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"For everyone to whom much is given, of him shall much be required." -- Luke 12:48
Raven - Moneybird's Black Magic Marker***
(Esprit's Power Play x Trumarc's Lean Cuisine)
Mick - Moneybird's Jumpin' Jack Flash***
(Clubmead's Road Warrior x Oakdale Whitewater Devil Dog)
Peerless - Moneybird's Sole Survivor
(Two River's Lucky Willie x Moneybird's Black Magic Marker)
The New Republic Mag. was busted today with the first fake picture. It only took them 10 minutes to admit it was a fake and the White House to delete it from their official website. http://whitehouse.gov1.info/camp-david/index.html It may or may not still come up.

subset: commoncrawl


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Web Stories
Concert features music from colonial America
Posted December 23, 2009; 02:49 p.m.
The Practitioners of Musick will perform a concert of colonial American selections, titled "Music for Colonists, Patriots and Presidents," at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 3, in the main gallery of Firestone Library.
Flutist John Burkhalter and harpsichordist Donovan Klotzbeacher founded the Practitioners of Musick in 1999 to survey the musical riches of 17th- and 18th-century Great Britain and Ireland and the colonial and early federal periods in America. Their concert will include a diverse selection of the favorite music of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and George and Martha Washington.
The free concert is sponsored by the Friends of the Princeton University Library. For further information, contact Linda Oliveira at firstname.lastname@example.com or (609) 258-3155.


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December 31st, 2010
Ted O. Brooke and I surveyed the cemeteries of Pickens County, Georgia, between 2007 and 2008. Our work was published with a grant from the R.J. Taylor Jr. Foundation in 2009. During our surveys we took numerous photographs to help document the cemeteries.
We located only one Woodward in all of the county. A tombstone was erected for Faye Dorsey Woodward in the Bethany Baptist Church Cemetery. I can't believe I don't have an image of the reverse side of this stone! At least the data was carefully extracted. Faye was born 30 Mar 1927 and died 26 Mar 1994. This is just the beginning of a little mystery — lots of questions need to be answered about Ms. Faye.
(c) 2010 Linda Woodward Geiger, All Rights Reserved.


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This European designed, plastic serving piece is stylish and elegant. They can be used for off-premise catering, receptions, pool-side parties, airplane or boat service, picnic baskets and more. Attractive but not expensive. Disposable or re-usable.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Associated Press will periodically look at the changing landscape of the NBA during the upcoming season from three perspectives: A player's viewpoint, from the bench, and from the front office. An interview with veteran forward Paul Pierce of the Washington Wizards tips off the series:
When Paul Pierce watched the Washington Wizards in last season's playoffs, he saw plenty of talent and potential.
He also saw some mistakes.
The Wizards needed something. Weeks later, he decided they needed … him.
There have been more than 500 transactions involving NBA players since the San Antonio Spurs ended last season hoisting the Larry O'Brien...


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2017 NFL Rookies: Pre Draft Wide Receivers Rankings
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Former New England Patriots Aaron Hernandez Dead
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By Scott Kacsmar
Cold Hard Football Facts' Comeback King (@CaptainComeback)
Now that's more like it, NFL.
After a bizarre Week 10 featuring not a single fourth-quarter comeback win or game-winning drive, we had another eight games with an opportunity in Week 11, and five were successful, including three overtime games. Thankfully, there were no ties this time.
There were two teams struggling to get to 9-1, Houston and Atlanta, but they did so in very unusual ways. Matt Ryan led his fifth game-winning drive of the season, while Matt Schaub and the Texans faced just their first opportunity all year.
Nobody said it was easy.
Ask Carolina (0-6), San Diego (0-5), Miami (0-4) and Cleveland (1-6). They all failed to close again this week, and they have the four worst records in 2012 when it comes to comebacks and game-winning drives.
A few droughts were ended, as Matt Schaub had his first comeback since October 17, 2010. That ended a 0-9 streak. Josh Freeman ended his 0-7 streak in big fashion in Carolina.
Finally, presented without comment. Tony Romo's comeback win gives him a record of 15-23 (.395) in fourth-quarter comeback opportunities. If that number sounds familiar, it is because that is the same record we have found for Dallas legend Roger Staubach.
Season ReportFourth quarter comebacks: 46Game-winning drives: 54Games with 4QC opportunity: 92/160 (57.5 percent)10+ point comebacks wins (any point in the game): 28
Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville JaguarsWinner: Houston (43-37 OT)Type: 4QC/GWDLargest Deficit: 14 (34-20)Quarterback: Matt Schaub (8-21 at 4QC, 11-21 overall 4Q/OT record - table)
The worst game on paper ends up being the most historic game of the week. That's just how the NFL works sometimes.
But no one saw this coming. It did not matter that starter Blaine Gabbert was injured early and replaced by Chad Henne. No one still would have predicted the 80 points, the dueling 230-yard receivers, the big plays, and the overtime scoring.
The signs were there early with Jacksonville getting big plays and production in the first half, taking a 17-17 tie into the locker room. This was no pushover for Houston as was expected. After Arian Foster fumbled, Jacksonville took a 27-17 lead.
Trailing 27-20 in the fourth quarter, Houston returned a punt 71 yards down to the JAX 23. This was Houston's first official fourth-quarter comeback opportunity of the season, but it started off poorly. Schaub threw an interception in the red zone to Paul Posluszny, who played a heck of a game.
Three plays later, Henne found Justin Blackmon for an 81-yard touchdown on 3rd and 21. At 34-20, Jacksonville was 12:33 away from the upset of the year.
Houston took their time coming down the field, only having one play net more than eight yards on the 14-play dive. Schaub threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Garrett Graham with 5:39 left. Schaub would hit 17 straight passes following that interception early in the quarter.
Jacksonville went three and out. Down to 3:52 left, Schaub led the offense on a 90-yard drive, capped off with a 5-yard touchdown to Graham with 1:34 left.
After another three and out by Jacksonville, Houston had 1:07 left to win it. Schaub hit Andre Johnson for 35 yards to the JAX 30, but they went conservative at that point instead of getting closer.
Shayne Graham made the field goal, but a false start negated the play. Of course Graham would choke badly on the 47-yard attempt as time expired. Headed to overtime.
Houston won the toss and went on a long drive, but after having first and goal, they had to settle for Graham's 25-yard field goal. Jacksonville became the first team ever to have an overtime comeback opportunity in Week 1 in Minnesota. They failed that day, but this time Henne came through with a 15-yard gain to Blackmon on 4th and 10.
After a huge run down to the HOU 6, the Jaguars also stalled, resulting in Josh Scobee's 33-yard field goal to tie the game 37-37 with 4:21 left.
For the first time ever, a NFL team was going to have to score twice in overtime, or else we would have another dreaded tie.
Schaub had a bad interception which looked to damage the hopes for Houston. But after quickly facing a 4th and 10 at the HOU 47, with a 1-8 record and nothing to lose, Mike Mularkey kept the offense on the field with 2:36 left. Good call.
Henne threw incomplete to Blackmon, and Houston took over in good field position. After a 5-yard pass to Kevin Walter, Schaub threw the bubble screen to Johnson, who had the blocks and speed to go 48 yards for the game-winning touchdown.
Houston escapes with the 43-37 overtime victory by in fact becoming the first team to ever score twice in overtime.
Where to start on this one? For franchises that have not been around very long, it rewrote the franchise record books and some of the NFL record books as well.
Matt Schaub led one of the most prolific offensive performances in NFL history.
The big-name receivers and Chad Henne also made some waves.
Schaub may still have the lousy comeback record (8-21), this was his first in over two years, but like his previous three, this was done in grand fashion.
Matt Schaub's Last 4 Fourth Quarter Comeback Wins
4Q/OT Pts
Schaub's 4Q/OT Drive Stats
7/10 for 85 yards, TD
14/24 for 201 yards, TD
13/17 for 176 yards, TD
25/30 for 298 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
Totals: 78 Pts, 18 Drives, 4.33 Pts/Dr, 59/81 for 760 yards, 6 TD, 2 INT, 116.3 PR
It may have only been the Jaguars, but Houston's defense was failing them, and Schaub stepped up with a historic performance to maintain that pace for the top seed in the AFC.
Atlanta Falcons vs. Arizona CardinalsWinner: Atlanta (23-19)Type: 4QC/GWDLargest Deficit: 3 (19-16)Quarterback: Matt Ryan (14-12 at 4QC, 21-12 overall 4Q/OT record - table)
While Houston's defense was a surprise, our other 9-1 team had a horrific performance from their offense. The Atlanta Falcons turned the ball over six times, Matt Ryan threw five interceptions, they were -5 in turnover differential, and still won the game.
This one had a lot to it. Arizona went up 13-0 in the first quarter thanks to 10 points off Ryan's picks. But even with a 13-3 lead in the second quarter, Ken Whisenhunt pulled healthy starter John Skelton (2/7 for six yards), and replaced him with unproven rookie Ryan Lindley.
Though Atlanta had the six turnovers, Arizona's lone turnover was a Lindley fumble returned for a huge touchdown. Ryan did what he does best on a drive in the final 0:32 of the half to tie the game 16-16.
A brilliant fumble recovery by Arizona stymied another Atlanta drive in the third quarter. Later, another Ryan interception set Lindley up in great field position, but the Cardinals had Jay Feely kick a 27-yard field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter for a 19-16 lead.
Fortunately with the Falcons, you did not expect that score to hold up. But after having to punt, Ryan came through on his second drive of the fourth quarter. He completed 4/5 passes for 64 yards, setting Michael Turner up for the 1-yard touchdown run with 6:40 left. Just like that, Atlanta led 23-19 despite all the turnover misery.
Arizona went three and out with John Abraham sacking Lindley on third down. But that's when Ryan's pass was tipped at the line, resulting in the fifth pick of the day and giving Lindley the ball at the ATL 32.
On 4th and 2 at the ATL 24, Lindley went to Larry Fitzgerald who made a spectacular catch, but he lost control of it after rolling over out of bounds. Atlanta kept it safe on the ground, and grinded out the one first down they needed to ice the game.
Ryan would finish 28 of 46 for 301 yards, 0 TD and 5 INT. However, with a few tipped balls, it was more like a three interception day for him, much like he already had this year against a bad Oakland defense.
But these types of performances will kill him in the MVP discussion, even though he still shook off the picks to throw for 301 yards and come through on the game-winning drive. The 16 offensive points on 15 drives are a season worst for the Falcons.
Arizona only finished with 41 net passing yards on 30 pass plays. There's a recipe for not capitalizing on six takeaways. Just throwing it out there, but John Skelton has been awfully good at fourth-quarter wins in his career.
It just goes to show you that a lot of turnovers can still be overcome with enough of the other facets of the game going in your favor. Looking during the game at such stats, some of the numbers are startling.
Being a good team at home against a bad team obviously helps. The numbers were looking better if you had only five giveaways. In that case, the home team with the winning record was 37-26 (.587) against teams with losing records since 1970 (though only 4-8 since 2000).
No one's going to be celebrating Matt Ryan after this one, but it was his fifth game-winning drive of the season. Ryan becomes the 14th quarterback since 1960 to lead multiple game-winning drives in a season where he threw at least three interceptions in the game. Daryle Lamonica (1969) and Brian Sipe (1979) did it in three games. Brian Griese (2008 Tampa Bay) was the last to do it. Ken Stabler did it twice in his career.
With one more game-winning drive in 2012, Ryan can join Dan Marino (1985, 1992), Peyton Manning (1999, 2008-09) and Eli Manning (2007, 2011) as the only quarterbacks to have multiple seasons with at least six game-winning drives.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina PanthersWinner: Tampa Bay (27-21 OT)Type: 4QC/GWDLargest Deficit: 11 (21-10)Quarterback: Josh Freeman (9-15 at 4QC, 10-15 overall 4Q/OT record - table)
Early on it looked like Tampa Bay might roll to a season sweep of the Panthers, going up 10-0. But a bad pick six from Josh Freeman swung this one, and Carolina led 14-10 to start the fourth quarter.
Freeman scrambled on third down, setting up a 4th and 1 at the CAR 2. Making a good decision to go for it, the Buccaneers put the ball in the hands of rookie sensation Doug Martin. It appeared he broke the plane for a touchdown, then fumbled, but even after replay the referees went with fumble and a touchback.
Once you watch the play enough times from the different angles, you can see Martin does not lose control of the ball (a fumble) until after his forward motion is stopped. But that does not happen until he has already broken the plane with the ball, so this was a touchdown and the refs screwed it up.
Cam Newton did a lot more to try and close this week, and threw a 29-yard touchdown to Brandon LaFell for a 21-10 lead with 6:00 left.
The old Bucs would never win a game like this with their stagnant offense, but this 2012 offense is putting up points and Freeman has a history of comebacks. It just has not been a recent history, as he was 0-7 in his most recent attempts.
But he did not have Vincent Jackson and Dallas Clark last season. They made three catches on the drive, and Mike Williams had a critical 10-yard grab on 4th and 5. Connor Barth kicked a 40-yard field goal with 4:03 left.
Newton picked up two first downs in the four-minute offense, including a 12-yard pass on 3rd and 11 to Louis Murphy. But on the next 3rd and 12, Newton came up a yard short (again), bringing up a 4th and 1.
Now Ron Rivera was in this position in Atlanta. Then he could have had a 4th and 1 at the ATL 45 with 1:09 left to ice the game, but took the delay of game and punted. This time he had 4th and 1 at the TB 49 with 1:09 left, and he again punted.
The one in Atlanta was justified, because Carolina only led by one point. You fail to convert, and it's two first downs by Matt Ryan to beat you by a field goal. This time, you have the cushion of a touchdown lead, the added cushion of a two-point conversion Tampa Bay would have to convert, and never mind teams were converting 71.6 percent of their 4th-and-1 plays this season.
Why not go for this one yard to end the game right there? Instead they punt, and Freeman started at his own 20 with 1:02 left. On an 18-yard pass to Tiquan Underwood, a rough hit added on 15 more yards and stopped the clock. Martin got out of bounds after a 6-yard catch. Jackson came up with a 17-yard gain, and Freeman quickly spiked the ball.
At the CAR 24, Freeman threw a perfect pass in the back of the end zone to Jackson for the touchdown with 0:12 left. Jackson was also there for the two-point conversion to tie the game.
With 0:12 left, Newton took a knee, playing for overtime. He would not see the ball again. Technically, this would be a failed game-winning drive (not a comeback since they never trailed), though we may have to adjust the rules to eliminate these kneel-downs counting as opportunities.
Tampa Bay received, and Freeman led them right down the field. Actually Martin had five carries for 48 of the 80 yards on the drive. Freeman completed two passes for 17 yards, then in the red zone went to Clark for the 15-yard touchdown to win the game. Panthers blow another close one they should have won.
Of the 15 overtime games in 2012, this is only the second time a team took the opening drive right down the field for the game-winning touchdown (Indianapolis did it first in Tennessee).
Tampa Bay is a real sleeper team, while the Panthers continue to fall asleep with the game on the line.
Dallas Cowboys vs. Cleveland BrownsWinner: Dallas (23-20 OT)Type: 4QC/GWDLargest Deficit: 10 (13-3)Quarterback: Tony Romo (15-23 at 4QC, 16-25 overall 4Q/OT record - table)
The Cleveland Browns have been a tough 2-8 team this season with a -45 scoring differential. But on Sunday, the Cowboys made them look even tougher than they really are. Tony Romo had to lead a comeback in the fourth quarter from a deficit of at least 10 points for the fourth time in his career.
Dallas slumped to a 13-0 deficit at halftime. They finally woke up in the second half, and trailed 13-3 as they were driving for the second time in the half. On the third play of the fourth quarter, Felix Jones scored a 2-yard touchdown run.
After Cleveland went three and out, Dallas converted a 4th and 1 at the CLE 44 with Romo's pass to FB Lawrence Vickers. How's that for a fourth-down attempt?
Romo was dinking and dunking down the field, but after a sack made it 2nd and 19, he went deep with a perfect pass to Dez Bryant in the end zone for a 28-yard touchdown with 6:46 left. Dallas led 17-13.
Rookie Brandon Weeden has been for the most part terrible in these situations, and he took a sack from Anthony Spencer and fumbled the ball. But alas, with the ball at the CLE 28, Romo too fumbled on a sack.
Weeden hit four passes in a row, and the Browns had 1st and goal at the DAL 6. After Trent Richardson was held out of the end zone on three straight plays, the Browns went with the low-percentage fade pass, and it was incomplete. Bad call.
Dallas ran it three times and punted. Josh Cribbs made a nice return and picked up a few more yards for a horse collar tackle. Now at the DAL 17 with 1:10 left, Weeden immediately went for the score with the touchdown pass to Ben Watson. Cleveland led 20-17.
Perhaps playing for Jason Garrett's job on the spot, Romo and the offense had 1:07 and a timeout left at their own 20. T.J. Ward was flagged 15 yards for a hard hit on Kevin Ogletree. Romo made a great play under pressure to a covered Miles Austin for 12 yards.
After that, a typical Cleveland disaster struck. Sheldon Brown was penalized 35 yards for pass interference, putting the ball at the CLE 14.
With a chance to win it, Romo scrambled for five yards and used his last timeout. His next pass was thrown far out of bounds, followed by a five-yard penalty for delay of game. On third down, Romo had the ball come awkwardly out of his hands for a harmless incompletion that could have dangerously been a fumble if the ball went backwards.
Dan Bailey made the 32-yard field goal with 0:02 left, and we had a third overtime game of the afternoon. Dallas received, and Romo dropped back on all eight plays of the drive. His quick slant on 3rd and 2 to Bryant was well defended and Dallas had to punt.
Cleveland went three and out after Weeden's 3rd-and-10 pass only gained six yards. After a good return, Romo started at the CLE 48. Two catches to Austin for 17 yards, including a play in between that sort of looked like a fumble, put Dallas into field goal range. After two runs, Bailey came out, and made the 38-yard kick to end it. Dallas wins 23-20 to get to 5-5.
Romo was 35 of 50 for 313 yards and no interceptions. Romo started his career 3-0 when attempting 40+ passes in a game before hitting a 0-13 streak he only broke with this win. It is the 18th time since 1960 a quarterback had at least 50 attempts, no interceptions and led a fourth quarter comeback and game-winning drive.
While not pretty, it is still an important win for Dallas as they look to possibly catch the Giants in the division. The Browns just cannot catch a break, dropping to 1-6 at comebacks this season.
Green Bay Packers at Detroit LionsWinner: Green Bay (24-20)Type: 4QC/GWDLargest Deficit: 6 (20-14)Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers (5-21 at 4QC, 8-23 overall 4Q/OT record - table)
If the Green Bay Packers are front-runners, then the Detroit Lions are procrastinators; usually trying to scramble at the end of the game to hurry up and score. They had more points this season in the fourth quarter and overtime than in the first three quarters combined.
Though Green Bay had not trailed after the first quarter of any game since their loss to the Colts in Week 5, they found themselves down at the end of each of the first three quarters in Detroit.
Mike McCarthy was 0-16 in his career when trailing a game like that, but Green Bay did not trail at the end of the fourth quarter this time, as the sixth fourth-quarter comeback win for the Packers since 2008 marks the third time they have done it against the Lions.
The last time Green Bay won after trailing through each of the first three quarters was December 11, 2005. Who was the opponent? You got it. Detroit again. Green Bay is 3-30 since their 2002 playoff loss against Atlanta when trailing after each of the first three quarters, and all three wins have come against the Detroit Lions.
Matthew Stafford sure helped with a shoddy, three-turnover performance, including a pick six in the third quarter. But Stafford did bounce back with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Johnson, and Detroit led 17-14 to start the fourth quarter.
The Packers looked to actually consider a 57-yard field goal attempt for troubled kicker Mason Crosby, but a false start ended that decision and the Packers punted. Detroit went three and out after Stafford was sacked on third down. The punt gave Green Bay great field position at the DET 44.
But after driving to the 20, Rodgers was wide on a pass and the Packers settled for the 38-yard field goal. The attempt, that is. Crosby was wide left, and he has a growing history of coming up small for the Packers.
Stafford was looking to put the game away with a touchdown after big completions for 27 and 24 yards, but conservative plays set up a 3rd and goal at the GB 9. Stafford threw for Titus Young in the end zone, but there was no flag for the contact. Detroit blew a great opportunity at a big win, and had to settle for Jason Hanson's 27-yard field goal.
Reminded of how the Manning brothers always say they would rather be down and needing a touchdown to win instead of being down by three points, because teams get conservative when the field goal is a factor.
No field goal being an option was actually a great thing for the Packers given Crosby's struggles. With 4:19 left, it only took three plays for a big gain to Jermichael Finley for 40 yards thanks to good receiver blocking and bad tackling by Detroit.
Three plays later, Randall Cobb was double covered in the end zone, adjusted well to the ball, while defender Jacob Lacey never did, and Cobb had the 22-yard touchdown with 1:55 left. Crosby actually made the extra point to take the lead, 21-20. This was Rodgers' second game-winning touchdown pass of 2012 after having two in his career (2005-2011).
We have seen this before. At this point you expect Stafford to easily drive down the field for the game-winning field goal with no time left, but he was not on his game in a must-have drive.
In fact, it was one of the worst comeback attempts of his career. Starting at his own 25 with 1:48 left, his first pass hit at the feet of Tony Scheffler. After a false start, it was another low pass. The next pass was nearly intercepted by Casey Hayward on the sideline.
On 4th and 15, Stafford rolled to his right, threw a deep ball to Scheffler, but he was covered well and it was incomplete. What a dud of a drive. Green Bay handed off three times and kicked a field goal, which was surprisingly good.
Now down 24-20 with 0:15 left at his own 37, Stafford needed a miracle. At least the field position was decent after Green Bay's dumb decision to do a squib kick.
After two incompletions, Calvin Johnson caught a pass, did a lateral at the GB 30 right into the hands of the Packers to end it.
Following two straight failed comebacks, the Lions sit at 4-6 and can kiss their hopes of a playoff repeat good bye. Green Bay has won five straight and technically lead the NFC North.
Pittsburgh predictably failed in the clutch once again without Ben Roethlisberger when they faced the Baltimore Ravens. Ryan Tannehill failed to impress in his prime time debut in Buffalo. Philip Rivers picked up a "cheap loss" in an impossible situation this week, but the Captain still enjoyed the final snap anyway.
Laboring Leftwich should have been pulled
Steelers vs. Ravens follows a familiar script, even when Ben Roethlisberger is missing from the big AFC North showdown.
The game is ugly, low scoring, close, but in the end, the Steelers fail to make the big plays late, and Baltimore comes away with a win. That happened again for the fifth straight time in which these teams have met with the Steelers missing Roethlisberger.
Pittsburgh looked to rewrite things early when Byron Leftwich threw a deep ball for a cheap 42 yards on pass interference to start the game, then had an incredible, improbable scramble for a 31-yard touchdown run to take a 7-0 lead.
But brittle Byron blew his balance at the end of the play, and ended up fracturing his ribs. He never recovered physically, and was grimacing in pain all night, which only got worse as he took several big shots.
Coach Mike Tomlin should be criticized for not turning to Charlie Batch in what was a very winnable game. The Baltimore offense did not even score a touchdown, only getting six points as Joe Flacco had seven failed completions in the first half alone.
The play that decided the game was Jacoby Jones' 63-yard punt return for a touchdown. The other big play was Mike Wallace fumbling, giving the Ravens a short field for three points.
That really was it in this one. The Steelers played very well on defense, but unlike Baltimore, they failed to make the big takeaway, which is an area they have struggled for a long time now.
It was 13-10 Baltimore in the fourth quarter, and when the Steelers crossed midfield, the drive stalled after Leftwich was exposed for a big hit on a sack by Haloti Ngata on 3rd and 9.
Leftwich has not led a fourth quarter comeback since November 6, 2005.
After the Ravens went three and out, another drive into Baltimore territory ended with a sack on third down. Leftwich's pain was very evident at this point, but no quarterback change would come.
Trying to run out the clock, the Ravens faced a 3rd and 7. Pittsburgh called their final timeout at the 2:04 mark. While some have criticized this call, it was not that bad of a decision, as Tomlin had no idea his defense would jump offsides on the play, giving the Ravens the two-minute warning. Baltimore still tried a pass, but Flacco took the sack, and Baltimore ran the clock down to 1:12 before punting.
Blame the players for the stupid penalty.
Leftwich had 1:05 left at his own 16. Rashard Mendenhall took a short pass, but instead of getting out of bounds, stays in and wastes a lot of time to gain 12 yards. On second down, Leftwich threw a perfect pass to Jerricho Cotchery down the right sideline, but Bernard Pollard's huge (legal) hit knocked the ball free, and Cotchery was hurt.
After fumbling the snap, Leftwich recovered, rolled to his right, and launched a bomb for a wide-open David Gilreath, but the pass was woefully short. Had Leftwich been healthy, this potentially could have won the game.
On 4th and 10, Leftwich threw the short pass to Wallace, who started the chain of laterals which just ended in another turnover. Pittsburgh had three giveaways to none for the Ravens.
Not sure how Roethlisberger keeps conveniently missing the Baltimore games for the Ravens' sake, but this was the fifth time it happened, and Pittsburgh always loses. They will likely lose again in two weeks when the teams meet again and Roethlisberger still recovering from his rib and shoulder injuries.
But the AFC North was up for grabs this night, and Tomlin stuck with a quarterback who injured himself on the first drive of the game. Remember that one.
Miami's offense is who we thought they were
Not long ago the Miami Dolphins were 4-3 and perhaps in shape for a Wild Card spot. But in the last 10 quarters against three very bad defenses (Indianapolis, Tennessee, Buffalo), the Miami offense has scored just 13 points. Now at 4-6, it looks like another missed postseason is on the way for the Dolphins.
The last two weeks have been especially crushing with just 10 points of offense against two horrific defenses like Tennessee and Buffalo. Rookie Ryan Tannehill has thrown one touchdown to five interceptions in those games.
For a while on Thursday, it did not look like the Miami offense would even score. Both teams got on the board with special teams returns. But Buffalo continued to kick field goals, and took a 19-7 lead into the fourth quarter.
Miami's offense finally came to life with Tannehill converting a 3rd and 2 to Davone Bess, and then picking up 30 yards on a pass interference penalty. On 3rd and goal from the BUF 2, Tannehill found Bess in the end zone, and after a challenge, the officials correctly gave him the touchdown. Miami trailed 19-14.
Buffalo punted after two first downs. With 4:42 left, Tannehill had to start the drive from his own 1-yard line after a perfect punt by Shawn Powell. Moving rather slowly down the field, at the two-minute warning Tannehill's deep ball was intercepted on an amazing catch by Jairus Byrd.
C.J. Spiller ran the ball three times, but could not convert on 3rd and 1, and Buffalo punted. Tannehill had 1:24 left at his own 16, and no timeouts.
After two nice completions for gains of 18 and 19, Tannehill had Brian Hartline on the sideline for a pass to the BUF 30. But just when you thought they might pull this off, Hartline was flagged for a weak call of offensive pass interference. Now with 1st and 20 at the MIA 43, Tannehill forced a pass over the middle, and it was intercepted by Bryan Scott to seal the game.
The NFL Network showed a great stat afterwards, noting the Dolphins have lost their last 48 games when trailing by 7+ points in the fourth quarter.
Since 2006, the Dolphins are 6-34 (.150) at fourth-quarter comeback opportunities. They are 9-36 (.200) overall at comeback/game-winning drive opportunities.
Tannehill is 0-4 at comeback opportunities, and is the only rookie (Week 1) starter to not lead one yet. His last two opportunities (this and in Indianapolis) have not been impressive at all. There has been nothing impressive about the Miami offense lately.
Sound familiar?
Philip Rivers prematurely celebrates another close defeat
We have mentioned in the past how you can get a cheap loss on your clutch record by actually playing well, but forcing yourself into an impossible situation late in the game.
That is kind of what happened in Week 11 with San Diego this time; though it is hard to call what Philip Rivers did "playing well." He had two interceptions and three fumbles (lost one) while leading the offense to 14 points.
Looking for revenge against a Denver team who ruined San Diego's season in Week 6, the Chargers were basically only in the game because of Denver's early mistakes: a pick six off a tipped ball and a very rare safety of Peyton Manning on a sack in the end zone.
Rivers was just 9 of 17 for 60 yards and an interception in the first half. He had little help as the running game had 11 carries for 8 yards.
Denver took a 27-16 lead early in the fourth quarter. After a 38-yard pass to Malcom Floyd, Rivers missed his next two throws. San Diego failed to snap the ball in time, setting up a 4th and 14 at the DEN 46. Rivers forced one over the middle, and Denver did a bad job of intercepting the pass considering it was fourth down.
Denver added a field goal thanks to Manning's big-time throw for 30 yards to Jacob Tamme on 3rd and 18. Manning (25 of 42 for 270 yards, 3 TD, INT) had his record streak of six consecutive games over 70 percent completions (min. 20 attempts) snapped, but still passed Dan Marino in touchdown passes (423) and tied John Elway in regular season wins (148).
Down 30-16 with 4:14 left, Rivers led an 80-yard touchdown drive. His 4th-and-1 pass to Danario Alexander was good for a 21-yard touchdown, even though it looked like the ball came loose on the ground. But who knows what a catch is these days? The Calvin Johnson rule stayed away, and the touchdown was good, keeping the game alive.
Denver recovered the onside kick, but San Diego had two timeouts, so they were able to get the ball back after three runs by Ronnie Hillman.
Rivers had just 0:23 at his own 13, down 30-23. This is the impossible situation we talked about. In the 15 previous failed attempts Rivers has had since 2010, he always had at least 60 seconds left for at least one drive to try and come back or win the game.
After just a 4-yard pass, Rivers was sacked and fumbled the ball, which was easy to predict actually. Elvis Dumervil finished him off.
Though even with nine seconds on the clock, Rivers calmly stood up, ball in hand, threw it back to the ref, and started walking off the field, congratulating Denver players in the process. It was a very bizarre ending that you normally do not see in a one-score game. While getting another play off was likely hopeless, the nonchalant attitude at which Rivers threw in the towel could not go over well with San Diego fans.
Think Rivers is still happy Manning is in the AFC West? With the first sweep of San Diego by Denver since 2005, the AFC West will belong to Denver this season.
Next week
It is Thanksgiving, so here is a look back at last year's special Captain Comeback on the close Thanksgiving games in NFL history. Last season Dallas and Baltimore both had game-winning drives.
Not sure we can get another close game between the Jets and Patriots like in Week 7, but we will see. Bills at Colts might be more interesting than it sounds on paper. Falcons at Buccaneers sounds like a great fourth quarter in the making. The competitive Browns will likely push the Charlie Batch-led Steelers. The 49ers and Saints had one of the most classic finishes in NFL history in the playoffs last year, and even the 2010 regular season meeting wasn't bad. Packers at Giants closes out what could be a dramatic Sunday.
Good stuff coming as the playoff races heat up. Now is not the time to choke games away in these tight battles for the 12 spots. But that's why most of the teams that have already done so are no longer in the playoff picture.
Scott Kacsmar is a football writer/researcher who has contributed large quantities of data to Pro-Football-Reference.com, including the only standardized database of fourth quarter comebacks and game-winning drives. You can visit his blog for a complete writing archive. Please send any questions or comments to Scott at email@example.com, or you can follow him on Twitter at @CaptainComeback.
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LiverKick Talks with K-1's Randy Blake
- Written by Dave Walsh
Randy Blake is a name that if you follow Kickboxing in the United States, you've heard it before. You've heard him talked about as an up-and-comer, a real talent and a guy who is going to make an impact on the world. He fought in the WCL when he was just 21 years old, and for the past few years has been making his impact on the Oklahoma scene, but hasn't left home much. That all changed this past weekend when K-1 brought Randy Blake into the fold, pairing him up against K-1 USA veteran Dewey Cooper.
LiverKick caught up with Randy Blake this afternoon and spoke with him about his big win over Dewey Cooper at the K-1 World Grand Prix in Los Angeles, his future with K-1, his outlook for Kickboxing and much more.
"I felt pretty good after that win," Blake stated. "Felt like I had a whole lot of pride on the line this weekend, like there was a big question mark on my head; are you ready for it? Are you big enough? Can you really do this? I stepped up to the plate on Saturday."
Without a doubt, Blake stepped up to the plate. He has had a good, storied young career, making the unique decision to fight Kickboxing as opposed to MMA when a lot of fighters his age would simply choose to move over to MMA where there is more money and opportunities, but the return of K-1 and them scouting him has changed everything.
"Yeah, K-1 calling me up and putting on a show this big justified my decision to Kickbox," Blake said, before reflecting on some decisions he was on the verge of making about his career. "I was getting to the point where I was gonna have to eventually jump to MMA. We had been talking about making that jump for a while now, but now that K-1 is back, I don't have to. I feel blessed that K-1 is here."
Blessed is definitely one way to look at it, but Blake has put in a lot of hard work over the years, and at just 25 years of age, he still has a promising career ahead of him. Dewey Cooper served as a tough challenge for Blake, his first big test on the world stage, and one he wasn't quite sure to be prepared for.
"Hey, you know, Dewey is a great guy and a great fighter," he stated about his opponent, the older and more experienced Dewey Cooper who has been focusing on his Boxing career over the last few years. "Dewey is a tough guy to prepare for in a way, because he can be 100% and be incredibly tough, or he can be mediocre and not be as prepared for a fight and look bad. I paid a lot of attention to Dewey's preparation, and I felt like this would be one of the better Dewey Coopers to step into the ring, and I think that he gave it his all against me."
"Right now, it's just a big waiting game," he stated about preparing for the Final 16. "I'm anxious to figure out who I'm gonna fight. I don't really care who I'm gonna fight, really, but I definitely would like to know so I can prepare for him"
Of course, you can't talk to a 25 year old, 215 pound Randy Blake without asking him about his size. At 6'3" and 215 pounds, it is difficult to call Randy a "small" guy -- because he isn't -- but in a field of fighters like Daniel Ghita, Hesdy Gerges, Sergeii Laschenko and Rico Verhoeven, there is no doubt that Randy will not have the same size that most of the Europeans will.
"My weight is a disadvantage, yeah," he agreed reluctantly. "But you know, I have a lot of other advantages that most of these guys don't have. So 1x disadvantage and 50x advantages isn't that bad. Going into every fight, weight is going to be a disadvantage for me, but I'm going to use my speed and my skills to my advantage."
We shifted topics away from Randy for a bit, and we talked about Kickboxing in general. For Randy to choose Kickboxing as his sport of choice, there has to be a certain passion there, and he definitely keeps up with European Kickboxing, noting that they will have size and strength advantages over him, and that they tend to work the low kick a bit more than his previous opponents, but he is a student of the game.
"You know, Andy Hug is really the guy that stands out the most to me for who I've modeled myself after," he admits. "He was a smaller guy, and people call me flashy, but I have speed and finesse. Ernesto Hoost was a smaller guy for a while, too, and so was Dale [Dale Cook, Randy's coach and mentor]. I haven't really taken much away from the current guys fighting, as I've always looked up to the greats and taken cues from them, from the best."
"As for the guys in the US, I didn't see much, you know," he admitted from this past weekend. "Xavier and Jarrell are really pretty cool guys, but I didn't get to see their fights because I was getting ready for mine, but the guy that stuck out to me the most was Rick Roufus. I shared a locker room with him, and the simple fact that he's 46 and still doing it is just... Hearing that guy hit the pads, it was just like thunder. Watching that guy move and being able to do things that young guys can't do. I mean, a lot of people thought he ran, but you gotta realize he's fighting Mighty Mo, who has sledgehammers for hands. It was impressive that he won and that he won using a smart game plan."
As for the future of K-1 and Kickboxing, Randy sees a bright future; "I'm thinking it is definitely beyond a decent future. You know, I think it's back, we have the right people, everything was done right. I was well taken care of, they took care of us. I mean, I was in a five star hotel, was given a whole lot of money, the food was incredible, just everything was taken care of."
"My goal is to keep evolving," Blake made clear of his future. "My goal is to keep getting better, for people to say, 'gee, what's next?' I want to be the fighter that leaves people guessing; what song will he come out to? What color trunks will he wear? What will he do differently? How will he top his last fight? I'm in the gym every day, four times a day. Martial Arts is a way of life for me, when I started I wasn't taking it too seriously, then I got a few knockouts and I was hooked."
"I specialize in everything," he ended with. "It's more fun to kick. Even if I didn't have arms, I'd still be there fighting, I'd still be kicking."
Without a doubt, Blake made an incredible impact with his main event victory this past weekend, and it seems like the freight train that is Randy Blake is looking to keep marching forward. He's right back in the gym, right back training with Dale Cook and has his passport ready for Japan and the Final 16.


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The NY Times is really stooping to new lows in journalism. Their coverage of the Hostess liquidation is given this headline today: Interactive Feature: Quiz: Hostess and Its Cakes
Hostess Brands announced plans to wind down operations and sell off its brands. Test your knowledge of Hostess and the cakes it is known


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Recommend A Book
Have you read a book that you thought was really great?
Would you like other children to know about it?
If you would like to recommend a book, use this form
to tell us what makes that book so special.
Is This Entry Abusive?
| Av from United States
School: Hacinda
|Report Abusive
|I read this great book:
|Ramona the pest
|Written by:
|Beverly Cleary
|The book's main subject is:
|Ramona being pest
|The author's main point is that:
|Ramona being pest
|One of the most interesting things in this book is:
|teacher gives Howie red ribbon
|In my opinion, this book is:
|I say this because:
|it's funny


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2009 was the 30th anniversary of this Aid to the Church in Need classic, which presents key stories from the Bible to children aged six to nine.
In that time, 47 million children worldwide have received a copy, in 157 languages. For each bible you buy, we are able to send out three more to the suffering Church around the world.
Will you help spread the Good News?Paperback112
x 7½ inches
This item can only be shipped within the United States.


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I'm looking forward to comments from those who have been through this, but interested to hear any one's opinions on it.
An Indie team builds a game.
They had no real discussions on money..
At some point, they decide to release, and suddenly money comes pouring in, however unlikely.
How does the team settle where the money goes?
What I've seen, is that everything is split evenly, with the company itself usually being one of the splits (I.e. purchasing servers, licenses etc..)
But that doesn't always seem like a good idea. For instance lets take a random 7 person team. 4 of them are doing a relatively stable amount of work. 2 are clearly exceeding the others, and one was barely available, but still got some work in. How do you approach those things?
Or, how do you approach it early, if its not just split evenly?


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That is what the Boy Scouts of America feels about Bullies and Harassment… and so do I.
There is no room for bullies or harassment of any kind within the BSA. There simply is no place for it. A simple review of the Scout Oath and Law will not allow for it.
The 2008 requirements now discuss this issue. And I for one and glad. I know this is old news for those of you that keep up with the changes annually, but, like youth protection this needs to be discussed each year.
The new Tenderfoot requirement states:
9b. Explain the importance of the buddy system as it relates to your personal safety on outings and in your neighborhood. Describe what a bully is and how you should respond to one.
The first thing a Scout should know is that he can trust his leaders. He needs to Report any violation of safety or harassment by a bully. As leaders we can not be everywhere, nor should we, but we need to be out in front of these issues and get on top of them as soon as it is reported.
The Second Class requirement that address's this issue is:
8b. Explain the three R's of personal safety and protection.
The "three R's" of Youth Protection convey a simple message that the BSA wants its youth members to learn:
Recognize situations that place him at risk of being molested, how child molesters operate, and that anyone could be a molester.
Resist unwanted and inappropriate attention. Resistance will stop most attempts at molestation.
Report attempted or actual molestation to a parent or other trusted adult. This prevents further abuse of himself and helps to protect other children. Let the Scout know he will not be blamed for what occurred.
And the First Class requirement that discusses bullies and harassment is:
With the new requirements, the BSA has stepped up its ZERO Tolerance of harassment and bullies. There just is no room for it in our Troops and the in the BSA.
Getting on top of a bad situation and defusing it, discussing it, and taking appropriate actions are key in providing a safe harassment free environment for the Scouts to enjoy their experience in Scouting.
Happy Scouting!


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2017 Long Range Weather Forecast for Ketchikan, AK
Buy the Complete Long Range Weather (Nov. 2016 - Oct. 2017)
Complete 2017 Long Range Weather Forecast for the Alaska Region, November 2016 to October 2017 includes week-by-week details. Instant access via digital download!
Search for Other Locations
How to Read Long-Range Weather Forecasts
Long-range predictions show weather trends in temperatures and precipitation. For example, will the winter be colder or warmer than average? Will there be more or less snow than what's typical for your area? Our famous predictions (traditionally 80% accurate) are made 18 months in advance, and meant to help you make more informed decisions for long-term planning.
Here on Almanac.com, we provide free long-range forecasts for the next 30 to 60 days covering U.S. and Canadian regions. Find all 12 months of predictions in the annual Old Farmer's Almanac.
Free 2-Month Weather Forecast
APRIL 2017: temperature 0° N, 39° S (2° below avg.); precipitation 0.7" N, 3" S (avg.); Apr 1-7: Snow showers; mild N, cold S. 8-17 Flurries, mild N; snow showers, cold C; rain to snow, then sunny, cold S. 18-25 Snow showers, then sunny, turning mild; Apr 26-30: Flurries N, showers S; mild.
MAY 2017: temperature 20° N, 46° EW (1° below avg.); precipitation 0.6" N, 3" S (avg.); May 1-2: Sunny, mild; May 3-10: Flurries north, sunny C+S; mild; May 11-14: Showers, cool; May 15-20: Sunny, warm; May 21-31: Flurries and sprinkles N, a few showers C+S; cool.
Annual Weather Summary: November 2016 to October 2017
Winter will be milder than normal, with the coldest period in early January. Precipitation will be near to below normal, with snowfall above normal in the P (see Key below) and below normal EW. The snowiest periods will be in mid-November, mid-December, and mid-January N+C; and mid-November, mid-December, late January S.
April and May will be cooler than normal, with near-normal precipitation.
Summer will be warmer and a bit drier than normal, with the hottest periods in early June, from late June into early July, and in late July.
September and October precipitation will be slightly above normal, with temperatures above normal N and below normal S.
KEY: Panhandle (P), Aleutians (A), north (N), central (C), south (S), west-central (WC), east-central (EC), south-central (SC), elsewhere (EW)
About the Alaska Region
The Alaska long range weather region includes all or part of the following states: ALASKA (Anchorage, Bethel, Fairbanks, Kenai, Wasilla).
Alaska Neighboring Regions
Here are the regions that neighbor the Alaska long range weather region:


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After forming a corporation, you must undertake certain steps on an ongoing basis to keep your business in compliance. These steps are also important in preserving the limited liability a corporation provides its owners. This guide outlines the ongoing requirements for Florida corporations.
Florida corporations are required to keep the following items with their corporate records:
The following are taxation requirements and ongoing fees in Florida:
Business licenses and/or permits are required for most businesses. The BizFilings Business License Application Package can help you stay on top of these requirements.
Florida recognizes the federal S corporation election and does not require a state-level S corporation election.
View the following additional resources BizFilings has for forming and maintaining companies in Florida:
The state in which you form your company can provide certain benefits.
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Web Stories
Butler College celebration set
Posted September 21, 2009; 10:28 p.m.
The opening of the renovated Butler College will be celebrated at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, on Butler Green, adjacent to Elm Drive.
Featured speakers at the event, which is open to all members of the University community, will be: Sanjeev Kulkarni, Butler College master and professor of electrical engineering; President Shirley M. Tilghman; architect Henry Cobb of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners of New York; Nancy Peretsman, a 1976 alumna and co-chair of the Aspire campaign; and Christine Prifti, a junior and Butler resident.
Butler re-opened this fall after more than two years of construction. With five new dormitories joining two existing dormitories to house undergraduates in all four classes, it is the final piece in the implementation Princeton's new four-year residential college program. Many sustainability features are included in the new complex, included green roofs on more than 50 percent of the buildings.


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SuperKombat WGP 11 Poster + Fight Card Update
- Written by Rian Scalia
SuperKombat returns on October 20 in Arad Romania for the final leg of their WGP qualifying tournament series, with the winner of the tournament on this card being the final tournament qualifier for the Final Elimination on November 10.
The tournament match-ups are now set, with Goran Radonjic fighting Fikri Ameziane and Steve Banks fighting Roman Kleibl.
Another super fight has also been added, with SuperKombat veteran Alex Tropimov fighting Claudiu Badoi of Romania at 72kg.
Updated Fight Card:
National Title of Romania (75 kg): Miodrag Olar vs. Adrian Mitu
Reserve Tournament (+96 kg): Razvan Ghita (Romania) vs. Dmitri Bezus (Ukraine)
Tournament Fights (+96 kg):
Goran Radonjic (Montenegro) vs. Fikri Ameziane (Morocco)
Steve Banks (USA) vs. Roman Kleibl (Czech Republic)
Super Fight (72kg): Alex Tropimov (Israel) vs. Claudiu Badoi (Romania
Super Fight (+125 kg): Alexandru Lungu (Romania) vs. Deutsch Pu'u (United States)
Super Fight (95 kg): Toni Milanovic (Croatia) vs. Andrei Stoica (Romania)
Super Fight (+96 kg): Sebastian Ciobanu (Romania) vs. Dzevad Poturak (Bosnia and Herzegovina)


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Use your panini-maker to create individual-sized, sweet-tooth-satisfying mini carrot cakes with maple-cream cheese frosting.
Since this recipe involves baking, it's best to use a panini maker that allows you to set a specific temperature rather than just Low, Medium or High.
For a smoother cake texture, shred the carrot yourself rather than purchasing shredded carrots.
To toast walnuts, sprinkle in ungreased heavy skillet. Cook over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently until nuts begin to brown, then stirring constantly until nuts are fragrant and light brown.
© 2017 ®/TM General Mills All Rights Reserved


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Inaugural Address
September 14, 2012
Cutler Majestic Theatre, Boston, Massachusetts
As prepared for delivery
Thank you. I would like to acknowledge Board President Jeff Greenhawt, Presidents emeriti Jackie Liebergott and Richard Chapin, the Emerson College Board of Trustees, Governor Deval Patrick, Mayor Tom Menino (who was with us this morning), other elected officials, Ron Crutcher, and our speaker Andy Delbanco. I also extend greetings to the Emerson College community, and our friends and family.
It is with great pleasure and humility that I accept this appointment as the 12th president of Emerson College.
The great news of this week is not our gathering here, but rather that our great and mighty Quidditch team received its permit to play again on the Boston Common. So, go forward, our brave chasers, beaters, keepers, and seekers; go forth on your sturdy broomsticks in pursuit of your quaffles, bludgers, and snitches, and claim victory and glory for ECQ!
No doubt, there are those among you who may be thinking or, perhaps, even whispering to the person next to you, "Well, it's certainly about time. What took him so long? Didn't he become president a year ago?"
Yes, I did; so let me provide a bit of context that may persuade you to greater charity. First, I wanted to speak to you as your president when I had something of meaning and purpose to say, rather than subject you to the platitudes that you would have most likely endured, say, nine months ago, when I had been on the job for only a short time. Second, this is after all Emerson College, where we place great value on marching to the beat of our own creative genius—happy, even obliged, to break free from the tyranny of tradition.
It is so good to be back in Boston—a wonderful city, my intellectual home—back, after a too-long absence, reunited with those whose bonds of friendship not even the length of almost four decades of winters and summers could sever.
On this occasion, I am reminded of Wordsworth's lovely poem of redemptive beauty when the poet, with his sister at his side, reflects on the years that have passed since they last gazed on Tintern Abbey, then again lying before them in the valley below:
Though absent long,
These forms of beauty have not been to me,
As is a landscape to a blind man's eye:
But oft, in lonely rooms, and mid the din
Of towns and cities, I have owed to them,
In hours of weariness, sensations sweet,
Felt in the blood, and felt along the heart,
And passing even into my purer mind,
With tranquil restoration…
Recently, we marked the death of Allen Koenig, president of Emerson from 1979 until 1989. His achievements were notable. It was during his tenure we came to understand that our excellence, in large part, was dependent on the vigorous interplay between the city, what we teach and how we teach it, between the College's spirited students, talented faculty and the vibrancy of the city itself.
Today, as then, Emerson animates Boston just as we, in turn, are animated by it. Emerson is a place of light, liberty, and beauty.[1] So, too, is Boston.
Just as the life sciences and technology continually nourish Boston's vitality, so, too, do culture and the arts. Pausing from our daily routines, we are uplifted, ennobled, and renewed by our engagement with art and music and dance and theatre and poetry and performance so beguiling and splendid, we are made more human (and humane), never to be the same again. In turn, our endeavors are fed and inspired by the power and eloquence of communication, giving voice to our lives, aspirations, and stories.
Culture and the arts create a miracle of sorts, which we have already seen taking place in Boston's downtown and which we will see again in the much-anticipated new academic center in Los Angeles. It is a miracle in which Emerson has played a central role, just as the city, our partner, helped the College when it resettled in a neighborhood then known more for its grittiness than its gracious cultural attributes.
The creative impulse inspires and adds texture to our living. It has the capacity to transform neighborhoods and stimulate economic development with astonishing power and results.
From its beginnings, the history of Emerson reflects a College that embraces change and innovation. It's as if there is something in Emerson's metabolism to change and evolve and then to change and evolve again. The inspired leadership of Jackie Liebergott is a good example of this. Jackie, will you please rise so we can acknowledge your many achievements while at Emerson?
As a new chapter in Emerson's impressive history begins today, it lies with all of us to answer our generation's call to set about working where we can, with fresh eyes, to renew Emerson's capacity for wonder and learning. Together, we will add distinction and brilliance to an already wonderful College, inspired by the endless possibilities of what lies ahead.
Our vision of Emerson's future is simple, compelling, and aspirational: to establish Emerson College as the world's leading institution of higher education in the arts and communication. This goal might seem presumptuous, if history were not on our side. For Emerson's history instructs us that when this College meets its challenges head-on with vision, courage, and integrity, it will flourish beyond measure.
We begin this important work today, at this hour and in this place, with a sense of urgency about what it is we need to do and with confidence in our ability to get it done.
To establish Emerson as the world's leading institution of higher education in the arts and communication, to move from excellent to extraordinary, we will commit ourselves to five measures, rooted in the needs and realities of the 21st century. These are:
To raise even further the bar of academic excellence; to innovate; to extend our reach globally; to engage and assist the communities around us; and to ensure sound financial stewardship of these goals at the heart of our mission.
These measures are authentic, deeply vested in what we value: engaged student learning; teaching excellence; research and creative expression that strengthen instruction; innovation; the exemplary and thoughtful use of technology; diversity of thought and people; ethical engagement; moral courage; and active, meaningful interaction with local, national, and global communities.
Our vision evolves organically from the Strategic Plan adopted by the Board of Trustees shortly before my arrival. It is a way forward that simply builds on and expands this collective vision.
Excellence is aspirational. It is not about being, but about becoming, much like Tennyson's Ulysses, "strong in will, to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."
This is the Emerson that I know, the Emerson that history reveals.
Excellence is also strategic and focused, not diffuse. It demands choices. It means not doing some things so you can put your resources, talent, and energy in that which really matters, in that which has the best chance of compelling transformation and change.
Among the many assets that support our future hopes, perhaps none is more important than the distinctive interplay of the arts, communication, and liberal arts in our curriculum. There is nothing quite like it in higher education. It creates an identity and purpose that sets Emerson apart from its peers.
We are not a conservatory; nor are we a liberal arts college in the traditional sense. We have taken aspects from both and created something entirely new. So, while some liberal arts colleges struggle for relevance and some conservatories struggle for academic breadth, we draw strength and distinction from the integration of both.
When we consider our five commitments, academic excellence is the strategic goal around which all of the others revolve. If we devote our full attention to academic excellence, we will have the best chance of powerfully transforming the College by providing our faculty with the resources they need to do their work well and strengthen our student's educational experience.
To advance academic excellence, I will request the Board of Trustees to approve a plan to add at least 40 new full-time faculty, over the course of the next five years, beginning in the next academic year. Increasing the full-time faculty by almost 25 percent will enhance new academic programs and support curricular innovation and distinction. We will need to identify new faculty space and maintain our current and favorable student–faculty ratio.
In doing so, we must also continue to recognize the critical and key contributions of term and adjunct faculty by giving them more agency in the College's future.
The faculty understands and believes that the extraordinary excellence of our departmental disciplines is enriched when they are in league with the liberal arts. Liberal learning has an essential role in our idea of what it means for our students to be truly educated. And, of course, in some of our departments there is considerable, if not complete congruence between the specialized disciplines and liberal arts.
To achieve a fuller integration of liberal learning and the departments, I will ask the faculty to consider a proposal to replace the Institute for Liberal Arts & Interdisciplinary Studies with a new academic structure—as yet unnamed—that might serve as the core home for faculty who teach primarily or exclusively in the liberal arts. It is vital to have a space where these faculty are able to join together to coordinate programs, develop curriculum, and share best practices. The new structure might include some new appointments that are joint between departments and the liberal arts as well as offer tenurable positions for faculty who teach exclusively in this new setting. The goal of this process, whatever the specifics of the structure that we ultimately develop, will be to make clear that interdisciplinary studies are not the province of a dedicated few, but rather a common good to be encouraged, represented, and supported with institutional resources in all departments and across the entire curriculum.
To be truly successful, the new structure must not create new barriers, but rather remove old barriers that frustrate curricular coherence and integrity.
To further reinvigorate interdisciplinarity and intellectual engagement as well as increase opportunities for research and creative expression—for both faculty and students—I will ask the faculty to identify and recommend the creation of Academic Centers. This initiative will bring together faculty from across the College to Centers in which they share a scholarly interest. For example, a Center on Global Issues might bring together faculty studying global protests or political communication in China. A New Media Center might bring together faculty who are engaged in related new media fields, including, for example, gaming, social media, and interactive online video.
Faculty associated with the Centers may collaborate on grants and teaching practices. The Centers will provide intellectual and physical space where faculty and students can consult both inside and outside the College, bringing Emerson to the world and the world to Emerson.
I also challenge our community to shape and define the future of one of the fields for which we are especially well known: communication. Emerson has been a pioneer and leader in the fields of communication in the past and we are doing excellent work today. But what of tomorrow?
We live in an age of unrelenting, remarkable change, especially in how we access information and communicate with one another. New technologies emerge each year, profoundly changing human interaction, not always for the better. And, as we have seen recently, social media technologies, in the right hands, can empower communities to unite and topple oppressive governments.
Convergence, disintermediation, and asynchronicity characterize this new world. Multiple media platforms create, store, and distribute content across convergent forms of text, audio, images, animation, and video. Technology continues to ease access to content, products, and services unmediated by supply chains that to this generation of young people must seem quaint, even ancient. Twenty-first century technology continues to obliterate time and space, giving us the capacity to communicate and access content almost instantaneously.
We have witnessed other significant communication shifts in world history before. Much like the invention of Gutenberg's printing press, the current revolution seems tectonic, unprecedented in the scope and the speed with which it has effected change. While these technologies present both opportunities and challenges, at the heart of our curriculum in the School of Communication is the message.
There has never been a more important time to study human communication in all of its forms. Beneath the glitter of dazzling changes remains the essential human need for personal relationships. From speech therapy to journalism, from marketing campaigns to politics to health communication, experts will shape the future.
To keep our contributions to the field of communication on the cutting edge and to position Emerson to lead in this rapidly changing field, I will ask the School of Communication faculty and its interim dean to conduct a review of the School to ensure that its curriculum and departments serve the future well and provide our graduates with the capacity to lead in the face of change and act responsibly in an increasingly complex world.
Our second commitment is to advance innovation. For more than a decade, Emerson has promised that we "[bring] innovation to communication and the arts."
To live up to that promise, we will establish an Office of Enterprise Development and Innovation whose purpose will be to reduce our heavy dependence on tuition through new sources of revenue, better leverage our existing resources, and create new innovative programs that add value to our core mission.
We will also establish a creative laboratory to develop new works and new products. The lab will provide funding, resource support, advising, and space for faculty and students to develop and advance their good ideas and will complement our already highly successful Emerson Experience in Entrepreneurship program. Participants will be selected on a competitive basis by a committee of faculty, students, and professionals.
The time also has arrived for Emerson to explore thoughtfully how we might use online instructional technology to our advantage, while ensuring that we maintain the highest standards of academic excellence and individualized attention that have characterized our student–centered learning environment.
Since the end of World War II, institutions such as ours—for very good pedagogic and mission-critical reasons—have resisted wholesale changes to how we deliver instruction and build learning communities.
However, as a smart French philosopher once said, "The future is not what it used to be."
Today, it is undeniable that higher education has reached a tipping point in online instruction. EdX, the high–profile online partnership involving Harvard, MIT, and UC Berkeley, is a game changer. It has already begun to influence how higher education thinks about online instruction. It will quicken the adoption of online instruction in all sectors of higher education.
Emerson has already established eight online courses, three of which are credit bearing. Now is the time for us to consider expanding our current offerings, especially those designed principally for non-matriculated learners.
I am pleased to announce that recently we have had initial discussions with Berklee College of Music to create an online instructional partnership. Berklee established its online program 10 years ago. It currently offers more than 130 courses in music production, business and theory, as well as song writing, arranging, and voice. More than 10,000 students enrolled in Berklee online courses last year.
An Emerson–Berklee technology partnership would extend the reach of Emerson's educational excellence to a global audience with an educational partner who shares our values and has already achieved notable success in this area. Emerson and Berklee are both distinctive institutions with great futures, and I believe that our partnership—one of many that I can imagine, including, for example, a global partnership—can be synergistically powerful, providing each of us with advantages that we might not reasonably be able to achieve on our own.
The Emerson–Berklee partnership, which could do for the humanities, in the arts, communication, and music disciplines, what edX has done for online education in science, technology, engineering, and math, will be financially sustainable and financially beneficial, as well.
Of course, our initial discussions cannot go further without the benefit of significant faculty involvement—a process that I will begin as soon as possible.
Our third commitment is to benefit the global society. We will establish an Office of Internationalization and Global Engagement to support faculty and research exchanges and program partnerships with universities abroad. We will establish, where it makes sense, joint- and dual-degree programs. We will begin our global efforts with a focus on Asia and Europe.
In doing so, we will do much more than expand our study abroad program, which we have already begun to do. This will require a commitment to provide our students with deeper and more robust language education and opportunities to engage with countries and cultures in languages other than English.
Our graduates—wherever they live, work, or study—will encounter the increasing diversity of the United States. They will encounter how a new "globalism" has changed our relationships with neighbors that once seemed so far away and so abstract; and how this new proximity and interdependency changes the way we think about education, commerce, and society.
That's why it is so important for our graduates to leave Emerson with confidence and competencies in intercultural exchange in an increasingly interconnected world.
Our fourth commitment is to advance civic engagement and responsibility. Our nation looks to colleges and universities to help solve society's most pressing problems. Just as we ask our students to share their talents and resources with those who have not had the good fortune to participate in the bounty of life, so, too, must Emerson College. Just as we ask students to live a life of no regrets and where they see wrong, to right; where they see hurt, to soothe; and where they see a broken heart, to mend it, so, too, must Emerson College.[2]
To further Emerson's commitment to civic engagement, I am very pleased to announce the establishment of the Elma Lewis Center for Civic Engagement and Learning.
Elma Lewis, born in Roxbury, worked her way through Emerson College, graduating in 1943. Seven years after she graduated she founded the Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts (1950) and the National Center of Afro-American Artists. She was one of the first women to receive a MacArthur Genius Award; she was awarded the National Medal for the Arts in 1983. Though Boston was her home, she became known nationally as a leading advocate for the arts, introducing generations of diverse young people to dance, opera, and theatre. She understood the power of the arts and culture to help young people to imagine the possibilities of a better life.
I did not know her when I lived in Boston. But I knew of her marvelous influence on society, especially on young people who were struggling to find their way in life.
The Center will bring existing Emerson College civic engagement programs under a single administrative structure and support the development of new Emerson College–community partnerships that serve the common good.
We especially commit to work with urban schools to address common problems and to enhance the quality of life for the citizens of our local and extended communities. We have already begun discussions to create partnerships with Cristo Rey High School in Dorchester and East Boston High School: to assist Cristo Rey in improving the communication skills of its students and to establish a four-year college preparatory program for East Boston students.
For we believe that it is our duty to ensure that the path to leadership is made visible and open to all, not just a privileged few.
Finally, our fifth commitment to our future is to create a strong financial environment that enables us to sustain and advance Emerson's mission. Our vision, From Excellent to Extraordinary, will serve as the template for a comprehensive fundraising campaign, which we will begin to plan this year. The campaign will focus on increasing our endowment by 50 percent over the next decade through gifts for student scholarships, endowed chairs and professorships, and other programs essential to our growth and development. In the meantime, we have pressing technology and infrastructure needs that we must address.
This year, we will begin to work with architectural and urban planners, Trustees, faculty, staff, and students to establish a more coherent long-term plan for our campus. We will seek to create a sense of place that is aligned with our vision of Emerson.
Today is a call to action and the beginning of a conversation, recognizing the vital role that debate and discussion play in an academic setting. Yet, we must acknowledge the urgency with which we are compelled to begin our task, though it will take time, resources, and planning.
I will soon distribute to the faculty, students, staff, and broader community a more detailed document, outlining where we are headed and how we plan to get there.
Of course, there are plenty of other good and necessary ideas for us to pursue: continue to enhance our faculty research and creative expression profile; strengthen our Graduate and Professional Studies programs; establish partnerships with community colleges that attract students from diverse backgrounds. Our sustainability initiatives need more resources. We must redouble our commitment to diversity and inclusion. We must continue to make good progress on the development of the new Los Angeles Center. The library needs more space. We must move forward to plan new dining spaces for faculty, staff, and students.
Students may be wondering: Where are we in the president's vision? The answer is that this is all about you. When we strengthen the faculty, we strengthen your educational experiences and the value of your degree. Whether you are in a small department, like Communication Sciences and Disorders or a very large department like Visual and Media Arts; whether you are in front of the camera or behind it; whether you write poetry or develop marketing strategies, this is all about you.
I came to Emerson with a single idea: to make sure that Emerson provided you with the best that is thought and known in the world, with intellectual stimulation, diversity of disciplines, wonderful resources, great faculty and staff to both challenge and delight you. But more than that, I was anxious that within the warm embrace of our commonwealth of learning you would begin that bewildering process of learning how to live and how to be a good global citizen.
When I think of Emerson College, I think of Alyse Nelson '97 (BS, Political Communication), now president and chief executive officer of Vital Voices Global Partnership, which works with women leaders to develop training programs and international forums in more than 140 countries. I think of Jennifer Howell '96 (BS, Film), who founded a Los Angeles–based nonprofit organization The Art of Elysium, which brings actors, writers, musicians, comedians, filmmakers, and other artists to hospitals to give young critically ill patients hope and purpose. I think of Kevin Bright '76, whom you know as the acclaimed producer of the highly successful television series, Friends, but whom I know as the person who donates his time and resources to the Perkins School for the Blind to teach—miraculously—young blind boys and girls to shoot and edit their own films.
For you see, the Emerson narrative—at its core—is deeply American, a proxy for the ideas and hopes about the unfolding future of an increasingly diverse United States—the common enterprise of many divergent peoples and perspectives, acting together in shared interests—the democratic vista that Walt Whitman, when evoking the opening lines of the epic heroic poems of Virgil and Homer, said in his own prose poem, Leaves of Grass:
I HEAR America singing, the varied carols I hear
This is the Emerson—in this great city—that I know and love. It is these varied carols that compel me to rise early and go to bed late nearly every day.
To the students—my students, our students—I wish, more than anything else, for you to make your own carols when you graduate, that you will make your own music: soul-awakening, foot-stomping, life-affirming, joyful music wherever you live, work, or play. If you do, I promise you that the world will hear you, and having heard you, will be a better place for it.
I am proud to be the 12th president of this commonwealth of learning, proud to work with a community, so that we, together, with mutual purpose and mutual aid, will write the next great chapter in Emerson's history.
Thank you and good cheer.
[1]See "A University should be a place of light, of liberty, and of learning." Benjamin Disraeli
[2]See Ted Kennedy's eulogy for Robert Kennedy, "My brother need not be idealized, or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life; to be remembered simply as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it."


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I will go to the state or church archive in Poland and look for a death record of your ancestor. If the parish is known and the records are available I'll find a record and make a copy if possible or order it. After obtaining it I'll upload the scan. I'll also provide translation of a document. If parish is not known or the religion is other then roman-catholic I'll attempt to use other sources of information first to locate it (like databases of holdings of polish state and church archives).
Krakow archive contains some metrical documents for nearby parishes outside a town as well.


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Latest update : 2013-01-23
Our Focus programme brings you exclusive reports from around the world. From Monday to Friday at 7.45 am Paris time.
2017-04-28 Middle East
Egypt's Coptic Christians targeted by Islamic State group
The Pope's visit to Egypt comes at a particularly tense time for the country's Coptic Christians, who are regularly targeted by the Islamic State group. Based in North Sinai, the...
2017-04-27 Asia-pacific
Burma's citizens still jailed for speaking their minds
In Burma, de facto leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has just celebrated her first year in power. Her NLD party has to govern with the army and the democratic transition...
2017-04-26 Europe
LGBT survivors of torture in Chechnya speak out
For several weeks, journalists and NGOs have been drawing attention to a campaign of terror against the LGBT community in Chechnya, a Muslim-majority region of Russia in the...
2017-04-25 Americas
Southern Border Plan: Mexico's own fight against illegal immigration
With his promise to build a wall between the US and Mexico, Donald Trump has made combatting illegal immigration a pillar of his presidency. But Mexico is already the US's firm...
2017-04-21 France
Fighting fuel poverty in France
Fuel poverty affects more than 10 million people in France. Financial aid programmes have been stepping in to help these people to heat their homes, many of which are poorly...


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As a reference:
Week 3
Week 2
Week 1
I've always been a big fan of the snes-era RPGs and thought about creating a series of discussions based around the flaws of the genre and how they could be assessed.
The discussion itself should be based around the topic that has been selected for that week (obviously).
Feel free to discuss either:
- The Problem (helping identify the root cause of why this isn't fun)
- The Solutions (either games you know who have found a workaround, or ideas of your own)
Whatever you feel like discussing here, please make sure that you add sufficient explanation/arguments to your logic as I take this intellectual exercise seriously and believe others will too.
This week's topic: Exploration.
I really wanted to get away from the strategical aspect of the game this week. We've delved a lot into combat mechanics but I wanted to have a look at pacing from a different perspective.
An often forgotten, but large aspect of RPGs is exploration.
Most of the time, this is done by sequencing fighting and movement segments, but let's take away the fighting from the equation this week if possible.
The basic question here is how do you make the exploration facet of the game fun?
In real-time RPGs or adventure games, jumping, swimming, grapling, etc add to the game, because as everything is real time, these actions are performed while threatened by other elements (Zelda: A Link to the past and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night are good examples of this). These generally translate poorly into exploration mechanics (Mystic Quests kind of prooved that point with lame jumping and bombing).
So once again, how can we make exploration a fun aspect of a jRPG?
Edited by Orymus3, 13 July 2012 - 12:16 PM.


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Net oil imports have decreased by 33 percent over the past six years; however, oil-related developments still host a number of policy problems for the United States.
Oil is a critical resource for the U.S. economy. It meets nearly 40% of total U.S. energy needs, including 94% of the energy used in transportation and 40% of the energy used by the industrial sector.1 Unlike other forms of energy such as coal and natural gas, which are largely supplied from domestic sources, net imports from foreign sources meet 45% of U.S. oil consumption, and thus the basis of many of the nation's energy security concerns.
The United States has been concerned about dependence on foreign oil since it became a net oil importer in the late 1940s. Those concerns grew with import levels, especially in periods of high or rising oil prices. Nonetheless, imports have generally increased over the last six decades, except for a period following the oil spikes of the 1970s and again in the last six years. Net oil import volumes and share of consumption peaked in 2005 and then declined through 2011 as a result of economic and policy-driven changes in domestic supply and demand. However, oil total (or aggregate) import costs have increased due to rising prices, which more than offset the savings from lower import volumes.
Net imports are gross imports minus exports (it is also the difference between domestic demand and supply). Interest in oil imports has climbed again as oil prices rebounded in response to global economic recovery in 2009-2010 and unrest in the Middle East and North Africa in 2011 (Libya, Egypt) and 2012 (tensions with Iran). Attention to oil exports grew in 2011, when the United States became a net exporter of petroleum products at a time when petroleum product prices were rising. Though it remains a large net importer of oil due to the need for crude oil from abroad, the United States recently started exporting more petroleum products than it imports.


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Topic: New E Mail Cards
I was just meandering through some CC Site stuff and saw, we have some great new cards! I LOVE the Syllable one! If you go to the top of this page and click on Get Involved then Click on Send an E Card it will take you to our wonderful FREE CC E Cards. Another good way to get our Cause out there. Try it, you'll like it!
Any suggestion I offer is intended as friendly advice based solely on my own experience. Please consult your doctor for professional guidance.


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Ah. OK. Well I hope it gets better for you. Yeah. I need to try kayacking. You can rent them to go out in the bay here for $18 for 2 hours I believe.
You get to kayack with the sea lions and dolphins riding along next to you. It's pretty cool.
I want to meet that one baby seal (or sea lion I think) that went ashore and took off and went to Chevy's Mexican Grill over in Del Mar (next town north of La Jolla where you were staying out here).
If that little seal would cross a highway to go to a restaurant (remember, this is a TRUE story that was in the newspaper here - I linked to it some time ago), he must know all the best places to get seafood along the Southern California coast.
When you kayack here, the seals and dolphins really do come by and say "hello."
BTW, I will have to get to the post office for you, Barry. I haven't had the chance yet. Tomorrow morning it is on my Things To Do List.


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Are people here planning to buy that Masterpiece Grimlock from Takara?
Does a bear dookie in the woods?
That's my jacket!
I saw the 25th anniversary Optimus Prime at WM, it comes with a dvd and a comic book !! They also had 2 of them at TRU but are not allowed to sell them until 11/25 . As usual WM doesn't care about the streetdates .
I saw that at Wal-Mart as well. But having now owned the Masterpiece Optimus Prime since 2004, I couldn't believe how dinky the vintage had been and I was left with no desire to own it, whatsoever.
The Masterpieces and Alternators really spoiled me.
I dare say a lot of the live-action movie toys were a lot better as well:
Deluxe BumbleBee for certain!
Transformers (in some respects) have come a long, long way.
Hard to believe, but that 1984 Optimus Prime was once my favorite toy, a long time ago.
Hey Tycho,
I am planning on buying the Grimlock. Prime, Starscream, and Grimlock were my favorites as a kid so I will complete the trinity in masterpiece form. I saw a picture of the prototype Grimlock today sitting in front of the Original 80's G1 Prime and from the looks of it MP Grimlock doesn't look all that big.
Maybe the picture does not convey the scale very well, heck I couldn't really understand the scale of the new Falcon until I got it. But, for the extra hefty price tag Grimlock is going for right now I thought he would be bigger than MP Prime. But...it looks smaller. Hopefully I am wrong
"Not again, Obi Wan is going to kill me."
Yeah. I saw the same pic you're talking about Dark Marble. I thought the same thing, too.
We want Grimlock to be HUGE!


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Featured Events
Collins to speak on 'Amazing Journey of American Women'
Gail Collins, New York Times op-ed columnist and author, will present a public talk titled, "When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present," at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24, in Dodds Auditorium, Robertson Hall. This is a ticketed event. Tickets will be available to all Princeton University students, faculty and staff ID holders on a first-come, first-serve basis, beginning Friday, Sept. 20, at noon at the Frist Campus Center Ticket Office. Ticketing will continue from noon to 6 p.m., Monday and Tuesday, while supplies last. For those unable to get a ticket, this event will be simulcast in rooms 001, 002 and 016, on the lower level of Robertson Hall. Seating is limited and will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. A book sale/signing and public reception in Shultz Dining Room follows the discussion.


text: Doctors are selling their practices right and left to hospitals and conglomerates. Those who don't are refusing to even accept new patients who are on medicare, let alone on medicaid. Since doctors will now be employees, will they have the right to form unions. Will they have the right to strike? Tens of thousands of pages of regulations and rules if not more and ANYBODY expect the goverment to fix what they created??? You have to be kidding.