text:
WHITEMARSH — A Lafayette Hill doctor has been charged with illegally doling out tens of thousands of prescription pills to patients he knew were drug-dependent, without even a physical examination.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by The Times Herald, Dr. Michael B. Rosen, of Lafayette Hill Family Medicine at 590 Germantown Pike, was arrested more than two weeks ago and charged with narcotics possession and related offenses. The report, which Whitemarsh police unsealed Wednesday, says the patients referred to Rosen as "Dr. Feel Good."
Rosen, 52, of Elkins Park, reportedly prescribed highly addictive drugs like Oxycodon and Percocet to the patients without performing a basic physical evaluation, checking with prior physicians or obtaining prior medical records.
"Dr. Rosen continued to treat and write narcotic prescriptions to these three patients after knowing they were drug-dependent on the very drugs he was prescribing," the criminal complaint states.
On Nov. 11, 2011, police reportedly interviewed one of Rosen's patients, who told them he suffered no injuries or had bodily pain, but had been a recipient of Rosen's prescriptions for nine months. Ten of those prescriptions were allegedly postdated, which police said was "very suspicious."
It was not long before police found at least two of Rosen's other patients to also have "an exuberant amount of narcotics prescribed by Dr. Rosen," according to the criminal complaint.
Another man, a patient of Dr. Rosen's for two years, told police that he lied to Rosen about back pain to get a prescription for Percocet.
"Dr. Rosen did not perform any examination or even look at his back, he just gave him the prescription for Percocet," the report reads. "(The patient) continued to say that Dr. Rosen was aware that (the patient) was a drug abuser and was previously on Suboxone and was in drug rehabs for his abuse. He stated he would continue to go to Dr. Rosen and tell Dr. Rosen what he wanted as far as prescriptions went."
On April 25, 2012, Whitemarsh police detectives executed a search warrant for medical records of patients who had a large amount of pain narcotics prescribed to them.
Findings from the search warrant resulted in the discovery of a third patient who went to see Rosen in February 2009. The patient reportedly told the doctor he was not on any medications, he worked out regularly but suffered from anxiety. Rosen reportedly prescribed Xanax and another drug without consulting any other prior physicians.
"A mother of one of the victims came to police seeking help," said Whitemarsh Police Chief Michael Beaty. "We met with her and realized there was a problem that went way above what we thought. We conducted a thorough and complete investigation for over a year to put this thing together."
Beaty said Rosen has been cooperative with police.
Defense attorney Sean Cullen declined to elaborate on the case, citing an ongoing investigation.
"We will continue to gather information and evidence, but to comment further at this time would just be improper," he said.
According to the criminal complaint, the three patients returned to Rosen for prescriptions over the course of two years, some with complaints ranging from hypertension to chronic back pain to respiratory infections. One patient received a total of 10,000 "controlled substances" over a nine-month period, according to the complaint.
In all three reported cases, investigators found Rosen failed to administer a basic physical examination, check with patients' prior physicians, obtain prior medical records or maintain accurate or up-to-date medical documentation of treatment and prescriptions.
Rosen was arraigned before District Judge Deborah Lukens on April 4 and released on $10,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 21.
Follow Jenny DeHuff on Twitter @RuffTuffDH.


text:
To the Editor:
On the front page of Jan. 14 Northwest Herald, I read that President Barack Obama warned the Republicans that older Americans might not receive their Social Security checks unless there was a deal made.
Well, Mr. President, here's a deal you might consider: I suggest you retract all past and present politicians' full pension and health care entitlements for those who have only contributed four years of service to our country.
As a taxpayer, I was forced to put as much as 15 percent of my income, for every year that I worked, into Social Security and Medicare so I would have sufficient funds when I retired. However, over more than the past 50 years, voting in every election, never once did I see a referendum on the ballot asking the American people if they felt all politicians should receive a full pension and health care the rest of their lives, after only a four-year term. It was simply taken, and now it's time to give it back.
Why is it that all of Congress and their families are exempt from Obamacare and if American citizens refuse it, we will be fined? That tells me Obamacare must not be a very desirable plan since you don't want it for yourselves, but it's good enough for me.
When being sworn into a political position, all are to take an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States. According to the Constitution, no laws are to be passed concerning the people that do not apply to yourselves as well.
Terrence Connor

subset: commoncrawl


text:
|2005-12-18, 14:00
|Link #1
Zettai Shonen
Most sadly, with the big forum data loss, this thread was completely devoured, so I'm opening it a new. The series has been finished, and now everyone who wants(/ed) to watch it hopefully has been able to see it! Most things came to a close, and some things are left to the watcher, but overall I was quite pleased with the ending. Many times you'll just see stupid things like Mai HiME's ending, but this one was quite respectable. I'm curious to hear opinions~
|2005-12-18, 15:14
|Link #2
Knowledge is the solution
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: St. Louis, MO
Age: 33
Indeed, I found this ending to be highly satisfying. Although at a first glance it just seems to leave too many untied knots, when one realizes the meaning that the series tries to convey
it leaves you highly satisfied. In fact, I think this series made it to my Top 5
|2005-12-18, 16:56
|Link #6
京都 ikitai~
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: massugu
I marathoned episodes 20-26, and I'm glad I did since otherwise the suspense probably would've killed me. Overall, I liked the Tana arc better than the Yokohama arc--I just really liked the Tana cast and the atmosphere in Tana was awesome, and perfect for the story. In Yokohama it just seemed like the supernatural was out of place, and it was harder to get into the characters. Although if they were separate series the Yokohama arc would still stand up well, it's just the Tana arc I thought was really exceptional, so it was going to be nearly impossible to top. The Tana arc's probably the best series I've seen this year.
Thoughts on the ending:
Thanks to everyone at Triad for subbing this. It's been a lot of fun to watch, and with the little Japanese I know, and as much as Zettai revolves around people's conversations, there's no way in hell I'd have been able to figure out what's going on watching raws.
|2005-12-25, 12:59
|Link #7
Join Date: Dec 2005
Age: 37
|2005-12-25, 13:22
|Link #8
Yuuki Aoi
Join Date: Jul 2004
This series totally surprised me. As a Saturday morning series, I expected it to be kid stuff, but it wasn't. It had great mood, pace and characterization.
Yes, the first half of the series is set in the country, and the second half in the city, with few characters appearing in both. I, too, enjoyed the country half more than the city half, but the city half was still great, with some fascinating characters of its own.
I don't suppose they'll do another series, but they created a real world with the characters in both places, so they could. Life goes on. And the more I see of Miki and Ayumu the better. I loooved the voice of Mitsuhashi Kanako as Miki.
|2005-12-25, 13:40
|Link #9
Join Date: Dec 2005
Age: 37
And I certainly like Mitsuhashi Kanako's voice, be it in Suzuka or Zettai Shonen. Some voices you just feel attached to !
|2006-01-06, 22:40
|Link #10
Yuuki Aoi
Join Date: Jul 2004
Fans of Ayumu may be interested to hear the voice actor who played him, Toyonaga Toshiyuki, as the male lead in the new series Kagihime Monogatari - Eikyuu Alice Rondo. It's a totally different anime, involving magical girls whose power is to read the stories in people's hearts. But he appears to be rising, since he is playing opposite Shimizu Ai this time.
|2006-09-09, 01:46
|Link #15
Weapon of Mass Discussion
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: New York, USA
|2006-09-10, 14:23
|Link #17
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
Yeah I also consider this series the best series of 2005. It's worth your time checking out. Plus it felt original compare to some of the typical cliche anime we see this days.
Plus this is the only anime series that felt a bit like The-X Files for some reason. lol
|2006-09-11, 12:15
|Link #19
Yuuki Aoi
Join Date: Jul 2004
I'm not going to say this was the best show of 2005 (that would be Honey & Clover, for me), but it was definitely excellent. Knowing it was an early-Saturday-morning broadcast, at first I thought it would be kid stuff and ignored it. Fortunately, I read something good about it and started watching. The mood and feeling were just great, and there was some wonderful voice-acting (Mitsuhashi Kanako as Miki, Kobayashi Akiko as Kisa, Shimizu Ai as Shione, etc.). The relationships were handled well, too.
|Thread Tools


text: Searching for sewing supplies at our "local" WalMart I only found two options for 100% polyester thread. Both Coat's brand. One was labeled for outdoor apparel. UV stable etc. +$4 for I think a 200yd spool. The other was for overlock machines. 3000yd for $1.94. I'm in the learning to sew phase. So I purchased the overlock spool of thread. Is this thread junk? Should I replace it with a thread of known high quality like the spools available from Speers for any DIY projects?


text:
Flour Bakery's banana bread recipe. The best banana bread I ever ate. Finally.
For the longest time I've been looking for a go-to banana bread recipe. A favorite. A basic recipe I can make as is or gussy up. A recipe I can pull out of my sleeve at the drop of a hat. One I make so many times I can throw together from memory. With my eyes closed.
I put the recipe to the test by making two loaves. For the first I followed the recipe exactly as written, the second I made a deconstructed Nutella version with chocolate chips and hazelnuts. Neither disappointed. So ridiculously good my search
may be over. Is over.
The texture is unlike any other banana bread to cross my lips – super moist, heavy crumbed, soft yet sturdy. . . I don't quite have the words to show it the justice it deserves. You'll just have to make it and come back to let me know if my speechlessness is warranted. Maybe it's just me.
This I do know.
Banana bread. . . I love you.
The best banana bread in the world from Flour Bakery with chocolate chips and hazelnuts.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a loaf pan with parchment paper and grease the entire thing with butter.
- In a small bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In a separate large bowl beat sugar and eggs on low speed until fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Continue beating on low speed and drizzle in oil. Beat in mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla. Fold in the flour mixture, then the chocolate chips and most of the nuts, saving a handful for the top.
- Pour into loaf pan, sprinkle nuts over top and bake about 55-60 minutes, toothpick should come out clean from center.
Adapted from Food Network


text:
Single Lot of 55lb Bags of Ol'Roy Complete Nutrition Dry Dog Food Voluntarily Recalled In Select Stores by Doane Pet Care
Manassas, Virginia – Doane Pet Care is announcing today a voluntary recall on a specific single lot of 55 pound bonus bags of Ol' Roy Complete Nutrition dry dog food. This product was produced at one facility in Manassas, VA and was distributed exclusively by some Wal-Mart Stores. Please note that no other Ol' Roy products are affected, and that this recall is not related to the Menu Foods recall (and other recent recalls) of pet food due to tainted Chinese vegetable proteins.
This product has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. People handling this pet food can become exposed to Salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with this pet food or any surfaces exposed to this product. Consumers who have the dry dog food bearing the code "04 0735 1â€


text:
A measure to change Hoboken's rent control laws was narrowly defeated last year at the polls by a close vote of 8,248 to 8,196, but will reappear on this November's ballot. A court decision Wednesday ended a year's worth of litigation over the original outcome.
Last year's referendum sought to permanently remove rent control from buildings with four or fewer rental units once a current tenant moves out, and to allow a one-time decontrol in buildings with five or more units. Those units would return to rent control under the new rent.
Single condos that are being rented out would also become exempt when a current tenant moves out.
With Hoboken's current rent control laws, which apply to most apartment buildings built before 1988, rent increases are limited to a few percent each year, based on economic indicators. There are some exceptions: A landlord can apply for higher increases if he makes drastic improvements; he may pass along water and tax surcharges, and there is an optional vacancy decontrol of 25 percent every three years or more if a tenant moves out.
The same public question, on whether to decontrol rental rates in Hoboken, will appear on the November ballot two years in a row.
However, tenants have argued that rent control keeps landlords from hiking prices and driving Hoboken's remaining working class tenants out of town.
Why do it again?
The referendum was placed back on the ballot Wednesday after legal bickering over last year's results.
The Mile Square Taxpayers Association, a landlord group, protested the narrow defeat of their ordinance in court, saying that 114 voters who were disenfranchised by Hurricane Sandy, and voted out of town, did not get to vote on that question.
Local tenant advocates, the Hoboken Fair Housing Association, fought to uphold the results.
Rent control has always been a contentious issue in Hoboken, and potential changes to the ordinance are always hotly contested.
HFHA argued that the MSTA's list of 114 people was falsified, contained duplicates, and was made up somewhat of people that had once registered to vote in Hoboken but did not live there. Indeed, some of those voters' affirmation statements, which any voter voting outside of their normal polling place must fill out, list current addresses outside of Hoboken.
But throughout the year, and at last week's appeal in New Brunswick, judges denied HFHA's right to argue the validity of the list, and sided with MSTA and Superior Court Judge Christine Farrington that "legal voters, casting legal votes, were deprived of the opportunity to vote on the public question."
Ron Simoncini, a spokesman for MSTA, said on Wednesday that he felt "vindicated" by the results and that giving those displaced by Sandy the right to vote again is the right decision.
But Cheryl Fallick, a representative of HFHA and former member of the city's rent leveling board, has maintained from the beginning that MSTA, funded by developers and landlords, was attempting to change the outcome via the courtroom.
In court on Tuesday, HFHA's lawyer, Renee Steinhagen, petitioned judges to look closely a directive issued by the state after Sandy, but before the Nov. 5 election, that anyone be allowed to vote anywhere in New Jersey due to displacement. According to her argument, the directive was a clear indication that no voter could have been disenfranchised because there were multiple ways to obtain a Hoboken ballot at the polling place.
But Charles Gormally, MSTA's lawyer, countered that a voter would likely walk into the polling place under the impression that they would have the chance to vote on all the public questions relating to their municipality.
What do the mayoral candidates think?
Steinhagen said that she will not pursue any further action to prevent the public question from being placed on the November ballot (the ballots are set to be printed on Monday), but that she is weighing whether the contents of the appeal are worth bringing to the New Jersey Supreme Court. She said that she will make that decision some time in the next six weeks.
In the meantime, both MSTA and HFHA will reignite their campaigns, and members of both groups have said that they expect Hoboken's mayoral candidates to weigh in on the issue.
Last year, Mayor Dawn Zimmer sided with the tenant advocates, which stirred a bit of anger from some of the landlords.
"I think there's going to be a lot of resolve from property owners to get out and vote on this, and I think the candidates are going to have to weigh in," said Simoncini.
Fallick also insisted that each candidate make his or her opinion on the rent control debate known.
"There's this stigma about the rent control issue," she said. "In an election season where there are people running for office, it's like the third rail, no one wants to touch it. But this time they're going to have to come out with it because this is something that affects a lot of people and affects the way they will vote."
As to their own strategies, both sides said that they would work hard to discredit the other.
Dean DeChiaro may be reached at email@example.com


text:
List of Audio Applications
From Openmoko
Audio applications, music players (hamradio, midi, mixer, sequencer, tuner, audio-video editing, audio player, recorder, musical software).
|Openmoko Mediaplayer 2
Media player originally written for Om 2007.2.
|Qtopia Mediaplayer
Plays music.
Openmokast is a digital broadcasting application that can use a USB DAB/DMB device to receive mobile multimedia services.
Mokoko is a media player program, you can use it to play mp3 and ogg files on Neo.
Pythm is a media player frontend, designed to control mplayer or mpd with one GUI on the FreeRunner. As of writing, you need to download python-mokoui separately.
Thomas's K. mediaplayer project (pre-alpha).
http://www.gup.jku.at/~tkoeck/audioplayer/audioplayer1.png http://www.gup.jku.at/~tkoeck/audioplayer/audioplayer2.png http://www.gup.jku.at/~tkoeck/audioplayer/audioplayer3.png http://www.gup.jku.at/~tkoeck/audioplayer/audioplayer4.png
Source: http://www.gup.jku.at/~tkoeck/audioplayer/audioplayer.tar.gz
Building instruction: Since epeg is still not in the debian repository so I compiled it from the source package I got from http://debian.alphagemini.org/dists/unstable/main/source/libs/ Here are the compiled packages: http://www.gup.uni-linz.ac.at/~tkoeck/audioplayer/libepeg-bin_0.9.1.042-0cvs20080608_armel.deb http://www.gup.uni-linz.ac.at/~tkoeck/audioplayer/libepeg-dev_0.9.1.042-0cvs20080608_armel.deb http://www.gup.uni-linz.ac.at/~tkoeck/audioplayer/libepeg0_0.9.1.042-0cvs20080608_armel.deb
Instructions: Place the binary and the edj file into the same directory (the edj file has to be in the working directory) and start it with:
audioplayer <music-root-dir>
Also nomminated: qmmp, sonata, quasar.
See also
Most of the video players also play audio:


text:
New York City, New York 10019
United States
|Areas of Practice
|1) Litigation
|Law School
|Loyola University Chicago School of Law
|Princeton University (A.B., cum laude, 1985)
|Most recent firm
|Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP
|Relevant Jobs
Litigation Associate
USA-NY-New York City
Midtown Manhattan litigation boutique with diverse civil litigation practice seeking associate with 2+ years experience. Candidate needs to be a motivated self-starter. Please send resume by click...
Apply now
Associate Attorney
USA-NY-New York City
Small diverse Law Firm seeks associate recently admitted to New York Courts with interest in litigation. Strong writing skills required. Salary negotiable and benefits. Please click "Apply Now" to su...
Apply now
Litigation Paralegal
USA-NY-New York City
Litigation Paralegal Candidate will support a fast paced litigation firm. Interview clients, draft documents, attend court conferences, etc. Language skills in Spanish is required.
Apply now
|+ View more jobs
Benjamin P. Smith is a partner in Morgan Lewis's Litigation Practice. He is a trial lawyer with a particular focus on high-stakes disputes in the biotechnology, medical device, and internet industries.
Brian M. Jazaeri is a partner in Morgan Lewis's Litigation Practice. Mr. Jazaeri represents clients in complex commercial litigation, with a particular emphasis on class action matters and financial services, healthcare and technology litigation.


text:
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Beer Bong Friday
Beer Bong Rule #482: Watch out for dentures.
(HT: Gabe)
P.S.Oh, and in case you're wondering what sort of things we're cooking up for our return, we've filled out the final two spots in a little thing called the Blog Co-ed Showdown...
11 comments:
- Out of Conference said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- March 09, 2007 11:38 AM
- Out of Conference said...
Based on Bubba's last comments - Im guessing neither of these beauties wear dentures (ugh - that was horrible, I know, sorry T9- it's my usual, "If i have to work on a great weather Friday, then you get classless OOC")
- March 09, 2007 11:39 AM
- MGoBlue93 said...
Is that the same Louisville cheerleader with the photos that would make Courtney Simpson blush?
- March 09, 2007 1:03 PM
- Yost said...
It is indeed, mgoblue
- March 09, 2007 1:50 PM
- ohio_guy said...
anyone see that game today?
have fun in the NIT
- March 09, 2007 4:45 PM
- MGoBlue93 said...
excellent Yost... if this were an actual pairing, I don't think it would be close. Rocky Top appears to have some nice sweater meat but that grill makes me wonder about a gender check... either that or there's some serious inbreeding going on down in dem der hills.
- March 09, 2007 7:34 PM
I thought you were supposed to take your teeth out first
- March 10, 2007 1:05 AM
- JukeBox said...
omg... you guys missed out OklaOOhoma girl.. come on, i'm so dissapointed in the BCS.
I guess she must have took the high road and decided not to talk her way into the showdown, instead was trying to let her, um... figures, speak for themselves.
- March 10, 2007 1:39 AM
- zen wizard said...
I don't really understand the rules for the showdown.
Then again, I went to Michigan State...
- March 10, 2007 11:27 AM
- TitleIX said...
you are good, OOC.
maybe she should be flat-headed rocky top too??
am I allowed to vote for a photoshop edit??
put the rack on the blondie with the abs, there's your winner boys
- March 10, 2007 12:19 PM
- MGoBlue93 said...
T9... marry me!
- March 10, 2007 9:26 PM


text:
by Brian DeCandia, sports information graduate assistant
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – For the sixth-straight week the Georgia College women's basketball team (8-2, 0-2 PBC) received votes in the USA Today ESPN Division II Top-25 Coaches' Poll as released on Tuesday, Jan. 11.
The Bobcats just recently dropped their last game against Peach Belt Conference (PBC) foe and No. 5 ranked Clayton State University (14-0, 3-0 PBC), 53-42. The 'Cats have 5 points in the most recent poll.
No. 2 Lander University leads the three PBC teams in the top-25. Clayton State University is ranked No. 5, while USC Aiken has a No. 18 ranking.
The Bobcats are back in action Jan. 12 at 5:30 p.m. hosting Georgia Southwestern University.
The Georgia College Department of Athletics, back-to-back winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup, sponsors 10 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Sign up at www.twitter.com/GCSUBobcats and www.facebook.com/gcbobcats for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit www.GCBobcats.com for more information, and to nominate your favorite former Bobcats and Colonials to the GC Athletics Hall of Fame.


text:
Perfect Game is proud to announce the appointment of Matt Gerber as the North Florida Regional Director for the Perfect Game Super25 tournament series.
Matt owns and operates the Orlando Scorpions, one of the top travel organizations in the country. The Scorpions were the 2013 17u WWBA National Champions and 16u Perfect Game World Series Champions. They boast an impressive resume of top draft picks and Division-One commitments in every graduating class.
The Super25 tournament series will bring the Perfect Game experience to new regions and age groups. Super25 will promote baseball as a team sport by requiring consistent rosters from qualifying events through regional tournaments and, ultimately, the Perfect Game Super25 National Championships.
For information about tournaments in the North Florida region, visit PGSuper25.com or contact Matt at firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
In Lincoln Unified, four of the five trustees live west of Interstate 5, an area that has about 18,000 of the district's roughly 45,000 residents.
In Lincoln Unified, four of the five trustees live west of Interstate 5, an area that has about 18,000 of the district's roughly 45,000 residents.
Why is that?
In a word, money. The west I-5 area includes both the Lincoln Village West and Brookside developments, among Stockton's tonier areas.
Since Lincoln trustees are elected at-large, it simply costs a lot of money to run an effective campaign.
This is not to suggest that trustees from west of the freeway ignore district needs of the east side. It is to suggest that if all trustees come from the most affluent and least diverse part of the district they don't reflect the experiences of either the students or parents in all district schools.
Last fall we saw an example of the lack of economic and geographic diversity on the board when Trustee George Conklin, running for a full term after being appointed to finish the term of Paul Canepa for a seat on the Stockton City Council, finished third in a four-way race for two seats on the Lincoln board.
The 38-year-old draftsman and single father would have contributed a much-needed geographic balance to the board. And he was not linked to what some view as a district power structure that operates behind the scenes from a base west of Interstate 5.
Voters have the right to pick whomever they choose, and in last November's election they chose to return Van-Ha To-Cowell to the board along with newcomer Kathleen Solari. Both live on the west side. Conklin, who lives on the east side, and Alan Whipple finished third and fourth, respectively.
That west side lock on the board could change.
Last week, Lincoln Superintendent Tom Uslan presented a proposal to establish trustee areas, eliminating at-large voting.
That accomplishes two things:
� It would guarantee board representation from throughout the district.
� It would reduce the cost of running for a seat on the Lincoln board.
Lincoln is one of only two of the county's five largest unified districts - Tracy is the other - that choose board members in at-large elections.
At-large voting systems have been challenged under the 2001 California Voting Rights Act precisely because in school districts they tend to dissuade some potential candidates. Lincoln Unified doesn't need the aggravation, not to mention the cost, such a legal challenge could pose.
But beyond getting out ahead of a potential lawsuit, moving to trustee area elections is simply the right thing to do.
Board members, while not committing themselves, last week did vote unanimously to take public comment at their next three board meetings. They could vote on the issue as soon as their May 8 meeting.
The board has worked for all students, said board President Susan Lenz. "... We have to continue representing every student," said Trustee Don Ruhstaller, the lone trustee from the district's east side.
They are both correct.
One way to assure that is to make elections as democratic and representative as possible. Trustee areas help do that.


text:
Read Corey Abbott's Eastern Conference analysis here.
Sometimes the best trade is the one you don't make. That's certainly the philosophy many general managers took this season. While some teams, like Los Angeles, decided to make a big splash, others added just complementary players or stuck with what they had. Were they right to do so? We're going to break down what each Western Conference team did over the month of February to see who were the trade deadline's winners and losers.
Anaheim Ducks
Added: Sebastian Erixon, Dale Mitchell, Ryan O'Marra, and Riley Holzapfel
Lost: Andrew Gordon, Mark Fraser, Bryan Rodney, and Maxime Macenauer
If the trade deadline was in December, Anaheim might have been a big seller, but they've been red hot lately and have risen to the cusp of relevancy in the battle for the eighth seed. If that sounds like an unimpressive accomplishment, it's only because, in the grand scheme of things, it is. While they deserve credit for their play over the last two months, their odds of making the playoffs are still very slim.
Still, their recent rise has filled the front office with enough hope to hold onto what they have and only make minor trades over the last month. We can forgive them for their inaction because their core is relatively young and we recognize that there is no way they could stomach trading their icon, Teemu Selanne.
Grade: C
Calgary Flames
Added: None
Lost: None
The Calgary Flames set the bar for what it means to be stuck in limbo. They aren't a terrible team – aging stars Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff see to that – but they are neither a Stanley Cup contender nor are they moving close to that ultimate goal. They are a team that's content to fight for the fool's gold that is the eighth seed rather than admit defeat and start the desperately needed rebuilding process.
A team like the Anaheim Ducks can hide behind their young core as justification for keeping their team largely intact, but the Flames have no such excuse.
Grade: D
Chicago Blackhawks
Added: A 2012 fifth round pick and Matt Fornataro, Johnny Oduya
Lost: John Scott and Brandon Segal, second and third round picks in 2013
The Blackhawks' post-All-Star Game struggles have highlighted serious problems the team has to address if they want to even make the playoffs this season, let alone still be playing into May and June. However, if they are to turn their season around, it will be with largely the same core they entered the 2011-12 campaign with. That's not necessarily a bad thing as, despite their current struggles, they do have the pieces in place to compete.
The acquisition of Johnny Oduya adds depth to the blueline, especially with the injuries to Steve Montador and Niklas Hjalmarsson. He will be eligible for unrestricted free agency at the end of the season so this is likely a rental player.
Grade: B-
Colorado Avalanche
Added: Steve Downie, Danny Richmond, Jamie McGinn, Mike Connolly, and Michael Sgarbossa
Lost: Kyle Quincey, Mike Carman, Daniel Winnik, T.J. Galiardi, and a 2013 seventh round pick
Colorado made their biggest move before the deadline, acquiring Downie in exchange for Quincey. They had blueliners to spare and Downie has proven to be a great fit in Colorado. He already has two goals and five points in three games, going into Monday's contest. Although we don't expect Downie to maintain anything close to a point-per-game pace, the trade makes a lot from Colorado's perspective. They had a surplus of defensemen, but could use an aggressive forward with enough offensive talent to not look out of place on the first or second line.
Grade: B+
Columbus Blue Jackets
Added: Jack Johnson, Taylor Ellington, Curtis McElhinney, a conditional first round pick, a 2012 second round pick, two 2012 fourth round picks, and a conditional 2013 fifth round pick
Lost: Jeff Carter, Antoine Vermette, and Sami Pahlsson
Columbus began their rebuilding process over the past month, but they didn't address the issue of Rick Nash. Their captain wants out of Columbus, but they weren't able to find a buyer who would satisfy their high demands. They'll try again around the 2012 NHL entry draft and it won't be until then or the summer that we'll know if they were wise to hold onto Nash for a little longer.
As far as the trades they did over the last month, adequate is the word that comes to mind. They didn't get as much for Carter as they gave up, but given the kind of season Carter is having, that is to be expected. Jack Johnson is a piece that can help them and while the draft picks might pay off in a few years, they aren't a Stanley Cup contender yet nor are they clearly on the path towards becoming one. Still, after disappointment after disappointment, the first step towards turning things around is to start making bold moves.
In a way, that process began with the decision to go after Carter and while that ultimately proved to be a misstep, every move they've made over the last year or so suggests they are actively trying to find their footing and figure out what they need to do to get out of this franchise-long rut.
Dallas Stars
Added: A 2013 second round pick, and a 2013 third round pick
Lost: Nicklas Grossman
It's rare and refreshing to see a team battling for one of the bottom playoff spots, choose to put their team's future firmly ahead of its present. It is worth noting that the Stars' chances of making the playoff have significantly improved in the week and a half since they traded Grossman.
The Stars could have done more if they wanted to be major sellers, such as trade Steve Ott, but they didn't have to because Ott and the core of their team is either locked up or at least under their control as a potential restricted free agent. Grossman was probably the biggest trade chip amongst their crop of upcoming unrestricted free agents. None of their other potential summer of 2012 UFAs were likely to fetch them much, so even if you want to look at the Stars as pure sellers, they more or less fulfilled their goal.
The Dallas Stars aren't a young team, but they do have some key players who are either young or in their prime and they have enough cap space to grow if the ownership is willing to put in the money. The Stars as they are don't warrant a blowup nor were they in a position to be a major buyer, so their actions come off as both reasonable and disciplined.
Grade: A-
Detroit Red Wings
Added: Kyle Quincey and a conditional seventh round pick
Lost: Mike Commodore, Sebastien Piche, and a 2012 first round pick
Quincey is yet another example of the Detroit Red Wings' late round picks paying off. The only problem is, he didn't pay off for Detroit, at least not the first time around. Detroit took Quincey with the 132nd pick in the 2003 NHL entry draft and kept him in their organization for the next five years. He played in all of 13 games with Detroit before he got his big break with Los Angeles in 2008-09. Since then he's established himself as a solid all-around blueliner.
Detroit was one of the few teams to surrender a first overall pick this season, but it's worth keeping in mind that Quincey will be a restricted free agent this summer, so this wasn't a rental addition. He bolsters their defense, which will not only help Detroit in their upcoming playoff run, but will also serve to soften the blow, should Nicklas Lidstrom decide to retire this summer.
Grade: A
Edmonton Oilers
Added: Nick Schultz and Bryan Rodney
Lost: Tom Gilbert and Ryan O'Marra
The Edmonton Oilers had a very quiet February, which, frankly, is to be expected. The selling portion of their rebuilding effort is behind them, but they're certainly not ready to compete for a playoff spot just yet. For now, their focus is on developing their talented youngsters like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Taylor Hall and supplementing them with more draft selections and free agent acquisitions.
They still have some veterans on their team and a few names that came up in the rumor mill, but there is a benefit to having some veterans surround their up-and-coming stars. Besides, they're on the right track and it seems unlikely that any of the upcoming unrestricted free agents they could have traded would have provided them with a significant return.
Los Angeles Kings
Added: Jeff Carter
Lost: Jack Johnson and a conditional first round pick
The Kings got the biggest prize in February and that means, for better or worse, they took the biggest risk. While they didn't pay – if you'll excuse the pun – a King's ransom to get Carter, given his potential, if things go south in Los Angeles as they did in Columbus, then he might be very difficult to trade. Additionally, with Carter and Mike Richards both signed to long-term deals, the Kings have adopted part of the core that the Philadelphia Flyers ultimately felt would not win them a Stanley Cup.
That being said, if Carter lives up to his potential, then his $5,272,727 million annual cap hit starts to look pretty reasonable, especially when you look at some of the contracts that have been handed out recently. Reuniting Richards and Carter is an experiment that could backfire, but it could also turn an offensively starved team with an elite goaltender into a legitimate and long-term Stanley Cup contender.
Minnesota Wild
Added: Kurtis Foster, Nick Palmieri, Casey Wellman, Stephane Veilleux, Steve Kampfer, Tom Gilbert, a 2012 second round pick, a conditional 2013 third round pick, and a 2013 seventh round pick
Lost: Marek Zidlicky, Erik Christensen, Greg Zanon, and Nick Schultz
The Minnesota Wild's hand was forced by Marek Zidlicky, who wanted out, despite the fact that he was signed through 2012-13. Still, the Wild made the best of the situation and managed to get an impressive haul from New Jersey despite Zidlicky's struggles this season. Given that Zidlicky turned 35 on Feb. 3, this trade probably helped the franchise in the long run.
In the meantime, though, the Wild are likely to miss the playoffs for the fourth straight season.
Nashville Predators
Added: Andrei Kostitsyn, Hal Gill, Paul Gaustad, 2013 fourth round pick, 2012 sixth round pick
Lost: Jerred Smithson, Blake Geoffrion, Robert Slaney, 2012 first round pick, 2012 second round pick, 2013 second round pick
The Predators gave up three high end prospects and a so-so prospect in Geoffrion for a solid defensive defenseman in Gill, a fixer upper in Kostitsyn, and a bottom-six forward in Gaustad. All three of which are going to become unrestricted free agents this season, so I guess Nashville must be thinking that this is the season they have to make a big playoff push.
To an extent, I can see where the Predators are coming from. Ryan Suter is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent and Shea Weber won't be under their control for much longer. Although they have managed to lock up Pekka Rinne to a long-term contract, if they don't go deep into the playoffs this season, Suter might walk and Weber might not be far behind them. Personally I think that problem is mitigated by the fact that they have some very appealing prospects in blueliners Ryan Ellis and Jonathan Blum, who could both be major contributors in the not too distant future.
I can understand why having Ellis and Blum in their organization isn't reason enough to just shrug off the possible loss of two all-star caliber defensemen and I can't even say I disagree with the Predators considering themselves buyers. Still, for what they gave up, they don't really look like that much better of a team. They did add more grit, I'll give them that, and given the results they got out of Sergei Kostitsyn, it should be interesting to see what they can do with his struggling older brother. It just doesn't add up to being enough to warrant surrendering a first rounder and two second rounders, especially given the fact that all three can just walk this summer.
That's a big factor because they don't actually need to prove to Suter they can make a push this season. They need to prove to Suter that if he signs a long-term contract with them, they will be a serious Stanley Cup contender for years to come. They didn't do that with these moves; all they did was show their willingness to mortgage the future without getting a lot in return.
Grade: D+
Phoenix Coyotes
Added: Antoine Vermette
Lost: Curtis McElhinney, a 2012 second round pick, and a conditional 2013 fifth round pick
It's worth noting that while the trade didn't make the cutoff, they got a second round pick from Kyle Turris, which in a way makes this deal an extension of that one. Vermette is having a terrible season with just eight goals and 27 points in 62 games, but the change of scenery might help him in the long run. At his best, Vermette is a solid second line center or even a passable first liner.
He's signed through 2014-15 and comes with an annual cap hit of $3.75 million. That's not bad if he bounces back, but it will look like an albatross of a deal if he continues to decline, which isn't entirely out of the question. The Coyotes are definitely taking a risk with Vermette, but to their credit it's a calculated one and it's one where the upside outweighs the worst case scenario.
Grade: C+
San Jose Sharks
Added: Daniel Winnik, T.J. Galiardi, Dominic Moore, a 2012 seventh round pick, and a 2013 seventh round pick
Lost: Jamie McGinn, Mike Connolly, Michael Sgarbossa, and a 2012 second round pick
The San Jose Sharks are fading fast and were reportedly in the mix for Rick Nash. A Nash to San Jose move would have made a lot of sense, given the presence of playmaker Joe Thornton and would have certainly made the Sharks the team to watch for the final month of the regular season. Still, if the Blue Jackets' price included Logan Couture, as was rumored, then we can understand why they passed on his services.
Instead, San Jose focused on filling some holes in their depth in the hopes that it will help them snap out of their slump in time to retake the Pacific Division. That's a tall order, given that they'll have to contend with the new Kings following the Jeff Carter trade and two surging squads in the Phoenix Coyotes and Anaheim Ducks.
Ultimately, this isn't looking like San Jose's year and that will probably lead to another sizeable shakeup – and the possible acquisition of Nash – but we will have to wait until the summer to know for sure.
St. Louis Blues
Added: A 2013 second round pick
Lost: Ben Bishop
They got a second round pick for a 25-year-old AHL goaltender who would have become an unrestricted free agent anyways. Yes, Bishop has been pretty good in the minors, but they weren't about to use him ahead of Jaroslav Halak or Brian Elliott. There's nothing to dislike about this move from the Blues' perspective. Overall it would have been nice to see them add something as they are a darkhorse contender to win the Stanley Cup.
Still, relative to what we saw from the rest of the Western Conference squads over the course of February, they were very successful.
Vancouver Canucks
Added: Zack Kassian, Marc-Andre Gragnani, Sami Pahlsson, and Andrew Gordon
Lost: Cody Hodgson, Alexander Sulzer, Sebastian Erixon, and two 2012 fourth round picks
Although Vancouver was actually pretty active in February, what this month will be remembered for in Canucks history is the moment it was announced they sent Hodgson to the Buffalo Sabres and got Kassian. The winner and loser of that deal won't be known for years, but Kassian is more a physical presence and that will probably make him a better fit for Vancouver. Still, it's hard to trade away one of your best secondary scorers – and one who has excelled despite averaging just 12:43 minutes per game – just before what could be a lengthy playoff run.


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Step Brothers RSS
Movie Description(Click Here To Hide)
Step Brothers is a 2008 slapstick buddy-comedy film directed by Adam McKay. Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly star as two middle-aged, jobless losers who are forced to become roommates when their parents (Mary Steenburgen and Richard Jenkins) get married.
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Listen to Brahms Remix of Sun Airway's "Your Moon"Posted by Phil on May 16th, 2011
Check out this propulsive reworking of Sun Airway's "Your Moon" by Brahms. Sun Airway leave for a short tour this week with White Lies, before a hometown show in Philadelphia and appearances at the Northside and Pitchfork Music Festivals later this summer.
Your Moon (BRAHMS remix) by Sun Airway


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One in five people have changed the way they shop as a result of the widening meat scandal, according to a poll carried out by YouGov for Sky News.
Of those who are buying differently, 58% said they had completely abandoned processed meats.
A third of the nearly 2,000 people surveyed said they had stopped buying cheap ranges and now favour more expensive processed meat.
As for who they blamed most, nearly half - 49% - said meat processors were most at fault, while one in five said food manufacturers carried responsibility.
But supermarkets seem to be largely off the hook, with only 10% of people saying they are to blame and even fewer pointing the finger at the Food Standards Agency (FSA) or the Government.
One shopper told Sky's Tom Parmenter she now refuses to buy processed ready meals for her two children.
Sharon Cummins, from Slough, said: "It is affecting everybody because it is all just lies.
"The thought of eating something like a horse - it is there, that picture is in your head: What am I eating?
"You just don't know, it could be school dinners next."
EU nations have now been urged to begin widespread DNA testing to check processed beef products for contamination with horsemeat.
There should also be tests for the presence of the veterinary painkiller known as "bute", which causes cancer in humans and is banned from the food chain, European health commissioner Tonio Borg said.
The problem was being treated as a fraud issue rather than one of food safety, he said.
Earlier British Environment Secretary Owen Paterson, who attended a summit in Brussels on the scandal, warned those guilty of passing off horsemeat as more expensive beef would face the "full force of the law".
Two British firms have been shut down following raids by the FSA and police. They swooped on Peter Boddy slaughterhouse in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, and meat processing plant Farmbox Meats in Llandre near Aberystwyth, west Wales as part of an audit.
The companies had records seized and have been temporarily closed. The firms' owners deny any wrongdoing.
At Farmbox, Sky News saw large crates of meat - some covered by tarpaulin and others open - left in outdoor areas during Tuesday night, before they were removed.
Until now, meat linked to the scandal had been thought to have come from suppliers in continental Europe, but for the first time it appears the contamination may also come from British premises.
David Cameron described the situation as "appalling" and "completely unacceptable".
Meanwhile, Waitrose announced it has withdrawn its beef Essential British Frozen Meatballs after pork was found in two batches. The supermarket said they were made at the ABP Foods-owned Freshlink factory in Glasgow last summer.
Tesco has become the latest retailer to drop a major supplier after discovering a range of spaghetti bolognese ready meals contained more than 60% horsemeat.
Morrisons chief executive Dalton Philips has told Sky's Jeff Randall the chain could not be 100% sure about the content of all of its beef products, but he said its checks are rigorous and it has "extremely high" confidence.
While supermarkets rush to reassure shoppers, independent butchers have been reporting a significant surge in business.
The Butchers Q Guild has reported a 30% spike in sales of products such as burgers and sausages.
The meat scandal erupted last month after tests in Ireland showed products labelled as beef contained up to 100% horsemeat.


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1. Welcome
2. LXF 135 on sale
3. Special subscription offer
4. In the news...
5. This month on the forum
6. Special Newsletter feature
6b. Special Newsletter Tip
7. Coming up next issue
8. Receiving this Newsletter
9. Contact details
1. Welcome
We've just arrived back from sunny Oregon where O'Reilly's 2010
open source convention was being held, and it's been a busy week
of mingling, arguing and general geekery as we hooked ourselves up
to the open source electricity mains.
But the rest of the world didn't stand still, and LXF135 has already
hit the newsstands - read on for a sneak peek of what's inside, plus
quick roundups of the best news stories and forum threads, and a
special feature on working smarter on the command line.
And if you're looking to save money in these financially uncertain
times, check out our latest subscription offers.
Paul Hudson
Newsletter Editor While Mike Is Away
2. LXF 135 on sale
For a few years now Firefox has been the darling of the open source
community, even garnering enough cash to run adverts in newspapers
to spread the word. But some might say the project has rested on its
laurels for too long, and upcoming browser alternatives such as
Google Chrome are starting to nibble away at Firefox's marketshare.
As our cover feature shows, it's a tight battle indeed, and in terms
of resource usage Chrome is quite a long way ahead. Can Firefox stay
relevant? Read the full feature for the answer!
Meanwhile, Launchpad continues to win converts as it seamlessly blends
version control with bug tracking and community relations, and the
Open University comes to the end of its first course in Linux - did we
pass, and would we recommend it?
On your free 4GB DVD you'll find three top distros: Ubuntu Netbook
Edition, Slackware 13.1 and Linux Gamers, plus KOffice 2.2, the latest
build of Firefox 4, all the BitTorrent clients from our Roundup,
plus podcasts, tutorial PDFs and more!
Here's a taster of LXF135 from the HotPicks section:
# Dfeta 1.0 - http://freshmeat.net/projects/presage
Being able to see into the future would be quite handy. Apart
from clearing your gambling debts and predicting the scripts for
Doctor Who, you'd know when the optimum time to expand your RAID
array would be. This delightful little command line
tool can't help you with the 11.30 at Kempston, or whether that
ginger girl will make it to the Christmas special, but it can
tell you when your hard drive is going to be full. OK, it might
not change your life, but it could be useful before you embark
on a major photo scanning exercise or decide to download every
single Linux distro. The concept is simple. Dfeta samples the
fullness of your drive at regular intervals, does a few sums and
then tells you the specific date on which your disk will tell
you there's no more room. It's like one of those 'predict the
date of your own death' websites, but not as scary. Even if
you're not an IT person responsible for providing storage,
this handy little tool is a nice nagging aid to remind you to
empty the trash and recycle more often.
Obviously, for this to work, you need to sample regularly. The
more samples you take, the more accurate it becomes, since
temporary blips are ironed out of the ongoing averages. How
often you decide to run it is up to you, but the stored data
file is pretty small, although it does keep backups (which leads
to some self-fulfilling prophesising over time). But because it's
pretty fast and painless, you don't even know it's happening. The
best idea is to install it in your path (/usr/local/bin/ or wherever
is appropriate on your system) and execute a Cron job. Once a day
is probably enough, but you make up your own mind as to how many bitty
data files you want in ~/.dfeta. The only remaining conundrum is
how to pronounce it. DeeEffEeeTeeAy? Def-Eatah? Dee-Fetah? Hmmm…
Head over to the LXF website and click on the issue cover picture
for more information on Linux Format 135.
3. Special subscription offer
Subscribing to Linux Format not only has the benefit of fantastic
savings. Subscribers will also get exclusive, unlimited access to the
Linux Format subscriber-only area, featuring magazine PDFs, complete
issues and coverdisc downloads! That's access to over 60 issues of Linux
learning, free to subscribers to download! See our latest offers at:
http://www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/c ... nuxformat/
4. In the news
The biggest developments from around the net...
# Wine 1.2 is here!
Got a 64-bit CPU? Make use of it by running 64-bit Windows applications!
But there's much more: new icons based on the Tango set mean that Wine's
built-in apps look more Linux-native than ever, and even support for
animated cursors is on the horizon. Plus, better support for HTTP,
sub-pixel font rendering for smoother text on LCDs and even better
compatibility with Direct3D.
# OpenSUSE 11.3 is out
Are you bored of ext4 already? Sure you are! Fortunately, OpenSUSE 11.3
already ships with support for the Btrfs filesystem, which includes several
innovations introduced with ReiserFS4 and is set to replace ext4 in
the coming years. Plus you'll find that touchscreen support has been
extended, netbook compatibility has been improved, and you get the
latest Gnome and KDE versions - 2.30 (with a preview of 3!) and KDE 4.4.4.
# Damn Vulnerable Linux: a distro with a twist
Distros are supposed to come configured to be safe. They're supposed to have
updates that fix any security holes that are discovered later. But, as a
lesson for security students, Damn Vulnerable Linux takes the opposite
tack: the website states up front that it's "everything a good Linux
distribution isn't," which means packages are configured poorly and
there are dozens of exploits ready to be taken advantage of. Clearly it's
not something you want to be running on your main desktop, but if you want
to poke around and find some real vulnerabilities give it a try!
5. This month on the forum
If you're looking for an open-platform portable gaming device,
perhaps you should join in the discussion about Pandora: an
ARM-powered, OpenGL-enhanced, touchscreen-capable little box
that - gasp! - even manages to do Amiga emulation. So, if you
want to relive the glory days (or perhaps try your hand at a
little Pandora programming?) then check out the topic
and get involved! [1]
No matter how advanced Linux gets, apparently networking is going
to be an issue that crops up time and time again, as OnlyTheTony
found out on our forums recently - his network card was going
into a strange sleep mode that caused all sorts of problems,
and, after numerous suggestions from other forum regulars,
he eventually tracked the problem down and got it fixed. So,
if you have a similar problem, check out his fix! Or you could
always wait for LXF136, which, ahem, might well solve your problems
once and for all... </spoiler> [2]
[1] http://www.linuxformat.co.uk/forums/vie ... hp?t=12464
[2] http://www.linuxformat.co.uk/forums/vie ... hp?t=12436
6. Special Newsletter feature
We love the command line, us. And the nice thing about mastering it
is that your skills are instantly transferrable to any other OS where
Bash is available, not least Mac OS X and BSD. Believe it or not, even
the most advanced users discover new tricks all the time that help push
their skills even further, so below we humbly present some tips that
you might find useful - even if you're a 10-year Linux veteran!
Using !! is a Bash shortcut for "previous command", so if you ever type
a long command only to get met with "permission denied" because you didn't
run it as root, try this:
sudo !!
That will run the last command again, this time using sudo. Without this,
you would have to use "su" then re-type the command from scratch.
This !! syntax also extends to other parts of commands, for example if you
just typed a really cool command and you think you're going to want it
again in the future, why not save it to a script? Us this to do just that:
echo "!!" > somecommand.sh
Now you can run somecommand.sh whenever you need to.
Have you ever been faced with the problem of a program accessing a file,
thus stopping you from working with it? Sometimes it can be a nightmare
trying to find just what program is keeping you away, but if you need
access now and all other options have failed you, try this command - it
will automatically kill whichever process is holding access to a file:
fuser -k somefilenamehere
Now that you have your file just where you want it, let's take a backup
the smart way - by automagically appending .bak to a filename, like this:
cp somefile{,.bak}
Now we can blank the old file simply by using this beautifully simple
> somefile
That effectively sends nothing to the file, thus blanking it.
Finally, how about a bit of command completion help? There are two
shortcuts here that not many people know, so if you knew these already
you should find someone to pat you on the back for being so clever.
First, try pressing Alt + . (a full stop/period) to cycle through
previous command-line parameters. For example, if you had typed
"ls /foo/bar/baz" in the previous command, then typing "cd" and
pressing Alt + . will bring up "cd /foo/bar/baz".
Second, using Alt + * will expand Bash's filename completion now
rather than waiting for the command to be run. For example, if you
typed "ls foo." and pressed Alt + * (yes, that's Shift+8 - you might
find it easier to tap Escape then press Shift + 8 by itself), your
command will be changed to "ls foo.html foo.txt" etc.
These are only a handful of tips to help you take your command line
skills further - drop us a line if you have any more you want to share,
or post on our forums!
6b. Special Newsletter tip
Recently we had the joy of noodling around with someone else's PHP code,
and discovered to our horror that they were sending user input unchecked
into the database - which means that users could easily write evil code
to break the database if they wanted to. It also meant that text with
single quotes in, such as "I'm Paul", wouldn't work.
So, here's our special newsletter tip for all your PHP programmers out
there: if you're sending any data to a database, even from a trusted
source, you should always send it through the mysql_real_escape_string()
function first to make sure that it's safe for database entry.
7. Coming up next issue
Linux Format 13, on sale Thursday 19 August...
# Networking: fix your problems once and for all. We work you through
the most common problems and show you how to solve them yourself.
# Free completely insane gift! We were bored with giving away stickers
and posters, so here's something you've never seen before.
# Akademy 2010 show report: what was decided, and how will it affect
the future of KDE? Find out for yourself!
Contents are subject to change - the mysteries of life, eh!
8. Receiving this Newsletter
If you've been forwarded this Newsletter from someone else, and want
to sign up for future issues, just follow the steps below. Each
month you'll receive a sparkling new LXF Newsletter straight in your
Inbox, and the 30-second sign-up process is even easier than writing
Hello World in BASIC:
1. Go to the website forums and log in (or sign up first):
2. At the top of the main forum page, click on 'Usergroups'
3. Join the 'Newsletter' group, and you're done!
If for some reason you no longer wish to receive this newsletter
(which'll make the internet cry) you can opt-out like this:
1. Log into the LXF site and go to the forums
2. Click Usergroups at the top of the page
3. Select Newsletter and then View information
4. Click Unsubscribe next to 'You are a member...'
9. Contact details
If you have any questions or suggestions, please send them to the
Newsletter Editor at the address below:
Newsletter Editor: Mike Saunders -- firstname.lastname@example.com
Letters for the magazine: email@example.com
LXF website: http://www.linuxformat.com
Subscriptions: 0870 837 4722 (overseas +44 1858 438794)
Website subscription page: http://www.linuxformat.com/subscribe/
(C) 2010 Future Publishing Limited


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Artist Paints Worldly Paintings Via Google Street View; Google Cheers Him On
from the hear-that,-AP? dept
Now, if Google were acting like the AP, it might freak out and demand compensation. Of course, it would probably lose in court (as the AP is likely to lose) because the works are transformative and almost certainly fair use. But, being Google (and having copyright lawyers who understand these things), it doesn't seem likely to do that. Instead, it actually appears to be quite thrilled to find out about this project:
"When we were creating Street View, we were excited about all the everyday uses, like looking for parking or planning trips," Stephen Chau, product manager for Google Street View, said. "Bill's use of Street View, to inspire his paintings and to create a virtual community of artists, is a remarkable example that we hadn't imagined but are really excited to see. It's been amazing to see the possibilities that have opened up as Street View has been brought to more places around the world."The AP really ought to take note.


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This week is a bit of a repeat of last week. Sure, Best Buy has some new deals on Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and Declassified, but since Wal-Mart and Toys R Us are in the final week of their two week flyer, there's a lot of duplicate deals.
Think im gonna get blobs 2 and the headset for 149. Seems like a great deal.
these are like fake deals.
I'm waiting for the real black friday deals.
The only thing I'd get up early for would be if there was a great deal on a PSP or Vita.
I think Best buy has the Black ops Vita bundle for $200.00 which is awesome but might not be worth getting up at 4 am and fighting the lines full of crabby moms.


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There's a new plague sweeping the sport of bass fishing, and I'm as much to blame for it as anyone.It's known as the "cast-and-call" plague -- and if you use your cell phone from your boat for more than just life-threatening emergencies, you're probably guilty of it, too.
Bass fishing used to be a wonderfully secretive sport -- to the point that people would stop casting on their favorite fishing hole as another boat went by to keep other boaters from seeing something important and spreading the word.
Friends who loved one another like brothers would lie to one another like dogs when it came to bass fishing just to keep the location of a good spot secret. Many anglers spent nights inside their garage painting marker buoys black so they could still use them to mark honey holes on the water without catching the attention of passers-by.
It was a fun game, in a lie-to-your-closest-friend-in-the-world kind of way.
But it's all over now, thanks to the grand invention of the cell phone.
These days when a bass fishermen gets hold of a six-pound largemouth with one hand, he's often using the other to dial one of his buddies before the fish is even in the net.
After the calls are made and everyone has been patted on the back, Buddy No. 1 holds up the fish for Buddy No. 2 to snap a cell-phone pic that immediately goes viral.
Then when they're done, both anglers mark the location of the catch on their GPS units, and the big fish finally gets to swim free.
We'll get to the GPS in a minute.
But for now, let's stick with cell phones.
I could give you a dozen more glaring examples of the harm cell phones have done to a once-simple sport.Read more at http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/jul/18/quiet-day-on-water-gives-way-to-beeps-ring-tones/
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Join our newsletter today!
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text:
Originally published on May 3, 2012 2:16 pm
On May Day, the Occupy Wall Street movement re-emerged to try to reestablish its message and place in the national conversation. Thousands marched in New York City, Oakland and other cities, then quickly faded from national view. Guests consider what sustains social movements, and why some fail.


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The Highland Rim Travelers RV Club is looking for new members.
Whether new to RV'ing or an old pro, the club has something for everyone.
The club travels around Middle Tennessee and Northern Alabama from March through November.
Check out the website at www.highlandrimtravelers.com or call 931-808-5388 and join the fun.


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The Phoenixville Borough Recreation Department will oversee a number of summer camps: The PAPA Basketball League June 15-Aug. 17, the Total Soccer Camps (ages 3-5 and 6-12) June 30-July 3 at Reeves Park, the Impact Basketball Camp (ages 6-12) July 14-18 at Reservoir Park, Tri Golf (ages 8-12) July 14-17 at Reeves Park and the Total Sports Camps (ages 3-5and 6-12) July 21-25 at Reeves Park.
For more information, visit www.phoenixville.org (PAPA basketball league) or www.impact-sports.org.
Kingplex baseball is sponsoring a 13U 2014 team tryouts. More information: Contact Hank King at king firstname.lastname@example.com.
Kingplex baseball is sponsoring a 13U 2014 team tryouts. More information: Contact Hank King at king email@example.com.
Diamond Dream Baseball Academy is conducting registration for winter instruction at its facility in Collegeville. More information: Call 610-489-3383 or visit Diamond DreamsBA.com.
The Collegeville Cubs are forming 13U and 14U Travel/Tournament teams for the fall 2014 season. To register, go to www.collegevillecubs.com. For more information, contact Kevin Christman at 610-721-4253 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
Definitely Sports All Star Basketball camps will be held at the Spring-Ford seventh grade center July 21-24. Register at www.definitelysports.com or call coach Ed Sharr at 610-888-6097.
Black Bear is offering boys lacrosse pre-season training Sundays at 422 Sportsplex on the following schedule: Grades 3-5, 5:30-6:30 p.m.; Grades 6-8, 6:30-7:30 p.m.; and Grades 9-12, 7:30-8:30 p.m. More information: Go to blackbearlax.com or contact Bryan Churchey at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Perkiomen Valley Soccer Club (PVSC) has opened registration for its spring Intramural Recreation soccer season, which runs for seven weeks. There is a fee per player. More information: Visit PerkValleySoccer.org or contact Kristi Hughes at 215-816-2954 or at firstname.lastname@example.com.
PERKIOMEN VALLEY: The districts is seeking to fill the following coaching positions: High-school girls tennis assistant/JV coach, assistant field hockey coach and girls basketball head coach; and middle school boys soccer head coach. Applicants must have or able to obtain required clearances. Contact Larry Glanski, Athletic Director, Perkiomen Valley High School at 610-489-4727 or email@example.com.
URSINUS: The college is seeking an assistant softball coach. Position is part-time. Please email resume to firstname.lastname@example.com.
Sunday, Aug. 3, at 9 a.m. in Reading is the37th Annual Grings Mill 5K & 10K Races. Contact Jeff Hills at 610-223-7125, email@example.com. App on
Please email sports information to Barry Sankey at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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To redeem enter promo code HNY18 at the online checkout.
Offer available online at BIGW.com only.
Not to be used in conjunction with other offers. Limit of one use per customer.
Ends 28.02.2018
Spend $100 and Save $20 on apparel instore and online Conditions apply
Save $20 when you spend $100 or more on men's, women's and children's and baby apparel, instore or online at bigw.com.au. Excludes underwear, socks, hosiery, footwear and fashion accessories. Exclusions also apply to products supplied on the BIG W website by third party sellers, which can be identified by clicking on the "Sold By" link on the product page.
Offer valid from 30 March to 5 April 2017 while stocks last. Colours and styles may vary from store to store.
Redeem at the checkout instore or enter the promotion code SAVE20 at the checkout online. This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or promotion code.
Spend $100 and Save $20 on apparel instore and online. Conditions apply.


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Success Center
"Success doesn't come to you…you go to it."
- Marva Collins
AMEREN, Jacksonville, IL
Job Title:
Supervisor Gas Tech Services
Date Posted:
Energy and Utilities
Req. # 11589
Title: Supervisor Gas Tech Services
Location: Jacksonville, IL
The Supervisor Gas Technical Services will be located in Springfield or Decatur.
The Supervisor Gas Tech Services is responsible for the field operations and activities performed by the gas supervisory control and data acquisition team (SCADA) that is part of Gas Technical Services. This includes the supervision of field personnel and their safety, adherence to the collective bargaining agreements, oversight of Ameren's safety programs, pipeline safety compliance, code compliance and the effective utilization of resources.
Key responsibilities include:
Safety Leadership.
Plan, schedule and prioritize activities and duties of field personnel to ensure their effective performance.
Accountable for the activities and performance of the gas SCADA team or department in all areas which includes construction, operations, maintenance, testing, record keeping, gas compliance calendar, odorizer functionality, industrial commercial metering, calibration of gas transmission and distribution regulator station facilities, complex gas measurement, SCADA and electronic recording devices.
Identify and evaluate equipment for maintenance and/or replacement.
Serve as back-up for GTS Supervisory Staff.
Direct oversight of all pipeline safety requirements, understand and implement all O&M procedures.
Develop and implement a Gas Control Technician training program.
Direct and coordinate field activities with internal and external customers.
Assist in the planning, development and the execution of the Gas Technical Services Capital and O&M budgets.
Provide technical support and services to gas engineering, operating groups and individuals within Division Operations, Gas Operations and Services, along with other Ameren Illinois departments and customers as needed.
Maintain aesthetic value of property and above ground equipment.
Education: Associates Degree in electronics or related field required. Bachelors Degree in electronics or a related field preferred.
Experience: Five or more years of experience related to field automation, gas pressure control, gas flow control, complex gas measurement and SCADA background is required.
Other: Thorough understanding of regulated pressure control, diverse gas metering equipment, control wiring schemes, electrical codes and the overall operational components of a gas transmission and distribution system is preferred. Knowledge of the Ameren Illinois Gas Operations and Maintenance Plan preferred.
After preliminary review, selected applicants must take the First Line Supervisor Test and obtain a recommended status in order to be eligible for additional selection procedures (e.g., interview) designated for this position.
© 2018 Kaskaskia College - 27210 College Road - Centralia, Illinois 62801 - (618)545-3000 (800)642-0859


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Definition from Nolo's Plain-English Law Dictionary
A rule that requires a patent application to be filed within one year of: 1) any public use of the invention by the inventor, 2) a sale of the invention, 3) an offer to sell the invention, or 4) any description of the invention by the inventor in a published document. Failure to file a patent application within this one-year period results in the invention's passing into the public domain, where it is no longer eligible for a patent. The application of the one-year rule to sales is sometimes referred to as the on-sale bar.


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SW playoff berth delayed by Snyder
SNYDER — Instead of a three-game winning streak and a playoff spot in District 4-3A, the Sweetwater girls basketball team were unable to build on a promising start at Snyder on Friday. As a result, the playoff hopes will have to wait awhile longer.Sweetwater, after leading most of the first half, saw a 15-10 advantage turn into a 19-16 halftime deficit and never recovered, as the Lady Tigers came away with a 50-42 win to move into a three-way tie with Sweet-water and Big Spring for third place.All three teams are now 4-5 heading into Tuesday's finales. Sweetwater will go to first-place Wylie (9-0) to end the regular season while Snyder travels to 0-9 Monahans and Big Spring entertains Greenwood (6-2), which along with Wylie has clinched a playoff berth.Sweetwater, Big Spring and Snyder are fighting for the other two playoff spots and who gets in may not be known until a possible two- or three-way tiebreaker is held — if it is deemed neces-sary — later this week.Despite trailing the entire second half, Sweetwater stayed close enough Friday to make it interesting. The Lady Mustangs went on a 6-2 run to cut Snyder's lead to six points, 46-40, with 46.1 seconds left on a shot by Abby McPherson. However, Snyder won it at the line as Sweetwater was forced to foul in an at-tempt to get the ball back. The Lady Tigers hit 4-of-6 in the final 37 seconds to wrap up the victory.Sweetwater had just one player, Shaneese Brown, score in double figures with 12 points. Taylor McPher-son had eight while Nisha Williams, Hayley Brownlow and Maddie Jones had five, Cierra Knox three and Abby McPherson and Lexi Castillo two for Sweetwater, which lost both district games to Snyder but has split its two games with Big Spring.Snyder was led by Lyndzi Clemmer's 16 points while Kelsi Pierce had 12.


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Barbara Jean Gum
FRITCH - Barbara Jean Gum, 80, of Fritch, Texas died Monday, July 16, 2012 in Dumas, Texas.A Memorial service celebrating her life will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, July 20, 2012 at the First Southern Baptist Church in Fritch with Reverend Calvin Winters, Pastor of First Southern Baptist Church officiating. Services are under the direction of Minton Chatwell Funeral Directors of Borger.Barbara was born February 21, 1932 in Clovis, New Mexico to Samuel and Hazel Haynes. She lived in the Amarillo area most of her life, with the last 30 years in Fritch. Barbara was the first Fritch Recycling Center attendant and worked for the city of Fritch for 15 years. Through her passion of recycling and repurposing, she helped many in her community. Barbara worked in a variety of professions but working with children was her favorite. She had worked in a church nursery, private school and as a private tutor to many area children.Survivors include her four daughters; Audrey Funderburk and husband Lamar of Village Mills, Texas; Tara Huff of Fritch, Texas; Shara Preston of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Tamara O'Toole of Norman, Oklahoma and her husband Doug of Fritch Texas; fifteen grandchildren; Tim Robinson, Jeremy Brown, Richard Funderburk, Randy Funderburk, Jason Funderburk, Dustin Funderburk, Amber Parker, Erika Huff, Hanna Huff, Creed Huff, Kayte Gardner, Missy Preston, Samuel Gafford, Andrew Gafford, Orion Maple and 14 great-grandchildren.Barbara is preceded in death by her parents Samuel Alexander Haynes and Hazel Crabaugh; brothers Jim Haynes, Robert Crabaugh; husbands Jack O'Toole, Vernon Gum and daughter Susan Frazier.The family would like to express their gratitude to the Dumas Memorial Nursing Home and Hospice for their unfailing love and care of their mother. To send condolences, sign the online guestbook at www.mintonchatwell.com.


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Square Enix isn't the powerhouse publisher it once was. Missteps like Final Fantasy XIV's troubled launch have led to somewhat of a reputation drop for the Japanese company, and recent quarter reports showed a loss of 5.5 billion yen (approximately $69 million). A former executive of Square has criticized the company, citing its Enix merger and lack of vision as the cause of the troubles.
"The merger is a complete failure," former Square president Hisashi Suzuki said on Twitter (via Develop). "There is no vision for the future."
Suzuki himself was president at Squaresoft, then served as a director at Square Enix for two years following the merger. He pointed out that when the merger first happened, the market cap was at 150 billion yen, but has now posted a market cap of 124 billion yen.


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Debbie asks that we create a card or project using aqua, pink, green and neutrals with a TAG!
Since my project is a tag I had that part of the challenge requirements covered early on! This bottle hanger is made from Aqua Mist CS (PTI) that I embossed with a basket weave pattern. The sentiment is from PTI's Egg Hunt set. That yummy egg, called Easter Egg, is from Robyn's Fetish Digital Stamps. I printed it twice, once onto white CS and again on patterned paper. I paper pieced and colored the egg and then added some prisma glitter.
Just to show you what is in the bottle in case you are curious:
This week we are lucky to be sponsored by Robyn's Fetish Digital Stamps. This week's winner will receive 5 images from the shop.
Check out what the rest of the shabby girls have waiting for you this week. Lots of pretty pastel projects!
Charlene Cundy
Have a wonderful week!


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** Contains graphic images of feet. If you have an aversion to feet, peeling skin or badly applied fake tan then look away**
So it began on a Friday night, as all good things do, when I got peckish. I started stabbing the other half in his chops with my foot, as I always do, "Get me a snack, get me a snack."
"Geez," he replied "sort your foot out its rough!"
Well, well, well. There's a pot calling kettle black – the other half has huge, hideous hobbit feet with tufts of sprouting hair that has more than one layer of hard skin but still – I was insulted. So I bit the bullet and paid £10 for this foot treatment I had had my eye on for a while:
This is basically a treatment that comes in two plastic bags – you put your feet into the bags for 1 hour to hour and a half. Wash then over the next 7 days, the hard skin layer, the horny (hehe) layer will fall off.
In ingredients (I threw the box away, duh) list there are a number of acids..yep this is a peel!
You get this sachet:
The foot bags contain the liquid. You cut off the seal then put your feet inside. There is a small seal you can use to make sure its snug.
Hmmm. I am a size 7 UK – that's quite normal these days but still big especially compared to my Japanese cousins but my feet just about fit. The other halfs size 11 hobbit feet would not fit in here:
Now lets observe my feet (before treatment) (click on read more):
I have hard skin on the sides of my toes:
Other areas I have hard skin. I have serious fake tan issues around me feet as I have been testing out various ones and I always smear them over the soles of my feet badly:
Ok so on with the treatment – as I said you leave this on for an hour or so. The liquid is very runny so you can't walk about with this on without abandon, it will leak.
It made my feet feel a little hot after a while and made them tingle like crazy…not painful but a little odd.
Afterwards my feet were pickled:
It left this:
So nothing happened.
Day one, nothing
Day two, nothing.
Then I painted my toenails and noted some flaking….
Yep. This is what my mother calls 'Hong Kong Feet' – whenever I go to Hong Kong, my feet starts to bubble up in white patches and I peel the skin off. This happens to me a lot in warm weather…so anyway. The rest of the skin started to come away from my feet.
I have some graphic photos. I think they are fabulous. Boyfriend says its gross. If he says its gross, then its probably gross so I have omitted them but just imagine layers of skin peeling off, nasty brown fake tanned skin to reveal pinky skin underneath.
Me being me I can't leave it alone. Its warm. I wear gladiators. I am not leaving flapping skin on my feet so I peel, I peet it off.
It becomes an obsession. I become obsessed. It's so much fun pulling skin off my feet.
After skin has been pulled off it kind of looks like this:
Hmmmm so my verdict?
As much fun as it has been pulling off hard skin on my feet I have many reservations about this product.
The one pro for me is that the feet are a bit softer, obviously because its fresh skin. But here are the cons:
1. It's quite expensive at £10 for one treatment
2. It is not reusable
3. It feels a tad uncomfortable (I imagine they have some strong chemicals in there)
4. The skin peels of unevenly. Perhaps if I had left it longer to do its own thing, it may have been more even but as the skin starts to come off, it is impossible not to remove it!
5. My feet – that is the new skin, felt a little tender.
6. If you are a fake tanner, you will have WHITE feet to go with orange legs
7. It irritated some of my cuticles which were a little chapped – do not use if you have sensitive spots on your feet
8. It peels of the other side of the foot too (since the acidic liquid gets on there) and that peels very slowly and unevenly and is more unsightly, since that is the side people see.
9. I do not have stinky feet. After using this, my feet were super stinky and I mean boy-level stinky. Odor Eaters stinky. One of the cats smelt my foot and started panting (I kid you not).
I think hard skin on your feet is there for a reason. My feet felt more robust with a bit of rough and I liked that! Plus its been a week since my treatment and my skin is returning to normal anyway – long lasting effects? I think not.
Still its quite fun peeling skin off the feet – try it if you want to see how it works for you but I am not tempted to use it again at all.
On sale here from Adambeauty.


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As music's biggest night approaches, so does a tidal wave of parties. The Grammys reel in star power like few events of its kind, and there is no end to the parade of industry fetes seeking to share the spotlight. Here's a roundup of some of the most noteworthy soirees.
23rd annual MusiCares Person of the Year tribute to Bruce Springsteen
The Boss happens to be a 20-time Grammy winner. He'll be honored in a star-studded gala at the Los Angeles Convention Center by the MusiCares Foundation, which provides support to musicians in financial, medical or personal need. A reception, silent auction, dinner and tribute concert will celebrate Springsteen's nearly 40-year recording history.
Vibe Inaugural Impact Awards at the Sunset Tower Hotel
Vibe magazine is celebrating its 20th anniversary by issuing its inaugural impact award to Mary J. Blige (who has often been a Vibe cover model). A ritzy dinner and an awards ceremony will be followed by a party DJed by Nick Cannon.


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By Teresa Rivas
Markets surged ahead on Monday, reversing Friday's decline, with the energy sector the top performer in the S&P 500.
Chevron (CVX) was recently ahead 1.1%; the energy giant, along with its joint partner in Angola, finally shipped its first liquefied natural gas cargo after more than a year of delays. Exxon Mobil (XOM) was also up 1%, as its subsidiary XTO Energy announced the startup of a facility in Pennsylvania to recover marketable liquids from the region's natural gas.
Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) gained nearly 5% on a bullish note from Bank of America, which increased its target price for the stock from $165 to $200.


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Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship Info Session
The Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship for public policy students and young professionals offer opportunities in Bangladesh, Guatemala, Malawi, Burma, Haiti, Nepal, Dominican Republic, Ivory Coast, Samoa, Ethiopia and Kazakhstan. Join the Office of Merit Awards for a presentation on this opportunity by representatives from the Department of State on Thursday, December 6, 11:30-12:30pm in MGC 247. Master's, JD, and PhD candidates, as well as alumni who have earned at least a master's by summer, 2013, are encouraged to attend. ~~Fellowships available in public policy areas including, but not limited to, public health, education, agriculture, justice, energy, environment, public finance, economic development, housing and communications. Deadline: February 1, 2013.
- Type:
- Information Session
- Host:
- Office of Merit Awards
- Contact:
- Office of Merit Awards
- Event Website:


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Workout warriors have no trouble picking out the hopeful souls who migrate from their couches every January to the neighborhood gym as predictably as geese flying South for the winter.
They show up in new Nike sneakers, athletic pants and T-shirts bearing the names of colleges.
The unfamiliar faces — red from exertion and prone to sweat — are exposed as invaders, running to the beat of a different iPod. In the eyes of those who lay claim to a favorite treadmill or elliptical machine, these new gym members are, apparently, a kind of devil.


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bySarah Kuranda on
8. Verizon
Cash: $56.4 million
Non-Cash: $26.7 million
Total: $83,100,000
Causes: Environment, Education, Healthcare, Domestic Violence
The Verizon Foundation uses technology to create change in education, the environment and healthcare. For example, its Hopeline program gives used cell phones to victims of domestic violence, more than 8 million phones to date. The Verizon Foundation also works to help the environment through cable and PC recycling programs and carbon-free technology. It encourages employee donations and service hours through matching contributions.
Email this CRN article


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Four factors will continue to drag on the economy for 2013, Blackstone Advisory Partners Vice Chairman Byron Wien said Wednesday on CNBC.
Earnings, the so-called "fiscal cliff," tensions in the Middle East and the ongoing crisis in Europe were all likely to make next year worse than 2012.
"They're not predictions. They're surprises," he said on an interview on "Fast Money."


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I know spring is well under way in some places, but of course is still a chancy thing here in Massachusetts. Yesterday I saw not my first robin of the season - that showed up during that warm patch in January, and looked pretty miserable through much of February, but a whole mess of robins for the first time.
What heralds spring for you, and what have you notice, or are waiting for so far this year?


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Here, Kitty Kitty! (Chick tract)
Here, Kitty Kitty! is a Chick tract whose description is "Bad boys had mean plans for Betsy's kitty. Will help come in time? A great salvation story for children."
In this adorable 2006 Halloween-themed cartoon with Peanuts-inspired artwork, some adorable little kids decide to engage in some adorable ritualistic sacrifice.
Little Betsy's mean brother decides that he and his friends need to kill her cat so that they can cast a spell on the kindly Christian teacher, Miss Johnson. When Miss Johnson catches Betsy crying over her cat's impending doom, Betsy explains the whole sordid plot. Miss Johnson scoffs:
- Miss Johnson: "But spells won't work on me, Betsy."
- Betsy: "Why not?"
- Miss Johnson: "Because Jesus protects me!"
She then seizes the opportunity to witness the good news about Jesus to Betsy, in adorable cartoon format.
Betsy is saved, but she's afraid that her cat may be lost already when she finds an empty cage and is confronted by her brother and his scheming friends. Luckily, Miss Johnson shows up in the nick of time and lets the boys off with a stern warning: "You don't have to do spells to get good grades... Don't do witchcraft... Do your HOMEWORK!"
Bashing Halloween is an annual activity for Jack Chick, perhaps because he hopes that homeowners will hand out tracts instead of candy to the mobs of grateful children. Halloween entries from other years include Boo!, Happy Halloween, The Little Princess, The Devil's Night, and The Trick.
The really interesting point here is not the fairly mundane "Let me tell you about Jesus" story, nearly identical in every tract. Rather, the thing to notice is how seriously Chick takes the whole mythos of magic, witchcraft, and ritual sacrifice.
The teacher says, "Spells won't work on me... because Jesus protects me!" Spells won't work on the teacher anyway, with or without the protection of Jesus, because magic is not real. However, it is a frequently repeated theme in Chick tracts that not only are Jesus, heaven, and hell real, but so are witches and magic. To Chick and his ilk, accepting one set of superstitious beliefs seems to require accepting a bundle of other beliefs for which there is no evidence.
Panel-by-panel transcription
- (Open with two boys and Betsy talking) Boy1:Have we got everything we need? Betsy: Let's see.
- Boy2: I've got candles. Betsy: I brought chalk. Boy1: Well... I got my book of spells... Then I guess...
- (Bully enters the scene) Betsy: ...We're all set. Bully: No, You're NOT! You forgot the most important part. Boy1: What?
- Bully: A black cat! And a knife!
- Betsy: That's my Fluffy! Bully: It's a black cat! And we need it.
- Boy1: Come on, Betsy, don't ruin everything! Don't you want the spell to work?
- Betsy: But I LOVE Fluffy! Bully (out of frame): Look, Halloween's tomorrow night.
- Bully: Don't be a baby! or Bad things are going to happen!
- Bully: So, Betsy, are you with us or against us? Betsy: With you.
- Bully (out of frame):We'll keep the cat in this cage 'til the moon comes up tomorrow night.
- (In Class) Boy2:Psst... Stop crying, Betsy! Miss Johnson will hear you.
- Miss Johnson: Betsy... You stay after class. I want to talk to you. Besty: Uh, OK. Boy2(thinking):Oh NO!... What is she gonna do?
- Miss Johnson: What's the matter, Betsy? Why are you crying? Betsy: They're gonna kill my kitty.
- Miss Johnson: Who's going to kill your kitty? Betsy: My brother and some other guys.
- Miss Johnson: Why would they do a thing like that? Betsy: Cuz we're gonna cast a spell on somebody on Halloween night.
- Miss Johnson: Who are you going to cast a spell on? Betsy: YOU, Miss Johnson!
- Miss Johnson: But spells don't work on me, Betsy. Betsy: Why not?
- Miss Johnson: Because Jesus protects me! Betsy: Who's He?
- Miss Johnson: Jesus is God's Son! He made the universe... And He loves me. Betsy: WOW! Miss Johnson: And he loves you too!
- Miss Johnson: And he did something very important for you. Betsy: For me? What's that?
- Miss Johnson: First, everybody does wrong things... Betsy: Even you, Miss Johnson? Miss Johnson: Even me.
- (Entrance to Heaven, a disheveled boy trying to enter) Narrator: God calls all bad things `sin'. And he won't allow any sin into heaven. Angel: NO!
- (Outside classroom) Betsy: God won't let me in... just as I am? Miss Johnson: NO, you've got to get clean first.
- (Walking home) Betsy: With soap and water? Miss Johnson: No, Betsy. He has a much better way!
- (God Sending Jesus to Earth) Narrator: God loved Betsy so much, He sent His Son to become human - just like you and me.
- (Walking home) Miss Johnson: His name is Jesus. And He taught us how to love and forgive. Betsy: Even my mean brother? Miss Johnson: Even him!
- (Jesus carrying the cross) Narrator: God has to punish sins, but Jesus said: Punish me, instead. He took our punishment so we don't have to.* *Rom. 15:3 Isaiah 53:4-6
- (Walking home) Narrator/Miss Johnson: But taking everybody's sin on Himself cost Him His life. Bible Quote:"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16 Betsy: OHH... Then what happened?
- (Jesus is taken from the cross to the cave) Miss Johnson: They hurt Him terribly, Betsy... And he died. They buried Him... But then...
- (Shiny Jesus emerges from the cave) Miss Johnson: Three days later, a miracle happened... Jesus rose from the dead! He shed His blood to wash away our sins, so we could go to heaven.
- Miss Johnson: Do you want to go to heaven? Betsy: Oh Yes, Miss Johnson! Miss Johnson: Well, Betsy... Jesus is the only way to heaven.
- Miss Johnson: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved..."* Want to pray, Betsy? Betsy: YES! Jesus I believe you died for me. Please forgive my sins, and take me to heaven. *Acts 16:31 Narrator: God heard her... And then...
- Betsy: I feel so clean! God forgave me! I'm going to heaven!
- (Later) Miss Johnson: Where are they going to cast the spell? Betsy: In your backyard... When the moon is up.
- Miss Johnson: Why are they casting the spell? Betsy: To get better grades! Thanks for walking me home.
- (Betsy's yard, empty crate in foreground) Betsy: OH NO! Where's Fluffy??
- Bully: How come you're not dressed like a witch?? Betsy: I don't want to! Where's Fluffy? Bully: You'll find out!
- Bully: I thought you'd chicken out... So I took her!... And there's nuthin' you can do about it! Betsy: Oh God! Please save Fluffy!
- (Night, Miss Johnson's back yard) Bully: The moon is up... We'll sacrifice her NOW! Betsy: NO! Bully: Hold the cat still!
- Miss Johnson (with flashlight): STOP right there! Bully: It's Miss Johnson! What are you going to do to us??
- Miss Johnson: Shame on you! Betsy, take your kitty! Betsy: Oh Fluffy! Thank you, Jesus! Miss Johnson: You don't have to do spells to get good grades... Don't do witchcraft... Do your HOMEWORK! Boys and Bully: Ok, Miss Johnson. We're sorry! Betsy: It looks like we both got saved this Halloween, Fluffy.
External links
|Jack Chick
|General information
| Tract list
Apes, Lies and Ms. Henn | Big Daddy? | Dark Dungeons | Gun Slinger | Here, Kitty Kitty! | There Go the Dinosaurs


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NRL clubs await shoulder charge decision
NRL clubs are set to find out if the shoulder charge will be rubbed out of the game on Tuesday, with the ARL Commission expected to announce a decision at the monthly chief executives meeting in Sydney.
Brian Canavan, who is now employed as Sydney Roosters CEO, was handed the task of submitting findings from research into the effects of the shoulder charge.
He said clubs are keen to know where they stand going into the 2013 season.
Canavan, who undertook the review before being re-appointed by the Roosters last month, said there is no conflict of interest and the review did not contain any recommendations.
"It was a full analysis which involved injury data, performance data and GPS data," Canavan said.
"It sought opinion from prominent people in the game. The clubs and players were provided the opportunity to provide feedback.
"So it become an evidence-based report, it was not findings.
"I didn't make recommendations and it's now the property of the NRL.
"I was given a deadline to hand the report in and we should hear tomorrow, which is good as I am sure coaches are keen to find out so they can get the players ready for the new season."
In addition to the shoulder charge, clubs are still waiting to discover what the salary cap will be, with a collective bargaining agreement still to be rubber-stamped by the Rugby League Players Association and the ARLC.
"We were told about three weeks ago to work to a benchmark figure and we've all done that," Canavan said.
"I am sure it will be high on the list of things to be discussed."


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A Corpus Christi man described by neighbors and police as mentally ill was shot dead by police after officers said he opened fire on them after a 5½-hour standoff.
Daniel Christopher Scott died early Monday after the standoff at his home. Police Chief Floyd Simpson says the 56-year-old man called police to his home Sunday night, saying he had armed and barricaded himself and feeling threatened by his neighbors.
Police negotiators worked for hours to try to persuade the man to disarm. Simpson says Scott finally opened fire on the officers, who returned fire, killing him.
Simpson says two veteran officers have been placed on restricted duty pending investigation, in accord with department policy after a police shooting.