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it would not cause an exodus. If putting age restriction and fines for violating them hurt industry, there would be no porn made in CA.
Inversely, would the porn industry be bigger or better if there were no age restrictions?
Probably not. If anything I would suspect removing it's 'bad' mystique would cause sales to fall.
Really? I don't think sex is one of those things that people like just because its Taboo. I think a lot of teenage boys 12 and up would be venturing into Adult Source and buying stuff if it were legal to sell it to them.
Indeed, the 12-18 block has the most intense levels of urges, the least developed skills for satisfying them, and often substantial disposable income. In the years before unfathomable volumes of porn were completely free, there would have been a huge market to sell to them.
Why would you say that? Nearly everything they make they can spend on whatever they want because others typically provide their food, clothing, and shelter?
Assuming they can get a job in the first place. When I was that age there were paper routes available and other jobs. These days it's getting quite challenging for kids to get work, as a lot of those jobs are being taken over by adults or eliminated due to concerns about child welfare.
There are other reasons. I was watching a prime-time news program last year which was decrying the lack of such "transition jobs" available for our youth, and how that was seriously impacting their ability to enter the workforce as adults. Now, this particular program placed the blame for this entirely at the feet of the elderly. I was listening to the voiceover solemnly declare that our senior citizens were not gracefully accepting their retirement (as if some 80-year-old is working retail because he or sh
The biggest reason why there are so few jobs for youths today is wealth. Yes, I'm serious. Wealth has made employer time a very pricey resource and something businesses have gone to great lengths to replace with machinery or avoid completely. The primary industries (farming, lumbering, fishing etc.) are now full of machinery instead. Same with all the production industry, there's hardly people moving things around or packing crates, it's conveyor belts and machinery. The service industry isn't quite as badl
The biggest reason why there are so few jobs for youths today is wealth. Yes, I'm serious. Wealth has made employer time a very pricey resource and something businesses have gone to great lengths to replace with machinery or avoid completely. The primary industries (farming, lumbering, fishing etc.) are now full of machinery instead. Same with all the production industry, there's hardly people moving things around or packing crates, it's conveyor belts and machinery. The service industry isn't quite as badly affected, but they too try to automate.
Those are the usual arguments against automation, the same ones made by the Luddites so many years ago. The reality is that a machine is a machine, and it's the choices we make that determine how beneficial they are. We, as a society, have been making some very bad decisions in recent decades, and yes, the result of those has been a transfer of wealth from the middle class to government and foreign corporations that is unprecedented in U.S. history, but it doesn't have to be this way, nor do we have to thro
Wait a second... are you saying we can get free porn now?
Probably, but then drop off at about 24-25. Over all, probably a decline.
While 12-18 year olds would probably have enough income for a magazine, the price goes up quite high. will, it used to. Now it's free.
And you know what? people seem to be a lot more casual about sex these days, and I think that's going to trend towards no one cares about what other people want to do..
"EVERYONE HERE grew up with sex and violence."
Whoa! You must be a murderer and a rapist! Everyone knows that children can't differentiate between what we know as reality and entertainment! Everyone also knows that pornography is the leading cause of rape!
DUDE.. if you only knew how many raped carcasses I have fucked and buried in my backyard... holy shit....
When the Hayes censorship code was adopted in by the motion picture industry in 1930 it arguably led to an in increase in movie artistic creativity. Paradoxically art often thrives in repressive environments. I'm bored with hearing special interests warn of the the end of civilization as we know it (or at least the game industry). Where there is money to be made people will find a way.
Game developers - Come to Tennessee! We know about guns and are a good spot to have an east coast distribution center. Housing here is cheaper, so you can pay a bit less and people will still be happy. It's hard as hell to find a job in the industry that isn't on the west coast or in an expensive area to live.
Note: I am not defending the California bill. I have no idea what might be in it. I followed the two links from this article and they are completely devoid of any actual factual content. Next tim
"age restriction"
What good does this do? All it does is take away more freedoms for no reason. The people who are detached from reality are the ones that honestly believe that others can't differentiate between reality and a video game. Even at the age if five I knew that video games weren't 'real'. These laws are absolutely worthless, much like stores not selling certain games because of an AO rating.
If it's a hugely important case for the industry, you can spend a sentence describing the law.
"You must be over 18 to buy an M rated game."
"You must be over 18 to buy a violent game
FTFY. This law doesn't recognize ESRB ratings. The standards for this law are much lower.
There is no law, federal or state, that prohibits theaters from showing R (or higher) rated movies to minors. It is all voluntary, from the ratings issued by the MPAA to the individual theaters enforcing those ratings. The fact that lots of people do think it is actually illegal for minors to see these movies just shows that there is really no reason for the gaming law - the film version was struck down in 1965 (according to wikipedia) but the "voluntary" system still seems pretty effective (though I do seem to recall managing to get into numerous R-rated movies before I was 18).
"I'm all for anything that forces parents to pay more attention to what their kids are doing for entertainment."
Why? Are you one of those people that are so detached from reality that you believe that others can't differentiate between reality and video games? I could do that at five, and probably even younger if I would have had games.
No, what we need is more freedom, not censorship. Why should parents lock up their children in a bubble because the parents are idiots? There is no conclusive evidence (read:
We already do the same thing for porn, you have to be 18 to buy it. If someone wants to argue seriously that violence isn't as harmful as depictions of sex, and therefor doesn't require an age limit, i'm all ears.
Until then, this law is actually a step in a less hypocritical direction, albeit an even more ridiculous one since limiting access to information based on content is both more offensive and more dangerous than anything a teenager could see in a video game.
You've given examples but not addressed the point, why is sex more censor-worthy than violence? Simply because of some subjective definition of "Art"?
So lets take your art claim and run with it:
Exposing a child to violent dismemberment is ok so long as you're telling a great story in the process?
But letting them see 2 people having sex is *worse* because you didn't also show all the time spent courting the woman, taking her out to eat, getting a loan for a car, buying a house and paying bills?
Unless I badly misunderstand, the law bans sales of games to people under 18. So the only impact here is on stores that sell the games, not on developers. Developers are free to make whatever they like, it is the stores that have to restrict who can buy it. They can still sell anything, they just can't sell it to anyone. Same as tobacco or alcohol.
The only way it would cause an exodus is if game sales plummeted and that would only happen if large amounts of sales of M rated games were being made to people under 18.
I don't buy that for a second. For one, most retailers already ID for games (Target IDs me and I'm 30 and shop there all the time). Also, kids don't tend to have a ton of money to spend. There's a reason there have been more adult targeted games: Adults have more to spend. When I was 14 I had to beg games out of my parents a couple times a year. Now I buy them as I please. Finally parents will just buy the shit anyhow, and that's still legal. Rare is it you hear about the kid who bought their own violent game, the parents bought it for them.
So unless I really misunderstand this, and if so please show me a link to the reality, I can't see it mattering much to the VG industry, it'll just ber a stupid burden on the retailers.
It's because the submitter hates video game sales restrictions and doesn't mind twisting the truth to push his agenda.
"It's because the submitter hates video game sales restrictions"
What kind of brainwashed tool doesn't? Oh, wait, all of them.
Welcome to Slashdot, where everyone has an agenda except me!
actually, kids have a lot more control over the purse strings then people used to think. This is why so many toys for ads are geared at children.
I know a lot of 10-15 year olds that have 50 or more dollar lying around.
As someone from Germany (we have some of the strictest regulators here concerning violence in games) I can tell you, it WILL affect you as an adult. These for the children laws inevitably affect adults too.
You won't be able to buy 18+ games without jumping through a lot of hoops. Offline stores don't stock them and online stores have to comply with absurd age-checking requirements that cause the likes of eBay to ban anything 18+ outright.
On top of that developers pre-censor their games in fears of getting an 18+ rating. Hell even 18+ games in Germany are censored compared to international versions because our fucked up youth protection laws affect material solely targeted at adults.
As for the exodus, many companies (video game review sites, movie and game mail orders, etc.) had to move to neighbouring countries like Austria because they could not afford the asinine age-checking requirements.
Things will change for you, too.
This is the best post yet in this thread. People need to remember that children grow into adults. If you want to do what's best for your children, make sure they inherit a world that an adult will want to live in.
This is the best post yet in this thread. People need to remember that children grow into adults. If you want to do what's best for your children, make sure they inherit a world that an adult will want to live in.
I was just thinking the other day about how we ended up "here". And what I came up with is public school. Most children are sent into a system of indoctrination where they are aggressively taught to run with the herd. Most of them will be effectively programmed by it, even the majority of those who think they're above all that and managed unscathed.
Spending your formative years being deprived of supposedly human rights can not achieve anything positive.
Been there, done that.
Kids usually just had an adult buy the games or simply got a pirated version.
In the best case the regulations were rendered useless (only wasting time & money) and in the worst the game companies didn't get paid.
Of course in Germany the games were screened by representatives from the catholic and lutheran churches, psychologists and other education "experts". In other words, senile old farts and other people so far removed from reality (and games in particular) it's not even funny.
This law is already inplace in the UK and I'm pretty sure it hasn't harmed the industry, I don't know about CA but here its still legal to be under 18 and play the games, you just have to get your parents (or anyone over 18) to buy it for you.
A law where you don't know if you are breaking it or not is probably a bad law.
It does impact developers (I am one)
Because If you force the stores to sell to only 18 or older, you're forcing the developers to make games that can be old to 18 years or younger.
For example: If you want your game to hit a wider audience, you would be forced to make it acceptable for that wider audience as per whatever the government deems is acceptable. Which is frankly unconstitutional.
There are many parents who have no problem with their child playing violent video games. How will their children buy the
Mom and Dad will have to buy them personally? Mom and Dad are working 2 damn jobs.
And does that slow them down? Hardly. Mom and Dad already have to buy groceries regularly. Big-box supercenter chains, such as Walmart*, Target, and Meijer, sell both video games and groceries.
If they cared about your children, they would impose strict tariffs on imported goods. so that Americans are not competing with slave wages overseas.
But then the United States would lose its export market as other countries retaliate with their own tariffs. Think of the children whose parents would lose their manufacturing jobs due to the export decline.
"And does that slow them down?"
You're right. Clearly people can't differentiate between reality and video games (not that you, specifically, said that) so parents should have to buy their children the games instead of the children just buying them. There's absolutely zero reason that children should not be able to buy these games, and "parental supervision" is not a good reason.
There's absolutely zero reason that children should not be able to buy these games
I can think of one: child labor laws. As I understand the law, children aren't supposed to have money; their parents are supposed to have it on their behalf.
"I can think of one: child labor laws."
So they shouldn't be able to buy these games?
"As I understand the law, children aren't supposed to have money"
Something is seriously wrong, then. Again, there's no logical reason for this or this new law about games.
I don't buy that for a second. For one, most retailers already ID for games (Target IDs me and I'm 30 and shop there all the time). Also, kids don't tend to have a ton of money to spend.
That's extremely false. Kids are super-important to game developers. They control an amazing amount of their parents' money, collectively.
On the other hand, you're right that more mature gamers have led to more mature games. And by that I mean fishing, hunting, and golf.
Physical game sales are on their way out the door anyway. Or they are with PC games that is... next-generation consoles will probably see the same displacement.
I don't see how banning sales of some games to minors will cause an exodus of game developer talent. No matter where the games are made they will still be subject to the same ban.
Obviously the exodus of talent would be to the porn industry.
I don't see how banning sales of some games to minors will cause an exodus of game developer talent.
That's probably because it won't.
And the article isn't illogical. It's hyperbolic demagoguery.
California's neighboring state, Nevada, would welcome these businesses because it would diversify its economy which is predominately based on alcohol, tobacco, gambling, and sex.
Plus, Nevada has no corporate income tax nor personal income tax.
It wouldn't be an "exodus from California" it would be an exodus "from the industry" altogether according to the lawyer.
Moving to Nevada wouldn't change anything. And if no longer being able to sell M rated games to minors "stifles developer creativity" then I can only imagine what living in Nevada would do to them.
but it is Ugly, has poor services, and no class.
Of course, if you like brown it's the place to be.
Kind of like a brown version of Alaska, but not pretty, and they don't pay you to live there.
It's a very beautiful place to visit, but I would hate to try to run a business from CA. HORRIBLE economy and regulatory environment. The state is bankrupt, and Americans can watch CA if they want some insight into where the country is headed if we keep allowing our government to load us up with debt. When Bernard Goldberg "borrows" money to create bogus profits he goes to prison, but when our Treasury Department does it by selling T-bills to the Federal Reserve it's totally legal. Go figure.
The law is stupid, but claiming it would cause an exodus of developers is equally stupid. It doesn't change in any way what they do, or what they are able to sell nationwide, it only affects what they can sell to minors in California - and in that respect affects developers equally regardless of where they live/work. The law should be struck down, as it was originally before our (nominally Republican - I thought those guys were supposed to be against such idiocy) loveable governator decided to appeal the de
Production is based in California because talent, production facilities and resources of every kind are to be found in California.
States all over the union have passed laws restricting "violent video games" (with various definitions for that term) and every time the courts have overturned them as unconstitutional.
Why do the states keep wasting taxpayer money on laws that they know wont survive in court? (are they just trying law after law until someone finally finds language that wont get overturned?)
Yes. For historical examples, check out the New Deal and its Supreme Court history.
The reasoning appears to be that if we can't program violence, there's nothing worth doing, so everyone will quit...
What a strange world it is, where creative imagination can't come up with anything unless it involves mayhem and death.
I don't expect the number of kids playing the forbidden games to go down, just a change in their method of obtaining them. Of course, if the kids are playing them NOW, they probably don't have parents that care a great deal, and those parents are unlikely to object greatly to acting as a filter for the purchase.
And for those situations for which piracy is an option (every non-online PC game), expect it to be exploited more often than it might have been in the past. More and more games are also sold online
"(every non-online PC game)"
Even some that are. Some of them have figured out how to access online services while some people host private servers.
"Ultimately, this all boils down to the parents monitoring the activities of their children and rearing their children in the way they best see fit."
Why? The only type of people who would want to do that are those who want to indoctrinate their children to believe false information. "Video games cause violence! People can't differentiate between reality and video games!" We don't need such indoctrination, we need choice. If the parents don't want to pay for the games, fine. But if the child has the m
The companies, brands and individuals that we should be embracing as the visionaries of this creative and collaborative industry will migrate their talents to a more expressive medium
Or better yet, they will just move to a different state/country.
"If it's not loud, it doesn't work!" -- Blank Reg, from "Max Headroom"


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subset: commoncrawl


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Oil futures finished lower Wednesday as some disappointing economic data, a stronger dollar and hefty spike in last week's U.S. gasoline supplies sent prices back below $88 a barrel. January crude oil CLF3, +0.00% fell 62 cents, or 0.7%, to settle at $87.88 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Prices also fell 0.7% on Tuesday. Natural gas, however, rallied on weather-related prospects for demand. January natural gas ngf13 tacked on 16 cents, or 4.6%, at $3.70 per million British thermal units.
Oil settles below $88; natural gas rallies
Quote References
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Avg.Rate: 800,00 ZAR - 1500,00
Rating: 0 stars
Situated in the Magaliesburg Nature Conservancy, Intaba Thulile offers self-catering chalets, an outdoor swimming pool and wildlife viewing opportunities. There is also a covered outdoor entertainment area and BBQ facilities. The chalets have a private patio with outdoor furniture, and an open-plan lounge, dining and kitchen area. The kitchen includes an oven, stove and microwave. The bathroom comes with a bath and shower. Towels and linen are provided. Guests can relax on their patio or by the swimming pool. There are also several hiking trails for guests to follow. Intaba Thulile is located 25 km outside of Magaliesburg and 40 km from Kgaswane Nature Reserve. The Lion and Rhino Park is 60 km away, and Lanseria International Airport is 85 km from the holiday park. Maggiori informazioni
Rating: 0 stars
Complete with barbecue facilities and a garden, Shamba Yetu Mountain Lodge is located in Maanhaarrand, 7 km from Summit Mount Serene and 12 km from Viewpoint. The property has mountain views and is 12 km from Viewpoint and 12 km from View on gorge. The lodge is equipped with 2 bedrooms, a kitchen with an oven and a microwave, and a bathroom with a bath and a hair dryer. A flat-screen TV is provided. If you would like to discover the area, cycling is possible in the surroundings. Magalies Canopy Tour is 12 km from the lodge, while Viewpoint is 12 km away. The nearest airport is Lanseria (Johannesburg) Airport, 63 km from the property. Maggiori informazioni
Rating: 0 stars
Set against the slopes of the Magaliesberg Mountains, Thirsty Falls Guest Farm offers self-catering accommodation 12 km from Maanhaarrand. The town of Magaliesburg is 26 km away and Rustenburg is within 39 km of the property. All guest rooms at Thirsty Falls have indoor and outdoor living area, while some rooms have a seating area where you can relax. You will find tea-and-coffee making facilities in the room, and each one has a private bathroom. There is a shared lounge with satellite TV. Kroondal is 25 km from Thirsty Falls Guest Farm . The nearest airport is Lanseria (Johannesburg) Airport, 60 km from the property. Maggiori informazioni


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The Phils start off the second half on a bad note as they lose to the Cubs, 12-6.
The Phils begin the second half of the 2010 season by losing to the Cubs as both Jamie Moyer and Jose Contreras get hammered, as the Phils lose to the Cubs, 12-6.
The Phils took the lead in the first as, with one man on, and with two men out, Ryan Howard hits a two-run home run, his eighteenth home run of the year, knocking in Raul Ibanez, who had earlier singled, to give the Phils a 2-0 lead. The Cubs would tie the game up at two-all as, with two men on, and with two men out, Aramis Ramirez hits a two-run double, scoring both Tyler Colvin and Marlon Byrd, who both got on base after being hit by a pitch. The Cubs took the lead in the second as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Starlin Castro would steal home plate as Cubs' starter Ryan Dempster missed the ball on a suicide squeeze bunt attempt, but the bouncing ball would get away from catcher Carlos Ruiz, giving the Cubs a 3-2 lead. The Cubs increased their lead in the third as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Derek Lee hits a two-run home run, his eleventh home run of the year, knocking in Colvin, who had earlier singled, to give the Cubs a 5-2 lead. Three batters later, with two men out, Alfonso Soriano hits a solo home run, his sixteenth home run of the year, making it a 6-2 Cubs' lead. The Cubs would break the game wide open in the seventh as, with two men on, and with two men out, Ramirez hits his second two-run double of the ballgame, knocking in Lee, who had earlier singled, and had moved up to second when Byrd was hit by the pitch, and Byrd, who was hit by the pitch for the second time in the game, giving the Cubs an 8-2 lead. The Cubs then made it 9-2 as Soriano hits an RBI single, scoring Ramirez. The Cubs then increased their lead to 11-2 as Geovany Soto hits a two-run home run, his tenth home run of the year, knocking in Soriano. The Cubs then added to their lead in the eighth as, with the bases loaded, via a single to Ryan Theriot, a single to Lee, sending Theriot to second base, and a walk to Byrd, moving both Theriot and Lee up a base, and with two men out, Soriano hits an RBI single, scoring Theriot, making it a 12-2 Cubs' lead, while moving both Lee and Byrd up a base, leaving the bases loaded. The Phils then started a come back in the ninth. With a runner on second, and with two men out, Shane Victorino hits an RBI single, scoring Wilson Valdez, who had earlier singled, then went to second base on defensive indifference, making it a 12-3 Cubs' lead. The Phils then cut the lead to 12-4 as, with a runner once again on second, and with still two men out, Ibanez hits an RBI single, scoring Victorino, who had earlier moved up to second base on defensive indifference. Ryan Howard then made it a 12-6 Cubs' lead as he hit his second two-run home run of the night, his nineteenth of the season, scoring Ibanez, who had earlier moved up to second base on defensive indifference. But Andrew Cashner would finally end the rally by getting Jayson Werth to pop up to second baseman Theriot for the game's final out.
Jamie Moyer took the lost as he gave up six runs on five hits and three hit batters, while striking out one. His record is now 9-9 with a 4.88 ERA. David Herndon, Kyle Kendrick and Chad Durbin combined for three scoreless innings, giving up only two hits (Kendrick (1), Durbin (1)), while striking out a batter (Herndon). Jose Contreras pitches two-thirds of an inning, giving up five runs on five hits and a hit batter. Danys Baez pitches an inning, giving up a run on four hits and a walk, while he strikes out two. Ryan Madson pitches a third of an inning, getting out the only man that he would face. Ryan Dempster gets the win as he pitches six and two-thirds innings, giving up just two runs on six hits and three walks, while striking out nine. His record is now 8-7 with a 3.57 ERA. Sean Marshall collects his eleventh hold of the year as he pitches two-thirds of an inning, striking out both men that he would face. Justin Berg would also pitch two-thirds of an inning, walking a batter. Bob Howry also pitches two-thirds of an inning, as he gives up four runs on four hits. Andrew Cashner would pitch a third of an inning, getting out the only man that he would face.
The Phils had ten hits in the game, with Ryan Howard leading the team with three hits, an infield single and two two-run home runs, knocking in four runs. Shane Victorino, Raul Ibanez and Wilson Valdez all followed with two hits each, all singles, with Victorino and Ibanez both knocking in a run. Greg Dobbs had the other Phil hit, a single. The Phils' offense's late rally was a bit of too little too late to overcome the Cubs' huge lead.
The Phils (47-41, 3rd NL East) will continue their four-game series with the Cubs (40-50, 4th NL Central) with an afternoon game, already in progress, with the game presently in a 0-0 tie.


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In D.C., Housing Works Activists Join Fight For Medicaid
September 26, 2011
Calling on Congress and Obama to protect Medicaid, Housing Works activists joined hundreds of disability rights advocates in front of the Capitol building Wednesday.
Amid cheers, Housing Works' Shirlene Cooper addressed the crowd. "I am a grandmother living with HIV/AIDS," she said. "Medicaid matters to me because I have multiple chronic illnesses, and Medicaid is my one and only option for survival."
She continued: "We're calling on Congress to protect Medicaid from cuts that will severely damage low-income communities [and] folks with disabilities ... If changes are to be made, consumers of Medicaid should be a part of the decision-making process in addressing this issue."
With the federal government looking to make drastic budget cuts, Medicaid, the health care program for the poor and disabled, is in serious peril. In response, ADAPT, a grassroots coalition of disability rights activists, organized a rally in Washington, D.C. Seventy-five Housing Works clients, volunteers and employees attended.
Their message: Destroying our safety net is not a way to save money.
Earlier this week, President Obama proposed a major debt-reduction plan aimed at cutting more than $3 trillion during the next decade. An estimated $580 billion would be saved through cuts to entitlement programs, including Medicaid.
Changes to Medicaid would have a profound impact on people living with HIV/AIDS. In New York alone, 64,000 of the 120,000 people diagnosed with HIV depend on the program for medical care.
Follow the Update blog on Twitter @housingworks.
This article was provided by Housing Works. It is a part of the publication Housing Works AIDS Issues Update. Visit Housing Works' website to find out more about their activities, publications and services.
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The scientific conference "Perspectives on loss and damage: Society, Climate Change, and Decision Making" was hosted by United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) at the UN Campus in Bonn, Germany from 25 to 27 February 2013. >> please read more
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Christine Benz: Hi, I'm Christine Benz for Morningstar.com. It's Tax-Relief Week on Morningstar.com, and joining me to share some top municipal-bond fund picks is Miriam Sjoblom. She is associate director of fund research for Morningstar. Miriam, thank you so much for being here.
Miriam Sjoblom: Glad to be with you, Christine.
Benz: First, I'd like to ask a really basic question: Why are municipal-bond funds and bonds often touted as a good fit for peoples' taxable accounts?
Sjoblom: Well, this is unique to municipal-bond funds. Their interest is exempt from federal income tax, and in many cases, if you live in a certain state, your interest is exempt from state income tax, as well.
Benz: So if you buy a bond issued by your home state or if your fund is dedicated to bonds from that home state, some or all of that income might be exempted from state income tax?
Sjoblom: Right. The biggest specialty states--they're called specialty--are New York and California. So, oftentimes, you find residents of those states like to buy bonds issued in those states.
Benz: Miriam, I'm wondering if you can kind of summarize munis today? We had a really nice rally, especially in some of the lower-rated munis in 2012. As you look forward and think about some positives for the category as well as where the challenges lie, let's talk about them.
Sjoblom: Sure. Well, with some of the challenges, it's similar to the challenges we're seeing across the bond market. After a rally like we saw in 2012, you're starting the year 2013 with yields at very low levels, and a lot of the return last year came from price appreciation, not income. So, starting at an already very low level of yields, there's very little room for yields to drop further.
Benz: So that's the negative side. Any reason for optimism as you look forward and think about states' finances perhaps.
Sjoblom: Well, there are a couple of reasons for optimism. They're more related to the technical dynamics of the market. Last year, we also saw a lot of demand into mutual funds especially. We had about $50 billion coming into muni funds altogether. So that seems to be remaining strong so far. Just in January, we had another $7 billion coming into muni-bond funds, and they're going mostly into intermediate funds as well as some high-yield muni funds. So, if investors continue to like the tax exemption and the benefits of muni funds as they have been, that will be supportive of the market.
Benz: And one thing you've noted before Miriam is that in contrast with the taxable-bond market, muni-bond funds are actually a really big percentage of the marketplace.
Sjoblom: That's right. Retail investors are huge buyers in the muni market, more so than in the taxable-bond market, where you have a broader and more diverse investor base.
Benz: And you also have noted that there is a supply issue going on in the municipal market, as well.
Sjoblom: That's right. There seems to be a reluctance on the part of municipalities to be starting a lot of new capital projects in this sort of uncertain economic and political environment. So you're seeing a low level of net new issuance. So you have all this demand coming from retail investors coupled with not a lot of new supply out there available.
Benz: So, we are going to drill into some of the favorite fund picks from you and from the fund analyst team. Let's start with municipal-bond funds that are favorites that you consider sort of core-type investments. Maybe that are a little bit conservative, a little bit safer.
Sjoblom: Sure. I think the intermediate municipal category is a good place to look for the more core, safer type muni funds, and one of our favorites that we [assign a Gold Morningstar Analyst Rating to] is Fidelity Intermediate Municipal Income. And Fidelity is just a great well-rounded municipal-bond effort. They've got a great credit research team and experienced portfolio managers and traders. And also they've gone farther than other competitors in building out a set of quantitative analytics. So they are looking at the market from all these different angles, and they are more conservative than many other options out there.
This fund, in particular, has performed about middle of the road in recent years because the environment has rewarded risk-taking, so I think that can be a good sign. When the environment becomes less friendly, this is the kind of investment that you want to be in.
Benz: How about another core-type muni-fund pick?
Sjoblom: Sure. I'd say T. Rowe Price Summit Municipal Intermediate, and the story is very similar there. Not quite as conservative as Fidelity, but still fairly conservative. It still has been a middle-of-the-road performer in recent years. But again, the research staff, the portfolio management staff is very experienced, and they don't take a lot of chances.
Benz: If people feel that they have that core part of their muni portfolio filled out and want to take a little more risk by being in something a little more aggressive, let's discuss a couple of funds that might fill that role.
Sjoblom: Sure. One would be Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt, and even though it has "high-yield" in the name, it doesn't fall into our high-yield muni category because it's relatively conservative compared with those [in the high-yield category]. So, it is in the intermediate-muni category. It's got about a little less than one fourth of its assets in bonds rated BBB and below, including nonrated bonds. So, it takes a little more credit risk than your typical intermediate-muni fund, but not so much that you need to be worried. Vanguard is very committed to diversification. You have the very low fees on the Vanguard funds, which for long-term investors are really tough to beat.
Benz: [Do you have] another noncore, sort of opportunistic pick that you can give people?
Sjoblom: Sure. This would be T. Rowe Price Tax-Free High Yield, and this fund is a high-yield muni fund, and it hasn't been one of the very best performers in recent years, but that's OK because I think it really demonstrates the discipline of the process there. It has been a great performer in absolute terms just because high-yield muni funds have done very well, but the manager, Jim Murphy, doesn't go out on a limb in sectors that are particularly dicey like tobacco-settlement bonds. He doesn't use leverage, which is a common tool in that category. And lately, the money that has flowed into the high-yield muni category seems to be gravitating toward the highest-yielding funds, which especially after a year like 2012 where they performed so well, I think it can be a risky proposition to be chasing yield that way. So, if you want more of a core, middle-of-the-road, very grounded on bottom-up research process, then I think this is a good choice.
Benz: So it sounds like you're saying, overall, do your homework, don't just focus on those funds that have the highest yields attached to them.
Sjoblom: That's right.
Benz: Miriam, thank you so much for being here and sharing the specific investment ideas.
Sjoblom: Thank you, Christine.
Benz: Thanks for watching. I'm Christine Benz for Morningstar.com.


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Friday, March 29, 2013 1:15 am
Crawford delivers but Dodgers lose to Class-A team
The Associated Press
In what the Dodgers surely hope is a sign of things to come, Carl Crawford got them back in the game.
Crawford delivered a game-tying, two-run single with two outs in the final inning, but the Dodgers lost to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 4-3 in seven innings.
Crawford, acquired from Boston last summer and who underwent Tommy John surgery last August, began the night 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. With the Dodgers trailing 3-1 in the top of the seventh and the bases loaded with two outs, Crawford lined a sharp single to left field to extend the game.
"I'm constantly making adjustments as the game goes on," he said. "I haven't played in a while, so I'm going to be constantly making adjustments like that. There's still going to be some rust on there until I start playing some real games, but right now I'm just battling at the plate."
Crawford said before the game that while he is not 100 percent, he is pleased with where his health is at.
"I'm pretty much right on schedule," he said. "I wish it would've been quicker. I think I'm right on time where I should be."
Lasorda was greeted by a loud standing ovation from the sellout crowd during pregame introductions and the Quakes dedicated their clubhouse in his name. Hall of Famer Maury Wills also made a pregame appearance.
"I loved every minute until they went ahead of us," Lasorda chuckled. "The fire was there. I wanted to win even though it didn't make any difference."
The Dodgers, who had a split squad with other members of the team facing the Angels, trotted out five big leaguers in the starting lineup against the Quakes: Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez, Luis Cruz, Alfredo Amezaga and Jerry Hairston.
Gonzalez went 1-for-2 with a single, a walk and a run scored, while Cruz went 1-for-3 with a single and a run. Amezaga was 0-for-4 and Hairston 0-for-3.
Touted prospect Yasiel Puig, who hit .526 in Cactus League play but will begin the year at Double-A Chattanooga, hit sixth for the Dodgers and went 0-for-3.
The Quakes won when Angelo Songco drilled a walkoff RBI single into right field with one out in the bottom of the seventh.
"We came out here and we wanted to win and we were able to do that," Songco said. "Nothing like a walkoff .To be able to beat them is a great feeling."
Chris Reed, the Dodgers' first round pick in 2011, started and threw three hitless innings for the Quakes. He walked one and struck out three, including Crawford and Hairston.
"After I was finished throwing it kind of set in (that I struck out major leaguers), but in the moment you just are trying to make pitches," Reed said. "The main thing was not worrying about the names, just throwing strikes and not falling behind."
The Quakes strung together four consecutive singles in the first inning, including an RBI knock by 2012 first-round pick Corey Seager, against Dodgers starter Stephen Fife to jump out to an early 2-0 lead and extended it to 3-0 in the third.
The Dodgers will join the rest of their teammates for two more exhibition games against the Angels before beginning the regular season on April 1.


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Name: Lauren Lampley
Age: 25
Occupation: District executive of the Daniel Boone Council for Boy Scouts of America
Hometown: Hendersonville
Family: Fiance Chris Stanfield; mother, Claudia; father, John; brothers, John Mark & Peter.
What made you interested in working for the Boy Scouts, and when did you start?
I started last October. I always knew that I wanted a career in which I could serve others, and the Boy Scouts offered the opportunity to do so in a very comprehensive way — I don't just help our Scouts, but also hundreds of adult volunteers and partnerships within the community.
What is your role and what does it involve?
I am the district executive for the Terrora District, which includes Henderson and Transylvania counties. I work with a volunteer board and local business leaders to involve our entire community in the Scouting program. This includes volunteer and Scout recruitment, acquiring financial support, program management... the works.
What is your favorite part of the job?
It doesn't get much better than the weekends; we have district events, and I spend my time running around camp with the kids.
What do you like to do with your time off?
I love to be outside. My fiance, Chris, is a great training partner and we're always around Dupont or Pisgah trail running, biking, hiking, backpacking. I can also inhale a good book.
Where did you go for college and what did you study?
I graduated from Queens University of Charlotte with a double major in music and French. I wasn't competitive enough to join any athletic teams, but I did have some amazing experiences with the theater department and music, religious and study-abroad programs, spending time in Poland and the Czech Republic, Guatemala and France, respectively.
What made you want to return to Henderson County after college?
I spent my first year post-baccalaureate teaching in France, which was a dream. I loved every second, but it was in that distance from my home that I came to realize, despite my love for other cultures, how much I valued my own culture and my family and friends here. Plus, there's just something about these mountains that makes you feel like you're always being hugged, and that's hard to beat.
As a native of Hendersonville, what are some of the biggest changes you've noticed to the area?
Well, I'm most indignant about the price increase at the Laura E. Corn putt-putt course.
Do you have any advice for young adults in Henderson County that you wish you had gotten?
Be nice to your friends' parents, because you never know if you'll be coming back to work with them in 10 years' time. Define success for yourself.
What is your favorite place or thing to do in Henderson County?
It's probably a tie between sitting on my parents' porch with the family, grilling out and watching all of Hendersonville drive by, or grabbing breakfast at the Flat Rock Village Bakery.
Got A Minute? With Lauren Lampley
Name: Lauren Lampley


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The cornerstone of the Appalachian State University campus is the George M. Holmes Convocation Center. Containing Seby Jones Arena, the facility serves as the home of Mountaineer volleyball as well as the men's and women's basketball programs and indoor track and field squads.
Standing at the end of Rivers Street, the 200,840-square-foot structure houses the Department of Health, Leisure and Exercise Science, and includes a multipurpose arena for community and cultural events, graduation and convocation ceremonies, trade shows, concerts, and athletic events.
The athletics facilities on campus have long been considered among the finest in the Southern Conference. The constant emphasis placed on the maintenance and upgrading of these sites shows the institution's dedication to its teams and student-athletes. Throughout the past several years there have been many additions and renovations to the athletic facilities, as well as academic buildings on campus, to help propel ASU into the 21st century.
The 8,325-seat arena is complete with HLES offices, classrooms, state-of-the-art laboratories, team areas and retractable seating for concerts, special events, volleyball and basketball competition and more.
A 300-meter state-of-the-art directional Mondo track circles the upper concourse and is used by the indoor track and field teams for both practice and competition.
The facility was opened with a celebration followed by a men's basketball contest between Appalachian and North Carolina. With much anticipation, every seat was sold recording the first a pre-gameday sellout in school history for any sporting event. The athletics ticket office sold the full allotment of tickets for the inaugural contest in the Holmes Center 12 minutes after opening.
The Appalachian student section is a priority. Student seating is located at midcourt for both volleyball and basketball.
Public service, a cornerstone upon which Appalachian was founded, is the hallmark of two individuals who names will adorn the University's convocation center.


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I like video projects because when they're organized properly students have to write, research, produce, and revise just as they would if they were writing a story or research paper. The difference is that shared finished video projects have the potential to reach many more people than a well-written essay does.
Scooped by
Yuly Asencion
onto Technology and language learning


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That spot on a cat's back, where it attaches to the tail, is a spot where most cats like to be scritched. They arch and purr and life is grand.Colossus does much more than that. While arching and purring, he starts licking the air. If a person/other cat/dog is anywhere near his face while the scritching occurs, he will lick that being with all the passionate love any cat may have. Sadly, that does lead to biting, but they are love bites and meant in the most generous way.
My son's dog, Harry, freaks out when you get his nose- you know, like you do with kids- Got your nose and you put your thumb between you fingers? Well Harry falls for it every time, barks his head off, jumps trying to get your hand so he can have his nose back. And this keeps up until you rub your hand on his face, putting back his nose. It's hysterical.
Right now Vincenzo is hugging the fish bowl.
Jack and Luna love visitors! They run to the door, and Jack in particular begs to be picked up. We have to warn people in advance that Jack will stick his head in their mouth. He likes to smell people's breath.
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Hope this is not (too) OT. I'm looking to start a web hosting/design business (primarily hosting), looking for a (non-designer) web programmer (PHP/MySQL/etc) business partner, not interested in a web designer, only programmer. Preferably based in/around London but not essential as long as UK based. Looking to start small/part-time but must be able to commit.
Please do not reply here but contact me directly


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Marshall McLuhan vs. Marshalling Regular Expressionsby Andy Oram
Glosses on Marshall McLuhan must chase one of the strangest trajectories of any public figure. In less than a decade, McLuhan went from Catholic university professor to media celebrity to cliché. His very career proved one of the theses for which he is best known (although not the points he most desired to make known): that the new television culture blankets the world with impressions that hit all viewers simultaneously and that are not subject to analysis or dissection but merely to reaction. We no longer preserve the neat perspective that distinguishes figure from ground; we have only a field of impressions.
McLuhan's books struck the public in the 1960s (a time when figure and ground switched places for many) with the projective force he had assigned to print media. This explosion was followed by an implosion driven by the iconic force of the electronic age. His ideas gained currency through television appearances, jokes, a scene in Woody Allen's movie Annie Hall, and not least the conscious homage paid to his ideas by the advertising industry. If you missed McLuhan's ideas going out, don't worry--you certainly received them coming back in.
Recently, I began to research and re-evaluate McLuhan. The impetus was a surprise I had not known how to deal with for several years: the success of a book called Mastering Regular Expressions by Jeffrey Friedl. Now that Friedl has just finished with writing, and I with editing, a second edition, this is a good historical moment to integrate the phenomenon into our understanding of the role computer processing plays in social development.
Every medium, technology, and concept, no matter how modest, has a social context.
Regular expressions, from a practical standpoint, are tools for handling text. No one processes a JPEG with regular expressions. Television is totally off the agenda. A McLuhanite would take one look at the subject matter for regular expressions and declare them irrelevant.
Related Reading
Mastering Regular Expressions
Yet Mastering Regular Expressions came out and became an instant hit. The Perl community (where regular expressions had taken hold most strongly at the time) treated Friedl as a hero. His talk at the first O'Reilly Perl Conference filled a large hall right up to the back doors. We sold out all copies of his book at the conference, even though it had released six months before, and brought in another batch of copies that were promptly sold out as well. Five years after publication and 22 years after the death of McLuhan, the first edition still sells several hundred copies per month and is continually recommended on mailing lists and in journal articles.
Not only Friedl's book but regular expressions themselves have marched to commanding heights that no other language can point to. Originally marginal outside of Perl and a few old Unix tools, regular expressions now appear as standard offerings in virtually every modern language--including the .NET framework, Java, Python, and PHP--and turn up as conveniences in major utilities such as the Apache web server, the MySQL data base engine, and the Postfix and Exim mail transfer agents. (The author of Exim, Philip Hazel, developed a popular regular expression library used in several tools).
What does the success of regular expressions have to do with McLuhan? Simply put, the technology and Friedl's book seem to embody everything McLuhan said was passé: they celebrate and support a reverence for text that McLuhan expected current generations to abandon. The actual message, as I will show, is more subtle and enhances McLuhan's work substantially.
McLuhan was the Shannon of sociology, placing his bets on the primacy of communication over content.
A thesis concerning the obsolescence of print or text culture, and the ascension of electronic media, would seem extremely odd coming from an English professor. But to McLuhan, such a provocative statement was merely a vehicle for a deeper message: that we are leaving behind the age dominated by the logical argumentation and specialized analysis characteristic of text study. At best, such study could moderate and soften the impact of the new electronic media.
On the summer morning in 1440 when Johann Gutenberg rose from his bed in Strasbourg to print the first trial leaflet on his printing press, the sun rose on an essentially holistic world of oral, aural, and tactile participation. The primary experience of every human being was face to face and responsive--one did not simply take information in, but dialogued with the person offering it. Manuscripts, richly impressed with the hand and personality of the scribe, did not alter the primary nature of information as a kind of speech or activity.
Space and time in those days were gloriously diverse, to the extent that each location and each moment held its own meaning. Besides the grand distinction between the heaven and the earth, the earth itself--and the diverse tribes within it--clearly differed from place to place. There was no uniformity or redundancy.
Into this multisensuous world Gutenberg threw a shocking anomaly: several thousand Bibles that were all alike, each containing several thousand As and Bs that were all alike. The notion that one could subdivide an experience and make it precisely repeatable and predictable has thrown into commotion every society where movable type has become commonplace. As McLuhan says in The Gutenberg Galaxy, "the most obvious character of print is repetition." Among its consequences, according to McLuhan, are:
The scientific method
The sense of the universe as uniform and predictable (following Isaac Newton)
Linear reasoning (selon Descartes)
Fixed prices that allow global trade
All this is so essential and pervasive that it would never have been examined by anybody, but for an equally fundamental revolution taking place now with electronic media: the telegraph, the telephone, radio, phonograph, television, and (the medium to which the final chapter of McLuhan's Understanding Media is devoted) the digital computer.
In contrast to print culture, our growing electronic culture features instantaneous, non-verbal impressions that are taken in whole and that reverberate with the emotions of the viewers...a breakdown of traditional cause-and-effect reasoning, replaced by a re-ascendance of myth as the driving force behind decisions and actions...a similar substitution of holistic experience for print culture's focus on individual components of the situation (print culture's separation of figure from ground)...A weakening of Western individualism in favor of a renewed group or tribal membership, created by the simultaneous exposure of millions of people to the same images
Computers and automation are playing a major role in this transformation of society, according to McLuhan, because they speed up events so much that traditional sequences are replaced with simultaneous activities (he would have been quite comfortable with computer clusters), and because humans have to deal with the outcomes of computation as a whole rather than with the individual steps of which they were made.
In later years, McLuhan became fascinated with new research on the hemispheres of the brain, and associated the dominance of the left brain with print culture while associating right-brain thinking both with the pre-print oral culture and the emerging electronic media culture.
It is hard to discern McLuhan's moral values among his torrents of literary references and comparisons. Certainly, he blamed Gutenberg for the emergence of Protestantism and other historic trends he disliked. Private correspondence also reveals that he hoped the electronic age would bring people spiritual revelation. On the other hand, his view of television can be gleaned from the wish expressed in The Gutenberg Galaxy that we "mastered the nature and effects of all our technologies, instead of being pushed around by them." He shows even less reserve in his posthumous Laws of Media, which darkly states that television watching causes an "impulse...towards anarchy and lawlessness."
While the pre-eminent medium of McLuhan's time was television, had he managed to experience the Internet he would undoubtedly have seized on it and declared it even more characteristic of the sketchiness, immediacy, and intense user engagement engendered by new media. During McLuhan's lifetime, digital networks existed only as instruments of business, and he could comment on them only from that standpoint. Now that the Internet is a personal and widely shared experience, many have pointed out its new-media traits: its adaptation to short, quick-breaking information, its reliance on rumor, and its awkward presentation formats.
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text: Items in the museum: Fruit baskets: Stone vessels: Before stainless steel, cooking vessels were made mostly of terracotta. Metal ones were limited to elite kitchens. These vessels were for cooking and serving food. Pickle jars, Salt containers, serving bowl and curry baskets: Pickles and chutneys needed care as they were eaten during the monsoon when there was a … [Read more...]


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Thaipusam (Tamil: தைப்பூசம், Taippūcam ?) is a Hindu festival celebrated mostly by the Tamil community on the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai (January/February). It is celebrated not only in countries where the Tamil community constitutes a majority, but also in countries where Tamil communities are smaller, such as Singapore and Malaysia.
source from wikipedia.
flashstalker, alexrockband, yochan & naqi.


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Kirk Webb / Lakeside Fire District via AP
In this photo provided by the Lakeside Fire District, two teenagers hang on to a dead tree after the ice on a lake started to crack in Show Low, Ariz., on Wednesday.
It was a daring mistake that two Arizona teens might never forget. On Wednesday, they ventured out onto a frozen lake in Show Low, Ariz. -- then the ice cracked beneath them.
"Luckily, they were right by a standing dead tree," Lakeside Fire District Capt. Dennis Stern told NBC News on Thursday.
For what officials believe was at least two hours, the teens clung onto the tree in the middle of the frozen lake.
Authorities say a third teen was on the bank of Fool Hollow Lake, The Associated Press reported. That individual called their parents, who in turn, contacted authorities, Stern said. After the call came in around 4:45 p.m. local time, the Show Low Fire Department worked with the Lakeside Fire District's ice rescue team to recover the stranded teens.
Related: Strangers rescue sledder who crashed through ice
The temperature was 27 degrees when the call came in, according to Stern, and plummeted to 22 degrees by the time the rescue was completed. Show Low is in eastern Arizona at 6,400 feet elevation.
"It's still early in our winter season," Stern said, noting that the ice in the area is only an inch or two thick.
The teens were treated for mild hypothermia in the hospital, Show Low Fire District Capt. Brent Mix told the AP.
"Their hands and feet got pretty cold," Mix told the AP. "It was dark by the time we got them to shore."
The ages or identities of the teens have not been released.
Related: Hunter, rescuers brave icy lake to save dog
"There is no such thing as 100 percent safe ice!" the Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office in Wisconsin states in ice safety guidelines on its website.
"Even if ice is a foot thick in one area on a lake, it can be one inch thick just a few yards away," the guidelines warn. "It's impossible to judge the strength of ice by its appearance, thickness, daily temperature, or snow cover alone."
More content from NBCNews.com:
- Sandy Hook students return: New principal, new building, old desks
- Cheered by colleagues, senator who suffered stroke takes 45 monumental steps
- Undocumented students can receive aid under new California Dream Act
- Video: Camera captures ATM smash-and-grab robbery
- The angels had NY accents, says senator who had stroke
- Stolen packages returned after thief is caught on video


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Step Right Up!
The Port Arthur Historical Society, in collaboration with Tegge Circus Archives, is presenting Step Right Up! an exhibit featuring a conglomeration of approximately 60 pieces of circus history, at the Museum of the Gulf Coast in Port Arthur.
The exhibit includes full-color posters, costumes, historic photographs, and even a headdress worn by a performing circus elephant. Now on display, the exhibit will remain available for public viewing until May 26.
Step Right Up! chronicles 75 years of circus history and highlights how the insatiable fantasy of circus life is both an alternate reality and a vision founded in truth, a Port Arthur Historical Society press release states.
"For many performers, the big top's nomadic life offered a different kind of escape and, in many instances, a life that challenged the economic and gender conventions of the age," the release states. "The juxtaposition of romanticized imagery and backstage stories and photographs reveal both the fantasy and reality of circus life, exploring the illusions that played to the imaginations of so many who considered 'running away to join the circus.'"
"It is the circus from 1890 to 1965," said Sarah Bellian, curator at The Museum of the Gulf Coast. "It has a bunch of different circus memorabilia in it. It shows some behind the scenes. People can watch footage from old circuses. It just kind of gives an introduction to this institution, which is really an American phenomenon and was really big in the 1930s, '40s and '50s. A lot of our older visitors remember the circus coming to town. … The grandparents really enjoy telling the kids what it was like."
Admission is $4 for adults and $2 for children. Museum hours are 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and 1-5 p.m. on Sunday.
A free family fun day scheduled for April 19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., when families will have an opportunity to meet circus performers and clowns. Face painting will also be available.
The Museum of the Gulf Coast is at 700 Procter St in Port Arthur. For more information, call (409) 982-7000.


text: Santana Leads Men's Indoor At Terrier Classic Photo: Jonathan Santana Results ALBANY, N.Y. – Senior Jonathan Santana led the University at Albany men's indoor track and field team with two personal-bests Saturday afternoon at the Boston University Terrier Classic. Santana recorded the fourth-best 200m dash mark in program history with a time of 21.72, good for 13th place. Santana also had a personal-best that ranks third in the record books, running a 48.0 second 400m time, finishing as the runner-up in the event. Alex Petit-Frere also had a personal-best indoor time in the 400m, finishing fifth in the 147-athlete field. In addition, the time marked the fifth-best in the program's archives. John DeLallo led the Great Danes in the 1,000m with an IC4A qualifying time of 2:28.34, placing 12th. Christopher Buchanan also qualified for the IC4A Championship with a personal-best 4:08.89 mile run. UAlbany's 4x400m relay squad, consisting of Taariq Jones, Petit-Frere, Jeremiah Obeng-Agyapong, and Santana, placed fifth out of 56 teams with an IC4A qualifying time of 3:14.03. In the field events, Alfonso Scannapieco led UAlbany in the pole vault with a second-place bound of 16-04.75, while Christopher Stephenson took 10th in the high jump with his 6-02.75 mark. The Great Danes are back in action next Friday and Saturday at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational at the NYC Armory.


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With such a big chunk of the year spent in sub-zero temperatures, we Canadians must adapt to those activities that involve being in the great outdoors, lest we succumb to cabin fever.
Between skiing, snowboarding, skating, tobogganing and trekking to the LRT, there's no shortage of reasons to get up and go — out in the snow — but as the temperature drops, we need to come up with more ways to remain toasty.
While other countries have mastered the art of keeping their cool, we've come up with myriad ways to stay warm — from the highest tech thermal underwear to moon boots Neil Armstrong would envy.
But just as steamy days on the beach call for cooling down by way of frozen margaritas, a chilly day on the slopes — or even commuting home from work — calls for warming meals and beverages that keep the winter chill at bay.
Sippable ciders, gourmet hot chocolates and spiked toddies are pleasures few southerners will appreciate, but we can revel in them over the course of the bleak midwinter.
February is a great time to broaden your hot-bevvy horizons — beyond the leftover spiced apple cider from Christmas, try warming lemonade, cranberry juice or even orange juice. Hot Tang is popular with many winter campers. Add a few cinnamon sticks, cloves and whole allspice berries — or toss in a mulling spice sachet — and heat until steaming.
Try steeping loose tea in warm milk for a sort of creamy tea latté, or in cider for a sort of mulled apple tea.
When it comes to hot chocolate, most home versions are made from a mix.
The ingredient list of most name-brand mixes read something like this:
If you'd like to avoid most of those multisyllabic additives, make yourself a nice stash of homemade mix, mix together equal amounts good-quality cocoa and sugar, and shake it up. This will take approximately 12 seconds, and the mix can be stored indefinitely in any resealable jar.
To make hot chocolate, stir a heaping spoonful of the mix into a mug of hot milk. Bonus: you'll get the added calcium, protein and other essential nutrients from using real milk. A good thing when you're out on the trails or ski hill; a thermos of homemade hot chocolate can provide an energy and nutritional boost while it warms your bones.
Beyond hot drinks, warming meals are in their element at this time of year — comfort food is made for the bleak midwinter.
If you often spend the day — or even the afternoon — on the slopes, ski trails or at the rink, a slow cooker is a worthwhile investment.
The inexpensive kitchen appliances, available in a wide range of capacities, take over kitchen duties while you're out, simmering soul-warming soups, stews and chilis, and welcoming you back in from the cold to a delicious hot meal.
Best of all, saucy one-pot dishes are ideal for freezing, so making a large batch ensures you'll have inexpensive, good-for-you dinners at the ready on those days when you find yourself slowed down by the cold. To freeze for later, cool soup, stew or chili completely, then freeze in small containers — the more quickly it freezes, the smaller the ice crystals that will form.
We may have no control over the weather, but we do have a say in how we keep warm. The more delicious, the better.
here are some of cookbook author, food blogger and columnist Julie Van Rosendaal's heart-and-body-warming recipes to ward off winter's chill:
Roasted Sweet Potato & Carrot Soup
The darker-fleshed variety of sweet potato — often labeled as yams — are more nutrient-dense than those longer, thinner varieties with paler flesh.
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Hand-toss sweet potatoes and carrots with a drizzle of oil to coat and spread out on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 20-30 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the veggies are softening and starting to turn golden. Don't worry about cooking them through. In a medium pot, heat a drizzle of oil over medium-high heat and sauté the onion, garlic and ginger for four to five minutes, until soft. Add the sweet potato and carrots, scraping any browned bits from the baking sheet into the pan. Add the curry paste and stock, along with two cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for half an hour, until the vegetables are very soft. (Alternatively, put everything into a slow cooker and cook on low for four to six hours.) Season with salt, add the half & half (if you're using it) and use a hand-held immersion blender to puree the soup right in the pot. Alternatively, transfer it in batches to a blender and puree until smooth or mash it roughly with a potato masher. Serve hot. Serves four to six.
Egyptian Yellow Lentil Soup
Dry yellow lentils are smaller and more oval in shape than red or green lentils, with a mellow flavour; red lentils can easily be substituted. Adapted from Epicurious, where it was adapted from Magda el-Mehdawy's book My Egyptian Grandmother's Kitchen.
Brush the pitas on both sides with oil and cut them into strips; spread out on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 10 minutes, or until golden. Set aside. In a large medium pot, heat a drizzle of oil in a medium pot set over medium-high heat and sauté the onion for about eight minutes, or until starting to turn golden. Add the cumin and lentils and enough water to cover them by two inches. Add the tomato, potato, carrot and salt and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, skimming any foam that forms on top. Add the stock, bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, until the mixture thickens. Purée using a hand-held immersion blender or in batches in a regular blender. Serve immediately, topped with the pita strips and parsley or cilantro. Serves four to six.
Mexican Hot Chocolate
In Mexico, hot chocolate beverages are spiked with cinnamon and/or dried chilis. For straight-up hot chocolate, omit both.
In a small saucepan, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, cinnamon and chili powder, then whisk in 1/4 cup water until you have a thick paste. Set over medium heat and whisk in the milk. Heat, whisking, until steaming. Divide between two mugs and serve.
Caramel Citrus Cider
Caramelizing the sugar first adds a more intense caramel flavour to the finished cider, which is spiked with citrus.
In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar and water over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then continue to cook, swirling the pan often, until the mixture turns deep golden, about five minutes. Immediately remove from heat and carefully stir in the apple juice — the mixture will bubble up and sputter. Stir in the orange juice, add the cinnamon sticks and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat down to low and let simmer.


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Now that the election is over, everyone is talking about the elephant in the room. Our deficit and debt levels are outrageous. They are causing the rest of the world to question our integrity as a nation, and although the U.S. dollar continues to be the reserve currency of choice for safe-haven investors, many people wonder just how safe U.S. Treasury bonds can be when the United States continues to rack up trillions of dollars of new debt on what seems like an endless basis.
With Obama back in office, everyone expects some level of higher taxes and lower spending, but no one wants to see the fiscal cliff.
Touted by the media, the fiscal cliff has brought eyeballs to newspapers, financial websites and business journals, but this coined phrase is not nearly as black-and-white as it may seem. Some people actually believe that if we avert the fiscal cliff, everything will be fine, but many of those people are also forgetting about the elephant in the room.
The fiscal cliff is a combination of higher taxes and lower government spending. We all know that. But the negotiations that might help us avert going over that cliff are also entertaining the same two economic headwinds.
In order to reach an agreement to avert the fiscal cliff, our government must reach an agreement on higher taxes and lower spending. These are each material economic headwinds that are coming very soon, whether we go over the fiscal cliff or not. In fact, I will go so far as to tell you that capital-gains taxes will be going up next year. That alone should be reason to worry.
Of course, I also believe that other taxes will increase. I know government spending will also decline, but it is the capital-gains tax that actually might be most important to us as investors in the stock market. Although buy-and-hold investors are still underwater from where they were in 2007, and even 2000 for that matter, proactive traders or other lucky investors who got in near the lows are holding significant capital gains. If capital-gains taxes were to revert to normal income taxes, the difference in actual after-tax performance would be significant.
For example, for every $100 million invested that is carrying a 30% gain, or $30 million in unrealized profits, the difference between selling at the end of 2012 vs. anytime afterward would prevent an effectual doubling up income tax. In this example, selling in 2012 could save about $6 million in taxes.
Unless you feel the economy is good enough to allow the stock market to continue to increase beyond these multi-year highs, a reasonable investment professional will seriously consider securing gains before the end of the year. Not all investors would do this, but enough investors are worried about it to rationalize lower market levels in the months ahead. But there is more.
With that understood, and in line with my macroeconomic work (The Investment Rate), which is much more dire than merely what the higher-taxes/lower-spending headwinds might suggest, I continue to advise all people to move their entire 401(k) positions to cash, sell all buy-and-hold investments, and for now we are still close enough to relative market highs to make short positions okay.
Right before I wrote this column, I ran a real-time filter for longer-term short ideas using the Swing-Trading Filter Tool on Stock Traders Daily, and four stocks appeared prominent at the top of the list: Intuit INTU, -0.12% SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust DIA, -0.13% Akamai Technologies AKAM, -0.88% and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY, -0.14%
If you follow these, use integrated risk controls because the technical patterns of the market tell us a short-term bounce can come. That said, the declines from longer-term resistance toward longer-term support have already begun, so increases from here will likely be short-lived, and the economic headwinds that are coming will change the sentiment on the street considerably.


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All of college basketball is a transition game now, whether your team operates the Princeton offense, grinds every opponent with 35 seconds of breathtaking defense or chooses to run at every opportunity.
College basketball players come and go faster than Usain Bolt on his way to the medal stand. If Nike, Adidas and Under Armour have anything to say about it, not even the uniforms will look the same.
The game has become like the pop music scene, in which new acts surge into public view as quickly as they can churn out a three-minute tune, then fade into the background while others supersede them with a number that appears more interesting, or merely newer. One no longer can tell the players without a subscription to Rolling Stone, and many in the audience fade toward nostalgia and dream of the days when everyone stayed four years.
Sorry, we mixed our metaphors there.
It has been a long time since the best players stuck around for four seasons of college basketball, but it hasn't been all that long since they lasted two or three. Now, we've got a reigning NCAA champion, Kentucky, with only one rotation player remaining even though five of its top six players were freshmen or sophomores last season.
You've got to know how to survive in such a fast-changing world.
"Situations dictate how you respond," Kentucky coach John Calipari told Sporting News. "It wasn't me planning anything. Here's a situation: How do we deal with this? The young people are the centerpiece of everything we do. We're going to do right by them and deal with the results of it."
Calipari says when Derrick Rose first got to Memphis in the fall of 2007, he thought he had his answer at point guard for at least a couple of years. In late February that season, though, with the Tigers trailing Tennessee in a No. 1-vs.-No. 2 showdown at FedEx Forum, Rose did this sort of Guitar Hero solo down the stretch and nearly rescued the Tigers from a deep deficit, finishing with 23 points and five assists. Calipari went into the locker room and told his coaches they'd need a new point guard for the following season.
"Everybody thinks it was this grand design," Calipari said.
In the sense that he decided he'd work to get the best possible players and mold them into a team, it kind of was, but Calipari now must reinvent the Wildcats on an annual basis. All three of his UK teams have won SEC titles (regular-season or tournament or both), two have reached the Final Four and the most recent won it all.
"We'll see if it keeps working. Every year is a new year," Calipari said. "You have new people, so you can't say, 'Here's how we're going to play.' I will tell you, it's pretty exciting stuff."
That is the best way to approach college basketball these days. There are no sequels, the same formula being trotted out over and over, like what's left of Chicago or the Doobie Brothers filling the summer amphitheater circuit with hits from 40 years ago.
Change can be thrilling. You just have to brace for it. We're here to help. On the eve of Midnight Madness, Sporting News examines what's new for the 2012-13 season:
Missouri and Texas A&M to the SEC. The Tigers instantly will be the primary challenger to conference kingpin Kentucky. Texas A&M slipped badly last year. A fresh start in a new league can't hurt, but will the Aggies start losing out on in-state prospects who might prefer to play in the Big 12?
West Virginia and TCU to the Big 12. So long as West Virginia has talent—honestly, the Mountaineers are barely on the right side of that line at the moment—Bob Huggins will coach them into an NCAA-level squad. TCU has almost no basketball history, but Trent Johnson is an effective coach if he finds a way to get some players on the roster. Being a part of a league whose heart is in Texas cannot hurt.
Butler and VCU to the Atlantic 10. With Temple on its way soon to the Big East, the A-10 grabbed two mid-major gems that reached the Final Four this decade.
Nevada and Fresno State to the Mountain West. The Pac-12 will shift back into gear soon, perhaps this season, but for now the MWC is the West's power conference.
Belmont to the Ohio Valley. The Bruins get regional rivals and lower travel costs, but now they'll compete with Murray State for the league's NCAA bid.
Oral Roberts to the Southland. ORU's old home, the Summit League, found itself a great name but remains an odd conglomeration.
Denver, Seattle, Texas-Arlington, Texas-San Antonio and Texas State to the WAC. Denver's Pioneers belong here. The Sun Belt teams? Still boggles the mind.
Hawaii to the Big West. A nice spot for a basketball program that needed a home.
John Groce, Illinois. Bruce Weber was fired last season after his team imploded down the stretch. Groce built his resume as Thad Matta's key assistant at Ohio State, then took Ohio to the NCAA Tournament twice in three years and reached the Sweet 16 last March.
Rick Ray, Mississippi State. After 14 seasons, Rick Stansbury retired as Bulldogs coach, a curious move for a 52-year-old man but perhaps better than the alternative. His replacement has been an assistant at Purdue and Clemson but never a Division I head coach.
James Johnson, Virginia Tech. Seth Greenberg had seven winning seasons in nine years at Virginia Tech, and no one there realized how terrific that was. He was fired in April. Johnson has a long track record as an assistant, including at Virginia Tech and as a member of Jim Larranaga's Final Four staff at George Mason.
Frank Martin, South Carolina. Darrin Horn was unable to gain any traction in four years with the Gamecocks. A major success in his time at Kansas State, Martin grew uncomfortable with his superiors and was looking to be anywhere but Manhattan, Kan.
Johnny Jones, LSU. With Trent Johnson having left for TCU, Jones—a former player and assistant coach with the Tigers—is delighted to be back home.
Bruce Weber, Kansas State. As he proved in 2005 with the Illini, and before that at Southern Illinois, if he has players who fit his motion offense, he can win.
Trent Johnson, TCU. He was successful in 2009 at LSU and before that at Stanford and Nevada.
Tim Miles, Nebraska. Doc Sadler wanted a chance for the program to mature into the Huskers' Big Ten surroundings. He didn't get it. Fresh from reaching the NCAAs at Colorado State, Miles also won at North Dakota State. That speaks for itself.
Larry Brown, SMU. The Mustangs won't be a true BCS team until a year from now, but we can't ignore a Hall of Famer returning to college hoops after nearly a quarter-century. The easy joke is to wonder if Brown, with a nomad's soul, will still be in the job by then.
Shabazz Muhammad, G/F, UCLA. A dynamic offensive force who plays with incredible energy, his only issue appears to be an NCAA examination of his amateur status.
Nerlens Noel, C, Kentucky. He is not Anthony Davis. Noel lacks the offensive game or the ability to destroy opposing offenses on the perimeter as well as at the rim. But Davis is not Noel, either—a constant, fearsome presence in the lane. He, too, needs the NCAA's OK.
Sam Dekker, F, Wisconsin. Freshmen rarely start for the Badgers. That's what everybody keeps saying. But Josh Gasser started two years ago, and he didn't have Dekker's talent.
Marcus Smart, G, Oklahoma State. Is he a point guard? A shooting guard? Billy Donovan, who coached him with the U.S. Under-18 national team, isn't certain. But Donovan does know Smart is a winner.
Rasheed Sulaimon, G, Duke. The Devils needed balance on offense—somebody who can shoot it and drive it, not just one or the other. Sulaimon is the guy.
A year ago at this time, Thomas Robinson was coming off two seasons in which he hadn't averaged 15 minutes a game. Then he became an All-American and a lottery pick. College basketball turns nobodies into stars faster than American Idol. Watch these guys this year and see:
Jarnell Stokes, PF, Tennessee. Stokes essentially began his freshman season with only a few hours of practice, then went out and scored nine points against Kentucky's airtight defense in only 17 minutes. Stokes might be the strongest player in Division I and has great hands and a nice shooting touch. He was a key member of USA Basketball's FIBA Americas U18 championship team—which means he got lots of practice. "Just imagine what preseason workouts will do for me," he says.
Elijah Johnson, G, Kansas. Coach Bill Self says Johnson is "really good" and has the opportunity to blossom in the same manner as so many Jayhawks who waited their turn. Last season, Johnson averaged 10.2 points operating as a shooting guard asked to shoot mostly when Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor couldn't get open. Johnson probably will play the point as a senior and could be terrific.
Wayne Blackshear, SF, Louisville. Debilitating shoulder injuries limited Blackshear's freshman season to 105 minutes, but 14 of those came in the Final Four against Kentucky. That Rick Pitino trusted a player with such limited experience for so long on such a grand stage said a lot, and the impression Blackshear left with his strength, athleticism and jumper maybe said more.
Michael Carter-Williams, PG, Syracuse. The Orange played four NCAA Tournament games in 2012, and Carter-Williams appeared in none of them. He was buried behind Scoop Jardine and Dion Waiters, who have left behind 49 minutes of playing time and 17 shots per game. MCW is big (6-5) for a point guard, the kind of playmaker who can get 25 points for himself or not score at all and still help his team win.
Adonis Thomas, SF, Memphis. Thomas was a top-15 recruit out of high school, but injuries cost him basically the entire Conference USA season last year. Even while struggling to catch on to college concepts and dealing with physical ailments, he still averaged 8.8 points and shot 40.5 percent from 3-point range. He could carry the Tigers toward the excellence we've been expecting of them.


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Ancrum 1 Hawick Legion 2
RARELY has Bridgend been compared to the Bernabeu, but when Hawick Legion manager Clinton Sharkey slid on his knees after his side's shock Wright Cup win, it rekindled memories of a certain Mr Mourinho's trademark celebration.
For Sharkey, this cup victory over Division B high-fliers Ancrum was as satisfying as any ever achieved by the self-proclaimed Special One.
Sharkey told TheSouthern: "The last 10 minutes was the most nerve wracking of my life since my wee boy was born.
"We were massive underdogs. We got relegated from Division A last season and a lot of people assumed we would be automatic favourites to go back up again, but that was never the case.
"We showed today we can compete with the best teams in the league. I have never been at a team as a player or manager where you are consistently getting good numbers at training, every week. The players deserve it."
The reasons for this cup final being so heavily weighted in Ancrum's favour were obvious. The villagers were Wright Cup holders and currently sit second in Division B, with just one defeat all season, while Legion are way down in eighth, having lost their last four games.
The fact that the tie was moved from Kelso to Ancrum's Bridgend pitch due to Woodside Park being unplayable – both teams had agreed to the switch – added to the evidence that pointed to a comfortable Ancrum win.
Early on, it appeared the league form would be followed as Daniel Gillie's electrifying pace caused problems for Hawick's backline.
However, when it came to hitting the net, the youngster struggled, shooting wide on 12 minutes and then heading a Grant Robinson free kick straight at Legion goalkeeper Ally Willison.
The opener came on 20 minutes, but at the wrong end of the park for the Ancrum faithful.
Jory Robertson's corner was volleyed home from close range by Peter Gellaitry, as the home side's defence did not so much go to sleep, but went into a coma.
Ten minutes later came the match-defining moment. This time a penalty box stramash ended with Liam Gellaitry poking the ball at goal, only for Ancrum outfield player Steven Thomas to handle the ball off the line.
Ancrum argued Thomas had been behind the goal line when he made his save, but referee Jim Darling sent off the midfielder and awarded a spot kick, converted well by Callum Hope.
However, just as it appeared Hawick would stroll to victory, Davis Hope was sent off for a second yellow card nine minutes after the break.
With their numerical advantage over, Hawick all of a sudden appeared to get a bout of nerves.
And those nerves turned to panic when Ancrum's Chris Johnson fired in from eight yards with 25 minutes remaining.
But the Ancrum onslaught never materialised, with their only clear-cut chance emerging on 83 minutes.
A series of deflections saw the ball lob into the path of Robinson eight yards out, but the former Gala Fairydean midfielder was denied by a brave Willison challenge.
The save highlighted the commitment of the Legion troops, and Sharkey and co did not have to wait long to begin their celebrations.
For Ancrum, manager Grant Davidson was magnanimous in defeat.
He told us: "The sending-off didn't help, but Hawick Legion were the better team in the first half. They worked hard, got to the ball quicker than us, did all the right things and played to their strengths.
"They deserve to be the cup champions at the end.
"Our boys did well in the second half, but the two-goal lead was just a bit too much to get back.
"It is a tough one to take, but we will regroup and now go for promotion, which is our main aim."
Ancrum: S. Jack, C. Scott, S. Tuddingham, G. McGovern, C. Johnson, C. Hall, G. Robinson, K. Chapman, D. Gillie, S. Spence, S. Thomas. Subs: C. Tibbits, C. Bell, J. Amos, N. McGuigan, E. Armstrong.
Hawick Legion: A. Willison, R. Snowdon, G. Moffat, D. Hope, P. Gellaitry, J. Easdon, D. Fraser, L. Gellaitry, C. Hope, J. Robertson, T. Scott. Subs: W. Monteith, A. McFarlane, C. Dunne, J. Shankie, J. Gillespie.


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Pirate : Cannonball Siege Review
- Publisher: BLACKPIXEL STUDIO
- Genre: Arcade
- Released: 8 Mar, 2011
- Size: 27.4 MB
- Price: $0.99
- Fun twist on whack-a-mole.
- Clear, smooth animations and effects.
- Slow to get started; no difficulty levels.
- Lacks varied challenges.
While there's not much else to do, punching, kicking and yes, headbutting cannonballs is perhaps one of the manliest things a Pirate could hope to do and makes for an amusing game as well.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
And now for something completely different. Have you ever wished you were a pirate? Sure it would have been a hard life of punching cannonballs back at ships while defending the taverns you frequent, but no one said it would be easy. That is what pirates did right?
'Pirate : Cannonball Siege' by BLACKPIXEL STUDIO takes a step off the beaten track and while all the hallmarks of a pirat-ey lifestyle are in place, other elements like your character's Asian and Viking inspired garb are somewhat less traditional. At least the gameplay itself is easy enough to follow and players need only to tap ships to select them as targets while touching cannonballs as they come in to range to punt them back at the highlighted vessel. A limit is placed on how far away you can tap from your character, but good positioning via tilting and tapping in the correct sequence will help you to teleport around, making your life a lot easier.
Despite being rather limited in its gameplay the visuals are surprisingly sharp and very well animated with smooth transitions between attacks and movement for the main character. It should also be pointed out that the game is, by default in French, though a menu option is available to switch to English, making the game a little easier to follow.
'Pirate : Cannonball Siege' is a fun and easy to enjoy time-waster, though the lack of any real gameplay depth or challenge outside of 'more cannonballs, faster ships' can lose its charm quickly. If nothing else the absurdism of punching cannonballs makes it worth checking out, but without more variety it's hard to keep coming back for more.
Description"Pirate : Canonball Siege est un jeu de scoring intéressant, et surtout original. L'univers est bien réalisé, que ce soit l'univers graphique en 2D ou l'ambiance sonore, il sera très captivant »
« La chasse au high score est vraiment prenante et la réalisation très soignée fait vraiment plaisir aux yeux. En plus, qui pourrait résister à cet univers de pirate aussi délirant que rafraichissant? »
"Pirate : Canonball Siege est très honnête, amusant et est réussi autant graphiquement que musicalement »
« Réalisation réussie moussaillon ! »
« une réalisation très réussie et un concept simple et original »
Pirate canonball siege is a scoring game.
You control a pirate and you have to defend the city against an huge ship armada, as longer as you can.
Ships will shoot bullets on the pontoon, and you must return them on a targeted boat to destroy it.
You can also use a bullet time which allows you to hit mutliple bullets, and make bullets more destructive !
What's New in Version 1.1- Compatibility extended at any OS version since OS 3.0
- Ship arrive more quickly at the beginning.
- Auto-switch language according to device language between English and French.
- Music bug fixed when "desactivate music" is checked
- improving the interface for a better understanding


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UPPER MERION — Upper Merion went into the second half only down two points against arguably the best team in the Suburban One American Conference, but fell short as Upper Dublin pulled away in the last two frames in a 42-27 final.
The first quarter made it seem like it was going to be a blowout. Upper Dublin raced out to a 14-4 lead after the frame on balanced team scoring.
The second quarter was as good for the Lady Vikes as the first was bad, as Upper Merion rode stellar free throw shooting to pull the score to 19-17 Upper Dublin at the break.
"We came out focused and ready to play," Cardinal coach Morgan Funsten said about the first quarter. "After we jumped out 17-5, I think we thought that the game was going to be easy."
"They're tough," he said about the Lady Vikes. "They play a very physical style."
"We were able to (force them into bad situations) in the second quarter, and we were able to make some shots," Upper Merion coach Tom Schurtz said about what was successful for his team in the second.
The third quarter is where the game began to unravel for the Lady Vikes, as they were outscored 16-5 in the frame.
Schurtz talked post-game about what went wrong in third.
"We took a couple rushed shots," he said. "We let their lead swell. We were playing a team that hasn't lost in two months. A good team like that isn't going to let you get back into the game twice.
A major part of the Cardinals' success was keeping Upper Merion's Kristina O'Sullivan in check. O'Sullivan was held to only three points on 1-8 shooting.
"They have two very dynamic players in O'Sullivan and (Regie) Robinson," said Funsten. "(They were) obviously our main focus, limiting those two. I think we did a great job of doing that."
Robinson led Upper Merion with 10 points on 2-8 shooting. As a team, Upper Merion shot 7-34 for a measly 21%.
Curtrena Goff led Upper Dublin with 13. Regan Gallagher and Brianna Spector chipped in with eight and seven, respectively.
Funsten graduated from Upper Merion, where his father, Tony, coaches the volleyball team. "It's nice to come back here and get a win," Funsten said about coming back to his hometown on the opposite bench.
"It was a special game in that we finished the league undefeated," Funsten said. "We can look to head into the playoffs on a high note."
Schurtz was optimistic about heading into the playoffs after tonight's loss.
"You've got to iron them out, and hopefully give it your best shot," he said about adjusting to his team's struggles tonight going into the playoffs.
"In the playoffs you erase everyone's record, and a lot of times, the higher seed feels a lot more pressure. We're going to come in, whoever we play, and play with confidence."


text: After working at the Math Forum for 6 short months, it's finally time to say goodbye. Today is my last day of Co-op and I can't believe it! I'm going to miss walking in to work every day saying good morning to Tracey and discussing the latest Orange is the New Black drama with her. I loved working with Suzanne on packets for the Problems of the week and think it's great how she made me go to the health center when I was sick (even though I didn't want to) and bought us Ben and Jerry's for a PoW video scenario. She was like our honorary mother at the Math Forum. I was able to us my iMovie skills to help Max create videos for his new book and was given the opportunity to go into classrooms and and learn about how math is being taught in schools today. I was able to work with my best friend Brianna for the last few months and became great friends with Gina, who was also a Co-op. We have so much fun hanging out together and I will miss getting chicken katsu with them every week from our favorite food truck. I feel like the Math Forum is my own version of "The Office," full of colorful characters who all offer something different to this small company. I really hope that I can continue to work here part time during the school year because the Math Forum has become my second home and the staff is like family to me. Either way, I will definitely be back to drop in and say hello and use all that the Math Forum staff has taught me as a tool to succeed in school and my future classroom one day. I feel very lucky to have completed my Co-op at the Math Forum!


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Dancer::Plugin::Authorize::Permissions - Dancer::Plugin::Authorize Permissions base class and guide!
version 1.110720
package Dancer::Plugin::Authorize::Permissions::MyPermissionsClass; use base 'Dancer::Plugin::Authorize::Permissions'; # every permissions class must have subject_asa and subject_can routines # the following defines a custom routine for checking the user's role sub subject_asa { my ($self, $options, @arguments) = @_; my $role = shift @arguments; ... } 1;
The Dancer::Plugin::Authorize::Permissions class should be used as a base class in your custom role-based acess control/permissions classes. When used as a base class, this class provides instantiation and simple error handling for your classes.
Al Newkirk <email@example.com>
This software is copyright (c) 2010 by awncorp.
This is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as the Perl 5 programming language system itself.