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When momentous events happen like the election of a new president, White Bear Lake resident Laurie Wenker makes sure to get two copies of that day's paper to tuck away in memory boxes for her teenage daughters.
She did just that and more on Tuesday. Eleanor, 16, and Lillian, 13, were among several thousands gathered in front of the Minnesota Capitol to witness Gov. Mark Dayton put his name on a bill that legalizes same-sex marriages in the state. Marriages can begin on Aug. 1.
"I wanted my kids to experience history, to take in and breathe in the equality in the air," Wenker said. "We were talking on the car ride here and Lillian said to me, 'My kids will never know a world where people weren't allowed to marry the person they love.' That's so true."
Generations of families -- gay and straight -- fought the heat and erupted in cheers as Minnesota became the 12th state in the nation to legalize marriage equality.
Before Dayton signed the bill, the governor thanked the legislators and activists who worked long and hard to pivot public opinion on same-sex marriage. They went from fighting a ballot amendment that would have banned gay marriage in Minnesota's constitution to defeating it last fall and now making marriage for all couples legal.
"What a day for Minnesota," Dayton said. "And what a difference a year and an election can make."
Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis, encouraged people to keep bringing Minnesotans together as they have over the past two years in the intensified fight for marriage equality. There always more conversations to be had about the values that unite us rather than divide us, he said. And the impact this will have on future generations is beyond measure, Dibble said.
"You think about the young people who get to fall in love, marry the person they love, run home to tell mom and dad, have that wedding and what joy it will bring," Dibble said. "People who will never know who we are. Never know our names. That's why we're here. That's a legacy to be proud of."
Sandy Klover thought the day would never come.
Her partner, Pam Korpi, figured it was just a matter of time.
On Tuesday, they agreed that their hopes for a wedding in Minnesota now can come true, although they're not ready to set a date. There are many gay and lesbian couples who've been married for decades who should get first dibs on the best dates for a ceremony, said Klover, 42, of White Bear Township.
Barbara Rocheford and Stephanie Shaw marched with pride toward the front of the "Freedom to Marry" parade, which started from the Capitol lawn and ended in downtown St. Paul to the "Love is Law" celebration complete with local bands, food and beverages.
The two have been together for 18 years. Though they live in Hudson, Wis., they are planning on moving back to Minnesota after nearly a decade away from the state they still consider home.
"We're looking here with such longing," said Shaw, who is originally from Crystal.
Mary and Andrew Welters of Minneapolis arrived early enough for the signing to spread a blanket in a shady spot for their two kids.
The couple has long supported the push for same-sex marriage, but became more focused on the issue when Republicans in the Minnesota Legislature put a question on the ballot last November to ban such unions.
"We felt like that was going way, way too far," Andrew Welters said.
The Welters decided to bring 5-year-old Rowena and 2-year-old Hugo to the signing ceremony both to teach the children about the democratic process, and to share what the couple believed was a historic moment.
"It's a win for civil rights, so we want to share it with the kids," Andrew Welters said.
Many times during the debate, opponents of same-sex marriage argued it would hurt children and families. But the Minnesota Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics came out and said bans on gay marriage would do more harm than good for children with same-sex parents.
"This is all about the children and it is all about us as families," said pediatrician Paul Melchert of Minneapolis, as he thanked the crowd with his twin sons and husband, James Zimmerman by his side. "This is a beautiful victory for everyone. This is a victory of justice and equality in which everybody wins. We are all winners, there are no losers."
The new law doesn't necessarily mean a quick wedding for Jessica Dyhkuis, 37, of Duluth and her partner Sara Kavajecz. But they expect to be guests at many ceremonies this year.
Dykhuis was one of six plaintiffs in a Hennepin County lawsuit challenging the state's Defense of Marriage Act, called DOMA, for short. The language of the law signed by Dayton strikes out the DOMA provisions, which were passed in 1997.
"We have so many friends who have been together for 20, 25, 30 years," Dykhuis said while sitting on the Capitol lawn. "It will be a busy fall."
After the emotional debate at the Capitol and heated campaigns on the amendment last year, there were few -- if any -- gay marriage protestors at Tuesday's bill signing. Mark Winiecki, 63, of Hugo stood nearby as the Capitol lawn began to fill up with same-sex supporters. He carried a sign reading: "2014 Vote Out DFL."
Winiecki opposes gay marriage, saying: "The Bible is quite clear -- one man, one woman." But that's not the issue that took him to the Capitol on Tuesday; he was there calling for smaller government.
The front steps of the state Capitol wasn't the only place Tuesday afternoon where people will be celebrating passage of a state law allowing same-sex marriage in Minnesota.
In Bloomington, Jillian and Chris Nelson plan on opening a bottle of champagne to coincide with the 5 p.m. ceremony where Gov. Mark Dayton is expected to sign the marriage bill into law.
The couple traveled last year to get married in Iowa, where same-sex marriage already is legal. Following their wedding reception, the Nelsons saved a bottle of champagne for their first anniversary this coming August.
"But we decided yesterday that that bottle needed to be open today," Jillian Nelson said, referring to a Senate vote to approve legislation previously passed by the House.
In St. Paul, Susan DeVries and Chris Curtiss will be sharing the top tier of their wedding cake with friends and neighbors at their home in the St. Anthony Park neighborhood.
After more than 20 years together as a couple, DeVries and Curtiss had an unofficial wedding ceremony this past weekend. As is customary, they saved the top tier of their cake, although the prospect of freezing it until their first anniversary was unappealing, DeVries said.
"We wanted everyone to share our cake and raise their glasses in a toast at five o'clock," Curtiss said.
DeVries proposed the unofficial marriage back in November, just a day before Minnesota voters defeated a constitutional amendment that would have banned same-sex marriage.
"We never imagined that -- when we got married on Mother's Day -- that two days later the governor would be signing a bill to make Minnesota the 12th state to approve same-sex marriage," Curtiss said.
Frederick Melo contributed to this report.
Megan Boldt can be reached at 651-228-5495. Christopher Snowbeck can be reached at 651-228-5479.


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STERLING – Residents in many towns are seeing their electricity bills drop, thanks to greater competition.
But such savings might not last – at least according to one watchdog group.
"You can't trust the market to forever give you savings," said Jim Chilsen, a spokesman for the Citizens Utility Board. "Electricity prices go up and down. You have to rely on other consumer protections, such as efficiency around the home. Efficiency is the only long-term way to save on your electricity bills."
In 2010, voters in Fulton approved a referendum that gave its town leaders the power to negotiate for lower residential electricity rates. It beat every other community in the state in exercising such authority, including Chicago, which didn't get that power until last month.
Scores of communities now have approved the referendum, formally known as municipal aggregation.
Many consumers have seen substantial rate cuts. Sterling residents, for instance, get electricity for 4.67 cents per kilowatt hour, compared to ComEd's rate of 8.32 cents. Chicago negotiated a higher rate than Sterling's – 5.42 cents per kilowatt hour.
Rock Falls, which runs its own municipal electric utility, can't benefit from aggregation.
The average Sterling household, using 700 kilowatt hours of electricity a month, will see a savings of $25.55 on its monthly bill. Morrison's savings will be $24.85, and Chicago's $20.30.
"Sterling got a good rate," Chilsen said, "but it won't last forever. We're happy consumers are saving in the short term. They have to look in the long term."
ComEd still handles the distribution system and billing. It is not losing money when towns such as Sterling go with another company. That's because ComEd is not allowed to make a profit on the sale of electricity. It makes money through distribution.
ComEd and Ameren, which supplies electricity for the southern part of the state, buy power through long-term contracts in a process overseen by the Illinois Power Agency, which was created in 2007.
ComEd's long-term contracts expire in mid-2013. After that, experts say, the utility will likely offer lower prices, possibly competing with suppliers with municipal contracts.
If ComEd's rates drop below communities' new ones, the other suppliers must either match those rates or let towns go back to ComEd.
Mike Mudge, a consultant who has worked with Sauk Valley towns to negotiate rates, said he doesn't expect ComEd to beat the other suppliers. He said ComEd has certain "embedded" costs that the others don't. For instance, the utility is required to provide lower rates for space heater users.
"There will always be a gap between the utility rate and what we can buy on the market," Mudge said.
Dixon voters, who twice have rejected the electricity referendum, will have the issue on the ballot again April 9. Lee County voters turned down the referendum in March, but the County Board is considering whether to send it to voters again.
The issue will be on the Whiteside County ballot for the first time in April.
What they pay
Here's what selected cities and villages are paying for electricity since they passed municipal aggregations referendums. They are all less than ComEd's rate of 8.32 cents a kilowatt hour.
Municipality Price/kilowatt hour Supplier
Amboy 4.67 cents FirstEnergy
Ashton 5.18 cents FirstEnergy
Byron 4.78 cents Direct Energy
Chicago 5.42 cents Integrys
Erie 5.47 cents Nordic Energy
Franklin Grove 4.65 cents Verde Energy
Fulton 6.23 cents FirstEnergy
Milledgeville 5.90 cents FirstEnergy
Morrison 4.77 cents FirstEnergy
Mount Morris 5.94 cents FirstEnergy
Oregon 4.78 cents Direct Energy
Polo 5.83 cents FirstEnergy
Rockford 4.66 cents FirstEnergy
Sterling 4.67 cents FirstEnergy
Walnut 4.84 cents FirstEnergy
Source: Illinois Commerce Commission's Plug In Illinois website

subset: commoncrawl


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Gordon Beckham is getting restless.
"I'm just looking forward to playing," said the White Sox second baseman, anticipating his fourth Opening Day with the team. "I'm bored. I'm looking forward to the season to go. It seems like we've been spinning our wheels for a while now."
Pitcher Chris Sale's wheels have been spinning in his head waiting for the season to start, trying to calm his nerves and quell his excitement before taking the mound as the team's Opening Day starter, a huge honor for him.
"I was very excited for this," Sale said. "It's kind of nerve-racking at times with everything going on with all of this excitement and hoopla, but I'm very proud and honored to be the guy to start Opening Day."
"He's very good," Beckham said of Sale. "He has a lot of talent and a lot of good stuff, so we believe in him and we're happy he gets that honor ... we're very happy he's going to be out there."
The 6-foot-6 left-hander will have quite a cheering section among the announced sell-out crowd as his in-laws, parents, wife and son will be in the ballpark to watch the Sox's ace.
Sale, who celebrated his 24th birthday Saturday, is the team's youngest player and will make his first Opening Day start against the Royals, a team the Sox lost to 12 times last season.
Sale couldn't think of a better team to open the season against.
"[The Royals] are probably the first team I want to see," Sale said. "We had our battles with them last year and you always want to start out on the right foot, especially with an in-division rival.
"You get them right out of the gate and it'll be good to set the tone."
Sox manager Robin Ventura has noticed that Sale's enthusiasm has rubbed off on both the younger players as well as the many veterans in the clubhouse.
"He's very excited about [today], and he should be. He's earned it," Ventura said.
"I'm very excited for him, and his kind of excitement is contagious for a lot of guys who have been around the game a long time and just his boyish enthusiasm that he has for an opening day start," Ventura said.
It was last season that Sale, whom the Sox stretched out into a starter, emerged as one of the best pitchers in baseball, with his 17-win season that earning him a sixth-place finish in the American League Cy Young award voting.
As Sale enters his second full season as a starting pitcher, he takes with him a better understanding of how to take care of his body. He will be called upon with more regularity to pitch every fifth game.
"Every pitcher strives to be the pitcher that is able to go out there and have them rely on you," Sale said, "and not have to hold back with innings limits or pitch-count limits but just go out there and be the pitcher that I am every fifth day."
Last year the Sox kept a close watch on the young pitcher's innings count to protect his arm, but this year they will loosen the reins a bit and treat him like any other pitcher on the staff.
"At some point, you're going to have to do that for him," said Ventura of giving Sale more freedom in regard to an innings limit.
"But again, we're going to go by how he feels just like every other guy. I don't think we have that same feeling that we had last year, I know I don't as far as his innings go."


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New Toronto band Ell V Gore brings their peculiar brand of Cramps-meets-Iggy Pop-style goth-punk to the Wrongbar (1279 Queen St. W.) tonight (March 10) as part of Canadian Music Fest.
About the band, their frontman says: "Elliott V Jones always wished that he was born with the name Elvy. He also has a weird obsession with pain – the name Ell V GORE was born. The summer of 2010 Ell started recording lo-fi garage tunes under whatever friends house that had a computer and recording equiptment. He still does not own a computer.
Ell has a band now. Check it out – They are vicious."


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Premier League: Hull City boss Steve Bruce praises Chelsea after 2-0 defeat
Hull City manager Steve Bruce praised Jose Mourinho's Chelsea following his side's 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge.
Last Updated: 18/08/13 7:09pm
The Tigers played their first Premier League game in over three years after sealing automatic promotion on the final day of last season, but were helpless as goals from Oscar and Frank Lampard sealed the three points for the Blues.
Bruce's men improved as the game went on but the former Sunderland boss admitted that Chelsea were just too good at times for the newly promoted outfit.
"The first 20-25 minutes was just unstoppable for us," he told Sky Sports.
"The intensity, the ground, the way it was - what a stark contrast to last season.
"The ground's right behind the new manager, the players are all ready for it and when they play with that intensity and movement and fluidity, they were just a constant threat so we had to stick at it big style.
"Thankfully in the second-half, human nature makes you take your foot off the pedal a little bit and we were better then, but in the first half-hour, not many teams could live with that intensity so for us to stick at it was terrific."
Lampard's 30-yard free-kick was the pick of the goals, although Bruce thought that goalkeeper Alan McGregor, who had earlier denied the midfielder from the penalty spot, could maybe have done better.
"The one thing about this new ball, the likes of Lampard in particular, have got this way of kicking it where the ball moves all over the place," said Bruce.
"I'd like to see the actual free-kick because I didn't believe it was a free-kick but when Alan looks at it, he will be big enough to say he should've stopped that, maybe because of how far out it was but it was a wonderful strike."
Bruce handed debuts to recent signings Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore in the second-half, and he believes that the duo, who joined from Tottenham earlier this week, can have an important role to play this season.
"They'll make a difference to us, you can see that," he said.
"They've only been with us a couple of days, they'll get to know everybody and what we're up again and what we plan to do and they'll make a difference to us because we were certainly better when they two were on the pitch."
The Tigers welcome Norwich City to the KC Stadium next weekend, a game in which Bruce thinks that three points could be vital.
"We've got a big game next week, it turns into a big game. If you can take anything against the big boys, the one thing when you come to Chelsea or any of the big teams, you need them not to play well and you to play at your best," said Bruce.
"We had a rampant Chelsea who simply in the first-half we weren't good enough against. There's no shame in that, we understand that, that's why they play for Chelsea and they're top, top players.
"Our season will be defined against the teams who are going to be at our end of the table and that are where we're going to have to pick up the points."


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Nora Lee Smith, 82
Nora Lee Smith, 82, of Celina died at 4:47 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012, at the Van Wert Inpatient Hospice Center in Van Wert.
She was born on Oct. 25 1930, in Center Township to parents Dale and Lenora Burd Snavely, who preceded her in death.
On July 8, 1950, she married Ronald Smith, who survives her.
Other survivors include a son, Dale (Donna) Smith of Celina; two daughters, Beth Ann and Kelly Hoffman of Celina; a sister, Bonnie Hume; four grandchildren; one great-grandchildren.
She was a 1948 graduate of Neptune High School, and a homemaker.
She was a member of Grace Missionary Church.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at Cisco Funeral Home in Celina, the Revs. Bruce Head and Tony Richmond officiants.
Burial will be held at Neptune Cemetery.
Friends may call from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday and one hour before services Thursday.
Memorial contributions may be made to Van Wert Inpatient Hospice Center and Community Health Professionals.
Condolences may be left at CiscoFuneralHome.com.


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When I try to open Halo Custom Edition, it says that Xfire must be turned off. I log off xfire and disable the popup, but it still says that. Plus, it says I have to have Directx9.0b installed. It says to reinstall Halo(It didn't sya which, so I reinstalled PC and CE.) And it still says that. I downloaded it, installed it, it still says that.
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Halo Custom Edition Not Starting-Opensauce Installed
Posted 26 January 2012 - 08:01 AM
Posted 26 January 2012 - 05:15 PM
XFire must not be running at all for OS to function. Logging off and disabling the ingame menus is not enough. To be sure that xfire is completely off after exiting, open task manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and if there are any instances of xfire.exe on the processes tab you need to end them.
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Sending Grading Card: Suggestion & Compliment
Post: #1
Sending Grading Card: Suggestion & Compliment
I sent cards in for the first time and they were recieved August 24th. I used the August Promotion and I thought by choosing the 10 day service I would get the 5 day service for the 10 day price. Apparently I got the 10 days service for the 20 day price. No big deal though just led me to not know if something was wrong. Anyway as a first time user I was worried because there was never an update that my submission was recieved or processing.
I sent in a 41 card order. Since I was confused on how to label the promotion I thought something may have been bad since I hadnt recieved any info so I called. That phone call was very professional the person answered all my questions and was spot on the best service phone call I have ever dealt with. Just makes me wonder how many phone calls are taken everyday beause customers are unsure about their orders.
I would suggest that anyone who does an online submission that if the person logging in the shipments who is doing the days of service could also submit that the cards were recieved and orders were being processed that would be awesome.
This is not a complaint but a a compliment to the phone service I recieved and a possible suggestion that may help the customers be more comfortable sending in their prized possesions.
Post: #2
RE: Sending Grading Card: Suggestion & Compliment
Got an email today letting me know my stuff was being processed and I will get another once it is finalized and shipped. This is awesome customer service.
Thank you......
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Wow. That's all I got to say about this morning's news. After plenty of rumors on the internet Friday night and some great reporting work by our Barry Jackson and Susan Miller Degnan this morning (I made a few calls too Friday night but struck out), The Miami Herald confirmed quarterback Robert Marve -- and possibly a few other players -- have been suspended for the season opener in relation to incidents in the past year.
The news was supposed to break Sunday night, but as usual around UM it leaked out two days earlier. One thing is clear, the timing couldn't be worse. Miami is set to open its season in six days. Marve and the other players were told Friday by coaches about their suspensions after practice and according to Barry Jackson's sources, coaches held off on it because they didn't want the players to ease up during fall camp. I can understand that from a team perspective. You want Marve and the other possible suspended players to make sure they're ready for the season and you don't want to deflate them. And it's not like not having them against Charleston Southern is that big a deal.
But from a public relations perspective, this obviously doesn't shine well on the program. My question to you is could it have been handled better? Should coach Randy Shannon just have announced before fall camp that those guys were out for the opener? Would it have made a difference for you?
Those are the public relation issues, but there are team issues now, too. When a player is injured or gets suspended (we remember the Sam Shields incidents last year) they've always had to work to get back onto the first team. Obviously, Jacory Harris will start the opener now. Does Shannon just give Marve the reigns in Gainesville as week later? Not according to his own rules. It's going to be very interesting to see how this is all handled in the next few days.
Either way, one thing is clear, this has become an unnecessary distraction for a team coming off a 5-7 season and dire need of positivity heading into a new year.


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LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Frustration spilled out following Kentucky's 72-62 loss to Georgia in Athens. Coach John Calipari said in all his years of coaching, hes never had a team that was not cohesive at this time of the year. "Every one of them had a will to win more than how they were playing. Every one of them had a fight. Well if this team doesn't have that, that's on me, what the heck did I do?"
Freshman Willie Cauley-Stein wasn't about to lay the blame on his coach. "Theres got to be something in you that just gets you going. I don't understand some guys. You've just got to have that self motivation and ya know, it seems like if we're not at home, we don't have that hype to us."
Freshman Archie Goodwin brought up hustle and physical play. "That's really what's beating us right now. Us not getting to loose balls and us not just being tougher than the other team. Because as a team right now we're soft."


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TALK is a new, student-run online and print publication based out of Columbia University's Intercultural Resource Center (IRC). We are dedicated to creating an accessible and consolidated resource to amplify the voice of activist organizations (and individuals) on campus. We hope to bring more people in the Columbia community into the conversation about social justice and to translate that interest into action. We are both a voice and a platform dedicated to powerful action, social justice, and radical perspectives on the Columbia University campus and in the Harlem/New York City community.
We'll be a go-to directory for social justice on campus, with organization listings and a comprehensive calendar of events that will be updated daily.
We have four Goals:
a) Educate
b) Unite
c) Broadcast
d) Act
We are, above all, a tool for education and action. Through meaningful, healthy, thoughtful, and empowering conversations, we can begin to understand the deep, complex, and difficult issues that affect us all. We feel that by promoting discourse and creating social action we can work to create a better community on campus and a better society.
TALK Magazine was officially launched on February 15, 2013. Below are some pictures from the Launch Party:


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|I had lunch here today with my Mom, and it was very good. We both had a wrap - hers meaty, mine falafel - and it was more than enough food for each of us and both of us thought they were very good. We also liked the nice tabouli salad we ordered, but it was more than enough food. The free Turkish tea is nice, and the service is friendly and down to earth. We will definitely go back.
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The intent of the Ultimate Guide is to make it easier for folks new to the Bay Area or new to vegetarianism to find businesses that support their vegetarian lifestyle. We welcome your reviews and feedback on businesses and services listed within. For any public reviews, please keep your comments constructive so that the business may learn from them -- no slander or mean-spirited comments.. You are responsible for what you post as a 3rd party contributor to the Ultimate Guide web site. Bay Area Vegetarians and the editors of the Ultimate Guide reserve the right to edit or delete submissions that are deemed inappropriate.


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TORONTO — Canada's largest banking group has dropped expiry dates and most of the fees on its pre-paid Visa cards.
The move by RBC Royal Bank comes four weeks after reforms for the prepaid card industry were announced by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty.
RBC says it will continue to charge a one-time flat fee of $3.95 to issue the prepaid card but all the money loaded will remain available to make purchases.
RBC says its prepaid cards will continue to show an expiry date but a new card can be requested at no charge if a balance remains after that date.
Flaherty said last month that the government believes it's not appropriate for consumers to lose money if a gift card expires after a period of time.
He said the government wants better disclosure of the terms of conditions of such cards.


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Jakarta: The one-time front-runner in the Indonesian presidency race, Joko Widodo, waited until the dying minutes of the campaign to pose tough questions about corruption to his opponent, Prabowo Subianto, who looked shaken by the attention.
Mr Joko, who last month started the series of five debates looking tentative, scored a clear win with a confident performance on Saturday night, the final event before campaigning officially ended at midnight.
But it was unclear if it would be enough to arrest a steep decline in his popularity over the three-month marathon leading up to Wednesday's election.
Mr Joko's running mate, Jusuf Kalla, waited until near the end of the debate to draw attention to a number of corruption scandals plaguing key members of the big coalition of six political parties assembled by Mr Prabowo and his running mate Hatta Rajasa
"Mr Prabowo, in your campaign in Bandung yesterday, you said that there are some thieves," Mr Kalla said. "We are not thieves. We don't have thieves [on our side] of beef, thieves of rice, thieves of oil, thieves of haj [money]. So to whom were you addressing your words?"
Mr Prabowo answered with the extraordinary concession: "I'm not saying there are no thieves in my party."
He added that, what he meant was that all of Indonesia was plagued by "weaknesses" and "transactional voting" and that "the spirit of democracy is damaged by many ways, many people".
For the candidate who presented himself as a decisive corruption fighter backed by a powerful coalition, and who had thundered against "foreign thieves" as the main scapegoat for Indonesia's ills, it was a misstep.
The debate flared on social media. Politicawave, a group that monitored Indonesia's huge number of social media users, said the hashtag #Jokowi9Juli trended worldwide, with 64,297 conversations about Mr Joko and Mr Kalla.
"Netizens supported Jokowi-JK in all segments of the final debate," the group's founder Yose Rizal said.
The Prabowo hashtag, #Pilih_No1_PrabowoHatta had 22,584 mentions.
The group, which also measured positive and negative sentiment in tweets, counted 46,721 "net positive" tweets for Mr Joko and Mr Kalla, and just 11,652 for Mr Prabowo and Mr Hatta.
Australian academic Aaron Connelly from the Lowy Institute tweeted of the debate: "That last exchange was a glimpse of the debate that the Indonesian people deserved these past few weeks. They never really got it."
Much of the earlier part of the debate on food, energy and the environment was taken up with the peculiarly Indonesian obsession of food self-sufficiency.
Both candidates agreed Indonesia should stop importing beef from Australia. "I want the cattle to be born in Indonesia," Mr Prabowo said.
He insisted the country had "ample cattle" to feed the growing needs of its people, and it was only a matter of improving slaughterhouses and distribution networks and encouraging a "change in mindset" away from "neoliberalism" to "a more collective orientation".
Mr Joko said imports could end in five or six years when Indonesia could be self-sufficient.
Indonesia's beef industry remained primitive and under-developed. The previous agriculture minister, Suswono, tried to bring about self-sufficiency by 2014 after Australia briefly suspended live trade over animal welfare concerns.
The result was beef shortages and price hikes. The limited import program was corrupted (and people from Suswono's party jailed) and slaughterhouses killed breeding cows and dairy cattle for their meat, which caused a collapse in herd numbers and the resumption of imports from Australia.
On the environment, both candidates agreed that ending deforestation, addressing climate change and balancing the needs of a growing population were of high importance.
A study revealed Indonesia was now chopping down its primary forests at a faster rate than in Brazil's Amazon, and the rate was increasing.


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After our Indian cricket team recent failures in overseas, too many things have been said and written and why not, it is because of people like us ("Fans") that the Indian Cricket players make their living, if we didn't exist then they wouldn't. So it makes a lot of sense when the angered Fans call for the heads of some players, have opinion on everything that surrounds Indian cricket.
Of the many theories floating around about our players, these - They don't practice enough, they have fun during tours, Don't last all the 5 days, Transition is not happening -, are what being heard loud and frequent enough.
Since I belong to the IT industry, I can co-relate all these things and I find it ridiculous on the part of the "Fans" to accuse our players this way, why? Let me explain
- They don't practice enough
Most of us who are in IT do our work, let take the case of a programmer, between the office hours (typically 9 -6, or whatever time suits the individual) and then during non-office hours most of us (almost 100%) either only check emails or watch TV or spend time with the family and not practice programming even when at home/outside office similarly, our cricketers play during the match and when not playing match they have their right to spend time the way want, how can we expect them to keep doing the same thing even during non-playing time
So lets stop bull shitting and don't expect out players what we cant do
- They have fun during tours
Lets take the case of a programmer who travels to onsite on business visa (obviously for work), but tell me how many come back without seeing the places around the city that he happens to visit, actually to be frank they plan well in advance and sound to all their friends onsite that they are coming and to make sure that they can have as much fun as they can, does it mean that they didn't go their for work and just fun, no it is having fund while work is our mantra and so is the mantra of our cricket team, so why blame them when they are doing exactly as we are??
Lets stop being stupid and correct ourselves first
- They don't last all the 5 days
I equate the 5 days test match to a project, what is the dream of every manager in IT, to finish project well ahead of time so that it saves both time, money and human resources.. Well our players are also doing the same they are finishing the 5 days match in 2, 2.5 or max 3 days, instead of appreciating/rewarding them we tend to make them look like villains. Imagine what all our players can do in those extra saved days - they can attend dinners to raise fund, sign autographs, endorse more products, visit schools, do charity - all these helps in improving revenue and at the same time improve India's image
So lets give credit to our players instead of admonishing them
- Transitioning is not happening
Tell me all you IT folks, which project you have handled/worked on has had a smooth transition or a successful transition - well 95% answer would be none. The people from whom knowledge has to be taken will always delay or give ridiculous deadline, we need to understand that by taking their work away we are in turn being responsible for loosing their job. Obviously we start complaining, not understanding how difficult and painful is it for those giving up their work and most of the time when you check the status of a project in transition it is always "In Progress". Well the same is happening with our players, lets give the seniors their due credit and give them time to decide on the transition, because only with their full co-operation would this be successful.
So please stop being naïve and don't always complain about transition - it will happen when the time is ripe
Now the only problem is when the board of directors (selectors) would have a knee-jerk reaction and take some Hotchpotch decision which would have a permanent effect on the company (Indian cricket team). My only suggestion or request to them is not to kill the golden goose and instead do the following
- Start accepting more projects in countries like Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, West Indies, Canada, Ireland - give them the MFN (most preferred nation) tag
- Always accept projects from Australia, South Africa, England, Sri Lanka for in bound and not on-site, this way we can control the end result
- Keep allotting more shares, more salary to the VP's of the company (seniors in the team), this ways once their revenue are intact they will start involving in better decision making exercises
And for all those people from Non-IT, you have every right to point fingers at the Indian cricket team, ask for the heads of the seniors, request for wholesale change in the team, burn effigies, throw stones at the players house..
Because as they say "The play should go on, even if the actors are dead"


text:
Not like this.
At home.
Against New York.
No, the Celtics wouldn't conclude their season on such nightmarish terms.
But then a general unease began to work its way through Celtics fans at TD Garden late Sunday afternoon, as their team blew a 20-point lead in Game 4, as their key players edged closer to fouling out, and as Knicks star Carmelo Anthony poured in basket after basket.
It was going to end like this.
Fate, acceptance, reality — it all started to settle in, as what had unfolded in this playoff series' previous games played out yet again, for the fourth time.
Yet the Celtics refused.
Their 35-and-older trio of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry, to be more specific, refused. And they carried the team late, with Terry scoring 9 straight points to end the overtime session and seal the Celtics' heart-stopping 97-90 win against the New York Knicks.
Game 5 is Wednesday at Madison Square Garden in New York, where the Knicks will hold a 3-1 series lead in this Eastern Conference best-of-seven first-round playoff.
"Now we have to go into a hostile environment and they're going to be trying to get it over with," said Terry, who scored 18 points off the bench.
"They don't want to come back here, but we do."
If the Celtics win Wednesday, they'll return to Boston for Game 6 Friday night at TD Garden. No NBA playoff team has come back from a 3-0 series deficit, so the Celtics are fighting history. But what they have now is, at the very least, confidence that they can beat these Knicks.
And it took 53 hard-earned minutes before that feeling set in.
The Celtics built a 19-point lead at halftime, but in the third quarter, their offense turned into sludge, as it often has in this series. Raymond Felton outscored the Celtics that frame, 16-14.
The Knicks guard was incredible, scoring 12 points in the final 3:35 of the quarter, including hitting a 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds left that cut Boston's lead to 3 entering the fourth.
"Good teams are going to make those runs," said Garnett, who had 13 points, 17 rebounds, and 6 assists in 37 minutes. "It's deflating, but we kept fighting. We found a way to get over the hump."
Felton gave the Knicks their first lead on a jumper with 1:18 left in the fourth. Pierce missed a jumper that could have won the game in regulation.
That is when the unease started to spread among the fans, especially because by the start of the extra session, all five Celtics starters had at least three fouls, and Brandon Bass, who had hounded Anthony throughout the game, was gone with six fouls.
"He was the star of the game, as far as I'm concerned," coach Doc Rivers said of Bass. "He just defended, and did it over and over and over again."
Then Pierce hit a jumper to open overtime.
Felton, who finished with 27 points, answered with a driving bank shot.
Then Garnett hit a jumper.
Anthony, who scored a game-high 36 on 35 field goal attempts, responded with two free throws.
And Terry came up with his biggest shot of the season, nailing a pull-up 3-pointer in transition that turned Celtics fans delirious and helped quiet the throngs of Knicks fans who invaded TD Garden.
"There were a lot of Knicks fans in here," Terry said. "That's just something — it was a closeout game and they take over our building. Not our building. So that kinda fueled me up."
Anthony sank a jumper on the other end, but Terry got the ball on the Celtics' next possession and hit a short fadeaway jumper.
"He was huge," Garnett said. "He was bigger than anybody today."
And Boston led, 93-90, with 50.4 seconds left.
Anthony missed a 3-pointer, the rebound went wide, and Steve Novak went over Terry's back trying to corral it. Foul. Terry made both free throws. Ballgame.
"They were fighting for dear life," Anthony said. "They showed some heart out there."
Knicks coach Mike Woodson wouldn't use the absence of sparkplug guard J.R. Smith as an excuse. Smith sat after the NBA suspended him for elbowing Terry in the face in Game 3.
He'll be back for Game 5.
Terry, meanwhile, said the elbow Smith threw, the one that Terry said gave him motivation heading into the game, "still hurts."
"As long as I feel that," Terry added, "I'll be thinking about it."
Jeff Green scored 26 points and handled the ball plenty for the Celtics, who had 16 turnovers that New York turned into 18 points.
There was the legitimate question entering the game if it would be the last for both Pierce and Garnett, who may both be pondering retirement. That question is delayed, at least one more game.
Pierce, who scored 29 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and had 6 assists in 50 minutes, believed the series would go back to New York – and said he called friends there to make dinner plans.
"Hopefully this is something we can build on," Pierce said.
Garnett said the Celtics finally backed up all their talk about playing with intensity and desperation, which they hadn't done in the series' first three games.
Why did it happen Sunday?
"This is it, you're down 3-0, what else is there to say?" Garnett asked.
Said Terry, "This is the first time that we really came out with fire in our eyes. Every game from here on out is Game 7 for us."
It was but one game, and the mountain these Celtics must scale is historically steep.
But they are alive, which is all that mattered by game's end, when they delayed their demise for at least one more night and avoided an embarrassing exit that would linger all offseason.Baxter Holmes can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Hi everyone! I am officially signed up for another Precollege course at FIT for the Summer Live Program. This summer I will be taking the class The Beauty Business-Art & Science of Cosmetics and Fragrance. I have always been obsessed with makeup so I am really excited to take this class. Some people might think it's crazy that I would want to go to school over the summer, but to me this is another opportunity to meet new people and to take another fun class at FIT. Right now I am taking a Fashion Merchandising Class which I love, but since I also really love cosmetics I thought that taking this class will really help me decide on what I would like to do with my future.
I remember becoming really interested in makeup when I was in 8th grade and ever since then, I have become more crazy and have bought more products than anyone I know. OK, I have a confession to make…yes my makeup collection is pretty large but I can't help it I'm a shopaholic! One thing I really love to do after my class on Saturday is take a walk to either Macy's or Sephora on 34th Street. Did you know that the Sephora store has two floors? For a makeup lover like me, this is amazing. Both stores are close to Penn Station so they are really easy to visit on my way home. The first time I walked into these stores, I was overwhelmed with the amount of makeup products they carried. I was so glad I didn't bring a lot of money with me that day, because honestly I probably would have bought the whole store. Some of my favorite brands of makeup are Urban Decay, MAC, Too Faced and Bare Minerals. I just recently found out that the creator of Bare Minerals went to FIT. I think that is awesome.
I could probably go on forever about this but don't worry I'll wrap this up. I am so excited to take this class over the summer and learn all about different kinds of makeup and fragrances and the business behind them. If you have already taken this class or are enrolled for it this summer comment down below and we can chat about it!
Until next time,


text:
ANNA, TX -- Authorities say texting and driving turned deadly on an Anna highway Satuday morning.
Anna police say around 8:30, 26-year-old Jonathan Dorman was driving a black Chrysler north on State Highway 121 when he crossed over into the southbound lane.
Police say he hit a Honda head-on that was driven by 43-year-old Steve Clayton of Savoy.
The crash happened just south of FM 455.
Officers say Clayton died. Dorman was flown to a Dallas hospital in critical condition.
Police say this is the 4th fatal accident that's happened on this stretch of highway this year.
"It's just a deadly roadway. And texting was involved in this one. We know that 100 percent. And we are also investigating right now whether alcohol was involved. There's a potential alcohol was involved," Sergeant Jeff Caponera said.
The highway was shut down for about 8 hours. It's since re-opened.


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SauLan wrote:I also found this commentary on the publications - is it true that the 1986 Wondrous Favor edition was never for sale (or is it just out of print?)
All the references I have found seem to note this:
Indeed, the 1986 Wondrous Favor edition was not for sale, I also noticed the mark on the intro page "非賣品".
I don't know the exact reason why; but this book was printed in an old fashion style that it lacksed the proper punctuation marks as a normal modern publication 現代的標點符號和分段, I guess this is a major reason. You can see from my pdf scan attachment that the punctuation marks were made by Zhengjue reader.
You also remarked on the 中華民國75年, it refers to the year of 1986. This is the way we count the years of Republic of China after Dr. Sun Yet-Sen's revolution in 1911 (change from Dynasty to Republic).
For your references, thank you.


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OMAHA, Neb. - North Dakota will face a familiar foe in Omaha when it participates in the Ramade Worldwide BracketBusters series presented by ESPN on Saturday. UND will take on the Mavs at 1:05 p.m. CT at Ralston Arena in what will be the team's final non-conference game of the regular season.
All-time: UND leads 54-34
Division I: First Meeting
In Omaha: Omaha leads 22-16
UND Head Coach Brian Jones vs. Omaha: 1-4
Omaha Head Coach Derrin Hansen vs. UND: 4-3
Radio: 100.3 FM (Grand Forks) or iHeart Radio App (computer or smart phone)
Live Audio Stream: www.UNDSports.com (free)
Live Video: www.OMavs.com (subscription)
Live Stats: www.OMavs.com (free)
Live Chat: www.UNDSports.com (free)
• These two teams are no strangers to each other, but have not played on the hardwood since the 2007-08 season when the Mavs won all three meetings with UND. UND owns a 54-34 advantage in the all-time series that dates all the way back to the 1934-35 season.
• In fact, the 75-68 victory by Omaha over UND in the quarterfinals of the 2008 North Central Conference Tournament was the final game at the Division II level for the Green and White.
• UND has made the complete transition to Division I basketball and is NCAA Tournament eligibile for the first time this season. Omaha is in its second season of a similar transition and its first season in the Summit League.
• Head coach Brian Jones was in his second season at the helm of UND's program that season. His team split a pair of two-point contests with the Mavs in his first season on the job, which leaves his career record against Omaha at 1-4.
• Omaha will be the fourth Summit League foe that UND has played this season. The Mavs are 6-8 in league play and 10-18 overall.
• UND played three consecutive Summit League foes from Nov. 28-Dec. 9 earlier this season. The first was a heart-breaking loss at South Dakota State when Chad White hit a buzzer-beater to drop the visitors 71-70. The next contest was vs. Kansas City and the Kangaroos hung on for a 73-70 victory thanks in large part to a season-low 14-for-30 effort from the foul line by UND. In-state rival North Dakota State beat UND by 20 (72-52) on Dec. 9.
• The Mavs are 2-2 against those same Summit League foes this season. Omaha, who finishes its regular season next week with home games against NDSU and SDSU, fell to the Bison in Fargo 95-51 and the Jackrabbits in Brookings 78-63. UNO has beaten Kansas City twice this season - by 12 at home (77-65) and by eight on the road (65-57).
• Jones is 3-12 against Summit League foes during his career. UND went 2-4 against SL foes a season ago, winning home games against South Dakota State and North Dakota State.
• UND comes to Omaha riding the momentum of a dramatic 64-62 victory over Northern Colorado on Wednesday in Big Sky play.
• Coming to Omaha following a game in Greeley is nothing knew for the Green and White as NC and UNO used to be travel partners in the North Central Conference. The last time UND knocked off both teams on the same NCC trip was during the 2000-01 season.
• The two-point victory over Northern Colorado marked the third straight outing where the outcome was decided by two points or less (49-48 win vs. Sac State and 74-72 OT loss vs. Northern Arizona).
• Junior Aaron Anderson scored a game-high 21 points and hit the game-winning 3-pointer with seven seconds left to help UND erase an 11-point second half deficit to the Bears.
• The 3-pointer he hit was the 100th of his career and the first of the second half for UND, who had missed eight straight after going 5-for-11 from deep to start.
• It was the first win over the Bears at the Division I level (five games) for UND, who moved into third place in the Big Sky standings with the victory. UND has three games left in league play following the tilt at Omaha.
• Junior Troy Huff added 19 points in the win over NC and is averaging more than 20 points per game since he joined UND's 1,000-point club against Eastern Washington on Jan. 17 (10 games). Huff has moved up to 15th place in UND's all-time charts with 1,206 points.
• Redshirt freshman Shane Benton scored 12 points and equaled Anderson with a team-high six rebounds in his second career start. Benton is averaging 10.0 ppg in UND's last four road games - accounting for 40 of his 66 points on the season.
• UND trailed 44-33 after NC opened the second half on a 16-5 run, but for the third time in Big Sky play, UND erased a double-digit deficit after halftime.
• Senior Doug Archer equaled his career-high with 24 minutes against NC and came up with a career-high four blocks in the victory.
• With his 45 points in the last two games, Anderson has moved to within 31 points of joining Huff and 31 other UND players in the 1,000-point club.
• Montana and Weber State have already locked in the top two seeds and the Grizzlies hold a one-game lead on the Wildcats in the race to host the 2013 Big Sky Tournament, which is set for March 14-16.
• The next five seeds are up for grabs and the remaining nine league teams are all still mathematically alive for a postseason berth.
• Senior Mitch Wilmer has six double-digit scoring games to his credit this season after recording just one his first three seasons of playing time. Two of those have come against Northern Arizona - a team UND had a chance defeat last Saturday, but the Lumberjacks found a way to force OT and escape with a 74-72 victory.
• Wilmer had 12 points and eight rebounds, while Anderson finished with 24 points and Huff registered his second double-double of the weekend at home.
• Huff's double-double was his fifth of the season and 10th of his career and it also marked the first time he posted one in consecutive games. He finished with 19 points and equaled his season-high with 11 rebounds. Huff had 13 points and 10 rebounds in the 49-48 victory over Sac State.
• Huff also moved into third place on UND's career list for steals after equaling his career-high with five takeaways. He now has 130 in two-plus season.
• UND will play without power forward Brandon Brekke (ankle) and shooting guard Josh Schuler (back) in Omaha. Brekke has missed the last two games with this latest injury (13 total games) and Schuler has missed five straight.
• Junior Jamal Webb had one steal against Northern Colorado to give him 59 on the season, which is the fifth most by a UND player in a single season. He is the first player to wear the green and white that has registered three consecutive 50-plus steal seasons (52; 2010-11 and 57; 2011-12).
• Webb also closed within 10 (168) of Scott Guldseth, who owns UND's all-time career record for steals with 178. He has 14 games this season with three or more steals and 29 for his career.
• Webb also ranks fifth on UND's all-time charts for career assists with 341.
• Anderson went 7-for-7 from the free throw line and now has 325 makes for his career, which puts him 10th on UND's all-time charts in that category.
• Schuler, who had started 20 straight games since coming off the bench in the season opener at K-State, has missed the last five games with back spasms. His status is day-to-day. Schuler had played in all 87 games of his UND career up to the Montana State game on Feb. 7 .
• With the win over Idaho State on Feb. 2, head coach Brian Jones surpassed former NBA coaching legend Bill Fitch for fourth place on the all-time career wins list at UND. Fitch went 94-45 from 1963-67 and Jones now has 98 career wins.
• UND fell to 8-5 at home with its overtime loss to NAU on Feb. 16. UND went 13-1 at home during the 2011-12 season.
• The Big Sky is the third conference that UND has been affiliated with since the program began in 1904. At the Division II level, UND was a member of the North Central Conference from 1922 to 2008. After spending one season as an independent during its first season of Division I play in 2008-09, UND spent the next three seasons in the Great West Conference.
• With the addition of the Thunderbirds and UND, the Big Sky basketball playing members grew to 11 this season. Southern Utah played last season in the Summit League, while UND wrapped up a three-year run in the GWC.
• The top seven teams from the regular season will all advance to the Big Sky Conference Tournament where, if they do advance, UND would have a crack at earning its first NCAA Tournament berth. UND won the GWC Tournament in 2011 and 2012 anda advanced to the CIT Postseason Tournament both seasons.
• The Big Sky Tournament will be held at the home venue of the No. 1 seed and regular-season champion.
• Head coach Derrin Hansen is entering his eighth season at the helm of the Mavericks' program. He has a career record of 131-04, which already puts him second all-time among Omaha coaches for victories.
• This will be the eighth time Hansen has coached against North Dakota and his Mavs have won the last four meetings.
• Three of those victories came during the 2007-08 season when Omaha won a school-record 25 games and advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament.
• Omaha is 6-8 in its first season in the Summit League as the Mavs are in year two of the same move to the Division I level UND began prior to the 2008-09 season.
• The Mavs are led in scoring by guard Justin Simmons who enters t he contest averaging 16.1 ppg. He had a season-high 32 points against a Benedictine College team coached by former UND and Omaha assistant coach Ryan Moody.
• Simmons had one of three double-doubles posted by a Mav this season against the Ravens. Omaha, who is 3-0 when a player achieves that feat, needed every bit of Simmons' contribution in the 74-70 win over the NAIA school.
• Center John Karhoff is the only other Mav averaging in double figures this season at 12.3 ppg. Guard C.J. Carter is close to that mark, averaging 9.8 ppg.
• UND is 2-2 against the three Summit League teams that North Dakota has faced this season. The Mavs lost to both North Dakota State and South Dakota State in road action (as did UND).
• UNO, however, defeated Kansas City twice, winning by 12 at home and eight on the road. UND is 0-3 against Summit League foes this season.
• Last time out, Omaha rallied from nine down in the second half to beat Chicago State - a team that UND is familiar with having played with the Cougars in the Great West each of the past three seasons.
North Dakota 64, Northern Colorado 62 (Feb. 20) • Greeley, Colo.
GREELEY, Colo. - Junior Aaron Anderson Junior Aaron Anderson capped another double-digit road comeback for North Dakota, drilling a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of a 64-62 victory over Northern Colorado in Big Sky play. The victory puts UND (12-14, 9-8 BSC) alone in third place in the league standings, while the Bears (9-16, 7-10 BSC) saw a three-game winning streak come to a close.
The visitors found themselves down by 11 with just over 13 minutes to play in the game, but a strong-willed UND squad overcame the deficit with another triumphant comeback on the road.
Anderson finished with a game-high 21 points and his 3-poitner from the far wing was the only trifecta of the second half for the visitors. Junior Troy Huff came up big down the stretch as well, finishing with 19 points. Redshirt freshman Shane Benton added 12 points in just his second career start.
It was UND's first win over Northern Colorado in four tries since moving up to the Division I era prior to the 2008-09 season and the victory allowed the Green and White to extract revenge from a nine-point home loss to the Bears on Dec. 21.
UND led 31-28 at halftime, but a 16-5 spurt by the Bears to start the second half gave NC its first double-digit lead of the game. The visitors would respond with a 13-4 run over the next five minutes to make it a one-possession game again.
A 3-pointer from the top of the key vs. Eastern Washington on Jan. 17 moved junior Troy Huff into an elite club in the history of North Dakota basketball. Huff's trey at the 13-minute of the second half brought his career total to 1,002 points as he became the 32nd UND player and just ninth junior to reach that milestone. Patrick Mitchell - a captain on last year's squad - was the last UND player to add his name to this list. Mitchell finished his career with 1,136 points and stands in 21st now. Huff surpassed Mitchell with his 23-point outing at Montana and has moved up 17 spots to 15th (1,206) in the last 10 games.
At some point over the next season and a half, Huff will likely have a couple of his classmates join him. Aaron Anderson is the next in line to reach the milestone (969 career points) and if his season average holds up (currently 13.7 ppg), he will do so at Portland State on March 2. UND has never had two players reach the 1,000-point plateau in the same season.
UND has three games remaining in Big Sky play and holds a 9-8 record, which is good for third place in the league standings. Here is a look at the four remaining opponents and who they have left in Big Sky play:
at Portland State; Feb. 28 (5-11, won 85-76 on Jan. 19 in Grand Forks)
vs. UND (Feb. 28), vs. NC (March 2), at WSU (March 7), at ISU (March 9)
at Eastern Washington, March 2 (6-10, won 65-47 on Jan. 17 in Grand Forks)
vs. NC (Feb. 28), vs. UND (March 2), at ISU (March 7), at WSU (March 9)
vs. Southern Utah, March 9 (8-8, lost 79-67 on Dec. 17 in Cedar City)
vs. MSU ( Feb. 28), vs. UM (March 4), at NC (March 7), at UND (March 9)
Junior Troy Huff is enjoying the best scoring season of his career, averaging 18.5 ppg in overall games and 19.3 ppg in Big Sky play. He qualifies for the scoring title in Big Sky play since he has played in 16 of UND's 17 league tilts, but he'll need to play in 75 percent of UND's games to qualify for the overall title. The same standards apply for the NCAA where he would rank among the top 40 scorers nationally entering the weekend if he had not missed eight games due to a broken jaw. With four regular season games remaining and a possible Big Sky Tournament berth, Huff could reach 75 percent of games played if UND were to make at least a two-game run in the postseason.
UND has played four games this season where a 3-point attempt at the buzzer could have provided a win for the shooting team. The first one did not go in favor of UND as Chad White hit a contested 3-point to give South Dakota State a 71-70 victory over the Greena and White on Nov. 28. The next two nailbiters have come in league play and both times the opponent's shot was the off the mark. The first of those was at Northern Arizona when Dewayne Russell missed a heave from just inside half court that would have given his Lumberjacks the victory on Jan. 26. The last was this past Thursday when Sac State's John Dickson saw his 30-footer go wide right in a 49-48 loss at The Betty. Junior Troy Huff saw his contested 3-pointer at the end of regulation vs. Northern Arizona on Saturday miss, forcing the UND's first overtime of the season. The Lumberjacks would scrape out a 74-72 victory thanks to the extra session.
Junior Jamal Webb has moved into second place on UND's career charts for steals with 59 already this season. He tops the Big Sky charts, averaging 2.4 spg in league play and ranks 16th nationally in overall games (2.4/g). Webb is closing fast on UND's career leader Scott Guldseth, who had 178 from 1989-93. He has 42 in 17 Big Sky games to give him 168 for his career. Webb also joined a new career top 10 recently, moving into fifth on UND's all-time charts for assists with 341.
Junior Troy Huff was named the Big Sky Player of the Week on New Year's Eve after his 14-point, 12-rebound outing in the 56-53 victory over Bowling Green. He was the first UND player to receive the honor from the team's new conference. The double-double was the sixth of his career as he played in just his second game back from a broken jaw. He picked up his second honor three weeks later after leading UND to pair of back-to-back home wins over Eastern Washington and Portland State.
Senior Mitch Wilmer has started the last 22 games for UND and is subsequently playing the best basketball of his UND career. Wilmer, who had only three starts coming into the season, is averaging 5.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg and 1.3 bgp for the season. He has scored 145 points this season, which is 62 more than he had in 55 career games entering the campaign. Wilmer has set or equaled his career-high in scoring four times in those 16 starts, chipping in with 11 points at South Dakota State (Nov. 28), upping that to 12 at North Dakota State (Dec. 9) before scoring 15 against Southern Utah and Northern Colorado. He added his first career double-double against the Thunderbirds in UND's Big Sky debut by adding 11 rebounds to his point total.
Head coach Brian Jones has a 16-man roster, but only 11 of those players are now active for the 2012-13 season. The team was hoping for good news from the NCAA on granting Texas Tech transfer Jaron Nash a waiver to play immediately and not have to sit out this season, but the organization denied UND's request. Houston Baptist transfer Dustin Hobaugh transferred to UND after one season with the Huskies to pursue a degree in commercial aviation. Hobaugh is sitting out the 2012-13 season and will have three left to play starting with the 2013-14 campaign. Besides Nash and Hobaugh, Jones is using redshirt seasons on junior college transer Ryan Salmonson and freshman walk-on Thomas Blake. Salmonson played two seasons at Cosumnes River Community College, while Blake prepped at St. Maria Goretti in Hagerstown, Md. JUCO-transfer Alonzo Traylor played in eight of the team's first nine, averaging 7.0 ppg and 5.1 rpg, but has been ruled academically ineligible for the second semester.
UND's quintet of Aaron Anderson, Brandon Brekke, Troy Huff, Josh Schuler and Jamal Webb produced 65.4 percent of UND's points in 2010-11, which was tops among any freshman class in the country. As sophomores, that unit upped that number to 70.9 percent of the team's scoring (1,526 of 2,153). However, as sophomores, that unit had company at the top of the national charts. The Memphis sophomores, a unit UND edged out last season (63.9 percent as freshmen), produced 73.6 percent (1,923 of 2,614) and NDSU's sophomores concluded the Bison season scoring 71.3 percent (1,564 of 2,194) of their team's points. So far, the 2012-13 juniors, which includes the addition of JUCO-transfer Alonzo Traylor, have accounted for 72.6 (1,245 of 1,718) percent of the team's scoring through 26 games.
Seven teams on UND's 2011-12 docket advanced to postseason tournaments, including four to the NCAA Tournament (Kansas, Montana, New Mexico and South Dakota State). UND beat two of those teams at home (Montana and South Dakota State). North Dakota State and Western Illinois both made the CBI Invitational, while GWC foe Utah Valley earned an at-large bid to join UND in the CIT Tournament.The schedule does not get any easier in 2012-13, as UND's slate has seven more teams on it that advanced to postseason tournaments. Kansas State advanced to the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament. Northern Iowa made the second round of the NIT. Both Montana and South Dakota State lost their first games in the NCAA Tournament. Bowling Green and Weber State joined UND in the CIT Postseason Tournament, while NDSU lost in the first round of the CBI Invitational.
UND split its four contests against Big Sky opponents in 2011-12. The Green and White defeated eventual regular season and tournament champion Montana 88-81 in overtime at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. UND also split a home-and-home series with Idaho State and lost at Sacramento State (75-64) after leading the Hornets by six at halftime.


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to stupid people that ask dumb questions
Just as used car sales are bad for auto manufacturers, and home resales are bad for builders, and garage sales are bad for retailers,
Watching Nyan Cat on YouTube is S*T*E*A*L*I*N*G from the band of live musicians you should be paying money to perform every time you play a video.
Just as used car sales are bad for auto manufacturers, and home resales are bad for builders, and garage sales are bad for retailers,
This is a fairly poor analogy in the same way that calling file sharing "theft" is a poor label. The value of the game isn't the physical cartridge or disc on which the game comes -- sure, the manual and external artwork to the packaging may have some value to you and especially to collectors. But the real value of a game is that copyrighted information and artwork and writing stored in a digital manner on whatever medium.
I still think you should be able to sell secondhand copyrighted information, I really do. But I also think it's a poor comparison when the value of the car isn't so much the intellectual property but more so it's got X lbs of steel and other materials specially arranged to get you from point A to point B. Games are artwork, not vehicles.
Better comparisons are books and DVDs. Of course, I'm sure those industries want secondhand sales abolished as well to keep their sales up and I totally disagree with that considering how much I shell out for said objects.
Me, personally, I've learned my lesson. I sold my Ocarina of Time collectors games a while ago and now truly regret it (I had thought that one day N64 cartridges would be as unplayable as NES cartridges but they appear to work for much longer). So I maintain a library next to my books and movies. Sure you might think it looks "tacky" but I think that attitude will change in the near future. I played my dad's pong game, my kids will probably play my Zelda games.
NES games are still playable. The problem is the NES itself - the connector the cartridge slides into gets bent out of shape. It's easy to open the system up and swap the connector. The new part only costs a few dollars.
Blowing on the cartridges never actually did anything to make them work. What did help was simply taking the cartridge out and putting it back in. It would sit differently, and eventually it would sit well enough to make a solid connection with the bent connector.
i always found cleaning them with rubbing alcohol and quetips helped
But will they play them on a NES, or will they just download them from piratebay and fire up an emulator?
i play my nes but i also have an emulator that i play when not home
The IP is not the source of value, or rather it is irrelevent to the value.
The value for a game comes essentially from its usability. In this case, the gameplay, the enjoyment. You can load a game with tons of IP but that doesnt mean it has any value.
Value is determined by the market.
Market makes this determination according to demand.
Demand for games is determined by enjoyability.
And that is why highly enjoyable games are worth more on a trade in, while others are not.
Let's stick to analogies that we can all understand.
Last week, I changed a suspension link on my wife's car, and GM's Revenue Actualization Department served me a notice for depriving them of the profit I'd stolen from them by not simply buying a new car.
I had thought that one day N64 cartridges would be as unplayable as NES cartridges but they appear to work for much longer
N64 cartridges are as unplayable as NES cartridges. They are both completely non-unplayable.
I'm tired of hearing it as well - because other businesses with narrower margins have survived some form of First Sale Doctrine for literally centuries at this point.
When people buy stuff, sometimes they sell it. You don't get that money, because you already sold the product. Suck it the hell up.
I'm tired of hearing it as well - because other businesses with narrower margins have survived some form of First Sale Doctrine for literally centuries at this point.
Of course, some of them have not. And, crucially, that's a good thing, too.
Individual companies perhaps but not an entire business (as in "market") as a whole. If there is sufficient demand, there is a viable business model.
It might not be the business model that some companies want, but that just means they misjudge reality.
Even buggy-whips are still being made.
Well, the counter argument to this is that the, let's call them 'informational', goods don't depreciate with use like a tangible product does. A (pressed) game disk will be just as functional in 5 years, though your, say, lawn mower will probably be all gunked up with grass, rusting a bit and have some wear on the engine.
Of course, we all know this is pretty bunk. Game disks get scratched fairly easily, or the booklets/cases get lost and there are plenty of physical goods that keep their value as. Computer are such a thing: aside from a possible aging hard disk, they pretty much run just as well as when they were new. Still, there's only very limited used computer market. Why? Simple: New computers offer something more than used computers; usually they're faster and/or draw less power. Intel spends their time making better chips and exploring new markets, rather than complaining about how unfair it is that people trade used computers or don't every one released. Game companies should do the same. Offer something worth buying and people will buy it. Don't shovel out a new revision of the same old crap and complain when people are content to swap the old version and skip the new one.
Well, the counter argument to this is that the, let's call them 'informational', goods don't depreciate with use like a tangible product does. A (pressed) game disk will be just as functional in 5 years
And so will a book. In fact, a book will easily outlast CDs and DVDs. That doesn't mean that if I sell a book I have read, I steal from the author (or his publisher's grandchildren, more likely).
First sale. It's not just a good idea, it's the law.
The problem is the time it takes for people to think about selling their games. Each new generation of games might be 'better' (yes I know only the graphics improve with most other things getting worse and worse), but a new game from a series will be released once a year at best, while the customer will be thinking about selling the old game in a couple of weeks.
Game maker should be thinking about ways to keep players playing the games they buy, rather then preventing them from selling them.
More to the point, anyone trying to claim a portion of the proceeds from every resale is just engaging in rent-seeking. You sold it, it's not yours anymore, and you should have no say in what they do with it after.
Suck it the hell up.
That is indeed a question of principle. Lots of consumer regulation are not (should not be) thought with the business in mind, but with the customer in mind. You cannot sell dangerous product, make false advertisement, lie in the ingredient list, and
Of course, we may open the discussion if first sale doctrine is still actually relevant, but the profit margin of game stud
Every single industry that sells tangible products
- yeah, but in some cases it's not the industry that prevents tangible products from being resold. How is that secondary market for used condoms doing?
Gamestop does not make 100% of game sales, so losing that would in no way be NEAR 17% of all sales in the gaming industry.
And of course, some part of that 17% is used sales, where the money goes straight into Gamestop's own pockets.
Additionally, if they used the credits to buy other used games, then that money goes direct to Gamestop.
It goes to pay the guy behind the counter, it goes to the power company to keep the lights on. It goes to local sales and property taxes, it goes an insurance company who has the policy on the store, etc. Does Game Stop get lots on Contribution margin in this case sure, but they have lots of fixed cost overhead.
They are preforming a service many find useful the offer a market place and facilitate it by functioning as a broker. If you want to keep more of the sale price for a game your selling there is ebay and Craig's list. Its going to be lots more work on your part though, and when the sale happens is when you find a buyer rather than anytime you are ready.
If the behavior at Gamestop represents the behavior of an average consumer and of an average game retailer, then that means the same thing happens at other game stores. So yes, that would be near 17% across the board. And Gamestop is one of the largest game retailers out there, so they do statistically represent a large fraction of how the trade-in gaming industry operates.
Stores like Target and Walmart sell new games but don't take trade-ins. Plus it doesn't account for on line sale channels like Steam,
Don't all these Games players have infinity deep pockets and can all afford to buy new and just throw away?
This needs some modding up. I would never have gotten into video games if I could only afford one once a quarter. Used games meant I could buy a game every month when I was a teenager. This broadened my experience and helped cement gaming into my life experience. I probably wouldn't be buying a couple games a month nowadays if I couldn't buy a game a month back then. Luckily, games commonly sell on sale for $5 or less nowadays so new gamers will still be able to experience a wide array of games if they so desire.
The industry can't just assume that they'll be able to sell all of the AAA titles to all of the gamers every time one goes on sale.
I would never have gotten into video games if I could only afford one once a quarter.
Isn't that how all arcade games used to be priced?
... bears really do shite in the woods.
... bears really do shite in the woods.
...and Publishers actually shit where they eat.
Artists and companies both share a toddler's idea of ownership: "if I thought about it, it's mine."
The syllogism goes something like:
1. Someone, somewhere, is making money from something I am tangentially involved in.
2. Therefore, THEY STOLE IT FROM ME!!!!!!
The economic notion that you can't capture all the value you create if you want to maximise your take appears a bit complicated for them.
Paying a low price and selling for a lot... i.e. a large spread indicates the market isn't very competitive or that Gamestop's service is considered extremely valuable by their customers relative to their competitors. I suspect the later. That people selling to Gamestop really like the brick and mortar vs. Ebay.
selling [used games] for only slightly less than the new price, while pushing used games sales instead of new ones
If Joe Gamer is choosing to spend $50 on Final Ghost Warfare Ball 2011 than $60 on Final Ghost Warfare Ball 2012, maybe the industry should consider writing an original game once in a while.
Gamestop's behavior here is contemptible, leveraging its monopoly
I agree, it was way harsh when they successfully put eBay, Amazon Marketplace, Craigslist and yard sales out of business.
Joe Gamer is not buying "Final Ghost Warfare Ball 2011" for $50 instead of the new "2012" for $60. Joe Gamer is buying "2012" for $55 used two weeks after "2012" came out.
It's not the old games market that the game companies care about. Some kids spending $5-$10 on a few older titles? Whatever. A large number of customers willing to pay basically full retail price for new games having their money diverted? That they care about.
Joe Gamer is buying "2012" for $55 used two weeks after "2012" came out.
If "2012" only has two weeks' worth of gameplay in it and it costs more than $55 then the publisher is hereby cordially invited to go fuck themselves. Games should have replay value and if they don't then that's their own damned fault.
A used games market allows effective price discrimination [wikipedia.org], because some people couldn't justify buying a new game unless they knew they could recoup some of the costs after using it.
In this market, price discrimination is a good thing. It allows publishers to still sell copies (and thus get something) to those who can't afford to buy a game at full price. They could have cut Gamestop out of the loop by doing this themselves, but that would demand realistic discounts on older/less popular games, something the publishers appear unwilling to do.
I am a hoarder. I would never trade in my games. I would never sell them on. I also buy games infrequently.
The people that I know who buy games a lot, always trade in their old games. They wouldn't be able to afford as many games otherwise.
It is nice to think that you have have people who buy lots of games and hoard them forever. Maybe if we gave those gamers free money then it could happen.
Yea, that's pretty much me too. I buy a few games I want to play, mostly nostalgia I guess (Diablo III, Starcraft II). I don't buy used games (I figure it has a code which has already been used). And I keep them until they likely can't be used any more, overcome by OS upgrades.
In 2010, the video gaming industry made 66 BILLION. Saganesque billions and billions and they can't turn a healthy enough profit?
The business model for gaming has failed. The answer isn't digital either. Digital distribution only makes it easier to fail in the market place and do it faster too.
The problem is management. Management is failing in a big way. Even with Valve, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Google and Apple's pound of flesh, there's no way in hell margins so thin that used game sales threaten it can be considered "healthy." Even in volume. Maybe especially considering the volume that some games sell at.
Where the fuck is all that money going? Is it a matter of creative Hollywood accounting or is there bigger costs involved with pushing pixels through silicon?
Production costs have increased
Rising production costs aren't a problem so long as the market itself will offset them, either through being willing to pay more, or through volume. Where it gets risky though is when a single project can represent so much risk that a company can be ruined by it, but then the rewards are pretty good if it pays off. To use movie examples, look at how much cash Avatar brought in, but then contrast that with John Carter. It's a risky business creating AAA content, and it's likely going to be the preserve of co
look at how much cash Avatar brought in, but then contrast that with John Carter
But one of those had a script so insultingly trite, cliched, superficial and full of plot holes that it practically induced aneurysms in anyone with half a brain, and the other was John Carter.
let me point you to Angry Birds, Zombies vs Aliens, and many of the early, top-selling Wii games. You make a fun game, price it right, people will buy it and play. If you can't make a high cost game and recoup your costs, too bad. You played and lost. such is business, maybe next time you'll do a better cost-benefit analysis.
Production costs have increased.
And the market is responding appropriately. A few people are willing to pay $60 for a new game. Others are not willing to pay that much, but would pay $30 plus a few months (after all, time has a cost). Others will pay no more than $10 and are willing to wait years.
The gaming industry has a few options:
They have increased, but not *nearly* so much as film production costs have increased. To pick two examples, Call of Duty: Black ops had a reported budget of $10 million. Despite being a tad older now, it still is priced at $30 a pop on amazon. How to train your dragon had a budget of $165 million and can be had for $20 a copy on Blu-Ray, in line with moderately new releases. The games industry is making the *MPAA* look reasonable by comparison. Per-unit pricing is what *really* frustrates people, thou
The Blu-Ray of How to train your dragon isn't the only product made with that $165 million. There was also the cinema release, the sales of play rights to various cable/broadcast entities, the sales of streaming rights, and probably a few more I can't be bothered thinking of. Whereas a video game just has the video game - there's no cinema release, there's no selling broadcast rights to Fox.
When you gross $495 million at the box office the "film production costs" for the Blu-Ray release are effectively $-33
In 2010, the video gaming industry made 66 BILLION. Saganesque billions and billions and they can't turn a healthy enough profit?
66 billion? In their fevered minds this number can always be higher. Look at Paramount's Al Perry and his response to Louis CK pulling in over a million dollars in just a few days of offering his stand-up show video DRM-free. A success perhaps? No, could have made more money if he'd used DRM. Perry and his ilk are fundamentally wedded to preserving the existing business model, or replacing it with something so hopelessly draconian and self-defeating as to all but kill the very product they're trying to "mon
No, see? If used games were not resellable, those 17% would be paid in extra money that all gamers have an infinite amount of. It couldn't possibly result in a loss in sales due to reduced disposable income.
The game retailers (it's not just gamestation) are not going to buy a used game unless they think they can resell it at a profit.
So while some gamers may have had a little more money for new games as a result of selling a bagful of old games (something a gamer can clearly only do occasionally, otherwise they would run out of games to sell) other gamers must be spending money that could have been spent on new games on used games and afaict most of the money those gamers are spending on used games goes to the
If they get rid of the used games market, they better be prepared to charge less money for games. Right now Batman Arkham City is thirty bucks on PSN. The game of the year edition is the same price on Amazon (which I think has all the DLC included). Amazon is also offering 15 dollars to buy the used version back.
If they're going to sell a less complete version of the game that can't be resold or brought over a friend's house, takes up a ton of hard drive space and doesn't have to be manufactured and ship
Would now be a bad time to point out that I got Arkham Asylum GOTY, Arkham City and all its DLC, and Gotham City Impostors and all its DLC all for $25 through Steam a few weeks ago?
Ban libraries...we cannot have people reading copyrighted material for free!
Libraries are not free. They are, at best, pre-paid by local taxes.
Seriously where is this sort of BS going to stop?
You could start by not saying that public libraries are free.
Well yes, and GameStop is not free either, nor are their used game sales. The question is whether each additional re-user should make a new payment to the original copyright holder, which they typically don't at either used [book|game] stores or at libraries.
You say that in jest, but that's exactly what Publishers are trying to do.
No-resale, DRM, always-on etc. is fine by me. I license something, I don't buy it. I don't expect to be able to transfer my license to anyone and I don't even expect to be able to play the game myself in a few years. So a game for me is 1-2 years of entertainment, without resale. If the price of a game feels to steep for what I'll get, I'll just NOT buy it. If it turns out I can resale in a few years from now, or that the game will be open sourced or DRM/always-on removed, then that is a BONUS, and something I didn't expect when I bought it.
As long as the seller is upfront with what I'm paying for, I can choose to not buy it. The unforgivable failures on game producers behalf is when they have DRM servers not working, or *hidden* caveats such as no-resale licenses, always-on requirements and so on. As long as I can make an informed decision I'm happy.
It's a problem for me. I still play Myst now and then (released in 1993 - that's 19 years ago), I love the original Sonic The Hedgehog, and I own a Wii and 3DS. I want a good value for my money, and I don't buy games I won't want to replay in 10-15 years when it's new again to me. I just opened a Steam account 2 weeks ago because I could get World of Goo for $2.50. I was holding out for a physical CD, but the price never came close. I loved the game Machinarium, but ordered it from the UK to get it on
GameStop says 17 percent of its sales are paid in trade credits. The implication is clear — if the games industry lost 17 percent of its sales tomorrow, that would be a bad day for the publishers and developers.
Is GameStop now the only place that sells games in the world? Losing 17% of GameStop sales is not equal to losing 17% of overall sales. Also, GameStop has this nasty habit(which I have seen countless times myself) of taking pristine used games and selling them as new. They often only cut ~$1 to $5 off a recent used game's price, which is ridiculous for a $60 game. If someone already had that game, and used the crap out of it, it is no longer worth $58. They already paid the premium to the distributor and the developer, so that becomes pure profit that goes right into their corporate pockets.
There's also the issues of $60 for a disc-only game without manual or proper case, and totally chewed discs that they won't accept returns on, but will instead try to make you pay the difference for a new copy. They are slimy as hell, regardless of why people don't like them.
I say! This is an outrage! These bits have been... used! The 1s have gone flaccid.
If you don't like seeing GameStop's nasty habit "countless times", perhaps you should stop shopping there?
If someone already had that game, and used the crap out of it, it is no longer worth $58.
If someone will pay $58 for it (without being deceived about what it is) then clearly it is in fact worth $58.
Analogy fails because each car after the first one costs the manufacturer a significant proportion of its sticker price to make. A game costs about $1, depending on how fancy the packaging is.
Curiously, that doesn't invalidate your point, it strengthens it.
Game publishers price in a way that pretty much demands a secondary market. The path to make used sales irrelevant is easy: lower prices so there isn't appreciable profit to be had by trying to facilitate a used market. People don't wan't to pay $60 on a game they'll, on average, maybe play for a week before being done with it. This is the most effective strategy that can possible be done.
On gamestop's end, the delta between the money they give for someone trading in and the price they put on it is huge. That delta is likely the bit that the game industry finds problematic. Percentage wise, it's far more severe than other used markets get away with (a used car sees maybe 15-40% markup between trade-in and resale, gamestop is more on the order of 100-300% from what I understand).
If publishers decreased their price just enough and not too much, they'll be able to get as much, if not more, overall revenue in the gaming industry without leaving room for a secondary market. If revenue is flat compared to the current circumstances, at least Gamestop's markup would be going to publishers/developers instead of Gamestop.
Incidently, if they *did* succeed in eliminating the secondary market without taking steps to adjust pricing, revenue would take a potentially sharp dip. It might be tempting to think the money spent would be constant, that people would just buy one new $60 game instead of 3 used $20 games. However, people tend to get more careless with their spending when spending in small chunks, so they may be more rulectant to even buy one $60 title than five $20 titles spread out over a bit of time.
What is stopping game publishers from buying back and reselling the second hand games themselves?
Perhaps we are seeing a change in the business model towards pre-purchasing that open the field with a lot of possibilities and enhancements. The traditional market won't dissapear but the cheese has moved and it hurts to some companies and distributors.
Thus, projects that in the past would never see the light (like DayOne [gamesplanet.com]) now can get a niche of followers and collaborators.
Just how much value does trading used games at Gamestop have over other avenues? Gamestop's entire business model relies on the trade of used games at rock-bottom prices so that they can then sell them at about a 500% (or higher) profit. Of course they sit on old stock for a while, but even at their fire-sale pricing for really ancient stuff they'd typically be breaking even.
The biggest problem is not that Gamestop offers the ability to trade used games for (credit towards) new games; The problem is that Ga
Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons.


text:
Southampton boss Mauricio Pochettino believes his current squad of players have what it takes to compete in the Premier League.
The newly-appointed manager has had a whirlwind few days since taking the reigns at St. Mary's, as the Argentine boss took charge of his first game against Everton, before jetting off to Barcelona for a warm-weather training camp with the first-team squad.
And with the January transfer window due to slam shut on Thursday evening, talk has now turned to which players, if any, the ex-Espanyol manager has lined up to join him at Southampton.
Reports have linked the Saints with Anderlecht midfielder Lucas Biglia, whilst Inter Milan winger Philippe Coutinho has seemingly rejected Southampton in favour of a switch to Liverpool.
But having worked non-stop since his arrival, Pochettino insists he has had little time to think about potential signings.
"We haven't made any requests for any new players, but we're watching the market to see if there are any developments," he told Saints Player.
"Overall we're very happy with the squad and we have players here capable of competing at this level in the Premier League.
"We've very happy, and if we make a signing it won't be for the sake of a signing it will be to improve what we have already. We don't think that we need new players unless we think they will improve us."
The 40-year-old boss takes the Saints to Old Trafford on Wednesday, with Southampton looking to cause an upset by beating the league leaders, Manchester United.
And Pochettino is full of confidence ahead of the game, despite United being clear favourites to win the contest.
"Going to Old Trafford represents an extra motivation for us and for the players," Pochettino told Saints Player.
"Any player enjoys playing in these mythical stadiums around the world, so it's also an opportunity for us to develop our game and the way that we play. We're very excited and keen to develop our game by playing there."
Southampton have been in good form of late, having lost just two of their last 13 league games, and Pochettino insists his side will go to Old Trafford looking to continue that run.
"Our mentality always has to be to win," he explained. "We want to win and we want the squad to feel that mentality of winning.
"We definitely respect Manchester United and what they're doing in the league right now, they're an amazing team, but we're going with a mentality to win and we'll see how the game proceeds."
Club captain Adam Lallana has been sidelined for the last six weeks due to injury, but Pochettino has hinted that the former England U21 international is edging closer to a first-team return, whilst Guly has joined Jose Fonte on the treatment table, with both players suffering from knee injuries.
Pochettino stated: "Adam Lallana is doing well. He's definitely recovering well, but he needs rhythm to get back into competition.
"José Fonte is a no for Wednesday and he'll need some more time to recover. We also have an injury to Guly who has had a knock to his knee. He will also need some weeks to recover and we're not sure when he'll be back."
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text:
(AP) A man with domestic problems fatally shot eight people, including a pregnant woman and two children, after taking alcohol and drugs in a rampage Friday near the Philippine capital that ended when he was shot dead by police, officials said.
At least eight other people were wounded in Kawit township, about 16 kilometers (10 miles) south of Manila, Cavite provincial Gov. Jonvic Remulla said.
The violence happened days after the death of a 7-year-old girl who was hit in the head by a stray bullet during New Year's Eve revelry in Manila sparked public criticism over lax gun control in the Philippines. Friday's rampage fueled pressure for more assertive action by authorities to deal with unlicensed firearms.
Ronald Bae, who was killed in the shootout with responding police, had been on a "drug and alcohol binge" with his friends since Monday, drinking and taking methamphetamine, Remulla said.


text:
News Release
Please note: As of January 20, 2017, information in some news releases may be out of date or not reflect current policies.
ETA News Release: [09/22/2011]
Contact Name: Joshua Lamont
Phone Number: (202) 693-4661
Release Number: 11-1405-NAT
Statement by Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis on Senate passage of Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers
WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis has issued the following statement regarding today's passage by the U.S. Senate of Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers:
"In 2009, Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress worked with President Obama to craft a bipartisan agreement that improved the Trade Adjustment Assistance program to help American workers who lost their jobs to foreign competition or outsourcing.
"Today, both parties worked across the aisle once again to fit the program for the future and pave the way for the approval of trade agreements with Panama, Colombia and South Korea. TAA and these agreements are essential components of the administration's broader efforts to hasten our recovery and get more American job seekers back to work.
"The TAA agreement passed by the Senate today ensures that workers who lose their jobs as a result of trade and through no fault of their own will have access to resources, benefits and job training. Today's vote means that TAA is a step closer to being available to all workers whose jobs were moved overseas to any country — not just those with which the United States had a prior free trade agreement
"The TAA program passed today also reflects the goals essential to a balanced trade agenda. It will support jobs here at home as we open new markets to American exporters, while recognizing the costs of trade to some on our shores. Just ask Virginia Vaught.
"When Virginia's job with a semiconductor manufacturer was outsourced to China, she reinvented herself by taking TAA long-distance online training while moving from one state to another. Vaught eventually graduated with a degree from a community college in Washington state and now works for an Idaho archives center. 'The TAA program provided me with peace of mind' and 'gave me a sense of self worth' in a new career, Vaught said.
"Many Americans don't know what TAA is. They don't hear about it unless they need it or the program is up for renewal. Unfortunately, false rumors have often endangered this program and the workers who rely upon it when their jobs are eliminated or moved overseas. But not today.
"Without the transitional assistance and training offered by TAA, thousands of blue collar workers and their families risk sliding out of the middle class. TAA provides critical resources they need to develop new skills to succeed in vital growth industries.
"As the White House and Congress advance a strong, market-opening trade agenda to create more jobs here at home, we have a responsibility to ensure that American workers impacted by foreign competition have the assistance they need to adapt and succeed in the 21st-century economy.
"Once again, I commend the U.S. Senate for taking action to renew Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers, paving the way for more progress toward getting our economy growing and all Americans back to work."