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Who's that woman in the mirror? Paris Jackson has been looking noticeably more mature in photos the 14-year-old posted to Twitter in the new year, playing up her striking features with a new hairstyle.
Michael Jackson's only daughter (the singer also has two sons: Prince, 15, and Blanket, 10) dyed her hair jet black and lopped it off for a more textured and rock-n-roll look earlier this year.
PHOTOS: Michael Jackson and his kids
In one recent snapshot, from Valentine's Day, the young high schooler smiled serenely with two pals at what looked like a Japanese restaurant.
Another photo, from one week prior on Friday, Feb. 8, shows off Jackson's piercing eyes as she gazes straight at the camera around a large red mug.
PHOTOS: Inside Michael Jackson's memorial
"Yay for tea," she captioned the photo.
The teen's hair has been fodder for Twitter excitement before. Last October, she caused a stir online when she posted a photo of herself with a short crop just days after Miley Cyrus first debuted her punk pixie cut.
"That awkward moment when everyone is saying no to doing the right thing…" she tweeted at the time. "If I want to cut my hair and donate it I'd appreciate some support."
It later turned out that the much talked-about look was merely a wig.
This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: Paris Jackson Dyes Hair Jet Black, Chops Locks For Punk-Rock Look: Picture


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Again, a bear up there
Bear tranquilized in tree as ursine sightings continue
NORTH GREENBUSH — State wildlife officials tranquilized their third black bear in the Capital Region this spring after waiting for hours Wednesday without success for the bear to come down from a tree near Hudson Valley Community College.
Struck by one of two darts fired by officers from the state Department of Environmental Conservation, the bear dropped from a tree on Meadow Drive about 4 p.m., some seven hours after the animal had been spotted by a neighbor in a different tree.
Environmental Conservation Officer Lt. Jim Hays said while DEC had wanted to avoid sedating the bear, he decided it was necessary because he wanted to resolve the situation before dark and traffic on nearby Williams Road was picking up.
After tumbling about 30 feet from its perch in a towering maple tree, the bear was taken for overnight observation and will be released later onto state land in Delaware County or the Rensselaer plateau, Hays said.
Hays' initial strategy of waiting for the bear to come down once it felt safe was apparently stymied by a persistent media presence and a steady stream of people who came to see the bear.
A youth league parking lot across from Meadow Drive turned into a kind of "Bearstock" as bear-watchers came and left. "One of my relatives put something out on Facebook that there was a bear in the neighborhood, so I came to see," said Carla Wevang, a resident of nearby Orchard Lane. During the lunch hour, an ice cream truck showed up to serve the crowd, which included children and students from nearby La Salle Institute and Hudson Valley Community College.
Tammie Fanfa, her two children and the woman's friend, Cristina Burch, were among the neighborhood gawkers, many capturing the spectacle for posterity with cellphone cameras and video recorders. "It's alarming," said Burch, who said she had been coming and going from the scene throughout the day.
Fanfa said her son, Cameron, 7, didn't believe her when she told him she was taking him and his sister, Zellia, 4, to see the bruin.
"I always wanted to see a bear up close," said Cameron as he licked his ice cream. "I thought it was going to be bigger."
His mother said the area has been a popular spot for visiting wildlife lately. "I'm wondering what's next since we had a moose and now a bear," she exclaimed.
Throughout the afternoon the bear looked down from time to time to survey the scene. At other times it seemed to sleep.
Hays said there was open field and woods on the north side of the Meadow Drive neighborhood, and it was hoped the bear would head in that direction after it came down.
This is the third bear that DEC has shot with drug darts in recent weeks. In Albany and Schenectady, groggy bears plummeted up to 50 feet to the ground after DEC officials shot the animals out of trees.
Hays said using drugs can be risky for bears. "This is not an exact science," he said. And bears once relocated can sometimes find their way back to where they were taken from, which means the drugging and transport can be futile.
Bear numbers are on the rise in the state, which has about 7,000 bears, about 1,000 more than just a decade ago. During last year's bear hunting season there were about 1,250 bears taken, which set a record outside the Adirondacks.
Because of rising bear numbers, DEC officials last fall opened up bear hunting east of the Hudson River, from Rockland to Washington counties. There were 11 bears shot in Rensselaer County and 18 bears shot in Washington County.
Young male bears like the one in North Greenbush roam in search of food and territory in the spring, after their mothers force them onto their own. Suburban neighborhoods, like that in North Greenbush, can be attractive sources of good, like trash cans, bird feeders and outdoor pet bowls. DEC advises that such food sources be kept inside to discourage bears and that bird feeders not be used outside of winter months.
Attacks on humans by bears are very rare in the state, and there has been just one fatal bear attack in the last century, according to DEC. In 2002, a 5-month-old infant was killed in the Catskills by a bear that had been going through uncovered garbage cans.
A 2011 study in the Journal of Wildlife Management found 63 deaths from black bear attacks between 1900 and 2009 in Canada, Alaska and the lower 48 states. Nearly 90 percent of these attacks occurred since 1960, and were more likely to occur in Canada and Alaska, where people are more likely to come into contact with bears.
"Black bears are out there, and people have to learn to live with them," said Hays. "This is bear country."
It is illegal to feed bears, or to continue to make food inadvertently available to bears after being warned about it by DEC, which can issue a $250 fine.
The North Greenbush bear, which Hays guessed was 2 years old, was first seen at about 9 a.m. in another tree on the street, said Kathy Allen, of 43 Meadow Drive. "My daughter was getting ready for school, and she looked out the window and saw it. She was afraid to leave the house, so she called me to come home," Allen said.
Allen said she called officials and the bear later left the tree on her property and both DEC officers and town police tried to shoo it in the direction of the woods, but the bear went the opposite direction toward busy Williams Road and climbed up another tree where it remained for the rest of the day.
It was trash pickup day on the street, and the smell of garbage may have attracted the bear. But Allen said none of the trash cans on her street appeared disturbed.
Elsewhere, police in Guilderland confirmed that a bear was spotted near East Lydius Street at 10 a.m. heading toward the Thruway. The bear had two ear tags, similar to those attached to the bears captured in Albany and Schenectady, although officials could not get close enough in Guilderland to observe the tag numbers, according to DEC.
Hudson Valley Community College's security department said the North Greenbush bear was just south-east of the campus' day-care building. Fred Aliberti, director of public safety at the college, said everyone was urged to stay inside.
Late Wednesday, there was a bear sighting near an expansive wooded area on Duanesburg Avenue in Rotterdam in Schenectady County, Sgt. Jeff Collins said.
firstname.lastname@example.com • 518-454-5094 • @Bnearing10 Bob Gardinier, Bryan Fitzgerald contribted to this report

subset: commoncrawl


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Cost to be big factor in 'talking' cars acceptance, LaHood says
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (Reuters) -- Cars that "talk" to each other to avoid crashes or traffic jams, like those being tested here, will save lives but the cost of the systems will determine consumers' acceptance of such technology, the U.S. transportation secretary said today.
"These are definitely safer vehicles. At what cost though?" Ray LaHood told reporters at a connected-vehicle conference here. "To me, that's what the bottom line's going to be. Safety has a cost and we're going to have to make that judgment."
LaHood declined to estimate what the cost of the technology that allows vehicles to communicate with each other and surrounding infrastructure would need to be to attract wide adoption by consumers.
"It will be up to car manufacturers to help us figure out what the cost of all this is going to be," LaHood, the outgoing transportation chief, said at a University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute conference.
Since last August, U.S. officials have been testing a fleet of "talking" cars in Ann Arbor that may help American drivers avoid crashes and traffic jams.
The U.S. Department of Transportation and the University of Michigan fitted almost 3,000 cars, trucks, buses and motorcycles with wireless devices that track other vehicles' speed and location, alert drivers to congestion, or change a traffic light to green.
Vehicle-to-vehicle communication may help avoid or reduce the severity of four out of five crashes that occur when a driver is not impaired, U.S. regulators have said.
Results from the study will help the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration decide whether the technology should be mandatory. A decision on such a rule will not be made until the testing in completed in August, officials have said.
LaHood said transportation officials have been studying the first six months of data from the test, but he does not expect any conclusions for about a year. He said the technology has operated just as officials expected.
Officials in the test program said about 8 billion transmissions between vehicles and infrastructure have been sent since the test in Ann Arbor began.
The road test in Ann Arbor is the largest of its kind and cost $25 million. Eight major automakers, including General Motors Co. and Toyota Motor Corp., supplied the cars.
Changing lights
The vehicles in the test can communicate with roadside devices in 29 areas in Ann Arbor. If conditions are safe, the vehicles can change the traffic light to green or let the driver know if a light is about to change.
Connected vehicle systems use a technology similar to Wifi called dedicated short range communication, which is unlikely to be vulnerable to interference, U.S. officials said.
The cars can track other cars' location and speed. They can also determine if a driver is braking or turning the wheel. Details such as the license number or VIN number are not shared.
The road test represents the second phase of the transportation department's connected vehicle safety program. In a study conducted in 2011 and early 2012, the department found that nine out of 10 drivers had a "highly favorable" opinion of vehicle-to-vehicle technology. LaHood said he assumed there would be a third phase in the testing.
LaHood's chosen successor is Anthony Foxx, the mayor of Charlotte, N.C., who President Obama nominated for the job on April 29.
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Revolutionary war soldier Asher Reaves' pension statement recounts that he was born in Prince William County, Virginia and joined the revolutionary forces from Halifax County, Virginia in 1778. He states that he lived in Halifax County, Virginia prior to the Revolution from where he originally enlisted, then his father relocated to Wilkes County, North Carolina, from there he was recruited for subsequent tours of service. Asher stated that he moved with his father to Wilkes County in the State of North Carolina about 2 miles from Wilkes Court House on the Yadkin River where he lived until the fall of 1789.
Asher's parents have previously been unidentified, however the following appear to be some of the earliest references to Reeves or Reaves in Halifax, Virginia:
On 27 Dec 1771, George Reeves witnessed (signed with his mark) a deed from Luke Williams, carpenter, and Catherine his wife of Halifax County to James Ingram, gentlemen of Accomac County for 500 acres near Sandy Creek. Halifax County Deed Book 8, p. 295.
On 18 Jun 1773, Luke Williams of Halifax County executed a deed of trust to John Lewis, Jr. of Halifax County for 986 acres adjoining William McDaniel, James Henry, Charles Wormack, George Reaves, Joseph Morrosson, George Curry. Halifax County, Virginia Deed Book 9, p. 202
On 15 Oct 1778, Luke Williams of Halifax County deeded 100 acres on Court house branch to George Reaves of same county. Halifax County, Virginia Deed Book 11, p. 128-129.
|Wilkes County, North Carolina
George Reaves origins are undocumented but the statement of Asher Reaves in his Revolutionary War pension that he was born in Prince William County, Virginia suggests that George came from Virginia's northern neck. In Northumberland County, Virginia, Margaret and William Scurlock administered the estate of a Thomas Reeves who died about 1729. This suggests that Margaret was Reeves's widow and that she married William Scurlock as her second husband. One Margaret Scurlock later married Joseph Morrison in North Farnham Parish, Richmond County, Virginia, on 9 December 1739. This Margaret appears to have been the widow of both William Scurlock and Thomas Reeves.
Joseph and Margaret Scurlock Morrison were taxed in Dettingen Parish, Prince William County, Virginia in 1747 with Joseph Scurlock and George Reves as tithables in their household, indicating that they were young men aged 16-21 years (and thus born between 10 June 1726 and 10 June 1731). This appears to suggest that Margaret (MNU) married first Thomas Reeves, second William Scurlock, and third Joseph Morrison, and that George Reves and Joseph Scurlock were her sons.
The following appears in Prince William County, VA, Order Book 1759-1761, 25 March 1760, p. 69: Nathaniel Chapman vs. Joseph Morrison, Fortunatus Legg and George Reeves. In debt. the defendants filed their plea to which the plaintiff demurred generally and time is allowed the defendants untill next Court to consider the same. (Published in The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 20, p. 38.)
Margaret and Joseph Morrison were both still alive on 4 December 1762, when they were dismissed from Broad Run Baptist Church in Fauquier County to join Birch Creek Baptist Church in Halifax County, Virginia. Joshua Scurlock, a proven son of William Scurlock, was dismissed from Broad Run "to Halifax" on 10 June 1763. Joseph Morrison and Joshua Scurlock are found in Halifax County during the 1760s. A 1778 Halifax County deed identifies Joseph Morrison as a neighbor of George Reeves. Additionally, he is recorded in the Halifax tax lists through 1788.
|1780 Joshua Scurlock Survey
Wilkes County, North Carolina
"Sometime after 1762, like so many Virginians of the era, Joshua (Scurlock) and his family migrated from their home state, going first to Wilkes Co., N.C., where he received a North Carolina land grant of 300 acres on both sides of Moravian Creek on 1 March 1780. On 27 October 1788, Joshua, now, 'of the State of Georgia,' sold this land and the deed was recorded in Wilkes Co., N.C."George Reaves described as "of Wilkes County, North Carolina" is named in a Halifax deed dated September 6, 1793 as one of the legatees of John Epps, deceased. The deed refers to the heirs of a deceased son Joshua, as being: Nathaniel Epps, Moses Epps, David Powell, Sr., John Comer, Edy Epps, and Temperance Epps of Halifax County, Virginia; Ambrose Gresham of Lunenburg County, Virginia; and George Reaves of Wilkes County, North Carolina. According to Joshua Epps' Will of 1778 (Halifax Co. Will Bk. 1, 1773-83, p 216) his children were: John, Nathaniel, William, Isham, Moses, Mary (m. David Powell, Sr. before 1767), Elizabeth "Betty" (m. Ambrose Gresham on 24 Mar 1787 in Halifax VA), Millison (m. John Clay), Dicy (m. Elisha Lacy), Amey (m. John Comer before 10 Sept. 1775), Temperance (unmarried in 1793), Edy (unmarried in 1793) and Patty (a nickname for Martha) who must then be the daughter who married George Reaves. This is further confirmed by the appearance of a widowed Martha Reaves listed as head of household beginning on the 1816 tax lists and in the 1830 Halifax census after the death of George Reaves around 1815.
Asher Reaves was Surety on a Halifax County, Virginia marriage bond dated 25 November 1785 for the marriage of Joseph Morrison to Margaret Raney establishing another connection between Asher and George Reaves. Joseph Morrison was the probable step-father of George Reaves and therefore step-grandfather of Asher.
George Reaves reappears on the Halifax County, Virginia tax lists in 1796 after selling his property in Wilkes County in 1794:
9 Dec 1794 Deed - George Reeves deed to William Petty, Sr. for 200 acres on Little Lick Creek adjacent to the Moravian line. Wilkes County, North Carolina Deed Book B-1, p. 416
|Excerpt from 1796 Halifax County Personal Tax List
This extensive additional information regarding George Reaves of Halifax County, Virginia and Wilkes County, North Carolina was located as part of an effort to learn more about the Reeve(s) families of Virginia's northern neck. The collaboration of several Reeves' researchers, especially Dan Knight, has helped to link George and Asher Reaves to each other as well as their roots in northern Virginia. Hopefully more information will be found and possibly a descendant will someday participate in the Reeves DNA Project adding further to our knowledge of George Reaves.
Other posts in this blog on the Epps wife theory:
Wilkes County's George Reeves Mystery
New Data on George Reeves of Grayson
Another Episode of the Epps Wife Fantasy


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Fashion Sewing 101
Calling all Fashion enthusiasts! Fashion Makerspace would love to teach the basics of the sewing machine and where to buy supplies for your next project. This is for anyone keen at sewing, fashion, digital illustration, handmade, crafts etc. Anyone above the age of 10 with any skill sets are all welcome! An hour-long hands-on introduction to the machine, complete with a fashion fieldtrip to the textile market just next door! Come by Saturday 11.30am.
Not much: $5
Where: 195 Pearl's Hill Terrace #02-64 Singapore 168976
When: Saturday 11.30am - 1.00pm
Find us at
FB: www.facebook.com/fmsfashionmakerspace
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IG: Fashion.Makerspace
- Venue
- 195 Pearl's Hill Terrace #02-64
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Fashion Sewing 101 SOLD OUT $5.00
- Venue Address
- 195 Pearl's Hill Terrace #02-64 Singapore
- Directions
(5 min walk) From Chinatown MRT Station take Exit C, walk through People's Park Hawker Centre towards the back until you see a multi-storey carpark behind. Just next to the gantry is a flight of sheltered stairs leading to the building.
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David Lodge, in full David John Lodge, (born Jan. 28, 1935, London, Eng.), English novelist, literary critic, and editor known chiefly for his satiric novels about academic life.
Lodge was educated at University College, London (B.A., 1955; M.A., 1959), and at the University of Birmingham (Ph.D., 1967). His early novels, known mostly in England, include The Picturegoers (1960), about a group of Roman Catholics living in London; Ginger, You're Barmy (1962), Lodge's novelistic response to his army service in the mid-1950s; The British Museum Is Falling Down (1965), which uses stream-of-consciousness technique; and Out of the Shelter (1970), an autobiographical coming-of-age novel. How Far Can You Go? (1980; also published as Souls & Bodies) was well received in both the United States and Britain and takes a satiric look at a group of contemporary English Catholics.
Several of Lodge's novels satirize academic life and share the same setting and recurring characters; these include Changing Places: A Tale of Two Campuses (1975), Small World: An Academic Romance (1984), and Nice Work (1988). The latter two were short-listed for the Booker Prize. Among his later novels are Paradise News (1991), Therapy (1995), Thinks… (2001), Author, Author (2004), and Deaf Sentence (2008).
In addition to writing fiction, Lodge coauthored the plays Between These Four Walls (produced 1963) and Slap in the Middle (produced 1965). His works of literary theory include Language of Fiction (1966), The Novelist at the Crossroads, and Other Essays on Fiction and Criticism (1971; rev. ed. 1984), Working with Structuralism: Essays and Reviews on Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Literature (1981), Write On: Occasional Essays (1986), and After Bakhtin: Essays in Fiction and Criticism (1990). The Art of Fiction (1992) reprints essays from Lodge's column written for The Washington Post and the London Independent, and The Practice of Writing (1996) contains essays, lectures, reviews, and a diary. He was made a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1997 and a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1998.


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DevelopmentExclusive InterviewsOnline
A Q&A with Assassin's Creed III Creative Director Alex Hutchinson
Gamesauce: You have probably met hundreds, if not thousands of people who wanted to get into the videogame industry. How did you first begin your career in this field?
Alex Hutchinson: I began as a writer in Australia, contributing articles to websites, magazines, whoever would run them, trying to focus on games and game issues. I figured if I couldn't make them, I could at least write about them and learn something in the process. Then I was lucky enough that 'designer' became a more common job, and I started applying anywhere and everywhere, and was lucky enough to be given a shot at a small company in Australia.
You earned two degrees from the University of Melbourne. Neither your BA nor MA are in subjects specifically associated with videogame development, such as computer programming or graphic design. How do you feel your education has helped you in your career? Would you recommend a college education for anyone who wants to get into the videogame industry?
Remember there was no such thing as a degree in videogame development when I went to university! That said, I think that traditional courses that focus on art theory and production are perfect for aspiring artists, and general computer science degrees are perfect for aspiring game programmers; you can learn the specific tools and skills later. Start with a strong, practical base in the discipline you want. Writing was a huge help for me, in terms of learning structure, format, and having to produce and finish work. And bizarrely the degree in classical studies finally became useful on Assassin's Creed!
Before discussing Assassin's Creed III, I want to ask you about some of your previous games. You were a Level Designer on The Invincible Iron Man. What are some comic book superheroes that you would love to design a game around?
I think the trick would be to find a character whose core fantasy and abilities mapped to game mechanics cleanly: there are so many good ones, but I'd like to get out of the more popular guys. Maybe a Lobo game. Or DC's the Demon. Or Jonah Hex [in] a weird Western game.
It has been over four years since Spore was released. What are some of things you learned about both creating videogames and the business of videogames while working on Spore?
It was a huge project, and very ambitious, and I learned nobody will attempt something like it again. We set out to make this huge toy that played with creation and creativity, and I think in terms of the creation tools and the sharing, we made an amazing game. We didn't get to where we wanted on the game part, but I'm immensely proud of the game. I learned that if there's a gameplay clarity problem in an early concept, then this will translate most probably to a gameplay mechanics problem you can't iterate your way out of, so fix it on paper first. And I learned that trying to be truly original is incredibly difficult!
Army of Two: The 40th Day was the first game you were the Creative Director on. Did that position change the way you approached game development or selecting who you worked with?
Yeah, that was my first shot at the job. It was a new challenge because you move from designing mechanics and working almost solely with mission designers, or story and systems designers, to working with whole other departments that aren't necessarily your strong suit. So there were departments, like animation or engineering, where I felt comfortable talking to the leads and directors, as I'd been more closely associated with them before on gameplay teams or wherever, and then there were departments, like sound, where it really wasn't my strong suit. I had to learn a lot more about how they worked and what was important to them, and how I could talk to them in a way that would help them improve the overall game experience.
In terms of approach, it also meant I had to give more room to leads even in areas where I'd been doing that job before. So the lead design position, which was my old job, I had to learn to leave it in their capable hands and not interfere!
You are now the Creative Director for Assassin's Creed 3. What were some of the aspects of the previous installments that drew you to this franchise?
It's an amazing franchise. I love the focus on history, I love the desire to create a consistent and cohesive universe, and I love the talented people who work on it. It was a joy to come onto the franchise, followed by several years of incredibly hard work, but I'm very satisfied with the game we made. But in a nutshell: people and the opportunity to try and make something amazing are the only things that attract me to projects these days!
Assassin's Creed 3 is set in North America between 1753 and 1783. What were some of the archives, materials, and people consulted to bring such a high level of historical accuracy to this game? Was there one historical figure or moment from this time period you really wanted to include in the game?
We have historical advisors on call with different specialties, from revolutionary historians to cultural advisors. We gather huge amounts of references from paintings and drawings and maps from the period; we read all kinds of books and websites to gather facts; we watch movies and read historical novels to find exciting fantasies. All that takes about six months [and] while we're simultaneously trying to draw the big picture of the game we're trying to make, we essentially force the core team through a crash course in whatever historical setting we chose. And we included as much historical detail as possible, from Ben Franklin and George Washington to Valley Forge and the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Is anyone at Ubisoft hoping for a History professor or teacher to use Assassin's Creed III in an American History course?
It would be very rewarding if a course used it as an example of the look and feel and everyday life of the period (minus the assassin, of course). We spent so much time and money trying to get it right, that I think it's the closest interactive recreation of this period yet made.
GS: One aspect of the game that I am looking forward to is the naval portion of it. What were some of the challenges you encountered when creating a system to replicate 18th century naval combat?
The biggest one was just how slow it is in real life versus how slow we could make the ships turn before it stopped being fun in a game context. I think we nailed the overall feeling though, giving you the emotion of these epic vessels, without compromising on the reality too much. The water the guys created is also a technical marvel; we can literally scale up or down the Beaufort levels to simulate everything from calm seas to raging storms. It's incredible.
There were some recent articles reporting that you were concerned about the future of AAA games. How would you like to see the gaming industry develop? Do you feel there is something missing that game developers should try to better include in their games?
No, I just think the industry is evolving, the same way it has for decades: popularity for certain experiences rise and fall, tastes change, the business model changes, the platforms change. I've been doing this long enough now to have seen several console transitions pass by, several predictions of the end of the industry fail to materialize, and several versions of 'the future of the industry' crash and burn. Quality is the only reliable indicator of the chance to succeed, and content is king as it always has been. AAA quality will be around forever, but the platforms will continue to change.


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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Country music duo The Civil Wars hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart on Wednesday, knocking off last week's chart-topper, Robin Thicke.
The band's eponymously titled second album sold 116,000 copies in its first week and was the only record in the Billboard 200 this week to break the 100,000 barrier, according to figures from Nielsen SoundScan.
"The Civil Wars" was one of four new debuts in the top 10 of Billboard's weekly album chart.
The latest compilation of the "Now That's What I Call Music!" series, "Now 47," featuring hits from Justin Timberlake, Selena Gomez and Bruno Mars, landed at No. 2, with sales of 82,000 in its first week, while Thicke's "Blurred Lines" album dropped to No. 3.
R&B singer and producer Thicke held onto the top position on Billboard's digital songs chart with his raunchy single "Blurred Lines," featuring rapper T.I. and singer Pharrell Williams.
British heavy metal band Asking Alexandria landed at No. 6 with its latest album, "From Death to Destiny," and gospel singer Tye Tribbett rounded out the new debuts with his latest record, "Greater Than," at No. 9.
Overall album sales for the week ending August 11 totaled 4.7 million units, down 5 percent from the comparable week in 2012, Billboard said.
Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Eric Kelsey and David Brunnstrom


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. The finding is surprising because the Hox system is largely responsible for so-called axial patterning, the developmental process that directs the formation of different morphological features along the anterior-posterior axis--the axis along which the head, trunk, and tail are arranged. The work indicates that despite the importance of the Hox system in the development of most animals, the evolution of a typical Hox system is not in fact a prerequisite for axial patterning during development or for the generation of diverse animal morphology.
The findings are reported in the May 9th issue of Current Biology by scientists Bernd Schierwater, Kai Kamm, and Wolfgang Jakob of Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover, in Germany, Stephen Dellaporta of Yale University, and David Miller of James Cook University in Australia.
A remarkable feature of Hox-system genes is that they are typically clustered in groups along chromosomes, with their order along the chromosome reflecting their actual pattern of expression along the anterior-posterior axis of a developing animal. The Hox system has long been considered a defining characteristic of animals, and much of the variation seen in animal morphology has been attributed to evolutionary variations on how the Hox system is implemented during development in different species.
In the new work, the researchers investigated the Hox status of cnidarians--a group of primitive animals that diverged very early on in animal evolution from the lineage leading to most other animal species. Cnidarians include reef-building polyps and pelagic jellyfish, while the group from which it split--the Bilateria--has given rise to the vast majority of the animals we are familiar with, including wor ms, fish, molluscs, insects, and mammals. While all "higher" animals clearly either have a typical Hox system or had ancestors that did, the evolutionary origins of the Hox system are unclear, and the Hox-gene status of cnidarians has been controversial.
The authors of the new study demonstrate that although Hox-like genes are present in cnidarians, most of these have evolved by gene duplication independently since cnidarians diverged from the higher animal lineage. The researchers found no equivalent of a Hox cluster in two representative cnidarians, and the patterns of expression of the cnidarian Hox-like genes differ radically across the phylum and are inconsistent with the expression patterns exhibited by typical Hox-system genes. The authors conclude that the Hox system is an invention of higher animals (the Bilateria) and, therefore, is not a defining characteristic of metazoan animals.
Knowing this, the spectacular morphological diversity in Cnidaria comes as a surprise. The Cnidaria is one of the most diverse and species-rich of animal groups, ranging in shape and size from microscopic solitary polyps to massive and highly differentiated colonial siphonophores up to 40 meters long. One clear implication of the paper is that, contrary to expectations, the Hox system is not necessary for the elaboration of substantial morphological complexity.


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15-Year-Old In Germany Goes On A Shooting Spree Killing 15 People!
AP reports "A 17-year-old wielding a Beretta 9 mm pistol burst into classrooms at his former high school Wednesday and gunned down students in a rampage that ended with 15 dead before he took his own life, authorities said."
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Mr. John Barnes; Mr. Hugh Greene; Ms. Wanyonyi Kendrick; Dr. Bruce Taylor
Dr. Kathy Robinson
Ms. Joannie Newton; Mr. Kevin Twomey
Chair Kendrick recognized a quorum and called the meeting to order.
Chair Kendrick asked Mr. Chris Wrenn, Associate General Counsel, to speak about this item.
Mr. Wrenn stated that the purpose of this meeting was to consider a proposed settlement of the litigation the university had been pursuing in connection with design and construction flaws leading to significant water intrusion in the science and engineering building.
Mr. Wrenn briefly summarized the litigation and the three separate mediation conferences leading to the proposed settlement. He told the committee members that he believed that a cash settlement of $3,360,000 payable by the defendants to the university represented a reasonable settlement of the matter, taking into consideration the cost of the repair work to be done and risks of a trial.
Mr. Wrenn stated that the proposed settlement, which released both the defendants and the university from all past and future liability, included reimbursement of the university's attorneys and experts' fees, out-of-pocket repair costs, as well as what was believed to be a reasonable sum to complete the necessary repairs based on the university's experts' recommended scope of work and a cost estimate of that scope by a local contractor.
President Delaney asked that the record reflect two disclosures: (1) the settlement was negotiated exclusive of President Delaney; therefore, his relationship with RS&H did not influence their part of the settlement, and (2) President Delaney's position as a board member of Old Dominion Insurance Company, one of the insurance companies who will be paying part of the settlement, did not constitute a conflict of interest as advised by legal counsel. President Delaney clarified that this committee would make the ultimate decision regarding the proposed settlement.
President Delaney expressed the administration's support for the proposed settlement and recommended approval by the committee.
Trustees asked for clarification that the proposed settlement would cover repair costs for all repairs and renovations, including attorney fees. Mr. Wrenn stated that the proposed settlement fairly estimated costs, experts, consultants and attorney's fees.
Chair Taylor asked for a MOTION to approve acceptance by the university of the sum of $3,360,000 in exchange for a mutual, general release of all claims with respect to the university's science and engineering building and a dismissal with prejudice of litigation relating thereto. The general release would release the university's current and future claims against all parties defendant to the litigation and any of their insurers participating in the settlement. The general release would release all the defendants' current and future claims against the university, including, but not limited to claims based on any alleged failure to mitigate, contract balances and other obligations of any kind. As the result of the settlement, responsibility for and cost of necessary repairs to the building and any future problems with the building are transferred to the university.
The MOTION was offered by Chair Taylor and seconded by Trustee Greene. The MOTION was approved unanimously.
The meeting was adjourned.
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United Arab Emirates plan zero carbon desert city
Carless utopia
The United Arab Emirates will today formally unveil plans for an all-new, zero carbon desert city - seven square kilometres of carless utopia designed to house 50,000 people.
The project - dubbed Masdar ("the source") - is being designed by top Brit architect Lord Foster, and is described as "the world's first sustainable city". Much of its energy needs will be provided by solar solutions, while careful planning will help protect the inhabitatants from the 50°C summer heat.
Foster senior partner Gerard Evenden said: "It's extremely ambitious. We were invited to design a zero-carbon city. In this harsh place we needed to look back at history and see how ancient settlements had adapted to their environments."
The city will be aligned north-east to south-west to give the "optimum balance of sunlight and shade", as the Guardian puts it. Buildings will be limited to five storeys, and packed around narrow streets no more than 3 metres wide and 70 metres long to "develop a micro-climate and keep the air moving".
Additional cooling will be provided by wind towers which will harness the desert breeze and "flush out" hot air.
The whole of Masdar is designed on a three-level concept, one housing a light railway to connect the city with nearby Abu Dhabi, a second reserved for pedestrians, with a third set aside for "personalised rapid transport pods," described by Evenden as "little vehicles like driverless personal taxis which run on tracks or magnetic discs in the road".
He added: "It's a tried technology. They are in production in Holland, and used to move containers around in Rotterdam port."
On a more practical level, Evenden said: "We will start with a large solar power station which will provide the energy to construct the city. Some 80 per cent of all the roof space will be used to generate solar power, and because we expect technology to improve as we are building it, we hope we will later be able to remove the power plant. We could 'borrow' energy from outside, but we are trying to prove it can all be generated in the confines of the site."
While Abu Dhabi is the world's richest city, with each of its 420,000 inhabitants worth a nominal $17m, they are responsible for "more greenhouse gas emissions per capita than any other population in the world", the Guardian explains.
In an attempt to clean up its act, the UAE is this week expected to announce a $500m deal to manufacture thin-film solar panels, elevating Masdar to a "centre of the global solar energy manufacturing industry".
Jean-Paul Jeanrenaud, head of WWF's One Planet Living initiative, enthused: "This will be the global capital of the renewable energy revolution. It's the first oil producing nation to have taken such a significant step towards sustainable living."
However, Tony Juniper, director of Friends of the Earth, cautioned: "The numbers must be put into perspective. They are spending welcome billions of dollars on renewables but trillions are still going into climate-changing oil economies. The future is the Sun and renewables, but there is no time to wait for this revolution." ®


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The Columbus Symphony and Chorus Celebrate Mozart, 2/1 & 2
Guest conductor Matthew Halls will lead the Columbus Symphony, Chorus, and guest vocalist GillIan Keith in a glorious Mozart showcase, featuring his last and greatest symphony and two gorgeous works for soprano and orchestra. Also featured is the festive choral piece composed by Mozart's great friend, Joseph Haydn, for the wife of the Austrian emperor.
The program includes Haydn's Te Deum for the Empress Maria Therese and three works from Mozart-Exsultate, jubilate; Regina coeli; and Symphony No. 41 in C Major, Jupiter.
The Columbus Symphony presents Mozart & Haydn at the Ohio Theatre (39 E. State St.) tnonight and Saturday, February 1 and 2, at 8pm daily. Tickets are $25-$65 and can be purchased at the CAPA Ticket Center (39 E. State St.), all Ticketmaster outlets, and www.ticketmaster.com. To purchase tickets by phone, please call (614) 228-8600 or (800) 745-3000. The Ohio Theatre Ticket Office will also be open two hours prior to each performance. Young people between the ages of 13-25 may purchase $5 PNC Arts Alive All Access tickets while available. For more information, visit www.GoFor5.com.
WOSU's Christopher Purdy will hold a free, pre-concert lecture about the program for ticket holders one hour prior to each performance.
The 2012-13 Masterworks Series performance is made possible through the generous support of series sponsors Anne and Noel Melvin.


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Lunch Box: Make-Ahead Spaghetti With Arugula Jalapeno Pesto and Zucchini
Essential techniques, recipes, and more!
Few culinary creations are more conducive to mix-and-match than pesto. Pick a leafy green you wouldn't mind eating raw—spinach, basil, kale, beet greens—and pick a hard cheese that you could eat, grated, by the mouthful—I'm partial to Parmesan, Pecorino, or Manchego. Throw them into a blender with a handful of toasted nuts, stream in some splurge-worthy olive oil, and you've just reinvented the pesto wheel.
Cold pesto pasta is one of my favorite summer meals. There are few sights more welcoming after a day in the sun than a tangle of cold noodles slicked with pesto, waiting to be eaten straight from the container. This take on pesto calls for arugula, Parmesan, walnuts, and, stick with me, jalapeño. Peppery lettuces meet spicy pepper in a match I will certainly repeat. To add some sweetness and crunch, I twirled the noodles with raw julienned slices of zucchini. Sweet summer squash needs no further preparation.
About the Author: Suzanne Lehrer is a writer and recipe developer in New York and a recipe editor for Cooking Channel. When not curating her budding hot sauce collection, she puts her French Culinary Institute education to good use in kitchens all around town. Follow her recipes and cooking adventures at TheSuzChef.com and on twitter @the_suzchef.
This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Serious Eats. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.


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Empower your neighborhood
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On Monday October 17, renowned linguist, political dissident and scholar-activist Noam Chomsky visited Morningside Heights to speak about the causes and consequences of American foreign policy in Israel and Palestine.
Over 800 students, faculty and community members gathered in the Ethel S. LeFrak 41 and Samuel J. LeFrak Gymnasium to hear Chomsky speak. His lecture touched a variety of issues making headlines, including the historic prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel that occurred just hours after the event and the recent assassination of US-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki. Barnard philosophy professor Frederick Neuhouser moderated the event, which was sponsored by Columbia's Center for Palestine Studies.
An Institute Professor and professor emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Chomsky is well known in the academic and scientific community as one of the fathers of modern linguistics, and a major figure of analytic philosophy. Since the 1960s, he has become known more widely as a political dissident and an anarchist, referring to himself as a libertarian socialist. Chomsky is the author of more than 150 books and has received worldwide attention for his views.
Read more about Chomsky's talk on Democracy Now!. A video of the event will soon be available on The Center for Palestine Studies' website.


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Dentist? Get Listed on this website for FREE. Email firstname.lastname@example.com
Dental Hygiene - Teeth Cleaning
- Details
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In a large study, people who had their teeth professionally scaled were 24% less likely to have a heart attack, compared with those who skipped the hygienist. Scaling cleans between the gums and the teeth. name at clinic recommends a dental cleaning about every 6 months to maintain oral health.
Dental hygiene, oral hygiene, is the preventative care taken to avoid problems with dental health. The main component of dental hygiene is your personal at home hygiene regimen.
When combined with professional dental care, such as regular examinations and cleanings to treat and prevent decay and disease, you can be sure to maintain a healthy mouth and smile.
Away from the dental chair, you are responsible for the daily maintenance of your oral health. name ( Dentist) and dental hygienist work with you to schedule dental cleanings and check-ups at least twice a year to help make sure you stay on the right path. Brushing your teeth at least twice and day and flossing in between your teeth at least once a day (if not more) will guarantee that dental plaque is not allowed to build up.
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Customer Reviews
All reviews are from people who have redeemed deals with this merchant.
What You'll Get
Choose Between Two Options
- $20 for $40 worth of online purchases
- $40 for $80 worth of online purchases
The Fine Print
Promotional value expires Jan 31, 2016. Amount paid never expires. Limit 1/person, 1 as gift. Valid only in US. Valid only for option purchased. Extra fee for shipping. Not valid 11/27 or 12/26. Minimum purchase equal to the full offer value required, excluding tax and shipping. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Fine Print, any purchaser with an unredeemed voucher as of 1/31/16 will receive a refund equal to the amount paid for the voucher. Not valid with other offers. Not valid towards purchase of gift cards, multi-brand items, or multi-packs. See full terms. See return policy. Merchant is solely responsible to purchasers for the care and quality of the advertised goods and services.
About American Apparel
The iconic fashion label American Apparel is known for adorning stylish customers with classic fashion basics. It's also known for edgy advertisements that display natural, unretouched beauty.
But what many don't know about the brand is that it's an American company in every sense. Everything from sewing and cutting to accounting and marketing happens in downtown Los Angeles or within a 30-mile radius. Not only that, every T-shirt, bodysuit, and pair of leggings is made in a sweatshop-free environment by workers who earn a fair wage.
Plus, keeping everything in house means the company eliminates unnecessary and wasteful factors, such as shipping fuel and packing materials, as well as provides jobs to Angelenos, instead of outsourcing them.


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As always, we air at 4:30-5:30 PM (CST) today (Sunday). You can watch live on ustream:
My plan is to discuss a few of the willfully ignorant things theists say in response to discovering people are atheist activists, including statements such as "why are you so angry at god?" and "I think you're just searching for god."
Example: Person X has a loved family member who swears by a particular homeopathic doctor, who is conning them out of their money and resources and "treating" them for a dangerous and potentially fatal illness. The family member will not seek demonstrated effective treatments from a conventional doctor, because the homeopath has convinced them that modern medicine is a hand-puppet of Big Pharma and therefore an untrustworthy conspiracy. Eventually the family member dies. Person X begins a blog and a youtube channel to tell their story to help expose the dangers of homeopathy. They are contacted by others with similar stories, and they form an association to spread information to people about the lack of support for homeopathic claims and hopefully to help others avoid the same suffering they have experienced at the hands of charlatans.
They should expect to get letters from believers expressing they are wrong. They should expect to be accused of being cogs in the Big Pharma conspiracy. They should expect to get testimonials from well meaning people with anecdotes about their "successes" with homeopathy and the "good" they are convinced it does.
But I'm sure they would never expect some willful idiot will suggest that they are fighting homeopathy because they secretly want desperately to find evidence showing it really works, or that they secretly already believe it does work, and are angry about the fact it works.
These particular rebuttals to the anti-homeopathy movement would be ridiculous. It seemed to me time to provide a link calling it out as "stupid," for people to use. I'd rather atheist skeptics, anti-theists and activists spend their time letting theists provide their demonstrations for their claims of gods existence, than spend their time having to defend against accusations that even a fool should recognize as foolish.
I have heard theists confuse hypothetical uses of "god" with belief in god. But I find this utterly dishonest, because we all use hypotheticals routinely. There is no reason someone should suddenly be unable to recognize a commonly used method of examining a claim. I might say to you I think a problem with your car is that you have an oil leak. But you know of some reason that isn't correct. You say "If it were an oil leak, though, I would expect XYZ to be happening, too, right?" That does not mean you agree it's an oil leak. And nobody should misunderstand that. In the same way if an atheist says "If there were a god that killed all these people that would be morally inexcusable," the atheist is not asserting believe in god and belief in the claims of the Bible. It's clearly a hypothetical, and even more-so due to the fact he wears the clear label "atheist" to alert the theist he doesn't accept this god is real. There is no excuse for any misunderstanding in these dialogs. I'm convinced these "misunderstandings" are willful dishonestly and red-herrings to get the atheist off track and in a defensive mode so that the theist is then relieved of having to defend an indefensible position.
So, if it helps, save the link to this blog post. Whenever you're told you "hate god" or are "searching for god," copy-paste and tell them atheists are worn out arguing dishonest stupidity and unless they have something of actual substance to offer in support of their unjustified beliefs, you aren't going to waste your time debating people who can't grasp basic levels of communication such as how to recognize the use of a hypothetical, the meanings of common words ("atheist") or how to apply the simplest context ("I don't believe in god, therefore I cannot hate god").
*Correction: I updated the headline to reflect Jen replacing Matt today as host.


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Even the liberal New Republic…
…publishes enough cliche polemics to justify the adjective "liberal". Now, it is certainly true that TNR generates enough heresy to justify its reputation as much more than a liberal meat grinder. That's why I have a subscription. But TNR also provides enough simplistic GOP-bashing to fortify the perpetually indignant, self-satisfied liberal intellectualism to which so many of its readers subscribe.
Case in point: The Rise of Republican Nihilism by Jonathan Chait. Here's a sample paragraph:
One observer dismissed DeMint's [stimulus] plan thusly: "It is not innovative or particularly clever. In fact, it's only eleven pages." Oddly enough, this observer was DeMint himself, talking up his proposal in a speech at the Heritage Foundation. On the contemporary right, it is a mark of intellectual integrity that even a massive economic cataclysm would not prompt any revising of one's economic prescription.
Clearly, DeMint was trying to score points by comparing his 11-page plan to the dictionary-length democratic alternative. Yet for Chait, DeMint's self-denigration suddenly becomes evidence of catastrophic intellectual rigidity.
Here's another example:
The quintessential moment in the health care debate came when Senator Lamar Alexander objected to Democratic attempts to weed out Medicare waste: "If you're going to find some savings in waste, fraud, and abuse in Grandma's Medicare," he proclaimed, "spend it on Grandma." Consider this as an ethical proposition: Alexander is saying that every dollar of Medicare is sacrosanct, that even those dollars he concedes provide zero public benefit must stay in the program. We live in a country where the occasional appearance of a roving charitable medical clinic will prompt thousands of desperate people to line up in parking lots for hours on end, to help mitigate their suffering. And yet, Republicans will not countenance the shift of even indisputably wasted resources to help them.
Impressively, Chait elevates Sen. Alexander's anodyne talking point into conclusive evidence of the GOP's cold-hearted intellectual rigor mortis. This kind of logic is one of the perils of being so smart. Sometimes, you fall into the trap of believing that being smarter means being right.


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Romney Sweeps 5 GOP Presidential Primaries
Mitt Romney has won the California Republican presidential primary, completing a sweep of contests in five
Romney also won presidential primaries Tuesday in New Jersey, South Dakota, New Mexico and Montana.
ARTICLES: June Primary
PREVIOUS: 2012 Presidential Election
The victories add to a delegate total that already exceeds the number needed to win the nomination. Romney has 1,398 delegates. He needs 1,144 to win the Republican nomination at the party's national convention in August.
Romney will take on Democrat Barack Obama in the fall.
A total of 264 delegates are at stake in Tuesday's contests -- including 169 in California -- and Romney has a chance to win them all.
After Tuesday, only one Republican presidential primary remains, in Utah on June 26.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


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2012 VolunteerMatch Corporate Volunteer Awards: A Look at Finalist Old National Bank
Primary tabs
2012 VolunteerMatch Corporate Volunteer Awards: A Look at Finalist Old National Bank
NEWSROOM: VolunteerMatch
CONTENT: Blog
On May 17, 2012, winners of the 2012 VolunteerMatch Corporate Volunteer Awards will be announced at our annual VolunteerMatch Client Summit in San Francisco, CA.
In this series of posts, we'll introduce you to the facts and folks behind the ten most effective employee volunteer programs in our family of corporate clients compared against our 2011 benchmarks.
VolunteerMatch congratulates Old National Bank for its nomination for Employee Volunteer Program of the Year (Small-Medium Size Business).
Old National Bank's volunteer program, ONe Community (the "ON" stands for Old National), encourages employees to follow their passions through partnering VolunteerMatch services with financial and leadership incentives. Their services include:
- Volunteer Flex Time – An employee can use two hours of paid time off a month during company time to volunteer at their organization of choice. Old National also allows additional time off for other events such as disaster relief and financial literacy events.
- Community Team Grants – Old National encourages employees to work in teams in order to build leadership skills. If an Old National associate recruits 10 associates for a team or in an event, the company sponsors $250 to their organization and if 20 or more, the sponsorship increases to $500.
- Awarding Top Volunteers – Employees with 25 hours or more of service each year are listed in the "Volunteer Honor Roll." The ONe Community Team Award is given to the team of top volunteers. Quarterly winners receive a $500 donation to the non-profit of their team's choice and the annual team award winner receives a $1,000 donation. Old National also awards one individual with Volunteer of the Year, who receives $1,000 to donate to the organization of their choice.
Old National's nonprofit partners are Big Brothers Big Sisters, Junior Achievement, and United Way.
Other 2011 ONe Community highlights include:
- 50% of Old National associates entered over 76,000 volunteer hours, which averaged to 57.8 hours per volunteer.
- Old National has recruited 221 nonprofits and organizations to connect with potential volunteers using VolunteerMatch tools.
- Since 2009, Old National has hosted the 100 Men Who Cook fundraiser to Indiana, where in 2011 alone they contributed 1,000 volunteer hours and raised $347,000. Old National hosted nine 100 Men Who Cook fundraisers in five regions, which benefitted the Terre Haute Children's Museum, Muncie Children's Museum, Bloomington Hospital Hospice House, Carbondale Boys & Girls Club, YWCA of Evansville, and A Better Way, Inc. of Muncie.
We commend Old National Bank for its excellent volunteer program!
Stay tuned for more finalist profiles in the coming weeks, and announcement of the winners on May 17, 2012 during the 2012 VolunteerMatch Client Summit.


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Hireko Golf Introduces New Quikfit Clubfitting System
New system is a fast, affordable and realistic solution to custom fitting
CITY OF INDUSTRY, CA – June 17, 2011 – Hireko Golf today debuted the new Quikfit Clubfitting System. The QuikFit® system is quick and affordable solution to custom clubfitting. The purpose is for fitting only (and not play) as a way to interchange heads with different shafts in order to find the right combination a customer might need. Select drivers and 6-irons are especially bored to accept the QuikFit® adapter. Each Quikfit head comes with one adapter (extra adapters sold separately).
Hireko Golf's Technical Director Jeff Summitt states, "What is the QuikFit Adapter system? It is a fast, affordable and realistic solution to custom fitting. The QuikFit Adapter system works this way. Using current Acer, Dynacraft, Power Play and iBella branded heads, the hosel is bored and threaded to accept the black anodized QuikFit adapter. The QuikFit adapter is tightened by twisting it into the hosel and resembles a professional finished club with a ferrule. The difference is once a shaft is epoxied and fully cured into the QuikFit adapter, it can be interchanged with several other heads to show how the head works in a controlled manner."
The weight of the head plus the QuikFit adapter as well as insertion depth is nearly identical to making up the same demo club the conventional way providing reliable results. Extra adapters are available so that a custom fitter can have nearly unlimited potential in providing a comprehensive fitting system that rivals any OEM fitting cart on the market today. In addition, the club fitter can pick and choose the components they want rather than what the manufacturers says that they require.
In the past, custom clubmakers have relied on storing dozens if not a hundred demo clubs to fit potentially any customer that would walk into their shop. Not only is finding ample storage and labeling the clubs easily a logistical nightmare for a shop limited on space, but there is also the high cost of a head, shaft and grip for each club. With the escalating price of shafts and even grips, providing your customer with choice is becoming cost prohibitive.
While there are options on the market to be able to interchange shafts to heads the weight, insertion depth and position the shaft seats in relationship to the ground is not the same as building the club from scratch. Consider the cost for these adapters for an iron is much more expensive than the QuikFit system which includes the head.
With the QuikFit system you can fit your customers quickly. While a QuikFit wrench is available, the shafted adapter can be screwed onto the head by hand in seconds and allow the player to hit real golf balls. The QuikFit system is affordable as you can share gripped shafts onto each QuikFit adapter. Plus this solves storage issues. A handful of shafted QuikFit adapters and a small box of heads can do the same as rack of clubs and become portable at the same time. Best of all, with the QuikFit system you can fit your customers accurately with the correct combination of head, shaft and flex from your arsenal as the customer will see the results.
The new Quikfit Clubfitting System can be purchased online at www.hirekogolf.com.


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< Idaho to Launch a Program for Medicaid Recipients
Nov 20, 2012 07:26
Category: General News
Category: General News
Minor Earthquake in Portland
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A minor earthquake with a 3.1 magnitude was recorded yesterday morning in the Portland region. The Pacific Northwest Seismic Network reports the quake at 6:15 a.m. was centered about 11 miles northwest of Portland at a depth of 12 miles. It was felt in in the outlying towns Scappoose, Oregon City and Woodburn in Oregon. There were no reports of damage.


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Wednesday, March 24, 2010
The Power of Greed
In real life, such selfishness is held in check by our relationships with people. If I'm too selfish, my wife won't love me and my friends won't like me. If I'm so selfish that I steal or rob from others, society won't like me and put me in jail. I'm taught that such selfishness is wrong and has serious costs. I'll lose respect, love, freedom and possibly even wealth.
In fairness, selfish greed is hardly the only motivator. Love, Fear, Hate, Greed, Envy and I'm sure a dozen other primal forces all war against each other to make up how we perceive the world and make decisions. Some, like Love and Fear, can be more powerful than Greed.
Even here however, it's still about self interest and need. We fear things because something will be taken away. We love something because we place it's worth above everything else. We envy because someone has something better than yours. Even hate has root causes in self interest. You hate because it causes pain, is less fun, or maybe it just takes away respect, love, freedom or power.
Not a moral judgment
I want to be clear that I'm not making any moral judgments. I am merely pointing out that self interest is the root motivator for why anyone does anything. Even a martyr who makes the ultimate self sacrifice of giving their life does so because they can't accept the alternative. Self interest, at the most base level, is the motivator for everything.
In fact, self interest is not a bad thing. It's a very necessary thing. It's what makes us care. It's why we feed ourselves. It's why we work. It's literally why we do anything – good or bad.
This entry isn't about right and wrong. It's about why people act. To understand why people act, you must first accept that the root cause is self interest. This is why I'm not an optimist about human nature. Given all possible options, a rational person will always choose the option which best serves their self-interest.
No exceptions.
That's not to say the best decision in terms of self-interest is always the most immoral choice. If someone strongly believes an act is immoral, then acting that way may not be in their best self interest. For that person, the most self-serving act might be the more moral one. An environmentalist isn't going to suddenly start littering because it's convenient. In their mind, the cost (pollution) is too high.
In other words, each individual's own sense of morality is a factor in deciding what best serves them. An immoral person, in this sense, can act in a self-serving way that is counter to the morals of society. Whereas, a moral person would find it was contrary to their self-interest to compromise their ethics.
Driving philosophy about MMOs
I wanted to articulate this philosophy of self-interest because, for me, it's a huge part of how I form my opinion on lots of MMO related topics. If I come across as cynical, this philosophy is the reason.
I don't believe people are altruistic. I think even when they behave in ways that others think are altruistic, they did it because it was the best choice for them.
It's why I'll never support the Microtransaction model. From a self-interest standpoint, the best game design for the Developer is that which pays them the most amount of money. There are factors there, like not pissing off the user base with absurd pricing, but ultimately the best design is that which encourages players to spend the most money.
It's why I don't hold Players accountable for anything and hold Developers accountable for everything. Human nature tells us that Players will take every self-serving advantage they can. It is therefore, in my opinion, the responsibility of the Developer to create the boundaries (through game design) that keep people in check. If people start acting in a way that is unintended, the blame lies with the Developer – not the Players who should be EXPECTED to act in very selfish ways.
It's why I believe a free market works, but also why I believe a free market needs some regulation. Self interest drives competition (which is good), but self interest without regulation can be abusive to consumers. Monopoly and price-fixing being the most obvious real-world examples. For MMOs, at one spectrum, I believe that social gaming (i.e. Facebook) is going to improve through competition. At the other spectrum, I think DRM and applications of Copyright law to enforce a Terms of Service contract are bad things for consumers.
It also explains the Intenet Dickwad theory (Normal Person + Anonymity + Audience = Total Dickwad). The critical component of the IDT is anonymity. By being anonymous, you are insulated from the relationships that act as a check-and-balance against extremely selfish acts.
9 comments:
- carton said...
I disagree with your assertion that self-interest is the only motivator. Empathy, which is a raw emotion and not a conscious choice, is also a strong motivator.
People often empathize with others and so are motivated to treat them the way they would like to be treated if their positions were reversed, even if they have no reason to think that will happen (positions being reversed that is).
Say you're driving down a country road with few other cars around and you see someone with a flat trying to wave down some help. You'd be lying to yourself if you didn't admit that that situation didn't evoke in you some emotional, subconscious desire to help, which has nothing to do with a desire for that person to like you more.
Now, most (who study the subject) believe that that reason empathy evolved as an emotion is because, when your species is fighting to survive in a world governed by natural selection, we need a mechanism (i.e. an emotion) to guide our behaviour in situations where the needs of the group outweigh the needs of the individual. And those situations happen all the time in nature.
However, I don't believe that the origin of the emotion would be sufficient basis to conclude that it is universally an extension of self-interest in modern contexts. Especially in the specific context of MMO environments. Certainly many behaviours in an MMO would be based on self interest, but sometimes people will just choose to follow their instinctual drive to empathize without worrying about getting anything in return.
- March 24, 2010 at 1:22 PM
- Dagda said...
I'd say there are definitely some exceptions to self-interest being the root of all motivations- particularly our ability to sublimate urges as an exercise of free will, as well as the way natural selection can lead to the impulse to sacrifice yourself for the good of your species.
However, overall I'm in agreement. The way I'd put it is that developers need to hold *themselves* accountable for everything and the players for nothing. If you're an admin, on the other hand. . .
- March 24, 2010 at 3:36 PM
- Logan said...
in the context of online games, Sid is absolutely right....
in the real world i'd estimate that 98% of the time we are follow our own self interest... in games i'd say it's closer to 99.9% of the time.
so yes there are rare exceptions in real life, but those exceptions are even more rare in gaming... so the assertion that developers should be held accountable and assume that their players are always going to follow their own self interest is perfectly legitimate.
i think the 2 posters above are trying to split hairs... they make good points, but in the context of online gaming i think sid has it exactly right.
- March 24, 2010 at 5:17 PM
- sid67 said...
Empathy, which is a raw emotion and not a conscious choice, is also a strong motivator.
Ah.. But why do we act on empathy? Why do we stop and help?
Because it makes us feel better. Because to NOT stop would be counter to our morals and the associated guilt is worse than the alternative of being late.
We may be reacting to an emotion, but we are still acting in accordance with our self interest. That self interest just doesn't have a universally applicable description to everyone. For some, the alternative to not helping when help is needed is the worse outcome.
- March 24, 2010 at 5:45 PM
- Scott said...
Sid's right on the money. Altruism is a myth. Humans are naturally selfish; we do things only for our own benefit. On the surface, some people may appear altruistic, helpful, selfless, etc. but when you get right down to it they do that because it makes *them* feel good. Ergo, they are selfless for selfish reasons and therefore not truly selfless at all. [Note: this does not downplay the value of the much-needed help that is provided, however.]
Online this gets ramped up by the IDT, as Sid also noted. The anonymity of it all pushes people over the top and true colors are displayed for all to see. In MMO's we only group if there is a tangible benefit to us as individuals; be it XP, loot, or lastly (and it *is* the last reason for the vast majority), that feeling of camaraderie.
- March 24, 2010 at 6:52 PM
- carton said...
Ah.. But why do we act on empathy? Why do we stop and help?
Because it makes us feel better.
Stretching the definition of self-interest so thin makes the phrase completely meaningless.
Emotions are distinct motivators and whenever we make a decision we are comparing different motivators; empathy encourages one course of action, anger another, self-interest another, and we evaluate those motivators and make a decision. Different people will weight those motivators differently in different contexts (i.e. "feel differently"). Declaring that all motivation is self-interest simply because we make the decision that makes us "feel better" is a useless definition of self-interest. What is really important is how we weigh those motivators and why; declaring everything self-interest is missing the point.
That doesn't mean I disagree with your evaluation of MMOs. Most MMOs encourage people to weigh self-interest far higher than other motivators. Anonymity is probably a key factor (aka the Internet Dickwad theory), and probably the fact that it is just a game is another factor.
- March 25, 2010 at 5:52 AM
- sid67 said...
I'm not stretching anything, simply explaining that ACTIONS are motivated by self-interest.
That doesn't make the emotion any less real.
It's the difference between acting and feeling. Self interest doesn't make you feel Love, Empathy, Hate, or Envy. However, if you choose to act on that emotion, you do so because of self interest.
The reason for that self interest might BE the emotion, but the act itself takes place because it serves you best at that moment.
That's an important distinction because people who feel the emotion, may not always act.
Therefore, there must be something ELSE besides the emotion that assists you in making the decision to act (or not act). That's self interest.
- March 25, 2010 at 8:30 AM
- carton said...
The reason for that self interest might BE the emotion, but the act itself takes place because it serves you best at that moment.
And how do you decide what serves you best at the moment? My argument, concisely put, is that making that decision involves the internal (often subconscious) weighing and comparing of multiple, conflicting motivations. Different people will make different decisions in the same situation. Some who feel empathy strongly may decide one way, while others who are more greedy may choose another way. In the same situation.
There is not always a fixed, external, definition of what is in a person's self-interest. Everybody decides for themselves. You may chose to help the person with the flat tire because you want to do a good deed and someone else may choose to ignore them because they fear getting robbed.
How we evaluate the importance or weight of those conflicting motivations is certainly influenced by external factors, but the final decision is still an internal choice that we all make for ourselves.
- March 25, 2010 at 10:30 AM
- Mig said...
Welcome to Objectivism Sid. Ayn Rand says Hi.
- March 25, 2010 at 11:01 AM


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Senate passes NDAA, tramples Constitution
In yet another assault on American citizens' liberties, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly voted yesterday to pass the $662 billion National Defense Authorization Act, which is not a bill that simply funds the military; it essentially voids that little part in the Constitution that guarantees American citizens the right to due process -- under the guise of fighting terrorism.
Critics of the bill point to Section 1031(c) which they say gives the federal government new powers to arrest American citizens without charge and hold them indefinitely without trial on just the suspicion of being a terrorist or linked to a terrorist organization. Some have questioned whether or not it does give authority to arrest U.S. citizens without charge or trial, but Sen. Lindsey Graham made it clear on the Senate floor that "1031, the statement of authority to detain, does apply to American citizens and it designates the world as the battlefield, including the homeland."
According to a New York Times article, Graham has also said that citizens suspected of terrorism are opening themselves up "to imprisonment and death," and added, "And when they say, 'I want my lawyer,' you tell them: 'Shut up. You don't get a lawyer. You are an enemy combatant, and we are going to talk to you about why you joined Al Qaeda.'"
U.S. Rep. Justin Amash (R-Cascade Township), called the bill "one of the most anti-liberty pieces of legislation of our lifetime."
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) fought hard to remove Section 1031 from the bill, but failed to receive enough support for his amendment. He said, "Should we err today and remove some of the most important checks on state power in the name of fighting terrorism, well, then the terrorists have won."
Two attempts to amend the offending portion of the bill were voted down, and the NDAA passed with 93 percent of the Senate's vote. The bill will now proceed to a conference committee of senators and representatives to work out differences in the versions of the bill each chamber approved. It will then land on President Obama's desk, who has threatened to veto it, but critics are skeptical.
It should also be noted that one of the senators who voted in favor of the bill because, as she said, "America is a battlefield," Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), is one of about fifteen names that Mitt Romney is considering as a potential running mate, should he win the GOP nomination.
Only seven of 100 U.S. senators had the courage to uphold their oath of office and vote against this bill; one of them thankfully came from the state of Utah. It probably won't surprise Utahns to learn that it wasn't Senator Orrin Hatch, now in his sixth term. Senator Mike Lee, newly elected in 2010 for being an advocate of our nation's founding constitutional principles, spoke out against this section of the bill. KSCG quoted Sen. Lee before the passage of the bill as saying, "Congress should make absolutely clear that the U.S. government does not have authority to detain an American citizen indefinitely without trial and proper constitutional process." Unfortunately for all Americans, Congress chose to do the opposite.
The seven senators who supported the Constitution and voted against this act are below:
Sen. Thomas Harkin (D-IA)
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)
Sen. Thomas Coburn (R-OK)
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT)
Sen. Bernard Sanders (I-VT)
Senate passes NDAA, tramples Constitution - Salt Lake City Independent | Examiner.com
My mind is exceptionally quiet.........I'm suspicious that I'm up to something I don't want myself to know about.
Didn't realize we had any left commrad.
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In town for her latest film, Aniston dined at some of the area's most delectable eateries
Jennifer Aniston has gotten quite a taste of Connecticut.
In town for the month, shooting her latest film on a Stamford set, the actress, 44, has managed to please her palate by visiting a number of popular local restaurants.
On Feb. 2, Aniston had an array of delectable items at eleven14 Kitchen, an American restaurant at J House Greenwich hotel.
According to the restaurant, as an appetizer, the star enjoyed the organic green salad with pumpkin seeds and fennel pollen in red wine vinaigrette. For an entrée, she chose the grilled Amish chicken with pearl onions, fingerling potatoes and mushrooms. For dessert, she indulged in almond dacquoise and chocolate mousse topped with gold leaf.
Sipping on gin and tonic, Aniston dressed casually in black jeans and a black and white print button-down shirt.
Valentine's Day was ever so sweet for the starlet, whose fiancé, Justin Theroux, provided her preferred meal from one of her favorite eateries in the area, Greenwich's Terra Ristorante Italiano.
PHOTOS: Predict-a-Gown: What Will Jen Wear for Her Wedding?
Aniston's order consisted of a tre coloré salad (baby salad, arugula, radicchio, shaved Parmesan and balsamic-lemon vinaigrette) and Parmesan-crusted filet of sole.
"The kitchen was closed, and we made it special for them," the restaurant's assistant manager Jean Maxine De Givenchy told PEOPLE.
Then a few days later, on Feb. 17, Aniston and Theroux, 41, headed back to New York and finally found some time to relax.
In Greenwich Village, the couple and three pals dined at Il Cantinori, where they seemed "very happy, very casual, [and] relaxed [with] lots of laughing," according to Tayma Gandur, who dined two tables away from the group.
"[It was a] calm, chatty night out with friends," Gandur says, adding that Aniston seemed very happy and content. There was no PDA, but the engaged pair snuggled and sipped on white wine.
PHOTOS: Oscar Couples Spread the Love
Also during her time in town, Aniston popped into L'Escale, the restaurant attached to the Delamar Greenwich Harbor hotel.
"She was having a cocktail," De Givenchy, who happened to run into Aniston at the spot, says. "I was surprised because she drank vodka on the rocks with a squeeze of fresh lemon [when she dined at Terra Ristorante Italiano]. At L'Escale, too, she was drinking the same thing. She was very happy, and she had some friends with her [and some people from the movie]. I [heard] her saying, 'Drink up girl, have fun!'"
For much more on Aniston and Theroux's wedding plans, their romantic Oscar night and look inside their relationship, pick up this week's issue of PEOPLE


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April 25th is the feast day of Saint Mark the Evangelist, author of the earliest canonical gospel.
Who Was St. Mark the Evangelist?
We usually identify St. Mark the Evangelist with John Mark, the son of Mary, whose house in Jerusalem was a gathering place for the twelve. His cousin was Barnabas, a Levite from Cyprus; it is thought that Mark would have shared his same roots. Mark was a disciple of St. Peter, the first pope, who referred to him as "my son Mark."
When Paul and Barnabas traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch and then on a missionary journey to Cyprus, Mark accompanied them. When Mark separated from them to return to Jerusalem, Paul lost confidence in Mark, and opposed Barnabas's desire to bring Mark on their next mission. This was the source of a a rift between Paul and Barnabas; however, Paul eventually changed his mind about Mark, who helped him during his first imprisonment. Before Paul was martyred, he urged Timothy to "get Mark and bring him with you, for he is helpful to me in the ministry" (2 Tim 4:11).
The exact details on the end of Mark's life are not known. He traveled to Alexandria, in Egypt, to evangelize, and established the Church there. Tradition holds that he became the first bishop there. A 4th century tradition says that Mark was martyred by being tied to a cart and dragged through the streets of Alexandria in 68 AD. However, since there are no reliable documents prior to that century, historians dispute the details of Mark's death.
The Gospel of Mark
The Gospel of Mark is the earliest canonical gospel, written sometime before 68-70 AD, which is the approximate time of his death, but may have been written as early as 38-40 AD. Mark's is the shortest gospel, written simply and directly. The Gospel of Mark is believed to have been intended for Roman Christians. Roman names, offices, and monetary values are included in a style that implies the reader knows them already, whereas Jewish customs are explained in a manner that implies the reader would have been unfamiliar with them. The Old Testament, which Christians of Jewish heritage would have known, is only quoted once in Mark. Additionally, terms described as Latinisms, or uses of vulgar Greek, were more common in cities such as Rome, and appear more often in Mark's gospel than in the other three.
– Adapted from the Catholic Encyclopedia and Voices of the Saints.


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The southernmost city of the Eurasian mainland, Johor Bahru is a thriving tropical hub which is home to 900,000 residents in the city centre and approximately 2million in the metropolitan area. A key economic centre within Malaysia, the city is soon to be home to a new luxury healthcare development as plans by international practice Nightingale Associates, and locally based firms Healthcare Technical Services and M&R Architects are soon to be presented to the Malaysian Ministry of Health.
Healthcare services continue to develop in terms of technical capacity, innovative design features and commercial services rendered to the final users, and this concept is no different. Two levels of retail facilities including a double-height supermarket will provide leisure outlets and amenity provisions to both patients and visitors and will act as one of three entrances to the main Centres of Excellence.
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Projecting outwards from the glazed atrium of this central base are five 'fingers' with gently convex end facades and rippled roof systems which encompass the six Centres of Excellence: oncology; cardiology; orthopaedics; general and elderly medicine; cosmetic and reconstructive; and women and children. With 400 beds throughout the new hospital complex (which will be completed in two phases beginning mid 2012) the KPJ International Specialist Hospital will cater to the needs of both domestic and international patients, offering high quality healthcare services in a luxurious setting.
Sian Disson
News Editor


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For lovers, we buy silver, gold and platinum. We are drawn to a sparkle. That's why, when precious metals are mentioned, few put steel on the list. But for farm machinery and implement manufacturers, steel is increasingly costly — and, yes, precious.
Prices of hot-rolled steel have risen 66 percent in the last eight months, to nearly $500 a ton in February, according to Greg Ibendahl, an agricultural economist at Mississippi State University in Starkville, Miss.
"There seems to be no end in sight to the higher prices. Steel is now priced at the time of delivery, something that has not happened in three decades. What's more, some suppliers are even charging $800 per ton to guarantee delivery of cold-rolled coils in April, and other mills are making delivery only at the market price in effect when the steel ships. Some other steel mills are levying surcharges and limiting orders," Ibendahl says.
Dennis Short says the 4-inch by 6-inch rectangular tubing he frequently uses in his Short Line Manufacturing business in Shaw, Miss., has jumped in price from $4 per foot quoted in the last days of 2003 to $6.43 per foot by the end of February.
"I was quoted a price of $5.54 per foot that I thought would be good for the month of February, but when I ordered a bunch of steel tubing Feb. 22 that price was no longer any good. The price for rectangular tubing jumped to $6.43 per foot by the end of February, and has increased a few more times since then," Short says.
The larger steel tubing Short uses in his business has also substantially increased in price, from $8 per foot in December to $12.22 per foot by the end of February. Blank subsoiler shanks without holes were selling for $144 at the end of the year, and are now selling for more than $200 each.
"I've seen surcharges anywhere between 5 and 11 percent for all kinds of products that have metal in them, and those added fees could still increase," Short says. "If you sold your product strictly off the iron cost, you'd be looking at a 60 percent price increase over the last few months."
Buster Jennings, owner of Jennings Welding in Indianola, Miss., says much of the steel used in his business has practically doubled in price over the last six to eight weeks.
"The steel suppliers we talk to say they expect prices to increase a while more and then level off, but nobody is projecting steel prices to drop anytime soon," Jennings says. "We're trying to keep costs down for farmers, but the fact is that it's costing everybody more."
For example, he says, a 7-inch by 7-inch square tool bar used frequently on farm implements and planters sold for $17 per foot eight weeks ago, and now it's $24.80 per foot.
Because Jennings doesn't move enough inventory to be able to afford to stockpile a lot of steel products, he says he's ordering what he needs as he needs it. "If somebody needs something I don't have, they just have to wait the few days it takes for me to get it from my suppliers."
China demand high
According to Ibendahl, much of the blame for higher steel prices is being put on China. "China's steel demand rose 38 million tons last year. This increase is more than the annual steel usage in Mexico and Canada combined, with China now consuming 31 percent of all steel worldwide."
And, it seems, China is not the only country in need of steel. As the U.S. economy recovers, more American manufacturers are in the market to buy steel, and other countries, such as South Korea, are also seeing increases in demand for the commodity. Add to that the current shortages of the raw material that produces steel and a weak U.S. dollar, and you've got a complete recipe for higher steel prices.
While many of the larger equipment companies are levying across-the-board surcharges that in some cases change daily, Short says he's not "crawfishing" on his quoted prices, and hopes that somewhere down the road his customers will remember that.
"As a farmer I've had it happen to me enough, and as long as I can eat the loss, so to speak, I'm not going back to my farmer-customers and telling them I need more money. We've agreed on a price, and I'm going to do my best to stand by that price," Short says.
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