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The death of Osama Bin Laden was a major occasion and a moment we will never forget. Now, the National Geographic Channel is hosting SEAL TEAM SIX: The Raid on Osama Bin Laden, a blockbuster film that takes you on the inside of that fateful day. This big budget movie was filmed for a theatrical release, but given its meaning for all Americans it is going to be made even more widely available on November 4th via the National Geographic Channel and then Netflix 24 hours later.
To see an exclusive trailer for this movie, check out Yahoo!
Military Heroes – U. S. Army Special Forces
Taylor Morris
Taylor Morris learned at an early age he was hooked on the outdoors, adventurous, the middle of 4 children and always the last one inside for dinner at his home in Cedar Falls, Iowa. His mother Juli recalled, "Our family took a camping trip from Niagra Falls down the East Coast one summer.
For Taylor's story…
click here.
Provided courtesy of Blackfive.net.
As many of you know, I was a helicopter pilot in VietNam and flew Hueys. I did fly MediVac missions. I could not resist featuring Ed Freeman. What an individual! Cpt. Otis
Here's the feature:
You're a 19 year old kid. You're critically wounded, and dying in the jungle in the Ia Drang Valley, 11-14-1965, LZ X-ray, Vietnam. Your infantry unit is outnumbered 8 – 1, and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 or 200 yards away, that your own Infantry Commander has ordered the MediVac helicopters to stop coming in.
You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns, and you know you're not getting out. Your family is half-way around the world, 12,000 miles away, and you'll never see them again. As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day. Then, over the machine gun noise, you faintly hear that sound of a helicopter, and you look up to see an un-armed Huey, but it doesn't seem real, because no Medi-Vac markings are on it.
Captain Ed Freeman is coming in for you. He's not Medi-Vac, so it's not his job, but he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire, after the Medi-Vacs were ordered not to come.
He's coming anyway.
And he drops it in, and sits there in the machine gun fire, as they load 3 of you on board.
Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire to the Doctors and Nurses and safety.
And, he kept coming back!! 13 more times!! And took about 30 of you and your buddies out, who would never have gotten out. No one knew until the mission was over that the Captain had been hit 4 times in the legs and left arm.
Medal of Honor Recipient, Ed Freeman, died last Wednesday, [August 20, 2008], at the age of 80, in Boise, ID…. May God rest his soul….
Click here for the article and the Medal of Honor Citation.
Courtesy of Snopes.com.
For more on Captain Freeman…
click here.
Courtesy of Find A Grave.
I cannot resist one of my favorite YouTube videos as a tribute to our military. What memories this clip evokes as it probably does for all of us ole helicopter pilots! Cpt. Otis
God's Own Lunatics
By Joe Galloway
Click here for the sound effects that accompany this memorial tribute to Ed.
Important links for updated military/defense information:
The Daily News Briefing: Today's News for the U.S. Military, their families and friends.
The Military Trivia Challenge: Register and test your knowledge about military history.
U.S. Department of Defense: Military Defense News.
During Operation Desert Storm, I was a legislative affairs officer for Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf. Often I was required to transport gifts, sent to him from patriotic Americans, from Washington, D.C., to his home base in Florida. On one trip I "escorted" a four-foot teddy bear dressed in fatigues with a name tag reading "Bear," General Schwarzkopf's nickname. As I boarded the plane, I explained my mission to the flight attendant and asked if she could store the bear in first class. She was honored to do so, and I disappeared into the coach section.
Then, just before takeoff, an announcement came over the intercom: "Colonel Preast, would you please come up to first class? We have an extra seat here for you to sit next to your teddy bear."
— David R. Preast


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The British Board of Film Classification isn't the first place that gamers expect to find research on video games and the reasons that people play them, but the BBFC has just released such a report as part of its attempt to better understand the attitudes of gamers and those who don't play them. The BBFC's even-handed report also delves into the question of game violence, but always with an eye to understanding rather than judgment. Their findings? Despite some parental fears, gamers consistently understand the distinction between the real-world and an onscreen fantasy, and don't confuse the two.
According to the report, "there is an appeal in being able to be violent without being vulnerable to the consequences which similar actions in real life would create, [and] gamers are aware that they are playing a game and that it is not real life." In fact, most gamers are bothered more by violence depicted in films and on television than in games.
Film continues to create a more compelling illusion of reality than do games; in fact, even the "interactivity" of video games can keep gamers from getting immersed in the same way, since players are continuously reminded that they are controlling the action on-screen. The report also notes that gamers are less involved emotionally in games, in part because games often stress action over character and story development.
The BBFC is not primarily a gaming regulator, but it does deal with games in the UK when they feature "adult" content. To help guide its regulation of these guides, the Board commissioned the survey of gamers, game designers, game reviewers, and parents. Many of the findings were expected: the age of gamers is climbing, men get more involved in gaming than women, and women like "strategic life simulations" while men prefer first-person shooters (or "first 'person shooters'" as the report puts it).
Gamers: Monosyllabic, pasty-faced zombies?
But what's unexpected is the subtlety with which the report looks at the gaming experience. It recognizes, for instance, that violence, "in the sense of eliminating obstacles, is built into the structure of some games and is necessary to progress through the game." And that's not necessarily a bad thing, since gamers almost never feel that the onscreen violence is making them more open to using violence. "I no more feel that I have actually scored a goal than I do that I have actually killed someone," said one participant. "I know it's not real. The emphasis is on achievement."
The report also points out that violence is one of the key ways that designers keep up tension in a game "because gamers are not just shooting, they are also vulnerable to being shot." And most players focus more on overcoming obstacles than glorying in gore for its own sake.
Parents, though they do have concerns about violence, are often just as concerned with the amount of time that games consume. "They complain that children who play a lot of games become monosyllabic and unsociable, emerging from their rooms pasty-faced and zombie-like after hours of incomprehensible engagement with a fantasy world," says the report.
That's not how gamers usually see their own gaming, of course, but some gamers interviewed for the report did express embarrassment about the amount of time that they spend in virtual worlds. Men, especially, are prone to being "sucked into" titles, playing far more than they intended. The report notes that in interviews, some gamers felt "a bit sheepish, looking back, at the amount of time they have spent playing," and the number of other tasks they did not accomplish because of it.
One caveat, though: the report's statements simply reflect the self-understanding of gamers, professionals, and parents, rather than an outside evaluation. Gamers certainly feel like violence does not affect them, but the report makes no attempt to validate this. It is designed mainly to provide understanding of why gamers enjoy games and why others worry about them, but continued empirical research is necessary to find out what is in fact the case when it comes to desensitization and violent behavior.
The report is lengthy but well worth reading, if only to see a model of how to seek understanding before leaping to polemical conclusions.

subset: commoncrawl


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The National Biodiesel Accreditation Program is a cooperative and voluntary program for the accreditation of producers and marketers of biodiesel fuel called BQ-9000®. The program is a unique combination of the ASTM standard for biodiesel, ASTM D6751, and a quality systems program that includes storage, sampling, testing, blending, shipping, distribution, and fuel management practices.
BQ-9000® is open to any biodiesel manufacturer, marketer or distributor of biodiesel and biodiesel blends in the United States and Canada. BQ-9000 GOALS To promote the commercial success and public acceptance of biodiesel.
To help assure that biodiesel fuel is produced to and maintained at the industry standard, ASTM D6751.
BQ-9000® helps companies improve their fuel testing and greatly reduce any chance of producing or distributing inadequate fuel. To receive accreditation, companies must pass a rigorous review and inspection of their quality control processes by an independent auditor. This ensures that quality control is fully implemented.


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Fast and Loose Chains by Whit Haydn and Chef Anton
The perfect chain for any endless chain swindle, these beautiful five-foot lengths of steel chain feature the French Rope design. Available in gold or nickel and include suede drawstring bag.
The 44-page booklet that Darwin Ortiz has stated as "the definitive work" on the endless chain scam. A must-have for anyone interested in performing this classic swindle, Chef Anton and Whit Haydn detail the history, psychology and applications to magic in this fully-illustrated booklet.
The DVD - Complete instruction and performance of the classic "Fast and Loose" gambling scam. All the details fully explained plus two complete routines performed by Whit Haydn and Chef Anton.
The moves, the type of chain to use, the lay down of the chain, the "selling of the lie," the come-ons, the proofs, the hooks (why laymen find it so fascinating).
Do you own this product? Write a review.


text: 15 Jun 2015 10:30 Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has urged the European Commission to embrace "bold, exciting and world-leading reforms" as part of the Strategic Aviation Package to overhaul Europe's air transport industry. Airline lodges detailed submission to European Commission's review of European air transport policy Says aviation is "global, not local", and urges EC to put competition and consumers first in Strategic Aviation Package Calls for easing of restrictions on market access and investments by non-European airlines In a detailed submission to the Commission, the airline advocates a policy which actively facilitates competition and consumer choice, addresses critical shortfalls in aviation infrastructure and eases restrictions on market access and investments by non-European airlines. Etihad Airways says: "We welcome the opportunity to contribute to this important process, given our significant operations into Europe and our investments in a number of European carriers. We believe that this gives us a unique perspective on the current regulatory environment in Europe, as well as a sense of what needs to change in order to ensure a vibrant and competitive industry in the future. "The Strategic Aviation Package proposed by the European Commission represents a significant 'window of opportunity' to strengthen the European air transport sector as an economic and social enabler, and a key driver of growth, through bold, exciting and world-leading initiatives which improve the efficiency of the industry and increase global flight connectivity." Etihad Airways proposes nine principles for progress:1. Put competition and consumers at the forefront of policy development;2. Think globally, not locally;3. Ensure that connectivity is at the heart of EU aviation and transport policy;4. Support innovation in business models, and not artificially constrain them;5. Promote transparency, efficiency and legal certainty in order to attract external investment;6. Take a holistic approach to security;7. Tackle regulatory obstacles and infrastructure inefficiencies, and fully reflect Better Regulation practices;8. Encourage structural reforms in the air transport industry, and;9. Promote open skies. The airline supports its submission with expert research from three global consultancies, Oxford Economics, Edgeworth Economics and The Risk Advisory Group. Oxford Economics conducted a major economic impact study which shows that Etihad Airways' core operations and capital spending in 2015 alone will support over 51,200 European jobs and contribute €3.3 billion to the EU's GDP. The report also shows that in 2015, Etihad Airways will contribute €1.7 billion to EU GDP through connectivity improvements. The Risk Advisory Group prepared an analysis of the state support received by European flag carriers prior to and following their privatisation. While Etihad Airways does not challenge the European system, it seeks to demonstrate that this system has created a distorted playing field for new entrants. Edgeworth Economics conducted an analysis of competition and connectivity in the European air travel industry which showed significant growth in flights and demand between Europe and the key regions served by Etihad Airways, as well as the competition and connectivity impact of Etihad's equity investments and codeshare partnerships. The full content of these studies can be accessed by visiting www.keeptheskiesopen.com Contacto Como aerolínea verdaderamente internacional, contamos con una presencia auténticamente global. Cómo ponerse en contacto con su oficina de Etihad más cercana. Ver información de contacto Observaciones Si desea enviarnos un comentario, una felicitación o una reclamación, o simplemente hacernos una pregunta, pulse aquí Déle a «Me gusta». ¡Visite nuestra página de Facebook! Véanos ¡Visite nuestro canal de YouTube! Síganos Etihad Airways | Ofertas Etihad | Ayuda Etihad | Recompensas Etihad


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Our client list is a Who's Who of Manufacturing. For them, we've produced real tangible and sustained operating results including: improved on time delivery, reduced working capital investments, reduced manufacturing costs, improved process flows, better company communication and coordination, and increased supply chain flexibility. We've helped or clients put in place processes that get their people working together in ways they did before.
Inventory down by 40-75% and customer delivery performance up.


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Twelve percent of Americans are willing to pay more for greener electronics, according to a Forrester Research survey of 5,000 people. The study forecast that electronics companies will learn to target this segment of the population, equivalent to 25 million consumers.
The report broke down shoppers into three categories: "bright" green, green, and un-green. Another 41 percent may care about environmental woes, but not enough to pay more for greener gadgets, while green issues were of little or no concern to another 47 percent of people surveyed.
"Bright" green consumers are otherwise known by the marketing acronym LOHAS, which stands for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability. Generally well-off, well-read and particular about what they buy, their predecessors include those who may have bought tofu from a "health food store" before Whole Foods ushered in an era of eco-supermarkets and Wal-Mart stocked organic broccoli.
However, in electronics there is no equivalent green brand to Whole Foods. Green labels on gadgets are not prominent, and products made by companies with ecologically aware practices generally don't cost more than others. People interested in buying more efficient products will see the EnergyStar seal on products. EPEAT ratings of energy-efficient electronics, on the other hand, do not mark goods in stores.
The latest Greenpeace guide to greener electronics, released quarterly since August 2006, gave low marks last week to Nintendo, Philips and Microsoft. Apple, long the target of a Greenpeace campaign, improved its ranking. LG Electronics, HP and Sony also made significant gains in the environmental watchdog's rankings.


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I've recently started studying the $k\cdot p$ method for describing electronic bandstructures near the centre of the Brillouin zone and I've been finding it hard to find any pedagogical references on the subject.
In every paper I read there's simply a statement of the Hamiltonian and it is followed by the definition of the matrix elements. However, nowhere have I been able to find a source that derives (in full) the actual matrix.
I've been reading the original 1955 paper by Luttinger and Kohn, as well as Physics of Photonic Devices by S.L. Chaung and the book on the $k\cdot p$ method by Van Voon, but in all cases, only a run up is given and the calculation of the actual matrix elements is not given.
This may not seem like such a big deal, but it is to a first timer when you have to try and work through the calculations yourself. With no guide, I have been able to derive some of the matrix elements, but that's using my own intuition as to which matrix elements of the momentum operator vanish and/or are equal to others and I'm not sure that I'm right.
A single pedagogical reference would be useful to confirm or dispel some of the things I believe to be true and would be very helpful for me to continue.


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Explore our collection of small leather goods, designed for your everyday essentials.
My MulberryPlease sign in to your Mulberry Account to save items to your Wishlist.
Having an account with Mulberry will allow you access to:
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To the editor:
I am a Christian who believes that the Bible is not only the word of God, but also it is God's words. I also believe public school is the wrong place for teaching creationism. Parents and church are responsible for the spiritual teaching and guidance of the child.
I sent my children to school to learn the three R's—readin', 'ritin' and 'rithmetic. The spiritual teaching came from our church and within our home and the way we lived our daily lives for God.
If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the The Brunswick Beacon, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below.
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Retreatment for recurrent prostate cancer
Dear OncoLink "Ask The Experts,"
A 62 year old friend of mine had a prostatectomy (age 57) for a grade 6 Gleason tumor 5 years ago. His PSA has increased from undetectable (<0.1ug/ml) to 0.2ug in the past year. His surgical specimen 5 years ago showed what appeared to be a positive surgical margin however he decided not to proceed with adjuvant radiotherapy. Would you consider salvage radiotherapy in this man? If so, at what PSA value? When would you advocate additional tests? Do you use a higher then conventional dose of radiation and would you radiate the pelvic bed as well in a Gleason 6 tumor?
Richard Whittington, MD, Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, responds:
We have a paper awaiting final publication regarding this issue. We have had about 10% of men have a PSA reach 0.2 ng/ml and spontaneously resolve without therapy. We don't know why for sure, but we think the small bump in PSA comes from urethral glands and may be associated with inflammation. A man with a focally positive margin at prostatectomy only has a 20% risk of recurrence anyway. I have one man that had a PSA of 0.3 ng/ml right after passing a kidney stone that also cleared, so my threshold to treat is 0.4 ng/ml. The salvage rate is 65% when the PSA is less than 1.0 ng/ml, although Kupelian in Cleveland argues that 1.5 ng/ml PSA's are also OK. For a PSA of 4 ng/ml there is only a 14% salvage and 0% for a PSA >10.0 ng/ml. It seems that many of these men metastasize from the recurrence and not the initial tumor.
As for the work up, we recommend a bone scan and CT to rule out distant metastasis and positive lymph nodes. Biopsy is useful if it is positive but even if negative, we treat the prostate bed. The likelihood the PSA will fall when we treat the bed after a negative biopsy of the bed/anastamosis is 97%, with 91% developing an undetectable PSA and 65% free of relapse 8 years later. With a positive biopsy we do about the same. The prognositc factors are important. The good factors are a time to recurrence >18 mos, a PSA < 1.0 ng/ml, A Gleason Score of 7 or less, and a positive margin or extracapsular extension.
If this gentleman has recurred, and I am not sure he has, he has every reason to be optimistic. I looked at the data from Wisconsin that uses adjuvant RT in this setting versus salvage RT as we do and I don't think there is any difference in survival or disease free survival by waiting until there is biochemical evidence of recurrence. If you treat everybody, it looks better, but out of 100 men they treat 100 and 95 are cured. For the same 100 men we would treat 20 and cure 15 and the surgery cures 80. So either way, 95 are alive and well but only 20 have radiation side effects which include a 5% risk of rectal ulcer and a 1% risk of worsening continence. The dose of radiation is actually lower then patients that never had surgery. We treat only the prostate bed and anastamosis to a dose of 66 Gy as opposed to 78 Gy in definitive cases. With this regimen, the risk of palpable recurrence in the bed is 0 out of 189. With 60 Gy I had 2 recurrences in the fossa in 10 patients. Nothing magic about the dose other than 60 Gy isn't enough and 66Gy isn't too much. Hope this helps.


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Dan Walters
Dan Walters: Senate passes bill to make electricity even more expensive
There are probably a few people living off the grid in the backcountry of California, but the other 38 million of us depend on our local utilities for electric power.
That makes us stakeholders in how that energy is produced, distributed and priced – the latter accounting for many, many billions of dollars.
One would think that the nearly universal experience of buying electricity – not to mention its indispensable economic importance – would make politicians reluctant to mess with it.
But one would be wrong. The Capitol's denizens incessantly tinker with the state's power system, usually in ways that cost consumers more money. And it's why Californians are already paying power rates that are among the nation's very highest and headed even higher very soon.
The classic example is what happened in 1996 when both houses of the Legislature voted unanimously for a misnamed, misbegotten monstrosity called "deregulation" without truly considering its downside risks.
Within a few years, one major utility had been driven into bankruptcy, another escaped insolvency by a hair's breadth, blackouts plagued the state and eventually, utility rates were jacked up to pay for the debacle.
A decade later, the Legislature tinkered once again by decreeing that utilities must acquire much of their juice from "renewable sources" in the name of lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Eventually, it became a hard goal of one-third of the supply by 2020.
The decree forced utilities to make deals mostly with purveyors of wind and solar power at costs substantially above those from conventional sources, such as natural-gas-fired generation plants – costs that are pushing our utility rates even higher.
But wait, as the television pitchman says, there's more.
Last month, the state Senate approved Senate Bill 1139 by Sen. Ben Hueso, D-San Diego, which would compel utilities, on top of the renewable mandate, to acquire another 500 megawatts of power from geothermal sources, which is even more expensive than wind and solar power.
It's clearly designed to benefit geothermal producers around the Salton Sea, which is in Hueso's district, at the expense of consumers throughout the state.
Well, not quite. Just before the Senate vote, Hueso amended the bill to apply only to private utilities, such as San Diego Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas and Electric, and exempt municipal utilities.
Why? Because Los Angeles politicians ramped up the political heat, threatening to block the bill unless their Department of Water and Power and other municipal utilities were left out of the costly mandate to buy geothermal power.
It's another example of how politicians fiddle with the power grid and make the rest of us – some of us, anyway – pay for it.


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text: Home Services Specialized Programs Women's Center Breast Health Share + Breast Health Breast Cancer Care Conference Being newly diagnosed with breast cancer is a stressful scary moment. The Washington Women's Center in cooperation with your physician wishes to support you and your family during this stressful time by providing educational opportunities about your diagnosis. The Breast Cancer Care Conference is a learning opportunity for you and your family that compliments your regular doctor visits and treatments. Comprehensive Breast Care We provide the diagnostic tools to give your doctors the data they need to make a diagnosis. Then working as a "team" with your doctors, we give you the information, education and support you and your family need. Free Breast Self Exam Instruction Do you know how to check your breasts each month? Would you like to learn? Meet with our nurse educator and learn how to do self breast exam. You will watch a short video and then practice with a breast model. By appointment only. Please allow 20 - 30 minutes. Location: Washington Women's Center 1st Floor, Washington West, suite 150 2500 Mowry Ave., Fremont, CA Call (510) 818-7356 to reserve an appointment or email: firstname.lastname@example.com Breast Tumor Board Our Breast Tumor Board provides your physicians a time to discuss your results from each specialty's expertise, thus offering you treatment options based on an interdisplinary approach. Specialty participation includes radiologists, pathologists, surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, primary physicians, gynecologists and plastic surgeons. Genetic Counseling, Testing and Risk Assessment The Washington Cancer Genetics Program is a collaboration between Washington Hospital and UCSF Medical Medical Center. The program offers genetic counseling for individuals concerned with the risk of an inherited cancer predisposition. The clinic staff includes genetic counselors, medical oncologists and registered nurses. Surgical Services No one wants to hear that they need breast surgery. For women who need a mastectomy or partial mastectomy, there are several options for what can be done to recreate shape in the modified area(s). Working together to deliver the latest surgical techniques, our surgeons and plastic surgeons offer many surgical options for breast cancer surgery. Reconstructive surgery encompasses various procedures. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) suggests that you consult with a plastic surgeon before your mastectomy, even if reconstruction will be considered later on. The optimal time for this surgery is at the same time as your mastectomy. Your plastic surgeon is able to form a breast mound by using an implant or by using tissues from another part of the body. Radiation Treatment The Radiation Oncology Center (ROC) offers patients access to leading edge treatment planning and treatment delivery systems offering the latest advances in radiation therapy. These resources allow the ROC to develop treatment plans based on three-dimensional images of the tumor and surrounding tissue. A dose of radiation can then be prescribed and delivered with multidirectional beams that not only improve the accuracy and effectiveness of the treatment, but also limit the dose and minimize injury to the surrounding tissues. Click on this link to learn more about the Radiation Oncology Center. We offer many options to obtain the support you need as a woman when given the diagnosis of cancer. Reach to Recovery Volunteers Women who have experienced breast cancer visit, inform, and support new breast cancer patients. Talking with a Reach to Recovery volunteer, who has fully adjusted to her breast cancer surgery and treatment experience can offer comfort and give you an opportunity to express feelings, verbalize fears, concerns and ask questions from an impartial and objective person. These volunteers work closely with the Washington Women's Center coordinator and have been specially trained by the American Cancer Society. We try to "match" you with a woman of similar age and diagnosis. There are many ways to access this support. You can ask any doctor on your team, the Women's Center coordinator or contact the American Cancer Society. All referral information is private and confidential. Breast Cancer Support Group Our Breast Cancer Support Group Is an informal group of women meeting to discuss living with breast cancer. Peer-to-peer support with periodic guest speakers covers the full range of information you may need. Look Good Feel Better Cancer treatments often cause changes in the condition of women's skin and hair. Our Look Good … Feel Better® staff of cosmetologists work with you, one-on-one, to address the personal changes you are experiencing. Join us for this opportunity to receive free products and advice in a supportive and pampering environment. You can look good and feel better! Sponsored by the American Cancer Society; you must call (800) 227-2345 to reserve your space. Follow this link to the American Cancer Society website for more information. Bras for Body and Soul This is a specialty shop for women, with bra sizes for every woman, sizes AA to N. Women of every size shape and circumstance can benefit from the shop's services, which cater to women who have undergone breast surgery, as well as those who are just seeking a comfortable fit. The shop provides swimsuits, prostheses, wigs, hats and scarves. Personal fittings are available for your privacy and convenience. Breast health seminars are held to foster understanding among health professionals, women's groups and others about breast care, as well as the proper fitting of bras and prostheses. To learn more, call (510) 790-1911 or visit the HERS Breast Cancer Foundation website at hersbreastcancerfoundation.org. The shop is located at 2500 Mowry Ave., suite 130, Fremont, CA.


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Our high-capacity, low discharge SuperSportXL range is perfect for ultra-high capacity and demanding electric flying power. Ideal for use in UAV/multicopter applications, among many others.
CineStar 8
Gryphon X8
Align M690L
Kopterworx Hammer X8
All of our Overlander SuperSportXL Lipoly batteries are designed with optimal performance in mind. In order to ensure longevity and reliability, our batteries are manufactured using the superior 'stacking' method, which provides you with reliable capacity and consistent power. They come equipped with high quality silicone leads that are able to minimise resistance and sustain high currents. Great value without the loss of performance!
Our SuperSportXL packs are designed and constructed in the UK by Overlander's trained operatives who conform to our stringent best practices and procedures. Overlander battery packs have always been of a very high quality at a reasonable price.
► Capacity: 22000mAh
► Voltage: 8S1P / 8 Cell / 29.6V
► Discharge: 20C Constant / 35C Burst
► Weight: 3496g
► Dimensions: 202x97x95mm
► Balance Plug: JST-XH
► Connector: None*
*XT90, EC5 or AS150 connectors can be added upon request for an additional £1.
Our SuperSportXL range is tried and tested, and recognised as offering consistent power and durability, being used by enthusiasts new and old to the hobby yielding exceptional results. It's no wonder why our batteries are the choice of champions and record breakers.
Overlander is proud to work in conjunction with the renowned Fullymax to produce our LiPo cells. The production process for these cells is fully automatic and completed in a dust free atmosphere using uniformity and conformity. As a result, with Overlander you're guaranteed to receive the high-quality, top-performing batteries that you expect.


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Hurricanes don't strike often, but in a coastal area, it is important that all residents be aware of the possibility and prepared to take necessary steps in case a hurricane threatens. Hurricane season is June 1 through November 30.
Click on the image on the right for the latest from the National Hurricane Center.
The following terms are helpful to know:
Palm Beach Atlantic University has plans in place to help students, faculty and staff prepare for the approach of a tropical storm or hurricane. Our plans include:
University information is communicated through several official sources: e-mail listservs, the PBA website (www.pba.edu), campus cable system, campus telephone system, information lines, the main PBA Facebook page and the main PBA Twitter account.
Employees: Call 803-2088 or 1-800-299-6483
Students, parents, public: Call 1-800-400-5076
Click on the links below for the latest from the major Palm Beach County media outlets:
What you can do now:


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1200 O'Brien St., North Bay, ON, Canada, P1B 9B3
Phone: (705) 476-5400 Fax: (705) 476-1295
Supports Green Practices
"Supports Green Initiatives" designates a hotel's participation in an optional environmental program that includes the use of energy-efficient lighting, guestroom towel/linen re-use, and on-premise recycling. "Supports Green Initiatives" does not represent an official certification of any kind.
Join free while you book
There is no catch. Join for free, and get access to exclusive perks!
Access to exclusive promotions and low, member-only pricing
10 points per dollar that add up fast... for free nights, gift cards or your dream getaway
Instant extra rewards for your weekday travel
Exclusive flexible rate for Choice Privileges members when you book direct at ChoiceHotels.ca or through the Choice Hotels Mobile App. Valid at most International and U.S. Choice Hotels locations. Must be or become a Choice Privileges member prior to making the booking. Discount rate is non-transferable or redeemable for cash, cannot be used for future stays or existing reservations and may not be combined with other promotions, offers or discounts. Unless otherwise stated, quoted rates are per room, per night, based on single/double occupancy and do not include taxes, gratuities or incidental charges. Early departure fees, deposit and cancellation restrictions may apply and will vary by hotel. Not valid at vacation rental properties.
Located minutes from Jack Garland Airport, the Comfort Inn® Airport is at Highways 11 & 17 and close to many of North Bay's attractions, including Laurentian Ski Hill, the Northgate Shopping Centre, the North Bay Mall and Nipissing University.
North Bay is surrounded by beautiful lakes, rivers and forests, offering guests endless recreational activities including golf, fishing, hunting and hiking. Groups will enjoy waterfront activities including cruises on the Chief Commanda.
Spacious guest rooms at this North Bay hotel feature hair dryers, ironing equipment, coffee makers and cable television. Some rooms come equipped with refrigerators. Handicap accessible and non-smoking rooms are available.
Visiting business travellers appreciate conveniences like the on-site business centre.
Guests of the Comfort Inn hotel enjoy high-value premium amenities including:
Check-In Time: 14:00 Check-Out Time: 11:00 Guest Rooms: 57


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Every RPG has a hero. He or she can be brave, moody and ridiculously good looking, but for the most part, the hero is always willing to do the bidding of others. DeathSpank is a satirical action RPG from the creator of Monkey Island that packs epic loot drops and a naive, well-meaning protagonist, who shares the game's title as a name. Still, our DeathSpank turns out to be more of an errand boy than a hero. His goal of finding a mysterious object dubbed "The Artifact" requires him to help others out along the way. On your journey, you perform stereotypical RPG tasks such as killing a lot of nasty monsters, getting better equipment and leveling up.
The first thing I noticed about DeathSpank is its unique art style. The world and character models are in three dimensions, but the scenery is all 2D. It's charming and really helps showcase the game's whimsical feel. DeathSpank also makes great use of color, so the land is filled with vibrant, distinctive regions like the cotton candy pink Enchanted Forest and the dark, gloomy Haunted Forest. Each area has its own set of wacky monsters to destroy that range from Savage Unicorns to Bearlopes (a bear/antelope hybrid).
When I was done marveling at the visuals, the dialogue took center stage as it is extremely amusing. Humor is definitely DeathSpank's crown jewel. If you've ever wondered whether or not chickens have lips or what occupation a retired World of Warcraft character would have, then look no further. The dialogue menu is similar to Monkey Island – your list of conversation options shows up on the bottom half of the screen and you pick what your hero will say. It's fun to choose bizarre dialogue paths and see where they go in this game.
Still, I was slightly letdown by the side missions. Dubbed "Unimportant Things I Need to Do," they seemed appropriately named. Because Monkey Island is known for its puzzles as well as its humor, I was expecting more puzzle-centric quests. However a vast majority of the "Unimportant Things" followed the same formula as the main missions — fetching ingredients and items or happily slaying monsters on behalf of other people. Granted, this is what most RPG's deliver, but I was expecting a bit more given the developer's background. Quest givers can hand out task after task, which can get extremely tedious. Still, I completed every mission (both side and main) in around eight hours, so there are plenty of tasks to finish.
In a hack 'n slash game like this, it's easy to get bored if you're swinging the same sword around for hours on end. Thankfully, the combat system in DeathSpank evolves as you progress through the game. Every weapon is assigned to one of the controller's face buttons, and you can equip whatever you'd like in those slots. Want four swords? Want some crossbows mixed with cleavers? It's all up to you. As you kill things dead, you fill up your "Justice meter," represented by the monster holding the health and experience bars in his teeth onscreen. When the monster becomes purple with rage, you can unleash a devastating attack to destroy those around you. Eventually, you're unlocking these things called Runestones and combining weapons to decimate your enemies. This progression and customization keeps battles interesting.
It may look peppy, but the Enchanted Forest will mess you up.
Killing monsters is always good fun, but what's even better is the stuff they leave behind. The variety of weapons, armor and items is another place this game really shines. There are cleavers, swords, sticks, chicken cannons, poop hammers, elemental axes, crossbows, protection orbs, spell orbs, potions and more that all come complete with awesome names and individual properties. Getting new weapons and armor is always a thrill, and it's fun to mix up what you have to try and get the best combination of weapons and the coolest armor. That said, it's not always easy to compare and contrast your inventory. Although there's a color coded system to see what equipment is best, there's not simple way to compare actual stats. Of course, for the lazy folks there's an "auto equip" option that will put the best gear on DeathSpank, but where's the fun in that?
If you prefer to explore with a partner, you can have someone join your game locally as DeathSpank's sidekick, Sparkles the Wizard (my favorite name in the whole game). Sparkles has a few spells at his disposal — healing, self-cloning, and fire — all of which require time to regenerate after they've been used, but you can spam a basic purple shot of magic. Sparkles is a step up from normal "girlfriend" mode co-op but not quite a full-fledged featured because he shares a health bar and isn't customizable. It's not super-appealing to play as the sidekick, so it's doubtful that a friend would want to join you.
DeathSpank does suffer from some slowdown on both consoles during large battles, though the Xbox 360 version is a little less noticeable. This is likely due to the fact that the only times you see a loading screen are when you enter a building or fast travel via Outhouse. Slowdown could be pretty persistent when I unlocked the whole map, but it never ruined the game for me. Although the Xbox 360 version seems to run a little better, the D-pad is frustratingly imprecise, and I found myself accidentally using up potions when I went to select a chicken leg instead.
Closing Comments
If you like sweet loot, hacking things to death, looking at beautiful landscapes and laughing at good writing, you might want to pick up DeathSpank. However, although the game shines in many areas, it does have its flaws. Questing can turn into a noticeable chore, and I would have gladly substituted some of the "go fetch" missions in favor of some more brainteasers. Still, DeathSpank is a fun adventure worth exploring.


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A third costly loss for the embattled porn trolls at Prenda Law has been made official. On Thursday, the judge in a San Francisco case called AF Holdings v. Navasca held a hearing regarding whether or not Prenda, which had already given up on the case itself, should be required to pay attorneys' fees. US District Judge Edward Chen spoke with Prenda lawyer Paul Duffy by telephone. He asked why he shouldn't award attorney's fees to defense lawyer Nicholas Ranallo.
It was Duffy's last chance, and apparently he blew it. Yesterday Chen issued a 9-page order requiring AF Holdings, essentially a Prenda shell, to pay a total of $22,531.93 in fees and costs. That's just slightly less than the $23,554 Ranallo had asked for.
The fee order is yet another dig at Prenda's shoddy methods of doing business. "AF's case was frivolous and objectively unreasonable in that it never presented any evidence... to support its claim that it has standing," began Chen. "[T]he signature by Alan Cooper appears to have been a forgery, as Judge [Otis] Wright concluded in his recent sanctions order. In its papers, AF suggests that there was no forgery... but this is sheer speculation."
There were other problems with AF's behavior too. The case "was not based in an adequate factual investigation." Navasca lives in a house with several other family members, and Prenda lawyers fingered him as the alleged infringer "simply because he best fit the demographic that is attracted to its content." After the judge noted that other members of Navasca's family also fit that profile, AF changed tack, arguing that "Mr. Navasca was the likely infringer because he works in technical support at a gaming company and is the most knowledgeable person in the household about computers."
Then Chen moved into Prenda's litigation behavior, which featured unnecessary "emergency motions" and claims of spoliation (Navasca's use of the CCleaner program) that never had much to them.
"AF's business model was to sue people for downloading pornography in order to coerce settlements," continued Chen. And despite Duffy's protestations to the contrary, Chen remains very concerned that Prenda did indeed plant links to its own porn on The Pirate Bay to induce downloading:
Mr. Navasca has offered evidence—the Neville declarations—which indicate that persons affiliated with AF used the alias "sharkmp4" to post links on the Pirate Bay website to many of the copyrighted works in order to induce users to download the works so that they could then be sued for copyright infringement. This evidence corroborates Judge Wright's finding that the motivation for this and similar suits is to sue and coerce settlement.
The Court acknowledges that AF has in its brief attacked the Neville declarations as unreliable on various grounds... But notably, what AF has not done is offer any counter-evidence such as a declaration from Mr. Steele in which he denies that he is "sharkmp4" or other evidence that AF did not take steps to induce users to download the subject works. This evidence could easily have been offered by AF as a part of its opposition brief. AF's failure to submit any factual denial under oath is telling.
Prenda can appeal this order, but last time it tried to appeal, it didn't manage to pay the filing fee.
This fee order is just for losing the case. Copyright law has more liberal fee-shifting rules than other areas of litigation. Chen has also agreed to hear a separate motion regarding whether or not AF Holdings/Prenda should be sanctioned, as well. The sanctions argument has not yet been fully briefed.


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Latest media releases
Individual salary increases at UBS
As of 1 March 2003, UBS will increase the total payroll for its employees and middle management staff working in Switzerland by 0.9%.
The UBS employer representatives and the Employee Representation Committee have reached the following agreement:
UBS will make available 0.9% of the corresponding total payroll for individual, performance and function-related salary increases on the Swiss market for employees and middle management staff. As in previous years, the adjustments come into effect on 1 March.
All UBS employees and middle management staff whose performance has fully met the set objectives are in addition eligible for inclusion in the performance and results-related bonus process.
Zurich / Basel, 31 October 2002


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Amazon is launching a service that will enable couriers to open customers' front doors and leave deliveries inside.
Called Amazon Key, the new system combines an app, home security camera and a smart lock that couriers will be able to unlock via the app once they have scanned the package to confirm its arrival.
Users will receive a notification to their phone when a delivery driver arrives and can choose to watch the drop-off live on their smartphone via the cloud-connected camera.
The online retail giant is launching the service in some parts of the US in November and is selling an Amazon Key starter kit - including a camera and smart lock - for 250 dollars (£188).
The service is currently being advertised only for Amazon's Prime scheme members.
"Amazon Key gives customers peace of mind knowing their orders have been safely delivered to their homes and are waiting for them when they walk through their doors," said Peter Larsen, the firm's head of delivery technology.
"Now, Prime members can select in-home delivery and conveniently see their packages being delivered right from their mobile phones."
The company said that each time a delivery driver requests access to a customer's home, Amazon will verify that the correct driver is at the right address, at the correct time and with the correct package using an encrypted system.
The technology giant confirmed that the Key system will also be compatible with other services, such as cleaners and dog walkers, with home owners able to grant them access when not at home.
The Seattle-based firm has trialled a range of alternative methods of delivering parcels to customers, including running a test of drone delivery - known as Prime Air - in Cambridgeshire.


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Sessional Trainer - Painting and Decorating (Sites Across Surrey)
- Recruiter
- Novus
- Location
- Banstead, Surrey
- Salary
- £22.42 per hour (subject to job evaluation)
- Posted
- 11 Sep 2017
- Closes
- 02 Oct 2017
- Ref
- 3630
- Subject Area
- Property and Maintenance
- Job Level
- Trainer / Assessor / Verifier
- Contract Type
- Temporary
Are you a Trainer looking for sessional work?
For more than two decades, Novus has been delivering education, training and employment opportunities to adults and young people in UK prisons.
Over the years we have built a reputation as an innovator in the fight to reduce re-offending rates by transforming people's lives through learning and skills.
We have many fantastic opportunities across our UK wide establishments to join our education teams as a Sessional Trainer - Vocational. We are looking for Trainers in a wide range of subjects including Construction, Plumbing, Painting and Decorating and Hospitality and Catering on a Sessional (ADHOC) basis. The purpose of these roles is to deliver high quality, learner focused vocational training to meet contractual requirements and Awarding Body standards.
To do this successfully you'll need to:
- Have experience in your vocational specialism.
- Hold at least a Level 2 qualification in Literacy and Numeracy.
- Hold a Level 3 subject specific qualification.
- Have a commitment to gain an assessor award required by relevant Awarding Bodies
Applicants must demonstrate in their application their ability to meet the key responsibilities, key result areas and Qualifications/Skills and Experience detailed within the role profile.
Successful candidates will be required to undertaking vetting for these roles.
Novus is an equal opportunities employer welcoming applications from all sections of the community. All roles are subject to job evaluation.


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General and Pediatric Otolaryngology Ear, Nose & Throat Care
Yale Otolaryngology (ENT) provides world-class care for diseases related to auditory function, speech and swallowing behavior, taste and oral pain syndromes, progression of sinonasal inflammatory disease, and head and neck cancer.
The Section of Otolaryngology is composed of otolaryngologists and a highly skilled support staff including speech pathologists and audiologists. All physicians are board certified in ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgery.
As part of the Yale Cancer Center, the Yale Head and Neck Services team offers expert care for tumors of the skull base and other malignancies of the head and neck. A collaborative approach with other disciplines such as plastic surgery, dermatology, radiation therapy, oncology and oral surgery offers the most effective treatment options for diseases affecting the nose, sinuses, larynx and pharynx and for maxillo-facial injuries.
The Yale Sinus and Allergy Program is a multidisciplinary service offered by ENT specialists and allergists. A dedicated ENT subspecialist concentrates exclusively on the treatment of pediatric otolaryngology cases. These children are cared for in the Pediatric Specialty Center and Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital.


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Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research
versão On-line ISSN 2219-0635
versão impressa ISSN 0030-2465
Onderstepoort j. vet. res. vol.79 no.2 Pretoria Jan. 2012
Identification of the plague reservoir in an endemic area of Zambia
Bernard M. Hang'ombeI; I. NakamuraII; D. KaileIII; A.S. MweeneI; K.L. SamuiI; B.S. KilonzoIV; H. SawaII; C. SugimotoII; B. WrenV
ISchool of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zambia, Zambia
IIResearch Center for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Japan
IIINamwala District Medical Officer, Namwala District, Zambia
IVSokoine University of Agriculture, United Republic of Tanzania
VSchool of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
Yersinia pestis, the bacterial agent of plague, is primarily a parasite of wild rodents that persists in permanent, discrete enzootic foci throughout the world. The disease is transmitted in humans by bites from fleas of wildlife rodent species. Therefore surveillance is the ultimate public health solution through plague detection in domestic dogs, other carnivores and wild rodents. The investigations of die-offs amongst plague-susceptible colonial rodents are also significant to determine the presence of Y. pestis in a susceptible population.
This study details the identification of the plague reservoir in a suspected endemic area of Zambia. The study was undertaken through rodent investigation for the presence of Y. pestis. A total of 105 rodents were sampled routinely and during a suspected plague period. On dissection 4 (3.81%, 95% CI: 1.23-10.0) rodents sampled during an outbreak showed signs of spleen enlargement. The blood, liver, lymph nodes and spleen of each rodent were subjected to culture on 6% sheep blood agar and MaCconkey agar. Colonies obtained were identified as Y. pestis by colony morphologic features, biochemical profiles, mouse inoculation assay and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The PCR primers used targeted the Y. pestis plasminogen activator gene, chromosomal ferric iron uptake regulation gene and the outer membrane protein B gene.
The isolates were also subjected to antibiotic sensitivity tests using the disk diffusion method on Mueller-Hinton agar with sensitivity being observed with ampicillin, amoxicillin, chloramphenicol, gentamycin, streptomycin, tetracycline and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. The findings, identifies a natural reservoir of Y. pestis in Zambia providing the public health officials with a definite host for the control strategy.
Correspondence to:
Bernard Hang'ombe
PO Box 32379, Lusaka, Zambia
Email: email@example.com
Note: Proceedings of the Conference of the Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance 'One Health' held at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, July 2011.


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Recently, I had the privilege of meeting Dallas based artist, Gabe Cardinale. The introduction couldn't have occurred at a more opportune time. I had been searching for some art for a client of mine and I hadn't had much luck in locating the perfect piece. In this case, I was specifically seeking out a red cross ~ something similar to the symbol representing the American Red Cross. When talking to Gabe about commissioning the piece, he was all in and I couldn't be more grateful. As you can see, the oil on canvas appropriately titled "Red Cross," turned out beautifully and far exceeded my expectations.
|"Red Cross" ~ Gabe Cardinale
The proud owner is more than ecstatic about the new art ~ it provides quite the focal point above the cast stone fireplace. I'm so happy to have met artist and new friend, Gabe Cardinale. Please note ~ Gabe's work ranges from print and paint, to designing with plants and mixed media. If you are interested in commissioning an original piece of art from Gabe, you can contact him here or here. Have a good week and thanks for stopping by. :)


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Is Billy Crystal's new memoir funny?
Well, he gets sucker-punched by a white-haired Joe DiMaggio. He gets cussed out by Charles Bronson for sending him the screenplay to "City Slickers." "I'm dead on page sixty four!" Bronson yells. (Jack Palance took the part instead and won an Academy Award).
Then, at Howard Cosell's funeral, Muhammad Ali asks with a whisper if the recently deceased sportscaster is "wearing his hairpiece" inside his closed casket.
"I don't think so," Crystal says.
"Then how will God recognize him?" Ali asks.
"Once Howard starts complaining," Crystal retorts, "God will know it's him."
In other words, as they say in the comedy business, Billy Crystal's new book isn't just funny. It "kills."
In "Still Foolin' 'Em: Where I've Been, Where I'm Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys?" Crystal ties together his reflections on aging with an engaging account of his childhood, youth and the many adventures of 45-year career as comedian, actor and filmmaker.
Early on in "Still Foolin' 'Em," Crystal admits to a handicap he had to overcome when he was just starting to do stand-up comedy circa 1970.
"I wasn't a strong one-liner joke writer," he says. Instead, Crystal the comedian would learn to hold an audience and keep them laughing by telling stories and creating characters: be they real people, like Ali (who Crystal often imitated with great comic effect), or made-up ones, like Lew Goldman, an old Jewish weatherman who did the forecast on "Saturday Night Live" — but only for the block where his family lived.
Those same qualities as a storyteller serve Crystal well in "Still Foolin' 'Em," a book that moves from one funny, strange and heartfelt moment to the next as smoothly as the best of the nine Academy Awards shows Crystal hosted.
We meet the late Johnny Carson (in this account, as in others, he's portrayed as the beneficent Saint of Stand-Up Comedy), Sam Davis Jr., and an aging Mickey Mantle (Crystal ends up rescuing his childhood idol from a drunken stupor more than once).
Born in New York in 1948, Crystal is a member of the boomer generation, and as the book opens, he's just turned 65 and isn't happy. "At sixty-five, you're always a little cold," he writes. "Even the new thicket of hair on your back doesn't help."
Senior-Citizen Billy Crystal isn't quite as funny in "Still Foolin' 'Em" as Teen Billy Crystal or even Middle-Aged Billy Crystal. Senior Billy Crystal's chapter-long rant about all the things that annoy him these days — from cats and TSA personnel to the overweight ("worst of all, they let their kids get fat") — is one of the book's few off-key moments.
Fortunately, there's a lot more fun than kvetching in "Still Foolin' 'Em." Billy Crystal made it to the top, in part, by embracing humility and his own small stature. He's 5-foot-8 but Lew Alcindor, later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, was his high school pal.
Crystal's father ran a popular jazz record store in Manhattan. Louis Armstrong was a family friend and jazz musicians jammed at Billy's bar mitzvah. His father saw Crystal perform only once, during a high school talent night at which Crystal's true talents (he was a B-minus student) were on public display for the first time.
"He died suddenly the next fall, and my childhood came to a screeching halt," Crystal writes. He was 14, but "I never felt young again."
Crystal's description of the loss that haunted his family is terse. "I never felt I could have a weak moment in front of [my mother], which, frankly, was exhausting." His sense of humor carries him through, of course, and later he channels his inner child to survive the incredible high-wire act of being a rookie stand-up comedian. His early gigs include an eventful turn opening for "Blood, Sweat & Tears" and an appearance at the Catch a Rising Star club in New York that leads to some sage advice from manager Jack Rollins.
"Don't work so safe, don't be afraid to bomb," Rollins tells him. "Let me know how you feel about things.... Put you in your material."
Crystal follows the advice — and bombs his next time on stage, one of several setbacks he recounts without rancor or enmity. Later, Crystal plays the first openly gay character on a network sitcom, on "Soap." It's one more step toward national fame.
Many more adventures follow. For example, a comedy show Crystal puts on in the old Soviet Union, and a visit to a synagogue in Leningrad (as it was known then). The ultra-strict elders won't let him in the temple without covering his head with a yarmulke, so Crystal makes one by cutting up a velvet Elvis painting he buys nearby. "Elvis had entered the building," Crystal writes.
Crystal the comedian will do almost anything to get a laugh. Crystal the writer allows himself to flop at the box office, and suffers the many indignities of old age, with his teenage sweetheart and wife of 43 years still alongside him. In the end, the reader concludes that Crystal isn't just funny: He's a mensch too.
Still Foolin' Em'
Where I've Been, Where I'm Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys?
Billy Crystal
Henry Holt: 288 pp., $28


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Some visitors to our fair city are aware of this, but confronted with a dilemma: which of these 28 breweries should I visit? It's not actually as easy a question to answer as it sounds. Not all visitors want the same thing. Some want the quintessential Portland experience--the "do in Rome" thing. Others want the best beer. And others, or more likely the in laws of others, want a decent dining experience with a beer so they can say they did a Portland brewpub. The good thing is that, with over two dozen breweries, Portland can meet all needs. So, without further ado, here are my recommendations, broken down by category. With luck, you'll find some comments below with further advice.
- Best Beer -
It's Beervana and you want the best pint in town. Sounds reasonable. Try these three places and you won't be disappointed.
Roots Organic
The most innovative brewers in the city operate out of a nondescript space on the edge of the industrial Southeast. From the street, you may not realize that you're looking at a laboratory for some of the most original beers in the country. Inside, at any given moment, fermenters bubble with ingredients not usually found in beers--habenero chiles, heather tips, or coconuts. But don't be fooled, the true herb of choice at Roots is humulus lupulus, and you'll find it in abundance. The beers are always brewed with flair and intention--none are throwaway "goldens" or "wheats."
Co-owners Craig Nicholls and Jason McAdam founded the brewery on the kind of ethos that's fueling the fresh-food movement: organic, fresh, and sustainable. For Nicholls, these are the relatively new digs (Roots opened in 2005), but he has been brewing around the city for over a decade. Over that time, his recipes have become legendary for his use of unexpected botanicals like rose petals, heather, and desert sagebrush.
While not every experiment is successful, the brewery's batting average is freakishly high. They always have something experimental on tap, and it's always worth at least a taster. Of course, if you want a pint of more standard fare, they have that, too--brewed with flair. Regular beers include the flagship Island Red, big, burly, and hoppy, Woody IPA, a pale and ESB, and usually a stout and/or porter.
The pub is a comfy Caribbean-inspired space that's always warm and inviting, even on drizzly January nights. It can get loud during the evenings, but afternoons are tranquil. The place has no kitchen, so the menu is limited. Still, you can get a pretty decent sandwich or a personal pizza--or snacks to accompany your beer. Roots is just around the corner from the Lucky Lab, which makes for an easy two-pub crawl.
1520 S.E. 7th, Mon-Thurs 3-11:30 pm, Fri 3-12:30 am, Sat noon-1 am, Sun noon-9 pm. Kids okay. No smoking. [full Beervana review here.]
New Old Lompoc
When the Old Lompoc first opened, it was situated just slightly beyond civilization on NW 23rd, where the street starts to run into industrialization. It was a hole-in-the-wall tavern, the kind of place guys would hit after work. Actually, in its first incarnation, as a tavern, that's exactly what it was. I mention this history because it shows that with good beer, you can build an empire in Beervana. The New Old Lompoc (it took the "new" when it changed ownership in 2000) expanded in 2003 when it added the Hedge House (3412 SE Division) and again last year when it opened the Fifth Quadrant (3901-B N. Williams).
The beer (the same available at all locations) is muscular. Brewer Jerry Fechter is the John Philip Sousa of brewers--he likes his ales big and brassy (and generally hoppy). Most of his offerings are stronger than 6%, and most are green with hoppiness. But of course, in Oregon, these are part and parcel of the local character. You don't come all the way to Portland to try a wimpy kolsch. Two of the beers are really exceptional: Condor Pale Ale and Sockeye Cream Stout. A cult following exists for the Bald Guy Brown, a heterodox beer for Fechter that features malt and mild hopping. As always, sample seasonals.
Ambiance differs by site, but the food is good at all three locations (nice review here). Perhaps the best is the newest, the Fifth Quadrant, which also has the largest menu. Another cool feature: all three locations have outdoor seating.
1616 NW 23rd; Sun-Thurs 11 am -1 am, Fri-Sat 11 am-2 am; kids okay; no smoking. [full Beervana Fifth Quadrant review here.]
Widmer Gasthaus
Widmer, with its boring flagship Hefeweizen, isn't the first place to spring to mind when Oregonians think of great beer. But here's a little secret: of all the big Portland-area breweries, Widmer alone consistently produces the most funky little offbeat beers. And they're available only at the brewery. Some of these come under the Collaborator banner, others are brewed specially for fests, and still others are the products of brewers who are allowed to follow their bliss.
The pub is located in a groovy section of Portland under a tangle of freeways, just on the edge of Swan Island in the strangely haute Russell Street area. Beers rotate, so check when you arrive. One beer to note, however, is the legendary alt ale that the Brothers thought would be their calling card. It was, sadly, ahead of its time when they introduced it in 1984. If you've had a Hefeweizen and believe you understand the brewery's character, try a pint and re-evaluate.
The restaurant serves very hearty, well-made German dishes--sausage, schnitzel, sauerbraten and spaetzle. If you like German food (and after three years of grad school in Wisconsin, I do!), this is a nice bonus. The ambiance is what you imagine your dad would like--overstuffed booths, lots of wood, Teutonic, manly. Bar seating is also available if you just want to pop in for a pint.
955 N Russell St; Sun-Thurs 11 am-10 pm, Fri-Sat, 11 am-1 am; no smoking.
Also Worth Visiting
BJ's Jantzen Beach (12105 N. Center Ave), Laurelwood (1728 NE 40th Pl.), Full Sail Pilsner Room (RiverPlace - 0307 SW Montgomery), Rogue Ales (1339 NW Flanders).
PHOTOS: Oregonian [link], VJ-pdx [link]


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FUD is "Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt" and it's a tactic used by people to scare you and make you jump into a decision that benefits them. This decision may not be a bad decision, but it's not strictly to your own benefit, but theirs. Keep that it mind, it matters.
Recently it was discovered that there was a massive vulnerability in TimThumb (TimThumb is an image editing tool for your webapps). It had an honest-to-god Zero Day Vulnerability. I don't use the code, and I don't put it on any site I run, so I knew I was pretty safe. Still, I ran searches for
timthumb.php on my entire server, made sure it was clean, and moved on.(Not relevant, I recently changed all my passwords on all my sites, and my servers, because I realized I'd used the same ones for about 6 years.)
The exploit primarily affected WordPress installs, because it was developed for WordPress in the beginning, but since then has grown to be used by many other apps, like Drupal and Joomla and even home-grown ones. It's insanely cool, but it's always had weird little problems (which is probably why it'll never be included in the core code of those apps). Getting it to work at all on MultiSite was a pain, and when someone wrote a how-two, we gave her Tim Thumbs up!(Bad joke. BAD bad bad joke. Sorry.)
Certain people leaped into action. VaultPress, which runs a backup service for WordPress users, sent out emails to everyone who had TimThumb. Then they went the extra mile and fixed 712 possible exploits for you. (I know some people got shirty about it, since they didn't want VaultPress editing their data. That isn't the point here.) They jumped up and said 'We must fix things for people' and did it. This was, indeed, Matt's vision for VaultPress.
But then this other thing happened, and I'll quote Matt:
It could have gone a lot of ways, but the incident brought out the best in the community. The core team sprang into action searching through the theme directory to inoculate any themes that contained the dangerous code. Community blogs quickly got the word out about the problem so people were aware of it. Mark Maunder, who originally discovered and broke down the problem, created a fork of the code called WordThumb that rewrote TimThumb from the ground up. Forking is not usually ideal because it fragments the market for users but Mark soon connected with Ben Gillbanks, long-time WordPress community member, and they've teamed forces to release TimThumb 2.0, a collaboration that exemplifies Open Source at its finest. An updated plugin should be in the directory shortly.
Let me explain. There was a problem with a popular tool that is used both in themes and on its own plugin (and probably others). Mark found the problem, fixed it, and then re-wrote the tool. Then, after Matt commented on his site that Forking is a last-resort, even though this was a ground-top rewrite, Mark agreed and talked to the TimThumb guy and together they fixed everything. And now they're a team. No one made any money off that process. People just did the right thing to make the web safer for all of us! (Okay, that's not the point either, but it needed to be made.)
All of this was done in a way that the public knew about the problem without getting into an "OMGWTFBBQ!!!11!?" panic. Was there some fear? Yes, because you knew there was a problem and there was a possibility it could affect you. Was there uncertainty? Of course! Again, could it affect you? Was there doubt? And this here is where we have a win for the Open Source community. There wasn't. It was a straight up 'This is what's wrong, this is how to fix it.'
In so many ways, that's how every business should work. It could have been better, certainly, but when I compare this to how I get security alerts for our servers at work, I see nothing but room for improvement. Right now, one person has the job to look for vulnerabilities that are published about anything we use. If she sees one, she opens a ticket and says 'Fix this ASAP!' The problem is, to use a recent example, ownership of the fix. We had a vulnerability with .NET, but as I read the whole doc, I sorted out that it only happened if your server was configured in a certain way so as to make a security hole. Another quick check and I saw the server team had their own ticket 'Fix this hole.' So I closed my ticket and said 'Will be resolved with Server Ticket 1234567.' My ticket was reopened and I was told I did it wrong. This was a problem with my application (I don't 'own' .NET, I happen to be on the team who brought it into the company, however). I pointed out it wasn't that .NET was vulnerable, that it was the server. They didn't care. My ticket has to be open until the problem is resolved, no matter what. In the end, I turned off the feature that might, possibly, be vulnerable and got chaff for not doing it right.
When you compare that to the beautiful simplicity of Open Source communities, it makes you wonder how anything actually gets done? We're so afraid (fear) of being wrong or doing the right thing without the right approvals, we let the process hamstring us from fixing the problem. We don't know (uncertainty) what the right thing is anymore, so we do nothing. And in the end, we're not sure (doubt) if we're of any use at all. (I think my premature grey came from this job, and if I leave, the first thing I'm doing is dying my hair neon blue.) Plus, to make matters worse, they told the entire company about the security hole, so everyone knows, and they can see we didn't close the tickets. It's a mess.
But really that's not what FUD is about. Nor is it what this post is about. Neither way is perfect, and both are flawed in different ways.
You see, what Open Source nailed in one was that we should be aware of the dangers, and work together to make it better, not feed the fires and run around terrified about what's going on. A little fear is a good thing. It clears the arteries and is good for your heart. If you've never had a moment where the blood drained out of your face because you made a mistake, you're not trying hard enough. We all live with uncertainty and doubt, too, and inherently these are not bad things. What is wrong is allowing them to have complete control over your actions to the point of inaction or consistently making the wrong choice that you know is wrong.
Make the right choices. If a bread stick is on fire in the toaster, take it out and make that extra step to sort out who put it in there. Treat everyone as a team member, a fellow hero. You see, if we give in to FUD, we cripple ourselves, much like corporate america does every day with miles of red tape. But if we don't, if we accept our fear and move forward, we can get past it and make better products for everyone. And that's a great goal.
If you think you, or a friend, may have been hacked, please go to Sucuri and run the free scan for your website.


text:
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Colorado College jumped out to an 8-0 lead and never looked back en route to a 17-11 victory over Concordia University Wisconsin in a non-conference contest on Wednesday night.
Nick Ahrens scored twice to lead the Tigers to an 8-0 advantage midway through the second quarter. CC (6-4) increased its lead to as many as 12 goals with nine minutes to play in the final quarter at Washburn Field.
CUW (5-3) put a valiant effort in the final period with six goals – two by junior Sam Wladyka (Winnipeg, Manitoba) and sophomore Derek Brueske (Hopkins, Minn.) – but the deficit was too much to overcome. The Falcons held an 18-8 shots advantage in the fourth quarter, but CC outshot them 47-37 in the game. Junior Justin Krause (Hartland, Wis.) also added two goals of his own.
Henri Halle led six players with at least two goals, as he netted a hat trick in the win. Sayre Thomas won five of the team's 15 faceoff victories and Will Harris picked up three ground balls.
Freshman Danny Bundra (Lake Zurich, Ill.) won 16-of-27 faceoffs for the Falcons – an individual game record – and recorded four ground balls in the contest.
CUW makes the long trek home to begin preparing for back-to-back home games against MLC foes Hanover College and Defiance College on April 6-7 at Fitting Field.


text:
The 'Pressure Cooker' tactics – A Glimpse Into Israeli Psychosis
By Gilad Atzmon
The Israeli Ynet (Hebrew edition) published a few hours ago an interview with retired Israeli police commissioner, Major General Assaf Hefetz. Hefez is highly critical of the French police's recent operation in Toulouse. According to the Israeli Major General, the French waited for too long (32 hours). He contends that the French police should have been more assertive and far more aggressive. I hope that you have a hard stomach to read how Israel would handle a similar situation.
They should have implemented the 'pressure cooker tactics' says Hefetz-
"massive fire at the walls of the house, throwing grenades around the building followed by bulldozer erasure of the building walls till the suspect turns himself."
Frightening isn't it? Welcome to occupied Palestine. It seems as if Major General Hefetz came short of suggesting to evacuate the city and to nuke the neighborhood.
In fact General Hefetz is describing here the Palestinian reality. Hefetz lethal approach explains the devastation the Israel left behind in Jenin (2002). It also explains the genocidal tactics employed by the IDF in Gaza massacre (2009). It is more than likely that General Hefetz better seek help and find a way to deal with his aggression. Yet, we have to remember that at the time of Operation Cast Lead, 94% of Israeli Jews supported IDF genocidal tactics. It seems as if we are dealing here with a psychotic collective.
Gilad Atzmon's New Book: The Wandering Who? A Study Of Jewish Identity Politics Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk.