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Views: 1104
I got a new one from one of my friends:
"What if everyone thought like you? In a hundred years humans would die out."
I love this friend, I really do, but...FACEPALM. There is a one in 7 billion chance that all 7 billion of us vastly overpopulated humans will decide not to have kids, not be able to have kids, not be forced to have kids, or not get pregnant by accident.
Anyway, what's the problem if all of us enjoy our lives without children and then humanity dies out? We had a good run.
There will always be a population problem so long as having sex is more popular than dying.
"Having kids will mature you." I'm guessing taking care of yourself financially and being responsible doesn't count.
Oh hell that's the most insulting one.
I've me a ton of immature moms. Dragging their kids around when the 3-year-old is clearly sleepy, tired, and doesn't want to be their. Spoiling their children to death and not doing anything when their 5-year-old steals from stores. Bringing kids to midnight premieres of R-rated movies(Watchmen had a TON of elementary school-age kids in it! WHAT THE HELL. It has blue penis. It has sex scenes. It has political themes. It is not for kids!)
Having kids does not "mature" you. Having kids will not "cure my depression" as some have suggested. Having kids will not make a girl who was previously 14, got D's on her report cards, and got in arguments with her mom, suddenly get straight A's and get along with her mother.
Also, any time someone says this, I usually sigh and go "have you even SEEN the descriptions for most episodes of Teen Mom?" 99% of them are girls who can't do the most basic of care for their children but had them because of some pro-life "I'm better than you because I had sex and the egg implanted" ideal.
So you had sex. Thanks for alerting the world with a screaming bundle of snot.
No, it doesn't make anyone more mature. In fact, it usually makes people who were already abusive, even more abusive, and people who were already depressed, even more depressed.
"But you're so smart, you owe it to the world to reproduce" _mother/ Grandmoster
While I love the pandering, and I am a narcissist so i do love this, but I do not wish to pass my health issues as well as my general attitude onto the a creature under my care.
I've got two - one that was the real "facepalm" and the other was a unique one:
"If you get pregnant, and don't eat any more than you do now, you'll lose weight!" (unique) Yeah, I see all of the women who gained about 4 sizes and tell me that it's the "baby weight" that "just wouldn't come off". If I wanted to lose weight, there are plenty of diet/exercise plans - even less safe things like pills and surgeries - that would be far safer, would not impact the entire life of another person, and wouldn't so permanently effect my life and others' lives.
Now, I don't like children. I'm a little squeamish about babies - much like touching a spider is for some people.
"Oh, you'll LOVE IT when it's your own!" (facepalm) Maybe I would. What if I didn't? I really detest someone who abuses a child, and I sure would not want to be someone like that! It's not worth it to me to take the chance. The person who said this also saw the utter horror on my face when someone plopped a wet, smelly baby in my lap.
"Sadly, I'm not the type of person who savors the smell of my own farts."
I win at retaliation for this kind of crap. It's from years of people not getting that I detest children if they aren't at least 14.
Wow, I haven't commented yet!
I can't believe I haven't.
Well, the worst shit I get to my face is usually people smugly going "well you'll change your mind, one day."
but here's some I've heard passed around:
"But Pregnancy is so beautiful!"
"kids are the greatest thing to ever happen to me!"
"But my kids are my greatest accomplishment!"
"You're denying God's path by not having children!"
"How can you NOT choose to be a mother? I'm sure you'd make a great one!"
"But don't you want to be treated like a pregnant goddess!"
"It's the most pure love of all, how can you not want to experience it!"
"You'll change your mind eventually, and you'll regret not having kids sooner."
"You're just selfish."
"You're just bitter that you haven't found a man yet who will fuck you."
"Yeah, it's because no one will have sex with you, right?"
"Well you know birth control is evil, and you'll give into the sin of sex eventually."
From an atheist: "That's your job, though, to find a man who will put up with your crap attitude and raise his kids to be good atheist children. We have to out-breed these religious people."
"But your life needs to have purpose..."
"What, were you raped as a child?"
"Were you abused as a child?"
"Do you just want to deprive your parents of being grandparents?"
"So when do you plan on having kids of your own?"(this one actually has been asked, by my dad's side of the family, when my sister got pregnant. She's 16 months younger than me, so I'm "failing" because I haven't chosen a stupid racist redneck/settled/settled down/dealt with verbal/physical abuse so I can please their idea of a "good woman")
"God created all women to be mothers. It's in the bible."
"You're just bitter that you haven't found a man yet who will fuck you."
"Yeah, it's because no one will have sex with you, right?"
I get this from a right-wing nitwit because I am asexual.
One uber-religious taxi driver told me that a need to get married and have kids because it is in the bible.
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You can download this pet podcast directly by clicking the preceding link …
Copyright © 2000-2019 Pets.ca. All Rights Reserved. | Copyright & Legal Statement | Privacy Policy & Security

subset: commoncrawl


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It would make things so much easier for everyone if Edward Snowden were working for China.
And that's certainly a possibility. His decision to flee to Hong Kong — a Chinese vassal — was an odd one, given that China is hardly a bulwark of transparency and civil rights. It's a bit like complaining that Boston is too Catholic and then moving to Vatican City in protest.
Then there's the nature of the crime itself. Informed sources I've spoken with are generally aghast by what they say is the scope of information Snowden stole, material some believe he couldn't have gotten by himself. That doesn't mean he's the Manchurian IT Guy, but it does cause some to wonder whether he had help — and from where.
VIDEO: Big tech companies and what they know about you
Last, there's the nature of the disclosures. The initial story broke at precisely the moment President Obama was meeting with the new Chinese president, undermining Obama's effort to press the issue of Chinese hacking (a practice Snowden seems indifferent to). Soon thereafter, Snowden went from "whistleblowing" on alleged domestic data-mining abuses to leaking embarrassing information. Indeed, the latest disclosures seem perfectly timed to embarrass America and Britain at this week's Group of 8 summit.
It's one thing for an American to claim it's his patriotic duty to expose a breach of trust with the American people. It's another thing entirely for an American to unilaterally decide what foreign espionage America or its allies should or should not be doing and then divulge the bits he doesn't like. We elect a president and a Congress to make that kind of decision.
It's plausible that Snowden was shocked and dismayed to discover that the National Security Agency was monitoring Americans on U.S. soil. Are we really to believe, though, that he was shocked that the NSA was monitoring foreigners on foreign soil? That's what the NSA does.
Still, the Chinese dupe theory depends on an enormous number of assumptions, starting with the notion that the Chinese are that sophisticated. Also, while it's always fun to ask cui bono after events like this, it's rarely all that illuminating.
An easier explanation is that Snowden is a fool. I don't mean he's stupid. All of the pundits and politicians attacking Snowden as a high school dropout sound silly. First, it's not true (illness caused him to miss too much school, so he later got his GED instead). Second, this guy ain't dumb. You don't get and keep the jobs he had if you're a moron or a slacker.
No, when I say he may be a fool, I mean he may be a fool for love — love of an idea. When you look back on the various spies and turncoats in U.S. history, many acted out of a foolish loyalty to an idea. The most obvious examples are the many communists who betrayed America during the Cold War. Alger Hiss and the Rosenbergs weren't Russian nationalists at heart, they were (very smart) fools for communism.
One thing that comes through in Snowden's remarks so far is his affection for a set of ideals that transcends nations. He claims he did what he did to protect the "Internet freedom and basic liberties of people around the world." In a Q&A session with readers of the Guardian, , Snowden explained that the "US Person/foreigner distinction is not a reasonable substitute for individualized suspicion." I suspect most Americans do see a real distinction between foreigners and Americans.
In short, it looks like he sees himself as a digital-era Diogenes. Like Diogenes, he sees himself as a citizen of no place, save a citizen of the (cyber) world.
One irony is that Obama campaigned on similar ideas. In his 2008 Berlin speech, then-Sen. Obama spoke to the German people as a "fellow citizen of the world." His analysis of the Cold War was a bizarre extended metaphor about the evils of "walls" between peoples.
Snowden says that he refrained from divulging NSA operations because he hoped Obama would follow through on that philosophy. But Obama disappointed Diogenes. He ended up embracing so much of his predecessor's policies, at least in part, because he came to realize that we live in a harsher world then the one he pined for.
If Snowden was a traditional spy, it'd be very easy to put him in a traditional box. But my hunch is that he represents an altogether more complicated challenge.


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Ken Berger and Alan Hahn are confirming that the Knicks reached out to Caron Butler's agent today to express their interest in the free agent small forward. If the Knicks were to sign Butler it would be under the Mid Level Exemption (up to $5M per year over 4 seasons). I think Butler would actually be a great 6th man but I think the purpose for signing Butler would to add a piece to include in a possible trade for either Dwight Howard or Chris Paul. If the Knicks were to go the route of building on the two stars they already have, Butler would be a great piece. He can score with the best of them and he is an excellent defender. Butler is the all around quality player that the Knicks lack coming off the bench. His acquisition would likely mean that either Shawne Williams or Derrick Brown would not be brought back next season. Obviously this is a very tentative idea of acquisition but it is very interesting.Follow @tarmosino
Nov 30 2011
Knicks Interested in Caron Butler


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Reasons for Being in College Essay
Sorry, but copying text is forbidden on this website!
If your child ever asks, "Why should I go to college?" here are five reasons! 1. Make more money.
People who graduate from college make more money than those with just a high school diploma. A lot more money, actually. People with a college degree make around $1,100 a week. Someone with a high school diploma makes just $638. 2. Have more opportunity.
People who go to college open up their choices for jobs. Many jobs these days require a college degree. Plus, college graduates have less chance of losing their jobs.
In 2009, there were 9.7 million unemployed high school graduates, compared with 5.2 million college graduates without jobs. 3. Make connections.
In college, students make new friends and other connections that will be helpful when it's time to get started in a career. Those friends they make in college will help them get jobs, and these connections and networks will help them throughout their lives. 4. Live a healthier and happier life.
Studies have shown that college graduates are healthier and are less likely to get divorced.
The divorce rate for college graduates who married between 1990 and 1994 is about 25 percent. That's compared with more than 50 percent for those without a four-year college degree. Plus, people with just a high school diploma are nearly twice as likely to be in poorer health than college graduates. 5. Start a tradition.
If your child goes to college, your grandchildren will be more likely to go too: 71 percent of students with at least one parent who has a bachelor's degree apply to college themselves. Only 26 percent of first-generation students (those with no parent who went beyond high school) apply to college.


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The night before Super Bowl XLVII, the NFL will salute its best players and plays from the 2012 season with "NFL Honors," a star-studded football and entertainment event at the Mahalia Jackson Theatre in New Orleans. Just like last year, Alec Baldwin will host the proceedings, which will be broadcast on CBS at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday night.
One of the awards that will be presented at "NFL Honors" is the 2012 Play of the Year. There are 20 official nominees available for viewing here, but what is your pick?
Rice's fourth-and-29 miracle gave Baltimore a game it had no business winningI have to go with Ray Rice scampering for 30 yards (barely) on a fourth-and-29. Or, as Rice phrased it, "Hey diddle diddle, Ray Rice up the middle." That gave the Ravens a victory over the San Diego Chargers in a game they had no business winning.
I'll never forget when Jenkins saved the day for New OrleansWith all due respect to the plays on the official list, my pick for best play of the year is a little off the radar.
I'll remember New Orleans Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins chasing down Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Vincent Jackson from behind on a 95-yard gain for as long as I watch football. The play showed Jenkins' hustle and athleticism, and it made a huge difference in a game that the Saints won by seven points. The ensuing goal-line stand just made Jenkins' effort sweeter.
Ravens aren't AFC North champs without Rice's conversionIsn't the obvious call a check-down to your running back when the down and distance is fourth-and-29? On the run, Rice eluded five tacklers and powered through two more defenders to deliver the do-or-die first down. The play led to a game-tying kick from Justin Tucker as regulation expired, and the Ravens went on to win in overtime.
Remember, the Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals both finished the season at 10-6, with Baltimore taking the AFC North crown on a tiebreaker. What happens if Rice manages just 28 yards on that play?
Luck's game-winning TD pass at Detroit highlighted a fantastic rookie seasonIndianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Andrew Luck had a lot of great moments and engineered a lot of impressive comebacks, but the play that stands out to me is his 14-yard touchdown pass to Donnie Avery for a win at Detroit in Week 13. The Colts were down by 12 points late in the fourth quarter, and Luck was able to rally his team. This win made the Colts the runaway leaders in the AFC wild-card chase and cemented their amazing turnaround after a lost 2011 season.
Watching the play, it looks like Luck could have possibly reached the end zone on his own. But when Luck joined the set of "NFL.com/LIVE" at Super Bowl XLVII and reflected on how important the play was, he said the notion never entered his mind.
"Donnie is a lot faster than me," Luck said.
Rice's fourth-down scamper sparked Ravens' Super Bowl runHey diddle diddle, Ray Rice up the middle! That fourth-and-29 conversion in Week 12 was the emotional trigger to the Ravens' run to the Super Bowl.
Forget fourth-and-29 -- Baltimore's most important play was actually a Pittsburgh TD"Best" play? Feh! I'm gonna go with "most important" instead. And since I'm sure at least a couple people have already covered Ray Rice's "28-yard" scamper (I don't care what the refs say -- he got a very generous spot), lemme point at another play from the Ravens' season that would've swung the AFC North ... and ultimately knocked Baltimore out of the postseason.
In the first quarter of the Ravens' Nov. 18 game in Heinz Field, Pittsburgh Steelers backup quarterback Byron Leftwich (in for the injured Ben Roethlisberger) left the pocket and ran 31 yards (in roughly 31 seconds) for a touchdown. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, Leftwich broke a rib or two on the play, which left him ineffective for the rest of the game and on the bench for the following week's contest in Cleveland. Third-stringer Chaz Batch was atrocious against the Browns in that one, costing the Steelers a second straight divisional win and essentially delivering the North crown to the Ravens.
Had Leftwich stayed healthy, Pittsburgh would've finished 10-6 and -- with the head-to-head advantage over the Ravens -- claimed the division. But of course, Leftwich did get hurt, the Ravens are in the Super Bowl and Steelers fans (like yours truly) are left to make excuses.


text: Apr 10 2007 ============== Calibration: ============== An update for the HXD (20070409) and XIS (20070409) calibration files is now available for download. The Suzaku CALDB can be downloaded via the Web at or via anonymous ftp to be installed on the user's machine or local network. *** DOWNLOAD CALDB on the LOCAL MACHINE There is one tar file for each instrument (HXD and XIS). They include the XRS CALDB file (the teldef) necessary to run some of the software tools. The CALDB tar files are available from the CALDB Suzaku Web page at : http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/heasarc/caldb/suzaku/ or via anonymous ftp at: ftp://legacy.gsfc.nasa.gov/caldb/data/suzaku/hxd/goodfiles_suzaku_hxd.tar.Z ftp://legacy.gsfc.nasa.gov/caldb/data/suzaku/xis/goodfiles_suzaku_xis.tar.Z The CALDB installation procedure is available at: http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/heasarc/caldb/caldb_install.html *** NOTE on the current access to CALDB Note that not all Suzaku tasks support the automatic queries to CALDB. For the Suzaku tasks that do not yet have this support but require files in CALDB, the full path and filename to CALDB files has to be explicitly given in the Suzaku software task parameter. *** HELP Please report any problems with the installation procedure to: http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/Feedback and select CALDB under "Choose a mailing list" -- A service of the U.S. Suzaku Guest Observer Facility, NASA/GSFC. Please do not reply to this message. Questions or comments should go to: http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/Feedback


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Uncle testifies in Mass. youth's murder trial
Fujita accused of murder in death of girlfriend
A relative says a young Massachusetts man on trial for the July 3, 2011, killing of his high school girlfriend had been depressed but seemed happy at a family barbecue earlier that evening.
Prosecutors say Nathaniel Fujita beat, strangled and stabbed Lauren Astley in anger over a romantic breakup a few months earlier. The Wayland teens were 18 and headed for college that fall.
On Friday, Fujita's uncle Phillip Saba said the teen "appeared depressed" at his high school graduation party, but said he did not have direct knowledge that it was linked to the breakup with Astley.
Fujita's lawyer says he was deeply depressed and temporarily psychotic.
On Thursday, Saba said he and his nephew talked about the youth's plans to play football and he complimented Fujita on gaining weight.
Prosecutors say Fujita killed Astley about an hour after he left the barbecue and later hid her body in a marsh.


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Kennedy Center to Present HEDDA GABLER as Part of Nordic Cool 2013
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts presents Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler by Norway's National Theatre. Directed by Peer Perez Øian and adapted by Ole Johan Skjelbred, Hedda Gabler runs February 26-27 in the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater as part of Nordic Cool 2013. Press opening night is February 26, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. The production is performed in Norwegian with English supertitles.
Accustomed to the luxurious life of a wealthy general's daughter, Hedda finds herself increasingly discontent as the wife of an aspiring, middle-class scholar. When the return of a past lover threatens to reveal her true desires, and simultaneously stifle her husband's career, Hedda must find a way to salvage her spiraling emotions and diminishing social status-at any cost.
Norway's National Theatre has long been associated with the late Norwegian playwright's boundary-pushing work. Originally created for The National Theatre's 2010 Ibsen Festival, director Peer Perez Øian's production challenges our classic understanding of Ibsen's famously tormented heroine, while questioning motivation, freedom, and choice in today's society.
The National Theatre is Norway's largest theater. Steeped in tradition and pushing the boundaries, it aims to be recognized as one of the leading theaters in Europe. The National Theatre is in the center of the Norwegian capital of Oslo - between the Royal Palace and the Storting (the Norwegian parliament) - in a building dating back to the turn of the previous century. Since it opened its doors in 1899, The National Theatre has become home to the dramatic arts in Norway and the use of the Norwegian language on stage. The desire to establish a theater for Norwegian dramatists and stage artists was part of the country's national development and separation from Sweden around the beginning of the last century-a process that culminated in the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden in 1905. A statue of Henrik Ibsen is located in front of the main entrance, as The National Theatre has been key in staging Ibsen in Norway.
Explore the Arts: On February 26, join a free post-performance discussion with a moderator and members of the company.
Hedda Gabler runs in the Eisenhower Theater evenings at 7:30 p.m. on February 26 and 27. Tickets are $49 and up and available for purchase online, at the Kennedy Center box office, or by calling Instant Charge at (202) 467-4600. Patr


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For Oracle, see this.
The Adobe Customer Experience solution "Customer Communications – Interactive Statements" (formerly Interactive Statements Solution Accelerator) requires an XA-type JDBC data source. XA is a specification for distributed transaction processing that involves multiple resources such as a database, or a JMS queue. More here.
In the JBoss Turnkey as well as in the pre-configured JBoss EAP tree, it is defined in the file adobe-sa-ds.xml in %JBOSS_HOME%\aep_sqlserver\deploy\. The JNDI name is "AdobeDefaultSA_DS". It uses a different driver class (com.microsoft.sqlserver.jdbc.SQLServerXADataSource) compared to the other ADEP Document Services JDBC data sources (IDP_DS and EDC_DS) which are non-XA (com.microsoft.sqlserver.jdbc.SQLServerDriver). Both these classes are available in version 3 of Microsoft's SQL Server JDBC Driver which supports SQL Server 2008.
Default SQL Server 2008 installs are not configured for XA transactions. If you have a JBoss 5.1 EAP instance running ADEP Document Services against Microsoft SQL Server 2008, you will get the following error messages every 2 minutes in JBoss server.log:
[com.arjuna.ats.internal.jta.recovery.xarecovery1] Local XARecoveryModule.xaRecovery got XA exception javax.transaction.xa.XAException: com.microsoft.sqlserver.jdbc.SQLServerException: Failed to create the XA control connection. Error: "Could not find stored procedure 'master..xp_sqljdbc_xa_init_ex'.", XAException.XAER_RMERR
To configure a SQL Server 2008 instance for XA, your SQL Server 2008 DBA has to perform several steps server-side, on the SQL Server machine:
1) Download the Microsoft SQL Server JDBC Driver 3.0 from here and install it somewhere (run the .exe)
2) Copy sqljdbc_xa.dll from %JDBC_DRIVER_INSTALL_ROOT%\sqljdbc_3.0\enu\xa\x64\ (assuming the SQL Server 2008 instance is 64-bit) to %SQLSERVER_INSTALL_ROOT%\Instance_root\MSSQL10.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\Binn\
CREATE XA STORED PROCEDURES and ROLES
3) Copy-paste the contents of the script xa_install.sql in %JDBC_DRIVER_INSTALL_ROOT%\sqljdbc_3.0\enu\xa\ and execute it using SQL Server Management Studio's Query Editor.
4) Confirm the creation of new stored procedures in SQL Server Management Studio. In the left pane, navigate to Programmability->Extended Stored Procedures for the "master" database – it should look something like this:
5) Using SQL Server Management Studio's Query Editor, assign the 'SqlJDBCXAUser' role to the SQL Server user that the JDBC connection pool uses for authentication and execute it. The following script assigns the role to the user ADEPJBoss:
USE master
EXEC sp_grantdbaccess 'ADEPJBoss', 'ADEPJBoss'
EXEC sp_addrolemember [SqlJDBCXAUser], 'ADEPJBoss'
"Command(s) completed successfully."
6) Choose the Windows menu Administrative Tools->Component Services.
7) In the left navigation pane, navigate to Console Root->Component Services->Computers->My Computer->Distributed Transaction Coordinator->Local DTC.
8) Highlight 'Local DTC', right-click the mouse and choose 'Properties'.
9) Choose the 'Security' tab. Ensure that the checkbox for 'Enable XA Transactions' is checked. Please see screenshot below.
10) Click Apply, then OK.
11) Choose the Windows menu Administrative Tools->Services. In it, make sure that the "Distributed Transaction Coordinator" service is set to start automatically. Start it.
12) Also make sure that the other services it depends on, namely 'Remote Procedure Call', 'Security Accounts Manager' are also set to start automatically.
13) Re-start the SQL Server instance
14) Re-start the appserver instance hosting ADEP Document Services and make sure that the error messages no longer appear.


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Asia Low Emission Development Strategies (LEDS) Forum 2013
On Wednesday, October 2nd, Worldwatch Climate and Enery Director Alexander Ochs is co-chairing the 'Energy Communities of Practice' session at this year's Asia Low-Emissions Development Strategies (LEDS) Forum in Manila, Philippines. The goal of the session is to engage participants in active discussion and identify mechanisms to support effective peer-to-peer learning on energy issues in Asia. Alexander Ochs will provide a brief introduction to the LEDS Global Partnership and the Energy Working Group that he chairs, as well as a brief overview of existing energy sector networks. He will also moderate the 2nd half of the session, which will include a few national-level presentations and extensive small-group discussion about how to build and maintain effective communities of practice.
In addition, he will participate in the "Facilitating the LEDS Process" training session. Through a mix of presentations, plenary discussions, and application of a guidance template, participants will elaborate a Terms of Reference/action plan that is tailored to their own national circumstances.
Participants will cover the groundwork for the process of initiating a LEDS through the development of a Terms of Reference/action plan that answers key questions such as:
- What information do we need to gather? From whom?
- Which ministries must be involved in order to start a coherent process of LEDS design?
- How can the participation of those essential ministries be assured and enhanced?
- What mechanism(s) is (are) needed to ensure that work being undertaken on mitigation and/or NAMAs feeds into the design of the LEDS, and that the LEDS feeds into broader development objectives and considers other key processes such as National Communications and National Adaptation Plans in a holistic manner?
The session will include case studies of successful LEDS design and key considerations for both top-down (LEDS to NAMA) and bottom up (NAMA to LEDS) approaches to LEDS design


text:
Welcome Hasbro International GI Joe Convention Attendees!
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In order to book your discounted airport/hotel shuttle reservations online, you must book no later than 24 hours prior to your flight arrival time.
Changes to an existing reservation can be made by phone (866-596-2699) only if you made your original reservation online.
The $3 per person round trip ticket discount is only for tickets bought through this web page.
Safe, Convenient and Economical
Airport Shuttle is the convenient option to renting a car. No stress from driving a rental car in a strange city.
Airport Shuttle delivers you stress-free every time.


text:
Nexus 1000V On Open Source Hypervisors
Last week at Cisco Live, Cisco unveiled the Cisco ONE strategy. I won't go into detail on Cisco ONE in this blog post, there has been plenty of blog and analyst coverage of this elsewhere. One piece of the announcement I would like to talk about is the Nexus 1000V and it's move to running on Open Source hypervisors, along with OpenStack Quantum integration.
Nexus 1000V on KVM With OpenStack: The Cisco Live Demo
At Cisco Live, we demonstrated the Nexus 1000V on KVM with integration into OpenStack. The demo included both the Nexus 1000V Virtual Supervisor Module (VSM), as well as the Virtual Ethernet Module (VEM). The VSM is a virtual machine running Cisco NX-OS software. For the demo, the VSM was running on a Nexus 1010 physical appliance. The VEM was running on the Linux host itself, which was running Fedora Linux, version 16. The OpenStack version we demoed was OpenStack Essex. We were running Nova, Glance, Keystone, Horizon and Quantum. We also wrote a Nexus 1000V Quantum plugin which handles interaction between Quantum and the Nexus 1000V VSM. This is done via a REST API on the Nexus 1000V VSM.
What we demonstrated was the ability for providers to create networks using the standard "nova-manage" CLI in OpenStack. These networks were then mapped to port-profiles on the Nexus 1000V VSM. When a tenant then powered up a VM, the VM was placed on the provider network, and ultimately had it's VIF attached to the port-profile associated with the provider network. The network administrator, through the VSM, is now able to see the virtual interfaces attached to veth ports, and can apply policies on them. We demoed ACLs on the virtual ports, to demonstrate a Nexus 1000V feature in use with OpenStack. What the demo ultimately showed was the Nexus 1000V operational model separating network and server administrator in an OpenStack deployment.
Where To Go From Here
One thing we are planning to do around our Quantum plugin is to expose the port-profile concept as an extension to the standard Quantum API. This allows profiles to be managed by our Quantum plugin, and allows for us to provide the ability to expose profiles to users of Quantum via the extension API. One immediate benefit this allows for is a GUI such as Horizon to expose port-profile information back into their UI, allowing tenants to select port-profiles to map to virtual interfaces when powering up virtual machines. Effectively, this would allow for providers to create port-profiles and make them available for their tenants to select when powering up virtual machines. Providers can then control policy on the virtual interfaces on their networks.
The End Result
The result of integrating Nexus 1000V with Open Source hypervisors is allowing for the continued evolution of advanced virtual machine networking onto these platforms. OpenStack Quantum integration allows for the integration of the concept of network and server administrator separation into the OpenStack deployment model. Both of these are ultimately about providing more control, visibility, and programmability for customers. I think this is something customers will be excited about, just as we are excited about driving to deliver this to those same customers.
In an effort to keep conversations fresh, Cisco Blogs closes comments after 60 days. Please visit the Cisco Blogs hub page for the latest content.
3 Comments
The Nexus 1000V will work with Oracle VM?
There are plans for the oracle vm?


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IUCN CEL Vice Chair Ms. AL-Sharifeh Nawzat bint Ali attended the first meeting of the West Asia Regional Committee (WARC) on Monday 21 January 2008 in Amman, Jordan, at the invitation of Dr. Odeh Al Jayyousi, IUCN Regional Director of West Asia Office (WAME).
She took the opportunity to inform participants about the Commission on Environmental Law (CEL)'s work and explore ways to cooperate in the future. The meeting discussed many issues, including the priorities of each country, that will be synthesized into a document reflecting the region's priorities. The participation of AL-Sharifeh Nawzat as a CEL Steering Committee member was very welcomed and lots of ideas were exchanged towards helping the members in some areas that would need a legal input. The participants also explored the possibilities of active participation in the upcoming IUCN congress in Barcelona, with the aim of being actively present in all key activities. AL-Sharifeh Nawzat requested the participants to share with her by e-mail the names of active environmental lawyers in the region, with whose work they are familiar in the field of environmental law and commitment to voluntary work, in order for her to recommend them to become members of CEL. She will contribute a paragraph on this issue in the next newsletter of the IUCN Regional Office of West Asia (WAME), targeting all regional members and helping to remind the participants of what was discussed. Participants were encouraged to view the Environmental Law Programme (ELP) and CEL website for more information on programmes and activities they could benefit from. She wishes to remind existing members of CEL to use actively the CEL List email forum, as well as to update their contact information on the CoReg system as needed.


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CARTA: Uniquely-Human Features of the Brain: William Hopkins - Evolution of Behavioral and Brain Asymmetries in Primates
Date: 12/16/2011; 21 minutes
William Hopkins, Professor of Psychology at Agnes Scott College and research scientist at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, uses in vivo imaging technologies to assess hemispheric specialization. He talks about handedness in non-human primates as it relates to the evolution of coordination and manual gestures. (#23227)
related programs


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Strawberry Kiwi Smoothie Recipe
I can't believe almost half of 2012 has already passed by and now we're already in June! After having my wonderful daughter, finishing my first cookbook (which by the way is already available for pre-order and will be released December 18th) and finally becoming an American citizen, my husband Lulu thought I deserved a little celebratory vacation to Yountville in the Napa Valley. Even though it's a short ride from our house, I made small energy drinks before hitting the road to enjoy during the drive.
The drink is a blend of strawberries, raspberries, kiwis, peanuts and vanilla extract. The fruit gives you an instant energy boost, and the protein in the peanuts will keep you going longer than your average smoothie. It's a delicious and healthy way to start the day!
Yields: 4 servings4 cups strawberries
2 cup raspberries
2 kiwis, peeled and diced
¼ cup raw peanuts
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Prepping the fruits: Peel and coarsely chop the kiwis. Place the strawberries and raspberries in the freezer; that way you don't need to add crushed ice.
Prepping the peanuts: Shell the peanuts and dry roast them. Coarsely chop them in a food processor. Reserve about 2 tablespoons and pulse the rest into a smooth paste (I used the Vita-Mix blender).
Assembly time: Add the fruits to the blender. Blend for about 2 minutes. Pour in a little water for a smoother flow and add crushed ice if necessary; I didn't. While the mixture is blending, add vanilla extract. The consistency of the drink should be smooth.
Pour into 4 glasses.
Finish with slices of fresh kiwi and strawberries for decoration (place on the rim of the glass).
I didn't add more sweetener to the drink as the natural sweetness from the kiwis, raspberries, strawberries and peanut butter was sufficient.
I made the drink vegan (my husband Lulu is lactose intolerant).
You could spike the drink with a splash of Kahlúa or Vodka.
I used Bourbon Barrel brand vanilla extract.
Check out other drink recipes by clicking on the link.Published By: on June 4, 2012.


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'I think he's insane,' mayoral hopeful on ricin suspect
A Miss. sheriff says a suspicious letter that was recently sent to a local judge is similar to the letters that were sent to Sen. Roger Wicker and President Obama in Washington. 45-year-old Paul Kevin Curtis has been arrested in the case. (April AP
Man arrested Wednesday is known in northern Mississippi for being 'off the wall.'
JACKSON, Miss. — The Mississippi man arrested in connection with letters containing ricin sent to President Obama and Sen. Roger Wicker once believed that the government was using drones to spy on him, his ex-wife told the Booneville, Miss., Police Department.
That's according to an FBI affidavit filed Wednesday in support of Paul Kevin Curtis' arrest. The affidavit said Curtis also sent a letter containing the same language as the Obama and Wicker letters to Justice Court Judge Sadie Holland, 80, in Lee County, Miss.
STORY: Miss. man arrested in ricin letters case
Holland's son, Democratic state Rep. Steve Holland of Plantersville, said Thursday that his mother received a threatening letter last week that contained ricin. He said the substance had been sent to a lab for testing.
"She's under the FBI's jurisdiction," he said. "The FBI has her now." He said his mother, who's been in public service for more than 36 years, got the letter on April 11 and opened it herself.
"She's fine," he said. "We own three funeral homes. We've had 10 or 11 funerals since Thursday, and she hasn't missed a one. Over the weekend, she worked 60 hours."
Curtis apparently used the same language to end a Facebook post as was used in the two letters
"This is KC and I approve this message," he wrote April 11. The post was a link to a YouTube video by Jason Shelton, a Democratic candidate for mayor of Tupelo, Miss.
Shelton said Wednesday night that he knew who Curtis, 45, was but did not know him personally.
"The guy is definitely not a friend of mine," Shelton said. "He's never been a friend of mine."
Shelton said that he had blocked Curtis on Facebook several days ago because Curtis would not leave him alone.
"I think he's insane and out to harm people," Shelton said.
Wicker said he met Curtis several years ago when he performed at a party that he and his wife gave for a young couple about to get married.
"I have indeed met the gentleman, yes. At a social event," he told reporters outside the Senate chamber after voting on amendments to the gun bill. "He's an entertainer. He's an Elvis impersonator."
The party was about a decade ago, Wicker said. "It's my understanding that since that time he's had mental issues and may note be as stable as he had been," he said.
The FBI late Thursday confirmed the presence of ricin in the letters sent to Obama, a Democrat, and Wicker, a Republican. Ricin is derived from the castor plant, more commonly made into castor oil. Ricin has no antidote, and it is most deadly when inhaled.
Curtis was arrested Wednesday at his home in Corinth, Miss., about 50 miles north of Tupelo, the FBI said. The letters sent bore a postmark from Memphis, about 90 miles west of Corinth.
Corinth police Capt. Ralph Dance said Curtis had been living in the city of 14,000 since December.
"We've never had him in our custody," he said. "Since he's been in our town, we didn't even know he was here."
Dance said Curtis lives in a small, red brick, white-trimmed house in subsidized housing owned by the Tennessee Valley Housing Authority.
"Apparently, the guy is disabled of some sort," he said.
Corinth police were merely assisting the FBI with road blocks, crowd control and securing Curtis' home.
Curtis was being held in the Lafayette County jail in Oxford, Miss., a booking officer, who declined to give his name, said Thursday. He is charged with threatening the president and others, is scheduled to appear in federal court, and if convicted could face up to 15 years in prison.
The letters the Curtis is accused of sending read:
"No one wanted to listen to me before. There are still 'Missing Pieces.' Maybe I have your attention now even if that means someone must die. This must stop. To see a wrong and not expose it, is to become a silent partner to its continuance. I am KC and I approve this message."
On April 12, Curtis posted a photo of the registered trademark symbol — an R inside a circle — that read, in part, "To see a wrong and not expose it, is to become a silent partner to its continuance."
"My mother wants me to SHUT UP. My brothers fear me. My sister hates me. My cousins have hostility towards me (they work in healthcare) I have lost most of my friends," Curtis wrote early Wednesday morning.Facebook posts made by Curtis on his fan site — Kevin Curtis Live (KC) — paint a picture of a man obsessed with conspiracies, an obsession that apparently alienated him from his family.
"I have spent more than $130,000.00 on legal fee's in 13.5 yrs. They burned down my home, killed my dogs, my cat, my rabbit, blew up my 1966 Plymouth Valent. They destroyed my marriage, they distracted my career, they stalked, they trolled, they came in to my home, took my computers, had me arrested 22 times and guess what? I am still a thorn in their corrupt anals! I will remain here until Jesus Christ decides its time for me to go."
The Facebook rant continues with Curtis, who has done janitorial work in the past, claiming he is on the front lines of a hidden war against the mafia and a black market organs harvesting scheme.
Curtis wrote that people's loved ones' body parts are not safe and are all up for the highest bidder.
Prentiss County Sheriff Randy Tolar in Booneville, Miss., said Curtis has been in jail several times.
"If it's Kevin Curtis, we've had him in our jail about four times, mostly misdemeanors like simple assault. But in 2008 for telephone harassment and stalking," Tolar said. "I think he has some very serious psychological issues from my dealings with him. In the past I had read some of his Facebook postings, and it was very far out there. He'll get down on you and bash you with everything he's got, even making up stuff, and I've seen that side of him."
Nevertheless, Tolar said that he was surprised to hear Curtis could be the one behind the letters.
"It doesn't surprise me he'd do something off the wall, but something this extreme, I'm surprised," Tolar said.
A man who identified himself as "Kevin Curtis of Booneville," claimed online that he had a cleaning contract with Northeast Mississippi Medical Center before being fired. He claimed his firing took place because he found body parts in a morgue refrigerator.
He wrote on on ripoffreport.com: "3 Years of research lead to countless court battles, cops harassing me weekly, death threats, personal & financial losses, several thefts, my home burned down, car exploded, marriage dissolved & bankruptcy. You can imagine how helpless I felt the day I found out my attorney dropped my case & represented the very hospital I filed suit against?"
He posted criticisms of Wicker, claimed that he ran into Wicker several times and that "he seemed very nervous speaking to me and would make a fast exit to the door" after talking about his case against the hospital. He said he had personally sent out more than a million emails in one year, detailing what happened to him.
Ricky Curtis, who said he was Kevin Curtis' cousin, said the family was shocked by the news of the arrest. He described his cousin as a "super entertainer" who impersonated Elvis and numerous other singers.
"We're all in shock. I don't think anybody had a clue that this kind of stuff was weighing on his mind," Ricky Curtis said in a telephone interview.
Ricky Curtis said his cousin had written about problems he had with a cleaning business and that he felt the government had not treated him well, but he said nobody in the family would have expected this. He said the writings were titled Missing Pieces.
Kevin Curtis had filed an employment discrimination lawsuit against the Tupelo hospital in 2000. It was dismissed a year later.
Contributing: Dustin Barnes, Sam R. Hall, Emily Lane and Jerry Mitchell, The (Jackson, Miss.) Clarion-Ledger; Larry Copeland, Kevin Johnson and Gregory Korte, USA Today; The Associated Press
VIDEO: Kevin Curtis performs Elvis Presley's "Baby Let's Play House"


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There and Back Again
After all the fun that I had during Spring Training talking to some of the best Red Sox prospects, how could I not keep up with them during their respective seasons? From Single-A to Triple-A, I've been keeping up with these guys. The Lowell Spinners (Single-A) do not start their season until June, and I'm pretty sure that a lot of them are still in Florida at the minor league complex (I might just have to go back).
the Red Sox, and the White Sox have all had back to back walk off wins. While the first of the Red Sox's walk off win was definitely cause of celebration, it was not the cure. Think about who had all of the RBIs: Jeremy Hermida, Josh Reddick, and Darnell McDonald. Either a bench player, or minor league call ups. We still weren't getting production from the everyday lineup.That has started to change as of late; the Red Sox are starting to be more productive with runners in scoring position.


text: Welcome to the NEW home of ... Petrochromis.com! Click here to find out more about our new site, its features and enhancements. Petrochromis.com is dedicated to all Petrochromis species, variants and collection points. It is the goal of this site to provide an environment where aquarists from beginner to advanced may find and share reliable information and quality advice regarding all aspects of Petrochromis care. We are excited about what the future holds and would like to thank all the contributing members who have made this site possible.


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The Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Illinois Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are enlisting the help of Illinois hunters in efforts to track feral swine and assist in slowing the population and expanding range of the invasive animals in the state.
Feral swine – often referred to as feral hogs and wild pigs – are defined as free-ranging animals that are not under domestic livestock confinement. They are an invasive species competing with native wildlife for food resources and damaging soil through their rooting and feeding activities, increasing soil erosion and damaging crops, plants and water quality. Feral swine also are known to carry at least 30 diseases that pose serious implications for people, pets, wildlife and livestock.
"We are encouraging Illinois hunters – especially the thousands of Illinois firearm deer hunters who will be in the field in coming weeks – to be on the lookout for feral swine and report any sightings to us," said Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Director Marc Miller. "The dangers of disease, costly damage to the land, and negative impacts to wildlife from the further spread of feral swine in Illinois are significant."
Hunters, landowners, and others who see feral swine in Illinois are asked to report the sightings to the IDNR Division of Wildlife Resources at 217/785-2511. Hunters in the field who observe feral swine and possess a valid Illinois FOID card can – with the permission of the landowner – legally shoot the wild hogs.
"Feral swine pose a significant threat to the Illinois domestic swine industry as the wild hogs are very mobile and can spread a variety of viral and bacterial diseases, as well as dozens of parasites that can affect domestic pigs and other livestock, wildlife, people and their pets," said Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) Acting Director Jim Larkin. "Reports of feral swine from hunters and landowners can be vitally important in helping
Illinois control this major nuisance species."
Wildlife impacts of feral swine in Illinois include predation on ground nesting birds, amphibians, reptiles and other wildlife. Rooting activities by the wild pigs cause significant erosion, damaging habitat and reducing water quality. Economic losses nationally resulting from feral swine are estimated at more than $1 billion annually.
For Illinois sightings of feral swine: Call the IDNR Division of Wildlife Resources at 217/785-2511
For more information on the impacts of feral swine, check the USDA website at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/feral_swine/


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Should Investors Bail on Big Tech?
Technology earnings are starting to trickle in, and it appears the one conclusion investors are realizing is that global technology spend is slowing. There have been a few giants, within the tech sector, whose earnings are painting similar pictures, which is they're beating on profits but missing on revenue.
This was the case when chip giant Intel reported its third-quarter results, and a similar result emerged when a fellow large-cap technology company reported on October 17. It's now clear the government shutdown, and debt-ceiling fiasco, took their toll on technology spending domestically, and broad uncertainty is now rippling through emerging markets. As a result, should investors abandon large-cap tech stocks in light of these troubles? Or are there still technology behemoths performing well in the current environment?
PC growth stuck in neutral
Intel's results were largely what investors should have expected, given the declines in global personal computer shipments. In all, Intel posted 9.5% earnings growth on flat revenue. While Intel deserves credit for navigating such a tough period for PCs, questions still remain about its plans for mobile device penetration.
Intel has invested heavily in its new Bay Trail mobile chips and has promised that these would enter tablets in a meaningful way, but that has yet to be proven. Moreover, Intel recently cut its 2013 capital expenditure budget by $200 million.This likely means it isn't confident enough in its strategic initiatives to keep investing heavily through the end of the year, given global macroeconomic uncertainties.
Big Blue sings the blues
Meanwhile, investors were treated to an even rougher third quarter when International Business Machines reported its own earnings.
All told, IBM reported 4% lower revenue, with particular weakness in its emerging-market segment, including China, which was responsible for half the company's revenue decline. While a 4% drop might not seem like much, IBM missed consensus estimates on revenue by nearly $1 billion, and this quarter's results marked the sixth quarter, in a row, of falling sales.
Thankfully, the company has a laser-like focus on cost controls, which allowed it to boost its earnings per share by 10.5%. But the market quickly tires of big companies that are only able to produce EPS growth through cost cuts and share buybacks. Sooner or later, revenue needs to get going in the right direction, and it's clear, from the markets reaction to IBM's earnings, that investors are quickly losing patience.
For what it's worth, IBM reiterated its 2013 outlook for at least $16.25 per share, which means investors are getting a fairly decent opportunity after IBM's stock drop. The company now trades for about 10 times its full-year guidance, representing the cheapest valuation the stock has seen in some time.
This shouldn't be surprising, since IBM stock is down about 8% this year, and nearly 20% since it closed at an all-time high in March. Its performance significantly lags the 21% gains notched by the S&P 500 this year, and to date, IBM is the worst-performing stock in the Dow Jones Industrial Average this year.
Meanwhile, this tech giant can't be stopped
One technology sector heavy-weight that is simply firing on all cylinders is search-giant Google , whose revenue and profit results both blew past expectations. Metrics across the board showed strength, in the most-recent quarter, including 26% growth in paid clicks, 12% growth in total revenue, and 36% growth in earnings.
There was nothing but bullishness in Google's report, and investors reacted just as you'd expect, sending shares past $1,000 for the first time in its existence. While a noteworthy milestone, it needs to be mentioned that share price alone is not a measure of a stock's valuation. Investors should keep in mind that Google now trades for about 30 times trailing twelve-month EPS, so it's not like this is a cheap stock.
The Foolish takeaway
In the end, investors are quickly realizing that in the current environment of restrained global technology spending, not all tech stocks are performing equally. It's apparent that while IBM and Intel struggle to meet estimates, Google can do no wrong.
Tech investors looking for growth should give clear preference to Google. At the same time, IBM and Intel are cheaper stocks on a valuation basis, and both pay dividends to shareholders, which Google does not. Therefore, growth and value investors may view IBM, Intel, and Google differently.
More compelling ideas from Motley Fool
Interested in the next tech revolution? Then you'll need to learn about the radical technology shift some say forced the mighty Bill Gates into a premature retirement. Meanwhile, early in-the-know investors are already getting filthy rich off of it... by quietly investing in the three companies that control its fortune-making future. You've likely heard of one of them, but you're probably never heard of the other two... to find out what they are, click here to watch this shocking video presentation!
The article Should Investors Bail on Big Tech? originally appeared on Fool.com.Bob Ciura owns shares of Intel. The Motley Fool recommends Google and Intel. The Motley Fool owns shares of Google, Intel, and International Business Machines. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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Blow a Kiss
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Items that may pose a threat to our nation's health or safety, or harm our political interests are prohibited or restricted. Prohibited items are illegal and are by no means allowed into the United States. Restricted items are those that may be brought into the U.S. but require a special permit or license.
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U.S Customs > Making a Declaration > Duty-Free Exemption > Duty-Free Shops > Paying a Duty > Prohibited and Restricted Items
This is only a guide. For more information, please visit the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website.


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Eric Wulf, executive director and CEO of the ICA:
Our keynote speaker of course this year is Mike Ditka. Mike Ditka was born in Carnegie, PA, and starred at the University of Pittsburgh before being chosen in the first round of the NFL draft by George Hallas. He went on to be the NFL rookie of the year, and then to play for the Philadelphia Eagles, the Dallas Cowboys and of course the Chicago Bears where he still holds several receiving records. He has won three Super Bowls, both as a coach and a player — an assistant coach with Dallas, a player with Dallas and of course as head coach of the Chicago Bears.
He now is busy in various pursuits, as you know. He is a restaurateur, you see him frequently on ESPN as an NFL commentator, he is a commercial spokesperson, and also finds a lot of time to have fun doing what he loves also, which is golf. But we're very excited to have him here with us. He's going to share with us stories that he has learned through his remarkable journey, and without further ado, please welcome, NFL Hall of Famer, Mike Ditka.
Mike Ditka:
Eric, I want to thank you for reading that introduction just like I wrote it, I appreciate it. I heard your words. Pretty special. The carwash business, I know a little bit about it, I get mine washed about three days a week. Why do you want to have a clean car? It makes you feel good. Actually, I smoke cigars in mine; it makes it smell better too. But you people are the real people of the world. You're the backbone of America. You're what makes it go.
I'll tell you a little about myself, because you have to understand who I am. I'm just a guy going through life. I'm very fortunate, I've been put in some unique situations, and I've had a lot of help. I'll tell you this off-hand. I'm not politically correct, I don't try to be. I won't say something to impress you. I'm pretty conservative in my views, although I won't bore you with my political views. I love America. I love this country a lot. I'm not necessarily a Patriots fan, but I am a patriot.
I'm just going to go back and tell you a few things. I came, and Eric mentioned a little bit, I was drafted by the Chicago Bears in 1961. I was the fifth player picked in the first round. Now I don't know if that impresses you or doesn't. Anyways, I went in to see Mr. Hallas, I didn't know very much about the Chicago Bears. I grew up in Pittsburgh. We sat down at his desk and he said, "I'm going to offer you a contract, and the contract is going to be for $12,000 a year. But I'm gonna give you a $6,000 signing bonus." Twelve and six, okay, remember that. So I played that rookie year for $12,000. The $6,000 was spent on a car, believe me. But I played that for $12,000.
So, at the end of the year … and fortunately I had a great year. I made rookie of the year. I made All-Pro, I caught a lot of passes, so everything worked out good. So I go in to see Mr. Hallas again. Now, you gotta understand, there were no agents in those days. I had nobody representing me. It was me, 22 years old, going against the guy that started the National Football League. Chances are we knew who was going to win.
So I go in, and he sits me down, and he says, "Kid, you know, you had a great year." He called everybody kid. "Kid, you had a great year. You did this, you did that," he said. "But you know, you missed curfew three times." And he's right, I did. And every time I missed it, he fined me 500 bucks. Now you figure it out when you're making $12,000 and you're fined $500 three times, you know, that's a lot of money. And believe me, it wasn't worth it when I missed the curfew either. He said, "But I'm going to give you a raise." And this is what he told me, "I'm going to pay you $14,000 this year."
I'm thinking, wait a second here, that doesn't work out. Twelve and six is 18; I'm getting a cut in salary. So I said, "Coach, that doesn't make any sense, I made 18 last year." He said, "No, you made 12." I said, "No, I made 18." I said, "I'll be damned if I sign for a penny less than 18." As soon as I said that, he pulled out a contract for $18,000 and I signed it. He was going to get me for $14,000 if he could, but he wasn't paying more than $18,000.
I've been very fortunate, you know, I played in a great era of football. I played in the 1960s, and I played against a team up north of Chicago called the Green Bay Packers. And the Packers in the late 1950s were not very good. Kind of one of the laughing stocks of the National Football League. They hired a coach, in I believe 1959. His name was Vince Lombardi. And he went to the Packers, and he didn't change people as much as he changed attitudes. He made people understand that there was light at the end of the tunnel, but they had to do things a certain way, the Lombardi way. You know, there's an old saying that practice makes perfect. It's not true. Perfect practice makes perfect. If you're practicing all wrong — I don't care how much you do it — it ain't going to get much better…
(To read Mike Ditka's full speech, please check carwash.com in June.)


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Appearing at Winston's Beach Club on June 29, Green Today is based in Orange County. Together for just under two years, the tribute band includes bassist Jim Scarlett (Mike Dirnt), drummer Tom Varga (Tre Cool), guitarists Kevini Tapia (Jason White) and Brian Wedmore (Billie Joe Armstrong).
"Brian and I have known each other playing in punk bands in the area since about 2000," Scarlett said. "With tribute projects on the rise in 2010, we discussed the idea of a Green Day tribute based on the fact that we both really liked the band, wanted to start something that we could establish and build, and thought we could pull it off."
He acknowledges that Green Day has been a big influence on his music.
"Personally, being a stage musician for so many years, I've always thought how cool it would be to play with a huge band like that. Understanding that to be unlikely, this seemed like another option," Scarlett said.
Unlike many tribute bands, Green Today replicates their namesakes' look, as well as sound.
"We knew a lot of the top tribute projects that were successful — like No Duh, The Red Not Chili Peppers and Nearvana — also incorporated the look," Scarlett said. "So we made this a focus as well."
While he considers the band's focus to be on the music, he notes that members of Green Today share some of the same physical characteristics of Green Day.
"The most difficult thing for me is that I cannot grow sideburns (like Dirnt), so I'm a long ways away, but I give it a shot," Scarlett joked.
The band has a repertoire that includes all the hits from "Basket Case" to "American Idiot."
"Most sets are about 60 minutes for some festivals and other events where we play up three hours," Scarlett said.
After dozens of shows, Scarlett said he is as enthused as ever about Green Today. Almost.
"Because it's a tribute band project and there are expectations, it has turned into quite a bit of work," Scarlett said. "But overall, it's a great time. All of us enjoy being on stage and playing, so we appreciate the opportunity to play for larger crowds, which usually takes more time and luck when playing with an original project.
"The best thing about being in Green Today is the opportunity to be on stage in front of people who are into it, singing along and connecting with them. Green Day is so good and has built up such a fanbase, that it seems if we even come close (to their sound) and put as much as we can into the show, people have a good time," he said.
Green Today has performed before crowds of up to 5,000 people, regularly playing dates in the 1,000 range.
"We are playing more out of state and different types of events, so we're looking forward to the opportunity to play to more people, in different areas," Scarlett said.
According to Scarlett, the fan response at shows has been pretty good.
"Most of the people at our shows know what to expect and we seem to deliver it pretty well," he said. "Most of the time we are playing on a night of tribute acts, so people attending know the songs. We get the occasional negative comments and people criticizing but we have fun with it. We know we're not Green Day. I kind of like to think of it as we're just fans too, just having fun with songs we all like."
• Green Today performs at 9 p.m. on Saturday, June 29 at Winston's Beach Club, 1921 Bacon St. $5. 21 and up. www.winstonsob.com


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J-Lo, Brad Pitt and Will Smith are coming to a theater near you Read More »
Franchise thriller rises above its B movie mechanics Read More »
A Pakistani British teen finds salvation in Springsteen Read More »
Costner on his new canine character Read More »
Movies for Grownups advocates for the 50-plus audience by fighting ageism in the entertainment industry and encouraging films that resonate with older viewers. With weekly news and reviews, nationwide screenings, and an annual awards event, AARP champions movies for grownups, by grownups. Read
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Movies for Grownups Awards is a way that AARP honors the films and filmmakers who make the movies we want to see. Read
Tuesday, Oct 15, 2019 at 12:00pm
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Tuesday, Nov 5, 2019 at 5:30pm
Super Suppers
Montgomery, AL


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Style Advice
Style Advice
The Hunston is a traditional slim-fit popover hoodie and casualwear hero; after all, proudly selling sweatshirts in Salcombe is where we started out. Inspired by vintage British sportswear, today's Hunston embodies 15 years of close collaboration with our manufacturing facilities in both Portugal and China where the teams can handle cotton like nobody else. Woven into a brushed-back jersey, the cotton used is the softest around, so it works wonders when it comes to retaining warmth and enduring wear.
Featuring a snug, jersey-lined hood, a kangaroo pocket and pared-back graphics it's a quality piece that'll be your comfiest first choice.
- Slim fit
- Super soft cotton mix
- Brushed-back fleece
- Graphics at left chest and back
- Our model wears a size 10
Care Advice
- 75% Cotton, 25% Polyester
- Wash with similar colours
- Dry away from direct sunlight
- Iron on reverse
- Do not dry clean


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Dirk Leibenguth
1987-1992 drummer in the jazz fusion trio Impala, about 40 performances per year in Jazz clubs and jazz festivals
1993-1995 drummer of jazz / hip hop band Exponential Enjoyment
1996 -1998 drummer in hip hop band DCS "Die coolen Säue" (BMG), tours through Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic. Supporting act for MC Lyte and KRS-One and many more, television appearances on MTV, Live from the BR Slaughterhouse, MTV
1999 live drummer hip hop band drummer rain and mild (BMG)
2000 live drummer r&b act Brooke Russell (Edel)
Since 1998, live drummer for Susan Weinert Band (jazz fusion / acoustic jazz)
1998-2004 touring drummer / arranger / Creative Producer of Carol Laux, many Performances in clubs and theaters, 2 albums productions etc.
Since 2001, touring drummer and musical director of hip hop artist Curse, one of the leading German hip hop artists, numerous tours, 4 Album releases (Sony/ BMG), numerous features on various albums by other artists such as Xavier Naidoo, RZA, Kool Savas, Azad, television appearances on MTV, WDR, Rock am Ring, Rock im Park, Splash (Europe's largest Hip Hop festival), Summerjam etc.
Olli Banjo, Curse


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Starlings Lampshade - Grey Linen
A beautifully handmade lampshade featuring a murmuration of starlings. This lampshade is made with our screen printed grey linen fabric and then handmade by our lighting company Lume Lighting. All lampshades are handmade in Brighton and each one is made to order in a range of sizes that can be used either as a ceiling pendant or for a lamp base.
As all of our lampshades are handmade in our studio we are able to make custom sizes. If you would like to discuss a custom size shade then please do get in touch.
Lume also offers a variety of other styles and designs of lampshades, so please do pop over to their website to have a look.


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WEST CHESTER - The traffic and stunning news about a fatal shooting at the New Castle County Courthouse in nearby Wilmington, Del., confirmed for Chester County Sheriff Carolyn 'Bunny' Welsh two facts of life in protecting a courthouse: First, the most troublesome cases are not those involving high-profile murderers, but rather everyday folks involved in family disputes. And second, no matter what steps her sheriff's department takes to ensure public safety at the county Justice Center on Market Street, her deputies act more as deterrent than as prevention.
'The action is first, then comes the reaction,' said Welsh, who as county sheriff since 2000 is responsible for the overall security inside the courthouse. 'But if someone is determined to target someone for violence outside the courthouse, it would almost be impossible to stop that.'
According to news accounts, the man who shot and killed his former daughter-in-law and a friend of hers, then himself, had waited in the lobby of the courthouse in downtown Wilmington with a gun at the ready. He shot the two women, then wounded two security officers at the courthouse before turning the gun on himself.
'It happened so fast,' said Jose Beltran, 53, an employee at the courthouse who was entering the lobby when he heard two shots. He said he turned around and heard three or more shots as he ran.
Welsh, on Friday, said she felt sure that her staff would be able to stop someone from entering the courthouse itself with a gun, using security monitors and a trained, observant force in its lobby, but outside there is little to do to stop a premeditated shooting, she said, as the Wilmington incident illustrates.
The shooter, a 68-year-old Texas man, had not gone through the courthouse security stations and did not pose a threat beforehand.
'It is an example of the level of violence that can come in Family Court matters,' Welsh said in her office at the Justice Center. The situations, such as the child support hearing in the custody dispute at the center of the Delaware shooting, are volatile, she said, since they involve 'changing people's lives, their fortunes, their family.'
In fact, on Thursday on the county courthouse's fifth floor, where the vast majority of Family Court matters are heard, a participant in a case became emotionally upset over something and lashed out - shouting and crying in the hallway outside a courtroom. Two deputies were dispatched to assist the one deputy who was assigned to monitor the courtrooms there; the situation was diffused soon afterward.
'We have vigilant deputies who are well-trained to keep an eye on what is happening,' Welsh said. 'But things can happen so quickly and unexpectedly that it is hard to prepare for everything.
'In criminal court, we know who the bad guys are,' she added. 'But in Family Court, it's hard to know who the disgruntled family member is going to be.'
The design of the Justice Center is conducive to overall security, she said. There is only one entrance for the public, and but a small lobby where those entering are within 15 feet of security monitors. There is little room for loitering, and the main lobby sits above the entryway, giving armed deputies the ability to look out over the doors, standing in a 'crow's nest,' as Welsh put it.
'I think we have a good set-up,' she said. 'It allows us to observe and to be able to respond quickly.'
Since the Justice Center opened in 2008, only one person has been caught bringing a gun into the building - a defendant in a family support matter who said he had forgotten that he had a pistol in his briefcase.
On Monday at 8 a.m., 68-year-old Thomas Matusiewicz of Texas walked into the lobby of the Wilmington courthouse and shot and killed former daughter-in-law Christine Belford and her friend Laura Mulford. Belford and Matusiewicz's son, David, had been involved in a bitter, years-long custody battle and were at the courthouse for a child support hearing.
On Friday, David Matusiewicz waived a preliminary hearing in federal court on charges that he violated his probation on federal fraud and kidnapping charges. He also waived a hearing on a request by federal prosecutors that he remain in custody until the probation violation hearing, which has not been scheduled.
Even though Matusiewicz waived his right to a detention hearing, Magistrate Judge Mary Pat Thynge indicated that she likely would have ordered that he remain in custody anyway.
'The court does have concerns about him being a risk of flight due to past history,' she said. '... He may decide to take off.'
'Past history speaks volumes as far as Mr. Matusiewicz is concerned,' she added.
Matusiewicz was taken into custody after Monday's shooting. Federal authorities say he violated the terms of his probation by failing to disclose that he spent the night before the shooting at a home in Elkton, Md., after telling probation officials that he was staying at his uncle's home in New Jersey.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.


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Template:Cub Scout Monthly Themes/2009/September
From MeritBadgeDotOrg
September 2009 BSA Theme - Cub Scout Pockets
"What can possibly be in a Cub Scout's pocket? What is in a boy's pocket can tell a lot about who he is and what he likes. The boys can share and show off their collections and maybe even start a new one! Put some marbles in the boy's pockets and teach him how to play the game of marbles. Pick an interest of the boys and go on a field trip to explore and learn about it. Maybe a trip to a rock quarry in search of fossils, or a nature hike around the den meeting site to pick up items. This is also a great month to educate the boys on what can go on their uniform and then make some goals to accomplish their rank advancement, special awards, belt loops and pins, and involvement in camps and council events. This might be a good month to work on the Cub Scout Collecting or Cub Scout Marbles belt loop and pin." - Program Helps
Character Connection:
Monthly Program Resources:
Belt Loops and Pins:
Webelos Activity Badges:
Theme-related activities:


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A report at Computerworld cites security researchers who feel that Apple's patch release policy is a major stumbling block for increased adoption in enterprise IT. Apple tends to release OS, application, and security updates when they are available, with little or no warning to IT professionals. This is in stark contrast to Microsoft, which releases security patches like clockwork—on the second Tuesday of every month—and usually limits other updates to twice a month.
There are really two sides to this coin. The obvious downside is that planning a rollout of updates to a large amount of systems requires time and resources. "If you can't properly plan for this, you're in a constant firefighting mode," said Andrew Storms, director of security operations at vendor nCircle Network Security Inc, in an interview with Computerworld. "[I]t's affecting the management of the IT team."
Charlie Miller, a researcher at Baltimore-based Independent Security Evaluators, told Computerworld that unscheduled patches could also cause some business to not patch at all. "The last thing they want is a patch that just shows up. They can't patch without testing. So this is one more reason for them to go, 'I just won't patch,'" he said.
The upside, however, is that releasing patches when they are available reduces chances of a vulnerability being exploited and affecting users. Tom Johnson, a system administrator at Purdue University responsible for Mac IT, says that Apple's releases doesn't preclude an IT organization from making its own patching plan. "In my opinion, it does make it harder to plan your time, since you don't know when updates will come out. However, even if Apple chooses not to have a regular schedule, as an organization you can choose to [have your own]," he told Ars. "How is it different if Apple artificially delays an updates to meet [its] regular schedule?"
"If Apple should be compared with other vendors, take the other Unix vendors," Swa Frantzen of the SANS Institute's Internet Storm Center told Computerworld. "Sun, HP, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, the different Linux distributions—very few of them group together patches in a monthly cycle."
My own experience with Macs in many businesses is that end users are often left with little or no support from IT at all. So the more experienced tend to apply patches as Apple releases them, relying on notices from Software Update, while other simply ignore Software Update altogether.
Different businesses have different needs. "Business IT shops and university IT shops are on completely different schedules," said Johnson. "It doesn't matter to me if updates come out on the 2nd week of every month, because we are very reluctant to make changes during the semester unless they are needed security fixes or fix ongoing problems." But, he adds, "People like predictability. Large organizations seem to like regular schedules and plans, even if they don't really matter or they could create them on their own."
As usual, it seems Apple could benefit from at least some modicum of transparency. While keeping some product secrets from the general public may still be a winning PR strategy, having a way to communicate with IT professionals about future software updates would be wise and could offer a good compromise. As Johnson told us, "It is true that it could be kind of nice to know when updates are coming—even just a rough window, not exact dates." Such a compromise between the two strategies could give larger IT organizations enough latitude to have a tentative plan ready when updates arrive.


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June 29, 2011
The Beating
Hi there. I maintain a blog at gigglingviolence.blogspot.com which I thought you might find interesting and worth looking at. Here's a story I wrote which I thought you might enjoy:
Sexy Sadist: A Long Day at the Office
by Sweet Candy Apples
She came home from work that night, exhausted. Her feet were killing her and her briefcase felt like it weighed a ton, crammed with expense reports and file folders and who knows what else. All day long she'd been talking to clients, sitting in meetings, on the phone. And now, all she could think about was getting home, taking off her heels and letting her hair down, enjoying a glass of wine, followed by a relaxing soak in the tub. Yes… she closed her eyes in the back of the cab, a small smile spreading over her face. She was already enjoying the thought of it.
She was a tall and slender woman with olive-colored skin which off-set her green eyes in a way that caused men to stumble over their words while speaking to her. Though she knew it wasn't just her eyes that men liked. She also had extremely large breasts beneath her business suit, and she liked to leave just the top few buttons undone to give just a hint of cleavage. She knew very well that her beauty was key to her success in the business world. She landed more contracts than her entire team put together. She was nearly at 6 figures.
But now it was time to put all that behind her and settle down for the evening. The cab driver dropped her off. She gave him a ten dollar tip and a sexy smile. He wasn't looking at her, just at her chest. She loved the feeling.
"You very beautiful woman," said the cab driver. "Your husband very lucky man!"
"See you next time," she said seductively. She looked down. The poor bastard was hard as a rock! And such a tiny penis. She giggled.
When she arrived home, she unlocked the front door and opened it wide. Then dropped her briefcase with a thud! What she saw shocked her – caused her eyes to open wide and a gasp to escape her red lips!
There was mail laying on the floor! It must have fallen off the counter and was now fanned out all over the place.
"Roger!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.
Immediately, a thin, wiry balding man came running over. "Yes, honey? Yes? How was your day? Can I get you something to drink? Can I draw a bath for you? Can I do any…"
"Shut up!" She pointed at the mail on the floor. "What is this?" she yelled. "I work my goddamned ass off to provide for this household while you don't do shit, and there's only one thing that I ask for! Just one thing! What is that one thing I ask for, Roger?"
"Uh… a c-c-c-clean house?"
"Is even that small amount of responsibility too much for you, you pathetic little faggot wimp?!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it must have fallen…" He quickly got down and began gathering it all up.
"Well, you're about to be sorry!"
He stopped, stricken. "No… no, please…" he said with fear. "I'm cleaning it all up, see? I'm cleaning it right now! I'll sweep! I'll mop! I'll…"
"Shut your fucking mouth!" she commanded. "God! All I wanted was a nice relaxing evening and you had to ruin it!" Then she lifted her head and called out in a sing-song-y tone, "Oh, Dennis? Dennis, could you come down here, please?"
For a while there was nothing, and Roger felt relieved. Perhaps Dennis had already gone to sleep for the night… Maybe he had gone out. But then there was the sound of tremendous thuds coming down the stairs, ripples in the glasses of water on the countertop. Dennis was home.
Through the doorway there emerged a very large, very tall black man, wearing nothing except a pair of jeans. He had huge biceps and a sixpack stomach. Even his neck was muscular.
"Yes, ma'am," he said very courteously in a deep, resonant voice. "How was your day of work?"
"I'm afraid I had a very stressful day," she confessed, taking in his perfect form and licking her lips slightly. She could stare at his body all day long. She came over to him and began running her fingers over his large arms. "Unfortunately, my pathetic husband here has not cleaned the house thoroughly and I'm afraid he must be punished."
"Yes, ma'am." Dennis bowed slightly, then walked over to where Roger was cowering.
"No…. no, please!" Roger screamed, putting his hand out in front of his face. Dennis immediately began punching him over and over, spilling blood out all over the floor. He didn't do it with rage or anger, just very matter-of-factly. There were several loud cracking sounds as Roger's head hit the floor.
While this was happening, the woman went over to the wine rack. She couldn't decide which she was in the mood for… Finally, she found just the right one. She poured herself a glass and sniffed at it. Mmm, yes. It smelled good.
"No, Dennis! Please, stop!" yelled her husband. "Please, for the love of God, stop!!!"
The beating continued.
She took a sip from the glass. It was a very good vintage. When she had finished drinking it, she took her hair down and let it fall past her shoulders.
Finally, Dennis stopped and stood up, breathing heavy. There was blood dripping from both of his fists. "Enough, ma'am?" he asked, cracking his neck.
"Let me see," she said, and set the glass down. She walked over and got down on her knees.
"Please…. please…" Roger wailed. His eyes were swelling shut and his mouth was totally covered in blood.
"More," she instructed.
"Yes, ma'am." This time Dennis began kicking Roger in the side, which also elicited screams of pain.
The woman ran her long, slender fingers down the back of the muscular man as he commenced to the beating. There was a thin layer of perspiration developing on his skin, and she loved the way it felt. "That's enough," she finally said after some more time had passed. "Take me to the bedroom and make love to me."
"Yes ma'am." The large man hoisted her up over his shoulders and carried her off toward the bedroom.
"This place better be spic and span tomorrow morning!" she yelled at her husband as she was lifted away. "I don't want to see any blood, you understand me?"
Roger had almost managed a response when suddenly the lights turned off and he heard a door shut. He lay his head down in a pool of blood, in the darkness, alone.
Submitted by: Candace Apples
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WASHINGTON — The nation's space program needs the type of vision from a U.S. president that John F. Kennedy supplied in the race to the moon, the inventor of the first private spaceship said Thursday.
Burt Rutan said NASA has failed to capture the public's imagination and must refocus its efforts on human spaceflight.
Rutan designed SpaceShipOne, which rocketed into space twice in five days, a feat considered the first steppingstone en route to private spaceflight.
In an appearance at the National Press Club, Rutan praised new NASA Administrator Michael Griffin as the right person to transform the agency, while questioning whether Griffin will be allowed to do so.
NASA has 435 people on its board of directors, all with their own agendas, Rutan said of Congress.
During his re-election campaign last year, President Bush called for NASA to return manned spacecraft to the moon and eventually to send a manned spacecraft to Mars.
Rutan said the space program has paid a price for pulling back from moon exploration, and he pointed to the cost in lives in the shuttle program as a sign that drastic change is needed, with the first 22 years of space flight having been a lot safer than the last 22.
"We have regressed," Rutan declared. "Do you know of any technology that gets over the decades more dangerous?"
The human spaceflight program is still trying to recover from the Columbia accident of Feb. 1, 2003, which killed seven astronauts. The shuttle Discovery is currently due for launch on the first post-Columbia mission in mid- to late July.
Rutan said that right now, the nation's space program doesn't even "have the courage" to go repair the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope. The new NASA chief appears to be in the process of reversing that decision, recently ordering work to begin for one last shuttle servicing mission.
A week ago, Griffin made an impassioned case for speeding up development of a new spacecraft so the United States will not lose access to space when the shuttle is retired in 2010.
The current plan, which Griffin inherited when he took over NASA last month, calls for the new vehicle to carry a crew into orbit by 2014 and be capable of traveling to the moon and Mars, with modifications, in the years beyond.
Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Let $A$ and $B$ be two matrices which can be multiplied. Then $$\operatorname{rank}(AB) \leq \operatorname{min}(\operatorname{rank}(A), \operatorname{rank}(B)).$$
I proved $\operatorname{rank}(AB) \leq \operatorname{rank}(B)$ interpreting $AB$ as a composition of linear maps, observing that $\operatorname{ker}(B) \subseteq \operatorname{ker}(AB)$ and using the kernel-image dimension formula. This also provides, in my opinion, a nice interpretation: if non stable, under subsequent compositions the kernel can only get bigger, and the image can only get smaller, in a sort of loss of information.
How to manage $\operatorname{rank}(AB) \leq \operatorname{rank}(A)$? Is there a nice interpretation like the previous one?


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In my feature profiling Rafael Garcia, there were tons of great things said about the midfielder that didn't make the piece.
Below are a selection of quotes from Garcia, Sean Franklin (who was Garcia's teammate during his first season at Cal State-Northridge), his Canoga Park High School coach Jake Gwin and his father also named Rafael Garcia.
(On being a father and a pro athlete...)
GARCIA: "It's awesome. I love every single second of it. It was hard especially in my college years when I was finishing up school, but now, I have a lot more time which is great when we're around because when we travel I don't get to see my son or my girlfriend as much. It's great I love it, I get a lot of time with my son and it's a lot of trips to the park and the beach. It's been great, nothing has been easy, but now I'm at a point where I'm able to balance everything in my life as far as my personal life and my professional life and my social life. It's all very new in a way, but I just take it day by day and the time that I spend with my family is the time that I cherish the most."
(On people describing him as a hard working person...)
GARCIA: It's very flattering that people consider me a person that is hard working, ambitious and won't take no for an answer. I feel like that has been my goal from day one to be that person that never gives up and is persistent. For me, it's very flattering and humbling and I have to keep that mentality if I do then who knows what will happen. The sky is the limit.
(On his perception of Garcia...)
FRANKLIN: "To see him get to where he has and work hard and now be one of my teammates is great. It's good to see a fellow Matador in the league. All credit to him, he's a humble person a hard worker and he deserves to be here."
(On his excitement to see Garcia become a professional...)
GWIN: "When he came to me and told me that he and Lilly were having a kid. I took a deep breath and I shook his hand and said to him that 'you're going to be a great father.' I knew that he was going to raise a great kid and provide for him. I was obviously worried that my other kids weren't able to do that. I was never concerned for him. He would be great, he has a greet family that supports him. He has a great kid and a great structure around him and I'm just proud and when he first signed his contract, I texted him obviously congratulations, but also 'I'm happy for Isaiah" that he gets to grow up watching his dad play professional soccer and that is unique and rare. I was as much as happy for Isaiah as I was for him."
(On Garcia's family oriented lifestyle...)
R. GARCIA Sr. "Every day, he goes to the practice and then comes back to the house. He loves his family and he wants to stay with them all the time. I always told him 'God, family and work' were important and if you can do your job then your family will be okay. "


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CHICAGO — Kansas coach Bill Self had the best (or worst?) seat in the house for the Jabari Parker Show.
It lasted more than 38 minutes, right up until the Duke freshman forward drew his fifth foul Tuesday night at United Center. It featured 27 points, nine rebounds, two steals, a block and an assist.
In short, Parker's performance for No. 4 Duke was fitting for his status as one of college basketball's transcendent freshmen.
"He was better than what I expected," Self said after No. 6 Kansas pulled out the 94-83 win. "Guy's going four-for-five from three in the first half? You don't bank on that when many times he's the other team's five man. … He's the most skilled 6-8 guy you'll ever find. He's not a post man per sé, but he's a post man who can play as a guard. He's always been an unbelievably skilled kid.
"The biggest thing is he gets you off-balance because he can play at different speeds and really stretch you. He was better than we expected, although we expected him to be good."
The same could be said for Self's own top-ranked freshman, the 6-8 wing Wiggins, whose step-back jumper and late dunk sealed the Jayhawks' win with little more than a minute left in Tuesday's game. Wiggins finished the night with 22 points and 10 boards.
The same could also be said for No. 1 Kentucky's 6-9, 250-pound forward, Julius Randle, who dominated much of the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader by scoring 27 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in a 78-74 loss to No. 2 Michigan State.
The night was freshman-focused, and, boy, did the three headliners live up to their nearly impossible levels of hype.
"We've had a number of kids tonight who are going to be top-notch NBA players," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said in his post-game news conference.
Added Self: "Jabari lived up to the billing, and Andrew lived up to the billing late, no question."
Each of the three stars dazzled in different ways: Randle with his bruising physicality. Parker with his scoring versatility. Wiggins with his pure athleticism.
Michigan State's Branden Dawson, who drew the dreaded task of guarding Randle in the post described it as: "He's strong. … He's just hungry to score. He's always around the rim."
Spartan coach Tom Izzo called Randle "ornery and nasty," the kind of player who "wanted to put (his team) on his shoulders," he said. "For a freshman, that speaks volumes."
If that's true, then Wiggins and Parker practically screamed, too.
Parker's 19 first-half points paced Duke during a back-and-forth first half. Wiggins's second-half aggression changed the dynamics of the matchup. Both players showed flashes of what NBA scouts – as many as 80 were in attendance Tuesday night – seek in pro prospects.
Kansas forward Perry Ellis, who guarded Parker much of the night, said it was "definitely a challenge" to defend a player who could score just as easily from the wing as the post.
Duke's Rodney Hood, who battled Wiggins, said: "He's a hell of an athlete. He's real patient. He's just a good player. … In the second half, he came out very aggressive, trying to get to the basket."
Before college basketball fans go too crazy over these kids and NBA general managers start talking tanking, Self cautions patience. In a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately kind of world, one of the most difficult things to do is wait.
But Parker, Wiggins and Randle are worth it.
"Those three have a chance to all be special," Self said. "It's also one week into the season, less than one week. People are too giddy about certain guys because of the unknown. When guys are seen and studied and figured out, there's going to be a little bit of a roller coaster for all these young kids."
Nicole Auerbach, a national college basketball reporter for USA TODAY Sports, is on Twitter


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