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Louisville, Kentucky (CNN) - Mitt Romney doesn't have a lot of free time.
That's certainly no surprise as the 2012 race heads into its final stretch, but a copy of Romney's internal campaign schedule obtained by CNN offers a small glimpse into how tightly-managed the Republican's long days on the campaign trail have become.
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The private schedule, provided to CNN by a source, outlines Romney's Oct. 10 tour of Ohio with minute-to-minute precision, from his 9 a.m. hotel departure in Akron to his 8:50 p.m. arrival at a Courtyard by Marriott in Dayton.
For an hour-long ride on his campaign bus between campaign events in Mount Vernon in Delaware, the schedule notes that "WMR will eat lunch and participate in calls during this drive."
That's "WMR" as in "Willard Mitt Romney."
Between 2:05 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. later that afternoon, staff reserved time for Romney to call his running mate Paul Ryan on the eve of his debate against Vice President Joe Biden.
"WMR will call PDR," the schedule notes.
Usually, these schedules are privy only to Romney advisers and campaign surrogates who join up with the Republican nominee on the road – in Wednesday's case, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
The schedule reveals little in terms of news.
But it does offer a window into the grueling routine of a modern-day presidential candidate - and the detailed planning that goes into coordinating a single day on the campaign trail for Romney, his advance team, top allies, state-level aides and a retinue of top advisers.
Read Romney's internal campaign schedule, with phone numbers redacted, here.
I wonder how R & R are going to spin the Atlantic story today that those six studies that R & R claimed suppossedly support Romney tax plan in fact ALL say Romney's economic plan won't work.....
They'll blame the "librul" media for misquoting them.
I agree with rs. No woman should vote for Romney. We don't want to go backward to the time when men controlled women. {like the Taliban}. Women are very capable of deciding what to do with their own bodies when it comes to Health Care and reproduction. Men should stay out of their way!
The choice is simple ....American "JOB CREMATOR" & China "JOB CREATOR" Vote Mitt Romney..or ...American "JOB CREATOR" Vote Obama.
And if you didn't know... GOP blocked the No.1 item on the president's "to-do-list," refusing to allow a vote on a bill that would give tax breaks for companies that "insource" jobs to the U.S. from overseas while eliminating tax deductions for companies that move jobs abroad.
Your life, your choice, you choose...America!
Punditry loves to talk about Biden's "rude" interruptions at last night's debate, but hardly anyone called out Romney's very rude interruptions towards the Pres and the moderator. Romney lied and cheated to win the debate
He is a dispecible charater who will lie for anything to get to the top!
What's Obama's plan for the next 4 years if he wins? Has he said anything on that? Cut the budget by half again? Why didn't he do it in the last 4 years? Create more new jobs? Why didn't he do it in the last 4 years? Improve economy? Why didn't he do it in the last 4 years? Our GDP is at 1% now. So Obama had his chance. He has exhausted his methods. So now it's time to let someone else give it a shot. The goal is to get the country moving forward again. We can't just stop here just because Obama is likeable and Biden is laughing constantly. They've had their chances of 4 years. They don't have any other ideas. So just let someone else make some changes and use their suggested methods. It's just very simple. Also, we just can't keep spending and shelling out handouts because we don't have that much money. We can't afford to have so many people depending on handouts. Not because of anything, only because there's no money and we shouldn't just keep printing more money to give out.
Run, Romney run! Spin in the wind. Change your positions 50 more times before the election!
After all and all is said, really, what matters is: US is not doing very well right now. We've got to change. We can't just keep on borrowing and spending. Can't. Period. We'll be like Greece soon. Biden goes taxing the rich, but he sometimes define the rich as making millions, and then sometimes defines who's rich by if their household income is at $250k. Which is which? Is a family making $250k in SF among the rich? Who's disconnected? Two good programmers (husband and wife) make this amount, and they have to work many hours day in day out, raise family and then pay huge amount of tax. To give them more tax because they're rich?
@Mt: Romney and Ryan support abortion for the mother who's life is in danger during birth.
They'd like for you to think they do ... but actually Ryan doesn't, and who knows what Romney thinks anymore (or how he'll finally make a concrete decision should he ever become President). I'm not going to "trust" him, which is what he's asking you to do. Apparently you do trust him. Good luck with that.
@rs: I wasn't talking about total dollars, I was talking in percentages. So it doesn't matter if Romney made a billion dollars and Biden made ten. He still gave 1,000 times more in 1 year than Biden gave in 10. Romney's donations did not all go to his church. Much of it went to other recipients and like I said, he donates much of his time to his endeavors, including when he was working as gov of Mass and as he helped save the Olympics.
Sw, I understand that we can't keep on borrowing and spending. What Romney proposes is to cut the income of government further, which is what Romney's 20% tax cut will do, so that the government will have less money to start with. This does not decrease the expenses that the government has. As a result, the government has less money to spend on the same expenses, and you get a bigger debt. True, Romney claims that he will cut spending, but he does not tell us what he will cut in the budget. Romney also proposes to close loopholes for the rich, but there are not enough loopholes for the rich in the tax codes to cover the 20% tax cut. Romney will have to close loopholes for the middle class as well. Romney says that the tax cut will spur economic growth. But if the rich will not get a net tax cut and you close loopholes for the middle class, where does the economic growth comes from?
It dosen't matter if you are rich or poor, the poor will always be poorer. obama will turn this into a socialist and then later on it will become a communist.
John McCain visited the troops in Afghanistan why not Romney.
If R & R are elected only rich women will be able to get an abortion. Women of America – Wake Up!
What'sReallyWrongForBeingRich? The Dems Target The Rich, but For What? If I worked hard and become so rich, was it disgusting? Are the rich are so bad that they had to be taxed more? That's is totally unfair. We are in a democratic society where we have the freedom to excel. Let us stay that way and grow up with achievements that we and America to be proud of.


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Chile Chicken Wings with Creamy Cucumbers
In the intro to these Chile Chicken Wings with Creamy Cucumbers from Michael's Genuine Food, author Michael Schwartz describes them as both "major-killer" and "bangin'." These descriptors sounds dangerously similar to Guy Fieri-speak but they also make it somehow intriguing in a Triple D sort of way.
They're an advanced riff on classic spicy Buffalo wings with blue cheese and celery sticks—fried wings sauced with a sweet-hot chile glaze and cooled with a salad of crisp cucumbers in a minty yogurt sauce. And after mixing up a batch of these wings at home, I have to say, they are both "major-killer" and pretty "bangin'."
The secret to the chile sauce is the unexpected addition of tahini—its nuttiness rounds out the rest of the Asian-inspired ingredients, giving the sauce a great thickness, perfect for coating. And the creamy cucumbers? Totally amazing. Coating them in salt and letting them sit for a few minutes draws out their moisture and leaves them with a salty snap. The dressing of yogurt, lemon, garlic, and mint seems simple enough but when mixed with the cucumbers, it's good enough to eat on its own.
As always with our Cook the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of Michael's Genuine Food to give away this week.
Adapted from Michael's Genuine Food by Michael Schwartz. Copyright © 2011. Published by Clarkson Potter. Available wherever books are sold. All Rights Reserved.
- Yield:4
- Active time: 30 minutes
- Total time:45 minutes
- Rated:
- For the Chile Chicken Wings:
- 1/2 cup sweet chile sauce, such as Mae Ploy
- 2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger
- 2 pounds chicken wings, preferably free-range
- Canola oil, for deep-frying
- Cilantro leaves
- Sliced scallion
- For the Creamy Cucumbers:
- 1 English (hothouse) cucumber
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
To make the Chile Chicken Wings: Combine the chile sauce, tahini, vinegar, soy, garlic, and ginger in a blender and process on high speed for 10 seconds. Set the chile sauce aside until ready to use or refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Cut off the chicken wing tips and discard. Split the wings in half at the
joint to make wings and drumettes. Have your butcher do this if you want.
Rinse the chicken wings and pat thoroughly dry.
Heat 3 inches of oil to 350°F in a countertop electric fryer or deep pot. If
you don't have a deep-fry thermometer, a good way to test if the oil is hot
enough is to stick the end of a wooden spoon or chopstick in it. If bubbles
circle around the end, then you're good to go.
Carefully add the wings to the hot oil and fry in batches until they are
crispy and float to the surface, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the wings to a large bowl. Add enough of the chile sauce to coat and toss well.
To serve, arrange the wings on a platter and garnish with cilantro and
scallion. Serve immediately with the creamy cucumbers and the remaining
chile sauce on the side for dipping.
To make the Creamy Cucumbers: Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon. Slice the cucumber very thinly with a mandoline or a sharp knife. Put the cucumber in a medium stainless steel or glass bowl; add the salt and mix thoroughly to combine. Set aside for 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the cucumbers to a colander and rinse thoroughly. Squeeze dry with your hands and then pat dry with paper towels.
Put the cucumbers back into the bowl and add the yogurt, cream, garlic,
mint, and lemon juice. Toss to combine; season with the pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use or for up to 2 days.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.

subset: commoncrawl


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Walking down South 3rd Street toward the 90th Precinct in Williamsburg, marchers chanted things like, "domestic violence is a crime, if you do it you'll do time," and "no more violence, no more silence."
The march began at two locations, one at Junior High School 50's parking lot and the other on Johnson Avenue between Manhattan and Granham avenues. Organizers decided to start one of the groups that participated in the march at the Johnson Avenue location because one building on that block has been dubbed, "The Emma Feliciano Building." It is named in honor of a female domestic violence victim who was murdered by her partner.
Ramon Pegureo, executive director of Los Sures, said he won't stop fighting against domestic violence until, "our mothers, our daughters, our wives, our grandmothers and our families could be safe."
"We join forces with not only the North Brooklyn Coalition, but each and every one of you to say no more violence," he told the crowd. "Peace at home and we will have a great community."
Victims of domestic violence, who asked not to be put named or photographed, shared their stories. One by one, women gathered the strength to tell the crowd about their personal experiences as they choked back tears and spoke about being happy they were still alive.
"I want to assure you that any concerns, anything you people need, we're here, just walk right in," Michael Kemper, deputy inspector of the 90th Precinct, told the crowd, adding that his officers take the issue of domestic violence very seriously,
Juan Ramos of Community Driven Solutions gave some hard numbers with regard to women being victims.
"The statistics show us that one in four women will be a victim to domestic violence," he said. "They'll tell us that 50 percent of women who attend college or go to high school will be victims of sexual harassment or sexual assault."


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by Linda Chavez at Townhall.com
Clueless. It's the word that best describes the Obama administration's first year in office. They've proven themselves clueless about creating jobs; clueless about handling growing nuclear threats from Iran and North Korea; and now, most devastatingly, clueless about protecting Americans from terrorist attacks on our own soil. And with nearly one year under the belts, they can't keep blaming the Bush administration for everything that goes awry.
It is hard to imagine a more incompetent handling of the thwarted Christmas Day bombing of a U.S. jetliner. First, the commander in chief was too busy enjoying his vacation in Hawaii to do much more than issue platitudinous assurances that he was "actively monitoring" the incident, while dispersing White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to the weekend talk shows to downplay the significance of the event.
When the news media began uncovering evidence that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was exactly who he claimed to be when taken into custody — a terrorist tied to an al-Qaida network in Yemen — the administration began backtracking on its earlier statements that the incident was not part of a larger terrorist plot and that "the system worked." But it took the president three days to appear before the American public to insist on a thorough investigation. By that time, everyone knew that the would-be suicide bomber's own father had alerted U.S. intelligence officials of his son's threat to American security. But the warnings didn't keep Abdulmutallab off a jetliner headed to the United States.
Even the words the president used in his press conference Dec. 28 suggest how clueless he is. He described Abdulmutallab as a "passenger (who) allegedly tried to ignite an explosive device," repeatedly referring to Abdulmutallab in his comments as a "suspect." These are the weasel words we use when talking about ordinary criminals, which is no accident. The Obama administration's anti-terrorism philosophy is to treat terrorist attacks like criminal actions, not acts of war.


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If you're looking for delicious lovingly-produced home-cooked food, suitable for a variety of tastes, then you have come to the right place .
At Shambhu's we understand how the quality and taste of the food served to your guests can have a profound effect on the overall ambiance of your event, whether it is a meeting, seminar, class, office party, private party, conference, function or festival.
Just have a look at what our clients say about us, and you'll see why we are confident that your guests will find Shambhu's catering a truly enjoyable experience .
Come and see us at the following upcoming public events:
(click here for links to further listings of vegan events)
(click here for links to further listings of vegan events)


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Mike Adams
Natural News
Feb 27, 2013
After clearly plotting to set the fire, then setting the fire, then confirming they set the fire, and then burning fugitive Christopher Dorner to death without trial or due process, the LAPD now insists that, "We didn't start the fire!"
That happens to be the name of a popular 1980's song by Billy Joel, so of course we couldn't resist setting the song to a montage of images and video surrounding the LAPD conspiracy to murder Christopher Dorner by burning him to death.
The video is available now on TV.naturalnews.com at this link:
It's also available on YouTube, although YouTube will probably ban this video very quickly, as they habitually censor free speech that criticizes government (while gladly tolerating videos that erode the moral compass of society).
Until it's banned there, the YouTube URL is:
Beyond covering the events of the LAPD and Christopher Dorner, the video presents a montage of popular tyrants throughout human history. It shows images of war, the damage to human life caused by Big Pharma, the dangers of vaccines, GMOs and more.
It ends with a compilation of truth-telling freedom fighters including Gerald Celente, Jesse Ventura, Paul Craig Roberts, Ed Griffin and more.
Obviously, the video doesn't exactly match the lyrics of Billy Joel's original song, since it was written over two decades ago. But it's astonishing how "modern" his song really is, even in 2013.
The video parody features Bill Clinton singing, "We didn't start the fire" in Waco, Texas, plus Obama and his Communist Manifesto, Stalin, Hitler, Kim Jong-Un, children of thalidomide and even Monsanto.
You are encouraged to copy and share this video as quickly as possible, and re-post it under multiple accounts on video services to help guard against censorship of this free speech satire.
This is the latest political parody video from freedom activist Mike Adams, creator of the hugely popular TSA Help Wanted video that dared to make fun of the TSA.
The YouTube video is embedded here; at least until YouTube censors this video:
The next evolution of activated nascent iodine, Survival Shield X-3, is back in stock at 50% off with double Patriot Points and free shipping!


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We are Canonical
It is our mission to make open source software available to people everywhere. We believe the best way to fuel innovation is to give the innovators the technology they need.
We deliver Ubuntu
At the heart of everything we do is Ubuntu, an open source software platform that runs everywhere from the smartphone to the cloud. Our services ensure that it is certified for use on mobile devices, PCs, servers and cloud infrastructure — public or private.
On ubuntu.com, you'll find detailed information about the platform and its features, our services and management tools, plus details about our partner and certification programs.
We help organisations make the most of Ubuntu
Leading organisations all over the world turn to us for our services and expertise – from systems management to the deployment of Ubuntu on their own clouds, servers and desktops.
We help partners take Ubuntu to market
We partner with the biggest names in hardware, software and on the cloud to help them optimise, extend and deliver Ubuntu at scale.
We need big thinkers like you
Whether you're a developer, a designer or a business professional, if you want your work to change the world, you've come to the right place.


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|Clams with wild garlic and crème fraiche
In between dishes are sips from a tumbler of a sweet bellini, softly fizzy and pink with rose and rhubarb.
The second best dish consists of slivers of cauliflower with the edges browned and wizened, a sculptural shard next to plump scallops, and hidden under the folded fat that is lardo. All on a cream-coloured purée of truffled cauliflower, which is utterly moreish.
Actually, joint second is a dish of Marinda tomatoes from Sicily which are naked bar a modest lick of oil. In short, I recommend that you visit Polpetto in Berwick Street, because it seems at home in its new home and you'll soon feel at home there too. Especially when you've a bellini or two in hand.
|The rude bottom of a Marina tomato
Read my first thoughts on the original Polpetto.


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S.U.N.N.E (DMV Artist) - Commercial Freestyle Series #2 Hosted By: DJ Anonymous [Unsigned Hype]
"DMV ARTIST S.U.N.N.E. : Commercial Freestyle Series #2 , Directed by: @hiklasshagar Hosted by: @djanonymousdc Website: www.sunnedmv.com twitter: @sunnedmv www.reverbnation.com/sunne , http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sunne/100399214398 Download Yung N Amazin here: http://www.datpiff.com/Sunne_Kwon__Yung_N_Amazin.m113211.html "
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
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text:
Student's fundraising effort leads her to Penn State
Student's fundraising effort leads her to Penn State
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Growing up, Alison Willie had no connection to Penn State. Now, nothing could be further from the truth.
"Nothing, we had no attachment to Penn State, never had anyone go here, nothing," Willie said of her childhood on the West Coast. "No one in my family had even been to Pennsylvania, so it was kind of a big jump, but now it's like our second home."
This transformation happened under unfortunate circumstances for Willie, currently a sophomore at University Park in the College of Engineering who coincidentally grew up in an Oregon town called Happy Valley.
Her father and maternal grandfather each were diagnosed with kidney cancer within a year of each other a decade ago. This was all new to Willie's family, and since they didn't find many treatment options, they lobbied for more Medicare coverage of kidney cancer.
They spoke with an Oregon congressman, who told Willie and her family that kidney wasn't a "popular form of cancer," so there wasn't much chance for increased funding.
"It was a pretty horrible thing to say to parents with kids who were 7 and 11," Willie said. "At that point, my mom was like, 'Okay, we're doing something,' because nobody else was doing anything."
The family learned about the Penn State football team's Lift For Life event, a yearly fundraiser for kidney cancer research, through a newsletter and began sending cards to a few of the players. Jordan Norwood, a 2008 Penn State graduate and a State College, Pa., native, wrote back to Willie, prompting her and her family to write even more letters. All of this led to them visiting Penn State for the first time in 2007 for Lift For Life, where Willie set out 17 hand-made scarves, asking for donations.
Since it had been about five years since she had knitted them, the scarves "were a little rough on the edges," Willie said, laughing. Still, the spirit of what she was trying to do came through. Two of the scarves netted a $100 donation each, which she gave directly to the football team's fundraising effort.
"No one's out there doing anything for kidney cancer; the guys here, with their event, are the largest fundraiser for kidney cancer worldwide," Willie said. "They do a great job and they're not only students, they're student-athletes and they're putting this on, as well."
She later toured the campus, saying that Penn State's ability to produce successful engineers, especially women engineers, helped her make the decision to attend the University.
As for the $200 that the scarves brought in, the money wasn't just a donation, it also served as inspiration. She began selling the scarves every year at Lift For Life and donating all profits to the team's cause.
Willie recruited friends and family members to help. She even taught her mom how to knit. The following year, Willie and her family had made more than 300 scarves in the months leading up to the Blue-White game, where the scarves also are sold yearly.
What makes this connection all the more surreal is her hometown.
"It's pretty crazy, especially since I'm from Happy Valley, Ore.," Willie said. "It's just kind of weird, like it was meant to be."
While Willie's father and grandfather have recovered from their cancer, the family continues to be involved in raising money for this cause. Willie estimates they have raised close to $40,000 so far, with no signs of stopping. She said they stockpile scarves, currently having around 100 that are waiting in stock for when space opens at McLanahan's, the only local retail outlet that currently sells the scarves.
In addition to selling every year at Blue-White and Lift For Life, Willie occasionally sells scarves elsewhere, such as at last month's Penn State men's basketball game against Iowa, which was billed as Uplifting Athletes Day at the Bryce Jordan Center. The scarves aren't sold online, Willie said, because then they'd have to make the scarves a uniform size and that just wouldn't be any fun.
She's kept in touch with former players and continues to meet new ones, indicating there's no reason for her to stop the fundraising effort that helped lead her to Penn State.
"It's a really good thing to know something uplifting when you're dealing with something that's bad, and that's why we got involved, because it's so much easier to deal with something bad when you have something positive," Willie said. "We've worked as hard as we can to make the biggest difference we can, and it's worked because now there are more treatments."
For more information on Alison's story and her family's scarves, visit their Facebook page.


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Thanks to developments in simulation methods over the last twenty years, the optimization of the hydraulic design of reaction-type water turbines (Francis and Kaplan turbines) is now primarily carried out by means of numerical flow simulation. In the design process, numerical flow simulation provides the engineer with a rapid and reliable tool to obtain a better understanding of the flow and to quickly examine various design options in order to select the optimum configuration.
A similar move towards the use of simulation methods is now taking place in the field of Pelton turbines. Until now, the flow in Pelton turbines has not been analyzed in such detail as the flow in Francis and Kaplan turbines. One of the reasons for this is that the flow patterns and the hydraulic losses are very difficult to observe and quantify by experiments. This is due to the very complex flow processes that occur in Pelton turbines, which include pressure losses, secondary flows, jets, film flow, free surfaces, spray formation, ventilation losses, unsteadiness, and complex interaction between the components.
Read Full Article


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Let's start with how the beginning of the game looks on each version:
1. Scoring system reworked. "Score" has been changed to "kills".
2. Multipliers. You get more kills for bigger targets and blowing up the fur bombs when other enemies are in range gets you even more extra kills. Beast mode gives double kills.
3. Remade snow level. It has different layout and everything from trees to bushes is covered in snow. Remember the original Kid Gore? This is a change of similar magnitude.
4. New difficulty selection. Probably my favourite in terms of wow factor. The camera is zoomed way out to give you a better view of the level.
5. Unique muzzle flashes for all weapons. For now it's just a visual flavour but in Episode 4 it is used to communicate co-op weapon efficiency for each player. The closer players get to each other the bigger the muzzle flashes & faster the fire rate. It's made to encourage cooperative play.
6. Hearts for health visualization. They are displayed in the top left corner. If the character has 5 health states you don't have to remember how each one looks.
7. Clover pick-up and slots right where you pick up the clovers. Makes it easier to see how many you have because it's displayed where the action is at.
Game Center related changes:
1. Achievements through Game Center with prettier achievement icons.
2. New leaderboards with less clutter and faster response time. OpenFeint leaderboards are gonna be removed.
Let's not stop quite here, then there's the bug fixes:
1. Retina display enabled on iPod touch 4. We got ipt4 at the office and it's working beautifully on it.
2. Flip screen bug fixed on iPhone 4 and iPod touch 4. This one should remain fixed until Apple rolls out the next device with different resolution. ;)
3. Sometimes fire direction got stuck, it shouldn't do that anymore.
Kimmo is working hard on finishing the Game Center implementation, then the update should be ready for testing & submission.
We get some new promo codes for each update. Most people who read this blog probably already have the iPhone version, in any case here's 40 promo codes for the iPhone version you can share with your friends!
Please leave a review on iTunes if you use one :)
EDIT! Looks like all promo codes are taken, I'll clear this space so you don't have to scroll so much EDIT!


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Gerald "Jerry" Lawson, creator of the first cartridge-based videogame console, died Saturday morning in a Mountain View, California, hospital, Wired.com has learned. Lawson was 70.
As an engineer at Fairchild Semiconductor, Lawson designed the electronics of the Fairchild Video Entertainment System, later renamed the Channel F, in 1976.
Predating the release of Atari's Video Computer System by a year, the Channel F was the first videogame machine that used interchangeable game cartridges, which Fairchild sold separately. Previous game machines like Atari's Pong and the Magnavox Odyssey had all their games built into the hardware. Lawson's pioneering design set the standard for the game consoles of today.
"Jerry was an amazing personality," said family friend David Erhart, who broke the news of Lawson's death Monday on the Digital Press website. "He created part of the videogame industry history in Silicon Valley and it was always a pleasure to hear his stories about back in the day."
Much of Lawson's background is discussed in a wide-ranging interview he gave Vintage Computing and Gaming in 2009.
A lifelong engineer and tinkerer, Lawson was born in 1940 and grew up in a federal housing project in Queens, New York. As a kid, he operated a ham radio; as a teenager he earned money by repairing his neighbors' television sets.
In the 1970s, living and working in Silicon Valley, he joined the Homebrew Computer Club, a group of early hackers that included Apple co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.
Lawson's contributions to videogames began with Demolition Derby, a coin-operated arcade machine that he created in his garage while working at Fairchild.
"Fairchild found out about it – in fact, it was a big controversy that I had done that. And then, very quietly, they asked me if I wanted to do it for them," Lawson said in the Vintage Computing interview.
Although similar machines were in development at Atari and RCA at the time, the console Lawson's team built for Fairchild was the first cartridge-based gaming system that came to market. Although it seems simple now, making the technology work wasn't easy.
"There was a mechanism that allowed you to put the cartridges in without destroying the semiconductors.... We were afraid – we didn't have statistics on multiple insertion and what it would do, and how we would do it, because it wasn't done. I mean, think about it: Nobody had the capability of plugging in memory devices in mass quantity like in a consumer product. Nobody."
Only 26 cartridges were ever released for Channel F, all simple games like Blackjack, Space War and Bowling. When Atari released its cartridge-based system, Channel F was quickly rendered obsolete. Years later, Lawson started his own company, Videosoft, to produce Atari 2600 cartridges, but only released one, a technician's tool called Color Bar Generator.
Last month, the International Game Developers Association honored Lawson's pioneering efforts at Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.
'His workbench had more tools than most people would even know what to do with.'"The whole reason I did games was because people said, 'You can't do it,'" he told the San Jose Mercury News last month. "I'm one of the guys, if you tell me I can't do something, I'll turn around and do it."
In later years, Lawson had suffered the severe effects of diabetes. He lost sight in one eye and lost one of his legs to the disease, leaving him confined to a wheelchair. On Wednesday, not feeling well, he was admitted into El Camino Hospital Mountain View.
"He continued building devices to control telescopes, lasers, tools, etc. up until the day he went to the hospital," said friend Erhart. "His workbench had more tools than most people would even know what to do with. He taught me quite a bit and I'll miss him sorely."
At 6:15 a.m. Saturday, Lawson died after apparently suffering a heart attack. He is survived by his wife, son and daughter. The family is planning a memorial service in mid-May.
See Also:- Weekend Thrifting: The Fruitless Odyssey


text: Job Discussion Forums :: View topic - jobs in bella italia Get TEFL Certified & Start Your Adventure Today! Job Discussion Forums"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!" FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in jobs in bella italia Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Italy View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message cbailey13Joined: 28 Dec 2004Posts: 2Location: Canada Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2004 6:24 am Post subject: jobs in bella italia Hey everyone! I am new to the cafe. I just got TESOL certified and am 19 (soon be 20). I would really love to find a job in Italy in anytime after i finish this school year in May 05 (long-termish though), I was wondering if anyone knew any really key places to search for jobs in Italy. I do have an EU passport and all, but having no offical ESL experience and being 20, do you think it will be difficult for me to find a job? Thanks, All the best, Christina Back to top eddytottiJoined: 15 Oct 2004Posts: 21 Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2005 1:22 am Post subject: Hi Christina I'm not much older than you and I found a job here in Sicily without any problems (it's great here too). In fact, i turned down several offers and have since received quite a few job offers during my 2 months teaching here. I don't think your age is a big problem, some schools will want older people but i think 20 is the cutting age for most schools. You'll find more work in the north of Italy especially Milan, but for me i'd never want to work there. Take some time to look at every region, perhaps it will give you a clearer idea of where you'd prefer to work. I think Sicily is a great region to live and work, for all intents and purposes it's a different country. You finish your studies in May, why not look for a job in a summer camp in Italy? It would give you a great insight into teaching, the people, food & drink...everything! Whilst working in the summer you could look a full time job in the upcoming academic year. Eddy di Enna Back to top cbailey13Joined: 28 Dec 2004Posts: 2Location: Canada Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2005 7:41 am Post subject: Hey Thanks a bunch for your reply. DO you mind me asking what route you took to find the job? Did you apply directly to schools or answer postings? I have applied to some summer camps, so I am keeping my fingers crossed. Thanks Again, Take Care, Christina Back to top TanyaFromOregonJoined: 02 Feb 2005Posts: 9Location: Italy Posted: Fri Feb 04, 2005 2:37 am Post subject: Eddy, I just finished reading bunches of postings indicating that finding teaching jobs in Italy is VERY hard to find for nonEU people. Your outlook seems to be much more of a positive note. What is your background? Were you already a teacher? When you say that you are getting jobs, are they under the table, or legal? Back to top spiral78Joined: 05 Apr 2004Posts: 11534Location: On a Short Leash Posted: Fri Feb 04, 2005 3:49 pm Post subject: From Eddy's use of 'whilst' I assume he/she is British - therefore no problems with EU status. The OP has the problem licked too - Read some other threads for more relevant info regarding non-EU status. It's not impossible to find legal work in Italy as a non-EU member citizen, but it's extremely difficult. Back to top TanyaFromOregonJoined: 02 Feb 2005Posts: 9Location: Italy Posted: Fri Feb 04, 2005 4:52 pm Post subject: spiral78 wrote: From Eddy's use of 'whilst' I assume he/she is British - therefore no problems with EU status. The OP has the problem licked too - Read some other threads for more relevant info regarding non-EU status. It's not impossible to find legal work in Italy as a non-EU member citizen, but it's extremely difficult. Thank you very much Spiral. I've looked into a few of the more relevant non-EU postings and was rather disheartened. Although I have always wanted to teach, I sought out obtaining a CELTA as a way to help assure gainful employment of any kind whilst in Italy. (Look, I used 'whilst' and I'm not even from England! *giggle). Reading the posts, however, seems to indicate that I might not be helping myself out all that much. I would so love to teach though. *sigh Back to top spiral78Joined: 05 Apr 2004Posts: 11534Location: On a Short Leash Posted: Fri Feb 04, 2005 9:57 pm Post subject: It's not impossible. One of my American friends lived/taught four years in Rome. However, she was only legal for the last year, when she finally made some contacts with an American firm doing business in Italy. She was paid in dollars directly into her US account, and the paperwork was all ok...but it took her literally years to find the right contacts, and she started out with perfect Italian as well. But, there is work for illegals. The issues you have to face include insecurity (no contract - you're always subject to be laid off). You will have to cover yourself for health insurance - and be sure you read the fine print on your insurance to be certain that you'll be covered even if you're somehow injured while living/working illegally. The ins. cos. love loopholes! Basically, if you have some funds for backup, and you can keep a reasonable financial cushion, you can make it even with illegal work. The main advice is: don't go on a shoestring!! If you do, even a little bad luck can be disastrous. Early in my career, I encountered a girl from the US standing on a streetcorner in Prague, her mountain of luggage piled at her feet, begging for change so she could phone her family to beg them to wire her some funds (which they turned out not to want to do, because they had not been supportive of her move abroad to begin with). This nightmare could happen to anybody, if you don't have reasonable financial coverage. I would guess with your credentials, you're probably reasonably well covered in this way, so the risks may be worth taking. But a CELTA won't help you overcome the fact that there are tons of British nationals with equal or greater qualifications and without the paperwork problems to compete with. Sorry to be a downer. As I said, it may be worth trying anyway....you'll need some luck, in addition to credentials and the desire to make it work. So, the best thing I can offer is to wish you good luck! Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Italy All times are GMT Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Where to Begin----------------General DiscussionNewbie ForumCurrent Events ForumTechnology ForumOnline Teaching Forum Africa Forums----------------General Africa Forum Asia Forums----------------CambodiaChina (Job-related Posts Only)China (Off-Topic)Hong KongIndiaIndonesiaJapanMalaysiaPhilippinesSingaporeTaiwanThailandGeneral Asia ForumVietnam Caribbean Forums----------------General Caribbean Forum Europe Forums----------------Czech RepublicFranceGermanyGreeceItalyMacedonia and the BalkansPolandRomaniaRussia & C.I.S.SpainTurkeyUkraineUnited KingdomGeneral Europe Forum Latin America Forums----------------ArgentinaBrazilChileColombiaCosta RicaMexicoMexico (off-topic)PeruGeneral Latin America Forum The Middle East Forums----------------BahrainEgyptIsraelKuwaitOmanQatarSaudi ArabiaUnited Arab EmiratesGeneral Middle East Forum North America Forums----------------General North America Forum Oceania----------------Australia/New Zealand You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling. Contact Dave's ESL Cafe Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved. Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group Teaching Jobs in China


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OCEAN CITY — The town's finance department heard some good news last week at City Hall.
After adding a bit of an exclamation point to the end of the town's claim that it is financially weathering the economic storm, as town officials announced the resort's bond ratings had jumped up two spots, the town refinanced $12.7 million in bonds to a lower interest rate, which will save the town over $670,000 in future debt service.
Finance Administrator Martha Lucey outlined to the Mayor and City Council last Monday night the town's rise in bond rating from a 'A' to a 'AA-' from Standard and Poor's Ratings Services.
Simply put, the town jumped two ratings in a time when few municipalities are even jumping up one rating, according to Lucey, and the new rating is based on the town's strong financial policies, current low debt burden and rapid debt repayment.
In addition, the town received a A1 rating to the town's $12.9 million General Obligation (GO) refunding bonds, and the same rating from Moody's Investors Service, for the town's GO debt, which affects $78.7 million in parity bonds.
Standard and Poor's also assigned the 'AA-' rating and more importantly, a stable outlook rating, to the town's $12.92 million 2009 GO refunding bonds, which the town was hoping to sell yesterday in the open market with plans to refund the town's 2001 municipal bonds.
As a result of the two-hour bid process, Mayor Rick Meehan chose Robert W. Baird and Company as the winning bidder (out of six bids) at a true interest rate for the bonds at 2.71-percent, as compared to the town's former rate of 4.8 percent.
Lucey had assured the council that if the town didn't see the number that it was looking for as far as selling the refunding bonds, it wouldn't sell.
"This will enable us to continue to stay ahead, but we won't sell them if we don't get the right price, but at this point, in this economy, these ratings are very, very pleasing," said Lucey.
According to the Standard and Poor's report, the town's limited, but stable tourism-based economy and strong property tax base should ensure that revenues would remain strong.
"We believe that town officials will continue to make necessary expenditure adjustments to keep in-line with revenues," said Standard and Poor's Credit Analyst Victor Medeiros. "We also believe that the town is well positioned with very strong reserves, to address any near term revenue declines due to the recession.


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View more videos at: http://nbclosangeles.com.
Depressed over the death of his grandmother and upset over being kicked out of his family's Garden Grove home, Marcos Gurrola allegedly shot off 50 rounds from his pistol in the parking lot of a crowded Newport Beach, Calif., mall, police told NBC4.
Gurrola said he didn't intend to shoot anyone and that he fires guns to relieve stress, according to police.
When he stopped firing, he put the safety back on the gun.
A man answering the door of the home refused to shed any light on the alleged gunman's actions.
There were no injuries but there was panic as people ran from the bullets at the crowded mall on Saturday afternoon.
Gurrola was arrested next to his car, a white Honda Civic. He even warned police about a wire protruding from the car so they wouldn't receive a shock, said Lt. Mike Peters, of the Orange County Sheriff's Department.
"All I understand is he was stating there was ammunition in the car," Peters said Monday. "There were areas in the car that he was mentioning that were reasons to be careful in entering the car."
More from NBCLosAngeles.com: CSUN Dispatcher Buys 100 Cups of Coffee for Newtown
The sheriff's department bomb squad took X-rays of the car and found more ammunition but no tripwires or explosives, officials said.
Shoppers at the upscale outdoor mall, Fashion Island, were questioning why anyone would take a chance with a gun and the emotions of a fragile community a day after the mass shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut.
Pretty much the craziest thing I've ever heard how anybody could do that to scare people with everything going on in the world," said shopper David Lenz. "Who needs guys like that?"


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Plenette Pierson had 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists as the Liberty beat the Tulsa Shock 91-74 Saturday at the Prudential Center.
Essence Carson, who left with an apparent leg injury in the fourth quarter, had 18 points and Cappie Pondexter scored 17 as the Liberty (15-19) finished the regular season 9-8 at home. The Liberty will take on Connecticut in the first round of the playoffs beginning Thursday.
"Tulsa's three guards they had out there gave us trouble and I think we contained that in the second half, which allowed us to be better offensively," Pondexter said. "Defense definitely gave us that aggressive edge that we need and that we played with all season."
Ivory Latta had 16 points and six rebounds for the Shock (9-24), who already have their best record in three seasons since moving from Detroit. Tulsa, which was a combined 9-59 the last two years, dropped to 3-13 on the road heading into the season finale at Indiana today.
Tulsa led by 10 at the half, and got 14 points, four rebounds and four assists from Riquna Williams.
"We played a really good first half and we came out aggressive," Shock coach Gary Kloppenburg said. "We were going inside-out, we were getting shots and they stepped their defense up in the second half. We were in a lot of trouble getting good looks. [The Liberty] came out with a lot of energy wanting to win their last home game."
The Liberty secured a playoff berth earlier in the week, and that may have been the cause of their slow start against the Shock. On Thursday, when Chicago was eliminated with a loss to Atlanta, the Liberty clinched a spot minutes after losing by double digits at Tulsa.
They did so in the second half, outscoring the Shock by 27 points. The Liberty finished with four players in double figures, including Kia Vaughn (14), who also had nine rebounds.


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He uses a 90 MPH sinker, a slider, an improved change, and an occasional curve. You can find a full report on him here on the link below. I make him as a Grade B/B- type right now, with his stock having slipped some over the last year. He could make a good inning-eater with a decent defense behind him, or he could dominate more readily if used in the pen.
Stewart threw 95-96 MPH in the bullpen but has settled into the 89-93 range as a starter, though his fastball has sinking action. His best secondary pitch is an effective variable-speed slider. His changeup has improved over the last year and rates as average overall, sometimes better than average, sometimes a bit worse. He's made great progress refining his mechanics and command since college, and has shown the ability to eat innings without ill-effect.
4) Zach Stewart, RHP, Grade B+: His stock has dropped a little, but I still like him. If he can't cut it as a starter he can close.
Stewart works quickly and throws four pitches for strikes, making him a future mid-rotation candidate for Chicago. His fastball features sinking and tailing action at 88-92 mph, while his quality low-80s slider functions as his No. 2 pitch. Stewart worked in a mid-80s changeup more frequently this season with New Hampshire, and he sells the change of pace with good arm speed. He also surprises opponents with a seldom-used curveball.
Frasor is a nice enough reliever with a modest price tag for next season that comes in the form of a club option. Being the prospect in the deal, Stewart's perceived upside is higher. Stewart has what you'd want in a starting pitcher. He throws hard (reaching the mid-90s with his fastball) and has a vicious slider. The problem, though, is that he lacks a third pitch, and his statistical track record in the minor leagues is underwhelming for a pitcher with his profile. At 24, Stewart has appeared in 20 Triple-A games (all in relief) and has spent this season back in the rotation at Double-A New Hampshire, striking out seven batters per nine innings pitched while allowing more than a hit per inning pitched and holding a 4.20 earned run average. The cons have led some, like Kevin Goldstein, to believe his upside (twitter) might be limited to that of a number four starter or set-up man.
His repertoire includes an 89-94 mph fastball, good slider, and changeup. Stewart produces easy velocity and has a solid delivery with minimal effort. He utilizes a low three-quarter arm angle. At worst, the right-hander should become a successful high-leverage reliever in the eighth or ninth inning.
As recently as last season in the minor leagues, Stewart had a fastball was clocking in as high as 97 mph. He isn't throwing as hard but can still touch 93-94 mph on the radar gun, although sits a bit lower than that consistently. He relies mainly on a sinking fastball and slider.
For more links to prospect lists go to fantasyrundown's '2011 MLB Prospects' index.


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Five regions in Spain were hit by ratings downgrades by Moody's, sending yields higher and prices lower on Spanish bonds at a Tuesday sale. The Spanish economy also showed further contraction.
Moody's announced late Monday that it had decided to cut the ratings of the five regions by one or two notches, citing limited cash reserves and bond repayments that are coming due—as well as, for four of the five, "significant reliance on short-term credit lines to fund operating needs." Andalucia, Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha, Catalunya and Murcia all saw ratings drops, while other regions were confirmed at their existing levels.
The news sent bond yields higher and prices lower at a Tuesday sale, although demand was in line with its maximum target, and Bloomberg reported that other economic news was bad as well: for the fifth straight quarter, the Spanish economy contracted, with GDP falling 0.4% in the three months through September from the previous quarter. According to the Bank of Spain, that matches Q2's rate of contraction.
The Bank of Spain also said that the country's economy likely shrank 1.7% in Q3 from a year ago, with rising unemployment, savings depletion and a lack of disposable income to pay down debt all took their toll on the Spanish people. Some economists believe that the flow of bad news won't stop for a while.
Ricardo Santos, an economist at BNP Paribas in London, was quoted saying, "The fact that consumption fell less than in the second quarter ahead of the September tax increases suggests that the worst of the contraction is yet to come. The full impact of the austerity measures should be felt later this year and into 2013."


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30 April 2010
Recently I had reason to reminisce about hardcore, a music very close to my heart. Want proof? Pictured above is the wall of my bedroom. Below: framed cover of Void/The Faith split 12″ (Dischord, 1982) Above: a copy of the etched side of The Locust's "Well I'll Be a Monkey's Uncle" double 12" (Gold Standard Labs, 2000). A pictorial detail here:
One of the problems with explaining an appreciation for this music is its obscurity, its inexplicability compared to most of what people would consider music, and — the topic I'm going to focus on in this post — its energy, an energy so untidy and chaotic it doesn't translate well into adulthood which, if you define adulthood like most people do, means that it does not translate well anywhere that is considered polite society.
Now for some Void videos, sorted by YouTube popularity:
LESSON #1: ENERGY – 58,000 views
So, yes, energy. It's less like music than a rolling storm. The guitar player Bubba Dupree's sway and lean is trance-like, masturbatory in a zen way, completely focused. The singer John Weiffenbach displays a weird athleticism all the weirder for how it's mixed up with a weird rage. Imagine for a second if the jocks were the biggest weirdos in your typical American high school and you get a sense of the threat to the social order someone like Weiffenbach represents. He's a punk but he's proudly wearing short shorts, simultaneously upsetting both the actual weirdo peers (for the way he's dressed) and the more straightforward kids (for the things he's doing in those shorts). If only he replaced then with 80s-era running shorts maybe his band would have been more popular. But no that's an innovation he left for Henry Rollins to master.
The drummer Sean Finnegan will not stop playing when the band does. It seems like whatever he is doing is only half-coordinated with the actions of his bandmates. He's going balls out and won't stop. It would be too clever to say that only death could stop this guy — or that he had an energy which seems too much, too much, which was destined to make him expire at a young age. But when you hear that his death in 2008 came via a massive heart attack, and that he was only 43 years old you might think those thoughts were correct & appropriate after all.
One of the reasons this video has so many more views than the others is that it's the one bloggers gravitated toward when running his obituary — making him, perhaps, the single biggest means by which this pre-internet band has been embraced in this medium.
LESSON #2: WILLPOWER & WILL TO POWER – 28,000 views
This next video gives a better sense of what makes the band exciting. The camera never moves. The singer has a fearful, will-to-power like intensity. You understand the appeal the group might have to a heedless young person, an appeal much like the original creator of the will to power concept seems to hold on precocious young people — at least in my experience.
For the most part the band is absent entirely from the shot. But if you're like me you don't much care. There is plenty of visual interest here besides them, and the point of what they're doing up there on stage, finally, is to incite a movement, a violence, a creative spark & persistent impact that goes far & above the music they're making in real time. So yes, a shout out to 19th-century German classical philologists everywhere straight from 1980s era Washington, DC.
LESSON(S) #3 & #4: CHAOS & COMMUNITY – 19,000 views combined
Here's the point to put a finger on it. Watch the second video, where an audience member for a second grabs control of the mic; where singer John Weiffenbach tells the crowd "Stick your fingers in my gizzard" and you're not sure if it's a lyric or a request; where you can barely tell where the band stops and the crowd begins.
Unique to this music is a sense that there is no line between audience and performer, between the chaos of the crowd and the creation of something new, between the artist and the community that supports them. That's what made hardcore punk so inspiring to so many kids that would, eventually, leave the actual music and aesthetic of that culture behind. I recall the Passover Seder I attended a few weeks back at the home of a particularly forward thinking Lubavitcher rabbi in Boro Park. I, myself, neither observe nor practice any religion but I was taken aback by the guy seated to my left at the table — a Catholic hardcore kid from Connecticut that had recently converted to the Jewish faith and was dressed in the full-out Hasidic outfit — beard, side curls, black hat, etc.
It made me wonder, was hardcore punk a kind of religion in and of itself?
And finally…
Posted by Alec Hanley Bemis
Tags: Boro Park, Brooklyn, Connecticut Hardcore, Dischord, Friedrich Nietzsche, HarDCcore, Henry Rollins, Ian MacKaye, Jeff Nelson, Judaism, Minor Threat, Philology, Punk, Religion, The Beatles, The Community Function, Void


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Twitter comment 1 hour ago (11:50am Aus EST): Hearing rumours of The Amazing Race filming in Brisbane today!?!?!Looks like a creditble source. But no details as yet. Can anyone get to Brisbane airport!!!???
...a friend thought she saw them running down Charlotte Street this morning!? Unconfirmed but maybe?
2:35pm Sydney Time: "Airport is full of annoying schoolies boys and Amazing Race filming."Not sure if this was posted in delay. Teams should have all gone be now if the Philippine Airlines flight left a lot earlier.
The Amazing Race Australia will visit Legazpi City this month and the detours and challenges will be shot in picturesque locations such as Legazpi Airport, Lignon Hill, Mt. Mayon, Cagsawa Ruins, Cagraray Island and Misibis Bay.
paubaradi Paulo BaradiWitnessed Amazing Race shooting here at Cagasawa Ruins, Mayon Legazpi Albay2 minutes ago
we weren't allowed to take photos. Snakes on their neck,catch the pigs,learn folk dances
9 mins ago: kswizzle6969 Kevin Huynh why are their so many couples running around the city with maps and matching colored shirts ! Amazing race ?? lol
Quote from: RichInSydney on November 18, 2011, 09:23:14 PM9 mins ago: kswizzle6969 Kevin Huynh why are their so many couples running around the city with maps and matching colored shirts ! Amazing race ?? lolMight have been good yesterday, he's from Oz!
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text: Welcome to ShadowPlay. Let your imagination run wild when light meets everyday objects to create fascinating shadows! Play and experiment, make a monster out of a pineapple, a dolphin out of a banana - the only limit is your imagination! ShadowPlay challenges players by transforming shadows into over 100 exciting, unique puzzles. As more challenging puzzles are unlocked, players will have to find more creative ways to solve problems. You will never look at a slice of pizza the same way again! Winning a round will allow players to advance to the next level as well as score another item to use in the Free Play Mode where you can unleash your imagination and create your own shadow art. Family and friends can also jump in to help tackle a puzzle at any time using Local Co-op Mode! ShadowPlay will provide tons of brain-racking fun for players of all ages! How do you ShadowPlay?


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I'm a Mage…
I know I'm a Mage…
I'm a Mage dammit!
Yet why do I constantly see signs that I might be something other, something more insidious, one of the unlucky ones…
A Warlock!
I wonder if I have become too close to those that I hunt. Maybe my regular tussles with Saresa, Syrana, Nibuca, Hydra, Fulguralis (ohh the list goes on) are drawing me slowly, inexorably into their summoning circle.
How else do you explain the signs?
Often I notice that this blog receives 666 views…
While grinding achievements I did myself employing the Dot, Dot, Dot, Loot, Win! strategy.
Even my achievement points are hinting at something I'd rather not contemplate.
While I don't intend to even do a deal with the demons for a recalcitrant pet, I do wonder if the Mage Fire tree is nothing more than a combination of the Warlock Affliction and Destruction trees.
Of course that is the thing that brings me back from the brink of insanity, drags me from the maw of demonic possession.
I am a Mage, a Fire Mage. I have the power of two Warlock trees in one Mage tree at my disposal. When those Locks split from the Mages all those years ago in their "thirst for power", the reality was that they were weak, they needed the help of demons to be able to control 1/2 the power contained in one Mage tree.
No, I'm not in denial, I'm in defiance!
The reason I see so many signs is I am so close to the heart of the Demons and their Lock minions. These are the sign posts to their destruction.
One thing is sure…
When I'm finished with them they will be BURNING in hell.
Gnomeaggedon has gone offline.
I'm not going to be about much for the next week due to a couple of important considerations.
- The Beta download stole my internet quota, well it took 2/3 of it and there is barely enough left to download the live WoW update, let alone play. All of a sudden I feel like my Magely counterpart Krizzlybear… blessed to be in Beta, cursed to not have the quota to actually play it.
- Visitors. I have a couple of real life visitors spending some time with me, so the PC will be off so I can give them my full attention (even if one of them is a stinking Collingwood supporter come to see Collingwood get the Colliwobbles at the Aussie Rules Grand Final. It stinks being a Carlton supporter hosting a Collingwood fan while they attend the grand final that Carlton missed out on… However, for TreeHuggerDave, I will either celebrate with him, or give him a lifetime of shit if the Colliwobbles do strike.)
Gnomer and Out!
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.


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Geophysicist Kevin Furlong has spent the past 20 years studying plate tectonics and lithospheric geodynamics—the processes that drive earthquakes and related natural disasters. He has developed a series of courses that focus on the causes and consequences of these hazards, aimed at both general-education and upper-level students. He also directs the Natural Hazards Center at Penn State.
In answer to a recent Research Penn State Probing Question, raised soon after the catastrophic Sumatra earthquake and tsunami of 2005, Furlong commented on the possibility of a giant tsunami striking the United States.
At the same time, he spoke with editor David Pacchioli about a communication disconnect between scientists and society that often exacerbates hazards, and stressed the need for improved education of both the public and disaster professionals in order to create a "thinking response" to natural disasters. Following is a transcript of their talk.
Q:How do we set priorities in preparing for natural disasters?
A:There's always a trade-off. We know now, for instance, that every few hundred years there's going to be a large-scale tsunami in the Pacific Northwest. And a lot of people live there. So it makes sense to spend the money to prepare for such an event and mitigate damage as much as possible.
Then there are events that will have smaller impact, but happen much more frequently. It makes sense to prepare for them, too.
If it's a really major event that's going to happen every thousand years, though, it becomes harder to justify the cost-benefit. Of course if such an event does occur there will be an outcry—For years the government has known about this hazard and done nothing about it. But where is the cut-off? What are we willing to pay for?
The other problem for dealing effectively with events that tend to happen on longer timescales is a lack of stamina. Since the tsunami just happened in Sumatra, it's easy to say we need to install better warning systems. But 10 years from now, when the equipment needs to be upgraded and maintained—it's sitting out in the Indian Ocean, there's going to be breakdowns, it's going to be very expensive—when the disaster fades from memory, does the society have the stamina to keep its guard up?
And then of course you could argue that hurricanes are a much bigger hazard than tsunamis. Devastating hurricanes hit the U.S. every 10-20 years.
Q: What makes predicting an event's impact so difficult?
A:Part of the problem is that these are very complex events, involving lots of factors working in combination. There's not enough appreciation of the complexity.
I was recently in New Zealand, and they were talking about the tsunami hazard there. They should have had a big tsunami from the great Chilean earthquake of 1960, the largest earthquake ever recorded. And in fact they did have a decent-sized tsunami, but it hit during low tide, so it did much less damage than it might have. The tidal range was several feet, and most of the tsunami's energy went into creating a high tide at the wrong time.
That's a kind of subtlety that the general public doesn't really appreciate. They assume, 'Oh, tsunamis aren't too bad. The same is true of a hurricane. A storm is a complex engine. The storm surge can be bad or not so bad, depending on whether it hits during high tide or low tide, and whether it's a time of the cycle when the tides are bigger. These are second-order effects that can totally control how much devastation there is. You try to explain that to the general public and it gets really complicated. Even the 1960 earthquake only did a little bit of damage.'
Did these secondary factors play a role in the response to Hurricane Katrina?
Q:Did these secondary factors play a role in the response to Hurricane Katrina?
A:Katrina was a classic case. The main thing that happened there is that people misunderstood the concept of storm categories.
Those categories are based on wind speed. The storm surge—the height of the water—is driven by a combination of wind and air pressure. When you lower the air pressure, sea level rises.
A storm is a complex machine. &mdash:Kevin Furlong
The ocean is a barometer, in other words: You reduce the weight pushing down on it in one spot and it pushes up somewhere else. So you get this doming of water due to the low pressure. And the winds, if they're pushing in the same direction, they just pile up the water in front of them.
In this case, two things happened that weren't average. First, Katrina had a really low pressure, the 2nd lowest ever recorded. It also was traveling in the same direction for several days, and that's the perfect way to build up a storm surge—the winds just keep adding to it.
Well, then the wind speed decayed a little, and the storm was downgraded from category five to category four. A lot of people—including the TV weather people—were saying, 'Oh, it's a category four now. We had one of those last year, we can handle that.'
The trouble is the storm surge doesn't react instantly. It had built up over 12 hours. It would take 12 or 15 hours for it to decay back down. There wasn't enough time. So the storm surge that came in was still a category five.
It's the difference between just looking at a chart versus really understanding physical processes.
Q:What's the lesson here?
A:It's pointed out a real disconnect between scientists and society. The scientists don't always know what information a person who's designing an evacuation plan really needs. And the people planning the evacuation frequently don't understand enough of the science to even know the right questions to ask.
The same thing happened with the flooding of the Red River [during April 1997], when the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota was flooded out.
Someone had calculated the flood stage. There are computer programs that do this. But they include uncertainties. They say: "Based on this set of factors we think the flood will reach 28 feet, plus or minus 3 feet."
The trouble was, that information, by the time it got down to the people building the levees, went from '28 feet, plus or minus 3 feet' to just '28 feet.' So they built the levee to be 28.5 feet tall. Well, the flood surge was 30 feet. Technically, it was within the original calculation's uncertainties. But there's no half right when it comes to the height of a dike.
Q:Are you saying that current warning systems are inadequate?
A:Emergency systems are based on creating a conditioned response. And that's very important, but we also need better education to allow people to make connections. If people understand why they're doing what they're doing they can adapt to situations.
One of the concerns I have is that we're all trained what to do in the case of a fire in grade school. But if you ask those same kids what to do if an alarm goes off and they happen to be at Wal-Mart, would they know what to do?
The way to ensure they do is through better education, of both the public and disaster professionals.
Q:Is anybody addressing this need for improved education?
A:There are some good disaster-management programs in the U.S.—typically at the master's level. There's one at Delaware, one at Denver, one at the University of Colorado. But they're all in sociology departments. They do a great job evaluating societal consequences, and worrying about stress and logistics, but they have no links to science programs. The students aren't taking meteorology courses. They aren't taking geology.
So they're building a group of people who understand one side of disasters, and we in the sciences are building a group of people who understand the other—and there's a stone wall between the two. And that's really unfortunate.
Q:Is there anybody trying to break through that wall?
A:The group at Colorado is starting to talk to the earthquake-hazard scientists out at U.S.G.S. And there's our own new master's program here, in Homeland Security. It's actually driven out of the College of Medicine, so it has a trauma spin to it. But one of the things they've done is included our natural hazards course as part of the core curriculum. I think it's the only program in the country that does that.
Q:Recent events have spurred a lot of talk about improved disaster preparedness, but as you say, is there stamina for the long-term effort?
A:At some level the federal government has to keep disaster preparedness in the public eye. They have to raise it to a high enough level of awareness.
Q:What do you mean?
At some level the federal government has to keep disaster preparedness in the public eye. &mdash:Kevin Furlong
A:Many people feel that after 9/11 the government may have overcompensated in the focus on terrorism. They wrapped FEMA into Homeland Security, but the reality was that 99 percent of the focus was on terrorism. What we've learned in the last few months is that natural disasters can be equally catastrophic, but that sort of got lost in the shuffle. I'm not pointing fingers, but if it's not a high priority for the federal government, it's not going to be a high priority for the public.
Q:It has to be a national effort.
A:Right. If you live in Oregon and Washington, a tsunami is a high-visibility thing. If you live in Miami, hurricanes are a high-visibility thing. The trouble is we need people in Pennsylvania to realize that hurricanes are important. I was telling my students that one of the things they don't realize is that their car insurance will go up next year because of Katrina. People in Australia—their car insurance is going to go up.
It affects everyone, everywhere. If this big earthquake happens near Seattle and suddenly Microsoft is off-line for six months or a year, that's going to affect the cost of computing. All these things are related.
It broadly comes down to education in the pure sense of the word, not just formal education in the classroom, but at all levels. How to develop a population that has the tools, the understanding to make difficult decisions.
Kevin Furlong, Ph.D., is professor of geosciences in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. He can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Check out the latest RPG news | Podcasts | Twitch Streams
Go to this thread and report your issue immediately.http://forum.square-enix.com/ARR-Test/threads/102818-Regarding-Error-3102-Issue
FINAL FANTASY XIV @FF_XIV_JP 新生FFXIV P/D吉田です。先行体験版(オープンβテスト)へ多数のご参加ありがとうございます。同時接続者数が15万人を超える状況となったため、このあと午後6時にJP新 規3ワールドの追加を行います。(1/2) #FF14
Although congrats to Square Enix since part of this is timing. There aren't really any other MMO's in the public eye at the moment short of ESO which is still quite a ways away still.
Hey everyone. copying and pasting a twitter from SE:FINAL FANTASY XIVDue to the large number of concurrent players on the NA/EU datacenter, we'll be adding three new Worlds (1/3)We'll be adding Lamia, Phoenix and Siren. Among them, Phoenix is a world recommended for EU region. (2/3)FINAL FANTASY XIVTo guide players to those two new Worlds, we'll be suspending character creation on the other NA/EU data center Worlds. (3/3)Wasn't sure how this would affect everyone so I thought I'd post it. Hopefully the restriction will be gone by early access/launch


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Oster® MyBlend® Blue Sport Bottle
BLSTAV_masterOster BLSTAV-WBE-000 https://www.oster.com/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-master-catalog/default/dw65c6e45e/images/highres/BLSTAV-BLN-000-1.jpg
Keep extra Oster® MyBlend® sports bottles on hand for the whole family! Choose from 5 fun, BPA-free color options.See More...
Additional Information
Sports bottle designed for blending on the go. Easy-drink lid and integrated carry handle. Sold without blade assembly. Fits MyBlend® and MyBlend® Pro models.
- 20-ounce plastic sport bottle with lid
- Re-Usable and Dishwasher-Safe
- Works With Oster® myBlend® Blenders
- Recipes in the instruction manual
- Fits in most car cup holders
- BPA Free
Oster® MyBlend® Sport Bottle is rated out of 5 by 42.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Stargazr from So easy! and good for me! I think I've had this for over a year, and am close to making a smoothie EVERY DAY! I put all kinds of good things in my smoothies, and it really does a good job of chopping up small frozen fruit and more! I love this machine! I have given two to my two daughters, who I don't think use them as often as I do, but I do recommend the smoothies made in this easy to use/easy to carry bottle. I have had SEVERAL Oster blenders over the years, but I love the compact nature of this. Before buying this, making a smoothie was a huge commitment of liquid, and now it's the perfect personal size!
Date published: 2017-01-30
Rated 5 out of 5 by ztamayo from Excellent Value I have had mine for over one year. It still works fabulously. I had to replace the bottle because I lost the original bottle. I am happy that it was available at Target and Walmart. This little machine is powerful and is worth every penny. Better value than the Nutrabullet.
Date published: 2014-09-14
Rated 2 out of 5 by SarahMc from Broken after 4 months My fiance bought this for me for my birthday in February. I hate doing dishes but make green smoothies every morning. So this thoughtful gift made me extremely excited. Now, 4 months later, the bottle is cracked. The blender cost 30 dollars. The cup costs 10. Kinda stinks that I have to pay 1/3 of the cost only 4 months later.
Date published: 2014-07-01
Rated 5 out of 5 by BeckyRSS from works good. just didn't have orange in stock. I placed an order and at the time orange was out of stock so I bought grey. Works good just preferred it to match my orange Oster.
Date published: 2015-09-21
Rated 2 out of 5 by Catay from Disappointed I am disappointed that after only about 6 months of semi regular use, the pink bottle that came with my blender cracked when I was trying to make my usual smoothie. I like the blender, but I was expecting the bottles to last longer. I estimate the bottle cracked after making only about 20 smoothies.
Date published: 2015-09-09
Rated 4 out of 5 by Bridgette from Love it!!! My sister got this for me Christmas 2014. Gets used by our 17 year old so much that we bought one for her to take to college. Wish the bottles were so much, $10 when the machine was $20 is a bit much. We did buy an extra bottle.
Date published: 2016-03-31
Rated 2 out of 5 by grosejohnson from Leaking bottle beware The blender itself works great and is super convenient. The bottles are the design flaw which cracks and leak! I have only had mine for about 3 weeks, used maybe 10 times?
Date published: 2018-06-19
Rated 3 out of 5 by brad2 from any suggestions for cleaning the bottle I love the blender, but I find it difficult to clean the bottle. I usually wash it by hand, but find this doesn't work adequately enough because there is a lot of residue at the bottom of the bottle and along the walls that I can't reach because my hands are too large to get deeper into the bottle to clean the lower parts of it.
Date published: 2020-05-13


text:
Cuomo Quick Sketch
Former New York Governor Mario Cuomo was in attendance today as the Supreme Court heard arguments in a long running asbestos settlement case. Johns-Manville, once the country's largest asbestos mining and manufacturing corporation, went bankrupt in 1986 as it faced a deluge of asbestos injury lawsuits. As part of it's reorganization plan the Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust was created to shield Manville and it's insurers from future claims, but in 2001 the asbestos plaintiffs' bar asserted new grounds on which to sue Manville's insurer, Travellers Insurance. Mario Cuomo led the mediation which reached a settlement in which Travellers would pay $500 million into a new trust in exchange for an order from the bankruptcy court "clarifying" the 1986 injuction. But not so fast! A number of third parties have objected to the proposed settlement and so here we are.
I really just posted this for my mom. She's a Mario Cuomo fan.
Tony Mauro of Legal Times blogs about it here.
UPDATE: Tony Mauro later spoke with Mario Cuomo about his visit to the Court, and has a BLT post here.


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Posted on 土曜日, 17 9 2011, 10:25 by
Read: 38,136
We met Denys and Antonina two days after their success at the Amateur Rising Star Latin in Blackpool. It was a pleasure to talk to these young dancers, so full of passion and love for dancing. Denys and Antonina represent USA and are the finalists of the US Amateur Latin. See their profile page.
[Antonina] Very surprised but happy
[Antonina] Shocked!!
[Denys] We were already very happy to be there in semi finals and then we made it to the final....
[Antonina] And when they announced the results it was... very unexpected
[Antonina] I started when I was seven in Ukraine, in a small town called Mariupol. My grandma brought me to a dance class. I started from Ballroom but also had ballet training in Ukraine.
[Denys] I started when I was four in Chernivtsy in Ukraine. It was also Ballroom and Latin. I competed in Ukraine for a long time, I was third in Junior I and Juvenile. Then my family moved to Toronto, Canada when I was twelve. I continued dancing in Canada. I started other forms of dance then, jazz, ballet, tap. There were not a lot of couples in Canada, I was pretty successful there, became a champion. When I was fourteen and a half, I found a partner in Berlin, in Germany. So I moved there to Berlin and lived with her family there. We were dancing for Germany and were very successful. We became World Junior II 10 Dance champions and later twice World Youth 10 Dance champions.
After graduating from the high school in Berlin I joined a contemporary dance school and teacher there advised me to apply to a Dance Conservatory in New York: the Julliard School. The Conservatory accepted me on a full scholarship and so, after five years in Germany, I moved to New York. It is a very prestigious school, one of the best. I was there for four years. During the first year I did not dance Ballroom or Latin, but contemporary dance and ballet. During my second year I met Antonina through my German ballroom dance teacher Janet Marmulla and we started dancing together.
It was very difficult in the beginning because of the time in school and studying. We had very little time, my school started at 9 in the morning and finished at 7 in the evening as did Antonina's school. She was studying acting on a full time schedule at the New York Film Academy. So we could practice only after that. We practically did not have any teachers then, we had to manage on our own. It was a hard time for us. But we have stayed together though all the difficulties and bad results. After graduating from Julliard I went on to pursue a Masters degree in Dance Education at the New York University. I will hopefully finish it in December 2011.
[Antonina] When I was thirteen I moved to Germany. There were good teachers there and my Mom and I decided it would be best for my future to go and study with good teachers.
[Antonina] No, I moved on my own. I found a partner and moved there. I knew Denys from competitions with Polina. They were a top German couple and pretty famous. Once, at the German Open championships, my Mom and I were watching him compete and we liked him very much. After that I moved to Berlin to study with his teacher Janet Marmulla. I had a dream once that I danced with Denys! (laughing) At that time Denys was no longer in Germany. He moved to New York.
[Denys] It was like that that I left Berlin for New York and 2 weeks later she moved to Berlin!
[Antonina] I had that dream, as I said, and I told it to my teacher who was previously Denys's teacher. And she became very interested in that right away! She knew Denys stopped dancing, he did not have a partner anymore and he started contemporary dancing... She said to me: that's very interesting, I am going to call him! I was quite petrified, I asked not too. I was very young at the time (laughing). So she called him and arranged a try-out for us in Germany. Denys came for one week, he checked me through and through. We practiced 8 hours! After a week he has decided to dance with me. So I moved to New York, being only seventeen at the time. It was a difficult time for me, I did not know the language and the culture was so different. I did not have any friends and Denys was practically a stranger to me as well. The 2006 was a very tough year for me.
[Denys] I am 25 years old.
[Denys and Antonina] Yes!
[Denys] It works pretty well, we do not have many problems. We are actually good in switching from dance practice to private life.
[Antonina] For me, it is not a problem. I can easily switch. After practice, I am able to leave the work behind and switch to social life. We practise a lot. So when we go home we just want to eat and just relax.
[Antonina] Exactly. It took some time to learn to manage it. I am a bit more easy going in this way. It took some time... but now it is not a problem.
[Denys] What I admire in Antonina is her ability to focus on one thing and to set a goal and to have faith and believe in that. People can say: you can't do that or it is impossible but she will believe in it and will do everything for it. This is so admirable because a lot of people have fear of failure. But she takes this leap of faith and thinks she can succeed. This is definitely a thing which sets her apart from the rest 95% of population where everybody is a bit scared to go and do something. She is also very practical. When we practise and I have an idea which is a little too theoretical or artistic she would take the practical approach and tell me to stick to what we know!! (laughing) It keeps us on track.
[Antonina] Well, Denys is the most hardworking person I have ever met. He doesn't accept any limits. He can practise all day. He also has a very good heart, he is honest and kind. I like that about him that he never says bad things about other people. He has a pure and clear mind. His ability to structure our practice, organise everything is amazing. We don't just put our shoes on and go to dance our routines. We have a program of what we do, how long we do stretching, how long we work on our basic technique, choreography etc. He has a very mathematical mind!
[Antonina] There is nothing! I do not have any bad words to say about Denys. He always treats me with respect, he is never rude or negative. He is a very good partner (laughing)
[Antonina] We may have some weaknesses but we complement each other and it makes our team stronger.
[Denys] Antonina is very passionate about dance and this passion sometimes brings us to emotional situations. She is very emotional person and when she gets emotionally involved with something she really cares about it. So sometimes at practice we have emotional moments! (laughing) But it is good. After those moments we often say: good we had that because it shows we care! If you have no emotions than you are passive. It is funny. In a way we like to have these moments because they cleanse our emotions, allowing us to let go of negative emotions and not gather them.
[Antonina] For us the quality is the most important thing. We have so much stuff to work on, we will focus on that. Of course, now, people will have bigger expectations from us and our job is to work on improving our dancing. So we do not stress about the result, we never did actually, we never went for the trend in dancing. We worked on quality because quality for us is the most important thing.
[Antonina] Quality is in the work of the body.
[Denys] It is about how the body interprets the music.
[Antonina] Also in togetherness, partnering
[Denys] And to portray each dance such that the characteristics of it are clear. And the body should not just move, but it should communicate certain expression of the music to the people. For me the quality is also related to honesty and sincerity of the movement. If I feel that there is no reason to do something, some movement, even if people say it looks good, I will not do it. It may be a nice line, but if I feel that there is no internal drive or motivation to do it, I will not do it.
[Antonina] For us, the sincerity in dancing is important. It is important not to fake it. In order not to fake it, it has to be very correct. So you need to work a lot on your body everyday to practise each movement, even your little fingers (laughing)
[Antonina] Yes!
[Denys] Both of us had a lot of training in other dance forms and I've danced on stage a lot. Performing on stage is different because everybody is looking at you and you know they are there to admire your art. Even when you do a hand movement or a wrist movement you can totally show that, you do not have to worry about someone marking you. This is the element I like about dancing on stage - you can fully concentrate on the art, and not on competition. This element is also important in competitions. You have to remember that although you are competing you still need to take the time to show something beautiful...
[Antonina] .. and people can connect with you. This is very important to us. We strive to show beauty in our dancing. We strive to find the truth.
[Antonina] Yes, we do a lot of shows.
[Denys] Hmmm.... It is our ambition to achieve the sincerity in whatever performance we are doing. So it does not matter. This is our life, we do it every day. So if you did not feel you sincerely connected with your dancing that means you, kind of, wasted your day. So there is no point in faking. I have moments in the competition when I say to myself it was worth coming here. It doesn't matter what round it is - it could be the first round cha cha or samba that I feel like I connect sincerely to my self and to the audience and it is then enough for me to consider the trip a success. I may then go home happy. In the shows you have a little bit more liberty.
[Antonina] We have more freedom to use the training we had in other forms of dancing and include everything we know. This is very fulfilling. Not just the Ballroom steps but we can be more artistic and creative.
[Antonina] We live in New York.
[Antonina] I go couple of times a year to see my family. My mother comes to New York as well to see me. When we train in Germany she comes there to see us as well. Unfortunately she is not here with us, but later this week we will see her in Germany.
[Denys] They emailed me since my phone is usually off overseas.
[Antonina] I called my Mom right after we found out that we won. And she was so happy! My Mom supported us very much during our journey together since when we started. she was always very supportive. She is my best friend, my biggest fan, my biggest critic as well, everything! Even when we had very bad results and though times, she was always there, always listened and ready to pick us up. So for her, to see that we achieved our dream, is amazing.
[Denys] Yes!
[Denys] Well, the worst times were also the best times as it let us achieve this result...
[Antonina] ... perhaps when we were in New York, with no teacher, practising at nights, having very bad results... It was bad time but also good time because it pushed us to work harder.
[Antonina] I have this faith that dreams do come true... And if you work hard and give 100% eventually you will succeed. I never had doubts when we had bad results. I always treated them as part of the process. No bad result could stop my love of dance. It was never a question. Dancing is in my heart and in my soul. I gave up so many things, I left my family when I was so young, which was extremely difficult, I left all my friends, my country. Dancing is very precious to me. Nobody and nothing can destroy it. Those bad results were just motivating us really.
[Denys] If you think close mindedly about Ballroom and Latin world then competitions can make you stop dancing... I mean, if you dance for the competition, only to compete. Sometimes we get our inspiration and drive from other dance forms where people dance to express themselves, to express the music or what they want to communicate. They do not have competitions. So for me, when we had bad results, it was not like somebody was placing a negative value on us but it was more like a sign that we need to improve our dancing and to keep dancing because it is what we love doing.
[Antonina] And we love dancing together. I think I found a perfect partner for me! The moment we met in Berlin and we touched our hands, I knew it was my partner. I just enjoy dancing with Denys!
[Denys] And I enjoy dancing with Antonina! She is my perfect partner.
[Denys] I like to eat...
[Antonina] ... we like to eat!
[Antonina] We love to eat and watch movies. We often go and see some performances. New York is a perfect place to watch great dance performances. I like to have contact with nature, go to the park, or to the beach.
[Denys] We like Japanese food for instance. Not sushi actually, the other Japanese cooked foods
[Antonina] We usually go to this one restaurant in New York. It is a mix of Korean and Japanese foods which we like. And miss it right now!
[Denys] When Antonina's mum visits she cooks us borsch, Ukrainian borsch.
[Antonina] She cooks a big pot of borsch and we eat it in one day!! We also love sweets. After we come home after practice at night, we have a quiet tea time with chocolate and cookies for an hour or two....
[Antonina] No, we do not like lollies. We like chocolate (laughing)
[Denys] English chocolates are not that good mostly... Thorntons variety are good. I like 50% cocoa, we like it milky. Too much cocoa is too bitter chocolate for us.
[Antonina] We dance for WDC Amateur League since January this year. In America there are currently no IDSF competitions. Previously we were dancing for IDSF.
[Antonina] We always liked Blackpool the most. It is not because we won this year. Blackpool was always my favourite. I live from Blackpool to Blackpool (laughing). I love the music, I admire the judges and the hall, and the people....
[Denys] I like Blackpool very much too. I liked Mannheim before, when German Open took place there. Also, Star Championships in England which is organised by BDF is good. It is very well organised. It is a pleasure to dance there. All-England is another great competition and so is Freedom to Dance.
[Denys] No, we did not.
[Denys] It will be our first time this year. We hope we will be there. We heard from dancers that it is difficult to dance there. The floor is small and round.
[Antonina] We did not know that!
[Antonina] We have a lot of competitions coming up. All of them are very important to us. International Dance Masters in Germany is in June. In summer we want to have a little vacation because we did not have any in two years. When I was little I used to go every summer to the seaside. We did not have time for two years, and it is my dream to do it this year. And after that, we will start preparation for the International. Denys will finish his studies at the University as well this year.
We would also like to use this opportunity to thank our teachers, friends, and my mom, without whom non of our success and development would have been possible.
[Denys] Yes, without a support team it is impossible to get anywhere. We are very fortunate and lucky to have people around us who believe in us and inspire us.
All photos taken on the day by Jure Makovec