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WTP/What we have learned (to love) about P2
Well, the "love" part might be premature :) but are confident we'll end up there.
This page is a central place to document some notes about what we in WTP have learned about P2, which bugs effect us, little "tricks", etc. Warning: this is a fast evolving area, due to bugs, miscommunication, and ignorance, so take these notes as hints ... nothing is forever ... and update this page as you find more information or errors in the information here.
In theory, shouldn't effect you at all. You could or should be able to do things as always, except there might be some bugs, and there are reasons to try to make use of it. One reason is to help the platform find bugs early so they get fixed by their release. Closer to home ... help find bugs in _our_ code that only show up in the conditions encouraged by P2.
Ever wonder what P2 stands for? As best I can tell "Provisioning Platform" (I think I know why they did not want to call it PP ). We in WTP won't be taking advantage of the platform aspects of it directly (that is, not using their APIs) but its my understanding that the EPP Project will be making their "all in one" installs using P2, which should be much better then the old Update Manager.
Running WTP
Here's one way to create a running version of WTP. Unzip the Eclipse SDK in some directory, say /M6. You'll see the familiar directories, eclipse/plugins and eclipse/features but some new ones too ... the main new one is an empty directory called eclipse/dropins. This is by design the place to "drop in" other zip files or plugins that are not installed via the P2 User Interface.
I unzip wtp-sdk and all our pre-reqs into separate subdirectories, such as wtp, emf, xsd, gef, dtp, relengtool, testFramework. So ... you end up with a hierarchy similar to
/M6/eclipse /M6/eclipse/plugins /M6/eclipse/features /M6/eclipse/dropins /M6/eclipse/dropins/wtp /M6/eclipse/dropins/emf /M6/eclipse/dropins/xsd /M6/eclipse/dropins/.... etc. And, each of those subdirectories end up looking as they did before ... for example, /M6/eclipse/dropins/wtp /M6/eclipse/dropins/wtp/eclipse /M6/eclipse/dropins/wtp/eclipse/plugins /M6/eclipse/dropins/wtp/eclipse/features
I suspect there will eventually be new bugs open due to increased path lengths. :)
Now, start eclipse like you usually would. You should have a fully functioning WTP.
This structure has the advantage that it _should_ be easier to update pieces of your install, say just with a new WTP build, without touching the rest of it.
Tip: The first time you start, it'll take a lot longer than it used to. See bug 224579. But, subsequent restarts should be as fast or faster -- as long as you do not use -clean (-clean clears the timestamp cache and it goes through the whole re-discover process again). So, the tip is, don't use -clean routinely (as I used to do) but only if you know you really need it. This should be fixed eventually. (But in fact, we had to remove -clean from all our JUnit tests ... or, else they could not complete in a reasonable amount of time. See bug 224269).
Self Hosting WTP Development
With the above install, you can use the plugins you normally develop and commit and it will "compile and run against" that version you are self hosting on. (If trouble, go to PDE Preferences, Target Platform, and press "reset" (not reload). Check on "show by location" and you should see all your sub-directories in dropins. (If not, open a bug, or comment in this instructions, or both).
I think there are issues with running against a completely different target, installed in a different directory (see bug 225148). Even that can be worked around by "running" the target, so all the meta data is updated. But, check the bug ... that may change with more information. Maybe it's just me. :) Or, update the bug if you find out more!
Bugs we've discovered in our code due to P2
My guess is others have similar bugs, so hopefully other projects and adopters can learn from us. These bugs all had to do with making incorrect assumptions about the locations of where things were installed.
One bug was some old pre-osgi-bundle code (that had been copied several places) assumed some things about the name and length of the "eclipse/plugins" directory. These were easy to fix using the correct APIs. See bug 224148.
We have some code which makes assumptions about location of where features are installed. It currently works with P2, but we should never assume anything about features, and may eventually look if there's some P2 API way of accomplishing the update that is being done. See bug 224441.
Build and JUnit tests
Some changes to our build infrastructure were made, which I'll note here, in case it helps others.
- Compile time: There were not any changes required, which makes sense, but still confused me. The reason is because when we are compiling our code (with JDT) it is not actually running our code (and P2 only has to do installing), and it finds the source where ever we tell it to. This should not change.
- JUnit Test time: We use the Eclipse Platform's test framework -- which for some reason still uses the file system, instead of extensions, to find and run test plugins -- so we had to change some of our infrastructure to unzip into different locations and look for test.xml files in different locations. It turns out, if we'd simply waited until M6 was released, we would not have had to do this ... but, would have still wanted to do it, in order to better test our code, in P2-like conditions.
Disabling P2
Please see bug 224908 for scripts and procedures to disable P2.


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Reversible Silk Sari - Violet + Ruby
Rs. 22,800.00
This product is currently sold out.
Part of our Mira collection, these saris are reversible and can be worn in two different ways by flipping either side as required. This allows you to wear the sari in a different way for a different day.
Produced in limited quantities, this sari is handwoven by trained artisans across our looms in West Bengal.
style code: 915
sizing: length of sari is 5.5 metres long (216 inches), width is 47 inches
garment care: dry clean only + iron with care, further information here
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please note only the sari is available for purchase, all other items are solely for representation. In addition, the product colour may vary slightly due to your device or monitor screen settings or photography lighting conditions.

subset: commoncrawl


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Maybe it sounds better in the original Italian.
Elisabetta Canalis, the model and former "Dancing with the Stars" contestant, spoke openly about her relationship with A-list actor George Clooney in Italian journalist Bruno Vespa's new book "This Love." Surprisingly and somewhat shockingly, she describes their time together as "more of a father-daughter relationship."
Canalis, who split with Clooney last June, attempted to clairfy this unsual statement by explaining that Clooney "valued [her] feminine side the most" and "has been special for me, and very important, just as a father would be."
U.S. & World
The 33-year-old also went on to quell rumors that her break-up with the 50-year-old "Ides of March" star had something to do with her wanting to get married and start a family.
"George and I never spoke of marriage nor of having kids," she says. "I don't put limits to the possibility of having them, but neither George nor I had ever envisaged having kids together. The end of the relationship was not caused by a marriage issue, but instead by our personal needs."
Clooney has recently been linked with another former "Dancing with the Stars" contestant, model and former WWE personality Stacy Keibler.
Selected Reading: MSNBC, People, Washington Post


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Meek Mill - Tony Story Pt 2 (from Dreams & Nightmares) [audio]
Track 10 on the album, continuing the story from "Tony Story Pt 1" on the Dream Chasers mixtape from 2011. Pre-Order now: iTunes
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Sunday, February 13, 2011
Brady Biography Paints Nuanced Portrait of Enigmatic Chess Champion Bobby Fischer
Although Fischer (1943-2008) has been world famous since the 1950s, much of his adult life has been shrouded in mystery and he has been subjected to a great deal of armchair psychoanalysis/random speculation. When Fischer was a rising chess star, Dr. Frank Brady wrote Profile of a Prodigy, a book that stood for many years as the definitive biography of the young Fischer. In his new book Endgame: Bobby Fischer's Remarkable Rise and Fall--From America's Brightest Prodigy to the Edge of Madness, Dr. Brady both adds depth to his earlier depiction of Fischer the prodigy and also provides the most compelling and complete treatment to date of what Dr. Brady calls Fischer's "wilderness years"--the second half of Fischer's life, largely spent in seclusion after his 1972 defeat of World Champion Boris Spassky in what has been justifiably called "The Match of the Century."
Dr. Brady's account is well sourced: he had access to a previously unknown autobiographical essay that Fischer wrote as a teenager, numerous personal letters to/by Fischer and a host of other materials located in various historical archives. Dr. Brady served as an arbiter (tournament director), a U.S. Chess Federation official (founding editor of Chess Life magazine) and a chess journalist during Fischer's prime years and in those capacities he frequently had personal interactions with Fischer.
In his "Author's Note," Dr. Brady explains that Endgame is his attempt to answer a question he has been asked hundreds of times: "What was Bobby Fischer really like?" Dr. Brady adds, "For this book, I obtained access to portions of the KGB and FBI files on Bobby and his mother; the files not only provided me with insights but also with specific information that corrects previously published versions of Bobby's life (including my own)." One of Dr. Brady's most appealing traits as a writer/researcher is the obvious value that he places on truth over speculation and/or sensationalism. A fascinating aspect of Dr. Brady's new book is that he found much evidence to correct the long-held belief that Fischer became estranged from his mother Regina at a very early age; Dr. Brady refutes the notion that Fischer went decades without speaking to his mother and notes that when Fischer became financially strapped Regina arranged for her Social Security checks to be sent to him. Fischer supposedly made an off-hand remark in a 1962 interview with Ralph Ginzburg that he had to "get rid of her" because he did not get along with his mother but while it is true that for a while the high school dropout lived in an apartment alone (Regina went on a peace march and then relocated to England after getting married) it is not true that their relationship suffered a permanent rift. In fact, Fischer angrily denied making that specific statement about his mother and asserted that Ginzburg misquoted him several times. Dr. Brady writes, "Previous to this, Bobby had already been wary of journalists. The Ginzburg article, though, sent him into a permanent fury and created a distrust of reporters that lasted the rest of his life" (p. 139). As a 14 year old, Fischer pleaded with a New York Times writer, "Ask me something usual, instead of trying to make me look unusual." The media's attempts to make Fischer seem strange--"an idiot savant, with the emphasis on the first word rather than the second" as Dr. Brady puts it (p. 71)--and Fischer's sensitivity about how he was portrayed undoubtedly had a powerful effect on many of his later attitudes and actions.
Fischer's IQ was reportedly in excess of 180 but he proved to be a bored, disinterested and restless student. Fischer attended six different schools by the time he reached fourth grade, including a one day stint at a private school for gifted children. The best academic match for him during his early days proved to be Brooklyn Community Woodward, an institution that emphasized the value of each student studying individually according to his own inclinations as opposed to dryly memorizing facts and dates. Fischer's primary role at the school was to teach the other students how to play chess. One teacher later recalled, "He easily beat everybody, including the chess-playing members of the faculty. No matter what he played, whether it was baseball in the yard, or tennis, he had to come out ahead of everybody. If he'd been born next to a swimming pool he would have been a swimming champion. It just happened to be chess." Fischer attended Brooklyn Community Woodward for four years, until it was time to go to high school, and he enjoyed the relative freedom he experienced there.
Although Fischer set numerous age-related records--including youngest U.S. Chess Champion (14 years old) and youngest Grandmaster (15 years old, a mark that stood from 1958 until 1991)--he was a relatively late bloomer as prodigies go: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart began composing music at the age of five, while Grandmaster Samuel Reshevsky performed simultaneous exhibitions against adult chess players starting at age eight; in contrast, as late as age 13 Fischer had a relatively modest chess rating of 1726 (as posted in the U.S. Chess Federation's May 20, 1956 official rating list)--Class "B," a very solid club level player, but well below Expert (2000) or Master (2200) status, let alone Grandmaster level (2500+ on the more prestigious FIDE rating chart). It is certainly impressive for a 13 year old to become a "B" player but it is far from unprecedented--and in today's era there have been many players who reached Grandmaster level by age 13 (though current ratings are perhaps inflated to some degree).
However, as Fischer famously put it, he quickly "just got good"; only a couple months after the publication of that 1726 rating, Fischer became the youngest U.S. Junior Champion (a record he still holds) and he soon followed up that triumph by tying for fourth-eighth place in the 1956 U.S. Open. In October 1956, Fischer stunned the chess world with the "Game of the Century," sacrificing his Queen to defeat Donald Byrne, one of the top players in the United States. By May 1957, Fischer had gained an astounding 500-plus rating points in just one year, becoming the youngest master in U.S. history (a mark later broken). At age 16, Fischer dropped out of Erasmus Hall High School and completely dedicated all of his efforts to becoming the best chess player in the world.
Although Fischer's abrupt disappearance from professional chess after 1972 is well known even to people who do not follow chess closely, Fischer's entire career was punctuated by sudden hiatuses followed by surprising returns to action. Fischer won the U.S. Championship a record eight times but after organizers rejected his request to change the format from a round robin to a double round robin he never played in the event again; ironically, while the 1968 U.S. Championship was in progress Fischer--who later became infamous for spouting anti-Semitic slurs--journeyed to Israel to participate in small international tournament. In the previous year, Fischer had a nearly insurmountable lead but withdrew from the Sousse Interzonal when organizers would not adjust the playing schedule to accommodate his religious beliefs (at the time Fischer was a member of the Worldwide Church of God and he therefore observed the Jewish Sabbath from sundown on Friday to sundown at Saturday).
Fischer very publicly stated his belief that the Soviet Union's top players were conspiring to prevent him from breaking that country's decades-long hold on the World Championship. Fischer's complaints reeked of paranoia and/or sour grapes--except for the fact that information later released from KGB files proved that Fischer's charges were true! As the saying goes, just because you are paranoid it does not mean that people aren't out to get you. Fischer's paranoia seems to be a complex amalgamation of legitimate grievances thrown together with bizarre conspiracy theories; in many instances, any reasonable person in possession of all of the facts would agree with Fischer that he had been wronged--but no reasonable person would make the leaps in "logic" (and I use that term extremely loosely) that Fischer did when he issued his sweeping accusations about vast conspiracies directed against him. The blunt question I have always asked myself about Fischer is this: How could someone who was clearly brilliant not only believe such nonsense but spout it with such vigor and conviction? The only answer I can come up with is that Fischer possessed a highly logical, though in some ways very rigid, mind; much as he sought to impose order on the chessboard with a clear and pure chess style focused on searching for the essential truth in a position, Fischer sought to discern order in the functioning of political, economic and societal systems--but the problem is that such systems are inherently disorderly and illogical. Rather than accept that much of what happens in the world is messy, nonsensical and even evil, Fischer tried to construct a framework to explain all of the bad things that happened to him (and others). I think that in many ways it is a struggle for a genius of Fischer's caliber to remain completely sane unless he has a very strong psychological character, because a high level genius is not only keenly aware of how flawed the world is but it is very difficult for such a person to just disregard this knowledge and focus on day to day living. In Fischer's case, his problem was exacerbated at times by the presence of hangers-on who sometimes goaded Fischer into saying controversial things; I think that it is very noteworthy that in his last years in Iceland when Fischer was finally granted a measure of the peace and solitude he had long sought we no longer heard reports of Fischer publicly spewing hate: without people constantly reminding him of how he had been wronged, Fischer no longer felt the need to construct a "rational" (to him) explanation for actions that had hurt him personally or professionally.
Dr. Brady's book is meant to appeal to an audience beyond chess aficionados, so it is perhaps understandable that his account of Fischer's ascent to the World Championship contains no detailed game analysis and glosses over some of the particulars regarding how players qualified for the World Championship cycle but there is one odd omission: since Fischer did not participate in the U.S. Championship (a Zonal tournament in the parlance of the day) he would not have been eligible for the 1970-72 World Championship cycle if Pal Benko had not graciously given up his spot after Fischer switched gears and expressed interest in competing in the Interzonal. Dr. Brady's account jumps straight to the 1970 Interzonal without mentioning how Benko's self-sacrifice helped Fischer. After Benko stepped aside, Fischer embarked on an unprecedented run of dominance--including 20 straight victories versus elite Grandmasters, punctuated by back to back 6-0 sweeps in Candidates matches--that culminated in his victory over Spassky.
Fischer's incessant demands nearly derailed the match with Spassky and Dr. Brady describes (p. 193) a crucial moment when "Fischer, in his underwear, sat in his hotel room, the door bolted and the telephone unplugged, a picture in stony resistance. His mind was made up: 'If I ask for one thing and they don't give it to me, I don't play.'" Spassky could easily have returned to the Soviet Union in a huff, forcing FIDE to forfeit Fischer, but Spassky felt great fondness for his over the board rival--he later said "My brother is dead" after Fischer passed away--and he defied Soviet authorities by staying in Iceland until the match organizers were able to placate Fischer. A similar story had a much different ending three years later when Anatoly Karpov, the Soviet Union's newest chess star, emerged as Fischer's challenger. Fischer had a long list of requirements and FIDE ultimately agreed to all but two. This was unacceptable to Fischer, who sent a short cable to FIDE President Max Euwe declaring, "FIDE has decided against my participation in the 1975 World Chess Championship. Therefore, I resign my FIDE World Chess Championship title." The sticking points for Fischer were that he wanted draws to not count, with victory going to the first player to win 10 games (in the event of a 9-9 tie, the players would split the prize money but the champion would retain the title). Chess fans, statisticians and others have debated about what is the best format for a World Championship match but it is important to note that for years the Soviet World Champion Botvinnik enjoyed a rematch clause that essentially enabled him to control the title from 1948-63 with only a couple brief interruptions; having to beat the World Champion two matches in a row to keep the title is surely more onerous than having to win 10 games in one match with draws not counting.
The proposed Fischer-Karpov match would have awarded $3.5 million to the winner and $1.5 million to the loser; Dr. Brady reports that it is the largest rejected purse in sports history. Fischer turned down many other potentially lucrative matches and/or endorsement opportunities in the next few years. Fischer tithed a significant portion of his 1972 winnings to the Worldwide Church of God and after he broke from the Church he subsisted on book royalties. His financial situation became increasingly precarious and eventually he was residing in flophouses while depending on his mother's Social Security checks for his basic needs. In 1981, Fischer spent a night in a Pasadena jail when police questioned him about a bank robbery and then arrested him for vagrancy after he could not provide proof of his identity or residence. Needless to say, the descent from World Champion to vagrant in less than a decade is not a pretty picture but Dr. Brady describes with sensitivity Fischer's desire for solitude and his fear that the KGB wanted to kill him for dethroning Spassky. There is no proof that the Soviets ever plotted to kill Fischer, though there is ample evidence that they engaged in psychological warfare against him when he was an active player and that their players colluded against him in World Championship qualifying play before the Candidates round was changed from a tournament to a series of matches to prevent such collusion.
Fischer returned to public view in 1992 when a shady figure named Jezdimir Vasiljevic offered to sponsor a Fischer-Spassky match for $5 million. Vasiljevic had a simple method for dealing with the mercurial Fischer's numerous demands: he complied with everything Fischer asked, including providing $500,000 to Fischer before the match began. Spassky, guaranteed at least $1.5 million even if he lost the match, was hardly in any mood to complain--by that time he barely cracked the top 100 in the world rankings and had no other way to obtain such a payday. Fischer insisted that draws not count, with victory going to the first player to win 10 games, and he also insisted that they use the digital chess clock he invented to eliminate the time scrambles that Fischer felt ruined the artistry of the game; Fischer's clock added an increment after each move and has now become standard tournament fare.
The only problem about the match was Vasiljevic's chosen venue: Sveti Stefan, an island just off the coast of war-torn Yugoslavia, a country that had been slapped with a trade embargo by the United States. The U.S. Treasury Department sent Fischer a letter commanding him to not participate in the match--and Fischer famously read the letter aloud at a press conference before spitting on it and throwing it in the trash. Fischer won the match and banked $3.5 million but he spent the rest of his life as a fugitive from the U.S. government. Dr. Brady writes that Fischer "identified with the character played by Jim Carrey in The Truman Show, that he sometimes felt as though he lived in a Kafkaesque world where he--Bobby--like Truman, was the only honest person in the world and everyone else was an actor" (p. 270). Fischer had not paid U.S. taxes since 1977, when his lawsuit regarding the book Bobby Fischer vs. the Rest of the World was thrown out of court; Fischer felt that the court system was corrupt and therefore he refused to subsidize the government that ran the court system.
Fischer believed that every setback he faced was the result of a vast conspiracy against him and his fury really boiled over after a mistake led to many of his prized possessions being auctioned off. Fischer exclaimed that his "whole life" had been robbed from him; in addition to the sentimental value of the items in question, it has been estimated that just the original scoresheets from Fischer's exhibition tour of South America were likely worth more than $100,000. Dr. Brady explains what happened: after Fischer left California in 1992 for the Spassky match, he arranged for all of his property to be consolidated in a room at a public storage facility and he annually sent $5,000 to attorney Robert Ellsworth to pay the storage fees (and handle some other matters). Somehow, Ellsworth neglected to pay a $480 fee to the storage facility, so the owners of that facility contractually had the right to dispose of the contents of the storage room. When Ellsworth realized his mistake he spent $8,000 to buy back some of Fischer's property but after he shipped 12 boxes to Fischer (who then lived in Hungary) a heartbroken Fischer asked "Where's the rest?" Fischer said that there had been more than 100 boxes in the storage room. Fischer was understandably outraged and he did numerous radio interviews "expounding on his theory that he was a victim of a conspiracy that involved a Jewish cabal, the U.S. government, the Russians, Robert Ellsworth and the Bekins Storage company" (p. 273). The interviews did not receive much initial attention but got a much wider audience once they made it on to the internet. Fischer sank to an all-time low with a 12 minute diatribe that he delivered in the wake of the 9/11 attacks; his deplorable comments were widely disseminated on the internet and they inspired the U.S. government to renew its interest in arresting Fischer for his 1992 embargo violations.
Fischer had been able to travel freely with a U.S. passport even after 1992 but when he ventured to Tokyo in 2004 officials detained him and said that his passport was not valid. Fischer languished in jail for nine months as U.S. and Japanese authorities wrangled about what to do with him. Meanwhile, Fischer's supporters appealed to Iceland--site of Fischer's greatest triumph--to offer him citizenship and asylum. Dr. Brady quotes (p. 291) a letter sent by the Icelandic Chess Federation to U.S. President George W. Bush:
"The Icelandic Chess Federation is, of course, aware of the obscene anti-Semitic and anti-American remarks that Bobby Fischer has made over the last year on different occasions. The Federation is appalled by these remarks, as any civilized body would be, and sees them as signs of a deranged and devastated psyche. In 1992, in Yugoslavia, however, Bobby Fischer's only crime was to play chess again, after years of isolation. The Icelandic Chess Federation urges the President of the United States to pardon Bobby Fischer and let him go free."
A "deranged and devastated psyche"--what a poignantly apt description of Fischer's inner torments!
Ultimately, Fischer received Icelandic citizenship and Japan released him from jail. Fischer spent his remaining years in Iceland, away from the spotlight and free to spend his days alone in a bookstore or library reading books on a wide variety of subjects. However, that happy ending was not really so happy: Fischer eventually turned against even the very people who had helped obtain his freedom. Dr. Brady explains, "Bobby had been using different forms of fallacious logic to accuse and attack whole classes of people, such as the Jews. Now he used his spurious logic against benevolent Icelanders. His illogical syllogism went something like this:
Saemi cheated and betrayed me.
Saemi is an Icelander.
Therefore all Icelanders are cheaters and betrayers" (p. 313).
Saemi Palsson had been Fischer's bodyguard during the 1972 match and he played a role in helping Fischer to become an Icelandic citizen but Fischer broke ties with Palsson because Fischer felt that Palsson was trying to make money off of Fischer's name by cooperating with a producer who was making a movie about Fischer.
Dr. Brady concludes, "Those who directly experienced his thanklessness were saddened but stoic. 'Well, that's Bobby,' one Icelander observed. 'We have to take him as he is.' It was as if he were a changeling, a troubled child not so secretly adopted by the Icelanders, but with love and understanding" (p. 314).
In 2007, Fischer became quite ill but he resisted getting medical treatment due to his lifelong distrust of doctors. By the time he went to the hospital, Fischer was told that he had less than three months to live unless he received dialysis. Fischer refused and he also declined to receive any pain medication. Fischer's friend Pal Benko later told Dr. Brady that he believed this was a despondent Fischer's way of committing suicide slowly; Fischer had come to view Iceland as a "prison" but he feared that if he left the country he would be arrested and sent to the United States to stand trial.
Fischer got his wish to have a simple funeral ceremony without any media presence but even in death he still could not completely rest in peace: a dispute about the disposition of his estate resulted in him being disinterred so that a DNA sample could be taken to ascertain whether or not he had fathered a child in the Philippines. The paternity test results were negative but it still has not been determined who will inherit what remains of Fischer's 1992 winnings.
Dr. Brady's rendering of Fischer's life is sympathetic but balanced, a story of a genius' great triumphs and heartrending suffering.
Endgame: Bobby Fischer's Remarkable Rise and Fall--From America's Brightest Prodigy to the Edge of Madness (hardcover, 416 pages), is available in stores now and can also be ordered directly from the publisher.
Further Reading:
Interview With Dr. Frank Brady, Author of Endgame: Bobby Fischer's Remarkable Rise and Fall--From America's Brightest Prodigy to the Edge of Madness
Bobby Fischer's Mixed Legacy
5 comments:
Tragic story of one of history's greatest talents.
One often wonders why he couldn't just keep his mouth shut, keep his act clean and just let his chess speak for itself. He was a true legend and it was sad to see him self-destruct time and time again.
It was incredible to see him still play at a grand-master level in 1992, after 20 years away from tournament play. It would've been the comeback of comebacks and I would've loved to see him play in a few more tournaments.
But I think the chess world was truly fortunate to be graced with his genius. Kasparov did a fine job of carrying his mantle and Magnus Carlsen may do the same.
- Sunday, February 13, 2011 8:15:00 PM
David, both the review and the interview are splendid. Thank you.
If I might make a suggestion, could you please change the interface of 20secondtimeout so that not only the link but also the last entry of this blog is seen on there? Often, I forget about BEST and only look for new content on 20second. Thank you again.
From some of what you used as epigraphs etc. in your work on 20second, I am guessing you are a fan of, at least, classic / golden age hip hop. I really wonder what you could do on that topic as a journalist and analyst.
- Friday, February 18, 2011 6:08:00 PM
- David Friedman said...
There is a link to BEST near the top of the right hand sidebar on the main page of 20 Second Timeout, so interested readers can easily check to see if there is new content at BEST. I am not sure how to change the template so that a link to the newest BEST post automatically appears at 20 Second Timeout.
I do have an interest in classic hip hop, a poetic and musical art form that has been used brilliantly by many talented artists.
- Monday, February 21, 2011 7:31:00 PM
If you want to try it:
Under 'Design' tab (next to 'Settings' tab), choose 'Configure Blog List'. Check 'Title of Most Recent Item'.
It would make my life easier and have, I suspect, a positive effect on BEST's traffic.
- Monday, February 21, 2011 8:49:00 PM
- David Friedman said...
Although I am using the new blogger template here at BEST I am still using classic blogger (or whatever it is officially called) over at 20 Second Timeout, so there is not a "design" tab in the 20 Second Timeout blogger template. I figured that by placing the link to BEST near the top of the righthand sidebar I made it easy for any 20 Second Timeout readers who are interested in other sports to check out what is new at BEST.
- Monday, February 21, 2011 10:30:00 PM


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Peter Eggink is a well-known name in the field of magicians, being synonymous with both the performance of magic and the creation of some of the most amazing magical effects. Magicians around the globe including TV star magicians Dynamo and David Blaine perform Peter's creations!
Peter's new lecture covers subjects such as personality, presentation, people skills and how to become successful as an artist: What are the secrets? -Peter is going to reveal them to you. In addition he will give you advise on how to make your magic look better and tips as for working in the REAL world for REAL people. Besides performing and explaining a range of his popular marketed effects, Peter also zooms-in on his handling of some basic essentials like the Double-Lift and Top-Change. With over 20 years of experience, Peter knows the "real secrets" of being a successful magician and shares them with magicians around the globe.


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BeachMint and ShoeDazzle are both flashy fashion startups in Los Angeles that have raised gobs of outside capital -- $73.5 million and $60 million respectively.
Recently, both have experienced management turnover and multiple sources say there was a period of time, about three or four months ago, when the two e-commerce companies discussed merging.
If the merger had happened, BeachMint would have likely acquired ShoeDazzle.
Neither ShoeDazzle nor BeachMint explicitly denied the merger talks, although both confirmed there's currently no deal in the works.
"There is no truth to any BeachMint/ShoeDazzle merger," ShoeDazzle's newly reinstated CEO, Brian Lee, told Business Insider via email. He co-founded ShoeDazzle with reality star Kim Kardashian. "We have had strategic partnership meetings in the past as I am very close friends with Josh Bermna and Diego Berdakin."
"Haha no mergers over here," BeachMint's CEO Diego Berdakin also told Business Insider.
But if the idea of a merger between the two companies seems laughable now, why wasn't it three months ago?
Multiple sources say both companies went through trying periods with management turnover and high burn rates.
"When tech companies struggle, they tend to reach out to others and talk about the possibilities of consolidation," one of the sources explained.
"Brian Lee left ShoeDazzle and everyone internally felt disillusioned by him leaving," this person said. (Bill Strauss was hired last fall after Lee left to run Honest Company with Jessica Alba.) "The new CEO came in, Bill Strauss, and there was an internal revolt because he had absolutely no merchandising skills and no sense of the business."
Soon, ShoeDazzle executives began to depart. Deborah Benton, who has been called the "Sheryl Sandberg of LA," was COO. Many employees looked up to her, but her June departure for Nasty Gal left the company in "disarm."
"She left because there was no leadership," a source says. Benton declined to comment for this story.
Meanwhile, Beachmint was suffering executive turnover of its own; its CMO departed. Sources say it was "hemorrhaging money like crazy."
Both ShoeDazzle and BeachMint hunted for additional capital in Silicon Valley, Business Insider was told. Neither had much luck.
It was then, it seems, that the two companies struck up the initial merger discussions. But the talks didn't get very far.
One source with indirect knowledge of the talks said the idea "didn't seem to have legs." Others with deeper knowledge agreed; they said the conversation likely dismantled because the merger would have been too complicated.
"They probably quickly discovered they wouldn't be able to agree how to divide the companies," one said.
"Who would run it? And you've got Andreesseen Horowitz and Lightspeed Ventures on one side (ShoeDazzle); NEA, Accel and Goldman Sachs are on the other (BeachMint). Unless one was on the verge of being bankrupt, there's almost no way investors would approve the deal. Mergers are best when one is a hugely successful company and the other is going down. With two struggling companies it usually doesn't work."
Since the rumored discussions a few months ago, both companies have made a number of improvements.
ShoeDazzle's CEO, who seemed to be a far cry from a cultural fit, was let go. Brian Lee, one of the most well-respected entrepreneurs in LA (let alone, anywhere), is back manning the ship.
BeachMint hired "adult supervision," COO Greg Steiner. Steiner is a 12-year veteran of eHarmony. It also gained software developer Carl Trudel from Live Nation, Jason Reuben of Gemvara, and serial entrepreneur, Michael Broukhim.
Sources also say BeachMint is raising a new round of financing. Berdakin tells Business Insider that his company is on "three straight months of having its biggest months ever."
"Our company is doing very well," he wrote. "Cash burn is well under control and we have a lot of cash in the bank and plenty of runway to focus on substantial profitability. The team is as strong as ever and we continue to attract the best talent in Los Angeles as well as the strongest investor base."
Those who spoke of the merger discussions haven't given up hope in the companies either.
"The two guys behind BeachMint, Diego and Josh, are very talented," one said. "They just may have gotten a little caught up in everything and people were throwing money at them. They drank the cool-aid."
As for ShoeDazzle, this person called Brian Lee "the ultimate startup guy, full of creativity."
But he'll have to make some big hires to right the damage former executives left in their wakes.
"I am very excited to be back at the helm of ShoeDazzle," Lee wrote to Business Insider. "I think there is tremendous opportunity that can be unlocked here and being the CEO of two exciting companies is a lot of fun."


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Thursday, May 29, 2008
Pinwheel Pins
First, use a piece of fusible webbing to iron together the wrong side of a red striped fabric to the wrong side of a blue starred fabric.
Next, cut a piece of the fabric into a square...these are two inch squares. Then, cut from each point of the square about three-quarters of the way diagonally to the middle of the square.
Then take a needle and thread up through the back of the center of the square and take the left corner of one side of the square onto the needle and pull the corner into the middle. Repeat with all four corners and then push the needle back through the center of the pinwheel so the needle is on the back side of the pinwheel.
Sew a button onto the front center of the pinwheel and tie off thread to the back.
Hot glue a pin back on the back of the pinwheel and you're done! I think these would be darling visiting teaching gifts.
I added mine to a card (for my card exchange) and added this quote by Thomas Jefferson. "God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that the liberties are the gift of God?"
Want one but don't want to make one? Leave a comment between now and Saturday night and I'll send one to a lucky winner!
16 comments:
- jennwa said...
I love that. It looks great.
- May 29, 2008 at 7:01 AM
- Rosanne said...
Oh so darling...yes...count me in. :)
- May 29, 2008 at 9:09 AM
- Montay said...
I would love one they are so dang cute and I never know what to make my ladies. Thanks for the cute idea.
- May 29, 2008 at 9:53 AM
- Cherie said...
So Cute!!! I would love to wear one!
- May 29, 2008 at 11:41 AM
You get the gold medal for that one. They are so "America".
- May 29, 2008 at 12:35 PM
You make it look so easy! Too bad that I lack the talent and patients it takes to make one, so I hope I win!!!
- May 29, 2008 at 4:13 PM
- Bonnie B. said...
These are absolutely adorable!! I'm totally making these.
- May 29, 2008 at 7:43 PM
I never find the time to make much of anything crafty these days, and I'm always looking for something red, white, and blue to wear on Memorial Day, July 4th, Veteran's Day, etc. Just missed Memorial Day . . . maybe I'll win and have it in time for July 4th!
- May 29, 2008 at 8:21 PM
- Kathleen said...
too cute! i'll have to keep your blog in my favorites for the years to come when i'll be able to start getting "crafty"!
- May 29, 2008 at 9:01 PM
- Melis said...
I was so excited when you commented on my blog! Thanks! These pins/cards are so cool! I forget how I found your blog but keep coming back for all the VT ideas!
- May 30, 2008 at 12:21 AM
- Montserrat said...
You are so clever. Seriously! I love the whole idea. Even down to using it on your cards. I just may do that for our RS card exchange.
- May 30, 2008 at 12:48 PM
- Sonja said...
I'm always a little intimidated by crafty, artistic people. BUT I am SO glad when they share their ideas for craft-challenged people like me! :)
This is a super cute idea and I really like the TJ quote.
Also, thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. I think your blog is terrific! (good luck with the rabbits!)
- May 30, 2008 at 3:51 PM
How about a pinwheel pin for you
mom?? They are so cute.
the mom
- May 30, 2008 at 5:44 PM
- The Brough Family said...
Cute idea... way better than the ugly paper poppies I had to sell for Girls state back in the day, I probably could have actually earned some money for the vets with something cute like that!
- May 30, 2008 at 10:02 PM
- Ice Cream said...
Perfect for July 4th.
- May 31, 2008 at 9:47 PM
- 文章 said...
- March 29, 2010 at 11:34 PM


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(The Root) — With the final inaugural ball finally wrapped up and all of the out-of-town attendees headed back home today, The Root decided to take a look back at the highs and lows of President Obama's second inauguration.
High: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday
Hollywood could not have scripted it better. On the day the nation celebrated the life and legacy of its most revered African-American civil rights activist, the ceremonial swearing-in of the country's first black president for his second term took place. The legacy of King hung over all of the inaugural festivities — including when Stevie Wonder performed his signature "Happy Birthday" at an inaugural ball.
High: Michelle Obama's Wardrobe
If anyone has any doubts about how much America loved the first lady's blue jacquard Thom Browne coat and dress, consider this: Browne's website was so overloaded after he was identified as the designer, people had difficulty getting on it for hours. She also returned to Jason Wu, who designed her gown four years ago, only unlike last time's demure white, this time she sported fire-engine red. Last inaugural, Michelle Obama looked like a first lady, but this inaugural she looked like the First Lady of Fierce.
Low: Beyoncé's Wardrobe
She received raves for her performance of the national anthem (though it was later alleged that she lip-synched), but the pop diva's choice of dress for the occasion seemed more fitting for the Grammys than for the inauguration. The floor-length, embroidered, sheer-sleeved gown that she donned made many of us miss Aretha Franklin's unforgettable hat.
High: Obama Takes It All In — One Last Time
While exiting the stage after his second public inauguration ceremony, President Obama lingered to catch one last look, saying, "I want to take a look one more time. I'm not going to see this again." The moment and image became one of the most poignant of the day.
Low: Chuck Schumer Sparks a Meme
As chair of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, Democratic New York Sen. Chuck Schumer was destined to play a major role in Monday's inaugural activities. Unfortunately for him, he may not be remembered for that role in the way he'd hoped. Schumer is so notorious for his love of the cameras that, as reported by a number of outlets, there is a common Washington joke: "The most dangerous place in Washington is between New York's senior senator and a camera." His camera loving (some might call hogging) was on display in full force during the inaugural festivities, sparking endless ribbing in cyberspace and culminating in this priceless image, sure to start a meme.
High: The First Couple's Kiss
One thing that even political foes of the president have conceded is that the first family represents America very well. From the attractive and clearly in-love first couple to the adorable first daughters, they are without question a lovely, all-American family. When the president and first lady went in for a spontaneous Inaugural Day smooch, thanks to their awesome kids, hilarity and a lot of "awwwws" ensued. Watch it here.
High: President Obama's Speech
Filled with platitudes and light on specifics, President Obama's inaugural address from four years ago is widely considered one of his least memorable, and certainly not one of his best. His second inaugural address, however, will likely be remembered as just as important to his legacy as his star-making speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004.
The president made history by being the first commander in chief to champion gays and lesbians in his inaugural speech. He also spoke passionately about a number of issues, from immigration to climate change. If anyone assumed that this president was prepared to accept lame-duck status and a more passive approach in his second term, this speech erased any such speculation.
High: Chief Justice John Roberts Doesn't Flub the Oath
By some counts, President Obama has enjoyed four inaugurations, to most other presidents' one or two. The reason? Four years ago a mishap on the part of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts warranted doing the whole thing over in another private ceremony after the public swearing-in. This year, Jan. 20 (the designated official Inauguration Day) fell on a Sunday, so although the official ceremony was held then, the public ceremony took place on Monday. While the president hesitated a little during his oath, overall it was smooth sailing this fourth time around.
High: Myrlie Evers-Williams' Invocation
When the widow of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers took to the stage, many were wowed by her youthful appearance. It simply didn't seem possible that this face had lived through some of the darkest days of America so many years ago. But when she spoke, the audience were also wowed by her eloquence, her courage and the spirit with which she imbued the entire ceremony. She set the tone in an extraordinary way.
Low: The Inaugural Poem
Unbeknownst to many younger Americans, a poem is not a standard part of the official inaugural ceremony. Initially introduced by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, the inclusion of poetry was revived by President Bill Clinton in 1993 with Maya Angelou's "On the Pulse of Morning." While President Obama's selection of Richard Blanco, an openly gay Latino poet, was historic, the most memorable parts of Blanco's poem (among them his reference to the Sandy Hook elementary school tragedy) read more like a political speech, which raises the question, do we really need more speeches at the inauguration?
But the larger question Blanco's poem raised is, how important is it to include an increasingly unpopular art form (poetry readership in America is at a 16-year low) in the festivities of such a historic day? The question is certainly being pondered by some of Monday's inaugural audience, but probably by no one as much as one of the president's most vociferous foes, whose facial expression during the poem spoke volumes.
High: Kelly Clarkson Performing for a President She May Not Support
American Idol winner-turned-pop star Kelly Clarkson wowed many with her rousing rendition of "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" at President Obama's inauguration. But the biggest surprise of her performance is that it happened at all. Clarkson sparked controversy by professing her adoration for Republican candidate and avowed libertarian Ron Paul during the 2012 election.
Though she claimed to have supported President Obama in 2008, her appreciation of Paul seemed to represent a political transformation on her part. Yet on Inauguration Day, she set aside her own politics to help the country celebrate the second term of a man whose policies she may not entirely agree with but who represents all of us, regardless of our party affiliation, politics or policy positions.
High: Michelle Obama's Bangs
How could they not make the list? The most-talked-about participant in this year's inauguration festivities was not the president but his wife's new do. Proving yet again what a smart man he is, the president commented during his official Sunday swearing-in: "First of all, I love Michelle Obama. And to address the most significant event of this weekend, I love her bangs."
High: Michelle Obama's Side-Eye
Much has already been written about the first lady's amusing reaction to being seated near one of her husband's greatest political adversaries, Republican House Speaker John Boehner. Some call it a "side-eye." Some call it an "eye roll." We'll just call it pure magic. Watch it here.
High: The Weather
Four years ago the weather for the first Obama inaugural left a lot to be desired — namely some sun, or at the very least some heaters and hot cocoa. The temperature was a frigid 28 degrees, leading the president to remark this year, "This one is going to be warmer."
This one was. It was still chilly, but nothing compared to the last inaugural. The sun even came out in time for the parade, making it a beautiful day. Proving that the president, and the crowd, clearly had more luck on their side than four years ago, practically as soon as the inauguration ended, the temperatures dropped to below freezing, and it was announced that a snowstorm was expected later in the week.
Keli Goff is The Root's special correspondent. Follow her on Twitter.


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Friday 30th January 2015, AFC Bournemouth v Watford – Championship
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Police have persons of interest in girl's disapperance
Deputies have "multiple persons of interest" in the 2006 disappearance of April Andrews, Benton County Deputy Keshia Guyll said Friday.
Deputies finished draining a pond on West Brush Creek Drive in Little Flock on Monday after receiving an anonymous letter from a concerned citizen.
"The search has opened up several new leads for us, as we are working them intensely," Guyll said.
April Andrews was last seen in November 2006 when she left home to walk to a church in Pea Ridge.
Deputies said cadaver dogs got a hit on the pond.
The letter was received in April. Investigators said it took almost two months to coordinate the search because they had to work with several departments and talk to the owners of the property that the pond is located on.
The Benton County Sheriff's Department has reopened the case because of this new information.


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A Certificate of Conformity is the document that EPA issues to a vehicle manufacturer to certify that a vehicle class conforms to EPA requirements. Every class of motor vehicle introduced into commerce in the United States must have a Certificate of Conformity. Certificates are valid for only one model year of production.
If you are exporting a motor vehicle from the U.S. to another country, they may require certification data for your motor vehicle. A Certificate of Conformity and Certificate Summary Information (or summary sheet data) will contain the emission standards the motor vehicle was certified to.
To request or find a Certificate of Conformity or Certificate Summary Information sheet, you need to know the Test Group number (for light-duty cars and trucks – model year 2001 or later) or the Engine Family number (for pre-2001 light-duty cars and trucks). This information is listed on the "Vehicle Emission Information" label/sticker located under the vehicle's hood. The number has 11 characters using both numbers and letters. If your vehicle is missing the emission label you may be able to order a new one from your U.S. dealer or you can contact the manufacturer directly for the Test Group number for your particular vehicle.
Certificates of Conformity and Certificate Summary Information sheets are available on EPA's Web site for model years 2003 and later.
- Go to http://iaspub.epa.gov/otaqpub/pubadvsearch.jsp (the Advanced Search page).
- Choose "Certificates of Conformity" for Compliance Document Type.
- Choose the industry (e.g., "Light-duty Vehicles and Trucks" for passenger cars, trucks, vans, and SUVs).
- Choose the appropriate model year of the vehicle.
- Choose the appropriate manufacturer of the vehicle.
- Type in the vehicle model.
- Skip the "Keyword Search", "Engine Displacement", "Number of Cylinders", "Emission Control System", and "Document Date on and after" fields.
- Type in the Test Group or Engine Family number.
- Click on the "Search" button.
- Save and/or print the PDF file.
If you need a Certificate of Conformity or Certificate Summary Information for a vehicle with a model year before 2003, send the following information to EPA's Imports Hotline (Email: email@example.com, Phone: 734-214-4100, Fax: 734-214-4676):
- Model year of vehicle.
- Manufacturer of vehicle.
- Model of vehicle.
- Test Group # (only applies to light-duty cars and trucks – model year 2001 or later).
- Engine Family # (only for pre-2001 light-duty cars and trucks, and nonroad and heavy-duty engines/vehicles).
- Your name.
- Contact information (address, email address, or fax number where you want EPA to send the Certificate of Conformity).
Source: EPA Website


text:
Survivor describes slaughter in Mexico
MEXICO CITY — The survivor of a massacre on a ranch 85 miles south of Brownsville trudged into a navy checkpoint — a bullet wound in his neck — with a tale almost too gruesome even for a country locked in the throes of a vicious and bloody drug war.
He and fellow migrants from Central and South America, he told authorities Monday, were headed to the Texas border with the hope of making it into the United States.
Instead, everyone but he had been shot dead — slaughtered by gangsters even as they pleaded for their lives.
Mexican marines discovered the 72 bodies — 58 men and 14 women — on Tuesday afternoon after a skirmish with gangsters outside the town of San Fernando.
The migrants were slain by members of the ruthless Zetas gang, Mexican officials said Wednesday.
The survivor was identified by the Associated Press as Luis Fredy Lala Pomavilla.
Adm. Jose Luis Vergara, a Mexican naval spokesman, said that although the Ecuadorian migrant also was shot by the gangsters, he managed to escape.
Mexican officials did not explain at a Wednesday news conference why it took so long to discover the bodies or release the information.
They also didn't explain the lingering confusion about victims' identities, how they were killed or how long they had been dead.
"We still can't determine, much less give information on, the manner in which they exactly lost their lives," said Ricardo Najera, a spokesman for Mexico's attorney general.
The victims appeared to be from Ecuador, Brazil, Honduras and El Salvador, officials said, though the information largely is based on the survivor's account.
"It's absolutely outrageous and demands the full condemnation of everyone in our society," said Alejandro Poire, the government's spokesman for security matters.
The Associated Press reported the bodies were found in a room, some piled on top of each other.
The survivor told prosecutors he was with a group of 75 people being held at the ranch, and that he heard pleas for mercy and shooting as he fled.
After being alerted to the killings, marines manning a highway checkpoint nearby attacked the ranch backed by helicopters.
Three gunmen and a marine were killed in the shootout.
The troops seized 21 rifles, 6,500 bullets and several vehicles that had been disguised as belonging to police and the army.
Mexico's Gulf Coast is a heavily used corridor for migrants hoping to cross illegally into the United States.
Marines and soldiers have freed hundreds of migrants held in gangster safe houses in Reynosa, Matamoros and other cities in recent months. Several local, state and federal police officers have been arrested on suspicion of aiding in migrant abductions.
"This discovery once again demonstrates the extreme danger and violence that Central Americans face on their treacherous journey north, as well as the Mexican government's abject failure to protect them," human rights organization Amnesty International said in a statement.
Gangland violence has exploded this year across northeastern Mexico — an area bordered by the Rio Grande and including the cities of Monterrey and Tampico — as the Zetas have gone to war with their former allies, the Gulf Cartel, and other bands.
At least 600 people have been killed in the fighting in recent months, according to media tallies. Untold numbers have simply disappeared — sometimes turning up in mass graves.
Known for its bass fishing and dove hunting, the San Fernando area long has been popular with outdoors enthusiasts from Texas and other states. But a group of Houston dove hunters reported being robbed in an area field last fall by heavily armed men.
The bodies of 15 presumed gang members also were dumped recently just outside San Fernando, on the main highway leading to the Texas border.
Newspapers in Matamoros and Ciudad Victoria, the cities nearest San Fernando, didn't carry news of the massacre on their websites Wednesday.
Reporters in the region say they have been scared into silence by threats from the Zetas and other criminal gangs.


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Press Releases
Carl's Jr. Organizes May Campaign to Fight Breast Cancer
May 3, 2006
Restaurant Donation Program Raises Breast Cancer Awareness - and Funds
CARPINTERIA, Calif., – May 3, 2006 – Carl's Jr. restaurants are rallying customers and employees to join them in a month-long in-store fund-raiser benefiting breast cancer awareness and research this May.
The second annual promotion begins May 3, with almost 1,000 Carl's Jr. restaurants participating across the western United States. For each $1 donation, restaurant guests will receive a personalized commemorative Happy Star(TM) cutout to place on a restaurant lobby display. Guests who make donations will also receive a coupon redeemable for a free beverage on a future visit. "We at Carl's Jr. are proud to be known as leaders in supporting our local communities," said Andrew F. Puzder, president and CEO. "It is our goal to raise more than $300,000 and provide valuable support to organizations such as the National Breast Cancer Foundation, which continues to save lives through promoting the early detection of breast cancer. Together with our franchise community, we will mobilize nearly 1,000 of our restaurants as donation sites in support of this cause and we encourage everyone to visit their local Carl's Jr. and do so as well."
The 2005 program, supported by the Carl's Jr. Star Franchise Association, raised more than $175,000 for the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF), whose mission is to save lives by increasing awareness of breast cancer through education and providing mammograms to those in need. "Last year we were thrilled to see our employees and guests so excited to support the in- store donation program," said Dan Gjurgevich, president of the Carl's Jr. Star Franchise Association. "Our goal was to sell 200 stars per unit and we more than doubled that. This promotion has shown us what we can do as a group of individual business owners when we work together for a common cause - we gratefully look forward to everyone's support again this year."
According to the NBCF, more than 211,000 American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year -- and 43,300 will die. One woman in eight either has or will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. In addition, 1,600 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and 400 will die. If detected early, the five-year survival rate exceeds 95 percent. Mammograms are among the best early-detection methods, yet 13 million U.S. women 40 years of age or older have never had a mammogram.
Complete breast cancer prevention event details can be found on the web at www.starfran.com/pages/breastcancer. For more information about the NBCF, visit www.nationalbreastcancer.org.
Carl's Jr. is a wholly owned subsidiary of CKE Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE: CKR) of Carpinteria, Calif. As of the fiscal year ended Jan. 30, 2006, CKE Restaurants, Inc., through its subsidiaries, had a total of 3,160 franchised or company-owned restaurants in 43 states and in 13 countries, including 1,049 Carl's Jr. restaurants, 1,993 Hardee's® restaurants and 102 La Salsa Fresh Mexican Grill® restaurants. For more information, or to find a Carl's Jr. near you, go to www.ckr.com or www.carlsjr.com.


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The Wolverine Sandwich Tears Apart Most Other Sandwiches
Not everyone can make it to San Diego and pay homage to Wolverine at Comic Con, so Cooking Channel is celebrating the food people way -- with an easy hero recipe you can make at home. This Wolverine-inspired Shredded Beer Braised Beef Sandwich with Poutine would only be more impressive if it were laced with adamantium.
In it, claw-like French fry poutine (he is Canadian) protracts from beneath a toasted bun filled with shredded beer-gravy-soaked meat. It makes a perfect lunch or afternoon snikt.
Bonus: Check out Wolverine and other superheroes' favorite foods.


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The VAT number for Finch and Company is 842 795 983


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Maine's nighttime coyote hunting season ends on Aug. 31
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) � Maine's nighttime coyote hunt will close in two weeks.
Maine hunters can hunt the elusive wild dogs at night from Dec. 16 to Aug. 31 this season. The night hunt begins a half hour after sunset and ends a half hour before sunrise, and is closed from midnight Saturdays to 12:01 a.m. on Mondays.
There is no closed season for daytime coyote hunting. Neither the daytime nor nighttime coyote hunt includes a bag limit.
State officials say there are at least 12,000 coyotes in Maine. They live throughout the state and are sometimes found in urbanized areas. The night hours are most often when they are hunted.
There has never been a documented coyote attack on a human in Maine.


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In this notice received yesterday, here are the 1842 Canadian Census for Canada West and Canada West -
"Library and Archives Canada is pleased to announce that Canadians can now access the Census of Canada West, 1842 as well as the Census of Canada East, 1842 online. In 1841, Upper Canada was renamed Canada West, whereas Lower Canada became Canada East. These two jurisdictions are now known as the provinces of Ontario and Quebec.
Each census is partly nominal and contains the names of heads of family, their occupation and the number of residents for each family.
For the Canada West (Ontario) Census, go to
For the Canada East (Quebec) census, go to www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1842-Canada-East/Pages/about-census.aspx


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More info about the name "Ernestine"
Ernestine originates in Germanic languages and means "serious and earnest woman". It is a feminine form of Ernest, the name which was popularized by Oscar Wilde in his play The Importance of Being Earnest. As a feminine given name, Ernestine became very rare in the United States and nowadays is considered rather old-fashioned.


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Shrugging Off Negativity, Energy Drink Companies Push Forward
Seemingly every month, an energy drink company takes a black eye from a new, harrowing slate of news, another lawsuit, a demeaning study, a band of legislators with belts tied too tight and constituencies to appease. Whether justified or not, energy drinks have been painted as an evil that's worthy of no more than the pariah life.
But the industry isn't exactly flabbergasted.
"Whether it be aspirin or caffeine or nail polish, whatever, anything that is going to be abused is going to receive some public scrutiny," said Walter Orcutt, the executive vice president of contract packaging and private label work for NVE Pharmaceuticals.
Like most of the energy industry, NVE, which manufactures and owns energy products, is paying close attention to each blow on the battlefield. Consumers, retailers and wholesalers read the papers and digest the negativity. Yet in response, the category has only slightly shifted.
It's worth noting that retailers haven't started making demands of energy drink companies in response to the scrutiny. Debbie Wildrick, the president and founder of Growing Innovative Brands and the former senior director of vault and proprietary beverages for 7-Eleven, said that she hasn't seen too many product alterations. She said that she doesn't believe the cycle of news deeply affects retailers or wholesalers, so they're not changing what they put on the shelves.
"This backlash or bad press really hasn't changed that much," Wildrick said, referring to the energy drinks that she approved during her time with 7-Eleven from 2002 to 2007.
Then, the category was emerging; now, more evolved, there still aren't major changes taking place. In fact, the category has made steady progress amid the latest onslaught of tough press. According to IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm, the energy category still accumulated nearly $10 billion in sales over the previous year ending on April 21, and grew by 7.86 percent over that time. Still, the last quarter has been tough for Monster and the rest of the category as well: while growth is still there, it has slowed significantly compared to the previous year.
But the ongoing growth of energy drinks as a category, even when under siege, is enviable compared to the rest of the beverage industry. It's an odd situation – the brands' success appears compromised by their popularity, but at the same time, that popularity continues to grow. The question is, if energy drinks were to adjust to meet their critics, what would happen?
The recent wave of public scrutiny can be bookmarked by the death of Anais Fournier, a teenage girl who went into cardiac arrest after consuming two 24 oz. cans of Monster Energy in a 24-hour period. Fournier was only 14 years old when she died, in December 2011.
Fournier suffered from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a disorder that weakens connective body tissues. She also had mitral valve prolapse, a heart condition that malfunctions one of the heart's valves. An autopsy report indicated she died of cardiac arrhythmia due to caffeine toxicity. (Monster Energy has disputed the finding of caffeine toxicity in court.)
While Fournier's health condition likely made consuming energy drinks riskier for her than for much of the general population, her family believes a lack of responsibility by Monster is what led to her death, and has filed a wrongful death lawsuit. That suit's filing had a double effect, however. In addition to the initial story, part of the discovery process for the suit gave rise to a new set of stories – mostly in the New York Times – based around public health data collected by the FDA in relation to reports of adverse medical events that mention energy drinks.
Since the Fournier suit, there has been a subtle change in the criticism of energy drinks: rather than target their caffeine content explicitly, the direction of the marketing of the products has become the chief front in the battle. While Fournier's family went after the product most directly, another lawsuit recently filed against Monster by the city of San Francisco accuses the company of heavy marketing toward teenagers and young adults (the demographic most susceptible to caffeine-related injury). Rather than targeting product abuse, these marketing tactics have become the opposition's go-to argument.
In November 2012, the city attorney of San Francisco, Dennis J. Herrera, sent a letter to Monster that asked them to substantiate their belief that their products are safe for adolescents and adults. Since sending the letter, Herrera has repeatedly demanded that Monster reduce its caffeine content and stop marketing to minors. At the end of April, Monster filed a lawsuit against Herrera over his demands. Herrera called it a preemptive lawsuit. One week later, Herrera countered with a lawsuit of his own against Monster and called the company "the industry's worst offender."
A significant contingent in the energy industry believes that product abuse, not the product itself, is to blame for much of the tough news – and it continues to push out caffeine counts for other product types, like Starbucks coffees, to the public. Still, this opinion hasn't been enough to mute what's followed.
The Fournier news triggered an onslaught of inquiries and requests by legislators for more regulatory action. Five months following her death, Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) sent a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in hopes of reforming the way energy drinks are marketed and sold. In the letter, Durbin noted Monster, Red Bull, Rockstar, Full Throttle and AMP as torchbearers for the category's wrongdoings and urged FDA action against ingredients and labeling. Durbin also mentioned that young people are the most susceptible to the adverse effects of energy drinks.
Since his letter, Durbin has been joined in his efforts by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA), who is currently campaigning for the open U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts. The legislators have repeatedly sent letters to the FDA – and have received tepid responses that seem to acknowledge the complaints but also hint toward inaction.
In April, the troika went directly to the public, releasing an extensive report titled What's all the Buzz about?, which neatly outlined their complaints about the energy industry's marketing practices and included several recommendations. The report advised energy drink manufacturers to label products with a clear description of the caffeine level (by milligrams), display a "prominent precautionary statement" for products with unsafe caffeine levels, stop marketing to young people, and report to the FDA any serious incidents resulting from energy drink consumption.
While Durbin, Blumenthal and Markey have become the faces of energy regulation, they're not alone in the quest for change. In March 2010, Louisiana state senator Robert Adley (R-Benton) proposed a ban of selling energy drinks to kids under 16. The bill would have included any beverage, other than coffee, that contained at least five milligrams of caffeine per fluid ounce. However, about one month later, a Senate committee decided that parents, not the state, should monitor the energy drink consumption of their kids.
In July 2012, New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman initiated a probe into the packaging, formulation and labeling of Monster, 5-Hour Energy and perhaps others. According to The Wall Street Journal, Schneiderman issued subpoenas to investigate whether the companies were overstating benefits and improperly labeling guarana, which was noted as an ingredient but wasn't quantified.
In October 2012, the FDA announced that it had received reports linking five deaths over the previous three years to drinking Monster. The following month, the FDA announced that it had received reports of 13 deaths over the previous four years that cited the possible involvement of 5-Hour Energy. Reporter Barry Meier's coverage in The New York Times received significant attention – and helped build more soapboxes.
One week after the publication of the 5-Hour Energy story in The Times, Chicago alderman George Cardenas said that he doesn't "want kids dying because of something that shouldn't be in their hands." Cardenas, who is also the chairman of the Chicago City Council's Health Committee, proposed banning the sale of energy drinks to anyone under the age of 21.
At the beginning of March, the Cleveland City Council proposed an ordinance that would ban the sale of energy drinks to anyone under the age of 18 and remove the beverages from certain vending machines. (If one thing's clear, it's that there's no national consensus on the proper age for energy drink consumption.) This specific ordinance would include beverages that contain 140 milligrams of caffeine per four fluid ounce or larger container, 0r 80 milligrams of caffeine per 0.8 fluid ounce to 3 fluid ounce container.
Later that month, a group of 18 doctors implored the FDA to take action for the sake of young people.
In April, Bernard Parks, a Los Angeles City councilman, said that police should crack down on kids who buy too many energy drinks, according to The Washington Times. Parks, the former head of the L.A. Police Department, also wants more labeling and thinks that energy drinks should be strategically placed in stores so that children can't reach them.
In spite of those high-profile proposals, here's the only regulation that has passed: a law in Suffolk County, N.Y., that prohibits the sale of energy drinks to minors – by vending operations at county parks and beaches.
"There are medical concerns associated with these beverages, and some parents don't even know what's in them," Suffolk County Health Commissioner James L. Tomarken told reporters.
This continuous stream of negative news and lawsuits hasn't crippled the industry, but it seems to have weighed it down a great deal. A Morgan Stanley report from April says that growth in convenience stores has slowed to about 6 percent during a four-week period ending on March 16, down from a 13.1 percent growth average from the previous two years during this same stretch of time. This decrease in growth may indeed stem from a plummeting consumer perception. YouGov, a consumer research firm that measures the impact of word-of-mouth, news and advertising on brands, found that consumer perception of energy drink brands fell to its lowest level since 2009.
In March, Monster began marketing its products as beverages, not supplements. This change could act as a temporary veil, which would free the company from reporting tragic events linked to its products. This follows a similar, recent move by Rockstar. Both companies have recently joined the American Beverage Association, which recommends caffeine disclosure for member companies' products, as well as food and beverage classification. Perhaps readying themselves fo a drawn out fight, both companies have also recently hired high-profile D.C. lobbying firms.
"They make that move based on the fact that they've been attacked," Wildrick said.
Wildrick and Orcutt both feel unaffected by the battlefield against them, and they believe that the industry feels the same way. After all, the FDA has yet to take considerable action. However, this doesn't mean that the industry is ignoring the news. Some steps are being taken, but aren't yet tangible.
"In the last two years, everyone has been more on top of the their game when it comes to making sure their labels are technically correct and FDA compliant," Orcutt said.
NVE, like many other brands, now approaches its product labels as not just a growth tactic, but also as a safeguard. Perhaps this will make them a less identifiable target for the FDA, if it ever does lay the hammer down.


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If you've ever felt that the Nintendo DSi is too small then good news: Nintendo has released the Nintendo DSi XL, a larger version to quench your gaming thirst. But is it worth the bother? We got playing to find out.
Think Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito in the film Twins and you get the picture when it comes to size difference. Nintendo aren't joking when they say that this is the XL version.
Aside from the d-pad, the a, b, x, y, and start/select buttons everything else has been expanded while still keeping the emphasis on the same design. It's as if someone has increased the size of the image on the machine that makes the console.
The reason for the size increase isn't to make it more comfortable in the hand, in fact that's probably one of the downsides for your kids, no, the size increase has been to improve the size of the two screens.
Now you get two 4.2-inch displays, one of which is touchscreen, rather than the 3.25-inch screens in the original. As you can imagine that massive size increase automatically changes the way you interact with the console.
To put that into perspective against other devices, the new DSi XL screen is slightly smaller than the Sony PSP (4.3 inches) bigger than the Apple iPhone (3.5 inches).
Instead of reaching for the stylus every time, a large majority of interactions can now be performed by your fingers as the information on the screen has more room to breathe. We found that makes gaming more intuitive and in turn more engaging.
Concerns over screen resolution are, it has to be said, fairly unfounded. Games are automatically re-sized to fit the new screen size and while there is some loss in resolution - the XL features the same 256 x 192 resolution as the smaller screen but with more space to cover - you'll have to look closely to notice the blocky graphics. However as we've yet to see decent graphics on the DSi you won't notice or care anyway.
But it's not just a bigger screen and bigger case that comes in the box. The DSi XL packs the same digital cameras as before (both inside and out) and therefore you'll also get the "crazy" photo app that lets you morph your face in a hundred different ways and then share them with your mates.
A web browser, "Dr Kawashima's: Little Bit of Brain Training: Arts Edition" and "Dictionary 6 in 1 with Camera Function" complete the package. Parents hoping the 6 in 1 dictionary might actually help kids understand the world around them would be wrong. It is in fact translation software that will tell you how to spell key words in 5 other languages by typing or photographing them.
The DSi XL will make gaming easier and certainly more interactive with the screen really making this something to shout about. It's more in your face and packs a better punch.
The downside of course is that it's bigger, heavier and therefore less likely to fit in your pocket or bag without filling all the available space.
This isn't a must-go-out-and-buy upgrade, however if you're looking for the experience of the PSP, but wanting to stick with the Nintendo games set, this is a better, bigger, experience that will give you just that.


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A few days before the election of 2006, when the polls showed he was about to end 13 years of Liberal government, Stephen Harper told reporters that Canadians shouldn't be uneasy at the prospect of "absolute power" for a Conservative government because it would be kept in check by senators, civil servants and judges appointed by the Liberals.
"We have no alternative but to accept the checks," he said. "They're part of our system. Judges are named. Judges can't be removed except under extraordinary circumstances."
Seven years later, the Senate and the senior ranks of the civil service are full of Harper appointees, but judges are acting as a stubborn check on Harper's absolute power, just as Harper predicted.
The prime minister seems to resent limits on his power, going so far as to recently state that he wouldn't take no as an answer from U.S. President Barack Obama on the Keystone XL pipeline, so it will be interesting to see how he responds to the bench.
On files that are key to his plans for the next two years, Harper faces judges who seem disinclined to bend to his will.
The first is criminal justice.
The overwhelming view among criminologists is that mandatory minimum sentences are expensive and ineffective at deterring crime, and in the United States even the most conservative politicians are turning against them because state governments can't afford to house and feed so many minor offenders.
Canada's Conservatives - taking what you might call a values-based approach to crime and punishment - have a very simple message on crime: we need to get tough on criminals.
The great thing about that message is that many Canadians agree with it. The Conservatives nurture that public sentiment, connecting with voters and donors at every opportunity, sometimes to the point of absurdity.
In the recent throne speech, for instance, the government promised to bring in "Quanto's law," in honour of a slain Edmonton police dog. The law will make it illegal to kill or harm a law enforcement animal, which is, of course, already illegal.
In order to keep our streets safe, protect police dogs and keep connecting with supporters and donors, the Conservatives have imposed mandatory minimum sentences on everything from growing pot plants to gun crimes.
On Tuesday, the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled that one of those mandatory minimums is unconstitutional, saying it violates the section of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms that prohibits "cruel and unusual punishment."
The test case involved Leroy Smickle, who was caught alone in his underwear in his cousin's apartment with a loaded gun in his hand, which he says he was using to upload a "cool" Facebook picture. Judge Anne Molloy refused to impose the mandatory minimum, instead giving Smickle a one-year conditional sentence.
The Crown appealed, and the appeal court ruled for Molloy. The mandatory minimum legislation is a "rational legislative response to the very real public safety concerns," the court ruled, but found that the law would apply to people other than the gun-toting thugs that Parliament meant to target.
"In those circumstances, the three-year penitentiary term would surely be a grossly disproportionate sentence," the court ruled.
This should not have surprised the government, since when the Tories tabled the bill, the Library of Parliament wrote in a legislative summary that "it is possible for the mandatory punishment, in a specific matter or reasonable hypothetical case, to be 'grossly disproportionate,' " which is just what the court found.
The government seems to have ignored that warning, and according to former Justice Department lawyer Edgar Schmidt, it is not properly checking that its legislation complies with the charter.
In January, Schmidt filed a suit against the government, in which he alleges that since 1993 Justice Department lawyers have been instructed to ignore a law that requires Parliament be informed when legislation might violate the charter. The day after he filed his suit, the government fired him, which Federal Court judge Simon Noël described as "unbelievable."
The government can't, as Harper pointed out back in 2006, fire Noël, but Justice Minister Peter MacKay did criticize judges who have balked at imposing victim surcharge fees on destitute offenders, and chided the appeal court that overturned the mandatory minimums.
"We will not be deterred by a few judges that take a different view," he said. "That is their right, but it is in my view Parliament's discretion to pass laws." MacKay knows, but didn't say, that it is the court's responsibility to determine if those laws comply with the charter, and he knows that the government can't fight the bench.
It will be interesting to see how Harper reacts when the Supreme Court justices eventually tell him that he can't reform or abolish the Senate without a deal with the provinces.
It seems likely that he will see this as a communications challenge. The prime minister can't fight the Supremes, can't reform the Senate, can't lock up everybody he'd like to lock up, but he can deliver messages that press his supporters' emotional buttons, even if he can't deliver on what he has promised them.


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To many, Julian Lennon is best known as the son of John Lennon and a singer in his own right. Now you can add the title "photographer" to his credits.
Lennon, 47, attended the Sept. 16 opening of his own show, "Timeless: The Photography of Julian Lennon" at the Morrison Hotel Gallery in New York City. Also there at the show were his mother Cynthia Lennon, Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon and Patti Boyd, the former wife of George Harrison.
Julian told Rolling Stone that he took a more active interest in photography after going on the road with Sean for the latter's tour of Eastern Europe. "I surprised him on the road," he said. "I literally turned up at a gig."
U.S. & World
In addition to landscapes, Lennon also photographed celebrities such as Kate Hudson and U2, who asked Lennon to take some pictures while the band was staying at Lennon's home in France. "To a degree, it's a side of the boys that hasn't been seen before … I just didn't want to get in the way," said Lennon. "The moment I thought there was any heavy air, I would clear out."
Lennon made a name for himself in 1984 with his debut album "Valotte," which had hits in the title track and "Too Late for Goodbye." He told Rolling Stone that he has a new album already finished—his first one in over 10 years--that may be released in the spring.
Selected Reading: Rolling Stone