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Detroit (40-17-2) VS San Jose (31-18-7)
If there is a game left this season that Detroit needs to dominate, it's this one.
There are many important factors to the hosting of the San Jose Sharks this afternoon at the Joe Louis Arena. One: the West is tight, and points are getting more and more valuable with every game. The Wings still hold one of the higher games played totals, so W's are precious. Two: A chance to break the multi-season consecutive home win record is on the line today. More history could be made before suppertime. Three: Detroit needs to stomp on the Sharks and send a message that NO team "has their number", and that these Wings will run with anyone come playoff time.
That's all that needs saying. 20 minutes to puck drop, Wings, you know what you need to do. Let's go out and do it.
Let's Go Red Wings!!
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Wings Look to Keep Streak Alive, Host Sharks
Detroit (40-17-2) VS San Jose (31-18-7)
Posted by Brad Butland at 9:10 AM 0 comments


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Considering the rapid expansion of social media and its' impact on policies, services and "everyday life", this is the first of a series of debates on the effects of social media in social care and social work. In today's debate we shall focus on e-professionalism and Twitter as well as its implications for social care … Continue reading
Every day in this country social workers perform countless acts that make a real difference to the lives of thousands of people. What these social workers do involves kindness, compassion, courage, resilience, cleverness, and extraordinary levels of skill and wisdom. Social workers routinely meet the extraordinarily difficult challenge of having to balance empathy and compassion … Continue reading
Next week there a are a number of events and important events and activities (both online and face-to-face) to celebrate Social Work Week #SWweek, beginning with World Social Work Day #WSWDay (Tuesday, 20 March 2012) to United Nations' Social Work Day #UNSWDay (Monday, 26 March 2012). Therefore, our topic for next week's debate (20-Mar-2012) is the "Global Agenda for Social … Continue reading
SWSCmedia: What made you decide to do this programme with BBC? Annie Hudson: We were approached by the BBC in autumn 2009 about doing a follow-up to 'Someone to Watch Over Me' – a similar documentary by the same team that broadcast in 2004. A lot had changed since then with the Baby P case … Continue reading
SWSCmedia: What made you decide to do this programme with BBC? Annie Hudson: We were approached by the BBC in autumn 2009 about doing a follow-up to 'Someone to Watch Over Me' – a similar documentary by the same team that broadcast in 2004. A lot had changed since then with the Baby P case … Continue reading
In the past decade there has been increasing talk of integration and integrated service delivery for health and social care in UK and many other countries. Therefore, in our next @SWSCmedia debate on Tuesday (17 January) at 20:00 GMT / 15:00 EST, we'll try to explore some relevant questions in relation to the prospects, possibilities, … Continue reading
[Note: We in social work / social care remain unresolved as to what we call people who receive services. Terms such as clients, service users, and cases all arise. I do not like referring to people as 'cases', but discovered to my frustration when writing this that unless I used terms such as 'case' 'caseload' … Continue reading
"Social work supervision is considered as one of the most important factors in determining job satisfaction levels of social workers and the quality of service to clients" (Source SCIE) Social Work Reform Board underlining the importance of regular and uninterrupted supervision state that supervision should: Improve the quality of decision-making and interventions. Enable effective line … Continue reading
This was yet another excellent and exciting debate @SWSCmedia on Developing Leadership in Social Work and Social Care. We thank everyone who joined the debate and hope you enjoyed it as much as we did and we welcome the new participants and those from affiliated professions who brought added wisdom to the debate… During and after the … Continue reading
The interplay between management and leadership is one that has been milling around in my mind for a while but in the light of the next 'Twitter Debate' by SWSCmedia on 1st November (8pm GMT) and the opinion piece written on that same site about Leadership in Social Work I thought it would be a … Continue reading

subset: commoncrawl


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Accident sparks questions on train safety in Waukesha
City not lifting quiet zone in area near train tracks
A woman was hit by a train as she was crossing to Frame Park, authorities said.
"They took her toward the ambuwagon, and then they brought her back and put her on the Flight for Life, so they must have considered it a very serious situation," said witness Fred Hess.
Hess said the victim is from the neighborhood and walks often, while trains pass through the area all the time.
"We have 13 crossing for the Canadian National and we have about 37 trains a day that come through the city of Waukesha," said Waukesha project engineer Katie Jelacic.
The horns weren't sounded before the accident, witnesses said. According to Jelacic, the federal government changed the rules in 2008 so horns would blow.
"There's probably 10-15 calls a day of residents complaining about train horn rules," said Jelacic.
After a couple of months, the horn zone was reinstated. The city said it will not lift the quiet zone in the area because the houses are located near the railroad tracks.
"If you live within four or five blocks of it, and it goes on every hour on the hour, and in the summer you keep your windows open," said Hess.
Jelacic said the federal government felt Waukesha has it covered when it comes to safety.
"All of our crossings were already upgraded so you have to have working gates and the new LED signals before you can qualify at all," said Jelacic.
The condition of the woman remains unknown.
"I'm just hoping that she survived this. It probably doesn't look too good," said parks gardener John Sorenson.
Meanwhile, the city of Wauwatosa is also trying to get its quiet zone back. It already filed paperwork and is expecting a decision within 60 days.


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- Emerging Markets Daily
What S&P Downgrade? Brazil Rallies On Political Change?
- Order Reprints
- Print Article
What S&P downgrade? Brazil has so far shrugged it off. The iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF (EWZ) has rallied 4% since. This morning, the ETF is up 3.2%. The Bovespa Index advanced 2.3%.
The rally today may be driven by a new poll that shows President Dilma Rousseff's approval rating fell for the first time since street protests last July. Brazil is set for a general election in October. A new government may usher in reforms to improve the worsening economy. Analysts expect Brazil's GDP to grow by only 1.7% this year, down from 2.3% last year, while inflation accelerates to 6.3% from last year's 5.9%, according to Bloomberg.
Brazil had a mini-rally last week. The iShares Brazil ETF gained 6.5% then. In an email response yesterday, Sophie Bosch de Hood, Co-Portfolio Manager for the JPMorgan Latin America Fund explained why and what that means:
Brazil had a mini rally last week basically because of the rumors of a recent poll that showed Dilma sliding in her approval.
The moves in Brazil show how the country is quite volatile right now. Valuation in Brazil looks reasonable but there is a lot of uncertainty (elections/rationing/inflation/rating agency downgrade) and pessimism but any potential upside surprise leads to a rally. The region as a whole is a stock pickers market.
There is so much uncertainty in the region with a lot of election or political clout that the market is not discriminating between good and bad companies
so good opportunities will arise to buy good companies at great prices. The risk reward balance is tilting and investors should be asking themselves when do I buy not whether they should sell now.
Earlier this week, Citi Research speculated on the same cause, saying:
The outsized movers of the past few days in Brazil have been the listed companies owned by the federal government itself:
Petrobras (PBR), Eletrobras (EBR), and Banco do Brasil (BDORY).
We are seeing it again. This morning, Petrobras rallied 5.8%, Electrobras advanced 7.5%, and Banco do Brasil (BBAS3.Brazil) gained 5.1%.
Two of the other Fragile Five -India and Indonesia - will also have general elections this year, in May and July. Incumbents are expected to leave and both equity markets have rallied. Can Brazil be next?


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Police shot and killed an armed man at Cascade Middle School in Eugene, Oregon while they tried to escort him from the property on Friday (January 11) morning. Authorities said the unidentified man showed up at the school amid a custody dispute and was asked to leave the building.
As he was being escorted outside, the man pulled a gun, forcing officers to open fire. The school was placed on lockdown for nearly four hours. Students were evacuated from the building and brought to a local church while police investigated the fatal shooting.
Authorities said that no children were in danger and the only victim was the armed male suspect.
Many concerned parents gathered near the school, waiting to hear more information. Some students were able to call their parents from inside and assured them that they were safe.
"She's 11 and she was able to call from her band class and let us know that she's fine, which is a relief for us," Gerardo Arangure, told KVAL.
"Officers are asked to deal with so many dynamic and dangerous situations," Eugene Police Chief Chris Skinner said in a tweet. "Police officer training is so critical. We are so glad that the students and staff were kept safe. Excellent investigators are working through the weekend."


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With a score of 69.472% and a nearly flawless ride at First Level, senior Lauren Levy (Amherst, MA/Stoneleigh Burnham School)capped her collegiate equestrian career with a reserve championship at the Intercollegiate Dressage Association (IDA) National Championship hosted by Centenary College in Hackettstown, New Jersey.
Levy made her intercollegiate dressage debut last fall after spending the early years of her Albion College career as a member of the school's hunt seat team. A multifaceted rider, she competes her own horse, Ultair's Bailey in both jumping and dressage competitions and in March, she was a member of the Albion Prix de Villes dressage team that secured a third place finish at Lake Erie College.
Also qualifying as individuals for the IDA National Championship were junior Alyssa Olson (Clarkston/Clarkston) and first-year student Paige Gustafson (Dexter/Dexter). Olson had previously attended Nationals as a first-year student as part of Albion's team and in her first individual appearance netted a fifth place finish in the Lower Training division. Gustafson was the first Albion first-year student to secure an individual berth to Nationals and came in twelfth at Upper Training.
"I was incredibly proud of all three of my riders," said dressage coach and interim equestrian director Danielle Menteer. "They have really improved all season and each one of them came to Nationals prepared and focused on what they needed to do to be successful. Their strong finishes were just the icing on the cake."
Levy will graduate from Albion on Saturday and has already secured a position with Amerigroup Corporation. Olson and Gustafson will spend the summer training at home and return to Albion in the fall.


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Paul George came into the season with some massive hype, including some by yours truly. Then Danny Granger got injured and the hype ballooned even more. The only problem was that the balloon was filled with carbon dioxide (CO2 for you nerds) and not helium. So if you learned anything from Bill Nye the Science Guy (not Mr. Wizard, he's a dick), then you know that the balloon sunk. Shooting below 40% from the field until the past 2 games, get ready for the balloon to defy the laws of nature and begin to rise. George has exploded with a 34 point game and a 22 point game back to back (I'm writing this before Friday's games… Morning Addendum: 22 points again last night, window closing fast if it hasn't already). I think he's finally beginning to grasp his role and will be ready to make the leap into the fantasy elite. In fact, it may be too late to get him but just in case somebody thinks this is a sell high opportunity, pounce on him. Kinda like how those ninja's pounced on me this week. God I hate ninjas.
Carlos Delfino – After reading that buy on George it's a total buzz kill to jump down to someone of Delfino's level but at 12% owned he is readily available to help fantasy owners. I know Chandler Parsons and Patrick Patterson are rightfully getting all the buzz down in Houston, but Deflino will still be a valuable contributor. Averaging 9/4/2/1.5 with 1.5 three's per game in 28 minutes last year, he is healthy again and has multi-cat help if you can take a slight hit in points.
Gerald Henderson – I hate Duke. Seriously, f*** Duke, but sometimes in fantasy you have to put aside your grudges and do the best thing possible to get your team to win. Averaging 15/4/2/1 last year, Henderson should get plenty of burn now that he's healthy. Snag him off the wire if he's still available but be warned he put up 18 points on Wednesday and 19 points last night, so act quickly.
Andrei Kirilenko – Well, well, well, AK47…. We meet again. This time you're in the buy section instead of the sell section. See how fickle fantasy is? After beginning the season with an absolutely amazing stretch of basketball, I told you to sell before Kevin Love comes back. Well, Love is back and AK47 has been injured. He won't put up the top 20 production from earlier, but he will still be valuable. Snipe him from someone who is too worried.
Ricky Rubio – 72% owned and supposed to be back in a week or so. Just make sure he's not available.
Tyreke Evans – I may have mentioned this once or twice, but I hate the Kings. I've always been more of a republic guy myself, or hell… even an oligarchy, but Kings are the worst. They're selfish, inconsistent, and chop their girlfriends' heads off. The past two weeks or so Evans, has gone on a tear averaging 22/4.5/4.5/1.8/1.0 with one 3PM and shooting 50% FG, 80% FT. Sell him before he goes on a stat correction … or the police arrest him for chopping his girlfriend's head off. His day-to-day injury may buy you the time you need to sell.
Ben Gordon – Guess who's back… back again. Henderson's back, sell that Ben. Seriously though, Ben Gordon is like a feast or famine receiver in fantasy football. Some nights he's amazing and others he just stinks.
Jameer Nelson – WHAT? HE'S HEALTHY?! QUICK! SELL! SELL! SELL!
Andray Blatche – Brook Lopez will be back soon and Blatche will be sent to the bench. Has he earned more minutes? Most likely, but try and cash in on his performance if you can.


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Hi, I have a customer who has XP Media Center and when she is on her financial instituitions web site there are 2 out of about 10 links that she cannot access. I have tried permanently allowing popups from the site and lowering the security settings in IE options as well as setting all the defaults and nothing seems to be able to make these two links work. I tried it on a different machine running XP pro SP2 with popups allowed and it works on that one. What am I missing?
Thanks for any and all help.


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Intern in Ghana this Summer on a Pre-Med Project
Projects Abroad is launching a brand new project aimed at providing experience to young interns planning on working in the medical field.
The Pre-Med project consists of 3 days medical outreach work per week and 2 days observation in a local hospital or clinic in Ghana. During the outreach work, interns will learn how to treat minor injuries and ailments, check vital signs, test blood glucose, and carry out malaria testing. You will also take part in awareness campaigns in schools and communities to highlight particular health issues.
This project, based in Cape Coast, starts in July this year and offers interns lacking medical experience the chance to get hands-on work while helping those in need.
This is the perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in a different culture and offers a fantastic insight into how local procedures and patient support are carried out in a developing country compared to back home.
Apply now to get involved!


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Check showtimes to see when Amanpour is on CNN where you are. Or watch online.
By Samuel Burke, CNN
In the only interview that President Hamid Karzai granted while he was in the United States, he expressed confidence to CNN's Christiane Amanpour that the Afghan people will accept the United States' demand for immunity for American troops left in place there after the 2014 withdrawal.
In a joint press conference with President Obama on Friday, Karzai had stated that he would take the issue to his people, but now he has said that immunity is likely to become a reality.
"I can tell you with relatively good confidence that they will say 'alright, let's do it," Karzai told Amanpour about selling the issue to Afghans. "And I'm sure that they will understand."
At the press conference, President Obama said that he had stressed to Karzai that "the United States already has arrangements like this with countries all around the world, and nowhere does the U.S. have any kind of security agreement with a country without immunity for our troops."
In the final stages of the U.S. intervention in Iraq, President Obama was unable to obtain a similar agreement, propelling him to withdraw all U.S. forces from that country in December 2011.
Karzai rejected the notion that has been floated that the U.S. might leave "zero troops" in Afghanistan after the pullout is completed at the end of 2014.
He told Amanpour that Afghans need some type of U.S. presence for "broader security and stability" after the withdrawal. For that reason, Karzai believes Afghans will have to grant the U.S. troops left there immunity.
"The United States will need to have a limited number of forces in Afghanistan," he said, but was unwilling to give an exact number. "That's not for us to decide. It is for the United States to decide what number of troops they will be keeping in Afghanistan and what strength of equipment those troops will have."
Karzai said that Afghanistan has turned the corner in terms of battling the Taliban. He does not believe those Islamic fundamentalists will ever regain the strength to enforce their radical agenda again – the closing of girls' schools and subjugation of women.
"Having experienced the growth of Afghanistan – the creation of a critical mass in Afghanistan that is necessary for turning the corner from bad towards better – I think we have turned the corner," he said. "I think there is now a critical mass in Afghanistan of the educated – of the Afghan people who want a future of progress and stability. And I think, also, that the Taliban have recognized the corner has been turned – the majority of them."
RELATED: Gen. McChrystal tells Amanpour about the day Obama fired him
CNN's Juliet Fuisz produced this piece for television.
We need to either leave Afghanistan completely, or colonize it, pipeline it, and mine it for rare elements while eliminating any domestic objections as we develop it.
Take it all. Every last ounce of it.
I think we should leave it up to the Afghan's to mine their own natural resources and use that to strengthen their government and fuel economic growth.
The problem is that Afghanistan has no oil. They have no natural resources. Their best natural resource is Opium. There aren't many countries who will import opium. That is the single reason why Afghanistan is as big a problem.
Except of course, as soon as the US leaves, the Chinese will take it all. They are waiting and the Afghans are willing to give it to them. Ungrateful.
I think the people commenting need to educate themselves first. Afghanistan is actually rich in natural resources. It has one of the biggest lithuim deposits in the world. The biggest lapis mine in the world among other precious gems. It also has deposits of gold. The issue with mining the natural resources is the infrustruture and security. The immunity issue is not so that the US pressense can do whatever they what but to upload the rights that US citizens have serving in another country. Such as not getting beheaded for the death of caring for a baby of a Saudi like what just occured in Saudi Arabia. But instead having the right to a fair and unbaised trial of which currently sometimes that is not the case in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan currently sitting on millions of dollars worth of natural resources including copper. US will need to stabilize Afghanistan and secure part ownership of that country since it is next to China. Therefore, it will be easy to base front line and spearhead any counter attack if the Chinese decided to invade the world which soon will come.
Take nothing.
A limited US presence there, simply to help Afghanistan train and maintain its security forces against the threat of the Taliban and other terror groups is key.
Let the Afghan people take their resources and use them to rebuild their country under their democracy until they are as strong, over decades of rebuilding, as South Korea is now. Then let them be a shining beacon of prosperity to their neighbors.
Colonize the USA, distribute it's goods to rest of the world.
That is what obama wants to do
Say it as it is. The piper's son has spunk.
And most importantly conscript this big-mouth and send him to Afghanistan to watch the progress.
The US is kidding itself thinking this is going to happen. You will see, it will not.
You absolutely cannot trust Karzai or anyone else in that country!! There are many cases of Afghan soldiers and police turning their weapons on US military people. Obama must be getting senile to believe that stuff!
it is only a few, as a few americans have done the same to them. dont get blinded by the actions of a few, the bigger picture must remain in focus. The protection and education for all in all areas. The right to live Free.
Karzai is a joke. His pronouncement that the Afghan people will go along with immuntiy for American troops is a joke. Karzai and his government barely have power and influence in Kabul, let alone the rest of the nation. We will continue to see insurgency and "green on blue" murders of American military and police personel. Every American soldier should be pulled out of Afghanistan.
And make the Afghani's contract and pay mercenaries instead US taxpayers.
It was nice just to see she didn't have to cover her head.
The subjugation of women? They are still subjugated, albeit in a milder form than under the Taliban.
Why do our troops need immunity? Because they are criminals.
If we are to put our youth into harms way, we need to protect them. Immunity is a good way to protect them. Now this does not allow our soldiers a free ticket as evidenced by the current US trial of the american solider whack job who killed those Afghan people. It merely prevents these countries from attempting to prosecute as a form of harrassment.
Because of the guilt feeling for all the killing the us did just like Irac thats why us troops kill themselfs when they get home. To me the U S in the same as Russia Every country wants to steahl other contries resorces
It's funny how all of this is being portrayed. The decision lies solely with the President. We are not partners with Afghanistan. We are invaders who went to war against their country, won, and we now own their people and their land. They do not have a country anymore, the US has a country named Afghanistan located in the Middle East. End of story.
Not exactly the case, certainly the US and allied partners went into Afghanistan of their own free will, of course naturally in retaliation for the events of the 11th of September, 2001. But it eventually morphed into something quite different. Invaders is perhaps too strong a word in this case but certainly there have been unforeseen results and the desired outcome as stated will not be achieved. Oh and by the way having troops in Afghanistan does not give the US a foothold in the Middle East since Afghanistan is in fact in Central Asia not the Middle East region.
Karzai has had the last 6 years to become a reliable partner and he has done everything but be reliable. I think we should leave Afghanistan and its erratic and corrupt Karzai on his own. Having a reliable, committed partner who is not corrupt is at least as valuable as immunity for our troops.
Make sure Karzai knows that as of the end of the year we will not be bailing him out either financially or militarily. He should know that although we are leaving and are concerned about the fate of the Afghan people, the reason we came and our primary interest is in Afghanistan not being a haven for terrorist. We will be watching and if Afghanistan becomes a haven for terrorist as before, we will return, and this time with a totally different set of rules of engagement. Next time will be unlike during the Bush Administration who had other higher priority engagements in Iraq.
Karzai needs the troops because his own will kill him if the US stops propping him up.
ARE YOU FKING KIDDING ME?!! All the crap he's talked about Americans to his people and he says he still wants our help?
American military should not be used for nation building, turn that over to the UN.
The UN sucks up money like a black hole does space and produces nothing but high paid jobs for a bunch of worthless bureaucrats.
Haha– you are describing how the US Govt and what it does for corporate executives
We should TOTALLY remove ALL troops from Afghanistan. Karzai wants the money to continue to him and his other ruling people although it seems the Afghanistan people are benefiting little. Twelve years is far too long and far too much!
Bring everybody home and spend that money here in America.
I'll bet that if you compare the net worth of Karzai before he became President to his net worth now you would find a rather amazing increase. We cannot support corrupt presidents especially if we pick them and then complain about corruption. Get out of there ASAP. Everything we do there will cost 2 to 3 times as much due to the corrupt system. All we will do is feed the beast.
As an American who served in the Peace Corps in Afghanistan (70-72), and worked with Afghan refugees in
New York City during the Soviet invasion and occupation – I would like to say that the SOFA agreement in
South Korea enabled American soldiers to remain in country with immunity. They provide the edge that makes
a difference there and have since the Korean War. None of us wants to see the gains achieved in Afghanistan with the presence of US troops be undermined. Consultation with my government is critical to determine the needs
after 2014 – not only for us to protect ourselves from terrorist plots, but also to ensure that all the sacrifices
made these past ten years will not be in vain. I urge both Presidents to see the issue in terms of that
statement. Afghanistan is not just an issue of a terrorist who plotted against us and did grave damage.
There are eight million children in schools and that is the future of the country. There are women who
have been able to return to work. There are hospitals, clinics and schools opening and people rebuilding
with the help of many countries. Let us not see our goal only in terms of protecting America. In fact, I
do not believe ,the nations involved never have just looked at that narrow view. Let us open all our eyes
to what has been done positively and commit to its continued growth.
Afghanistan is not South Korea, and the citizens aren't making laptops. It is bad financial planning. War does not create actual profit, laptops do. Drugs are a dangerous game. And selling weapons to Iran's ally threatens your operations in Iraq.
its funny how much CNN shot themselves in the foot by broadcasting that we would pull ALL troops out of afghanistan in 2014 earlier this week ....and now that its obviously not going to happen, theyve been timid to even mention afghanistan the last few days. LOSERS!
Karzai just wants more American taxpayer dollars in his pocket before America retreats.
Of course they need US troops there to protect the black market and other corrupt activities of the elites. Afghanistan could become a peaceful, prosperous nation except Islam will never allow that to happen.
What else would the US puppet say?
Still looking for a real country. We don't want you.
Dump this corrupt heroin addict and his worthless country. Domes are what the terrorist fear most. Double drone activity and get our troops home. NOW!
I'm glad. Because, Afghanistan is a wonderful talking point when encouraging hippies to demonstrate their state budget into the ground. It'll help. And, I fear a day when there is no war to use as the "obvious unethical action" I was scared that the pendulum had swung, and seattle would not fall to the Ethical Anarchists. It's funny how karma is man made.
We have Obama running away. We have the French kicking butt. What is going on?
weird how basic advice you would tell a teenage girl going off to college is exactly what the biggest macho military state needs to hear on repeat.
Stay away from heroin, don't make bad friends. Stick to your school work. Don't sleep around and sell yourself. Don't go to class drunk, or on anything.
Seems like minimalism in government through the 90's and 00's would have helped our plight. I keep humming the Eagles "in the long run" and I would also tell my teen daughter that there is a lot of truth in that song.
Please read dr seuss the butter battle book. You are suggesting that drone technology is to be trumped quicker. That's why you don't want anything to do with blowing up people. You just prune them into real trouble makers. By rule the deployment of technology is a deal with father time and mr. money bags. See you never actually own people or a battle field.. thats a free lessen. You "own the day" it's a lot of pie charts to prove it, but mountains fall to the sea, and flat lands do their resurface stuff too, as a general you are not a consumer of land or men, you are a force of the earths internal motion. So when you say fly more drones you say the opposite to a warrior such as myself. I haven't yet figured out how solar mass ejections
Giving US troops IMMUNITY is a very bad idea.
Why do US troops need immunity? Do these US troops or their commanding officers know in ADVANCE that they are going to commit (more) crimes against the Afghanistani people?
Do they need to be immune from raping or killing local Afghanistan people?
No one, I repeat NO ONE should be immune from the law!!!
You are 100% wright!!!
Indeed, I'm wondering about that myself.
Karzai also stated if we went to war with Iran he would have to back Iran.
What Karzai means to say is that if the US were to leave it would not be long before some teenage al Queda is sawing through his neck with a pocket knife while he and his friends are screaming "ALLUH AKBAR!"
@"me" Without an immunity deal then the US would leave in a big hurry. Your choice. al Queada would run wild and be even less fun with a LOT more killing.
I can't help but laugh at all the people who say "don't give the military immunity" because they're free to break the law then. It doesn't give military members immunity from the law, it prevents them from being tried by the other country's laws. If a military member breaks a law in that country, then they are prosecuted under U.S. laws, by the military &/or U.S. court system. Please look up "Status of Forces Agreement" and read up on it before jumping to incorrect conlusions. Also, there have been MANY instances where U.S. soldiers have been killed by Afghan police/soldiers. The problem has spiked makedly in the past year. More often than not, these perpetrators were Taliban members who joined the police/military and worked in it for a while before killing U.S. soldiers, not just pretending to be a policeman/soldier. I know, I've been there a few times in my military career, twice last year. Finally, female subjugation does occur, quite often, in the more rural areas of Afghanistan. That country has a long way to go, but is progressing, albeit slowly.
As with Vietnam Afghanistan will go down in future history books as a complete waste of time,money and lives.....Excluding all those that found it all very profitable of course....
The US has lost the war in Afghanistan. They need to admit defeat and go back home.
Karzai is a pimp. A two bit hustler who has the runs and rushes to India to go to the toilet. A RAW agent who is puppeted from India.
We need American Army for 50 year! Why? Reason # 1 is Mr. PAKISTAN and Reason # 2 is Mr. IRAN and reason # 3 is illiteracy in Afghanistan.
If US leave Afghanistan the 3 will destroy Afghanistan.
Afghanistan has had 11 years to figure out how to properly use all the resources that they have obtained from the international community and they blew it.
Afghanistan does not want our help. All they want is for the international community to continue giving them the fish. They're not interested in how to fish for themselves.
Afghanistan is an ungrateful country. We, the U.S., have spent billions, probably trillions, in attempting to teach that country to fish for themselves. It so unfortunate to see how much we have spent and to see the very tiny progress that has been made in that country. We cannot continue to spend and spend and spend resources and American lives for a country and a people that doesn't care anything about the U.S., its lifestyle, or its support.


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Hi there, I'm Kae, player of WoW and druid since July of 2005.
I work part-time for a university, and in game, have been an officer in a few raiding guilds over my years of play. I am married, have two cats and a malamute puppy (puppy pix are common blog material). I also have a 20-gallon freshwater fishtank with a bunch of live plants. A lot of them. It's kinda overgrown, but the fishies like it. *shrug*
I am currently an officer of Vortex, a 10-man horde raiding guild on Turalyon (US). We were the World 2nd 10-strict guild to kill Hardmode Lich King in September 2010. We only have a 3-night raid schedule, so it gives me plenty of time to do stuff like get my Loremaster title and muck around on my alts: a horde rogue, a horde hunter, a horde enhancement shammy, and an alliance feral druid (who was my first character and original main). My main is currently a resto druid with a feral cat offspec, though I have been known to dabble in turkey.
Kae's Favorites
Things about the game that make me happy:
- Minipets. My favorites are Boo, the Giant Sewer Rat, and the Sprite Darter Hatchling, though I crack up when I see Stinker and a Bombay or Black Tabby cat chasing each other around.
- Flying. One thing I really missed from playing City of Heroes when I moved to WoW was the ability to fly. I was so incredibly excited when I found out that not only were flying mounts being added to the game in TBC, but also that I was to get a bird form shapeshift, to fly around unaided. I really enjoy the /console pitchlimit 99999 trick, flying about upside down to view the world in a new perspective.
- Cooperative play. Teamwork makes an MMO far more enjoyable and engaging than any single-player game I have played. I dislike competitive play, though I do enjoy running battlegrounds with my friends, since we are cooperating with each other to win at a goal. It is for this reason that I don't like arenas, as all they are is a pit fight, yet I have the Commander rank on my alliance druid from running BGs with an old-school Marshal team (I even had a flag-carrying song)!
- Exploring. It's amazing how much detail has been put into the game world, and I am always stumbling across new things. Did you know there was a daycare with a little playground in the mountains between Nagrand and Zangarmarsh? Or a hidden Landing along the coast north of Stormwind? Even within our own cities, there are little easter-eggs to find, such as Splinter the rat speaking with 4 little turtles.
One thing that drives me nuts about this game, though, is the factions: I'm a druid, I train with the Cenarian Circle who are neutral in the horde/alliance conflict, and yet I cannot choose to spend time with the "opposing" racial factions without being slaughtered by their guards or, in many cases, their players (typical "red=dead" mentality). As such, I have two druids: Kae, a feral night elf, and Kaelynn, a resto tauren. I've toyed with doing a faction transfer, but can't bring myself to destroy my characters' identities with it.
I don't get around to playing my night elf much anymore, but she's there if I need her.
My Druids
Kaelynn is currently
Kae is on Turalyon as well, where I've been soloing on her from time to time to keep in touch with my Alliance side. She was my very first WoW character, and is currently in a guild the same name as this blog. She's a cat/bear dual-spec, and used for pugging feral fun.
Raid Experience
I played Alliance resto on Azgalor server, through MC, BWL, AQ40 (except C'Thun) and a few bosses in Naxx40. I pvped as resto with a marshal group back when it was Marshals vs Warlords on a single server, enough to gain the rank of Commander and help a friend, Maxhunter, to Field Marshal. I had a hybrid healer spec enough that I was able to offtank for my guild in AQ40 and our brief forays into Naxx40, though still had innervate/swiftmend and was a solid healer of the old HT-rank-4 variety.
--Burning Crusade--
The first expansion saw a switch to raiding on Kae as an Alliance feral tank through SSC, TK, Hyjal, and BT. My guild had held through all of my vanilla raiding experience, and I had become druid class leader, but the stress of trying to manage a guild that was an unfortunate mix of hadcore and casual raiders led to complete burn-out for both my husband and I (panic attacks are bad). I decided to play casually on a friend's server, starting from scratch and experiencing the horde side of the game... but the raiding bug is hard to ignore, and someone with a hardcore mentality is rarely overlooked by another guild. I was nudged into applying as a raider to my new 25-man guild, and I healed through BT and Hyjal, though wisely stayed clear of leadership beyond helping with some front page webmastery. Eventually, drama struck in early Sunwell and my friends quit the game; I myself took a hiatus aside some casual side raiding with another friend's guild on their alliance server, as a feral tank, during the end-expansion lull when they were having trouble filling spots for BT/Hyjal progression. I was sad to have missed Sunwell, but at the time I wasn't interested in applying and devoting myself to a new raiding guild.
--Wrath of the Lich King--
As this expansion loomed on the horizon, my horde friends began talking: 10 strict raiding? Imagine it, a small group we can raid with and avoid the cliques and drama of the larger guilds. We quietly renewed accounts and transferred to Turalyon to form Vortex, one of the first 10-strict guilds, a month or two before the expansion hit. I was put to resto again, as my friends seem to think I'm good at it and we had more tanks available than otherwise. We leveled quickly together and dove into the raiding scene, and have progressed steadily through every instance the expansion has thrown at us. My WotLK tanking experience is mostly limited to PuGs and solo play. I have dual-specced in raids as both cat and moonkin dps, and do solidly better damage as feral rather than turkey; I prefer the kitty-spec over feathers.
The new expansion is looming on the horizon, and Vortex is holding strong and continuing to work on toppling the remaining boss of WotLK: Halion hardmode. Not much will change for Vortex as far as its mission statement and raiding style is concerned, and I will probably remain resto for the expansion because people seem to think I'm good at it. ;)
Blood elf rogue (they're so darn cute crouching down when they stealth!). She is specced mutilate and is mostly used to farm leather or ore and run guildies' alts through low level instances like a dagger-throwing whirlwind of doom :D I much prefer playing mutilate over combat spec, though the constant re-application of poisons to my daggers does annoy me at times. Tricks of the Trade is the one ability I'd like to steal from her for my kitty spec.
An old, old tauren enhancement shaman, who I created on Turalyon when the server was added to the game back in Vanilla days. I love wolves, so a character with a wolf form (and can now summon wolves as well) seemed natural. I'm not that good at playing her, but she serves as my alchemist/herber with the rare transmutation spec, useful for occasional gem procs.
Blood elf BeastMastery hunter. I do love hunters for the mix between archery and cuddly critters. I have had hunter alts on both alliance and horde; my first, a night elf, played through Molten Core as my primary alt at the time and is sporting some old-school tier 1 armor. My pets are typically the Ghost Sabers from Darkshore, or wolves like the Prairie Wolf Alpha (who will bark when you click on him!).
I did briefly raid (as an alt) on my priest in TBC, and used her as my healer when I was playing my alliance druid as pure feral. I have messed around with a prot pally and prot warrior, but never past level 60. The only classes that haven't steadily held my interest are pure caster DPS.
The Blog
The blog Dreambound was created as a way for me to more easily share information with non-guilded friends, as I did have people come to me asking for druid advice or walkthroughs like I had posted to old guild forums. Specifically, Lilnahnah, a friend and former guildmate, asked me to send him some info for a struggling resto druid guildie; I had been following a few blogs, and decided that would probably be the best way to share my information.
Since then, I have been posting about 3-5 times per week, covering things like:
- Druid class mechanics, guides, and gear
- 10-man raid and achievement strats (some using stick figures, which seem popular...)
- Macros and Keybinds
- Mod highlights and Guides
- WoW stories, anecdotes, insanity, suggestions, and screenshots
- RP stories
- WoW-related musings and articles
- Art and Haiku
- and a wild assortment of other things I feel like telling the world about.


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The Federal Communications Commission received 1.1 million public comments about keeping a "free and open" Internet and about 80 percent were in favor of net neutrality, according to reports.
The response to the open comment period was so strong that it crashed the site and the FCC had to extend the comment deadline until last month, according to NPR. An analysis of those comments also showed that there were "a lot of mentions of the F word," and a lot of pro net neutrality. Most of those comments that opposed net neutrality seemed to stem from a template or "form letter." The analysis showed that the comments weren't "unique" enough to merit on a cluster map.
Form letters aren't unusual in public comment periods, and they usually have common talking points. At least one letter in this batch used the American dream as a reason to not have net neutrality. From the NPR piece:
U.S. & World
I've always seen this country as 'the land of opportunity'—this is what made me move to this place and eventually become an official citizen. I would hate to see many people's opportunities and dreams to disappear simply because of there not being any net neutrality...
Despite those opposed to net neutrality, the majority of comments were decidedly for a more open Internet. There's no word yet on whether comments may have swayed the commission in any way, but we hope that it will.


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It's no secret the entities once known as newspapers continue to transform into multimedia, multipurpose organizations. But can they also use new tools — especially geosocial media — to lead the process of online community-building? The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle's score! app raises such intriguing possibilities.
While the company did not return an interview request from this lowly blogger, this interview on WXXI and this Nieman Journalism Lab story provide interesting context — the project started as an alternate-reality partnership with the Rochester Institute of Technology, then had another short civic-engagement run around the midterm elections. It relaunched a few months ago as a full-fledged social gaming site with location-based challenges.
"[T]here's this huge community in Rochester that we can send people to all these cool places they don't know about," project developer Mark Newell told WXXI. "We have reporters and contributors that are trying to get more stuff out there. … We have this amazing cache of knowledge that I think we're trying to get out in more ways than just writing newspaper articles."
Sign-up takes less than a minute if you connect via your Facebook ID, and the site is pretty easy to navigate. You can pursue missions, which may include logging onto the score! mobile site for checkins like any geosocial app. Missions point users to both known places and hidden gems, such as New In Town with Driardonna Roland by the D&C's young professionals beat reporter or Ashish's Sport and Spice by an intern on local spicy food and sports hangouts.
And score! represents a merging of user with content and, for the D&C, revenue potential. The missions tie in advertisers as destinations, while giving users a chance to discover local flavor (perhaps literally), all the while promoting Rochester as a vibrant community. Quite a brilliant concept, really. User activity seems decent, albeit not overwhelming, and it's hard to predict a development curve.
The question at the heart of this is: Could colleges or other businesses create a similar homegrown solution? (By which I DON'T mean: Drop a huge chunk of change to an app developer.) The D&C benefits from economies of scale — they already have a large staff of content providers, backend development support for their website and a well-used communication vehicle. Some colleges have those advantages as well.
Colleges establishing their own rich geosocial applications and networks — to better connect students to each other and their institutions — would require not just resources, but a paradigm shift in some traditional roles and expectations. But hey, if print media, (erroneously) considered dinosaurs by some, can jump on this kind of innovation, why shouldn't other industries consider it too?


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A few weeks ago when it was my turn for dinner, all I could come up with for Friday night was sweet potatoes. I'd been wanting to try hasselback potatoes, if I could manage to make all those thin cuts without slicing all the way through, and had an idea for an oat crumble topping to sprinkle over them.
And for dessert, pears poached in apple cider spiked with a cinnamon stick and some whole cloves.
Potatoes and pears aren't exactly a well-rounded dinner, but I was out of fresh ideas, so Jamie suggested Cornish game hens. While I worked on the potatoes, he rubbed the hens with butter, herbs and spices, and after roasting, the skin was crisp and crackly with a nice salty crust.
After we finished dinner and picked out a movie to watch, I started the pears simmering, having no idea just how long it takes to poach a pear. What I thought might take 30 minutes to an hour took over three hours, since they need to be simmered gently, low and slow.
Much later that evening, almost midnight, after their steamy apple cider bath, the pears were steeped with cinnamon, cloves and apple cider goodness. A scoop of caramel ice cream on the side, with the apple cider syrup drizzled over it, made them even better. All you need, is a little patience...
Cornish Game Hens
printable recipe
- 4 Cornish Game Hens
- 1 sweet yellow onion, cut into chunks
- 8 cloves garlic
- handful of sage leaves
- 4 tablespoons butter, diced
- salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Preheat the oven to 350.
Stuff the onion, 1 garlic clove, and a few sage leaves inside each chicken. Truss the chicken so the legs are tied together and the wings are snug against the body. Dice the remaining 4 cloves garlic and stuff under the skin of the breast, along with the butter and a little more sage. Season the chickens generously with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with the paprika and thyme. A few lemon wedges inside the chickens and a sprinkling of something spicy, like cayenne, would be a nice touch, too.
Place on a wire rack set on a roasting pan. Roast the chickens until an instant read thermometer reads 160F, which may take anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half, depending on the size of the chickens.
Yields 4 servings.
Recipe from Curly Girl Kitchen
Hasselback Sweet Potatoes with Oat Pecan Crumble
printable recipe
- 4 small-medium sweet potatoes or 2 large
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
Preheat the oven to 350. Peel the sweet potatoes. With a sharp knife, very carefully slice 1/8 inch slices into the potatoes, stopping three-fourths of the way down so that the slices are held together by the uncut base of the potato. Rub potatoes all over with the olive oil, in between the slits also. Combine the sugar, cinnamon and salt, and rub the spice mixture all over the potatoes. Wrap potatoes in foil. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until tender when pierced with a fork.
Raise the temperature of the oven to 400. Remove the foil from the potatoes and place on a baking sheet, cut side up. In a bowl, combine the crumble topping ingredients with a pastry cutter or fork until coarse and crumbly. Sprinkle over the potatoes. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, until the topping is golden brown.
Yields 4 servings.
Recipe from Curly Girl Kitchen
Apple Cider Poached Pears
printable recipe
printable recipe
- 4-5 cups apple cider
- Juice of 1 orange
- 5 whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 whole firm pears
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Nutmeg for grating
In a medium saucepan, combine the apple cider, orange juice, cloves, cinnamon stick, brown sugar and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium low heat.
Peel the pears, leaving the stems attached. Gently lower the pears into the simmering liquid. Add more cider, if needed, so the pears are submerged. Cover and simmer gently for 3-4 hours until the pears are tender, but not mushy. When the pears are done, remove from the liquid with a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water to create a slurry; add to the saucepan. Bring the cider mixture to a boil over medium heat and boil, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens to a syrupy consistency, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the butter.
Place the pears on serving dishes and pour the warm syrup over each. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg and serve with ice cream.
Yields 4 servings.
Recipe from Curly Girl Kitchen


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Life, religious liberty top ERLC's 2014 agenda
WASHINGTON (BP) -- The Southern Baptist Convention's public policy entity will promote life, religious freedom, human rights and family this year in Congress despite "a very difficult period legislatively," Russell D. Moore says.
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission released its 2014 legislative agenda Feb. 4, and Moore, the entity's president, acknowledged the challenges it faces as a deeply divided Congress approaches the November elections. Each political party controls a congressional chamber -- the Democrats the Senate and the Republicans the House of Representatives -- and hopes to act in such a way, likely cautiously in at least some cases, to do no worse than maintain that status.
"Between election year jockeying and the ongoing political rancor it will be hard to find a path forward for many of the bills we want to see become law," Moore wrote on the ERLC's website.
"While the environment is very toxic politically, we know God has an agenda of His own," Moore said. "We will seek to understand His will as we bring Southern Baptist biblical convictions to bear on the great public policy questions of our day."
The agenda begins with protecting vulnerable human beings.
"Of all the areas of interest to the ERLC, the sanctity of human life is our chief concern," Moore noted.
"While we are not yet at the place politically or culturally to reverse the horrific 1973 Supreme Court decisions legalizing abortion on demand, we believe some steps to rein in the worst abuses are possible," he said.
The ERLC's agenda includes the following among measures designed to protect human life:
-- The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, H.R. 7 and S. 946, which would institute a permanent government-wide prohibition on federal funding of abortion by standardizing bans on such funds that now exist in various federal programs. It also would halt money for abortion coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the 2010 health care law, and make certain Americans can easily identify before the ban takes effect whether plans in the health care exchanges include abortion coverage and surcharges. The House approved the proposal Jan. 28 but the Senate -- which is controlled by the party that supports abortion rights -- has yet to act on it.
-- The Pain-capable Unborn Child Protection Act, H.R. 1797 and S. 1670, which will bar abortions on babies 20 weeks or more after fertilization based on scientific evidence that a child in the womb experiences pain by that point in gestation. The House passed the bill in June. The Senate has not voted on it.
-- The Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act, H.R. 447 and S. 138, which would prohibit abortion based on the sex or race of the unborn child. While the House bill, H.R. 447, will outlaw both types of discrimination, the Senate version fails to ban race-selection abortion. Neither house has voted on its proposal.
The ERLC will continue to work for initiatives to strengthen religious liberty, Moore wrote.
"God gave humans the freedom to decide whether or not to worship Him," he said. "If God will not violate the religious freedom He granted to humanity, government should not either. The ERLC will work to protect faith from governmental interference, as we believe God would have us do."
Among the religious liberty efforts supported by the ERLC are:
-- Appointment by President Obama of an ambassador at large for international religious freedom, a now-vacant post.
-- The Near East and South Central Asia Religious Freedom Act, H.R. 301 and S. 653, which will establish a special envoy for the promotion of religious liberty in such countries as Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq and Pakistan. The House approved the bill in July, but the Senate has not voted on it.
-- The Marriage and Religious Freedom Act, H.R. 3133 and S. 1808, which would bar the federal government from discriminating against a person who acts on his belief that marriage should be limited to a man and a woman. Photographers, bakers and others who have refused to participate in same-sex ceremonies because of their Christian convictions have lost in court or suffered financially despite their appeals to exercise their religious rights. Neither chamber has acted on the bill.
Other proposals on the ERLC's agenda include:
-- The State Marriage Defense Act, H.R. 3829, which will direct the federal government to look at a person's state of legal residence in deciding marital status of same-sex couples.
-- The Children in Families First Act, H.R. 3323 and S. 1530, which would streamline the process for American households attempting to adopt children overseas.
-- Immigration reform that is "just and compassionate," while including undocumented immigrants. The ERLC has not endorsed specific legislation but continues to call for reform that upholds the rule of law, secures the borders, protects family unity and includes a path to legal status and/or citizenship for those who qualify.
Other issues the ERLC will address, Moore said, include human trafficking, hunger, pornography, homosexuality, gambling and poverty.
The ERLC's legislative agenda may be accessed online at legislative-agenda-for-2014.
Tom Strode is the Washington bureau chief for Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).


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You know how it sounds. That upward inflection makes every sentence sound like a question, whether you wanted to ask a question or were striving for something else.
Vocal coach Kate Peters, in a guest post on this blog about your vocal image, helps define the deflection and the role it plays in creating your image as a speaker:
Cadence is the general inflection at the end of spoken sentences. This inflection can lead people to make conclusions about one's gender, geographic origin, as well as one's openness and flexibility. According to Deborah Tannen, we hear a downward cadence as "closed" or "final," with the extreme being "controlling." Conversely, we hear an upward cadence as "open" and "flexible," with the extreme being "indecisive." Perhaps that's why New Yorkers are stereotyped as abrupt and Californians as flaky!The combination of the upward inflection, along with starting sentences with "so," have come to be known as Valley Girl voice, although it's thought that at least the "so" part began with engineers from that area. Over time, the Valley Girl vocal image has hardened as one that's less serious and smart than you may want to appear. Some listeners find this indecisive-sounding tone decidedly annoying. You may not be questioning what you're saying, but that's what it sounds like.
Like any other vocal habit that you may be using over and over again, frequent repetition of that upward inflection in the same place in most sentences makes your listeners start to anticipate its use, or even count how many times you use it...which means they're no longer listening to what you are saying. It's also something you can correct, with practice. Here are 3 ways to curb that upward cadence and get back to sounding decisive and sure of yourself:
- Correct real questions first: I've had success asking some clients to change the way they state actual questions before we tackle these unintentional question-like inflections by working to use a neutral or downward cadence at the end of a question. It's the difference between saying "Are you going to do THAT?" or "Are you going to DO that?" with the upward inflection coming where the word is capitalized. There is, after all, more than one way to ask a question.
- Analyze before you emphasize: In any sentence, you have lots of choices about which words deserve the emphasis. If you're just winging it when it comes to emphasis, take the time to think through your statements and choose the words that would benefit the most from extra attention, then place it there. Using the upward inflection is often a habit--which means you're not putting much thought into it. Careful emphasis, by contrast, conveys in a subtle way that you know precisely what you're saying and how you want it to be heard, and that's a much more confident and decisive image.
- Run with the urge to vary your vocals for emphasis. Cadence is one of the ways speakers can add audible interest and help the audience follow along--but using the same cadence over and over skips the variety needed to hold interest. Instead of an automatic upward inflection, practice using different techniques to add vocal variety: Use pauses, "pop" certain words with louder/higher/lower tones, use forceful or delicate levels of emphasis. It helps to do this by marking up a text at first, then reading from it, until you're comfortable varying your vocal tone.
Related posts: So, do you start sentences with so? If so...
What's your vocal image? Part I
Vocalizing tips from an NPR intern


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Communities create the value in open source, moving code from single teams to widespread networks of collaborators. How can you help? How can you benefit?
For exhibition and sponsorship opportunities, contact Sharon Cordesse at firstname.lastname@example.com
For information on trade opportunities with O'Reilly conferences contact firstname.lastname@example.com
For media-related inquiries, contact Maureen Jennings at email@example.com
View a complete list of OSCON contacts


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Radiohead Stage Collapse Kills One in Toronto
Radiohead are the latest act to deal with the increasing issue of stage safety. The group was set to play Toronto's Downsview Park Saturday (June 16) when the stage collapsed, killing one person and injuring another three according to initial reports from CBC News.
Later reports reveal that the person killed was a drum technician for the band. A Radiohead spokesperson identified the victim as Scott Johnson, 33, from Doncaster, England. The band members were not onstage at the time of the incident and were unharmed.
Radiohead tweeted, "Due to unforeseen circumstances, tonight's [show] at Downsview Park has been canceled. Fans are advised not to make their way to the venue."
The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne, who was in Toronto to play the NXNE festival, also took to Twitter, adding, "So sorry to hear about the bad s— at the Radiohead stage … F—!! All respect!! All love!!! Our thoughts are with you." Coyne's band had their own stage issue in Oklahoma last year when a lighting rig came crashing to the ground during a weather-related incident.
This tragedy follows several stage collapses that occurred last year. Eight people were injured during an incident at a Cheap Trick show in Ottawa last year. After the tragedy, the band went to Congress to lobby for safer stage regulations.
Five people were killed during a weather related stage collapse during a Sugarland show in Indiana and three were left dead after weather caused a stage collapse at a Belgian festival last year.
Live Nation announced that the concert was canceled. Patrons had not yet begun to enter the park at the time of the incident. CNN captured video footage from the incident site, which is posted below.
Watch Footage From the Radiohead Stage Collapse Site


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The BFW vice chairman, Mr SN Mishra, said that BFW would prefer to create least ripples – Mr Unger will continue as managing director, and Matec will continue to sport individual identity. Having been incorporated with German techno-commercial collaboration, BFW is well aware of German work ethics and respects the sentiments of Matec employees, customers and vendors, said Mr Mishra.The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of the third quarter of 2011. "Matec being a technology driven company, will give BFW access to some innovative technologies," said Sailesh Seth, Director, BFW.BFW also announced an agreement it signed with Spinner Werkzeugmaschinenfabrik Gmbh of Germany to sell their entire range of turning machines, turn mill centers and machining centers in India.Spinner's director, Axel Spinner, and BFW's vice chairman, Mr SN Mishra, said that the decision to sell and service all Spinner products in India only through BFW far exceeds just a distribution realignment, and is actually a strategic alliance between the two companies. Mr Spinner said that the alliance meets the critical need to fully develop the Spinner potential in one of the 'key' markets in the world. The alliance came in force from September 01, 2011.
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Log in to My Spektrum Get easy, online access to your Spektrum™ software updates, product registration and personalized settings.
My Spektrum
Spektrum DX4S PreviewPublished on12/07/2012Blake Good was one of the key people involved with the design, development, testing and eventual coming-to-market of the DX4S transmitter. In this preview Blake shares his insights on this new transmitter, what some of the advancements in DSMR and more.
We Preview The DX18QQ With Quique SomenziniPublished on11/15/2012A World Class Radio From A World Champion
The New Spektrum DX18Published on07/26/2012The New Spektrum DX18
Antenna Placement When Using Remote ReceiversPublished on09/20/2011How do you place your remote receivers in your model when using Spektrum™ or JR® DSM® technology? We walk you through the tricks of the trade to show you a good place to start for better placement in your model.
How To Replace the Receiver and Gearbox in the ParkZone Pole CatPublished on08/09/2011We're here to help you better understand what you need to do to replace the receiver board and motor/gearbox on your Pole Cat. We walk you through the steps, explaining exactly what to do and when to do it
Correct Antenna Placement with the AR600 ReceiverPublished on07/20/2011The AR600 is the affordable way to equip your plane with the speed and reliability of DSMX® control. We walk you through the installation and correct orientation of the antennas to deliver maximum performance in any model using an AR600 receiver.
DSM X PreviewPublished on02/09/2011Evolving 2.4Ghz technology
Spektrum DX3R PRO PreviewPublished on01/30/2011DX3R PRO represents an evolution of the original DX3R, further raising the bar. The features you've come to know and love are all still here and a whole lot more. We've caught up with Spektrum's Blake Good to pick his brain on the DX3R PRO.
Spektrum DX8 Radio PreviewPublished on09/13/2010More features, less price, Spektrum's DX8
Convert your Air Module with the new integrated casePublished on03/19/2010How To – Spektrum Air Module Update
Mode 1 VS Mode 2 ArticlePublished on02/05/2010Mode 1 VS Mode 2 Article
The Wait Is Over- Understanding Latency and DSMPublished on09/19/2006
Understanding TelemetryPublished on10/18/2005Understanding Spektrum's 2.4GHz telemetry technology.


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In our January issue, you'll find an article about former HID/Assa Abloy boss-man Joe Grillo joining XceedID's board of directors. In the piece, he talks about looking around for other opportunities "focusing on the RFID space outside the security-and-lock industry." Well, here it is. Grillo has been named CEO of the newly enlarged Digital Angel, which just merged with Applied Digital Solutions and does lots of stuff with RFID and GPS tracking, including implanting chips in your dogs and making sure they never get lost. Or, to quote: Digital Angel's products are utilized around the world in such applications as pet identification using its patented, FDA-approved implantable microchip; livestock identification and tracking using visual and RFID ear tags; and GPS search and rescue beacons for use on aircraft, ships and boats, and by adventure enthusiasts. That doesn't sound like Grillo will be working much with the security installation channel, but maybe he'll bring more of the products into our arena. It's worth watching.
Grillo lands a full-time gig
This blog, by Paul Ragusa, the editor of Security Systems News, offers thoughts, news, and a forum for discussion for those who work in and around the physical security industry, integrating and installing security systems in North America.


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Annals of the South African Museum
West, Newman & Company for the trustees of the Museum, 1990 - Natural history
From inside the book
1 page matching genus Fosterella in this book
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Baja Designs Squadron Sport, Pair Spot LED
Pricing: $229.95
Two is always better than one, right? We think so, which is why were offering a pair of Squadron Sport LED auxiliary lights with Wiring Harness for the price of $229.95. Although similar in aesthetics to the Squadron Pro, the application for the Sport varies. The Squadron Sport utilizes 4 Cree XP-G2 LEDs producing an impressive 1,800 lumens at 20 watts per light, making it ideal for near field, side/backup and scene lighting application. An industry first 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee Limited Lifetime Warranty is included for the ultimate in purchase protection.
Baja Designs Features:
Satisfactions Guarantee 30 Day Money Back Guarantee Limited Lifetime Warranty Complete Purchase Protection uService Replaceable Lenses And Optics ClearView All The Light, Right Where You Need It. MoistureBlock Waterproof, Rain Proof, Submersible CopperDrive Only LED Driven At 100% 5000K Daylight Less Driver Fatigue, Natural Color
Specifications (Per Light):
Lumens: 1,800 Utilizing 4 Cree XP-G2 LEDs Wattage/Amps:20W / 1.4A Dimensions: 3.07" x 2.77" x 3.07" Weight:12 ounces LED Life Expectancy:49,930 Hours Front Lens:Hard Coated Polycarbonate Housing:Powder Coated Cast Aluminum Bezel:Billet Machined Aluminum Hardware Bracket Material:Stainless Steel Exceeds MIL-STD810G (Mil-Spec Testing) Built-In Overvoltage Protection IP69K (Waterproof, Submersible to 9ft) IK10 Compliant (Mechanical Impact Testing)
(2) Squadron Sport LED Lights Mounting Bracket Wiring Harness
Driving/Combo: Maximum trail coverage in a single light. The Driving/Combo pattern is equipped with both Driving (10) and Spot (9) optics to provide you with a smooth blend of light for both near field applications and distance (Lighting Zone 3) Wide Cornering: BD was the first to develop a pattern specifically for cornering, dust and/or fog conditions. The Wide Driving pattern offers a 42 flattened horizontal beam for the ultimate in comfort lighting. (Lighting Zones 1 2) Spot: A longer and narrower 9 beam focus for illumination further down the trail or road. The Spot pattern is designed to be used in conjunction with additional Wide Driving and/or Driving/Combo beam lights. (Lighting Zone 4 5) Flood: Excellent work light or scene light with an extremely smooth 60 circle that projects about 60 ft). This pattern is not suitable for driving. (Lighting Zone 7)
Baja Designs Features:
Specifications (Per Light):
- 557801
- 557801
- Baja Designs
- New
Shipping Information
- Item Requires Shipping
- 5.0 lbs.
- W10.0000" x H8.0000" x L10.0000"
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at the Enterprise Engineering Institute
The Enterprise Engineering Institute promotes the application in practice of Enterprise Engineering (EE) in general and DEMO in particular.
DEMO is the next generation methodology for modeling enterprises. DEMO has a sound anchoring in science. DEMO practitioners are achieving very strong results in all aspects of organizational optimization.
DEMO is about overview and insight in organizations.
This site will give you an overview of what DEMO is about and some insights into what it can mean for you. You will find information about education in DEMO, case studies and a register of DEMO certified specialists.
Like to learn more about DEMO? Take a DEMO Awareness course!
The new DEMO 4 Enterprise Ontology book is available!


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Hey guys,I've been looking into something like this for a while as well. One thing that caught my eye was this pin converter shield for the UNO/Leo to go between the old pinout and 1.0http://mayhewlabs.com/products/go-between-shieldSomething like this could be implemented with logic converters between the connection points. This could also leads in some other interesting directions as well:Being able to select/designate individual pins as 5v or 3.3v logic Integrating dynamic pin assignment so the pinout could be adaptable to older shields configurationsAnd if you really wanted to get crazy, you could even wire the whole thing up to be driven by an integrated IC so you just add a library to your sketch and assign the pinout and voltage in software.And since I've already gone way out in left field, to complete the prefect conversion shield, add either an IC to linearly scale the analog inputs or a separate 5v 12 or 16 bit ADC EDIT: Just read the post about the GTL2000 and it got me thinking there has got to be a chip that could route pins and shift logic levels... Yup.http://www.intersil.com/en/products/audiovideo/video-switching/unbuffered-crosspoint-switches/CD22M3494.htmlThoughts?
the advantage I see is that with the SN74LVC16T245, you can select each pin's output
Here's the schematic & layout, please create a version with the parts you are suggesting.Top & bottom mount surface mount headers would be one way to keep the physical board the same size, as long as its cut back from the USB header.
I can't see where the data sheet says this is possible, apart from two OE and two DIR pins there are no control signals.______Rob
i want one of these!
Maybe there is a market after all, I always was 180 degrees out of phase with the consumer Dan, my last question? How does the logic shifting circuit have bi-directional IO?_____Rob
the above level-translator IC based solution should work bi-directionally, for all signal types (digital I/O, PWM, analog lines, Serial, SPI, I2C),


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Looking for a Waterfront Home? ...a Golf Course Community? ...or a Home with a Pool?
Joyce Albert – Your Realtor for Life
Often times I hear someone say they have a relative or a friend of a friend, who is a real estate agent.
Ask yourself - Is that person a full-time agent? Or is real estate just a hobby – something they fool around with on the side?
Do you really want to entrust the single largest financial transaction of your life to someone who regards your real estate investment as a sideline? That's like trusting a doctor who only does one or two operations a year to handle your heart surgery.
I am a full-time, experienced real estate agent and consultant. I am here to answer questions for my clients, make sure their interests are fully protected, and help them make the very best decisions possible when buying or selling a home.
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Follow RFF News on your cell phone. Text follow rff to 40404 you will receive txt messages with RFF News
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I still think the Margie & Luke and Kisha & Jen had a more catty Pit Stop fight. I remember when the two greeters were eating lunch during that fight like watching a movie.
So...were Jason & Amy completely unaware that Marie is a cut-throat bitch? How?
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It's like going to sleep not caring if you wake up. Here's to one more endless night in a motel at the end of the world with nothing but a pile of ashes for a bed. The salt stings your eyes; the listless sun will handle the rest of you. A bloated bird, one-hundred thousand dead Tilapia, the endless stench. It's in your sweat. There were dreams, once, at least for a little while. But you better be careful what you invest in. Keep your assets liquid so you can get out if—make that when—you have to. Don't get too deep into anything or anyone out here.
I guess none of this matters now. You watch the day rise out of the scalding water and fall down the mountains, keeping company with the dead and the mad, pretending you're different, not like them. Sure, you're just a spectator, not a participant. Then why don't you leave? Nope, this is it, the end of the line. You'd almost forgotten about Chinatown, Jake, but it caught up to you out here in the desert. It had to. So, welcome to where everything finally stops. Greetings from the Salton Sea.


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PlayroomThe upstairs of my house stays very traditional in its Christmas colors. But, the playroom goes wild! Why not! I was actually too lazy to put this tree up last year but it was the first one up (of the 5) this year. I had every single thing on this tree already so not having to spend any money made it much more fun.
The only new thing added to the tree is the little bunting. I made it from scraps of leftover stockings. I used the same method as I did for Harper's Birthday Bunting for cutting the triangles and just sewed them onto a pink ribbon. Easy and adorable!
Dining Room
The dining room tree is very similar to last year. Dried hydrangeas (click here for a how to on drying your own), vintage lace, crystals from a old chandelier and a ruffled tree skirt made from inexpensive muslin. It fits perfectly in this corner and I love it in the new dining room!
All is all I didn't buy a single new Christmas item this year other than loads of fresh garland and wreaths.
My Kindergartner had his last day of school yesterday so we are off to find a Gingerbread cookie recipe (that doesn't make 5 dozen cookies!!!) and have Mommy/Gray Day (to put it into his words). Excited to hang with my boy and even more excited that he is so pumped to hang with me!


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Buck 65 – or Rich to his local Blockbuster's spotty weekend staff – proclaims as early as track five on Secret House Against The World that hip-hop has ruined his life. It's a funny thing to say, considering that he's never openly professed to be a pure (read: straight) hip-hop act. This, his follow-up to the much-acclaimed Talkin' Honky Blues, certainly couldn't be accurately categorised as an exclusively hip-hop record.
Opener 'Rough House Blues', its genre-subverting title aside, is as close as Buck comes to hip-hop at its purest (although said statement stems solely from the fact that the song features some deft turntable skills); little else, though, comes close. It's this diversity across 13 songs – the sometimes-shocking contrast from track A to B – which comprises Secret House…'s key selling point: don't like this one? Skip to the next.
'The Suffering Machine' is gruff country given a contemporary Canadian makeover - lumberjack jacket optional - its theme absolutely in keeping with the Guthrie and Cash works of yore: I love this woman; she don't love me; I'm a sad, sad man; think I'll write me a song about it. The song before it, though, couldn't be more different if it were penned by a total stranger: 'Le 65isme' is positively rampant, pulsating drums propelling the listener to some mysterious village in the heart of Quebec where a hundred Bronx-born hip-hoppers have upped sticks to and ditched their turntables for more primal beat machines. 'Blanc-Bec' is similarly charged, a feeling amplified by contrasting it with the following 'Corrugated Tin Façade'. While 'The Suffering Machine' is graphic story telling at its most accessible, there's something especially affecting about '…Façade' – be it the noticeable dourness in Buck's already fractured voice or the quite heavenly female backing vocals, there's that indescribable something to the song that marks it out as an instant highlight.
Buck's on-record demeanour isn't forever glum: 'Drawing Curtains', the album's penultimate offering, is a filthily sweaty sex tale, vocals male and female delivered in breathless English and seductive French, backed by slabs of crackling noise. It's enough to have even a casual listener whipping out the dictionary to delve deeper into the decadence, eyes spying through an incense-tinged lounge and into a steam-filled bathroom, catching sight of silhouettes dancing like the devil's own marionettes, hell-bent on pleasure forever. It's as if dälek skipped their way across the Atlantic to take up a house band position at a Parisian brothel…
…Sorry… cold shower break.
Returning to a point made above, Secret House…'s obvious appeal lies entirely with its musical, or rather compositional, diversity. There's so much to love here that the personal-preference flotsam can be forgotten, allowed to drift away into a realm of listener ignorance. It simply won't matter if a few songs are lost to the ever-shifting tides of taste, such are the joys to be discovered and the secrets to be gradually uncovered.
Dare I offer a factual statement in an opinion piece? Sure: Secret House… is, surprisingly so, an absolute contender for critical honours come the year's close. What you'd classify it as, though, is entirely subjective.
8Mike Diver's Score


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MMAjunkie.com Radio goes prime time after tonight's UFC 143 weigh-ins
and welcomes to the studio UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture, Strikeforce
champions Gilbert Melendez and Miesha Tate, and comedian/MMA fan Joey
"Coco" Diaz.
We also talk to ex-champ and MMA legend Tito Ortiz.
MMAjunkie.com Radio airs tonight from 8-10 p.m. ET (5-7 p.m. PT) live from
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Listen to and
watch a video stream of the two-hour show at www.mmajunkie.com/radio, or watch it live on select television markets as part of Fight Now TV.
MMAjunkie.com Radio listener guide:
- HOW TO LISTEN: Go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio and choose a streaming option (such as Windows Media Player or Quicktime) to listen to the show live. A countdown clock appears when the show is offline.
- HOW TO WATCH (ON WEB): Check out a live webcam of the studio while there. You can also listen to a live audio stream of the show when you activate the video feed.
- HOW TO WATCH (ON TV): MMAjunkie.com Radio is simulcast live on the upstart Fight Now TV cable station. Watch "MMAjunkie.com Radio Live" in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut as part of Cablevision's iO Sports & Entertainment Pak on channel 464. (More cable partners will be added in the coming months.)
- HOW TO CALL: MMAjunkie.com Radio takes phone calls from listeners throughout the show. Call into the MMAjunkie.com Radio hotline at (702) 736-9461 or (702) 736-9463.
- HOW TO CHAT: To chat with the show's hosts, guests and other MMAjunkie.com Radio listeners, launch the "Combat Chat" feature, which is available on the main radio page. You can discuss the show and even submit a question for the day's guests while there.
- HOW TO DISCUSS: The MMAjunkie.com MMA Forums has a new section devoted solely to MMAjunkie.com Radio. Stop by the MMAjunkie.com Radio forum to discuss the show, interact with the hosts, suggest future guests and catch up on the latest MMAjunkie.com Radio news.
- HOW TO VISIT THE SHOW: You can watch MMAjunkie.com Radio live and in person at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino on the world-famous Las Vegas Strip. The booth is located in the resort's Race & Sports Book next to the Mandalay Bay poker room. To plan a trip to Sin City and MMAjunkie.com Radio, go to www.mandalaybay.com.


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Paul M. Banks a.k.a. The Sports Bank, NBC Chicago Street Team "It's exciting in Chicago, it's the first time in a long time that people are expecting a good season out of the Hawks, and that's a good thing. I feel like we could be a better team than we were last year but we know it's not going to easy," said Patrick Sharp, one of the Hawks' top scorers during 2009-10 training camp.
Expectations are indeed high for a team deemed by many the Western Conference favorite. It began this past weekend in Finland, in a two game split with the Florida Panthers, and debuted in North America with a loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night. Despite the inevitable ups and downs of a roller coaster off-season, the Hawks are trendy like Taylor Swift when it comes to picking a Cup participant.
"They're warranted, we have some good hockey players here. Going all the way to game five against Detroit opened some eyes and there's expectations," said the newly acquired John Madden. There is one Blackhawk who will be under the spotlight more than any other. If Left Wing Patrick Kane is looking for a song to encapsulate his upcoming season, perhaps its 2pac's "All Eyes on Me." No player in the Olympics or the NHL will have the spotlight shined as bright upon him this winter. "Kaner" is the face of the franchise, EA Sports NHL '10 video game, and when February comes, Team USA hockey.
And when the Hawks take to the road, opposing fans will heckle him, worse than Hawks fans heckle any member of the Red Wings. Of course, on the other hand, a lot of people in this country have very short term memories, so if we see a couple "Hatrick Kane" nights early in the season, pretty much everyone will forget what happened in Buffalo on August 9th.
For a more in-depth preview of the forwards click here, goaltending and defensemen go here. For more with Patrick Kane, follow this link.
The Blackhawks open their home slate versus Colorado tonight at 7:30. There will be a special red carpet event on Madison Street from 5:00 to 5:30 P.M. Players will arrive via limousine on Madison Street in front of Gate 3 and will each be introduced before walking down a red carpet and into the United Center. Blackhawks Radio Play-By-Play Announcer John Wiedeman will serve as the master of ceremonies for the event, which attracted thousands of fans last season. It's free and open to the public and also features appearances by Blackhawks alumni, executives, broadcasters, Tommy Hawk, the team's mascot, and the Bud Light Ice Crew.
See more of Paul M. Banks' sports-writing at:
-the site he founded The Sports Bank.net
-NBA analysis at Walter Football.com
-"Patrick Kane Chronicles" at Buffalo Sports Daily


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Are Jacob And Renesmee Getting Their Own Movie Series After Twilight?
Did Stephenie Meyer reveal she's starting a Twilight spinoff starring Taylor Lautner?
Stephenie Meyer already dished the goods on Kristen Stewart's Bella wedding dress, and now she may have let the cat out of the bag about a new Twilight sequel! In her new interview with USA Today the writer refused to answer whether Jacob (Taylor Lautner) and Renesmee (Mackenzie Foy) are capable of having children, because she might write more about them.
As you guys know, when we leave Breaking Dawn Jacob is a teenager and Renesmee is aging rapidly. But does this mean if Jacob stops himself from aging, as werewolves can do, and they catch up to each other they could have kids?
"That is a question I'm reserving the right not to answer, because there is a chance I'll go back to their story," says Stephenie. What?! She might come back to the story of Jacob and Renesmee?! We wouldn't blame her, the whole imprinting plotline is fascinating, although many fans were disappointed that Jacob "imprinted" on Bella and Edward's baby. As the devoted fans know though, this only means he is protective of her and doesn't mean he has any inappropriate feelings towards Renesmee. He will wait until she gets older to act on anything, as he should.
So what do you guys think of a Jacob and Renesmee movie or series? Would you want to see this? Since we haven't gotten more of Midnight Sun, Twilight told from Edward's perspective, and Stephenie says she's not working on it anytime soon, maybe we can get our fix with a Jacob/Renesmee story. (And would anyone else want Taylor and his Renesmee-lookalike-girlfriend Lily Collins to star in it??)
Let us know your comments below!


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by Jessica Mack
April 24, 2012 – 9:55am
Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika died of a heart attack suddenly this month, enabling Vice President Joyce Banda to succeed the helm. This will almost certainly change – and perhaps save – the lives of millions of Malawian women.
Banda, the country's first female Vice President and leader of the opposition party, had been embroiled in a political struggle for months as Bingu had tried to remove her. Bingu's move to edge her out was part of his tightening grip overall, foreshadowing what could have been another stubborn and potentially bloody transfer of power after 2014 elections, and almost certainly not to Banda.
With all due respect to the late Bingu, his death opened a rare window for reform Malawi, and golden opportunity – especially for Malawi's women. Joyce Banda is a widely-respected and heralded champion for women's rights and health, and has never been shy to speak her mind about it.
Banda is Southern Africa's first female head of state, and the continent's second (after Liberia's Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf). Isobel Coleman at the Center for Foreign Relations recently called her "a remarkable person who despite the odds, just might be able to put Malawi on a positive path," as compared to her "disaster" of a predecessor. Banda left an abusive marriage as a young mother of three, and went on to found several small businesses and organizations for women before being elected to Parliament in 1999.
She is a woman of both voice and action. Almost immediately upon taking office, she issued a directive to the Ministry of Health to appoint two OB/GYN specialists to the Ethel Mutharika Maternity Hospital to support deliveries there. In a recent press conference, she said she would do anything in her capacity to ensure that the country's maternal mortality rate is reduced. Banda herself suffered excessive bleeding after giving birth, and nearly lost her life. Though the United Nations estimates that maternal mortality in Malawi was nearly halved between 1998 and 2008, still 3,000 women a year die needlessly in pregnancy and childbirth. Just 42 percent of married women report modern contraceptive use.
Cultural taboos around women's sexual and reproductive health, as well as the sheer inaccessibility of services define reality for many Malawian women. A lack of skilled personnel, whether doctors, midwives, or community health workers, to help women deliver safely is also a major factor in maternal deaths. Unsafe abortion is likely a major contributor as well. Abortion in Malawi is prohibited entirely, except to save a woman's life, and even then spousal permission is required. Perhaps this is something Banda might be willing to step up and address. Systemic devaluation of women's lives is a problem too, prompting Banda to single out village chiefs as gatekeepers for maternal health in the largely rural nation.
"They are the custodians of our culture and tradition. If you don't include those chiefs, if you don't integrate them, you can't win in the area of maternal health."
The year 2015 is the deadline to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), eight major targets to improving the lives and health of the world's poorest. A recent report by the Malawian Government says the country is on-track to meet five of the eight goals, though MDG 5 – to improve maternal health – is not one of them. African leaders are under increasing pressure from their constituents and donors to turn things around for women in their countries and there are few glimmers of hope. Banda could make huge waves on this issue in just a short while.
Banda is not only an advocate for women's health, but economic empowerment too. In 1997, she won the Africa Prize for Leadership for the Sustainable End of Hunger. Landlocked Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world. Its economy relies heavily on agriculture, and women farmers form the engine that runs it. Banda has noted that women in Malawi are conspicuously absent when it comes to economic decision-making, and that it is critical to put more of the country's money in the hands of its mothers. If anyone can do that, it looks like she can.
Banda is also a staunch supporter of girls' education. Last year, in a Q&A with the Global Post, she told the story of a childhood friend forced to leave high school after the $12 school fees became too high.
"I went on to go to college and I became the vice president of Malawi. She is still where she was 30 years ago. The vicious cycle of poverty kept her there and took away her options. I made up my mind … whatever would happen in my life, I would try to send girls to schools."
Such clarity of vision forward and backward is rare in a leader, but seems to be Banda's defining trait.
She has already distinguished herself as a committed and articulate leader on women's health and rights. Now with the reigns, in a historic twist of events, she can finally demonstrate what that vision, realized, can do for women.
Follow Jessica Mack on Twitter, @fleetwoodjmack