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Man to be arraigned in fight on Interstate 89 in Vermont
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, Vt. (AP) � A New Hampshire man is expected to be arraigned in Vermont in what police have described as a brutal assault along Interstate 89 in Hartford.
Police say the assault happened in the early morning hours of Jan. 13 during a fight resulting from an argument earlier at a bar in New Hampshire.
According to police, victim Robert Schneider told them the trouble started when his sister's boyfriend was becoming involved with another woman. As the two men rode home together, police say they stopped on the highway and suspect Wesley Vorhes allegedly knocked Schneider unconscious and repeatedly punched him in the face.
The 47-year-old Vorhes of Claremont was arrested Sunday on a felony aggravated assault charge.
Schneider told police that surgeons will have to perform reconstructive surgery on his face.


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Chris Brown Pleads Guilty in Assault Case
Chris Brown has reportedly plead guilty in his Washington D.C. assault case.
TMZ reports that the troubled singer struck a plea deal in which he plead guilty and was charged with misdemeanor assault. According to the site, the judge sentenced Brown to jail time already served.
Brown, who reportedly told the judge he just wants the case to go away so he can go on tour, punched a fan in the face outside of his tour bus back in October -- as the 20-year-old man tried to get a picture with the singer. Brown's bodyguard, Christopher Hollosy, also allegedly hit the man. In April, Hollosy was found guilty of misdemeanor assault, though TMZ claims he has yet to be sentenced.
Though Brown has rejected multiple plea deals in the case, it looks like he finally accepted this one. He ultimately ended up spending 108 days in jail in L.A. after the D.C. assault case violated his probation in the Rihanna case.
The singer reportedly apologized in court, and was accompanied by his on-again girlfriend Karrueche Tran.
See Chris Brown + More Celebrities' Yearbook Photos

subset: commoncrawl


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Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 40mm
At Sprint 338 S Elden St, Herndon, VA
At Sprint 338 S Elden St, Herndon, VA
- $0 / mo. and $0 down today
Buy or upgrade today
Order onlineBuy for pickup Additional discounts may apply
Choose a plan, and select store pick-up at checkout
Choose a plan, and select store pick-up at checkout
Get in-store AvailableDirections Call store Make an appointment
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 is designed to help you learn more so you can achieve more. It goes beyond tracking steps and calories to offer actionable insights on everything from your running style to your heart rate(1). Seamless integration with your favorite apps so you can keep moving and a sleek, all-new design means you can wear the Galaxy Watch Active2 everywhere from the gym to the pool to your bed.
- Auto Workout Tracking/Run Coaching.
- All-New Lightweight Design.
- Heart Health Monitoring.
- Sleep and Stress Monitoring.
- Multiday Battery.
- Bixby/SmartThings.
- Samsung Health.
- App Access/Notifications.
- Samsung Pay.
- Android Compatibility (LTE).
- Android/iOS Compatibility (Bluetooth).
(1 ) This device and related software are not intended for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions, or in the cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease.
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By Tim Lister
The "Abu Qatada" affair has set off a firestorm of debate in Britain and beyond - about what constitutes support for terrorism, about detention without trial, deportation and, yet again, about the vexatious issue of Britain's relationship with Europe.
Abu Qatada is a militant Palestinian preacher who had been held in high-security jails in the United Kingdom for a total of six years. Last week, an immigration tribunal granted him bail, despite the government's objections. He was released Monday.
Abu Qatada came to the U.K. in 1993 with his wife and three children and was granted refugee status because he had been tortured by Jordanian authorities. But that was before his militant preaching became an issue and before al Qaeda became public enemy No. 1. Britain has historically generous criteria for granting political asylum, but the consensus now on the left and the right is that the 51-year-old preacher should not have qualified.
By the time he arrived in Britain from Peshawar in Pakistan, Abu Qatada's hardline Salafist views were well formed. Writing in The New Yorker in 2006, Lawrence Wright quotes a Saudi journalist who had met Abu Qatada in the early 1990s. Jamal Khashoggi said "Abu Qatada had struck him as far more radical than Osama bin Laden... influenced by Salafism, the puritanical, fundamentalist strain of Islam."
As a preacher in London mosques, Abu Qatada soon gained a militant following. In 1999, he allegedly sought to justify the killing of Jews, including children, and attacking Americans. Three days after 9/11, Abu Qatada preached that the attacks were part of a global struggle between Christianity and Islam, and were a response to America's unjust policies. In another sermon, he sought to justify the killing by a Muslim of a "non-believer" for the sake of Islam.
At the same time, Abu Qatada ran a magazine called Al Ansar, which supported jihadists in Algeria at a time when the Armed Islamic Group of Algeria was waging a brutal campaign of massacres and assassinations.
His rhetoric attracted a growing following in mosques and online among young militants, but no evidence has been produced in a British court to suggest he was involved with specific al Qaeda conspiracies.
A Spanish government indictment sought to show that Abu Qatada did go beyond sermons. It alleged that an al Qaeda member, Barakat Yarkas, made more than 20 trips from Spain to Britain between 1995 and 2000, bringing Abu Qatada funds raised for jihad. When London police raided Abu Qatada's home early in 2001, they found $250,000 in cash under his bed. Abu Qatada maintained it was to build a mosque, but some of the money was said to have been marked for the Chechen mujahideen - at that point a cause celebre among jihadists.
Abu Qatada was detained in the U.K. in 2002 under sweeping anti-terror legislation enacted after 9/11 - along with dozens of other Islamist militants. Videos of his preaching were found in a Hamburg, Germany, apartment used by some of those involved in the 9/11 attacks, including ringleader Mohammad Atta. British and other intelligence agencies asserted he had close ties to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
Counter-terrorism sources also maintained he was a big influence on Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian who would emerge as al Qaeda's leader in Iraq. Both had been convicted of involvement in a terror plot in Jordan in 2000, and according to one al Qaeda operative, it was Abu Qatada who had introduced al-Zarqawi to the al Qaeda leadership. Would-be shoe-bomber Richard Reid was also an admirer.
In denying Abu Qatada's release from jail in 2004, a judge said, "We have no doubt that his beliefs are extreme and are indeed a perversion of Islam for the purposes of encouraging violence against non-Muslims and Muslims who are, or have been, supportive of Americans."
In arguing for his continued detention the following year, the British government summarized his role, saying "He provides advice which gives religious legitimacy to those who wish to further the aims of extreme Islamism and to engage in terrorist attacks, including suicide bombings." His place in jihad was not unlike that of militant preacher Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed in Yemen last year.
After Britain's highest court struck down detention without trial, Abu Qatada remained behind bars as the British government began proceedings to deport him to Jordan. He'd already been convicted there in absentia of involvement in two terrorist attacks in 1998, as well as the 2000 plot.
Abu Qatada appealed, saying deportation would put him at risk of torture and lengthy pre-trial detention. His case moved gradually up the ladder of British justice but was eventually dismissed by the House of Lords, which found that "the risk that evidence obtained by torture would be used in the criminal proceedings in Jordan would not amount to a flagrant denial of justice."
Enter the European Court of Human Rights, whose decisions are binding in U.K. cases. Last month, the court decided that Abu Qatada could not be deported to Jordan because there was "a real risk of the admission of evidence obtained by torture at his retrial."
British Prime Minister David Cameron reacted angrily to the decision, telling the House of Commons last week: "It is not acceptable that we end up with a situation you have someone in your country that threatens to do you harm that you cannot try, you cannot detain and you cannot deport."
It's a red meat issue to Conservative politicians in Britain. Traditionally hostile to Europe's influence in Britain's affairs, they believe the U.K. should not be bound by the court's decision. Ministers are conscious that emotions are running high. Home Secretary Theresa May told Parliament: "The right place for a terrorist is a prison cell; the right place for a foreign terrorist is a foreign prison cell far away from Britain."
But as one popular tweet puts it: "Abu Qatada has not even been convicted of a parking offense in Britain." And that's for two reasons. Authorities are unwilling to produce evidence in open court that might prove some operational or direct link to terrorism for fear of compromising intelligence sources. And it is notoriously difficult to prove a crime has been committed by the use of words that influence others' actions.
As Britain's Home Office admitted in 2005: "We accept that Qatada encouraged and raised funds for individuals to go to Afghanistan; he may not have gone further as an organiser."
While the U.K. authorities try to negotiate assurances from Jordan that would allow his deportation, Abu Qatada is on bail, but under strict conditions. He is electronically tagged, confined to his home for 22 hours a day, banned from using the Internet or a cell phone, banned from attending any mosque or publishing any statement, banned from receiving visitors without permission - and those are just a few of the conditions. For now, Abu Qatada's ability to invigorate the hearts of jihadists is very limited.
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I think it does. Let's put the Quran in jail.
Yeah, but if i convince someone to kill themself, i'm still a criminal, but if i convince someone to kill themself and others for their religion, i'm golden and free to go, come on UK, really?
well said, thanks for sharing.


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Hello !
I've been using the South Park doll maker for quite a few years (I think it's the best and most flexible doll maker I've found on the internet, especially for stuff like making visuals of tabletop RPGs characters) to have fun. I never participated in any of the community activity of it until recently.
I'm from Paris, I'm a 30-something girl. I'm Jewish, bisexual and currently unemployed. I'm a major geek. I love books, manga, anime, comics, SFF in general, fandom and roleplaying games.
Some of my older made SP pics:


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Bellevue, WA: Getting Your Big Burger Crave On at Munchbar
Please welcome our newest contributor, Denise Sakaki! With Adam Lindsley's departure from Seattle, Denise is here to bring Seattle-area burger reviews, starting with these burgers in Bellevue. You can read more from Denise at her photo-filled food blog Wasabi Prime.
505 Bellevue Square, Bellevue WA 98004 (map); 425-454-6862; munchgroup.com
Cooking Method: Grilled
Short Order: Comfort food classic burgers cooked to order, along with options for those who want a little spice
Want Fries with That? Burgers come with individual buckets of crispy fries, but consider getting separate sweet potato fries
Price: Burger w/fries, $12.95
Note: When the sun goes down, this spot takes on a nightclub atmosphere, but the daylight scares off the club-goers and the serious eating begins at lunch
They say a return to favorite simple comfort foods is a reaction to scary economic times, so it's no surprise that there are restaurants that specialize in just that. With a menu looking like the top ten midnight-hour food cravings, the snack-themed Munchbar pretty much has everything that anyone would want after a crummy day, a bad breakup, or a combination of the two.
While Munchbar's menu has ample comfort food offerings, their burgers are their specialty, namely their signature Munchburger: an over half-pound patty of 100 percent Certified Angus Beef, grilled to your preference, stacked with melted cheddar, a tangle of crispy fried onions, and shredded romaine, with tomato, pickles, and onion. They flavor the burger with a tart and creamy "fancy sauce"—basically a house-made fry sauce, similar to Thousand Island dressing. The bun is a soft brioche, lightly toasted. It's a large bun, but given its puffy, airy quality, it helps soak up the sauce and juices from the burger as you eat, and is a nice cushion against the ample-sized stack of meat and veggies piled within. (Note: Burgers doesn't come sliced in half, it was just bisected for the photo.)
They put a nice, crisp char on their burgers—you can see the grill marks on the patty—and if you ask for it cooked medium, the inside retains pinkness. The tender beef patty is adequately salted, smoky, and flavorful enough that you can still pick out the beef flavor amid all the different toppings. The texture of the fried onions is especially nice, but to really enjoy it, you have to eat the burger right when they bring it to you or the burger's heat will steam away the crispness.
I compared their signature burger with one of their other specialty burgers, the Jalapeño Burger, a popular choice with a Tex-Mex twist. The grilled beef patty and bun are prepared the same, topped with pepper jack cheese, crispy onions, and a pile of grilled jalapeño peppers. The spiciness is notable, but doesn't distract from the burger—still, if you're at all sensitive to spice, skip this one. A dollop of creamy guacamole helps cool the burger, but it still has a kick.
The burgers all come with an individual silver pail of crisp hand-cut shoestring fries accompanied by a mini squeeze bottle of ketchup. They also make sweet potato fries, which pair well with the Jalapeño Burger's heat.
Since the burger is rather monster-sized and comes with fries, consider bringing a friend and splitting it to avoid sluggishly returning to work with the dreaded Food Coma Hangover.
Love hamburgers? Then you'll Like AHT on Facebook! And go follow us on Twitter while you're at it!
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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tagged with: star nurseries, star clusters, starfields, nebulae, heavens, helix nebula, hrbstslr helixneb, star galaxies, astronomy images, outer space pictures, eso, european southern observatory, vista
Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series A fantastic colour-composite image of the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293). It was created from images obtained using the Wide Field Imager (WFI), an astronomical camera attached to the 2.2-metre Max-Planck Society/ESO telescope at the La Silla observatory in Chile.
The blue-green glow in the centre of the Helix comes from oxygen atoms shining under effects of the intense ultraviolet radiation of the 120 000 degree Celsius central star and the hot gas.
Further out from the star and beyond the ring of knots, the red colour from hydrogen and nitrogen is more prominent. A careful look at the central part of this object reveals not only the knots, but also many remote galaxies seen right through the thinly spread glowing gas.
more items with this image
more items in the Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series
image code: helixneb
ESO/J. Emerson/VISTA www.eso.org
Reproduced under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
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D&D Pathfinder Chesapeake Beach Maryland/DC/Annapolis area.
by, 01-30-2011 at 04:17 PM (5171 Views)
World - Forgotten Realms map + originally unfinished continents with some Wheel of Time classes, Codex Alera and Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, Celts, Vikings, and Gauls transported to Toril via lost fleets from Storms at Sea. Using PATHFINDER rules.
We have a 14 x 4 foot gaming table with Plexiglas cover, overhead projector for maps with 12 x 6 foot screen, about 2000 D&D figures monsters and heroes, enough 28 mm buildings to layout a city, enough forest terrain for Fangorn Forest, usually cook dinner or grill but may order out, keg of beer (Smithwicks Irish Ale) on tap 24/7, and a liqueur cabinet.
MAY NEED 1 OR 2 NEW PLAYERS due to military PCS moves. Currently at 11th level for the campaign. Front line fighters are the priority but all would be considered.
We currently have these in our party:
Ionin - Male Moon Elf Mystic Thurge from Eyre (Played by John)
Lycalea - Female Moon Elf Ranger from Celebren (Played by Jordon)
Shanna - Female Halfling Roman Thief from Turillo Foothills (Played by Heather)
Leaf - Female Barbarian Viking from Phrygia (Played by Sonya)
Azimar - Male Moon Elf Knight from Gondolin- (Jeremy)


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I dont understand the division between Knick fans. The Lin faction hates Melo & STAT and around we go. Personally, I'm happy we have them all on the squad. They're all NY KNICKERBOCKERS. I hope it stays that way for quite awhile if they continue to play the way they are lately...
This team needs Melo-Stat-Lin to work as an unit to have any chance of advancing deep into the postseason. I am really starting to like how Woody has re-aligned our offense. I see a lot more ball movement and much better defensive effort.
What's not to like about this team now?
Lou Williams, get ready to meet Iman Shumpert. Amare, please don't let Brand go for a season high in rebs and points please. Thank you.
Real Talk
Melo was playing for a blithering idiot. The way he coached would never had lead to playoff success with this team. I cant blame him for having the foresight to see this. I see you're questioning Melo, but STAT has stepped up his defensive intensity also. Maybe he saw what Melo saw.
I'm just saying...
Amar'e is sill 33rd highest scorer and Melo is 15th.
Not bad for players not working so hard...
Like I said the past is the past......I am glad Dantonio is out and Woodson knows he will remain the coach is based on how far he takes the Knicks.....
I just cant stomach the thought of Melo not giving a 100% effort...lets hope those days are always behind us,
Dude its human. Melo's human. Say you're married. Work all day to bring home the bacon. Wifes home all day, yet when you get there nothings clean, no dinner, kids are going nuts and this goes on everyday. She wants you to do that special thing you do.
Are you going to give it 100% effort? I'd probably get mine and say F#%K the B%^$H.
The Moral? MDA wasnt keeping up his end so why should Melo? Or STAT? Or anybody really...
Look it's understandable why people get jaded by the Knicks. We as fans put time, effort, energy and money into supporting them and when it's obvious your $100 million superstars are not putting in their effort it sucks, for all of us.
I will find the quote if people want but I was really surprised to read Melo basically owning up to it and saying "I wasn't giving 100%, from now on I will" (I'm paraphrasing). That was a pretty big thing to admit that, and while it's still very disappointing that some of our team couldn't do that all season, they clearly are now.
Both STAT and Melo are playing good ball right now and we don't need to be bitching and moaning on them every time something goes bad.
I know everyone has their magnifying glasses at the ready, waiting to see STAT let a PG drive by him, but seriously that stuff happens to the best of defenders now and again. People need to lay off STAT his defense has been good these past 4 games and long may it continue.
As for Melo, when his shot isn't falling he is still helping the team, rebounding, dishing and demanding attention.
I've been saying it for weeks now even back in the MDA era, we gotta be positive now. Leave the negativity at the door and support the Knicks each and every one of them.


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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Professors Mark Greenberg and Karen Bierman were recently honored at the 2013 Society for Prevention Research Annual Meeting.
Greenberg, founding director of the Prevention Research Center and Bennett Chair in Prevention Science, received the 2013 Presidential Award. The Presidential Award is given to an individual or a team of individuals who have made a major specific contribution to prevention science research. This award is intended to be a lifetime achievement award for a significant body of research or theory in any area related to prevention that has had a major impact on the field.
Bierman, director of the Child Study Center and Distinguished Professor of Psychology, received the Prevention Science Award. This award is given to an individual or team of individuals for a significant body of research that has applied scientific methods to test one or more preventive interventions or policies. Individuals are recognized for their work in developing and testing prevention strategies.
Greenberg is one of the foremost authorities on the prevention of family violence and child delinquency, and the promotion of social competence in children. He is the co-creator of Promoting Alternative THinking Strategies (PATHS), a program designed to improve the social, emotional and cognitive competence of elementary-aged children. The curriculum, which has been implemented in more than 1,500 schools worldwide, is one of 11 programs designated as a Blueprints for Violence Prevention program by the U.S. Department of Justice and one of 25 programs designated as a model program by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Bierman's research focuses on social-emotional development and children at risk, with an emphasis on the design and evaluation of school- and community-based programs that promote social competence, school readiness and positive intergroup relations while reducing aggression and violence. She is a leading authority on the development of peer relations and friendship, and a developer of preventive interventions to improve peer relations. Currently, she is the principal investigator for the NICHD-funded Head-Start REDI program (promoting school readiness with classroom-based and parent-focused intervention) and the FRIENDS project (promoting self-regulation among children with elevated attention-deficit hyperactivity symptoms).


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Legendary Queen guitarist and founder member Brian May has auctioned a 1952 Jowett Javelin he bought for his father Harold to raise funds to support wildlife through his charity Save Me Trust at Barons' Connoisseurs Classic Car Collection sale at Sandown Park on July 18th, 2017
As a teenager, some years before Queen was founded, Brian was a member of a group called 1984, and his father would often drive him to rehearsals at a school in Twickenham in the Jowett Javelin he owned at the time. In 1982, in memory of that car, Brian bought this Javelin for his father, Harold.
The gold Jowett Javelin, that has sat in storage since Harold May passed away is offered complete with personalised registration number 'HWM 57'. With a guide price of £3,000-£6,000, it provides an opportunity to acquire a very special British car with a substantial history with a member of British rock 'royalty' and to support a good cause at the same time.
Save Me Trust was set up by Brian May and Anne Brummer in the run-up to the General Election in 2010. At that time, it was clear that a Conservative government would attempt to repeal the Hunting Act of 2005, in an attempt to bring back fox hunting, and introduce a badger cull, against the scientific evidence and advice.
Brian, who has always had a passion for wild animals was outraged and Save Me Trust was established to give a voice to wild animals and to campaign to improve Animal welfare in the UK and around the world. Today, the Hunting Act remains in force and every attempt to repeal it has been defeated. However, since 2012, a total of 14,829 badgers have been killed at an average cost of £6700 per badger to the British taxpayer.
The Jowett Javelin was to be the first car auctioned on the day. With the Save Me banner located behind the car and the team happy to talk about Save Me's campaigns, it was a magnet to the collectors who were keen to browse the classic vehicle and soak up some of its rock heritage. The Javelin held its own in some very prestigious company, parked next to an Aston Martin Volante that was expected to sell for around £145,000 and flanked by a red Jaguar E type Mk2 and Jensen CV8 that both sold for around £50,000 on the day.
Enthusiastic bidding and strong pre-sale publicity meant that the car went for over top estimate, with the lucky new owner acquiring a charismatic family classic car previously owned by rock royalty for £6325.
Anne Brummer, CEO of Save Me Trust said: "We are incredibly grateful to Brian for auctioning his Fathers car to help wild animals in need. Brian's commitment to helping wild animals is simply amazing and we can't thank him enough for his generosity"
Brian, who is known and loved all over the world for his guitar playing with the super group, Queen said he was delighted that his Fathers car had exceeded the upper estimate and that wild animals would benefit from the sale of his Fathers car.
From the auction catalogue
The Jowett Javelin is an executive car which was produced from 1947 to 1953 by Jowett Cars Ltd of Idle, near Bradford in England. The model went through five variants coded PA to PE, each having a standard and "de luxe" option. The car was designed by Gerald Palmer during World War II and was intended to be a major leap forward from the relatively staid designs of pre-war Jowetts. Just over 23,000 units were produced.
Brian May from the band Queen purchased this car for his father in 1982. Unfortunately, after his Dad passed away, the car has sat in dry storage to date.
The engine has received some attention in preparation for sale and is now running, and the car is said to be in good working order. The car does not have a MOT but the MOT failure sheet will be supplied to determine the work still needed to pass.
Overall, the car is said to be in fair to good overall condition.


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(CNN) -- As Minnesota gears up for its first wolf hunt, advocates of the once-endangered gray wolf are hoping the court will intervene.
Last week, the Center for Biological Diversity, a national conservation organization, joined the Minnesota group Howling for Wolves in asking the state's Supreme Court to stop wolf hunting and trapping this fall.
The state's first regulated wolf season is expected to start Saturday, Nov. 3. The Minnesota Court of Appeals denied the groups' motion for a preliminary injunction earlier this month because the groups failed to "demonstrate the existence of irreparable harm to the wolves," and consequently, they are asking the state's Supreme Court to review the decision.
"Rushing to open a hunt this fall, the Department (of Natural Resources) slammed the door on meaningful public participation in a controversial management decision about wolf hunting and trapping," Collette Adkins Giese, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. "Only by stopping the hunt can we ensure that these state officials follow the law and do their duty to protect our state's wildlife."
In a separate legal issue, the Humane Society and The Fund for Animals filed notice of their intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to restore federal protections for Great Lakes wolves under the Endangered Species Act. The groups also asked Minnesota to postpone wolf hunting until the case is decided.
"This is a hunting season, pure and simple. It is recreational killing," said Howard Goldman, the Minnesota state director of The Humane Society. "Wolves are highly intelligent, complex animals that play a very important role in our natural ecosystem. They are not stalks of corn; they aren't something you could harvest. People care deeply about wolves in the state, and they don't want wolves to be taken for sport or recreation."
In Minnesota, gray wolves were added to the endangered species list in 1974 when their population dipped to about 750, according to the Minnesota-based International Wolf Center.
Today, the International Wolf Center lists the gray wolf population in the Great Lakes area as "increasing/stable." Gray wolves were removed from federal protection earlier this year, and as a result, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources assumed state management of the species. The state initially had a five-year waiting period for hunting after wolf delisting, but the Minnesota Legislature knocked that down.
"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service put faith in the state wildlife agencies to responsibly manage wolf populations, but their overzealous and extreme plans to allow for trophy hunting and recreational trapping immediately after de-listing demonstrate that such confidence was unwarranted," Wayne Pacelle, the Humane Society's president and CEO, said in a statement.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which would not comment on the pending legal action, said gray wolves are thriving.
"Wolves total more than 4,000 animals in the three core recovery states (Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin) in the western Great Lakes area," said Georgia Parham, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokeswoman. "The region's gray wolf population and distribution have exceeded recovery goals since at least 2001 and far exceed minimum population goals in each of the three states," she said in an e-mail to CNN.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources estimates the state's wolf population to be about 3,000 wolves and says the target harvest of 400 wolves "is a conservative approach that does not pose a threat to the conservation of the population."
The wolf hunting and trapping season closes January 31 or whenever the 400 wolves are hunted, whichever comes first. More than 23,000 hunters entered the lottery to participate in the wolf hunting season, and 6,000 licenses will be given out.
"We are confident state and tribal wildlife managers will continue to effectively manage healthy wolf populations," Parham said. "The (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), as is required under the Endangered Species Act, is monitoring the western Great Lakes wolf population, and if it appears, at any time, that the status of the gray wolf may again warrant the protections of the Endangered Species Act, the service can initiate the normal or emergency listing process."
Goldman says The Humane Society's research demonstrates otherwise.
"We were given an estimate of 3,000 wolves in our state. We are going to have a harvest of 400. There will be another 300 wolves that will be killed under the depredation programs, and we are estimating another 300 wolves will be killed illegally, so that's a total of 1,000 wolves already. That's a third of the wolf population, and many biologists say that the tipping point of when the population begins to decline is 30%, so we are right there," he said.
Chris Niskanen, the communications director for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, said the state's wolf population met federal standards for recovery nearly a decade ago and that they have some of the highest wolf densities they have ever had.
As the wolf population rises, so do human-wolf conflicts. In general, wolves mainly prey on deer, moose and beaver, but the International Wolf Center says that wherever they coexist, wolves may prey on domestic animals.
"We have a stake in making sure that wolves remain on the landscape here. It is a high priority for us," Niskanen said. "In addition to that mission, our job is to reduce human-wolf conflicts."
"We hope that this first hunting and trapping season will give us a lot of information," he added, "so we can manage the wolves' population and reduce conflicts at the same time."
But Goldman holds a different opinion.
"The only reason there is a wolf harvest is to satisfy hunters, they are having the hunt for trophies, for sport," he said. "We are saying, stay back, what's the rush, they were just delisted, study this population. We have to err on the side of the caution. This is a population that was driven virtually to extinction."
™ & © 2012 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.


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Compare cheap flights from Cairns to Tanzania
Compare and book cheap flights from Cairns (CNS) to Tanzania with Skiddoo. Use the Skiddoo flight explorer to find the cheapest time to fly to Tanzania from Cairns on a range of leading airlines. Save with our exclusive Cairns to Tanzania flight deals online today.
What to do in Tanzania
Tanzania is the biggest country in East Africa, so you'll have no worries when it comes to finding places to go and fun activities to do. It's a country filled with amazing national parks, game reserves, fantastic beaches, museums, mountains, and many more. If you've come to explore the best of Africa, Tanzania is a perfect place to start.
Fly to Arusha to climb Mount Meru for fantastic views and amazing waterfalls. See the camel safaris at Longido. Explore the wilderness of the Serengeti. Enjoy camping and seeing the wildlife at the Tarangire National Park. See more animals at the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. You can even see a flamingo-filled lake at the scenic Lake Manyara National Park.
Are you looking for the beach? Then fly to Dar es Salaam next and head to Bahari Beach, South Beach, Mbduya Island, Bongoyo Island, and Msasani. Learn more about the history and heritage of Tanzania at the National Museum of Tanzania and The Village Museum.
Have the ultimate outdoor adventure when you fly to Zanzibar! Enjoy trekking the nature trails of Jozani Forest, where you can see the massive exotic trees of Tanzania.
Zanzibar is also known as the Spice Island, so go on a spice tour as well. Get your perfect tan at Kendwa Beach and also at the endless white sand beaches near Jambiani or Paje. Check out the lagoons, beaches, safaris, and diving spots of Pemba Island.
The best way to end your Tanzania trip is by climbing the highest peak in Africa at Mount Kilimajaro. Just imagine the feeling of reaching the summit, and all the travel stories and photos you're going to get!
Check out what you can expect in your trip with this list of the best things to do in Tanzania.
When to visit Tanzania
The best time to visit Tanzania is during the high season from June to September, when the weather is cooler and dry, and when animal spotting is easiest.
A visa is required for Australians to fly to Tanzania and travel around the country. Be sure that your passport is valid for at least six months when you return to Australia. Visit the Consulate of the United Republic of Tanzania in Australia and Smartraveller for more travel info.
Travelling to and around Tanzania
To reach Tanzania, you will be landing at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro International Airport, or Zanzibar International Airport. You can travel around the country by plane, bus, taxi, and three-wheeled vehicles like tuk-tuks.
Tanzania is just waiting to say "karibu" (welcome) to you, so go and book your Tanzania flights with Skiddoo today!


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A young sea lion found severely wounded on a beach in Peru's capital was returned to his Pacific home Wednesday after six weeks of care by an animal advocacy group.
The 1½-year-old male sea lion, nicknamed Ringo, was found by Peruvian members of the Organization for Research and Conversation of Aquatic Animals in April with serious injuries to its head and left eye. Members of the group suspected fisherman beat the animal.
On Wednesday, members of the group carried Ringo to a coast guard boat, which delivered him to an island populated by dozens of sea lions. Ringo promptly jumped into the Pacific to join them.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Made on a shoestring budget in just three weeks with only two professional actors and a crew of about 5, "Monsters" manages to be smarter, creepier, and more thoughtful than most movies made with 100 times the budget.
Set just a few years in the future, "Monsters" finds the northern half of Mexico quarantined as an "Infected Zone" after a NASA space probe looking for extra-terrestrial life on Jupiter's moons comes crashing back to Earth. A band of land more than 100 miles wide is now inhabited with giant alien life forms that lay waste to everything in their path.
Working safely south of the Infected Zone is Andrew Kaulder (Scoot McNairy), a photojournalist eager to catch Mexico's newest citizens on film. But his quest is detoured when his editor calls to tell him that their publisher wants Kaulder to escort his daughter, Sam (Whitney Able, McNairy's then-real-life-girlfriend-now-wife), back to the safety of the states.
The film was essentially location scouted, cast and shot on the fly, and much of it was improvised, giving the proceedings a very real feel—there weren't the time nor resources for anything to be contrived or artificial. It makes for impressive performances from both McNairy and Able, though she seems to stay on point a little better than he. "Monsters" is a beautifully shot road movie and romance with an impending sense of doom lurking around each bend in the trail. The monsters rear their ugly heads just enough that you never forget why Sam and Kaulder are making their way north.
Writer-director-cinematographer Gareth Edwards spent a few years as an award-winning special effects artist who one day decided that he could make a great-looking film using today's desktop technology, and finally decided to prove himself right. The destruction, ruins, tentacles and explosions that litter the film's landscape are a testament to Edwards' skills, and he smartly keeps upping the ante as the story moves forward.
The first hour of the film very delicately presents a condemnation of U.S. immigration policy, highlighting the death and devastation that America's percolating nativism is exacting. Except, in this case, Sam and Kaulder are the immigrants seeking to make it to America. Unfortunately, Edwards loses faith in their audience, and a fireside chat between our heroes and some "coyotes" all but circles the metaphor with a telestrator and breaks it down for you, ala John Madden. It's always disappointing when filmmaker fears he can't trust his audience.
There are reports that Edwards made this film for about $15,000, which, to simply look at it, seems impossible. Regardless, "Monsters" is a great looking and engrossing piece of guerilla filmmaking that is sure to get him a much larger budget for his next feature.


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Select a topic or year
Financing is one of the biggest challenges limiting the success of SMBs today. U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) consistently reports that well over 50 percent of small businesses fail within their first five years due to lack of capital. Since this segment is responsible for nearly 65 percent of global GDP, representing more than 90 percent of all businesses and employing more than 90 percent of the world's workforce, SMBs play a critical role in a global economic recovery.
Today's news addresses the urgent need for capital by providing the right foundation and resources to support SMBs in this economy. IBM's commitment of $1 billion in financing for SMBs is designed to eliminate many of the cost barriers they face to grow their business. IBM will offer simple, flexible lease and loan packages, some starting at as low as 0 percent for 12 months with no money down,** allowing them to immediately acquire the IBM technology and services they need to begin to transform their businesses, while managing their cash flow more effectively.
This financing will be made available to SMB clients through IBM Business Partners who can benefit from enhanced online financing tools to generate price proposals and get fast approvals for credit applications for SMB clients, all available by a simple click of the mouse.
As part of today's announcement, IBM is also launching a comprehensive set of solutions, which include workload optimized systems combining hardware and software and services offerings focused on technologies, such as cloud, analytics, collaboration and security, specifically designed to address SMBs key needs. IBM aims to help this segment by making these advanced technologies, once reserved for larger enterprises with large budgets, available to SMBs through IBM Business Partners at an affordable price. These new offerings also introduce technologies from IBM's recent cloud, analytics and security acquisitions such as Cast Iron, BigFix, SPSS, Netezza and Cognos.
Clients can now take advantage of these new technologies with no money down and by simply making monthly or quarterly financing payments. For example, many of the offerings are less than $5 per user per month (over 36 months) for 100 users. In addition, these technologies can now be up and running in a matter of two to three days, saving SMBs up to 50 percent in cost and time.
According to AMI Partners, SMBs in the United States will spend more than $49 billion on cloud services in 2015, nearly double the size of the market today, The new IBM solutions will help SMBs deploy a cloud platform quickly and help SMB clients free their employees from worrying about IT and the significant costs associated with it. In a recent IBM Midmarket survey of 650 CIOs, half are looking to invest in cloud over the next five years, a 50 percent increase in demand for cloud since the last CIO study in 2009. Cloud solutions can also help SMBs automate their IT infrastructure, allowing their staffs to shift more attention to strategic projects focused on growth.
The new solutions also include analytics for SMBs to tackle "Big Data" challenges to help better extract insight and spot trends to make better business decisions and identify new market opportunities. These offerings will combine technologies from IBM's recent acquisitions. In fact, the survey highlighted analytics as the top priority by more than 83 percent of CIOs.
SkyMall Reaching New Heights with Analytics
SkyMall is a retailer that reaches more than 650 million air travelers annually through its in-flight catalog. The publication is found on 88 percent of domestic air flights, and features high-quality, innovative merchandise from top direct marketers and manufacturers. A high percentage of the company's sales come through http://skymall.com/skymall.com making effective online analytics an essential element to continued success.
"Reaching people on the go is core to our business," said SkyMall COO, Jay Scannell. "The opportunity lies behind the ability to tie online buying to offline activity. This will drive expansion and innovation in the way we conduct commerce and will require the continued investment and advance technologies to keep pace. As a long-time IBM customer, we have used analytics to make key decisions about our business. Today's news demonstrates IBM's commitment to support and strengthen SMBs and we are excited to see the advancements this will drive in the retail industry."
IBM Cloud Helps Russell's Convenience Identify New Markets
Russell's Convenience, with 24 stores in Colorado, Hawaii and California, understood first hand that it needed to operate as one organization to better respond to changing consumer demands. Today, the retailer is using IBM's collaboration cloud to enable more transparent communications between stores to conduct day-to-day sales, marketing activities and meetings. The ability to collaborate both internally and externally in a security-rich environment is helping Russell's Convenience become more of a social business by leveraging the skills and knowledge of its entire employee base. As more and more SMBs, such as Russell's Convenience, turn to cloud-based services, today's news will help many more jump start their businesses to more effectively identify new customers, resulting in more sales of their products and services.
"We are currently at the forefront of an entrepreneurial renaissance that is sweeping the globe," said Mike Grandinetti, managing director at Southboro Capital "Affordable and powerful technology has gone mainstream. It has closed the gap between big corporations and small businesses, enabling entrepreneurs and small to mid-sized businesses to radically change the way that we think about and approach our work. While some may find it surprising that big company like IBM is involved, they have long been a powerful ally to entrepreneurs around the world, helping small business grow and deliver the next wave of technology innovation."
In addition to software, services and financing, IBM offers a variety of ways for entrepreneurs to grow their businesses with no-charge access to advanced technologies, leading business and technology experts and training. Through its Global Entrepreneur Program and network of 40 global Innovation Centers, IBM helps businesses solve tough challenges, enter new markets and access the training and support needed to get their products to market faster.
"SMBs are the engines of new ideas for our economy and for economic growth. Curiosity and new thinking are what sets them apart," said Andy Monshaw, general manager of IBM Midmarket Business. "We're coming out of a recession, and a lot of times, it's the small business entrepreneur who leads the way. Significant efforts need to be made to provide a strong foundation for SMBs to establish their business for growth. As information has become the new currency, the ability of SMBs to survive in an increasingly competitive and global environment is largely determined by their use of new technologies such as cloud and analytics to quickly access the right information and use it as a competitive advantage."
*36 [FMV] [FPO] month lease from IBM Global Financing, "best credit" business customer, minimum 100 client users. Prices are current as of 15 June 2011; are subject to change without notice; and based on manufacturer's suggested retail price; dealer prices may vary.
IBM Global Financing offerings are provided through IBM Credit LLC in the United States and other IBM subsidiaries and divisions worldwide to qualified commercial and government customers. Minimum transaction size $5,000, rates are based on credit worthiness customer's credit rating, financing terms, offering and type, equipment type and options, and may vary by country. Other restrictions may apply. Rates and offerings are subject to change, extension or withdrawal without notice.
To see the complete list of offerings, please visit: http://www.ibm.com/software/info/costbusters/
To find out how IBM and our Business Partners are working with thousands of SMBs around the world, visit: http://www.ibm.com/innovation/us/smarterplanet/midmarket.html
For more information on IBM Midmarket Business, please visit: http://www-03.ibm.com/innovation/us/engines/index.html
Facebook Page: IBM for Midsized Businesses: http://www.facebook.com/#!/MidmarketIBM
Follow us on Twitter at: #MidmarketIBM.
To hear how IBM is working with mid market clients, please go to: http://www.youtube.com/user/MidmarketIBM
Related resourcesImages
IBM Broadens Efforts to Prepare Small and Medium Businesses for Growth
IBM is providing $1 billion in financing through IBM Global Financing to credit-qualified SMBs over the next 18 months. SMBs can use this financing to take advantage of advanced technologies such as cloud and analytics to drive innovation, become more efficient, and ultimately grow their business.
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3rd February 2007, 07:18 PM
jadan loves his treat ball soooo much that we have had to ban it most days and it only comes out twice a week at the moment :p we got it for him for xmas and started to use it to feed his tea as he wolfed his food down sooo quick that it was over in seconds and then what!!!???? he is so good with it now that he uses both paws to make the ball turn and his kibble to come out and it takes a lot longer (well a good few minutes longer ;) ) so its not sooo boring. but we had to ban it most of the time as he started refusing to eat out of his normal bowl :sl*p: icon_whistling :oops: goodness me how quick they catch on!!! ;)


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Safety, Durability, and Convenience at a Great Value!
This crib is one of the most widely used in daycare centers around the country. Designed for safety, comfort and convenience, the Serenity Crib is crafted of solid hardwood with durable hardware for years of reliable use. Smooth plastic teething rails protect child and crib and are easy to sanitize, while reinforced legs and steel casters provide utmost stability. A choice of clear or reflective headboards completes this awesome buy.
Shipping: FREE


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Thousands participate in 2012 Run to Feed the Hungry
Annual race held on Thanksgiving Day
Thousands of runners and walkers can enjoy their Thanksgiving dinner with a little less guilt this year after participating in the annual Run to Feed the Hungry race.
Nearly 28,000 people came out to East Sacramento on a clear, sunny morning to partake in the 19th annual race that raises hundreds of thousand of dollars for the Sacramento Food Bank.
The event is Sacramento's largest running race.
The race began when a local runner proposed the idea of a Thanksgiving Day fun run to the Sacramento Food Bank. Nearly 800 runners took part in that first race.
This year's course started on J Street just west of the entrance to the Sacramento State campus and went through the beautiful tree-lined streets of East Sacramento.
East Sacramento residents were being advised by race officials to avoid driving in neighborhoods near the course between 8:30-10:30 a.m.
Kevin Pool of Folsom won the 10k race with a time of 30 minutes and 33 seconds.
Katie Kent took home the women's 10k title with a time of 30 minutes and 40 seconds.


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They're totally checking you out.
Nearly 40 percent of hiring managers use social media to research job candidates, according to a survey from CareerBuilder. About the same percentage report using Google searches to learn about potential employees.
What you want them to find is a consistent message about you—your qualifications, professionalism and personality.
As you continue making a professional brand for yourself, all of your online communication platforms will have one thing in common. They will include a version of your professional bio.
Your social media accounts and professional website all should include your bio. It's a method of creating a controlled and consistent message about your brand.
Writing your professional bio can be an intimidating task. It's difficult to write about yourself. You're uncertain what to include and how to write it in a way that is professional while simultaneously creative.
My advice is to first create a long form professional bio—the type of thing you would use on a resume website. From there you can edit and alter it into smaller bits as needed for other uses like LinkedIn, Twitter or running with guest blog posts.
Your bio should be written in the third person and include:
Who you are
Put your name in the first sentence of your bio so the reader knows immediately that he or she is reading about the correct person. It's your virtual introduction.
What you do
Provide a general idea of what you do, establishing your industry without necessarily being organization specific.
For example:
Kenna Griffin is an assistant professor of mass communications and a collegiate media adviser. Her primary areas of teaching are journalism, online media, public relations, media law, and media ethics.
Where you've worked
Describe your current job, business or professional experience.
For example:
Kenna joined the Department of Mass Communications at Oklahoma City University in 2003. She advises Oklahoma City University's student newspaper, The Campus, as well as the publication's online version, MediaOCU.com. She also oversees operations of the student yearbook, The Constellation.
Her professional experience includes working as a staff writer at The Oklahoman and managing editor for the Guthrie News Leader.
Why you're worth considering
Explain why you are worth considering as a resource or employee. This is the place to include publications, presentations, professional memberships, or awards.
For example:
Kenna is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, College Media Advisers, Oklahoma Press Association, and Oklahoma Collegiate Media Association, Women in Communications, and the Public Relations Society of America. She regularly speaks on journalism best practices and media advising at annual national and local collegiate journalism conferences. She also serves as a resource on these topics via her media blog, www.profkrg.com.
Kenna has a master's degree in education from the University of Central Oklahoma and is a journalism Ph.D. candidate at the University of Oklahoma. Her academic research explores the conflict between journalists' professional identities and their emotional responses to covering traumatic events. She is a two time Dart Foundation educator fellow with the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma. She also presented her research on journalists' emotions regarding witnessing executions at three national academic conferences.
How to find you
Include all of your relevant contact information—email address, telephone number, professional social media accounts, and website and/or blog URLS.
You can personalize your bio even more by including elements such as a photo of yourself, a video introduction or links to your work. You also can provide details about hobbies or outside interests that make you marketable or establish your professional brand.
Once you draft this foundational bio of about five to eight paragraphs, it will be much easier to alter it for all of your various online platforms. You also should update the bio regularly so it stays current.
Remember that the important thing is to present a consistent professional message about yourself for potential employers and partners to see.
Let's Talk Nerdy!
The professional bio example I provided throughout this post is pretty formal. Are there times when less formal bios work better? What types of details might be included in more creative bios?


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Justin Bieber Charged With Criminal Assault In Toronto
UPDATE: Justin Bieber has been charged with criminal assault for allegedly attacking a limousine driver in December. Justin was charged after he turned himself into Toronto Police at about 7:35 p.m. ET on Jan. 29.
It sounds like Justin Bieber isn't just getting into trouble in Miami Beach, Florida. The 19-year-old is now reportedly facing an assault charge following a Dec. 30 incident in Toronto — could Justin be heading to jail again?
Justin Bieber Charged With Criminal Assault In Toronto
UPDATE: Justin arrived to police headquarters in an SUV and was immediately swarmed by screaming fans. Officials escorted him into the Toronto Police Department amid a hectic scene full of pushing, shoving and swearing. Justin has been charged with criminal assault, but he will not be held in police custody. He will leave the station after being "processed," CBC reports. His lawyer is expected to release a statement about the charge later tonight, Jan. 29.
WATCH: Justin Bieber Turns Himself Into Toronto Police
The Toronto Police Service said in a statement:
It is alleged that:
– on Monday, December 30, 2013 at approximately 2:50 a.m., a limousine picked up a group of six people outside a nightclub in the Peter Street and Adelaide Street West area.
– while driving the group to a hotel, an altercation occurred between one of the passengers and the driver of the limousine
– in the course of the altercation, a man struck the limousine driver on the back of the head several times
– the driver stopped the limousine, exited the vehicle and called police
– the man who struck him left the scene before police arrived
On Wednesday, January 29, 2014, Justin Bieber, 19, of Calabasas, California, surrendered to police at 52 Division. He is facing the following charge:
1. Assault
He is scheduled to appear in court at Old City Hall on Monday, March 10, 2014, 11 a.m., room 111.
Justin, who is from Stratford, Ontario, is expected to turn himself in on Jan. 29, and will be officially charged at the 52 Division police station at 7:00 PM Eastern time, a source close to the singer told CBC News. He also will reportedly be given a notice to appear at a later date.
On Sunday, Dec. 29, Justin attended a Toronto Maple Leafs game at the Air Canada Centre, and police were called to University Ave. and Dundas Street West later on that evening.
At the time of the incident police investigating were not sure if it was a member of Justin's entourage or if it was the singer himself who assaulted their limo driver who was bringing the group around Toronto.
Reporter, John Lancaster for CBC tweeted about the charges:
#JustinBieber surrender had been in works for a couple of days. Happening tonight. He will NOT be held for a bail hearing. #sl
— john lancaster (@jlancasterCBC) January 29, 2014
He also added that media is starting to gather around the police station in anticipation of Justin's arrival.
Justin's Rocky Start To 2014
This hasn't been an easy time for Justin!
On Jan. 23, Justin was drag racing in Miami Beach with Chantel Jeffries adn rapper Khalil when he was pulled over and arrested. He was charged with DUI, resisting arrest without violence, and driving with an expired license.
After posting a $2,500 bail, he fled to Panama with the model, where his family and friends — including his parents, his manager Scooter Braun and his mentor Usher — also went to see him, in what appeared to be an intervention.
HollywoodLifers — are you fed up with Justin getting into trouble with the law? Let us know!
— Emily Longeretta


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There are a couple of mysteries about this sphere image. One mystery I know the answer to (but you don't) and one I have not figured out.
What I can't work out concerns the size and shape of this enormous round rock perched on the bank of the Riviere Bleue de Prony in southern New Caledonia. The river rapids pass right next to it and during really heavy rains the river does get moving pretty fast. But I can't imagine it was ever such a torrent as to grind this big rock into a round shape like it was a little river pebble. Or, for that matter, to roll it here from somewhere upstream. I know it is really heavy because there are lots of smaller versions around here and they look and feel like they are nearly pure iron. Iron ore is, in fact, a very important component of this part of Grande Terre. The strip miners of the 1950s to the 1960s came very close to this river and may soon return to level all this, maybe breaking up and trucking away this gorgeous rock. But meanwhile it is amazing to wonder how on earth it ever got there.
The other mystery is how do you think I took this image? Where was I? Not hovering over the rapids? This image is one of the first I have taken with my new GoPro Hero2 . This little wonder camera is tiny, weighs next to nothing, has a 170 degree fish-eye lens, and takes 11 megapixel images once every two seconds (or whatever interval I set it to). I plan to use it as I did in this image to compose the sphere photos from locations that would be otherwise impossible for me to take the image from. Have another look at this sphere image and see if you can solve the mystery of where I was when I took the photo.
New Caledonia is the closest South Pacific Island to Australia and New Zealand. It is a French Territory and although the official language is French the culture is a blend of Melanesian, European, Polynesian, Vietnamese, Chinese, Indonesian, and more. There is one large mountainous island called Grande Terre and 6 smaller islands - the three Loyalty Islands, Belep and the Isle of Pines.The islands are remarkably unpopulated and there are vast areas of wilderness. There are hundreds of kilometers of walking treks, camp grounds, more than 42 parks and reserves, and crystal clear rivers with sparkling waterfalls. Almost one third of the population is located in the capital city of Noumea. Nickel mining is the primary industry and is the major contributor to the high standard of living in the country. Grande Terre is surrounded by the second largest barrier reef in the world and the protected lagoon created by this barrier reef is the largest in the world. Listed as a World Heritage Site in 2008, the lagoon is 24,000 square kilometers and supports a diverse and luxuriant fauna of fish and invertebrates.The vibrant, clear and rich colors are one of the first things that visitors notice when they arrive. Noumea has a complete range of hotels, resorts, restaurants, and activities to welcome visitors.


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Good Spokes, Rode these for over 4 years
Quite light with good range of colours
They were a bit pricey when I bought them... but you pay for quality!
they're thicker were spokes normally snap... you never really snap spokes in the middle. I have rode these for over four years and I have never snapped a single spoke... and I do try to ride pretty hard! Never had a problem! How long these will last you is pretty much down to whoever builds your wheels & how well they're built.


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Back in March of 2009, Mishka opened their flagship store – 350 Broadway – in the heart of burgeoning South Williamsburg. Since then Mishka's digs have at times hosted a variety of activities including art shows, various parties, crazy sample sales, celebrity drop-ins, and bitter impromptu Street Fighter 2 competitions. 350 Broadway went from being Mishka's brick and mortar shop, to being one of Brooklyn's hot spots. Exactly 344 days after, Mishka will be opening their sister store in Los Angeles and they hope to accomplish in Echo Park what 350 Broadway did in Brooklyn. Mishka LA will open its doors at 1547 Echo Park Blvd. on February 20th with a clear mission to be a part of the growing transformation of the Echo Park neighborhood.
news via Hypebeast


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Germaine Greer calls a female playwright an "insane reactionary" after she wrote a play loosely based on Greer being held hostage by a teen. • An Alaskan prison is home to America's only all-female prison orchestra. • Tempest Storm, a self-described "classy" 80-year-old stripper, says she isn't giving up her vocation any time soon. • The Swedes say that a reduction in hormonal therapy for menopause has resulted in less cases of breast cancer in women over 45. • Elderly residents of an all-female English nursing home are addicted to the Nintendo Wii. Their fave? Wii Boxing.
• Hugh Hefner and his gang are planning on opening a new Playboy club and casino in London. • Speaking of Playboy: readers can find out what "the girls of Olive Garden" look like behind the shapeless white button-downs. • An adorable and blind 5-year-old girl in Korea who never learned how to formally play piano can play a song on the piano after just one listen. • Indian cricketer and mega-celeb needs female bodyguards to protect him from crazed female fans. • Hey '80s TV fans: Square Pegs is on DVD! See SJP before SATC! • Missy Chase Lapine's charges of plagiarism against Jessica Seinfeld for her create-bad-food-habits-by-lying-to-your-kids-about-healthy-food cookbook have lifted the sales of both books on Amazon. Whatever, Jessica Seinfeld still sucks. • A 14-year-old girl broke the record for fastest swim across Lake Erie on Sunday with a time of 5 hours, 40 minutes, and 35 seconds.


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Women's role in wine industry strong locally and statewide
Quick: Name some of the most influential women who've helped make Woodinville a must stop destination for wine lovers.
If you're like me – a casual fan of many of the wineries dotting the Woodinville area, chances are you didn't even realize that several women have and continue to be very influential in the history and current production of wines not only in this area but in the state as well.
Go way back to the start of Chateau Ste. Michelle (CSM) in the late seventies and early eighties. Two women – Kay Simon and Cheryl Barber Jones – put the winery not only on the state map, but the American and international maps as well.
Simon, who joined CSM in 1977 as an assistant winemaker, became the first winemaker to run the CSM River Ridge facility (now Columbia Crest) in Patterson in 1982. She believes she and Joan Wolverton of Salishan Vineyards in La Center, Wash., were the only women head winemakers during what she calls the beginning of the modern era of winemaking in the state.
"There was a woman who ran a lab post-Prohibition many years ago," she said.
Simon went on to open Chinook Wines with her husband Clay Mackey in 1984 in Prosser. To this day, she finds it a novelty when visitors to the winery are surprised to learn it is she, not her husband, who is the winemaker.
When Jones became head winemaker at CSM in 1984, there were only three other wineries in Woodinville and only 47 in the entire state of Washington.
Under Jones' direction, the winery was named "Best American Winery" by Tasters Guild and "Best American Winery" by Wine Country Magazine in 1988, and "Best of the Best" wineries by Wine & Spirits Magazine in 1989, according to CSM's website.
Today, the GoTasteWine.com website states there are 693 wineries operating in Washington state.
According to the Washington Wine Commission, there are more than two dozen women head winemakers, several more assistant winemakers, and many who own their own winery, own their own vineyard, or are vineyard managers, highly sought after winemaking consultants or marketing experts.
At Washington State University, about 30 percent of the certified Viticulture and Enology (study of wine and winemaking) undergraduate students are women, according to Deborah Schwenson, principal assistant for the WSU Viticulture & Enology Program. Those numbers have remained at that level for the past four years.
Many women, such as Jody Elsom of Woodinville's Elsom Cellars, a 2003 WSU Enology Certificate graduate, are not only a head winemaker, but owner, too.
Being a winemaker is not the glamorous part of the industry. Just ask Kristin Scheelar, head winemaker at Robert Ramsay Cellars in the Warehouse District.
"About 90 percent of my day is spent moving things around and cleaning. The floors. The equipment. The tanks, and even the walls," Scheelar explained, adding, "You have to maintain meticulous cleanliness in a winery."
The other 10 percent of her time is spent using science and math to come up with the perfect formula for great wine.
The physical demands – Scheelar is a petite woman – coupled with her personal fears of being competent in science and math, were her biggest hurdles to overcome.
She gives a lot of credit for her success to mentors John Patterson of Patterson Cellars and his dad Jack Patterson. She and John were in the same enology class at South Seattle Community College. "He saw I was really willing to learn and work hard, so he asked me to intern for him," she said.
While there, Jack Patterson taught Scheelar how to use the forklift, an indispensable piece of equipment at any winery. "He was so patient and never stressed when I made a mistake," she said.
Now, Scheelar pays it forward for other women breaking into the industry by annually hiring two to three paid interns who are women. And, for the second year in a row she heads an all-woman team at Robert Ramsay, thanks to the support of owner Bob Harris.
Meanwhile, both Jones and Erica Orr, a former assistant winemaker at Matthews Cellars, have moved from the daily winemaking business to wine consulting. Orr runs a one-woman wine lab in the Warehouse District, lending her analytical services to local winemakers, while Jones has a lab in her home's basement.
After leaving CSM in 1990, Jones was encouraged by her husband to start her own consulting business because so many wineries were calling her to come work for them.
She was hired as a consultant at Silver Lake Winery in 1991 when Brian Carter called to ask her to take over his consulting role there. She consulted for them until 2003, and she is a regular consultant today for other wineries.
"The services I provide are: walking the vineyard to determine if the grapes are ready, analyses of grapes and wine, and working with the winemaker to make the best of their wines by blending. I also enjoy making my own wine," Jones wrote in an email interview.
Orr finds the job of wine chemistry very detail-oriented. "It doesn't have the glamour or macho, but I can make a living on my own," she said.
"In general, people in the wine industry are very interesting people," Orr added as another benefit of choosing this as her career path.
She credits a chance encounter with Aaron Pott, who was head winemaker of Beringer Estates in the Napa Valley at the time, in steering her career towards wine. "He gave me the great advice to work a harvest before deciding to enter the master's program at UC Davis," she said.
She took his advice and said that experience made the course work more relevant.
Jones began as a lab technician at CSM under head winemaker Joel Klein. "He encouraged me to taste the fining trials that I set up for him. When he left, Pete Bachman promoted me to white wine maker in 1982. To be promoted within the company was something I worked very hard to do," she said.
In general, the women interviewed for this story stated they have experienced many more positives than negatives as a woman in a male-dominated industry.
"Regina Daniel of South Seattle Community College's program told me, 'Wine is filled with wonderful people,'" said Scheelar. "People in the wine industry are there because they want to be there, and they love the product that they produce, market and sell."
So, what should women consider before choosing a career in winemaking?
"Take some science courses in chemistry and microbiology, and you need to maintain your physical fitness," suggested Simon.
"Don't let your fears stop you, don't let your age stop you, and don't let inexperience stop you, because you can get all of those things," offered the 50-something Scheelar, who didn't foray into the wine industry until 2006 when she became a sommelier.
"If winemaking is your passion, then understand that the possibility of making it rich is very small, but I am a firm believer that in a job you should have two out of three requirements: 1) love your job; 2) love the people you work with; and 3) get great pay. If you have two of those things, it will work. If not, try something else," wrote Jones.


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Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson will be autographing their new book, HELLHOLE AWAKENING (HELLHOLE 2) at the following locations, dates and times:
TUESDAY, 3/26/13, at 7:00 PM -- Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., Beaverton, Oregon 97005. (Brian only, without Kevin)
FRIDAY, 3/29/13, at 7:00 PM -- University Temple United Methodist, 1415 NE 43rd Street, Seattle, WA 98105. (Brian and Kevin will appear together).


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Enhancing household capacity to respond to HIV and AIDS
Currently, most effective responses to HIV/AIDS have been community and national driven. Now it has become apparent that people play a key role as individuals and as members of social systems such as families in effectively responding to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. As such the Report will focus on enhancing the capacity of households to fight HIV/AIDS at the household level. In analysing household capacity in the context of HIV/AIDS, the Report will address the following issues: Information, knowledge and practices of the households in relation to causes of HIV/AIDS and prevention; Gender roles; Social capital; Creating a conducive physical environment for chronically ill AIDS patients; Provision of adequate nutrition; Access to treatment; Economic status of the households and Care and support to OVC.


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Reverb Protection
Reverb Protection is what makes our community so strong. Here's how we ensure a positive experience within the Reverb marketplace, whether you're a buyer or a seller.
Secure Transactions
Reverb provides a safe, secure platform for buying and selling online.
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Human Interactions
In the unlikely event of a dispute, Reverb will assist both the buyer and seller.
Dispute Resolutions »
Simple Return Process
We get it. Sometimes you need to return an item. Our return process is straightforward.
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Chris, I can't thank you enough for your assistance. I truly appreciate the way in which Reverb handled this matter. It was very professional. I will definitely use your service again.
– Reverb Buyer
How do I qualify for Reverb Protection?
Orders must be carried out directly through the Reverb website or mobile app to qualify for Reverb Protection. This includes record of both payment and shipment. Any order transacted through private messaging or offsite does not qualify. Additionally, disputes must be communicated to Reverb within 7 days of the shipment being delivered (or within 14 days of the anticipated delivery date in cases of non-delivery).
Reverb Protection for Buyers
At Reverb, we understand the joy that comes with getting new gear as well as the disappointment that sets in if there's any issue. In the unlikely event that a problem with your order arises, please let the seller know as soon as possible. Whether you pay with Reverb Payments or PayPal, you're protected from any fake, faulty, or falsely advertised items.
Our Process
If there's an issue with your order, start by contacting the seller and providing them with documentation (photos and/or videos) of the issue. Most issues are resolved directly between buyers and sellers. If you don't hear back from the seller within 2 days, please contact Reverb Support and describe the situation. Reverb will likely require pictures of any damage and a repair estimate, so please procure those in advance. This requirement can be waived solely at Reverb's discretion. Communication must be made within 7 days of the shipment being delivered (or within 14 days of the anticipated delivery date in cases of non-delivery).
Reverb will review the sale and communicate with the seller in order to reach resolution in accordance with their shop policies and expectations.
If no resolution is reached, Reverb will recommend the next step the buyer should take depending on the method of payment used. If payment is made through Paypal, we will walk you through the Paypal dispute process and provide any materials needed to ensure the dispute reaches the correct end. If the sale is completed through the Reverb Payments system, Reverb may issue a refund directly to the buyer's credit card once it has been established that no other agreeable resolution has been reached with the seller.
Reverb will provide documentation to payment institutions in situations deemed appropriate. This is left to the sole discretion of the Reverb.com staff.
Alex, I am very impressed with the way you guys have handled this, and your knowledge and professionalism have been top notch. I look forward to doing business with you and Reverb in 2016 and beyond.
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Who is selling on Reverb?
Reverb Sellers include some of the coolest independent gear shops in the world, many manufacturers who sell direct,
and individuals who love gear as much as you do. Here are just a few of our favorite Reverb shops:
Alto Music » | Cream City » | Chicago Music Exchange » | Electric Mojo »
Reverb Protection for Sellers
For those offering Reverb Payments, Reverb processes all payments and therefore assumes all of the fraud risk. For items paid for through PayPal, sellers are protected by PayPal's Seller Protection and Reverb customer service staff will aid in providing details during PayPal's resolution process.
Unlike some other marketplaces, Reverb is fully aware of the realities that come with selling instruments and gear online. As preventative steps, we recommend outlining your exact shipping and payment policies by editing your shop page here. We also strongly encourage thorough and upfront listings, with photos and details outlining the exact condition of your gear.
Our Process
In the event of the dispute, the seller should contact Reverb support as soon as possible.
Reverb will make contact with the buyer and relay any relevant information back to the seller.
In the event of a dispute, your account will remain in good standing so long as effort is made to reach a reasonable resolution to the situation. Sellers who are not responsive to our resolution efforts are subject to account suspension.
As with sellers, Reverb will provide documentation of our recommendations to payment institutions in situations deemed appropriate. This is left to the sole discretion of the Reverb.com staff.


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Shockingly, a different form of indentured servitude has arisen in America under the auspices of the H-1B non-immigrant visa program, which allows American employers to bring highly-skilled foreign workers to the U.S. to fill jobs for which there are a shortage of available American workers. The sponsor of H-1B workers responsible for this form of indentured servitude are staffing companies that utilize the H-1B program to bring foreign workers to the U.S. on speculation that they will be able to outsource them to employers in need of their services. To sponsor an H-1B worker, the employer must represent under penalties of perjury to the U.S. Department of Labor and USCIS that it has an immediate full-time opening for the sponsored worker at a particular work site that will pay the worker the prevailing wage rate earned by American workers with similar skills and education for a minimum period of non-permanent employment. Sponsors are required to place their H-1B workers in paid positions as soon as they make themselves available to work and are not allowed to bench the workers without pay. If the employer no longer can offer the employee the promised position, it must release the employee to work for another H-1B employer or pay the return travel costs of the non-immigrant worker to his or native country. The H-1B program fills an important role in helping American employer's ensure that it has the skilled workers it needs to operate their businesses in this country; however, like all good things, it has been subject to abuse.
In recent years, staffing companies have been increasingly stepping into the shoes of the employer and sponsoring H-1B workers on behalf of businesses who require their services. The filing and legal fees to sponsor an H-1B worker can run into the thousands of dollars. Staffing companies are subject to the same regulations as any other employer, but what we're seeing is that many staffing companies have flagrantly ignored the rules and, in the process, severely disadvantaged and harmed the H-1B workers who participate in the program. To obtain sponsorship, staffing companies sometimes make the employees sign contracts and promissory notes agreeing that in consideration for obtaining an H-1B visa for the foreign worker, the employee must agree to work for the employer for a minimum period of years or pay predetermined liquidated damages of $15,000 to $20,000 to the staffing company to be released from their contract. Federal law bars H-1B employers from imposing fines on their workers if they leave their employment before a specified period of time; however, it allows employers by contract to recoup out-of-pocket expenses it incurs under state contract law so long as the employee is not required to pay the fees and costs associated with the issuance of their H-1B visa.
What foreign workers are increasingly finding when they arrive in American on their H-1B visa is that the job promised to them when they entered into the contract with the staffing company which sponsored them does not exist. While they are typically furnished housing, they are idled without pay, sometimes for months at a time, while they await a job opening the staffing company finds for them. Once the staffing company finds work, they sometimes are assigned to jobs that pay less than the promised full-time job earning the prevailing wage rate for short durations. The staffing company expects them to continuously relocate to new job openings during the duration of their employment, often accompanied by interrupted periods without pay. If the worker quits his employment before the contract terminates, the employer threatens to sue him or her for the liquidated damages provided under their contract and to cancel their H-1B visa that allows them to remain legally in the U.S.
WRTV Call 6 investigative reporter Kara Kenney helps shed light on a staffing company here in Indianapolis that has been accused by its former H-1B employees and their attorneys of exploiting them in a story titled, "Lawsuit: Indianapolis staffing company abused foreign workers, violated federal labor laws." I have personally represented several former employees of the company who are among dozens of former employees who have been sued in the local courts in Indianapolis for breaching their contracts with the employer, and I was interviewed by Kenney for her story that aired tonight. One former employee of the company has filed a lawsuit alleging fraud and RICO violations against its H-1B employees, which seeks class action certification. In 2010, a U.S. Department of Labor investigator determined that the company had violated numerous H-1B rules, including failure to pay the prevailing wage rate and benching workers without pay, against dozens of former employees. The Department ordered the company to pay back wages of more than $1 million and assessed a fine of more than $200,000 for the violations. Here's an excerpt from Kenney's report:
Indianapolis staffing company Access Therapies is facing a federal lawsuit accusing them of abusing legal foreign workers and violating federal labor laws.
The lawsuit, filed by former Access Therapies worker Rituraj Singh Panwar, also lists manager Ramon Villegas and affiliates RN Staff Inc., Rehability Care as defendants.
According to its website, Access Therapies provides health care staffing to hospitals, schools and other facilities using H-1B visa sponsorships to hire workers from India, the Philippines and other foreign countries.
American companies are supposed to use those visas to bring in skilled foreign labor when they can't find Americans to do the work.
According to the federal lawsuit, Access Therapies does not pay its employees prevailing wages as required by law.
Panwar's attorneys allege Access Therapies engaged in a "fraudulent enterprise" and violated federal anti-trafficking and forced labor laws as well as Indiana's state wage laws.
"It's an abuse of the employee as well as an abuse of the entire system," said Vonda Vandaveer, one of the attorneys for Panwar.
Attorneys for Panwar are seeking a class action lawsuit, and say about 100 workers could be impacted.
Panwar's attorneys claim Access Therapies frequently does not have work for its employees despite the visas, which they say is hurting the American economy.
"We don't want people to come over here to the country and sit and be idle and not be working jobs and be controlled by an employer located in the United States and for that employer to profit on that scenario," said Michael Brown, one of Panwar's attorneys, who represents visa workers. "Mr. Panwar alleges specifically in his complaint he was not paid during his wait time when he was available to work and willing to work in the U.S."
Vandaveer explained the H-1B visas are most often used by the IT and health care industries.
"There's a limit on the number of visas issued each year," said Vandaveer. "So this employer who said they have a job for this employee, in fact, does not have a job available and has used up one of the precious visas for a position that didn't exist."
Indianapolis attorney Gary Welsh represents several foreign workers who are being sued by Access Therapies for breach of contract.
"It's very troubling," said Welsh. "It's been an emotional and financial burden on them."
The Call 6 Investigators examined court records and found dozens of pending cases in Marion County in which Access Therapies is listed as the plaintiff.
"The exploitation of these foreign workers amounts to a modern day version of indentured servitude," said Welsh.
The Call 6 Investigators stopped by Access Therapies office on West 71st Street.
Manager Ramon Villegas, who is named in the federal lawsuit, told RTV6 the allegations are not true and deferred to the company's attorney.
Attorney Bryce Bennett Jr., confirmed via email his clients would not be responding to RTV6 for comment.
A 2010 letter from the U.S. Department of Labor to Access Therapies said the company failed to pay wages as required and cooperate with their investigation.
"Your firm owes back wages in the amount of $1,012,306.08 to fifty-three H-1B nonimmigrants," read the letter. "Your firm is liable for any ongoing violations."
When the Call 6 Investigators asked about the status of the case, a Department of Labor spokesperson said the agency would not comment on ongoing investigations.


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3-D Printing Initiative in U.S. School Attracts International Visitors
Initiative emphasizes science, engineering
With a Japanese television news crew keeping close watch on a recent school day, Buford Middle School science students crafted their own sound speakers from plastic and paper. They did it using three-dimensional printers and computer-design software to produce plastic supports, paper cones, and other pieces.
"I think it's interesting that they're including 3-D computerization and printing into the education program at this level and what it means for the future of job training in the U.S.," said Takashi Yanagisawa, a correspondent with Japan's Nippon Television. "This is what President Obama talked of in his State of the Union address, about bringing technology into schools for job training."
Mr. Yanagisawa and his colleagues are producing a segment for Japanese TV that will feature the class at the Virginia school as an example of efforts in the United States to bring more technology into schools.
"We're in on the ground floor of bringing manufacturing and technology into the classrooms," said James M. Henderson, the assistant superintendent for administration services for the 3,900-student Charlottesville city school system. "We're participating with Piedmont Virginia Community College and the University of Virginia, and we hope to make this a 7th-through-12th-grade program. This is the start."
The start is the result of a $300,000 state grant to create a "laboratory school for advanced manufacturing technologies."
The school is a collaboration between the University of Virginia and its home city to teach science and engineering in public schools and prepare students for high-tech jobs. It also provides future teachers experience combining engineering concepts and traditional science education.
University officials hope the concept is eventually picked up by schools across the country.
Costs Drop
Eventually, advanced manufacturing-technology programs will be added at Jack Jouett Middle School in neighboring Albemarle County and in Charlottesville and Albemarle County high schools. The sites each will be linked to one another and the University of Virginia via videoconferencing.
Next school year, the lab school plans to offer courses to 500 or so 8th graders at the two middle schools. Each school year, a new grade level is scheduled to be added. High school students eventually would get the chance to study advanced manufacturing through double-enrollment with Piedmont Virginia Community College.
The price of 3-D printers has dropped sharply over the past two years, with machines that once cost $20,000 now at $1,000 or cheaper, educators said. Although they don't expect printers to replace current factories, the engineering and technology behind the software and the devices will change how goods are made in the near future.
School officials say the classes will give students a boost in technological and manufacturing training and, therefore, a leg up in the job market upon graduation.
"We are committed to educating our young people and making sure their education is not just enough to pass tests but equip them with skills that will help them after graduation in the job market and help them contribute to the economy," said Rosa S. Atkins, the Charlottesville superintendent.
Students also get hands-on science and mathematic instruction. Rather than learning math and science as abstract concepts, students can learn about them in action.
"Having a 3-D printer doesn't do you much good if you don't have the knowledge and ability to design the programs or the product and make it work for you," said Glen Bull, a professor of instructional technology and co-director of the Center for Technology and Teacher Education at the University of Virginia.
Student-Created Products
At one table on a recent school day, 8th graders Ben Sties, Ben Ralston, and Nick Givens used University of Virginia-created software to design and print in plastic the support structure for a paper cone "woofer," a speaker that enhances the bass sound in a stereo system.
"We did this first semester, and the first time we did it, we didn't have all of the equipment," Mr. Sties said. "We got to do some of it and we understood it, but it didn't work nearly as well."
The first-semester speaker didn't woof, they said. Neither did it tweet. It simply vibrated.
"Making it with the 3-D printer makes a big difference. Now we can make a speaker that really makes sound," said Mr. Givens.
The 3-D-printing equipment, software, and program guidelines come from the minds of University of Virginia professors in the school of education and the school of engineering and applied science. The goal, Mr. Bull said, is to develop coursework that can be replicated in schools nationwide.
"You have a group of professors and students in the rapid-prototyping lab [at the university] who are working on the curriculum and methodology with the idea of finding out how it can be taught and work well in most classroom environments," Mr. Bull said.
And the concept might scale up beyond the United States.
"It's something we probably should consider in our country as well," said Mr. Yanagisawa, the Japanese correspondent.
Vol. 32, Issue 27, Pages 8-9Published in Print: April 3, 2013, as 3-D Printing Classes In a Virginia School Attract Global Visitors
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Members with Undisclosed Earmarks Will Still Get Their Goodies
The Hill reports that Members of Congress who failed to disclose their earmark requests as required by new rules in the House will still get their goodies.
Members who failed to disclose their earmarks as required by the April 4 deadline should have them rejected out of hand. But Congress makes the rules, and Congress can break the rules.
WashingtonWatch.com compiled a state‐by‐state list of links to earmark requests recently. Because Members of Congress published their requests in different formats, information about all the earmarks that have been requested is still rather obscure.


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