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Beat the Streak Report: Thursday, July 7
Yesterday's top four selections each hit paydirt, advancing a combined 28 percent of pickers in the process. Among those making the leap were current leaders jero07 (34 games) and Usfmatt (33), both of whom have established themselves among the season's top five Streakers.
Is it too early to talk about one of them taking home the $5.6 million grand prize? Maybe. Is it too early for us to preemptively RSVP "attending" to Jero's potential victory party on behalf of the entire BTS staff? Didn't think so.
You just provide first class airfare and five-star hotel accommodations, and we'll be there. Oh, and one of those fresh fruit baskets in the hotel room wouldn't hurt, either. You just (hypothetically) won $5 million — spring for the one with more mango and less cantaloupe. Much appreciated.
Thursday's picks:
(Make a BTS pick)
Oh, hello there …
Todd Helton: .778 (7-for-9) since '06 vs. Braves starter Tim Hudson
Paul Konerko: .423 (11-for-26) since '06 vs. Twins starter Carl Pavano
Joey Votto: .556 (5-for-9) since '06 vs. Brewers starter Chris Narveson
Derek Jeter: .556 (5-for-9) since '06 vs. Rays starter Jeff Niemann
Rickie Weeks: .533 (8-for-15) since '06 vs. Reds starter Homer Bailey
Aramis Ramirez: .429 (6-for-14) since '06 vs. Nationals starter Livan Hernandez
Troy Tulowitzki: .444 (4-for-9) since '06 vs. Braves starter Tim Hudson
Feeling kinda spicy?
Scott Hairston: .438 (7-for-16) since '06 vs. Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw
You'll thank me later …
Corey Hart: .176 (3-for-17) since '06 vs. Reds starter Homer Bailey
Curtis Granderson: .100 (1-for-10) since '06 vs. Rays starter Jeff Niemann
Bobby Abreu: .154 (2-for-13) since '06 vs. Mariner starter Doug Fister
Top MLB streakers
Ryan Braun: 22 games
Pablo Sandoval: 17 games
Howard Kendrick: 15 games
Carlos Beltran: 11 games
Hunter Pence: 11 games
Home Run Beat the Streak pick:
Miguel Cabrera: (17 home runs this season) vs. Royals starter Danny Duffy
10 Comments
Let's see how many pick Helton who is sitting today.
He was one of my options too. But he's not who I settled on.
In that case, let's see Helton PH then
He just PH, and walked. Don't think that he'll stay in the game but you never know.
Just got home. PH & BB? Probably 1st base open I'd bet (too lazy to pull up the box score). No matter, could've been punishment for those that picked the early game, could've seen the line up in advance. Sometimes this game is too forgiving, but most times not.
Lav, he drew a walk. He wasn't intentionally walked and than he was pinch run for.
Just to clarify, it wasn't "intentional" but it might as well have been. After first pitch called strike, O'Flaherty missed with a fastball, then threw one away and Ellis scored. So at 2-1 with first open they didnt take any chances by giving him something to hit.
LaV's List
Thursday's Top Picks of the current Top2500,
138 Batters picked overall
Batter, Times Picked, Percentage
Paul Konerko 290 11.72
Miguel Cabrera 247 9.98 (2ND)(4TH)
Adrian Gonzalez 231 9.33 (1RST)
Todd Helton 226 9.13 PH?
Robinson Cano 118 4.77
Jose Bautista 115 4.65(4TH)
Joey Votto 106 4.28
Jay Bruce 86 3.47
Derek Jeter 84 3.39
Aramis Ramirez 64 2.59
Jose Reyes 57 2.30 PROB HEADING TO DL
No Selection 51 2.06
Brandon Philips 48 1.94 (3RD)
Jerry Hairston 25 1.01 (4TH)DL
Highest "No Selection" 😛 pg# 9 with streak of 16 back to zero.
Yesterday's Top2500 Reset rate was 19.56% with NO SELECTION reseting the most.
There was also 13.36% PPD due to players not playing,10.2% —> 255 picks of these were intentional DL or inj picks.
These streakers do not reset, but did not increase either.
Got Pinched OR 1/2 AB Wonders
TOP2500 saved or reset by PHA (going to include any pinch hitters and/or double switch, 2 AB or Less)
J Mauer MIN, RESET 23, HIGHEST WAS 17 GAMER
J Jay STL, SAVED 17, HIGHEST WAS 18 GAMER(I know he had more than 2AB but him hitting the HR to send the game to extras warrants him being included here)
D Freese STL, RESET 6, WERE 12,12,12,11,10,10 GAMERS
M Joyce TB, RESET 2, WERE 15,9 GAMERS
J Gomes CIN, RESET 1 WAS 10 GAMER
R Hernadez CIN, SAVED 1 WAS 9 GAMER
Bloggers Group Top2500
UserName, Streak, Page#, Rank, Pick, (Times picked in top2500)
PeterYanidis, 11, pg 47, 1051, JAUN PIERRE (PICKED 3X)
levinmariz73, 11, pg 56, 1051, JACOBY ELLSBURY (PICKED 51X)
Bloggers Reset Yesterday
GL to all
WOOO. A-Gon rips a single to center to move me to 4.
GO Rangers GO. ( I have a feeling most of us in SFTC have them.)
Infield single for Juan Pierre moves me to 1!


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Stranglehold is a game that has been talked about in countless previews, seen in a ton of videos, and was a big draw at last year's E3 when it was shown in its own mini-theater. We weren't excited about the game, however, until we were able to sit down and actually play it at E3 2007; this is a game that grabs you very quickly once you're able to feel just how well the controls work.
We were lucky enough to talk to Jason Kaehler, the art director for the game, about game length, John Woo, and (surprisingly) Psi-Ops.
For our artists at home, can you give us a brief history of how you got into gaming, how you landed at Midway, and what games you've worked on?
I went to college at CalArts where I graduated in 1992 with a BFA in Computer Animation. The school was started by Walt Disney and gave me a solid foundation in traditional animation. I got into games in 1995 with a fairly successful PC game called Cyberia. Next I worked in R&D for Disney Imagineering and later on I helped them develop the DisneyQuest project. After Disney, I ran a small studio called Osiris Studios from 1997-2000 where we worked on Jet Moto 3 and did HBO Boxing for the Playstation 1. I came to Midway in 2003 to help with Psi-Ops, and more recently, of course, Stranglehold.
You said you worked on Psi-Ops, a game I absolutely adored. Is there any hope of ever getting a sequel? That game had some of the coolest combat mechanics and special powers I've ever seen.
Thanks! In some ways, Stranglehold is the really the next iteration of Psi-Ops. We're the same team under Brian Eddy's direction and have brought a lot of the 'sandbox' gameplay directly into Stranglehold.
Stranglehold is of course the "sequel" to Hard Boiled. Was it limiting to work on a title that already had such a strong sense of style, or was it nice to have that kind of template in place to work with?
I came to this project as a long-time Woo fan. He has been one of my favorite directors since I first saw Hard Boiled shortly after its release in 1992. The opportunity to work with him to create a game based on his style was really a dream project for me. It's interesting; counter to popular belief, most artists thrive with some boundaries. One of the scariest things is a blank page. When a project has some form and structure it can be very inspirational for creative minds. You have a jumping off point. In this case it was great to have strong source material and continue the story of Inspector Tequila but take it in a new direction. We didn't need to 'match' a movie exactly, we were able to build a world that has continuity but takes the player somewhere fresh. Working with John and Chow Yun Fat was fantastic, they are both consummate professionals that bring years of expertise to the table.
How involved was John Woo with the art design of the game? Did he ever look at something and say, "This is not part of my vision for Stranglehold"? Were you ever able to bring him something that took the game, or even a level, in a new direction?
We began by studying the source-material very closely. We watched every Woo film (especially Hard Boiled and Killers) in minute detail, slow motion, freeze-frame, screengrabs, you name it. I then worked closely with our Creative Visual Director Stephan Martiniere (I Robot, Star Wars 2 & 3) to really define the overall look of the game through concept paintings during pre-production. We both came to the project with a strong sense of the kind of visual direction we wanted for Stranglehold.
There were definitely places we tried things John was not comfortable with. Some of our early character designs incorporated traditional Chinese outfits and were based on more historical elements of their culture. John steered us away from them, favoring instead more classic Western costumes on the asian badguys.
One of our biggest challenges was to keep things fresh. Since this is a 'real world' game, we couldn't rely on lots of aliens or high-tech stuff to provide visual interest. We had to make a guy in a suit look cool, interesting and distinct from the other 50 guys in suits.
How many discrete environments can we expect from the final game? Can you give us a rundown on some of the places we'll go, and the rooms we'll shoot up?
There are seven huge levels. We begin the game in Hong Kong facing an upstart street-thug type triad called the Golden Kane. From there the plot takes us to Chicago where you have to deal with Russian Mafia. For the third act, you return to rural Hong Kong suburbs/countryside where you need to face the ruling triad: Dragon Claw. One of our goals with the project was to give you an east-meets-west contrast of cultures and places that's a common theme in John's films.
We chose locations in this game based in two primary criteria: someplace you haven't seen in a game before and someplace there's tons of cool stuff to destroy. One great example is the Museum level set in Chicago. What better place for a gunfight than surrounded by priceless, irreplaceable objets d'art and artifacts of antiquity? What's cooler than a 5 million year old T-rex besides turning it to dust with dual uzis ? It's a "bull in the china shop" concept taken to the extreme.
Every level was put through these two filters. Another example is the Tai-O level; a Chinese fishing village that's been infiltrated and overrun by triads to become a drug manufacturing camp. Since it's largely a rural environment, the buildings are all low-rent and barely standing. It's an awesome place to let loose with a hell-storm of bullets and explosives because these shacks will disintegrate completely. When you're through dealing justice, some of these levels look NOTHING like they did when you started!
One of the things gamers have started to realize is the more intricately detailed a game is, the shorter it will tend to be. Can you give us some idea of how long the playing time will be for Stranglehold?
From our beta-testing, we anticipate around 12 hours of gameplay; each level is enormous. We are also seeing that due to the sandbox nature of our game design, there are numerous ways to play each level. We have full multiplayer support for 360, PS3, and PC so that means you can continue to play the game again and again in Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch with completely different experiences each time. It's just awesome to swing from a chandelier, in slow motion, blasting your buddies down below as they run up banisters or hide behind stuff that's shattering...
Stranglehold was one of the more impressive games we played at this year's E3. What are your thoughts on the new format of the show? Do you feel having the expanded face time with journalists worked out better for a game like Stranglehold, which is something that really clicks once you've played it?
Honestly, from a developer perspective, I thought this year's format worked much better because it's more about the games. By stripping away the pomp-and-circumstance, I could spend some quality time with each journalist, show them the game, then hand over the controls. We know this game looks good, but plays fantastic! It's always the best part of our 'demo' when I get to hand over the controls and watch people "get it" very quickly. The controls and the moment-to-moment feel of the game are something we have worked very hard on. Even as someone who has dedicated his life to the art-side, I'm the first to say gameplay is king!
So now that Stranglehold is nearing release, what's next for Jason Kaehler?
Besides sleep for 3 weeks? This game has been fantastic to work on, and the Midway team is one of the best in the industry. Now that we have a solid pipeline and some great tools/features like Massive D, I'm really looking forward to making more great games!
We'd like to thank Jason for his time. Stranglehold launches on the 360, PC, and PlayStation 3 on August 20.

subset: commoncrawl


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On Wednesday, the Paycheck Fairness Act was voted down. What exactly does this mean for the future of women's wages? American women continue to earn less than men, and the Paycheck Fairness Act would have addressed the loopholes employers have used to keep women from earning less.
Hillary Clinton, then a senator representing New York, introduced the 2009 Pay Check Fairness Act to strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963. In our April blog post, April 20 Is Equal Pay Day, we discussed the importance of a bill like this becoming law.
Fifty-eight voters approved the bill and 41 were against it. It would have taken just two additional senators' votes to pass the bill. But despite the bill's failure by such a small margin, the fight for equal pay is far from over. The bill can be reinstated, but will have to go through both chambers of the new Congress next year.
On Wednesday, President Obama expressed his disappointment with Congress's failure to pass the act, and said, "My administration will continue to fight for a woman's right to equal pay for equal work."
News like this is a great incentive to get more involved in finding out what your state elected officials are supporting when it comes to women's rights and equal pay. Spread the word! The American Association of University Women suggests adding a pay equity web sticker to your website or blog to promote equal pay action. If you're looking for more ways on how to get involved, you can download a Pay Equity Resource kit at aauw.org. And write to your senators! Your voice can inspire those around you to become supporters for change in the fight for equal pay rights.
For more information on pay equity, visit aauw.org and opencongress.org.


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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Members of the Interfaith Coalition for Action, Reconciliation and Empowerment (ICARE), along with some of Jacksonville's prominent public officials joined to take action against youth crime, literacy, homelessness and jobs in Duval County.
"When we get 3,000 people to tell the Mayor and other officials the things that the citizens want for this community, we think it will have a definite impact," said ICARE board member, James Proctor.
Proctor was joined by Mayor Alvin Brown, Sheriff John Rutherford, Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti, School Board members and members of the Jacksonville City Council Monday night.
"As mayor, I made focusing on jobs a top priority and we're going to be working with all the stakeholders and not-for-profits and the faith-based community to help us do that," said Brown
More than 3,000 people packed the Potter's House on Normandy Boulevard Monday night. ICARE board members told the crowd that too many children in Duval County are entering the "school to prison pipeline." The group challenged Sheriff John Rutherford to change the way we treat first-time non-violent offenders.
"Will you make it mandatory for your officers to issue civil citations to all qualified first-time misdemeanors that you signed last year?" the board members asked Sheriff Rutherford Monday night.
"Yes," Rutherford responded.
"Will you ensure that all these schools has the resources, staff and training programs to implement restorative justice?" the board members asked Dr. Vitti.
"Yes," Vitti responded.
Mayor Alvin Brown said he was encouraged by Monday night's turnout and by the depth of the questions that were asked. The Mayor told Channel 4 he remains positive and committed to moving Jacksonville in a better direction.


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Vladimir Putin's inauguration as Russia's president, slated for May 7, raises questions about whether the "new" Putin will be different from the Putin who served two terms as president from 2000-2008, says CFR Russia expert Stephen Sestanovich. "The question Russians are preoccupied with right now is not mind-reading of Putin, but watching for the political moves that he makes in the early going," for example on cabinet choices, says Sestanovich, who predicts "more competitive politics" in Russia. He also says that Putin's support is now mainly from the lower-paid classes, the workers and farm workers, with the opposition mainly from the middle class. On U.S.-Russia relations, Sestanovich says the indications are "mixed," with disagreements on missile defense but signals of softening on Russia's position toward Syria, for example.
Putin had to step aside after his second term because of the two-term limit. For the next four years, he served as prime minister while Dmitri Medvedev, his hand-picked successor, was president. Now he's become president again after a somewhat controversial election in March. Will this new Putin be like the old one, or different?
More on:
Every Putin term has been different. We've had three Putin terms so far: the first two where he was the president, then the third where he was the prime minister. Now he's back for his fourth as president again. The question Russians are preoccupied with right now is not mind-reading of Putin, but watching for the political moves that he makes in the early going. There is a huge fight going on now, for example, about who gets in the cabinet. Is it going to be a cabinet of liberals or conservatives? The general view in Moscow is that there's a kind of competition between the Western-leaning, liberal technocrats and the staid old KGB-types.
That will await Medvedev becoming prime minister, and picking the cabinet at Putin's direction, right?
Yes. Medvedev will be nominated by Putin, barring some great surprise, and then he will be confirmed by the Duma [parliament].
Is there controversy over, say, foreign minister Sergei Lavrov as foreign minister?
There's less speculation about the foreign policy and national security jobs and more about economic policy. One of the prominent issues is privatization. When Medvedev was president, he attacked the state's role in the economy. There is now a whole raft of privatizations on tap, meaning the selling of state shares in some of the biggest state corporations. The conservative counterattack has been that this is not a good time to sell those shares, that the state needs to retain control; there will be a loss in selling them at depressed prices.
More on:
Isn't Russia's economy doing very well right now?
The economy grew before the crisis of 2008 at about 7 percent a year. The forecast for this year is 3 percent plus, and the hope is to get it back to 4 percent plus. That's the range of growth possibilities people foresee. There's a big argument going on between the finance ministry and the economics ministry about what kind of deficit is acceptable. The economic ministry is proposing more spending on health, on education, and science, in an effort to improve human capital and encourage innovation and address long-neglected infrastructure needs. The changes being proposed in each area are not so great, but altogether it's a shift over the rest of this decade of about 10 percent of GDP, and that's really huge. As for the finance ministry, they continue to advocate the tight budgeting that has basically served Russia well in the past decade. Liberals are divided on these issues. In some respects, it's a debate among two liberal camps, but it's very consequential for Russia's economic future.
Medvedev visited Silicon Valley last year and made a point about wanting to start a similar kind of high-tech industry outside of Moscow. Is that going ahead?
Yes. It's called Skolkovo. It's a Moscow suburb, and the effort is to try to encourage technological innovation, to incubate new ideas. Right now it's sort of a glorified business school, but there is a big effort to draw in Western investors. A number of Western companies have shown interest. Many critics, Russian and foreign, have said that it shows a basic misunderstanding of how innovation works. They say you can't create Silicon Valley by government decree.
A big story out of Russia recently was the demonstrations in December over alleged irregularities in that month's parliamentary elections, and there was a lot of talk about political reform. Do you think there'll be a loosening up politically in Russia?
This is another issue hotly debated among Russians. There's a lot of attention being paid to the details of the new law on elections for governors. Governors have, since 2004, been appointed by the president. In response to the protests in December, Medvedev introduced a bill in the Duma providing for direct elections again. But the question is: with what kinds of residual controls from the center and from the political authorities that would make it difficult for real challengers to get elected as governor?
But even aside from gubernatorial elections, there will be a whole raft of regional, legislative, and municipal elections, where opposition figures are likely to be pretty successful over the next year or two.
There are many unpopular governors; at least eight of them have resigned since the parliamentary elections in places where United Russia didn't do very well. The political establishment is trying to improve its competitive position, and they're very attentive to the ground rules that will govern elections. But even aside from gubernatorial elections, there will be a whole raft of regional, legislative, and municipal elections, where opposition figures are likely to be pretty successful over the next year or two, so there's a real chance that in Russia over the coming period, you'll have more competitive politics.
On May Day [May 1], some 150,000 trade unionists marched through Red Square. What was the impetus for this?
They are being recognized as Putin's new base. Putin made his comeback, such as it was, in the presidential election by showing that he had a strong base in rural areas, among the working class, and this march was a kind of recognition of what trade unions had done for him in organizing the big pro-Putin rallies that we read about. Putin found that he could appeal to these constituencies with a kind of anti-Western rhetoric, with an appeal to the strength of the state, and on May Day he was saying "thank you."
It was an interesting scene, though. He and Medvedev walked with all these trade union leaders down Tverskaya Boulevard in Moscow to Red Square. This is often referred to as Moscow's Fifth Avenue. It's the site of all of these extremely high-end, expensive shops that none of the trade union folks can really afford to shop in, except the leadership, and yet Putin has managed to solidify his support among people who have done the least well during his tenure. His support is shakiest among people who've done best during his tenure.
It's true that the big protest rallies in the winter were seemingly led by Moscow intellectuals.
The protests were regarded as a middle-class outpouring of opposition to Putin. The polls showed that 8 percent of those attending the biggest demonstration considered themselves working class.
Putin made his comeback, such as it was, in the presidential election by showing that he had a strong base in rural areas, among the working class, and this march was a kind of recognition of what trade unions had done for him in organizing the big pro-Putin rallies that we read about.
There was an interesting poll last week that showed that only 16 percent of Russians expect Putin to pay attention to middle-class interests in his next term.
What about relations with the United States? Putin's been hot and cold with Washington.
Putin has definitely used the United States as a whipping boy in his political rhetoric over the past several months. He's not turning to that rhetoric for the first time; it was a favorite theme of his in the 2007-2008 electoral cycle also. But the question now is: How much will he stick with anti-American policies as opposed to rhetoric?
The indications are mixed. In his recent speech to the Duma, he said some rather flattering things about NATO as a force for stability in central Asia. Recently, the Russian line on Syria has grown a little bit softer. He is eager for the United States to offer a "graduation" of Russia from the terms of the Jackson-Vanik amendment. He and his people have invited senior American officials to Moscow this week for a review of relations.
Just as every Putin term has been different, we can't be so sure of where things will end up with him. There are, in addition to these more positive overtones, the usual areas of disagreement. The Russians are still very opposed on the issue of missile defense. They are extremely critical of what they see as interference in their domestic political affairs, so it'll be a while before we see what the main theme of Putin's policy will be.
What is the status of Jackson-Vanik?
Russia is going to be joining the World Trade Organization as a full member in the next couple of months, but the United States, because of the Jackson-Vanik amendment, will not actually be able to tell the WTO that it has granted Russia Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR). So Congress has to vote for what's called "graduation," and the administration has said that getting graduation is its top trade priority now, and it's been collecting some support this week. Congressman Dave Camp, who's the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, expressed strong support for immediate graduation.


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Class action(redirected from Class-action lawsuit)
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Legal, Encyclopedia.
Class action
A legal complaint filed by a lawyer or group of lawyers for a group of petitioners with an identical grievance, often with an award proportionate to the number of shareholders involved.
Class Action Lawsuit
A lawsuit that occurs when multiple people, who claim to have been wronged by the defendant in the same or a similar way, seek restitution, even if the alleged wrongs occurred at different times. For example, multiple shareholders may file a class action suit against a company if they suffered losses from similar fraudulent actions. Proponents of class actions lawsuits contend that they allow "the little guy," however defined, to seek justice. Opponents argue that they enrich attorneys and do not necessarily help the actual plaintiffs. See also: Tort reform, Class Action Fairness Act of 2005.


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Mini-black hole is smallest ever but still strong
Tue Apr 1, 2008
NASA scientists have identified the smallest black hole ever found -- less than four times the mass of our sun and about the size of a large city.
But the mini-black hole, dubbed J1650, could still stretch a person into a "strand of spaghetti" with its pull, the researchers told a meeting in Los Angeles.
"This black hole is really pushing the limits. For many years astronomers have wanted to know the smallest possible size of a black hole, and this little guy is a big step toward answering that question," Nikolai Shaposhnikov of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, said in a statement.
It would likely be stronger than bigger black holes found at the centers of galaxies. Shaposhnikov said if someone ventured too close to J1650, its gravity would "stretch your body into a strand of spaghetti."
Like other black holes, it was formed by a star that ran out of fuel and shut down, collapsing due to its own gravity.
Shaposhnikov and his Goddard colleague Lev Titarchuk used NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer satellite and a new method to estimate the size of the black hole, found in a system in the southern constellation Ara, in our own Milky Way Galaxy.
It measures the oscillation of hot gas piling up near the black hole as it sucks in matter, they told a meeting in Los Angeles of the American Astronomical Society High-Energy Astrophysics Division.
The new black hole has a mass of 3.8 Suns and would be about 15 miles across, they estimate. "This makes the black hole one of the smallest objects ever discovered outside our solar system," Shaposhnikov said.
The smallest black hole previously identified was GRO 1655-40, with a mass of about 6.3 Suns.
"Amazingly, equations from Albert Einstein predict that a black hole with 3.8 times the mass of our Sun would be only 15 miles across -- the size of a city," NASA said in a statement.
A collapsing star that was much smaller than J1650 would likely form a neutron star and not a black hole, the researchers said.
(Reporting by Maggie Fox; Editing by Will Dunham and Bill Trott)
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Mini-black hole is smallest ever but still strong
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Street racers couldn't catch a time-travelling dog and his son at cinemas this weekend.
Though Disney's Need for Speed was expected to take the No 1 position at the box office, DreamWorks' Mr Peabody and Sherman took the lead, with the action film in third place.
The animated movie, about the adventures of a genius dog and the human son he adopted, earned $21.2 million (Dh77.9 million), according to studio estimates released on Sunday. Debuting last weekend at No 2, the 3-D kiddie-jaunt features voices from Modern Family stars Ty Burrell and Ariel Winter.
"Our midweek numbers were very strong, indicating good and positive word of mouth," said Chris Aronson, president of domestic distribution at Twentieth Century Fox. "If anything, this is exceeding [expectations]. It's a combination of likable characters and it's a nostalgia play for those who are familiar with the show."
Mr Peabody and Sherman first appeared in the 1950s and early 1960s on Peabody's Improbable History, a segment within the animated television series Rocky and His Friends and later The Bullwinkle Show.
"The family marketplace is giving every other genre a run for its money," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box-office tracker Rentrak. "But the St Patrick's Day effect could be at play here, where families had to exercise their options at the theatre rather than the pub. That may have paid off for 'Mr Peabody'."
Meanwhile, analysts predicted that Need for Speed, based on the popular EA Entertainment video game and starring Breaking Bad alum Aaron Paul, would come in at No 1 this weekend. But with $17.8 million, it arrived at No 3 in the US. But the movie raced to the top of the international box office, bringing in $45.6 million.
Warner Bros' warrior drama 300: Rise of an Empire, the 3D sequel to 2007's 300, dropped to second place, with $19.1 million, after debuting at No 1 last weekend. Though its opening haul of $45.1 million pales in comparison to the original, which debuted with $70.9 million, Rise of an Empire has earned more than $78 million since its debut.
Tyler Perry's The Single Moms Club, starring Nia Long and Amy Smart, opened with $8.3 million at No 5.
"This is one of Tyler Perry's lowest debuts ever, but he cranks out hits every year for almost decade," Dergarabedian said. "He's allowed a couple of missteps every once in a while."
Leading the year's early trend of films about religion, Fox's Son of God grossed $5.4 million in its third weekend. After opening at No 2 with $26.5 million, it dropped to No 5 in its second week, earning $10 million. Its performance may indicate that religious stories aren't holding up at box office. Plus Son of God, starring Diogo Morgado, lacks star power.
However, other upcoming films with a biblical thread feature leading men who are more likely to get viewers to US cinemas. Noah, out on March 28, stars Russell Crowe. And later this year, in the Ridley Scott-directed Exodus, we'll see Christian Bale as Moses.
Playing in only 66 US cinemas, Wes Anderson's Grand Budapest Hotel landed at No 8 with $3.6 million. When it opened last weekend, the stylish comedy showed on just four screens in New York and Los Angeles. Still, it impressed with $200,000.
Rounding out the top 10 is the Kristen Bell-starring cult-TV-show-turned-feature Veronica Mars. Its $2 million debut was impressive considering the film's funding came from a crowdsourcing campaign, the first high-profile project to do so.
Also opening this weekend was Jason Bateman's directorial debut Bad Words. Showing in only New York and Los Angeles, the comedy earned $120,000, one of the biggest per-cinema averages of the weekend, with $20,000 per movie house.
Sci-fi action movie Divergent, based on the Veronica Roth's young adult novel and starring Shailene Woodley, Theo James and Kate Winslet, stands to knock every other film a place or two down when it debuts next weekend.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at US and Canadian cinemas, according to Rentrak. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released on Tuesday.
1. Mr. Peabody & Sherman, $21.2 million ($15.3 million international).
2. 300: Rise of an Empire, $19.1 million ($41.3 million international).
3. Need for Speed, $17.8 million ($45.6 million international).
4. Non-Stop, $10.6 million ($12.5 million international).
5. The Single Moms Club, $8.3 million.
6. The Lego Movie, $7.7 million ($4.7 million international).
7. Son of God, $5.4 million.
8. The Grand Budapest Hotel, $3.6 million ($6.7 million international).
9. Frozen, $2.1 million ($10.4 million international).
10. Veronica Mars, $2 million.
Estimated weekend ticket sales Friday through Sunday at international cinemas (excluding the US and Canada) for films distributed overseas by Hollywood studios, according to Rentrak:
1. Need for Speed, $45.6 million.
2. 300: Rise of an Empire, $41.3 million.
3. Mr. Peabody & Sherman, $15.3 million.
4. Non-Stop, $12.5 million.
5. Frozen, $10.4 million.
6. The Monuments Men, $8.2 million.
7. The Grand Budapest Hotel, $6.7 million.
8. 12 Years a Slave, $5.9 million.
9. RoboCop, $5.5 million.
10. The Lego Movie, $4.7 million.


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Dog food reviews
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1 Star Dry Dog Food
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Black Gold 30/20 Super Blend
Date of last review
Mon January 29, 2007
Recommended By
Average Price
Average Rating
No recommendations
None indicated
None indicated
Metabolized Energy
435 kcal/cup
Chicken By-product meal, Corn Meal, Poultry Fat (Preserved with BHA, Citric Acid and Mixed Tocopherols-Source of Vitamin E). Dried Beet Pulp, Brewers Rice, Natural Poultry Flavoring, Fish Meal. Cheese Meal, Dried Whole Eggs, Potassium Chloride, Flaxseed Meal, Salt, Dried Whey, Brewers Dried Yeast. Liver Meal, L-lysine, Choline Chloride, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Oxide, Manganous Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Vitamin B 12 Supplement, Niacin, Biotin, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin 51), Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Menadione Sodium Bisulfate Complex (Vitamin K), Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Cobalt Carbonate and Folic Acid.
Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein, minimum 30.0%
Crude Fat, minimum 20.0%
Crude Fiber, maximum 3.5%
Moisture, maximum 12.0%
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Registered: October 2005
Posts: 3953
Review Date:
Mon January 29, 2007
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Inadequate meat content, by-products, fat of unidentifiable origin, carcinogenic chemical preservative, low quality grain and other controversial filler.
This food is based on by-products. Chicken by-product meal - a very low quality ingredient. This is defined as "consisting of the ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered chicken, such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs and intestines, exclusive of feathers, except in such amounts as might occur unavoidable in good processing practice".
The grain content is similarly low quality. Corn is a difficult to digest grain, which limits its nutritional value for dogs. We consider this to be a low quality ingredient. It is also commonly associated with allergy and skin problems.
Poultry fat is a further low quality ingredient rarely found in anything but very low quality foods. Poultry fat is an ingredient of unidentified origin for which it is impossible to determine source or quality. Unidentified ingredients are usually very low quality. AAFCO define this as obtained from the tissues of poultry in the commercial processes of rendering or extracting. It consists predominantly of glyceride esters of fatty acids and contains no additions of free fatty acids. If an antioxidant is used, the common name or names must be indicated, followed by the words "used as a preservative". In this instance, the preservative used is a chemical BHA that is widely believed to be carcinogenic.
Beet pulp is another low quality ingredient and filler. It is a by-product, being dried residue from sugar beets which has been cleaned and extracted in the process of manufacturing sugar. It is a controversial ingredient in dog food, claimed by some manufacturers to be a good source of fibre, and derided by others as an ingredient added to slow down the transition of rancid animal fats and causing stress to kidney and liver in the process. We note that beet pulp is an ingredient that commonly causes problems for dogs, including allergies and ear infections, and prefer not to see it used in dog food. There are less controversial products around if additional fibre is required. Brewers rice is a further by-product.
Fish meal, the 7th ingredient is a further meat ingredient in the food. It is too far down the ingredient list to make any substantive contribution to overall meat content. We find no sign on the manufacturer site of a guarantee that this ingredient is free of ethoxyquin (ethoxyquin is a chemical preservative commonly added to fish ingredients, and which is banned from use in human food due to the belief that it is carcinogenic).
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Form 1042-S(redirected from 1042S Form)
Form 1042-S
A form that one files with the IRS to report certain U.S. income of a foreign person that is subject to withholding. It is especially used for income derived from a nominee or a publicly-traded partnership. Many common types of income, notably income reported on W-2 or 1099 forms, is not reported on Form 1042-S.


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"The Voice's" final live performances opened with a somber tribute to those who passed during the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy.
On a candlelit stage, all of this season's contestants returned and joined Blake Shelton, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Christina Aguilera in holding name cards of those who were killed, along with their ages, while singing Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah."
Once their beautiful rendition of the classic hit was over, it was back to the competition to see who will be crowned the winner tomorrow night.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
Read our last "The Voice" recap!
First up for the finals was Team Cee Lo's Nicholas David with a fiery (literally) medley of Jerry Lee Lewis' "Great Balls of Fire" and Jimi Hendrix's "Fire."
David brought soul, rock, high kicks and sweat to the stage while playing on a flame-burning piano. But that wasn't all. There was a fire in the back of the stage and random balls of fire (how appropriate) that would shoot up from the sides. Safe to say that David's performance was hot.
"Your fire tonight burned this house down," his coach said, adding to the other judges' praise for having fun with his final performance.
"The Voice" recap: Jenni Rivera remembered
Classic rock singer Terry McDermott was next, performing his son's favorite song, "Broken Wings" by Mr. Mister.
His voice and light-saber of a microphone stand lit up the stage, but Levine noticed a shakiness in the beginning. No worries, though, Terry recovered well, and that was also noted.
"Every time you get on stage, something epic happens," Shelton told McDermott. "The people in the room know it, the people at home know it and you make these classic rock songs sound new again. And nobody can do that, nobody's been able to do that, except for you, Terry."
Watch Maroon 5's "Daylight" video
Closing out the night was pop rocker Cassadee Pope, who sang "Cry" by Faith Hill. Dressed in a gown with the most epic train of all time, Pope belted the country star's hit. "For every great moment you've had on this show--and you've had a lot of them--I've never heard you sing as great as you did tonight," Shelton said.
Obviously, it didn't take two hours to have these three perform their final song before tomorrow's elimination, so the show had plenty of filler. Each singer sang their greatest cover from the season once again, took on a duet and we got to witness each contestant spending time at their coach's home with their family. But something we didn't expect was Levine's surprise performance.
No, Adam didn't sing. Instead, he rocked out on the guitar during Shelton and McDermott's duet to "Dude Looks Like a Lady." Did we mention Adam was shirtless and wearing a long wig? Yeah, priceless.


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Thursday, July 1, 2010
Roof farm progress
Above, the watermelon's flowers, below, the cucumber.
Frank's suggestion of a horizontal trellis of sorts (it has to be very cheap, and must not blow away) will be applied this weekend, for the watermelon, which is running away. I don't see the vines or fruits (please-may-it-make-fruit) being very happy on the blistering tartop. And maybe for the alleged bush cucumbers, too.
If the cucumbers make fruit I will turn them into pickles. We had delicious pickles at Buttermilk Channel last night, which, aside from my cheese at the end of dinner, and a very good lady maitre d', were the best part of the meal. A very meh meal.
These are my grown-from-seed Mexican heirlooms, which came up on the terrace earlier in the year. They seem very happy. To my horror, I snapped the central stem off one while trying to poke it back into its cage. Loss, and shame.
I want more.
7 comments:
for 2 summers I grew sugar baby watermelons in a strip of dirt about 6" wide, up a chain link fence.ReplyDelete
I got melons! Trust me you'll get 'em too.
Looking good. Somebody is catching the urban rooftop fever. It is exciting to extend one's growing space and master new growing conditions. uh?ReplyDelete
I know it all too well :)
what about a heavy layer of straw or salt marsh hay to cushion the very vining veggies from the hot roof? could be cheaper and safer (no windblown projectiles) than the trellis.ReplyDelete
No. Absolutely not. We are not moving to a farm in the Midwest. ;-)ReplyDelete
How bout a farm in the MidBrooklyn?ReplyDelete
My guess is these vines can grow . If they do, you'll be chasing vines everywhere with trellising.
For everyone, cheap means something different, but here's my cheapest off the cuff idea:
4 16-inch-long 4 x 4 posts or 2x4 studs, any kind (you can probably get those from work, no?)
Anyway, then four younameits for horizontal support, attached in some newfangled way to the four corner posts. Could be 2x4s or 2x3s, or 3/4 inch metal, plastic, or whathaveyou pipe, or even rebar.
And here's the kicker that makes it not fly off the roof: Twine strung everywhichway to make a mesh support. Or you could use metal or plastic mesh fencing if you can find that for free (know anybody in Parks?).
If you use twine you may need additional central horizontal support, just add another whathaveyou.
Not exactly aesthetic, but...
- Paul WesterveltJuly 1, 2010 at 4:34 PM
I'm hoping that as the vines run across the roof, they'll shade it enough to protect themselves from the heat (I'm occasionally prone to wildly wishful thinking). Watering will be the challenge.ReplyDelete
Pam at "Digging" uses cattle panels for trellis material. It's a strong wire grid. Tractor Supply has it.ReplyDelete


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MILWAUKEE — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who has had his eye on a 2016 presidential run since his battles with labor unions made him a Republican star, is dealing with the fallout of two criminal investigations at home that could complicate his move to the national stage.
One is ongoing, and although the other is closed and found no wrongdoing by Walker, it has the potential to embarrass him.
That was evident Wednesday with the release of more than 25,000 pages of e-mails from a former staff member that were gathered as part of the concluded inquiry.
The investigation focused on Walker's time as Milwaukee county executive in the run-up to his 2010 election as governor and led to the convictions of six former aides and allies, including criminal convictions of two aides for performing political business on county time.
Prosecutors have said Walker was never a target, and he was not charged. Walker said Wednesday that the new disclosures revealed nothing beyond what authorities already had reviewed, and he predicted that Democrats would exaggerate their importance.
Search the documents
Walker investigation files
Newly released documents offer new clarity and prompt fresh questions about the extent to which the Wisconsin governor encouraged interaction between his 2010 campaign and his official aides.
The e-mails and other previously sealed court documents released Wednesday showed nearly daily coordination between Walker, his gubernatorial campaign and public employees in his county office.
Walker has characterized the activities as wayward behavior of low-level aides. But the e-mails show that he knew county officials were working closely with campaign officials.
Walker, for instance, directed his county staff members and campaign aides to hold a daily conference call to coordinate strategy, the documents show.
He routinely used a campaign e-mail account to communicate with county staff members, who also used private accounts, the documents show. Prosecutors have said the approach was used to shield political business from public scrutiny.
"Consider yourself now in the 'inner circle,' " one county employee wrote to another in March 2010 after instructing her to check a non-public e-mail account frequently during the day. Referring to the future governor by his initials and his chief of staff, the employee continued, "I use this private account quite a bit to communicate with SKW and [Thomas] Nardelli."
Walker told reporters Wednesday that he had not reviewed the documents but that he is "confident" that prosecutors had scrutinized them and decided they were not relevant.
"They chose to act on the ones that they've already made public," he said. "I don't know that there will be any great surprises beyond what they've already talked about."
Walker said Democrats hoping to find damaging material are "going to be disappointed."
"They're going to do what they've done in the past, which is over-hype things," he said.
Even if Walker emerges from the e-mail release unscathed, he faces an additional inquiry from state prosecutors, who are believed to be looking into whether his successful campaign in a 2012 recall election illegally coordinated with independent conservative groups that poured millions of dollars into Wisconsin.
That inquiry could create political challenges if it hobbles key campaign aides as Walker gears up for an expected vigorous reelection challenge in November.
Combined with the possibility of additional disclosures from the first investigation, the new inquiry threatens to hurt the governor as he attempts to gain momentum as a possible White House contender amid the scandal that has dimmed the 2016 prospects of a fellow star GOP governor, New Jersey's Chris Christie.
Democrats sought Wednesday to use the e-mails as a chance to draw comparisons between Walker and Christie, who has said he was unaware of a plot by aides to create a massive traffic jam as a possible political retribution against a Democratic mayor. Christie's troubles began with the release of internal e-mails.
"Scott Walker was absolutely aware that his staff was participating in illegal activity on the public's dime," said Mike Tate, Wisconsin's Democratic Party chairman.
The Wisconsin investigations have been mysterious because of the state's unusually strict secrecy laws, which have resulted in gag orders even for witnesses and targets. The rules have hampered Walker's ability to respond and have left critics and allies alike uncertain about the extent to which the inquiries could damage him.
Some of the governor's allies have criticized the investigations as politically biased, and one group, the Wisconsin Club for Growth, filed a federal lawsuit last week calling the probe into possible illegal coordination a violation of free-speech rights.
The e-mails released Wednesday come from the files of Kelly Rindfleisch, a former Walker deputy chief of staff who in 2012 pleaded guilty to a felony for performing political work for a Walker-backed candidate for lieutenant governor during hours she was being paid by taxpayers to do county business. The e-mails were unsealed as part of her appeal.
Some of the documents offered a rare glimpse into the inner workings of a politician's office that was predictably hypersensitive to public perception.
In April 2010, Walker's chief of staff informed him that officials with the Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division were concerned because a Google search had revealed that a newly hired doctor had a history modeling thong underwear. "Apparently she's competent, but even the Medical Director is dismayed that she has a varied lifestyle outside of her medical profession," the chief of staff wrote.
Walker's response came a few hours later: "Get rid of the MD asap."
His allies said the reams of paper can't reveal much new from a three-year investigation from which Walker emerged without serious political damage.
"The convictions they got were on the periphery and really had nothing to do with Scott Walker. It was collateral damage," said Craig Peterson, a former Republican campaign strategist in Wisconsin. "What they wanted to find was corruption and they didn't."
In his book "Unintimidated," released last year, Walker noted that efforts to use the inquiry against him in the 2012 recall campaign fell flat.
"I reminded the voters that as an Eagle Scout, 'I live by the standards of integrity I got from my parents,' " he wrote.
Walker wrote that the investigation began after his chief of staff alerted the local district attorney to possible embezzlement at a veterans' charity.
That sparked what is known as a "John Doe" investigation, a Wisconsin criminal tool that allows prosecutors to interview witnesses and subpoena records in front of a judge instead of a grand jury.
The investigation was broad.
Tim Russell, another Walker deputy chief of staff, was one of two people convicted of stealing from the veterans' charity. Russell's partner was found guilty of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. And a Walker campaign donor pleaded guilty to exceeding campaign finance limits by reimbursing employees of his railroad company for their donations.
"It was like a slow-moving glacier, picking up everything as it went," said Michael Maistelman, a Democratic lawyer who for a time represented Russell.
Even in the face of profound pressure from prosecutors, Walker's aides did not turn on him — and there is no sign that any are likely to provide new attention-grabbing information.
"I am certain that Kelly Rindfleisch isn't going to be that person," said Franklyn Gimbel, her attorney. "Under any circumstance, for any reason. Because she doesn't believe he did anything."
It is believed that some piece of evidence turned up that resulted in the opening of the ongoing second investigation.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported in October that the investigation is looking into possible illegal political coordination during the 2012 recall election and has spread to five Wisconsin counties, two of them with Republican district attorneys who have joined three Democratic prosecutors in turning over the case to a special prosecutor.
It is illegal in Wisconsin for candidates to coordinate campaign activities with outside groups that do not face the same restrictions on donations if the groups advocate for their election.
Democratic groups have long complained that the 2012 race was awash in outside spending, as conservative groups rallied to keep Walker in office. A Walker political adviser, they note, served as a spokesman to the Wisconsin Club for Growth, which spent heavily on the campaign.
Conservative groups have moved aggressively to try to convince federal and state judges, as well as the public, that the ongoing inquiry is an unfair partisan push meant to immobilize the right and hurt Walker.
A sealed judicial opinion issued this year and obtained by the Wall Street Journal's conservative editorial page has fueled the effort. The document showed that a judge quashed a set of subpoenas in the inquiry, ruling that prosecutors had failed "to show probable cause that a crime was committed."
The newspaper editorial said the ruling vindicated the suspicion that the "probe is a political operation intended to shut up Mr. Walker's allies as he seeks re-election this year." Prosecutors are likely to appeal the ruling.
In its lawsuit, the Wisconsin Club for Growth, one of 29 right-leaning groups that have received subpoenas in the matter, charged that the still-secret inquiry is "calculated to chill protected speech."
David Rivkin, a Washington-based attorney for the Club for Growth, said that already, the investigation has largely halted the group's political activities in the state.
He said the probe has sidelined the anti-tax group from weighing in on behalf of a $500 million tax cut Walker is advocating, while the secrecy rules inhibit its ability to fully defend itself. Even the group's federal complaint is heavily redacted in deference to the John Doe rules.
The lawsuit also accuses Milwaukee District Attorney John Chisholm, a Democrat who began both investigations, of political bias. It notes, for instance, that there has been no indication that any left-leaning groups have faced similar scrutiny though unions were active in the election as well.
If conservative groups succeed in undermining the investigation's legitimacy, the result could convert the inquiry from a possible Walker weakness into an unexpected strength, rallying conservatives around a governor perceived to be holding firm against liberal bullies.
Sean Sullivan and Matt DeLong contributed to this report.


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Home/Tank/Dripper Systems
Aspire Triton Tank
₨ 4,500
Aspire Eigate Triton Sub-Ohm Tank
The Aspire Triton Tank is the newest tank system from Aspire, introducing a new style of adjustable airflow on two levels, a top fill method, a revolutionary coil system using 316L Surgical Grade Stainless Steel, and an optional RTA system, making the Triton the next premier tank in today's market. Building upon the legendary Atlantis platform and foundation, the Aspire Triton translates the best qualities and strengths, integrating a large 3.5mL tank capacity while introducing a newly designed twist and lock top fill method. Top filling e-liquid is done with a simple twist and removal of the tip and base of the drip tip connector. Dual level fully adjustable airflow control located at the tip and base allow for an extremely fine tuned vape experience. The all new Triton Drip Tip System delivers selectable auxiliary airflow and is also compatible with most 510 drip tips today.
Comes with FREE RBA System.
Revolutionizing the coil structure once again, Aspire has developed a 316L Surgical Grade Stainless Steel Coil structure for the Triton platform, making it one of the most advanced and forward thinking structures, in terms of safety. A traditional 1.8 ohm Kanthal constructed coils allows for more restrictive airflow options in conjunction with a mouth to lung style use. The optional use of the Triton RTA Base allows for the use and set-up of user made coil structures, adding to the Aspire Triton's flexibility. Manufactured out of high grade Stainless Steel, the Pyrex Tank is now encased to greatly increase durability. The Next Revolution. The Aspire Triton Tank
Warning: Never use a short or flat 510 connection on any hybrid or hybrid style device. If unsure whether this pertains to your particular set-up, DO NOT assemble and use. Always use proper precautions and handling.
Product Features:
- 22.5mm Diameter
- High Quality Stainless Steel Tank Construction
- Encased Glass Tank Design
- 3.5mL Tank Capacity
- Top Fill Method
- Lock and Release Top
- Fully Adjustable Base Airflow Control
- Drip Tip Airflow Control
- Triton Coils
- Backwards Compatible with Aspire Atlantis Coils
- 316L Surgical Grade Stainless Steel
- Japanese Organic Cotton
- 0.4 ohm Coil Optimized for 25 to 30W
- 0.3 ohm Coil Optimized for 45 to 55W
- Kanthal 1.8 ohm Coil Optimized for 10 to 13W
- Mouth to Lung Inhale
- Optional RTA System
- Screwpoint Locking System
Product Includes:
- One Aspire Triton Tank
- One 0.4 ohm 316L Stainless Steel Coil (Pre-Installed)
- One Kanthal 1.8 ohm Coil
NOTE: There is an inherent risk with the use of any and all rechargeable batteries in any circumstance. C9V™ and any and all of C9V™s parent and subsidiary companies are not responsible for damage if there is any modification of the batteries/chargers in any form or shape (including pack making). C9V™ and any and all of C9V™'s parent and subsidiary companies are not responsible for any damage caused by the misuse and/or mishandling of Li-ion (Lithium-ion), LiPo (Lithium-ion Polymer) and any rechargeable batteries and chargers.
Use special caution when working with Li-ion (Lithium-ion), LiPo (Lithium-ion Polymer) and any rechargeable cells, as they are very sensitive to charging characteristics and may explode or burn if mishandled. Make sure the user has enough knowledge of Li-Ion (Lithium-ion), LiPo (Lithium-ion Polymer) and any rechargeable cells in charging, discharging, assembly and storage before use. Always charge in/on a fire-proof surface. Never leave charging batteries unattended. Do not use any rechargeable battery as well as any battery charger if any visible damage is present, as well as if the cell or charger has been stressed through mishandling, accidental or otherwise, even if damage may not be visible. Always store and transport rechargeable cells in a safe, non-conductive container in a controlled environment. Dispose of all battery cells and chargers in accordance to local laws and mandates.
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Trent Busenbark is a seasoned outdoorsman based in the US. He's also the proud winner of our #AdventureSelfie contest, winning an Ambit3 Sport.
How does it feel to win?
It's always nice to see some appreciation for an image you personally captured, especially in today's world where almost everyone has access to a camera. I am grateful for the consideration.
Tell us about the photo.
This photo was captured last September in Montana on a backcountry archery hunt. The original intentions were to bivy out for multiple days. On day one we packed in 15 miles (24 km) and the next day we were greeted with plummeting temps, severe wind, and driving snow. This photo was captured with a GoPro on our evacuation out of the mountains. Mother Nature and the rough terrain definitely got the best of us that trip but left us hungry for more. Plans are in place to return.
Trent's winning selfie.
What gets your adventure blood pumping?
For the most part my hobbies include virtually anything outdoors from horseback riding to skiing. There seems to have always been a heavy focus on hunting and photography. I'm a passionate outdoorsmen with a common goal – get out there as much as possible and always try to capture the moment.
Tell us about a recent adventure
I recently returned from Italy and enjoyed spending a couple days in the Dolomite Mountains. The views were fantastic! Another Montana trip is planned for November and is sure to present its own challenges.
Features you'd most like to use from the Ambit3?
I am excited to use the GPS feature on the Ambit3. In Montana my Sunnto Core with its compass and altimeter proved vital in reading our topo map. It will be nice to leave specific waypoints along the way with the GPS feature.
What's next?
Towards the end of September I will be heading to Canada for a waterfowl outing and I will be returning to Montana for a late season elk hunt in November. If I am lucky I would like to squeeze in a ski trip this winter as well.
All images ©Trent Busenbark. Follow him on Instagram.


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Forest decline due to airborne particles
From: Andy Soos, ENN Forests and plants in general can remove pollutants but may be at a hard cost. Air pollution is related to forest decline and also appears to attack the protecting wax on tree leaves and needles. Bonn University scientists have now discovered a responsible mechanism: particulate matter salt compounds that become deliquescent because of humidity and form a wick-like structure that removes water from leaves and promotes dehydration. These results are published in Environmental Pollution.Nature conservationists call it "lingering illness", and the latest report on the North-Rhine Westphalian forest conditions confirms ongoing damage. Bonn University scientists have now shown that salt deposits on leaves may decrease the drought tolerance of trees, thereby contributing to forest decline.
Salt is a very corrosive material in a number of situations. For example salt spray at the sea shore will lead to rapid degradation of any building there. So why would plants be exempt?
"Our study reveals that so-called wax degradation on pine needles may develop from deposited particulate matter", says Dr. Jürgen Burkhardt from the Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation. Wax helps to protect leaves and needles from water loss.
It has long been known that air pollutants accelerate wax aging and that wax degradation is closely related to forest damage.
"Wax degradation was addressed by many studies in the 1980s and 90s, but sound explanations for both the degradation mechanism and the high correlation with forest damage have yet been missing", Dr. Burkhardt reports. Previous approaches assumed chemical reactions for wax degradation, whereas the present study reveals physical reasons. "The deposition of hygroscopic salts is capable of decreasing the drought tolerance of trees", co-author Shyam Pariyar says.
The scientists sprayed salt solutions on Scots pine needles and recorded their weight loss after abscission. The needles treated with salt solutions dried out significantly faster than the untreated control needles. Using an electron microscope, the scientists observed the salts becoming deliquescent and moving into the stomata of the needles.
Stomata are tiny pores used by plants to take up carbon dioxide for photosynthesis and release water vapor and oxygen. The deliquescent salts form very thin liquid connections between the surface and interior of the needle, and water is removed from the needles by these wick-like structures.
Because the plants are unable to counteract this removal of water, the plants dehydrate more rapidly. Therefore, polluted air containing large amounts of particulate matter may directly reduce the drought tolerance of trees. Simultaneously, the deliquescent salts make wax appear degraded.
"This newly described mechanism was not considered in earlier explanations of Central European forest decline", states Dr. Burkhardt.
(Source: Environmental News Network)


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Don Henley Hatred Of YouTube Clouding His Vision On PROTECT IP
from the but-you-can-see-him-for-just-two-grand deptWhile the entertainment industry thought that getting PROTECT IP approved was going to be a walk in the park, they've been taken somewhat by surprise at the level of resistance to the bill over the last few months. It looks like they're now trying to break out "the big guns." And, by "big guns" we mean out-of-touch millionaire old fogey rockers who have name brand appeal, but little actual knowledge. In this case, it's an op-ed piece by Don Henley in USA Today. Henley has become quite the curmudgeon over the past few years, lashing out at everyone for not giving him more money. A year ago, he was claiming that it's all YouTube's fault:
And Henley reserved particular ire for YouTube, which he described as a "fence" for stolen intellectual property. "YouTube is one of the biggest violators or copyright laws in the world," he said. "A tremendous amount of the content on YouTube is a copyright violation.... I'm not a fan of YouTube at all for their part in aiding and abetting copyright violations."Given his belief that YouTube is a "rogue" site, his views on PROTECT IP are especially troubling. It appears that Henley really wants to shut down YouTube. Most of the article is a misguided, misleading or simply false attack on both Google and anyone, such as the EFF, who supports basic user rights:
Critics of this pending legislation need to be honest about the company they keep and why they essentially aid and abet these criminal endeavors. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a civil liberties group, claims such a bill would "break the Internet," while Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt says it sets "a disastrous precedent" for freedom of speech. No one has the freedom to commit or abet crimes on the Internet. Stopping crime on the Internet is not, as EFF says, "censorship." There is no First Amendment right to infringe intellectual property rights.First of all, no, there is no First Amendment right to infringe, but no one has claimed that there is either. But PROTECT IP goes way, way beyond what Henley describes. He also fails to respond to the "break the Internet" claim, which comes from a group of very well-respected technologists who had a major role in building the internet's core infrastructure. Henley just brushes that off by pretending that Google just wants to keep "accepting untold advertising dollars from illegal online pharmacies."
But the bigger issue is that Henley totally ignores the points that the EFF has raised about the problem of PROTECT IP. He's right that stopping infringement is not censorship, but the bill is extremely broad and goes way beyond stopping infringement. In a weak attempt to do so, it advocates outright censorship with no due process.
In the meantime, if Henley wants to look at "the company anyone keeps," perhaps he should look at his friends who are supporting PROTECT IP. And we should remind Don Henley that not so long ago he was pointing out that piracy isn't a problem, and the real problem was the RIAA and the major record labels. Apparently he's changed his mind.
Oh, and if you'd like to see just how badly Henley is suffering from all this infringement in person, you can buy tickets to an upcoming Eagles concert for $2134 a pop. At least they set aside some "cheap seats" for the kids. The nosebleed seats where you can barely see the stage... those will run you a mere $116. Actually, that's just the list price, and you can't buy a single ticket at that price. You have to buy two. There are some (more expensive) tickets where you can buy just one, but then you have to add in the service fee ($21.65) and a delivery fee ($15). Amusingly, even if you choose to show up and pick up the ticket yourself, you still pay the delivery fee. So the absolute cheapest price you can pay to see Don Henley in concert, in the nosebleed seats will run you... $153.65. Yeah, but all that infringement is killing the music business, huh?
Filed Under: copyright, don henley, music, protect ip, youtube


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The Zeroth Training Ground (第零演習場, Daizero Enshūjō, English TV: Training Ground Zero), also known as the No-Hunting District (禁猟区, Kinryōku), is a wildlife preserve for rare and unusual animals. A team led by Kotetsu Hagane consisting of Naruto Uzumaki, Shino Aburame, and Rock Lee were sent into this field to recapture Condor.
Much like the Forest of Death and other training fields, this one is surrounded by large wire mesh fences, bearing many signs forbidding entry. The interior of the training field consists of a forest containing many insectivorous plants, wide open plains with few trees and a cliff that was used for dramatic effect.
According to Tsunade, the Zeroth Training Ground was originally used for the Chūnin Exams just like the Forty-Fourth Training Ground, but this was discontinued because when she was a child, the field was turned into a nature preserve. This made its modern ecology impossible to predict.


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DJ Drama On CNN "Black Men In The Age Of President Obama" (Says Obama Inspires Him To Be A Great Father)
Dj Drama
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Claremont Graduate University Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management Part Time MBA
If you are an experienced professional launching your management career, the Drucker Professional MBA may be the right choice for you. Utilizing a "modified cohort" approach, the Professional MBA provides the combination of schedule structure and flexibility that is important to working professionals. Designed to help you gain the intellectual leverage you need to advance your career goals, the degree includes professional assessments and Executive Coaching as an entryway to a fully customized Professional Pathway of courses aimed at your specific needs. Approximately one-half of your PMBA curriculum is dedicated to the required core courses that provide a solid base in the traditional business disciplines. To augment that base of knowledge, you will work with an executive coach to outline the set of courses and experiences necessary for you to complete your Professional Pathway requirement. Your Pathway is customized with you and for you. It will be different from that of other students in the program because your goals and needs are different from theirs. Each PMBA course – core or pathway – boasts world-class faculty and the intimate class size that encourage unique access to your professors as well as valuable interaction and strong relationships with fellow classmates. You will engage with professionals, in and out of the classroom, whose diverse work and life experiences inspire new and different perspectives and insights.


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Frank De Winne reflects on his successful mission
"I hope my flight will stimulate young people". A few days after his return Frank spoke about his experience.
On Sunday 10 November 2002, the Belgian ESA-astronaut Frank De Winne and his two Russian colleagues Sergei Zaletin and Yuri Lonchakov returned to Earth in the descent capsule of the Soyuz TM-34 after the very successful Odissea Mission on board the International Space Station (ISS). The Russian-Belgian crew delivered the new Soyuz TMA-1 to the Station and Frank carried out an extensive experimental programme.
Do you feel the lift-off from inside the Soyuz rocket?
Of course you feel some vibrations when the rocket engines are turned on beneath you. I didn't have a special training for this part of the launch, but nevertheless this was not unexpected for me. When the four booster rockets separate you feel a big jolt, but I had practised this in the centrifuge. The launch mostly went as I expected.
And the landing?
That was totally different. When the parachutes open the capsule swings all over the place. This goes on for some time. You really seem to turn upside down. When the main parachute opens you feel a jolt again and the same scenario repeats itself. After that everything stabilizes. This is perfectly normal though. My commander Sergei Zaletin had told me about this beforehand, but it was worse than I had expected. The landing itself was a rather hard one. Because it happened during the night you couldn't see when we were about to hit the ground. We tumbled around a few times and eventually the capsule came to rest on its side. The recovery team arrived very quickly. About ten minutes after the landing there were already people around the capsule. They first had to build a tent and because it was very cold outside we stayed inside the capsule for about half-an-hour.
After the landing, did you think, "We carried our mission to a successful conclusion"?
Of course. The landing and the opening of the parachutes are very critical phases of the flight. You can do very little about it. After we were stabilized and hanging safely under the parachute, I already felt more at ease.
You trained extensively for this mission. Were there nevertheless unexpected events during the flight?
A few unexpected things happened with the experiments. Most of the time we were able to find a solution for the problems. Unfortunately the experiment Nanoslab was a complete failure, but maybe it can be done during a future flight. The experiment should have started automatically in the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG), but it never did. At the moment I do not know exactly why.
What is your impression of the Space Station?
My first impression on entering ISS was that it was different to being in the training simulators. You can't believe all the objects hanging on the walls, things are stored everywhere. Some parts of the Station felt bigger than I had expected, others – like the Russian part – smaller. But this is logical when six people are there together at the same time.
Did you get used to weightlessness quickly?
Weightlessness takes some time to get used to. In the beginning you don't how to hold on, or even how to drink. So without thinking I squeezed on a small tea bag and the tea began to float away! On the ground you don't have to think about this. Or hanging something onto the wall for instance. Even pushing very lightly makes you float away. It takes some time, but after a while you get used to it.
What has been the best part of the whole experience?
When I first took a look down at the Earth and saw the fragility of the atmosphere. The Earth is very beautiful from above. And also the amount of instruments, scientific equipment en technical material on board the Space Station, what is being done there, life on board… That was great.
How is your re-adaptation to gravity going?
It takes rather a long time before you are fully re-adapted. This can be measured, but as far as I can trust my own feeling, I'm re-adapted for the most part. Although I feel a bit tired in the evening.
What have you been doing since your return?
Mostly a number of new measurements for the medical experiments Cardiocog and Neurocog and some more medical tests. This is to compare measurements during the flight with data before and after the mission and to see how long it takes before the values reach pre-flight levels.
When does your flight completely come to an end?
That will still take a while. As far as I know the last medical tests will be done in about six months time. Here in Russia the flight is officially finished a few weeks after the landing with a technical debriefing. After the medical tests in Russia and the period of re-adaptation, which takes a few weeks, I will come to Belgium
What are your long term plans?
I will continue working for ESA, probably at ESTEC in Noordwijk (The Netherlands) or at EAC in Cologne (Germany). It will mostly be technical support for ESA projects such as Columbus, the ESA laboratory module that will be docked to the ISS in 2004, the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), which will be launched to the ISS for the first time in the course of the same year or… supporting the flights of other ESA astronauts. There are many possibilities.
You are undoubtedly convinced of the value of ISS?
Of course, especially when you have been working, as I did, in the American laboratory [Destiny] and in the Russian part of the ISS. I'm absolutely convinced that you can do good science on board ISS. It is absolutely essential that our European lab Columbus is docked with ISS and that we have a crew of six or seven on board the Space Station [at the moment the permanent crew of ISS has three members].
Do you hope to make a long duration mission on board the ISS?
Yes, I hope to do this later on. For the well being of my family I have to be at home for now. But after that I hope to be able to make a long duration flight.
Had you expected that Belgium would be so enthusiastic about your flight?
I had expected that there would be a lot of attention for my mission, but not the great enthusiasm. I am of course very happy about this, especially because of the interest the youngsters have shown in the flight. This was also one of the goals of the Odissea Mission: to stimulate young people to choose for scientific and technical jobs. I hope we have succeeded in doing this.


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European Court Puts Release Of Drug Safety Data On Hold
from the regrettable dept
Last month Techdirt wrote about the case of the giant pharma company AbbVie seeking to prevent the European Medicines Agency from releasing basic health safety data that AbbVie claims contains commercially sensitive information. Unfortunately, an interim injunction has just been granted to that effect:
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has been ordered by the General Court of the European Union not to provide documents as part of two access-to-documents requests until a final ruling is given by the Court. These interim rulings were made as part of court cases brought by two pharmaceutical companies, AbbVie and InterMune. The companies are challenging the Agency's decisions to grant access to non-clinical and clinical information (including clinical study reports) submitted by companies as part of marketing-authorisation applications in accordance with its 2010 access-to-documents policy.
As the EMA notes, it's not as if the release of this data is unprecedented:
Since November 2010, the Agency has released over 1.9 million pages in response to such requests. This is the first time that the policy has been legally challenged.
That obviously raises the question of why AbbVie and InterMune have problems with drug safety data being released when other companies don't. Fortunately, there is very broad support for the EMA's attempt to make this important information available for other researchers to check and analyze:
Since the two pharmaceutical companies filed these legal actions, the EMA has received more than 30 statements of support from various stakeholders, including the European Ombudsman, national competent authorities, members of the Agency's Management Board, Members of the European Parliament, academic institutions, non-governmental organisations, citizens' initiatives and scientific journals, some of whom have also applied to formally intervene in defence of the EMA at the Court.
There's a crucially important principle here, that public safety must outweigh any claims of commercial confidentiality. Let's hope that the General Court of the European Union recognizes that in its final judgment, which will have a major impact on health and safety not just in Europe but, as a knock-on effect, around the world too.
Follow me @glynmoody on Twitter or identi.ca, and on Google+
Filed Under: clinical trials, drug safety, europe, health, information, safety
Companies: abbvie


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Are You Dating a Jerk? 10 Signs You Might Be
You probably already know the answer to this. But what's blatantly obvious to others is sometimes hard to reconcile when you're the one dating a jerk. Maybe you have great physical chemistry, or he's everything you wanted "on paper." Or maybe you're just over being single. No one's perfect—he's not, and you're not—but if you recognize one of the following red flags in your guy, it might be time to consider moving on.
He's hesitant to take the next step. Within reason, of course. It's unrealistic to expect a ring after just a few months of dating, but if you've been together for years, and he's reluctant to define your relationship or hasn't said "I love you," you have to wonder why.
Conversely, everything seems to be moving too fast. It might be a dream scenario to some women, to meet a guy who wants a commitment immediately, but this is the sign of a very real control issue. If he wants to take the next step before he barely knows you, remember, it's not about you: It's about him and his insecurities.
He's not chivalrous. Or maybe we should say, he's not kind. He doesn't need to open every door for you, but he should at least offer to help if, for example, you're juggling several bags and he's empty-handed. If you're sick, a little TLC is nice. If you're moving, he should assist where he can. None of these examples are asking too much from a boyfriend.
You feel more like his mom than his partner. Today, many women don't want a man picking up every tab, but he should at least reach for it once in a while. If you live together, you should be splitting the bills, the cleaning, and other responsibilities fairly. Otherwise, you'll grow to resent him.
He prefers you hang out only with him and his friends. It's wonderful if you both enjoy socializing as a couple, but the idea of a girls' night out shouldn't intimidate him or make him feel threatened. Trust is necessary for any healthy relationship.
You don't exist on his Facebook profile. You've been together for a while, but he still hasn't declared that he's "in a relationship," and you're nowhere to be found in his photo galleries. Unless he never updates his profile, this may be a sign of him clinging to his single status.
He picks fights with you—in front of your friends. Every relationship has its ups and downs, but public drama should be saved for reality TV, not your life. Another "jerk" warning sign: a boyfriend who yells but never listens.
You haven't met his family yet, and there are no plans to. Unless they live a flight away or he's somehow estranged from them, it's reasonable to expect to meet the family after several months to a year of dating. Introducing you shows he's serious about your relationship.
He's flaky. He says he's going to call but doesn't. He asks you out for the weekend, but doesn't follow through with plans. He says he'll be there by 7PM but shows up at 9PM. Or he "forgot" to mention that he was going away for the weekend with friends. These types of behaviors exude a basic lack of consideration or maturity—neither are desirable traits.
He's been unfaithful. This is a complicated issue. Some argue that long-term relationships aren't worth ending over a one-time fling, but if he's a repeat offender or you haven't been together long and he's already cheated, you should probably dump him. Quickly.
For help on finding the right guy, check out these great resources:
—The Art of Falling in Love by Joe Beam
—Raise Your Desirability Factor by Patti Stanger
—Find Your Match by Patti Stanger
—Seal the Deal by Patti Stanger


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Support our nonpartisan, nonprofit research and insights which help leaders address societal challenges.Donate
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Publication Date:
January 2013
In a reflection of ongoing corporate efforts to define and achieve sustainability goals, real performance on sustainability is rising. On the other hand, stakeholders' perceptions about organizations' performance are declining. This divergence shows that many companies are better at delivering against sustainability goals than they are at communicating their achievements. Corporations should ramp up their efforts to communicate both their sustainability commitments and their accomplishments by integrating the sustainability message into brand communication and engaging directly with important stakeholder groups.


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Posted by Ancestry Team in Stories
Preserve Your Treasured Family Stories
27 Jul 2010
My family recently lost some cherished members to cancer and so, as most families do, we gathered together to celebrate their lives and to share old memories. Like most family get-togethers of this nature, our reunion was marked with laughter, tears and stories about each other and our lost loved ones.
Since I've been building our family tree using Mundia, I was sure to take careful notes during these story sharing sessions and I've enjoyed posting these family stories on Mundia for even more family to share, and enjoy!
Of course I wish that I hadn't waited for a death in the family to start gathering these stories, but sometimes that's just how life seems to work, isn't it?
I believe that photos, and stories from our families are some of our most cherished treasures, and to me using Mundia to share these treasures with family near and far makes the experience even more special.
Post one of your family stories on Mundia today and invite your relatives to add comments and share their cherished family memories!