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Google, in new federal court papers, is rebutting claims of age discrimination and its handling of two older job applicants who were rejected for positions.
Google insisted in a court filing Friday that its policy "rigorously forbids discrimination of any kind," including age discrimination. It is fighting an age discrimination lawsuit brought last year by two plaintiffs who were rejected for jobs. Both are over the age of 40.
One plaintiff, Cheryl Fillekes, a programmer, filed a motion in June to make this age discrimination lawsuit a "collective action" case for software engineers, site reliability engineers or systems engineers over the age of 40 who applied for a job at Google, but where rejected. That could broaden the case to include thousands of people.
Specifically, Fillekes' motion asks the federal court in California to require Google to provide the names and contact information of engineering applicants who have applied for a job since Aug. 13, 2010, received an in-person interview and were refused employment.
But Google said it has received "over one million applications" for those three positions since 2010. It didn't disclose how many people who applied for one of these jobs received an in-person interview.
The job application figure for the three types of technical positions involved in Google's lawsuit is an estimate made without regard to age, said Google, "because there is no systematic or reliable way of identifying applicants who were 40 or more years of age when they submitted applications or interviewed in-person since Google does not collect data on the age or birthdate of its applicants."
In her lawsuit, Fillekes said that she was recruited by Google four times, in 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2013, and in each instance was invited for an in-person interview and rejected each time. Fillekes earned a Ph.D. in geophysics from the University of Chicago and undertook postdoctoral work at Harvard.
But Google questions why it would "waste Google employees' time" with "five or six onsite interviews only to reject the candidate on the basis of age." Fillekes' age was allegedly discerned at her first in-person interview with Google in 2007.
Google argues in its motion that neither Fillekes nor the other plaintiff, Robert Heath, "offers a coherent theory" or "substantial evidence" to back up their claims.
In an email response to a Computerworld query, Fillekes' attorney, Daniel Low, said that the "courts have recognized that a party seeking conditional certification of an opt-in class bears a very light burden in establishing that the legal requirements for certification are met, and we believe that plaintiffs have met that lenient standard here."
Google said it conducts a "rigorous technical evaluation" of potential candidates for the three engineering jobs.
The process works like this: Google identifies a "promising candidate" from among the applications. Recruiters conduct a phone interview to assess the candidate's interest in a job and their current roles and responsibilities.
If the candidate passes the initial interview, the person is invited to a "Technical Phone Screen." The interviewers, who are engineers, present the candidates "with a series of technical challenges related to computer code or systems design, and the candidate responds -- for instance, by proposing an algorithm or a piece of computer code."
Candidates who pass the technical interview may be invited to on-site interviews, which may consist of four or five separate in-person interviews. Google says it tries to match candidates with interviewers who have expertise in relevant areas. These interviewers also "test a candidate's proficiency with algorithms and system design."
The recruiting team then evaluates the interview scores, notes and comments and decides whether the candidate should be reviewed by the hiring committee. Hiring committees "are usually comprised of at least four experienced Google employees who have the relevant skillset to assess a candidate," Google said.
Google claims that Heath, a software engineer, did not pass the technical test, and wasn't invited to an in-person interview. But it is Fillekes, not Heath, who has filed the collective action.
Google also disputed the contention that the average age of its workforce is 29. That number, included in the lawsuit, is based on a Payscale analysis, which is compared to a U.S. government report that puts the average age of computer programmers at 42.8.
Google is dismissive of the Payscale age estimate, but didn't offer an alternative. Instead, it said that U.S. data shows "workers age 40 or older are not as available as younger workers" because job tenure increases with age.


text: Over the summer, the boys and I flew to North Carolina. On that trip back, I lost my iPhone cover. Since that moment…I've been dragging my feet in finding it's replacement. Until a few weeks ago, when I was posting about the 2012 Holiday Celebrations #HolidayGuide. Well, I told you then that I was going(…)

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text:
Felix Ellis is alone now. His wife, Genevieve, isn't around to make his favorite bread pudding. She's not there to call him in the morning or to put a blanket on his lap so he won't catch a chill from the unseasonably cold wind that whips through the couple's tiny, unheated home on the island of Bimini in the Bahamas.
Genevieve isn't there to call him by his childhood nickname Cornbread. Nor can she hear him tell the story of the name's origin: He sold his mother's pastries in the streets as a boy. Felix and Genevieve were married for 40 years, and she knew all of his stories.
Felix loved Genevieve because, in his words, she was "good and quiet." Felix, who is 72 years old and retired, is pretty quiet himself. He speaks in a lilting Bahamian patois; "this" and "that" are pronounced "dis" and "dat." He is a burly man, with fading brown skin, few bottom teeth, and a silvery, stubbly beard. He used to be a strapping construction worker Felix built his home with his own hands but arthritis in his right leg has all but idled him. These days he spends hours in a chair by the front door of the house, with a TV remote control and a telephone in arm's reach. A walker stands nearby. The small house is jammed with furniture, and its walls are lined with hastily placed photographs. Felix keeps the lights low at night when he watches TV.
Genevieve, a stout mother of five who always dressed in colorful, sensible matching skirts and jackets, would have brought order to the house and to Felix.
The last time he talked to her was December 18, 2005. He was in Nassau for a doctor's visit. She was in North Carolina at her niece's college graduation. The 64-year-old was also shopping in Fort Lauderdale for some last-minute Christmas bargains for the grandkids. She called that Sunday night to say she had reserved a seat on the first Chalk's seaplane leaving Fort Lauderdale in the morning.
"I'll see you in Nassau, Cornbread," she said. "Good night."
"Good night," he replied.
Chalk's is an enduring symbol of Miami, one filled with ingenuity and intrigue, with glamour and entrepreneurial spirit. The airline's early days are legendary.
In 1911 a Kentucky auto mechanic named Arthur "Pappy" Chalk stopped tinkering with cars long enough to help out a man named Tony Jannus. A renowned pilot of the day, Jannus had flown his seaplane north from Florida and made an unscheduled stop in Paducah, near the Illinois line. In exchange for the repairs Jannus gave Chalk flying lessons.
Soon Chalk was hooked on seaplanes. In 1917 a little more than a dozen years after the Wright brothers' historic first flight at Kitty Hawk he moved to Miami. He was 28 years old.
Two years later he opened a seaplane charter company. Chalk charged five dollars for sightseeing tours and $15 for lessons in flying the three-seat Stinson Voyager. Passengers lined up at Chalk's terminal, which was an umbrella next to the dock of the Royal Palm Hotel on Biscayne Bay, at the end of Flagler Street.
A few years went by and Chalk bought a bigger plane. He capitalized on Prohibition by flying to Bimini, a tiny island just 50 miles away. The passengers were fun-loving, wealthy folks who wanted to drink hooch and arrange for illegal shipments to the United States.
In those early days Chalk was the company's lone pilot, often flying up to twelve hours a day. Dozens of Bimini residents greeted the plane upon its arrival; the islanders would wade into the electric-blue sea and carry the passengers, piggyback, to dry land.
In 1932 Chalk married a woman named Lillie Mae who helped him run the business. Together they branched out into more charter flights. The next year he flew to Cuba to pick up ousted dictator Gerardo Machado and ferried him to safety in Miami but not before dodging a volley of bullets in Havana.
The following twenty years were good for the company. Ernest Hemingway, Al Capone, Humphrey Bogart, and Lauren Bacall were all Chalk's seaplane passengers. In 1940 Chalk built a terminal building out of coral rock on Watson Island, a newly developed landfill. He bought more seaplanes and flew reconnaissance missions during World War II.
Lillie Mae died in 1964. Chalk retired from flying with a perfect record: 16,800 hours flown with no fatalities.
For the next three-and-a-half decades, the company soared, failed, soared again, and found itself on the verge of bankruptcy. It changed hands countless times; owners included companies headed by Merv Griffin and Donald Trump. Planes were upgraded, refurbished, and put into storage. A few new routes, such as one to Key West, were added, then removed. Bimini and Watson Island were the only consistent destinations.
In 1984 the airline received worldwide exposure from an unlikely source. A new cop drama named Miami Vice highlighted the city's most glamorous assets in its opening credits: Bentleys, breasts, beaches, and a gleaming white Chalk's seaplane gliding over impossibly blue water. Even though the plane was 40-odd years old, it shone as if it were brand new.
The Chalk's Grumman Mallard plane had a cameo in the show's pilot episode. As Phil Collins's "In the Air Tonight" throbbed in the background, cops Crockett and Tubbs drove like hell through Miami streets in a black Ferrari. The pair arrived on Watson Island as the song ended only to see their quarry, a smug trafficker, board the seaplane. The propeller whirred to life; the drug dealer smiled. Then the plane's tail and the name appeared across the screen: Chalk's.
An icon was born.
All the glitzy publicity couldn't save the airline. In 1999, after struggling for years, the company finally ended up in bankruptcy court.
In August of that year Miami businessman Jim Confalone bought Chalk's for $925,000. He sold his oceanfront home in Maine to finance the purchase.
At the time the company was operating with just two leased seaplanes and 35 employees. Still it was the only commercial airline in the world that employed Mallards as passenger aircraft all the others were used privately or for sightseeing. Confalone immediately bought five more Mallard seaplanes; he wanted the company to remain true to its roots. "I feel I've been entrusted to take care of this thing," he told South Florida newspapers. "These large seaplanes landing in Miami are what the cable cars are to San Francisco in terms of a tourist attraction."
Confalone seemed to be the right man for the job. After serving as an airplane technician in the navy, he arrived in Miami in 1965 with $50 in his pocket. After flying 26 years for Eastern Airlines, he owned a ski resort in Maine, car dealerships in Miami, and assorted other businesses in South Florida.
Two years later Chalk's was still operating under marginal circumstances. Only three planes were working. The airline had just four stops: Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Paradise Island, and Bimini. Though Confalone had big plans, including travel to Japan and Havana, at the turn of the millennium his most important customers remained the Bimini residents who used the seaplanes as a lifeline to the outside world.
Bimini seems exotic a British outpost in the middle of the Atlantic but it is really a small town of 1600 people who are generally related by blood, marriage, or both. Most of the locals live in a settlement called Alice Town on North Bimini. (Sparsely populated South Bimini is actually separated by a 150-yard channel). Locals' houses, a few stores, and a handful of hotels line the one main road through the island. These days there are few jobs outside of tourism and during any given year, residents scrape to get by. Many young people leave.
Everything on the island milk, mufflers, or stuffed animals is expensive because it must be imported; shipping costs can increase prices tenfold. Chalk's helped keep costs down, islanders insist. "The only thing Chalk's wouldn't bring on the plane was a car," says Bimini resident Shannon Bullard, a man in his forties with a wide smile and animated eyes. "As long as guys could lift it and get it in the door, they would fly it to Bimini."
Bullard, a charter boat captain and amateur pilot, said that he would give Chalk's pilots ten dollars in the morning to go to the hardware store in Florida for a needed boat part. That evening the pilot would hand him the part and exact change.
September 11 changed all that. United States Customs cracked down on cargo, and immigration agents became more strict. In 2004 the City of Miami and Confalone clashed over the Watson Island terminal. Confalone said that it was difficult to take off and land the planes because of all the nearby helicopters. The city was concerned about security at the nearby port. So Chalk's relocated its headquarters and terminal to Fort Lauderdale.
Chalk's planes hadn't had many problems before Monday, December 19, 2005, but there had been a few. In 1994 two pilots didn't drain the bilge in Key West. The plane was too heavy and crashed. Both pilots were killed; those were the first fatalities in the company's 80-year history. Five years later on a windy day, a plane made a hard landing in rough waters in Nassau and injured three passengers from Florida.
Though no one expected a repeat of those incidents on that December day fifteen months ago, the weather was a little strange. Thick and unsual fog covered the Fort Lauderdale airport where Genevieve Ellis awaited her 8:40 a.m. flight home. She eyed the tiny, 58-year-old white seaplane with purple trim.
Genevieve was a patient woman, not given to complaints or flashes of anger, so it is unlikely that she was annoyed by the delay. She probably sat in a chair to wait quietly, and maybe pulled out a book to pass the time.
At around 1:30 p.m. the passengers were given the go-ahead to board. Folks stuffed duffel bags and boxes of Christmas toys into the cargo hold. Genevieve boarded along with fifteen other passengers and the plane's two pilots. There was no assigned seating, but Genevieve sat next to her sister, Salome Rolle, who had gone with her to the graduation and on the shopping trip. The pair sat together on the right side of the plane.
Genevieve and Salome were surrounded by neighbors and friends from Bimini, all of whom were headed home after Christmas shopping. In a nearby pair of seats sat Sabrina and Barto Dean, a young couple who lived just a few doors down from Genevieve and Felix. Barto worked at the island's only hardware store. The couple held their four-month-old baby girl, Sabre'a, in their arms.
There was Jackie Levarity and her daughter Niesha, the recent valedictorian of the island's high school class. Nearby sat Don Smith, the dockmaster at the Bimini Big Game Club. He, too, was flying with a baby Jervis, his chubby-cheeked, fifteen-month-old grandson. Also on board: Sophia Sherman, a teacher at the island's only school. Genevieve knew her because she had worked at the school for 37 years as a janitor. Sophia had her five-month-old daughter, Bethany, with her.
Five Americans who were going to Bimini on vacation filled the other seats.
No stewardesses greeted the passengers; it was too small of a plane for that. Paul DeSanctis was one of the two pilots who said hello to everyone. He had started with Chalk's only eight months before and was in a good mood despite the delay. The other pilot, Michelle Marks, a short, normally smiling woman who loved seaplanes and never missed a chance to pose for a photo next to one, was more somber. Five days earlier she had filed for divorce. Everyone buckled their seat belts for takeoff.
Flight 101 was on its way.
Instead of going straight to Bimini, there was a detour: The plane would stop at Watson Island in Miami to pick up two passengers.
It had been months since Chalk's had stopped there, but for some reason the plane made a stop. No one's really sure why, and Chalk's executives aren't talking.
Perhaps it was because of the prominence of the two passengers, Sergio Danguillecourt and his wife, Jacqueline. The 42-year-old Danguillecourt was the great-great-grandson of Don Facundo Bacardi, the Cuban founder of the world's largest rum company. Danguillecourt, who had worked for Bacardi in Spain for years and helped on the company's Bacardi Breezer campaign in the mid-Nineties, had also served on the company's board of directors since 1992. When the dashing businessman wasn't attending to those duties or doing charity work for his Catholic church, he loved to drive his classic Porsche and scuba dive. The couple lived on nearby Fisher Island. Sergio and Jackie were on their way to Bimini to buy a 68-foot yacht; they had left their two sons behind.
After the esteemed pair boarded at about 2:30 p.m., the seaplane took off toward the east, skimming the water. Witnesses would later report that the plane had to climb more quickly and sharply than normal to avoid a large cargo ship. It was the plane's 39,743rd flight.
Seconds after takeoff, as the plane buzzed along at 100 miles per hour, just clearing Fisher Island on the right, and the Coast Guard station and the condominiums that overlook the Government Cut jetty on the left, something horrendous happened. The right wing cracked, then snapped off.
Fuel gushed and the wing ignited, creating a fiery ball. The rest of the plane which was intact and carrying the passengers plummeted into the water, followed by the blazing wing. It took only a few short seconds for the plane to hit the water.
Because it was a bright, beautiful afternoon, about 100 surfers were in the ocean just north of the rock jetty. Guys in black wet suits tried to swim toward the downed plane while feeling the heat from the fire. Nearby boats quickly motored to the crash site. Within a minute or two, the body of the plane had come to rest 35 feet below the surface on the ocean floor. It left a slick, oily sheen on top of the water.
Alex Casal, one of the surfers, said he saw the plane wobble, then list to one side before hitting the water. "I turned around and I see this plane making like a weird noise," said Casal, a 29-year-old day trader. "[An] engine totally exploded and the wing totally fell off. There was an echoing öBOOM' and it hit the water hard."
Fifty miles away on Bimini, no one was particularly worried. The planes were often delayed. Letitia Jones, the 52-year-old niece of Felix and Genevieve Ellis, settled into a seat inside the Chalk's terminal, a boxy, white stucco building on the south end of the island. A big woman who wears red kerchiefs over her black hair and keeps a Bible nearby wherever she goes, she had shuttled back and forth to and from the terminal when the flight was delayed. The grandmother of five was planning a quick trip to Florida to buy some Christmas gifts, and to stock up on goods for the general store that she owned across the street from her house. She was accompanied by her three-year-old granddaughter, Lamadria.
Around 1:30 p.m. Letitia noticed that the employees behind the counter were answering call after call. They spoke in hushed tones. Then a friend ran into the terminal. "Tisha, come here," her friend said. "Ain't no plane coming. The TV say the plane crashed."
Jones felt her knees buckle. As word spread through each pastel-color house and in every tiny store on the island, Jones again went home. She began to pray. "I took to bed," she said. "I couldn't get up for a long time."
About that same time in Nassau, Felix Ellis sat at his daughter's home and wondered why he hadn't heard from Genevieve. She was scheduled to arrive in Bimini around 9:00 a.m. and hop on another flight to Nassau. But she hadn't called. He eased his large frame into a chair and turned on the television.
Three o'clock in the afternoon came and went, and still nothing from Genevieve. A family friend called. "Put your TV on Channel 7," she told Felix. "A Chalk's plane crashed, but we don't know who was on it."
Initial reports were that the plane had taken off from Miami for Nassau. Felix tried to convince himself that his wife wasn't on board. He tried calling the house in Bimini. No Genevieve.
Ellis was glued to the 6:00 p.m. news. To his surprise, Genevieve's 46-year-old daughter from a previous marriage, Geraldine Pyfrom, appeared on the screen. She had also been in Florida. "My mommy is on that flight," she said through her tears.
That's how Felix found out that his wife of 40 years, the love of his life, died in a plane crash. All twenty aboard perished.
Soon divers swarmed the mess and the Coast Guard closed down the busy Port of Miami. Genevieve's was the first body to be identified, because her smart-looking clothes were the most recognizable and intact. All of the passengers but one died while strapped into their chairs; it is believed that Sergio Danguillecourt tried to escape by undoing his seat belt. It's unclear whether he jumped off the plane or was thrown out. His body was the last one recovered, four days later by a fisherman near Key Biscayne nine miles from the crash site and the other bodies.
The next few weeks were a haze of grief-filled memorials and funerals both on Bimini and in Florida. Christmas was all but canceled.
Chalk's owner, Jim Confalone, grounded his planes, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) sent teams of investigators to inspect the wreckage. The plane's voice recorder, otherwise known as a "black box," was recovered, but it was mangled and useless.
Within a month of the tragedy lawyers from South Florida descended upon Bimini. Because there were eleven islanders on the flight and because those victims, like everyone in Bimini, had large, extended families the lawyers represented dozens of people. There were twelve minor children who had lost one or both parents in the crash.
A dark-haired man with piercing black eyes named John Ruiz was one of those lawyers. The 45-year-old personal injury lawyer ended up representing the families of six of the twenty dead passengers.
Ruiz's profession has been good to him: among other things, he owns a nine-story building worth $5.7 million in Little Havana and a 65-foot powerboat. He was pretty familiar with Chalk's and Bimini; he often took his wife and three children aboard his boat for weekend trips. If the Gulf Stream waters were rough, he would put the family on a Chalk's seaplane back to South Florida.
"In my mind, I thought it was the safest type of plane," he says.
But no more. At the beginning of 2006 Ruiz and his paralegals combed through crash evidence, starting with the autopsy photos of the victims. "I've never seen anything as horrible as that," he said. "It was like if someone had put a stick of dynamite and ignited it and blew their entire head off. I saw a photo of an infant with his chest cavity blown wide open with the organs exposed."
Ruiz was even more horrified when he received five years' worth of maintenance records for Chalk's planes. In 2002 the company had been given a warning for releasing a plane that was not airworthy or equipped as required. Though Chalk's hadn't reported its finances to the City of Miami for years, records show the company had lost a total of $1.5 million in 2001 and 2002. Dun and Bradstreet, a Wall Street investment analysis company, reported in 2002 that Chalk's was a "high risk" for vendors.
In 2005 Confalone tried to sell the airline. A $4.3 million deal fell through, as did a deal for $10 million with former racing promoter Ralph Sanchez and Miami Commissioner Art Teele (that same year, Teele killed himself in the lobby of the Miami Herald).
There had also been a number of repairs to the ill-fated plane, said Ruiz, especially to the right wing. In June 2005 the NTSB released a preliminary report, saying that there was a "serious fatigue crack" on the plane's right wing. The investigators discovered "light to moderate" corrosion where the wing met the body of the plane, as well as some popped rivets. Similar corrosion had been found in 1992, Ruiz noted, but Chalk's failed to X-ray the area to detect the fractures. Someone had screwed in a bolt where the right wing met the body of the aircraft at an angle; this may have allowed water to seep in and corrode the area. Adding to this, the seaplane was retrofitted with new turbine engines. This gave the plane more horsepower and possibly added more stress.
In the year before the crash three pilots had quit the company because of concerns about poor maintenance, according to federal documents. Those documents also revealed that pilot Michelle Marks, who died in the crash, was concerned about the same problem. "Michelle was becoming scared and talked about maintenance concerns all the time," her husband told federal aviation investigators. "They were having close calls that were becoming more frequent."
It all meant one thing to Ruiz and the other lawyers. "We saw a consistent pattern of poor maintenance and poor maintenance record-keeping," Ruiz said. "Just days prior to the accident, pilots reported fuel leaking from the wings, of the plane that went down and others not involved in the accident. [These] other two planes, in my opinion, were flying time bombs."
Confalone did not respond to repeated calls for comment for this article. Nor has he publicly spoken about the incident in the fourteen months after the crash. He may have been trying to keep his company solvent. The airline was so financially weak that when AIG, its insurance company, gave Chalk's $450,000 to help the victims' families, the company had to use half the money to pay its employees, Ruiz said.
It took about one year for AIG to reach a settlement with the victims' families, an unusually quick resolution in the often slow-moving world of personal injury claims. The final case, a lawsuit filed by the family of co-pilot Michelle Marks, was quietly closed just a few weeks ago on February 10. In the end the families will split $51 million after lawyers' fees, of course.
On most days Felix Ellis sits in his sagging chair in his living room, where framed eight-by-ten photos of Genevieve line the walls. A colorful scene of a sun and palm trees was painted by his grandson for Genevieve's funeral, which was fifteen months ago.
"I miss her in the daytime," he says slowly. "I used to give her a call at 5:00 p.m. every day. Sometimes, I sit right here, all day, looking at her pictures."
Solace comes in television and the Bible. "God will never leave you alone," Felix maintains. "He will stick with you through thick and thin."
Felix isn't eager to read the final NTSB report, which is slated for release in the next few weeks. He shrugs when asked whether he will take another Chalk's seaplane flight a moot point, really, because the company's aircraft are still grounded and may be for good. The FAA and the Bahamian government haven't approved Chalk's plan to begin flying the seaplanes again. Chalk's started to operate charter planes in February of this year, land-based aircraft to Bimini, and people are reluctantly boarding the flights.
Felix won't talk about how much money he received mostly because under the settlement agreement, he and the others agreed not to publicly discuss the sum. He scoffs at the idea that the insurance money has changed him. It's clear from looking around his house that he hasn't invested in anything new. Indeed there's no sign that he's spent any of the tens of thousands of dollars he likely received.
"If they came to me with $9 million and said, öMr. Ellis, this is yours,' that don't bring my wife back," he says.
In reality, he says, the money has caused more problems than it's solved, which is true for many of the Bimini families who lost a relative in the crash. Genevieve's son from a previous marriage is angry he didn't receive any of the settlement cash. This is not unusual, because under Florida law, the surviving spouse receives the money in such personal injury cases, not the victim's adult children.
"My stepson is going around town talking to everyone instead of coming here and talking to me," Felix said. He's also aware that others on the island whisper about how his youngest son is now driving a new car. He doesn't care. He's doing the best he can.
Folks on the island may gossip and squabble, but they also help take care of him. Letitia Jones, Felix's niece, often sends one of her grandkids over to his house with a plate of fried fish for dinner. "He is a good man," she says, "and he was a good husband."
Letitia spends a lot of time thinking about the crash and how she came so close to boarding a doomed plane. She and others on the island swear the mishap was foreshadowed in the dreams of two Bimini passengers who were aboard Flight 101 when it crashed. Jackie Levarity allegedly envisioned five caskets lined up outside the island's Catholic church the number of Catholic victims from Bimini. And Sabrina Dean dreamed of being in a plane crash. "They had all kinda dreams," Letitia insists. "If you had a dream like that, you wouldn't get on the plane."
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Yet they did. Like several Bimini residents, Jones believes that the two women should have heeded the message in their dreams.
"God tried to show them!" Letitia cries, slapping her hand down on her dark wood dining room table. Three Bibles sitting nearby shake from the force of the slap. "Show them! But they didn't pay no attention. You gotta pay attention when God speaks."
On a recent February day it seemed everyone was talking about those dreams. People also described crash victims visiting them in their sleep, night after night. Mothers, they say, come to daughters and kiss them to sleep, wives appear to their husbands for another embrace. Genevieve, always a practical lady, has given Felix some advice during her nighttime visits.
"Don't care what nobody say," she told him during the dream. "Take care of yourself. Don't worry about me."


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The core of the bat removal process is to repair the open access points where bats are entering attics of homes and set up a live bat exclusion system consisting of one-way doors installed in the high bat traffic areas to filter out the bat colony in attic spaces.
To guarantee the bat removal process was successful a re-inspection is done 30 days after the initial bat exclusion to ensure satisfaction with the removal of bats from attic space and to remove exclusion door system and complete sealing of home.
Attic Restoration
This last step is for more severe bat infestations when the homeowner has extensive damage to their homes attic space. Bat feces (guano) causes structural dangers and also health risks with the growth of mold and fungus which can be hazardous to residents. Complete attic restoration and spot cleaning are available to remove, disinfect, and treat contaminated areas from bat roost.
For questions or further information on the bat exclusion process and all of our bat removal services contact us today online or get a free online quote.


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Last week we told you about Qualcomm's new S4 Snapdragon processor, which promises lightning speeds and integrated LTE. But it is also offering a "Pro" version, specifically designed with performance graphics and hi-res display in mind.
To do that, it uses an Adreno 320 GPU, which offers a four-fold improvement in performance over the rest of the Snapdragon range. Qualcomm also claim it's optimised for "the most advanced operating systems", in particular pointing to Windows 8. My guess is that we'll see it cropping up in tablets focused on 3D and mobile gaming in the first instances.
The S4 Pro processors are expected to come to market in the second half of 2012. [Qualcomm]


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Geothermal energy is the energy stored in the form of heat beneath the earth's surface.
Geothermal energy is a carbon free, renewable, sustainable form of energy that provides a continuous, uninterrupted supply of heat that can be used to heat homes and office buildings and to generate electricity.
Our planet is a huge source of energy. In fact 99.9 per cent of the planet is at a temperature greater than 100°C; so geothermal energy is a significant renewable resource.
Geothermal energy has been used to provide heat for as long as people have been around to take advantage of it. For example, in some places the natural groundwater, heated by this geothermal energy, finds its way to surface and emerges in hot springs or steam geysers, which have been used by humans for bathing and agriculture since pre-history.
The BGS Geothermal map of the UK shows the geothermal potential in the United Kingdom and a new collaboration — BritGeothermal — will help develop a greater understanding of UK geothermal resources and research their exploitation so that geothermal energy can become part of the energy mix.
The reports of the Scottish Government Geothermal Energy Challenge Fund feasibility studies have now been published. BGS was a consortium partner in the Fortissat, Guardbridge and Hill of Banchory projects.
Download the reports:
Geothermal energy plants are normally located in regions where there is volcanic activity, such as in Iceland and New Zealand.
The first electricity to be generated from geothermal was at Larderello in northern Italy in 1904. There are now geothermal energy plants in 24 countries throughout the world and there are deep geothermal energy systems currently being developed and tested in France, Australia, Japan, Germany, the USA and Switzerland as well as the UK.
In Iceland, which has abundant geothermal energy resources, geothermal energy is used to provide the majority of the electricity and heating demands of the country.
Many other countries also obtain significant amounts (> 10 per cent) of their electricity from geothermal sources including El Salvador, Kenya, the Philippines, Costa Rica and New Zealand.
Although the UK is not actively volcanic, there is still a substantial resource of geothermal energy at shallow depths but it is exploited in different ways. The upper 10–15 m of the ground is heated by solar radiation and acts a heat store.
This heat can be utilised by ground source heat pumps that can substantially reduce heating bills and reduce the associated carbon footprint. The heat from the sun is conducted downwards into the ground.
At a depth of about 15 metres, ground temperatures are not influenced by seasonal air temperature changes and tend to remain stable all year around at about the mean annual air temperature (9–13°C in the UK). Hence, the ground at this depth is cooler than the air in summer and warmer than the air in winter.
This temperature difference is exploited by ground source heat pumps that are used for heating and/or cooling of homes and office buildings. There are different types of systems which can be broadly grouped into closed-loop systems and open-loop systems.
Various geological factors have to be considered when selecting and designing any ground source heat pump system — see BGS guidance: Initial geological considerations before installing ground source heat pump.
Open-loop systems, for example, exchange heat with subsurface water (groundwater) and require the presence of water-bearing rocks (aquifer) within a suitable distance from the surface.
The BGS (in collaboration with the Environment Agency) have mapped where these conditions are fulfilled in England and Wales and have produced Open-loop GSHP screening tools.
Closed-loop systems extract the heat from the ground via heat exchangers installed in boreholes (vertical systems) or shallow trenches within unconsolidated ground (horizontal systems).
The BGS collaborates with European partners to map this very shallow geothermal heat potential in the UK and Europe (See Thermomap project).
Mine water systems make use of the enhanced permeability in previously mined areas where rock and minerals/coal were removed, creating artificial void space. Collapsed shafts, remnant roadways and subsidence fractures provide storage and pathways for the flow of underground water.
The heat energy contained within these waters (which may be enhanced in deep mining systems) can be extracted using ground source heat pumps.
The BGS are investigating the potential of these resources and how the heat can be utilised by local communities such as the heat energy from mine waters beneath Glasgow.
With increasing depth, the ground temperatures are also affected by the heat conducted upwards from the Earth's core and mantle, known as the geothermal heat flow.
When combined with the thermal conductivities of the rocks this allows the prediction of subsurface temperatures. The UK's geothermal gradient, the rate at which the Earth's temperature increases with depth, has an average value of 26°C per km.
Some rocks contain free flowing water (groundwater) and so at depth this water will be warm and can be extracted for use in district heating schemes or for industrial uses such as heating green houses.
There are also regions in the UK where the rocks at depth are hotter than expected. This occurs in granitic areas because some granite generates internal heat through the radioactive decay of the naturally occurring elements potassium, uranium and thorium.
Granites have very little free flowing water, but it is possible to engineer the fracture system such that water can be made to flow from one borehole to another through the granite. The extracted hot water is at a sufficiently high temperature to drive an electricity generating turbine.
Parts of Cornwall have geothermal gradients that are significantly higher than the UK average due to the presence of granite and have potential for geothermal power generation. These systems are known as engineered geothermal systems (EGS) and are described below.
Exploiting the geothermal potential of rocks with poor natural permeability involves enhancing or engineering the permeability of the hot rocks at depth.
A project to better understand the geochemistry, fluid flow and sealing mechanisms of geothermal systems.
For further information please contact Dr Jonathan Busby.


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Notice is given that articles of incorporation that will incorporate STA Apparel Inc. have been delivered to the Secretary of the State for filing in accordance with the Georgia Business Corporation Code. The initial registered office of the corporation is located at 2291 Smoke House Path, Lawrenceville, GA 30044 and its initial registered agent at such address is John L. King 3rd.
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Golden Terracotta Olio Vase
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Asia, the Americas, and US strategy for a new century
Remarks by William J. Burns, US Deputy Secretary
Remarks at World Affairs Councils of America National Conference, Washington, DC
Thank you, Paula [Dobriansky], for that very kind introduction.
And thank you for all that you and World Affairs Councils across our country do to educate and inspire the American people about our role in the world, and all the challenges and opportunities before us.
I've had the pleasure of speaking at many World Affairs Council events over the years, and am always glad to be invited back. Whenever I think of repeat performances, I'm reminded of a story involving George Bernard Shaw and Winston Churchill. It seems that Shaw sent Churchill two tickets to the opening night performance of a new play.
He included a note that read, "Here are two tickets to my new play. Bring a friend, if you have one". To which Churchill wrote back, with his usual diplomatic subtlety: "Sorry, but I can't make it to the opening night performance. Please send me tickets to the second performance, if there is one".
I'm certainly glad to be back for this repeat performance this morning. Today, instead of discussing the issues politicians have fought over for the last decade, I'd like to call attention to opportunities we are striving to seize in the decade ahead.
Twenty years after the Cold War, ten years after 9/11, as we remove the last US troops from Iraq and prepare for transition in Afghanistan, America is focused on economic renewal and US foreign policy is in the midst of a strategic pivot toward the Pacific.
President Obama has been clear: "the tide of war is receding". We have spent much of the last decade -- by necessity -- focused on the places where we faced the most urgent threats. Responding to threats will always be central to our foreign policy. But, as Secretary Clinton likes to say, it cannot be our foreign policy. In the decade ahead, we have to direct our focus to the places where we have the greatest opportunities to shore up the sources of America's strength.
So today, I'd like to focus on the broader Pacific region, stretching from India to the western coast of the Americas, and make the case that complementary strategic and economic relationships with vibrant partners in Asia and the Americas will be central to our future success.
The Asia-Pacific: America's strategic pivot
In many respects, the broader Pacific will be the most dynamic and significant part of the world for American interests for many decades to come. It already includes more than half of the world's population, many of its most important economies, key allies, and emerging powers.
I recommend to all of you a recent article in Foreign Policy magazine in which Secretary Clinton spells out her vision for "America's Pacific Century".
The growing economic and political ties across the Pacific are part of a broader narrative of the politics of integration of the 21st century that stretches and challenges traditional geographic concepts and bureaucratic structures. In each of these regions, the United States is bolstering relationships with existing strategic partners, and enlisting emerging powers to address global problems and join us in crafting the 21st century rules of the road.
And, just as crucially, these are places with booming middle classes where US businesses can tap new markets and reach new consumers to drive the US economic recovery forward.
It is not a coincidence that the three free trade agreements the President signed into law last month were with Pacific Rim partners.
To harness the tremendous opportunities in the coming decades, we must adopt a new concept of our foreign policy and strategy that pays greater attention to the growing linkages across the Pacific -- and that leverages our core relationships on both sides.
Asia's rise has been so dramatic that it is not just remaking Asia's cities and economies -- it is redrawing the geostrategic map. To give one example, half the world's merchant tonnage now passes through the South China Sea. As Asia undergoes profound changes, we need to develop the diplomatic, economic and security architecture that can keep pace.
US leadership in implementing such an architecture will pay us dividends this century and help the Pacific to reach its full potential, just as our investment in building a comprehensive and lasting network of institutions and relationships across the Atlantic has paid off many times over.
As we look to the future, we start from a position of strength. America is a resident diplomatic, military and economic power in the Pacific -- and, as Secretary Clinton says -- we are there to stay. The foundation of our policy remains our historical alliances with Japan, South Korea, Australia, the Philippines, and Thailand, which is our oldest treaty partner.
Japan, which I just visited last week, is the third largest economy in the world and a vital partner on everything from Afghanistan's development to anti-piracy efforts off the coast of Africa. Our alliance remains the cornerstone of peace and stability in the region. South Korea is a go-to ally, an engine for global economic growth, and a major contributor to regional and global stability.
Later this month, President Obama will arrive in Australia for an historic visit that underscores our modernizing alliance. With the Philippines, we are celebrating the 60th anniversary of our Mutual Defence Treaty and deepening our economic, defence, and security relationship.
We are also reaching out to build new partnerships across the region with countries like China, India, Indonesia, Singapore, New Zealand, Mongolia, Vietnam, and Brunei.
With China, which I also visited again last week, we start with the idea that good China policy is necessarily embedded in good Asia policy -- and then we work assiduously to deepen cooperation and trust between our nations.
Year after year, our Strategic and Economic Dialogue with China features one of the largest diplomatic delegations ever assembled. And we are engaged in promising new civil-military dialogues to increase transparency and trust, and to decrease the odds of miscalculation on sensitive issues.
In a complex relationship like this one, neither conflict nor cooperation is preordained. As China's role in world affairs grows, keeping this relationship on a productive track will be a defining challenge -- for both sides -- for many years to come.
For all our differences, we have a lot more to gain by working together than by working apart. And no bilateral relationship is likely to matter more to the interests of each of our countries, or to the future of international order, in the new century unfolding before us.
Beyond these key relationships, we are making an unprecedented commitment to supporting Asia's promising regional institutions, including the ASEAN Regional Forum, and the East Asia Summit, where President Obama will inaugurate America's participation.
We will help these institutions realize their potential to play a critical role in developing common rules of the road and systems that can help address increasingly complex and transnational challenges, like non-proliferation, maritime security, and humanitarian and natural disasters.
Through all of these deepening ties, we are attempting to build networks of cooperation that will create a peaceful and prosperous Asia-Pacific for many years to come.
But, to be successful, our outreach in shaping Asia's future must not end at the conventional borders of the region. We are enlisting India and the Americas -- East Asia's neighbours to the west and to the east -- to help us anchor and shape a fast-growing Asia-Pacific.
India: A defining partnership
Let me start with India. Soon to be the world's most populous country, and already the world's biggest democracy, with an economy likely to be the world's third largest within two decades, India's rise will reshape the international system.
The President has said that India will be "one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century". We also want it to be one of the defining partnerships in the Asia-Pacific.
India is already a powerful economic and cultural presence in East Asia, and has built a vast network of economic agreements and security arrangements with partners like Japan, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Vietnam. India's outreach is growing toward a comprehensive vision for the East Asia region -- a "Look East" policy that is becoming an "Act East" policy.
That's why, last year, our two countries launched a strategic dialogue on the Asia-Pacific to ensure that the world's two largest democracies pursue strategies that reinforce one another. And we are launching a new US-India-Japan trilateral consultation on regional issues.
We hope that India will join us in working to strengthen Asia's many regional institutions -- from the East Asia Summit to ASEAN, where India already trades nearly as much in goods as it does with the United States. An architecture of free trade and investment that connects India to Southeast and East Asia will have a profound impact on global trade and economic growth.
And let me explicitly state that the 21st century Asia-Pacific we seek is one in which India, the United States, and China all enjoy good relations. Whatever our differences, we know that, as this century advances, fewer and fewer global problems will be solvable without constructive cooperation amongst our three great countries. To paraphrase India's National Security Advisor, I have no doubt that Asia and the world are big enough for the three of us -- if we want them to be.
The Americas: A complementary strategy
For many of the same reasons, not least the democratic values that we share, we are also looking to our partners in the Americas as a natural complement to our strategy in the 21st century Pacific.
Nearly all nations of the Americas are growing markets. From Canada to Chile, many are already resident Pacific powers. Brazil and others without a Pacific coast are building important ties with Asia and India.
Our partnerships in the Western Hemisphere are vital to the United States in their own right. They are vital to our economic recovery and competitiveness; vital to our ability to solve the transnational challenges that no country can solve on its own; and vital to our efforts to promote and consolidate democracy and human rights globally.
Just as we start from a position of strength in the new Asia, our multifaceted ties with our friends closer to home give us an edge in encouraging and benefiting from a growing and increasingly integrated Americas. But we cannot be passive. We need to continue to actively strengthen our hemispheric ties with mutual respect and as partners -- not junior partners or senior partners, but equal partners.
Everyone knows about Asia's economic success. Latin America's success story is less known but no less important to us. Over the last 15 years, 56 mm Latin American households have joined the ranks of the middle class, buying cars and iPhones and opening bank accounts.
Roughly 275 mm people in Latin America and the Caribbean are now in the middle class. That is almost half of the population, and it is projected to reach a whopping 72 % by 2030.
Over the next five years, the economies of Latin America and the Caribbean could grow by one-third. Brazil is already one of the world's largest economies, and many of its neighbours are growing at rates typically associated with Asia.
Latin America is a major source of energy, food, and other resources, fuelling the world economy, and will continue to develop as a supplier and consumer of manufactured products, technology and services.
With their growing domestic demand, growing investments in our country, and increasingly integrated supply chains and intra-company trading with the United States, our neighbours in the Americas are supporting jobs here at home. Every dollar of growth in our own hemisphere does more to help us than growth farther afield.
Forty-three % of our exports stay in our hemisphere. We export over three times as much to Latin America as we do to China. We sell more to Colombia than to Russia. The increase in trade between Canada and the US last year was double our entire bilateral trade with India.
With the addition of Colombia and Panama, we now have Free Trade Agreements that stretch, uninterrupted, from the Arctic to the Straits of Magellan, including almost the entire Pacific coast.
The FTAs cement important strategic partnerships and open the doors to US products and services -- 87 % of our exports within the region go to our FTA partners. That is the power of proximity at work. And we need to harness it to help in our recovery.
In addition to commerce, stable energy supplies from our own hemisphere will be increasingly crucial to our security and to fuelling our economic recovery. Our hemisphere supplies one-fourth of the world's crude oil, one-third of the world's natural gas, nearly one-fourth of its coal, over a third of global electricity, and is a leader in renewable energy.
We have over 40 innovative initiatives underway under our Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas.
Last year, the United States imported nearly half of the oil and petroleum products we used. Forty-nine % of those imports came from right here in our hemisphere and only 18 % from the Persian Gulf. Canada and Mexico are already our top two foreign sources of oil, and big deposits in Brazil are becoming accessible.
As energy expert Daniel Yergin wrote recently, the world's new oil map is no longer centred on the Middle East, but on the Western Hemisphere. He predicts that by 2020, our hemisphere will import only half as much oil from outside the hemisphere as we do now.
Given the economic dynamism on both sides of the Pacific, it is no surprise that Asia and Latin America have also recognized each others' potential. China has become the top recipient of commodities exports from several South American countries.
Many of our hemispheric colleagues are concluding trade or investment agreements with partners in Asia. The IDB reports that Japan leads Asian investment in Latin America and the Caribbean, with over $ 26 bn over the past seven years, followed by over $ 5 bn from South Korea and $ 1.8 bn from China. We should not fear Asia's economic interest in our hemisphere, provided the relationships are transparent and the rules are respected. And by the way, US investment in the region over the same period was $ 147 bn.
Beyond economics, our hemisphere is full of proven and potential partners that are increasingly contributing outside their immediate borders. We collaborate with Canada on nearly everything, including on taking the fight to the Taliban and NATO's Libya operation.
Mexico is a leader at global climate talks and an ally against all forms of illegal trafficking. Brazil has ambitious development projects in Africa, and works closely with us to fight AIDS and malaria. Colombia shares its counternarcotics and counterterrorism expertise, and Uruguay generously contributes UN peacekeepers. We are connecting electrical grids from North to South America. And after the Haitian earthquake, virtually every country in the Americas worked side by side on the largest relief operation in the history of the world.
Even more important than the region's economic success is its democratic transformation. While military dictatorships dotted the landscape just decades ago, there are now very few exceptions to democratic governance in our hemisphere.
The Organization of American States can bind our democracies together, and our unique Inter-American Democratic Charter enshrines the duties of our governments to protect and promote our citizens' right to democracy.
The economic, political, and social development of the Americas has been accompanied by unprecedented regional integration. In addition to the OAS, there are summits, NAFTA, UNASUR, SICA, CARICOM, and many other initiatives to enhance economic integration and political cooperation.
These efforts have fostered dialogue, peaceful resolution of disputes, and democratic solidarity. They have also built a political consensus around integration that has made globalization less scary and allowed countries to beat back protectionist instincts during tough economic times.
So as you can see, we are strategically engaged in both the Asia-Pacific and in the Americas. The challenge I present to you today is to think of those increasingly interconnected regions as an integrated whole -- a broader Pacific with commonalities beyond geographic proximity.
Our strategies in each region must be mutually reinforcing, and should identify complementarities and build upon them. We can leverage our partners on one end of the ocean to advance our goals on the other end. We must exert our leadership in each region to build the Pacific Century we seek.
For example, if we can deepen and consolidate a consensus in our hemisphere behind open, free, transparent, and fair economic competition, coupled with a commitment to social inclusion -- then that will not only benefit our citizens here at home, but also strengthen our collective position as together we promote our common values in the Asia-Pacific and around the world.
With our partners in the Americas, we can present the unique approach to democratic development that is leading to tremendous success in our hemisphere as a powerful example to countries in Asia undertaking their own processes of political opening and democratization.
The Americas' rich history of multilateralism will allow us to reach across the Pacific in a coherent and productive fashion, and help build a mature and effective regional architecture based on the expanding groupings and arrangements in the Asia-Pacific.
Many of our partners in the broader Pacific share our goal of building a regional economic architecture for long-term, inclusive growth that is open, free, transparent, and fair. And many share our concerns about workers' rights, non-transparent investments, relationships that simply centre on extracting resources, and misaligned currencies that throw trade relations out of balance and cost jobs. These are but a few of the trans-Pacific issues needing trans-Pacific dialogue to find solutions.
The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum is a key vehicle for promoting a rules-based economic framework to trade and investment across the Pacific, since it includes 21 of the 21st century's most dynamic economies, 5 of them from the Americas.
APEC is also important to American wallets, as its members account for over half of global economic output and 40 % of the world's population. Increasing our exports to APEC members by just 5 % would increase export-related jobs in the US by hundreds of thousands. President Obama and Secretary Clinton will welcome their counterparts to Hawaii to further the progress we have made together in designing the Asia-Pacific architecture.
APEC will be immediately followed by the sixth North America Leaders Summit, where our leaders will be able to reflect on the results of APEC and our hemisphere's engagement with Asia, as well as on ideas for additional pragmatic partnerships that we can bring to the Summit of the Americas in April.
And with our free trade agreements with Korea, Colombia and Panama complete, our attention is focused on concluding the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP. The goal of the cutting-edge TPP is to unite Peru, Chile, and the United States with New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei, and eventually future members, in a single trading community, using the highest standards. In so doing, we and our partners hope to foster not just more growth, but better growth on both sides of the Pacific.
We hope that, once the TPP is in force, the promise of access to its markets will encourage other nations to raise their standards as well. Eventually, we would like to see a high-quality TPP become the foundation for a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific.
Our parallel and overlapping work at APEC, the TPP, the ASEAN Regional Forum, the Summit of the Americas, and other groupings paint a clear picture: the economic goals of the Americas and the Asia-Pacific are highly complementary. It makes sense that two regions that are tied so closely together and with similar economic aspirations could learn from each other and work closely together.
Another way we are building bridges is through bilateral dialogues on Western Hemisphere issues that we conduct with key Asian partners, including Japan, Korea, China, and soon, India. We are similarly deepening our discussions with Western Hemisphere partners on issues related to Asia.
Both Asia and Latin America are notably receptive to collaboration with the United States. In Asia, countries are eager to work with us to shape a changing regional dynamic. In Latin America, the old ideological roadblocks are less salient than ever. There are real opportunities out there -- if we commit ourselves to seize them. These new configurations may seem abstract -- but our economic cooperation can create jobs here in America, and our diplomatic work together can help us promote democracy and security around the world.
And let me add that, as we consider cuts to the 1 % of our budget devoted to diplomacy and development, these are the questions we should be asking. Will America devote the resources necessary to knock down economic barriers and help our businesses compete in the global economy? Will we invest in a strong presence in order to lead in the most important regions of the 21st century?
Will we take on transnational threats and the drivers of instability, from climate change to famine to violent extremism? Or will we cut corners now and pay the cost later with a weaker position in a more dangerous world?
These are the stakes of our budget debate. We need only look at our successes over the past few months and the transformations underway globally to see that US taxpayers are getting a great bang for the buck they invest in diplomacy and development.
Any attempt to cut that small investment will not make a dent in our deficit, but will certainly make a dent in our leadership. And that is what we cannot afford.
To sum up, in order to lead in the 21st century, America must think strategically as the world's economic and strategic centre of gravity shifts inexorably toward the Pacific. Our challenge is not to pull it back, but to make sure that a rising tide of economic prosperity lifts all boats and economic renewal at home creates new opportunities for the American people.
Our challenge is not to contain rising powers in East Asia, South Asia, or Latin America, but to lead in creating global networks of cooperation that benefit everyone.
And if we do, we won't just help our own economy and build a more peaceful, prosperous world. We will ensure that the Pacific century that is unfolding before us will also be an American century.
Thank you.


text:
- Do the preparation activity to help you with words from the text.
- Read the text then play the game to check your understanding.
- You can also print the worksheets for more practice.
- Remember to read our discussion question and leave a comment!
Do you like the same things as Juan? What languages do you speak?
KingBrown5000 replied on Canada Permalink
I speak english ,cantonese and chinese
IndigoVelocirap... replied on India Permalink
The penpal letter was nice and beautiful.
QueenFairyDrum replied on Pakistan Permalink
Yes I like the same things as Juan. I can speak Urdu and English.
DJPoloFlute replied on Mexico Permalink
Hi guys,
My name is Ramon. I am from Mexico, but my parents are from South Korea.
I am tall. I have 11 years old, my birthday is on Oct. 1st.
I like investigating thing from internet, reading books and playing sports.
DJDinosaurViolet replied on Singapore Permalink
hi my name is lin. I am nine years old..i am tall .I have brown eyes.I am from Singapore.In Singapore there are a lot of rain.
AluminiumEnviro... replied on India Permalink
hi guys,
My name is Rahul. I am from Mumbai in India.
I'm tall. I am 7 years old.
I like cricket, football. I also, like reading books.
I HAVE GOT A PET. HIS NAME is Bruno. he is a dog
BronzeGoodbyeGhost replied on Poland Permalink
I like football and music and playing games.
I can speak english and polish.
KingWaterSport replied on France Permalink
Hi DoctorScience800 i am Léonard i am 10 years an i live in France. I like football (i am goal keeper) an i like play games ,an you wot doo you like ? I speak English an French ,an you what do you speak?
HiViolinFlame replied on Iran Permalink
Hi Gaia . How are you?
My name's Diba. I'm 12 and I'm from Iran.How old are you?
I'm tall,have a brown, short hair and black eyes.
I have two parrots that called Lumpy and Layka. I love swimming,Tae wan dou,music and watch cartoons.
Weather in Iran is very good.
PrincessMusicOrchid replied on Italy Permalink
hiiii! I am gaia. I live in a town near the sea .(in italy)
have got blonde hair and big brown eyes.
I have got one brother called martin,he likes very mutch dinosaurs. the is 5 years old. have you brothers or sisters?
i like very mutch animals!


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Verizon, AT&T in $1.9 Billion Deal to Swap Some Spectrum
Verizon Wireless has announced a bunch of spectrum-swap deals, including an agreement with AT&T that will see Ma Bell forking over $1.9 billion in cash.
In that deal, AT&T is getting 39 lower 700 MHz B Block licenses from Verizon, along with the cash, In addition, AT&T is transferring some spectrum in the AWS band in several western U.S. markets including Los Angeles, Phoenix, Fresno and Portland, Oregon.
Verizon is getting $189 million by selling 700MHz licenses in North Carolina to Grain Management, a Florida-based private equity firm. Verizon will also lease an AWS license for Dallas that Grain is acquiring from AT&T.
And Verizon said it will lease 700 MHz spectrum to 20 rural operators as part of its effort "to jumpstart the delivery of 4G LTE in rural areas."
The Federal Communications Commission and Department of Justice will have to give the okay for the deals to be finalized.
Verizon had said it would sell some of its 700 MHz holdings assuming it was allowed to acquire spectrum from a coalition of cable companies.


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SYDNEY, Australia - A driver stranded on a remote stretch of Australian highway Wednesday tried to summon help by playing dead in the middle of the road, a police officer said.A woman who was driving with her two children spotted the man and had to swerve to avoid hitting him, said Doug Backhouse, a detective with the Western Australia state police."She drove around the body which didn't move at all and got to the nearest phone," Backhouse said.Local police arrived with an ambulance and found the man alive and well, but with car troubles."The best way he thought to get a vehicle to stop was to lay down in the middle of the road and pretend to be dead," Backhouse said, adding that the man didn't think anyone would stop if he were standing up.Police said they told the man that lying in the road was "a stupid thing to do" but didn't charge him with any offense.The incident occurred near Esperance, about 450 miles southeast of the state capital, Perth.© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Bush Sends Kerry to Solve Israel-Hezbollah WarAfter learning that the battle between Israel and Hezbollah could have been prevented if Sen. John Kerry, D-MA, had been the U.S. Commander in Chief, President George Bush today dispatched Sen. Kerry to the war-torn region to get this thing solved.Sen. Kerry, a career Vietnam veteran, who told a political gathering in Detroit yesterday that we must destroy Hezbollah and that the president has been absent on diplomacy, said he would bring his own brand of diplomatic destruction to the terrorist group.Senator Kerrys presence and intellect alone should bring a swift end to hostilities, said Mr. Bush, who admitted that he, and the State Department, had kind of put the Middle East thing on the back burner while following televised coverage of the Tour de France bicycle race.In related news, as hostilities along the Lebanon border approached the two-week mark, the crisis was officially added to the list of bad things that would not have happened during a John Kerry presidency.
I didn't write it. I'm not that funny.


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Directions: Mash avocado meat in the skin - and then transfer mashed avocado to a bowl. Add everything but the peppers, and stir to combine. Add peppers and lightly chill again. Serve with really good chips Makes 2-3 cups - depending on the size of the avocado
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30 July 2014
08:00 | Posted by TRACEY O
Today we have another sweet layout form Alicia.
Materials Used:
Bazzill Basics Paper:
10-1001 Bazzill white
S5-086 Bitty Blossoms
S2-067 Create A Rose
E3D-016 Labels 34 medallion
Other Materials Used:
Bo Bunny Primrose papers
Platinum Ranger Liquid Pearls
Organza ribbon
Rich Cocoa Memento inkpad
Floral wire
28 July 2014
05:38 | Posted by TRACEY O
Pretty up your craft room with this idea for storing your buttons.
Materials Used:
Bazzill Basics Paper:
10-1001 Bazzill white
1-105E Petalsoft
S5-212 Belly Band One
S4-428 Feathers
S5-086 Bitty Blossoms
Other Materials Used:
Hemptique twine
Silk ribbon
Pion Design Papers
Ruby Rock-It letter sticker
Victorian Velvet Ranger Distress inkpad
Labels: Bazzill, Off The Page, Spellbinders | 0 comments
26 July 2014
05:25 | Posted by TRACEY O
It's so easy to achieve modern looks with the simple square die. Lots of little shapes help keep this layout fun and light.
Products Used:
Bazzill Basics Cardstock:
1-142E Brocade
10-1001E Bazzill White
4-434E Sunbeam
7-7116E Simon
S2-046 Blooms Three
MD2-010 Arrows One
MD1-oo4 Triangles One
S4-126 Squares
S4-116 Standard Circles Small
S4-354 Splendid Circles
S6-011 5x7 Reflective Moment
Other Materials Used:
Simple Stories patterned paper - Hey Mom
24 July 2014
05:29 | Posted by TRACEY O
A pretty & cheerful card from Alicia to share today.
Materials used:
Bazzill Basics Paper:
10-1001 Bazzill white
6-620E Wisteria
5-510E Parakeet
S6-012 5x7 Mystical Embrace
S2-066 Create a Gerber Daisy
S5-214 A2 Scalloped Borders 3
S2-048 Sprigs
Other Materials Used:
Organza ribbon
Ranger liquid pearls
Created by Design Team Member ALICIA
22 July 2014
18:00 | Posted by TRACEY O
This lovely image of a little boy was perfect to show how the Radiant Rectangles set of dies can be used on vintage projects.
Products Used:
Bazzill Basics Cardstock:
9-942E Twig
7-783E Admiral
S5-161 Radiant Rectangles
Other Materials Used
Pion Patterned Paper
20 July 2014
17:15 | Posted by TRACEY O
Here is another pretty layout from Alicia
Materials used:
Bazzill Basics Paper:
10-1001 Bazzill white
E3D-016 Labels 34
S2-062 Create-a-daisy
S4-430 Foliage Flourish
S4-328 Foliage
S2 047 Blooms four
Other Materials Used:
Jo Sonja texture paste
White Opal Ranger Liquid Pearls
G45 Botantical Tea papers
Kaisercraft script stamp
Memory Box stencil
Created by Design Team member - ALICIA
13 July 2014
08:31 | Posted by TRACEY O
I had some fun creating a mixed media background for this card. Texture paste, acrylic paint and Glimmermist were used on the middle layer, and the top layer was kept clean in order not to detract from the focal image.
Products Used:
Bazzill Basics Cardstock:
7-794E Artesian Pool
S5-219 A2 Modern Stationery
Other Materials Used:
Watercolour paper
Texture paste
Acrylic paint
Tiny safety pin
Star charm
Deep Red Charlie Chaplin stamp
4 July 2014
06:50 | Posted by TRACEY O
Today we have a cute layout from Alicia.
Materials used:
Bazzill Basics Paper:
10-1001 Bazzill white
S4-388 Stately circles
S5-086 Bitty Blossoms
S4-377 Fancy Framed Tags One
S5-158 Timeless Rectangles
S2-014 Medallion four
Other Materials Used:
Bo Bunny Pincushion papers
Ranger liquid pearls: platinum
1 July 2014
08:00 | Posted by TRACEY O
While editing my photos from the Anzac Day parade last year, I came across this photo of the crowd and spotted my husband right down the back. What are the chances of that?!? He said that I had an unfair advantage - his bald head makes him distinctive. I think he might be right! The background on the layout was done by sponging some gesso through a stencil made from the Graceful Lattice die and then stamping over it with various stamps and inks. In order to tie in with the Anzac Day theme, I fashioned a poppy using the Blooms Three die.
Products Used:
Bazzill Basics Cardstock:
5-589E Ivy
7-795E Blue Oasis
10-1001E Bazzill White
2-214E Red Devil
S6-010 5x7 Heirloom Legacy
S2-046 Blooms Three
IN-015 Shoot
S5-164 Grateful Lattice
Other Materials Used:
KaiserCraft patterned paper
Darkroom Door stamps: Alphabet Medley, Criss-Cross background, Coffee Stain eclectic stamp
Washi tape
Old book page
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Swing to Infinity Inside Thilo Frank's Mirrored Room
Measuring just 4 x 4 x 8 meters this small, windowless room might normally be considered a claustrophobic nightmare if it were't lined from floor to ceiling with dozens of mirrors creating a reflective universe that seems to stretch into infinity. Titled "The Phoenix is closer than it appears," the room was constructed by artist Thilo Frank at the Museum of Modern Art in Aalborg, Denmark. The Matrix-like space also features a swing that allows visitors an opportunity to view hundreds of cloned reflections swinging at all possible angles. I can think of quite a few illicit substances that should probably not be consumed before entering this room. (via designboom, myedol)


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text:
First thoughts on OpenJDK Community Bylaws
I am not really sure what to think about the proposed OpenJDK Community Bylaws. There are some very obvious issues in there:
- The governance board is responsible for sufficient infrastructure for the members, but doesn't have any resources for that.
- There is a direct tie to the JCP and the platform JSRs, but those are currently published under license terms that are GPL-incompatible (See Moving Java forward through the JCP?).
- Members are those that assign all rights to Oracle. (See Trusting companies with your code… and Oracle tries to destroy free java – now what?).
- It doesn't define the minimum (GPL) copyright, trademark and patent grants as used by the project (although it does mention it should be open-source).
- The board consists of Oracle and IBM appointees, with only a minority for independent candidates (the second and third largest corporate contributors, Red Hat and Google are not even mentioned.)
I have posted a longer analysis to the mailinglist.
Hope those blockers can be fixed, but there is a long way to go IMHO.


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The Russian American Cultural Center celebrated their 11th Anniversary, and the success of its exhibition "Homage to Diaghilev's Enduring Legacy, the final in a series of exhibitions sponsored by the Harriman Institute of Colombia University, with a gala reception and auction at the Ana Tzarev Gallery, 24 West 57th Street. The evening was a benefit for RACC's Educational Programs, which includes an upcoming exhibit of emerging Russian-American artists, and their goal to establish a permanent museum in New York City.
Dr. Regina Khidekel, art historian, critic and curator of this extraordinary exhibition, which celebrates stage design, an often neglected major cultural movement of the 20th Century, founded the non-profit Russian American Cultural Center in 1998 to promote international understanding of Russian art and culture among the Russian speaking population of New York City, and other cultural communities.
In the Soviet Union, from the 1960's through the mid 1980's, the stage was the only venue where experimentation with contemporary art trends was permitted, and easier to hide. Soviet stage designers were recognized internationally, and allowed to show their work outside the Soviet Union, attracting the most progressive artists from each generation who were instrumental in the conception and development of new art movements.
To quote Regina Khidekel "Though Theatre Design is a vital Russian art form, it is unrepresented today, because these designs are often carried out in "light media" such as watercolor or gouache on paper. Furthermore, in many countries, such as the United States, stage design is considered a bit player in comparison to the fine arts. Therefore, it was important for me to draw attention to the significant role that stage design and Russian stage design in particular, played in the development of twentieth century art". The exhibition, and the catalog book: "Rediscovered Gems of the 20th Century" is the culmination of Regina Khidekel's extensive research into works rescued from obscurity, by artists she had known, met or studied. "It was my big pleasure and an exciting challenge to find and identify the work of artists who were in small collections, some signed, sometimes not . . . artists who were unknown, forgotten or had died during the war. Not just Diaghilev, who was well known but others who had given their lives to the theater.
Highlights of the exhibit included works by: Nicholas Roerich, who was influenced by his passion for archeology, ancient rituals, folk art and his love for music, 1874-1947; Boris Erdman who favored the experimental and the eccentric, 1899-1960; Lazar Khidekel, one of the most important artists and architects of the Russian Avant-garde who also contributed to the theatre ,1904-1986; Mikhail Shcheglov, a painter, stage and film director whose imaginative vision inspired many directors and choreographers, 1934-1996; Tatiana Bruni, whose set and costume designs for ballet Bolt by Dmitry Shostakovich epitomized the theatrical Avant-garde of the 1930's as Soviet Art grew increasingly representational; Igor Vuskovich, a 1924 graduate of the Odessa Art Institute, a master of colorful costume designs, 1920-2004; Ivan Sevastianov's whimsical and evocative set designs, 1920-2004; and Nellie Polyakova, part of the wave of 1960's artists and three time winner of the St. Petersburg Theater for Children Festival for her puppet productions.
The festive evening was animated and elegant; guests mingled on both floors of the magnificent Ana Tzarev gallery as they viewed the Stage Design Exhibition, sipped cocktails and dined on a buffet of delicious Russian delicacies, bid on auction treasures, and then watched a unique, riveting and graceful art performance that combined live music and Avant-garde theatre... created and executed by up and coming composers, musicians, dancers and singers.
Honored guests included: Alec Brook-Krasny, New York State Assemblyman … Vitally I. Churkin, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations …Sergey V. Garmonin, Consul General of the Russian Federation in New York …Yurly A. Sergeev, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations … prominent artists, Grisha Bruskin, George Tsypin and Georgi Alexi Meskhish.
"The Homage to Diaghilev" Catalog is available upon request.
For more info in future RACC events and exhibitions:


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|Biosequences .. Software .. Molbio soft .. Network News .. FTP
I am sure that you have gotten some e-mail advertisements since you have been online, some crazy offers and some with good offers. They would not be sending you the ads if they were not making money. The Internet is so big and the amount of business you could generate with bulk e-mail is limitless. What you put into it is what you will make. No matter what people say, bulk e-mail is here to stay, some people do not like it but you will find that the amount of people that do like it surpasses the ones that do not. Start making that cash for the holidays! It is a numbers game, if you e-mailed out 1 million and got a 0.001% of a response on a $10.00 product that can make you a lot of sales, say you got a minimum of 1,000 orders that will be $10,000.00 and it would only take you little time to do. We will teach you how to use the program. Even if you do not have a product, just sit down and think of something that you know already, like say baking cookies or how to save money on taxes or what ever you might think would sell, make up an ad and blast it. We have a great offer for you, we have been in the bulk e-mailing business for over 2 years and have done very well and now for the first time we are offering the software to send your own bulk e-mail, and we will also throw in verified e-mail address. The prices are as follows: Bulk e-mail software with 7 million e-mail address $500.00 Bulk e-mail software with 4 million e-mail address $300.00 These are the 2 packages that we offer. All our addresses are updated on a weekly basis. Do not delay and start making money on the Internet for yourself. Bulk e-mailing really does work so give it a try. We will also give you some tech support to show you how to use the software and give you tips on making up some ads for your business. Here is some info on the bulk e-mailing program **Extractor pro 6.1**<<---name of program Has it's own list manager to manage your e-mail lists. Takes duplicates out if any.(our names are duplicate free) Has both desktop mailing capabilities and SMTP mailing capabilities. SureSend Technology allows you to place designated e-mail addresses in each of your mailings. After your mailing has been sent out, you can check these accounts to see if the e-mail was delivered successfully. Has domain removal feature to remove domains like .edu or .org etc. Extractor Pro contains a database maintenance program that allows you to compact, repair, backup and restore your database. The program can send at different levels of speed depending on your computer and the size of your ad, rule of thumb 50,000 to 80,000 e-mails per hour. Call to order or for more information 209-669-3628. If the machine picks up please leave your name and # and the best time to call and your e-mail address. Please state that you are calling for the software.


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How we make money?
Capital.com makes the majority of it's money through the spread, the difference between the buy and sell price.
Trade commodities with leverage
Commodities are available to trade with up to 10:1 leverage. Start trading with as little as $100 to control a position of $1000
Commodities CFDs
Trade 24/5 on a wide range of commodities
Buy and sell commodities to take advantage of rises and falls in price
Profit and loss control
You can easily define Stops and Limits to request positions to close at a specified price.
Set up price alerts to be informed of big moves.


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Solar Insolation (1 day)
Dataset you are currently viewing:
Select Year
About this datasetThese maps show where and how much sunlight fell on Earth's surface during the time period indicated. Scientists call this measure solar insolation. Knowing how much of the Sun's energy reaches the surface helps scientists understand weather and climate patterns as well as patterns of plant growth around our world. Solar insolation maps are also useful to engineers who design solar panels and batteries designed to convert energy from the Sun into electricity to power appliances in our homes and work places.
What do the colors mean?
The colors in these maps show how much sunlight (in Watts per square meter) fell on the Earth's surface during the given time period.
Related Websites
Further Reading
Imagery by Jesse Allen, NASA Earth Observatory, based on FLASHFlux data. FLASHFlux data are produced using CERES observations convolved with MODIS measurements from both the Terra and Aqua satellite. Data provided by the FLASHFlux team, NASA Langley Research Center.
Federal Geographic Data Committee Geospatial Metadata
View the FGDC Metatdata for Solar Insolation (1 day)


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Allahakbarries C.C.
J.M. Barrie
J.M. Barrie is famous for writing Peter Pan, one of the greatest children′s stories ever told. But Barrie′s real passion wasn′t writing - it was playing cricket, something he did rather badly.
The author loved the game so much he founded a team called Allahakbarries and recruited its players from the literary community. The peculiar team name come comes from a mistake. Barrie thought Allah akbar meant Heaven help us but in reality it means God is great.
Barrie, who died in 1937, needed God′s help. His writing ability far outweighed his cricketing talent. However, Allahakbarries will go down in literary history as a star-studded team quite unlike any other. H.G Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle, Jerome K Jerome, G.K. Chesterton, A.A. Milne, P.G. Wodehouse , and A. E. W. Mason, who wrote The Four Feathers, and E.W. Hornung, who created the Raffles novels, all played for the team at various times.
This remarkable celebrity team was celebrated in a slim book, privately published by Barrie in 1890, called Allahakbarries C.C. A revised edition appeared in 1899 and a reprint followed in 1950 which contained a forward by Don Bradman - Australia′s legendary batsman. The pre-1900 copies are extremely hard to find and much sought-after by rare book collectors. However, the 1950 reprints are relatively easy to find and also affordable with prices under £60.
The book is dedicated ′To Our Dear Enemy Mary de Navarro′, the famous American stage actress, who retired to Broadway in Worcestershire, and played cricket against the Allahakbarries in games commemorated by the Allahakbarries C.C. book. The actress, who formed a team from the community of artists living in Broadway, bowled out Barrie during a match in 1897, much to Barrie′s chagrin and probably to the hilarity of the author′s team-mates.
The 1950 edition contains an introduction by Philip Carr, a former 'junior' member of the team. It begins with the words:
If you had met Barrie, a cricketer was about the last thing that you would have imagined him to be. For he was small, frail and sensitive, rather awkward in his movements, and there was nothing athletic in his appearance.
The Allahakbarries were basically Barrie′s long-running joke. The Allahakbarries book is filled with gags from Barrie about his team′s lack of talent. It sounds as if the majority of players had trouble with batting, bowling and fielding, although players of some ability were recruited from time to time to bolster the ranks. Carr describes Conan Doyle as Barrie′s "chief tower of strength." The creator of Sherlock Holmes had ample sporting ability - he was a good goalkeeper in football, a useful golfer and played a handful of first-class cricket matches for the M.C.C.
Other artistic players included Punch cartoonist Bernard Partridge and E.T. Reed, editor of Punch Owen Seaman, the book illustrator Henry J Ford, and Sydney Pawling who became head of Heinemann Publishing. Illustrations by Partridge, Ford and Reed can be seen in the Allahakbarries C.C. book.
Joseph O′Neill′s acclaimed 2008 novel, Netherland, features a cricket club in New York and its immigrant players.
Siegfried Sassoon′s 1928 book, Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man, contains a description of a quintessential village cricket match.
The Pickwick Papers has a short description of a cricket match between Dingley Dell and All-Muggleton.
Life, the Universe and Everything from Douglas Adams′ Hitchhiker series is cricket-themed with Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect visiting Lord′s - the home of cricket.
Cricket features in Tom Brown's Schooldays by Thomas Hughes - how can a novel about an English public school not include cricket?
George MacDonald Fraser′s anti-hero, Harry Flashman, plucked from Tom Brown′s Schooldays, was a cricketer and plays in a cricket match at Lord′s in Flashman′s Lady.
England, Their England by A. G. Macdonell is a comic satire on British countryside and society, and the book′s description of a classic village cricket match is the high point of the novel.


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KORE Wellness Kettlebell Training: Great Expectations
Core Circuit (1 Kettlebell) Today you will be doing: Woodchops Single Leg Deadlift Single Leg Slingshot (each leg, each direction) Windmills
- Beginner: 6 reps of each for 4 sets
- Intermediate: 8 reps of each for 4 sets
- Advanced: 10 reps of each for 4 sets
Complete the workout and post the following to this blog:
- Time it took to complete the workout
- Kettlebell Weight Used
- Any Amendments to the workout
- Number of sets Average heart rate and calories burned (if using a HR Monitor)
- Rating for workout
KORE Wellness Kettlebell Training Routines are to be followed only by those who have good knowledge of how to use a kettlebell. If you have not had your technique checked out by a certified RKC or Strong First instructor, there is a strong likelihood that you are not using proper kettle bell technique. KORE Wellness is a training studio located in Columbia, SC. At KORE Wellness we strive to make your health journey not only successful but a complete transition. We put a lot into our training programs and accept only serious applicants so we can maximize our time with those who are determined to succeed. At KORE Wellness, you show up prepared to work hard, think, and learn. Life long health is about transforming the way you think and do things, it is more than just a workout or just a change of eating habits. In order to achieve life long success, you must change daily habits, an inner dialog, and make a commitment to something greater than your current self.


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Old Mondoro Bushcamp map: Lower Zambezi National Park in Zambia
Below is the most detailed current Google satellite map of Old Mondoro Bushcamp. To zoom out, to see more, click the minus sign (-) at the bottom of the bar on the left.
For a Google map of all the lodges in the area, including Old Mondoro Bushcamp, see our Google map of Lower Zambezi National Park.
For a more graphical, original map, also with clickable lodges, see our Lower Zambezi National Park reference map.
Navigating around this Old Mondoro Bushcamp map
Drag-and-drop the sliding marker along the vertical scale to zoom the map in (+) and out (-).
Move the mouse over the pins to see lodge names.
Click on a blue lodge pin to open a bubble with more information. In the bubble, click on the lodge name to read more information about the lodge.
Brown pins indicate points of interest, while black pins show important villages and towns.
|Old Mondoro Bushcamp
Lower Zambezi N.P.
|No. of bedrooms: 4 bush chalets
|Season: 01 May to 14 Nov
|For an intimate safari in the Lower Zambezi, with superb guiding, Old Mondoro is up there with the best.
|Read more about Old Mondoro Bushcamp
|See satellite map of Old Mondoro Bushcamp
|See safaris to Old Mondoro Bushcamp


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Announcing a unique new game: Crystalinx
Crystalinx delivers a whole new style of match 3 puzzle game. No swapping, no grids! Slide and rearrange the crystals any way you want to make matches, chains, cascades, and combos!
Crystalinx is friendly for beginners, but has enough depth to let you spot and take advantage of opportunities to score big points, by putting you in charge, not the game board. Each powerup has its own influence on strategy, as well as each board layout.
Crystalinx is not about "popping" everything in sight, like typical match 3 games, it's about flow and change and creation, a whole different philosophy.
* 14 board layouts with their own unique strategies
* 3 play modes: limited moves, limited time, and endless
* 6 amazing powerups to choose from: position targets, rainbow balls, reassemble shards, time bonus, double score bonus, and freeze time!
* For extra replay value, random zone gives you a random board with a random powerup each level!
* Global Leaderboard Rankings
Try the free version: http://appworld.blackberry.com/webst...tent/27314130/
Get the full version: http://appworld.blackberry.com/webst...tent/20082082/