text:
Paul Profeta recalls his teenage years in Newark with the fondness and clarity of someone who relives them every day — even if they were more than 50 years ago.
Growing up in Maplewood, he and his friends would finish school and take the No. 31 bus into the city. They'd hang out in the department stores that once made it a retail mecca — Bamberger's, Hahne & Co. and S. Klein — the same stores that gave him his first paying job in the late 1950s, demonstrating Soda King machines for what he thinks was $1.25 an hour.
"It was our town," he said. "I just loved Newark, and Newark had a lot to love. Newark was a happy, bustling, successful town."
It's why Profeta wants nothing more than to see the Brick City regain its former glorywith a renaissance that will bring people back to its downtown and erase the stigma of violence and racial tension that has plagued it since the riot of 1967.
Profeta, 69, is not just any cheerleader or well-wisher. He is a successful real estate investor, based in West Orange, with more than 40 years in business. And he has long since put his money where his mouth is when it comes to helping Newark.
It began in earnest in 2007, when he established a foundation to invest in minority-owned entrepreneurs in the city — it has since helped eight companies get off the ground and will launch its next wave of projects in the coming months.
And these days, Profeta has added another prong to his attack. Late last year he launched Radius, a glossy magazine showcasing Newark's dining, entertainment and cultural offerings, mailed directly to some 50,000 upper-middle-class residents in the Essex County suburbs — those with disposable income who, in theory, could truly impact the city's retail scene.
All Profeta wants to do is "show them what they're missing," believing many of those suburbanites are afraid to go to Newark because of the crime they read about on a routine basis, but don't understand.
"We have so many things in Newark that are just treasures and aren't understood or appreciated in the suburbs," said Profeta, the magazine's publisher. "And I know these people aren't stupid. If they knew these things were available, they would start to explore."
Profeta's efforts are only possible because of his success in real estate — and he has come a long way from when he started his own firm nearly 40 years ago.
"I had the net worth of this Post-it pad," he quipped during a recent interview, holding up a stack of tiny sticky notes on his conference table.
Profeta began his career in 1971 as a broker with Eastdil Secured in Manhattan, and then moved to Feist & Feist Realty Corp. in Newark. But he got the itch to be his own boss in 1976, even with the uncertainty that came with it.
Profeta found a niche that worked. He organized "syndications" — or groups of investors who pooled their funds to buy real estate — starting with a 108-unit apartment project in Dayton, Ohio.
By the early 1980s, Profeta had made enough from those transactions "to start trading from my own account," he said. He has operated without limited partners or investors ever since, buying and selling commercial property across the country as he quietly built the lucrative business known as Paul V. Profeta & Associates.
While the firm has thrived for decades, Profeta hasn't always been as focused on philanthropy as he is today. For many years, "I gave to some causes, I'd write checks or I would spend a Saturday afternoon at a charity, and so on."
Admittedly, though, he was falling short of a pledge he had made to his parents, who "gave an enormous amount of time and all the money they could spare to community endeavors and to the needy." He had always promised to follow suit.
But it wasn't until a day in October 2007 when something truly clicked. An avid motorcyclist, Profeta and his fiancée were riding just outside Utica, N.Y., when he suddenly lost control. Profeta was ejected — and he doesn't remember much else until he woke up about 20 minutes later, he said. Medics were taping his head to a spinal board, fearing he might have a spinal injury.
That meant he could be paralyzed.
"I was 63 years old, and I hadn't spent hardly any time keeping my promise," he said. "So in the ambulance I said, 'Lord, if I make it through this, I'm going to devote myself to philanthropic endeavors.'"
It was soon thereafter — once he realized he would recover — that he lay in his hospital bed, focusing on what he could do to keep his commitment.
There is no uncertainty these days about whether Profeta has kept his promise. He now spends about three-quarters of his time on his philanthropy, he said, much of it devoted to his foundation.
He launched the Profeta Urban Investment Foundation in 2007 and soon partnered with Rutgers Business School. He has donated $2.5 million to the cause, giving no-interest loans and personal guidance to eight minority entrepreneurs around Newark.
All eight are now paying their loans back, Profeta said. And the foundation is now preparing to launch another four, several of them aimed at creating a new vibrant restaurant scene in western Newark.
His work comes at a time of great momentum for Newark, with big-ticket, transformative development projects such as Teachers Village and Prudential Financial's new office tower underway.
But Profeta offers an important complement to those efforts, said Roland Anglin, a Rutgers-Newark professor who specializes in economic development. And his agenda comes with a whole different set of challenges — helping small businesses not quite in the downtown.
"The larger concerns can take care of themselves, but what about the smaller entrepreneurs that make up any community?" Anglin said. "And that's what he has keyed in on in a way that I don't think anyone else is Newark is keyed in on."
Such entrepreneurs today are bringing more energy than ever to the city's recovery, said Rutgers history professor Clement Price. He points to "a coterie of younger people with resources, with talent, with broad imaginations that are kind of untethered from Newark's more troubled past," who are investing in the city and are vested in its survival.
And they have found support in Profeta, who espouses the "old American story" of someone whose immigrant parents preached education and giving back.
"For someone like Paul to remember that and factor that into the way he comports himself as a citizen, and as a businessman and as an entrepreneur — that matters to a guy like me," said Price, the city's official historian.
Profeta is also hoping to build on Newark's rich jazz history with another new endeavor in Newark — a new eatery on Clinton Street called Duke's Southern Table. The venue, which he hopes to open by June, will be a combination soul food restaurant and jazz nightclub at the former site of Scully's Publick House, with a house band and potentially artists who will stop over after performances at NJPAC.
His partner in the project is Vonda McPherson, chef-owner of Vonda's Kitchen on West Kinney Street. Profeta offered a vision that made perfect sense to McPherson, a jazz lover just like Profeta: there is great demand in and around Newark for such a venue, from both musicians and patrons, and Duke's is just the place to capture it.
Eight months later, she said Profeta is not just a partner — he is a mentor.
"As a person in business, it's just nice to have someone that has gone through all of the things you could possibly go through — and has sustained his business," she said. "So I have respect for that."
E-mail to: email@example.com
Newark's next generation of businesses
Businesses helped by the Profeta Urban Investment Foundation and Rutgers Business School:
Cravings (87 Halsey St.): A caterer and restaurant founded in 2010 by Marisa Blackwell.
Porta Print Publishing (33 Halsey St.): A printing firm owned by Peter Learmont.
Tymeless Entertainment: An organization focused on youth involvement in dance and music.
Coffee Cave (45 Halsey St.): A café serving on-the-go breakfast and lunch, launched in 2008.
Raise Hope Capital (One Washington Park): A financial services firm that hires disabled vets.
Ironbound Denim (201 South St.): A manufacturer of high-end jeans.
The Intersect Fund: A nonprofit micro-lender that helps budding entrepreneurs.


text:
English Packages
Top 120
Have all the popular TV shows your household needs with the America's Top 120 package. Enjoy 190 of the most popular channels on television, such as ESPN, HGTV, Discovery Channel, and many more.
All of Americas Top 120 and more, including SEC Network, Big Ten Network, Pac 12 Networks and Longhorn Network. Get more of your favorite sports programming with the NFL Network and Regional Sports channels- included.
Multi-Sport Pack with NFL RedZone Included
If you're looking for the best in sports entertainment, movies, music, and family programming, DISH's America's Top 200 package delivers. With over 240 channels you'll have no problem finding your shows or discovering new favorites.
Multi-Sport Pack with NFL RedZone Included
You'll never be at a loss for entertainment with the America's Top 250 package. With 290 of America's favorite networks, over a dozen movie channels, your favorite sports networks, and Sirius XM music channels, you really can have it all.
Multi-Sport Pack with NFL RedZone Included
All offers require credit qualification, 24-month commitment with early termination fee and eAutoPay. Prices include Hopper Duo for qualifying customers. Hopper, Hopper w/Sling or Hopper 3 $5/mo. more. Upfront fees may apply based on credit qualification.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Case Study
GleSYS, a next-generation cloud platform, was experiencing performance issues with its legacy storage system. By deploying NexentaStor from Nexenta and InfiniFlash™ System from SanDisk, GleSYS has significantly decreased latency while achieving higher IOPS and a smaller server footprint. In addition, since the implementation, the GleSYS team has spent a tiny fraction of their time on administration, allowing them to focus on other business and technology issues, such as providing enhanced services to customers.
Founded in 1999, GleSYS Internet Services AB (GleSYS, www.glesys.com) is a nextgeneration cloud platform that provides flexible, scalable hosted Internet solutions to customers across the world. In 2000, GleSYS built their own data center in their own facilities. Today, the company boasts five ultra-modern data centers—two strategically located in Falkenberg and Stockholm, Sweden—and one each in New York, London, and Amsterdam. Networking and SAN hardware are from best-inclass vendors to provide high uptime and performance. By maintaining a highly virtualized architecture, GleSYS provides significant flexibility and scalability, with the ability to add or remove servers instantly, upgrade or downgrade services without restarts, and provide full root access to customers' servers.
GleSYS has experienced 100 percent growth over the last three years. The company serves nearly 3500 customers, which are primarily small businesses that procure services on an hourly basis. "We are a public cloud provider which means that we sell all our resources on a self-service basis," said Andreas Bergman, Engineer at GleSYS. "This implies that we don't know what our customers are running inside their servers or inside their virtual machines. We assume that most of our customers are running an eCommerce or web-based application, which requires the storage of transactional and database data."
GleSYS deployed a new storage solution with a hybrid NexentaStor solution in 2014 to support a VMware environment for Virtual Private Server (VPS) services for mid-sized business customers. Prior to deploying NexentaStor, the GleSYS team experimented with a number of vendors and solutions. "We tried to do storage ourselves by just building traditional servers or chasses with a lot of disks in them within a Linux system," said Glenn Johansson, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at GleSYS. "Last time we looked for a storage solution, we stayed with that vendor for three or four years because we had made a big investment in that solution."
Glenn Johansson,
CEO & Founder, GleSYS Internet Services AB
The Challenge
Before GleSYS implemented their current architecture, they were dealing with ongoing issues that were typically related to storage. "We needed to find a solution where both the technical guys and sales guys actually understood our use case and what we wanted to do. We were not interested in buying a lot of bells and whistles that we don't need. Looking deeper, you could see that the issues were always IOPSrelated in some way," said Johansson.
The key considerations for the new solution included power consumption, speed, and redundancy at the right price. "If we look at the installation that we are running in Falkenberg, we have a theoretical maximum. If every virtual machine in that cluster runs at full IOPS they would require about five million IOPS or something like that. Obviously we don't count on every virtual machine (VM) doing their maximum configured IOPS at a given time," said Bergman.
Andreas Bergman,
Internet Engineer, GleSYS Internet Services AB
One issue that GleSYS faces on a continual basis is not having visibility into customer needs at a particular point in time. "It's a matter of trying to deliver perhaps 1000-2000 IOPS per VM without affecting all the other virtual machines in that cluster. Since we don't know what kind of work load each customer actually runs, we have to provide a solution that is good enough for most use cases," said Bergman.
"We don't have the information about which virtual machine needs power at a given moment," Johansson explained. "We may have a customer that has been using servers for one year with low usage. Then suddenly one day they are moving a new workload to us. We don't necessarily get a 'heads up' but we need to be able to deliver that performance directly."
Johansson and Bergman assume that most customer use cases involve heavy database activity, which requires a lot of small IOPS that are crucial at the point in time that IOPS is needed. "Our customers can't wait for the storage or the data to get hot," Bergman told us. "If we were to use a tiered solution, the data would never get hot. However, when we talk to traditional storage vendors, they are often talking about some tiered solution. What we need is a lot of IOPS and a lot of storage that is predictable. We need it to perform as predicted and most solutions we have tried before haven't actually done that."
Johansson emphasized that they are not a traditional office-based company. "We don't have 2000 people working on a virtual desktop infrastructure solution from nine to five. We aren't selling our services based on a 12- or 24-month contract. All of our customers are buying our services on an hourly basis. Therefore, if they are not getting the power that they are expecting, then they will turn the server off and go somewhere else."
"We have a business that is running around the clock and all our customers are probably dependent on us for their mission or their company," agreed Bergman. "If we don't deliver, they won't grow."
The Solution
GleSYS has been working with Layer 8 IT-Services and Nexenta since October 2014. The Layer 8 team recommended that GleSYS try using flash storage instead of relying solely on hard disk drives (HDDs). The GleSYS team was intrigued by the smaller power and cooling requirements needed from flash solutions and, although they had become aware of Fusion ioMemory™ application accelerators, this was their first foray into using flash storage. "NexentaStor had already proven itself at GleSYS. With the breakthrough economics found with the NexentaStor/InfiniFlash System solution, combined with its performance and minimal footprint, the value of this solution was very appealing to GleSYS. With the cost/GB, we see a lot of scenarios which could benefit from this solution, such as virtual datacenter, Big Data, media streaming, Hot Archive and more," said Johan Tungström, CEO at Layer 8 IT‑Services.
Andreas Bergman,
Internet Engineer, GleSYS Internet Services AB
Johansson met with the Nexenta team at VMworld in San Francisco and later invited Layer 8 IT-Services to build a NexentaStor hybrid solution as a test in the Stockholm data center. They installed NexentaStor with hybrid pools populated with 10K HDDs. "That performed well and we had a really good experience with the Nexenta solution," said Bergman. "After solving some very minor issues, we had strong trust in Nexenta and the Layer 8 folks."
When the GleSYS team next met with Nexenta at VMworld 2015 in Barcelona, they were seeking another opportunity to work with Nexenta for their Falkenberg site. Layer 8 and Nexenta directed them to the SanDisk booth and, after evaluating pricing, performance, and storage options, GleSYS agreed to a proof of concept evaluation. "We knew that the Nexenta solution would deliver what we need and we just needed to decide about the SanDisk hardware. However, the numbers looked really promising," said Bergman.
InfiniFlash System is a massive scale-out, all-flash storage system that provides boundless scale, efficiency, and resiliency for hyperscale and cloud workloads, dramatically reducing cost and complexity. Unlike traditional tiering, this single all-flash SanDisk storage platform makes it possible to scale capacity while delivering high quality of service with consistent, high performance to all applications. Data center managers can keep up with data growth without the complexities of classifying applications or compromising access speeds for applications. The GleSYS team implemented InfiniFlash System in the South Sweden (Falkenberg) data center within weeks, with the plan of using the new system for primary storage and the existing architecture for secondary storage. "We had a working relationship with Layer 8 and Nexenta. They presented the solution to us and promised it would deliver what we wanted. And it does," confirmed Johansson.
System Overview
7 x 2U Diskshelfs
InfiniFlash System and 2 controllers
The Result
Due to the cost competitiveness of the NexentaStor/InfiniFlash solution, GleSYS expects to recover the initial investment cost over a three-year period. "We used to have problems with performance, so the cost was secondary for us," Johansson told us. "However, we didn't have to make any price changes going from HDD to SSD. And that's a good thing for us. Our customers think they are buying a solution with HDD and we are delivering on SSDs."
"The biggest benefit is that it actually works—that it actually delivers what it promised it would deliver," said Bergman. "Since we switched to the Nexenta solution in Falkenberg, we haven't had any outages and we don't have any complaints such as 'my server isn't performing as it should' or 'we don't get the performance that we need.' So it saves us a lot of time." The GleSYS team had been spending upward of 40 hours per month on system administration and solving storage-related issues. "Since we resolved the performance issue, I have only spent about two to four hours per month administering the new solution, which makes a lot of hours to do other stuff, which is good."
The metrics observed by the team emphasize the enhanced performance of the new solution. While the previous architecture reached a maximum 12,000 IOPS, in the current daily operation, the new solution maintains a constant 20,000 IOPS—with a latency of less than 1.5 milliseconds—and peaks as high as 80,000 IOPS. Although this is not the maximum achievable by the new solution, it is the maximum utilization the GleSYS team has observed with their current client load.
The team is spending less time handling performance issues with their customers. In this way, they are preventing 'bad will' and turning it into 'good will.' Customers have provided very positive feedback since the conversion to InfiniFlash System and are spending less money adapting and moving around their applications due to performance issues. As a result, they are buying more resources from GleSYS. "So we're not necessarily saving money, but we're making money," said Bergman.
Support from Layer 8 has assisted greatly with the transition to the new architecture. "We have a really good relationship with Layer 8 where we get answers to all the questions that a customer would ask when you run a new solution. For us that is really valuable."
Johansson and Bergman sense that customers are getting even more out of GleSYS services than before. Compared with the previous environment, the new solution has alleviated the issues that customers were experiencing.
"Customer impact is a direct business impact for us," said Bergman. "So if one of our customers has issues we will probably have business issues with that customer because we are selling those resources directly to a customer."
The GleSYS team is considering the possibility of having the same NexentaStor/ InfiniFlash solution installed in their second data center in Stockholm. They plan to grow with this solution for as long as possible. The team has seen considerable improvements in density and footprint usage in their data centers as well. While their hybrid storage solution consumes 16U of space to store 64TB of data, the NexentaStor/InfiniFlash System solution can store 512TB in just 7U of space.
"If we look at projected growth for that platform, we will have to buy more flash storage but we won't have to allocate more data center space for storage, so we could grow more than 10 times the current size in the same data center space," explained Bergman.
"I am really impressed with the SanDisk solution—how easy it is and how easy it is to manage. It's just so easy," said Johansson.


text:
Temperatures hit a humid, 98 degrees this week and you know what that means: it's baling season. I don't know why, but invariably, it's miserably hot whenever it's time to bale. While my daughter and I bunker down in the nice, air conditioned house during the sultry afternoons, many farmers — my father-in-law and husband included — are in the heat, cutting and baling hay.
Although the temperatures feel right, the baling season is a little early this year. The mild winter and wet, warm spring made for an early first cutting and, with continued moisture, we anticipate more cuttings throughout the summer than previous years. Our alfalfa was ready in early June and now the ditches are lush with headed-out, mature grass. Baling is hard, dangerous work; farmers earn every bale they make.
As with baling, the growing season also started earlier than normal this year. "Adequate to excessive rainfall in many areas of southern Minnesota and northern Iowa during May, along with warmer than normal temperatures, have provided optimal growing conditions for crop development," said Kent Thiesse, farm management analyst and vice president of MinnStar Bank. "Most corn in the region will exceed 'shoulder-high' by July Fourth, with some corn tasseling and pollinating by that date, which is well ahead of normal, and far ahead of corn development a year ago."
As long as we continue to get some moisture along with the high temps, this is corn-growing weather. While nothing beats staying cool on these hot summer days, it's nice to know we're in for a good crop.


text:
If you are interested in using this image, please consult Acknowledging the Website.
This record was last updated on 10 Jun 2016
Image Reference
François-Auguste Biard, Deux Années au Brésil (Paris, 1862), p. 99
The slave owner, leading his horse while smoking a cigar and carrying an umbrella, heads a group of four adults and one child. One of the men carries household goods, including a clock and a musical instrument while the two women, one holding onto a child, are behind; bringing up the rear is an enslaved (?) man who appears to be guarding the newly-bought slaves. The material goods shown suggest that the auction was not only for the purchase of slaves but household items as well (see also Biard04). Biard, a French painter, lived in Brazil for about two years, 1858-1860. His published account contains a number of images of slave life, several of which are included on this website. For a detailed study of Biard and his Brazilian sojourn, see Ana Lucia Araujo, Brazil through French Eyes: A Nineteenth-Century Artist in the Tropics (University of New Mexico Press, 2015).


text:
Birds of Theodore Roosevelt Island (Washington, DC)
Last updated over 5 years ago
Theodore Roosevelt Island is a living memorial dedicated to the 26th President of the United States. It is located in the Potomac River between Washington, DC and Arlington, VA. In addition to the Roosevelt Memorial, the island has several harwood forest trails and a boardwalk through a tidal marsh and wooded swamp.
This collection is part of an EOL-iNaturalist project. To get started making observations and creating your own EOL-iNaturalist projects, please visit the
Making Observations Help page.
For more collections of Theodore Roosevelt Island wildlife see Biodiversity of Theodore Roosevelt Island (Washington, DC)


text: A 30 x 30 map depicting the underground lair of a Lich or evil wizard. The entrance hall is guarded by an arcane warding spell, and from there is a treasury and a long-abandoned living area. The library is stocked with hundreds of books, and leads to a workshop laboratory where the Lich conducts foul experiments. The summoning chamber is lit with eldritch magic, and joins the throne room.


text:
We were treated to an enthralling finish in the first fixture but Sri Lanka were thoroughly dominant in the second of the double-header today. Cheers for your company. Do join us tomorrow night when hosts, Bangladesh, cross swords with West Indies. Goodbye and goodnight.
Chandimal: "Mathews started off well, Malinga and Mendis continued the good work. I am really happy with the way we played. We have won two and two more left, so looking forward to it. I am happy that Dilshan spent some time out in the middle."
Borren: "Obviously, disappointed and have let down a few people. It was not first time that these guys are playing at this level. It was some poor shot selection. We were going to struggle against top quality bowlers like Malinga and Mendis but that is no excuse. We have three more matches, we need to forget this and comeback strongly. We were looking out for more fixtures and it was a shameful performance. It is not going to get any easier, South Africa are a quality team and we have to put up a better performance than this."
Mathews: "The wicket was little bit two paced and the bowlers bowled well. Malinga and Mendis were exceptional. There is no captaincy burden in this format. We are playing some good cricket and we would like to continue in the same manner."
Angelo Mathews is the Man of the Match for his fantastic spell of 3-16.
Though Kusal did not get going today, the out of form, Dilshan spent some valuable time in the middle. Mahela, having a crack at the bowlers, finished it off as the top-ranked Sri Lankan team showed us again why they are the favorites in this group.
Netherlands, who slayed both Zimbabwe and Ireland, en-route to a famous entry into the Super-10's have been brought crashing down to the earth. Their batsmen lacked the application and aptitude against Sri Lanka's bowlers. Mathews kick-started the procession with the likes of Mendis and Malinga joining in the fun later on. The upshot was that the Dutch were wiped out for the lowest total in T20I history.4.6
van der Gugten to M Jayawardene, 1 run, Sri Lanka annihilate the Dutch. This was a gentle full toss on off, M Jayawardene backs away and punches it to cover, who fumbles the take, perhaps summing up the kind of day for Borren's boys4.6
van der Gugten to M Jayawardene, no ball, FOUR, shortish and outside off, M Jayawardene pulls it hard, the ball goes very fine off the top-edge after evading the leap from the keeper4.5
van der Gugten to M Jayawardene, no run, Bad drop by Bukhari at mid-on. This was fullish and pushed on middle, M Jayawardene clears his front leg, does not get enough bat onto the lofted drive, he chips it to Bukhari, who tries to clasp his hands around it but shells it4.4
van der Gugten to M Jayawardene, FOUR, real loosener heading down leg, M Jayawardene glances it deftly and gets it wide of the fieldsman at short fine leg4.3
van der Gugten to M Jayawardene, no run, van der Gugten ventures short again, M Jayawardene's upper cut to third man does not come to pass as it rises over him4.2
van der Gugten to M Jayawardene, no run, back of a length ball around off, M Jayawardene hangs back and slaps it straight to the man at cover4.1
van der Gugten to M Jayawardene, no run, shortish and outside off, M Jayawardene runs it to point off the face of the bat, he did not place it as well as he would have liked, hits it straight to the fielder there3.6
Ahsan Malik to M Jayawardene, 1 run, marginally back of a length and on middle, M Jayawardene rolls his wrists and pulls it down to deep square leg to retain the strike3.5
Ahsan Malik to Dilshan, 1 run, full and on the leg-stump, Dilshan works it away to backward square leg3.4
Ahsan Malik to M Jayawardene, 1 run, slower cutter trailing down leg, M Jayawardene paddles it away to short fine leg off a faint inside edge3.3
Ahsan Malik to M Jayawardene, no run, pitched up and on off, M Jayawardene lunges forward and drives but the ball trickles away to mid-on off the bottom section of the bat3.2
Ahsan Malik to Dilshan, 1 run, drifting onto the pads, Dilshan glances it to short fine leg3.1
Ahsan Malik to Dilshan, no run, seeing Dilshan step out, Ahsan Malik slips in a slower one, Dilshan adjusts well and taps it to cover2.6
van der Gugten to Dilshan, 1 run, floaty full toss outside off, Dilshan seeks to force it away to sweeper cover I guess, but the ball snares the outside edge and runs away to slip on the bounce2.5
van der Gugten to Dilshan, FOUR, Dilshan nails the gap this time. This was fullish and outside off, Dilshan's eyes lit up as he drives it emphatically between extra cover and long off, he timed this one to perfection2.4
van der Gugten to Dilshan, no run, shortish and outside off, Dilshan makes a hash of the pull as he bottom-ends it to mid-wicket2.3
van der Gugten to Dilshan, no run, good length ball on middle, Dilshan wants to heave it away over mid-wicket, he only ekes out an inside edge onto his pads2.2
van der Gugten to Dilshan, no run, fired full outside off, Dilshan drills it to cover, where van Beek flings himself to his right to deny Dilshan a boundary2.2
van der Gugten to Dilshan, wide, bumper wide outside off, Dilshan leaves it well alone, the umpire calls out the bowler for height2.1
van der Gugten to Dilshan, no run, back of a length and just outside off, Dilshan looks to swat it away through cover but only squirts it back to van der Gugten off the inside section of the bat
Mahela Jayawardene, right handed bat, comes to the crease1.6
Ahsan Malik to K Perera, out Caught by Swart!! Fullish and tailing in on middle, this grips a bit in the pitch as well, K Perera is forced to check his shot as he only chips it tamely, the ball loops to Swart, who pouches it safely at mid-on after diving forward. K Perera c Swart b Ahsan Malik 14(10) [4s-1 6s-1]
Ahsan Malik to K Perera, THATS OUT!! Caught!!
Kusal's start-stop innings has ended. Finally, one has carried into the hands of a Dutch fieldsman.1.5
Ahsan Malik to K Perera, no run, similar ball, pushed wide across off, K Perera hunts for a mighty mow but only connects with thin air1.4
Ahsan Malik to K Perera, 2 runs, good length ball wide outside off, K Perera bends down on one knee and smashes it to deep square leg1.3
Ahsan Malik to K Perera, SIX, whacked! This was another filthy one, on the pads, K Perera picks it up from there and short arm jab-pulls it, just about clearing the deep backward square leg fence1.3
Ahsan Malik to K Perera, wide, off-radar ball, heading down leg, K Perera waves and misses1.2
Ahsan Malik to Dilshan, 1 run, pitched up and on middle, Dilshan drives it to mid on and sets off, Kusal responds with alacrity1.1
Ahsan Malik to Dilshan, FOUR, Dilshan gets up and running straightaway. Back of a length and outside off, Dilshan rocks back and punches it away to the sweeper cover boundary
Ahsan Malik, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack0.6
van der Gugten to K Perera, no run, slightly back of a length and on middle again, K Perera hangs back and knocks it back to van der Gugten0.5
van der Gugten to K Perera, 2 runs, back of a length and on the hips, picked away to deep mid wicket0.4
van der Gugten to K Perera, FOUR, that is more like the Kusal we know. This was slanted in on the pads, K Perera leans across and tucks it away to the deep mid wicket fence, the ball teases the chasing fielder and then reaches the fence0.3
van der Gugten to K Perera, no run, back of a length and outside off, a bit of extra bounce as well, K Perera pushes it uppishly but it does not carry to extra cover where Tom Cooper was the man diving forward, trying to catch it0.2
van der Gugten to K Perera, no run, full toss snaking down leg, K Perera does not latch onto it as he clips it straight to the fielder at short fine leg. Perhaps, he is still recovering from that blow
Kusal is down now. He needs some medical attention. He is okay and ready to resume now.0.1
van der Gugten to K Perera, no run, Phew! That one loops in the air but drops shy of the diving man at point. This one leaps from a length and on the stumps, K Perera looks to work it to the leg side but he seems to have copped a blow on his thumb during the process
K Perera and Dilshan are at the crease. K Perera is on strike. van der Gugten will open the attack
Wow. What a dominant display from Sri Lanka! Netherlands' shot selection was equally poor. The Sri Lankan openers stride out to the middle. You bet that the result is a foregone conclusion though.
Mathews: "I loved bowling here. There was some help from the wicket. We just wanted to do the basics right. We started off really well. Even when you play the underdogs, there is pressure. We will try to knock off the runs as quickly as possible."
This innings lasted for 63 balls which is the lowest in T20Is. It is now just a matter of how many overs do the Sri Lankan batsmen take to chase this down. Join us in a short while for the run-chase....
Well not much to say about the Netherlands batting. They were bamboozled by the Sri Lankan bowlers. Kula started things off as he sent Myburgh out for a duck. Mathews joined in and picked up two in his first over. The Cooper brothers tried to steady things but a mix-up lead to the younger Cooper being run-out. After that it was the Mendis and Malinga show, both outfoxed the batsmen with their variations. They picked up 5 wickets between them and bundled the Dutch for a paltry total of 39.10.3
A Mendis to Ahsan Malik, out Lbw!! Mendis finishes things off. Netherlands are rolled over for the lowest T20I score. This was the googly on off and middle, Malik does not pick it as he thrusts his pad forward to defend, but the ball hits him low and umpire Reiffel raises his finger quickly. Ahsan Malik lbw b A Mendis 0(2)
A Mendis to Ahsan Malik, THATS OUT!! Lbw!!10.2
A Mendis to Ahsan Malik, no run, carrom ball on leg, Malik tries to work it to the on-side and gets a leading edge to cover
Ahsan Malik, right handed bat, comes to the crease10.1
A Mendis to Seelaar, out Caught by Mathews!! They are folding like a pack of cards. This was tossed up around off, it goes the other way, Seelaar comes forward to defend, the extra bounce takes the shoulder of the bat and goes to Mathews at slip, he takes a sharp catch diving forward. Seelaar c Mathews b A Mendis 3(3)
A Mendis to Seelaar, THATS OUT!! Caught!!
Timm van der Gugten, right handed bat, comes to the crease9.6
Malinga to Bukhari, out Bowled!! Second in the over for Malinga. Dutch batsmen have no answer to the Sri Lankan bowlers. Another slower full toss on middle and leg, Bukhari stays in the crease and tries to nudge it, the ball deflects off the pads and hits the off-stump. Netherlands are in danger of being bowled out for the lowest T20I total, which is 56. Bukhari b Malinga 4(8)
Malinga to Bukhari, THATS OUT!! Bowled!!9.5
Malinga to Seelaar, 1 run, yorker on the leg-stump, Seelaar digs it out to square leg9.4
Malinga to Seelaar, 2 runs, slow full toss on the pads, Seelaar turns it gently to deep backward square leg and picks up a couple
Pieter Seelaar, right handed bat, comes to the crease9.3
Malinga to van Beek, out Bowled!! Malinga gets a piece of the action. This was the slower yorker on target as well, van Beek is foxed by the slowness on that, he is early into the shot and the ball sneaks through the bat to hit the base of middle stump. This is just too good for the Dutch batsmen. van Beek b Malinga 1(4)
Malinga to van Beek, THATS OUT!! Bowled!!9.2
Malinga to Bukhari, 1 run, misses the yorker, full toss on the legs, Bukhari tickles it to fine leg9.1
Malinga to Bukhari, no run, full toss close to off, Bukhari drives and finds cover
Lasith Malinga [1.0-0-1-0] is back into the attack8.6
A Mendis to van Beek, no run, googly that comes back in, van Beek has no clue to that as he was shaping up to play the one that goes the other way, he adjusts well and jams it to the off-side8.5
A Mendis to van Beek, no run, carrom ball which is much slower, van Beek comes well forward and defends it to backward point8.4
A Mendis to Bukhari, 1 run, throws this up around off, Bukhari drives it to long off8.3
A Mendis to van Beek, 1 run, slows this up on middle and leg, van Beek paddles it to deep backward square leg
Logan van Beek, right handed bat, comes to the crease8.2
A Mendis to T Cooper, out Lbw!! It seems to be a procession at Chittagong. This was the skidder from Mendis, Cooper shuffles across to nudge it to the on-side, he misses and is struck on the pads, that looked plumb and umpire Reiffel confirms that. The Hawk-Eye shows that the ball was hitting leg-stump. T Cooper lbw b A Mendis 16(18) [4s-2]
A Mendis to T Cooper, THATS OUT!! Lbw!!8.1
A Mendis to T Cooper, leg byes, FOUR, carrom ball that skids on close to off, Cooper hangs back and misses, the ball goes under his bat and off the pads to the third man fence7.6
Mathews to T Cooper, 1 run, tad short and outside off, Cooper stands tall and punches it to sweeper cover. Mathews finishes his spell with amazing figures of 3 for 167.5
Mathews to Bukhari, 1 run, full and outside off, Bukhari drives off the face of the bat to square third man7.4
Mathews to Bukhari, no run, pitches it up around off, Bukhari goes for the drive but fails to make contact7.3
Mathews to Bukhari, no run, on a length just outside off, Bukhari hangs back and jams it to the off-side7.2
Mathews to T Cooper, 1 run, fuller and outside off, Cooper slashes it off the outside edge to third man7.1
Mathews to Bukhari, 1 run, good length ball just outside off, Bukhari guides it wide of backward point6.6
A Mendis to T Cooper, no run, flatter and on off, Cooper blocks well off the back foot
Mudassar Bukhari, right handed bat, comes to the crease6.5
A Mendis to Ben Cooper, out Ben Cooper Run Out!! 1 run completed. Confusion between the brothers leads to Ben Cooper falling short of his ground. Tossed up delivery outside off, Ben Cooper drives it down to long off, he wanted two but T Cooper is not interested as he sends him back, Thisara Perera does brilliantly to stop the ball and hit the bulls-eye at the bowlers end. Ben Cooper run out (T Perera) 8(10) [4s-1]
A Mendis to Ben Cooper, THATS OUT!! Run Out!!
TV umpire called in for a run-out chance. Ben Cooper is the man in question. He seems to be short of his ground. The red light flashes and the younger Cooper walks back6.4
A Mendis to T Cooper, 1 run, flighted on off and middle, T Cooper nudges it to deep backward square leg6.3
A Mendis to T Cooper, FOUR, excellent shot! Slightly overpitched outside off, T Cooper leans forward and drives it sweetly, the timing takes the ball to the fence6.2
A Mendis to Ben Cooper, 3 runs, pushed through around off, Ben Cooper looks to force it but gets a thick outside edge to third man, Kushal Perera gives chase and pulls it back inside the ropes6.1
A Mendis to T Cooper, 1 run, straight and around off, T Cooper gets inside the line and punches it to long on
Ajantha Mendis, right-arm leg break, comes into the attack5.6
Mathews to Ben Cooper, no run, slightly short and on off, Ben Cooper looks to cut but it was too close to the body, the ball goes past the outside edge5.5
Mathews to Ben Cooper, no run, Mathews goes back to the nagging line around off, Ben Cooper tries to steer it and does not get bat on ball5.4
Mathews to Ben Cooper, FOUR, that should make him feel good, too straight from Mathews, Ben Cooper leans forward and clips it uppishly over square leg, he picks up his first runs5.3
Mathews to Ben Cooper, no run, on a length jags away outside off, Ben Cooper goes searching for it and is beaten. Mathews is unplayable here5.2
Mathews to Ben Cooper, no run, slants this across the left-hander, Ben Cooper plays and misses5.1
Mathews to Ben Cooper, no run, fuller and close to off, Ben Cooper comes well forward and punches to cover-point4.6
Malinga to Ben Cooper, leg byes, 1 run, full and tailing onto the legs, Ben Cooper's bat is nowhere close to the ball, he gets a leg-bye to backward square leg4.5
Malinga to Ben Cooper, no run, inswinging low full toss on the stumps, Ben Cooper digs it out to cover-point4.4
Malinga to T Cooper, 1 run, back of a length outside off, Cooper guides it wide of backward point4.3
Malinga to T Cooper, no run, shortish length outside off, Cooper slashes and connects with thin air4.2
Malinga to T Cooper, no run, good length ball just outside off, Cooper feels for it away from the body and is beaten again
Sri Lanka sense blood, as they have two slips in place....4.1
Malinga to T Cooper, no run, length ball outside off, slight away movement for Malinga, Cooper pokes and is beaten
Lasith Malinga, right-arm fast, comes into the attack
Ben Cooper, left handed bat, comes to the crease3.6
Mathews to Borren, out Lbw!! Mathews ripping through this Dutch batting line-up. This was a good length ball that nips back in, Borren comes slightly forward to defend, the ball strikes the top of the pads, umpire Rod Tucker thinks for a while and raises his finger. Was it too high? It doesn't matter as Borren walks back. The replays show that the ball was clipping the bails, so Rod Tucker got that right. Borren lbw b Mathews 0(7)
Mathews to Borren, THATS OUT!! Lbw!!3.5
Mathews to Borren, no run, drags the length back just outside off, Borren stands up and plays it with soft hands to backward point. There was some extra bounce on that occasion3.4
Mathews to T Cooper, 1 run, short ball on the leg-stump, Cooper gloves the pull to short fine leg, Mendis hits the stumps at the striker's end and gives away an extra run3.3
Mathews to T Cooper, 2 runs, touch short and close to off, Cooper mistimes the pull to deep mid wicket, he picks up an easy two3.2
Mathews to T Cooper, FOUR, fuller and outside off, Cooper comes on the front foot and square drives it square of the wicket, the key was that he opened the face of the bat3.1
Mathews to T Cooper, no run, back of a length just outside off, Cooper guides it off the face to backward point2.6
N Kulasekara to Borren, no run, width on offer from a shortish length, Borren cuts and finds cover-point. Consecutive maidens for Kulasekara2.5
N Kulasekara to Borren, no run, angling in on the legs, Borren tries to flick but misses2.4
N Kulasekara to Borren, no run, full and close to off, Borren defends solidly off the front foot2.3
N Kulasekara to Borren, no run, huge shout for LBW! A fuller length delivery, nips back in on middle, Borren comes forward to defend but is rapped on the pads, umpire Reiffel turns down the appeal. The ball was doing a bit too much2.2
N Kulasekara to T Cooper, leg byes, 1 run, another indipper on middle and leg, Cooper misses the clip as the ball thuds into the pads, Borren calls his partner for a quick single, Kula runs forward and throws at the non-striker's end, if that had hit that would have been gooodbye Cooper2.1
N Kulasekara to T Cooper, no run, gets it to nip back in around off, Cooper prefers to hang back and knock it to backward point1.6
Mathews to Borren, no run, on a length jagging away outside off, Borren let it go through to Sangakkara
Peter Borren, right handed bat, comes to the crease
The lights are back on and play to resume. Mathews to bowl the hat-trick ball....
Some of the lights have turned off. It has become dark, which has caused a delay in play. The players are still out in the middle and are waiting for the lights to come back on. This is the second time that this happening in this World T20. It is taking more time than expected, so the players are taking a break.1.5
Mathews to Barresi, out Caught by Chandimal!! Mathews on a hat-trick. Netherlands off to a horrendous start. This was a back of a length delivery just outside off, Barresi stands up and punches it straight to short cover, Chandimal juggles before holding onto it. Barresi c Chandimal b Mathews 1(4)
Mathews to Barresi, THATS OUT!! Caught!!
Tom Cooper, right handed bat, comes to the crease1.4
Mathews to Swart, out Caught by Sangakkara!! Mathews strikes and Swart joins Myburgh back in the pavillion. This was short of length outside off, Swart charges down and tries to slap it over mid-off, the ball gets big on him and goes off the top edge, Sangakkara calls for it and takes a comfortable catch. Swart c Sangakkara b Mathews 0(4)
Mathews to Swart, THATS OUT!! Caught!!1.3
Mathews to Barresi, 1 run, hint of away movement for Mathews, Barresi pushes hard and gets a thick outside edge1.2
Mathews to Barresi, no run, shortens the length and rears up outside off, Barresi pulls out of the shot as soon as he sees the extra bounce1.1
Mathews to Barresi, no run, back of a length outside off, Barresi hangs back and knocks it to backward point
Angelo Mathews, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack0.6
N Kulasekara to Swart, no run, a beaut to end the over! Good length ball straightens around off, Swart tries to defend off the back foot but misses as the ball whizzes past the outside edge0.5
N Kulasekara to Swart, no run, fuller and just outside off, Swart takes couple of steps down the pitch and drives it to mid-off0.4
N Kulasekara to Swart, no run, good length ball tails in, Swart comes slightly forward and knocks it to the right of the bowler
Wesley Barresi, right handed bat, comes to the crease0.3
N Kulasekara to S Myburgh, out Caught by Malinga!! Kulasekara draws first blood and sends the hero from the previous match for a duck. This was a full delivery outside off, Myburgh slashes it off the outside edge to third man, Malinga does not move an inch to take that catch. S Myburgh c Malinga b N Kulasekara 0(3)
N Kulasekara to S Myburgh, THATS OUT!! Caught!!0.2
N Kulasekara to S Myburgh, no run, too straight from Kulasekara, Myburgh clips it in the air to mid wicket, the ball dies down before reaching the man0.1
N Kulasekara to S Myburgh, no run, right on the money, on a length moving away outside off, Myburgh shoulders arms to that
S Myburgh and Swart are at the crease. S Myburgh is on strike. N Kulasekara will open the attack
National anthems are over and we are ready to begin the match. Sri Lanka disperse after being in a huddle. The openers are walking out for what will be a big test for them. Kula to start things off for Sri Lanka....
Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Kushal Janith Perera, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara(w), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal(c), Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Sachithra Senanayake, Ajantha Mendis, Lasith Malinga
Netherlands (Playing XI): Peter Borren(c), Stephan Myburgh, Wesley Barresi(w), Logan van Beek, Tom Cooper, Ben Cooper, Michael Swart, Mudassar Bukhari, Timm van der Gugten, Pieter Seelaar, Ahsan Malik
Pitch Report: "The wickets looks to be a little bit on the slower side. When we take a look at the outfield, there's not much of dew around. The side winning the toss and bowling first will have an advantage I guess," reckons Nick Knight.
Borren: "We would have fielded as well, probably that's been the trend in this tournament. Now we will look to put the runs on the board and do well with the ball. Not much of dew around now, hopefully it doesn't come in largely later on. We are fielding the same side as well."
Chandimal: "We will bowl first. The decision is due to the dew factor, it's not too much at the moment but it could come in later on. We are playing the same XI."
Sri Lanka have won the toss and have opted to field
Alright! They stormed their way into the main tournament with a sensational run chase against Ireland and stunned the cricketing fraternity. What do the Netherlands have in store for us today? Life is not going to be all that easy though for them tonight as they are up against the 2012 finalists, Sri Lanka. Hello and a warm welcome to second game of the double-header. There are few impact players on both the sides, although you would give the favourites tag to the Islanders for their experience in the shortest format. It will be interesting to see the team combinations of both the sides. However, the toss will be delayed as the first game between South Africa and New Zealand went down to the wire.
It is a typical David v Goliath contest brewing up at Chittagong. Having pulled the rug out of Ireland with a devastating display of batting, Netherlands will go into the match against pre-tournament favourites Sri Lanka with nothing to lose. The island nation themselves will be a confident bunch, after having scraped pat South Africa in their opening league encounter.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka's dominant batting display against South Africa was a credit to their youngsters in the batting line-up. While the seniors failed to fire, the young turks took it upon themselves to help Sri Lanka reach a competitive score. Kusal Perera took the wheels back to the older times, showing plenty of skills and class, reminiscent of Sanath Jayasuriya in many ways. Angelo Mathews is another pivot in the middle order while the senior brigade have the experience and quality in them to provide direction to the team
In the bowling department, Lasith Malinga continues to prosper in the shortest form of the game. His package of pace, yorkers and cleverly disguised slower ones have fooled even the best of batsmen at time. Nuwan Kulasekara was expensive to begin with against South Africa, but delivered when it mattered the most, his 19th over was perhaps the turning point of the match. Rangana Herath was surprisingly omitted in favour of mystery spinner, Ajantha Mendis in the first game, and he might as well make a comeback into the playing XI.
Entry into the main round of the tournament seemed highly unlikely at one stage for the plucky Dutchmen. With nothing to lose, they threw their bats around in spectacular fashion to leave Ireland stunned and Zimbabwe shocked. Against the big boys in the main draw, the European nation has nothing to lose again and this might make them a dangerous floater. Stephen Myburgh has been a revelation, his clean hitting at the top of the order resulted in wins against UAE and Ireland. Their Australian import, Tom Cooper has held the middle order well while the rest of the batsmen have chipped in with handy runs.
If there is any weakness in this team it is the lack of wicket taking bowlers. Timm van der Gugten has shown plenty of potential while Ahsan Malik has done well in the death overs. Logan van Beek has been expensive, and might struggle to retain his place.
Keys to win
The no-holds barred attitude of the top-order batsmen, if it comes good, then the team can either post a big score and chase down totals with ease.
The leading run-scorer of the tournament with 151 runs so far, Tom Cooper is clearly proving why Netherlands got him into the side as a last minute replacement for Tom Gruitjers.
We are very proud to represent the Associates here and we hope to do the other countries proud: Netherlands captain, Peter Borren knows what it is to make the main draw of the tournament.
We never underestimate any ream, we will play our best eleven and look to win: Sri Lankan captain, Dinesh Chandimal is not under-estimating the associate nation.
Sri Lanka (From): Kushal Janith Perera, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Sachithra Senanayake, Ajantha Mendis, Lasith Malinga, Rangana Herath, Seekkuge Prasanna, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Thirimanne
Netherlands (From): Peter Borren(c), Stephan Myburgh, Wesley Barresi(w), Logan van Beek, Tom Cooper, Ben Cooper, Michael Swart, Mudassar Bukhari, Timm van der Gugten, Pieter Seelaar, Ahsan Malik, Eric Szwarczynski, Tom Heggelman, Vivian Kingma, Michael Rippon


text:
If you suffer from severe acne scarring, this can be a very bad experience. We all wish to have the best skin we can and one of the best ways to do this is by having clear and smooth skin. It can really have a positive impact on how we feel and also the way we attempt to approach the world each and every day.
Acne scarring can make us want to run and hide and this can really have a negative impact on our lives. It can be hard to face the world if we have a lot of acne scarring, so it is in our best interest to get rid of it as soon as possible.
There are ways to reduce acne scarring if you just know how to do so. One of the best ways is to use Retin-A cream. This is a great product to allow your skin to not only look its best, but also to look smooth as well. Retin-A is commonly used by people who wish to improve the appearance of their skin. It can really benefit most anyone who wishes to use it on a regular basis.
There are other ways to alleviate acne scarring, but this may be one of the most affordable and effective. This cream works for anyone that wants to have the best looking skin possible. It can effectively work to reduce acne scarring.
You also want to consider more aggressive methods to attack acne scarring such as the use of a laser treatment. This can really be a great way for you to get rid of the acne scarring, but is one of the most expensive as well so you will want to bear this in mind if you intend to give it a try.


text:
Paisan's "East Meets West" Room
Like this entry? Favorite it below!
- Name:
- Paisan
- Location:
- Bangkok Thailand
- Division:
- International
- Inspiration for my palette:
- Designers have long returned from the West to their homes in the East, bringing back beautiful objects and knowledge of the unique philosophy and aesthetic of Western culture. Now global travel is a major influence on interior design, and there is new momentum in the melding of Eastern and Western styles as barriers and restrictions between cultures dissolve.
- Colors used in my room:
- In this room, the emphasis on blue and white sets the tone of the room and contrasts with orange. The wallpaper here, with its eastern painting influenced designs and the orange wall, really changes the mood of the space. It's a place where I can see work and play coming together as one!
- Tips for using color successfully:
- We know that color is a personal thing. Taking into account your design style, your home's aesthetic, and, of course, your own tastes, just don't be afraid to do what you love and try your best to make it look good. Art has no rules!
- Palette:
- East Meets West


text:
Good news for nursing moms and their families: the Internal Revenue Service reversed itself and announced earlier today that breast pumps and other lactation supplies will be considered tax-deductible medical expenses. According to Reuters, lactation supplies can run as high as $1000 in the first year of a baby's life, including the typical cost of a breast pump ($200 or more). The announcement follows last month's "Call to Action to Support Breast-Feeding," issued by the U.S. surgeon general, Regina M. Benjamin.
Plus: Breastfeeding for Working Moms
The new ruling means that families can use pre-tax funds from flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts to cover these costs. For women without flexible spending accounts, the cost of a pump will be tax deductible if their total medical costs exceed 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income (that threshold will increase to 10 percent in 2013, as a result of last year's health care law).
Last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics asked the IRS to allow such a deduction, but its request was initially denied; at the time, the IRS stated that breastfeeding didn't have enough health benefits to qualify as medical or preventative care, and that it considered breast pumps to be feeding equipment, not medical devices. Today, the agency said in a statement, "Like obstetric care, [lactation supplies] are for the purpose of affecting a structure or function of the body of the lactating woman."
Plus: Why I Love My Breast Pump
The IRS' reversal was hailed by a group of four lawmakers (Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich., Carolyn B. Maloney, D-N.Y., and Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Tom Harkin, D-Iowa) who had written to IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman last November, along with 41 others, urging him to reverse the agency's earlier stance. They released the following statement:
"Today's decision is a huge victory for nursing mothers everywhere. Modern medicine has documented numerous health benefits linked to breastfeeding, including a reduced risk of illness in infants and a reduced risk of cancer in mothers. And because breastfeeding is so effective in preventing disease, it also happens to save billions in health care costs."


text:
Seniors lead way for boys' soccer this year
PUNXSUTAWNEY — Senior night will be special this year for the Punxsutawney Area High School boys' soccer team. Each one is special in its own way — if you were involved in an organization in high school, you understand.
But this year's team is driven by the 12th-graders.
They're the seniors who have led the program to a 15-4-1 record, a district title and a 15-5 record in three consecutive years.
You can use the Tomlinism "The standard is the standard" and "The next man is up" if you want, but the senior Chucks will be misssed both on and off the field.
As Punxsy prepares for the Indiana Tournament over Labor Day weekend, you can see the work they put in each practice.
The plays are being called out, and coaching is taking place.
The funny thing is, it isn't always Head Coach Phil Shenkle giving the direction.
"What we're seeing, even on the practice field, is that I'm talking less and less. The guys are coaching each other and saying all of the right things," Shenkle said. "Guys that we have come in from Europe over to coach say that one of the goals is to not say anything during a game. As a matter of fact, there are some leagues that you aren't allowed to say anything during a game as a coach.
"If I could stand by the sidelines and just listen to them talk to one another and give each other the coaching points that I ordinarily would have been yelling across the field, that would be a dream come true. With this group, it's a realistic possibility."
A silent treatment that is actually welcomed.
The group of seniors — going into their fourth year under Shenkle — will be all over the field.
Shenkle said that there may be as many as 10 seniors starting for the Chucks.
Shenkle's approach with his team can stem parenting.
No, I'm serious. The thing is, it makes perfect sense.
"I compared it to someone the other day like parenting. It's really ideal," Shenkle explained. "When you send your kids off into the world ,you hope they do all of the things you taught them so you don't have to keep lurking over their shoulder trying to micro-manage their lives. Soccer is really the same."
The same indeed.
And like any parent, Shenkle has high expectations for his team this year, especially with what they've done the past few years.
"They are high. We've kind of had a nice rise. We've been staying where we want to be in the district finals every year," Shenkle said. "It's good. We've had three really solid years, and we're building. A lot of it is on the back of these seniors. They've really come up through and worked really hard to help build the program. The others that came before them did as well. Expectations are very high."
With high expectations, come high goals.
Well, what are they, coach?
Is it winning the district again or maybe making it to the state playoffs?
"Our goal we didn't just leave at one place. Our main goal is that each one of us would achieve their absolute best. If we are individually achieving our best, maintaining what we believe is proper team communication and building up each other, we feel we will reach our goals at the end of the season," said Shenkle. "We don't want to just say, 'Let's win this many games' or 'Let's win this certain game.' There's going to be ups and downs to each season. We want to overachieve and look back to say that we did better than we even thought we could."
Led by senior captains Kevin Hughes, Tristan Acre, Ryan Presloid and Tanner Evans, the Chucks are looking to continue the success this year and beyond.
Do the seniors work well with the underclassmen and more importantly, do the underclassmen respect the seniors?
"Absolutely. That's going to help as we do have a big exodus of seniors leaving; it's going to leave big gaps," Shenkle said. "I think they're going to leave a legacy with these younger guys of how we operate, how we work, what a practice should look like and how we need to work in game because these seniors are investing in these underclassmen."
If the past is any indication, that's quite an investment to make.


text:
The true reflection of the quality of leaders comes from their ability to lead when things don't go well or according to plan. Even with immense responsibility, it's much easier to lead when things go well. Effective leaders are those who during times of difficulty take actions true to their beliefs and not merely for political gain. On April 9, the Maryland General Assembly session did not end well or go according to plan. The state budget did not pass both chambers, hence the "doomsday" budget that some are describing as disastrous while others claim is not so bad.
If Marylanders value educating our citizens and future leaders through high quality K-12 public education for all students, the importance of affordability for those attending community colleges or four-year institutions, the safety and security of their communities, and the investment in the future economic development through research and incentives to secure the qualities of life all desire, then the "doomsday" budget is, indeed, a disaster.
Gov.Martin O'Malleyhas called for a special session of the state legislature commencing on May 14. Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller and House SpeakerMichael E. Buschare working with Governor O'Malley to ensure a focused and purposeful meeting that restores the state budget to address these priorities to ensure the qualities that maintain Maryland's uniqueness.
Leadership is not always as efficient as we might like, but I'll take leadership over politics every time.
Carl D. Roberts, Perryville
The writer is executive director of the Public School Superintendents' Association of Maryland.


text:
Editor needs rest badly!
Although I am not from Missouri, I still claim the battle cry, "Show Me!" You
can talk all you want about a game's graphical eye-candy and cutting-edge technology,
but is it fun to play? Some of the best games I have ever played were some of
the worst looking. Broken Helix, Need for Speed II, Blast Chamber
– these are just a few of the games whose aesthetic quality was definitely not
runway material, but the gameplay offered by the ugly ducklings was fun and
Midway's latest installment in the Gauntlet series, Gauntlet: Dark
Legacy, reminds me a lot of those aforementioned games. The gameplay
is solid and involving and the linearity is kept at a relative minimum. However,
the camera can be a pain, textures look anything but detailed and the overall
appearance of the game is more like high level PSX quality. An even more
crippling hinderance is the repetitive gameplay and the absolute need for friends
to be in on the action. One is the loneliest number.
In a land known as the Eight Realms, a foolish young mage named Garm has become
jealous of his older brother's power (who oversees the realms), and hopes to
usurp that which he covets. By unleashing Skorne, the demonic commander of a
seemingly infinite army of evil minions, Garm thought it possible to command
the demon to do his bidding. But without the proper number of Runestones, Skorne
became uncontrollable. Now the demon and his minions must be vanquished from
the Eight Realms, which leads Sumner, Garm's older brother, to call forth the
strongest and most powerful warriors of the Eight Realms. Nerdy nerdy nerdy!
Gauntlet: Dark Legacy is a 1-4 player 3D action adventure game played
almost exactly like the original arcade smash. Even the ominous and ubiquitous
voice returns to remind you of the obvious: "Dwarf is about to die." "Wizard
needs food." Ah, the nacho-infested arcade memories are back!
You can play as a character from eight different classes. There's the speedy
(Jester and Archer), the heavily armored and skilled (Knight and Valkyrie),
the brute strength (Dwarf and Warrior) and of course the magical (Wizard and
Sorceress). Just pick your class and character skin and you're off to the first
of the Eight Realms.
Anyone familiar with Gauntlet will feel right at home with the gameplay.
Traverse the levels acquiring power-ups, enchanted weapons and crystals that
allow passage to the remaining realms. Kill as many grunts, ankle-biters, trolls
and golems as you can. The more creatures you kill, the quicker your character's
experience level will rise. As with most experienced-based games, higher levels
mean more magic, armor, strength, health and increased speed. Nothing new there.
But each class has special abilities that are level dependent. For instance,
when a they reach a certain level, the Wizard or Sorceress will be able to turn
poisoned food into edible food, the Warrior and Dwarf will be able to turn "junk"
into treasure, etc. This adds an interesting element to Dark Legacy,
as I find myself scouring each area for every possible item, trinket and piece
of treasure.
life teaches us that the rich get richer, and that's certainly the case here.
The more treasure you collect in the field will allow you to purchase food,
power-ups, armor and many other items at the shop in between missions. This
is a pretty cool feature, since your life doesn't regenerate itself after you
complete a realm. And once you get to some of the higher levels where your max
health is above 1500, it can get exceedingly difficult to maintain that without
purchasing nutritious fruit and chicken legs'mmm, chicken.
One thing I really like about Dark Legacy is the relative lack of linearity.
Since finding the multicolored crystals is all you need in order to open other
realms, you will often find that you have been permitted to travel to a new
realm without having completed the previous one. I like that.
Still, it's not without its drawbacks. Many of the realm protectors (all of
which you must face in fierce combat) require some sort of tome or weapon or
trinket to defeat them. And of course these items can only be found in the field.
So search carefully, or like me you'll be doing a fair amount of backtracking
to spot what you missed.
The biggest problem is the fact that it's just no fun if you don't have some
friends to play with. The multiplayer was part of the lure of the classic arcade
version and still remains an integral part of the game. Grab some buddies or
grab another game, no question.
Yet even if you have some roommates to play with, Dark Legacy can get
redundant. While the levels and monsters change, the simple gameplay doesn't
really advance, leading to a somewhat shallow experience. You won't be up all
night with this one.
As I stated earlier, GDL is not a very impressive looking PS2 title.
Characters and textures are brutally devoid of any detail. Character animation
is passable but wins no awards whatsoever. Particle effects for magic and enchanted
items are just not up to snuff. In a nutshell, it ain't pretty.
But the gameplay is enjoyable. And quite frankly, that's what matters most.
Gauntlet: Dark Legacy has more than enough items, upgradeability and
weird creatures to keep your attention for more than a rental, but only if you
have a few friends to play it with. At any rate, I wouldn't pay more than 30
bucks for this puppy.


text:
LAWRENCE — A student at the University of Kansas is organizing a bone marrow donor registry drive in honor of her husband, who has cancer.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports (http://bit.ly/WGGhBW ) the drive is scheduled Feb. 4 at the campus in Lawrence.
The organizer is KU student Sharilyn Matthews, whose husband, Jonathan, has lymphoma. His doctors say they've found several potential donor matches for him and the family is hopeful help is on the way.
His wife is organizing the drive to help the donor registry, which is called Be The Match. Workers will swab potential donors' cheeks and store their genetic information, then notify people if a match comes up.


text:
posted by Thom Holwerda on Mon 1st Oct 2012 22:55 UTC
"Everyone seems to have a replacement for JavaScript - Google even has two. Now Microsoft has revealed that Anders Hejlsberg has been working on a replacement and it has released a preview of TypeScript. TypeScript is open source - Apache 2.0 license - and a superset of JavaScript. As you would expect from a Hejlsberg language it incorporates type checking, interfaces and lots of syntactic sugar."


text:
Eastern Michigan coach Rob Murphy had one prevailing thought going through his mind when his team led No. 2 Michigan by four points Thursday night.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) ? Eastern Michigan coach Rob Murphy had one prevailing thought going through his mind when his team led No. 2 Michigan by four points Thursday night.
"It's early," Murphy recalled thinking.
Indeed, it was too soon to get excited.
Tim Hardaway Jr. had 17 points and a career-high seven assists to help the Wolverines rout the Eagles 93-54.
Michigan trailed 6-2 in the opening minutes, then took control with a 20-0 run. The Wolverines led 40-24 at halftime and enjoyed an even bigger cushion for much of the second half.
"I've never coached against a team who can shoot the ball at a high rate like Michigan does," Murphy said. "Every position outside of the (center) can really shoot."
Eastern Michigan (6-4) has lost two straight since beating Purdue.
Earlier this month, the Eagles lost to No. 3 Syracuse 84-48, giving Murphy an up-close look at two of college basketball's best teams.
"Syracuse is extremely athletic with great size," said Murphy, a former Orange assistant. "Michigan has some great shooters and they are really efficient.
"Both teams have great point guards."
Murphy, though, said he's really not concerned with how his team matches up with elite teams because they're not in the Mid-American Conference.
"Our ultimate goal is to win the MAC championship," he said. "I can't judge my team when we play Syracuse and Michigan."
Eastern Michigan's Daylen Harrison scored 13 points and Glen Bryant had 10.
The Wolverines (12-0) are off to their best start since winning the first 16 games of the 1985-86 season.
Michigan's Trey Burke had 11 points and eight assists. Nik Stauskas made three 3-pointers in the first half and finished with 16 points, while fellow freshmen Mitch McGary had 10 points and 11 rebounds for his first double-double and Glenn Robinson III added 13 points for the Wolverines.
Burke, the reigning Big Ten player of the week, took the ball from Jalen Ross on the first possession of the game and made a layup.
Ross responded with a 3-pointer and Bryant made another shot from beyond the arc to give the Eagles a four-point lead that proved to be their highlight of the night. Michigan used a balanced offense and aggressive defense to build a 22-6 lead.
The Wolverines then seemed to show some mercy ? briefly playing five freshmen, including two that seldom play ? and didn't add much to their lead in the first half.
Ross had nine points in the first half but the rest of the Eagles' starters scored just seven combined. Ross didn't score after halftime.
Jordan Morgan made a low-post shot and a mid-range jumper on Michigan's first two possessions of the second half. The Wolverines led by 30-plus points with 14 minutes left and coasted to another lopsided victory.
"We let a couple teams come back on us early in the season, but we didn't want that to happen again," Hardaway said. "It's a matter of mental focus and preparation. We know that we have to keep playing when we get a lead."
After beating No. 25 North Carolina State by seven points, Michigan won its next five games ? against Bradley, Western Michigan, Arkansas, Binghamton and West Virginia ? by an average of 19-plus points to reach its highest ranking since the 1992-93 season, the second year of the Fab Five era.
The Wolverines have one more tuneup ? Dec. 29 at home against Central Michigan ? before facing Big Ten competition.


text:
|How to obtain copies of Oregon vital records, such as Oregon birth certificates, Oregon death records, Oregon marriage licenses & Oregon divorce decrees. See the guidelines for general information on how to order vital records. Check the related links for additional vital records and genealogical information on Oregon.
Oregon State Vital Records Office Information
Make money order payable to Oregon Health Division. All fees are non-refundable search fees.
Some earlier records for the City of Portland and the individual counties are available from
Index to Oregon County Vital Records Offices
Follow this link to Rootsweb to determine what county a city or town is in.
Baker . Benton . Clackamas . Clatsop . Columbia . Coos . Crook . Curry . Deschutes . Douglas . Gilliam . Grant . Harney . Hood River . Jackson . Jefferson . Josephine . Klamath . Lake . Lane . Lincoln . Linn . Malheur . Marion . Morrow . Multnomah . Polk . Sherman . Tillamook . Umatilla . Union . Wallowa . Wasco . Washington . Wheeler . Yamhill .
Using Oregon Vital Records Well
The first step in your archiving adventure is to get names and dates of your immediate family members. Biographical information on the people closest to you should be common knowledge to you. Your first blanks on the family tree you have started are now filled. Isn�t it simple to recall the dates associated with the people you have been around for your entire life? Try to connect with family members who don�t live with you. You never know which uncle or great aunt may have nuggets of knowledge about the relatives for whom you seek information. Chances are great that there is a family member who also has interest in genealogy.
If you come to a point where you cannot enter family names or dates on your own, then you need to seek out the resources that will help you. A primary source is a first-hand account of historical accuracy. The Oregon vital records can be called �a primary source.� The birth certificates, death notices, and other documents found within are answers to genealogical questions. This data is crucial to the genealogist who is just getting his feet wet. Look forward to researching this source and filling in more branches of your family tree.
Others find the value in the Oregon vital records. Those who write for newspapers and journals can gather the historical evidence found in the Oregon vital records and share it with the community. These documents are sought after for more satisfactory writing. The dates of birth and death particular to famous Oregonians are facts that can make better a news article or historical piece of writing. Celebrated figures of the Beaver State have left behind evidence of their existence, and some of these documents are discovered in a centralized place: the Oregon vital records. The state allows the public to have access to the data found in these documents, for the purpose of preservation and historical accuracy.
The genealogy buff or research enthusiast stumbles upon this resource quite easily, actually. Surf on the internet ever so briefly. You will reach this great resource, and you will be able to access the dates you need for your family tree or historical archive. The responsible historian must check sources like these with diligence. The patient and accurate archivist is able to communicate with the community the facts and figures that people care about.
Searchable Databases and other Helpful Links
Please send web site additions and corrections to the webmaster.


text:
|Episode Description
|Saturday, Apr 13, 2013 - 11:00 AM
"Spicy Fall Sweets"
Test cook Julia Collin Davison shows host Christopher Kimball how to make the best Pumpkin Bread. Then, tasting expert Jack Bishop challenges Chris to a tasting of molasses. Next, science expert Guy Crosby explains the science of baking soda. D
Mountain Time
|More on IDAHO (MT)
|No upcoming shows in database
|Previous on IDAHO (MT)
|No Past shows in database


text:
Home Design Planner 2
Home Design Planner 2 pictures from sources that are profoundly gifted in the field of plan of houses and furniture. so you don't need to stress over with Minimalist Home Design give this data basically transfer a photograph or picture as it were. What's more, this was the person who influenced the Minimalist Home Design to contrast from other site. You can likewise discover different references for the plan of your home about Interior here. we don't simply give data about home plan, however we additionally give all of you the data you have to outline your fantasy home. by giving the reference about the outline of a room, restroom, lounge, kitchen plan, we likewise give cases of furniture outline that improves your home more. Here we will keep on providing refreshed data on Home Design Planner 2 so you can get the plan on the like. furthermore, here's a rundown of fabulous pictures or photographs from the Home Design Planner 2 as a feature of a gathering artmous a display of awesome thoughts and valuable.
12 Unique Home Design Planner 2 Of Great Bhk House Plans Designs And 2017 Also 2bhk In Picture 1000x833
12 Unique Home Design Planner 2 Of Great Bhk House Plans Designs And 2017 Also 2bhk In Picture 1000x833 Pictures of Home Design Planner 2 This data can be your reference when you are befuddled to pick the correct plan for your home. Do you like Home Design Planner 2 might be your best choice. have House the According to by plan we need, is dreams everybody. All the data we have is sourced from the official web and solid, and we always to give the most ideal exact data. Ideally Home Design Planner 2 can give a reference to your own homes.
49 Ideas Home Design Planner 2 Plan Of 2bhk House Inspirational At New Bhk Plans Designs And 2017 Also
By giving the reference about the Home Design Planner 2, 14 Luxury Home Design Planner 2 Floor Plan Software Unique Decor Adorable Of, 49 Ideas Home Design Planner 2 Plan Of 2bhk House Inspirational At New Bhk Plans Designs And 2017 Also, we furthermore give instances of Interior that enhances your home more. Here we will continue giving invigorated information on Home Design Planner 2 so you can get the layout on the like. in addition, here's an once-over of awesome pictures or photos from the Home Design Planner 2 as a noteworthy part of a social occasion artmous a show of unimaginable considerations and supportive.Share This Post To : Posted : February 5, 2018 at 11:18 pm


text:
Travel writer and blogger Rebec Hohoho at the Detour Shanghai opening party
Detour, the travelling exhibition of decorated Moleskine notebooks, comes to a new chapter, in Shanghai at Bund18. The personal journals and sketchbooks created by 50 internationally celebrated authors will be on display until November 20th. Along with renowned international names such as designers Ron Arad, Karim Said, Tord Boontje and musicians Sigur Ros, many new Chinese authors, coming from several backgrounds, have joined the show. Among them, the celebrated film directors Zhang Yuan, Cheng Liang and Jia Zhangke, the fashion designer Joseph Li, the photographer Wang Xiaohui, the blogger Han Han, the designers Alan Chan and Lv Yong Zhong, the musician-deejay Mc Yan, and the visual artists Ai WeiWei and Yang Yongliang. Many authors attended the opening party on October 20th, watch the video and click on Flickr to discover the guests.
While sketching on his Moleskine notebook, Detour author Zhang Yuan, film director, talks about his main source of inspiration, the hutongs, the alleys of Beijing.
The notebook by Detour author MC Yan, musician and deejay from Hong Kong.
myDetour, the side project that always takes place in conjuntion with Detour exhibitions, invites Moleskine enthusiasts to participate by dropping their own notebooks in special collecting boxes located in selected bookshops around the city. A selection of these notebooks will travel to the next myDetour shows. Together with drop boxes, each participating bookshop displays notebooks collected in previous myDetour cities. Moleskine also cooperates with several art and design schools in Shanghai for workshops that will result in more decorated notebooks to be shown in myDetour venues. Here below, an example from Tonji University: urban planning professor Lou Yongqi and Detour author Carl Liu introduced the students to the use of notebook as a tool for collecting images, ideas and new concepts. See more images of the workshop here.
Detour and myDetour notebooks are permanently shown on the moleskine.com Gallery.
Detour Shanghai
October 21 - November 20, 2010
10 am - 10 pm
18 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu
More information here.


text:
Mobile Game Fight Goes Global
Japan's Little Known Gree and DeNA Go After Zynga in the U.S.; Converting Players to Buyers
A turf war is breaking out in the videogame industry and, for once, it has nothing to do with Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony.
This fight is taking place on smartphones with names like Gree Inc. 3632 0.21% and DeNA Co. 2432 -0.56% —a pair of Japanese firms little known in the rest of the world despite being the two most profitable companies in mobile games—taking on Zynga Inc. ZNGA -0.57% and potentially Apple Inc. AAPL -2.82% and Google Inc.
Zynga has a massive base of people familiar with its games, like "Farmville" and "Words with Friends," on Facebook. But it is still relatively new to mobile games.
Gree and DeNA have convinced millions of people in Japan to play free games on their phones and make in-game purchases. The companies offer hundreds of games, but the best-known ones are card-battle games or more casual titles such as a virtual fishing game.
However, Gree and DeNA have little presence outside of Japan. And that challenge—building a successful business outside the home market—is something that is vexing much of Japan's once-mighty electronics sector.
"There's a land grab on with Gree, DeNA, and Zynga going after the same turf," said David Gibson, a Tokyo-based senior analyst at Macquarie Securities.
The rivalry is heating up at a time when the fragmented mobile-game world is starting to consolidate. Gree bought game maker Funzio Inc. for $210 million last month, giving it popular titles such as "Modern War" and "Crime City." Zynga purchased OMGPOP Inc., the maker of hit game "Draw Something," for $183 million in March.
Zynga lags the Japanese companies in converting game players into paying customers. Gree generates $11.21 for every user who plays one of its games at least once a month, according to Macquarie Securities. The firm estimates that DeNA books $6.50 per month from its regular users. Zynga has 292 million regular users but generates just 33 cents per month from each.
Zynga declined to comment. In March, the company launched a social-game platform for third-party developers. The network is focused on games played on the PC and Web, but Zynga executives have said the platform will eventually move to mobile.
The rapid spread of smartphones and tablet computers over the past few years, coupled with faster cellular-network speeds, is changing the business model for games played on mobile devices. Instead of selling apps as a one-time purchase, a new global audience has enabled the rise of "freemium" games—titles that are free to download with options to make in-game purchases for new weapons or other virtual goods.
Gree, DeNA, Zynga and others are jostling to become the company that consolidates this expanding universe of mobile games around a central social network that connects game players with one another.
Such networks allow players to send messages to each other, play against each other, or work in tandem to defeat a common game foe. They also help promote other games and offer a virtual currency that can be used for a variety of games within the platform.
In the hit-or-miss world of games, becoming a platform—and reaping up to 30% of the in-game transactions from games created by other developers—offers a stable flow of revenue. Japanese game makers argue that platforms can help them keep existing players to stick around longer and attract new users more cheaply than other marketing techniques, such as paying middlemen for downloads.
The global mobile-game market is expected to increase nearly fivefold from $3.77 billion in 2010 to $17.6 billion in 2015, according to the research arm of Tokyo-based Ichiyoshi Securities.
In contrast to PC-driven social networks like Facebook, which amassed large numbers of users before letting other app makers build on top of its service, mobile-gaming networks seem to be less of a draw than the games themselves. "I am not sure that kind of social network is what the consumer is demanding," said Greg Richardson, CEO of online game-making start-up Rumble Entertainment Inc.
Game developers already pay a 30% revenue split to Apple, Google and Microsoft from sales made on their respective systems. They have to pay 30% of what remains to the social game platform.
Apple made the case for a game-based social network more difficult by adding new features to its Game Center service. On Monday, Apple said its coming iOS 6 operating system for the iPhone and iPad, expected out in the fall, will let a player challenge friends to a game while also allowing users to sync the Game Center friends list with Facebook to find friends easier.
Gree and DeNA argue they can provide marketing and distribution support to help a game stand out among the hundreds of thousands of other games. Also, they will offer advice and analytical tools to tailor games in order to induce players into spending money.
There are some signs of success. A fantasy-card battle game called "Rage of Bahamut," developed by Japanese firm Cygames Inc. and published on DeNA's Mobage—an abbreviation of the Japanese pronunciation of the "mobile game"—platform, was the top-grossing U.S. game for the past six weeks on Google Play and is currently the No. 3 top-grossing app in Apple's App store.
The success of "Rage of Bahamut" is significant because it is a third-party title that DeNA helped to promote, and it is a rare example of a popular Japanese mobile game thriving in the U.S.
While DeNA wouldn't offer specific numbers about the game, the company said it is finding that the U.S. paying customers are spending as much as their Japanese counterparts and that the percentage of total players who are buying items has exceeded 3%, the high end of its earlier projections.
"Not every game that succeeds in Japan will succeed in the U.S., but there will be some that work if we do the localization well," said Naoki Aoyagi, chief executive of Gree International, a San Francisco-based subsidiary.
Japanese mobile game makers are ramping up their efforts in the U.S. and elsewhere as opportunities appear to diminish at home while the nation's regulators crack down on questionable marketing practices.
In early May, stocks of Gree and DeNA fell more than 20% after the nation's Consumer Affairs Agency said it was considering whether a sales method called "complete gacha" violates the law. A few days later, both companies said they would phase out the games that used this lucrative method, in which users are charged several dollars a pop to have the chance to win a group of virtual cards, which can unlock another prize.
Last month, Gree opened its platform so users in Japan can play with friends in the U.S. or Europe. By September, it aims to have 60 games while operating in 14 different languages.
DeNA's Mobage platform started offering games for Android in July 2011 and on Apple's iOS in March. While it has more than 1,000 social games available in Japan, the company said it has 48 U.S. game apps for Android and seven for iOS. Zynga has nine game titles on Android and 19 games on iOS.
"People originally thought social gaming in Japan was only for Japanese people," said Shintaro Asako, finance chief for ngmoco Inc., a game-and-platform developer that DeNA bought in 2010, "but that's not true."
Write to Daisuke Wakabayashi at email@example.com and Spencer E. Ante at email@example.com