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The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim: Dragonborn - Official Trailer
Dragonborn will be available for download for 1600 Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE® on December 4.
ESRB RATING: MATURE with Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, and Use of Alcohol.
Bethblog is reporting that a trailer for the next Skyrim DLC installment will be released today. No details are available yet, except for this image:
However there are rumors and more rumors on the Bethforums that it will be called Dragonborn based on code from the latest update.
The next DLC will be called Dragonborn and it will be set on the island of Solstheim.
The main locations you will be able to visit are Raven Rock, Miraak Temple, Castle Karstaag and a Telvanni tower (N.B.: Not the Telvanni Tower seen in Morrowind in Vivec, but one like this).
There will be some new armor types, Bonemold, Chitin, Nordic and Stalhrim each having heavy and light classifications.
Out of these new materials, you will be able to craft new types items out of two of them, namely Stalhrim and Nordic.
Spears will be added along with an array of new creatures/automotons, Riekling, Scrib, Netch, Boar, Benthic Lurker, Ballista Centurion, and something with an internal name ofHMDaedra, quite possibly referring to Hermaeus Mora since it lists his plane of oblivion, Apocrypha. You will also be able to ride dragons and be in combat while mounted on one.
This is what the quest header for Dragonborn Quests will look like, and this is what the compass markers look like for the new locations.
From the top, clockwise: Telvanni Tower, To Solstheim, Raven Rock, Castle Karstaag, Standing Stones, To Skyrim, Miraak Temple.
There will be at least two new tracked stats: Dragonborn Quests Completed, and Stalhrim Items Crafted
You will travel to Solstheim via a boat, much like you did in Bloodmoon, although this time, it looks like you may at least get a partial visual boat ride.
The Telvanni tower has float up and down animations, so no levitation it seems.
Dragon riding will take place in its own world space
Mounted combat looks like it's getting an improvement with the ability to cast spells while mounted, tihs isn't necessarily a Dragonborn only thing though!
It appears that Update 1.8 readies Skyrim for PS3 DLC.
I will update when the trailer is released.


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...just yoga & coffee...
Yoga Meet Up event for wagabonds of Berlin
Join a dynamic yoga class (09:00-10:30) on Wednesday morning. As we flow through the Asanas, we raise our energy, breathe and release. Combined with Pranayama, breathing exercises, the class gives you a fresh start into the day. After the class we go to a coffee roastery down the road.
YOGA by donation 9€
You can bring your mat with you or use one in the studio
TO FIND THE STUDIO go to the backyard, entrance on the left, 2nd floor !!!! Press 1111 and Enter if front doors are closed!!!


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Oatmeal-Bacon Waffle Cookies with Espresso Glaze
10 comments:
Wow, your pictures alone would convince me to purchase a waffle maker! These cookies look fabulous and down right addicting.ReplyDelete
Yes, it really is hard to eat just one:)
Waht a cool idea! Very pretty too. ...SusanReplyDelete
I am so upset that I have a belgian waffle maker because I want to make these! Found you through TasteSpotting - they look awesome!ReplyDelete
I thought at first the combination is a bit weird...But coe to think of it, every major ingredient is a breakfast staple. Makes sense! I bet this'll be a hit. Makes me more excited to try...ReplyDelete
nicole, what an interesting combination. i will definitely keep this in mind the next time i want to make waffles!ReplyDelete
greetings from germany!
so fun! I love the idea of waffle cookies :)ReplyDelete
my hubbie is going to be sooo exhited when i make theese!! why can't you use the belgian waffle iron? tnxReplyDeleteReplies
A standard waffle iron creates a thin crisp cookie with a slight soft interior. The grates of a belgian waffle make are to big and deep.Delete
Thank you:)ReplyDelete
Thanks for visiting my blog! I love hearing from family, friends, and bloggers, so please leave a comment. Happy cooking!


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The British Library is one of the world's greatest research libraries. Our collections and expertise are used daily by authors, scientists, TV and film producers, business people, academics, genealogists and local historians, making a vital contribution to the UK knowledge economy.
See how together our Readers, users, collections and services contribute to the Value of Knowledge.
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Wayne County residents woke up Tuesday morning to another blanket of snow.
— Wayne County residents woke up Tuesday morning to another blanket of snow.
Generally, snowfall amounts were four to five inches across the region, however, snow was continuing to fall on Tuesday morning.
The National Weather Service said that additional show was expected to move out of the area by around noon on Tuesday and head into upper New England, where blizzard conditions were forecast.
In this region, another major issue on Tuesday morning was ice. Many residents found their car windows covered in a thin layer of ice.
Forecasters had said the snow would turn into rain overnight, however, that was not the case. Some sleet and hail fell on Tuesday morning, but it was mainly wet snow which blanketed the Wayne County area.
The storm, dubbed Winter Storm Ukko by The Weather Channel, forced the cancelation of area schools on Tuesday. Wayne Highlands, Western Wayne and Wallenpaupack districts were all closed for the day.
Lackawanna College in Hawley started classes late and many area day care centers opened later in the morning.
According to the National Weather Service, snowfall totals were around four inches.
Pleasant Mount reported four inches, there was three inches officially reported at Prompton State Park dam as of around noon on Tuesday. A little more snowfall was expected to increase that total.
Honesdale weather observers reported around four inches of white stuff and 4.1 inches was reported in Equinunk.
A little more snowfall was reported in the New York area of this region. Neversink reported about five inches of snow and White Lake had around four inches.
A little farther north, the totals were much greater. Some areas reported more than six inches of snow by Tuesday morning with heavy snow continuing to fall.
Some weather forecasters had predicted that warming temperatures would melt the snow more quickly, but that was not the case. PennDOT crews were still out on Tuesday plowing roads.
A tractor-trailer was reportedly broke down in the Bethany area which caused some travel delays. Several minor accidents were also reported around the region.
As for the forecast, the temperatures are not expected to climb very much, meaning the snow could stick around for a while.
Today, officially the first day of spring, the temperature is expected to be around 35 degrees with a low tonight of 16. Thursday is even colder, with the National Weather Service predicting a high of just 32 and a low of 20. Scattered light snow is also predicted, some of it the result of a system moving across the Great Lakes.
Friday and Saturday are expected to be a bit warmer, with temperatures around 38 degrees but the low will continue to be in the 20s. Partly cloudy conditions are expected this weekend.


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For a city that had waited patiently for more than a decade for the return of pro football, for so many whose last memory of the NFL in Baltimore was of watching their beloved Colts roll out of town under the cover of darkness, 1996 was a very good year indeed.
Just a few years after a failed attempt to secure on NFL expansion franchise, Baltimore's wait ended when Art Modell packed up his Cleveland Browns franchise and relocated it to Charm City. And, in a nod to Baltimore's football history, one-time Colts coach Ted Marchibroda was picked to coach the soon-to-be-named Baltimore Ravens.
Football was back in Baltimore.
In a season of firsts, it was the Ravens first draft that would lay the foundation of the franchise for years to come. With their first-ever selection, No. 4 overall, Baltimore chose UCLA offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden. Twenty-two picks later the Ravens took Miami linebacker Ray Lewis.
Baltimore's on-field accomplishments were less noteworthy.
A crowd of 62,124 fans at the time the largest ever for a Baltimore pro sports event turned out on Sept. 1 for the season opener at Memorial Stadium against the Oakland Raiders. Quarterback Vinny Testaverde scored on a 9-yard run for the first touchdown in franchise history, and the Ravens won their first-ever regular season game by a score of 19-14.
Baltimore went on to lose its next two games and finished its inaugural season with a 4-12 record. Despite boasting the league's second most prolific passing attack, the Ravens often found themselves involved in shootouts, including a 46-38 loss to New England in Week 6 and a 45-34 setback at Denver two weeks later.
The Ravens' four wins the opener against Oakland, a 17-10 victory against New Orleans in Week 4, a 37-31 overtime win over St. Louis in Week 9 and a 31-17 victory against Pittsburgh in Week 14 all came at Memorial Stadium. The game against the Steelers, played in the pouring rain, was highlighted by a memorable performance by Derrick Alexander, who caught seven passes for 198 yards and a touchdown.
"They didn't want to play, man," Ravens safety Bennie Thompson said after the game. "They talked a lot of trash, but couldn't back it up. They didn't think a 3-9 team could play this hard."
The Ravens wrapped up the season with a 24-21 loss to the Houston Oilers, a game in which receiver Michael Jackson accounted for all of Baltimore's points by catching three touchdown passes from Testaverde.
Testaverde's play was one of the bright spots for the Ravens during their first season. The former Heisman Trophy winner became the eighth quarterback in NFL history to throw for 30 touchdowns and 4,000 yards in a single season, and the first to do so for a sub-.500 team. He totaled 4,177 yards and 33 touchdowns both still franchise records and was named to the AFC Pro Bowl team.
Safety Eric Turner also made the Pro Bowl, though Baltimore's defense gave up more passing yards than any other team in the league (4,115) and ranked 28th out of 30 teams in points allowed.
"I'm disappointed. We were a lot better team," offensive tackle Tony Jones said after the final game of the season. "We had talent. We showed spurts of it, but we weren't consistent."
Season Highlights
- Testaverde established several franchise passing records that still stand, including the Ravens three highest single-game passing totals 429 yards (Oct. 27 vs. St. Louis), 366 yards (Nov. 24 vs. Jacksonville) and 353 yards (Oct. 6 vs. New England).
- Rookie linebacker Ray Lewis led the Ravens with 142 tackles in 14 games (10.1 per game), including 16 in a Week 9 win against the St. Louis Rams.
- Ogden caught a 1-yard touchdown pass for the Ravens first score in their 31-17 win against Pittsburgh in Week 14.
- Michael Jackson had the best season by a receiver in franchise history, catching 76 passes for 1,201 yards and 14 touchdowns. All three totals remain club records. He caught at least one touchdown pass in five consecutive games in Weeks 8-12.
- Pro Bowl safety Turner intercepted a pass in five consecutive games in Weeks 9-13.
- Baltimore's defense allowed 441 points, the most in franchise history, including a club-worst 46 points on Oct. 6 against New England.
The Year in the NFL
- NFL MVP Brett Favre threw for 246 yards and two touchdowns to help the Green Bay Packers defeat the New England Patriots, 35-21, in Super Bowl XXXI, their first Super Bowl victory since 1968. Desmond Howard returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown and totaled a Super Bowl record 244 all-purpose yards to claim MVP honors.
- After joining the NFL in 1995, two expansion franchises, the Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars, defied expectations by reaching their respective conference championship games. The Panthers went 12-4 during the regular season to win the NFC West, but lost the NFC Championship game to Green Bay, 30-13. Jacksonville got into the playoffs as the No. 5 seed in the AFC with a 9-7 record, but upset Buffalo and top-seeded Denver before falling to New England, 20-6.
- Detroit's Barry Sanders led all NFL rushers with 1,553 yards on 301 carries, the eighth consecutive season in which he rushed for at least 1,000 yards.
- In his only season with the Arizona Cardinals, former Maryland quarterback Boomer Esiason threw for 522 yards and three touchdowns in 37-34 win against the Washington Redskins.
- The Associated Press selected Houston Oilers running back Eddie George as the Offensive Rookie of the Year after George rushed for 1,365 yards and 8 touchdowns. George was the third running back selected in the 1996 draft, behind St. Louis' Lawrence Phillips (No. 6 overall) and Carolina's Tim Biakabatuka (No. 8). Arizona's Simeon Rice, the No. 3 overall pick, won the award on defense.
- Former NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle died at his home in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., on Dec. 6. Rozelle led the NFL for 29 years, from 1960-1989.
The Year in the World
- Bill Clinton was elected to his second term as President, winning 31 states and 379 electoral votes to defeat Bob Dole, who carried 19 states and 159 electoral votes.
- A pipe bomb exploded at Olympic Park in Atlanta during a rock concert on July 27, killing one person and injuring 111 others.
- Two major domestic commercial plane crashes cause concern about airline safety. A ValuJet plane crashed in the Florida Everglades on May 11, killing 110 people. On July 17, TWA Flight 800 crashed off of Long Island, killing 230 people.
- Unabomber suspect Ted Kaczynski, the subject of a famous FBI sketch, was seized from his remote Montana cabin. The Unabomber, who usually mailed his bombs, was believed to be responsible for at least 16 attacks that killed three people and injured 23 others over a span of 18 years.
- A truck bombing at an apartment complex housing U.S. military personnel in Saudi Arabia killed 19 U.S. servicemen and wounded hundreds more.
- People everywhere were doing 'The Macarena' as the song by Los Del Rio went to No. 1, stayed there for weeks and inspired a dance craze.
- Summer blockbuster 'Independence Day,' a movie about an alien invasion, opened on July 4 and ruled the box office, grossing $304 million. 'Braveheart' took home the Academy Award for Best Picture, with Mel Gibson winning Best Director honors for the film as well.
- Rapper Tupac Shakur died as the result of gunshot wounds suffered during a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas.
- After many turbulent years, the 15-year marriage of Charles and Diana, the prince and princess of Wales, ended in divorce.
- Shoppers lined up to get their hands on the must-have Christmas gift of the year, Tickle me Elmo, the chuckling, fluffy, red 'Sesame Street' character for $30.


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RN / LTC, Registered Nurse â Travel
LPN needed ASAP for 5 star facility. Must have 1 year of LTC exp.WHO YOU ARE: You have a Registered Nurse (RN), Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) or License Vocational Nurse (LVN) with an innate desire to ensure patients' needs are met with efficiency and compassion, which is why you would thrive as the Unit Manager we seek. In addition, you like the idea of travel, of exploring opportunities in a variety of settings and locations. WHAT THIS ROLE CAN OFFER YOU: In this 13-week travel assignment, you will have the satisfaction of providing direct patient care as well as ensuring your entire unit delivers quality, outcome-focused nursing care within your long term care (LTC) or skilled nursing facility (SNF). You will collaborate with the interdisciplinary care team as well as the resident or responsible party to develop an individualized, person-centered plan of care. (You must possess current state licensure for consideration.) In return for your exceptional service, we take care of your travel (nationwide or statewide), housing and per diem requirements, and Medical, Dental benefits are available at no cost. WHO WE ARE: 360 Healthcare Staffing recognizes that you are one of a kind. With us, you'll find a boutique firm that provides all the perks of a larger company while maintaining a close, professional relationship with you. We are committed to helping you find unique and fulfilling travel and interim work experiences. With a wide variety of positions and work locations plus personalized attention throughout your employment, you can be confident that 360 Healthcare Staffing will help you find your perfect match.
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360 Healthcare Staffing


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Scandinavian Christmas Hamper
November 19, 2014 | Leave a comment
We love Christmas and we love gifts. This fancy hamper is filled with Scandi treats – from chocolates to aquavit, gourmet crisp bread and even Elk salami!
All the goodies are carefully wrapped and placed in a beautiful hard case red box – and we tie a nice white silky ribbon around it. The food is ambient so you can place it straight under the tree.
The hamper gift box contains:
Annika's mulled wine spices from ScandiKitchen: Make your own Glögg mulled wine 24g
Traditional Nordic lingonberry jam 410g
Sliced sweet pickled gherkin 370g
Swedish gourmet Elk salami 150g
Leksands gourmet rye crispbread 200g
'Julebryg' Danish Christmas beer, 2 x 330ml
Scandinavian traditional aquavit, 2 x 50ml
Hand fried artisan crisps from Bjare in Sweden 75g
Dumle chocolate-toffees 120g
"Juleskum", Santa shaped marshmallow covered in milk chocolate 100g
Traditional Scandinavian ginger biscuits 300g
Smooth Marabou milk chocolate 200g
Mixed Scandinavian sweets with liquorice 200g
You can order your hamper box online and we'll deliver it to any UK address.
This is an Online Exclusive hamper gift box.


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E==Mag MAN and I had a deal for a Warp Left E-mag/RT Pro mainbody. I got it in the mail this afternoon (shipped Tues, arrived Thurs), sent insured and priority, securely packaged and intact as described. The transaction went *very* smoothly and his communication is awesome.
I would HIGHLY recommend E==Mag MAN for any trades or deals in the future and gladly do business with again.
Thanks for the awesome deal and smooth transaction!


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$100 Starbucks Card
$100 Starbucks Card
Keep warm all winter long with a $100 Starbucks gift card!
Get social with us – follow us on Twitter, subscribe to us on YouTube, or sign up for our newsletter to enter this contest.
*This is a multi-market contest. Contest ends February 2, 2017.
This contest has expired.


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A Visit to an Italian Farmers' Market
To market, to market. That's where we go every Monday morning down in the piazza below the village. It's filled with cars every other day of the week, but on Monday mornings it's the sight of Loro Ciuffenna's bustling weekly market. It has been held on a Monday morning for as long as anyone can remember, and in these parts the vast common memory stretches back for centuries. Farmer families used to walk down from the mountain hamlets with their goods for sale: chickens, eggs, pigs, sheep, seasonal fruits and vegetables.
That's how Piero kept up with everyone and their business. His house is along the road leading from the mountain into the village, and everyone stopped by for a chat or a coffee, or to get out of the rain if that was an issue. Now everyone drives by in cars, rain or no rain, and the mountain has been de-populated a bit. So traffic on the mountain road has tapered off and many of the goods come from further afield (meaning from Laterina, all of 20 minutes away).
The concept of the market remains the same. The idea is you can live in the teensy village and never, ever, leave. You can stock up on regular types of things during the week in any of our three or four shops. If you need something out of the ordinary, there's no need to drive down into the valley (or get a ride from a grandkid) – just wait for Monday and it'll come to you. Think of it: candy, fish, cheese, porchetta (mmmm, whole roast piglet), chickens (I mean the live kind), seedlings (you could plant an orchard, vineyard or olive grove from what you find at the market), underwear, kitchen gear, umbrellas, plus produce and semi-large agricultural machinery – both of which change with the seasons. Underwear: check. Artichokes: check. Chainsaw: check.
The social system of the market is a miniature version of the village's system. Women work, men chat. In the village you see the women out shopping, going from green grocer to butcher, baker to alimentari. You see them as they work to get their homes squeaky clean, swabbing the stoop and the street itself out front; shaking everything that's not nailed down out the window for a little airing out; adjusting the clothes drying on the lines strung between windows, fitted with pulleys and visqueen to protect from raindrops and pigeons. The men (retirees and a few lazy bones) are generally huddled into or in front of one of Loro's three coffee bars. It's here that they inform themselves about Formula Uno racing, other sports, last week's runaway bride or local political matters. It doesn't hurt to be informed, so Piero (since not many folks amble by his front door anymore) pops into one of the bars (on a rotating basis) every morning for a coffee and a little gossip, and then hightails it back to the sanity of the farm.
On Mondays the men relocate their huddle to the spot in front of the agricultural machinery stand. Real live farmers have to elbow their way through the knot of gossipers (one ear cocked for an interesting tidbit) to inspect the latest technology for grape pressing or olive picking. It's the women who vie for position in the line at the farmer's stand, haggle over pears and bitter greens, and paw through busily patterned table linens, cooking utensils, pots and pans.
I mostly go for fresh vegetables, but I've never figured out why one stand has a good 95% of the customers and the other (we have all of two fruit and vegetable stands) looks so lonesome. I pick the Laterina farmers over the other because of the crowds, presuming fresh vegetables they must have better stuff. I stick with them in the interest of establishing the all important rapporto di fiducia (faith/trust relationship). Once a vendor knows you, they usually give you the pick of the crop, a discount or special order stuff – that type of thing. So I put up with the wait and deal with all the old ladies trying to break in line. I give them a polite, yet forceful, Tocca a me, which means "it touches me" (their way of saying it's my turn), and make a little small talk with the slightly obsequious vendors by complimenting their goods and such. All that Laterina farmer bagging apricots and those sneaky Laterina farmers never really return my fiducia. In fact, I get the feeling they try to push what they need to sell over what I actually want, vaunt the beauty and tastiness of their crops just a little too exuberantly, and ask about my mother not because they care, but in hopes of gaining my undying loyalty. I notice they always give me more than I ask for. Ask for three peaches and he'll try to give you three kilograms; she goes a little easier, but always tosses in a few too many. They're skimpy on the free odori (odors: carrot, celery, parsley), and I wonder about the math, which is done on the back of a paper bag after a quick lick of the pencil tip, although I've never had the nerve to question them on it.
Recently I noticed the lonely stand just across the piazza had some really nice looking greens. So off I went, betraying those sly Laterina farmers. I actually hid my face, did my best to sidle up to the heavily-laden table unnoticed by the busy competitors a mere ten meters away, bought some greens and slipped out. I think I pulled it off. The greens were really good, too. Maybe it's time to get it over with and make the switch once and for all. Maybe the sly Laterina farmers won't notice. But why do I care? What are they going to do? Heckle me, and toss pieces of overly ripe fruit?
This is the best expression of early spring on a plate that I know of. I use new spring green asparagus, bacelli (fava beans), and the last of the season's artichokes. It's best made with some super tasty extra virgin olive oil, aromatic freshly ground pepper, and homemade or artisan pasta. Artisan pasta made with high-quality hard wheat is dried at a low temperature, ensuring that the gluten remains active so that it retains a heavenly texture and flavor. And don't think I forgot to mention the cheese. This pasta doesn't need cheese; oil and pepper are more than enough of a match for the vegetables.
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Have a saved game file from Samurai Warriors on your memory card to start with all characters unlocked.Alternate Musou attack
When your Musou meter is full, press Circle to begin the attack. Then, release Circle and press Square rapidly. Your character will stop their regular Musou attack and hit the enemies with stronger versions of their charge attacks. This is especially useful with characters such as Nobunaga, that have erratic Musou attacks that only work against large groups.Alternate costumes
Successfully complete the game to unlock that character's alternate costume.Lucky characters
At the character select screen, a green cursor around your character indicates that specific character is a "lucky" character. These characters can receive their fifth and sixth level weapons one difficulty below the supposed setting. Note: Every time the game is turned off and restarted, the cursor will randomly change to another character.Fight against Lu Bu
Get to floor 30 in the Abyss in survivor mode. Lu Bu may also challenge you if you surpass a certain amount of gold in Gold Rush in survivor mode.Shield Wall
Play the Battle Of Komaki-Nagakute with Honda Tadakatsu. Win all the missions, then defeat the supply team when it appears.War Baton
Play any versus mode option at least 35 times.Tadakatsu Honda's fifth level weapon
In story mode on his third mission, take out Oyamada to complete the first objective. This will make Ieyasu go into the crane formation. Afterwards, Shingen will order the Takeda cavalry to charge out. Do not kill any of the cavalry generals. Allow the cavalry to shatter the crane formation. This will cause Ieyasu to order a retreat, but Tadakatsu will decide to kill Shingen himself. After two or three minutes, a supply unit will appear at the lower right gate and move north. Kill the unit to get Tadakatsu's fifth level weapon, Arahabaki.In-game reset
While playing the game, hold Start + Select.


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The album is only 45 minutes long, but rather than cram the grooves on two sides of a single disc, Fagen lets them stretch out on...get this...three sides of two discs. Yes, Side 4 is blank.
This not all that unusual. I have multiple albums that were pressed in this fashion. Usually the "blank" fourth side is embossed with some fancy pattern. Black Dub comes to mind-Daniel Lanois and the late Chris Whitley's daughter Trixie. Frankly I would rather have the one disc if at all possible for the sake of longer playing sides and less expense. Take Sunken Condos-the seedy is $10 and the vinyl is $45!
Donald Fagen's Sunken Condos
Some have complained that the new album doesn't lay new ground, but whaddaya want? The guy's 65, innovation has never been what he and Walter Becker have been about (at least not since the high mark of Steely Dan, which was one of the most innovative pop bands ever), butmore to the pointSunken Condos does pave new layers and textures over that ground, and they're subtle and appealing.
Fagen's themes are familiaran old guy, young girls, zany girls, nuclear madness, gangster ramblingsbut the take is different: more reflective, less snarky, as is often the case when he goes solo.
The opener, "Slinky Thing," will remind many of "Hey, Nineteen," but this time out, the narrator isn't contemptuous of the girl's cultural cluelessness, he's just happy to be with her. "I'm Not the Same without You" recalls "The Things I Miss the Most," but there's a neat double twist: at first, you think the singer misses the girl who's left him; then it seems he's actually better off without her ("I'm evolving/ At a really astounding rate of speed / Into something way cooler / Than what I was before"); then it's clear that the guy's miserable to the point of delusional ("I can hold my breath / For a really long time now..."). It's hilarious, and sad.
"Memorabilia" is a sort of flipside to "New Frontier," a look-back at the days of 1950s' impending apocalypse, but its nostalgia is not for the earlier song's lost youth but rather for the "lovely island" in the Pacific that an H-bomb test obliterated. "Weather in My Head" is a low-down blues about the relative misery of global warming and the "ocean of misery floodin' my heart." "The New Breed" is the dark side of "Slinky Thing," though played out in an upbeat catchy tune, about an old guy ("ready for Jurassic Park") getting dumped for a computer whiz ("a keener spark").
"Miss Marlene" is a charming reminiscence about a bowling queen who meets a bad end. "Good Stuff" is a noir-ish short story that harks back to "Kid Charlemagne," but with a backdrop of '30s bootleg gangs instead of '80s coke dealers. "Planet D'Rhonda" is the latest chapter in a very long tale (the last one was "Lunch with Gina") of an infatuation with a frantic girl.
In the middle of all this, there's a cover of Isaac Hayes' "Out of the Ghetto," laced with some klezmer harmonies, as if Fagen is reclaiming the ghetto vibe for the Jews.
Throughout, as usual, the lyrics are witty, sometimes even deep. The music has the skylark guitar solos, Blue Note horn charts, and doo-wop background girl-singers of Dan yore; but those horn charts stand out more, and there's more going on there, perhaps because of Michael Leonhart, who not only plays trumpet (as usual) but also co-arranged all the parts, co-produced and co-engineered the album, and (under a pseudonym) played drums (tastily, though I could have used a little more backbeat).
OK, OK, you're probably thinking, how does it sound? Well, the CD sounds damn goodFagen's voice is clearer, the instruments more distinct and dynamic, than they have been for a few albumsand the LP sounds better still. The LPit's pressed by Furnace (which, Michael Fremer informs me, is a Virginia company that outsources to Pallas, a "superb" plant in Germany), and it's a piece of genuine audiophilia: a 180-gram slab of clear vinylactually, two slabs. The album is only 45 minutes long, but rather than cram the grooves on two sides of a single disc, Fagen lets them stretch out on...get this...three sides of two discs. Yes, Side 4 is blank. (My fantasy for the reissue would be to fill that side with "Slink Thing" mastered at 45rpmbut hey, a three-sided LP is impressive enough.)
And the LPs sound terrific: everything is clearer still, the instruments more distinct, airier, more rounded, more there, and the bass line! The bass line is deeper, pluckier, funkier.
Just get it.
I don't think this song is about a relationship with a woman, rather Don's relationship with his younger self. He may be telling a woman about this (almost bragging to her at the end that he can "see inside people's dreams"). I think in his awareness of his age, he has grown comfortable with it, and in fact, happy and content with his life. "I don't need sleep anymore, but when I close my eyes, I sleep the sleep of the gods." To me suggests that he isn't ready to go yet, but when the time comes, he is comforable with the thought.
A+ album, from a biased source.
Another winner by the musical genius known as Donald Fagen. And the recording is as good as Kamakiriad, if not better! LOVE IT!!
While I've yet to buy something on HDTracks that didn't sound better in some way than the versions I already had, Donald Fagen's work shows what's truly possible in the high def mode. And listening high def through killer headphones... somebody get me a nutrition drip because I'm not getting up...


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- AltCar Auto Show
- Beijing Auto Show
- CES Auto Show
- Chicago Auto Show
- DC Auto Show
- Detroit Auto Show
- Frankfurt Auto Show
- Geneva Auto Show
- LA Auto Show
- NAIAS Auto Show
- New York Auto Show
- Paris Auto Show
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Auto Show: 2013 New York Auto Show
2014 Cadillac CTS: New York Auto Show
What is it?
Cadillac's bigger and better midsize luxury sedan, designed to take on the European leaders.
Building on the success of the outgoing second-generation CTS, the new 2014 Cadillac CTS unveiled at the 2013 New York Auto Show model boasts refined styling, an available twin-turbocharged V6, new high-tech features and a longer wheelbase for more passenger space.
Will this be the Cadillac that challenges Europe's best? We can't wait to find out.
How much?
The current 2013 CTS starts at $39,990 for the Luxury model and goes up to $51,085 for the Premium all-wheel drive version (the high-performance CTS-V starts in the $60s). Pricing for the 2014 CTS hadn't been announced as of this writing, but we expect a bump into the $40s for the base model as it moves upmarket to compete head-on with midsize European luxury sedans. The twin-turbo Vsport model will likely start above $50,000. Cadillac is going for the gold with this car, so we expect it to be priced accordingly.
When can you get it?
The 2014 Cadillac CTS should arrive in dealerships this fall.
Add it to your shopping list because...
The CTS is now a full-fledged midsize luxury sedan that goes toe-to-toe with traditional leaders like the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Previously, the CTS was a "tweener," sized between compact and midsize status. But when the compact ATS sport sedan hit the scene last year, the CTS was suddenly free to move up in size. Cadillac stretched the 2014 model's overall length by 5 inches and its wheelbase by 1.2 inches,increasing cabin space considerably and transforming the CTS into a true rival to the 5-Series and E-Class. Nonetheless, the new CTS is actually lighter than the car it replaces, thanks in part to GM's first-ever aluminum door structures.
But it's not just the 2014 CTS's measurements that make it more compelling. Under the hood, the current model's base 3.0-liter V6 engine has been replaced by a relatively fuel-efficient (19/30 mpg with rear-wheel drive) turbocharged 4-cylinder that also cranks out a healthy 272 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. The mid-level option for 2014 is the familiar 3.6-liter V6, now rated at 321 hp and 275 lb-ft of torque. At the top (at least until the next CTS-V is unveiled) is the 2014 CTS Vsport with its all-new twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter V6, a powerhouse motor that produces 420 hp and 430 lb-ft of torque through an updated 8-speed automatic transmission. Note that all-wheel drive is optional on every CTS except the Vsport.
Naturally, a new CTS-V is on the way, but we'll have to wait a year or two for Cadillac to iron out the details.
Inside, the CTS gets upgraded materials, a sleeker dashboard, and Cadillac's CUE infotainment system, which features a tablet-like 8-inch touch-screen with a wide-range of connectivity features. One nifty available gadget is the new 12.3-inch configurable color information display, which slots in below the gauges in front of the driver. Following BMW's lead, Cadillac will offer a handful of distinctive interior themes, or "environments," to give each cabin a customized feel, and you can even specify 20-way power seats if you want. Our initial impression is that the 2014 CTS's interior is genuinely world-class.
Indeed, the 2014 CTS in its entirety appears to be world-class. We can't think of a better reason to add a car to your shopping list than that.
Other cars to consider:
BMW 5 Series - The 5 Series starts with a turbo four-cylinder, just like the 2014 CTS, but its range-topping twin-turbo V8 might be Cadillac's Kryptonite until the CTS-V arrives. We'd love to compare the 550i to the CTS Vsport and find out.
Infiniti M - The M offers more than enough style, power, and technology to duke it out with the CTS, and it's got one of the nicest interiors around.
Mercedes-Benz E-Class - Treated to a mild redesign of its own, the current E-Class actually looks quite similar to the 2014 CTS in profile, and it's got a bunch of appealing engines, including a lovely turbodiesel V6.
Used Jaguar XF - Steep depreciation means that you can easily get into a low-mileage, certified pre-owned XF for CTS money. In fact, you could probably treat yourself to an XF with the supercharged V8 engine.
Used Maserati Quattroporte - Feeling adventurous? There's a big new Quattroporte in town, so the smaller previous model can be had for a fraction of its original price. Hunt around and you can find one of these four-door Ferraris for a song.
Do you think of the new Cadillac CTS has what it takes to challenge BMW and Mercedes? Tell us in the comments below.


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Every week we cover new Android apps with Fresh Meat on Wednesday, followed by Android Gaming on Thursday and Top 10 app updates on Friday. Now every Monday we will look back and see which ones were the most crowd-pleasing among our audience. Read on for the 10 most popular Android apps among your peers from last week.
1. Twilight
We first discovered Twilight a couple weeks ago, and I'm surprised it still has less than 100k installs. This app filters the blue spectrum on your phone or tablet after sunset and protects your eyes with a soft and pleasant red filter. Recent research suggests that exposure to blue light before sleep may distort your natural (circadian) rhythm and cause inability to fall asleep. I've been sleeping great since I installed this app and I would suggest anyone try out the free version.
2. Flatout: Stuntman
I'm kind of surprised that Flatout has stuck around this long, but it comes in again as the most popular Android game from last week. The Flatout series is one of the most popular stunt titles on gaming consoles, and this mobile version delivers all the same exciting action. The game is optimized for Tegra-powered devices, but it runs on a wide variety of Android smartphones and tablets. It's free to play, so check it out if you enjoy ragdoll fun.
3. Jiffy
Jiffy is a time tracking tool designed and developed by people who need to track time for people who need to track time. It was just featured last week in our Fresh Meat column, and it's the highest ranking new app on this list. I have yet to try it out, but the design looks awesome and it has an average review score of 4.4.
4. AppAware
AppAware is an older app, but still one of my all time favorites. I used to promote it all the time, but I hadn't linked to it in ages until I wrote about the First 10 apps I install when I get a new phone. If you are an app junkie, which I assume you are since you are reading this post, then it's a must have app to discover new apps.
5. Minimalistic Text
Minimalistic Text moves up one spot from last week and continues to draw attention. It is a widget app that displays information in a minimalistic way. It was recently updated to Version 3.0, so give it a look if you love clean looking widgets.
6. Personal Capital
Personal Capitol is a new app that helps you manage your money by giving you a holistic view of all of your accounts. It has similar features to other expense managers, but this is one of the best designed finance apps I have seen in a long time. The app integrates with over 10 thousand financial institutions to show you your complete financial picture at a glance and it only takes a minute to download the app and put it to work for you.
7. MyColorScreen
MyColorScreen.com is one of the more popular sites for browsing Android home screens and this unofficial app brings that experience to a native app. Download MyColorScreen to browser screens description, apps used for the screens, comments and view even more screenshots of that screen.
8. NQ Mobile Easy Finder
NQ Mobile is known for their suite of security and privacy apps, and they recently released a stand-alone app to track a lost device. The app is still in beta but it can automatically locate & track the phone, photograph the intruder, backup the data and contact, even wipe the data on your phone if an intruder attempts to unlock the phone to retrieve your personal information. Early reviews are positive with an average score of 4.5.
9. Google Voice
Google Voice already has over 10 million installs, so I'm a little surprised that it made our most popular list. I wrote that it was the first app I install when I get a new Android phone, so that's what pushed it into the Top 10. I thought our audience was quite familiar with the service, but head over to the official Google Voice site for a full intro.
10. Hider+
Rounding out the Top 10 is Hider+, an app that provides a secret vault for pictures, sms, call logs, and more. The app is brand new and it has less than 10k installs, but it features a slick design and the early reviews are positive.


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Thunder make a stop in Minnesota
The Oklahoma City Thunder will try to push their winning streak to four on Friday night when they visit the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center.
Oklahoma City is fighting for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and trails the San Antonio Spurs by 1 1/2 games. The Thunder are 4 1/2 games up on the Denver Nuggets in the Northwest Division.
The Thunder won their third straight on Wednesday night when they buried the Washington Wizards, 103-80. Defense was the order of the day for OKC as it didn't allow Washington to score more than 23 points in a quarter, including 14 in the final frame.
Oklahoma City had to deal with a red-hot John Wall, but held him to 18 points on 3-for-18 shooting from the field. Wall had a career-high 47 points in his previous game. The Wizards only shot 32 percent as a team.
"We wanted to make sure that he did not get in to the paint and get any easy shots early," head coach Scott Brooks said of Wall. "That's the great luxury to have when we have multiple guys that can guard multiple positions and that's one of the things that Thabo (Sefolosha) does well. He can guard any of their perimeter players."
Russell Westbrook had 21 points, Kevin Durant 20 and Kevin Martin added 18 off the bench.
The Timberwolves have alternated wins and losses over the last four and the most recent setback, a 120-117 loss on Wednesday, at home, to the Los Angeles Lakers was a bitter one.
The Lakers were up big, but the Wolves started fouling Dwight Howard to get the big man to the line. The strategy worked as Howard went 2-for-8 late and Minny cut the deficit to three.
Ricky Rubio took the last shot, but Kobe Bryant came over and blocked it, although the Timberwolves side believed a foul could've just as easily been called.
"What do you think? I mean come on," Wolves coach Rick Adelman said of the no- call. "First of all the guy should of never gone and tried to block the shot and he did. What are you going to say?"
Eight Minnesota players scored in double figures Wednesday, led by 19 points and 16 rebounds from Nikola Pekovic. Dante Cunningham had 18 off the bench and Rubio, Andrei Kirilenko, Derrick Williams, Luke Ridnour, Chase Budinger and J.J. Barea each cracked the 10-point mark.
The Timberwolves host the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday, then the Boston Celtics on Monday.
OKC has taken 14 of its last 15 against the Timberwolves. The only blemish was earlier this season when the Wolves knocked off the Thunder 99-93 in Minnesota.


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Huawei Is Shaking Up the Smartphone Market
Richard Yu, head of Chinese firm's consumer business group, talks about competing against Samsung and Apple.
Huawei Technologies Co. may be unknown to many U.S. consumers, but the Chinese company is becoming a threat to Samsung Electronics Co., the world's biggest smartphone maker.
Huawei's rise is an indication that growth in the mobile-phone industry is coming mainly from outside China—emerging markets where many consumers are still replacing basic feature phones with smartphones. While China's increasingly saturated smartphone market is showing signs of slowing growth, Huawei is expanding rapidly in Africa, the Middle East and...


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Well... This is my yahoo league. Their's 12 people in the league and I think my roster is stacked. What do you think?
QB - Matt Hasselbeck, SEA - I'm looking for him to rebound
QB - Philip Rivers, SD - I'm not sold on Rivers with his receivers, but I ended up with him somehow. I'm half tempted to trade him for Garrard, his new stable of receivers and the new OTs the Jags got this offseason.
RB - Matt Forte, CHI - He should put up even bigger numbers than last year, now that opposing D's have to worry more about the Jay Cutler and the pass.
RB - Julius Jones, SEA - I'm looking for him to put up way better numbers than last year with Morris gone, a healthy Hasselbeck, the best blocking receiver in the game and an improved O-Line.
RB - Chris Johnson, TEN - I suspect he'll perform about the same as he did last year, which was pretty exceptional. I'm not starting him against Pittsburgh.
RB - Marshawn Lynch, BUF - He's out the first three weeks, but look at my other backs. I can wait for him to return to the game.
WR - Greg Jennings, GB - I've had him in all of my fantasy leagues for the last 2 years and he's always been my most consistent WR.
WR - Lee Evans, BUF - I look for him to benefit from T.O. like Witten did and he was already putting up huge numbers as it was, although inconsistent.
WR - Braylon Edwards, CLE - I'm sketched about Edwards and I'm trying to trade him for Ochocinco... Sound crazy? Carson Palmer's returning and I believe Ochocinco is in a contract year. I suspect he's going to put up huge numbers and rebound this year.
WR - Brian Robiskie, CLE - My darkhorse pick... I'm looking for him to be in the running for rookie of the year, especially if Edwards gets traded by the Browns.
TE - Chris Cooley, WAS - I don't think you can go wrong with Cooley at TE, especially with Zorn as head coach. Look for him to be targeted a lot this year.
TE - Heath Miller, PIT - As solid as you can get for a TE if he can stay healthy. If not... I always have Cooley.
K - Rob Bironas, TEN - The guy's been a machine the last couple of years and you can always rely on Fisher to kick field goals.
DEF - SEATTLE - We added Ken Lucas and the best defensive player in the draft to a great rotation up front. I think the Hawks could have a top 10 defense this year.
DEF - NEW ENGLAND - The Pats defense always seems to be solid. They're a safe pick for defense.


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The global fight for the open Internet has heated up this week with lawmakers, top Obama administration officials, and Internet industry giants moving in unprecedented unanimity to push back against a proposal to effectively hand over control of the Internet to the United Nations and thus its member states.
Unlike domestic political battles concerning the Internet, like the fight over the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) or the controversy over cybersecurity legislation currently before Congress, this struggle pits the United States against countries like China and Russia, who wish to seize control of Internet regulation from the variety of US-backed nonprofit organizations that currently oversee its structure, rules, and upkeep, and place that power in the hands of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), a UN agency.
What is the proposal?
Unfortunately, at the moment, there are more questions than answers. But here's what we know so far. In December, 193 UN member states will meet in Dubai for the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT). There, revisions to a 1988 ITU treaty may be proposed — no one's saying for certain just yet — that would allow the ITU to take over as the sole regulatory body for the Internet. That means it would have far greater control over cybersecurity, data privacy, Web technology standards, and the Web address system. It would also give member states the ability charge Internet companies for international traffic. (More on this later.)
Presently, these responsibilities, known collectively as "Internet governance," lay with a number of nonprofit institutions, like the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which handles the underlying infrastructure of the Internet, and establishes top-level domains (TLDs), like .com, .net, or .ca; and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), which develops Internet standards.
Who wants the ITU in charge?
The full list of countries in support of such proposals has not been announced (after all, much could change between now and December). But those who are publicly in favor include China, Russia, Brazil, India, most countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and Iran, and "many other" countries in the developing world, according to reports. Other countries that have expressed dissatisfaction with the current system include Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Cuba, Ghana, Bolivia, and Venezula, which means they are likely on the list of supporters as well.
Why do they support such proposals?
Because the organizations currently in control of the Internet often operate on behalf of the US government and its allies, which an increasing number of countries believe is unjust, since the Internet is an international network. And since the ITU already regulates many aspects of international communication (like setting the rates for long-distance calls and establishing what are and are not true "4G" wireless speeds) and is a truly international body, those in favor of such a power shift believe the ITU is the perfect organization to take over.
Basically, other countries want more power over the Web. And the ITU would give them that power.
Who's against these proposals?
The US government and US-based businesses are by far the most vocal opponents. This includes Members of Congress, the Obama administration, and a wide swath of the technology industry's largest and most powerful companies, including Google, AT&T, Microsoft, Verizon, Cisco, and others.
Why are they against it?
The opposition's concerns boil down to a few key points: freedom of speech, the stifling of innovation, and money.
Giving the ITU control over the Internet means giving more control to governments, like China, Iran, Russian, which are notorious for greatly limiting the types of information available to their citizens online, and imposing censorship — especially of political speech — on their people.
"Does anyone here today believe that these countries' proposals would encourage the continued proliferation of an open and freedom-enhancing internet?," said FCC Chairman Robert McDowell during a House Energy and Communications Committee hearing on Thursday that addressed the possible ITU proposal.
"The threats are real and not imagined, although they admittedly sound like works of fiction sometimes," McDowell added.
US Ambassador Phil Verveer, who serves as a deputy assistant secretary for the Obama State Department and will be directly involved in the WCIT negotiations, added further weight to this sentiment, saying that, if the proposals to give the ITU power over the Internet are adopted, it "could limit the Internet as an open and innovative platform by potentially allowing governments to monitor and restrict content or impose economic costs upon international data flows."
On May 2, the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy (of which Ambassador Verveer is a part), summed up the concerns surrounding an ITU-controlled Internet in a blog post thusly: "Governmental proposals to replace the Internet's decentralized and open system must be resisted. Centralized control over the Internet through a top-down government approach would put political dealmakers, rather than innovators and experts, in charge of the future of the Internet. This would slow the pace of innovation, hamper global economic development, and lead to an era of unprecedented control over what people can say and do online. Centralized control would threaten the ability of the world's citizens to freely connect and express themselves by placing decision-making power in the hands of global leaders who have demonstrated a clear lack of respect for the right of free speech."
Another concern is that the ITU's negotiations are often held in secret, without input from the public at large. Vinton Cerf, considered to be one of the founding fathers of the Internet for his co-creation of TCP/IP and now a vice president and chief Internet evangelist at Google, also spoke at Thursday's hearing as an expert witness, and recently warned of such consequences in a New York Times op-ed.
"The decisions taken in Dubai in December have the potential to put government handcuffs on the Net," he wrote. "To prevent that — and keep the Internet open and free for the next generations — we need to prevent a fundamental shift in how the Internet is governed."
During the House Committee hearing, Cerf added: "The open Internet has never been at higher risk than it is now. A new international battle is brewing — a battle that will determine the future of the Internet."
In terms of money, critics warn that giving the ITU and its members power over Internet regulation could result in a variety of new taxes and other costs imposed on service providers, including companies like Google and Facebook, which could eventually result in higher costs for consumers. Furthermore, restriction on the free flow of information could also inhibit business on an international scale.
"The free flow of information, including the free flow of commercial information, is something that has added… measurably to the world's wealth," said Verveer. He added: "There have been some suggestions made by some countries that we ought to have a per-click charge, if you will; that content providers ought to contribute to the cost of translation companies for concluding traffic. There are a variety of reasons why that seems to us not to be a good idea at all. But you can see where what could turn out to be a marginal imposition on the Internet would in fact interfere with the commercial value of it. And we're very anxious to avoid that."
How do the opponents plan to fight back?
The plan is for the US government to build a coalition of allies that can fight back against the proposal. But that's down the road. At the moment, however, a bipartisan coalition of House members, including Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-CA); Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA); Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA); Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI); and Rep. Greg Walden, (R-OR) have introduced a House resolution (pdf) that urges the Obama administration to remain vigilantly against possible proposals for an ITU takeover. Although, at this point, it seems a near impossibility that any interests in the US will back down from this fight.
It's about to get interesting, folks. Stay tuned.
Update: Access has launched a new petition telling the ITU that "the Internet belongs to us," not to the UN, nor the world's governments.
Image via SVLuma/Shutterstock
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The ECAC is proud to honor 52 student-athletes with Player of the Week distinction for the week of April 2nd, 2007. Junior goaltender Janine Forman (North Massapequa, N.Y.) was named the Division III ECAC Metro Region Goaltender of the Week. Janine finished the Rams 1-1 week with 29 saves and held her opponents to just 9.50 goals scored per game on 65 shots faced. In the Rams win over St. Thomas Aquinas, she finished with 12 saves, including three big stops in the final two minutes of play to secure the 12-11 victory. Against Mount Saint Vincent, she had another huge game tallying 17 saves and stopping 6-of-8 free position attempts.
This is Janine's second time this season being named ECAC Goaltender of the Week.
-Each week of the Spring season, the ECAC honors student-athletes with Player of the Week Awards. In Baseball and Softball, a player and pitcher are chosen each week in Divisions I, II, and III. In Men's and Women's Lacrosse, a player and goaltender are chosen in Divisions II and III. In Men's and Women's Track and Field, a track athlete and field athlete are chosen in Divisions I, II, and III.--


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Officials dressed in white business suits, march, flanked by American flags,in a parade for the National Youth Administration, past the Captiol Building in San Juan, Puerto Rico. They are followed by youth in black overalls, shouldering spades. Behind them march girls, carrying a banner reading: "NYA, Caguas Proyecto." A truck comes next, displaying a large poster in its rear reading: "NYA for Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico Leads the way," amd listing various NYA youth projects in Puerto Rico. Youth carrying N.Y.A. banners and American flags come next, followed by more young men carrying spades. Youthful firemen stand beside reels of hoses and a sign reading: "Bomberos de Guayama." An official pins a badge on the lapel of a man being honored. Next, a fireman, and two youth demonstrate by spraying water from their hose along the street. Remainder of the film is a montage of views. Scene shifts to the harbor, where two U.S. Clemson class destroyers are seen. Then boys are seen playing on a beach. A closeup of a young woman. Closeups of several of the youthful firemen previously seen. Several youth with spades, seen from the rear. An American flag wafting in a breeze.
Vintage slate states that the scenes are from San Juan, Puerto Rico. However, it opens with pre-hurricane views not of San Juan, but of Havana, Cuba, as seen from its harbor. Buildings of Havana Cuba seen, including El Capitolio, the National Capitol Building in Havana. Seen shifts to a covered market area filled with people (possibly still Havana, or possibly now in Puerto Rico. Aerial view of homes and buildings in the city of San Juan in 1932. Scene changes to view of hurricane winds blowing palm trees at 120 mile speed during San Ciprian hurricane. Palm trees on shore blown by wind. Sea water floods city. View after storm of wreckage of houses. People combing through the ruins. Cloth spread on ruins. Women and children walk among ruins. View again of storm in progress with water flooding the area and hurricane force winds.
Map highlights New York in United States and San Juan in Puerto Rico. Connection established between the two places. Baltimore and Miami also connected with San Juan. Map of Island of Puerto Rico. Boats at San Juan harbor. Buildings in background. A Pan American Airways Fokker F-10A trimotor passenger plane lands on airfield. Tourists deplane. A Sikorsky S-40 flying boat being tied up to a dock. Automobiles parked in streets of port city. Buildings in city. Traffic moves on street. Man looks down from balcony of building. Traffic in narrow streets. Cloudy sky as seen from seacoast.
Aviator Charles Lindbergh visits San Juan, Puerto Rico. A huge crowd awaits his arrival at an air field. Lindbergh's plane 'Spirit of Saint Louis' lands and taxis. Men move towards the plane as it comes to a halt. Closeup of the 'Spirit of Saint Louis'. Several officials stand near the airplane as Lindbergh prepares to leave the cockpit. Among them is George H. Estes, Jr., Commander of U.S. Troops in Puerto Rico. ( He held rank of Brigadier General, in 1918, but now wears peacetime rank insignia of Colonel.) Others greeting Lindbergh include Puerto Rican government officials and civilians, who watch as Lindbergh climbs out of the cockpit. Lindbergh poses with Governor of Puerto Rico, Horace M Towner, and other officials.
Views in San Juan, Puerto Rico. A streetcar moving in front of City Hall. Plaza de Colon located near the Saint Christopher Castle. Statue of Juan Ponce de Leon and view of Cathedral. Automobile leaving Cathedral. Buildings in old San Juan. The Capitol building of Puerto Rico. A train station. Steel transmission towers.
The University of Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras Campus. The Capitol Building with the U.S. flag on it.


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The Sleepy Eye Indians ended their regular season on July 21 with a 7-1 win over the Essig Bluejays after a huge sixth inning.
The Sleepy Eye Indians ended their regular season on July 21 with a 7-1 win over the Essig Bluejays after a huge sixth inning.
Sleepy Eye had the bases loaded in the first inning after a few hits, but could not manage to bring any in. Both teams played great defense for most of the game, as zeros were marked across the board up until the sixth inning.
Alan Woitas started the sixth inning by hitting a double, which started a chain reaction of other big hits from the Indians, including a double by Joey Walter and another by Kelly Krzmarzick.
"Sometimes a big hit like that will spark runs for the rest of the team and that's kind of what happened I guess," Woitas said.
The three doubles hit in the sixth inning resulted in six runs scored for Sleepy Eye.
The Indians added to their healthy lead after they scored a final run in the bottom of seventh, while the Bluejays scored their first run of the game in the eighth inning.
Jake Bohnen led Sleepy Eye at bat, going 3-for-3 with one run scored. Joey Walter had three RBI, while Andrew Woitas went 1-for-3 and had two runs. Alan Woitas also went 1-for-3 and had one run and two RBI. Andrew Woitas threw for five innings and allowed three hits and threw one strikeout. Alan Woitas threw for the last four innings and allowed five hits and one run, but threw three strikeouts.
Sleepy Eye ends its regular season with a 12-10 record. The Indians have won five of their past six games, and will look to add to their three game winning streak on July 26, where they will host Searles in the first playoff game.
"I think we've been playing a lot better baseball as of late," Coach Bruce Woitas said. "I think we're starting to hit the ball, get some key hits, pitching well, and playing good defense for the most part, so it's a good way to be going in at the end of the year."
So what's the key to a successful post season? Alan Woitas said the team needs to do a better job of not leaving so many players on base.
"That's kind of been our struggle this year is we've had runners on base and haven't been able to drive them in," Alan Woitas said. "So if we can start doing that in playoff time we'll be okay."


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The past couple of days has produced a lot of great content in the fashion blogging world. There were enough interesting pieces, that I thought I'd share them with you:
- Sally at Already Pretty writes Why Trends Are Your Friends and I happen to completely agree with her on why it's important to stay up on the latest styles.
- Fashion News: Angelina Jolie is the new face for Louis Vuitton. While I'm a huge fan of Angie's, how many people would actually take their precious LV tote bag across a river in a rickety canoe? Anyone?
- Net-A-Porter.com created an online magazine dedicated to bloggers called the The Blog Power List. Many of the big names in fashion blogging were featured, with editorial, features and personal picks. Hanneli Mustaparta, talks about why women are obsessed with style blogs and why bloggers stick together (it's true, we do). You might already know a lot of these blogs, but there were some new-to-me finds in this feature, i.e. Into The Gloss (beauty) and TripStyler (aspiring jet-setter's style). It's a must read if you love fashion blogs.
And if you're looking for more good reading, this week's Independent Fashion Blogger community put up a whopper of a list for Links a la Mode. So many insightful posts, so little time! Definitely check out Arash Mazinani, By Anika, and Consider Me Lovely (very powerful post on being a dark-skinned girl – watch the video).
Links à la Mode: June 9th
- Arash Mazinani: Super Brands: Why They've Got You Hooked
- Barbro Andersen: Blogging is sharing, and sharing is caring!
- Best of Bklyn: How I wore my mom's prom dress, 31 years later!
- Best of Palm Beach Consignment: Alexander McQueen: A Love Story
- Blah Blah Becky: Lipstick: A History
- Boheme Noir: 20 Alexander McQueen Runway Moments that blew my mind
- By Anika: A Love Letter to Personal Bloggers
- Consider Me Lovely: A journey from self-loathing to self-loving.
- Crashing Red: Why bloggers should not be categorized—or judged—because of their particular style.
- Dress With Courage: How do you define the difference between being inspired, or being a copycat?
- FIERCE: A Day at the Beach and a Lesson in Self Love
- Fierce Fab Fit: I'm a Grammar Snob: V1—Homophones
- Grit & Glamour: Video Review: Maybelline Color Sensational Clear Lipliner
- Haute Khuuture: How to display your jewelry for maximum use with minimal effort.
- Her Catwalk: 5 Ways to Get Rid of Unnecessary Spending
- Hippie Lace: A simple and easy DIY to add length—and spice—to cut off shorts
- Independent Fashion Bloggers: Bloggers are not your only readers
- Oranges and Apples: Why I Will Never be a Professional Blogger
- Style Confessions: Gel nail polish—what's the big deal?
- Style Nuggets: 5 Surprising Benefits of Blogging
- The Styling Dutchman: A self-conscious post about unflattering pictures and photoshopping: embrace the ugly!
- The Well Appointed Catwalk: The Un-It Bag


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BART holds meeting with community leaders and elected officials
A delegation of BART Board members will hold a meeting tomorrow, Sunday, January 11, 2009 from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. with community leaders and elected officials following the officer-involved shooting on New Years Day at the Fruitvale BART Station.
During Thursday's BART Board of Directors meeting, in which all nine board members listened to community members express their concerns about the tragic shooting, Board Member Carole Ward Allen promised she'd hold a community meeting to continue the dialogue and to hear from community leaders about how to move forward. "During our meeting last Thursday, I pledged to follow up with a concerted effort to engage in dialogue with the citizens of Oakland," she said. "This meeting we have planned will be another step in the healing process."
WHAT : Meeting with community leaders and elected officials to gather feedback
WHEN : 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, January 11, 2009
WHERE : Joseph P. Bort MetroCenter
Lawrence D. Dahms Auditorium
101 Eighth Street
Oakland, CA 94607
WHO: Members of the BART Board of Directors, community leaders and elected officials


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Visit other countries by clicking on the link above.
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Visit my website at www.themystictraveller.comI am a Brit who has resided in Tokyo for nearly eighteen years.My travels across the globe have taken me to countries such as Egypt, Peru, Indonesia, Burma, Nepal, India, Bolivia, China, Laos, Canada, Vietnam, Malaysia, Korea, Cambodia, the whole of Western Europe, 26 states in the US and many other places. For me, travel is an education. I am fascinated by different cultures. I also enjoy trekking, having climbed in the Himalayas, Andes, Alps, the Rockies and Mount Fuji, as well as hiking in the Amazon and in the jungles of Asia.I am a freelance writer, artist and photographer. Examples of my work can be seen at my website: www.themystictraveller.comIn 2010, I won three Honorable Mention Awards at the International Photography Awards. I also won in 2008. This year, I won the Weekender Japan's 40th Anniversary photography contest and the Asia Foundation 2010 competition.I currently have 73 photographs being exhibited in Berlin. The exhibition will then move to Potsdam. The money raised, will go to a library and school in Zanzibar.On October 16th, 2009, three of my Burma images were auctioned to raise money for Refugees International Japan. They succeeded in raising 160,000 yen (approx. $1600) for the charity. I continue to do volunteer work for RIJ.
View my complete profile


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Act on the Protection of the Topographies of Semiconductor Products
Protection of the Topographies of Semiconductor Products Act*
(No. 778 of December 9, 1987)
Chapter 1: General Provisions 1 - 7
Chapter 2: Registration, etc. 8 - 12
Chapter 3: Non-Voluntary License 13
Chapter 4: Damages, Criminal Liability, etc. 14 - 16
Chapter 6: Entry into Force 18 - 20
Chapter 1
General Provisions
1.—1. For the purposes of this Act a semiconductor product shall mean the final or an intermediate form of any product
(1) consisting of a body of material which includes a layer of semiconducting material, and
(2) having one or more layers composed of conducting, insulating or semiconducting material, the layers being arranged in accordance with a pre-determined three-dimensional pattern, and
(3) intended to perform, exclusively or together with other functions, an electronic function.
2. For the purposes of this Act, the topography of a semiconductor product shall mean a series of related images which, however fixed or encoded, represent the three-dimensional pattern of the layers of which the semiconductor product is composed, and in which series each image has the pattern or part of the pattern of a surface of the semiconductor product at any stage of its manufacture.
2.—1. The creator of a topography for a semiconductor product, or the successor in title of the creator, can acquire the exclusive rights to dispose of the topography.
2. The topography shall be the result of the creator's own intellectual effort and must not be commonplace in the semiconductor industry. Where the topography consists of elements that are commonplace in the semiconductor industry, it shall be protected by the Act only if the combination of these elements fulfills the conditions of paragraph 1.
3.—1. For the purposes of this Act, commercial exploitation means the sale, rental, leasing or any other method of commercial distribution, or an offer for these purposes, of the topography or of a semiconductor product manufactured by means of the topography.
2. Commercial exploitation under conditions of confidentiality is not considered as commercial exploitation for the purposes of Section 4.1(3) and Section 5 to the extent that no further distribution to third parties occurs. If a topography is exploited under conditions of confidentiality in accordance with Article 223(1)(b) of the EEC Treaty, this is considered as commercial exploitation.
4.—1. Exclusive rights can be acquired by:
(1) a natural person, who has created the topography, and who is a national or who has his habitual residence in a Member State of the EEC;
(2) a natural person, who is a national or who has his habitual residence in a Member State of the EEC, or a legal person who has a commercial establishment in a Member State, if the topography has been created by a person who is employed by the person concerned, or commissioned by the party concerned, unless it has been agreed or must be assumed to have been agreed that the exclusive rights belong to the creator;
(3) a natural person or a legal person as mentioned in subparagraph (2), if the person concerned has been exclusively authorized to exploit commercially the topography throughout the Community by the holder of the rights to it, and the first commercial exploitation of the topography takes place in a Member State;
(4) the person who has taken over the rights from the natural person or the legal person mentioned in subparagraphs (1) to (3).
2. The Minister of Industry may lay down rules to the effect that exclusive rights can be acquired and maintained by other natural or legal persons than mentioned in paragraph 1.
5.—1. Exclusive rights can only be acquired if an application for registration of the topography has been filed with the Danish Patent Office within two years of its first commercial exploitation.
2. The exclusive rights shall come into existence on the earlier of the following dates:
(1) the date when the topography is first commercially exploited; or
(2) the date when an application for registration of the topography has been filed with the Danish Patent Office.
3. The exclusive rights shall come to an end 10 years from the end of the calendar year in which exclusive rights have come into existence, see paragraph 2.
4. If, within a period of 15 years from the date of the first fixation or encoding of the topography, no application for registration of the topography has been filed with the Danish Patent Office, and the topography has not been commercially exploited, exclusive rights can no longer be acquired.
6.—1. The exclusive rights to a topography imply that persons other than the holder of the rights may only with the consent of the latter
(1) reproduce the topography, including producing a semiconductor product by means of the topography,
(2) exploit the topography commercially, see Section 3.1, or
(3) import the topography or a semiconductor product created by means of the topography for the purpose of commercial exploitation.
2. The exclusive rights shall not extend to:
(1) commercial exploitation or import for this purpose of a topography or of a semiconductor product created by means of the topography if the topography or the semiconductor product has been distributed in a Member State of the EEC by the holder of the rights or with his consent;
(2) reproduction taking place for the purpose of analyzing, evaluating or teaching the concepts, processes, systems or techniques embodied in the topography or the topography itself; or
(3) any act in relation to the creation of a topography meeting the requirements of Section 2.2, and created on the basis of an analysis and evaluation of another topography.
3. A person who, when he acquires a semiconductor product, does not know, or has no reasonable grounds to believe, that the product embodied a protected topography, may continue to exploit the product in question on reasonable terms to be agreed upon between the parties.
7. The protection of a topography in accordance with Section 2 comprises only the topography and not the concepts, processes, systems, techniques or encoded information embodied in the topography.
Chapter 2
Registration, etc.
8. The Minister of Industry lays down rules concerning the form and contents of applications for registration. The application is subject to a fee.
9. If the rights to a registered topography are transferred to another person, or if a person is given a license, including a non-voluntary license, this is entered in the Register upon request and against payment of a fee.
10. The Danish Patent Office shall end the registration of a topography if it is proved that the conditions set out in Section 2.2, 4 or 5.1 and 5.4 are not fulfilled.
11.—1. If an application for registration of a topography has been filed and someone proves to the Danish Patent Office that he and not the applicant is entitled to the topography, the Danish Patent Office shall transfer the application to the holder of the rights if he so requests. A fee is paid for the processing of the request.
2. If a person other than the person entitled to protection has obtained registration of a topography, the registration can be transferred judicially to the person having the right to protection.
3. Paragraphs 1 and 2 can be invoked only by the person who meets the requirements of the Act to obtain exclusive rights.
4. A person who in conformity with paragraph 2 is deprived of a registration, and who in good faith has exploited the topography, see Section 6.1, or made substantial preparations for exploiting it, is entitled against reasonable compensation and otherwise on reasonable terms to continue the commenced exploitation or to implement the planned exploitation while maintaining its general character. Holders of registered license rights are also entitled to such rights.
5. Rights in accordance with paragraph 4 shall only be transferred to other persons together with the business in which they are exploited or in which the exploitation was intended.
12.—1. The Minister of Industry lays down rules concerning the Register and its organization, the access of the public to the Register and the publication of registrations.
2. The Minister of Industry fixes the fees applicable in accordance with Sections 8, 9 and Section 11.1.
Chapter 3
Non-Voluntary License
13.—1. If a semiconductor product is not put on the market to a reasonable extent by the holder of the rights in spite of suitable remuneration, the Maritime and Commercial Court may grant a third party a non-voluntary license to perform the acts mentioned in Section 6.1.
2. The Maritime and Commercial Court lays down the terms of the non-voluntary license, including the amount of the remuneration. If circumstances change considerably, the Court may at the request of either party cancel the license or lay down new terms of the license.
Chapter 4
Damages, Criminal Liability, etc.
14. A person who infringes another person's exclusive rights in accordance with this Act shall pay a reasonable compensation for exploiting the topography as well as damages for the further injury which the infringement may have caused.
15.—1. If the exclusive rights to a topography have been infringed, the Court may decide that the specimens of the topography or semiconductor products produced by means of the topography shall be altered in a specified manner, destroyed, or surrendered to the injured party, possibly against compensation.
2. Under very special circumstances, the Court may, when so claimed, grant permission to continue disposal of the specimens or products mentioned in paragraph 1 during the term of protection or part of that period, against reasonable compensation and otherwise on reasonable terms.
16.—1. Unless a more severe punishment is otherwise provided for by law, a fine is imposed on a person
(1) who intentionally infringes Section 6.1,
(2) who, in connection with an application for registration, submits false or misleading statements or suppresses information of vital importance to the settlement of the case.
2. If the infringement is committed by a limited liability company, a cooperative society or similar, the company or society as such can be fined.
3. Under aggravated circumstances the maximum sentence may be simple detention.
4. Prosecution is instituted by the injured party.
Chapter 5
17.—1. Decisions made by the Danish Patent Office in pursuance of this Act can by brought before the Board of Appeal by the Minister of Industry. Decisions shall be brought before the Board of Appeal at the latest two months from the date when the person in question has been notified of the decision. The Board of Appeal may disregard this limit if special circumstances should indicate this.
2. The Minister of Industry lays down rules for the composition and procedures of the Board of Appeal and for the payment of fees.
3. The decisions of the Board of Appeal cannot be brought before another administrative authority.
4. Decisions made by the Danish Patent Office cannot be brought before the courts before the Board of Appeal has made a decision. If a decision by the court is requested, an action must be brought at the latest two months from the date when the person in question has been notified of the decision of the Board of Appeal.
Chapter 6
Entry into Force
18. The Act shall enter into force on the day after publication in the Lovtidende (Law Gazette), subject, however, to Section 19.
19. The date of entry into force of Chapter 3 of this Act shall be fixed by the Minister of Industry.
20. This Act shall not extend to the Faroe Islands and Greenland.
* Official Danish title: Lov om beskyttelse af halvlederprodukters udformning (topografi).
Entry into force: December 19, 1987.
Source: English translation communicated by the Danish authorities.
Note: For the Executive Order Concerning Applications for the Protection of the Topographies of Semiconductor Products, see Industrial Property Laws and Treaties, DENMARK – Text 1-002.
** Added by the International Bureau of WIPO.


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Groping in the Dark
The government's secret plan to feel you up at airports.
John Pistole, the head of the Transportation Security Administration, has an important message for you as you embark on your Thanksgiving travels. TSA has new airport "pat-down" procedures and wants your help. "We just ask for the cooperation and the partnership from the traveling public," Pistole said Friday on Good Morning America. "The better prepared you can be to get to a checkpoint in terms of knowing procedures, the better off everybody will be and can have a happy holiday."
There's just one catch: TSA won't tell you what the new procedures are. If you get a pat-down, you're going to be groped, and your so-called partner and preparer won't say how. It'll be a surprise.
TSA first signaled its new pat-down policy four months ago on its blog. "You may have read about TSA implementing enhanced pat downs as part of our layered approach to security," the post began. It went on for four paragraphs, explaining nothing. Instead, it concluded: "You shouldn't expect to see the same security procedures at every airport. Our security measures are designed to be unpredictable …" Apparently, part of the unpredictability was secrecy.
On Oct. 28, news outlets said the changes had begun. ABC News reported:
TSA officers used to pat down passengers with the backs of their hands, but now they'll use the fronts of their hands to search more than ever before, in some cases touching body parts that once were off limits. A security expert who demonstrated the new procedure on a mannequin for ABC News explained the changes. "You go down the body and up to the breast portion," said Charles Slepian of the Foreseeable Risk Analysis Center. "If it's a female passenger, you're going to see if there's anything in the bra."
NBC News added:
The manual search will involve a slide of the hand compared to the traditional pat-down … TSA agents will use the front of their hands in searches, and the new process will include an agent running his or her hand up the inside of a passenger's leg. TSA did not confirm details for security reasons, but did acknowledge a change in procedure.
Despite these explicit reports, TSA refused to spell out its policy. The agency's one-paragraph "Statement on New Pat-down Procedures" explained nothing. Instead, it repeated, "Passengers should continue to expect an unpredictable mix of security layers."
By now, TSA's strategy was becoming clear: Keep terrorists off balance by keeping the public confused. On Nov. 11, the agency posted another blog item: "New TSA Pat-down Procedures." The item said fliers would be patted down by officers of the same sex and were entitled to be screened privately and to have a traveling companion on hand. But it said nothing about the content of the pat-down. Commenters mocked TSA's spokesman, "Blogger Bob," for ducking the question. "Hey Bob, What's different about the new pat down procedures?" one reader asked. "You keep forgetting to mention that somehow!" Another pressed: "Let's make it simple. Bob, yes or no: Do the new procedures including the touching of the genitals, through the clothing, with the palm of the hand? Just answer the question." Bob never answered.
Last Wednesday at a Senate hearing, Pistole refused to describe the pat-down policy because the hearing was public.
Question: My understanding is that the October change went from using the back of a hand gliding across a person to a different approach. You might describe that, number one and—well, go ahead and describe that, if you would.
Pistole: Well, there's—the back of the hand is still used in some aspects. I would prefer not to go into specific detail in an open hearing, simply because I don't want to give a road map to anybody to say, "OK, here's exactly what the technique is, and so how can we defeat that?"
Sunday, in an interview with NBC, he dodged the question again.
Question: Are there specific guidelines to how these TSA agents are supposed to pat them down or touch these passengers?
Pistole: There are standard operating protocols, which should be adhered to strictly. And we have ensured that each security officer is properly trained and versed in how to go about doing the pat-downs. One of the keys is clear communication with these passengers: Say, "Here's what I'm going to do," and then to work with that person to help them understand not only what is about to happen, but as the pat-down occurs.
In other words, we won't tell you what we're going to do until we're about to do it.
On CNN's State of the Union, Candy Crowley showed Pistole three video clips of TSA officers touching fliers. She asked him whether the kinds of contact shown in the clips were TSA-approved. In each case, Pistole said yes:
Question: This is a hand obviously going inside the pants. That's OK?
Pistole: That's OK around the belt line. …
Question: All those things were fine? You saw a woman whose breasts were being felt. You saw a man whose—you know, had another man's hand in his crotch. What's over the line?
Pistole: I think that's for the public to help inform that discussion.
An amazing statement. Does TSA have guidelines or not? What are they? Instead of answering the question, Pistole dumps it back on the people he's keeping in the dark. Crowley presses him:
Question: You've driven everybody to the TSA website and said, "Look here." But because you don't want to reveal to terrorists what's going to be checked, there's no way for anybody to look at that website and know where they're going to be touched and where it's not allowed to be touched. And so what you seem to be saying is, "You can be touched anywhere."
Pistole: No, no, no, I'm not saying that at all, Candy. There are standard operating procedures for the pat-downs. … I did not advertise this, if you will, and say, "We are going to do this new type of pat-down," because I did not want to provide a blueprint or a road map to the terrorists to say, "Here's our new security procedure, so here's all you have to do ..."
OK, so he won't tell us what the pat-down entails. But at least we know we can avoid it, right? All we have to do is go through the body scanner. That's what Pistole said on Hardball last week: "If you want to go through the [scanner] or walk-through metal detector and there is no alarms, no alerts, then there's no pat-down."
Except—oops!—apparently that isn't what happened to Sen. Mike Johanns. At last week's hearing, Johanns, a Nebraska Republican, asked Pistole why he'd recently been scanned and patted down at an airport. Pistole assured him: "In almost all instances, you would not be subject to a pat-down. There is a very, very small percentage that is done at random … so it can be unpredictable to the terrorists."
Ah, unpredictability. Go through the scanner, and we won't grope you, unless we will.
We get it, TSA. To keep terrorists uncertain and anxious, you're going to keep the rest of us uncertain and anxious. You're going to touch us in new ways, but you won't tell us where or how. So stop talking about "educating," "communicating," and "partnering" with us. You aren't communicating. You're concealing. You want to surprise us. In return, you can expect us to react the way you'd react to an unexpected groping.
I understand your objectives. You want to be unpredictable. And sometimes, you need to pat people down. But combining these two things, in the form of surprise molestation, is a really bad idea. It's a recipe for trauma and confrontation.
Tell us what you're going to do so we can brace ourselves for it. Or maybe we'll choose not to fly. We can't make an informed decision unless you level with us. You owe us that much. This is America.
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