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NEW PALTZ — Carmean Sanger of Yorktown is excited about her first classes Monday at SUNY New Paltz — and worried at the same time about finding a job to help pay for them.
NEW PALTZ — Carmean Sanger of Yorktown is excited about her first classes Monday at SUNY New Paltz — and worried at the same time about finding a job to help pay for them.
"Hopefully I can get a job on campus, perhaps in the bookstore or at a restaurant," the 18-year-old said.
Affordability and good graduation rates are some of the reasons why some students said they selected the school.
When compared with other campuses in the State University of New York system, SUNY New Paltz has one of the top graduation rates.
Nearly 53 percent of its undergraduate students completed their studies within four years while 73 percent graduated in six years. More years means higher costs for the same degree.
"Six years? What happened to four?" said Denise Hennessy of Hazelet, N.J., whose daughter is also an incoming freshman at New Paltz. "I'm planning on her completing college in four years," she added.
Recently released rankings of schools in the public university system showed SUNY has one of the highest graduation rates in the nation. With 465,000 students on 64 campuses, it's the nation's largest public university system.
"The average SUNY graduate finishes in 4.4 years," said David Doyle, SUNY director of communications.
The data does not explain why some students take longer to graduate, though switching majors or indecisiveness about selecting a major are likely factors. Some students take time off, too, to earn more money for tuition.
Among SUNY schools to graduate students in four years, New Paltz is tied for fifth place with SUNY Oneonta, though college president Donald Christian prefers to say that it's "tied for fourth place."
"We're very proud of our high graduation rates," he said.
He objects to Cornell being included in the rankings. The Ivy League university is embedded with several state-funded colleges, including its College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Cornell is ranked first with a nearly 90 percent of students graduating in four years.
According to Christian, the annual cost for tuition, room and board at SUNY New Paltz is about $17,000 and its affordablilty is a key reason why the school is meeting its enrollment target of about 7,800 students. The college's net price of $13,168 — the average bill for students and their parents after scholarships, grants and the like — is lower than a number of other schools in the state system. SUNY Geneseo's net price is $15,845, for instance. The net price for Cornell is $23,684.
Nationally, about only about 49 percent of those who matriculate at a four-year college actually graduate, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a Europe-based think tank. It could add up. If a student at SUNY New Paltz took another full two years of classes, it would tack on an estimated $34,000, a 50 percent increase.
As for the mid-Hudson's community colleges, the percentage of students who managed to earn an associate degree in three years is considerably lower.
According to the most recent figures, 17 percent of SUNY Orange students graduated in three years, while 16 percent of SUNY Sullivan students and 19 percent of SUNY Ulster students earned their degrees within the same period.


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Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories
Live finale to feature an all-star lineup of guest performances, including Luke Bryan, Josh Groban, Il Divo featuring Heather Headley, Icona Pop and the Rockettes
NBC's "America's Got Talent" heads into its final week after months of searching for America's next superstar act. The six finalists will perform live for America's vote for the last time on Tuesday, Sept. 17 (9 p.m.), for their chance at winning the $1 million prize and a headlining show in Las Vegas. The star-studded, two-hour finale broadcast on Thursday, Sept. 18 (9 p.m.), will feature a lineup of guest performances including Luke Bryan, Josh Groban, Il Divo featuring Heather Headley, Icona Pop and the Rockettes.
The six finalists performing on Tuesday, Sept. 17, are:
More information, including bios and social media contacts for each act, can be found at http://www.nbc.com/americas-got-talent/contestants/.
Now in its eighth season, "America's Got Talent" stars celebrity judges Howie Mandel, Mel B, Heidi Klum and Howard Stern.
For more on "AGT," visit http://www.nbc.com/americasgottalent/. Fans can like the show on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/nbcagt and follow it on Twitter http://twitter.com/nbcagt or by using hashtag #AGT.
Online auditions are now open. For information on open call and online auditions for season nine of "America's Got Talent," visit http://www.AGTAuditions.com/.

subset: commoncrawl


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Doooooo you remember back in August I showed you this photo, proclaiming it to be the most beautifully coloured piece of crochet that I have ever made? (Also the most colour-accurate photo I've taken of crochet too.) I said:
"Was hoping to do a ta-dah post tomorrow but I was 13 stitches away from completing it and it all went wrong. This is because I was five stitches away from completing it on the other side. NIGHTMARE. So instead of a finished object, I now have to pull back six rounds and re-work them with new yarn as the yarn that is on there is too short – this is because I missed an increase on round 12. Very Annoyed."
The title "Finally Finished" is pretty accurate here because after getting oh-so-close to finishing and then finding out that I'd missed an increase, I was a bit too annoyed with it to rectify said mistake and so it sat on top of my yarn bucked for a couple of months before travelling upstairs to be beside my bed … I think in the vague hope that I'd get it finished if I could work on it in bed? But no, it sat there for another month until I frogged all of the mistake laden bit in a frenzy one evening. I rolled the yarn into little balls and sat them on the bed frame by my pillow where they tried to escape under the mattress each time I changed the bed.
I remember at the time of taking this photo that I could not work out why one side was so much more cuppy at the edges than the other!
Anyway, two weeks ago I started sloooowly and grudgingly re-working the frogged side and this weekend I FINALLY FINISHED IT!
(I like to think of this as the Moment of Truth when in fact this is a "Moment of Truth" reconstruction moment the following day on my windowsill, which is the only place in the house that has enough light in November for photos. Grr. Actual Moment of Truth occurred at night time which was a bit inconvenient.)
I reached the Moment of Truth and YESSS indeed I now had the correct number of stitches! Hurrah. I am not sure what I would have done with it had they not matched up.
As usual I joined using a bright, contrasting colour, which I love.
You may recognise one side of the cushion. You'd be right, because I totally stole it. Sometimes when it's raining or whatever I like to go back through people's blogs and sometimes I just think, " You know what, I like that so much that I'm going to steal it. So there." So I did. I had the yarn, I made the round circle and it was good. That took me a few weeks to do, it was slow. Then I stuffed it in my yarn bag and forgot about it. Then one evening, I looked at it and was very inspired and whipped up the other side in that same evening. When you get the urge, you just have to go with it!
I LOVE this cushion. While I love the first side, the one I stole from Lucy, I REALLY love the second side because I chose the colours All By Myself and they look ace and I'm always a bit chuffed when I feel that I've Got It Right.
I tried to work in groups of 3 colours that I felt worked together. The "blue blue red" set and the "Red pink pink blue" set stand out to me, and the four in the centre are the exact same colours as my tiffin box, now that I think about it.
So let's stand back and have a look now … here is the first side, with the blue rings:
The final purple stripe is hidden here.
And then the second side …
Ooof, yum! (apologies for the blur, November light is not my friend.)
Here it is on my bed, with it's good friend Mr Squares Cushion:
and a bit closer to the window, which required Substantial Propping with Miscellaneous Objects:
I've squirrelled them both away now to bring out when we have sofas.
One more thing completed from the "WIP List" – excellent!
Oh I should have said: It's Rowan Pure Wool dk in: Avocado, Tangerine (d), Gilt (also d – Rowan why are you discontinuing all the good colours AGAIN???), Dahlia, Tea Rose, Marine, Pier, Damson, Kiss, and Hyacinth.
Now, I want to say a MASSIVE (and slightly humble and embarrassed) THANK YOU to all of you who nominated me on the Inside Crochet blog awards, aeeeggggghhh you are totally excellent and I actually got through. I found out this evening (after an impromptu post-work trip to B&Q for … I want to say sealant … and eeeh eck it made my evening. So, blushingly, please accept my sincere thanks :-) Love you guys.
Edit: I forgot to give you the link! It's here if you fancy voting for me :-D


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JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA, Spain, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- Spain says it will take a Gibraltar fishing dispute to the European Court of Justice if the European Union doesn't sanction Britain over the matter.
Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Food and Environment Miguel Arias Canete said Friday in Jerez de la Frontera the government is ready to bring suit against Britain if the EU doesn't press infringement proceedings against actions by the British territory of Gibraltar, El Economista reported.
Madrid claims Gibraltar has violated EU laws in an disputed area of the Bay of Algeciras by laying down an "artificial reef" of 72 hollow concrete blocks in an EU-designated "special area of marine conservation" frequently used by Spanish fishermen.
The issue has added fuel to a series of recent diplomatic rows between Madrid and London over Gibraltar, which Spain has long sought to reincorporate into its own territory.
The EU says it is investigating Spain's claims that the reef was purposely laid to thwart Spanish fisherman from using an important fishing area, but has yet to reach any conclusions.
The Gibraltar conservation group erecting the barrier, however, has denied any political motivation and says it is merely part of decades-long effort to provide an environment for marine wildlife an environment to breed and colonize and to prevent overfishing.
Canete told reporters Spain is ready to bring suit in the EU Court of Justice against Gibraltar Executive Chief Minister Fabian Picardo should Brussels decide against sanctioning Gibraltar over the artificial reef.
The suit, he said, would focus on what Spain claims are three violations of environmental law in the area, including the dropping of the concrete blocks, the extension of breakwaters and the practice of "bunkering," or refueling ships from permanently-anchored floating storage tankers.
The reef, Canete claimed, has been "built without any consideration of the character of the environment around it."
He said that while Gibraltar had "unilaterally" declared the disputed waters a "site of community importance" under the EU's natural habitat preservation directives, the EU has designated it a "special area of conservation" under Spain, and so Madrid has developed a management plan for it that "prohibits certain activities."
Thus, Canete insisted, Brussels is obligated "to ensure that EU law is fulfilled. (They) should start infringement proceedings against the United Kingdom ... and if Spain has to go to the Court of Justice of the European Union, it will," he said.
The reef issue last month sparked a protest by about 40 Spanish fishing boats, which confronted British police vessels in the bay.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo wrote in August column for the Wall Street Journal that the "dumping of concrete blocks constitutes a violation of the most basic rules of environmental conservation" and that it must be resolved before the diplomatic spat can be settled.
"These waters account for 25 percent of the activity of local fishermen ... it is first necessary for the U.K. to show that it intends to undo the damage that has already been caused, in particular by removing the concrete blocks," he wrote.
Gibraltar chief minister Picardo this month, however, contended Britain has "no authority" over Gibraltar in environmental matters that could force him to withdraw the concrete blocks in the Bay of Algeciras.


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Online Class
Embroidering Texture & Dimension by Hand
with Sue Spargo
Stitch Count: 280 x 280 Cross stitch design is all full cross stitches. There are no fractional stitches, no blended threads, and no backstitching. This creation will truly be a masterpiece when completed. Chart is easy to read and fun to stitch! Our patterns include: Full color picture of design for reference Complete DMC floss shopping list (includes how many of each skein the design requires) Pattern in easy-to-read format Stitching hints and tips BASIC SKILLS NECESSARY Basic Cross Stitch SIZING / FINISHED MEASUREMENTS Stitch Count: 280 x 280


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The Burlington D.A.R.E program will partner with area law enforcement agencies to host it�s a youth carnival.
The second annual event will be held April 30 through May 5 in the Holly Hill Mall parking lot. Admission is free. The carnival hours are Tuesday through Friday 6 p.m.- 10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 1 p.m. � 10 p.m.
Organizers say the point of the event is to provide a positive, safe and fun environment for students, their families and the community. The carnival will also serve as a fundraiser to support the D.A.R.E. program and its initiatives in the Alamance-Burlington School System.
�This family friendly carnival will be provided by Inners Shows of 4091 Oak Circle in Franklinton,� organizers said in a release. �Inners Shows is a family run business that provides a large selection of thrill rides, kiddie rides, games and concessions.�
Local service and community agencies will also have booths available to provide information about their services and spots are still available for interested organizations.
�D.A.R.E. changes family�s one student at a time,� says the event�s coordinator, Burlington Police Cpl. Jack Boyles. �The carnival is going to be a fun, family event that will raise awareness about the D.A.R.E program and what it does in our schools.�
The D.A.R.E. program is taught in 5th grade and 7th grade at most of the schools in Alamance County. The program teaches students how to make wise choices, avoid drug use, foster increased self-esteem and resist bullying, violence and gangs. Children learn how to fight negative peer pressure, make positive choices and lead healthy lifestyles.
For more information or to be part of the carnival, contact Cpl. Jack Boyles at 336-516-5070.


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Timbers hold off Sounders 3-2 to advance
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The semifinal victory over the rival Seattle Sounders was barely over when Portland Timbers supporters started chanting "Beat Salt Lake!"
Making their first trip to the playoffs, the Timbers held off the late-charging Sounders 3-2 Thursday night to advance to Major League Soccer's Western Conference final.
The Timbers, who won the semifinal series against the rival Sounders 5-3 on aggregate, will face Real Salt Lake in the first of the two-leg conference final on Sunday in Salt Lake. RSL defeated the two-time defending MLS Cup champion Los Angeles Galaxy 2-0 Thursday night to win the series 2-1 on aggregate.
"Now we're locked in," Timbers midfielder Will Johnson said. "We're in the zone."
The victory extended Portland's winning streak at Jeld-Wen Field to 16 games. The Timbers went 11-1-5 at home in the regular season with their lone loss on March 9 to Montreal. They had an MLS record 11 shutouts at home this season.
Portland pressured Seattle goalkeeper Michael Gspurning from the start. Rodney Wallace booted a shot that went just wide in the third minute, and Darlington Nagbe came close but went wide again in the 15th.
Portland broke through when Johnson converted a penalty kick in the 29th minute to go up 1-0.
Diego Valeri, who had appeared to injure his shin when he was fouled hard by Seattle defender Marc Burch, came back a few minutes later to score from a seemingly impossible angle just before the break. Valeri, who blew kisses to the crowd after his goal, was Portland's top scorer this season with 10 goals and 13 assists.
"We were hoping to get out of the first half at 0-0," Seattle coach Sigi Schmid said. "That one coming right before halftime, the goal right before halftime, the goal right after halftime, is what killed us at the end of the day. For the first 45 minutes, hats off to them, they were much better than us."
Futty Danso added a header for Portland in the 47th minute. The Sounders put up a fight, and DeAndre Yedlin's goal in the 74th minute avoided the shutout. Eddie Johnson added another three minutes later to close the gap.
The Sounders have been to the playoffs in each of the last five seasons. The Timbers, who joined MLS in 2011, are making their first trip.
"We're getting closer," Portland coach Caleb Porter said. "And this team genuinely believes we have a realistic shot at this."
The intense rivalry between the two clubs dates to 1975 when both were part of the North American Soccer league. For nearly a decade the teams have battled with the Vancouver Whitecaps for the supporter-created Cascadia Cup.
While it was sweet to defeat the Sounders, Johnson said the Timbers didn't pay much attention to the hype.
"To us, it was just another team that was in our way of getting to the next round," Johnson said.
In the opening game on Saturday in Seattle, Ryan Johnson flicked in a header early in the first half and Nagbe added a goal in the second for the Timbers. Osvaldo Alonso scored late for the Sounders, who needed to win Thursday by at least two goals to become the fourth team to accomplish the comeback since the league went to the two-leg, aggregate-goal format for its conference semifinals in 2003.
Seattle was without forward Lamar Neagle due to yellow card accumulations, but Yedlin started despite an ankle injury and forward Obafemi Martins was listed as a reserve after struggling with a groin injury.
The Timbers finished the regular season in first place in the Western Conference at 14-5-15 overall. Their 23-point improvement from last season is the biggest turnaround in MLS history.
The Sounders, who were 15-12-7, defeated the Colorado Rapids in the knockout round to advance to the semifinals.
Schmid said he was aware that some Seattle supporters were calling for a coaching change.
"I don't want to walk away. I know there's probably people out there that would like me to walk away," he said. "I think there's a good base of talent, there's a good base of people we can work with next year, but there's improvements, and there's changes we have to make."


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The Supply Side of the Coin: Is Monetary Policy (Where There Is One) Passing Results?
Sovereign difficulties have divided financial markets in the Euro area, thereby increasing differences in bank lending rates across countries. Policy makers in both Brussels and Frankfurt are concerned about an uneven transmission of policy interest rate cuts by the European Central Bank (ECB) to bank lending rates across the region.
Based on this situation, a key question stands out: is the link between official, market, and retail interest rates broken?
When markets are functioning properly, interest rates on loans follow the policy rate in a uniform way across countries (granted with some lag). But, in the context of the ongoing crisis, markets became somewhat irresponsive – resulting in ECB rate cuts being unevenly passed on to borrowers across Euro-area countries. This uneven distribution has meant that those countries facing greater financial difficulties had to endure tougher financing conditions than those facing fewer difficulties – as exemplified when comparing Spanish and Italian retail rates to the much-lower French and German ones.
So far, the economic literature has been relatively robust in arguing that government bond yields or credit default swaps (CDSs), given their stability, do not exert much influence on the way banks set their interest rates for their clients. However, the crisis has shown that because of the interconnectedness of central bank and sovereign balance sheets, developments in sovereign markets affect retail interest rates.
How has this played out in the EU11 countries? Have retail interest rate decreased in those countries where central banks reduced their policy rates? Or, was this a reaction on downward movement of CDSs?
Figure 1. Interest rates on new lending to enterprises (in Percent) and CDS spreads (in basis points) in selected EU11 countries


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NDSCS presents 2012 Homecoming Honorees
Posted on 9/28/2012
The North Dakota State College of Science will recognize a group of distinguished alumni and friends on September 28, 2012 at the Alumni and Friends Awards Recognition at 7:30 p.m. on the Wahpeton, N.D. campus. Honorees include Jeanette Miller, Alumnus of the Year; the Jacklitch family, A Family Tradition; Linda and Mike Neppl, Wildcats of the Year; Corner Drug, Friend of the College; Carol and Blayne Helgeson, Parade Grand Marshals; and Mary Uhren, Kyle Armitage and Richard Siegel, Commitment to Excellence.
Jeanette Miller, Alumnus of the Year, graduated from NDSCS in 1966 upon completion of the secretarial program. After graduation, she worked in the office at Northern School Supply in Fargo, N.D. Miller served as an active member of the Alumni/Foundation Board for nine years. Her leadership and support lead her to being named the 2003 Centennial "Key to the Future" award winner. Miller is a contributor and supporter of the Catbackers Club and the NDSCS 300 Club. She has also been a key member of the DREAMS Auction committee for the past 16 years, effortlessly helping to procure gifts, decorate, sell tickets and promote this fundraising event. Miller is involved in many other community and volunteer activities as well. She and husband Larry reside in Wahpeton, N.D., and have three grown children, Chad, Christi and Cody. The Miller family was also chosen to receive the Family Tradition Award in 2009.
The entire Jacklitch family, recipients of the 2012 Family Tradition Award, has attended NDSCS at one point. Michael Jacklitch and wife Mary, both graduated from NDSCS in 1971. After graduating from MSUM in 1973, Michael went on to earn his Doctorate in Chiropractic at Logan College in St. Louis, Mo. He has been employed at Dakota Chiropractic Clinic since 1977. Mary is employed by St. Francis Medical Center as the administrative assistant to the CEO as well as the director of marketing and public relations. Michael has served as president of the North Dakota State Chiropractic Association, is a member of the NDSCS Foundation, serves on the Airport Authority and is president of St. John's parish council. Mary is active in many service organizations in the community as well. They have two children, Nathanyal and Alia, and reside in Wahpeton, N.D. Nathanyal, a 1997 graduate from NDSCS, went on to attend the University of North Dakota, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and later a master's in Physical Therapy in 2003. He currently resides in Blaine, Minn. where he works as a physical therapist at the Courage Center. Alia, a 2001 graduate of NDSCS, played volleyball while a student and was named All-Conference. She went on to attend the College of St. Mary in Omaha, Neb., where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. Alia is employed by the Veterans Administration in Omaha, Neb., as the CIS-ARK Clinical Coordinator.
Linda and Mike Neppl were nominated as this year's Wildcats of the Year. Mike graduated from NDSCS in 1972 and played on the 1971 Co-Champion Football Team, which was recently inducted into the NDSCS Hall of Fame. Mike is also a Hall of Fame Inductee and serves on both the Letterwinners and Catbackers Board of Directors. Mike began a career in the insurance industry in 1980. Linda graduated from NDSCS in 1974 and practices dental hygiene in Fargo, N.D. Linda served two terms on the North Dakota Board of Dental Examiners and currently serves as an examiner for the Dental Hygiene Board exams at colleges across the United States. Mike and Linda have two daughters, Kali and Megan.
Corner Drug, owned by Paul and Lee Ann Folden of Wahpeton, N.D., received this year's Friend of the College Award. Paul and Lee Ann both attended Concordia College with Paul going on to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and North Dakota State University where he received his Pharmacy degree. They have four children, Dustin, Braden, Alexandra and Turner. The Folden's stated that during the past 10 years, Corner Drug has benefitted greatly from the Pharmacy Technician program, from participating in internships to hiring graduates.
Carol and Blayne Helgeson, Parade Grand Marshals, have resided in Breckenridge, Minn. since 1964. They not only attend numerous NDSCS activities and events, but also are great supporters of the NDSCS 300 and Catbacker Clubs. Blayne joined NDSCS in the Administrative Services Division in 1974 as the writer of college and alumni activities and as a photographer for alumni, college media and printed pieces. He retired in 2002 after 28 years at the college. Carol was a teacher in the Breckenridge School District, teaching 6th and 8th grades for 28 years and then a substitute teacher for several more. Carol and Blayne have two children, Sheila and Thomas. Blayne is a member of the Wahpeton-Breckenridge Kiwanis Club and the Tri-State Masonic Lodge in Fairmount. They are both high school speech judges and have coached speech at Breckenridge High School for several years. Carol is active in Athenaeum Guild and they are both active in Breckenridge Lutheran Church activities.
Mary Uhren, Kyle Armitage and Richard Siegel are this year's recipients of the Commitment to Excellence Award. Their support to the Alumni/Foundation and the entire NDSCS campus has not gone unnoticed. From the fabulous food and service at the DREAMS auction and River Valley Inn weekly meals, to the culinary camps so well attended and quality of students that graduate, this trio is committed to excellence. Mary Uhren has been a part of NDSCS since 1981 when she first enrolled as a student in the Cook and Chef Training program. Graduating in 1983, she worked in area restaurants and found catering and baking to be her main passions. Uhren was hired as a full-time instructor at NDSCS in 1986 where she taught for 26 years; she now serves as the program coordinator for the department. Uhren has a 15-year-old daughter, Thai. Kyle Armitage attended NDSCS as a student in the Culinary Arts program from 1998-2000 and as a student athlete on the Football Team. He has worked hard to create a top quality culinary program through the development of Culinary Intensive (a culinary career exploration camp), community partnerships and creative campus pieces. Armitage and wife Michelle, reside in Doran, Minn. and have two sons, Paul and Gabe. Richard Siegel, originally from San Diego, Calif., enrolled at NDSCS in 2007. He was the 2008 and 2009 North Dakota Skills USA Champion in Culinary Arts. Siegel represented both NDSCS and North Dakota at the national competition where he finished fourth in the nation. After graduating in 2009 with academic honors and a 4.0 GPA, he joined the faculty as a Chef Instructor in 2011.
[ Back to website ]


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Connect a Bluetooth device to your mobile phone
Bluetooth is a wireless connection which you can use to transfer files between two devices or to establish a connection to other devices, such as a wireless headset or keyboard.
1. Find " Bluetooth"
Press the settings icon.
2. Activate Bluetooth
3. Connect Bluetooth device to your mobile phone
Your mobile phone now searches for devices and after a moment, a list of Bluetooth devices within range is displayed.
Press the required Bluetooth device.
Follow the instructions on the display to connect the Bluetooth device to your mobile phone.
The new device is displayed on the list of paired devices.


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PowerColor HD4870 PCS+ Review
Are you looking for some of the most up to date video card hardware out there? Maybe you have been out of the loop for a little while but you are interested in upgrading your computer to score some higher benchmarking scores. Maybe you are a gamer who is looking for higher frame rates. Whatever your reason, you should probably check out the newest video cards from ATI, the HD48xx series. These cards have proven to score very well in all sorts of different areas as well as overclock very well. PowerColor knows what the consumer wants and how to help them out in getting that, this is why the company has added a custom cooler for the core of the HD4870, allowing you to get a lower overall core temperature. I am excited to see what this card looks like and how well it can perform, not only in the benchmarks but also in the overclocking and cooling categories as well.
Closer Look:
The PowerColor HD4870 has its own custom cooler that PowerColor has designed to fit over the core and keep it cooler than the stock cooling solution you will find on many of the different reference board HD48xx cards out there. When you first take a look at the packaging, the light and brilliant color scheme PowerColor has decided to use makes the card feel very elegant. There is a picture of a warrior princess on the front holding a sword, which gives you the idea that the card is very powerful. The top left hand corner is where you are going to find the PowerColor name and at the bottom of the package is where you are going to find the HD4870 name. There is a 10°C temperature drop badge on the front showing you that the custom cooler can drop your overall temperatures. There are a few badges on the right hand corner, the ATI Radeon, ATI CrossfireX, 512MB GDDR5, and Dual DVI HDMI interface. These show you some of the important features you are going to get with your purchase. The back of the packaging is where you are going to find even more information about the card and there is a lot of information about the technology behind the card on the back as well. When you flip to the sides, you are going to find some of the system requirements on one side and the other is pretty much blank.
When you open up the packaging, you are going to find a rather large white box that is inside, when you open that white box up, you are going to find the PowerColor HD4870. The card itself is wrapped in an anti-static bag to keep it safe during the shipping process and to prevent any damage. The card is placed in the box rather snuggly to keep it from moving around and incur any physical damages during its journey. All of the accessories are located behind the card and inside of the white box.
All of the accessories that are bundled with the card add a certain amount of value to your purchase, not only do you get the installation CD as well as the user manual, you are also going to receive a single 6-pin PCI-E power adapter that turns a single 4-pin Molex from your PSU to a 6- pin PCI-E power connector. You also get the CrossfireX bridge so you can use two of the PowerColor HD4870 cards in Crossfire. There are two dongles that turn your DVI ports into either an analog monitor port or a port you can attach your HDMI cable to connect your HDTV to, and there is also an S-Video to RCA cable.
Well now that we know a little more about the PowerColor HD4870 and all of what it is packaged with, I am ready to take a closer look at the card itself.


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Marshal Guy (Bud) Anderson
Marshal Guy (Bud) Anderson went home to be with the Lord on 23 December 2013 at 0752 AM. Born February 20 1923. He died in a veterans nursing home in Florence Colorado. He was 90 years old. Marshal married Betty Lemon in 1946 and just had their 67th anniversary. He moved to Borger Texas in 1936 and worked for Phillips Petroleum, Continental Oil, and retired from Texas Oil & Gas in 1986. He worked in the Oil field for 55 years. He is survived by his wife Betty Anderson, two sons David and Don Anderson, 8 grandchildren, and 11 great grandchildren. His wife Betty resides in Florissant Colorado and lives with David and Peggy Anderson. He was drafted in the Army on January 13 1943 and was discharged on January 1946. He was inducted at Fort Sill Oklahoma. He was in the 58th Coast Artillery and attached to 13 Air Force PT boats.He first was in Australia and saw duty in the Pacific theater. During his time in the army he was in French Hessian, New Guinea, Indonesia, Solomon Islands, Hon lea, and the Philippines. After his service he was discharged at Fort Sam Houston. Dad you will be missed. You often would show kindness for everyone. Your family will keep that kindness in their hearts. You will be missed; yet, your goodness will survive through you children and grandchildren. Daddy/Papa we love you. Watch over us from Heaven.


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New Car Review
2014 Hyundai Sonata: New Car Review
Has any other automaker gone from imitator to innovator this quickly? That's what the 2014 Hyundai Sonata midsize sedan has us wondering. It was only a few years ago that Hyundai models came across as Korean-flavored interpretations of more established cars, but now every family sedan seems to be taking cues from Korea's finest. What's more, the 2014 Sonata boasts numerous changes designed to keep it competitive with newer rivals.
Eagle-eyed observers will notice new front and rear fascias on this year's Sonata, but that's just scratching the surface. There's also a novel new steering system with three driver-selectable effort modes, and all Sonatas except the entry-level GLS model have at least a 4.3-inch touchscreen (a new 8-in upgrade comes with the optional navigation system). In fact, if you look at standard features across the board, you'll find that the 2014 Sonata is better equipped than its 2013 predecessor. It's fundamentally still the same car, but meaningful improvements boost the Sonata's stock.
The Sonata continues to be a leader under the hood, where its base 2.4-liter engine offers up to 192 horsepower, and the optional 2.0-liter turbocharged engine marshals a whopping 274 hp. We can remember when only high-strung performance machines such as the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution made that kind of power with a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder. Fuel economy is a strong suit, as well, easily surpassing 30 miles per gallon with either engine.
Naturally, the Sonata is not perfect, even with this year's changes. But when you take all the Sonata's strengths and add Hyundai's traditional value advantage to the mix, it's no wonder other automakers are scrambling to keep up.
What's New for 2014?
The Sonata receives a slew of revisions -- most notably, freshened exterior styling, driver-adjustable steering resistance and a pair of new touchscreen interfaces.
What We Like
Good fuel economy; strong optional turbocharged engine; daring styling; big trunk; plenty of features for the price
What We Don't
Artificial steering feel; limited rear headroom
How Much?
Fuel Economy
All Sonatas feature front-wheel drive and a 6-speed automatic transmission. The Sonata GLS and Limited start with a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine rated at 190 hp and 179 lb-ft of torque, while the base SE gets the same engine with ratings of 192 hp and 181 lb-ft (thanks to its dual exhaust system). Fuel economy is an excellent 24 mpg city/35 mpg hwy either way.
The SE and Limited are eligible for an upgrade to a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder that cranks out 274 hp and 269 lb-ft of torque. You still get 21 mpg city/32 mpg hwy, which is laudable given the turbo's muscular performance.
Standard Features & Options
The 2014 Hyundai Sonata models are offered in three trim levels: GLS, SE and Limited. Hyundai had not released any information about the 2014 Sonata Hybrid as of this writing. For details on the 2013 Sonata Hybrid, please see our 2013 Sonata review.
The GLS ($22,145) starts with 16-in alloy wheels, full power accessories, air conditioning, cruise control, a tilt-telescopic steering wheel, a trip computer, cloth upholstery, a height-adjustable driver seat, the Blue Link telematics system and a 6-speaker audio system with satellite radio and iPod/USB and Bluetooth connectivity.
The optional GLS Popular Equipment Package adds niceties like a 4.3-in touchscreen, a backup camera, fog lights, LED ambient lighting, upgraded door trim and heated front seats with driver power adjustments.
The SE ($24,995) boasts 18-in alloy wheels, a sport suspension, dual exhaust pipes, automatic headlamps, fog lights, chrome exterior accents, keyless entry with push-button start, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with paddle shifters, hybrid cloth/leather upholstery and a color driver information display.
The turbocharged SE 2.0T ($26,545) brings a sport exhaust and standard dual-zone automatic climate control. (The latter is added to the base SE with the Premium Package.)
The SE's optional Premium Package tacks on a sunroof, a 10-speaker Dimension stereo, a blind spot warning system and a navigation system with an upgraded 8-in touchscreen.
The Limited ($27,695) dials it back to 17-in alloy wheels and ditches the SE's more aggressive touches, such as the paddle shifters and sport-tuned suspension, but it gains a sunroof, leather upholstery, unique interior rim, dual-zone automatic climate control and heated rear seats along with the 4.3-in touchscreen.
The turbocharged Limited 2.0T ($29,445) reclaims the 18-in alloys and paddle shifters.
The Limited's optional Technology package contributes xenon headlights, a panoramic sunroof, LED taillights, the larger touchscreen with a navigation system and premium Infinity audio.
The Sonata's back seat provides plenty of legroom and a nice high bottom cushion, but headroom may be tight for passengers with long torsos -- one of the prices you pay for the rakish roofline and supportive rear bench.
Trunk space, however, is quite generous at 16.4 cu ft.
The 2014 Hyundai Sonata comes with standard stability control, 4-wheel anti-lock disc brakes, active front head restraints and six airbags (front, front-side, full-length side curtain).
In government crash-testing, the Sonata received a perfect 5-star overall rating, including five stars in every category except frontal protection, for which it received four stars. The independent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded the Sonata its highest rating of Good in all crash tests except the new small overlap frontal-offset test, in which a Marginal rating (second worst of four) was assessed.
Behind the Wheel
In our interior evaluation, we were reminded that Hyundai seats tend to be soft, and that tradition continues with the Sonata's front chairs, regardless of upholstery. We appreciate the long-distance cruising comfort they provide, though, even if lateral support for sporting maneuvers is lacking. The stylized dashboard features mostly good-quality materials; in fact, the Sonata is above average in this regard. The central controls are a generally ergonomic mix of buttons and knobs, with the unusual addition of a Volvo-inspired human figure that you press to change the airflow setting.
The base 2.4-liter engine is strong for an entry-level offering, and it's reasonably refined, too. The standard 6-speed automatic shifts quickly yet smoothly -- we like it. As for the 2.0-liter turbo, it's one of the most impressive engines in any midsize sedan. You get a ton of low-end torque for effortless passing, yet it keeps on pulling at high rpm -- and it remains civilized all the while.
The Sonata's suspension tuning marks a paradigm shift for Hyundai. Whereas previous Sonatas prioritized a soft ride above all else, the current Sonata is more like a Honda Accord in the way it keeps the driver connected with the road. The ride is still compliant, but the Sonata now feels like it has athletic ability in corners, especially in the SE's tighter state of tune. Alas, the Sonata's steering is numb and vague, a habit that Hyundai can't seem to shake -- even with the new adjustable-effort feature. Also, road noise can rise to objectionable levels on certain surfaces, though the Sonata's cabin is otherwise quiet.
Other Cars to Consider
Kia Optima -- The mechanically similar Optima has a bold styling language of its own, and we prefer the Kia's interior.
Toyota Camry -- The Camry's V6 is one of the few engines in this class that can give the Sonata's 2.0T a run for its money. This one's a tossup.
Volkswagen Passat -- The Passat offers an intriguing engine lineup of its own, and it has restrained German styling that's an intriguing counterpoint to the Sonata's exuberance.
AutoTrader's Advice
The turbocharged engine hits the trifecta for power, fuel economy and value. Make ours a base SE 2.0T to keep the cost in check; that's a lot of car for less than $27,000.


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Oldboy (2013) (US - BD RA)
Gabe suffers through the blandest possible sense of déjà vu...
Joe Doucette is a man who is abruptly kidnapped and held hostage for 20 years in solitary confinement, for no apparent reason. When he is suddenly released without explanation, he begins an obsessive mission to find out who imprisoned him, only to discover that the real mystery is why he was set free. (From The Weinstein Company's official synopsis)
Every time a foreign film makes any kind of impact on international audiences Hollywood immediately starts talking about a remake. This is such a common phenomenon that most of us have no idea exactly how many of the movies we've ignored have their roots in foreign properties. Sure, you knew that Point of No Return was a remake of Luc Besson's Nikita, but did you know that the Queen Latifah/Jimmy Fallon vehicle (excuse the pun) Taxi was a remake of a different Besson production? How about the Tim Allen 'comedy' Jungle 2 Jungle, the Robin Williams/Billy Crystal team-up Father's Day, or Miley Cyrus' mumblecore debut, LOL? Did you know those were all remakes, too? Probably not, because you rightfully didn't care. But when something as vital as Park Chan-wook's Oldboy gets the remake treatment, everyone is up in arms.
There are always exceptions to the 'foreign remakes are bad' rule. Among these are films that change genre significations, like Sergio Leone's Fistful of Dollars, films that reframe the material in a significantly American context, like Martin Scorsese's The Departed), and films that find further inspiration in the shared source material, like Matt Reeves' Let Me In (though I tend to still consider that one a superfluous exercise). Since Oldboy isn't really a genre movie in the first place, the hope among fans was that the remake would recontextualize the subject matter and return it to Garon Tsuchiya's original manga series. Early in pre-production (after Justin Lin moved on), Steven Spielberg and Will Smith were attached and there was no way America's favourite, most wholesome director and star were going to make a movie with Park's disturbing twist ending. Instead, Smith announced that they'd be sticking closer to the manga series, which, presumably comes to a different, less disturbing conclusion. But Spielberg and Smith also left the project, leaving Spike Lee of all people to pick up the ball and run with it. Lee is usually fastidious with his directing choices, so his involvement originally re-stoked interest, but, unfortunately, the new script he agreed to make was entirely based on Park's film, not Tsuchiya's comic.
I Am Legend and Poseidon screenwriter Mark Protosevich was obviously familiar with Park's film, even if Lee was not. Unfortunately, he takes his cues straight out of the Hollywood remake playbook. The script over-explains/heightens every plot point from the original film without instilling any new meaning. Things originally implied, like the protagonist's pre-jail life, are now explicitly detailed, ruining any chance of recreating Park's delicious ambiguity. We're even shown exactly how the protagonist gets his hammer. Then, the protagonist's simple preparation for vengeance is over-complicated when he sees his daughter on television and devotes himself to being the better man for her sake. This requires Protosevich and Lee to bend over backwards to create a reason that he wouldn't recognize his daughter later in the film, making an already convoluted story impossibly arduous. I guess the idea was to throw the people that saw the original off the scent, but there's no real point, because, spoiler alert, they reuse Park's twist. They ad some admittedly entertaining bells and whistles (the coda is pretty clever), but it is the same twist. Oddly, incidental details – including torture methods, specific body part removals, and the number of years the protagonist spends imprisoned (20 instead of 15) – are regularly changed without any purpose.
There's no point in pretending Lee isn't every bit as great of a filmmaker as Park – Do the Right Thing and Malcolm X alone earn him the distinction of being one of America's best directors – but his output has been spotty over the last decade and nothing about Oldboy seemed to appeal to his skills or interests. Even his more mainstream movies, Inside Man and Miracle at St. Anna, included common themes that fit his filmography. Oldboy has something to say about economic standings (the protagonist and antagonist are social opposites), but is more driven by plot and sentiment than political/social subtext (of course, the original story lends itself to a more politically relevant interpretation, especially if you change the bloody ending). As a director, Lee has taken Park's film and stripped away its deeper emotional truths, leaving the silliness of the concept bare. It's as if he didn't believe in the material was worth taking seriously and is making fun of the original film. Park's version was already full of intentional comedy, too but he found a way to combine the disparate tones to create a unique sense of melodrama. Lee seems to see nothing but the camp appeal. This Oldboy is a good-looking film, but all Lee really manages to bring to the table are more defined scene mechanics and gorier violence (his version of the hallway fight is another prime example of missing the point of the original scene – the awkward impotence is turned into an elaborate action set piece).
The performances follow Lee's tonal lead. They are the Saturday morning cartoon versions of the ones that appeared in Park's movie. Brolin grunts and shouts his way through a textureless, oafish performance. He appears to have taken the physicality of the role more seriously than the emotional component, as evident in his bulked-up physique and ridiculous fighting abilities. Sharlto Copley's over-the-top oddness is more amusing and would probably have been a greater joy if it didn't exist under the shadow of Yoo Ji-tae's controlled menace. Poor Elizabeth Olsen apparently didn't get the memo, though, and acts like a real person. I hesitate to say she's above the material, since Brolin, Copley, and Samuel Jackson are all otherwise fantastic actors, but that's hard to remember in this context, where her performance is the only moving one in the entire picture.
It's probably important to note that the final release version of Oldboy was reportedly re-edited by the producers, cutting a 140-minute movie to 105 minutes (Lee's director's cut was apparently 185 minutes). I'm not sure what good, if any, those 35 minutes would've done (Park's version is an even 120 minutes), but that's a whole lot of cutting done against Lee's wishes and something that earns him some kind of benefit of the doubt.
Lee and Steve McQueen's favourite cinematographer Sean Bobbitt shot their Oldboy using various formats, including 8mm and 16mm, but the majority of the film uses 35mm. This 1080p, 2.40:1 transfer is dynamic, colourful, and plenty grainy. Details are tight, especially the textures of the hyper-crisp close-ups. Some of the wide-angle details are softened by shallow focus, but nothing appears accidentally blurred by compression artefacts. Contrast is set really high, which purposefully crushes out and blows-out a lot of the finer details as well (the highlights are messy during the darkest scenes). The hard edges dance with a bit of film grain, but there are no major haloes or similar sharpening effects. The digitally-assisted colour timing is lively and heavily stylized. The palette is the Guillermo del Toro (or Jean-Pierre Jeunet) special – yellow and green with strong red highlights (some of the darker interiors are more minty than green, I suppose). These colours cut nicely against each other, thanks in large part to the heavy contrast levels, though those aforementioned reds are sometimes so vivid that they bleed out a bit.
Oldboy is presented here in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound. It is a stylized movie, but this is not a particularly aggressive mix. The majority of the sound, including dialogue and incidental effects, is clear and centered with only a handful of them escaping into the stereo and surround channels. Ambient immersion is minimal, breaking down mostly to rare street/crowd noise and the dismal buzz of the prison corridors. The hallway fight is the most bombastic scene overall, including quite a few directional enhancements, but there are also a couple of more subtle audio tricks, like a bit where the sounds of Hurricane Katrina are blended into Joe's training montage. Composer Roque Baños' music sort of echoes Jo Yeong-wook's original score, but never directly quotes it. His more traditional, string-assisted cues are appropriately mournful and given the appropriate multi-channel swell during the big revelations. His more percussion-heavy cues (that hallway fight again) are kind of goofy, but do include heavy LFE impacts.
- Four alternate & extended scenes (11:50, HD) – Not even close to the 35-80 minutes of deleted footage, these scenes do almost nothing to change the concept of the final project. The fact that none of the deleted scenes appear is especially suspect.
- The Making of Oldboy (16:50, HD) – An EPK that covers the basics of the production with cast & crew interviews and behind-the-scenes footage.
- Transformation (2:10, HD) – A shorter featurette about Brolin's physical change.
- Talking Heads (2:40, HD) – Another fluffy and short featurette that actually acknowledges the source material.
- Workout Video Promo (:50, HD) – A gag trailer.
- Previews for other Sony releases.
Spike Lee's Oldboy had very little chance of working – the original film is one of the best of the last decade and not yet old enough to really warrant revisiting. As a remake, this version is terrible, recycling the plot without bringing anything but hyperbole to the table. As a standalone feature…it's still pretty bad. It rolls awkwardly between camp and high melodrama without connecting on either account. I do have a theory that Lee intended on making a parody of Hollywood remakes in general as part of a deeper, meta-text meaning, mostly because I can't think of any other reason to include so many visual references to Japanese and Chinese culture in a remake of a South Korean film. It has to be a joke, right? Sony has done a fine job with the A/V quality here, but anyone that actually liked the film or was at least intrigued by its shortcomings will be disappointed by the relative lack of extras, especially the rumoured 80 minutes of deleted footage.
* Note: The above images are taken from the Blu-ray and resized for the page. Full-resolution captures are available by clicking individual images, but due to .jpg compression they are not necessarily representative of the quality of the transfer.
Review by Gabriel Powers
David Blackwell Senior Member Join Date: February 2004 Location: United States Posts: 2,831
So just a rental. I hope they get a director's cut out there one of these days. I love the original OLdboy
djblack1313 Member Join Date: April 2006 Location: United States Posts: 529
i've been holding off on watching this until i watch the original. i hear the original is amazing. i'd rather watch the amazing one.
Gabe Powers Editor Join Date: September 2004 Location: United States Posts: 4,721
My advise would be to watch the original, then Malcolm X instead. That way, you get a better Oldboy movie and a better Spike Lee movie. Win/win.
matt86 Member Join Date: March 2008 Location: United States Posts: 868
I saw this not knowing much about the original and that may be why I didn't mind it, but I've heard the original is light years better than this from SEVERAL people.
djblack1313 Member Join Date: April 2006 Location: United States Posts: 529
Gabe, thanx for the advice! sounds good to me!
felipe-11 Member Join Date: July 2009 Location: United States Posts: 418
The only possible interest I have in seeing this is for Copley's performance (he's usually the best thing about the films he's in) and Olsen, but I'm not sure those two are enough to justify sitting through another lifeless remake.
Gabe Powers Editor Join Date: September 2004 Location: United States Posts: 4,721
Copley is very entertaining, but he has even less screentime than his Korean counterpart, Yoo Ji-tae. I'm sure he and Olsen will be in any number of more interesting movies in the future.
Chris Gould Editor Join Date: May 2001 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 7,171
I liked exactly two things about this film. I'll leave you to guess what they were.
matt86 Member Join Date: March 2008 Location: United States Posts: 868
Chris Gould wrote: I liked exactly two things about this film. I'll leave you to guess what they were.
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say... they belong to Ms. Olsen??? Two items of hers? LOL they were VERY nice
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say... they belong to Ms. Olsen??? Two items of hers? LOL they were VERY nice
Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian
Disc Details
Release Date: 4th March 2014
Discs: 1
Disc Type: Blu-ray Disc
RCE: No
Video: 1080p
Aspect: 2.35:1
Anamorphic: No
Colour: Yes
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras: The Making of Oldboy, Transformation, Alternate & Extended Scenes, Talking Heads, Workout Promo, Trailers, UltraViolet Copy
Easter Egg: No
Feature Details
Director: Spike Lee
Cast: James Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Sharlto Copley, Samuel L Jackson
Genre: Crime and Drama
Length: 104 minutes
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Attacks on the Press in 2012 - Democratic Republic of the Congo
|Committee to Protect Journalists
|Publication Date
|14 February 2013
|Cite as
|Committee to Protect Journalists, Attacks on the Press in 2012 - Democratic Republic of the Congo, 14 February 2013, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/512b79d82.html [accessed 19 November 2018]
|This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
Key Developments
Journalists covering conflict in the east are intimidated, censored.
Numerous anti-press attacks occur in the capital and North Kivu province.
Journalists reporting on renewed conflict in the east were repeatedly censored and intimidated by local officials, the national government, and rebel forces. Fighting resumed in the east after President Joseph Kabila said his government would try to arrest Bosco Ntaganda, a former warlord wanted by the International Criminal Court on war crime charges. In response, Ntaganda joined with army mutineers to form a rebel group that took control of key towns in North Kivu province. The state-run media regulatory agency barred all broadcasters from airing programs discussing the conflict; several radio stations were suspended indefinitely after interviewing the mutineers. At least three journalists fled into hiding after being threatened in reprisal for their reporting on the conflict. Tensions between DRC and neighboring Rwanda also grew after the publication in June of a leaked U.N. report that blamed Kigali for providing military assistance to the rebels. The same month, Communications Minister Lambert Mende accused a Kinshasa newspaper of tribalism and indefinitely suspended the publication in connection with an editorial critical of Congolese of Rwandan ancestry. Although danger was severe in the east, CPJ also documented numerous instances in which officials in Bas Congo detained and intimidated critical journalists.
[Refworld note: The sections that follow represent a best effort to transcribe onto a single page information that appears in tabs on the CPJ's own pages, which also include a number of dynamically-generated graphics not readily reproducible here. Refworld researchers are therefore strongly recommended to check against the original report: Attacks on the Press in 2012.]
Anti-press attacks: 90
The greatest number of attacks on the press occurred in the capital region, Bas Congo, according to CPJ research through December 7, 2012. CPJ documented instances of official censorship, arbitrary detention, imprisonment, intimidation, and other forms of harassment.
Increase in eastern attacks: 220%
Anti-press attacks increased significantly in 2012 in North Kivu province with journalists in the crossfire between government forces and Ntaganda-allied rebels. CPJ documented 24 instances of harassment, intimidation, and censorship through December 31, 2012, up from just five reports in 2011.
Stations covering conflict: 0
The media regulatory agency barred talk shows and call-in programs from airing commentary on the conflict in the east. At least five radio stations were forced off the air for broadcasting critical commentaries, according to CPJ research.
Broadcasters silenced:
Ngoma FM: Suspended indefinitely after airing phone interviews with a renegade army spokesman in October.
Radio Lisanga Télévision: Forced off the air during a live September interview with an opposition politician who accused the president of allowing Rwandan interference.
Radio Soleil: Suspended for three months after airing phone interviews with a rebel spokesman in August. The show's presenter is banned from the airwaves.
Radio Liberté: Suspended for three months after airing phone interviews in May with a militia leader and a mutineer. The show's presenter, Pili Pili Kasaï, is imprisoned for 13 days.
Radio Okapi: Suspended for three days after airing interviews with leader of M23 rebels.
Attacks on station: 10
Radio Lisanga Télévision, a private broadcaster supportive of veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, has been censored and attacked numerous times since 2011, according to CPJ research. RLTV operates two stations in DRC, one in Kinshasa and one in the central city of Mbuji-Mayi.
A station under fire:
June 19, 2011: Unidentified men with machetes injure Baby Balukuna, presenter of the nightly talk show "Support Etienne Tshisekedi," the local press freedom group Journaliste en Danger reports.
July 9, 2011: RLTV loses its broadcast signal while covering an anti-government march. Communication Minister Mende bans RLTV across the country and tells CPJ the station incited protesters against the government.
August 2011: RLTV journalists report anonymous threats after broadcasting footage of empty seats at a local stadium during the convention of the ruling party.
September 6, 2011: Armed men torch the studios of RLTV hours after government supporters threaten revenge for the ransacking of the ruling party's headquarters.
October 29, 2011: Police arrest RLTV cameraman Pierre Tshishiku for filming an anti-government march, according to news reports. He is imprisoned for three days.
November 7, 2011: RLTV is suspended for a week for airing a speech of an opposition leader who called on supporters to storm the prisons and free political prisoners.
December 2, 2011: RLTV presenter Eliezer Thambwe reports anonymous death threats in connection with his "Support Etienne Tshisekedi" program, JED reported.
December 3, 2011: RLTV is suspended for a week after reporting non-official presidential election results, JED reported.
December 5, 2011: Police in Mbuji-Mayi storm the RLTV studios and seal them without explanation.
September 6, 2012: RLTV is forced off the air during a live interview with an opposition politician who accuses the president of allowing Rwandan military interference in eastern DRC.


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Volleyball Earns Three Wins Against In-State Foes
Clarksville, Tenn. – The Tennessee State volleyball team traveled to Austin Peay on Tuesday night for the squad's second spring tournament, and came away with three wins and zero losses.
The clean sweep comes one week after the Tigers won three contests against Memphis, UT Martin and Alabama State.
In TSU's first match against the host school, the Tigers narrowly dropped the first set to the Lady Govs, 24-26. Tennessee State rebounded nicely in frame two, squeaking out a 25-22 victory. In the match's third and final set, the Tigers edged Austin Peay, 15-12, to earn win number one on the day.
Last year, Tennessee State ended the Governors season with a 3-1 victory in the OVC Tournament.
Up next for TSU, was another in-state opponent in Trevecca. The Trojans were no match for the Tigers, as Tennessee State dispatched them in straight sets, 25-13, 26-24.
TSU came into the match against Trevecca with a 4-9 all-time record against TNU.
Tennessee State played fellow OVC-member Belmont to wrap up Tuesday's schedule and easily handled the Bruins. TSU won the first set, 25-17, and matched that mark in frame two to complete the sweep.
TSU and Belmont split the season series at one match apiece with each school notching wins on the other's home court.
The impressive showing pushes the Tigers' spring record to 6-1. Tennessee State's only loss has come at the hands of Ole Miss.
TSU will next play at Midddle Tennessee State on Saturday at 10 a.m.
--TSU Tigers--


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- U.S. Navy salvors remove equipment from the grounded USS GUARDIAN in the Sulu Sea on Jan. 26. Fiberglass sheathing has come off the port side, revealing the minesweeper's wooden hull. The destroyer USS MUSTIN stands by at left. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kelby Sanders)
By CHRISTOPHER P. CAVAS
Caught between the jagged coral of an ocean reef and Filipino environmental and political concerns, the U.S. Navy says it will cut up the trapped USS Guardian and take it away piece by piece.
"Our only supportable option is to dismantle the damaged ship and remove it in sections," Capt. Darryn James, spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Fleet, said Jan. 29.
The decision, James said, keeps salvage equipment in deeper water and minimizes further damage to the coral reef.
The salvage plan, he said, aims to "safely remove individual sections of the ship without causing the release of harmful materials."
Earlier, Rear Adm. Tom Carney, commander of the salvage effort, said the ship was too badly damaged for salvors to tow her off the reef.
Two heavy lift ship-borne cranes are en route to the scene of the grounding in the western Philippines, and should arrive about Feb.1, James said. The dismantling operation is expected to take more than a month to complete.
All the ship's fuel has been removed, the Japan-based U.S. Seventh Fleet said Jan. 25, and teams continue to take off more materiel.
"The Navy has safely transferred approximately 15,000 gallons of diesel fuel, 671 gallons of lubricating oil, dry food stores, paints and solvents contained in storage lockers, and the personal effects left behind by the crew from the ship," the Seventh Fleet said in a Jan. 28 press release.
The 79-man crew evacuated the Guardian late on Jan. 17, hours after the ship went aground on Tubbataha Reef in the Sulu Sea. The minesweeper had been en route from Subic Bay in the Philippines to Indonesia. Most of the crew was returned to Japan last week, and a U.S. Navy salvage team has been working on the wreck.
Tubbataha Reef is about 80 nautical miles east-southeast of Palawan island.
The Filipino government has questioned why the ship was in the area — a protected UNESCO world heritage site where routine ship traffic is prohibited — and why the Guardian reportedly ignored warnings from local authorities that it was headed for the reef.
A U.S. Navy investigation into the incident is continuing.
The U.S. Navy also revealed on Jan. 18 that the digital navigational chart in use by the Guardian misplaced the correct location of the reef by about eight nautical miles. The Navy and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, producer of the digital charts, reviewed more then 3,700 digital charts and, in addition to the Tubbataha Reef error, found another mistake off the coast of Chile. Both errors have since been corrected and the Navy's chief navigation official has declared his confidence in the accuracy of the digital charts.
The Guardian, a mine countermeasures ship built of composite materials, is a small ship by U.S. Navy standards, with a full load displacement of 1,312 tons, a length of 224 feet and beam of 39 feet. It is the fifth of 14 Avenger-class ships, and was commissioned in 1989.
The ship has been assigned to the U.S. Seventh Fleet for most of her career, and is forward-deployed toSasebo,Japan.
The Guardian's hull, according to the Navy, has been punctured by the coral and several compartments have been flooded. Most of the fiberglass on the ship's port side has delaminated and come off, revealing the ship's wooden hull.
The Pearl Harbor-based Navy salvage ship Salvor arrived on the scene on Jan. 27, joining the survey ship Bowditch, James said.
The destroyer Mustin continues to stand by the minesweeper as the flagship for the salvage effort, and the chartered anchor-handling tug Vos Apollo also is standing by.
The loss of the Guardian is a serious blow for the stressed U.S. mine force, which has been called on to expand operations in the Persian Gulf. Including the Guardian, 12 of the fleet's fourteen mine countermeasures ships are currently operating overseas or forward-deployed to the Far East or the Persian Gulf region.
The ships, which date from the late 1980s and early 1990s, were to have been replaced by new littoral combat ships, but lengthy delays in fielding new LCSs have led to renewed investment in the older ships, which have been upgraded and improved at considerable expense.
The Guardian incident has been a public relations mess for the U.S., which in recent years has been steadily — and somewhat quietly — increasing military visits to the Philippines.
President Benigno Aquino protested the Guardian's actions, and the Philippine government is conducting its own investigation into the affair. Filipino authorities have said that about 1,000 square meters of coral reef have been damaged by the Guardian.
Vice Adm. Scott Swift, commander of the Seventh Fleet, issued an apology on Jan. 20 for the incident.
"As a protector of the sea and a sailor myself, I greatly regret any damage this incident has caused to the Tubbataha Reef," Swift said in a statement. "We know the significance of the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park and its importance as a World Heritage Site. Its protection is vital, and we take seriously our obligations to protect and preserve the maritime environment."
James emphasized the U.S. Navy's efforts to cooperate with the Filipinos.
"We continue to work closely at all levels with the Philippine Coast Guard, Navy and government personnel," James said. "We are grateful for the support we have received as we all work together to recover Guardian and minimize further damage to the reef."
Christopher P. Cavas
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- A closer look at the "Modified LCS" - December 12, 2014
- Sleek, modern and built on a budget – Denmark's latest frigate - November 21, 2014
- Dropping The Top – Destroyer MICHAEL MONSOOR Gets A Deckhouse - November 18, 2014


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Team One - Student Loan Issues, Continued
Third Session - April 22-24
At the March 4-5 negotiating session, the negotiators reached tentative agreements on a number of Perkins, FFEL, and Direct Loan program issues. Additionally, the negotiators reached "conceptual agreement" on three issues. That is, the negotiators agreed in principal to specific regulatory changes absent a review of specific regulatory language. The Department subsequently developed regulatory language that will be reviewed at the third negotiating session. These materials were distributed to the negotiators prior to the third session, and are provided here as well. See "Materials for the Third Negotiating Session," below, for a full description of these materials.
Conversely, there were a number of program issues on which no agreements were reached at the March 4-6 session and thus require additional discussion. Language for these issues was developed and also provided to the negotiators prior to the third session. See "Second Set of Materials," below, for the description of these materials.
Meeting Summary
PDF (84K) | MS Word (30K)
Materials for the Third Negotiating Session
PDF (25K) | MS Word (6K)
Direct Loan Program
PDF (42K) | MS Word (70K)
Federal Family Education Loan Program
PDF (64K) | MS Word (97K)
Perkins Loan Program
PDF (55K) | MS Word (88K)
PDF (7K) | MS Excel (22K)
Team 2 - Late Disbursement
PDF (134K) | MS Word(69K)
Second Set of Materials
PDF (5K) | MS Word(22K)
Direct Loan Program - No Tentative Agreement
PDF (30K) | MS Word (44K)
Federal Family Education Loan Program - No Tentative Agreement
PDF (54K) | MS Word (84K)
Perkins Loan Program - No Tentative Agreement
PDF (31K) | MS Word (46K)


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I have been having pretty good sessions at Haulover Beach (in South Florida) all
by myself for the most part, except for when I dropped my ram-air kite in the water
right outside of the clothing optional beach, and had to swim in
right there and re-do the kite.
As usual people will come up to
talk to you about the kite, but they were all BUTT NAKED men!
Lesson: dont drop the soap, uh I mean your kite at the clothing
optional beach!


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Kanye West's new album "Yeezus" has picked up a lot of plaudits in the usual pop music critic circles, and now it's collecting support from some impressive, not-so-usual sources, among them punk godfather Lou Reed and filmmaker David Lynch.
Reed has reviewed the album for the Talkhouse musician website, saying in a generally enthusiastic assessment, "No one's near doing what he's doing, it's not even on the same planet."
And this week, Lynch -- who has a new album of his own coming later this month -- says he's enamored of the track "Blood on the Leaves" from "Yeezus," which entered the Billboard album chart at No. 1 last week.
TIMELINE: Summer's must see concerts
That's also the first track that Reed singled out in his review, writing: "People say this album is minimal. And yeah, it's minimal. But the parts are maximal.
"Take 'Blood on the Leaves,' " Reed writes. "There's a lot going on there: horns, piano, bass, drums, electronic effects, all rhythmically matched -- towards the end of the track, there's now twice as much sonic material. But Kanye stays unmoved while this mountain of sound grows around him. Such an enormous amount of work went into making this album. Each track is like making a movie."
If anyone's in a position to compare music and movies, it should be Lynch, who will release his second album, "The Big Dream," on July 15.
Pop & Hiss asked Lynch to name musicians he admires. He said, "You might be surprised, but I love 'Blood on the Leaves' by Kanye West. I just love it." The rest of the interview with Lynch will appear soon in Calendar.
As for Reed's review, it's not an unqualified rave. "There are moments of supreme beauty and greatness on this record," Reed notes, "and then some of it is the same old [thing]."
In his wrap-up, however, Reed writes, "It's all music -- that's what makes him great. If you like sound, listen to what he's giving you. Majestic and inspiring."
Fleetwood Mac's back with a love-fest vibe
Kanye West's 'Yeezus' lands at No. 1 on Billboard chart
Review: Kanye West's wildly experimental, narcissistic 'Yeezus'
Follow Randy Lewis on Twitter: @RandyLewis2
PHOTOS: Concerts by the Times
PHOTOS: Unexpected musical collaborations
PHOTOS: Musician feuds: The dirt & details


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Daniel Campbell
Flirt of the Year 2018
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Vote for Daniel Campbell to win the Viewer's Choice Award.
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Daniel Campbell's Likes
I like go the gym because I like to do exercicies, I like read book´s health, sports, cars, and more.I like go to my friends to dance and eat the weekends. too.I like go to the cinema for see movies all the films, in special of terror.I like play soccer in my free time, I like go to the shopping to the malls and I engoy drive a car and a motorcicle. I don´t like the weather very cold.I prefer the days sunnies.
My Fantasies
-observed hidden men in shower fucking- Making love in a public pool- fuck in the gym after a workout with weights-My friend drives my car while I jodo my host in the back seats-Fuck an older man
My Obsessions & Desires
-Nipple biting-Muscle worship-voyeurism-Corporal punishment- Bondage-submission
Additional Info
I am a completely sexual man and a good host for those who want to have fun and fulfill their sexual fantasies. I have an intellectual side too. I love and enjoy listening to other people's lives and experiences, and once I am alone and away from the open talk, I am open as a book willing to listen and share thoughts.I am very cordial and naughty, I like to laugh and to have a pleasant conversation. I am very expressive and I have a very complete imagination when it comes. The more compartments, but share.
My Fetishes
Cock Teasing, Corporal Punishment, Discipline, Domination, Muscle Worship, Nipple Play, Paddling/Spanking/Whips, Submission, Sugar Daddy, Voyeurism
My Sex Toys
Ball Gag, Butt Plug, Handcuffs
Role-Playing Scenarios
Bad Cop/Good Cop, Boss / Secretary, Cheerleader/Jock, Coach/Trainee, Cowboy/Cowgirl, Dirty Talk, Doctor / Nurse, Master / Slave, Pirate/Captive, Student/Teacher
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Hello Everybody!!!!An excellent weekend !! Full of strong emotions and 100% pleasures.
Here I greet you from Colombia to all, visiting soon to talk about our... Read More »
hello everybody!!!!Today I was in the gym friends, so I come very energetic to transmit and I want something extraordinary happen today, maybe a new experience that... Read More »
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|Gift Info
|November 14, 2018
50 Credit Interactive Party Tip
Purchased for 50 credits.
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|November 14, 2018
Custom Interactive Party Tip
Purchased for 101 credits.
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|November 14, 2018
Custom Interactive Party Tip
Purchased for 101 credits.
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What's Acoustics anyway?
Why do people buy acoustic products? For sure there has to be a reason for investing in sound control products, and that is simply the need to take the best out of our sound systems in our rooms. But in fact, the main question we should be asking is … why does sound need to be controlled anyway? This question will take us in the next minutes into a journey of sound characteristics and its behavior, especially those occurring inside an enclosed room, whether it is a Studio, a Home Cinema or even an Opera theatre.
Although people may not have conscious of the science facts behind sound, the truth is that most of us have already got into a place where we said or thought: "Such an awful sound in this place", and we're not talking about music styles… we're talking about getting into a room and just knowing that there was something wrong with the sound of it, whether it is long echoes or simply confusing sound. This happens because sound is just like a light from a lamp in a room with a window. The path the light takes is not just the straight line between the lamp and the surface that's in front of it (whether it is the floor or a wall), instead, light covers the whole free space of the room and even goes into other rooms through the window. So it is with sound. Whatever may be its source, sound will fulfill the whole room in all directions and even fly into other rooms through the floor, ceiling or walls, since sound waves can travel by any solid, liquid or gas material. Well, acoustics is simply the way sound is affected by the physical properties of the space where it is being produced, and this is why clients want good acoustics and therefore why acoustic products companies develop materials that will interfere with the physical properties of the space, so that in the end, we all come up with rooms with adequate distribution of sound, ensuring clarity of speech and "completeness" of music.
When considering the properties of a room, what we're really trying to avoid are acoustic defects such as: reflections, flutter echoes, reverberation and standing waves.
Keep up with us and we'll show you, how each one of these things occur in your own room, preventing you to benefit from the full potential of your sound system. Fortunately there are solutions and we're also going to show them to you!
Reflections are the acoustic phenomenon that happens in any kind of room, regardless of its shape, function or size, translating sound behavior when it encounters a plain surface.
As we've previously referred, sound doesn't move only in a straight line from its source into the listener's ears, instead, sound waves coming from a certain point, spread out in many directions, and when they encounter an obstacle, like a wall for example, they react by producing "counterwaves" as if they were being produced by another source different then the real one.
Therefore, the result is quite simple to imagine. Instead of having a clear sound, the listener will feel a lot of confusion coming not only from its audio system but from the whole room itself, as we can see in the image above.
One of the main consequences that reflections can bring is echo, which happens when reflected sound clearly distinguishes itself from the direct sound.
In order to find a solution, science started from a simple question: "If the problem occurs right after sound waves get into touch with plain surfaces, and if that's not a possible variable to change, what can be done to "catch" those sound waves and stop or diminish them?
The answer would rapidly put foam and other materials in a privileged position on the package of acoustic solutions, namely those related to ABSORPTION. Acoustic absorption products made from special foam perform like energy converters, catching reflections (sound energy) from a sound source and by a resistive process turn them into heat energy, diminishing their strength and therefore allowing the sound in a given space become clearer, like we can see in the images above.
But foam is not the entire solution, since its structure, shape, density and many other variables, have to be worked under a few engineering principles. Therefore, Science gave us the starting point - Vicoustic took care of the rest.
At your service is now a wide range of acoustic absorption products. The proposed absorption lines will allow you to take the best control over your sound system in a scenario of high acoustic performance, a variety of modern design alternatives and with the accomplishment of material legislation, including the one related to fire rating.
Resonating Waves
Resonating waves, usually occurring on low frequencies, represent the acoustic phenomena of sound waves that are exactly as long as the dimension of the room, or in half proportions of that (other standing waves happen in parallel of the original one). Resonating waves are louder and take longer to disappear and therefore generating more confusion especially when we consider that are at least 6 surfaces in a room.
Resonating waves can be solved with Vicoustic Bass Trap lines.
Another way to treat reflections is DIFFUSION. Also on this field, Vicoustic presents you with the best commitment in the market between performance, price and design.
Diffusion products, act on reflected sound waves splitting them into smaller ones. Once smaller they move across the room but don't interfere with the direct sound, and therefore preventing acoustic distortion, as you can see in the image.
When adequately treated, the whole effect of sound diffusion will also be the sense of complete room "fulfillment" and "spaceness". And because perfect ambience is also about aesthetics, our engineers and designers have conceived a variety of diffusion products. Design will be a variable - good performance won't.
It is important to note that complete room acoustic solutions will usually be the combination between absorption and diffusion products. Based on this and other rules, and also in order to simplify the whole process of choosing and applying acoustic treatments without having to recruit the services of an acoustic consultant, Vicoustic developed a set of SOLUTIONS combining Absorption and Diffusion products that you can select from the Filter Options of our Online Data Base (size and function of the room, and budget). Still, if you're looking for a specific treatment or a consultant's help, don't hesitate on contact us.
Each one of these rooms was designed combining Absorption and Diffusion Panels as well as Bass Traps.
Flutter Echoes, Reverberation
Flutter Echoes are reflections that keep hitting parallel surfaces in a room back and forth. Reverberation is the combination of not absorbed reflections bouncing in a closed room, and that once together, reinforce and extend the existing sound, even if its emission has already stopped. This means that in the moment when direct sound is fading from the listener's ears, reflected sound appears making him get the feeling of continuity.
Both Flutter Echoes and Reverberation cause sound confusion. Fortunately both of them are also treatable with Vicoustic Absorption and Diffusion Products.
As we've shown along this document, Acoustic is a natural and easily understandable sound phenomena. Once contextualized, it will surely allow you to attribute greater value to an acoustic treatment, as not just an extra and perhaps dispensable element when considering the investment on a critical sound space.


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A significant malt body balances the hop presence, together with the fruity yeast aromas, lead to a remarkably drinkable American-style IPA.
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The renowned IPA is continuously hopped with more than 60 hop additions over a 60-minute boil for 60 IBU's of hop intensity.
American IPA7.7% ABV80 IBU
Stone Brewing Escondido, CA
This intensely citrusy, beautifully bitter beer is worthy of the simple-yet-lordly title of Stone Delicious IPA.


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I really don't like that song "Running From Jamaica". I find it very bitter and grudgeful as they would say in JA. My parents and thousands of others emigrated to the UK, the States and Canada because of the crippling poverty, lack of opportunities and the violence in JA and they would not have left if they had a choice because they loved it there. Even so, they worked very hard and sent what they could to JA including the occasional barrel crammed with food and clothes. No one even bothered to say thank you and they had no idea how hard life was in the UK with the racism, freezing cold, s**t, jobs and the cramped accommodation they had to endure.
Groups like the Wailers must have understood what life was like for Jamaicans in London because they spent time here but some of the other artists and people in JA generally need to understand how hard we have to work here just to keep our heads above water.


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Depending on what type of trader you are, you will want to use our real-time data feed or our end-of-day feed.


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Come splash around and have some fun!
On a weekly basis, there are both lap swim and recreational swim times offered at the Rec Center.
Lap swim provides six lanes (slow, medium, fast) of swimming. Patrons must place themselves in a lane based on their swimming ability. All swimmers must swim in a circular pattern within the lane.
Recreational Swim allows patrons to swim at their leisure. Two lanes are available for those wishing to do laps during Recreational Swim hours. The pool has noodles, kickboards, buoys, and life jackets available for use during pool hours.
Please note: Faculty and staff have access to the Rec Center Mon.–Fri. for morning and noon lap swims (check-in at Rec Center Front Desk by 12:30 p.m.) To access late afternoon, evening or weekend swims, faculty and staff must have either a valid Fitness Membership or Rec Only Membership.
Family Swim
Family Swim hours are offered every weekend throughout the year when classes are in session for Binghamton University students and Recreation members. These hours give members an opportunity to swim with their dependent children and/or spouse (significant other).
Aquatic Classes and Fitness
Campus Recreational Services now offers multiple aquatic instructional classes and fitness sessions in the Rec Center. Aqua Aerobics and Triathlon Training classes are available along with Individual Aquatic Fitness Sessions.
Swim Lessons
A variety of swim lessons are available for people of all ages.
Red Cross Certifications
Each semester a variety of CPR, AED and First Aid classes are offered to the campus community. Every spring semester the calendar also includes a lifeguard recertification class. These classes all have additional fees for all participants and are open to members of the campus community only.


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|Crate & Barrel: Colette Bed
Well, the lure of the headboard was just too great for me to resist; try as I might. I thought I would at least go online and check out how difficult the project would be. I came across blog after blog of amazing DIY'ers tutorials on this very subject; and almost everyone indicated that they made their headboards (upholstery, trim, and all) on their own and in about two hours on a weekend. OK, so that sounded promising:
1 Crafty Person + 2 Hours Labour = 1 Custom Headboard
Yeah, that's not so bad! And if that's all it takes then really, how long and how much effort could it take for both me and my hubby to knock this sucker out?
|Southern Exposure
Here is my story as to how my hubby and I made our own upholstered headboard with nailhead trim:
|Plywood too large? Just have staff at the home improvement
store cut your plywood in two for easy transport and
reassemble using brackets at home!
|Framing the headboard
|Foaming the headboard;
or foaming at the mouth (I can't remember)
|After a "few" hours that fabric isn't going anywhere
(not with the amount of staples we put in!)
|Hello little nailheads; I hate you so much!
|Although terribly time consuming, not to mention frustrating,
nailing in each nailhead gives you more control and a
professional finish (versus nailhead trim kits)
|Sigh of relief!
|After all the work I just can't stop staring at it
I would like to send out a very special
For featuring my headboard on their blogs:
Rachel at {Southern Exposure}, post {here}
Vanessa and Heather at {At The Picket Fence}, post {here}
Nicole at {Beach House in the City}, post {here}
For featuring my headboard on her Facebook page:
Courtney from {French Country Cottage}, page {here}.
Again, thank you all SO MUCH!
Now I would love to hear from all of you:
If you've attempted your own headboard project please share the details (and perhaps a link to some photos). Am I just nuts, or was this project seriously tough!? Has there been any other project that you might have tried that originally seemed so easy but turned out driving you up the wall?
I am also linking this project to: Funky Junk Interiors, The 36th Avenue, Saved by Suzy, At The Picket Fence, Miss Mustard Seed, Remodelaholic, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, French Country Cottage, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Tip Junkie, Not Just a Housewife, The Shabby Nest, and Fine Craft Guild. There are a lot of great projects linked on these blogs, so please do take a peek!


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Borger's Dustin Clark to take part in the 75th annual Oil Bowl
Borger High School 2012 graduate Dustin Clark will participate in the 75th annual Maskat Shrine Oil Bowl all-star game on Saturday, June 9th at Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls.Clark had an impressive football career for the Borger Bulldogs as a defensive end, where he was selected as the District 1-3A Defensive MVP and earned All-State honors by the Associated Press and the Texas Sports Writers Association (TSWA). Back in February, Clark signed a letter of intent to play football for the University of North Texas in Denton.Clark will be a part of a Texas all-star team that will feature athletes from throughout northern Texas, including the Dallas-Ft. Worth, Wichita Falls, Lubbock, and Amarillo areas.Head coaching the Texas team is Jim Garfield from Wichita Falls.The Oklahoma all-star team will feature athletes from throughout the state of Oklahoma from Tulsa to Anadarko. Harlon House of Seminole, Okla., will serve as the head coach for the Oklahoma team.The Maskat Shrine Temple's game is the longest running high school all-star game in the country. Not only that, it also has the most interesting format — Texas vs. Oklahoma. The two rival states have met in 65 of the previous 74 games, with Texas owning a 46-18-1 series advantage.General admission tickets are $10 and reserved seats are $15. They may be purchased in Wichita Falls at Bobby Evans Sporting Goods, 2404 Kemp, or Jerry's Sporting Goods, 4031 Sports Street. Tickets also can be purchased by calling 940-766-4511.A special promotion for this Diamond Anniversary game will be to give free admission to all 75-year-olds. Just show your ID with a birth date at the ticket window or go by the Maskat Shrine to receive a free general admission ticket. All profits from this year's game will go to the Shriners children hospitals. These 22 hospitals have a mission to provide the highest quality care with no family financial burdens to children with neuromusculoskeletal conditions, burn injuries and other special health care needs with a compassionate, family-centered and collaborative care environment. They also provide for the education of physicians and other health care professionals. They conduct research to discover new knowledge that improves the quality of care and quality of life of children and families. This mission is carried out without regard to race, color, creed, sex or sect, disability, national origin or ability of a patient or family to pay.