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A scam artist wants to know if you can be trusted with £760,000,000.00 [Seven Hundred & Sixty Million British Pounds Sterling].
The scammer's grammar is abominable. I am particularly partial to his superior's job title - Top Bank Director, a position that is higher up in the food chain than that of Bottom Bank Director also known as a bottom feeder. To top it off, the thief's professional title in this fantasy of his is Financial Expert. This financial expert cannot even correctly write the amount that he wants to bait you with. Notice that £760,000.000.00 has two decimal points. Based on the first decimal point, the scammer only has £760,000.00 or $504,412.00 US Dollars; £760,000,000.00 is approximately $504,412,000.00 US Dollars.
Enjoy reading the email message below. Just remember not to fall for scams like the one below. There is no such thing as a free lunch. Never respond to email messages that you receive that are unsolicited. You never want to lose any of your money, and please be especially cautious during these difficult economic times.
From: martin james email@example.com
Sent: Tuesday, May 5, 2009 12:07:11 PM
Subject: MR MARTIN JAMES
CONTACT: MR. Martin. F. James FOR BUSINESS DEAL
Address: E3 Pelham House, 32-34 Pelham Road, London, GW19 1SX United Kingdom.
I am aware that this is certainly an unconventional approach to starting a relationship but I believe knowing each other starts from a step of which I believe I am not making a mistake exposing this very important business deal to you?
Firstly, let me identify myself without any intention of equivocation, I am Mr. Martin James, Financial Expert worked in a Bank here in United Kingdom, I will be happy if we can do business together in good faith and this proposal will be of mutual benefit for us. I have a transaction deal in the tune of £760,000.000.00-[Seven Hundred & Sixty Million British Pounds Sterling} to be transferred to any possible safe account with your good assistance. I have every possibility & advantages for the proceeds of this account to be paid to you and then both of us can share equal percentage meaning 50% for me and 50% to you. I am really serious" can I trust you on this subject matter? I had discussed this issue privately with the Top Bank Director and he agreed to help and have instructed me to look for a foreigner who can be trusted and capable to handle this transaction so that we can secretly move this money out from UK immediately basing on Investments plans in your Country. I guarantee that this will be executed under a concrete special arrangement that will protect us from any breach of law. I will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is hitch-free and you should not entertain any fears as the required arrangements have been made for the completion of this operation. This money was secretly deposited and placed for an Investment before the late holder died and none of his families or relatives knows about this money, I came across this great fortune during an annual pre-audition. If you can be trusted and capable to handle this business with me in full confidence & trust, please send me the following information for documentation preparation and also give me your word of confidence that we will work as one team and I will get in return what belongs to me after successful transmission of this operation :
Your expedient response will be appreciated as i look forward to hearing from you soon.Please send all email correspondence to personal email add:
(1). Full names:
(2). Private phone numbers:
(3). Current residential address:
(4). Occupation:
(5). Age and Sex:
{6}.Your Full Banking Coordinates as follows.
Bank Name:
Bank Address:
Account No:
Account Holder's Name:
I look forward hearing from you.
Kind Regards,
Mr. Martin F. James.


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Paul Hansmeier Pops Up In Prenda Law Defamation Case, As Prenda Tries To Force It Back To State Court
from the twists-and-turns dept
As we noted, Cooper and Godfread quickly had the cases removed to federal court, which is a fairly common move. Defendants will often remove a case to federal court if they can, because generally speaking, federal courts have a lot more clear caselaw and precedent that the judges will follow, and (subjective statement here, but many agree with it) federal judges tend to just be better informed about the law and are somewhat less prone to wacky rulings. One common way to remove a case from state to federal court is by claiming "diversity," which is when the plaintiffs and defendants are in different states. That seemed like a no-brainer in this case, seeing as Cooper and Godfread are based in Minnesota, while Duffy and Prenda are in Illinois.
However, the latest filing in the case (as noticed by Raul, filed by Paul Duffy (yes, representing his own firm) claims that the case should be sent back to the state court. Here's where it gets tricky. The original complaint in the Prenda Law case, was filed on February 12th. However, on February 21st, Hansmeier notes that an amended complaint was filed, which also named Paul Hansmeier's own firm, Alpha Law Firm, as a plaintiff. While that complaint incorrectly claimed that Alpha Law Firm was organized under the laws of the State of Illinois it seems likely that was a sloppy copy-and-paste error in filing the amended complaint. Either way, the amended complaint correctly notes that Alpha Law Firm's principal place of business was in Minnesota.
This, Duffy argues, kills the diversity claim and means that the federal court has no jurisdiction. I am, of course, not a lawyer, and my expertise in the nuances of federal court jurisdiction is limited, but from my understanding of these things, this is a case where Duffy may be legally correct, though there's all sorts of sleaziness associated with this. The general rules for removing to federal court under diversity includes that no plaintiffs live/work in the same state as any defendants. If Alpha Law is in the same state as Cooper and Godfread (as they are), they can argue that there is no diversity, and a federal court very likely could agree. Of course, it's not difficult to speculate that some of the Team Prenda folks realized this after the initial filing, which is what inspired the decision to suddenly add Alpha as a plaintiff, solely for the point of killing the diversity claim. There are situations in which courts will claim that some parties have been added to a lawsuit as "nominally" or "fraudulently joined" defendants, solely for the purpose of avoiding a diversity claim. Perhaps Cooper and Godfread's lawyer can make that claim, but it's a crapshoot whether or not the court will buy it.
Of course, aiding the claim that this is a bogus addition solely to block a diversity claim is the fact that it is not explained anywhere in the amended filing, why Alpha Law was added as a plaintiff to the lawsuit. None of the statements quoted in the filing which the plaintiffs claim to be defamatory actually refer to Alpha Law. Hell, none of them even refer to Paul Hansmeier. The only Hansmeier mentioned is Peter, Paul's brother. Nearly all of the statements mention Prenda, not Alpha. Reading the amended complaint, it's not at all clear what Alpha Law is even complaining about, since the comments do not reference it.
There are other oddities here as well. The lawyer representing Cooper and Godfread, Erin Russell, never acknowledges Alpha as a plaintiff in any of her filings. Duffy's filing argues that this is a purposeful omission to hide this fact for the sake of getting diversity, and also claims that he emailed Russell the day her original Notice of Removal was filed to point her to the amended complaint. If this is true, then that could be seen to reflect poorly on Russell. Even if there are questionable motives behind adding Alpha, if the firm were legitimately added, Russell should have acknowledged that. That said, given how many times we've seen the crew of folks around Prenda make statements that were less than totally forthcoming about litigation they were involved in, I'll reserve judgment until we see more details and the inevitable reply from Russell.
Duffy even seeks legal fees in response to this, though that seems like a huge long shot.
It will be interesting to see what happens here, but there is a very real possibility that the judge might send this back to the state court for lack of diversity. Of course, while that's not ideal, it's hardly the end of the world. The case itself seems so weak, and there is so much other information now available concerning Prenda's actions, that I can't see the original case getting very far, even if it is stuck in a state court in Southern Illinois. On that note, Russell has already been trying to move the federal case from Southern Illinois to Northern Illinois arguing (quite reasonably) that no one involved in the case is from Southern Illinois at all, but Prenda/Duffy are based in Northern Illinois). It does make you wonder why the case was filed in st. Clair County in the first place -- other than that was also the state court that Prenda has used for some of its lawsuits. Still, this move reeks of playing legal games, for which Prenda is quite famous. It sometimes seems like there isn't a loophole they're unfamiliar with. In the long run, all this gamemanship isn't going to help them in the bigger cases concerning their conduct.

subset: commoncrawl


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You can watch Incredibles 2 online for free on megashare by clicking the play button above. This movie is hosted on flix555-com and was not uploaded by us or any person affiliated with us. If the stream is too slow, try another link found on the left. Here you can see other hosters which might be faster! If you're trying to watch Incredibles 2 and it isn't loading, please check our Help section before reporting it as a broken link.
The second installment of the "Fantastic Beasts" series set in J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World featuring the adventures of magizoologist Newt Scamander.
Ethan Hunt and his IMF team, along with some familiar allies, race against time after a mission gone wrong.
In a visceral modern thriller from the director of Lone Survivor, Mark Wahlberg stars as James Silva, an operative of the CIA's most highly-prized and least-understood unit. Aided by a top-secret tactical command team, Silva must retrieve and transport an asset who holds life-threatening information to Mile 22 for extraction ...
Seasoned musician Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) discovers-and falls in love with-struggling artist Ally (Gaga). She has just about given up on her dream to make it big as a singer - until Jack coaxes her into the spotlight. But even as Ally's career takes off, the personal side of their ...
Agnes, taken for granted as a suburban mother, discovers a passion for solving jigsaw puzzles which unexpectedly draws her into a new world - where her life unfolds in ways she could never have imagined.
Young computer hacker Lisbeth Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist find themselves caught in a web of spies, cybercriminals and corrupt government officials.


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One of my favorite stories is from Crop 161 with Dr. Carlson. One day in class he was teaching us about cotyledons and what they do for grass. He was telling us a story about Johnny and his mom. The story was about how Johnny had to mow the lawn because it kept on growing. Dr. Carlson had a one sided conversation with himself imitating Johnny with a low voice, and imitating his mom with a high voice. His conversation included how Johnny's mom wanted him to mow the grass because it kept on growing. I will never forget that day in class or the reason why grass grows is because of the cotyledon part of the plant.
-Max Hart, Ag Education 2012


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Whiskey at its finest--Spiked Sweet Tea Lemonade, Nutty Bourbon Milk Punch & Strawberry Mint Julep
6 Cocktails to celebrate with/drown your sorrow in
Six mixologists compete for the title of U.S. Ambassador
New York's premium international tasting event catered to whisky lovers is back!
Check out these awesome new food apps
Brooklyn Art Gallery shows pairs beer and cheese with local art
Homemade Dim Sum to soothe the soul.
Try out this smoky and sweet BBQ sauce on grilled shrimp, sliders or in a cheesy quesadilla.
Delicious food and brews arrive to the Bowery.
Crispy comfort food your whole family will love.
With Seattle's Joonbug's First Course Blog, you will have the inside scoop on late night eateries, trendy restaurants, experimental fusion, upscale dining, pub fare and more. We know the dining scene and Where To Eat in Seattle, so let us be your navigator to finding your favorite restaurants and places to dine. Whether you're a foodie looking for that out-of-the-way hole-in-a-wall gem or you're eager to try the trendy next-thing in a hip neighborhood, Joonbug brings you the latest restaurant openings, recommendations, detailed reviews, cool recipes, and so much more, so you can satisfy your palate no matter your culinary inclination.


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Talking about cow comfort involves listening to and understanding numerous opinions on this issue. But what is real cow comfort? How can it be judged? And maybe even more importantly, how can it contribute to profitable dairy farming?
Recently researchers and producers have put more attention on creating a comfortable environment for dairy cows and their replacements. Observation and experience show that cows housed in a comfortable environment produce more milk and generally live healthier, longer lives.
But we can observe and measure cow activity, behaviour and environment – then correlate our observations with what appear to be comfortable cows.
Cows should have plenty of quality feed and water, fresh air, a soft and clean resting surface plus sound footing. Now that's cow comfort! Cows should behave naturally and stand or lie down easily. Is that happening in your dairy? Mastitis, sore feet, rubbed necks, and rubbed or swollen hocks can indicate cow comfort problems.
In this Efficient Cow Comfort booklet, you will find all the basic information about cow comfort based on the behaviour and needs of cows. Cow comfort is not a product or a tool – it is what is happening in and around the barn 24 hours a day, seven days per week. Seasonal variations influence it.
Above all, cow comfort should be judged and managed with knowledge. Please read this booklet and find out how cow comfort can contribute to your profitability. Tell your DeLaval contact person your thoughts and together we will make dairy farming profitable and comfortable.
Click on image to view booklet
www.milkproduction.comSponsored by DeLaval
© 2011 DeLaval. All rights reserved
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Upcoming ITPC to Focus on Productivity, Policy, Profit, and Potential
For 2012, the International Technology Partners Conference (ITPC) agenda is a framework providing insight to the key issues of the day in four specific strategic areas: Productivity, Policy, Profit and Potential.
At the International Technology Partners Conference, you'll hear from:
For more info, visit www.semi.org/itpc
Productivity: The production of advanced transistors needed for the latest and next generations of today's integrated circuits requires materials, processes and technologies not envisioned even a few years ago. Executives from Intel, ASML and ATMI will present their views on the needs to improve productivity in the manufacturing process to meet the needs of Moore's law for the next several generations.
Policy: Doing business in Asia often means understanding the policies of local and national governments. Asia governments are driven to (1) create or expand a market, (2) install a positive business environment, and then (3) make offerings to specific companies. There can be several directives used to stimulate growth. Executives from industry, academia and government from China, Taiwan, and Singapore will share their views and thoughts on how international companies can fully participate in growth and opportunities in Asia.
Profit: The cost of the latest production capability to fulfill the demands of advanced technologies is reaching a tipping point. The historical business model used by the industry may no longer provide the necessary economic engine needed to drive the industry. New business models are needed to assure the ongoing march of technology. Executives from Toshiba, SK hynix, Lam Research and GLOBAL FOUNDARIES will explore alternatives that can potentially provide the necessary technology solutions and assure profitable operations for the entire supply chain.
Potential: Opportunities are created as the industry moves forward. The next major steps for the industry are larger wafer size and imaging below 20nm, commonly termed 450mm and EUV. Historical wisdom is that larger wafer size will reduce the cost per square cm of processed silicon while smaller geometries will allow more transistors and therefore more electronic functions per square cm. Industry leaders from IBM, Intel, KLA-Tencor, Tokyo Electron and CSNE (Albany, New York) will share their views on the challenges and opportunities for fulfilling the need defined by these two major industry initiatives.
The value provided by ITPC is thought-provoking discussion on both current issues and strategic decisions facing executives today. Unique to ITPC is the creation of strong personal interactions with contemporaries in the industry in a casual, international environment.
For more information, visit www.semi.org/itpc
September 4, 2012


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If a North Carolina fan were to cross the river Styx in the wrong direction, surely this is the world of college basketball as he or she would discover it: the Duke Blue Devils undefeated and ranked No. 1, the Tar Heels unranked with a record only UNC-Asheville could love.
North Carolina is 10-5, following a loss on Thursday (in Chapel Hill) to Miami , with a victory over then-No. 20 UNLV the sole win the program can point to with any pride. You know who else has beaten Vegas? Oregon and New Mexico. So it's not that uncommon. The Tar Heels are accustomed to greater accomplishments.
A year ago, the Tar Heels didn't lose their fourth game until February. They played at Kentucky, the eventual national champion, and lost on a spectacular shot-block at the buzzer. It took a major injury to a star player to knock them from the national title chase. Their lineup featured four future NBA first-round picks.
Now, they are fighting against the prospect of missing the NCAA Tournament for the second time in four years.
There are a number of ways North Carolina can escape this circumstance: Play stronger on the road (1-3), take better care of the basketball (14.1 turnovers per game) and find a rotation that works (nine different players have started).
There are, as well, a number of reasons the Tar Heels have reached this point. That number is three:
1. Basic instinct
One of the greatest challenges of selling a product that everybody wants is setting the optimum price. Make it too expensive, and they'll want it but can't afford it. Make it too cheap, and you're essentially giving away your profit.
For a long time, it's been a little like that with North Carolina and its scholarships. UNC has, for decades, been a school that young prospects always could agree on. They might come from upstate New York (Sam Perkins), Queens (Kenny Smith), the Florida beaches (Vince Carter) or the heart of Hoosier country (Eric Montross). They might come from close to home (James Worthy, Michael Jordan, Antawn Jamison). But they've always come. Eagerly.
A few years ago, another Division I coach suggested to me that the greatest challenge North Carolina coach Roy Williams faced is that everybody wants what he sells. They want it as soon as it's offered. So Williams' must learn to make up his mind more quickly than other coaches, sort out which might be the right players to approach with early scholarship offers.
Of the players on scholarship now, eight committed before the summer evaluation period that preceded their senior seasons. In the case of James Michael McAdoo, who committed in September of his junior year, there has been no cause for complaint. Wing J.P. Tokoto was seen as a top-10 level prospect in his class as a freshman and sophomore, but by the time he finished up at Menomonee Falls High in Wisconsin he was the No. 57 player in the 2012 class, according to RSCI.com.
As Tokoto began to struggle, many elite coaches abandoned pursuit. Williams held firm and worked hard to get him to leave his home state.
"When Joel James and Tokoto are seniors, there might be a one-year superstar that comes in and carries them to a championship," ESPN recruiting analyst Paul Biancardi, a former Division I head coach, told Sporting News. "Sometimes they get in early, they like a kid, they offer. It's backfired on some guys. Some guys have not blossomed as they would have hoped.
"It would be nice to go about it where you just wait until you're comfortable as a coach before you offer. Sometimes, the competition forces you to go earlier. It's a really fine line process."
Biancardi defends the state of the UNC roster, however, particularly the freshmen. He believes in James, a 6-10 center from Fort Lauderdale, rated the No. 58 player in the Class of '12; Marcus Paige, a 6-foot point guard from Marion, Iowa, rated No. 28; and Brice Johnson, a 6-9 forward from Cordova, S.C., rated No. 40.
"They may not have as many top-25 players, but they still have a roster full of top-100 players," Biancardi said. "A true measure of a recruiting class is when they leave. If you compare their roster to last years, it's not as powerful at the moment. But one thing about Carolina, I don't think they miss very often."
2. The Kentucky effect
With Wildcats coach John Calipari seeming to devour the top 10 of every recruiting class since he arrived at Kentucky in the spring of 2009, no team was likely to feel the impact of that sea change more than North Carolina. Because this once was the territory the Tar Heels ruled.
Under Williams, the Heels regularly signed up such elite talents as Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington. They formed the core of two Final Four teams and an NCAA champion. Along the way, UNC also landed Brandan Wright, Tyler Zeller, Ed Davis and Marvin Williams.
In the 2009 and 2010 classes, UNC landed eight total players whose average RSCI ranking was 24th. With UK's Wildcats dominating the top of the charts in the '12 and '13 classes as though they were the Beatles, UNC to date has gotten seven players combined in those classes with an average rank of 41. Only power forward Isaiah Hicks of Oxford, N.C., the No. 12 player in '13, ranked in the top 25.
"Calipari has taken more guys off the board, and that hurts other programs that normally could get one," Biancardi said. "But in every class you have a top 10. If he gets three or four, that's still six for others."
Biancardi points out Arizona got two of last year's top 15 (bigs Brandon Ashley and Kaleb Tarczewski), Florida got Bradley Beal in its 2011 class and Indiana got Cody Zeller that same year.
"I don't know if it's Kentucky as much as other programs. I'm not going to blame Kentucky on that one," Biancardi said. "Kentucky is taking them away from everybody, but there's still plenty left. It's as much other schools doing a great job, fighting their way in.
"With Carolina, because of who they are and their tradition, I think people expect them to get a difference-maker every year. I don't know if you have to have one every year."
3. The Marshall plan
Few expected point guard Kendall Marshall would turn into an NBA prospect in just two seasons. After all, he didn't even start the first half of his freshman year. But a dearth of quality playmakers in the 2012 NBA Draft class and his own exceptional development presented the opportunity for Marshall to become the 13th pick in the draft.
It's fairly obvious he wasn't quite ready to play in the NBA, which is why he has spent time this season with the Bakersfield Jam in the D-League. But if the Phoenix Suns were willing to spend a lottery pick on Marshall, it's silly to quarrel with his decision.
It's not like the Heels weren't planning ahead. They got a commitment from Paige in January of his junior year. He has played well in some aspects of the game, although he lacks strength and sometimes is limited as a result.
Although McAdoo might be the only star-level player on the squad, players such as Reggie Bullock and P.J. Hairston do have significant ability and likely would have flourished with an elite playmaker such as Marshall running the attack.
It didn't turn out that way, so the Tar Heels are having a devil of a time.


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wuonm necesitaba un nuevo diseño de botón o icono y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 37 diseños de 10 diseñadores freelance.
We are looking for some stunning art work for our next iPhone app, a camera app to take photos in a very different way.
* Application icon (512x512 and 57x57) // 5 Menu buttons (normal and glow) and app mode badges // An additional menu button for figures based buttons // 2 additional images
We are finishing the development of a new iPhone app to take photos in a different way.The needed art work elements are the following.Application icon
iPhone application icon (57x57 pixels, PNG)
iTunes app store icon (512x512 pixels, 72 dpi, JPG)
They should be based on the same idea but can be different (the smaller one can omit some details for instance)
We want a simple, elegant and powerful icon. Please, avoid any icon similar to existing apps in Photography category.
Options menu
Background scalable from 140x140 up to 240x240 aprox.
The menu is a cicular area in the middle of the screen. This is the background. Should have transparency to see what it's behind (the object being photographed)
5 menu buttons (normal and glow) and 5 app mode badges.
The badges can be based in menu buttons. They can omit some details and will presented in a smaller area.
The "glow" or "highlight" version is for selected options.As a reference menu buttons should be 48x48 and badges 24x24. An additional menu button for text based buttons.
Some options are just numbers the user choose. Like 10" to select a "10 seconds" option. All this buttons can share a common background. We just need the background and the font name and metrics.
Additional in-application images
2 additional images
Two signs or symbols to use in acceleration mode. See link to app briefing PDF below to better understand this ones.
To give some context to the requirements, look some snapshots of the prototype version where all the (temporary) art work is in place:
What needs to be done is "Art work required" section at the end of the doc.
Obviously we used simple, repetitive and text-based icons in the prototype but we are looking for full fledged, intuitive and elegant icons not text based.
We'll include the artist name and website on the website companion.
- Exclusive works
- Simple designs (but too simple) like outline icons in iPhone ipod tab bar with some colors and shadows
- Buttons should be clearly visible on top of the object being photographed, light and dark objects.
- Present your work inside an iPhone for faster selection
- Original files in PSD or vector format.
- Copyrighted materials
- Icons or art work similar to existing apps in Photography category in app store
- Complex designs
- Text in the images and icons
- Default.png image, we launch our apps with a black initical screen


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Early adopters of the PlayStation 3 in Japan have more to look forward to than a paltry lineup of launch titles that can be counted on a single hand. That's right, thanks to the PlayStation Network, the PS3 offers the promise of online content, including downloadable games and messaging features.
The only problem is, the launch PS3 units don't actually have the proper firmware to access the new PlayStation Network hub. Sony Computer Entertainment announced today that purchasers of the launch hardware will need to run a system update in order to get the necessary firmware, System Software Version 1.10, in place.
This is, thankfully, an easy enough process. All PS3 owners will have to do is access the System Update option under the settings header of the cross media bar. Everything should be automatic from there.
The System Software Version 1.10 update will be available when people open their PS3 units for the first time. In making the announcement today, Sony didn't indicate why the latest firmware wasn't included right out of the box. We'll leave the creative speculation to you.
But wait, this sordid tale of a lack of preparedness gets even better. You know all that jazz about connectivity between the PSP and PS3? Well, while the PS3 might be ready for it, it's another story for the PSP. Owners of the portable will have to download Version 3.0 of the firmware in order to use the PSP as a remote media player for the PS3 and to play PSP-compatible software that has been downloaded to the PS3 from the PlayStation Network. Unfortunately, this update won't be ready until the end of November.
Hopefully, that means in time for the US launch.


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4 HD Wallpapers
4 HD Wallpapers is one of the leading wallpaper sites out there at the moment and Rapidly growing and expanding its portfolio of quality High Definition wallpapers.
All kinds of wallpapers, from anime and cartoons, to cars, to sports! We are dedicated to adding more and more images each and every day; so stay tuned by signing up to the RSS feed. Feel free to contact us with any suggestions you might have, we are open to everything.
If you have any wallpapers you wish to contribute to the site, go to the submit page and sign up as a user. Your contribution is greatly appreciated! So to show our gratitude a free link to the images original source will be added. This can go to your own profile in Flickr or wherever. The link and image will be checked.


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text: A strong, uplifting and motivating musical composition, Momentum is composed with a strong piano melody, orchestral smooth and staccato strings, and a strong drum beat. At times a light synth sound is mixed into the background. This track was composed as a positive background for a dynamic video presentation. Use in corporate videos, business projects, social media, websites, TV commercials and other audiovisual media projects.


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I Have liking for men who look Aribic/ middle eastern men. Exspecially the ones who have beautiful colored eyes. They just seem so exotic to me. But I do not want to marry a mean one who may possibly kill me or beat me lol. Their woman are gorgeous!
Tell me your prefered ethnic guy or girl?
If this thread has already been created...sorry.
Oh yeah this is not supposed to be racist
i have an open taste i guess Im mostly attracted to hispanic or latin girls. Girls above 5'4 with long hair and green eyes or brown eyes,
derka derka :P
I love asians! But I don't know any :(
Hello everyone! Add me(:
rek u m8
I don't really have a type when it comes to ethnicity. The only thing I can say is a must with their appearance is that they must have good teeth. If they are yellow or look like they belong in a sharks mouth then it is an instant turn off.
doesnt matter to me.
Space Pioneer....
petite girls, with fun bags and money bags
word of the day: facetious
Ethnicity? I've found physical beauty in women of all races.
As far as preferences, the woman MUST have a brain. I love talks about things like books, philosophy, but not particularly politics. She has to have a sense of humor. She doesn't have to be a complete nut, but she has to be able to take a joke while being able to dish a little herself.
For some reason, I've ended up with taller women even though I prefer a shorter, smaller woman. One of my ex's was 5'10" (my height), but she was such a great girl.
I think as long as she has a beautiful heart and a wonderful mind, it will probably work.
Men are wolves. They devour everything.
Nice guys are wolves that never been caught on the act yet.
word of the day: facetious
As long as they are cute and pretty or very sexy. I don't really like big boobs, i like them small ..... maybe I'm just weird or watch to much anime lol
if they are to big, i just, they are all saggy and ugh idk, just as long as they aren't oversized i guess, and no offense to anyone
maybe i shouldn't say this in a forum
otherwise i don't really have a preferred ethnicity
meh -_-
Depends how I feel about the person I guess, regardless of their ethnicity. Although some for odd reason, I often find myself attracted to women who have dreadlocks. No idea why.
Feel free to add me as a buddy, or have a chat. I don't bite.
I guess a strong woman would have to be a primary attribute. Not physically strong but being very willful and a bit stubborn. I don't like people who are pushovers.
I'm culturally biased to want a West Indian woman, seeing as how I'm Guyanese. It's like always having that best friend you can share that inside joke with.
That's true of any ethnicity and/or culture mixing with the same.
But I also think I'm a horrible West Indian. I look Hispanic (even though I'm Indian) and get a lot of hate from the community. This kind of forced me to become friends with the Hispanic community. Which is also why I wouldn't mind a Hispanic woman. They are very passionate and open to try different things. Great women in general.
experience tells my type is either unavailable or uninterested......
No! I don't wan to add a status message.
I have been attracted to Asian men from a very young age, but I also find Indian men (from India) attractive. Really though I am more worried about personality, so I don't really care about appearance.


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Linked by Thom Holwerda on Tue 18th Sep 2007 19:58 UTC, submitted by Adam S
"Before I launch into my tirade, I need to make a confession. I like Vista. I use it daily, but I also use it with the full knowledge that it's a pre-service pack 1 OS from the boys in Redmond. That necessarily means it will have glitches, bugs, and annoyances. That's a given. I'm willing to put up with all those headaches. But there were several things I was really looking forward to in Vista that are simply missing in action or broken. These are features I'd really hope would improve my productivity and make life a little easier."


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Any fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer can tell you that its titular heroine has faced her fair share of trials and turmoil that forced the young woman to make some very grown up decisions. But in the latest issue of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 comic series — which chronicles Buffy's life in San Francisco after she destroyed the seed of all magic on earth at the end of the Season 8 comic — Buffy Summers will face perhaps the toughest decision she's ever had. SPOILER ALERT for those who would rather read about it in the issue itself, "On Your Own, Part 1," out in stores today. Seriously, what you're about to read is one heckuva spoiler:
Buffy is getting an abortion.
Last month's issue, "Slayer, Interrupted," ended with Buffy discovering she's pregnant, and in this month's issue (the sixth in the Season 9 series), she turns to the person who best knows what it means for a Slayer to have a child: Robin Wood (played by D.B. Woodside on the TV series), the grown son of the late Slayer Nikki Wood. By the end of the issue, Buffy comes to the conclusion that she cannot have a baby. The decision was so important for Buffy creator and Season 9 exec producer Joss Whedon, that he took time off from finishing his post-production directing duties on The Avengers to talk with EW about the issue.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When and why did you decide that Buffy would become pregnant?
JOSS WHEDON: When I was first working out season 9, and deciding what it was about — deciding it was going to be about this period in her life, when she is surrounded by people who are getting their lives together, and she is still at this stage when she is completely in, as [the first issues] are titled, "Freefall." She's been freed from the responsibilities she's had in season 8 and all through the TV show, but then has no idea who she is or what she's doing. [In] that early twentysomething search for identity, where you're making the decisions that are going to eventually choose your path, [becoming pregnant] seemed to be a really important and not uncommon part of that period in your life.
Did you always know that she would be getting an abortion, or did you ever contemplate the notion that she would keep the baby?
No. I think strongly that teen pregnancy and young people having babies when they are not emotionally, financially, or otherwise equipped to take care of them, is kind of glorified in our media right now. You know, things like Secret Life [of an American Teenager] and Juno and Knocked Up — even if they pretend to deal with abortion, the movies don't even say the word "abortion." It's something that over a third of American women are going to decide to have to do in their lives. But people are so terrified that no one will discuss the reality of it — not no one, but very few popular entertainments, even when they say they're dealing with this issue, they don't, and won't. It's frustrating to me.
I don't think Buffy should have a baby. I don't think Buffy can take care of a baby. I agree with Buffy. It's a very difficult decision for her, but she made a decision that so many people make and it's such a hot button issue with Planned Parenthood under constant threat and attack right now. A woman's right to choose is under attack as much as it's ever been, and that's a terrible and dangerous thing for this country. I don't usually get soap box-y with this, but the thing about Buffy is all she's going through is what women go through, and what nobody making a speech, holding up a placard, or making a movie is willing to say.
Obviously, you couldn't have known that Planned Parenthood would be so in the news when this issue of the comic was in the works, but I imagine you must have known this development would spark some strong debate?
Yeah, I suppose. But there's nothing wrong with debate. I didn't do it as a sensationalist move. I did it as what seemed like a natural part of Buffy's life. And obviously there will be complications to the whole storyline that could only happen in the Buffyverse. But it's not about what happens, it's about that moment of decision, and just articulating what so many people are not saying, but so many are thinking.
Do you know who the father is?
I know everything about it, but will tell you nothing. Except, like I said, it's going to end up being a storyline that is rooted in the Buffyverse. I'm not going to turn the comic book into something other than what it is. The whole thing isn't going to be, well, normal. There's not going to be a lot of "normal" going on, but hopefully there's a certain amount of "relatable." We're going to pursue what this storyline means, but not in a way people are going to expect.
Yeah, I can't imagine this plotline is going to play out like an afterschool special or a Lifetime movie.
But I did want to ask about the way she got pregnant — at the party in the first issue of Buffy Season 9, after Buffy became black-out drunk. Her behavior at that party has already bothered some fans, and to learn she got pregnant there, and doesn't know by whom, will bother some fans even more, especially those who want Buffy to be, well, more responsible.
I think that first of all that they should wait until they have all the facts and they'll learn stuff that they didn't know before. They should find out what happened before they completely judge her. But at the same time, this is also about the time in your life when you do things that are irresponsible, or that you want to hold yourself to account for. She's a person living her life, she's not running for president — actually, I think those guys have a lot of sex. [Chuckles] She's not living under a microscope. Well, she is, because we're all watching her, but she doesn't know that. And she's going make some wrong decisions. I'm not going to turn it into a Season 6 wrong-decision-athon, but at the same time irresponsible and impulsive behavior may occur in your 20s. Consult a doctor.
Finally, what's it been like to be off making fancy blockbusters and have the day-to-day-ness of this comic be more out of your hands than ever?
Well, it's frustrating only in the sense that these stories are important to me, and I want to be a part of them. But I laid out the season very specifically with [writer] Andrew [Chambliss], and he's done an amazing job of moving the story and keeping the voices [true]. And this particular issue, I was very watchful of. But in general, I know that when I walk away, they're getting it done really well. That's the good news. My only probably is that I wish I could be at the party more.
NEXT PAGE: Issue writer Andrew Chambliss on getting into Buffy's head. PLUS, an exclusive excerpt from "On Your Own, Part 1"


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In newspaper parlance, a "bulldog" is the first edition to hit the streets. The hard facts out fast. The Herald Bulldog Edition is a wired extension of that tireless spirit. Keep clicking back to this blog as we post breaking news. Send tips to Joe Dwinell, your resident bulldog, at email@example.com
Follow Joe Dwinell on Twitter


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Frisco Vacation Rentals
Finding a Frisco bed and breakfast can be very time consuming. There are many sites showing partial inventory of Frisco bed and breakfasts in Colorado, Frisco motels, as well as Frisco lodges and Frisco guest houses. At Rentalo.com, we can help you save time in your search for Frisco bed & breakfasts by using our free Frisco bed and breakfast locator service. To get find the best Frisco motel, Frisco lodge, or Frisco guest house in Colorado, simply click the "Inquire Now" button, complete a simple inquiry form, and start receiving multiple offers from Frisco b&b and Frisco bed & breakfast owners within minutes. Save time! Let us help you find the ideal lodging option for your romantic getaways or honeymoon in Colorado.
Enter your travel dates and number of people traveling (sleeps) and use one of the following search options:
- Inquire on ALL Vacation Rentals in Frisco. Click "Inquire Now" (Fastest Option - Receive the most Offers)
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Large five bedroom executive home plus loft (serves as a 6th bedroom) overlooking the large great room with a wood-burning stone fireplace. Three master bedrooms! two leather couches with 4 reclining ...Read Full Description
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Enjoy your stay in our condos at the luxurious frisco lakepoint towers in frisco colorado. Beautifully furnished 1-4 bedroom frisco vacation condos with incredible lake views and majestic mountain set ...Read Full Description
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We invite you to our frisco hideaway, ten mile island complex located in the town of frisco, summit county colorado?..minutes away from world class downhill skiing, biking, cross country skiing, saili ...Read Full Description


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Fort Myers-Sanibel Area Travel Guide
True, traveling confessions of a self-guided guy
I know how this conversation is going to go, but it's always nice to keep your options open. I'm standing at the information booth at the visitor center of the Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers (edisonfordwinterestates.org), mulling over the relative advantages of a guided tour over wandering...
Plenty to do this fall in Fort Myers, Sanibel
This past week, I was on the road to Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel Island and Captiva for a travel piece to run in the Orlando Sentinel in coming weeks. Summer is prime time for the beaches, of course, but after checking out this list of fall activities on the Southwest Florida coast, I'm thinking...
Pictures: Fort Myers Golf Courses
Florida Beach Guide: Sanibel and Captiva Island
Count solace among Sanibel Island's lures
Florida Shopping Guide: Fort Myers and Sanibel Island
The Fort Myers and Sanibel area offers excellent shopping experiences, just like their beaches. From great local artists, beach souvenirs, or beautiful clothing, there is something for everyone to find at one of the area's many shops and malls. Bell Tower Shops Whether you're visiting Bell Tower...
Florida Beach Guide Pictures: Sanibel and Captiva Island
Photos: Muscle Car City Museum in Punta Gorda
Rick Treworgy's Muscle Car City features nearly 200 automobiles of every era dating back to the 1920s focusing on cars of the mid '60s to early '70s. The museum includes a '50s diner themed cafe as well as a memorabilia gift shop. Admission: $10 onetime pass, $30 annual pass. Children under 12...
Useful links for Sanibel
Weather forecast


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C.B. SMITH SHELTER #21 (THE MEETING CABIN)The Meeting Cabin is one of C.B. Smith's most popular shelters. It is secluded on its own peninsula of land and is ideal for large parties. The Meeting Cabin is a favorite for family reunions. A built-in counter allows for convenient food service. Ample men's and women's restrooms are conveniently located at the shelter. Plenty of open space around the shelter provides for fun outdoor activities or entertainment equipment. A volleyball court is located near the shelter. View larger image of Meeting Cabin.
• Size: Meeting Cabin• Accommodates: Up to 300 people• Dimensions: 98' x 48'• Grills: Two double grills and one single grill are located inside the shelter• Tables: 30, six-foot Webcoat metal tables plus two accessible tables• Features: Water and electric are available, recycling bins provided• Restrooms: Located at the shelter
**All fees are subject to applicable Florida sales tax, except gate admission fees which include sales tax in the price.**
Rental Fees:• Weekday Rate: $200• Weekend/Holiday Rate: $400• Security/Clean-Up Deposit: $100 cash only
Cash Security/Cleanup Deposit: To be paid in cash only on the day of your event, prior to setting up your shelter, and will be refunded the same day providing the following terms have been met:1. All garbage is removed from shelter floor and placed in trash cans.2. All food is removed from barbecue grills. 3. All decorations have been removed. Please do not use staples, tacks, or nails to hang decorations.4. Charcoal in grills is spread out to ensure extinguishing. Do not take charcoal out of grill. Do not place charcoal on the ground or in garbage cans. 5. Area around shelter is cleaned up. (No garbage/trash on ground, etc.) 6. All tables removed from shelter have been placed back in shelter, in orderly fashion. 7. All personal belongings are removed from the shelter.8. All members of your party have vacated the shelter.
Gate Admission Fee: There is a $1.50-per-person admission fee for persons 6 years of age and older. Children ages 5 and under are free.
Prepaid Gate Admission Passes: Prepaid gate admission passes can be purchased at the park office in advance of your rental date. Passes cannot be distributed on the day of your rental at the entrance gate.


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About Myself
Yo, I'm Matt Roszak, also known as Kupo Games. (previously kupo707, or matt-likes-swords) I'm a 26 year old indie game developer from Canada, who lives in Glasgow, Scotland. My family is mostly Polish.
My work can be found on Kongregate, Armor Games, Newgrounds, and many other websites. I work with Adobe Flash and publish games for the web, and for Steam. I'm best known for creating the Epic Battle Fantasy series of turn-based RPGs, and their spinoff titles, Bullet Heaven and Adventure Story. You can also find expanded versions Epic Battle Fantasy 4 and Bullet Heaven 2 on Steam, and Cat Cafe on Android.
You can contact me at: kupo707 AT hotmail DOT com
Or just leave a comment on this website. I try to read all comments on all accounts that I control, including Twitter, Facebook, DeviantArt, Tumblr, Steam, Kongregate, and Newgrounds.
My Current Projects
I'm working on Epic Battle Fantasy 5! There's a progress bar in the top right of this website! (unless you're on mobile, then it's somewhere at the bottom)
I've also got lots of other game ideas, maybe I'll make some of those while working on EBF5, or maybe I'll save them for later. We shall see.
About this Website
On this site you'll find:
- All of my games.
- News and updates relating to my games.
- Previews and demos of upcoming games.
- Miscellaneous art that I do.
- Fanart from players.
- My opinions on games that I play and other stuff.
- Boring blogs about what I do in my free time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What software, programming language, or game engine, do you use to make your games?
A: I use Adobe Flash. CC2015 is probably my favourite version. I now use Actionscript 3 for programming. I used Actionscript 2 for Epic Battle Fantasy 3 and earlier games.
For Bullet Heaven 2 and Cat Cafe I also used the Starling and DragonBones frameworks to get some hardware acceleration in there.
Q: How do I make games?
A: I studied Computing Science at University, so I've got some programming, project management and design skills from that. There's plenty of resources online too, so just do some Googling. It might be worth getting a book or two on the subject as well. O'Reilly's Actionscript books are pretty good, and also the ActionScript 3 Bible.
What language you learn isn't too important, because most of the skills will be transferrable. Just go do some programming in whatever language you like or have available. Make some prototypes. Draw and animate some stuff. You can practice on some user-friendly engines like RPG Maker, so you can learn some game design without much programming. There's tons of options, but I just use Flash, so I can't recommend much. Flash is expensive so you'll have to pirate it if you're a noob – or just subscribe to Adobe Creative Cloud for a month or two.
Either way, it's going to take you years of practice to make anything decent with any engine. That's the important part.
Also, check out my dissertation for an in-depth look at the development of Adventure Story.
Q: How do I send you fanart that I made?
A: Just post it somewhere public like DeviantArt, Facebook or Newgrounds and send me a link to it on any site that I use (DA, FB, NG, Kongregate etc…). If it's good I'll feature it on my blogs (or even in my games!).
Q: When's Epic Battle Fantasy 5 coming out?
Q: Why do my save files keep getting deleted in Flash games?
A: This is caused by browser privacy settings, and tools that delete cookies. Just make sure you don't delete cookies. Use Google to find out how to change the settings on your browser, or whatever cleaning tools you're using. Bullet Heaven 2 has an option to backup your saves in a text file, and EBF5 will have that too.
Or you can just buy the Steam versions of my games to avoid this problem!
Q: Are any of the characters in your games based on real people?
A: Just Matt and some of the boring NPCs.
Got any other questions? Just leave them in the comments.


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PHOENIX - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has asked Judge William D. Browning of the Federal District Court in Tucson, Arizona, to hold Wal-Mart Stores, Inc, the nation's largest retailer, in contempt of court and to sanction the company because it failed to comply with the terms of a January 2000 Consent Decree settling an EEOC lawsuit under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). A hearing on the motion is scheduled for May 29.
In its contempt motion, EEOC alleges that Wal-Mart failed to comply with several provisions of a court-approved Consent Decree resolving an ADA lawsuit filed by the agency's Phoenix District Office in 1998. The suit charged Wal-Mart with refusing to hire two Arizonans, Jeremy Fass and William Darnell, because of their disability, deafness. The contempt motion states, among other things, that Wal-Mart is in violation of the Decree because of its failure to create alternative training materials for use nationwide by hearing-impaired employees. The materials include a sign-language version of its computer-based learning modules used to train entry-level employees.
In addition, EEOC contends, and Wal-Mart admits, that the company failed to provide court ordered training on the ADA to its management employees. The training was designed to effectuate the ADA's protections against discrimination for hearing impaired individuals in central and southern Arizona. EEOC also maintains that Wal-Mart refused to allow the agency and the Arizona Center for Disability Law, which represented Fass and Darnell, to visit its stores to ensure it was in compliance with the Consent Decree.
"It is extremely unusual for EEOC to have to ask a court to hold an employer in contempt, " said C. Emanuel Smith, acting regional attorney for EEOC's Phoenix District Office, which has jurisdiction for Arizona. "Both EEOC and the Arizona Center for Disability Law have made every effort to obtain Wal-Mart's voluntary compliance with the Consent Decree, but to no avail. We are amazed that a company the size of Wal-Mart failed to provide court ordered training."
Smith added: "Because Wal-Mart has steadfastly refused to satisfy its court-ordered obligations, we remain extremely concerned for hearing impaired individuals in Arizona and throughout the country who seek employment with Wal-Mart or are currently employed."
Since July 1992, when Title I of the ADA became effective, EEOC has obtained approximately $325 million under the ADA on behalf of more than 20,000 individuals through its enforcement efforts - - including settlements, conciliations, mediation, and litigation. In addition, EEOC has obtained non-monetary benefits for over 10,000 individuals, including reasonable accommodation, policy changes, training and education, job referrals, union membership, and the posting of EEO notices at job sites.
Title I of the ADA prohibits private employers, state and local governments, employment agencies and labor unions from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities in job application procedures, hiring, discharge, advancement, compensation, job training, and other terms and conditions of employment.
In addition to the ADA, EEOC also enforces Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on sex, race, color, religion, or national origin; the Equal Pay Act; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act; and the employment provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Further information about the EEOC is available on its Web site at www.eeoc.gov.
This page was last modified on May 11.
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Description:Now updated with a short edit for Videohive customers of the item 'Blacklight'
This track is designed to fit a scary/zombie/horror-inspired trailer.
The opening of the track is just a long buildup of tension which releases into an explosion of heavy synths, bass and drums. This tension is then built up again in a similar style. A frantic ending brings the piece to a climax, and the climax is followed by a very creepy out-of-tune piano playing a simple riff at the end (that could be the 'hook' for your project). The track closes with a stinger.
This will be suitable for any project requiring something high-impact, powerful and most of all, dark!
If you liked this item, you would probably also like my Twisted Scary Horror Pack, which you can grab by clicking the banner below.


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Nonito Donaire denied Vic Darchinyan the chance to avenge a 2007 knockout loss and he did so this evening by way of a ninth round TKO win. His Armenian opponent had long been itching for a second chance at Donaire and just as in their first bout, the scorecards were very close when the bout was halted. Neither fighter was particularly active in the first minute of round one. Donaire connected with a right hook to the head with about a minute to spare. Each man held a wide stance and the chess play of sorts continued into round two, yet Nonito was beginning to find more openings. He staggered Darchinyan with a right and Vic answered back with a hard left of his own. In the third, Donaire was using his left jab to greater effect. Vic landed another left across the face later in the round. Darchinyan connected with a left hook which sent Nonito's head temporarily sideways to begin round four. This happened once again towards the end of the stanza, yet Donaire let all in attendance know that he could take the best Vic had to offer as he playfully held onto the top rope as if he needed it in order to remain vertical. The two men got into a slugging match up until the bell and continued to fire for a few seconds after it rang. There was not much action though the opening two minutes of the fifth. The same could almost be said for the closing minute until Darchiniyan connected with an overhand left and sent Donaire into a corner, after which he fired off right/left head shots until the bell sounded. Nonito looked to get back into the fight in round six. He exchanged punches with Vic "The Raging Bull" and scored with a few right handed shots. The bout had four rounds to go and it appeared to be a 50/50 split with Donaire taking the first half and Darchinyan the second. The shining spot in the seventh may have been the tackle put upon Nonito when referee Laurence Cole asked the two combatants to break from a clinch. Donaire's right cross found a home at times in the eighth round. He connected with a strong left hook about a minute into the ninth and he landed a left hook which sent Vic to the canvas and almost through the ropes. It was hunting season after that. Although Darchinyan beat the count, he was visibly hurt and Nonito thereby went into full attack mode. Once he got Vic into his own corner, he first tagged him with a straight right and then cocked and loaded for three straight lefts. Referee Laurence Cole had seen enough at this junction and he waved the bout to a close at the 2:06 mark of round nine. Nonito "Filipino Flash" Donaire improves to (32-2, 21 KO's) and now holds two knockout victories over Vic Darchinyan, whose record is now (39-6-1, 28 KO's). Donaire was actually losing on the scorecards when the stoppage occurred. He made it clear who he now wants to fight with just one word: Rigondeaux. "He caught me with a few shots and that's just the way it goes. I think that I was winning the fight up to that point and I am disappointed", said the defeated Darchinyan after the bout.
© 2000 - 2011 Knockout Entertainment Ltd & SecondsOut.com


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February 22, 2017
Sister Makinya Sibeko-Kouate (July 1, 1926-Feb. 4, 2017), named Queen Mother of Kwanzaa in 2015, hosted one of the first Bay Area Kwanzaas in her home, then took it across the world to 36 American states and 13 African nations, plus Europe and Mexico. She taught every grade from pre-school to post-graduate, wrote for the California Voice, hosted a show on KPFA for a decade, and performed as a pianist and dancer. A small ceremony will be held Thursday, Feb. 23, 1 p.m., in the Evergreen Mortuary chapel, 6450 Camden St. in Oakland.


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Top Cars
7 Family Cars That Won't Embarrass Your Teen
Picking the top family cars for 2013 depends on which member of the family you ask. Today, everyone seems to have an opinion on everything. So why would it be any different for the family hauler? Fuel economy, rear-seat legroom, technology, trunk space, safety and comfort are just the tip of the iceberg in what matters most to different family members.
Your family may be different, but, in our experience, it's the teenager who is the most vocal and persistent in itemizing gripes when the family's new 4-door sedan doesn't pass the smell test. With that in mind, we've sifted through the most popular family sedans and picked seven with at least one feature that will appeal to that hard-to-please teen in your family.
Because we are convinced a family hauler must be safe and reliable, each of our picks received the highest Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) crash test score of Good in frontal, side-impact and roof-strength tests. Each is also an IIHS Top Safety Pick. We believe most families are budget-minded, too; so, they all have at least one version with an engine/automatic transmission combination that delivers Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fuel economy estimates of 26 miles per gallon or better in combined city and highway driving. Here are our seven picks, in no particular order.
Nissan Altima
Nothing seems to win teens over more quickly than telling them that something is the latest and greatest. As Altimas go, the 2013 is both. Nissan totally redesigned it this year. Pricing begins at $21,760. With its base 182-horsepower 2.5-liter inline 4-cylinder engine and CVT transmission, it delivers the best fuel economy of our picks: 31 mpg in combined city/highway driving. The engine upgrade is a 270-hp 3.5-liter V6.
Expect the shotgun seating position to be hotly contested. Nissan co-engineered the front bucket seats with NASA to make them more comfortable for extended cruising.
Available technologies that will appeal to your teen are an iPod interface for the audio system and Pandora functionality.
Honda Accord
Your teen will like being able to brag about the relevancy of your new Accord, because Honda totally redesigned it with all the most up-to-date technology. Depending on which of the Accord's many trim levels you choose, teen-dazzling technology might include an iPod interface for the audio system, Pandora functionality and HondaLink with its smartphone app integration.
Your teen probably won't care that, among our picks, the Accord scored highest (90 out of a possible 100) in the battery of tests that Consumer Reports performs -- evaluating reliability, cost of ownership and safety -- but it'll give you something to brag about.
Pricing begins at $21,680 for the base model with a 185-hp 2.4-liter inline 4-cylinder engine mated to a CVT. A 278-hp 3.5-liter V6 is the engine upgrade.
Ford Fusion
Ford updated the Fusion with a total redesign for 2013, and they took the opportunity to toss in the MyFord Touch electronics interface as standard equipment on the top-end Titanium edition. It's also available as an option on the mid-level SE. Despite some reliability issues -- it's based in Microsoft, after all -- it's the sort of technology that will interest teens to the point where they'll even put down their smartphones for a minute or two. It incorporates Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, hot spot connectivity, voice recognition, an integrated hard drive and the ability to connect to smartphones and personal media players.
Although the base Fusion S is $21,700, you'll have to pony up $23,720 for the SE and then another $1,000 for the Technology Package with MyFord Touch. The base engine across all three trims is a 175-hp 2.5-liter inline 4-cylinder mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission. Two different turbocharged 4-cylinder engines are available.
Toyota Camry
No doubt about it, you will like your Toyota Camry far more than your teen will. His or her eyes will glaze over as you regale your teen with facts about its reliability and low cost of ownership. However, if your teen is one of those who seems to be all knees and elbows, he or she will appreciate the generous rear-seat legroom (the most among our picks) that the Camry provides. It has three more inches of legroom in the backseat than the Mercedes-Benz E-Class.
Even in its $22,235 base L trim, the Camry comes with the technology features that teens expect, such as Bluetooth connectivity, satellite radio, HD radio and an iPod interface. Available add-ons include voice recognition, as well as Toyota's Entune Web and smartphone integration.
Providing the power in the two less pricey Camry trims is a 178-hp 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine bolted to a 6-speed automatic transmission. The engine upgrade -- standard in the two upper trim levels -- is a 268-hp 3.5-liter V6.
Hyundai Sonata
Unless your teen plays the tuba or needs to transport a couple of months worth of dirty clothes home from college, he or she probably won't care that the Hyundai Sonata has the most trunk space among our picks. A cubic foot is about the size of a basketball. Nearly 16 and a half of them will fit in the Sonata's trunk.
What will appeal to most teens is the Sonata's coupe-like exterior styling, and that even the base $20,995 GLS (the lowest base price on our list) comes with Bluetooth connectivity, satellite radio and an iPod interface. Among the standard features available upon moving up through the three trim levels are HD radio and an Infinity speaker system.
Powering the GLS is a 2.4-liter inline 4-cylinder engine that delivers its 198 hp to the wheels via a 6-speed automatic transmission. A more aggressive 274-hp 2-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine is available in the more expensive versions.
Chevrolet Malibu
Although your teen may appreciate the fact that Chevrolet completely redesigned the Malibu for 2013, he or she will probably be impressed that even in its $21,995 base LS trim the Malibu features Bluetooth connectivity, satellite radio and an infotainment touchscreen. Moving up through the trim levels adds such teen-desired goodies as MyLink smartphone integration, voice recognition, Pandora functionality, a Pioneer-infused 9-speaker premium audio system and an iPod interface.
Delivering 197 hp, the base engine is a 2.5-liter inline 4-cylinder that uses a 6-speed automatic transmission to usher output to the front wheels. Top trim levels are available with a 259-hp 2-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder. There is also a mild-hybrid Eco version with a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine and electric motor.
Kia Optima
Arguably boasting the most stylized exterior design of our picks, the Kia Optima doesn't get lost in today's crowd of family sedans. Your teen should like that because of the Optima's value pricing (the base LX retails at $21,200), there will be more cash left over for teen must-haves, such as $150 sneakers and the latest smartphone.
Every Optima comes with teen hot-button features, such as Bluetooth connectivity, satellite radio and an iPod interface. Upgrades are available, too, such as HD radio and Kia's UVO media interface with voice recognition.
Offering the most ponies among the base engines of our picks, the Optima comes with a 200-hp 2.4-liter inline 4-cylinder engine. A 6-speed automatic transmission delivers engine output to the front wheels. The top-end SX model has a 274-hp 2-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder.
What it means to you: You probably won't please your teenager with any family hauler, but you may be able to keep the gripes to a minimum by choosing one of our top family cars.


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Letters: Why Not a New Spruces?
To the Editor:
Recently, I was grumbling while carrying paper grocery bags up 8 feet of stairs to my kitchen. Hey, I'm a card-carrying senior citizen, grumble, mumble.
Then it hit me, not referring to those mischievous cans of beans and bags of rice.
Right before our eyes all along: the "New Spruces."
When Williamstown submitted its now infamous FEMA grant application, it was required to offer two alternatives to its submitted, secretive "evict and bulldoze" proposal.
One alternative to build a levee to keep the Spruces drier was dismissed as being too costly.
The other was to elevate the existing mobile homes 6 feet off the ground and make them high and dry. This was dismissed as being too costly: $40,000 per unit (sic), and given the age of some of the homes in the Spruces, impractical. Also, since the Spruces is an age 50 or older park, entrance ramps would be recommended for easier and safer entrances and exits.
My idea: Construct new homes on the Spruces site with elevated concrete and steel reinforced 7- or 8-foot high open air foundations. Build ramps, and decks around these homes for the occupants' use and enjoyment. Residents would also be able to use the under-the-house area as a picnic shelter, to park their cars, eliminating brushing off that pesky winter snow, providing shade in the summer, and some storage space, while still allowing future flood waters to flow unimpeded under their homes.
These elevated homes would be "Way Cool" places to live with enhanced views of the surrounds, and would once again be a source of pride for Williamstown residents, as the Spruces once were, and provide cutting-edge housing not only for all current and relocated Spruces residents, but for as many as, let's say, 300 affordable housing units.
Williamstown has very talented and acclaimed architects who might be interested in designing the New Spruces foundations and ramps and perhaps the houses. There are many spacious, tasteful prefab home companies currently out there offering affordably priced homes to be placed upon the New Spruces foundations.
Current Spruces residents would be permitted the option of remaining in their existing homes with the expanded options of either moving into a new home near their current home or having their current home elevated.
Where would the money come from? Had Williamstown's FEMA grant proposal for $6.2 million utilized the win-win ideas contained here, there would be plenty of money. The intended bulldozing funds could have been used to repair infrastructure. The $3,000,000 targeted as a carte blanche gift to the Williamstown Affordable Trust and the intended $20,000 per resident relocation money could be used to insure Spruces residents could stay and Spruces refugees could return home. The work could be done on an as needed and progressive basis.
The New Spruces houses would be sold as rent-to-own houses with fixed inflationary-indexed prices. Current Spruces residents and Spruces refugees would be required to use grant funds to increase their equity and reduce their mortgage/lot rent payments. The town or the Housing Authority would own the land and operate the park.
While the houses will be elevated sufficiently to keep everyone high and dry, the town must nevertheless fix the problem of the three streams that overflow into and flood the Spruces. A little scouting indicated that this water that appears to be causing the Spruce's flooding may originate from the North Adams' Mount Williams Reservoir, the Williamstown reservoir and the Burbank conservation property.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers should also be asked to make recommendations regarding these streams and the banks of the Hoosic.
With 114 acres available at the Spruces site, there might be enough space left over to allow a bike path, a couple of town-owned tennis courts, a basketball court, and a soccer field. Shuffleboard, anyone? Who knew?
Ken Swiatek
Dec. 31, 2012
Tags: FEMA, letters to the editor, Spruces,
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Report cards go home.
Parenting workshop from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Red Cedar Elementary School Guidance Department is sponsoring two parenting workshops, one in January and the second one in February. Parents from Bluffton Cluster Schools are invited to attend these programs. The first presentation, entitled "Communication Skills," will be held at Red Cedar Elementary School. The workshop, presented in both English and Spanish by the Beaufort County Alcohol and Drug Department, will be an interactive activity-based presentation that will review ways to give and receive directions and stress verbal communication and listening skills.
The second workshop, "Anger Management," will be held from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Feb. 23 at Bluffton Middle School.
Artist Hawk Hurst will participate in the Artist in Residence Program. He will present an introductory program about flute making and playing, as well as working with grade five students in making Native American flutes. Hurst has been making, playing, and teaching others to create Native American-style flutes and drums since 1988. Originally self-taught, he considers himself very fortunate to have studied with some of the finest flute and drum makers across the country. He recorded three solo storytelling and flute CD's and has collaborated on two whole world music CD's with the Grammy-nominated band, Sapien. He has published a book, "The Story of the First Flute," which was adapted from an ancient Cherokee legend.
AMES second
quarter showcase
Students will showcase their work and accomplishments from the second quarter at 6 p.m. in the PVES multipurpose room.
Wanted: games
Donations of gently used and/or new games are needed for our Sea Turtle Palace. Please donate to the PVES front office.
Valentines Day
VAL-O-GRAMS are on sale at Pritchardville Elementary. Buy your child a VAL-O-GRAM for $2. All orders are due by Jan. 31.
Science Fair data is due to homeroom teacher
The Grandparents Raising Grandchildren support group will meet at 5:30 p.m. at Hilton Head IB Elementary School. Child care will be provided. Call Ashley Hutchison at 521-2399 with any questions.
PTO/SIC - The Parent/Teacher Organization meeting will be held at 5 p.m. The School Improvement Council will meet at 6 p.m. Both meetings will be held in the media center.
Student physicals for spring sports at 2:45 p.m. in the nurse's office with Dr. Patel. $10 cash only.
Chick-fil-A Night
Show your school spirit. Come have dinner from 5-8 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month. Our school gets a portion of all purchases made inside and through the drive thru window.
Awards ceremonies
Ceremonies will be held at 7:30 a.m. in the gym. Grade six Feb. 2; Grade seven Feb. 3. Invitations will be sent home with students this week. Students who made the Principal's Honor Roll, Honor Roll, Mustang of the Month and Duke Tip will receive invitations, as well as students receiving additional awards.
Geography Bee school-wide competition
Congratulations to all of our semi-finalists who participated in our school competition on Jan. 17: Adam Babington, Adam Park, Matthew Rasmussen, Aidan Sanz, Nathan Butts, Logan Mulholland, Hayleigh Stevens, Alec Stephens and Tyler Akey. A big congratulations to Adam Babington, the winner of the BLMS school competition, who will advance to the next level of competition, a written examination today to determine state competitors. Congratulations also to Matthew Rasmussen, the runner up. All school winners are eligible to win the National Championship and its first prize, a $25,000 college scholarship, at the National Competition May 22- 24, 2012 in Washington, D.C. The school contact is Tricia Anne Kindle, Social Studies Department head. Go to www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee.
Extra academic help
In addition to arranging to stay after school for extra help with individual teachers, BLMS has two ongoing after school student help options. Students can get assistance with homework in the ACES program. Students can also get assistance in the open computer lab. ACES is held Tuesday-Thursday and the computer lab is open on Mondays and Wednesdays. Both options run from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Contact Mr. Woodring, Mr. Gonzalez, Mr. Frazier, Ms. Seda or the main office for more information.
Path time topics
• Grade six: Exploring the Concept of Tolerance - What it means and how to show it.
• Grade seven: How can you stand up again peer pressure? Do an interview at home to see how your parents learned how to handle peer pressure.
Ways to help BLMS
Don't forget to help our school by using your Publix Partners card, selecting our school if you participate in the Target or Parker's debit card system, eating at Giuseppi's in Bluffton on a Tuesday night (make sure to tell your server you are supporting Bluffton Middle or we will not get the credit), and by sending in box tops.
Yearbooks available
2011-2012 yearbooks are now for sale. Order forms have been sent home with students and forms are available in the office. Parents can also order yearbooks online through the Josten's website at www.jostensyearbook.com. Yearbooks are $35 and checks should be made payable to Bluffton Middle School.
Physicals for Spring sports at 2:45 p.m. in the Nurse's Office with Dr. Patel. $10 cash only.
School Technology Night/SIC is from 6-8 p.m. in the Cafeteria
Chalkboard items may be sent to email@example.com.
Bluffton schools uniforms
(School: Tops; Bottoms)
Bluffton Elementary: Red, yellow, white, royal blue; Khaki only
MC Riley Elementary: Gold, red, white, navy blue; Navy blue and khaki
Okatie Elementary*: Red, white, navy blue; Navy blue or khaki
Pritchardville Elementary: Navy blue, Kelly green, white, yellow; Navy blue or khaki
Red Cedar Elementary: Red, yellow, white; Navy blue only
Bluffton Middle: Solid maroon, gray, white; Black or khaki
HE McCracken Middle: White, Kelly green, black; Khaki only
Bluffton High: Black, green, white, gray; Black or khaki
*Leggings, tights, and socks must be solid, school-approved, uniform colors.
Emergency Weather Info
Beaufort County School District Information Hotline: 877-527-4200. In the event of school closing, the individual schools will post a recording with school closing and reopening.
Track the storm online:
National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
Beaufort County: http://www.bcgov.net/
Official school closings will be announced on local radio stations. Please monitor more than one station for announcements.


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Deploy an enterprise storage solution built for performance
Master critical applications with the high-performance Dell™ EqualLogic™ PS6100XV iSCSI arrays, ideal for enterprise and corporate distributed sites.
Environmental Operating Conditions
- Temperature range: 5° to 40°C (41° to 104°F)
Storage temperature: –40° to 65°C (–40° to 149°F)
Altitude: For altitudes above 2950 feet, the maximum operating temperature is derated 1ºF/550 ft.
Operating Relative humidity: 20% to 80% (noncondensing) with a maximum humidity gradation
of 10% per hour
Operational shock: Half-sine shock 31G +/- 5% with a pulse duration of 2.6ms +/- 10% in operational orientations only
Acoustics Category 4: <=7.2 bels at 23C +/- 2C
Air quality: Airborne contaminant level of G1 or lower as defined by ISA-S71.04-1985
- AC voltage: 100-240 VAC ±10% single phase 700 W (max, total), +5V up to 155W; +12V up to 624W; +5Vsb up to 10W
Frequency: 50/60 Hz
Power factor: 0.98 (minimum)
Power supplies: Dual 700W
- Dell Storage Manager (DSM): Allows you to perform day-to-day tasks across SC and PS Series arrays from a single management interface*
PS Series Group Manager
SAN Headquarters multi-group performance and event monitoring tool
Serial console
Ability to configure a separate management network
SNMP, telnet, SSH, HTTP, Web (SSL), host scripting
Multi-administrator support
- Height: 2U / 87 mm (3.42 inches)
Width: 446 mm (17.57 inches)
Depth: 561 mm (22.09 inches)
Weight: 24.2 kg (53.4 lbs)
Packaged physical: Length: 851 mm (33.50 inches) Width: 629 mm (24.75 inches) Depth: 395 mm (15.56 inches)
Packaged weight: 29.48 kg (65.00 lbs)
Rack Support
ReadyRails™ II static rails for tool-less mounting in 4-post racks with square or unthreaded round holes or tooled mounting in 4-post threaded-hole racksed-hole racks
- Redundant hot-swappable controllers with vertical port sharing
Hot-swappable disks and power supplies
Notification Methods
- SNMP traps, e-mail, syslog
Technical Highlights
- Volumes
Up to 1,024
512 per volume / up to 10,000 total per group
Volume Connections
Up to 1,024
Host Protocol
Any standards-compliant iSCSI initiator
Operating Systems Supported
Microsoft® Windows Server® including Hyper-V®
VMware® ESX Server™
Red Hat® Enterprise Linux® (RHEL)
SUSE® Enterprise Linux® (SLES)
Oracle® Linux
Citrix® XenServer®
For a complete list of supported OS versions including software initiators, NICs/CNAs, and HBAs, see the Dell Storage Compatibility Matrix: //en.community.dell.com/dell-groups/dtcmedia/m/mediagallery/20438558.
RAID Support
RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10, and RAID 50*
GbE Network Interfaces
Management network: One 100BASE-TX dedicated management port per controller
Interface ports: Four 1000BASE-T ports per controller
TCP Network Support
IPv4, IPv6 compliant. USGv6 certified.
Expansion Option
Can be combined with other PS Series arrays in the same SAN group, online. Up to 16 total members per group. Additionally, PS and SC Series offer common management and cross-platform replication capabilities between arrays, providing PS Series customers the flexibility to add SC Series arrays to their environment, if and when they choose.*
Product Configurations
- Storage Controllers
Dual controllers with 4GB non-volatile memory per controller
Hard Disk Drives
Twenty-four (24) 15K SAS hot-pluggable hard disk drives.
Drive Capacities
2.5" 15,000 RPM SAS drives available in 300 GB*
2.5" 15,000 RPM SAS (or SAS SED) drives available in 600 GB
System Capacities
7.2 TB* using twenty-four (24) 300 GB* 15,000 SAS disk drives
14.4 TB using twenty-four (24) 600 GB 15,000 SAS (or SAS SED) disk drives
Enclosure Monitoring System
- Automatic spare configuration and utilization
Automatic bad block replacement
Auto-Stat Disk Monitoring System (ADMS) to monitor health of data on disk drive
Built to make storage simple
Designed to scale with your business
Fulfill your high-performance mission-critical needs with the PS6100XV iSCSI array, a Dell Storage solution with a virtualized scale-out architecture that delivers enhanced storage performance and reliability that is easy to manage.
- Help eliminate downtime and performance penalties with smooth, incremental SAN expansion.
- Grow your virtual storage alongside your virtual server growth.
- Change hardware without disruption.
- Add or remove arrays at will, according to policy, age, application or business needs
- Easily mix new disk or network technologies in the SAN.
- Move volumes (databases/VMs) online between any pool or disk resources.
- Avoid forklift upgrades or data-in-place migrations that cost time and money.
- Automatically balance loads across disks and multiple arrays in a pool.
- Help eliminate manual redistributing of capacity or application workloads (downtime and services costs).
Choose your array
Build more powerful storage for critical applications using PS6100XV arrays. With 24 high-performance 2.5" SAS HDDs and up to 7.2 terabytes of capacity in a 2U chassis, the PS6100XV GbE iSCSI array is an ideal solution for enterprise, government and education sites.The PS6100 Series family features:
- Dual controller for built-in redundancy
- Four GbE ports per controller
- Dedicated 10/100 management port per controller
- 6G SAS backplane
- 24 hot-swappable drives
- 7.2K NL-SAS, 10K SAS, or 15K SAS (or SAS SED) drives or solid-state drives (SSDs)
- Cache-to-flash memory destaging
- Peer-scaling architecture that scales performance linearly
- Vertical Port Failover, designed to enable you to maintain full bandwidth if a networking port fails
- Group Manager, which integrates all management into one console for both file- and block-storage protocols
- Array firmware and host software with no additional licenses or fees
- Enhanced security with self-encrypting drives (SED)
Enterprise power with everyday simplicityDell Storage PS Series software helps you store and manage your data more efficiently and cost-effectively. PS Series array, host and management software are included in your storage array purchase — virtually all the tools your organization needs for a complete solution. PS Series software virtualizes and simplifies your environment to help protect business-critical data, optimize storage performance and streamline operations. Additionally, the latest SC and PS Series software releases offer common management and cross-platform replication capabilities between SC and PS Series storage arrays, allowing you to take advantage of new functionality while leveraging existing investments.
Simplified management and data protection deliver lasting valueDell Storage PS Series Array Software, including PS Series Firmware, Group Manager and the Manual Transfer Utility, delivers advanced Storage Area Network (SAN) functions that automatically virtualize and optimize storage resources while providing advanced data protection and SAN management. Integrated across the entire family of PS Series arrays, the PS Series Firmware is a SAN operating system based on a unique peer storage architecture that automatically adjusts system resources. In addition, Dell Storage Update Manager simplifies the firmware upgrade process.
Advanced cross-platform capabilities and streamlined managementIf you are adding an SC Series array to your environment, Dell Storage Manager (DSM) provides a common management tool for PS and SC Series day-to-day activities. You can also initiate volume replication between PS and SC Series with DSM, and easily configure and monitor replication task. To simplify migration, you can import data from PS to SC Series using the Thin Import feature.*
Data center automation with integration and monitoring toolsThis family of host-based software provides tight integration between the PS Series array and the host. Dell Storage PS Series Host Integration Tools (HIT) for Microsoft®, VMware® and Linux® environments offer comprehensive data protection and reliable performance.
Dell Storage PS Series SAN Headquarters (SAN HQ) is a centralized monitoring and reporting tool that gathers and provides in-depth performance and capacity information and provides alerts across multiple groups of PS Series arrays. SAN HQ with SupportAssist further streamlines management and improves productivity with automatic case creation and case tracking.
End-to-end servicesDell offers a wide range of professional services and tools to simplify the assessment, design, implementation, management and maintenance of your PS Series environment, including Dell ProSupport and SupportAssist.
Dell Services storage experts go beyond everyday administration to help you improve the performance and utilization of your Dell Storage systems. The Dell Storage Services portfolio provides system installation and implementation as well as training. From disaster recovery planning to physical relocation, the Dell Services team is available to provide professional assistance when you need it.
Comprehensive, proactive supportWith Dell ProSupport, you get the most out of your investment with the support expertise and insights Dell is known for across the globe. Dell ProSupport doesn't just extend your IT team, it offers a single point of contact for all your hardware and software issues. Innovative tools like SupportAssist offer proactive issue notification and automated case creation to help streamline your support experience.
We recommend Dell ProSupport Plus with SupportAssist for mission-critical systems or Dell ProSupport for comprehensive hardware and software support for your Dell Storage PS Series solution. Contact your Dell representative today for more information*.
Implement fast. Implement correctly. Implement once.Dell ProDeploy Enterprise Suite* can reduce costs and relieve your IT department of time-consuming implementation tasks that otherwise divert valuable IT resources from business-critical activities. We bring two unmatched values to every Dell Storage implementation: deep knowledge of our products and broad experience from performing thousands of deployments every year, in just about every type of customer environment. Choose ProDeploy Plus for the most complete deployment offer available in the market, ProDeploy for expert configuration and installations, or Basic Deployment for worry-free hardware installations.
Start on the right path with Dell Education ServicesGain the skills and knowledge necessary to simplify administration, optimize resources and improve disaster recovery with Dell Storage training. Choose from online courses designed to introduce Dell Storage to hands-on training that dive into the advanced features and best practices to prepare for a successful implementation right from the start. Learn more about the right classes for your organization.
Transform your data centerDell Storage Consulting Services can help you meet your complex storage infrastructure and data management needs while optimizing resources and budgets. Consulting services can help with:
• Storage infrastructure consolidation and risk-managed migration for both PS and SC Series systems
• Storage infrastructure optimization for virtual environments
• Data protection process development and backup/restore policies
• Data archiving to address long-term data retention, access and regulatory compliance
• Classification and categorization of data for storage tiering and archival
• Storage high availability and disaster recovery planning, design and implementation


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Take It Away
Do you want to play?
Take it away is an Arts Council initiative designed to encourage young people to continue and develop their involvement in music beyond school and into adulthood. The scheme allows individuals to apply for a loan of up to £2,000 for the purchase of any kind of musical instrument, and pay it back in nine monthly instalments, completely interest free.
Take it away is open to everyone between the ages of 18-25, but primarily designed to help those who might otherwise be unable to afford an instrument appropriate for their needs.
Our priorities are:
- to encourage young people to continue and devlop their involvement in music
- to enable those on lower incomes to acquire an instrument appropriate to their needs
What can I buy?
You can use Take it away to finance the purchase of any kind of musical instrument, whether new or reconditioned, from a tabla to a tenor horn, a bass guitar to a berimbau. You can also include music stands, stools, sheet music, amplifiers, equipment and sometimes tuition as part of your loan.
Recorded music, PA systems and computer hardware are not eligible to purchase under the scheme, however, you can check out hundreds of products in the following categories:
The following associated goods and services may be included as part of the loan, provided that these items are purchased at the same time as the instrument itself and can be supplied by us at the point of sale.
- Drum heads
- Drum sticks/ brushes
- Effects pedals
- Instrument amplifiers
- Instrument cases
- Instrument cleaning materials
- Leads
- Metronomes
- Mouthpieces
- Music/instrument stands
- Mutes
- Plectrums
- Reeds
- Rosin
- Sheet music
- Shoulder rests
- Silencers
- Stools
- Straps
- Strings
- Tuition Books & DVDs
- Tuners
The following items cannot be bought using the loan:
- Non tuition CDs and DVDs
- Non tuition music books
- Concert tickets
- Microphones
- Recording equipment
- PA systems
How do I Take it away?Our finance partners at Pay4Later can determine eligibility on checkout, follow the options for Take It Away if presented.
Alternatively contact our sales team on the number above and we'd be happy to help you with your application.
To apply for a loan you need to be:
- 18-25 years of age
- permanent UK resident
- Hold a bank or building society account capable of handling direct debit payments
How much can I borrow?
Loans are available up to £2,000, or as little as £100. The loan amount can be a part-payment towards an item that costs more than £2,000, or you can buy several lower value items with a combined value of up to £2,000 or more.
You will need to pay a minimum 10% of the loan amount at the point of sale. The rest is then paid back over nine months in equal instalments. There is no administrative charge or handling fee when you take out the loan, so you will never be paying more for your purchase than the ticket price.
Typical 0% APR
Offer subject to age and status. Terms and conditions apply. Take it away is operated by ArtCo Trading Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Arts Council England and a limited liability company registered in England & Wales under No. 2758433. Registered address: Arts Council England, North East, Central Square, Forth Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3PJ
Take it away is only available instore.