text:
Bluffton High coaches will face new opportunities and challenges in the fall when the school moves up from Class 3A to Class 4A.
Among the opportunities: Building on eight years of success at a higher level.
Among the challenges: Tougher competition and more travel.
New schools opening across the state — and the corresponding shift in student populations — prompted realignment by the S.C. State High School League, which governs public high school sports activities.
Historically, the High School League designated the 48 schools with the largest student populations as 4A, the next 48 as 3A, the next 48 as 2A and all the smaller schools as 1A.
A new realignment scheme increases the number of schools in each class to 52. Either way, Bluffton — with fewer than 1,500 students — is at No. 46 statewide in school enrollment and thus lands in Class 4A.
The Bobcats this fall will be in Region 8-4A along with Summerville (the fourth-largest school in the state with more than 2,700 students), Fort Dorchester (2,200-plus), Ashley Ridge (1,800-plus), Colleton County (1,600-plus) and Beaufort (almost 1,600).
For coaches, it means Bluffton High will be the smallest school in the region and among the smaller Class 4A schools in the state instead of one of the larger Class 3A schools. All the athletic success enjoyed by the Bobcats since the school began in 2004 will become an historic baseline as a new era of competition begins.
Class 4A regular season standing tie-breakers and post-season seedings take the class size of opponents into consideration. So effectively, Bluffton could be penalized for playing the likes of 3A schools like Hilton Head Island and James Island, 2A schools like Wade Hampton and Battery Creek or 1A schools like Hardeeville and Whale Branch.
But those schools include historic rivals and attract local interest because they're Lowcountry neighbors; they're also geographically convenient and economical travel-wise.
"We're going to play our locals," said BHS Head Football Coach Ken Cribb. "If you start worrying about traveling to play only 4A schools you start losing your local flavor."
Beaufort, he said, is a natural local rival in the conference. But losing the rivalry with Hilton Head, which is not moving up to 4A, would be detrimental to the program, he said.
The Bluffton football team won't take a step back from the success it has enjoyed in the last two years, Cribb said. Nor will it be alone, he said, noting that three of the final four schools in the 3A playoffs will move up to 4A as well. Those schools, in addition to Bluffton, include York and eventual 3A state champion South Pointe. Of the semifinalists, only A.C. Flora will remain at the 3A level.
Cribb arrived two years ago and transformed Bluffton from a team trying to find its way in the South Carolina high school football world to a statewide contender. The 2010 Bobcats went 12-2, won the Region 7-3A regular season title and advanced to the Lower State championship game. The 2011 team won the region again, won the Lower State title and advanced to the state championship game.
"We're going to keep building on what we do, we're just going to do it at 4A," Cribb said.
"With the leadership coming back, they'll be able to handle it," said senior Michael Grant, who will graduate in the spring as one of the most recognized athletes in Bluffton High history. "They'll have C.J. (Frazier), Marquis (Webber) and (Jeremy) Scooter (Scott), plus the whole D-line coming back," Grant said.
Cribb added that four of five offensive linemen will return for the 2012 campaign.
The Bluffton football schedule will expand from 10 to 11 games this season, the coach said. In addition to the five other Region 8 schools, the Bobcats will play out-of-conference against Whale Branch, Ridgeland, South Effingham (Ga.), Wade Hampton, James Island and traditional rival Hilton Head.
The move to 4A status may well visit a geographical disadvantage on Bluffton athletics, according to Brett Macy, head coach of the BHS boys basketball team. Bluffton, he points out, is in a remote corner of South Carolina far removed from the majority of 4A schools.
"It's not the most ideal situation for us regionally, but it's still good for us as a team," Macy said.
"The fan base that grew up here, they don't know those teams" in the new Region 8-4A, he said. "They know Hilton Head and Battery Creek and Ridgeland and Hardeeville. We'll still play Hilton Head twice. We'll still play Battery Creek twice."
Travel time worries Macy.
"It's a sticky situation geographically…. I can't justify driving for more than two hours on a weeknight just to play another 4A school out of the region," he said.
But the basketball coach believes Bluffton, which tied for the Region 7-3A regular season title last year, will be just as competitive in 4A.
"I don't think anybody is going to say, 'Bluffton is easy,' just because we're coming out of 3A," Macy said.
"As far as evaluating what we do as a program, we'll have to wait and see how we do in the new region," he said.
"Last year we had a plan to win the region. Now we'll have to see if we need to change anything we do to compete in 4A," he said.
"The depth of the conference will be a factor. There will be more good teams from top to bottom. But as far as competition, we already play good competition. Lake Marion can beat anybody in the state right now, regardless of class," Macy said.
Bluffton Head Baseball Coach Bryant Kitty said he's already familiar with most of the competition his team will face in Region 8-4A.
"We play Ashley Ridge, Colleton County and Summerville every year in the spring break tournament," Kitty said. And Beaufort is a regular in-county, out-of-conference opponent on the schedule, he said.
"The disadvantage is the ratio of athletes to the student population," Kitty said. "We've still got the same number of athletes and the same student population, but we're competing with much larger student populations with more athletes to pick from."
Lonnie Roberts, head coach of the Lady Bobcats basketball team, is fatalistic about the class elevation but worries that Bluffton consistently will be a lesser among equals.
"We don't have the numbers of most 4A schools and we never will," he said. "We will always be at about 1,500 students. We will never get to 2,000 or 3,000 because our building just won't allow it to happen. Colleton County just got a new school and they've got room to grow."
But as a coach, Roberts said, he will prepare his team to compete.
"That (Class 4A) is what we've drawn so that's what we'll deal with. We'll just try to bring the kids up to that level of play," he said.
"Can we compete? Yes. Can we count wins? No. It's a challenge. We'll see what happens," Roberts said.
Schools (enrollment)
Ashley Ridge (1,829)
Beaufort (1,598)
Bluffton (1,479)
Colleton County (1,607)
Fort Dorchester (2,225)
Summerville (2,762)
Selected high schools by student population
1 Wando 3,493
2 Dorman 3,194
3 Lexington 2,841
4 Summerville 2,762
5 Sumter 2,324
6 Byrnes 2,255
7 Boiling Springs 2,238
8 Fort Dorchester 2,225
9 Hillcrest 2,127
10 Mauldin 2,115
24 Ashley Ridge 1,829
32 Colleton County 1,607
33 Beaufort 1,598
46 Bluffton 1,479
48 South Pointe 1,449
49 Cane Bay 1,443
51 York 1,440
65 Berkeley 1,281
68 A C Flora 1,259
73 Myrtle Beach 1,216
78 Hilton Head 1,174
111 Battery Creek 822
124 Wade Hampton 718
148 Ridgeland 548
160 Allendale Fairfax 428
164 Whale Branch Early College 396
185 Hardeeville 292


text:
Remember how social games were supposed to be dead?
No one's told the people who are flocking to FarmVille 2, Zynga's latest big hit.
It's about to cross 50 million players, a figure that's been steadily surging upwards since launch.
According to AppData, a Facebook-app analytics site, FarmVille 2 is the biggest app on Facebook with 48.9 million monthly active users, about 20 percent of whom play every day. (Daily users are thought to be the most likely to spend money on in-game extras, which is the primary way Zynga makes money.)
That's not as high as the original FarmVille, which peaked at around 83 million players. But the social-gaming marketplace is vastly more competitive now, and Facebook has made it harder for these games to spread.
Earlier this month, Zynga slashed its forecasts for the third quarter and the year. We won't know if FarmVille 2, which only launched Sep. 5, made any difference for third-quarter results until Zynga announces its earnings on October 24, but it's unlikely to have moved the needle: As of the end of September, FarmVille 2 had only garnered 15 million players. It's more than tripled since then.
Zynga CEO Mark Pincus has been frank about problems in the company's "invest and express" category—games like FarmVille, where players spend time and money to decorate virtual homesteads. To the extent that Wall Street assigns any value to Zynga, it's mostly on the theory that Zynga will be able to expand its casino games if real-money betting is legalized in the US.
But FarmVille 2's success suggests that all is not lost in Mark Pincus's Facebook-gaming franchise, and that it's still able to promote new titles to players of existing games.
Here's the AppData chart:

subset: commoncrawl


text:
- it's quick, easy and free to join
- Receive 1,000 points for signing up
- Earn another 1,000 points for completing your profile
- Earn 20,000 points ($100 value) when you purchase or lease a new Cadillac vehicle, which can be redeemed toward accessories, vehicle services and more
- Earn 5,000 points when you buy a Certified Pre-Owned vehicle
- Earn 6 points per 1$ spent on paid dealer service2 buying parts and accessories at a participating dealer, and that's not all
Redeem points for the following and more:
- Paid Certified Service at a participating dealer
- Parts and accessories3
- Select Cadillac connected services and OnStar® plans4
(1) Must be 18 years or older. Points may be earned and redeemed only at participating GM entities, dealers or third party retailers in the United States (excluding Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands or Guam). Points are not earned on taxes or certain fees, and expire 5 years from when points are earned. Some restrictions apply. Visit mycadillacrewards.com to view program Terms & Conditions.
(2) Excludes taxes, fees and body shop repair orders. It could take up to 15 days for points to post to your account.
(3) Members may use the voucher on eligible GM, Buick, GMC and Cadillac Accessories purchased at a participating dealership. Voucher not applicable on GM, Buick, GMC and Cadillac Accessories purchased online. Voucher must be used by expiration date noted.
(4) Connected vehicle services vary by vehicle model and require working electrical system, cell reception and GPS signal. Requires active service plan. OnStar links to emergency services. See onstar.com for details and limitations.


text:
Views: 443
I wrote it more as a satire, but see if anything from my book - Gods First Fisherman interests you. You are free to use whatever you like:
This is the remarkable tale of how a humble tribe of Beachwalkers conquers the World. Philip Copeman follows the history of Early man from his humble beginnings in Southern Africa, to the 6 Billion colossus that we are today. Written in an approachable and satirical style, Copeman holds no reverence for tribal and religious sensitivities and brings a fresh cutting edge approach to paleoanthropology. He holds no punches and storms into racial politics where others fear to tread.
Hey all! I trust you've had a good xmas!
I've decided to extend the deadline for essay submission for my atheist book project to the end of 2012. It's become obvious that it's going to take a while to put things together as well as collect all these essays from people. Some have written and submitted them within hours of finding out about the project whilst others have taken weeks maybe months.
I too have stuff to do in the mean time and want to get the best I can out of this project so I'm in no rush at all and don't mind taking my time.
Please keep spreading the word to anyone who may be interested even if you yourself may not be. And feel free to contact me about it at any time via email firstname.lastname@example.com or on here in a comment. Cheers.
I would love to make contribution, but I am 72!!! Don't be unfair to we oldies!
Forgive me Madhukar, I'm not trying to be unfair to people >40 years of age, but I am trying to write a book for younger generations of people around my age (in their 20s-30s) and written by people of that age. So I have to be ageist for this book unfortunately! :(
© 2019 Atheist Nexus. All rights reserved. Admin: The Nexus Group. Powered by


text:
Heres some of what I've been doing this year!
Short Metroid Animation I created!
My Black Witch project!(the painted animal pictures! )
A series of X-Men images I created for fun!
Way more on my tumblr and facebook pages!
Wicked! More trailers, bro!
I am so loving your star veil stuff Dave. Really fresh :)
The Appilbot image,...wow!!. Love the contrast between the detailed armour/smooth pearl like skin and of course the bats!
Yeah....ok...you're my hero. Also I can't stop watching Skull and Shark (the teaser) and also...I can't stop listening to LazerHawk on Soundcloud!
Nice work man!
Nice RS Gold


text:
(Coronary Angiography; Coronary Arteriography; Coronary Angiogram)
Cardiac catheterization is a test that uses a catheter and an x-ray machine to check the heart and its blood supply.
Reasons for Procedure
Reasons for Procedure
Cardiac catheterization is used to find the cause of symptoms, such as chest pain, that could suggest heart problems.
Cardiac catheterization helps doctors:
- Identify narrowed or clogged arteries of the heart
- Measure blood pressure within the heart
- Evaluate how well the heart valves and chambers are working
- Check heart defects
- Evaluate an enlarged heart
- Decide on an appropriate treatment
Possible Complications
Possible Complications
If you are planning to have cardiac catheterization, your doctor will review a list of possible complications. Complications may include:
- Bleeding at the point of the catheter insertion
- Damage to arteries
- Heart attack, or abnormal heart beats known as arrhythmia
- Allergic reaction to x-ray dye
- Blood clot formation
- Infection
Some factors that may increase the risk of complications include:
What to Expect
What to Expect
Prior to Procedure
Your doctor may order:
- Blood and urine tests
- Electrocardiogram (EKG)
- Chest x-ray
- Stress test
Talk to your doctor about your medications. You may be asked to stop taking
or change the doses of
some medications before the procedure.
Leading up to your procedure:
- Arrange for a ride to and from the procedure.
- The night before, do not eat or drink anything after midnight.
Local anesthesia will be used at the insertion site. A mild sedative may be given 1 hour before the procedure or through an IV during the procedure. This will help you relax.
Description of the Procedure
During the procedure, you will receive IV fluids and medications. An EKG will be monitoring your heart's activity.
You will be awake but sedated so that you will be more relaxed. You will be asked to perform basic functions such as coughing, breathing out, and holding your breath. Tell your doctor if you feel any chest pain, lightheadedness, nausea, tingling, or other discomfort.
The catheter will be inserted into an artery in either the groin or arm.
The insertion area will be
cleaned, and numbed. A needle will be inserted into a blood vessel. A wire will be passed through the needle and into the blood vessel. The wire will then be guided through until it reaches your heart. A soft, flexible catheter tube will then be slipped over the wire and threaded up to your heart.
X-rays will be taken during the procedure to know where the wire and catheter are. Dye will be injected into the arteries of the heart. This will make the arteries and heart show up on the x-ray images. You may feel warm during the dye injection.
Insertion of Catheter with Guide Wire through the Groin
Copyright © Nucleus Medical Media, Inc.
Once in place, the catheter can be used to take measurements. Blood pressure can be taken within the heart's different chambers. Blood samples may also be taken. Multiple x-ray images will be taken to look for any disease in the arteries. An aortogram may also be done at this time. This step will give a clear image of the aorta. After all the tests and images are complete, the catheter will be removed.
Sometimes, a balloon angioplasty and stenting will be done if there is an area in your arteries that is narrow or clogged. These procedures help to open narrowed arteries.
Finally, a bandage will be placed over the groin or arm area.
How Long Will It Take?
The procedure takes about 30-90 minutes. Preparation before the procedure and recovery after it will add several hours to the total time.
How Much Will It Hurt?
Although the procedure is generally not painful, it can cause some discomfort, including:
- Burning sensation when the skin at the catheter insertion site is anesthetized
- Pressure when the catheter is inserted or replaced with other catheters
- A flushing feeling or nausea when the dye is injected
- Headache
- Heart palpitations
Pain medication will be given when needed.
Average Hospital Stay
0-1 days
Postoperative Care
At the Care Center
- EKG and blood studies may be done.
- If the catheter was inserted in the groin area, you will likely need to lie still in bed and flat on your back for a period of time. If the catheter was in your arm, you will likely be out of bed sooner.
- A pressure dressing may be placed over the area where the catheter was inserted to help prevent bleeding. It is important to follow instructions.
At Home
When you return home, do the following to help ensure a smooth recovery:
- Do not lift heavy objects or engage in strenuous exercise or sexual activity for at least 5-7 days.
- You can make lifestyle changes to lower your risk for further complications of heart disease. These include eating a healthier diet, exercising regularly, and managing stress.
- Be sure to follow your doctor's instructions.
Call Your Doctor If Any of the Following Occurs
Call Your Doctor If Any of the Following Occurs
Monitor your recovery after you leave the hospital. Call your doctor if any of these occur:
- Signs of infection, including fever and chills
- Redness, swelling, increasing pain, excessive bleeding, or any discharge from the catheter insertion site
Call for Medical Help Right Away If Any of the Following Occurs
Call for Medical Help Right Away If Any of the Following Occurs
Call for medical help right away if you have symptoms including:
- Drooping facial muscles
- Changes in vision or speech
- Difficulty walking or using your arms
- Change in sensation to affected leg or arm, including numbness, feeling cold, or change in color
- Extreme sweating, nausea or vomiting
- Lightheadedness
- Chest pain
- Rapid, irregular heartbeat
- Cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing
- Weakness or fainting
If you think you have an emergency, call for emergency medical services right away.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov
Heart and Stroke Foundation http://www.heartandstroke.ca
Cardiac catheterization. Cleveland Clinic website. Available at:
Updated September 2013. Accessed June 30, 2015.
Explore cardiac catheterization. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute website. Available at:
January 30, 2012. Accessed June 30, 2015.
Preparing for cardiac catheterization, angiography, and electrophysiology studies. Cedars Sinai Hospital website. Available at:
Accessed June 30, 2015.
Last Updated: 5/11/2013


text:
Big J (Feat. The Game) - Brooklinz Finest
The official music video for Big J's first single "Brooklinz Finest" featuring The Game, from his debut album Brooklinz Finest scheduled to be in stores July 2009.
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
Comments will only be displayed by verified emails. No Spamming or Racism.


text:
Nike surroundings utmost uk account
Nike Air flow Potential is usually a sneaker by the provider Nike that was created within 1987 because initial case in point associated with Air conditioning Max-branded engineering. That nike roshe run sale uk sneaker makes use of a sizable weather padding component that is visible in the edge on the midsole generally in most versions. Especially wanted styles range from the 1987 (Air Max I), 1990 (Air Max III), 1991 (Air Max 91), 1993, 1995, 1997, and a great magnitude, 2003. The actual 1993 type has been the very first to obtain that absolutely visible back heel Air conditioning device this was apparent within the returning together with to the characteristics, plus the 1995 design has been the very first for you to attribute noticeable forefoot Air flow. Your 1997 type appeared to be the very first that include a full length Air flow bag. That Beatles' track "Revolution" was utilised in any tv financial in promoting your casino shoe. It had been the very first in addition to just time frame than a track executed by Beatles seemed to be utilized in any TV FOR PC advert.
Your nike air max thea mens cheap boots and shoes will always be modern day therefore to their moment thus sporting men have got always damaged these folks, nonetheless they may be both equally useful being a unconventional sneaker. They may be normally relatively comfortable and also the models and colours became motivated sometimes. That 1995 product was debate for long periods in addition to spotted a ton of colorways created. It's popularity provides waned although some people nonetheless like this footwear. Initially ıt had been fulfilled using several skepticism as a result of their suede structure, huge asking price in addition to neon feature coloring. Global creditors swiftly emerged to help love your casino shoe plus sooner or later the item turned popular while in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA in the process.
Different types of Air conditioning Maxcushioning comprise "Air Max2" that will not possess the "holes" in the padding component and it is regarding high pressure, "Tube Air" that is obvious in many compact circles to the midsole on the boot, "Total Air" that is in essence only yet another word with regard to 100 % nike air max 90 womens cheap cushioning, "Tuned Surroundings, " that is any method with man or women pods expected "tuned" for you to various instances that foot or so. There seemed to be also "180 Surroundings in the earlier 1990s that is seen with the bottom part in the shoe (although small a percentage with Air conditioning units are generally obvious over the bottom level of a lot Surroundings Utmost models) plus another type of Air flow padding may be the small shape plus extremely receptive "Zoom Air. " Air flow Potential cushioning has become utilised in boots and shoes to get almost all athletics can't like golf ball, combination workout, playing golf, typical sneakers, flip flops, snooker, and so forth; nevertheless the "Nike Air conditioning Max" can be a operating casino shoe.
Previously currently, many of us previewed your typical Nike Hockey sneaker, the particular Nike Surroundings Flightposite II (2), and now we have our very first check out a crowd of different colorways of your common managing sneaker. Your nike free run womens uk might be building a comeback completely by 4 brand new models. The very first pair promise purple foundation together with non colored documents decorations, while the minute trainer comes with a gold, black-white color program. The third deviation website hosts a fairly easy black about white colorway, while the very last pair promise a new typical appearance by a bright starting by using blue, dark, plus volt features.
Mode Lineal


text:
This section describes the following tasks:
The following example application starts with the example provided in Chapter 3, WSIT Example Using a Web Container and NetBeans IDE and demonstrates adding transport security to both the web service and to the web service client.
For this example, the security mechanism of Transport Security (SSL) is used to secure the application. To add security to the service part of the example, follow these steps.
Create the CalculatorApplication example by following the steps described in the following sections of Chapter 3, WSIT Example Using a Web Container and NetBeans IDE:
Skip the section on adding Reliable Messaging.
Deploying and Testing a Web Service (first two steps only, do not run the project yet)
Expand CalculatorApplication->Web Services, then right-click the node for the web service, CalculatorWS, and select Edit Web Service Attributes.
Deselect Reliable Messaging if it is selected.
Select Secure Service.
From the drop-down list for Security Mechanism, select Transport Security (SSL).
Click OK to close the WSIT Configuration dialog.
A new file is added to the project. To view the WSIT configuration file, expand Web Pages->WEB-INF, then double-click the file wsit-org.me.calculator.CalculatorWS.xml.
For Transport Security, the keystore and truststore files are configured outside of NetBeans IDE, in GlassFish. The keystore and truststore files for basic SSL come pre-configured with GlassFish, so there are no additional steps required for this configuration.
To require the service to use the HTTPS protocol, you have to specify the security requirements in the service's application deployment descriptor, which is web.xml for a web service implemented as a servlet.
To specify the security information, follow these steps:
From your web service application, expand Web Pages->WEB-INF.
Double-click web.xml to open it in the editor.
Select the Security tab.
On the Security Constraints line, click Add Security Constraint.
Under Web Resource Collection, click Add.
Type a Name for the Resource, CalcWebResource. Type the URL Pattern to be protected, /*. Select which HTTP Methods to protect, for example, POST. Click OK to close this dialog.
Check the Enable User Data Constraint box. Select CONFIDENTIAL as the Transport Guarantee to specify that the application uses SSL.
Click the XML tab to view the resulting deployment descriptor additions.
Right-click the CalculatorApplication node and select Run Project. If the server presents its certificate, s1as, accept this certificate. A browser will open and display the WSDL file for the application.
Follow the steps to secure the client application as described in To Secure the Example Web Service Client Application (SSL).
This section demonstrates adding security to the web service client that references the web service created in the previous section. This web service is secured using the security mechanism described in Transport Security (SSL).
To add security to the client that references this web service, complete the following steps.
Create the client application by following the steps described in Creating a Client to Consume a WSIT-Enabled Web Service, with the exception that you need to specify the secure WSDL when creating the Web Service Client.
To do this, create the client application up to the step where you create the Servlet (step 7 as of this writing) by following the steps described in Creating a Client to Consume a WSIT-Enabled Web Service, with the following exception.
In the step where you are directed to cut and paste the URL of the web service that you want the client to consume into the WSDL URL field, type https://fully-qualified-hostname:8181/CalculatorApplication/CalculatorWSService?wsdl (changes indicated in bold) to indicate that this client should reference the web service using the secure port. The first time you access this service, accept the certificate (s1as) when you are prompted. This is the server certificate popping up to confirm its identity to the client.
In some cases, you might get an error dialog telling you that the URL https://fully-qualified-hostname:8181/CalculatorApplication/CalculatorWSService?wsdl couldn't be downloaded. However, this the correct URL, and it does load when you run the service. So, when this error occurs, repeat the steps that create the Web Service Client using the secure WSDL. The second time, the web service reference is created and you can continue creating the client.
If you prefer to use localhost in place of the fully-qualified hostname (FQHN) in this example, you must follow the steps in Transport Security (SSL) Workaround.
Continue creating the client following the remainder of the instructions in Creating a Client to Consume a WSIT-Enabled Web Service.
Whenever you make changes on the service, refresh the client so that the client will pick up the change. To refresh the client, right-click the node for the Web Service Reference for the client, and select Refresh Client.
Compile and run this application by right-clicking on the CalculatorWSServletClient node and selecting Run Project.


text:
Mirabito FAQs
Mirabito Answers Your Frequently Asked Questions
How does fuel oil compare to propane and natural gas?
Fuel oil has a higher BTU, or amount of heat produced per gallon (or gallon equivalent) than propane or natural gas. So, even though the price per gallon of propane or that equivalent of natural gas may be lower, you will need more of it to produce the same amount of heat – 50% more propane and 40% more natural gas, to be exact.
What is the driving factor in heating oil prices?
If refiners, wholesalers, dealers and consumers have enough heating oil in storage and temperatures do not drop rapidly, prices hold fairly steady (assuming crude oil prices are also not changing much). However, a rapid change to colder weather can impact both supply and demand; people want more fuel at the same time that harbors and rivers are frozen or delivery systems are interrupted. During this time, the available heating oil in storage is used much faster than it can be replenished. Refineries normally cannot keep up with demand during these cold periods.
Who uses heating oil?
Of the 107 million households in the United States, approximately 8.0 million use heating oil as their main heating fuel. Residential space heating is the primary use for heating oil, making the demand highly seasonal. Most of the heating oil use occurs from October through March. The area of the country most reliant on heating oil is the Northeast.


text:
Student Newsletter for September 17, 2018September 17th, 2018
Sherlette Hobbs is
the Administrative Assistant for the HSC Student Affairs office in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. She is an alumna of the University of Toledo with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies.
Email this author | All posts by Sherlette Hobbs


text:
Synexis - System for the hard-of-hearing as hearing assistance in public buildings
In social life there are many obstacles for people who are hard of hearing - they fear to miss something or to get something wrong in conversations. Therefore, most of them avoid conversations and feel excluded. Problems, however, will occur even with a good hearing aid: filtering the right voice from multiple sounds and to differentiate speech or singing from noise can spoil going to church on Sunday. Now beyerdynamic, the experienced audio specialist, can help people with restricted hearing. Synexis, the comfortable wireless system allows for unrestricted hearing in churches, theatres or schools. Since 1924 beyerdynamic has been a synonym for the best sound and today belongs to the world's leading suppliers of conference products.
With Synexis people who are hard of hearing can sit anywhere in a church and enjoy a service free from disturbing noise. Whether musical or verbal contributions, Synexis will always amplify them acoustically. The signal from an altar microphone for example will be routed to the stationary Synexis transmitter. The church goers will receive the audio with a beltpack receiver and a single-sided headphone or with their hearing aid and a handy induction loop, which is worn around the neck like a necklace transmitting the signal to the hearing aid. With this solution there is no need to install induction loops in the floor reducing the installation expense of the organiser considerably. The receiver is provided with a volume control for individual and comfortable setting. Independent from the number of users, Synexis reliably ensures an optimum speech and sound intelligibility.
Synexis, which is also used as a tour guide system, for meetings, factory tours or for commands in sport, operates in the licence-free UHF frequency range of 863 to 865 MHz. The single-sided headphones and the beltpack receivers can be operated with standard batteries or much cheaper and eco-friendlier with rechargeable batteries. The tabletop charger, charging case or charging cabinet are also used as storage place for the whole system. The beltpack receivers can be charged with them for the next use without having to change the rechargeable battery.
For more information about Synexis, please go to www.beyerdynamic.com/synexis
Characters (incl. blanks): 2,809


text:
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. - Morgan Cobb (Cataula, Ga.) and Mary Rob Plunkett (Augusta, Ga.) of the No. 19 Georgia College & State University soccer team (12-1-4, 5-1-2 PBC) were chosen as Peach Belt Conference (PBC) players of the week for the week ending Sunday, Nov. 2.
This is the third PBC Defensive Player of the week honor for Cobb this season. She is a defensive leader on a squad that posted two more shutouts this week, including one of No. 4 Columbus State University Saturday. Against North Georgia College & State University, the Bobcat defense held the Lady Saints to seven shots on goal and then limited Columbus State to eight. The Bobcats have 12 shutouts on the season including three in a row and five in their last six games. Georgia College leads the PBC with only six goals allowed this season and a team GAA of 0.34.
Plunkett earns her fifth conference Goalkeeper of the Week award of the season after making 15 saves in two games as Georgia College went 2-0 on the week. She began with seven saves in a 2-0 shutout win over North Georgia and then turned in a stellar game against Columbus State, making eight saves over 110 minutes as the two teams fought to a 0-0 tie. The two shutouts give her a school-record eight on the season as she continues to lead the PBC with a 0.31 GAA, which is also sixth-best in the nation.
The Bobcats have now taken 10 PBC weekly honors this season. They are back in action tonight in the first round of the conference tournament as they host Lander University at 7 p.m.
The GCSU Department of Athletics sponsors 10 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, GCSU prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the Bobcats' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Follow the Bobcats and their positive impact on the Milledgeville community at www.gcsu.edu/bobcats.


text:
|Cellarages is a Scrabble word. Scrabble point value for cellarages: 13 points.
|Cellarages is a Words with Friends word. Words with Friends point value for cellarages: 13 points.
Above are the results of unscrambling cellarages. Using the word generator and word unscrambler for the letters C E L L A R A G E S, we unscrambled the letters to create a list of all the words found in Scrabble, Words with Friends, and Text Twist. We found a total of 324 words by unscrambling the letters in cellarages. Click these words to find out how many points they are worth, their definitions, and all the other words that can be made by unscrambling the letters from these words. If one or more words can be unscrambled with all the letters entered plus one new letter, then they will also be displayed.
|Definition of "cellarages" found in the Merriam Webster dictionary
|Definition of "cellarages" from The Free Dictionary
|Definition of "cellarages" from Dictionary.com
|Words that start with cellarages
|Words that end with cellarages
|Words that contain cellarages


text:
Matt Adcock reviews Joy, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro
This year kicks off with the incredible, life-affirming "based on true events" tale of Joy Mangano (Jennifer Lawrence) – inventor of the first self-wringing mop...
You might not think a film that revolves around the creation of the 'Miracle Mop' would be the stuff of nail-biting tension, heartbreaking loss, intense emotion and searing against all odds determination, but you'd be wrong.
Director David 'American Hustle' O Russell has a real knack of getting some of the very best performances from Lawrence and she is on absolutely jaw-dropping form again here. It wouldn't surprise me if their combo works for a repeat Oscar nod – as they did with Silver Linings Playbook. Joy's life is anything but like her name though.
Divorced and trying to bring up her two young children while also helping her ill grandmother (who lives in one of the downstairs rooms), Joy has money problems and little support from her bitchy half sister Peggy (Elisabeth Röhm) and father Rudy (Robert De Niro) who has anger issues. There is never a dull moment in her miserable life.
Despite all the odds being stacked against her, Joy takes life by the scruff of the neck and ventures into the cut throat world of enterprise.
Armed only with her creativity, good heart and unrelenting drive to succeed she faces challenge after challenge in trying to make it.
Thanks to her ex-husband setting up a meeting for her, Joy's path crosses with slick Neil Walker (a highly charismatic turn by Bradley Cooper), who runs the newly establish QVC channel and could provide a real chance for her mop-based commercial aspirations. But success does not come easy for Joy and viewers are put through an emotional wringer as trials and tribulations pepper this rollercoaster of a tale.
Joy is powerful inspiration for anyone looking to succeed – she's a bold woman, a heroine for the modern age who battles for herself without relying on a prince charming in an empowering and most non-Disney way.
It's refreshing to see a film that can grip you so hard without having any real physical threat or violence.
This is fine film making which shows just how big a drama life is, be it in business or socially. Joy will leave you stimulated and inspired to face whatever the year might throw at you – and very likely feeling the titular emotion too. Recommended!


text:
The following lesson plans have been designed to help teachers plan classroom activities that will enhance their students' understanding of objects in the Art Institute of Chicago. They can be used as a resource both before and after a museum visit.
Although particular grade levels have been suggested for each lesson plan, the plans can be adapted to other age groups. Academic subject areas are listed along with key terms, materials, procedures, and time estimates. (One class period assumes one hour.) A list of the fulfilled Illinois Learning Standards follows each lesson plan.
Art teachers may also wish to view Family Activities, an area of the site with at-home art projects that can be adapted for classroom use.
Color Combinations
Act It Out
Send a Postcard
Urban Space


text:
26 September 2010
Micro Sites Project
Signs for Mechanics Bay: NO SWIMMING, LOOKOUT and BEACH ACCESS
The sings show the way to the now-reclaimed historic coastline of Mechanics Bay.
Installed in Alten Road Reserve and along Anzac Avenue. Organised by Auckland City Council Public Art Team. Completed in July 2010, scheduled to stay till 2015.
"Micro Sites is a series of 12 small, temporary public art projects by 13 artists that are intriguing, subtle and surprising discoveries for people living, working and walking through Auckland's Learning Quarter."
Micro Sites Project, Public Art, Auckland Council
Posted by Asumi Mizuo at 6:28 PM No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


text:
Steelers chairman emeritus Dan Rooney is coming home.
According to Timothy McNulty of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Rooney is stepping down as the United States' ambassador to Ireland Friday.
Rooney was named ambassador by President Barack Obama, and has served as our country's top diplomat in Dublin for more than three years.
Rooney was an advocate for Irish causes for decades before his appointment in July 2009. He was the first American ambassador to visit all 32 counties.
His return to the U.S. comes at a good time for the NFL, as his has been hailed as a voice of reason within the league.
Rooney has said in the past he's not in favor of an 18-game season, saying "I would rather not have the money," so it will be interesting to hear his advice on the suggestion of expanding the playoffs.


text:
Sock it to me: Picking the right number
DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK
Q. Oh, no, it's 6 o'clock Monday morning, electricity's out, and you can't see the jumbled socks in your drawer. You know there are 8 blacks and 24 blues. How many do you have to take with you downstairs to guarantee you've got at least one matched pair of blacks for dressing by flashlight? –G. Coles
A. Taking 8 obviously won't do it, nor even will taking 24– all could be blue. You need to grab 26 to make 2 blacks a certainty. But that's a lot of socks to carry. Still, you don't want to have to come back upstairs. For a better than 50-50 chance of having 2 blacks, you'd need to carry down only 7 socks; for a 75 percent chance, 9 socks. For a 90 percent chance, 12 socks. How stairs-lazy are you?
Q. Why would anyone talk on and on, earnestly and ardently, with someone who doesn't speak the same language or understand a word of what's being said? –T. Babel
A. This describes "baby talk," that distinctive way of altering normal sounds, grammar and vocabulary to foster communicative rapport, says David Crystal in Language Play.
Here the parent's or carer's lips are rounded, vowels lengthened, voice volume, rhythm and pitch heightened. At the same time there are frequent nonsense vocalizations–tongue clicking, lip smacking, and others.
"There is nothing quite like it anywhere else in human expression, the closest being the way we might talk to animals." Mother (looking at Baby's face): "You are lovely, aren't you! Oh yes you are! A gorgeous bouncy bit of baba..."
Mock-threats, mock-disgust and mock-horror are just as common: "What a horrid stinky pong, you're going back where you came from!"
Some adults fear that baby talk may derail language learning, but young children rapidly learn to distinguish language varieties, including playful from serious, says Crystal. Soon enough, kids are imitating, playing as mommies or daddies with their dolls.
"Parents sitting around a group of children in a nursery often hear their own baby-talk echoed in the play of their child– sometimes with embarrassing accuracy. Out of the mouths of babes, indeed."
Q. It involves a qualitative mental shift, with functions operating that do not operate normally. Probably most familiar is the dream state, but it can include changes in thinking, disturbed time flow, loss of bodily identity, extreme fear or extreme bliss, hallucinations, illusions, profound insights, feelings of rebirth. What is this extraordinary transformation? –T. Leary
A. It is an altered state of consciousness (ASC), when a person's mind moves outside of the everyday realm of "consensus reality," says Leonard George in Alternative Realities. Later, the stabilizing forces of ordinary awareness return.
ASCs can be caused by trauma, sleep disturbance, sensory deprivation or overload, or fever; or self-induced by frenzied dancing, chanting, or other social behaviors, says Robert Todd Carroll in The Skeptic's Dictionary (SkepDic.com). Electrical brain stimulation or drug use can also do it. Some athletes describe a "flow state" or being "in the zone," or religious experience can bring a sense of oneness and significance of all things.
Modern Western culture holds that the ordinary state is superior to all others for most purposes, says George, though in many other societies ASCs are more routinely harnessed for the benefit of the community.
Q. In frigid weather, put out two identical pans of water, one hot and one lukewarm. Which will freeze first? –A. O. Aquarius
A. Amazingly, the hot water just might. This is common knowledge in cold regions like Canada or Iceland and was even commented on by philosopher Francis Bacon centuries ago, but people in warmer countries find it mysterious, says Cleveland State University's Jearl Walker in The Flying Circus of Physics.
The explanation is that the hot water evaporates faster, which saps heat energy and spirits away much of the liquid.
"With less mass to cool, the water in that container can overtake the cooling of the initially cooler water and reach the freezing point sooner," Walker says.
Send Strange questions to brothers Bill and Rich at email@example.com.


text:
By selecting "Continue," you will leave U.S. Bank and enter a third party
social media/collaboration Web site.
Although sponsored by U.S. Bank, the information being shared on this site
is not the responsibility of U.S. Bank, and we are not responsible for the
content shared between users and participants on the site.
U.S. Bank does not guarantee the system availability or accuracy of this site;
that is the responsibility of Twitter.
Please note that Twitter may have privacy and information security
policies that differ from those of U.S. Bank.
Do not share confidential or financial information on this site.


text:
According to the PlayStation blog, Sony will be "looking at" bringing VoIP application Skype to the PS Vita later this month. After a brief announcement of the app last year, little was known about when the service would come to the handheld.
The announcement was brought on when a commenter asked if there was "any sign of the Skype app for Vita" and PS Store Team Member Jawad Ashraf replied with:
Looking at the tail end of the month at the moment
This new feature should give more reason for people to purchase the 3G model, as it would would allow them to use their PS Vita to make phone calls – a feature that, if implemented correctly, could become the PS phone that has been demanded time and time again.


text:
About Us
Started with a commitment for helping Non Resident Indians Across the world A Great Gift to all NRI'S residing in United States.
First time a real network for all NRIs in all 51 states in USA
First time for NRI users Live chat option for Nationwide and Statewide.
Fully encrypted and secured personal details with confidential login activity
Business people who want to make more money hurry up improve your traffic by giving ads with us.
We are not only commercial but kind hearted too (Fund for Economically poor students in USA)
Free classifieds to buy stuff or sale stuff hassle free with live negotiation options with buyer and seller.
Forum with almost 40 kind of informative topics
Deshi Pages for all business listings locally in your state and US nationwide.
Moving out of state dont worry any more...where ever you go NRIS.com is there for you.
Save money in travel ( First time interstate carpool web services exclusively for NRIs).
Never go to a bad Restaurant, live ratings with real reviews for all kind of food places
Know your daily horoscope right in your home page.
Know the date and panchagam for that day live.
Live world, USA, Indian news scrolls.
Live stock rates.
Cheap air tickets to anywhere in the world
Most popular visiting places in your state and over all USA
Local movies playing in your nearest cities
Invite anybody for any kind of personal events
check for community and religious events
Check for online webinars and class schedules for all kind of students in teaching and learning
NRIS.COM is one of the premier NRI website that provides a range of resourceful services to Indian expats residing in the USA. Visiting the site you will find comprehensive information related to restaurants, casinos, pubs, temples, carpool, movies, education, real estate, and forums. The simple and easy to navigate format allows NRIs to gain information within a fraction of a second. Moreover, advertising through its column of Indian free classifieds in USA allow businesses to improve visibility of their brand.


text:
You are here : : Home > Templates > Types > Joomla 1.6 Templates
Highly Recommended Template
Monstroid2 - Multipurpose WordPress Theme
Client Testimonials
"Working with Entheosweb has been a pleasurable experience. They were very friendly, professional, efficient and attend to all my inquiries in an expeditious manner. The customization of my website was completed in record time. Clement, did an amazing job. I am very pleased with the work and time they have put into my template and the professional outcome of their work. I highly recommend their services to anyone who is interested in obtaining customization for their website."
Handel - Tripleheaven.com
Template #30172
|Joomla 1.6 Templates
Joomla 1.6 is the next generation of Joomla, the most popular Open Source Content Management System in the world. Joomla is an award-winning content management system (CMS), which enables you to build Web sites and powerful online applications. Many aspects, including its ease-of-use and extensibility, have made Joomla the most popular Web site software available. Best of all, Joomla is an open source solution that is freely available to everyone.


text:
Poster of Case IH Quadtrac in the UK .
All images taken on location by Farming Photography Ltd. The UK's leading agricultural photography and filming company.
Major clients include AGCO, Claas, Grimme, Holmer, JCB, and John Deere. Recognising the special qualities in Farming Photography's visual media content, UK based Classic Tractor, Farm Machinery Journal, and Tractor and Machinery magazines, also use the company's extensive archive of imagery for both front covers, and embedded in articles too.
Farming Photography Ltd's media is creative, as the company has the ability to take both film and still imagery using the very latest photographic technology and techniques.
Printed in the UK.


text:
My "ornament cloth" is getting busier and busier by the minute and it is looking great, if I may say so myself.
Some of the ornaments are ready for beading, some of them are waiting for the courier to bring some more Kreinik braid, and until he arrives I am stitching the first kloster blocks of the last heart.
Let me say a big Thank You again for all your kind emails about the patterns, and tutorials! I am so glad that you liked them and found them helpful, and receiving photos of your finished ornaments makes me happy beyond words. I will be sharing some of those photos with all of you during the weekend.
Until then, have fun, Everyone!


text:
An Example Program
Listing One shows a simple game written using the Forth compiler. The program is essentially a binary search algorithm and guesses your number. The program itself is unremarkable but demonstrates many of the 1Forth features such as variables (both initialized and uninitialized), the monitor.4th words and basic math.
If you are familiar with Forth, Listing One should look almost normal to you. Only the strings look different. The compiled code (Listing Two) shows many of the optimizations employed.
For example, under the _J1 label is the line where the following Forth code appears:
1 .disp
The resulting assembly language is:
MOV 0x100, FDSTK_PUSH
Note, too, that the _L5 label (which is the "=" definition falls through to _L10, the "not" definition. That's because the equal word is:
: = - not ;
In other word, subtract the two values on the top of the stack and then do a logical not on the result. You can also find a hidden return at the end of iwin (_L12) where a jump to register 60 causes that library routine to return from iwin instead of to iwin.
Another example of programming the One-Der CPU using all of the tools available for download here is presented in this video.
Lessons Learned
While I really wanted a C compiler, the Forth compiler is very usable and was much easier to build. While awk is an unusual choice for a serious language translator, the fact that awk and Forth both share the concept of a word made it an obvious choice for this project.
The way strings are handled is, granted, non-standard. But the syntax is highly usable and it doesn't take much to get used to the new format. Sometimes a small concession can pay big dividends in the ease of implementation.
Forth isn't much in vogue these days with its lack of type safety and other modern features (for example, while there are some Forth packages to address object oriented techniques, none of them are widely accepted as a standard). However, for an embedded system Forth brings a lot to the table. Its simplicity allows highly efficient code and its tight integration to assembly (especially in this implementation) makes it a great fit for embedded systems. The fact that the implementation was very simple is an extra bonus.
The compiler itself should be reasonably straightforward to port to other CPUs. There are just a few machine-specific parts to the compiler. Most of the porting would be in the 1forth.lib file.
Although Forth is satisfying to use (and it is particularly satisfying to write programs on a CPU you designed using a compiler, assembler, monitor, and debugger that you created), it isn't the best answer for a CPU like One-Der. As I mentioned earlier, the true value to the One-Der's architecture is its bus-like structure is a natural for reconfigurable computing. Ideally, a compiler would decide the best instruction set for the program it was compiling and emit a CPU definition as well as object code. While I suppose it would be possible for the Forth compiler to note the operations used in a program and select functional units, it seems as though a higher level abstraction would have more opportunity to exploit this. Forth is fairly close to the machine architecture, so what you write is likely to map to the machine's instruction set anyway.
For an example of a C compiler that works with this type of CPU, look at TCE). This project from the Tampere University of Technology in Finland and allows you to graphically build TTA CPUs with multiple bus flows and then compile C code for the new processor. The tool outputs a VHDL CPU description (unlike One-Der, which is written in Verilog).
Even then, to get the maximum benefit out of a compiler-generated CPU, I expect the language will have to be very high level. The compiler can then exploit the description of what you want to do and use its own heuristics to determine how to do it.


text:
Hi i am going to be building a skateboard mini ramp in my garage soon and with not a lot of space and money i just wanted to ask a few questions.
1) To save a bit of money a friend mentioned i could either have just 2 quaterpipes and my concrete floor as the flatbottom or the 2 quarterpipes and instead of making a raised structure using 2x4s just have the surface ply lying on the floor as the flatbottom. Wondering if anyone has used either of these 2 options and some of the pros and cons of both.
2) With limited space available in my garage due to my car having to fit in there, the widest mini i could probably fit would be about 5ft and i know this is very narrow as i have been searching the forum and hardly found a ramp narrower then 8ft so is 5ft even possible? Keep in mind i am fairly new to transition skating so will probably just be sticking to basic lip tricks/stalls for the time being.
Dimensions i am thinking of using are 3'x 5'x 21' with 6' of flatbottom and a transition radius of 7'.
if anyone could shed some advice on those 2 points above or better dimensions for my space it would be appreciated!


text:
- About
- Videos
- Teachings
- Prayers
- News
- Facilities
- Connect
Allah Ta'ala says in the Qur'an Majeed, "and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you..." On the mubarak occassion of Eid-ul-Fitr we are pleased to present and audio recording Syedna Taher Fakhruddin TUS doing takbeera in the morning of Eid.
Syedna Taher Fakhruddin TUS delivered bayaan mubarak on pehli raat of Shehrullah al Mu'azzam 1440H, in which he did zikr of Rasullulah's SA khutba about the significance of Shehrullah and encouraged Mumineen to observe this holy month in the remembrance of Allah Ta'ala in bandagi and ibadat.
Upon request of Mumineen, Syedna Taher Fakhruddin TUS graciously delivered the second general sabaq on the 15th of Shehrullah. In this sabaq, Syedna TUS continued the explanation of Imam Zainul Abideen's SA Fajr Doa. In this sabaq, Syedna also did zikr about preparing for Lailatul Qadr and taking barakaat in the most auspicious night in the year.
This is an excerpt from a captivating historical account of Fatimid celebrations and customs. The article first offers a brief historical setting of Fatimid Cairo and then continues to describe in great detail the nature and significance of processions and banquets. To read further click here.
In this Sijill article, Shehzada Dr Aziz Bhaisaheb Qutbuddin explains how Ramadaan al-Mo'azzam ends with the Day of Eid-ul-Fitar, a day in which we celebrate the conclusion of the thirty days of fasting. He quotes the doa of Imam Ali Zainul Aabedin, and Syedna Qutbuddin's RA wasila on this mubarak day. To read more click here.
It seems like just yesterday that we looked upon the month of Shehrullah like a small child looks up on a tall, steep, mountain to climb. It was a month in which we were reminded of our fundamentals beliefs and values. We, mumineen, are fortunate that we have someone to help us and guide us, someone who shows us the path to reach the top of the mountain. To read more click here.
Like prayer, fasting, and hajj, zakaat is one of the seven da'aim, or foundational pillars, of the Shari'at of Islam. Zakaat khuda no haqq chhe. For every Mumin, it is compulsory to offer zakaat once every year. Du'aat Kiraam have encouraged Mumineen to araz zakaat during the holy month of Ramadan, in order to gain abundant sawaab. For details on how to araz zakat, please click here.
Recognising the unique challenges of the time where Mumineen cannot always travel to be with Syedna Fakhruddin TUS personally, bethak via videoconferencing will be arranged on a weekly basis for Mumineen who wish to have an audience with Syedna TUS. For further details, click here.
Syedna Khuzaima Qutbuddin RA was a beacon of light. It is befitting that Syedna Qutbuddin's roza, as Syedna Fakhruddin TUS said, "shines for the people of the sky as the stars shine for those on earth." To contribute, please click here. Mumineen participate in the khidmat of niyaaz and also contribute regularly to join in the sawaab of Mazaar-e-Qutbi Niyaaz. If you would like to participate, click here.
Syedna Taher Fakhruddin TUS addressed the Mumineen of Yemen in Arabic in the last few days of Shehrullah al-Mo'azzam 1438H. Syedna urged Mumineen to take utmost barakaat in the remaining days of Shehrullah and beseeched doa for them, especially for their safety and wellbeing.


text:
Rising soil temperatures are increasing the spread of a deadly, parasitic weed that significantly reduces crop yields in Sub-Saharan Africa, Striga, according to scientists.
The noxious weed, also known as witch-weed, usually thrives in the warm and humid tropics but is now spreading to cooler and wetter highlands as a result of warmer soils driven by global warming and low soil fertility, which provides the right conditions for Striga to thrive.
Increasing soil temperatures are fuelling the spread of Striga from the tropics to highland areas
The deadly weed can reduce crops by up to 80 per cent, threatening livelihoods
Research organisations are trialling various strategies, such as intercropping, to combat its spread
This spread has threatened the livelihoods of around 100 million people, with more than four million hectares of maize crops infected. In general, Striga reduces maize and cowpea yields by up to 80 per cent in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Some farmers are now abandoning maize cultivation for cassava as the parasitic plant colonises areas at attitudes more than 1,500 metres above sea level, said Mel Oluoch, head of the Integrated Striga Management in Africa programme at the International Institute of Research in Tropical Agriculture (IITA), during a farmers' field day in Western Kenya last month (17 January) organised by ISMA.
"Striga currently remains the biggest threat to maize production, particularly in the East Africa region where corn is the staple for millions of inhabitants," said Oluoch, adding that the weed devastates plants by attaching itself at the root base, starving the host for nutrients.
Brown Mang Onwuka


text:
Elite Players On Payday 2 And How To Avoid Being Kicked. Payday 2
PlayStation 3
- Topic Archived
You're browsing the GameFAQs Message Boards as a guest. Sign Up for free (or Log In if you already have an account) to be able to post messages, change how messages are displayed, and view media in posts.
- Topic Archived


text:
We can list your Alexandria property to help you achieve your real estate goals.
When planning to sell your home, Nesbitt Realty Realtor can help you. Our Realtors are familiar with the real estate market in Northern Virginia and we can determine the best listing price for your property. We know how the home selling process works and are ready to assist you every step of the way. We have access to the MLS (multiple listing service), which is the database that agents use to find homes for sale in the area, and will add your property to it. Working with a Realtor will make the home selling process run smoothly and much simpler than if you attempt to do it on your own.
Get A Free Market Analysis Of Your Home's Value
We have offices in Alexandria, Ballston, Reston and Mclean. Feel free to call us at (703)765-0300 for more information.
Market Values
Contact us for an accurate assessment of your property values in Alexandria.
Questions, comments, concerns?
Call us at (703)765-0300 or email us using this form. We're happy to help you achieve your real estate goals.


text:
Star Wars Moto-X
The Empire may be run by a bunch of species-enslaving, planet-destroying pricks but they're not so evil as to deny the grunts a little R&R from time to time. I'm just glad to see they finally put the sand dunes of Tatooine to good use.
This Edible Binger Provides Your Daily Recommended Serving of Fruits and Cannabis
Reader Mathieu S. cobbled together this pine-water-apple-mellon binger last weekend and we have it on good authority the it does, in fact, hit just as deliciously as it looks.
The Fallacy of the DEA: Why the Agency Needs to Concede to Legal Marijuana
Jamie Haase is a former Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent and has witness more than a few of the DEA's myopic failures firsthand. In this scathing HuffPo opinion piece, he discusses how the "biggest narcotics police conglomerate ever known to man" came to be and how it is woefully unprepared for America's changing perceptions of marijuana. [HuffPo - Image: Ian R]
Dancing Chromatophores of the squid, Loligo pealeii
You want to to be reincarnated as a dolphin? Really? Pfft, have fun in the tuna nets. I'm coming back as a squid, the ninja of the sea.
Boil That Oil: Task & Linus help make the medicine go down
*dons onion belt* Now back in my day, we didn't have all these fancy dabbers and hot plates. We'd heat a knife over an open flame then drop the oil right onto it. And we liked it that way! [Prankdab]


text:
MU Extension > calendar
Professional development events
Area 4-H Camping program (Session 3 of 5)
Sunday, June 2, 2013, 2 p.m. to Saturday, June 8, 2013, 11 a.m.
Camp InlowPhiladelphia MO
Camping through 4-H has been proven to be a substantial and effective youth development experience for youth aged 8-14. Two camp sessions are offered based upon the age of the child.More information about this event
Session topic:
Session for all youth aged 11 - 14 years oldSession for all youth aged 8-10 years old
Contact your local Extension Office for registration information and details.
Add event to your compatible iCalendar such as Microsoft Outlook or Apple iCal.
© 1993
to 2015 Curators of the University
of Missouri, all rights reserved, DMCA
and other copyright information
University of Missouri Extension is an equal opportunity/ADA institution.
University of Missouri Extension
© 1993
to 2015 Curators of the University of Missouri, all rights reserved


text:
I need a soapbox (regarding college three pointers)
I have begun to hate college teams that shoot a lot of threes. The shot is way too easy at the current line. The top 50 shooting teams all hit at least 38.2% of their three-point attempts. That is equal to 1.14 points per shot. To do that from inside the three-point line, a team would have to shoot 57%. I can't find any stats for two-point percentage, but only four teams shoot better than 50% from the field. I checked the two-point percentage for those four teams and found only one hit 57% inside the line; I can't imagine many others did the same. There's certainly not 50+ teams that did it.
It's also easier to get "hot" from beyond the line. When a team hits over 60% inside the line, they are getting mostly dunks and layups (i.e. working for their points or taking advantage of mistakes more than making shots), but teams regularly make 50% of their three-point shots in a single game. That's like making 75% of their two-pointers! How often does that happen? It should be just as rare for a team to hit 50% of their threes.
Some teams shoot more than others, and that's fine, but when you look at a lot of the biggest upsets or near upsets, the underdog either hit 50% or better or attempted more than 20 threes. Look at the biggest wins by good teams and you'll see that they didn't shoot many threes. The close three-point line is an equalizer unlike anything else seen in sports and allows teams to win despite not playing as well as the losing team.
But the good news is that the line is being moved a foot farther back for next year. It will bring percentages down, but will it bring them down enough? If not, I'm close to giving up on college basketball as a legitimate sport.
NCAA Tournament: Round 1 review
Wow…Let's look at what we know after today.
- Duke's chances of winning the tournament are decreased quite a bit. Each of the last ten national champions have won their first round game by double-digits. Champions don't struggle in the opening round, which means Tennessee and Xavier probably won't win either.
- Connecticut and Vanderbilt definitely will not be winning the tournament. (For the record, I said San Diego would be the team most likely to get a big upset.)
- 1-seeds are better than 16-seeds.
- A 12-seed beats a 5-seed in the first round every year. (The first round last year never happened.)
- Brackets are pretty tough to pick accurately.
- Stephen Curry is pretty good.
- The next round should be great!
[I had some Internet problems the last couple days, which is why I didn't have any posts before now. I don't promise anything except that I'll post when I can.]
NIT First round: Illinois State vs. Utah State
I headed down to see this game live tonight. ISU won by four but was only up by two when Utah State missed an open three with seventeen seconds to go.
ISU won, but they did not impress me at all. I had them as my last team in the tournament, but I'm glad they didn't get in. They would have brought shame and embarrassment to the Missouri Valley if they played Clemson in the first round. I was also unimpressed with their crowd compared to Bradley's crowds. They couldn't even sell out an 8,000-seat arena for a postseason game…Bradley sells out its 13,000-seat arena for non-conference games. Step it up, ISU fans, or you'll always be the inferior Central Illinois team…
What to expect out of me the next few days…
I plan to post a few interesting notes about each game before it starts, meaning about sixteen "pre-game" posts this weekend. I'll also post recaps, at least at the end of each day, maybe at the end of each session. If you're lucky, I'll even make a few other posts if something interests me enough.
However, all of this will wait until probably the second session on Thursday. I have a doctor appointment for noon on Thursday. In my time zone, that means the appointment starts about half an hour after the first round of games begin. If I'm lucky, I'll be out and home before the first games end; if I'm unlucky, it won't even start until the games are almost over. Wish me luck!
Tournament Breakdown: Part 4
North Carolina vs. Mt. St. Mary's
I was sad that Coppin State lost. Two years ago when their entire team was freshmen and sophomores, I said they'd win a game in this year's tournament. I was going to call the play-in game their one win and say I was right. Then I was going to talk about how they play some of the most difficult non-conference schedules each year but how the teams they play end up finishing much worse than they start each year, and then I'd make up a "Coppin Curse." But they're not in this game, so I won't talk about them. Carolina wins.
Indiana vs. Arkansas
Indiana's been average at best since Kelvin Sampson left. They've gone 3-3, including losses to Penn State and Minnesota and a 103-74 loss to Michigan State. Two of their three wins were by three points each over Northwestern and at home over Ohio State. Stories came out that players were still in contact with their old coach and would rather play for them than interim coach Dan Dakich. Well, they've been playing like it. That sounds like a first-round loss to me. Although Arkansas made it to the SEC championship game, all games played after the tornado shouldn't count for much. Their win over Tennessee was after the tornado; their win over Vanderbilt was before, but Vanderbilt is bad away from home. Overall, they're only 6-6 in their last 12 games. They'll win though because they're playing Indiana.
Notre Dame vs. George Mason
Notre Dame played an unimpressive non-conference schedule, playing zero road games and losing games to Baylor and Georgia Tech. Their conference schedule was about as weak as a Big East schedule can get. They only played two of the seven other tournament teams more than once. They split with Connecticut and Marquette and lost to Marquette again in their first conference tournament game. Notre Dame is somewhat overrated. George Mason isn't as good as when they made the final four, but their two best players were key players in their final four run–Folarin Campbell and Will Thomas. They are both seniors and ought to play well in their last chance. Their final four team had two good big men and good shooters; this team has only one good big man and good shooters. They won't make the final four, but I'm picking them to get out of the first round at least.
Washington State vs. Winthrop
I'm guessing Winthrop got this high a seed because they played good teams, even though they lost to them. They only went 10-4 in a bad conference and don't have a top 100 rpi. Teams not in the top 75 rarely win games. This isn't the same Winthrop that beat Notre Dame last year and nearly beat Tennessee two years ago. Their leading scorer and point guard are still with the team but the quality of the rest of the team is quite a bit lower. Washington state lost eight games this year to four teams. They went 0-3 against Arizona, 0-2 against Stanford, 0-2 against UCLA, and 0-1 against California. Other than the Cal loss, their losses were to the most talented teams in the Pac-10. Winthrop is not one of the three most talented teams.
Oklahoma vs. St. Joseph's
This seems to be everyone's favorite upset pick. I guess that's because St. Joe's beat a top-15 team twice in a week. Xavier is a guard-oriented team though, and St. Joe's other "big" wins were over Villanova and UMASS, two teams without a key player over 6'8″. Oklahoma's top three scorers are 6'10", 6'11", and 6'6″. That doesn't necessarily mean they can't beat big men, but Syracuse's big men beat up on them; Gonzaga's 6'10" forward Austin Daye led them in scoring when they beat St. Joe's; Holy Cross's big men did well; Creighton's big men did well. I'm picking Blake Griffin to have a big game and Oklahoma to win.
Louisville vs. Boise State
Am I the only one really hoping Boise State plays Oklahoma in the second round? Can Louisville throw this game and make that happen? Boise State hasn't had a really bad loss since early December, so they could be dangerous, and their best player Reggie Larry fills up stat sheets. Louisville may be another overrated Big East team. The only tournament teams they played twice were Marquette and Georgetown. They did beat Georgetown once and Marquette twice though, and beat West Virginia, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, and Villanova the one time they played each of them. Four of their eight losses were without David Padgett (or in his first game back). They are a solid team with him healthy and shouldn't lose this one.
Butler vs. South Alabama
This one angers me, as does the fact that the winner faces Tennessee. I wanted to pick both of them to make the sweet sixteen but don't have either of them doing that now. Butler is a great team, has their entire roster back after a sweet sixteen run last year, and is led by seniors. South Alabama has a good team, is playing in their home state, and is also led by upperclassmen. Usually if I think a team is underseeded, I'll pick them every time, but I'm afraid to pick against the team in their home state as well. I'm picking Butler but could be convinced to change that pick.
Tennessee vs. American
Underseeded team vs. overseeded team. This ought to be a 1/16 game, and the 1s never lose those. American ought to be back for another try next year. Their top four scorers are all juniors. Watch for them to be like Vermont (from the same conference) a few years ago.
Round 2
North Carolina vs. Arkansas
Tyler Hansbrough is the best player in the nation. I haven't been watching college basketball that long, but he is the best player I remember seeing. He's not the most talented player ever (or even this year; there are a few more talented than he is), but no one combines his talent with his work ethic and toughness. Now take a great player who plays hard and tough all game and make him an 82% free throw shooter. Now look at the rest of his team: a great point guard, great shooters, and great athleticism. Arkansas doesn't impress me, and no one has impressed me more than Carolina this year.
George Mason vs. Washington State
I think Mason's seniors extend their career one more game. The three teams WSU lost to multiple times all have good inside players. I'm calling Will Thomas to have a big game and bring George Mason to the sweet sixteen.
Oklahoma vs. Louisville
I tried to come up with a good reason for picking Oklahoma here but couldn't. Call it my obligatory "6 over 3″ pick. Louisville did lose to UCONN and Georgetown, teams with 7-footers. Oklahoma doesn't have a 7-footer, but they do have 6'10" Griffin and 6'11" Longar.
Butler vs. Tennessee
Butler scared Florida last year and will scare Tennessee this year, but Tennessee is too good. This is a good an upset pick as any, though because Drake is led by seniors and was there last year. However, Tennessee is also led by seniors, was there last year, and almost knocked off a title-game team in the third round. Butler got a horrible seed and will pay for it by losing this game.
Round 3
North Carolina vs. George Mason
Even though he goes to the line ten times a game, Tyler Hansbrough is rarely in foul trouble. He's only had four fouls four times. When have you seen a player who plays as physically as he does commit so few fouls? Will Thomas shoots almost 6 free throws per game and also commits few fouls. Both will stay in the game and battle the whole way. Hansbrough's supporting cast is better though and will pull out a close game.
Oklahoma vs. Tennessee
I didn't have a good reason for Oklahoma to beat Louisville. Who do you think I'll pick in this one? Before the tornado game, which should not be held against Tennessee (even though it clearly was), their only losses were at Texas, at Kentucky, and at Vanderbilt. If you ignore Kentucky's horrible non-conference season, those three teams lost a total of one home game all year. Tennessee did not lose a game that wasn't in an opponent's gym and won in many good teams' gyms. They are as good as it gets and should have gotten a 1-seed.
Regional Championship
North Carolina vs. Tennesee
The last five teams I have left are all great teams that are hard to separate from each other. When I was picking them, I picked the team I thought was better to win each game. Well, except for this one. Carolina is playing in Charlotte; they don't lose tournament games in North Carolina. I'd have a hard time deciding whether Tennessee or North Carolina was better, so I'm going with the "home" team.
Final Four
The better team wins each game. North Carolina is better than Georgetown, UCLA is better than Texas, and UCLA is better than North Carolina. Championship game score: 72-65. If you disagree with any of these picks, let me know why.
Tournament Breakdown: Part 3
Thanks to the first two parts, this blog has been viewed more today than it has in any single month (before this one, obviously). Part 4 will come after I know the winner of the…play-in game.
Kansas vs. Portland State
I've criticized Kansas because they didn't beat great teams this year (1-1 against 5 seeds or higher–both games against Texas), but one thing they do well is beat up on bad teams. I thought Portland State should have been higher because they played some good teams (as many as Kansas did) and came within 12 of winning at Washington State, but they won't compete with Kansas. Their guards are pretty good and might not get killed by Kansas's guards, but their top rebounder is only 6'4″. Kansas will kill them inside, which will lead to outside shots.
UNLV vs. Kent State
I think this is the best first-round game that no one is talking about. UNLV protects the ball and turns teams over (11 turnovers per game/8 steals per game), so they could just get lucky and make a run in the tournament. Kent State has inside and outside scorers and also forces a lot of turnovers (8.5 steals per game). Kent State got a win at St. Mary's, and UNLV had a 29 point win against BYU. I'm taking UNLV because of the tournament experience they got last year.
Clemson vs. Villanova
I'm not as high on Clemson as others are. They play a heavy-pressure, gambling defense and are bad at free throws. If they play a team that protects the ball well or is in a game that comes down to the last few possessions, they might be in trouble. As good as Scottie Reynolds is, he is young and turns the ball over 3 times a game. Villanova as a team had more turnovers than assists this year. Clemson wins.
Vanderbilt vs. Siena
Siena's great win this year against Stanford came before Brook Lopez was playing. They apparently got some favorable calls in that game too…they shot 32 free throws to Stanford's 3. If Shan Foster gets hurt for Vanderbilt and the refs call 12 more fouls on Vanderbilt than on Siena, Siena might just pull off an upset.
USC vs. Kansas State
I've said the only reason Kansas State made it is because they have a great freshman. This matchup supports my theory–they paired Beasley with OJ Mayo. Kansas State had a great six-game stretch in January (beating Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Kansas), but they were 14-11 without any wins against tournament teams the rest of the year. USC played well against the best big man they faced this year–beating Stanford at home and holding the Lopez twins to 10 combined points when they played at Stanford. They'll do well enough against Beasley to get the win.
Wisconsin vs. Cal State Fullerton
Like Kansas, Wisconsin wins big against bad teams. Outside their conference season, they did not have a single-digit win against a non-tournament team. They had a couple bad losses (big to Duke and at home to Marquette) but got it together since then. Their only two losses were to Purdue who is a bad matchup for Wisconsin. CSF played a couple tournament teams and lost by double digits to both St. Mary's and Arizona. They are high-scoring, but they won't get to 50 in this one.
Gonzaga vs. Davidson
I said at the beginning of the year that I'd pick Davidson in the first round no matter who they played (like I did with Winthrop last year). Gonzaga is a tough game for them though. Unlike a power conference team that might overlook somewhat a team like Davidson, Gonzaga is used to playing teams like them every game in their conference. Gonzaga has good depth and balance, while Davidson gets 1/3 of their scoring from Stephen Curry. I think he is solid enough to get them a win though. They almost beat Maryland last year and had almost everyone back.
Georgetown vs. UMBC
If possible, I think Georgetown is underrated. They won the Big East regular season and easily won their first two conference tournament games before falling to a hot Pittsburgh team. They've showed that they can both blow out good teams and win close games. They won six games by three points or less, which will help them in this tournament. UMBC doesn't have anyone who can challenge Hibbert inside. Their top rebounder is 6'4″. They lost by 24 to West Virginia and shouldn't be much closer in this one.
Round 2
Kansas vs. UNLV
I think this will be a tougher game for Kansas than most do. UNLV is one of the best in the nation at protecting the ball. If they don't turn it over and get a good shot each possession, they could beat Kansas. Kansas would need to shoot poorly to lose this one. They'll be able to look ahead somewhat, which is something UNLV will not be able to do. The two teams are very similar, but Kansas is just better.
Clemson vs. Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt is not very good away from home. They were 2-6 on the road in the SEC and 1-1 in the SEC tournament. They only won by 6 on the road against a Depaul team that only won 11 games all year. Clemson isn't great on the road either, but they did well in the neutral ACC tournament. Shan Foster is the best shooter in the nation, but will Clemson's pressure defense give him enough good, in-rhythm looks? I'm taking Clemson, but only because Vanderbilt is bad away from home.
USC vs. Wisconsin
Wisconsin's relaxed, slow style of play is something Mayo and USC hasn't seen this year. USC was 2-7 when they didn't score 60 points this year; Wisconsin allowed 60 points only 9 times all year. Wisconsin is underrated because they play in the Big Ten and aren't flashy, but they are as good as anyone. They'll shut down USC's offense and win this one by 12.
Davidson vs. Georgetown
Another game Davidson can win because Georgetown plays so many close games, and Davidson plays well against good teams. Georgetown is a great team though and is able to play any style. This one will probably come down to the last few possessions, and Davidson could very well pull of an upset. I am picking Georgetown's talent and experience though.
Round 3
Kansas vs. Clemson
If Clemson makes it this far, it is because their hot streak has continued. I think this is the toughest team Kansas could play in this position–Clemson is a team that is able to push and defend all game like Kansas is. It could come down to which team makes more shots. I see this one coming down to the end, and I'm picking the better free throw shooting team: Kansas.
Wisconsin vs. Georgetown
As I said previously, Georgetown can play any style, including Wisconsin's super-slow style. This game will be played in the 50's. Georgetown has actually played more games this year with both teams below 60. They've beaten good teams in games like that (Louisville, West Virginia, Villanova). Wisconsin also has played good teams in close, low-scoring games, beating Michigan State and losing to Purdue. The teams are very similar, but Georgetown has played more big games this year, has more tournament experience, and has better outside shooting. That is why I am picking them.
Regional Championship
Kansas vs. Georgetown
Continuing the trend in this region, this will be a very competitive game. In fact, there are five or six teams that have a good chance of getting to the final four. As said before, Georgetown can play any style…but so can Kansas. In all previous games, I've picked the team I think is better. I'm going to break that trend here. I'm picking Georgetown because their tournament experience and Bill Self's inability to win the big games will work in their favor in an otherwise even game. Both teams have a tough road to get here though. One could get knocked off earlier or be so beat up that they lose here. Don't bet anything big on this region.
Tournament Breakdown: Part 2
UCLA vs. Mississippi Valley State
MVSU is the alma mater of Jerry Rice. Even if they had the greatest receiver ever on their team, MVSU still would lose this game by 30. Pick them only if you want to commit bracket suicide.
BYU vs. Texas A&M
BYU has size and experience and can play both inside and outside. Their top two scorers each shoot well over 50% from the field, one of them hitting 46% of his threes (58/125). Texas A&M has done well this year because they have no real weaknesses although they are not great at anything. When they beat Texas, they shot well from outside and Texas didn't. BYU is bigger than Texas and shouldn't be bothered as much by A&M's perimeter defense.
Drake vs. Western Kentucky
These teams seem remarkably similar to me. Both are guard-oriented and shoot well. Two differences I noticed: Drake is more balanced on offense, while WKU has a star (Courney Lee). WKU also has more turnovers than assists this year, but Drake has more assists than turnovers. Those two reasons are why I'm picking Drake. I think their defense is strong enough to shut down one star.
Connecticut vs. San Diego
I was high on San Diego after watching them beat St. Mary's and Gonzaga in their conference tournament. I was going to pick them to win their first round game…until I saw who they were playing. They don't have much outside offense besides Brandon Johnson, their point guard. He could go for 30 but they'd lose because they will not get much post offense against Connecticut's big guys. If you want a 13 or lower seed that can pull an upset though, this would be my pick.
Purdue vs. Baylor
I don't think many people saw either of these teams in the tournament at the beginning of the season. I wonder how legitimate either of them are now. Purdue beat up on a bad Big Ten and had only one good non-conference win–over an injured Louisville. They did beat Wisconsin, but are they really that good or was it just a really good match up for Purdue? Baylor started hot but has lost 8 of their last 13 games. Granted, 6 of those losses were to tournament teams. Well, crap. I had Purdue picked here but now that I've looked closer, I'm thinking Baylor. Baylor has a lot of juniors; Purdue is mostly freshmen and sophomores. Pick Baylor here.
Xavier vs. Georgia
There's a reason Georgia won only 4 games in the SEC this year. There's another reason why they won 4 games in the SEC–tornado. Never would have happened if the whole tournament hadn't turned into a circus. Xavier has been great all year and only lost a couple games in a pretty good conference (probably just as good as the SEC anyway). Xavier is balanced, experienced, good at shooting…they have six guys averaging double-figures in scoring. Georgia made a great run to get here, but they can't compete with Xavier.
West Virginia vs. Arizona
This match up interests me. I think Arizona is the better team, but how do I explain why they didn't win more games? Chase Budinger is good enough to win a game by himself, and he might not be the best player on that team. All their stats are good…they just don't always win. That's basically why I'm picking West Virginia. If Arizona hasn't shown the "killer instinct" all year and been able to beat teams that they should, why will they start now? West Virginia is balanced but has a star as well. If Joe Alexander plays like he did down the stretch, he can win a game by himself as well.
Duke vs. Belmont
As much as you may hate Duke, they are a pretty good team. In the past, teams have taken a shot at them by trying to get their big guys in foul trouble or shut down their star. This Duke team's weakness is their lack of size. Belmont will not be able to exploit that. Their best rebounder is 6'4″ and they don't even average 2 blocks per game. Duke will win big.
Round 2
UCLA vs. BYU
I think UCLA is the best all-around team in the nation. I'm not going to pick against them ever. I'm also not going to try to come up with a reason why they'll win each game; I think they're just better. BYU will keep this one close though.
Drake vs. Connecticut
This game reminds me a lot of Butler vs. Florida in the sweet sixteen last year. Butler nearly won that game. Difference this time is Drake is more experienced than Butler, and Connecticut is less experienced than Florida. I'm taking Drake this time. UCONN lost in the big east tournament to a balanced West Virginia team that is very similar to Drake. Connecticut has been taking it easy in their last few games; you know a team like Drake is going to come hard. Besides, if I think there's a chance UCONN could lose in the first round, it would be irresponsible for me to pick them farther than this.
Baylor vs. Xavier
I wanted to pick against Baylor in the first round; I'm not sending them to the sweet sixteen. Xavier is a great team that almost beat Ohio State to get the sweet sixteen last year. Baylor is good but not great and hasn't been here in a really, really long time (last time they won a game was 1950). They're going in the right direction, but this won't be the year they win more than one game.
West Virginia vs. Duke
Duke has made the sweet sixteen 7 of the last 8 years. Last year was the one time. Last year's team was, frankly, not nearly as good as this year's. These teams are very similar to each other, but in one game, I'm taking Coach K over Bob Huggins. I will say this though: If Arizona has the killer mentality to beat West Virginia, they are good enough to beat Duke. One win might be enough to wake them up and get them to the elite eight. That's a great low-seed sleeper if you're looking for one.
Round 3
UCLA vs. Drake
Could this game be like Butler vs. Florida last year? The great mid-major coming closer to knocking off the eventual champion than anyone else? Drake will need to hit jump shots to have a chance; UCLA's defense is too tough otherwise. This game could be close, but Drake hasn't played anyone this good ever.
Xavier vs. Duke
Xavier doesn't have the size to give Duke problems, but they do have more experience. These teams are very similar in every way. The only way I can see to differentiate between them is age and experience. Xavier wins.
Regional Championship
UCLA vs. Xavier
UCLA is the best. I think BYU would be their toughest competition in this region unless Arizona smells blood and makes it this far. They just have too few weaknesses to be beat by anything but a great performance. Granted, anyone can put forth a great performance in any game, but if that were realistic, we might as well close our eyes and randomly pick the winner of each game. UCLA is the best team; UCLA has no big weakness; I pick UCLA in each game.
Tournament Breakdown: Part 1
I'll look at one part of the bracket today. I'll do another part tonight and the other half tomorrow.
Memphis vs. UT-Arlington
I must confess. Because I was busy with high school basketball teams all winter, I have not actually watched Memphis play this year. I've seen more of Arlington than I have of Memphis, so I'm not exactly qualified to talk about this game. I do know, however, that Arlington had lost 5 of their last 7 games before their conference tournament and Memphis had lost 1 of their last 31. I do think this is the best chance a 16 has to beat a 1 this year though. The occasional times those games go down to the end, the better team shows their power at the end and pulls away, right? What if, when Memphis starts to pull away, Arlington just puts them on the line every possession and hits a couple big threes?
Mississippi State vs. Oregon
I didn't think Oregon should be in it; I can't figure out why Mississippi State isn't better than they are. Needless to say, I'm picking MSU. Their starting five is about as talented as it gets. Check out their stats. Oregon only had one big conference win–over Stanford. They never beat USC, UCLA, or Washington State. Their non-conference win was over an overrated Kansas State. Explain why they got in. They have a small guard-oriented team that will not match up well against MSU's size. They'll need to force a lot of turnovers and hit threes to have a chance.
Michigan State vs. Temple
Michigan State can compete with anyone on the right day (beat Texas, put up 103 on Indiana) but can play terribly on others (lost to Penn State and Iowa). They committed 18 turnovers and shot only 4 free throws against Iowa. I don't see that happening in the tournament with Tom Izzo as their coach. Temple has gotten hot at the right time, but they're still not a particularly good team and don't have the size to defend Michigan State inside.
Pittsburgh vs. Oral Roberts
Oral Roberts is over-seeded here. They aren't as good as last year's team that got a 14-seed and lost by 16 to Washington State. However, there are a ton of bad teams at the bottom of this bracket, so I guess the seed is fair. Still, they don't have much of a chance against Pittsburgh that is finally (mostly) healthy and could make a deep run.
Marquette vs. Kentucky
Remember that Kentucky doesn't have their best player, Patrick Patterson. Supposedly they've played well without him, but they've gone 2-2 without him. Both wins were over non-tournament teams. Only three of their wins were over tournament teams. Compare that to Marquette, who has wins at Wisconsin and Villanova and a neutral court win over Notre Dame. They were playing well in the big east tournament until they ran into the Pittsburgh buzzsaw. They only lose to good teams; Kentucky is not one of them.
Stanford vs. Cornell
Even in their losses, Cornell has not been blown out. I don't know how they play, but they shoot almost 50% from the field and over 40% from behind the three-point line. Stanford is an inside-dominated team with twin seven-footers Robin and Brook Lopez. Judging by stats, Cornell has a team of jump-shooters. This game could come down to whether the game is played on the inside or outside. If Cornell is able to speed the game up and force Stanford to shoot from the outside, they could pull off an upset. I am picking Stanford, however.
Miami vs. St. Mary's
I haven't seen Miami play this year. The one time I watched St. Mary's impressed me even though they lost to San Diego. They play solid defense, forcing almost 8 steals a game. They're better than you might think. Their only loss to a non-tournament team was at Southern Illinois, which is as tough a place to win as any. Even though I don't know much about Miami, I'm picking St. Mary's because I think they're that good.
Texas vs. Austin Peay
Texas is as good as anyone in the nation. They aren't a 1-seed only because they've lost some bad games. To be fair though, Missouri made an incredible amount of shots to beat them, and Texas Tech shot 43 free throws to beat them. Austin Peay shot very well against Memphis but still lost by 22 because they couldn't handle Memphis's talent and athleticism. Don't expect anything different to happen here.
Second Round
Memphis vs. Mississippi State.
MSU can match Memphis in athleticism, but they turn the ball over far too much and also shoot free throws poorly. If they protect the ball, they can definitely pull off an upset, but I am picking Memphis.
Michigan State vs. Pittsburgh
Pitt's better…but I'm picking Michigan State. I just like Tom Izzo in the postseason and still think Michigan State can beat anyone in the nation if they play right. Ultimately, I think Pittsburgh's long run in the Big East tournament will wear them down and cause their loss in this game.
Marquette vs. Stanford
Marquette does not have nearly enough size to handle Stanford. They lost big to Connecticut and lost a close one at home to Georgetown (even though Georgetown had a bad game). If they can force turnovers and get fast break points, they might have a chance, but they are not big enough or good enough at shooting to beat a big team.
St. Mary's vs. Texas
They played earlier this year. Texas won by 19, despite making only 25% of their threes and 54% from the free-throw line and getting outrebounded by 8. Augustin had 30 points despite making only one three pointer. I don't see anything different happening this time.
Third Round
Memphis vs. Michigan State
Another game I think Memphis could lose but won't. I'm ripping the Big Ten here: I don't believe any team from that conference besides Indiana (with a real coach) can beat an athletic team. Michigan State lost by 19 to the athletic Hoosiers when they still had Sampson as their coach. This game will be closer than that, but Memphis will win fairly easily.
Stanford vs. Texas
Texas is a team that can shoot well enough and get enough fast break points to beat Stanford without competing against their size. It will be competitive, but the game is being played in Houston. Stanford is 2,000 miles away. Texas is 150. That gives Texas an advantage in a fairly even game otherwise.
Regional Championship
Memphis vs. Texas
Texas comes to play in big games. They beat UCLA and Tennessee earlier in the year when both were ranked high and beat Kansas when Kansas was ranked #2. Their loss in the conference championship game wouldn't have happened if Kansas had shot a normal three-point percentage… Memphis's early-season wins don't look as impressive anymore. Oklahoma, USC, Georgetown, Arizona, and Gonzaga have all dropped in the rankings since they played Memphis. They lost at home to the best team they've played this year–Tennessee. Oh yeah, the game is played in Texas too. Texas wins and advances to the Final Four.
My picks in review
ESPN's bracketology got all the picks right this year…I missed one. Darn. I had Illinois State in rather than Oregon. Lunardi got 29 of the 65 seeds correct; I had…32. Ta-da. I was within one seed on 59 of my 65 picks; he was within one seed on 54 of his picks. That is all I have to say.
I need to apologize to Georgia University
I said you should just forfeit instead of holding on to an unrealistic hope. I was wrong.
But doesn't this illustrate how bad the SEC was this year? There's no way this Georgia team would have won the last couple years.