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Looking to go cable-free? You're not alone.
Roughly 8.2% of us cancelled our cable subscriptions last year, which was an increase of 1.3% over the previous year. In fact, even among those who decided to continue paying for cable, a whopping 45% reduced their service!
This is why streaming services like Netflix gained more than 12 million subscribers over the past year! Cutting the cord is clearly big business.
But breaking up with your cable company is a two-sided coin. On one hand, you'll be able to save a ton of money each month and stop paying for hundreds of channels you probably don't even watch.
On the other side of the coin, you have the convenience factor to consider: Cable providers offer easy access to all your favorite programs through one simple box, whether they air on premium or broadcast networks. And once your subscription ends, it's up to you to figure out how you'll get them back.
And based on dozens of reader comments we received with our original Cutting the Cord article, it's this "content crisis" that seems to be the biggest obstacle holding most us back from cancelling our cable subscriptions.
But HighYa's here to the rescue!
To help you overcome this obstacle (and many others you might not be aware of yet), we felt this was the perfect time to give you an updated look at exactly what you need to know. Welcome to our 2015 Guide To Cutting the Cord!
To kick things off, let's review what you'll need in order to successfully cut the cord.
What You'll Need To Cut the Cord
When it comes down to it, there are three primary parts involved in cutting the cord:
- Internet Connection +
- Hardware +
- Software =
Cable Freedom!
Note: We covered some of this in our original guide, but based on reader feedback, we decided it's important to provide a much more in-depth look here. Plus, a lot has changed over the past couple years, and we're focused on keeping you up-to-date!
Part 1: Your Internet Connection
With a cable subscription, all your content is delivered through a dedicated cable or satellite dish. But once your subscription has ended, the only way to regain access to this content is by streaming it over the internet.
Here's the thing: Streaming content over an internet connection requires a lot of bandwidth (i.e. how much information can be transmitted at any one time), which is typically measured in megabits per second (Mbps).
Many streaming content providers (more about this in Part 3) generally recommend a connection speed of about 5Mbps for their services, but in most instances, this probably won't be enough. Why?
Because this is the minimum recommended speed, not the ideal speed. In other words, if you have a 5Mbps connection, you'll likely experience frequent lag and buffering, which can completely ruin your viewing experience. So, how much speed is right for you?
This depends on your specific circumstances, but most professionals recommend purchasing the fastest package you can afford. Two big factors to consider are:
- Does your internet download speed fluctuate throughout the day? This can occur during peak times (6pm to 10pm) as thousands of other users in your area log on each evening. You should be able to check your speed throughout the day using software provided by your internet provider, or you can used a third-party site like SpeedTest.
- How many users are in your household? If it's just you, then you might be able to get by with a lower speed. But if there are others in your household, you might find that your connection suffers if everyone's watching content at the same time. The more users there are, the faster speed you'll need.
Perhaps the easiest option would be to call your internet provider directly and discuss your situation with them. At this same time, you can compare prices and find out if any current discounts or specials are available (don't worry, we have a whole section dedicated to costs below!).
Alright, now that you've got your internet connection optimized for cutting the cord, the next step is choosing the right hardware.
Part 2: Your Hardware
Remember that big, bulky cable box you used to have? Well, it was responsible for processing signals from the cable coming out of your wall, and turning them into the picture you saw on your TV.
Now that your cable box is a thing of the past, you'll need to replace it with something similar. Except that instead of processing a signal from a cable, your new hardware will house the apps that allow you to access different services (we'll dig into this in the next section). These devices are known as media streamers.
There are literally dozens of media streamers available today, including set-top boxes like Roku 1, 2 and 3, AppleTV, and Amazon Fire TV, and even "stick" devices that plug directly into the back of your TV like Roku Streaming Stick, Amazon Fire Stick, and ChromeCast.
Truth be told, in today's marketplace, most of these devices operate similarly and give you access to pretty much the same content. The main differences are:
- Their interfaces (e.g. menu design)
- Their speed (boxes tend to be faster than stick devices)
- Additional apps/content they offer, outside of must-haves (again, more about this shortly)
Which Hardware Do You Need?
So, which of these is right for you? It's all based on your specific needs.
Are you a hard-working singleton who only watches TV a couple times per week? A stick device might offer the most bang for your buck. Are you an avid watcher with lots of other users in the household? A top-of-the-line Roku or other set-top box might be your best bet.
Alternately, is most of your content already in iTunes? Do you also like to stream pictures and music through your TV? If this sounds like you, an AppleTV might be the way to go.
Or, are you a technophile and want top-of-the-line technology? You might opt for a brand new smart TV.
Pro tip: You might not even need to purchase a separate device in the first place. Why?
If you own a late model Blu-ray or DVD player, or a newer gaming system (e.g. Playstation 3 or 4, Xbox 360 or One), you'll have the capability to access streaming content through different apps.
If you don't own one of these, you'll be able to access this content on your iPad, Amazon Kindle Fire, or other tablet device—and even your smartphone!
Don't Forget Digital Antennas
If you had a cable subscription long enough, you might not have realized that antennas were still being made. But with so many people cutting the cord, they've seen a resurgence in popularity over the past few years. Why?
Due to the Digital Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005, all broadcast TV stations (e.g. NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, PBS, etc.) were required to begin transmitting digital (versus analog) signals as of February 17, 2009.
Unlike antennas of old, which picked up analog signals, digital antennas pick up these new digital signals floating around in the air, convert them into a picture, and send this picture to your television. And for the most part, the picture quality is much, much better.
We'll talk more about this in the next section, but if most of the content you watch (especially live sports) is on major networks, a digital antenna—like the Mohu Leaf or Winegard Flatwave Air—is a must-have.
Whew! You've got a lot of options, so if you're struggling to make a choice, we'd recommend visiting your local electronics store and asking an associate about any concerns you might have.
Now, let's talk about the biggest factor in determining which content you'll have access to: different streaming services.
Part 3: Your Streaming Services
Regardless of which device you pick, the service you choose is ultimately what determines the content you have access to. And each service comes with their own set of pros and cons.
Among streaming content providers, the three main options (what we call the "Big 3") are Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Instant. Here's a brief rundown of each:
- Netflix – Netflix offers a range of content, from classic and recent TV shows and original programming, to a variety of popular movies and documentaries. If you're looking for the latest movies or most recent TV episodes, Netflix might not be your first choice. Why? Because there can be a fair amount of time between when a TV show airs or a movie is released and when it's made available.
- Hulu Plus – If you plan on being an avid TV watcher after cutting the cord, Hulu Plus is probably your best bet, especially if you enjoy programming from major networks. In most instances, Hulu Plus makes their TV shows available within three days of airing.
- Amazon Instant – In our minds, Netflix and Amazon Instant cover much of the same territory, including classic and modern TV shows and movies. In our experience, though, Amazon Instant seems to have a greater overall selection of content, especially when you factor in their inexpensive rentals.
Outside of these "Big 3," there are other options such as Sling TV and M-GO. You'll even have options for watching niche content like Twitch.TV, which is geared toward gamers.
Keep In Mind that Nothing's Perfect
When deciding on a service, this is perhaps the most important thing to remember: Regardless of which ones you choose, you almost certainly won't find a perfect solution. What do we mean?
Remember when we discussed some of the most popular services above? These are independent companies who sign agreements with other networks and production studios for each and every piece of content they stream.
For example: Hulu Plus might have a contract with FOX for their 10 most popular TV shows, but nothing more (we're not saying this is the case; we're only making a point). So if your favorite FOX show isn't among them, you'll be out of luck.
Another example: Netflix might have only the last four seasons of your favorite sitcom, but nothing prior to that. Or, they might offer all available seasons, but only the first five episodes of each season.
Pro tip: Until recently, if your favorite shows were on cable-only networks like HBO, HGTV, TNT, etc., you were pretty much out of luck after cutting the cord. However, Sling TV is a relatively new service that can give you access to many of these channels—even ESPN!
Let's talk more about sports.
Who Can Forget Sports?
Whether it's football, basketball, baseball, soccer, lacrosse, badminton, or anything else, most of us can't imagine a day (much less a week or month) going by without watching sports. And since ESPN and all their spinoffs are only available with a cable subscription, this was a huge obstacle to overcome for most sports fans when cutting the cord.
Pro tip: Did you know that more than $6 of each person's cable bill goes toward ESPN? And that among the top 10 most expensive cable channels, four are dedicated to sports programming?
Sure, ESPN and other sports broadcasters had apps for different set-top boxes and other streaming devices, but you had to have a cable subscription in order to use them!
This is where Sling TV really seems to be breaking new ground by giving customers small-bundle sports channels at a reasonable price. In fact, they're really your only option for getting ESPN content without a cable subscription.
Speaking of price, is cutting the cord really a cost-effective option?
How Much Money Will You Save by Cutting the Cord?
Remember when you opened gifts as a child and tore into them with reckless abandon? You we're super excited and couldn't wait to get your hands on something new.
Well, you might have this same feeling when you first cut the cord. After all, you'll be saving money, buying new equipment, and trying out different services all at once, so the excitement can be overwhelming.
But if you don't monitor what you're spending, you might find that you're quickly in over your head and paying more each month than you were with cable—the exact opposite of what you want!
So, to help put the situation into perspective, we've run a few simple numbers so you can realistically gauge how much you might save each month. But before we get to that, keep the following in mind:
Budgeting & Unknowns
First, it's likely that your primary reason for wanting to cut the cord is to save money, so you should use this as a starting point. In other words, we'd recommend taking a look at your current cable bill, determining exactly how much you're looking to save each month, and then choosing your services accordingly.
Second, we'll only cover long-term costs in these examples, but not immediate costs like set-top boxes, stick devices, or digital antennas.
To help you save money right out of the gate, you might try accessing different streaming services on devices you already own, like smartphones, tablets, or desktop computers. Then, if you decide that watching content on your actual TV is important, you can purchase the necessary hardware.
Also, we can't know several intangibles that might affect how much you save, such as if you'll be cancelling your cable contract mid-term (and paying the associated fees), how much your internet subscription will go up if you're part of a bundled plan, etc.
Finally, keep in mind that some subscriptions might help you save more money in the long run. For example, Amazon Instant subscriptions also include a Prime membership (and vice versa), which offers free Ground shipping on all orders. So, if you're a frequent Amazon shopper, this might have a big impact on your decision.
With all of this in mind, it's time to crunch some numbers!
Example A
You monthly cable bill is exactly the national average of $123.
You already have the fastest internet connection through someone other than your cable company, so cancelling your subscription won't impact these costs: $0.
You watch a lot of network TV, so you go big and choose Hulu Plus's new No Commercials plan, as well as their SHOWTIME Premium Add-On. Total cost: $20.98 per month.
HBO and ESPN are also must-haves for you, so you opt for Sling Television's HBO Access and Sports Extra packages. You're an amateur chef, so the Cooking Channel would be wonderful, and your children definitely would like their own shows. Add the Kids and Lifestyle Extras. Total cost: $50 per month.
Since you order most of your arts and crafts supplies through Amazon, you already have a Prime membership, which includes access to their Instant streaming service. Total cost: $0
In this scenario, you'd be paying a total of $70.98 per month—saving you $52.02 per month over your cable bill, or more than $624 per year! And you'll still be able to access much of the same content.
Example B
Now, let's say you've already whittled your cable subscription down to the bare minimum at $100 per month.
You also have a mid-range internet connection of 20Mbps, for which you pay $20 per month (based on a package bundle). But with four other people in your household, you know you'll need to max this out, so you choose a 50Mbps plan at $65 per month. Added cost: $45 per month.
With your basic cable subscription, you didn't have access to HBO or any other premium channels, so these aren't important to you. But you do enjoy many of the other channels, like HGTV, TNT, etc, so you chose Sling TV and their Lifestyle Extra package. Total cost: $25 per month
With so many users in your home, you also feel it's a good idea to maximize the amount of content available, so you choose Hulu Plus's No Commercials plan, and also sign up for a streaming-only Netflix plan. Total cost: $20.98
In this scenario, you'd be paying $91 per month after cutting the cord, which is only $9 less than your old cable subscription.
Sure, if you're pinching every penny, saving $108 per year is nothing to sneeze at. But compared to the first example, you're not saving a whole lot of money, and you'll lose access to a fair amount of content in the process. As such, the value just might not be there.
Where does all this leave you?
What's the Bottom Line about Cutting the Cord?
As you can see, whether or not you'll save money by cutting the cord isn't so cut and dry. But the good news is that after reading this article, you're well on your way to figuring out if it's right for you.
Our recommendation? Try dipping your toes into the cable-free waters before making the big leap. How?
All of the "Big 3" streaming services offer free trials (Netflix, Amazon Instant) or free basic accounts (Hulu), so this is a great way to try them out without making a financial commitment. Just be sure to cancel your trials on time, or they'll roll over to paid monthly subscriptions.
And to reduce your initial expenses even more (as we talked about previously), you can watch these services on devices you already own!
Going this route, you'll be able to test out which services you like beforehand. Then, only if you find them useful, should you cancel your cable subscription and purchase any additional hardware.
Here's to your cable-free journey!
What did you think about the information in this article? Did you find it helpful? If so, be sure to share it with your friends and family, and don't forget to leave a comment below!
Read Next: Streaming Services: With So Many Choices, How Can You Pick the Right One?


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Juggalo Weekend Day 1 &2 Recap!
Juggalo Weekend Day 1 @ Saint Andrews Hall
Day 1 of the Juggalo Day festivities kicked off on Friday Feb 19th in the heart of Downtown Detroit at Saint Andrews Hall. As soon as you walked into the venue, it was almost like walking into a whole new world. Juggalos and family love was everywhere and it only got better s the night carried on. From the performances to the merch, and the feel inside the venue it was an wig splitting night for sure. Here is TJF's recap of the Juggalo Weekend festivities!
This event was up first and it definitely was a great intro to starting the weekends' festivities. Every match was insane, and the crowd was loving every second of it! As you all know the matches are known for being bloody and hardcore, and this nights matches were nothing less than hardcore! Below TJF's close homie King B deliver's the results from JCW Matches at Juggalo Weekend Day 1!
JCW Card Results
Shane Mercer Defeats Warchild & Hyzaya
Madman Pondo & Crazy Mary Defeat Jake Durden & Samantha Heights
Rude Boy Defeats Mosh Pit Mike
2Tuff Tony Defeats Ruff Crossing
Super Strong Tiger & Spider Monkey Defeat Ring Rydas
Commentary by Kevin Gill & Scott Damore
A Monumental JCW Moment In The Making
This was a monumental moment for sure. We got to talk to Moshpit Mike after the show and he expressed how he had looked up to Rude Boy for many years and to know he backs him in his career. Watch the clip above to hear what Rudy himself had to say!
Tha Hav Knots
This super group which consists of Anybody Killa, Big Hoodoo and Bonez Dubb came on stage and TORE IT UP!. The energy on stage was out of control and the vibes the were sending out to the crowd got everybody's attention that was in attendance. I don't know about you, but I myself am beyond stoked to be able to have a copy of their cd which is expected to be released around Gathering 17 later this year.
Lil Wyte
When Lil Wyte came out for his performance, it was amazing. The energy was mind blowing and he even did some of his most popular songs for us all to jam to. In a way, it was almost like a nice throwback in a way when he started performing "Oxycotton". I mean I know that for me it instantly brought me back to being the rebellious teen I once was when I first heard it and would listen to it all the time. He also busted out some other classics like "Smoking Song" and others. Above is some of our Periscope footage of his performance. Fair warning, after the first song, the bass gets crazy stupid since our girl Rachelette was up close to the stage and speakers!
Lil Eazy and DJ Yella
If you are a fan of Eazy E or any of his tracks from back in the day you would've LOVED this performance by none other than Eazy's son, Lil Eazy and DJ Yella. They performed some of his top tracks like "Boyz In the Hood", "California Love", and so many more! It was a set you didn't want to miss, but we did thankfully get some footage of it for your eyeballs to peep.
Killjoy Club
Finally, the Killjoy Club performed and the entire audience got hype as hell! Violent J, Shaggy 2 Dope, Young Wicked, and DJ Paul had so much energy on stage it was electric. They did some of their songs from the album, 'Reindeer Games' and towards the end of the set they tore the house down with some old school ICP tracks from The Ringmaster album, such as 'Chicken Huntin'. The entire crowd at Saint Andrews were beaming and singing along with every word. Below is the video we got on Periscope of The Killjoy Club on Juggalo Weekend 2016 Day 1.
BONUS FOOTAGE: The video footage below is from our Canadian homie Notslim1 getting different views of the performance and even got some great shit with the crowd- we HAD to share it! Check this shit out fam.
Juggalo Weekend Day 2 @ Harpo's
Day 2 took place at Harpo's in Detroit on Feb 20th. When you first pulled up to this venue on Saturday, the fist thing you probably noticed was the HUGE line of ninjas waiting patiently to get inside and start partying. It was an understatement when I say that this event was packed as hell. But that just made it even better since there was an ocean of Juggalos and Juggalettes and so much love was in every corner of that venue!
Molly Gruesome
Our Canadian homie Molly Gruesome opened up for this nights show and did an amazing job. Her unique sound and her onstage vibe radiated off into the crowd and us Juggalo's ate it up. She had some amazing energy and has made several performance appearances at the Gathering and other huge Juggalo shows. But since this was the first live performance I had personally seen of hers, I gave it 2 thumbs up! Get it Molly!
Swag Toof
After Molly Gee did her thing on stage, it was time for Swag Toof to perform. If you aren't familiar with them or their Toof Gang followers, they're from New York and bring a different sound out for the audience. Swag Toof is consists of Chiorboy and Ouija, and they reside in Harlem, NY. They tore the stage up with their haunted gritty sound was a great break up from the other opening acts for night and helped to really set the mood.
King 810
King 810 was one of the heaviest moments of the night. These Flint, Michigan natives brought the brutality to the stage and left it all out there. If you're a fan of the late 90's early 2000's style of heavy metal, then this band is for you. They performed right before Young Wicked and helped to get the crowd pumped up with some high pace familiar beats.
Young Wicked
From his performance in Killjoy the night before to this solo performance, Young Wicked was killing Juggalo Day Weekend. Young Wicked has a bright future in Psychopathic, and that future was on display last night in full effect. Young Wicked displayed excellent stage presence while showing off his wicked flows.
If you have yet to see Mushroomhead live in concert, you really are missing out. Their stage performance is riveting and the best part besides the music itself was the drums and lighting! It made it look like lava or something was getting prayed into the drummers faces. Totally amazing experience, we highly suggest catching one of their shows if you've never seen them before.
Esham….WOW. When he came out he was lookin' hella fresh and was playing all the classics. His energy was off the charts and this was probably the first time a lot of Juggalos got to see Esham perform live and in the flesh. To that, I say Juggalo Weekend was one hell of a night to see his set. Not only did he perform this night but the night of Day 1 he was walking around in the crowd taking pics with everyone being the huble artist he is. If you missed it or just want to relive it again, check out True Juggalo Family's first ever live stream from Juggalo Day Weekend via Facebook with this short clip from Esham's set.
Twiztid's Surprise Set
This was obviously one of the most insane, unexpected moments of the entire weekend! It was literally like a stampede when Twiztid came on stage. Twiztid was busting out all the classics and all us Juggalos were lovin' it! We had a live feed of the performance and you can check it above. With Twiztid being back in the same building as ICP for a performance, it was nostalgic in a way, it was definitely a fantastic way to get everyone super fuckin' pumped for ICP's Ringmaster set. Posted by True Juggalo Family on Saturday, February 20, 2016
Of course this was the show everyone came for, some from out of town, some from out of state. The events and shows leading up to this moment helped to make it that much sweeter when it came time for it to start. If you've ever seen ICP live you know already to be expecting a lot of great stage props as well as tons of fucking diet Faygo Root Beer. The crowds energy was fucking insane, because we knew what the hell was about to go down! We had our TJF Periscope going and ready and we even had some live feed going from back stage while the boys set up for the performance of a lifetime. Needless to say once it kicked off everyone in attendance were gettin' live and there wasn't 1 Juggalo in Harpo's that wasn't jamming the hell out in one form or another. Since there was no security for part of the show, there were ninjas doing backflips off the stage with 2 liters of Faygo, bitches coming up and spraying the crowed, it was INSANE. If you missed the show, you have to be sure to check out our Youtube and our Periscope archive cause it was literally the show of a lifetime. Check out the backstage view HERE.
The aftermath of the Faygo shower from the Ringmaster Show on Juggalo Weekend Day 2
There was a lot that went down on this magical weekend in Detroit, Michigan. Don't forget to look at our extensive photo gallery from the weekend also as reviews from Mz Hollywood, and NaptownMike!

subset: commoncrawl


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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484762138483195409.post2738166242697532221..comments2017-07-14T18:32:08.872-04:00Comments on The Tao of Stieb: José Bautista is a Very Dangerous Man (and other new, weird feelings)Tao of Stiebhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484762138483195409.post-88136952839980305992010-08-07T01:14:37.456-04:002010-08-07T01:14:37.456-04:00Ian, I bet it was GhostrunnerIan, I bet it was GhostrunnerSPhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484762138483195409.post-83110575954749246872010-08-05T19:55:21.161-04:002010-08-05T19:55:21.161-04:00http://tdotsports1.wordpress.com/2010/08/05/curiou...http://tdotsports1.wordpress.com/2010/08/05/curious-splits-hanley/

Seriously pumped the Jays got Yunel Escobar for Gonzo...

He was nearly in the same league (almost) as Hanley not too long ago....email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484762138483195409.post-65069424703797111022010-08-05T12:45:00.294-04:002010-08-05T12:45:00.294-04:00All this love for Jose made me reminisce about try...All this love for Jose made me reminisce about trying to pinpoint the moment the Bautista Appreciation Society was born on this site.

We were talking about how Bautista was grossly underrated, and some anonymous commenter said something to the effect of "I'm also a closet Bautista Appreciation Society" member.

BAS 4 Life.Ian H.https://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484762138483195409.post-41771104761272772572010-08-05T10:29:18.025-04:002010-08-05T10:29:18.025-04:00Passing the Red Sox seems like a fun goal for this...Passing the Red Sox seems like a fun goal for this team, which has become weirdly likable, except for every Lind at-bat. I'm in. I'm in!

(NOTE: I don't know what it is I have to do now that I have declared that "I'm in," but still.)Ice Cream Jonseyhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484762138483195409.post-69417649073539581212010-08-04T16:22:24.359-04:002010-08-04T16:22:24.359-04:00@MRB: You know I was being facetious.@MRB: You know I was being facetious.Tao of Stiebhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484762138483195409.post-21428426987867126502010-08-04T16:04:06.225-04:002010-08-04T16:04:06.225-04:00Good to see you tipping your hat to Hall of Famer ...Good to see you tipping your hat to Hall of Famer Jim email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484762138483195409.post-68317915632132420372010-08-04T14:47:19.195-04:002010-08-04T14:47:19.195-04:00Glaus was fun. Remember those chest lifts he did, ...Glaus was fun. Remember those chest lifts he did, like he was adjusting a mansier or something? Loved those murderous faces he made when he struck out or GIDP for the trillionth time.SPhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484762138483195409.post-44303563599103772362010-08-04T14:33:28.168-04:002010-08-04T14:33:28.168-04:00I was going to argue that Troy Glaus was as good i...I was going to argue that Troy Glaus was as good in 2006 as Bautista is now but the numbers don't support it. As it stands currently Bautista definitely has a better slash line (.260/.373/.599) than Glaus did in 2006 (.252/.355/.513). I still think Glaus deserves some love though.NoisyFlowershttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484762138483195409.post-33709819152698400802010-08-04T13:59:57.377-04:002010-08-04T13:59:57.377-04:00STEROIDS!!!1STEROIDS!!!1eyebleafhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484762138483195409.post-35543499796241964972010-08-04T12:59:34.921-04:002010-08-04T12:59:34.921-04:00Feels like a giveaway to the Yanks type of lineup....Feels like a giveaway to the Yanks type of lineup.

Wells and Bautista should be flipped, maybe? Let Vernon feast on heaters cause they don't want to F with Jose. I always thought Wells' best years was when he was second banana to Delgado.Leaker19https://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484762138483195409.post-27406608603397346882010-08-04T12:46:46.691-04:002010-08-04T12:46:46.691-04:00fair enough re: sitting the vets, but i still don&...fair enough re: sitting the vets, but i still don't get why Yunel is not in the line-up. also i forgot JMac is going to be on the team next year. i wonder if he can get some time as the 3rd base coach or something.mike in bostonhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484762138483195409.post-2730700923957172652010-08-04T12:40:00.340-04:002010-08-04T12:40:00.340-04:00And let's not forget that yesterday he sat Ove...And let's not forget that yesterday he sat Overbay -- the oldest guy on the team -- in order to get all three of Snider, Lewis, and Lind into the lineup.

The resulting lineups are pretty wacky, but not in a bad way. Remember, this is the same guy who went out of his way to keep Kevin Millar in the lineup as much as possible, even starting him at 3B last year. What we're seeing now, I'd call that progress.Tyhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484762138483195409.post-29000723062034519002010-08-04T12:38:01.904-04:002010-08-04T12:38:01.904-04:00I don't think that's entirely fair Mike --...I don't think that's entirely fair Mike -- Johnny Mac is already under contract for next year, and he's sitting 30-year-old Lewis in favour of 22-year-old Snider.

It's actually kind of awesome, I think.Tyhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484762138483195409.post-3092491404065804332010-08-04T12:36:12.633-04:002010-08-04T12:36:12.633-04:001. Travis Snider, LF 2. Aaron Hill, 2B 3. Jose Bau...1. Travis Snider, LF
2. Aaron Hill, 2B
3. Jose Bautista, RF
4. Vernon Wells, CF
5. Adam Lind, DH
6. John Buck, C
7. Lyle Overbay, 1B
8. Edwin Encarnacion, 3B
9. John McDonald, SS

oh Cito ... with an off day tomorrow and a chance to sweep the Yanks on the road, what the hell is JMac doing in the line up, and why is Snider leading off?

i have a sinking feeling it's going to be lunacy line-ups the rest of the month as Cito tries to get all the vets contracts for next year while teaching all the youngsters a lesson about respecting your senile elders.mike in bostonhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484762138483195409.post-71668416831206478142010-08-04T12:29:30.161-04:002010-08-04T12:29:30.161-04:00I am still smiling at the people who laughed at me...I am still smiling at the people who laughed at me in Tao's Rotisserie Hoedown fantasy league when I drafted JoBau. Love it. I drafted him in every league I am in. Good stuff.Dustin McGowan's Sideburnshttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484762138483195409.post-22310124504527690452010-08-04T12:25:17.652-04:002010-08-04T12:25:17.652-04:00The last couple homers JoBau has hit have been tot...The last couple homers JoBau has hit have been total no-doubter line drive shots and his reaction each time has been amazing. The second homer at home vs. Cleveland the other day was my favourite - he just dropped his bat as soon as he made contact and the ball was in the stands before he even made it to first base.Tyhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484762138483195409.post-27142307388777989442010-08-04T12:14:18.171-04:002010-08-04T12:14:18.171-04:00Every JB AB is like an event for me. As in, stop w...Every JB AB is like an event for me. As in, stop what you're doing and watch the whole AB because there's a good chance he hits a bomb.

Agreed. Snider too, for me.

....and anyone else notice that JoBau is starting to pimp them a little bit? Followed by the Esco custom shake in the dugout, of course. Brothers by different Latin mothers.The Ackhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484762138483195409.post-20096534356603086372010-08-04T11:57:49.239-04:002010-08-04T11:57:49.239-04:00Every JB AB is like an event for me. As in, stop w...Every JB AB is like an event for me. As in, stop what you're doing and watch the whole AB because there's a good chance he hits a bomb.

I don't think it's the best team in the past few years, but at least we're not the unluckiest team in baseball, which was the norm for like 4-5 years. We are "only" 5 wins below our 3rd order wins--only 3rd unluckiest in baseball! http://www.baseballprospectus.com/statistics/standings.php).SPhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484762138483195409.post-43761620873758148182010-08-04T11:50:02.518-04:002010-08-04T11:50:02.518-04:00And Youkilis is FINISHED!!!1 Yoooouuuuuukkkkk.And Youkilis is FINISHED!!!1

Yoooouuuuuukkkkk.eyebleafhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484762138483195409.post-63408758987964729632010-08-04T11:30:52.862-04:002010-08-04T11:30:52.862-04:00Beating the Red Sox this year actually seems like ...Beating the Red Sox this year actually seems like a pretty reasonable possibility, especially considering how locked-in this team has been since the break. I hate to get into the whole "intangibles" discussion but these guys really seem to be the most cohesive team the Jays have put together in recent years. It seems like every single time Sportsnet shows a dugout shot, the starters are all sitting together watching/talking about the game, and that's awesome.Tyhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484762138483195409.post-8007057573395847112010-08-04T11:21:54.986-04:002010-08-04T11:21:54.986-04:00it's amazing how joining to Red Sox turns you ...it's amazing how joining to Red Sox turns you into a masshole near instantly. in the fracas yesterday Lackey and his fat head were front and centre pretending to be in need of being restrained. Beckett, that head-hunting douche, has this down to a science.

that team is so hateable, it would be great to pass them and their $150 million payroll.mike in bostonhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484762138483195409.post-83087133653681429472010-08-04T11:16:05.926-04:002010-08-04T11:16:05.926-04:00I was at the game on Friday as well. The electric...I was at the game on Friday as well. The electricity and anticipation as JoBau walked to the plate with the bases juiced WAS palpable.

He's in command and has been for months. The only question is when the media outside of Toronto will start to recognize him as anything other than a email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484762138483195409.post-75585996511115098452010-08-04T11:01:00.759-04:002010-08-04T11:01:00.759-04:00Fifth!!!1Fifth!!!1eyebleafhttps://email@example.com


text:
Actor Jeff Goldblum has won a three-year restraining order against a woman he has accused of stalking him for more than a decade.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carol Boas Goodson granted the star the permanent request against Linda Ransom on Tuesday, and banned her from contacting Goldblum or going anywhere near his home or place of work.
Ransom repeatedly raised her voice and shouted at the judge during the hearing.
Her behavior prompted Judge Goodson to scold the defendant, saying, "I must say you are acting irrationally in court. Mr. Goldblum does not want you near him."
Goldblum was awarded a temporary protective order against Ransom last month, after claiming that she had followed him in public, showed up at his house uninvited and appeared on multiple occasions at his stage performances in New York City and L.A.
He also alleged Ransom had been stalking him since 2001.


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My name is Kim <3 I am a mother to 7 wonderfully hyper children <3 They are all unique and special in their own way. I am engaged to my bestfriend... We plan on getting married on October 19th, 2013 (although I am sure the date will change again lol). As you can imagine with 7 kids my life stays very busy.... but there is enough love in my home to warm everyone's heart who might walk through our doors <3
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Click the link below
stoppin by to say hi to u my dear friend :) ur bows r looking great cant wait to chat again :)
♥♥ Come be our March Rainbow Girl ♥♥
Let us see those pretty faces!
We will vote and you might be the new Avi for TRR!
Lol, me to!
Going to have to wait though, getting fought up on bills. Definatly gotta do it soon!
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"I am 23 year old boy and very recently say for the past week I have developed twitching on my right foot . I am a hypercondriac and hence went to the doctor he asked for a cbc and vit d and b12 test . I was low in vitd (20) and vit b12 (..."
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text:
Instead of relaxing in retirement, the RV Care-A-Vanners are traveling the nation, building houses for Habitat for Humanity.
By STEPHEN NOHLGREN, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 9, 2003
VERO BEACH -- Joanne Sainsbury remembers her first encounter with a 16-penny nail. She needed 32 whacks to drive it into a 2 by 4. Not three dozen or so. Not a whole bunch. But exactly 32 whacks.
She counted each swing.
Like most of the retirees putting together this shell of a house, Sainsbury knew next to nothing about construction until a few years ago.
Now she and her comrades are shock troops for an international building movement.
They roam from town to town, assembling houses for Habitat for Humanity International. They bunk in their recreational vehicles, which range from pickups with travel tops to three-room land yachts. In return, they find adventure, satisfaction and kinship -- precious commodities in the postworkday world.
An AARP survey last year showed that retirement can sap people's sense of worth, along with social networks that took decades to develop. This Habitat program -- called RV Care-A-Vanners -- fills that void with tape measures, nails and a common purpose.
"I had to leave my blood at the house. Habitat takes my blood," joked Canadian Denise Smith, exhibiting a blistered hand and a swollen finger that had stopped an errant hammer.
Smith, her husband, Ron, and seven other RV couples descended last month on a quiet cul-de-sac off U.S. 1, bringing along their toolbelts, paint-spattered jeans and about 100 years of collective building experience.
Indian River Habitat, being an aggressive affiliate, had cleared lots for 28 houses, eight of them already rising from the sand. Churches, businesses and nearby gated communities had provided materials and hundreds of volunteers.
But the locals tend to work a day here and a day there. Care-A-Vanners will put in two weeks of solid effort.
This group swarmed over one house like pioneers at a barn-raising, moving in quick concert, just as they've done dozens of times before.
"Oh, man, they give us an injection of manpower equivalent to a half a house," said Andrew Bowler, the local Habitat director. "If houses are falling behind schedule, we get caught up. They have had three, five, eight years with Habitat for Humanity and are getting semiskilled and skilled.
"With the church people, 90 percent are on their first builds. The Care-A-Vanners do roofs, or do shingles, do anything. With minimal instruction, they are up and running."
Gail Gridley's right bicep testifies to seven years of hammering. It plays Arnold Schwarzenegger to her left bicep's Danny DeVito. She and her husband, Lloyd, sold their Colorado home and travel full time in their 39-foot Safari.
In a typical year, the Gridleys do eight Habitat builds. That's 16 weeks of work and a couple of weeks of traveling to and from. The rest of the year, they visit kids and see the country.
"We wanted to do something," Gail said. ". . . to help less fortunate people," said Lloyd, finishing her sentence.
Until cultural sensitivity intervened, the Care-A-Vanners called themselves the RV Gypsies. They began in 1988 with 20 people and five builds. Today, about 1,500 Care-A-Vanners will help with more than 100 builds. They'll hit southern and southwestern states in the winter, northern states in the summer, with a one-month trip to New Zealand in May.
Stops this year include Brooksville in March and Dade City in February and November.
Local affiliates arrange a parking spot and tell them how many Care-A-Vanners they can accommodate. Habitat headquarters in Americus, Ga., sends out a build schedule and, on a prearranged day, Care-A-Vanners clog the phone lines trying to sign up.
Veteran Care-A-Vanners usually can count on recognizing friends from previous builds, but the first-come, first-served system assures a steady influx of new faces.
Ontario residents Jean and Owen Jones and Michigan residents Al and Phyllis Palmer and Walt and Cheryl Leesch have e-mailed each other since meeting two years ago at a Fort Myers build.
"We said, "Let's try to get into Vero Beach,' " Cheryl Leesch said. So they all called Americus as soon as sign-up day arrived. Known for its smooth operation, winter sun and church groups that bring in KFC or pasta lunches, Vero Beach is a popular destination.
"I thought there was no chance we were all going to make it, but we did," Leesch said.
Like others in their late 50s, 60s and 70s, the builders at the Vero Beach site are not without their aches and pains.
Though roofing is Cheryl Leesch's passion, a back brace keeps her on paint detail.
"Walt wouldn't bring my tool belt, so I wouldn't try anything," she said.
Phyllis Palmer, a writer, also spent her days painting. Hours at the computer had given her a touch of carpal tunnel syndrome in her wrist. After 10 days of nailing in New Zealand last summer, it flared to surgical proportions and ran all the way up her arm.
"I guess I overdid it," she said sheepishly.
Bill Poulsen's bad knees keep him from climbing ladders, so he parked himself by a Habitat table saw and cranked out sections of wall frame.
Poulsen and his wife, Doris, of Joppa, Md., joined the group eight years ago after a near-fatal car wreck left her with a paralyzed throat and shortness of breath. "Bill said if I lived, he would do whatever I wanted to do."
What she wanted was to help people get their own homes. "I felt God must have saved my life for some reason," she said. "My physical capabilities were limited, but I swept houses and picked up trash. I felt like I contributed."
A half-mile away, the groups' RVs dotted the parking lot of a Habitat warehouse, electrical cords snaking into the warehouse's outlets. KOA Kampground it wasn't. But what it lacked in piney foliage and nostalgic campfires, it compensated for with camaraderie.
Folding tables inside the warehouse became Care-A-Vanner central. Every evening at about 5, the group gathered to review their accomplishments and misadventures. Some nights, they'd share a potluck supper or take in a fish fry at a nearby restaurant. One Wednesday, they donned brown Habitat T-shirts and ate supper at the First Baptist Church, where they were guests of honor.
John and Joanne Sainsbury of Brevard County reminisced with Lloyd and Gail Gridley about their first build together, four years ago in California, where the walls were constructed from rice straw bales.
They lamented the loss of another regular couple, who quit Care-A-Vanning in Mississippi, after field mice invaded everyone's RVs. "Jim and I got to where we could set roof trusses in three hours," John Sainsbury said, "but she didn't want to travel anymore."
Talk often returned to a favorite topic: The homeowners who move into these houses.
Under the Habitat formula, homeowners pay off a no-interest mortgage that covers the cost of land and materials. The Vero Beach affiliate also charges a homeowners' association fee for its subdivision and an escrow payment toward upkeep.
For Rosalie Bain, a 44-year-old nursing aide, that will total about $315 a month for the small three-bedroom, one-bath house the Care-A-Vanners were building for her. Apartments in Vero Beach rent for between $500 and $1,000 a month, she said, so she and her 18-year-old son are living with her parents.
To qualify for a Habitat house, Bain and her son must work at least 300 hours with the volunteer builders. This "sweat equity" assures commitment -- Habitat forecloses on less than 2 percent of its mortgages. It also forges a personal bond between volunteers and homeowners.
Walt Leesch recalled his first build in Michigan. The homeowner was a paraplegic who dropped out of his wheelchair and pulled himself along the floor to paint baseboards. "That's the main thing about this," Leesch said. "To feel good about ourselves in return for all the good things we've had."
One Toledo, Ohio, homeowner had never lived in a house with running water, Al Palmer said. He remembers one daughter exulting, "I can have friends over now!" The night before the dedication, the whole family sneaked into the house and took showers.
You could tell, Palmer said, because someone left a rubber duck behind.
For information on RV Care-A-Vanners, call Habitat for Humanity International headquarters at 1-800-422-4828, ext. 2446; e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com; or write to RV Care-A-Vanners, 121 Habitat St., Americus, GA 31709. For information on local Habitat affiliates, call:
Hillsborough: (813) 239-2242
Pinellas: (727) 536-4755
East Pasco: (352) 567-1444
Central Pasco: (813) 929-0177
West Pasco: (727) 859-9038
Hernando: (352) 754-1159
Citrus: (352) 563-2744


text:
I was surprised to see Sheldrake being cited as evidence of psychic phenomena. This has been discussed in a few other threads. There seems to be a tendency to comment on small sample size and on 'seeing the data'.
In relation to his staring experiments, Sheldrake claims his sample sizes are pretty big. However, the sample size is of no interest if the conduct of the experiment is flawed.
Apparently, the conduct of the experiments is flawed in that the 'random schemes' used by Sheldrake are not random . Redoing the experiments with proper random schemes failed to identify Sheldrake's claimed effect.
Sheldrake makes other claims. Whether or not they are substantiated is difficult to see (how many people thought to examine his 'random' schemes and to investigate the effect of non-randomness?). However, given the poor conduct of the staring experiments, it is difficult to have much faith in his other experiments.
Again, if the experiment is flawed, increasing the sample size cannot help.


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*This title will be released on June 5, 2012*
Title: Hex Appeal
Sexual Content:
Good – A fun read with minor flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying.
Fall under the intoxicating spell of their hex appeal…
In the magical world that lies hidden beneath our own, witches and conjurers play deadly games. They know just the right spell to kill a man with one kiss—or raise him back again. And they're not afraid to exact sweet revenge on those who dare to cross them. But what if you're the unlucky soul who falls victim to a conjurer's curse? And if you had the power to cast a magic spell of your own, would you use it?
In this bewitching collection, nine of today's hottest paranormal authors tell all-new, otherworldly tales. Spellbinding stories featuring bigfoot, albino vampires, professional wizards, resurrected boyfriends and even a sex droid from the twenty- third century named Silicon Lily. But as our conjurers are about to discover, it's all fun and games until someone gets hexed. And sometimes, even the best spun spells can lead to complete and utter mayhem.
Includes Stories From:
Ilona Andrews
Jim Butcher
Rachel Caine
Carole Nelson Douglas
P. N. Elrod
Simon R. Green
Lori Handeland
Erica Hayes
Carrier Vaughn
Another solid supernatural anthology featuring some of the biggest names in urban fantasy.
Retribution Clause by Ilona Andrews (Kate Daniels' world)
The magical world of the Kate Daniels series is unparalleled in urban fantasy. Truly. So it was great fun to read a story that takes place across the country from Kate's Atlanta in Philadelphia. There are no character crossovers, but the hero is Saiman's cousin and also a frost giant. The characters are impressively developed for the page length, and the Seek and Assassinate mission that Adam and his partner go on is packed with magic and mayham…and even a little romance. Fans of this world will love this and new readers will get hooked on this world.
Rating: 4/5 Sexual Content: Kissing
Bigfoot on Campus by Jim Butcher (The Dresden Files)
Jim Butcher is the king of short stories. I've yet to read one that wasn't thoroughly entertaining, and I think Bigfoot on Campus is the best yet. Professional wizard, Harry Dresden agrees to investigate a potential threat against his friend Bigfoot's son. There aren't any real clues as to when this story takes place chronologically in The Dresden Files, so longtime fans and newbies alike can jump right in. Harry's trademark biting wit and sly observations are out in force here. Easily my favorite story in the anthology.
Rating: 5/5 Sexual Content: Kissing, magical lust magic that causes a orgy in a college dorm (no descriptions), a non graphic/vague sex scene.
Holly's Balm by Rachel Caine
So glad to see Holly and Andy back. I loved them in the STRANGE BREW anthology and hope to see more of them in future short stories (or full novels). It reads a little like an early Anita Blake story…she's a Resurrection witch and he's an Old West gunslinger she resurrected and then fell for (read their first story in STRANGE BREW). The romance is sweet and hopeful which contrasts nicely with their hunt for a magical serial killer who is resurrecting his victims to kill them again. This story/series is unlike anything else Rachel writes and it's one of my favorites from her. Here's hoping she has future plans for these two.
Rating: 4/5 Sexual Content: One sex scene
Snow Job by Carole Nelson Douglas (Delilah Street)
Having read only the first book in the Delilah Street series previously, I felt a little disoriented reading Snow Job. The worldbuilding in this series is very good, but it's complex and really difficult to grasp in these few pages. The author does explain everything, but that unfortunately hurt the story and emotions in my opinion. Too many info dumps. I image readers who are brand new to this series will feel overwhelmed rather than intrigued by this story which involves a missing rock star, a vengeful hell goddess, and a personal grudge between Delilah and Snow.
Rating: 2/5 Sexual Content: Kissing
Outside the Box by P.N. Elrod
A simple, straightforward story that appears to be separate from Elrod's Vampire Files series in which a witch and a vampire work as partner's for The Company, a bureaucratic agency that monitors new v
ampires. A supposedly standard rising turns into a search for a missing woman and a hunt for her sire/killer. A little lackluster in terms of excitement, but the world was intriguing.
Rating: 3/5 Sexual Content: N/A
How Do You Feel by Simon R. Green (Nightside)
The Nightside series features a diverse and densely populated world, and that is no more apparent in How Do You Feel. In this story, we follow an unwilling zombie (aka Dead Boy) on his quest to feel and track down his murderers. Nightside tends to be hit or miss for me, and I'm afraid this story falls into the latter category. It's just bizarre. The ending especially since it involves a shapeshifting, self-aware car from the future as a love interest. Too weird for me.
Rating: 2/5 Sexual Content: N/A
There Will Be Demons by Lori Handeland (The Phoenix Chronicles)
Here's another series where I've read the first book, but it's been years and my memory is foggy at best. Not sure if these are primary or secondary characters from The Phoenix Chronicles series, but it involves fairies, dhampires, skinwalkers and fallen angles. Forced to partner together in a demon killing mission, Summer and Jimmy complete their bloody task and then fall into bed together. It wasn't exactly clear, but there may have been reincarnation or soul mate destiny between these two. That or memory loss. Again it wasn't clear enough for me which ended up leaving me more confused than entertained.
Rating: 2/5 Sexual Content: One sex scene
Cherry Kisses by Erica Hayes (Shadowfae Chronicles #4.5) Read an excerpt
Set in the world of the Shadowfae Chronicles, Cherry Kisses follows a resourceful con artist on a job that literally forces her to take a trip to hell to steal an object from a demon. A much too handsome and definitely too honorable guy has his own reasons for helping her. I'm so glad this story was included as it gave me the opportunity to enjoy Hayes' writing without the darker, erotic tone of the full novels. There is a wonderful flavor to the writing that really brings the fae/vampire/demon infused world to life. One of my favorites in the anthology.
Rating: 4/5 Sexual Content: Kissing
The Aracane Art of Misdirection by Carrie Vaughn (Kitty Norville)
According to the author's website, this story is part of the Kitty Norville series, which I've read some of, but I didn't recognize the characters. It follows a blackjack dealer in Vegas who spots a cheating scam and leads her to magician Odysseus Grant. A little on the slow side compared to the other stories in this anthology, but it is an unusual tale.
Rating: 3/5 Sexual Content: N/A


text:
Coffeehouse Post
Single Post Permalink
View Thread: Scientology Website Hacked
jsampsonPC wrote:
evildictaitor wrote:
blehbleh wrote:
Yes, absolutely. Atleast they didn't kill millions of people. (yet?)
Religions don't kill people. People kill people. It usually starts with religious hatred and intolerance of other people's religion, if I remember rightly.
Romans 12:14,18
Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
except edomites, amirite


text: I'm having a problem with my testing+unstable system, and I'm not sure whether it's a hardware or software problem. It has rendered my system virtually useless. But before I start fooling around with hardware, I'd like to see if my problem might be familiar to any of you, and if perhaps there is some sort of known fix for it, software-wise. The problem is that yesterday, my root file partition started booting up read-only. Because /var and /tmp are on that partition, my system is virtually useless. I haven't made any kernel changes for more than two weeks, and I have booted up numerous times with my 2.4.20-686-smp kernel without a single problem before yesterday. I have a Dell 530 box with dual Xeon 1700MHz processors. I have two 17G SCSI disks: SEAGATE model ST318451LW, Rev: 0003, Type: Direct-Access. I have an Adaptec controler (I'm not sure what model), and I went through the SCSI verification (accessible at boot-up time via Ctrl-A), and both disks verify fine ... no bad blocks, no errors of any kind. I get numerous "read-only file system" errors on boot-up, and then the system freezes for a long time. But finally, it unfreezes and the boot continues limpingly, until I finally get a login prompt on the console. As you probably surmise, I cannot bring up X, but at least I can run simple things from the console. A while ago, I had changed my /etc/fstab by commenting out and replacing my root partition mount, as follows: #/dev/sda2 / ext3 errors=remount-ro 0 1 /dev/sda2 / ext3 0 1 Since the "errors=remount-ro" line is commented out, I don't see how this could be causing my problem ... or could it? I'm writing you from my webmail account via my (ARGGH!) Windows-based laptop, but at least my Linux machine is nearby and I can run a few diagnostics on it. Does any of this sound familiar? Can any of you suggest some diagnostics that I can run that might help me zero in on the problem? As I mentioned, I'm not sure if this is a hardware or software problem ... but I want to eliminate the software before I start taking my machine apart. Thanks in advance for any help you folks can give me on this. -- Lloyd Zusman email@example.com God bless you.


text:
Milan-based footwear label Volta introduced the Strada line in 2010, with the goal of creating shoes that were a fusion of distinctive fashion and an active lifestyle. Developed in collaboration with Vibram, the collection of athletic sneakers combines design inspiration taken from current and vintage fashion trends with the technical innovations of performance footwear. Bright colors and athletic materials reflect the brand's commitment to energy and adventure.
There are currently no products available for Strada.
Please select another designer or sign up below to receive email updates on new product arrivals, special offers and exclusive events.


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Gorilla Tours Uganda
Visit Uganda and enjoy Gorilla Tours plus several safaris. Uganda, the pearl of Africa offers several opportunities for undertaking Gorilla Trekking Tours plus lots of primates and wildlife tours. The country is endowed with 10 National Parks, numerous wildlife reserves and sanctuaries on which the country's tourism sector thrives. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga National Park are homes to Mountain Gorillas in Uganda and offers gorilla trekking safaris daily. AAB Tours and Travel, a Uganda tours and travel company offers Gorilla Trekking Tours in Bwindi Forest and Rwanda Tours mainly Gorilla Trekking Safaris at the Volcanoes National Park, the home to Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda. We have several holiday tour packages for amazing wildlife experience in Africa.
Tours in Uganda
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Enjoy Bwindi Forest Gorilla Tours in Uganda.
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Do not miss an awesome Uganda Chimp Safari to Kibale Forest.
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Visiting Queen Elizabeth National Park is a great safari experience.
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Save time by doing a one day Rwanda Gorilla Tour and fly out.
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Taking a selfie with Gorillas in Rwanda is pretty memorable !
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When you book for Uganda Safaris and Gorilla Tours with us, our professional safari team members are reliably committed to making your tour a properly planned one and a proficiently accomplished adventure. Contact us today and you will get the best gorilla trekking tour packages for all the major travel destinations in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Democratic Republic of Congo at the most friendly prices. In all our safari offers, our clients' preferences and interests are given a priority above everything.


text:
Changes: NASCAR Drivers Must Choose What Championship To Run For In 2011January 10, 2011
Most people expected NASCAR to make a move to change the system in its Nationwide Series. It was announced today that they have made that change.
Drivers have previously been able to run races in the top three series without restriction. The races they won would allow them to gain points in the championship standings.
The problem the old system caused was the runaway title runs by Sprint Cup Series drivers in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Since 2006, the Nationwide champion has been a double-duty driver. Many have complained that NASCAR needed to do something to help the Nationwide series teams in the championship.
The solution is to have the drivers select in which series they are going to run for the championship. Whatever series the driver selects will be the series that the driver earns points for in the driver points standings. What it truly means is that drivers running for the Sprint Cup are ineligible to win the Nationwide or Camping World Truck Series Championship. The drivers must mark off what series they are running for the championship in before the season starts.
It is uncertain how the change will affect how points awarded on a weekly basis. NASCAR will answer such questions about the changes in an upcoming statement sometime next week.
For the time being, we have seen the last of the Cup drivers dominating the Nationwide points. You may run all three series, but you can only win one championship.


text:
Fire Damage Removal
Fire accidents can happen in your home or place of business anytime without rendering any prior intimation. Both fire and smoke can turn your physical properties into ashes within seconds. Although we try our best to prevent our valuable fixtures and fittings from the wrath of the combustion and smoke, yet they are one of the most devastating events we may ever experience. Moreover, fire damage or smoke damage can be hard to deal with. Furthermore, after effects of the fire incidents are more tragic and create havoc. Your property ruins when fire and water deteriorate the situation. A combustion affected home or commercial building can be restored to normalcy with a fire damage remediation service from a certified restoration company that knows how to minimize the fire damage, inconvenience and emotional stress, directly or indirectly associated with a fire traumatic event.
In order to reclaim your property to its pre-loss condition, you need to shake hands with a combustion damage restoration company that offers a complete fire damage restoration service including:
Content inventory and packing Content cleaning, restoration, and storage Smoke odor and soot removal Complete reconstruction of the property Making home structurally sound with ozone treatment
Fire restoration requires special equipment and treatments. That is why homeowners will not to clean their combustion affected properties and premises as effective as a professional agency can do. Homeowners can have some selective equipment but they can't have special cleaning instruments such as ozonation machines. A quality machine has the ability to emit toxic gases, such as ozone, which absorb the smoke odor and helps you bring your home in its original state. Moreover, there are some parts of your home that you can't clean properly. An HVAC system is one of them. The HVAC system attracts soot and other airborne debris during a fire incident, and these effectively get stuck in the HVAC system. To do so, you need to have specialty tools and training in order to repair the system that you are not likely to do in the absence of a thorough training.
Hiring a professional fire and flood restoration company can be costly and not affordable for some people with limited budget. But money spent on taking the service is worthy for you. When you take this service, the same service helps you prevent additional damage to your home. That is why hiring a professional is the easiest and most effective method for the restoration of the home to its original state after a fire.


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Favorite Offspring Song – Readers Poll
On Dec. 29, 1965, The Offspring's Dexter Holland entered the world and all these years later he's responsible for cultivating one of punk's more enduring acts. After finally breaking through on their third album, 'Smash,' The Offspring went on to release hit after hit. But we want to know which of their singles stands out as your favorite.
As previously stated, the band broke through to mainstream rock radio in 1994 with their 'Smash' album, and hits such as 'Come Out and Play,' 'Self Esteem,' 'Gotta Get Away' and 'Bad Habit' ensured that they were here to stay. Their success parlayed some airplay for their 'Ignition' album single 'Kick Him When He's Down' and the 'Batman Forever' contribution 'Smash It Up' before they moved onto their next record. 1996's 'Ixnay on the Hombre' brought us 'All I Want,' 'Gone Away' and 'I Choose' as radio singles. And they finished out the '90s with the 'Americana' album which yielded 'Pretty Fly (for a White Guy),' 'Why Don't You Get a Job?,' 'The Kids Aren't Alright' and 'She's Got Issues.'
The band began the 21st century with their cover of AFI's 'Totalimmortal' from the 'Me, Myself and Irene' soundtrack, and a year later 'Defy You' from the 'Orange County' soundtrack would also get some love. The band's 2000 disc 'Conspiracy of One' brought us 'Original Prankster' and 'Want You Bad,' while 2003's 'Splinter' yielded 'Hit That' and '(Can't Get My) Head Around You.' Their 'Greatest Hits' collection generated the single 'Can't Repeat,' while their 2008 disc 'Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace' gave us 'Hammerhead,' 'You're Gonna Go Far, Kid' and 'Kristy, Are You Doing Okay?' In 2012, The Offspring issued their 'Days Go By' album featuring the title track and the pop-leaning 'Cruising California (Bumpin' in My Trunk).'
That's a wealth of songs the band has generated and we want to know which of these Offspring tracks is your favorite. Vote in the Readers Poll below:


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Husband and Wife Smugglers and Numerous Co-Conspirators Convicted of Alien Smuggling and Money Laundering Sentenced to Prison
|U.S. Attorney's Office December 16, 2009
McALLEN, TX—A husband, his common-law wife, and their co-conspirators will be serving prison terms for their involvement in smuggling illegal aliens and laundering smuggling fees, United States Attorney Tim Johnson announced today.
Nazareth Rodriguez-Alamo, 28, a Mexican citizen illegally in the United States headed this smuggling operation, while his common-law wife, Leticia Garcia, 32, a permanent legal resident from Mexico, received the smuggling fees through Western Union and MoneyGram for the organization. Both were sentenced today by United States Judge Randy Crane to 51 months and 24 months, in federal prison, respectively. Rodriguez pleaded guilty to and was convicted of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens in September 2009, while Garcia pleaded guilty to and was convicted of conspiracy to launder the smuggling fees in October 2009.
In July 2007, the FBI and the U.S. Border Patrol began an investigation into an alien smuggling organization transporting illegal aliens from the Rio Grande Valley to Houston. Agents learned the organization would hold the illegal aliens at various stash houses operated by Rodriguez-Alamo until they were ready to be transported by vehicle to an area south of the border patrol checkpoint where they were dropped off to walk around the checkpoint. The organization relied upon individuals to scout for law enforcement agents in order to make their venture successful. Specifically, the driver of the vehicle carrying the illegal aliens would stop south of the Falfurrias, Texas border patrol checkpoint, leave the vehicle on the side of the road and guide the aliens on foot around the checkpoint. A scout vehicle carrying a passenger would drop off the passenger who would drive the vehicle north of the checkpoint where he would leave it for the guide and the aliens while he was picked up by another scout vehicle. The organization usually used at least four scout vehicles—two vehicles ahead of the load vehicle and two behind the load vehicle. While they kept in constant communication via cell phones, they would notify each other of law enforcement presence.
Rodriguez-Alamo, Alfredo Ortiz, Higinio Ortiz, and Margarito Chavez transported several thousand aliens from 2005 through the date of the indictment. Rodriguez-Alamo and Garcia laundered approx. $1.7 million during this time.
Chavez, Danny Ray Vargas, Alfredo Ortiz, Rene Vargas, Francisco Emeterio Garcia, Higinio Ortiz, Miguel Angel Granado, Julian Trevino, and Jaime Lee Trevino worked as scouts for the alien smuggling organization. All nine of these defendants were identified as a result of the investigation, pleaded guilty between May and August 2009, have been convicted for their role in the smuggling organization of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens. Today, Judge Crane sentenced Vargas, 28, of Edinburg, Texas, to 16 months in federal prison. Alfredo Ortiz, 29, of Alton, Texas, was sentenced to 70 months in prison. Rene Vargas, 35, Julian Trevino, 22, and Jaime Lee Trevino, 33, all of Mission, Texas, were sentenced to 18 months, 12 months and one day, and three years probation, respectively. Francisco Emeterio Garcia, 29, of Alton, Texas, will serve three years on probation, while Higinio Ortiz, 28, also of Alton, will serve 57 months in prison. Miguel Angel Granado, 23, of Brownsville, Texas, was sentenced to 14 months' imprisonment. The sentencing for Chavez, 30, of Mission, was continued with no new date given at this time.
Jose Enrique Schiffer-Gonzalez, 27, and Emilio Estrada, Emilio Estrada, 37, both Mexican nationals, worked as load drivers and guides that walked the illegal aliens around the border patrol checkpoint. Both men, who pleaded guilty earlier this year to their role in the conspiracy, were also sentenced today. Schiffer-Gonzlez was sentenced to 20 months, while Estrada received 18 months in federal prison.
All 12 defendants were also ordered to serve terms of supervised release following their prison terms. Each defendant faces a return to prison to serve additional prison terms if they violate the conditions imposed by the court. The non-US citizen defendants also face possible deportation upon completing their prison terms.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Anibal J. Alaniz.


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Frequently Asked Questions
It's often asked how we price our paid events such as our hugely popular hostel and camping weekends. OutdoorLads' pricing policy is completely transparent and we never hide anything from our Members. There are a number of factors taken into account when pricing an event:
Cost of Accommodation
The first and typically most expensive element of the event price is the accommodation whether this is exclusive use of a YHA premises, private rooms in a hostel or pitches on a camp site. Our office staff work hard to build up relationships with venues around the country and always aim to get the best possible price.
If the event includes food (which most of our hostel weekends do) then this is the next element of the event price. This is usually £7 per person per main meal. So for a typical hostel weekend running from Friday to Sunday the Leader would have £7 to cover the Saturday evening meal and they'd also need to cater for Saturday and Sunday breakfasts from that amount. Members are asked to bring along an item for the buffet on the Friday evening and their own packed lunches.
Leader Expenses
All our events are run by our fantastic volunteers who give of their time for free however they are able to claim back certain expenses depending on the event type. For hostel events where there will be shopping and cooking to do Leaders can claim up to £5 per person; for camping and camping barn events where there is typically less to do they can claim up to £2.50 per person. From this amount, Leaders are able to claim expenses to cover the cost of their own attendance at the event, for their transport to and from the event and for anything else they need in order to run the event.
Early Payment Discount
If you book one of our paid events up to eight weeks before it takes place you get to take advantage of our Early Payment Discount. If you book closer to the event date then we add on 10% to the event cost. It's critical that we fill all our events to capacity so we don't lose money and by encouraging Members to sign up early it makes it easier for us to plan should this look like it may not happen.
OutdoorLads Markup
As a charity we need to generate an income in order to cover our overheads and to have money to put back into the organisation so we add 30% (minumum £2.50 per day) to the cost of each event. There is a huge amount of admin involved in booking and planning over 100 paid events a year including negotiating the original booking with the venue, creating the actual event page, paying invoices to suppliers (most typically request a deposit when booking then a further one or two balance payments nearer the date), processing the individual Member payments in our accounting software and following up with Members, Leaders and suppliers after the event.
Payment Processing Charges
We get charged every time you make a payment via our website by our payment processor, Sage Pay. This is the company that handles your transaction securely (OutdoorLads never sees your payment information) and then deposits the monies into our bank account. Confusingly, the amount we pay varies depending on what type of credit or debit card you have so we average this out to 3.4% + 20p per transaction.
Finally, as we are a VAT registered organisation (which we have to be by law) we must add on 20% to the event fee which we collect on behalf of the Government and pay to them in a lump sum each quarter just as the vast majority of other organisations and businesses in the UK do. If elements of the event outgoings have VAT included in them then in turn we can recover those and we take that into account. This is typically why events at smaller hostels or camp sites, who are unlikely to be VAT registered, can prove expensive as we can't claim any VAT back on the accommodation costs but still have to charge it on our event.
Here are two examples of actual event costings - one camp and one hostel weekend:
Lake District Activity Camp (29399)
Chapel House Farm Campsite
Camping Fee (per person x 2 nights) - £12.00
Leader Expenses - £2.50
OutdoorLads Markup - £5.00
Payment Processing Charges - £1.00
Event Cost - £24.40 (rounded down to £24.00)
Hawaiian Dovedale Holoholo Weekend (27284)
Ilam Bunkhouse
Accommodation Cost per person - £26.04 (total cost is £500 which is £416.67 + VAT / 16 beds)
Food - £7.00
Leader Expenses - £5.00
Other Expenses (prizes or special items) - £5.00
OutdoorLads Markup - £12.91
Payment Processing Charges - £2.48
Event Cost - £69.62 (rounded down to £69.00)
Whilst we don't ban campervans or motorhomes from our camping weekends, these events are typically 'under canvas' and held at smaller campsites in often rural locations that aren't suitable for such vehicles.
Campsites charge more for campervans/motorhomes and this is not factored in to the event costing which can leave OutdoorLads out of pocket.
The decision on whether these vehicles are allowed on a camping event rests with the event leader who will know the campsite best. Please contact them through the event page before booking.
OutdoorLads welcomes well-behaved and under control dogs on certain events but please remember that not everyone feels the same way and it's important to check with the event leader before booking.
Day walks: our walks can be long and tiring for dogs and will often come into contact with farm animals so ensuring your pet is capable of completing the walk is essential as is keeping them on a lead around sheep and cattle, etc. It's a good idea to check with the event leader before booking to find out more about the walk.
Camping weekends: Different campsites have different rules so please speak to the event leader before booking to find out whether your dog will be welcome at the campsite.
Hostel events: sadly we don't allow dogs on our hostel events - this is because the majority of the hostels we use don't allow dogs on the premises.
No matter what the event, all dogs should be well-behaved, kept under strict control and be used to being outdoors and around groups of people.
The quickest, cheapest and easiest way to become a Full Member is via Direct Debit. You can signup to pay by Direct Debit online from our 'Membership' page or by clicking here.
Once you've completed the online signup we'll update your membership and let you know once that has been done for you.
We take your privacy very seriously and only the following information is visible to other members:
- Your avatar (profile picture)
- Your first name and username
- Your age
- The town, city or village you live in along with the area of the UK
- Whether you own a car or are first aid trained
- Your 'About Me' text
Members will also be able to see:
- The number of events you've attended
- Your current online status
- How long you've been a Member of OutdoorLads
- How many 'friends' you've got!
- A list of the events you've already been on, events you're currently signed up for and events in your 'wishlist'
Non-members are unable to view member profiles and are also unable to view the event pages with lists of attending members.
OutdoorLads is a registered charity as its aim is to 'improve the physical and mental state of gay, bi men and trans guys' through a range of outdoor activities on a not-for-profit basis.
Every penny that is raised through membership fees and from events is ploughed back into helping the organisation to grow and develop. We rely heavily on the work of volunteers to develop, plan, deliver and follow up on the events that we run.
OutdoorLads is NOT a group organising sexual encounters and never will be. This is not what we're about.
OutdoorLads is first and foremost an outdoor activities group. It is designed with gay and bisexual lads in mind to help them enjoy the outdoors, countryside and the pursuits that can be found there, in a friendly, supportive environment.
That's not to say there's no chance of you meeting the love of your life on one of our events, but your primary motivation for coming along should be to take part in the activities we offer.
When you first join OutdoorLads you'll be a Trial Member for the first 42 days after registration. Trial Members have all the same benefits as Full Members and can attend unlimited day walks, mountain bike and road cycling events and climbing evenings and enjoy the £10 per night discount on hostel and camping weekends.
After the 42 days are up you can either become a Full Member or you will automatically downgrade to a Guest Member. Guest Members can still participate in OutdoorLads events using our Pay As You Go model but if you're attending more than a couple of events a year then you'll get better value being a Full Member.
Ready to become a Full Member? Choose 'Membership' from the menu above or click here.
The only way it's possible to view member profiles, is by becoming an OutdoorLads member. Non members are unable to view member profiles and are also unable to view the event pages with lists of attending members.
The only way your family would find out that you are gay through OutdoorLads, would be to become a member of the group. Obviously it's highly unlikely this would ever happen. It's a group for gay and bi lads so it's extremely rare that a straight person would be looking to join the group.
However, you do need to complete a next-of-kin form. If you are not 'out' to anyone, you still need to tell someone that you're joining an outdoor activities group and that you have registered them as your next of kin. Of course, whether you decide to tell them it's a group aimed at gay and bi lads is entirely up to you.
Approval is a manual process and can take up to 24 hours. If you still haven't received anything after this please contact us email@example.com entitled "REGISTRATION PROBLEM" and include details of the problem and your OutdoorLads username.
First of all you'll receive a automated email sent to the email address you put down in the signup form. You must confirm receipt of this by clicking on the link contained within the email.
Your details will then need to be approved by one of the site admins. Once approved, you will receive an email confirming that your account is active.
We need your next-of-kin details to contact a person nominated by yourself in case of an emergency. The person you decide to nominate doesn't have to be your closest relative.
You should advise the person you put down on your next-of-kin form that you have done so.
You can change your nominated next-of-kin at any time by clicking the 'My Account' link.
Absolutely not. OutdoorLads is a private group and all the information you submit will never be passed on to any third parties.
If you haven't joined OutdoorLads yet, what are you waiting for? Click here and join today for FREE!
We ask that you complete as much of the information as possible. You will need to add an avatar (profile picture) before joining an event so we know who is coming. Once complete you can browse even more of the website and begin registering for events. What are you waiting for?
You'll receive an automated email which is sent to the email address you enter in the signup form. You must confirm receipt of this by clicking on the link contained within the email.
Your avatar will then need to be approved by one of the site admins. We ask for a simple face picture without others in the shot.
Of course you must set up a profile when you join the group, but this is necessary in order to register yourself onto our events.
OutdoorLads is all about the events we put on. It is the whole reason for this website. We're not all talk and no action. Our events are real. We do have fun. We do make new mates. If you want an exciting alternative to the traditional gay scene you've come to the right place.
You can request a new passwword by visiting https://outdoorlads.com/user/password
Enter either your Username or the email address you originally registered on the site with.
Complete the CAPTCHA and click e-mail new password
Check your inbox for replacement login information email. If you haven't received it after 10 minutes it may have been blocked by your spam filter, in which case you may need to add firstname.lastname@example.com to your safe senders list.
Once you have received the email it will contain a single use link
When you click the link it will take you to a special log in page. Note the link can only be used once to allow you to reset your password. Enter a new password containing a mixture of letters and numbers and confirm. You do not need to enter your old password! Scroll to the very bottom of the page and click Save.
IMPORTANT: The onetime link will ONLY let you update your password, if you attempt to change any other information or navigate away from the edit profile page the process will fail by prompting you to enter your current password. If you receive this message you need to repeat the process again.
OutdoorLads is a group run by its members for its members. Events only take place because some members are willing to lead them and other members are willing to attend. The group then is only as good as the effort its members put into it.
If there are no events on the website near to where you live and you'd like to see more, the simple answer is get involved!
Firstly if there is an event taking place near to you and you can attend then go along and take part. It is only through member support of events that demand in an area increases.
Secondly you could get involved further and become an Event Leader. The process of becoming an Event Leader is easy although requires a small amount of work on your part. You will need to ensure that you have created a good and safe event and one that can spark interest amongst the other members of OutdoorLads. To find out more about becoming an Event Leader, click here.


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Cue Locker Rental
The Billiards and Games Room offers a convenient locker for cue storage. The locker is located in the back south-west corner of the room and has plenty of available drawers. Please see the Cue Locker Rental page for more information or to request a locker.
School groups and private parties can rent up to 12 pool tables and other game stations in the Billiards and Games Room for special occasions or celebrations. For more information or to request a reservation, please visit the Reservations section of the website.


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July 29, 2010
FTC Mulls "˜Do-Not-Track' List For Targeted Ads
Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz told lawmakers on Tuesday that the FTC is considering a do-not-track mechanism that would allow consumers to opt out of all behavioral targeting.
Leibowitz said while testifying at a hearing about online privacy that the FTC is looking into the feasibility of a browser plug-in that would store users' targeting preferences. He said that either the FTC or a private group could run the system.Leibowitz said that while Internet users on a no-tracking list would still receive online ads, those ads would not be targeted based on sites that users visited previously.
Center for Digital Democracy and Center for Democracy & Technology, a coalition of privacy groups including the World Privacy Forum, proposed that the FTC create a do-not-track registry three years ago, similar to a do-not-call registry. The online ad industry strongly opposed the idea of a government-run no-tracking list.
Many people who currently want to opt out do so through cookies, either on a company-by-company basis or through the Network Advertising Initiative's opt-out cookie. However, those opt-outs are not stable because they are tied to cookies, which often get deleted.
The Network Advertising Initiative rolled out a browser plug-in recently that allows consumers to opt out of targeted ads by NAI members.
Leibowitz said that he personally favored opt-in consent to behavioral targeting, or receiving ads based on sites that have been visited.
"I think opt-in generally protects consumers' privacy better than opt-out, under most circumstances," he said. "I don't think it undermines a company's ability to get the information it needs to advertise back to consumers."
Senator Clair McCaskill (D-Mo.) said she was "a little spooked out" about online tracking and ad targeting.
She said that after reading online about foreign SUVs, she saw that she was receiving ads for those types of vehicles.
McCaskill said that if an "average American" were to learn that someone was trailing them around stores with a camera, "there would be hue and cry in this country that would be unprecedented."
Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-W. Va.) and Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) both expressed concern that privacy policies were not giving Internet users enough useful information about online ad practices.
Rockefeller proposed that some companies were burying too much information by using lengthy documents consumers do not read.
"Some would say the fine print is there and it's not our fault you didn't read it," he said, adding, "I say, that's a 19th-century mentality."
Kerry said that he did not know if consumers understood how companies use data.
"I'm not sure that there's knowledge in the caveat emptor component of this," he said.
On the Net:


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Every year millions of travellers head abroad on holiday and it pays to shop around for the best prices when it comes to flights. With the development of the web you can now compare and search a wide range of flights within one website, but the trick is to use a number of websites to compare these prices.
In this blog we'll give you some simple tips to help save you $$$ on your next holiday.
So you know the country you want to visit but the question is where to start searching? The following websites we've used a lot to search and compare different flights/prices in the past and these will give you a good starting point.
Once you've started the search you'll be given a list of airlines that fly to your chosen destination and a range of prices, from the cheapest to the highest. If your dates are flexible it pays to do another search with different dates to see if there's any difference in price. Flights will always be more expensive around school holidays, Easter/Xmas etc.
The next step is to compare the prices by booking direct with the airline, if Qantas came up the cheapest in your search then visit www.qantas.com and check to see if the prices/dates are any cheaper when booking directly. In some cases you'll find they are cheaper.
Generally we'd have around five (5) different options narrowed down and cross checked across the different websites for the same dates, you'll find some websites have cheaper prices for the same flights/airline. The other thing to remember is that some of the above websites will charge an admin fee, make sure you go right through the booking stage to see how much it will cost you all up.
Another trick is to fly to an airport hub that's close to the country your heading, for instance say you're heading to London. Flights will always be more expensive flying to Heathrow, instead check flights/prices to another airport hub around London, like Gatwick, Stansted or a major airport close by like Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, Frankfurt airport or Amsterdam's Schiphol airport. You'll be surprised at the difference in price and you can fly from any of the mentioned European airports to London for next to nothing with Easyjet or Ryanair for example.
Another tip is to make sure you're registered with a frequent flyer programme. Like Krisflyer (Singapore, Air New Zealand and other airlines) Oneworld (Qantas, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and others). The more you fly with said airline partners the more frequent flyer miles you'll earn, these can be redeemed for future flights or gifts. We personally prefer Oneworld , air miles never expire and you can gift points to a friend of family if needed.
Be sure to check out our article on flights well within your budget for other tips and advice on short haul flights.
Points to highlight
It's recommended that you check a few reviews before proceeding with booking flights, for instance most of the above websites have social media pages like facebook or twitter. Check their pages first and read comments from travellers/fans, if a lot of comments are saying negative things or that they've experienced issues then we'd strongly advise steering clear of said companies.
Work out your priorities, i.e. money (what's your budget), airline (do you want to accrue air miles), time (getting there quickly or arriving/leaving at a certain time), destination (could you fly into a different airport). The more you are willing to compromise on, the cheaper your flight will be and the more money you will have to spend on those once in a life time experiences.
If anyone else has any tips or advice when booking flights please feel free to post a comment below.
By: Nick & Jackie


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Broccoli Rabe Skillet Pizza Ingredients
Only two tablespoons olive oil, broken down
- 1 soccer ball (One lb.) whole-wheat pizzas dough
- Some ounces broccoli rabe, lower directly into A single 1/2-in. pieces
- With regards to 1 glass diced yellow bell pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp . red chile flakes
- One particular 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, broken down
How to make Broccoli Rabe Skillet Pizza
- Preheat range in order to 400°. Warmth a substantial ovenproof frying pan above
medium-low temperature. Put 1 tbsp of. essential oil and also brush throughout
- Press bread with your hands, implementing a new floured floor, in to a 13-in. round.
Press in to baking pan therefore it happens facets a bit. Prepare until eventually
fantastic upon bottom, Five units. Slide onto the plate.
- Add leftover acrylic for you to skillet with the greens, salt, and also chile. Make above
medium-high high temperature, mixing, till fills commence to brown. Exchange to your
- Invert cash back to pot, gold side way up, along with media on to griddle. Mix with 1 pot mozzarella, departing a new edge about edge. Scatter greens more than cheese along with spread with outstanding mozzarella.
- Bake pizzas inside griddle until eventually crusting can be crisp, concerning
Quarter-hour. Cut into wedges.
Broccoli Rabe Skillet Pizza is ready to serve.
YIELD: Serves 4 to 6


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Rhie - Chow speed up factors
I have been writting a 1D CFD code for solving the Navier Stokes Eqs. I have found that the Rhie - Chow interpolation takes to many iteration to get a good convergence (i.e. Mass error < 1.0E-12). A have modified the relaxation factors for velocity and pressure, within the range of 0.8-0.5 for velocity and 0.5-0.1 for pressure, having almost the same results. I am using a SIMPLE algorithm, with a direct solver (1D - TDMA).
I actually testing the code with a very simple problem (viscosity = 1.0E-3, density = 1000.0, dx = 100 * 50 CV, Area = 1.0E-4, every thing in IU, Re = 1000). Although, I have a good rate of convergence at begin of the iterations (e.g. Mass error = 1.0E-8, for the first 300 iterations), it takes a lot to get a Mass error < 1.0E-12. (Fortran 90 - Double Precision for any single real variable).
So I wondering if there is any kind of speed up factor that could be used with the Rhie - Chow interpolation, for this purpose ?
Thanks in advance, Goicox (email@example.com)
|All times are GMT -4. The time now is 09:20.


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The new iPhone also is easy on the eyes, thanks to a larger screen and its "Retina Display," the high-definition technology that Apple introduced in previous models.
Video and photos look even more lush on the iPhone 5's bigger and better screen.
Image: Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, speaks on stage during an introduction of the new iPhone 5.
AP Images


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Sadly, we must inform you that Jules Seeman passed away peacefully at home on December 11, 2010 at the age of 95. He was active professionally until very near the end. This site will be maintained, and further examples of his work will be posted. His first book, Personality Integration, will be re-published in the near future. Please watch this site for information and updates. A memorial service will be held Saturday, February 12. Please email for further information.
Best regards,
Family of Jules Seeman
Psychotherapy and the Fully Functioning Person
A book by Julius Seeman, Ph.D. Published by AuthorHouse, 2008
Long before there were "empirically supported treatments" or randomized clinical trials of psychotherapy, a group at the University of Chicago was conducting the first psychotherapy research, led by Carl Rogers. Jules Seeman was there at the beginning, as an early Research Coordinator for this project. In this new volume of unpublished and previously-published works, and new essays, Dr. Seeman takes us on a journey from the very beginnings of psychotherapy research, through a long career studying optimal functioning (the precursor of what is now called "positive psychology"), and capping it off with chapters synthesizing work on optimal functioning and human systems.
The book illustrates how central elements of a person's behavioral systems are integrally linked, and how it is possible to intervene at different points of the human system to affect other behavioral systems within the person. Using detailed narratives and excerpts from humanistic-experiential psychotherapy cases, the book integrates an understanding of therapy and research in a way that exemplifies the scientist-practitioner model.
Jules Seeman is one of the earliest representatives of humanistic-experiential psychotherapy and research. He is the recipient of numerous local and national honors, including the American Psychological Association Division 32 Carl Rogers Award for his outstanding contribution to the profession and practice of humanistic psychology. Dr. Seeman spent six years with Carl Rogers at the University of Chicago Department of Psychology and the Counseling Center, and then came to Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, where he worked for the next 37 years. He was especially drawn to the area of what Rogers referred to as the "fully functioning person," and over a lifetime of research and practice, developed the "human system model" of psychotherapy and optimal functioning.
In the present volume Dr. Seeman illustrates how central elements of a person's behavioral system are integrally linked. Within this system, the core therapeutic processes that maintain and enhance the person's development are the processes of connection and communication. These two processes are basic to any form of therapy and help to explain why different forms of therapy work.