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Sunday, February 18, 2018
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Born To Love Food?
Almost 40 years ago to the day I was born as a poor black child to sharecroppers in Mississippi. When I was 18 I found out I was white and I moved to St. Louis. Okay so that's obviously not true but for some reason I couldn't resist a joke from The Jerk which as it turns out was released on my birthday in 1979. What a hilarious movie. So anyway I just turned 40 and was talking with my family about when I was born.
It was a December Monday night in 1971 and my dad was downstairs watching Monday Night Football. Washington beat Los Angeles 38, 24 if you are wondering. My mother was upstairs in the kitchen attempting to cook a Lebanese dish, malfoof mehshee, which is stuffed cabbage rolls. Wow how does that sound for gender roles in the 70's? Pregnant in the kitchen while dad watches football. If she was barefoot we'd have the whole stereotype nailed. They really weren't like that though. My mom worked, had kids, went back to school and cooked real food for us just about every day. I remember on nights she would have school she would cook dinner in the morning before going to work and put it in the refrigerator for us to still have a real meal.
So back to cabbage rolls and Monday Night Football. Even though my mother is one hundred percent Lebanese she had never made cabbage rolls. She never made any Lebanese dishes actually as my grandmother always handled that department. So to make the cabbage rolls you stuff them with a filling, roll them, layer them in a pot of water and crushed tomatoes, bring to a boil then lower heat and cook slowly for about an hour. I would never eat them as a kid but I love them now! (I see a future post here.) But the first step is to boil the cabbage a bit to soften the leaves for rolling. Here is where we start to laugh a little at mom's expense. To do this you core the cabbage before placing core side down in a pot of water to cook for a few minutes. Then you remove the head from the pot and gently separate the leaves. Mom was trying to peel the cabbage leaves from the raw head and place them one by one in the water. If you have ever prepared this dish you know that just won't work. So while mom was fumbling with the cabbage upstairs dad was downstairs hoping his team didn't suffer the same fate.
Soon mom called down to my dad to come upstairs. As most dads would do when involved in watching a sporting event on TV or really anything on TV, he answered back, "What? I'm watching football." She said, "Just come up here". "Why?" was the answer. "Just get up here!" When my dad went upstairs he saw my mom sitting down looking confused. She said, "Every time I stand up I pee my pants." Now I have an older sister so my mother had a child prior to this but when she went into labor with her they broke her water at the hospital. Well of course that is what was happening now which my dad quickly figured out so off to the hospital they went to have me. Right out of his recliner and into action and a step ahead of the game. There was already boiling water on the stove. It's been 40 years and my mother has yet to attempt making cabbage rolls again. I'm not so sure what that says about my birth?
As I grew to enjoy food and cooking I wanted to learn how to make some Lebanese dishes and thought it would be fun to cook with and learn from my grandma. The first thing we did was mjaddara which is lentils and rice. I still remember her showing me how to sauté the onions just right so they would get nice and brown without burning. It's a big part of developing the flavor and color of the dish. I love scooping it up with a nice piece of Lebanese bread. She also taught me how to do stuffed grape leaves making sure to tell me about placing some leaves in the bottom of the pot to protect the rolls on bottom from scorching and how you place a small saucer on top of the rolls while cooking to keep them submerged. And don't forget to use lots of lemon juice in the water! I'd watch her painstakingly prepare the best baklava I have ever or will ever have. The way she did individual sheet after sheet of phyllo dough and syrup created a top that baked into what seemed like two-inches of sweet flaky heaven. You feel so special when grandma shows you her method for getting something just right or the "secret" ingredient she never tells anyone. It's those special touches that make people's dishes theirs and leave an imprint on your mind's palate that you crave. Without them it would just be another piece of phyllo with sugar and nuts. It's no wonder food companies use names like Grandma's Muffins or Dad's Cookies. It's gotta be special if grandma made it! Cooking recipes that are handed down from generation to generation is a fun way to spend time with and learn about your family. It's also one of the best ways to keep the spirit of a loved one alive. I wish I would have taken the time to cook more with my grandma while I had the chance.
Over the years my mom has learned to make some Lebanese dishes and we even took a class together at our church, St. Raymond's, which has a large Lebanese following and offers authentic Lebanese food for lunch on Wednesdays. The class was great and mom and I had a lot of fun but it wasn't the same as cooking with grandma. We learned a lot but we still had not made cabbage rolls. Working in the same church kitchen that my grandma and many other relatives spent hours in volunteering every week to prepare the Wednesday lunches I could feel their presence and once again they made me feel warm, happy and full.
On my recent birthday we were talking about mom and the cabbage rolls and my mom says to my sister, "It's no wonder Tony loves food. I was cooking when I went into labor with him." My sister then asked what she was doing when she went into labor with her and my mom said they were getting ready to go to bed. My sister says that theory makes a lot of sense because she loves to sleep.
I think mom was right as moms always are. I was born to love food!
P.S. – Hey mom, let's make some cabbage rolls. I promise you won't have a baby although I think the last time things worked out pretty great 🙂
What memories do you have about cooking with family?

subset: commoncrawl


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Do you remember your first Best in Show win? Me neither. For most of us, earning that top award remains a fixture on our annual list of New Year's resolutions. For others, owner-handers and professionals alike, the goal is not winning a Best in Show, it's how many all-breed Bests can be achieved. Select fanciers… read more
Unique Among Shows Across the Globe: The Eukanuba World Challenge
There is one single element of the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship dog show that definitively sets it apart from every other event on the planet, and that is the Eukanuba World Challenge. No place else do fanciers have the opportunity to see, in the flesh and in one place, top winning dogs from all across the… read more


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Leeds youngster on radar
With Wise still attempting to fill his quota of young talent for the £1m contract he`s on, Ken Bates has laughed out his muckas offer for youngster Fabian Delph. The academy product has earned rave reviews and recently was the toast of Leeds with a brilliant double strike recently. Bates said:
'I'm still amazed at a recent offer Newcastle made for Fabian. I won't tell you the content of the fax we sent back but it did end the conversation. It's inevitable if the team does well predatory upper league clubs will try their luck without success.
Fabian Delph will be moving to Premier League - but we hope he'll be moving with us via the Championship. He signed a four-year contract until 2012 and he doesn't want to go anywhere.'


text: Anyone feel like getting some Boric Acid (fine powdered version)? It works wonders if you put a little along the floor, where walls meet floors. I lived in a house where the roaches yelled at you if you turned on the lights, and Boric Acid fixed the problem. Mitch. ---------------- > Date: Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:51:07 -0700 > From: rubin at starset.net > To: build at lists.noisebridge.net > Subject: [Build] Roach problem > > I've seen 1 roach every day for the days I've been here during the past > week. Each encounter has been not around the kitchen. > > -- > Rubin Abdi > rubin at starset.net > _______________________________________________ > Build mailing list > Build at lists.noisebridge.net > https://www.noisebridge.net/mailman/listinfo/build -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://www.noisebridge.net/pipermail/build/attachments/20091014/c4817cbf/attachment.html>


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Actor Taylor Negron has paid tribute to the elderly landlady who was found dead at a Los Angeles crime scene last week.
Police suspect former "Sons of Anarchy" actor Johnny Lewis murdered Catherine Davis at her home in Los Feliz, before jumping or falling to his death outside.
Negron, who once rented the same room Lewis was living in, has now written an editorial piece for Xojane.com to honor the 81 year old, who he calls a "Hollywood legend. A near saint. And a kind and loving mother to so many, including me."
He also recalls "Cathy" as a writer and a reader who loved throwing parties, and who was writing a biography about Phoebe Apperson Hearst, William Randolph Hearst's mother, at the time of her death.
Negron also reveals stars including Parker Posey, Thomas Jane, Chris Parnell and Val Kilmer also resided in what Davis referred to as her Writer's Villa, and how she told him the space he rented was "my room… always".
He adds, "The door was always open."


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You are viewing a story from harrypotterfanfiction.com
Miracle in Diagon Alley by sophie_elle_malfoy
Format: Novel
Chapter 12: Getting Closer
"...I don't care, Malfoy. You were acting like a total arsehole, so now you've to say sorry to Lyra," comes Pansy's loud screaming from the living room. I've been locking myself in my room for the last two hours, reading Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – a book that I found from the bookshelve.
"Alright, alright. I'm going now. But, I'm sure she's not going to hear me out," Draco says, his voice getting closer.
"That's your problem. You are, after all, her father," Pansy snaps. "You go figure something out. In the mean time, I'll be off to see the Healer for my weekly check-up. I expect Lyra's forgiven you when I see you again. Understand?"
"Yes, Mother," Draco mumbles. I silently giggle upon hearing their conversation. I hear Pansy's steps retreating, and then Draco knocks my door gently.
"Lyra, I'm sorry," he says. I simply ignore him. "Lyra, please, open the door."
Again, I ignore him. He sighs heavily.
"I was busy, dealing on contracts. You probably have heard that I'm still handling the Malfoy Company, not only being a Quidditch player. If something wrong happens, I'll lose the company and practically everything I have. I'm really sorry for everything. I didn't mean to act like a – " his answer is cut off when I slam the door open. I almost forgive him instantly when I look at him; smiling wide like a child with eyes looking hopeful.
But it needs more than hopeful expression to get my forgiveness.
"Like a dick?" I spit out, glaring at him – which is a bit hard, because I need to look up at him. He's really tall, it's almost inhuman.
There's a pregnant pause before he answers. "Yes. Like a total dick... Will you please forgive me?"
"No," I say, and the hopeful look on his face drops literally.
"Pardon me?"
"Do you really expect me to forgive you that easily? Of course not! For one, Draco Malfoy, your mood-swing is really terrible, I find it even more irritating than Lily Potter's. For another, I'm tired with all of it. One minute you're acting all nice and charming, and then you're acting like a cold-hearted bastard. It takes more than you're hopeful look and smiles to have my forgiveness."
His face looks all sad and hurt, but I think I was just imagining that. He's now looking impassive, like he always has. He nods his head shortly before saying, "Okay. I understand. If you don't want to forgive me now, it's okay. But, I really am sorry, Lyra. And I hope you'll forgive me later."
"Not today," I say. He nods his head again, as if he confirms my statement.
"There's food in the kitchen. If you need anything, I'll be in my room," he says, and makes his way to his room. I close the door slowly, feeling tired all of the sudden. I throw the book in my hand, and throw myself on the bed.
"Mum, why should you be in love with such an infuriating jerk and had me with him?" I mumble as I my eyes flutter shut, falling asleep.
When I wake up, it's almost 6 o'clock. I wake up at the sound of impatient knocks on my door. Cursing faintly with profanities that I'll never dare say in front of Ginny, I open the door. I find no one there, only an envelope next to my feet, and a box of my favourite Muggle chocolate. I pick up both items and hold the box carefull with my right arm, before opening the envelope. There's a small card inside it, with Draco's elegant hand writting.
"Meet me in the balcony in one minute," I read aloud. As soon as I finish reading it, a timer appears on the corner of the card, showing the seconds I've left.
Fifty-seven seconds...
Fifty-six seconds...
And so on...
I waste no time and run quickly toward the balcony. In less than twenty seconds, I'm already standing in front of the door that separates the balcony and the living room. Draco's standing beside furry white carpet, wearing a dark-blue shirt and black jeans. He's his back on me, his attention is focused on something in front of him. There are boxes of chocolate and plates of cake all over the carpet, and bottles of soda. A small telly is sitting not far from the him, showing one of Mum's favourite movie that she and I used to watch together. I open the door slowly, and Draco turns around when I take a step closer toward him. He's a small smile on his face, and he looks more like my older brother than my father. Wind is blowing quite hard on us, causing me to wrap my arms around myself instantly. It's quite chilly, but it's not snowing yet. Still, with me only wearing a spaghetti-straps dress, I feel like freezing to death. Draco seems to notice so, and he casts a silent Warming Spell on me.
"Thank you," I say, sitting beside him.
"No problem."
"Why do you want me here?" I ask.
"To show you that." He points at the purple flowers all around us, which I didn't notice that before, and just right when the timer in the card rings, pixies jump out of the petals, dancing. It's probably the most beautiful sight I've ever seen.
"It's beautiful," I breathe. He nods.
"Yeah. Your mother showed me these same flowers to me just before..." Draco clears his throat awkwardly and continues with an almost audible voice. "Just before she went away. It was on this same day, you know; just fifteen years ago." He takes one chocolate randomly, and pops one into his mouth. I seriously can't tell whether he really is thirty or not. He looks so young.
"Take one, girl. It tastes delicious," he says. I take one, not that I really want to eat it. Merely for formality, just that.
We eat the chocolate and the cake in silent, and as cliche as it sounds, we feel comfortable with it. I know this is another of Draco's weird way of saying thank you, but I like it. This is one thing that Mum always says; Draco likes to pamper people he cares about. I don't want to get my hopes too high, but I can't help but to feel a bit happy. He's spent probably millions of Galleons for me, and although he's a right foul git, he's actually quite alright.
"I still miss her, you know," he says suddenly. It takes me awhile until I realise that he's talking about Mum. "I still feel like she was actually with me all along. Sometimes, I find myself staring randomly at some brunette woman with bushy hair, hoping that it's her. At night, I'll be having dreams- memories of our time together. I'll be honest with you, even when I'm...when I uh...when..."
I look away slightly, getting what he's on about. It's a bit unnerving when you hear your supposed-father talking about having that with another woman who's not your mother. Hearing my mum telling me stories of her doing it with Draco was already disturbing for me, hearing him doing this with Jackie is super disturbing.
"I get it already," I mutter. For some reasons, I feel myself blushing. "Just...just continue whatever you were going to say."
I swear, I think Draco smirks when he sees my reaction.
"When I have that, I sometimes say your mother's name, not Jackie's. And one day, you'll know how problematic that is for my relationship with her or any of my girlfriends... All of that is getting worse ever since you come into my life. The constant hoping of your mother being one of that many women I meet, the dreams that keep me awake all night long... It gets worse."
I look away for the second time that night, but this time, it's because of guilt.
"Don't get me wrong, though. I don't blame it all on you. I'm saying this because I want you to understand why I keep on acting cold and irritating to you. You remind me so much of her."
"I want to understand you, Draco," I say slowly. "But, you're so hard to understand. Sometimes, when I thing I've finally understood you, you show me another side of yours. You're a really difficult man to understand."
He smiles weakly. "I'm sorry for that. Your mother used to say that it was easier to understand a really difficult dark magic than to understand me. I suppose, she was right about one more thing, huh?"
I don't answer him because I've noticed something interesting. He always avoids mentioning Mum's name, always refering her as 'your mother'. Before I can stop myself, the question flies out of my mouth. "Why do you always refer Mum as 'your mother'? Why can't you just say her name?"
I expect him to look ashamed or even nervous, but he just shrugs nonchalantly. But, I can see it from the way he avoids eye contact with me by intentionally drinking his drink, he feels uneasy to talk about this. "I don't know. Her name has been something forbidden for me to say for the past few years. Yes, I still say her name in my sleep, but consciously, I can never find the guts to say her name out loud."
"I'm just scared, I guess. I'm scared that I won't be as strong I want to be if I keep on wallowing in the past. I don't want to be all moping and moaning like stupid Moaning Myrtle." I smile knowingly and grab his hand with mine. He whips his head around to look at me, his eyes wide open.
It seems like I've surprised him.
"Well, you can't always be strong all the time. There are times when you have to be vulnerable. It doesn't mean you're weak, it means that you're human," I say carefully, afraid that I'll offend. He smiles though, and for the first time ever, he caresses my cheek like I always imagined a father would to a daughter.
"See? This is what I mean by you reminding me of...Hermione. Even the way you talk, you're just like her. And right now, I feel like she was here with us, sitting just right beside me."
"Harry told me the those who loved us never really leave us. They're always in our heart," I say, scooting closer to him. It was my turn to be surprised when he wraps around my shoulder. It feels good.
"Hm, I bet he quoted that from Sirius Black?" I look at him, wondering how can he knows about that. He smirks and pulls me even closer. If this all turn up a dream, I think I'll pitch myself off this building.
"How can you – "
"Hermione said the same thing to me years ago," he says, looking forlorn. But, as if there was a switch, he's smiling really bright, like a child on Christmas. "Now, what do you think Muggle movies? Your mother forced me to watch all of her favourites every night we had a date. And believe me when I say I've enough of her screaming girlishly when her favourite actor appeared in the screen."
The both of us laugh. "Yeah, she liked to do that. I used to hate her when she did that, but now... Can't say that I do anymore. I mean, Muggle actors are really attractive."
Draco cringed. "Oh, not him! I don't need you to say that too! I've Pansy to do that, thank you very much."
"Well, what can I say? They really are hot." I laugh happily when Draco makes a face at my statement.
"I always know Muggle movies are ruining young girls. Just remember one thing, girl, if one day I find you and Pansy making some stupid fans-club, I'll seriously consider kicking you out from the team."
"Who are you to make such decision? You're not my coach." I try to sound all angry, but with Draco smirking smugly like an annoying eighteen year old bloke, it's a bit hard to do so.
"I'm your coach's Captain, and I also happen to be his boss since he starts to work in the Malfoy Company. So, yeah, I've all the rights to make such decision." I roll my eyes.
"You're such an arse."
He smirks and, believe it or not, he smears his chocolate-covered index finger across my cheek. I gasp loudly, touching my my face. His smirk, if possible, grows wider. "Aw, Lyra, afraid that a little chocolate will ruin your face?"
I glare at him, but it quickly changes into a smile when I secretly grab my glass of soda. Still smiling at him, I pour all of the contain over his head. He jumps away from me, staring dumbly at his drenched shirt. I can't resist the urge to laugh. His face looks so comical. "Don't worry, Draco. You're hair will be as girly as it's always been."
He mock-glares at me. "You did not just say my hair looks girly."
"I did," I say, laughing even harder.
"Take it back."
"Nope. No can do."
Before he can wrap his big arms around me, I run away from him. I run around the apartment in circle, giggling and laughing. Draco shouts my name along with some threaths that he'll tickle me to death. After ten minutes of running, Draco grabs his wand and Petrifies me. Smirking like a git he really is, he finally has me in his arms, and then lifts the spell of me. I glare at him and struggling all I can to escape.
"I hate you," I say when lets go of me. I throw myself on the couch, turning the telly on carelessly. The couch dips lower when Draco sits beside me. He embraces me and I, daring my luck, lay my head on his shoulder. He doesn't recoil, thank God.
"No you don't. I'm too charming," he says. I roll my eyes and pinch his hand lightly,
"You're annoying."
"You're stubborn."
"You're a git."
"You're a brat."
I look at him in disbelief, but let the matter away. I still find it hard to belief though, that the Draco Malfoy wants to play around like a child.
"What? No more comebacks?" Draco taunts.
"Just shut up and let me watch in peace."
Draco laughs and nods his head. We end up watching the crappy show in silent. I'm hardly watching anything at all, my thoughts all on the blonde man who's actually the father I'd been looking for all this time. I don't really remember what happens next, but all I know, when I wake up, I'm already in my bed, a thick blanket is covering most of my body. I find a note on the coffee table, and a set of bottles of nail-polish. I know all of it from Draco. Smiling to myself, I take it and read it.
Sorry I've to go really early again. When you read this, I'm probably already away.
Tomorrow's you match, isn't it? Blaise and I are preparing everything, so don't worry your pretty head about not being home all day.
Blaise said today's practice will be at the same time, but it won't be long like usual.
I'm not gonna be there when you practice, but I'll be there on your match.
One more thing, we have dinner tonight, with Jackie. Call Pansy if you need anything.
See you tonight,
P. S.: I really enjoy last night. Tell me when you're craving on chocolate again.
I laugh heartily and make my way to shower.
Draco sure has a funny way of showing that he cares about me.
Author's Note:
Eep! I really love writing this chapter. I'm getting sort of tired of writing irritating Draco.
Even the Draco in my head protests that he's not that rude.
The part where Draco mostly write notes to Lyra is inspired by my own father's habit. When he finds it hard to say what he wants to me out loud, he'll leave notes with little gifts to me; like chocolate or nail-polish. I always think my dad's habit is really sweet. My mum said that that was how my dad asked her to be his girlfriend. Thank God he didn't use notes to propose her :D
The book, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, is one of my favourite book (credits for John le Carré, people). I know most of you who have read the book are probably thinking it's almost impossible a fourteen year old would ever read such book, but I suppose Lyra's not a normal fourteen year old. She is, after all, the child of Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy ;) She's not normal at all, in a good way though.
Enough with all the rambling. Thanks for reading and please review!


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Australia: Setting the stage for a valid consent for staged development in NSW
Last Updated: 26 June 2017Article by Nick Thomas and Wagih Doueihi
Developers and consent authorities will need to address construction impacts for a multi-stage development proposal when preparing and assessing a development application for the concept stage of that proposal. Also, staged development consent for single stage developments is no longer available.
In a surprising outcome for developers and consent authorities alike, the NSW Court of Appeal has overturned a NSW Land and Environment Court (L&E Court) decision and held that:
- construction-related impacts for a staged development proposal must be addressed in the development application (DA) for the concept or first stage of that proposal; and
- the staged development consent process can only be used for developments with more than one stage, and so the widely used practice of obtaining concept approval for a single stage development before obtaining detailed consent for the construction
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A few weeks ago the Lake County clerk`s office called Riverwoods` Village Hall to ask if someone had forgotten to levy taxes for the village.
No mistake, the county was told.
``We did not levy any taxes this year,`` said Village President Chuck Smith.
The village of 3,000, which requires that each house have at least an acre of land, has built up about $2.8 million in cash reserves. Interest from that money helps pay village expenses, Smith said.


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No doubt, like other fiscal conservatives, we'll find plenty of pork and waste to criticize in the humongous $286.4 billion highway and transit funding bill that Congress is sending to President Bush, but that doesn't gainsay the fact there's much in the measure that is very good news for the state, particularly the Augusta area.
For instance, there's $13.4 million in Richmond and Columbia County road widening projects that will be a big help in relieving traffic congestion problems along Washington Road.
These are short-term issues to address, but the transportation bill also provides a whopping $1.32 million for a much larger and ambitious long term project - feasibility studies for the proposed Interstate 3 and Interstate 14 highways. The two Deep South interstates, with Augusta as the primary hub, would be a huge economic boon for the region.
The projects, originally urged by former U.S. Rep. Max Burns, R-Ga., were continued by U.S. Rep. Charlie Norwood, R-Ga., who requested $400,000 for the studies - but, thanks to the efforts of U.S. Sens. Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., that figure was more than tripled in the Senate.
The first interstate, I-3, would link Savannah, Augusta, northeast Georgia, western North Carolina and Knoxville, Tenn., thus making Augusta a major intersection.
The second interstate, I-14, tieing Augusta, Macon and Columbus to Montgomery, Ala., and Natchez, Miss., would create alternative commerce corridors that would finally bring significant economic development to the so-called Black Belt, historically one of the most economically depressed areas of the South.
The new interstate projects won't happen overnight, of course. It will take billions of dollars, and probably more than a decade to build, but the feasibility studies are the first important steps in the highway journeys of thousands of miles.
When the interstates were built back in the 1950s, Atlanta raked in most of the federal highway funds to develop its freeways that have major intersections from all directions. Meanwhile, Augusta and other Georgia metro centers were, with the exception of Interstate 20, stuck with the road systems they had at that time.
"Georgia is blessed with a lot of north-south interstate routes, but ... when it comes to east and west, we are not," says the Georgia Department of Transportation's chief engineer, David Studstill. "These are two badly needed projects."
That's especially true these days with Atlanta's freeway system so clogged that the capital's often at a virtual standstill. Two new interstates with Augusta as the hub would relieve that congestion.
More importantly, they'd open up huge new economic opportunities, not only for the region and state, but the entire South.
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6 Things We Learned About the Dallas Cowboys' Victory over Tampa BaySeptember 23, 2012
In the NFL, a win is a win, and that's what the Cowboys need to take away from their performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was a sloppy performance that did manage to produce a few highlights like Dez Bryant's 45-yard punt return, but coming out of this game victorious is all that matters even if it wasn't a vintage performance.
The offensive line needs major work, and the proof is in the beating that Tony Romo took from the Tampa Bay pass rush. Collectively, this team is still looking for an identity after three games, and right now, the Cowboys are somewhere in no man's land.
After knocking off the New York Giants in the season opener and laying an egg against Seattle, they were able to survive four quarters against Tampa Bay and scrape by. This type of performance is clearly not indicative of an elite team just yet, but beating Tampa Bay was the singular goal for the day.
If the Cowboys continue to play this brand of football, then they won't be beating too many of the NFL's elite. We learned a few things from today's performance that I'd now like to focus on.
Jason Witten Continues His String of Bad Play
Witten dropped three more passes against Tampa Bay and was also penalized twice for false starts. He finished the day with two catches for eight yards. This stretch of play is very uncharacteristic of Witten and the question of his health has to come into play. What makes it even worse is that Martellus Bennett has three touchdowns in three games with the Giants.
Witten hasn't scored a touchdown since the Nov. 20, 2011, contest at Washington. It's a disturbing statistic that needs to be corrected. The question is whether or not he is really healthy or not.
Injuries at Safety Are More Than a Concern
Dallas lost safety Barry Church (via Nick Eatman of CBS Sports) for the season with a torn Achilles tendon. His injury appeared serious from the inception, and those fears were confirmed.
Church suffered the injury in the third quarter and was replaced by Mana Silva. The Cowboys were also without the services of Gerald Sensabaugh today due to an injured calf, so the depth now suddenly goes from concern to panic.
The Cowboys could be playing the Chicago Bears next week with Danny McCray and Mana Silva as the starting safeties. Dallas needs to strongly evaluate this situation, but they could also have several options at their disposal.
Could Matt Johnson be ready to contribute? Maybe Brandon Carr, who played safety today in the nickel, could take over. The Cowboys could bring Mario Butler back due to his familiarity with the team or look elsewhere on the waiver wire.
The Cowboys Have a Full-Blown Penalty Problem
The false-start penalties are turning into an outbreak of the plague. Doug Free was the culprit three times, Witten was flagged twice and Tyron Smith also got in on the action and was called for one.
Overall, the Cowboys were penalized 13 times, and this is becoming very reckless. Some of it can be attributed to communication along the offensive line, and some are just a by-product of playing too hard, but double-digit penalties on a weekly basis will get you a 6-10 record faster than a speeding ticket—a ticket right out of the playoff hunt.
Dez Bryant's Impact on Punt Returns Can Alter a Game
Having Bryant returning punts will always expose him to the additional propensity for injury, but we finally saw what type of impact he can make for this team. He reminded us why the rewards outweigh the risks by providing a big play when the Cowboys needed it. Bryant saw daylight and dashed 45 yards up the right sideline to set up what would become the game clinching field goal by Dan Bailey.
He might not break one every week, but this could clearly be a weapon for this team and a tool for changing momentum and jump-starting the offense. I would expect to see some more of these big plays from Bryant in future weeks.
Defense Won This Ballgame Today
Give credit to Rob Ryan's unit in a big way. The offense couldn't run, despite DeMarco Murray's touchdown, they couldn't block and the offense looks out of sync. But, this is why Rob Ryan was brought here, and his unit's run and pass defense was the difference. Tampa Bay was held to just over 160 yards of offense, and several players were responsible for this.
Anthony Spencer continued his strong play with seven tackles, Sean Lee had an interception, and DeMarcus Ware was, well, DeMarcus Ware. Imagine when he is at full strength.
The secondary was able to make it, despite its injuries at safety, by putting Brandon Carr back there. Mike Jenkins saw some extended playing time and had a nice pass deflection on a deep route. It was a great all-around performance by the defense.
Jason Garrett Needs To Get This Offense in Sync Pronto
Despite Murray's rushing touchdown, there wasn't much room to run against Tampa's defensive front. His numbers were 18 carries for 38 yards, and he has not had a 100-yard game since opening night. Doug Free was manhandled by Mary B's brother Michael, but the interior line was no better. If the Cowboys can't run the ball, the success of this offense will be limited and unsuccessful.
Maybe he needs to make more in-game adjustments or be more aggressive, but this team needs to get off to better starts, be more assertive from the onset of games and find and establish an identity. That starts with the coaches, especially Garrett.


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EAST HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — A 23-year-old man was arrested on Sunday for sexually assaulting a minor from East Haven the day before.
East Haven police arrested and charged Joseph Hutchinson, 23 on Sunday for sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor.
The victim is a 13-year-old girl and her family reports that Hutchinson assaulted her on Saturday, the day before his arrest.
In addition to this arrest, Hutchinson had three active warrants for violating probation. He was held on bonds totaling $275,000 and will be arraigned in court on February 18th.
Police suggest that there may possibly be additional victims related to this matter.
If anyone has information about this case or a similar incident, please contact the East Haven Police Department at 203-468-3820 or the Detective Division at 203-468-3827.
Information can be given anonymously by telephone or by visiting their website at www.easthavenpolice.com.


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Looking for something fun for your daughter during spring break?
If so, your daughter can make friends and have a blast during an activity packed week at Girl Scout Spring Break Day Camp, March 25-29. Two sessions are available: 9 a.m.–12 p.m. or 1–4 p.m.
Camp is located at the Vineyard Church, TriCounty Student Union, 11340 Century Circle East.
Spaces are filling up quickly, so call 513-489-1025 to register or for more information. Girl Scout Spring Break Day Camp is for girls in kindergarten through sixth grade, currently not registered in Girl Scouts.


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I put it out on The Self-Pay Patient Facebook and Twitter feeds before, but haven't yet announced here on the blog that The Heartland Institute will be hosting me for a book event next week Wednesday, August 6 in downtown Chicago. The event starts at 11:30am with a lunch, and I'll be speaking and answering questions starting at around 12:20 or so. Things should wrap up by 1:30.
I'm looking forward to this event, especially since my first introduction to some of the self-pay patient options that I write about in my book and here happened while I was at Heartland. If you're in the Chicago area on August 6, I hope you can come by!
Further event details, including how to register to attend, are here: Sean Parnell and The Self-Pay Patient, hosted by The Heartland Institute


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Below find my non-winning entry for the Erma Bombeck Writing Competition. Congratulations to all of the winners! High fives to all of the other losers!
Boy Boomerang
My first-born spent his newborn months sleeping in the crook of my arm. The crib served as his favorite place to slumber… for 20 minutes maximum, and only after 45 minutes rocking to every ballad in my musical theater repertoire. I'd gingerly place him in said crib, army crawl from the room, and pray. Twenty minutes later found us samba-ing down the hallway, me belting I feel sleepy! Oh so sleepy! I feel sleepy and weepy, it's niiiiight! I exhausted this insane ingenue routine nightly, until we'd collapse in my bed. Desperate, after seven months, we resigned him to crying in his crib. Now age ten, he has slept comfortably in his own bed, ever since. I vowed not to repeat my mistakes.
Enter Boy Boomerang. I put my second son in the crib, in his own room, from night one. Throughout his infancy, I ambled across the hallway multiple times per night to nurse him, and diligently returned him to his crib—sleep crisis averted.
Then Boy Boomerang coordinated his limbs. At age two, he began pole-vaulting from his crib and running into our bed with a surprise-attack worthy of a Navy Seal. Rather than snuggle in my arm, he commandeered 80% of our king-size bed with his forehead in my kidney, and his toes between his father's ribs. With the resolve of haggard but faithful Golden Retrievers, we returned Boy Boomerang to his bed anew, only to have him ricochet back into ours anon. We put up a baby gate, he beat it down. We took him to the bathroom, he screamed "I DONT HAVE TO! I DON'T HAVE TO!" as he released a stream as forceful as our power-washer. That routine sometimes tired him enough to stay in his own bed, as I laid awake in mine.
Over the years, visits from Boy Boomerang waned, but recently a kinder, gentler Boy Boomerang emerged. He now lands in our bed less like a boulder flung from a catapult. He stays mostly still and vertical, most of the night. I savor his nearness–maybe it's because I recently felt his toes graze my shins. Maybe it's because he retired his teddy bear, or maybe it's because I finally get enough sleep. Regardless, I know the day nears when we'll tuck Boy Boomerang into his bed and he'll stay there–when we'll toss him into the world, and he'll stay there. So now, if he wakes me at 4 AM, I kiss his cheek, cradle his sheet-sheathed fist to my chest, and Maria's lyrics from West Side Story beckon—Make of our hand one hand, make of our heart one heart…
If you live in the Madison area, please join me at the Natural Parenting Expo, a week from Sunday (3/23/14 at 2:30 PM). It's easy, all you have to do is sit there and not heckle me. Tickets are free with expo admission thanks to the Isthmus.


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Organize your favourite listings
Sign up to keep track of your favourite spaces and revisit them later.
Nicely built out office with large showroom. Operating costs include gas, HVAC repair and maintenance, garbage, water/sewer.
Great Central NE area with easy access to Barlow Trail, 36 Street NE and 16 Avenue NE.


text: Hi, I'm really desparing .. I've got a DLink DWL-G520 wireless card. Right after I installed NetBSD 2.0 I tried to set it up. It worked fine. Then I put the stuff I used to get it working into /etc/ifconfig.ath0 and rebooted. Now it doesn't work anymore. I'm working on this problem since 3 hours but I can't find the mistake. As far as I see there is just nothing wrong but I can't get it working. Anyway, here are some of the files: /etc/ifconfig.ath0: | inet 192.168.7.9 netmask 0xffffff00 broadcast 192.168.7.255 | mediaopt 11g | inet6 fe80::20d::88f:fea6:f554%ath0 prefixlen 64 | mtu 1500 | !/sbin/route add default 192.168.7.1 ifconfig: | # ifconfig ath0 | ath0: flags=8843<UP,BROADCAST,RUNNING,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST> mtu 1500 | ssid ebyte nwkey 0xMyKey | powersave off | adress: 00:0d:88:a6:f5:54 | media: IEEE802.11 autoselect (DS1) | status: no network | inet 192.168.7.9 netmask 0xffffff00 broadcast 192.168.7.255 | inet6 fe80::20d::88ff:fea6:f55f%ath0 prefixlen 64 scopeid | # I can ping my own LAN-adress (192.168.7.9) but every other host (no matter if it's internet or lan) is not reachable. Pinging another host than my own one gives me ``ping: sendto: Host is down'' I've got no idea what to do now. :-( Any help is appreciated. If you need more information, just tell me. -- Philipp 'phil' Klein __o Email.......: email@example.com o__ _`\<, GPG-ID......: 0xBAE21960 ,>/'_ (_)/(_) #include <std/disclaimer.h> (_)\(_)


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Deborah Henry-Pollard: Business Planning & Creative Entrepreneurship
#besmartaboutart Creative Specialist Deborah Henry-Pollard is a coach, mentor and project manager.
She works with people in the creative sector, helping them to find and build on their vision. Her aim is to help "light the blue touchpaper" which sends the creative fireworks into orbit. She also have the desire that you discover that the skills and imagination which feed your creative work can also be used to be successful in other areas of your professional lives.
Deborah uses her coaching experience plus the skills, experience and empathy she has gained over 30 years of working life to support creative people in their practice. She has worked with individuals and organisations including English National Opera, Cameron Mackintosh, Studio Voltaire, Chester Gateway Theatre, Cheshire Development Education Centre and Chester Literature Festival.
She can help you to see both the big vision and the small next step and works to your strengths and is committed to supporting you in finding your own solutions and recognising your own greatness.
The key areas in which Deborah specialises are:
- Supporting you in finding and clarifying your vision for your future and identifying the next steps.
- Coaching you in being more productive and effective.
Her own creativity is expressed through her coaching, writing and dancing the Argentine Tango.
"Deborah has offered invaluable support and advice as a mentor and coach for The Wing Assignment. … I would not hesitate to recommend Deborah to any creative with a head full of ideas that need carefully and calmly extracting!" Nina Farrell, The Wing Assignment
Deborah Henry-Pollard offers coaching to creative entrepreneurs (including artists, gallerists, managers and others) with the #besmartaboutart Creative Specialist Programme.
Investment for a 1-hour coaching session:
Non-Members 125 GBP | 185 USD
BSAA Members 100 GBP | 150 USD
Complete an Expression of Interest.
Email email@example.com to let us know of your interest in coaching with Deborah.
Read a case study of an artist and designer who worked with Deborah.
In this 11-minute video, Deborah gives insight how to define your vision:


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Television needs to grow in quality, says Ronit Roy
Popular TV actor Ronit Roy feels the small screen needs to grow in terms of quality
Some people have managed to bring quality via content but, more or less, everything is same. Daily soaps are more or less on similar lines like earlier," Ronit told PTI.
The actor hopes to see quality on small screen in the coming three-five years. Ronit, a part of TV since quite sometime, played memorable roles like Mihir Virani of 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi', Mr Bajaj of 'Kasauti Zindagi Ki' and others. He is overjoyed that during his journey on the small screen, his audience have grown and he ensures to keep them entertained.
"I have audience from all over the world. I think it is my destiny that I got an opportunity to be a part of some fantastic shows," he said. Ronit is excited about the new supernatural series 'Khauff Ki Adaalat', a month-long supernatural twist in his popular court room drama 'Adaalat', where he plays an unconventional lawyer - KD Pathak.
"My character KD is not endorsing supernatural stories. It shows stories on how superstition is used by people. Through this format we intend to break stereotypes of 'babas' and encourage people to believe in truth," he said. They do not intend to teach law to the audience through the show, says Ronit. "We try to entertain audience and teach a lesson of truth in the form of joke or social message," he added.


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Listen Live Online
Two great nights with Popa Chubby as he celebrates his "Back To New York City" CD World Tour. Not to be missed as the master of guitar summons up musical magic!
Tickets: 8pm $17; 10pm $12; Both $20
Join the Conversation
50 Portland Street
Worcester, MA 01608
(508) 752-0700
WICN Public Radio, Inc. © 2012
Design and development of this site was an in-kind donation from CommCreative.


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We've recently had the pleasure of catching up with Arlene Mcloughlin of Arlene Mcloughlin Murals, a wonderful artist based in the New York area. Arlene has been painting professionally for over 30 years and services Long Island and the five New York City boroughs. Her love of drawing and painting became an obsession at the young age of 5 and later lead to a career as a fashion illustrator/designer. She also designed her own wedding gowns, bridesmaids and flower girl dresses with great success.
How has Modern Masters enhanced your business?
Modern Masters has enhanced my business with their products in quite a few ways. First and foremost would be the ease of use. The Metallic Paint Collection is my go-to for many projects and the array of colors are like a rainbow of precious metals in liquid paint form. I really love them. Whether they're used for a finish, fine art or just a simple stencil, Modern Masters Metallic Paints really have made my portfolio "pop". I also love the plasters but my favorite is the Texture Effects. I use it for so many finishes and it really is a versatile product. It can go from providing a "crusty" old-world finish to industrial high energy finishes when combined with my metallic recipes.
The walls of this 2 story foyer were finished with a mix of Modern Masters Venetian Plaster and Texture Effects for a warm dimensional finish.
Modern Masters Platinum Metallic Paint was used for these vertical stripes and adds a subtle yet elegant look to this formal living room.
I know it sounds cliche but truly, I was influenced, inspired and brought to tears many times in my recent trip to Italy in summer of 2013. The Vatican frescoes really made an impression on me. The magnitude of the work achieved there is nothing short of a miracle in my eyes.
This ceiling medallion was given an English Brown glaze over the gold trim and Sashay Red Metallic Paint with a Brown Suede glaze for the insert.
This master bedroom was given a beautiful freehand mural using Warm Silver Metallic Paint. Notice the matching nightstands?
What is your dream finishing project?
This master bedroom was given a checkered accent wall and glazed ceiling inserts with Modern Masters Silver Metallic Paint.
The rich PLUM walls were given thin, vertical stripes with TEQUILA Gold metallic paint.
We hope you've enjoyed taking a closer look at the Arlene's beautiful decorative artistry. Please be sure to stop Arlene Mcloughlin Murals to see more of her work! Whether it be an accent wall, stripes or a crumbly texture, Modern Masters Products can provide that extra dose of brilliance to any project. For more inspiration, be sure to stop by our Pinterest boards and "Like" us on our Facebook Fan Page!


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Accra Ghana has Great Internet Cafes
Accra, Ghana West Africa
Thursday, August 16, 2007
The internet speeds were fast, I was able to use Skype.com, the FTP worked, there was Air Conditioning in the Café, all was great.
I must write emails Online.
I had only one strange problem, the SMTP or the sending using and email client appeared blocked. Either Yahoo or the local internet provider is blocking it, I am not sure, it may be possible to go to another café and have access. Dial up internet access often has this block, however not normal on has this, I am not sure I have ever seen on high speed access. Togo did not seem to have this SMTP block.
Nigeria appears to be the King of Scam, I am sure Ghana is not far behind, so maybe all the ISP are slowing down spam and scam the easy way, just block the country. Writing emails online is a slow and tiresome, however I can easily understand the world wanting to slow down the spam and scams of Anglophone West Africa.
I was able to put up another video, so this made me happy. Hard to get enthused about making videos when you need to wait five weeks to publish.
Accra Ghana has Great Internet Cafes
Hobo Members save 1000's of dollars by joining HoboTraveler and asking pro travelers questions on the Hobo Talk Wall.


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For the last decade or so, Chile has been a very stable government with a burgeoning economy. But it has had a fascinating history in which the country experienced oligarchy, military rule, police state, democracy, socialism, free market economy, human rights violations, extreme recession, export based recovery, everything in between, and yet has somehow survived it all to […]
Archive for November, 2012
Santiago, Chile
24 Nov 2012 at 13:06
Montevideo, Uruguay
23 Nov 2012 at 09:23
Half the population of Uruguay (only 3.3 million people in all) live in its capital city, Montevideo. Not surprisingly, most of the important institutions (hospitals, universities, government, etc.) are located here, and most of the citizenry has to visit Montevideo at some point or another. This is a beach city located on the river plate (aka […]
Colonia, Uruguay
21 Nov 2012 at 17:41
Colonia del Sacramento 1, is the oldest city of Uruguay, and due to its location on the River plate (Rio de la Plata 2), was of strategic importance during the colonial times of South America. The river plate is the widest river in the world (120 miles at the widest point), and provides access to […]
Our foray into Latin America
We are heading out on our longest trip thus far (28 days)! This is an extension to the 7 weeks we've spent in Brazil for Uma's Corporate Responsibility program. The countries we are visiting are: Uruguay (Montevideo, Colonia) Chile (Santiago, Valparaiso, Easter Island) Peru (Nazca lines, Lake Titicaca) Bolivia (La Paz, Salar de Uyuni) Ecaudor […]
Wrapping up in Sao Paulo
18 Nov 2012 at 20:41
All good things, they say, must come to an end. And so it is with our stay in Sao Paulo. This last week has been packed with a lot of things going on in parallel: planning our 1 month South America trip, completing the related tourist visa activity, winding down Uma's assignment, last minute shopping […]
Golf in Sao Paulo – 2
15 Nov 2012 at 21:53
I made another daring attempt to experience golf in Sao Paulo. It's simply not easy in this part of the world. There are very few golf courses out here. Most are private, some may require a member accompanying you, and the public courses are few and far away. After much research, I decided to pay a […]
O do Borogodo
14 Nov 2012 at 23:43
This place12 is so cool, it deserves a separate post. At the outset, everything about it in terms of location, entrance, building, etc. look rundown. But come 11 pm, it transforms into a hip samba spot where the dim lighting is just right, the live music/singing is soul piercing, the overcrowd (yes, I am using […]
Foz do Iguaçu
10 Nov 2012 at 17:22
We made a 2 day trip to the Foz do Igauçu falls on the Brazilian side. We flew in early morning, and headed to the falls immediately after an early check in at the hotel. Once you enter the national park, they have a bus ride to get to the starting point of a trail […]
Targeted advertising
07 Nov 2012 at 10:48
The last few days, I've been catching up on "The Daily Show", and "The Colbert Report" episodes over the internet. Every time they break for commercial, I get this annoying ad peddling cosmetics to teenagers!? Either teenage girls in Brazil ardently watch these shows, or the targeted advertising is way off. I won't be entertaining […]
Rio Copacabana beach
03 Nov 2012 at 23:52
There was one last thing to do before heading to the airport…hit the beaches one more time. Had lunch at a big Skol bar right on Copacabana beach. Their kiwi caipirinha is amazing. Lot of activity like slack lining, beach volleyball, etc. to watch as we lumbered along… Inevitably, some beach side purchases, like this […]


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Follow @skhuskies on twitter.
After spring camp 2012 wrapped up, several members of the Huskie coaching staff spoke with Huskie Outsider to give their assessment of how things looked on the practice field, and to provide an outlook towards the 2012 season. First up is Brent Schneider, who serves as both the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. The 2011 season is often remembered by the inconsistent, and sometimes disappointing, performance of the offence. Coach Schneider spent some time discussing the offence's troubles from last season, as well as why Huskie Nation can be optimistic about a stronger unit in 2012.
Observers at spring camp noticed a ground game with a lot of promise; this will be an important factor for re-igniting the Huskie offence in 2012. "I think we saw some dividends be paid to the attention we gave to our run game this winter," commented Coach Schneider. "I think we showed a lot of improvement in that area. Obviously, we need to solidify the personnel up front, and we need someone else behind Dexter (rb Janke) who is going to be able to take the ball for us. But I was most happy about our ability to get positive yards running the ball. I think we were only stopped behind the line of scrimmage a couple of times throughout the entire camp. We put the ball on the ground only once in the entire camp, and that really hurt us last year. A good running game is a quarterback's best friend because it takes a lot of the pressure off." Coach Schneider went on to describe the problem that the Huskies had in this department last season. "We found ourselves in 2nd and 10, or 10+, probably more than any team in the history of football," Schneider stated with a light chuckle. "It's tough to play like that."
Coach Schneider indicated that the passing game wasn't the main point of emphasis, for the offence, during spring camp. "We need to turn our attention to the pass," he stated, "we haven't done that as much. We've got young quarterbacks, and we're going to find some ways to help them be successful and make that work in our favour."
Like Huskie fans who attended the camp, Coach Schneider is upbeat about the backfield recruits who took to the field, for the first time, in Huskie jerseys. "There's about four of them who really stood out this weekend, and hopefully somebody steps up now and is going to help us right away. I'm not sure who that's going to be right now, but that is a good group of guys that we've got coming back this fall."
When asked about the offensive line, Coach Schneider echoed the comments made by others that the unit should see improvement, but he was quick to add that there were several other factors that contributed to the offence's woes in 2011. "A better OLine is going to help us. But a lot of our problems weren't the fault of the offensive line. A lot of our 2nd and longs happened because of us dropping the ball, or maybe not going through progressions. The offensive line also takes the brunt of the blame for sacks allowed, but that's not always the case; there's other factors that contribute to sacks such as a good pass rush, good coverage, or quarterbacks not getting rid of the ball when they should. The running backs are involved in the protection as well. Having said that, you've got to have a good offensive line – that's where it all starts, up front. Even though we're going to miss Ben Heenan – you can't replace him – I do believe that once we get settled in we're going to be good. As a unit, we'll be better than last year. I guarantee you that with the kind of coaching our offensive line gets, somebody is going to emerge. Out of those young guys, we're going to be talking about somebody who emerged and is going to make a big difference."
Sticking with the offensive side of the ball, over the next few days you'll hear from from position coaches Dan Houle, Bart Arnold, and Jason Sulz.


text: Of course if we say that a user on a NetBSD system gets SysV creation semantics over NFS to a server which does such a beastie (which I agree is correct), then we really need a "newgrp" command so that said user can still have some control over the group the files are created with without having to chgrp all the time. Actually, I prefer the SysV semantics...I would be kind of nice if both ufs and nfs mounts supported the "grpid" option like Sun's NFS mount does. Then the system could select the behavior it wishes. -Mark ------------------------------------------------------------------------------


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Bills Digest no. 74 2011–12
PDF version [586 KB]
This Digest was prepared for debate. It reflects the legislation as introduced and does not canvass subsequent amendments. This Digest does not have any official legal status. Other sources should be consulted to determine the subsequent official status of the Bill.
Juli Tomaras
Law and Bills Digest Section
9 November 2011
Financial implications
Key provisions
Date introduced: 12 October 2011
House: House of Representatives
Portfolio: Resources and Energy
Commencement: 1 July 2012
Links: The links to the Bill, its Explanatory Memorandum and second reading speech can be found on the Bill's home page, or through http://www.aph.gov.au/bills/. When Bills have been passed and have received Royal Assent, they become Acts, which can be found at the ComLaw website at http://www.comlaw.gov.au/.
The Bill would establish within the Resources, Energy and Tourism portfolio, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) as an independent statutory agency.
The Bill provides for ARENA's governance and financial arrangements, establishing the Board and the position of Chief Executive Officer. It also provides for the appointment of Members and their conditions, requiring expertise in renewables and the commercialisation of new technologies, as well as business and investment skills.
The Clean Energy Future Plan[1] which the Federal Government announced on 10 July 2011, proposes some significant incentives for renewable energy and represents part of the Government's efforts in endeavouring to provide a comprehensive response to the challenge of reducing greenhouse gases. The Government's efforts to develop these new low emissions energy technologies are directed towards a few broad areas: energy efficiency, low-emissions coal and renewable energy sources. Renewable energy includes hybrid technologies.
The carbon price is expected to play significant role in creating commercial incentives to move away from traditional high-pollution energy solutions and to encourage the adoption of low-pollution alternatives. However, the Government has recognised that the 'scale of the transformation and the imperative to change' necessitate 'additional measures to support innovation and investment in clean energy'.[2] Thus the other components of the Clean Energy Plan, which will combine to drive an expansion of clean energy sector, are the Renewable Energy Target (RET), the Clean Technology Innovation Program[3], the Clean Energy Finance Corporation[4] and ARENA.
The legislated RET is expected to deliver an outcome of 20 per cent of Australia's electricity supply being sourced from renewable energy generation by 2020.[5] While the expanded RET is meant to act as an incentive to hasten the uptake of renewable energy sources, the development of the industry itself remains hamstrung by commercial and technical issues. Developing renewable energy and enabling technology to a stage where they promise to be competitive with existing energy technologies, will require financial support to assist with the development and commercialisation of emerging renewable and enabling energy technologies. As the national renewable energy technology body, ARENA's role will be to provide this necessary injection of funding for such activities to happen in a coordinated and coherent manner. The role of ARENA's Board in facilitating these outcomes is outlined in Part 2, Division 1, clause 18 of the Bill.
ARENA will be responsible for the funding and administration of $3.2 billion of existing government funding in research and development. This will include the demonstration and commercialisation of renewable energy technologies through competitive grants. These projects are currently administered separately through a range of bodies. ARENA will bring together existing funding and programs delivered by the Australian Centre for Renewable Energy, the Australian Solar Institute, the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism and the proposed Biofuels Research Institute. This consolidation is aimed at providing for a more efficient, consistent, streamlined and long-term approach to existing funding programs.
The Government has stated:
ARENA will also receive future funding from discretional dividends paid by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and a share of future carbon pricing mechanism revenue should the Jobs and Competitiveness Program be modified following Productivity Commission reviews.[6]
This Bill was referred to the Senate Environment and Communications Committee, which reported on 7 November 2011. Details of the inquiry can be found at the inquiry webpage[7]. The majority were supportive of the Bill while recognising there were uncertainties regarding funding. The Opposition members did not oppose the Bill but noted they may choose to oppose specific funding arrangements in due course. The majority also noted that only a short time frame was allowed for the inquiry.[8]
The Explanatory Memorandum states that the Bill will have neutral impact on the Australian Government Budget.[9]
The object of the Act is to improve the competitiveness of renewable energy technologies and to increase the supply of renewable energy in Australia (clause 3).
Clause 8 provides that ARENA's functions are:
To provide financial assistance for:
To provide advice to the Minister in relation to renewable energy technologies, including advice in relation to the following:
Liaising with state and territory governments and other authorities to facilitate renewable energy projects for which financial assistance is (or is proposed to be) provided. Any other functions prescribed by regulations, or conferred by this Act or any other Commonwealth law.
In addition to those and any other powers conferred by the Act, ARENA has, subject to the Act, the power to do all things necessary or convenient to be done in connection with the performance of its functions, for example, entering into contracts, acquiring, holding and disposing of real and personal property (clause 15).
ARENA does not have privileges and immunities of the Crown, other than those set out in the legislation or the Commonwealth Constitution (clause 16).
In performing its functions, ARENA must act in a proper, efficient and effective manner, ensuring that its decisions about the provision of financial assistance are based on merit. If appropriate, ARENA must act collaboratively with other persons, organisations and governments, and promote the sharing of information and knowledge about renewable energy technologies (clause 9).
Clause 10 provides that ARENA must not enter into an agreement for the provision of financial assistance unless the financial assistance provided is in accordance with the general funding strategy in force under clause 19.
The Minister may request that ARENA consider providing funding for a particular project (clause 11). And, Ministerial approval is required where grants exceed $50 million (clause 12). Details of requests made by the Minister under clause 11 must be published in the annual report (clause 70).
Clause 13 provides that the Minister may direct ARENA to provide advice to the Minister in relation to:
ARENA must comply with the direction, and particulars of the direction must be included in the annual report (clause 70).
Clause 14 circumscribes constitutional limits around the performance of ARENA's functions. Thus in general terms, ARENA would be likely to exercise its power to provide financial assistance to, or for the benefit of, a foreign, trading or financial corporation, or in order to give effect to Australia's obligations under the Climate Change Convention, or another international agreement to which Australia is a party.[10] Other constitutional bases are listed under clause 14. These include a wide array of Commonwealth powers including collection of statistics, trade and commerce and the granting of financial assistance to a state.
Clause 18 provides that the functions of the Board relate to:
Clause 19 provides that for each financial year, the Board must develop a funding strategy which must relate to that financial year and for the next two financial years. A general funding strategy must not require financial assistance to be provided to a particular person or for a particular project.
Once the general funding strategy has been developed, it must be given to the Minister for approval. The approved funding strategy is a legislative instrument made by the Minister on the day on which the strategy is approved. However, section 42 (disallowance) of the Legislative Instruments Act 2003 (LI Act) does not apply to a general funding strategy (clause 20). The Explanatory Memorandum states that 'this is consistent with the position of Ministerial directions to a Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act 1997 (CAC Act) body, which are not legislative instruments by virtue of item 5 of the table in section 7 of the LI Act'.[11]
The Board must, during a financial year, regularly review the general funding strategy that is in force for the year and consider any variations that should be made (clause 22).
Clause 23 provides that the general funding strategy is to be published on ARENA's website. However, a timeliness requirement has not been explicitly provided. The requisite time frames for publication are not spelt out, other than by the implicit reference to strategies that are in force from 'time-to-time'.
Clause 24 provides that the Board may develop guidelines (which must be in writing) in relation to the provision of financial assistance under the Act, but these are not legislative instruments and may be varied or revoked by the Board.
However, the Board must develop guidelines for a grant or program if under the program, the total of all grants for a particular project could exceed $15 million (clause 25). These guidelines and any variation (unless it is minor in nature) must be given to the Minister for approval (clause 25).
Clause 26 provides that the guidelines that are in force from time-to-time must be published on ARENA's website.
Clause 27 requires that work plans be developed for 2012—13 and subsequent years. The work plan for that year should set out the general funding strategy and how it is to be implemented. Before finalising the work plan or a variation of the plan, the Board must prepare a draft of the plan or variation and give it to the Minister, having regard to any comments or requests made by the Minister in relation to that draft. ARENA, the Board and CEO must take into account that work plan when performing functions and exercising powers (clause 28).
Clause 29 provides that the Board shall be composed of up to six appointed Members (including a Chair) and the Secretary.
Clause 30 provides that Members of the Board (other than the Secretary) are to be appointed by the Minister in writing and on a part-time basis, and for a period that does not exceed 2 years (clause 32). In deciding these appointments, the criteria that must inform the Minister's decision are that the Minister is satisfied that a person has knowledge of, or experience in, at least one of the following fields:
It may be useful to require that to the extent possible, Members of the Board have between them experience covering all the above mentioned areas, otherwise there may be critical gaps in knowledge or experience.
Clause 36 deals with the disclosure of the interests of a Member. A Member must give written notice to the Minister of all interests, pecuniary or otherwise, that the Member has, or acquires, which conflict, or could conflict, with the proper performance of the Member's functions.
There is no clause which provides that a Member who has an interest, pecuniary or otherwise, in a matter being considered or about to be considered by the Board must disclose the nature of the interest to a meeting of the Board. Disclosure to the Minister may be important but it could be equally important that the Board itself be informed.
Clause 38 deals with the termination of appointment of a Board Member. The Minister may terminate an appointment of a Member for misbehaviour or physical or mental incapacity. Consistently with common practices for a statutory authority, the Minister may also terminate an appointment in circumstances where:
Clause 40 provides that meetings must be held as is necessary for the Board to efficiently perform its functions. At least six meetings must be held each calendar year and the Chair must convene a meeting if requested in writing by three or more Members or the Minister.
The Board may establish committees to advise or assist in the performance of ARENA's functions or the Board's functions. The Board may be constituted wholly by Board Members or wholly by persons who are not Board Members or partly by Board Members and other persons. The Committee's terms of reference are to be established by the Board (clause 48).
Clause 52 provides that the CEO is to be appointed by the Minister on the recommendation of the Board. The CEO must not engage in paid employment outside the duties of his or her office without the Minister's approval (clause 54).
The CEO must give written notice to the Minister of all material personal interests that they have or acquire and that conflict or may conflict with the proper performance of their duties (clause 57).
Clause 59 provides that the Minister may terminate the appointment of the CEO in certain circumstances.
Clause 62 provides that staff may be engaged under the Public Service Act 1999, to assist the Board. Consultants and other persons may also be engaged to assist the Board (clause 63).
This part deals with the provision of funding for ARENA's operations, ensuring that it holds an appropriate amount of money to meet its obligations under agreements to pay financial assistance.
Subclause 64(1) sets out the amounts which would be available for payment by the Commonwealth to ARENA in each financial year from 2012-13 to 2019-20.[12]
Clause 70 lists extra matters to be included in the annual report. These include:
There is a general regulation making power given to the Governor-General in clause 74.
Members, Senators and Parliamentary staff can obtain further information from the Parliamentary Library on (02) 6277 2404.
[1]. Australian Government, 'Securing a clean energy future: the Australian Government's climate change plan', Clean Energy Future website, pp. 133‑134, viewed 11 July 2011, http://www.cleanenergyfuture.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Consolidated-Final.pdf
[2]. Ibid., p. xvi.
[3]. The $200 million Clean Technology Innovation Program is part of the Clean Technology Program and is expected to provide further support for businesses to support research and development in renewable energy and other low‑pollution measures, Clean Energy Future Plan, op. cit, p. 64.
[4]. The Clean Energy Finance Corporation will invest in the commercialisation and deployment of renewable energy, energy efficiency and clean technologies.
[5]. Australian Government, Securing a clean energy future: the Australian Government's climate change plan, op. cit., p. 64.
[6]. Ibid., p. 66.
[7]. Senate Standing Committee on Environment and Communications, Inquiry into the Australian Renewable Energy Agency Bill 2011, 13 October 2011, viewed 9 November 2011, http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/ec_ctte/arena/index.htm
[8]. Ibid.
[9]. Explanatory Memorandum, Australian Renewable Energy Agency Bill 2011, p. 1.
[10]. Ibid., pp. 5—6.
[11]. Ibid., p. 7.
[12]. Ibid., p. 16.
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December 12, 2007
THQ Releases Frontlines: Fuel of
War demo on Xbox Live
THQ released a single-player demo
for the critically acclaimed first-person shooter Frontlines: Fuel of War. This
exciting demo allows players to battle through two sets of frontline objectives
in a fierce struggle to capture a Red Star Alliance tank factory. Players can
draw upon a huge arsenal of next generation weapons such as remote control
drones, air bursting grenades, air strikes, and tanks as you fight to take down
Red Star air support and gain control of the base in a massive, open world
Download the demo on Xbox Live, and
conquer the front line today! For more information about Frontlines check out
our website at:
About Frontlines Fuel of War:
From the creators of Desert Combat
and the Battlefield 2 R&D team comes the next-generation in first person
Based upon actual locations in
Central Asia, the player embarks on an epic campaign featuring 7 unique theaters
of war. In a world ravaged by a global energy crisis, environmental decay, and a
new economic depression, the story follows a division of Western Coalition
soldiers – The Stray Dogs – through a dark vision of our future. Players assume
the role of an elite soldier in the Stray Dogs on an epic crusade against the
Red Star Alliance to control the last of the world's oil reserves.
Frontlines: Fuel of War offers
extensive multiplayer game play supporting up to 32 players on console (with
dedicated servers) and 64 players on PC via LAN or internet. Frontlines: Fuel of
War combines cinematic, open world game play with a revolutionary Frontline
Combat System to deliver the most intense FPS to date.


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Lyon rugby player suffers gruesome lip injury
Leinster's Mike McCarthy was in the wars in the Heineken Cup this weekend, and so too was Lachie Munro in the less glamorous environment of the Pro D2.
Lachie Munro might not be a household name, but the gruesome lip injury he suffered while playing for Lyon in the second tier of French rugby yesterday has seen his name do the rounds on social media.
Lyon currently top the table having lost just three games all season and look in good shape to make a return to the Top 14, which may be of some consolation to Munro this morning.
It follows on from a bloodied McCarthy leaving the RDS pitch on Friday night after being on the receiving end of a number of Osprey boots, resulting in a red card for Ian Evans.
Online Editors


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Maria Lopez-Birrueta entered the United States illegally from Mexico in 1994, when she was 14, and soon became involved with a 36-year-old Southern California man who was a legal resident. According to her testimony at a deportation hearing, during their five years together he kept her isolated, insulted her, regularly beat their two young children with a stick and his bare hands, and threatened to report her to immigration authorities if she disobeyed him.
Lopez-Birrueta left for Yakima, Wash., in 1999, taking the children with her. Now her case is the subject of a federal appeals court ruling that could allow her to remain in the United States legally and could also help hundreds of other women and children who have been victims of domestic violence.
A 1994 federal law allows illegal immigrants to apply for legal residence if they have been subjected to battery or "extreme cruelty" by someone they live with — a spouse, a cohabitant or a parent — who is a U.S. citizen or a legal resident. The law was part of the Violence Against Women Act, sponsored by then-Sen. Joe Biden, and it applies to both men and women.
It was meant to discourage exploitation by abusers who threaten their victims with deportation if they speak up. To be eligible, an immigrant must have been in the country at least three years, without any criminal record, and must be able to show that deportation would cause extreme hardship to herself or her children.
In Lopez-Birrueta's case, immigration courts said she wasn't covered by the law because the beatings her partner administered to their two children several times a week when they were 2 and 3 years old didn't amount to battery. That's because the children didn't need medical treatment, the courts said, and because both testified nine years later that they loved their father and were no longer angry with him.
But the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said last week that the immigration courts had misinterpreted the law by applying their own definition of battery, which was much narrower than the law Congress passed. Battery is an act of violence but doesn't require proof of injury or medical treatment, the court said, and the children's reconciliation with their father doesn't change the fact that he battered them when they lived with him.
Lopez-Birrueta's lawyer, Matt Adams of the Northwest Immigrants Rights Project, said the ruling means she can qualify for legal residence if she meets the other requirements of the law, including proof of good moral character and extreme hardship to herself or her children. He said it was also a helpful precedent for hundreds of other women and children in similar cases.


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Labour Surplus Economy : A Neo-Keynesian Analysis
MIHIR RAKSHIT, THE LABOUR SURPLUS ECONOMY: A NEO-KEYNESIAN APPROACH, New Delhi, Macmillan, pp ix-^95.
THERE ARE ISOLATED applications of the Keynesian effective demand principle in the Indian context both in academic work and in official exercises for rationalizing policy decisions. But a persistent general reluctance can be discerned towards applying the Keynesian method for modelling the economy in the entirety of its inter-relations between different aggregate markets. The underlying hesitation is perhaps due to the perception of wide dissimilarity between the institutional descripition of our economy and that of the General Theory. This hesdtation is slowly giving way, mosdy as an outcome of the theorectical research in the 1970's following what is known as the crisis of Keynesianism, which has resulted in a pronounced widening of the scope of Keynesian macro-economics, by extending its use over a larger number of economic situations. The effective demand principle, for example, has ceased to be a synonym for macro-economics, and economists can tiow analyse, with allegedly equal ease, situations where unemployment persists despite an excess demand in the goods market. In the process, many of the specifications of the General Theory which appeared to be inseparable elements of the argument itself, have been demonstrated as but embodying Keynes's own perception of the empirical reality around him and thus easily substitutable by other specifications. Mihir Rakshit has taken the initiative in introducing this broader awareness of short-run aggregate analysis by most painstakingly and meticulously analysing the Indian economy in his book under review.
An innovation that characterizes his work throughout is to replace the dichotomy between consumption and investment goods by that between agricultural and industrial goods. This innovation, too, in an interesting sense, is Keynesian, since it is based primarily on the difference between the output behavior of the two sectors, one of which is assumed to have a given output, while the other's output changes in response to demand. We may recall that unlike in Marx's two-department scheme where the consumption and investment dichotomy has crucial analytical implications, Keynes's use of the distinction in the context of a single short run primarily utilizes the fact of the difference in the supply elasticities. Investment decisions being based in the General Theory on matters invariant in the income-propagation period, the output of investment goods remains constant during this period and


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The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has once again come under scrutiny after it was found it sent two 'non-technical' members of staff to investigate Google's illegal collection of data from WiFi connections in July.
The findings have been slammed by Big Brother Watch, which described them as a "blunder".
According to a Freedom of Information request, the ICO sent out two members of staff, Phil Jones, Assistant Commissioner (who no longer works at the ICO) and David J Evans Strategic Liaison Group Manager – Business and Industry to examine the case.
However, it was unable to pinpoint the pair's qualifications in the FOI, citing that "the qualifications of investigation Mr Jones and Mr Evans were their 'personal data'". Instead it directed readers to a public folder with Mr Jone's qualifications, which stated: "[Phil Jones] and his team are charged with providing advice and guidance to organisations in both the Private and Public Sector on the application of the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulation 2003."
It added that the pair had "considerable experience" of data protection law meaning at the time they were able to clear Google after examining a sample of so-called "payload" data at Google's London headquarters.
When we contacted the watchdog today, a spokesman also told us: "Two staff from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) participated in the visit to Google's headquarters in July 2010. As an Assistant Commissioner and a Strategic Liaison Group Manager, they were both senior staff with considerable experience in data protection law."
However, according to Alex Deane, director at Big Brother Watch, the ICO's failure to release information about the pair showed that it knew it hadn't sent the right people.
He told TechEye: "The Information Commissioner blundered badly when he sent two non-technical personnel to investigate the HQ of one of the world's most high-tech companies.
"He clearly knows this, as his office refused to release the information about their lack of proper qualifications to Big Brother Watch when we submitted a Freedom of Information request about it.
"We're now in an absurd situation. The Commissioner fails to police the worst offender in his patch, and then dodges requests for information about his "investigation" until Parliament itself obliges him to 'fess up about incompetence – and this is the Commissioner supposed to bring transparency to public life."
MPs have also waded into the debate with Conservative MP Rob Halfon telling The Guardian that it was "astonishing" that the ICO "did not send technical people" to investigate the breach, which the ICO later ruled was a "significant breach" of the Data Protection Act.
However, in the the FOI request the ICO was shady about details of the meeting, claiming only that: "The only record we hold which relates to the meeting between the ICO and Google is a meeting note taken by Google's legal advisors. This summarised the meeting and the inspection of the disc containing some of the data collected by the software used in the StreetView exercise."
It said that while Google's advisors had no objections to the content of that meeting note being provided in response to a request for information, given that the controversy surrounding the collection of data by Google Street View is very much ongoing, not only within the UK but also at an international level, the ICO takes the view that "it would not be appropriate to disclose this meeting note at this time."
Last week the ICO ruled that, in light of subsequent investigations by international privacy commissioners, Google had broken data protection laws contrary to its initial impression in July.
It also said that Google will now be subject to an official audit of all of its data protection practices in the UK.


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Educational Background
- Bachelor of Arts, Ohio University
- Master of Arts, University of Georgia
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Karen Laurence's research focuses on the religious sanctuaries and festivals of Roman Greece. She studies the changes to the Panhellenic Games in Greece during the Roman period through a study of the non-monumental architecture, infrastructural features, and epigraphic evidence of the four original Panhellenic Games. Her current research looks towards the ways sacred spaces were used in Roman Greece as a means to construct Roman and Greek identities.
Karen was the Heinrich Schliemann Fellow at the American School of Classical Studies from 2009-10. She is a member of the East Isthmia Archaeological Project, which is undertaking a reexamination of the area east of the temenos of Poseidon at Isthmia.
While at Oberlin, Karen is teaching a course on Greek History in the Fall and one on Sports and Society in Ancient Greece and Rome in the Spring.