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Ongoing research on the swarm agents behaviours operating with:
.OOP classes
the ball class is following the swarm behaviour priciples developed by Crag Reynolds in his flocking studies: cohesion, separation, alignment then implemented and developed in Processing JavaScript code by Daniel Shiffman.
The Processing code I wrote is an original tutorial from Jose Sanchez, developer of plethora library and Plethora platform, against the digital obscurantism.
My code is implemented by some UI, the directional vector rapresented as a line and the fading effect.
Please find the code at the following link: donwload here


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Despite having lost two members from their original line up, quality of musicianship isn't an issue on A Perfect Circle's second outing. It must be great having a Rolodex like Billy Howerdel's.
While retaining the services of drumming god Josh Freese, and Tool's singer, Maynard James Keenan, APC managed to bag the Smashing Pumpkin's former axeman, James Iha, and Marilyn Manson's bassist, Jeordie (Twiggy Ramirez) White after losing Troy Van Leeuwen and Paz Lenchantin at those positions respectively. What you have with APCv2 is the makings of a supergroup, but can these guys play together?
Thirteenth Step is better than APC's debut Mer De Noms thanks to a couple of changes. The sound is crisper, the band sounds tighter; and White's bass is more of a driving force than Lenchantin's ever was; he's the engine room on several tracks, particularly 'The Package ' and 'Pet'. However, fans of the first album will be glad to know APC have also managed to keep what worked the last time – Howerdel's ear for haunting melodies is still as strong as ever, and because of this, Keenan gets to showcase his amazing voice throughout the album.
APC's sound is hard to pin down. Howerdel started this band several years ago after working as a guitar technician for everyone from Tool to The Smashing Pumpkins to Nine Inch Nails. While you couldn't call APC's music metal or industrial, it matches the dark tone of all of the aforementioned bands. Perhaps the biggest influence on the song writing is Tool, and their willingness to chuck out conventional song structure altogether in favour of something more original.
'The Package', for example, opens the album with gently picked guitars over a striding bass and caressing drumbeats lulling you into a false sense of security for four minutes. Then a metal riff comes crashing in like an anvil, and the song rips into overdrive. 'Vanishing' begins with chanting over marching drums and then sidles into a hypnotic guitar line with shimmering repetitive vocals pressed way into the back of the mix.
While originality is certainly something to strive for, it can also backfire horribly – as is the case with 'The Nurse Who Loved Me'. It's a good enough tune, but it feels pretty lifeless, and out of place with what's gone before. It also isn't a patch on the version APC deliver live. Another low point is 'A Stranger', which loses its way around halfway through, as first echoes pour in, and then Keenan uses a languid moan to deliver lyrics that are absolute howlers "Shy away/Shy away, phantom/Run away, terrified child".
However, when this band's on, they serve up enough intensity to level an entire city block. 'Weak And Powerless' and 'Blue' build up powerful heads of steam, but have the sense to let things down lightly rather than cheapen what's gone before with guitar hysterics. On 'Pet' (the scathing indictment of the White House's present incumbent that BRMC's 'US Government' should have been) Keenan whispers over a gentle riff and drum caresses, and then fights for air as a spiked guitar line cuts its way into the twin rockslides of Freese's drumming and White's pummelling stop-and-start bassline – best line: "swaying to the rhythm of the new world order and/Count the bodies like sheep to the rhythm of the war drums."
Thanks to the calibre of the line-up's musicianship, and Keenan's ability to write lyrics that don't insult the intelligence of his audience, the gems on Thirteenth Step outnumber the filler. It probably doesn't have the singles required to crack the mainstream, but that's never been the point with APC. Hit or miss, this is some of the most engaging, and unconventional music you'll hear from a major label band this year.
8Nick Cowen's Score

subset: commoncrawl


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« E-Mentoring: The Next Trend in Schools? | Main | Classroom Management E-Book »
Findings on Low Teacher Job Satisfaction Questioned
In a piece for Real Clear Politics, Andrew Rotherham, a.k.a. Eduwonk, questions the much-publicized finding in the recent MetLife Survey of the American Teacher showing that teacher job satisfaction is in a precipitous state of decline.
First, Rotherham argues, there's a vantage-point issue: While only 39 percent of the teachers surveyed indicated that they are very satisfied with their jobs (down 5 percentage points from last year), an additional 43 percent said they are "somewhat satisfied." So, in all, 82 percent of teachers said they are either somewhat satisfied or very satisfied, suggestingin Rotherham's viewthat educators are "actually quite positive about their chosen profession." Incidentally, our former teacher-blogger Patrick Ledesma, now an educator liaison with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, made the same point in connection with last year's MetLife Survey. (The MetLife Foundation provides funding to Education Week Teacher to support its capacity to engage teachers interactively in professional community.)
The second problem, Rotherham charges, is that the finding that job satisfaction has declined is "based on dubious polling." A closer look at the survey, he says, reveals that the question on teacher satisfaction changed between years, from asking about teaching as a career in 2008 and 2009, to asking about teaching as a job in 2011 and 2012. Rotherham writes:
When asked about career satisfaction in 2009, 59 percent of teachers said they were "very satisfied." The next time the satisfaction question was asked, in 2011this time focused on about job satisfactiononly 44 percent said so. Perhaps things got bad; you can't know. But in 1985 and 1986, the question was also changedagain from asking about career to asking about job. What happened? Those saying they were "very satisfied" fell 11 points. It's reasonable to infer, both as a matter of survey methodology and also common sense, that the wording does matter. ... What MetLife did would be akin to asking a soldier on a tough deployment how he likes his job vs. asking him how he likes his career in the armed forcesand claiming that it was the same question.
A quick review of the historical survey data we conducted also found that in 2008, when the question referred to teaching as a career, the percentage of teachers who said they were "very satisfied" was at its highest point62 percentsince 1984.
Dana Markow, vice president of youth and education research for Harris Interactive, the firm that conducts the survey, said in an interview that, while she couldn't speak to why particular questions were used initially in the 1980s, the group chose to change the question back to "job satisfaction" in 2011 in order to make comparisons to 1984. Markow also stressed that "even when comparing the exact same wording between 2001 [the last time before 2011 that the question asked about teaching as a 'job'] and 2011, or from this year to last year, ... there was a drop in the percentage of 'very satisfied.'"
She explained that, "typically, you do want to keep things as consistent as possible in terms of questions' wording." Had the survey asked the same question each year, she said, "it is an open question as to whether or not [the results] would be different." However, she said that both versions of questions about professional satisfaction "focused more broadly than on [a teacher's] current position."
When asked why the report focused on the percentage of "very satisfied" teachers, rather than those satisfied overall, Markow said, "The most positive end of the [4-point] scalein this case 'very satisfied'is recognized as a more sensitive measure of gauging changes over time."
Markow also suggested that correlating indicators of professional morale included in the survey (on stress levels, for example) show distinct patterns of differences between the "very satisfied" teachers and other teachers surveyed.


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Extreme Bricks by Sarah Herman, 2013, Skyhorse Publishing
Please note that I'm posting this same review across all my blogs, but I'm appending some blog-specific information at the end of each one.
Next up in my series of LEGO book reviews is Extreme Bricks. Last year, when I reviewed A Million Little Bricks: The Unofficial Illustrated History of the LEGO Phenomenon by Sarah Herman, one of my main critiques was that she spent the bulk of the book on a recap of the corporate history of the LEGO Group, and only a handful of pages at the end on the AFOL community. Well, she's come back to the subject to correct this problem. Or perhaps all along she planned on writing two books, one on the company and one on the builders. This book is about MOCs, big ones. The subtitle is "Spectacular, Record-Breaking, and Astounding LEGO Projects from Around the World." That gives you an idea of her focus. This book is all about really big creations.
The book still starts in the corporate world, but I found it more interesting than her previous book. Here she focuses in the first couple of chapters on the large models that LEGO built for in-store promotions and at the first Legoland park, including an extended treatment of the large Sitting Bull by Bjorn Richter. She also looks at things like the James May LEGO house, the giant X-Wing that was unveiled in Times Square, and sculptures comissioned by LEGO. But she quickly moves into things that are probably more interesting to community members, MOCs built by the true fans.
If you read the LEGO blogs, these are mostly things you've seen, like Alice Finch's Hogwarts, the OneLUG March of the Ents, Ed Diment's aircraft carrier, and the like. Names like Sawaya, Kenney, McIntyre, McNaught and other professional builders are all over this book. I really like that Herman interviewed all of the builders, giving backgrounds to the models, building tips, and links to find more of their work online. I have to admit I was a little off-put by the bigness of it all. This is absolutely no knock on the specific MOCs or builders featured, I realize that there are particular challenges and skills involved in building big, but at times it feels like what matters to this book is not that the models are excellent, but that they are really large. It's been pointed out before that when visitors to the public exhibition at fan conventions get to vote on their favorite model, they inevitably choose the largest.
Herman does pretty well at highlighting the community. Many books by people from outside the community, and even from some on the inside, mention Lugnet and the Brothers-Brick and stop there, but Herman does an admirable job of mentioning a variety of online communities, photo-sharing sites, and cons. It's still not the definitive history of the AFOL community that I'd love to see someday, showing the rise and fall of different forums, fests, fan themes, etc, but it's a start.
I do have a couple of critiques. The text reads like it comes from the outside. This does not feel the same as those books written by members of the AFOL community, nor does it feel like the writing of Jonathan Bender, a reporter who started out examining this crazy phenomenon and came to truly love it. It feels like the work of an outsider looking in - a reporter who is certainly impressed by these creations and their builders, but not someone who really knows it in her heart. My other critique is the pictures. This book is smaller than many of the LEGO books I've read - the pages are about 9 inches tall - and the bulk of the images are about a quarter of a page. A book devoted to really large creations should have large pictures, so you can appreciate the actual details of the MOCs rather than just their bigness. This book would have been better served by being at the same size as Brick Shakespeare, another output from the same publishing house, with at least one picture of each MOC that filled the whole page.
Blog-specific content - The book includes Evan Bacon's life-size superheroes and Carlyle Livingston II and Wayne Hussey's Batcave.


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syngo.via for Cardiovascular Care
syngo.via helps you deliver high-quality cardiovascular care – efficiently
Coronary Artery Disease - syngo.via1 provides answers
Information on the coronary status and myocardial perfusion is of greatest importance for the management of patients with suspected or diagnosed Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), the largest patient group in cardiology. syngo.via offers you a variety of tools and applications to efficiently identify the causes and hemodynamic impacts during related readings and quantifications.
syngo.via and its associated applications help you to
- Quickly and confidently perform a risk assessment with CT or SPECT/CT.
- Rule-out CAD with CT in less than a minute.2
- Perform a full spectrum of myocardial perfusion analysis in SPECT/CT, PET, and CT exams.
- Visualize the hemodynamic impact of stenosis to aid risk stratification with PET/CT myocardial blood flow quantification.
- Provide full assessment of ischemia with MRI including function, perfusion and viability.
- Benefit from optimized assistance for stent planning and evaluation of stent patency.
1syngo.via can be used as a stand-alone device or together with a variety of syngo.via-based software options, which are medical devices in their own rights.
2Results may vary. Data on file.


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Welcome to the official website of Dr. Ardyce Yik, a Canadian-licensed naturopathic physician helping people attain optimal health naturally in Hong Kong, China. Here, you will find a wealth of information on health, wellness and disease. You will also learn more about a doctor who listens and medicines that work.
"The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease..."
-Sir William Osler, 1849-1919
Tag Archives: meltdown
Tantrums? Refusal to listen? Anxiety? Help your child develop self-regulation.
Posted on March 2, 2018 by drardyceyik
Even as adults, we sometimes struggle with managing our emotions and mood (just think of the last time you met someone who had road rage or was impatient- or the last time you irritably lost control…). And yet, as parents, … Continue reading →
Posted in Babies/ Children, Emotional/ Psychological Health, General, Men's Health, News Update, Stress Management, Women's Health | Tagged anxiety, childhood intervention, children, depression, emotional intelligence, emotional wellbeing, emotions, irritability, irritable, life skills, meltdown, meltdowns, mood disorders, moody, relationships, road rage, self control, self regulation, social wellbeing, tantrum, tantrums | Leave a comment


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Coverage of the XIX International AIDS Conference
- Details
- Category: HIV Treatment
- Published on Friday, 27 July 2012 00:00
- Written by Liz Highleyman
HIVandHepatitis.com coverage of the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012), July 22-27 in Washington, DC.
Conference highlights include experimental antiretroviral drugs, treatment as prevention and PrEP, scaling up HIV treatment and prevention in resource-limited countries, human rights and concerns of heavily impacted populations, AIDS policy and advocacy, HIV/HBV and HIV/HCV coinfection, and the search for a cure for HIV.
HIVandHepatitis.com AIDS 2012 conference section


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Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems monitor tyre pressure without the need of a gauge and advise motorists if their tyres are losing pressure.
Correct tyre pressures enhance safety, tyre life and fuel economy. Early indication of pressure loss should also allow the driver to get the tyre checked by at their local HiQ centre before there is any danger or damage to the tyre, reducing inconvenience and expense.
The big benefits aren't just financial. Optimum tyre pressures mean increased safety and more predictable road handling. Reduced fuel consumption also brings reduced emissions. So, it's something we can all realistically do to reduce our carbon footprint.
The Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems utilise military-spec technology on each road wheel to display an accurate tyre pressure and temperature reading for each tyre, direct to the driver in real time. This can be accessed permanently, or set as a 'pre-flight check' which then updates the driver if preset safety parameters are breached. This is displayed through a compact display screen that shows safe pressures in green, changing to red if the pressure or temperature moves to a dangerous level.
If you are unsure of what your optimum tyre pressure should be. Why not use our handy tyre pressure guide.


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WWE: State auditing company for misclassification of employees
While U.S. Senate candidate Linda McMahon has been touting her business prowess building and running Stamford-based World Wrestling Entertainment, the state has been auditing the company to determine if WWE cut costs by improperly using independent contractors in and out of the ring.
"As far as I know, all of the (worker) classifications have been correct or if not they were brought to WWE's attention," McMahon, who resigned as CEO from her family's company in September, said Tuesday in New Haven. "Any kind of audit, a tax audit or whatever ... if you made a mistake you change it or if it's fine you leave it."
McMahon, who is financing her bid for the Senate, said she was unaware WWE was the target of a state audit, confirmed Tuesday morning in an e-mail to Hearst Connecticut Newspapers by a company spokesman.
Federal and state officials have been cracking down on companies that misclassify regular employees as independent contractors, often to avoid paying Social Security, Medicare and unemployment insurance taxes for those individuals.
"Although misclassification can happen inadvertently, it is more often used to circumvent the law," reads a fact sheet from Connecticut's two-year-old Joint Enforcement Commission on Employee Misclassification.
In May, Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell signed legislation that increases fines for misuse of independent contractors from $300 per incident to $300 a day beginning Oct. 1. It is now potentially a felony.
In response to those who have criticized WWE for not offering its wrestlers health insurance, McMahon has argued the company's stars are independent contractors. But WWE also employs at any given time around 350 independent contractors behind the scenes, including models, photographers and film unit publicists, a company official said in an earlier interview.
Asked whether WWE has ever been the target of state or federal misclassification probes, spokesman Robert Zimmerman in an e-mail Tuesday morning said: "WWE has always complied with the law. Up until this election, WWE has not been fined or investigated in the past for independent contractor classification. However, curiously the state of Connecticut is currently conducting an audit of WWE's classification of independent contractors. WWE constantly reviews its internal practices and procedures to comply with ever-changing employee laws."
The scope of the audit was not known as of press time. Zimmerman did not provide further details. And spokesmen for the Connecticut departments of labor and revenue services, the two agencies that would typically conduct such investigations, said they are prohibited from confirming or denying audit activity.
Labor Department spokesman Paul Oates said the agency conducts hundreds of audits annually -- 1,979 in 2009 alone -- and reviews of worker misclassification can be launched for a handful of reasons.
"It can be a complaint. It might be through a random audit or somebody filing for unemployment benefits," he said.
Asked if she was concerned about the timing of the audit during the Senate race, McMahon Tuesday said, "It might raise an eyebrow, maybe."
The Joint Enforcement Commission on Employment Misclassification, formed by Rell and the state legislature in 2008, includes representatives from the departments of labor and revenue services along with the Chief State's Attorney, the Workers' Compensation Commission and Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate and McMahon's opponent.
In a report issued in February, the commission stated that "employee/worker misclassification may sound like a mere paperwork issue, (but) the act ... is a serious and significant problem" that results in unfair treatment of workers, gives the guilty company an unfair competitive advantage through artificially lower costs of doing business and "means our law abiding taxpayers bear more of the tax burden."
Blumenthal's office Tuesday said it was not involved in any audit of WWE. According to state policies the Attorney General's office would become involved should the Labor Department or another state entity determine the law has been violated.
A trio of WWE wrestlers -- Christopher Klucsarits, Scott Levy and Michael Sanders -- a few years ago unsuccessfully sued the company in U. S. District Court in Connecticut for defining them as independent contractors.
Zimmerman said WWE takes good care of its talent.
"The average WWE performer earns more than $550,000 annually while only wrestling less than three days per week," Zimmerman said. "WWE covers 100 percent of all costs associated with any in-ring related injuries and rehabilitation."
But Irv Muchnick, an independent journalist and author in California who has covered professional wrestling and been a vocal critic of the McMahons and WWE, said in an e-mail that the state audit was long overdue.
"With the financial success of the McMahon family reaching the point where it is now underwriting a `self-funded' Senate campaign, while the public fallout of their corporation's occupational health and safety standards continues to go unaddressed by government, it is entirely appropriate to be taking a fresh look at all this," he said.
Staff Writer Brian Lockhart can be reached at email@example.com


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Hi everyone,
Over the past few weeks we've received numerous complaints about [YOU], ranging from flaming, to trolling, to sexual harassment. As such, we're resigned to the fact that we may have to ban [YOU] from the NHC. However, since we're talking someone who was - in the past, at least - a very well-liked member, the moderators and I agreed that it would be best if the entire board voted on this.
Thank you for your input.


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Untitled, photograph, 2006
Turner Road, photographs with sound, 2008
Untitled, MS Gate which swings side to side and breaks the walls, 2009
Shilpa Gupta's work sometimes takes place outside of or leaves the gallery, and ranges from photographs and objects to websites and interactive video. I spoke with the Mumbai-based artist over email:
Your pieces often weaponize subjects, drawing awareness to an underlying violence or militarization of mundane acts and objects (e.g., the tedium of house guards in Mumbai, a child with multiple arms making a gun with their fingers, a mechanical swinging gate). Could you expand on what you consider to be the political in the everyday?
What I am referring to are the embedded and often invisible structures that steer the way we think in daily life. Example: while we read newspapers and watch the 9 pm national news, it slips off our mind that the images we are seeing could be filtered in certain ways to generate certain opinions. Example: on the Untitled, MS Gate which swings from left to right and breaks the wall, there is an undefined form which, while much smaller in size, is far deeper than the rest of the gate. This could be an undefined geographical territory or it could be a hole in a brain of a housewife, both of which may have a desire to be free.


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Bath Bombs are typically known for traditionally being in a ball like shape. But, the bath bomb shape does not have an effect on what bath bombs are known for.
The combination of baking soda and citric acid when in a dry environment are just that; baking soda and citric acid. However, when these two elements are put together, and then placed into water a reaction occurs. As this bicarbonate base and weak acid are dissolved in the water, they start to fizz and fizz and fizz. This fizzing action is actually carbon dioxide. As the bath bomb dissolves and the carbon dioxide releases into the water, any bather feels a light tickling sensation on their skin. Hence the well known attribute that bath bombs are known for.
When it comes to the bath bomb shapes, the world can be your oyster. There are already many varying elements that you can change to make your bath bombs unique. Whether you choose to do this through scent, color, skin loving oil, or herb addition; the possibilities are endless.
Bath bomb shapes are just as limitless as the other unique qualities you can give your bath bombs. In fact, you can even make your bath bomb mixture in loose scoop form allowing the overall design of your bath bomb package to really sell the concept. As for shaped bath bombs, there are tons of molds you can use.
The creative team at Natures Garden has created various bath bomb recipes that produce bath bomb shapes other than balls. Through the use of silicone molds, ice cream scoopers, hard plastics (such as fillable ornaments), wax paper, and even your hands, these bath bomb recipes create truly unique bath bombs.
If you are interested in making some bath bomb shapes that will turn some heads here are a few recipes you can try. These recipes as well as others can all be found on Natures Gardens website under the free recipes and classes link; which you can view by clicking on this link. All of the supplies needed to make these bath bombs can also be purchased at Natures Garden.
Silicone Mold Bath Bomb Shapes:
Chocolate Dipped Bath Fizzies Recipe
Gingersnap Cookies Bath Bomb Recipe
Mothers Day Bath Bomb Recipe
Hard Plastic Bath Bomb Shapes:
Christmas Tree Bath Bomb Recipe
Easter Egg Bath Fizzes Recipe
Ice Cream Scoop Bath Bomb Shapes:
Rainbow Sherbet Bath Fizzies Recipe
Superman Bath Fizzies Recipe
Hand Formed/ Wax Paper Bath Bomb Shapes:
Hatching Dinosaur Egg Bath Bombs Recipe
Raspberry Zinger Bath Fizzies Recipe
Loose/ Scoopable Bath Bomb Shapes:
Fairy Dust Fizzy Bath Recipe
Fizzy Milk Bath Recipe
Lavender Fizzy Bath Recipe
Snake in the Grass Bath Fizzie Recipe
Enjoy the journey of new bath bomb shapes!


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German celebrity missing on Canada cruise
A German former TV star and singer, Daniel Kueblboeck, has gone missing from a cruise to Canada and may have gone overboard, the cruise operator says.
Aida Cruises says there is reason to believe that the celebrity, who first became well-known as a contestant in Germany's version of Pop Idol in 2003, jumped into the sea on Sunday morning.
"That is our suspicion," said spokesman Hansjoerg Kunze.
Aida said the ship was stopped and returned to the spot off the coast of Newfoundland where Kueblboeck was believed to have entered the water.
The 33-year-old, who tried but failed to be chosen as Germany's Eurovision entry in 2014, was travelling on the vessel in a private capacity, as one of about 2200 passengers on their way to Newfoundland from the northern German port city of Hamburg.
The incident occurred about 100 nautical miles (about 185 kilometres) north of the city of St John's on Newfoundland. The water temperature was recorded at about 10.5 degrees Celsius.
Kueblboeck's management company could not be reached for comment.
The Canadian coastguard confirmed on Sunday that it was using a surveillance plane and helicopter to search the cold Labrador Sea. Two other cruise ships also helped with the search.
Kueblboeck, born in Bavarian Hutthurm, made his last big television appearance in the eighth season of the show Let's Dance in 2015 and was studying to be an actor at the European Theatre Institute Berlin.
Australian Associated Press


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Watch Sirasa News 1st 10.00 PM 15-09-2020 Free Online at LakFreedom Media
Opposition, government lawmakers exchange views on 20th amendment
Posted on Thursday September 24, 2020
COLOMBO (News1st): Opposition and government lawmakers continued to exchange views on the draft 20th amendment that was tabled in parliament recently. Industries minister Wimal Weerawansa, on Thursday, said, the recommendations of the committee appointed to examine the 20th amendment will be presen...
Tense situation in Parliament over Speaker's conduct
Posted on Thursday September 24, 2020
COLOMBO (News1st): A tense situation arose in Parliament over the opportunity given to party leaders to raise questions under parliamentary standing orders. This was after the Speaker had not allowed Gajendra Kumar Ponnambalam, the leader of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress, to raise a question duri...
Copy of petition on 20A sent to Parliament: Speaker
Posted on Thursday September 24, 2020
COLOMBO (News1st): Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena today told Parliament that a copy of a petition regarding the 20th amendment has been sent to the Parliament. Nalin Bandara questioned why the camera in parliament had not focused on the Opposition Leader when he had been delivering his address on...
Gammadda teams continue to tour the country
Posted on Thursday September 24, 2020
COLOMBO (News1st): Locals in Uwa Paranagama, Badulla have been hit by problems caused by animals, our Gammadda team learn during its door-to-door campaign. Residents of Medipokuna, Kirimatiyawa, and Talapitiya face many problems due to wild boars and monkeys. Their problems have aggravated due to...
Protests in Colombo by unemployed graduates
Posted on Thursday September 24, 2020
COLOMBO (News1st): Several protests were staged by unemployed graduates and students who had completed their advanced level exams in Colombo on Thursday. Graduates who had obtained an external degree in Bachelor of Arts on May 1 last year staged a protest stating that they have been unable to rece...
FSP raises concerns over 20th amendment
Posted on Thursday September 24, 2020
COLOMBO (News1st): The Frontline Socialist Party has raised concerns over the draft 20th amendment on the provisions that would allow the people to challenge government acts at the Supreme Court. Dr Pubudu Jayakody, the propaganda secretary had said that the draft 20th amendment had reduced the num...
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PawSox push past Bisons 5-3
Jorge Jimenez clubbed a two-run home run and Daniel Nava plated two more with a triple as the Red Sox defended McCoy Stadium with a 5-3 victory over the Herd on Friday night. Buffalo dropped to 8-7 on the season and 1-2 on their current six-game roadtrip.
The Bisons had nine hits to Pawtucket's five, but went 1-13 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base. Still, Buffalo built an early 2-0 lead against their IL North division rival.
Fernando Martinez' sac fly in the first inning gave the Bisons the lead and Pawtucket pitcher Michael Bowden hit Chris Carter with the bases loaded in the third for the 2-0 edge.
From that point on, the PawSox took over. Jimenez's homer in the bottom of the third tied the score. An inning later, Aaron Bates and Dusty Brown drew walks in front of Nava's triple. Nava then scored on Bubba Bell's sac fly.
Buffalo brought the tying run to plate with no outs in the ninth against former Bisons' reliever Fernando Cabrera. But after Ruben Tejada and Jason Pridie got aboard, Cabrera retired three straight to earn the save.
The loss for the Herd went to Tobi Stoner (0-2). He walked five and gave up five runs in six innings of work.
Fernando Martinez saw his nine-game hit streak came to an end. Martinez had averaged .308 (12-39) since April 12 but finished Friday night's game 0-3 with 2RBI. Ruben Tejada finished the game 2-3 and now has six hits in his last 14 at-bats. Prior to the game, the Bisons placed Elmer Dessens on the disabled list with a left hamstring strain.


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Explore your World! with Travelers411 Mini-Sites
Skiing and Snow Boarding, Berkshire County, Ireland, Jamaica, New York City, Belize, Trains, Boston, Pet Friendly Hotels, Golf, Hudson Valley New York, San Francisco, Germany, Greece, Mexico,
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Visit the Travelers411 Directory forDiscover Albany
Albany is New York State's capitol city and makes for a great day trip or weekend getaway from Boston or NYC.
Travel PR from
UK National Trust
Stephanie Abrams (narrator) here, inviting you to Northern Ireland's North Coast where landscapes and seascapes inspire filmmakers. Walk in the mythical footsteps of Giant Fin McCool at Giant's Causeway. Trek across Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. Enjoy miles of sugary sand at Portstewart Beach and have a bite at Harry's Shack with its million dollar panoramic beach view.
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The word toraja comes from the Bugis Buginese language term to riaja, meaning "people of the uplands". The Dutch colonial government named the people Toraja in 1909. Torajans are renowned for their elaborate funeral rites, burial sites carved into rocky cliffs, massive peaked-roof traditional houses known as tongkonan, and colorful wood carvings. Toraja funeral rites are important social events, usually attended by hundreds of people and lasting for several days.
Before the 20th century, Torajans lived in autonomous villages, where they practised animism and were relatively untouched by the outside world. In the early 1900s, Dutch missionaries first worked to convert Torajan highlanders to Christianity. When the Tana Toraja regency was further opened to the outside world in the 1970s, it became an icon of tourism in Indonesia: it was exploited by tourism developers and studied by anthropologists. By the 1990s, when tourism peaked, Toraja society had changed significantly, from an agrarian model — in which social life and customs were outgrowths of the Aluk To Dolo—to a largely Christian society.
Today, tourism and remittances from migrant Torajans have made for major changes in the Toraja highland, giving the Toraja a celebrity status within Indonesia and enhancing Toraja ethnic group pride. Safely protected beyond the lofty mountains and rugged granite cliffs of the central highlands of the island of Sulawesi, are the Toraja people who live in valleys that are lush with green rice terraces and fertile coffee plantations. "Discovered" and opened to the world from their long isolation only since the beginning of the last century, the Toraja today still adhere to their age-old beliefs, rituals and traditions, although many of her people are modernized or have embraced Christianity. When one travels to the Tana Toraja highlands, therefore, expect to be awed by the spectacular beauty of nature, at the same time experience how communities have through the ages sustained their beliefs and traditions in splendid isolation in order to survive this eternal cycle of life and death on earth.
The road from Makassar to Toraja runs along the coast for about 130 km's and then hits the mountains. After the entrance to Tana Toraja at the market village of Mebali one enters a majestic landscape of giant, gray granites and stones and blue mountains afar that form a sharp contrast with the lively green of the fertile, rain-fed terraces and the rusty red of the tropical soil. This is Tana Toraja, one of the most splendid areas in Indonesia. Here, the nobility of Toraja are believed to be descendents of heavenly beings who came down by a heavenly stairway to live here on earth in this beautiful landscape. And to keep up the energy of the land and its people, the Toraja people believe that these must be sustained through rituals that celebrate both life and death, which are attached to the agricultural seasons. Here rituals in connection with life are strictly separated from death rites. Toraja is most well known for its elaborate funeral ceremonies that can take days and involve entire villages.
These are not only moments for mourning but are moreover events to renew family ties and to ensure continued unity among villages and communities. Death ceremonies, however, are held only after the last rice harvest is in and cleared, which is normally between July to September, while ceremonies celebrating life are held in conjunction with the planting season which starts in October. These timings are possible since the dead are not buried immediately but are kept for months, sometimes for years, in the ancestral house until time and funds allow for a proper funeral. Tourists to Toraja, therefore, are either attracted by its unique culture and rituals, most of which are mostly centered around graves and death ceremonies. While others prefer to avoid the morbid images and go trekking through the spectacular, almost untouched Toraja countryside visiting remote villages, or exhilarate in rafting the Sa'dan river rapids. Capital of Toraja is Makale but visitors usually head to the town of Rantepao, heart of Tana Toraja - the Land of the Toraja people.
To reach Toraja take a plane to Makassar. There are daily flights from Jakarta and Bali and regular flights from Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. It takes between six to eight hours by road to reach Toraja. While the journey may be long, but you will be well awarded with the magnificent panoroma of the Toraja highlands.
Upon arrival at Hasanuddin Airport, Meeting Service with your Guide. Transfer directly to Toraja Land with 08 hours drive takes across the Bugis Village with their houses on poles along the magnificent mountaionous ranges. Lunch will be served at Kupa Beach Restaurant near Pare-Pare, a small port situated 155 kms north of Makassar. Refreshment at the Hill-Top of Puncak Lakawan and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Erotic mountain. Late Afternoon Arrive in Toraja Land , check-in to Hotel. Dinner will be served at Monica Restaurant. Back to hotel for overnight.
Breakfast at hotel. Full day visiting : the stone grave with tau-tau installed on a high cliff balcony overlooking the green valley of the Toraja at LEMO, The royal family tombs at SUAYA. and then we continue on to royal family tombs at SUAYA. We shall then make a easy walk to see a giant-tree made as burial site for a new born-baby who died before teething at KAMBIRA. After Lunch, we drive to The traditional carving village at KETE KESU, Natural burial cave at LONDA. The typical village at NANGGALA with 16 rice-barns standing in a raw as a sign of their wealthy status in Toraja community. Then continue on to visit the ancient house-grave at MARANTE village. Late afternoon back to hotel. Dinner will be served at Riman Restaurant. After dinner back to hotel for overnight.
Breakfast at hotel. Full day visiting ; the Traditional Toraja village with full buffalo horns in front of their houses at PALAWA, Traditional weaving village at SA'DAN, and the ancient Megalithic stone at BORI. Lunch will be served at local restaurant on the slope of Mount Sesean where you can also enjoy the terraced rice-fields with a fascinating mountainous view at BATUTUMONGA, After lunch, take a small trek from LOKOMATA to PANA and will be picked at the other side of the village at TIKALA then we transfer you back to hotel. Dinner will be served at Aras Cafe. Note : A traditional funeral ceremony which can be reached by foot will be included within this tour. A typical torajan local fruits & live stuff market can also be visited during your two days tour in Toraja.
Breakfast at hotel. Leaving Toraja Land for Sengkang via Palopo. Lunch enroute at local restaurant. Arrive in Sengkang. Check-in to hotel for overnight. Dinner will be served at Local Restaurant. After dinner back to hotel for overnight. DAY 05: SENGKANG – LAKE TEMPE – MAKASSAR (B.L.D) After breakfast at hotel. Visting Lake TEMPE of Sengkang to see the way of life of those who live at the lakeside with some of them having their floating houses on it.Visiting the traditional silk weaving villagers who make Silk Sarong "The Buginese Skirt". Lunch enoute at Local restaurant. And proceed to UjungPandang Airport for your next destination.
Package include : private ac car based on minibus L-300 or Hyundai ( tours with 2 passenger can also use other luxury cars, we provide Innova & Avanza ), tour as per program, English or other required languages speaking guide, entrance fees, full board meals, refreshment, mineral water during tour ( Aqua ), tax & service and accommodation based on the above hotels mentioned.
Excludes : porter, airport tax & flight tickets.
View the embedded image gallery online at:


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Neofonie is a German company which is all set to introduce an Android powered tablet PC named as WePad. This new product from Neofonie is considered to be highly competitive with iPads.
The WePad tablet has an excellent processor in the form of Intel Atom N450 (featuring Intel GMA 3150 graphics, and 16GB of storage as standard, which is extendable up to 32GB. The display of WePad (11.6-inch 1366 x 768 touch screen) is bigger than that of iPad(9.7-inch 1024×768) which gives it a very stylish look. Moreover, the processing speed of WePad is1.66 GHz compared to iPad`s paltry 1.0 GHz. However, iPad holds an edge in terms of weight, battery life and memory.
Some specifications of WePad are-
- 2 USB 2.0 port and 3-in-1 cardreader
- Flash and java multimedia support
- 1.3 megapixel webcam
- UMTS modem
- Battery life is up to 6 hours of browsing internet.
I definitely think that it is time to move to WePad. What about you?.Do not forget to tell us.


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Metrish v. Lancaster
|Docket No.
|Op. Below
|6th Cir.
Apr 24, 2013
|May 20, 2013
Holding: Petitioner is not entitled to federal habeas relief.
Judgment: Reversed, 9-0, in an opinion by Justice Ginsburg on May 20, 2013.
SCOTUSblog Coverage
- Opinion recap: Saying little on retroactivity (Lyle Denniston)
- Argument recap: Who makes law? (Lyle Denniston)
- Argument preview: Taking away a defense to crime (Lyle Denniston)
|Proceedings and Orders
|Oct 31 2012
|Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due December 3, 2012)
|Nov 27 2012
|Order extending time to file response to petition to and including January 2, 2013.
|Dec 3 2012
|Brief amici curiae of Indiana, et al. filed.
|Dec 28 2012
|Brief of respondent Burt Lancaster in opposition filed. (Distributed)
|Jan 2 2013
|DISTRIBUTED for Conference of January 18, 2013.
|Jan 18 2013
|Petition GRANTED.
|Feb 11 2013
|SET FOR ARGUMENT ON Wednesday, April 24, 2013
|Feb 22 2013
|Record from U.S.C.A. for 6th Circuit is electronic.
|Mar 1 2013
|Brief amicus curiae of Wayne County, Michigan filed. (Distributed)
|Mar 4 2013
|Joint appendix filed. (Distributed) (Statement of costs filed)
|Mar 4 2013
|Brief of petitioner Linda Metrish, Warden filed. (Distributed)
|Mar 8 2013
|Mar 11 2013
|Brief amici curiae of Indiana, et al. filed. (Distributed)
|Mar 20 2013
|Consent to the filing of amicus curiae briefs, in support of either party or of neither party, received from counsel for the petitioner.
|Apr 3 2013
|Brief of respondent Burt Lancaster filed. (Distributed).
|Apr 5 2013
|Consent to the filing of amicus curiae briefs, in support of either party or of neither party, received from counsel for the respondent.
|Apr 10 2013
|Brief amicus curiae of National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers filed. (Distributed)
|Apr 17 2013
|Reply of petitioner Linda Metrish, Warden filed. (Distributed)
|Apr 24 2013
|Argued. For petitioner: John J. Bursch, Michigan Solicitor General, Lansing, Mich. For respondent: Kenneth M. Mogill, Lake Orion, Mich.
|May 20 2013
|Judgment REVERSED. Ginsburg, J., delivered the opinion for a unanimous Court.
|Jun 21 2013


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* I made my first tax forms run this morning – and was surprised to find all the 2008 federal tax forms and schedules available at the local IRS office! I do believe this is the earliest in January that they have been available in several years.
I did good this morning, stocking up on 1040As, Cs, Ds, and Es – though I will need to make several more trips in the next two weeks to get enough 1040s, Schedule As (there were not many available this morning) and the various "numbered" forms (i.e. 2106, 8606). I will also need more Ds and a large handful of D-1s – these are the Schedules I always run out of each year. For the less frequently used numbered forms I download what I need when I need it from the IRS website.
It looks like I will be limited to raiding IRS offices this year. While at the PO this morning I asked my contact if the tax forms had arrived yet and was told that he thinks the PO will not be getting tax forms for public distribution this year!
I didn't see any NJ books at the IRS – I hope they will be forthcoming.
The word from New York is that IT-201 and IT-203 booklets, with forms and instructions, will no longer be mailed out to taxpayers. So I have to order my NYS tax forms and schedules from the NY Department of Taxation and Finance and pay for them – which includes a minimum $20 processing fee!
I recall fondly back during my first years as an apprentice tax preparer when I would drive to a federal warehouse in Newark with a suitcase and fill it up with federal tax forms and schedules!
* In case you haven't noticed it – my sitemeter has exceeded the 100,000 mark! I had hoped to reach this milestone by the end of 2008 – but fell a couple of thousand short.
This means that I have had over 100,000 individual visitors to TWTP since I signed up for the sitemeter service shortly after returning to Blogger.com as my host in December of 2006.
Congratulations to me!
* There was a discussion on the radio this morning about the government coming in and limiting the dollar amount of salary and bonus that can be paid to corporate top management. Just thought I would add my 2 cents.
As a general rule I do not think that the government should have any say in the amount of executive compensation that can be paid. What I do think is that the IRS should possibly be allowed to do what they do with the owners of closely-held corporations – determine that a payment is "excessive compensation" and reclassify a portion as dividends, thus making a part of the payment subject to "double taxation". Why should this concept apply only to private companies?
The IRS is not saying that the corporation cannot pay the individual what it deems appropriate, only that any payments that are considered to be excessive within the context of the individual facts and circumstances will be taxed more heavily.
I also firmly believe -
(1) It should be legislated that top-level executive compensation above a certain minimum standard, which is indexed for inflation, must be approved by at least a 60% majority vote of all stockholders at an annual meeting, either via proxy or in person, and that any bonus or other excess compensation be made only out of corporate earnings and profits.
(2) In a situation where the government provides taxpayers' money to a corporation (such as with the current bail-outs) either as a loan, the purchase of an equity interest, or a flat out gift it has the right, and the obligation, to protect its "investment" by limiting top-level executive compensation. Uncle Sam must be able to say, "Here is $10 Billion to keep your business from going under. You can use the money for a, b, and c, but you damn well cannot give a penny of it as salary or bonus to your CEO or other corporate officers!"
* The conversation also covered whether the government should bail-out any industry for any reason, in light of the recent announcement that Larry Flynt is going to Washington to ask Congress to bail out the porn industry.
For one, I agree with TAXGIRL Kelly Phillips Erb when she says in today's post "It's rare that I find myself in Larry Flynt's corner but today I do. I get the absurdity of it all - which is exactly the conversation that he's trying to start." I do believe that LF has his tongue in his cheek with this action – although if Congress is stupid enough to give the porn industry money (other than what they have already given as individual consumers of the product) he will certainly take the money and run.
Kelly goes on to echo my sentiments – "The string of bailouts at the expense of taxpayers. . . is making us weary. The numbers are starting to blur. What's $5 billion anymore? We don't even blink at those kind of numbers now that Congress is handing out $700 billion 'virtually no strings attached' checks - remember, that's our money. Ours."
I do not believe any corporation or industry should be bailed-out for any reason. Period! Unless, perhaps, it can be shown that direct government action or requirements caused the corporation or industry's losses. If a business or industry chooses greed over common sense and prudence then they deserve to go under. That is capitalism. Only then will business and industry in general learn any lessons. The old phrase from the 50's "What's Good for General Motors is Good for the USA" be damned!
I do like Kelly's final word on the subject of bailing out the porn industry – "So maybe we should spend it on things that make us happy - the folks at AIG certainly did."
* In the AS THE CONGRESS TURNS category – the CCH daily headline email newsletter reports today that "Senate Democrats Outline 2009 Legislative Agenda".
The Democrats pledged that "middle-class tax relief would come in the form of increased college tuition tax credits and elder care credits, tax breaks for the purchase of college textbooks and, to enhance savings, an increase in the allowable IRA contributions".
On the environmental front, "Democrats plan to invest heavily in renewable energy and energy efficiency through tax credits aimed at business owners".
There will also be "a heavy emphasis on affordable health care, with promises to lower costs, protect existing coverage and extend coverage to the some 46 million Americans who have none".
I can't find much to argue about in these lofty goals. We will just have to wait and see what Congress will do in the next few months.
Your comments on any of the above items are welcome!


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Re: Bug reports
Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2015 5:52 am
The ZIP file says 'This File comes from TiK's Atari ST page'. I didn't notice the mouse click thing, as you reported issues with even moving mouse, and I didn't know how to play it - it was in french (which I don't understand) if I remember correctly. I'll take a look at the mouse click thing, and possibly use the dbug version.wietze wrote:Which version of Megalomania did you try, it doesnt seem to register mouseclick here (dbug version and some french cracked version); and thus not progressing further than the title screen. Which version did you use?


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Plano Man Guilty in Pipeline Bombing Incident
|U.S. Attorney's Office June 03, 2013
PLANO, TX—A 33-year-old Plano, Texas man has pleaded guilty to federal charges related to an incident involving an explosive device in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales.
Anson Chi pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered firearm or explosive device and malicious use of explosive material today before U.S. District Judge Richard A. Schell. A superseding indictment was returned by a federal grand jury on February 14, 2013, charging Chi with these violations.
According to information presented in court, on June 18, 2012, Chi possessed a destructive device or explosive that was not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. The explosive device was manufactured by Chi through the combination of chemicals to create methyl nitrate. Methyl nitrate is a highly volatile explosive capable of inflicting significant damage to persons or property. Chi admitted to obtaining the chemical formula for methyl nitrate and documents related to explosives from the Internet.
Chi also admitted to intentionally damaging an Atmos Energy pipeline by attaching the explosive device to the pipeline and igniting it. Chi admitted he intended for the explosion to damage the pipeline and disrupt the flow of natural gas through the pipeline.
As a result of his plea, Chi agreed to a combined sentence of 22 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set at this time.
"Anson Chi meant to explode a natural gas pipeline that was located only a matter of yards from and ran through a Plano neighborhood," said U.S. Attorney Bales. "Thankfully, he failed, but not because he lacked the will and the effort. The bomb built by Chi was extremely dangerous. The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Plano Police Department quickly responded to the explosion and their outstanding work secured the safety of the surrounding area as well as the conviction that we announce today. The security of our homeland is job number one for the Department of Justice, and I am delighted to congratulate the agents and officers who worked very hard to secure Anson Chi's conviction. The citizens of Collin County can rest assured that we will remain vigilant."
"Today's plea proves to those individuals who choose to disregard the laws of this country that placing our communities at risk will not be tolerated," said Diego G. Rodriguez, Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas Division of the FBI. "The FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force continuously work to see that our nation remains safe."
This case was investigated by the FBI, the FBI-Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Plano Police Department, and the ATF and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Andrew Stover.


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Checking in on… Conference USAPosted by rtmsf on January 19th, 2010
Bob Dylan wrote a famous song, "The Times They Are a-Changin'." One could make a valid argument that this could be the theme song for the Conference USA Men's 2009-10 basketball season. For the first time since conference realignment and the 2005-06 season, a new preseason champion was selected (Tulsa), the conference tournament will not be held in Memphis (again, Tulsa) and the de facto commissioner of the league is no longer with us (John Calipari).
How will this "change" translate for the rest of the league? In speaking with many of the coaches around the league by the national media, most coaches are drooling at the chance of being the first to knock off Memphis and their amazing conference winning streak (currently the streak stands at 64 games lasting since March 2, 2006). While Memphis might not be the runaway favorite that so many have become accustomed too, this should translate into a positive for the league giving the conference regular and postseason a competitive edge it hasn't seen in over five years. Nipping at the heels of Memphis this year will be the usual suspects of UTEP, Houston and Tulsa. The surprise of the year so far has been the excellent play of Marshall. Young, long, and talented, this will be one of the most exciting Marshall teams to date and one of the most competitive. CUSA shouldn't sleep on this year's sleeper team.
In the wake of John Calipari's voluntary departure (or declaration of war as most Memphis fans have described) from Memphis, many coaches throughout the league are finding themselves on the proverbial hot seat. Fan bases are seeing this as the year certain coaches need to produce before Memphis has a chance to recuperate from its losses (Memphis brings in the #1 ranked recruiting class for the 2010-11 season) and return to league dominance. We start with Houston. Coach Tom Penders brings back one of the elite scorers in the league named Aubrey Coleman and a team that always seems to give Memphis a run each time they play. However, his lack of production in the postseason has put the coach in a sticky situation. Coach Mike Davis at UAB also finds himself looking over his shoulder more and more year after year. After initially getting a commitment from one of the top big men in the country last year in DeMarcus Cousins, it seemed that Coach Davis was finally going to turn the corner on recruiting in the state of Alabama. Unfortunately, Mr. Cousins is wearing blue not green this year, and to make matters worse, another seemingly solid pick up for Davis left the state for bluer pastures as well in Eric Bledsoe. Pair these mishaps with a disappointing season last year and Davis needs to produce this season with a team capable of pulling off some upsets. Lastly, Matt Doherty at SMU seems to already have a foot out of the door. This has been one of the biggest mysteries in my mind. With immaculate facilities, one of the largest cities in the US to recruit, and a fan base with deep pockets looking for a winner, Doherty has continually underachieved. A record of 33-58 over three years for Doherty looms ominous over a coach without a signature win.
What should be an entertaining year for the league has only gotten better with the improved play of Marshall and UAB. Both of these teams have some signature wins already under their belt this year along with currently being undefeated in league play. Tulsa and Memphis also find themselves undefeated but with a few losses that will not help the resume come NCAA tourney time. Let's take a look at each team and see how their season is going.
Team Reviews
Marshall (4-0, 15-2) – HASSAN WHITESIDE HASSAN WHITESIDE HASSAN WHITESIDE… Remember that name folks. What is possibly the feel-good story of the year depending on if you are playing Marshall or not, Marshall has consistently improved year after year under coach Donnie Jones. With the addition of possible CUSA newcomer of the year Hassan Whiteside, Marshall boasts on of the best frontcourts in the league with he (13/9) and Tyler Wilkerson (13/7). Marshall trails only Tulsa in team rebounding at 40.1 per game. The post presence for Marshall will be the key all year.The early development has been the storyline of the year for the Thundering Herd. Throw in Tirrell Baines and Dago Pena and you have quality depth in your frontcourt along with guards Chris Lutz, Shaquille Johnson and Damier Pitts and Marshall could be poised to make a run not only at the regular season title but the conference title as well. Key out of conference wins for the Herd includes a win against an Old Dominion team who can boast a defeat of Georgetown. So long as this team can stay healthy and continues to play the uptempo style of ball that fits their personnel, the sky is the limit for the Thundering Herd in CUSA this year.
Tulsa (4-0, 14-3) – Even with the loss of shut down defender Ray Reese, Tulsa seems poised to snap Memphis' streak of conference wins and tourney titles. Doug Wojcik returns a team with a lot of firepower both in the frontcourt and backcourt with many upperclassmen. Scouts are salivating over 7'0 PF/C Jerome Jordan. Jordan (14/8) continues to grow as a player with a developing back to the basket game and toughness on the defensive end of the court, and he is the star of this team. Bishop Wheatley, while undersized for a power forward, consistently outworks and outhustles bigger opposing players with his nonstop motor. Not a go to scorer or rebounding machine under the basket, Wheatley is the "glue" guy of this team giving minutes and hustle plays that don't show up on a stat sheet. In the backcourt, Tulsa relies on Ben Uzoh. A tweener in the mold of Elliot Williams for Memphis, Uzoh (17/5/4) is not a true PG but can get the job done and is a terrific on the ball defender. Justin Hurtt (16/4) is also a reliable threat with the ball in his hands. Tulsa can boast they have possibly the best backcourt in CUSA along with Memphis. With wins against Oklahoma State and Nebraska out of conference and a big conference win at Houston, Tulsa has solidified themselves as the team to beat so far in CUSA. The season and conference tourney position could come down to the final game March 6 at Memphis. Tulsa travels to Duke on February 25 in what will obviously be used as a measuring stick for not only Jerome Jordan's development as a play but Tulsa's chances in the NCAA tournament.
UAB (3-0, 15-2) – Mike Davis has the Blazers on a roll. With the only truly bad loss on the schedule coming against a mediocre Kent State team early in the season, there is legitimate talk about UAB being the other sleeper in CUSA. With wins against solid SEC opponents Georgia and Arkansas and a solid Big East team in Cincinnati and mid-major power Butler, UAB has also quietly built a nice resume for the NCAA tourney. Consistency will be the key with this young team. Transfer Elijah Millsap is as versatile of a player you will find in CUSA. At 6'6 and 218 lbs, Millsap (17/10) has the ability to break down a defender and get to the basket with his size and strength. Posting solid minutes against Cincinnati and super frosh Lance Stephenson, Millsap put up a solid line of 22 points and 15 rebounds in a win. Howard Crawford, starting at forward for the Blazers, has a developing inside-out game but is more comfortable around the basket where he can use his 240 pound frame to impose his will on opposing defenders. With a bulk of their tough conference games still remaining, home/home with UTEP and Memphis, and home versus Houston, Tulsa and Marshall, it will remain to be seen how UAB will hold up against opponents that are familiar with their game plan. UAB will be a top four team come conference tournament time.
Memphis (3-0, 13-4) – The streak continues. Some things have changed for the University of Memphis, this has not. Over 1100 days have passed since their last defeat in conference play. Will this be the year that streak comes to an end? All signs point to yes; however, don't tell this team that or their new coach Josh Pastner. Contending for Player of the Year honors with Aubrey Coleman and Newcommer of the Year honors with Hassan Whiteside, Elliot Williams (20/4/4) has been a true gift to Memphis in the wake of the turmoil that ensued in March. The key to the season for the Tigers will be who can step up as another reliable scorer for Memphis when teams key on him. Roburt Sallie (10/4) and Doneal Mack (10/2) have been inconsistent at best this year for the Tigers and no real inside presence has been established. Wesley Witherspoon (11/4) is a utility player able to play the 2, 3, 4 or 5 position for Memphis but is most comfortable on the wing. Will Coleman (7/6), the number two ranked JUCO player for 2008-09, has yet to produce consistently and adapt to the D1level. A prime example of Memphis' erratic play can be seen in their one bad loss this year at UMass. Constantly outrebounded by smaller and less skilled players due to lack of hustle and poor positioning was the Achilles heel for Memphis in the UMass game. Usually one of the top rebounding teams in conference, it is rebounding by committee this year for the Tigers due to their lack of frontcourt depth. Will the streak continue? Watch ESPN on January 20 and 23 to find out.
Houston (3-1,10-7) – The roller coaster ride continues for a Houston squad that came into the season with high expectations. Losing starters Marcus Cousins (10/8) and Qa'rraan Calhoun (10/5) in the frontcourt obviously has hurt the Cougars. JUCO transfer Maurice McNeil (8/8) has helped weather the storm in the loss of Cousins and Calhoun but he is not getting much help from his cast of supporters: Sean Coleman, Nick Mosley and Kahmell Broughton. While the frontcourt is struggling for the Cougars, the back court tandem of Aubrey Coleman and Kelvin Lewis is thriving. Coleman (25/7/3 apg) and Lewis (17/4) could be considered the top backcourt in the league. Coleman continues to be Mr. Reliable with the basketball getting to the rim with ease due to his size and speed and Lewis could be described as one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. Houston leads the league in scoring at 83 points per game. Get ready for a track meet when UH comes to play. The lone "signature" win of the season for the Cougars comes against a struggling Oklahoma team dealing with frontcourt losses of their own in the Griffin brothers. Losses to Nevada, San Diego, Louisiana Tech and UT-San Antonio will leave Houston fighting in conference play and the conference tournament for a shot at the NCAA. The seat is getting a little hotter for Coach Penders down in Houston.
UTEP (2-1, 11-5) – Head coach Tony Barbee got a wonderful Christmas present this year named Derrick Caracter. The biggest question about Caracter will be his character. Can Barbee control this super-talented kid? Will he be able to ever produce like he did in high school and was recruited to do the same at Louisville? Can UTEP replace the scoring production vacated by Stefon Jackson? Many questions surround Tony Barbee down in El Paso. The knock on Caracter about his attitude and overall approach to the game seems to have subsided somewhat now that he is playing under control. Averaging 14 points and 8 rebounds a game, it seems as he is showing a renewed commitment to the game and to his coach who, like his mentor John Calipari, is giving his star pupil a second chance. Randy Culpepper is not disappointing on the offensive end, averaging 16 points and 2.5 assists a game. The knock on Culpepper is his size. Listed at 6'0, Culpepper is more 5'9 to 5'10. However, you can't teach will power, hustle or the way he can put the ball in the basket. After securing the starting job opposite Culpepper, Christian Polk as turned into a viable offensive threat averaging 11 points and 2 assists per game. After a big summer with USA basketball, Arnett Moultrie has gone from an under the radar forward — the kid with big potential — to averaging a solid 12 points and 7 rebounds a game. His production has slipped some since the arrival of Caracter, but he still continues to be a force in and around the basket that could earn him a big paycheck one day. With a tough loss on the road to Houston, people have begun to question UTEP. I, on the other hand, feel this is as dangerous of a team as Marshall, Tulsa or UAB. The problem I see is effort for the whole game. With a frontcourt of Moultrie and Caracter, there is no reason UTEP should not be in the top five of the league in rebounding. This will be a scary team come conference tournament time and a tough out.
UCF (1-2, 9-8) – UCF will be a scary team this year in the conference as their overall record does not depict properly the type of team they have shown to be this year. Wins over UMass and Auburn and close defeats at the hands of USF and UConn, the Knights have a solid yet very young and inexperienced team. Consistency will play a key role with this team all year long. Going up against Marshall earlier last week, UCF showed poise down the stretch running with a team that honestly was just better than they were. Guards Isaac Sosa and A.J. Rompza are good with the ball in their hands and excellent defenders even if they are undersized. Scoring distribution for this team is even as six players on the team average between 10 and 6 points per game. While this is still a developing year for UCF, a #5 or #6 seed in conference play is not out of reach. Look for UCF to surprise some people at home this year.
Tulane (1-3, 6-11) – Tulane coach Dave Dickerson has amassed a record of 60-62 in his four-year tenure at Tulane. Quite a feat considering the academic standards he must abide by and a school still struggling in many ways post-Katrina. Posting a win already this year over conference foe Rice, Tulane relies heavily on the play of their guards Kris Richard (14/4/3) and Kevin Sims (12/3/3). As with any team that relies heavily on their guards, rebounding will be the biggest enemy of the Green Wave as they rank last in CUSA in rebounds per game. With recruit Rakeem Brookins on deck for the 2010-11 season, Tulane will only get stronger.
SMU (0-3, 6-10) – Coach Matt Doherty enters his fourth year with the Mustangs with an experienced roster yet not many expectations. Most recently against UAB the Mustangs were leading by 24 points yet lost the game 63-62. With the low post presence of Papa Dia (12/8) and Mouhammad Faye (12/6) and guard play of Derek Williams (16/3) and Paul McCoy (8/4), few can find a reason as to why the Mustangs aren't more competitive. Consistently underachieving year in and year out, Doherty is running out of excuses. Boasting some of the best facilities in the league and being able to recruit from one of the largest cities in the US, SMU has to produce better. Non-conference games against Occidental College, Florida Gulf Coast, and Houston Baptist are unacceptable in D1 basketball. The four-point win against Huston-Tillotson was laughable at best.
Southern Mississippi (0-3, 10-7) – Larry Eustachy finds himself with one of his more talented teams in recent memory at Southern Miss. Newcommers Maurice Bolden and Gary Flowers give the Golden Eagles something to cheer about down in Hattiesburg. Flowers (14/8) is a physical small forward that can use his size and strength to get to the basket at will. Highly recruited out of high school from Texas, Flowers spent the last year at Chipola Junior College before transferring to the Golden Eagles to give them more depth in the frontcourt. As with any young team, the Golden Eagles have experienced some growing pains this year but have displayed the ability to hang with teams more talented than they. After leading for a majority of the Ole Miss game, Southern Miss fell 81-79 in the final minutes. Against a Memphis team that came out firing on all cylinders, the Golden Eagles trailed by 15 at the half, yet came out with much more intensity in the second half holding Memphis to only two made FGs only to fall by a bucket, 59-57. Another team that is looking to the future, Eustachy has a talent base growing down in Hattiesburg that will cause the rest of the conference to take notice in the coming years.
East Carolina (0-4,6-12) – East Carolina finds themselves struggling this year. Losses to Wake Forest and Clemson can be deemed acceptable for a team continuing to build; however, losses to Campbell and Northern Iowa hurt the overall conference RPI and can deal a blow to a team that was expecting to win between 14 and 16 games this year. Brock Young is possibly one of the best players in America you haven't heard of. Playing with a lack of interior post presence, Young is a 5'11 PG putting the team on his shoulders and getting what he can while averaging 16 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists a game. While 0-4 in conference, the meat of their conference schedule is behind them (@UAB, @Memphis, Houston, Marshall) and the rest of the conference schedule sets up nicely for this young team to continue to grow and develop the young talent they have in Wakefield Ellison, Corvonn Gaines and Erin Straughn. While eight wins in conference play might be asking a lot for a young team without much frontcourt help, it is a solid goal that I believe the Pirates can achieve.
Rice (0-4, 6-11) – With a newly renovated arena and one of the best freshman classes the Rice basketball program has seen, the future looks bright for the Owls. Unfortunately, this year will be a year of growing pains for a team with a bright future. With the only true loss from the 2008-09 season being Rodney Foster (13.4 ppg), the Owls return Trey Stanton, Conor Frizzelle and Lawrence Ghoram. The additions of highly touted Tamir Jackson and Arsalan Kazemi will be a solid foundation for the Owls to build on. Having watched the Rice versus Memphis game this past week, I came away very impressed with Stanton (9/4), Jackson (12/3) and Kazemi (10/8). Kazemi is a basketball coach's dream. He is a hard-nosed player who has a knack for always attacking the basket. With Memphis' lack of size and aggressiveness inside, Kazemi (15/11 vs. Memphis) had an array of putback dunks and a quick first step to the basket driving against his defender. Trey Stanton, while not your typical low post player, is a versatile big man that can step out and hit the mid-range jumper to the three-point line. He will not be much of a force against powerful low post players but can use his speed and range to exploit slower lumbering defenders. Against Pierre Niles and Will Coleman for Memphis he put up 18 points on 6-12 shooting from the field and 2-3 from the 3-point line. Tamir Jackson had a tougher night going up against two of the better on-ball defenders in the league in Willie Kemp and Elliot Williams. Yet, he showed poise and tempo under pressure that should make Ben Braun a happy coach for the next few years.
Games of the Week (January 17-23)
1/20 – #12 West Virginia @ Marshall – How far would this go in solidifying Marshall as a legitimate power in Conference USA? It would put them ahead of Tulsa as league leader in my book. Marshall averages 40.1 rebounds per game and relies heavily on Hassan Whiteside who Bob Huggins will almost assuredly key all of his defensive focus. Da'Sean Butler, Kevin Jones and Devin Ebanks will be a tough threesome for Marshall to handle. Tyler Wilkerson and Whiteside will have their hands full inside. Coming off a one point loss to Syracuse, West Virginia will be looking to rebound. Marshall would love to pick up this win as their next stretch of games includes UAB and Memphis at home. This is a critical stretch of games in the schedule for the Thundering Herd as it could spell huge success for the season or whether there is still growing to do. 2-1 through this stretch would work wonders for the Herd's confidence but I see more along the lines of 1-2.
Prediction: West Virginia comes out on top in this one, 85-70.
1/20 – UTEP v. Memphis (CSS) – Tony Barbee returns to Memphis with probably his best chance of beating the Tigers at home for the foreseeable future. The frontcourt of Moultrie and Caracter will be a lot for Pierre Henderson-Niles, Will Coleman, Wesley Witherspoon and the undersized DJ Stephens to handle. The backcourt tandems provide intriguing matchup possibilities. Randy Culpepper returns home to Memphis with Julyan Stone and Christian Polk to match up against Willie Kemp, Elliot Williams and Roburt Sallie. Kemp, Williams and Sallie are three of the most tenacious on ball defenders in CUSA routinely shutting down threats from outside every week. Randy Culpepper always seems to put on a show when he comes to Memphis so look for some fireworks in this matchup. The key to this game will be whether Memphis do a good enough job by committee on Caracter and Moultrie while the guards go to work. You could see a lot of zone from Memphis in this game if Niles, Coleman or Witherspoon get into foul trouble.
Prediction: I think FedEx Forum and the crowd Memphis will have on their side keeps the streak alive, 73-68.
1/23 – Houston v. Memphis (ESPN2) – Memphis will be coming off an emotional game against UTEP three days earlier, while Houston will be coming off a game against UCF. Memphis matches up much better against Houston than UTEP but Aubrey Coleman can keep Houston in any game. Houston faces some of the same interior problems Memphis faces when it comes to play of their big men. JUCO big men Will Coleman and Maurice McNeil will go head to head in this one at some point. This will be a good game to gauge how far each has come since the beginning of the season as each of their skill sets mimic each other. In this one, the battle again will be between the guards, Elliot Williams and Aubrey Coleman. Coleman has not seen a defender like Williams. Elliot can play on both ends of the court while Coleman is a much greater offensive threat than defensive. I believe you will see Tom Penders run a team of defenders against Elliot Williams or at some point play a zone if Memphis is cold from outside the arc. Games like these are where Elliot's supporting staff needs to step up. The solid play of Willie Kemp again has been a surprise, but Doneal Mack, Roburt Sallie and Wesley Witherspoon need to step up and make plays.
Prediction: Memphis escapes again thanks to the Sixth Man, the FedEx forum crowd, 79-71.
1/23 – UAB v. Marshall – Marshall will be coming off a highly emotional game against West Virginia. Elijah Millsap will be key getting to the basket and taking advantage of his mismatches. This game could determine conference positioning from #2-#5. A must-win at this point early in the season for both teams.
Prediction: Marshall takes it at home, 68-63.


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A trek through the thick Amazons is never complete without facing erupting volcanoes, tribal chiefs and their bizarre masks. Get the general drift… Big Kahuna plays to this jungle themed adventure from Microgaming perfectly with the 5 reel and 9 payline format seen in almost all the slots. It's simple, excellent graphics has created spin offs that's just as successful as the original.
Big Kahuna symbols
Amazon themed slot games have a decent following among the online gamers. Playing on the reels are the fruit symbols that provide sustenance for the village chief. If you don't have atleast one wild animal roaming on the reels, then it's not an Amazon game at all. A smiling monkey and a lizard satisfy that criteria. The biggest payout of the game of 8,000 coins is when 5 of the game's logo is seen on the reels.
Big Kahuna is a 5 reel, 9 payline slot game from Microgaming. It's big on bonus games and multipliers which makes it interesting and lasting for hours. The basic game play can be played super quick by using the Autoplay option which lets you control the number of spins to be played automatically.
Wild: The game's Big Kahuna logo is the wild that replaces only the fruit symbols to create a winning combination. Trust the Amazon gods to land 5 of these symbols on the winning payline to give a rich prize of 8,000 coins.
strooi: Goofing around the reels is the Monkey symbol which represents the scatter. Present anywhere on the reels, these monkeys pays scatter wins of up to 200 coins when 2 or more swing by the reels.
Bonus Games: Big Kahuna has two bonus games for occupying your attention. The Volcano Bonus game is triggered when 3 or more of the Volcano bonus symbol is seen on the enabled payline. Pick a mask you will throw into the volcano to win appropriate payouts.
The second is the Mask Bonus round that's triggered when 3 or more of the Mask symbols are seen on the enabled payline. Pick from the 10 masks and hope you don't get the death sentence by being pushed in to the volcano.
Min / maksimum weddenskap per spin (£ / $ / €): 0.05 – 0.50
Boerpot (£ / $ / €): 8,000 coins
Sluit gedagtes
Experience the fun filled and jungle adventure as the Big Kahuna takes you right to the centre of the jungle. The pleasing and appealing appearance of the slot will draw even the seasoned gamer to play this once atleast.


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Sometimes, a tough loss can have a carryover effect. That might have been the case for the South Lakes High boys basketball team, which was defeated on a last-second shot by visiting Langley, 46-44, last Friday night, then lost at Madison, 57-43, the following day.
The Seahawks, with the consecutive Liberty District setbacks, saw their record slip to 11-7 overall and 7-3 in the district. Going into this week, they were in a three-way tie for first place with both Madison (12-5, 7-3) and W.T. Woodson (11-7, 7-3). Langley, with the victory over the Seahawks, extended its win streak to five games and improved its overall record to 13-5, 6-4 in the district.
Two weeks remain in the regular season before the start of postseason play with the Liberty District tournament, set to begin Tuesday, Feb. 17. Every regular season game from here on out will be important for both Langley and South Lakes as both are in the running for the regular-season title and a top seeding at districts. This week, the Seahawks were scheduled to play visiting Woodson Monday night, Feb. 2, and will be at Marshall Thursday night. The following week, South Lakes will wrap up the regular season with games against Stone Bridge on Tuesday, Senior Night, and at McLean on Friday, Feb. 13.
Langley was scheduled to travel to Jefferson on Monday of this week and will host Madison this Thursday night.
BACK ON JAN. 6, South Lakes won a dramatic overtime affair at Langley, the defending district champion. On Friday, the visiting Saxons turned the tables with a down-to-the-wire win of their own when senior Derek Baker nailed a straight-on, buzzer-beater jump shot from just inside the three-point line to break a 44-44 tie and give the visiting team the win.
Baker, a shooting guard who had scored 24 points the night before in Langley's 63-47 district home win over Stone Bridge, scored his game-winner following a pair of timeouts, the later coming with eight seconds remaining in the final quarter. On the game-winning play, Baker, standing near the Langley team bench, in bounded the ball to teammate Thomas Kody, who quickly got the ball right back to Baker near the top of the key. Baker then made a few penetrating dribbles before pulling up and shooting the ball into the bucket.
"We'd run that play in practice and I said [to Langley coach Travis Hess] we should run that play again," said Baker, of his conversation with the coach during the timeout prior to the winning basket.
Upon releasing the ball, Baker said he believed it was going in.
"I felt pretty confident it would have a good chance to go in," he said. "[South Lakes] got us in overtime at our place. We felt we needed to get this."
Hess, the Langley coach, felt good about his team's chances with Baker taking the final shot.
"We wanted to flip it back to Derek," said Hess, of the inbounds play. "I really felt it was going in."
South Lakes coach Darryl Branch credited Langley with getting off a good shot in the final seconds.
"It was a great job by [coach Hess] and they got off a jump shot near the free throw line," Branch said. "Good players are going to make that shot. I credit Langley, they were extremely physical tonight."
THE SAXONS, in the win, received a huge game from senior Danny Pritchett, a small forward who scored a season-high 15 points to lead the Saxons. Pritchett scored 10 of his points in the first half to help Langley build a 27-21 halftime lead. Most of his baskets came on hard drives to the basket that resulted in close-range scores. His acrobatic, swooping baseline layup basket late in the second quarter gave Langley its biggest lead of the night at 26-14.
"I think Danny was our MVP tonight," Hess said. "He really got us going early."
The Saxons were still ahead, 33-25, after three quarters and looked well on their way to victory when Baker drained a 3-pointer from the left of the top of the key area with 3 minutes, 48 seconds left to make the score 42-33 Langley.
But long-range treys by Steve Kerr and Travis Williams, followed moments later by a conventional three-point play by point guard Williams — in which he drove in the lane and scored while being fouled — capped a 9-2 South Lakes run to get the Seahawks within 44-42 with 1:05 left. A little later, Williams hit a pair of clutch foul shots to tie the game at 44 with 18 seconds left.
That set up Langley's last possession and Baker's eventual game winner.
"I like how our guys didn't quit," Branch said of his team's late surge to tie the game. "They fought back. Our defense was sound tonight."
Said coach Hess, "I'm not surprised South Lakes came back. They are a good team that will make runs and we're a good team that will make runs."
Langley's leading scorers after Pritchett were Baker (12 points), Kody (nine) and Barrett Hunter (seven). Senior guard Jack McLindon (three points) gave the Saxons a spark off the bench with a solid, all-around game.
South Lakes was led by Williams' 19 points. Also for the Seahawks, shooting guard Kerr scored 11 points while Ramin Shaheedian and Jamal Hulum (10 rebounds) both scored seven points.


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As part of a monthly series, I've challenged myself to paint a Madonna for each month. This little painting is my "June Madonna" and I was very pleased with how she came out— standing in a field of lupine with a bright, brilliant summer sky behind her. I chose to make this Madonna fair with freckles and red hair— I like to create my Marys in a variety of looks.
The original of this painting has been sold, but I DO have prints in my etsy shop! It is available as an 8×10″ print.
I've also decided its high time for a giveaway, and I am offering a FREE print to anyone who comments on this post. The giveaway will be open through Tuesday, JULY 18. All you have to do is leave a comment! And if you share this post on social media (facebook, instagram, twitter, etc) come back and let me know in a separate comment and increase your chances to win!
Also— please note— I'm going to close my shop for a bit beginning THURSDAY July 20 for summer vacation. I will reopen it in early August! So if you've had your eye on a particular piece in the shop— it might be the time to snatch it up! 😀
Thanks so much and I hope you're having a wonderful summer!!


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Beleza, but not Brazil: Funkalicious duo finds its rhythm
When they brought their delicious and danceable Brazilian-inspired samba, blues, and funk to Charlottesville in the mid 2000s, husband and wife duo Madeline and Humberto Sales of Beleza Brazil were surprised to find central Virginia so receptive to their re-interpretations of classic Brazilian guitarists and songwriters. At the time, the pair found joy in re-inventing the classics, but struggled with striking out on their own, writing their own rhythms, and fusing together their diverse musical backgrounds. He, the classically-trained Brazilian guitarist, and she, the Spanish/Portuguese/English-speaking vocalist, needed to get on the same wavelength.
Fast-forward five years from the release of that debut album, Time to Dream, and the couple has finally struck the right chord. Settling into a rhythm in their everyday Charlottesville life, Madeline and Humberto found inspiration from the projects they filled their life with– from his job as a guitar teacher to her drive to write original arrangements, the strains of Cookin with Flavour were born.
"It's very very different, technically and musically," explains Humberto. "We tried to blend more of her American music background of funk and soul with my Brazilian background."
"It has a much more funk-soul-blues orientation mixed with samba and reggae," chimes Madeline.
The singer found herself frustrated at their home studio, wanting to express herself through lyrics and rhythms all of her own. After over-analyzing and fretting, she took a step back, found her comfort zone in the blues, and turned to her husband for inspiration. Humberto good-naturedly recorded a 12-bar blues for Madeline to loop while composing– and the emotions began spilling out.
"I started writing– just a complaining, 'somebody's done you wrong' kind of blues song [which became 'Tired of Waiting' on the album] as a reflection of the past or inspiration from the ethers," she says. "Then I thought that wasn't really fair to complain, so I had to write something about a good man ['Sunshine on a Saturday'] and then, because I've always been into self-empowering things, I wrote 'I Gotta Be Me.'"
What Madeline poured into the lyrics, Humberto picked up in the "notes, chords, and rhythms." Finding ways to make Madeline's blues "more interesting," the guitarist added bits of Brazilian chords and dashes of complexity into the basic blues format.
"What we have now is not really a Brazilian thing anymore," notes Madeline. "What comes out of me is this bluesy, funky soul stuff and he has this funky Brazilian influence– so we've come up with the new tagline 'Funkalicious Samba Soul' and dropped 'Brazil' from the name."
This time around the album is firmly entrenched in the local scene– from their collaboration with local artists and the recording process in fall 2010 at The Sound (their last album was recorded in Brazil with Brazilian musicians) to the duo's experience performing and teaching on a UVA Central American Enrichment cruise in December of 2010– and the results feel less foreign and more deliciously exotic. Beleza plans to continue pushing the boundaries of their own composing, with plans to release free monthly downloads of songs they record at their home studio and ideas for a holiday album in the works. They've come a long way– quite literally, from Brazil to Virginia– but have found the perfect blend of American soul and Brazilian funk can come from the shared connectedness they found in Charlottesville.
Beleza releases their album Cookin With Flavor Saturday, April 16, at The Southern. Doors open at 8pm and tickets are $8 in advance, $10 at the door.Read more on: belezabeleza brazil