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Top Items:
Inside the talks: Fiscal framework emerges — Listen to top Democrats and Republicans talk on camera, and it sounds like they could not be further apart on a year-end tax-and-spending deal - a down payment on a $4 trillion grand bargain. — But behind the scenes, top officials …
Discussion: CNN, Michelle Malkin, Washington Examiner, JustOneMinute, Reuters, TIME, New York Magazine, The Daily Caller, Hit & Run, NewsBusters.org, Firedoglake, Talking Points Memo, protein wisdom, The Maddow Blog, Washington Monthly, The Week, Hullabaloo, THE WESTERN EXPERIENCE, Hot Air, Taylor Marsh, Daily Kos, NationalJournal.com, Washington Post, Prairie Weather, Business Insider, msnbc.com, Balloon Juice and ABCNEWS
Fred Barbash / Reuters: Geithner set for talks on cliff; senator sees "standoff"
Alex Rogers / TIME: How Grover Norquist's Anti-Tax Pledge Is Broken
Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine: What Do Republicans Want? — You want me to cut Medicare by $500 billion?
Alexis Levinson / The Daily Caller: Gingrich: House Republicans should stop negotiating with President Obama
Nick Gillespie / Hit & Run: Is John Boehner Dumb Enough to Take $400 Billion in Cuts a Decade From Now in Exchange …
Matthew Balan / NewsBusters.org: CBS's Major Garrett Ballyhoos 'Adamant' Obama on 'Protecting...Middle-Income Earners'
David Dayen / Firedoglake: Today on the Fiscal Slopes
Steve Benen / The Maddow Blog: The Medicare cuts the GOP refuses to identify
Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly: The Deal Going Down—But Not Without Kabuki
Jed Lewison / Daily Kos: Politico: Fiscal framework emerging
Dana Milbank / Washington Post: The bare truth about the 'fiscal cliff'
Prairie Weather: Congressional Republicans find themselves on a desert island with no company and 2014 elections looming
Brett LoGiurato / Business Insider: Here's What The Fiscal Cliff Deal Is Starting To Look Like
Ezra Klein / Wonkblog:
The GOP's Medicare confusion — The austerity crisis talks have hit a peculiar impasse. The problem isn't, as most analysts expected, taxes, where Republicans seem increasingly resigned to new revenue. It's Medicare. And the particular Medicare problem isn't that Democrats are refusing the GOP's proposed Medicare cuts.
Discussion: The Impolitic, Hit & Run, Washington Monthly, Daily Kos and The New Republic
Peter Suderman / Hit & Run: False Balance in the Fiscal Cliff Deal: Real Tax Hikes, Fake Spending Cuts
Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly: Tough Spot For the Saviors of Medicare
Russell Berman / The Hill:
'Disappointed' Boehner calls on Obama to get serious on spending in deficit talks — Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Thursday there had been "no substantive progress" in fiscal-cliff negotiations in the two weeks since congressional leaders met with President Obama.
Mark Halperin / The Page: Cliff Notes
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Inside the 'fiscal cliff' haggling over Medicare
Inside the 'fiscal cliff' haggling over Medicare
Discussion: Hullabaloo and Eschaton
Why President Obama Isn't Using His Most Powerful Weapon — Again — The stakes in "fiscal cliff" talks are high — so where's the e-mail list? So far, it's 2009 all over again. — Via: barackobama.com — President Obama and his victorious campaign team have signaled that they won't repeat …
Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money
Scott Lemieux / Lawyers, Guns & Money: Keep Raisin' That Green Lantern!
Washington Wire:
At Lunch, Romney Congratulates Obama on Win — The White House issued this statement after President Barack Obama's lunch with former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney: — This afternoon, President Obama and Governor Romney visited for an hour over lunch in the Private Dining Room adjacent to the Oval Office.
Zeke Miller / BuzzFeed:
White House: Obama And Romney "Pledged To Stay In Touch" — The pair dined over "white turkey chili and Southwestern grilled chicken salad," the White House said. — Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney arrives at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012, for his luncheon with President Barack Obama.
Discussion: Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes'
Jennifer Epstein / Politico:
Obama, Romney have White House turkey chili summit
Obama, Romney have White House turkey chili summit
Discussion: Taking Note and CNN
David Firestone / Taking Note: Medicare Off the Menu
Jim Acosta / CNN: Romney, Ryan met in DC hotel
Justin Sink / The Hill:
Romney, Ryan meet off Capitol Hill
Romney, Ryan meet off Capitol Hill
Discussion: CNN
Jim Acosta / CNN: Ryan after Romney meeting: 'I cherish our friendship'
Jessica Yellin / CNN:
White House personnel shuffle: Who's on the list
White House personnel shuffle: Who's on the list
Discussion: Politico
Josh Gerstein / Politico: White House threatens veto of defense bill
Steven Greenhouse / New York Times:
Drive to Unionize Fast-Food Workers Begins — After three years of working at the McDonald's restaurant on 51st Street and Broadway, Alterique Hall earns $8 an hour — and is yearning for something better. — So when he heard about an unusual campaign that aims to unionize dozens …
Discussion: American Prospect, The Week, Feministing, Washington Examiner, Weasel Zippers, Daily Kos, Firedoglake, Politicker, Taylor Marsh, Jammie Wearing Fools and Gawker
Catherine Ruetschlin / American Prospect: Fast Food Shouldn't Mean Low Wages
Charlie Spiering / Washington Examiner: Former New York City ACORN office working to unionize fast food workers
Laura Clawson / Daily Kos: Hundreds of New York City fast food workers strike
Colin Campbell / Politicker: Mayoral Candidates Back NYC's Fast-Food Strikers
Hamilton Nolan / Gawker: Looking for the Revolution Outside a Wendy's in Brooklyn
Josh Eidelson / Salon:
In rare strike, NYC fast-food workers walk out
In rare strike, NYC fast-food workers walk out
Discussion: Colorlines
Sarah Jaffe / The Atlantic Online:
McJobs Should Pay, Too: It's Time for Fast-Food Workers To Get Living Wages
McJobs Should Pay, Too: It's Time for Fast-Food Workers To Get Living Wages
Discussion: The Raw Story and OccupyWallSt News
James Cowie / Renesys Blog:
Syrian Internet Is Off The Air — Starting at 10:26 UTC (12:26pm in Damascus), Syria's international Internet connectivity shut down. In the global routing table, all 84 of Syria's IP address blocks have become unreachable, effectively removing the country from the Internet.
Discussion: Guardian, WorldViews, AllThingsD, Internet Events Bulletin, Infowars, New York Times, SocialTimes, The Lede, Wired, The Verge, Business Insider, Betabeat, GigaOM, NO QUARTER USA NET, National Review, This Just In, Via Meadia, Outside the Beltway, The Daily Dish, WJLA-TV and Life is like an Analogy
Arik Hesseldahl / AllThingsD: Syria Has Disappeared From the Internet
Renesys Events / Internet Events Bulletin: 77 networks out in Syria
Martin Chulov / Infowars: Syria shuts off internet access across the country
Anne Barnard / New York Times: In Syria, Internet and Main Airport Shut Down
Cameron Scott / SocialTimes: Amid Conflict, Syria Drops Almost Entirely Offline
Noah Shachtman / Wired: Syria Has Just Been Taken Offline
Dante D'Orazio / The Verge: Syrian internet goes dark in the midst of violent upheaval, cause still unclear
Patrick Clark / Betabeat: Syria Is Off the Internet Amid Fighting in Damascus
Stacey Higginbotham / GigaOM: Reports: Syria is cut off from the internet and how it may have happened
Larry Johnson / NO QUARTER USA NET: Obama Naivete Destabilizing the Middle East
Patrick Brennan / National Review: Syria Shuts Down Cell Service, Internet, Flights
Walter Russell Mead / Via Meadia: Breaking: Syrian Internet Down
Doug Mataconis / Outside the Beltway: Syrians Shut Off From The Internet
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish: Syria Goes Offline
Oliver Holmes / Reuters:
Damascus fighting cuts off Internet, airport
Damascus fighting cuts off Internet, airport
Discussion: Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic Online, Taylor Marsh, The Week and Guardian
Megan Garber / The Atlantic Online: The Internet Is Down in Syria
Martin Chulov / Guardian: Syrian rebels turn looted missiles on Assad's aircraft
New York Times:
U.S. Is Weighing Stronger Action in Syrian Conflict
U.S. Is Weighing Stronger Action in Syrian Conflict
Discussion: Weekly Standard, Infowars, Belmont Club, Weasel Zippers, The Caucus, ABCNEWS, Via Meadia, The Week and National Review
Lee Smith / Weekly Standard: Communications Blackout in Syria
Kurt Nimmo / Infowars: U.S. Ready for Direct Intervention in Syria
Richard Fernandez / Belmont Club: (Free ||Freeze) Syrian Army
Ashley Southall / The Caucus: The Early Word: Frustrations
Michael Falcone / ABCNEWS: Campaign Comes Full Circle (The Note)
Walter Russell Mead / Via Meadia: After the Election, Obama's Thinking on Syria "Evolves"
Patrick Brennan / National Review: As Syria Teeters, U.S. Sidles Up to Rebels?
Nick Reisman / Capital Tonight:
Gibson: Norquist Pledge Doesn't Stick For New District — Now that he's representing a (mostly) new area, Rep. Chris Gibson says he won't be bound by anti-tax activist Grover Norquist's pledge not to support any tax increases. — The decision to go this way is significant, on a number of fronts …
Discussion: Daily Kos, Politicker and Politico
David Nir / Daily Kos: GOP Rep. Chris Gibson: My pledge to Grover Norquist is moot because my district number changed
Colin Campbell / Politicker: Republican Creates Best Excuse Yet for Ignoring Grover Norquist
Jonathan Allen / Politico: Peter King says wife would 'knock' Grover Norquist's head off
Justin Sink / The Hill:
GOP lawmaker: Norquist tax pledge doesn't apply after being redistricted
GOP lawmaker: Norquist tax pledge doesn't apply after being redistricted
Discussion: The Daily Caller
Matthew Boyle / The Daily Caller: Rep. Fleming chides GOP colleagues for caving on taxes
Ford O'Connell / Pundits Blog:
Dems dishonest in 'fiscal cliff' dealings
Dems dishonest in 'fiscal cliff' dealings
Discussion: Riehl World News, The PJ Tatler, Talking Points Memo and Daily Kos
Bryan Preston / The PJ Tatler: Obama to America: Here's a Quarter, Call Someone Who Cares
Brian Beutler / Talking Points Memo: Democrats' Big Budget Ask
Georgia Logothetis / Daily Kos: Abbreviated pundit roundup: Taking Social Security off the table
Erick Erickson / RedState:
The Incestuous Bleeding of the Republican Party — If money is the root of all evil, for the Republican Party evil is located on the fifth floor of 66 Canal Center Plaza, Alexandria, VA 22314. — Strip away the candidate and coalition and it is on the fifth floor of 66 Canal Center Plaza …
Discussion: americanthinker.com, The Hinterland Gazette, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Taylor Marsh
Thomas Lifson / americanthinker.com: Who's getting rich off of GOP defeat?
William A. Jacobson / Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion: Rebuilding from the grassroots up
Scott Shane / New York Times:
Big Issues Are Lost in Focus on Libya Talking Points — WASHINGTON — Three days after the lethal attack on the American Mission in Benghazi, Libya, Representative C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, asked intelligence agencies to write …
Discussion: TIME, NewsBusters.org blogs, Right Wing News, the daily howler, The Moderate Voice and Taking Note
Clay Waters / NewsBusters.org blogs: NYTimes' Shane Laments How 'Four Pallid Sentences' Are Root of GOP Attacks on Rice Handling of Benghazi
William Teach / Right Wing News: NY Times: Hey, We're Missing The Big Issues While Focusing On Benghazi Talking Points
Bob Somerby / the daily howler: BANANA REPUBLIC BENGHAZI: Scott Shane!
Dorian De Wind / The Moderate Voice: What Motivates John McCain on Benghazi and Susan Rice? (Updates)
Andrew Rosenthal / Taking Note: The Fight Over Susan Rice
Wall Street Journal:
The Trouble With Susan Rice
The Trouble With Susan Rice
Discussion: Washington Monthly, Hot Air and Cognitive Dissidence
Allahpundit / Hot Air: Scarborough: If the GOP wants to go after Susan Rice, why not go after her over her temperament?
Capper / Cognitive Dissidence: Rice-A-Phonies
J. David Goodman / New York Times:
Photo of Officer Giving Boots to Barefoot Man Warms Hearts Online — On a cold November night in Times Square, Officer Lawrence Deprimo was working a counterterrorism post when he encountered an older, barefooted homeless man. The officer disappeared for a moment, then returned with a new pair of boots …
Discussion: Infowars, The Week, CNN, Newsday, Weasel Zippers, Ricochet Conversations Feed, Telegraph, Memphis Commercial Appeal, Gawker, This Just In, Gothamist and New York Magazine
Undergrowth / Infowars: NYPD Cop Buys Homeless Man Boots
Nicole Saidi / CNN: Dear New York, what's up with the niceness?
Anthony M. Destefano / Newsday: NYPD Officer Larry DePrimo's act of kindness becomes a Facebook sensation
Ricochet Conversations Feed: Mollie Hemingway, Ed. : Inasmuch As You Did It To One Of The Least Of These
Taylor Berman / Gawker: Arizona Tourist Takes Heartwarming Photo of NYPD Officer Giving New Pair of Boots to Homeless Man
Jen Carlson / Gothamist: NYPD Officer Secretly Photographed Doing Good, Purchasing Homeless Man $100 Boots
Joe Coscarelli / New York Magazine: NYPD Officer Caught On-Camera Doing Really Nice Thing
Joshua Green / Business Week:
The Science Behind Those Obama Campaign E-Mails — One fascination in a presidential race mostly bereft of intrigue was the strange, incessant, and weirdly overfamiliar e-mails that emanated from the Obama campaign. Anyone who shared an address with the campaign soon started receiving messages …
Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Week, Mediaite, Politico, Taegan Goddard's …, Washington Examiner and Washington Post
Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly: Hey! Those Emails Worked! Hells Yes!
Tommy Christopher / Mediaite: Morning Joe Guest: Obama Campaign Used 'Monkeys Chained To Computers' To Create Email Subjects
Jennifer Epstein / Politico: Obama campaign: 'There's more to come'
Charlie Spiering / Washington Examiner: Obama campaign: Profanity a hit in fundraising emails
Rachel Weiner / Washington Post: Obama supporters liked profanity, ugly e-mails, Hey'
Joel B. Pollak / BREITBART.COM:
EXCLUSIVE: UN CONSPIRES TO EXPEL PROMINENT JEWISH GROUP FROM PALESTINE VOTE — Today, for the first time, the United Nations will name Palestine a (non-member) "observer state" by first engaging in exactly the charge that they press against Israel: apartheid.
Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Algemeiner.com, The Jawa Report, Israel Matzav and The PJ Tatler
Ron Prosor / Wall Street Journal: What Kind of Palestinian State?
Algemeiner.com: Head of Jewish NGO Banned From United Nations: Ability of Palestinians to Control UN Offices is "Shocking"
Stable Hand / The Jawa Report: Israeli Ambassador to the UN Addresses UNGA Debate On "The Question of Palestine"..
Bryan Preston / The PJ Tatler: UN Conspires to Pack Assembly with Cheers for Palestinian Vote; Revokes Jewish NGO Access
CAMERA Snapshots:
Where's the Coverage? "Palestine" Doesn't Qualify as a State
Where's the Coverage? "Palestine" Doesn't Qualify as a State
Discussion: "The Lid", Hot Air, The Investigative Project …, TIME, New York Times, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and IHT Rendezvous
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air: Germany reverses on Palestinian bid at UN General Assembly
Joel Himelfarb / The Investigative Project …: Abbas, Hamas Poised for U.N. Victory
William A. Jacobson / Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion: U.N. non-member status for, um, what exactly?
Harvey Morris / IHT Rendezvous: Europe Divided Ahead of U.N. Palestinian Vote
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis:
National Income and Product Accounts Gross Domestic Product, 3rd quarter 2012 (second estimate); Corporate Profits, 3rd quarter 2012 (preliminary estimate) — Real gross domestic product — the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States …
Discussion: Economix, Business Insider, BBC, AEIdeas, Wonkblog and Balloon Juice
Catherine Rampell / Economix: Record Corporate Profits
Joe Weisenthal / Business Insider: The Infamous Chart Of Corporate Profits Vs. Total Wages
James Pethokoukis / AEIdeas: Well, I think we have a final verdict on the Obama stimulus
Nelson D. Schwartz / New York Times:
U.S. Growth Revised Up, but Year-End Slowdown Is Feared
U.S. Growth Revised Up, but Year-End Slowdown Is Feared
Discussion: realtor.org, Outside the Beltway, Jared Bernstein, The Atlantic Online, Business Insider and The Maddow Blog
Jared Bernstein / On the Economy: Morning/Afternoon Papers/Radio
David A. Graham / The Atlantic Online: So Joe Biden Walks Into a Costco ...
Steve Benen / The Maddow Blog: Economic growth improves significantly
Annie-Rose Strasser / ThinkProgress:
Donald Trump Partnership Ruins Macy's Popularity — The old adage that "all press is good press" might not ring true with department store chain Macy's. Their recent partnership with conservative billionaire oddball Donald Trump is causing a sudden drop in the brand's popularity, particularly among women.
Discussion: YouGov - BrandIndex and The Raw Story
Ted Marzilli / YouGov - BrandIndex: Is Trump taking his toll on Macy's?
Dane Schiller / Houston Chronicle:
Former President George H.W. Bush hospitalized in Houston — Former President George H.W. Bush remains in a Houston hospital, where he has been for seven days as doctors battle a lingering cough that has drawn concern, officials said Thursday. — Bush, 88, has bronchitis …
Discussion: Addicting Info, Politico, Associated Press and The Hill
Justin Acuff / Addicting Info: President George H.W. Bush In Hospital
Katie Glueck / Politico: George H.W. Bush hospitalized, report says
Paul Davenport / Associated Press: Brewer rejects state-run health exchange for Ariz.
Daniel Strauss / The Hill: Former President George H. W. Bush hospitalized
Chuck Bennett / New York Post:
David Petraeus says he 'screwed up royally' in letter to old Army buddy — Ex-CIA chief David Petraeus took the blame for the extramarital affair that torpedoed his career, but his forgiving wife, Holly, is sticking by him, according to a newly revealed private letter.
Discussion: WorldViews, New York Magazine, CBS DC and Mediaite
Olga Khazan / WorldViews: Petraeus says he messed up 'royally'
Matt Higgins / CBS DC: Petraeus: 'I Screwed Up Royally'
Meenal Vamburkar / Mediaite: David Petraeus In Handwritten Letter To Friend: 'I Screwed Up Royally'
Surveillance video shows violent confrontation at gas station — HOUSTON—As family members of a man who was shot by a Valero clerk in southeast Houston called for the store clerk's arrest, the store owner released surveillance video. — Alexander Calloway, 21, and his two cousins were trying …
Discussion: Moonbattery, The Gateway Pundit and The Last Refuge
Summer Anne Burton / BuzzFeed:
Barack Obama Now Has A Fish Named After Him — Al Gore, Bill Clinton, Teddy Roosevelt, and Jimmy Carter are also honored by the names of these new freshwater darter species. — Last week, five new fish species were given some left-leaning names after being recognized as distinct species for the first time.
Discussion: Washington Examiner, Stinque and The Daily Caller
Jenny Rogers / Washington Examiner: New fish species named for Obama
Nojo / Stinque: Hail to the Spangled Darter


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Great Barrier Island Tourism
We are Great Barrier Islands' No. 1 Holiday Package provider. Our all inclusive package deals save you time and money. Let us custom build a unique Island Escape that is just right for you.... We make it easy!
Acerca de
Great Barrier Island is the jewel of Aucklands' beautiful Hauraki Gulf. The fourth biggest island in New Zealands main chain of islands, 'The Barrier' as it is affectionately named features stunning ocean beaches, spectacular bushwalks, natural hot springs and beautiful sheltered coves.
The permanent population of only 950 residents, rely on the sun and wind to generate their electricity and enjoy life at a much slower pace than their city dwelling neighbours.
Contact us for All-Inclusive Holiday Package Deals, Visitor information, Accommodation,Car Hire, Island Tours, Airport and Wharf Transfers and Guided Bushwalks.
Check our web site for fantastic getaway packages, fly/boat deals and much more.
We make it easy.
Dirección física
Great Barrier Island Tourism, 172 Gray Road, Kaitoke Creek, Great Barrier Island, Auckland, 0961, New Zealand.

subset: commoncrawl


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Eat Fat & Lose Weight? This Superfood Nut Can Do This & More…
Check Out the Science Behind the Power of Raw, Organic, Non-Pasteurized Almonds
Brain Function: Research has revealed that eating almonds provides a significant improvement in learning and memory. How can this be? Subjects eating almonds tested for higher levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin as well as tryptophan, an essential amino acid which is a component of serotonin. Serotonin + Tryptophan = enhanced learning and memory!
Reduce LDL Cholesterol: One study confirmed that almonds are literally just as effective at lowering LDL cholesterol than statin drugs, but obviously without the side effects and toxicity of taking cholesterol medication.3
Decrease Risk of Heart Disease & Control Blood Sugar: A clinical trial found that patients with type 2 diabetes who consumed almonds not only showed a decrease in cholesterol levels, but blood sugar and body fat too!4 The study concluded that incorporating almonds into a healthy diet has beneficial effects on fat levels, glycemic control, and lipid profile (heart condition risk factor including cholesterol levels), therefore potentially decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Nutritional Powerhouse: Almonds are high in magnesium and the antioxidant vitamin E as well as B2. They also contain protein, calcium, potassium, iron, and vitamins B1 and B6. Basically, they're loaded with the good stuff, plus they're delicious!
Customer Review:
"These are the best tasting almonds I have found in a long time. They actually have the flavor of almond extract which is rare. Most almonds, even organic ones in the health food stores, don't taste anything like these. LOVE them!" – C.M., Sunfood Customer
The Sunfood Difference
If you want the highest quality almonds that can help you lose weight, boost brain power, and support heart health, look no further!
1 – "Almonds vs complex carbohydrates in a weight reduction program." International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 2003.
2 "Nootropic and hypophagic effects following long term intake of almonds (Prunus amygdalus) in rats." University of Karachi, Pakistan, 2012.*
3 – "Assessment of the longer-term effects of a dietary portfolio of cholesterol-lowering foods in hypercholesterolemia." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2006.
4 – "Almond consumption improved glycemic control and lipid profiles in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus." Taipei Medical University, Taiwan, 2011.
*Sunfood does not condone testing on animals.
Sunfood's "Natural Solutions" does not promote or suggest natural cures, natural healing or natural remedies for any disease, disorder or ailment thereof. This information should be treated as educational material gathered and discovered from various studies, clinical trials and customer reviews. It is designed to encourage healthy lifestyles, and independent conclusions in regards to natural products and alternative health choices. This information has not been approved by the FDA and has not been verified by medical professionals. It is best to consult with your healthcare practitioner before attempting any form of natural cure, natural healing or natural remedy to any health issues.


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My Current Research Interests on Condensed Matter Theory:
(a) Classification of symmetry protected topological phases in interacting bosonic and fermionic systems.
(b) Topological quantum field theory description for symmetry protected topological phases.
(c) Tensor network simulation for two dimensional strongly correlated systems, e.g., frustrated magnets and Hubbard model.
My Current Research Interests on High Energy Theory:
(a) Unification of mass mixing phenomena in quark and lepton sectors. Predictions on leptonic CP violation angle and absolute neutrino mass.
(b) Topological aspects of fundamental particles and unification of three generations.
(c) Beyond Standard Model and new types of Super Symmetry.
(d) Super topological quantum field theory and quantum gravity.


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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – MIT received double-doubles from senior Noel Hollingsworth (Salt Lake City, Utah) and junior Will Tashman (Atherton, Calif.) that led the No. 10 ranked Engineers to their third straight win to start the season, a 104-75 victory over RPI. It was the first time since the 2007-08 season that MIT has reached the century mark in a game.
RPI (1-1) started the game pressing MIT (3-0) and was successful at first, taking a 6-2 lead a little over a minute in on a basket from senior Matthew Pooley. RPI subbed five players at a time to keep the press fresh, but could not extend its early advantage. Hollingsworth, who finished with 28 points and 15 rebounds, tied things up at six-all two minutes in and it remained close for the first 12 minutes of the game, with neither team taking more than a four-point advantage.
Pooley, who led RPI with 19 points, hit a three-point shot with 10:42 left in the half that put his squad up 23-22. It turned out to be the last lead that RPI would have during the afternoon, as a layup by sophomore Will Dickson (Dallas, Texas) on the next trip down the floor put MIT back on top. Junior Jamie Zajac brought RPI back to a tie at 26-26 with a free throw, but Hollingsworth corralled a missed three and hit the layup that gave MIT the lead for good with 8:59 left in the half. The Hollingsworth put-back started an 11-2 run over the next four minutes that pushed the MIT advantage to 37-28 on a free throw by senior Billy Bender (Woodlands, Texas).
Leading by nine at the half, MIT came out in the second half and pushed its advantage to 54-40 after a Tashman hoop. Zajac followed with a three for RPI that started his team on a comeback attempt. RPI went on a 13-3 run, keyed by two Zajac treys, and came within four at 57-53 after a pair of free throws by junior Brendan Farley with 14:58 to play.
Leading by five with 14 minutes left, senior Jamie Karraker (Morgantown, W.Va.) hit a three-point shot that ignited an 11-0 run that essentially put the game away for MIT. Despite the defensive pressure put on by RPI, the MIT offense was able to defeat it and score inside as it pulled away for the victory.
Bender finished with 24 points and five assists for MIT, with Tashman recording his double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Karraker also reached double figures for MIT with 12 points, with junior Mitchell Kates handing out nine assists. Zajac was the only other player to reach double figures for RPI, scoring 18 and handing out four assists. RPI's press resulted in 21 turnovers for MIT, but RPI was able to only score 19 points off those miscues. MIT outshot its opponent, 60.7 percent to 37.7 percent and held a 47-25 advantage on the boards as well.
MIT will be on the road for its next contest as it travels to Emmanuel College for a 7:00 p.m. game on Nov. 22. RPI will also be on the road for a 7:00 p.m. game on Nov. 22 as it takes on The Sage Colleges in Albany.


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Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) has introduced the Senate's first bill to repeal "Don't ask, Don't Tell". The bill submitted this morning has 11 Democratic cosponsors—including Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (MI), reportedly only the second time he has co-sponsored a bill in that capacity—but no Republican co-sponsors so far. Kerry Eleveld at The Advocate:
The Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2010 would repeal the 1993 law that banned lesbian and gay soldiers from serving openly in the military and replace it with a policy that prohibits discrimination against service members on the basis of their sexual orientation. Lieberman explained that the nondiscrimination provision would make the change "more permanent legislatively," so a future administration couldn't revert back to something akin to "don't ask, don't tell" by executive action.
Lieberman, who has opposed the '93 law since its inception, said ending the policy has significant support and that he would push for passing the bill this year, although he wasn't sure he had the 60 votes necessary to overcome a filibuster. "I think a guess right now—and this is really a guess—if this bill came to a vote tomorrow, we'd have over 50 votes and that's saying a lot," he said. "Do we have 60? Not clear yet, but possible."
The Lieberman/Levin bill would complement the House version of the Military Readiness Act sponsored by Pennsylvania's Patrick Murphy. There are 188 co-sponsors for Murphy's legislation, approaching the 218 votes needed for passage. Despite conflicting signals from the White House, Murphy tells DC Agenda he is confident Congress will take up the issue "legislatively in the next couple months.
And: Lieberman says FY 2011 Defense Authorization
Request could be the best vehicle to process the repeal.
"That's something that I'm happy to consider and, of course, it's very important to have [Chairman Levin's] support for that," Lieberman said, noting that including a measure in committee would have "the procedural advantage" of forcing opponents to find the 60 votes needed to strip out the measure once it reached the floor. If the opposition failed to amass those votes, they would have to filibuster the entire Defense authorization bill, which would include many other provisions they might hesitate to obstruct, such as an increase in compensation for military personnel and funding for various defense systems."
Lieberman says the Obama Administration, which initially asked him to sponsor the bill, has not discussed timing or specific strategies for repeal.
Per Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, the co-sponsors are as follows: Levin (MI), Udall (CO), Gillibrand (NY), Burris (IL), Bingaman (NM), Boxer and Feinstein (CA), Wyden and Merkely (OR), Leahy (VT), Specter (PA) and Franken (MN).


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If life gained a foothold on Saturn's moon Titan, what would it be like?
Organisms with a persistent case of malodorous breath? Blood based on liquid methane? Life forms more like lichen than house cats?
That's a picture painted by British astrobiologist William Bains at a Royal Astronomical Society astronomy meeting in Glasgow last week.
But Dirk Schulze-Makuch suggests something simpler, if just as exotic: single-cell Titan residents, similar to the liquid-asphalt-loving species he and his colleagues have discovered in Pitch Lake, a natural pool of liquid asphalt on the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean.
These organisms thrive on liquid hydrocarbons. Lakes filled with liquid methane and other hydrocarbons cover up to 10 percent of Titan's surface at times -- part of what researchers term the moon's hydrocarbon cycle, similar to Earth's water cycle.
Temperatures there are far colder than those found at Pitch Lake, the researchers acknowledge. Still, they say, the discovery marks Pitch Lake as a useful stepping-off point for trying to understand the potential for life in what they call liquid-hydrocarbon environments on Titan.
Scientific sleuthing in tar pits
Compared with bacteria and other single-celled organisms found at natural pitch seeps such as the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, the organisms at Pitch Lake "were distinctly different from there," says Dr. Schulze-Makuch, an astrobiologist at Washington State University in Pullman, Wash. "About 30 percent of the species we detected are unknown organisms."
But the more profound implication of the discovery may lay in the observation that these organisms appear to thrive on far less water than conventional wisdom holds is needed to keep microbes active and alive, team members say.
In its Mars exploration program, NASA's mantra has been "follow the water." It's a bumper-sticker phrase that highlights the importance scientists have attached to understanding Mar's climate history. That, in turn, will yield important clues on whether the red planet once hosted -- or may still host -- at least simple forms of organic life.
Yet the team's results suggest that it may be as important to follow the liquid, rather than just liquid water.
From an astrobiology standpoint, "that's probably the importance of this," says Villanova University astronomer Edward Guinan, whose research focuses on studying extrasolar planets and the evolution of sun-like stars. Dr. Guinan is a member of the team making the discovery.
Pitch Lake is the world's largest surface reservoir of liquid asphalt. The hydrocarbon lake is some 250 feet deep and covers nearly 100 acres. This patch of Trinidad is the source for most of the asphalt makes its way north to repave roads and highways along the US East Coast.
It can be an awkward place to work. Tar and asphalt sticks to and stains everything, Dr. Guinan recalls. And it can be a tough lake to leave if, during an attempt to collect samples, one steps on a taffy-like spot in an otherwise stiff surface. "One of my shoes is still there," Guinan says.
The samples of liquid asphalt the team gathered ranged in temperature from around 90 degrees Fahrenheit to 132 degrees.
Gas bubbles were dominated by hydrocarbons including methane, ethane, propane and tiny amounts of butane. Isotope studies of the hydrocarbons suggested that they resulted from the activity of microbes.
But that also presented a puzzle.
The "water activity" in the samples -- a numerical measure of whether water is present in sufficient amounts to sustain chemical reactions in microbes -- was either at or well below the minimum conventional wisdom suggests is needed to sustain microbial life, particularly at the samples' temperatures.
How much water?
Previous research had hinted that external sources of water may not be all they are cracked up to be as a necessary ingredient for life. Five years ago, researchers at the University of Utah found that during the growth phase of E. coli bacteria, 70 percent of the water inside the cells was a byproduct of the cells' conversion of food to energy. It didn't come from the outside, through the cells' walls.
So Schulze-Makuch's team analyzed the samples and found tell-tale signs of life: RNA, amino acids, and fatty acids. Their assays indicated between 1 million and 10 million microbes were present in each gram of material. One gram is around three-hundredths of an ounce.
By analyzing the RNA they found, the group found that the microbes came from two broad biological "domains," bacteria and archaea -- also single-cell organisms. But unlike bacteria, archaea lack a cell nucleus.
The issue of unexpectedly low water activity still remains a question mark, Schulze-Makuch acknowledges. It is possible that the organisms whose genetic material they recovered could inhabit tiny reservoirs of water trapped in the asphalt samples.
Still, Pitch Lake, with its new organisms and hydrocarbon environment, "represents a unique opportunity to evaluate the critical limits for life in the universe," the team concludes, serving "as a useful analog for evaluating the potential for life in liquid hydrocarbon lakes" NASA's Cassini mission to Saturn has discovered on Titan.
The team has submitted its results to the journal Astrobiology, and has posted a draft on the website arXiv.


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"When I was 12 years old, I was involved in a car accident that hospitalized me for a few weeks," says Cohen. "Ever since then I have been interested in medical services. Instead, I went into business real estate brokerage in 2000, but I have always maintained this interest."
Cohen's business, Gotham West Realty, is located in Manhattan, but he specializes in the Forest Hills and Kew Gardens neighborhoods.
Finding time to commit to Cohen's business and to the Ambulance Corps is a constant challenge for him. Although this is Cohen's second year in office, he has been working with the Ambulance Corps since 2007, when he was first introduced to the organization at an Austin Street fair.
Since then, Cohen advanced from member to EMT to Executive Board officer and finally president in May of 2012.
"I actually apply a lot of what I learned about small businesses to the Ambulance Corps daily," Cohen says. "In a lot of ways realty and service are similar, such as recruiting customers or volunteers, except there is no money transfer involved."
(Lydia Stetson)


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The following is an article from the Rag issue #4, which was published three years ago in October 2009. It's a personal account of working in an abortion clinic, and its dangers. While we launch campaigns to achieve the right to choose abortion in Ireland, it should always be in the back of our mind that this will never be a cause completely won, because threats (legislative, violent, societal) will always remain.
It seemed like any other Friday morning at work on 30 December 1994. The cold New England winter was in full effect as I scurried into the warmth of the abortion clinic, where I worked as a receptionist and telephone counsellor. I greeted Stan, the armed security guard at the door, and clocked in. Stan was a somewhat eccentric guy who had been in the US Army for many years. He had the affect of someone who had been in combat and never quite got over it, but would never admit it. His modus operandi seemed to be "tough guy with a soft side," but on duty he was all tough guy. I was on phones that day, which I was thankful for because it was a busy Friday, and I didn't feel like dealing with all the patients in the waiting room downstairs. So I sat down, coffee in hand, shut the answering machine off, and started to answer the ringing phones.
When I told my parents I would be working at an abortion clinic on Beacon Street in Brookline, Massachusetts, my mother said, "I don't suppose I can talk you out of that, can I?" She knew the answer. I had been adamantly pro-choice for years, and despite the dangers of working in a clinic, I jumped at the chance. Massachusetts had a "buffer zone" law designed to protect patients and staff that prevented protesters from picketing closer than 18 feet from the building. Sadly, this was mostly not enforced, and clinics didn't have a method of screening who got into the building. Anyone could simply walk right in.
Later in the morning, I received a phone call from Stan's wife, wanting to know if he was OK. "Um..I think so?" I answered tentatively. Why would he not be? I peeked downstairs and saw him standing, like always, at his post. After she called, a couple of other people called, friends and family of some of the medical staff, wanting to know if they were OK too. I told them that everything was just fine here. But by then I was really starting to wonder what was going on.
That's when my boyfriend called. "Thank God," he said, when I answered the phone, "I nearly had a heart attack. Is everything OK?" He had been driving to work, listening to the radio, when a breaking news bulletin came on the air to say that two clinics on Beacon Street in Brookline had been attacked by a gunman. Several people, including each of their receptionists, had been shot. He heard the report on the radio and thought I might be dead. He nearly crashed the car pulling over to call me from a payphone. I insisted that I was fine, although inside I had started to panic a little.
It seemed as though the moment I knew why everyone was calling the clinic, the phone lines truly started to light up. Bits of information poured in about the clinic shootings. But one thing was on my mind and the minds of everyone I worked with: Lee Ann.
Lee Ann Nichols, our former co-worker, the woman who trained me to do my job, and though it sounds trite to say so, one of the most unique and fantastic people I'd ever met, had just left us to work at a neighbouring clinic only three months prior. So quiet and sweet, you would never expect her to be wry and hilarious at the same time. And I remember the day she told me she was 38. I couldn't stop staring at her. She looked all of 24. We were sorry to see her go because she felt like the light of our office. But frustration at our overbearing boss forced her to find work elsewhere. She had been hired as a receptionist at Preterm, a clinic only a few blocks away. It had just been attacked. We hoped and prayed that she had had the morning off. I wish I could say that she did. But word quickly spread that Lee Ann had been shot. The gunman had walked into each of the clinics, verified with each receptionist that he was in the right place, and then pulled his rifle out of a gym bag and started shooting, starting with her. People ran for cover and out any door they could. Then he walked out. Neither of the clinics had armed security, so no one could stop him.
The two clinics that were hit each sat a few blocks on either side of the clinic where I worked. We wondered why he skipped over us. The only thing we could figure was that our armed guard, surveillance cameras, and the awkward layout of our clinic deterred him from hitting us. You had to walk through two heavy glass doors and down the stairs to get to reception. He could have gotten in, but he never would have gotten out alive. Supposedly, our security cameras showed him walking around the building several days before the attack. But knowing that he literally hit one clinic, drove by ours, and then hit the other was truly sickening.
We managed to finish out the workday in tears of sadness and fear. It may seem incredible that we saw all of our patients that day, and the only explanation I can come up with is that this clinic was a for-profit business. Lost patients meant lost revenue. But this for-profit status was also the reason why we had an armed guard, while the other two clinics, both non-profits, did not. My co-workers and I didn't put up a fuss about continuing to work, but the perpetrator still had not been caught, and we felt like sitting ducks, as if a bomb could go off any second.
When my shift was done, I went home and turned on the news. One man, who had been sitting in one of the waiting rooms talked about what happened. He said that as he sat in the waiting room, he was thinking to himself about the receptionists' voice, and how it was the most soothing, beautiful voice he'd ever heard. I started to cry because I knew he was speaking of Lee Ann. Her voice was pure music, and I'd remarked on it myself. But the man on TV continued to say that his reverie was broken by the gunman coming in and shouting at her "This is what you get! You should pray the rosary!" while he shot ten bullets into the woman the stunned witness had only, seconds before, been lulled by. "How could anyone shoot this innocent woman?" he asked. Lee Ann and Shannon Lowney, Planned Parenthood's receptionist, were pronounced dead. I turned off the television.
My boyfriend came home early from work with instructions and cash from his boss who commanded him to take me out for dinner. We went to our favourite Thai place. But everyone at all the tables around us were talking loudly about the clinic shootings. I wanted to stand up and scream at everyone that they didn't know the half of how horrible it was. It wasn't just a news story! People, really lovely people with lilting voices and hilarious senses of humour, who were loved and cared for by friends and family were dead. And here we all were having dinner talking about it like it was a soundbite. But of course I didn't. Instead we took home what was left of our food.
The next day, the front page of The Boston Herald featured a huge photo of Lee Ann being wheeled out to an ambulance, smeared all over in blood. She had no shirt on, a cloth haphazardly thrown on top of her, but you could clearly see the side of her breast. It was a disgusting last image of a friend, put there to sensationalise and sell papers.
A candlelight vigil was held in front of the statehouse as a reaction to the shootings. I went with a friend and co-worker. As we held little candles in our cold, chapped hands, we felt completely alienated by the chants and speeches given that night. Lee Ann Nichols and Shannon Lowney had become martyrs for the Pro-Choice cause. The occasion was not to remember who these two women were, but to declare what they would now represent. My companion and I couldn't see beyond our grief to grapple with the big picture just then.
On Sunday, I had to work again --my regular Sunday shift. I usually enjoyed Sundays because I was the only one in the building, so I had free reign to do whatever I wanted. Sometimes I even brought my guitar. But when I showed up less than 48 hours after the shootings, I found a cop car stationed out front guarding the building. The city provided this round-the-clock security to all of the clinics in case the suspect or anyone else wanted to have another go. At first, I thought I'd be brave and go in alone, disabling the security system in the dark interior of the clinic. But once I was inside, I went back out again and asked one of the policemen to come in with me and have a look around. I thanked the policeman, and he went back to drinking coffee in his car while I turned the answering machine off and started my work. It was New Year's Day.
The news that John Salvi, the killer, had been caught in Norfolk, Virginia, shooting at a clinic there from outside, wouldn't be out until that day's paper. (Luckily no one was injured.) He pled insanity, saying he was schizophrenic, but was convicted of murder on March 19, 1996. Ironically, that same day, the Supreme Court agreed to review the constitutionality of abortion clinic "buffer zones." Salvi was found dead eight months later in his prison cell. When I saw his photo on the front page of the newspaper with the headline, I felt numb with hatred and anger: he'd never get to be punished for what he did. And since he died before his appeal could be processed, a judge overturned his conviction, essentially exonerating him after death. That's justice for you, I guess.
And clinic violence rages on. In May of this year, Dr. George Tiller, an abortion provider, was shot dead in his own church after repeated threats had been made to his life. In today's world of anti-terrorism campaigns, I wonder if those committing abortion clinic violence will ever be seen as the true terrorists that they are. Sadly, I'm not holding my breath.
Since Roe vs. Wade made abortions legal in the US in 1973, protests against clinics have become progressively more violent. Arson, gun fire, bombings, and chemical warfare are just some of the more alarming tactics. However, anti-choice protesters also use cameras to intimidate clinic patients, regularly blockade entrances, try to stop patients and their escorts from getting out of their cars and stand outside of clinics with posters featuring mutilated babies. Their terrifying tactics are designed to instill fear in both the providers of abortion and anyone seeking their services.
The fight for choice doesn't end with making abortion legal. The battle against anti-choice terrorism is a fight for all time. Since 1993, their violent, murderous tactics have failed to get the media coverage and outrage they deserve. The list of extremely violent acts, compiled by the National Abortion Federation is truly impressive, and not in a good way.
In the US, while law-abiding anarchists as well as activists taking part in direct actions to protect animals and the environment are being jailed without due process and convicted as terrorists, abortion clinic violence is not considered a terrorist act under the law, despite the fact that clinic staff are confronted with threats of violence every single day. Letters claiming to contain anthrax. Acid attacks. Arson. Stabbings. Shootings. Bombings. These are real threats, real dangers that people must face when going to work each day, not to mention the patients.
It's pretty grim, to be honest. But that's why we must persevere. It's why it's our job to educate people on why abortion safety is important, why it's essential to de-stigmatise abortion, why it's ok to admit that we're afraid, but why we must soldier on with making our pro-choice voices heard, even after we win the right to choose.
For an idea of the frustrations, fears, and dangers faced by patients and pro-choice volunteer escorts (and to learn more about escorting) at an abortion clinic in Kentucky, USA, check out the blog "Every Saturday Morning" at http://everysaturdaymorning.wordpress.com


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Internal Wisdom
We here at Cake Wrecks realize that often there are readers who simply. don't. get it. So, in an effort to "bring the funny" to our few humor-challenged readers, we have enlisted the services of our intern, Britnee, to help translate. To our regular readers: please bear with us. We will resume our regular posting tomorrow. And now, take it away, Britnee!
Like, OMG! You're totally gonna laugh. So, there's this cake, right?
See, the cake says "#1 ON IT" ON the cake!!! HE TOTALLY WROTE IT ON THE CAKE!
And then there was this guy, Dennis? And he wanted a cake, for his mom's birthday? And she was like, turning 89, or whatever? So, he wanted an "89" in the corner? And do you know what happened?!?!??!
Okay, okay... but the most bestest one ever EVER... is when it was Ashlee's birthday, and her boyfriend wanted the cake to say "Happy Birthday Ashlee" and her name has two Es in it and OMG OMG OMG what do you think happened?!?
[hopping up and down] (This is going to be awesome!!! You are SO going to TOTALLY lose it!!!)
[Sigh] Um, thanks, Britnee, for that thoughtful and extremely explanatory commentary. I hope all of our humor-challenged readers enjoyed it. And for the rest of you, allow me to end with an obscure math joke: Did you know that 8/5 of Americans aren't good with fractions? [Chortle]
Thanks to Will E., Chris O., Madalene W., Dennis W., and Robert H.


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Why Cuccinelli is losing in Virginia
Republicans can't believe this is happening: Democrat Terry McAuliffe — whose controversial business dealings and past life as a party moneyman make him a walking negative ad — has taken command of the Virginia governor's race.
More than a dozen interviews last week with longtime Republican insiders around the Commonwealth yielded near-unanimous consensus that their candidate, state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, lost significant ground over the summer and would lose if the election were held today.
Story Continued Below
The only real point of disagreement is how wide a margin it would be.
"It's going to be a bath," one prominent state Republican who wants Cuccinelli to win went so far as to say. Like several others, the person sought anonymity to speak candidly about the state of the race.
( PHOTOS: Ken Cuccinelli's career)
Cuccinelli's advisers insist it's too early to write him off. "This is still a race," Cuccinelli strategist Danny Diaz said Friday.
But a contest that looked winnable for Cuccinelli for much of the year has broken against him. Here's a look at how it happened.
1. The gifts scandal
Gov. Bob McDonnell was expected to be a big asset for Cuccinelli. Instead, the Star Scientific scandal has turned the incumbent into a major liability.
The constant drip-drip of revelations by The Washington Post — of gifts and loans totaling more than $124,000 from the dietary supplement maker's CEO, Jonnie Williams, to the governor and his family — was bad enough for Cuccinelli. But the candidate couldn't easily distance himself from the scandal because he, too, accepted some $18,000 worth of gifts from Williams — and failed to disclose a chunk of them, as required by law.
What's more, Cuccinelli refused to repay the gifts until last week, when he cut a check for $18,000 to charity. A Democratic prosecutor in Richmond cleared the attorney general of criminal wrongdoing for the disclosure lapse. But attack ads highlighted his refusal to return the gifts, and internal polling showed a spike in voters expressing concern.
( PHOTOS: Terry McAuliffe's career)
"Had he done that initially, I don't think this would have been an issue," said a GOP operative.
His campaign hopes that Cuccinelli can now shift the focus to other issues. But if he loses, Star Scientific will be high on the list of reasons he cites.
2. A divided GOP
A significant number of Republicans remain on the sidelines in the race. A nonpartisan poll released last week by Purple Strategies, which had Cuccinelli trailing by 5 percentage points overall, found that only 77 percent of self-identifying Republicans currently support him.
Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, who dropped out of the race for governor after the state GOP changed its nominating procedure to ensure Cuccinelli would win, said Friday he still isn't comfortable endorsing Cuccinelli.
"Clearly, this is not just the most conservative, but the most ideologically-driven ticket that the Republican Party has ever put forth," Bolling said in an interview. "There are a lot of Republicans, like me, very concerned about the direction of the party. We believe for the Republican Party to be a viable party in Virginia, we've got be a more mainstream party and communicate a more mainstream message."
The McAuliffe campaign has capitalized on the GOP dissension, rolling out more than 30 Republican defectors over the past few months, including former Gov. Linwood Holton and several onetime state delegates. Also endorsing McAuliffe are former Republican National Committee finance chairman Dwight Schar and former GOP strategist Boyd Marcus.
And the Democratic establishment has united around McAuliffe, which was not assumed at the start of the year. No Democratic challenger emerged, and while few leaders on the left are crazy about the former Democratic Party fundraiser and businessman, they do support him.
Democrats have a lead on the generic ballot in the state, which is trending blue and was carried twice by Barack Obama. That puts the onus on Cuccinelli to solidify support from his party.
Cuccinelli advisers dismiss Bolling as a sore loser and many of the others who actually endorsed McAuliffe as Republicans in name only. They insist they have intense conservative support on their side and believe that big parts of the Obama coalition will stay home rather than turn out for McAuliffe.
"Ken's voters are more likely to show up," said a Cuccinelli adviser. "We're pretty confident we'll get what we need in an off-year with Obama sucking wind."
3. Northern Virginia has been neglected
Several Republicans complained that Cuccinelli has not spent nearly as much time campaigning in Northern Virginia as McDonnell did four years ago. A review of all his public events during the month of August shows only a handful of publicly announced appearances in the D.C. suburbs. He made far more stops in places that should be reliably red.
Cuccinelli lives in Northern Virginia's Prince William County and won election to the state Legislature from Fairfax County. His aides said his recent public schedule does not reflect the depth of his roots and other off-the-books appearances. They have told Republicans that Cuccinelli will have a more public profile in the D.C. media market during the homestretch.
And the campaign is getting a boost on Monday when the influential Northern Virginia Technology Council's political action committee will formally endorse Cuccinelli. The announcement was slated for Friday, but The Post reports that McAuliffe supporters, including U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), tried unsuccessfully to get the group to reconsider with an 11th-hour lobbying blitz. Group members found Cuccinelli engaged and detail-oriented, and McAuliffe cocky and off-the-cuff, the report said.
But Cuccinelli's controversial views on abortion, gay marriage, skepticism of global warming and advocacy for the rights of fathers don't play well in Northern Virginia, especially with women. He has tried not to emphasize those issues but also not backed away from his stances.
Operatives say that Cuccinelli has never created an identity beyond being a rock-ribbed social conservative. McDonnell was a strong social conservative in 2009, but he ran on the mantra of "Bob's for jobs."


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When I found the shoebox again, there were more poems inside, and a battered, old device: a switch of some kind. I actually had to go and ask about it in the local hardware store to be sure what it was. It's an old light switch. When you flick it, there's a solid, satisfying click. When I flicked it the first time after finding it, all the lights in the house went out. I swear I'm not making this up. It turned out to be the whole neighborhood actually, and the real reason for the power out turned out to be the thunderstorm rumbling above. But talk about a coincidence of a lifetime! I've flicked the switch many times after that and nothing strange has happened.
I can't explain where this new stuff came from. Someone broke into my house and put it there? That makes no sense.


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A large number of individuals in society are grouped under the heading of merchants. This group includes a wide spectrum of occupations, from shopkeepers to small businesses and street vendors. In the societies where people abide by the morality of ignorance, people who are called as merchants share some common features like many other groups of professions.
As with many other characters of ignorance, that which most influences the character of the merchants in the society of ignorance is, again, the values of materialism. Majority of these individuals tend to be middle-income earners, and are of character types dedicated to acquiring wealth no matter what because they live by the values of ignorance and fail to abide by the Qur'an. That is because it is only possible for them to earn respect and to gain a name for themselves if they become wealthy. This is due to the fact that, in a society of ignorance, being wealthy is more highly valued than morality. When it comes to money, it makes no difference how ignorant, or impolite a person is. Material means may always open all sorts of means.
For this reason, the majority of merchants living by the criteria set by the ignorance seek ways to earn money and their whole being becomes consumed with the desire to make money.
Surely there is no harm in making effort to acquire financial gains. However meanwhile, he should keep in mind that it is Allah Who is the actual owner of wealth and possessions, that Allah renders whoever He wills well-off or poor, and that there is wisdom in this. He should be contented with what Allah grants, and demand wealth merely to earn Allah's good pleasure and approval. Besides, he should put his possessions, which are again Allah's blessings, into best use in the path of Allah. When this is not the case, a person may develop a selfish and self-seeking character. For this reason, the character of merchant in the society of ignorance lacks any high ideals, or any broader concerns for the lot of humanity. Their sole aim is to become rich. They usually become overly opportunistic; and, the more they can exploit others, the more clever they think they are.
As a result, as would be expected, many regard merchants as being a form of occupation for the dishonest and fraudsters. Of course, among them you could find honest individuals, who adopt the morality of Islam, and follow the commands of the Qur'an; it is certainly not necessary for merchants to compromise their morals. The fraud and dishonesty expected of them is the result of the absence of religion in an ignorant society. For example, many merchants in such a society would not hesitate to sell damaged merchandise without properly informing the client. And, because their conscience does not bother them to do such a thing, they make it a regular mode of operation. They buy defective goods and sell them to customers at the normal price. The other merchants in the area know what these people are doing, but turn a blind eye because they regard it as a requisite of business practice. For some of them, their idea of a customer is a one they can swindle. However, Allah has commanded in the Qur'an that all should be honest in business:
Give full measure when you measure and weigh with a level balance. That is better and gives the best result. (Surat al-Isra', 35)
He said, "He has wronged you by asking for your ewe to add to his ewes. Truly many partners are unjust to one another—except those who believe and do right actions, and how few they are!"... (Surah Sâd, 24)
Throughout the history of these societies of ignorance, there have been those who refuse to obey Allah's commands; they act unjustly and consistently cheat others. Allah has warned them through His messengers. Allah informs us in the Qur'an of the warnings offered by the Prophet Shu'ayb (as) to his people:
And to Madyan their brother Shu'ayb. He said, "My people, worship Allah! You have no god apart from Him. Do not give short measure and short weight. I see you prospering and I fear for you the punishment of an all-encompassing Day. My people! Give full measure and full weight with justice; do not diminish people's goods; and do not go about the Earth, corrupting it. What endures with Allah is better for you if you are believers. I am not set over you as your keeper." (Surah Hud, 84-86)
But, in general, because of their moral turpitude, members of a society of ignorance have failed to heed these warnings. For this reason, they experience anxiety in this world, and will be called to render account of their actions in the world to come. In the society of ignorance people with such characters will tend to be unscrupulous when it comes to making a profit. Such a tendency is also discernible among clerks. In compliance with the morality pervasive in the society of ignorance, they will resort to anything in order to sell something to customers. They will go on at great length, lying to convince a customer to buy an outfit that is otherwise unattractive on him or her.
They respect most those rich businessmen, and are, in their own way, honored to have the opportunity to serve them.
As is the case with some people in a society of ignorance, they are aware of the teachings of Islam. However, in spite of this, they disregard its commands and prohibitions, devoting themselves solely to the pursuit of profit.
In addition, they are highly ambitious, and will go to all sorts of extremes to earn money. However, they are not disposed to obeying the commands of Allah, Who has created them and provided them everything they have gained. In several verses of the Qur'an, He has warned them, and all others of a similar disposition, about becoming so caught up in this world that they forget the one to come.
You who believe! Do not let your wealth or children divert you from the remembrance of Allah. Whoever does that is lost. (Surat al-Munafiqun, 9)
Say: "If your fathers or your sons or your brothers or your wives or your tribe, or any wealth you have acquired, or any business you fear may slump, or any house which pleases you, are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger and struggling in His Way, then wait until Allah brings about His command. Allah does not guide people who are deviators." (Surat at-Tawba, 24)
But, the difference of believers and their superiority in the Sight of Allah is right at this point. Although they too would have to devote much of their day to working to earn money, they do so to win Allah's favor, and spend it in His cause. Moreover, no matter what they do, they never neglect their prayers, or forget to remember the Afterlife. In compliance with the command of Allah, they always treat others justly, as they deserve to be treated, never infringing on their God-given rights. In the Qur'an, Allah relates to us the virtue of this character:
Not distracted by trade or commerce from the remembrance of Allah and the establishment of prayer and the payment of alms; fearing a day when all hearts and eyes will be in turmoil. (Surat an-Nur, 37)2012-01-21 02:53:28


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The handmade TIERGARTEN dog collar is made of high-quality Nubuck leather, characterized by its soft, velvety surface and subtly honed structure. Together with its fine detailing, like 100% brass metal finishes and the engraving mark, the TIERGARTEN collar's look is one of particular beauty and nobility.
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text: Guyau 1 Report post Posted January 13, 2010 Nietzsche v. Rand– Your Moral Ideal– Claiming Nobility– Parallels and Influence"Truth of Will and Value"Part 1 – Before ZarathustraPart 2 – Zarathustra and Beyond––––––– Rand 1929–38 A, B, C––––––– Rand 1938–46 A, B, C, D, E––––––– Rand in FullYour Moral Ideal"Man knows that his desperate need of self-esteem is a matter of life or death. As a being of volitional consciousness, he knows that he must know his own value in order to maintain his own life. He knows that he has to be right; to be wrong in action means danger to his life; to be wrong in person, to be evil, means to be unfit for existence." (AS 1057)"Pride is the recognition of the fact that you are your own highest value . . . —that to live requires a sense of self-value, but man, who has no automatic values, has no automatic sense of self-esteem and must earn it by shaping his soul in the image of his moral ideal, in the image of Man, the rational being he is born able to create, but must create by choice. . . ." (AS 1021)"Do you wish to fight for my world? . . . Do you wish to undertake a struggle . . . where the hardships are investments in your future, and the victories bring you irreversibly closer to the world of your moral ideal?" (AS 1068)Pride is one of the seven virtues Ayn Rand crafted for her ethics (AS 1018–21). These virtues are said to be necessary means for a life whose "supreme and ruling values" are: reason, purpose, and self-esteem (AS 1018). Those three values are together "the means to and the realization of one's ultimate value, one's own life" (OE 25).The virtue pride corresponds with the value self-esteem, corresponds as necessary means to end (OE 25). Pride is the process of achieving self-esteem by thinking for oneself (AS 1057), by "unbreached rationality" (AS 1059), "by never accepting any code of irrational virtues impossible to practice and by never failing to practice the virtues one knows to be rational—by never accepting an unearned guilt and never earning any, or, if one has earned it, never leaving it uncorrected" (OE 27; see also "Selfishness without a Self" and Tara Smith's ARNE 236–47).The virtue productiveness corresponds with the value purpose, corresponds as necessary means to end. Productiveness is means to human survival, but it also provides a central purpose to the life of the rational animal that is man. The central purpose is "the central value that integrates and determines the hierarchy of all his other values" (OE 25). Productiveness is means to purpose by way of realization of purpose. Productiveness is the continual process of "remaking the earth in the image of one's values." It is "the process of achieving your values, and to lose you ambition for values is to lose your ambition to live" (AS 1020; see also ARNE 203–5, 209–12).I should mention that Rand conceives of the particular forms of the virtue productiveness as economically adaptive (AS 713–27). Moreover, the concept productiveness is broad; it includes the work of parents, educators, and counselors (AS 785, 994–95).The virtue rationality corresponds with the value reason, corresponds as activity to faculty of the activity. Distinctively as virtue, "rationality means the recognition and acceptance of reason as one's only source of knowledge, one's only judge of values and one's only guide to action" (OE 25). Rationality is the fundamental necessary means for human survival and psychological well-being (AS 1016–18).In Rand's ethics: "Virtue is not an end in itself. Virtue is not its own reward . . . . Life is the reward of virtue—and happiness is the goal and reward of life" (AS 1021).To the contrary, Friedrich Nietzsche writes in Thus Spoke Zarathustra:You still want to be paid, you virtuous! Want to have reward for virtue, and heaven for earth, and eternity for your day? / And now you're angry with me for teaching that there is no reward and paymaster? And truly, I do not even teach that virtue is its own reward. / Oh, this is my sorrow; reward and punishment have been lied into the ground of things—and now even into the ground of your souls, you virtuous! / . . . / All the secrets of your ground will be brought to light . . . . Your lie will be separated from your truth. / For this is your truth: you are too pure for the filth of the words revenge, punishment, reward, retribution. / You love your virtue as the mother her child; but when did anyone ever hear that a mother wanted to be paid for her love? / . . . / Your virtue should be your self and not a foreign thing, a skin, a cloaking; that is the truth from the ground of your soul, you virtuous! (Z II "On the Virtuous")According to Nietzsche, virtue is not means to any end, not even to itself as end. "You say it is the good cause that hallows even war? I tell you: it is the good war that hallows any cause" (Z I "War and Warriors").Virtue is an ascent. One creates one's virtues from one's unique suite of drives and passions and one's unique experience."You set your highest goal at the heart of these passions, and then they became your virtues and passions of pleasure. / And whether you stemmed from the clan of the irascible or the lascivious or the fanatic or the vengeful: / Ultimately all your passions became virtues and all your devils became angels. / Once you had wild dogs in your cellar, but ultimately they transformed into birds and lovely singers" (Z I "On the Passions of Pleasure and Pain"). (See also HH II[1] 91, II[2] 70, and D 560.)A year earlier, in The Gay Science:Have you never heard of an intellectual conscience? A conscience behind your 'conscience'? Your judgment "this is right" has a pre-history in your instincts, likes, dislikes, experiences, and lack of experiences. . . . / The firmness of your moral judgment could be evidence of your personal abjectness, of impersonality; your "moral strength" might have its source in your stubbornness—or in your inability to envisage new ideals. . . . / What? You admire the categorical imperative within you? This "firmness" of your so-called moral judgment? This "unconditional" feeling that "here everyone must judge as I do"? Rather admire your selfishness at this point. And the blindness, narrow-mindedness, and modesty of your selfishness. For it is selfish to experience one's own judgment as a universal law; and this selfishness is blind, narrow-minded, and modest because it betrays that you have not yet discovered yourself nor created for yourself an ideal of your own, your very own—for that could never be somebody else's and much less that of all, all! (GS 335; see also 120 and BGE 221, 228, 272)(The translation of the preceding passage is Walter Kaufmann's except that I have put narrow-minded for kleinliche where he put petty, and I have put modest for anspruchslose where he put frugal. It is perhaps unnecessary to say, but I will say it just to be sure: Nietzsche espouses a type of noble selfishness, which the selfishness criticized in this passage is not. Rand, of course, espouses a variety of rational selfishness.)In Beyond Good and Evil Nietzsche writes of his competitors:Whether it is hedonism or pessimism [sympathy/pity], utilitarianism or eudaemonism [well-being/happiness]—all these ways of thinking that measure the value of things in accordance with pleasure and pain, which are mere epiphenomena and wholly secondary, are ways of thinking that stay in the foreground and naïvetés on which everyone conscious of creative powers and an artistic conscience will look down . . . . / In man creature and created are united: in man there is material, fragment, excess, clay, dirt, nonsense, chaos; but in man there is also creator, form-giver, hammer hardness, spectator divinity, and seventh day . . . . / There are higher problems than all problems of pleasure, pain, and pity; and every philosophy that stops with them is naïveté. (BGE 225)In Zarathustra:Those who care most today ask: "How are human beings to be preserved?" But Zarathustra is the only one and the first one to ask: "How shall human being be overcome?" / The overman is in my heart, that is my first and my only concern—and not human beings . . . . / Oh my brothers [you higher men], what I am able to love in human beings is that they are a going over and a going under . . . . / . . . / Today the little people have become ruler: they all preach surrender and resignation and prudence and industry and consideration and the long etcetera of little virtues. / . . . / That [which is of little people] asks and asks and does not tire: "How do human beings preserve themselves best, longest, most pleasantly?" With that—they are the rulers of today. / . . . / Overcome for me, you higher men, the little virtues, the little prudence, . . . the pitiful contentedness, the "happiness of the greatest number"! (Z IV "On the Higher Man")On Rand's view, "man's proper estate is an upright posture, an intransigent mind and a step that travels unlimited roads" (AS 1069). The roads of man are of unlimited good prospect because of the possibility of men embracing the value of human existence and the virtue of rationality, because of what men will discover and invent, because of their advancing material productions.When Rand writes of the individual "shaping his soul in the image of his moral ideal, in the image of Man," it is man we know, with moral virtues right for all men; it is not man becoming some faint fancied overman. These universally fitting human virtues are not strangers; they are of one's self.When Rand writes of a struggle wherein "the hardships are investments in your future, and the victories bring you irreversibly closer to the world of your moral ideal," the ideal is more fully embodied than in the quotation of the preceding paragraph. Here "the world of your moral ideal" is success in one's particular ventures of production together with success in joint efforts to create a dependable and just legal framework for those ventures. Rand's term irreversibly is puzzling. It seems to me that she was thinking of a relative irreversibility, a relative reliability of advance, in comparison with prospects under false virtues and under law not protecting true, individual rights.A world in which virtue brought one (not relatively, but absolutely) "irreversibly closer to the world of your moral ideal" would seem to be a world with dynamics of human action "as it ought to be." I expect there is some sense to this plane of ethical thought—I'm reminded of the idea of an evenly rotating economy in economic theory—but for now its moorings remain in the mist.Nietzsche ReferencesHuman, All Too Human (HH) 1879–80 (II). R. J. Hollingdale, trans. 1986. Cambridge.Daybreak (D) 1881. R. J. Hollingdale, trans. 1997. Cambridge.The Gay Science (GS) 1882 (I–IV). W. Kaufmann, trans. 1974. Random House.Thus Spoke Zarathustra (Z) 1883 (I&II), 1885 (IV). A. Del Caro, trans. 2006. Cambridge.Beyond Good and Evil (BGE) 1886. W. Kaufmann, trans. 1966. Random House. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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Renaissance Love, So to Speak
When I was 8, I went to the mall, bought my first diary, came home, and wrote about "The Boy at the Mall." We didn't talk, but we made eye contact, and it was as if time stopped and we entered another dimension, in which we communicated everything, forever.
I wrote about him a lot, although I'm sure that I invented him. Still, I didn't have any other significant crushes until high school, when I fell in love with a boy who died. I didn't know him, and I only liked him after he died, so that was never going to happen. He just suddenly seemed so perfect.
My early life was dominated by these romantic commitments to idealized strangers, keeping me a virgin until I was 25, much like a nun. The fulfillment of this pattern was John Guillory, who was, not suprisingly, my college English Professor.
I was a Sophomore at Johns Hopkins University and still unsure about my major. I enjoyed my English classes, but they required a lot of reading. I wanted to be an intellectual without having to sit and read that much.
Then, I took John Guillory's seminar on Milton. He wasn't pedantic, like my other professors. He rarely lectured. He lead open discussions. He had this distinctive way of making his students feel like whatever they said was probably wrong. You couldn't tell. He would just stare for a few beats, and then say something like, "Mmm hmm. Anyone else?" He saw through us. It was intimidating, and I loved it.
Once in awhile, he would toss off some casual brilliance. I still remember the things he said, like, "Everyone's relationship to culture is complex. Hmm?" And "It can take years to achieve that simplicity. Hmm?" With a sentence, he would resolve the tortured debates raging in my brain about how I should think and live.
During our classroom discussions, I would often shoot up my hand before I had anything to say. I hadn't done that since grade school, the last time I obsessively craved attention for its own sake. Then I would ramble confusingly. "No, sorry. I don't follow," he would reply, in his aloof manner, staring at me. I had wanted to be an intellectual, and he was calling my bluff.
So, I changed my strategy. I sat in the back, quietly, and put it all into my essays. I spent weeks working on my final essay on Paradise Lost. I got an A and felt an enormous high, like nothing I had felt before. This was a much better strategy for winning his approval, although a part of me missed the public humiliation in class.
I wouldn't say that I had romantic feelings for professor Guillory. That's simplistic. He was gay, I thought. He dedicated his first book to a man, wore an earring, and had a daintiness that I associated, at the time, with being gay.
It wasn't about that for me. It was that I believed - no, I knew - that he was an angel. I mean, metaphorically, but a literal metaphor because everything is metaphor. His skin was fair, his face was boyish, and when he walked it looked like he was floating.
At the end of the year, I approached him, my heart beating loudly, and I asked him to be my faculty advisor. "Sure," he said.
I felt, like Milton, that I had been called.
At the beginning of my junior year, I signed up for four English classes and read everything. My essays became my obsession. I would stay up for one, sometimes two nights in a row writing them – on a "college bender."
In everything I read, I kept seeing the same allegory – the youthful pursuit of an ideal, a fall from grace, the return to a paradise that is less idealized but more grounded, where I assumed John Guillory kept court and I longed to be.
I did really well in my classes, but I developed a disorder in the eating department. I would binge at night then starve myself in punishment. I rarely pooped. I also stopped socializing. I had trouble talking to people my own age without decoding their language. No suitors could hold my attention, with their tendency to talk and emote in an earthly way.
Professor Guillory wasn't teaching first semester. He was writing a book. He spent his afternoons in this gorgeous reading room. I spent my afternoon there too, not coincidentally. I won't lie.
He always sat three tables in to the right. I always sat three tables in to the left. I saw him, in the distance, like an idealized vision of beauty and truth guiding me. He was blurry really, I needed glasses. Out in the world, I felt anxious and bloated. There, with him, I felt at peace.
I could sense him watching me too, so I performed for him. I would read, with my legs up on the desk; think, while biting my nails; discover truth, scribbling in my notebook; realize that truth is unknowable (again!); and so on. It was a magical time for us.
Second semester, I took Professor Guillory's class on Renaissance poetry. I couldn't handle being that close to him again, after everything we had been through. I sat in the back, behind people. I couldn't look directly at him, so I'd stare at his forehead, where his gentle cowlick would bounce up and down.
I didn't say a word in class, but everything poured out in my essays. "The poet feels that the moon is seductive but unknowable," I wrote. "The moon is like a coy teacher." I couldn't help it. I was a vessel! He gave me an A and wrote, "Enjoyable, although you took it further than I would have."
So, I took it even further in my next essay. "The poet gives his lord everything - his heavy flesh, his heavy language. Why doesn't his lord love him back?" "Interesting," he wrote. "A."
I wasn't sure, but I thought he was also communicating back to me in class, in code. When he talked about Shakespeare's tempting Dark Lady, was that me?
Once, we passed each other on a staircase. I was surprised, so I smiled and said, "Oh, hi!" He replied, "Oh… hi," with a knowing half-smile. Was he flirting? Or just mimicking me? It was driving me crazy not knowing! That was the first time we talked all year so I thought about it a lot.
Then, it was spring break, and while many of my friends were at the beach, I found myself sitting in Washington Square Park in New York, with my luggage. You see, John Guillory's book had recently come out. He dedicated it to a woman, this time. I looked her up. She was a professor at NYU. I didn't know where her office was located. I just wanted to be near them. I was supposed to be visiting my aunt in Brooklyn.
I knew, then, that I had hit bottom. This relationship wasn't good for me. I deserved better. Plus, I was making it all up!
At the end of the year, I went to his office to get my schedule approved. As he signed it – failing to engage in the earthly ritual of advising, as usual - I stood there, burning up. Couldn't he see what he was doing to me? Finally, it just burst out of me:
"I want you to guide my senior thesis!" I exclaimed.
"Oh. What's it on?"
"Um... Hamlet." I didn't have any idea. "I have some ideas. I'll send them to you."
I felt trapped.
We had class later that day. It was our last class. We were reading the famous poem by Robert Herrick called "To the Virgins" that begins, "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may." Professor Guillory said, "Justine, why don't you read it aloud?" This was very strange. I had never read aloud. I don't think I had ever heard him say my name!
So I read the poem, nervously and quickly. Then, he skipped the usual discussion and gave his direct interpretation: "The poet is telling this young person to go on, have fun, be young! But he's also saying, stay here. Stay, go. He's conflicted. Hmm?"
I won't lie. I can sometimes read too much into things. But that one, I'm still pretty sure it was intended for me.
That summer, I discovered Metamucil and regular exercise. I unblocked, so to speak, literally.
When I started senior year, I walked into the reading room, went straight to Professor Guillory's table, and broke up with him: "I won't be doing my senior thesis on Hamlet with you. I'm doing an independent study with Professor Ferguson on Keats. I can't do both. Here I need you to sign my add-drop form." And I dropped him. For a second, I thought, he looked disappointment.
I ended up writing a thesis called "Allegory in Keats," which finally put to rest that meta-story of artistic growth that had dominated my thoughts. Then, I spent a year writing essays that deconstructed the myth of "love." In everything I read, I kept seeing the same story of projected fantasies of the other.
Often, I think back upon the moment at which I "dropped" Professor Guillory. I wonder, if I had done the project with him, would we have gotten to know each other as real people? Was I a real person? That might have scared me. Or, it wasn't sexy enough.
I ended up applying to graduate school in English literature. I pretended to apply to one school so that I could open my professors' sealed letters. Professor Guillory's letter was surprisingly long page of praise, including for the would-be thesis on Hamlet. Reading it was like a fantasy of requited passion, sort of.
In any regard, I ended up getting into a first-class PhD program in English and became officially an intellectual. I have Professor Guillory to thank for all of it!
Then, I dropped out. It required way too much reading.


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Real Madrid survives Dortmund scare, advances to Champions League semifinals
Real Madrid survived a huge scare to progress through to the UEFA Champions League semifinals as Borussia Dortmund fell just short of a stunning second-leg fightback after defeating the Spanish giants 2-0 on Tuesday night.
Dortmund had it all to do after losing the first leg 3-0 in Spain but last season's runners-up looked on course to stage a remarkable comeback when, after seeing Madrid winger Angel di Maria miss an early penalty, they scored twice through Marco Reus during a first-half onslaught.
The German side continued to throw everything at Madrid in the second half, hitting the woodwork and going close on a number of other occasions, but they could not find the third goal they needed as Carlo Ancelotti's men held on for a 3-2 aggregate win.
Dortmund beat Madrid 4-1 at home in last season's semi-finals but they needed an even better result this time following the first-leg loss.
However, they welcomed back the four-goal hero of last year's match as Robert Lewandowski returned after suspension, while in a further boost for the hosts Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo was only named on the bench after missing the weekend league match with a knee problem. That gave Dortmund a lift before kick-off, but any optimism in the home camp should have been extinguished in the 16th minute when Madrid won a penalty after Fabio Coentrao's cross struck the arm of Lukasz Piszczek.
In the absence of regular taker Ronaldo, di Maria stepped up for the penalty but he slipped just as he shot and saw his effort well saved by Roman Weidenfeller diving to his left. An away goal then would surely have ended the tie as a contest, leaving Dortmund needing to score at least five times to go through, but the miss further galvanised the home side and they laid siege to the Madrid goal for the remainder of the half.
The unmarked Henrikh Mkhitaryan should have scored in the 19th minute when he side-footed wide following good work by Lewandowski, but within five minutes they were ahead thanks to a combination of Reus and a terrible error from Pepe. The Portugal centre-back's attempted back header was pounced on by Reus and he nipped it past Iker Casillas before sliding it into the net.
That set the Westfalenstadion rocking, and it was to get a whole lot better for the home side before the break as well. Casillas did well to tip over Mats Hummels' powerful header at the far post in the 32nd minute but Dortmund would not be denied and they made it 2-0 in the 37th minute.
Another mistake from the visitors saw Asier Illarramendi carelessly give the ball away to Reus, who raced to the edge of the Madrid area before slipping in Lewandowski. Casillas tipped the Poland international's shot onto the post but Reus followed up to slam the loose ball into the roof of the net.
Nine-time European champions Madrid, previously unbeaten in this season's competition, were on the ropes and the half-time whistle could not come soon enough for the Spanish giants. Fortunately for them it arrived without any more setbacks, and at the interval Ancelotti decided to shake things up, sending on attacking midfielder Isco on for the more defensive-minded Illarramendi.
The break seemed to take the steam out of Dortmund somewhat, and Madrid looked the more likely scorers at the start of the second half with Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema both threatening. However, in the 64th minute the visitors survived a huge let off when Mkhitaryan missed an unbelievable chance.
The Armenia international looked to have done the hard work as he raced onto Reus' through-ball and rounded Casillas but, with the goal at his mercy, he shot against the near post. Dortmund had found their second wind though and in the next six minutes Casillas was called on to make to crucial saves to deny Mkhitaryan and Kevin Grosskreutz.
Jurgen Klopp's men would not come any closer than that to leave Madrid breathing a huge sigh of relief at the final whistle.


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Let me guess, you have been playing New York Times crossword and got stuck on the clue Teacher who may get no respect, informally. Well, you have come to the right place to find the answer to this clue.
While some crosswords are much simpler than others, most require that players have a vast knowledge of the language and possibly even various topics. So while crossword puzzles are seen as a more intelligent game, they can be very frustrating for players to complete and even experienced crossword players need some help occasionally.
When finding the answers to the clues becomes too difficult, there's no shame in looking for them online.
Now you have the answer to your clue. Its time to move on to the next clue. You can browse through the list with all the answers to the New York Times crossword of October 25th, 2016. Or you can use the search form below to find the answer (no matter if its New York Times Crossword or any other crossword).
|New York Times crossword of October 25th, 2016 other clues
|'Facilities,' informally
|'Hey ... over here!'
|'O Romeo, Romeo!' crier
|'That is SO incredible!'
|'Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me!' airer
|A, in Asunción
|Actor Christian of 'Mr. Robot'
|Bathroom powder
|Biblical pronoun
|Big name in bicycle helmets
|Birds near the shore
|Brief excursion
|Coal-rich German region
|Common name for a cowboy
|Completely focused
|Dentist's focus
|Detailed blowup on a map
|Device that keeps a ship's compass level
|Drug for Timothy Leary
|Elizabethan stringed instrument
|End of a lasso
|Examination do-overs
|Fedora or fez
|Final part of a relay
|Gait faster than a walk
|Geological layers
|Go over and over again
|Hidden symbol between the 'E' and 'x' in the FedEx logo
|Highlight in a Zorro movie
|Lead-in to fix, appropriately
|Leaky parts of an old tent, often
|Like Cheerios cereal
|Longtime Federer adversary
|Mata ___ (spy)
|Modern home entertainment option
|Most ready to get started
|Move to action
|Offer at a pub ... as suggested by this puzzle's circled squares
|Once, in olden days
|Opposites of births
|Personal identifier, for short
|Place for wheeling and dealing?
|Polling fig
|Put ___ on (limit)
|Related linguistically
|See 52-Across
|Shouts of dissent
|Sleeper or caboose
|Snitches (on)
|Soup kitchen offerings
|SSW's opposite
|State-of-the-art electronically
|Subj. of interest for the Green Party
|Suit material
|Teachers' org
|Tibetan holy men
|Tile adhesive
|Tree with medicinal uses
|Trimmed area around a green
|Tuliplike flower whose name means 'butterfly' in Spanish
|Unwelcome look
|What Wi-Fi can connect you to
|When repeated, cry to an honoree
|Winner's cry in a card game
|With 54-Across, tavern total
|Yule glitter
|[their error, not mine]
|___ nous
|___ Picchu, site of ancient Inca ruins
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text:
The Acton Board of Selectmen recently signed the warrant calling for a special secret ballot referendum for the following article: "Shall the Town vote to change its Road Commissioner function from two elected Road Commissioner positions to one appointed Road Commissioner/Public Works Superintendent position, to be appointed by the Board of Selectmen and having a term of three years with said change to be phased in as follows: the newly appointed Road Commissioner/Public Works Superintendent shall oversee the Northern part of Town effective upon the 2013 annual town meeting and shall oversee the entire Town effective upon the 2015 annual town meeting, when the term of the elected Road Commissioner for the Southern part of Town expires, or immediately, in the event that the office becomes vacant before the expiration of said term?"
The election will be held on Tuesday, March 5, at the Acton Town Hall, and the polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Selectmen will hold a public hearing at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 21, to discuss the question.
Selectmen will hold open forums with newly hired Deputy Daniel Shaw at the Acton Town Hall on the first Thursday of every month from 6 to 7 p.m. The first forum will be held on Thursday, Feb. 7.
These forums will be an opportunity for residents to share their thoughts or concerns with Deputy Shaw.
Please note that Shaw will make every attempt to attend these forums, but he cannot control unforeseen emergencies. In such cases, the selectmen will continue with the forum and share any information or concerns with Deputy Shaw as soon as they can.
The Acton Planning Board will host an informational meeting to discuss the proposed changes to the Acton Zoning Ordinance relative to storm water management and erosion control on Thursday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m. at the Acton Town Hall at 35 H Road.
Residents are encouraged to attend to offer comments and ask questions.
Copies of the proposed changes can be found online at www.actonnmaine.org or at the town hall.
The Mary Grant Nature Preserve Committee will meet this Saturday, Feb. 2, at the Acton Town Hall at 10 a.m.
Anyone interested in learning more about the nature preserve or joining the committee is encouraged to attend.
The Department of Health and Human Services has notified the Town of Acton that after reviewing the town's records, it finds the Town of Acton in compliance with the state's General Assistance statutes and the department's policies.
The OWLS — Older Wiser Liberated Seniors — met at the Acton Town Hall for coffee and conversation on Wednesday, Jan. 23.
Even though it was bitter cold outside, a good group turned out. In addition to doughnuts and fig newtons, Larissa Crockett brought a small case of clementines, deliciously sweet tangerines.
The OWLS' next meeting will be a luncheon on Wednesday, Feb. 13, at noon. There is never a charge for the food, but donations are always accepted.
The Acton-Shapleigh Lions Club will hold its monthly breakfast buffet at the Acton Town Hall from 8 to 10 a.m. this Saturday, Feb. 2. On the menu will be all-you-can-eat scrambled eggs, pancakes, muffins, baked beans, toast, juice and coffee, all for $5.
Acton Elementary School recently held its annual Middle School Spelling Bee. After several spell-off rounds, Ian Poyant placed first, Isaac Miles placed second, and Robby Dobson placed third.
Congratulations to our winning spellers!
The first- and second-place winners of the bee will represent Acton Elementary at the York County regional spelling bee, which will be held at Wells Junior High School on Feb. 12.
The school's staff and students thank the Acton Education Association for sponsoring the bee in memory of Julia Smith.
Copies of the 2012-2013 Acton Elementary School yearbook can be preordered for $13 until Feb. 7. After that date, the cost will be $15.
If you are interested, an ad of congratulations to a student can be placed in the yearbook for $5.
For more information, contact the school office at 636-2100.