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UnNews:Evil wizard attacks Uncyclopedia
This article is part of UnNews, your source for up-to-the-microsecond misinformation.
1 April 2009
UNCYCLOPEDIA, The Internets -- Residents and users of the sleepy Internet website Uncyclopedia woke to mass devastation and disruption this morning after at least one evil wizard visited overnight. Many told of their horror and begged the question, "Why? Why did this tragedy happen to us? We are good people who surely do not deserve such a thing." Eyewitnesses who claim to have observed the wizard say that he was around six feet tall and shrouded in darkness with fiery eyes, leading some to speculate early on that he was in fact a goth sworn to vengeance after being offended by the site's articles on Satanism before the full extent of the destruction became clear. Some people also reported that he was accompanied by what appeared to be a remotely-controlled drone aircraft, which may have been equipped with missile capability such as those used by unmanned US craft in Afghanistan, in the shape of a small brown owl.
The wizard first struck at the site's internationally-famous Main Page, classified as a World Heritage Site, where his evil magic caused so much damage that Wikia - fascist overlords who have controlled the previously-independent Uncyclopedian state for some years - decided that the cost of repairs would be too great and as a result declared it an insurance write-off, effectively shutting down the site and closing all official communications links with the outside world. Hundreds of thousands of Uncyclopedians have fled their homes, many of which were destroyed during the attack and have become refugees wandering about the local countryside, creating worldwide fear of a vast humanitarian crisis. Neighbouring wikis such as Wikipedia, Encyclopedia Dramatica and Illogicopedia say they will not offer asylum or aid to them, which has drawn criticism from many countries. "It is all very well for those in the affluent West to attack us for refusing aid to Uncyclopedia," said Encyclopedia Dramatica's president during a press conference today. "But we have little more than they do. We are a very poor website and many of our users are starving. We do not even benefit from the funny jokes harvest which in the past has made Uncyclopedia comparatively rich."
Nobody is 100% certain where the wizard came from; though Western intelligence agencies believe he may have originated somewhere in one of the website's lawless Northern Tribal Regions, possibly the disputed region Awiz' Ardidit, and that the attack may have been a protest against certain unpopular administrative decisions including the proposed inclusion of advertising which is seen by many in the highly traditional site as unwanted Westernization. There have also been sightings of a man who fits the wizard's description in the Wizardistan desert province situated in the far West of the site and in the M' Illslane southern villages which have largely resisted attempts by the site's ruling elite at modernisation and are believed to harbour terrorist groups opposed to the local government.
Later during the day, the wizard struck again in Uncyclopedia's Votes for Deletion region where he planted a number of IWMUDs (Improvised Wiki MarkUp Devices) which were successful in causing widespread damage and terror. VFD is one of the most industrialised areas of the entire wiki and the attack is likely to put modernisation and development of the website back many years. "The people of VFD have been instrumental in shaping our site's future," said one user who was injured in the attacks. "What they have achieved in improving the quality of life experienced by all Uncyclopedians is beyond belief. But that's all gone now. It's like we've gone back to the Dark Ages. We'll have to become civilised all over again."
As one might expect, Bono and Bob Geldof were quickly on the case and have created Aid to Uncyclopedia, a charity which they say will be devoted to providing financial help to the website and food aid to its inhabitants - many of whom lost all their possessions and livelihood in the attacks - while also ensuring press coverage for the pair who have been enjoying very little media attention for some weeks. Benefit concerts which will be held simultaneously in a number of cities worldwide are being planned for June of this year with live Internet links between each event. "We hope that the concert will raise around $50,000,000," says U2 frontman Bono. "Of course, I could have just written a cheque for that amount and not even noticed the money missing from my bank account - but this way, the average prole can feel that they too are helping those less fortunate than themselves." Geldof, meanwhile, says that he is "more shocked by the awful tragedy" than he has been about anything since he last attempted to listen to a few of his old records from the Boomtown Rats days and was struck by their unbelievable shittiness. "What those poor people are going through, seeing their whole world torn apart like that," he says. "It's beyond words. I mean, like, wow. It's fucking magical or something."
A televised appeal will be shown on various networks this evening. UnNews may bring you further reports, but it's not very likely.
|This article features first-hand journalism by an UnNews correspondent.


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She ain't heavy, she's my sister.
On Tuesday night's season finale of the "Biggest Loser," it came down to sisters Hannah Curlee and Olivia Ward competing for the title of "Biggest Loser."
Ward, the last contestant to weigh in, beat Curlee to win the show's $250,000 grand prize after the scale revealed that she lost 129 pounds, or 49.43 percent of her total starting weight of 261 pounds, coming down to a final weight of 132 pounds.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
Before she stepped on the scale, Ward said the weight loss has enabled her to focus on her opera singing and that now she can go after saucier roles.
The sisters also told each other how proud they were to go through their five-month weight-loss journey together.
First runner-up Curlee lost 120 pounds — 48.39 percent of her starting weight of 248 pounds — to land at her current weight of 128 pounds. Curlee, the first of the three finalists to get on the scale, was ecstatic after seeing the number 128.
"I feel like a completely new person, I went from nothing to everything," she said before yelling "and I'm in the 120s!"
It was the show's first all-female finale after TV viewers voted for Irene Alvarado to join the two sisters. Alvarado lost 116 pounds to a finale weight of 139 pounds.
Ward wasn't the only winner at the finale. The season's eliminated contestants each had a shot at winning $100,000. Deni Hill, the 59-year-old mother of eight, won the cash after the scale showed that she had lost 125 pounds, going from 256 to 131.
The finale marked trainer Jillian Michaels' last appearance on the show.
"I'm eternally grateful," she said, "and I'm excited to take the platform I've been given to the next level."
Also during the finale, the show confirmed the rumors about the next season's new trainer. It's former tennis player Anna Kournikova, who some might argue is more well-known for her curvaceous body than her tennis playing.

subset: commoncrawl


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Just in case you are not the driver of the dumptruck which overtook me in the oncoming turning lane of a busy city street, this message is for you. If it is you, there is no reason in hell you should be behind a wheel. Freie University in Berlin have been up to something interesting: remote controlling cars via iPhone. The best part? Using real cars, the group headed by Professor Raul Rojas decided that rather than emulating right and left buttons, the accelerometer provided the most realistic input. It seems the group rounded up THE automatic car in the country for this job.
It's all conjecture as to when this app will hit the App Store, or if Apple will choose to ground the project due to a 'similar functionality' clause.[via 9to5mac]


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See An Exclusive Clip Of WRONG - And Catch It On ITunes And VOD!
Fearless cinematic surrealist Quentin Dupieux, the director behind 2010's head-exploding, homicidal tire flick Rubber, returns with an equally entrancing and wholly original, hallucinatory universe all its own. Wrong, which hit iTunes and VOD platforms today, follows one man's journey into the absurd with an endless barrage of bizarro characters after he loses the sole love of his life – his dog, Paul.
See Drafthouse Films' next release and what Twitch Film calls "a wild and hilarious ride of absurdity," before it hits theaters around the country on March 29th! And check out this hilarious exclusive clip iTunes debuted today featuring the brilliant William Fichtner as the pony-tailed guru Master Chang, who imparts teachings to metaphysically reconnect pets to their owners. Watch it here!
You can watch Wrong right here now here:
On Demand (DirectTV, Comcast, Time Warer, Cox and others)


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This, along with many other exciting topics, will be on the 2013 agenda of the Woodhaven Cultural & Historical Society.
Recently, Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley signaled her support for the designation of St. Matthew's in a letter to Robert Tierney, chair of the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The designation would preserve and protect the beautiful Gothic church and the exquisite stained-glass windows that were designed by the British-born artist and craftsman John E. Tarbox, who trained under famed stained-glass artist Christopher Whall.
It would also protect the Wyckoff-Snedicker Family Cemetery, which dates back to the late 1700s and contains the remains of Woodhaven's earliest settlers. Close to 200 people are buried in the small Dutch cemetery, which has been ignored and subject to vandalism over the years.
Through the efforts of a few dedicated people with a love of history, the cemetery was restored in the mid-1990s, but in recent years the land has not been looked after at all and has been the subject of numerous residential complaints.
During a tour last year, the cemetery looked like a jungle, many gravestones had fallen and lay on their sides, there was garbage dumped on the grounds, and a huge portion of the fence had fallen and a gravestone had been laying in the rubble for quite some time.
How we treat our ancestors and those who came before us will herald the way we, or the things that matter to us, are treated in the years to come. Disrespect the past and we, in the future, shall be disrespected. This important topic will be the focus of the first meeting of the Woodhaven Cultural & Historical Society in 2013, which meets at 1 p.m. on the last Wednesday of the every month at Emanuel United Church of Christ, on 91st Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard.
Over the course of 2013, the Woodhaven Cultural & Historical Society will also host the following meetings:
• Nick Hirshon, author of "Images of America: Forest Hills" will discuss his book on February 27. The timing is perfect as his book hits bookstores that very week.
• Woodhaven's Viktoria Sema Ballavoski, psychic and author of "Lilith's Awakening," will discuss her career on March 27 and three members of the society will be chosen at random for free readings.
• On April 24 we will be joined by a panel of three talented photographers who will display some of their favorite photographs and discuss their craft. Our guests will be the Queens Ledger's Michael O'Kane, the Times Ledger's Christina Santucci, and the Times Newsweekly's Nick Biondo.
• On May 29, Eddie Costello's Antique Trash or Treasure Roadshow makes a return visit to Woodhaven. All paid members will be guaranteed at least one appraisal, other attendees may get an appraisal if time allows.
• On June 26, the Woodhaven Cultural & Historical Society will hold their annual Penny Social, an auction where you purchase tickets for chances to win items. There are always interesting items at the Historical Society's auction.
• After taking off for the months of July and August, the Historical Society returns on September 25 with "Swept by Ocean Breezes: A History of Coney Island" by Professor John Manbeck, Professor Emeritus at Kingsborough Community College.
• On October 30 we will present "The Roots of Doo-Wop and Rock 'n' Roll" by lecturer Robert L. Cohen. Make sure you stay after the presentation for a special show.
• And on November 20 we will be joined by artist Madeline Lovallo, who has painted many scenes in and around Woodhaven, Howard Beach and the Rockaways. Around these parts, Madeline is most famous for a beautiful portrait she did of Lewis' of Woodhaven, which was sold in various stores as a Christmas card some years back.
• And the Woodhaven Cultural & Historical Society will wrap up the year with their annual Christmas Party at their December meeting. There's still time to attend the 2012 Christmas Party, which will take place on Wednesday, December 19, at 1 p.m. All are invited.
Throughout the year, the organization also takes bus trips to many interesting and exciting places, all of them very suitable for seniors. Please contact us at email@example.com if you are interested in more information about the trips, or any of our meetings. We also anticipate having a few evening events, keep your eye on this space for announcements.


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So many moms are grouching about the kids being home for summer and I'm like, 'What???' My son is in summer camp during the days. I understand the importance of them being social and active, but any chance I get for he and I to be home together... I just LOVE it!! Of course when they're home you'll want them to do more than just electronics-time. Having toys the neighborhood kids can enjoy too is a big plus.
I am that mom in the neighborhood. I want the kids over. It makes my son happy, and if they're at my place, I get to supervise, so that makes me happy too. So if the kids are wanting to come over to your house and play with your little ones, be glad. It's a good thing!! Remember how much you loved to play when you were a kid.
Embrace youth, embrace the joy of playing, and embrace summer. They only get to do childhood once. Let it be one full of fun outside play and memories!
That's the end of my unsolicited two-cents for the day. Now I'm going to introduce you to some great ways to encourage summer outside play, and I'm going to have a giveaway!
One way to have fun in the summer (and oh yes, the neighborhood kids will love it) is H20Go Toys by Best Ways. Right now they have three items I absolutely love!! Two we own, and one...one lucky person is going to win. Details below.
The first two items we own. The first is an H20Go Double Double Slider, designed for children ages 5-12. You can get it in single, double or triple size. It has an inflatable speed ramp that provides you a soft entry and allows you to glide smoothly and very quickly, to the end of the mat. This slide is a whopping 18 ft. long!!
The kit contents are what you see above. Easy peasy to put together. The only thing not included is an air pump. This product is designed so the water runs continuously, of course, so you can slide. But it's also designed with a pillow launch and a drench pool bottom so you lose the 'ouch' traditionally associated with these types of water slides This is the kind of toy the kids can spend hours on and never voice complaint one. You certainly won't hear them say they're bored. ;) It's good for parties too.
- Age range: 3 years and up
- Inflatable wave pool entertainment
- Colorful lights
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- Made with durable material for long-lasting play and enjoyment
a Rafflecopter giveaway


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J.D. Drew opts out
Today we learned from Scott Boras that J.D. Drew has decided to opt out of the final three years of his contract with the Dodgers. This certainly surprised most of us in the organization, given his previous comments to the contrary, but apparently there was a change of heart.
When Bill Plunkett first wrote that J.D. would not be going anywhere, I remember congratulating him on the "big scoop," given that most of us considered it a given that he'd be returning in 2007. Here's the article in the Orange County Register from Sept. 27:
Drew plans to stay around
DENVER – Going, going…nowhere.
The five-year, $55 million contract J.D. Drew signed with the Dodgers after the 2004 season included an opt- out clause, allowing him to end the relationship after two seasons.
But Drew said he is happy in Los Angeles and has given the clause so little thought he doesn't even know the specifics of how he would activate it. Drew will have a brief window at the end of the World Series to exercise the opt-out clause.
"I don't plan on (using) it," he said Tuesday. "I've enjoyed my time living in Los Angeles. That's what it was there for – to make sure (wife) Sheigh and I didn't come all the way across the country (from their native Georgia) and get stuck in a situation we didn't like."
Drew said the clause has hardly come up in discussions with his agent, Scott Boras, since the original negotiations. He couldn't imagine any reason for his opinion to change between now and the end of the season, prompting him to use the opt-out option.
"You know what – I don't think so," said Drew, who also has a limited no trade clause. "Ultimately it's my decision, and we're happy where we're at. We love our house in Pasadena. My wife is happy. She's made a lot of friends in our neighborhood and with the other players' wives. That's really the thing that was nerve-wracking about it (free agency) for me.
"At some point, you make those commitments and you stick to them."
Considering his injury history, it's unlikely Drew could do better on the market this winter than the three years and $33 million the Dodgers have committed to him.
That's all we know for now, but it's safe to say he won't be back in blue in '06. Keep an eye out on the site for more information in the form of an article from Ken Gurnick.
35 Comments
Im SHOCKED!! I didn't know Christmas could come in November??
I think Ned is jumping for joy. No more protecting J.D.'s injured body by resting him so much. We can get some nice durable players that pack some punch now. I love this day. I dedicate Nov. 9th 2006 as "Dodger Day"
I can't believe this. JD gave us a good season in '06 and certainly is a professional in making his intentions known so early. This gives Ned some much needed salary flexibility. I don't know how JD can secure a deal like the one he opted out of. Not many guys make decisions like that. That certainly demonstrates personal integrity. Thanks JD.
sianora jd! the sand in my ****** is finally gone!!
um, wow. This means something huge. My guesses of things to come:
1) Nomar gets re-signed, plays first base/second base/outfield, and next year Loney plays in Right or at first.
2) Alfonso Soriano will get a monster contract from the Dodgers with their newly freed-up resources.
3) The Dodgers will determine their centerfielder by tryout at spring training, basically. Could be Nomar, Soriano, Ethier, or Loney. I'm guessing Soriano.
4) Ethier or Loney will bat 5th to get a left-hander in the middle of the lineup.
5) The Dodgers will stick with Betemit or Laroche at third, because filling the outfield is a bigger priority.
I can guarantee 2 now, and I'm almost positive on 1. The one that makes me the happiest is 5. As for 3 and 4, that is speculation based on how Colletti apparently likes to have players earn their spots.
Lineup 2007
Furcal – SS
Ethier – LF
Nomar – RF/1B
Loney – 1B/RF
Kent – 2B
Betemit/Laroche – 3B
Martin – C
Lineup 2008
Furcal – ss
Ethier – lf
Nomar – *2B*
Soriano – rf/cf
Loney – 1b
Betemit/Laroche – 3b
Martin – C
But seriously this guy is delisual thinking his MADE OF GLASS BODY can get more money like i said before Boros is a snake in the grass!!!
Don't let the door hit you on your way out JD! Uh… Interpol? Are you trying to spell "delusional"? Because if you are, I totally agree. How on Earth could JD Drew actually think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence? How I tell you? Just ask Scott Boras… the baseball anti-Christ.
While this is a bit unexpected, it really shouldn't come as a complete surprise. After all, J.D. Drew's agent is Scott Boras; you know, "baseball's antichrist."
Here is what Ken Rosenthal of Foxsports.com had to say:
"While Drew seems content with the Dodgers, his agent, Scott Boras, generally prefers his clients to determine their values on the open market."
It will be interesting to see just who "on the open market" is going to be willing to offer the fragile .283 / 20 homerun / 100 RBI hitting Drew a contract that is better that the 3 year $33 million Dodger contract that Scott Boras just talked him into walking away from.
It won't end here guys; don't forget that Scott Boras is also Gagne's and Maddux's agent, too. I'm telling you, Scott Boras is single-handedly destroying the game of baseball, and he is doing so without so much as a hint of guilt. In those famous words of Jerry McGuire: "Show me the money!"
JD opting out comes as a bit of a surprise. figured he was happy in LA, but given the paucity of big bats out there, maybe he was hoping to land one last big contract. you have to figure that boras is working that angle, and working to maximize the paydays for his two clients — drew and soriano. this frees up considerable money for the dodgers to land soriano. and now, there's also money to get zito!
i would like to see:
S furcal – ss
R soriano – cf
L loney – 1b
R garciaparra – rf
R kent – 2b
L ethier – lf
S betemit (laroche?) – 3b
P (zito, penny, lowe, maddux, bills and kuo). if we land zito and maddog, does that mean we move penny for some prospects or to upgrade 3b in order to free up a SP slot and some cash?
plus, with nomar and ethier in there, you have to figure there's ABs for kent and repko. also, soriano would add insurance for kent at 2b.
although nomar is injury prone, no more so than drew and likely cheaper and with better fan support.
go dodgers. don't let us down in the hot stove league…
**** drew **** Maddux & fu>>ck Boros!! don't deal with this ***ing!! *** @@hole!!!
i swear i was starting to like Drew.
Good riddance! If I were in management I'd go into the locker room and throw out all of the princess pantyhose and dresses in the street. For what he was paid he gave very little and didn't play all the time when the team needed him. I want to see who the ****** is that pays him more and will certainly regret it.
Woo AND hoo.
I'm not quite at the "good riddance" stage, because Drew was fairly productive, but getting the Dodgers off the hook for his age 31-33 seasons is huge. I don't see where he thinks he'll do better, even in this tight free agency market.
Wow…Depo actually might be as smart as people think. He gave a Boras client a big contract with a way out, so he could actually make more. And you know what, they do opt out for the hope of more money. It takes real smarts to actually know how greedy a Boras client can be. Nice Job…Depo!
As Ned said earlier this year about another Boras client (I think it was a college pitcher drafted by the Dodgers), "when its about the money, it's always about the money."
In this case, Depo out smarted Boras and actually helped the Dodgers. The one thing you can bank on is a Boras client going for more money. UnnnnBBBelievable.
Let's give some good money to a person that wants to be a Dodger like NOMAR!
JD Drew is now disliked in ST. Louis, Philly, Atlanta and LA. I know I would want to sign this guy. Not bad for a guy who's real initials are DJ. He has it all backwards!
BlueBleeder… Man… show some restraint dude. Kids read this forum you know…
stringtest – don't take Martin for granted, man. I don't want him to be the Mets' next catcher in a few years.
JD FREAKING DREW IS GONE…I can't believe it. I thought for sure we were just going to have to live with his presence in the middle of the line up.
What a great day.
Carlos Lee, Barry Zito, and possibly Schmity are going to be welcomed with open arms.
patriot — oversight on my part. thx. i completely forgot about C. odds are he'd bat 7th or 8th with that lineup, but he'd make for a solid 2 hole hitter, as would loney — both as guys who don't strike out much and have great gap power. but loney in the 2 hole really leaves the middle of the lineup without a solid L bat.
and my mistake, thought boras represented soriano, too. maybe moving drew allows $$ for zito and maddux instead. but they certainly have the budget to bring them ALL back. question is, what about nomar and gagne, too?
Don't underestimate Ethier.
Boras is clearly the reason this game is going in the Toilet !! See you later Drew !! I hope this back fires in your face !!!
Ned, this makes a clear statement, sign Nomar and get the best you can without giving up the farm !!
Believe in the Kids !!
Go Ned !!
Go Dodgers !!!
I just realized that there IS a team out there that will sign J.D. Drew for more money – the San Diego Padres. Their special assistant for baseball operations is none other than PAUL DEPODESTA.
Hey, if you guys want an interesting read about J.D. Drew and Scott Boras, check out this article by Richard Lederer written on January 14, 2005: http://www.all-baseball.com/richbeat/archives/017084.html
Gary, preach on! The farm system should not be squandered in a panic, and Ned Colletti is too prone to panic. I want him to at least talk to Grady first (Grady seems to have a calming effect on people).
But I have to disagree with you that the game is going in the toilet. First of all, MLB is not the game, it's the league. Secondly, attendance is up, and it's competitive. Third, the drop in TV viewing audience is due to the fact that, as any Dodger fan should know, Fox is awful. But the players are important enough that I think they should be paid what they are.
Fansince53- it is true that they're probably going to let Dave Roberts go (again sounding familiar), but the Padres have holes now at 2nd and third base, and I would be shocked if they would put Drew in the outfield before, especially considering how they've already got a .400 OBP guy in Brian Giles.
But then again, leaving holes in the lineup and on the field is another trademark of how Depodesta ran the team (coughJasonPhillipscough). So that wouldn't surprise me, except that no way San Diego ponies up that much dough. I'll put my money (I have about $5 in change in a cup) on Drew playing in the AL East.
"I'll put my money (I have about $5 in change in a cup) on Drew playing in the AL East."
Looks like the Boston Red Sox would be a good fit for Drew.
On second thought… let the door hit you on your way out JD! You might injure your pinky or something and THEN where would you be! lol…
without his inky, he would tye like this
i have been away from my laptop all day.. i am barely hearing from this..i hope mike marshall jr leaves.. gives us more money to go out and get a real power hitter.. who in there right mind would give him more than he is already earning.. there is no way i want this bum back on the team next year..
In spite of Drew's numbers last year, I was wishing that we could move him to some other team during the off-season. Now he's GONE! WONDERFUL! It just opens up some real possibilities, and I'm delighted over whatever Ned can do with the freed up dollars for the next three years. Good Bye, Drew – you really didn't do **** for us.
Wow! Boras strikes again. In Houston he screwed us with Beltran. Now he gets you guys with J.D. ,not that the Dodgers are any worse off. This with the many many slick deals he has pulled, is getting him rather wealthy at the expense of the Fans. This agent is out to corner the market any way he can. If I owned a team I would not do business with any of his clients. No team can be that stupid.
What! Drew gone? Break out the tinsle folks, because Christmas come early Dodger Fans! At this very moment I am bursting with joy. JD if you need any help packing your skirts and heels I can be at the stadium in about 25 minutes. I feel like doing a Toyota jump right now… I never thought I would say this, but thanks Mr. Boras. You just made my Christmas card list.
Hey Drew!!! Adios ****** ******!!!!!!!!
Beat it Drew!! I watched almost every game this year, and while I was never on the JD Drew hate-squad, that is the quietest 100 RBI season in the history of the game… and im not sorry to see him leave. I can not imagine he will get > $11M/year from anyone else, but WOW, who knows what goes through that guys mind. I, for one, want players who WANT to be Dodgers. Can anyone give an update on how Kemp is doing? that question just got A LOT more important!!!!
I am from Philly so JD/Boras
yeah,they are a lovable team.I now can honestly feel good about being a dodger fan again. JD/Boras never met a paycheck they were willing to earn. JD see fake injuries,number of games per season,haow well he hits in months ending in ER. Lets see JD/Georgia/Atlanta Braves plays for them but free agents to LA,signs contract with opt out because his wife and family want to be comfortable in LA because they are from Georgia and all.Something about handling his truths a bit carelessly! Oh yeah,Scott Bor-*** can you spell extortion. I wonder if he has ever been audited by IRS? He really does a lot to hide, I know this! Any as a Brooklyn/LA fan this a glorious day! Although I like Greg Maddux as a pitcher and is it Simon Gagne or Eric I forgot what he did! Only kidding I really thought he added something to the team. However PLEASE READ: NO PLAYER IS WORTH HAVING ON YOUR TEAM IF HE IS REPRESENTED BY SCOTT BOR-***. THERE ARE LOYALTY ISSUES WITH ALL HIS PLAYERS. What a great day to be a DODGER FAN!
Okay, so we lost the most expensive guy we had in the outfield. I wish you all could see me crying right now! hahahahaha Seriously, where is he gonna get more money than that? I've got good money that says hee goes to Boston. They just lost their version of Drew (Trot Nixon), but he wasn't nearly as whiny or injury-prone. So we trade for Vernon Wells or buy Carlos Lee, Repko in right or center, Ethier in left or right, some quality starting pitchers, and we'll be just fine. I totally disagree with the whole Nomar in RF thing. His body's falling apart and that much running would probably do him in in a hurry. Who was it that said Soriano in CF? The guy has one year experience in the OF and he doesn't really get good reads on balls. The line drives right at him would KILL him. Ask any outfielder, the line drive at you is the hardest ball to play.
JD – adios! It's been real and it's been fun, but you haven't been real fun!
pls…oh pls…dodgers should trade for vernon wells…the dodgers need a power hitter and a proven gold glove cf and wells fits the description!! he'll probably be cheaper than soriano and he's much younger.


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TYLER, TX -- 24 Hour Fitness and its parent company, Forstmann, Little and Co., have been sued by a Texas man who alleges the club refused to honor his lifetime membership while he was an active-duty member of the U.S. Navy.
The case, Shaub v. 24 Hour Fitness Worldwide Inc., was first reported in the Southeast Texas Record. Brad Shaub filed the lawsuit on Nov. 29 in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas, Tyler Division.
According to the lawsuit, Shaub purchased a 24 Hour lifetime membership in 1997 at a 24 Hour in Collin County, TX. While stationed in Hawaii, Shaub says he tried to enter a 24 Hour club but was denied access unless he signed an upgrade agreement that required an additional $10 monthly charge, which Shaub signed.
After being honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy, Shaub says that in April 2009, he signed a "special privilege agreement," which the San Ramon, CA-based company required lifetime members to sign, to secure access to 24 Hour clubs.
The suit details that beginning in the early 2000s, 24 Hour began to sub-categorize clubs to "express," "sport" and "super sport" after lifetime memberships had been sold. New sub-categories were created again after 2006, prompting 24 Hour to create the special privilege agreement for lifetime members, according to the lawsuit.
Shaub accuses 24 Hour of a breach of contract, fraudulent misrepresentation and inducement claims, negligent misrepresentation claims and that 24 Hour violated the Deceptive Trade Practices Act set forth in the Texas Business and Commerce Code. Shaub is seeking damages based on the financial harm associated with the upgrade agreement and special privilege agreement requirements set by 24 Hour.
In a statement, 24 Hour says it does not comment on pending litigation.
"Our focus remains on our commitment to making fitness accessible and affordable to people of all ages and fitness levels," 24 Hour said.
24 Hour has been sued in the past by members who claimed they had to upgrade their all-club memberships and pay higher monthly dues to use a rebranded tier of club.


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text: 1080x600_MotorcycleStorage < 1 min read Was this article helpful? thumb up icon Yes, love it! thumb down icon Eh, not really JohnVrhovnik John Vrhovnik View website Progressive Mark Explore our products menu share icon Share article menu Save article Save article Remove shared article Remove saved article Progressive Logo Progressive Explore our products ATVAutoAuto FinancingBoatBundle: Auto/HomeBundle: Auto/RentersCar ShoppingClassic CarElectronic DeviceFloodHealthHome FinancingHome RefinancingHome SecurityHomeownersHomeshareIdentity Theft ProtectionLife InsuranceMexico Auto InsuranceMotorcyclePersonal LoansPetRentersRV/TrailerTravelWedding & Event Learn more × Close menu Share article facebook Share article on Facebook twitter Share article on Twitter pinterest Share article on Pinterest link Copy article URL to clipboard https://www.progressive.com/lifelanes/adventure/motorcycle-storage-tips/attachment/1080x600_motorcyclestorage/ × Close menu RELATED ARTICLES Household 2 min A natural disaster home prep checklist bookmark bookmarked Save A natural disaster home prep checklist On the Road 2 min 2 car repairs to do on your own bookmark bookmarked Save 2 car repairs to do on your own Household 3 min 9 severe weather prep tips bookmark bookmarked Save 9 severe weather prep tips


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Moscow Ballet's Great Russian NutcrackerDecember 24, 2010 at 11:54 am | Posted in Audio, Ballet, Concert, Dance, Review, Theater/Theatre | 1 Comment
Tags: 2010, Arizona, Ballet, Christmas, Comerica Theatre, Dance, Great Russian Nutcracker, Moscow Ballet, Phoenix, Review, Russian
This was my first time seeing an actual Russian ballet troupe. I've seen plenty of other ballet troupes over the years. I've seen San Diego and Phoenix troupes live, and San Francisco and New York casts on television around the holidays. I've always wanted to see how the Russians compared, as it has always seemed that all troupes are compared to them.
I can't expound on the subtleties of just how Russian ballet differs from what I have seen before; as I'm not familiar with the intricacies and technicalities of the art. I can tell you, that it is different; albeit ever so slightly.
The object of the game remains the same. Tell a story through dance, without words. Moscow Ballet did that superbly. The story of The Nutcracker is easy to follow and is loved by children and adults alike.
The choreographer of this show really played well to each athlete's abilities. Their strengths were showcased very well, whether it was one of the ballerinas running pas de bourrée, or one of the danseurs turning fouetté; each movement was executed very well.
The Moscow troupe itself was joined by a small army of local children for some of the larger scenes, and they also did very well; you could tell they were thrilled with the whole experience.
The scenery was done mostly via backdrops, and the show was well lit. The audio however had an annoying tape hiss. That seemed odd; considering classical music is readily available in some of the highest definition recording formats around. I would like to see this troupe perform with a symphony orchestra, but I understand that's difficult as most of the cities on the tour have their symphonies doing their own shows around Christmas time and its prohibitively expensive to tour with your own.
I would definitely recommend you check this show out when it comes to your neck of the woods. Its definitely a great time, and is a great way to introduce your little ones to some culture.
What to wear: Dress how you like, within reason. Since there is no symphony involved, formal attire is not required. Most people at the show were dressed nicely. Men wore slacks or khakis with dress shirts, women were in skirts, dresses or slacks with matching tops. No ball gowns or tuxes were present, that I could see. I'd stay a step above blue jeans and t-shirts, but I wouldn't go overboard.
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Where will YOU draw the line? NO COMPLACENCY!
Excerpt from Michael Badnarik's constitution class.
Where will YOU draw the line?
complacency is always dangerous. never comply to constitutional violations.
What an amazing speaker.
This is an excerpt from Michael Badnarik's constitution class.
Full video available here: http://archive.org/details/Michael_Badnarik
Michael Badnarik Quotes: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/michael_badnarik.html
"Gun bans disarm victims, putting them at the mercy of murderers or terrorists who think nothing of breaking the gun laws."
"The first lines of defense against criminals are the victims themselves."
The thumbnail is from the holocaustresearchproject.org and depicts an SS soldier in a concentration camp, striking a Jewish inmate who is crawling in front of him while trying to carry a block of stone on his shoulders.
image available here http://tiny.cc/ss_jew_stone


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Introducing Sweet Tweaks, a New Serious Eats Bake-Along Contest Recipe
Always adding or substituting ingredients, adjusting techniques and altering presentations, I tend to see recipes as malleable inspiration more than rigid structure. Following your comments from week to week, I get the sense that many of you are the same way.
With you recipe-hackers in mind, we're creating a forum to tweak and tinker to your hearts' content, gain inspiration from others, and vie for the chance to win the honor of Sweet Tweak of the Week.
Beginning this week, we'll post a new, fairly basic recipe rife with possibility. Over the weekend, we'll leave it to you to add new flavors, apply unique techniques, create novel juxtapositions, titillating presentations and otherwise do your thing to transform our ordinary recipe into some truly serious eats.
Our only rule is that the original recipe must remain recognizable in the finished product and/or description—no lime-gelatin molds if we've provided a recipe for coconut bread pudding.
When you've finished tweaking the week's recipe, submit a brief description of your creation (30 words, maximum) and an image of it (this is not required but will significantly increase your chances of winning) by 10 a.m. Monday morning. Monday afternoon we will post submissions for voting, and Wednesday afternoon we'll announce the winner: the Sweet Tweak of the Week.
The Inaugural Sweet Tweak: Caramel Popcorn
With so much recent talk of candy and corn and candy corn, let's focus on candied corn, more specifically, caramel popcorn.
Manipulate the flavor of caramel popcorn—use it as a coating or a component in a dessert, sculpt it, pulverize it, whatever, just be creative and have fun, and don't forget to take a photo or two if you can. Happy tweaking!
How to Enter
Get the Recipe: It follows, after the jump. Then tweak it in some way, as described above
Submit your Sweet Tweak to: [email protected]
Include: A brief description (30 words or thereabouts)—and a photo or two, if possible
Deadline: 10 a.m. ET, Monday, October 20, 2008
What's New On Serious Eats
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil (26g)
- 1/3 cup popping corn (~80g)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (84g)
- 1/4 cup corn syrup (80g)
- 1 cup sugar (210g)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Line a two baking sheets with silicone baking sheets or lightly greased aluminum foil and set aside.
Place a large pot over medium high heat. Add cooking oil and a few kernels of the corn and cover. When kernels begin to pop, add the remaining popping corn. Cover pot and shake regularly until all kernels have popped. Remove lid and remove pot from heat, but leave popcorn in warm pot.
Melt butter in large sauce pan or small stock pot (you'll need plenty of room to stir the popcorn around at the end) over medium-high heat. Add corn syrup and sugar and stir continuously with a heatproof spoon or spatula until mixture begins to boil.
At the boil, stop stirring and allow mixture to continue to boil until it turns a light blonde color with spots of amber beginning to appear (300F), about 5 minutes.
Add salt and soda to sugar mixture and stir well to distribute.
Turn off the heat, and add reserved popcorn to mixture, stirring quickly and gently until sugar mixture is evenly distributed. Immediately turn popcorn out onto prepared trays, spreading the pieces out as much as possible while caramel coating is still very hot. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container for several days.
This Recipe Appears InReminder: Sweet Tweaks Contest Deadline Monday
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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Thibault Imbert just blogged about the release of Flash Player 10.1.82.76 which includes support for H.264 GPU Decoding on the Mac.
You should notice now a nice difference when playing H.264 content on your Mac in terms of CPU usage. We rarely enable new features in security releases but we really wanted to enable such a cool feature. For more details about it, Tinic already posted about this.
Some of you may remember talk of a Flash Player "Gala" that was put out as a beta right before Flash Player 10.1 was released. The GPU decoding didn't make it into the 10.1 release so we had to wait for a security release to add it. That security release is here and it should make quite a bit of difference for Mac users who are playing H.264 video through the Flash Player.


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Welcome to Elgin Books and Coffee where you'll find the largest selection of Used, Hard-to-find and Out-of-print books in the Fox Valley.
Over 50,000 titles in stock!
You can search our data base for titles you're interested in at our amazon.com storefront. If you can't find what you're looking for, then just give us a call or send us a note and we'll do our best to assist you in finding it!
Also, we encourage you stop by the store and browse through our new selections. Or, just treat yourself to one of our many special coffees and a tasty treat!
We look forward to seeing you soon and thanks for visiting our website!


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Welcome to Goal Setting Guide
Goal Setting Treatment Goals Article
For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
The Importance Of Family Literacy Goal Settingfrom: Jim Holden - Staff Writer
According to statistics, only 46 percent of parents in America today take the time to read to their children. This means that less than half of the children in America today are exposed to literature. This, of course, affects family literacy. Family literacy goal setting is a way to boost the literacy of people all over the country.
What is family literacy goal setting? In a nutshell, it is an activity wherein a family sets a certain goal in order to improve their reading and writing abilities. What are the methods used in family literacy goal setting?
1) Book reading – some families engage in book reading activities as part of the family literacy goal setting. These families work their way up from simple books to complicated novels. They set book goals to help them keep track of their progress. This can be done as a family or as an individual activity. This method of family literacy goal setting can be fun and effective.
2) Word games – one popular method in family literacy goal setting is through the use of word games. Games like scrabble and boggle helps families nurture literacy and have fun at the same time. Word games can be used in family literacy goal setting by making use of the scores as measurements of a person's progress.
What is the importance of family literacy goal setting?
a) Family literacy goal setting allows you to see clearly your target. The first step towards hitting a goal is looking at the goal. Family literacy goal setting allows people to understand their goal. This will help them realize whether their goals are challenging enough and whether their goals are truly attainable.
b) Family literacy goal setting shows you the first step to take towards a goal. When you set a literacy goal, you are immediately given an idea of how to attain that goal. This is because family literacy goal setting involves understanding just how attainable a goal is. In doing so, you automatically search for any steps to take in order to get that goal.
c) Family literacy goal setting gives a family a chance to bond. The main reason why only a few parents today make the effort to read to their children is the fact that they feel that it just takes too much time. The world today moves very fast. People are always in a rush to do different things. Machines take the place of human beings in taking care of their children. Family literacy goal setting gives parents a chance to reconnect with their kids. Because of family literacy goal setting, families can go back to the basics and start spending time together.
d) Family literacy goal setting develops commitment. A part of goal setting is commitment. When people commit themselves to a goal, they are willing to do everything in their power to achieve that goal. This develops a person's character. Commitment takes a lot of strength of spirit. By setting goals, people can develop the strength of will required to overcome any obstacle.
e) Family literacy goal setting develops abilities. The main purpose of family literacy goal setting is to nurture the ability to read and write. By developing this ability, people open their selves up for a whole new world of opportunity. Thus, they find the means to develop their full potentials.


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LOS ANGELES — He called two black hecklers the "n-word" and enthusiastically referenced a time when blacks were often victims of civil rights abuses, but Michael Richards said his verbal barrage during a stand-up routine was fueled by anger and not bigotry.
"For me to be at a comedy club and flip out and say this crap, I'm deeply, deeply sorry," the former "Seinfeld" co-star said during a satellite appearance for David Letterman's "Late Show" in New York.
"I'm not a racist. That's what's so insane about this," Richards said, his tone becoming angry and frustrated as he defended himself.
Richards described himself as going into "a rage" over the two audience members who interrupted his act Friday at the Laugh Factory in West Hollywood.
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His explanation was reminiscent of Mel Gibson's assertion that he wasn't anti-Semitic after he let off a barrage of Jewish slurs during a traffic stop last summer: despite what came out of his mouth, that's not what is inside him.
Industry colleagues were in no hurry to accept Richards' apology.Video: Stand-up erupts into racist name-calling
"Once the word comes out of your mouth and you don't happen to be African-American, then you have a whole lot of explaining," comedian Paul Rodriguez, who was at the Laugh Factory during Richards' performance, told CNN. "Freedom of speech has its limitations and I think Michael Richards found those limitations."
Veteran publicist Michael Levine, whose clients have included comedians George Carlin, Sam Kinison and Rodney Dangerfield, called Richards' remarks inexcusable. Comics often face hecklers without losing their cool, he said.
"I've never seen anything like this in my life," Levine said Monday. "I think it's a career ruiner for him. ... It's going to be a long road back for him, if at all."
Stand-up act turns unfunny
His Laugh Factory tirade began after the two clubgoers shouted at him that he wasn't funny. A videotape of the incident was posted on TMZ.com.
Richards retorted: "Shut up! Fifty years ago we'd have you upside down with a [expletive] fork up your a--."
He then paced across the stage taunting the men for interrupting his show, peppering his speech with racial slurs and profanities.
"You can talk, you can talk, you're brave now [expletive]. Throw his a-- out. He's a n-----!" Richards shouts before repeating the racial epithet over and over again.
Video: 'Kramer' an anti-Semite? Moderating his tone at one point, Richards tells the audience, "It shocks you, it shocks you" and refers to "what lays buried."
While there is some chuckling in the audience throughout the outburst, someone can be heard gasping "Oh my God" and people respond with "ooh" after Richards uses the n-word.
Eventually someone calls out: "It's not funny. That's why you're a reject, never had no shows, never had no movies. 'Seinfeld,' that's it."
Richards deserved the chance to apologize, Jerry Seinfeld said on the "Late Show."
"He's someone that I love and I know how shattered he is about" what happened, Seinfeld said.
At one point, however, Richards grew flustered and expressed second thoughts about appearing on the program when his use of the term "Afro-American" caused some audience members to laugh.
"I'm hearing your audience laugh and I'm not even sure that this is where I should be addressing the situation," he said.
Richards, 57, who played Seinfeld's eccentric neighbor Kramer on the hit 1989-98 sitcom, hadn't spoken publicly about his remarks before "Late Show."
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Archive for Thursday, September 8, 2011
Volunteers flock to Holy-Field Winery in Basehor to help harvest
September 8, 2011
Photo Gallery
Harvest 'Picking Sunday' at Holy-Field
Volunteer harvesters helped pick grapes at Holy-Field Vineyard and Winery in Basehor at one of the winery's "Picking Sundays" on Sept. 4.
Early on a cool, sunny September morning, a crowd of about 150 people gathers on the edge of the 16-acre Holy-Field Vineyard and Winery grounds in Basehor. They're here to provide free labor.
Michelle Meyer admits that when you put it that way, Holy-Field's annual volunteer harvest "Picking Sundays" might sound a little fishy.
"A lot of people think I'm pulling some kind of scheme or something," Meyer said, laughing.
But that's not quite the truth, said Meyer, who owns the vineyard along with her father, Les.
Yes, it's true that she and her father, the lone field workers at Holy-Field for most of the year, could never pull off the fall grape harvest on their own. But the throngs of volunteer harvesters, in addition to allowing the Meyers to pick their grapes quickly enough to mash them while they're still fresh, get a great time out of it. They must, anyway, because so many of them come back, she said.
"I've had people that have been coming forever," Meyer said. "I have people that come every single year. I have people that come every single weekend."
Many of those harvest veterans were out among the vines tossing grape clusters into buckets on Sunday, when the pickers combed the vines for white Melody grapes, used to make Holy-Field's wine of the same name.
Kevin Holy of Overland Park said he'd come out to the harvest every year since 1999, coming out with different groups of family members numbering as many as 15 people (and no, Holy is not related to the winery's owners in any way).
Each year, he said, he and his siblings gather at his mother's house after the lunch that concludes the harvest, where they sample Holy-Field wines.
"We come out just to have fun," Holy said. "The food is great. Then you get a free T-shirt, and you spend $50 on wine."
John Fiore of Eudora said the Holy-Field harvest had become a tradition for his family, as well. Family members from Minnesota and South Dakota come down for the event each year.
"It's definitely a unique experience that you don't get in many places," Fiore said. "And the food at the end and good wine doesn't hurt, either."
By his side, Fiore's 3-year-old daughter Miranda furrowed her brow in concentration, focusing on a cluster of grapes hidden within the vines as she wiggled her shears into position. The first time the family came to the harvest, five years ago, she was still "in her mama's belly," Fiore said.
"It's good to show the kids where food comes from," Fiore said.
Brothers Evan and Adam Mack of Shawnee, ages 5 and 3 respectively, were also enjoying themselves as they angled for the best grape clumps to snip, their mother Kristy said.
"I'm good at picking!" Adam proclaimed as he threw a cluster into his bucket.
Meyer said children were often quite enthusiastic about the harvest.
"I've watched a lot of little kids come out here year after year and grow up," Meyer said.
Amy Cline of Wichita visited Holy-Field for the first time Sunday. She and a friend from St. Louis were looking for an attraction between their two homes where they could meet, and they found out about Holy-Field's "Picking Sundays" online.
"It's just a pretty day and a chance to have fun with my friend," Cline said. "It is kind of fun to see the origin of the process. I certainly enjoy the end result, so I might as well participate in the origin."
Meyer said that the sense of participation and opportunity to learn about the wine-making process provided by the harvests made it a great experience for many volunteers — along with the free lunch that comes afterward.
"It gives people pride in something local," Meyer said. "It gives them a lot of ownership in something they enjoy. And then later they can come back and get their wine and say, 'Hey, I helped with this.'"
The harvesters collected about four tons of grapes on Sunday, Meyer said, enough to make about 600 gallons of wine. Altogether this fall, she and her father expect to harvest about 45 tons of grapes, she said. The Melody wine produced from the grapes picked Sunday should be on sale by about Thanksgiving.
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The Quarterback Club, a Hope College tradition for over 30 years, will hold its first luncheon of the football season on Monday, Sept. 26 in the auditorium of the Maas Center.
The luncheons, which begin at noon, are held Mondays throughout the MIAA portion of the season/
Featured will be head coach Dean Kreps who will show highlights of the previous game and preview the next opponent. Players and coaches will be guest.
The buffet luncheon cost $9.50. No advance reservations are required.


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Chad Washington, the Columbia student who was accused of an assault and alleged hate crime against a male Asian-American student last year, recently had his case dismissed by the New York City Criminal Court. Despite what some might think, this is good news.
This incident is, after all, about more than whether or not Chad Washington should be punished. It has more to do with race relations on this campus. At the risk of sounding inflammatory, I will say that Columbia—maybe we could say the Ivy League as a whole—appears to have a race problem. To find examples of this, we need only to look at a few statistics, and dig a little into Columbia history.
During the infamous protests of 1968, when Columbia students occupied Hamilton Hall and Low Library, part of what made the situation so tense was that black students at Columbia had very different demands from white students. As both black and white students occupied Hamilton Hall, their agendas began to diverge—black students wanted to focus more on fighting the construction of a gym in Morningside Park, while white students wanted to stop aiding the defense technology, which escalated tension between white and black students. Shortly thereafter, the white students moved their occupation to Low Library.
Today, it looks like students of color continue to feel alienated from the white-dominant culture on campus. Gerardo Romo's piece ("Legacies of trauma," Oct. 21) earlier last year addressed this point by arguing that students of color and queer students seemed to have more severe mental health issues on campus. Overly dismissive op-ed responses published in Spectator from students who did not share Romo's identity or view seemed to further the point that race relations on campus were not as good as they may seem.
College graduation statistics also point to the continued alienation of students of color via alienation's effects on graduation rates. A recent article published in The Dartmouth shows that only 85 percent of black students graduated in the class of 2011, compared to almost 97 percent of white students. Statistics for Native American students were even lower.
Columbia's graduation statistics by demographic aren't available online, but the same article does suggest that Columbia and other Ivy League institutions have similar distributions in their graduation rates.
So, within the context of racial marginalization and alienation on Columbia's campus, what did it mean for a young man like Washington—who, statistically and historically, is part of one of the most vulnerable populations on this campus and in the United States as a whole—to allegedly perform this kind of violence onto another student who may also feel excluded and alienated based on his ethnicity?
The alleged assault was a product of a history of race relations between black and Asian students and people at Columbia and beyond.
The Model Minority myth used to homogenize and praise Asian Americans hinges on a particular form of anti-blackness. In other words, the logic of the Model Minority myth goes, if Asians can come to this country with nothing and be successful (to an extent, of course—the glass ceiling still exists), why can't black people do it? Why can't Latinos pull themselves up by their bootstraps? The Model Minority myth draws strict boundaries on who are "good" or desirable people of color (Asian Americans), with the result that by contrast, blacks in particular (but arguably also Latinos and Native Americans) are seen as "bad" or undesirable people of color.
The struggles of Asian Americans who continue to be marginalized are covered up by this myth, just as the historical and structural oppressions black Americans continue to face are covered up.
So when an incident like Washington's alleged assault happens at Columbia, it probably has something to do with the broader race relations on this campus and the simmering racial tension in the United States. It probably has to do with continuous historical and structural oppression on Asian and black communities. It's likely that it has something to do with the way in which many white and heterosexual students dismissed Romo's observations about the different experiences of people of color and queer students on this campus.
In other words, this incident has little to do with the personal bigotry of Washington and more with the way in which racism works today.
It's not that I think that Washington should not be held accountable for his actions. He should be. However, punishing Washington doesn't address the system of racism that still exists. The answer to how we can focus on dismantling our racist practices and society is complicated, and I'm not going to pretend to provide a solution for this problem. I can, maybe, suggest strategies. And one strategy to dismantle the race problem at Columbia might be to look at the everyday ways in which students of color face structural oppression on this campus and at our everyday practices that perpetuate racism.
As long as we focus solely on the individual racist as the root of the problem instead of the racist society, hate crimes will continue to occur.
David Abud-Sturbaum is a Columbia College senior majoring in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African studies. Much Abud About Nothing runs alternate Mondays.
To respond to this column, or to submit an op-ed, contact firstname.lastname@example.com.


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COMP GCBS commenencement ceremonies. Keynote speaker: H. Roger Hadley, MD
Dean of the School of Medicine
Loma Linda University
Specialty interests: Neurourology, urodynamics, urinary incontinence and female urology Dr. Hadley received his urology residency training at University of California, Los Angeles, and completed a fellowship in neurourology, urodynamics, and female urology at UCLA. Dr. Hadley joined the LLU School of Medicine faculty in 1983 and served as the chief of urology from 1990 until 2002, when he was named the Dean of the School of Medicine. Dr. Hadley is certified by both the American Board of Urology and the American Board of Surgery.


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CT Courses
Terror Analysis
Translation Team
CeifiT is offering various services as a part of the ongoing fight against global terroism: comprehensive terror analysis, professional counselling, CT courses and lectures.
Abdullah Azam brigades- a multinational Al Qaeda affiliated terrorist group operating in the Middle East region- Has launched its first terrorist operation in the Gulf region,probably using its Saudi branch, and conducted a suicide mission targeting a Japanease oil tanker along the straits of Hormooz
Recent elimination of prominent figures of the military committee of Al Qaeda forced the organization to take significant steps in order to over come these setbacks and rehabilitate its chain of command. It seems that the most dominant development with this regard is the release of Saif Al Adil from custody in Iran and his return to the Afghanistan/Pakistan border zone.
It is still too early to determine who was behind the attempt to detonate an explosive device on flight 253 to Detroit, but early indications suggest the bomber was not acting alone nor on his own initiative.
Strong indications suggest that Saleh al-Somali, a senior Al-Qaeda operations planner responsible for plotting attack in the global arena, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in northwest Pakistan earlier this week.
Domestic threat level rising in the US, but so are counter-terror capabilities; Read CeifiT's OP-ED published at YnetNews.com
A CeifiT special report about the interim balance and current status of Al-Qaeda and the different Global Jihad elements and entities still operating, seven years after the September 11th attacks.
Follow CeifiT on Twitter
Ceifit | Phone: +972-77-4989563 | Fax: +972-77-4989563 | firstname.lastname@example.com


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Patch 5.0.4 Cool Stuff #4 - Stag stacking
Unfortunately they fixed this bug I heard, but I would have LOOOOOVED to take a screenshot of this! So I'm not sure if it comes under cool stuff, but it probably is on par with Mataoka's cats which are rats in Dalaran.
|Screenshot courtesy of redditbot of Images
|Image from derbol on MMO-Champion


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Special Price:
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Fully submersible aquarium heater with TruTemp technology from Eheim.
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The BRS team will respond to your question as soon as possible. The best questions will be shared on this page to help other reefers in the future.
You'll be the first to know about sales, specials, new products, the latest BRSTV episodes and win free prizes!
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National Center for Telehealth and Technology
PE Coach lets service people and veterans suffering from PTSD to assess symptoms, record therapy sessions, receive reminders and more.
The military has released a new mobile app designed for post-traumatic stress disorder patients in a therapy known as prolonged exposure.
PE Coach was developed by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs and offers users a mobile way of assessing symptoms, recording therapy sessions, receiving reminders for homework and appointments and learning more about PTSD.
The app is available on Apple and Android devices, but is advised for use only when a patient is receiving professional prolonged exposure therapy.
That type of treatment focuses on "exposure practice," or approaching situations the patient has been avoiding because they seem unsafe or are related to the trauma that brought on PTSD. For veterans, this might include avoiding crowded public places or congested traffic. The treatment also involves revisiting the traumatic memory with a clinician in order to learn how to better handle the stressful feelings that it raises.
Part of the therapy, Dr. Greg Reger, a clinical psychologist at DOD's National Center for Telehealth and Technology, told NBC News, is recording each therapy session and listening to it daily in order to overcome fear around those situations. Traditionally, Reger said, patients would leave an appointment with CD recordings and several sheets of paper to help complete daily homework assignments that include confronting an anxiety-inducing scenario.
"Our patients don't avoid (homework assignments) because they don't want to get better," Reger said, "but any inconvenience provides an excuse not to do something even if it helps you get better."
Related: Combat to corporate: PTSD stigma blocks some veterans
Related: First opera about Iraq War reaches out to veterans suffering from PTSD
Patients, for example, might find it difficult to listen to the recording if the only CD player available to them is in a car. They might also feel self-conscious about taking notes in public after going into a crowded mall or driving through rush hour traffic, but PE Coach allows a patient to type descriptions directly into the phone. The app, Reger said, is a "dramatic shift" in how convenient it is to stick to daily therapy.
Since a quiet pre-release in March, the app has been downloaded more than 2,000 times. A separate DOD and VA app called PTSD Coach, which was designed for wide use, has been downloaded more than 66,000 times since last year.
Reger said the app would be used by many VA and DOD mental health clinicians who are trained in prolonged exposure therapy.
The ability of the app to capture the homework data, even time-stamping when a patient listened to the therapy recordings, helps clinicians monitor the success of the treatment in ways he or she couldn't do before, Reger said.
"We want to celebrate the response they've had because of their hard work."
Rebecca Ruiz is a reporter at NBC News and a 2011-2012 Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Journalism Fellow. Follow her on Twitter here.
More content from NBCNews.com:
- Eagle Scouts return badges to protest ban on gays
- Woman charged with murder in husband's slaying outside Dunwoody day care
- Study: Dispersants in Gulf could damage marine food web
- Man in Batman theater scare blames misunderstanding
- Video: RV driver backs into neighbor's pool
Follow US News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook


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It will be hard to overlook Bridget Sloan anymore. A national title can do that for a woman.
The 17-year-old from Indianapolis took her spot alongside the greatest names in American gymnastics Saturday, winning U.S. championships in a come-from-behind effort that was as much about her unrelenting tenacity as her surprising grace.
Sloan, a member of last year's Olympic silver-medal team, opened the meet in a hole after falling off the balance beam on her first routine Thursday, but overcame Ivana Hong and Rebecca Bross, who both train in North Texas, with seven straight solid routines after that.
Sports Connection
Connecting you to your favorite North Texas sports teams as well as sports news around the globe.
She finished with 117.55 points to beat out Hong by 0.3 and Bross by 0.95.
"It's what I always wanted to do forever, to be able to put on a big show for everyone, it's awesome," Sloan said.
The top three all closed the night on vault with the exact same jump -- a laid-out flip with two twists -- and though Bross' and Hong's were better, they weren't enough to overcome the 0.55-point lead Sloan built through the floor exercise.
Defending Olympic champion Nastia Liukin reprised her beam routine from Thursday night with a better result, eliminating some wobbles and tentativeness to score a 14.7, 0.25 better than in her debut. She is rounding into shape after taking most of the year off.
Liukin and Sloan are both favorites to be on the four-woman team that heads to London for world championships in October. Liukin is trying to win her 10th worlds medal to surpass Shannon Miller as the most decorated American gymnast in history.
"She has some things that aren't where they usually are," national team coordinator Martha Karolyi said. "But with two more months, she should be able to accomplish it."
Other choices won't be as easy, though Hong and Bross are both squarely in the mix. Both train with Liukin at World Olympic Gymnastics Academy in Plano, the gym that has produced the last two Olympic champions -- Liukin and Carly Patterson.
Bross came into the day with the lead, but the 16-year-old lost her grip with one of her hands on the opening uneven bars routine, then fell completely off moments later.
"I wasn't really nervous. It was just one of those things that happened," she said.
Those mistakes put Hong in the lead briefly and she made her way through a clean night of gymnastics, but not as high-flying as Sloan's.
Still, this wasn't a bad night for Bross or Hong, each of whom are rounding back into form after injuries. Hong's ankle injury kept her off the Olympic team last year. She was vying for the final spot, which went to Sloan.
Sloan said she's never shied from the underdog role that naturally came competing on a team with Liukin, Shawn Johnson, a showwoman like Alicia Sacramone and the rest.
"My name wasn't really known until last summer at the Olympics," Sloan said. "I know that. But that's OK."
She has a big fan in Karolyi, who thinks her long lines and graceful precision will play well with international judges. She has also become more consistent than when she was 15 and just getting into the mix. That consistency earned her the spot on the Olympic team.
"In 2007, she was a little timid and would get nervous. But this is a different Bridget," Karolyi said. "The exact lines, the preciseness. She needs to add a few extra things, but I'm happy with this."


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They wanted to give him a sense of accomplishment.
Becoming a US Army Ranger is one of the hardest things a person can do. It requires courage and immense strength.
But Master Sergeant Alexander Barnett - who can march miles a day wearing a 50-pound pack and do more than 50 pushups per minute – thinks Riley can teach him a few things about being tough.
Barnett met Riley when the 14-year-old asked Make-A-Wish® if he could see how the Rangers train. The 16-year Army veteran was often awed by the teen diagnosed with a life-threatening respiratory condition, as he ran him through drills at Camp James E. Rudder - where the Rangers tackle the swamp phase of their training.
"I was shocked that he asked to do this," Barnett tells reporters. "He's a city boy. He could've asked to go to the Super Bowl."
Watching movies like Black Hawk Down and Band of Brothers inspired Riley to research the physically and mentally exhausting training Rangers endure. That led him to the 6th Ranger Training Battalion - the secluded camp houses for Ranger trainees and instructors during the final phase of their training.
Fortunately, Riley didn't have to arrive like the other students: by parachute.
But that doesn't mean his hosts planned for him to be a spectator. They started slowly, seeing how he reacted to challenges like crawling in mud and crossing a rope bridge in frigid water. They wanted to give him a sense of accomplishment and see how he far he wanted to push himself.
"We pushed him to the limit, and he was awesome," said Master Sergeant Jose Marengo. "That boy's got nothing to prove. He's tough."
Marengo didn't even deduct points when Riley decided not to rappel.
"That was too scary," Riley tells The Bayonet, a newspaper covering Ft. Benning. "I just couldn't do it."
During his training Riley floats through a swamp on a Zodiac inflatable boat and watches as 64 Rangers parachuted from a C-130 airplane at night. He also does a practice jump from a mockup of a C-130.
On graduation day at Fort Benning, Riley's mother pins the Ranger tab to the custom uniform the Rangers gave him. He recites the Ranger creed from memory. And does his best to keep his eyes dry…along with his mentor, Marengo.
"I wasn't the only one," Marengo insisted.
We pushed him to the limit, and he was awesome. That boy's got nothing to prove. He's tough.
Share this quote
Master Sergeant Jose Marengo
This story makes me feel
I never thought this would be a wish for one so young, but the longer I think on it, I would have wished the same at his age. How many people can say they trained with the US Army Rangers!
October 01, 2007 - 8:03 PM
As someone who recently joined the Army, I must say that this is very inspiring!
December 06, 2007 - 1:25 PM
i love this
April 23, 2014 - 10:23 AM
Duchenne muscular dystrophy
I wish to be in the military
soft-tissue cancer
I wish to be a pilot
pulmonary disease
I wish to be a Marine
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December 3, 2018
215 E Ettels Lane, Clarksville, Indiana, 47129
From I-65, take exit two North onto Eastern Boulevard. At the fourth stoplight, take a left onto Ettels Lane. FSBC is on the right, just before Clarksville Middle School.
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I am creating a 3d flying game and using DXUTCamera for my view.
I can get the camera to take on the characters position, But I would like to view my character in the 3rd person.
Here is my code for first person view:
//Put the camera on the object.
D3DXVECTOR3 viewerPos;
D3DXVECTOR3 lookAtThis;
D3DXVECTOR3 up ( 5.0f, 1.0f, 0.0f );
D3DXVECTOR3 newUp;
D3DXMATRIX matView;
//Set the viewer's position to the position of the thing.
viewerPos.x = character->x; viewerPos.y = character->y;
viewerPos.z = character->z;
// Create a new vector for the direction for the viewer to look
D3DXVECTOR3 newDir, lookAtPoint;
D3DXVec3TransformCoord(&newDir, &character->initVecDir,
// set lookatpoint
D3DXVec3Normalize(&lookAtPoint, &newDir);
lookAtPoint.x += viewerPos.x;
lookAtPoint.y += viewerPos.y;
lookAtPoint.z += viewerPos.z;
g_Camera.SetViewParams(&viewerPos, &lookAtPoint);
So does anyone have an ideas how I can move the camera to the third person view? preferably timed so there is a smooth action in the camera movement. (I'm hoping I can just edit this code instead of bringing in another camera class)


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Perhaps the most telling statistic about the Affordable Care Act as the controversial law turns four years old on Sunday is this: 70 percent of Americans still don't know they could get their healthcare subsidized under the law.
But for those who do understand what the law is, what it does, and how it's changing life in America, Obamacare's 4th anniversary is a major turning point for the biggest federal entitlement expansion since the 1960s.
To illustrate the stakes, nearly 40 "Moral Monday" protesters were arrested in Atlanta this week as they disrupted capitol proceedings to complain about Republican lawmakers opting the state out of the law's Medicaid expansion.
President Obama meanwhile lauded the law's impact on healthcare for women while Republican party chairman Reince Priebus called it a "poisonous issue" for the ruling party in Washington, which has to face Obamacare's liabilities in its defense of a Senate majority in November.
While Democrats pushed the law's myriad benefits ahead of the March 31 deadline to sign up – 5 million Americans have signed up, short of a 7 million goal – others, like top Internet aggregator Matt Drudge, announced they had paid the first Obamacare tax – which he dubbed "Liberty Tax" – for opting out of the law.
(The $95-per-adult penalty doesn't take effect until next year, but small business owners like Drudge who send quarterly installments to the Treasury are technically on the hook now. That penalty fee ramps up considerably in following years.)
Given the Democrats' truth-twisting in campaign tidbits like "If you like your health insurance, you can keep your health insurance" – in fact, lots of people were dropped from their health plans – the law will likely only become more irresistible to Republicans as unintended consequences pile up.
"Millions of Americans have personally discovered that they can't keep their coverage, can't afford their premiums, can't see their doctor, and can't work as many hours," wrote Sen. John Barrasso (R) of Wyoming on Fox News.
Passed along partisan lines in 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act makes it illegal for insurance companies to turn people away for preexisting conditions, allows parents to keep their kids on policies until age 26, and mandates that all American adults buy a healthcare policy or face an annual tax penalty. OK'd by the Supreme Court, the law, which primarily functions through government "healthcare exchanges," also subsidizes health care policies for low-income Americans.
After a disastrous roll-out in October, Obamacare has become the crux of the 2014 midterm elections. Unpopular among 53 percent of Americans, the law will be hard to defend in competitive districts, and could lead to a Republican takeover of the Senate.
For that reason, "it's safe to say that Democrats are going to want to ignore this anniversary," Mr. Priebus said on Friday. "The Senate is slipping away ... it seems like every day the math is expanding ... because of Obamacare, we know that Democrats are in disarray."
Indeed, a big problem for Democrats is that the math may not ultimately add up. So far, those who will primarily pay for the law's subsidies – young, healthy people – have not yet signed up at the rates Washington was hoping for, suggesting that a large percentage of Obamacare enrollees are older Americans with health problems.
"Although many households qualify for federal subsidies, many others find that the premiums in popular 'silver' plans aren't cheap compared with the modest penalties for skipping coverage," the Monitor's Mark Trumbull wrote this week.
Nevertheless, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, an architect of the law, urged nervous Democrats to strongly defend the law. "I believe that it's a winner," she said.
Four years after its passage in Congress, Obamacare looms over America as a paradox: Despite making healthcare less of a worry and financial drain for millions of Americans, it also represents for many others a creeping, even sinister, intrusion of the federal government into the lives of Americans.
"Whether the improving numbers [in Obamacare sign-ups] can be used to reshape the political climate as it relates to the health care law depends on whether Democrats on the ballot this year in competitive races have the courage to more forcefully rebut the Republican argument that the health care law is a disaster," writes John King, on CNN.
Meanwhile, the long-term problem for Republicans is that, despite its flaws and complexities, Obamacare provides real benefits that may improve its popularity as its benefits become more ubiquitous.
In New Hampshire this week, for instance, Herb Richardson, a Republican lawmaker, called Obamacare a "monstrosity," but later acknowledged the law had been a "financial lifesaver" for his family, CBS News reported.


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Curvy 3D: 40 minutes (merging and all)
Zbrush 3: 1 hour 25 minutes
..... what can I say... Curvy ROCKS!!!
I put more detail in the curvy mesh this time which really translated to an easier time when sculpting. I remember I tried doing something like this in zbrush... but working with the Zsphere's and stuff... I eventually went to something else. But making the wings and legs worked out alot easiser than what I thought. Well on my next model, I'm going to try and do something more hard surfaced. Nice job Simon. Quite stable to be just in alpha phase.


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Louis Aston Knight, Beaumont-le -Roger
Let the first act of every morning be to make the following resolve for the day:
I shall not fear anyone on Earth.
I shall fear only God.
I shall not bear ill will toward anyone.
I shall not submit to injustice from anyone.
I shall conquer untruth by truth.
And in resisting untruth,
I shall put up with all suffering.
Mahatma Gandhi
We often think of peace as the absence of war,
that if powerful countries would reduce their weapon arsenals,
we could have peace.
But if we look deeply into the weapons,
we see our own minds- our own prejudices, fears and ignorance.
Even if we transport all the bombs to the moon,
the roots of war and the roots of bombs are still there,
in our hearts and minds, and sooner or later we will make new bombs.
To work for peace is to uproot war from
ourselves and from the hearts of men and women.
To prepare for war,
to give millions of men and women the opportunity
to practice killing day and night in their hearts,
is to plant millions of seeds of violence, anger, frustration,
and fear that will be passed on for generations to come.
Thich Nhat Hanh
Instead of hating the people you think are war-makers,
hate the appetites and disorder in your own soul,
which are the causes of war.
If you love peace,
then hate injustice, hate tyranny, hate greed –
but hate these things in yourself, not in another.
Thomas Merton


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In case anyone was hoping Emelie Forsberg might take it easy after being crowned the 2014 Skyrunning ultra world champion, they're going to disappointed. Fresh from her win at the Mt Blanc 80 km race, Emelie returned home to catch up with some friends. But then she thought going for a run up Kebnekaise, Sweden's highest mountain would be a fun addition to the itinerary.
It will surprise no one that she returned from the summit having broken the overall (men's) record.
"I didn't have it in mind to go for the record when I decided to go visit my friends," she tells us. "But the idea came and so I took off. It's a super nice route with some scrambling and climbing and it was such a beautiful morning. It was so great to share the start and finish with my friends!"
"It feels pretty cool to have the overall record time – on Sweden´s highest mountain too!" she adds.
The route was 14 km and featured 1,400 m of ascent. The previous record was 2h 17m.