text:
Rx for former Smith and Wesson dealers?
FREEPORT, N.Y.—As members of the defunct Smith & Wesson Security Services dealer program face an April 30 deadline to strip away that gun manufacturer's name from all their security products, a substitute dealer program is taking shape: Security Doctors Alarm Services.
NationWide Digital Monitoring Co., which previously ran the Smith & Wesson dealer program, should have its Security Doctors dealer program fully up and running by June 1, according to Aaron Wahrsager, NationWide president.
Smith & Wesson terminated its agreement with NationWide on March 31, and dealers have until the end of this month to remove the Smith & Wesson branding from all marketing materials, web sites, uniforms, trucks and lawn signs.
About 30 of the 70 former Smith & Wesson dealers plan to join the new program, Wahrsager told Security Systems News.
Attempts to find dealers who plan to join the new program and contact them for comment were not successful by SSN's deadline.
However, two former Smith & Wesson dealers told SSN on April 27 that they will not join the new program.
Ed Berry, operations manager for Smith & Wesson Security Services E.D.S. in Clermont, Fla., told SSN that he doesn't know of any other dealers who plan to sign up, and he doesn't want to have any future dealings with NationWide.
Berry has said E.D.S. was the first dealer in Florida to sign with NationWide's Smith & Wesson program about two years ago.
But he and other dealers have told SSN that they will lose hundreds of thousands of dollars no longer being able to use their products branded with the Smith & Wesson name. They are angry at NationWide for short notice of the termination of the Smith & Wesson program and for what they say was a lack of transparency about the situation.
Wahrsager told SSN that NationWide was "blindsided like everyone else" about the ending of the licensing agreement and informed dealers as soon it could.
Wahrsager said Security Doctors—whose new web site urges customers to "schedule a house call today"—will be more cost effective for dealers than the Smith & Wesson program. He said monitoring prices will be 15 percent to 20 percent cheaper, and "the lawn signs, the decals, all that stuff, the price will be reduced to reflect the removal of the royalties and will make it just that much more enticing for dealers to come on board."
Wahrsager contends that the dealers' financial losses are mainly for lawn signs and decals and characterized them as in the hundreds of dollars, not thousands. Still, he said, "We'll do everything that we can to make it right for them," in ways such as offering monitoring credit to cover some of the dealers' losses.
NationWide and Aaron Wahrsager are among defendants facing charges in a federal lawsuit filed in connection to a $17.5 million loan made by Bank of America to New York Merchants Protective Co., Inc. (NYMP), of which Wayne Wahrsager, Aaron's father, is a principal.
The lawsuit alleges that Wayne Wahrsager and NYMP transferred "a significant portion" of the assets of New York Merchants Protective Co. Inc. to NationWide to prevent Bank of America from collecting on the unpaid loan to NYMP.
Aaron and Wayne Wahrsager deny the allegations, which Aaron Wahrsager has termed "ridiculous."
Aaron has stressed that NationWide is a separate company from NYMP.
While the lawsuit will cost money to defend, he said, it won't affect the financial stability of NationWide or the dealer program. "It's just kind of a nuisance that we have to deal with," Aaron Wahrsager said.


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Visual Arts and Technology Alumnus Brands a Career in New York City
Zak Moy was ready to pursue a career in brand management well before the completion of his B.A. in Visual Arts and Technology last spring.
"I've always found branding fascinating because it can be applied to anything, anywhere," he said. "What interests me most is being able to create visual queues that can influence social and cultural ideas."
Moy recently secured a designer position at VaynerMedia, a consulting and managing agency in New York City that supports branding on social media platforms. He is the dedicated designer for company CEO Gary Vaynerchuk and works on designing assets for social media platforms, content, advertisements, and websites. He was introduced to the company through a connection he had with another Stevens alumnus, Caroline Amaba '12, a current developer for the company.
Moy worked on special projects and pursued internships throughout his undergraduate degree to prepare for the fast-paced advertising and design industry. He was involved with several branding projects for on-campus events and clubs and developed the current branding assets for the Visual Arts and Technology program. He also studied abroad in Sydney, Australia during his junior year and secured an internship with TopSugar Creative, a creative consultancy that works in branding.
"The internship introduced me to Australian professional culture and provided me with the opportunity to design for various brands including small and large businesses in Sydney and Aboriginal cultural groups in Central Australia," he said.
In his final year at Stevens, Moy interned for the CLIO Awards, a prestigious annual event that honors creative advertising, where he prepared physical print and design submissions for judging.
"It was super cool to see design submissions from all over the world and view how other cultures, people, and industries utilize design to advertise their products and services," he said. "I also attended the award ceremony at the Museum of Natural History in New York City that May."
On campus, a faculty member asked Moy to design a logo for the 2013 Stevens Solar Decathlon team, a role which quickly led to him becoming the communications manager for the team before and during the competition.
"What started as a logo turned out to be a full-time contract position after graduation to create graphics and manage the project's branding, publicity, and social media," he said. "I also participated in the reconstruction of Ecohabit in Irvine, California, and remained there for a month as a public speaker, publicity head person, and head of our public exhibit throughout the competition."
Moy believes that his coursework and Stevens' philosophy of innovation and entrepreneurship has helped him to succeed in his career.
"My classes in the Visual Arts and Technology program built a strong foundation based on a hybrid of design theory and technical skill," he said. "Through classes, research projects, internship opportunities, and the people at Stevens, I have learned that the key to any great designer, engineer, or entrepreneur is smart, creative thinking. Stevens offered me not only a solid foundation of fundamental skills, but room to explore the boundaries of what makes great design possible."

subset: commoncrawl


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Basically inseparable, sales & marketing most often seem to completely misunderstand each other. Marketing, loaded with creative talent, big thinkers and sometimes a budget to back that up, creates tools, information and events that can make or break a brand, a launch, a quarter. Sales, always on the go, focused on low hanging fruit, relationships and quotas provide the revenue that can make or break the company. So how can such a close pairing, like steak and cabernet sauvignon, so often be on completely separate, parallel, uncomplimentary tracks with each other?
The product
The team/company
The Goal
The job
The how, when, where, who…
The mindset
Since I worked first in marketing then in sales in the wine industry, I'm currently fascinated with seamlessly tying the two halves together to function as a successful, profitable wine sales & marketing unit. With input from colleagues and customers, I look forward to a thoughtful and provocative conversation that offers a basic and varied set of solutions here. Digital marketing, social media and e-commerce have changed the way we shop, buy, research and share. Internet opportunities, apps and experiments pop up and multiply quickly so I look forward to evaluating them for the wine industry here as well.
Your comments are essential.
Thanks for participating.
PS. In the series to follow, data from the Forbes article that also referred to sales & marketing as Mars & Venus (an apt comparison) will be posted and referenced with valuable details about marketing lead generation and sales response time.


text:
What's Happening at SRI International
Cell-Targeted Cancer Drug Delivery
Novel treatments for cancer depend on the ability to modulate aberrant cellular pathways and effectively deliver therapeutics to the tumor. SRI is using cell-targeting peptides to deliver active therapeutic cargo to specific cells in vivo.
Internet of Things (IoT) Security and Privacy Center
The Center conducts research and development aimed at providing IoT developers, integrators, and users with effective tools and methods for building and managing secure, privacy-preserving and maintainable IoT systems.
Keeping Astronauts Out of Harm's Way
SRI provides a rare capability to quickly track tens of thousands of objects in near-Earth space to keep astronauts, equipment and satellites out of harm's way. Our custom imaging equipment can track objects as small as a basketball from more than 20,000 miles away.
Bridging Professional Development
Innovative methods based on improvisational theater help teachers better support mathematical argumentation, one of the Common Core practice standards.


text:
Crime keeps paying for Shawn Ryan.
Ryan, the Rockford, Ill., native behind hit cop drama "The Shield," has a new TV project in the works -- and it's all about the police and politics of the Windy City.
Fox has purchased the pilot for "Ridealong," a new drama series from Ryan. While there's no filming date set, if the show goes forward, it'll be shot entirely in Chicago.
"I'd like this show to be my love letter to Chicago," said Ryan to the Trib.
U.S. & World
Ryan also told Hollywood insider rag Variety that, in his opinion, "Chicago has become the center of the universe: It's the place that Barack Obama comes from, it's a candidate to host the Olympics, and it's where Oprah dispels her wisdom."
Wisdom? She's not an oracle, dude.
The central lead character will be a Polish-American cop who plays up his heritage. The show is "mostly about cops, but we will deal with how cops are affected/stymied/supported by local political elements," Ryan said. "Ridealong" will also feature a "young, female chief of police and her attempts to navigate Chicago politics."
In police parlance, a "ridealong" refers to members of the press or other private citizens accompanying police on patrols.
According to Ryan, the drama will be shot mostly in cop cars, which serve as on-the-go offices for patrolmen.
"It will be part cop procedural, part buddy comedy, part political thriller, part undercover drama ... or it will just be a huge mess," he said. "But I'm going to try to make it good."


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|View Poll Results: Steins;Gate - Episode 22 Rating
|Perfect 10
|9 out of 10 : Excellent
|8 out of 10 : Very Good
|7 out of 10 : Good
|6 out of 10 : Average
|5 out of 10 : Below Average
|4 out of 10 : Poor
|3 out of 10 : Bad
|2 out of 10 : Very Bad
|1 out of 10 : Painful
|Voters: 180. You may not vote on this poll
|Thread Tools
|2011-08-30, 17:10
|Link #41
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: My cozy room
From the part where Kurisu stop Okabe from time leaping again, until the ending credits, I was non-stop crying my eyes out. On top of being an emotional person ( I get easily saddened or moved) I've watched this show from the day it aired until now so all the feelings and everything that built up was enormous. I care for these characters so much now that this episode just tore me apart emotionally.
I've recommended this show to all my friends who watch a little or a good amount of anime, yet they've refused to watch it. I kept telling them there missing out on pure awesomeness but now with this episode out... they really are missing out.
The VA was outstanding, and it was probably Okabe's trembling voice that made me cry too.
And the ending bit? I can't wait for the last two episodes.
I seriously love this series!
|2011-08-30, 17:30
|Link #42
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
I seriously shed manly tears in this episode. In fact, this could've easily been the series finale (with false hope for sequel~) episode.
I hate how CR(?) subs completely ruined the atmosphere of the most crucial scene for me though, because I spotted a serious translation error
The curse of being a fansubber
|2011-08-30, 17:34
|Link #43
Home of Silent Prayer
In other words - the fate of the story is to initially have an Beta timeline, which will definitely be changed due to Okabe (which both Suzuha and SERN already knows?) into the Alpha timeline where SERN rules. Suzuha's plan was to secure the IBN in order not to make sure that the timeline stays Beta, but to make sure that Okabe can change things back to Beta.
And the Beta timeline is the WW3 timeline...but does this mean that Kurisu is still fated to die after all? I don't want that...I'm still pretty confused, I think I eed to get some sleep first and sort things out again tomorrow, maybe see some older episodes to check things again as well.
|2011-08-30, 17:47
|Link #45
阿賀野型3番艦、矢矧 Lv175
Graphic Designer
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Belgium, Brussels
Age: 33
Indeed, they need that old PC in order to decrypt SERN's special data where the information regarding the first D-mail was stored.
However, remember that their world line changed, therefore the actions done in the Alpha world are -not- needed in the Beta world (similar how the D mails were canceled: Okabe couldn't stop the original Dmail to be sent, so he has to cancel them instead).
In the Beta world line, the data about the D-mail is -already- erased, but the world has to change itself in order to reflect such change (as in: no data, no way for them to complete their own machine => no dystopia => Suzuha not having a half assed machine => no crash on the building => no interruption for the conference => Kurisu dies => loop is completed).
|2011-08-30, 17:52
|Link #46
Disabled By Request
Join Date: Aug 2011
and with this, extremely well written (dialogues in particular) and well acted,
s;g manages to pull off one of the single best episode in a (long, several seasons maybe?) while.
the beginning has been quite "foggy", possibly letting some viewers away, but boy, this series is seriously good.
some of us could start to think it's definitly the best of the two seasons, overall.
I live in a country where it's not directly available, and I sincerely hope to be able to see it either broadcasted or available in blu ray (possibly, not at an impossible price).
|2011-08-30, 17:53
|Link #47
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: My cozy room
|2011-08-30, 17:54
|Link #48
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Age: 34
|2011-08-30, 17:57
|Link #49
阿賀野型3番艦、矢矧 Lv175
Graphic Designer
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Belgium, Brussels
Age: 33
Bluntly speaking, few events are basically "inevitable" unless some actions are taken. And for Mayuri's case, it was a complete change of the world line.
Whether or not it is the case for Kurisu will be unfolded in the next episodes anyway.
In a way, I wouldn't be surprised if the fact Daru managed to finish the time machine by 2036 (Beta world line, during the WWIII) is also due to an attractor field.
|2011-08-30, 18:15
|Link #50
I'll end it before April.
Join Date: Jul 2008
|2011-08-30, 18:30
|Link #51
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2004
Being one of my favorite game music theme for years, I absolutely had tears in my eyes when I heard this today XD...too damn awesome
BTW, holy crap i just noticed the ending. the sand clock was slowly restoring like the previous episodes...
and then it broke again! lol nice little touch by the anime staff XD
Last edited by Dorohn; 2011-08-30 at 18:47.
|2011-08-30, 19:01
|Link #54
Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Emotionnal episode :'(
About the World War 3, John Titor said it irl, not in the anime :
|2011-08-30, 19:05
|Link #55
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2004
|2011-08-30, 19:07
|Link #56
Sorcerer of Awesome
I haven't seen an episode like this in anime for a long time. Kurisu/Okabe was extremely well handled, and I loved the kiss scene, as well as the goodbye scene.
Though the defining factor for me was Kurisu returning when Okabe began deleting the mail, to tell him she loved him too... And right before she finished, our mad scientist of a protagonist changed world lines. That REALLY got me to tears, and just got me wishing for more.
I assumed something'd happen right when the credits started playing. Mainly because I noticed how much time was remaining until the episode ended... Then Suzuha called and I remembered the original John Titor and WWIII. Really looking forward to these last few episodes where Okabe'll stop WWIII and probably save Kurisu.
|2011-08-30, 19:11
|Link #57
He Without a Title
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: The land of tempura
We're now back in the beta timeline so Kurisu dies right at the start of the events portrayed by the show. In the beta timeline we also know that the d-mail Okabe sent either is undone or isn't picked up by CERN SERN so they aren't aware of it's existence. We also know that sometime in the future Daru, with the help of Okabe, will be able to build a complete time machine (I would like to believe that all the time Okabe re-lived with Kurisu helped but it's not important).
Since in the alpha timeline the world turns into a dystopia in the future and in the beta one (where SERN doesn't control time travel) the world descends into a WWIII we can conclude, imho, that the excessive control by SERN on the beta timeline is what actually prevented the war from breaking out in the first place therefore turning them into misguided good guys! Would you look at that hum?
Anyway there's one piece of info we still don't know and that's the reason for the war to actually break out. If my theory that it all hinges on multiple powers striving to control time travel is true than we have a simple solution: we must kill Daru (or Okabe but I want my KurisuXOkabe ending ).
OH and btw the usual disclaimer: that last paragraph is 100% speculation on my part. I've also resigned myself to the fact that Steins;Gate is "light" SciFi which means we probably won't get a good justification for the reason Okabe has his Reading Steiner ability. It's a plot device and strangely I'm OK with it.
Now onto the episode: I seriously was on the verge of shedding manly tears when watching this one. It's been so masterfully built up for the duration of the series that I just couldn't help but feel the bitter-sweetness of the events portrayed in the episode with full force. I've been slowly but surely grown to believe Kurisu to be one of the best female leads I've seen in anime lately and this episode just cements it. Their relationship is wonderfully done and I was nearly broken until those post-ending scenes showed up giving me a glimmer of hope. I was already halfway to this forums to confirm if this was indeed 24 episodes when I noticed the changes in the ED and not a minute too soon (otherwise I would have been mildly spoiled).
|2011-08-30, 19:19
|Link #59
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
> "I am grateful to all those I have had to sacrifice..."
It's an immediate addition to the previous line, where he thanked all of them for "fighting under his command" (it was another line that I didn't particularly like).
The line should've been "I am grateful to all their sacrifices", or even "The sacrifices of our comrades were not in vain" if you're going for liberal translations.
Switching "their" with "I" there completely changes the meaning of this line, and also the weight of the sacrifices made for the operation IMO.
CR subs have been nearly flawless until ep18 or 19, when their translation quality suddenly dropped. Not sure if they changed their staff or change in deadline etc...
Last edited by 8thSin; 2011-08-30 at 19:33.
|2011-08-30, 19:49
|Link #60
seiyuu maniac
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Tokyo, Japan
|Thread Tools


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IndyCar driver J.R. Hildebrand and Formula D drifter Tyler McQuarrie are no strangers to the Long Beach street circuit. What happens when the Cadillac tuners at D3 give them almost 1,500 horsepower's worth of CTS-V Coupes and let them loose?
As it turns out, there's a lot of supercharger whine and a lot of tire smoke. And if you thought those drivers had cojones, they had absolutely nothing on the rodeo clown of a cameraman filmed by a guy with a camera who happened to drive by.
(Hat tip to Axis of Oversteer, Party-vi!)


text:
In case you were in a meeting, devoid of a smart phone or just sleeping in under a rock, Fire forward Mike Magee was named MLS MVP Thursday morning.
In honor of Mike garnering the league's highest individual award, we're giving Fire supporters an opportunity to win a signed Magee primary jersey Thursday only.
All you have to do is Retweet the below tweet AND follow @ChicagoFire on Twitter by 11:59pm CT to be entered! Get to it...
RT this & FOLLOW by 11:59pm CT Thursday for chance to win #MikeMageeMVP signed jersey: http://t.co/sW9c21jUGw #cf97 #MLS— Chicago Fire (@ChicagoFire) December 5, 2013


text:
Growth Hack Tips – How to Get More Visitors?
How to Get More Visitors? Purchase Ads If you just purchase ads without a strategy, void of creativity, doing nothing to gain an edge, and ignore the process of multivariate testing, then you will be like everyone else (and it… Continue Reading


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More liquidation today as corn and soybeans both have double digit losses. The December corn contract finished 11 ½ cents lower at $6.38 ½. November soybeans finished 25 cents lower at $12.58, and December wheat 7 higher at $6.40 ¾.
We are now trading a full $1.40 off the highs for December corn and finished just below the 200 day moving average of $6.41. At settlement below this important level could potentially trigger more sell pressure as we haven't settled below the 200 day moving average in December 11 corn since July 27th of last year!
Soybeans also broke a major support level yesterday and came all the way down past the 38.2% retracement level of $12.53 today. The next technical target for bean bears would be the 50% retracement of $11.86 ¼.
Informa released their estimates mid morning. They have corn acres down 420,000, soybean acres up 50,000, and ALL-wheat down 765,000. Wheat was supported for most of the day and this news certainly helped. I would say a bigger reason for wheat to be rallying is short covering. The funds have obviously been massively long corn and soybeans, and at the same time short Chicago wheat. On days of liquidation we can see those contracts gain ground just from exiting positions (we have seen this same trading style in the nat gas vs crude spreads as well in times past). Plus we have been trading wheat at a discount to corn for how long? With feed wheat trading at such a discount to corn throughout the world eventually we will get a reversal as much of that demand switches over from corn.
The latest Commitment of Traders report shows us that managed money was net short 24,908 contracts of Chicago wheat (using futures and options) which is a net increase in shorts by 13,759 contracts. They are still showing a very large net long position in corn of 249,977 contracts even after reducing this by a whopping 48,356 contracts week-over-week! For soybeans they are still net long 115,791 contracts after reducing their net long position by 42,890 contracts. I think these numbers show that the managed money have obviously been bailing on positions and this information is as of Tuesday so we won't know how much more they liquidated until NEXT Friday. Even though they have liquidated a significant amount, they are still sitting with some very large long positions that can still be sold to push us lower so I wouldn't jump to any conclusions that this phase is over just yet based on this particular data.
With that said we still have to get through the next couple of reports for more long term direction. We will know the ending stocks data next Friday and then the October Supply and Demand report will be just around the corner from that. Now may be a good time to uncover short calls that are well out of the money.
If you would like to double check where you stand after the most recent break please give an EHedger broker a call and we can go over your position in AMMO.
Have a great weekend and good luck with the rest of harvest!
To receive a two-week free trial of our research including a tryout of the revolutionary AMMO software please click on the link below:
Best Regards,
Trading commodity futures and options involves substantial risk of loss and may not be suitable for all investors. You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances, knowledge and financial resources. The market information contained in this message has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but is not guaranteed as to its accuracy or completeness. Market information may not be consistent with current or future market positions of EHedger LLC, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees or agents.


text:
PHP 2000 | 2012-10-23 12:13:14 | Boarding House
Highway Hills, Mandaluyong
We are accepting Lady Bed Spacer and Female Boarder...
Location: Mandaluyong City, near Boni MRT Station, 5 Minutes Tricycle ride to Crossing Edsa, Near SM Mega Mall, Shangri La Edsa, Cyber Gate Boni
Allowed: Washing (laba), Ironing (plansa), with Cable TV .....No Curfew
INCLUSIVE of WATER AND ELECTRICITY
Please Contact :
APRIL cell number: 09324027574 for info.
RENT Php 2,000.00 PER HEAD
1 month advance
1 month deposit
Feel Free to Contact Me.
Lady Bed Spacer and Female Boarder (First Come first Serve)
Name: APRIL GRACE
Phone: 0927-376-5813
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
|System: Xbox 360*, PS3
|Dev: Re-Logic
|Pub: Re-Logic, 505 Games
|Release: March 27, 2013
|Players: 1-4
|Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p
|Blood, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence
by Josh Wirtanen
When Terraria first hit Steam back in 2011, Minecraft was in the middle of tearing up sales charts, so comparisons between the two games were inevitable. While calling Terraria game "a 2D version of Minecraft" may be somewhat accurate, it also ignores the fact that what makes this game so much fun are the pieces it didn't borrow from Notch's famous sandbox game. And now that Terraria has arrived on consoles, it's the perfect time to take another look at it.
I must say, as someone who has spent dozens of hours in the PC version of the game, it was a pleasant surprise to have the Xbox 360 Edition of the game end up in my review pile for this month. Firing up Terraria for the first time in about a year, I was greeted with the familiar pixilated splash screen, and it wasn't long before I was bobbing my head to the same retro-inspired soundtrack I had fallen in love with during my time with the PC version two summers ago. It was instantly familiar, yet, with the game's randomly generated terrain, it also felt completely new. There was a fresh and untamed world just waiting to be settled by a brave explorer like Buster, the character I had created especially for this review.
For the uninitiated, here's how Terraria works: When you launch the game, you create a character, then send him or her (unlike Minecraft, gender does exist in Terraria) into a randomly generated, pixellated 2D world. What you do from this point is entirely up to you, though it's recommended that you build a shelter as soon as possible. (Also unlike Minecraft, you actually start a Terraria world with a few tools that will be immediately useful.)
Your other options include exploring the surface (which basically means choosing left or right and then walking as far in that direction as you can), spelunking, mining, collecting various items, or engaging monsters in combat. Of course, there is a tiered crafting system that has you building basic tools, which you'll use to acquire the materials to make better tools, which you'll then use to collect even better materials, and so on. It's a fairly smooth natural progression that keeps the game moving, and it even encourages you to take on some of the game's various boss battles in order to acquire rare materials you can't get elsewhere. Once you feel ready, of course; the beauty of Terraria is that it lets you move at your own pace.
The look of Terraria is almost comparable to a Super NES-era RPG. While that sounds like a weird artistic choice for a survival/crafting/exploration game, it actually works quite well. It simultaneously makes the game feel stylized and allows the processor on your console to load insanely large random worlds without slowing to a halt. (Though, it must be noted that you will encounter some noticeable frame rate drops in the 360 Edition, especially when you travel across multiple biomes quickly.)
Unfortunately for console owners, this game was built from the ground up as a PC game, thus the control scheme was designed with a keyboard and mouse in mind. Transitioning to a console controller makes mining a bit awkward. There are two different options for how you'd like your cursor to function, and you can toggle between them by pressing down on the right stick. Still, neither of them is as intuitive as simply using a mouse.
On the other hand, combat becomes much easier. Personally, I always felt the point-and-click combat of the PC version to be less than optimal, and getting to use a standard controller made me into a more versatile monster-fighting machine. Additionally, you can assign various tools or items to the D-pad, which makes swapping between your sword and tools an effortless affair.


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This very simple instrument, made out of a piece of aluminium double glazing extrusion, is especially interesting to me as I just bought a Peavey Powerslide and I'm in the process of getting the hang of it. Not a piece of cake by any means.
The builder of this guitar (Airbrake 1 or Marscape 1, depending whether you find him on Flickr or Youtube) has further simplified the construction - and complicated the learning process - by leaving out the fret markers! Which makes his rather modest claim to not be able to play steel guitar even more remarkable. On his Flickr page, he says "I decided to fit 3 strips of tape to show the 5th fret position, the 12th and the 24th. I could have fitted more, but I wanted to try to develop my ear, so I would be able to automatically find the right notes. It takes some practice to do this!" Yeah, you don't say. Check out his not too shabby video. If I could coax something like this from my Powerslide, I'd be pretty pleased with myself.
David in Barcelona
Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!


text:
Hamilton getting seasoning in Puerto Rico winter ball
Reds could use speedy center fielder as replacement for Choo atop lineup
CINCINNATI -- As much as the Reds want to be in the game to re-sign free agent Shin-Soo Choo as their leadoff hitter and center fielder, the size and scope of the contract he is reportedly seeking makes that goal increasingly unrealistic.
An alternate, and not-so-secret, backup plan to Choo is having top prospect Billy Hamilton take over -- but only if he is ready.
After a full season at Triple-A Louisville and a much-heralded first-time September callup to the big leagues with the Reds this year, Hamilton began playing winter ball last week in Puerto Rico.
"We sent him down there just to get more at-bats and work more on his offense," Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said.
Playing for Santurce in Puerto Rico, Hamilton is batting .205 (9-for-44) with a .286 on-base percentage, five walks and nine strikeouts in 10 games through Wednesday. He is 6-for-6 in steal attempts.
Hamilton, 23, has been groomed for 2014 since being moved from shortstop to center field one year ago at the Arizona Fall League. Cincinnati would prefer to have Choo back, or perhaps another veteran, so it could bring Hamilton along a little slower and with less pressure. But they might not have that luxury.
During his September in Cincinnati, Hamilton and his speed immediately electrified. On the bases, especially when installed as a pinch-runner in the late innings, he had the ability to change a game quickly.
Hamilton stole 13 bases in 14 attempts and scored two game-winning runs, a go-ahead run in extra innings and a game-tying run.
Albeit a small sample size of seven games and three starts, Hamilton looked comfortable patrolling center field and made no obvious mistakes.
For the Reds to be fully comfortable with making Hamilton a regular fixture in their lineup, especially at the leadoff spot, Hamilton will have to prove that he can hit big league pitching consistently. Otherwise, they won't be able to maximize his gift of speed.
In his 13 big league games, Hamilton did bat .368 with two doubles and a .429 on-base percentage. For two of his starts, he had three-hit games. But he was also given favorable matchups by then-manager Dusty Baker. One of Hamilton's three-hit starts came against the talent-depleted Astros on Sept. 18. Another included a bunt single and an infield hit vs. the Pirates on Sept. 22.
During his 123 games for Louisville, Hamilton batted .256 with only a .308 on-base percentage. His first big league camp at Spring Training before that was a struggle -- a .192 average with nine strikeouts in 26 at-bats over 13 games.
If there is reason for optimism, it's that Hamilton has eventually shown offensive improvement at every level he's played on the way -- after getting the chance to become comfortable. Following a slow start to the first half in Louisville, he was much more productive in the second half.
Hamilton will be given a chance to compete for a starting job when the Reds arrive at Goodyear, Ariz., for Spring Training, In the meantime, don't be shocked if the club -- still taking a win-now approach after disappointing in the postseason each of the last two years -- pursues a veteran center fielder as insurance if Hamilton isn't ready to start on Opening Day.
"Billy will continue to get better and better," Jocketty told MLB.com's Richard Justice on Wednesday. "He can do so many things. He's a great athlete. He's a great center fielder. He's good at baserunning and basestealing. I just think there's a number of things he'll be able to do to help us. It depends on how quickly the bat comes."


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UP IN ARMS: A Night of Hip Hop and Spoken Word to Honor Fong Lee and End Police Brutality
Saturday, October 3rd, 8 p.m. (doors at 7:30)
Kagin Commons at Macalester College
1600 Grand Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105
Featuring performances by Magnetic North (NY), Nomi of Power Struggle (Bay Area), Michelle Myers of Yellow Rage (Philadelphia), Maria Isa, Blackbird Elements, Guante, Rodrigo Sanchez-Chavarria, e.g. bailey, Tou SaiKo Lee with PosNoSys, True Mutiny, Shá Cage, Kevin Xiong with Pada Lor, Tish Jones, Maipacher, Logan Moua, Bobby Wilson, Poetic Assassins, Hilltribe, and special guests. Tou Ger Xiong and Amy Hang will emcee and DJ Nak will be on the one's and two's. $5-$10 suggested donation. All proceeds go towards legal costs for the Family of Fong Lee.


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Take one to two capsules daily, preferably with a meal.
Fish Oil 400mg
Organic Flaxseed Oil 300mg
Sunflower Seed Oil 287.5mg
Vitamin E (dl-Alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate) 12.5mg (104% NRV)
Capsule Shell (Gelatin, Glycerine, Purified Water).
*NRV = Nutrient Reference Value
Each Capsule Provides:
Omega 3 Fatty Acids
– Alpha Linoleic Acid (ALA) 135mg
– Elcosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) 60mg
– Decosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) 35mg
Omega 6 Fatty Acids
– Linoleic Acid 165mg
Omega 9 Fatty Acids
– Oleic Acid 100mg
Do NOT exceed the Stated Dose.
If on medication or under medical supervision consult your GP before using ANY health supplement.
NOT intended for use by persons under the age of 18.
Consult you GP if pregnant or lactating.
You should not use supplements as a replacement for a varied balanced diet or healthy lifestyle.
Contains fish.
This product is manufactured in a facility that also handles allergy based materials such as nuts, seeds, milk, egg, cereals, soya, mustard, celery, fish, crustaceans and sulphites.
Troo Health Care Omega 3,6,9 is UK manufactured to GMP Code of Practice to guarantee quality and safety. They are not suitable for vegetarians.


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The longer I live the longer I come to this conclusion on how you can stand out from the crowd and differentiate yourself from your competitors. Whether in your business or personal life.
And it amazes me how simple this concept is.
It is something that everyone can do.
It is something that doesn't add anything to your expenses.
It isn't even something that requires a ton of intelligence.
But yet, the number of people who are doing it is surprisingly low.
So what is it?
Do what you say you are going to do when you said you were going to do it!!!
Sounds like an easy concept to grasp. But it is not often practiced.
Think of it this way, when someone promises to do something and fails to follow through on that promise we get frustrated.
Why is this?
I believe Paster Dave Ralph (Lakeside Church) said it best when he said,
"Frustration happens when we have a gap between expectations and reality."
Let me explain; When you promise to do something, you set an expectation in the other person's mind (whether it is your prospect, your customer, your spouse, your kids, your boss or even yourself).
When you don't live up to that promise and come up short, you have let that person down. They will trust you a little less and you have damaged the relationship.
But when you live up to your promise, you built that trust and enhance your relationship.
"When you exceed your customers expectations your customer will be delighted."
– Jim Clemmer, Author, Speaker, Leadership Guru
The reason for this is that they can now count on you and when they can count on you, you become less of a risk. The cool thing is that most of the time you get to choose.
Choose wisely and stand out from the crowd, enhance your relationships and increase your sales.


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Product Details
Dustop™ Taupe Custom Car Cover (C15555TS) by Covercraft®. With 2 Mirror Pockets. This is an indoor-only cover designed for the finest of automotive paint finishes that offers Covercraft's highest level of dust resistance. 4 layers of non-woven fibers block virtually all dust, pollen, cigarette smoke, and other indoor airborne pollutants to keep your car as clean as when you first cover it. This cover offers deep layers of soft padding to protect against careless scratches from people and items that pass by your vehicle in the garage. Custom-shaped to your make and model, the bottom edging of this cover features elastic for a snug fit.
- Actual colors may vary from the color on your screen due to monitor color restrictions
- Image shows color of the product, not the exact model or style
Soft and Strong Outer Layers
Non-woven, spun bound layers of fabric block virtually every bit of dust, pollen, cigarette smoke, and other indoor airborne pollutants.
Softest Inner Layer
Covercraft's softest paint protecting inner layer constructed from polypropylene and polyethylene to guard against scratches and damage.
Elastic Sewn Hems
Elastic edging surrounds all sides to create a snug fit that is just right and not too tight.
Non-Scratch Grommets
Reinforced, non-scratch grommets include a protective flap on the backside and can be used with a tie-down rope.
Custom Fit
Custom car covers follow the exact contours of vehicle. Car covers protect all the vehicle's exposed surface.
4-Year Warranty
Warranty coverage protects against defects in material and workmanship, as well as the fabric becoming unserviceable during normal use.
Made in the USA
Covercraft proudly manufactures their products in the United States.
You keep a car cover on your perfectly clean collector vehicle for a reason - to keep the clean, crisp look you worked hard to achieve at the ready should the opportunity of an unexpected cruise-in or perfect weather suddenly come along. Few things are more disappointing than realizing a deep layer of dust or pollen has formed between your car cover and paint - blurring the shine and making your ride look like just another daily driver. Covercraft believes if a car is inside a garage, it should stay clean. Period. The Dustop™ Custom Car Cover has four layers of soft protection that say it will.
Among all of Covercraft's car covers, this one is their thickest. It gives you maximum cushioning and protection from door dings and scuffs from passing belt buckles, bicycles, and other potentially damaging things that orbit your vehicle inside the garage on a regular basis. Sized for a custom fit on your make and model, elastic edging surrounding the lower perimeter on all sides helps create a snug fit that doesn't get in the way of removing the cover when the time comes to slide it off. Covercraft builds the Dustop car cover in the United States and backs it with a 4-year warranty against failure resulting from manufacturing defects.
Founded in 1965 in the southern region of California, Covercraft® began with the efforts of two founders that were passionate automotive enthusiasts. Working out of a small shop, they began by doing what no one else was doing - creating and building car covers that were tailored for a custom fit on street rods and small European sports cars. Covercraft's philosophy of custom fit design, continuous refinement, and materials development has earned them respect throughout the industry for products that are easy to use, soft to the touch, and durable. Because whether you've got a car parked outside facing an onslaught from intense hot sun, salty sea mist, tropical rain, or brutal winter weather conditions, Covercraft has the fabrics you need to maximize protection of your vehicle, at prices you can afford. Our website offers great values on the full Covercraft product range of car covers, pickup cab covers, convertible top-down interior covers, seat covers, interior organizers, trunk organizers, and much more.


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85 days – Indeterminate vines. Considered one of the original heirloom tomatoes.
An old-time favorite that has been popular for many years due to it's excellent productivity and wonderful taste.
Vigorous vines produce 250 – 500gm fruit, slightly ribbed, bright-red tomatoes that have spectacularly delicious, sweet flavours.
This tomato's excellent taste and meaty flesh make it an ideal tomato for eating fresh or cooking.
It slices well for sandwiches, and great for preserving or drying as they are not too 'seedy'!
Early Spring germination is usually successful.
20 seed packet;


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By Lydia Saldana
Programs addressing needs such as access to health care, the arts and the safety and welfare of people and animals are making life better in our community. That is why the San Antonio Area Foundation each year encourages nonprofit organizations, churches, schools and government agencies to apply for its Community Grants, which support those types of programs.
In 2012, the Area Foundation awarded Community Grants totaling nearly $1 million to 66 organizations.
And the deadline is approaching to apply for the round of Community Grants that the Area Foundation will award in 2013. We must receive the applications by 5 p.m. Central Time on Monday, Jan. 7, 2013.
Here are the categories of programs eligible for consideration:
Animal Services
Programs that enhance the quality of life for all animals, educate the community regarding responsible pet care and enhance spay/neuter and adoption services.
Arts and Culture
Programs that develop audiences, strengthen locally influenced arts and artists and use an innovative approach.
Community and Human Services
Programs and services that improve the safety and welfare of vulnerable and underserved populations. This includes the categories of Children and Youth, Community-at-large and Seniors.
Medicine and Healthcare
Programs that enhance the quality of healthcare services, improve or increase access/availability of services and offer wellness services that improve health outcomes. This includes visual services.
Applications are evaluated on the following criteria:
- Strength of the organization (e.g., management, staffing, board involvement, etc.)
- Program's benefit to the community and how it relates to the organization's mission
- Relationship to the field (and fills need not met by existing programs in the community)
- Alignment with Area Foundation funding priorities
- Ability of organization to accomplish results as described in application
- Soundness of the project budget
- Financial strength of the organization
- Overall strength of the application
All grant seekers must apply electronically after establishing an online account with the Area Foundation.
Find more detail on the Community Grants application process at this link on our website.
Lydia Saldaña is Program Officer for Community & Research Grants with the San Antonio Area Foundation.


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Once the sole preserve of computers, multimedia playback is now a common feature in everything from receivers to games consoles.
Even TVs have it built in these days, but if you don't have one of those and cannot plug your computer into your existing set perhaps, then you can use an adapter like the USB Player.
About the size of the average portable HDD and clad in shiny black to complement most TVs, the Player plays back media from USB-connected sticks and NTFS/FAT 32 formatted hard discs.
A blue operating light adorns the front but the rear is where you plug your USB device. But there's only one port and it's too close to the HDMI, making it impossible for the Player to accommodate chunkier flash drives. You also get component and combined composite/phono outputs (leads are provided, plus a Scart adapter) and a coaxial digital audio output and the device is powered by a 5V adapter.
A projector-style remote does the job well enough but could do with a few more distinct buttons.
The software is relatively basic – you can view files as a list (folders are supported) or as thumbnails and boost the menu resolution to 1080i.
The Player handles most popular formats including DivX, XviD, MP4, VCD, MPEG-2, DVD image files (menus included), most subtitle file types, MP3, WAV and JPEGs. There's no HD playback but video files can be outputted as interlaced, progressive or upscaled via component or HDMI to 720p or 1080i.
You can fast-forward and rewind them at up to 16x normal speed, slow them down to x1/8 or skip to a desired point by entering the required time.
Add to this playlists and the ability to create JPEG slideshows accompanied by your own music.
Playback performance compared favourably with other devices such as our Xbox 360, with decent sound and image quality via HDMI and component and predictably softer images via composite. But upscaling XviD files with resolutions in the 640 x 480 range via HDMI to 1080i delivered only incremental discernible improvements when seen on our 42in Panasonic plasma.
Build issues aside, the Traxdata is a neat plug-and-play solution for bringing multimedia to your TV.
Follow TechRadar Reviews on Twitter: http://twitter.com/techradarreview


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Moderator: Moderators - Public
Mephisto wrote:Good writings, Frater!
FiatYod wrote:Thank you for posting, I thoroughly enjoyed reading these writings.
But can you please explain the meaning of the beginning of # 10
and what you mean by "-??"? Is the author truly unknown?
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest


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When one reads a book they dislike, there are two optional reactions:
(Well, there are more than two, but we're talking about two specifically right now because I said so.) MOVING FORWARD. You can either (A) decide never ever ever eeeever to read from that author again because it didn't work out between you, or (B) you can try an alternate book of theirs later because maybe it was just a fluke you didn't like the first one.
When faced with these two options: WHAT WOULD YOU TYPICALLY CHOOSE??? That is my question of the day, and yes, it's a difficult one because life is full of difficult cupcakes to consume.
Does an "I hate this book" mean all the author's works are now in the "NOPE" list? Are you a stubborn apple and refuse to give up on an author if they've written multiple and different-sounding books?? Do you take risks? Or is life too short for retrying nonsense?
"CAIT, IT'S TOO HARD," you shout most pleasantly. "HOW DO I KNOW IF RE-TRYING AUTHORS IS WORTH IT???"
Well, lucky for you, I am in your life to write pros and cons lists.
- It could've been a bad apple. Not everyone has a good hair day or a good writing day. And honestly you'd be surprised at how much hair and writing are alike. (Both are unruly and tend to shed.) Not all author's books are created equal!
- Writers can get better as they go along! Debuts might not be as strong as a later written book. GIVE IT A GO. Plus writers often try different styles as they continue writing because #variety.
- At least if you've read two books by an author and decidedly disliked them both…no one can say you didn't give them a fair chance! You did. You are done now. Goodbye. Someone leave you with your popcorn and tears of regret.
- You might go into the book expecting to dislike it. Which can actually lead to you disliking it BEFORE GIVING IT A PROPER CHANCE. Because brains are rude sometimes.
- There is definitely a higher chance for it dying in your face. Which equals wasted time, wasted money, wasted chocolate that you must eat to get through it. (Actually lies — chocolate eaten is never wasted.) Because sometimes an author + reader = just don't work out! Which makes sense because everyone is different.
- There are SO MANY other new books to try! Why would you try a book that you're preeeeetty sure isn't going to click for you because, ya know, YOU HAVE EVIDENCE TO THIS FACT??? Life is so short and the books call to you.
I, personally, am a big believer in trying something twice.
I try lots of things twice. Like can I stack my TBR halfway to the ceiling without it falling and killing several small civilisations??? No? OKAY BUT I'M GOING TO TRY IT AGAIN JUST TO SEE. (Same with eating pumpkin soup + wearing white. I mean, the first 87 times I splashed myself orange mean nothing.) Apparently this is the definition of insanity but hush. Don't let that bother you.
My vague motto is: always try an author twice. Although it's not a hard and fast rule, because if a book really really hugely catastrophically makes me rage, I will put it on the "politely blacklisted" pile. Yes the pile is polite. I'm not a monster. *
* Except through Tuesdays to Fridays. I have a roster for evil, I might remind you. The days and hours rotate though, because I like to keep everyone surprised.
So how has retrying authors worked out for me in the past?
OH OH. I'm glad you asked so eagerly because this is something I definitely wanted to analyse. Well it's something I wanted to make pretty graphics about, but that's the same sort of thing, yes?
I was so underwhelmed by Mind Games I thoght Kiersten White books might be a NO DO NOT GO category for me. But luckily (A) I never listen to myself, and (B) I tried And I Darken which was a complete genre switch and a complete amazing feast. I AM STILL THINKING ABOUT THIS BOOK I LOVE IT SO.
Noggin promised me beheadings but was JUST AN AWKWARD ROMANCE but then I tried Highly Illogical Behaviour and WOW. I highly adored it. (Get it?? GET IT?? Okay okay don't roll your eyes at me like that, I was just checking you didn't miss my stunning wit.)
Of Metal and Wishes is a Phantom of the Opera steampunk retelling…sounds so cool right? WELL, IT DIDN'T MAKE ME SING LIKE THE ANGEL OF MUSIC. I sung like a rusty spoon of unhappiness. But then I tried The Impostor Queen and love love love loooooooooooove.
I spent 97% of my time reading Panic yelling "USE YOUR GOD GIVEN BRAINS YOU DELINQUENT AVOCADOS" and generally stressing. But come along Vanishing Girls and I think my heart gave out…in a really good way. Like there is Bad Book Pain where you want to turn the book into a hat. And then there's Good Book Pain where you are DYING but not sad about it.
But let's talk about how Lauren Oliver girls need to brush and maybe tie back their hair?
In which I was so bored in Under the Never Sky I ended up falling asleep, but I was SO IN LOVE WITH RIDERS that I ended up running away with the book and marrying it at dawn. #AsYouDo
Taken is about a city where all the boys disappear by the end I just felt like "Well good riddance" SO THAT WAS AWKWARD. But Vengeance Road??!?!??? Like all the stars and numerous snort/laughs from me while reading this masterpiece.
I mean…obviously IT DOESN'T ALWAYS WORK.
I thought The Alex Crow was the most confusing thing in the universe and lowkey hated it. But then Winger???? JUST AS BAD. Like when you say "ooh I'm in love with fictional boys!" just go read these fictional boys and you'll be cured. They're gross. The chances of me trying another Andrew Smith book are very low.
Everyone and their French Uncle's fish adores Marie Lu…AND I REALLY REALLY WANT TO AS WELL. But Legend left me feeling slightly "meh" and The Young Elites promised evil and…well, no.
(I still actually intend to re-try Legend and finish the series BECAUSE DANGIT, I FEEL LIKE I SHOULD LIKE MARIE LU BOOKS SO I WILL KEEP TRYING.)
Since Richelle Mead is sooooooo famous I figured my unhappy frolics with Soundless must be a fluke. So I tried The Glittering Court. I would rather have sprinkled glitter in my eyes. But I tell myself I'll at least try Vampire Academy before retiring…
In this case, it's the writing that really does it in for me: I connect to it as much as I connect to an empty pizza box. Which is to say "not at all but just vaguely disappointed in its existence". Matched was meh, and Atlantia didn't improve things at all. Chances of trying again are dwindling into the single digit possibilities.
When it comes to books, I am an avidly curious risk-taker!
It comes from this need to read all the books of ever. (Shh, no I still haven't given up on that goal and my people are working on immortality right now.) And I HATE the idea of missing out on a potentially good book. But. It honestly depends for me. If the author's second book option is: (A) a different genre to the first, and (B) a premise that sounds so good I WANT TO EAT IT IN TWO BITES — then I am 100% more prone to try it.
And other times I do just leave well enough alone because #sensible.
how likely are you to try an author again if you didn't like their first book??? is life to short for that or are you a stubborn apple? is there an author you've tried and felt "meh" about but then re-tried and loooooved??! SPEAK WITH ME, FIENDS.
** EDIT: Just wanted to add (and can't believe I forgot!) that I'm talking about the authors' WORKS and not the author themselves! I never want to bash an author. Books are subjective and me liking/disliking a book is not my opinion on the author as a person. Authors are glorious creatures and are all to be commended for their work.


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"I never be in Wrigley Field [as a manager]," Guillen insisted. "I don't give a [crap]. I can't I say I don't like Wrigley Field? Why can't I express myself? It's like I don't like to eat chicken. Why I should I have to like Wrigley Field. Whoever gets upset about that? [Bleep] them. I don't like Wrigley Field. What's wrong with that? I don't say I don't like the Cubs. Just make it clear. I don't say I don't like the Cubs. I don't say I don't like the Cubs' organization. I just hate Wrigley Field. I wish I could do something about it. The Governor of Chicago, please, build another one. I don't know why people make such a big deal that I don't like Wrigley field. I don't work for Wrigley Field. [bleep] it.
"First of all, to manage the Cubs, Jerry Reinsdorf has to be dead. Second, to go to that job, … I'm not going to manage at Wrigley Field. I might manage the Cubs. No, not Wrigley Field. I hate that [bleepin'] place.
"Now I hate a couple guys working for the [bleepin] Cubs. And they have nothing to do with the front office."
How about another city Ozzie?
"I'll never say no, because you never know," Guillen said. "I don't want to burn bridges. But I don't think people in another city are going to put up with my stuff, and I don't I'm going to put up with other people. It's easy."


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Kanye West's Mother - Donda West's Last Interview on Ellen Before She Died-
Kanye Saying He Likes Porn In Front Of His Mother
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
Comments will only be displayed by verified emails. No Spamming or Racism.


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U.S. Open singles champions will receive $3 million each in prize money
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — The 2014 U.S. Open men's and women's singles champions will earn a record $3 million apiece this year.
The U.S. Tennis Association also announced Wednesday that the total purse for the tournament will be $38.3 million, an increase of 11.7 per cent from $34.3 million last year. The previous winners of the final Grand Slam tournament of the season — Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams — earned $2.6 million in 2013.
Runners-up will get $1.45 million, an increase from $1.3 million.
Both the men's and women's doubles champions will earn $520,000, the highest in U.S. Open history. A player who loses in the first round of singles at Flushing Meadows will make $35,750, an increase of $3,750.
The U.S. Open starts on Aug. 25.


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The third type of gravescape in the U.S. is the lawn cemetery. (The first two being graveyards and rural cemeteries, which we discussed last week.) The lawn cemetery, or modern cemetery as it is also known, gained favor around the end of the Civil War.
|Highland Lawn Cemetery, Terre Haute, Indiana
As the name suggests, a lawn cemetery is covered with grass, with small tombstones and markers used to designate burial plots instead of large monuments and statues. This is thought to present a more solemn and aesthetic visual appeal of the grounds to visitors, and to create a cemetery that is much easier for the groundskeepers to maintain.
Adolph Strauch has been called the 'father of the lawn cemetery' because of his work on Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio. Strauch was a well-known landscape artist of the nineteenth century who designed many parks in Cincinnati and Chicago. He assisted in recreating Spring Grove Cemetery and Chicago's Graceland Cemetery into modern lawn cemeteries by reducing the spate of monuments and statues found there, and by including lakes and trees on the grounds.
|Stone railing separating family plot from cemetery
But this pleasing appearance of expansive landscapes does come with some drawbacks. The disadvantages of the lawn cemetery includes the fact that cemetery authorities may restrict or forbid plot owners from altering the gravesite with plants, flowers or railings. They may limit the size and/or shape of the stone. And they may also refuse to allow any flowers or decorations to be used at a grave, thereby creating that uniform appearance most lawn cemeteries have.
Advantages of the lawn cemetery includes the creation of pleasant, approachable landscapes, the absence of pretentious monuments used to express a family's social station in life, and the economy of allowing cemetery authorities to use and maintain the land in the most efficient manner, therefore reducing the cost of the plots themselves. With these approaches, lawn cemeteries found a way to set themselves apart from the elements associated with graveyards and rural cemeteries.
|Monument at Oak Ridge in Springfield, IL
They are the status quo of gravescapes used in the U.S. today. But while there is much to recommend them, lawn cemeteries still lack a certain sentimental appeal that attracts those of us searching for those qualities of nostalgia, melancholy and romantic sensibility in our cemeteries.
~ Joy


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0.924 g NaHCO3 / 100 g soy sauce
pH = 4.8 -> 7.0
New Condiment
% NaCl = 14.18
There are a number of foods that are improved by increasing the pH slightly. Tomatoes are another good example though it is easy to over adjust. Many processed foods add acid to preserve color and give some bacterial protection and a small amount of baking soda can improve them.


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The Avast Support Tool is a diagnostic tool that checks your Avast Antivirus software for common problems and offers troubleshooting solutions. It can also gather files to send to Avast as a reference for Avast Support representatives and engineers.
Avast Support does not automatically check for newly submitted support files so before you send a support file via the Avast Support Tool, please notify Avast Support via the support portal.
Run the Avast Support Tool
Hover your cursor over the information icon to find out what each check does.
- Click the button below to download the Avast Support Tool and save it in a familiar location on your PC (such as your Windows desktop). Download Avast Support Tool
- Right-click the downloaded
avastsupport.exetool icon and select Run as administrator from the context menu.
- If prompted by the User Account Control dialog for permissions, click Yes (or Continue).
- If the Avast Support Tool does not run automatically, then click Start.
Submit a support file to Avast Support
Click the Learn more link to view help and suggestions for an issue.
- Ensure you are connected to the internet, then follow the instructions above to run the Avast Support Tool.
- When the Avast Support Tool has finished running, click Next to create a support file.
- On the new screen that appears, fill in the following information:
By default, support files are sent to Avast servers. You can change this setting by clicking Options.
- The e-mail address you provided when you contacted Avast Support by submitting a ticket via the support portal.
- The Ticket ID you received after submitting the ticket.
- Click Generate to allow the tool to gather the necessary files. This process may take several minutes.
- The support file is automatically sent to Avast Support if you are connected to the internet. For future reference, note the File ID and its location on your PC. In your next communication with Avast Support, you can provide the support File ID to our support representatives.
- Click Finish to complete the file submission to Avast Support.
- Avast Support Tool
- Avast Premium Security 19.x
- Avast Free Antivirus 19.x
- Avast Omni 1.x
- Avast Premier 19.x
- Avast Internet Security 19.x
- Avast Pro Antivirus 19.x
- Microsoft Windows 10 Home / Pro / Enterprise / Education - 32 / 64-bit
- Microsoft Windows 8.1 / Pro / Enterprise - 32 / 64-bit
- Microsoft Windows 8 / Pro / Enterprise - 32 / 64-bit
- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Basic / Home Premium / Professional / Enterprise / Ultimate - Service Pack 1, 32 / 64-bit


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Items 1-48 of 160
New Hublot Watches
Hublot Watches for Sale
Introduction to Hublot Watches
Another big name in the Swiss luxury watchmaking world is Hublot. Hublot watches was founded by an Italian man named Carlo Crocco in 1980. Before Crocco founded Hublot, he was with Binda Group in Italy but left so that he could start his dreams of his very own watch company. Crocco actually created the very first natural rubber strap ever. Did he create it overnight? Absolutely not. Making the rubber strap took about three years of research in itself.
Hublot Behind the Scenes
The innovation and process behind manufacturing the watches is something that Hublot takes very seriously. Respecting the beauty and art of watchmaking, Hublot has their own in-house movements, record power reserves and red ceramic, which is something they got patented to make bright-colored ceramics. They start their watchmaking process by sketching out an idea of what they want to build and create. It's drawn out detail by detail so that the aesthetics of Hublot watches are seen and known. After they move on to the movement of the watch, depending on the concept that it was originally thought from. Lastly, they move on to create the prototype version. It's an actual working watch at that point, but it's very early in the stages of it.
With more than 80 boutiques across the world, it was not until 2007 when Hublot opened their first mono-brand store in Paris, France. You can find Hublot watches for sale at their flagship store in London. However, if you are not in London you can find a great selection of Hublot watches for women and men at WatchShopping.com!
Luxury goods group LVMH bought Hublot out from Crocco in 2008. The following year, Hublot debuted their new method of finding out if a [Hublot] watch was fake or not. They debuted their smart card method at BaselWorld.
Hublot and Sports
Hublot watches as a brand has had sponsorships and deals with a few soccer teams. For example, in 2008 they had a deal with Manchester United as well endorsement deals with some clubs including Paris Saint-Germain and Ajax Amsterdam. Hublot watches have become the official timekeeper of the FIFA World Cup many times, including 2018's latest World Cup. 2018 was the third time in a row that Hublot got the pleasure of being the official timekeeper. Hublot's Big Bang watches were made in special editions for referees as well. Their watches first were worn by the referees who were on the field during the FIFA 2018 World Cup. Hublot for Men offers a variety of the Bing Bang watch styles for soccer enthusiasts to reminisce on their favorite game. These watches are not only for men – there are also many popular women's Hublot options.
A perfect combination between traditional and cutting-edge, their watches are made with precision and the most intricate details. Watchmaking at Hublot is truly an art. Their in-house manufacturers have made movements that are hand-assembled from more than 300 pieces. Not only are they classic watches, they are also high-tech wrist pieces. Every single piece and watch that comes from Hublot is handled with care and love. Hublot holds very high standards for every one of their products that come out of their house. Some of the most popular Hublot watch models for men include the Hublot Big Bang and Hublot Classic Fusion. Hublot for Women includes their top watch collections and featured brands which offer a variety of styles to choose from.
Hublot watches have had a close relationship with cars and even made a tribute watch to match a Ferrari. The watch was called MP-05 LaFerrari, with sapphire crystals that was influenced by the car's outline. Their watch cases are one of their iconic looks. They have "H-screws" in their cases that to always show who they are as a brand.
Like most major watch companies, Hublot has a handful of well known partnerships and endorsement deals. Some of the more recognizable partnerships would be with the fastest man of all time, Usain Bolt, professional basketball player Dwyane Wade and one of the best boxers of all time, Floyd "Money" Mayweather. Outside of deals with individual professionals, Hublot has a Big Bang collection with Ferrari too. You can buy authentic Hublot watches for sale right here on Watchshopping.com!


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Small universe glass earrings - carnival
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Bёuy (pronounced 'boy') presents these small universe glass earrings in carnival. These everyday wear, bubble looking glass earrings are made of borosilicate glass which is not only light weight but also extremely durable (eg: glass used in laboratories and kitchenware).
These contemporary glass earrings incorporate colours inspired by urban Melbourne Graffiti and modern technologies to create modern jewellery that is as strong as it is beautiful. Works are internally hand airbrushed in our Melbourne studio and posts are made from tarnish-free hypoallergenic surgical steel. Proudly designed + made in Melbourne, Australia. All works are covered by a 2 year replacement guarantee (see 'policies' page).


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The Lawnmower People
I was all set to do a blog about how using Windows is like growing evil tomatoes, then American corporations became real people. They've been people for a while, of course: they have the right to own things and sue you and claim they've been defamed. Your chair can't do that. A corporation can, because it's a person.
But they weren't enough of a person, apparently, so now they have First Amendment rights. In particular, they have the right to spend as much money as they like on political advertising: airing ads in favor of anti-regulation candidates over pro-regulation ones, for example.
I find it helpful to think of corporations as lawnmowers. Lawnmowers are good at cutting grass. It's all they want to do. They're not very concerned about what gets in the way of cutting grass. If, for example, we discover that one of the lawnmowers sometimes kills people, the lawnmower would rather pretend there isn't a problem than stop mowing lawns. It seems callous to us. But you have to remember, it's not a person. It's a lawnmower.
Corporations pursue profit; the fewer people watching, the more ruthlessly they do it. It's not coincidence that Apple is a relatively nice corporation and Halliburton is not. It's not that Apple was raised right while Halliburton had a distant father. It's that Apple's profits depend more heavily on consumer opinion. It can't make money unless it's likable, so it is.
I think lawnmowers are useful. I don't want to get rid of them. But I very much want to keep them on the lawns.
The Supreme Court has let them into homes: now the lawnmowers will speak to us through TV, radio, internet, print, and tell us who to vote for. That might not seem like a problem. After all, you are a smart person. You're probably not persuaded by advertising. The thing is, everyone thinks that, and advertising is an $600 billion industry. Someone, somewhere is getting $600 billion worth of persuasion.
It's pretty obvious that lawnmowers will back pro-lawnmower candidates. They are functionally and legally prevented from doing anything else. In fact, now that the opportunity exists, lawnmowers are compelled to exploit it.
Honestly, I had started to think that the world of Jennifer Government was getting far-fetched. It seemed like corporations were not overpowering the government at all; instead, the two were slowly merging into a govern-corp megabeast. But this changes things. Until now, corporate lobbyists have essentially stood in opposition to voters: politicians wanted lobbyist money, but resisted giving in too much for fear of being punished at the ballot box. Now corporations can work it both ways. They can buy off the politicians and sell the voters on why that's A-OK. They won't have to come up with the media messages themselves. That's a job for the ad agency. All they'll do is write up the ad brief, spelling out what they want people to think, and sign the checks.
Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, in handing down a dissenting decision, raised the prospect of corporations being given the vote. Since, after all, they are people now. We might as well. A single vote is nothing compared to what they'll do by bringing their wealth to mass persuasive political advertising.
It's interesting to note how corporations get to pick and choose the good parts of being a person. They can own property but can't go to prison. They can sue you into bankruptcy, which you have to live with for the rest of your life, but if you win a big case against them, you get nothing while they reconstitute their assets and arise, Phoenix-like, under a new name. If you misbehave, you are personally responsible; a corporation jettisons a minor component it says was to blame. There is no ending them. This is the kind of personhood you would choose, if you could. It's what happens when people making laws about corporations are themselves beholden to corporations.
It's not evil, exactly. It's just everyone doing their jobs. It's just the way the system works: the system that is increasingly designed by lawnmowers.


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Amir Shahkarami has been named Braidwood Station site vice president and senior vice president, Exelon Nuclear, according to the company. Shahkarami replaces Bryan Hanson, who is moving to Exelon's corporate office in Warrenville, Ill., as vice president,
BRACEVILLE, Ill. (Aug. 17, 2009) - Amir Shahkarami has been named Braidwood Station site vice president and senior vice president, Exelon Nuclear, according to the company. Shahkarami replaces Bryan Hanson, who is moving to Exelon's corporate office in Warrenville, Ill., as vice president, Midwest Operations for Exelon Nuclear.
"It has been a pleasure being an integral part of the Braidwood community this past year. In my new role, I will continue to assist the station in a broader sense," Hanson said. "I'm confident that Amir will carry on Exelon's commitment to being a vital part of the communities that surround the station as well as ensuring that the station continues to provide safe, clean and reliable energy."
As site vice president, Shahkarami's primary responsibility will be to oversee the safe and reliable operation of Braidwood Station and to ensure the public is kept informed of the operation of the plant.
Shahkarami joined Exelon Nuclear in 2002. Prior to being named Braidwood site vice president, Shahkarami was the senior vice president of Exelon Nuclear's engineering and technical services organization. In this role, he was responsible for conduct of fuel, engineering, project management, license renewal, industry organizations, innovation and Exelon Nuclear's international exchange program.
Prior to joining Exelon, Shahkarami spent 12 years at energy company Entergy in various management positions. He worked at Detroit Edison's Fermi Nuclear Plant for three years and he provided five years of engineering consultation through Sargent & Lundy to many U.S. nuclear plants. Shahkarami also spent three years at Brown & Root, Inc., designing and constructing offshore oil platforms and pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico and the North Sea.
Shahkarami is a member of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Nuclear Power Council and its executive committee. He also serves on the Tulane University, Texas A&M and Illinois Institute of Technology engineering advisory boards. He has been a member of the American Nuclear Society since 1992 and currently serves on its board of directors.
Shahkarami received his bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering from Tulane University, his master's in Business Administration from Mississippi College and a PhD in nuclear engineering from Louisiana State University. He is a registered Professional Engineer and has a Senior Reactor Operator (SRO) certificate.


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Aaaaaaahhhh! I caught you guys this time! Thanks for posting here, Ernie/Cindy! I was rooting for y'all so hard and am really glad y'all won season 19! Also congrats on getting married! Hope everything's going well with you two!Some questions:1) TAR 21 related. What do y'all think of the Beekman boys very UTR (under the radar) edit this season, well so far anyway? They were shown in the season preview (well Brent was) celebrating after the ice detour, but in last night's episode they were barely shown doing the detour... and they had some random comments in the RB.2) Personal, to Cindy. I think most people here have seen your McDonald's commercial. Was it a good experience? And would you mind telling us how you got the gig?Now let me catch up to your initial responses (hope my questions weren't redundant... )!
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A partnership between Hope College and Michigan State University focused on encouraging BSN nursing graduates to pursue doctoral education has received a "Building Michigan's Health Care Workforce Award" from the Michigan Health Council.
The award, in the category of "Training and Education Strategies," was presented to Dr. Susan Dunn (Hope) and Drs. Barbara Given and Mary Mundt (MSU) during the organization's annual meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 13, at the University Club in East Lansing.
"Hope College's Department of Nursing has developed a program to address one of the most critical bottlenecks in nursing education: the lack of qualified faculty to train future nurses," said Anne Rosewarne, president and CEO of the Michigan Health Council. "Training enough nurses is critical to providing high-quality care to meet the dual challenges of an aging workforce and expanded health care access."
The Hope-MSU partnership, established in 2009, encourages talented nursing students at Hope to pursue doctoral education in the accelerated BSN to Ph.D. nursing program at MSU, with MSU designating a minimum of two seats in the fast-track program each year for qualified applicants from Hope. The goal is to develop a larger pool of highly qualified nurse researchers and educators.
While at Hope, senior-level nursing students at the college can elect to enroll in a pre-graduate school seminar that focuses on advanced nursing roles, reflecting on the various graduate nursing programs available, and developing a statement of research interest and goals. Faculty advising is available and recruitment open houses are held to help interested students prepare for the application process and transition to MSU.
Students who are accepted into the BSN to Ph.D. program take one year of master's-level coursework prior to beginning their doctoral studies and continue to receive mentoring from Hope and MSU faculty throughout the program.
The department of nursing at Hope began in 2002, although nursing education at the college goes back another two decades. From 1982 through 2003, Hope and Calvin College operated a nursing program jointly before creating their own, independent programs.
The program is approved by the Michigan Board of Nursing and is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Students begin studies in the program as sophomores based on completion of prerequisite classes as freshmen. The major includes coursework on campus as well as multiple field placements, the latter spread across six specialty practicum courses, a research practicum, a family health course and an internship. Area clinical sites have included Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, Holland Hospital, the Ottawa County Health Department, Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services, Spectrum Health and Zeeland Hospital.
Hope College Nursing is among the select group of programs nationwide whose graduates achieved a 100-percent pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) during 2011-12 (December and May). One-hundred percent of the program's graduates also passed on the first attempt the previous year. According to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing's program report, only six percent of all nursing-education programs nationwide achieved a 100-percent pass rate between April 2011 and March 2012.
The Michigan Health Council is an Okemos-based 501(c)3 non-profit organization committed to connecting health care professionals with jobs, promote health care education, and solving the challenges facing Michigan's health care employers and practitioners. In addition to Hope, this year's award winners include Cadillac Family Physicians (health care workforce retention), the Cook-DeVos Health Sciences Simulation Center of Grand Valley State University (education and training strategies), Hills and Dales General Hospital (health care workforce retention), Kalkaska Memorial Hospital (health care workforce retention), Portage Health (health care workforce recruitment), Spectrum Health (community or regional collaboration) and Trinity Health-West Michigan (health care workforce recruitment).


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Lewis and Clark State Office Building
"In the spirit of Discovery, Diplomacy and Stewardship"
Copyright © 2006 Assassi. Courtesy of BNIM Architects
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Lewis and Clark State Office Building consolidates several central offices. The building also incorporates numerous elements of sustainable design, which minimizes its impact on the environment and provides employees with a more productive work environment. The building's name was chosen to honor the Lewis and Clark expedition in their spirit of discovery, diplomacy and stewardship and to commemorate the bicentennial of their journey.
Map to Building 1101 Riverside Drive, Jefferson City, MO 65101
- Lewis and Clark State Office Building Fact Sheet
- Project timeline
- It's All About the Green Brochure
- USGBC/LEED Platinum Award and National Conference Presentations
- From Gold to Platinum
- Sustainable Design and Interpretation
- Building Occupant Evaluations and Studies
Those interested in exploring the Lewis and Clark State Office Building may call the department toll-free at 800-361-4827 to schedule a tour.
- BNIM Architects
- The building was designed by BNIM Architects in Kansas City, led by principals Bob Berkebile and Steve McDowell, with architects Laura Lesniewski and Kimberly Hickson.
- Berkebile, a principal in the Kansas City architectural firm BNIM Architects, has been referred to as one of the founding fathers of sustainable design.
- Berkebile is the founding chairman of the American Institute of Architects' Committee on the Environment. That organization spawned the U.S. Green Building Council. He was instrumental in developing the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) ratings criteria. He is a member of the Nature Conservancy Board of Trustees, chairman of the Environmental Management Commission for Kansas City, founding member of the Union of International Architects Road from Rio Working Group and co-chairman of the Scientific Advisory Group on the Environment.
- Professional Contractors and Engineers (PCE)
- Office of Administration
- Magazine Articles
- Architectural Record
- Design Cost Data
- GreenSource (Novemeber 2006)
- Environmental Design+Construction
- Case Study - 2007 McQuay International
- Modern Builder (May-June 2005)
- Inner Resources Article, July/August, 2001,"Green" Building Will Usher In Site Redevelopment


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Taco Bell released a Vine video to tease yet another Doritos Locos Tacos flavor that will hit restaurants later this month.
The new, mystery flavor will join the popular Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Tacos, which has become Taco Bell's most successful product launch in its 50-year history. The Cool Ranch flavor was introduced in March.
Rumor has it that the new flavor will be inspired by Dorito's chili-lime flavored Flamas chips. Nation's Restaurant News reported about a year ago that Flamas Doritos Locos Tacos were being tested at stores in Toledo, Ohio.


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Road rage murder nets life sentence for teen
Before Ruben Martinez was arrested in the road rage killing of a stranger along Interstate 37 in December 2011, the youth was believed to have already participated in numerous drug deals, smuggling of illegal immigrants, gang violence and at least six nonfatal shootings — including firing into a house where his 1-year-old was asleep.
With a criminal resume that "incredibly extensive" at such a young age, there was little other choice but to assess a life sentence, prosecutors suggested Wednesday at the conclusion of Martinez's punishment hearing.
State District Judge Sid Harle agreed.
Jurors convicted Martinez, 19, in November of the murder of Francisco "Frankie" Rodriguez, a fellow motorist who appears to have garnered the defendant's ire after he inadvertently got between Martinez and his brother while they were racing near downtown.
Defense attorney Larry Greenwood didn't seek a specific sentence for his client, but he did ask the judge to take into account that Martinez could mature in prison and come out a productive member of society.
The judge responded that Martinez appeared to be "an admitted and very proud gang member" who, still on parole from incarceration at a juvenile facility, had no business possessing the firearm used to kill Rodriguez.
Harle, a Republican, alluded to the recent Connecticut elementary school shooting, adding that he's a strong supporter of gun rights.
"You, on the other hand, would be a poster boy for the other side," Harle said, describing him as "an individual who has shown a great danger to the community at a very early age."
Prosecutors Christian Henricksen and Kelly Pittl spent the daylong hearing calling multiple officers to the stand to outline in detail the six alleged shootings that led up to the murder.
Ex-girlfriend Balbina Cardenas told the judge she was with Martinez at some of the shootings, including an incident one month before the murder in which he targeted the home of his baby's mother, who has since accepted his marriage proposal.
"She (the mother) was posting stuff on Facebook," Cardenas said of Martinez's reason for the shooting. "He pointed his gun towards (her) house. ... He wouldn't listen and stayed there shooting until I pulled him into the car."
Martinez's brother was arrested for felony witness tampering several weeks before the murder trial began. He moved across the street from Cardenas, tried to offer money to her brother to convince her not to testify and was heard assuring others that he was keeping an eye on her, authorities have alleged. That case is awaiting indictment.
Prosecutors also pointed to Martinez's juvenile record, which they said included more than 15 arrests.
The alibi he attempted to give when interviewed for the murder charge was that he was busy that night working as a coyote to smuggle immigrants.
"He's proven he doesn't care who he hurts," Henricksen said, adding that it takes some criminals a lifetime to accumulate the sort of history Martinez has.
Twitter: @HearsaySA


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Review The baby of the SR range is a brutal looking slab with distinctive Marantz curves which keeps most of its front-facing controls and connections hidden behind a large flap panel. These include iPod/iPhone connectivity with USB but no HDMI input up front, unlike all the other devices here.
It has just four HDMI inputs round the back, which will probably be enough for most, yet it's typically two less than most others are offering at this price level. All of these HDMI ports can handle 3D material though and offer the latest specs like audio return channel and standby pass-through with a compatible TV.
The user interface is basic, but effective, superimposing blocky white text over the picture. The remote is, as usual, a maze of backlit buttons, but Marantz has made a good effort to differentiate them by size and ordered them into a neatly structured layout.
Speaker calibration comes courtesy of the Audyssey system, which offers optimisation for up to six listening positions – it's a bit more hassle to set up than say, the Yamaha or Pioneer systems, but it gives you more scope.
With no Ethernet or Wi-Fi there's no Internet connectivity or networking capability, which wouldn't have been a surprise at this cost last year, but with rivals offering it for an equivalent price or less, it's beginning to look like a serious omission.
The standard HD audio formats are aboard, as is Dolby Pro Logic IIx for extra height channels, should you require them.
Sonically, it delivers a powerful, perhaps slightly raw performance with convincing delineation between the speakers. With music, however, it reveals that it's perhaps not quite as smooth a performance as you'll get from the likes of the Denon or the Onkyo, though some may prefer its vigour. ®
AV Receiver Group Test
Next: Onkyo TX-NR708


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Throughout the holiday week, YourObserver.com will be counting down the top 12 stories of 2011 (one from each month) from our Longboat, East County and Sarasota Observers and the Pelican Press. Check back each day for a reprinting — along with any relevant updates — of the biggest news items of the year.
Noting Sarasota County collected $11,377,927 in tourist tax revenue for the 2010-11 fiscal year, County Commission Chairwoman Nora Patterson said last week the figure was the best since the 2006 fiscal year, before the Great Recession began.
"It looks like we're coming back," she told her fellow members of the Tourist Development Council during their regular meeting Nov. 17. "I'm sure Dr. Beach had a lot to do with it."
Patterson's comments followed a report by Erin Duggan, director of communications for the Sarasota Convention and Visitors Bureau. During an overview of SCVB public relations initiatives and promotions for the 2011 fiscal year, Duggan said the impact of the late-May announcement by Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman of Florida International University, aka Dr. Beach, that Siesta Public Beach was No. 1 in the country was significant.
Duggan's statistics showed that 406,948,969 people had read about the distinction online; the print total was 3,247,649.
For comparison, Duggan said, news about the No. 1 beach in 2010, Coopers Beach on Long Island, drew 227,647,329 visits online and 1,615,162 in print. However, Duggan pointed said Long Island residents, unlike those in Sarasota County, had not been eager to publicize the Coopers Beach honor.
Duggan also told the TDC members that the live feed from Siesta Public Beach May 27, when Dr. Beach made his announcement on "The Today Show," probably reached more than 4 million viewers, according to statistics provided by the show's producers. The SCVB, she explained, had arranged for a satellite truck to be on the beach for the announcement, as Leatherman had given the office advance notice of his rankings, though he had sworn the SCVB staff to secrecy.
Between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. May 27, Duggan said, Leatherman did back-to-back media interviews about his announcement.
She initially had been concerned the $40,000 cost of the satellite truck would be prohibitive, Duggan said.
"We didn't budget for this, because we didn't know about (the announcement) until about two weeks prior," she said.
However, she said, Virginia Haley, the SCVB president, had agreed the expense would pay off in publicity.
Additionally, Duggan said, she made sure she was accessible to reporters that weekend, which was right before Memorial Day.
"A lot of what we do is really about just getting (to journalists) what they need," she said.
"This has more legs than just one year," TDC Vice Chairman Tony Swain told her.
Although they knew Siesta Key and Sarasota County would reap a lot of publicity this year and next year from the announcement, Duggan said, staff members are concerned about 2013 and beyond.
"We also need to start pushing another beach," Patterson said. "We have several really gorgeous beaches (in the county)."
In a preview of promotions for 2012, Duggan reported the SCVB had launched a "Searching for Sara" initiative in September. Using Facebook, she said, the SCVB offered individuals named Sara the opportunity to win an all-expenses-paid theme trip to the county. Entrants were asked to choose one of four vacations that best suited their personalities. The categories were eco/adventure/sports, arts/culture/romance, family/attractions/beaches and culinary.
More than 300 people named Sara entered the contest over five weeks, Duggan reported. The SCVB Facebook friends count went up to 19,200, she added. Staff will pick the winners in each category in early December, she said. The SCVB will help them with itineraries for trips to the county; all that is asked of the winners, she said, is that they document their trips through social media.
"Our cost is incredibly minimal," she added.
One big event coming up in May, Duggan said, will be the Society of American Travel Writers conference in Sarasota. "It (represents) the best of the best (travel) writers," she said of the organization.
"Wow," Patterson said. "What a coup."
The SCVB also is continuing to focus outreach on the Baltimore/Washington, D.C., area, to capitalize on the Baltimore Orioles' spring training in Sarasota, Duggan said, and it is planning an agritourism/farm-to-table dining promotion.
When Patterson asked about the impact on tourism of the Ringling International Arts Festival, Duggan said the event had brought a lot of notice to the county.
"I think it gives us credibility, too," she said, because of the involvement of international ballet star Mikhail Baryshnikov.
"I think it's really important that it continue to build," Patterson said, adding that the festival no longer required tax money for support.
Haley told the board Duggan's budget had increased about 10 percent from the 2010 fiscal year to the 2011 fiscal year, though she did not have the exact figures. She promised to send those to the TDC members.
"It seems to me that the returns have been higher than the investment," Patterson said.