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The economy is still not gaining any real momentum, so to attract new buyers, some luxury automakers are forcing new-car shoppers to downgrade to stay in the segment with cars like the Lexus IS 250, Infiniti G25 and Mercedes-Benz C250. Buick, on the other hand, is taking a different approach in the luxury car market with the all-new 2012 Buick Verano that rewards those moving up from economy compacts without punishing those downsizing to a more practical, right-sized luxury sedan. As Buick's third new or redesigned vehicle in as many years, the 2012 Verano continues to build momentum for GM's smallest brand taking on rival luxury automakers in a price segment that is more affordable to the masses. One of the few issues that some buyers will likely have with the Buick Verano is the fact that it will be in a unique segment that's not as sporty as some sport sedans and not as plush as some luxury sedans, but what the Verano does deliver is a great mix of the two at a price that consumers shouldn't have a problem making small sacrifices.
2012 Buick Verano First Drive Review
2012 Buick Verano: Pricing and Trim Levels
Assembled at GM's Orion Assembly plant alongside the equally new Chevrolet Sonic, the 2012 Buick Verano has a starting MSRP of $22,585 but the available Convenience Group and Leather Group include additional equipment and raise the base price to $24,670 and $26,850, respectively. Checking every available option box (including dealer-installed accessories), the Verano's price never goes over the $30,000 mark including the $885 destination charge. For comparison, a fully loaded Verano still costs less than a base Lexus CT or Acura TSX - the only other luxury-branded cars that start under $30,000. Buick has not announced expected sales figures for the Verano, but the brand's sales are up almost 20 percent in sales compared to 2010 through the first 10 months of this year despite the fact that its string of consecutive monthly sales gains ended in October. Considering that the last compact that Buick offered was the 1998 Skylark, the all-new Verano should definitely help attract newer, younger buyers to the brand who are shopping luxury and price.
2012 Buick Verano: Competition
Positioned in a surprisingly niche market segment between economy-priced compacts and entry-level luxury cars, it is hard to point out any direct rivals to the 2012 Buick Verano, but Buick is definitely going after buyers shopping fully loaded compacts like the Ford Focus or Hyundai Elantra as well as those looking at small luxury models like the Acura TSX, Lexus IS 250 and Infiniti G25. The advantage that the Verano holds is in the fact that you can easily option up a Cruze, Focus or any of the latest compact sedans into the mid-$20,000 price range, but you won't be able to get the same level of refinement as this Buick. Likewise, some of the more premium brands offer cars with a more affordable starting price, but stepping up to the technology features will involve opting for pricey packages which can quickly raise the price.
2012 Buick Verano: Exterior
Unveiled earlier this year at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the 2012 Buick Verano has a styling that fits in with other current Buicks while at the same time looking more youthful and energetic. Up front, the successful front-end styling first introduced on the Buick Enclave back in 2008 has become a staple of the Buick line-up, but the large, diamond-shaped headlights and waterfall grille aren't as well proportioned on the smaller Verano giving the car more of a bug-eyed look. This can be quickly overlooked however thanks to the styling of the rest of the car which includes the sculpted hood with Buick's signature portholes, L-shaped creases along the side of the car and horizontal taillights with a stylish chrome brow. The taillights are actually the biggest focal point of the car with their angular placement low on the body, and while they currently use conventional lighting, Buick's people at the launch did not rule out the future availability of LED taillights which would add an even more contemporary and up market look to the car. The Verano is available in five colors, but our favorite on the test cars was the Crystal Red Tintcoat (shown on this page) which is a $325 option; White Diamond Tricoat, a stylish color on the Enclave and some Cadillacs, is also offered on the Verano as a $495 option.
2012 Buick Verano: Interior
As stylish as the 2012 Buick Verano is on the outside, its interior is what will really help draw luxury-car shoppers to this newer, smaller segment. Above everything else, the most impressive aspect of the Verano's interior is its level of quietness thanks to what Buick refers to as Quiet Tuning. Buick paid close attention to reducing cabin noise in the Verano applying sound-deadening materials to everything from the carpet to the headliner and tossing in triple door seals and acoustic laminated glass for good measure. As a quick demonstration, Buick had people on hand with leaf blowers running at full throttle to show how well the cabin killed outside noise, but the true test for the Verano was driving through Manhattan where the traffic, honking horns, yelling people and all of the other signature New York City noises were suppressed.
Aside from the attention to sound deadening, Buick also put a lot of effort into making the Verano a true luxury car. Yes, the base car comes with a premium cloth seat that features leatherette side bolsters, but a leather package gives the car an interior that a Lexus owner could be envious of. Included in the base price, Buick gave the Verano plenty of standard equipment including Bluetooth, remote start, USB port and Sirius satellite radio, but even premium options like navigation and Bose audio are affordable as $795 and $595 options, respectively. Speaking of cabin tech, the Buick IntelliLink infotainment system is also standard on all Verano models which features a large seven-inch screen to control smartphone-related apps such as Pandora and Stitcher. Not only is the Verano luxurious, it is also very roomy with 95 cubic feet of passenger volume and up to 15.2 cubic feet of trunk space. This is almost identical to the Chevy Cruze in terms of space, but the layout and touch points all help make the car worth the premium price. Even better, the Verano's cabin is roomier than that Lexus IS sedan with about 10 more cubic feet for the passengers and 2 cubic feet more in the trunk.
2012 Buick Verano: Interior Packages and Options
Instead of trim levels, the 2012 Buick Verano is offered with two option groups. With a starting MSRP of $24,670 (a $1,200 premium), the Convenience Group adds in features such as rear park assist, an eight-way power driver's seat, heated exterior mirrors and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. Moving up to the Leather Group, which starts at $26,850, the 2012 Verano is as luxurious as any of the other products in Buick's line-up with a rich leather interior, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, keyless entry with push-button start and a Bose nine-speaker audio system. Options on the base Verano include a dealer-installed decklid spoiler ($300) and the Bose audio system, while the "mid-level" Convenience Group additionally allows buyers to opt for the navigation system and a $900 power sunroof. The Luxury Group also lets customers choose the same options as the Convenience Group, but it also adds the choice of the Verano's only wheel options: 18-inch, 10-split-spoke forged alloys.
2012 Buick Verano: Powertrain and Fuel Economy
At launch, the 2012 Buick Verano will only be offered with the 2.4-liter direct-injected Ecotec inline-four that is rated at 180 horsepower and 171 lb-ft of torque, but Buick has already confirmed that a 2.0-liter turbo inline-four will eventually be offered in the car likely bumping the output up to 220 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque (which is what this engine is rated at in the new Buick Regal Turbo). For now, only a six-speed automatic transmission is available, but the turbo model could add a manual gearbox when it is released later next year. No official EPA fuel economy estimates have been released for the 2012 Verano, but Buick expects its new entry-level model to see estimates somewhere in the neighborhood of 21 miles per gallon in the city and 31 mpg on the highway. This may seem pretty far from the fuel economy of other compact sedans that are hitting 40 mpg with ease these days, but Buick opted to use a slightly larger engine that sacrifices a few mpgs in the name of quicker and smoother acceleration expected from a luxury sedan.
2012 Buick Verano: Driving Impressions
Using the same platform that underpins the Chevrolet Cruze, it shouldn't be too surprising at how well-balanced the 2012 Buick Verano feels on the road, but it also has its own identity that feels smooth and luxurious with a hint of sportiness. On the roads leading out of New York City, the Verano absorbed the harsh concrete pretty well, and once the roads opened up and got a little twisty, the MacPherson front struts and Watt's Z-link rear suspension setup helped the car feel planted and stable. Not that the Verano is going to keep pace with an Audi A4 or Lexus IS, but it is intended to do so either; for this task, Buick will gladly show customers the all-new Buick Regal GS! The Verano is going to be a perfect car for small families taking occasional road trips or young professionals looking for a luxurious, tech-filled daily commuter that doesn't break the bank. Between the heavily congested city driving and the fun country back roads, we had a great chance to really get a feel for the Verano, and at the end of the day, one of thing about the Verano's ride that kept standing out was how it never felt like a small compact car.
2012 Buick Verano First Drive Review: Safety
Safety ratings for the 2012 Buick Verano have been released yet by either the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) or Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), but it is expected to perform quite well in crashes thanks to plenty of safety features and a strong safety cell. All 2012 Verano models come standard with 10 airbags, electronic brake-force distribution with brake assist, four-wheel anti-lock disc brake system, tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS), StabiliTrak stability control and, of course, OnStar.
2012 Buick Verano: Final Thoughts
GM's track record of compact cars in the luxury segment hasn't been too strong in the last few decades, but the 2012 Buick Verano could be the best evidence yet how much better New GM is than Old GM showing that "compact car" doesn't necessarily mean "cheap car" and "platform sharing" no longer means "badge swapping." The new Verano is a great step up for shoppers who want more luxury from their compact car, but it is also an ideal move for shoppers moving down from bigger luxury sedans who aren't willing to compromise quality. In fact, the Buick Verano is the lowest-priced luxury sedan on the market, and it is still as fun to drive as its competitors and comes equipped with all of the features and technology expected in this segment. To put it simply, the Buick Verano is a car that a bank CEO could drive to work in without drawing the attention of Occupy Wall Street demonstrators.
2012 Buick Verano: Pros and Cons
- unique market position
- quiet interior with great use of materials and technology
- simple packaging
- great pricing across the board
- Buick corporate face looks bug-eyed on the compact Verano
- middle-of-the-road marketing might confuse buyers
- no manual transmission
Buick provided travel, lodging and vehicle for this review.
Photos by Jeffrey N. Ross


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What is Baby Love Plus?
Just as the name implies it is the plus for the family with a new baby. Families know how to nurture their babies but every family deserves a plus to help them meet their goals and navigate system barriers to achieving good health care. Barriers are missed steps that make plans to return to work, child care, planning for the next baby, and housing more difficult because the family was not aware of how to access services. Baby Love Plus Family Care Coordinators and Family Out Workers will assist you by making connections with community partners in Forsyth County and Winston Salem. The program links moms, babies and dads with important health care and support services.
Baby Love Plus provides:
Family Care Coordinators and Family Outreach Workers help our clients achieve goals that are important to the family unit. We will advocate on behalf of Baby Love Plus clients to obtain needed services and support. NCBLP staff can assist in accessing services such as:
Who is Eligible?
Contact information: 336-703-3267 or 336-703-3189

subset: commoncrawl


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So, what's a new puppy owner to do?
- At least one hour (preferably 2) before the raid, take her outside and play. Play hard. If she'll chase a ball, use that; if not, take a long stick and run around the yard with her chasing it. Or have her chase you. Just get her running!
- Make sure she potties. "Afk my puppy peed on the floor" isn't a fun call to make mid-raid!
- Lavish her with attention before the raid. Do this even if you have a family member who will look after her during the raid, because bonding time with your pup is important.
- Save 15 minutes of time before you log in as "wind-down" time. Set up her usual nap area (my puppy insists on having a fan going... northern breeds, go figure!) and pet her/brush her. Let her calm down.
- If you can't keep her in the computer room with you (wires, carpet, etc) I suggest a crate. Otherwise, you'll be distracted by needing to stop her from chewing on everything (wires, carpet, papers, trash can, cats, door frames, bookcases, table legs, your feet) or be ever-paranoid about her leaving a puddle on your floor.
- Attend your raid. Ignore the cries/whines for attention; a couple of hours alone in a crate is not going to hurt her. Just don't abandon her all evening, particularly if you've been gone all day, too!
- During any 10/15 minute break, take her outside quickly if you know she has a weak bladder. Give her some food and let her settle back down; a chew toy or frozen carrot will also occupy her as you return to your raid.
- Return to her after your raid for a longer walk and playtime. She will have missed you.
- Train her to control your character.......... I wish. :)
If you have any additional tips or just stories to share, I'd love to hear them :)


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We're very excited about our upcoming Spring residency; Kiln Forming and Kiln Casting. The residency runs from 16 April – 10 June 2012 and we have four artists who we're sure will bring very special qualities to North Lands. We can't wait to see what they do in there time here.
The artists are:
Megan Biddle, USA;
Jennifer Ashley King, Australia;
Melinda Willis, Australia;
Carrie Iverson, USA.
A few pictures of their work by way of introduction, thanks to the artists for permission to use these images.


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With the six-month anniversary of Hurricane Katrina now just days away, Michael Brown, the former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, sat down for his first network television interview since he became the only senior official to lose his job as a result of the bungled government response.
Much of our conversation with Michael Brown will air on "NBC Nightly News" next Monday and Tuesday, as we report from New Orleans on that city's first Mardi Gras since the storm.
But tonight, in a portion of the conversation, Michael Brown says he warned the very top officials in the U.S. government, from the president on down, about the size and scope of the coming hurricane and the government response that would be required.
Brian Williams: I want to ask you: Why didn't you shout it from the mountaintops, or do you feel you did?
Michael Brown: I shouted it from the mountaintops. In the first, I'm going to use the term SVCC — secure video conference call — that we had, that I conducted from FEMA, after it (Hurricane Katrina) had passed the Florida penninsula. I told everybody in that conference call — the president, Chertoff, the state of New Orleans, all of the teams, all the departments and agencies — my gut tells me this is the big one. I want to push everything forward as far as we can. I want to jam up supply lines. I want to cut the bureaucratic red tape. I want it "balls to the wall," is the phrase that I used, in doing everything we could.
Williams: So what date did the president first hear your voice, and see your face, on the topic of Katrina being a potentially catastrophic storm?
Brown: The first time was probably on Saturday before landfall (Aug. 27, 2005), just giving a general update. But the alarm bells were being sounded on Sunday, prior to landfall. Because not only was I having conferences with the president on the telephone, but he was also on the video conference with all of the state emergency managers, all of the federal departments and agencies, and listened in to that entire conversation, including Max Mayfield's (director of the National Hurricane Center) warnings.
Williams: And so when we see trailers in Hope, Ark., of all places — some of them may not be fit for families anymore because of the rot that the weather has caused — who do we get angry at?
Brown: First of all, you can get mad at me if you want to, but I think we ought to get mad at Congress. We ought to get mad at the president. We ought to get mad at Secretary Chertoff.
Williams: If I'm the president, sitting here with you right now, today, what do you say to me?
Brown: Mr. President, on at least a couple of occasions, and on numerous occasions to your staff, I raised the flag, and told you that FEMA was being marginalized, and was not going to be able to respond and, in fact, was on a path to failure. I never like to say I told you so, but I told you so.
Friday night, the White House repeated the fact that President Bush has already taken responsibility for the failed government response. They pointed to their report (.PDF link) calling for changes in disaster planning.
© 2013 NBCNews.com Reprints


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The second edition of this highly successful, user-friendly book, continues to provide an excellent foundation in statistics for the uninitiated, making it ideal for both students and professionals in health care and medicine who may be either approaching the subject for the first time, or who want to refresh their understanding of any one of a number of statistical concepts and applications. As with the first edition, the informal and light-hearted style, and the author's avoidance of too much mathematics, makes the material very accessible. The addition of two new chapters, one on survival analysis, the other on systematic review and meta-analysis, significantly improves the coverage offered. New in this edition: Measuring survival: Kaplan-Meier survival curves; comparing survival in two or more groups.Hazard ratios and the Cox regression model. Systematic review: methods and problems; combining results - meta-analytic methods. Reviews of first edition: His (the author's) work can be highly recommended for health workers, medical students and any other professionals who are revising statistics or approaching it for the first time.Statistical Methods in Medical Research This basic book is exciting and fun to read. Information is presented in a digestable and humorous format. Examples are appropriate to each subject area and easily understood. Clinical Trials Contains work-through examples, using up-to-date, illustrative data. Gives insightful examples of the use of the SPSS and Minitab statistics programmes for some common applications. Provides lots of exercises to improve understanding and consolidate learningBowers, David is the author of 'Medical Statistics from Scratch', published 2008 under ISBN 9780470513019 and ISBN 0470513012.[read more]
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Personalised Rose Gold on Silver Pendant
Artfull Expression and David-Louis are delighted to showcase this beautiful Personalised Rose Gold on Silver Pendant.
Combining cool rose gold finish on top of bright sterling silver creates a lustrous pendant the we can engrave with an initial or date for you – We can engrave both side of the pendant for you with subtle details.
Artfull Expression and David-Louis are delighted to showcase this beautiful Personalised Rose Gold on Silver Pendant.
Combining cool rose gold finish on top of bright sterling silver creates a lustrous pendant the we can engrave with an initial or date for you – We can engrave both side of the pendant for you with subtle details.
The price includes personalisation on both sides if you wish.
Each Personalised Rose Gold on Silver Pendant, is delivered and in a lovely Artfull Expression gift box and can be gift wrapped if you like.
Hand Made Jewellery Direct From Birmingham's Famous Jewellery Quarter
Artfull Expression's hand-picked choice of jewellery showcasing a collection of rare and beautiful sterling silver jewellery suited to every occasion. Hand made jewellery direct from Birmingham's Famous Jewellery Quarter.
You can visit Artfull Expression on Warstone Lane, Birmingham and at ArtfullExpression.co.uk.
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In this workshop the participants are familiarized with the basics of acoustics, loudspeaker characteristics and design. The E-Series, T-Series, and Q-Series products are introduced, as are the d&b amplifiers, both in theory and with listening sessions.
No previous experience with d&b products is necessary.
During this session the participants are introduced with the basics of acoustics, loudspeaker characteristics and design. The E-Series, T-Series, and Q-Series products are introduced, as are the d&b amplifiers, both in theory and with listening sessions.
The day starts with an informal introduction that familiarizes everyone with the seminar presenter's and attendee's professional backgrounds.
De-mystifying audio
This takes a brief look at various audio phenomena, the knowledge of which lets everybody understand acoustics and to better comprehend how loudspeakers behave. It is followed by familiarizing the group with some basic principles of loudspeaker design and the influence they have on the directivity and frequency response. This session does away with complicated math and physics and lets the participants experience a variety of phenomena through a number of acoustic experiments.
System reality
Having learned about the inner workings of acoustics and loudspeakers in general, a closer look is taken at the d&b approach to loudspeaker design, amplification and processing electronics. Starting with a bit of company history which is followed by an exploration of the System reality to discover why d&b does things the way d&b does them.
Introduction to the E-Series, T-Series and Q-Series
A look at the features and intended applications of the three lines of loudspeakers, their strengths and differences.
Hands on listening session
Most of the afternoon is dedicated to actually setting up different systems out of the three Series. Everybody can experience how the loudspeakers and amplifiers can be handled and, most importantly, how they sound.
The workshop or seminar content is conveyed in a format that encourages the participants to play an active role, for example exchanging experiences or using practical examples.
Maximum 14.
Free of charge.
One day.
From 9:30 to 17:30.
d&b audiotechnik GB,Nailsworth Mills Estate,Avening Road, Nailsworth, StroudGL6 0BSGreat Britain.
Relevant documentation such as Technical Information and System Brochures will be available to take away.
Every participant is presented with a certificate at the end of the event in which they have taken part.
(c) Association of Sound Designers 2020
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Zach Cihlar
After 42 years at Brandeis, Police Chief Ed Callahan has announced his retirement. Callahan joined in 1978 and worked as a patrol officer, investigator, detective sergeant, captain and deputy chief before police chief, according to an email announcing his retirement.
International students in online-only classes will be allowed to remain in the US for the fall semester, announced counsel for the federal government, Harvard and MIT, reversing a July 6 guidance imposed by ICE. Read more here: ow.ly/qcxu50Ayp6i pic.twitter.com/mr3j…
Article coming this week! twitter.com/TheBrand…
This decision was announced today, July 14, at 3 pm in a court hearing.
BREAKING NEWS: The July visa restrictions-that would have required international students who had all classes online to leave the US-will not be enforced. Harvard and MIT came to a resolution with government council, and the government agreed to rescind the policy directive.
Remember Me


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Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Studly Barry-Z
I was a little nervous last night with Zito taking the hill. You never know what you will get with that guy, but last night he mixed it up and mesmerized 'em and threw a great game. It helped that the LA lineup was a little ugly. Their leadoff man, Dee Gordon, is really fast but has a .281 OBP. You have to figure that doesn't help them much. Juan Rivera, Juan Uribe, and Tony Gwynn all sport an OPS of less than .700 (the league average is .715). Are you surprised by their 4.08 rpg, just a tick ahead of the Giants 4.07 mark? Without Matt Kemp they are hurting. Andre Ethier hits .325 vs. righties but only .243 vs. lefties. This team, right now, is ripe for the taking. Unfortunately the Giants have to face Clayton Kershaw AGAIN. That will be a tough matchup for Ryan Vogelsong, but he's been as consistent as anyone in the league, so if the Giants can score at all it should give them a fair chance, especially at home.
And speaking of scoring, everyone in the Giants lineup not named Brandon either scored two runs or had two hits. Melky Cabrera did both, and Pablo Sandoval looked much, much better with three hits (two doubles) and three RBI. I should note that the Diamondbacks won their fourth straight and are only three behind the Giants. It just may be turning into a three-team race. They will start their über-prospect Trevor Bauer sometime this week. The UCLA phenom was the 3rd overall pick in 2011 and has been touted as the Second Coming of Stephen Strasburg.
7 comments:
Was Zito effectively wild? He walked 3 of the first 6 batters he faced, but then it made no difference. Wildly effective?
Here is what was not wildly effective: prophecy. From Grant at McCovey Chronicles, "Momentum is as good as the next Barry Zito pitch to the backstop" and from Lefty at El Lefty Malo, "I don't have a lot of faith that one of the two wins will radiate like a mother's love from the left arm of Barry Zito" and from everywhere else in the universe, the discussion of the good Zito vs the bad Zito. But the bottom line here is that the Giants can take the series by playing .500 ball the rest of the way. We are two games back. Pablo hit the ball hard last night. Angel is back in the line-up. "Melky is in a slump" is no longer a true statement. We have an All-Star taking the hill tonight. And the weather is beautiful outside.
- Tue Jun 26, 08:55:00 AM PDT
- Brother Bob said...
God it's great to crush the Dodgers!
I loved the way our big first inning got going- 3 ugly hits in a row. It's a good sign when those things go your way.
This game has me thinking of lots of "what ifs"- What if Zito and Lincecum both got good? What if Belt and Sandoval drive in runs? What if Cabrera and Posey stay consistently good?
- Tue Jun 26, 09:44:00 AM PDT
- M.C. O'Connor said...
Great win, great win. Let's hope they keep it going!!
- Tue Jun 26, 10:22:00 AM PDT
- M.C. O'Connor said...
Bauer was the 2011 Golden Spikes winner. Tim Lincecum won in 2006. Bauer set the Pac-12 record for strikeouts with 203 (136-2/3 IP). Mark Prior (USC, Golden Spikes 2001) held the record with 202 (138-2/3 IP).
Tim had 199 in 125-1/3 IP.
- Tue Jun 26, 11:09:00 AM PDT
Our bullpen has been erratic. Brad Lidge was released today. Any interest?
- Tue Jun 26, 12:25:00 PM PDT
- M.C. O'Connor said...
Add erratic to erratic in order to achieve less erratic-ness? Hmmm.
On a serious note, I expect Brad Penny to join the team soon. He is actually younger than Lidge.
- Tue Jun 26, 04:10:00 PM PDT
- nomisnala said...
Billingsly has been bad in day games. Giants are overdue for a 3 game sweep. We avoided reciprocal shutouts today by tossing our own. Man, Vogey is a fighter. Lets hope Timmy can duplicate the performances of Vogey and Zito. Our team needs to not be satisfied with the first two games of the series. Now is the time for the sweep.
- Tue Jun 26, 10:30:00 PM PDT


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Disabled Hunters & Shooters Forum
The idea of this forum was conceived by one of our members that is a disabled hunter/shooter himself. The idea in mind was not only discussion, but also to provide and share other useful info for disabled shooters.
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Chicago police officers from several specialized units will focus on two districts – Englewood on the South Side and Harrison on the West Side -- that accounted for nearly one quarter of Chicago's murders and shootings last year, Superintendent Garry McCarthy said today.
The units – including narcotics, gang enforcement and fugitive apprehension – will be working more aggressively to combat corner drug markets, curb gang violence and track down parole violators, McCarthy said.
After being appointed superintendent by Mayor Rahm Emanuel in May, McCarthy eliminated two other specialized units and sent those 500 officers to eight of the city's most crime-ridden districts – Englewood and Harrison among them – to work beat patrols under the direction of the district commanders.
McCarthy said today the narcotics, gang enforcement, fugitive apprehension and other units will now be charged with targeting specific areas in the Englewood and Harrison districts prone to violence.
"Once we've shut down these locations … we are going to ensure that we hold those zones and do not return them to their previous state," McCarthy said at a press conference at the Englewood district police station attended by Emanuel and police command staff. "This will be a systematic elimination of narcotics markets within each one of these districts."
Other units such as the vice control unit will target businesses -- such as liquor stores and gas stations -- that aren't adequately licensed. In the Englewood district, police plan to implement a crackdown on its street gangs when its members are involved in violent crimes, McCarthy said, a strategy already utilized in Harrison.
Michael Shields, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, said the latest initiative for the two districts isn't much different than what the department has done before.
"Until the manpower issue is truly addressed by hiring more Chicago police officers, we are putting a Band-Aid on crime," Shields said.
Late last month McCarthy noted that even though murders fell slightly last year in Chicago compared with the previous year, within the Englewood district murders rose 40 percent and shootings 15 percent. The department has yet to release its final statistics for 2011.
"While the other parts of the city were seeing the reduction in shootings, that wasn't true for these two (districts)," Emanuel said. "Other parts of the city were seeing a reduction in homicides. That wasn't true for these two parts. Now, you can stand there, take the data and do nothing, or concentrate...(the specialized units) in a very specific way."
In light of the climb in murders and shootings in the Englewood district, McCarthy removed its commander, Anthony Carothers, who is now assigned as the executive officer to Harrison Area Deputy Chief Eddie Johnson.
Replacing Carothers, the brother of convicted former 29th Ward Ald. Isaac Carothers, as the Englewood commander will be Leo Schmitz, former commander of the gang enforcement unit.
Despite the concentration of resources in the Englewood and Harrison neighborhoods, McCarthy noted "there's no part of the city that's not going to have narcotics investigations. There's no part of the city that's not going to have gang investigations."
The department's goal to reduce crime in Englewood and Harrison is also contingent on "a collaborative community-based initiative" in which clergy and community organizations will support the crime-fighting efforts, McCarthy said.
"This is not something that is going to go away," he said." We are going to relentlessly pursue reducing violence in these two districts for the people who live (there) because they've suffered too long."


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Between November 2007 and September 13,2008, the group calling itself the Indian Mujahideen (IM) had sent five E-mail messages to sections of the media.
2.The first message was sent a few minutes before the serial blasts in three towns of Uttar Pradesh on November 23, 2007. The second was sent after the blasts in Jaipur in May, 2008. The third was sent before the blasts in Ahmedabad on July 26, 2008. The fourth was sent after the press conference held by the Gujarat Police in August, 2008, in which they claimed to have solved the case relating to the Ahmedabad and Jaipur blasts, identified the perpetrators and arrested many of them. According to the Gujarat police version, it was the Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), which was operating as the IM. The firfth message was sent before the blasts in New Delhi on September 13, 2008.
3.The first, second, third and fifth messages claimed responsibility for the blasts and the fourth debunked the claims of the Gujarat Police of having solved the case and tried to convey the impression that the arrested persons had nothing to do with the blasts. Surprisingly, the IM did not send any E-mail message claiming responsibility for the serial blasts in Bangalore on July 25, 2008.
4. Intriguingly, the IM described its E-mail message on the New Delhi blasts of September,2008, as "our third consecutive E-mail ". It said: "The INDIAN MUJAHIDEEN accepts the sole responsibility of Delhi serial blasts, and we claim this, through our third consecutive email, which is, unfortunately, still a mystery for you. It is very sad to see the bad condition of your cyber forensics who have still failed to find out our technique of sending the "Message of Death"."
5.Why did the IM, after the Delhi blasts, talk of only three E-mail messages, when the media had received five , all purporting to be from the IM?
6. A study of the five E-mail messages made by me in September,2008, indicated the following:
a).While the first two E-mail messages were virulent in their content, they were not obnoxiously abusive in their language. The last three messages were not only virulent in their content, but also obnoxious in their language. In the message about the Ahmedabad blasts, they had used the word bastard which normally Al Qaeda and pro-Al Qaeda organisations are not known to use. The message on the New Delhi blasts was even more abusive than the two messages regarding the blasts in Ahmedabad. P. C. Pandey, the DG of Police of Gujarat, was called a rascal, a bastard, a corrupt old hag, a base-born criminal and a filthy loyal dog of Narendra Modi. As pointed out by me at that time, such abuses were typical of the Mafia underworld of Mumbai and Gujarat.
(b).The Gujarat Police and the Rajasthan Police and their Police chiefs were severely condemned and a specific threat of terrorist attack was also held out against A.K.Jain of the Rajasthan Police. But, significantly, there was no criticism of the Karnataka Police and its chief. There was not even a reference to the investigation by the Bangalore Police, whereas the investigations by the Ahmedabad and Jaipur police were debunked and their claims of having solved the cases were questioned. Similarly, there was no reference to the UP Police investigation of the blasts of November 2007.
(c ).The language used in the third and fourth messages about the Ahmedabad blasts and the fifth message about the New Delhi blasts, which were very abusive, differed from the language used in the first message about the UP blasts and the second about the Jaipur blasts.
7.I had commented as follows in my assessment of these messages : "Why such discrepancies ( in language)? It is important to find answers to them before we come to definitive conclusions about the IM. Just as the proof of the pudding is in the eating, the proof of the terrorist is in the catching. Unless and until we are able to identify and neutralise or arrest the right persons, who are the brains behind the IM, we will have more surprises. We have arrested many perpetrators of individual blasts, but I am not sure we have arrested the brains. By thinking and prematurely projecting that we have identified and arrested the brains, we will make ourselves liable for more surprises, which could damage the credibility of the police in the eyes of the public."
8. In the message after the Delhi blasts of September,2008, many State Governments were criticised for their alleged harassment of the Muslims, but the main brunt of the criticism was against Maharashtra and the Mumbai Police.
9. I had then assessed as follows: " From these messages, it is apparent that the IM does not as yet have a strategic objective such as the establishment of an Islamic Caliphate or the "liberation" of the Muslims of India. Its objective till now is purely tactical to wreak vengeance on the Hindutva organisations and the various State Governments accused of harassing the Muslims. New Delhi seemed to have been targeted not only to exhibit their capability for action in the capital, but also to wreak vengeance on the Government of India for its failure to prevent the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December, 1992. The message says: "Babri Masjid was and will remain to be our glorious self esteem and Inshallah, we will prove it to you a hornet's nest in which you have immersed your bare hand, unaware of the pain to come. If you are prepared to suffer the results of this issue, then by the will of Allah, verily! We will make you face it, and if you feel you are wise enough, then here we announce our ultimatum: Vacate the land of Babri as soon as you can."
10.The Mumbai Police announced on October 6,2008, the arrest of 20 suspected members of the IM, who had played a role in the serial blasts in Ahmedabad on July 26,2008, in the abortive attempt to organise similar blasts in Surat the next day and in the serial blasts in New Delhi on September 13,2008.
11. Among those arrested were four IT-savvy members of the IM, who had played a role in sending the E-mail messages in the name of the IM before and after the Ahmedabad blasts and before the New Delhi blasts by hacking into Wi-fi networks in Mumbai and Navin Mumbai. These were :
Mohammed Mansoor Asgar Peerbhoy aka Munawar aka Mannu. A 31-year-old resident of Pune, who was reportedly working for Yahoo, India, on an annual salary of Rs. 19 lakhs (US $ 45,000).
Mubin Kadar Shaikh, a 24-year-old graduate of computer science from Pune.
Asif Bashir Shaikh, a 22-year-old mechanical engineer from Pune. In addition to helping in sending the E-mail messages, he also reportedly played a role in planting 18 Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in Surat, all of which failed to explode.
Mohammed Ismail Chaudhary, a 28-year-old computer mechanic, who was also suspected to have helped in planting the IEDs in Surat.
12.After these arrests in Mumbai, the IM stopped disseminating messages. There were no more terrorist stikes in which its involvement was established .There was almost total silence by the IM.
13.The IM started messaging again on September 19,2010, after a silence of nearly two years after the Delhi blasts of September,2008. A statement purported to have been issued by the IM was disseminated by E-mail on September 19,2010. It referred to certain anti-Muslim incidents which allegedly took place in Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh on the day of Eid (September 11). It also referred to the day when the total number of people allegedly killed by the security forces in Jammu & Kashmir during 2010 crossed 100 (September 17).
14.The statement was in good English with very few grammar or typing mistakes and had few of the kind of obnoxious abuses seen in the messages of 2007-08. It had been drafted by one well-versed in the Holy Koran.
15.Many of the religious allusions in the message had been taken from some past messages of Osama bin Laden, but bin Laden was not mentioned anywhere by name. The last para of the message had been borrowed almost word for word from a message against Gen. Pervez Musharraf and the Pakistani Army issued by bin Laden in September 2007 calling for the wrath of Allah on them for the raid into the Lal Masjid of Islamabad in July, 2007. It read: "O,Allah, deface them, break their backs and heads, split them up and destroy their unity; O, Allah, afflict them with the loss of their near and dear ones as they have afflicted us with the loss of our near and dear ones; O, Allah, we seek refuge in You from their evilness and we place You at their throats; O,Allah, make their plotting their destruction; O,Allah, suffice for us against them with whatever You wish; O,Allah, destroy them for they cannot escape You; O, Allah, count them, kill them and leave not even one of them. " There were only two minor changes. bin Laden had not said "deface them". He had also not said "and heads". One did not know wherefrom bin Laden had originally taken his curse against Musharraf and the Pakistani Army. bin Laden's curse against them was converted by the IM into a curse against the Indian people and officials.
16.The statement did not directly claim responsibility on behalf of the IM for the attack in Delhi on September 19,2010, in which two Taiwanese tourists were injured by motor-cycle-borne individuals. However, it indirectly hinted at IM's responsibility by saying: "In the name of Allah we dedicate this attack of retribution...."
17.In a reference to the Commonwealth Games, it said: "On the one hand Muslim blood is flowing like water, while on the other hand you are preparing for the festival of games. This is surely not a Child's play. Mind you this is the initiative from the Lions of Allah and we warn you to host the Commonwealth Games if you have a grain of salt. We know that the preparations for the Games are at its peak. Beware we too are preparing in full swing for a Great Surprise. The participants will be solely responsible for the outcome as our bands of Mujahideens love death more than you love life."
18.It had highlighted in red ink the following words: "Our bands of Mujahideens love death more than you love life." While over 75 per cent of the statement was about alleged atrocities against Muslims in Jammu & Kashmir, there were also condemnatory references to the death of two IM suspects during a raid by the Delhi police on September 19,2008, to the arrests of some alleged members of the IM by the Anti-Terrorism Squad of the Maharashtra Police in connection with the Pune Bakery blast of February 13 2010 and some alleged anti-Muslim incidents in Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh on Eid day. The IM was not able to carry out its threat against the Commonwealth Games.
19.A message dated December 6, 2010, purporting to be from the IM indirectly claiming responsibility for the explosion in Varanasi on December 7,2010, was received by the media outlets to which it was addressed after the explosion had taken place. It differed from the message of the IM sent on September 19, 2010, in one significant aspect. It avoided any allusions to the messages of Osama bin Laden and was free of bin Laden like language and rhetoric. It had not borrowed from the past messages of bin Laden. It sought to project the IM as a purely indigenous movement, but needing the support of the Islamic world.
20.It warned the Hindus of continued attacks on Hindu holy places till all Masjids (mosques) belonging to the Muslims were restored to them. It was critical of the Indian criminal justice system, which was projected as anti-Muslim. This has been a recurring theme of all IM messages disseminated since the explosions in Uttar Pradesh in November, 2007. It warned moderate Indian Muslim leaders not to barter away the rights of the Muslims on the Babri Masjid issue. The salient points in this IM message, which was quite detailed, were as follows:
Criticism of the Judiciary: "The Supreme Court, the high courts, the lower courts and all the Commissions have utterly failed to play an impartial role regarding Muslim issues. Narendra Modi who presided over the 2002 massacres of Muslims in Gujarat is given a clean chit whereas the victims still run from pillar to post for justice. Even the 92 Mumbai culprits roam freely and enjoy Government security. All the anti-Muslim pre-planned riots, arson, rapes, losses of lives and properties are still awaiting justice. The list is endless!"
Criticism of the Congress (I): "It needs no mention that time and again the Congress party with its hidden agenda has shown its true colors. Be it the inaction over the planting of the idol in 1949 or the shilanyaas, the ground-breaking ceremony of 1989 and finally the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992. For all practical reasons the Masjid site has since been transformed into a Mandir (temple), thanks to the Supreme Court order to maintain Status-quo."
Warning of More Attacks on Hindu Holy Places: "Our memories are still fresh and our hearts still bleeding over every Muslim brother and sister who was hacked to death after the demolition of Babri masjid. Indian history is decorated with countless state-sponsored terror and state-managed riots. Indeed every martyr enlivens the ummah. We will not budge until every inch of the Masjid is regained and lives of our martyrs avenged. We will strike terror in the hearts and minds of these idol worshippers until the mountain of injustice is undone. We will leave no stone unturned come what may till the anger of believer's hearts is removed and a Magnificent Masjid is built at the same spot. We are fully aware of your preparations at the Babri Masjid site for the construction of a 'grand temple' over the corpses of our martyrs all over the country. The Indian Mujahideen warn these filthy Hindu zealots that even if a Grand Temple of Gold is built over the Babri Masjid we will destroy it at all costs. Remember! It was a Masjid, It is a Masjid and It will always remain a Masjid. At this juncture Muslims are silent due to their state of affairs. We hereby invite all our Muslim brethren to never be weak-hearted over the designs of these idolators and urge them to strengthen their faith in Allah and unite for the cause of Islam. Surely, victory is awaiting us. Be assured that Indian Mujahideen, the sons of Mahmud Ghazni, Muhammad Ghori, Qutb-ud-din Aibak, Firuz Shah Tughlaq and Aurangzeb have resolved that none of your Mandirs will remain safe until and unless all our occupied Masjids throughout India are returned back to the Muslims with honour. "
Caution to Indian Muslim Leaders: "Neither the All India Muslim Personal Law Board nor the Babri Masjid Action Committee nor the Sunni Waqf Board nor any litigant has any right to alter or compromise on any of these aspects whatsoever regarding the Babri Masjid. All sorts of bartering and bargaining is totally unacceptable to Allah and thus to the Muslims. We urge those ulema to behave sensibly, change their attitude towards this Holy Cause, fear Allah alone, come forward, inspire and motivate the people and thus appease none but Allah alone. We hereby declare that even if all the ulema, scholars and Muslim leaders collectively deviate from or refuse Allah and Prophet's Verdict, their decision will be right beneath our feet."
The Kashmir Issue: "The manhandling and heckling of Kashmiri leadership in Indian cities is not at all a minor issue. These insane and cowardly Saffron Hindus on the behest of the IB (Intelligence Bureau) and the administration pounce upon weak people. As usual we are going through minute details of the matter and have obtained vital clues of the mischief which we presume to be inappropriate to be divulged at this point of time. Meanwhile we request the respected Syed Ali Shah Geelani Saheb and the Mirwaiz to maintain their self-respect and dignity. These sons of monkeys and snakes will never heed to sensible arguments and historical facts. Please don't waste your time with these lowly creatures as they will never understand!"
Appeal to the Islamic World to Support Indian Muslims: "We appeal to all the Muslim countries to voice their concerns regarding oppression and injustice done by India upon their fellow brethren. It is their duty to pressurize this 'Empire of Falsehood and Tyranny' regarding the longstanding Kashmir issue where world's largest concentration of armed forces in an occupied territory stands. This 'Hollow superpower', needs to be told loudly and clearly that it should get over its obsession with Muslims in India and that the Global Muslim Ummah is seriously concerned about the issues like Babri Masjid and Kashmir."
21.From this, it is apparent that the IM does not as yet have a strategic objective. It is still an organisation of tactical, reprisal terrorism determined to avenge the destruction of the Babri Masjid, the alleged atrocities against Muslims in different parts of India, including J&K, and what it sees as the unfair attitude of the judiciary towards Muslims.
22.I have not covered in this note the latest messages purporting to be from the IM received after the blast outside the Delhi High Court on September 7,2011, since their authenticity has not yet been established. ( 11-9-11)
( The writer is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai, and Associate of the Chennai Centre For China Studies. E-mail: email@example.com Twitter: @SORBONNE75 )
Saturday, September 10, 2011
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When he was running for President what so many people liked about Barack Obama was his willingness to pass praise on to others. When he would be hailed as a great orator he would go to great lengths to stress that he was the voice of a movement. When asked about his popularity he would point out that he was nothing without the grass roots.
Not any more. Today the President claimed personal credit for the killing of Osama Bin Laden.


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A lot of people are worried about the rapture tomorrow.
BuzzFeed's Jonah Peretti put together a hilarious action plan for his employees, since he says he's likely to perish.
"To those of you who are still here on Sunday, know I will be looking down from above, rooting for you," he concludes.
Here's the email he sent to his staff (via BuzzFeed):


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five-year plan
Also found in: Dictionary, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
Five-Year Plan
A multiyear plan for economic development prepared by a government. For example, a five-year plan may state the methods and the amount of development that should be experienced by the industrial sector by the end of the plan. Five-year plans were introduced in the Soviet Union and were adopted by most other 20th-century communist states. For that reason, the term is associated with command economies.


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A New Jersey judge has ruled that two key figures in a political payback scandal ensnaring Gov. Chris Christie's administration do not have to turn over documents to a legislative investigative panel.
Former Christie loyalists Bridget Kelly and Bill Stepien had been fighting subpoenas calling for them to turn over documents regarding the plot to create traffic jams in Fort Lee to retaliate against the town's Democratic mayor. The legislative panel asked for the court's help in getting the two to comply.
Calling the decision one involving "complicated and untested jurisdictional issues," Judge Mary Jacobson expressed reservations about using judicial power to compel the production of documents.
"The fact that the committee has the power to enforce its own subpoenas through orders to compel and grant immunity in return, and the lack of a clear jurisdictional basis for this court to intrude upon that power, raises serious questions concerning the exercise of judicial power," Jacobson wrote in the 98-page opinion.
Her ruling is almost certain to be appealed. Assemblyman John Wisniewski, the investigative committee's Democratic co-chair, said he and his colleagues would consult with their attorneys on any further moves.
"The committee felt it was very much in the public interest to seek to compel the production of these documents, but as we've said before, there's more than one method to gather information in an investigation, and we will consider alternatives," Wisniewski said Wednesday. "We will continue exploring every avenue to find out what happened with this threat to public safety and abuse of government power."
Kevin Marino, an attorney representing Stepien, called the ruling "a complete vindication."
"In its zeal to achieve a blatantly political goal having nothing to do with Mr. Stepien, the Committee disregarded the fundamental constitutional rights of this innocent man," Marino said in a statement. "In the process, it wasted the taxpayers' money — and the nation's time — on a frivolous lawsuit to enforce a clearly invalid subpoena. That lawsuit has now been properly and roundly rejected."
Kelly's lawyer, Michael Critchley, said in a statement that the ruling provided a lesson for "all the naysayers who criticized Ms. Kelly for asserting her constitutional rights."
"The decision is thorough and well-reasoned and is a complete rejection of the committee's attempt to strip Ms. Kelly of her constitutional rights," Critchley said.
The case has become a major distraction for Christie and is threatening to derail any plans to run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.
A report that exonerated him has done little to quell critics because it was written by lawyers he hired and did not include interviews with key figures such as Kelly, Stepien and David Wildstein, the political operative who is believed to have dreamed up the scheme.
Attorneys for Kelly and Stepien have asserted that the pair's Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination due to an ongoing federal criminal investigation into the September traffic jams.
The legislative panel's attorneys argued that the law does not entitle Kelly and Stepien to blanket protections from such subpoenas. They maintain that exceptions would have to be argued case-by-case.
In her opinion, Jacobson noted that the case presents a unique legal challenge because the vast majority of Fifth Amendment cases involve criminal proceedings, not legislative subpoenas issued while a federal probe is under way that could lead to criminal charges.
Wednesday's opinion didn't confirm or deny that either Stepien or Kelly have been subpoenaed by the U.S. attorney's office, but it noted that federal prosecutors have contacted both of them, as well as Kelly's family and Stepien's landlady.
"Mr. Stepien and Ms. Kelly could face prosecution for official misconduct in either State or federal court, and the conduct that could form the basis for the prosecution is exactly the type of conduct being investigated by the Committee," the judge wrote. "Under these circumstances, it is reasonable for Mr. Stepien and Ms. Kelly to fear that they currently face the hazard of prosecution in the concurrent federal investigation."
Christie fired Kelly, who was a deputy chief of staff in the governor's office, and cut ties with Stepien, his former campaign manager, after learning in January that Kelly set the lane closings in motion with the message, "time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee."
Though no evidence has been made public that Stepien knew of the plot in advance, Christie said he lost confidence in his adviser's judgment after reading emails in which he refers to Fort Lee's mayor as "an idiot" and appears to shrug off the traffic chaos the plot was causing.
Christie has said he had no knowledge of the planning or execution of the lane closings until well afterward.
Wildstein says he talked to Christie about the traffic jams on Sept. 11, the third day the lanes were blocked, but Christie says he doesn't recall the conversation. Stepien and others were forwarded an email from the mayor complaining about the gridlock on Sept. 12, the fourth and final full day that the lanes approaching the George Washington Bridge were blocked. The executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the agency in charge of the bridge, ordered the approach lanes reopened the morning of Sept. 13.
Stepien has since found work with a Republican consulting firm based in Minnesota. Kelly, a single mother of four, is unemployed.
Their lawyers contend that the legislative panel could grant Kelly and Stepien immunity from prosecution in exchange for the documents. Reid Schar, the panel's lead lawyer, says the joint legislative body has no such powers.
Other people and organizations close to Christie, including his re-election campaign, are complying with legislative subpoenas. The first to do so was Wildstein, who turned over documents the committee requested but later invoked his Fifth Amendment right when called before the committee to testify.


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Shortly before the first Presidential debate, I got an e-mail urging me to tweet three specific questions to Mitt Romney. The subject line read, "The debate will be decided on Twitter."
Oh sure, I thought. A bunch of us tweet Romney and he'll address these questions. "How do you plan to create jobs when you keep shipping them overseas?" Etc.
But this wasn't what the sending organization had in mind by deciding the debate. It had borrowed its subject line from a recent Politico post, which itself was borrowing from a couple of other sources.
They were saying that real-time tweets would shape the post-debate story reporters would tell.
At the very least, the initial Twitter conversation among political reporters would decide who won and who lost, Nathan Gonzales at The Rothenberg Political Report predicted.
New York Times political blogger Michael Shear also views Twitter as a tool to influence debate coverage, but for the campaigns, not the likes of thee and me and only when neither candidate is the obvious winner.
Both Gonzales and Shear focus on what we could call insider conversations. The promise in my e-mail was that I, along with lots of other tweeters, could interject ourselves and thus shape the post mortems.
We've no way of knowing, I suppose, what prompts journalists to fix on particular story lines — other than obvious things like what they and their editors think is newsworthy, e.g., winners and losers, and the political bias of the source they write for.
There may, however, be some limited evidence for the influence of mass tweeting.
For example, we know that some major progressive organizations tweeted fact-checks as the first two debates were going on. They've got reporters following them — and others who presumably broadcast the more notorious non-facts to their own followers.
And it's certainly the case that we've had a spate of columns on misstatements, distortions, evasions and Romney's latest disclaimers of positions he'd espoused, even just a few weeks ago.
But they weren't the post-debate narrative. And they don't show much of anything about how we grassroots tweeters can shape — let alone decide — a major political debate.
Which brings me to a somewhat different Twitter campaign.
Greg Kaufmann at The Nation launched it with a hashtag — #TalkPoverty — a shorthand, as hashtags must be, for an effort to "push the issue of poverty into the mainstream political debate."
The post I'm linking to here was the first in a series that focused on questions posed by experts. We could tweet the articles and/or the individual questions, of course.
The Half in Ten Campaign called on its supporters to tweet about poverty issues, using the #TalkPoverty hashtag. It even sponsored a webinar to get novices up to speed on Twitter and created a prefab tweet for anyone who was still timid or just plain busy.
Kaufmann and others, including Half in Ten, gave us the Twitter handles, i.e., user names, for the debate moderators so that we could tweet factoids and questions directly to them.
Well, there sure were a lot of #TalkPoverty tweets — a new crop every day for weeks. I'm told they reached, on average, nearly 350,000 Twitter followers a day — twice as many on debate days.
Anyone who watched the first debate knows what happened — or rather, didn't happen.
One use each of the words "poor" and "poverty" — both by Romney and neither in the context of saying what, if anything, he'd do to help the people he fleetingly referred to.
Even a broader content analysis, including words and phrases like "low-income," "welfare," "food stamps" and "Medicaid," found that only 10% of the candidates' statements focused on poverty.
On the other hand, the virtual silence on poverty as a policy issue did become one of the post-debate storylines — not, of course, as often told and retold as the emergence of yet another Romney, the President's apparent funk or the mystifying tax numbers.
Some columnists were prompted to write about the issue that "went missing," as the Washington Post's Jonathan Capehart put it.
Did this secondary narrative — Twitter-shaped or otherwise — influence the content of the second Presidential debate? Did the ongoing tweet stream itself have an impact?
Not so as you'd notice. But then the second debate consisted largely of answers — or talking points passed off as answers — to questions from the audience.
Not much interest in the plight of poor people there, we gather.
Or perhaps moderator Candy Crowley, who chose the questions, thought that the rest of us wouldn't be all that interested, judging from her many years of experience as a political reporter and post-debate narrative creator.
Kaufmann thinks that Obama did talk poverty, though without using the p-word.
The policies he cites would certainly be better for poor people than Romney's tax cuts for small businesses. But I think it's a stretch to view them as policies specifically designed to fight poverty.
Perhaps, as Kaufmann's expert interviewee says, the word "poverty" evokes such negative stereotypes that candidates can't break through if they use it.
If that's true, then doubly so for proclaiming a renewed war on poverty.


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Two weeks (and two million croissants) later, I'm back in the States…with photos!
I'll be posting them in batches over the next few days. This first batch consists of names I spotted in various commercial settings. (Names for sale, if you will.)
These zipper charms (called "Les Zippers") were in a shop close to Notre-Dame in Paris:
Traditional names like Jean and Marie were also represented, but I found the trendy names a bit more interesting. (Photos for Corentin, Noémie, Océane, Ophélie, Tiphaine and Yanis ended up being too fuzzy to post.)
These name "cards" (not sure exactly what their purpose is) were in a shop in Monaco:
If Ségolène looks familiar, it's likely thanks to former French presidential contender Ségolène Royal.
Finally, I found some street signs featuring given names (e.g. Bruno Boulevard) at a rest stop in Italy, but didn't have the camera or a pen with me at the time. The only name I can recall now is Tiziano.


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By Kevin Liptak
(CNN) -- Video of President Barack Obama's visit Wednesday to his campaign headquarters in Chicago shows the newly re-elected commander in chief becoming emotional while heralding the hard work of his young staffers.
"I am absolutely confident that all of you are going to do amazing things in your lives," Obama says in the video, which was posted on his campaign's official Youtube page Thursday.
In his brief speech to the young crowd, Obama drew parallels to the work his team had just finished and the community organizing post he took up when he first moved to the Windy City at 25, saying his campaign team was "so much better than I was" at accomplishing their goals.
Toward the end of his five-minute-long remarks, Obama got choked up telling the staffers how proud he was of their hard work.
"Even before last night's results, I felt that the work I had done in running for office had come full circle. Because what you guys have done means that the work I am doing is important. And I'm really proud of that. I'm really proud of you," Obama said, wiping away tears.
The show of emotion -- extremely rare for Obama -- was met with loud applause.
"What you guys have accomplished will go in the annals of history," Obama said.
At his final campaign rally Monday in Iowa, a few tears rolled down Obama's cheek as he delivered his last stump speech.


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Message Board
Darlene Marshall Message Board
Talk about the novels, new and used books that Marshall has written!
Author Marshall's Book Reviews
Pirate's Price
Christine Sanders of St. Augustine in Territorial Florida is a runaway wife who believes the best way to live comfortably on her own is to turn pirate and rob a man with money. And the perfect man to rob is her own husband, Justin Delerue, Lord Smithton, especially since he got rich by marrying her against her will and taking her inheritance! PIRATE'S PRICE is a rollicking tale of marriage and mayhem, gender confusion and piracy. With the help of he...


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Investors gave $8.6 million to Secret, an anonymous sharing app that's cool with the Silicon Valley in-crowd, according to reports.
Numerous angel investors poured in their ducats, including Garry Tan and Alexis Ohanian of Initialized Capital, MG Siegler of Google Ventures, Bing Gordon and Megan Quinn of KPCB, Ashton Kutcher of A-Grade Investments, Pete Cashmore, Joe Montana and others, according to TechCrunch.
However, no one joined the board of directors.
U.S. & World
Secret is only 45 days old, but seems to already be a Silicon Valley darling. Perhaps it has to do with user engagement (75 percent of those with five or more friends use it more than once a day).
Still, it has some pretty hefty competition, namely Whisper, the undisputed anonymous sharing app which has already raised $54 million.
But part of Secret's allure is that it seems to be the place for Silicon Valley tattle and gossip, which is why Silicon Valley is taking note and offering money.


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My kids really do make my life so much fun! Some of the funny things my kids have been saying/doing in the last month or so (with some good pictures added in for the fun of it):
1. Lilia informed me the other day that our neighbor, Josh, has been chasing her on the playground at school. She then said, "He won't stop chasing me, so I am breaking up from marrying him."
2. Midge (our dog) was in the middle of getting her semi-annual shave, and because it's winter, we are sure to put her in a sweater when we shave off all her hair. As I was putting her sweater on her, Lacey started giggling and asked, "Mom, are you putting a swim soup (suit) on her?"
(before her shave)
(The blade was too hot to finish shaving her- Joe left her with the mowhawk and poofy feet for a day)
3. Lilia was preparing an impromtu performance with Lacey's help. She kept saying, "Lacey, it's time to rehearsal my song!" or "Lacey your rehearsaling time is over! It's my turn!"
4. I happened to catch my two youngest kids playing together and giggling, so I stopped to watch. As I was watching I started to laugh and said, "You two are so STINKIN' CUTE!" Lacey smiled at me and said, "I not stinkin' I took a bath- uh member?"
5. A conversation we had in the car:
(Sitting at a stop light)
ME: Lil, take your seatbelt off for a second and grab the pen on the seat in front of you.
LILIA: But what if a cop comes?
ME: If a cop comes I will get a ticket.
LIL: But I don't want you to get a ticket! They will put you in jail!
ME: They won't put me in jail for a ticket.
LIL: They will if they think you are an idiot driver...
6. Lacey latest favorite show, much to my chagrin, is Dora the Explorer. Except that's not what she calls it. If you ask her- her favorite show is "Do-do-do-do-do-Dora!" (If you haven't heard the theme song, than this wouldn't be as funny to you...)
7. Along those same lines- Matthew is learning to talk. His latest statement (when requested) is also, "Do-do-do-do-do-Dora." Except he says "d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-duh uh" :)
8. Lilia's Valenine LOVE story...
Day 1- Lilia: Mom- two boys in my class love me. You don't know them though. Donovan and Michael.
Day 2- (Lilia made a valentine for Donovan (It said "I like you" inside a hand drawn heart).)
ME: What's this? A love letter?
LIL: No! It's a second valentine.
ME: But what about Michael? Where is his?
LIL: I didn't make one for him because he doesn't love me as much as Donovan does.
9. Lacey got an earache a few weeks ago. Her last experience at the doctor was when we had to hospitalize her a few months back from dehydration. At the hospital they gave her an IV. Which she HATED. Fast forward to the earache...
(on the drive to the doctor)
LACEY: I don't want a shot! My ear is better.
ME: Uh-huh... Lacey, they aren't gonna give you a shot. The doctor will look in your ear and say, "EW- Yuck!" and give you some medicine.
LACEY: Ohhhh, okay...
(15 minutes later as the nurse calls us back to the exam room)
LACEY: I don't want a shot!
ME: Lacey, remember? They aren't gonna give you a shot. The doctor will look in your ear and say, "EW- Yuck!" and give you some medicine.
LACEY: Ohhhh, okay...
(2 minutes later as they are weighing her and preparing to take her temp with an ear thermometer)
The nurse gets the thermometer and steps toward Lacey, she backs behind me and says quietly, "Oh dear!"
I tell her "It's not a shot- it is gonna tell us how warm you are. They will check your good ear, okay?"
LACEY: Ohhhh, okay.
(10 minutes later as the doc enters the exam room)
DOC: Hi little Miss Lacey, how are you today?
LACEY: I don't WANT a shot!
ME: ::sigh:: Lacey, honey, they are not going to give you a shot. He is going to look in your ear, say, "EW- Yuck!" and give you some medicine.
LACEY: Ohhhh, okay.
(and like a good doctor he looked in her ear and did actually say, "EW- Yuck! Let's give you some medicine..." I love my pediatrician!)
10. Backstory: Lil and Lace have a bunk bed. Lil on top. Lace on bottom...
The other night Lil jumped on Joe while he was asleep, startling him awake just to tell him about her potty habits. I caught her at it and said, "Lil! Dad was asleep! How would you like it if I jumped on YOUR bed tomorrow to wake you up, just to tell you I went potty?" She said, "Mom! You'd break my bed and KILL Lacey!"
11. Tonight we were playing a guessing game in the car. Someone thinks of a person, and everyone else tries to guess who it is using only yes and no questions. Such as, "Is it a boy?" "Is he older than Daddy?" etc. Lacey tries to play along, but she doesn't quite get it yet...
ME: Is it a boy?
LIL: Yes.
ME: Is it Daddy?
LIL: No.
LACEY: Is Daddy a boy?
ME: (totally kidding) Nope- Daddy is a girl
LACEY: Noooo! Daddy is a boy! He says this, (she lowered her voice as deep as her 3 year old voice could go and mumbled something incoherent.)
And the best for last...
12. We were watching a movie the other night that ended with the two main characters kissing. Nothing bad- just a good, passionate, kiss.
LIL: Mom? Is that a suction kiss?
ME: A what?
LIL: A suction kiss!
ME: (trying to hide the smile) What's a suction kiss?
LIL: Well... YOU KNOW... if you and Daddy didn't suction kiss I would never have been, well... (long pause) BORN!?
Kids really do say the darndest things! I sure love mine!


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Important Things To Know About Allergy Medication Online at AllergyMedicationOnline.net
Allergy medication
An allergy is a hypersensitivity disease of the immune system and allergy medication is indeed needed. Allergy medications are needed as allergic reactions occur to environmental substances known to normally harmless allergens and their reactions are acquired, predictable and fast. Strictly, allergy is one of four forms of hypersensitivity and allergy medication is needed for this hypersensitivity. Allergy was characterized by excessive activation of certain white blood cells called mast cells and a type of antibody known as IgE, which causes an inflammatory response extremes that really needs allergy medication.
Allergy medication can even cause common allergic reactions that includes eczema, hives, hay fever, asthma attacks, food allergies, and reactions to the venom of stinging insects such as wasps and bees.
Allergy medication is also needed with mild allergies like hay fever are highly prevalent in the human population and cause symptoms such as allergic conjunctivitis, itchiness, and runny nose. Allergy medication can play a major role in conditions such as asthma. In some people, severe allergies to environmental or dietary allergens or even to allergy medication may result in life-threatening anaphylactic reactions.
As such, an allergy can prevent you from living life to its fullest and, therefore, crucial for the control of a drug when struck but allergy medication is the key. With online pharmacies flourish here and there, buying your allergy medication online at the quickest, cheapest and most convenient way possible is now within your hands.
Allergy Medication Online is a common sight you can see on the internet. There are different allergy medication and you are given the options to choose from.
One common allergy medication online you can find is Allegra. It is an effective and FDA approved prescription treatment for allergy relief. This allergy medication is particularly effective against seasonal allergies, such as hayfever, or for common household allergies. A physician can also prescribe allergy medication like Allegra for other allergies, such as hives. This allergy medication contains the active ingredient fexofenadine and is available in 60mg tablets.
Another is Nasonex, this is a nasal spray effective for treating seasonal allergies and perennial allergies. Nasonex spray was designed to inhaled through the nose once daily, it provides 24 hours of relief from hayfever, dust mites, mold, weeds, trees and pollens. Nasonex is an allergy medication which is FDA approved drug and are available in 50mcg dose.
There is also a medication called Flonase, which has an excellent reputation as a highly effective allergy relief nasal spray. It is FDA approved and manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline. Flonase used as a corticosteroid for anti-inflammatory which works to prevent common allergy symptoms.
There are different factors which will contribute to the effeciency of the Allergy Medication Online and you may have more or less success with each method for dealing with your allergies through these online drugs. Therefore, you should also do your own research and consult with your doctor if you suspect that a prescription drug online allergy is a way to go. Whatever you decide, you have to deal with some mild side effects with allergy medications.
Also, online pharmacies will give out possible side effects from these allergy medication. These vary from one product to another, but may include drowsiness, irritability, dry mouth, sleeplessness or other problems with allergy medication. Not everyone experiences side effects, but it is something that you should consider when deciding which allergy medication online relief you are going to take.
Learn More About Allergies – Other Resources:


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Full back Tom Bird is hoping to rebuild some bridges at Kingsmeadow following a shock switch back to Kingstonian after being released by crisis club Carshalton Athletic.
Ks, featuring Bird in their starting line-up for the first time since last season, went top of the Ryman Premier League on Saturday with a convincing 3-1 win over Lewes.
The talented left-back switched to Colston Avenue in the summer after being courted by big spending Robins owner and manager Paul Dipre, who stunned fans last week by releasing his leading contracted players.
Bird, whose original Bosman move to the Robins is still subject to a tribunal hearing over the level of compensation Ks are entitled to receive, suddenly found himself without a club.
And the 23-year-old admitted that, while his relationship with Ks chief Alan Dowson had soured last season, he hoped to put that behind them in exchange for a shot at winning the league.
"Things aren't right at Carshalton," he said.
"I was happy to leave, to be honest. The team wasn't gelling. With the brilliant players we had we should have been doing a lot better."
"Me and Dowse did fall out at the end of last season.
"We weren't talking at all. I was injured and wasn't playing well. When the summer came, Carshalton showed an interest.
"'It wasn't about cash. I wanted to play for a team that expected to win the league and I'm ambitious. But I never should have left. It wasn't the same there.
"I'm comfortable at Ks. Dowse is the best manager I've ever had."
"I saw Kingstonian had got off to a great start and there are some very good players here now.
"I want to win the league with Ks and prove myself again to everybody."
Bird lined up behind winger Dean Lodge, another prodigal son now returned to Dowson, as Ks dominated an entertaining first-half on Saturday.
Wade Small continued his fine form, latching on to a through-ball from Lodge in the 10th minute before lashing the ball across Kieron Thorp into the net.
Lewes' sizeable away following had something to cheer when Anthony Thomas cut in from the left and curled a beautiful shot into the far corner, but Ks always looked likely to retake the lead.
They did so through Small's fifth of the season, the former Sheffield Wednesday striker keeping his balance after rounding the keeper and slotting home from a tight angle.
Any remaining hope harboured by the Sussex side drained away when Ben Godfrey was dismissed for two elbow challenges in the air before half-time. Ks then made the game safe 15 minutes from the end.
A superb kick from Rob Tolfrey found Sam Clayton on the right-hand side. He crossed to Lodge whose heavy touch fortuitously took him past the keeper and he finished from two yards out.


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Sarah Moses, assistant professor of religion, received the Cora Lee Graham Award for Outstanding Teaching of Freshmen from the University of Mississippi College of Liberal Arts.
One of only three faculty members in 2012-13 honored by the College. Moses was recognized Saturday, May 11 2013 at the College commencement ceremony in Tad Smith Coliseum.
The selection process involved nominations from students and fellow faculty, which were considered by a committee of former recipients based on criteria that includes excellence in class instruction, intellectual stimulation of students and concern for students' welfare.
The nomination letters followed a theme of selflessness, professional passion and individual attention to students.
Of Moses, one colleague referred to how her students regularly give her high marks in teaching evaluations and wrote the following:
"Dr. Moses is more than an excellent teacher; she is also a caring mentor. Teaching religion has some unique challenges, compared to teaching chemistry, for example. The teacher is exposing students to belief systems that are quite different than their own deeply held beliefs. … It takes great skill to negotiate such controversial terrain. One has to earn the respect of the students to take them on this journey."
Moses received validation of her worthiness for the award from Steven C. Skultety, professor and chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion. He lauded the honored faculty member.
"Like other well-respected teachers, Dr. Moses brings an incredible amount of enthusiasm to her teaching, and she thinks very carefully about which material will interest and challenge our students. What sets her apart, however, is her uncanny ability to exert authority and make students feel like sharing and participating at one and the same time. Students in her classes never feel they are receiving a pre-packaged lecture, but believe they are entering a conversation led by a sympathetic expert."
The honored faculty member expressed surprise and appreciation for having been chosen.
"Teaching is my favorite part of being an academic," Moses said. "When I think of freshmen who are just setting out on the intellectual, social and personal journey of college, I consider it a great privilege to help them to deepen their understanding of the world in which they live, particularly about religious studies. And so it is very gratifying to me to know that some of my students have had a positive learning experience in my classes and honored me by nominating me for this award."
Moses joined the university in 2008. She specializes in religious and medical ethics and contemporary religious thought. Each semester, she teaches several sections of REL 101: Introduction to Religion. She holds a master's from Harvard Divinity School and a doctorate in theological ethics from Boston College.


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If anyone would know what it's like to show up late to a party it's the man that worked on Duke Nukem Forever for over a dozen years.
Fanning the flames of the smartphone versus dedicated gaming handheld debate via Twitter yesterday, Duke Nukem co-creator George Broussard compared the launch of Sony's latest shiny gaming toy to the last remnant of Earth's one-time reptilian masters stumbling into monkey town. At least that's how I am imagining it. The monkeys are all standing on two legs, crafting tools, and drinking martinis; the dinosaur (I'm thinking velociraptor) starts flailing its tiny arms in frustration.
Of course the last dinosaur showing up at the mammal party could still do a great deal of damage, unlike Duke Nukem Forever, released last year after being handed off to Gearbox Software to reviews that amounted to pages of repressed laughter.
Where the comparison really falls through, however, is the fact that the Japanese love giant lizards.


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At first glance, you'd think it would be impossible for Christopher Nolan to top the billion-dollar box office phenomenon "The Dark Knight." Fans loved it. Critics loved it. And the late Heath Ledger earned nothing short of absolute cinematic immortality for his turn as The Joker.
But he and star Christian Bale have given themselves one shot at outdoing their last go-round, wrapping up their planned trilogy with next summer's "The Dark Knight Rises." The stakes are high, not only for the franchise but for the characters that inhabit it, and the first full trailer reveals a story that is bigger on every possible level. This is going to be epic, but what exactly is going on?
Funny you should ask. We scoured the trailer for clues, and here's what we came up with.
The citizens of Gotham City come out to cheer on their hometown football team the Rogues. (Not "The Roues" - Captain G over there is just being lazy). Call us crazy, but does the "R" in "Rogues" look vaguely familiar? Maybe, you know….a little like THIS? Nah…couldn't be, could it? Of course, this could just be a winking in-joke.
The first shot of the new villain, Bane (played by Tom Hardy). He's lurking presumably underneath the football stadium. He and his army have something big and nasty planned, no doubt. People who only know Bane from 1996's abysmal "Batman & Robin"will be shocked to learn that he's not a hulking moron. He's got the brains to be a mental and physical match for Batman.
Here we are in Wayne Manor (rebuilt after being destroyed at the end of "Batman Begins"), but who is this man? It's tough to make out, but it looks like Bruce Wayne himself. Why is he using a cane? What exactly happened to him since last we saw him?
A teary-eyed Alfred (Michael Caine) admits he has failed to "protect" Bruce. From what exactly? Whatever it is, it's enough to move the flinty Alfred to tears. The last time someone cried in a Batman movie, it was because the Joker had just blown up Rachel Dawes.
Batman's police ally Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) is seen leading a memorial service for the late Harvey Dent. Remember, at the end of "Dark Knight," Dent's fall to the dark side was covered up and Batman took the blame. Dent's legacy appears to still cast a shadow over Gotham.
A couple of new characters. On the left is Brett Cullen, who is rumored to be playing a Gotham judge, and on the right is, yes, Matthew Modine, playing a cop named Nixon. Nolan is known for giving small roles to unusual actors (remember Anthony Michael Hall in "Dark Knight"?), and these two appear to be conspiring against Gordon. Batman isn't the only one with nemeses.
Our first look at Selina Kyle aka Catwoman (Anne Hathaway). She warns Bruce that a "storm" is coming, and that the wealthy of Gotham are going to be taken down. She seems kind of happy with this situation, too. The Bruce and Selina dance is a nice nod to Tim Burton's "Batman Returns."
A bunch of cops trapped in subterranean tunnels - like the ones we just saw Bane skulking through. Is that what puts Gordon in the hospital (which we saw in the original "Dark Knight Rises" teaser trailer)?
Selina may look like a high society girl, but she's (at least in the comics) a jewel thief first and foremost. Is she putting on the party dress in order to case Wayne Manor? Also note the cat ears dangling from the mirror. Nice.
The aforementioned "storm" hitting Gotham's 1%. Nolan is all about tapping into the zeitgeist.
Those legs belong to Bane, as he and his commandos lead a massive prison break. He is forming an army to take down the wealthy and corrupt Gotham City.
In a nice echo to the beginning of "Batman Begins," we see Bruce (now a little grayer around the temples) bearded and in prison. Inside, he hears the mysterious chant repeated by Bane's followers, and is told it means "rise." Why is he locked up? And how does he fare once Bane and this men start busting out inmates?
The Gotham Rogues are being played by actual members of the Pittsburgh Steelers (the sequence was filmed at Heinz Field), including wide receiver Hines Ward, seen here outrunning an explosion (triggered by Bane) that reduces the field behind him to a crater. We still think it would have been funnier to cast the Pittsburgh Penguins, but that's just us.
It may sound like Bane is saying "Mrrgmnle blargh mmmurgle bum schllzzzz" but he's actually saying, "When Gotham is ashes, you have my permission to die." What's significant is that he's saying this to an unmasked Bruce Wayne. Is Bane just targeting the wealthiest of wealthy Gotham, or has he discovered Batman's secret identity?
Also - Even though Hardy is, indeed, playing Bane (who in comic book form resembles a Lucha Libre wrestler) his mask also resembles the "mutants" who invade Gotham in Frank Miller's seminal Batman tale "The Dark Knight Returns." Nolan does love to pile on the references. Check it out...we're not (entirely) making this up:
Our first glimpse of Marion Cotillard, who is playing a character named Miranda Tate. Miranda is described as a "Wayne Industries board member," although rumors persist she may be Talia al Ghul - the daughter of "Batman Begins" villain Ra's al Ghul (played by Liam Neeson), who in comic book continuity has an affair with Bruce that results in a son named Damien (who is also trained by ninjas and eventually becomes Robin. True story).
Another mysterious new character is police officer John Blake, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He's supposedly a rookie cop assigned by Gordon to "special duty." But we can't shake the feeling that Nolan has something up his sleeve. Perhaps the return of a legendary supervillain? It's not an entirely ridiculous notion…
Oh, hey - Batman is in this, too! Here he stares down Bane on the steps of city hall. He quickly learns that going toe-to-toe with the monstrous baddie isn't the best strategy.
It also looks as though Bane has gotten into Wayne Industries' vaults and snagged himself his own "Tumbler" - the vehicle that Bruce modifies and turns into the Batmobile. Batman may really have met his match this time, unless…
…he, you know, has made some brand new modifications to his ride. Which he most certainly appears to have done. As far as trailer "money shots" go, this is pretty solid. it is ON.
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
"The Dark Knight Rises" opens everywhere (and in IMAX) July 20, 2012. Which suddenly seems like an eternity away.


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What: Social media lab for job seekers and entrepreneurs focusing on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and other platforms.
When: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 4.
Who: Facilitated by Viveka von Rosen.
Where: Loveland Public Library, 300 N. Adams Ave.
Cost: $69.
To register: Go to larimerworkforce.org/workshops.
LOVELAND — A social media expert will spend the day Friday telling job seekers how they can quickly boost their chances for success.
Viveka von Rosen, sometimes described as a LinkedIn "rock star," will lead a social media lab 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 4, at the Loveland Public Library.
Von Rosen said she has been conducting similar monthly workshops for the Larimer County Workforce Center for about two years. The classes usually fill up with job seekers and entrepreneurs, she said, and "many of them have found jobs. We have a pretty high success rate."
The Loveland resident owns the consulting company Linked Into Business, conducts training sessions nationally and internationally and has written several articles and books, including last year's "LinkedIn Marketing: An Hour a Day."
She said grappled with unemployment herself. "I get what a struggle it is.
"I'm such a huge evangelist for social media because it has worked so well for me and my clients," she said.
According to the Workforce Center, the class will cover the business networking website LinkedIn, as well as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and blogging.
Von Rosen said job seekers can find and share information on a number of social media platforms, but LinkedIn has additional advantages.
"Its real power is the ability to not only find (potential employers) but to actually engage with them," she said.
Von Rosen said her workshops have produced many success stories. "One customer started putting it into place right as we were doing it. He actually reached out and set up an informational interview before the class was even over."
Craig Young can be reached at 635-3634 or email@example.com. Follow him on Twitter: @CraigYoungRH.