text:
When Bill Owens took the helm of Nortel in late-April, you knew he had a number of huge challenges ahead. A little more than 100 days later, you have to give him credit for taking dramatic moves to re-invent the telecom equipment maker. Rather than moving slowly, the decision to eliminate 3,500 employees and fire seven more executives indicates that Owens is serious about put the company back on solid footing. The big problem ahead in the health of the telco market. If carriers and cablecos don't start spending more money on equipment, all of Nortel's moves will fail to bear fruit. This should continue to make Nortel an fascinating story for the next year to 18 months.
Ultra-fast DSL
If the folks at the University of Toronto and Carleton University are onto something, DSL at 400 to 500 megabytes/second could be on the horizon. According to an article in the latest issue of Nano Letters, a scientific journal, DSL routers could be souped up using a new polymer material that could be integrated into optical switches. Just imagine how much more music all those pirates could download!
Wireless Spam Gets Spiked
In what can only be regarded as a much-needed and logical move, the Federal Communications Commission approved rules earlier this week banning companies from sending spam to wireless devices without consent from the person receiving it. The decision should hopefully keep the wireless world from being inflicted the curse of spam and, more important, save wireless users a whack dough if you are charged on a "per byte" basis.
Google's IPO
There has been plenty written about the proposed of Google's impending IPO but what about the company's ability to continue its stature as the Web's ultimate search engine? There have been many proponents – including myself – that there are a growing number of search rivals already on the scene or poised to enter the market. The contenders include Microsoft, which is upgrading its search tools, and smallers players such as Teoma and Vivisimo. That said, Google has become the default search choice, and it will take something significantly superior to knock it off. Frankly, I haven't seen anything even remotely intriguing. The question, however, is whether Google's strength as a favorite search engine will be enough to maintain its financial growth. If the answer is "no", Google investors could find themselves searching for "Internet hype" and discover the company's IPO tops the list.
Nokia's Troubles
A little while ago, I talked about how Nokia was struggling to keep up with rivals such as Samsung, LG, Sony Ericsson and Research in Motion. Nokia's poor second-quarter results suggest the Finnish giant has yet to get a handle on the reality its mobile devices just aren't cool as those made by competitors. It's as simple as that. What is Nokia's response?: They plan to lower prices. Sounds like a desperate move. Perhaps one of the most intriguing comments about Nokia was made to the New York Times by META Group analyst Peter Firstbrook, who said "I'm disappointed they still have not come up with a BlackBerry killer. They're not coming up with interesting high-end phones."
Ride P2P tsunami or risk being swept away
For all the talk in North America these days about the downloading of free music, there has been little attention about how peer-to-peer technology is evolving and moving into new business markets.
Perhaps the most intriguing is the use of P2P networks in the online gambling industry. While online gambling is already a multi-billion dollar business — despite intense opposition from the U.S. government — it is beginning to adopt P2P technology to give gamblers even more tools to make "transactions".
At the forefront of this emerging trend in North America is Toronto-based 1x Inc., which will launch new software called BetBug in the next few weeks.
Much like P2P software lets people exchange music online, BetBug will make it a snap for gamblers to connect with each other without using a middleman — otherwise known as a bookie.
Let's say, for example, an ardent Portuguese soccer fan wanted to place a bet on his team winning the recent European championship. Rather than use a bookie, the Portuguese fan could have used a service such as BetBug to find gamblers who wanted to back Greece. After finding the best price, the Portuguese fan could have made a P2P bet with the Greek backer.
When the game finished, the winning party would have paid a small commission to the e-commerce payment provider, which in turn, would have paid a royalty to the P2P exchange.
"This is a natural evolution for sports betting," said Anthony Novac, 1x's president. "The interesting thing is the more tech-savvy people are fascinated with taking P2P to the next level, whereas gambling experts see it as a phenomenal product that adds value to the user; while legal experts say 'wow you have taken it around the [U.S.] Wire Act'."
For online gambling houses, P2P technology is a threat and an opportunity. As middlemen, they do not want to see customers migrate to other services. At the same time, they will have to be flexible and offer P2P tools as complementary services.
Another benefit for gambling houses could be reduced expenses. Instead of having to handle transactions on their own or leased computer servers, they can simply provide branded payment services to generate commissions and build relationships.
This model that could also be adopted by auction giant eBay Inc., which has to operate and maintain large server farms to handle millions of transactions. If eBay decided to incorporate P2P technology, it could expand its offerings and lower costs.
In many respects, the gambling and pornography businesses are online vanguards that capitalize on new technology to bolster business. It was the pornography industry that jumped on the VCR, the Web, e-commerce and DVDs. As a result, it should not be a big surprise that it is the most profitable online sector.
Given how effectively the gambling and pornography industries have gravitated to the Web, there have to be important lessons for the music business. So far, P2P has savaged sales, while services such as Kazaa continue to thrive despite legal campaigns launched by groups such as Recording Industry Association of America.
Is there a way the music industry can take advantage of P2P technology rather than fall victim to it? This is a daunting question, given the music industry still has plenty of work to do when it comes to traditional e-commerce transactions. The simple fact a super site with millions of titles and an easy to remember name such as www.music.com has yet to materialize is evidence of the industry's inability to get its act together.
There are, however, indications P2P is gaining a little traction within the music business. Kazaalite.com, an off-shoot of Kazaa that became popular because it did not contain spyware, is offering a $5 a month service that gives subscribers unlimited access to music, movies, software and television programs, as well as unlimited technical support.
Kazaalite also has a premium version of its software for $25 that lets subscribers download and view DVD-quality movies. All of this downloading, Kazaalite offers, is apparently 100% legal.
Kazaalite is far from perfect and likely far from legal but Intercosmos Media Group Inc. does deserve credit for trying to create a P2P business model by setting itself up as a software middleman.
Perhaps the music industry could establish itself as the P2P clearinghouse for music by offering a service that ensures files are legitimate, high-quality and virus-free. Instead of fighting the P2P trend, the industry should try to exploit it, and find ways to encourage consumers to purchase other products, including CDs and DVDs.
Maybe this proposition is not doable and/or not viable, but it is time for the music industry to experiment with new tools and services to stem the P2P tsunami. Perhaps senior music executives should come to Toronto and spend some time with the 1x management team, which seems to have discovered a way to make P2P pay.


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Is Your Trademark Protection Out of Control?Monday, February 1, 2010 20:46
I have been in this industry for 3 years now. I have worked for Inc 500 companies, small time operations and now for myself. Something that I have always had a problem with is online trademark violation. I find that many companies are just going overboard when it comes to what they will allow you to use to promote their products.
One of these companies running on CJ has just given me the boot from their program and retracted all of my earnings. This is a loss of about 2k and a few weeks of time. So what happened?
Lets call this company "Widgets" for the sake of this post. My first attempt at promoting this site was with a site called WidgetsCoupons.com a highly searched term. The company freely mails out these coupons to affiliates each month to help with promotions.
A few weeks go by and CJ contacts me about my trademark infringement and demands I fix the problem and gives me the terms again. Yes I know I was breaking them by having "Widgets" in my domain but it was just for SEO reasons. I never claimed I was the company or had anything to do with them other than trying to promote the use of the coupons.
So I get a new domain, one without the term "Widgets" in it. I write them back saying I was sorry and everything had been fixed. I received an e-mail back thanking me and I move on. A few weeks pass and I have worked on the site even more. Suddenly I am presented with an email once again from CJ stating I am banned from this campaign and all earnings are being retracted from its sales.
They gave no reason this time, just stated that I was banned and could never run it again. I am waiting on a reply from them but having read their terms once again the only thing I can see is meta tags.
That's right. CJ has listed in their terms that you cannot have the term "Widgets" in any meta tags on your site since that is trademark infringement. This is where I feel things are getting out of hand. How can you ask people to promote your products and basically say that you cannot put the term "Widgets" anywhere on your site. I say anywhere since my site was auto generating its meta tags based on the content of the page.
So because my page was about "Widgets" my meta keywords, and meta description both included the term. I was there by breaking the rules according to CJ and removed from the program.
I have two degrees in business and I understand the reasons behind this but many companies are just taking things to the extreme. They are so insecure with their online presence that they are afraid their affiliates will out rank them or some how confuse their customers. But in doing so aren't they just hurting them selves more though a reduction in sales? If I make a site saying how great "Widgets" are and how everyone needs to buy them and then send that traffic to the "Widgets" home page. Isn't this in fact helping the business make more sales?
Companies need to realize that affiliates are not the enemy. The whole reason you have an affiliate program is to gain marketing and sales. Affiliates should be seen as partners in your marketing efforts. They should be afforded just as much use of your trademark as you would if you hired a marketing company. By crippling us you are only crippling your selves. Allow us the use of your logo and brand name, we are not all scammers and fraudsters.
4 Responses to "Is Your Trademark Protection Out of Control?"
February 1st, 2010 at 11:13 pm
CJ is awful to deal with to begin with but I understand what you are saying. I don't get the trademark protection on adwords either. Why can't I bid on the term Geico with a Progressive ad?
February 2nd, 2010 at 3:52 am
Damn dude… that is fuckin LAME!
What annoys me is trying to bid on those terms with PPC… and having to go through a review process and everything (Yahoo/MSN usually wont even run them). You're right that these companies take it way too far! Guess you won't be seeing any if those dumbass merchants at any Affiliate events.
February 17th, 2010 at 5:02 pm
[...] problem I ran into was some serious trademark protection as complained about in Is Your Trademark Protection Out of Control? the site just happened to have been the target of this retarded trademark protection. Even after [...]
March 12th, 2010 at 11:42 am
Meta Tags!!! Wow thats shocking, I would never even have thought that would be a no no. Sorry to hear about your bad luck, that's crap on CJ's part.

subset: commoncrawl


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Categories > Books > Harry Potter > Re-run
Chapter 6-9: Order of the Phoenix: part 10 Reviews
someone goes back in time to change to the timeline in Luna Loovegood's body.
Chapter 6: Order of the Phoenix: Part 1
As Harry rode the train back from Hogwarts, Hermione spent the whole trip crying on his shoulder. Ron was less than sympathetic to her grief. As he comforted his friend he realized that his childhood was over. He now had a mission: kill or be killed by Voldemort. All of the spells he had learned in the Chamber of Secrets would help, as would the extra lessons from Lupin and Moody. But now he had to get serious about Defense. Play time was over! If only he could do magic over the summer so he could hone his skills!
The next day Harry went over the Dailey Prophet in minute detail look for and announcement from the Ministry about Voldemort's return. He found nothing. But he did find, in an article about the Tri-Wizard Tournament, a quote from a Ministry official who implied that Harry was a glory hound of questionable sanity. And another article suggested the Dumbledore was going senile. Harry was out raged!
He put on his invisibility cloak, snuck out of the house and walked several blocks away to a deserted alley. From there he caught the Knight Bus to the Leaky Cauldron. He wasted no time with pleasantries but walked straight through, into Diagon Alley and over the Gringott's Wizarding Bank.
After waiting in line for what seemed like an eternity, Harry finally made it to the counter.
"May I help you?" said the goblin behind the counter.
"Griphook?" inquired Harry, who thought he recognized this goblin.
"You recognize me?" asked a shocked Griphook.
"Yes. You're the goblin who took me down to my vault the first time I came here," said Harry. "Why shouldn't I recognize you?"
"It's just that it is very unusual for wizards to remember the names of individual goblins. I'm took that we all look alike to you," replied Griphook. "How may I help you, Master Potter?"
"I was wondering if there was someone here that I could talk to about getting emancipated," said Harry.
"Of course. Key please?" said Griphook.
Harry handed the key to the goblin who pressed it on a pad on the counter and handed it back to Harry.
"The key is correct. Follow me please," said Griphook, as he led Harry down a hallway and into an office.
Within the office, a goblin dressed in a nicer suit than Griphook's sat behind an ornate desk.
"Master Harry Potter wishes to speak with you about getting emancipated," explained Griphook before he left Harry alone with the goblin.
"Harry Potter," said Harry as he strode up to the desk and offered his hand. "And you are?"
The goblin looked at Harry as if he'd grown another head. Then, slowly, he broke into a smile, grasped Harry's hand firmly, shook it and said: "Grindbar. I am pleased to make your acquaintance Master Potter. Please be seated and tell be why you want to be emancipated?"
"Voldemort's back," said Harry.
Grindbar jumped with startlement!
"Voldemort's back and I need to do magic over the summer so that I can prepare to fight him," said Harry.
"I see. Well there are several emancipation options depending how old you are," explained Grindbar.
"I'll be fifteen at the end of July," replied Harry.
"Oh dear. Oh dear. At your age I'm afraid there is only one way to get emancipated," explained Grindbar. "You would have to get married."
"Married!" exclaimed Harry.
"Yes. If you were married you would be considered and adult by default," said Grindbar. "You would be able to do magic with out restriction and you would have full access to your accounts."
"Don't I already have access to my vault?" asked Harry.
'That is just your trust fund," said Grindbar. "The other vaults you won't have access to until you come of age. If you were married, you would be of age."
"Okay, what do I need to do?" inquired Harry.
"This form needs to be filled out and signed the parent or guardians of both yourself and the bride. Then bring it back to me and we'll proceed from there," replied Grindbar.
As Harry wandered out of the bank he wondered: "Who am I going to get to marry me?"
Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling
Chapter 7: OotP: Part 2: Marriage
(Young Luna's thoughts)
{Old Luna's thoughts}
[Luna's mom's thoughts]
As Harry walked out of Gringott's Wizarding Bank wondering who he was going to find that would be willing to marry him when he spotted a sign down the street that said: "The Quibbler: the Truth is Out There." This caught Harry's eye and gave him an idea how to counter the slander against him perpetrated by the Daily Prophet. When he walked in the door, whom did he see sitting behind the reception desk but his old friend, Luna Lovegood!
"Harry! What brings you here?" said Luna.
"Actually I came to give an interview about the return of Voldemort and the death of Viktor Krum," said Harry. "But perhaps you can help me with another thing?"
"Sure Harry, I'd love to help you with anything" said Luna
"Well, I just found out that in order to get emancipated, I have to get married and I was trying to figure out who to propose to. Who do you think I should ask, Hermione or Ginny?" asked Harry.
"Well Harry, you could always marry me?" replied Luna.
(Wow!) Thought Luna's younger self
[Luna! No! You're too young!] Replied her mother.
{Give me a break mother. I'm older than you} Luna's older personality admonished her mother.
[But fourteen is too young for my baby to get married!] Pleaded Selena.
{Mother, I know what I'm doing. Now that Voldie's back I need the freedom to do magic and train} explained Luna's older self.
said the sword.
{I need to be by Harry's side so that I can protect him until he's ready} older Luna told her mother.
[Well he'd better not hurt you] replied Selena.
(It's okay mommy, she won't let anybody hurt me) assured younger Luna.
By now, Harry had recovered from his shock at being proposed to by his oldest friend. He had never even considered her as a potential girlfriend, much less a wife. Then he noticed that Luna was staring off into space as she often did.
"-Uh, Earth to Luna? Luna, are you there?" asked Harry.
"What? Oh, yes Harry. So what do you think?" asked Luna.
"Well, if you really want to do this, I want full disclosure," said Harry. "What's your secret? You're more than just a seer, aren't you?"
"Yes, I'm from the future," replied Luna. "You see, the war against Voldie didn't go well. Almost all of our friends died in the war. In the end, you had to sacrifice yourself in order to kill him. So I tried to send my spirit back in time in order to change things for the better. I went back to the moment of my mother's death. She had tried to conjure a long dead spirit on the form of a sword of icy fire. Unfortunately, the spell backfired and the sword went through her heart. When I arrived, I pulled the sword from my mother's body and in the process absorbed not only the sword but also my mother's spirit. So I am a composite of my young self, my older self, my mother and the sword."
"Does the sword give you any special powers?" asked Harry
"Yes. It multiplies my strength by a factor of ten. Thus far, I haven't been able to take full advantage of this as I was afraid if I trained too hard I would stunt my growth," said Luna. "Also I heal very fast and can instantly understand and speak any language."
"Hang on! Does this mean that you have been able to read Slytherin's Parseltongue library all along?" asked Harry.
~Yes,~ Luna admitted sheepishly.
"No wonder you ended up in Slytherin," mused Harry.
"Finally, I have the ability to make the sword appear at will, like this," said Luna as a sword of icy fire appeared in her hand. "The sword can absorb any spell and can direct it back in a blast of pure energy."
"So you're not really a seer? You just have memories of the future?" accused Harry as Luna dissolved the sword.
"No. I am both a seer and I have knowledge of the future," replied Luna.
"Assuming I agree, how are we going to get parental consent?" asked Harry.
"Well, since I am my mother, I can get my mother to sign and you can get your uncle to sign, he'll be glad to be rid of you," said Luna.
"Here," said Harry as he pulled out the marriage form.
"In order to give my mother's signature, I need to meditate for a few minutes and give her control of this body," said Luna closing her eyes.
After a few minutes, Luna opened her eyes and signed the form: Selena Lovegood and sealed it with her mother's wand. When Harry went to take the form, she reached out and grabbed his wrist in a crushing grip, looked him in the eye and said:
"If you ever, EVER, do anything to hurt my daughter, I will cut off your head, make fun of it, then apparate it into the middle of the ocean where it will be used as shark bait! And I'm not talking about the one on your shoulders either!"
After this outburst, Luna relaxed her grip and said:
"You should go give my dad that interview now. And I wouldn't tell him about our plans."
Uncle Vernon proved to be very easy to deal with. When it was explained that if he just signed the form Harry would be gone from his life forever, he was all too eager to sign.
The next day, Harry picked up Luna at the Quibbler before returning to Grindbar's office.
"Ah, Mister Potter, is this your new bride?" asked Grindbar.
"Yes, this is Luna Lovegood and I have the completed form," said Harry. "Is there a ceremony we have to go through now?"
"Only if you want to," replied Grindbar. For our purposes all that is necessary is for you to complete the form and claim your inheritance.
"What do I do now?" asked Harry.
Grindbar pulled a pad and pin out of his desk and slid it towards Harry. "You need to prick your finger and get a drop of blood onto this pad."
When Harry did as he was instructed, the blood faded away and in its' place appeared four rings. Grindbar took one of them and handed it to Harry who slipped it on.
"Congratulations, Lord Potter, you are now legally an adult," said Grindbar as he shook Harry's hand.
"What are the other three rings for?" asked Harry as he gazed at his ring with its' ruby flanked by a griffin on one side and a stag on the other.
"Well, you see, the Potters are the senior most family of the Gryffindor line. That makes you the new Lord Gryffindor," said Grindbar, handing him a ruby ring flanked by a griffin and a phoenix.
"I have relatives?" asked Harry.
"Distant relatives, to be sure. Your father was an only child - as were you," replied Grindbar.
"Who's next in line to be Lord Gryffindor?" asked Harry.
"Neville Longbottom," replied Grindbar.
"Who's third?"
"Peter Pettigrew"
"Who's fourth?"
"Albus Dumbledore. It was from his hand that the ring passed when someone more worthy came forward to claim it just now," said Grindbar.
"Who's fifth?"
"Arthur Weasley"
"What about the other two rings?" inquired Harry.
"Well it seems that your mother was a direct matrilineal descendant of Rodrik Ravenclaw, the last male Ravenclaw," explained Grindbar. "Back then, daughters were unable to inherit. This makes you the first Lord Ravenclaw since the sixteenth century. Furthermore, Rodrik's mother was a direct matrilineal descendant of Harold Hufflepuff, the last male Hufflepuff. This makes you the new Lord Hufflepuff.
Grindbar handed Harry the other two rings. As he slipped them on, he noticed that Ravenclaw's sapphire was flanked by a raven and a unicorn. Hufflepuff's diamond was flanked by a badger and a hound.
"Would Lady Potter also like some rings?" asked Grindbar.
"Yes," said Harry.
"Just Potter and Ravenclaw please," said Luna
Harry looked at her quizzically.
"My older self and my mother were both Ravenclaws," Luna explained.
After Luna put a drop of blood on the pad and her two rings appeared, Luna slipped them on.
"Now, would you care to inspect the vaults while we compile a list of your assets?" asked Grindbar.
"Yes please," said Harry.
Authors note: The sword of Icy fire is based on the one portrayed in Dreadstar comics from the 1980's. Dreadstar was written and owned by Jim Starlin.
Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling
Chapter 8: OotP: Part 3: assets
(young Luna's thoughts)
{old Luna's thoughts}
[Luna's mom's thoughts]
As Harry, Luna and Griphook sat in the cart racing deeper and deeper into the depths Harry could not believe how much was happening so fast. Just yesterday, he was single. Now he was Lord Potter Gryffindor Ravenclaw Hufflepuff. Presently, they came to a stop at vault 32.
"Here we are. The Potter Family vault," said Griphook.
"Uh - I was never given a key," said Harry.
"Your ring is your key," replied Griphook. "Simply press into the matching indentation on the door and it will open."
Harry did so and when the door opened, he couldn't believe his eyes! The room was filled with chest after chest full of galleons. One entire wall was filled with shelves of books.
"Why would someone put books in their bank vault?" asked Harry.
"Normally only rare, out of print books are kept in a vault," replied Griphook. "It is usually because they are too valuable to risk theft. So they are left here when not being read."
Harry and Luna looked through the titles. There were books on transfiguration, defense, charms, astronomy, care of magical creatures, and ancient runes. They both agreed to wait until they had seen what was in the other vaults before taking anything.
It was only a short ride later to vault 4.
"The Gryffindor Family Vault," announced Griphook.
This vault was easily as big as the great hall at Hogwarts. It had even more gold in it, but also there was a collection of weapons. It seemed that the Lords Gryffindor had been collecting weapons for a thousand years. Each generation would enchant and add a weapon to the collection, which was mostly swords. Some of the more recent entries were interesting. Harry's grandfather had added a bazooka. His father had added a machine gun and his father had added a gatling gun. There was also a collection of rare books on various subjects.
Vault 3 was the Hufflepuff Family vault. In addition to the massive amount of gold, there where shelves full of jars and rare seeds for magical plants. There was also an equal amount of space devoted to vials of potions of all types, many of which, Harry had never heard of.
Vault 2 was the Ravenclaw Family vault. Like all of the others it had a massive amount of gold. Not surprisingly, there was a huge library in the vault. It had entire sections devoted to charms, occlumency, legilimency, defense, and the dark arts. Each section was bigger than the whole of the Hogwarts library. But the biggest surprise was the weapons, enough to equip an army. Apparently, Rodrick Ravenclaw had been expecting a war in the sixteenth century and had enchanted enough pikes and arquebuses to arm a large force.
Harry and Luna took a book on each subject from the Ravenclaw vault and headed back up to Grindbar's office to see a final tally of their assets,
"Lord and Lady Potter, please understand that many of the investments that were made by the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff families were in businesses that no longer exist," said Grindbar. "They merged with other businesses which, in turn, merged with other businesses until the present day, when we rent out the proxies for the interest you own in various things and deposit the rent money in your accounts. Without further delay: here are your assets:
Potter Family Estate
Liquid Assets:
Vault 32: Potter Family Vault - 604,090,858 Galleons
Vault 765: James Potter Personal Vault- 1,000,433 Galleons
Vault 795: Lily Evans Personal Vault- 603,326 Galleons
Vault 687: Harry Potter Trust Vault- 3,964,390 Galleons
Vault 4: Gryffindor Family Vault - 1,813,985,034 Galleons
Vault 3: Hufflepuff Family Vault - 2, 895,532,909 Galleons
Vault 2 Ravenclaw Family Vault - 3,123,542, 978 Galleons
Total Money Assets: 8,438,755,538 Galleons
Ownerships in Businesses:
Wizarding Business:
Daily Prophet 15 percent- Potter Family
Daily Prophet 10 percent - Gryffindor Family
Daily Prophet 10 percent - Hufflepuff Family
Daily Prophet 20 percent - Ravenclaw Family
Gladrags of Hogsmeade 10 percent- Potter Family
Auguries Apothecary 10 percent- Potter Family
Quidditch and More (France) 15 percent- Potter family
The Darker Side of Life (Bookstore in Knockturn Alley) 75 percent- Ravenclaw Family
Poisons and More Apothecary (Knockturn Alley) 20 percent- Hufflepuff Family
Estimated Value of Stock Holdings: 7,230,331,059 Galleons
Muggle Business:
The Belvedere (Restaurant) 25 percent- Potter Family
Grunnings International Drills 100 percent- Potter Family
Nestle 39 percent - Hufflepuff Family
Proctor and Gamble 45 percent - Hufflepuff Family
Lloyd's of London 53 percent - Gryffindor Family
Microsoft Computers 34 percent - Ravenclaw family
Estimated Value of Stock Holdings: 1,654,010,231 Galleons
Total Estimate Value of Stock Holdings: 8,884,341,290
Potter Family: Potter Family Ancestral Home- 1 Gryffindor Drive, Godric's Hollow
Gryffindor Castle - Godric's Hollow
Potter Manor- Scotland countryside
Lily Evans family home- 11 Pine Drive, Little Whinging Surrey
Ravenclaw Tower - Wales
Hufflepuff Manor - England
Extended family homes no longer in use:
24 Park Street, Bristol
10 St. Thomas Street, Bristol
16 McCold Way, London
12 Browning Street, Birmingham
32 Eldon Street, Sheffield
Gryffindor Family Property Liquid Value: 27,345,746 Galleons
Ravenclaw Family Property Liquid Value: 22,942,478 Galleons
Hufflepuff Family Property Liquid Value: 21,492,384 Galleons
Potter Family Property Liquid Value: 12,049,374 Galleons
Total Property Liquid Value: 83,829,982
Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Potter Vaults also contain numerous paintings, books, statues, weapons, furniture, etc.
Gryffindor Vault Heirlooms Liquid Value: 20,034,257 Galleons
Ravenclaw Vault Heirlooms Liquid Value: 45,765,123 Galleons
Hufflepuff Vault Heirlooms Liquid Value: 39,567,345 Galleons
Potter Vault Heirlooms Liquid Value: 18,405,321 Galleons
Total Vault Heirlooms Liquid Value: 123,772,046 Galleons
Total Liquid Value of The New Potter Estate: 17,530,698,856 Galleons
Converted to Muggle Money at The Current Exchange Rate of 1 Galleon to 23 Pounds: 403,206,073,688 Pounds Sterling or $775,728,165,168 USD.
After perusing the papers, Harry asked, "Who is the current holder of my proxies on the Daily Prophet shares?"
"They are currently being rented by Lord Malfoy, Lord Nott and Marvolo Publishing Corp.," said Grindbar.
"As soon those leases end, I want back voting control of that stock, said Harry. "Also, get back control of all of the Knockturn Alley businesses for me."
"The leases end on December 31st. I will make certain that no new leases will be issued on those proxies," said Grindbar.
"I think I'd like to take a look at some of our properties now," said Harry. "How do I find them?"
"First star to the right and straight on 'til morning?" mused Luna.
[Luna behave! You're not helping.]
"Each of your family rings is a portkey and will take you and anyone you are holding to the properties of that branch of the family," explained Grindbar. "Simply concentrate on the place you want to go and it will take you there."
"Thank you for all of your help, Grindbar," said Harry as he gathered up the papers.
"It was my pleasure, Lord Potter," replied Grindbar.
"You still need to get your possessions from your Aunt's house," observed Luna.
"Right. We'll Shadow walk there," said Harry as the two of them stepped into the shadow behind the door and vanished.
Harry had not yet learned to apparate. But Shadow walking was a trick he learned from Slytherin's library in the Chamber of Secrets where he and his friends had been training for three years. It allowed them to step into any shadow and step out of another one anywhere else.
When they stepped out of a shadow in Harry's room at 4 Privet Drive, there was a purple haired woman sitting on the bed waiting for them.
"Hello Harry," said Tonks. "And you must be Looney -"
"Stupefy!" shouted Harry and Luna as they simultaneously sent stunners at Tonks.
Tonks blocked their stunners with a hastily cast shield charm, then turned the tables with a silencio charm cast at Luna.
Luna's sword appeared in her hand and absorbed the power of Tonks' spell as Luna said: "Friend of yours?"
"I never saw her before in my life!" yelled Harry as he grabbed both his trunk and
Luna and portkeyed to the Potter home in Godric's Hollow.
When they appeared at the Potter home, it was nothing more than a pile of debris where a house had been. As they walked around the yard in silence, Harry thought: (This is where it all started. All my life I have wondered about the house my parents lived in and now that I find it, it's a heap of rubble. Wait a minute. What's that?)
Luna's thoughts were more like this:
(Ooo, look at the pretty castle!)
{Poor Harry, this must really be painful for him}
[Luna, will you be quiet! Some of us are trying to maintain a somber expression!]
(What are you going to do about it? Spank me?)
{Wait a minute. There is a castle, there, through the trees!}
(Told ya')
"Whose castle is that?" ask Luna.
"Let's find out," replied Harry as he took Luna by the hand and led her through the trees and towards the castle.
As they approached the fortress, it became obvious to Harry that at one time, the Potter home had been the servants' quarters for the manor. The castle itself appeared to be a medieval keep that had been updated many times over the centuries. The drawbridge was down and there was a wooden wall where the portcullis should be with a set of double doors in the middle of it.
Their knock on the door was answered by a house elf, who peered up at them with large expectant eyes.
"Excuse me, we would like to introduce our selves to the master of the house," said Harry.
"I believe you have already met him," said the house elf.
"Who is he?" asked Harry.
"He is you," replied the house elf. "Please come in master, Lord Gryffindor. Your guest is awaiting you in the drawing room."
"Guest?" asked Luna. "Oh yes, the previous owner of the castle."
"You know who the previous owner was?" asked Harry as they were led down a hall filled with magical paintings of priceless art objects.
"Of course, we're in Gryffindor Castle and we know who was wearing Lord Gryffindor's ring before you," replied Luna.
Luna heard the sword say in her head.
"Ah, Harry, please come in. We have much to discuss," said Dumbledore from his armchair in the drawing room. "And Miss Lovegood, I might have known you were behind this."
Author's note: The Potter family assets are largely copied from a great fic called: Harry Potter and the End of the Dark Lord by danielc. It can be found here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2406890/15/
The assets of the other branches of Harry's family were my own inspiration.
arry Potter is owned by JK Rowling
Chapter 9: OotP 4: Home
(Young Luna's thoughts)
{Old Luna's thoughts}
[Luna's mom's thoughts]
(Oh shit! It's the headmaster! Run for it!) thought Luna's younger self.
the sword demanded inside of Luna's head.
[Calm down, both of you] admonished Luna's mother.
{Quiet! All of you! I've got to be prepared to block any Legilimency probes he may send at us} thought Luna.
"I said: How does your father feel about this?" asked Dumbledore.
"He doesn't know yet," replied Luna.
"I see," said Dumbledore with his eyes twinkling.
"Harry, I know you don't like staying with your relatives, but this is not the way," said Dumbledore. "Surely you must have been told that the Gryffindor ring disappeared from my hand when it appeared before you? You can't get away with this. She's only fourteen."
"It's not about my relatives, it's about training," replied Harry. "We need to be able to do magic over the summer so that I can prepare to face Voldemort."
"But you need the protection of the blood wards," said Dumbledore.
"YOUR BLOOD WARDS DON"T BLOODY WORK!" yelled Harry. "When I went back to pick up my possessions, there was a strange woman in my room just waiting for me!"
"You must mean Miss Tonks," said Dumbledore. "I sent her to guard over and protect you."
"So now I'm a bloody prisoner kept under lock and key by you?!" growled Harry.
"Harry, it's not like that at all," said Dumbledore. "Come back with me. We'll get a quick annulment and you can spend the rest of the summer with your godfather."
During this whole time, Dumbledore had been careful to avoid eye contact with Harry. Now he turned his attention to Luna. When she felt his gentle Legilimency probe touch her mind, Luna opened up to him that part of her mind that she kept closed to the others. She flooded his mind with images of death and horror that she had witnessed in the future.
"Aaahh!!" Dumbledore screamed as he clutched his head.
"Does Master wish to use the wards to remove this person?" asked the house elf.
"Yes. How do I do that?" asked Harry.
"Simply say: I, Lord Gryffindor, cast this person out," said the elf.
"Harry, don't!" pleaded Dumbledore.
"I, Lord Gryffindor, cast Albus Dumbledore out," said Harry.
With a popping sound, Dumbledore vanished.
"What happens to people who are cast out by the wards?" asked Harry.
"Their memory of the castle's location is erased and they are transported to the middle of the Bermuda Triangle, Master Lord Gryffindor sir," replied the house elf.
"Please, call me Harry," said Harry as he offered his hand. "You are?"
"Moo." said Luna.
"Binky, Master Harry sir"
"Moo!" said Luna.
"Do I own you?" Harry asked the house elf.
"Moooo!" said Luna.
"Yes, Master Harry Sir," replied Binky.
"Moooooooo!" said Luna.
"You're right, Luna. Hermione is going to have a cow when she finds out," said Harry. "How many house elves do I own?"
"There are thirty-two in Castle Gryffindor, Master Harry sir," answered Binky.
Binky gave his new Lord and Lady a tour of the Castle, which had been extensively renovated over the centuries. The most recent upgrade had been done in the late 1940's by Harry's grandfather and the castle had all of the modern amenities of that era including running water and electricity. There was an extensive library including a large section on magical history.
After dinner, Harry and Luna retired to the Library. They sat in comfortable armchairs reading for several hours until Harry stifled a yawn.
Luna closed her book and rose to her feet.
"Harry, I think it's time we went to bed," said Luna sleepily.
Harry sprang to his feet with a goofy grin on his face. When they came to the master bedroom, Harry stopped her and picked Luna up.
"I believe there is a tradition about carrying the bride over the threshold," he said, carrying his bride into the room. Once he'd carried her to the bed, Harry gave Luna a deep, passionate, kiss to which she responded eagerly. Not breaking contact, Harry set her down upon the bed and leaned her back. By now, Luna was moaning with pleasure as their tongues danced with each other. Suddenly, Luna stiffened and pushed Harry away.
"Stop! Stop!" Luna panted.
"What's wrong?" panted Harry.
"I just think we're going too fast," replied Luna.
"But we're married," responded Harry.
"So that we can do magic over the summer," reminded Luna. "Yesterday you said that you hadn't even considered me as a possible girlfriend."
"Is this about Amanda and Stan?" asked Harry.
"What about them?" asked Luna?
"Are you hooked up with them?" asked Harry.
Luna burst out laughing!
"Are you lovers with Ron and Hermione?" giggled Luna.
Harry hung his head in embarrassment.
"Look, we're married now," explained Luna. "It will happen, just not tonight. When you can convince me that you've really, genuinely fallen in love with me, you'll find me quite easy to seduce."
"Right. I'll sleep in one of the other bedrooms," said Harry as he started to rise.
Luna pulled him back down onto the bed.
"I'd really rather we share a bed," said Luna. "We are, after all, married. Let's just cuddle up together and sleep together and not do anything else."
"Okay," said Harry. "I'll just go change into my pajamas."
"Oh," said Luna. "This brings up another thing. I don't like to wear anything to bed. If I sleep in the nude, are you going to be able to control yourself? We are going to have to get used to seeing each other naked anyway."
"If cuddling my naked wife is all I can get tonight, I think I can live with that," said Harry.
The next day, they toured Ravenclaw Tower. It was a massive, seventy story tower that, like Gryffindor Castle, had Muggle repellent and Notice-me-not charms on it. It was maintained by a large staff of house elves who kept it in good condition, even though it had not been modernized since the 16th century. The biggest asset of Ravenclaw Tower was, not surprisingly, its library. It was obvious that the books in the Ravenclaw vault had been a small minority of the books from the Ravenclaw collection. There was floor after floor filled with books. Many of the ones that had not been considered rare and valuable enough to preserve in the vault back in the 16th century had become quite valuable, indeed.
On the third day, they visited Hufflepuff Manor. It was a 14th century country manor with lush gardens. After the serfs had been set free, their place had been taken by some Mennonite witches and wizards that farmed the land and paid a share of their crops to the house elf who managed the estate. These Mennonites were a lot more conservative than their Muggle counterparts, and didn't use any technology more recent than the 14th century. Inspecting the gardens, it became apparent that the seeds in the vault were just a backup in case the magical crops here failed. The Wards placed on the estate had kept all outsiders from the Manor since the 16th century. Hufflepuff Manor also boasted what must have been the best potions lab in the world, best in the 14th century anyway.
Harry and Luna spent the rest of the week studying their new books. One day, Luna made a startling discovery!
"Harry, look at this!" bubbled Luna as she pointed out an obscure spell from one of the Legilimency books she had gotten from the Ravenclaw vault. "If we cast this spell, we will be able to instantly absorb all of the knowledge from any book we touch. True, it will be book knowledge and not practical knowledge. We will still have to practice any new magic we absorb in order to get good at it. But think how much faster we could learn if we didn't have to waste time reading and comprehending!"
After this, their knowledge grew exponentially!
Harry mate,
Things have been in an uproar here ever since you sent Hedwig with your last letter. I don't know what you've done. The adults won't tell us. But I hope that you are okay.
Dear Harry,
Thanks for the seeds that you sent me. I've planted them in my green house and have been doing research on them. Where did you get them? Some of them have been thought extinct for centuries! Do you know where to get more?
Yours truly,
Dear Harry,
Thank you for the book on Advanced Occlumency Techniques. Remember how mad Professor Snape got when we first started teaching ourselves Occlumency, back in 2nd year? Ron and I are staying with Padfoot. All of the adults are very angry with you but won't tell us why. Can you?
Your Friend,
My Sister,
Thank you for the potion that removes the ministry's restriction on underage magic. Where did you get it? Since I got it, I've been practicing spells out of the Dark Arts book you sent me. They are a real hoot!
You father came to visit me again. You really need to tell him that you got married. Or at least, let him know that you are okay. I try to reassure him, but I won't betray your confidence. He won't hear it from me, but HE NEEDS TO KNOW!
Friends Forever
As in Spirit
We are Together,
For next two months, Harry and Luna divided their time between absorbing the knowledge from every book they could get their hands on, practicing the magic they had learned in those books, and corresponding with various members of the D.A. that they had sent books to. One morning, Luna opened the Daily Prophet and gasped!
"Great Merlin Harry, Look!" exclaimed Luna.
The headline read: Harry Potter's cousin receives the Dementor's kiss!


text:
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Found February 18, 2013 on Fox Soccer:
PLAYERS: Bastian Schweinsteiger, Jack Wilshere, Thierry Henry
Bayern Munich vice-captain Bastian Schweinsteiger believes there is an answer to those Arsenal fans pining for their past greats - Jack Wilshere. Ahead of Tuesday night's first leg of the UEFA Champions League last-16 tie, Schweinsteiger has labelled Wilshere one of the best midfielders in the world. And the Germany international believes Wilshere, 21, can be the cornerstone of a Gunners' resurgence after admitting they have lost ground on their European rivals in recent years. "Yes the days are gone when they had players like Tony Adams or Thierry Henry - maybe they are still wishing for those players," he said. "But they still have a good team. You only have to look at Jack Wilshere who is an excellent player. "After he was out for so long, he is back now and showing his form. "In his position, he is one of the best players there is." Wilshere's long-awaited return to Arsenal ranks this season was celebrated by club and country afte...
Original Story: http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/sc...
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Schweinsteiger: Still a job to do
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Found October 31, 2012 on NESN.com:
PLAYERS: Cody Ross, Marco Scutaro, Ryan Sweeney, Scott Podsednik
TEAMS: Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants
TEAMS: Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants
Editor's note: Didier Morais will review each position for the Red Sox for the 2013 season. Cody Ross was the coup of Boston's last offseason. When the Red Sox traded Marco Scutaro to the Rockies, it opened up the financial flexibility for general manager Ben Cherington to sign Ross to a one-year, $3 million contract. At that point, Ross was reeling from a mediocre 2011 campaign. Although he showcased his talent in the clutch with his performance in the 2010 playoffs, Ross failed to recapture that magic. That all changed, however, when he joined the Red Sox. In his first season with the team, Ross developed into a right-handed threat in the lineup, belting 22 home runs and 81 RBIs through 130 games. With a swing suited for Fenway Park, Ross endeared himself to fans while handling the Boston media with ease. For those reasons, the Red Sox are currently in negotiations with the outfielder to keep him around for the next few seasons. They'l...
Original Story: http://www.nesn.com/2012/10/cody-ross...
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Your Morning Dump...where Sandy blew away Red Sox news
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Baseball America's 2013 Top 10 Red Sox Prospects
Just One More Shopping Day
Sources: Rangers interested in Ortiz
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Red Sox Could Pursue Anibal Sanchez to Shore Up Starting Rotation If In-House Options Prove Lacking
Red Sox Name Brian Butterfield As New Third Base Coach, Replacing Jerry Royster
Report: Red Sox Among Teams Interested in Dan Haren
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Red Sox Name Brian Butterfield Third Base Coach
Red Sox hire Butterfield as third base coach
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text:
ULEN, Minn. (KFGO NEWS) -- A man was injured in a fall at West Central Ag Services fertilizer plant in Ulen, Minnesota this morning.
Clay County Sheriff Bill Bergquist says the man fell about 40-feet.
He landed on a pile of fertilizer, which cushioned his fall somewhat.
The man was conscious and alert but complained of back and neck pain.
He was transported to the hospital via ground ambulance.


text:
100% Awareness Campaign Overview
The Chandler Education Foundation's distinctive 100% Awareness program gets everyone involved! Every student and staff member in the Chandler Unified School District is asked to contribute in support of our schools and students. The dollars raised are used to award teacher and school mini-grants to CUSD staff who would not otherwise have sources of funding or who would have to use their own money to support a classroom project. The 100% Awareness Campaign also provides gift cards to brand new teachers hired within the district to assist them is setting up their classrooms.
Click to Report a Problem| Email CEF
Last Modified on July 17, 2014


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Only 10 more days until ALLEGIANT is on sale!
(via heyteenbookshey)
(via heyteenbookshey)
I have a pretty messed up body clock. The fact that I cant even distinguish if I'm a morning or an evening person. Which honestly, I find strange. I cant say that I 'm a morning person just because I can wake up early in the morning but the thing is I don't sleep early in the evening. Nor I can say that I'm an evening person just because I can work effectively late at night but the fact that I don't find it hard waking up early in the morning. Maybe I am somewhere in between these two. I'm a morevening person. Woah that was lame. Haha.
Summers are to blame for my fucked up body clock. Summers are my times of staying up til 3 in the morning just to finish my movie marathons or reading a book, my times of waking up 2 in the afternoon, and staying up late talking to my summer fling. A typical summer for a teenager, or not. I guess I don't party like them or go on road trips with my friends. But then summer ends then school comes. Back to school means back to waking up 4:30 in the morning, staying past 12 just to finish my homework and requirements, and doing my best to listen and understand our lectures. A very tiring and exhausting day compared to my chill and relaxing summer. But I can't put the blame on summer because I should've used my summer to rest for me to be able to prepare for my school days. A clear sign for lack of self-discipline. Oh well, I cant stress on things i could't change.
There are three things I am absolutely positive of: First, I am girl. Second, there's a part of me but I'm not sure how potent it is that thirsted for something sweet. And third, I am unconditionally and irrevocably in love with sweets. Sounds familiar? I got it from twilight though I changed it with something that is more "me".
Ever since I was a child I always had a sweet tooth. I just love and crave for something sweet. Whether its an ice cream (which is my favorite comfort food) or a red velvet cupcake (which I am currently eating). I JUST LOVE SWEETS. I even like it on my viands. It might seem strange but I like my adobo sweet. Sweets are my ultimate comfort food. They cheer me up whenever I feel blue, they accompany me in times of loneliness, and they give me the right amount of boost of energy I need to start my day. That irresistible feeling of ice cream melting in my mouth or that feeling of satisfaction I get from a slice of cake; the reasons why I would never hate sweets. There's just something about sweets that make me feel good, or sometimes better. Whenever I eat cotton candies and cookies, it brings me a nostalgic feeling of my childhood. Those summers that I would spend with my friends eating sorbetes and halo-halo in our veranda. And those memorable moments that I would be helping my mom bake cookies and brownies and how we would just laugh whenever we burn the desserts we're baking. Those are some of the simple joys I get from eating sweets. I also learned that eating chocolates would make you happier! Regardless that it's your favorite food or what but because it releases endorphins that produces a feeling of happiness. Oh yeah. I'm learning in our Psychology class. Haha. I find it amazing how simple things like food, in my situation sweets can bring happiness and joy to us. That it is possible to find happiness even with the littlest things in life.
I just finished reading Divergent by Veronica Roth. And I just can't wait to buy and read Insurgent. I am recently getting hooked into dystopian books. They are simply amazing because they give me ideas on what can or may happen in the future. Different perspectives from different authors. Plus I get to read and go head over heels with boys like Four and Peeta. Jk. Haha.
"Faction before blood" In the book Divergence, their society gives priority on their factions: Abnegation, Dauntless, Erudite, Amity, and Candor. They represent different personalities that people possess like being brave and selfless. After reading this it made me realize how much I've fallen in love with Four. Just Kidding. But it made me understand how bravery and selflessness are interconnected with each other. "I have a theory that selflessness and bravery aren't all that different." says Four. And it made me wonder how can it be. First what is the true meaning of bravery and selflessness? Does being brave means being able to fight others or is it being able to face your fears and live freely. And does being selfless mean rejecting one'e self? I believe that being brave is being able to think critically even when faced with one's worst fears and that being selfless is not rejecting but being able to deny one's self for the betterment of others. And this is when it came to my mind how can these two be similar. One must have the courage to help others. Just like what Tris did when she stand up for Al and takes his place for his punishment. It takes a lot of bravery to stand up for others, and in Tris' situation, it takes a lot of guts and comes with a huge risk. One must be brave enough to give up her rights and comforts to be able to be selfless. Simplicity and frugality are not easily attained. We must overcome a lot of temptations and restraint from our pleasures to possess these. But these are only my opinion. Maybe for some, bravery and selflessness would never go together or that maybe they have other interpretations for it. But for me bravery and selflessness can be one.
And lastly, I just want to tell you all how much I love the book Divergence and Four. Oops. Haha. Is it getting really obvious how much I like him? Its just that I love how his character is. How he's so mysterious and caring to Tris, his subtle affection to her, and how awesome he is that he has only four fears and that he does not hunger for power even he had the opportunity to have it. And plus he was able to fight the simulation made specially for divergents. Do you know how hard and awesome that is? Oh Four. How awesome can you get? So I want to thank and show my appreciation to Ms. Veronica Roth for writing this kickass fiction and bringing Four and his words of wisdom in to my life.
Today it felt like everything was in order. Having the right time, right place, and even the right weather. It was like a perfect moment for me. Surrounding myself with my two favorite things in the world, books and ice cream, made it even more perfect.
A pint of ice cream and a good book to read will surely go a long way. Me being able to savor that Ben & Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk was truly magical. The taste of chocolate ice cream with white and dark fudge, pecans, walnuts, and almonds was like a piece of heaven melting in my mouth. I couldn't even put into words how amazing this flavor is, or even how amazing an ice cream is. An ice cream is my ultimate comfort food. It can make my day or even turn that from into a smile. Surely everything's better with an ice cream.
Then I even paired an ice cream with a book. How amazing could this day get? While enjoying my Ben & Jerry's I decided to reread The Fault In Our Stars. I have no idea why but I just felt this urge to read it again. I'm a big fan John Green's work that I even bought all his books. TFIOS has this bittersweet flavor in it. A bit expected but truly wonderful. Being able to put love and tragedy together may be a little mainstream but John Green gave it a subtle humor and a modern twist. A novel that I'll be happy to reread. I keep on falling inlove with Gus every time I read this. He's like this hot boy who loves to save fictional children even if it means him losing the game, and who puts killing machines between his mouth as a metaphorical resonance, and who would sneak in the hospital ICU just to see Hazel Grace. He's my book boyfriend. I guess perfect boys only exist in books. But meeting someone like him would be really awesome.
A perfect combination of Ben & Jerry's and The Fault In Our Stars. It was my little paradise where I can escape reality. Where I can lose track of time, where I can day dream, and where I can just enjoy my books and ice cream. My own piece of heaven here on earth!
First of all, I told myself that I wouldn't post or even think of something like this to put in my blog but I cant help it. This rain is just giving me nostalgia about someone. It may sound a bit pathetic or what. But its a bit true. Oops. Haha. Let me start and end this with a note for this person.
Hey You!
Well its been a while and I really miss talking to you. Especially those corny jokes you just love to tell. I miss those late night talks we have, those teases you tell me, and your subtle "banats". Its funny how I can be easily attached to someone. Something even more surprising is how attached I am to you. No offense but your not even much of my type. Haha. I just want to tell you that you can't just go into my life making me care and just suddenly leave. It was like I'm falling inlove alone. You have no idea how that feels. How it makes me wonder on what went wrong. But I can't regret things that once made me smile.
I just realized how pathetic this is and that he wouldn't even have the chance to read this. Maybe I just needed to let all those feelings out and I can honestly say that it made me a little happier!


text:
Dr. Chris Cates announced Monday that he will no longer actively campaign for the 9th district congressional seat this year but will serve if voters elect him.
"There has been a lot of money spent in this 9th District congressional race and I'm not going to try to outspend the other people in order to win," the heart doctor said in a statement released to the AJC Monday.
"I hope I've clearly articulated my position on the issues of concern for the citizens of the 9th District and I'll continue to fight for them in public and in private. At some point, I'll find a way to help and serve the people of North Georgia in the future."
Cates placed fourth in a special election for the 9th district seat earlier this year with 11.8 percent of the vote, behind Tom Graves, Lee Hawkins and Steve Tarvin. Graves defeated Hawkins in a June 8 special election runoff to replace U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal in the 9th congressional district. Deal resigned to focus on his gubernatorial campaign. Deal's former district includes parts of Forsyth and Gordon counties, as well as all of Catoosa, Dade, Dawson, Fannin, Gilmer, Hall, Lumpkin, Murray, Pickens, Union, Walker, White and Whitfield counties.
Cates, Graves, Hawkins, Tarvin and Bobby Reese are now competing in the July 20 primary for the next term in office. Bert Loftman and Bill Stephens have withdrawn from the race, but their names will still appear on the GOP primary ballot. No Democrats have qualified to get on the ballot.
June 28th, 2010
6:54 pm
Guess Tom Perdue finally financially sucked him dry…
June 28th, 2010
7:47 pm
[...] For those of you following the Soap Opera "As GA-9 Votes", it seems as if Dr. Cates is no longer campaigning in the race. But he will serve if elected. Dr. Chris Cates announced Monday that he will no longer actively campaign for the 9th district congressional seat this year but will serve if voters elect him. [...]
June 28th, 2010
9:13 pm
Lee Hawkins will never give up! If he loses in July, he will run again in November, and again and again and again!
The cause of moderation, main-stream progressive ideals, and all that Lee Hawkins stands for cannot be kept down!
The Dems will rise again!
June 28th, 2010
9:24 pm
I thought Hawkins had been defeated? Didn't that Tom guy beat him a month or so back? Why is Lee still running if he was beat so bad?
Politics sure is confusing.
June 29th, 2010
7:25 am
This is George Bush's fault.
June 29th, 2010
7:40 am
Ah, the 9th District. Count all the teeth and you might fill a mouth.
June 29th, 2010
8:02 am
TO: Jon but not Jon Voight…. What Humor You Have There. C'mon on up to the 9th and make some city slicker comment like that and you won't have any teeth.


text:
From Wiki
The Cruver Manufacturing Co. of Chicago were makers of plastic novelties in the early part of the 20th century. They joined the war effort in the 1940s and made several navigational instruments including a small sextant for emergency use.
Articles in category "Cruver"
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text:
These higher graduation rates mean little with the watered down curriculum that kids skate by on. One cheer at best.
It's going up because the standards for graduation are lower than ever.
The graduation rate means spit compared to the number of HS graduates that require remedial courses to qualify to be a Freshman at a cheap college.
With that educational level they can hopefully accomplish minimum work standards akin to a trained monkey!
I was going to say basically the same thing as the previous posters. The devil is in the details….. My daughter is a teacher and we talk about the horow stories often. Too parents who don't care have created kids who care even less. You can throw all the money you want at education, but if the students have no desire and or are ill prepared on a daily basis, it won't do anything. Too many kids trying to 'find themselves' and I mostly blame their parents for not demanding and supporting excellence, or at least every attempt towards that goal.
Having a high school diploma means nothing if you didn't learn anything for your years in school.
This comes from the same fallacy of people supporting low skilled immigration. Replacing one higher IQ person with a lower IQ person does not create the same economic output…..
The other posts certainly ring true in many respects, particulalry the observation of the impact of students/parents not caring, as noted by Dr. Doom. But at a more macro level, I notice that the upward trend begins at about the same time the "no child left behind" policies began to be implemented. I am sure that is not the only cause for the improvement, and perhaps the impact of those policies is small, but it makes me wonder if they actually did help.
I totally agree. Replacing one person without a high school diploma with one person with a high school diploma means nothing if the second person is not smarter and with better skills!
At least the kids are graduating ;p
Too bad the current educational system is not improving as many schools have begun or already begun to teach to the national or state exams, mostly memorization. If you listen to what and how these new high school graduates say, one wonders how they ever graduated! Are the children really ready for college academic life?
I wonder what portion of this could be attributed to the downturn – when the economy suffers, the jobs that would-be dropouts might have taken have now gone to more educated workers with fewer options. High schoolers don't have other viable options, and so they stay in school.
"Alternatively, Ms. Goldin suggests, the lousy economy of the late 2000's may have led students to stay in school because jobs were so scarce." Does he think people who could potentially drop out really think about these things?
one thing all of this 'accountability' and increased testing has caused is teaching to take the test, not learning. I encountered this years ao when studing for my series 7 broker exam. Knew a lot about the business except for options and since the options portion was a big part of the test, I studied to pass the test, memorizing instead of learning. one problem we face today is that you need a college degree to even get your foot in the door of a financial insitution. I graduated from H.S. six months early and the following monday, started on wall street. didn't go to college unil I was 30. can't do that anymore, so getting an educaion is that much more important, but it seems that the value of that education, at least on a H.S. level has steadly declined.
They reduced the standards, of course it's easier to graduate if reading and writing isn't a requirement and algebra test can be done now using a calculator.
Everything is on internet these days, easier to learn, and schools and colleges unless they go online become outdated and unnecessary.
I'm not surprised. In the school district where I have lived 60 is the lowest passing score, yes 60. Can't grade homework so many students choose not to do homework to improve their subject understanding, and there is a floor of 50 on tests. Yep its darn hard to fail here.
They may have a slip paper called a 'diploma' but they're dumb as bricks. Thanks Department of Education and your $70 billion annual budget. You have been ssooooooooooo effective.
As a high school teacher, I can tell you that part of the reason is that the graduation bar has been lowered by the new trend of online "credit recovery". In this process, after a student fails a course in high school, they are allowed to "recover" the credit by taking an online course with much less rigor.
The argument could be made that NCLB indirectly contributed to the uptick in graduation rate, if one considers that the standards were set so low that, indeed, no child could possibly be left behind. But this is little cause for celebration. As Dr. Doom pointed out, "You can throw all the money you want at education, but if the students have no desire and or are ill prepared on a daily basis, it won't do anything."
The focus on high-stakes testing—teachers as sole architects of their students' scores and the use of those scores in determining teachers' job placement and pay scale—has had a deleterious effect on the notion of personal responsibility, not only for one's education, but also in one's daily life. When the responsibility for the success of a student is placed solely on the shoulders of the teachers or schools, that student—and in particular, his parents—will abdicate their role in the process.
Simply put, we have played into the hands of the lowest common denominator.
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Online schema changes with MySQL
New Scheme
Making online schema changes to your database can be tricky, but the right tools can help. We show how to change even the largest tables in an orderly and efficient manner.
From your smartphone to your banking institution, relational databases are everywhere. They store many kinds of data for us – and they store it in a specific, well-defined format. Unlike many of their newer "NoSQL" brethren, relational databases have a fixed schema – they don't accept arbitrary data. In theory, a smart designer will make entirely correct schema choices, which will then be put into production with no changes or alterations needed, because everything was perfect in the first place.
In practice, though, relational databases often go through many changes. For example, it is often found that mistakes were made in the initial schema. These mistakes need to be corrected and, at times, these corrections do not happen until long after the system is deployed. Other times, business needs change; even if the database was designed correctly in the beginning, it is often impossible to predict how a system will be used in the future.
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Tag Cloud
Mozilla Labs Shuts Down
Mozilla's product think tank sinks silently into history.
Internet Giants Launch Collaboration to Improve Open Source
TODO group will focus on open source tools in large-scale environments.
Fedora Announces New Partition Manager App
New tool will look like GParted but support a wider range of storage technologies.
Mozilla Releases a New Firefox
New public key pinning feature will help prevent man-in-the-middle attacks.
Tool Predicts Which Websites Will be Compromised
Carnegie Mellon researchers say 3 million pages could fall down the phishing hole in the next year.
SSH Key Management Guidelines
The US government rolls new best-practice rules for protecting SSH.
Knoppix 7.4 Released
Klaus Knopper announces the latest version of his iconic Live Linux system.
PHP Attack Puts WordPress and Drupal at Risk
All websites that use these popular CMS tools could be vulnerable to denial of service attacks if users don't install the updates.
Heartbleed Bleeds On
According to a report, many potential victims of the Heartbleed attack have patched their systems, but few have cleaned up the crime scene to protect themselves from the effects of a previous intrusion.
Drone Brain Goes Open Source
DARPA and NICTA release the code for the ultra-secure microkernel system used in aerial drones.


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I finally dove into "BioShock Infinite" last weekend, months after seemingly everyone else had played their way throughout the blockbuster game that was released in March. As I raced through it over a few bleary-eyed, hours-long sessions, I got sucked into not only the gameplay, but also the vivid, terrifying world that Quincy-based Irrational Games had created. "BioShock Infinite" takes place in the early 20th century in Columbia, a giant floating city run by a white-supremacist cult that worships the Founding Fathers like gods.
"BioShock Infinite" is going to take home its fair share of Game of the Year awards in December, and I can see why: It offers up some remarkable moments (it's hard to forget bruising battles against motorized robotic George Washingtons). The glowing reviews have also honed in on the narrative, which begins as the relatively straightforward story of a private investigator as he searches for a captive woman in Columbia, then takes a series of surprising zigs and zags dealing with everything from labor uprisings to quantum mechanics to fundamental questions about identity and redemption.


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Found the same room at a different price? Tell us, and we'll offer to match it.
Story Hostel
Air-conditioned rooms all come with a cable TV and minibar. Private bathrooms are equipped with a shower and free toiletries.
This non-smoking hostel is just a 1 minute walk to Fengjia Night Market, and a10 minute drive to the National Museum of Natural Science. Travel arrangements and luggage storage are available on request.


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easy enough to make and tasted great, but nothing special
Berry and Banana Smoothies
Jocilyn Posted: 07/24/10
blondie6786 Posted: 07/23/10
This was OK. I thought the smoothie lacked body. Perhaps I just prefer recipes with milk and less fruit. It is, however a great way to work towards your daily 5 fruits and veggies. I didn't use the greek yogurt, and this may be why it was lacking.
laurielou Posted: 09/01/10
Uh...maybe you should clarify what you mean by "weekend getaway", CL. My weekend getaways are to campgrounds, maybe a cabin once in a while. Please explain where to plug in the blender -- you know, if the beach condo happens to be full.
CHARBELLA Posted: 08/20/12
Wonderful taste..loved it
Daily Specials


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Accessibility Navigation:
|Fall 2014 or Spring 2015 full time study
|Tuition and University Fees (Tuition is $3900, Fees are estimated at $804.75)
|Housing and Meals. (On-campus housing, without meals: $2600-$4400)
|Health insurance is required; if purchased at UNC Charlotte the cost is $802 for fall, $802 for spring/summer. (Students may purchase other insurance as long as it meets UNCC standards)
|Housing, meals, books and personal expenses vary depending on the student. The costs listed above are safe estimates for minimum costs of living.
|Summer 2014 (24-26 hours/week; classes on many Fridays, also)
|Tuition and university fees (Tuition is $3,750; Fees are $378.40)
|Housing and Meals (On-campus housing, without meals: $2088 - $2214)
|Books (costs vary depending on student's level)
|Health insurance is required; if purchased at ELTI the cost is about $200 - $300 (varies with age)
|Costs for Summer 2015 and beyond are not yet set but will be similar to the above
Listening/speaking and reading/writing are both 2-hour/day classes. In fall 2014 cost for either of those: $1560 plus UNC Charlotte fees of $434.65 = total $1994.65
Grammar/Academic Language is a 1-hour/day class. Fall 2014 cost for it will be $780 + $434.65 = $1214.65
Taking one 2-hour class plus grammar would be 3 hours/day. ($780 X 3) + $434.65 = $2774.65
(University fees for summer 2015 and beyond are not yet set)
Tuition and University fees for each session must be paid during the registration period. Checks, money order, or cash must be in U.S. dollars. You may also use a valid MasterCard, American Express or Visa credit card. For bank wire transfers, contact us first.
Students sponsored by their government or other entity: Sponsoring agencies must provide an official letter of sponsorship covering the period of enrollment. Students must have this sponsorship at the beginning of the term of study, or pay their first semester costs and be refunded later, once the sponsoring agency has offered a financial guarantee AND paid the bill.
ELTI students may NOT participate in the UNC Charlotte payment plan. First-term students should be prepared to pay their entire balance during the first week of class. Returning students must pay at least 1/2 when the term begins and the remaining 1/2 by midterm of the ELTI semester. All payments for ELTI students follow ELTI (not UNCC) schedules.
Housing and meals can vary from about $3,800 to $5,500 per semester (4 months) or $3,000 to $4,500 for summer (3 months) depending on where and how you live.
UNC Charlotte offers a variety of housing and food service options. Rates for housing on-campus are found at
UNC Charlotte Housing options and meal plan options are found at UNC Charlotte dining options.
To apply for on-campus housing: contact ELTI first! email@example.com
Students may live on or off-campus; off-campus housing and food for one semester would normally cost $3700 and up, depending on housing styles and food costs. A typical student would pay about $2500-$3800 for housing (5 months) and $1500-$2500 for food (5 months).
Prices for University fees are established before each term begins by the state of North Carolina and may change slightly from what is shown above.


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Wildmind Meditation News
Sep 11, 2013
McMindfulness revisited
Dr. Arnie Kozak, Beliefnet: I have read Ron Purser and David Loy's Huffington Post blog entry, Beyond McMindfulness. They write a thoughtful indictment of the popularization of all things mindfulness, especially in the corporate context. There are many important points made in this essay:
Uncoupling mindfulness from its ethical and religious Buddhist context is understandable as an expedient move to make such training a viable product on the open market. But the rush to secularize and commodify mindfulness into a marketable technique may be leading to an unfortunate denaturing of this ancient practice, which was intended for far more than…
May 11, 2013
Avoiding cruelty, the "far enemy" of compassion Day 30)
Yesterday I wrote about the complexities of the "near enemy" of compassion, which is the grief that arises from attachment. So we might feel bad when we see someone suffering, but not actually have any empathy for them. That's not compassion. It's "grief" at having our normal experience disrupted by someone who's inconsiderate enough to suffer. Or we may spiral into despair and sorrow (which is called "failed compassion") because we're unable to bear the discomfort of knowing someone is suffering. This is all rather tricky for people to get hold of, sometimes, and it's potentially undermining because we can end up doubting, in an unhelpful, self-hating kind of …
Mar 04, 2013
Fourth reminder: the defects of samsara
Is an ocean of suffering,
Unbearably intense.
Vidyadhara Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche
So what is Samsara? Most of us have heard of Nirvana. And assume Samsara is the exact opposite. Nirvana is more the juxtaposition of Samsara that can give a feeling of balance. Nirvana and Samsara are here, in this present moment. Both of them right here, right now. If we have suffered from an addiction we would have experienced a taste of what Samsara could be.
I'm not sure it is helpful to define either concept. Though of course Samsara is some of what I have alluded to before. Our lack of recognizing that we have had a precious birth, …
Feb 04, 2013
Actions have consequences — reflections on karma
'We act, and positive or negative consequences will follow. Just as our bodies move in the world, our shadow will follow us too. Just as we are born, death will follow too. We cannot escape this law of cause and effect, it is with us in every breath that we take.'
From the new book, Eight Step Recovery: Using the Buddha's Teaching to Overcome Addiction, Publication date 2014, by Valerie Mason-John (me) and Dr Parambandhu Groves
Speak and you have spoken. As soon as you have spoken your words have been heard.
Think a thought and you are thinking. As soon as you think a thought you have acted, creating …
Jan 18, 2013
Becoming a vegan again: Day 1
I've been a vegetarian for over 30 years now, ever since I visited a slaughterhouse as part of my veterinary studies and saw an animal being slaughtered. I didn't consciously decide to become vegetarian. It was as if the decision was made for me, deep down, and I just had to go along with it. And in 30 years I've never once been tempted to lapse.
And I've tried being vegan several times, sometimes lasting for a few years. It's a natural and logical extension of vegetarianism. Really, there isn't a lot of different between eating eggs and eating a chicken. In both cases a chicken dies, but in one case the chicken …
Wildmind Meditation News
Sep 13, 2012
Dalai Lama tells his Facebook friends that religion "is no longer adequate"
George Dvorsky, io9: This past Monday, people who have the Dalai Lama as a Facebook friend found this little gem in their newsfeed.
All the world's major religions, with their emphasis on love, compassion, patience, tolerance, and forgiveness can and do promote inner values. But the reality of the world today is that grounding ethics in religion is no longer adequate. This is why I am increasingly convinced that the time has come to find a way of thinking about spirituality and ethics beyond religion altogether.
The Dalai Lama's advice sounds startling familiar — one that echos the sentiment put forth by outspoken …
Bhikkhu Sujato
Jul 23, 2012
Why Buddhists should be vegetarian
The Buddha ate meat. This is a fairly well attested fact. The issue of vegetarianism is addressed a few times in the Suttas, notably the Jivaka Sutta of the Majjhima Nikaya. The Buddha consistently affirmed that monastics were permitted to eat meat, as long as it was not killed intentionally for them. There are numerous passages in the Vinaya that refer to the Buddha or the monastics eating meat, and meat is regularly mentioned as one of the standard foods.
For these reasons, the standard position in Theravada Buddhism is that there is no ethical problem with eating meat. If you want to be vegetarian, that is a purely optional choice. Most Theravadins, whether lay or monastic, eat meat, and claim …
Wildmind Meditation News
May 22, 2012
Anders Behring Breivik used meditation to kill — he's not the first
Vishvapani Blomfield, the Guardian: Meditation makes you calmer and clearer and encourages empathy and kindness … right? Not if you are Anders Behring Breivik who has told psychiatrists that he used meditation to "numb the full spectrum of human emotion – happiness to sorrow, despair, hopelessness, and fear". He still practises it behind bars to deaden the impact of his actions.
Breivik uses meditation as a form of mind control – a way to focus the mind and exclude responses that get in his way. You could argue that he is meditating wrongly, but I think his testimony shows that the effect of …
Apr 22, 2012
When murderers meditate…
I wonder what kind of "meditation" Anders Breivik — who shot 69 people on an island in Norway last year, as well as killing another eight with a bomb — was doing?
According to this report,
When prosecutors Friday asked Breivik whether he felt empathy for others, the killer said he taught himself to dull all emotions – "from happiness to sorrow, despair, hopelessness, anxiety, fear" through meditation.
It's possible that Breivik was not doing anything resembling traditional Buddhist meditation, which encourages compassion and non-repression of emotions. I'd be 100 confident that Breivik was not practicing lovingkindness or compassion meditation!
Traditionally, meditation is only one part of the spiritual path, and it's accompanied with …
Dec 27, 2011
Recovery Mondays: a Buddhist approach to recovery
A new monthly blog first Monday of the month, by Vimalasara, a.k.a. Valerie Mason-John.
Why is it that so many people make new year's resolutions, and two weeks later, they are off the wagon?
A study in 2007 by Richard Wiseman from the University of Bristol UK showed that 78% of those who set New Year resolutions fail, and those who succeed have 5 traits in common.
Men achieved their goal 22% more often when they engaged in goal setting, (a system where small measurable goals are being set; such as, a pound a week, instead of saying "lose weight"), while women succeeded 10% more when they made their goals public and got support from their


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This is *mainly* for myself to keep track of iterations of deck ideas that I have so I don't lose various versions of them.
Return to Ravnica Previews Day 12: Tokens Part 2
«A Liquor Never Brewed … Dark, Spicy Decks For Semicompetitive Play»
"From The Ashes"
Sometimes dragons slumber for a while. Perhaps they are full from a great kill, or grow weary of the centuries of knowledge rattling around in their ancient heads. Their pristine senses have gone over every intricate detail of their horde one too many times. When they do, the future is not uncertain - the course of action is already determined. They will wake up. The only variance is the time, which is ultimately inconsequential to the dragon.
Chaz's Corner- The Avant-gardist.
So, the spoiler is now at 113/274, and we got a good amount of stuff to play around with too.
Here's some more decklists that have been brewin' around in the ol' noggin.
Chaz's Corner- The Avant-gardist.
So, as of right now we have 107/274 cards spoiled from Return to Ravnica. I'd have to say this standard is going to be amazing, two really good blocks together is always so much fun.
Not to mention I really love Ravnica, 1.0 was amazing, and 2.0 is shaping up to be amazing too. I think they are and always will be my favorite magic sets, INN close second and now we have both in standard at the same time. RTR will also give us cross format staples too for sure.
But for now, here's some decklists I've been brewing with what we have spoiled so far.
I'm thinking control wont really shape up until the rotation meta settles, so I think Aggro/Mid-range will be the way to go for the first few weeks. Though I probably will be playing some form of Junk because I think it has so many options and I'm not riding the Bonfire of the Damned Jund train.
LECast M13 Top 10 lists!
Here at LECest we strive to bring you what we think as veteran players to be the best of the best for each set, M13 while bringing a lot to the Standard constructed scene, falls short on some of the cards that most other players think as the "chase/staples" of the set.
Azorius: Isperia, sphinx
Rakdos: Rakdos, demon
Selesnya: Trostani, dryad triumvirate
Izzet: Niv-Mizzet, dragon
Golgari: Jarad, elf zombie
Dimir - Lazav, shapeshifter
Gruul - Borborygmos, cyclops
Orzhov - Obzedat, ghost council
Boros - Aurelia, angel
Simic - Zegana, merfolk
"RTR & GTC will each have 5 guild leaders, two-color mythic rare legendary creatures.Each guild will get a new keyword. No old guild keywords are comingback." [Mark Rosewater's twitter] [ Images from X]
Set Name Gatecrash
Block Set 2 of 3 in the Return to Ravnica block
Number of Cards 249
Guilds Orzhov, Dimir, Gruul, Boros, Simic
Prerelease Events January 26-27, 2013
Release Date February 1, 2013
Launch Weekend February 1-3, 2013
Game Day February 23-24, 2013
Pro Tour Gatecrash Dates February 15-17. 2013
Official Three-Letter Code GTC
Twitter Hashtag #MTGGTC
Design Team
Mark Rosewater (lead)
Mark Gottlieb
Joe Huber
Dave Humpherys
Ethan Fleischer
Development Team
Dave Humpherys (lead)
Zac Hill
Mark Globus
Mark Purvis
Max McCall
Gavin Verhey
Was way too tired/busy today folks. >.>


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Southampton boss Ronald Koeman feels he can help on-loan Chelsea fullback Ryan Bertrand reach his potential. read more11:29 » tribalfootball.com
Southampton boss Ronald Koeman feels he can help on-loan Chelsea fullback Ryan Bertrand reach his potential. NO, This article does not meet Newsnow guidelines read more11:29 » tribalfootball.com
Robin van Persie says his manager has told players to 'pull on the same rope' by being more outspoken in team meetings29 Sep » Telegraph
Ajax boss Frank de Boer has warned his side Apoel Nicosia will prove tough opponents in Tuesday's Champions League clash in Nicosia.29 Sep » SkySports.com
GRAZIANO PELLE was jeered on his home debut for Southampton, a goalless draw against West Bromwich, but Ronald Koeman has turned the striker he signed from his old club Feyenoord for £8million into a candidate for an Italy call-up.29 Sep » Daily Express
England striker's continued absence with calf injury leaves Brendan Rodgers' side short of firepower as Everton grab point in tame derby draw28 Sep » Telegraph
PSV Eindhoven missed the chance to move three points clear at the top of the Eredivisie as they lost 1-0 at Heerenveen.28 Sep » SkySports.com
Southampton boss Ronald Koeman admits he doesn't see eye-to-eye with Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal. NO, This article does not meet Newsnow guidelines read more28 Sep » tribalfootball.com
Ajax moved level on points with Eredivisie leaders PSV Eindhoven with a 5-2 win over NAC Breda on a wildly high-scoring day in Holland.28 Sep » SkySports.com


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A great icon that uses luminance to grab your attention. I particularly like the subtle background texture and the form of the type.Posted in Interface → iPhone App
A superb concept for an iPhone app that moves away from the standard UI aesthetic. I particularly like the sharp corners of the tiles and the use of colour and texture to make an impact.Posted in Interface → iPhone App
This PSD contains a few different UI elements along a stylish, "shiny" theme. These include a red and green on/off toggle switch, a star rating element, and a simple tag. Perfect for incorporating into your own design or tweaking to fit your own style and colour scheme.Posted in Interface → Element
A great Wi-Fi icon that takes a slightly different approach and makes a statement with it. I love the use of bold colours.Posted in Interface → Element
This infographic shows the step by step process of making cupcakes. Each step is accompanied by an illustration.Cassandra CappelloPosted in Interface → Infographic
A great icon for a neat little iPhone app. The illustrative style is beautifully indicative of the detail throughout the app.Posted in Interface → iPhone App
A strong button design that uses red to give the button significance.Posted in Interface → Element
Revival UI kit elements for mobile interfaces. All the elements were made in Photoshop with the photoshop vector shapes. It means you can easily resized every elements without impacting its quality. Including 10 controls for 10 diffrent navigations.Posted in Interface → iPhone App
A great little interface element for a personal website. The style is characterful and quirky.Posted in Interface → Element
Here's a simple, but effective, Login Modal Form. I like the use of textures and the effortlessly clear layout.Posted in Interface → Element
A good example of an icon for the Mac that takes a real world object and repurposes it. I like the bright red colour and the little details that add to the icon.Posted in Interface → Mac App
A great set of buttons that can be used to give your status of availability. Perfect for a designer looking to give prospective clients and indication of how busy they are on their portfolio site.Posted in Interface → Element
Here we have a neat design for an email sign-up graphic. I like the use of familiar ideas and intuitive layout of the element.Posted in Interface → Element
Project for a wide system of wayfinding for a public space. Here is part of the user interface version. I love the brutal minimalism, reducing each icon to the minimum required.Posted in Interface → Element
Here's a collection of simple ink stamps we put together. The variations are endless, so have fun customising them to your heart's content! Perfect for adding a touch of character to your design (or aggressively "DECLINING" a piece of work!)Posted in Interface → Other
This is a menu design concept for Conversocial - the final version was slightly modified from this but I always liked this particular snap. The app itself is scalable so the menu needed to be able to collapse a little depending on screen size.Posted in Interface → Site Navigation
A neat little set of basic icons that work together really well. I particularly like the use of colour and the subtle details that set these icons apart.Posted in Interface → Element
Here is a great vision of a perfect (second) step when you're buying some things in online store. It's clean and nice. I love the clear and intuitive interface and the way it shows the step you're on at the top.Posted in Interface → Element
A simple login box that can easily be customized. I really like the use of little details, like the key on the Sign In button.Posted in Interface → Web App
A wonderfully clean and crisp knob design for a slick user interface. I love the sterile feel of the colours and textures. The little details really help to make this design, the ridged edge of the knob looks great.Posted in Interface → Other


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Categories > Original > Drama > The Gangmaster's Husband
What Was Unexpected1 Reviews
Brad meets Neil and Barry's kid.
"Barry? Yea. We've been married for 5 years." Neil's fingers tighten on the wheel, and that's the first time that I notice the ring on his finger.
"And have an adopted kid. How is Kian, by the way? I haven't seen him in awhile." Matt butts in from the front seat. Yea, my little brother threatened to shoot me. Again.
Woah, if you had asked me if I would say that I was threatened with a gun normally seven years ago, I would've said hell to the no. Shows how often that has happened.
"He's fine." Neil sighs. "I just wish he wasn't following in our footsteps. He was stabbed recently, ya' know? In the stomach. I....... I just don't want him to turn out like me. Wanted and a murderer. He's just 14, for goodness sake!" He sounds a little choked near the end. I would be too, his kid is going into a dangerous business.
"I'm sorry....." I mumble.
"He'll be okay, Neil. I mean, come on! I joined at 16, I'm still alive!" Matt was always the one to put light on a situation. Wait, 16!?
"16!! Matt!! God dammit!!" I yell at him.
"Brad, yet again I say it, I'm the one holding a gun." Matt says slowly. I sigh and shut up.
"We're here guys. Stop agruing." Neil says, stopping the car and pulling the key out of the engine. I climb out and Matt grabs my arm to lead me inside.
When we walk through the door, Matt leads me towards a small living room, and pretty much tosses me down onto a couch next to a lanky kid. The kid has a snake wrapped around his arm and is wearing a Tom and Jerry shirt. He looks at me for a second then shrugs.Matt walks off and leaves me with Neil and the kid.
"Kian, since Matt neglected to do this, this is Matt's brother, Brad. Brad, this is my son, Kian." Neil says quickly. This is his kid?
"Hey, nice to meet you. Older or younger brother?" Kian says, smiling, voice friendly.
"You'd think I was the younger by height and the way he was throwing me around, but I'm 6 years older than he is." I say, laughing a little. "This is the first time that I've seen Matt since I was 18 and he was 12. Eight Years....." I try to smile. "So much has changed......." Neil smiles a little and leaves.
"You didn't expect him to be in a gang, did you? My dads have been trying to get me to change my mind about joining this one. Adam's refusing to take me in right now, too. Adam's a nice guy, I'm going to assume that you've met him." Kian says, smiling at me while unwinding the snake from his arm. "C'mon Nyx, back to your cage.
"Not at all. Much less my fiance's rival gang. Or see him in a raid. And I have met Adam..... On interesting terms." I mumble as he get's up and places the snake in a glass tank that's in the room. I know that things are going to be different for me.
What I don't know is how different.
Sorry it's so short. I will try to update every Tuesday and Friday at the least. Feel free to bug me if I don't meet this. Oh and that snapping thing is part of my actual stutter. When I can't get things out, I yawn and snap. When I think, I yawn. It's weird, but that's just how it's always been.


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- Sheepshead Bites - http://www.sheepsheadbites.com -
Puzzle: Another Photo Of Sand From The Post-Sandy Deluge Of Sand Images We've Received
Posted By Erica Sherman On January 18, 2013 @ 4:00 pm In Arts & Culture | 1 Comment
I know, not the most creative title, but now, instead of photos of the bay and seagulls,
I'm we're inundated with photos of sand. Even the photographer jokes about it:
No Bay, swan, or seagull :D More sand than snow.
You have no idea, brother. Here's a homework assignment for everyone: Try to take photos of different things — shake it up a bit! Be creative. Then send your fabulously creative images to to email@example.com.
Photo by Igor Dd (how do you pronounce that?)
Article printed from Sheepshead Bites: http://www.sheepsheadbites.com
URL to article: http://www.sheepsheadbites.com/2013/01/puzzle-another-photo-of-sand-from-the-post-sandy-deluge-of-sand-images-weve-received/
URLs in this post:
[1] Puzzle: Yes, We Have No Antennas. We Have No Antennas Today: http://www.sheepsheadbites.com/2014/04/puzzle-yes-antennas-antennas-today/
[2] Puzzle: Wintery Clouds: http://www.sheepsheadbites.com/2012/08/puzzle/
[3] Puzzle: Where's The Beef?: http://www.sheepsheadbites.com/2012/02/puzzle-wheres-the-beef/
[4] Puzzle: Where Have I See This Guy Before?: http://www.sheepsheadbites.com/2011/10/puzzle-where-have-i-see-this-guy-before/
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Read reviews about Amplifiers. Compare prices of hifi amplifier, car amplifier, integrated amplifier and more. Top makes such as Sony, Denon, Accuphase, Yamaha or Marantz are offered. Buy your new amp online. You can also add your own opinion about an amplifier you've used. A quick and easy way to find information on all types of amplifiers offered in the market.
Zalman ZM-RSA - Headphone amplifier
B-TECHBT928TV - Headphone amplifier
B-TECHBT928 - Headphone amplifier - silver
* Prices may differ from that shown