text:
Fan Fiction: A Revisionist History And Future
from the it's-crap-cause-I-said-so dept
There are some people, though, who just absolutely hate it. Take Ewan Morrison as an example. In a recent essay on the subject of fan fiction, he doesn't hold back his feelings on the matter.
It may seem like a joke, but for many the rise of fanfic is "the end of the world". Fanfic is seen as the lowest point we've reached in the history of culture – it's crass, sycophantic, celebrity-obsessed, naive, badly written, derivative, consumerist, unoriginal – anti-original. From this perspective it's a disaster when a work of fanfic becomes the world's number one bestseller and kickstarts a global trend.This is absolutely amazing. While many writers try to hide their disapproval of a subject, Ewan decides to just lay it all out in the open so that you know right off what to expect from his little rant. But what exactly has his panties in a twist? Fifty Shades of Grey.
As we all know, Fifty Shades of Grey, originated as a piece of fanfic based on the Twilight series. Since it hit 31 million sales in 37 countries worried voices are asking: is this the beginning of an era in which fanfic overthrows original creation?Come on. How can fan fiction produce anything of worth? Am I right? Well, Ewan thinks he is right. He just can't believe that anyone could turn fan fiction into a profitable career. Fan fiction is some horrible blight on the entertainment industry, at least to him. Nothing good can come from it, right?
Ewan decides that now is the time to show off just how little he knows about fan fiction in general. He starts off with a nice bit of revisionist history.
If one sees fanfic as "the work of amateurs retelling existing stories", then one would have to conclude that the number one book in the middle ages – the Bible – was a work of fanfic, as Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were non-professionals retelling the same story about the same character. However, such a definition of fanfic is skewed historically. There were no fans in the middle ages, and there were also no authors.Isn't this lovely. There were no authors in the middle ages. Since there were no authors, then that means there were no fans. All those works that we look back upon came out of ether for us to enjoy. Since there were no authors and no fans, there was no fan fiction. Fans, authorship, fan fiction, all of this is simply a modern construct.
If we see fanfic as "the reworking of another author's characters" then this form really only appears for the first time in history with the invention of legal authorship in the 18th century through copyright and intellectual property laws, after the invention of the printing press. After all, you can't have derivative works or copies if there are no regulations over what constitutes original works, or separates ownership from theft.Notice the nice equating of fan fiction with theft. But don't let that distract you from the main discussion points here. You see, authorship never existed until modern copyright law was written and passed in order to create such a role in society. Back then, no one was creative. Everyone just stole ideas from everyone else. It was just one big swirling miasma of derivative characters occupying the same roles. No one exercised any kind of real creativity because of this. It makes sense right? We honor Homer and Shakespeare because they were just thieves who stole the work of others to become famous.
From here, Ewan goes on to share a bunch more about what he thinks of fan fiction and the different types of it. One common theme running through this breakdown is a bitter distaste for pornographic fan fiction. He even lets this get in the way of describing slash fic correctly as one commenter to his rant explains.
The first point is a semantic quibble, but it really gets on my nerves. 'Slash' does not refer to all pornographic fanfiction. There may have been a time when it did. Having spent ten years in fandom, I have never heard it used to describe anything but stories about m/m relationships. (A story does not actually have to have sexual content to be considered slash. A story can be slash without so much as a kiss if it involves a male character who is attracted to another male character.)When you are revising history to fit your preconceived notions, accuracy can get in the way. So perhaps we can just let this one slide. Maybe not.
Another interesting point in his rant is when it comes to crossover fan fiction. He just can't understand why anyone would want to cross universes to create a story.
The most postmodern and aesthetically bankrupt of all fanfic, is when two well-known franchises from the same genre are "crossed over". So you get BattleStar Gallactica, crossed with Star Trek, which results in the story: Star Trek: Way of the Battlestar – author Carson Napier.That he even makes this complaint shows that he doesn't even realize that even original creators have a hard time justifying the crossover conflict. When was the last time an Avenger vs X-Men comic line actually made sense or just wasn't a shout out to fans of certain characters? What about anything DC vs Marvel. Shoot, the DC vs Mortal Kombat game was one big convoluted meaningless merging. And all of those were authorized mergings. If the original creators have such a hard time making a crossover meaningful, why hold fans up to a higher bar?
One of the problems with this sub-genre is that narratives and character motivations have to be warped to fit convoluted, meaningless mergings.
Then he jumps right back into his absolute hate of Fifty Shades of Grey. After all, that is what spawned this rant, so he can't let it off easy.
Fifty Shades is actually a very generic work of Twilight fanfic from amongst tens of thousands already created. It is, in fact, a piece of "AU het slash Twilight fic", and as we've seen, in all slash fic, sex and sexual violence are the predictable components of the genre.To be honest, I haven't read Fifty Shades nor do I have a desire to do so. However, to make the claim that no creativity went into creating the work is beyond ignorant. Despite what he claims, all reports, that I have read, make it pretty clear that it was not simply a location and name change of Twilight. It was massively successful because it was something unique that people wanted. Of course this massive success lets Ewan break into another rant against how it became successful.
We should not consider EL James an author in the conventional sense for the same reasons that we wouldn't call someone from before the invention of copyright an author. Rather, her books are like medieval lore – in a sense she doesn't own the content.
The only innovation is not in the story itself but in the delivery system that launched it – Amazon KDP. Without Kindle the book(s) would never have escaped the gravitational pull of fanfic sites and would not have been able to earn their author any money. KDP, has become the Enchanted Duplicator that has monetised fanfic and propelled it into the market. The historic difference, the point we have just crossed, is that now, through the mechanism of epub, fanfic is heading towards becoming the cultural dominant.Amazon, with its e-publishing service, is what made successful fan fiction possible. Without Amazon, such fan fiction would have been relegated to the various basements and dodgy parlors of the internet. According to Ewan, this outbreak of self publishing is only going to lead to one gigantic mess of fan fiction feeding off each other spawning new works. This is going to be the fall of modern culture.
It is possible that with the enchanted duplication systems of fan-based epub, we might have arrived at a point in history where we've accumulated enough cultural material from the past for fans to remix indefinitely, and as they can now sell this content to each other this becomes a boom industry where none existed before. However, the point where fans become the creators, and a derivative work becomes the new original is also the point at which the culture industries stop needing to create anything new. Fanfic begets fanfic, which then in turn becomes mainstream which then begets further fanfic and so on. When we reach that point our future will not be fifty, but fifty thousand, shades of grey.What is worth pointing out to Ewan is that we already have this within the established industries. As we have written about many times in the past, everything is a remix of something else. There is no 100% vacuum for created art these days. Someone is inspired by or copies aspects of another person's work. Shoot, some industries are blatant with their remixing of old works. Whether it is endless sequels and remakes of movies, or the dozens of first person shooter games released each year. But this is how culture is built. It is built on the work of those that came before.
Now, if I may add my own little bit of history to the mix, fan fiction, or more accurately derivative works, is an important part of what made our culture what it is today. I am going to bring in two examples of derivative works from the past that had massive impacts on the state of culture today.
The first is Nosferatu. We wrote about this film in the past. Bram Stoker's estate had refused to assign the rights to Albin Grau so that he could make his film. Instead, he went about creating the film anyway, making many changes to vampire lore in the process. Today, much of what we apply to vampire lore comes from Albin's movie not Bram's book. This is example one of the positive cultural impact derivative works can have.
My second example is that of Edison's Conquest of Mars by Garrett P. Serviss (thanks io9 for pointing this out). In this article, Cracked points out six major sci-fi tropes that exist today that have their roots in this unauthorized fan sequel. Of these we have the handheld ray gun, space battles, the space suit, and aliens building the pyramids. If we didn't know better, one would be excused for thinking this book was the result of a time traveling fan of H.G. Wells. Without this book, we may not have had much of what we consider sci-fi today.
So despite what Ewan claims, fan fiction and derivative works can be an important part of the spread of culture. It is how communities are born and grow. Without the ability of fans to expand on the work of their favorite creators, many would become bored as the content would become stale. When they become bored, they stop buying the works of that creator. Why would we want that to happen to creators?


text:
The romantic-action flick will release in May 2014
The Mumbai schedule of Heropanti, the film marking the debut of noted actor Jackie Shroff's son Tiger Shroff, is currently on. The film is produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, the film stars Tiger and model Kriti Sanon and is currently being shot in the metropolis.
The next schedule of the action-romance flick is expected to be in Kashmir. The makers, after completing the first extensive schedule in Chandigarh and Patiala, finished shooting in Delhi recently.
Tiger will be seen doing some adrenaline-filled action scenes in the movie. Directed by Sabbir Khan, Heropanti is slated to release on May 16 next year.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Coming up in April
National Convention in Seattle
April 6-9, 2017
More information and registration
About National JEA/NSPA Journalism Conventions
The National High School Journalism Convention is a semiannual gathering of high school journalists and advisers sponsored by the Journalism Education Association and its partner, the National Scholastic Press Association. The associations partner to prepare hundreds of practical and professional learning sessions, from high-profile keynotes to specific, problem-solving breakouts, hands-on workshops and discussion groups. Other convention activities include an exhibit hall with vendors who sell to student media, JEA's on-site Write-off contests, NSPA's Best of Show contest, receptions, awards convocations, critiques, career round tables and evening entertainment.
Breakout sessions for students from all media types — newspaper, online, broadcast, yearbook and magazine — are planned to meet the publishing and broadcasting needs of all scholastic student media. Some are specifically for advisers, administrators or middle school students. Whether it's ethics and law, technology and design, advertising and business operations, photography and art or just the basics of news writing and reporting, this convention covers the bases.
With typical attendance of more than 4,000 delegates, the JEA/NSPA convention has become the place to seek solutions to the most challenging publishing and broadcasting problems, share and celebrate success stories, see what's new in the media marketplace, discover trends and network with students and advisers from throughout the United States.
Are you running into some obstacles at your school regarding convention travel? We know that field trip restrictions are tighter than ever, and we're here to help. Download this PDF to share with your administrators as you seek travel approval. This one-page document promotes the benefits of JEA/NSPA national conventions and might help showcase why conventions offer essential learning experiences — for teachers and students — beyond the regular classroom.
Planning on attending a convention? Here's everything from basic rules to permissions slips to guidance on flying. CLICK HERE.
Click on the link for some cities to view pictures and other information from that convention.
Statistics from spring 1990 through fall 2015
Average — 3,969
Fall average — 4,499
Spring average — 3,439
Largest — Washington, D.C., fall 2014 (6,406)
2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 |
1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 |


text:
Published every weekday, the Switchboard is your morning helping of hand-picked stories from The Switch team.
Microsoft's top lawyer is the tech world's envoy. The New York Times reports: Bradford L. Smith "'brings a much more Washington sensibility to the West Coast than many of his peers,' said Anne-Marie Slaughter, a former State Department official who now runs the New America Foundation and attended Princeton University with Mr. Smith. 'He recognizes the necessity of government engagement. Government is not just an entity for favors. It has to be part of the solution.'"
Time Warner Cable promises one-gigabit Internet for L.A. in 2016. "Peter Stern, an executive vice president at Time Warner Cable, said the company is primed to deliver faster speeds because of its recent investment in improving its network," according to the Los Angeles Times. "He said the company has spent $1.5 billion over the last four years to improve its services and network infrastructure in the area."
Here's how many subscribers Aereo had last year. Re/code reports: "Aereo had 77,596 subscribers, spread out among 10 cities, at the end of 2013, according to documents the company has filed with the U.S. Copyright Office, as part of its bid to be classified as a cable company."
'Orange is the New Black' vaults Netflix past 50 million users. "The company added 570,000 domestic streaming customers in the quarter, beating its own forecast of 520,000 and lifting the U.S. total to 36.2 million," Bloomberg reports.
Google may bring WiFi to New York City pay phones. Computerworld reports: "The dominant search company was among 60 entities that attended a meeting on May 12 to discuss a project to replace or supplement as many as 10,000 pay phones around the city. The list came to light in a Bloomberg News report on Monday. Other participants included Samsung, IBM, Cisco Systems, Verizon Wireless, Cablevision and Time Warner Cable."


text:
Eastern Road, Aegean Classic, London-Paris-Rome
26 Mar 2012 Explorer1338673 said
I know it's not for a while now, but is anyone taking either the Eastern Road tour (July 27 2012), the London Paris with Rome extension (Aug 10 2012) or the Aegean Classic (Aug 25 2012)?
- 0 people like this
- Add to discussion 1 comment so far
3 Apr 2012 Marilou said
oh so close! Im taking the London-Paris-Rome on the 17th.
- 0 people like this
Want to respond to this comment? You need to be signed in as a Contiki.com Community member first.


text:
In Pictures: Gastown Grand Prix
Share via Email
Bicycle races returned to the street of Gastown Wednesday with the 2013 running of the Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix.
Part of B.C. Superweek, the event saw elite-level professional and amateur racers compete in their respective field (over 50 laps for men, 30 laps for women) for a prize purse of $45,000.
The field included 131 male rides and 74 females.


text:
LANSING, Mich. (AP) - The budget proposal that Gov. Rick Snyder will deliver Thursday isn't expected to contain the sweeping tax changes and spending cuts that made last year's plan such a change from the past. Still, it's creating some anxious moments for school officials and local government leaders waiting to hear how and when the cuts they took in the current budget might be reversed.
"We'd like to see a stronger investment in education as we go forward," Peter Spadafore of the Michigan Association of School Boards said Friday. "(But) it sounds like the days of per-pupil increases in the triple digits are probably behind us for the time being."
The Republican governor already has said he plans to put more money into education and public safety and that he wants $1.4 billion more for road and bridge repairs in the budget that takes effect Oct. 1. But with state revenues growing slowly and the economy still soft, Snyder isn't planning to increase spending sharply, and he may hand out any extra money as one-time help rather than permanent increases.
"We have enough out there to address a lot of the hot spots and to begin to make the strategic investments back in the system that need to be made," budget director John Nixon told The Associated Press. "We still have to make tough decisions because, if you had four or five times the amount or revenue we had, you still couldn't meet all the requests that are out there, and all the need."
Nixon wants to use the money to pay down the state's unfunded pension obligations for teachers and beef up the state's rainy day fund, leaving less for budget increases.
Democrats have made it clear their top priority is to get more money for public schools and universities. School districts took a cut of more than 2 percent in this year's budget, or nearly $1 billion, and many have had to lay off teachers and contract out food and janitorial services to absorb the cuts. Funding for state universities dropped by 15 percent, and many raised tuition nearly 7 percent to make up for the lost state support.
"We have been pushing to try and get the full restoration of the K-12 budget," said House Democratic Leader Richard Hammel of Genesee County's Mount Morris Township. "That's the big priority for us. My hope is they'll put all the money that they have there."
Democratic lawmakers balked last year when Snyder and GOP lawmakers pushed through a massive budget cut for businesses and took money normally set aside for public schools to pay universities and community colleges. Spadafore said he hopes the school aid fund in the next budget year will be tapped only for K-12 funding.
Just as he did this year, Snyder will tie at least some spending increases to incentives school districts and local governments can go after to increase their share of state funds. Snyder used one-time funds this year to give money to districts that showed they were willing to privatize services such as busing and student meals or combine services with other districts. The state also helped pay a portion of the payments districts owed toward teachers' pensions.
Snyder wants to eventually tie some education funding to student achievement, but said mechanisms to do that probably won't be in place by next school year. Instead, he's looking at offering grants to school districts willing to experiment with ways to better measure student achievement. His long-term plan remains to have some school funding tied to what students learn.
He's also expected to call for ending the guarantee of retiree health care for any new teachers hired in coming years, instead giving them a contribution toward their defined contribution retirement plans to cover health care costs when they retire.
Local governments, some of which took state funding cuts of 30 percent this year, were able to make back some of the money by posting online reports on their finances and privatizing or consolidating services.
A University of Michigan poll showed the promise of additional money was a powerful incentive, as 90 percent of the 486 eligible local communities jumped at the chance to put online performance reports and a citizen's guide online in return for more funding. But less than half of the local leaders polled thought the online reports would improve government transparency or accountability.
Snyder and Nixon continue to think it's best to tie dollars to specific goals so everyone is moving in the same direction.
"There are some really, really well-run school districts out there. There are some really, really well-run local governments," Nixon said. "But there are others who are trying but they're not doing quite as well. What this does is obviously give them that extra little incentive to really focus in on it."
Snyder again will present much of the budget proposal himself with help from Nixon and Lt. Gov. Brian Calley. The House Appropriations Room on the third floor of the Capitol where the presentation will be made is expected to be standing-room-only.
"We're happy to hear that the governor's talking that there will be no more cuts to education in this round of the budget. We're anxiously waiting to see what that looks like," Spadafore said. "February 9th is a date that all of us have marked on our calendar."


text:
2012 may have been a year of mixed emotions for many firms operating in the international retail environment |
Grocers undoubtedly felt the economic pressures in 2012 with discounters enjoying buoyant growth as a result of an increase in value-seeking consumers. Shoppers' focus on value led to rising online sales and further investment in the channel from the world's food retailers. However, the year was not just about expansion. Some of the world's largest grocers have scaled back overseas, with the trend towards internalisation slowing. Michelle Russell takes a look at the highs and lows for international retailers in 2012.
Retailers undoubtedly felt the pressure this year, some maybe more than others. But it was not all doom and gloom in 2012. While some retailers have been forced to back out of markets in order to concentrate on their domestic operations, others have prospered with acquisitions having still been possible for some. The growth of online has also become key for some retailers and emerging markets have continued to be a focus for expansion for some.
A key feature of the food retail sector in 2012 has been the continued growth of the discounters. With consumer confidence still low and household budgets under pressure, the discount channel has ultimately benefited from consumers seeking value.
In the US, Dollar General has emerged as a prospering discount retailer. It has seen sales and profits increase and has opened more stores. In Europe, Dia, the discounter spun off by Carrefour has seen profits jump. And in the UK, general discounters like Poundland continue to grow sales, while competitor B&M Retail was earlier this month snapped up by private-equity firm Clayton Dubilier & Rice - with former Tesco CEO Sir Terry Leahy as chairman.
German discount giants Aldi and Lidl continued to thrive. Data from Kantar Worldpanel for the UK market shows both retailers are seeing sales increase at a double-digit rate. In Ireland, Aldi and Lidi are growing while the country's grocery market declines. In Europe, Lidl is expanding in east of the continent, while, further afield, Aldi is building its business in the US to tap into demand that has boosted domestic discounters like Dollar General.
Aldi has not only achieved success in Europe though. The retailer has been growing in the US where it has had a presence since 2011. It has plans to open "more than" 80 stores in 2012.
The US, however, has not proven a fruitful market for all overseas retailers. Tesco provided one of the headlines of the year with its admission it will "likely" quit the US market after five years.
It was an announcement that bookmarked another challenging year for Tesco, which started 2012 with a profit warning on the back of falling sales in the UK, which, for all its international expansion in recent years, remains its largest market.
Tesco has spent the year trying to revitalise its UK operations, which account for around two-thirds of the retailer's profits. CEO Philip Clarke, which took charge of Tesco's UK operations in March, has insisted the company has seen signs its GBP1bn investment in its domestic business is paying off but its sales are still falling year-on-year.
One issue for some European retailers, however, has been the struggle to achieve success through its hypermarket formats. Tesco is one retailer that has been pulling away from the hypermarket format in amid competition from online and convenience stores.
However, Tesco is not alone. Carrefour has also stepped back from its hypermarket expansion, announcing a restructuring of its format in February following slumping sales and profits.
And, like Tesco, Carrefour has also been busy reviewing its international operations as it looks to focus attention on fewer markets and on revitalising its domestic business. The French retailer, which welcomed new CEO Georges Plassat in May, has sold businesses in Indonesia, Malaysia, Colombia and Greece this year. "What we have to do is adjust the various areas in which we want to stay strong because we can't spread ourselves too thin," Plassat said in August as he outlined his plans to improve Carrefour's performance.
Like Tesco and Carrefour, Metro Group, another of the world's largest retailers, has also had to reappraise its international businesses this year. It has sold its Makro cash-and-carry stores in the UK to local retailer Booker Group. The German retailer has also offloaded most of its Real hypermarkets in eastern Europe to French retailer Auchan.
"In each of these cases we have seen companies with aspirations to expand their capability and reach geographically and having to retrench because of their subscale in those market and them not seeing a capability to generate a satisfactory return in those markets in a reasonable time frame," Shore Capital analyst Clive Black said.
And Black says, in most cases, the disposals have been to local players, which demonstrates a slowing in the trend towards internationalisation in the retail sector.
"Carrefour's disposal of its Colombian business was to a Chilean business, its disposal in Indonesia was to to a local player and also Tesco in Japan was to Japanese player Aeon. So what we're seeing is internationalisation being scaled back and regionalisation and localisation gaining a new foothold."
However, not all retailers have sated their appetite for international expansion, as Auchan's acquisition of Metro's Real stores demonstrates. Even Carrefour looked to expand overseas, with deals in Belgium and as far afield as Argentina. And French retail rival Casino reinforced its leading position in neigbouring Brazil by taking sole control of leading Brazilian retailer CBD or Grupo Pao de Acucar. That said, Black is correct in there being a slowing of retailers' international ambitions.
India, however, is a market that remains on the radars of major international retailers. Until now, multinational retailers have only been able to invest in cash-and-carry or wholesale ventures with local players, a route the likes of Wal-Mart, Tesco and Carrefour have taken. However, foreign retailers have been prevented from owning multi-brand outlets. This looks set to change with the Indian government introducing rules that will allow international retailers to own 51% of multi-brand outlets. Do not expect a flood of investment in 2013 but there is likely to be some movement, particularly from those already in present in India. The news prompted Wal-Mart to begin talks with local partner Bharti Enterprises over the possible formation of another joint venture in the country where it currently operates a cash-and-carry network.
However, Wal-Mart's experience in India has thus far proven not be completely positive. Last month, Bharti Wal-Mart suspended a number of its employees, one of which is understood to be its CFO, while it investigates alleged violations of US anti-bribery laws.
Wal-Mart has also been at the centre of bribery allegations in Mexico where it has slowed expansion in the wake of the allegations. In August, Wal-Mart revised down its international expansion targets based mainly on changes in Brazil and China.
However,a s the year came to a close, the world's largest retailer was linked to a brand new market - Turkey.
This month, the group was reportedly in talks to buy Turkish retailer Migros Ticaret from UK private-equity firm BC Partners, although it has declined to comment on the reports. This may be one to watch in 2013.
Wisely, Wal-Mart has also said it will invest "more heavily" in e-commerce. It believes the UK, US, Brazil and China are the markets with the "greatest growth potential" for e-commerce sales.
While retailers are perhaps investing less frequently in the international sphere, there has been continued expansion online.
Notably, Dutch retailer Ahold bought online retailer bol.com in February, Spanish discount retailer Dia also confirmed plans to launch an online store and Wal-Mart increased its investment in Chinese online retailer Yihaodian. And Tesco has been quick to trumpet its investment online across a number of markets as it faces questions over its performance in the UK.
Daniel Lucht, analyst at Research Farm, believes it is "absolutely vital" retailers have an online presence. "This is basically one of the sectors where you still have a lot of growth and this is where you need to be," he says.
Tesco has this year continued to roll out an online service into international markets. CEO Clarke sees the investment as vital to the retailer's future. Successful retailers, he believes, will be those that create a "personalised" offer for consumers.
The arrival of digital shopping in the FMCG marketplace has taken 15-20 years but is now firmly here and encroaching on the household routine of food shopping in a very significant way.
Wtih consumer incomes under pressure and digital mobile shopping become more widespread, shoppers are increasingly turning to the online channel to do their shopping and with the economic outlook again looking uncertain in 2013, this trend will only intensify and increase in importance in the year ahead.


text:
BRONC / LADY BRONC SOCCER The Lady Broncs beat Gillette 2-1 Friday afternoon in the state soccer semi finals.
They will play Cheyenne Central for the state 4-A title this afternoon at 2:00 at the Big Horn Equestrian Center.
The Broncs beat Laramie 1-0 Friday evening in Their semi final match.
They will defend their state title against Casper Kelly Walsh at 4:00.
TRACK AND FIELD - The state track and field championships conclude today in Casper.
BRONC / LADY BRONC STATE SOCCER - The Bronc and Lady Bronc soccer teams made it out of the first round at the state tournament yesterday and will play this afternoon in the semi finals.
The Lady Broncs blasted Riverton 5-0 and had a sixth goal called off because of an offside call.
After the win we talked with Head coach Tom Racette he says the journey of the 2012 Lady Broncs continues.
They controlled the pace of play early and kept the pressure on the wolverines through out the match.
The Lady Broncs Basketball players and coaches will be hosting the 1st annual Little Lady Bronc Basketball camp June 4th, 5th, and 6th at Sheridan High school.
This is a fantastic opportunity for any girls entering 5th thru 8th grade to receive individualized offensive and defensive skill instruction from the high school coaches and player.
Your daughter will strengthen her game plus build great relationships with the coaching staff and players!
STATE SOCCER AND TRACK - Spring sports culminating events begin today with the start of the state soccer tournament at the Big Horn Equestrian center and day one of the state track and field championships.
State track and field events begin today at Kelly Walsh high school in Casper.
The Bronc and Lady Bronc soccer teams open the state championships at this afternoon the Lady Broncs play Riverton at 2:30 the Broncs play Riverton at 4:30.
TROOPER BASEBALL - The Sheridan Troopers are 3-0 and get back into action this weekend with one game Saturday and a double header Sunday.
The State Soccer Tournament gets under way today at the Big Horn Equestrian Center, and both the Bison and Lady Bison will be in action this afternoon.
The Lady Bison will play Torrington at 2pm on Field #1, and if they win will play their next game Friday at 2pm on Field #2 against either Jackson or Worland. If they lose they will play Friday at 9am against the Jackson/Worland loser.
GOLF - The Sheridan Bronc golfers saw their 31 tournament winning streak end Tuesday in the final tournament of the spring season when they finished one shot behind Casper Natrona at the east conference tournament.
The Broncs Kamrin Allen was the overall boys Medalist Allen will play golf this fall at the University of Wyoming.
BRONC / LADY BRONC STATE TRACK AND FIELD - The state track and field championships begin tomorrow at Kelly Walsh high school in Casper.
Sheridan high school will have 18 athletes competing twelve Broncs and six Lady Broncs will attend.
LADY BRONC SOCCER - The Sheridan high school soccer teams open the state championships at the Big Horn Equestrian center Thursday the Lady Broncs play Riverton at 2:30 the Broncs play Riverton at 4:30.
The Lady Broncs have been a great story this year as the 2012 senior class has led them from winning no games in the 2010 season as sophomores to nine wins in 2011 but no state tournament appearance.
This spring they won the regular season conference title and the regional tournament title and take the number one ranking into this week's state tournament.
Our goal in allowing public comment on our web site is to provide an arena for open discussion on the issues. Following these simple guidlines will ensure that your comments remain posted.
The moderators of sheridanmedia.com reserve the right to monitor and screen all content submitted to the site and may delete content, and block or ban users at our discretion. For a full description see our User Agreement.


text: How did your first water cooling attempt go?Walter Glenn9/04/12 3:00pmFiled to: Discussions of the DayRoundup0EditPromoteShare to KinjaToggle Conversation toolsGo to permalink Great discussions are par for the course here on Lifehacker. Each day, we highlight a discussion that is particularly helpful or insightful, along with other great discussions and reader questions you may have missed. Check out these discussions and add your own thoughts to make them even more wonderful! Discussion of the DayHow did your first water cooling attempt go?Other Great DiscussionsBe careful working near the flash capacitor on your camera.How do you overcome creativity blocks when creating characters?Good QuestionHow hard is it to add your GPU into your water cooling loop?Great Discussions Any TimeTo join or start great discussions on any topic, be sure to visit the Openthread forum. Advertisement And if you've got a cool project, inspiration, or just something fun to share, be sure to let us know in our Tips forum.Happy Lifehacking, everybody!


text:
The well-known plot of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice revolves around a terrible mix-up by the heroine, Elizabeth Bennet. The dashing Mr. Wickham convinces poor Lizzy that Mr. Darcy is a man of malice, something she is already prejudiced to believe, in part due to his own reserve. As such, she feels no remorse in refusing Mr. Darcy's ill-fated (and ungentlemanly) marriage proposal. Darcy, stinging from Miss Elizabeth's refusal, writes our heroine a letter to dispel Wickham's lies. The rest of the tale unfolds with Elizabeth discovering just how mistaken she had been.
What would have happened to Miss Elizabeth Bennet, one wonders, if Mr. Darcy had decided to not write her that letter? What if, out of his own pride and contempt for those "decidedly beneath him," he had simply not bothered to engage the truth?
In his latest offering, Conscience and its Enemies: Confronting the Dogmas of Liberal Secularism, Robert George, the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University, pens a new sort of letter from Mr. Darcy.
While it is difficult to collapse entire groups into the persona of a 19th-century gentleman, there are striking similarities that come to the surface in George's defense of those who believe in what James Madison called "the sacred rights of conscience." On the one hand, the "Wickhams" tend to use charm and deception to convince their audiences of their moral certitude and high ground, while the "Darcys" tend to say little until they get to the point where they simply must say something (which is often too little too late).
"I have found that secular liberal views are so widespread as to go largely unquestioned," George explains in his book. "As a result, many in these elite circles yield to the temptation to believe that anyone who disagrees with them is a bigot or a religious fundamentalist. Reason and science, they confidently believe, are on their side."
Many Lizzys and Larrys of our daythe lo-fos (low-information voters)are ensnared in the culture that idolizes celebrity, charm, glamour, and polish, communicated in the short sound-bite or tweet. These habits don't provide room for longer or deeper explanations that get to the truth. Unfortunately, their avoidance of substance leads them to the Wickhams of the world while the Darcys remain silentor are persecuted into silence.
As George explains, through close scrutiny of the Wickham-types, we learn "that it is their own views that are thinly supportedthat are, as they might say dismissively, nothing but articles of faith."
And yet while many liberal arguments rest on shallow footing, when it comes to issues of conscience such as marriage, abortion, freedom of religionGeorge makes it clear that conservatives are not the underdogs, that principled positions have an intellectual pedigree worth defending that simply does not match up to the emotive or baseless arguments its opponents make it out to be.
A primer on pressing issues
The book is divided into four sections. The first section, "Fundamentals," fills in many of the blanks some of us may have from forgotten civics lesson or books we never read. Most of us simply just don't know where to start when facing the cultural Leviathan.
These first several chapters are solid bricks laying the groundwork to understand how the elites silence conscience, especially through judicial overreach.
The second section, "Morality and the Public Square," engages the issues surrounding immigration, marriage, and freedom of religion. Here George addresses the definition of conscience, which liberals and conservatives define differently. On the one hand, the liberals use conscience as "a type of permission slip" that justifies any behavior. They can do so because they ultimately root it in an understanding of an individual's unlimited autonomy. This view is evidenced in the Supreme Court ruling in Planned Parenthood v. Casey concerning "the right to define one's own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe and of the mystery of human life." On the other hand, conservatives generally think of conscience along the lines of Cardinal John Henry Newman: as "a stern monitor." In this view, George explains, "it is one's last best judgment specifying the bearing of moral principles one grasps, yet in no way makes up for oneself, on concrete proposals for action." Conscience, therefore, "identifies one's duties under the moral law. It speaks of what one must do and what one must not do."
The third section, "Life and Death," runs the gamut of life issues from the embryonic stage to the end of life. Like the rest of the book, it uses strong rational argumentation and reveals many of the liberals' double standards.
The section also includes a chapter entitled "The Fallacies," which looks specifically at trite lines used by liberal politicians to justify their actions. Mario Cuomo's "while I'm personally opposed to abortion" line is in there, as are some lesser-known illogical zingers.
The final section, "Good Guys and Not So Good Guys," is a collection of culture-war heroes (guys and gals). The late, great Father. Richard John Neuhaus is a giant for the good. Among the anti-heroes we find Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun. The Supreme appeared to be a classic (and quite boring) conservative who was contemptuous of liberals, but his decision in Roe v. Wade elevated him to the status of liberal icon.
Overall, the book serves as an important primer on the most pressing issues of our time, and it provides keen insights about many of the ironies of those on the opposite side of the issues. It is also a very timely book, released in the same month as the Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage in Windsor v. The United States. In his decision, Justice Anthony Kennedy employed the classic liberal tool (which George exposes) of making bigots out of those who are opposed to gay marriage.
Wide but not always deep
Some might fault this book for failing to be something that it is not intended to be. It is a primer and, therefore, a teaching tool. Those who want to dig deeper into George's thought on, say, the new natural law theory, will not be particularly interested in this offering. (George does discuss the theory, but not in any great depth.) On the other hand, George's incomparable expertise will give even the most seasoned reader new insights on these well-trod topics.
Perhaps more serious is George's limited discussion of the common good. He tends to avoid this fundamental element of Catholic social thought, opting instead to speak about a public good. George is far from alone in avoiding the common good: communism has made it something of a hot potato over the last 75 years. Nevertheless, a deeper understand of the common good seems crucial to overcoming the radical individualism espoused by liberal secularists.
George does, however, use the public good argument to good end. By recalibrating "civil unions" in light of the public good, he argues that they ought to be forbidden. His position is far from that of many conservatives who simplistically try to escape the thorny gay marriage problem by allowing for civil unions. Given that this issue is unlikely to go away any time soon, further insights here would be welcomed.
Casting a wide net
Perhaps unsatisfied with merely reaching "the choir," George clearly makes an effort to reach those who may not be naturally inclined to read his book and to help balance the debate and inform the uninformed. Back-cover blurbs from Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan as well as the New York Times Magazine certainly cross partisan lines in a way not frequently seen.
Moreover, George calls upon other conservatives to enter into the debate and not sit quietly on the side waiting for someone else speak up. Such is the obligation of democratic citizenry. He explains:
Does this mean that participants in morally charged debates should soft-pedal their arguments or keep quiet about their convictions? Certainly not. Civility and mutual respect are not inconsistent with candor or even bluntness.
Indeed, Mr. Darcy would agree.
Conscience and Its Enemies: Confronting the Dogmas of Liberal Secularism By Robert P. George Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI), 2013 384 pages Hardcover
All comments posted at Catholic World Report are moderated. While vigorous debate is welcome and encouraged, please note that in the interest of maintaining a civilized and helpful level of discussion, comments containing obscene language or personal attacks—or those that are deemed by the editors to be needlessly combative and inflammatory—will not be published. Thank you.
View all Comments


text:
Life & Style says that the honeymoon is lonnng over for Aguilera and her husband of one big year. Christina is on tour in Europe, while Jordon is home clubbing it up around LA.
"The couple has been seen partying sans wedding rings. On December 6, Christina left Hotel Plaza Athenee in Paris without her ring, she looked upset. Over the course of three nights, Jordon did the club scene with friends- also without his ring. He was looking sad and distressed."
You know the rest...their reps say they're fine. The couple is set to host a New Year's Eve party in NYC at the Hudson with loads of friends. "It will be part of Christina's homecoming since she's been traveling so much." But will they wear their rings? Dun dun dun....
Life & Style
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Christina & Jordan....another one bites the dust?
Posted by Gabs at 2:52 PM
42 comments:
DO not believe it!
So not true. . .
- Hawaiigirl said...
I want her to! He is son not cute!
She has probably spent all of his money and has to go back to work.
The poor spoiled brat..... - 4:09 PM
i was one of the guys he was out with in LA. they are still madly in love. they were on the phone for hours each day while she was abroad.
they are rock solid and not going anywhere.
as an aside, he makes more then enough money to maintain his lifestyle in businesses of his own, and he wears his ring on a necklace.
don't hate - it's not a good look.
it's the holiday season for pete's sake, try spreading some love.
that's the real scoop. - 9:06 AM
Christina Aguilera has grown into class act right in front of everybody...Not that it's anyone's business what is going on in her marriage , people seriously need to listen to Back to Basics!!!
I don't think this woman has commitment issues!!
Previous comment is right on
Hate is sooo not a good look.
Peace - 4:18 PM
Do you guys watch movies in theater or on internet? I use to rent DVD movies from [b]Redbox.com[/b]. Recently I discovered that we can watch all new movies on internet on day, they are released. So why should I spend money on renting movies??? So, can you guys please tell me where I can [url=http://www.watchhotmoviesfree.com]watch latest movie Shark Night 3D 2010[/url] for free?? I have searched [url=http://www.watchhotmoviesfree.com]Youtube.com[/url], [url=http://www.watchhotmoviesfree.com]Dailymotion.com[/url], [url=http://www.watchhotmoviesfree.com]Megavideo.com[/url] but, Could not find a good working link. If you know any working link please share it with me.
Thanks - 5:26 PM
- polo shirts said...
History of polo ralph lauren. Polo fashions had its humble beginnings in 1968 when tie salesman Ralph Lauren gave it a kick start. By 1969 he had a boutique polo ralph lauren factory stores within the Manhattan department store Bloomingdale's. ... Brands and luxury standard. Since Ralph Lauren's first brand, Polo Ralph Lauren, was launched, the company has expanded to include a variety of luxury brands such as Polo Golf, Polo Denim, Polo Sport. You can buy cheap Ralph Lauren Clothing at Ralph Lauren outlet.Also We provide polo shirts
Ralph Lauren polo shirt, 50% OFF! polo ralph lauren outlet online is your best choice!In 2006, polo ralph lauren outlet became the first designer in Wimbledon's 133-year history to create official uniforms for the tournament. As part of this year's event, which starts next week, polo ralph lauren sale will introduces the first ... determination to maintain and enhance the values for which our two brands are famous throughout the world. The rugby ralph lauren brand brings to Wimbledon the look of timeless elegance, drawing on our rich history and traditions - 1:45 AM
All pizza places of USA http://pizza-us.com/illinois/Naperville/Little%20Sicilian%20Pizza/60563/
Find your best pizza. - 3:53 AM
Overview of US restaurants. Appetizing
Great weblog here! Also your web site loads up fast! What
host are you the use of? Can I get your associate hyperlink
to your host? I want my web site loaded up as quickly as yours lol
My web blog: yawaris.Com - 6:17 PM
Thanks , I have just been looking for info approximately this subject for ages
and yours is the greatest I have discovered so far. But, what in regards to the bottom line?
Are you sure about the source?
Have a look at my blog: Compensation.Ru - 6:06 PM
Nice blog here! Also your web site loads up very fast! What host
are you using? Can I get your affiliate link to your host?
I wish my web site loaded up as quickly as
yours lol
My site; http://jzug.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Will_Yeastrol_Function - 5:19 AM
I'm gone to inform my little brother, that he should also pay a quick visit this blog on regular basis to take updated from most recent news update.
Here is my site - dental implant costs - 1:30 PM
I will right away take hold of your rss feed as I can't find your email subscription link or newsletter service. Do you have any? Please allow me know so that I may just subscribe. Thanks.
Also visit my webpage :: Air Max Pas Cher - 12:27 AM
I'm not that much of a online reader to be honest but your blogs really nice, keep it up!
I'll go ahead and bookmark your website to come back later. Cheers
Here is my page :: Abercrombie Fitch Belgique - 2:12 AM
Howdy! Quick question that's completely off topic. Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly? My web site looks weird when viewing from my iphone 4. I'm trying to find a template or plugin that might be able to correct this problem.
If you have any recommendations, please share.
Feel free to visit my weblog; Louis Vuitton Handbags Outlet - 3:23 AM
I absolutely love your blog and find a lot of your post's to be just what I'm looking for.
Does one offer guest writers to write content for yourself?
I wouldn't mind producing a post or elaborating on a lot of the subjects you write concerning here. Again, awesome weblog!
Feel free to surf to my weblog Sidney Crosby Black Jersey - 7:51 AM
Hi friends, how is all, and what you want to say concerning this post, in my view its genuinely
amazing in support of me.
Also visit my page - Authentic Sidney Crosby Jersey - 4:38 AM
Greetings! I know this is somewhat off topic but I was wondering which blog platform are you using for this website?
I'm getting tired of Wordpress because I've had problems with hackers and I'm looking at options for another platform. I would be awesome if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.
Here is my blog - Abercrombie & Fitch - 5:51 AM
hey there and thank you for your info – I've certainly picked up anything new from right here. I did however expertise some technical issues using this site, as I experienced to reload the website lots of times previous to I could get it to load correctly. I had been wondering if your web hosting is OK? Not that I am complaining, but sluggish loading instances times will very frequently affect your placement in google and can damage your high quality score if ads and marketing with Adwords. Anyway I am adding this RSS to my e-mail and can look out for a lot more of your respective fascinating content. Ensure that you update this again soon.
My web-site More hints - 12:28 PM
Hey! Someone in my Myspace group shared this site with us so I came to check it out.
I'm definitely loving the information. I'm bookmarking and will be tweeting this to my followers!
Terrific blog and brilliant design.
Also visit my page :: Louis Vuitton Outlet Online - 6:39 PM
Hmm is anyone else having problems with the pictures on this
blog loading? I'm trying to figure out if its a problem on my end or if it's the blog.
Any feed-back would be greatly appreciated.
My homepage :: continue - 11:56 PM
Hey! I'm at work surfing around your blog from my new iphone 4! Just wanted to say I love reading through your blog and look forward to all your posts! Keep up the great work!
My blog article source - 10:19 AM
Please let me know if you're looking for a writer for your weblog. You have some really great posts and I think I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I'd
really like to write some material for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine.
Please send me an email if interested. Regards!
my blog ... Read More - 7:04 PM
If you would like to grow your know-how simply keep visiting this site and
be updated with the hottest news posted here.
Also visit my webpage :: Abercrombie & Fitch - 7:24 AM
I all the time used to read piece of writing in news papers but now as
I am a user of internet so from now I am using net for articles,
thanks to web.
Here is my site - Chaussure de Foot pas cher - 1:10 AM
Link exchange is nothing else except it is only placing the other person's weblog link on your page at proper place and other person will also do similar for you.
my web page Sac A Main Louis Vuitton - 8:19 AM
Hey! I know this is kinda off topic but I was wondering if
you knew where I could find a captcha plugin for my comment form?
I'm using the same blog platform as yours and I'm having trouble finding one?
Thanks a lot!
my web page; Evgeni Malkin Black Jersey - 8:55 AM
I do not comment, but after reading a lot of responses here "Christina & Jordan....another one bites the dust?".
I actually do have some questions for you if you don't mind. Could it be simply me or does it look like some of the remarks come across as if they are written by brain dead folks? :-P And, if you are writing on other places, I would like to keep up with everything fresh you have to post. Could you make a list of all of all your shared sites like your linkedin profile, Facebook page or twitter feed?
my web blog - Louis Vuitton Bags - 3:37 AM
Thanks for the good writeup. It in truth was once a
leisure account it. Glance advanced to more introduced agreeable from you!
By the way, how could we be in contact?
Also visit my weblog - Abercrombie Paris - 12:41 PM
Good post. I learn something new and challenging on websites I
stumbleupon every day. It's always helpful to read through content from other writers and practice a little something from their sites.
Take a look at my webpage ... Christian Louboutin UK - 2:08 AM
Thank you for every other informative web site. Where else
may just I get that kind of info written in such
a perfect means? I've a venture that I am simply now operating on, and I have been at the look out for such info.
Here is my webpage Read This - 11:27 PM
Hi would you mind letting me know which hosting company you're using? I've loaded your blog
in 3 completely different browsers and I must say this blog loads a lot faster then most.
Can you recommend a good internet hosting provider at a fair
price? Kudos, I appreciate it!
Have a look at my page; Michael Kors Canada - 1:45 AM
Fine way of describing, and good post to get data concerning my presentation focus,
which i am going to deliver in school.
My web site; Louis Vuitton Bags - - - 4:41 AM
Howdy just wanted to give you a quick heads up.
The text in your post seem to be running off the screen in Internet explorer.
I'm not sure if this is a format issue or something to do with internet browser compatibility but I figured I'd post to let you know.
The design look great though! Hope you get the issue resolved soon.
Also visit my site - Chaussure De Foot - 10:50 PM
Hello, Neat post. There is a problem with your site in internet explorer, might test this?
IE still is the marketplace chief and a huge portion of folks will miss your
great writing because of this problem.
my site - Gucci Sito Ufficiale - 7:23 AM
Hey there! Would you mind if I share your blog with my zynga
group? There's a lot of people that I think would really enjoy your content. Please let me know. Many thanks
Stop by my blog Louis Vuitton Handbags - 4:51 PM
You actually make it seem so easy with your presentation
but I find this topic to be actually something that I think I would never understand.
It seems too complicated and extremely broad for
me. I'm looking forward for your next post, I'll try to get the hang of
Also visit my web site; Air Max Femme - 10:32 AM
Thanks for finally talking about > "Christina & Jordan....another one bites the dust?" < Liked it!
my homepage - Nike UK (www.
whatsot.com) - 2:24 PM
Good day! I could have sworn I've been to this website before but after browsing through some of the post I realized it's new to me.
Anyhow, I'm definitely happy I found it and I'll be book-marking and checking back frequently!
My webpage NFL Jerseys Cheap - 7:35 PM


text:
Take it to the BankLanguage brain teasers are those that involve the English language. You need to think about and manipulate words and letters.
Change one letter of each of these 3 words to create a new set of words with a common theme.
walk, boy, sleet What Next?
See another brain teaser just like this one... Or, just get a random brain teaser If you become a registered user you can vote on this brain teaser, keep track of which ones you have seen, and even make your own. Back to Top |


text:
This item is temporarily out of stock. However, we can notify you as soon as this product becomes available.
Thank you
We have received your request and you will be notified as soon as this product becomes available.
Description: Clover Kacha-Kacha Knitting Counter helps you keep track of every stitch and every row. Never miss a stitch again. Simply push the button on top of the counter and it will advance one number. It counts from 1 to 99. This handy tool is great for knitters, but can be used any time you need to keep a number count. This Mini Kacha-Kacha kniting counter includes a loop so you can easily attach a cord and hang it round your neck, and a lock so you will not lose your count.
See more Clover Knitting Counters.
Review this product and Enter to Win a $100 shopping spree!


text:
NuForce NE600X Black In-ear Headphones
" I've been out of the loop for a while when it comes to budget IEMs. Back in the day, the low priced options were simply not very good. I remember paying $40 for the V-MODA Bass Freq as a workout IEM because I liked the massive impact, though it was obviously not an "all purpose" type IEM. I used them with my Creative Zen Micro Photo..." --project86
NuForce NE600X Red In-ear Headphones
"Context: I primarily listen to music through my setup of FLAC -> HRT Music Streamer II -> Little Dot Mk3 -> Hifiman HE-400. I bought these primarily to use at the gym with an ancient RCA mp3 player that only has 512mb, because expensive gear and sweat don't mix IMO. These setups fill completely different roles, so I obviously don't expect them to compare, but I think it's important to..." --manbear
NuForce NE-650M High Efficiency Earphones with Excellent Bass, Layered Sound Stage and Microphone (Black)
" Disclaimer: The following is a review from a sample provided by NuForce First I'd like to thank NuForce, for reaching out and allowing me the opportunity to review their new IEM, the NE-650M. The 650 is described by the manufacturer as "a uniquely enhanced version of the original NE-600 series earphone. Their high-efficiency design offers an even greater level of..." --shotgunshane
NuForce - NE-6 - Earphones
" I initially bought these as a temporary replacement for my AKG K26Ps that crapped out on me after being left in a car for two weeks, and because I knew I'd want earbuds for music on the go. Given that I bought these for around $30, I was astounded at the audio quality these earbuds produced. The NE-6 has far more bass than any other earbud I've come across so far, and while there isn't a..." --OmegaSwitch
NuForce NE-700X
" My full review/comparison of the NE-600X vs 700X vs 770X... http://www.head-fi.org/t/623137/review-comparison-nuforce-iems-ne-600x-ne-700x-ne-770x Quick summary: - U shaped sound - tiny fit - decent sound, but really the 770X is the better choice at half the price " --Armaegis
NuForce NE770X Carbon In-ear Headphones
" For a comparison of the NE-600X vs 700X vs 770X, see here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/623137/review-comparison-nuforce-iems-ne-600x-ne-700x-ne-770x quick summary: - bass sloped sound - tiny fit - great clarity/detail - fantastic sound for $35 and easily the top choice between the 600/700/770X " --Armaegis
NuForce NE 8
Uncompromising, hi-fidelity earphones deliver unparalleled accuracy, exceptional clarity, full-bodied bass, and a rich, enveloping sound. The in-ear, isolating ear-tips block out 90% of external sounds. A comfortable, ergonomic design, along with cable options, minimizes outside sounds.
Nuforce NE800M
" I've been a big fan of NuForce and its products for many years. I've owned several of their headphones, IEMs (in-ear monitors) and their well renowned u-Dac 3 portable headphone amplifier and DAC. So I was a bit dismayed when I learned that Optoma had purchased NuForce as I wasn't sure what direction the new ownership would take this well respected audio company. Thankfully, NuForce is..." --MacedonianHero
SE535-CL - Triple High Definition MicroDriver Sound Isolating In Ear Earphones - Clear
Shure Sound Isolating Earphones.When the Music Matters. Triple High-Definition MicroDrivers Featuring Triple High-Definition MicroDrivers, the SE535 utilizes dedicated tweeter and dual woofers to deliver spacious sound with rich bass. A detachable cable with wire-form fit enables easy replacement, both extending the life of your investment and providing a secure, comfortable fit. Sound...
Shure 530
2010 Shure Flagship in-ear headphone. Available in 2 versions SE530 & SE530PTH Pure Audio Precision Formerly known as the E500PTH, the SE530 uses Triple TruAcoustic Micro-Speakers to create an expansive soundstage. A dedicated tweeter ensures that highs and mids are incredibly accurate and detailed, while dedicated dual woofers provide balanced, full-bodied bass. The Push-To-Hear Control...


text: The Cubicle with a Hidden Gaming SystemMelanie Pinola4/04/13 9:30amFiled to: Featured WorkspaceWorkspacesWorkspaceDeskDesktopWorkspace Show and Tell38EditPromoteShare to KinjaToggle Conversation toolsGo to permalink Lifehacker reader JonesyVan's workspace looks like your typical cubicle. Hidden in the filing cabinet, however, is some serious entertainment for break times (i.e., "when Bossman decides to exit his office"): a wall-mounted TV and Xbox 360. This is definitely one way to make your cubicle more comfortable and less boring, although for a similar set up you'd need that wall-mounted cabinet with a sliding door. (I'm not sure how long or how well you can hide this from your fellow cubicle dwellers either.) JonesyVan also keeps entertained at his desk with a 2-gallon fish tank housing 5 Tetras and 3 snails, as well as a collection of Rubik's Cubes. Advertisement Advertisement If you have a workspace of your own to show off, post them to #workspaceshowcase. Make sure any photos you include are at least 640x360. Keeping them to 16:9 helps, too! Include a little text about the stuff you used, how you came up with the design, and any other relevant details. If your clever organization and good design sense catches our eye, you might be the next featured workspace.Reply38 repliesLeave a reply


text:
Focus reunites with Mike Leigh on Turner biopic
EXCLUSIVE: Focus Features International (FFI) will handle worldwide sales on the film about the celebrated English landscape painter J M W Turner to star Timothy Spall and will co-finance with BFI and Film4.
FFI chief Alison Thompson made the announcement at the EFM in Berlin on Friday [8] and will commence sales in Cannes.
"We're immensely looking forward to this new venture with Mike, whose unique style and storytelling is bound to deliver a compelling and beautiful film about this ground-breaking artist," said Thompson.
Turner marks the latest collaboration between FFI and Leigh following Another Year.
"Turner as a character is compelling," said Leigh.
"I want to explore the man, his working life, his relationships and how he lived. But what fascinates me most is the drama that lies in the tension between this driven eccentric and the epic, timeless world he evoked in his masterpieces."
Georgina Lowe produces through Thin Man Films alongside Xofa Productions. Gail Egan, Tessa Ross from Film4 and Norman Merry of Lipsync Productions will serve as executive producers.
Lizzie Francke is lead executive for the BFI. Co-producers are Michel Saint Jean of Diaphana Films and Malte Grunert of Amusement Park Films.
FFI's EFM sales slate comprises Berlinale competition entry Promised Land from Gus Van Sant and the upcoming Jeremy Renner thriller Kill The Messenger.
Have your say
You must sign in to make a comment.


text:
The new Saudi arms deal
- By Stephen M. WaltStephen M. Walt is the Robert and Renée Belfer professor of international relations at Harvard University.
The Obama administration is about to propose the sale of more than $60 billion worth of advanced weapons to Saudi Arabia. Apart from providing an obvious boost to the U.S. defense industry, the clear purpose here is to send a message to Iran. As an unnamed U.S. official stated a few days ago, "We want Iran to understand that its nuclear program is not getting them leverage over their neighbors, that they are not getting an advantage. . . We want the Iranians to know that every time they think they will gain, they will actually lose." In short, the sale is "mainly intended as a building block for Middle East regional defenses to box in Iran."
I get all that, although it seems like an awful lot of weaponry to "contain" a country whose entire defense budget, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, is only $10 billion.
But my real question is this: if our primary goal is to discourage Iran from developing nuclear weapons, then might this new initiative be counter-productive? Doesn't it just give Iran an even bigger incentive to get a nuclear deterrent of its own? Think about it: if you had a bad relationship with the world's most powerful country, if you knew (or just suspected) that it was still backing anti-government forces in your country, if its president kept telling people that "all options were still on the table," and if that same powerful country were now about to sell billions of dollars of weapons to your neighbors, wouldn't you think seriously about obtaining some way to enhance your own security? And that's hard to do with purely conventional means, because your economy is a lot smaller and is already constrained by economic sanctions. Hmmm….so what are your other options?
Of course, it's possible that Iran's leaders have already made that decision, and if so then these moves won't have much effect on their calculations. And I'm all for maintaining a favorable balance of power in the Gulf. But if we are still hoping to convince Iran that it would be better off without some sort of nuclear weapons capability (even if only of a "latent" sort), this move strikes me as a step in the wrong direction.


text:
Monthly Archives: October 2010
It's that time again, have you read the book? Did you watch the movie? What do you think? For me, this is one of those movies that is loosely based on the novel but I love them both. The novel and the movie start off basically the same, the main difference being Tristan's father marries a local girl instead of remaining single. I was disappointed the first time I watched the movie in the actress chosen to play Victoria because in the book Victoria is supposed to be the beautiful woman and I didn't feel like the actress they choose fit that description. Of course, it is hard to compete with Michelle Pfieffer and Clare Danes when it comes to beauty.
In a film full of big name stars and amazing special effects, there is the occasional surprise moment that works incredibly well. One of those moments is when the old guard at the wall attacks Tristan and kicks his trash. I love Waking Ned Divine and loved seeing David Kelly flip over the wall and beat Tristan, a man a third his age, with a few well aimed blows of his cane.
A major difference between the two works is the role the lightening pirates play. They are very minor characters in the novel, whereas in the film they play a major role in the transformation of Tristan. It is thanks to the pirate captain Shakespeare that Tristan gets a more mature look, gains confidence because of his new ability to fight with swords, and starts to fall in love with Yvaine. The pirate captain's name came from literary Shakespeare but he chose it because he wanted a name he could shake his fist to. Robert De Niro was hilarious as the cross-dressing captain, especially when he got caught by Septimus and discovered that his crew already knew about his habits.
In both of the works, the connection of the witch's magic to the toll it took in her looks was interesting, that nothing comes without a cost, in this case a visible toll for everyone to see. For me, what can make or break a movie or novel is the small details, in both works the details are fabulous. Something as simple as the blood that the royal prince bleeds is blue (blue blood) or the way that Tristan's hair grows as Captain Shakespeare is playing with it during his make-over.
The entire scene at the Inn is great. The first time the goat husband jumped over the bar instead of walking around I couldn't stop laughing. Also, when Bernard is turned into a women and is fascinated with his own breasts had me giggling and the look on Tristan's face when Bernard speaks is priceless. The interaction of the characters during this crucial scene was well done.
In the novel, the ghosts follow the Stronghold Heirs but the heirs are unaware of their presence. The movie is much more ambiguous but the running commentary is entertaining, as is the fact that each of the ghosts is left in the condition that they died.
The endings of the two works are completely different, in the novel Tristan and the star make it back to Wall, where Tristan crosses over to say goodbye to his family, severing all ties with that world so he can remain with his Yvaine. Tristan meets up with his mother in the end, who wants Tristan to immediately assume the throne but instead he continues traveling with Yvaine for another ten years, before finally assuming the throne. In the film Tristan's mother assists him with the final battle against the witches and is there at the end when Tristan and Yvaine are crowned having been reunited with Tristan's father.
In the novel, the witch gives up the chase at the end of the story because of everything she lost in her pursuit of the star's heart. The movie does pay hommage to the novel's witch's attitude at the end of the story, in giving up instead of continuing to fight but it as a cruel trick played against Tristan and Yvaine. The ending of the film is much more exciting than the novel, with the battle between Septimus and the witches, then the battle between Tristan, Septimus' body, and the witches for Yvaine's heart. The detail work is amazing!
I love the imagery of both works. The original artwork of the first publication of the novel was created by Charles Vess and is amazing. The imagery of the movie is equally as impressive. The hall where the last great battle occurs is great looking. The use of the space and mirrors in the battle was well choreographed, in my opinion, adding to a great climax of the movie. Despite the differences in storyline between the novel and the film, I enjoy both. What do you think? Upset by the differences or don't care?
Today marks the 199th Anniversary of the publishing of Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, while this was not the first novel Jane Austen wrote, it was the first novel she published. In celebration of all the wonderful literature and films that Jane Austen has brought us, today is designated as Official Talk Like Jane Austen Day. How does one go about speaking like Jane Austen you ask? Well, first you have to get rid of all contractions. No more "don't", "won't", "can't" or "we'll." For today it is "do not", "will not", "cannot" and "we will." Numbers need to reordered so instead of "twenty-four", it is now "four and twenty."
I personally am going to add the words "tremendous" and "drat" to my vocabulary for today. If you need further help you can visit Talklikejaneausten.com.
I love Sense and Sensibility, both the novel and the movie and you can read my Books-to-Movie Review here.
Jane Austen's manuscripts have been digitally scanned and can be viewed here. Unlike her novels, which are all print, the manuscripts are Jane's personal writings that you can read from letters she wrote as a child to the final draft of her manuscripts. The project is the combined efforts of private collections and public libraries in England and allows readers the unique opportunity to read and compare her writings at one time.
Lorraine Heath's early novels that are no longer available in paperback are being released in digital format in November. The titles being re-released are Sweet Lullaby, Parting Gifts, Always to Remember, Texas Destiny, Texas Glory and Texas Splendor.
Gwen Cready, author of Aching for Always, at Romantic Crush Junkies.
Amanda Ashby, author of You Had Me at Halo, at Late Bloomers Online.
Catherine Banks, author of Song of the Moon, at Cry Havoc! Reviews.
Tiffany Clare, author of The Surrender of a Lady, at MacLean Space.
Yvonne Navarro, author of Highborn, at Dark Faerie Tales.
Elizabeth Rudnick, author of Tweet Heart, at The Bookologist.
Denise Jordan, author of Losing Faith, at Teen Fiction Cafe.
Donna Grant, author of Wicked Highlander, at Romance Divas.
Lydia Dare, author of The Taming of the Wolf, at Yankee Romance Reviewers.
Jeaniene Frost, author of Halfway to the Grave, at The Bibliophilic Book Blog.
Ben H. Winters, author of Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, at Austen Authors.
Erin McCahan, author of I Now Pronounce You Someone Else, at Eating YA Books.
Sophie Littlefield, author of Banished, at Dark Faerie Tales.
Pamela Palmer is giving away two signed copies of her Jewels of Time series, contest ends Oct. 30th.
Samantha James is giving away a signed copy of her The Truest Heart, contest ends Oct. 30th.
Kathryn Caskie is giving away a signed copy of To Sin with a Stranger and The Most Wicked of Sins, contest ends Nov. 28th.
Toni Blake is giving away signed copy of her Sugar Creek and a mug and tote, contest ends Oct. 31st.
Anna Campbell is giving away a large number of signed books including her My Reckless Surrender, contest ends Nov. 30th.
In the Hammock is giving away a copy of Lauren Willig's The Mischief of the Mistletoe and a holiday ornament, contest ends Nov. 5th.
Confessions of a Bookaholic is giving away a copy of Linda Joy Singleton's Magician's Muse, contest ends Oct. 31st and an ebook copy of Lauren Hammond's Love Sucks, contest ends Nov. 10th, Open Internationally.
Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf is giving away a copy of Jill Mansell's Take a Chance on Me, contest ends Nov. 12th.
Fiction Vixen is giving away a copy of Evangeline Collins' Seven Nights to Forever, contest ends Nov. 6th.
Read My Mind is giving away a copy of Amanda Marrone's Slayed, contest ends Nov. 4th.
Good Choice Reading is giving away a copy of Andrea Cremer's Nightshade, contest ends Nov. 4th.
The Story Siren is giving away a signed copy of Samantha Schutz's You Are Not Here, contest Nov. 12th.
Simon & Schuster has several signed copies of Stephen Kings's new book Full Dark, No Stars they are giving away here.
Lucy, from Moonraker's Bride by Madeleine Brent, was born and raised in China. She was the daughter of rich missionary parents from England until she was orphaned due to disease. She runs an orphanage with little help from Miss Prothero (who raised Lucy). One day an English stranger comes into their little village and Lucy's life quickly spirals beyond her control. One minute being thrown in prison, the next being married. One day after being married, she is widowed. Two strange men are searching for the same treasure and each believe it is Lucy that can help them find the treasure to save their families. Bad things seem to happen to Lucy on a regular basis, and yet those supposedly caring for her rarely believe her. It looks like Lucy is only going to be able to rely on herself, and hope she can rescue the one man she realizes she truly loves.
I really loved this unique story, just like I love all of Madeleine Brent's novels! The story line and plot is completely original, and kept me enthralled with it until I finally finished it. The characters were well developed and the plot had enough twists to keep me completely interested through the entire novel! I was not bored for a single moment through the novel!
Title: Moonraker's Bride
Author: Madeleine Brent
Format: Paperback
Page Nos.: 319
Publisher: Fawcett
Release Date: June 1978
Reviewer: Jillian


text:
Size42 m²
Floor No.2
- Family/child friendly
- Internet/WiFi
- Kitchen
- Pets allowed
- Washer/dryer
- Towels
- Baby cot
Accommodation summary
Address | Chrobrego, 81-704 Sopot, Poland |
Property type | Apartment |
Property ID | 4AWQHD3J |
Acceptance rate | 91% |
Response time | A few hours |
Calendar updated | A week ago |
space Apartment
• Living room
• Kitchen
• Bedroom
• Bathroom
Additional property amenities
• The washing machine
• Television
• Free wireless internet
• Towels, bed sheets
• Fully equipped kitchen with cooking utensils, pots, glassware, cutlery, lunch, and utensils:
• Refrigerator
• Freezer
• Gas cooker
• Electric kettle
• Oven
• Microwave
• Room with kitchenette
• Bedroom, 2 single beds
• Bathtub
• Toilet
• Sink
• mirror
• Drying the laundry
House rules
Details |
Check-in after | 3 PM |
Check-in before | On arrangement |
Check-out before | 11 AM |
Cancellation Policy |
Reviews for this host's other properties
We really enjoyed our stay. The apartment was as we had expected. Big advantages was the spacious rooms and the location. Our host was extremly service minded and made sure that we got the most out of our stay.
The only remark is that the apartment wasn't cleaned Hood enough after the former guests.
We would definatly recommend this apartment!
Nice and clean Apartment located in a quiet street, but still close to Monte Cassino. Large enough for a family of five. Our host was service minded and followed up our queries rather promptly.
The apartment "Grande" was dirty. The oven had not been cleaned, there was old food in the freezer and the floors were dirthy. The kitchen was not equipped for 7 people and there was no mop to clean the floors. The only place to dry clothes and towels was a broken drying rach. We called the owner and he fixed everthing except the drying rack and the hole week we had difficulties to dry our clothes and towels
The owner was helpful and reachable and ordered taxies for us both ways. The apartment was big enough for 7 people
We enjoyed our stay in Sopot a lot. The apartment has a nice location, it's close to the beach and in the heart of Sopot. The facilities are great, too. The only thing we missed, though, was wifi. Our contact person was service minded and helpfull. Thank you!
The host cancelled the booking, this review is automated.
Central location, both the beach, supermarket and main street make this one super place to stay. Some utensils should have been replaced as cups, plates and glasses. Buy new pillows needed.
Sentral beliggenhet, både til strand, supermarked og hovedgaten gjør dette til ett supert sted å bo. En del kjøkkenutstyr burde vært byttet ut som kopper, tallerkner og glass. Kjøp nye hodeputer det trengs.
The apartment was located in a large residential complex with high safety standards. The area was fenced, secured with a combination lock and provided with various cameras. In the garage there was a parking space. The beach and the city were quickly reached on foot. There were several small shops in the immediate vicinity. Disadvantages were the daily construction work along the tracks. It was dredged right next to the complex of buildings already in the morning. Unfortunately, the apartment was not in clean condition. In Brotbehälter still was stale bread. Therefore, you had probably put the container on top of the kitchen cupboard. The bathroom had no windows, no wonder had formed the mildew stains on the ceiling. The mattresses and pillows were very dingy. In the previous tenant had probably kettle boiled milk, therefore unusable. The toilet holder hung by a thread, etc. Overall we were still happy. Would this apartment, however, not choose again.
Die Wohnung lag in einem großen Wohnkomplex mit hohem Sicherheitsstandard. Das Gelände war umzäunt, mit einem Zahlenschloß gesichert und mit diversen Kameras versehen. In der Tiefgarage gab es einen PKW-Stellplatz. Der Strand und auch die Innenstadt waren schnell zu Fuß zu erreichen. Es gab mehrere kleine Geschäfte in unmittelbarer Nähe. Nachteilig waren die täglichen Bauarbeiten entlang der Gleise. Es wurde direkt neben dem Gebäudekomplex bereits in der Frühe gebaggert. Die Wohnung befand sich leider nicht im sauberen Zustand. Im Brotbehälter befand sich noch altes Brot. Daher hatte man den Behälter wohl oben auf den Küchenschrank gestellt. Das Badezimmer hatte keine Fenster, kein Wunder das sich Schimmelflecken an der Decke gebildet hatten. Die Matratzen und Kissen waren sehr schmuddelig. Im Wasserkocher hatten die Vormieter vermutlich Milch gekocht, daher unbenutzbar. Der WC-Halter hing am seidenen Faden usw. Wir waren insgesamt trotzdem zufrieden. Würden diese Wohnung allerdings nicht wieder wählen.
Very nice apartment with good location. Great service from the host, who also arranged taxi for us from the airport. This can be recommended !!
The apartment is a Glücksttreffer! Clean, comfortable, good location! Class price-performance ratio!
Die Ferienwohnung ist ein Glücksttreffer! Sauber, komfortabel, gute Lage! Klasse Preis-Leistungsverhältnis!
- Quality assured accommodation
- Every host is verified by telephone
- Secure payment via SSL encryption


text:
I've had this problem for years and just now am seeking a solution. My problem is everytime a select an image in a directory list CUSTOMDL changes. Whichever image i selected goes from $IMAGENAME$.jpg to just IMAGENAME. This in turn changes the CUSTOMDL label and moves my flash list to the top. Is there anyway this can be fixed. Custom lists and playlists dont exhibit this behavior.. only CUSTOMDL and only on picviewer.skin as far as i can tell.
No announcement yet.
problem with CUSTOMDL on picviewer.skin
problem with CUSTOMDL on picviewer.skin
mp3Car.com Senior Tech Blogger (Want a product reviewed? Contact me.)
Follow Me on Twitter or Facebook
Live mp3Car Facebook ChatTags: None


text:
I really enjoy #SMCSYD (Social Media Club Sydney) and when I realised that, as I'm in New York, I will miss the next event on building and managing online audiences, I searched for #SMCNYC (Social Media Club New York) to see if I could head there instead. Last night #SMCNYC had two topics – the FTC Guidelines for bloggers & Google Wave.
Yes, you guessed it, they were both about Social Media. The audience was a combination of bloggers, public relations, researchers, communications and consultants.
- SMCSYD is about 10 times the audience size of SMCNYC. It is rare to say that something in New York isn't greater in size than in Sydney. Maybe there are just too many options in New York.
- The last two SMCSYDs have been at the Oxford Art Factory with a bar, while SMCNYC was at the offices of PRNewswire, which creates different vibes. With the next SMCSYD at the University of Technology Sydney, University Hall and no alcohol once the event starts maybe those vibes will be similar.
- SMCSYD has become a trending topic on Twitter during the event. Matt Hurst and I were the most prolific twitters during the event. Although I'm a quantitative mind, I haven't done the math, maybe it is just the difference in audience size, but I think Sydney-siders tweet more at these kinds of events.
- The great thing about SMCNYC is that the smaller group allowed for some great discussion, so that the speakers were more facilitators in a conversation rather than presenters that SMCSYD has. So depending on your preference – speakers get more air-time in Sydney, there is more debate in New York.
- SMCSYD has a Twitter feed behind the speakers during question time, so that questions are a mix of those coming from the feed and those from the floor. This means there is a conversation on the floor and a conversation on Twitter – everyone can laugh about a tweet in the feed and the speakers can get a little confused about whether it is something they said. It also means that someone not there can ask a question, or someone at the back can ask questions with the same opportunity to have it answered as someone at the front.
- On the personal side, I walk into SMCSYD knowing people, whereas I walked into SMCNYC without knowing or following anyone there on Twitter. The crowds at both are very friendly and it is easy to meet new people. Sometimes starting cold can be an advantage because you don't gravitate to those you know.
I generally create a word cloud after SMCSYD using CloudMaker in Tribal Tool-Kit, here is a word cloud created for SMCNYC (as of mid-day the following day).
The benefit of CloudMaker is the editing features. This is what I did:
- The words were imported in the TweetWords section. The Twitter API limits the import to the last 100 tweets. There were 307 terms imported with 772 terms in total. After the editing below there were 289 terms with 695 terms in total.
- Applied a pre-saved stop word list of terms so they don't appear in the word cloud, but they stay in the data set. The template includes: a; the; and; to; in; on; I; with; My; For; of; Be; Am; As; At; When; It; Your; First; Put; -; All; Are; Is; So; That; An; If; Its; No; &; Any; Do; Go; from; have; here; there; this; what; will; with; about; that; was; want.
- Added to the stop word list new terms relevant to this word cloud as their higher frequencies would make the rest of the cloud very flat: #smcnyc; @smcnyc; smcnyc; @socialmediaclub; #socialmediaclub.
- Deleted the websites imported so that they were no longer in the list and wouldn't show in the word cloud. This is easy to do by sorting the list alphabetically. This removed 9 terms.
- Also deleted: 11/16
- I merged similar terms and ones with typos:
- "1994-5″ and "94-5″
- "blogger", "bloggers" and "ftc/bloggers"
- "blog" and "blogs"
- "giveaway" and "giveaways"
- "wave" and "waves"
- "tonight" and "tonght"
- Gravity and Summit were separate terms with a frequency of 12 so I edited "gravity" to be "gravity summit" and then deleted "summit" so that they became one term together.
- Google had a frequency of 33 and Wave 44. These were edited so it was Google Wave 33 and Wave 11.
- Selected a pre-saved template so the word cloud only had terms with a frequency of 3+, there were 4 terms per row, and Tribe Research colours.
The great aspect to chapters of an international organisation is that they have a common goal or theme, but have their own localised flavour. It was great to be able to attend an SMC in both NYC and Sydney.


text:
that camera and those shoes awwwwwwwww
all cat everything. love!
Those slippers *swoons. I thought you owned them until I read it below. I was about to become mighty jealous.
shoes with ears the best.
how beautiful!!
I wish I could keep those slippers too! Lovely post.
Such a good post! All the items are great but those slippers are sooooo amazing.


text:
NEW PALTZ — A public hearing on whether to grant a 25-year tax break to the developer of a proposed SUNY New Paltz housing complex drew several hundred people and a slew of negative comments from town and county officials.
Speakers argued that the tax break, known as a PILOT or payment in lieu of taxes, was unjustified and that the Ulster County Industrial Development Agency, which was holding the hearing, had questionably allowed dormitories to qualify for tax exemptions.
Several speakers said the developer had conducted insufficient or inaccurate needs and benefits assessments.
Kevin Wilmot, financial vice president for the Rochester NY developer, Wilmorite, said the project would bring 215 construction jobs over 18 months and 10 new permanent jobs.
"Without help from the IDA, the project cannot move forward," he said.
Ulster County Legislator Ken Wishnick questioned whether the IDA's inclusion of a dormitory exemption two years after the project had been announced had been created specifically for Wilmorite's benefit.
Ulster County Comptroller Elliott Auerbach told the board members that 31 percent of the town of New Paltz's total assessed value was already wholly tax exempt.
New Paltz Town Supervisor Susan Zimet acknowledged the importance of the college to the community's economy, but said the project's tax burden should not be carried by its residents.
She said the town board believes the cost to taxpayers far outweighs the benefits of the project and that the company has not proven the PILOT was critical to the project.
Officials blast proposed tax break for SUNY New Paltz housing complex
Jan 29, 2014 at 2:58 PM
Jan 29, 2014 at 3:00 PM


text:
I'm going to share with you a simple recipe that I made for the first night on our fishing trip to beautiful Valdez, Alaska. Can you imagine fishing with this kind of a view?
Archives for July 2012
The Grizzlies
As I mentioned, we weren't the only ones out there fishing for salmon in Valdez. We were joined by many in the animal kingdom, and this one paid a visit that very first night. A mama grizzly bear with….count those cubs!
Salmon Fishing in Valdez
This past weekend, we headed out on a fishing trip in Valdez, way down at the coast. My husband went to Valdez for a charter boat fishing trip, but this was my first time down. The area we were going to be fishing, was near a hatchery where gazillions of baby salmon are released every…
We've Been Busy
In the last week, we went on a trip to Valdez, Alaska – down by the coast to do some salmon fishing …of course I also did GOBS of picture-taking, and a little geocaching as well. I have already shared pictures from the drive down. But I have so many more to share for all…
The Road Down to Valdez | #WordlessWednesday
Traveling from Fairbanks to Valdez, Alaska. This is a semi-wordless Wednesday post. Black Rapids Glacier
Italian Wedding Soup
You may remember a fairly recent guest post by a guy who goes by the funny "name" of Bloodhounded. Well, he is back! This time he is sharing his wonderful Italian Wedding Soup. ~~~ I was bummed out when I found out that Italian Wedding Soup has NOTHING to do with a wedding at all!…
Curried Coconut Chicken
This dish is full of flavor, yet quick enough to be perfect for a weeknight meal.
Fudgy One Pot Brownies
These deliciously moist and fudgy brownies are one of my favorite treats to make.
Road Trip to Denali | #WordlessWednesday 7-18-12
A Trip to Denali
This year the National Parks are offering a special pass, where military members and families can visit all 397 national parks for free! (Find out more!) We took advantage of it this past weekend, and went to Denali National Park.


text:
1998 killing of Iranian diplomats in Afghanistan
1998 killing of Iranian diplomats in Afghanistan | |
Location | Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan |
Date | August 8, 1998 (UTC+4:30) |
Target | Iranian diplomats |
Deaths | 11 |
Perpetrators | Taliban |
The 1998 killing of Iranian diplomats in Afghanistan refers to the siege of the Iranian consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan during the Taliban and Northern Alliance battles of Mazar-i-Sharif. Initially the death of 8 Iranian diplomats was reported, but later two other diplomats and a journalist were also confirmed dead. The killings of the diplomats is speculated to have been carried out by Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan.[1][2]
Before this incident, Iran was supportive of the Afghan Northern Alliance, and the city of Mazari Sharif was one of the headquarters of the alliance. It is reported that between May and July 1997 Abdul Malik Pahlawan executed thousands of Taliban prisoners as a revenge for the 1995 death of Abdul Ali Mazari. "He is widely believed to have been responsible for the brutal massacre of up to 3,000 Taliban prisoners after inviting them into Mazar-i-Sharif."[3] As a revenge, Taliban forces captured Mazar-i-Sharif and killed hundreds of Northern Alliance members, particularly members of the Hazara and Uzbek ethnic group as they were accused of being the ones who carried out the killings of Taliban prisoners.
The events[edit]
On August 8, 1998 Taliban forces captured Mazar-i-Sharif. After this incident, 11 Iranian diplomats and a correspondent from Iran's state news agency (IRNA) were attacked at the Iranian consulate and subsequently disappeared. Unofficial reports from the city indicated that all these men were killed. Later it was confirmed that 8 of the Iranian diplomats and the IRNA correspondent were killed by the Taliban militia attacking the consulate. The Taliban spokesmen said the Iranians had been killed by renegade forces who had acted without orders.[4] It was also reported that some of the personnel of the consulate were taken hostage by the Taliban, but they were later released.
This incident caused a public furor in Iran and many observers were worried Iran would be involved in a military response to the attack. At the time, more than 70,000 Iranian troops were deployed along the Afghan border.[5][6] Mediation by the United Nations defused the situation and all the hostages were eventually released. Later in February 1999, Iran and Taliban held talks, but Iranian-Taliban relations did not improve.[7]
August 8 is named Reporters' Day in Iran, in memory of Mahmoud Saremi, the IRNA correspondent killed in this attack.
- ^ Riedel, Bruce (2010). The Search for Al Qaeda: Its Leadership, Ideology, and Future (2nd Revised ed.). Brookings Institution. pp. 66–67. ISBN 978-0-8157-0451-5.
- ^ Gutman, Roy (2008). How We Missed the Story: Osama Bin Laden, the Taliban, and the Hijacking of Afghanistan. Institute of Peace Press. p. 142. ISBN 978-1-60127-024-5.
- ^ "Afghan powerbrokers: Who's who". BBC News. November 19, 2001. Retrieved 2011-04-01.
- ^ Jehl, Douglas (1998-09-11). "Iran Holds Taliban Responsible for 9 Diplomats' Deaths". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
- ^ Jehl, Douglas (1998-09-12). "For Death of Its Diplomats, Iran Vows Blood for Blood". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
- ^ Session 53 The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security S/1998/1109 page 2. 23 November 1998. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
- ^ "Taliban, Iran hold talks". CNN. 1999-02-03. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
- 1998 in Iran
- 1998 in Afghanistan
- Afghanistan–Iran relations
- Conflicts in 1998
- Diplomatic incidents
- Hostage taking in Afghanistan
- Iranian people murdered abroad
- Iranian terrorism victims
- Murdered journalists
- People murdered in Afghanistan
- Political controversies
- Terrorism deaths in Afghanistan
- Attacks on diplomatic missions of Iran
- Attacks on diplomatic missions in Afghanistan
- Civil war in Afghanistan (1996–2001)


text:
Is there a network left without an original scripted series? With WGN America greenlighting its very own, that answer just be might "No."
The network, under the leadership of new president and general manager Matt Cherniss, has given a straight-to-series order to the drama "Salem," from "Star Trek" and "24" writer Brannon Braga and Adam Simon ("The Haunting in Connecticut"). The 13-episode season is slated to begin production in the fall for a 2014 premiere.
"Salem" was originally developed for FX and is set in the volatile world of 17th Century Massachusetts, exploring what really fueled the town's infamous witch trials, daring to uncover the dark, supernatural truth hiding behind the veil of this shocking period in American history.
The show will center on an epic romance wrapped around the revelation that witches are real, but not who or what they seem.
In a statement, Cherniss said, "Brannon and Adam have an amazing vision for the world and characters that comprise Salem, Massachusetts, during the witch trials, and we believe that a great adventure full of supernatural, romance, and action awaits the viewer."
"Salem" is expected to kick-start WGN America's aggressive expansion of its programming slate.


text:
Worried about last minute prep for college move-in?
Check out our Fresh Starts catalog to get great dorm and apartment ideas and shop directly from the guide into our store. Have an iPad? You can also view it using your iPad by downloading the free Catalogs app from the iTunes store. Our catalog can be found in the Back to School, Home or Gift sections, where you can view, click, pick your favorite items, and even create a collage of your wishlist.
Need some more excitement and inspiration? Be sure to download our checklist so that you don't forget anything, brush up on some tips on our blog, and watch us dormify this room to get you motivated for move-in day.


text:
1/2 ounce High Quality Blue Musk Premium Grade Fragrance Oil
Blue Musk Fragrance Oil is a crisp and clean scent made from fresh aquatic notes. Skin safe Blue Musk Oil is packaged in a clear perfume vial with glass wand applicator.
You may use this oil for direct application on skin as well as use in your oil diffusers, light rings, simmering pots, oil warmers and aromatherapy jewelry. Properly stored out of direct sunlight and well sealed, your fragrance oil has a shelf life of 1 year; many will last longer.
Fragrance Oils are normally made up of a number of synthetic imitations of essential oils creating a fragrance that will smell like a particular flower, herb, plant or other fragrance; many times when cost prohibitive to make an essential oil.
Premium Grade fragrance oils are used to add fragrance to melt and pour soap bases, cold processed soaps, all candle waxes but especially soy wax, unscented incense sticks and cones, bath products and sea salts. Premium Grade oils can be used in aroma burners and are skin safe. Premium grade fragrance oil is an enhanced formula to provide additional concentration of the top note while sustaining the middle and base notes in fragrance oils. If scenting soaps, waxes, lotions, less oil is required while still providing superior aroma qualities.
How much premium fragrance oil to use in your crafts, bath and lotions:
- Candles: 1 to 1 1/2 ounce per pound
- Soap: 3/4 to 1 ounce per pound
- Bath & Body Lotions: 1 to 1 1/2 ounce per gallon