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Whenever the Australian cricket team demolishes the batting attack of a rival side, it doesn't just come down to enthusiasm and Shane Warne's right arm. While the players clearly have talent to burn, their dream run as world champions has been aided by technology.
Every ball bowled, wicket taken and run scored has been carefully analysed using sophisticated data mining software.
Statistics, variables and results are poured into a database containing details of every test and one-day game played by the team.
Trawling through this data allows coaches and players to tailor game strategies and playing techniques to ensure the maximum chance of another win. If bowling two leg breaks in the third over after lunch usually works, the software will spot it.
Away from the sporting field, such data mining techniques are becoming increasingly popular in the world of big business. Having invested millions of dollars in collecting customer and operational information as well as establishing data warehouses, a lot of companies are keen to extract some demonstrable value.
Sorting the haul
Interest in data mining is being driven by the rapid growth in the volume of data collected and held by many companies. Customer loyalty programs, billing engines, ERP and CRM systems are all generating gigabytes of data. Making sense of this data, extracting meaningful trends and predicting future activity is where data mining tools excel.
For mobile phone operator Virgin Mobile, successful use of data mining has allowed it to carve out a niche in Australia's fiercely competitive telecommunications market. Virgin Mobile's data warehouse delivery manager, Rhys Newell, says data mining plays a fundamental role in the daily activities of his company.
"Fortunately the company had the foresight to establish a data warehouse from day one of operations," says Newell. "It's given us a very strong asset."
Virgin's internal IT staff worked with a team of Oracle consultants to design a warehouse that could accept three primary data streams: pre-paid customer data, post-paid customer data and external ordering information from dealers and resellers.
Now, with some 500,000 subscribers using its services, the company has more than 500 gigabytes of data to crunch. "We were getting to around a terabyte late last year but decided to pull it back a bit. Now we're holding details of customers and all calls made, going back about two years."
Virgin uses data mining tools on its warehouse in two principal ways. First, targeted marketing campaigns can be devised through analysing customer-calling patterns for specific groups. This could include SMS offers or direct mail to groups deemed most likely to respond.
Also, fraudulent activity can be predicted and its effect on the bottom line minimised. Newell admits the company's fraud rate had been running above the industry average, causing angst for senior management.
However, through judicious use of data mining techniques, potentially fraudulent customers were identified before serious problems occurred. By monitoring sudden changes in call patterns, Virgin is now able to accurately forecast when a customer is likely to move away from the network and leave an unpaid bill.
"Over a period we have been able to identify customers who are likely to be bad debtors," says Newell. "Now we have one of the lowest fraud rates in the industry."
Tools of the trade
Across the Tasman, Telecom New Zealand (TNZ) reports similar advantages flowing from its use of SAS data mining tools. TNZ's IS investment manager Mike Evertzen believes the company simply could not operate without the tools as they benefit virtually every area of the business.
The telco has constructed an Oracle-based data warehouse called Probe (Proactive Business Enabler) that contains some 4 terabytes of information covering fixed line, mobile and data customers. External data including mapping and statistical information is also added to the mix.
"I always believe that data warehouses are projects that never end," says Evertzen. "They always have to evolve to match where the business is going. Probe now has around 2,000 users across all areas of the company including sales, financial, network and fraud detection."
As the country's incumbent carrier, TNZ must constantly fight off new rivals eager to attract a slice of its customer base. Data mining plays a critical role in this process.
Evertzen says SAS Enterprise Miner is used to predict when customers are likely to churn, or move to another operator. A range of statistical models has been built and is surprisingly accurate in forecasting when this will happen. Tailored offers can then be devised to encourage these customers to remain with TNZ.
"We could not do this without data mining tools," says Evertzen. "It's one thing to have masses of information in a warehouse but you have to be able to analyse it to get value from it.
"When we now ask internally what people would do without these facilities, they look at us and say 'we couldn't stay in business'. A number of our business plans are based totally on information that has been gleaned through data mining."
With such profitable benefits being enjoyed by big companies, smaller organisations are also keen to embrace data mining. While it's clear the tools have little to offer the corner store or small manufacturer, anyone with a pool of data that could offer insights into customer or market behaviour stands to benefit.
Plumbing the depths Data mining consultant Richard Lees says any organisation with a database too large to be readily understood by one person is a potential user of data mining tools. Lees works with a range of companies to implement and fine tune data mining software and believes usage of the tools will spread quickly during the next couple of years.
"The software and skills needed to adopt data mining have traditionally been very expensive, however this is changing," he says. "A few years ago you had to write tailor-made programs to do analysis, but now it's becoming more automated.
"You only have to look at the fact that Microsoft now ships the capability as part of SQL Server to see it's readily available to smaller firms."
Lees points to IT leasing company ComputerFleet as an example of a smaller company reaping rewards from an investment in data mining tools.
The company's business involves managing leases for IT equipment used by government, business and educational organisations. It has a sizable database containing details of the length of leases, equipment in the field and past patterns of upgrading.
Through data mining techniques, the organisation is able to predict when companies are likely to return their equipment. This allows ComputerFleet to more readily dispose of assets and arrange delivery of replacement kit as required.
ComputerFleet had initially considered data mining to be too expensive and complex for its operations but soon changed its mind. "It helps them to make customers' contracts more profitable as they can predict customer behaviour and be ready when it happens," says Lees.
Variables used include the size and type of client, the type of asset under lease and details of the lease term. When compared with more than 12 years of data in the warehouse, accurate predictions can be made.
If ComputerFleet can extract such value from the techniques, thousands of other small and medium-sized companies can expect to experience strong returns on investment in the required software.
The probability of confusion
But, despite such stories of success, Lees believes there is still some confusion in the marketplace around what actually constitutes data mining. Many companies think it's what they want and need but in reality are simply looking for ways to query their databases.
Asking questions like 'How many customers have bought red shoes on a Monday?' is not data mining, as there is no probability involved. But if the question becomes 'Which customers are likely to buy red shoes next week?' it becomes a task for data mining tools.
IBM Business Consulting Services application innovation services leader, Fred Balboni, says it is important for companies to be clear about exactly what they want to achieve from their data mining projects.
"It's not about having some sort of crystal ball for the business," he says. "It's about using the information in a meaningful way. This is not a 'wow' technology that is going to revolutionise a company, but it is going to offer a very powerful way to change the way a company operates."
Balboni says that, in companies of all sizes, data mining can move activity from selling to buying - a subtle but powerful difference.
"It's no longer a case of asking 'Would you like fries with that?' It is much more subtle," he says. "You need to know not just what people buy, but why they buy it. You can then structure your offers so they are more likely to buy from you."
As more companies implement the techniques, customers can expect increasingly sophisticated and targeted marketing campaigns. The combination of previous buying patterns, demographic data and predictive analysis could make the goal of one-to-one marketing possible.
Just as it has changed the way cricketers approach their games, data mining has the potential to alter the face of commerce. In the future, companies may know more about their customers than those customers know about themselves.


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With reference to paperweights in this instance, unless it has a name, brand or label on it no-one should make an assumption that it is by a particular artist or Company and anyone selling should certainly not, not only is it very misleading but probably illegal.
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Fall Florida Beach Deals
November is the perfect time to enjoy Florida's shores free of crowds and noise. These coastal spots are favorites for their laid-back luxury. Best part? Reader discounts!
Henderson Park Inn, Destin, FL
Average November High: 72°
Why We Love It: Set in Henderson Beach State Park, the secluded inn gives you access to 1.2 miles of private, white-sand beach. Most of the 36 rooms have terraces overlooking the Gulf.
Reader Discount: Mention Southern Living for a $180 flat rate for an executive or corner suite (November–February) on a first-come, first-served basis. hendersonparkinn.com
Elizabeth Pointe Lodge, Amelia Island, FL
Average November High: 72°
Why We Love It: Elizabeth Pointe's owners, David and Susan Caples, are veteran innkeepers–they opened one of the first B&Bs on Amelia Island in 1980 before building Elizabeth Pointe in 1992. That experience pays off in the lodge's amenities: The kitchen stays open 24 hours a day; breakfast options include eggs Benedict, French toast, and homemade orange bread; and wine awaits when the sun goes down.
Reader Discount: Get 15% off Friday–Saturday or 20% off Sunday–Thursday rates when you mention Southern Living. elizabethpointelodge.com
Port d'Hiver Bed and Breakfast, Melbourne Beach, FL
Average November High: 78°
Why We Love It: This island getaway sits on a half-mile-wide sliver of land about 5 miles east of Melbourne. Each room comes with a private balcony where you can enjoy a gourmet breakfast.
Reader Discount: Get 10% off room rates for Cabanas when you mention the Southern Living special booking code, SouthII. (Not valid on holidays or combinable with other discounts or promotions.) portdhiver.com
Turtle Beach Resort, Siesta Key, FL
Average November High: 80°
Why We Love It: When David and Gail Rubinfeld first started work on a cluster of cottages in 1991, the buildings sat on a barren bayside strip. Now the block blooms with hibiscus flowers and palm trees. Each cottage room, as well as those in an adjacent inn the couple added six years ago, features original artwork by Gail and her late sister, Marian Rosenfeld. Don't stay inside too long–once you leave the room, you get free use of kayaks or canoes.
Reader Discount: Get 10% off room rates in November (except Thanksgiving weekend) when you mention Southern Living. turtlebeachresort.com
The Southernmost House, Key West, FL
Average November High: 81°
Why We Love It: Visitors have hit the beach near this pink house at the end of Duval Street for more than a century–although these days many decide to spend the afternoon by the infinity pool instead.
Reader Discount: Get 15% off room rates when you mention Southern Living. southernmosthouse.com


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Megerdich "Mike" Manoogian has finally filled the big hole in his heart — after more than half a century of waiting.
Megerdich "Mike" Manoogian has finally filled the big hole in his heart — after more than half a century of waiting.
Manoogian recently reconnected with the captain, now retired colonel, who provided invaluable help when Manoogian was a U.S. Army private.
Back then, Manoogian spoke broken English and had yet to become an American citizen. But with the help of William "Bill" Wollenberg, Manoogian married his childhood sweetheart, Angele, on Nov. 7, 1961.
Wollenberg, now 82, came from his home in Colorado to join the Manoogians and their family in Ocala for a Thanksgiving feast of food — and memories.
Manoogian now owns the Mobil station on Baseline Road near the landfill. He and his wife have raised three sons and have seven grandchildren.
"I promised the captain if he helped me I would work at making a good family in America and make him proud," Manoogian recalled. "I felt like I had a big hole in my heart until now, when I told the captain I kept my promise."
Wollenberg was an honored guest among the Manoogian clan. It was the first time he had seen the Manoogians in 52 years, although the families did keep in touch by mail until around 1967, when Wollenberg served the first of two tours of duty in the Vietnam War.
"Every time a child had a milestone, like a school or college graduation, I tried to find my friend the captain and let him know. When we did I was so happy," Manoogian said.
"We found him recently through the Internet. We saw the obituary for his wife, Doris, who passed away in May 2012," said Angele Manoogian.
Megerdich Manoogian, 76, was born in Syria to Armenian parents who came to the U.S. in 1960.
"I promised an American ambassador in Syria if he helped me obtain a visa to join my parents I would volunteer for the U.S. Army and be a good soldier and make him proud. My father had waited 35 years to go to the U.S. I got the visa and joined my parents, Kevork and Varsenig Manoogian, late in 1960. Right away I signed up for the Army and told the ambassador I fulfilled my promise," Manoogian said.
He had known Angele since she was about 5, but the two became separated when Megerdich left to join his parents in the U.S. They continued to communicate by letter.
When Manoogian left New Jersey on a troop ship for Germany, he suggested she meet him there since he would be three quarters of the way to her.
Angele was a resident of Beirut, Lebanon, while her future husband was serving in Amberg.
"I was taking an English course which was taught by Doris Wollenberg, William's wife. She taught school for children on the base and held a crash course in English in summer for GIs," Manoogian recalled.
"One part was writing a 10-line essay. I wrote 'How I Became Separated From the Girl I Love' and Mrs. Wollenberg took it to heart," Manoogian said.
"She was impressed and asked me to stay after class. She asked, 'Is it true?' " Manoogian said.
Manoogian related the difficulties encountered by any GI getting married in his situation. Doris Wollenberg enlisted her husband, who was base commander.
"It was difficult even for a GI marrying a girl from a NATO country to get an OK and be married in less than four months," Manoogian recalled.
"The captain (Wollenberg) called me to his office and just said, 'Let me see what I can do,' " Manoogian said.
"It wasn't uncommon then to see these situations with a lot of young soldiers, many who were drafted, wanting to get married. We would counsel soldiers," Wollenberg recalled.
The mission of the base was primarily border patrol during the Iron Curtain era. They were along the border with Czechoslovakia where barbed wire separated the countries.
Wollenberg came to the base office, which was filled with typists, and told the sergeant — who had said the application would take forever — to put the application through and that he would personally guarantee Angele's clearance, which was required for the marriage.
"He said we would be good citizens," Manoogian said.
"(Wollenberg) sent his own military driver to help me find a place for Angele to live off base when it was very hard for American GIs to find private housing in Germany. His driver negotiated with the local people," Manoogian said.
The story took a funny turn — in hindsight, at least — when Wollenberg chewed out a base chaplain who was declining to help in the marriage effort because Manoogian and his future wife weren't Catholic.
Wollenberg said the chaplain was a "contract chaplain" due to a shortage of clergy in the military at the time.
"He was obliged to help my soldiers regardless of race, creed or color," Wollenberg said.
Manoogian said on the day of the wedding, guard duty made him late. Just before the ceremony, when he realized he had no rings, he ran to a nearby jewelry store and purchased a pair for $15.
After about two years in the Army, the Manoogians settled in the Detroit area, where he worked as a barber and real estate speculator. He retired to the Ocala area in 1991 but never forgot "his promise to the captain to be a good citizen."
Over the holiday Wollenberg caught up with the rest of the story. The Manoogians have three sons: Ara, 50, Vrej, 49, and Armen, 39.
"Armen is a businessman and historian, Vrej an orthopedic surgeon, and Ara a lawyer. We have three daughters-in-law and seven grandchildren," said Manoogian, his eyes welling with tears.
"I feel like the hole in my heart has been filled now," he said.


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SOMERSWORTH — "We knew from the day the thefts were initially discovered that this report would be forthcoming," said Beth Salinger, executive director of the Somersworth Housing Authority. "We encouraged the firm to go through anything and everything. Apart from the theft, there were no other issues whatsoever."
On Tuesday, Salinger reflected on a recent auditor's report that concluding a number of internal controls were missing within the Authority over a six-year span — a period when more than $700,000 was stolen by the organization's former fiscal director, Lisa Reid.
On Dec. 6, 2011, Reid reportedly admitted to Salinger she stole the funds amid personal financial troubles. Somersworth police approached Reid later that same day, but she requested a lawyer, effectively shutting down communication with law enforcement. She was found dead the next morning from an apparent suicide by drug overdose.
The auditor's report — completed by the firm Hurley, O'Neill & Company of Quincy, Mass. — ultimately cites a lack of internal controls that could have prevented the loss of approximately $780,000 at the hands of the SHA's former fiscal director.
"We've implemented policies to correct those issues," Salinger said. "A new internal control system began back in February of this year." Some of these new improvements include a new check signing and transfer policy, along with redesigned job descriptions — all areas Reid originally exploited during her time as fiscal director.
The auditor's report states Reid processed checks written to herself on the check stock of certain checking accounts of the authority. It also says Reid endorsed the checks by scanning signatures from other legitimate checks and then printing them on the checks generated from her personal computer.
Additionally, Reid recorded the transactions in the general ledger by netting her thefts against proceeds from third parties for management fees earned by the Authority. For example, if the SHA earned $20,000 in a month for management fees and Reid stole $8,000, she would subsequently record management fee revenue of $12,000.
"The employee relied on the failures of management and the Board of Commissioners to implement effective controls," the report reads. "Proper segregation of duties in various controls activities would have reduced or eliminated the opportunity to commit fraud and basic monitoring procedures would have detected it."
And per the report's request, redesigning job descriptions is another point of emphasis the Authority has improved upon, Salinger said. The report concluded by asking the SHA's management to assess the critical components of internal control and ultimately implement a more effective internal control policy.
"Segregation of duties should be analyzed to ensure that the basic functions of control are separated, with those functions generally being; authorization, recording, custody of assets, and reconciliation or audit," it reads.
Salinger said the report also shows the SHA has nothing to hide in the matter — a reason why the Board of Director's decided to make the report public.
"We put the audit out to show there's nothing to hide," she said. "No one else had anything to do with this at all," she said in relation to the thefts.
Commissioner Robert Crichton of the SHA Board of Commissioners mirrored Salinger's remarks. "We wanted to show that there's nothing to hide," he said Monday. "We're continuing to move forward and are still discussing the matter."
Although the auditor's report outlines the theft of $780,000 from the SHA, an overall total of $920,000 was actually stolen by Reid. The remaining funds, Salinger said, were stolen from the Somersworth Community Development Corporation account — an organization separate from the SHA that couldn't be included in the auditor's report.
Seeking to recoup its losses, SHA filed suit in January against Reid's husband, Scott Reid, who now controls his late wife's assets. SHA is asking a superior court judge to put a temporary freeze on those assets, which include property, vehicles, and income from the couple's furniture store in Rochester.
Emails furnished by Reid's husband during the court battle have tipped investigators off to the existence of at least two online trading accounts Lisa Reid operated before her death, according to court documents.
Salinger said the housing authority is anticipating that it may need a court order to determine if the accounts are still active, and whether they contain funds. Scott Reid has indicated he will cooperate with the housing authority in the investigation, according to court documents.
Scott Reid and his attorney were scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 20 for a hearing regarding the fate of Reid's assets. The hearing was continued until Jan. 4, 2013, at the request of the housing authority, which cited the discovery of the online trading accounts as the cause. SHA will seek to lump together any money in the accounts with Lisa Reid's other assets.
Earlier this year, a superior court judge denied a request by the housing authority to grant a temporary restraining order against Lisa Reid's assets without holding a hearing on the matter. The order would keep Scott Reid from selling or giving away any of his late wife's assets.
In March, the housing authority and Scott Reid came to an agreement to put off further legal action for 90 days. The agreement was meant to allow attorneys to determine the ownership of all assets once owned by Lisa Reid.
In the interim, Scott Reid voluntarily agreed to provide at least 10 days notice to an attorney representing the housing authority before transferring any asset of his late wife's worth more than $1,000. He also agreed to place all income from the couple's furniture store, Cozy Home Primitives, into a trust fund.
The housing authority, through its attorney, contends several assets now under Scott Reid's control were potentially purchased with funds stolen from the SHA. Those assets include time shares and/or condominiums in Florida, a Jeep, a recreational vehicle and the money used to lease space for the couple's furniture store.
Report confirms Somersworth Housing Authority 'has nothing to hide' Former fiscal director stole nearly $800g
SOMERSWORTH — "We knew from the day the thefts were initially discovered that this report would be forthcoming," said Beth Salinger, executive director of the Somersworth Housing Authority. "We encouraged the firm to go through anything and everything. Apart from the theft, there were no other issues whatsoever."


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Lot # 1191 (of 1727) < Previous Lot | Next Lot >
1896 Baltimore (vs. Chicago) National League Program
Starting Bid - $500, Sold For - $1,763
Extremely rare baseball program dating from the glory years of the legendary 1890s Baltimore Orioles. The colorful cover features a sepia portrait of Baltimore pitcher George Hemming surrounded by a game-in-progress scene and advertising for a number of local Baltimore establishments. A Pepsin Gum advertisement appears on the back cover. The four-page program commemorates a game played in Baltimore against the Chicago Colts. Although undated, according to the Baltimore schedule printed on one of the interior pages, Chicago only visited Baltimore twice during the season. The first three-game series ran from June 11th through June 13, while the second took place from September 2nd through September 4th. The preprinted lineups include Hall of Famers Joe Kelley, Willie Keeler, Hughie Jennings, and Wilbert Robinson for Baltimore, and Cap Anson, Clark Griffith, and Jimmy Ryan for Chicago. The interior pages are clean and free of tears. The center score pages have not been scored. The program has a light stain in the upper left and lower right corners, but is otherwise in Excellent condition. This is an exceptionally rare, substantial, and attractive program dating from Baltimore's first World Championship season of the decade. Reserve $500. Estimate $1,000+. SOLD FOR $1,763
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FEZ Review
One of the rules we were taught in my topology class was that if you come across a barrier in a space, like a line drawn through a plane, you can get past it by adding a dimension, like jumping over the line. This rule is not lost on game developers as they will often put an impassible barrier in a game that requires some kind of 'jump,' such as stacking crates or otherwise ascending to the challenge. Some titles, including FEZ, actually revolve around the mechanic used to bypass these barriers.
First released last year for consoles, the long-awaited indie platformer, puzzle game allowed players to experience the life of Gomez. Gomez, and everyone else in his village live in what many of them believe is just a two dimensional world. One of them knows better though and decides to share the knowledge of the third dimension with Gomez and gives him a 3D fez, which allows him to change from one 2D perspective to another, allowing him to explore the world he never knew existed.
To mark its first birthday, the developers decided to revisit the well-received game and release a PC version, which is available both on Steam and Good Old Games. Having been interested in the game for some time, I decided to get a PC copy and, since I have it, why not review it? (That's a rhetorical question.)
Does FEZ add a new dimension to PC gaming or does it fall flat? Read on to find out.


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22 June 2009 06:30
Unknown Device Identifier 6.01by nachilau & 1 other
Unknown Device Identifier enables you to identify the yellow question mark labeled Unknown Devices in Device Manager. And reports you a detailed summary for the manufacturer name, OEM name, device type, device model and even the exact name of the unknown devices. With the collected information, you might contact your hardware manufacturer for support or search the Internet for the corresponding driver with a simple click. With this utility, you might immediately convert your unidentified unknown devices into identified known devices and find proper driver on the Internet and contact the hardware device manufacturer or vender. Known devices recognized by Microsoft Windows will also be analyzed independent of the operating system.
The PCI ID Repositoryby nachilau
Source forge data base for PCI ID Repository
1 (3 marks)


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Lollipop Hoax Video Tricks 1 Million Viewers (PHOTO, VIDEO)
A lollipop hoax has caught the attention of thousands of Internet users over the past few weeks.
The hoax took place after a video was uploaded to the Internet in March showing a man sculpting faces out of lollipops using his mouth. The unique trick seemed so impressive that the video quickly went viral on the Internet as thousands applauded the man's amazing skill.
Within weeks the video received nearly 1 million views, however, it has now turned out that the entire video was a complete hoax.
According to Yahoo! News, the man from Singapore does not sculpt lollipops with his mouth. In fact the entire video was set up by a company called Chupa Chups as a "marketing gag" to "generate some buzz in social media circles."
The marketing ploy seems to have worked even better than anyone could have expected as the video caught the attention of people around the world. However, viewers who believed that the trick was real will now be left disappointed by the gag.
Some have pointed out that the lollipop company is in fact huge outside of America, and that many in other countries knew that the video was a marketing ploy long before viewers in the United States.
Yahoo News reported on the prank: "In our book, that's just making stuff up as opposed to a genuinely creative prank. But ultimately, the clip is harmless. And in its defense, Chupa Chups actually admitted to the hoax on its Facebook page on April 1."
Here is a video of the lollipop street artist that went viral and until now has received just under 1 million views:


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In this section the people, personalities and debates on the @fedora-devel mailing list are summarized.
Contributing Writer: Oisin Feeley
NFS Mounts and Caching DNS Nameservers Problem
An update on problems with NFS mounts was posted[1] by Warren Togami. It was decided that
nfs-utils will revert to its pre 2009-01-14 behavior.
[1] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01242.html
Fedora 11 Alpha Release Activities
There was a flurry of activity related to the
Fedora 11 Alpha release (scheduled[1] for 2009-02-03). Denis Leroy inquired[2] on 2009-01-21 what had happened to the freeze, originally scheduled for the previous day, and whether all builds in rawhide were queued until after the freeze. Mamoru Tasaka responded[3] with a link to Jesse Keating's explanation[4] that the freeze is a non-blocking freeze which allows targeted fixes to be made. Tom Lane wanted[5] an "all-clear signal that the alpha tag has been made and we can go back to breaking rawhide ;-)" Jesse created [6] the
alpha tag and apologized for slacking on it. He suggested that if many dependencies were going to be broken by Tom's
mysql-5.1 push that Tom should ask for a
koji tag specifically to land it and build all the deps for it before moving it into
rawhide itself.Josh Boyer demonstrated[7] how the
Koji command-line can be used to answer queries about what tags are present:
$koji list-tags | grep f11-alpha $koji list-tag-inheritance f11-alpha
Rahul Sundaram requested[8] that knowledgeable folks would help build the Release Notes[9] for
Fedora 11 by adding relevant information to the wiki. After Rahul got the ball rolling, with some information on the use of
ext4 as the default filesystem, the experimental provision of the
btrfs filesystem and more, Richard W.M. Jones added information on the
MinGW windows cross-compiler and Todd Zullinger added information about
The 2009-01-23 Rawhide Report[10] contained some large lists of broken dependencies which were pounced on by the respective developers. As the majority were due to the new
MySQL mentioned above Jesse Keating asked[11] why his advice to use a special tag had been ignored. Tom Lane replied that there had been no objections when he mooted the idea a week ago and that a non-standard tag would cause more work for affected developers than the current rebuilds. Jesse re-iterated[12] his request to "[p]lease consider using it in the future if you're going to break such a wide array of packages."
Richard W.M. Jones reported[13] problems using
yum on
Rawhide. Tom London suggested and Richard W.M. Jones confirmed[14] that reverting to
sqlite-3.6.7-1.fc11.x86.64 fixed the problems. It transpired[15] that there was indeed an
SQLite bug which was quickly fixed by Panu Matilainen.
[1] https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Releases/11/Schedule
[2] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01275.html
[3] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01276.html
[4] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg00664.html
[5] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01298.html
[6] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01348.html
[7] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01299.html
[8] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01511.html
[9] https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Fedora_11_Alpha_release_notes
[10] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01510.html
[11] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01510.html
[12] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01533.html
[13] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01464.html
[14] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01485.html
[15] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01483.html
Minimalist Root Login to X ?
Warren Togami suggested[1] "mak[ing] root logins from GDM a stripped down desktop with only a terminal and a menu with only configuration tools [and making the desktop] ugly and with a very obvious note explaining why [users] shouldn't be logged in as root."
"Nodata" was among those who wondered[2] if Warren's use cases "[...] where /home filesystem is full and logins fail, or /home is remote and inaccessible[...]" were anything other than odd edge cases. Jeff Spaleta and Chris Adams expanded[3] upon this line of thought: "[...] if /home is full, can users really not log in? If that is the case, that's broke and should be fixed. The user should be able to log in and remove files."
The impetus for this discussion may have been another thread which asserted that the denial of root login via
GDM on
Fedora 10 systems made it too difficult to maintain said systems. The thread yielded[4] good examples by Jud Craft and Dave Airlie[5] of arguments that such modifications merely penalized experienced users and failed to enhance security as the users could just login as root on the console anyway. As an aside Benjamin LaHaise brought up the issue that
Ctrl+Alt+F2 no longer worked. DanHorák explained[6] that "F2-6 are blocked when you have getty running on vt1 (/etc/event.d/tty1 is the same tty[2-6]) and Xorg server runs on vt1 too (gdm runs with --force-active-vt) Then there are messages like `unable to switch vt' in /var/log/Xorg.log. [Such behavior] requires manual editing of at least /etc/event.d/tty1, it should not happen in default setups." Nicolas Mailhot suggested[7] an imperfect upgrade as another possible cause. A further nugget of information revealed in the thread was as
Fedora 10 had implemented
hiddenmenu as a default in grub it was best to hold down any key once the
BIOS had finished the
POST routine. Jesse Keating suggested[8] the
shift key as it typically had no bindings either in
BIOS or
grub. Andrew Haley pointed out[9] that many of the recent changes were breaking established use patterns. Kevin Kofler and Christopher Wickert suggested[10][11] that anyone who wished to revert to the previous status should just edit
/etc/pam.d/gdm to comment out
auth required pam_succeed_if.so user != root quiet
Back in the later thread which sought to deal with some of the difficulties raised above Tom
spot' Callaway suggested: "A Rescue Mode' in GDM which goes to a root session with minimal apps, marked as "Rescue Mode", rather than a root X login (even though it does need root credentials)." Lyos Gemini Norezel preferred[12] that "[...] the root login should use the user selected interface (gnome, kde, xfce, etc)" but Matthew Woehlke emphasized[13] the maintenance benefits of choosing a single Desktop Environment and forcing that as the safe root login.
Variations on this topic have been covered previously in FWN#133[14] and FWN#103[15]
[1] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01387.html
[2] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01542.html
[3] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01547.html
[4] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01300.html
[5] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01335.html
[6] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01399.html
[7] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01398.html
[8] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01455.html
[9] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01408.html
[10] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01278.html
[11] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01291.html
[12] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01493.html
[13] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01495.html
[14] http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/FWN/Issue133#Running_As_Root
[15] http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/FWN/Issue103#Root_Login_And_Display_Managers_In_Rawhide
Fedora Geo Spin for USB Key and LiveCD
Yaakov Nemoy announced[1] a "[...] respin of Fedora with packages for doing OSM[0] and cartography installed out of the box, or included on a LiveCD and/or LiveUSB. For OSM people, the primary advantage is a live usb stick that can be used at mapping parties to save time cono/guring user computers to do mapping. The USB stick can then be brought home, and the user can continue doing mapping there."
[0] Open Street Mapping http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenStreetMap
[1] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01155.html
Draft Guidelines for Approving provenpackagers
Jesse Keating drafted[1] a definition of
provenpackager' (see FWN#151[2)]. Alex Lancaster was worried[3] that too many hoops would mean that maintainers such as himself would lose motivation to continue their work.
As a subsidiary concern Alex was worried that there were still some packages not being opened up. KevinKofler assured Alex that he would become a provenpackager' based up his sterling work and Jesse confirmed[4][5] that this redefinition and re-seeding of the `provenpackager' group was in part to address such concerns.
[1] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01573.html
[2] http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/FWN/Issue151#Security_Exceptions_to_the_Mass_ACL_Opening
[3] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01620.html
[4] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01629.html
[5] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01628.html
Cloning of Bug Reports ?
Jóhann B. Guðmundsson asked[1] for input, in the form of suggestions and votes, as to whether Bug Hunters (which later seemed to mean testers, but not triagers) should file a separate bug entry for each of: past supported release, current release and rawhide or just annotate a bug for one of the former with a note that it was present in the others.
There was general agreement that mailing list votes were ineffective and unwanted.
Kevin Kofler objected[2] to the tack taken by Jóhann which seemed to assume an authority over a decision which would affect not just QA, testing and triage teams but also packagers and maintainers. It appeared[3] that the matter would be elevated to FESCo for a decision but as of going to press this had not happened.
Mark McLoughlin suggested[4] a more flexible policy and warned that "[...] you can be sure you'll have maintainers who haven't read or replied to this thread waking up and getting annoyed that they've 3x bug reports to deal with :-)"
Jesse Keating argued[5] that the multiple bug-entry option was preferable on four heads: 1) that bugs may have different causes in their releases; 2) users of past releases will not be helped by closing bugs on rawhide; 3) bodhi updates are not pushed at the same time; 4) maintainers are the only people with the knowledge to make such a call.
[1] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/thread.html#01497
[2] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01423.html
[3] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01490.html
[4] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01442.html
[5] https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2009-January/msg01342.html


text:
13 Going on 30 (UK - BD)
Our Marcus learns the wise philosophy 'Love is a Battlefield' from a 13 year old
Jenna Rink (Christa B. Allen/Jennifer Garner) wants to be part of the popular crowd, but she's at the awkward stage of longing to be older but still being a kid and for Jenna, older means 'thirty, flirty and thriving'.
On her thirteenth birthday her neighbour and best friend Matt (Sean Marquette/Mark Ruffalo) makes her a model of her dream house and sprinkles it in magic wishing dust. Then after a series of embarrassing events, Jenna closes her eyes and wishes with all her thirteen year old heart that she was thirty. When she next wakes up, guess what... she is.
I received this disc well in advance of the release date and in all honesty, could have taken my time getting around to reviewing it. The girls in my house (wife and two little girls) were having none of this. This is 13 Going on 30 after all. A much loved, much watched, dare I say 'classic' in the house of Doidge and even though I don't share the rest of the family's heart on the sleeve admiration for the flick, I'll go as far as to admit it's a bit of a guilty pleasure.
Being essentially Big for girls, 13 going on 30 plays on the much explored adult life through the eyes of a child story. This includes the usual laughs involving the innocent perspective of a child on everyday adult life, the shock involved with having larger body parts and of course the heartbreak of realising that even though it seems like you've got everything you wanted, you miss your childhood, or in this case, you know you made the wrong decisions in your youth.
How 13 Going on 30 differs, however slight, is that rather than switching bodies or instantly becoming older, Jenna Rink wakes up thirty, and seventeen years have passed. She's working for the fashion magazine she loved as a child, she's got a boyfriend who loves flashing his genitalia about, she works alongside the queen of the 'cool' kids from her youth, Lucy (Judy Greer), and as she soon discovers, she's become everything she dreamed of becoming (one sleep ago). Or has she? Something's missing. Where's her best friend Matt? Why hasn't she seen him since her thirteenth birthday?
Now before I talk about Garner, I'll start with Ruffalo. Generally most male leads in a chick flicks are just pretty douche bags with mildly funny dialogue and some kooky moments. Having Mark Ruffalo instantly makes this more accessible for a non chick flick guy like me. A good reason for this is because Ruffalo is for the most part playing it straight. His normal every day guy appeal from his more indie roles remains intact and it's a casting decision that works in spades. He's helping out an old friend, you know how he felt about her in the past and it never once feels that he's putting up with her bullshit, which let's face it is the biggest anomaly in the chick flick. Usually I get to the point where pursuing the girl after their many, many , many aggravating moments to make the movie more fun undermines the character's likeability. Ruffalo never falters and considering a plot twist actually reveals he's engaged and actually happy with someone else (Lynne Collins), he and indeed the story manages to deal with this element with just the right amount of respect and heart without it ever being an element that should make him unlikable.
As for the lead, Jennifer Garner takes to this role with a real sense of fun and her charm is at least eighty percent of what makes this movie work as well as it does. Her wide eyed reactions to her thirty year old life is a joy to go along with, (even if it's a little hammy ala Jennifer Parker walking around her future house in Back to the Future 2 at first). Her delivery on the funny lines is on the money, even if some of the gags are a little flat in places (seriously, has the Eninem/M&M confusion joke ever been funny?) Her discoveries of this not so perfect life as a thirty year old are also sold with just as much heart warming belief as well.
Garner pretty much proves with this one movie that she can provide the whole package for leading a chick flick. She falls over, she does the Thriller dance, see has girly sleepovers listening to Pat Benatar and she does all this without grating or being too sickly sweet. I'm surprised she's not taken more roles like this. I guess Witherspoon scooped 'em all up before she got there.
Generally, the video proves it's a worthy upgrade. A noticeable step up from the standard DVD and even touching on moments that show off what the HD format can do. Skin texture and tones are where it really noticeable with the freckles on Garner's cheeks being a prime example of the details captured so well in the 1080p transfer.
Colours are all pretty striking, especially reds. See Jenna's red teddy at the sleepover for a prime example of just how vibrant they can get, though thankfully, this rarely ever becomes the hyper colour palette of the more recent rom-coms on Blu-ray and decides to keep it a little closer to natural.
Slight let downs involved a large presence of grain in some of the darker, enclosed scenes, whether it be a dimly lit room in the middle of the night or a quick elevator ride and even in some of the brighter skylines. The loss in quality is immediately striking compared to the rest of the flick, which is a clean, colourful, satisfying HD transfer overall.
There's not really anything exceptional to report here, after all it is just a romantic comedy whose biggest action sequence is two people falling over after jumping off of a swing.
Saying that, I was impressed with how much of the eighties music on the soundtrack fit into the mix as a whole. Songs like 'Love is a Battlefield' and of course one of the films biggest highlights, 'Thriller' sound fantastic in the 5.1 system, using a good amount of bass and filling the room nicely, without feeling stretched out as can sometime be the case with music in a 5.1 mix.
Well before we even delve into what's on offer, let me say just how irritating the sound when making the selections is. Talk about annoying, with its weird little chime.
Anyway, beyond that little grievance there's actually a fair splattering of extras on offer here, even if most of them showed up on the original DVD release.
Out of the two commentary tracks, the one with the three female producers is the most fun. They chat amongst themselves about how good Garner is in the role and tell stories about what they got up to as teenagers and while it isn't exactly a commentary classic it's a lot more fun than the solo affair from director Gary Winick, which is just him telling you what's happening on screen.
Deleted scenes wise, there are quite a hefty batch, clocking in at just over twenty seven minutes and split down into eighteen different scenes. They mostly consist of extensions of existing scenes and are presented in pretty ropey quality.
Now onto the featurettes. There's 'Making of a Teen Dream' (SD 18:52), which is clips, interviews and lots of fluff and there's also 'Making of a Teen Dream: Another Take' (SD 07:37) which is more of the same but a little more focused on casting and the music.
'I Was a Teenage Geek' (SD 08:01) is probably the most fun of the featuettes with the cast recollecting their youth with the added advantage of seeing some pictures to back up their geekiness. Also, as a bit of fun for all the wrong reasons is 'Fashion Flashback: Into the Eighties' (SD 06:50), which is a non film specific look at teenagers of the noughties loving the fashion of the eighties in all kinds of embarrassing get ups.
There's a 'Video Gallery' of stills from the movie (SD 02:07) and a batch of 'Bloopers' (SD 03:16) as well as music videos for the songs featured heavily in the movie. Pat Benatar's 'Love is a Battlefield (SD 05:21) never gets any less bizarre and Rick Springfield's 'Jessies Girl' (SD 03:17) isn't much better either.
Outside that, the big extra, that I don't recall (or didn't watch) from the previous region two release is the 'Alternate Beginning and Ending' (SD 11:35), which isn't too much different outside of the two young kids being different actors before a re-cast and a bouncy castle getting a bit of a sub plot.
Also included are trailers for Made of Honour, My Best Friend's Wedding and Maid in Manhattan, as well as a 'Blu-ray is High Definition' reel and some BD-Live.
13 Going on 30 is genuinely a movie that's easy to watch and on multiple occasions. Garner and Ruffalo provide much of the reason as to why this is the case, having a believable chemistry in a situation that could be considered closer to sci-fi than rom-com (I guess it must be good enough as it diverts attention away from the awkwardness of a thirteen year old girl in a thirty year old's body falling in love with a thirty year old man).
For fans, the Blu-ray should certainly be a consideration for the upgrade. With better A/V and the same features, all you need to do is get over the annoying selection chimes on the menus and you've got yourself a worthy replacement when updating your movie collection.
* Note: The above images are taken from the Blu-ray release and resized for the page.
Review by Marcus Doidge
Chris Gould Editor Join Date: May 2001 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 7,171
If I'd known Lynne Collins was in this I might have watched it before I sent it on!
Marcus1138 Contributor Join Date: June 2008 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 910
It's only like two scenes but it was still a nice surprise.
Bouncy X Member Join Date: March 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 1,931
this movie is something interesting to show anyone who only knows Jennifer for Alias or other serious roles. you get to see the fluffy, cute, girly side of her and at least to me, its rather adorable.
based on the extras on the Alias discs, i'd say this is more or less her actual personality and i think its a compliment to her to say that i would have never guessed in a million years she was so girly and bubbly based on Alias, she totally sold the bad ass serious emotional girl.
though thats all just my opinion but yeah. lol
based on the extras on the Alias discs, i'd say this is more or less her actual personality and i think its a compliment to her to say that i would have never guessed in a million years she was so girly and bubbly based on Alias, she totally sold the bad ass serious emotional girl.
though thats all just my opinion but yeah. lol
Wilson Bros Reviewer Join Date: August 2004 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 1,183
Maybe the eventual reimagining will be edgy, and follow a kiddie-fiddler grooming his prey in a chatrooms.
They claim to be 13, but they're going on 30.
They claim to be 13, but they're going on 30.
Suitable only for persons of 12 years and over
Disc Details
Release Date: 13th April 2009
Discs: 1
Disc Type: Blu-ray Disc
RCE: No
Video: 1080p
Aspect: 1.85:1
Anamorphic: No
Colour: Yes
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English, Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Italian, Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Spanish, Dolby Digital 5.1 Polish, Dolby Digital 5.1 Russian
Subtitles: Arabic, English, English HoH, Greek, Hindi, Icelandic, Italian, Polish, Romanian, Spanish, Turkish
Extras: Director's Commentary, Producers Commentary, Alternate Beginning and Alternate Ending, Fashion Flashback: A Short Film, Pat Benatar's 'Love is a Battlefield' Music Video, Rick Springfield's 'Jessie's Girl' Music Video, Photo Montage, Blooper Reel, The Making of a Teen Dream Making of a Teen Dream: Another Take, I Was a Teenage Geek Featurette, Deleted Scenes, BD-Live
Easter Egg: No
Feature Details
Director: Gary Winick
Cast: Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, Judy Greer
Genre: Comedy, Drama and Romance
Length: 97 minutes
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text:
How has your strategy changed as you have gotten older and wiser?
Views: 179
Replies to This Discussion
I use the opponents energy against him more than I used to. I still hit heavy balls but like to use an opponents energy kind of like tennis aikido. Experience helps a lot, controlling the tempo of the match. Things like that. I take more time, I'm much more patient than I was as a young player. I try to finish sooner in some cases, I love to serve and volley. I can stay back but I will press my opponent to if not let me beat him, at least have him lose to me, hehe a teachers joke. Tennis is an equalizer in some cases. One of my favorite experiences was playing doubles with a player from Hungary, this was 15 years ago but I love the story. We were playing mens open doubles at Whittier Narrows Tennis Center, later I was a teaching pro there, anyway we got on court with the #1 doubles team from Long Beach. the match went by very quickly, after they broke frames they came and apologized for their behavior. I guess experience does count for something!
Great story.
I really do understand (I'm 43) about controlling the pace and controlling my own emotions. I don't get as upset at my mistakes as I used to, and because of that I miss less often.
mega spin high over the net down the line up the line.spinning serves and attacks and volley at the net.
Ahhhh, the old spinning big ball deep to the corners. I love this play against this incredibly good high schooler I play against. Drives her crazy. Then I bunt it short to her backhand and make her come in - that is her worst nightmare.
simplify your strokes, mix it up, allow the racket to do the work for you. we are not in our 20's so we need to be efficient. forget the power (except in some cases) it's more about finesse and placement. just watch some of the top seniors play.
Technique has improved for sure. Swing is better than ever.
But I keep losing matches. The other players just keep improving faster, I think.
© 2018 Created by Mark / The Mayor. Powered by


text:
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Yo, Adrian, Rocky devotees are gonna run now, a grueling tribute to their mythical champ.
Nearly 35 years after Rocky Balboa returned for his first sequel, Philadelphia's favorite adopted son has inspired city runners to go to the distance.
Rocky's faithful followers are set to run a 50K that will end, of course, triumphantly atop the art museum steps.
The fictitious fighter left as a big a cultural imprint on the city as any founding father, and hundreds of runners are expected to follow in his championship footsteps, truly, through the streets, steps and past the statue he showcased to the world through six movies.
Sparked by a story on the Philadelphia Magazine website, Philadelphia's debut Rocky Run kicks off at 7 a.m. Saturday, with a start just around the corner from the house where Balboa lived in "Rocky II."
This is the kind of ultra-marathon that would make Ivan Drago flinch.
The route is set for 31 miles and based on the inspirational montage in the 1979 flick as Balboa trains for his heavyweight championship rematch with Apollo Creed. For even diehard fans, the scene is nothing but 2 minutes, 30 seconds of Sylvester Stallone's character sprinting and sweating through the city, arms raised high and mobbed by children that flocked to him and followed him up those celebrated steps.
For Philadelphia-based writer Dan McQuade, a native and "Rocky" fan, the underdog boxer's disjointed route made little sense.
"Obviously, the montage isn't meant to be taken seriously as an actual workout; it's just a few scenes strung together so 'Gonna Fly Now' can play and Rocky can finish at the top of the Art Museum steps," he wrote in mid-September. "But, I wondered, what if this roadwork were treated as one actual run? How far would Rocky go?"
He pieced the scenes together through two viewings of the film for the story (http://bit.ly/1jojnMQ), had some friends help identify locations, and mapped distances off a USA Track and Field distance-measuring tool to come up with the whopping total of 30.61 miles.
"This is one long run," McQuade wrote. "I don't recommend anyone try it."
Not so fast. He may as well have suggested hungry tourists head to Geno's Steaks, order a cheese steak, but hold the cheese.
Philly resident Rebecca Schaefer, an avid runner, read the story and contacted McQuade the day it was published for his blessing to organize the run.
"I could not get it out of my head," she said. "This has to happen."
She set up a Facebook event page and website. Almost 400 people have committed to the race.
There are no registration fees, no T-shirts, or trinkets for finishing. Not even greasy, fast speed is required. Just a little love for Rocky.
Schaefer, who will wear a grey sweatsuit with a handwritten "Italian Stallion" on the back like Balboa did, said if she pushed her pace, she could finish in about 4¼-5 hours.
"It's not a real hilly or technical route, because it's all sidewalks, so there's nothing really too hard," she said.
The route weaves runners through historic guideposts like the Italian Market; and Independence Hall, where Balboa hurdles benches and is followed by a flock of children all the way to the steps.
"Why are all these children following him," McQuade asked, laughing. "That's my favorite part, that we're supposed to imagine that Rocky is so popular that children are going to start following him all across the city."
Stallone's publicist said the actor was unavailable for comment. But at the 2006 "Rocky Balboa" premiere in Philadelphia, Stallone said he owed so much of the movie's success to the city.
"It belongs to Philadelphia," Stallone said. "It's a very unique relationship. It's something no one could have ever planned on."
"Rocky" still packs a pop culture punch decades after it became the highest grossing film of 1976.
The musical "Rocky" will open on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre in March 2014, and features a score by "Ragtime" veterans Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, and a story by Thomas Meehan, who wrote "The Producers" and "Hairspray." Stallone plans to resurrect Rocky in the movie "Creed," which focuses on the grandson of the late heavyweight champ. Before next week's Army-Navy game, the Cadets and Midshipmen will run a relay up the steps, testing strength and speed, and only the winners can say, "Yo, I did it!"
The bronze Rocky statue at the base of the Philadelphia Museum of Art is a popular tourist stop, and an eye-roller to cranky citizens fed up with being linked to the fighter.
"If you go to the steps, people are always so happy," McQuade said. "It's such a Philly tradition. Around the world, it's probably Philly's most famous tourist site. People in the rest of the world don't really care about the Liberty Bell."
Only the one that sounds for another round with Rocky.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


text:
Stratton Educational Trust's Statement of Accounts for Year end 31st August 2016
Stratton Educational Trust's Statement of Accounts for Year end 31st August 2015
Stratton Educational Trust's Statement of Accounts for Year end 31st August 2014
Stratton Educational Trust's Statement of Accounts for Year end 31st August 2013
Stratton Educational Trust's Statement of Accounts for Year end 31st August 2012
Pecuniary Interests declarations of the Governors
6th June 2017
Over recent weeks a number of parents have contacted the school to express dismay at what they have read and seen in the media regarding the national funding position in education. With that in mind I thought it might be useful to write to all parents/carers to explain the impact national funding decisions are having at Stratton.
Upper Schools like us have found themselves in a particularly difficult position in recent years as government policy has been to reduce spending on post 16 learners, particularly those attending Sixth Form Colleges or schools with Sixth Forms such as ours. The impact has been to reduce Sixth Form funding by approximately 12% over the last five years.
In addition, over that same five-year period, the costs of operating schools have increased substantially. The main factors being:
- 3% increase in local government employee pension contributions
- 3% increase in teachers' pension employer contributions
- 4% increase in National Insurance contributions from April 2016
Schools have also had to introduce new courses and assessment frameworks in support of the revised National Curriculum. Within our age range these changes include substantial investment in textbooks and materials for new courses both within Key Stage 4 and the Sixth Form, more expensive exam fees and the requirement to ensure teachers receive appropriate training.
Up until this year, schools have received "flat- cash" settlements. This has meant schools have had to absorb the impact of rising costs. It is true that overall spending on education is at a historical high, but a sharp and recent increase in the number of school age pupils nationally has meant that the education pot is now being spread even thinner. Next year, the amount of money per pupil is set to decrease.
Stratton has already taken significant action to respond to what has effectively been a period of regular cuts to the school's spending power. In 2015 we took the difficult decision to adjust our average class sizes and raise the amount of contact time (the number of lessons teachers teach) to the maximum permissible. Equivalent adjustments have been implemented amongst non-teaching staff.
We frequently hear the phrase that schools are expected to "do more with less" and this has been the case over recent years. Our staff have absorbed this increased pressure on their time and commitment yet continued to do their utmost in supporting our students through the challenges of GCSE and A level.
We believe that we will be able to continue to provide an excellent quality of provision next year, though yet more will be asked of staff.
All of us at Stratton would like to thank you for your ongoing support and particularly those of you who tell us they have expressed their concerns to their MPs, and in some cases directly to the Prime Minister and Justine Greening, who was until the recent dissolution of Parliament the Secretary of State for Education.
We believe there is some evidence that the plight of Education is being increasingly understood by parents and politicians, but only a decisive and immediate change in current funding proposals will stop what is a currently challenging time becoming a desperate one.
Rob Watson


text:
Boy in Darth Vader car ad released from hospital
The 7-year-old actor who plays a pint-sized Darth Vader in a popular car commercial is out of the hospital after open-heart surgery.
A spokesman for Children's Hospital Los Angeles said Max Page was released Monday, four days after his pulmonary valve was replaced in a two-hour operation. Max headed home with his parents and younger brother.
Max, who plays Reed on the CBS soap opera "The Young and the Restless," was born with a congenital heart defect and has undergone multiple surgeries.
He rallied quickly after last week's operation, giving a thumbs-up the next day and telling his parents, "I am happy" the day after that, said his mother, Jennifer Page.
The valve used for Max will last about 15 years and won't require invasive surgery to replace it, according to the hospital. He faces six to eight weeks of recovery.
Maria Arena Bell, executive producer for "The Young and the Restless," said she and others with the show were "thrilled" Max was doing well, and look forward to his return when he recovers.


text:
Several comedians have come forward with accusations that Amy Schumer has stolen their jokes.
The comedy news site The Interrobang reported on Monday night that comedian Wendy Liebman had written in a since-deleted tweet, "Between Amy Schumer doing 1 of my best jokes on her HBO special and this meme of my joke, I'm done with social media." As Interrobang explained, the meme showed a pinup-style woman quoting one of Liebman's jokes.
Way to sully the Schumer name, Amy.


text:
"We received so many compliments on this year's Christmas card/Birth Announcement. We loved this one! It will be hard to top next year!"
"Was able to order and send these out before Christmas, very impressive considering my baby was born December 8th."
"The perfect baby announcement/Christmas card! It was perfect!"
"So happy with the cards and the speedy delivery."
"These turned out great!"


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|2011-11-19, 09:14
|Link #8461
I am no one
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Inside your head
@ Demi
As Saintess told us, the Teeth are the odd atoms sticking out from the links of other atom created by EM field.
o o o o o o o o o
Since they move at 300.000 rps (Revolution per second) they literally digs material atom per atom, 300 thousand atom per second at average, which translates to absurd sharpness...
(if my calculation isn't wrong, that's about 40mm iron per second )
Kinda like that, it shaped like a chainsaw. My HF blades works like that but much larger scale (each teeth is about 10-50 nm), slower, and requires hardened frame as basis.
|2011-11-19, 09:15
|Link #8462
VxR Productions
IT Support
iirc i did not ask you about something. what i did was answer detective's "graphene or diamond, which is harder?" question.
|2011-11-19, 09:26
|Link #8464
I am no one
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Inside your head
At best you'll look at the sheer friction and noticeable shockwave they caused with air, and the noise, oh God the noise....
|2011-11-19, 09:31
|Link #8466
~ Your Smile ~
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: 346Pro
Age: 32
@Saintess: That shall be Riz's insert song in SHOOTING ST@RS. But there are so so many insert songs in ST@RS that I didn't list it just yet...
Everyone has customized versions of a massproduction IS, making them 'not personal' but unique. Also, the ISpers each have a unique One Off Ability created by their minds interacting with the IS Core, rendering each ISper even more unique. Clairvoyance is the psycho parameter that affects how sensitive they are to reading other people's thoughts. This makes them highly sought after by everyone; by grouping them together as ST@RS, Tabane prevents all the ISpers from falling into 1 country's hands, and yet the data gained from the ISpers using their OOAs will be shared throughout the world.
To demonstrate how each one is different, each of the 10 Schwarzehase Freiherrs (Laura to Celeste) are all ISpers, and are given Schwarz IS units. Celeste can create force blades, while the others, even though they only have G2 Schwarz as well, they all have different OOAs and fighting styles. Laura is most powerful in spite of her immaturity is because her One Off Ability is [One Shot Sure Kill] to other IS. Before falling in love with Ichika, Laura has minimal control over her ability, but it allows her unit to use its railgun and heat rods without damaging itself.
That ability is Dengeki Tsukai - [The Electromaster].
In my fanon, Riz uses a delimited Uchigane, and her OOA is what makes her powerful. Her katana is basic, but delimited functions like Saintess' described, the force field generated by the blade is 1 molecule thick and is serrated.
|2011-11-19, 09:33
|Link #8468
I am no one
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Inside your head
EDIT: Wait, Laura? ISper? Pfft....
|2011-11-19, 09:38
|Link #8470
~ Your Smile ~
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: 346Pro
Age: 32
Yeah, she is... Her level is 3 out of 5, but she's thus strongest because if she were to fully master her OOA, she'd be unstoppable by other IS.
It came to me as I was trying to account why the hell is that gaki #1.
|2011-11-19, 09:39
|Link #8471
I am no one
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Inside your head
Maybe Laura will count due to similar origin, but she has no fancy ability besides superhuman body.
Irish is level 0 Isper with power to negate OOA :3
|2011-11-19, 09:45
|Link #8472
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
@ Zero - Ichika is an abnormal in Shadow, he already has the "healing factor" that the other two lack. Irish, Laura and Kyuukai are the only ones who fight without resorting to outlandish powers. Of course, this means that these three get their asses kicked when they have to fight against the abnormals.
@ Meister - What the? So Laura can read minds? *Gets a picture of Laura trying to read Ichika's mind and berzerking when he lies about being her "wife"*
I hope she can't make mind suggestions to people either
|2011-11-19, 09:45
|Link #8473
~ Your Smile ~
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: 346Pro
Age: 32
I suppose I should also say that eventually my fic will deviate from canon. As I ramp up their interactions, I will eventually have them 'grown up', and in doing so their characterization would change.
Houki becomes nicer, and more 'Idol-like'.
Rin gets more reliable.
Cecilia gains true strength.
Charlotte reverses the Yandere Infection.
Laura becomes a proper commander and masters Dengeki Tsukai.
I'll keep Ichika as a baka for now, but I will try to make him more likeable eventually.
|2011-11-19, 09:47
|Link #8474
Tenshi's Defense Squadron
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Fighting against those who oppress the system
The thing is that with Yoshi, is that he's a secondary character, thus is there a need to deconstruct the Stu, as the focus wouldn;t be on him but rather on the twins. If you planning to write a prequel fic starring Yoshi then this would be possible and viable.
I guess the biggest trap we both fell in was that we didn't thought up Yoshi's character enoughprior to writing the story. If I were to give an analogy is that we simply digged way too many plot holes and that we covered them all (on the surface) with sand. We don't know if our efforts to fill in the holes are successful until we actually drop into the pit (which we are trying to avoid).
PS: I think somebody asked what song would fit the fics?
If it was Red rain, just give me a good vocal remix for Septette of the Dead Princess and UN Owen was her for the ending (I might pick the nayuta one, but that might go overboard, but hell, it fits Flandre's character xD)
|2011-11-19, 09:49
|Link #8475
I am no one
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Inside your head
Madoka: Super Stability (Natural Gyroscope XD), Spatial Awareness (limited), Enhanced Immunity, "Core Resonance"
Yeah, I knew. I suppose we can use Him and Chifuyu being Half sibling though, and that Yoshi kill their parents ACCIDENTALLY. And when he fleed to America, he's the only survivor of accident, and amnesiac. Karma Houdini deconstructed natch. <:3
|2011-11-19, 09:50
|Link #8476
~ Your Smile ~
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: 346Pro
Age: 32
In my fanon, 'Clairvoyance' only gives intentions and strong emotions, not weak emotions or fleeting thoughts. Claivoyance Reactions however do allow full access, but they require special conditions to activate. Its a Deus Ex Machina for sharing thoughts, so unless I'm being a prick and have Ichika and Laura share a CR when he's in denial, there's no chance of that happening.
But that gives me an idea for Infinite Stratos Vandam-Tan, a parody series where because of an accident, Karon is turned into a chibi along with her Vandam.
*writes down notes*
In [Vandam-tan], Ichika keeps getting killed by his harem due to humorous situations. I think I just found Laura's.
|2011-11-19, 09:52
|Link #8477
Diamond is Unbreakable
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: The Middle Way
|2011-11-19, 09:53
|Link #8478
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
@ Meister - All of us try to make the heroines nicer in our fics Daydreams makes them more relatable (Though these are blatant lies since they're from the heroines imagination) I'm curious though, what do you mean by idol like?
@ Zero and Blitz - Didn't you guys think of the concept for the character months ago? Zero PMed me about it back in page 100.
EDIT: @ Zero -
Ichika - Healing factor, resistance to damage, high IS sync rate, spot enemy IS weaknesses, and is more physically capable than most people his age.
Madoka is all these things turned up to eleven. The only thing she lacks are people to watch her back (Ichika has at least 4)
|2011-11-19, 09:56
|Link #8479
~ Your Smile ~
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: 346Pro
Age: 32
@Box: I think that's some crack we at least agree.
I'm not changing them from day 1 though. Up until the events of the latest novel, they will still be pricks, but I will keep ramping them down over time. Eventually, either the author stops writing, or I overtake him, then I'll have my way with the girls.
|2011-11-19, 09:56
|Link #8480
I am no one
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Inside your head
|fanfic ideas, fanfiction, ff.net, harem, is fanfic, warning fanfic spoilers, wincest
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LAREDO, Texas - Nearly three dozen migrants marched across the U.S.-Mexico border without papers Monday, the latest group of a younger generation brought to the U.S. illegally as children that seeks to confront head-on immigration policies they consider unjust.
Wearing a colorful array of graduation-style caps and gowns, 34 young people who spent long stretches of their childhoods in U.S. cities like Phoenix and Boston chanted "undocumented and unafraid" as they crossed the Rio Grande into Texas. Customs officials separated them from regular pedestrian traffic and the rest of their entourage before beginning lengthy interviews.
The risks born by their parents' generation involved dangerous journeys through darkness across desert and river. The teenagers and 20-somethings who crossed Monday face what could be weeks in detention and possible deportation as part of what could be a growing form of public protest.
They follow the "Dream Nine," a smaller group that attempted to enter the U.S. at Nogales, Arizona, in July. They requested asylum and were released after about two weeks in detention to await their turn before a judge. Monday's contingent expected something similar.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, whose officers determine who is admitted at the border, said privacy laws prohibited it from discussing any individual cases.
At the heart of both groups' protest was a change to U.S. immigration regulations made in June 2012 giving something called deferred action to immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as children. Those who were in the U.S. at that time and met a list of criteria they could apply for a renewable two-year deferment and work authorization.
But the young people crossing Monday had left the U.S., either voluntarily or through deportation, months, weeks or even just days before the deferred action announcement, commonly known as DACA.
"We look at this action today and the Dream Nine as a type of extension of DACA," said David Bennion, an immigration lawyer travelling with the group. "What we would like to see is the people who left, like these 30 who otherwise would have qualified for DACA, to have that be taken into consideration."
There were several minors in Monday's group, including 17-year-old Luis Enrique Rivera Lopez. He came to the border from Guasabe in Sinaloa, a Mexican state that he had known only by its reputation for drugs and violence before going there from Los Angeles early last year.
"I wanted to have a sense of my roots," Rivera said of his decision to return to Mexico, where he hadn't been since he was 1. "I wanted to know where I was from." He considered studying to become a chef specializing in the seafood dishes of Sinaloa, but was forced to start high school over again in Mexico.
The experience was rewarding in some ways. He got to know both sets of grandparents. But after 19 months away he missed his parents and three siblings who remained in Los Angeles. He also found he didn't fit in after having grown up in Los Angeles.
"When I got to Sinaloa I didn't dress like anyone. My haircut was different. My style of walking was different. My Spanish was like way off," he said.
David Leopold, an immigration lawyer and past president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said the tactic concerned him.
"The focus now should be on getting the House of Representatives to do its job and fix the immigration system," Leopold said. "I don't know that these actions move that issue forward."
The group underwent detailed planning for the crossing. The participants arrived at a migrant shelter in Nuevo Laredo several days early. A series of meetings trained them on how to conduct themselves. What they wore, the order they walked in and what they carried was all determined.
Lorena Marisol Vargas, 19, left her home in Tucson, Arizona, in April 2012, less than two months before the deferred action announcement. She had travelled to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, across the border from El Paso, Texas, to interview in the hope of getting a visa to be in the U.S. But the visa was denied and she was not permitted to return.
Vargas' mother, a naturalized U.S. citizen, had to return to the United States without her. The teenager who had lived in the U.S. since she was 6 went to Uruapan in Michoacan state to live with relatives she hardly knew.
"To me, my home is Tucson, Arizona. I was raised there," Vargas said.
Associated Press writer Mark Stevenson in Mexico City contributed to this report.


text:
Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.
- Yield
- Serves 2
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon white-wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Oriental sesame oil
- a pinch of sugar
- 12 medium shrimp (about 1/2 pound), shelled
- 1 garlic clove, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped walnuts
- 1/4 pound snow peas, trimmed
- 1 large Belgian endive
- 3 cups watercress sprigs, coarse stems discarded
- In a small bowl stir together the water, 1 tablespoon of the vinegar, the soy sauce, the sesame oil, the sugar, and a pinch of salt. In a bowl toss the shrimp with the garlic paste and 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and let the shrimp marinate for 10 minutes. In a non-stick skillet heat 2 teaspoons of the remaining olive oil over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking and in it sauté the walnuts, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the snow peas, sauté the mixture, stirring, for 45 seconds, or until the snow peas are crisp-tender, and transfer it to a bowl. In the skillet sauté the shrimp for 1 minute on each side, add the soy sauce mixture, and simmer the shrimp, covered, for 1 minute, or until they are cooked through. Add the shrimp mixture to the snow pea mixture. In a large bowl toss the endive, sliced thin crosswise, and the watercress with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, the remaining 1 teaspoon vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste, divide the greens between 2 dinner plates, and top them with the shrimp mixture.
Related Video
Nutritional Info
- Calories319
- Carbohydrates9 g(3%)
- Fat23 g(35%)
- Protein20 g(41%)
- Saturated Fat3 g(15%)
- Sodium812 mg(34%)
- Polyunsaturated Fat7 g
- Fiber4 g(14%)
- Monounsaturated Fat11 g
- Cholesterol143 mg(48%)


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July 22, 2018 - 12:28 am
Purr Yoga
More than a novelty, yoga with cats is about joy, mixing energy, and making it easier to light the fire of compassion. During each session the asana, or active part of practice, will span one hour. The remaining 30 minutes of class will allow practitioners to find their meditative seat and/or spend time to simply enjoy sharing space and playing with the cats. Class is open to beginners and more advanced practitioners, as instructors will always format class so that it is accessible and enjoyable for all.
Children under the age of 15 MUST be accompanied by an adult.
Sunday sessions begin at 6:30pm, please arrive slightly prior to start time to allow yourself to settle into the space.
The session start time can be held for about 5 minutes, but if you arrive and the class has already begun, you will not be permitted to enter as it's not fair to those who paid and arrived on time.
Cost: $20.00 per person.
Take advantage of our 3 for 1 deal: Pay for 3 yoga classes and get the fourth one FREE. More…
Cancellation Policy: We require 48 hour notice.
About Heather:
My love affair with movement began at age 3 when I started dancing. I have a profound appreciation for the self awareness, connectedness, spaciousness, and peace which physical practice brings to each individual. I have been practicing yoga for over 14 years and am honored to have been certified in Hatha and Vinyasa yoga under the tutelage of Sarah Trelease. I am personally committed to yoga asana as a form of moving meditation on a daily basis as a way of staying mindful, centered and whole. My teaching focuses on alignment, strength, connection to the breath, presence, compassion and awareness. I aim to help my students build confidence in their abilities and loving kindness toward themselves. I strive to create an environment in which all feel completely welcome and accepted regardless of where they are at in their practice; a positive space from which to learn, grow and thrive. I am humbled with gratitude at the opportunity to share presence, space, and breath with Purrington's community.


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Caution urged as state weighs Common Core standards
Old Lyme - A state legislator told residents at a community forum Wednesday that the state needs to consider residents' opinions before moving forward with new state academic standards.
Meanwhile, the state proposed on Wednesday scaling back some aspects of a new mandated teacher evaluation system in order to give school districts time to adjust to new academic benchmarks, called the Common Core State Standards. As it stands, teacher evaluations would be tied to students' performance on standardized tests starting next year.
"Too much change all at once impedes teachers' ability to be effective in their classrooms," Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said in a letter Tuesday to the state Performance Evaluation Advisory Council, which was responsible for crafting the new evaluation system. "Teachers and administrators understandably are feeling burdened and together we must take action to relieve this pressure."
At the community forum held in the town library, state Rep. Marilyn Giuliano, R-Old Saybrook, said educational reform should be approached thoughtfully and draw on the input of the community and educational experts.
"We need to hit the pause button to ask: Is this a good fit for Connecticut?" she said to more than 15 parents, grandparents, teachers and school officials. She said there can be merit in strong academic standards, but the educational landscape is changing quickly and the new system needs to be examined to take into account stakeholders' comments.
Giuliano, also a school psychologist, said she has introduced legislation in the Education Committee that would pause the implementation of Common Core until public hearings could be held. The Common Core standards in language arts and math were adopted by the State Board of Education in 2010.
About 45 states have adopted new state standards, but some have repealed or paused them, said Giuliano.
The stresses - for students, parents and teachers - that can accompany the new standards were also discussed Wednesday.
Dawn McNary, an East Haddam resident who has a son in fourth grade, said she is concerned the new state standards would force schools to abandon teaching tailored to students' individual learning styles. She said the new standards can be overwhelming to students. At the same time, the new requirements may prove confusing for teachers, she said.
"It's not translating to a joy of learning," she said in an interview after the forum.
Flexibility for evaluations
At Malloy's prompting, the Performance Evaluation Advisory Council on Wednesday recommended scaling back aspects of the new teacher evaluation system. Malloy asked the council in a letter on Tuesday for more flexibility in rolling out of the new system. Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, speaker of the House Brendan Sharkey, D-Hamden, and Senate President Pro Tempore Donald E. Williams Jr., D-Brooklyn, signed the letter.
The council is proposing that teacher evaluations next year not be tied to student performance on standardized tests because of all the changes taking place at once. Students starting next year will also be taking a new set of standardized tests, and some school districts are opting into the new test early. The council also plans to give school districts the option to decrease the number of formal classroom observations required for the evaluations and has recommended that the State Department of Education provide technical assistance to districts that need help processing the evaluations.
The State Board of Education will next consider the council's proposal, according to a state news release.
Melodie Peters, president of AFT Connecticut, issued a statement about the proposal for more flexibility in teacher evaluations and said the AFT had been asking for a "moratorium on high stakes consequences during the transition to a new approach to teaching our children in order to get the implementation right."
"... With PEAC's approval of new flexibility options, our state's children will be the primary beneficiaries of this course correction," she said in the statement.
Malloy also announced a "Common Core State Standards working group," whose members will include teachers and educators, to advise the state on rolling out the new state standards, he wrote in Tuesday's letter.
At Wednesday's forum, Tracy Hall-Britt of Old Lyme, who has children in fourth and fifth grades, said she wanted more information on the new standards. She said that while there are some benefits to the new system, she was concerned for the educators who have to change how they teach under the new standards.
"If they can't deviate, they can't reach all of the learning styles of the students they are teaching," she said.
Backlash among school officials over new teacher evaluations
Dig resurrects a feud over which Connecticut town is state's oldest
Catching up with a millennial baby with a peaceful name: Serenity now
Should state be in the business of helping pay for ferry engines?
In voting on Groton charter revisions, residents cite multitude of reasons


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Steve sohn has not received any gifts yet
You can call me on my cell at (510) 909-3662 now. Thats the best way to reach me, as I am not always at my desk at the club.
Hi, I'm Mark, the founder of Tennisopolis, the world's largest and most active tennis network. Please share Tennisopolis with your friends by supporting our Facebook page. Click here for a Guide to Meet Tennis Partners.
Have a look at our introduction page which will help you navigate the massive network which now has over 37,000 members and 500 local tennis groups.
Friend me,
Mark, The Mayor of Tennisopolis
Hi Steve,
It would be great if you want to stop by the club for a hit, and check us out. We can get you plugged into a good group of guys to hit with and teams, etc.
Bill Patton
Tennis Director
ClubSport San Ramon
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The Samoa Basketball Federation started its four-day tournament at Apia Park gym earlier this week. The various categories competing in the tournament include open women and men, Under 17 and 14 boys, girls' teams from Upolu, Savaii and an open men's team from American Samoa.
262 Hits
Basketball's international governing body has opened disciplinary hearings against Australia and the Philippines after a wild brawl that included Milwaukee Bucks forward Thon Maker broke out in their Basketball World Cup qualifying game Monday.
30452 Hits
For the second straight year, throngs of Golden State Warriors fans turned out for a victory parade to celebrate a team some are calling an NBA dynasty and got a treat when several players got off their buses to mingle with the crowd.
11698 Hits
Former NBA forward Rasual Butler and his wife were killed in a single-vehicle rollover crash in Los Angeles early Wednesday.
743 Hits
Samoa enters this year's F.I.B.A. U18 Oceania Championships aiming to improve on a promising performance in the 2014 tournament, and a lot of their fortunes will be placed on the shoulders of Linda Kelsall
1354 Hits
The Milwaukee Bucks have agreed to a contract extension with Giannis Antetokounmpo, locking up one of the most versatile players in the NBA.
257 Hits
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame will soon welcome two of the sport's game-changing stars — one big and one small.
336 Hits
Rio Olympics 2016: Geno Auriemma and Diana Taurasi shared a long, emotional embrace. Mission accomplished.
264 Hits
Carmelo Anthony and Kyrie Irving had the answers in the first test for the U.S. Olympic men's basketball team.
324 Hits
LeBron James has often avoided talking about trying to match Michael Jordan's accomplishments. Now he's chasing "the ghost" of arguably the greatest player in NBA history.
256 Hits
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Maybe this bodes well for Mississippi State, with Southeastern Conference play starting next month.
749 Hits
TORONTO (AP) — Rajon Rondo had 19 points and 13 assists, Rudy Gay scored 19 points against his former team and the Sacramento Kings beat the Toronto Raptors 104-94 Sunday night to end a four-game road losing streak.
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Ireland is No. 1. At least to New Zealand coach Steve Hansen. His All Blacks, the undisputed No. 1 for nine years, lost to the Irish 16-9 on Saturday for the first time in Dublin. Hansen immediately dubbed Ireland the favorite for the Rugby World Cup next year.
Undisputed world cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk successfully defended his four belts and sent Tony Bellew into retirement by knocking out the British fighter in the eighth round in Manchester on Saturday.
He can laugh about it now, the concept of being "too big" that led him on this extraordinary journey to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Cristiano Ronaldo denied the accusations of rape against him, saying Wednesday that he had a "clear conscience" as he awaits the conclusions of an investigation.
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