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A big worry among people trying to wipe out polio is that the virus will regain a foothold, somewhere to launch a comeback — someplace, perhaps, like Somalia.
Polio has paralyzed 25 kids in Somalia and another six in a Kenyan refugee camp since early May, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative reported Wednesday. Before this outbreak, Somalia hadn't had a polio case in more than five years.
There were only 223 polio cases around the world in 2012, the lowest ever recorded. Even in the remaining three endemic countries — Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria — polio was only showing up isolated in a few remote areas.
This outbreak in Somalia could threaten that progress.
The recent cases are probably just the tip of the iceberg, says Sona Bari, from the World Health Organization. "The last time we saw an outbreak in this part of the world it involved Yemen, most of the countries in the Horn of Africa, Sudan and led to about 700 cases," Bari says.
Somalia is a tough place to fight polio. It has very low rates of immunization for most diseases, including polio. Vaccination teams can't even enter parts of Somalia because of violence.
Just last week, Islamic extremists launched a suicide attack on the United Nations headquarters in Mogadishu. After a 90-minute gun battle, 22 people at the compound died.
Despite the security problems in Somalia, emergency responses to the polio cases are underway. Local health officials in Somalia have launched three massive vaccination drives, Bari says, and Kenya has already carried out two special immunization campaigns in the refugee camp.
When outbreaks like these occur, she says, the goal is to break the poliovirus's transmission cycle by trying to get more than 90 percent of the local population vaccinated.
"The virus is looking for children in which it can circulate," Bari says. "The virus can't live out in the sewage or in the environment on its own. So it needs human beings. And it looks for people who are not immune, who are going to allow it to continue transmitting."
This outbreak is still in its early stages, she says. And WHO expects to see more polio cases reported from Somalia in the coming weeks. But, Bari says, polio workers are hopeful that the emergency vaccination campaigns are reaching enough children to slow the spread of the virus.
There have been 77 polio cases reported worldwide so far this year, compared with 84 to this point in 2012. But almost half of this year's cases have occurred in Somalia and Kenya.
The global effort to rid the world of polio has suffered a setback. Somalia is reporting an outbreak for the first time in more than six years. Last year, polio appeared to be on the verge of defeat. Only a few dozen cases occurred around the globe. The new cases in Somalia could be the first signals of an explosive outbreak in the Horn of Africa. NPR's Jason Beaubien reports.
JASON BEAUBIEN, BYLINE: Over the last two months, there have been 25 confirmed cases of polio in Somalia. The outbreak is centered around Mogadishu, but there have also been several cases in rural areas to the west of the capital. And significantly, across the border in Kenya, six more children have been paralyzed at a refugee camp.
Sona Bari with the World Health Organization's polio eradication team in Geneva says the recently detected cases are probably just the tip of the iceberg.
SONA BARI: The last time we saw an outbreak in this part of the world, it involved Yemen, it involved the - most of the countries in the Horn of Africa, and led to about 700 cases.
BEAUBIEN: Last year, there were only 223 polio cases worldwide, the lowest number ever recorded. This year looked like it was on track to be even better. But then the virus popped back up in Somalia.
In response to the outbreak, local health officials in Somalia have launched three massive polio vaccination drives, and Kenya has carried out two emergency immunization campaigns in the affected refugee camp.
Bari at the WHO says when outbreaks like these occur, the goal is to break the polio virus' transmission cycle by getting more than 90 percent of the local population vaccinated.
BARI: The virus is looking for children in which it can circulate. The virus can't live out in the sewage or out in the environment on its own. So it needs human beings and it looks for human beings who are not immune, who are going to allow it to continue transmitting.
BEAUBIEN: But carrying out mass emergency polio vaccination campaigns is difficult in Somalia. There are parts of the country where there is no functioning government. And it's a difficult place for international relief agencies to work.
Just last week, militants from the al-Qaida-linked group al-Shabab attacked the United Nations headquarters in Mogadishu. The 90-minute gun battle left a gaping hole in the U.N. compound and 22 people dead. The great fear among health officials is that the chaos in Somalia could allow polio to regain its footing throughout the region and even jump across to the Middle East. Jason Beaubien, NPR News.
You're listening to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

subset: commoncrawl


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"Thomas Eyde" <firstname.lastname@example.com> wrote:
>Consistent or not, in VB6 this way of doing it was a good thing. In .Net
>number of keywords are too many, so a new way should be invented.
>VB.Net is not consistent with Property Get/Let. And then there is the arcane
>syntax of attributes, which is not consistent with anything.
>The new Class statement declares its inheritance in a separate line, so
>what's wrong with methods doing the same thing?
Sounds like you just don't like the language, and that is okay. If you want
something a little less wordy, try C#. There are an awful lot of features,
but you don't have to use most of them for day to day stuff, and they are
there if and when you need them.
If you don't like that, try J#. Java is a very simple language, and mostly


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Jimmy Rollins wasn't at his best defensively this season, but it was good enough in the eyes of big-league managers.
The Phillies' veteran shortstop got the nod over his fellow finalists, Washington's Ian Desmond, Miami's Jose Reyes and Cincinnati's Zack Cozart, in an announcement Tuesday night. It was Rollins' fourth Gold Glove award and first since 2009, and it very well could be his last. The 33-year-old had the poorest range numbers of his career when you look at his assist and unassisted putout numbers at short. Not only is his range shrinking and his errors increasing — he was charged with 13 errors this season, his most since 2003 — Atlanta prospect Andrelton Simmons should be a starter in 2013 and is the type of defensive shortstop you see once every couple of generations. In fact, if not for a broken hand that cost two months last season, the 23-year-old likely would have had enough games under his belt to take this award.
That, however, didn't matter to managers, who went with Rollins despite Cozart having the best numbers among a fairly mundane group of finalists.
While he might not be the fielder he was as a 20-something, Rollins remains a steady glove at shortstop — enough that the Phillies aren't going to ask the veteran to move to third base and make room for Freddy Galvis at shortstop, at least in 2013. They will, however, need to figure out their plans at third.
They started the process of wiping the hot corner's slate clean with a couple of no-brainer moves Monday by paying 2012 opening-day third baseman Placido Polanco a $1 million buyout for next year and declining the option on Ty Wigginton, instead paying him $500,000 to walk. Those two combined to start 93 games at third base last season and their ineffectiveness has put the Phillies in a situation where they will pursue any and all options to upgrade that position. They also paid ancient and injured reliever Jose Contreras a $500,000 buyout to move along as well.
They did, as fully expected, exercise the $5 million option on Carlos Ruiz's contract. The veteran catcher was a finalist in the Gold Glove voting at his position, but failed to grab his first defensive award.


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Moore Earns Degree Before Going to WNBA
Lincoln - Nebraska senior Lindsey Moore picked up her diploma and smiled for a few photos Saturday, before heading to Minnesota for the start of WNBA Training Camp with the Lynx on Sunday.
The 2013 WNBA first-round draft pick was one of 57 Husker student-athletes to earn degrees during spring commencement exercises at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on Saturday, May 4.
The All-America point guard from Covington, Wash, claimed her degree in communication studies, completing her work in four years after arriving at Nebraska for her freshman season in 2009-10.
While completing her course work on schedule, Moore led the Huskers on the court as a four-year starter. Voted to Nebraska's All-Devaney Team as one of the top five players in the history of the program in 2013, Moore set a school record with 699 career assists. She also set Nebraska records for career starts (132), career minutes (4,360) and career victories (94). She led NU to three NCAA Tournament appearances, including the first two NCAA Sweet 16 bids (2010, 2013) in school history.
The 5-9 point guard finished her career ranked 11th at Nebraska with 1,673 points, while ranking fourth in career three-pointers made with 173. She also ranked ninth with 208 career steals. She was a two-time finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award, presented each year to the nation's top point guard. A two-time Big Ten All-Tournament Team selection, Moore was a Wade, Naismith and Wooden National Player-of-the-Year candidate as a senior. She was a two-time second-team All-Big Ten choice and a member of the 2010 Big 12 All-Freshman team.
Following Saturday's graduation ceremonies in Lincoln, Moore flew to Minneapolis to begin her professional career. The Lynx, who advanced to the 2012 WNBA Finals, opened their 2013 training camp.
Moore was one of three 2013 draftees in camp, joining second-round pick Sugar Rodgers and third-round selection Janeesa Jeffery. The Lynx also added signees Rachel Jarry and Jacki Gemelos, along with invitee Shawnice Wilson. One other significant newcomer to the Lynx this season is post player Janel McCarville, who starred at the University of Minnesota during her collegiate career.
Minnesota plays its first preseason game against Washington on Saturday, May 18 at the Bismarck Civic Center in North Dakota. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. The Lynx conclude preseason action against former Husker All-American Kelsey Griffin and the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday, May 21, at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Tip-off is set for Noon.
Moore and the Lynx will go head-to-head with Griffin and the Sun again to open the regular season on Saturday, June 1 at the Target Center. Tip-off for the regular-season opener is set for 7 p.m.
The Lynx are offering Nebraska fans special discounts in "Husker Sections" for Moore's first two appearances at the Target Center. Complete information can be found in the attachments to this article.


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I know that we are all optimistic about the Chiefs season, but I thought I would start a topic about which teams have the best chance of making the playoffs and winning the Superbowl. Here are the latest lines in Vegas for the 2007 Super Bowl Champion:
Arizona Cardinals 30-1
Atlanta Falcons 30-1
Baltimore Ravens 20-1
Buffalo Bills 100-1
Carolina Panthers 12-1
Chicago Bears 16-1
Cincinnati Bengals 20-1
Cleveland Browns 90-1
Dallas Cowboys 10-1
Denver Broncos 12-1
Detroit Lions 40-1
Green Bay Packers 50-1
Houston Texans 100-1
Indianapolis Colts 6-1
Jacksonville Jaguars 30-1
Kansas City Chiefs 20-1
Miami Dolphins 20-1
Minnesota Vikings 30-1
New England Patriots 8-1
New Orleans Saints 85-1
New York Giants 16-1
New York Jets 90-1
Oakland Raiders 90-1
Philadelphia Eagles 20-1
Pittsburgh Steelers 10-1
San Diego Chargers 18-1
San Francisco 49ers 190-1
Seattle Seahawks 10-1
St Louis Rams 60-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30-1
Tennessee Titans 100-1
Washington Redskins 14-1
My favorites this year include: Arizona, Carolina, Dallas, Denver, Indy, KC, Jax, Giants, Redskins, Patriots.
My surprise team this year: New Orleans Saints.


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Mine Story: Mitchell journeys to the volatile Middle East to investigate the assassination of an Arabian leader.
Incident: A dangerous web of intrigue and deceit unfolds as Mitchell searches for a missing diplomat and his daughter.
Art Treasure: A trail of bodies leads Mitchell on a train ride into danger, as he pursues art thieves holding the key to a stolen Nazi fortune.
Manager Story: A European scientist desperate for the safe return of his son gives Mitchell information that may lead to the capture of an international spy.


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Croyle isnt the guy either, but he gives us a better chance than Cassell.
Croyle just cant stay healthy.
But Cassell has no pocket presence and cant throw a pass.
I dont want to admit it but we all need to so we can move on. I dont want it to be the situation where we realize this after this D is gone and its too late.
I finally came this conclusion after Cassell simply fumbled the ball. He didnt get it knocked out or anything. Just slipped out of his hands. and then he recovered it. only to slipped out of his person again. I know many of you saw what i saw and came to that conclusion on that play too.


text:
On the one hand, this comic is less annoying than the oft-heard concept online that people need to stop bugging us nerds for to help solve their problems. On the other hand, it's saying that even if other people solve their own problems, some people/comics will still make fun of them for it. So, non-xkcd readers are screwed either way. Ask for help, and we'll mock you for needing help. Solve the problem on your own, and we'll mock you for doing it wrong. Solve it right, and you'll just break even: "whatver, I could have done that."
I can't tell, though, if it's the same attitude espoused in this comic or the opposite one.It is, i know, the same mindset that pisses me off about this thinkgeek shirt. Strangely, that's the second time in recent memory that I've said something to the effect of, "Yes, this xkcd is annoying, but not nearly as annoying as this thinkgeek shirt."
I like thinkgeek, I like them a lot. They sell many many wonderful things. But sometimes - usually in their product descriptions, occasionally in their products, as in the examples above, they veer too hard into the "fake nerd" category, the marketing category that gives us gems like "let's make a pie tin in the shape of pi! because, you know, NERDS!" or maybe "if we take this unsellable product and either put an image from Portal on it or infuse it with the smell of bacon, everyone will want it! because, you know, nerds!" It pisses me off. It's not really their fault; they are trying to sell things and if they can get their customers to feel like not just thinkgeek customers but a whole seperate social group then I am sure that helps their business. So I guess the people I am really disappointed in are the fake nerds.
Has anyone run accross anyone else writing about this sort of thing, what I've taken to calling faux-nerdery? Surely there has been something.
[for what it's worth, a long-term xkcd trend has been to stop appealing to actual nerds and just appeal to faux-nerds. I actually think loving xkcd may be a central tenet of faux-nerd culture]
</thinkgeek rant>
lastly, is there a reason the alt-text says "six partitions, labelled c: through j:" ? Is that not 8 drives? I know my computer has C, D, E, F, G, H, I, and J. Or is the implication that he misnamed them?
So this turned into far less of a post on xkcd and more of a general one. Oh well, if that is the way my muse inspires me.
Guys! It's been almost 2 months since the xkcd blog updated! I wonder what's been happening.
Has Daisy Owl just given up, or am I missing something? There hasn't been an update in weeks, and the author finally took down that "guys I am back so I'll be making comics again" notice. Does anyone know what the deal is?
Lastly, i cannot wait for the Overcompensating book! That is all. I just want you all to know I am excited.


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INDIANAPOLIS - The second of day action at the 2013 NCAA Women's Swimming Championships began today at the Indiana University Natatorium. The preliminary sessions started competition at 11 a.m. and Alena Kluge returned to swim in the 400 IM, while Katie Meili competed in the 100 breaststroke.
For the second straight season, Meili earns All-America honors with her performance in the 100 breast. The two-time Ivy League champion claimed a third place finish in the prelims with a time of 58.87. She went on to hold that third place mark in the championship finals hitting the wall in a time of 59.14.
Featured Article:Meili Finishes in Nation's Top 10 In The 200 IM
Meili will cap here final season tomorrow in the final day of competition at the NCAA Championships. The senior is set to race in the 200 breaststroke where she holds a 15th-place seed time of 2:09.41.
Kluge also hit the pool in the 400 IM as the Ivy League's sole representation in the event. The All-Ivy League honoree finished with a time of 4:18.84 for 43rd place respectively.
Thursday, March 21 - Saturday, March 23
IU Natatorium and IUPUI Sports Complex - Indianapolis, Ind.
Prelims: 11 a.m. ET | Finals: 7 p.m. ET
Coverage: ESPN3 Live Streaming March 22 and 23 at 7 p.m. ET | ESPNU: March 27, 8 p.m. ET


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Our beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, Myrtle Young Smith, 96, passed away September 3, 2013. At the time of her death she was living in Ashland's Skylark Assisted Living and Memory Care Center.
Myrtle was born in Tanana, Alaska, on March 31, 1917, the third of thirteen children, and spent most of her life in Fairbanks, Alaska. She worked with her husband, Stanley Young, to establish the "Halfway" roadhouse after WWII. Eventually, the family moved to Fairbanks and built an apartment complex on the old Airport Way. Myrtle worked for many years in a local bakery before retiring to enjoy grandchildren. She relocated to Ashland, Ore., in 2005, to enjoy warmer winters and longer summers.
Survivors include her children, Christine Smith and husband Richard Keck of Ashland, Ore., Iola Young and husband Thomas Aberle, of Juneau, Alaska, Laureen Young and husband Michael Parise, of Anchorage, Alaska, Russell Young, of Fairbanks, Alaska; granddaughter, Naomi Harris, of Juneau, Alaska; great-granddaughter, Isabella, of Juneau, Alaska; and grandson, Jason Smith and wife Griffin Smith, of Seattle, Wash.
Myrtle's lifetime was devoted to family and friends. She loved to cook, bake, sew, knit, crochet, bead and play cards. An avid gambler, she was especially lucky at Black Jack. She is remembered for her loving smile, her easy laughter, her incredible stories, and her sharp wit. She will be greatly missed.
Myrtle's final resting place will be the Northern Lights Mortuary in Alaska, next to her husband, Stanley. Cards and remembrances may be sent to Christine Smith, 75 Bush St., Ashland, OR 97520.


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The stars will be out in force at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.
Festival organizers today announced the 24 titles that will debut in the Premieres and Documentary Premieres categories — which feature not only big names in front of the camera, but familiar Sundance filmmakers behind the camera.
Directors like John Michael McDonagh ("The Guard"), Mike Cahill ("Another Earth"), Ira Sachs ("Keep the Lights On"), Gregg Araki ("Mysterious Skin") and Michael Winterbottom ("The Road to Guantanamo") are back with new films. Actors David Cross ("Arrested Development") and William H. Macy ("Fargo") also will make their feature directing debuts.
Among the stars who will be seen: Elizabeth Banks, Willem Dafoe, Ted Danson, Michael Fassbender, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Anna Kendrick, Keira Knightley, John Lithgow, Brit Marling, Rachel McAdams, Alfred Molina, Elisabeth Moss, Nick Offerman, Amy Poehler, Ryan Reynolds, Paul Rudd, Shailene Woodley and Robin Wright.
The Documentary Premieres section features what could be one of the festival's most controversial films: "Happy Valley," which digs into the case of Jerry Sandusky, the Penn State assistant football coach convicted in 2012 of multiple counts of child sexual abuse. The film's director, Amir Bar-Lev, last came to Sundance in 2010 with "The Tillman Story," an exposé on the "friendly fire" death of football star-turned-Army Ranger Pat Tillman.
Other films in the Documentary Premieres section feature profiles of notable figures: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger, "Star Trek" star George Takei, Nigerian musician/activist Fela Kuti and film critic Roger Ebert.
The premiere of the Ebert movie, "Life Itself," coincides with a new Sundance Institute initiative to honor the late Chicago newspaperman, who was a regular in Park City since the festival's beginning. The Roger Ebert Scholarship for Film Criticism will bring six young film writers to cover Sundance, and pair them with mentors during and after the festival.
Sundance organizers announced 67 titles in the competition slates and the Next program last Wednesday, and the 23 titles in the Spotlilght, Park City at Midnight, Sundance Kids and New Frontier programs last Thursday. The festival will announce its short-film slate on Tuesday.
The 2014 Sundance Film Festival runs Jan. 16-26 in Park City, and at venues in Salt Lake City, Ogden and the Sundance resort in Provo Canyon.
Here are the Premieres and Documentary Premieres programs, announced Monday:Premieres
"Calvary" (Director/screenwriter: John Michael McDonagh; Ireland/U.K.): Filmmaker John Michael McDonagh ("The Guard," SFF '11) returns with this darkly comic drama about a kindly priest (Brendan Gleeson) who finds dark forces closing in on him after his life is threatened during a confession. Also starring Chris O'Dowd ("Bridesmaids") and Kelly Reilly ("Flight").
"Frank"(Director: Lenny Abrahamson; Screenwriters: Jon Ronson, Peter Straughan; Ireland/U.K.): A young musician ("About Time's" Domhnall Gleeson) gets in over his head when he joins an avant-garde rock band whose leader (Michael Fassbender) hides himself inside a large fake head.
"Hits" (Director/screenwriter: David Cross; U.S.): Actor-comedian David Cross ("Arrested Development") makes his directorial debut in this comedy set in a small upstate New York town whose residents have unrealistic expectations about fame in the age of YouTube.
"I Origins" (Director/screenwriter: Mike Cahill; U.S.): A molecular biologist (Michael Pitt) and his lab partner (Brit Marling) make a discovery that could change society as we know it — and causes them to question their beliefs in science and spirituality. Directed by Mike Cahill ("Another Earth," SFF '12).
"Laggies" (Director: Lynn Shelton; Screenwriter: Andrea Seigel; U.S.): Director Lynn Shelton ("Humpday," SFF '09; "Your Sister's Sister," SFF '12; "Touchy Feely," SFF '13) returns with a story of a 28-year-old woman (Keira Knightley) in arrested adolescence, lying to her boyfriend (Mark Webber) that she's going on a business retreat while she hangs out with a new 16-year-old friend (Chloë Grace Moretz).
"Little Accidents" (Director/screenwriter: Sara Colangelo; U.S.): When a 14-year-old boy disappears in a small coal town, three people — a miner who survived a recent accident, the lonely wife of a mine executive, and a local boy — are drawn together in a web of secrets. The cast includes Elizabeth Banks, Boyd Holbrook, Chloë Sevigny, Jacob Lofland and Josh Lucas.
"Love is Strange" (Director: Ira Sachs; Screenwriters: Ira Sachs, Mauricio Zacharias; U.S.): Ben (John Lithgow) and George (Alfred Molina) get married after 39 years together — but then George loses his job teaching choir at a Catholic school, and the newly-married couple must leave their Chelsea apartment and live apart. Also starring Marisa Tomei, Darren Burrows, Charlie Tahan and Cheyenne Jackson. Sachs is a Sundance veteran ("The Delta," SFF '96; "Forty Shades of Blue," SFF '05; "Keep the Lights On," SFF '12).
"A Most Wanted Man" (Director: Anton Corbijn; Screenwriter: Andrew Bovell; Germany U.S.): Director Anton Corbijn ("The American") adapts John le Carré's novel, about a Chechen Muslim who illegally arrives in Hamburg, Germany, where he lays claim to a fortune in a private bank — attracting the notice of intelligence agents. The cast includes Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe and Robin Wright.
"Nick Offerman: American Ham" (Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts; Screenwriter: Nick Offerman; U.S.): The comic actor and icon of manhood delivers his one-man show at New York's Town Hall, in which he talks about woodworking, oral sex, and his tips for living a more prosperous life. Sundance reports the movie comes with a warning label: "Minor nudity and not suitable for vegetarians." The movie reunites Offerman with director Jordan Vogt-Roberts ("The Kings of Summer," SFF '13).
"The One I Love" (Director: Charlie McDowell; Screenwriter: Justin Lader; U.S.): A married couple (Mark Duplass, Elisabeth Moss) on the verge of falling apart escapes for the weekend, only to discover an unusual dilemma awaiting them. Ted Danson plays their therapist.
"The Raid 2" (Director/screenwriter: Gareth Evans; Indonesia): This sequel to "The Raid: Redemption" (SFF '12) picks up where the violent original left off, with Rama (Iko Uwais) going undercover in a Jakarta crime syndicate to protect his family and expose corruption among his fellow cops.
"Rudderless" (Director: William H. Macy, Screenwriters: Casey Twenter, Jeff Robison, William H. Macy): Actor William H. Macy makes his feature-film directorial debut, in this story of a grieving father (Billy Crudup) who discovers some original music written by his dead son, and decides to form a rock band. Macy also co-stars, along with Anton Yelchin, Felicity Huffman, Selena Gomez and Laurence Fishburne. This is the festival's "Closing Night Film."
"They Came Together" / U.S.A. (Director: David Wain; Screenwriters: Michael Showalter, David Wain): Director David Wain and his writing partner Michael Showalter aim to do to the romantic comedy what their "Wet Hot American Summer" (SFF '01) did to the summer camp movie. The story centers on a shop owner (Amy Poehler) whose business is threatened by a corporate type (Paul Rudd). Also in the cast: Ed Helms, Cobie Smulders, Max Greenfield and Christopher Meloni.
"The Trip to Italy" (Director: Michael Winterbottom; Screenwriters: Rob Brydon, Steve Coogan, Michael Winterbottom; U.K.): A sequel to "The Trip," which had friends/adversaries Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon (playing variations of themselves) eating good food and trading jokes, takes them to Italy.
"The Voices" (Director: Marjane Satrapi; Screenwriter: Michael Perry; U.S./Germany): A lonely, disturbed factory worker (Ryan Reynolds) hears advice from his cat and his dog after the death of a co-worker in this genre-bending crime drama, directed by "Persepolis" creator Marjane Satrapi. The cast includes Gemma Arterton, Anna Kendrick and Jacki Weaver.
"White Bird in a Blizzard" (Director/screenwriter: Gregg Araki): Sundance mainstay Gregg Araki adapts Laura Kasischke's novel about a woman (Shailene Woodley) who must deal with the sudden disappearance of her enigmatic mother (Eva Green). Also starring Christopher Meloni, Shiloh Fernandez, Gabourey Sidibe and Thomas Jane.
"Young Ones" (Director/screenwriter: Jake Paltrow; U.S.): A teen boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee) must fight to survive in a future where water is scarce, in this science-fiction drama. The cast includes Michael Shannon, Nicholas Hoult and Elle Fanning.Documentary Premieres
"The Battered Bastards of Baseball" (Directors: Chapman Way, Maclain Way): The rise of the Portland Mavericks, the only independent baseball team in the country, which alarmed the sport's establishment in the 1970s.
"Finding Fela" (Director: Alex Gibney; U.S.): A profile of the life, music and political influence of musician Fela Anikulapo Kuti, who created the Afrobeat movement and used it as a forum to oppose the Nigerian dictatorship and advocate for the rights of the oppressed. Directed by Alex Gibney ("Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room," SFF '05).
"Freedom Summer" (Director: Stanley Nelson; U.S.): Filmmaker Stanley Nelson ("The Murder of Emmett Till," SFF '03) uses eyewitness accounts and never-before-seen archival material to chronicle the summer of 1964, when more than 700 students arrived in Mississippi to register voters, create schools and establish the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party — defying authorities and risking their lives.
"Happy Valley" (Director: Amir Bar-Lev; U.S.): A look behind the headlines in the case of Jerry Sandusky, the Penn State assistant football coach convicted in 2012 of child sexual abuse. Directed by Amir Bar-Lev ("My Kid Could Paint That," SFF '07; "The Tillman Story," SFF '10).
"Last Days in Vietnam" (Director: Rory Kennedy; U.S.): Director Rory Kennedy ("Ghosts of Abu Ghraib," SFF '07; "Ethel," SFF '12) examines the chaos of the last weeks of the Vietnam War, as U.S. soldiers and diplomats deal with the moral dilemma of whether to obey White House orders and only evacuate American civilians — knowing the likely fate of South Vietnamese who aided the U.S. government.
"Life Itself" (Director: Steve James; U.S.): Director Steve James ("Hoop Dreams," SFF '94) tells the story of Roger Ebert, based on the late film critic's 2011 memoir — telling of his wild young days, his Pulitzer Prize, his contentious friendship with Gene Siskel, his life-saving marriage and his battle with cancer.
"Mitt" (Director: Greg Whiteley; U.S.): Filmmaker Greg Whiteley ("New York Doll," SFF '05) got unprecedented access to follow GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his family.
"This May Be the Last Time" (Director: Sterlin Harjo; U.S.): Filmmaker Sterlin Harjo ("Four Sheets to the Wind," SFF '07) recounts how his grandfather mysteriously disappeared in 1962 — and how the community sang songs of encouragement that had been passed down for generations in the Seminole and Creek Nations. The film explores the song's origins, and the violent history of his people.
"To Be Takei" (Director: Jennifer Kroot; U.S.): Oh my! George Takei and his husband Brad look over the screen icon's life, from a World War II internment camp to the helm of the U.S.S. Enterprise and onward on Facebook.
"We Are the Giant" (Director: Greg Barker; U.S./U.K.): Billed as a movie about "the stories of ordinary individuals who are transformed by the moral and personal challenges they encounter when standing up for what they believe is right." Directed by Greg Barker ("Sergio," SFF '09; "Manhunt," SFF '13).
"Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger" (Director: Joe Berlinger; U.S.): Sundance veteran Joe Berlinger ("Brother's Keeper," SFF '92; "Under African Skies," SFF '12) looks at the trial of infamous Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger, and how his cozy relationship with the FBI and Department of Justice allowed him to maintain a criminal empire for decades.


text:
Consultation with the School Community on the Performance of P.S. 112 Bronxwood (11X112)
To download a copy of the PDF, click here.
We want every community to have high quality school options for families. To accomplish this goal, we are committed to continual improvement of our schools—from student achievement to school environment. We rely on each of our schools to provide an excellent education to our students and we hold all of them to a high standard. And now with higher state standards, it is even more important that we make sure all schools are meeting the needs of their students and preparing them for success in college and careers.
As part of this effort, every fall the Department of Education (DOE) reviews the performance of all schools Citywide. The data for P.S. 112 Bronxwood show that it has struggled to consistently demonstrate student achievement outcomes at a high level. Given these findings, it is important to hold conversations with the community to help determine the root causes of the poor performance and together identify the right next steps for the school.
We understand that students, families, and staff members of P.S. 112 Bronxwood believe in the school's potential, and we know that this conversation may be a difficult one. At the same time, we can—and must—do better for our students. We want you to share your insight about P.S. 112 Bronxwood's strengths, areas for growth, and the type of support that would help the school make changes that would be sustainable for years to come and best serve current and future students of your community.
Performance Summary
Proficiency: % of Students
on Grade Level
Progress Report Grade
Student Attendance
School's Performance
Citywide Percentile Rank
In addition to the data above:
Many important changes have occurred in our schools last year, so it is important to acknowledge:
Our Collective Effort towards Improving Performance
Schools cannot improve without the contributions of the entire school community, which includes the students, families, school staff, community partners, and the DOE.
Students make critical contributions to the improvement of P.S. 112 Bronxwood and their learning outcomes. These practices include:
Family involvement contributes to higher student academic performance. This might look like:
Principals, teachers, and all staff should work together to implement the Citywide instructional expectations and use the school's annual goal-setting process as an opportunity to prioritize improving classroom practice. This includes:
The DOE provides supports to schools by:
Next Steps and What You Can Expect
Over the coming weeks, we will talk to parents, students, staff, and members of the P.S. 112 Bronxwood community about the school's performance and the collective effort we all must take to improve the quality of our students' education. In these conversations, we will be particularly interested to learn about things that may not be obvious on paper, such as:
Based on your feedback as well as a thorough review of school data, we will develop a tailored action plan for the school. Action plans will include a variety of supports and interventions and may begin as early as January 2014. Examples of possible supports and interventions include:
Depending on the findings of these conversations, we may also make recommendations for more long-term structural changes, including whether it is necessary to develop new high quality options for the community.
Sharing Your Concerns and Questions
Feedback from the school community is critically important during this consultation. In the coming weeks, you will be invited to a meeting at P.S. 112 Bronxwood to share your feedback. If you have questions or comments at any time, please reach out to the school's Cluster Leader, Community District Superintendent and/or Division of Family and Community Engagement:
Cluster Leader: Debra Maldonado, firstname.lastname@example.com, 718-935-2480
Superintendent: Elizabeth A. White, email@example.com, 718-519-2620
Division of Family and Community Engagement (FACE): email@example.com or 212-374-4118
Office of Portfolio Management (OPM) Web site: http://schools.nyc.gov/community/planning/changes/bronx/feedback?id=606


text:
The thousands of children who begin ballet instruction every year - and the many who think they might like to - will love this wonderful introduction to ballet, with 42 fun pictures to color. The exceptionally clear illustrations - all presented in proper sequence - precisely depict everything that goes on in a beginner's ballet class, from lacing up shoes to performing the perfect arabesque. Among the topics illustrated and described are proper posture, the importance of warming up and stretching exercises, foot positions, and arm movement. Most important, dozens of basic ballet steps are shown in sequenced drawings. The accompanying text by ballet instructor Caroline Denzler provides detailed, precise, yet easy-to-follow instructions on every step and movement, as well as general information and advice that will enlighten and inspire young ballet stars of the future. Paperback, 48 pages.
Ask a question about Ballet Class Coloring Book Ask a question about this product
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I might have gotten this but if this is beginner's ballet (based upon editor's description) why does the cover illustration have a girl en pointe? That doesn't happen until year two or three even. It...[more]
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text:
For many sports fans in the 1960s through the 1990s, Pat Summerall was the voice of the NFL, starting with CBS' Sunday telecasts and later with Fox, famously paired for much of that time with John Madden.
Summerall, 82, passed away Tuesday in Dallas, said his daughter, Susie Wiles.
"He was an extraordinary man and a wonderful father," Wiles told the Associated Press. "I know he will be greatly missed."
The Dallas Morning News reported Summerall died in his room at Dallas' Zale Lipshy Hospital, where he was recovering from surgery for a broken hip.
Summerall worked a record 16 Super Bowls, drawing on his football relationships made during his nine-plus years as a kicker in the NFL, primarily for the then-Chicago Cardinals and New York Giants from 1952 to 1961.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nf ... l/2088571/


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After buying both of the new vanity pets for my wife that I mentioned yesterday, we took a look at them both to decide what we thought about them. Initially I was almost certain that K.T. was the one for me as I've always been a fan of liches and necromantics and such, and pandas aren't really my thing.
So pulled out the panda first expecting him to the weaker of the two. As it turned out, he was actually pretty cool. Every minute or so he pulls out some wicked Kung Fu moves to show you and he makes cool little martial arts noises and such. We were actually surprisingly pleased with him and that just made us even more ready to see what good old K.T. had to show us.
I knew from reading the description when I bought them that K.T. would occasionally attack critters, so we took a character into Stormwind and stood there amidst the squirrels waiting for him to show us what he's got. We waited, and waited, and…waited…and then logged out. The little sucker decided to use his freezing skills on us or something because he didn't do a blasted thing! We were both rather disappointed in the little lich, but we liked the panda enough that we just stuck with him instead.
When I mentioned on twitter today that we had not been impressed with him other people chimed in saying that KT had worked just fine for them and that they had a blast killing critters with him. I was pretty stumped at that point, wondering if perhaps ours had been bugged or something. So when lunch time rolled around I went ahead and logged into my wife's account since she was out of town with her mom for the day. I rolled a new human toon and ran to Goldshire to pick up the pets from the mailbox, knowing that there were chickens, cows, dear, fawn, and rabbits in abundance in the area. You can find chickens right there near the mailbox, so that was my first target. I
I pulled out K.T. and stood there waiting. I waited for a couple of minutes, knowing that the Pandaren Monk would have done something in that time period and got disgruntled. I moved on to another location assuming that perhaps he just didn't like killing things in towns. I found a cow and rabbit together and parked myself there while I tabbed out to check Twitter for any other replies. I found that some people had triggered him in cities, so I was stumped again. Then I heard a nice, wicked laugh so I tabbed back over to WoW just in time to see a rabbit get frozen and about half a second later the ice busted and the rabbit was dead, prompting another wicked laugh from Lil' K.T.
From there I went to other animals trying to get it to trigger and hoping to get screen shots of it as well. The animations were happening pretty fast and I was in the middle of rotating camera angles and suck to try to get good shots as the critters moved around, so the shots I did manage to get weren't all that great. But, I did manage to snag a few for you. Before I had to go back to work I managed to get two chickens, a rabbit, and a cow all killed with Lil' KT. The cow was the best seeing the massive ice block show up around it before it died. But, I didn't catch the screen shot on that one before he was dead.
Here is the letter that you get when you pull K.T. out of the mailbox:
Here's a a shot of the first little chicken that met his frosty death, just as KT froze him:
And here's one of the dead corpse after the freeze effect ended:
You don't see any debuff or anything show up on the critter, you just see it get hit with a frost spell, frozen solid, and then falling over dead when the freeze effect breaks. But the casting animation and the wicked sounds from K.T. make it a fun experience.
All in all, the time between his freezes was somewhat disappointing as I had to wait several minutes even between multiple critters that were right next to one another. But, the info on the pet does mention that it is random, so maybe the numbers were just against me today or something. If he is capable of doing it more often or while you're running near a critter or something then he might be cooler than he seemed. In the long run I was still pleased with the little guy, but somewhat disappointed as well. I wish he'd be a little more aggressive in his critter killing. ;)


text:
Some 12 million people across northern Kenya, southern Ethiopia and south central Somalia are in the grip of a major food crisis. They are in desperate need of food, water and health care.
Thanks to the generous support of the public, tax payers and organisations, Oxfam is helping 1.5 million people and plans to double this effort.
This report from the BBC's Mike Wooldridge shows how some of the money Oxfam has received is being spent
All this work would not be possible without the support of the public.
The more money Oxfam can raise the more people it will be able to reach. This crisis is the largest appeal it has ever launched in Africa. It needs £60m ($99m) to help 3 million people and so far it is facing a shortfall of £14m ($23m).
Click here if you'd like to donate to the East Africa appeal. And a huge thank you to all of you who already have.


text: The Orioles trailed Clearwater big for most of Tuesday's boys basketball game at Hutter Gymnasium. But Augusta turned up the heat on defense, and Clearwater couldn't respond. The Orioles made nine second-half steals and forced 12 total Indian turnovers as Augusta cut its deficit from 11 down to two. But the Orioles missed a key jump shot in the closing seconds, then missed a last-second heave as Clearwater narrowly held on for a 48-46 win. The Indians were able to get easy baskets throughout most of the first half. They closed the first quarter on a 10-2 run to lead 15-7 and slowly built a 41-30 lead late in the third quarter. The Indians went scoreless the last several minutes of the game. Connor Hurst led the defensive charge with four steals. Tristan Finch made a steal, then had an assist to Hurst during the Orioles' fourth-quarter surge as they cut it to 48-44. Kyler Steinkamp then got another steal with great ball pressure that led to a putback by Hurst, cutting it to 48-46. But that would be all the Orioles managed to score. The Orioles will travel to Rose Hill Friday night to take on the Rockets.


text: i just can't return a serve. i thought my serve was my biggest problem, but recently i've had the opportunity to play some tennis with people that have a decent serve. it's made me very aware of how horrible my return of serve is. i think i'm locking up my feet too soon and then reaching for ball. so i tell myself keep your feet moving. it kind of works, but it doesn't take long till i start producing more errors. i don't know how hard to swing. should i block the serve or swing like a typical baseline hit? i never have a problem of getting to the ball, but simply can't return. as silly as i look, i will post a video in a few weeks so everyone has a better picture. i would appreciate any and all constructive critisism. until then, are there any "FAQs" regarding the return of serve?


text: Gallery: Celebrities who love fascinatorsGetty Images, Getty Images 04.27.2012Kate Middleton may only be a duchess, but she's definitely the queen of the fascinators.Getty Images / Getty ImagesAlways one to follow trends (and make headlines), Kim Kardashian tries to pull off the fascinator look with a monochromatic piece.WENN / WENNBlue hair and an oversized fascinator?! Katy Perry sure knows how to turn heads.Getty Images / Getty ImagesChristina Aguilera wears a fascinator on the set of The Voice.Screen Cap. / Screen Cap.Helena Bonham Carter shows off her wacky style -- complete with an oversized fascinator. Hey, go big or go home, right?WENN / WENNMiss Janelle Monae rocks a serious fascinator, complete with netting.WENN / WENNNo wacky fashion gallery would be complete without an appearance by Lady Gaga. Gaga opts for the fascinator style -- unfortunately, her headpiece looks more like sperm.WENN / WENNSarah Jessica Parker, is that you?! The SATC star opted for an in-your-face head piece. What was she thinking?!Getty Images / Getty ImagesVictoria Beckham is the queen of fashion, which is why it makes sense that the on-trend star wore a fascinator to the royal wedding.Getty Images / Getty ImagesShareAdjustCommentPrint xShareGallery: Celebrities who love fascinators Email Twitter Facebook Pinterest Google Linkedin


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Hazel (Wells) Stoops, 92, of 2735 Luther Drive, Chambersburg, Pa., died Tuesday at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, April 30, 2013, at the Inn in Luther Ridge Retirement Village.
Hazel (Wells) Stoops, 92, of 2735 Luther Drive, Chambersburg, Pa., died Tuesday at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, April 30, 2013, at the Inn in Luther Ridge Retirement Village. She was born on June 12, 1920, in Lock Haven, Pa. She was born June 12, 1920, into the small family of Jacob P. Krape, owner of the 103 acre farm on which the family lived in Nittany Valley, Lockhaven, Pa. Her parents were Charles E. and Clara (Krape) Wells. She attended Lock Haven High School and went on to earn a Bachelor of Education degree from Lock Haven State Teachers College. (Now: Lock Haven University) Through the influence of co-workers and Dr. Ethel A. Brindle, from Waynesboro Chiropractic, Hazel moved to Mont Alto, Pa., and joined the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Waynesboro, Pa. While working at the Tuberculosis Sanatorium at South Mountain, Pa., Mrs. Stoops was offered an opportunity to attend graduate school at Bryn Mawr College, where she earned a Master of Social Science Degree in 1946. Immediately afterward, she developed, and led a class at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Waynesboro, focused upon community needs and solutions. Direct influence of this class resulted in the presentation of agency problems which led to the identification and need for broader outreach by churches. Dr. Ethel Brindle also introduced Hazel and Allen Stoops of Waynesboro, Pa. They were married on Oct. 17, 1953, in Nittany Valley, Mill Hall, Pa., in the Lutheran Church to which the bride belonged. Hazel Stoops was known to enjoy music, especially classical. She had quite an extensive recording collection. Hazel avidly followed the news and politics on TV. She and her husband enjoyed Alabama and Florida, visiting often in an effort to escape cold Pennsylvania winter months. Hazel was proud of her husband's conversational skills. She is survived by a nephew, by marriage, Lee Stoops from Greencastle, Pa., and distant cousins, Joan Stredler from Hemet, Calif., and Mara Lena Corter from Raleigh, N.C., and friend, Anne Dudley, Arendtsville, Pa. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Allen Stoops, who passed away May 17, 2001. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 5, 2013, in the Fleck Center located at Luther Ridge Retirement Community, 2735 Luther Drive, Chambersburg, officiated by Rev. Dennis Beaver. Burial will be private at Mount Zion Cemetery, Quincy, Pa. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Lutheran Home Care and Hospice, Inc., 2700 Luther Drive, Chambersburg, Pa. 17202. Grove-Bowersox Funeral Home, Waynesboro, is handling the arrangements. Online condolences may be expressed at: www.bowersoxfuneralhomes.com


text:
KDE Software Compilation 4.4.0 Introduces Netbook Interface, Window Tabbing and Authentication Framework
Today KDE announces the immediate availability of the KDE Software Compilation 4.4, "Caikaku", bringing an innovative collection of applications to Free Software users. Major new technologies have been introduced, including social networking and online collaboration features, a new netbook-oriented interface and infrastructural innovations such as the KAuth authentication framework. According to KDE's bug-tracking system, 7293 bugs have been fixed and 1433 new feature requests were implemented. The KDE community would like to thank everybody who has helped to make this release possible.
Read the Official KDE SC 4.4.0 Announcement and the Visual Guide To KDE Software Compilation 4.4 for more details on the improvements in 4.4.
Way cool, and about time, I couldn't take the waiting anymore! Congrats everyone :D
By Jos Poortvliet at Tue, 2010/02/09 - 2:20pm
Congratulations everyone! Six hard months of rocking now out!
By Luca Beltrame at Tue, 2010/02/09 - 2:21pm
Very good
I think this is the best KDE release so far!
By Frank Karlitschek at Tue, 2010/02/09 - 2:26pm
Congrats on the new release!
- Plasma still far from usable. I get this when I try to configure it:
And, what's even worse, in my bug report Aaron said everything is behaving as intended: https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=221473
- I still don't see a way to print odd/even pages in print dialog :-(
By vedranf at Tue, 2010/02/09 - 2:28pm
not convincing
come on the tarballs are live only minutes and you start complainig about stability? not a very convincing troll...
By Jos Poortvliet at Tue, 2010/02/09 - 2:40pm
Not to mention...
that post was there before the tarballs were...
By Jeffery MacEachern at Tue, 2010/02/09 - 2:42pm
Sorry, but svn is always
Sorry, but svn is always accessible. You can call me a troll, but image doesn't lie, nor the developer's response on bugs.kde.org.
By vedranf at Tue, 2010/02/09 - 2:46pm
Multikey global shortcuts do
Multikey global shortcuts do not work. That's confirmed for a long time:
About printing. It is possible that I did something wrong during compile, but that dialog is not what I got few days ago when i compiled kdelibs/kdebase. Maybe I need to rm -rf ~/.kde.
By vedranf at Tue, 2010/02/09 - 3:22pm
You need to be running CUPS
You need to be running CUPS locally at runtime for Odd/Even to be enabled. Do you also have the other CUPS features like n-up and banner pages showing?
By odysseus at Tue, 2010/02/09 - 4:23pm
CUPSd? Nope, only client,
CUPSd? Nope, only client, CUPSd server is on another machine. Could that be the problem? For the second question I'll check later as I'm not near that machine now.
By vedranf at Tue, 2010/02/09 - 5:30pm
Yes, our cups detection
Yes, our cups detection routine is very primitive, it detects cups by trying to connect to localhost:631, so remote servers are missed. But I guess I could improve that now by copying the Qt detection routine, now that it's LGPL. Stay tuned :-)
By odysseus at Wed, 2010/02/10 - 9:43am
OK, thanks. Easy fix for
OK, thanks. Easy fix for 4.4.1 would be to detect cupsd by connecting not to localhost but to whichever server is present in the ServerName directive of the /etc/cups/client.conf.
By vedranf at Wed, 2010/02/10 - 10:16am
Hmm, that could be a good
Hmm, that could be a good way, would just need to look through the full list of possible locations for the file and parse the file correctly. The full Qt method requires building against cups and calls to cups directly to check a dozen different things work, which we obviously can't add in a bugfix release. It would just be easier if Qt exposed what print engine it was using through the api.
By odysseus at Thu, 2010/02/11 - 10:15am
Actually, it's easier than
Actually, it's easier than that :-) I've just remembered a particular behavior of the Qt printing system that differs between cups and lpr which I can query to see which mode it is running in. Easy peasy.
By odysseus at Thu, 2010/02/11 - 11:20am
As I said in that bug report, we are aware that the ZUI for activities is not workable. The reasons are multiple and include:
* not being able to do nice transitions, so the zooming is really just a change from one mode to another which makes it harder to grasp what just happened when "zooming out"
* when there is per-virtual-desktop activities it gets tricky since you can see all the activities for all desktops there
* when there is more than one monitor, a similar thing arises
* to make sense of the ZUI, the user needs an internal mental model of activities that they can then map to a spatial representation; this is not as common as hoped for :)
as a results, in trunk (which will become 4.5 eventually) the ZUI for activities has been completely removed.
all of that said, to call plasma unusable due to that one feature is hyperbole.
By Aaron Seigo at Tue, 2010/02/09 - 9:59pm
Aaron, since zui for activities is not working (and is due to be removed in 4.5), how do you manage activities (i.e. add, remove, set activity per desktop, etc.) in 4.4?
By cirehawk at Tue, 2010/02/09 - 11:51pm
Not quite
He say it's not workable, not that it's not working.
By that it seems he means that it works in a no-optimal and cumbersome way, with several issues and bad handling of corner cases. Like the parents dual screen setup. In short it does not fulfill the Plasma teams vision for activities and the handling of them, and they need to develop a different approach.
By Morty at Wed, 2010/02/10 - 12:15am
I understand your point, but for the purposes of my question, the difference in "not working" and "not workable" is only semantics. If zui works in a cumbersome way, my question still remains if there is another way to manage activities in 4.4? That question is not meant to point out a flaw, but rather the opposite. i like "per desktop" activities and am looking for the best way to manage them at this point.
By cirehawk at Wed, 2010/02/10 - 1:24am
two alternatives in 4.4
in 4.4, you can either use the Activity Bar Plasmoid, or you can go to the Activity Settings (right click or click on the desktop toolbox -> Activity Settings) and in the Mouse Actions panel you can select the Switch Activity plugin and then associate it with what trigger you wish (mouse scroll wheel, right click, etc)
By Aaron Seigo at Wed, 2010/02/10 - 4:30am
I always want to use Activities (as in different screens with different widgets) .. but atm it is just too many clicks so I don't.
Will 4.5 have something simpler? Easier to understand. More like gnome-shell. You press one button and you see your activities and you can put widgets on them and delete one or add a new one.
But 4.4 is a great release no matter what, so keep up the great work guys!
By kragil at Wed, 2010/02/10 - 9:11am
I don't know about others,
I don't know about others, but for me there's nothing which is hard to grasp about activities. I said unusable because every time I tried to configure it, I've got what you see on that screenshot. Only way to get working plasma configuration with activities was to edit plasma-desktop-appletsrc by hand and chmod it a-w.
By vedranf at Wed, 2010/02/10 - 10:11am
The KDE SC is developing at a
The KDE SC is developing at a pace nowadays, it is ridiculous. This is one hell of a release!
By Dennis Martin Herbers at Tue, 2010/02/09 - 3:08pm
Release Kudos
With every release, KDE just keeps on surpassing itself. The 4.4 release looks awesome with new cool features like window tabbing, improvements in many areas (maybe I'll finally enable Nepomuk) and overall polish. Excellent.
Congratulations and thanks everyone!
Oh, and don't forget that you can post release kudos over at the forums: http://forum.kde.org/viewtopic.php?f=77&t=85699 (registering not needed)
By Hans Chen at Tue, 2010/02/09 - 3:40pm
Now that 4.4 has been released, is there a place (besides trunk) where I can easily get the new wallpapers? They look awesome.
By Raúl Gómez Muñoz at Tue, 2010/02/09 - 5:10pm
missing proper duelhead
Just a shame that kde 4 still have problem with duel head
By beer at Tue, 2010/02/09 - 5:25pm
Beer, I know that you are going to dump me for this as always but I will not stop until you get it. It's not duel (a challenge), it's dual (double) head.
By Bobby at Tue, 2010/02/09 - 9:58pm
Normal I have one x session
Normal I have one x session on each screen and I would choce that solution over Xinerama.
I plan to stay with kde 3.5 on my desktop to either I get enough knowledge to settup kde in another way that I like, that black screen problem with kde 4 is solved or I am forced to find something else. By forced I mean that squzed is released I cannot use kde 4 by then
By beer at Wed, 2010/02/10 - 3:05pm
Plasma Netbook Interface
What is the status of the Plasma Netbook Interface? I read before that it was going to be a technological preview, but i haven't find this information in the release announcement
By Raúl Gómez Muñoz at Tue, 2010/02/09 - 5:43pm
it's released, not a preview.
It's not a technical preview. It's new, a first release, but it is stable and usable - or should be ;-)
By Jos Poortvliet at Tue, 2010/02/09 - 7:15pm
To elaborate on the post below
...it is classified as Tech Preview in the sense that is good enough to be released, but not necessarily "done" in that the developers still have big plans for it. This sort of thing might also come with a disclaimer, but I haven't actually seen one in this case. That said, I used Kubuntu's backport of it several months ago (which is old code now), and it was quite functional and stable, if still a bit rough around the edges at that point. I would expect that it would be perfectly usable now, and I'd encourage you to try it.
EDIT: sorry, my mistake. Last I heard they were still calling it a Tech Preview, but apparently not anymore. Sorry for the confusion.
By Jeffery MacEachern at Tue, 2010/02/09 - 7:22pm
info of the plasma netbook? here
By xapi at Tue, 2010/02/09 - 7:13pm
Ok, so now for the usual question...
Which distribution should I choose to enjoy a decent KDE4 implementation?
I have always been a KDE fan, I started using it regularly in the KDE2 days. Since the advent of KDE4 finding a good KDE distribution seems really impossible. Each time a new release of KDE comes out, I start the usual distro hopping madness looking for a reasonable KDE user experience, but I always end up going back to Mint (and Gnome).
I'm convinced the problem is not in KDE itself, which I greatly prefer over Gnome, but in distro implementations. The last KDE distro I tried was Opensuse 11.1, but after about a week I had to surrender and go back to Mint - again.
So please help me out: I want to use KDE, but I also want a distro that simply works out of the box and manages to stay out of my way while I work (in other words, I need Mint. With KDE).
Does anything like that exist?
By Marcello at Tue, 2010/02/09 - 11:31pm
And the same answer
Since your last try was some while ago and OpenSUSE 11.1 was KDE 4.1.3 based, so lots have improved since then.
As for recommendations, I'd say Mandriva 2010 or OpenSUSE 11.2. Perhaps Fedora 12 or even Slackware 13.0.
By Morty at Tue, 2010/02/09 - 11:57pm
My mistake, my last try was
My mistake, my last try was with Opensuse 11.2 (KDE 4.3.4 IIRC). Then I switched to Mint8, which had more or less just been released.
On another forum people suggested I try Arch or Pardus. Any thoughts?
By Marcello at Wed, 2010/02/10 - 8:37am
opensuse or mandriva
Can't you just install kde on mint?
i'm still happy with opensuse and kde4: quite fast, well integrated and mature.
mandriva and kde4 also works very nice on my netbook, but opensuse's version is further developed in some areas.
By whatever noticed at Wed, 2010/02/10 - 12:02am
Mint/KDE builds on Kubuntu,
Mint/KDE builds on Kubuntu, so it's a no-go. I think that not even the brilliant Mint developers could obtain anything usable from Kubuntu...
By Marcello at Wed, 2010/02/10 - 8:39am
Oh, please
Come now. To start with the same codebase that everyone else uses and then produce an unmitigated pile of junk would require genius of the highest order.
I've used both Kubuntu 9.10 and OpenSUSE 11.2, and the differences are nothing like you describe. (Anti-disclaimer: I am _not_ a Kubuntu developer.) Bugs are frequently reproducible across distros. That's one good reason to be excited about 4.4 (which I haven't yet tried myself).
By tangent at Wed, 2010/02/10 - 12:21pm
My distro of preference is PCLinuxOS. Since they pride themselves on the principle of "it just works", they held off on implementing KDE4 until they deemed it stable enough. In the meantime, I used Mandriva and it has performed very well. However, a new release of PCLinuxOS is eminent and it will use KDE4.4 and it looks impressive (I've played with the testing packages for a while), so I'm about to switch back to PCLOS. I'd say give those 2 a try.
By cirehawk at Wed, 2010/02/10 - 1:18am
I would recommend Linux From Scratch.
The build instructions are here:
That way you don't have to worry about anyone screwing up KDE.
By James Richard Tyrer at Wed, 2010/02/10 - 6:05am
Hehe, if I had the time I'd
Hehe, if I had the time I'd probably try that. But if Openuse / Mandriva developers which are way more intelligent than myself can't do a satisfactory job, I doubt I could.
Your suggestion was ironic, right?
By Marcello at Wed, 2010/02/10 - 8:43am
OpenSuse, ArchLinux with KDEMOD and Mandriva
are the best choices from my experiences.
ARCH is indeed very slick. it comes with decent KDE packages and you can also install KDEMOD (which is a "pimped" version of KDE)
OpenSUSE is also very good. The Suse people did a splendid job to provide a great KDE feeling. Even Firefox and Openoffice have KDE dialogs, Yast is based on Qt. This is really polished. But, it might be the most heavyweight distro of all three...
Mandriva is the good bet in the middle. Also very polished, not so heavyweight, but not so slick like Arch...
By thomas at Wed, 2010/02/10 - 3:12pm
OpenSuse has the best
OpenSuse has the best implementation of KDE 4 and the most polished one IMO. It also integrates the GTK applications very nicely in the KDE4/Qt environment.
By Bobby at Wed, 2010/02/10 - 9:33am
mandriva is great, but doesn't offer bleeding edge kde.
By whatever noticed at Wed, 2010/02/10 - 11:23am
mandriva packages available
Turns out that mandriva decided to release kde 4.4 unofficially on ftp.kde.org:
By whatever noticed at Wed, 2010/02/10 - 8:19pm
Thanks to the KDE people.
After 10 years of running linux, KDE4 4.4 has blown me completely of my feet. I saw Jos' Poortvliets demo on Linuxworld in Utrecht, I dreamt, followed openSUSE Factory packages, saw it mature and now it's there. Take a couple of days, get the feel, configure and use Nepomuk, the Launch and Search activity, woooooow.
Cheers to all who made this possible
By Gertjan Lettink at Wed, 2010/02/10 - 9:00pm
Small donation again
I wish I could use KDE at work but alas, not possible yet.
By osh at Thu, 2010/02/11 - 10:09am


text:
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Spring Eats
The falafel recipe came from Vegan with a Vengeance, and though I've only made falafel from scratch a few times, I think this recipe is my favorite. It's light and crispy with a hint of green parsley taste. Often I find the herb-y taste in falafel to be overwhelming, but not in this recipe. I stuffed the falafel into whole wheat pita pockets with spinach, chili-garlic sauce, and tahini dressing.
On the side, I served this Bulgar and Asparagus Salad from The Vegan Cook's Bible:
I've been waiting and waiting and waiting for asparagus to come back into season, and now the time has arrived! I LOVE ASPARAGUS!
This warm salad is the first dish I've tried from The Vegan Cook's Bible, a new book that came in as a review copy at work. Since I work at a newspaper, we occasionally get free vegan cookbooks in the mail! This book has an awesome glossary of the health benefits in fruits, vegetables, and herbs, as well as plenty of tasty veggie-heavy recipes.
For dessert, I finally made the Green Tea Cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World:
Steph (aka Poopie Bitch) made these awhile back, and they soooo good. But I'd been unable to find matcha powder in Midtown (where I live). The only place that sells it is a million miles away in Hickory Hill (a suburb at least 20 minutes from where I live). But Steph was nice enough to give me some of her matcha so I could make these cakeys for myself. Hands down, one of the best cupcake recipes in the book.
33 comments:
- Gina said...
Mmm, this altogether looks absolutely perfect! Those cupcakes look especially awesome :)
- March 22, 2009 at 7:23 PM
- Anna Graham Shonle said...
The green tea cupcakes are my favorite as well. So delicious! I made them for St Patrick's day a couple of times and made green marzipan clovers for the tops. :)
- March 22, 2009 at 7:24 PM
- VeggieGirl said...
FALAFEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm obsessed with it :-D
- March 22, 2009 at 7:31 PM
- ChocolateCoveredVegan said...
Bianca, the cupcakes look just as beautiful as the ones in the cookbook!
- March 22, 2009 at 7:38 PM
- T.Allen-Mercado said...
I'm a self proclaimed falafelophile; they're delicious, I could eat them everyday. I agree about the pungent spicy taste of the boxed ones-it is better to make your own.
- March 22, 2009 at 8:08 PM
- Tara said...
Yum! That asparagus salad looks delectable, and everything else is very nom-able as well!
- March 22, 2009 at 8:13 PM
Your cupcakes look lovely. I never tried that recipe (I HATE the taste of tea, so I just can't bring myself to make it).
Hooray for spring asparagus! I love asparagus too.
- March 22, 2009 at 8:43 PM
- Lisa (Show Me Vegan) said...
I've never used matcha powder but have been thinking I should give it a shot. Your falafel looks so good too!
- March 22, 2009 at 8:56 PM
Those green tea cupcakes rock. I've made 'em before and love the delicate flavors.
- March 22, 2009 at 9:32 PM
- aTxVegn said...
I was wondering about the new cookbook - sounds really good (like I should buy it!)
I've not made these falafels or the cupcakes - two more items for my must make list!
- March 22, 2009 at 9:41 PM
- Amey said...
I am also totally freaking out on asparagus lately. Mmmmmmmm! I mostly just roast it with a tiny bit of olive oil and a tiny bit of salt. It's so good!
- March 22, 2009 at 10:05 PM
- Macie said...
I think that the green tea cupcakes are one of the few recipes that I still haven't tried from VWAV. They're so pretty, though! I'll have to get on it soon.
- March 22, 2009 at 10:06 PM
- Liz² said...
what a beautiful, beautiful cupcake... I've been looking for matcha powder just so I can try that recipe. I love the little sprinkles!
- March 22, 2009 at 10:56 PM
I adore falafel!!! I haven't tried that recipe yet but now it's on my list =)
Mmm, I can't find green tea powder anywhere but those cuppers sure look tasty!
- March 22, 2009 at 11:05 PM
- Laura said...
oooh that falafel looks devine!! i am in loooove with tahini, too, so that meal is making my mouth water!
- March 22, 2009 at 11:28 PM
- A_and_N said...
Tahts a very refreshing meal Bianca :) We're big time fans of Mediterranean food here. Will certainly try the Vegan version sometime :)
- March 23, 2009 at 7:51 AM
- miss v said...
what a cool job that you get free cookbooks!
i've not made the green tea cupcakes yet... still waiting for a cupcake-baking excuse. :)
- March 23, 2009 at 8:23 AM
- The Voracious Vegan said...
Wow! What a post! There is so much fabulous food here. I love asparagus too!
That falafel looks so fresh and tasty. Perfect!
Green tea cupcakes, I must try these!
- March 23, 2009 at 9:06 AM
- jessy said...
oooh, those green tea cuppies look perfect, Bianca! i'm in love with those adorable spinkles! that's so cool of Steph to hook ya up with some matcha powder!
we loooove the VWAV falafel recipe as well. i agree - it's not overwhelming on the herbs! i just love it! and the bulgar and asparagus salad looks oh-so awesome! mmmmmmmm! think i'm gonna have to check out that cookbook! i love veggie heavy recipes, fo 'sho!
happy spring times! superw00t!
- March 23, 2009 at 9:27 AM
Ahhhh!!! Now I NEED falafel! Mmmmm.... falafel....
And where did you find that asparagus? I haven't seen any! Also, do you know when the downtown farmer's market is opening?
Those cuppers look yummy! I'm so glad you got to use the matcha!
- March 23, 2009 at 9:48 AM
- Jen aka Jewbacca said...
((((groaning like everyone else)))) now i want a falafel sammich, damnit. i have yet to make that recipe. i'm looking forward to more low-cooking/no cooking dishes for the spring and summer.
- March 23, 2009 at 10:10 AM
- Veganissexy said...
Oooh I have VCTOTW! I was a bit sceptical to try the green tea cupcakes, but you have me convinced. I'll give them a try :)
- March 23, 2009 at 11:10 AM
- Laura said...
oh i'm so excited for those chips to arrive! thanks sooo much :)
- March 23, 2009 at 12:21 PM
- Cyn said...
That falafel looks so pretty! Mine is always weird shaped and not nearly as lovely. And your cupcake looks great too - I love the green tea cupcakes.
- March 23, 2009 at 4:48 PM
Just came across your blog. Amazing looking food!
I make a really yummy vegetable falafel- mixing in zucchini and carrots.
- March 23, 2009 at 5:31 PM
- Alison said...
I could live solely on falafel! I love it so much.
I remember when I was little my Grandma had a very impressive patch of asparagus. I never liked it until I got to be an adult (they say our taste buds change every 7 years, which would explain why I now like all the things I hated as a child). In the fall she would let the asparagus go to seed and it would grow taller than I stood. I'm sure it's still there, I haven't been back in years, but I think of it every time I see asparagus.
- March 23, 2009 at 9:19 PM
- River said...
Best falafel ever! Wow, that stuff looks so good!
Asparagus = LOVE
You're so lucky to get free vegan cookbooks to review! I love your cupcake with all the cute sprinklies on top!
- March 23, 2009 at 9:45 PM
- Juuice said...
Sweet blog!!! Check out mine :]
- March 23, 2009 at 11:25 PM
- VeganCowGirl said...
Hey Bianca! I adore falafel - there is nothing more heavenly than a little taste of falafel balls! Yours look fantastic. I am soooo super duper jealous of you getting your crunking hands on matcha powder. I had a vegan kitchen disaster when I thought it would be cool to grind up some green tea and make the powder myself. Thanks for sharing!!! I used my VCTOTW this weekend too!!!
- March 24, 2009 at 4:27 AM
- Sal said...
mmm falafel. I've never made them from scratch. It's on my list though when I get my cookbooks out of storage!!
I haven't made those cupcakes yet - I can't matcha either. They sound so good though.
- March 24, 2009 at 11:56 AM
- jd said...
I sooo wish I would've seen this post yesterday!
I tried making falafel from an old recipe that I veganized and it was an absolute disaster! The falafel patties disintegrated as soon as they hit the hot oil. Ugh.
(For some reason, I didn't even think to look through my cookbook collection for a vegan version - after reading this post I see that "Vegan with a Vengeance" could have saved me!)
Anyway, enough falafel talk.
I also wanted to comment on how scrumptious those Green Tea Cupcakes look! And I'm curious about the Vegan cookbook...
I have Pat Crocker's Juicing Bible, and it's great, so I'm wondering if you'd suggest getting the vegan one. It sounds like you enjoyed the salad recipe, but what do you think of the rest of the book? Let me know when you get a chance :)
PS Sorry for the excessively long comment!
- March 24, 2009 at 5:26 PM
- Vegan_Noodle said...
I love spring foods!! I had a falafel pita last night (though I didn't make it myself...)
I must try those green tea cupcakes!
- March 25, 2009 at 9:16 AM
- Erin said...
Hooray for asparagus season! Get it while the getting's good. I'm actually having some for dinner tonight...
- March 31, 2009 at 6:40 PM


text:
The Missouri Tigers men's basketball team managed to beat South Carolina on Tuesday night in a game that was about as ugly as a bowling shoe. It was very obvious that South Carolina was not a good basketball team and Missouri certainly played like they weren't one either. I have no idea what is going on with Missouri right now, they look like they are totally lost and only the fact they were playing one of the worst teams in the SEC this year allowed Missouri to hang on for a victory. South Carolina led for most of the game and it looked like they might run off and leave Missouri for a while until the Tigers finally got it together toward the end of the second half. Missouri is dealing with a lot of physical injuries right now but they also appear to be struggling mentally right now as well as their last three games have been very unfocussed affairs that have not been pretty to watch.
The Truman State men's and women's basketball teams will have home games both Thursday and Saturday against Nebraska Kearney on Thursday and Ft. Hays State on Saturday. Imagine what it would be like if those were road games. This nonsensical schedule is a result of a league that appears to be obsessed with global dominance. Ft. Hays State is close to nine hours from Kirksville and Nebraska Kearney is just about as far and it doesn't seem to be a cost effective way to run an athletic program. Luckily, Truman gets to stay home but just looking at the schedule is a clear indication of how it no longer makes any sense for Truman to be in the MIAA. The league has become so geographically diverse that many road games require the student athletes to miss at least two days of class and possibly three.
The St. Louis Blues are 2 and 1 so far this season after Tuesday night's loss at Chicago. St. Louis easily beat Detroit in their season opener on Saturday night and beat Nashville on the road Monday night in a shoot out before coming up one goal short against the Blackhawks who have been red hot so far. The shortened season is really going to be s survival of the fittest type of thing because with no preseason and only 48 games all teams are going to have to figure things out on the fly. It should make for some thrilling action.
We'll be back on Friday with a look ahed to this weekend's sports action and whatever else we can come up with. Please support all the blogs on this site and thanks as always for your support of this one even when it is a little shorter than normal.
Have a great Wednesday!


text:
Baseball's Winter Meetings kicked off Monday in Nashville, Tennessee at the lavish Gaylord Opryland Hotel. Most of the news of the day involved rumors – and plenty of them – but there were also a couple big names that either landed in a new spot or remained in their old one.
Mike Napoli became the first major free agent to switch addresses, as he landed with the Red Sox on a reported three-year, $39 million deal. The Red Sox plan to use him mostly at first base, though he'll also be behind the plate from time to time, allowing him to retain his ever-important catcher eligibility in fantasy leagues.
With Napoli now in tow, the Red Sox are likely to deal from their catching surplus, with Jarrod Saltalamacchia the most probable to be moved. "Salty" is due a raise in his final year of arbitration from his $2.5 million 2012 salary, but he remains attractive enough that he could be an option for a catching-hungry team like the Mets or Cubs.
Also agreeing to a new deal Monday was Angel Pagan, who re-upped with the Giants for a reported $40 million over four years. It's quite a payday for a guy who, at 31, has only had two full seasons where he remained healthy and productive. But, the reigning champs love the makeup of their club and want to do their best to retain as many players as possible.
That includes Marco Scutaro, whose representatives remain in ongoing dialogue with the Giants. While San Fran remains optimistic about their ability to re-sign the veteran infielder, Scutaro is drawing interest from multiple clubs, including the Cardinals. If they fail to re-sign Scutaro, the Giants could, according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle, look to Japanese infielder Hiroyuki Nakajima. The 30-year-old might prefer to stay at shortstop, though, as he's seeing interest from the A's and Diamondbacks at his regular position.
D.J. Short (@djshort), Drew Silva (@drewsilv) and I (@RyanPBoyer) will be here over the next four days to bring you all the latest goings-on at the Winter Meetings. We'll also be on Twitter all week providing news, observations and occasionally witty commentary, so please give us a follow. Make sure to read the boys' stuff over at HardballTalk, as well.
A-Rod To Undergo Hip Surgery
Not all news from the Winter Meetings is transaction- and rumor-related. Chances are, though, that if your favorite team has news of another variety, it ain't good.
The Yankees announced Monday that Alex Rodriguez will undergo surgery in January to repair a torn labrum and bone impingement, and to correct a cyst in his left hip. Rodriguez will need 4-6 months of recovery time following the procedure, which means he could be out until around the All-Star break. Given his age (37) and the fact that he's already had an operation on his other hip, it certainly wouldn't be a surprise if the timetable wound up being longer than expected.
While the Yanks are not expected to pursue a frontline third baseman, they will need someone to get them through at least the first couple months of the season. Re-signing Eric Chavez is a possibility, but he's obviously no bastion of health himself. Scutaro and Jeff Keppinger would make sense, especially since they can play shortstop and Derek Jeter is also coming off of major surgery. Stephen Drew has also been mentioned as a possibility, but he doesn't seem to be a likely proposition.
Many Checking In On Dickey
One of the most interesting storylines to follow this winter will be that of R.A. Dickey. The Mets maintain that they would like to re-sign the reigning NL Cy Young winner, but talks haven't gone terribly well and the likelihood of them trading him seems to be increasing by the day.
There appears to be no shortage of suitors for the knuckleballer, which is no surprise given that he's coming off a magnificent year and will make just $5 million in 2013. The Red Sox, Dodgers and Diamondbacks are known to have talked to the Mets about a deal, and Jim Duquette of MLB.com hears that the Blue Jays are one of the "serious suitors" for Dickey. The Rangers and Royals have also been mentioned as possible landing spots for the 38-year-old, though there figures to be more than a few teams that will at least kick the tires.
Rangers "Most Aggressive" for Hamilton
The Rangers have already watched Napoli depart, but it appears they'll do their best not to lose another key free agent slugger.
FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal has reported that the Rangers are the "most aggressive" team on Josh Hamilton. It's not clear at this point what they might be willing to offer him, but with a lack of other teams stepping up to the forefront, Texas is looking like the early favorites to retain the best free agent hitter on the market.
While the number of teams willing to meet or come close to Hamilton's demands might be few, it appears there are a handful of clubs prepared to wait it out to see if the price drops. Rob Bradford of WEEI.com hears that the Red Sox are among 4-5 teams that are interested in Hamilton on a short-term deal and are waiting to see if anyone else is willing to give the 31-year-old as many as four years. Ultimately, the Rangers or another team (the Mariners met with him Sunday) almost surely will be OK with giving Hamilton at least four years, though it certainly appears unlikely that he'll get the seven he reportedly desires.
If the Rangers should wind up losing Hamilton on top of Napoli, they could step up their efforts to deal for Justin Upton, as Rosenthal reports that they "have not given up" on trading for the D'Backs outfielder. Arizona is still insisting on Texas including either Elvis Andrus or Jurickson Profar in a deal, something the Rangers have refused to do. Of course, that could change.
Marlins Shopping Escobar, Maybe Nolasco
The Marlins have already been involved in the biggest transaction of the offseason, and it appears that they're not done.
Rosenthal reports that the Rays are one of the teams talking to the Marlins about Yunel Escobar, who appears fixated squarely on the trade block. The Rays used Ben Zobrist at shortstop down the stretch and are fine will keeping him there, but they could move him over to second base if they pick up Escobar. The 30-year-old batted only .253/.300/.344 in 2012 and is known for his poor makeup, but he'll also make just $5 million next season and has $5 million club options for 2014 and 2015. The A's decided against pursuing Escobar at the trade deadline but could also be in the mix for him now.
The Marlins could also wind up dealing Ricky Nolasco, who is unhappy about the direction of the team and prefers to play elsewhere, according to his agent, Matt Sosnick. Team president David Samson said last month that Nolasco would be with the club at the beginning of next season, but it's possible that could change given the right-hander's apparent unhappiness. Nolasco is currently projected as the team's Opening Day roster following the departure of Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson.
Winter Meetings Short Hops
The Phillies have discussed a deal with the Rockies involving Dexter Fowler and also have some interest in Michael Young as they seek to upgrade their offense ... The Mariners have had talks with the Royals about Billy Butler and are also in on Upton, Michael Morse, Delmon Young and Brennan Boesch. They seem poised to add at least one impact bat this winter ... With Zack Greinke's price likely to be too high, the Angels have shifted their attention to Kyle Lohse, Anibal Sanchez and Edwin Jackson as potential rotation upgrades ... Both the Rangers and Nationals reportedly have trade interest in James Shields. The Royals have been linked to the right-hander previously ... The Astros don't seem anxious to trade Jed Lowrie, but they might be more willing to part with Bud Norris and are listening to offers ... The Dodgers are discouraged at the slow progress of contract talks with Ryu Hyun-Jin, and they believe potential target Shohei Otani will remain in Japan. They also are willing to listen on trade proposals for Dee Gordon but aren't eager to deal him ... The Yankees have interest in Cody Ross, but the Red Sox are still hoping to keep him ... The Orioles have reportedly soured on Garrett Jones but are keen on Adam LaRoche in their efforts to land a first baseman ... The Rangers reportedly signed Joakim Soria to a two-year deal Monday to set up for Joe Nathan and also officially announced the re-signing of Geovany Soto ... The Mets have some interest in Ryan Ludwick. The Reds would like to retain him and will meet with his representatives this week ... Scott Hairston is reportedly drawing interest from at least five teams ... At least five clubs are also in on Roberto Hernandez, who could wind up re-signing with the Indians ... The Orioles could pursue Gavin Floyd if the White Sox choose to make him available ... Joe Blanton is reportedly high on the Twins' wish list, while Kevin Correia, Brett Myers, Mike Pelfrey and John Lannan are also in the mix ... The Rays have reportedly inked a one-year deal with James Loney, who should see the bulk of the playing time at first base ... The Nationals have signed Bill Bray to a minor league contract ... Jason Marquis has received a one-year, $3 million pact in order to remain in San Diego ... Grady Sizemore had microfracture surgery on his right knee in September, which will keep him out until at least midseason next year and obviously further limit his appeal as a free agent.


text:
It sits in the middle of a special corn maze, and is one of the ways that the amusement area across from Stub's Oil and Gas has been improved, said co-owner Cynthia Pope.
New this year are the corn cannons, although they shoot potatoes, not corn. Visitors can see how far they can shoot the potatoes with the cannons, she said.
Back this year is the pumpkin cannon, which shoots a pumpkin about a quarter of a mile, Pope said.
A popular attraction for both children and adults is the giant jumping pillow, which is like an enormous trampoline on the ground.
Visitors can also try pumping old-fashioned hand water pumps to make toy ducks go at the duck race.
Children enjoy the excitement of the pumpkin barrel train, which runs on a short course up and down rises. They can also enjoy climbing the hay mountain or tossing bags into the corn boxes.
Of course, the big attraction is the main corn maze, which runs through 10 acres and takes about an hour, Pope said.
When they want to rest, visitors can cook marshmallows at pits during the evening, try out fresh-roasted corn on the cob or sip hot cocoa, apple cider or beer.
Pope said the opening weekend was busier than expected, and the attractions are popular.
In fact, people come from far away to try it.
One family comes from Sidney, Neb. each year for the corn maze.
Another had a special Groupon coupon and came from Westminster on Saturday to see what the amusement area had to provide.
Another family came from Colorado Springs.
When they are done with the amusements, visitors can pick out pumpkins to take home from a huge pumpkin patch.
The amusement area is open Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The haunted maze is open on Fridays and Saturdays starting at dusk.
-- Contact Dan Barker at email@example.com


text:
With current caps on the rate of fire is the BPS race over in paintball? If it is where was its apex and what marker was the "winner" so to speak? What has it been replaced by?
I asked this question on MCB as well but figured AO might want to chime in


text:
The No. 2 seed Weed Lady Cougars (18-8) cruised passed the No. 15 seed Los Molinos Lady Bulldogs 64-15 in the opening round of the NSCIF Division 5 playoffs Tuesday night.
From the opening tip, the Lady Cougars showcased their talent on both ends of the floor, putting the game out of reach early with an 18-3 run through the first period followed by a 20-6 run in the second period.
With the game put away in the first half, Weed head coach Bob West was able to give significant playing time to sophomore playoff call-ups Johanna Stensaas, Paige Miller, Angel Whatley and Mallory Pappas, who all scored in their varsity debuts.
"The girls came together and played well tonight," West commented. "We played to our standard, and that's to play tough defense. We know that our next round game will be a much tougher task."
"In all honesty, what I'm happiest most about tonight is that all of our sophomores scored," senior Karene Marshall said after the game.
Marshall, who will likely be awarded her second consecutive Shasta Cascade League MVP award, scored 13 points in the victory.
In total, 13 different Lady Cougars scored in the ball game with Destinee Jones leading the charge with 17 points.
The Lady Cougars now prepare themselves to take on the No. 10 seed, the Etna Lady Lions, who upset the No. 7 seed Hamilton Lady Braves Tuesday night.
The Lady Lions played to a 11-10 overall record this regular season and a 4-8 mark in the SCL. The Lady Cougars and Lady Lions clashed twice this season, with the Lady Cougars winning both games.
According to the NSCIF brackets, the second round game is scheduled for Thursday night at 7 p.m. in Weed. However, that could change to a Friday night doubleheader should the Weed varsity boys win their opening round game tonight against Quincy, so stay tuned.
Lady Cougars cruise to 64-15 home playoff victory
The No. 2 seed Weed Lady Cougars (18-8) cruised passed the No. 15 seed Los Molinos Lady Bulldogs 64-15 in the opening round of the NSCIF Division 5 playoffs Tuesday night.