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It wasn't quite the spectacle we had hoped for before kick-off and then it proved to be downright dull. Both teams seemed to have an inherent fear of being defeated which ultimately led to one of them being defeated anyway. That one, unfortunately for the Dutch, was the Netherlands. Coach Louis van Gaal had notified everyone that he had been instructed by the KNVB to guide the Netherlands to the minimum requirement of the semi-finals, which he duly did. However, looking back on this game I'm sure he'd be looking back on it as a lost opportunity.
Argentina on the other hand created some chances but they were also guilty of not really committing to the win. As the 90 minute mark approached both teams seemed contented to settle for the 0-0 and take the game to a further 30 minutes. As it wore on, it seemed inevitable that the game would be going to penalties and thus the lottery of which keeper could make the difference.
Mascherano epitomised the sheer determination and ruthless ability to place a stranglehold on the Dutch strike force that ultimately paved the way to victory. His patrolling runs in front of the Argentinian back four, notably marking Dutch danger man Arjen Robben out of the game allowed the Argentinians to set up a platform based on the philosophy of "You're not going to score today". It was really quite simple.
Uncharacteristically, the Netherlands hadn't scored a single goal in 240 minutes of knockout football since the two late goals scored to knock Mexico out in the Round of 16. Captain and talisman Robin van Persie was unusually quiet against Costa Rica and Argentina, his usual movement not up to the usual standards, which effectively allowed the Costa Ricans and the Argentinians to push up and blunt the Dutch attacking style.
The penalty shoot-out had me and pretty much everyone baffled – Ron Vlaar first penalty kick taker? This was completely unexpected and ultimately it cost them the chance to go through. Fair play to Vlaar for having the guts to walk up and take it but a defender is never to be the best choice to put a penalty past a good quality goalkeeper from 12 yards. Van Gaal had said after the match had ended that two players had refused to take that first penalty leaving Vlaar who did have a very good game as the only choice due to him being 'full of confidence'. Nuts indeed.
It's something a little different for the Goal of the Day as we've awarded it to a goalkeeper; not for scoring but for keeping them out. His two saves in the penalty shoot-out ensured that Argentina made it through to their first World Cup final since 1990 and subsequently have the chance to win the World Cup in their bitterest International rivals backyard. Keep your fingers crossed for the Germans, Brazil!
A major gripe is the way it always turns out; there are no grudge matches. Matches like Brazil v Argentina in the final or even the 3rd Place Playoff and Germany v Holland in the same scenarios. Even then the 3rd Place Playoff would have been worth watching.
The first of the highly anticipated World Cup semi-finals got underway last night in the city of Belo Horizonte between the expectant host nation Brazil and perennial challengers Germany.
To describe what occurred last night as a 'battle' would be doing a great disservice to the demolition job that Germany inflicted upon the Brazilian defence last night, as well as their whole team come to think of it. It was probably the most surreal moment that I personally have ever witnessed in watching sport. It was almost dream-like in the way the Brazilian defence simply melted away due to the swathes of German attacks.
From the very start, the Germans looked to dominate the game and apart from one potentially dangerous cross in the first 10 minutes from Brazilian left-back Marcelo, they did. The tone was set for a complete victory when Thomas Müller scored from a German corner in the 11th minute. What proceeded to occur in the following 15 minutes will probably not only live long in the memories of every Brazilian and certainly every German present in the stadium last night but also in everyone's who watched too.
When Miroslav Klose' record-breaking goal in the 23rd minute ensured Brazil's bad start had slipped a notch to 'worse', Toni Kroos' two goals in the 24th and 26th minutes made certain it had slipped two notches to 'nightmare' and when Sami Khedira proceeded to make it 5-0 in the 29th minute…well Brazil had slipped into the 7th circle of hell by then.
It wasn't to end there though as substitute André Schürrle made sure it was dreamland for the Germans as he made it 7-0 with two goals in the 69th and 79th minutes. Oscar's last minute could hardly be described as a consolation as Germany had simply moved into 'save yourself for the final mode'. A quite remarkable evening has ensued and added credence to the claim that Brazil 2014 is quite possibly the most remarkable World Cup ever.
Well what more can be said of this German team? They were simply magnificent and although you could say that as good as they were, Brazil were just as bad that would be massively understating their performance. Germany ensured that every aspect of their game was spot on, transitionally between defence and attack and then ensuring that when Brazil had the ball it was virtually impossible for them to break through as they had a defined structure to what they were doing.
Of course there was stand out individuals. Mats Hummels in the middle of defence was outstanding, a natural leader that looked like the final link in the armour. Toni Kroos was equally outstanding in midfield, dictating the German tempo, demanding the ball and never wasting it and who can forget Miroslav Klose; the ultimate poacher it seems. 16 World Cup goals beating Brazilian Ronaldo's World Cup record of 15 and ensuring that the German's rubbed salt into those goal-ridden Brazilian wounds.
On the other hand, Brazil were simply awful. A collection of individuals who looked overcome with the pressure of representing this great nation in a World Cup on home soil. To many, even before the tournament started, it seemed clear the Brazilian squad was nowhere near good enough and was geared more to pragmatism rather than traditional Brazilian skill and flair.
David Luiz was the archetypal Brazilian centre-back, a marauding presence who joins in attacks…even when you're 5-0 down within half an hour. It was a ridiculous performance from the stand-in captain who was also lucky not to be sent off for flailing elbows and reckless challenges.
It was quite a devastatingly lethal finish while collecting a lofted ball from Müller and on the half volley lashing in past the hapless Julio Cesar. It served to compound Brazil's misery as well as confirm German dominance on a quite outstanding night for German football.
Quite a big gripe that Brazil didn't make it to the final top play in the spiritual home of football, the Maracana Stadium in the World Cup final. It would have been a privilege to see, especially against Argentina as well as then it would have been truly special.
An extremely poor performance put paid to that dream though for many Brazilians and they will not allow that team to forget it either.
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The World Cup quarter-finals are over and done with and we know the semi-final line-ups. The semi-finals could provide Brazil 2014 with some of its most memorable moments if there is anything to be gained from knowing who the participants will be. Participate on your own with this Guts sport bonus! Instant boost on all the action
The Netherlands vs. Argentina revives memories of the 1978 World Cup final when that great Dutch team of the 1970's again failed at the final hurdle but can they overcome the pressure of expectation from their homeland this time around? Argentina on the other hand are waiting for something to click that hasn't quite yet and they stumbled over the line vs. Belgium in what was a tepid quarterfinal.
Germany produced a winning performance when they needed to against France and proved they are a force, regardless if they are playing well or not. Brazil find themselves somewhat struggling to embrace the pressure that comes with being Brazilian and playing in a World Cup in your home country.
The Brazilians managed to defeat a vibrant Columbian side in what was the best game of the four quarterfinals in terms of match pace and entertainment. An injury to star man and keeper of the castle, Neymar, will prove to be a downer on what has been an excellent tournament so far but Brazil must fight their way through the Germans if they're to have any chance.
The Costa Ricans pushed the Dutch all the way in their quarterfinal only to be defeated on penalties after a bizarre and inspired piece of management by Louis van Gaal. However, the Costa Ricans had a marvellous chance in extra-time to win it only for a splendid save from Jasper Cillessen to deny them a special victory.
The Costa Ricans though had enhanced and galvanised a true underdog spirit that had developed from them exceeding all expectations. They comfortably dealt with their group in which they had been expected to be the whipping boys. As it turns out, it was quite the opposite.
The Belgians were never able to provide fans and viewers with the style and vibrancy that their squad seemingly warranted. Only on a few occasions did they threaten a somewhat suspect Argentinian defence and even then their attacking play became as predictable as Eden Hazard cutting in onto his right-foot.
A quite splendid free kick that was a special moment in a match that was providing all the thrills and spills of a World Cup match in South America. Striking the ball from all of 25-yards, the ball flew at an extraordinary pace into the Columbian net via the top corner and it was a magical strike that is added to the list of outstanding goals already at this tournament.
Again, I fail to understand what FIFA have been instructing these guys to do. I genuinely feel sorry for some, the treasured few who try and let the game flow and refuse to be bullied by players and coaches alike who jump around on the touchline like babies who have just had their favourite toy taken away. I commend that few.
However, some have no understanding of the game at all. They blow their whistles for nothing tackles or 50/50 balls such as players jumping with goalkeepers and then proceed to let a player off for a 3rd (yes a 3rd) bookable challenge such as the Costa Rican defender Gonzalez. Where is the common sense?
Wimbledon 2014 was a tournament that not only caught the imagination and managed to revive the concept of the underdog but it also revived the love of beautiful tennis.
With Andy Murray's elimination at the hands of 11th seed Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov at the quarter-final stage, British interests in the tournament were ended but our wonder wasn't.
Roger Federer seemed to be back to his unbeatable best, dropping just one set on his route to the final whereas Novak Djokovic seems to just love the drama of a 5-setter to overcome his opponent. Get a Guts casino welcome code and overcome your casino opponents as well.
There were some famous casualties over the course of the tournament in both the men's and women's draws, notably Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, David Ferrer, Venus and Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova.
Milos Raonic, Grigor Dimitrov and the wildcard entry, 19 year-old Australian Nick Kyrgios provided the underdog entertainment for the men's draw while in the women's 6th seed Petra Kvitová destroyed 13th seed Eugenie Bouchard in the final 6-3 6-0 to complete a somewhat unexpected finale.
The men's final though was a story of familiarity and quality. Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic served up a classic final in which the momentum would swing either way until finally Djokovic broke Federer's resistance and it enabled him to put pressure on the Federer serve at 15-40 that proved too much for the Swiss legend.
As far as the men are concerned, there were a number of candidates for this award as Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov could have easily have won it due to making it through to the semi-finals and pushing Novak Djokovic all the way but 19 year-old Australian wildcard Nick Kyrgios deserves the award simply for his route to the quarters was fairly tough.
His 1st round match was won in 4-sets, his 2nd round match against 13th seed Richard Gasquet was won in 5-sets, his 3rd and 4th round matches were won in 4-sets as well throwing the elimination of the great Rafael Nadal into the mix as well. His tournament was defined by an audacious through-the-legs shot that had beaten Nadal all ends up. Ultimately, it was a step too far for him in the quarterfinals but it can be considered a great tournament from the 19 year-old.
Petra Kvitová deserves the women's representation, as her final performance was quite simply outstanding. For the Williams sisters, Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic and numerous other dangerous opponents to be outclassed or prove themselves short of the required quality was quite a testament to how well the pre-tournament unfancied players played. Eugenie Bouchard and Petra Kvitová proved better than the rest and battled it out in the final.
A shared award for the fallen ex-champions, Nadal and Murray were not quite up to scratch at Wimbledon 2014, so much so that they were not missed at all by the end of the tournament.
Murray's presence, or lack of, proved to be an enhancement of the tournament considering how much better Dimitrov was on the day against him and by how far he pushed Novak Djokovic.
Nadal arguably wasn't on form from the very start of the tournament. He dropped the 1st set of every match he played, ensuring he had to battle through each time. The 4th round match was ultimately too much for him as the young Australian proved to have the better of him.
It has got to be Kyrgios' shot vs. Rafael Nadal, almost Roger Federer-esque in its execution, the through-the-legs shot was beautifully controlled and won the point for the Australian too which made it all the better.
Must Andrew Castle commentate on everything tennis related? Must he? Frankly he is what makes the experience good instead of great in watching two top professionals compete for the top prize in tennis. His meaningless quips, uninteresting facts and comments were a massive put off.
Here's the thing Andrew, let Tim Henman who despite never having won Wimbledon, knows his stuff, get on with providing commentary along with a great like Jimmy Connors who again knows his stuff, while you make the tea and fetch the strawberries and cream.
Are you tuning in to the Tour de France this morning? The historic race will enjoy its 'Grand Depart' from Leeds this morning and millions of people will turn on the telly to watch.
Some of the guts.com team might even venture into the Yorkshire hills to see the action live over the weekend.
Anyway, whether you're a Tour de France fanatic or you're tuning in for the first time, put your knowledge to the test with our Tour de France trivia quiz. Average score here: 6/10. Surely you can do better? Do better in your betting as well wtih these Guts.com sports promotion codes!
A highly antipicated day in the tennis quarter-finals as there were some potentially stunning match-ups and by producing another shock result, Wimbledon 2014 endeared itself to the true-underdog supporter. With 19 year-old Nick Kyrgios knocking Rafa Nadal out in the previous round, a shock was bound to happen in this the subsequent rounds and Murray v Dimitrov provided it as the Scot was beaten in straight sets as he slipped to his lowest ranking in 6 years.
However, tennis can be a cruel sport and Andy Murray simply didn't turn up and he was punished brutally by the powerful Bulgarian. There were some other interesting match-ups too that produced a thrill or two and were equally classic-inducing tennis matches. One thing was for sure, Wimbledon 2014 has proved that tennis is more than an able substitute for World Cup action.
Unfancied Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov had already caused a stir or two in the tournament but there was next to no hope that he would not only defeat one of the favourites for the tournament but completelt obliterate him in straight sets. It was an incredible performance from Dimitrov and Murray had no answer to the power of his serve of his devastating winners when pushed back to the service line.
It was a devastating blow for Murray but it's arguable that as good as Dimitrov was, Murray was equally as bad. It'll now be interesting to see how quickly Murray can recover from the blow of this and it'll be equally interesting to see if Dimitrov can carry this performance forward in his meeting with Novak Djokovic.
For a defending Wimbledon champion, Andy Murray put up quite a limp defence against the unfancied Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov. It was like a man against a boy in the end and the the straight set victory did not flatter Dimitrov at all.
In fact, if the match had carried on, there was no way that I could see Murray recovering from such a deficit and the crowd sensed that too as all too often there were noises and groans of audible disappointment at every Murray mistake from the Wimbledon faithful.
It made for painful viewing as Murray was ruthlessly dispatched and with his self-belief, his chances of Wimbledon glory too were sent by the wayside as he failed to recover from a first-set hiding in which Dimitrov was utterly and totally dominant.
Novak Djokovic and Mario Cilic served up a thrilling match in which both players took the lead before Djokovic was finally able to keep Cilic at bay for the remaining two sets. However, it was closer than predicted for the Serb as he looks to re-capture the title he last won in 2011.
The first set was as straightforward as it gets these days for Djokovic as he ruthlessly tore Cilic apart 6-1. However, Cilic began to quietly and quickly assert his authority over the following two sets as he first drew level and then took the lead in sets 3-6 6-7 winning a tie-break in the latter. The remaining two sets however were comfortably won by Djokovic 6-2 6-2 as Cilic simply ran out of steam and looked a shadow of the player who had rattled Djokovic in sets 2 and 3.
The Big Four of tennis, similar to the so called Big Four of football, continually dominate tennis and rightly so because they are the best around. People want to see them play because generally they serve up the best tennis and the greatest entertainment that the paying public could pay for.
While there is always support for the underdog, there is a tendancy for any match-up between two underdogs to become slightly edgy and thus not as intense and nail biting as those between the top players. With 2 of the remaining so called Big Four remaining in Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, the hope is that these two meet in the final as they would undoubtedly produce a magical final due to what is at stake.
It was quite a way to end the last-16 phase of the 2014 World Cup and definitely added to the aura that this tournament is acquiring. Already considered one of the best World Cup's in terms of entertainment and goals in modern times, the 2014 edition keeps delivering albeit sometimes unintentionally.
The first game listed on Day 20 was Argentina against the resounding underdogs of Switzerland. Who would give Switzerland a chance? Who on Earth thinks they can cause Argentina problems? Well, as it turned out, they did have a chance and they did cause Argentina problems. The Swiss missed some glorious chances particularly in the 2nd half of extra-time when Blerim Džemaili headed against the post only to see the ball agonizingly rebound off the woodwork and onto his knee and sail wide of the goal.
The Argentinians had to count their blessings for that and for the fact that Lionel Messi and Angelo di Maria had unbelievably ordinary games but still managed to produce the goods deep into extra-time.
Belgium and USA was the last game of the last-16 phase and it didn't disappoint. It was yet another game whereby it remained goalless after 90 minutes and extra-time again beckoned. However, rather than the usual tepid and turgid 'settle for penalties' mentality that seems to encapsulate teams in these circumstances, these two opened up and so began some of the best entertainment of the 2014 World Cup.
The USA produced the gutsiest performance of anyone last night in their encounter with Belgium. Why? Extra-time beckoned after a goalless 90 minutes in which the game had flowed end-to-end and pace had rarely drifted from the notch indicating 'fast'. The Belgians had scored within 3 minutes of the extra period starting and when Romelu Lukaku burst through the American defence to blast the ball past Tim Howard to make it 2-0 on 105 minutes, the USA looked dead and buried.
However, two minutes after extra-time half time, Julian Green produced a stunning volley not a minute after coming on. This proceeded to give the USA an unbelievable lift and the self-belief running the team was now as evident as ever. They pinned Belgium back and under unrelenting pressure the Belgians came close to wilting on a number of occasions. Although an honourable mention to Tim Howard whose 15 saves were more than any other player in World Cup history from 1966 to present.
The Nuts Award has to go to Angel di Maria, who despite scoring, produced a rather 'average at best' performance. His touch, passing and composure were somewhat lacking culminating in an inexplicable trick of back heeling the ball out of play when in a promising position.
However, he somewhat regained his magic touch when he swept in a Lionel Messi pass to put the Argentinians through to the quarter-finals.
The USA's Julian Green produced a stunning volley that nestled into the corner of the Belgian goal immediately after being sent on by Jürgen Klinsmann. It wasn't just the finish that made this goal special, it was the pass and the perfect weight on it that made the volley possible but what a goal.
WHY? I know the players need a break from the sweltering heat of the Brazilian climate but we want more of the same please! We want to see something World Cup related. Why can't we have the losers playing each other for the rights of the best plane?
Another day and another two quarter-finalists finalised. Another two big nations through and what a mouth-watering, titanic struggle it will be too. France vs. Germany. The history and the obvious angst these two feel for each other, with the 1982 meeting still fresh in the memory for the French.
However, these two didn't have it all their own way. Firstly, France had to battle hard against Nigeria but when the breakthrough finally came through Paul Pogba in the 79th minute, there was only going to be one winner and the French wrapped up the victory in injury time through a Joseph Yobo own goal.
The Germans had a somewhat harder time of it. Algeria demonstrated that the German defence can be got at and should have been at least 2-0 up before the Germans fashioned their first meaningful attack. However, Germany will not give up and an outrageous flick from substitute Andre Schürrle opened the scoring and from then the Algerians, while still fashioning very good chances, was facing an uphill task.
Algeria deserve the award due to their ability to hurt the Germans and they came close a number of times to making the dream a reality. Even in the dying minutes of the game, Algeria attacked and scored a great team goal and could have scored a ultra-dramatic equaliser had Majid Bougherra grown enough to get enough power on the header that ultimately ended up in Manuel Neuer's arms.
Nigeria were frustrating France, and the Moody Bleus were on the verge of running out of ideas. Then up steps Vincent Enyeama, the normally dependable keeper who on the back of a good season for Lille, proceeded to flap for a corner, completely miss the ball and then hand France and in particular Paul Pogba, the perfect chance to snatch the lead.
It wasn't the first time he had been caught flapping though and France exposed him from a number of set pieces throughout the game. I think it's fair to say that ol' Vincent had a bit of a nightmare at the worst moment for Nigeria.
At a time when Germany would have taken any sort of goal to take the lead and preserve, Andre Schürrle produced a fine flick with the heel of his boot to put the ball past Algeria keeper Rais Mbolhi to hand the Germans the initiative in the tie.
I don't think anyone would argue that Germany had been under the cosh at times against the plucky Algerians but again they managed to get the job done which surely seems ominous for the French?
As soon as the tournament started there was something instantly dislikeable about how the Cameroon squad were behaving. From threatening to strike over match bonuses and proceeding to put in 3 abject performances that didn't justify their hype, now there is something that every professional sportsman abhors – match fixing.
Seven of the Cameroon squad are being investigated for match fixing and it is something that we don't want to see in any professional sport let alone the global game of football. What must not happen though is it threatening to overshadow this wonderful tournament that has so far gone beyond expectations for the amount of entertainment and outstanding football that we have all seen.
The third weekend of the World Cup has brought with it high levels of excitement, sorrow and controversy!
There was drama from the get go when Chile was defeated by Brazil during Saturday's opening knockout match. We also say goodbye to Mexico after a nail biting match against world cup favourites the Netherlands on Sunday. Chile and Mexico may be leaving the tournament, but they depart with their pride intact.
Even the underdogs are stepping up to the plate to add additional entertainment of these years World Cup. The match between Costa Rica and Greece on Sunday (two teams that many didn't expect to make it to this stage) was sent into an extra 30 minutes of play due to Sokratis Papastathopoulos scoring in stoppage time.
There will be plenty of drama to come, as host team Brazil are due to face Colombia in the immanent quarterfinal. Until then, take a look at our Guts Awards for the World Cup weekend below.
Our weekend Guts Award goes out to Guillermo Ochoa. Ochoa is the 28-year-old goalkeeper for Mexico. He has been demonstrating his proven goalkeeping talents throughout the tournament. Sundays match was no exception. Ochoa put up a solid defence against the attempts of the Netherlands to score up until the 88th minute. With his quick reflexes and now worldwide recognition, we think that Ochoa will be a player to watch in the future.
And now for the controversy. Mexico put up a strong fight against the Netherlands on Sunday, but the dive taken by Arjen Robben has tainted the victory. In the 92nd minute, Robben free fell to the ground after Rafa Marquez grazed his foot. As well as the moment being captured on film, Robben admitted to Dutch TV that he took a dive in the first half. This means that Robben could face retrospective reprisal from FIFA in the future.
As well as being entertaining, this years World Cup is showcasing a whole host of new talent. One of these stars comes in the form of Colombia's James Rodriguez. Saturday saw the tense match between Colombia and Uruguay. The 22-year-old midfielder managed to score a beautiful second goal for Colombia. Rodriguez took a pass off his chest, and then made the shot a staggering 25 yards from the net. The team celebrated by dancing on the pitch while the fans danced in the stadium.
We all know that a referee needs to have the confidence and knowledge to not only rule out a strike, but to also stick to it. In the case of the World Cup, this is pushed to the extreme when you have the eyes and the opinions of the world fixed on you. Referee Howard Webb is leaving a lasting legacy on behalf of England after disallowing a strike made by Brazils Hulk due to a handball. This decision affected the lead position of the host cities team.


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Those of you who read the Gator Country forums in the first couple of hours after news broke that Jim McElwain was going to be the Gators' next head coach no doubt noticed a fair amount of criticism. Some of it was very strong criticism from many of the members of the community. Mine was one of them. I can blame the 104-degree fever and other debilitating effects of the flu for my immediate myopic reactions, or I can blame Jeremy Foley for setting false expectations, but I would rather just take the hit and give credit where it is due.
Because, as per usual, while most of us were playing checkers, Foley was playing chess. Heck I may very well have been playing Parcheesi. I was after all trying to call the 911 operator on my DVR remote control. Foley is always playing chess, of course but that has not prevented him in the past from capturing his own king in an outsmarting-himself own-goal self-checkmate.
After being laughed out of the Chess Club for his hiring of Will Muschamp and all the torrential fallout that tore apart Gator Nation in the last two years because of it, Foley went back to his roots. Well, back to his last big success in football coaching hires. The last time he hired the Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year, Utah's Urban Meyer torched the SEC for five years before collapsing in an esophageal spasm and setting the Florida barn on fire with that very same torch. Foley will look to Coach Mac to fuel the next Florida resurgence with a cleaner, more sustainable energy source. One that won't destroy its own power plant.
So while most of us – maybe even all of us – were expecting to see an all-out blitz getting after the most untouchable elite head football coaches in the country, Foley was quietly and sure-handedly sealing the deal on the guy he had been targeting all along; a guy that nobody thought would be a consideration unless a dozen other rock star candidates turned us down.
And we had reason to be upset. We had reason to crinkle our noses when we heard that the first guy on our list was a guy that most of Gator Nation had to Google to identify. Because well, we were told that something else was coming. The words came out of the mouth of Jeremy Foley himself: a proven head coach; a big splash hire; someone who would boost the pride of Gator nation; championship experience; successful on the offensive side of the ball; when asked if the name of a certain elite Power 5 conference head coach was the kind of "Big" Florida was pursuing, Foley said "Bigger". He also promised there would be punch and pie (no link available). At numerous times he spoke of the search criteria in terms of "what Gator Nation wants." From those and all other available comments, most fans assumed – perhaps foolishly – that the primary impact (and perhaps even main goal) of this hire would be to put a face on the program that would once again unite all of Gator Nation. This hire was going to be a unifying hire. Some of us also made the mistake in thinking "championship experience" meant as a head coach and not while a coordinator. McElwain was not a proven head coach in the Power 5, had only three years of experience as a head coach that included no championships of any kind, and his name did not turn any heads or carry any immediate cachet. News of his pending hire did not unify, but rather immediately split Gator Nation on the wisdom of not just the hire but the entire process by which all the Chip Kelly/Hugh Freeze/Bob Stoops names of the world were apparently not even seriously considered, or at least not past of any hard-target pursuit. The first blush gave the distinct impression that Foley had for the third time in four football hires decided to roll the dice on a relative unknown and unproven career assistant.
After the Smoke Settled
After the initial shock and disappointment over the realization that Florida would not be offering or garnering the services of any Power 5 coach with national title rings on their fingers, any of the hottest NFL head coaches in the country, or any of the highest-paid glamour boys in the broadcast booth, and more and more research was done on Coach Mac, the method to Foley's madness began to come into focus. McElwain is in fact exactly what Florida was looking for, and exactly what the program desperately needed. Though his name was just a scratch single in the box score, his actual qualifications are all home runs, and taken together look very much like a grand slam hire. I won't list all of those qualifications here – we've all read them a hundred times by now in every other report on this hire – but suffice it to say that by the time the introductory press conference rolled around, most of Gator Nation had not just warmed to this decision, but were elated by it. Then he took the pitch of the presser – the first real introduction of Coach Mac to Gator Nation – and knocked it out of the entire stadium. On the way out, it tore through the house lights like at the end of The Natural, showering Gator Nation with a downpour of sparks, explosions and celestial orange and blue luminosity.
The Other Guys
A few notes on some of the guys whom Gator fans were expecting to be at the top of our target list, but whom we did not go after (or at least whom we did not make an effort beyond the preliminary gauging of interest)…
Bob Stoops: I had been campaigning NOT to go after Stoops since the Missouri game. The reasons I've already shared quite often, from his having gone stale to proving over so many years that he is actually the antithesis of his nickname of "Big Game Bob." When it looked like he was the odds-on favorite a few weeks ago, I tried to come to peace with it and make myself believe that a change of scenery could reignite his energy and that well…no matter how you slice it, a rare spike now and then aside, from year to year the talent he can recruit to Oklahoma is not on the same level as the talent he could recruit to UF. So he may have been able to surpass the iron-solid ceiling that has been in place in Norman since 2000.
However, now that it is done, I am soooo relieved that it is not going to be Stoops. He is a great coach and I love the guy personally but he was not going to be the Rock Star Coach we wanted and needed. He was going to be the Monsters of Rock Reunion Tour coach.
Gary Patterson & Art Briles: While both would have been outstanding hires, they are the ones who will forever bear the pain of staying put. The college football playoff committee made their statement loud and clear the Sunday following the end of the regular season: the only criteria used to select the four playoff teams each year is going to be RGP: Revenue Generating Potential. TCU was drop kicked from #3 to #6 for one reason only: they are little ol' TCU. Had they been Texas or Oklahoma with the exact same resume, they'd be in the playoffs this year. This turn of events made it inescapable: Unless the playoffs are expanded to eight or more teams, programs like TCU and Baylor will never – repeat, N-E-V-E-R – be part of the playoff brackets. If Patterson or Briles ever want to compete for national titles, they will have to take a post at a big revenue school. Florida is one of the most elite among them, and neither coach will ever have the opportunity to take over the Gators' head position again.
The Other Other Guys
Going into the hiring search, Gator Nation was justifiably focused – obsessed, really – on what the search and eventual hire would say about Florida's place in the football universe. And maybe not just national perspectives, but our own reality as well. And this was no doubt part of the pensive panic that fed the initial outrage among many Gator fans over Mac's hiring: Aren't we bigger than this? After all, Alabama can go hire a sitting NFL coach and a coach with a national title at a Power 5 school, but Florida can't? Auburn can go hire a hot-shot head coach from Ole Miss and Florida can't? Notre Dame can hire hottest young head coach from a Power 5 conference and Florida cannot? Well it has been a long time since those hires – even the one by Alabama was eight years ago – and much has changed in the football landscape and in the way coaches are vetted and hired. And the success of those hires of Nick Saban, Tommy Tuberville and Ty Willingham certainly span the gamut.
Adding to this stress over how Florida's place in the college football world would be described by this hiring process, was the fact that Nebraska and Michigan – two fellow members of college football royalty with far longer histories as elite programs than Florida (heck, Michigan has more wins than any other program in the land) – were going to be going shoulder-to-shoulder with Florida to grab top candidates and to take the temperature of their places in the current world.
Well the final results are not all in, but the comparison to the Huskers and the Wolverines have already put UF's position in the college football universe firmly into perspective. And the news is very nice for the good guys. Nebraska just made complete fools of themselves by hiring a clear downgrade without even trying for anyone good, let alone better; and Michigan has just been publicly turned down (whether a real offer was made or not, it is the perception out there, and it's the perception that counts) by a guy who should NOT be on anyone's "Home Run" hire list. David Cutcliffe is a fine coach, but he is a small stage coach, and nothing more. The inevitable public rejection of Michigan from Les Miles is bound to happen any day now, again whether he is actually offered or not. And the inevitable dalliance and ultimate denial from Jim Harbaugh will surely add another layer of sharp coal to that lump in Michigan's throat. The Wolverines are about to be on their fourth different coach since the last time they won a conference title (2004) – and their conference has been in the dumps the last half a decade or more.
That Florida took exactly two days and change to identify and garner the pledge of what is likely the best young head coach & recruiter in the country (and a couple more days to iron out the buyout) is a pretty strong statement for Florida's clout in college football right now. And the national media have not stopped praising the selection, hiring process (snatching him up before Nebraska and Michigan even had a chance to call his agent), and most of all praising Coach Mac himself. The Florida brand just got an instantaneous credibility upgrade. The exact thing that most of we fans thought could only be garnered with a rock star name, has already been exceeded by this coach with a garage band name.
Recruiting, Recruiting, Recruiting
As if to put an exclamation point on his winning press conference, Mac has hit the ground running like a bullet train on the recruiting front. With about ten days to go before the next dead period preventing coaches from initiating contact, Mac embarked on a mission to talk to, meet with and set up official visits with every standing Gator commitment, every uncommitted target, every Gator target committed to other schools and apparently some recruits that haven't even been born yet. And he is already establishing the interest and intrigue that will have those recruits calling him during the dead period (which is allowed) – so crucial during this time, especially for a new coach who needs every minute of relationship building that time can allow before February.
Mac flew out to meet with tenuous UF commitment Derrick Dillon on just his second day in Gainesville. He has since then set the road on fire, and it is far easier to make a list of recruits that he has not spoken to in his first week on the job than it is to form a list of those he has.
And while I am loath to speak ill of the proverbially dead, this strategy stands in stark contrast to the strategic dynamics employed when Muschamp took over.
Muschamp did not immediately hit the recruiting trail like this. He spent what seemed like an eternity putting together his first coaching staff, and only after it was completed did he really pay any attention to recruiting. Hence he pulled in only a couple of new guys and lost more than that from the standing class – which was almost completed already when he was hired.
At the time, I thought it was the right move to secure the best staff first, then shore up the class…however, in retrospect, I was wrong: it was not the right thing, and more importantly it was a reflection of Muschamp's inability to identify the proper priorities in many aspects of his job as head coach. There should have been only two possible tacks: (1) Hit recruiting full bore from Day 1 and fill in your staff as you can in the recruiting down time, or (2) Hit recruiting full bore from Day 1 while pursuing your new staff full bore from Day 1, and sleep in mid-February when it was all done.
Muschamp is always so hung up on doing things "the right way" that he so often misses the very obvious fact that there are many, many different "right ways" to do things, and there is almost always at least a few options of doing thing the right way without sacrificing crucial elements of the program like an entire recruiting class, or the entire offensive side of the ball.
And the results thus far after barely a week on the recruiting trail speak volumes to Mac's role as a pied piper – and more importantly, as a sharp evaluator of talent – of the recruiting trail. It is easy to see how he was able to pull super studs Dee Hart and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix out from under Florida's nose at Orlando Dr. Phillips and all the way to Tuscaloosa.
And think about this: Mac is primed to create an explosion of recruiting hype around the University of Florida. By design of the Gators' coaching instability this season, many of the few commitments UF had garnered have bolted and the vast majority of recruits interested in Florida have been just waiting all season to see who the new coach would be. If McElwain can lock down that large number of players who have basically been waiting all year for the right excuse to commit to the Gators, and then add to that group any number of the many big time players committed elsewhere that are still reasonably in play, the results will be the most meteoric month-and-a-half recruiting rise in the history of the sport. In addition to the very useful purpose of filling huge needs with great players immediately, this would create an almost mythical halo of recruiting power around McElwain's new Florida program. The kind of image that changes the game.
Mac "Gets It"
From recruiting to coaching to addressing the media, in just his first few days, Mac has displayed an element that few saw coming. Not that we doubted he possessed it, but because few thought this would even figure into things. But here it is: Mac "gets it". Will Muschamp had some very good plans for running the program and even the offense – he really did – but when they didn't fit, he tried to force them. That included his recruiting strategies. Once again, he is so hung up on doing things "the right way" that he doesn't seem to see the forest for the trees that there is always a lot more than just one way to do things "the right way".
Mac seems to understand the bottom line urgency for immediate results with everything he does. Muschamp's mantra was always, "We're going to do everything the right way, and whenever we get there, we get there". Conversely, Mac approaches things from the other direction: "We're going to get where we need to be RIGHT NOW and we'll figure out the best 'right way' to do it so that it happens RIGHT NOW."
It's the same way they are so different in offensive philosophy. Muschamp starts with a "right way" (ultra-conservative ball control) and if his players can't execute the base plays, he keeps dumbing everything down all the way to ground zero and then inches forward. Mac on the other hand starts with the players he has and builds an offense that will play to their strengths and make them succeed at a high level RIGHT NOW, and then he'll recruit players who can execute his preferred system for later.
A good (or rather, BAD) example of Muschamp's philosophy is on defense, when rather than tweak his scheme to accommodate safeties with poor coverage ability, he just keeps rolling out the same plan – while they keep getting burned – until they stop getting burned. And on offense, there can be no more perfect example that the use of the tight ends. Muschamp wanted an offense that relied heavily on the ultra conservative passing attack of short throws to the tight ends. He was undaunted by the fact that after Jake McGee was lost for the season on the second series of the year, that he had at his disposal exactly zero tight ends who could catch a football. He just kept throwing to them, waiting for them to magically start to exhibit skills they do not possess. This philosophy single-handedly lost the LSU game, which in turn lost the Missouri game due to the week-long hangover, and then single-handedly lost the FSU game. The difference with Mac is that not only would he have immediately changed his plans to stop featuring pass-catching tight ends as the primary offensive weapon through the air, he never would have featured them in the first place, or even thrown the first pass to them in a real game. Not when he knows for a fact that they cannot catch a football.
When folks say Mac "gets it" and Muschamp doesn't, I don't know if this is what they are thinking, but I think this is exactly what it means.
The Mac Offense
Everyone is excited to see the Mac Attack hit the field in Gainesville this spring, and I don't think anyone will be too disappointed. On the macro level, he is very much like Spurrier in that he approaches offense like a chess game with the defensive coordinators. In game and halftime adjustments are a specialty of his. And his offense is very fluid throughout the season. Plays and personnel groups you see in the beginning of the year will not necessarily be what you see in the middle of the year or the end of the year. He carries on season-long chess matches – like the tri-level chess that Spock used to use on "Star Trek" – wherein he is constantly establishing tendencies, breaking them, and tweaking them at the most opportune times to expose different defenses throughout the year. Opponents cannot scout a McElwain offense by looking at the last few games; they will have to use the entire body of work and still anticipate yet unseen wrinkles, formations and new plays. If this sort of approach conjures up images of out of state media making up names for the Florida head coach like "Evil Genius", well it should.
As for the specifics, there are some things we can expect and some things we can't. We should expect the forward pass to be reintroduced into the offensive game plan. However, we should not expect the Gators to start throwing it all around the ball park like Mac often did at Colorado State or like Spurrier did when he introduced the Fun & Gun to the world. There is a reason that Coach Mac has been laying down the mantra of offensive balance since he was hired.
Reason being that the SEC simply will not allow a pass-happy Wild West show. The defenses are too good. The secondaries are too complicated to be duped play after play after play like in the nineties. And the front sevens are too big, too fast and too well coached to allow a quarterback to survive a season throwing 40 passes a game. When Coach Mac first started as the Alabama's offensive coordinator, in his first spring he threw the ball all over the yard. But when the SEC season started, that philosophy had to be downshifted. But the offense certainly did not suffer from mixing in a downhill running game as the lead weapon; in fact, it made the passing game much more effective.
McElwain is a John L Smith disciple of the west coast brand of spread offense. For those not as familiar with Smith, think along the lines of Don Coryell. Mac primarily features a one-back set, with one- and two-tight end lines, mixing the quarterback under-center and the pistol formation, using the latter to reap the quarterback vision benefits of the shotgun while also being able to get the full impact of play-action. The running game will look like the one he implemented at Alabama and CSU: a mix of zone and power runs, a very physical offensive line, and some stretch plays to get the running back in some space and let him beat the defense to the corner or cut back to the holes – the kind of play that Kelvin Taylor and Brandon Powell were made to excel with.
The Big Mac Air Attack will be music to the eyes of Gator fans who have tired of seeing the only attempts to get the ball airborne (other than tight ends bump-setting the ball for defenders like a volleyball match) either being deep bombs an inch away from the sidelines or backwards passes. Mac uses the entire field – even that real estate long-forgotten by Gator offenses: the turf between the numbers. The older Gator fans among us can remember such things as the short and intermediate passing games, and they are part of Mac's bread and butter attack. He still holds to some of the concepts that Muschamp preached, such as high percentage throws and limiting interceptions, however Mac facilitates these with creativity and inventiveness rather than stagnating conservatism.
The real wild card to the Gator offense will be the tight end. Mac likes to throw to the tight end a lot, especially to move the chains, and unlike Muschamp and his offensive coordinators, he won't do that if they can't catch the ball. If Jake McGee returns and stays healthy, Mac's job with the tight ends becomes very easy. If McGee leaves for the NFL, Mac has some serious development work to do with the other tight ends on campus. Their pass catching ability is not really the trouble; it's everything else they have to do at the position that is so severely lacking. Fortunately, Mac is widely heralded as being one of the best developers of offensive talent in the country. And I don't say that as a polite compliment: he really is.
Like Spurrier and most great offensive minds, Mac's offense relies more than anything else on great decision making at the quarterback position. Will Grier is the most polished and capable passer the program has had since Rex Grossman, and Treon Harris is a great leader who has innate playmaking ability no matter what he is asked to do. But this quarterback battle will come down to which one of them can consistently make the best decisions under the fire of the SEC pressure defenses. Both of them are students of the game and very smart quarterbacks, so it will be a very competitive battle for the spot. I would also not rule out the possibility of both players seeing a lot of action by design with different packages in different game situations. Whatever those packages are, it is doubtful any will revolve around designed quarterback runs, something McElwain does not like to do. He likes to keep his signal callers in clean jerseys for sixty minutes each week. A clean jersey facilitates a clear mind for making decisions before and after the snap. For being the on-field extension of the offensive genius standing on the sidelines. For executing those critical moves on the 100-yard chess board.


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Linux has matured rapidly as a platform. It has gained a durable and significant market share in server applications, but penetration into the desktop space remains elusive. At this time it is not at all clear how Linux adoption will gain sustained dominant market share any time in the next decade. It will be interesting to see how the obstacles to desktop adoption will be overcome.
The attractiveness of faster, more powerful, more slick desktop systems has been almost lost. The consumer is content enough with solutions that are good enough, though clearly not perfect. Linux is good enough for the average consumer's desktop, but there are barriers to adoption that need to be overcome. This is becoming a critical hurdle. Some of the obstacles have been commented on in this article in the hope that a bright enterprising new-comer to the game will find a compelling and entrepreneurial solution that will finally deliver Linux-based solutions into the consumer's hands.This article was first published on LinuxPlanet.com.
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240 F.2d 349
Geraldo Lopez VICTORIA, Libelant-Appellant,
LUCKENBACH STEAMSHIP COMPANY, Inc., Respondent-Appellee.
No. 114, Docket 24252.
United States Court of Appeals Second Circuit.
Argued Jan. 9, 1957.
Decided Jan. 22, 1957.
Murray A. Miller, New York City, for libelant-appellant.
William M. Kimball, of Burlingham, Hupper & Kennedy, New York City, for respondent-appellee.
Before CLARK, Chief Judge, and LUMBARD, and WATERMAN, Circuit Judges.
On convincing evidence Judge Weinfeld has found that the injuries for which this merchant seaman seeks maintenance and cure were caused directly and solely by his drunkenness initiated on shore leave, and, holding it immaterial whether the actual injuries occurred on shore or on libelant's return to his ship, has held an award barred under Barlow v. Pan Atlantic S.S.Corp., 2 Cir., 101 F.2d 697. We agree with this holding and with the judge's careful analysis to conclude that other authorities cited to him had not weakened the authority of that case. We therefore affirm on his opinion, D.C.S.D.N.Y., 141 F.Supp. 149.


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GBI-avis.com is a manufacturing and delivery company that specializes in customized modular garages. The company has categorized its products into standard, attic truss, gambrel, carriage house and two story. This family-owned company also provides pre-construction services when preparing for modular garage construction.Continue Reading
Alansfactoryoutlet.com ships in 30 countries and provides three garage options including Amish built wood garage, Amish vinyl garages and board batten garages. The company also advises clients on how to make a pre-built garage become a spare room, a gym, an office or a work station. Alansfactoryoutlet.com makes the garage floors with tiles or linoleum and also constructs 2-level prefabricated garages
Woodtex.com provides customized modular garages that are categorized as double garage, on-site garage and single garage. The company advises clients on how to finance customized modular garages, the kind of foundation modular garages require, the advantages of modular garages and how long it takes to get the garage ready.
This company also advises on whether a client may consider a permit for his modular garage. Woodtex.com considers a hard, level surface foundation the best for modular garages. Consider the color and location the modular garage will be placed before purchasing the garage. Woodtex.com provides delivery to all its clients nationwide.Learn more about Outdoor


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Sorry, Fox News video embed link is defective, Click on the link below to see the video and the article.
Read the rest of this story at The Jensens plan to join anti-foreclosure activists for a rally attacking Chase and other mortgage lenders downtown at Keiner Plaza next Monday morning, November 29, at 10:30 a.m.
Questions I have include, are all the Chase Bank alleged tacked on late fees, penalties, and attorneys fees legitimate? Did Chase Bank freeze Mr. Jensens home equity line at well below the 67% threshold that Mr. Jensen should have been entitled to since his home was completely paid off.


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Core Areas:
Grazing in grasslands creates changes in plant community structure. The magnitude of these changes depends on the productivity and the intensity of grazing. Low productivity grasslands coupled with high grazing intensity may lead to shrub encroachment in some aridland ecosystems.We examined the effects of cattle grazing in arid grassland at the Sevilleta LTER site in central New Mexico USA where cattle were removed in 1973 and an area just north of the Sevilleta LTER where grazing by cattle still occurs. At each site we measured plant species composition and cover in permanent plots in the spring and fall from 2004 to 2007. Quadrats were clipped annually to quantify aboveground standing crop to answer the following questions: 1) Does cattle grazing affect plant species composition and standing crop? 2) Does grazing alter community response to inter-annual climate variability? and 3) How does grazing impact the abundance of native grasses?


text: Tesla to be acquired. Is the rumour going around cnbc and twitter. If my interpretation is correct, one of the old guards wants to buyout TSLA and "potentially" kill it while they still can. Cnbc is just their way to pass the word without their pride on the table. TSLA is now a real company in their eyes. We are in the 3rd phase: "Then they fight you"


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We're thinking of changing the name of this column to Jumpsuit or Die, purely because we're fairly certain that even if we live to be 100 years old, we still won't have time to round up all of the hideous jumpsuits that are drawn to our attention.
Today we bring you two creations that we think would make good choices for the Fashion Police prison uniforms. We must look into that. On the left, a denim jumpsuit by Alexander Wang, modelled by someone who was too ashamed to show her face. On the right, meanwhile, a denim jumpsuit from ASOS, modelled by, um, Rihanna.*
You, readers, must wear one of these jumpsuits or die. So, which one will you choose?
*Note: not really.


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AMD's upcoming 12nm Ryzen refresh (known as Zen+) will be an interesting one, with the company touting improvements in clock speeds, soldered IHS and the inclusion of Precision Boost 2. In theory at least, this will help AMD fend off Intel's Coffee Lake series of processors until AMD can put out the next generation.Read More →
In this post, I want to talk about why cloning in game development is a good thing, and why developers should feel free to cherry-pick ideas from other games. The thing is, cloning gets a bad rap in gaming circles – yet few realize how some of the most popular casual titles are straight.Read More →
AMD's new Raven Ridge processors have been developed for the AM4 socket, and designed to be backwardly compatible with current 300 series motherboards, but due to the processors being an entirely new die, motherboards running older BIOS revisions may simply be unable to boot if you plonk in your brand new chip. Some motherboards.Read More →
AMD have pressured Intel considerably in the almost year since the Ryzen processors debuted on store shelves, and the company aren't stopping there. Ahead of the release of the die-shrunk versions of the Ryzen CPUs in April, we're seeing AMD release a variety of Ryzen + Vega powered APUs. Prior the official review embargo.Read More →
Intel's Coffee Lake series of processors currently has a total of six different SKUs available, but a plethora of new chips will be released over the coming months, and these range from the lower end Celeron and Pentium chips to the higher performance echelons of the processors. Intel's MDDS (Material Declaration Datasheet) has officially confirmed.Read More →
Nvidia's Pascal lineup of graphics cards have been extremely successful for the company, and since their introduction in May, 2016 have sold extremely well. But these cards are on track to be replaced by the Ampere powered GTX 2080 and GTX 2070 graphics cards in the next few months, if the rumors are true..Read More →
It's no secret that Apple are fiercely protective of their iOS devices and the walled garden ecosystem they have created around their products. Unfortunately for the company, someone has released the source code for iOS iBoot online, potentially opening up iPhones to considerably simpler jailbreaks and other hacks. iBoot found its way on GitHub,.Read More →
The first solid details of AMD's Snowy Owl platform have found their way onto the internet. Snowy Owl is a platform based on an embedded Epyc server processor and is generally aimed at the networking and communications module. The iBase MBN806 motherboard sports an Epyc 3201 SoC which operates at 8 cores and no.Read More →
For ages, fans were asking Square Enix to put the long awaited Final Fantasy 15 on PC. This was repeatedly teased by Tabata, but soon our wishes are coming true as FF15 is out on PC on March 6th. Naturally, however, as this is a triple A game it is already available for pre.Read More →
For power users building looking to put together HEDT rigs, memory is often king, particularly those video editors or content creators. Sure, you need lots of processor threads, but for editing high definition video content, running lots of Virtual Machines, or 3d modeling, RAM quickly becomes the limiting factor. Crucial by Micron have thrown.Read More →
The JEDEC Solid State Technology Association have unveiled the specifications for Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 3.0; this updated UFS doubles performance over the previous generation of Flash Storage, and brings with it key additions specifically designed for the automotive industry. Universal Flash Storage (UFS) is a specification often used for cameras, mobile phones and.Read More →
In the twilight months of 2017, Intel released their own internal benchmarks pitting a variety of their own line of Xeon processors up against EPYC, and during this time the company announced a new Xeon Scalable Platform using the Skylake-D architecture. Intel have opted to now reveal the pricing and specs several processors based.Read More →
Its been a couple of weeks since details first emerged of both the Spectre and Meltdown bugs, and tech companies and users are still scrambling to brace themselves for the potential disastrous security implications these vulnerabilities can bring. Security company Fortinet have already found dozens of malware samples designed to take advantage of the.Read More →
For gamer's wanting to know the release date Rockstar Games for one of the biggest titles of 2018, Red Dead Redemption 2, you're in luck. Today, we learn that Red Dead Redemption 2 misses the Spring 2018 release window which had been announced earlier, but instead Rockstar will have Red Dead Redemption 2 on.Read More →
America's Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission have launched an investigation if Apple violated securities laws for its failure to disclose the update which caused older iPhone's processor performance to throttle. "We have received questions from some government agencies and we are responding to them," an Apple spokeswoman told Reuters. Apple were.Read More →


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Mid-Maine Oral Surgery
Gregory V. Sarka, DDS, MD – Waterville ME
Welcome to Mid-Maine Oral Surgery. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, Gregory V. Sarka, DDS, MD practices a broad scope of oral and maxillofacial surgical procedures, including routine dental extractions, wisdom tooth removal, dental implant placement, bone grafting, exposure of unerupted teeth, pre-prosthetic surgery, exposure of impacted teeth, Teeth-in-an-Hour, and oral pathology.
Dr. Sarka's clinical staff includes experienced registered nurses, surgical assistants and knowledgeable administrative staff who care for patients within a state of the art office setting.
Waterville Office Phone Number 207-873-0117 Map & Directions Make An Appointment
Our office hours are Monday through Friday 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM.
Read Our Patient Reviews
Mid-Maine Oral Surgery
Patient Review By Lolice B
I am extremely impressed with Dr Starka my daughter had her wisdom teeth out and was concerned by not being able to open her mouth too wide and the swelling was a bit Dr. Starka called and had me send a picture to determine if it was more then what it should have been. The ladies in the office are all very nice and easy to work with.
- Lolice B
Patient Review By Lisa W
Dr. Sarka was highly recommended and we were very happy with our experience. My daughter had all four impacted wisdom teeth removed with no issues whatsoever. Staff was terrific, especially Brandi who took such good care of her after the procedure. Will definitely recommend this practice to anyone looking for an oral surgeon.
- Lisa W
Patient Review By imo M
I have had 5 Extractions done at Mid Maine Oral Surgery on KMD. Each time i was put under, as I am very afraid of Dental procedures. My blood pressure goes way up. I am SO VERY pleased with every part of my visit . EVERY one is so kind and understanding of my fear. Dr. Sarka gives the utmost of care and compassion. After care as well. I truly appreciate the staff and Dr. Sarka for making my visits less stressful.
- imo M
Patient Review By
Wonderful, caring place. Would highly recommend Dr. Sarka.
- Anonymous
Patient Review By
Very good
- Anonymous
Patient Review By Patrick A
I am a denture care provider, and highly recommend Dr Sarka. All of my mutual patients have appreciated his his pleasing personality and the quality care he provides. Patrick Allen from Central Maine Denture in Waterville
- Patrick A
Patient Review By
Great experience. Dr. Sarka is the best!!
- Anonymous
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- Anonymous


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The Internet can reduce isolation among seniors
Gordon Schenk
By 2050, the number of individuals using paid long-term care services either at home, residential care or care homes will likely double from 13 million to 27 million people. This estimate is influenced by a growth in the population of older people in need of care.
While we are often concerned about the physical wellbeing of older people (slips, trips and falls), we tend to overlook major issues like mental health and social interaction. Social isolation is a very real threat to the health and wellbeing of many older adults. Several studies have found that the effects of loneliness and social isolation are comparable to that of smoking five cigarettes a day. So why is it that in an era of technology and connectivity that social isolation is such a large problem?
It is estimated that there are over 3 billion people using the internet worldwide. In the USA ,around 58% of older adults (65-plus) use the internet, compared with 96% of young adults.
That means that at least 40% of older adults in the USA are not connected to the internet and are facing a social and generational divide – as younger generations tend to overly rely communication via the internet.
Furthermore, of the 58% of older adults who use the Internet, only 35% use social media. This can be explained by the lack of tailored content and non-engaging conversations that are taking place on social media platforms dominated by a younger demographic.
A study conducted by Sentab, a social network optimized for use with older adults and their family members, shows that older adults have more interest in communities that are organized around topics of interest such as well-being, travel, shopping, hobbies and that convey some educational content.
Digital connectivity is not the only solution for combating loneliness. Loneliness is not indicative of the number of social connections, but also the meaningful deep relations with other people. The balance between social networks and real life interaction has to be considered. It is vital that we do not become so focused on tech-based solutions that underlying issues are not addressed.
An ongoing study conducted by Sentab shows that using technology that spoke to older adults has shown improvements in decreasing social isolation and increasing community engagement. It is vital that we design technologies that are engaging for older adults but at the same time utilize modern conventions.
Along similar lines, long-term care providers have many demands, including in evaluating their budgets. It makes sense to supplement conventional face-to-face services with tech-based solutions. Remote visitation, remote monitoring via a smart environment and prompt intervention capabilities would help reduce operation costs.
Sentab aims to be a bridge between the divide between social networking and real-life community engagement for seniors. What social networks and digital technology can achieve is lowering the barriers caused by physical inability to meet other people, or psychological barriers to engage in conversations with people who may share the same interests.


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2. Racist signs
Racist signs appeared at the 1990 and 1992 Roundups. The sign appearing in the 1990 Hayward video which said, "Nigger check point," "Any niggers in that car?," and "17¢ lb" was posted inside the campground for an unspecified period of time, although not overnight. The preponderance of the evidence suggests that local law enforcement officers from northern Kentucky were responsible for posting this sign.
In 1992, two different racist signs were posted at the campground. The first, which said "no niggers," was present for a short period of time outside the campground one morning several days before the Roundup officially began. A second sign, which read "nigger checkpoint," was posted briefly near the registration desk the first morning of the Roundup. No information regarding the persons responsible for either sign was located.
While insufficient information exists to determine conclusively, it is possible that a racist sign was posted for a short time inside the campground by unknown persons in 1989 and/or 1991. Hayward's claim that two racist signs were present at the registration desk during the entire 1989 Roundup is unsubstantiated.


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Today, Monday, was the first day of the PASS Summit Preconference training events, but instead I spent the day at the free SQL in the City event put on by Red Gate. For me this was not a financial decision (pre-con sessions cost extra above the general Summit registration) but rather a matter of interest. I had already included money for pre-cons in this year's training budget, but none of them really stood out to me, so even if the Red-Gate event were not going on at the same time, I probably would not have gone to any pre-cons this...
Emerald City Domains
© Ajarn Mark Caldwell
Theme by PiyoDesign. Valid XHTML & CSS.


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25, 26 & 27 April 2018
This international event is gathering over 800 participants from the European and international public authorities and the financial industry.
13, 14 & 15 September 2017
This international event has gathered over 700 participants from the European and international public authorities and the financial industry.
The Eurofi Financial Forum 2018
5, 6 & 7 September 2018
The Eurofi High Level Seminar 2019
3, 4 & 5 April 2019
The main objectives of Eurofi are to help industry and public decision–makers reach a common understanding of possible evolutions required in the regulation and supervision of financial services and to open the way to legislative or industry-driven solutions.
Eurofi acts as a catalyst for the market and as a neutral go-between connecting diverse financial industry players and the public authorities. > READ MORE
The membership of Eurofi comprises many leading global and European financial institutions from different sectors of the industry (banking, insurance, market infrastructures, asset management, credit rating agencies, service providers…).
Publication of Jacques de Larosière's memoirs
A true account of 50 years' experience of financial crises from Bretton Woods to Lehman Brothers.


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Status: Open
Know more about this business than we do? Cool! Please submit any corrections or missing details you may have.Help us make it right
we have a full service restaurant and we also offer catering to any event. theres no event to big or to small for us.
chek us out on facebook we now have a fanpage
catering fairs and restaurant
great mexican food at an affordable price come in and check us out . also check us out in facebook :www.facebook.com/lupitas.rest.mexican...
Be the first OregonLive.com user to add photos or videos of Lupitas Restaurant
The place was empty but the staff was very friendly. The food was great and tasted very fresh. Curly fries were soggy but that's not their specialty so no biggie. We'll be back!
We usually go to the Luis's, but the line was even longer than normal. When we got to Lupita's it was empty so we were suspicious. We ordered the taco...
Lupitas Restaurant can be found at N Front St 311. The following is offered: Restaurants. The entry is present with us since Sep 9, 2010 and was last updated on Nov 14, 2013. In Woodburn there are 20 other Restaurants. An overview can be found here.


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Rakuten Eagles: Notes from Wednesday's intra-squad practice game
by Gen on Feb.17, 2010 @ 8:11 pm, under NPB, Spring Camp
=== 11:28pm JST
...Additional notes from Wednesday's intra-squad practice game:
Wataru Nishimura hit a 3-2 fastball for a home run in the 8th off Satoru Ishikawa.
Yusuke Kusuki hit a solo home run in the 3rd.
...About 1,600 fans showed up at Eagles' camp on Wednesday.
=== 2/17/2010 8:11pm JST
...Notes from Wednesday's intra-squad practice game:
Of the 24 pitches Hisashi Iwakuma threw, only 2 went for balls. He threw 2 innings.
Masahiro Tanaka gave up a run on 1 hit. He topped out at 143km/h and also threw 2 innings.
Norihiro Nakamura hit a home run off Iwakuma.
Tadashi Ishimine went 2-for-3 with 2 triples. He hit his first triple off Satoshi Nagai in his first at bat in the 3rd. Ishimine's second triple came off Takashi Kawai during his second at bat in the 6th. Ishimine actually tried to stretch his second triple into an inside-the-park homer, but was gunned out at home.
...Hisashi Iwakuma spent about 30 minutes teaching Koji Aoyama how to throw a forkball on Tuesday. Iwakuma's 5 tips to throwing a good fork:
- don't drop the elbow
- throw the fork with the same kind of motion you'd use as a fastball
- imagine the trajectory of the pitch in your head
- don't try to make it dip so much, work on locating it down in the zone
- if you think it might get hit, it will get hit so don't think that way
...Kenji Tomura threw 50 pitches during BP on Tuesday and gave up 7 could-be hits.
...Tanaka is working on a slow curve.
...Kohei Hasebe is working his way back from pain in his left adductor muscle. He re-joined Ichi-gun camp on Wednesday and threw about 70 pitches in the bullpen.
...Hiromichi Fujiwara is trying to secure a spot in the starting rotation. He gave up 2 runs during his outing in an intra-squad practice game on the 15th.


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Great comfortable private Villa. Short drive to Kyrenia center.
Call us FREE 0800 612 88 44
Outside the UK 0090 533 880 88 44
Call us FREE 0800 612 88 44
Outside the UK 0090 533 880 88 44
£130 per day
£115 per day
"Thank you so much for all your assistance!"Andy Hillman
"Excellent"Linda Eyles
"Relaxing holiday in this beautiful Villa!"Customer
"Fast efficient and friendly"Customer
"Excellent Service"Shehzad Ahmed
"Recommended. We'd happily use Amy Villas again."Colin Rye
"Excellent service and book with confidence "David Nurse
"Review"Shenel Osman
"Excellent customer service, highly recommended!"Muniver Findik
"Beautiful modern villa in Northern Cyprus"Naomi Johnson
"Review"Gokhan Hassan
"Thanks Amy - great service!"Ray Hainsby
Amy Villas is the sole agent for Villa Well House.
Villa Well House offers free wireless internet access.
Looking for a perfect place for holiday in Cyprus? Villa Well House is definitely what you want to consider.
Located in Catalkoy, 10 minutes away from Kyrenia, this 3 bedroom villa with own swimming pool has everything one may need for a perfect vacation. Positioned in a quiet neighborhood this villa lets its guests to have active days and peaceful nights.
And there is so much to do and to see while in Cyprus! Sightseeing, visiting historical places, shopping, sea activities and much more! Rent a car and explore distant locations of Cyprus i.e. Famagusta or Karpaz.
Villa Well house has plenty of bedding, kitchenware, TV and satellite receiver, sun loungers and portable barbecue by the pool. It has a WiFi Internet throughout.
Looking for a perfect place for holiday in Cyprus?
Great comfortable private Villa. Short drive to Kyrenia center.


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Leggings - Dachshund
These organic leggings/ pull-on pants are for all the little dog lovers out there! Your little one will love the fun dachshund dogs print, comfortable fit and soft fabric.
> Elastic waist
> 100% GOTS certified Organic cotton
> Unisex
> Machine wash cold
The fabric is a ÄVENTYR kidswear original design - produced & printed in USA! Leggings are hand cut and sewn in our studio in Maine.
They are cut slightly large to account for shrinkage.


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The issue of illegal streaming in the sports industry is nothing new. Whilst social media has made the issue significantly worse, rights holders have for years tried to cope with individuals setting up cameras to intercept coverage of live sporting events and uploading content onto peer-to-peer streaming services. Social media has facilitated taking the sharing of illegal streams to the next level, with applications such as Periscope providing a mechanism that is the intellectual property lawyer's worst nightmare. Whilst all of the social media networks offer the ability for brand and rights holders to take down infringing content, it is the damage caused in the here and now that needs addressing, not some time after the event.
One of the most watched sports on TV is NFL. With a relatively limited season when compared with other major sports, and huge demand for tickets to the games, the networks fall over themselves to be able to secure the rights to the games. Unfortunately that has meant that a product with a relative high barrier to entry for fans unable to get to the games and thus cyber-criminals entering the arena to try to capitalize on the demand for the product.
However, in a bid to try and solve one of the biggest issues facing the rights holders, on Thursday night the first ever NFL game was legitimately streamed on social media. The New York Jets visit to the Buffalo Bills was streamed live via Twitter for anyone to see – there was no requirement to sign up or even follow a particular user such as the NFL itself or a broadcast partner. You didn't even need to have a Twitter account – you could watch the game via the Twitter website. You did have to see the "timeline" of tweets from people who were talking about it, using the hashtag #TNF (Thursday Night Football) but there was some human intervention to ensure that they were politically correct and not giving a platform to anyone or anything controversial.
The two parties (Twitter and the NFL) signed the agreement to stream ten games back in April for a relatively modest $10 million and this was the first one to be made available. The Social Media giant has also signed similar deals with the Major League Baseball (MLB) and National Hockey League (NHL). Their return on investment is in the form of selling advertising within the Twitter stream timeline (which can't be opted out of), although it was unclear after the game how successful this had proved.
One issue picked up by some commentators was that the stream was identical to that being offered by CBS and NBC, both showing the game free to air, so the 'scarcity' value wasn't really there. However, from the point of view of demonstrating that the social media model could work, it was a thumbs up from everyone.
Whether the illegal streamers enjoyed the show is another story. But perhaps similar in a way to how Netflix made a big impact on the number of illegal movie and TV streams, time will prove this is a compelling moment in the way against sports piracy.


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Get Involved
Donate: We can only make the justice system fairer with your help and support. Donate now to help cyclists get justice.
Become a local campaigner: If you want to take part in making British roads safer for cyclists and other vulnerable road users join our local campaigner network. CTC will be offering campaigner training to all Road Justice campaigners across the UK in the second half of 2014.
Sign up: for campaign email updates.
Report bad driving: Report your road collision or near miss, if you have video footage, share it with us too. We want to receive as many road collision stories as possible to gather robust evidence of the failings of the justice system, so we can demonstrate to the bodies involved where improvements need to be made.


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Alright Friends here is another one. This was brought to us a few months ago. He has already been outed by the AWESOME folks at http://www.pownetwork.org, but I wanted to finish this for the person who brought it to us. Here is the link to the fakewarriors story on him Fakewarriors.org Josh Banner
This guy's name is Joshua Banner.
For the last seven years he has claimed to be a Sgt with 2nd Recon Bn. When in reality he was discharged as a Lcpl with an artillery unit.
Look at the stack this piece of garbage claims 2 purple hearts and a bronze star along with several others.
He is claiming that he went to boot camp, MCT, then artillery training and got picked for recon. Then he went through SOI recon school, Airborne, Dive, Sniper, Ranger, SERE, and he is also claiming he jumped into Afghanistan in 01, did 2 tours, and was in the invasion in 03 but he was then recycled to his arti unit when he got out.
He was claiming that all the information that was given to us and the folks over at POWnetwork was fake and all we had to do was ask for the "real" documents.
When asked for his information on several different occasion he wasn't able to produce any information to back up his stories.


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If you are in North America or Canada and over the age of 13, BlackBerry are giving you the chance to go to the movies for free — as long as you are a BBM user. The good news for our buddies on other platforms is that the promotion isn't just restricted to us BlackBerry users either. Android and iPhone folks can take advantage of the deal too, all they need is a BBM PIN.
Just head on over to the link below, fill in the boxes and share. The draw date for the movie competition is February 27th and if you win you'll be entitled to free movie tickets for a whole year!
In addition to the one big prize there will also be additional 14 weekly prizes which will be gift cards or movie tickets. Full terms and conditions can be found at the bottom of the application page.


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Know more about this business than we do? Cool! Please submit any corrections or missing details you may have.Help us make it right
Be the first OregonLive.com user to add photos or videos of Joy's Uptown Style
Since 1999, Joy's Uptown Style, Inc. has been providing Women's Clothing Stores from Portland.
Joy's Uptown Style is located at 1627 NW Glisan St, Portland, OR. This business specializes in Clothing.


text: about us We are a web design company in Abu Dhabi. WebDosth Technologies is an award winning Abu Dhabi web designing company delivering expert and cost effective online solutions. Our service offerings include web design, website development, SEO (search engine optimization), social media management, website maintenance contract and search engine marketing (SEM). Founded in 2010, WebDosth Technologies has been offering first class web design services at affordable prices to wow the online audience in UAE. What sets us apart from other web design companies is that we all have one dream and dedication to fulfill our customers' needs to help grow their brand and business online. We build websites for start-ups, small and medium size businesses (SME), hotels, as well as highly professional companies in UAE (Website Design in Abu Dhabi and Mussafah). If you are looking for an affordable, innovative and result driven web design agency in UAE, then we will be delighted to hear from you. more about web design in Abu Dhabi Our website designs Website done for Lulu Pest Control, Mussafah Web Design for Hotel Finder, Shabia Website Designed for OG Pro, MBZ (Mohammed Bin Zayed City) Website Design for GIC, UAE Web Design done for Dubai Website Company website services Web Design & Development We are pleased to offer you a basic web design package with pages up to ten for just 4000 AED including web design, domain booking, emails & web hosting charges. Social Media Management In addition to website designing which we offer, we can create customized Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and LinkedIn pages and manage your posts/tweets to build and enhance your fans/followers. SEO & Website Maintenance We promise to bring you the best possible online success through white hat SEO methods such as online directory submissions, social book marking and link building exercises along with website maintenance contract services which we offer in Abu Dhabi and Mussaffah. Get in touch with us for any web design agency requirements in Mussafah Abu Dhabi, Shabia (ME-9, ME-10, ME-11, ME-12) and MBZ (Mohammed Bin Zayed City) Contact Us Name* Email* Phone* Requirement: Freelance Website Designing Website Design in Abu Dhabi & Mussaffah designing Website Design & Development A successful web site is not just about 'fancy and dancing design'. It's about online brand building and reaching business goals effectively. For just 4000 AED, we can design a company website within one week. Website Maintenance in Abu Dhabi We take yearly website maintenance contract all over UAE with timely updation of web spages and images. Social Media Management For just 2500 AED per month our Hootsuite Certified Team will set up and manage your Social Media campaigns in Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube and Instagram so that you can depend on us as one of the best and low cost web design companies in UAE.


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At Brandeis International Business School (IBS), our Centers and Initiatives bring students together with world leaders to engage topics of global importance such as business leadership, entrepreneurship, cross-border trade, and women in business.
Our regional expertise in the Asia-Pacific and Latin American regions has spurred the creation of programming to bring relevant thought leadership to campus to discuss related issues. Through the generosity of our community, we have been able to establish special internships, teaching chairs and classroom efforts to give our students direct experience tackling some of today's most important topics in business, economics and finance.
Learn more about our various Centers, Initiatives and Institutes, and be sure to stay tuned as we continue to grow these programs and evolve entirely new initiatives in the coming years.


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Derry officer shooting incident details
DERRY - Scobie Pond Road is often traveled road to avoid lights and traffic. The Attorney General's office as well as state and local police have blocked off the road for most of the day due to an ongoing investigation.
At approximately 8:02 this morning 9-1-1 dispatch in Derry was called to the scene at Scobie Pond Road. Officers found a man parked in his truck and when they attempted to approach the vehicle, shots were fired.
Officers said the man's wife warned officers of her husband when he stormed out of the house. She described him as "distraught", that he had a gun and was suicidal. The officer on scene returned fire and the suspect suffered from one single gunshot wound.
He was transported to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
The identity of the man has not yet been released. An autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow, meanwhile crews remain on the scene.


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Delhi Public School
(Under The Aegis of Delhi Public
School Society New Delhi)
Applications Are Invited For The Following Post:
HR Manager
Qualification: MBA (HR)
Experience: 3 years.
Location: Udaipur
Candidates may apply till 06/09/2017 through mail.
Pay Scale as per Sixth Pay Commission TA (Sleeper Class) will be paid for attending the interview (Only Shortlisted candidates will be called for interview).
(Principal Incharge)


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Excel for Security Analysts – Episode 2 – Import Multiline Logs
(By: Gil Raviv. Originally published here). In today's episode on Excel for Security Analysts, we will import SSH logs to Excel. To read more episodes of...
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Ohio lost more jobs than any other state last month and is on track this year to post its weakest job growth since the recession ended in 2009.
Ohio lost more jobs than any other state last month and is on track this year to post its weakest job growth since the recession ended in 2009.
The state lost 12,000 jobs last month, nearly twice the 6,500 jobs cut in second-to-last North Carolina, according to federal Bureau of Labor Statistics data released yesterday.
A separate report by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services showed the losses were across several sectors: leisure and hospitality, construction, and professional and business services, even as the unemployment rate dipped to
7.4 percent in November from 7.5 percent in October.
�I�m somewhat surprised on how negative it was,� said Karl Kuykendall, an economist with IHS Global Insight. �It�s been a dreadful second half of the year in the Buckeye State. There haven�t been a lot of positives to point to recently.�
Just as recently as 2012, the state was a leader in job creation. From June 2011 to 2012, Ohio added 113,000 jobs and the state�s unemployment rate was a full percentage point below the national average. Now the Ohio jobless rate is back above the U.S. rate, which fell to 7 percent last month.
The leisure and hospitality sector was the big loser, dropping 12,200 jobs last month. The sector had been a bright spot this year, but last month�s losses wiped out nearly all the gains over the past year.
The monthly numbers are subject to revision, so there could be changes in coming months, economists say.
But Kuykendall said the losses could be due in part to the state�s new casino industry, which ramped up hiring when the casinos opened and now might not need as many workers.
The job losses last month stand in contrast to a recent U.S. report that showed employers added 203,000 jobs in November and another one showing that the economy is beginning to grow more rapidly.
Through November, Ohio has added 15,600 jobs this year, fewer than half the jobs that were added in 2012 and well below the number of jobs created in 2011 and 2010, according to the state. Since May, when employment in Ohio hit a post-recession high of 5.2 million, employment has dropped by 23,400.
Part of the drop recently can be blamed on manufacturing. The sector added 55,800 jobs from January 2010 until May, but it has lost 8,000 jobs since then.
�I think a lot of it is due to the shift in labor and capital in manufacturing,� said Bill LaFayette, owner of local economic-consulting firm Regionomics. �We�re starting to see the same thing we saw before the recession: Manufacturers are increasing output without increasing employment.�
Kuykendall said Ohio manufacturers have been hurt by slowing exports, and the construction industry has suffered as well.
The construction sector cut 3,600 jobs last month and is down by 5,200 jobs over the past year.
Both sectors should improve next year as a strengthening economy in Europe and Asia will help exports, and housing should be better, Kuykendall said.
There also was a loss of 1,800 jobs in the professional- and business-services sector last month.
On the plus side, the state added 4,200 jobs in the private education and health-care sector and 3,000 jobs in the trade, transportation and utilities sector, largely driven by warehouse jobs, according to the state.
The state and federal unemployment reports are made up of two surveys, one that tracks employers and a second one that tracks workers. At times, the two surveys don�t track in the same direction.
The unemployment rate edged lower as the labor force grew by 7,000 workers and all the new workers got jobs last month. The number of unemployed workers, meanwhile, held steady at 427,000.
As job creation has slowed in Ohio, the unemployment rate has moved up since last December, when it hit a post-recession low of
6.7 percent.
�Generally, we think we�re headed in the right direction,� said Angela Terez, a Jobs and Family Services spokeswoman. �It�s just a slow recovery.�


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As cyclone victims in Burma continue to suffer with little relief, the military government says voters in cyclone-devastated areas have overwhelmingly approved a new constitution for the country. With 134,000 people dead or missing, and two million in need, aid agencies say they are testing the rulers' pledge to allow free access. As VOA's Ravi Khanna reports, the regime also is being accused of fraud and coercion in the voting in the devastated Irawaddy delta region.
The vote in the cyclone devastated region was delayed more than two weeks. But Burma's military government says the results among the victims of the storm were similar to the main May 10 referendum.
Burma's State media says, in overall voting, the constitution was approved with more than 92 percent of vote.
"It's very clear that this entire referendum is characterized by fraud, by coercion, by intimidation," said Debbie Stothard, an activist with the Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma, a human rights and democracy organization.
Burma's ruling generals say the constitution will pave the way for a general election in 2010. But under new constitution the detained pro-democracy movement leader, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, will not be allowed to run for office.
The regime held the vote even as the United Nations said three out of four victims have yet to receive any relief. And aid agencies say they are sending relief teams into Burma, to test the government's promise to allow unrestricted access.
Richard Horsey, of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs told AP Television, the U.N. is ready to help.
"Now if we can get these experts out, we can start putting in place the water purification machines, warehousing and the other things that we need," he said.
Stothard says the military government is even using the aid for coercion.
"People who were trying to recover from the devastation of cyclone Nargis were told that they had to vote 'yes' if they wanted to receive aid," she said.
A Bangkok-based political analyst, Larry Jagan says he is not optimistic about a genuine democracy in Burma.
"But if there is to be a real transition to multi-party democracy, as all of the military leaders of Burma are insisting, then they have allow some form of liberalization," he said.
The constitution guarantees 25 percent of parliamentary seats to the military and allows the president to hand over all power to the military in a state of emergency, elements that critics say defy the military government's professed commitment to democracy.