text:
Mari Okada discussion
Ok,since it seems there's more and more threads derailed by Okada discussion, even in animes she's not involved in (look at Tari Tari) so we might as well have a thread.
So,here's the woman in question:
Her résumé as a head writer so far:
Dynamic tag cannot be rendered. (PrintableThread)
To me there's 3 reasons why Okada is the talk of town over the past year:
1)She worked on a lot of shows over the past 18 months,when you work so much you're going to get noticed.
2)Not only is she working on a lot of shows but she's working on big name franchises (BRS,Lupin,kenshin,AKB48...) that all have an established fanbase which leads to more people paying attention to her
3)Even if they're part of an established franchise the animes themselves aren't straightforward adaptation,which leads to extra attention on the anime writer.
I still look forward to every new Okada animes,there's success and failures but somehow Okada manages to entertain me even in her failures,so either way I know I'll be entertained and that's all I'm looking for.
However I can understand that she's overexposed right now but maybe that won't last,there's no Okada show airing this summer and the only animes she'll be working on for the rest of the year are the second cour of AKB0048 (will probably air this fall) and the Hanasaku Iroha movie.
As for the three Okada animes this season,here are my thoughts:
Aquarion evol: I'll just quote Enzo
I enjoy AKB0048 as well so far but still have my reserves because I don't know exactly what Okada has in mind for the rest of the plot.
Lupin III:Episode 9 really leaves me uncertain, I'm not sure I like where this is going,that's a shame because I enjoyed the early parts of the show quite a bit.
I think she's very good at writing things that end up being entertaining and/or at least gaining a lot of attention.
I think she's excellent at writing life drama (romance drama in particular) when she wants to. She definitely needs a good, strong, takes-no-BS Editor or Supervisor to get the most out of her skills when it comes to serious life drama/romance shows.
Her overall range is impressive. There doesn't seem to be much that she shies away from completely.
Okada seems to have become the anime industry's first choice for anime original writing (she's also handled a fair bit of adaptation work, of course). I do think that Okada is getting spread too thin and is probably doing more than she should, but my hunch is that this might be mainly due to a general lack of depth/talent amongst writers within the anime industry (not including mangaka, and LN/VN writers) moreso than any real fault of Okada's. The only other regular to semi-regular anime original writer I can think of that gets praised as much as Okada does is Gen Urobuchi (Gen seems to be more widely praised than Okada, but he also doesn't seem to have her range).
I think that the anime industry owes Okada a lot, but by the same token, I think the anime industry could badly use another prominent anime original writer (specifically for the sorts of shows that Okada is most known for) in order to truly challenge Okada and keep her from getting too sloppy.
On one hand I think it is really cool to see a woman have such a strong presence in what is a pretty predominant male industry.
But I have to admit I do find her overexposed also I think she is just an average writer. I dont mind her original works so much but I don't want too see her as the head writer for every poplar adaption.
In my opinion anime needs to get more voices but the industry seems to like to stick to what is popular and not try out anything new.
I do not like Mari Okada for the opposite reasons I do not like Makoto Shinkai: every time she does drama, it feels like an Oscar-bait performance with no subtlety. While it's true that I love Aquarion Evol and that the anime she writes can be good or bad depending on the director, her bad drama NEVER goes away. Not even in Lupin III.
To make things clear: I love Aquarion Evol, I like Lupin III, Hanasaku Iroha and Toradora are tolerable (but only just), and I've hated everything else she's written (have not seen AKB0048 as of yet). And even in the ones I like, I thought the drama sucked.
Other than AnoHana and Lupin III I've been wholly unimpressed with her resume and find her material pretty insulting to my intelligence though she hasn't managed to take on anything I truly care about. I totally agree that she's overexposed right now and ought to take a breather for both her sake and animes sake in general.
Okada does Waaaaaaaay too much work for her own good. Because of this, her recent works really have TERRIBLE writing (EVOL, AKB0048, BRS). She does make some great SOL drama imminent in parts of HanaIro, the entirety of Anohana, Horo Musuko. . . And she did adapt Toradora, a 10 volume light novel, into 25 episodes without losing emotions, developments or feeling rushed (Index aired at the same time as Toradora and only had 6 volumes to adapt yet pacing always felt off).
In any case she really deserved that Kobe award for having the whole industry (which is mostly male) depend on her and what she writes.
Seriously, it's often that the director is more prominent than the screenwriter, and hence generally not well-known, so it's hard for me to know of a writer who's on her level (or even better) and/or has a similar range of works and genres. Also in the pecking order, I believe that the production committee has more decision-making power than the screenwriter.
While I agree that, given her current status in the industry, she should be able to pick what projects she can work on and pace herself; I don't have the appetite to harshly criticize, only that I wish I have the opportunity to politely tell this woman to take it easy.
Also just because somebody has written in a wide variety of genres doesn't mean that they have written well in all of them. Frankly I find her forays into sci-fi/mecha to be among her absolute worst attempts at writing fiction.
Also as a reiteration of my prior post, I really do need someone to explain to me how the industry (if it were just J.C Staff and Studio Deen I'd be inclined to agree more) owes this particular person anything other than her paycheck and a listing in the credits of each work she does to acknowledge her contribution. Did I miss something, is Mari Okada saving anime ala Yamakan? :confused:
Hit and miss.
Go back to SoL plz.
The thing about her is that she constantly writes with a trollface expression and seems to try to pry a reaction out of the audience. This works sometimes, but on the other hand not every kind of story can work like this.
Thanks for the thread totoum. Tari Tari subforum was getting outta control with all the Okada talk when she's not even involved. I admit though, I was one of the participants :p.
So Mari Okada... where to start. I think I'll first point out how I find it ironic on how she's been criticized for being excessively melodramatic, she's wasn't always like this and in the past (not that long ago actually) she was able to write great down to earth, subtle, controlled drama be it in original works or adaptations.
I know this sounds absurd but once upon a time she scripted a series called True Tears back in late 2007, early 2008. That was also PA Works debut anime, and to this very day I consider it both Okada and PA Works's best work. Unfortunately True Tears was competing with both Clannad Season 1 and ef tale of memories on the drama side which Clannad pretty much took all the market share and popularity, not to mention according to the majority, the "wrong pairing" won in True Tears which led to massive shipping wars and butthurt at the time both on AS, MAL and various blogs. It was actually quite humourous :heh:.
Fast forward to the Winter Season of 2011, and we had Horou Musuko, in which Mari Okada scripted the adaptation of the critically acclaimed manga by Takako Shimura together with Fate/Zero's director Ei Aoki. That was also a very well done drama without excessive melodrama, was down to earth and controlled. And it was also the only anime that involved crossdressing involving Okada that wasn't used as the butt of a joke.
Both series had relatively great writing, in particular internal monologues. This is something Okada really excels in when she gives a damn, which I cannot say for her recent works. Both series also had something else in common. They bombed. True Tears initially under 2k DVDs per volume, and Wandering Son was the worst selling noitamina series of all time selling under around the 700 mark. They were disgustingly underrated.
Now compare that to series in which Okada was involved that were the most successful financially - Toradora and Anohana. Now what did Toradora and Anohana both have? A lot of slapstick comedy for the former and a lot of melodrama in the latter. You know what else had a lot of slapstick comedy and melodrama and did very well in sales? Key - Air, Kanon, Clannad and Angel Beats. Anime fans in general love slapstick comedy and melodrama. Hanasaku Iroha was also doing poorly reception wise until that infamous bondage episode (episode 3) came out, after which pre-orders spiked drastically up. Still makes me mad, but that's the reality.
So in a way, Mari Okada is "selling out" just like rest of the industry. Because you have to be almost Gen Urobuchi level to create a highly recepted, financially viable that is also "great" from a "critic's" point of view, is the reason why there has been a lack of creativity. Why bother making something that is great from a academic or critics point of view, when you can just churn out something via a "checklist" approach that caters towards a niche group of the fandom who happens to have all the spending power. Why bother making genuine subtle drama or interesting premise/plot when you know it's gonna bomb unless if it's absolutely amazing (Urobuchi's Madoka level) when you can just have a bunch of teenagers crying on screen and having the next tsundere beat up the MC, alongside a high budget to which Japanese "hardcore" otaku gobble up.
Of course, Mari Okada herself has a lot to blame on herself. Firstly, she takes up way too much work. This season she's working on three series, Aquarion EVOL, AKB0048 and Lupin III and out of the lot, I can only say that Lupin III is the only "legit good" out of the bunch with the other two having a hit or miss "campy" charm depending in what tickles you fancy. Last Spring, she was scripting both Anohana and Hanasaku Iroha, which were both anime originals ON TOP of finishing off the Gosick adaptation. This is just absurd and crazy and the woman is really just overworking herself. It's gotten to a point where she got mad at she was suggested to be taken off the AKB0048 writing team because Aquarion EVOL behind schedule. I have no idea what Okada is trying to prove at this point other trying to perhaps set a world record on the number of scripts an script writer works on in the industry.
This leads me to the second point. Either Mari Okada is too ego-flated that she's telling other production staff to F-off if they don't let her get her way, or the other production staff don't have the balls to say NO to her crazy antics and fetishes - she seems to have developed an obsession of putting males in dresses, generally portraying male characters terribly and the craziest ideas of fanservice that would rival NishioIsin's "toothbrush" debacle in absurdity. The only person recently that I can think of that had the balls to say NO to her was Tatsuyuki Nagai who pretty much told Okada to rewrite the whole of Anohana because Okada initially intended it to be a raunchy romcom. Thankyou Nagai, you have my respect for having balls.
At the end of the day, I think Okada needs a hiatus. She should take a holiday and come back refreshed. And god forbid ... go find a boyfriend or something because her writing seems to be affected by her lack of one lol! So much "romance trolling" on her part, some of which is just flat out facepalm worthy. There's a bit of joke going on in the AS forums atm in that Kawamori and Okada should get married already since they're current style is so complimentary it's hilarious. The King of Trolls and the Queen of Trolls. When they combine the anime industry will explode :heh: not in a good way of course
EDIT: I'm using some hyperbole here so don't take everything at face value!
Get a boyfriend? Not happening! In the words of Elaine Benes: "I'm not a lesbian - I just hate men."
I agree that the Hourou Musuoko adaptation was great - but having read the manga wire to wire (so far) I can tell you, all she did was remain very faithful to the manga. In took artfulness to distill the essence of a long manga into 12 eps, and full credit - but the tone, and the drama, and the power - that's all the mangaka.
I see a larger issue where the industry is becoming increasingly homogeneous - it's most obvious in subject matter and cast, but it's happening in composition too. If most of the docket is either Nisio's insufferable verbal masturbation, Okada's egomaniacal fetishism or Yoshino's middle-school mediocrity - or copycats of same - how is that a positive? Are we just left to wait for the occasional Urobuchi Gen brilliant despair-fest?
Okada has talent, but she needs a strong editor and she needs to have her workload sharply reduced. The bubble is going to burst, likely soon, and it isn't going to be pretty - she's building up a lot of resentment from a lot of people who can't wait to kick her when she's down. The question is whether she'll be able to rebuild her career after that happens.
Recalling my readings of the late Mario Puzo's The Last Godfather, in which the novelist injected his experiences as a part-time Hollywood screenwriter into the book through a despairing character, generally the screenwriter has little power compared to directors and producers; they have a bigger say in the script that the draft of a screenplay is altered to the point the final script bears little resemblance to the original, and to complicate things several more writers rewrite the script.
For me, it's rare for a screenwriter to have more leverage than the director and/or the producer, or even argue with any of them, which tends to disrupt the pecking order. It's also rare that a screenwriter, much less paired with a known director, is asked by a supervising producer to take overall responsibility in developing a feature series, and in this case Yasushi Akimoto (asides from being AKB's producer, is also himself a novelist and a screenwriter, but not wanting to manipulate every aspect of the creative process, having done so with the (in)famous Heavy Rotation music video by leaving it in the care of the PV's director -- also a woman, no less) gave Okada and Kawamori a free hand with 0048's screenplay.
For now I'm satisfied with her version of Toradora, and I also find that 0048 easily dovetails into her interests than the other two shows she's working on.
It's at the second part from the subtitle "Follow the Money" where they talk about who gets paid. From that royalties are paid to the director, series composition and the original creator (if adaptation) which they each get 1.7% each of net revenues. Another 1.7% is paid to the music rights organisation for the OP/EDs.
Nevertheless, what sets Okada apart is her success at zeroing in on industry demand. She's in tune with the tastes of modern otaku (I don't think the style and direction of her writing is any coincidence), can structure a show well, dabbles in multiple genres, gets along with the producers/directors (most of them anyway :heh:), and feeds the industry's demand for large quantities of shows on tight schedules. I suspect her way of working has led to some skewed perceptions.
As with prolific directors and production studios, Okada sells dependability. It's really the type of business savvy that brought Akiyuki Shinbo and J.C.STAFF (primarily through head producer Yuji Matsukura) into prominence. All are capable, but they ultimately succeed by catering to specific industry wants.
The problem is that the animation pot is divided amongst tons of overworked people, whereas the script pot is enjoyed by only a small handful of writers, some of whom may write multiple episodes at a time.
The average payment for a script is about $2000 US an episode. Last year, 55 Mari Okada episodes were released, which would mean a sum of ~$110,000 (excluding the series composition fee).
On top of that, there are royalties. I'm not sure if this applies to adaptations, but the successes of AKB0048, Aquarion EVOL, Hanasaku Iroha, and AnoHana would represent a nice sum of extra cash. I can see why Okada would insist on tackling AKB.
The iron is hot, so Okada has every reason to strike while she can, especially when it has worked out so well.
Oh you guys want me to be srs. Fine.
The following is merely just an opinion piece about her work. I don't know shit about production work or blah blah blah, so it might even be her doing. At the same time, when you put your name on a piece of work... you take responsibility for it. And yes, some of it is a joke. Deal with it. :heh:
Since original works really showcase someone's writing style as opposed to an adaptation, I usually try to focus on them. In this case, I will refer to the Okada Trilogy which focuses on the three works I'm most familiar with, and I think truly brings the best (and sometimes worse) of her style that's the most distinct. Stuff like Lupin III isn't just her by a large margin, and Black Rock Shooter is well... the less said, the better. Anyhow, the Trilogy consists of True Tears, AnoHana, and Hana Saku Iroha.
True Tears is why everyone seems to fanboy over her. It's a great series, but it was hardly all up to her since the show was also enhanced by the wonderful directing and excellent soundtrack. Of course, the heart of True Tears was the 1.5-3 (depending on how you ask) really cute girls that were written. The characters of Hiromi, Noe, and that other girl were not just pure fetish tools that just sat there and looked cute. They acted remarkably like actual humans with flaws, conflicts, and inner thoughts. True Tears spent most of its time really getting to know our characters so that we'd really understand why things happened and when they happened.
In general, it was a series that avoids the typical asspulls of your typical anime, and is actually very close to the opposite of Key moe. Although the female characters are the main appeal of the story, the lead Shinchiro is not a piece of cardboard. Which makes him better than 95% of Okada's guys already.
Still, although I lavish the praise on True Tears and enjoy it for its tightly written plot, I somehow felt detached from the whole situation. Yes, I liked exploring each character, but then in the end Okada never told me why I should care, and thus I cool story bro'd the main premise! She seems to have an issue of exploring way too much, like some kind of bizzare OCD which means that she can leave no stone untouched. Everyone that's watched the show knows of those detours that well... while explained, has me going "so?"
In any case, we can say that even though the sales were as large as Minko's patience and Enshi's manhood, True Tears did become sort of a cult classic in anime terms. Okada would indeed use Hiromi and Noe as her main archtypes, and it's very likely you'll see someone resemble one of them in a show she writes. (Aquarion Evol's has a blatant one)
And then came AnoHana. Anohana was an incredible success in all forms of the word. The more cynical call it pandering, but it just really worked for the market. In this series, Okada directed a more emotional approach but while keeping a relatively sensible plot. It didn't have True Tears's realism, but the nature of the story was fantastical and shows how Okada can definitely deal with these elements in a manner that manipulates the emotions. It should be noted that Okada's shows are frequently best watched live, because you sometimes literally have no idea what will happen next. This starts the whole "who's gonna wear a dress next week phenomenon". She had just finished work on Wandering Son, and we wonder if that seemed to have spurred something within.
Anyhow, Anohana didn't have the same artistic approach of True Tears, but it did balance it out by having some kind of widespread appeal. Indeed, if you go around anime sites, you'll go around finding people crying over it. :heh: So AnoHana's greatest success was to create a story with the emotional touch that True Tears lacked, showing us two sides to her writing. A very calm, logical, and perhaps trolling attitude but laced with emotion. The character Tsuruko from Anohana displays this most heavily in the series. Unfortunately, the narrative suffers a crapper near the end and the fragile balance devolved into one of excess. Really, the ending is corny as hell. However, it still ended intact, but...
And then, around the same time, the third and final entry is Hana Saku Iroha. It combines the artistic style of True Tears moe with the emotion and shock value of AnoHana. The first episode really drove it home, with a very close and amicable character in the lead Ohana, but the show is far more explosive as opposed to True Tears' more subtle atmosphere. It's closer to Anohana's wackiness in being over the top.
Unfortunately, as the series went along, it was clear that it just wasn't holding due to planning. I noticed all 3 shows sorta decline in entertainment (for me) near the end), though Hanairo decayed faster. I feel that Hana Iro at its worst would combine the worst of the previous two-- being emotionaly distant and too over the top. And while I could laugh at the silliness in Anohana, Hana Iro would lead to one facepalm to the next due to this. In general, Hana Iro's strengths were mostly seen in the main character, aka the only one that wasn't ridiculous and I could relate too (and was cute too), though even she would fall in the worse episodes.
In its good moments, Hana Iro would provide the best that Okada's written as part of the things I've enjoyed about her previous animu. You know, characters that acted like people, however, it was drowned out by what I consider to be the negatives listed above. Unfortunately, it seems that her excess gathered in AnoHana/HanaIro have spilled into her later writing a bit too much.
TL;DR Her best works have really tight plots and memorable characters that provide a unique experience. She needs heavy help from good directing and probably editors to keep her long ramblings in tow. Much like myself.
Not everyone is Yoko Kanno or Shinichiro Watanabe who have already proven themselves in the past and have large pockets to the point where they seem to be making Sakamichi no Appollon "because they can" regardless of the fact it's likely going to bomb.
Still, Okada needs to take a break. It's getting to a point where her writing is just god awful at times.
Archon, I loved AnoHana (my #2 series of 2011) but by most accounts it would have been a gigantic clusterf*** if Okada had been allowed by Nagai to write the show she wanted (no ghost story, tons of ecchi, etc.). Nagai is one of the few directors who stood up to her (which pissed her off mightily, to the point where she bad-mouthed the final product) and that "spurred from within" you credit to Hourou Musuko was mostly "spurred from without" by Nagai. And thank goodness, too.
I guess I should have said "allegedly" badmouthed - because as I remember it was reported, rather than recorded. There may be an interview somewhere that I've forgotten - but it's early morning here and it's been a long day...
|All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:31.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2018, vBulletin Solutions Inc.


text:
- Home
- Editor's Desk
- Features
- Columns
- Arts & Culture
- Special Editions
- Advertising
Thursday September 20, 2018; 04:06 pm EDT
How Patuxent animals coped with high water
The record-setting flood on the Patuxent River that shut down parts of Route 4 and Route 301 on September 8 also created chaos and danger for the animals living in Jug Bay marshes. Mattress-sized clumps of uprooted marsh plants and large logs floated fast downstream. The current in the river's main channel was pumping three times faster than normal.
On the river's edges, where wild rice and cattail stalks poked above the brown waters, the heads of red-bellied and eastern painted turtles popped up. Even for turtles, this was way too much water.
Overhead, huge flocks of red-winged blackbirds drifted. Normally, these birds would be stripping seeds from the stands of wild rice. With their marsh gone from sight, they seemed agitated. Laughing gulls were plentiful, ready to take a fish, a mouse or any easy-to-catch prey. Raptors were abundant, too: peregrine falcon, bald eagle, osprey, Cooper's hawk, sharp-shinned hawk, northern harrier and red-shouldered hawk. The flood had exposed many types of prey that were now easy pickings for aerial predators.
Thousands of half-inch-long amber marsh snails clung to plant stalks just above the water. Semi-aquatic, these snails will drown if held underwater. The delicate brown snails were piled in clumps by the dozen, waiting for the waters to subside — or they became lunch for a blackbird or a gull.
Rice rats are small, cute, gray-brown rodents (not like a Norway rat) that live entirely in the marsh. About a dozen of these little fellows were found clinging to the few plants not submerged. They appeared shocked by the unprecedented high waters because we could paddle our kayaks to within a foot or two of them before they jumped in the water to swim to a safer perch.
Sora rails are secretive marsh birds that remain well hidden in thick vegetation. They are loath to appear in the open. So it was amazing when we saw 15 soras — more than a birder might see in a decade of marsh visits — looking bedraggled and nervous as they perched precariously on stalks of water hemp and rice. Some shared their roost with a rice rat nearly underfoot.
The mild-mannered aquatic queen snake is much less common than its larger cousin, the northern water snake. Queen snakes forage in the shallower marsh waters, feeding exclusively on freshly molted crayfish. We found three hanging from wild rice stalks. It might be many days before they can return to their normal haunts.
Even during this historic flood, wild animals remain resilient. Some individuals were certainly lost, but most will survive. The existence of these Patuxent wetlands, vibrant and fully protected, means that the endemic animals that depend on this habitat will find the means to hang on till the waters subside.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Arquillian Extensions for AS7 Subsystem AuthorsAndrew Rubinger Mar 29, 2012 3:12 AM
Galder started a discussion with us on the feasibility of contributing some Arquillian extensions useful to those building AS7 subsystems. In effect allowing us to pre-test in an AS7-like configuration without a dependency upon AS7 (which would lead to a cyclic dependency). In prior revisions we'd done similar stabs by firing up Microcontainer and the VDF to make "Reloaded", so this is an interesting approach to me for a couple reasons. Galder writes:
If you remember correctly, a while back I was pinging you guys with questions related to Arquillian. What I did not explain is what I was trying to achieve, let me explain it in more details:
I'm building a extension+subsystem in AS7 and I wanted to be able to test directly from Arquillian without any need to use ant, but rather from the IDE. So, I've come up with some code (written in Scala) that does the following:
1. Takes all classes in a package, builds the subsystem jar.
2. Creates a module.xml with all dependencies listed
3. Copies the jar to a new modulePath (java.io.tmp)
3a. Note that arquillian.xml contains a custom modulePath to point to this as well, i.e.:
<property name="modulePath">${java.io.tmpdir:.}/test-module:${surefire.basedir:.}/build/target/jboss-as/modules</property>
4. Takes all the dependencies of that subsystem and creates module
4a. Copies all jars from the maven coordinates
4b. Builds all module.xml of these dependencies (these dependencies are defined specifically by me, are not deduced from maven dependencies which can be a nightmare)
// Steps 1-4b done in a org.jboss.arquillian.core.spi.LoadableExtension implementation where I have a a method for @Observes org.jboss.arquillian.container.spi.event.container.BeforeStart
5. Once the container has started, it installs the subsystem and extension using management API.
6. Calls reload on the server so that deployment unit processors can properly be installed
7. Wait for N seconds for the server to reload and assert that the server is started
// NOTE: I sometimes have issues with arquillian which is trying to send operations to the server once the reload has been sent and before AS has reloaded, so I get ChannelClosedExceptions
// Steps 5-7 are done in a org.jboss.arquillian.core.spi.LoadableExtension implementation where I have a a method for @Observes org.jboss.arquillian.container.spi.event.container.BeforeDeploy
Finally, the war for my subsystem is created and deployed and it works beatifully because my subystem is properly installed.
Now, the thing is that this code is not only useful to me, but to anyone that builds AS7 subsystems because it means that you can go from a blank AS7 to an AS7 installed with your subsystem and deploying your beloved war without the need of ant nor maven.
You just need a brand new, unzipped JBoss instance in your build dir and you're good to go.
So, I'd like to contribute this to Arquillian and then call it from my own subsystem. That way Bob and others can benefit from this.
Now, ideally I wanna keep it in Scala because the amount of code needed is much smaller than the equivalent in Java. Also, Java can interface with Scala without, in general, major problems. So unless there'd be a big show stopper, I'd rather keep it in Scala.
My question is, where shall I contribute this? If you point me to the right place, I can try to generize this and see if it works for my subsystem, then share it with others.
Repo: https://github.com/galderz/scalabox
At a high level, these are the most important classes for what I was explaining below:
1. Arquillian listener:
2. Main extension build and install class:
3. Building of the AS7 extension with its module.xml plus all the dependencies and their module.xml happen in:
https://github.com/galderz/scalabox/blob/master/core/src/main/scala/org/scalabox/assembly/ScalaBox.scala (this gets reused by the assembly )
4. Test that verifies that the AS7 extension has been correctly installed:


text:
We can only ship Apparel items within the U.S and its Territories.
Proudly display your North Carolina Tar Heels spirit and stay warm during the coldest of games in your Big Win pullover fleece hoodie from Majestic! This hoodie features the Tar Heels logo printed in the center of the chest. This is the perfect hoodie to show your Tar Heels pride!
* 60% Cotton, 40% Polyester
* Screen print graphics
* Fleece Lined
* Officially Licensed Collegiate Product.
Sorry, it looks like your browser doesn't have cookies enabled. Dave & Adam's only uses cookies to keep track of your shopping cart while you browse dacardworld.com. Please enable cookies to further enjoy your shopping experience. If you have cookies enabled, please refresh your browser.


text:
The UCI has published a document outlining what it calls the 'Four Pillars' of cycling which will form the basis of its recently announced stakeholder consultation. The topics, each of which will also consider the wider issue of the governance of the sport, are Globalisation, Anti-Doping, Riders, and Sports Calendar. Fans will get to have their say too, through Twitter and Facebook, says the UCI, which has also revealed that auditors KPMG have been instructed to carry out an independent review of the organisation's own governance.
The issues that the consultation will focus on - listed in full at the end of this article - are set forth in some detail, and cover many areas where the UCI itself has been taken to task over recent years, such as the development of the sport globally, the role of women within the sport, and of course doping, including addressing the issue of whistleblowers. Some issues, such as that of a potential doping amnesty, will clearly attract more debate than others.
The scope of the consultation has been drawn up following recent meetings with representatives of stakeholder groups such as riders, teams, sponsors, national federations, anti-doping bodies, race organisers and representatives of the cycling industry.
Fans weren't invited to be part of that process, but the UCI says that once the consultation gets under way in the new year - detailed logistics of how it will be conducted are due to be published in January - they will get their chance to have their say through social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook, something of a radical departure for the governing body which has so far failed to embrace those to the extent that the likes of Giro d'Italia organisers RCS Sport have.
The consultation was originally launched in the wake of the UCI endorsing the United States Anti-Doping Agency's decision to ban Lance Armstrong for life and strip him of results dating back to 1998, with the governing body's president Pat McQuaid facing a series of questions during an uncomfortable press conference, many of which asked how cuycling could ensure that such a situation did not arise again and with the UCI itself coming under strong criticism for its own conduct.
It coincides with the UCI having launched an independent commission, which will run separately to the stakeholder consultation, into its own role in the Armstrong affair, with USADA's Reasoned Decision detailing allegations that the giverning body had been complicit in helping the disgraced cyclist cover up suspicious tests for EPO, and questions raised over its decision to accept donations totalling $125,000 from him. It's not clear whether the KPMG audit into the governance of the UCI, as well as that of the Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation, will overlap with the work of the independent commission or feed into it in some way.
It also comes as pressure is building to reform the sport from outside the UCI - notably, the Change Cycling Now summit held in London earlier this month, as well as the Manifesto for Credible Cycling launched by several leading European newspapers including France's L'Equipe and Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport in October - and as plans to intorduce a World Series of Cycling, a process the UCI itself is now involved in, move ahead.
Speaking about today's announcement of the topics to be discussed, McQuaid said: "We saw this year at the Olympic Games in London that cycling is one of the world's most popular sports, both for participants and spectators, and it has a bright future. We want to make it an even more popular sport. This is what the consultation exercise will focus on."
He went on: "All cycling stakeholders were consulted on the issues to be discussed. We listened to their feedback and have ensured that all their priority issues were included as topics for discussion. We must all work together to recover from the damage which the Armstrong affair has undoubtedly done to our sport, the sport we all love and cherish.
"The world is moving forward and cycling has to keep up – as all cycling enthusiasts know, when the peloton moves forward you either keep up or get left behind."
UCI Stakeholder Consultation list of topics for discussion
Pillar 1: Globalisation
Objective: Cycling must benefit from its universal nature. In addition to being socially responsible, cycling must also ensure it is keeping up with the global evolution of sport in society.
Topics will include:
• how cycling can engage better with women;
• how to identify demographic and territorial trends and opportunities in cycling (eg, growth of youth interest);
• taking cycling to new countries, while maintaining high standards of events;
• making cycling accessible to all;
• how to reinforce cycling's role in the Olympic and Paralympic Games;
• how cycling can integrate with and enhance green tourism;
• development of small urban cycling structures (eg. BMX parks) to encourage healthy youth activities; and
• environmental priorities for event management.
Pillar 2: Anti-Doping
Objective: Cycling must create an athlete 'eco-system' with a favourable economic, social, training and cultural environment that will eliminate doping from the sport.
Topics will include:
• the severity of doping sanctions, both for riders and their entourage;
• anti-doping education for riders and their entourage;
• developing incentives for good practice;
• the independence of the Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation, its tools and methods;
• amnesty and whistle-blowing;
• how to identify risk situations;
• gathering of tips, information or key indicators;
• sharing of information with other anti-doping organisations, the police and different authorities; and
• standardisation of team models.
Pillar 3: Riders
Objective: to ensure a closer relationship between the UCI and riders, in particular to enable the UCI to listen to and understand riders' concerns.
Priority topics will include:
• how best to ensure timely transfer of relevant quality information to riders;
• increasing the number of riders playing an active role in different cycling bodies and rider organisations;
• developing measures to guarantee better working conditions and legal cover for riders;
• how to improve race security;
• evolution of confidential rider hotline (to be established in January 2013);
• opportunities for the UCI to meet riders and whether to create a 'permanent contact person' in the field;
• the option of introducing a UCI licence;
• determine criteria for bodies/organisations that represent active riders; and
• consultations with 'neutral' experts on different subjects (reconversion, management, follow-up of new career).
Pillar 4: Sports Calendar
Objective: to review the different cycling calendars from all stakeholders' points of view, as well as the systems of participation.
Priority topics will include:
• the points system, rankings and rules of participation;
• how best to develop the elite women's development teams and calendar, as well as the development of women's cycling generally;
• how to make races more attractive for spectators, as well as maximise media coverage;
• the composition and duration of different cycling calendars;
• new technologies;
• the hierarchy, format(s) and globalisation of professional road cycling competitions, including proposed new races and system(s) of teams;
• relations between professional cycling (1st and 2nd divisions) and continental level (3rd division);
• collaboration between different stakeholders to ensure optimal use of resources and greater efficiency; and
• financial fair play, including maximum/minimum salaries and sharing of revenue.
Born in Scotland, Simon moved to London aged seven and now lives in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds with his miniature schnauzer, Elodie. He fell in love with cycling one Saturday morning in 1994 while living in Italy when Milan-San Remo went past his front door. A daily cycle commuter in London back before riding to work started to boom, he's been news editor at road.cc since 2009. Handily for work, he speaks French and Italian. He doesn't get to ride his Colnago as often as he'd like, and freely admits he's much more adept at cooking than fettling with bikes.


text:
Currently ranked the third-best team in Africa and number 25 in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, Mali narrowly qualified for the quarter-finals of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations courtesy of a 1-1 draw in their final Group B game against Congo DR. For Patrice Carteron, who is one of the youngest coaches at the tournament, advancing to the knock-out phase to face hosts South Africa on Saturday represents a huge success, as the Frenchman tells FIFA.com.
Having been appointed as head coach of Mali in July of last year, Carteron is leading his first national team, and the AFCON finals is the first major tournament during which he has been in charge. Irrespective of whether the Eagles win or lose Saturday's quarter-final against Bafana Bafana, Carteron can already lay claim to a successful tournament and now just one match stands between the team and the semi-final spot they achieved in Gabon/Equatorial Guinea last year. "Because I am still a young coach, the game against Congo was the most important game to date in my career. But then the next one on Saturday will replace that and become my most important one," he said.
Carteron's side had the worst possible start against the Congolese as Lomana LuaLua hit the post for the Leopards after just 37 seconds, and Dieumerci Mbokani scored from the penalty spot some two minutes later. From then on, Mali knew they had an uphill road if they wanted to secure the point they needed to guarantee a place in the next round. But Mamadou Samassa equalised in the 15th minute, and the Eagles then showed grit and experience in holding on to the vital point. "I was very happy, because the Congo have a very good side and a very experienced coach [Claude Le Roy]," the 41-year-old said.
South Africa will be the team that everybody sees in the semi-finals, and so all the pressure will be on them.
Carteron, who played as a defender for a number of clubs in France and had a short spell in the Premier League with Sunderland before starting his coaching career at Cannes, said that Mali's success in the tournament was very important for the troubled country. "We wanted to give some pleasure to the people of Mali, but that meant there was a lot of pressure on us," he said about the west Africa country that has seen a civil war and recent military intervention by former colonisers France and others.
He admitted that the game against the Congo DR had not been a very attractive one. "But sometimes you have to play like that. It was a very physical game, but the important thing was the result. That was the main priority and to achieve the result we needed, we had to play a certain way, and I think the fact that we went through to the quarter-finals justifies the way we played."
Fighting to bring joy home
The coach said that having been under pressure against the Congo DR, the team would now be able to play against Bafana Bafana without the expectations that hampered their performances in earlier matches. "South Africa will be the team that everybody sees in the semi-finals, and so all the pressure will be on them. The stadium will be filled with people expecting Bafana to win, and we could put more pressure on them if things do not go according to their plans."
Asked whether he was concerned that Mali would not only be playing against the 11 on the pitch and the 57,000 people in the stadium, but also against 50-million desperate South Africans, Carteron said that the side would not be thinking about that. "Instead, we will be thinking about the 15-million Malians who will be watching the game. I know the news from the north of the country has been better, but they are still suffering. The whole team has spoken about what is going on in Mali, and the players are determined to give them more joy and good news. For that, the 90 minutes against South Africa will be very important. We will give it our best to be good opponents for Bafana Bafana."
The coach added that he was not concerned that the side was already playing their fourth important game in less than two weeks. "We will be at our best. We need to regain our strength, but then we will be fine. I just hope that Bafana Bafana fans don't stand outside our hotel the whole night before the game and blow their vuvuzelas," he said with a smile.


text:
ARAGAN Family Tree and ARAGAN Genealogy Records
Last updated: 2010-05-13 | Researchers: 0 | Journals: 0
YES, I am a ARAGAN researcher
Register yourself as a ARAGAN researcher
Register yourself as a ARAGAN researcher
What is this? This section (in blue) is available for editing to our advanced members, in a Wiki style. If you would like access to edit this surname page wiki, please contact us.
ARAGAN Family History and ARAGAN Family Genealogy Journals
Sort by: Newest | Alphabetical
There are no user journals for ARAGAN. Be the first to contribute to this surname: Create a journal


text:
The Terrebonne Parish School Board must pay more than $50,000 to a local man who was rear-ended by a school bus in March 2011, a judge has ruled.
Judge Randall Bethancourt, of the 32nd Judicial District Court, ruled Aug. 8 the School Board must pay $51,572.12 to plaintiff Bruce Williams, who sustained injuries in the wreck.
School Board President Roger DeHart said this case is one of few the board has had to pay.
"Maybe in my 22 years, we've paid three or four times," he said.
The board on Tuesday voted to pay the amount from its annual operating budget, a combination of state and taxpayer money. The 2013-14 budget allows the School Board to spend about $169 million.
Bus driver Cindy Coleman, who remains employed by the school district, was taking 44 students to Southdown Elementary on March 4 when she crashed into the back of a Sears van on West Tunnel Boulevard near St. Charles Street.
Minor injuries were reported at the time, authorities said, and all children were taken to local hospitals or released to their parents. Williams, the van's driver, was taken to Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center after complaining of neck pain.
According to court documents, Williams sustained severe injuries, including mental and physical pain, permanent disfigurement and disability, loss of income or diminished earning capacity, medical expenses and loss of enjoyment of life.
The wreck, the documents state, was caused solely by negligence on the part of Coleman. She failed to maintain proper lookout and safe control of the bus, and drive the lawful speed, among other things.
The School Board was found liable for the actions of its employee and must now pay for all of Williams' lost wages and damages. Those costs include:
-- $12,351.06 for medical expenses based upon a stipulation between the parties.
-- $8,068.00 for loss of earnings.
-- $25,000 for past and future physical pain and suffering for the injury to his back.
-- $5,000 for past and future physical pain and suffering for the injury to his neck.
-- 1,000 for the deposition fee of Dr. Christopher Cenac Jr.
-- $153.06 for the cost of the transcript of the deposition Dr. Cenac used at trial.
Superintendent Philip Martin said board members don't want to spend the money, but they "don't have much option." The board's vote to pay for the damages with money from the operating budget followed an executive session closed to the public, he said. The vote was unanimous.
DeHart said school bus wrecks don't happen often, but there have been "fender benders" in the past.
But, he added, "One is too many."
Man rear-ended by school bus wins $50,000
The Terrebonne Parish School Board must pay more than $50,000 to a local man who was rear-ended by a school bus in March 2011, a judge has ruled.


text:
In celebration of our new site design, we have teamed up with GOG.com, CORSAIR, MSI, and PCMasterRace to share our love for PC gaming worldwide through a massive giveaway! Before we get into the juicy details though, I wanted to take a quick trip down memory lane and look at some of the previous designs we've used at Nexus Mods before reaching this point.
Since its initial founding in 2001, Nexus Mods has been through many incarnations. It all started with Morrowind Chronicles, a fansite for Morrowind and its sister site, Morrowind Mod Library (Dark0ne's first attempt at a proper mod hosting solution for Morrowind fans).
Morrowind Chronicles in its earliest days. Launched six months before the release of Morrowind in 2002
Morrowind Mod Library was an extension of MWChronicles, specifically for hosting Morrowind mods.
With the announcement of Oblivion, Morrowind Mod Library became TESSource with a new design (Robin's favorite, apparently!)
Robin relinquished his role at the Gaming Source network and rebranded TESSource to TESNexus in 2007
Finally, in 2012, TESNexus was rebranded as Nexus Mods as our scope went well beyond mods for The Elder Scrolls series.
Throughout all the various names and aesthetics of this site, our community has always been a driving force in our success. It is your passion and dedication that keeps us going and allows us to continue growing. Which brings me to the point of this little stroll down memory lane!
As I mentioned at the start, we have joined forces with some great companies in the gaming world to bring you a chance to win some incredible loot. We feel we've picked companies that shared a similar mindset to our own.
The folks over at GOG.com were immediately on board with this celebration. Modding wouldn't be possible without the freedom to do what you want with the games you own, and it's a great way to get involved and explore your passion for gaming. That's a principle both GOG and Nexus Mods very firmly believe in. This includes modding it to the teeth, of course!
GOG has been kind enough to throw in over $3000 worth of games, with keys for:
- Divinity: Original Sin 2
- Stardew Valley
- Divinity: Original Sin
- Starbound
- Neverwinter Nights
110 winners will each win a key for one of the games listed above. The folks at GOG.com have also asked us to pass along a message as well: "From all of us to you: stay great, stay passionate, and keep modding on! <3"
Similarly, CORSAIR and MSI were both excited to work with us and have made offerings that are more than generous.
CORSAIR is offering a full peripheral set consisting of the following:
- K95 RGB Platinum Mechanical Keyboard
- Glaive Gaming Mouse
- MM800 RGB Gaming Mouse Pad
- Void Pro Gaming Headset
- ST100 Headset Stand
1 winner will win the full set listed above so they can kit out their desk with the latest and greatest Corsair has to offer.
MSI, on the other hand, wants to help bring your system into the modern age with a few serious hardware upgrades:
- GeForce GTX 1070 TI TITANIUM 8G Graphics Card
- X299 TOMAHAWK ARCTIC Motherboard
- Z370 GAMING PRO CARBON AC Motherboard
3 winners will win one of the components listed above.
Finally, we have decided to host the event on the PCMasterRace subreddit to reach an even bigger audience of PC gaming enthusiasts. Modding is a hobby with its roots dating back to some of the earliest PC games. While the use of mods has recently opened up to other platforms, on no other platform can you dig into a game's engine and bend it to your will like you can on the PC, and the PCMasterRace subreddit is chock full of posts that elevate our favorite platform.
This is more than just a celebration of our new design. It is a celebration of modding and PC gaming as well!
Thank you for all your support over the years. We look forward to providing a place to share and discuss mods for many more years to come.
Head on over, between now and Sunday, Dec. 3rd, and enter the contest for your shot at some glorious prizes!


text: Job Discussion Forums :: View topic - Info on Buraimi? Get TEFL Certified & Start Your Adventure Today! Job Discussion Forums"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!" FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in Info on Buraimi? Goto page 1, 2 Next Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Oman View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message justcuriousJoined: 28 Oct 2009Posts: 3Location: Qatar Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 8:26 pm Post subject: Info on Buraimi? Hello all ! Has Buraimi University/College been discussed here? Not able to find anything. What's the place like? And I mean the institution as well as the town. Anybody...? Back to top Miss TESOLJoined: 11 Feb 2005Posts: 47Location: TESOL Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 4:26 am Post subject: Buraimi Met several folks at the annual Oman ELT conference last year and learned there are actually 2 institutions: 1. Buraimi (University) College, or BUC. A relatively new private college, around 1,500 students in a temporary campus setting while new campus is being built out of town. See www.buc.edu.om At one point this college had plans to become a university--don't know what they'd call it though since the U of B has now taken the name. Various faculty from Egypt, Jordan, India, Pakistan. 2. University of Buraimi--a new public uni with a sciences/engineering focus. They have several new buildings around the corner from BUC. Outside of the building seems quite nice going by my last drive thru on the way to Abu Dhabi. This is their first year of operation. Can't seem to find an official website for them. Last I heard, they were hiring foundation level teachers. See http://www.fh-krems.ac.at/news-and-press/news/2009/imc-university-of-applied-sciences-launches-outstanding-education-project-in-oman The town of Buraimi is a very isolated border town next to Al Ain, UAE. The border fence makes life difficult for Buraimi residents, especially expats, since shopping and social scenes are harder to get to on the UAE side. That having been said, there are more chances to practice one's Arabic on the Oman side of the border and form friendships with Omanis--not as much of a separation between Omanis and foreigners as there seems to be in the Emirates. It's a tradeoff of sorts. I'd take Oman any day over a post in the Emirates, but that just me. The people are very friendly, not as wealthy as Emiratis and more down to earth, more secure in their identity as Omanis (with greater ethnic, cultural, geographical diversity); not always well-prepared for academic studies, especially in the smaller colleges as SQU attracts the top students, but this lack of preparation/seriousness about education is a general characteristic of Arab Gulf students. Just gotta go with the flow, establish a rapport with students, etc. Might be worth a visit to get more of a feel for the place. From Dubai or Abu Dhabi, take a taxi to Al Ain. Tell the UAE border guards you're just going to Buraimi (main Oman checkpoint is further out of down at Wadi Al Jizi) and they'll probably let you cross without cancelling your UAE visit visa. If you don't tell them "just Buraimi", you'll have to then officially exit the UAE, enter Oman at Wadi Jizi, then re-enter UAE with associated visa expenses. Back to top balqisJoined: 30 Jul 2006Posts: 370 Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 9:27 am Post subject: Liked your post a lot. I hope Oman will feel Arabia Felice after a stint in Kuwait too. Greetings, balqis Back to top veiledsentimentsJoined: 20 Feb 2003Posts: 17604Location: USA Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 2:52 pm Post subject: Oh, it should be a massive improvement. I've never lived in Buraimi, but I think you will find the difference in dealing with the bureaucracy like day and night. IMHO, dealing with the Kuwait government was a nightmare in rudeness and inefficiency. Now, Buraimi may have a level of issues due to the new border rules, but still... And you will feel that it just might be possible to get across the rather small place every day and not be killed in the traffic. Good Luck VS Back to top Neil McBeathJoined: 01 Dec 2005Posts: 277Location: Saudi Arabia Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 7:17 am Post subject: Info about Buraimi Justcurious, Buraimi is fine. It's a small town, but living there does give you some advantages. To start with, you are closer to Abu Dhabi and Dubai than you are to Muscat, so you have a choice of international airports for arrival and departure. The new fence is a pest. Before, the crossing from UAE to Oman was a speed bump, and people shuttled across the border several times a day. It's still possible for Omani/UAE nationals to do that, but expatriates have to use passports, use particular crossing points, and there are inevitably holdups, partly from traffic congestion and partly caused by whatever passport you have. It also means that if you are, say, British, and you choose to go shopping in Al Ain once a week, then you will soon use up the space for stamps in your passport. Head away from Al Ain, and it is a two hour drive down to Sohar, with another stop for a passport check at Wadi Jizzi. The road is good, and it's being made into a dual carriageway, so it is far safer than before. Sohar is a pleasant seaside town, with a fair variety of shops and a couple of quite good hotels. Like all these places, "good" and "bad" are relative terms, that depend very much on personality and experience. I would say that Buraimi would be a good place to work. I've certainly worked in far less attractive locations in Oman. Back to top justcuriousJoined: 28 Oct 2009Posts: 3Location: Qatar Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 4:38 pm Post subject: Hey thanks very much for all the info. One more question: Would you recommend Buraimi to somebody who can't drive? (I can't.) Will it be next to impossible to move around? Are there local taxis or anything similar for non-drivers? Cheers Back to top Neil McBeathJoined: 01 Dec 2005Posts: 277Location: Saudi Arabia Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 4:04 am Post subject: Information about Buraimi The Oman National Transport Company runs scheduled services from Buraimi to Sohar and on to Muscat. There are share taxis and "baisa buses" (minibuses) that do the same route, only faster and they cost slightly more - very slightly more. Within Buraimi itself, Omani taxis (orange and white) operate, but I am not sure if they can cross the frontier with passengers (the old rule was they they could not pick up passengers in Al Ain.) UAE taxis are green and white, and even under the old rules, they were reluctant to cross the frontier and frequently tried to overcharge. On the Al Ain side of the fence, minibuses operate a sort of scheduled service to and from Dubai (they have the habit of leaving as soon as rthey are full, regardless of the timetable) and there are larger coaches that leave for Abu Dhabi. If you are travelling from Abu Dhabi on Etihad Airlines, and are a member of the Etihad Frequent Flier Programme, the airline will provide free coach transport from Al Ain to Abu Dhabi International Airport. Back to top balqisJoined: 30 Jul 2006Posts: 370 Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 8:04 pm Post subject: Anyone on location at UoB/University fo Buraimi, please share your insights. The uni seems to have very good Mittel Europa roots and credentials. Rare thing in the Khaleeje Middle East, after all. Might be interesting. Do let us, who still believe there exists a Khaleeje better than the one we happen to be cast away and shipwrecked right now, know... balqis Back to top DuffyJoined: 29 Oct 2005Posts: 449Location: Oman Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 8:48 pm Post subject: Think I will strike this place off my "where to go next" list Duffy Back to top balqisJoined: 30 Jul 2006Posts: 370 Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 9:31 pm Post subject: Why? After all, German - Austrian roots oblige! Can anyone think of anything better in all matters academia? So why strike it off? balqis Back to top DuffyJoined: 29 Oct 2005Posts: 449Location: Oman Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 5:24 am Post subject: balqis, 'Cos I'm a comfirmed 'Lalalite' Duffy Back to top balqisJoined: 30 Jul 2006Posts: 370 Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 11:29 am Post subject: No that I know what a ''confirmed Lalalite'' is but at least I know it was meant as a jest. Is it only the Anglo, not the Saxon? Or a Frankophile? Anyway, everyone who has been in the Gulf for a while must have noticed the - very meagre - effect of the Anglo spell cast over the Khaleeje education. balqis Back to top williamhJoined: 30 Jan 2008Posts: 24Location: Oman Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 6:33 am Post subject: 'Lalaite' is a joking way to say that Duffy lives in Salalah. and I haven't noticed (in 7 years in the Gulf) an overwhelming 'anglo' influence on education. The language of instruction is often English but the teachers seem mainly Indian or Arab, while the educational programs are from all over: New Zealand, AUB, Canada, etc. I have never seen a university with a majority of teachers from England. Back to top balqisJoined: 30 Jul 2006Posts: 370 Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 8:25 am Post subject: I see. So we have a different perception of the matter at stake. balqis Back to top veiledsentimentsJoined: 20 Feb 2003Posts: 17604Location: USA Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 3:16 pm Post subject: williamh wrote: and I haven't noticed (in 7 years in the Gulf) an overwhelming 'anglo' influence on education. The language of instruction is often English but the teachers seem mainly Indian or Arab, while the educational programs are from all over: New Zealand, AUB, Canada, etc. True... although you may have a TEFL department that has a majority of one nationality or another. But... the number one "anglo influence" is the fact that these universities *are* taught in English rather than the native language of the citizens. A very odd situation IMHO... where else does that happen? I think I would blame/credit the British. (multiple choice verb ) VS Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Oman All times are GMTGoto page 1, 2 Next Page 1 of 2 Jump to: Select a forum Where to Begin----------------General DiscussionNewbie ForumCurrent Events ForumTechnology ForumOnline Teaching Forum Africa Forums----------------General Africa Forum Asia Forums----------------CambodiaChina (Job-related Posts Only)China (Off-Topic)Hong KongIndiaIndonesiaJapanMalaysiaPhilippinesSingaporeTaiwanThailandGeneral Asia ForumVietnam Caribbean Forums----------------General Caribbean Forum Europe Forums----------------Czech RepublicFranceGermanyGreeceItalyMacedonia and the BalkansPolandRomaniaRussia & C.I.S.SpainTurkeyUkraineUnited KingdomGeneral Europe Forum Latin America Forums----------------ArgentinaBrazilChileColombiaCosta RicaMexicoMexico (off-topic)PeruGeneral Latin America Forum The Middle East Forums----------------BahrainEgyptIsraelKuwaitOmanQatarSaudi ArabiaUnited Arab EmiratesGeneral Middle East Forum North America Forums----------------General North America Forum Oceania----------------Australia/New Zealand You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling. Contact Dave's ESL Cafe Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved. Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group Teaching Jobs in China


text:
Dordt College is one of the few places where you can spend two years on the campus of a Christian comprehensive college while you prepare for a career as an administrative assistant. You'll receive top-notch technical training and become part of a Christian community of new friends who are training for engineering, teaching, accounting, healthcare, and other careers. You will find friendships that may last a lifetime and gain a new sense of God's calling in your life.
Core courses such as English, history, theology, and communication are an important part of your training. You'll not only develop specific job skills, you'll learn how to think critically, how to understand issues, and how to articulate your values.
These characteristics will make you a stronger person and also a more confident and capable employee. Employers look for intelligent and responsible problem solvers with good computer skills who are able to take initiative in their work. Dordt A.A. graduates exhibit those qualities.
Our facilities are excellent. Most classes are taught in a classroom computer lab, where you'll have a personal computer as a tool—just like on the job. Our computers are replaced regularly and run the latest Microsoft software and other popular, state-of-the-art business applications. Labs are networked and Internet-enabled to allow easy access to information, communication, and your personal data files.
The business department regularly surveys our alumni to find out about the programs and equipment they are using in the workplace to make sure that you will have the tools you need as you begin your career.


text:
I am not a good cook. And I am not saying that out of humility, fishing for a compliment. I say that because I am not learned in the refined techniques of turning raw ingredients into perfectly crafted dishes, or pairing delicate flavors together to dazzle the pallet. I have, for the most part, learned what little I do know by watching, by reading, and of course by making mistakes.
One thing that I know for sure though is that it does not take much to make something that tastes absolutely amazing. It certainly doesn't take much to turn a few ingredients into a mess of tasteless mush, either, but that typically happens when we try just a little too hard. The most important thing I have learned is that cooking is applying a certain amount of heat for a certain amount of time to raw ingredients. Sure, there is some chopping and stirring and seasoning involved, but what gives the dish it's flavor, what causes it to succeed or fail, are the ingredients.
I think so often we are either so snobbishly aloof or so brazenly indifferent to the food we eat that we forget exactly what causes that particular emotional (or lack thereof) connection. But believe me, the reason so many people seek out the best restaurants while others simply disregard food as anything but fuel will boil down every time to the quality of the ingredients in the food they eat. The greatest chefs in the world will tell you that any menu begins and ends with the freshest, highest quality ingredients. As a contrast to that, the lowliest fry cook at any fast food joint in the world will tell you that they don't know where tomatoes come from or when they are in season, they just know a slice of one is supposed to go on top of the patty.
The basic, raw ingredients come from somewhere, and it can't hurt to know where they came from and how many people have handled them along the way. Obviously, the fresher the ingredient, the more honest and vibrant the flavor, and the fewer hands an ingredient passes through to get to your kitchen, the fresher it will be. And whatever your ingredient, whether it is fiddleheads or flank steak, the fresher and more flavorful the ingredient, the less preparation needed to turn it into a spectacular meal.
I have never been particularly impressed with dishes that try far too hard to be something they are not; those precariously balanced towers of unnaturally shaped food or the modernist deconstruction of grandma's meatballs seem more like an ode to the chef's ego than real food. I realize there is a time and a place for a dish prepared with such meticulous and single-minded precision. But for me food is not precise or scientific; food is warm and organic, heartfelt, and not just a little messy. The elegance and pleasure of a meal comes not from it's artistic design and presentation, but from it's simplicity; a dish that relies on the quality of just a few exceptional ingredients.
Those ingredients, the raw materials of your dinner, are what make your meal delicious. So often the meals I make for my wife and I on a weeknight after a long day at work are made with the least amount of fuss and preparation. And more often than not, dinner is pretty darn good. I won't lie; we've had some disasters. But occasionally, we surprise ourselves and throw together something out of this world delicious.
But not once has it been because I am a good cook. When you rely on the exquisit flavors of a few exceptional ingredients, you don't need to be. Pasta with Chanterelle mushrooms and early girl tomatoes, Quinoa with fresh asparagus, sauteed green beans and garlic, or slices of fresh tomato with olive oil. A few fresh, simple ingredients, prepared with minimal fuss, letting the flavors of your ingredients shine through. Just add the heat.


text:
Around Town
Get started with Cappex to compare the Inter American University of Puerto Rico-School of Law weather with your hometown!Create an account now!
Looks like there are no "What To Do For Fun" reviews for Inter American University of Puerto Rico-School of Law.
Have you been to this college? Take a moment to create an account with Cappex and tell us your thoughts. Rating this school will make you eligible to win the Cappex Reviews Scholarship!


text:
to Ask Your Gynecologist
Before you slip into those stirrups, here's what you
need to know and what you need to demand.
by Molly M. McGinty
In the "comments please" section of our April/May 2000
issue, Ms. asked readers to respond to this ad from
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and
to the heated letters exchanged by Galen Sherwin, President
of the National Organization for Women's New York City
chapter (NOW-N.Y.C.) and Ingrid Newkirk, president of
In a two-month period, Ms. received more than 150
letters and e-mails from readers. Copies of these letters
will be sent to Sherwin and Newkirk.
Only six of those who wrote agreed with Newkirk
that the ad was not sexist and that it drew attention
to the issue of animal cruelty without harming women:
Has Ms. Sherwin seen a Cosmo lately? Or stopped at
any motorcycle retailer? "Packaged" boobs hurt women
more than this ad.
Lisanne Freese
Chicago, Ill.
The type of woman who wears fur would typically be
someone who finds unshaved legs unattractive, so the
ad makes sense. Hopefully it will make women ditch their
furs as well.
Anna West
Norfolk, Va.
The vast majority of those who wrote
letters disagreed with PETA's tactics, writing that
they were "appalled," "disappointed," "offended," and
"shocked." Some were dismayed at the tone of Newkirk's
letter, which personally attacked Sherwin; some critiqued
other PETA ploys as well, such as a picture of a woman
on a morgue table with the words "I wouldn't be caught
dead wearing fur" and the "Got Beer?" campaign that
gave college students seven reasons why it's better
to drink beer instead of milk. One reader used the debate
as an assignment topic for her women's studies class
at Yale.
The feminist movement fights against the
objectification of women. If Newkirk considers herself
a feminist, why join hands with the sexist superstructure
of our society? PETA's objective is to counter what
the mainstream media tells women about what they need
to do to be considered beautiful (wear fur). I agree
with striking messages to get the public's attention-but
not at the expense of women. Why not get your message
across without weakening the feminist cause? It's always
better to have more allies rather than less, isn't it?
Katica Jacob
Alexandria, Va.
How can someone who opposes the majority's
position on animal rights turn around and justify a
blatantly sexist and degrading image by referring to
what she believes is the opinion of "the overwhelming
majority of women?" I for one do not shave any part
of my body and am extremely offended to be told it is
Becky Jonestrask
San Diego, Calif.
Maybe Newkirk should spend less time tarnishing
ethical animal treatment ads with hair-fearing, oppressive
stereotypes and spend a little more time educating herself
about the ethical treatment of women.
Marie B. Skoczylas
Harrison City, Pa.
If Newkirk were a man, we wouldn't even
be having this type of debate.
Mary Simas
San Francisco, Calif.
Of the preference in our society for women's
shaving, Newkirk writes, "It's not sexist, it's just
a fact." None of our preferences for appearance are
"just fact"-they are actually bolstered by values and
norms, which are usually unstated. They are socially
constructed. If Newkirk thinks that she can feed off
this social construction without feeding into it she
is sadly mistaken. An analogy is how when we tell a
racist joke, we rely on stereotyped images of the group
we present; in telling the joke, we also reinforce those
images. The PETA ad does the same thing with women's
Susan Hylen
Decatur, Ga.
This ad fits in with "Madison Avenue"
tactics, which for me discredits what I believed to
be a humanitarian outfit. If my 8-year-old niece saw
this ad, I would be horrified that she would associate
animals' rights with her not being O.K.
Tina Schiller
New York, N.Y.
Selling out to the patriarchal bullshit
may get people's attention, but it can never replace
teaching compassion. Isn't that what animal rights is
Caroline Su
Dayton, Ohio
Please allow me, like my nonhuman relatives,
to wear my own fur!
Lynne Pashal
Westcliffe, Colo.
Eighteen letters came from PETA members
who were outraged, like Leah Stuchal of Gainesville,
Florida, and decided to withdraw their support from
I am pulling my membership and financial
support. I believe it will better serve animal rights
groups who have a less patriarchal view of the women
who support their endeavors.
Hoping perhaps that the ad was a mere
lapse in taste, not an endorsement of patriarchy, a
few readers responded with suggestions for future ads:
Do an ad showing a really hairy prehistoric
man, and next to him, a man in a fur coat. The caption
would say, "Fur. Some people haven't evolved yet."
Nichol Mertens
Plymouth, Minn.
Promote the concept of a woman's natural
state as being more desirable. Fake boobs, fake tans,
and furs have a lot in common.
Leslie Chukwu
Orange, Conn.
How about featuring naked crotch shots
of a man and woman next to a beaver with the headline,
"Fur only looks good where it grows naturally"?
Lethea Erz Takaka
New Zealand
Change the ad to: "Trimming Fur. Unattractive.
Wear your own with pride."
Colleen Kirby
Melrose, Mass.
Proving that she who laughs last laughs
loudest, this call to action came from Montreal:
Don't you see what's really going on here?!
The sexism debate raised by the PETA ad in question
is intended to distract us from PETA's true agenda.
And this is: to wipe out wild pussies around the globe!
Long on the list of endangered species, the wild pussy
is racing toward extinction at an alarming rate. Yet
what does PETA do? It hunts down one of the few wild
pussies left! Then after binding it in cotton, PETA
exposes this blameless creature to endless humiliation
and ridicule! Such open contempt is clearly intended
to harden our hearts to the wild pussy's plight, thereby
hastening its demise. Wild pussies have rights, too,
even if PETA would have us think they don't count. We
need to share the planet with all of God's creatures.
And I, for one, will not rest until the world is safe
for the wild pussy!
Minerva Gow
Montreal, Que., Canada
Well, PETA, the readers have spoken.
Are you listening?


text:
Hipsters love getting photographed!
Earlier in the year myself & the other 2 Hamilton Wheelers resurrected a fixed gear event last held in 2010 - the Tunnel Sprints, held on the Bristol-Bath cycle path late on a Saturday night. We had an unexpectedly large turnout to the night which spurred us on to holding another event, once again bringing back an event that hasn't seen the light of day for a couple of years, a hill climb up the Highridge side of Dundry near Bristol. The event was the fixed gear/singlespeed Hell Climb. Hell because it's one hell of a hill, and because it ties in nicely with Halloween, which is conveniently placed right in the middle of hill climb season.
With online pre-entries open 4 weeks before the event, we really had no idea how many people would enter a race where you chose to ride up a 1.5 mile 6% climb in potentially bad weather. By the morning of the race we had gotten 50 entries, and we had also been blessed with the best weather in days.
Riders were set off at 1 minute intervals at 2pm, 47 riders rode in total, with the youngest being just 10 years old. The trickiest corner on the course had the added novelty of having cyclocross style dollar 'hand-ups' being available to those brave enough to let go of the bars & grab one, they exchanged these at the top of the hill for a number of goodies.
Shortly after 3pm we had crowned 3 new Hell Climb champions - winner of the 'Pro' category was Paul Jones, with Dan Alford winning the 'bros' category & Lucy Walker taking home the girls' crown. It's surprising how many people will push themselves to their limits for over 5 minutes all in the name of fun. The 3 of us Hamilton Wheelers are overwhelmed by the turn out on the day & we'd like to say a massive thanks to all the riders and our sponsors Boston Tea Party, Avon Valley Cyclery, Antic Apparel and road.cc for making it such a great event.
photos: www.boikzmoind.com
9 comments
i was wearing lycra. i'm not really a hipster, more of an ageing and slightly sad 36 year old with a nasty habit of riding fixed wheel bikes uphill.I was looking for a new technical gilet but the denim number above has put an end to my search.
this event came out of the incredibly strong bike community in bristol and was organised brilliantly by Tim, Ed and Christian, all of whom ride competitively for one of the country's oldest and best cycling clubs.
for info, i went up in 5.41, which is 30 seconds up on the strava KOM time, but i don't use strava so that's neither here nor there. and i took a dollar hand up. I am loving my new road.cc socks.
write up here: http://traumfahrrad.com/2012/10/14/hell-climb/
'Gotten' stems from Middle English. It has slipped out of use in the UK but remains in use in North America, along with some other archaisms. It has crept back into speech and writing over the past 30 years.
There's nothing wrong, linguistically, with the use of 'gotten', particularly in the more idiomatic and colloquial form of an online blog post where variations in formality and idiosyncratic expression tend to be a generic feature. Blog posts also tend to be 'blended mode' texts, occupying a semantic hinterland between spoken and written language.
It's entirely subjective that you don't like it. It's also linked to the common assumption that American English is somehow inferior to English English.


text:
...What would you say?
New York Republican Congressman Peter King has called on U.S. Muslim leaders to testify before the House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee about the recruitment of potential terrorists in U.S. mosques. He wants prominent U.S. Muslim leaders to explain how they support law enforcement anti-terror efforts.
If you were called to testify about your own faith community, what would you tell Congress?
If you are Muslim, what evidence do you see that your mosque is or is not a place where people become radicalized?
If you are of another faith tradition, how does this hearing change your perception of Muslims in your community? Do you see this line of questioning as a proper role for a member of Congress?
The title of Thursday's hearing is "The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community's Response." How does King's asking these questions in Congress change how you publicly talk about Islam or express your faith and culture through your actions?
All responses are confidential and seen only by journalists and used only to inform our coverage of this issue. If you are willing to be contacted by a reporter or have your insights shared on our broadcasts and/or website, click yes on the the permission buttons below to let us know.


text:
Hunters seeing many deer despite EHD
As the first day of gun season entered into the noon hour, hunters from around the county stopped by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Flat River Field Office in Belding to check their deer.
About 20 deer were checked before noon, and Flat River Field Office Technician Donna Jones said the number is right on track. She and fellow employee John Niewoonder are expecting to check between 40 and 60 deer Thursday, she added.
"This is about normal because of opening day," said Jones. "We'll probably see more tomorrow."
Last year, she said opening day brought in 31 deer and the day after hunters checked 60 deer.
Niewoonder said once a hunter brings in a deer, the DNR will measure the diameter of the antlers and count points, which have to be at least one inch to be an official point. In addition, the deer's age and location where it was hunted is recorded.
Mike Weber of Ionia and Jim Scott of Belding brought in bucks to be checked after hunting earlier in the day in North Plains and Keene townships.
Weber said he and his friends have limited the number of tags purchased because of the epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) outbreak from the summer.
"We're only planning to shoot bucks this year," said Weber.
He said he has seen good numbers of deer, even in one of the areas most affected by EHD.
Scott said he also is seeing larger numbers this year, but believes it is because the farm land where he hunts has not been removed of the crops, which provides cover for the deer.
He said he plans on processing the deer for venison, adding he is not concerned about consuming meat from deer that may be infected with EHD.
"I have no problem with that," said Scott.
Prior to hunting season, the DNR issued a statement saying venison infected with EHD is still safe to eat because humans cannot contract the disease or be harmed because of it.
Firearm season ends Nov. 30.
Follow Karin Armbruster on Twitter @ISSKarin


text:
The United Nations, world leaders and human rights groups are pushing for sanctions and a new global outlook on Syria in the wake of its suspected deadly chemical attack that the White House describes as a wake-up call to "the civilized world."
Scores of civilians and children died Tuesday after plumes of either chlorine or the nerve agent sarin shrouded sections of a modest village in northern Syria, the largest suspected use of chemical weapons since 2013. Human rights reports said the gas appeared to be a virulent deadly strain and covered a wider area than past attacks, with many victims collapsing outdoors.
The United Nations Security Council called an emergency session for Wednesday to discuss the attack.
Nikki Haley, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said that "more than 60 people, including young children - vomited and gasped for air before they were choked to death - likely at the hands of the Syrian regime."
White House spokesman Sean Spicer said the assault, which burned hundreds of others, "cannot be ignored by the civilized world." He steered blame at the Obama administration in part for "weakness and irresolution" toward Syria. The Trump administration is assessing what action it would take.
"President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish 'a red line' against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing," Spicer said. "The United States stands with our allies across the globe to condemn this intolerable attack."
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.K.-based monitoring group, said 58 people died in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in northern Idlib province, including 11 children. The death toll is likely to rise, the group said.
Turkey said it dispatched 30 ambulances to Idlib following chlorine gas attacks in the northwestern province, the Turkish Anadolu news agency reported. Syrian opposition health minister Firas Jundi put the death toll at more than 100 civilians and said 500 others, mostly children, were sickened or burned by the gas.
"I believe this horrible memory will stay with me for the rest of my life," Jundi told CNN.
If it is confirmed as a chemical attack, it would be the largest in Syria since August 2013, when sarin gas killed hundreds of civilians in Ghouta near Damascus. Reuters reported that the U.S. government believes Sarin may have also been used in the attack Tuesday.
The Syrian anti-government activist group Idlib Media Center published photos of young children receiving medical treatment, and a video showed what appeared to be bodies of children lined up on a blanket. The Syrian government of President Bashar Assad denied using chemical weapons, but the U.S. and international communities were unconvinced. Reuters quoted a U.S. intelligence official who said the poisonous assault "has fingerprints of attack by (the) Assad regime."
"Another vicious chemical attack in #Syria - how do the Syrian people determine their own future while they are being slaughtered?" tweeted Sen. John McCain, chairman of Senate Armed Services Committee.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had said last week that ousting Syrian President Bashar Assad's future "will be decided by the Syrian people." The Trump administration has consistently stressed its priority of defeating the Islamic State, rather than deposing Assad.
"There are reports of dozens dead, including many children. While we continue to monitor the terrible situation, it is clear that this is how Bashar al-Assad operates: with brutal, unabashed barbarism," the statement said. "Those who defend and support him, including Russia and Iran, should have no illusions about Assad or his intentions. Anyone who uses chemical weapons to attack his own people shows a fundamental disregard for human decency and must be held accountable."
The statement also called on the countries to act. "As the self-proclaimed guarantors to the cease-fire negotiated in Astana, Russia and Iran also bear great moral responsibility for these deaths."
The New York Times quoted an unnamed State Department official, who said that it appeared Russia was unable or unwilling to hold the Syrian government to the terms of a cease-fire agreement. The official said the attack on civilians appears to be a war crime.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault called the attack "further evidence of the barbarity suffered by the Syrian people." British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson said he was "horrified" by the attack that "bears all the hallmarks" of chemical weapons previously used by the Syrian regime. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the attack "inhuman" and "unacceptable."
International human rights organization Amnesty International said the reports were alarming and called for an international investigation. Ahmet Üzümcü, who leads the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, said his group was gathering and analyzing information.
Syrian forces loyal to Assad have been involved with chemical weapons before in the brutal, six-year civil war against U.S-backed rebels. Üzümcü's agency implemented a 2013 agreement reached by the U.S. and Russia in 2013 to destroy Syria's chemical weapons arsenal. Still, last year the United Nations issued a report accusing Syria of using internationally banned toxic chemical weapons on civilians in 2014 and 2015.
The toll of war on the battered nation has been enormous. Representatives from more than 50 nations are gathering Wednesday in Brussels for a conference to discuss the financial and humanitarian needs of Syria. The U.N. estimates that 13.5 million people need humanitarian assistance, including 4.7 million people living in besieged or barely accessible areas.


text: The incidence of liver cancer is increasing and has the potential to become a national health crisis. from shutterstock.com June 25, 2017 Three charts on: cancer rates in Australia, where liver cancer is on the rise while other types fall Terry Slevin, Cancer Council Australia While other cancer rates fall or remain static, liver cancer is on the rise. Here's why we need to start paying attention.


text:
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) As long as they have Albert Pujols at the plate in a clutch situation, the Los Angeles Angels are confident they can win any close game they trail in the late innings.
Pujols hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the seventh inning Wednesday and Kole Calhoun also connected, leading the Angels to an 8-7 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Los Angeles took the rubber game of the three-game series after starter C.J. Wilson was chased in the fourth inning.
''This team is finding ways to win, and we're not out of it until the game's over,'' Calhoun said. ''The bullpen came in and did a great job keeping us in the ballgame after the starting pitching didn't go as deep as they've usually been going. We came out and swung the bats and got enough runs to win.''
The Blue Jays took a 7-6 lead in the sixth on Dioner Navarro's two-out RBI single against Fernando Salas, making his second appearance since coming off the disabled list after missing 19 games because of inflammation in his shoulder.
Pujols responded with a drive that hit the top of the center-field fence beyond the outstretched glove of Colby Rasmus and bounced over for his 20th homer of the season and 512th of his career, tying Ernie Banks and Eddie Mathews for 21st place all-time. It scored Mike Trout, who reached on a fielder's choice grounder after Calhoun drew a leadoff walk from Aaron Loup (2-2).
The homer was the first allowed by Loup this season after 43 1-3 innings.
''The curious thing was that they had the righty warmed up, and Albert hit that home run off a lefty. So we were like, `Oh, awesome. They're leaving him in to face Albert,' and he came up with a huge homer,'' Wilson said. ''So it was great for us. We have a tenacious team, and the nature of our clubhouse is that we always believe that it's going to happen.''
Jason Grilli (1-1) pitched a scoreless inning for his first AL victory since 2009 with Texas, striking out cleanup hitter Jose Bautista with two on to end the seventh. The 12-year veteran was acquired June 27 in a trade that sent Ernesto Frieri to Pittsburgh.
Joe Smith worked the ninth for his 12th save.
''We (threw) away a good opportunity today,'' Toronto manager John Gibbons said. ''We had the lead, coughed it up, then took a slim lead. So it was disappointing. But hey, we left so many guys on base (12), and there comes a time you've got to blow open a game.''
Marcus Stroman was charged with five earned runs and eight hits through 4 2-3 innings in his eighth big league start. The 23-year-old right-hander's teammates staked him to a 6-3 lead with a five-run fourth, but David Freese scored on a wild pitch in the bottom half and Calhoun drove his 10th homer into the lower seats in the right-field corner.
''Early on against me, I felt like he was putting the ball anywhere he wanted to. But with a 2-0 count, I got a fastball that got a lot of the plate and I put a good swing on it,'' Calhoun said.
The Blue Jays parlayed three hits, two errors and a bases-loaded wild pitch into their five-run rally against Wilson. He was charged with six runs - three earned - and eight hits in 3 2-3 innings. He is 3-3 with a 5.70 ERA in 10 starts since May 17, when he threw 127 pitches in a five-hit shutout against Tampa Bay.
''I think my delivery was a lot better today and the ball was going where I wanted it a lot better,'' said Wilson, who gave up three homers in his previous start against Houston.
The Angels took a 2-0 lead in the second, capitalizing on a two-base error by shortstop Jose Reyes. Howie Kendrick and Freese each had an RBI single.
The Blue Jays got one run back in the third on a bases-loaded walk to Reimold.
Trout, thrown out by Melky Cabrera in left field Tuesday night as he tried to stretch a double, tested Cabrera's arm again in the third inning Wednesday and was cut down at home plate after Pujols' single.
Pujols scored on a single by Josh Hamilton that ended his 0-for-16 drought and gave the Angels a 3-1 lead.
NOTES: LHP Joe Thatcher relieved Cam Bedrosian in the Toronto fifth after a leadoff double by Navarro and walked Darin Mastroianni, ending a stretch of 25 appearances in which Thatcher pitched 14 innings and faced 56 batters without walking anyone. ... Calhoun's homer was the second allowed by Toronto pitchers in a span of 74 innings since the start of the month, after they gave up 27 during their final 22 games in June. ... Wilson threw 25 pitches in the first inning and gave up three hits without allowing a run.


text:
Katie Holmes: 'Late Show' with Letterman Visit!
Katie Holmes arrives at the Ed Sullivan Theater to make an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman on Wednesday (November 10) in New York City.
The 32-year-old actress bundled up in a Holmes & Yang trench and an Inhabit scarf to promote her new movie, Jack and Jill.
PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Katie Holmes
Earlier in the day, Katie was spotted carrying her daughter Suri making their way out of their apartment.
Suri, 5, who held tight to her stuffed animal, got camera shy and made faces when she spotted photographers.
10+ pictures inside of Katie Holmes out and about in NYC…


text:
Meryl Streep Reacts to Margaret Thatcher's Death
Meryl Streep has released a statement about the death of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, who she portrayed in the film The Iron Lady to critical acclaim.
Ms. Thatcher passed away on Monday (April 8) at the age of 87 following a stroke.
"Margaret Thatcher was a pioneer, willingly or unwillingly, for the role of women in politics," the 63-year-old actress said in a statement. "It is hard to imagine a part of our current history that has not been affected by measures she put forward in the U.K. at the end of the 20th century. Her hard-nosed fiscal measures took a toll on the poor, and her hands-off approach to financial regulation led to great wealth for others. There is an argument that her steadfast, almost emotional loyalty to the pound sterling has helped the U.K. weather the storms of European monetary uncertainty."
Click inside to read the rest of Meryl Streep's statement…
"But to me she was a figure of awe for her personal strength and grit," Streep continued. "To have come up, legitimately, through the ranks of the British political system, class bound and gender phobic as it was, in the time that she did and the way that she did, was a formidable achievement."
"To have won it, not because she inherited position as the daughter of a great man, or the widow of an important man, but by dint of her own striving. To have withstood the special hatred and ridicule, unprecedented in my opinion, leveled in our time at a public figure who was not a mass murderer; and to have managed to keep her convictions attached to fervent ideals and ideas – wrongheaded or misguided as we might see them now – without corruption; I see that as evidence of some kind of greatness, worthy for the argument of history to settle," Streep said. "To have given women and girls around the world reason to supplant fantasies of being princesses with a different dream: the real-life option of leading their nation; this was groundbreaking and admirable."
"I was honored to try to imagine her late life journey, after power; but I have only a glancing understanding of what her many struggles were, and how she managed to sail through to the other side. I wish to convey my respectful condolences to her family and many friends."


text: The Southern Regional Council releases a special report regarding Atlanta's "Plans for Progress," a program that gives the President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity power to require contractors to eliminate discrimination in the workplace. According to a study, only three of the twenty-four firms appeared to be interested in abiding by the "Plans for Progress." These were Lockheed, Western Electric Company, and Goodyear.


text:
So its labeled "No-comment". Sure thing, I wont comment!
Not on the blog itself, though. Because I'm sick of this, because I've already commented and moderated such women representations within the French Ubuntu community, and the price was high, very high.
So you are free to put whatever you want on your desktop, on your blog, on your site, on your door, window, mail box, car, tee shirt, tatoo whatever you want, wherever you want, but this blog article is syndicated on Planet ubuntu-fr.
Not only this is a Marvel copyrighted material, originally from some obscure flickr-whatever you call it, but its now on a Ubuntu related (official?) Planet.
Planet Ubuntu-fr goes out of my liferea rss feed reader. I'll subscribe to the blogs I usually read individually.
So very well, comments are closed. I've heard it all already, thanks. And I'm not publishing this on the section that is relayed on Planet Ubuntu-Women and Planet Ubuntu-Users and I wont translate it in French either.


text:
Monster Video: Employee Performance Reviews
Poor employee performance can sap your company's bottom line.
That makes it crucial to regularly conduct employee performance reviews with your staff, says Roberta Matuson, president of Human Resource Solutions and author of Suddenly in Charge.
In this video, Matuson shares a cautionary story of one CEO who decided not to do performance reviews and the inevitable results.
Video transcript
By: Roberta Matuson
I had a situation where I was working with a CEO who decided that he did not want to do performance reviews . And he chose not to do them because he was afraid that people wouldn't like him.
So what wound up happening is that employee productivity dropped significantly because his employees were so concerned about how they were doing -- and they had no idea.
And so in his quest to be loved, rather than respected, it wound up having the opposite effect and so it wasn't until such time as we had to do some shifting in his thinking and get him back on track.
Nobody likes to have to tell somebody that they're not doing a great job. However, if you don't tell them, how can you expect them to improve?
So what might wind up happening in your organization is , you may wind up taking on much more than you should be doing because you think to yourself, "Well, I'll just do it myself, because this way I'll know it's done right."
It's very difficult as a small business owner to move your business forward if you are so involved in the tactical day to day happenings in your organization. So it's really important to take a step back and have those conversations in a way that allows the employee to improve their performance.
More insights from Roberta Matuson:
• Monster Video: A Recruiting Strategy to Compete for Gen Y Talent
• Boosting your Talent Acquisition in a Challenging Economy
• Employee Termination: How to Graciously Let Go of Long-Term Employees