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Report Corrections Here
Woodland Township Municipal Court
3 North Maple Avenue, PO Box 214
New Gretna, NJ 08224
New Gretna, NJ 08224
Phone: 609-296-1410
Fax: 609-296-0193
Fax: 609-296-0193
Woodland Township Municipal Court services are provided by Bass River Municipal Court under a shared services agreement.
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Now that it's over and Republican Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin has easily defeated a recall attempt, the morning-after analyses are in. There's a common theme:
-- Walker's win "is a stinging blow" to President Obama's re-election chances, says National Journal's 2012 Decoded blog.
-- Democrats and labor unions suffered "a morale-killing blow," writes The Atlantic Wire.
-- It's "a blow to Big Labor," according to Politico.
-- Walker "delivered a psychological boost for the Republicans and a blow to Democrats that could linger until the Nov. 6 presidential election," says Reuters.
-- The Republican Party's outreach effort in Wisconsin "could pay off in Novemer," reports The Wall Street Journal.
Bear in mind, though, advises NPR Senior Washington editor Ron Elving, that while "a great deal is going to be read into this election," a lot can happen in the key swing state of Wisconsin (and elsewhere, of course) between now and November. And, polls in Wisconsin currently show President Obama leading Republican Mitt Romney.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

subset: commoncrawl


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AnyDVD, a software favorite for DVD movie aficionados, has hit the HD era. SlySoft has quietly released AnyDVD HD over the weekend, offering similar decryption capabilities as its standard-definition version.
AnyDVD HD removes AACS encryption from HD DVDs, which will also allow the user to watch movies over a digital display connection without HDCP compliant graphics card and display. The software will also enable PowerDVD Ultra to run titles released by Studio Canal, The Weinstein Company, Kinowelt and Optimum Releasing—studios whose movies previously did not run on the PC player.
Another feature of AnyDVD HD is what SlySoft calls "magic file replacement" to remaster any commercial movie disc using simple XML scripts. These scripts will "magically" replace the files on the physical disc so that the user can customize discs without making a copy to a hard drive.
"We could only begin our development some weeks ago and we are immensely proud to get this product out to the users so quickly," said Peer van Heuen, one of SlySoft's lead developers. "This speaks to the commitment to our users: get good and easy-to-use products out on the market fast!"
Other features carried over from AnyDVD include the removal of CSS encryption and region codes from DVD movies, allowing for a user's free reign over the optical format for backup purposes. AnyDVD is capable of removing unwanted movie features, including subtitles and prohibition messages such as copyright and FBI warnings.
While the release of AnyDVD HD seems to be more than coincidental with the discovery of the Processing Key that defeats all HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc protections, SlySoft maintains that its development was independent of what the hacking community accomplished.
"The way AnyDVD HD addresses and solves the problem doesn't have much in common with the discoveries of individual members of the Open Source community in reading AACS keys from the USB bus," said Peer van Heuen. "As one can expect from SlySoft, our solution works fully automatic with all known titles while the so-called hacker tools require laborious reading out of memory or the USB bus. This is not to say that their efforts are completely fruitless; it's just that ours need to be user-friendly. It's just that simple."
The current version of AnyDVD HD supports only HD DVD, but given the similarities in copy protection, SlySoft said that a version of its software that will support Blu-ray Disc is not far off.
"When we considered Blu-Ray, our strategy was simply to initially support HD-DVD and await further developments in the marketplace. Already during the beta phase we got many inquiries about Blu-ray so we decided to go ahead and also provide support for this as soon as possible," added Tom Xiang, SlySoft's Marketing Director. "Blu-ray employs the same AACS process as HD-DVD. An implementation was really just a matter of form. A beta version is planned for availability this quarter."
AnyDVD HD is priced at $79 by itself or as an upgrade from AnyDVD for $30. The software may also be first downloaded for a free 21-day trial.


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There were 346,000 first-time claims for unemployment benefits, down 42,000 from the week before, the Employment and Training Administration reports.
Meanwhile, the "4-week moving average" of claims was 358,000, up by 3,000 from the previous week's 355,000. That measure smooths out some of the volatility in the numbers.
After recent reports that were disappointing — including last week's news that employers added only 88,000 jobs to their payrolls in March — Thursday's data on jobless claims were a positive switch.
Bloomberg News says the decline in claims was more than forecast and could be a sign that some things that tend to cause unusual swings in data, including holidays such as Easter, have worked their way through the numbers.
"The spike in claims was temporary," Brian Jones, a senior U.S. economist at Societe Generale in New York, tells Bloomberg. "Claims will continue to come down. Things are getting better."
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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This is a notice from Canon regarding the two cameras below.
You can also read this article at CanonUSA.com
Thank you for using Canon products.
We have discovered that images taken by some EOS-1D Mark III and EOS-1Ds Mark III digital SLR cameras may exhibit ring-shaped spots. We would like to convey the details and our service policy.
We offer our most sincere apologies to customers using these products who have been inconvenienced by this issue. Going forward, we will spare no effort in our quality management to make sure our customers can use our products with confidence. We hope our efforts will earn your understanding.
Images taken may exhibit large ring-shaped spots.
These ring-shaped spots are the images of oil lubricant on the surface of the low pass filter (LPF), which is located in front of the CMOS sensor.
This oil is used inside the Mirror Box to lubricate some of the camera's moving parts. If the oil is applied too liberally when the camera is manufactured, it can become scattered onto the surface of the LPF through normal camera operation.
The image above shows the top of the mirror box when the main mirror is flipped up. The white spots in the red circles are excess lubricant oil.
Affected Products
EOS-1D Mark III and EOS-1Ds Mark III digital SLR cameras
We ask that customers who are encountering this phenomenon or, who have noticed that oil is visible on the surface of the back side of the mirror, please contact our Customer Support Center. To prevent oil from scattering, which may seriously affect images, our Customer Support Center will arrange free cleaning of the mirror box to affected customers to remove the excess oil.
Oil Lubricant Used in Cameras
Measures are being implemented to control the amount of lubricant applied during manufacture in order to reduce the occurrence of oil spots. However, because this lubricant is required to ensure proper operation of the camera's precision mechanical parts, it is impossible to eliminate all instances of oil scattering. If you require CMOS sensor cleaning, please contact our Customer Support Center.
Thank you for your patronage and support of Canon products.
This information is for residents of the United States and Puerto Rico only. If you do not reside in the USA or Puerto Rico, please contact the Canon Customer Support Center in your region.
Contact Information for Inquiries
Canon U.S.A., Inc. Customer Support Center
1-800-828-4040 (toll free)
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Click here for support options and hours of operation.


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3D-Printed Weapons & the Consequences
December 11, 2012
At-home 3D printing is on the rise, and what was once just a lofty promise is now a reality. More and more hobbyists are acquiring affordable printers, such as the Makerbot Replicator 2 and the RapMan Universal 3D (single/dual head) printer, to manufacture just about everything from toys to working clocks.
Some hobbyists have used these printers for fast-prototyping items that are controversial -- or even deadly. It comes as no surprise that some would attempt to replicate weapons systems (or at least parts of them) in an effort to create a fully functional gun. It's not exactly clear who was the first to fabricate a firearm using a 3D printer, but one example that has garnered global attention is "Have Blue," who designed an AR-15 lower receiver (converted to fire .22 ammunition), using a CAD file in the SolidWorks file format that is openly available from CNC Gunsmithing.
After a few modifications to the original file, he set to work fabricating the receiver using around $30 of ABS filament fed through his Stratasys printer. After prototyping a small-scale model, he fabricated the full-size receiver and used it to fire 200 rounds without catastrophic failure. The proof of concept of manufacturing a 3D-printed weapon was a complete success. Now the door is open for others to try their hand at the home weapons manufacturing business.
A group of hobbyists (most of them college students) have banded together to form a company known as Defense Distributed to expand on the 3D-printed weapons systems and provide open-source software to anyone who wants it. Defense Distributed began its quest with the Wiki Weapon Project, which aims to provide all the necessary CAD software for manufacturing plastic firearms using any 3D printer. The group expanded on Have Blue's AR-15 to prove the concept of building weapons with a printer. However, instead of testing Have Blue's .22 conversion build, the group went ahead with an AR-15 conversion in 5.7x28FN, which has more firepower than a .22 but provides less pressure than the standard .223 round.
The group printed the lower receiver using Objet ABS-like filament piped through a Connex 3D printer. The printed rifle fired six shots before breaking. Apparently, the receiver's threads couldn't handle the pressure and snapped at the buffer-tube connection. The group is now looking for funding and a federal firearms license to get its project off the ground.
The problems with 3D-printed firearms aren't limited to catastrophic failure. (It takes only one bullet to kill.) There is also the issue of legality. No federal laws address manufacturing weapons with 3D printers, so anyone owning a printer could make a weapon -- even if they're not allowed to own one. The ATF considers the rifle's lower receiver as the firearm; anyone can purchase the upper receiver, barrel, etc.
The 1988 Undetectable Firearms Act prohibits the manufacturing or possession of guns that can't be picked up by airport metal detectors. This creates a loophole for hobbyists. Firearms typically require metal parts (barrel, springs, bolt, etc.) to function, and those parts can be detected. However, some companies don't want to take any chances. Defense Distributed's first attempt at funding in September through Indiegogo ended in disaster; Indiegogo froze DD's account and sent the $20,000 it raised back to the backers. In October, Stratasys terminated the group's 3D printer lease and seized the equipment from a member's home.
Like it or not, the seed of printing weapons has been planted, and the idea is sure to gain momentum through hobbyists in the near future -- until federal laws are enacted to gain control over the issue. It's only a matter of time before a printed weapon is used in a crime. Then all hell will break loose.
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The recipes are either Texas-style food with French flair or homemade versions of French restaurant dishes. There are Chicken Empanadas with Cilantro Yogurt made with classic roast chicken, Cowgirl Quiche with a polenta crust, My Big Fat French Salad based on one from Le Relais du Gascon, Spinach Potato and Caramelized Onion Tacos served with homemade salsa if you can't get Cholula, Basque-style Fish en Papillote, Brown Butter Walnut Cakes, and French Chocolate Sauce. I especially enjoyed the tips or Double-Duty suggestions for recipes. For instance, the Gascon-Style Pork Chops with Pepper Honey includes suggestions for other uses for that black pepper honey like spooning it over slices of Manchego. Another tip that caught my eye was in the recipe for Cauliflower Galettes with Chipotle Creme Fraiche in which she suggests the option of using zucchini instead of cauliflower. I had just received some zucchini from my CSA, and I couldn't wait to try those little, savory cakes made with cornmeal and topped with spicy creme fraiche. If you do use cauliflower, there are instructions for roasting it first, but with zucchini, you just grate it, leave it raw, and add it to the batter. The batter is made by whisking cornmeal, baking powder, sea salt, cayenne, and cumin in a bowl. In a separate bowl, eggs, plain yogurt, and water were combined, and the wet mixture was poured over the dry ingredients and mixed. The grated zucchini, some grated cheddar, and sliced green onions were folded into the batter. Little pancakes were fried in vegetable oil over medium-low heat so the middles could cook through before the surfaces browned too much. Chopped, canned chipotles were stirred into creme fraiche for the topping.
The crispy-edged galettes had great texture from the cornmeal, the cumin and cayenne gave them spunk, and the cool, spicy, tangy creme fraiche was deliciously French-Tex-Mex. When I'm longing for a life in Paris, I can make some Caramel Fleur de Sel Pots de Creme, and when Ellise is homesick, she can whip up a batch of homemade Corn Tortillas. It's not exactly the same as being there, but it's faster than a transatlantic flight.
Leave a comment by noon CST on Monday May 21, 2012 for a chance to win a copy of Cowgirl Chef: Texas Cooking with a French Accent. Include your email address so I can contact you. The winner will need to provide a mailing address in the US to receive the book.
Ellise will be in Texas for book signing events at the following locations:
Tuesday, May 15 Austin, TX Westwood Country Club (invitation only luncheon)
Saturday, June 2 Dallas, TX Southern Methodist University bookstore, 2 pm
Sunday, June 3 Fort Worth, TX TCU campus bookstore, 1 pm
Saturday, June 9 San Antonio, TX The Twig Bookshop, 10 am – 12 pm
Sunday, June 10 San Antonio, TX Quarry Farmers Market
Saturday, July 7 Fort Worth, TX Cowtown Farmers Market
Monday, Aug 13 Austin, TX Lake Austin Spa Resort
Cauliflower Galettes with Chipotle Creme Fraiche
Recipe re-printed with publisher's permission from Cowgirl Chef: Texas Cooking with a French Accent by Ellise Pierce, Running Press, 2012.
Makes about a dozen (2 1/2-inch/6 cm) galettes
1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into florets
olive oil
sea salt and pepper
1 cup/145 grams of cornmeal
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon of cumin
2 eggs
1 (5.29 ounce/150 gram) container of Greek yogurt
1 cup/240 ml of water
4 green onions, sliced
1 cup/60 grams of grated cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
Chipotle Creme Fraîche (recipe follows)
1. Preheat your broiler and line a cookie sheet with foil. Position a rack in the middle of the oven.
2. Toss the cauliflower florets on the foil-lined cookie sheet, add a little olive oil, and salt and pepper. Toss it all together with your hands, then slide the pan into the oven. The florets will begin to brown after about 10 minutes—when they do, pull them out of the oven and turn them over, so the other side browns, too. This'll take about 10 more minutes. When browned on both sides, remove from the oven and let cool.
3. To make the galettes, in a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, baking powder, sea salt, cayenne pepper, and cumin.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, and water. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and stir together. If the batter is too thick, just add a bit more water. Gently fold in the cauliflower florets, grated cheddar, and green onions, reserving about 2 tablespoons of green onions for garnish.
5. Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a skillet and turn the heat to medium-low. When it's hot, spoon about 2 tablespoons of the batter for each galette into the skillet, fitting in as many as you can. You'll need to work in batches. Cook the galettes for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the bottoms are brown, and flip to the other side for another few minutes. You don't want these to cook too fast, or they'll be wet in the middle. Repeat with the remaining vegetable oil and batter. Serve immediately with Chipotle Crème Fraîche, and sprinkle some chopped onions on top.
ADVANCE PLANNING: Roast your cauliflower ahead of time, so all you have to do is assemble and cook them up.
COWGIRL TIP: Reheat your leftover galettes the next day—just pop them in the toaster.
SWAP-IT: Try using grated zucchini instead of cauliflower.
Chipotle Creme Fraiche
Makes 2 cups/480 ml
16 ounces/480 ml of crème fraîche or sour cream
2 to 3 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
Toss your chipotles in a food processor to finely chop them up, or do this by hand. Add your crème fraîche or sour cream, and stir it up. Voila!
UPDATE: 21 May 2012 The winner of the cookbook is Sarah from the blog Thyme.


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I don't think that's the final version of this idea, so imagine this as a tantalizing glimpse into the rehearsal room of my mind. Come on, try.
1,000 Knitters Shoot
The ladies at Arcadia Knitting have decided to open early for the 1,000 Knitters shoot. I am delighted. Here are the new details in a convenient, compact, clip-n-save format:
Arcadia Knitting
1613 W. Lawrence Avenue, Chicago
July 14, 2007 from 9 am-6 pm
Knitter 0001 casts on tonight. The scarf will begin with a skein of the first yarn I ever bought, on my first visit to a yarn store, in 1991. I've kept it all this time, trusting that a suitable project would present itself. And presto, a mere 16 years later, here it is.
By the way, there was a question about doing this at other yarn stores around Chicago. I have no objection to it, but offers to host have not been forthcoming and I've had no chance to do the legwork on my own. If you have a yarn shop (or other spacious, well-lit venue) and think this sounds like your cup of tea, drop me a note.
Christening Shawl
I'm on the move with the edging. As it is now off the circular needle, there will be a photograph. Just not now, because I have to get to the office and still have no pants on.
Speaking of Work
If good wishes count for anything, you all have guaranteed that my new gig will be equal parts boffo and socko. Thank you kindly. I wish to report with pride that I have now gone three days without wanting to hit anyone or set fire to the conference table. It has been such a long, long time since I could say that.


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If you are thinking about installing an artists studio for your back garden, we can install beautiful designs which are perfect for art workshops.
We can install an artists studio in any design of your choice. Our specialists will advise you on the best specs when installing the studios to meet up with your needs and requirements and remain within your spending budget.
If you would like more information regarding the installation of an artists studio inside your back garden, please complete our contact form and we will get back to you at the earliest opportunity.
For most people, creating a garden workshop is a major project to adopt, and you only get a single opportunity to choose the right contractor.
Our company offers an array of design and building services for these particular features, and they might be totally customised for precisely what you prefer.
From effective art spaces to bigger artists studios, our outdoor rooms provide your efficient home working strategy to satisfy your requirements. There is the opportunity to uniquely design the external artwork room for you so it matches its functionality.
The size and dimensions may be altered to fit in with your budget and also to create room for extra features that you want to include.
The external structures may be used for several purposes, one of the most common being artwork studios. We have a ton of art room ideas to help you create the best artwork studio for your garden.
Depending on your preferences, our building specs can be uniquely customised to match. From initial designs stage to complete installation our in-house team will work closely with you to make the outdoor space you've always wanted.
A number of external and internal characteristics could be offered with the complete specification, based on what you want to produce. You're able to choose from a variety of windows and doors, roof covering designs, floor surfaces and wall décor.
We've got several specifications with regards to electrical fittings and water systems in the building. If you'd like more information on artwork studios or you would like to hear our art room ideas, please fill out our contact box and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.
A number of people search for 'artist studio designers near me'. As a nationwide company, we can get our closest designers to you to come and talk you through the options available and discuss the designs we offer.
We have plenty of designers nearby you so you can ask us our advice prior to the construction.
If you've got specific dimensions in mind, we'll know how to plan the job around this. Due to our versatile products, your garden workshop can be created bespoke by out local contractors so it's great for the desired objective.
This will be dependent on how much you're able to spend and what kind of facility you are wanting to construct.
Our company can supply you with a variety of ideas to help create the ideal appearance and performance for the studio room. For more information on artists studios, make certain to fill in our contact box to discuss a project with our team.
If you let us know the amount you have to spend, we can supply some advice regarding the best position and layout for your home art studio.
We obtain and observe details which are needed for building, such as accessibility to the space and parking measures, to ensure an easy build of your back garden artists workshop.
Thorough measurements can be obtained, and we'll thoroughly explain the technical specs so you can be comfortable on the process.
We're incredibly pleased with the diverse product range for external garden studios. Through creating new layouts we are able to give customers the most updated features and solutions to guarantee the best value.
It is essential for the home art studio to look great, however our staff continually make certain that the framework and specifics will not be compromised.
For more information regarding the construction of home artist studios please get in touch with our team by completing the enquiry form provided.
You'll be working with an experienced team in surrounding areas at every step of the project, having a knowledgeable project manager to take care of the work.
After having an intensive consultation, we'll make a timetable for the building work that fits with what you need. You will be regularly updated on the works and informed of any adjustments that might arise.
Our project manager organises the installation staff and manages the job from beginning to end.
The specialists will direct you throughout the design and building work of the art studios to be sure that the end product is precisely what you want. When you are looking at creating an art studio or workshop, we'll deliver the best rates on these variable designs.
You can find out more about the installation of an artists studio if necessary by simply filling in our contact form.
If you've got any questions of queries, please get in touch and we will respond at the earliest possible time.


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Helping Sam Hear: A Family's Journey - Chapter Four: Breaking the Silence
It was the day before Sam's implant was activated and, like most days in the month after Sam's surgery, I spent the drive home from work imagining the moment our son would hear us for the first time. Halfway through the trip, "Here Comes the Sun" came on the radio as if cued by my daydream, bringing me to tears.
Although the big event was less dramatic than the Beatles-accompanied scenario scripted in my head, my wife and I were thrilled. The day marked a new beginning for Sam.
At 13 months old, Sam was "born" into the hearing world. While his progress will be incremental like a newborn's, each step will require extra time and effort. Still, helping Sam learn to use his implant hardly seems like sacrifice. Our days are filled with rewards, from watching him turn toward a noise at home to hearing him mimic a new sound during therapy.
Awaiting a New Beginning
The time passed quickly between Sam's surgery and the day his implant was activated. Since Sam was back to himself so soon after the operation, we held his first birthday party the following weekend. Our family sang "Happy Birthday" to Sam and, as he tried his first taste of cake, I thought about how it might be the last time we sang a song Sam couldn't hear.
Even as we pondered all of our hopes for life after activation, some concerns crept in. Teresa worried that introducing such a profound change to Sam's world might impact his personality. Sam had been happy and adventurous in his first year, a smiling little bulldozer. Would sound be an unsettling intrusion? We worried that he'd become irritable, introverted, or not himself in some other way.
As the day approached to activate his implant, we became more focused on practical matters. We needed to learn how to use and care for the implant components and make arrangements for our older son, Jack, on activation day and during the therapy sessions that would follow.
The Big Day
On activation day, Sam was in a chair at the hospital with his implant hooked to a computer for calibration. We were beside him anxiously waiting for the chance to speak to him. When the audiologist let us know the big moment was upon us, the room fell silent.
Once the implant was on, Teresa and I took turns saying things like "Hi, Sam!" and "Notice anything different?" Time passed without a notable reaction, and Sam remained focused on playing as the audiologist clapped loudly behind his head.
While there was no immediate payoff, we left the hospital smiling. Sam wore an earpiece with a wire that disappeared into his shirt to a battery pack below. Another wire connected the earpiece to a quarter-sized circle on the back of his head, linked magnetically to the implant inside. The equipment was an outward reminder of something incredible: Our deaf son was given the ability to hear.
Sam's First Sounds
Sound was new to Sam, so the implant was set at a whisper to avoid upsetting him. From there, we were told to adjust it higher over the next week through a series of four increasingly powerful programs until Sam's first "mapping" appointment, where the audiologist checked and reprogrammed the implant.
We noticed an immediate change in Sam's behavior. Our smiling little bulldozer who once wriggled out of virtually every hug attempt started to seek comfort in holding hands and snuggling.
I first noticed Sam reacting to everyday sounds about 2 weeks after his implant was activated. Sam and I were playing on the floor in the living room while Teresa and Jack were in the kitchen. As soon as Teresa turned on the radio for Jack, Sam abruptly abandoned me to crawl into the kitchen to investigate. Days later, I watched Sam turn toward our staircase as his mother came down its wooden steps.
Teresa wanted more definitive proof, which she got about 2 weeks later. She and Sam were at a neighbor's house when the neighbor's son was visiting from out of town. He spoke with a booming voice, prompting Sam to turn completely around to face him.
With speech therapy, Sam quickly became much more vocal. This dismayed Jack at first. One afternoon something launched Jack into a tantrum as he stood by Sam in his highchair. Sam began to shriek in unison with Jack's wailing, escalating the situation into a dueling battle of lungpower. As Teresa knelt down to give Jack a calming hug, she smiled over his shoulder and gave Sam an enthusiastic thumbs up. It was our first clear confirmation outside of therapy that Sam was taking in sound and reacting to it with sounds of his own.
Sam loves his therapy sessions, and his progress is a joy to witness. His earliest sessions conditioned him for the routine of therapy, from sitting in the chair to interacting with his therapist. Not long after, his reactions demonstrated that he could tell the difference among the sounds being introduced to him and, almost from the start, he was making his best effort to re-create the sounds.
About 4 months into therapy, Sam imitates just about everything thrown his way. He roars like a lion and produces an "ah" sound for a plane's flight, among other sounds that are a regular part of his therapy. He's moving beyond some of his first attempts at speech like "uh-oh" and "more" to identifying objects and people. He said "mom" in mid-February and about 2 weeks later began chattering "da-da-da-da." Sam knows and tries to say his own name now, too.
Soon after Sam's implant was turned on I dug out a Beatles CD from our collection so I could play "Here Comes the Sun" whenever I wished. The CD has been going back and forth between our cars ever since. Teresa and I like to put the song on and think about how far Sam has come.
Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.
© 1995-2024 KidsHealth ® All rights reserved. Images provided by iStock, Getty Images, Corbis, Veer, Science Photo Library, Science Source Images, Shutterstock, and Clipart.com


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About 67 million adults in this country have discovered that walking is one of the most fun, natural, and inexpensive ways of keeping your health—and your feet—in top shape. Walking can be enjoyed almost anywhere, any time, and year around. It's also a good way to get exercise, particularly for people who are out-of-shape.
According to the American Podiatric Medical Association, exercise offers a host of benefits. Walking helps control weight, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels. A brisk walk can burn up to 100 calories per mile or 300 calories per hour. Walking also improves cardiovascular fitness. As an aerobic exercise, walking gets the heart beating faster to transport oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to the muscles. The heart and lungs grow more efficient with a regular walking regimen, reducing blood pressure and the resting heart rate. Walking is also a central element of medical rehabilitation for a wide array of health problems. For example, recovery from a heart attack can be facilitated by a regular walking regimen. Additionally, walking creates an overall feeling of well-being, and can relieve depression, anxiety, and stress by producing endorphins, the body's natural tranquilizer. A brisk walk will relax you and also stimulate your thinking.
To gain the most health benefit from walking, it is important to pay attention to your feet. Shoes that don't fit properly or provide adequate support, lack of stretching, and improper gait can lead to foot injuries or pain. The most common foot problems are blisters, corns, calluses, and plantar fasciitis.
Walking Shoes
The only equipment you need to enjoy walking for fitness is a good pair of shoes. But before you can shop for the best shoe for your foot, you need to identify the natural inclination of your foot and gait. There are three basic foot types:
When you walk, the natural motion of your foot rolls gradually from the heel to the toe, with your foot bending at the ball on each step. That's why it is important for walking shoes to have enough flexibility in just the right places. A good walking shoe should give a little when you twist it and bend at the ball of the foot. When you put the shoe on a flat surface and push on the toe the heel should come up off the surface. If it does, the shoe has the curvature you need to conform to your movement during walking. Make sure the heel is low and not too wide. A slight undercut in the heel will help your foot begin its roll from the heel through the step.
Here are some other important tips for buying a good pair of walking shoes:


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A novelist, a duchess and a tabloid newspaper have ignited an explosive debate in Britain: Is it all right to criticize a pregnant Kate?
The Daily Mail on Tuesday ran a front-page broadside against two-time Booker Prize-winning author Hilary Mantel for what it called her "venomous attack" on the former Kate Middleton, now the Duchess of Cambridge.
Within hours, the Internet was ablaze. Prime Minister David Cameron joined in the criticism of Mantel while others rushed to her defense.
In a speech earlier this month, the writer had characterized the 31-year-old wife of Prince William as "a jointed doll on which certain rags were hung ... a shop-window mannequin, with no personality of her own."
Mantel said that Kate, as a royal consort, "appeared to have been designed by committee and built by craftsmen, with a perfect plastic smile and the spindles of her limbs hand-turned and gloss-varnished."
Mantel's speech, made at the British Museum and reprinted this week in the London Review of Books, was about the British public's complex relationship with royalty over the centuries — a relationship both symbiotic and voyeuristic.
The speech looked at the way the public and the press both glorify and destroy royals, from Anne Boleyn to Princess Diana, casting them in roles and stories in which "adulation can swing to persecution, within hours."
But for the Daily Mail, this became "an astonishing and venomous attack on the Duchess of Cambridge."
The newspaper's front page juxtaposed pictures of the author and the duchess alongside the front-page headline: "A plastic princess designed to breed."
It quoted Mantel's speech at length, although it did not note that the 60-year-old author was describing what she saw as a view of Kate constructed by the press and public opinion.
Online reaction was divided, with some defending Mantel's words as provocative and thoughtful and others calling them hurtful.
Cameron — on a trip to India — said Mantel's comments were "completely misguided and completely wrong."
Claudia Joseph, author of "Kate: The Making of a Princess," said it was unfair to describe Kate as lacking in personality. Joseph said the duchess was instead someone who "has learned to keep her feelings hidden and private."
"The reason William chose Kate is because she is discreet and doesn't show her feelings in public," Joseph said. "That doesn't mean she has no feelings."
Others argued that Mantel's real target was not Kate but the press. On the Daily Telegraph website, journalist Catherine Scott said Mantel's speech was "an attack on how some parts of the media canonize royal women ... while also rendering them voiceless and purposeless."
The royal couple's office declined to comment, while a call placed with Mantel's agent after business hours went unanswered.
Meanwhile, large numbers of journalists and photographers were on hand Tuesday to watch the duchess as she visited a center for recovering addicts. It was one of her first public appearances since announcing in December that she was pregnant. News reports commented on the duchess's baby bump, gestures, demeanor and Max Mara dress.
Mantel won the prestigious Booker Prize in 2009 for "Wolf Hall" and in 2012 for "Bring Up the Bodies," novels set at the court of King Henry VIII and centered on the king's search for a queen who will give him a male heir.
Her speech touched on royal figures from Henry's wife Anne Boleyn to Kate.
Mantel said Diana "passed through trials, through ordeals at the world's hands." She said Diana's younger son, the 28-year-old Prince Harry, "doesn't know which he is, a person or a prince" — a confusion Harry himself recently remarked on.
And Kate, whose first child is due in July, finds herself cast by the press as someone whose "only point and purpose (is) to give birth," the author said.
Of the U.K.'s royal family, Mantel said: "However airy the enclosure they inhabit, it's still a cage."
Mantel ended her speech — ironically, given the media furor now — with a plea for us all "to back off and not be brutes."
London Review of Books: www.lrb.co.uk
Jill Lawless can be reached at http://Twitter.com/JillLawless


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"I ask the fans to come before the main card, because they'll see a guy determined to display the best. And it doesn't matter if it is a preliminary or not, UFC is always great, so whoever is in their seats early will see a great show."
Born and raised in Nova Friburgo, a highland city in Rio de Janeiro, UFC newcomer Edson Barboza - who faces Mike Lullo on the preliminary portion of UFC 123 this weekend - was a fearless young man when his focus was linked to Muay Thai competitions.
The lightweight with the ferocious fists and kicks always figured in the Brazilian top five when it came to striking, and his power and accuracy almost guaranteed a knockout loss to his opponents and promised fans and the media that a backward step wouldn't be seen from Barboza.
A prototype Muay Thai fighter - tall, quick and lethal – Barboza started early, being introduced to the art when he was only eight years old. And what started just as a means to calm down an excitable boy became a career.
"I started very young in Muay Thai, in the hangar of a Samba entity," he says of his beginnings. "My father didn't have the ability to put me in paid martial arts classes, so I joined this social project which taught Muay Thai to kids. Then my passion for the sport started from the very first contact."
From the first touch of gloves in training until his first match, the young Barboza didn't waste much time. In the same year he started knowing Muay Thai, he tested the part of his being that what would eventually earn him status, respect and titles - his will.
"I beat my opponent when he didn't answer the bell for round two. That was my first technical knockout (laughs). The kid didn't stop crying and I was victorious. I still have the tape saved."
A proud memory for family and friends nowadays, it seems a bit curious how a mother could permit her beloved young son to train in a full-contact sport. But don't get me wrong, Barboza's mother didn't like it in the beginning, and still doesn't completely, as she doesn't watch his professional fights, but with the support of his father, who put him in that social project back in 1994, the Muay Thai ace, a member of Team Anderson Franca, excelled.
"I got the Brazilian championship, the Brazilian Circuit and the Demoliton Grand Prix," he said, listing his important titles, but his true growth came in one of his only three defeats. "We had a Grand Prix named La Gara, with four fights to be the champion, I lost the final (to Tadeu San Martino), but I was fighting in a division above mine (167). I knocked three guys out and the competition was very important to show my disposition to overcome hurdles."
The Demolition GP, held in 2007, was a solid chapter into the life of Barboza. He knocked out his first two opponents, one of them the K-1 World MAX participant, Marfio Canolleti, and avenged his defeat in the final against San Martino. With 100% of his focus turned in one direction - the K-1 World MAX in Japan - Barboza was thisclose to making a life fighting stand-up, a dream that didn't come out of his mind after the insignificant payout he got at his first pro fight.
But Barboza didn't count on the power of silence.
"My manager tried to contact and deal with Japan several times, but no positive words were being received. After one year without anything happening, we resolved to opt for the MMA path - doors were opened this way and I could work my career better."
The change was extreme. Considering Barboza was a Muay Thai fighter with zero MMA experience and with the level of the sport nowadays, he could need a time to adapt that would cost him opportunities and, even worse, victories. However, he had some surprises following his switch, as he had been cross training with Brazilian Jiu-jitsu guys and a manager, Alex J. Davis, who is a black belt in BJJ and Judo.
"I polished the Muay Thai of BJJ black belt Flavio Serafim and he taught me BJJ for fun," said the BJJ blue-belt. "So my entrance into MMA was easy because I trained BJJ for a long time. After moving to USA I increased that with top level guys like Eduardo Guedes, Rafael Chaves, Pablo Popovich, Wagner Ceara, Rodrigo Cavaca, Marcos Buchecha and Thiago Abreu - that's Team Armory - along with Joe Mullings, and they were necessary to transform me into a competitive MMA athlete."
The move to Jupiter, Florida in 2008 was the start for Barboza to join the MMA community. It was a tough beginning, as he was missing his wife, friends and family, but he was supported by the new team that not only served to prepare him for his matches, but provided the Brazilian newcomer a perfect environment for repeating in MMA what he did in Muay Thai. And having his wife, Bruna, living with him a few months after his arrival, kept Barboza tranquil enough to smash opponents and grab a 6-0 record and two belts.
"I was never under pressure," says the man who has two belts, Renaissance MMA and Ring of Combat. "I entered and did my job. My routine was training, training and more training."
The 5'11'' lightweight comes to the Octagon using the same aggressive style that made his name in Muay Thai and has earned him six stoppages in his MMA career. The reach advantage he'll have on Lullo is also a weapon, but he disagrees that it's the main one.
"My range is really good compared to the majority of the lightweights and it helps me in the stand up. But I don't see a large advantage, as guys are adapting themselves to face this adversity."
Trusting in his camp instead of over studying his foe, Barboza leaves a final message for fight fans.
"I ask the fans to come before the main card, because they'll see a guy determined to display the best. And it doesn't matter if it is a preliminary or not, UFC is always great, so whoever is in their seats early will see a great show."


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Synopsis: | One of the best of the Cold War allegories and a potent lesson to those who won't eat their vegetables. Sci fi classic about an alien craft and creature (Arness in monster drag), discovered by an Arctic research team. The critter is accidentally thawed and then wreaks havoc, sucking the blood from sled dog and scientist alike. It's a giant seed-dispersing vegetable run amuck, unaffected by missing body parts, bullets, or cold. In other words, Big Trouble. Excellent direction, assisted substantially by producer Hawks, and supported by strong performances. Available colorized; remade in 1982. Loosely based on "Who Goes There?" by John Campbell. |
Directed by: | Christian Nyby, Howard Hawks |
Cast: | James Arness, Kenneth Tobey, Margaret Sheridan, Dewey Martin, Robert Cornthwaite, Douglas Spencer, James Young, Robert Nichols, William (Bill) Self, Eduard Franz, Sally Creighton, John Dierkes, George Fenneman |


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VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI announced Monday that he would resign Feb. 28 — the first pontiff to do so in nearly 600 years. The decision sets the stage for a conclave to elect a new pope before the end of March. The 85-year-old pope announced his decision in Latin during a meeting of Vatican cardinals on Monday morning. He emphasized that carrying out the duties of being pope — the leader of more than a billion Roman Catholics worldwide — requires "both strength of mind and body." "After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths due to an advanced age are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry," he told the cardinals. "I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only by words and deeds but no less with prayer and suffering. "However, in today's world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of St. Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary — strengths which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me." The last pope to resign was Pope Gregory XII, who stepped down in 1415 in a deal to end the Great Western Schism among competing papal claimants. Benedict called his choice "a decision of great importance for the life of the church." The move sets the stage for the Vatican to hold a conclave to elect a new pope by mid-March, since the traditional mourning time that would follow the death of a pope doesn't have to be observed. There are several papal contenders in the wings, but no obvious front-runner — the same situation when Benedict was elected pontiff in 2005 after the death of Pope John Paul II.
Here is letter from the pope concerning the resignation, posted to the Vatican Radio website.


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Monday was the first day of the rest of Michael Vick's life. (Or lack of one.) He worked the contrition angle. He worked the "got religion" angle.
"Immature?" Please: Bankrolling an illegal-gambling operation and killing dogs is less immature than simply immoral. (Hmm: If he had led off with "I've been immoral," he might have made more headway.)
Here's the lingering question: In an Instant History world, can a multi-year Vick expulsion create enough of a buffer to get him back into the NFL eventually?
"I will redeem myself," he said. We'll see about that. But then he uttered the most honest and realistic analysis of this entire fiasco: "I have to."
Meanwhile, the Falcons played on MNF last night. I didn't watch more than 30 seconds (it happened to be Johnson's TD pass to Henry), but I was struck with a Master Plan for the Falcons:
As long as this is a lost season for the Falcons (sorry: "transition" year) that they might as well write off this season (OK: tank), then put themselves in a position to draft franchise QB Brian Brohm, who happened to have played for Falcons coach Bobby Petrino at Louisville.
Here's the reality: An offensive-minded coach needs a great QB to build the team around (one who already knows the system is just a bonus).
As long as the Falcons aren't going to make the playoffs this year (and they won't), why not put themselves in position to turn it around as soon as possible with a spectacularly talented stud QB perfect for the new coach's offensive system?
Falcons fans (or if you put yourself in the position of Falcons fans): Wouldn't you sacrifice one season now (especially if it's a lost season anyway) for a better chance at a string of great seasons down the road?
More NFL: Lovie Smith isn't happy with Lance Briggs? Well, duh!
Tarvaris Jackson named Vikings starting QB: Guess Kelly Holcomb is just insurance.
MLB Stud: Chase Utley, who returned to the Phillies lineup just in time to go 3/5 (with a HR) and lead his team over the Mets in a near-must-win series.
MLB Dud: Astros manager Phil Garner and GM Tim Purpura, both fired. (Stud: Cecil Cooper, given Garner's job.)
Oh, and Mike Mussina was on the wrong end of a blowout loss to the Tigers (16-0!), calling into question whether he'll be of any value to the Yankees during the last month of the season.
Bonds 756: How much do you think the ball will go for when the auction sale starts today? The over/under is $500,000. I'll say "over."
CFB: If you didn't come around after noon yesterday, I revealed my pick to win the national championship: Virginia Tech.
Speaking of VA Tech, there's this interesting campaign to get Hokies fans to cheer opposing teams, to honor the support that opposing fans showed VA Tech after the shooting. I suspect that fans will welcome a team like
The preview continues today: Heismania. (No, Tim Tebow is not my pick to win the award. Maybe next year. For this year, all you have to do is look to my Heisman pick from last season.)
UPDATE: As you may have noticed, the Heisman list didn't go up. It'll go up tomorrow.
Tennis Gambling Scandal: Paul Goldstein says he was approached about throwing a match. I guarantee you this tennis scandal is so much worse than you can even imagine. Things like this usuall are.
Women's Hoops: Delle Donne is going to UConn.
Soccer: Could
NBA Moves: The Suns signed second-round pick DJ Strawberry, notable only because Strawberry totally dominated the Vegas Summer League and looked entirely like the steal of the draft.
In Case You Missed It: My latest weekly guest-post for Deadspin on college football.
Fantasy Football: Tonight, I take part in my third draft of the month. Bragging rights are huge: It's the DS.com Commenters league.
Speaking of football prediction games, you only have a few days left to sign up for any of the four leagues (2 NFL, 2 CFB) I have set up. See the links on the right, group name: Daily Quickie Readers.


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So I'm watching the latest Errant Signal, which is about Max Payne 3. During the vid, Chris mentions Man On Fire. I've never seen that movie, but I do remember wanting to check it out at some point.
I hop over to Netflix and do a search…
Not available for streaming.
Hmph. Lame. The movie came out eight years ago. What are you guys waiting for?
But this movie reminds me of another one I'd wanted to see, Book of Eli. I've heard it's not very good, but I'm willing to give it a go just to see Denzel do his thing.
Not available for streaming.
Fine. Whatever. Miami Vice is also cited as an obvious influence for Max Payne 3. I should give that a look. I was a teen in the 80's, and some retro-kitsch might be fun.
Not available for streaming.
The last movie Chris cites is Domino. That's seven years old so…
Not available for streaming.
Come on. Well, I've got the Netflix window open. Let's see if I can find something. I really wanted to see Inglourious Basterds when it came out. It's only three years old but it might-
Not available for streaming.
Not available for streaming.
Okay. That one was only a year old and I admit it was a bit of a longshot. Inception?
Not available for streaming.
I need to go back further. At least 2 or 3 years. How about Repo Men? Clash of the Titans?
Not available for streaming.
Strangely enough, Netflix has Iron Man 2. It's a really good movie, but I've already seen it three or four times, mostly due to the fact that it's one of the few titles on Netflix that I want to see. I really am in the mood for something new right now.
Heck, I'll even watch something purportedly crappy, like The Losers. Or maybe something only partly interesting to me, like Splice.
Not available for streaming.
This is ridiculous.
Speaking of 80's kitsch, how about The A-Team? Might be fun to see Liam Neeson try to carry ninety minutes of dumb action schlock all by himself.
Not available for streaming.
I'm going to hate myself for asking but… Ghost Rider?
Oh! But that makes me think of Nick Cage's Bad Lieutenant. I know I saw that on Netflix at one point. MovieBob even said it was worth a look.
Not available for streaming.
So I guess they REMOVED that one?
I want to stress that I'm not cherry-picking here. I really am looking for a movie and I really am getting bupkis for every single attempt. There are good movies here, but not many, and I've pretty much seen them all by this point.
I'll go for a couple of weeks without checking Netflix. Then when I come back I'll check out the "what's new" lineup and find it almost unchanged. As far as I can tell, their library of streaming content is shrinking. They are pulling movies faster than they're adding them. (At least if we're talking real movies. They have a double helping of crappy B-movie schlock and abominable title-knockoffs like "Transmorphers". Ugh. Maybe the total supply of long-tail crud is expanding, but the supply of recognizable movies with recognizable stars seems to be dwindling.)
As someone pointed out on Twitter, Netflix does have a good supply of oddball indie flicks and experimental stuff. Most of those are about dysfunctional urban twenty-somethings struggling against utterly banal and infantile problems, most of which are their own doing. I didn't even like that stuff when I was a twenty-something myself. What I really dig is Sci-fi, and there is very little "indie sci-fi" in the world, and I've already picked over what little exists on Netflix. Protip: Moon is a darn good movie if you like your sci-fi slow and thinky. I watched it last year on Netflix, although I see it's gone now.
I know, I know. Broaden my horizons and all that. I'm sure there are good movies in other genres. The problems with finding them is this:
"Heather" in this case is the name Netflix has for my entire family. My son is really into Mythbusters. My daughters are into laugh-track faux-comedy like Wizards of Waverly Place, iCarly, and Ned's Declassified Not-funny Show. They also watch a lot of Inspector Poirot, Mrs. Marple, and Dr. Who with their mother. When she's watching without the kids, my wife is into Korean dramas. (She likes how Korean shows have a fixed arc, like Anime, and don't just introduce a premise and beat it into the ground like American shows do.) All of them watch varying genres of Anime.
And then once every couple of weeks I show up and try to watch something with superheros, space aliens, kung-fu, or people shooting each other. Because I'm all about the peace and love.
The upshot is that Netflix insists on treating the five of us as a single person, which is a stupid and impossible task.
(And before you tell me about sub-accounts: I don't think sub-accounts work with streaming content, only discs. More importantly, logging in and out of sub-accounts is very inconvenient and tedious, particularly on the Wii. For a lot of reasons, sub-accounts aren't really useful to us, and the only benefit they would offer is that they would make Netflix less stupid about suggesting and rating things for us. I don't want Netflix to suggest or rate things for me. I can do my own thinking, thank you, as long as I can get to the information.)
Netflix provides a rating based on what Netflix THINKS our gestalt viewer would THINK of the movie. This is a computer making a guess about the subjective preferences of someone who doesn't exist. That might as well be a random number. The more interesting and useful number – the one that describes what everyone else in the world thought of the movie – is only available if I click through. This slows down my search, which is already slow enough because of how little information Netflix packs on screen.
That's a good browsing system for on the Wii, but when I'm browsing on my PC that's a ridiculous waste of screen space.
The point is, two years ago I could enter the name of a two-year-old movie and have a better than even chance of finding it available for instant view. Now the library feels empty and it's a pain in the ass to dig around to find something worthwhile that I might have overlooked. I usually get bored after ten minutes of this and go back to playing videogames.
I know most of this problem is caused by the fact that movie studios are pulling their stuff from Netflix because they don't want to share all those sweet-sweet royalties with Netflix. So instead of making a small percent of my monthly subscription fee, they are now making 100% of… nothing.
I know there's Amazon movie-watch service thing. But that doesn't work on the XBox 360 or the Wii. Hulu works, but that's mostly TV shows and I never want to watch TV shows. Also, I don't like paying for individual titles unless I'm almost sure I'm going to like it. With Netflix, I paid a flat fee and was able to sample things until I found something I liked. Is a movie slow? Boring? Preachy? Stupid? No problem. I can just hit the back button and try again. This is less attractive if every movie costs me $4 and I have to watch it in a fixed timeframe. Also, we already have Hulu and Netflix. I'm not interested in making a bunch more accounts and paying a bunch more monthly fees just to chase down all this scattered content. This would be like if, when television was rising to replace the radio as the dominant form of entertainment, TV stations suddenly pulled the plug and announced their shows were all going to be on their own proprietary brand of television.
This is much less about price than it is about convenience. Scrupulous people like me are just going without. Everyone else is routing around this stupidity with torrents. I'm looking forward to the point where some of the mummified old-media relics retire and movie studios are run by people who have used the internet. I have money to spend and movies I want to see, but there's only so much hassle I'm willing to endure to make this transaction happen.
I really thought Netflix was going to be the Wal-Mart of digital movies. But then the studios pulled their wares from the shelves so they could sell stuff out of their garage. I'm sure they're sitting in the front yard now, scowling at the lack of customers and cursing those danged pirates for ruining everything.
Have fun, morons. In the meantime, I'll be playing videogames.
What is Vulkan?
What is this Vulkan stuff? A graphics engine? A game engine? A new flavor of breakfast cereal? And how is it supposed to make PC games better?
What Does a Robot Want?
No, self-aware robots aren't going to turn on us, Skynet-style. Not unless we designed them to.
Rage 2
The game was a dud, and I'm convinced a big part of that is due to the way the game leaned into its story. Its terrible, cringe-inducing story.
Grand Theft Auto Retrospective
This series began as a cheap little 2D overhead game and grew into the most profitable entertainment product ever made. I have a love / hate relationship with the series.
Shamus Plays LOTRO
As someone who loves Tolkein lore and despises silly MMO quests, this game left me deeply conflicted.


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Stopping to aid motorists during horrific crashes earn truck drivers awards as Truckload Carriers Associations Highway Angels
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text: This is a CLEARANCE ITEM. This could be due to dinged packaging; minor scratches or maybe the product was sent for review or tried by customers and then returned to us. Every 'CLEARANCE' item has been inspected and found to be in good operating condition; all are basically "like-new". Sometimes we have items that are not 'CLEARANCE' item at all, but have been discontinued from current production and we need to liquidate inventory. Availability is not guaranteed. All orders are on "First come, first served basis". * DUE TO THE MASSIVE DISCOUNTING, ALL SALES ARE 100% FINAL & SOLD "AS IS". NO RETURNS/EXCHANGES!


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Is That A Crushed Bug In Your Frothy Starbucks Drink?
Call it the tempest in the Frappuccino. Some Starbucks patrons have been distressed to learn that the chain's Strawberry and Creme Frappuccino owes its pink coloring to crushed insects.
The coloring in question, cochineal, is made from a tiny white insect, Dactylopius coccus. When crushed, its body exudes a brilliant red color. Cochineal has been used as a coloring for foods and makeup for centuries.
It's all natural. It's approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Eating insects is newly trendy in San Francisco and Los Angeles. And, as NPR's Martin Kaste has reported, cochineal is gathered off cactus by poor people in Peru, who use their earnings to feed their families and send their children to school.
So what's not to like? A lot, apparently, if you're a vegetarian.
A website, ThisDishIsVegetarian.com, reported on March 14 on the chain's use of cochineal in strawberry Frappuccinos. Evidently a distressed barista sent a photo of the strawberry flavoring's label, which listed cochineal.
Since then the news has bounced around the Internet, sparking a change.org petition asking the latte behemoth to "stop using bugs in your strawberry-flavored drinks."
In an email to The Salt, Starbucks confirmed that cochineal is also used to color its strawberry smoothies, and three food items: the birthday cake pop, mini donut with pink icing, and red velvet whoopee pie. "Cochineal extract is a commonly used ingredient and is a natural, FDA-approved colorant found in a wide variety of food and beverage products in the U.S.," a Starbucks spokesperson wrote.
After first defending its use of cochineal as a natural product, Starbucks is having second thoughts. Yesterday, Starbucks president Cliff Burrows announced that the company is reconsidering the use of cochineal. "While it is a safe product that poses no health risk, we are reviewing alternative natural ingredients," Burrows wrote on the corporate blog.
Actually, there is a health risk to cochineal. It can cause allergies and asthma in some people, and the reaction can be severe. So in 2009, the FDA started requiring that foods and cosmetics containing cochineal and carmine, another name for food coloring made from scale insects, put that on the label.
Natural alternatives include beet extract, but it tends to fade with time. Cochineal's rosy hue does not. But it may be fading from the roster of natural coloring alternatives.


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If you think it's tough being a Cabinet secretary in the U.S., having to deal with the demands of a fiercely partisan Congress and testify a few times a year, try being the Afghan interior minister.
"I have been summoned by the lower house 93 times, and 79 times by the upper house," says Ghulam Mujtaba Patang, who for the past 10 months has been in charge of the ministry that oversees the Afghan National Police.
"Based on this calculation, I have had one day in a week to work for the people," he says.
In addition to answering calls to appear before Parliament, he's had to answer 15,000 request letters from parliamentarians. "Some of them legal and some of them are illegal," he continues. "Most of the requests are personal demands."
A List Of Headaches
Not unlike officials in Western governments, Patang says he gets patronage requests to hire relatives of parliamentarians, to fire people they don't like, or in seven specific cases, to promote uneducated and/or illiterate officers to the rank of general. But, he says, his headaches don't end there.
Patang says lawmakers are illegally cruising around in 46 Ford Ranger police trucks belonging to his ministry. In addition, 254 of the ministry's rifles and 51 pistols are also illegally in their hands. He has received demands for 84 permits for armored vehicles, despite the fact that, he says, Parliament has more than enough. And, he has received 232 requests for taxi permits, which he says lawmakers turn around and sell.
Now, the reason he happened to be rattling all this off is because he was in the process of being impeached by Parliament. Lawmakers say the vote to dismiss him was because of his failure to fight corruption in the ministry, and because he wasn't doing enough to combat deteriorating security in parts of the country.
'Immature Act'
But one of those who supported him says that's a cover story.
"Unfortunately, today's voting was not about security in Afghanistan," says Shukria Barakzai, a member of Parliament. She argues that MPs didn't like the fact Patang would not cave to all their demands. The straw that broke the camel's back, she says, was the fact that he declined to appear before Parliament over the weekend.
Barakzai says Patang was legitimately too busy doing his job tending to the ongoing security transition in Afghanistan, and the vote to impeach him was an "immature act" that will undermine security in the country.
Patang argues that part of the reason he's been sacked is because he's independent – he's not a member of any political party or beholden to any tribe, warlord, or mafia. As a result, he doesn't have strong patrons in Parliament to prevent this.
"This is plot against educated and elite people," he says.
But he's not going down without a fight. He threatened that in his next news conference he will disclose the names of 72 land-grabbers in Parliament, MPs who are spies for Pakistan's intelligence service and those affiliated with drug mafias.
Turning The Tables
Parliament has impeached several ministers over the years, and in most cases, President Hamid Karzai kept them on as "acting" ministers.
A few months ago, Parliament initiated impeachment proceedings against Finance Minister Omar Zakhilwal. But he fended off the vote by going on the offensive. He accused one lawmaker of illegally importing nearly 2,000 cars and of smuggling alcohol into the country. Zakhilwal accused another parliamentarian of smuggling fuel and yet another of smuggling millions of dollars worth of flour. Parliament was too busy howling at that point to continue his impeachment.
The Presidential Palace issued a statement saying that the Supreme Court must evaluate the legality of Patang's sacking, and until then he will remain the acting minister of interior.
And one footnote: During the proceedings, Patang revealed another profound statistic: In the past four months, 2,748 police officers, roughly 2 percent of the police force, were killed fighting militants. That's more than the number of U.S. troops who have been killed during the entire war.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Harvesting young beet greens with Baby Cary last spring.
"Who here likes beets?" I asked my cooking class students. Almost everyone raised their hand.
"Wow. A room full of beet lovers. This is great. Okay, do you like garlic?" Enthusiastic nods all around. "Then I'm going to tell you the easiest, amazingly delicious way to prepare them."
It didn't matter to me (or my students) that this was a class on making cream cheese pastry. Certain things simply need to be shared no matter what the circumstances, and my recipe for Caramelized Beets With Garlic is one of them.
Last summer's tiny but tasty beet harvest.
One of the best things about homegrown beets is that even if you abuse them, they will still taste delicious. The plants will put up with frosty mornings as well as hot and humid summer days.
The beets you see above were planted late and thinned too late (those are the giant thinnings in the top photo). They were also left in the ground until July 31st, so some of them ended up much too big—and looking a little strange.
I then stuffed my poor harvest in a plastic bag and stashed it in the refrigerator for two months because I wanted to save it for my beet-crazy mother's upcoming visit. I was sure the beets would be tough and woody (not to mention half rotten), but I should have known better--beets from the garden do not hold a grudge. They were wonderful.
It's not too late to plant some beet seeds in the garden. Check out my kitchen garden blog post, How To Grow Beets from Seed and Why You Should, to learn how.
Farmgirl Susan's Caramelized Beets with Garlic
There are plenty of other ways to cook beets, but even if I have a 100-pound harvest someday I will probably never try any of them because I am so addicted to these.
The two most important things you need when making this recipe are plenty of beets and plenty of time. Beets shrink down a whole lot while cooking, and if you or a kitchen companion is a hungry nibbler, they'll shrink down even more. Start with way more beets than you think you'll need; my foodie mother and I ate this entire harvest in one sitting.
Cooking time will vary depending on how big a pile of beets you're cooking, the size of your beet dice, and how high you set the burner on your stove. Figure a minimum of 45 minutes, but it'll probably take more like an hour (trust me, it's worth the wait).
So easy. Scrub your pile of fresh beets under running water. If the skins seem a bit thick or tough, you can peel them. (I've never made this with store bought beets—or ever bought beets at all, come to think of it—so I don't know what the skins are like.) Trim the tops and bottoms, then cut into about 1-inch dice.
Pour a generous amount of your favorite olive oil in a large skillet or pot and heat (a cast iron skillet works great and is one of the best kitchen bargains around). Add the beets, stir to coat with oil, then cook slowly, stirring often.
Meanwhile, peel several cloves of garlic, sprinkle them generously with salt, and chop them up. When the beets are fully cooked and caramelized, make a hole in the center of the beets and add the garlic, stirring around to make sure the garlic touches the bottom of the pan and cooks.
Cook about 1 or 2 mintues; do not let the garlic brown. Stir the garlic into the beets and serve.
If you happen to have any leftovers, they taste great the next day, either reheated or straight from the fridge.
Still hungry? You'll find links to all my sweet and savory Less Fuss, More Flavor recipes in the Farmgirl Fare Recipe Index.
© FarmgirlFare.com, the beet loving foodie farm blog where Farmgirl Susan shares stories & photos of her crazy country life on 240 remote Missouri acres.


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hookcopy1's profile
Register date: April 22, 2021
Falkville, Texas, United States
User Description
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They didn't use a space telescope, or a huge ground-based scope like the Keck or the Gemini, or even the sort of backyard telescope some planet hunters rely on to gather evidence of alien worlds. Instead, a team of European and American astronomers started with a clever new analytical technique, applied it to a set of existing observations archived by the European Southern Observatory and made what could be the biggest planet discovery since — well, since the announcement of a world in the nearby Alpha Centauri star system three weeks ago.
The fact that big planetary discoveries are occurring so close together is a measure of how fast the exoplanet field has exploded in recent years. And the announcement a few weeks back was an exciting one indeed. That new planet orbits a star close to Earth, and it's Earthlike in size as well. Its surface is probably molten lava — which pretty much rules it out as a candidate for life — and that's where the even more recently discovered planet wins out. Known as HD 40307g, it circles its home star once every 320 days or so, at a distance that puts it right in the star's Goldilocks zone, where temperatures are not too cold or too hot but just right for water-based life like ours — if it happens to be there.
(MORE: How Planets Paint Rings Around Stars)
This isn't the first or even the second world discovered orbiting this particular parent star. European astronomers had already found three, called HD 40307b, c and d, based on the wobbles their gravity imposed on the star itself. Disentangling those three overlapping signals was hard enough, but Mikko Tuomi of England's University of Hertfordshire, along with his team, found a way to erase the flickering of the star itself (caused by sunspots, flares and such) from the stored observations. As a result, the fainter signals of three more planets became detectable — e, f and g — for a total of six. HD 40307g is the farthest out from the star and the only habitable world known in the system.
(Photos: Window on Infinity: Pictures from Space)
The newly identified planet is not exactly a mirror Earth. It's at least seven times as massive as our home planet, which qualifies it as a "Super Earth," with much stronger gravity than what we're used to. That doesn't rule out the possible presence of life, say the experts, and HD 40307g has another point in its favor. "It might rotate," says Hugh Jones of University of Hertfordshire, a co-author of a paper describing the new world slated for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics.
Rotation seems like a natural feature of all planets, but those that lie too close to their stars become tidally locked, showing the same face to the star at all times (as the Moon does with Earth). Even if it were in the habitable zone, a locked planet could be hot on one side and frigid on the other — but HD 40307g is probably evenly toasty all around.
(MORE: Cosmic Leaf Blower and the Death of Two Galaxies)
Yet another plus is the fact that the new world lies only 44 light years away from Earthly telescopes. That's pretty far compared with the Alpha Centauri planet, just 4 light-years away, but practically next door compared with the distant Super Earths the Kepler space telescope has found. Along with another planet found by members of this same team early in 2012, HD 40307g could be the beginning of a growing collection of habitable planets that could be seen directly by a coming generation of telescopes.
The only question that remains is a pretty fundamental one: whether the new world is really there at all. Jones acknowledges that the signals from the other five planets are more robust. "We've tested this new technique on planets we already knew existed," he says, "but this is the first time we've used it to make a detection."
Nevertheless, he's reasonably confident that HD 40307g does exist and, he says, "we're using the new technique on lots of other stars even as we speak. We're seeing lots of exciting possibilities."
MORE: Surprise! Astronomers Spot Life on Earth — and Why That's News


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After a long weekend where I didn't really have access to a computer, I'm back with a bunch of random thoughts on yesterday's NFL results, plus BCS analysis, college hoops, NBA, MLB Hot Stove and more:
(1) Ravens shut out defending champs: I'm not sure whether
(2) Tomlinson for MVP: After his 3-TD game yesterday (2 rush, 1 pass), LaDainian Tomlinson has created a situation where everyone else is playing for 2nd place in the NFL MVP race. (LT needs 5 TDs in 5 games to break Shaun Alexander's single-season TD record. That didn't take long. He might do it in 2 weeks. In 5 games, he might seat an unbreakable standard.)
(3) Giant collapse: I'm not sure I've ever seen anything quite like the Giants' 21-point 4th-quarter collapse. But I do know that Vince Young put on a show worth vaulting him into the Rookie of the Year race.
(Speaking of Rookie of the Year, does Redskins QB Jason Campbell count? It's not like he had ever played before last week. And this week, he's leading the Skins to a win, improbably calling his own game-winning play when his helment radio fizzled out.)
(4) Bears lose to Pats: Is it time for the Bears to bench Rex Grossman?
(5) Vick's flick (-off): The image of the week was of Michael Vick flipping off (with TWO hands!) the boo birds in
Star of the Week: Drew Brees.
Comments Question: What were your biggest developments of the NFL week?
More on today's top storylines:
BCS Mania: Isn't it refreshing to have some clarity? If USC beats UCLA next week, it's USC vs.
(If USC loses, the title game appears to be OSU vs.
But when USC beats UCLA (as they inevitably will), the BCS will beat back a controversy this season.
CFB Coaches: Bring me the head of... The last game of the regular season means holiday shopping and the annual firing of head coaches.
Right up until Alabama fired Mike Shula. Perhaps Steve Spurrier and Greg Schiano weren't interested in the
(More: NC State fired Chuck Amato. Could Norm Chow be the next head coach? Sounds more wishful thinking than reality. And
College Hoops: I'd prefer to accept
Who's CBB No. 1? Speaking of doomed, just try to figure out who really deserves to be No. 1 in the polls this week.
NBA: Spurs are road warriors. The Spurs are only the fourth team in 10 years to start 7-0 on the road. Meanwhile, the Nuggets have claimed the title of NBA's Most Entertaining Team from the Suns. Carmelo went over 30 points... again. Scoring title in his future?
MLB: Matsuzaka, Red Sox far apart. Who didn't see THAT coming? The Sox want to pay $7-8M;
More MLB: Giants targeting Manny? The most awesome upshot of Ramirez going to


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