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Birds tripped up in finale at Fenway
Orioles bullpen gives up four runs to Sox in the seventh
By Spencer Fordin / MLB.com
Trembley spoke at length about how the seventh inning has been an Achilles' heel for Baltimore, and the Red Sox made the pronouncement look like a jinx by scoring four times in that fateful inning to break a tie and seize a 7-4 win. Rob Bell, touted before the game as a potential solution to the seventh inning enigma, wound up allowing four runs.
"That's just part of the game. We didn't great three outs," Trembley said in the aftermath. "You don't single out one guy. ... They've got a very good hitting club. They work the count, they got some walks [and] they got some two-out RBI hits. They're not in first place for nothing."
Superstition aside, the game was one of the sloppiest the Orioles have played in several weeks. Left fielder Jay Payton misplayed two consecutive balls in the third inning, third baseman Aubrey Huff dropped a popup near the dugout and right fielder Nick Markakis made a long run and an error -- his first in 148 games -- on a key play in the sixth.
That last play could've been the most costly, but the Red Sox ran themselves out of a potential rally. Backup catcher Doug Mirabelli -- who homered and finished with three hits -- tagged too late on a bases-loaded fly ball and was gunned out at home to end the inning. That let starter Jeremy Guthrie off the hook and cued up the key seventh inning.
"It was a tough day all the way around," Guthrie said. "I think it showed even on their end late in the game. It was tough with a day game here and a loud crowd and everything. It wasn't a great day for me, and overall, for the team."
Bell (3-2) didn't get hit hard, but he gave up four hits to blow the game open. The right-hander sandwiched two groundouts around a hit and seemed to be on the verge of escaping, but then he fell behind Eric Hinske 3-0 and issued the fourth ball intentionally. Boston got two straight singles to score two runs, then Dustin Pedroia hit a two-run double.
"Rob Bell threw the ball great, way better than the results indicated," said backup catcher Paul Bako. "Mirabelli cued a changeup off the end of the bat. And [Alex] Cora hit a groundball with eyes up the middle. Rob threw the ball 100 times better than the results said. It was just a bad luck day for Rob Bell, to be honest with you."
Boston (66-42) took the game's first lead, getting a run in the third inning courtesy of consecutive balls hit to Payton in front of the Green Monster. The veteran said the first ball -- a double by David Ortiz -- was a miscommunication and the second -- a run-scoring single by Manny Ramirez -- was uncatchable.
"It might have looked like I messed it up, but it was more of a deke to keep him from getting to second," he said. "The first one, I would've caught. ... I had lined up the catch, and [center fielder] Corey [Patterson] was telling me I've got room, but I thought he was calling for it. Since it was so late when he said that, I kind of shied away thinking he was coming.
"Last time, we had a collision and he jumped in my face so I got a little gun shy when I heard his voice. If he wouldn't have said anything, I probably would've gone ahead and caught it."
Guthrie, who has walked three or more batters in six straight starts after not doing it at all in his first 12, lost his command a bit in the fourth. He served up back-to-back home runs on consecutive pitches to Hinske and Mirabelli, a pair of hitters who had combined for just seven home runs all season.
"Early on, it was great," Guthrie said of his command. "As I got a little more tired and threw a lot of pitches early, the command got away from me for a few at-bats. Overall, the fastball was pretty good for me. I threw some good sliders. We were getting ahead of guys, but a couple calls didn't go our way and we ended up with walks."
Baltimore (50-57) came back with a three-run rally in the fifth against Boston starter Tim Wakefield, a burst sparked by a leadoff triple from Huff. The veteran scored on a sacrifice fly and Bako singled to keep the inning alive. Leadoff man Brian Roberts doubled Bako over to third and Patterson tied the game with a two-run bloop single.
That was all the scoring until the seventh, when Boston put the game away to earn its second straight win. The Orioles fell to 2-6 against the Red Sox this season and 20-15 against American League East opponents. Baltimore had won three straight series before falling to the Sox, and will try to get back on the right track this weekend in St. Petersburg.
"We're playing good baseball [and] we're not giving up on ourselves," Payton said. "You've got to try to take the positives out of it. We're playing good baseball against good teams. We just played a good series against the Yankees and a good series against Boston where we could've taken two out of three."
Spencer Fordin is a reporter at MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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CU's Head Women's Basketball Coach Addresses Gemantown High Students
May 17, 2013
Cheyney's University Head Women's Basketball Coach Marilyn Stephens was one of several guest speakers at Germantown High School Promise Academy Women's Day 2013 - Divas on a Divine Destiny. The May program's focus was to celebrate, honor and inspire young women.
"The other presenters and I talked about the importance of working hard in the classroom and getting good grades. We encouraged them (students) to set goals and achieve their dreams while respecting themselves and others," commented Coach Stephens.
Lunch was prepared and served by the Academy's Culinary Arts students. The young ladies had a chance to interact with the guest presenters and share their future goals.

subset: commoncrawl


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Norman Rockwell Museum honors Murray Tinkelman in spring show
STOCKBRIDGE -- Illus tra tor Murray Tinkelman may not have the name recognition of a Norman Rockwell, Saul Steinberg or Maurice Sendak, but within the profession he is respected by generations of followers as an educator and historian.
"He does not teach drawing or painting -- he teaches thinking," was how one admirer put it.
Despite his student following, academic honors and intimate knowledge of illustration history, Tinkelman says he never studied education, never finished art school and counts a vocational diploma as his highest degree.
Known for fiction and fantasy book illustrations early in his career, and more recently for his images of baseball and western culture, Brooklyn-born Tin kelman, at age 81, still teaches illustration in a master's program at the Hartford (Conn.) Art School, lectures widely and markets his realistically drawn, black-and-white artworks to magazines and collectors.
Long an adviser and more recently a trustee of the Norman Rockwell Museum, he is being honored with an exhibition opening this weekend marking his 60-year career.
"Baseball, Rodeos, and Auto mobiles: The Art of Murray Tink elman" will be on view through June 15, as part of the museum's ongoing Distinguished Illustrator series. Tickelman talked about his love of illustration, his teaching style and the history and future of his field in a telephone interview recently. Q: You are as much an educator as an illustrator. Students say you teach them how to think. What do you get them to think about?
A: That there are no parameters. That everyone's personal style or personal point of view or personal vision is valid -- and I try to help them realize what their vision is.
Q: How do you accomplish that?
A: I create assignments that are very general. When they work on them, I can find out very quickly what they're like, what their inner self is, what their proclivities are, and just take it from there.
Q: That seems like a gift that some teachers have.
A: No. It's just being open-minded. I'm so tired of definitions that fine art is what you make for yourself and illustration is what you make for somebody else. I don't believe in that at all.
Q: There isn't as much call any more for the hands-on artistic work Norman Rock well used to do. What is the market like today for illustrators?
A: There is book illustration. The graphic novel is burgeoning, and there's a voracious market for fresh talent. There are many more magazines -- not like the old Saturday Evening Post -- but there are untold hundreds of special-interest magazines, all of which need some illustration.
Q: Are you including the digital world or just print?
A:My specialty is print, but I certainly do not ignore the digital world. I think it's very important. It's here; it's a reality. But the prerequisites for making good art are the same for somebody who is working digitally or in print or in a fine art setting. To know how to draw, how to use color, how to compose a picture [is] relevant in a painting or illustration or a video game.
Q: You say you don't have degrees in art. It seems that colleges and universities think of nothing but degrees in hiring faculty.
A:That's true. Chances are if I was who I am today without the experience of founding art departments and getting an honorary doctorate and being a professor emeritus, I'd probably have a rough time getting a job, because people in the position of hiring are very timid, very degree-oriented.
Q: You've seen decades of changes in the field. Do you have thoughts on how things developed?
A: Each decade has a flavor or look to it. What I teach is about [cultural] forces [that influence] why art looks the way it does.
Q: Did you ever meet Nor man Rockwell?
A: No. I never ever did. Rockwell was a beacon. His art was not affected by style or fashion. It was pure art, pure painting.
Q: Lately, you turned your own personal interests into something you could market.
A: When I was in my 70s, I realized I didn't want to do assignments any more, so just started mining my past [for subjects] and had a couple of one-man shows.
These became books?
A: Not books, exactly, but magazine articles and exhibitions.
Q: What are you showing at the Rockwell museum?
A:Mostly work from the late 1960s through today. It's all subject-driven -- cowboys, [American] Indians, cars, motor cycles and stuff that thrills little boys. The majority of work is black and white ink drawings.
Q:What do you hope viewers will take away?
A: Maybe some of the excitement I have in capturing the spirit of the subject matter. I want them to have a feeling that I, as an artist, was not [just] a spectator, but a participant.
If you go ...
What: 'Baseball, Rodeos, and Automobiles: The Art of Murray Tinkelman.'
Where: Norman Rockwell Museum, Route 183, Stockbridge
When: Opening with the artist on Saturday, March 29, 6 p.m.
Information: nrm.org
(413) 298-4100
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us. We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.


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RIVERVIEW -- The Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office has identified a body foundĀ Tuesday at the Riverview Land Preserve. According toĀ Deputy Police Chief Clifford Rosebohm, the medical examiner concluded the body is that of a 29-year-old Grosse Point Park man.
Authorities would not say now badly decomposed the body was, but in a statement released shortly after it was discovered, Rosebohm said it was unclear if the body was male or female, which could give an indication about how long ago the victim died, or about its condition at the time it was found.
"The medical examiner's office has made notification to the family," Rosebohm said in a brief press release issued late Wednesday afternoon. "The medical examiner's office has yet to determine a cause and manner of death."
Rosebohm said the victim's name is being withheld as the investigation continues to develop.
The city's landfill accepts household waste from numerous southeastern Michigan communities, including a majority of those in the Downriver area. Riverview police clarified that the body was found in a portion of the landfill where demolition waste is deposited, not household trash.


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The Houston Dynamo will host a third round match in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, June 29, at 7:30 p.m. at Robertson Stadium, it was announced today. The Dynamo will face Miami FC, which beat the Tampa Bay Rowdies 2-1 in extra time Tuesday in the second round at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Tickets for next Tuesday's match are available at HoustonDynamo.com or by calling (713) 276-7500. Dynamo season ticket holders can purchase tickets for a reduced price of $8, and all other tickets will cost $12. There will be no charge for parking at Tuesday's game, and fans will enter on the Scott St. side of Robertson Stadium.
It is the Dynamo's first home match in Open Cup play since 2006, when they reached the semifinals. Houston also reached the semifinals last year before losing to eventual champion Seattle in overtime.
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is an annual single-elimination competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. The tournament has crowned a champion for 95 consecutive years dating back to 1914. It is the oldest annual team tournament in U.S. sports history and among the oldest soccer tournaments of its type in the world.
Miami's roster has a heavily Brazilian influence, and 21-year-old forward Paulo Araujo scored four goals in the final 10 minutes of its first-round win. Other notable players include Houston product Chris Gbandi, former Dynamo forward Abe Thompson, former D.C. United star Christian Gomez, and several other former MLS players.
The winner of Tuesday's game will advance to the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals July 6-7 against an opponent and at a venue to be announced by U.S. Soccer this week.
The Dynamo return to Major League Soccer action this Saturday night after a three-week break, hosting the Colorado Rapids at Robertson Stadium at 7:30 p.m.
The Houston Dynamo are a Major League Soccer club that has won two MLS Cup championships in its first four seasons and represented the United States in international competition in four consecutive years. For more information, log on to www.HoustonDynamo.com or call (713) 276-7500.


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The Board of Aldermen declined an offer from the film's production company of the structure that served as Katie's cottage.
The City of Southport opted to pass on the opportunity to own the last remaining physical piece of the "Safe Haven" movie set.
The Board of Aldermen on Thursday declined an offer from the film's production company, Relativity Media, to accept a donation of the structure that served as Katie's cottage. The aldermen said they rejected the cottage because it would have to be disassembled and moved from its current site at Pleasant Oaks Plantation off N.C. 133 due to its wooded surroundings and the desire of the property owner to leave all trees intact.
"There's not a degree of interest to move this forward as a city project," Mayor Robert Howard told Cindy Brochure, the city's tourism director, who presented the item to the board.
The lack of a motion to act on the opportunity followed several aldermen voicing concerns about costs associated with the proposed acquisition.
Officials estimated the cost of reassembling the 16-by-24 cottage plus its porch at the area adjacent to Franklin Square Park that was formerly the location of the old fire station at $15,000. Residents had offered to volunteer time to disassemble it and move it on a flatbed truck.
"I'm just not in a position to rake up every piece of paraphernalia left behind by a movie," Alderman Nelson Adams said. "After two years it'll be a thing of the past and there will be another movie. 'Safe Haven' was terrific for Southport. There's no doubt about that, but I don't want to spend money collecting all their stuff.
"We take these little projects and we spend $10,000 here and $7,000 there, and when I hear police officers say can I get a 5 percent raise everybody clenches up," he added. "I am just not with it."
While Brochure stressed that the cottage would not need to be heated and cooled or even wired for electricity, Aldermen Buddy Barnes was not convinced taking it would be a wise move due to maintenance expenses and the need to have security to deter theft.
"I think if we put it down there it's going to keep costing us," Barnes said.
Relativity Media had asked for a reply to its offer by Monday and indicated another group, the Fort Johnston Foot Soldiers, was standing by to accept the donation if the city declined.
Metro Desk: 343-2389


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I have been a sewer, quilter for years...just discovered this site, and love it so far! I have a Pfaff 2046 (gives me headaches!) bobbin has issues. Recent purchased a Brother embroidery machine..love it!! And just yesterday I ordered a Necchi 7020,
does anyone have any experiences with Necchi???


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Episode 1
NSF Thurmont
Bartlet weighs up military action after the murder of U.S officials.
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Experience the inner workings of the White House in this innovative, multiple Emmy Award-winning drama series created by Emmy winner Aaron Sorkin and executive produced by Emmy winners John Wells.
Suitable only for 15 years and over
NSF Thurmont
Bartlet weighs up military action after the murder of U.S officials.
The Birnam Wood
Bartlet arranges peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine.
Third-Day Story
Bartlet arranges peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine.
An emissary from the Republic of Georgia visits the White House.
The Hubbert Peak
Josh test-drives an oversized SUV and crashes into a hybrid.
The Dover Test
The United States peacekeeping compound is attacked.
A Change is Gonna Come
Final preparations are being made for Bartlet's visit to China.
In the Room
PENN & TELLER burn the American flag in the White House.
Impact Winter
Bartlet and his staff arrive in China for a critical meeting.
Faith Based Initiative
The press circulates an untrue rumor about C.J.
Opposition Research
Josh travels to New Hampshire with Santos to establish their headquarters.
365 Days
Kate works on a situation in Bolivia while C.J. handles one in North Korea.
King Corn
The Midwestern state of Iowa is the location for the first presidential debate.
The Wake Up Call
An Iranian fighter jet accidentally shoots down a British passenger plane.
Josh must get his candidate into the local debate between the two front runners.
Drought Conditions
Vice President Russell is the frontrunner for the Democratic Nomination.
A Good Day
Congressman Santos masterminds a plot to pass the President's stem cell bill.
La Palabra
Santos travels to Sacremento for the last few days before Super Tuesday.
Ninety Miles Away
Speculations surround the nexus between communist Cuba and the democratic U.S.
In God We Trust
Arnold Vinick wins the Republican nomination for presidency.
Things Fall Apart
Bartlet asks Leo to take control and organize the upcoming convention.
2162 Votes
Russell, Hoynes and Santos battle to be the democratic nominee.
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The Florida Bar News
February 1, 2013
Positions Available - Attorneys
To respond to a News Box- Mail required information to: The Florida Bar News, 651 E. Jefferson Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399-2300 Attn: News Box # ____
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Is there anyone here who has a job in programming? It seems like a cool job. If so what kind of language to you program in? Do you find your job enjoyable? Do you program applications that some business people use or do you program operating systems and such?
I'm 16 and considering my options for an occupation and programming or PC Repair our on the top of my list.


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Hot-hitting Johnson could play full-time at third
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com
PITTSBURGH -- Chris Johnson has established himself as one of Major League Baseball's hottest hitters while spending most of the past two weeks playing first base in place of the injured Freddie Freeman. His success has put him in position to serve as the Braves regular third baseman when Freeman makes his expected return to Atlanta's lineup on Monday.
Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez entered this season planning to platoon Johnson and Juan Francisco at third base. But Johnson, who entered Saturday with a National League-best .412 batting average, could soon start getting most of the playing time at third base.
"We'll see," Gonzalez said. "Chris sure has made a case for himself to play every day. So, we'll see."
One of the concerns about utilizing a strict platoon with Francisco and Johnson centered around the fact Johnson would get most of the at-bats against left-handed pitchers. He entered this season hitting .255 with a .667 OPS against left-handers and .323 with a .775 OPS against right-handers.
But Johnson has altered this unusual trend through this season's first three weeks. He has hit .387 (12-for-31) with a .908 OPS against right-handed pitchers and .450 (9-for-20) with two home runs and a 1.226 OPS against southpaws.
Francisco has also gotten off to a good start, hitting .318 with three home runs and an .871 OPS entering Saturday. Concerns about his ability to hit left-handed pitchers have remained the same as he has recorded one hit in just eight at-bats against southpaws.
But even though Francisco possesses the greater power potential, it would be hard for the Braves to remove their most consistent hitter from the lineup. Johnson has hit .533 (16-for-30) in his past seven games.
The Braves entered this season hoping the additions of two right-handed hitters -- B.J. Upton and Justin Upton -- would allow them to avoid the struggles they experienced against left-handed pitchers last year. But with B.J. Upton getting off to a slow start, they entered Saturday hitting .208 against southpaws and .273 against right-handed pitchers.
Uggla plans quick return after exiting with calf strain
PITTSBURGH -- Braves second baseman Dan Uggla was forced to exit Saturday night's 3-1 loss to the Pirates when his left calf tightened up after he grounded out in the fourth inning.
Uggla attempted to stretch his calf when he returned to the dugout. But instead of trying to play through the ailment in the chilly conditions, he informed Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez that he needed to leave the game.
"It's got to take something sticking out of his leg for him to come out," Gonzalez said. "It was smart on his part."
Uggla, who played through a similar ailment in 2011, is hoping to return to the Braves lineup for Monday's series opener against the Rockies.
"It was enough to where it could have gotten real bad if I had stayed in there," Uggla said. "I tried to loosen it up once I got back to the dugout. So I was like, 'It's cold, let's just go in and get it taken care of.'"
Ramiro Pena served as the Braves second baseman for the remainder of Saturday's game and will continue to handle that role until Uggla returns.
Avilan shows enough progress to avoid disabled list
PITTSBURGH -- It appears the Braves were wise to show patience and allow reliever Luis Avilan a chance to prove he needed just a few extra days to rest his sore left hamstring. While throwing his bullpen session at PNC Park on Saturday afternoon, Avilan provided enough encouragement to believe he will not need to be placed on the disabled list.
"We feel really good about Avilan," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "He threw a bullpen today and he feels good. I think he's available today in an emergency, and then maybe tomorrow."
The Braves entered Saturday night's game against the Pirates knowing that they likely would also be without Anthony Varvaro, who combined for three innings in two appearances the previous two days. They were also hoping to rest veteran reliever Luis Ayala, who totaled 51 pitches in the two appearances he had made over the previous three days.
To provide some bullpen depth on Saturday, the Braves placed infielder Blake DeWitt on the disabled list with a lower back strain and recalled right-handed reliever David Carpenter from Triple-A Gwinnett. DeWitt missed most of last season's second half with this same ailment.
If Avilan does indeed avoid the disabled list as expected, the Braves will likely send Carpenter back to Gwinnett on Monday to make room for Freddie Freeman, who has been on the disabled list since April 6 with a strained right oblique muscle.
While Carpenter's stay at the Major League level might be a short one, he was happy to join the Braves in Pittsburgh, which is located approximately two hours from his hometown of Fairmont, W. Va. The hard-throwing right-hander has steadily developed as a pitcher since converting from the catcher's position in 2008.
Worth noting
• Freeman struck out three times while serving as a designated hitter in his first Minor League rehab game with Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday night.
"Hopefully they were all swinging so he could really test his oblique," Gonzalez said.
Freeman was scheduled to play first base on Saturday and Sunday for Gwinnett. If all goes well, he'll be in Atlanta's lineup for Monday's series opener against the Rockies at Coors Field.
• The Braves were held scoreless in each of the three losses they had suffered through their first 16 games of this season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last team in franchise history to suffer each of its first three losses in shutout fashion was the 1909 Boston Braves, who were blanked in three consecutive games after beginning 4-0.
Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text: Moroccan Tea Culture Elena Popec (0) Moroccan tea culture can be defined as the way loose leaf tea is prepared and consumed in Morocco itself. In many cases the tea that is used is green tea as opposed to another form of tea that can be found somewhere else in the region. Moroccan tea culture has become so popular that it has spread through other parts of North Africa as well as parts of Southern Spain. In Morocco tea is thought to be a very important part of society and culture. Because of this the tea culture is generally described as an art form. The popularity of tea in this area is one of the major reasons why Morocco is one of the biggest importers of tea in the world. Considering the fact that tea is relatively new in Morocco it is hard to believe that it is so well respected. Tea was not introduced to the area until the 1700's. By this time people were already developing tea traditions and culture in different countries all over the world. However, it was not until this time when trade really began to become popular between Morocco and Europe. By the mid 1800's the tea industry in Morocco was really growing by leaps and bounds. In fact, there is even a story that royalty from Morocco was bribed with tea in sugar in exchange for releasing European prisoners. This shows just how sought after tea was in Moroccan culture in the early days. To date, the main provider of tea to Morocco is still China. The fact of the matter is that it has been estimated that Morocco usually imports over 50-million dollars' worth of Chinese tea every six months or so. This number is astronomical when you consider that the population of Morocco is much smaller than the population of other countries that the Chinese export tea to. Even though the population is small, Morocco is thought to be the first and best importer of Chinese green tea in the world. One of the things that makes tea so unique in Morocco is that it is really rather difficult to prepare. The method of preparation is much more involved than in other parts of the world. For starters, there is generally a large lump of hard sugar used along with fresh mint. These are actually two of the most important ingredients there are. The tea itself is cleansed with boiling water that is thought to remove any imperfections from the tea as well as help it taste more pure. The tea leaves and the boiling water are combined together and boiled for a few more minutes in order to prepare for the sugar. The sugar and even the mint are now added and mixed together in a teapot with a long spout. Using a teapot with a long spout will allow the tea to be poured into multiple small glasses for consumption. If you are interested in learning more about tea culture in Morocco then you can visit one of the tea houses that are indigenous to the area. Most large cities will have several tea houses that will serve you the best local teas as well as the most popular teas from around the world- including China. The tea houses in Morocco are general known for having a relaxing atmosphere where you can sit quietly and be alone with your thoughts. While you are there you may want to sample one of the local pastries or cookies that are baked to go along with the tea itself. These pastries are specially made to compliment the taste and aroma of some of the best tea in Morocco. Tea in Morocco is also used as a way to get families to spend more time together. Tea will be served at most important family functions such as weddings and birthday parties. The fact that tea is present will signify that the event taking place is important. The host of the event will be responsible for making sure that everyone in attendance gets to enjoy the tea. Making sure that each person has tea is a way to show respect to your guests. This is a very important part of Moroccan tea culture. If you do not make sure that everyone is taken care of there is a chance that they will become insulted with you. In Morocco you have to make sure that you are observing tea traditions in order to guarantee you are well received and respected by your guests. facebook twitter google+ email


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Argentina 10-49 France, Tucuman
France hand Argentina record defeat
ESPN Staff
June 24, 2012
France's Yoann Huget celebrates one of the two tries he scored in his side's six-try victory
© Getty Images
France returned to top form with a record 49-10 victory over Argentina at the Estadio José Fierro in Tucuman on Saturday night.
Les Bleus bounced back from their narrow 23-20 defeat to the Pumas in Cordoba last weekend to end its 14-year losing streak in Argentina in some style and level the two-Test series. The visitors' six-tries-to-one eclipsed their 47-12 victory over Argentina in Buenos Aires in 1995 with fly-half Frederic Michalak impressing with a 19-point haul in his first start for five years.
France made six changes to the side edged out in their last outing including handing Agen scrum-half Maxime Machenaud his international debut while Pumas boss Santiago Phelan also opted to rotate his options ahead of their Rugby Championship bow in August.
Wingers Yoann Huget and Benjamin Fall both crossed before the break as did Machenaud who impressed throughout. Centre Maxime Mermoz heaped further woe on the hosts after the break as France continued to dominate up front before Huget added his second that was followed by another by flanker Alexandre Lapandry.
Argentina grabbed a consolation score six minutes from time through flanker Tomas de la Vega. Felipe Contepomi added the conversion to his first half penalty in what could be his last game for the Pumas with his club commitments with Top 14 side Stade Francais set to deny him the chance to grace the Rugby Championship.
"I'm disappointed that we didn't play well and when you make so many mistakes they then prove to be very expensive," said Contepomi. "We knew what the French were coming to do but we didn't know what to do to counter it."
France's victory ended a run of four games without a win having seen their Six Nations challenge falter at the hands Ireland, England and Wales before last weekend's defeat to Argentina.
The result ended Argentina's run of five straight victories that saw them power to the South American Championship title before accounting for Italy and France in their opening June internationals. They kick off their Rugby Championship against South Africa in Cape Town on August 18.
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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Diabetes Support Group
Support Group
A support group for people with diabetes and their loved ones. The support group is led by a certified diabetes educator.
Location Details
Mount Nittany Medical Center 1800 East Park Avenue, Conference Rooms 1 & 2, Entrance E, State College, PA 16803
For More Information
- Amy Leffard
- Phone
- 814.231.7095


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A pensioner died when his car smashed into a garden wall on a Doncaster estate after he became ill at the wheel.
Retired insurance agent Leslie Smith suffered a blockage to the heart in the moments before the crash in Balby on March 28 last year, an inquest heard.
The coroner praised the efforts of a nurse who stopped at the scene and tried to revive the 83-year-old until paramedics arrived, but he was certified dead shortly after arriving at Doncaster Royal Infirmary.
Mr Smith, of Woburn Close, Balby, had visited the post office at Warmsworth that afternoon before driving along Thomson Avenue, Balby, where witnesses saw his Ford Ka strike the kerb and veer across the carriageway before colliding with the boundary wall of a house.
A post-mortem examination showed he had suffered a thrombosis in an artery leading to the heart. A tear in his aorta, which caused large loss of blood, was more than likely due to the impact of the collision and not the cause of his death.
Recording a narrative conclusion, Assistant Coroner Mark Beresford commended the actions of nurse Hayley Farmer who drove past the crashed car but turned around and stopped. She found no signs of life on Mr Smith but continued CPR.
Police collision investigator Mark Smith said there were no defects on the Ford Ka to cause it to go out of control and no other vehicles were involved.
"It's possible while suffering a heart attack he was not able to maintain the position of the vehicle," he said.


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President Obama assured Americans Friday evening that the global economic free-fall had ended, saying in his weekly address that the economy was on its way to stabilizing across the world -- and that America will pave the way back to financial success.
Obama previewed next week's G20 summit in the address, telling Americans he'd work to ensure that he and other world leaders began creating provisions to protect the global economy against loopholes and poor legislation that allowed this year's fiscal crisis to occur.
The president also challenged Americans to step up to the plate and help to reform the economy.
"We can't allow the thirst for reckless schemes that produce quick profits and fat executive bonuses to override the security of our entire financial system and leave taxpayers on the hook for cleaning up the mess," Obama said.
"As the world's largest economy, we must lead, not just by word, but by example," he said.
Obama also promised he'd create a new consumer protection agency that would draft a set of clear consumer rules to help Americans navigate mortgage laws, credit crises and other federally regulated financial systems.


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Who's that girl?
"Who's that girl?" I wondered while watching Carter's Chord, a sister band who recently traveled to the Dominican Republic to create a video of their song, "Love a Little Bigger."
I love the song and its message: how blessed we are and how a luxury, like drinking a $4 cup of coffee, can make us feel guilty, especially when we are confronted by pictures of the poor.
Being from Seattle, the coffee center of the universe, I can relate.
The video is beautiful. The Carter's Chord sisters are lovely. Their voices are wonderful. The Dominican Republic is an astonishing country, dripping with tropical delight.
But the prettiest thing in the video is its little star -- a girl whose life they captured from her early-morning routine, waking up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, through the moment where she seemed to take flight -- dancing with the Carter's Chord sisters as they sang.
* * *
I had to find out: Who's that girl? We drove to the northern section of Santo Domingo, the capital city of the Dominican Republic, to meet Carolay.
At 13, Carolay is tiny. The biggest thing about her is her smile -- two perfect rows of brilliant white teeth. When we arrived, Carolay bounded out of the small house where she lives, giving the World Vision staff a giant-sized hug.
We sat in Carolay's living room, me on an upholstered chair whose fabric was long gone -- more evidence of the need in this part of the country's capital, a place of high unemployment and high crime. Even with the benefits of sponsorship, families like Carolay's face challenges.
Thievery and violence are rampant. Knives settle issues, rather than reason. Housing is poor. We saw and smelled raw sewage in front yards. In this hurricane-prone land, World Vision has helped with housing and built bathrooms here for people who had none.
Carolay's father can't keep a job. Jose is a construction worker, and like so many in the United States, he can't find work.
His only daughter adores him. "My dad is very important to me," she told me. "He's a hard worker. The money he gets is through his work and effort. It's not like other men who are criminals. My dad is the best. I have something that many people don't have. I have a dad. I have a father."
World Vision staff nursed Carolay's mother, Agripina, through tuberculosis. "They are like my family," Agripina told me.
A sponsorship volunteer, Agripina delivers letters and small gifts to the sponsored children. If a sponsor has a question, she makes sure it is answered immediately.
Carolay has never received a letter from her sponsor, and it's something she deeply desires. I ask her the recipe for a good sponsor. She lists four ingredients:
- They must be loving.
- They must be friendly.
- They can be a man or a woman.
And, she adds:
- Please write when you can.
I am aware once again of the importance of relationship in sponsorship. World Vision can help transform a community -- but to the children we serve, the sponsor is the cornerstone. The letters they send let the children know they are loved.
World Vision has spearheaded foundational change in this neighborhood. At its vocational school, teens learn trades that will take them far. World Vision works with FIME, a program that provides small loans, training, and mentoring for small business owners.
In Carolay's sometimes rain-soaked community, World Vision has created an umbrella of care. Staff know the children by name. Here, as in so many communities where World Vision works around the world, staff become family.
Carolay loved starring in the Carter's Chord video. When she finished shooting that day, her friends all said, "Wow, Carolay!" She felt joyful.
The music runs through her head every night, sometimes making it difficult to sleep. Her deepest desire is to be a singer and to own a guitar.
I came away from my experience with Carolay determined to do more of what Carter's Chord asked me to do in their song -- to sing a little louder, run a little faster, and to pray a little harder.
For girls like Carolay -- who, from so little, can become so much.
And as for that $4 cup of coffee I sometimes buy, I think it may be time to sponsor a fourth child through World Vision. This one will be a girl in the Dominican Republic -- someone who will help me love a little bigger.
I'll tell her all about Carolay, in my first letter of many.
For children like Carolay, sponsorship is about receiving greater access to life-giving basics like nutritious food, clean water, medical care, and spiritual nurture. But it's much more than that. It's also about knowing that they're loved and valued by a dedicated sponsor.
Consider sponsoring a boy or girl in the Dominican Republic or another country of your choice today. When you do, you'll develop a special relationship that can have just as profound an impact on you as it does on the child who knows your name and feels your prayers.
Already a sponsor? Send a letter to your sponsored child today! It's a great way to stay in touch -- and he or she will love hearing from you!


text: The Emirates Group ground fleet consists of a large number of vehicles and other equipment. The Group's Central Services department has initiated a number of programmes to conserve fuel including purchasing replacement vehicles with smaller engine sizes and more efficient planning and use of vehicles, such as reducing the number of empty trips. In February 2014, the Central Services department won awards for Mobility Management and Environment Conservation at the Dubai Awards for Sustainable transport for their achievements in overhauling the staff transportation service. Their project increased the number of staff carried on the service from 7,580 to 8,500 and improved its on-time performance, while reducing the distance driven by 9%, significantly cutting the number of buses used, and reducing CO2 emissions by an estimated 2,500 tonnes a year.


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Sen. Boxer To Give ELI Keynote
(For a complete list of 52nd GRAMMY Award winners, please click here.)
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) will deliver the keynote address at the 12th Annual Entertainment Law Initiative Luncheon & Scholarship Presentation on Jan. 29 at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., it was announced today by the GRAMMY Foundation.
Joel A. Katz, distinguished entertainment attorney and chair of global entertainment, media & sports practice for Greenberg Traurig, will be the recipient of the 2010 Service Award at this year's ELI Luncheon. The Service Award was established in 2006 to recognize contributions by prominent entertainment attorneys that include outstanding service to individuals (pro bono or otherwise); leadership and participation with organizations that help advance the music community; and work to affect positive change that benefits the community overall. Past honorees include David Braun, Jay L. Cooper, Paul G. Marshall, and Al Schlesinger.
"For the past 12 years, the GRAMMY Foundation's Entertainment Law Initiative has provided the nation's top law students with a valuable forum for research, discussion and debate," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy, the GRAMMY Foundation and MusiCares. "ELI brings together the legal leaders of tomorrow with experienced entertainment practitioners, and it fosters the kind of reflection and dialogue that generate critical insights into our evolving musical landscape. Within this context, it is truly an honor to have our esteemed Senator Boxer as keynote speaker, and we are looking forward to hearing her perspectives on issues critical to the music industry. It is also fitting that we will be honoring our good friend Joel Katz with the Service Award this year. This honor is awarded annually to an attorney who has demonstrated a commitment to advancing and supporting the music community through service, and Joel has been both tireless and exemplary in his work on behalf of our industry."
A forceful advocate for families, children, consumers, the environment, and the state of California, Boxer became a U.S. senator in January 1993 after 10 years of service in the House of Representatives and six years on the Marin County Board of Supervisors. Elected to a third term in 2004, she received more than 6.9 million votes, the highest total for any senatorial candidate in American history. A champion for intellectual property, Boxer clearly understands the importance of the entertainment industry to California's economy and cultural leadership. She has been a leader in fighting for protection of intellectual property in her state, in the United States and worldwide.
Katz, who serves as general counsel in a pro bono capacity for The Recording Academy and formerly served as the organization's Chairman from 1995–1997, is widely recognized as a leader in the field of entertainment law. In order to help foster dialog and representation between the legal community and The Recording Academy, Katz led the effort to create the ELI program in 1998. He served as the ELI Executive Committee's first chairman, and remains an active committee member. His clients include some of the world's most well-known entertainers, music producers, record companies, concert promoters, and Fortune 500 companies. More than 30 years ago, he founded Katz, Smith & Cohen, which became one of the country's largest music entertainment law firms. In 1998, Katz merged his practice with Greenberg Traurig, which is now regarded as the world's largest entertainment law practice.
ELI has three main components: the Essay Competition, a GRAMMY Week ELI Luncheon featuring a prominent keynote speaker, and a Legal Seminar Series. The ELI Essay Competition invites law students to write a 3,000-word paper on a compelling legal topic facing the music industry today. Past award-winning topics have featured issues germane and timely to the music industry including bootlegging, music sampling and litigation against peer-to-peer network users. The contest culminates with the winning student authors discussing their essays in a question-and-answer presentation at the prestigious ELI Luncheon. Past luncheon keynote speakers have included Edgar Bronfman Jr., chairman and CEO of Warner Music Group; Clive Davis, chief creative officer of BMG North America; Timothy J. Leiweke, president and CEO of AEG; and Strauss Zelnick, former president and CEO of BMG Entertainment, among others.
Once again, this year the Foundation added ELI Essay Competition workshops at prominent law schools around the country with the goal of helping students with their essays. ELI also continued its partnership this year with Box.net to allow students to upload their submissions directly over the Internet. Box.net's mission is to make it easy for individuals and businesses to access, manage and share all their content online.
The ELI Luncheon is one of the most prestigious events held during GRAMMY Week, a celebration that will culminate with the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards on Sunday, Jan. 31 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. For GRAMMY coverage, updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Twitter and Facebook.


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did he injure Timmy
if so, I hereby nominate Mayhem for NFL Man of the Year 2012
Jenny Vrentas @JennyVrentas
Maybin celebrating after "sack" of Tebow. #nyj
did he injure Timmy
if so, I hereby nominate Mayhem for NFL Man of the Year 2012
Jake Steinberg @Steiny31
Players dropping balls left and right. This is messy.
I've never seen rain come down as hard as it is right now.
Sanchez with a dump off pass to Greene. Guess what! Dropped. Weather is horrific.
Josh Baker with a nice catch by Simms
Last edited by C Mart; 07-28-2012 at 10:34 AM.
Brian Costello @BrianCoz
Landry just deflected a Sanchez pass in 7 on 7 drills and the Bell nearly picked one off #nyj
- A near interception by Yeremiah Bell off Sanchez. Ball fell right off his fingertips.
- Driving rain here in Cortland. Lot of dropped passes. Sloppy.
but as an NFL QB Timmy is clearly #3 behind McElroy
reminds me of a combination of Kellen Clemens and Brooks Bollinger with that marvelous lack of passing ability, dancing feet and the ability to take off and run on every attempt despite the number of wide open receivers
I hope there is no hail in the area pelting down on any brand new leased Beemers
- Plenty of dropped passes in the rain, but Sanchez still able to connect with Dustin Keller.
Jake Steinberg @Steiny31
Maybin just sacked Sanchez. Mayhem all over the field. Duccasse is in the ones at LG. Slauson on the sideline.
Hill just beat Revis for a completion.
- Jets in no huddle. Very high tempo.
- Sanchez is looking really sharp again today. Most impressive? He's throwing to a spot & trusting his WRs to be there.
- Curtis Martin Feels Tebow Can Bring Out Best in Sanchez. "I dont know that my career would have been as good as it was without LaMont Jordan right on my heels all the time."
- Posey nearly takes Josh Baker's head off on a deflection.


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20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
James Gandolfini attended one of his final film premieres in spirit.
When Enough Said was screened in New York City on Monday, Sept. 16, the late actor was remembered by his costars. "I wish he was with me on this carpet at this very second," actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus told the BBC of Gandolfini, who died of a heart attack at age 51 in June.
Louis-Dreyfus, 52, admitted that it was "very bittersweet" attending the event without Gandolfini. She added that audiences will be pleasantly surprised by his tender performance in the romantic comedy.
"This is how great an actor Jim was: He was no Tony Soprano," she said, referencing his most famous character. "This guy was a thoughtful, generous, sweet, self-effacing guy—like the character he plays in the film."
In a separate interview with The Huffington Post, the Veep star called Gandolfini "a gentle giant" with a commanding presence. "I think he has a thoughtfulness, a kindness and a powerfulness that is irresistible," Louis-Dreyfus raved.
Costar Toni Collette echoed Louis-Dreyfus' sentiments, saying, "I think when the experience of making a film has been so buoyant and lovely and fun, you want to celebrate that experience and share it with the world. But also, the film is dedicated to Jim. He is so divine in the movie. It will be bittersweet."
Sopranos creator David Chase attended the event, as did the show's stars Edie Falco, Aida Turturro, Steven Schiripa and Tony Sirico. "He's our pal and we're coming to pay our respects," Sirico explained. "He might be dead, technically, but he's still there with me."
Gandolfini's final film, Animal Rescue, is tentatively scheduled for release in 2014.


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Both are equipped with AMD technology and provide concentrated graphics and computing power. The video wall baseboard reference platform is based on the new COM Express specification 2.1 for Pin-out Type 6 making it ideal for new designs. Displays can also be connected via additional VGA or LVDS ports. Besides graphical interfaces, the new video wall baseboard includes a wide range of important ports for embedded applications such as 2x Gbit Ethernet, 4x SATA, 2x USB 3.0, 4x USB 2.0, High Definition Audio and a 19V power supply for standard notebooks. For mass storage, a 2.5" SATA hard drive or SSD can be mounted directly on the baseboard. The baseboard also comes with an RF4CE (ZigBee) receiver enabling remote control.
As an option, developers can integrate an additional graphics unit via a complete MXM 3.0 module.
It is plugged into the appropriate socket on the video wall baseboard using a 314-pin connector and communicates with the computer module via PCI Express Graphics (PEG 2.0). This makes it easy to change the graphics solution later on. Developers can upgrade the integrated graphics and computing power of the COM Express module by adding the graphics or processing power of the dedicated MXM module. Three panels are addressed via the computer module, the remaining six via the MXM graphics unit. The AMD Radeon E6760 GPU MXM module when used with the AMD Embedded R Series APU-based conga-TFS, provides the ultimate in graphics performance. The integrated graphics core of the conga-TFS supports DirectX 11 and OpenGL 4.2 for fast 2D and 3D imaging. A 3rd generation hardware Universal Video Decoder provides seamless processing of H.264, VC-1, MPEG4 Part 2 and MPEG2 video streams. The available graphics interfaces include VGA and 18/24Bit single/dual channel LVDS.
Visit congatec AG at www.congatec.com


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Check BNN and Bulbanews for up-to-date Pokémon news and discuss it on the forums or in the Bulbagarden Discord server.
Vertress Conference
The Vertress Conference (Japanese: ヒガキ大会 Higaki Conference) is the Unova League general championship competition.
The conference is held in Vertress City. Competing Trainers are housed in lodgings in small villages similar to previous Leagues. The conference took place from Curtain Up, Unova League! to BW108 in the anime.
|Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
Opening ceremonies
The opening ceremony consists of Freddy O'Martian jumping down from a helicopter and Officer Jenny lighting the League torch.
Preliminary round
The preliminary round consists of one-on-one battles. All the 128 competitors are randomly matched up by a computer. The 64 winning Trainers move on to the next round.
Qualifying rounds
First round
The first round consists of Single Battles with two Pokémon used by each Trainer. The 32 winning Trainers move on the next round.
Second round
The second round consists of Single Battles with two Pokémon used by each Trainer. The 16 winning Trainers move on the next round.
Third round
The third round consists of Single Battles with three Pokémon used by each Trainer. The 8 winning Trainers move on the next round.
Final rounds
The final rounds are a series of Full Battles with the Top 8 Trainers participating. The winner of the Vertress Conference is the Trainer that wins all of the final rounds.
Trainers who have participated in the Vertress Conference
In the games
The Unova League Tournament in the Pokémon World Tournament is based on the Vertress Conference. This tournament was downloadable for the Japanese versions of Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 games from December 3, 2012 to January 31, 2013 and featured Trip, Stephan, Cameron, and Virgil as the opponents in the tournament.
- This is the only conference so far in which Charles Goodshow does not appear.
- This is the only conference since its debut that a Quilava does not appear battling in.
- This is the first league where Ash regresses in his league placement.
- This is currently the shortest league conference in the anime history, having only lasted six episodes.
- This is the only league which does not feature the Team Rocket trio, due to them having returned to Kanto.
- This is the only league in which Ash was not shown battling a female trainer.
- It is also where Ash did not get to battle his league rival.
|The Pokémon League
| Participation
Trainer • Battle • Gym Leaders
Gyms • Badges • Hall of Fame
Championship matches
Elite Four • Orange League
Pokémon World Tournament
Pokémon League Conferences
Indigo • Silver • Ever Grande
Lily of the Valley • Vertress • Lumiose
| Pokémon League locations
Indigo Plateau • Pummelo Stadium* • Ever Grande
Pokémon League • Pokémon League
Pokémon League • Pokémon League
Regional Pokémon Leagues
Indigo • Orange* • Johto • Hoenn
Sinnoh • Unova • Kalos • Alola
Areas of jurisdiction
Pokémon League Reception Gate • Cerulean Cave
|This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime.


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What Are Your New Year's Resolutions?
New Year's resolutions are pretty much wish lists for lazy people. This might be why I love making them. The promise of a new beginning that will completely right all the wrongs of the previous year? Yes, please! Pass the pen and paper. Who's to say this isn't the year where I'll finally lose that weight, run that marathon, and get those finances under control?
Join me, lazy people. Want to start eating more vegetables? Add it to the list! Afraid that Coke Zero is rotting your brain and want to cut back? Add it to the list! Think you should stop gossiping so much at work? Good luck with that but add it to the list anyway! It's a new year and it's time to fuck shit up! Don't let anything stop you.
So please, share with us your resolutions for 2014. We'll support each other for the next few days until we give up on all of them.


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Obama wouldn't play RGIII in basketball
Washington Redskins rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III challenged President Obama to a one-on-one basketball game — but Obama declined.
"He said he wouldn't play me but I could play on his team," Griffin told Yahoo News' Chris Moody.
Griffin challenged Obama to the game when he met the president at the National Prayer Breakfast last year just after the football star was awarded the prestigious Heisman trophy.
Though he's also a football fan, Obama considers himself a basketball fanatic — sometimes playing pick-up games on weekends in Washington D.C. His election day tradition is to play basketball before returns come in.
Griffin says that he doesn't think Obama will change his mind about a one-on-one pickup game — but that he might be open to a co-ed game.
"I don't think he'll ever play against me. We'll have it me and him versus [All American Baylor senior] Brittney Griner and Mrs. Obama."


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Clevenger: More prep, same approach
Cubs backup catcher is getting a second taste of the Majors
With the opportunity that is in front of me right now, my approach is to keep doing what I am doing. I don't want to look too far into the future. What I want to do is work on what I can do now to help the team win.
To me, the role of starting catcher versus the role of backup catcher is pretty much the same. There aren't a lot of differences other than increased playing time. You still have to get to the point where the pitcher wants to throw to you, and you have to have a good game plan. You have to know your guys inside and out, and that goes for the starters and for the guys in the bullpen.
When I heard the news that Geovany Soto had been traded, I tried not to look into it too much or think about it too much. On a personal note, Geovany has always been good to me, and I wish him well in Texas.
I think that camaraderie is very special, among catchers in particular. After all, you work so closely as a unit. What he learned from hitters, I learned from hitters. Even though you battle for the same spot, you have to work together as a team.
That goes back to Spring Training. Right from the get-go, it is important to have good communication between one another, and you have to work together to figure out a game plan for your pitching staff.
Last year, I got a brief taste of the big leagues, and that short time was very important for me. I believe I have done a good job of using that experience to help prepare me for games this year and help prepare me for the season as a whole.
You learn right away that it's a different game up here than it is in the Minor Leagues. You have to prepare yourself way beyond what you have to do in the Minor Leagues on a daily basis. Up here, it is so much about scouting reports; it was great last year to taste it, and I feel that really helped prepare me for 2012.
I thought I started off pretty well. The focus is really to help control the pitching staff. That is what I work the most on. I am not hitting too well, but I believe that will come around.
My biggest focus is on controlling the staff and on getting these guys to trust me.
Steve Clevenger originally joined the Cubs when Chicago selected the catcher in the seventh round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft. Clevenger, who is from Baltimore and hit his first career home run on June 29 against Houston, has appeared in close to 50 games this year and he has also seen some action at first base and third base.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Summaries of EU Legislation
Summaries of EU legislation: direct access to the main summaries page.
Community strategy concerning mercury
In view of the risks mercury poses for human health and the environment, the European Union (EU) has drawn up a strategy based on six objectives, accompanied by specific actions, aimed mainly at reducing the quantity and the circulation of mercury within the EU and throughout the world as well as human exposure to this substance.
Communication from the Commission of 28 January 2005: "Community Strategy concerning Mercury" [COM(2005) 20 final – Official Journal C 52 of 2 March 2005].
Mercury is a substance highly toxic to humans, ecosystems and wildlife. High doses can be fatal, but even relatively low doses can damage the nervous system.
The purpose of this strategy is to reduce the impact of mercury and the risks it poses for the environment and human health.
It is based on the following six objectives:
- reducing mercury emissions;
- cutting the supply of and demand for mercury;
- managing existing amounts of mercury used in products or in storage;
- protecting against mercury exposure;
- improving understanding of the mercury problem and its solutions;
- promoting international action on mercury.
The strategy identifies a number of specific actions for each objective.
Reducing emissions
The strategy aims mainly to evaluate the implementation of existing legislation (particularly the IPPC Directive), to study the cases of certain sources (small combustion plants, dental amalgam) and to encourage the exchange of information on mercury discharges and the best available prevention and reduction techniques.
Cutting supply and demand
The EU is the world's biggest exporter of mercury. The Commission intends to propose a ban (by 2011) on the export of mercury from the EU. This ban would be accompanied by assistance to develop new areas of activity in the regions concerned. The Commission also wants to restrict the marketing of non-electrical or electronic measuring and control equipment containing mercury (for example thermometers) by amending Directive 76/769/EEC, and to assess the impact of residual mercury use (in particular in dental amalgams).
Managing surpluses and stocks
Since the permanent disposal of mercury is still too expensive and uncertain, the strategy is to store mercury produced by the chlor-alkali industry (the largest holder of mercury in the EU), and to carry out investigations into the future of mercury already in circulation.
Protecting against exposure
The main source of exposure in developed countries is through inhaling mercury vapour from dental amalgam (this will be studied in more detail, see above); furthermore, methyl mercury (its most toxic form) collects especially in the aquatic food chain (fish, seafood, etc.). This is why the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) is to carry out a study into dietary exposure in vulnerable population groups (pregnant women, children, etc.), particularly people who eat a lot of fish and seafood. The strategy also makes provision for regular communication of additional information concerning mercury in food.
Improving understanding
The Commission is seeking to fill the gaps in our knowledge of mercury through research, the priorities of which will be set out in the 7th Research and Technological Development Framework Programme.
Supporting action at international level
The strategy provides for the Community and the Member States to contribute to the work of international fora and activities, as well as the conclusion of bilateral agreements with third countries, to address the mercury problem world-wide.
Although mercury is released by natural sources such as volcanoes, additional releases from human activity, such as coal burning and use in various products, have led to significant increases in threats to the environment and in mercury deposits.
The main uses at global level, namely gold mining (small-scale mining of essentially alluvial and elluvial gold-bearing deposits to extract the ore in powder, flake or pellet form), batteries and accumulators and the chlor-alkali industry, together account for over 75% of mercury consumption. Of these, the only significant user in the EU is the chlor-alkali industry, but this type of emission will be progressively reduced under the IPPC Directive. Mercury use in gold mining is known to be significant in French Guyana (where the French authorities are considering a ban) but not in the European part of the EU. Directive 91/157/EEC limits the use of mercury in batteries and accumulators.
See also
Last updated: 22.10.2010


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OK, having searched this forum for an answer to my question, I can't find one, so: is it theoretically possible for a team to win a Quidditch game without having caught the Snitch? For example, what if there's a problem with the Keeper and he or she is doing a lousy job or not even guarding at all but off doing something else? Obviously it would be difficult and the circumstances would have to be very odd for a team to score 16 goals (or whatever they're called) before the other team could catch the Snitch. But if that did happen, would the team that DIDN'T catch the Snitch win, 160 to 150?
Thanks for any advice from Quidditch rules experts.


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Concurrency Kit provides a plethora of concurrency primitives and lock-less and lock-free data structures designed to aid in the design and implementation of high performance scalable concurrent systems. It was designed to minimize dependencies on operating system-specific interfaces, and most of the interface relies only on a strict subset of the standard library and more popular compiler extensions.
Consh is a set of programs that can turn one or more UNIX hosts on a trusted LAN into a singular Bourne shell multi-computer on which shell scripts are run concurrently. The service abstracts hosts into what appears to be shell process with a fixed number of threads or workers, to which work may be assigned and results received concurrently. It includes utilities that assign commands to workers in parallel and a command that initiates distributed barriers between workers for synchronization purposes. Environment variables can be set on a per-host basis to implement locking mechanisms like semaphores or ticket algorithms. Daemons can delegate work to one another as needed.
PacketDam is a cost-effective software solution against DDoS. It runs on off-the-shelf hardware and fits any budget or deployment scenario. If you are an Internet service provider or a content distribution network, if you offer hosting services, or if you are an academic institution, PacketDam may be just what you need to keep unwanted traffic outside your network.
Rodent filemanager is a fast, small, and powerful file manager. Its emphasis is on ease of use for the advanced user, not the computer illiterate. Rodent filemanager (a.k.a. xffm >= 4.6.0) is the next step in the evolution of Xffm, now with a threaded design optimized for multicore processors.
Safelock is a file-based locking primitive that provides mutual exclusion between unrelated processes and threads. It offers advantages over POSIX and BSD file locks such as: compatibility with multi-threaded applications, support for lock attempt timeouts, detection of crashed lock holders, and detailed lock status (PID, lock age, custom data).
Bviplus is a console ncurses based binary file editor (hex editor) with Vim-like keys and features. It can quickly open/edit/save very large files (> 2GiB). It can perform regexp-like pattern searches in hex or ASCII windows. It features search highlighting, multiple undo/redo, a tabbed multiple file interface, visual selection, cut and paste (which works between files as well), blob coloring, and more. It can run external programs on selected data, supporting any program that reads stdin and writes stdout. It has few dependencies for easy portability.
g7ctrl is a daemon and a command shell that are used together with the Xtreme GM7 GPS tracker to help simplify its management and to make it possible to monitor alerts sent by the tracker. It is designed to run in the background and can be used to both receive location updates from a remote tracker and configure a tracker over USB. All received events are stored in a database and can be exported to GPX, KML, and CSV, with distances calculated. It can also execute action scripts upon receiving specific events or generate mail notifications. Extensive reference documentation (HTML and PDF) and Unix man pages are provided.
ipclassify is a Linux user space application that blocks/marks connections from/to hosts based on lists specified in a configuration file. Currently, the block lists are in the format and obtained from iblocklist.com. If you are familiar with moblock then you know, essentially, what ipclassify is. The difference is that ipclassify can have multiple NFQUEUEs and is threaded (pthreads).
A .NET component to create PDF documents without using Adobe Acrobat.
A PHP/MySQL guestbook script.


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Hi, I'm looking for something like church song looking synth, you know, something like Dimmu Borgir used on "Enthrone Darkness Triumphat" album (if someone likes that kind of music), or Symphony X on "Divine Wings Of Tragedy" album.
Or if you know Carmina Burana by Carl Orf, a synth like they are singing in O Fortuna intro...
It is simular to dark pads, but the diference is that the humans are singing it.
I don't know how else to describe it, but I hope that you understand what I mean.
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ALBANY, N.Y. --An effort to attack so-called "revenge porn" is getting strong support in New York's Legislature.
A proposed law would make it a crime for people to post pornography to damage somebody's reputation. The most common targets are former girlfriends and ex-spouses.
Republican Sen. Phil Boyle of Long Island and Democratic Assemblyman Francisco Moya of Queens plan to push revenge porn bills in the 2014 legislative session. That gives the proposal majority backers in both chambers.
California has a similar bill. It carries a sentence of up to six months in jail.
Boyle's bill calls for penalties of up to a year in jail. Moya would make the crime punishable by up to four years in prison.


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Steelhead Mid-Stream Boosts DR at TopLine FCU: Online Only
A small piece of hardware named after a sea-going trout is making smooth sailing for high-volume backups and business continuity planning at a Twin Cities credit union.
The $277 million TopLine FCU in Maple Grove, Minn., is using the Steelhead appliance from Riverbed Technology to boost the connection between its data center and a disaster recovery site at one of the 29,000-member credit union's five branches.
In technical terms, the appliances have provided an 86% reduction in bandwidth utilization that backing up the SQL database and Microsoft Exchange applications – including emails – was using across the MPLS routing and T1 pipe used to link the sites, while sharply reducing the latency a new VMware virtual replication system was experiencing on the credit union's Citrix servers.
What it means to Colleen Jakes' colleagues is that weekly backups of system-critical data – five terabytes' worth – that used to take up to 40 hours now takes maybe three. "And when someone asks you really get us back up in five minutes if you have to, I can say, 'Yes,'" said TopLine's director of information services. "That's worth their weight in gold."
Jakes said the VMware system was installed to replace a tape-based system and support TopLine's disaster recovery/business continuity plans, but that she and her staff of four quickly found they had to limit its bandwidth during the business day.
"Complete backups were taking 36 to 40 hours. We had to stop in the mornings," she said. "Here we found we had put a significant amount of time into developing an environment to do this quickly but instead found that if we failed, say, on Wednesday, you'd have to go back to Monday" to get to the full recovery point.
In response, TopLine installed the Riverbed appliances at its main site – where three VMware servers are deployed – and the branch designated as a backup site, where there's one server running the identical SAN.
"They just sit in the network and we don't have to think about them," except for monthly maintenance checks and occasional upgrades, with one staffer primarily in charge of the Steelhead appliances, Jakes said, and the others serving as backups.
She also said security has not been an issue. "It's all inside our network. Our internal penetration audits can find them and they've always passed our tests just fine," Jakes said. "There's the normal Unix server issues with them, for instance making sure the SMTP is set correctly, but that's about it."
Transactional backups take place separately, through a Harland Financial Solutions core processing solution. Tape backups of the operational activity moving through the WAN also are done through that and kept on tape offsite simply for archiving purposes, not system recovery, the IS director added.
Buying enough bandwidth to accommodate the increased demands of the VMware system would have cost seven times what the credit union was paying, and the return on its investment in the Steelhead appliances came in three months' time, Jakes said.
"The agents at the branch where it's at also have seen increased Citrix performance, such as with file retrievals and other basic network items," she added. "And it takes them half the time to complete loading their check images each night than it does at any of the other branches. That's about 10 minutes."
That's faster, but not enough on its own to justify putting the devices on the network to every other branch. "We're trying to find other items to make the ROI work for all of them," Jakes said.
The Steelhead appliances' maker, Riverbed Technology, is a San Francisco-based provider of WAN optimization solutions and said it has about 13,000 customers. At least one other credit union is among its customers, although the company has declined to say how many.


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Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki slammed Iraq's neighbours on Tuesday for not doing enough to reinforce ties with Baghdad, abandon his country's debts or control militant activity across the borders.
At Tuesday's meeting in Kuwait attended by Arab and US representatives, Al Maliki expressed his government's grievances with lack of support from neighbouring countries. Al Maliki did not specify any state. "It's difficult for us to explain why diplomatic ties have not been resumed with Iraq, which got rid of a dictatorship," Maliki started the meeting saying.
"Many other foreign countries have kept diplomatic missions in Baghdad regardless of security considerations." "A safe and stable Iraq serves the interests of regional nations and the world, but that does not mean Iraq should alone pay the price of confronting terror while others stay neutral," he stated, according to Reuters.
"Iraq today is different from the previous Iraq which assaulted its neighbours. Iraq ... is ready to play a constructive role in security and stability in the region," the Iraqi PM noted. Al Maliki also urged neighbouring countries to make more effort to prevent militants crossing into Iraq. "We call on all our brothers and friends and all neighbouring countries to make more effort and to strengthen security measures to prevent terrorists from infiltrating our territory through joint borders."
No Arab nation ambassador is stationed permanently in Baghdad, and visits by top officials from Arab states are also rare.
Relief of debt and suspension of compensation owed because of Saddam Hussein's Kuwaiti invasion is still awaited, Al Maliki said elsewhere in his speech. "The cancelling of debts and the suspension of compensation that Iraq pays would present a positive message to Iraq's people that there is a real wish to help them overcome crises and speed up reconstruction."
[1] http://www.albawaba.com


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I moved to Durango in 2010, with my wife of nearly 40 years, to be near our daughter and her growing family. I "retired" because of health issues that make it increasingly difficult for me to move without severe pain. We live on a tight fixed income and our employer-provided health insurance will end in a few months. Medicare is four years away for us.
What are Republicans offering as an alternative to President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act? To find out, I called Rep. Scott Tipton's office in Washington, D.C. I was told that Tipton approves of most provisions in the Affordable Care Act, but he just can't accept the mandate. Odd, because it was just a few years ago when conservative Republicans themselves suggested the mandate as a way of ensuring that there are no freeloaders in the system.
The alternative, Tipton's office suggested, is that each of us could buy bonds that would somehow pay for our medical needs. Obviously, the youngsters in the congressman's main office have no idea how much investment is required to return $10,000 to $20,000 annually. My medical expenses last year were just less than $20,000. Imagine the result if we had privatized our Social Security and Medicare just before the 2008 recession as George W. Bush urged.
The chatter about privatizing various government programs is alarming. Wall Street would make out like bandits (implication intentional) under all the Republican plans to take Social Security and Medicare private. In contrast, any citizen whose Social Security benefits were privatized in 2006 would have had little or nothing left by 2009.
The Affordable Care Act has already extended insurance coverage to more than 500,000 in five states that have implemented the measure before its official start in 2014. Meanwhile, the Republican plan, apparently, is as simple as the party's view of government in general: Take the money we all have hidden under our mattresses and buy bonds to cover our own health expenses. Problem solved.
I am backing the party that takes my health security and my Social Security seriously. It makes sense to place all American citizens in the same insurance pool, spreading the risk and cost of medical care while making health care available to tens of millions of people for the first time. Savings for businesses, for retirement plans and for drug costs would be immediate.
Larry Bollinger is retired from broadcasting and loves his grandsons. Reach him at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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A's, Cards generating September-like excitement
By Phil Rogers / MLB.com
There are no must-win games in July. It's still too early in the schedule to look ahead to postseason previews. But based on the excitement in St. Louis and Oakland last night, we are in for a treat when the really big series do arrive later this summer.
There was a craziness to the O.co Coliseum for the start of the Bay Bridge Series that seemed at least equal to the intensity that A's fans showed when Yoenis Cespedes & Co. faced the Tigers in the playoffs the last two Octobers. Horns blew throughout the 5-0 victory over the Giants, who have had plenty of magical nights on their side of the bay this season.
This was more like winter ball or the World Baseball Classic than just another night in a 162-game season.
Instead of magic in the air, it was tension that hung over Busch Stadium.
With the Pirates in town for a rematch of last year's National League Division Series, playing well after a false start to the season, the Cardinals badly needed to hold serve behind ace Adam Wainwright. Neither team is in position to take any series lightly, especially not one against an NL Central rival.
There's still a chance that both the defending NL champs and the Pirates can win 90-plus games and return to the playoffs. But if they're going to move past Milwaukee and outplay Cincinnati over the 70 or so games that remain, they'll have to raise their level.
No one would be surprised if they did, but nobody really knows how the Central will resolve itself, which is the coolest thing of all for baseball fans. The strength of the Braves and Nationals atop the East and the Dodgers and Giants atop the West could leave room for only one Central team in the playoffs, and the battle to be the last one standing will be intense.
Some figured the Cardinals would cruise into the playoffs with their pitching intact from last season -- you know John Mozeliak and Mike Matheny knew it would be a fight, however, because it is always is -- but as recently as June 6, they were a .500 team and have climbed to 48-42, on pace for an 86-win season. That's not going to cut it.
But the good news is that the Cards are positioned to largely control their own fate. They have 32 games remaining against the top Central teams, including 13 against the Brew Crew.
Neither Wainwright nor the Bucs' Charlie Morton gave an inch last night, with Wainwright showing his mettle until his last pitch.
Wainwright wound up facing Andrew McCutchen with runners on first and second, two outs, in the seventh inning. He started him with a curveball, which McCutchen laid off for ball one. But he chased a 1-0 fastball that was outside and popped it up harmlessly to right fielder Allen Craig.
But the Cardinals were in a bigger jam the next inning. Clint Hurdle was resting ultra-productive rookie Gregory Polanco against Wainwright, but he sent him up to face St. Louis lefty Sam Freeman with two outs and the bases loaded in the eighth inning.
Freeman started Polanco with a ball but got him to a 1-2 count, which brought the fans to their feet at Busch Stadium. That's a sign that Cardinal Nation is in October mode, and Freeman rewarded the red-clad loyalists by inducing a weak swing and miss from Polanco on a low slider.
An inning later, Ol' Slippery Rock, Matt Adams, blasted the first walk-off homer for the Cards since 2011. It was the biggest moment in what has been a solid season for Adams, who moved in the lineup as a regular after Carlos Beltran's departure.
It's been a shock to see the deep St. Louis lineup struggle to score runs, but that hasn't been Adams' fault. He's hitting .331 with 10 homers. As is true for his team, though, there is some obvious room for improvement after the All-Star break.
Adams had drawn only eight walks to offset 56 strikeouts. He would have driven in more than 36 runs if he was batting higher than .232 with runners in scoring position. Adams is hitting only .203 against left-handers, although the blast into the right-field seats on Monday night came against Pirates lefty Justin Wilson. Maybe this will be the start of big things for him and the Cardinals.
The loss dropped the Bucs to 37-24 since May 2. Only two teams in the Major Leagues have been better in this stretch -- the Angels and the A's.
Something big is happening in Oakland. But don't believe me. Tune into Game 2 of the Bay Bridge series tonight -- Madison Bumgarner vs. Sonny Gray -- and you'll be able to feel it, no matter how many time zones away you might be.
Phil Rogers is a columnist for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Brock highlights pregame festivities
With no hint of rain, Game 4 in St. Louis kicks off without a hitch
By Alyson Footer / MLB.com
The pregame festivities went off without a hitch, beginning with the ceremonial first pitch, thrown by Hall of Famer Lou Brock. A 1985 Hall inductee, Brock played 16 of his 19 Major League seasons with the Cardinals, from 1964-79.
Brock played in three World Series with the Cardinals, winning championships in 1964 and 1967. The 1975 recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award had a lifetime batting average of .293.
The national anthem was performed by Nikko Smith, a St. Louis native and son of Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith. Nikko Smith recently competed in season four of FOX's reality show, "American Idol."
The first ball was delivered by members of the Herbert Hoover Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Louis and were accompanied to the mound by Hall of Famer and two-time World Series MVP Bob Gibson.
Celebrity sightings were slim on this chilly night at Busch Stadium, but famed movie director Penny Marshall was slated to attend Game 4 of the World Series. Marshall, noted director of the 1992 hit "A League of Their Own," is the first female director with two movies that grossed over $100 million.
Marshall is said to be an avid collector of sports memorabilia and has an extensive collection of baseballs, footballs and basketballs autographed by accomplished athletes.
Alyson Footer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Inbox: Should Strasburg start in Minors?
Beat reporter Bill Ladson answers Nats fans' questions
By Bill Ladson / MLB.com
-- Richard G., Washington, D.C.
I understand your concerns, Richard. But if he is the best pitcher during Spring Training, I believe Strasburg should be in the rotation. I think he is better than a lot of the Nationals pitchers fighting for the final two spots in the rotation.
I heard the same concerns about Dwight Gooden in 1984, but he turned out to be the best pitcher on the Mets' staff that season. We'll see how Strasburg does once the exhibition season starts.
With Ross Detwiler and Chien-Ming Wang out for a few months, do you think Chuck James might get a chance to become part of the starting rotation?
-- Don M., Stratford, PE, Canada
I don't know. James is going to start the exhibition season in Minor League camp, so he has to show the Nationals that he could pitch well against players not on the 40-man roster. Ask me this question in a couple of weeks. I should know a little more about James by then.
Bringing back reliever Ron Villone made me wonder why the Nats didn't re-sign Mike MacDougal. MacDougal was one of the few bright spots last year.
-- Luke H., Prince Frederick, Md.
I agree that MacDougal did a good job last year, but the Nationals were concerned that he was not going to recover from hip surgery quickly enough. Of all the relievers who received the most praise by manager Jim Riggleman last year, Villone was No. 1 because of his leadership on the field and in the clubhouse. I'm not surprised that Villone is back with the team.
Since Wang will not be available until later in the season, would the Nationals have any interest in pursuing John Smoltz as an early-season starter and then moving him to the bullpen where he could provide leadership and help shore up middle relief?
-- Glenn B., Arlington, Va.
Have a question about the Nationals?
E-mail your query to MLB.com Nationals beat reporter Jamal Collier for possible inclusion in a future Inbox column. Letters may be edited for brevity, length and/or content.
I find it interesting that you focus so much on the defensive weaknesses of Adam Dunn, Josh Willingham and Cristian Guzman. Yet, you seem to have a selective memory when it comes to the defense of Elijah Dukes, who was average at best and had many misplays and errors.
-- Robert M., Daytona Beach, Fla.
Dukes, indeed, needs to improve his defense, but I wouldn't go so far to say that he made many misplays and errors. But I think Dukes is better than Dunn and Willingham as outfielders.
What I have found amazing is, there is so much blame on the pitching staff, and rightfully so. But in my opinion, a lot of those losses in the second half of last season were caused by the team's defense, which ranked first in errors. The defense must improve this season. I hope Dunn, Guzman and Willingham prove me wrong this year.
I noticed that outfielder Chris Duncan is a non-roster invitee. He was a fan favorite in St. Louis. What are his chances of making the roster out of Spring Training?
-- Tim S. Richmond, Va.
To me, Duncan is the most intriguing player in camp because he put together some nice seasons with St. Louis. The reason he signed with Washington is because he worked with hitting coach Rick Eckstein in the past. Duncan is fighting to be a fourth or fifth outfielder on the Major League roster.
Dunn seems fine at first base, and everyone is raving about Chris Marrero's bat, but what about Mike Morse? When he came up late last year, he looked solid as a rock to me.
-- Woody S., Arlington, Va.
I was impressed by what Morse did last season. I love his swing. Just based on what he did in 2009, he should be one of the leading candidates for a role off the bench. He was always ready to play whenever Riggleman put him in the lineup.


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Dozens of Doña Ana County departments and individual employees have voluntarily prepared holiday gift baskets for distribution to area nursing homes, shelters and other destinations later today.
All eight of Dona Ana County's solid-waste transfer stations will be closed Sunday, April 11, 2004, to allow employees to observe the Easter holiday. Emergency services and law enforcement will not be affected.
Construction in the Vado and Chamberino areas will close several roads next week, a spokesperson from Burn Construction Co. Inc. said.
Road construction in the Vado and Chamberino areas will close several roads next week, a spokesperson from Burn Construction Co. Inc. said.
Doña Ana County is proposing improvements at the Doña Ana County Airport at Santa Teresa.
The Doña Ana County Health and Human Services Department will hold an open house and health fair at 125 W. Boutz Rd. from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 3, 2004.
The Doña Ana County Sheriff's Department will purchase and implement a DWI breath-alcohol testing vehicle.
Doña Ana County has announced its annual open application period for external agency funding for the period of July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2005.
Doña Ana County is accepting applications for positions on the County Valuation Protest Board.


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The agreement, if approved by Congress, would spell an end to one of this election-season's higher profile conflicts between President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans. Even so, the battle has been a bitter one, with Republicans accusing the White House of dragging out the fight to score political points and Democrats accusing the GOP of blocking action on the issue.
"The president's been largely uninvolved in that, but Senator Reid and I have an understanding that we think will be acceptable to the House," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters.
"We basically have the student loan issue worked out," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said separately.
Under the agreement, interest rates for new subsidized Stafford loans would remain at 3.4 percent through next June 30.
Without congressional action, interest rates on the loans would double to 6.8 percent for new loans beginning July 1, this Sunday, for 7.4 million students the government estimates would get such loans over the next year.
That increase, should it occur, would not affect loans currently held by students. The higher rate would cost the average student an extra $1,000 over the life of the loan, which typically takes more than a decade to repay.
About three-fourths of the bill's $6 billion cost would come from Democratic proposals to boost the fees companies must pay to have their pensions insured by the quasi-government Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp., and to change how companies compute the money they must set aside to fund their pensions. The change would make their contributions more consistent year to year — which business desires — and would result in fewer corporate tax deductions for those payments.
The remaining funds would come from a GOP plan to limit federal subsidies for Stafford loans for undergraduates to six years. Currently, the government charges no interest while students are still in school, even if it takes them longer than six years to graduate.
The financing was described by a Senate Democratic aide who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the emerging agreement.
Asked if Boehner would sign off on the agreement, spokesman Michael Steel said, "We'll take a look."
The pension money was also being discussed as way to finance an extension of federal transportation programs, which expire this weekend. Leaders were hoping agreement on both bills could be approved before Congress leaves town for its July 4 break at week's end.
Obama spent part of this spring traveling to college campuses to underscore his effort to prevent the interest rates from rising. In so doing, he was appealing to student-age voters who supported him strongly in the 2008 presidential election.
Hoping to pre-empt Obama from using student loans as an issue this fall, GOP presidential challenger Mitt Romney said in April that he supported extending the lower loan rates. Congressional GOP leaders said they supported an extension as well, though some rank-and-file Republicans still oppose the idea, arguing it is too expensive and that financial markets should set the lending rates.
In recent weeks, the disagreement was over how to pay for the extension.


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South Dakota's 2008 Legislative session begins today. S.D. Gov. Mike Rounds delivers his state of the state address this afternoon.
The 35-day legislative session will be one where money drives policy.
Gov. Mike Rounds outlined his budget last month and set the stage for how to deal with a sluggish state revenue forecast. The Republican governor is proposing a two cent increase in the state gas tax as a solution to fund road construction projects. Democrats say with rising fuel prices it's not the time to increase taxes.
The state House and Senate have visible disagreements over issues like school funding and property taxes. Democrats are three seats short of controlling the Senate and clashes between the two chambers could be stronger than ever.
Abortion is sure to get attention. South Dakota has some of the toughest restrictions in the nation, but some lawmakers will propose tighter regulations.


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Most adult readers regard "teen" literature as something to be avoided, since they are "children's" books. I once had a customer request a particular book she had seen in Barnes & Noble. She was really excited about reading it, however when I said that the book was in the Teen Room, she quickly said she didn't want it. I couldn't persuade her to change her mind. Many teens, especially Clarkstown teens, can and do read on an adult level. Teen books usually indicate that the marketing department of a publishing house thinks the book will sell more copies if it is marketed to teens. In the past several years, I've seen some teen books become wildly popular with the general public, such as The Book Thief by Markus Zusak or The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne and all the books by Stephenie Meyer.
Let me recommend some of the really great teen books I've recently read.
Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly combines a current story of a girl's grief and guilt over the death of her younger brother and the break-up of her family with the parallel story of a teen girl choosen as the companion to the last dauphin of France right before and during the French Revolution. Their stories converge in the novel and the theme of the sufferings of innocent children is explored in this book.
If you like fantasy you might want to try Reckless by Cornelia Funke. Jacob Reckless has been visiting a parallel world for years when his younger brother Will discovers his secret and follows him into danger. Will is touched by a fairy's curse and is rapidly becoming a "stone man," forgetting his fiance and his brother, and experiencing a murderous burning rage peculiar to his new body. This dark fairy tale has no guarantees of "happily ever after," as immortal fairies toy with men's lives, a sleeping princess turns to dust while the bodies of her would-be rescuers rot on the thorn bushes outside of her bower, and dwarves despise and cheat men. Battles rage between the "stone men" and the humans, and humans are on the losing side.
Simple language and horrific events are the driving force in Nothing by Janne Teller. Similar in feel to Lord of the Flies by William Golding, this slim novel details the existential struggle to find meaning in life and the sacrifices and cruelty these children endure and perpetrate in an effort to find something that really matters.
These three books are just a small sample of the serious and meaningful literature available to teens and adult readers. If you are tired of formula writing for the bestseller list and want to visit the real world of teenage angst and not some idealized teen untopia, check out these books.