text:
Maybe she adopted the flapper look to audition for a production of "Chicago."
Printable View
Maybe she adopted the flapper look to audition for a production of "Chicago."
Oh, maybe they're doing yet another version of Stephen King's, The Shining and she's been tapped to play the "old lady in the bathtub"!
**I give full credit for these movie titles to those fans on the net who first observed that Laura had great potential to be cast in them!
Tim says she's the "mom" of this season, whatever that means. I'm not sure if that's a mom in a Wendy Pepper stab-you-in-the-back kind of way, or more like Marla be-there-for-moral-support kind of way. She looks a little Wendy Pepperish, but I want to give her a chance.
I actually think she looks pretty nice. A mess in her style, but I don't know, I'm defending her.
I think this woman is fabulous. Her personal style is great in my opinion. I think what is perfect about her though is the statement -
"I never dress down."
That's pretty darned fabulous in my opinion. Also -- love the red lip, its dramatic but hey, that's Laura. Her coat was lovely, and glamorous - and certainly well received.
She's my favorite thus far.
So far, she is one of my favorites, but it's really too early in the show to know the contestants well enough to form these kinds of judgements.
As a mum of 2, I'm already in sweatpants and a minivan. She's not only right, but inspiring.
Are you buying HER or her design philosphy/aesthetic? Do you recall what Pauline Trigere or Coco Chanel or Yves Saint Laurent or Christian Lacroix looked like physically? Yet their designs sold/sell like the proverbial hotcakes. [mod edit]
Why do these people always look so much better on the show than on the pictures? I guess they're just not photogenic...I thought Keith, Robert, and Laura looked terrible in the pictures, but they look really good on tv.
I really loved her design -- I think it should've won the challenge (as much as I like Keith).
Laura's coat was HOT HOT HOT! The only thing I didn't like was that it was prob gonna be noisy..otherwise,I think it was great. I am looking forward to her other designs.
Laura came off much better personality-wise on the show than I thought she would. I didn't see any hints of Wendy Pepper in her (but I will probably still have a nightmare or two because the real Wendy Pepper was shown on "Road to the Runway"!)
I still think those wide, low-cut dresses she wears are really unattractive on her. She looks much better in a button-up blouse or the turtleneck she wore in her bio tape.
Her coat with the fur trim was nice, but I, myself would prefer a few less bangles on it. She tailored it well, though.
It's too early in the season for me to really pick out carved-in-stone favorites, but I don't dislike Laura as much as I thought I would. Let's see how far her architecture/fashion design takes her.


text:
There was a time, not so long ago, that the Muscular Dystrophy Association's fundraising total was beamed across a tote board as its annual Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon ended.
This is not that time.
The announced figure from this year's Labor Day Weekend, a figure posted on the MDA website ... sometime whenever ... is $58.7 million. You have to perform some drilling to locate the document, which is dated Oct. 5 on the MDA site. That seems an inventive marking of time, as phone calls and e-mails to MDA officials requesting the fundraising totals long after Oct. 5 went unreturned, and the figure was not publicized upon posting (I sent a note over to an MDA PR rep on Halloween asking for the figure, which still has not been formally announced outside the recesses of the MDA website).
For those who look to Wikipedia for any measure of updated information, that site still lists the 2012 total as "TBD." So, if anyone wants to dig into Wiki and edit that figure, it is: $58.7 million "and still counting," according to the MDA>
The most recent "MDA Show of Strength" broadcast aired Labor Day on 150 networks across the country. Important to note is the $58.7 million figure is "the centerpiece of the Association's yearlong fundraising efforts," as the MDA's news release informs. That heads-up indicates that $58.7 million was not garnered during the actual broadcast -- and there is no way that figure could be raised in just three hours -- but rather a sum covering the entire year between the 2011 and 2012 shows.
The 3-hour "Show of Strength" telecast featured recorded appearances by Carrie Underwood, Pitbull, Will.I.Am and Carole King and a whole host of celebs from every plane of pop culture (Tim McGraw, Khloe Kardashian Odom and Lou Ferrigno were heard from). The announced total is short, by about $2.5 million, of the $61.5 million figure released on Labor Day Weekend 2011, after the 6-hour version of the broadcast aired.
Coverage in the days after that fundraising broadcast centered on the apparent $2 million boost in donations between 2011 and 2010, when the final show hosted by Jerry Lewis at South Point raised $59 million.
But as we have further learned, the real number raised is what the MDA reports to the federal government in its annual tax fillings. The actual figure amassed by the MDA from 2011, reported to the IRS, was about $30.6 million, just half of what was pledged. That 50-percent return rate was far and away the lowest rate for the MDA dating to at least 1999.
We await the 2012 returns to find that real number, balanced against what the MDA has posted. Naturally, finding the real MDA total is likely to require another excavation effort.
Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow "Kats With the Dish" at Twitter.com/KatsWiththeDish.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Linux Journal Author's Guide
This document exists because we want to make sure all authors, and people who want to be authors, get our best answers to common questions--not because we want you to read the FAQ instead of asking questions. If you do have questions about writing for Linux Journal, please contact Jill Franklin at <email@example.com>.
PR-related questions and answers are now a separate Guide to Linux Journal for PR Professionals
Please send comments on this document to Jill Franklin, Executive Editor: <email@example.com>.
Linux Journal publishes articles about developing and using Linux and related software. People read Linux Journal to learn how to do things on Linux they couldn't do before.
Article Topics
We try to run articles about all categories of software that run on Linux and articles for readers at all skill levels. We try to run articles that will appeal to as many readers as possible.
The Article Process
Articles generally go through something like the following process.
- Initial query letter from author. We prefer query letters sent as e-mail, in the body of a plain-text message, not as an attachment. If you are not sure if your e-mail client is configured to send plain text, please check it before writing to us. Send your query letter to email@example.com.
- Do not use a challenge-response email system on the From: or Reply-To: address in your query letter. Your reply will come from a different address, not from firstname.lastname@example.com, and we do not comply with challenges.
- Outline and deadline. If we like your article idea, we will ask you to send an outline of the information to be covered in the article and a date by which you could commit to having the article finished. For a proposed article series, you can write one outline for the entire series, but please include a deadline date for each article.
- Assignment letter. We send you this letter, which includes information on formatting and how to check and submit your article.
- Submit the article to email@example.com.
- Editing and markup. We do these steps in-house.
- Our final proofreading and publication.
Contract and Copyright
All writing is done on speculation. If we decide to use the work, we purchase first rights, compilation rights and translation rights to the article. However, we are under no obligation to publish it. We do not pay kill fees.
Once your article is submitted, it is in the publication queue and therefore cannot be submitted elsewhere, unless 1) Linux Journal rejects the article or 2) the author notifies Linux Journal of his/her intent to withdraw the article and Linux Journal agrees to release the article. The only circumstance under which we will not release an article is if it already is scheduled for publication and it's too late to pull.
Our author contract allows us to use your article in an unlimited number of compilations and translations in any medium. After your article appears in Linux Journal, you are free to use it for any purpose, because you keep the copyright. If your article documents how to use a free software program, we encourage you to contribute it to the project under a free software license, so it can be distributed with the software you discussed.
If your article appears in the monthly digital edition or both in the monthly digital edition and on the Linux Journal Web site, you are free to use it for other purposes beginning the first day of the month after the cover date of the issue in which it appears. For example, if your article appears in the May 2007 issue, you can use it for other purposes starting on June 1, 2007.
If your article appears on our Web site only and not in the monthly digital edition, you can use it for other purposes one month after it first appears on our site.
You can't use your article for other publications or for your Web site while it is in the publication queue or in the current issue of Linux Journal.
Article Types and Lengths
- Feature/In-Depth
- This is a how-to or success story article that includes some or all of these: sample code, screenshots and photos.
- Product Review
- A fair, real-life evaluation of a Linux-related product. Includes a product screenshot or photo.
|Article Type
|2200-2800 words
|Product Review
|1500-2000 words
Article lengths include sidebar text, but not code.
Article Format
Articles must be sent as plain ASCII text, either in the body of an e-mail or as an attachment. Images and other items can be included in a tar archive with the main article or as separate attachments.
In the text of your article, notes or formatting information can be included within [square brackets], as needed. Put only one space after sentences, a blank line between paragraphs and don't indent paragraphs. Do not use any TAB characters, use spaces instead. Do not use any word processor special characters, such as "smart quotes". Use -- for an em dash. (—)
Feel free to include any other instructions for the editors, such as indications of superscript or subscript text, within [square brackets]. If the material you are writing contains equations or requires special formatting, contact your editor to determine a format that fits your needs.
Any sample code within an article should be 52 characters wide or less. If you number your lines, the line number and following space count as part of the line width. In general, we prefer that you use code excerpts that are short enough to make line numbers unnecessary. Use spaces instead of TAB characters to preserve formatting.
Send tables as plain ASCII text. We will lay them out.
Don't include URLs in the text of the article. Put them in a separate Resources section at the end.
Image Formats
First of all, if your image is line art that you can send as EPS, please do so.
You can also send an image as a PDF file, if it meets these criteria:
- fonts need to be embedded in the document
- Color mode: CMYK or Grayscale
- no Adobe Acrobat 6 or 7 PDFs. Acrobat 5 or earlier is fine, as are free software tools for creating PDFs.
- GNU Lilypond
Otherwise, send the largest available version of the image as a PNG or TIFF, if possible, or a JPEG if that's the original format your digital camera uses. Please do not send images that have been pre-processed for the Web; send the original image from the digital camera or scanner.
Converting to GIF or JPEG represents a loss of information--JPEGs lose pixels, GIFs lose colors. Converting to GIF or JPEG is a traditional final step before putting an image on the Web, but is not high-quality. Send the big image with the information intact. For example, if your digital camera shoots JPEGs, and you want to crop one before sending, convert it to TIFF or PNG, do the work and leave it as TIFF or PNG--don't convert back to JPEG.
For each photo, please include the name of the photographer and a caption. If people appear in the photo, your caption should identify all the recognizable people in the photo.
Items to Include with Your Article
Each article should include a two or three sentence biographical statement, for example, "Joe Author has been a UNIX systems administrator for ten years. He keeps ducks and freshwater shrimp for a hobby and welcomes your comments sent to firstname.lastname@example.com." The bio can be serious or humorous.
We also need your mailing address, which is not published, in order to send you an author contract, payment and a complimentary edition of Linux Journal.
Some optional items that you may choose to include with your article are:
- Alternate Titles
- If you can't decide on a title, include more than one.
- Sidebars
- Consider including short standalone blocks of text that explain useful tools and
techniques relevant to the subject of the article. For example, if you're writing an article that
mentions using
diff(1)to show differences in C files, you might want to include a short sidebar on
indent(1)to help the readers separate minor differences in format from meaningful changes. Sidebar text counts as part of the article length.
- Screenshots
- Screenshots really help readers understand GUI programs. Use screenshots to illustrate major steps or concepts. Don't use an extra screenshot when it's easy for the reader to visualize it based on an previous screenshot.
- Teaser or Summary Text
- We include a short description of each article at the top of the first page of the article and in the table of contents page. Look at a recent issue of Linux Journal for ideas, and consider sending us some text to help sell your article.
Writing Style
- Pick a topic you care about.
- Be conversational. Directly address the reader. Use imperatives.
- Write as though you were chatting with an intelligent friend who may not be familiar with the specifics of what you are covering. Never talk down to the reader.
- Use short sentences. It helps.
- Use short words, unless the exact word you need happens to be long.
- Be careful with humor. Sarcasm and irony are misread easily and can be offensive. Many readers have English as a second language and may not be familiar with your culture's running jokes and topical matters.
- If you realize you cannot meet a deadline, please let your editor know as soon as possible.
- Please have a technically competent colleague look over your work, especially any code, before submitting it.
Passive Voice Should Never Be Used by You
Read that section title again. Isn't it terribly awkward to read? Ask yourself, would you honestly ever say this to someone? The problem with this title is it is written in passive voice. It is a joke to get a point across. NEVER use passive voice unless it is absolutely necessary (and it is almost NEVER absolutely necessary).
I will expound on the importance of using active voice in a moment. But William Zinnser says it best in fewer words in his book On Writing Well (emphasis mine):
Use active verbs unless there is no comfortable way to get around using a passive verb. The difference between an active-verb style and a passive-verb style -- in clarity and vigor -- IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH FOR A WRITER.
"Joe saw him" is strong. "He was seen by Joe" is weak" The first is short and precise; it leaves no doubt about who did what. The second is necessarily longer and it has an insipid quality: something was done by somebody to someone else. It's also ambiguous. How often was he seen by Joe? Once? Every day? Once a week? A style that consists of passive constructions will sap the reader's energy."
You are unlikely to write "Joe saw him" in an article for Linux Journal. Here are some examples that may be more relevant to you:
Active voice:
Click the Color button to change the color of the text.
Passive voice:
Text colors are changed by pressing the Color button.
Why is the difference so important?
Linux Journal is a magazine. It is not a reference manual. You can get away with passive voice in a technical manual. You will lose a magazine reader's attention with passive voice. As Zinnser points out, it takes too much effort to unwind a sentence in passive voice in order to understand what it is you are trying to say.
Why is the difference so important to YOU?
Read any good book on how to get published. Every book will tell you that the best way to get published (especially regularly) is to make the editor's job as easy as possible.
You make our jobs much harder when you write in passive voice. We change passive voice to active voice in every article until we burn out from doing it. If you include a lot of passive voice in your article, that makes us expend a LOT of tedious effort. We prefer to spend our time checking the accuracy of your content or making the content more clear and presentable.
Why do we burn out?
We get many articles that are written almost entirely in passive voice. We spend hours replacing your passive text to active. We are always inclined to reject these articles because they require too much work. We fight that temptation but our first inclination is to toss it and move on to an article that isn't as difficult to edit.
You may respond, "Yes, but I've seen passive voice in Linux Journal." This is true. Sometimes we publish articles with passive voice because the content is too good to pass up. We let the passive voice slip through because we have burned out from having edited out the passive voice in the past six articles.
But do you really want to take the chance that your article is too good to pass up? Sometimes we will toss an excellent article because it is written entirely in passive voice. We understand that the rejection letter will be disappointing to you, especially if you know your article had great content. But sometimes we reach the end of our rope and simply cannot endure another passive-to-active editing session. So don't risk putting a lot of work into an article only to have it rejected because it was too much work for us to edit it.
Tips on How to Recognize You Are Using Passive Voice
It is hard to break the habit. We know. Most of us started out just like you. We wrote everything in passive voice. Our editors corrected us again and again until we broke the habit.
Here are a few tips you can use to help you recognize when you are slipping back into the habit of using passive voice.
1. You start a sentence with an "...ing" word.
"Changing the text color is as simple as..."
2. Your sentence has one or more "...ing" words in it.
"The text color is changed as simply as CLICKING on the Color button and SELECTING the color."
"Setup is accomplished by EDITING the configuration file, INSTALLING the Java Virtual Machine, and RUNNING the program."
Watch what happens to the "...ing" words when I change these examples to active voice:
"Click on the Color button to change the text color."
"Here is how to setup the software. Edit the configuration file. Then install the Java Virtual machine. Finally, run the program."
Where did the "...ing" words go? They're gone, because I changed the text from passive to active voice. Notice also that I broke up the passive sentence into shorter, clearer, more concise sentences. This leads to another bit of advice to writers: Avoid run-on sentences. I will save that lecture for a future addition to our guidelines.
3. Your sentence has "is
"Setup IS ACCOMPLISHED BY..."
Note also that an above example started with "The text color is changed as simply as..." This is functionally equivalent to "is changed by". The writer added a few words to show that it is simple. This does not change the fact that it is passive.
Final Words
There are many other ways to recognize passive voice. If you are serious about being published on a regular basis, get yourself a copy of On Writing Well by William Zinsser or any of several books on writing style.
FAQs about Communicating with Linux Journal
Will you read this attachment in a word processor format?
Please send your mail as plain text. Thank you.
I'm using a challenge-response email system and didn't receive an answer.
Turn off challenge-response and try again. We do not answer challenges.
hey can u read my 31337 artical idea?!?
Linux Journal is looking for articles that use standard English grammar, punctuation, capitalization and spelling. Please use them in your email.
Why did you ask me to contact another Linux Journal staff person directly, instead of just forwarding my mail?
More often than you might expect, there's some kind of spam-filtering system, on your end or ours, that keeps you and the other LJ staff member from communicating. We need to find that out as early as possible, not if we have a question on your article later.
Our authors use a surprisingly diverse collection of spam-filtering systems, and the Linux Journal IT department has its own.
Can I write an article for you?
We're always interested in article proposals. The best thing to cover for a first article is something that
- has never been done before
- there's no documentation for anywhere
- runs on all architectures
- is based on universally available software or a short program included with the article
- helps all Linux users
- produces measurable performance improvements
- makes a cool photo
You probably can't do all of these in one article, but the more of these you can do the better. If you are interested in several topics, select the one you feel you know best for your first article.
Please see the article process above.
Can I write an column for you?
We're not looking for columnists now. We are accepting proposals for individual articles, for hot topics and for series of two or three articles. Any future columnists will be selected from among the people who have written good articles.
What are the different email addresses for?
firstname.lastname@example.com is the address for initial proposals and final submissions. The final version of your article must be sent to firstname.lastname@example.com, NOT to any staff member's address. Staff members travel, but the firstname.lastname@example.com address always is covered.
FAQs about the Article Process
Can I make corrections to my article after you publish it but before it is used in translation or in a compilation?
Contact us if you discover errors in your article after publication. We will make errata available and make an effort to incorporate corrections for later uses.
If you assign me a deadline date that corresponds to a future issue, does that mean the article will appear in that issue?
Unfortunately, we can't say for sure. We don't know for sure ourselves until the last minute.
Can I submit the same article elsewhere?
No. See Contract and copyright.
Can I submit a different article about the same subject elsewhere?
If you've written a similar article on the same subject for a different publication, you should let us know when you propose the article. After your article appears, we encourage you to re-purpose it, after the cover date of the issue in which it appears. It's a good idea to tell the editor of the other publication about it.
What about copyright?
The copyright is yours to keep. See Contract and copyright.
Why can't you say when my article will be published?
The size of Linux Journal is determined by how many pages of advertising the advertisers buy. For any given magazine title, the ratio of advertising to content is constant, within a few pages. So, the more ads, the more content. That means that we don't know, until we go to layout, how many pages will be available for content. If we plan and assign articles based on a thin LJ and the advertisers make it thick, we're in trouble. If we plan and assign for a thick LJ and the advertisers make it thin, we're safe. That means we have to keep a lot of good authors in suspense. But we're not fickle, just your conduit to the emergent fickleness of the advertisers and, in a sense, of the global economy as a whole.
FAQs about Article Content
Do you run articles that have appeared elsewhere?
No. The one exception is that we occasionally run excerpts of books, but this is rare. We do not run articles that have already appeared on a Web site. However, if you have an informative Web site about a topic, you could write an article about that topic.
What are your top reasons for rejecting article ideas?
This is a very general idea and not really suitable for Linux Journal. It would be better aimed at a publication for a non-Linux audience to give them an overview of the possibilities of Linux.
This idea is very similar to content covered in a large number of existing on-line resources and popular Linux books. We prefer to cover ideas that haven't been extensively covered elsewhere.
Binary-only device drivers or other kernel modules are a recipe for trouble. Linus Torvalds wrote:
There are no good excuses for binary modules. Some of them may be technically legal (by virtue of not being derived works) and allowed, but even when they are legal they are a major pain in the ass, and always horribly buggy.
I occasionally get a few complaints from vendors over my non-interest in even trying to help binary modules. Tough. It's a two-way street: if you don't help me, I don't help you. Binary-only modules do not help Linux, quite the reverse. As such, we should have no incentives to help make them any more common than they already are.
In general, Linux Journal is not interested in proposals for articles on binary-only kernel code or on hardware whose only driver is in the form of a binary-only kernel module.
The article has distribution-specific instructions for something that isn't or shouldn't be distribution-dependent.
There are no performance measurements to compare the solutions listed and justify your performance improvement claims.
We recently ran an article on this subject.
We can't accept articles that have appeared previously on the Web or in print.
This seems to be too close to product documentation or what should be in the product documentation.
This article idea is not sufficiently Linux-related.
This article is applicable to Java on any platform, not Linux. You may do better in placing this article with a Java developer publication.
We don't use "free software developers should do this" articles--there are way too many of these and people aren't going to pay $5 to read your rant about why the system you used in college had a feature that Linux doesn't and somebody should write it or Linux is doomed. Describe ongoing projects in important areas such as standardization, security auditing, accessibility and user interface design, and include what works. Show, don't tell.
Best of luck in submitting it elsewhere.
Please keep Linux Journal in mind for future article proposals.
In the future, it is better to send a proposal and outline before writing the finished article.
I have a great idea for an article on using (really common thing) with (really common thing to use it with)
That has been done very extensively already. For example, using PHP to access a MySQL database is a common subject for articles. You would have to bring something new to the topic to get this into Linux Journal. Perhaps combining those two technologies on an Esperanto-speaking giant robot that shoots laser beams out of its eyes?
What do I have to do to get you to run an article on my favorite language?
Most of the code examples in Linux Journal are written in C, C++, Perl or Python. However, we do run articles that introduce new languages. If we wanted to, we could fill up Linux Journal with articles that introduce some new language. So we have to be selective about which ones we run. In general we prefer to use an introduction to a new languages only if the article has powerful and understandable sample code that shows a compelling advantage of the language.
Here are the factors that help us decide whether or not to run language introduction articles that cover a different language.
- Is the language or toolkit used for one or more useful Free Software applications which readers would be interested in running and adapting to their own purposes?
- Does the language offer some functionality that makes it particularly suitable for use on Linux, or does it offer easy access to libraries that implement functionality of interest to Linux developers?
- Does the sample program presented in the article illustrate some capability of the language that is not present in our commonly used languages: C, C++, Perl and Python?
- Is the sample code in the article both useful and instructive?
What's the bug report rule?
Bugs are a fact of life, and we want to be fair and give software maintainers good reports to help fix them. It's the least we can do. If you mention a bug in software for which a public online bug tracking system exists, you must include a URL for a relevant bug report in the Resources section of your article. Submit the bug report yourself before submitting the article if necessary.
What should I use for example hostnames, e-mail addresses and IP addresses?
You may use unqualified hostnames, domain names that you control or, if you want to use a
fully qualified domain name, use a domain name from RFC2606. For example,
ping -f mail.example.com are fine, but
ping -f
mail.linuxjournal.com is not. Never use an unregistered domain in an example. Someone might
register it before the article gets published. Many contributors use their own domains in
examples, and that's fine. But commonly used examples such as foo.com and company.com are real
domains, and we don't want to get our readers in trouble for port scanning if they type in an
example literally, which is way too easy to do if the sun is coming up and you're still
troubleshooting the mail server.
For example e-mail addresses, you can use local addresses (without the @) or addresses where the part after the @ is an allowable hostname.
If you include an example IP address in an article, use addresses listed in RFC1918.
The one exception is that you may use www.linuxjournal.com as the server in an HTTP example where the client is well-behaved, as long as you don't include the IP address, which is subject to change.
What are some confusing expressions to avoid?
- acronyms
- When introducing a new acronym, spell it out the first time, with the acronym in parentheses. You don't need to expand common acronyms on first use. Some of the common acronyms are: ATA, CD, CDROM, DVD, HTTP, IP (when used to mean Internet Protocol), SCSI, SMTP, RAM, TCP, WWW.
- bashing legacy OSs
- If you're trying to be an effective Linux advocate, it's much more effective to ignore other OSs--they're obsolete, after all--than to make a big deal out of the things you don't like about them. When you have to do something special to interoperate with a legacy non-Linux OS, be matter-of-fact about it and let the reader draw his or her own conclusions.
- commercial
- Do not use to mean proprietary. Often, a program can be both commercial and free--commercially supported as a business, but free to modify and redistribute.
- compile, how to
- Don't include lengthy explanations of compiling and installing programs. Usually people either can install from a package or follow the README file. A short mention of how to compile and install is fine to include in an article, but if you are writing about a program that is difficult to compile and install, please volunteer to fix it or write a better README instead of making the article a workaround for something that doesn't have to be difficult.
- Free software
- Do not use this term to refer to proprietary software that is available at no charge.
- footnotes
- We don't use footnotes. Please put the information in the body text, and put citations in a Resources section at the end of the article.
- Hacker
- Developers in /usr/src/linux/CREDITS and elsewhere identify themselves as "hackers" -- don't use the term to mean "computer criminals".
- Latin
- We don't use Latin abbreviations such as e.g. and i.e. Please use regular words. Don't use etc. to end a list of examples. Use "such as" and a comma.
- links
- Please put Web URLs in a separate Resources section at the end of your article, not in the article text.
- Names of programs
- Please include both the company or organization name, if applicable, and the program name on first reference. Say "Alias|Wavefront Maya" not just "Maya" and "Ximian Evolution" not just "Evolution."
What are you looking for in cover photos?
Vertical orientation is generally preferred. The magazine logo is placed over the upper 1/3 of the cover, so the central focus should be in the middle 1/3 of the image vertically.
It's also nice if some areas of the image are fairly simple so there are places for the cover copy to go without it having to compete with the background for visibility. We tend to have a fair amount of text on the bottom right of the cover, and the main headline and taglines are usually on the left side under the logo, though it depends on the image. Centered images can work well, but it's sometimes better if the main focus of the image is more to one side, with a less "active" area on the other side for the headline.
Ideally the image file would be around 300dpi at 100% (which for our covers is roughly 8.25"W x 10.25"H). We prefer TIFF files for covers, but PNG, or JPEG with little compression (maximum quality) is fine.


text:
TOKYO (AP) — Masao Yoshida, the man who led the life-risking battle at Japan's crippled nuclear power plant when it was spiraling into meltdowns, has died of cancer of the esophagus. He was 58.
Officials at Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Yoshida's illness was not related to radioactive exposure.
Yoshida led efforts to stabilize the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant after the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami knocking out its power and cooling systems, causing triple meltdowns and massive radiation leaks.
Recalling the first few days when the three reactors suffered meltdowns in succession, Yoshida later said: "There were several instances when I thought we were all going to die here. I feared the plant was getting out of control and we would be finished."
Yoshida, an outspoken, tall man with a loud voice who wasn't afraid of talking back to higher-ups, but also known as a caring figure to his workers. Even then-Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who was extremely frustrated by TEPCO's initial lack of information and slow handling, said after meeting him that Yoshida could be trusted.
Yoshida stepped down as plant chief in December 2011, citing the cancer, after workers had begun to bring it under control. TEPCO spokesman Yoshimi Hitosugi said Yoshida died Tuesday morning at a Tokyo hospital.
Yoshida brought workers together and kept their spirits up to survive the crisis, and had expressed hopes of returning to work for Fukushima's recovery even after falling ill, TEPCO President Naomi Hirose said.
"He literally put his life at risk in dealing with the accident," Hirose said in a statement. "We keep his wishes to our heart and do utmost for the reconstruction of Fukushima, which he tried to save at all cost."


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Garden Talk: December 2, 2013
From NGA Editors
National Poinsettia Day
Here's one more reason for celebration this month. December 12 is National Poinsettia Day! The date marks the anniversary of the death of Joel Poinsett, the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico. He was also an avid amateur plantsman who introduced this native Mexican flower into cultivation in the United States in 1828, sending cuttings back to his home in South Carolina. From this humble beginning, the poinsettia has gone on to become the country's most popular holiday plant, accounting for more than 85 percent of holiday plant sales.
How did a subtropical wildflower become a holiday must-have? It wouldn't be where it is today without the work of the Ecke family. Beginning with Albert Ecke, who immigrated to this county from Germany in 1900, four generations of the family have grown and promoted the poinsettia as a holiday plant. Their improvements in breeding and propagation techniques, along with a lot of skillful marketing, have kept them the dominant force in the poinsettia market for decades and made the poinsettia an enduring symbol of the Christmas season.
Today we are no longer limited to red poinsettias. (It's not the flowers that are colorful, but the modified leaves called bracts, that cup a cluster of small, yellowish true flowers.) You can now choose from poinsettias in shades of pink, orange, peach, burgundy, white, even variegated ones combining two colors. And, though it might make Christmas traditionalists shudder, even blue and purple -- sort of. Those bluish hues are actually the result of watercolors applied to white bracts; new growth won't retain that color.
Breeding advances have also made poinsettias much longer lasting once we get them home. It's not uncommon to be enjoying whatever color plant you chose months after the holiday season has gone by. All it asks is bright light, average home temperatures, no drafts, and soil that's allowed to dry out slightly before rewatering.
If you like to learn some more fun facts about America's favorite holiday flower (great conversational tidbits for those holiday get-togethers), check out the University of Illinois' Poinsettia Facts.
African Sunset Petunia
If cold, wintry weather is getting you down, warm yourself up with thoughts of how striking this brilliantly hued petunia will look in your garden next spring. Petunia 'African Sunset', a 2014 All-America Selections Bedding Plant Award Winner, will wow with its eye-catching color and uniform, even growth habit.
Not for the color-shy, 'African Sunset' will spice up containers, hanging baskets, and garden beds with prolific blooms all summer long. Pair it with blues and silvers, such as salvia and dusty miller, for a study in contrasts, or turn up the heat by mingling it with the sunset colors of bright red and hot pink petunias.
Like all petunias, 'African Sunset' will do best in full sun, with regular watering and fertilization. Wait to set out plants until after the danger of frost is past in late spring. Look for 'African Sunset' petunias at garden store and greenhouses next spring.
All-America Selections are new varieties that have proven their superior garden performance in trial grounds across North America, as judged by independent experts in impartial trials.
For more about Petunia 'African Sunset', go to AAS.
Look for Lofos
Its name may not roll as readily off your tongue as petunia, but Lophospermum (pronounced low-fo-SPUR-mum) is a name that gardeners looking for a dramatic, cascading vine for a hanging basket will be glad to know. A tender perennial vine native to the mountains of Mexico that's grown as annual, this is an easy plant to grow in full to part sun.
New for 2014 from Suntory Flowers is 'Lofos® Compact', which trails just 1-2 feet long, making it perfect for hanging baskets or window boxes. Covered from late spring through frost with 2-inch, trumpet-shaped, rose pink or white flowers, it keeps its good looks without pinching or pruning. The flowers drop off as they fade, making deadheading unnecessary. Plants do best if fertilized regularly with a water-soluble fertilizer and if the soil is kept slightly dry without letting plants wilt.
If you want a larger plant, consider Suntory's wine red or white flowered 'Lofos®' Lophospemum, which will trail as much as 7 feet or can be trained to grow up a trellis.
But whichever one you grow, you'll probably be able to stump your gardening friends with its name!
For more about 'Lofos® Compact' Lophospermum, go to National Garden Bureau
Protecting Bumblebees
The decline of honeybees due to colony collapse disorder has garnered a lot of attention in the last few years. But populations of native bees like bumblebees are also showing a downward trend. With fewer honeybees around to pollinate plants, the role of these native pollinators becomes even more vital.
Recent research done by Jonathan Larson, a doctoral student at the University of Kentucky, showed that a threat to bumblebees comes from a certain class of systemic pesticides known as neonicotinoids applied to lawns. He found that exposure to the necnecotinoid clothianidin slowed bee foraging, increased the mortality of worker bees, and had a negative effect on queen production.
Systemic pesticides are taken up by the plants they are applied to, and bees are exposed to the chemicals through the pollen and nectar they collect as they visit treated plants in flower, such as those of clover or weeds commonly found mixed in with turf. One way to avoid this problem is, of course, for home gardeners and commercial lawn care professionals to avoid the use of this class of pesticide.
But, suggests Larson, simply mowing the lawn to remove flowers either immediately before or after pesticide application may keep bumblebees from harm. He found that when treated clover flowers were mowed and new flowers allowed to grow to replace them, bumblebee colonies were not adversely affected. Says Larson, ″Direct contamination of the flowers is the problem, so homeowners need to remove the flower heads of weeds either before or after applying an insecticide to prevent exposure to native pollinators.″
Lawns cover millions of acres in this country, so lawn care practices can have a big impact on pollinators and other aspects of the environment. Larson's goal is to come up with ways that people who choose to treat their turf with insecticides can do so without harming our precious native pollinators.
To read more about Larson's research, go to UK Ag News. (Photo courtesy of Bonsak Hammeraas, Bioforsk -- Norwegian Institute for Agricultural and Environmental Research, Bugwood.org)


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Ginseng comes in three main varieties. American ginseng, Siberian ginseng and Korean ginseng. While all are considered adaptogens and very beneficial to health, they each have their own unique properties. Today, let's talk about Siberian ginseng. Though called ginseng, it technically is not a true ginseng. It does not belong to the same genus of plants that Korean and American ginseng do. Never the less, it has many of the same properties of ginseng. Siberian ginseng's real….. Read more
Tag Archives: Eleutherococcus Senticosus
Siberian Ginseng Benefits
Posted in Articles Also tagged Articles, Cancer, Chemotherapy, Common Cold, Eleuthero, Eleuthero Root, Enhance strength, Flu, Immune System, Increase Endurance, Increase stamina, Siberian Ginseng Comments closed


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The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that the Second Amendment endows the right to carry a gun outside the home. The opinion comes days before the Supreme Court is expected to decide whether to review two other cases that ask the question of whether the right to "bear arms" extends beyond the home.
The California-based appeals court, in a 2-1 ruling authored by Judge Diarmuid O'Scannlain, delved into American history, from the Founding Era forward, and found support for the notion that "bearing arms" means carrying a gun in public:
So concludes our analysis of text and history: the carrying of an operable handgun outside the home for the lawful purpose of self-defense, though subject to traditional restrictions, constitutes "bear[ing] Arms" within the meaning of the Second Amendment.
The case comes from San Diego County, which, according to state law, requires residents to show "good cause" for carrying a concealed handgun. Personal safety alone does not qualify as good cause. The question for the court was whether the requirement infringes on the Second Amendment's right to bear arms.
From the Ninth Circuit:
The question is not whether the California scheme (in light of San Diego County's policy) allows some people to bear arms outside the home in some places at some times; instead, the question is whether it allows the typical responsible, law-abiding citizen to bear arms in public for the lawful purpose of self-defense. The answer to the latter question is a resounding "no."
To be clear, we are not holding that the Second Amendment requires the states to permit concealed carry. But the Second Amendment does require that the states permit some form of carry for self-defense outside the home.
The court's ruling aligns with one by the Chicago-based Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, but conflicts with the Second, Third and Fourth Circuits.
Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2014/02/13/ninth-circuit-recognizes-right-to-bear-arms-outside-the-home/


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2010 Spring Hair and Makeup Trends
The 6 Big Beauty Trends That Emerged at Fashion Week
The 6 Big Beauty Trends That Emerged at Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week ended last week, and now it's time to analyze the styles, from hair to makeup to what polishes we foresee flying off the shelves come March. To make the myriad styles we saw over the nine days of 2010 Spring New York Fashion Week easier to parse, I've assembled the six big trends, complete with several different ways to wear each — from rebel rocker to demure debutante. Click through for the definitive looks for Spring.
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July 25, 2013 - submitted by Greg, United States of America
Q. Most Coldplay fans know that 'Til Kingdom Come was originally written to be sung with Johnny Cash. I would like to know if Cash had not passed when he did, would he have been on the track on X&Y?
The Oracle replies:
That's not quite accurate, Greg. The song wasn't written to be sung with Johnny; it was written for Johnny to sing. If he hadn't died the song would not have been on X&Y at all, it would have been on the planned Johnny Cash album.


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Advocacy Blog: MusicBus Departing Soon. Drivers Wanted.
Daryl P. Friedman
Photo: Leigh Vogel/WireImage.com
Photos: Paul Morigi/WireImage.com
Photos: Paul Morigi/WireImage.com
It might not be a Magical Mystery Tour, but a "bus" is waiting to take you away. And you will want a ticket to ride.
In fact, you might even want to drive.
Sometimes the only way for disparate folks to get to a single destination at the same time is to have them travel together. This way, no one gets lost and no one gets left out. The passengers might have to adjust their schedules — not to mention their expectations — to take the ride, but everyone gets exactly where they need to be at the right time.
For instance, there are several music-related trade groups in Washington, all speaking for different sectors — singers, musicians, songwriters, publishers, producers — all pushing Congress to keep their specialized issues at the forefront when it comes to legislation. Ultimately, they all have the same goal: fairness in terms of royalty payouts, copyright protections and compensation. We're all trying to reach the same destination. This is the idea behind The Academy's rallying cry of "harmony, unity, parity," and the move to create music omnibus legislation — or a "MusicBus" — that addresses the broader needs of the music community in one bill that all in the music community can support.
Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow made the call for a MusicBus bill in his address to attendees at the spectacularly well-attended GRAMMYs on the Hill Awards ceremony April 2 at The Hamilton, as well as in a Roll Call editorial that ran the following day.
"Imagine the political impact of a united music industry — with artists, composers, producers, and engineers all seeing their interests advance in one piece of legislation," noted Portnow. "We are an industry of the greatest communicators on the planet and together we can drive the MusicBus to its ultimate destination — harmony, unity and parity for all of our constituents."
The road has been partially paved for the trip. The past six months have seen proposed legislation with great potential benefits for our membership, including the recent Songwriters Equity Act, co-sponsored by Reps. Doug Collins of Georgia, Hakeem Jeffries of New York and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, and the Fair Market Royalty Act, unveiled last fall by former Rep. Mel Watt of North Carolina. Each bill looks to carry our community a little further down the road toward significant changes that will improve the outlook for music makers. But these are small steps where a giant leap may be necessary.
Legislators such as Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi themselves hailed the idea, echoing the call for a unified front. But soon it will be your turn to sit behind the wheel.
Soon we will take our GRAMMYs on the Hill concept to your door with a new program, GRAMMYs in my District. There are 435 congressional districts in the United States, and we have Academy members in most of them. With GIMD, we'll give you the tools to bring the message of the MusicBus ("fair market pay for all music creators across all platforms") to your legislator's local office.
So be ready for this new push for music licensing reform that benefits all music creators. The MusicBus will be pulling up to your door in the coming months and we'll ask you to take a turn at the wheel. Because sometimes to get a better music license, all you need is a driver's license.


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WHAT'S COOKIN'? ... Upcoming classes at Sur La Table, at #57, Town & Country Village, Palo Alto, include "Date Night: Surf & Turf" (Dec. 15, 5 p.m., Terrina Wong, $79); "Cozy Winter Bistro" (Dec. 16, 3 p.m., Hilary Freeman, $69); "Festive Fish Dishes" (Dec. 18, 11 a.m., Hilary Freeman, $79); and "Date Night: Italian Feast" (Dec. 21, 6:30 p.m., Michelle Marquez-Cino, $79). Information: 650-289-0438 or www.surlatable.com
KUDOS TO CLARUM ... Clarum Communities' Cambridge Plaza project in Palo Alto was recently awarded the United States Green Building Council's 2012 Outstanding Production Builder Award. The three-story townhome project, also known as the Sunset Smart Homes, earned a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum rating for its use of sustainable building materials and energy, as well as energy and water efficiency. Information: www.clarumcommunities.com
THINKING AHEAD ... Catalogs are out offering classes in the new year through the City of Palo Alto, Palo Alto Adult School and Menlo Park Recreation. Information: www.cityofpaloalto.org/gov/depts/csd/enjoy.asp, www.paadultschool.org or www.menlopark.org
This story contains 296 words.
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Australian rugby
Foley steps down as Waratahs coach
ESPN Staff
July 31, 2012
Michael Foley has left his Waratahs post © Getty Images
Michael Foley has handed in his resignation as Waratahs coach, the Super Rugby club confirmed on Tuesday afternoon.
Widespread reports in the Australian press claim Foley will now take over the helm at the Western Force next season. Foley's decision to stand down comes just 24 hours after NSW chairman Ed Zemancheff quit his role, leaving the franchise to pick up the pieces after their worst season the the field.
Waratahs officials had previously endorsed Foley to continue next season, but it is believed that a recent shake up of the coaching staff - including the departure of manager Chris Webb - forced Foley to move on.
"I'd like to thank the organisation and team for their support throughout my time here, particularly over the past season," Foley said.
"While it's been a challenging season for everyone, being involved over the last four years has been extremely rewarding, particularly being part of a team that was able to play in two finals series.
"I believe that the squad and organisation has the potential to turn it around and I wish everyone the best for next season."
The Waratahs confirmed they will begin the search for a replacement immediately following Foley's announcement.
"I would like to thank Michael Foley for his dedication and commitment to the team and the organisation, not just over the past year but throughout his time with NSW. We wish him and his family all the best for the future.
"We firmly believe that this position is a highly sought-after role and will begin the appointment process with immediate effort," said board member Al Baxter.
The Force, meanwhile, have reportedly offered the former Wallabies hooker a three-year contract in Perth from next season.
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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This color negative film gives you a surreal analogue experience with its color shifting abilities.
Great news, Lomographers! The LomoChrome Purple XR 100-400 120 is now readily available in our Online Shop. Place your order now and shoot with one of the most exciting analogue emulsions on the market!
This unique color negative film will astound you by transforming natural tones of your photo into new eye-popping hues. A revival of the psychedelic infrared look from the Kodak Aerochrome film we all love, this film guarantees astounding photographic results.


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Swiss police say a knife-wielding man set fire to a train in Switzerland before going on a stabbing rampage that left six people injured, including a 6-year-old child, NBC News reported.
Police in the northeast state of St. Gallen said the 27-year-old Swiss suspect was also hurt during the attack early Saturday afternoon as the train neared the station in Salez.
The suspect, who has not been indentified, is accused of spilling flammable liquid on the train and setting it on fire. He was also carrying at least one knife, police said.
The six victims — a 6-year-old, a 17-year-old girl, a 17-year-old boy, a 34-year-old woman, a 43-year-old woman and a 50-year-old man — were hospitalized with burn and stab wounds, as was the suspect, according to police. Some of those wounded were in critical condition.


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Rockies unsuccessful in challenging tag play
Morneau out on double-steal; call stands after Weiss' challenge
By Cody Ulm / MLB.com
DENVER -- Rockies manager Walt Weiss challenged Justin Morneau getting caught stealing at second base knowing no lead is safe at Coors Field. As it turns out, he'd be correct but not in his belief that the play on the field should be overturned.
The Rockies rallied for seven runs in the sixth and seventh Monday to take a two-run lead over the Giants, and they were looking for more when they drew up a double-steal in the eighth.
Both runners appeared to get good jumps but Giants catcher Buster Posey picked the slower runner and threw a perfect laser to Joe Panik to get the quick tag of Morneau at second.
Weiss' challenge was for naught, as replay officials ruled the play would stand, and Brandon Barnes then grounded out to short to end the threat.
Coming in to protect a two-run lead, right-hander LaTroy Hawkins blew his second save of the season by serving up three consecutive hits to start the ninth.
Yet just as the caught-stealing attempt was looking to be extra costly, the Rockies rallied back for three singles in the ninth, including one of the walk-off variety from Charlie Blackmon that gave the Rockies a 10-9 victory.
Cody Ulm is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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A year after Britain's worst rioting in decades, scars remain in London's Tottenham district. Many young people in cities say that rioting could break out again as poor conditions persist, says poll.
The Olympics fever gripping crowds just a few short miles away is weak in the north London district of Tottenham, the starting point for riots that last year saw the area become a battleground at the outset of Britain's worst civil disorder for decades.


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I wrote two posts at the beginning of 2010 that are very interesting for me to look back on now. The first is "A Letter To Cate".
And some dreams you don't even recognize as such yet - they'll be revealed along the way.The second post was my "Word of the Year" post, in which I chose effort.
JOB - you know better. This isn't it. Fix it or move along.
This year will be about not just muddling through but also about making an "effort" to move in a direction that makes me happy.When I wrote those two posts, going back to school and resigning from my job were nowhere on my radar. I had no idea how the second half of 2010 would play out. In fact, despite writing all about effort, I was probably anticipating a much safer route that included not leaving my job until I had found a new one or until my husband had decided we were relocating.
Now, I enter 2011 with not even a clue of where things are going. We still may relocate. Joe has told me to hold off looking for a new job until he has more of an idea about what's going on with his work situation. By the time this year wraps up, we could be living on another coast and I could be working in an entirely different field than the one I left last November.
With so much uncertainty ahead, I'm focusing on me. I'm not making a whole lot of resolutions, but I'm really throwing myself behind this year's word, better:
Main Entry: bet·terYes, this year, I'm going to focus on striving for better.
Pronunciation: \ˈbe-tər\
Function: adjective
Meaning: improved in health or mental attitude; of superior suitability, advisability, desirability, acceptableness; more attractive, favorable, or commendable; more advantageous or effective; improved in accuracy or performance
Synonyms: improved, finer, healthier, amend, advance, promote; reform, correct, preferable, surpassing
Related Words: good
Near Antonyms: worsen, decline, regress, inferior
- better eating
- better exercise routine
- better wife
- better job
- better writer
- better marketer
- better friend
- better approach
- better reactions
- better attitude
I spent awhile yesterday thinking about resolutions and whether I planned to make any. All I wrote down was the following:
exercise + water - eating = weight lossSo there we go! I wouldn't call those resolutions. Just a few specific areas in which I plan to be better. Not perfect, because I don't expect to ever be perfect. Just better.
read 30 books
specific project success
I hope 2011 is kind to all of us and whatever dreams or plan you have for this year will happen!


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Adviser: Testing on F-35 not over yet
By JAMES GILBERT | The Sun, Yuma, Ariz. | Published: December 9, 2012
Although Marine Corps Air Station Yuma and the U.S. Marine Corps have received the first three F-35B Lightning II's, it doesn't mean the new stealthy supersonic fifth generation fighters are going to be dropping bombs on enemy targets anytime soon.
Eric Van Camp, Lockheed Martin USMC F-35 Business Development Adviser, said during a recent webinar that while the delivery of the aircraft is one of the many milestones the program has achieved this year, there is still a lot of testing that needs to be done before the fighter is combat-ready.
"The Department of the Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps are going to have a fifth-generation aircraft and they are going to deploy them," said Van Camp, a former Marine Corps aviator. "It goes where the Marines go. It is part of an unspoken contract between the Marines on the ground and the pilots who fly the planes."
What this means essentially, Van Camp explained, is that now that the aircraft is ready to fly, the Marine Corps has begun using it, with the understanding that the capabilities of the aircraft would be rolled out and developed over time, such as weapons systems and advanced flight systems.
Another milestone the program has achieved, Van Camp said, was surpassing 5,000 flight hours last month. This was reached, he explained, by combining the flight times of all three variants of the aircraft, which are currently based at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., and the training aircraft flying at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
In the past year, Van Camp said the F-35 program completed its first successful airborne weapons tests by dropping the program's first 1,000- and 2,000-pound inert bombs, and firing a AIM-120 AMRAAM missile. Other accomplishments included the first landing at sea, the first night flight and the first international delivery to a foreign partner.
A second series of sea trials and more weapons testing are scheduled next year for the Marine Corps' F-35B variant, as well as what is known as high angle attack testing. Currently there have been 22 weapons tests conducted. Through Oct. 3, the F-35 program had conducted 986 test flights.
Van Camp noted that MCAS Yuma will carry out the operational evaluation of the F-35B plane, which is needed before the fighter can be considered fully operational, something that Marines hope to achieve in 2015. In the meantime, he added, the air station will oversee some pilot and ground-crew training to complement the main instruction and testing happening in California and Florida.
As the home of the first operational squadron of JSF-35 fighters in the nation, MCAS Yuma will get five squadrons each with 16 aircraft, and one operational test and evaluation squadron of eight aircraft. These 88 aircraft will replace Yuma's four existing squadrons of 56 AV-8B Harriers.
Since completing initial ship trials in October 2011, the team behind the F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing variant has made tremendous progress delivering jets, conducting weapons tests, standing up bases, and training pilots and maintainers.
In what was history in the making, three F-35Bs arrived at MCAS Yuma in mid-November. An additional F-35 is expected to arrive each month until a full squadron is stationed at the base. The base expects to have an entire squadron of planes by late spring or early summer. The total transition from old aircraft to new aircraft and personnel for the F-35 squadrons is scheduled for 2020.
These three aircraft increase the number of F-35B aircraft delivered to the Marine Corps to 16 and bring the total number of F-35s delivered in 2012 to 20.
John B. "J.R." McDonald, Jr., Lockheed Martin vice president, said Eglin Air Force base will remain the training base for all pilots and maintainers, for all branches of the service, and its foreign partners, until other training bases and squadrons can be formed. There are currently 13 F-35Bs at Eglin.
"All of the pilots who are going to Yuma will be trained at Eglin first. Eglin is the schoolhouse for both pilots and maintainers," McDonald said. But Yuma won't be the only place in the state where these new fighters will be in the sky. McDonald also said that Luke Air Force Base was recently chosen to be the Air Force's F-35A Lightning II pilot training center. The first aircraft are expected to begin arriving there between late 2013 to mid-2014. Full capacity, however, won't be reached until late 2015 or early 2016.
McDonald also spoke about how testing on the Lightning II has progressed, saying that 14 Marine Corps pilots have already qualified to fly the F-35B.
Daniel G. Canin, test pilot for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics' F-35 Lightning II Program at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, said as of Dec. 3 there have been 388 test flights for the Marine Corps' F-35B variant, with a total of 977 since testing began.
An Airman gives the go-ahead for take-off to the pilot of an F-35B at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., June 27, 2012.


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Greg Louganis turns 52 on Sunday. The diver won gold medals at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics. Now he coaches up-and-coming divers. Louganis also competes in dog agility contests and wrote a second book, For the Life of Your Dog. His first book, Breaking the Surface, recounted his coming out and his HIV diagnosis and was a New York Times bestseller.
Neptune coming home to Pisces this Feb. 3 brings 14 years of heightened mysticism, romanticism, sensitivity, passions and decadence. The last time around (1848-1862) was the height of the Romantic era and the beginning of the spiritualist movements.
AQUARIUS Jan 20-Feb 18
Flirtatious impulses prove a bit too extravagant. Remember, one perfect rose is more elegant than a dozen. Don't dwell on the past. Think about the future and how to get there.
PISCES Feb 19-Mar 19
With your co-ruler Neptune coming to stay the next 14 years, you will feel more in tune, a mixed blessing. Focus and shield your sensitivity. To care for others effectively, care for yourself first.
ARIES Mar 20-Apr 19
Weird insights make you wonder how much you know yourself. Pushing yourself harder makes things tough on those around you. Ask why you do that and whether it's really necessary.
TAURUS Apr 20-May 20
Who are your friends really? The answers are surprising. Focus on the good. As much as some people may deserve your wrath, be careful not to say anything you'll regret later.
GEMINI May 21-Jun 20
There is a middle ground between needless controversies and sweeping important issues under the rug. Blowhard, diplomat or sycophant? The role you choose will brand you for a long time.
CANCER Jun 21-Jul 22
What friends say about your sex life is none of their business, but it may be true. Being sensitive, open and patient with others helps to improve your reputation, in ways you don't expect.
LEO Jul 23-Aug 22
Work on your relationship karma. Find new, creative ways to do that. Being nice to your friends is too easy. Reach out to new people. If you have someone special do something special.
VIRGO Aug 23-Sep 22
Personal relationships get more complex. Your efforts at charm and rationalization to clear the air are beside the point. Welcome the magic and mystery. It can do you a lot of good.
LIBRA Sep 23-Oct 22
When self-improvement becomes competition, look at what inner demons are feeding that. Meditation and self-examination bring out your deep, inner beauty.
SCORPIO Oct 23-Nov 21
Arguments at home are about stresses outside. Home should be where you can discuss your agitation and get better insights. Stay calm and focused and it could be.
SAGITTARIUS Nov 22-Dec 20
Humility, charity and a bit of self-deprecating humor are key. A critical review of recent career moves can suggest new directions, but don't change quite yet.
CAPRICORN Dec 21-Jan 19
Worries about your career are not entirely unfounded. Watch out for new opportunities. They will cost you, but may be worth the price. Look ahead and think carefully.
Jack Fertig can be reached at 415-864-8302 or Starjack.com
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition January 27, 2012


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Drought Situation Report - August 4, 2006
More drought information resources are found at http://climate.umn.edu/doc/journal/dry_summer_2006.htm.
Weather this past week:
A heavy rain episode on August 1 and 2 (map on right) produced totals of one and one half inches
or greater across all of the southern one third of Minnesota. Rainfall totals of three to five inches were reported in
portions of south central and east central Minnesota. The heaviest rains fell on Martin and Faribault counties where
five inch totals were common. The rainfall brought welcome relief to agricultural interests in southern Minnesota. Portions of
southwestern and east central Minnesota previously depicted in the moderate to severe drought categories saw a pause in
the rapidly deteriorating conditions. Unfortunately, the rain did not impact those areas of Minnesota (northwest, north
central, and central counties) where drought is at extreme levels.
Seasonal weather overview:
Dryness has been entrenched in Minnesota for twelve weeks. Large-scale, precipitation-producing weather systems have been absent
since mid-May. The timing of the dry weather has been most unfortunate. The period from mid-May through early-September is historically
the wettest time of the year. Long-term average rainfall rates during this time interval are around one inch per week.
Very dry weather occurring during a time of year when ample rain is typical, leads to the rapid onset of drought. The precipitation
shortfalls have led to deteriorating crop conditions, low stream flows, and wildfires.
Drought status:
The latest National Drought Mitigation Center Drought Monitor, released Thursday, August 3, continues to place northwestern,
north central, and central Minnesota in the Extreme Drought category. The situation transitions to a Severe Drought
category surrounding the Extreme Drought polygon. All other Minnesota locations, with the exception of south central and southeast Minnesota, are depicted in the Moderate Drought
classification. South central and southeast Minnesota are depicted as Abnormally Dry. Possible impacts for
landscapes depicted as experiencing Extreme Drought include: major crop/pasture losses; widespread water shortages or
restrictions. Possible impacts for landscapes depicted as experiencing Severe Drought include: crop or pasture losses likely;
water shortages common; water restrictions imposed. Possible impacts for landscapes depicted as experiencing Moderate Drought
include: some damage to crops, pastures; streams, reservoirs, or wells low, some water shortages developing or imminent;
voluntary water-use restrictions requested. The next Drought Monitor will be released on Thursday, August 10.
This release will show the impact of the August 1 and 2 rains, easing the situation in southwestern and east central Minnesota, and
perhaps removing the south central and southeastern portions of Minnesota from drought classification entirely. Depending on the
outcome of the forecasted rain for Saturday, August 5, other areas of Minnesota could see a change in status.
See: 12-Week Drought Progression Animation.
Sector briefs:
Agriculture - The
Agricultural Statistics Service reports that topsoil moisture for 85% of Minnesota's landscape is now "Short" or "Very Short".
This is a 10% increase from the previous week. Pasture conditions and alfalfa production continue to be significantly
impacted by the dry conditions. A surprisingly high percentage (around 50%) of Minnesota's major row crops (corn and soybeans) are rated
in good to excellent condition.
Stream flow - Stream discharge in over one half of Minnesota's rivers and streams falls below the 25th percentile
when compared with historical data for this time of year. Flow conditions
in many northern, central, and eastern Minnesota watersheds have dropped below the
Protected Flow threshold (lowest 10th percentile), leading the Department of Natural Resources to suspend surface water appropriation permits in these areas.
Public water supply - Many Minnesota communities
are imposing watering restrictions or outright watering bans.
Wildfire - Wildfire danger is
"High" or "Very High" in many Minnesota counties.
Eleven-week precipitation totals, departure, and ranking:
Rainfall totals over the past eleven weeks (May 16 - July 31) were less than five inches in many counties and less than four inches across much of
northwestern Minnesota. Eleven-week rainfall totals deviated negatively from historical averages by more than four inches in most
areas. Rainfall deficits exceeded five inches in many Minnesota communities. When compared with other May 16 to July 31 rainfall
totals in the historical database, this year's rainfall totals for the period rank among the lowest on record
in some locales. The situation is especially acute in northwest and north central Minnesota where near-record low precipitation totals are common across
a multi-county area.
Ranking maps explained
Previous Drought Situation Report (July 31)
Previous Drought Situation Report (July 27)
Previous Drought Situation Report (July 26)
Previous Drought Situation Report (July 21)
Previous Drought Situation Report (July 11)
Return to Minnesota Climatology Working Group Main page
Error processing SSI file
URL: http://climate.umn.edu/doc/journal/drought_situation_report_2006_060804.htm
Last modified: August 4, 2006


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ASHEVILLE (AP) — Authorities say an Asheville police officer died Tuesday after his cruiser plunged off a bridge.
Asheville Police Chief William Anderson said Officer Robert Bingaman died when his car ran off a bridge on Interstate 240 around 1 p.m. The car landed along Riverside Drive.
Bingaman was transported to Mission Hospital and was pronounced dead shortly after, officials said.
There was no one else in the cruiser and no one else was hurt. Anderson said he did not believe any other vehicles were involved, but could not say whether Bingaman was in pursuit or responding to another accident at the time.
"He was a great guy, did his job," Anderson said. "He was like many of the men and women with the APD. He came to work, did his job and did it well."
Bingaman was 37 and had been with the Asheville Police Department for six years.
Firefighters said it took some time to stabilize the police car, and they had to strap the back end of the vehicle to a bridge piling.
Ken Wilson, Division 13 Operations Engineer, told the Asheville Citizen-Times that the N.C. Department of Transportation will review the wreck to see if any structural changes should be made to the bridge's guardrails. He could not immediately say what kind of impact the rails were designed to withstand.
Wilson said he was not aware of a car going off the bridge in his 29 years on the job in Asheville.
Bingaman had been with the department for six years.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation says two lanes on the bridge were closed. The North Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating.


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- National
Perth drag racer's miracle escape
A drag racer had a miraculous escape when his jet-powered vehicle slammed into a sand trap after reaching over 400km/h during an event at Perth's Kwinana Motorplex.
During the final round of the drag racing event on Saturday night, South African jet dragster driver Pieter De Wit careered off course after the parachute on his jet-powered car malfunctioned.
De Wit, piloting the dragster Gravity Storm, wrecked the vehicle when it hit the sand trap area of the motorplex after topping 438km/h during his run.
After being extracted from the wreckage, De Wit was helicoptered by the RAC Rescue Chopper to Royal Perth Hospital for observation.
A spokesman for the motorplex said that despite the massive impact, De Wit was responding to safety crew and was talking to them until he left the venue.
The South African, who is now based in Perth, suffered no broken bones, but needed treatment for significant bruising and burns to his back.
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Apple releases Security Update 2011-004
Date: Friday, June 24th, 2011, 08:23
Category: News, Software
Along with yesterday's Mac OS X 10.6.8 update, Apple also released Security Update 2011-004, which brings some of the same patches to Mac OS X 10.5 ("Leopard"), as well as fixing some Leopard-specific security bugs.
Per Macworld, the update patched 28 bugs in systems ranging from AirPort to MobileMe, QuickTime, and subversion. While many of the bugs fixed in Leopard have been addressed in previous updates to Snow Leopard, a handful affect both versions of the OS; Apple's Knowledge Base document also addresses some Snow Leopard-specific bugs patched in Mac OS X 10.6.8.
The one thing Leopard doesn't benefit from is Snow Leopard's malware detection system, which was updated in 10.6.8 to catch more versions of the Mac Defender Trojan horse. Leopard users will instead have to rely on a combination of third-party antivirus software and common sense to defend themselves from the malware.
Security Update 2011-004 is recommended for all users of Mac OS X 10.5, and requires Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later to install and run. For users of the OS's client version, a 256.4MB download is available via Software Update or the support section of Apple's web site; Leopard Server users can download a 499.8MB update via Software Update or Apple's site.
If you've tried the security update and have any feedback about it, let us know.


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Emporia State cruises past Missouri Southern
The Emporia State Hornets used a pair of fumble returns to take control in their season-opener against Missouri Southern on Thursday night.
The Emporia State Hornets used a pair of fumble returns to take control in their season-opener against Missouri Southern on Thursday night.
The Washburn Ichabods dropped their season-opener to Lindenwood on Thursday night.
The Topeka West Chargers hung on in their season-opener against Wyandotte.
Gary Woodland made some noise during round one at the BMW Championship in Colorado.
Most Americans have not seen a substantial income gains in three years.
In an odd political twist, some Democrats pushed out their own candidate against three-term Sen. Pat Roberts to clear the way for Orman.
The cameras are already widely used in Kansas.
Kansas is not part of either side in briefs.
9,800 plants seized on nearby land.
Complex will ultimately include 48 buildings.
Students kept inside Johnson County Community College as police search campus.
The latest version of a scam claimed another victim
Democratic US Senate candidate Chad Taylor says he will fight against ruling to keep his name on November ballot.
Authorities need the public's help to locate a court ordered registered sex offender.
Defending state champion Centralia enters Class 3A this year but expectations remain high for the Panthers.
Scarlett Johansson is a first-time mom.
Architect Frank Gehry is revising the design for a memorial honoring President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
McCaskill's outreach was first reported by MSNBC.
BP could be looking at close to $18 billion in additional fines over the nation's worst offshore oil spill.
A look at comedian and fashion icon Joan Rivers through her eventful career.
It's a mystery many have wondered about at times: Where do all those missing socks go when you lose them?
A 34-year-old man accused of killing three people and critically injuring two others appears in court.
Used the same scheme to collect refunds from 16 different states.


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Can you imagine taking off that blindfold?! LOL!
Just sayin'!
Via TwiSuperFan
- Lorabell ;)
This is on tomorrow right?
I can't wait to see it, him and his new sexy hair ;)
Okay wtf is going on here?! LOL
Def setting my dvr
That's a very lucky girl >.>ReplyDelete
Is there video anywhere of that first pic? when the girl is blindflolded?ReplyDelete
I like his hair!!!ReplyDelete


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KEF Reference 207/2 Stereo Speakers
The Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé, a two-door convertible, is 181/2 feet long. Its mighty V-12 engine propels the massive 5,776-pound vehicle from 0 to 60 mph in just 5.7 seconds. Opening the suicide doors, you are greeted by an opulent world of chrome and leather. The iconic Spirit of Ecstasy rises automatically from inside the radiator grille when you start the engine. A solid-gold Spirit is also available. At $412,000, the Phantom Coupé is certainly one of the world's finest motor cars.
After your drive, you'll no doubt want to relax to music played over your Model 207/2 loudspeakers - KEF's newest flagship speaker in its flagship Reference line. Designed to provide the highest visual and aural experience KEF can deliver, the 207/2 is as aerodynamic as a rocket.
Each floor-standing cabinet houses five drivers. Starting at the bottom, two 10-inch woofers are independently placed in 70-liter bass-reflex enclosures. Their response is rated down to 26 Hz (at -6 dB) - lower than that of many subwoofers in home theaters. Placed above the woofers is another 10-inch driver, this one dedicated to the midbass range, and each tower is topped by a teardrop module that holds one of KEF's signature Uni-Q driver arrays. The outer 61/2-inch cone reproduces midrange frequencies, and the coincidentally mounted 1-inch elliptical dome tweeter at the cone's hub reproduces highs to a claimed 60 kHz. The midrange driver has a flattened cone profile, so it serves as a waveguide for the tweeter. The crossover divides the speaker's response at 120, 350, and 2,300 Hz.
It's not an exaggeration to say that, at a cost of $10,000 each, the 207/2 embodies the culmination of KEF's 46 years of engineering experience, and it affords a perfect opportunity to focus on some serious 2-channel music listening.
Setup Find that DVD transfer of the birth of your first child and erase it, because you'll need the space to record the christening of your 207/2s. They reveal themselves regally from inside massive cartons. With proper ceremony, open the beautiful wooden box that accompanies each 207/2 pair; it contains a set of beautiful chrome-plated spikes, accessories, and tools.
I carefully positioned the grand 145-pound cabinets in my room's sacred places. Each cabinet has a discreet, built-in bubble level to make sure it stands straight. There are three pairs of binding posts, one each for low, mid, and high frequencies. I tri-wired the speakers with 500 watts per side. Later, for movies, I switched to biamping with 200 watts and 500 watts per side. Some basic EQ circuitry allows a bit of control of low- and high-frequency levels: bass at -2 dB or flat, treble at -1.5, -0.75, flat, or +0.75 dB. These compensate for proximity to walls and for room absorption.


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Eisenhower Pathology—Top Technology
Pathology is the study and diagnosis of disease using laboratory examinations of tissues, cells, and organ samples. Pathology researchers identify the origins of disease, and work with the medical team to determine strategies for treatment.
Dennis M. Frisman,MD, Chair of the Eisenhower Medical Center Pathology Department describes the basics of pathology."When a patient has a biopsy, for example, that tissue sample is sent to the Pathology Department.We process the sample, and then view it microscopically to arrive at a diagnosis," explains Dr. Frisman. "We then prepare a report for the physician, and he or she uses that report to communicate with the patient."
The Eisenhower Pathology Department takes the extra step to include images in its pathology reports."Adding images makes it easier to communicate with the patient, and not many pathology departments do it," says Frisman.
In the coming months, the Eisenhower Pathology Department will greatly enhance current technology with the implementation of the McKesson Corporation's Horizon Anatomic Pathology™ system and Aperio® Technologies, Inc.'s Aperio Digital Pathology Environment™. The new technologies digitize samples on pathology slides, and allow the pathologists to view the same image of the slide on a computer screen that is typically seen through the microscope. Pathologists can view the sample at many different angles, and then save the images to a central database.Once the images of the slides are saved, they can be easily transmitted to the patient's physicians, as well as to specialists at other medical institutions, if additional diagnostic or treatment consults are needed.
"This new system will revolutionize how we are able to communicate pathology results," says Dr. Frisman."Because the slides are digitized, samples can be sent to consulting physicians or outside specialists electronically,making the diagnosis and treatment process much more efficient and timely."
The digital pathology images will also advance surgical procedures, as the new McKesson system will make it possible to transmit images of the patient's pathology results directly onto a screen in the operating room, which surgeons can reference during surgeries. Communications between physicians and patients are also enhanced as reports will include detailed visual images that will help patients have a better understanding of their diagnosis and treatment.
Because all pathology slides will be digitized, the Eisenhower Pathology Department will soon have a powerful and easily searchable database of tissue samples and tumors. This database will provide a valuable research tool for medical researchers advancing the prevention and treatment of a wide array of diseases.
"This new technology puts Eisenhower at the forefront.We are one of only a few non-academic institutions to have the McKesson and Aperio systems," says Dr. Frisman. "With it, doctors can communicate more efficiently.We will have a better understanding of diagnoses and treatment options, and we can make significant contributions to new research."


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By Mike Monroe
Kawhi Leonard is grateful the knee tendinitis that will keep him sidelined for the next 10 to 14 days was diagnosed early in the season.
"It's not all that bad," Leonard said Saturday before the Spurs beat the Nuggets 126-100 at the AT&T Center. He's confident he will make a complete recovery, "but we want to make sure it's not something that comes up during the playoffs. Just rest up and get it healthy and then monitor it."
It was after scoring 13 points, grabbing five rebounds and dishing out three assists in a Nov. 3 victory over the Jazz that Leonard first reported pain above his left knee to head athletic trainer Will Sevening. An MRI exam Friday revealed the tendinitis.
Notoriously reserved, Leonard never once hinted to his teammates that he was having a problem.
"I had no idea I was starting when I came (to pregame practice) this morning," said Stephen Jackson, who was in the starting lineup in Leonard's place at small forward. "It sucks because we were just starting to get a nice team rhythm. I hate to see him out because he brings so much to the team, me and him being a 1-2 punch at the three.
"All we can do is pray for a speedy recovery."
Guard Manu Ginobili had an idea Leonard was nursing an injury after seeing him getting treatments from Sevening.
"Last year, I never saw him on the (treatment) table," Ginobili said. "When I saw him and Will going to do an MRI, I said it's got to be something. When he came back, I saw the long faces so I guessed something was wrong."
Coach Gregg Popovich said the decision to shut down Leonard for at least eight games was made out of an abundance of caution.
"We've been trying to deal with it but it hadn't gotten better," Popovich said. "It had gotten to the point there was a little bit of risk that it was unstable enough where a more serious injury could develop. We just needed to sit him down and then the docs will make a decision."
Filling in for Neal: Gary Neal, who suffered a cut on the right index finger of his shooting hand before the Spurs-Lakers contest Wednesday, was out a second straight game.
"The cut keeps opening up on him," Popovich said.
Patty Mills and rookie Nando De Colo instead filled in behind starting point guard Tony Parker on Saturday.
"(Mills is) a veteran who's played all around the world in big games," Popovich said. "He loves being on the court. He's a competitor on both ends and he came in the game and again did a good job for us.
"We need the bench. Nando came in and he's an assist machine. He did a really good job. With Kawhi and Gary out we need guys on the bench stepping up, and they did."
Twitter: @Monroe_SA


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D-backs place Putz on 15-day disabled list; recall Roe from Reno
By / MLB.com
The Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) announced they placed right-handed pitcher J.J. Putz on the 15-day disabled list (dislocated right little finger) and recalled right-handed pitcher Chaz Roe from Triple-A Reno, according to D-backs' Executive Vice President & General Manager Kevin Towers.
Putz, 36, suffered a dislocated right little finger attempting to field Kevin Frandsen's ground ball to end the seventh inning at Citizens Bank Park. He was 3-1 with 6 saves and a 2.43 ERA (8 ER in 29.2 IP) in 35 appearances with the D-backs this season, including a 0.57 ERA (1 ER in 15.2 IP) over his last 19.
Roe, 26, is 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA (3 ER in 5.0 IP) in 5 games over 3 stints with the D-backs in 2013. He went 0-1 with 8 saves and a 1.11 ERA (3 ER in 24.1 IP) in 25 combined appearances with Double-A Mobile and Reno this season.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text: I was just looking through my Nook Wishlist and noticed this huge price change for the Nook version of the first Eugenics Wars novel. I've had this one on my wishlist for a while now, and up until at least a couple weeks ago it was either $5.99 or $7.99. I noticed that the paperback is also upped to $32.99, so does this mean that they rereleased it as one of those special pay to print, or whatever they call it, books? I usually don't complain about e-book pricing, but this is ridiculous IMO. I don't think it's fair to do this just because of the special new paperback. I can see when they are trying to make it competative with the hardcovers, but this book has been out for years, and was never this expensive before.


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Was $599.95 NOW $299.95
These are the wheeled Nordic walking poles that engage the core and upper body muscles for improved fitness. Made in Germany where Nordic walking has become a popular warm-season activity enjoyed from Bavaria to Quakenbrueck, the source of their origin, each curved aluminum pole has a forearm brace, contoured handgrip, and rugged wheel that together provide fluid yet effective resistance for the shoulders, triceps, and back muscles while walking. Similar to the motions of a cross-country skier, alternating strides thrust the arms forward - the rubber wheel at the end of each pole rolls smoothly forward then locks in-place to serve as a push-off point for the next stride, increasing the heart rate beyond that of normal walking. An adjustable elastic cord that attaches to each forearm brace varies resistance; poles' lengths adjust from 32" to 56" H. Durable ABS, aluminum, and rubber construction enables use on pavement, sidewalks, and grass. (9 lbs.)
Lifetime Guarantee
The Wheeled Nordic Walking Poles come with The Hammacher Schlemmer Lifetime Guarantee. If this product ever disappoints you, for any reason, you may return your Hammacher Schlemmer purchase for exchange, credit, or refund.
Should you have any questions, we are available seven days a week (8:00 am – midnight EST). Please call 1-800-321-1484 to speak with a specialist or email us at firstname.lastname@example.com to receive a response within three business hours or less.
Sale item quantities are limited — please order soon.
May we recommend:
COPYRIGHT © 2018 HAMMACHER SCHLEMMER & COMPANY, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. W103147 E. 57th ST • NEW YORK, NY • 10022 • 1-800-_321-1484


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Townsend: Trade of James Harden to Houston resonates in Dallas
Harden's trade to Rockets could be sign of a buyer's market
Three days before the season, reigning NBA finalist Oklahoma City traded one of its best players, James Harden, to Houston in a nine-player deal.
Two-plus months later, the Mavericks and their fans are about to see firsthand the byproducts of that trade.
The Harden-led Rockets make their first American Airlines Center appearance of the season at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City and Harden's replacement, Kevin Martin, pay their first visit of the season Friday.
"It actually shocked me a little bit that OKC was going to break that group up," said Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, recalling his reaction to the trade.
"Looking at it now, OKC is not really missing much. Kevin Martin is scoring off the bench. All it really means is [Kevin] Durant and [Russell] Westbrook have the ball more, and they're obviously unbelievably explosive.
"And Harden is having an unbelievable season in Houston. Both teams are playing well and competing for the playoffs."
The seismic effect is felt in Dallas, and not just because one rival is 206 miles to the north, the other 238 miles to the southeast.
The 30-8 Thunder, apparently not appreciatively weakened by the trade, still is projected to be a title contender for years to come. The Rockets haven't been to the playoffs since 2009 but were No. 7 in the Western Conference before Tuesday night's home loss to the Clippers — 51/2 games ahead of Dallas.
The trade also is a case study for the Mavericks, who according to their owner have informed teams around the league that the "Bank of Cuban" is open, meaning that, for the right deal, the Mavericks are willing to take on high player salaries.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson hope that the NBA is in the early stages of a buyer's market.
The Harden trade was a clear indicator of changing financial realities in the NBA, set in motion by the 10-year collective bargaining agreement that was ratified in December 2011, following a prolonged player lockout.
Balancing act
The new CBA was structured to provide greater competitive balance between small- and large-market teams. Starting with the 2013-14 season, significantly higher penalties will go into effect for teams whose salaries exceed the luxury cap (currently $70.307 million).
Moreover, taxpaying teams have a smaller midlevel exception, can acquire less salary in trade and can't use the biannual free-agent exception. Also, starting in 2013-14, teams that are more than $4 million above the luxury-tax level can't receive a player in a sign-and-trade deal.
Theoretically, smaller markets will benefit from the revenue sharing generated from increased taxes, and by large-market franchises being more reluctant to pay steeper penalties.
In Oklahoma City's case, though, the new CBA's looming changes had the reverse effect. Having already signed Durant and Westbrook to max contracts and forward Serge Ibaka to a near-max deal, Thunder general manager Sam Presti reportedly asked Harden to accept a four-year, $54 million deal — rather than the $60 million maximum Harden was in line to receive.
The extra $6 million would have thrust Oklahoma City into luxury-tax territory and, by some estimates, his $13 million annual salary would have actually cost the Thunder $28 million with added luxury taxes.
Reigning Sixth Man of the Year Harden declined to take less money, so Oklahoma City traded him to Houston. Rockets general manager Daryl Morey called Harden a "foundational player," upon signing Harden to a five-year, $80 million extension. He already was under contract for this season, so Houston has him for six years.
What does Cuban think of the Harden trade?
"I'm not going to get into trades other teams make," he said. "I'm sure Oklahoma City had their logic, but since I wasn't in the middle of it, I'm not really in position to say."
There is little doubt, though, that the new CBA forced the Thunder to prematurely part with a 23-year-old, who, as a Rocket, is averaging 26.5 points and 5.3 assists.
Houston's acquisition of Harden also took a potential free agent off the market for Dallas, which last summer failed to sway free-agent point guard Deron Williams from re-signing with Brooklyn. Chris Paul and Dwight Howard are scheduled to become free agents next summer, but as Nowitzki noted last week, does anyone actually expect either of those players to leave Los Angeles?
Market forces
More likely, Dallas will have to land its Big Fish, or two, through trade, like Houston did. Of course, by making the trade, the Rockets are banking that they can build around Harden and fellow free-agent acquisition Jeremy Lin and become contenders.
So far, it's made Houston a fringe playoff contender.
As for Dallas, the five weeks entering the Feb. 21 trade deadline will reveal whether, in fact, looming tax penalties next season will create a selling frenzy. Cuban in the past has referred to this summer as the NBA's "nuclear winter." He isn't sure what that will mean over the next five weeks.
"It's going to be interesting because there's going to be teams recognizing that if they don't do something, they're out of the sign-and-trade market and they're limited in what they can do, starting this summer," Cuban said. "Maybe nothing will happen, but I'm curious."
Follow Brad Townsend on Twitter at @Townbrad.


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Elizabeth Banks Quotes
How to Be a Confident Woman According to Elizabeth Banks's Characters
Happy birthday, Elizabeth Banks! On Feb. 10, the actress, producer, and director turns 39. Not only does Elizabeth Banks juggle a variety of jobs in Hollywood, she also plays a variety of characters — both funny and serious, TV and film. In last year's People Like Us, she stepped into the shoes of a single mom and bartender who builds a relationship with a man she doesn't know is actually her brother. She also tackled complicated sibling relationships in 2011's Our Idiot Brother, in which she played one of three sisters having to deal with their troublesome brother and his effect on their love lives. Whether she's playing a sloppy kisser at a Summer camp in the '80s or a strong-willed, workaholic CNBC news anchor, Elizabeth's notable TV and film characters always know what they want and how to go after it. So from the lips of Elizabeth Banks's characters, here's how to be a confident woman in your familial and romantic relationships.


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This is a prequel to Lonesome Dove with a young Corporal Call and Augustus. It is well written and superbly narrated. I could listen to Will Patten re..Show More »
At the end of Part 1, Cal is cold, hungry and talking to someone, and then suddenly he's eating stew. This didn't make any sense to me. I got the book..Show More »
I have a 55 minute each way commute to work every day and have listened to dozens and dozens of audio books. Lonesome Dove is by far the best book I h..Show More »
I loved Lonesome Dove. This is not nearly as good.
The reader is almost as good as Lonesome dove. I liked him.
Seemed like some characters t..Show More »