text:
Proposed SRO Legislation is Overly Broad, Adds Costly Layer of Regulation for Investment Advisers
Washington, DC, September 13, 2011 – The Financial Planning Coalition (the Coalition) told Congress today that the concept of creating a new self-regulatory organization (SRO) for investment advisers, as provided in the discussion draft released by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.), is unneeded; would add a layer of regulation and impose costs that could be particularly burdensome for small business owners; and may not significantly improve protection for investors.
At a time when the Administration and Congress are working to find ways to create jobs, stimulate economic growth, and cut red tape, the creation of a new SRO is an overly broad approach to correcting the narrow problem of the inadequate frequency of examinations of SEC-registered investment advisers.
In a prepared statement for the record before the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises, the Coalition stated: "The proposed investment adviser SRO goes far beyond the targeted approach needed to increase investment adviser examinations."
Whereas Congress and the SEC have recognized a narrow problem facing oversight of investment advisers," the Coalition stated, "the proposed SRO would have jurisdiction over state-registered investment advisers; have broad rulemaking and enforcement authority; and implement an additional layer of regulation and costs for investment advisers, which could particularly burden small businesses, without the benefit of a thorough cost-benefit analysis."
The Coalition raised additional concerns with the proposed SRO legislation, including:
The Coalition believes that supporting enhanced SEC oversight is the most appropriate solution.
"We strongly believe the SEC (and the states) is the appropriate regulator of investment advisers," the Coalition stressed. "We do not believe there is sufficient reason for a change in the policy of direct federal regulation that has largely been effective for such an extended period of time in favor of a costly outsourcing of investment adviser oversight."
The SEC has overseen investment advisers for more than 70 years and has the infrastructure and the specialized expertise in place to do the job.
"As the existing SEC oversight of investment advisers generally has been effective, we strongly urge Congress to provide the SEC with the resources necessary to enhance examinations of SEC-registered investment advisers rather than shift oversight to an SRO."
FINRA has suggested that it is capable of overseeing investment advisers. The Coalition noted that FINRA, at its core, is a membership organization for broker-dealers. The Coalition expressed serious concerns regarding the possibility of FINRA being designated as the SRO for advisers.
"We question whether a governance structure that is affiliated with FINRA would allow for the type of truly independent governance that will be critical to ensuring oversight that is not subject to conflicts of interest."
The Coalition also urged support for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as it moves forward to establish a strong and uniform fiduciary standard of conduct for broker-dealers and investment advisers.
"We believe the SEC, which has extensive experience and knowledge of broker-dealer and investment adviser business models, will establish a fiduciary standard of conduct that enhances investor protection while maintaining access to current products and services that are consistent with investors' best interests."
The Coalition argued that the over 75,000 financial planning professionals it represents "provide strong evidence that the fiduciary standard is a practical, flexible, and workable standard no matter if the financial professional providing investment advice is a broker, insurance agent, investment adviser, or financial planner."
Rather than being a burden on businesses, financial planners have recognized the benefits of providing investment advice at a fiduciary standard of care.
"Contrary to some who suggest that requiring the fiduciary standard will hurt investors by increasing costs and reducing services, our experience is just the opposite: providing services with fiduciary accountability is good for investors and good for business."
About the Financial Planning Coalition: The Financial Planning Coalition, a group representing nearly 75,000 financial planners, is a collaboration of Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board), the Financial Planning Association® (FPA®), and the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) formed to advise legislators and regulators on how to best protect consumers by ensuring financial planning services are delivered with fiduciary accountability and transparency.
To learn more, please visit www.FinancialPlanningCoalition.com.
# # #
More Events
© 2012 Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
1425 K Street NW #800, Washington, DC 20005
phone: 800-487-1497 (Toll-Free) / 202-379-2200 | fax: 202-379-2299 | email@example.com
We welcome your feedback and invite you to complete a brief 5-question survey to help us improve your experience on CFP.net.
It's easy to participate and will take less than 2 minutes:
Click the "Yes" button below to continue your visit on CFP.net as intended. When finished, simply retrieve and complete the questionnaire that will appear in a new browser window.
Quick Links
Find a CFP® Professional
Verify Certification
Get Certified
Create an Account | Log In
Apply for the CFP® Exam
Center for Financial Planning
Career Center
Find CE Programs
Brochures & Publications


text:
I can speak four languages; English, ghetto English, Spanish, and Hindi
I really want to upload pics of my kitty cat!!!!
Only fluent in English.
I have been learning Spanish for 6 years and will be taking it for college for the next 4. Can manage alright in it, but I prefer writing to speaking.
Just taken up German in college and so far I like it more than Spanish. Just getting the basics right now, regretting that I took Spanish in secondary instead.
I have been learning Irish for 14 years but it's a pointless language so I'm quite poor at it due to lack of interest.
You can't choose what stays and what fades away
Swedish and German being my first languages since my parents spoke those.
They used English to communicate with each other and I was also taught that is school.
And some Mandarin Chinese from my grandmother, but not fluent.
You have no idea how confused I was a child, becasue pretty much every person in my family has a different first language.
Our planet is the mental institution of the universe.
Fluent in Polish and English.
I can communicate in Spanish as well.
Life deserves laughter, hence people laugh at it.
only two atm English and Spanish
I'm currently learning Finnish and Latin
I know that feels that I became the feel
Sadly one but I plan on learning French,Japanese, and Russian :]
Sing sweet.....
Some of dat and a somofa dis and that
You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villian
Winter Is Coming.
YojimboMifune wrote:
Eudd wrote:
Chinese and English.
I don't consider the languages I'm not fluent with, "knowing" them, unlike many of you pompous shitheads.
you mean people who use broken (insert language here) ???
Yeah..... There's a person on the first page who have stated like 7 languages? I'm sorry, but that is clearly masquerading. Just because you know one or two sentences of profanity, doesn't mean you can speak the language generally. People should shut the fuck up and stop being pretentious. But then again, there's nothing to prove. It's impossible for us to inspect them on the internet, since they would just be using google translation.
I don't completely agree, google translation can be of help but cannot replace actual language knowledge. I have to correct many mistranslated text exactly because people think that it does everything. Google translation doesn't (rarely if so) take cultural interpretation, it can look ok from a word to word base but in context of the language it will mean nothing or at least won't make much sense. Even if you speak in a broken manner, if you can get your the other understand what mean/need, communication process worked. That's how it goes when you travel ! ;)
And if you think people lie about the (incredible) amount of language they can speak, let them be, enjoy your day elsewhere instead.
À plus !
Later !
Ciao ciao !
Fluent in:
[born]English{I live in US. Roll Tide Bitches! }
[born]Filipino(Tagalog, Visaya){spoken and some writing}
[International School Learned] Japanese.{spoken}
*But I know a bit of Spanish(Spain), enough to get my point across but nothing to brag about.
*Used to speak cantonese chinese but never used it so I lost it
who? its the E.
filipino (don't ask me to speak in full filipino, please don't. i speak it with english)
speak and read swedish
a little bit of spoken japanese
reads and speaks a bit of spanish
i know how to say "i love you" in 50 languages
I know how to say "thank you" in 10 other languages
I want to be a mango forever.
i'd say 11, but no where near fluent for 7 of them, can say phrases that'll get me buy simple situations. decent for 2 of them. 2 not fluent but can keep a conversation if the other party doesn't mind the waiting and stuttering.
main language is english, scored a 32 on act for english and reading, got A with flying color for speech classes, but can't hold a proper conversation nor do most people understand me well. but thats mainly because i don't think about what i say. and im not a FOB, born and raise in america.
on my way to my DREAMS- your smile - through food
Learning French, Italian and Japanese but will probably drop french once i pass Gcse level.
Hmm. About 6- English , Cherokee , Spanish , French , Japanese and a bit of Tagalog.
All green . . . i'm really enjoying the autumn chill. <3
Just two (English & Hindi); though I do know a little bit of a few other languages.
LLSIF: MLal PSN: tigereds (currently playing Paragon)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Joe Wolverton, II, J.D.
The New American
November 9, 2012
A once reliable friend of the Obama administration is becoming its frequent foe. On Wednesday, the day after President Obama was reelected, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) leaned on the president to keep one of the first promises he made after being elected in 2008.
In its letter, the ACLU encouraged President Obama to shutter the infamous detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. The request was couched in congratulatory tones praising the president for his Election Night victory.
"We congratulate President Obama on his re-election. This is his opportunity to reaffirm our constitutional principles and the fundamental American values of due process, respect for the rule of law and individual freedom. It is a time to once again be a nation where we can be both safe and free," wrote Anthony Romero, executive director of the ACLU.
President Obama issued an executive order in 2009 calling for the closing of the detention facility within one year. In January, the prison "celebrated" 10 years of operation.
In his letter, issued as a press release, Romero reminded President Obama of his obligation to "respect the rule of law and individual freedom." He wrote, "We urge President Obama to end warrantless surveillance, extra-judicial killings by drones, indefinite detention and other un-American practices that have become official government policy."
President Obama has (in)famously compiled a kill list comprised of those individuals he suspects of threatening the security of the homeland. At least three of those killed by drone on the president's order have been American citizens. One of those three was Abdulrahman al-Awlaki, a teenager who was killed by a Hellfire missile launched from a Predator drone. This summary execution was carried out without charge, without trial, and without due process.
Abdulrahman al-Awlaki was killed in October 2011, and to date the Obama administration has never informed the country of any wrongdoing by this teenager other than being related to a man (his father) who posted anti-American videos on the Internet that allegedly influenced others to commit crimes. A government-sanctioned assassination of such an individual is repugnant to all those who cherish life, liberty, and the due process of law that protects them.
Regarding Guantanamo Bay, many of those detained at the facility have been held for a decade without being informed of any charge and without having an opportunity to respond to the accusations made against them before an unbiased judge.
Jurist.org reports that President Obama isn't the only one responsible for not shuttering Guantanamo:
According to Forum contributor David Frakt, the Obama administration is not solely to blame for Guantanamo Bay remaining open. The US Congress has, since 2009, "passed a series of increasingly stringent spending restrictions which have made it virtually impossible to transfer most detainees out of Guantanamo." Other scholars, including Forum contributor Jonathan Hafetz, have raised concerns about how the failure to close Guantanamo Bay "has helped justify the policies of arbitrary detention and torture that spurred its creation in the first place."
The awareness of the torture being carried out by American officials at the Guantanamo Bay facility was highlighted in a report released concurrent with Obama's election in November 2008.
The story was reported at the time by The New American:
Last month, a consortium of human-rights groups from the University of California at Berkeley released a report entitledGuantanamo and Its Aftermath: U.S. Detention and Interrogation Practices and Their Impact on Detainees [pdf]. Its 136 pages prove in dispassionate prose allegations that Americans passionately debate: The U.S. government imprisoned mostly innocent men, without trial or criminal charges, at its prison in Guantanamo Bay, abused a great many of them, and tortured some.
Returning to its more familiar role as champion of the liberal agenda, the ACLU promotes comprehensive immigration reform and easier access to abortion.
"Closer to home, the president needs to end his administration's discriminatory deportation policies, which foster racial profiling and do nothing to improve public safety, and remove the many dangerous abortion restrictions from the federal budget so that the right to a safe and legal abortion remains accessible to all women," the letter reads.
As a final thought, Romero prompts the president to use his next term to "put us back on the right track."
This article was posted: Friday, November 9, 2012 at 11:47 am


text:
Vanderbilt got outstanding performances from quarterback Jordan Rodgers and receiver Jordan Matthews, but dug too big of a hole and couldn't overcome its own crucial mistakes at the end in a 26-21 loss at Florida on Saturday.
Rodgers completed 19-of-28 throws for 297 yards and two touchdowns, with nine of those throws going to Matthews for 170 yards, helping VU nearly erase a 17-0 halftime deficit. Rodgers also ran for another score.
The pair was almost single-handedly responsible for the Commodores being down 20-14 late in the fourth quarter, and the Gators facing a fourth-and-1 from their own 16.
Florida lined up in its regular offense in an obvious attempt to draw the Commodores offsides. Defensive tackle Rob Lohr bit, giving UF a first down.
Later in the drive, Sean Richardson committed a pass interference penalty on a third-and-7 play with 3:15 left. That set up Jeff Demps' game-clinching, 52-yard touchdown run less than a minute later.
UF fumbled on its 2-point conversion, and Rodgers answered with a 10-yard toss to Chris Boyd with 1:16 left, pulling VU to within five.
But the Commodores couldn't grab the onside kick, and Florida ran out the clock.
Demps rushed 23 times for 158 yards and two scores, and UF's John Brantley completed 16-of-24 throws for 173 yards.
The snake-bitten Commodores also couldn't catch a crucial break in the second half, when Rodgers led the team to the UF 39 on a third-and-8 play. He threw to a wide-open Matthews in the middle of the field, but officials kept their flags in their pockets when Matthews was shoved in the before the pass fell incomplete.
Instead of a first down, the 'Dores Richard Kent punted the ball out of bounds at the UF 6, which was the origination of the Gators' game-winning drive.
The two mistakes on that drive were typical of a day in which VU's self-inflicted wounds played a big part in losing. The Gators came in as the nation's most-penalized team, yet drew three flags for 17 yards, whereas the Commodores were whistled 12 times for 106.
Florida scored first, when Jacoby Brissett nudged his way across the goal line on a sneak from less than a yard out with 8:39 left in the second quarter.
Just under four minutes later, the Gators ended a seven-play, 60-yard drive when Demps went untouched on a 5-yard touchdown run around the left side.
Caleb Sturgis added a 55-yard field goal with six seconds left in the half, giving UF a 17-0 lead at the break.
The Gators, who hadn't cracked the 230-yard mark in offense in their previous four games, didn't punt in the first half.
Vandy finally got on the board midway through the third quarter, when Rodgers was hit as he threw but still managed to find Matthews open in the end zone for a 26-yard score.
But the Gators answered immediately when Sturgis hit a 40-yard field goal on the game's next drive.
Still, VU hung in and answered on its next drive on Rodgers' 8-yard keeper on a third-and-goal play pulled VU within six after Ryan Fowler's extra point.
But after officials missed the call on Matthews on the follow-up drive, and Kent punted to set up UF's winning drive.


text:
"Hi, Mr. Harter."
If it's your first time walking the halls at Needham Elementary School, it takes some getting used to: a young student eagerly greeting the principal. Did you greet your principal? Pretty sure I didn't, and certainly not with similar enthusiasm.
"Hi, Josh," Mr. Harter replies. "Did you catch the bus?"
"Yes," Josh (not his real name) says as he continues down the hall away from us.
"Did you get to school on time?"
"Did you eat breakfast?"
Pete Harter, who is retiring as Needham's principal after 23 years on the job, says he doesn't know the name of each of the school's 404 children. But you wonder if that's not really true: He tends to underestimate himself.
"He makes all of those kids feel like they're the most special kids to Pete Harter that day," says Andrea Avantaggio, whose two children have attended Needham for a span of nine years. "He has time for every single one of them."
Today, Harter is wearing a blue Mickey Mouse tie. He wears a tie every day. Has a couple hundred of them. Earlier this year, on the 100th day of school, he strung up 100 of his ties over his office window.
There are recurring themes, you'll find, in the life and career of Pete Harter. There's the tie theme. There's also the doughnut theme – he can't resist a good doughnut or birthday cupcake. He's renowned for April Fool's pranks. He annually allows students to "slime" his face with Silly String or sundae toppings or mud after they've completed the read-a-thon fundraiser.
Some know him as a fisherman or athlete or softball umpire. Or for baking pies or entire breakfasts for staff.
Everyone who knows him undoubtedly has his or her personal Pete Harter story. I remember him for the wicked tennis serves he blasted at me a couple decades ago, the kind that your first instinct is not to hit back, but to avoid. And for the cribbage games he keeps stealing from me (two during our first interview for this story).
However you know him, you're proud to tell people he's your friend.
Desperately trying to make connections when he arrived to teach at Fort Lewis College 18 years ago, Gene Taylor approached Harter about a project that involved FLC student-teachers helping kids learn to build birdhouses.
Harter sized him up, took a chance, and for the last 18 years they've joined on projects to build or rebuild everything from old bikes to a giant kiva made with paper sacks.
"He's always looking for a way to do it rather than why you can't do it," says Taylor, a professor of teacher education. "He's also a genius at getting out of the way and saying, 'What do you need?'"
When Taylor walks into Needham, he sees excellence everywhere. And it's all about making the kids better people and better citizens. Warning: Here comes what might seem like excessive gushing, but Taylor's not alone in his praise.
"If I could, I would nominate Pete Harter for the Nobel Prize for peace, for all the things he does for teachers, for kids," Taylor says. "He's definitely one of the finer people on the planet."
So how were we so doggone blessed to have this man delivered to Durango?
The road begins in Arizona, where Harter graduated from Chandler High School in 1966. He went to Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., on a football scholarship but ended up as an all-Ivy League lacrosse player.
With his geology degree, he spent three years working the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico, scouting for minerals as an exploration geologist. It was an era of social consciousness, and the life wasn't cutting it for him. So he went to Arizona State University and got a teaching certificate.
His first job was in Red Mesa, Ariz., on the Navajo Reservation. "I was horrible," he says. But he hung in and lasted four years there. Good thing, because that's where he met his wife-to-be, Candace. Thirty-five years of marriage and three grown children later, they are still together. (Daughters Ellie and Hannah live in Washington, D.C.; son Jake works in Ignacio. All are Needham grads.)
Pete and Candace spent five years in Kotlik, Alaska, an Eskimo town of 600 on the Yukon River delta, where Harter served his first stint as a principal. The K-12 school made its own electricity and treated its own water.
Harter applied for the principal's job at Miller Middle School in 1987. Instead he was hired as assistant principal, and after two years the Needham job opened up.
As he's touring the classrooms, explaining about the programs and building improvements and teachers he's so proud of, two youngsters pop out of a classroom at full tilt.
"Slow down, guys," Mr. Harter tells them.
He's known for giving away candy – Tootsie Pops, Jolly Ranchers – but it's not the only time on the tour that he will play disciplinarian.
After 23 years, he's an institution at Needham. A quickly growing arboretum on the northwest side of the school, spearheaded by parent Peter Schertz, Avantaggio's husband, is named after him.
A reception Wednesday will honor Harter, but he's not done yet, his résumé not complete. In 2012-13, he and Deb Jacobs are job-sharing a fourth-grade class.
"The idea of coming full circle seemed like a nice closure of a career," he says.
There's another theme: full circle. The fourth-grade teaching team at Needham includes Tiffany Miera, who grew up with Harter as her principal, her basketball coach and her mentor.
"He was just always so supportive," Miera says. "He's a great role model. ... He sets a community standard."
Whether Harter continues teaching for more than a year is uncertain. He might find he's having too much fun fly-fishing and hunting, or hiking in desert canyons, or being a "shade-tree" mechanic, or traveling.
He says he won't miss being principal, that, at age 64, it's time to step out of the way. Twenty-three is a prime number, he points out, and he's not going to make it to the next one. (You do the math.)
Yes, he's a popular principal, and yes, people adore him. But what you really need to understand about Pete Harter is why he's popular, and it's because every day he keeps in mind a universal truth about education:
It's about the kids.
That's in the forefront of his thoughts in every room he visits, with every child who thrusts a piece of artwork up for his inspection, in every teacher whose classroom he strolls into as a regular visitor. The education process – to see a child learn to read, learn to multiply, understand why bullying is wrong, just to see them excited to be at the school ...
"It's magic," Harter says.
Tana Sparks has worked as Harter's administrative assistant for 22 years at Needham. She's seen time and again how he puts children first, and how compassion is his rule.
"Needham is a reflection of what is important to Pete," she says, "and what is important is making the world a better place."
firstname.lastname@example.com. John Peel writes a weekly human-interest column.


text:
Using Technology to Deliver Content
The National Hockey League shares innovative ways it serves content to fans. (4:34 min)
Using Technology to Deliver Content
More on Customer Experience
Changing the Smartphone Experience
Smartphone apps use cameras and sound to offer new types of information to users.
Unlock the Power of Video
Learn how to create, view, and share video with more people in more places.
The New CIO Operating Model
Three CIOs engage customers in new ways to increase sales and efficiency.
Implementing Customer Experience
Collaborate Your Way
Help your people to communicate more naturally - anywhere and anytime.
Take Work Where You Want to Go
Take your desktop with you and meet anywhere you can use your phone.
Sports and Entertainment : A New View
See how other stadiums are using Cisco StadiumVision to improve fan experiences.
Unlock the Power of Video
Expert Insight
John Collins
Chief Operations Officer, National Hockey League
"We try to offer fans content any way that they want it, on any device they choose. We want to know our customers well and serve them."Cisco Stadium Blog CIO Community
Executive Connection
Benefit from customer experience leadership and expertise at Cisco.
David K. Holland
Senior Vice President, Sports and Entertainment Solutions Group, Cisco


text:
Rosario available off bench against D-backs
By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com
PHOENIX -- Rockies manager Walt Weiss said that Wilin Rosario would be available for Tuesday night's second game of a three-game series against the D-backs at Chase Field a day after he learned that the injury to the catcher's left hand was a contusion rather than a fracture.
For the second consecutive night, Jordan Pacheco started behind the plate.
On Monday, Weiss said it was doubtful that Rosario could swing a bat, but he could be used in a pinch as a defensive replacement. That changed a bit on Tuesday.
"Today, he's swung the bat. He hasn't taken batting practice or anything, but he's taken some dry swings," Weiss said. "He's getting better."
When asked whether Rosario would be able to hit in the game, Weiss said, "He'd have to if we put him in there to catch. Yeah, he's OK. He's available to use in the game if we need him."
Rosario injured the hand swinging the bat this past weekend in Los Angeles. He's batting .244 with three homers and 13 RBIs in 22 games.
Charlie Culberson remains Weiss' emergency option behind the plate.
Chatwood leaves start with right elbow tightness
PHOENIX -- The Rockies will wait until Wednesday to further evaluate the condition of right-hander Tyler Chatwood, who left Tuesday night's game at Chase Field against the D-backs with the bases loaded and none out in the sixth inning because of tightness in his right elbow.
The injury was eerily similar to the elbow inflammation that put Chatwood on the disabled list for the month of August last season. He was scratched from his last start of 2013 because of the injury and subsequently had surgery to remove a chip from that elbow this past October.
"Chatty had some tightness in his elbow, so we wanted to get him out at that point," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said after his club won 5-4 at Chase Field on a ninth-inning homer off the bat of Drew Stubbs. "We'll re-evaluate him tomorrow."
Asked if he expected Chatwood to undergo an MRI, Weiss reiterated, "Not at this point. We'll re-evaluate tomorrow."
Chatwood walked Aaron Hill, allowed an Eric Chavez single and walked A.J. Pollock to load the bases. After throwing ball one to Chris Owings, Rockies trainers and Weiss went to the mound and removed him in favor of right-hander Chris Martin.
"I was going to give [Chatwood] another hitter because he's been one of our best ground-ball guys," Weiss said. "It's a tough spot to bring in a kid with the bases loaded and nobody out. I was going to give Chatty an opportunity to get a double-play ball and then go from there. It worked out where Martin came into the game and was fantastic."
After an extended warmup, Martin retired the next three batters on six pitches to get out of the jam.
Martin came on with a 1-0 count to Owings, who jumped on the first pitch and grounded to third baseman Nolan Arenado who turned it into an easy force at the plate. Pinch-hitter Roger Kieschnick struck out and Tony Campana grounded out.
Chatwood already spent a stint on the disabled list this season because of a strained left hamstring suffered while running the bases near the end of Spring Training. He was reinstated on April 13 and is 1-0 with 4.50 ERA this year in four starts.
No timetable for Cuddyer, but Weiss optimistic
PHOENIX -- Rockies outfielder Michael Cuddyer is due to come off the 15-day disabled list on Saturday. He's been out with a strained left hamstring since April 18.
And even though manager Walt Weiss seemed optimistic on Tuesday that Cuddyer would make that Saturday activation date, Cuddyer didn't sound so sure.
"I'm getting there. It's getting better. But there's no timetable," Cuddyer said.
Cuddyer injured his leg in a game against the Padres about a week and a half ago and hasn't played since then. He was batting .317 with three homers and 10 RBIs in 16 games before the injury.
"He's getting better, he's getting better," Weiss said. "I don't know exactly what the date is that he's eligible to come off, but he's definitely improving."
When told that Cuddyer had said there was no timetable for his return at this point, Weiss said, "No, I think he'd be ready around the time he's eligible to come off. He'll probably need to get some at bats, but I think he'll be ready pretty soon."
Cuddyer is one of three Rockies currently on the DL. Pitcher Jhoulys Chacin has been on the 15-day since the end of Spring Training with a right shoulder strain, and staffmate Brett Anderson is on the 60-day with fractured left index finger.
Barry M. Bloom is national reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog, Boomskie on Baseball. Follow @boomskie on Twitter. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
The GLK350 does get upgraded as well however and now has direct injection getting the M276 3.5 liter V6 which puts out 302 horses and 273 pound-feet of torque. It also gets a start/stop cylinder deactivation system to boost mileage.
A very well done facelift from Mercedes offering new engine choices. Most of the important changes coming are under the skin and that is just how we like it.


text:
Cashner's gem doesn't slow down Dodgers
SAN DIEGO -- At some point on Monday, Padres manager Bud Black will meet with pitcher Andrew Cashner to, in all likelihood, reiterate to him that his start Sunday against the Dodgers was his last of the season.
Will Cashner lobby for one more?Full Game Coverage
SAN DIEGO -- At some point on Monday, Padres manager Bud Black will meet with pitcher Andrew Cashner to, in all likelihood, reiterate to him that his start Sunday against the Dodgers was his last of the season.
Will Cashner lobby for one more?Full Game Coverage
"I'd love to, but I think that decision has been made," Cashner said.
The way that things have gone for him, Cashner would just as soon keep pitching, end of the season be damned, as he displayed more of the same dominant stuff Sunday that he's shown in a blissful second-half run, one that, for him at least, ended with a 1-0 loss to the Dodgers at Petco Park.
Cashner (10-9) allowed an unearned run in the seventh inning, which was the difference as the Dodgers took two of three games from the Padres, this one before a crowd of 32,988.
So is he done?
"More than likely, yes," Black said.
If that's the case, Cashner finishes the season with a 2.14 ERA in the second half, including a 0.80 ERA over his last six starts. Against the Dodgers Sunday, Cashner allowed four hits with no walks while striking out seven.
"It was great," said Padres catcher Rene Rivera. "They have a tough, tough lineup. He battled them for seven innings. He looked like he wanted to keep going."
The Padres have monitored Cashner's workload all season, as he threw a combined 69 2/3 innings a year ago between the big leagues and Triple-A Tucson, where he returned midseason to get stretched out as a starter.
This season, Cashner has thrown 175 innings, a total Black doesn't want to increase. Cashner's spot will come again on Saturday against the Giants, as the team is using a six-man rotation.
At this point, Black doesn't need to see any more of Cashner to know what he has.
"He pitched outstanding," Black said. "He's come a long ways. It's been great to see the development. ... He was making pitches with a lot of conviction. He's doing a lot of things fundamentally sound on the mound."
Cashner really only made one mistake on Sunday, hanging a breaking ball to Michael Young with one on in the seventh inning. Young's fly ball to right field sailed over the head of Will Venable, who had trouble fielding the ball, allowing Adrian Gonzalez scored from first base.
Young was credited with a double and Venable was given an error. That was the extent of the scoring for both sides.
"The guy today, for us, we put him in the [Matt] Harvey, [Jose] Fernandez category. He's got good stuff. He's not a surprise anymore. Quality stuff. He's tough," said Dodgers manager Don Mattingly.
The Padres managed to win one of the three games of this series even though they went 0-for-22 with runners in scoring position, including 0-for-5 against Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke and three relievers, including closer Kenley Jansen, who struck out the side in the ninth for his 27th save.
"Not good," Black said.
Greinke allowed two hits over five innings, walking one and striking out three before leaving the game. The Dodgers, who clinched the National League West title on Thursday, opted to remove Greinke after 72 pitches to get him a little rest before the postseason.
"It was his normal game, you saw the good fastball command, he changes speeds and threw a wide range of pitches. He's got movement. He's got location and he changes speeds," Black said.
Los Angeles reliever J.P. Howell (4-1) got the victory with a scoreless sixth inning.
The Padres put runners on the corners with one out in the seventh inning but came up empty against Dodgers reliever Chris Withrow, and Chase Headley reached on a Gonzalez error with one out in the eighth, but Withrow turned the Padres away again.
But the biggest development Sunday, and on a larger scale, was another strong start by Cashner, who figures to anchor the rotation in 2014.
"I'm very happy with where the season started to where I'm at now," he said. "The command of my fastball has been the biggest thing. And the whole second half, I've had my slider."
Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. Keep track of @FollowThePadres on Twitter.


text:
Skip to comments.Reynolds Starts Two New Jobs (Let's stroll down memory lane)
Posted on 07/26/2005 3:47:29 AM PDT by Liz
Reynolds Starts Two New Jobs
In one of his last official acts President Clinton commuted Mel Reynolds sentence. The former congressman had two years left to serve for tax evasion.
(POSTER'S NOTE Democratic congressman Mel Reynolds was sent to jail for criminal sexual assault and solicitation of child pornography. Reynolds was among the 176 criminals excused in President Clinton's last-minute forgiveness spree. Reynolds received a commutation of his six-and-a-half-year federal sentence for 15 convictions of wire fraud, bank fraud and lies to the Federal Election Commission. He is more notorious, however, for concurrently serving five years for sleeping with an underage campaign volunteer. This is a first in American politics: An ex-congressman who had sex with a subordinate... won clemency from a president who had sex with a subordinate... then was hired by a clergyman who had sex with a subordinate. Jesse hired Reynolds right after he was pardoned as, get this, a Rainbow/PUSH consultant for - prison reform! Reynolds who was zapped for having sex with an underage teen was also tapped by Rev Jesse to serve as a Youth (gag) Counselor.)
Now, he'll serve the rest of that sentence in a halfway house and he'll be working two new jobs.
Former congressman Mel Reynolds was greeted warmly by members of Salem Baptist Church. Among the first to embrace him was U.S. congressman Jesse Jackson Junior, who replaced Reynolds in Congress.
During church services Salem Baptist pastor Rev. James Meeks offered Reynolds the job of managing various church related projects, including building new homes in the Roseland neighborhood, helping the homeless and working with jail and prison inmates.
Rev. Jesse Jackson, who along with others including Rev. James Meeks, also offered Reynolds a job. Rev. Jackson said Reynolds will consult the Rainbow Coalition/Push organization's efforts to help jail and prison inmates.
Mel Reynolds said, his intention is to dedicate the rest of his life working to try and help homeless and working with men and women locked-up in jails and prisons.
There's no start date set for both of Reynolds new jobs.
Celebrity A-Hole of the Year---Jesse Jackson
His 2001 started out on a down note with the National Enquirer's blockbuster revelation that he fathered a child out of wedlock. To make matters worse, the child' mother, Karen Stanford (above), alleged that Jesse talked about getting an abortion and had failed to financially support the child. It was also revealed that Jesse brought a pregnant Ms. Stanford to the White House during the Clinton-Monica period when he was "ministering" to Bill Clinton about the sorry state of the Clinton marriage. You can't make this stuff up!
Remember all of Bill Clinton's disgraceful pardons? One that went relatively unnoticed was the pardon of Mel Reynolds. Does that name ring a bell? Democratic congressman Mel Reynolds was sent to jail for criminal sexual assault and solicitation of child pornography. Isn't it ironic that he was pardoned by Bill Clinton, a guy who knows a thing or two about deviant sexual behavior. Jesse saw fit to hire this guy right after he was pardoned as, get this, a Rainbow/PUSH consultant for - prison reform! What a disgrace, Jesse hiring a convicted child molester!
2001 would get even worse for Jesse. By mid-year Jesse was fending off repeated verbal attacked by Fox News' Bill O'Reilly over how and where he gets all of his money. Jesse has been using his Rainbow PUSH coalition as an extortion vehicle for years. Here is a typical example, the CEO of Cypress Semiconductor told Bill O'Reilly that Jackson demanded his company hire "consultants," people close to Jackson, for advice on how to integrate the company. As Cypress is very well integrated, the CEO told Jackson to take a hike. That my friends is extortion. Now that Jesse's persona had been so damaged, people like the CEO of Cypress are less afraid to come forward publicly. In the past, nobody challenged Jesse for fear of being labeled 'racist'. All of that has changed.
Not content to bury his head in shame and go away, Jesse soon pounced on the war in Afghanistan as a way to re-polish his tarnished image. Jesse claimed that religious leaders of the Taliban had contacted him and asked for his involvement on the issue of the foreign aid workers being held in Afghanistan. Jesse got several days of press coverage post- Sept. 11 as he publicly debated the Taliban's invitation to bring a 'delegation of religious leaders' to Afghanistan. Jesse met with Secretary of State Colin Powell and was told in no uncertain terms, "go away".
When a western journalist finally asked the Taliban spokesman about their interest in Jesse Jackson coming to Afghanistan to intervene in the dispute of the foreign aid workers, the spokesman replied, "Jesse who?" You see, Jesse had made the whole thing up. He was trying to use the greatest tragedy in American history to improve his image. A truly shameless and despicable thing to do.
What a year for Jesse Jackson.
It is for these reasons that Pundit Review has selected Jesse Jackson as Celebrity A-Hole of the Year!
Black culture appears to believe that no crime is too great to overlook as long as it appears that "blackie has been a victim of whitie." I am sure that Reynold's stated story has as many holes in it as OJ's alibi.
Add Jerry Lee Lewis parody song playing in the background "Whole Lotta F**king Going On"
A pominent NY judge was convicted of sending threatening letters to his former mistress' young daughter.
After serving time in jail he was given a standing ovation when he attended a bar function.
The judge was a jewish white male.
Victimization is a liberal's basic belief by which they blame and find others responsible for their own personal failures, then expect taxpayers, deep-pocketed ndividuals, or the courts to bail them out. To a liberal, it feels good to be in the throes of "victimization" and either A) causing victims, B) concocting victims, C) playing victim, D) commiserating over victims, or E) creating another class of victims to bleed over.
In the book about Sol Wachtler, former Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals who harassed, and attempted to extort his former mistress, serial adulteress, Joy Silverman, he was made to be the "victim" .......claiming Ms Joy was a sex maniac who came onto him, despite his protests (poster laughs uproariously).
Sexed-up Joy dumped the judge and moved on to another bed but Sol couldn't take rejection and began a series of bizarre criminal activities that landed him in jail.
The legal profession in NY just loved the guy and turned him into a hero.
Maybe Sol earned their undying respect b/c he was such a loyal and devoted Planned Parenthood acolyte?
Sol thoughtfully sent condoms to Joy's teenage daughter.
Which is why demonrats insist character doesn't matter. They just love their perverts.
Wachtler family loyalty runs deep----after he got out of his prison stripes, I believe Sol got a job with his son-in law's brokerage firm. Sol's wife also took him back----of course, money had nothing to do with it (smirk).
The abortion culture has nothing to do with "rights"-----abortion worshippers subscribe to a libertine morally relative lifestyle.
The thesis of moral relativism---upon which legalized abortion is enforced----appears to be that mankind exists in a guiltless vacuum, and is merely the sum of its private parts. Relativism---and Dumocrats---demand that all of society kneel in obeisance to its incessant need for gratification.
The language of laws, societal customs, and cultural institutions must be gutted and should exist only
to feed this carnal obsession.
The abortion savages, ACLU, NARAL, Planned Parenthood, together with left liberal and church-separation groups, are employed in this destructive objective.
The Political Correctness battering ram has been used by the Dumbo's and the moral relativists---better known as the Secular Taliban and their acolytes--- to beat back believers, to silence moral people of every faith, to keep them out of the public square.
Let the word go out----Political Correctness is dead----killed by a wounded culture corrupted and devastated by the Dummos' hydra-headed PC monster. It only remains for good people to bury it six feet under.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.


text:
Linking social media to loyalty programs can even the playing field
By Noah Glass, founder & CEO of OLO
Despite growing up in the Boston area and living in New York City for nearly a decade, I have spent my adult life as a devoted fan of the Oakland Athletics ("A's") baseball team. The story of the 2002 Oakland A's season is well documented and retold in the book, and now movie,"Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game" by Michael Lewis.
In it, Lewis tells the tale of how the front office of the A's – a team with the second-lowest salary cap (budget to spend on its players) in all of Major League Baseball – was able to assemble a ragtag team that could defy the odds and the experts to win 20 consecutive games, with the American League West division, and challenge the American League record for most consecutive wins.
The 2012 A's season was perhaps even more spectacular than 2002. This year, the A's had both the lowest salary cap ($49M) and a season plagued by injuries, yet they were able to sweep the Texas Rangers (and their $121M roster) to come from five games back and win the American League West in the final nine games of the season. Last month, as the A's battled their final bout against the Detroit Tigers (and their $119M roster), the Oakland fans waved signs that read "Thanks for the Magical Season" and rightly so. The thesis of "Moneyball" is that the A's have been able to reimagine baseball statistics and use these new tools to achieve extraordinary results.
Just like Major League Baseball, the restaurant industry has a very uneven playing field. Yet just like the Oakland Athletics, scrappy, cash-strapped restaurant chains are starting to use new tools to achieve extraordinary results. My favorite example of this is Boloco a 15-year-old, 22-unit fast casual chain serving "globally inspired burritos," and a restaurant group my firm has had the honor of working with for the past five years. Despite its relatively small size (compared with other burrito giants) Boloco is very active in the world of social media.
What further sets Boloco apart from the pack is how it is using social media to achieve extraordinary results in Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Watch Boloco's activity on Twitter, for example, and you will see a brand that is incredibly attentive to customer feedback. If a customer communicates with the brand with a compliment, Boloco may respond and reward that customer. How? Boloco utilizes a digital loyalty program powered by Paytronix, branded as "Boloco Card." Many Boloco customers have a Boloco Card, which allows them to earn points on every order and redeem rewards in-store and through the online and mobile ordering platform, powered by OLO. Utilizing a digital loyalty program has given Boloco social media superpowers: Boloco's "Social Media Diva" Cassidy Quinn Brettler and her team can do more than just respond to customers on Twitter; they can take action that results in customer traffic.
Imagine the following scenario: You've just had the best burrito of your life, a Memphis BBQ burrito from the Copley Square Boloco, and you want to tell the world about it, so you tweet about it. Boloco replies to your tweet with a message that informs you that they appreciate your tweet and have just loaded a Free Burrito Reward on your Boloco Card, providing you with a chance to get another Memphis BBQ burrito – on them! – or try a Buffalo burrito, which customers who like the Memphis BBQ burrito tend to enjoy, also free.
If you were already feeling excited about the brand and their product, this kind of doting attention is likely to turn you into a raving fan for life. At the very least, you will probably tweet again to thank Boloco and tell your friends about the amazing experience.
You may have just read that last paragraph and thought: "Well, but what are the odds that I would have had a Boloco Card? And if I did, wouldn't I already be a loyal fan of Boloco?" These are valid points. However, digital customer engagement providers can now use social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc.) to link a customer's existing social media identity to a new digital customer relationship with a brand. That is, reimagine the above example with the customer going to boloco.com to create a new Boloco Card account, linking that account to a Twitter profile, and having a Free Burrito Reward preloaded to his or her Boloco Card. Boloco grabs the customer's attention through Twitter and continues on its winning path by developing a new relationship through the Boloco Card.
Ultimately this would change the anonymous Twitterverse into a ripe platform from which to harvest one-to-one digital customer relationships. This kind of scrappy, resourceful "Moneyball Marketing" approach of digital customer engagement is what enables innovative brands like Boloco to punch above their weight class, form deeper customer relationships, and ultimately beat the competition, despite smaller marketing budgets.
As Lewis summarizes in Moneyball: "The pleasure of rooting for Goliath is that you can expect to win. The pleasure of rooting for David is that, while you don't know what to expect, you stand at least a chance of being inspired."
Noah Glass is the Founder & CEO of online and mobile ordering provider OLO. Highlighting OLO's innovation, Glass has been featured on Good Morning America, The Wall Street Journal, ABC World News and The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch.
Topics: Business Strategy and Profitability, Customer Service / Experience, Marketing / Branding / Promotion, Online / Mobile / Social, Operations Management
Sponsored Links:


text:
Discussion in 'Odds & Ends' started by Shaolin, Dec 16, 2005.
If only he was wearing a headband! >chuckles< :lol:
Guillermo Coria and actor Harvey Keitel
Tangerine, that's hilarious!
Hahahaha! :lol: Tangerine wins!
One more
nice, lol even the facial expression is about the same. Nice thinking
clap clap clap
Tangerine, you are too good. :lol:
Tangerine wins at life.
omg tangerine, this is hilarious.
Pat Mastroianni
These two look sort of alike. sorry i couldnt get a close up of Pat
Haha! Pat Mastroianni looks like my fitness trainer!
These are hilarious...I've got an idea also...but don't know how to upload pics...help!
Like this:
Ps: Znate li da pricate Hrvatski?
Do you know how to speak Croatian?
thnx klippy...
p.s You asked me if I spoke croatian in serbian
No, not Serbian. I am Bosnian. But I live in Australia.
OK Maybe my last one...
LMAO!!!! man you've really got nothing to do? Still funny though...
Hahahahahahhhaaha, I can't stop laughing!
Isn't this thread awesome? The Tim Henman comparison is kinda mean though...
How to upload pictures
If the image is on your computer...
1. Go to http://imageshack.us/.
2. Click "Browse..." and select the image.
3. Copy the link in to the left of "Thumbnail for forums (1)". If it's not there, use "Hotlink for forums (1)".
4. Paste the link in your post.
If the picture's on another website... (Assuming you're using IE)
1. If you're in "advanced" mode, you can click the button.
1. Right-click on the image and select "Properties".
2. Copy the "Address".
3. Paste it in your post.
4. Surround it with
HAH, oh yeah
AWWWW, the Tim Henman one is meeaaaaaan.
Noooo! Do more! You dp good ones.
Nice! Roddick giving her the stink-eye is classic!
Someone posted up a Bush/Moya one awhile back that was right on.
Tim Henman is a ferengi? Well gosh, then somebody at Wimbledon needs to award him Latinum not Pounds!!!!
hahaha roflol
This is fantastic, I thought that Carlos Moya and Guillermo Coria had very different faces not similar to anybody, yet I can see the clear resemblances Nice! ....
Thank you Raftermania...
Goran addresses the similarity:
Press: You are looking more and more like Jesus...
Goran: Maybe that is why I play good, you know.
Press:There was a close call and you said 'God'. Do you always talk to God?
Goran:It is nice to talk to him. He is always watching so why not talk?
This one's maybe more subtle...
guillermo coria and john cena
ana myskina and pornstar lezley zen
Man, in that Pic there is a clear resemblence....
Front on Ben Stiller looks more like Hrbaty, but check out his profile, more like Henman's!
Douggo, the other guy looks like a fatter Ljubicic in his sixties! LOL
I think the best ones are
Colin F. - Kiefer
Mauresmo - Hass
Agassi - Moby
Moya - Bono
and Ancic - Karate Kid.
HAHAHA that pic with Goran and jesus/god/whatever is GOLDEN!
/saves the pic
Taylor Dent http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2005/09/05/hewitt_5_gallery__373x550.jpg
Pudge Rodriguez http://www.dallasnews.com/img/photo/08-02/slideshow18.jpg
Looks like another sequel to 'Planet of the Apes' haha!!!
You people have way too much time on your hands! This is great!
LOL. Hi Fee *waves*
how about this
RAFA - the movie, starring Lou Diamond Phillips.
oh yeah, lol
lmao! omg, my sides hurt from seeing this one and the whale/dent one. you friggin rock!
In the "how about this" link, they made a mistake, they compare Federer with Daniliidou but they say it's Sania Mirza...just to clear things up if people didn't realize. BTW, I can't read that language, whatever that is...
Separate names with a comma.


text: I am looking at buying Zonealarm Extreme but see the box for 2012 appears to be the same as the latest 2013 - is there any way of identifying which download you are going to get? Buying direct from the Zonealarm website is not the most cost effective route - there are good offers out there. If I buy a new licence, will this automatically upgrade to the latest version whatever the year of software release? Thanks


text:
Chemistry Outcomes
The Chemistry Department supports the college-wide Core Learning Outcomes, in addition to promoting the following program-specific outcomes:
- Apply quantitative analysis to solve problems: by solving problems through the use of algebra, analyzing and predicting outcomes from graphical data, and converting between scientific units.
- Apply the scientific method: by forming hypothesis based upon observations, design and implement simple experiments, and draw reasonable conclusions.
- Critically evaluate the science related content: by interpreting data from graphs and tables.
- Effectively communicate scientific processes: by writing laboratory reports that includes data in tabular and graphical format, and summarizing results to explain the phenomena studied.


text:
SALISBURY — The Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce has announced the 31st Annual Salisbury Festival, presented by Toyota, Clear Channel Media & Entertainment, and the City of Salisbury, on April 26-28, in downtown Salisbury and Riverwalk Park.
One of the primary goals of the festival is to provide an opportunity for local non-profit organizations to raise money for their cause and to get the word out about the many good things that they are doing for our community. Live entertainment, local artisans, shopping, carnival rides and games, children's activities, food, a car show and so much more will make up the three-day festival.
Toyota, Clear Channel Media & Entertainment, and the City of Salisbury play an instrumental role in guaranteeing a safe and successful Salisbury Festival. The festival's major festival supporter is Comcast.
The Riverwalk Friday Night Block Party (sponsored by Pepsi) takes place from 4-11 p.m. on Friday, April 26 with food, carnival rides, games and more. The opening ceremony will start at 6 p.m. which includes a ribbon cutting to kick off the weekend's festivities.
Saturday morning the 8th Annual Ben Layton 5K Run/Walk to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society will be held at the Salisbury Zoo. Registration will begin at the east entrance of the zoo at 8 a.m. with the race starting at 9 a.m. Also Saturday morning, the Salisbury Fire Department's Annual Medal's Day Ceremony will take place from 9-11 a.m. on the steps in front of the Government Office Building. This ceremony provides an opportunity for members of the Salisbury Fire Department, surrounding county fire departments and civilians to be recognized for exceptional performance levels or achievements obtained the previous calendar year.
Saturday's festivities continue with the Park & Flea market in the parking lot in front of the State Office Complex off of Route 13. This market offers something for everyone including antiques, collectibles, yard sale items, produce, plants, and much more.
Stop by to watch local performance groups on the Court Street Stage (sponsored by Salisbury Roller Girls) and then stroll through the Arts on the Plaza on Saturday and enjoy the local crafters and artisans. Main Street Marketplace will include dozens of local non-profit organizations and commercial exhibitors with displays and activities. The classic car show hosted by the Wheels That Heal Car Club will also take place on East Main Street from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday. As always, enjoy a taste of the Eastern Shore by sampling food from our many local food vendors.
The Shore Fresh Growers Farmer's Market will also be set up from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. near East Main and Division streets. Local growers/producers will have various fresh seasonal produce, homemade jams and salsas, soy candles, herb plants, fresh baked goods, and more.
Make sure to stop by East Main and Division Street for "It Takes a Village" from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday. Empower Wicomico will have free activities for kids of all ages including making sock puppets, corn hole, painting, coloring, Legos, a scavenger hunt, and face painting.
New this year will be an International Beer Festival on Saturday, April 27 from 4-8 p.m. in Riverwalk Park. Sample and learn about dozens of beers from around the world. Music by On The Edge also from 4-8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets for the International Beer Festival are $25/person prior to the event and $30/person at the door.
There is still space for commercial, arts and crafts and non-profit vendors for this event. Call the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce at 410-749-0144.


text:
Beebe on Friday declared Benton, Boone, Carroll, Madison, Marion and Newton counties state disaster areas due to damage caused by severe storms and flooding over the past week.
The governor's office says teams of federal, state and local officials will begin formal assessment work on Monday.
They will determine whether Arkansas may qualify for federal disaster assistance when those assessments are complete.


text:
May I propose a tiny contest?
I have noticed a few arguments on the board highlighting the performance issues of C/C++ compared to C#/Java. I was wondering if it would be possible to have a contest to see who can write an application to do something the fastest in whatever language they chose.
I understand its not just the language but the person writing the code, that's why I would like to do it here as most people here are pretty knowledgeable.
The program we'd write would need to be something that tests lots of a languages features - a bit of string parsing, file I/O, calculations etc.


text:
Fresh Broccoli Salad with Bacon Recipe
- 1 bunch broccoli (about 1 pound), cut into florets
- 1/2 small red onion, chopped
- 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
- 8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- Place broccoli, onion, cheese and bacon in a salad bowl; set aside. In a small bowl, combine sugar, mayonnaise and vinegar; mix until the sugar dissolves and mixture is smooth Just before serving, pour dressing over salad and toss. Yield: 6 servings.
Reviews forFresh Broccoli Salad with Bacon
My Review
Average Rating
"Mmmm, mmmm good! I did add an additional tablespoon of vinegar to the dressing and left out the cheese but added about 1/3 cup of raisins and a generous sprinkling of sunflower kernels. With those adjustments, this salad was just what I remembered from years past. So good! Next time I will try it with the cheese - that sounds yummy too!"
"I also used cheddar cheese instead of the mozzarella."
"My whole family loved this. I used low-fat mayo and regular onion. I am making this again for company tomorrow and for a birthday party next week. We have fresh broccoli from the garden now."
"I made this the first time on Saturday and made it again on Sunday-it's that good! I used cheddar cheese instead of mozzarella and add about 1/4 cup of raisins."
"Also very good with craisins (or raisins) added!"
"excellent salad, i make this when i have to do a pot luck. i use red onion and add the bacon, just before i serve it......everyone wants the recipe."


text: Grimm returns tonight after a four month hiatus. The question is whether its audience will return as well. In its favor: a passionate fanbase, weak competition from Touch and fellow genre show Cult. Also, the show finally has an original lead-in, though it is the extremely incompatible Fashion Star. Working against it: going head-to-head with Friday's powerhouse Shark Tank, being off the air for so long, and airing on NBC in spring 2013. Its fall finale earned a 1.6 adults 18-49 rating. How will it do tonight? Make your predictions.


text:
A batting stance is highly personal, usually created early in a player's career and one that stays in place for the long run. Hall of Famers like Jackie Robinson -- straight up with his legs spread wide and bat held high -- and Stan Musial -- feet close together, body curled like a coiled spring -- had stances as distinctive as their personal DNAs.
Then there is Ike Davis of the Mets, who had a solid rookie season and then re-made himself at the plate. Davis came to the Majors with bat held high, and it worked well in a year in which he batted .264 with 19 home runs and 71 runs batted in. This season, though, he dropped his hands dramatically, a new look for the lanky first baseman.
"I was just messing around," Davis said. "It was to shorten my swing. You want to hit the ball square with backspin. The whole key is to hit it on the barrel. You've got to hit it hard. You want to be relaxed at the plate and be able to swing free and easy. Sometimes, you get too pumped up and you get yourself out. The approach has to be if I hit it, I hit it. I swing hard. It's all about putting good at-bats together."
The plan was working just fine for Davis, who had seven home runs with 25 RBIs and was hitting .302 over the first five weeks of the season. He set a Mets record with nine RBIs in the season's first 10 games. Then, in a May 10 game at Colorado, Troy Tulowitzki hit a simple popup in front of the pitcher's mound. Davis and third baseman Davis Wright converged on the ball and collided. Wright made the catch, but Davis came out of the collision with a sprained ankle and bone bruise that sent him to the disabled list.
"It's a huge loss," said manager Terry Collins, whose team has battled through a rash of injuries. The Mets hope to have Davis back by June 1.
Coillins appreciates Davis' mature approach at the plate. "He's made adjustments," the manager said. "He's cut his swing down. He's not trying to pull everything. He's using the whole field."
Davis has become a centerpiece in the Mets lineup since being promoted from Triple-A Buffalo two weeks into the 2010 season. He had a big Spring Training, but the Mets didn't want to rush him to the Major Leagues. "I thought I'd be a September callup," he said. "I only missed 12 games. I didn't expect that."
Davis made the most of the opportunity. He was a consistent bat in a lineup that was often offensively challenged. His defense was flawless and he made three memorable plays, catching foul popups as his body folded over the railing in front of the Mets dugout.
What's more, he was not intimidated by the dimensions at Citi Field, a pitcher-friendly park that yields home runs begrudgingly.
"What can you do?" Davis said. "It's my home. It's not going to change. I'm not going to worry about it."
Davis shrugged off the size of the ballpark to hit eight homers at Citi Field in 2010. He had two more before going on the DL this season, including a 456-foot shot that ranks as one of the longest in the three-year history of the ballpark.
His long-ball ability was one of the attractions for the Mets, who drafted him in the first round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft after he hit .385 with 26 doubles and 16 home runs in his junior year at Arizona State. He also came equipped with baseball genes. His father, Ron Davis, pitched in the Major Leagues for 11 years. They are the 197th father-son pair to play in the big leagues.
Davis said he talks to his dad frequently, but rarely about baseball. "Mostly, it's what you'd expect -- father and son talk."
But not batting stances.
Hal Bock is a freelance writer based in New York.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR TAX DEED Notice is hereby given that WACHOVIA BANK NA as Custodian/Trustee for Plymouth Park Tax, holder of tax certificate No. 574 issued May 23, 2001, has filed same in my office and has made application for a tax deed to be issued thereon. Said certificate embraces the following described property in the County of St. Johns, State of Florida, to-wit: PARCEL NUMBER 028790-1106 SEC 38 TWP 06 RGE 28 11-7F ANTONIO HUERTAS GRANT SUB PT OF S 1800 FT OF NW 1/4 OF SUB SECT 11 & PT OF E 400 FT OF SUB SEC 12 - BEING TRACT D-37 OF AN UNREC SURVEY (EX PTS SOLD & OR838/1461 & 966/1223 & 1116/1382 & 1203/974 & 981) OR851/1734 & 925/482 (C/T) & 1284/1224 (Q/C) OR1418/385 The assessment of the said property under the said certificate issued was in the name of STEPHEN M. SLUDER. Unless said certificate shall be redeemed according to law, the property described therein will be sold to the highest bidder at the front door of the St. Johns County Judicial Building, 4010 Lewis Speedway, St. Augustine, Florida, 32084, on MARCH 24, 2004 at 12:00 o'clock noon. Dated this Feb 10, 2004. (OFFICIAL SEAL) Cheryl Strickland Clerk of Circuit Court of St. Johns County, Florida In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act persons needing a special accommodation to participate in this proceeding should contact the Clerk of Court at 4010 Lewis Speedway, St. Augustine, FL 32095 no later than seven days prior to the sale date. Telephone: (904) 823-2333 Ext 310; 1-800-955-8771 (TDD) or 1-800-955-8770 (V), via Florida Relay Service. L367-4 Feb 18, 25, Mar 3, 10, 2004
Posted from 18-Feb-04 to 10-Mar-04
© 2018. All Rights Reserved. Contact Us


text:
Residents share their opinion on commission meetings, fatherless homes and nuclear energy.
No compassion
I was at the Marion County Commission meeting Tuesday, Feb. 19, and during public comment spoke up for a "yes" vote for the Amendment 11 tax exemption for low-income seniors — which 61 percent of us voted for and now our own commissioners have denied.
As the commissioners gave their reasons for not voting for the exemption, I realized how far apart we are in values. What I heard was contempt for anyone who felt compassion, self-righteousness and twisted logic. It's sad because now I know why Marion County will be sold to the highest bidder.
I got up as the commissioners were justifying their vote and, with other citizens, walked out.
Judy Etzler
Complex issues
The subject of fatherless homes is indeed a very serious and difficult one. Unfortunately, it is rooted in a vast array of societal issues too great for any one person, even the president, to make any progress toward change — gender inequality, racial inequality and financial inequality to name only a few.
Society as a whole must come together to address the many problems we face as a nation. This is no easy task. Fatherless homes are only one element in the greater scheme of our current problems. Finger-pointing and fear mongering are not helpful in resolving any of these current issues.
Deborah Parsons
A good deal
Your recent op-ed column calling for the repeal of the nuclear cost recovery fee incorrectly asserts that nuclear-plant development costs are advanced under current law. Rather, it allows periodic hearings to consider previously expended costs so that we ratepayers do not have to pay unnecessary interest charges on plants that take longer to construct.
This is good economics. It already resulted in expansion of two existing Florida nuclear plants providing an additional 500 megawatts of electricity with zero emission of greenhouse gases. The cost was less than the money saved from not having to buy the fossil fuel that would have been necessary without the nuclear plant expansions.
For five decades we Floridians have enjoyed cleaner air and lower electric bills because of our nuclear plants. The percentage of nuclear has dropped from 20 percent to about 12 percent due to population growth without new nuclear plant construction. The pay-as-you-go financing is necessary to catch up. We should resist efforts by opponents to repeal this law. The repeal would result in more air emissions and more expensive electricity.
As a Sarasota County resident who reads the Ocala Star-Banner, and as a nuclear engineer, former member of the Florida Legislature and former deputy administrator of the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration, I support new nuclear energy and oppose the currently proposed repeal legislation.
Jerry Paul
Unusual trauma case
As a physician, I have been interested in the Star-Banner articles about the new trauma center at Ocala Regional Medical Center. One case of particular interest that has been cited twice involves a man who had life-threatening bleeding.
The bleeding occurred during an outpatient procedure attempting to fix a splenic artery aneurysm. Until I read about this case, I used to think that trauma involved a serious accident at home, in the community or on the road.
Aneurysms involving visceral arteries are uncommon. Small ones rarely rupture or cause symptoms. Large ones can be tricky to fix. A doctor's office is an unusual place for trauma to occur.
I hope state and hospital authorities and trauma teams investigate this unusual case of trauma.
Dr. Robert Feldman
Medical Director
Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory
Munroe Regional Medical Center
Stranded ship of state
How do we resolve the abhorrent conduct of our elected officials who claim guardianship as the keepers of the keys to our democracy? I would like to propose a solution for the cross-aisle juveniles.
Charter the Carnival Cruise Lines' feces-soaked ship in its current state of repair, ship Congress out to mid-ocean and prohibit members from returning until they have resolved the catastrophic issues before the mast. I cannot believe that the conditions of life differ much from the great chambers of our elected government board could possibly mirror those in our sacred halls.
Perhaps a few meals of bread, mayo and onion can do what patriotism, decency and honor cannot.
Manny Abraben
Obama's humiliation
Well, I don't know about y'all, but the news lately is getting more interesting by the day. It started with the Benghazi fiasco and continues along the same venue.
The story starts with the "60 Minutes" interview with President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by correspondent Steve Kroft. Before you stop laughing, to you who actually saw them, I want to know how many of you watched the Congressional hearings of the questions given to Clinton by the gushing members of the committee about her role in the Benghazi attack. Especially the part where she answered, "What difference, at this point, does it make?"
That's the part that hurts most, when you think of the Americans who died.
Then we had on the news a video of the White House prayer breakfast with Dr. Benjamin Carson speaking, with a disgruntled Obama looking on during a rather scorching assay of the Obama health plan. The president was not laughing.
The cover-up of real facts on the Benghazi story from Obama and Clinton becomes another humiliation of the current regime, but to all of us, the four Americans will remain in question forever.
Hank Stevens


text:
Hungaroring FEST 23-26. July 2009 Budapest
The Hungaroring circuit is 19 km from the centre of Budapest, alongside the M3 motorway at the border of the village, Mogyoród.
The track is in a natural valley, surrounded by 50 hectares of rolling hillside. With this exceptional natural advantage, almost 80 percent of the racetrack is visible from any point. This is the reason why it is called "The Shallow Plate", it is because the spectators are watching races sitting by the side of an imaginary plate.
At the Grand Opening, the total length of the HungaroringTM was 4013,786 metres. A minor correction was made during 1989, as a result of cutting an S-curve combination, the circuit became faster, giving an extra overtaking opportunity to the drivers; hence, the full track length was reduced to 3971,8 metres.
The smallest radius of a curve is 20 metres, while the largest is 400 metres. The full length of the start-finish line is 788 metres, the top speed here is approximately 320 km/h. The track is at its widest here: 15 metres, elsewhere the width varies between 10 and 11 metres, relative to the possible highest speed.
The surface structure is a triple layer of asphalt, 5 cm thick each on 20-cm thick rubble and 20-cm thick concrete. The relative level difference between the highest and lowest point of the Ring is 36 metres. The greatest slope is 6,2%, while the largest descent is as much as 7,0%.
Hungaroring race track meets the strictest technical requirements and has therefore become one of the safest race tracks in the world.
The reconstruction works carried out at Hungaroring circuit in the year 2003, which have been in line with the FIA(Federation Internationale de l'Automobile), FOM (Formula One Management Ltd.), and the local ASN (national Autosport Federation of Hungary) resulted in the lengthening of the start-straight by 202 metres; the new circuit length is therefore 4381,08 metres.
Hungary (Hungarian: Magyarország, in English officially the Republic of Hungary (Magyar Köztársaság), literally Magyar (Hungarian) Republic), is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Its capital is Budapest. Hungary is a member of OECD, NATO, EU, V4 and is a Schengen state. The official language is Hungarian, which is part of the Finno-Ugric family, thus one of the four official languages of the European Union that are not of Indo-European origin.Following a Celtic (after c. 450 BC) and a Roman (9 AD – c. 430) period, the foundation of Hungary was laid in the late 9th century by the Hungarian ruler Árpád, whose great-grandson Stephen I of Hungary was crowned with a crown sent from Rome by the pope in 1000. After being recognized as a kingdom, Hungary remained a monarchy for 946 years, and at various points was regarded as one of the cultural centers of the Western world. A significant power until the end of World War I, Hungary lost over 70% of its territory, along with 3.3 million people of Hungarian ethnicity, under the Treaty of Trianon, the terms of which have been considered excessively harsh by many in Hungary. Hungary lost eight of its ten biggest cities as well. The kingdom was succeeded by a Communist era (1947–1989) during which Hungary gained widespread international attention regarding the Revolution of 1956 and the seminal move of opening its border with Austria in 1989, thus accelerating the collapse of the Eastern Bloc. The present form of government is a parliamentary republic (since 1989). Today, Hungary is a high-income economy, and a regional leader regarding certain markers.In the past decade, Hungary was listed as one of the 15 most popular tourist destinations in the world. The country is home to the largest thermal water cave system and the second largest thermal lake in the world (Lake Hévíz), the largest lake in Central Europe (Lake Balaton), and the largest natural grasslands in Europe (Hortobágy).Slightly more than one half of Hungary's landscape consists of flat to rolling plains of the Pannonian Basin: the most important plain regions include the Little Hungarian Plain in the west, and the Great Hungarian Plain in the southeast. The highest elevation above sea level on the latter is only 183 metres.Transdanubia is a primarily hilly region with a terrain varied by low mountains. These include the very eastern stretch of the Alps, Alpokalja, in the west of the country, the Transdanubian Medium Mountains, in the central region of Transdanubia, and the Mecsek Mountains and Villány Mountains in the south. The highest point of the area is the Írott-kő in the Alps, at 882 metres.The highest mountains of the country are located in the Carpathians: these lie in the northern parts, in a wide band along the Slovakian border (highest point: the Kékes at 1,014 m/3,327 ft).Hungary is divided in two by its main waterway, the Danube (Duna); other large rivers include the Tisza and Dráva, while Transdanubia contains Lake Balaton, a major body of water. The largest thermal lake in the world, Lake Hévíz (Hévíz Spa), is located in Hungary. The second largest lake in the Pannonian Basin is the artificial Lake Tisza (Tisza-tó).Phytogeographically, Hungary belongs to the Central European province of the Circumboreal Region within the Boreal Kingdom. According to the WWF, the territory of Hungary belongs to the ecoregion of Pannonian mixed forests.Hungary has a Continental climate, with hot summers with low overall humidity levels but frequent rainshowers and frigid to cold snowy winters. Average annual temperature is 9.7 °C (49.5 °F). Temperature extremes are about 42 °C (107.6 °F) in the summer and −29 °C (−20.2 °F) in the winter. Average temperature in the summer is 27 °C (80.6 °F) to 35 °C (95 °F) and in the winter it is 0 °C (32 °F) to −15 °C (5.0 °F). The average yearly rainfall is approximately 600 mm (23.6 in). A small, southern region of the country near Pécs enjoys a reputation for a Mediterranean climate, but in reality it is only slightly warmer than the rest of the country and still receives snow during the winter. Tibor IllesITB Panorama Photo


text:
So, today Google began launching their new "Place Search" feature, as reported by Greg Sterling. For those of us keeping a finger on the pulse of local search marketing, the change was not a huge surprise, since we've been watching the testing for quite a while and could predict in advance that it might impact some online directories and small-to-medium businesses negatively.
Place Search is Google's name for the new interface and layout of local search listings within their regular keyword search results page. If you haven't seen this yet, here's a screengrab for "florists, los angeles, ca":
As you can see, the change involves the map moving into the right sidebar. The top local business listings which accompany the map are no longer to the right of the map, but are now integrated into the search results page and occupy roughly the same amount of room as the other listings. Those business listings which coordinate with the map have a lettered pink pushpin icon and some have thumbnail icons which come from their Place Page information. The big impact of the change is that these listings are now counted as part of the number of listings on the search results page, so they seem to have effectively pushed a number of the organic search results down lower and off the page.
Somewhat ironically, the new design moves Google's local search results into a more traditionally "yellow pages style" design of listing out local businesses within a category.
A number of us local search marketers have been chatting about this sea change via email — early tipster hat-doff goes to Andrew Shotland who first began reporting it to us yesterday.
As changes go, this one will be quite disruptive, particularly to online business directories. Will Google Place Search be "game over" for online yellow pages? It's early yet to tell, but it certainly scoops up a lot of the lower-hanging fruit where local business queries are concerned. I continue to see referral traffic potential for those companies which are savvy enough to see where there remain good opportunities. However, I've had a few online yellow pages companies tell me privately that they are figuring there to be insufficient ROI for them to continue to consider SEO as a major/viable source of revenue.
Some people have commented along the lines of "this removes most of the organic results" from the first page. I want to clarify, since people could have gotten an unclear picture due to how we've all been referring to different search result page elements. Up until now, everyone's colloquially referred to the listings which have appeared below the 7-pack map results as the "organic" results. Actually, these are all "organic" — they're all appearing due to Google's algorithmic determination of relevancy and importance ranking criteria as opposed to paid search ads. Perhaps we should now refer to the different results as "local organic" listings versus "non-local organic" listings.
There's some thought that there could have been some ranking algorithm tweaks for the local results in parallel to these display changes. Steve Hatcher of Axemedia suggested that unclaimed Places may be showing up less:
While I've previously noted that claiming your business in Google Places is beneficial, I have found some instances of unclaimed business places in these new results pages while testing today. However, I think Steve could be on to something — it may be that claimed Places may be slightly more preferred in the new design of search results pages.
For small-to-medium local businesses, the major takeaway in these changes is that it's now much more obvious and critical to bring your "A-game" to your online promotional efforts and ignoring your information appearing in Google Maps is not really an option any longer (if it was prior to this). Your website should be optimized for local search, and you should be familiar with the concepts behind the local search ranking factors. Your website, your presence within multiple other online directories, and your overall online promotion efforts — all of these combined will help to decide if you appear on the first page of search results.
For online business directories and yellow pages, I'm sure this change likely will make you feel some sense of foreboding. However, I still see multiple opportunities even if the complexity and challenges with online SEO are increasing with the introduction of Place Search.
I expect we'll all have more information and suggestions once the dust has had a chance to settle.
Tags: Google Place Search, Google Places


text:
LaRoche hopes to return Tuesday
By Bill Ladson / MLB.com
CINCINNATI - Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche said his back was feeling much better and that he hoped to play against the White Sox on Tuesday at Nationals Park.
LaRoche missed the last two games against the Reds because of back tightness.
"It's a little better today," LaRoche said. "I didn't do anything. I think that's what got it better. I took some muscle relaxing stuff to stop the grip [in my back]. I can move around a little more today. A little bit of nothing is what I'm doing."
Leaner Ramos feels Bison-like after coming off injury
CINCINNATI -- Before the season started, the Nationals said they were going to start Wilson Ramos off slowly because he was coming off a devastating knee injury sustained last May against the Reds.
But to the surprise of many in the organization, Ramos has fully recovered and was off to a 4-for-9 start with two home runs through Saturday.
Hitting coach Rick Eckstein has noticed a change in Ramos. For one, Ramos lost about 15 pounds and looks mobile behind the plate. During Spring Training, Ramos said he would have never had the knee injury if he was in better shape.
Last season, Eckstein gave Ramos the nickname Buffalo. Now Ramos calls himself Bison because of the weight he lost before the season started.
"He is definitely in tip-top shape," Eckstein said. "Wilson has worked so hard this offseason to get back and be ready to go this spring. He has impressed everyone with his level of conditioning. He was on a strenuous program to be ready for the season. ... He hasn't skipped a beat. It's great to see. Wilson is a high-quality character guy that has tremendous talent. He has done a great job."
Werth exhibiting regained power homer by homer
CINCINNATI -- In Saturday's 7-6 victory over the Reds, Nationals right fielder Jayson Werth hit his second homer of the season off right-hander Sam LeCure. In fact, hitting coach Rick Eckstein called it a "pure" home run because the ball traveled 419 feet.
It's another indication that Werth's power is back and that his left wrist has fully recovered. Last season, Werth broke the wrist in early May while catching a fly ball.
After coming off the disabled list in early August, Werth hit just two home runs. He had that many home runs in four games this season.
"He looks great. He has really worked hard on his positioning in the batter's box," Eckstein said. "He feels like he is in position that he can drive the baseball. On Saturday, he hit a line drive that just kept carrying. He feeling good about what he is doing and where he is. He is continuing to grow in that process. It's looks like his wrist is doing great. I just like where he is at."
After miscue, Harper urged to exhibit more control
CINCINNATI -- Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper continues to show that he is not perfect in the outfield. During Saturday's 7-6 victory over the Reds, Devin Mesoraco reached base on an error by Ian Desmond, scoring Jay Bruce. The ball went to Harper, who overthrew the cutoff man while trying to throw Bruce out at the plate. It allowed the Reds runners to advance to second and third, but Cincinnati did not score any more runs in the inning.
Manager Davey Johnson said Harper must find a way to control his emotions on the field.
"[Harper] can't control his emotions; he is going to have to learn," Johnson said. "He understands it, but he can't control his emotions. He is a smart player, but he gets wound up at any moment. If he keeps the ball down, then he throws him out."
Harper acknowledged that he made a mistake but said, "If I throw him out, I'm perfect. If I don't, everybody will look at me and say I'm terrible. Nothing I can do."
Teammate Jayson Werth said Harper is a special player but has a lot to learn about the game of baseball.
"He's young. He is going to play a long time. He is a work in progress," Werth said.
Bill Ladson is a reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog, All Nats All the time. He also could be found on Twitter @WashingNats. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text: "These selections cover a broad spectrum of Liszt's diverse piano output and make an ideal introduction to his music. More importantly, Wild never fails to channel his virtuosity toward musical ends. He declaims rather than rushes through the Dante Sonata's myriad octave passages, and similarly takes time to orchestrate the B minor Ballade's groaning chromatic runs in the bass. The pianist also resists the temptation to turn Funérailles' central section into a mere octave etude, taking trouble to shape the rising right-hand chords. Wild spent his formative years working with opera singers, and it really shows in lyrical selections like the three Petrarca Sonetti, the Third Consolation, the Chopin/Liszt song My Joys, plus the Second and Third Liebestraume. This deserves a worthy place in any good piano library."Classics Today


text:
Completely Custom.
Truly Yours.
Since the beginning it has been our goal to produce high quality cabinetry at reasonable prices. We set out to provide you with the perfect match for your home. We provide your color, your design, your style, and your every detail with the handcrafted touch you deserve.
Feel free to browse our galleries, stop by, or give us a call anytime.
Looking for
Be sure to take a look at some of our signature designs before you make your way to our main gallery.
Closet Accessories
If you are looking for a way to save space and organize your closet space, Duane's Cabinets specializes in the installation of customized Rev-a-Shelf Closet Accessories. We have been very competitive in the market due to our low overhead and are able to offer more options for less money.


text:
John reports that 85% of our content served in response to www.ibiblio.org requests comes from our Squid cache! I knew that static object usage was a large per cent of our business, but 85% is pretty amazing. Thanks Squid. I'm trying not to remember live without you.
Fred has done a little research on tinyurl and has created a tinyurl random results generator. A single click takes you to sites that other folks have refered to using tinyurl. A very interesting diversion and a look into our selective collective mind.


text:
KEY WEST, Fla. - Key West's annual decadent costuming festival continues with some 60,000 revelers expected for Saturday night's highlight parade.
Although most Fantasy Fest events are adult-oriented, several are appropriate for youngsters, including Wednesday evening's Pet Masquerade, where many dressed-up animals subscribed to the festival theme of "Super Heroes, Villains... & Beyond."
Standout entries included a feline "vampire" reclining in a fake coffin, a superhero ensemble featuring a husky dog actually named Batman, and six glamorously-garbed people and pooches spoofing the "Real Housewives" television shows.
Two entries included small dogs costumed as Diana Nyad, who recently swam from Cuba to Key West, "menaced" by humans dressed as jellyfish. The real Nyad is to lead Saturday's parade.
Fantasy Fest runs through Sunday with events including a masquerade march through Key West's historic district.
Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
Vitamin D and Cancer
Vitamin D is essential for the formation, growth, and repair of bones and for normal calcium absorption and immune function. It is obtained primarily through exposure of the skin to ultraviolet radiation in sunlight, but it can also be obtained from some foods and dietary supplements. Some recent research suggests vitamin D may be able to stop or prevent cancer. Now, a new study finds an enzyme that plays a role in metabolizing vitamin D can predict lung cancer survival. The study, from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, suggests that this enzyme stops the anti-cancer effects of vitamin D. Levels of the enzyme, called CYP24A1, were elevated as much as 50 times in lung adenocarcinoma compared with normal lung tissue. The higher the level of CYP24A1, the more likely tumors were to be aggressive. About a third of lung cancer patients had high levels of the enzyme. After five years, those patients had nearly half the survival rate as patients with low levels of the enzyme.
Vitamin D is technically not a vitamin. It is the name given to a group of fat-soluble prohormones (substances that are precursors to hormones that usually have little hormonal activity by themselves). Two major forms of vitamin D that are important to humans are vitamin D2, or ergocalciferol, and vitamin D3, or cholecalciferol.
Vitamin D2 is made naturally by plants, and vitamin D3 is made naturally by the body when the skin is exposed to ultraviolet radiation (in particular, UVB radiation) in sunlight. Vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 can also be commercially manufactured.
A large number of scientific studies have investigated a possible role for vitamin D in cancer prevention.
The first results came from epidemiologic studies known as geographic correlation studies. In these studies, an inverse relationship was found between sunlight exposure levels in a given geographic area and the rates of incidence and death for certain cancers in that area. Individuals living in southern latitudes were found to have lower rates of incidence and death for these cancers than those living at northern latitudes. Because sunlight/UV exposure is necessary for the production of vitamin D3, researchers hypothesized that variation in vitamin D levels accounted for the observed relationships.
Evidence of a possible cancer-protective role for vitamin D has also been found in laboratory studies of the effect of vitamin D treatment on cancer cells in culture.
Randomized clinical trials designed to investigate the effects of vitamin D intake on bone health have suggested that higher vitamin D intakes may reduce the risk of cancer.
The new research has linked cancer risk reduction to how CYP24A1 interacts with calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D. CYP24A1 breaks down calcitriol, which has a normal and crucial role when kept in check. But when levels of CYP24A1 climb, the enzyme begins to hinder the positive anti-cancer effects of vitamin D.
Results of the study appear in Clinical Cancer Research.
"Half of lung cancers will recur after surgery, so it's important to find a way to prevent or delay this recurrence. A natural compound like vitamin D is attractive because it has few side effects, but it's even better if we can determine exactly who would benefit from receiving vitamin D," says study author Nithya Ramnath, M.D., associate professor of internal medicine at the U-M Medical School.
Current recommendations call for 600-800 IU (international units) of vitamin D daily, depending on age. Studies looking at vitamin D in lung cancer are testing medically administered doses 200 times what could be taken by mouth naturally. Taking large amounts of vitamin D supplements is not currently recommended to prevent or treat lung cancer.
For further information: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-03/uomh-slv030111.php


text:
During one of the major Rubik's cube competitions a few years ago, most of the ten contestants used the old T-method, while a couple used a new method that consists mainly of getting all the corners first. Does anybody know where I might be able to find this solution?
Don't blame me for the vagueness - I'm actually trying to track this down for a friend.