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Romney's N.H. struggle
Associated Press
BERLIN, N.H. -- Mitt Romney is a part-time resident of this tiny state, and his fiscally conservative, socially moderate tenure as governor of neighboring Massachusetts once seemed a good match for New Hampshire's independent and libertarian-leaning electorate.
Yet, Romney trails President Barack Obama in polls here, as he does in most other presidential battlegrounds, despite spending considerable time and money to lock up the state's four Electoral College votes. Some New Hampshire voters say they are turned off by his shift to the right on issues like abortion, while others have absorbed the message from Obama campaign ads depicting Romney as a wealthy corporate titan who doesn't understand the concerns of ordinary people.
"He's just another rich, arrogant son of a gun," said Norm Small, 61, a registered independent who runs a bowling alley in Berlin in northern New Hampshire. The town is home to many of the working-class white voters who have never embraced Obama, but interviews found many residents deeply skeptical of Romney's fiscal policies and aura of privilege.
Small said he was offended by comments Romney made at a secretly videotaped Florida fundraiser suggesting that 47 percent of people see themselves as "victims" entitled to public assistance and are unwilling to take responsibility for their own lives. The Obama campaign is running a tough new ad in New Hampshire drawing attention to those remarks.
"The people who are getting help probably really need it," Small said. "Romney says 47 percent of people are living off the dole? He should realize that lot of them are struggling."
Polls until recently had shown Romney giving strong chase to Obama in a state Obama carried by nearly 10 percentage points over Republican John McCain four years ago. But a University of New Hampshire poll released Monday found Obama leading Romney by 52-37 percent among likely New Hampshire voters.
The Romney campaign's TV advertising has dipped somewhat in the state in recent weeks but has been buoyed by ads from the super PAC American Crossroads. Aides downplayed the advertising drop, noting the state does not have an early voting program, meaning voters can be wooed through Election Day, Nov. 6.
"We are committed, we are focused, and we have a ground game that is extraordinarily strong," Romney senior New Hampshire adviser Jim Merrill said. "This state is absolutely in play."
Romney has made the state part of his identity: He formally announced his 2012 presidential candidacy at a New Hampshire farm and has spent many weekends at his vacation compound on Lake Winnipesaukee.
New Hampshire has not always been the most hospitable place for Obama. In the 2008 Democratic primary, voters snubbed him for rival Hillary Rodham Clinton just days after Obama routed the former first lady in Iowa's kickoff caucuses.
Berlin resident David Viger says Obama's tax and regulatory policies have hurt and in some cases shut down local businesses. The 61-year-old auto repair shop owner says he is eager to vote for Romney.
"Romney is a successful businessman. Obama is not," Viger said. "Obama has no clue on how to run a business. Obama couldn't run a lemonade stand."
New Hampshire is the smallest of the major battleground states. But both sides are acutely aware of its potential to alter the outcome if the national contest is tight.
They point to 2000, when Democrat Al Gore lost New Hampshire by just 7,000 votes to Republican George W. Bush. Had Gore prevailed in New Hampshire, he would have had the 270 votes needed to win the election and the famously disputed Florida vote would not have determined the race.
Romney still must convince voters here he's still the pragmatic problem-solver they observed in Massachusetts.
"A fiscally conservative, socially libertarian message wins here," New Hampshire Institute of Politics director Neil Levesque said. "The message is: 'Stay away from me, stay away from my life, and, by the way, what's going on with all the spending? ... Washington is out of control."'
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us. We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.


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Donny was born on Aug. 8, 1932, to the late Grady and Margaret Wood. He was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church of Russellville. Donny worked as a self-employed fresh produce salesman in front of Leonard's Hardware Store in Russellville for many years and enjoyed mowing lawns.
Donny was preceded in death by his parents, Grady and Margaret Wood; his brother, Robert L. Wood Sr.; and two sisters, Dorothy G. Neugerbauer and Mary Catherine Woods.
He leaves his loving memories to be cherished by his four nephews, Robert C. Kopp, Robert L Wood Jr., Terry Woods, and David Woods; many great and great-great nieces and nephews; cousins, Edwin and Joyce Shinn; and his wonderful caregivers from AMCare of Russellville.
Visitation will be conduccted at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 14, 2012, at Humphrey Funeral Service in Russellville. Donny will be laid to rest at Oakland Cemetery in Russellville at 11 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 14, 2012, with the Reverend Darrell Kobs of St. John's Lutheran Church officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. John's Lutheran Church of Russellville, 500 North Cumberland Ave., Russellville AR 72801.

subset: commoncrawl


text: "Mayes ... lives a blessedly split lifegoing back and forth between northern California and Cortona, Italy, which provides her Tuscan sunshine. It is from these bases that she and her husband, Ed, venture forth to the places some will find too familiarScotland, the Greek islands, Naples. But paradoxically, it is just this sticking to well-trod ground that is one of the book's strengths.... When Mayes is at her best, she proves the point that a good writer, a good traveler, can always come up with new insights.... Her talk of the painter Mantegna and of Shakespeare (in English, Mantova is Mantua, where Romeo awaits news of Juliet) and of the powerful ruling Gonzaga family adds depth and texture to her narrative. (You find yourself making a mental note to plan a visit to the city and to re-read Romeo and Juliet on the way there.)... Among Mayes's most thought-provoking passages are the ones in which she faces the least Western cultures of her travels: a visit to the city of Fez in Morocco and another cruise (of a very different sort) in a traditional wooden gulet along Turkey's Lycian coast. Her penchant for historical detail and her keen observer's eye stand her in particularly good stead in these less familiar surroundings. She also does well when she draws back the curtain on her emotional life, notably during the chapter on Scotland, in which she ruminates on friendships over the passage of time. The friends with whom she is sharing her house-rental are of long standing, but seen infrequently now.... Her thoughts here are interesting, real, honestly felt."Washington Post


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By Adam Franks
During the back and forth in the weeks leading up to the October 2008 approval of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, analysts and critics of the $700 billion bailout and its administrative vehicle, the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP), suggested Congress might not be entirely sure of the battle it was entering, let alone the weapons it should employ.
Their warnings may be coming to fruition.
As heads of the Department of the Treasury, Federal Reserve and Federal Depositors Insurance Corporation continue to craft an overhaul of the bailout former President Bush and Congress hurried into legislation, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report last week scrutinizing TARP and raising questions of its effectiveness thus far.
The GAO report shows the Treasury distributed $293.7 billion of the approved $700 billion as of Jan. 23, 2009.
Nearly $200 billion of the funds dispersed went into purchasing preferred shares in more than 300 ailing financial institutions via the Capital Purchase Program, the Treasury's primary tool for stabilizing financial markets.
The $200 billion capital injection does not include, however, funds set aside specifically for toxic assets held by Bank of America and Citigroup, or the $20 billion Automotive Industry Financing Program approved to support Chrysler and General Motors.
The GOA offered a grim analysis on the bailout's effects, saying the rescue effort has done little to reduce the perception of risk in the corporate bond and mortgage markets. In essence, TARP has apparently had little success creating confidence among commercial and consumer lenders.
This week, President Barack Obama indicated additional bailout funds may be needed to thaw credit markets, although relief may come through monetary policy - the Federal Reserve purchasing financial instruments in open market operations - rather than further driving up the federal deficit.
Although it is hasty to say the bailout is (or will be) ineffective, it is interesting to consider if the financial system would right itself through other economic forces, natural or induced, without the $700 billion burden on taxpayers.
President Obama and company face a difficult task this year as they attempt to rework a rescue of the financial system and finalize an attempt to jump start the economy. While there is no panacea for reviving an economy facing its most dire housing and financial crises since the 1930s, we trust our nation's leaders - specifically Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke and newly-minted Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner - will prevent a meltdown of the magnitude suffered 80 years ago.


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Skip to page content
Can anyone tell me what this is , please? Found on raspberry canes in OX10
Actually, it is not a weevil; not even a beetle.
It is a member of the true bugs (Hemiptera).
It is a nymph of
the rhombic leatherbug, Syromastus rhombeus
- http://www.britishbugs.org.uk/heteroptera/Coreidae/syromastus_rhombeus.html
dock bug, Coreus marginatus
- http://www.britishbugs.org.uk/heteroptera/Coreidae/coreus_marginatus.html
- http://www.ispot.org.uk/species_dictionary/Coreus%20marginatus
The latter is more common and more commonly-associated with soft fruit such as respberries.
I would lean towards the latter.
In looking at the photos, bear in mind most of them are of adults, which look different.
Related species here
- http://www.britishbugs.org.uk/gallery/heteroptera/Coreidae/coreidae.html
(Boat bug, Enoplops scapha is somewhat similar.)
It looks like a Dock bug nymph to me.
Thank you both
My 7 year old grandson thinks his grandma can identify anything - and on this I had no idea!!!!


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As relatives of murdered woman look on, Boston man pleads not guilty to charges he killed his ex-wife in her Stoughton home
Anita Clark, the Stoughton woman allegedly murdered by her ex-husband this weekend, had filed for divorce from Willie Foster Jr. in 2011, citing what she described as "cruel'' treatment by Foster, according to court records.
At the time of the divorce filing, Clark and Foster and their two children were living on Canton Street in Stoughton, according to records filed in Norfolk Probate and Family Court.
Clark's body was found Saturday inside a closet in a bedroom of her home on Glen Echo Boulevard in Stoughton, and Foster was quickly identified by Stoughton police and State Police as the alleged killer, officials said.
Foster was arrested in Mattapan Square this morning by Boston police.
With a large delegation of Clark's family looking on, Foster appeared in Stoughton District Court today where he pleaded not guilty to murder charges and was ordered held without bail by District Court Judge Richard D.Savignano, according to Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey's office.
Foster's defense attorney, George Murphy, did not make a bail argument.
Foster is due back in court June 7.
The probate court documents say Clark sought a divorce on grounds of "cruel and verbal abuse treatment; desertion.''
According to the records, Clark and Foster, who had gotten married in 2006, tried to save their marriage. The couple entered into marriage counseling and agreed to put the divorce proceedings on hold until August 2011, records show.
But the efforts at reconciliation ultimately failed, the records show, and they were formally divorced on Aug. 22, 2011, in a one-page order.
Clark was given sole legal and sole physical custody of the couple's two children, who are now 6 and 13 years old. The mother was given authority to decide when, and how often, Foster could visit the children.
Foster was also ordered to pay $50 a week in child support, records show.
There is no record that Clark sought a restraining order through the probate court against her ex-husband.
When her body was found, Clark had obvious signs of having been stabbed by an assailant, and the state medical examiner's office has concluded she was killed by multiple stab wounds, according to David Traub, a spokesman for Morrissey.
When police searched Clark's home on Glen Echo Boulevard on Saturday, they found evidence of a struggle in her bedroom. Clark's body was discovered in a bedroom closet, partially hidden underneath a number of household items, Morrissey said this weekend.
In a telephone interview today, Boston Police Captain Steven McLaughlin said he was driving through Mattapan Square shortly after 7 a.m. today when a dispatcher announced that the car Stoughton police believed Foster was driving had been spotted parked behind the Mattapan Community Health Center in the square.
McLaughlin said he drove his unmarked police vehicle into the lot, confirmed that the car was there – and spotted Foster sitting inside it – and then alerted the dispatcher to his discovery.
He circled the driveway in his car, waiting for officers from Area B-3 to arrive, while hoping that Foster did not spot him and drive away.
"I knew he was wanted for murder,'' McLaughlin said. "I wasn't going to take him on myself.''
Within seconds, at least two marked cruisers from the Area B-3 station joined McLaughlin in the parking lot, plugging up the exits with their vehicles. Then McLaughlin and the uniformed officers jumped out of their cruisers, guns drawn, and took Foster into custody.
"They did a great job,'' said McLaughlin, who credited officers from Area B-3 with ultimately taking Foster into custody. "Nice and smooth. No major incidents.''


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Music fans are patiently waiting until November 6th to hear Music from Another Dimension, Aerosmith's first album in eight years, but you can watch the band's new music video for the lead single "Legendary Child" today.
Steven Tyler announced on his website yesterday that the video would premiere on Aerosmith's VEVO Channel July 10th and even posted three screen shots. "OK…THE LABEL MAY KILL ME 4 THIS…LEAKING SOME PICS B4 THE PREIMIERE TOMORROW…OOOOOOOOPS!!!!" Tyler posted, with excessive use of caps lock and creative spelling giving away his obvious excitement. Watch below.
The video begins like a movie trailer about "America's Greatest Rock band," mentioning that they have survived varying musical trends, industry struggles, divorce, drug addiction and even bad sushi. If Aerosmith keeps up with the episodic theme, "Legendary Child" might be part one of what could be many cinematic music videos… with girls on roller skates ("Legendary Child" stars Alexa Vega, famous for her role as Carmen Cortez in Spy Kids).
– E.J. Judge, WCBSFM New York


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Priceless rock art in National Conservation Lands being defaced, destroyed, stolen
Ongoing investigations of sites within our National Conservation Lands in the Southwest and southern California are uncovering evidence of cultures and traditions dating back thousands of years. These sites are providing a one-of-a-kind opportunity to research, study, and assess how these different cultures lived and adapted. Something new is being found all the time. Yet, most have never heard about these efforts, let alone the sites and the cultural treasures they contain.
One unit within the National Conservation Lands, Canyons of the Ancients in Colorado, has been focal point of these research efforts. It has by far the greatest known concentration of archeological sites in the nation – 6,400 so far -- including cliff dwellings, villages, great kivas, and rock art. But it is not alone.
Sloan Canyon, close to Las Vegas, has what is called the Sistine Chapel of Native American rock art. Researchers at Las Cienegas in Arizona are uncovering villages dating back 2,500 years or more. And San Jacinto/Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains in southern California contains the nexus of prehistoric trails and agave pits for the Agua Caliente Cahuilla Indians.
All these sites are part of our National Conservation Lands which are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year. The Lands consist of some of the country's most spectacular scenic, historic, natural, cultural and archaeological places – in all, more than 800 National Monuments, Wilderness Areas, Conservation Areas, Scenic and Historic Trails, and Wild and Scenic Rivers. These Lands are, in fact, where you can experience the American West as it was.
Sadly, since they were established a decade ago, our National Conservation Lands have not gotten the level of funding, protection, recognition, or support that they need from the federal government to step up the inventory, assessment, preservation, and maintenance of the archeological sites to be found. Even at the Canyons, which is further along in its assessment of its cultural resources than any other unit of National Conservation Lands, only a quarter of the estimated sites have been identified to date.
Many cultural resources also are increasingly threatened by vandalism and looting. Rock art is used for target practice. Boulders containing petroglyphs have been trucked away, one only recently in Arizona. Human remains are disturbed. And rock shelters and habitation sites are burrowed into, sifted through, and dug out by those searching for artifacts. Indeed, some would-be vandals and looters are using GPS tracking devices to find ruins only to deface or remove them when they do!
This summer and fall, volunteers are fanning out to many units of our National Conservation Lands to help restore and conserve the lands and the cultural resources they contain. But more, much more, needs to be done.
Photograph shows graffiti defacing an age-old petroglyph in the Gold Butte Wilderness area of Nevada. Note the date atop, below, and beside the petroglyph.
For more information: http://conservationlands.org/


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MoD 'seeking BAE merger safeguards'
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has told BAE Systems and proposed merger partner EADS they must provide safeguards over Britain's Trident nuclear weapons programme before the multi-billion-pound tie-up can go ahead, it has been reported.
Guarantees over Trident nuclear submarines - which are built by BAE at its yard in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria - are the top priority for the MoD and Department for Business, according to the Sunday Times.
It is also reported that the Government has drawn up a list of so-called "red line" issues detailing national security concerns of the proposed deal, which would create the world's biggest aerospace company with a market value of more than £30 billion, combined sales of about £60 billion and 220,000 staff.
Experts have raised concerns over the political hurdles the mega-merger faces, given the sensitive nature of national security work handled by the two firms and with approval required from a number of governments worldwide.
The British Government has a so-called golden share in BAE that allows it to veto deals that are seen to put the public interest at risk and has already said it will seek to ensure UK interests are "properly protected".
There are also worries over a backlash from the US - with BAE the biggest foreign supplier to the American military - while Airbus aircraft parent EADS is part-owned by the French and German governments, which have stakes of 15% and 7.5% respectively.
It is thought the merger will only receive British Government approval if the companies can give guarantees that details of the Trident programme will not be passed to France or Germany.
Andrew Gollan, analyst at brokers Investec, last week advised BAE investors to sell their shares in the wake of the announcement, citing the complexities of a deal and the "politically-sensitive issues" involved.
Despite the potential difficulties faced in getting the deal waived, there is said to be a strong commercial rationale to a merger of the two.
BAE is an expert in defence with lucrative contracts in the US and UK in particular and Franco-German group EADS is a leader in the commercial aircraft and aerospace sector.


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Hello there!
I joined up here because I was wearing out the spines on my HP books, and because I have free time. A lot of it. (Which I usually devote to reading and writing, at any rate.) I've read fanfiction before, and I love unexpected pairings. I like random things, and I think it's good to be shocked and disturbed every now and then- otherwise, things would be very boring, wouldn't they?
I'll put something up soon. Eventually. In the mean time, I hope to read some good fics and hopefully learn something from the great writers here!


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I've to extend someone's program, where I found him loading a bitmap into memory, and storing the pointer (a char*) to the first byte of this blob and the length somewhere. Is this common practice?
It seemed to be sensible behaviour until I noticed that *pointertoblob was just pointertoblob[0], makes sense, since char* is only one byte, and thus it only points to one byte.
But cout << pointertoblob doesn't give me an address like it normally would, instead it gives me the whole blob. And it didn't even need to know how long the blob was. How is this possible? How can I make a blob somewhere in memory which I can play around with in my own test program? What is the name of this technique so I can search it?


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Please enter a valid mileage
By KBB.com Editors - Updated Date: 1/22/2008
The Toyota Tundra, which debuted as an all-new (except for its name) 2007 model, matches or beats domestic full-size
pickups in most size, performance and price measurements. For 2008, the Tundra lineup expands to include lower-priced variations of its four-door Double Cab and CrewMax models. Also, the mid-level SR5 and top-level Limited trims now come standard with several features that were previously optional. The U.S.-built Tundra features standard side airbags and electronic stability control and is the first full-sized
pickup to earn the
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Top Safety Pick award. The Tundra competes directly with full-sized pickups from Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge, GMC and Nissan.
If you haul a lot of stuff and/or people, the Tundra is up for the job. Depending upon configuration, the payload can exceed one ton and towing capacity can reach 10,600 pounds. Pulling that load can be the available 5.7-liter V8 with 401 pound-feet of torque.
Those who enjoyed the more nimble, economical Toyota pickups of the past may find the 2008 Toyota Tundra far too large. The Tundra's size means it can be challenging to maneuver in tight situations and, understandably, it is not particularly fuel-efficient. Short people and older folks may have difficulty climbing up and into four-wheel-drive versions.
For 2008, the Toyota Tundra adds lower-cost trim packages for Double Cab and CrewMax, which are both four-door models. Also, some previously optional features are now standard on the mid-level SR5 and up-scale Limited trim levels.
From the driver's seat, there's no mistaking the 2008 Toyota Tundra is a very big vehicle. The tall seating position makes it easy to see the highway ahead, but its considerable size means the Tundra may require some concentration to keep it correctly positioned on narrow roads and in crowded parking lots. The available sonar warning system and backup camera will be welcome when parking, maneuvering off-road or connecting to a trailer. The Tundra offers excellent steering feel and a better highway ride than some of its competitors. This is thanks in part to its frame, which has a stiff fully-boxed front section, partially-boxed C-channel under the passenger compartment and more flexible open C-channel below the bed. The optional 381-horsepower 5.7-liter V8 will easily and comfortably accelerate an unloaded Tundra into fast-moving traffic.
Comprehensive Accessories
Toyota offers a comprehensive assortment of more than three dozen dealer-installed items, including exterior and interior trim upgrades, cargo-bed accessories and performance and handling enhancements from Toyota's performance brand, TRD.
i-Force 5.7-liter V8
The Tundra's optional i-Force 5.7-liter V8 makes 105 more horsepower than the also-optional 4.7-liter V8, yet, with the technology of variable valve timing and the benefits of a six-speed automatic transmission, almost matches the fuel economy of the standard V6. Both the engine and transmission are built in the U.S.
Big jobs can call for several big people and lots of stuff. Four-door versions of the 2008 Toyota Tundra accommodate up to six adults and have numerous storage areas and work surfaces. The Double Cab's non-adjustable rear seatback has more rearward inclination than those in most similar pickukps. Still, some may find it a bit too upright for long road trips. The rear seat in the larger four-door CrewMax is adjustable both for fore-aft positioning and seatback inclination. However, it doesn't enjoy the same ability to be quickly folded up as the rear seat in the Double Cab.
The 2008 Toyota Tundra projects the assertive image that buyers of full-size pickups desire. Its tall grille and hood and pronounced front fenders make it as imposing as any big truck. However, it retains its Toyota identity. A longer cab, larger rear doors and a shorter bed distinguish the CrewMax from the Double Cab. For 2008, Toyota gives the lowest-cost version of the two-door Regular Cab model styling more consistent with that of a work truck. Elements include a chrome bumper and matte-black grille surround.
For 2008, some previously optional equipment is now standard on SR5 and Limited trim levels of four-door models. New standard equipment on the SR5 trim of the Double Cab and CrewMax includes power front seats, AM/FM stereo with six-disc CD changer and heated outside mirrors. The Limited trim level now includes front and rear parking sonar and a cold-weather package. With 236-horsepower, the standard 4.0-liter V6 is more powerful than many V8s of the recent past. Only those who regularly haul massive loads and tow large trailers will truly miss the extra power of the optional V8s.
Most optional equipment on the 2008 Toyota Tundra is packaged into either the mid-level SR5 or the up-scale Limited trims. One significant stand-alone option is a bundle that includes a DVD-based satellite navigation system, backup camera and a JBL audio system. The two-door Regular Cab and four-door Double Cab are available in two bed lengths -- six-and-a-half and eight feet -- while the CrewMax has a five-and-half-foot bed. The Tundra offers a long list of dealer-installable accessories. These include remote engine start, 22-inch wheels, bed extender and numerous TRD items.
The 2008 Toyota Tundra offers three engine choices: The standard 236-horsepower 4.0-liter V6, a 276-horsepower 4.7-liter V8 or the 381-horsepower 5.7-liter V8. The first two come with five-speed automatic transmissions, while the 5.7-liter is mated to a six-speed automatic. Since the 5.7-liter makes 105 horsepower more than the 4.7-liter and gets almost the same fuel mileage as the V6, the vast majority of Tundra buyers select the big engine. Toyota employed several technologies to allow the 5.7-liter V8 to produce both big power and reasonable economy. Variable valve timing optimizes engine performance for changing conditions and demands, and the six-speed automatic transmission employs a low first gear to aid low-speed acceleration and two overdrive gears to maximize highway economy.
4.0-liter V6
236 horsepower @ 5200 rpm
266 lb.-ft. of torque @ 4000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 15/19
4.7-liter V8
276 horsepower @ 5400 rpm
313 lb.-ft. of torque @ 3400 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 14/17 (2WD); 13/16 (4WD)
5.7-liter V8
381 horsepower @ 5600 rpm
401 lb.-ft. of torque @ 3600 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 14/18 (2WD); 13/17 (4WD)
Some 44 model variations mean the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of the 2008 Toyota Tundra extends from just under $23,000 for a two-wheel-drive V6 Regular Cab to more than $52,000 for a thoroughly-equipped CrewMax Limited. Dealer-installable options can push that far higher. The MSRP of a popularly equipped Tundra -- a Double Cab SR5 with four-wheel-drive and the 5.7-liter V8 -- is about $32,000. A Tundra Double Cab SR5 with a 5.7-liter V8 sells for about $2,000 less than a Ford F150 SuperCab XLT with a 5.4-liter V8. To find out what consumers are really paying for this vehicle, check our Fair Purchase Prices. Over time, the Tundra will hold excellent resale value, remaining higher than any of its domestic competitors.


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Works like this: I feed you Moon Nukers a straight line, and you hit me with a punch line in the comments.
After being awarded Father of the Year, Bill Clinton…
Works like this: I feed you Moon Nukers a straight line, and you hit me with a punch line in the comments.
After being awarded Father of the Year, Bill Clinton…
… celebrated by taking Chelsea's best friend out for drink.
…paid off the National Father's Day Council for changing 'ad' in his award title to an 'r'
…made his case that he should also be named 2013 Astronaut of the Year.
…offered Mitt Romney advice on how to raise his 'boys.'
…bought a case of cigars
…won the Nobel Peace Prize
…said hey, how about that, first black president to win "father of the year"!
…gave an impromptu two hour statement.
was glad they never found out about his other children.
. . . made the scene at all the local singles' bars
…took Chris Dodd out to La Brasserie for a celebratory Waitress Sandwich
… did like every other day, asked all the women he met "who's your daddy?"
…went on a rant about gun control
…said "HAH! take that, Gore!"
…changed his name to Darth Bubba
…send copies of the award to Al Gore and John Edwards
…explained the win by saying "well, it depends on what the meaning of the word "father" is"
…said "wanna throw in one of those weight loss awards while youre at it?"
…said "wait, I'm a FATHER????"
was shocked; after all "I did not have sex with that woman."
tripped over the lowered bar for parental standards.
thanked all the nannies, au pairs, and interns that made his fathering years so much less stressful.
… celebrated the victory of quantity over quality.
…returned Chris Matthews leg tingle.
…said to Hillary, "I've upped my parenting standards, so now up yours."
…carries it around and uses it as a pick-up line.
…had his **** bronzed.
…tweeted "in your face!" to Travis Henry.
…said, they're not all mine! Honestly!
…thought to himself: huh, I didn't even have *sex* with the year.
That should be, "Fodder of the Year".
…celebrated by paying his "date" for some "extras".
Said "see I told you hillary was straight, now where are the interns?"
…was impressed by the low-altitude flyover by a squdron of pigs in his honor.
…was asked by reporters,"how's Hillary's head"? to which he replied, "OK, but not as good as Monica"
@john callow, #27: Winner winner,
chickenbacon dinner.
…he zipped up his pants and said "You better put some ice on that".
…celebrated with a fine cigar.
…thank the mothers' of his children.
…held up a paper bag and said "Heh, I had to use this when we conceived her too".
…professed some shock because most Democrats take a hands on approach to children.
…just kept on ruining other peoples daughters.
…tried to talk Chaz Bono into a dress and returned to humping the podium.
. . . began looking for more "mothers".
…made a call out to Nadya Suleman
…turned yellow.
…pulled out the cigar, lit it, left a $100 bill on the nightstand, and walked out.
…asked if that came with a "happy ending."
…held the award in his hand and replied "Only one?"
Says a prayer of thanks for services rendered by the late Vince Foster.
… Was puzzled that the awards didn't have a hole in it.
. . . went out to father more children.
…immediately filed a lawsuit against TROJAN.
…thought about it for a moment then said, "Ah! You must be referring to Chelsea!"
Tried to start another family with an intern so he could win again next year.
… asked Hillary for directions to that village that did all the work.
….began to once again ask any woman that crossed his path, "Who's your daddy?"
…immediately upgraded his Ashley Madison account to "Platinum" status.
…immediately upgraded his Ashley Madison profile to "Stud Puppy" status.
refused to pick up the award because there's a dna test involved.
…immediately became the leading nominee for the "deadbeat dad of the year" award
…smiled, said "ohhh yeah" nodded his head and had a cigar
…called Obama and said "and now there's one more thing you'll never do as well as me"
…called Gennifer Flowers and asked " it wasn't you, was it?"
Said,(with boyish charm,and a slow drawl)…"well, that depends on what the meaning of "OF", is… B)


text: ^I think the idea was that the League had been pursuing its plan to destroy Gotham for so long, and before that tearing down earlier cities in the same way, that a mere eight years of reform and stability didn't convince them that they could abandon their centuries-long program. They were too committed to their belief that it was necessary to destroy centers of decadence, and like all fanatics, they wouldn't change their minds just because the facts contradicted their assumptions. They surely saw Gotham's reforms as a temporary correction that would fail to stem the inevitable tide. Indeed, one could argue that the corruption never went away. The stability was built on a lie about Harvey Dent and Batman. The Dent Act had been enforced so aggressively that it threatened to undermine civil rights. And the one percent were still getting richer at the expense of everyone else, as Selina pointed out. That's the key thing. You're defining corruption to mean graft and illegal acts committed by people in the government. The League defined it on more of a society-wide scale, feeling that America as a whole had become incurably corrupt. A global organization like the League wouldn't have been concerned about one city alone. They targeted Gotham because it was the biggest, wealthiest, most powerful city in the Nolanverse version of the US (President William Devane called it "our greatest city" or words to that effect) and thus the keystone whose removal would cause the rest of the civilization to collapse and allow the next civilization to arise.


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SARASOTA — Caroline Dailey refuses to take the easy way out.
Over the past five years, The Out-of-Door Academy senior has developed into one of the nation's elite tennis players and, yet, she still finds time to attend high school, homecoming dances, after-school activities and to maintain her social obligations — all while dealing with the pressures that come from being a player of her caliber.
But, Dailey's coaches say the drive, determination and dedication she has to her sport, her academics and her ODA community are by no means "normal."
"Caroline would rather be good than have a number by her name," says Mike Wilson, Dailey's personal tennis coach.
Dailey's hard work and ability to make the abnormal seem normal paid off Nov. 16, when she signed a national letter of intent to play tennis for the University of South Carolina.
With her parents, Lisa and Peter Dailey, and her coach by her side, Dailey made her college intentions known in front of her classmates during an assembly in the school's Petrik Thunderdome.
"It's incredible," Dailey says. "I've been working for this my entire life. I didn't take the traditional (college recruiting) route, so it was really huge for me to find a coach who could look past all of that and see my potential as a player."
Dailey chose South Carolina over the University of Notre Dame, Ohio State University, the University of Illinois and Florida State University.
"Thanks to everyone at Out-of-Door Academy for preparing and supporting Caroline, as she begins the transition into the next big stage in her life," South Carolina coach Kevin Epley says. "It is obvious that she is well-loved and respected there, and we at the University of South Carolina feel fortunate to have such a strong, ambitious and talented young lady join our squad."
During her time at ODA, Dailey, who earned the nickname C.O.D., which stands for Championships On Delivery, from Athletic Director Brett Timmons, won three consecutive women's singles state titles before taking last season off to focus on national and international tournaments.
Since then, Dailey has become one of the nation's elite tennis players and is currently ranked 1,158th in the WTA rankings. And, with her senior year now upon her, Dailey is thinking of returning to ODA's girls tennis team one final time to try and help the Lady Thunder win a team state title.
"We are so proud to be a part of (her) life, and we thank you (her) for sharing (her) true self with us," ODA tennis coach Noel Dougherty says.
Dailey then will head off to South Carolina, where she says she is looking forward to the challenges that come from being a part of a collegiate athletic program in the hopes of taking her one step closer to fulfilling her lifelong dream of being a professional tennis player.
"It's going to be an entirely new atmosphere," Dailey says. "(ODA) is small, and I've (always) had its support. (South Carolina) is going to be a lot bigger, but tennis will allow me to still have that small atmosphere and support group. I'm just excited to be somewhere else and start fresh."
Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].
SARASOTA — Caroline Dailey refuses to take the easy way out.


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Most kids might hope to get an Xbox or an iPod Touch for their 10th birthday. Brennan Daigle got a reception from a formation of soldiers, a ride in a camouflaged National Guard Humvee–and induction as an honorary member of the Army.
via Wish comes true for cancer-stricken 10-year-old inducted into Army – Yahoo! News.
via Ace.


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I download a part of map and edit it with the tool filter in JOSM. Now I want to save the filtered map and the relationed data.How can I do it? I tried several times and always got the whole original data.
Without having tried that on my own in JOSM:
Filtering elements has only effects on their visibility.
If you want to get rid of them permanently, you have to delete in an extra step ... then save your raw OSM data to harddisk.
But do NOT upload the data to the central OSM server if you only deleted elements for your very own purposes.
Zoom out, then use the selection tool to draw a box, and select everything in that area (note this will not select filtered objects).
Then use Edit - > Copy, then create a new layer, then Paste the objects into that layer. You can then save that layer as an .osm file (though as Stephan says, you should not upload this layer to openstreetmap.org).
Vclaw's workflow will also eliminate the "not-copied"-elements from the dataset. In stephan75's workflow the deleted elements will stay in the dataset, they will only get a flag like "visible=false", which in OSM-Terms means "deleted".
To not accidentialy mess up live OSM-Data, you could also use offline-tools like Osmfilter to remove content from your dataset.
Or you could use edit/purge instead of delete. Then they will only go away in your local copy.


text: You have no clue what you are talking about. Wow, yet another joke about lens flares! I've been hearing this silly joke for four years and it never gets old! You stated that you think he should not make the films anymore. I asked you why. "Why not" isn't a valid answer. Yep, he conned people out of $300 million dollars of their money, and looks to be about to do the same thing again four years later. And in all that time nobody's caught on to his dastardly deeds. He's a con artist, alright!


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The 4 Craziest Arrests In MLB History
By Steve Keane at 6 June, 2013, 8:35 pm
When it comes to living under the microscope of the public eye, pro athletes have to endure the same level of public scrutiny as their silver screen counterparts. This often means that their bad behavior is broadcasted to the world — especially when one of our beloved ball players has broken the law.
While criminal activity and sports is nothing new, these MLB baseball players top the charts in terms of outlandish arrest stories. Here are the top 5 craziest arrests in all of major league baseball's storied history.
1) Mike Leake
You'd think that a salary of $425,000 (plus a signing bonus of 2.3 million) would be enough cash for Leake to enjoy a comfortable living. However, many Reds fans were left scratching their heads in bewilderment when this wealthy pro athlete was arrested in 2011 for. . . misdemeanor shoplifting? Apparently Leake took a page from fellow five-fingered celebrity bandit, Winona Ryder, when he stole six t-shirts off the clearance rack at a Macy's Department store. Maybe he just didn't want to wait in line?
2) Pete Rose
Rose was yet another well-paid ballplayer who felt the need to have a side hustle to make extra cash. In 1990, Rose plead guilty on two counts of tax evasion for failing to report earnings he made through selling autographed memorabilia, and horse race winnings.
Unlike his colleague Mike Leake, Rose's crime amounted to over $366,000 which he eventually had to pay in back taxes and interest. His punishment was more severe as well. While Leake merely received a slap on the wrist and an embarrassing charge on his criminal arrest record, Rose was sentenced to five months in a medium security prison, fined $50,000, and ordered to complete 1,000 hours of community service.
3) Jim Leyritz
Our list takes a more serious turn when Yankees playoff hero, Jim Leyritz, when he was arrested in 2007 after he was involved in a drunk driving crash that killed the other driver. Leyritz was charged with a DUI and vehicular manslaughter. It was later discovered that the other driver who killed was also intoxicated and Leyritz was acquitted of his manslaughter charge three years later in 2010. To make legal matters even worse for Leyritz, he was also arrested in 2009 on an unrelated charge of battery against his former wife.
4) Byron McLaughlin
McLaughlin proves that pro baseball players getting arrested is nothing new. Back in the late '70s, McLaughlin played baseball for the Seattle Mariners by day, and ran a shady counterfeit shoe business by night. McLaughlin partnered with Korean manufacturers to create knock-offs of popular name brands such as Converse, Adidas, and Vans.
McLaughlin was selling the shoes across the border in Mexico, sometimes bringing in over $750,000 in just one month! The craziest part of this story? After McLaughlin plead guilty to money laundering charges, he fled the country and has never been seen since!
The 2013 MLB season has just started, and hopefully the latest round of draft picks won't struggle with the same ethical dilemmas as their pro baseball predecessors.
Author byline: Jessica Ruane is a writer for Instant Checkmate.com, an online service that provides arrest records to the general public.
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4 posts
For a while I've been using freesound for various effects in theatrical productions. Up until now I've been avoiding any NC licensed sounds, but reading back over the licence text and other people's comments, I'm not longer sure whether our (ticketed entrance, but amateur productions, as a registered charity in England and Wales) would be incompatible with the NC licence. The phrase 'You may not exercise any of the rights granted to You in Section 3 above in any manner that is primarily intended for or directed toward commercial advantage or private monetary compensation' could probably be read either way in this context...
Any opinions?
My opinion
(ticketed entrance, but amateur productions, as a registered charity in England and Wales)
!! That is not commercial!!
Use my sound for your production and give freesound and me the credits.
I think most of the freesounders will think that way?
I totally agree klankbeeld!
agree! I.e.: I used the sounds for state theatre, which is subsidized, but not allowed to make profit. Therefore it's non-commercial use and ok. Credit in the bill!
4 posts


text: The experts have always ranked it very high but in this case I agree with you that the level of competition wasn't as strong as even the previous year because von Cramm wasn't playing. In 1938 Budge did not have to play an Ellsworth Vines who may have been favored on some fast surfaces like grass, Nusslein who was perhaps the best clay court player in the world, his nemesis Fred Perry who would be extremely tough outdoors on grass and clay. Cochet and Tilden, while older were still very capable of defeating Budge. It would have been very tough for Budge to have a Grand Slam in 1938 against all competition. On the other end I do think it's quite possible that Laver would have won another Grand Slam or so during his peak years of 1964 to 1967 if Open Tennis was around. Laver, unlike Budge faced top competition in Rosewall, Hoad, Gonzalez, Gimeno, Trabert, Segura, Sedgman, Cooper, Anderson etc.


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Reviewed By Timothy Y (RATHDRUM, ID) Reviewed for a 2008 Acura RDX —2/5/2015 9:01 PM
The 'green stuff' brake pads by EBC are fantastic. My only quibble was installing the pads I had to file some paint off of the ears of the pads in order to install them. Great quality overall and Auto Anything is great to deal with and gives excellent customer service.


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COURSE: 54-242 Foundations of Teaching and Learning (25 field experience hrs.) (3)
This course continues to examine characteristics of diverse learners, which were introduced in Learning Theories and Individual Development (54-207). An overview of the field of special education is covered, with emphasis on small and large group instruction, curriculum development, individual education plans, individual accommodation plans, philosophies of special education and current trends in the field. A case study and debate format is used. A 25 hour field experience in a junior high school or high school special education setting is associated with this course. Prerequisite: Pass Illinois Basic Skills Test; 2.75 GPA; Admission to the Teacher Education Program.


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As Ariz.'s San Juan fire rages on, crews tout value of forest-thinning project
Western lawmakers and the Forest Service have long argued that depending on how a forest is managed, a wildfire can be either a natural phenomenon that is a boon to the forest ecosystem, or a costly -- and sometimes deadly -- disaster.
Now there may be additional evidence to prove their point.
Crews battling the San Juan fire, still burning in eastern Arizona, report that they have made significant headway over the past two days. This is partially thanks to a long-term forest management project that is forming pockets of safety as the blaze consumes the forests around them, they said.
The San Juan fire, which started early last week, had burned across 6,400 acres as of yesterday afternoon and was still only 5 percent contained. Dense underbrush and forest cover, tinder-dry conditions, strong winds and steep slopes in much of the burn area have proved a challenge for the hundreds of firefighters dispatched to quell the flames.
But as the fire ran up against sites within the White Mountain Stewardship Project, a public-private partnership aimed at thinning ponderosa pine stands in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, crews noted a dramatic change in the fire's behavior.
"The fire actually did drop to the ground, and the guys were able to jump on it right away and put those areas out," said Kelly Wood, a public information officer assigned to the San Juan fire and a fire marshal with the Pinetop Fire Department in Pinetop, Ariz.
Another drought year, another bad fire year in Ariz.
Located about 8 miles south of Vernon, Ariz., the human-caused wildfire threatens 96 structures on ranch property in the area, according to Wood.
Its intensity is fueled by exceptionally dry conditions in the Southwest -- the same conditions that were implicated in the tragic deaths of 19 Arizona hotshot firefighters last summer (ClimateWire, July 3, 2013).
According to U.S. Drought Monitor data, 100 percent of the state has been blanketed in drought since late March. This summer was anticipated to be an exceptionally challenging fire season in the region -- after a disappointing winter for precipitation, Arizona crews were fighting blazes in early spring, far sooner than usual (ClimateWire, April 8).
Today, "if a spark from anything hits the ground, there's a 95 percent chance it will ignite," Wood said.
But in the White Mountain Stewardship Project areas, where many young ponderosa pines had been removed, Wood said, conditions were "definitely" safer for fire crews.
"You don't want to be working in anything that has a lot of brush, a lot of trees over your head," he added.
Set up with assistance funding by the Forest Service, the stewardship project began 10 years ago in an effort to bring the timber industry back to Arizona's White Mountains, said Tom Osen, deputy forest supervisor for the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. It brings in outside contractors to do the work, incentivizing the removal of younger, thinner trees that are less marketable but more prone to setting off intense wildfires.
Osen said the thinned areas not only create safer zones that crews can utilize as part of their suppression strategy, but also maximize a forest's ability to recover after the flames subside.
As the wildfire has ripped across the crowns of trees in the White Mountains, it has probably resulted in the deaths of many old-growth pines, Osen said. But in the managed areas, he added, "it's been low-intensity, so there's much less damage to soil and to the long-term effects on the forest."
Can the Forest Service afford more forest-thinning projects?
Wally Covington, director of the Ecological Restoration Institute at Northern Arizona University, said that Western forests managed like the White Mountain Stewardship Project are closer in character to how they were before settlers arrived.
"We see this throughout the West -- when you thin trees out sufficiently and conduct a prescribed burn, when a fire burns through them, there's little mortality, it drops to the ground, it becomes a more natural forest in the ecosystem," he said.
Covington said that it's not yet certain how important the project has been in helping quell the San Juan fire, but he guessed that the Forest Service's post-burn analysis will find it played a significant role.
However, such efforts cost money -- and the Forest Service hasn't had much left over in recent years thanks to the dramatically rising costs of fighting wildfires, which have forced the agency to "borrow" funds from management programs to pay for emergency operations.
This year, the Interior Department said it anticipated a $470 million shortfall in the funding needed to combat this year's wildfire season. President Obama's fiscal 2015 budget proposal includes an attempt to allow agencies to tap the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Disaster Relief Fund (ClimateWire, May 2).
Arizona's forests were not spared by the agency's strained coffers. Over its 10-year contract, the Forest Service adjusted the funding available to the White Mountain Stewardship Project, and while the project's aim in 2004 was to thin 150,000 acres, just over 63,000 acres has been completed to date, according to Future Forest LLC, a contractor involved in the project.
"Obviously, if we'd have had more funding, we'd have done more acres," Osen said. "Like anything, over a 10-year period of a contract, there's just challenges -- federal budgets change."
Covington is currently researching ways the Forest Service might turn a profit with its forest thinning efforts, such as the sale of forest products for biomass energy. However, he said, it's a challenge.
"When you talk about developing a new wood utilization sector in an area, it makes the existing folks very uncomfortable," he said. "It's this whole balance ... how do you come up with a business model that matches the ecological model and the rural development models that people want to see throughout the West?"
Wherever the money comes from, Osen was adamant that funding is necessary to expand efforts like the White Mountain Stewardship Project.
"When we're able to put investments here in a long-term generational approach, we're providing for the resilience of the forest," he said. "It's proven again and again it is such a stronger investment for the American public and the taxpayer."
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BERLIN – When Congress created the alternative minimum tax, or AMT, in 1969, it was designed to ensure that the wealthiest paid at least some tax by closing tax loopholes and limiting shelters. In fact, it's called the AMT because of the alternative set of rules for determining the minimum tax wealthy investors must pay.
In the first year, only 20,000 people lost write-offs. However, because the deductions, exemptions and tax brackets used by the AMT are not indexed to inflation (as they are in the standard income tax system), an ever-increasing number of middle-class taxpayers have fallen into the AMT over the decades. The AMT has meant a higher tax bill for 23 percent of all taxpayers.
You arrive at your AMT by adding back into your regular tax calculation certain breaks, such as deductible state and property taxes. Then apply a flat 26 percent to 28 percent, depending on your income. If your regular tax calculation falls below the AMT amount, you have to make up the difference.
But there may be steps you can take to avoid the AMT. For starters, consider steering clear of private-purpose municipal bonds — issued to pay for industrial parks, airports and other private ventures — because you may have to pay AMT, though not regular tax, on the interest.
Also consider delaying your right to exercise incentive stock options. The profit you make when you exercise an option — the difference between the exercise price of a share and its fair market value — is considered income under AMT rules and gets included in the AMT tax calculation, whereas it's ignored under standard tax rules.
You'll only be postponing paying tax, of course, but exercising the options in a year when you have more income will lessen the impact of the AMT.
Making changes in your investment portfolio is another way to minimize your AMT liability, though not significantly. Of course, you can also hope that Congress repeals or reduces the AMT — a subject of endless debate on Capitol Hill. Currently, some legislators are proposing a tax bill that would completely do away with the AMT, while others are setting the stage for future AMT reform.
Even if adjustments to your investment strategy do not keep you from having to pay the AMT, it's wise to speak with your financial advisor and accountant to ensure that your year-end tax strategy takes the AMT into account.
(The writer is a Merrill Lynch Wealth Management Advisor. She can be reached at 410-213-8520.)


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Christine O'Donnell Will 'Investigate' Left-Wing Groups
Failed GOP Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell is back, and she's telling supporters she wants her newly formed political action committee ChristinePAC to "investigate and counter attack leftwing groups."
O'Donnell, who wrote that her losing campaign sent "shockwaves" throughout the nation, said in an e-mail to supporters Tuesday that her group will look into the groups "funded with one million dollars or more from billionaire leftist George Soros."
"The Left keeps after me because they consider strong, Republican women a danger to their status quo," O'Donnell wrote. "Your donation also enables me to speak out in many venues from Coast to Coast, thereby helping support a nationwide effort. This is a way that will help me counter attack our opponents and bring the battle to them."
ChristinePAC is based out of O'Donnell's Delaware home, raising concerns for ethics groups given that O'Donnell is already under investigation for alleged misuse of campaign funds.
O'Donnell also claims that President Barack Obama and the White House regarded her "as their number one opponent."
Dear Supporter,
Your incredible contribution of time and money allowed us to send the establishment a powerful message last year. Our fight is not over as so many patriots like you have sacrificed over the years to keep America great!
You've probably heard about the latest smear on me. The establishment is going to keep attacking and keep trying to destroy those they think might be a threat.
They won't let up.
The Left keeps after me because they consider strong, Republican women a danger to their status quo. Larry Kudlow recently said "the hope of the Tea Party rests with you because this is going to be used to discredit the Tea Party in its entirety."
Bill O'Reilly recognizes the viciousness of the Left's attacks on me. Recently on his program he said "...the press relished attacking you. They relished it. They loved it... they didn't go after Carly Fiorina the way they went after you. It was all personal... They just want to demean you... The old boys don't want to give up their power."
I'm determined not to let them destroy our movement. If I stand alone, though, I'm no match for the liberal media and the political establishment. But, with us standing together to fight, they don't have a chance!
That's why I'm starting ChristinePAC.
ChristinePAC can investigate and counter attack leftwing groups, many funded with one million dollars or more from billionaire leftist George Soros.
A strong ChristinePAC will enable me to counter the liberal-controlled GOP establishment in upcoming Congressional Primaries. Remember, for primary challengers to win, conservatives needs to start organizing now in 2011 - or else candidates who reflect our values won't be able to run an effective 2012 campaign.
Your donation also enables me to speak out in many venues from Coast to Coast, thereby helping support a nationwide effort. This is a way that will help me counter attack our opponents and bring the battle to them.
You have helped me come this far. You have been a true friend. Please help me again with your donation. These are battles that will be won or lost based on how much support and organization our side can put forward right now.
That is why I ask you most urgently to lend your financial support to ChristinePAC.
Make your donation right now.
You are the reason I made a stand for our cause in 2010.
You are the reason that President Obama came to Delaware in late 2010, diverting his attention from other states he could have campaigned in. You are the reason that a frantic White House dispatched Vice President Joe Biden, again and again, to campaign in Delaware to defeat me, who they regarded as their number one opponent.
You are the reason that the largest army - busload after busload - of SEIU labor union and ACORN "paid volunteers" came to campaign in Delaware.
My friend, what you helped me do at the six week long Battle of Delaware 2010, sent shock waves throughout the nation. We can build on what we have accomplished if you will help me again in supporting ChristinePAC.
P.S. You stood with me and helped me rock the establishment as we defeated in the GOP primary the most liberal Republican in the entire U.S. House of Representatives. Then, you stayed with me as we worked overtime to expose my big-government Democrat opponent as a pawn of the liberal establishment and a puppet of Democrat Senator Harry Reid.
Now, keep up your commitment. I pray you will send your immediate and generous donation as you have done before. Your dollar will help us fight back and continue to get the message out. Click HERE to contribute securely.
Republished with permission from TalkingPointsMemo.com. Authored by Ryan J. Reilly. Photo via AP. TPM provides breaking news, investigative reporting and smart analysis of politics.


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Obama vs. Romney — and Japan
By Yuka Hayashi and Eleanor Warnock
When American voters go to the polls Tuesday, they're choosing a leader for Japan's most important ally. What does the contest mean for Tokyo?
Democratic President Barack Obama is, of course, more a known quantity for Japan, from the time he came to Tokyo a few months after taking office, bowing (somewhat controversially) to the Emperor and reminiscing about the green-tea ice cream he had sampled during a boyhood visit. During his term, relations have largely been smooth — seen as strengthened, even, by close military cooperative relief work in the wake of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. There have been tense moments, however, notably over American pressure to move forward with a controversial base relocation plan in Okinawa.
Mr. Obama's Republican challenger, Mitt Romney is more a cipher for Japan. He has little exposure to the country and doesn't seem to have said much about Japan over the years. In one of his few mentions since the campaign started, Mr. Romney caused some offense in Tokyo. "We are not Japan," Mr. Romney said at a fund raiser in August. "We are not going to be a nation that suffers in decline and distress for a decade or a century."
JRT spoke to a number of experts to assess the implications of the contest. In contrast with campaigns of two decades ago — when economic issues dominated the bilateral relationship — national security gets more attention now. The 2012 American election comes at a time of big geopolitical shifts in the Asia-Pacific. Amid a bitter confrontation with an increasingly powerful China, Japanese leaders face urgent questions about how to adjust foreign policy and national security strategies that have for so long centered on bilateral ties with the U.S.
Either candidate would likely deal with Japan the same way — continuing support for the alliance, but putting more pressure on Japan to play a bigger role in regional security.
More In Barack Obama
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- Top WSJ Stories on Japan: PM Abe Speech, Sony, Takeda Pharmaceutical
- Toro Tartare, Tofu Cheesecake to be Served at Japan State Dinner
While the long, hard-fought campaign exposed sharp partisan divisions on a wide range of issues, American policy toward Japan and Asia is one area where Democrats and Republicans are in general agreement. Under Mr. Obama, the U.S. adopted a "pivot" or "rebalance" of its security policy toward Asia, with an eye on China's growing economic and military prowess. This policy is likely to continue, and probably get more emphasis in the coming years, no matter which candidate wins.
"If Mitt Romney and (running-mate) Paul Ryan win, there is not going to be a turn-away from the so-called pivot to Asia. Asia is too important. Anybody in the next 10 years is going to focus on Asia," said Michael Green, senior vice president for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. A national security advisor to Republican President George W. Bush, Mr. Green served as an advisor to Mr. Romney on Asia policy until September, when he took up a senior position at his research institution.
That is welcome news for Japan, where many see a strong U.S. presence in the area as the most effective way to balance China's expansion and prevent the bilateral island dispute from escalating into violent conflict. The security alliance with the U.S. is as important as ever for Japan in that sense. Some are concerned that fiscal constraints at home and the growing importance of China as an economic partner reduce Washington's commitment to Japan. No need for such worries, experts say.
The Obama administration has adopted tougher policies toward China lately, as Beijing has grown more aggressive in asserting its territorial claims across the region. Mr. Romney, for his part, has stressed his hard-line stance toward China, particularly in the areas of trade and currency policies. In that context, China's rise does make the U.S.-Japan alliance more important for the U.S. as well.
Indeed, whoever takes the oath of office in January seems likely to push Japan to step up its role in regional security.
"There is a huge amount of expectation in the U.S. for the alliance with Japan right now," said Tsuneo Watanabe, director of policy research at the Tokyo Foundation, a private think tank, and an expert on U.S.-Japan relations. "Heeding the importance of the alliance, the U.S. has stood by Japan even when our policy strayed considerably in the past few years. Washington has saved up goodwill. They see now is the time to cash in."
Mr. Obama began his first term pushing Japan for more. Early in his administration, his then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates publicly embarrassed then-Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama by demanding action on a controversial Marines base relocation plan in Okinawa — a standoff seen as helping cost Mr. Hatoyama his job.
There do appear to be some differences in the national security policies under Mr. Obama and Mr. Romney. During the campaign, Mr. Romney has emphasized the need to increase American defense spending, while Mr. Obama has sought restraint. If Mr. Romney wins, and finds ways to boost defense budget despite fiscal constraints, that could theoretically ease pressure on Japan to shoulder larger burdens of bilateral and regional defense, such as the cost of the planned transfer of U.S. troops from Okinawa to Guam.
In a recent blog post, one self-described "informal advisor" on Asia to Mr. Romney suggested that Japan was confronting China because Tokyo "is less than assured… that Washington 'has its back'…" Daniel Blumenthal, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute think tank in Washington, added: "Might the Japanese read the American newspaper stories that tell daily tales of a declining defense budget and nuclear deterrent?"
A more subtle difference: Under a Republican administration, experts say, there would be more emphasis on bilateral security agreements, including those with countries such as Japan, Australia, and South Korea. The Democrats tend to prefer multilateral cooperation. In what some see as a sign of this tendency, the Obama administration has fostered multilateral security dialogues through its active participation in Asian regional forums in the past few years, sending in Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta numerous times across the Pacific.
Meanwhile, some experts are closely watching how the new administration in the U.S. would interact with a new the government in Japan, to be formed after the upcoming general elections which could happen between late this year and the next summer. A rising trend of nationalism among conservative Japanese politicians is a concern for U.S. officials, but a Democratic administration would probably have less tolerance for such a phenomenon.
Polls in Japan have suggested that the Liberal Democratic Party, the conservative former ruling party, is likely to emerge as the No.1 party again in elections to be held by next summer, under the leadership of its nationalist president, Shinzo Abe. Mr. Abe's recent visit to a controversial war shrine, as well as hawkish remarks by him and other Japanese lawmakers have not only inflamed China and South Korea but alarmed some in the U.S.
Among such remarks is calls for the reversal of Tokyo's key apology to Asian neighbors for sex slavery involving the Japanese military during World War II. Joseph Nye, a Harvard professor and former Assistant Secretary of Defense said, with such remarks, Japan is "shooting itself in the foot." Mr. Nye, who served under two Democratic presidents — Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton — is seen as a strong contender to become ambassador to Japan if Mr. Obama wins. He was among the four former U.S. national security officials from both parties who recently visited Japan and China in an effort to diffuse the bilateral tensions over the disputed islands.
"We have to make sure Japan will not pursue the path of xenophobic nationalism," said Hitoshi Tanaka, a former senior diplomat and chairman of the Institute for International Strategy at the Japan Research Institute, a private think tank. "Neither the Republicans or the Democrats would like to see Japan becoming isolated in Asia."
There are few high-profile economic issues right now between the U.S. and Japan. From Tokyo's standpoint, one priority question is whether the U.S. would approve Japan's entry into negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a free-trade agreement representing over a quarter of the world's economy. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has said he wants to join negotiations, but Japan needs approval from countries already negotiating, including the U.S., to join the talks.
Obama officials have generally been favorable to Japan's entry, but have delayed serious discussion until after the election. Some Japanese press have quoted Romney campaign spokespeople saying the Republican was cool to Japan's entry. But one Romney economic advisor said in a July interview with the Nikkei Weekly that Mr. Romney "fully supports the TPP and Japan's participation in it."
The top global priority for Japanese economic policymakers is a weaker yen — and, if needed, support from the U.S. for Japanese intervention to steer their currency lower. Japan has intervened four times during Mr. Obama's term, and drawn some criticism from his Treasury for it. While Mr. Romney hasn't spoken about Japan's actions in currency markets, he has said he would label China " a currency manipulator," which could cause some problems for Japan.
"It can be interpreted as it becoming harder for Japan to intervene, as losing flexibility," said JPMorgan Securities economist Masamichi Adachi.
On the other hand, Mr. Adachi predicts a Romney victory would lead to a stronger dollar, because he is seen as more pro-business, has opposed further easing by the Federal Reserve, and has spoken about the need for a strong dollar to preserve the greenback's role as the global reserve currency. After a Romney win, he forecasts, "the dollar itself will get stronger, so there is also the aspect of 'lucky!' because the yen will weaken without doing anything."
Follow Yuka Hayashi on Twitter @TokyoWoods


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Any semi-intelligent Bengal site where I don't have to scroll through full pages of soft-porn in order to read posts would be great.
Any semi-intelligent Bengal site where I don't have to scroll through full pages of soft-porn in order to read posts would be great.
It would be a pretty cool idea to have a Bengals sub forum on the site for everyone to post on. But I can live with just talking about the Bengals on the Non-Baseball Chatter.
You and RedsFaithful make some very good points. I can remember several times during a baseball game-thread a poster would say something like, "The pitcher really set up his splitter well with that fastball on an 0-1 count," or "His release point seems to be a little late and that accounts for his wildness. He needs to make an adjustment," or things to that effect. I have never once during a football game-thread seen somebody say, "That swim move the DE made was perfectly timed and allowed him to get to the QB," or "The LBer hit the A-gap like he was shot out of a cannon." I think the depth of knowledge each sport's fans have are miles apart (at least on the internet) which makes it easier for a board like RZ or SOSH to exist, but much harder for their football equivalents to come about.
As for the noise reaction, yeah, that's why I can't even read the game-threads at those other football boards. Post after post on how a player (or coach, or a certain owner) sucks - even if it's true - isn't what helps to make a discussion board great. In fact, it only brings it down. There may not be as much activity on Bengals threads here as there are on the other boards, but I get much more out of reading RZ posts than I do the others', whether I agree with it or not.
Brief aside...
This discussion of the heat of football vs. baseball reminds me of the George Carlin baseball/football comparison...
I enjoy comparing baseball and football:
Baseball is a nineteenth-century pastoral game.
Football is a twentieth-century technological struggle.
Baseball is played on a diamond, in a park.The baseball park!
Football is played on a gridiron, in a stadium, sometimes called Soldier Field or War Memorial Stadium.
Baseball begins in the spring, the season of new life.
Football begins in the fall, when everything's dying.
In football you wear a helmet.
In baseball you wear a cap.
Football is concerned with downs - what down is it?
Baseball is concerned with ups - who's up?
In football you receive a penalty.
In baseball you make an error.
In football the specialist comes in to kick.
In baseball the specialist comes in to relieve somebody.
Football has hitting, clipping, spearing, piling on, personal fouls, late hitting and unnecessary roughness.
Baseball has the sacrifice.
Football is played in any kind of weather: rain, snow, sleet, hail, fog...
In baseball, if it rains, we don't go out to play.
Baseball has the seventh inning stretch.
Football has the two minute warning.
Baseball has no time limit: we don't know when it's gonna end - might have extra innings.
Football is rigidly timed, and it will end even if we've got to go to sudden death.
In baseball, during the game, in the stands, there's kind of a picnic feeling; emotions may run high or low, but there's not too much unpleasantness.
In football, during the game in the stands, you can be sure that at least twenty-seven times you're capable of taking the life of a fellow human being.
And finally, the objectives of the two games are completely different:
In football the object is for the quarterback, also known as the field general, to be on target with his aerial assault, riddling the defense by hitting his receivers with deadly accuracy in spite of the blitz, even if he has to use shotgun. With short bullet passes and long bombs, he marches his troops into enemy territory, balancing this aerial assault with a sustained ground attack that punches holes in the forward wall of the enemy's defensive line.
In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! - I hope I'll be safe at home!
Butterflies and zebras and moonbeams
And fairytales
One idea would be to have two separate sports forums in general.
Have a forum to talk primarily Football(College or Pro), same with basketball.
While we all share the same goal in common(Cincinnati Reds), not everybody who posts here is a Bengals fan, just as everybody here doesn't pull for the Bearcats or UK. Just divide the board into two separate sports forums that are non baseball and leave the Non Baseball Chatter to making fun of Britney Spears.
Given what others here have said about the ugly mentality on most NFL boards, why should Boss and GIK make NFL talk more prominent if it stands to attract a crowd of people with that mentality? Maybe what you really want is a Bengals board for ORG members?
I'm not begrudging anyone a little football talk here. I just think the ramifications of making it more prominent need to be considered more carefully before the log starts rolling too fast.
If they do add a football board here, I'd probably keep it small, as a service to Redszoners who like to talk football, rather than trying to attract Bengals fans to a "Redszone-like" football board.
Wear gaudy colors, or avoid display. Lay a million eggs or give birth to one. The fittest shall survive, yet the unfit may live. Be like your ancestors or be different. We must repeat!
I don't think it has to be anything special. Redszone is a site dedicated to baseball after all, But it would be nice to have the football talk separated from the other threads about celebs and youtube.(not that I don't enjoy those threads) I would even suggest a Basketball discussion board, but then you cross the line into having to include a Hockey board and a Soccer board. There may not be enough intrest to warrant that.
Maybe instead of a Football board, maybe have a Other Pro Sports board for NFL, NBA, MLS, NHL, etc. and a College Sports board. Just and idea, and probably one that has been voiced before. If somebody already said it, then I love your idea.
I don't think I saw this in my skimming, but what would be the qualifications for this board? Would it be where everybody, ORG, and SunDeck could post, or like the game threads? I don't know. I personally don't want the type of people we see in some Bengal forums on here. I think it should be civilized, like our current system. If it brings in the people that we don't want, I don't see how they can't just get rid of it. Until anything like this happens though, I'll continue to post my Bengals thoughts in Non Baseball Chatter.
-LTlabnerIf you can't build a winning team with that core a fire-sale isn't the solution. Selling the franchise, moving them to Nashville and converting GABP into a used car lot is.
Board Moderators may, at their discretion and judgment, delete and/or edit any messages that violate any of the following guidelines: 1. Explicit references to alleged illegal or unlawful acts. 2. Graphic sexual descriptions. 3. Racial or ethnic slurs. 4. Use of edgy language (including masked profanity). 5. Direct personal attacks, flames, fights, trolling, baiting, name-calling, general nuisance, excessive player criticism or anything along those lines. 6. Posting spam. 7. Each person may have only one user account. It is fine to be critical here - that's what this board is for. But let's not beat a subject or a player to death, please.


text: I am now 27 years old, have been married for five years (no children yet!) , and I am an English teacher in the Dallas area. I first became interested in Harry Potter when I was a senior in high school and the addiction has slowly grown worse through the years! :) I especially became addicted to mugglenet when I was working on my master's degree because I needed a getaway from all of my stress! I don't know if I'll write anything soon, but I might try to in the future. I have all these stories in my head, but I just don't have the time to get them down yet! I love all the fan fics though! You all are great writers! :)


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"An utterly distinctive voice in the forest of Bach interpretation."NYTimes
"A glowing, already-risen star in classical music
known for her thoughtful reinterpretation of classical and romantic heroes."Washington Post
"The first keyboard pieces of Bach I remember hearing were his Inventions, when I was nine years old. The music seemed impossibly expressive and virtuosic at the time
. Here were two continuous and independent voices, neither of which was subservient to the other. Until then I had thought of music as melody and accompaniment
. In the text that accompanies the Inventions, Bach calls them 'an honest guide.' His Inventions and Sinfonias are marvels in demonstrating just how potent counterpoint is as an aid to expression, and how powerful a cantabile voice can be when surrounded by contradiction and elaboration. These small masterpieces have snippets of dances in them, laments and celebrations, simplicity and complexity."Simone Dinnerstein


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Christmas came early Monday.
It came with the arrival in the mail of a new book by Carol Megathlin, a local writer whose guest columns occasionally grace the Commentary page of the Savannah Morning News and the Opinion section of this website.
"Fighting without Fanfare: Honest Thoughts about Human Dilemmas" is a collection of columns that Carol wrote for this newspaper and others in the Southeast. Included are some of my favorites: Dealing with an elderly mother in failing health, coping with her grown son's decision to shave his head, talking a young man who was 19 out of getting married and old-fashioned, shoe-leather reporting about soldiers with the Army's 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart/Hunter Army Airfeld.
Carol doesn't write about politics. About the closest she comes is explaining why it's essential for Americans to support their men and women in uniform, especially those in harm's way ("Whether we favor a timetable for withdrawal or a till-it's-done commitment in Iraq, we cannot allow our political views to weaken the link of common humanity we share with our soldiers. Their spirits are finely attuned to ours. When we falter, they falter."). Carol embraced the role of volunteer coordinator for the super-successful Adopt-A-Soldier Program for the 3rd ID, which matched departing soldiers with civilians back home. No surprise there. I'm just not sure how she kept up the pace.
As far as her columns are concerned, Carol mostly writes about what's on many people's minds -- their likes, their loves, their worries and their dreams.
That's why I stared publishing her columns. That and because she's a a graceful, insightful writer who's brave (she made her own arrangements to travel to Iraq to write about our soldiers there), loves newspapers and the printed word (she's actually the daughter of a newspaper editor) and because she's multi-talented and generous (she makes delicious pecan pies every Christmas, and she shares).
Carol's book is available on Amazon. I'm guessing the brick-and-mortar stores will be stocking it, too.
But here's something I'm sure of.
Carol dedicated her book to her patient, good-natured husband Bill and a mutual friend Ken who died some years ago. That's classy.
Ken was a curmudgeon. He organized a lunch group that met monthly in various places downtown, before eventually settling on 17-Hundred-90. The gatherings fell apart after Ken slipped away. But I remember Ken as a keen observer, a newspaper reader who read the paper cover to cover, and a guy who liked to zing people, even his friends.
He once presented me with a wooden plaque I still have in my office. He gave it to me because he thought the newspaper should be harder-hitting and not beat around the bush so much. He had it inscribed this way: "River Street Willie's 2002 Crab Award."
He once gave Carol a pair of glasses. The lenses were rose-colored.
But Carol is now a published author. If Ken could see what she's done, he'd be smiling, I think. I also think he'd be among the first to get a copy.


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The Most Pretentious Dinner Invitation You Will Never Receive
Earlier this week you may have read in the New York Daily News about the international adventures of Jon Levy, a 33 year-old New Yorker who spent "a year of weekends at the world's most exhilarating and entertaining spectacles." The article neglected to mention Levy's extremely important side gig as the host of the "The Influencers Dinner," a monthly gathering of self-described "influentials" (including, at one dinner, a Winklevoss brother) at his massive Manhattan apartment, which he likes to call "The Manor."
Sounds like an awesome party! And Levy, from what we've heard, seems like the perfect host. He was born to the wealthy painter Benjamin Levy and graduated from the Dwight School ("igniting the spark of genius in every child") and NYU before deciding to criss-cross the globe in search of the most refined diversions. A marketing director at Rodale during the week, he flies out of New York every Friday for events like Burning Man, the Running of the Bulls, and Art Basel Miami — the latter "for the pure fact that it is supposed to be a crazy scene." And why not? Levy's an Influencer, after all.
A tipster recently forwarded us the latest Influencers Dinner invitation, copied below, for tonight's soirée. Guests should be on their very best behavior; as the invitation brags/warns, Levy convinced a Sunday Styles Times reporter to cover his own dinner.
From: Concierge - Caroline Ammarell
Date: September 15, 2013 6:56:15 PM EDT
To: Concierge-Caroline Ammarell
Subject: FINAL REMINDER AND DETAILS: Reunion & Platinum Cocktails with The Influencers
Dear Influencer,
The Influencers look forward to an evening of great company, intriguing conversation, tasty cocktails, and assorted entertainment. We'd like to remind everyone that due to the high volume of attendees at this event, we're now unable to accommodate plus ones. This salon experience will be hosted by the founder of the Influencers, Jon Levy.
Cocktails with The Influencers
September 18th at 9:30PM+
The Manor
[Address removed]
Your attendance is confirmed. As a reminder, a journalist from the NYTimes will be present and covering the event for the Sunday Style section.
This invitation is not transferable and is only valid for yourself. We are now over capacity due to the overwhelming response from former dinner guests. We apologize, but we will not be able to accommodate any plus ones that are not spouses or significant others. Please email me if you would like to bring a significant other, and otherwise we look forward to hosting you!
Caroline Ammarell
The Influencers
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is the intention of the event?
The commitment is to have a salon experience, where people leave every conversation saying: "I am so happy I spoke to that person." It is not about networking, although that happens naturally.
What is appropriate attire?
There is no formal dress code, so dress as you would like to be known. Wearing a suit or jeans and a t-shirt are equally appropriate.
Who will be there?
The guests' names are kept secret to preserve the experience, but attendees are always an eclectic mix that range from world record holders, TV stars, agency founders, olympians, and business owners, to famed photographers, comedians, internet celebrities, platinum music artists, heiresses, and everyone in between.
Should I bring anything?
A bottle of wine or liquor is always welcome and appreciated.
"Aut delectare aut prodesse est." -Horace, "Either to please or to educate."


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Fly Girls Can't Find its Floating Device
The point of Virgin Airlines/CW advertisement/"reality" show/soft-core pornography has yet to be made. Fly Girls appears to be confused as to the nature of its audience: is this directed at women, men or both?
Continually playing up to antiquated stereotypes of women seems to be one of its main goals. In this scene, one of the girls gets chastised by her sister for flirting too openly with a man. If this show wasn't as scripted and poorly acted as an elementary school play there would be no problem - but this scene comes off like they are reading a teleprompter written by an illiterate preacher from the late nineteenth century.
While the advertisements focus on shampoo, makeup and tampons (there were at least three different ads for menstrual products) the show itself has one true purpose - to show as much T & A as possible within a thirty minute period while still maintaining time to plug Virgin airlines and include enough dialogue to keep the show on network television.
Fly Girls seems to be confused as to the nature of its audience - this is not to say that women don't like looking at beautiful people, but the entire purpose of the show seems to be to create the perfect illusion of the female flight attendant - for a male audience. Why then does the show seem to want to market itself to women instead of finding its true place on a channel like SpikeTV? That way at least it could be appreciated the way it was intended, and would no longer be hiding behind an (admittedly thin) veil of legitimate representations of women.


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Camp Equipment
1 Item(s)
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SMART received a $12.5 million grant last week to extend its tracks roughly four miles and add the station, which was not in its original plan.
"Sonoma County Airport is doubling its size. It's building a new terminal," SMART General Manager Farhad Mansourian noted to local media.
The new funding comes froom the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
Work began in February 2012 on the $103 million initial segment, which now will total about 42.5 miles. The initial segment will Santa Rosa and San Raphael, Calif. Service is scheduled to begin in 2016. Service was anticipated to begin in 2016, though a target date of early 2017 now appears more likely.
An earlier plan called for a line of roughly 70 miles connecting Cloverdale, Calif., with the Larkspur Ferry Terminal, where marine connections could be made for travel to San Francisco.