text:
Big Businesses Walloped With Climbing Cybercrime Costs
Oct 8, 2012 5:00 AM PT
Cybercrime costs continued to climb in 2012 according to a report released Monday by the Ponemon Institute.
The study of 56 large organizations showed that the average annualized cost of cybercrime for the businesses was US$8.9 million a year compared to $8.4 million a year ago. Losses for the firms ranged from one $1.4 million to $46 million.
Cyberattacks have become common occurrences, said the study. On a weekly basis, the businesses in the study were subjected to 102 successful attacks per week, or 1.8 successful attacks per company per week.
Double Frequency
"In just two years the number of successful attacks has doubled, which is pretty incredible when you think about it," Michael Callahan, vice president for product and solution marketing for HP Enterprise Security, which sponsored the study, told TechNewsWorld.
"You might expect the number of attacks to increase with the proliferation of botnets but it's amazing that so many are successful, given the amount of attention that's being paid to security," he said.
One reason for the increase in successful attacks may be the sophistication of the attackers, according to Larry Ponemon, founder and chairman or the Ponemon Institute. "Some of the attacks have become much more complex to identify, much more stealthy," he told TechNewsWorld.
In addition, malicious insider attacks are occurring more frequently, he added. "Malicious insiders, working with external parties, can cause enormous amounts of damage and when they're detected, they're hard to contain and remediate."
Hackers Attack White House
A spear-phishing attack on a White House computer network that did not contain classified information came to light last week. "These types of attacks are not infrequent and we have mitigation measures in place," an unnamed White House official was quoted as saying.
"In this instance the attack was identified, the system was isolated, and there is no indication whatsoever that any exfiltration of data took place," the official continued. "Moreover, there was never any impact or attempted breach of any classified system."
News of the attack broke on Sep. 30 when the Washington FreeBeacon, a conservative online news outlet, reported that hackers linked to the Chinese government broke into a computer network used by the White House military office for nuclear commands.
Citing an official familiar with the incident, the FreeBeacon maintained that the breach was one of China's "most brazen cyberattacks against the United States and highlights a failure of the Obama administration to press China on its persistent cyberattacks."
One security analyst, however, didn't find the spear phishing attack on the White House that bold all. "I don't think it's a sign they're getting bolder," Ira Victor, a digital forensics analyst with Data Clone Labs told TechNewsWorld. "They've been this bold before."
It's going to get worse, he contended. "There are hundreds of thousands of fledgling keyboard hawks now being groomed by the Chinese government to break into systems," he said.
Scareware Crackdown
A major international crackdown on scareware scammers was launched last week by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. The agency targeted six companies in India selling phony technical support services to English-speaking countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
According to the FTC, some of the scammers cold-called consumers posing as representatives from legitimate companies, such as Dell, Microsoft, McAfee and Symantec. They told the consumers that malware had been detected on their computers and then offered to remove it for fees ranging from $49-$450.
In addition to the "boiler room" tactic used by five of the firms, a sixth used ads placed on Google search pages to sell their bogus services.
To elude scam fighters, the phony malware removers used 80 different domain names and 130 different phone numbers, the FTC said.
"The FTC has been aggressive -- and successful -- in its pursuit of tech-support scams," FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said in a statement. "And the tech-support scam artists we are talking about today have taken scareware to a whole other level of virtual mayhem."
Breach Diary
- Oct. 1: McAfee and the National Cyber Security Alliance released survey in which 26 percent of Americans say they've been told that their personal information may have been exposed by a data breach.
- Oct. 1: California attorney general announces that Blue Cross of California agrees to pay $150,000 to settle lawsuits resulting from data breach that compromised the personal healthcare information of 33,756 of its members.
- Oct. 2: Cybersecurity company Prolexic reports that widespread DDoS attacks on U.S. financial institutions in September were powered by a toolkit called "itsoknoproblembro." According to the company, use of the tool in conjunction with sophisticated attack methods shows that the attackers are familiar with common DDoS mitigation methods.
- Oct. 3: Web security firm Blue Colt reports that malicious botnets have increased 200 percent in the last six months. It also predicted that two thirds of all malicious cyberattacks this year will be perpetrated by such malnets.
- Oct. 3: Researchers at Trusteer reveal new type of Man-in-the-Browser attack that is website independent. According to the researchers, the new form of attack speeds up how data is stolen and allow cybercriminals to inflict more damage before they're discovered.
- Oct. 3: Computerworld reports a hacker group calling itself Team GhostShell breached the servers of more than 100 major universities around the world and published 120,000 records from those computers on the Internet. Hackers said their action was aimed at focusing attention on failing education standards around the world.
Upcoming Security Events
- Oct. 7-13: Forensics Prague 2012. Angelo Hotel, Prague, Czech Republic. Sponsored by SANS. Course prices range from Euro 650 to Euro 3,895.
- Oct. 9-11: Crypto Commons. Hilton London Metropole, U.K. Discount registration (by Sept. 12): Pounds 900. Standard registration: Pounds 1,025.
- Oct. 16-18: ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security. Sheraton Raleigh Hotel, Raleigh, N.C.
- Oct. 18: Suits and Spooks Conference: Offensive Tactics Against Critical Infrastructure. Larz Anderson Auto Museum, Brookline, Mass. Attendance Cap: 130. Registration: Standard, $395 (by Oct. 17).
- Oct. 18: NAC-As-A-Service: What, Why and How. 12 noon ET. Webcast. Sponsored by ForeScout Technologies.
- Oct. 18: Defensive Tools Workshop: ModSecurity Quick-Start Overview. 3 p.m. ET. Black Hat webcast. Free. Sponsored by FireEye.
- October 20-21: Ruxcon 2012. Melborne, Australia. Registration: AUS$350.
- Oct. 21-24: FS-ISAC Summit. Lansdowne Resort, Leesburg, Va. Limited to actual financial services practitioners. registration ranges from US$165-$1750.
- October 22-23: Cybersecurity Conference. Grand Hyatt, Washington, D.C. Managed by 1105 Media. Expo Admission: Free. Conference Registation: US$295 for government employees; US$495 for others.
- Oct. 22-25: eCrime 2012. El Conquistador Resort & Conference Center, Las Croabas, Puerto Rico. Sponsored by the Anti-Phishing Work Group (APWG). Registration US$575.
- Oct. 25-31: Hacker Halted Conference 2012. Miami, Fla. Sponsored by EC-Council. Registration: $2,799-$3,599.
- Nov. 3-6: Information Security Forum Annual World Congress. Chicago.
- Nov. 14: How to choose the right authenticator to meet the CJIS requirement for advanced authentication. 1-2 p.m. ET. Free webinar. Sponsored by Entrust.
- Dec. 3-7: Annual Computer Security Applications Conference. Orlando, Fla. Registration is now open.


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News & Events
For the Media
Clarkson University Prof. Emeritus John Serio Receives Distinguished Editor Award
[A photograph for media use is available at http://www.clarkson.edu/news/photos/serio.jpg .]
The Council of Editors of Learned Journals (CELJ) has presented Clarkson University Humanities Professor Emeritus John N. Serio with the Distinguished Editor award for his editorship of the Wallace Stevens Journal, which he edited for nearly 30 years while a professor at Clarkson.
The council, a consortium of over one hundred academic periodicals, presented the award at this month's Modern Language Association convention in Seattle.
In an era in which Stevens was at the heart of successive critical paradigms (formalist, phenomenological, deconstructive, historicist), Serio kept the journal open to all viewpoints while privileging none. As one board member noted to the judges, Serio "always seemed to know when interesting new approaches to Stevens were in the air."
Serio also explored the many dimensions of a poet -- often thought difficult and obscure -- and provided a cumulative portrait of a writer far more many-sided than his routine classification would lead people to believe.
This was also demonstrated by the way in which the journal contained not only academic articles, but also personal remembrances and poems either about Stevens or in his manner. The design of the journal made a quantum leap under Serio's editorship, with eye-catching covers, clean layout, and meticulous proofreading as hallmarks.
Serio is also renowned as a nurturer of academic writing. In the words of a senior scholar at a major university, who credits his own success partly to Serio's effective editing, "John's method is collaborative."
Another scholar described to the judges how Serio's honest criticism and tireless encouragement over a number of years were crucial to her own professional career.
A letter to the judges from a young Stevens scholar also testified to Serio's effectiveness as mentor: "[Serio] practically taught me how to write professional criticism with his stewardship of my first article."
Another contributor said: "I've never received such useful or constructive feedback from any other editor."
Serio routinely engaged in such constructive collaborations, usually without acknowledgment, with both younger scholars and senior authorities whose articles needed the special care that only a diligent and responsive editor could provide in order to bring them to fruition.
Finally, Serio was an active force beyond Stevens scholarship in sharing his editorial wisdom with scholars in other fields, as well as promoting the cause of learned journals in general.
The CELJ honored Serio, a major force in American humanities scholarship, with its Distinguished Editor Award for 2011.
Clarkson University launches leaders into the global economy. One in five alumni already leads as a CEO, VP or equivalent senior executive of a company. Located just outside the Adirondack Park in Potsdam, N.Y., Clarkson is a nationally recognized research university for undergraduates with select graduate programs in signature areas of academic excellence directed toward the world's pressing issues. Through 50 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, sciences and health sciences, the entire learning-living community spans boundaries across disciplines, nations and cultures to build powers of observation, challenge the status quo, and connect discovery and engineering innovation with enterprise.

subset: commoncrawl


text: How do people reckon the events in the Invasion! mini-series would have gone in the mirror universe? I've only read the first two books, but I recall that in the first one, the attack by the super-powerful Furies was only foiled due to an alliance between Kirk and the Klingons.....Knowing relations between the Terran and Klingon Empires in the MU, would this have happened? If not, how would the Furies have been defeated? And what about the second time they returned in the TNG era; would the Alliance have been able to repel them?


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In the United States, there are more than one million people injured from slip, trip and fall incidents every year.
It is important to recognize the significance of these types of injuries as claims from slips, trips and falls cost, on average, approximately $25,000-$28,000 per occurrence, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The most common injuries are to joints — typically the back, wrist, elbow, shoulder and knee.
There are many factors that contribute to slip, trip and fall incidents, one of which is improper floor cleaning.
To ensure proper floor cleaning procedures are in place, a formalized cleaning program should be established.
The following information can serve as a guideline.
Cleaning Program
A program should be implemented to ensure regular cleaning of floors is conducted at a facility.
A cleaning program should establish cleaning schedules and contain, at a minimum, the following elements:
- Cleaning schedules should be determined and considerations should be given to peak hours, traffic patterns and weather conditions
- The drying time for the area being cleaned should also be considered when establishing the schedule
- Appropriate barricades should be used to redirect pedestrians during cleaning
- All cleaning should be documented and inspection logs maintained
- As part of the program, written procedures on floor cleaning need to be established and updated as needed (i.e. when a new floor surface is in place, when new cleaning products are used, if the work environment has changed, if new exposures are present, etc.)
- The written procedures should also be evaluated periodically to ensure they are being followed and are effective.
Appropriate Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) should be obtained and employees should be trained properly on the use of personal protection and application procedures.
The minimum requirements for this training can be found in the HAZCOM requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
When implementing a cleaning program, training employees on cleaning policies and procedures is crucial to the success of the program.
Employees should be aware of overall housekeeping procedures as well as specific cleaning procedures for high-hazard areas.
The following factors should be considered when training is provided:
- All areas should be checked to ensure proper drainage is in place
- All areas should be highly visible
- All areas should be cleaned thoroughly with no shortcuts
- All equipment should be checked to ensure it is clean and in good condition
- All equipment should be checked to make sure that the right equipment is used for the floor surface.
Products should be tested on a small section of the floor, prior to use, to ensure the product is suitable for the floor surface.
Many suppliers and manufactures of floor cleaning products provide technical support to select the appropriate products for specific types of floors and needs.
Cleaning products should be tested prior to purchase to ensure quality — this could also save you from buying expensive products that do not work.
Follow all manufacturers'' instructions on safety and application.
Products from different vendors should not be mixed together, as the products might not be compatible and could cause the products to not work as expected.
Provide training for using, mixing and applying products as well as maintaining all cleaning equipment.
Many product vendors provide assistance with selection and technical training.
All facilities should have the proper cleaning materials readily available for their operations.
Rather than using the same mop throughout the entire premises, equipment should be separated for different areas of the facility.
Equipment may need to be color-coded or marked to ensure employees use the proper equipment for designated areas.
If an area needs to be blocked off for cleaning, employees should know how to set up signage and equipment properly.
When using signage, it is important to ensure signs are highly visible and do not pose a slip, trip or fall hazard.
Signage should also be used in conjunction with cleaning up spills and debris, not just as a deterrent.
All equipment should be cleaned prior to use, regularly inspected and maintained.
Provide employees with the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) to ensure they avoid contact with contaminated materials.
Cleaning Procedures
Proper cleaning procedures should be followed for dust mopping, scrubbing, stripping and applying floor finishes.
There are common elements to the cleaning process.
Before each step in cleaning, the equipment should be clean, in working order and appropriate for the floor surface.
The floor area that is to be cleaned should be blocked off.
Once the cleaning process is completed, employees need to clean up equipment immediately after the procedure.
The equipment should be thoroughly washed, allowed to dry and stored in the proper location.
Color-coded mops and buckets should be provided for different areas to be cleaned.
This will prevent the spread of foreign substances from one area to another and reduce the possibility that these substances will be spread in the process of cleaning a spill.
Basic Cleaning Procedures
To effectively dust mop floors, cleaners should:
- Remove all debris
- Hold mop at a 45-degree angle and push mop straight ahead; do not push backwards and avoid lifting up mop
- Use a small dust mop for obstructed areas, such as an office or classroom
- When mopping, start at entrance and work from the sides to the center of room
- If furniture is easily moved, move and mop where furniture is located
- Use dustpan and broom to sweep up trash
- Once the floor is clean, brush out the dust mop with a stiff bristle brush or place the dust mop head in a plastic liner and shake it several times
- Treat dust mop at end of cleaning procedures
- Replace mop head when soiled
- Hang dust mop with yarn facing away from walls.
For floor scrubbing:
- Operate floor machine from side to side while applying solution
- Overlap on each pass to ensure that the entire floor has been covered
- Avoid bumping the baseboards and other fixed objects
- Use a hand pad and holder to scrub corners and other areas not accessible to the floor machine.
Pick up dirty solution:
- Use a wet vacuum or remove the dirty solution with the first mop
- Dip the clean mop into the clear water and rinse — using the double bucket procedure
- Wring out the wet mop frequently
- Cover the entire area to be cleaned
- Wipe off baseboards before they dry.
After the floor has dried, cleaning personnel should remove the wet floor signs and return furniture and other items cleared from the area to their proper positions.
Applying Floor Finish
- Applying first coat of seal:
- Pour floor finish into lined mop bucket and place a clean, non-rusty wringer into the bucket
- Immerse clean mop into the finish
- Wring out mop to eliminate dripping
- Apply a thin coat of finish to the floor
- Apply floor finish by running floor finish applicator mop parallel to and next to the baseboard
- Do not apply in vertical portions of baseboards and walls
- Work in a "U" shape around baseboards and work from outward inward
- Use additional finish, as needed, per manufacturer instructions and cover the entire floor
- Try to avoid splashing the floor finish
- Before applying another coat, allow finish to dry completely.
- Applying second coat of seal:
- Repeat the above instructions
- You may wish to avoid building up edges by keeping a few inches away from the baseboards
- Apply a thin coat of finish
- The second application should be made using a "figure 8" pattern, which reduces back fatigue
- Allow second coat to dry completely.
- Additional coats:
- Repeat the above instructions using the same floor finish for the next two coats and all subsequent ones
- More coats allows more protection for the floor and a better appearance
- Apply at least two coats of finish over the seal, if a high-speed burnishing program is used
- Allow floor to dry completely before opening to traffic.
Floor Stripping
- Apply stripping solution:
- Spread floor stripping solution over area with mop
- Allow solution to work on floor for recommended time — usually at least five minutes — and do not allow the stripper to dry.
- Machine scrub:
- Place floor stripping pad under floor machine
- Scrub lengthwise along the baseboards
- Strip side to side over the remaining area
- Use hand scrub pad to detail strip along the edges and in corners of the room; heel floor machine on badly soiled spots
- Do not splash stripper on walls.
- Pick up dirty solution:
- Use a wet vacuum to remove stripper solution from the floor
- Do not allow the dirty solution to dry on the floor.
- Rinse and dry floor:
- Use clean mop and clean water
- Add floor stripping neutralizer to water
- Cover area with neutralizer and rinse water
- Use wet vacuum to pick up rinse water
- Wipe baseboards before they dry.
Cleaners should damp mop the floor with clean water for the final rinse. This will also ensure that all stripper solution has been removed.
Developing and implementing a formal cleaning program is one way to assist in reducing slip, trip and fall incidents.
While properly following cleaning procedures is an important step to reducing slip, trip and fall exposures, you still need to conduct an effective analysis of the exposures at your location.
Train staff to immediately report all instances of slips, trips and falls so that action to reduce the exposure can be immediately taken.


text: raphaella came to hang out with tony and as usual the great brazilian heat got them hot and bothered. they werent swimming for long. swimming took a backburner as soon as tony took a good look at her gorgeous ass. she slapped him silly with her tits and smothered his face with her juicy ass. i dont know who got the uper hand in this fuck fest but tony got his revenge when he splashed her face with his man yogurt...enjoy! see more hot girls!


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Esteemed Middle East scholar Bernard Lewis comes to the 92nd Street Y for another unforgettable night of intelligent and gripping discussion on contemporary issues. In this program, Lewis, one of the greatest historians of the Middle East, pulls from his best-selling books such as Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror and What Went Wrong?: The Clash Between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East to examine the Islamic doctrine of Holy War and the perversion of Islamic tenants by modern extremists. With an intense delivery, peppered with clever witticism, Lewis engages the history of Islam and its clash with contemporary culture and modernism.
Bernard Lewis is the author of the national best seller What Went Wrong?: The Clash Between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East as well as The Middle East: A Brief History of the Last 2,000 Years, a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist; From Babel to Dragomans: Interpreting the Middle East; The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror; The Emergence of Modern Turkey; and The Arabs in History. Lewis is internationally recognized as one of our era's greatest historians of the Middle East and his books have been translated into more than 20 languages. Lewis is the Cleveland E. Dodge Professor Emeritus of Near Eastern studies at Princeton University.
© and (P)2003 92nd Street Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Association
"Words of wisdom..."
So much knowledge and so little time to to listen - will look for all his other speeches.
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All quotes tagged Peacefulness
(4409 quotes found)
"Patience, Empathy, Attitude, Character and Enthusiasm are the wisdom pieces that collectively make the PEACE in mind largely."
"When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others."
"I offer you peace. I offer you love. I offer you friendship. I see your beauty. I hear your need. I feel your feelings. My wisdom flows from the Highest Source. I salute that Source in you. Let us work together for unity and love."
"To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness."


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RENTON — Kam Chancellor returned to practice this week, and that is unquestionably good news for the Seattle Seahawks. With the Pro Bowl safety sidelined throughout offseason workouts and the start of training camp, however, the Seahawks got a good reminder of just how good they have it when it comes to depth behind their starting safeties.
Jeron Johnson, who is heading into his fourth season with Seattle, has spent his past three seasons as a backup to Chancellor and as a specials teams standout, but with Chancellor recovering from offseason hip surgery, Johnson has been working with the first-team defense alongside All-Pro Earl Thomas, and the Boise State product has more than held his own as part of the league's best secondary.
"Awesome, awesome," Rocky Seto, the Seahawks' defensive passing game coordinator said when asked about Johnson. "He's done a great job while Kam was out. The coaches want to make sure he understands how well he's done. He's done a tremendous job, he's elevated his game and just really gained the confidence of the whole team."
Johnson appeared in just seven games last season because of a pair of hamstring injuries, the second of which landed him on injured reserve. Yet despite those injuries as well as his status as a backup behind two of the NFL's best safeties — Johnson also will be an option to back up Earl Thomas at free safety — this offseason served as a reminder of just how much the Seahawks value Johnson's contributions both on special teams and as a more-than-capable backup.
Johnson was a restricted free agent heading into the offseason, and to make sure he didn't eventually hit the open market, the Seahawks slapped the second-round tender on the undrafted player, which came with a $2.187 million price tag, a hefty salary for a backup. Eventually the Seahawks and Johnson agreed to a new, $1.5 million deal. The Seahawks could have let Johnson test the open market and perhaps signed him for less, but they have seen how well he has played in preseason games, and they know his value on special teams, so they realized that letting him test free agency could backfire.
"That goes to show you how much (general manager John Schneider) and coach Carroll value him," Seto said. "… He's invaluable without any question. He's been great, because he can fill in at either safety spot, he can play in nickel packages if we want him to be a bigger nickel for us. He's just invaluable."
For his part, Johnson didn't have full control of his future, but he did show a willingness to put winning and a chance to be a part of a good organization ahead of going at the first possible chance for a starting job. When the Seahawks used a second-round tender on Johnson, they did so to keep him from free agency, but also did so knowing they'd wouldn't likely actually pay him that much, and Johnson signed the tender knowing the same thing.
If Johnson's only priority was to find a team that didn't have Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas ahead of him on the depth chart, he could have signed the tender, then refused to re-do his deal, likely leading to his release before start of the season. That might have meant less than money than the deal he agreed to, but any roster would offer a better chance at starting than Seattle's.
"I like this organization, Pete and Schneider," Johnson said. "I know this defense, and the competition here. Just being around Earl and Kam, I feel like I still have a lot to learn from those guys. Even though Earl is a year younger than me, I'm learning from both of those safeties. I just felt like the situation here is the best one for me … My agent and myself, we both felt like this was the best position for me."
And don't take that to mean Johnson is fine being a career backup to two star safeties. He fully believes in his ability to start in this league, and in the meantime to make an impact in whatever way he can with the 2014 Seahawks.
"I definitely have confidence in myself to be a starter in this league," he said. "My time will come. Right now I'm playing my role, which is special teams and be ready if they put a defensive package in for me. Just be ready to go and do what I can do to contribute."
And Carroll has an equally high opinion about Johnson:
"He's fit in beautifully. He's a great communicator back there now; he can take charge, make the calls, works with Earl really well. He's been in the rotation for a couple years now so it's not new for him. But he's handled it really well. We feel like the system as really been able to flourish and keep going and growing and all that so he's done a great job."
Roster move
The Seahawks waived injured undrafted rookie safety Dion Bailey, who suffered a serious ankle sprain in Saturday's mock game. If unclaimed on waivers, Bailey will revert to injured reserve. To fill the open roster spot, Seattle signed defensive back Trey Wolfe, who spent rookie minicamp with the Seahawks.
Herald Writer John Boyle: firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Courtney Stodden is on the hunt—for the guy starring in her music video, that is.
E! News exclusively learns that the teen bride is casting her romantic male lead for the music video for the song "Reality," and she has a very specific idea of what she wants this mystery man to look like.
"He has to be attractive. She's looking for a Chris Hemsworth-type look," her momager, Krista Keller, tells us. "She's excited! She's able to choose somebody who she feels is going to be perfect for that spot. She's gotten a big response to the casting call."
The video will be directed by Michael Serrato, who Keller says brings a "controversial edge" to the project.
"It will be an interesting combination. It will be an iconic video that will be very edgy. It will be both of their creativity together," Keller says. "'Reality' is such a hot song, their collaboration will really help the song come alive."
She couldn't say much about the video (gotta keep it a surprise!), but she assures fans that Courtney's outfits will also deliver.
"She's had a lot of people step up and want to dress her for this. Everyone wants to dress her! So she's going to have her choice of a ton of looks," Keller says.
Are you excited to see Stodden's music video? Sound off in the comments!


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Any Leaf fan disparaging Dion Phaneuf or Phil Kessel's apparent struggles as a problem of effort should probably heed the words from then-defending Stanley Cup champion general manager Stan Bowman. Bowman was talking to the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics conference about his teams' efforts attempting to more properly gauge player value:
Stan Bowman [discussed] a system the Blackhawks used when Bowman joined the hockey operations department. It was a simple tool to chart out the coach's player rating for a player over the course of a game on a scale of 1-to-5.
Well, Bowman pointed out, the ratings provided by the coach, tallied up after every game, never matched reality. A coach's subjective bias, he explained, benefit the third line players and the players who were closer to replacement level. Those players ratings were "unfairly propped up because the expectations for that player are much lower."
A grinder, Bowman pointed out, has a much easier job than a scorer and ranked higher on the post-game scale. It didn't take long for Blackhawks brass to realize that their equivalent of Mike Brown in the early 2000s had identical or higher ratings than Phil Kessel. At that point, Bowman says the Blackhawks streamlined a system that charted different kinds of objective events during the game, which proved to be much more useful?
The moral? You can't accurately gauge a players performance based on whether they accomplished the objectives defined by their role. It's easier for Mike Brown or Colton Orr to fight somebody than for Phil Kessel to score. Kessel's role is more difficult, and also more important for the team, and the Blackhawks learned these lessons rather quickly when the data from the inaugural attempt at a rating system showed a screwy ranking of players.
The Toronto Maple Leafs face the Boston Bruins tonight, the Bruins a team unfairly characterized by their "toughness" when their danger really lies in having a wealth of forward depth and probably the best defenceman in the NHL over the last three or four years. They will be without Shawn Thornton, who was concussed in a fight with John Scott on Thursday.
Broadcast Info:
Puck drop: 7 PM EST
Returning once again to whether Orr or Kessel are performing up to expectations this year, let's just explain it through this little chart. I know some readers may be nervous by the incorporation of advanced stats like "goals" "fights" and "wins" and "losses" but bear with me. The data was collected through HockeyFights.net and Yahoo Sports' Game Logs:
|Points per 82
|When Orr Fights
|When Orr Doesn't Fight
|When Kessel Scores
|When Kessel Doesn't Score
When Colton Orr fights, he has no impact on the team's wins and losses record. When Kessel scores, he most certainly does. These numbers aren't surprising. Most analyses that look for a correlation between fighting and winning say that if there is an effect, it's marginal. Good dude @67sound wrote one up for this blog two summers ago and found absolutely none.
And yet, tonight, there's a possibility that the Leafs will not only send out Colton Orr into the Leafs' lineup but also waiver pickup Frazer McLaren. I remember watching McLaren the first year I had WHL season tickets with Kamloops when I went to university. He was an important part on a very bad Portland roster. He fought, but also played top six minutes that game, and by the end of the 2007 season had 19 goals to go along with his 186 PIMs. Portland was 17-52-3, the worst team in the WHL by a mile.
I don't imagine what Dave Nonis or Randy Carlyle expect when they put McLaren in the lineup. Are either of them going to be able to match up against any of these lines?
Tyler Seguin – Patrice Bergeron – Brad Marchand
Milan Lucic – David Krejci – Nathan Horton
Chris Bourque – Rich Peverley – Chris Kelly
Lane McDermid – Gregory Campbell – Jamie Tardif
Zdeno Chara – Johnny Boychuk
Dennis Seidenberg – Dougie Hamilton
Andrew Ference – Adam McQuaid
Tuukka Rask
Anton Khudobin
Rumour has it, there's a $100 bounty offered to anybody who can spell both Bruins' goalies names correctly without looking. So far, no winners.
Those top two lines are deadly, with the third line also a perfectly cromulent scoring threat in its own right. Peverley and Kelly combined for 31 goals last season, which is a pretty good total for a third line pair. I think Chris Bourque will get to slot in there in absence of an injured Danny Paille, Bourque has a single NHL goal in his journeyman-like career, but he's been a five-time 20-goal scorer at the AHL-level. He's basically an older, smaller Matt Frattin.
Carlyle gets last change, and I think I'd prefer him to put Phil Kessel-Tyler Bozak-James van Riemsdyk out against the Bruins' second line while Mikhail Grabovski, Jay McClement and Nik Kulemin try and shut down that Bruins' top line. The rationale is that Bergeron could light up Kessel when he doesn't have a good play-driving centre. The play would be almost exclusively in Toronto's end, and I like his odds moving the puck better against Krejci. Bergeron and Grabovski are similar players, and keeping that line "even" in scoring chances or goals would be considered a success for the Leafs.
As for the defence, well, it's going to be another high-minute game for Mike Kostka, as Jake Gardiner remains down in the minors. The defence hasn't changed in a couple of games, so why would it now? Cody Franson and Mike Kostka on the low pairing, Carl Gunnarsson and John-Michael Liles on the middle. They'll be attacked by a nasty forecheck and a wave of good hockey players. I don't like Toronto's chances on any of the prospective match ups, so the Leafs should hope for lots of special teams time, another dud of a night from Tuukka Rask (he let in 6 against Buffalo last game) and a gem pitched from James Reimer.
But strangers things have happened.
Also, I'm not sure if you knew this, but one of the story lines coming in is that Tyler Seguin and Dougie Hamilton were drafted with picks the Leafs traded to Boston for Phil Kessel. Boston's starter Rask was also traded for a goalie named Andrew Raycroft.
Again, not sure if you knew any of that.


text:
A German senior centre implemented the idea of using fake bus stops to prevent Alzheimer's disease patients from wandering off (their short term memory is not intact, while the long term memory works fine, therefore they know what the signs mean). As it is a huge success, now they bring the idea to several clinics in Germany.
The idea was first tried at Benrath Senior Centre in Düsseldorf, which pitched an exact replica of a standard stop outside, with one small difference: buses do not use it.
The centre had been forced to rely on police to retrieve patients who wanted to return to their often non-existent homes and families.
Then Benrath teamed up with a local care association called the "Old Lions". They went to the Rheinbahn transport network which supplied the bus stop.


text:
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"Arise and take our stand for freedom as in the olden time." Winston Churchill
"Proclaim Liberty throughout All the land unto All the Inhabitants Thereof." Inscription on the Liberty Bell
Monthly Archives: August 2004
Some Quick Thoughts
I was on the floor tonight, and spent some time with the Minnesota delegation. I shot some footage from the floor and from the press area where I watched the main speeches. Then I hurried back to where I'm staying, and, after another long, hot, sweaty day in New York, stopped in the bar for a beer–OK, two beers–before turning in. Tomorrow I'll post more extensive comments, along with a »
Night Two
wasn't bad but, for my money, it fell well short of night one. Of course it could just be me. I tend to like the more cerebral stuff. For all I know, Arnold and Mrs. Bush may have won the president more votes than McCain and Rudy G. In any case, here's my quick take on what I saw: Michael Steele — He was an impressive guy more than 15 »
Thune Charges Into Lead
Tom Daschle has spent millions of dollars on television ads, beginning months before any campaign was otherwise underway. Only recently has John Thune begun his media campaign. But the latest South Dakota poll shows Thune with a two-point lead. There are a number of signs that the tide is turning against Daschle. Daschle's basic problem is that he can't tell South Dakota's voters anything they don't already know. His whole »
Row on Radio Row
Last night at around 8 p.m., Al Franken, who is here on behalf of Air America, got into a shoving match with Laura Ingraham's producer. The two men argued about whether Franken had agreed to go on Laura's show and then reneged. The producer started to walk away, but Franken chased him, yelling insults, and the altercation followed. Here is a photo: As I recall, this isn't the first fight »
Faux Controversy of the Year
Or maybe of the decade. I mean, of course, the teapot tempest over President Bush's purported sudden defeatism in the war. The idea that Bush may suddenly have changed his mind and decided that the war is a loser is so ludicrous that the current media storm can only be accounted for by panic over the prospect of the Kerry campaign's implosion. Michelle Malkin tracked down the transcript of the »
One last look at last night
This morning, a colleague asked me what I thought of a legal brief recently filed in opposition to a motion I wrote in one of my cases. I answered, "oh, you know, it's just a bunch of lawyer talk." I was joking, partly. Unless a lawyer is committing malpractice, everything he or she says or writes is lawyer talk. Good legal writing takes the less offensive forms of lawyer talk »
I don't think we've commented yet on the abduction of two French journalists by Muslim extremists in Iraq. The extremists are demanding that France rescind its ban on the wearing of head-scarfs (as well as religious accessories worn by members of other religions) in public schools. In attempting to secure the release of the journalists, France has taken pains to point to its record of support for various Muslim and »
Leaving a sinking ship?
Wayne Rooney, at 18 one of the very best forwards in the world, has left my beloved Everton to play his soccer for Manchester United. Everton received about $30 million which could rise to about $40 million depending on various contingencies. This is nowhere near Rooney's value, in my opinion. The deal was completed just four hours before the transfer deadline, but became more or less inevitable on Friday, when »
Gen. Franks Endorses Bush
It's official: General Tommy Franks just told the bloggers that he is endorsing President Bush for re-election. This was the first time, I think, that he made the announcement. Franks sat down at a laptop to do a rather silly photo-op, impersonating a blogger. Our interview wasn't supposed to come until after his upcoming appearance on Hannity's show. But I couldn't resist asking, "General, can we ask you a question?" »
Sean's Smackdown
As I mentioned yesterday, Bloggers' Corner is only about twenty feet from Sean Hannity's booth. The action is fast and furious. A few minutes ago, Terry McAuliffe appeared on Sean's show. They went at it pretty hard, arguing about Vietnam and the war on terror. McAuliffe was stumped when Hannity asked him whether Kerry was lying when he said he spent Christmas in Cambodia. I posted a little footage of »
Boydot's paradox
Rudy Boschwitz is the former United States Senator who represented Minnesota for twelve years, from 1978-1991. He is a friend for whom I was proud to serve as treasurer in his 1996 campaign. His life story is a tribute to the United States that he has never tired of retelling. As a child, he came with his family to America when his father had the foresight to leave Germany upon »
I knew him when
Michael Steele, the lieutenant governor of Maryland, will speak to the convention tonight at around 9:00. Years ago, Steele, who is African-American, worked at the same law firm I did. The few times we discussed politics, I found him to be more conservative than I was. That may no longer be the case, but John J. Miller accurately describes Steele as a "rock-ribbed" conservative in this portrait for NRO. I'm »
Night One on Video
I made a ten-minute video of highlights from last night's speeches. If you caught them on television, it may not add much, other than putting the speakers in the context of the audience, and conveying a sense of what was going on in the hall. It's a big file, over 50 MB, so don't even think about it if you don't have a good broadband connection. And even then, give »
How Reagan became Reagan
Our friend Steven Hayward is the author of The Age of Reagan. Steve is a gifted, ambitious and audacious historian. The first volume of his two-volume history was published in 2001 and covers Reagan's ascent to the presidency in 1980; the second volume, on which Steve is working, will cover Reagan's presidency. When he completes the second volume The Age of Reagan will constitute a conservative counterweight to Arthur Schlesinger, »
Last Night at the Garden
Here are some more detailed thoughts on my observations inside the Garden last night. First, John McCain. He got a warm reception from the crowd, but nowhere near as warm as Giuliani's. Of course, his speech was nowhere near as good as Rudy's. But I don't think I'm the only Republican partisan who doesn't quite trust McCain. Not as a soldier or as a man, but as a Republican. He »
A media meltdown?
Glenn Reynolds explores the sorry performance of the mainstream media in the current campaign and uses our struggle with the cowardly lion of Portland Avenue to illuminate it in his column for TechCentralStation: "A media meltdown?" We are grateful to Glenn in his capacity as the proprietor of Instapundit for shining his spotlight last Thursday on our continuing efforts (summarized here) to bring Jim Boyd to justice last week. This »
Giuliani in perspective
With Rudy Giuliani's speech still echoing in my mind, I'm looking for serious writtten reactions to it. Richard Brookhiser has taken the occasion of the speech to supply the perspective of Giuliani's career as a public man: "Rudy!" A footnote: He mangles the Woody Allen quote, but he finished the column past midnight. John Podhoretz reflects on the speech itself in his New York Post column: "Stemwinder." HINDROCKET adds: Shortly »


text:
"I'm back in the saddle at Atkins," Robinson said with a laugh.
Robinson went to D.C. with the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) from Arkansas to discuss education policy with Arkansas congressional members including Steve Womack, John Boozman, Mark Pryor, Rick Crawford and Tom Cotton.
The group also met with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
Robinson said the ASCD asked the congressmen to consider reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), commonly known as No Child Left Behind.
"ESEA is seven years overdue for reauthorization," Robinson said. "The ASCD went to Capitol Hill to talk education policy. The rest was a bonus."
Robinson's brother, Womack, invited her to join him at the State of the Union address.
"It's pretty amazing to be in Washington D.C. period," Robinson said. "But to get to see the State of the Union address was a great experience."
Before the address, Robinson got to sit in on the Whip Committee meeting and hear some debate about the Farm Bill.
Robinson said if she could, she would change one thing about the evening.
"I thoroughly enjoyed the State of the Union, but I would've liked to see more about education in it," she said.
After the address, Robinson mingled with other attendees, including politicians and reality TV star, Willie Robertson.
"After the address, I got my picture taken with Willie [Robertson] from 'Duck Dynasty,'" she said. "I got to meet [congressmen] Paul Ryan and Sam Johnson. I read a book about Sam Johnson. He was a prisoner of war. It was such an honor to meet them."


text:
£5,000 reward offered to find Terry McSpadden who went missing seven years ago and never heard of again
PUBLISHED: 08:42 03 March 2014 | UPDATED: 08:42 03 March 2014
Archant 2011
A reward of up to £5,000 is being offered to anyone with information about what happened to a father who went missing seven years ago.
Terry McSpadden, of Elm, was last seen in the early hours of March 2, 2007.
He had spent the evening of March 1 in the Locomotive pub in Wisbech and then went to the town's Tesco supermarket just before 1am before returning to his home in Outwell Road, Elm.
Police said the disappearance was completely out of character for the father-of-two and despite detailed searches of both the local area and Mr McSpadden's home and numerous missing person appeals, he has never been found.
Leading the investigation, Detective Inspector Marie James of the Norfolk and Suffolk Major Investigation Team said: "While Terry's disappearance was
initially treated as a missing person's inquiry, we have long since believed that Terry is no longer alive and
his death was as the result of
foul play. His body has never been found.
"We absolutely know there are individuals out there who know how and why Terry has disappeared. We also believe there are other people with important information who may have previously not felt able to come forward."
Mr McSpadden used to cycle everywhere and his black mountain bike, repainted from pink, has also never been found.
His stepmother Susan Rolfe said: "Terry's children miss their daddy and really want him to come home. It is like living a nightmare. Somebody must know something that will help us establish what happened seven years ago."
Crimestoppers is offering the reward of up to £5,000 for information passed on directly to the charity anonymously on 0800 555 111 that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for this offence.
Information given directly to
the police or via the Crimestoppers online form will not be liable for the reward.
People can also contact the Norfolk and Suffolk Major Investigation Team by dialling 101.


text:
There are a number of volunteer opportunities for seniors in Marion County.
There are a number of volunteer opportunities for seniors in Marion County, including:
RSVP: America's largest volunteer network for people age 55 and over. The local RSVP sponsor is the College of Central Florida. RSVP of Marion County is based in the Ewers Century Center, in the Pathways Center, along with the Senior Learning Institute. Contact Jerone Gamble at email@example.com or 873 5800.
5th Judicial Circuit Guardian ad Litem Program: Volunteers advocate for abused and neglected children whose cases are in the courts. Applicants must complete 30 hours of pre-service training and undergo a level 2 criminal background check. Contact Lynn Sennett at 274-5231.
AARP Driver Safety: A telephone coordinator is needed to check the AARP 800 number voicemail Monday through Friday and return calls asking about driver safety courses in Marion County. Knowledge of area is helpful. Call Al Pitts at 873-3659.
Avante at Ocala:
• Educational lecturer – Provide a 30- to 60-minute talk on a topic such as art, technology, health, history, etc.
• Board/card game leader – Facilitate weekly game (cards, poker, Scrabble etc).
• Bingo – Help transport residents, set them up with cards, call numbers, assist residents with physical or cognitive deficits or those unable to leave bed by using iPads or smartphones. Call Patty Hughes at 732-0042.
Marion County Literacy Council: Tutors are sought to help students develop basic computer literacy skills. Call Mariangel Ayala at 690-7323.
Marion Therapeutic Riding Association: Sidewalker is needed to support a special-needs rider. Support may be physical or verbal, or both. Teamwork with horse handler and instructor is required. Must enjoy being around individuals with special needs and horses, and be physically able to keep up with a mounted rider at a moderate pace. Contact Marge Audi at 732-7300.
Ocala Regional Medical Center:
• Surgical waiting room – Reassure primary contacts and visitors by assisting staff and patients having surgical procedures. Direct or escort visitors/guests to ancillary areas when necessary.
• Front desk – Answer and transfer phone calls, use computer to look up patient information, direct or escort/transport visitors and incoming and discharged patients, make deliveries to patients. Must be able to walk above-average distances, have strength to push people in wheelchairs and have computer and multi-line phone knowledge.
Call Juliann Bratcher at 401-1461.
Operation Shoebox: Need are volunteers to assist in the thrift store by sorting donations and hanging clothes, and to help with packing items for troops overseas. Call Janet Oliver at 307-6723.
Stirrups 'n Strides Therapeutic Riding Center: Volunteers needed for clerical duties (filing, maintaining records) and maintaining volunteer and office area. Should be computer competent using Microsoft Word and Excel. Call Betty Gray at 427-3569.
Take Stock in Children: Mentors are needed to work with students at school for 30 minutes per week for one school year to help with homework or just listen and provide encouragement. Call Trisha Curtis at 671-4162.
TimberRidge Nursing & Rehab:
• Activities assistants – Must be able to push patients, stand for periods of time.
• Spanish speaker – Provide socialization or recreational opportunities.
• Friendly visitor – Provide socialization or recreational opportunities.
• Rehab transport – Transport residents to and from rehab.
Contact Suzanne Mission at 291-7214.
Ocala Horse Properties Event Series: Needed are jump judges, hosts for information booth and more. Series runs April 11-14 at the Florida Horse Park, with international competition of dressage, show jumping and cross country. Call 952-201-4277.


text:
The Daycare Starter Kit is organized into 10 easy-to-read chapters. After each chapter you will apply what you have learned using worksheets and quizzes.
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The latest update was in May 2011.
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text:
DC Fire union says they were excluded from holiday pay
Officials say the Christmas Eve benefit wasn't intended for responders because they are already paid more than other city workers
By Russ Ptacek
WASHINGTON, D.C. — D.C. police and firefighters are upset that Mayor Vincent Gray closed offices for Christmas Eve and ordered special pay for city employees who are required to work, but didn't include them.
The unions are portraying the mayor as a Grinch, while the mayor's office says their compensation is already fair.
"Apparently we have been exempted from the holiday," said D.C. Firefighter Union President Ed Smith in an e-mail to WUSA9. "My membership wants to know why?" Except for the holiday wreaths and jingle bells attached to the grills of District fire trucks, emergency workers continued their normal routines while the unions battled city hall.
Union leaders say the holiday pay disparity is unfair.
"The mayor said this was for all employees," said DC Police Union Chairman Kristopher Baumann about the Christmas Eve compensation. "What we should have realized was given his history was that really meant it was (for) publicity."
The mayor announced the Christmas Eve closings and compensation last week.
"Patently absurd...half truths," was the reaction from DC Mayor Gray's spokesman Pedro Ribeiro.
Ribeiro said the Christmas Eve benefit wasn't intended for emergency workers because they are already higher paid than most city workers and negotiate benefits through a contract.
Union leaders pointed out police and fire have been working without contracts for five years.
"Under administrative closings, they don't get paid in their contracts," Ribeiro said.
"This didn't have anything to do with any contracts," Baumann said. "This is a mayor's order, meaning he's doing this by statute."
The mayor's spokesman countered emergency workers qualify for many other benefits unavailable to other city workers.
"This is just another hit to the fire fighters morale," Smith said.
Ribeiro said criticism came as a surprise, because he believes the Gray administration has shown good faith in working towards successful contract negotiations with police and fire fighters.
Not so, says the police union.
"Mayor Gray has repeatedly misrepresented to the media the status of police negotiations and mischaracterized the position of the District in those negotiations in an effort to mislead the public," the union said in a news release.
Republished with permission from WUSA9


text:
Johnson unable to shut door on Yankees
NEW YORK -- Adversity struck just when the Orioles thought it was safe to go back in the ninth inning.
Baltimore built last year's playoff bid on an impenetrable bullpen, a unit that performed impeccably and won nearly every time it held a lead. But that was last year. The Orioles' strength has become a perplexing weakness, and Friday night saw another blown save in a 3-2 walk-off loss to the Yankees.Full Game Coverage
NEW YORK -- Adversity struck just when the Orioles thought it was safe to go back in the ninth inning.
Baltimore built last year's playoff bid on an impenetrable bullpen, a unit that performed impeccably and won nearly every time it held a lead. But that was last year. The Orioles' strength has become a perplexing weakness, and Friday night saw another blown save in a 3-2 walk-off loss to the Yankees.Full Game Coverage
The Orioles led from the second inning through the eighth on Friday, and closer Jim Johnson came on with a one-run lead. The right-hander made a key error on an attempted bunt, and he went on to walk in the tying run and to allow the winning run on a walk-off single by left fielder Vernon Wells.
"Those three outs are the hardest three outs of the game," said catcher Matt Wieters, who delivered all of Baltimore's offense with a two-run home run in the second inning. "We have confidence in Jim, and we know if we have a one-run lead tomorrow, we'll be happy to get him back out there."
For Johnson, an All-Star last year, it's another tough result in an enigmatic season. The 30-year-old went 51-for-54 in save opportunities last year, but he already has six blown saves in 2013. Four of those came in May, and heading into Friday, Johnson had converted 12 of 13 save chances.
And as Johnson goes, so goes the rest of the bullpen. The Orioles (48-39) were sublime in the late innings last season, when they went 75-1 when leading after eight innings. This year, they're only 40-7 in those circumstances, but manager Buck Showalter doesn't think it's a pressing concern.
"I'm concerned about the way that we swung the bats tonight," said Showalter. "There's a lot of factors that go into it. We've got some guys who can't pitch every day and some guys can. Certain things will work themselves out. Everybody will seek their level and figure it out."
The Orioles have to hope that's the case for Johnson, one of the league's most durable relievers. The former fifth-round Draft pick leads the Major Leagues in saves (29) and games finished (37) this season, but he said Friday that he hasn't been overused and that he's comfortable with his role.
"That's what I am supposed to do," he said of pitching often with the game on the line. "That's part of the job description. It doesn't really matter when you look at the number of appearances. Buck does a good job of managing the rest of the guys in the bullpen, myself included."
The Orioles found themselves using a bit of gamesmanship on Friday, when they elected twice to intentionally walk Robinson Cano in a key situation. Both times -- in the fifth and the ninth inning -- the walk loaded the bases with one out, bringing up veterans Travis Hafner and Wells.
Starting pitcher Miguel Gonzalez escaped the first jam on a fly ball and a popup, but Johnson wasn't as fortunate in the ninth. Baltimore's closer fell behind Hafner and wound up walking him to force in the tying run, and Wells fisted a single through the left side of the infield to win the game.
But if you ask Johnson, the key moment in the inning came a little earlier. David Adams started the rally with a leadoff single, and then Brett Gardner dropped down a bunt. Johnson charged it and couldn't make the play, though, and Ichiro Suzuki bunted both runners into scoring position.
"The thing that really changed [the game] was me screwing up the whole bunt. That was trying to do too many things at once instead of just taking the out," said Johnson. "Obviously the walk to Hafner -- walking in the tying run -- that's not what I'm trying to do. It's frustrating. I've been working since Day One to get where I need to get. I'm still going to keep working hard."
The Yankees (47-39) got a fine performance from starter Ivan Nova, who rallied after falling behind. Nova gave up a two-run homer to Wieters in the second inning, but he went on to retire 23 of the next 25 batters he faced en route to the first complete-game victory of his young career.
The Orioles have won five of their last six games against the Yankees and lead the season series 6-4, an achievement for a team that has lost in 26 of the previous 30 years to New York. Showalter said Friday that his team's offensive struggles really come down to the teams Baltimore has faced.
"Obviously, publicly -- and rightfully so -- you've got to tip your hat to the people we're seeing," he said. "They're pitching real well. But certainly, we face good pitching every night. That's why they're in the big leagues. We've got to figure out a way to do a little bit better job with it."
Wieters came into Friday night's game batting .204 with three home runs and eight RBIs in his previous 28 games, but he kept another trend alive. The switch-hitter now has four home runs in 26 career at-bats against Nova, but he said he doesn't really keep track of the statistics that way.
"I try not to worry about numbers," said Wieters, who is batting .227 with 11 home runs this season. "Most of the time they're not too good; I'm trying to go out and get hits when I can."
That same approach could work for Baltimore's bullpen, a group that has earned an outsized share of the team's success. Showalter was asked about the disparity between last year's relief staff and this year's, and he said that last year's success didn't really come in a vacuum.
"We have been this year at times and we will be again," said Showalter about the team's consistency in the late innings. "That's part of it. This is one of the challenges you face."
Spencer Fordin is a reporter for MLB.com.


text:
Kissinger's family immigrated to the United States in 1938 to escape the Nazi persecution of Jews. He became a naturalized citizen in 1943. After studying accounting at City College, New York, he He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and in the postwar U.S. military government of Germany. He received his After leaving the service, he entered Harvard University, where he received a B.A. (1950) and a Ph.D. in 1954 from Harvard and then (1954). In 1954 he joined the faculty as an instructor, becoming professor of government in 1962 and director of the Defense Studies Program from 1959 to 1969. He also served as a consultant on security matters to various U.S. agencies from 1955 to 1968, spanning the administrations of Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson. Kissinger's Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy (1957) established him as a leading an authority on U.S. strategic policy. He opposed Secretary of State John Foster Dulles' policy of planning nuclear "massive retaliation" to Soviet attack, advocating instead a "flexible response" combining the use of tactical nuclear weapons and conventional forces, as well as the development of weapons technology in accordance with strategic requirements. That book and The Necessity for Choice (1960), in which Kissinger limited his concept of flexible response to conventional forces and warned of a "missile gap" between the Soviet Union and the United States, had a significant impact on the activities of the Kennedy administration.
Kissinger's reputation as a political scientist led to his appointment role as an adviser to New York governor and Republican presidential aspirant Nelson Rockefeller. In December 1968 Kissinger was appointed by President Nixon as assistant for national security affairs in December 1968. He eventually came to serve as head of the National Security Council (1969–75) and as secretary of state (September 1973–January 20, 1977).
Kissinger soon emerged as an influential figure in the Nixon administration. His major diplomatic achievements involved China, the Soviet Union, Vietnam, and the Middle East. He developed a policy of warmer U.S. relations with the Soviet Union, détente, which led to the strategic arms limitation talks (SALT) in 1969. He established the pro-Pakistan policy in the India-Pakistan war of late 1971, helped negotiate the SALT I arms agreement with the Soviet Union (signed 1972), and developed a rapprochement between the United States and the People's Republic of China (1972), the first official U.S. contact with that nation since the Chinese Communists had come to power.
Although he originally advocated a hardline hard-line policy in Vietnam and helped engineer the U.S. bombing of Cambodia (1969–70), Kissinger later played a major role in Nixon's Vietnamization policy—the disengagement of U.S. troops from South Vietnam and their replacement by South Vietnamese forces. On January 23, 1973, after months of negotiations with the North Vietnamese government in Paris, he initialed a cease-fire agreement that both provided for the withdrawal of U.S. troops and outlined the machinery for a permanent peace settlement between the two Vietnams. For this apparent resolution of the Vietnam conflict, Kissinger shared the 1973 Nobel Prize for Peace with the North Vietnamese negotiator, Le Duc Tho (who refused the honour).
After the Arab-Israeli War of 1973, Kissinger used what came to be called shuttle diplomacy in disengaging the opposing armies and promoting a truce between the belligerents. He was responsible for the resumption of diplomatic relations between Egypt and the United States, severed since 1967. He remained in office after Nixon's resignation in 1974, directing the conduct of foreign affairs under President Ford. After leaving office in 1977, Kissinger became an international consultant, writer, and lecturer. In 1983 President Ronald W. Reagan appointed him to head a national commission on Central America. Kissinger's later books include American Foreign Policy (1969), The White House Years (1979), and For the Record (1981), Years of Upheaval (1982), Diplomacy (1994), and Years of Renewal (1999).


text: It is perhaps useful to remember that there are no civilians within the Borg collective when discussing this. I'm not sure that it is genocide. Would Picard hesitate to use an antibiotic to kill a virus? Probably not, and just because Borgs were once-upon-a-time individuals and happen to be mainly humanoid in form, does not mean we should see them as anything other than a multi-cellular virus.


text:
Pong® World
Game Description
Pong World, winner of the 1st Pong Indie Developer Challenge, introduces a new generation to the classic game of PONG® with a dazzling unique twist and colorful new look. Explore Pong World by defeating opponents while collecting all four paddle creatures; Shaggy, Chompers, Sir Bouncelot, Razzle and Gnop to help you in your journey for domination. Each paddle is equipped with unique upgrades and powers. Unlock 4 different locations, each equipped with unique features -- summon a wall of energy to block your opponent's ball; hinder your enemy's vision and much more! Get ready to explore Pong World! Buckle up, it's going to be a bouncy ride!
Developer / Studio:
Release Date:
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Game Features
- Personalize and upgrade 5 animated paddle creatures with their own unique power boosts and personalities - Shaggy, Chompers, Sir Bouncelot, Gnop, Razzle! Collect them all!
- 4 unique levels challenge you with special unique power-ups: Jungle Juice, Fog of Faith, Winds of Change, and Moon Beams. Battle through 4 levels that will challenge and entertain you for hours on end!
- 3 play modes give a new look to the classic PONG gameplay: Conquest, Survival, and Two-Player Battle
- Put crazy spin moves on the ball against your opponent for fun and exciting gameplay
Game Requirements
System Requirements:
4.3 OS and above and iPhone 3GS and above
Pong® World © 2012 Atari Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Pong® is a trademark owned by Atari Interactive, Inc. Developed by zGames. zGames and the zGames logo are trademarks of zGames, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Marketed and distributed by Atari, Inc., New York, NY. Atari and the Atari logo are trademarks owned by Atari Interactive, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.


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Friday, July 11, 2014
CFK invites Latin American leaders to dinner with Putin
A file picture of President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner during her official visit to Russia, in 2013. (TÉLAM)
President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner invited Bolivian president Evo Morales, Uruguay leader José Mujica and Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro to participate in a special dinner after her meeting with the Russian head of state, Vladimir Putin on Saturday.
No official press release has been published yet, however sources revealed the reunion will take place at 1 pm at the Government House, and the two leaders will sing a number of bilateral agreements, including atomic energy cooperation.


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DETROIT - Francis Sharrak spent 18 months in the Wayne County Jail and used that time to operate his multi-million-dollar Internet porn and strip club business.
The 44-year-old resident of Farmington Hills was lodged in the county jail as he awaited sentencing on a federal tax evasion charge.
Sharrak was housed in the segregated cell where former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilptrick served a jail sentence.
Because Sharrak was acting as his own lawyer in his federal tax case, he asked for a computer to prepare his arguments. Wayne County undersheriff Dan Pfannes said a computer was provided.
"Because he's representing himself, we couldn't go through the traditional standpoint of him asking the law librarian for something because he has a right to keep his defense preparations secret from us," Pfannes said.
Court documents of transcribed phone calls from jail showed Sharrak bragged to a friend of being he first inmate ever in the jail to have a computer, but he complained about a lack of Internet access.
Sharrak got the computer because an unidentified jail employee convinced superiors that a court order demanded Sharrak have the device. That was a lie. Pfannes said that employee had been dealt with.
"This employee, although not fired for this specific incident, had other instances in which their credibility and truthfulness was called into question, and that employee no longer works here. So short term we solved that issue and on a more global long-term basis we are taking some steps that will prevent a recurrence of that nature," Pfannes said.
Sharrak is now serving his sentence in a federal facility.
No charges have been filed against him for his actions while in the Wayne County Jail.
Copyright 2012 by ClickOnDetroit.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Ben Ysursa, Secretary of State
|Contact Person / Organization
Alanna Grimm
|Deadline has passed. Proposed initiative will not be on the November 2010 ballot.
|Short Ballot Title
An initiative declaring firearms manufactured and sold in Idaho are not subject to federal regulation.
|Long Ballot Title
An initiative relating to firearms; amending Chapter 33, Title 18, Idaho Code, by addition of a new section 18, to provide that any personal firearm, firearm accessory or ammunition that is manufactured in Idaho and remains within the borders of Idaho is not subject to federal law or regulation under the authority of Congress to regulate interstate commerce. Requiring made in Idaho to be stamped; and nullifying federal law.
|Attorney General Certificate of Review
|Can be viewed by following this link to the Attorney General's web site. This document is provided in PDF file format, you must have a PDF reader installed on your computer to view the file.
Full Text
SECTION 1. That Chapter 33, Title 18, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby amended by the addition thereto of a NEW SECTION, to be known and designated as Section 18-3326, Idaho Code, and to read as follows:
18-3326. IDAHO FIREARMS FREEDOM ACT. (1) This act may be known and cited as the "Idaho Firearms Freedom Act."
|Idaho Secretary of State's Main Page
|State of Idaho Home Page
|Comments, questions or suggestions can be emailed to: email@example.com


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Gimmicks Gone Wrong: Top 10 LAMEST Rap Beefs Ever
Rap beefs are the ultimate go-to gimmick used by desperate artists to generate buzz for upcoming projects. In most cases, they're carefully-crafted publicity stunts force-fed to blogs in today's Twitter beef-obsessed industry.
Here are the ten lamest Rap beefs ever. Take a look.
Drake vs. Chris Brown
Glittery knife fight from the Michael Jackson "Beat It" video in pointless "Rap beef" form.
JoJo Simmons vs. Juelz Santana
The most talentless Simmons dissed an irrelevant rapper famous for wearing bedazzled bandanas and somehow got caught up. We're sure God hates JoJo.
Eminem vs. Mariah Carey
Em dreamed of drinking (and gargling) Mariah's bath water with a silly straw for years before she married the luckiest cornball alive: Nick Cannon. Of course he snapped.
MC Hammer vs. Jay-Z
King Hammer dropped a Hovvie Hov diss track ("Run Better Run") followed by a (hilarious) video where he chases Hov through a forest in slow motion before baptizing the "demonic" MC.
Hov's response: "When he reads all of the nice things I said about [Hammer], he's actually going to be embarrassed."
J. Cole vs. Diggy Simmons
Imagine J. Cole and Diggy slap-boxing in the Chuck E. Cheese parking lot. That's what this "beef" felt like.
Waffle-toned Drake vs. cream of wheat-colored Common
100% pure gourmet beef marinated in El DeBarge tears. Top 5 low point in light-skinned rapper history.
Continue Slideshow
Lupe Fiasco vs. Chief Keef
Chicago's filthiest Garbage Pail Kid threatens to slap everyone's favorite smart-dumb rapper. Smart-dumb rapper responds with positivity. Filthy Garbage Pail Kid claims his Twitter was hacked. Pointless.
Nelly vs. KRS-One
Perfect example of why the 'ole dusty mandal with church socks-wearing MC never wins against the hot new Rap phenomenon.
Photo credit: Instagram
Lil Wayne vs. Pusha T
Weezy was so sizzurp-wasted that he forgot to actually DISS Pusha-T on his "Pusha-T diss track." And then Pusha responded. At that point, no one cared.
More Stories From Bossip


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White Sox 5, Giants 2: Barry Zito and his downhill plane
Well, that was a very Barry Zito-like outing.
While Zito has had some good moments this spring, Sunday's game against the White Sox was not one of them.
Zito gave up five runs (all earned) on nine hits and two walks in 2 1/3 innings.
"The ball was up in the zone," Zito said. "I've been harping on getting the ball dow, throwing in a downhill plane. Today I was just rushing my body and the arm couldn't catch up. Downhill plane is everything."
Well, Giants fans know all to well about Zito and his downhill plane.
Zito's outing is worth a second look (perhaps not for those with weak stomachs).
It started well enough, with Alejandro De Aza striking out. But then came a double to Brent Lillibridge, a walk to Adam Dunn and an RBI single by Paul Kornerko. However, Dunn helped the Giants out by trying to take third on the play and was thrown out by Melky Cabrera.
Then came another walk to AJ Pierzynski. A single to Alex Rios loaded the bases. Then Zito got out of the mess by striking out Dayan Viciedo.
So the first inning line was 1 run on three hits and two walks.
Gordon Beckham opened the second with a double and took third on a single by Eduardo Escobar to open the second. De Aza bunted Beckham home for the second run of the game and first out of the inning. Lillibridge grounded out and Dunn struck out.
Konerko opened the third with a single, then Pierzynksi homered to left. Rios made it back-to-back by homering to left. Viciedo grounded out, but Beckham's double to left brought the hook for Zito.
Zito threw 60 pitches in the game, then threw another 25 in the bullpen after getting pulled.
"Just give us a chance to win," manager Bruce Bochy said of the expectations of Zito this season. "He got knocked out today. That's what we want to stay away from. He never got settled in. Every inning was a struggle for him. If (Cabrera) didn't make that play in the first inning, I don't think he gets out of that inning."
Despite seeing his spring ERA jumping from 4.50 to 6.61, Zito is in no danger of losing his spot in the rotation.
"He was out of sync," Bochy said. "He couldn't get the ball where he wanted. He just didn't have it today. You don't like to see it when you get this close to the season, but it's going to happen, and better now than during the season."
I guess.
Charting Zito starts this spring, his next start should come Friday against the Padres, then April 4 at AT&T Park against the A's in the preseason finale. That would align him to make his first start of the season on April 9 at Colorado, assuming Ryan Vogelsong starts the season on the DL.
A late-spring road game meant most regulars did not play against the White Sox. And the ones that did, didn't do much (Gregor Blanco 0 for 3, Nate Schierholtz 0 for 3, Melky Cabrera 0 for 2 with a walk, Brett Pill 0 for 4).
Ryan Vogelsong will get the start and aim to make 40 pitches as the Giants face the Royals at 1:05 p.m. Monday.


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† SOTW #92: The Olympic Games †
*Hunger Games host voice* This week's theme is the 30th Olympic Games!!! Nah, jk, not only the London 2012 Games, but everything related to the Summer -,Winter and even the Classical Games, OG logo's, athletes, sports etc. are all allowed
Always remember to read the rules before entering the SOTW.
And also think about next week´s theme.
Discuss this contest here.
All submissions must be sent via Pm to Caliburn
Put this
on your pm titleSOTW #92: SUBMISSION ~ [USERNAME HERE]
Last day to submit is Thursday, 6th (GMT+1:00) Central European Time (Brussels, Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid)
Good luck everyone ^^
Here are the entries for this week:
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Toyota Prius V - likes/dislikes and cost
I test drove a Prius V yesterday, and liked the car. Have been an SUV girl for 17 years, but looking to save at the pump. Wondering how you like your 'V', and how it handles in the snow. Would also like to know if anyone has found dealerships willing to negotiate on price. Here in Wisconsin they are selling before they hit the lot and I'm not sure what folks are paying. Any help would be appreciated - thanks!
Did you test drive a regular Prius too? The big difference between the two is the taller hatch area of the V. The regular Prius has 21CuFt of cargo vs 35CuFt in the V, so unless you need the extra space you can save at least $5000 on the regular Prius and get 20% better MPG.
roandbob Posts: 10I bought the Prius V in November, 2011. I have been an SUV driver for the last 6 years and before that a mini-van driver. I was able to negotiate with my dealer on price. I used consumer reports and truecar.com to arrive at a price. The above websites found dealers in the surrounding 100 mile area that would sell it to me for that. I took this info to my local dealer and negotiated it down another 200.00. I bought a Prius v - 5 for $35,200. The MSRP was $36,700. They didn't have the car on the lot but found one at another dealership. I love the car. The added cargo room is necessary to cart around my 100+ lbs dog and two teenagers. If you don't need the additional room, I agree with Bob W. The regular Prius will give you better mileage and is a great car to drive.
jenm1231 Posts: 2I love my Prius V three. I bought mine for $25498 which was $2998 less then MSRP. I paid below sticker. Ray, the sales manager is the man! I bought mine at Boch Toyota in Norwood Mass. They will ship and it may be worth it to save on price. I bought the Blizzard Pearl. It is so beautiful. Great on gas. I've owned luxury SUVS' forever but love the Prius V. The interior is so roomy. It's taller then the regular Prius as well as longer. The ride is great. I enjoy it so much, I find myself looking for excuses to get behind the wheel and go. Buy one, you won't be disappointed. So much fun to drive. I love the door handle feature that allows you to lock the door and unlock by touching the handle. Entunes is a great system as well.... Just love it...
dan19 Posts: 10Wanted the lane departure warning feature. Toyota calls it Lane Keep Assist. This is a part of the Technology Package on the standard Prius. But it is not a part of the Technology Package on the Prius V. I already own a standard Prius with this feature. I was looking at the Prius V to replace our mini-van. Now I'm waiting for the Ford C-Max.
If you're looking at the C-Max, from what I've read the space behind the back seats in the C-Max is about 50% smaller than the Prius V. The C-Max has only a few CuFt more cargo space than the regular Prius.
imani2 Posts: 3I'm not sure if I'm out here alone with this problem, but I just bought a 2010 Prius and the brakes are slipping when it hits a bump. When I went to the dealer, Bayridge Toyota, Brooklyn, they acted like they didn't know what I was talking about and tried to charge me 189.00 to look at the car. I asked them if they had a specialist to take care of this known problem (It was in all the papers in 2011) and they said they had never heard of it.???? Now, the whole world had heard of it, but my misfortune was to buy a floor model for a 2010 in 2011 and I trusted the dealers at Plaza Toyota.
This brake problem is very scary and I wonder why more people aren't complaining. Please write me if you have this problem. There is a class action suit against Toyota for it and I'm doing all I can to get them fixed. I only found all this out after researching the issue. All the joy has gone out of my new car buy. Great Mileage or not bad brakes are a hazard and no fun at all. :mad:
On my Honda Fit the antilock brakes start activating sometimes if I'm braking on bumpy roads...maybe the bumps provide the same trigger as slippage?
goprius Posts: 151. The interior of the shifter knob is NOT lighted. There's an LED light that shines on it, but I think that's more of an afterthought.
2. The lighter is too low, below the console with the shifter.
3. It would be nice if you could set the car to default to EV mode, and have it resume once you restart the car from a stop. Once you reach the max speed, it turns off. Once you are at a stop, you have to hit the button again to get back into EV mode. That manual stuff is a bit annoying.
4. Interior is a combination of tan and light grey. Keep it one color.
5. Huge blindspots in the rear corners
6. Rear wiper is a bit useless. Would like greater coverage.
7. Steering wheel has limited upward adjustment
8. Going uphill from a standing start. (ha ha)
"..when it hits a bump.."
Nature of the BEAST, FWD hybrid vehicles.....
During the use of light to moderate braking only regenerative braking is used. Since ONLY the front wheels are doing the braking, a slight, momentary, loss of braking traction on the front wheels of a FWD vehicle raises the potential for a loss of direction control substantially so those events must be addressed quickly and firmly.
Just think of it as an automatic switch, insofar as braking is concerned, from FWD to "AWD". With that "bump" the rear (and front) hydraulic brakes are "instantly" brought "on line". Since regenerative braking has no "Anti-lock" mode, and is most definitely front "biased", it is also instantly disabled.
This latter effect is why you feel a momentary forward "lurch", it is due to the time it takes to bring up the hydraulic braking pressure once the regenerative braking results in impending wheel-lock/skidding.
bob3 I dissagree, the prius V has more leg room and more head, hip, and shoulder room. It is easier to get in and out of for a big man like me.
it also has a longer wheel base and rides smoother, it would be worth the extra money to me. I am trying to trade with Scott Crump Toyota here in Jasper, Alabama. They will not budge off the MSRP and want me to give them my 2007 Honda CRV. I am paying cash, no financing. But the salesman pissed me off by saying, "your asking us to take a 4000 dollar loss". I replied, " no I am asking you to sell me the Prius V 5 for 30k and give me 15k for my CRV, it is the most popular small SUV in the country." His response was as snippy, "Oh I highly dout that!". I told him to go get my keys and I left. Now they have a saleswoman calling and emailing me and I have not responded to her emails, and nicley tell her I will have to call her back... I am trying to play hard to get, I will see if that helps.... wish me luck because I really love that Prius V 5!!!!!!!!!!
Hey Jen,
Did you drive the 5? I am wondering the differences b/t the 3 and 5 because they are asking if I would deal on the 3, but these morons will not come off the MSRP. I think I would do better with a dealership that has one on the lot?
I'm not a "big guy" so maybe that's why I didn't notice the difference much. And I don't know what you mileage/condition are on your '07 CRV, but the Edmunds retail for an '07 CRV with 60,000 miles is $13,800 and trade-in $11,800. With the Prius V being a new vehicle and gas prices high, there's not much reason for the dealer to go much below MSRP nor much incentive to pay more than trade-in value for your CRV. But good luck anyway.
steve150 Posts: 1thanks for the note on the C Max; I thought it might provide more cargo space than the Prius V, but you're right--it doesn't. The main attraction the C Max held for me is the option for a plug-in hybrid; I've heard the estimated range is in the neighborhood of 30 mi. Would you happen to know whether Toyota has any plans to introduce a Prius V with plug-in capability? I have a fairly short commute, and love the idea of not having to burn any gas!
I like the idea of plug-ins too, but if the plug-in C-Max is going to cost $5,000 over the cost of a hybrid C-Max, then the payback time could be pretty long depending on how often you need to get gas and then the cost of electricity.
My commute is about 10,000 miles per year and costs about $900 in gas at 45mpg and $4.00/gal gas. I figure the electricity for those 10,000 miles would be about $250, so I'd save about $650 per year, but that would mean it would take 7.5 years to break even on buying the plug-in if it cost $5,000 more. So for me the price difference would have to be less.
mthomasdb Posts: 15I got my Prius V at Boch Toyota in Norwood, MA. Salesman was very willing to work with me. I bought the top model (the 3) with wheel locks and rear bumper protector for about $350.00 over true invoice pricing (Yes, including the dealer holdback!) I also got the floor mats thrown in. The dealership also matched the dealer cost price I got from a volume dealer on the 8 year extended warranty with zero deductable. I love the car but have to quibble with a few things.
Lack of power seats, real leather, and an operating sunroof. Why can the Camry Hybrid offer all these with only a slight gas penalty (even the Prius C gets a real operating sunroof) and the Prius V can't? Also Toyota needs to get rid of that ridiculous speed lockout for the GPS so a passenger can use it while the vehicle is in motion.
You can buy a portable GPS that your passenger can readily use while underway (or you, if you're idiot enough). A portable one can be used freely, and with a much lower cost BUMP vs the captive one. With lifetime map updates yet vs ~$300 each time toyota (RARELY) deems it necessary to provide an update...
Personally I advise turning off the display when underway to avoid the distraction and using the voice guidance exclusively.
rhagedorn Posts: 4Purchased a new Prius V 5 back in March of 2012. Overall we are satisfied with the car and with a little over 10,000 miles our mpg is 44.2. Having a GMC Yukon XL the ride and handling on the V is very respectful. My BIGGEST complaint/dissatisfaction is at times a high pitched squeal comes from the rear: 1) when after backing up and then beginning to move forward the squeal occurs then goes away and 2) at times when braking which is a new occurance. The frequency and noise level has been increasing over time. I have had it back to dealer 3x and this last time they said Toyato engineers are aware of problem, but there is no solution at this time. They think it has something to do with the kinetic braking system. It does appear that is occurs more when there is dampness, but it will do it when dry as well. What is frustrating it does not do it consistantly but is getting worse.
I have a Gen II and I was wondering how much more usable cargo space there is in the Prius V. The numbers say 34CuFt, but then the width and depth of the Prius V's cargo area and my Gen II cargo area is about the same (35" deep by 38" wide). I realize there's more height because the roof of the V doesn't slant, but it doesn't seem significantly larger, but they both have about 14" under the luggage cover. And the space under the cargo area in the V looks smaller then mine. The other odd thing to me is that the rear seat of my Gen II actually seems larger than in the V, so I'd normally have the V's rear seat all the way back if I have passengers.
I'm not doing anything until the Gen IV comes out, but with that one I'm unsure about the longevity of the lithium batterys as compared to the NiCad used in the Gen II. While the Lithiums are smaller and can provide more energy, I don't know if they'll last the 200,000+ miles as is typical with the NiCads in the Gen I-III Prius.
I was seeking a new car that was both more economical, and had more cargo room than my '11 Camry. We already have an '07 Camry Hybrid, so that was not in the running. After ruling out Mazda CX5, Jetta TDI Sportwagon, we went back to Toyota.
First, we drove a beautiful 2013 Black Cherry Prius Persona edition. Drove nicely, but the low profile tires and rims made for a not so nice ride. We did what we usually do, bring our golf clubs for the bag test. Complete fail, again.
We then drove a 2013 V. I prefer the seats in the V, although the custom seats in the Persona version were nice too. The V feels higher, and the visibility better all around. I also prefer the V console.
Golf bags? Any way you wish to put them in. Straight in horizontally, vertically.
My last trip we had luggage, two rather large 2-ball bowling bag rollers, two full sets of golf clubs, and two golf bag pull carts. This was with the rear seats fully upright.
Yes, the Prius V seems monstrous at time compared to the regular version, and the extra size of the opening, plus the additional height, means it's far more versatil when you get yourself into large boxes from Home Depot or Best Buy.
my car stop showing EV icon the one with the car icon with the word EV inside and MPG fall down to 35 .anyone have similar problem??
alan116 Posts: 1My Prius V has none of the issues you reported. My MPG for about 1000 miles is about 45. I see the EV sign often. I have a light foot on the gas.
Your golf bag test was without folding down the rear seats? I've been wondering why the booklets for the Prius v show only cargo area behind the rear seats. On one of the reviews I saw a figure of 65 cubic feet or so with the rear seats folded down. The seats don't fold flat. How useable is the cargo space for large and potentially heavy objects?
Yes, my golf bags and pull carts fit sideways no problem. The rear seats fold mostly flat, and they move forward as well. I know a 55" TV fits right in no problem. I've had golf bags plus two large bowling bags in the back without touching the rear seats, plus some luggage.
It's not a Suburban, but it does hold a lot compared to a sedan. It's the reason I gave up on small SUV's, they didn't have the size advantage anymore.
The EV will generally not show if the batteries are not warmed up yet, and/or it's very hot and the AC is cranking. After awhile, it pops up. If your trip is stop and go and short, the battery doesn't have enough recharging combined with ac cranking.
I've witnessed this only once, and I drove maybe 6 miles in 4 days, under hot and humid conditions. So the car never gets a chance to recharge, thus no EV light. Once underway, the EV will go on a lot under 30, and I've had it continue to 45 mph on flatter stretches.
My mileage so far is 42 plus average after over 3,000 miles.
I'm still comparing the V to my Gen II. It still seems odd to me that even though the V is 6" longer, the depth of the cargo area (measured on the floor from the rear seats in their upright position to the hatch opening) is within an inch of my Gen II. Also, the rear seat has less legroom as compared to my Gen II. So I'm still wondering where that extra 6" of length in the V went? I was hoping that the depth of the cargo area would have at least an extra 6" over my Gen II, but that's not the case.
I thought the V was supposed to have more legroom in the rear. Is the hood any longer?
I took off the roof rack and the mpg is like avg 38.8 /39.4/39.6 a huge difference.The one thing i notice difference between toyota and honda .In honda hybrid in S mode , the rpm always stay around 3K ,even when encounter small hill,The rpm remain constant so resulting in no engine whine on cruise .so what is the bad point??? The cruise speed set become down and down and electric power level goes up maximum but resulting small mpg down.
In toyota hybrid prius V wagon, the power meter goes up maximum and engine wine become loud in cruise and the mpg dipped down.So i think the prius does not have available power from electric motor when in demand
So honda hybrid does not stress out driver but very comfortable for long distance driving just put on cruise most of the time and no need to be very conscious of your food pressure just increase or decrease with button while cruise.
toyota as soon as u put pressure on pedal the active mpg digital dip down to 25 ,30 even using the electronic button while cruise which never happen in honda . Prius v ,you have to release your foot to a touch level on pedal only to get EPA number which is gliding is really stressing for driver
I have same noise problem .dealership told me losing bolt in brake
HOST: Can you make a headings/topics/ just for the Prius V. Right now the only one listed is 2012 Prius V likes/dislikes. The Prius V is completely different than the regular Prius. Prius V MPG, Prius V General, etc.
Now that I own a 2013 Prius V, I can comment on the cargo space. The height is from 28" in the back to 31" at the point where the rear seats (in their upright position) meet the cargo area. The cargo area is about 36" deep & 39" wide on the floor, but is about 50" wide above the rear wheel bumps. And you can slide up the second row to give you more space, which is really good. The rear seats recline and that cuts into the cargo area, but if you slide the rear seats forward and then recline it can retain the same amount of space in the cargo area.
The tray under the floor of a regular Prius is much more usable, as it's one big open try, while the underfloor tray in the Prius V is divided up with thick stryofoam walls. I'm guessing they did this to accomodate a three row Prius V that only has the more narrow under floor compartment behind the third row. However, with a regular Prius I was using the underfloor cargo area all the time on family road trips, but with the Prius V's larger cargo area I doubt if I'll need to use it as often.
As a cost saving measure, it seems like the Prius V in the USA carries over a few things from a three row Prius V, such as the 12V outlet that would be in the third row, sliding second row seats, the plastic step-plate to access the third row, and the way the under floor storage area is designed.
Also, even though the head room in the Prius V second row only shows to be an inch more than a regular Prius, in reality when you have the second row reclined to a comfortable position you'll find there is a good 2-3 inches more headroom. When making the floor in the second row flat, the distance from the second row seat top to the floor has been reduced, which in turn reduces thigh support in the second row of the Prius V as compared to a regular Prius.
The main thing I've found is not to rely too much on the spec differences between the Prius V and the regular Prius. The Prius V is much more roomy and open than you would think just from looking at the spec differences.