text:
Sony Music officials said the recordings seized are
"totally authorized" discs. Furthermore, the
company said "we trust that the Mexican courts will confirm our
rights as soon as possible." After a complaint from
Fernandez's representatives accusing Sony of using the artist's
music, videos and photos, the feds seized a total of 6,397 CDs from
Sony offices.
Fernandez first signed with Sony in 1998, but
finished with the record label in 2008, which led to him joining a
new record label. However, Fernandez recorded numerous songs
that never made it onto released CDs -- Sony announced it was
creating an album of Fernandez' previously recorded music, which
Universal protested.
"What Sony did that was wrong and
illegal was to assume
that they could take those tracks that weren't part of the
previous albums and release them as an eighth album as if it were
new material over which they had rights," said Jose Luis
Caballero, one of Fernandez's attorneys. "And it's
perfectly clear that the company's contract is limited to seven
Fernandez, who recently signed with Universal
Music, has sold more than 15 million records en route to winning two
Latin Grammys.


text:
Engine Gaskets, Seals
Parts not found - enter your vehicle details above
Sorry, there has been a problem returning car parts results as you haven't yet entered a vehicle.
There are over 100,000 car parts in our database. To narrow down the options and find the right part for your car please use the parts look-up tool above.
Enter your registration for the most accurate results, or choose your vehicle details in the drop down boxes.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
For Fall/Winter 2012 Clarks introduces the Desert Guard, a nice premium boot version of its classic Desert Boot.
The Desert Guard chukka boot from Clarks comes with 2-eye lace up closure, traditional suede uppers trimmed with a band of full grain leather and plantation crepe rubber outsole. Simple and with just the right details.
You can purchase the boots now from Need Supply.


text:
Logic seems to have failed some of us Methodists — probably because we aren't Vulcans, or something like that.
United Methodists all over the blogosphere and twitterverse are posting and tweeting logical fallacies right and left, mostly in the area of the recent Call to Action initiative that will be addressed at General Conference in just a few days.
Most recently, a photo of a recent denominational meeting has been circulating. The photo depicts a woman standing next to a flip-chart with some key phrases on it:
- Denominational Goal
- Stop the Decline
- Encourage Growth
This has incurred the derogatory commentary of many who feel that Call to Action is all about numbers and not about denominational vitality. The recurring theme is that our denomination should be about the core principles of our faith and not about metrics.
The revelation here is that we don't have to choose one or the other. United Methodists can make disciples of Jesus Christ. We can stop the decline of our denomination. United Methodists can renew their faith and commitment to supporting their church with their prayers, their presence, their gifts and their service, and their witness. And we can thus encourage growth, both spiritually and numerically.
Leaders embrace a logical fallacy to assume that these are mutually exclusive.
In fact, the opposite is true. For over a decade now, the denominational goal has been to Make Disciples. This phrase has been the "focus" from our denominational leadership and implemented across our multiple-silo structure for that same length of time — and without much traction achieved in slowing our numeric issues. I would also argue that we haven't seen much traction with pastors and our leadership of local congregations toward a deeper and more significant faith.
Logic is a subject that hasn't been taught in schools in a long time. But it still deserves our attention. God is not the author of confusion, but the Designer of Order. Things have a tendency to make sense if they are thoughtfully examined. Much of the rhetoric of this election cycle can be seen for what it is when examined in the light of truth and logic. Television commercials lose some of their hypnotic draw. Theology doesn't have to make a constant appeal to mystery (though there is certainly plenty of room left for it). And you don't have to be a Vulcan like Mr. Spock to make this happen.
Accountable Discipleship, Accountable Leadership
The key is accountability.
As a denomination, we've clearly defined our identity. We are the Church that Makes Disciples. And, by embracing our Wesleyan heritage, we are the Church that does so via small groups. A cursory review of our denominational history paired with a five-minute study of Matthew 25 reveals that we are mission-minded, both monetarily and with regard to our hands-on ministry efforts. And vital worship has always been a key factor in Methodist identity.
So why aren't we growing? Why aren't we thriving?
The answer is simple, but hard to acknowledge: Too many of our churches resist the call to discipleship. And too many pastors, for a variety of reasons, fail to create the tension needed to draw their congregations into vital discipleship. In short, there is a lack of accountability.
Strengthening Our Priorities, Not Replacing Them
The claim that we are replacing our denominational identity and priorities with a set of metrics is a red herring. Call to Action does not replace our denominational priorities with metrics. Call to Action bolsters our belief in our denominational priorities by making them real priorities. I wrote about this in Call to Action: Don't Confuse the "What" with the "How."
Examine the budgets of non-vital churches (and Towers Watson did) and you see that their priorities often lie elsewhere. Examine the goals of their church councils, and you'll see that many are replete with platitudes regarding disciple-making. But upon examining their church council minutes, you are more likely to find discussions about "museum mindsets" and a greater emphasis on pet projects that once served the kingdom, but now serve as little more than a drain on church resources.
There's another assumption that seems to be at work here: Pastors cannot do real ministry and maintain an appropriate focus on metrics. This is false as well. But in congregations where metrics become all-consuming, this could certainly be true. The trick is to keep "the main thing" the main thing.
To put this another way, the United Methodist Church has spent the better part of the last two decades on two major initiatives. The first was to re-establish that our goal was to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. The second was to promote evangelism through our Igniting Ministry campaign. But a soul-searching examination of that particular initiative revealed that we were basically advertising a "product" that didn't exist: Vital, open, welcoming churches engaged in world-transforming ministry. As a former Igniting Ministry National Trainer, I discovered an incredible number of churches across the country that were, in my opinion, not yet ready to receive the influx of newcomers. They just couldn't provide what the commercials were promising. Newcomers arriving in those churches starting asking a question that dates back to the '80s. "Where's the beef?"
We got the cart before the horse.
If our third decade of reform had come second, we might have seen more real results from Igniting Ministry and the related attempts to evangelize our culture. From thirty thousand feet up, a call for accountability makes much more sense than the detractors might claim.
Our priorities remain the same. And while metrics may seem to take center stage, they are merely a supporting role — but a key role, nonetheless. Without accountability, our priorities will continue, in many places, into another decade of lip-service, posturing, and self-deception.
Related articles
- Common Logical Fallacies, Illustrated (neatorama.com)
- Major Questions at the Heart of Call to Action (ijoey.org)
- Should bishops have a full-time president? (umc.org)
- The Taxonomy of Logical Fallacies (ilookchina.net)
- Debate grapples with restructuring (umc.org)
- We Your People, Ours the Journey: What's wrong with this picture? (methoblog.com)
Author: Joey Reed
Joey is married to his best friend and they live in Kentucky. Joey serves Mayfield First United Methodist Church, the Purchase District, the Memphis Annual Conference, and the world is his parish.


text:
© 2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Giants drop finale vs. Reds in extras
Howry surrenders walk-off home run in the 10th inning
By Chris Haft / MLB.com
CINCINNATI -- Facing a compelling four-game series against the Colorado Rockies, the Giants didn't want to dwell on "What Might Have Been" during their three-game set against the Cincinnati Reds that ended Thursday. But a 2-1, 10-inning loss surely prompted the Giants to contemplate the chances that eluded them, even if they did so only briefly, as they headed for Denver. "At this point, you want to be greedy," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said after Cincinnati's Drew Stubbs led off the 10th with his first Major League homer to snap a 1-1 tie. "We were so close to getting the sweep here." A sweep would have enabled the Giants to increase the pressure on the Rockies, who led them by a game in the National League Wild Card standings entering Thursday, and the Dodgers, who owned a 4 1/2-game edge on them in the NL West as the day dawned. Bob Howry (1-6) absorbed the loss for the Giants by yielding the homer to Stubbs, who ended his second Major League game by ricocheting a 2-0 fastball off the left-field foul pole to open the 10th. But the Giants' 2-for-12 hitting with runners in scoring position was the true source of their defeat. Both of those hits moved runners to third base, nothing more. The Giants scored their lone run on a fourth-inning wild pitch. San Francisco rapped 11 hits but stranded 10 runners, including six in scoring position.
"It's nice that you have opportunities, but it's disappointing when you don't get the job done," outfielder Randy Winn said.Winn's performance epitomized San Francisco's overall effort. He went 3-for-5, but swung and missed on a hit-and-run attempt in the ninth inning, causing Pablo Sandoval to get thrown out at second base.
"You want to help the team," Winn said, "and I didn't come through right there."That wasn't the Giants' lone lapse in situational hitting. Eli Whiteside popped up a ninth-inning sacrifice bunt try after Aaron Rowand singled leading off, and San Francisco twice neglected to deliver runners from third base with one out. "Everybody has games like this, not just us," Bochy said. "This was an off day for the offense with our execution. When you're in a tight game and you don't execute, there's a good chance it's going to come back to haunt you." Bochy was haunted by the knowledge that this was the Giants' second wasteful performance in a row. Wednesday, they totaled 10 hits but went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position, stranded six runners at second base or beyond and collected 10 hits while scoring one run. "We've been in a funk here and we're going to have to get out of it real soon," Bochy said. When somebody mentioned that the Giants' next stop on their season-long three-city, 11-game trip would be Coors Field, where hitters typically thrive, Bochy replied, "Well, we were in a hitters' park. You won't find a better hitters' park than this one." Matt Cain and Aaron Harang turned Great American Ball Park into a pitchers' haven, however. Cain thrived for eight innings, slipping only when Laynce Nix homered with one out in the sixth. The Giants opened the scoring in the fourth inning off Harang -- who worked seven innings -- after Juan Uribe drew a leadoff walk and Nate Schierholtz and Winn singled to load the bases with one out. Harang fanned Ryan Garko, but strike-three was a wild pitch that enabled Uribe to score. Cain has made five winless starts in a row, though his ERA during this span is a respectable 2.97. He has worked at least seven innings in all seven of his starts since the All-Star break. Moreover, the right-hander wasn't distracted by the memory of unintentionally beaning New York Mets third baseman David Wright with a fastball in his previous start. "You can't think about that," Cain said. After this setback, which ended San Francisco's three-game winning streak, the Giants probably didn't want to think about much. "No question, this was one of our tougher games all year," Bochy said. "But we have to get ready for Colorado now and put this one behind us. I'm sure there's not a guy [in the Giants clubhouse] who's not frustrated."
Chris Haft is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
Star-Banner readers share their opinions on Autism Awareness, Christianity, President Obama, a road hazzard and Marion County Sheriff's deputies.
Autism Awareness
The month of April is Autism Awareness month. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has proclaimed that 1 in 88 children are now diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum, and my 10-year-old brother is one of them. I am writing to you today to ask you to show support to all of our Autistic children and adults in the Marion County area. Autism Speaks is holding a "Light It Up Blue" campaign to raise awareness for Autism. I am hoping that you would consider participating in this event by lighting up Ocala blue. This could be blue lights around the square, town hall, library or anywhere else. The more blue the better! The more support and awareness we can bring to this disorder, the better chance my brother, and his peers, have of acceptance in their future. Please consider raising Autism Awareness and supporting this community. You can find more information at www.autismspeaks.org
Austin Poore
Belleview High School
Insult to soldiers
I just had to comment on "Army of hunters" (March 23) written by a man who was counting folks with hunting licenses as "an army." First, I think this was an insult to the brave soldiers who have defended our country in the past and to those who are defending it today. Second, I strongly feel that the number of hunting licenses being issued would drop significantly if our defenseless wildlife could shoot back. Come on, this is a "no brainer."
Fran Saperstein
Stand up for Christianity
Thank you Gov. Rick Scott for standing up for Christianity. All Christians and all God-fearing people let your voices be heard. The atheists and communists are trying to take over our great country starting with brainwashing our youth from pre-school through college by stomping on Jesus and then chastising anyone who stands up to them, telling people there's no Christmas, no Easter, no God. The class instructor at Florida Atlantic University should be suspended just as he threatened his students. We must put a stop to this before it is too late. Everyone please contact your Congressman and Senators and tell them we have been silent much too long. We want change, we want what our founding fathers wrote in the Declaration of Independence — give us freedom of religion and freedom of speech. Our founding fathers and our military men and women died to give us these privileges. Let not their deaths be in vain. God Bless America as we certainly need his blessings.
H.A. Tucker
Not about his race
This is in response to "Letters don't reflect who we really are" (March 28). I'd like to stand up and inform Mr. Black why I don't care for President Obama, and none of my reasons have anything to do with his race. 1) What other president went so far out of his way to hide his college transcripts and birth certificate? 2)Anyone with even a rudimentory understanding of our economy knows if you want to stimulate the economy, the money would have to be put in the hands of the country's citizens, not corporations. 3) The way Obama is handling the citizens money, it's like he wants us to fail. 4) After assuring us his administration would be transparent, bills are passed behind closed doors and worse yet, before anyone could read them. The writer states that those who don't like Obama "hide an abiding premise of hatred simply because he is black." Would it then be fair to say those that voted for a man completely unqualified for the presidency did so because he was black?
Jim Niemeyer
Driving without lights?
I am writing to complain about many of the cars and trucks driving on our highways without lights. It seems every time I get out on the road, there will be another one. Isn't it against the law to be towing anything without lights, without plates? Most of the ones I see are full of junk going to the dump, and most of the trailers are so old and falling apart, that something should be done about it. This can be a very dangerous situation for people. I would think that the traffic officers could look into this when they are out there driving around. It would be too bad if someone got hurt because some of the junk fell off into the street, or worse fell onto a car behind the truck. I realize that the drivers behind anyone like that should be on the look-out for something of that nature, but sometimes an accident cannot be avoided. It seems these types of vehicles are out there more now that the weather is getting better.
Richard Winton
Thumbs up to deputies
I deliver the Star-Banner out at On Top of the World, and Wednesday morning when I went in to deliver newspapers, there were a lot of Sheriff's deputies looking for one of my customers who had wandered off. I was so impressed with their diligence and of not giving up. They were there at least three hours. Thank God they found her! I just wanted to thank them for their dedication for finding her. Thankfully she was found uninjured. I was afraid she may have fallen in one of the retention areas or on the golf course and possibly broken a hip or leg. I am very thankful for them and wanted to give them a big thumbs up!
Rhonda Lacy


text:
State rests in drug charge case
By ADVOCATE STAFF REPORT
May 11, 2011 at 12:11 a.m.
The state's prosecution rested Wednesday on the first day of the trial for a Victoria man who faces drug charges.
Kennard Shanton Johnson, 23, is charged with felony unlawful possession of a controlled substance possession of cocaine, less than one gram, in August.
He was indicted in January.
Assistant District Attorney Johna Stallings is prosecuting the case.
Johnson is represented by attorney Keith Weiser.
A verdict is expected on Thursday.


text:
@ WJF...apologies I was actually replying to LeeZ (with the vid).
We're going to like this kid.
Last edited by Liston; Wed Jun 29th, 2011 at 07:23 PM.
The saving of our world from pending doom will come, not through the complacent adjustment of the conforming majority, but through the creative maladjustment of a nonconforming minority. - Martin Luther King
Read my blog, The Picket Fence. Guaranteed to make you think or your money back!
Follow me on Twitter.
any links for the Croatia game?
I think his best case scenerio is Pau Gasol. Pau Gasol isn't too athletic and doesn't have much lift when he dunks but somehow he manages to get it done.
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text:
Here is a reason to "always expect the unexpected". The day before the rally, my wife and I were riding highway 16 to Buffalo . A truck was climbing the hill in the opposite direction and flashed his high beams at us nearly a dozen times. We were at the speed limit but waved a thank you. A motorcycle followed and waved downward to the ground a few times and I suddenly started wondering what was up but within a few seconds I saw a police car. I relaxed thinking that these folks were fairly obsessive about communicating the presence of a cop. My wife was following on her motorcycle and I let her know I had seen the cop (via our communicators) and began looking out at the wonderful scenery. Within seconds I hit a deep gravel spill that was right in the middle of the road. It was deep and more pit run than gravel with rocks the size of softballs mixed in the sand and small rocks. I yelled at my wife but she had accelerated to close the distance between us and hit the gravel right behind me. To this day I wonder how we both were lucky enough to cross over this mess and come out the other side without falling (at 60 MPH). I claim no special riding skills but our years driving cars through freezing rain, snow and ice thought us never to brake or try to muscle through slippery stuff, so this may have saved our hides.
I think that if I had not seen a cop, I would have remained more vigilant, but I assumed the warnings from the other riders had been to save me a ticket. Man was I wrong. Anyway, within a short period of time, a snowplow was sent to clear the road. I really hope no one got hurt. It was deep enough to even make a car go for a spin.


text:
News & Events
For the Media
Video Game Director Lightbown to Speak at Clarkson University
[A photograph for media use is available at http://www.clarkson.edu/news/photos/lightbown.jpg]
Video game director David Lightbown of Artificial Mind & Movement (A2M) will give a presentation titled "Empire of the Fun: Inside the Video Games Industry" at Clarkson University on Tuesday, October 12.
The presentation will begin at 5:30 p.m. in Bertrand H. Snell Hall Room 212 on Clarkson's hill campus and is free and open to the public.
Lightbown will talk about his experience in the games industry, as well as give an inside-look into topics like obtaining a job in video games, game development pipelines, and typical positions found at a game design company.
Lightbown has been working professionally in computer graphics for more than 12 years, with the last eight devoted to improving the art production pipeline in the video games industry. He holds the position of senior artistic technical director at A2M.
The company has released a number of international hits such as WET, Naughty Bear, and Dante's Inferno. Read more about A2M at http://www.bhvr.com.
Lightbown has presented numerous talks at the Game Developer Conference (GDC) and the Montreal International Game Summit (MIGS). He also presented an Autodesk master class at SIGGRAPH. On contract, he has worked with Autodesk to produce a DVD, a series of podcasts and the official training courseware for Maya. He has also been employed as a freelance writer for the CG Channel. Lightbown has taught at the Montreal campuses of the NAD Centre and Champlain College.
Lightbown's talk is co-sponsored by Clarkson's Center for Canadian Studies and the Digital Arts & Sciences (DA&S) Program.
The Center for Canadian Studies supports activities designed to engage students and faculty in the study of Canada and the U.S./Canada relationship. These activities include funding undergraduate teaching and faculty research, as well as student travel to Canada and a speaker series that aims to develop a better understanding of Canada within the Clarkson Community.
The DA&S Program combines an element of strong scientific research with an equally impressive technological expertise in the digital arts. The program is rated as one of Princeton Review's top-50 game design programs in the country. Find out more at http://www.clarkson.edu/digitalarts.
Clarkson University launches leaders into the global economy. One in six 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.


text:
All quotes tagged Presume
(65 quotes found)
"If somebody thinks they're a hedgehog, presumably you just give 'em a mirror and a few pictures of hedgehogs and tell them to sort it out for themselves."
"I can not understand why ministers presume to deliver sermons every week at appointed hours because it is humanly impossible for inspirations to come with clock-like regularity"
"Always presume that the enemy has dangerous designs and always be forehanded with the remedy. But do not let these calculations make your timid."
"Our mission is to document input from local officials about the needs of rural courts, ... We don't presume to know the needs when we come in. … We have no ax to grind either way. We're just voicing others' opinions."
"We are behind Rwanda and Sierra Leone and all of Latin America. Most Americans presume that we are right up there … and we're not."
"As of April 2005, when the process was suspended, we had identified only 1,592 out of the presumed 2,749 who died."