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Wholesale we bear bare. Coffee cup with quote. 7.8*8.5cm. The dead walk. Ceramic mug. Straight: Bone china. Ts-bl025-9. Eec,ce / eu,fda. Cg-90. About 600g. Jd0077. Handgrip pattern: Picnic basket. Beer wine tea beverage crystal drink mugs. Simple mug. Zm1148801-2. Pp+stainless steel. 495 ml. Espresso steel.
18*8.2cm. Mom cat. 450ml: Milk in a kettle. Teacher sportForm: Lego type. Trumpet music. Metal coffee tea mugs. Ceramics mask. 40.5*6.9*10.7cm. Green blue red rose. Cool camera cup. Green wheat straw. Shape: Plastic bottle pill.
Flashing mugs. Wholesale funny mugs. Wholesale pointi. Mug2016007412. Approx. 8.88 x 11.2 x 13.5cm. Wholesale darumaka pikachu. Retro glass cups. Holder: Cp-creed-ezio. Boom888. Christmas gift,birthday gift,l. Gfhgsd. Ciq,eec,ce / eu,lfgb,sgs301 ml (including) - 400 ml (including). Classcial mug. The living room. 5555 lotus blue. About 350 ml. Rose gold. Drinkware.
Migecon. Mu-w1401. 180ml.220ml.350ml.400ml. 275ml. Brand mugs. Mug cappuccino. Jycf0232zz0az001. Kitchen stickers wall. Wholesale base wood. Hom-4006. Type1: Mg-0020. Gifts music.
Chimamanda Adichie Pretty in Idma Nof
Chimamanda it seems is talking her wear Nigerian to the max as she has been sported so far in only Nigerian designers, and this time for the Edward Enninful Afternoon reception she was spotted in a black shift with multi color patch and ruffle detail by Idma Nof. She complimented this look with nude toned makeup, earrings by Things Nigerians love and completed this simple look with monochrome…
Lash Love – Mascara and Why Our Faces Love Them
Ever been in a hurry and you need to add a bit drama to your face ….. A Mascara is your best bet! They help to brighten and awaken your face giving it definition. Mascaras are used depending on what result is needed i.e Lengthen, volumize . They come is different shades- black, brown, blue, clear. One can easily skip eyeshadow and liner, apply mascara pop on a lip gloss and you're good t o go. My…
Kendall Jenner Blossoms for Vogue US' Latest Issue
Model, Clothing line owner and Vogue's fave girl kendall Jenner is the magazine's April Issue cover girl. For the issue where she addresses every recent turmoil in her life from the Pepsi Ad, to her Love life and other circulating rumors, she wears various high end clothing (of course) from Chanel, Maison Margiela, Birds of a feather, Gucci, Alexander McQueen,Dolce and Gabbana, Valentino and…
The result of the Off-White A/W 18 collection is what happens when you take Carrie Bradshaw as your muse! Virgil Abloh's West Village Collection is a combination of different vibes and it is super dreamy and dope! (hope you get the contrast!)
Signature patterns, Luxe sport and Sex & the City were the pieces that eluded different vibes but with a great outcome when pieced together. The signature patterns eluded the equestrian chic vibe with its pale blue tone and equal blue accessories to match (the bag and the boots gets me constantly again and again!) Kaia Geber walked the runway in a denim version of the signature off-white print and there was really nothing else to see as it was pure blue perfection from head to toe!
The sporty trend wasn't left out of Abloh's 2018 F/W Collection as it featured in different variations. The under-boob corset, deconstructed jackets, infamous Off-White logo and jumpsuits were all in the mix to represent and serve the needs of the modern woman.
Carrie Bradshaw came alive again in the metallic pieces and unique designs made from exquisite shiny alligator. Alek We k strutted down the runway in a double fabric monostrap dress and sneakers and another models was in a flare ombrè dress with high neck an ruffles and it totally redefined the Sex & The City idea I had in my head.
Although new on the large scale and major design bloc, Virgil has proven that he is here to stay and he made sure of that by coming through in paying attention to needs of modern women and working around that need. Outfits ranging from spin class in the morning to cocktails in the evening hour were all included. It is safe to say this is an all inclusive collection.Off-White has got you covered! Literally!
View the collection below:
Off-White A/W 18 – Virgil Abloh's Encompassing Take On West Village The result of the Off-White A/W 18 collection is what happens when you take Carrie Bradshaw as your muse!
William Ukoh's Take on Lagos' Future Style Shows a Fashion Forward City
William Ukoh and Daniel Obasi just teamed up on an editorial they call 'Lagos Futurism' and which as the name sug gests is their take of an Afro inspired Lagos future fashion. Some key features of the edit were body painting, which saw one model completely covered in dark green, a rapid obsession with elaborate head gears, gold jewelry and a layered mix of traditional Aso-oke pieces with more…
Today, we are doing this for the culture. I've had this piece of Ankara for a while and I just didn't know what to do with it till the light bulb moment came that I could just make a corset out of it. Ankara prints are here to stay, it's such a huge part of our culture in Africa, especially in West Africa even though people argue that it's from Europe. I digress. Corsets are generally a good…
Monae Moments – 10 Times Janelle Monae Gave Iconic Suit Goals
Like most stylish girls, I've always been one to consider a two piece suit a must have for a stylish wardrobe, but would I consider wearing it almost everyday? Hell nah, Jidenna the classic man might be my Igbo brother but that's as far as any semblance between us goes o, wearing a suit everyday just would not work biko. The amount of work, thinking and planning that would take to achieve already&h ellip;
Dami's BBN Daily : Nokia Task Presentation, BBN Safari Continues, Serve The Pie And Who Stole The Meat?
It was a fun day in the BBN house! Yes it was! No exaggerations! The housemates as we all know have been preparing for their task. The task this week is sponsored by Nokia and the housemates are to work in pairs and present a visual that would be doc umented with the smart phone given to them by the sponsors! It must be weird for them to have a phone after all these weeks! The spillover task from…
Dami's BBN Daily – Task Prep, Biggie Brother Safari, Old School Fun Revamped & New Presentation Pairs Emerging!
Going by their daily routine as usual, the housemates got a little costume surprise from Biggie! Here's something you didn't see coming, an all new Biggie Brother Safari has been set up as Big Brother provided jungle themed catsuits to the housemates and had them looking like animals in the jungle. They were fun animals though as the messed around in the ridiculous outfits provided for them. The…
They say dating a black girl is like dating a different girl every other day, because she switches up her hair faster than an illusionist can transform to a different look. From braid and weave enhancements to our natural curly/coily coifs we definitely love to switch hairstyles and so do a lot of our faves. Today, we study South African Media girl and Entrepreneur Ayanda Thabethe's hairstyle& hellip;


text: Hi all I have created my own webmail client and i have used it with no problems. I have migrate my whole server content to other server and now I have problem with connection to the imap server. PHP function imap_open(xxx.my.ip.xxx/novalidate-cert, .....); which i used on old server now doesn't work. Of course i changed IP of the server, i tried to use localhost/novalidate-cert, localhost:143/novalidate-cert but still same error. Squirrelmail (which have in config.php file: localhost:143) works fine. Can u help me please? Thanks in advance

subset: commoncrawl


text:
BBC News
- Jamie Oliver restaurant chains face collapse
- Police arrest 586 people in county lines crackdown
- Nan Winton: First woman to read BBC TV news dies
- British Steel on verge of administration
- Nigel Farage milkshake attack: Man charged with assault
- Police facial recognition surveillance court case starts
- Brexit: PM seeks cabinet support for withdrawal bill
- Care worker inherits Penrose Estate after DNA test
- Lonely Planet: Shetland named in list of top European destinations
- John Finucane, son of murdered lawyer, to be Belfast lord mayor
- Academy withdraws pupils from A-level exams over poor mocks
- Game of Thrones is 'game changer' for NI tourism
- Manchester City fans cheer on heroes after treble triumph
- Mum whose baby died speaks of pain of hearing others cry
- The Glyndebourne opera singer who started by chance
- Mountaineers climb artwork in Birmingham underpass
- Is there a problem with salmon farming?
- We Are Middlesbrough: Sheesiders are 'the ultimate girl group'
- Middlesbrough: Keeping the flames alive at final foundry
- BBC News Channel
- Man City fan gives Guardiola a lift
- 'Unluckiest dog in Scotland' finds new home
- Newspaper headlines: Farage 'shake-down' and Trump tea with Charles
- Chef Gary Usher offered a homeless man work - but now what?
- Anders Povlsen: Why a Danish billionaire bought the Highlands
- RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2019: In pictures
- Brexit: Is there a 10-year-rule to sort out trade?
- When women experts are not taken seriously
- European elections 2019: What are the rules on party funding?
- The Hit List: Marvin and Rochelle on getting competitive
- Eurovision: Is Brexit to blame for the UK's latest flop?
- Game of Thrones finale gets mixed response
- Sala father: 'My son was abandoned for fatal flight'
- European elections 2019: Views from centre of England
Below we are listing a number of UK job websites that have full-time and part-time job opportunities available in the TREVERVA area.
Fish4 Jobs
JobSeekers (Direct.Gov.uk)
http://api.indeed.com/ads/apisearch?publisher=4773927896266615&q=&l=TR10 9JU&sort=&radius=5&st=&jt=&start=&limit=10&fromage=&filter=&latlong=1&co=gb&chnl=AVUK&userip=18.104.22.168&useragent=CCBot/2.0 (https://commoncrawl.org/faq/)&v=2
Jobs at IndeedWarning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in D:\Webvirtual\ANYWeb\www\Wordpress\wp-content\plugins\shortcode-exec-php\shortcode-exec-php-class.php(895) : eval()'d code on line 9
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text:
Even beyond the obvious (why so worried about a lion possibly eating you next year when there's a bear in fact eating you right now), the argument above has things exactly backward.
The underlying concern is legitimate: without meaningful competition, a publisher is free to lower royalties. We know this is true in no small part because a lack of competition is what has enabled the Big Five oligopoly to keep author royalties lockstep-low for decades. In fact, if the long reign of the Big Five has taught us anything, it should be that in the absence of meaningful competition, the dominant system will abuse authors. Given that the Big Five has long abused its power, it makes perfect sense that should it acquire similar or greater power, Amazon, too, could become abusive.
But then isn't this an argument for getting Hachette to compete with Amazon's far better royalties? How can it possibly be an argument for protecting Hachette and enabling it to keep its royalties low?
Distilled to its essence, the conversation on this topic goes something like this:
Legacy author: You indies need to side with the Big Five because if Amazon crushes its Big Five suppliers, its indie suppliers will be next.
Indie author: You mean that, in the absence of meaningful competition, Amazon is likely to start abusing its author suppliers?
Legacy author: Yes.
Indie author: Because if the alternative to Amazon royalties is effectively zero royalties, authors will have no choice but to take whatever Amazon offers them, no matter how low.
Legacy author: Exactly.
Indie author: So the lower the royalties offered by alternatives to Amazon, the more room Amazon has to lower its own royalties?
Legacy author: Correctamundo.
Indie author: In other words, without meaningful competition, the dominant player can be expected to offer authors only low royalties. Take it or leave it, because there's no other game in town.
Legacy author: That's what I'm saying.
Indie author: But then shouldn't we all be pressuring the Big Five to increase its royalties?
Legacy author: Huh?
Indie author: I mean, right now, the Big Five typically pays somewhere between 12.5% and 17.5% digital royalties. Amazon typically pays at least double that. For self-published authors, Amazon typically pays 70%.
Legacy author: I don't follow.
Indie author: Well, if a dearth of high-royalty alternatives is what could enable Amazon to lower its own royalties, it seems like the current legacy low rates are a real problem. That disparity is exactly what creates room for Amazon to lower its own royalties.
Legacy author: Still don't follow.
Indie author: Okay, here's a thought experiment. What if your legacy publisher lowered its royalties to 1%. Would you be tempted to publish your next book with Amazon?
Legacy author: Hell, yes.
Indie author: Of course you would. You'd want the high-royalty alternative. Now, what if your legacy publisher increased your royalty to 70%. Would you be tempted to publish your next book with Amazon then?
Legacy author: Of course not. Like you said, I'd want the high-royalty alternative.
Indie author: Right. Now multiply your calculus across thousands of authors. If the Big Five started offering 70%, what would happen if Amazon tried to lower its rates?
Legacy author: Authors would desert Amazon in favor of the Big Five. Amazon could never do it.
Indie author: Correct. Now do you see how the best bulwark against Amazon lowering royalties in the future is getting the Big Five to increase them today? How the greater the gap between Amazon's high royalties and the Big Five's low royalties, the more room Amazon has to follow the legacy lead and lower its royalties, too? Do you see how if we protect the Big Five and enable it to keep its royalties low, we worsen, not mitigate, the danger of Amazon abuse?
Legacy author: So you're saying… you're saying it's crazy for authors to settle for low legacy royalties. Not just because low royalties suck for authors, but because low royalties from one player enable lower royalties from another player. So we should be pressuring the low-royalty system to compete with higher royalties, not giving it a pass.
Indie author: Yeah, that's pretty much it. I mean, if you think about it, it's pretty counterintuitive that between a high-royalty system and a low-royalty system, authors would reflexively protect the low-royalty system and attack the high-royalty one.
Legacy author: Because higher royalties across the board are better for authors, and the existence of higher royalties in one system discourages competing systems from lowering royalties.
Indie author: That's the idea.
Legacy author: Holy shit, I can't believe I didn't see this.
Indie author: It's okay. You're deep inside that system and subject to all its self-serving propaganda. Makes it hard to see the forest for the trees.
Legacy author: I guess so.
(Joe sez: Or you're fully aware of it because you're a rich author and a shyster.)
Indie author: The main thing is, we both want the same thing: a healthy publishing ecosystem, which means publishers competing for authors, not being protected from having to compete.
Legacy author: I love you, man.
Indie author: Kumbaya, baby.
Barry sez: I know there are authors who might reasonably respond to this post by saying, "Barry, I get what you're saying, but I'm afraid the Big Five can't compete. I'm afraid that if we don't support the Big Five, therefore, Amazon will crush them. At which point, we'll have a new monopoly even worse than the old one. For this reason, I support the Big Five."
While I don't share this worldview, I do understand it, and don't believe it's an unreasonable or incoherent way of approaching events. In fact, I see it as a version of the "lesser of two evils" approach. Distilled to its essence, it could be expressed as, "I know my way is unlikely to make things better, but I'm more concerned about making them worse."
I have a number of friends, for example, who consistently vote Democratic even though they know the Democrats are cynically screwing them with a version of, "Vote for us or we'll turn the keys over to Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin." These voters know voting Democrat no matter what means the party will never reform and better represent their interests. But they're less afraid of things not getting better because they always vote Democrat than they're afraid things will get worse if they divert their vote to a third-party (really second-party) candidate.
My own default personality settings are somewhat different. First, I tend to react badly when someone presents me with a fait accompli, or game of chicken, or other brinksmanship dynamic where I'm expected to blink first. My attitude in such circumstances tends to be, "You just chose the wrong contestant for your game."
That's the emotional aspect of my worldview. The more intellectual one is, "I'll take the risk of things getting worse for the chance to make things better." Which is why it makes me sad to see so many people throwing their votes away on the the Democratic and Republican wings of America's duopoly. Sure, doing so arguably prevents things from getting worse. But it also ensures things will never get better. And naturally, the duopoly cynically exploits these fears, ensuring its continued monopoly on power.
Sound familiar?
When publishing's chattering class frets about Amazon being a "monopoly," what they really mean is they're afraid Amazon could become a monopsony -- that is, "a market form in which only one buyer interfaces with many sellers." With its lockstep crappy terms -- forever-term contracts, twice-yearly annual royalty payments, lockstep low digital royalties, outlandish rights grabs, and draconian non-compete provisions -- isn't that how the Big Five cartel has always functioned with regard to its author suppliers? We have ample evidence that, without competition, the dominant publishing player is free to present a "take it or leave it position" to authors. Don't we want the Big Five to face competition for authors, rather than enabling it to continue to exercise "take it or leave it" negotiating leverage?
(For a nice example of an otherwise learned columnist bleating about how Amazon could become a monopsony while ignoring the current, actual cartel that's abusing its suppliers right now, today's Paul Krugman column is a must. Like others more afraid of the future than concerned about the present, Krugman shows some understanding of the principles of monopsony (though curiously, he fails to mention any relevant law on the topic), but seems to assume those principles apply only to hypothetical future situations and not to real existing ones. Joe and I have more on Krugman below.)
Besides, where at all possible, I prefer to believe the best of people and even of institutions. So why insult the Big Five with automatically low expectations? Suggesting the Big Five can't compete and therefore has to be coddled is to expect so little of it. I say, let's believe in the Big Five, believe in its ability to innovate and adapt and compete, and let's encourage the Big Five with our confidence to be better than it's ever aspired to be before. If we demonstrate to the Big Five that we're not going to be suckered with its pleas for protection, the group will realize it has no choice but to improve. And within that dynamic, is there any reason to believe it won't improve? How can we know the Big Five can't do better if we constantly indicate with our rhetoric that we don't believe it can?
I've said many times: when someone is sick, you don't want them to die; you want them to get well. Well, I believe the Big Five can and will get well. But not if we keep indicating to it with our policy prescriptions that we believe the organization is inherently sickly. The Big Five needs our confidence, not our doubts. A hand up, not a hand out. Our help, not our enablement.
How can we have a healthy publishing ecosystem with a sickly Big Five at its center? Competition is the definition of a healthy publishing ecosystem, as a single buyer is the definition of publishing pathology. Amazon is providing the first real competition the Big Five has ever seen. This is a good thing, not something to try to stop. So let's not enable the Big Five to stay sick. Let's help it get better.
Joe sez: I really like Barry's answer to the oft-heard Hachette apologist whine: "When Amazon kills all competition it will lower royalties. So we need to support Hachette."
This is a classic example of misdirection. While the magician directs your attention with theatrics, he's clandestinely pocketing your coin.
The problem is that in the absence of competition, Amazon has more cause to lower royalties and take a bigger cut for itself. As Barry points out above, a lack of meaningful competition is exactly how the Big Five (formerly Six) oligopoly has been able to keep its royalties uniformly low for decades. It's also how Amazon was be able to become a publisher; by offering authors things the Big Five didn't. Namely: no barrier to entry; full control over your intellectual property rights; higher royalties.
So rather than supporting Hachette's greed, authors should be demanding Hachette increase its low royalties to levels competitive with Amazon's high ones.
Right now, Hachette's major benefit over Amazon--getting paper books into physical stores--is being negated by the fact that their book sales are floundering in the LARGEST BOOKSTORE ON THE PLANET. It's easy to understand why uber-rich authors are sticking with Hachette; they can still plug into this paper network and make assloads of money. But why are midlist authors following the lead of the rich ones?
Because they are being misled.
If authors demanded higher royalties from Hachette, and Hachette complied, then Hachette would remain a vital, viable alternative to Amazon. This would force Amazon (Hachette's competition) to keep author royalties high.
And if bigshot authors really wanted to help their midlist peers, as they repeatedly claim, they would be in talks with Hachette to demand royalties comparable to Amazon's. That would lessen the chances of Hachette authors leaving to self-pub on Amazon, and maintain pressure on Amazon to stay competitive by keeping its royalties high.
Wouldn't what I just described be the quintessence of the "healthy competition" and "healthy publishing ecosystem" Authors United and the Authors Guild and their mouthpieces keep publicly insisting upon?
The Big Five and its enablers in Authors United and the Authors Guild are the parties who are actually stifling competition. After all, they're in favor of the low legacy royalties that create a danger of Amazon lowering its royalties, too. Amazon is actually the first competition the Big Five has ever had. Amazon should be lauded for introducing competition into the publishing ecosystem, and for the higher royalties they're using to compete.
Authors should also be insisting that Hachette explain why it won't accept Amazon's terms. If the dispute is truly about discounting, with Hachette wanting to control the price of ebooks and keep them high, Hachette's position doesn't serve the interests of the majority of non-bestselling Hachette authors who don't get the widespread paper distribution of Preston and Patterson. Hachette capitulating on both issues would ensure that most Hachette authors would make more money than ever before, and ensure Amazon royalties remain high. It would also force every other publisher to match those terms. That's what Authors United and the Authors Guild should be focusing on.
As it stands, they're enabling Hachette to remain greedy and self-serving and non-competitive. A handful of bestseller authors are saying, "We'll support Hachette because it made us rich, with the understanding that if Hachette gets its way, a few of us will stay rich."
If they truly cared about their peers, and competition, as they say they do, their stance would be; "We need Hachette to increase royalties and lower ebook prices, because that's the only way to deal with a tough competitor like Amazon--to actually compete."
That's the approach all authors should be taking. We want third parties to compete for our books. We want real choice. We want competition.
Authors United doesn't want competition. They've escalated their efforts to get Amazon to back down (recently Douglas Preston and Stephen King were on CBS repeating the same one-sided nonsense we've repeatedly debunked) while admitting they haven't even talked to Hachette.
Both Authors United and Hachette immediately rejected Amazon's three separate offers to compensate authors monetarily during this negotiation. Preston called the offer "blood money" because he believes it would harm his publisher.
Unfortunately, if Hachette is unwilling even to temporarily compensate its authors during this negotiation, I don't see it raising royalties, either. And allowing Amazon to discount ebooks means a quicker end to the current iteration of Hachette's paper distribution oligopoly.
Hachette, and the other members of the Big Five, has to understand this. But they're acting as if they'd rather go down with the ship than try to restructure it, because restructuring would cost them too much money.
Let's delve a little deeper into that analogy. Once upon a time, the only way to get from Europe to America was via ship. People had no choice. Some, with money, travelled in style. Some were relegated to steerage.
Then the Wright Brothers obliterated that oligopoly. Now there was a new, faster way to cross the Atlantic. And now that travellers had a choice, many chose to fly. When it became cheaper to fly than sail, the balance of power shifted.
It isn't the job of passengers to keep that ship sailing. It's the ship owner's job to make the ship appealing to passengers, so they'll buy a ticket to board.
It also isn't the job of ship-loving passengers to launch a media campaign condemning the Wright Brothers, blaming them for being immoral and unfair, and asking for the government to intervene.
These days, people take cruises as a vacation, and cruise lines often partner with airlines and offer passengers package deals. The ship owners changed with the times and partnered with the enemy. Maybe they aren't making as much as they did in their heyday when they were the only game in town, but they survived because they had something different to offer: Shuffleboard.
Okay, I was kidding with that last line, but cruise ships remain popular because they do offer a lot that airplanes can't, such as gambling, entertainment, food, and activities. Most cruises are round-trip, bringing passengers to the same spot they departed from. Once ships only existed to get from Point A to Point B. They adapted and changed and survived.
If publishers want to survive, they need to offer authors something Amazon can't. Paper distribution, advances, editors with magic wands that bestow rich literary culture and nurturing, etc.
Authors worried about their own futures should be demanding that their publishers reform. If I were a Hachette author, I'd be mad as hell at my publisher for not being able to come to an agreement with Amazon, and even madder that Hachette rejected three separate offers to compensate me.
That's who I'd be going on CBS to pressure. It seems obvious.
Instead, perpetuating the "Amazon is harmful" meme is nothing but misdirection, and we've just revealed the trick. Authors United doesn't care about all authors. It cares about continuing a beneficial relationship that rewards the few and harms the many.
The sad part is, these celebrity authors could be using their wealth and vast media contacts to improve the health of the whole publishing ecosystem for the good of the vast majority of authors.
But instead, Authors United is shouting at airplanes. Which is about as effective as it sounds.
Now rather than fisk Paul Krugman's surprisingly naive NYT article, since Barry and I have already debunked most of its points and positions, I'll respond to four of the main ones..
Amazon is not hurting America. It may be squeezing its suppliers, which Americans are benefiting from. Consumers with more choice and lower prices. Authors with new opportunities. Middlemen… well, if you care about propping up an archaic, abusive oligopoly so it continues to exploit writers, by all means say Amazon is hurtful.
Amazon is not a robber baron. According to Wikipedia, the term was typically applied to businessmen who used what were considered to be exploitative practices to amass their wealth. Amazon amassed its wealth by innovating, not exploiting. The Big Five are the robber barons, controlling the paper distribution cartel, price-fixing, making hardcovers luxury items, windowing, and exploiting authors with unconscionable contracts.
Barry sez: Hachette books weren't "banned outright" from Amazon's site. Why is he using the word "ban"? If, for example, Wilson Sporting Goods can't come to terms with Sports Authority regarding the proper price of Wilson's tennis balls, and Sports Authority stops giving preferential aisle placement to Wilson's tennis balls, no reasonable person would claim that Sports Authority was in any way "banning" Wilson's goods. The notion that in failing to offer preferential treatment to Hachette's books -- when Amazon doesn't even have a contract to sell them -- Amazon is in any way "banning" those books is an atrocity upon plain English and a violation of common sense. It's name game nonsense.
Joe sez: But the stupidest thing Krugman writes is; "And what Amazon possesses is the power to kill the buzz." No, Paul. Amazon cannot prevent consumers from finding books. It is a publisher's, and an author's, job to make books discoverable. They have done this, historically, by working with bookstores. Bookstores do NOT work for free. If you want preferential treatment in a bookstore--signings, discounts, end cap displays--you pay a coop fee for that. Bookstores have NEVER treated all books equally. Amazon, which has no contract with Hachette, is not "buzzkilling." Hachette has failed to reach an agreement with Amazon that give its titles greater visibility.
Krugman's comparison of the different treatment two Hachette titles received from Amazon is woefully ignorant. Paul, no two books EVER get the same treatment for retailers. Even the simplest understanding of the bookselling world would reveal this. Some books get special treatment. Mostly because publishers pay for it. Sometimes because booksellers like certain titles over others and push them.
Barry sez: Another thing that interested me about Krugman's post is the lack of evidence behind his claim that Amazon is hurting America, authors, and readers. The only thing he really says in support of his whole argument is that "what Amazon possesses is the power to kill the buzz." Well, if that's true, it's really bad news for legacy publishers. It means they're totally powerless to do the primary thing authors pay them about 85% of revenues to accomplish. Krugman is arguing, in effect, that legacy publishers are nothing but vestigial appendages.
Of course, if legacy publishers really were that useless, it's hard to imagine any author ever signing with one of the Big Five. And yet thousands of authors do indeed continue to sign their books with the Big Five in the belief that the Big Five will deliver the buzz and all that. If Krugman really believes the Big Five is as feckless as he claims, he ought to explain why so many authors continue to go that route.
Joe sez: An appeal to emotion, in lieu of facts or common sense, is a fallacy. Krugman claims Amazon abusing its power. Watch out, or they'll buzzkill you! (I hope buzzkill becomes adopted with the same derision as whale math.) And Stephen King says Amazon isn't fair or moral.
Well, I'm pretty sure the DOJ cares more about the law than how people feel about a particular company. Ask me how I feel about Hobby Lobby and Chik Fil A. At the same time, I defend their right to run their companies as they choose to. I endorse freedom, and capitalism, even if corporations do things I don't agree with.
Amazon isn't hurting America. But celebrity authors and so-called reporters with axes to grind are potentially harming authors with misinformation. At times, to me, it seems like Authors United has a monopsony on slanted media coverage; this one group can appear in any newspaper or TV show they like, while authors who oppose them get little press attention.
Authors United does have one indisputable monopoly: during the entire Amazon/Hachette negotiation, Authors United has held a monopoly on stupid. That the media wants to report stupidity as news is their right. Newspapers like the NYT are allowed to be wrong, just like I'm allowed to cancel my subscription and read something else, just like I don't have to eat at Chik Fil A or buy crafting supplies at Hobby Lobby, and just like Krugman doesn't have to shop at Amazon anymore, even though he says, "I have Amazon Prime and use it a lot. But again, so what?"
So what, Paul? If you don't see the hypocrisy of continuing to support Amazon with your dollars while writing a screed condemning Amazon, then I weep for the integrity of the modern journalist.


text:
How One Young Aussie Changed The Design Of The $5 Note
The Reserve Bank today starts the release of the new $5 note with 170 million to eventually fan out across the country, updating the currency and helping the visually impaired.
The new bills contain a string of security and artistic measures that will separate them from their predecessors.
Most striking will be "bumps" on parts of the bill to make them more easily recognisable by the visually impaired.
For NSW teenager Connor McLeod, the release of the new five dollar note means more than a fresh coat of paint.
The 15-year-old, who is visually impaired, once avoided using banknotes, instead turning to coins that are distinguishable by touch.
But a new tactile feature on the next generation of five dollar notes means he and almost 360,000 other visually impaired Australians will be able to distinguish between different denominations of banknotes.
"We have braille on toilets, we have tactile features on bus stops, but we don't have it on our national currency, and that is something we use everyday," Connor's mother Ally Lancaster told AAP.
Connor and his mother, from the NSW Central Coast, started a petition in 2012, calling for tactile markings to be included on the reprint of banknotes after Connor was unable to tell how much money he received in a Christmas gift.
"Usually I am pretty well on top with this stuff but money is just something I didn't even really consider," Ms Lancaster said.
"If I gave him a note he would ask for coins instead and I never thought there was a reason behind it until that Christmas."
The petition, started in 2013, collected more than 57,000 signatures and gained bipartisan support from both Labor and Liberal members, according to Ms Lancaster.
She said both she and Connor were "overwhelmed" by the support.
Vision Australia's lead policy advisor Bruce Maguire said the note will give those who are blind or vision-impaired the ability to identify currency accurately and confidently for the first time.
"I think the introduction of the tactile feature on banknotes is the biggest inclusive effort that I have seen in my lifetime," he said.
"None of us who are blind have been able to identify notes accurately by touch before and that is something that everybody takes for granted."
While there are devices to measure the size of banknotes, Mr Maguire said they have "limitations".
"Particularly in situations when you are in a shop ... you really don't have time to get out your plastic device to sort things out," he said.
The new five dollar note will feature a single raised dot - the size of a 'hundreds & thousands' sprinkle, on each of the long sides of the note.
The Reserve Bank of Australia will eventually release all bank notes, each with a different number of raised dots in accordance to the denomination.


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Israel News - Stay Informed, Pray Informed
Israel's fears that Syria's civil war could spill across its northern border began to be realized this week as mortar shells and rockets fired by the Syrian army landed in the Golan Heights.
A number of mortar shells landed near agricultural fields belonging to Israeli kibbutzim in the northern Golan on Tuesday. A day later, a short-range missile struck in the central Golan. Neither of the incidents caused any injuries or damage.
In both instances, the munitions were believed to have been fired by Syrian government forces battling rebels close to the Israel-Syria border.
Both the forces loyal to Syrian dictator Bashar Assad and the Sunni-dominated rebels are overtly hostile toward Israel, and Jerusalem is concerned that either may at any moment try to drag the Jewish state into the raging conflict for their own benefit.
So real has the threat become that the Israeli army last week held an exercise simulating a surprise cross-border attack by the Syrian army or rebel forces. Israel also believes that Lebanon's Hizballah militia may start a fresh round of conflict in order to influence the outcome of Syria's civil war.
Want more news from Israel?
Click Here to sign up for our FREE daily email updates
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HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS — Has persistence finally paid off for the Los Angeles Lakers?
If the rumblings prove correct, that could be the case. Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard, whose months-old trade request to the Brooklyn Nets, is apparently warming up to the idea of joining the Los Angeles Lakers, per a report from RealGM's Jarrod N. Rudolph.
With Howard reportedly set to sign a long-term extension with the Lakers, all that's needed now is for all sides to sign off on a three-team blockbuster that will reshape the balance of power in the Western Conference and the league. The details from Rudolph (click here to hear Rudolph discussing the latest on the Howard drama on Episode 87 of the Hang Time Podcast):
Dwight Howard has long coveted the Brooklyn Nets as his next landing spot, but after a summer filled with daily rumors of four-team trade proposals, the six-time All-Star has moved on from his Big Apple infatuation and is locked in on joining the Los Angeles Lakers, sources tell RealGM.
The Lakers, Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly discussing a three-team trade that would send Howard to the Lakers, Andrew Bynum to the Cavaliers, while the Magic would receive Anderson Varejao and multiple draft picks.
Howard has always been impressed with the Lakers' winning tradition and intrigued with the off-court opportunities that come with playing in Los Angeles.
Questions about Howard's role with the team, however, became an early concern for the three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Howard has since moved on from those concerns and is confident he will be an integral part of a team that will have a chance to compete immediately for a championship, according to sources that spoke with RealGM.
The Lakers are reportedly ready to make the trade, but first need assurance from Howard that he will commit to the team long-term. Sources say Howard is "excited" about the opportunity to play for the Lakers and will re-sign with the team when his contract expires at the end of the 2012-13 season.
The Lakers would have a nucleus of Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Howard and Pau Gasol, pushing them right to the top of the Western Conference heap alongside the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.
Howard has been in Los Angeles since April back surgery and was spotted Tuesday night at a Dodgers game, where he was cheered by fans after being spotted by television cameras and shown on the stadium's big screen.
The Lakers' dealings this summer, adding Nash, and their persistence in engaging the Magic in discussions about Howard, clearly have made an impression, if Howard is indeed ready to sign a long-term extension with the team. Because for months and as recently as two weeks ago he made it clear that his first and only choice was the Nets, telling Yahoo! Sports that he would sign an extension with "one team and one team only," though he never named the Nets specifically.
But like all things with Howard since December, what's believed to be true one day can change the next day. That said, a Lakers team with Howard in the middle alongside Gasol and Bryant and Nash in the backcourt is as formidable a lineup, on paper, as you'll see anywhere in the league this season.


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Are You Ready for Snow?
It's not going to be 4 feet, but we could see some flurries early this week. According to the National Weather Service, there's a 30% chance of snow after 1 a.m. Tuesday morning (October 22) and a 20% chance before 1 p.m. on Tuesday (October 22). Otherwise, temperatures will be in the mid to upper 40's for highs and upper 20's to low 30's for overnight lows. You'll start to see more leaves falling this week, too.
When you feel like raking those leaves, the leaf drop-off sites are open in Sioux Falls.
There are two locations:
- 1015 East Chambers Street (west of Cliff Avenue by the Household Hazardous Waste Facility and Street Department) Access is available from North Drive to East Ash Street to Chambers Street, and from North Cliff Avenue to Chambers Street. The driveway just west of the Household Hazardous Waste Facility will be the only access point.
- North Lyon Blvd (west of the Fairgrounds). Access is available from West 12th Street to North Lyon Blvd, and from West Madison Street to North Lyon Blvd. The driveway just north of the railroad crossing will be the only access point.
Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m Monday through Saturday and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday from Saturday, September 28 through Sunday, December 1, 2013.


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Wednesday, December 29, 2010
WWE Shows "Snow" Concern For Safety
Concern over fans and talent? What a foreign concept.
The NFL's decision stands in stark contrast to those made earlier this week by WWE. On Sunday night, WWE went ahead with a non-televised live event at Madison Square Garden, despite ample warning of an impending blizzard that promised to wallop the New York City region.
For those of you who have never been to MSG, let me give you a quick layout of the "World's Most Famous Arena." The Garden sits right on top of Penn Station, Manhattan's terminal for the Long Island Rail Road—the oldest and largest commuter railroad in the nation, and one of the primary sources of transportation for fans heading into and out of MSG.
I've been using the LIRR to get to WWE shows at the Garden for 20 years, and it's always a fun experience to ride in and out with hundreds of fellow wrestling fans, eagerly anticipating the action before the show, and after the show reveling in the fun they had the whole way home.
And WWE, which has called MSG its "home" arena for half a century, is well aware of the vital role the LIRR plays in getting its fans to and from its shows in the venue.
It's worth noting that earlier this year, the LIRR enacted a policy of suspending all train service during a particularly harsh snowfall. And throughout the entire weekend, the LIRR warned customers that it might just have to do that on Sunday night.
Ultimately, the storm dumped nearly two feet of snow in some parts of the region and had sustained hurricane force winds in some locations. It went down as the sixth-worst snowstorm in New York City in recorded history. And it came as a surprise to nobody.
Nevertheless, WWE, as it has done so many times in the past under questionable circumstances, decided that the show must go on, despite the fact that even some talent was unable to get to the Garden.
And, sure enough, just after John Cena defeated Wade Barrett in the cage match main event of the show, thousands of fans made their way down to Penn Station to discover that no trains were running.
Well, that shouldn't be that big a deal, right? So they wait a couple of hours before service is restored, right? Try 22 hours.
It was Monday evening before some WWE fans were able to finally get home. Until then, hundreds of them—including very young children—slept on idling trains, wandered the train terminal, and even tackled jigsaw puzzles on the station floor.
For its part, WWE defended its decision to run the show. In a comment to Newsday, a spokesman said the company "tries its best not to let down our fans due to the weather," and made the decision in conjunction with the Garden. They figured some public transportation was working, and many fans lived in the area anyway.
The most shocking part of the spokesman's comment was when he actually boasted of the show's attendance of 13,600, "which was more than those that attended the respective Islanders and Devils games" that same night.
WWE may think it had its fans in mind when it decided not to let to disappoint them. And for certain many fans were glad that the show went ahead as planned (some no doubt even enjoyed the experience of spending the night in a New York City train terminal.)
But something far more important than the entertainment of some wrestling fans was at stake here.
By not postponing the event, WWE jeopardized the safety of thousands of fans, as well as its own talent (who had to make the perilous drive to Albany right after the MSG show for Raw the next night).
Imagine what would have happened if a family with young children ventured out in the severe weather to get to the show and got into a nasty car accident? Or if a fan with medical issues was unable to get help for hours because he was trapped in a train station?
WWE did its fans no favors by running a show on Sunday. The right and responsible thing to do would have been to cancel the show with plenty of notice, reach out to ticket-holders by e-mail if possible and post a message online, and reschedule the show for a future date. Some fans may have been inconvenienced and upset, but at least they would have been safe.
WWE officials shouldn't be bragging about how many fans came out during a dangerous blizzard to attend one of its shows. They should be apologizing to them.
-Al Castle
Pro Wrestling Illustrated Senior Writer
6 comments:
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated said...
I'm surprised, Al. Last year, WWE postponed the same Philadelphia house show twice because of weather concerns. I guess that's because public transportation to the Philly Sports Complex is inadequate.
I wonder if the paid attendance represents those who bought tickets--or those who actually braved the elements.
Any word on how they'll handle complaints from those who bought tickets and wisely stayed home?
Stu Saks
- December 29, 2010 at 2:51 PM
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- December 29, 2010 at 3:00 PM
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated said...
WWE claims there were "minimal no shows" among ticket buying fans, but some fans in attendance say the crowd looked far smaller than 13,600.
WWE says it will handle situations of ticket holders who couldn't attend "on an individual basis."
-Al Castle
PWI Senior Writer
- December 29, 2010 at 3:08 PM
How is WWE running the Garden any worse than Cirque Du Soliel running at the same time? Or Spider Man on Broadway or any other dozens of shows and events. The reality is that the NYC subway system kept running, so while it was unfortunate the LIRR shut down, the LIRR is not the only means of transportation to and from MSG as there are no less than TEN SUBWAY LINES within a three block radius. Unless you lived on the Island, you were fine, although it took much longer to get home than usual.
- December 29, 2010 at 4:33 PM
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated said...
They all should have shut down. I should emphasize that MSG deserves just as much blame, as they also could have called off the WWE show, and Cirque Du Soleil as well (it ran in the MSG Theater.)
I think the WWE show probably attracted more fans traveling on the LIRR than all those other events, as well as more kids. But considering the amount of warning that was given about the storm, and about the likelihood of the LIRR shutting down, all major NYC events should have been canceled.
-Al Castle
- December 30, 2010 at 10:51 AM
- Lou said...
I had tickets to that show, and I'm glad I stayed home; it took friends of mine over 3 hours to make what's normally a 45 minute trek back to Stamford, and $30 was a small price to pay to avoid perilous travel.
WWE, however, should be ashamed and should have sent talent directly to Albany.
Yes, it would have been a headache for ticket holders, as unlike any Broadway show or anything else, that was a "one-time" event.
However, a friend inside WWE told me that there was serious discussion of postponing the show, with MSG offering Saturday Jan. 15 as a replacement - but WWE, despite the profit it would have likely gained, turned down the offer because it would require them to cancel the 1/15 live event in Beaumont, TX (at the spacious 8,000 seat Ford Arena) and have RAW talent fly three times in three days - from their homes to Chattanooga for the 1/14 RAW live event, up to MSG for 1/15, and then back to Louisiana for the 1/16 SuperShow in Shreveport.
Luckily nothing catastrophic happened and talent was safe, but having lived in the Northeast for 25 years of my life and having traveled the NYS Thruway to Albany many times, I can only fathom what would have happened if a weather-related mishap caused any WWE Superstar a major injury or worse.
Actually, I know what would've happened - they would've done Raw the next night in Albany.
-Louie Dee
- January 3, 2011 at 3:00 PM


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CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook has undergone arthroscopic knee surgery and won't return until after the all-star break.
General manager Sam Presti says in a statement Friday that Westbrook has been playing pain free, but "recently had experienced increased swelling" in his right knee.
Presti says the team consulted with a surgeon in Los Angeles and an MRI determined there was "an area of concern that had not previously existed."
Presti says "We know that Russell's work ethic and commitment will help him return to the level of play that we have all come to appreciate."
The Thunder visit the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday night.


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Wisconsin Personal Fitness Training Jobs and Educational Program
You have found the ultimate resource for Wisconsin personal trainer jobs. Regardless of how you want to work and develop your career in the fitness industry, we have something for you.
Personal training jobs are plentiful when you know where to look.
We suggest that you look at our fitness trainer job directory. This is where you will find a wide variety of fitness career options ranging from health club jobs, to independent contractor positions, and even online jobs as a personal trainer.
Here's an important note about your Wisconsin personal trainer career:
The possibilities for your Wisconsin personal fitness trainer career are endless. In fact, your work as a personal trainer is only limited by your beliefs and imagination. Look beyond what is thought to be a conventional job for a fitness trainer. Remember, your career options are endless.


text: Dive in to Volunteering. Swimming is only one of the many fun and exciting sports offered by Special Olympics Texas. Download Program Fact SheetIt's at the local level--right here--where interested volunteers meet the athletes. That's where the perceptions start to change and where the miracle of transformation takes place. Special Olympics provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Those activities give them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship.


text: "THE TRIPP ROOM . . ." Several friends, relatives, and acquaintances of Don and Rosie Tripp, as well as most of New Mexico Tech's top administrators, were on hand this past Saturday for the official dedication of the "Don and Rosie Tripp Conference Room," located in the upper level of Tech's Skeen Library. The library conference room, which serves as a central meeting place for both the Tech and Socorro communities, was dedicated to the Tripps in recognition of their financial support of New Mexico Tech, particularly in deference to a recent donation made in support of the Skeen Library's online resources. Pictured standing next to the dedication plaque in the Tripp Conference Room are Don and Rosie Tripp.


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Got my 135x44 sent to Taiwan just in time for Xmas thanks to my dealer's help, so off to the beach today 28 gusting 35 knots (measured), shoulder height fun waves, 90Kg rider, on North Rebel 5m. The board is way beyond my expectations!
It has so many standout features - I've never been on a board that does so many things so well. Fast, great upwind, spray in face non existent, beautiful in the flats, chop and on wave. No hint of pearling even on steep wave. The standout is the ability to glide on the wave face on wave power, so it keeps speed up to bottom turn or do stuff on the wave face like nothing else I've tried before (that includes the Mako 150). It turns, slashes and rips in every conceivable combination on wave face - it felt like an extension of my body. Rail to rail, long drawn front foot bottom turns or snappy back foot turns, fast or slow - it all comes effortlessly. Sliding by flattening out the board was super easy and never caught an edge. Pop was enough for my needs. Landings from jumps were super smooth. Schlogging slowly waiting to catch the wave was very comfortable and acceleration to catch it if I was late was excellent.
Gusts measured at 35 knots, the board never felt big at all - I think the size vs. weight list on the Shinn website really are the right combos, even if they look unusual.
Straps and pads excellent as noted on other Shinn reviews.
Overall I think this is a really well thought piece of kit, with each little bit of the board working well to deliver a ton of fun and performance over a very wide range of conditions. Thank you Santa!


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Easing into a fluffy robe is something most women yearn for after a bath or a long day. KayAnna provides this for the modern woman wanting to feel sexy and comfortable as she lounges in her spare time. KayAnna knows a woman needs a time of peace in the middle of her busy life. The innovative style and comfort of both KayAnna robes and sleepwear are something not found on every shelf at the store. The KayAnna motto is, Make ourselves irresistible. KayAnna and women appreciate that irresistible can be found in a cozy robe that blankets them in warmth.
KayAnna was founded in 1971 in Canada by brothers Ron and Paul Salhany. The men have kept the robes and sleepwear a family business by bringing on sister, Andrea and Ron's son, Steven. The family believes this is one reason they are successful and continue to grow. In addition to Canada and the United States, KayAnna has grown to service several countries in Europe, online sites, specialty catalogs and department stores. Most recently KayAnna also began a Spa division with some of the newest and most unique fabrics available on the market.
Following their motto to "make ourselves irresistible," KayAnna uses only the best fabrics to clothe women in warmth. Women have their choice of what makes them feel snug and cozy. Some choose the Oriental Style Brush Back Satin Sleepwear so she feels the shimmer of satin in the beauty of an Oriental style robe. Embroidery is a favorite in every style as there are different patterns and colors to attract women's attention. KayAnna feels a woman should look good while she rests. Another favorite, the Brush Back Satin Floral pajama set is made with polyester and cotton fabric for soft comfort and easy care. The Long Diamond Weave Spa Robe is another best seller as women love the diamond weave style robe that makes her feel softly elegant.
KayAnna not only gives comfort to women, but blankets charities with their goodness. They have recently partnered with Cancer Research in the UK, one of the world's leading independent organizations dedicated to beating cancer through research. KayAnna nightgowns sold a few of their gowns on the website with Cancer Research entitled, Shop to Beat Cancer. They have also partnered with Goodshop.com, a website that offers with every search and every purchase a donation to your specified charity.
Customers rave about the "fabulous feel and fit" of the spa robes. Others say they bought the sleepwear as a gift and ended up admiring the softness and look so much she had to get a few for herself. Women say good bathrobes are hard to find as the material just isn't soft enough, but with KayAnna it's a totally different sensation that helps them rest in luxury.
KayAnna strives to make each women feel and look irresistible as she relaxes in her loungewear. Slumber has never come so quickly as to a woman wearing KayAnna robes and sleepwear.


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As A-Sun President, Delaney will preside over Presidents Council meetings, Management Committee meetings, and the Executive Committee. Those joining Delaney as officers on the Executive Committee include Kennesaw State's Director of Athletics, Dr. Dave Waples, as the Vice President. ETSU's Senior Associate Athletic Director Barbie Breedlove retains her role as A-Sun Secretary. Dr. Rich Tiner, Belmont's Faculty Athletic Representative, remains the FAR delegate and Philip Hutcheson, Lipscomb's Athletics Director will serve as the AD delegate.
The Management Committee includes the athletics directors, senior woman administrators and the faculty athletic representatives from each of the 11 member institutions. The Management Committee, along with all standing committees, conducts in-person meetings twice each academic year (October and June). The Presidents Council meets twice a year as well, after the Management Committee.
The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.
This release was provided by the Atlantic Sun Conference.


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Gravity (Sandra Bullock/George Clooney) Trailer
STARRING Academy Award® winners Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side, The Proposal) and George Clooney (Up in the Air, Syriana) Gravity is a heart-pounding thriller that pulls you into the infinite and unforgiving realm of deep space.
The film was directed by Oscar® nominee Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men).
Bullock plays Dr. Ryan Stone, a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky (Clooney) in command of his last flight before retiring. But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes.
The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone – tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness.
The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth…and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left.
But the only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space.
Gravity is released in UK cinemas on October 18, 2013.
Watch the trailer:
Next trailer: Inside Llewyn Davis


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Tagged: Preservation of Public Security Ordinance 1955
The Past, Present and Future of the Internal Security Act
Assistant Professor of Law
School of Law, SMU
MORE THAN 60 YEARS have passed since a law permitting detention without trial first took effect in Singapore. The need for the current version of this law, the Internal Security Act (ISA), has been questioned on many occasions, most recently last year when Malaysia announced that it was reviewing its own version of the Act. Each time, the Government has reaffirmed the statute's relevance. Is this statute still necessary in modern-day Singapore? Continue reading


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A nationwide recall was issued for a medical device used during cardiac surgery. Learn More »
Recall Notice
Transposition of the Great Arteries
Nemours Cardiac Center at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children
1600 Rockland Road, Wilmington, DE 19803 | Get Map & Directions »
Note: To view heart animations, you'll need the latest version of Adobe Flash Player.
Children's heart conditions can't be prevented, but a lot can be done to improve and often completely repair their hearts at any age. Thanks to advanced technology and the pediatric heart experts at the Nemours Cardiac Center (based at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children), most children born with a heart problem — even newborns only hours or days old — can be quickly diagnosed and treated right when it matters the most. At the Cardiac Center, we specialize in early detection and repair of congenital heart defects (also often called, "congenital heart disease").
If your child's been diagnosed with transposition of the great arteries (or "TGA," for short), we're here to ease your concerns, answer your questions, and give your child the best possible chance for a healthy future.
There are two "great arteries" through which blood leaves the heart:
- the aorta, which normally originates from the left ventricle and carries oxygen-rich ("red") blood out to the body
- the pulmonary artery, which normally originates from the right ventricle and carries deoxygenated ("blue") blood to the lungs
In children with transposition of the great arteries, these two main arteries are in the opposite position: the aorta originates from the right ventricle, and the pulmonary artery originates from the left ventricle.
This results in two separate circulations of blood:
- The oxygen-rich ("red") blood returning from the lungs enters the left atrium and left ventricle, and then is pumped back to the lungs through the pulmonary artery.
- The oxygen-poor ("blue") blood returning from the body enters the right atrium and the right ventricle, and then is pumped back out to the body through the aorta.
This causes the baby to appear bluish (or "cyanotic"). Without a way for the oxygenated blood of the left ventricle to reach the aorta and, in turn, the rest of the body, the child may only live a few days.
Other Congenital Heart Defects That Are Part of TGA
There are different ways that the oxygenated blood may reach the aorta. As part of transposition of the great arteries a lot of children may also have other congenital heart defects:
- atrial septal defect ("ASD," a hole in the wall between the right and left atria — the top two chambers of the heart)
- ventricular septal defect ("VSD," an abnormal opening in the wall between the right and left ventricles)
The opening from either of those defects allows blood to flow between the right and left sides of the heart. Because the oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor blood will mix before being pumped out, the baby will still be blue, but usually less so, and is able to survive.
In other cases, there's also a patent ductus arteriosus (or "PDA," which allows the blood to flow between the pulmonary artery and aorta.
How Does the Heart Normally Work?
When your child has a congenital heart defect, there's usually something wrong with the structure of the heart. In order to understand your child's condition, it can help to know how the heart should work normally.
Learn More About Normal Cardiac Anatomy »
Nemours' experts at KidsHealth.org also offer these helpful resources to help both you and your child understand how the heart works:
Many babies with TGA are diagnosed in utero (while still in the womb during pregnancy) during a fetal echocardiogram (or "echo"). Babies who aren't diagnosed until after birth are likely to have signs and symptoms of heart failure and poor oxygen delivery to the body in the first minutes to hours after delivery.
Those symptoms would include:
- rapid breathing
- rapid heart rate
- poor ability to feed and lack of weight gain (also known as "failure to thrive")
- bluish skin color (called "cyanosis")
The severity of these symptoms depends on the mount of mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood through the associated heart defects. Because the PDA usually closes in the hours after birth, babies may get sicker over that time period as there is less and less oxygenated blood getting out to the body.
In babies with low oxygen levels or poor oxygen delivery to the body, an echocardiogram ("echo") will be performed to make the diagnosis. An echo is a completely safe and painless test that uses ultrasound (sound waves) to build a series of pictures of the heart.
Some babies also will need a cardiac catheterization to temporarily treat the low oxygen levels or to confirm the diagnosis and determine the exact location of the coronary arteries (the arteries that travel from the aorta to deliver blood to the heart muscle itself). Catheterization involves inserting a thin plastic, flexible tube (called a "catheter") into an artery and vein that lead to the heart. Cardiac catheterization is done under sedation with local anesthesia or under general anesthesia, depending on your child's age and condition.
Learn More
All babies with TGA will need surgery, which our Nemours Cardiac Center heart surgeons usually perform in the first few days following birth. It's common to delay the procedure for a few days until the baby has stabilized from delivery. During this period, if the oxygen levels in the body are too low, we may perform a cardiac catheterization procedure known as a "balloon atrial septostomy." This involves enlarging the atrial septal defect (ASD) by inflating a balloon within it — this stretches the ASD and allows more oxygenated blood to mix and travel to the aorta and out to the body. A catheterization involves inserting a catheter (a tiny, hollow tube) through a vein (usually in the leg) leading to the heart. A balloon at the end of the catheter is then inflated to stretch the ASD open and improve the blood flow across the defect.
The corrective surgery for TGA is called the "arterial switch" operation. As the name implies, the two arteries (the pulmonary artery and aorta) are switched back into the appropriate location. This also involves moving the coronary arteries (the small blood vessels that supply oxygenated blood to the heart muscle itself) along with the aorta. At this time, if the child has any other defects (including an atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect or patent ductus arteriosus) we repair those as well.
Historically a different procedure was done called the "atrial switch." This procedure involved directing blood through the atria (the upper chambers of the heart) so that it switched sides. This way, the circulation was corrected and oxygenated blood from the lungs flowed out to the body, but the right ventricle was left pumping out the aorta and the left ventricle continued to pump to the lungs. Because the right ventricle is optimized to pump at lower pressures, in the years after the atrial switch procedure, this often resulted in heart failure. That's because the right ventricle couldn't handle the higher pressure of pumping out to the body. There was also a high risk of atrial electrical problems because of the large amount of suturing needed to change the direction of blood flow within the atria. For these reasons, we now perform the arterial switch in nearly all children.
Following the arterial switch procedure, the blood circulates through the heart, lungs and body. Some children will require additional operations or catheter-based procedures to treat narrowed pulmonary arteries. Narrowings (or "stenoses") in the pulmonary arteries happen because the arterial switch procedure requires stretching the pulmonary arteries to bring them over top of the aorta (this is done because in children with transposition of the great arteries, the pulmonary artery started out directly behind the aorta, but needs to be switched to a position in front of it).
The coronary arteries may also develop narrowing as children grow, so our Nemours Cardiac Center cardiologists will often do tests as children get older to make sure the heart is getting plenty of blood flow, even during exercise. This might include a cardiac catheterization or exercise testing.
If your child has transposition of the great arteries, know that at the Nemours Cardiac Center we're here to give your child the very best, most comprehensive and compassionate care. Our goal is to guide your family, from start to finish, through your child's heart defect journey — and to help your child live the healthiest, most fulfilling life possible.
Learn More
Why Choose Us
From our outcomes to our family-centered care, find out all of the reasons why your child's heart will be in good hands at the Nemours Cardiac Center. Learn More »
Make an Appointment
(800) 416-4441
Information for Patients
Outpatient Services and Inpatient Units: (302) 651-6660
After 5 p.m. and Weekends:
Cardiac Intensive Care Unit: (302) 651-6644
General Inpatient Unit, 2B: (302) 651-6690
+1 (302) 651-4993
Sierra's Story
Meet Sierra, who was immediately transferred to the Nemours Cardiac Center shortly after birth. She had surgery to switch the blood vessels and repair two holes in her heart.


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- "You know, if there is one thing I have learned, it's that we must obey the rules of the game. We can pick the game, Niko Bellic, but we cannot change the rules."
- ― Dimitri Rascalov to Niko Bellic in The Master and the Molotov.
Dimitri Rascalov (Russian: Дмитрий Раскалов) is a character in the Grand Theft Auto series who appears as the main antagonist in Grand Theft Auto IV. He is also mentioned in The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony. Dimitri is a Russian mobster who had immigrated to Liberty City alongside Mikhail Faustin, and was a major and former partner to many people, including Mikhail, Ray Bulgarin, Niko Bellic, Jimmy Pegorino and Giovanni Ancelotti. Dimitri is known for betraying his friends and partners, showing disloyalty to almost everyone.
Dimitri was born in Russia in 1969 and served in the Soviet Army during the Cold War, and at some point in time, he befriended Mikhail Faustin. They later spent time in a Siberian prison together, where Mikhail protected Dimitri from rape from other inmates. They have matching tattoos on the palms of their hands, which means that they are "brothers" for life. They began their criminal activities in Russia, where they were both "selling hash to tourists in Red Square" and Dimitri was convicted of murder more than once.
In the mid-1990s, he "exploited a loophole in the US immigration treaty" to move to Liberty City, as did Mikhail. Mikhail moved with his wife and young daughter. Dimitri was arrested in 1998 and 2000 for extortion and hijacking, respectively. In following years, Mikhail's addictions to alcohol and cocaine caused his anger and paranoia to spiral out of control. Dimitri abused painkillers, but remained calm. While Mikhail had taken to an extreme level of violence, even by organized crime standards, Dimitri favored reasoning with people to maximize profits (although he could still intimidate people if necessary, as seen in "Do You Have Protection?"), telling Mikhail time and time again that they had to "play by the rules."
Events of Grand Theft Auto IV
Meeting Niko Bellic
- "Wake up. We had to gag him, to stop the screaming. "
- ―Dimitri's first words to Niko
- "...But you messed up and left a lot of bad debt. You left a good friend of mine out of pocket, big time."
- ―Dimitri re-introducing Niko to Ray Bulgarin
- "Wherever you go, people will find you if they want you badly enough."
- ―Dimitri to Niko Bellic
Soon after betraying Niko, Dimitri became a major figure in the Russian Mafia and started his own cocaine importation operation. He was arrested but released for attempting to bring cocaine into Liberty City along with a business associate. After they went into hiding in Bohan, he discovered that Roman still frequented a gambling den in Broker. Dimitri was owed an unspecified amount of money from The Lost MC associate Ashley Butler and used this to his advantage, sending two henchmen to her place, and convincing Lost MC Vice President Johnny Klebitz, and a member of the Uptown Riders, Malc, to kidnap Roman to try to lure Niko to his death, but Niko successfully rescued his cousin and Johnny was left in the dark as to why he had to execute the kidnapping.
In the next month or so, Dimitri allied himself with Italian mob boss Giovanni Ancelotti, becoming their cocaine supplier and to profit from his family's rackets. The Pegorino Family learn of this affiliation and decide to steal a shipment of cocaine in Catch the Wave. His first action was to extort deputy mayor Bryce Dawkins to help them control several construction unions, blackmailing him with knowledge of his gay affair with Bernie Crane. Coincidentally, Niko was an old friend of Bernie's and stopped the blackmailers. He also tried to ambush Bernie and Niko by boat while they were having lunch. Niko then allied himself with Gambetti family boss Jon Gravelli and destroyed their shipment of cocaine.
At the end of the game, Dimitri offered to sell the heroin from Jimmy Pegorino to a third party; Pegorino had Niko working for him at the time. Pegorino was made aware of their feud (which started when Rascalov sold Niko out to Ray Bulgarin, continued when he burned their Broker Safehouse down, and then finally crossed the line when Rascalov kidnapped and tortured Roman); but Pegorino still asked Niko to participate in the deal. The player is then given the choice of whether Niko will participate in the deal and be paid, or rebel and kill Dimitri. Dimitri is killed by Niko in either scenario.
- "Fuck you... you dick."
- ―Dimitri's last words (Deal) (translated)
Dimitri was to collect heroin and sell it to a third party, who would in turn pay Niko and Phil Bell. Dimitri betrays Niko as expected and leaves him and Phil trapped in the compound, forcing them to fight their way to the money and escape the compound. The very next day Niko's cousin Roman was getting married, and Dimitri sent a hitman to kill Niko. He accidentally killed Roman in a struggle with Niko, after which Niko swore revenge on Dimitri. After Niko and Little Jacob find Dimitri and Pegorino at an abandoned casino in Alderney, where they witness Dimitri execute Pegorino in an attempt to claim the profits for himself. Niko chases Dimitri throughout the city before killing him on Happiness Island.
- "Niko, it's not too late, we can work this out! It was a long time ago that I pissed you off. Forget about it. I didn't mean nothing. Please. Think about Pegorino, he's got nothing without this deal. It was never my idea to set you up. Go easy on me. We were friends, remember? You don't need to do this. You're fucking a lot of people over by killing me. Hey, come on, we got history. Don't do it."
- ―Dimitri's last words (Revenge)
Ignoring Pegorino's orders, and following a tip given to him by Roman in a phone call with him recently, Niko immediately confronts and kills Dimitri on the Platypus tanker ship, coincidentally the same ship that brought Niko to Liberty City. As a result, Pegorino loses most of his money, power and influence, and personally attempts to kill Niko at his cousin Roman's wedding. He accidentally kills their family friend Kate McReary, after which Niko swears revenge. He tracks Pegorino to the abandoned casino in Alderney and chases Pegorino throughout the city before killing him on Happiness Island.
LCPD Database record
Murders commited
- Jimmy Pegorino - Murdered to claim the profit from the heroin sale all for himself. (Only in Deal ending)
- Heroin Buyer's - Murdered to betray Niko and keep the money for himself. (Only in Deal ending)
Mission Appearances
- Crime and Punishment
- Do You Have Protection?
- Final Destination
- Rigged to Blow
- The Master and the Molotov (Boss)
- Russian Revolution (Boss/Betrayal)
- Roman's Sorrow (Post-mission phone call)
- Hostile Negotiation (Post-mission phone call)
- Union Drive (Post-mission phone call)
- Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend (Post-mission phone call)
- Deal Ending
- If the Price is Right (Voice)
- A Revenger's Tragedy (Killed)
- Revenge Ending
- A Dish Served Cold (Killed)
- Dimitri is an uncommon variant of the popular Russian name Dmitry. It is traditionally only used in the Church Slavonic language, although it is still used, albeit rarely, under normal naming conditions.
- Dimitri's surname, Rascalov, is a Russianized version of the word "rascal." This is an obvious shot at Dimitri's personality, as a rascal is a mean, unprincipled and dishonest person.
- "Rascalov" is an incorrect transliteration, as a Cyrillic transliteration would use the letter K rather than the letter C.
- His surname may be also based on Rodion Raskolnikov, the protagonist of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel Crime and Punishment.
- During the shootout in "A Revenger's Tragedy", Dimitri has 100% body armor as well as 200% health, allowing him to sustain about three times as much damage as a standard enemy. He is also armed with a Carbine Rifle. If the Revenge path is chosen, he will not have the extra health and will only have an SMG.
- Like many other characters, Dimitri features distinctive models for cutscenes and in-game sequences. However, Dimitri's in-game model is inconsistent with that of the cutscenes in that his tie has been fused with his shirt and textured to match its color, when cutscenes depict his tie in pink and capable of swinging in motion. Despite these differences, the shape of the "fused" tie can still be seen on Dimitri's in-game model, particularly during "A Dish Served Cold." After Niko has executed Dimitri in this mission however, the tie does not appear on Dimitri's corpse. The frame of his glasses is also different: Black in cutscenes and yellow in-game.
- Dimitri's cousin was a girlfriend of Lenny Petrovic before his death. This may be the reason why Dimitri could make a deal with Kenny Petrovic after Mikhail Faustin's hit.
- As the story progresses, a Weazel News report on the radio will say that Russian businessman Dimitri Rascalov was held by police but released without charges, though this event is unrelated to the story.
- If the Revenge option is taken, Dimitri is the one of two antagonists not to be killed in the final mission. The other being Vinnie in Grand Theft Auto: Advance.
- Dimitri, along with Massimo Torini, Ray Bulgarin, Steve Haines and Devin Weston, is one of the five main antagonists in the entire GTA series who is not seen in the introductory mission for their respective game.
- Dimitri and Ray Bulgarin are the only GTA IV era main antagonists who are affiliated with each other.
- Like most characters in the game, Dimitri will don a unique helmet when riding alongside the protagonist on a motorbike. His helmet is green, with two white stripes along the temples.
- Dimitri is the only main antagonist in the GTA IV Trilogy who does not appear outside of his respective game. However, he is mentioned in Roman's Holiday in The Lost and Damned, and also in Departure Time in The Ballad of Gay Tony, where his death is confirmed.
- The line in TBOGT mentioning his death isn't always played, however.
- In mission A Dish Served Cold Rascalov says in Russian "Shut up this Balkan cock sucker.". However, the actor is mispronouncing Balkan as Baltic.
- When calling Dimitri's phone his answering machine will reply with "Здравствуйте, вы позвонили Дмитрию Раскалову. Я сейчас не могу ответить. Пожалуйста, оставьте ваше сообщение, и я вам перезвоню". As the subtitles shows this translates to "Hello, this is Dimitri Rascalov's phone. I cannot answer right now. Please leave me a message and I will get back to you."


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Van Cortlandt Park
Sachkerah Woods Playground: July 2007 Park of the Month
Sachkerah Woods Playground, located in the southeast corner of Van Cortlandt Park, is July's Park of the Month. The recently reconstructed playground features new play equipment, a comfort station, drinking fountains, benches, fencing, and surrounding park paths. Honoring the Mosholu Golf Course, which opened on the site in 1914, the golf-themed playground features a spray shower in the form of a 19th hole flag, green-colored concrete representing the putting green, and safety surfacing mimicking white concrete sand traps. In addition, oversized golf balls function as creative climbing apparatuses for children. The new comfort station is clad with Corinthian granite set in a random ashlar pattern, and its roof is covered with pink and gray slate. Surrounding paths help to improve the park's east-west internal pedestrian circulation, which was interrupted in the 1950s by the creation of the Mosholu Parkway and the Major Deegan Expressway.
"Sachkerah Woods Playground is a beautiful new golf-themed playground and is the first completely new playground coming out of Croton Filtration Plant funding," said Commissioner Benepe. "The playground's name pays homage to the sprawling natural woods next to the playground, as well as the golf club woods used to play golf. The completion of this project represents the more than $200 million generated by the construction of the filtration plant being reinvested directly back into more than 70 Bronx parks."
Bordering the neighborhoods of Norwood and Bedford Park, Sachkerah Woods Playground creates an exciting new entrance to Van Cortlandt Park, New York City's fourth largest park. The playground site has evolved as Van Cortlandt Park has evolved over time. The lands encompassing Van Cortlandt Park were once inhabited by the Lenape, a local Native American people that hunted in the woodlands and farmed on nearby flat, fertile grounds. "Sachkerah" is an Algonquian name that has been loosely translated as "extended land." In 1914, the site was incorporated into the 18-hole Mosholu Golf Course. In 1989, when the course was reconfigured to a 9-hole course, the site was part of the 11 new acres of green space that opened up to the community.
The $2.9 million Sachkerah Woods Playground was funded by $2.8 million from Croton Filtration Mitigation Funds and $170,000 from Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión, Jr.
In September 2004, the City Council approved a Memorandum of Understanding with New York State allowing the City to move forward with the construction of a water filtration plant for the Croton Water Supply under the Mosholu Golf Course in Van Cortlandt Park. As part of the agreement, more than $200 million will be spent on improvements to over 70 Bronx parks over the next five years.
Sachkerah Woods Playground is one of ten completed Croton Projects, representing a total of approximately $12 million. There are nine projects totaling $19 million currently in construction and 33 projects totaling $85 million currently in design. The remaining Croton Projects, which have been scheduled to start design over the course of the next two months, represent $74 million.
Over the past five years, Parks & Recreation has invested more than $125 million for Bronx park improvements, including new waterfront parks, greenways, and recreational facilities. Over the next five years, Parks will invest an additional $560 million to develop park projects in the Bronx, including more than $98 million from Mayor Bloomberg's PlaNYC initiative to establish the sustainable growth of New York City by the year 2030, which includes developing Soundview and High Bridge Parks into the Bronx's next great, regional parks.
Park of the Month introduces some of our greatest parks and green spaces to curious New Yorkers and visitors alike.
Directions to Van Cortlandt Park
- This Weekend In Parks
- CityParks Seniors Fitness Walking
- CityParks Seniors Fitness Walking
- Family Camping: Bronx
- Bird Walks
- Enslaved Africans at Van Cortlandt Plantation
- Barbecuing Areas
- Baseball Fields
- Basketball Courts
- Bathrooms
- Bicycling and Greenways
- Bocce Courts
- Cricket Fields
- Dog-friendly Areas
- Eateries
- Fishing
- Fitness Equipment
- Football Fields
- Golf Courses
- Great Trees
- Handball Courts
- Hiking Trails
- Historic Houses
- Horseback Riding Trails
- Nature Centers
- Outdoor Pools
- Playgrounds
- Running Tracks
- Soccer Fields
- Spray Showers
- Tennis Courts
- Wi-Fi Hot Spots


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This Day in Sports History — August 2
Here are just some of the notable sports moments that happened on August 2:
1906 — Dubbed 'The Hitless Wonders,' the Chicago White Sox began an American League-record 19-game winning streak with a 3-0 win over Boston. (More info.)
1907 — Pitcher Walter Johnson, 19, made his debut with the Washington Senators, losing 3-2 to Detroit. (More info.)
1938 —The Brooklyn Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals experimented by using yellow baseballs in the first game of a doubleheader. (More info.)
1948 — Fanny Blankers-Koen of the Netherlands won the 100-meters at the Summer Olympics in London in 11.9 seconds. It was one of four gold medals for the 30-year-old mother of two children. (More info.)
1979 — New York Yankees catcher and captain Thurman Munson, 32, died when the plane he was piloting crashed near Canton, Ohio. (More info.)
1980 — Teofilo Stevenson of Cuba became the first boxer to win the heavyweight gold medal at three consecutive Summer Olympics by beating Pyotr Zaev of the Soviet Union on points at the Moscow Games. (More info.)
1982 — Rickey Henderson of the Oakland Athletics secured his 100th steal of the season on his way to a major league-record 130 stolen bases on the year. (More info.)
1987 — Kevin Seitzer of the Kansas City Royals collected six hits in a 13-5 win over the Boston Red Sox in Kansas City. (More info.)
1987 — Driver Michael Andretti ran the fastest Indy car race in history, averaging 171.49 miles per hour at the Marlboro 500 at Michigan International Speedway. (More info.)
1990 — Rookie Kevin Maas of the New York Yankees set a major league record by hitting his 10th home run in just his 77th at-bat. (More info.)
1992 — American Jackie Joyner-Kersee won her second consecutive Olympic gold medal in the heptathlon at the Summer Games in Barcelona, Spain. (More info.)
1993 — Attorney Peter Angelos purchased the Baltimore Orioles from Eli Jacobs for $173 million. (More info.)
2011 — Mark Teixeira of the New York Yankees set a major league record when he homered from both sides of the plate for the 12th time in his career in a 6-0 win over the Chicago White Sox at US Cellular Field in Chicago. (More info.)


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Having a bevy of beautiful celebrities in town for the haute couture shows is as good an excuse as any to throw a party, so Paris Vogue obliged with a dinner in honor of Gucci's creative director, Frida Gianni. You decide who was best dressed, after the jump!
Jessica Alba sparkled in this one-shoulder dress that made her body look absolutely flawless. The cape adds just enough drama factor, and those nude satin shoes make her legs look endless.
We were totally smitten by this tribal-inspired frock on the always-impeccably-dressed Diane Kruger. We'd originally picked out an orange version of it for Lea Michele, but Diane makes this LBD look anything but boring.
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Joan Smalls is a model-of-the-moment, and it's no surprise she's known for her legs. They look bananas (in a good way!) in these suede thigh-high boots with a sexy cutout dress.
She swept our best dressed poll at the Golden Globes, but does Olivia Wilde's latest look put her in the same standing? Her sashed jumpsuit from Gucci spring 2011 is a smart way to mix more than one bold color.
Outgoing Paris Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld, who hosted the party, is an absolute master of edginess. Her severe black frock was stunning from the front--and nearly naked from the back!
So gals..who gets your vote for best dressed? Are you down with Jessica's obviously-glam sparkly party dress, or do you prefer Olivia's more fashion-y approach? Are you digging Diane's modest chicness? Cast your vote for best dressed now, then discuss!
Who was best dressed at Paris Vogue's Gucci dinner?customer surveys
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Photos: Dominque Charriau/Film Magic
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If you've recently downloaded the latest version in the series of "Angry Birds" games, 'Angry Birds: Space', then you may have noticed that during the level select stage, there is an option to share on Facebook & Twitter, but there is also a new option – to share on Weibo.
I'd never heard of this site before and, after some research, it's likely that you haven't either if you're reading this from anywhere other than China. I found that Weibo is in fact a Chinese Micro-blogging website, similar to Twitter. However, the only language it's available in at the moment is Chinese, though if you were to visit the site and use Google's "translate" feature, you'd see a very poorly translated English version:
So why has the creator of Angry Birds, Rovio, bothered including an option for English speaking people to share on a Chinese website? Well, to understand that, you'll need to know a little more about Weibo.
A basic version of Sina Weibo, otherwise known as simply "Weibo" (微博) was launched by SINA Corporation on 14 August 2009 after Sina's CEO saw an opportunity after websites such as Facebook & Twitter had been blocked in China following the Ürümqi riots in July 2009.
The basic functions of this new site only included messages, private messages, comment and repost where possible, but was so successful that the site continued to expand, and, as of February 2012, had more than 300 million users. It also has plans to launch an English version of Sina Weibo, to grow worldwide, however the contents will still be controlled by Chinese law.
Like Twitter, Weibo uses many of the same features, such as users only updating posts with a 140 character limit, and talking to other users using the "@UserName" format.. However, unlike Twitter, unregistered users can only browse a few posts by verified members (normally verified users are, like on Twitter, famous people who have proven their identity), and cannot see ANY posts by unverified members including those sent to verified members. Also unlike Twitter, Weibo is moderated.
So, although this seems like a nice idea in theory, the site will still have to abide and be controlled by Chinese laws in which users are not allowed freedom of speech. Weibo and many websites like it in China are heavily monitored as the internet has been censored in China, and has the largest recorded number of imprisoned journalists and cyber-dissidents in the world. It is rumoured that there are over 30,000 members belonging to secret policing organisations to not only monitor and block website content, but also monitor the internet access of individuals. The following is a list of rules for anyone (including tourists) wishing to access the internet in China to follow:
"No unit or individual may use the Internet to create, replicate, retrieve, or transmit the following kinds of information:
- Inciting to resist or breaking the Constitution or laws or the implementation of administrative regulations;
- Inciting to overthrow the government or the socialist system;
- Inciting division of the country, harming national unification;
- Inciting hatred or discrimination among nationalities or harming the unity of the nationalities;
- Making falsehoods or distorting the truth, spreading rumours, destroying the order of society;
- Promoting feudal superstitions, sexually suggestive material, gambling, violence, murder;
- Terrorism or inciting others to criminal activity; openly insulting other people or distorting the truth to slander people;
- Injuring the reputation of state organizations;
- Other activities against the Constitution, laws or administrative regulations."
- Wikipedia
For these reasons, I'm not sure whether or not opening a Weibo site for English users would necessarily be a good idea, or even take off in Western countries such as the UK, since people generally don't like being told what they can/can't post in their "private" online space. The majority of my Facebook & Twitter feeds are regularly full of quite a few things on the above list, and if users were forced to comply with Chinese law on a moderated site I'm not sure if disobeying the rules would end up resulting in legal consequences.
Thanks for reading, I think maybe we'll just have to wait and see what happens with this site, but i'd love to know your thoughts on this too!


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The budget battle rages on in Washington, D.C. with the $84 billion sequester already underway. Now, White House officials say the president is willing to revisit the possibility of scaling back entitlement programs to help reign in the nation's $1.1 trillion budget deficit.
Continue Reading Below
White House senior economic official Gene Sperling said Sunday that President Barack Obama is willing to work with lawmakers to cut entitlements such as Medicare and Social Security as long as tax reform remains part of the discussion.
"He's reaching out to Democrats who understand we have to make serious progress on long-term entitlement reform and Republicans who realize that if we had that type of entitlement reform, they'd be willing to have tax reform that raises revenues to lower the deficit," Sperling said on CNN's "State of the Union."
While the White House declined to comment on specifics to FOX Business, a spokesperson pointed to the president's plan on the White House's website, which includes $25 billion in cuts from "Medicaid, Pay-for-Delay, IPAB and program integrity."
Alex Brill, former economist for the House Ways & Means Committee and an American Enterprise Institute scholar, says tackling entitlements is the only way the long-term fiscal outlook for the U.S. can be stabilized.
"This president can do it or he can punt to the next president to make the more difficult choices for this country," he says. "There have to be some steps forward, primarily in Medicare, but also in Social Security."
The cuts made in sequestration have been inadequate in terms of curbing spending and debt, according to Brill, and he says Obama's pivot help reignite budget talks.
Urban Institute senior fellow Eugene Steuerle says reducing entitlement programs will also help the middle class.
"Our current system is so out of balance that the middle class has to help pay for getting it in balance," he says. "They can either pay by cutting benefits or increasing taxes."
The country's top earners can only foot so much of the bill via tax increases, he says, and that engaging the remaining 98% of the country in the situation is a necessary part of the solution.
Just how these cuts stand to impact the millions who rely on them remains to be seen. In 2012, 49,435,610 Americans were enrolled in Medicare, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. The Social Security Administration estimates nearly 58 million people will receive $821 billion in Social Security benefits in 2013.
As it stands, both parties are proposing plans that would not impact those currently enrolled in both programs. Social Security will likely remain the same for those who are also close to retirement age, Brill says.
"It's so important to tackle these issues now, not wait 10 years," he says. "You want to minimize the impact on the elderly and allow today's workers to adjust."
Both political parties may agree that these programs need to be reformed, but it's unlikely either will be jumping at the chance to lead the charge, Steuerle says.
"Neither party wants to lead," he says. "In respect to the middle class, they are setting up the other party to score points, and maybe even win the next election. "


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Career Advice >> Browse Articles >> Job Profiles
5 Ways to Vet Your Next Employer
Time to do some detective work
Tania Khadder
December 18, 2009
We all know that before bringing you on board, a potential employer will do some vetting.
They'll scour the internet searching for digital dirt, or any discrepancies from your resume. They'll try to get a glimpse into your personality. They want to know as much as they can about you. After all, they're about to let you – an unknown quantity – into their family.
Fair enough. You should do the same.
Now more than ever, it's important to know what you're getting yourself into. This is especially true if you're leaving one job for another. You don't want to leave a stable (albeit boring) work environment, only to be laid off by your new employer three months later. Besides, job hunting is a two way street – both parties should feel comfortable and confident in the potential union.
Before you sign that offer letter, make sure to do your due diligence.