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What does a quilt shop owner do on their day off? Play with fabric of course!
Mid last week we had a delivery of the latest beautiful range from Paula Barnes, 'Old Savannah'... mmmm, it just called out to me (and Sue too!). I took home a selection and mixed it with some others that have been lurking on the shelves for a little while, cut them all up and pieced them back together to make this lovely quilt that we will be calling 'Savannah'.
A little fussy cutting for the larger stars and the border!
Most of the collection is featured below. (We do have the complete range in stock now... look here!)
Until next time,


text:
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
We've all been there- we're at a sporting event, alcohol has been flowing like Manna in the land of milk & honey, and of course, right when the game's reaching its climax, nature calls. At this point, you're faced with a critical decision: should you relieve distended bladder or remain in the seats to watch the on-field action?
One Australian woman decided she didn't have to make that choice. While watching post game speeches from her seat in Queensland, Australia's SunCorp stadium, she dropped trou and took a pee. While her urine cascaded, so did the crowd's boos. Unfortunately for her remaining dignity, the whole incident was being filmed on CCTV, and now because of her poor drunken decision making, she has garnered fame for her urethra and a criminal charge from authorities.
A 44 year old woman from the town of Petrie is behind what's been coined "Pissgate" by fans of the YouTube video of the incident. The site's since taken down the video, but copies of it have surfaced on the aptly-named "LiveLeaks" site.
If this had happened to me, I'd be- wait for it- pissed.
Woman Charged over State of Origin Pee [News.au]


text:
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Feel like a city trip packed with history and culture? Book flights to Vienna and stroll along characterful streets, across monumental squares and admire the Schönbrunn and Belvedère palaces. Vienna is also the home of the Spanish Riding School, where you can visit and see a ballet performed by these famous white horses! Get to know the city by carriage, savour a delicious slice of Sachertorte (traditional chocolate cake) and spend the evening enjoying a world-class performance at the National Opera. Romance is all around you in Vienna!
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text: Based in Cologne, Germany, neumann communication is an agency specialising in strategic public relations services – especially product communication and corporate PR – for the design- and architecture-related industries. Online, offline and in social networks. Looking back on 20 years of experience in our field, we work for internationally operating design-oriented companies, institutions and trade fairs. During our longstanding history, we have established reliable and trusted relationships with our clients, with press and media representatives and with many other players in the industry. The same is true for our team, a group of professionals who know they can rely on each other to achieve the best results for our clients. Besides our focus on traditional PR services, our work is driven by the idea of networking and by the desire to create and cultivate a collaborative and dynamic environment in order to achieve jointly defined goals.


text:
Nipsey Hussle & Jay Rock OnDaSpot Freestyle Part 2
Nipsey Hussle and Jay Rock Go On DJ Green Lantern "Invasion Radio" On Sirius HipHopNation And Spit A Freestyle Part 2.
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
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text:
(Updated 4:11 p.m.) POTTSTOWN - A 10-year-old girl was riding her bike on Hale Street when a car hit the bike at 8:52 a.m. Thursday, police said.
The car did not hit her, police said.
She sustained minor injuries when she fell from the bike and she was treated then released from the hospital, according to police.
The driver left the scene in a red car or SUV with a light missing, police said. A witness told police that the driver was a bald, Asian man.
They do not think the missing light was a result of the incident, according to police.
Police ask anyone with information to call 610-970-6570.
EARLIER VERSION OF STORY POTTSTOWN - A 10 year-old girl was struck by a car at 8:52 a.m. Thursday, according the Montgomery County Communications Center.
The incident happened at the intersection of Hale and Jefferson streets in the borough.
The driver fled the scene. There are no details on the condition of the victim.
Check back here for updates on this story.


text:
power of one
We live in a time when ideas of community are breaking down as we rush through busy lives, driving out the garage each morning, driving back in each night only to disappear into the solitude of our homes, disconnected from our surroundings.
Do we believe that nothing we do matters? Or do we roll up our sleeves and participate in the community? Do we get to know our neighbors? Do we feel powerful enough to initiate action on a local issue that we care about?
Fortunately, plenty of citizens in Pasadena do, and this book will provide you with a snapshot of their meaningful lives and give you hope about the future.
Brian Biery was the photographer for the book Power of One, written by Traude Gomez. Learn more>>>


text:
So after ten days of snow that accumulated and continued to accumulate; that basically isolated the village because the roads weren't passable; that brought cold wind and a non-stop week-long streak of steady flurries, I'm uttering in exasperation, "MO' BASTA!"
At first it was pretty. A nice fluffy coating that brought all the kids out to play, make snowmen, and slide down a hill. I even got into the fray of a snowball fight with some of my students. Che bello! we all uttered. That was Day Two. Then it wouldn't quit.
So. Here I am, while Bryan is in the US at the moment. Ten days of snow. No shovel. Tunnel-like streets of amassed white stuff with a layer of ice underneath. And still it squalls (a good Ohio snow word). I resorted to cleaning the stairs that lead to the house with a broom and a dustpan. That worked for about a day, then it piled up too fast and deep for the Fuller brush method to keep up. I borrowed my neighbor's shovel. But it's not a snow shovel, it's a heavy iron pointy shovel that is very good at breaking up ice, but not so effective at moving piles of snow. They don't show this stuff on House Hunters International, folks!
A friend took pity on me and showed up with his actual, real, heavy-duty snow shovel and went to work. I was liberated to move about without worry of slipping and breaking my neck (or ankle). But then the mother-lovin' squalls wouldn't stop. I trudged about in my boots to get provisions from the shops, which thankfully are reachable in a small village. But now the shelves are starting to get a bit bare and we're all getting a bit worried.
It's getting a little old. And boring. And dangerous.
Yesterday it stopped just long enough to go out and re-clear the path that had previously been shoveled. It warmed up a bit so that it was fairly easy and things were getting slushy. I was congratulating myself on having invested in the waterproof rubber boots that everyone wears when they do their vendemmia or work in campagna, albeit a cuter version. They served me well in the puddles and slosh. I slopped the mess off to one side of the walkway to keep a pathway open and came back in the house, peeled off the wet layers and the boots, and turned on the computer. Then I heard an astounding crash. I yanked open the door to find that a great mass of snow had fallen off the roof of the building behind ours and crashed down - right on the path I'd just cleared.
Mamma mia! Two minutes sooner and I'd have been one crushed chickadee. Neighbors came running out to see what was amuck, to ascertain that the americana hadn't gotten herself killed, and to point out (a little too late) the dangers of falling, heavy, wet snow from tile roofs. Valiant friend returned with the snow shovel to dig me out, because it mounded up and blocked the street.
I repayed my snow shovel-bearing friend by hosting him and his family for a chili and cornbread dinner last night, which they enjoyed. Other friends have invited me to pranzo today. Bryan gets back next week. So it's not all bad.
However. All this white and cold and wet is wearing me down. My broom ain't cutting it, my clothes aren't drying, and I'm getting cabin fever. MO' BASTA!


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Author: Sergio Gonzalez Duran
If you've been running Linux long enough to have upgraded your system more than once, you probably have several Linux kernels lurking around your system. If you discover that a certain application no longer works for you, you can go back to a previous kernel to try to run your program. GRUB, the boot loader found in most Linux distributions, lets you choose among operating systems and kernels installed on your box. Many people, however, fear that messing with GRUB may ruin their system, because of its many esoteric options, and configuration file text that often contains no help comments. QGRUBEditor can help you view and edit the GRUB boot loader from a graphical user interface.
If you have KDE and Qt 4 installed, you should have no problem installing and running QGRUBEditor. I downloaded version 2.5.0, which I easily installed and compiled in a Mandriva Linux 2008 system with these commands:
qmake-qt4 make make install
If QGRUBEditor doesn't install correctly, you may need the libqt4-core, libqt4-dev, and libqt4-gui dependencies. Once installed, execute it by navigating to Tools -> QGRUBEditor or typing
qgrubeditor in a terminal as root.
The program's main window shows the entries for your menu.lst GRUB configuration file, which is generally found under /boot/grub. You can choose a different main GRUB configuration file to work with from the text box at the bottom of the window.
The GRUB Entries tab, also at the bottom of the window, contains two panels: the top one shows the entries in menu.lst, and the bottom shows the details for each entry. Right-clicking on any entry in the top panel allows you to set that row as the default or the fallback kernel; the default entry is shown in a green background.
When you make any change you can see it in the real configuration file by going to File -> View Input, which opens a new window with two tabs. The Device Input tab shows your partitions (as in /etc/mtab), and you can see and understand how GRUB correlates partition names with its own nomenclature, as in
/dev/sda1 = (hd0,0). The Menu Input tab displays the actual menu.lst file, and immediately reflects the changes that you make; you don't need to hit Save.
Double-clicking any entry in the main window shows a detailed screen with all the options you have available. Again, any change you make is saved automatically to menu.lst. The GRUB Settings tab allows you to personalize the usual GRUB options such as timeout, define the defaults, set a password, change the colors on the GRUB menu when the system boots, and set a splash image. The splash option allows you to choose an image in any of several formats, and the program converts it automatically to the .xpm.gz format needed by GRUB. It even provides a Preview button so you can see your splash image. GRUB splash images have only 16 colors, so the splash image may not appear as you'd expect, compared to the original image.
When you edit an entry, the application shows all the possible options, but it offers no help for the values of the options. That's too bad — when I'm making changes, I'd like to know the values for the Kernel and Chainloader options. Integrating GRUB-specific help would make the program more complete.
In another interface problem, using Encrypt Password or Create GRUB Splash Image directly from the Tools menu creates some confusion, because these choices don't tell you where to apply them. They're meant to be used in the GRUB Settings tab of the main window.
Still QGRUBEditor is better than editing menu.lst by hand. It can make GRUB less intimidating for novice and casual users, and help them understand how to configure this powerful boot loader.
- System Administration


text:
NEW DELHI — An official says the death toll from a stampede near a temple in central India has risen to 109 after many of the injured succumbed to injuries.
Thousands of Hindu pilgrims were crossing a bridge leading to a temple in Madhya Pradesh state on Sunday when they panicked at rumors the bridge would collapse, triggering a stampede.
The district medical officer R.S. Gupta said Monday that autopsies had been carried out on 109 bodies by late Sunday.
Hundreds of thousands of devotees had thronged the remote Ratangarh village temple to honor the Hindu mother goddess Durga on the last day of the popular 10-day Navaratra festival.


text:
After hearing about supply woes last week, many people will be happy to hear that the iPhone supply situation will improve considerably after launch, when the iPhone will be available in many more locations. As you may or may not know, the iPhone will only be available in official AT&T and Apple stores at launch, as well as at the online Apple Store. This leaves a large number of franchise stores without iPhones, at least until AT&T decides to broaden distribution. The iPhone will also be available on the AT&T online store sometime after launch, although there's no word on exactly when AT&T will deem franchises and the online store worthy of carrying the device.
Now for the bad news. If you were hoping to bypass lines at the AT&T stores and get an iPhone added to your business plan, you're probably going to be out of luck. The word on the street is that business plan customer will not be able to buy a new line of service for an iPhone, or add a line of service with an iPhone to an existing account. Business customers may be able to get around this by buying an iPhone without a contract, but who knows if that will actually be allowed.
Once again, though, this is all coming from "AT&T customer service representatives," so some skepticism is still required. My guess is that AT&T and Apple will temporarily lock out business customers to get iPhones in the hands of average customers, but I'm sure business plans for the iPhone will surface eventually. Again, there's no timeframe given, so if you're a business customer who wants to buy an iPhone from the AT&T online store, you'll probably be waiting for at least a few weeks.


text:
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Russell Athletic® workout shirts for women are flexible enough to transition from the gym to everyday life. Our high-quality women's performance tees are versatile, durable, and comfortable. We make each of our women's gym tops with moisture-wicking fabric to keep you cool and dry throughout a workout. Shop our wide selection of Russell Athletic® women's workout tops specifically designed for athleticism and performance.


text:
Thu, 03/04/2010 - 02:26
The Reduction of Egypt's Population through Senseless Road Accidents Committee* (TROEPTSRAC) convened last week to determine the fate of Mohamed Mitrakhus – a microbus driver who has consistently failed to cause a senseless accident in over a full year.
Suspicion first fell on Mitrakhus when eye-witnesses reported seeing a microbus controversially driving within the boundaries of a single lane along the Mehwar. Eye-brows were also raised when that same microbus was later seen with its headlights turned on during night time.
Witnesses have also made claims that Mitrakhus seemed to be "aware of his surroundings," even occasionally "using his turn signals."
"The sight didn't make any sense to me," says a Mehwar commuter, "he must have been driving under the influence." Possible influences may include basic driving lessons before his position as a microbus driver.
"What a disgusting example of elitism," said Mr. Imbaba Imbaba, one of his colleagues. "'Ooh, look at me! I can drive!'" he added mockingly of Mitrakhus.
Among the charges, Mitrakhus is also being accused of possessing a valid driving license, as well as of not using Microbus-designated stopping areas, easily located in the middle of all busy Cairo roads and highways.
Mitrakhus wisely intends to plead guilty. "I don't know what I was thinking," he told EKT, "I just wanted to appear cool and different, but I think I took it too far when I renewed my license last year."
Branded as "boring" by his peers (and possibly "gay" some have also claimed), the controversial driver is expected to undergo rehabilitation at the Sudan Street for Extreme Driving Training Center, where his mototherapy will begin with the basics: techniques for unnecessary honking, as well as the art of causing an accident while pretending it's everybody else's fault.
* TROEPTSRAC was recently established with the aim of standardizing chaotic microbus driving and to provide a platform for a dramatic increase in the killing of innocent bystanders. Part of the committee's duties also include handing out the "Y'Osta" awards for excellence in various categories, such as "Best Kill" and "Most killed in one accident".
Hahaha oh Lord, that is pure genius. Just made my day.
I read this early in the morning and I actually lolled to the point of waking up an angry mother.
Sheer brilliance! *hat off*
Brilliant. Keep it up EKT, we love you!
This is pure genius!
akheeran! we missed you guys!
welcome back
it was wworth the wait :)
Well done, Metrakhus. Well done.
Hahahah, brilliant. The video evidence was an excellent addition this time. Keep it up, fellas!
Great Post!
I also heared that He failed to show Shaban Abdel Raheem CD when stopped by police and was asked for the ownership
LOL, this is insanely good.
ROFL! This made my day!
Genius. xD
;) excellent ...
Is is true that TROEPTSRAC is posting stickers on mini-busses saying 'PLEASE TELL ME HOW IS MY DRIVING BY DIALING 1-900-KOL-KHARA"
^ Lol
EKT, more videos, please! :D
hahahahaha this is BRILLIANT! Couldn't stop laughing!
Lol, brilliant work .How can you be so funny like this? I really liked this article on Mitrakhus, the driver who was sent to drug rehab for not causing an accident in over a year. The concept of the organization TROEPTSRAC (The Reduction of Egypt's Population through Senseless Road Accidents Committee) was mind-blowing. Not to mention about the awards they give such as "Best Kill" and "Most killed in one accident". Also the rehabilitation at the Sudan Street for Extreme Driving Training Center and driving under the influence of basic driving lessons were too funny Video evidence was a cool addition this time.
where is this b*stard? i've been searching high and low for this guy, from benisuef to sharm el sheikh since, and i can't find a trace of him. obviously, he's gone underground.
My brother in law drives microbus sometimes. he could have given this guy a few lessons in how to be a real macho microbus driver as seen in Luxor. don't under any circumstances give way to ambulances and jam them in if possible along with a dozen other microbuses just to see who can push through first. It goes without saying you don't give way at any junction ever as the microbus is the most important vehicle on any road, and sound the horn loudly at any donkey pulling gas cylinders as well as old people with sticks. PS never wear deoderant.


text:
Getty Images
The Seahawks like the young depth they've assembled in their secondary. Today they're going to need it.
That's because starting cornerback Brandon Browner is inactive for the opener against the Panthers. Browner has been dealing with a hamstring injury and had been slated as a game-time decision. Apparently his hamstring wasn't loose enough in pregame for him to give it a go.
With Browner out, cornerbacks Walter Thurmond and Byron Maxwell will get more playing time. Panthers quarterback Cam Newton would be wise to look in the direction of Thurmond and Maxwell and stay away from Richard Sherman.


text:
Available at:
Department: mens
Quick-dry:Seven drainage holes on the bottoms of the pool shoes.When you leave the pool or play on the beach,the water shoes will keep a cooler and healthier shoes environment.
Breathable Upper:Mesh water shoes with stretchy uppers allow your foot to breathe and flexible.Smooth designed neck prevents chafing when wearing our swim shoes,also easily put on and take off.
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✪A good pair of comfortable bathing shoes, beach shoes,aqua shoes, jogging shoes, home shoes, driver shoes, yoga shoes,surf shoes, water sports shoes, barefoot shoes, aqua water shoes, gymnastics shoes, driving shoes.


text:
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Pest Control Services | Call (877) 967-1585
Mice, ants, termites, cockroaches and other wildlife, all play important roles in the environment. But, no one wants them in their homes, because, when these creatures enter our homes, they become pests that can potentially threaten our health and our property.
Addressing pest infestations accurately and quickly requires extensive knowledge of pest biology and habits. Since many people won't look at an insect long enough to determine its species, it is important to enlist the help of a knowledgeable and qualified pest control professional to determine what pests may be in your home. The pest control professionals of 01005 Pest Services have the experience and expertise needed to remove the pests from your home and keep your way of life.
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Our Pest Management Program involves of a scientifically proven approach that maximizes effectiveness and limits chemical treatment and exposure.
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On the initial visit to the site, a thorough inspection is conducted and documented. This allows us to determine which pests you have, and where they're likely to be. These applications may include baits, traps, crack and crevice procedures, flushing agents or residual treatments. The number and type of monitoring stations are determined as well as the intervals for checking the stations for pest activity.
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text:
Frankie Boyle
|Yon article may be overly Scottish, no British. Ye shouldnae dae anyhin tae fix it.
"I've Never Been Kissed."
"You Have Now"
"I'm so proud of my son for being so funny!"
"Was that offensive? Excellent, my work here is done."
I reckon, Frankie Boyle (born Franklyn Patterson Gordon Boyle) is a well-known scottish comedian and paedophile.
Early Life[edit]
His father Gordon had a terrible accident when Frankie was born at St. Tennants Hospital in Glasgow, when Gordon slipped and one of his eyes got caught on Frankie's tiny member. Frankie had a particular dislike for his mother Kerry Katona as she would force feed Frankie chicken nuggets and party rings, and due to this she is the victim of his frequent jibes on his hit show Mock the Week. His father Gordon would later make him become an MP for Dundee South, and he got a record vote turnout of two votes (Dundee just couldn't be fucked to vote). These votes were from his father Gordon and someone from the monster-raving looney party who ticked the wrong box. Despite the two votes Frankie decided to become a stand-up comedian. Frankie had a hard life. At a young age, (predicted 17), he was forced into a home for the mentally insane, although it is now believed that he was not ill. However this did effect Frankie as he frequently brings up the troubles he had there through his stand up. Mainly through topics such as peadophilia, necrophilia and beastiality - his Favorite Pastimes.
Frankie likes haggis. A LOT.
Early Stand-Up Routine[edit]
I reckon Frankie's act would comprise mainly of mother-in-law jokes, which granted him access to 20% of Les Dawson's ashes. Later a Channel 4 scout found him and invited him to become a panellist on late night filler unfunny shit show, 8 out of 10 cats, hosted by infamous Alan Carr...wait, no Jimmy Carr. This show caused Frankie to become permantly deaf due to low-brow z-list celebrities and ex-big brother contestants getting on his tits.
Famous relatives[edit]
I reckon Frankie's most famous relative is his cousin, sister and wife Susan Boyle. They have one child together, Jimmy Carr, despite rumors that Susan is actually a virgin. When asked about his relationship with Susan, Frankie said: "Well we have a lot in common - I also look ridiculous dressed as a woman." Other relatives include that one from the Proclaimers.
Mock The Week[edit]
I reckon Frankie would later join BBC Two's new panel show in 2005, telling Jimmy Carr to fuck off in the process. Frankie is on the show with Russell Howard who was involved in a similar accident as Frankie's father, Andy Parsons a former National Front member and Hugh Dennis an infamous former insurance salesman. Some annoying old viewers frequently complain about Frankie's jokes about their beloved Diana get over it she's had a mild stroke, put on weight and her new name's Camilla. On this show Frankie has told viewers he does not approve of his mother (Kerry) having any more babies with her new husband Peter Andre and not sharing the wealth of her Iceland adverts. Since being on the show Frankie has developed into other areas of work such as fan-fiction involving him and other panelist Hugh Dennis (who is the receiver), Frankie has also gone into acting roles as a cleaner on Holby City, a cleaner on Waterloo Road, a cleaner on The Bill and Tracey's husband on Eastenders (He cleans the old vic). In 2009 Frankie Boyle opened a racist door which he then tried to close, but he was unsuccessful.
Ever since Frankie's departure, 13 year old boys all over Britain frequently complain about how their wank boyfriend is no longer providing the show with new material. In unrelated news, around that time Dave saw a 300% increase in viewing figures.
- Babestation (1996-Present; not a model, a caller in...)
- Mock the Week (2005-Present)
- A cleaner in various TV shows (The year one-Total annhilation)
- 8 out of 10 cats (2004-5 minutes later)
- Animal Hospital (1997-2000, when he was caught fucking the dead animals)
Personal Life[edit]
I reckon Frankie is married to famous comedian Jo Brand (who is John Sargeant's sister), they have 8 kids all of whom have been put into care because Jo can't be fucked to cook for them and Frankie's just got sick of them. He has had an affair with an owl and a kitten. Frankie has one sister. Her name is Susan Boyle and one day, for sheer shits and giggles, he dressed up as his sister and went on britian's got talent. Frankie came second in the now famous radio show.
"I love black people, I think everyone should have one."


text:
New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck doesn't want to make it easy for you to grab his facemask.
Tuck dealt with that problem last season, when he suspected opponents were attempting to aggravate a neck injury by sticking their hands in his helmet and yanking.
That's why Tuck went with a busier facemask design last October that included six horizontal bars as opposed to the standard four.
Now Tuck is going next level with the whole operation, apparently determined to turn his head into a fortress of solitude.
Holy moly, check out Justin Tuck's new facemask: pic.twitter.com/zRr85MgZ
- Paul Lukas (@UniWatch) June 12, 2012
As the fine folks at Uni-Watch.com show us, the number of horizontal bars is now down to five, but Tuck also has 12 diagonal bars doing all sorts of business in front of his face.
The message is clear: "Feel free to aggravate my neck burner boys, but the remnants of your fingers are mine forever."


text:
Hanna Hall 1st Floor
Monroe, LA 71209
Secretary of State inducts Museum into Heroes and Heritage Trail
ULM's Museum of Natural History left a big impression on Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler during a campus visit last summer.
On Oct. 20, 2011 during another stop at the museum, he signed an agreement with ULM President Dr. Nick Bruno, inducting the historical treasure into the Heroes and Heritage Trail. more...
Heroes & Heritage Trail


text:
AMERICAN CANYON — Officials plan two open house meetings to update residents on the city"s new transportation plan,city officials announced.
Residents are invited to learn about the plan, called the Draft Circulation Element, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Senior Multi-Use Center, 2185 Elliott Drive. The second, stand-alone session, will be held at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 4 at Canyon Oaks Elementary School, 475 Silver Oak Trail.
Maps and plans will be available for viewing and staff will be there to answer questions and take input, officials said. Refreshments will be served.
For more information, call Taresa Murphy at 647-4348 or email email@example.com.


text:
Lung Cancer in Non-Smokers
Dear OncoLink "Ask The Experts,"
Do we know why people who didn't smoke get lung cancer?
Jared Weiss, MD Medical Oncologist & Assistant Professor at University of North Carolina's Lineberger Cancer Center, responds:
This is a great question because it gets to the very nature of what cancer is.
One of my patients once told me that she likened her cancer cells to misbehaving children and I think that this was a wise explanation. When a baby is born, it starts as a sperm fertilizing an egg, creating a single cell. That cell is pluripotent, meaning that it is capable of making all of the different kinds of cells that will ultimately be needed in the body. The cell will divide, then divide again, then divide again. In the process, the "daughter" cells become increasingly specialized. By birth, a baby has many different kinds of cells, each with very specialized functions and most of them have lost the ability to divide further or spread to other parts of the body. They are programmed to die in response to signals from other cells.
Each of these cells is a little factory, performing its specified functions. The tools that the cell uses to carry out these functions are called proteins. In order to make a protein, the cell starts with the DNA blueprint that is housed in a structure called the nucleus. The nucleus can be thought of us a little fortress-enclosed island containing stacks of blueprints in a big lake that is the cell. The DNA is transcribed (copied) into stuff called RNA, which travels out of the nucleus into the cytoplasm (which could be thought of like the water in the lake). In the lake, the RNA attaches to a structure called the ribosome (think of it as a small, floating protein factory) where it is translated into a protein.
Like a criminal, a cancer cell starts its life as a normal cell and then goes bad. It does so because of changes to its DNA that we call mutations. It takes multiple mutations for a cell to turn bad and become a cancer cell; the number probably varies greatly from one type of cancer to another. Thus, a person can be born with one or two of these changes, creating a genetic predisposition to cancer. Other changes come throughout life. Smoking is clearly the most important risk factor in lung cancer. Most lung cancer patients have smoked at some point in their life. However, it's clearly not the only factor�not all smokers get lung cancer and many lung cancer patients never smoked.
Other exposures that seem to be important include asbestos, radon, and cooking fumes. But, some patients have no history of major exposure. We're only just beginning to understand a bit about these cancers, but they seem to more of the adenocarcinoma (including BAC type) cell type and they seem to be driven by specific genetic changes. The most important of these is the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Patients who have a mutation in this specific receptor tend to be never smokers (or former/light smokers) and they respond very well to the drugs erlotinib (tarceva) and gefitinib (iressa). More recently, we've learned about a translocation (when a piece of DNA moves to a place it doesn't belong) called EML4/Alk. Also much more common in never smokers, it predicts for efficacy of the new drug crizotinib. Lots more to learn, but these insights are a start to understanding lung cancer in never smokers.
This question and answer was part of the OncoLink Brown Bag Chat Series. View the entire transcript of the Lung Cancer Q&A Webchat.


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Super Balls
- By Robert Lowell
- | From Don Johnson, Mar/Apr 02
On the first tee, the day bright with hope and the ego still not deflated, you concentrate on your first shot. Below you on a wooden peg sits a new golf ball glistening in the sunlight, its dimpled white visage as yet unsullied. This is what you are not thinking about: The maximum roll and carry of this ball should not exceed 296.8 yards. The maximum speed of the ball coming off the club head must not exceed 255 feet per second. The ball must weigh no more than 1.62 ounces, be no less than 1.68 inches in diameter and be symmetrical. And clearly you aren't thinking about fluid dynamics, the Bernoulli Principle or the components of polybutadiene.
No, this is what you are thinking: Let me get it airborne, let me find it and let me beat the pants off Mike the Weasel this week. The louse got into my pocket for 70 bucks last Sunday and wouldn't even put my beers on his tab in the clubhouse bar.
With all the hype about new club technology over the past decade, about titanium heads and perimeter weighting and torqueless shafts, it's easy to overlook the ball. It's just that little white thing that you so desperately try to hit, to propel on the right course at the right length at the right target. Oh sure, you've heard about hard-cover and soft-cover balls, have heard the claims about how one ball flies farther than another or spins better or has better feel. But unlike golf club technology, the science of the ball goes largely unnoticed.
"Some of these guys who are working on designing golf balls could be in the space program," says Dick Rugge, the senior technical director of the United States Golf Association, who tests every club and ball that comes to market and decides whether it gets the USGA stamp of approval.
The USGA oversees the rules of golf, some of which specify what is a legal club and what is a legal golf ball. It is the USGA that mandates that a ball carry and roll no more than 296.8 yards, that its initial velocity not exceed 255 feet per second, that it weigh no more than 1.62 ounces or be no less than 1.68 inches in diameter.
You might think that because golf balls must conform to such precise specifications (or be restricted) that manufacturers wouldn't put a lot of research and development into them, certainly not as much as goes into a golf club. But to golf companies, a golf ball is a consumable while a golf club is a hard good. It's like the difference between gasoline and an automobile. You fill the gas tank once a week, but you replace a car every five years or so. Most golfers go for years before getting new clubs, but chances are they will buy balls monthly, sometimes weekly. A player with a bad swing on a difficult golf course can consume a lot of golf balls in a single round. (Or is it the course that consumes them?)
"Manufacturers know that they can sell golf balls faster than clubs," says Rugge. "Even though our rules are very specific, there is still room for improvement in consistency, distance and feel. A lot more goes into ball design than you might imagine and it seems to pay off for the companies."
The Titleist Pro V1 golf ball from Acushnet Co. got the attention of the golf world last season. PGA Tour players like Phil Mickelson extolled the virtues of increased distance with superior feel for the short game, all within the rules of golf. Titleist has been the premier maker of high-performance golf balls for decades. When PGA Tour players say that Titleist is making a better ball, the general public hears, and a certain percentage of them buy. These are usually better players who are looking for that killer combination of distance and feel in a ball and don't mind paying more than $50 a dozen for them.
This year, Callaway Golf Co. may get the attention, and a man whom Callaway brought out of the aerospace industry is responsible for it. His name is Steve Ogg, a former Boeing engineer with a deep knowledge of viscous fluid dynamics, computer-aided design and aerodynamic testing techniques. In 2000, Ogg helped Callaway launch the Rule 35 ball with a surface covered 86 percent by dimples, more dimpling than any other ball. Dimples help the ball fly longer, but more about that later.
Now Ogg has come up with another idea: dump the dimples. Instead, he developed a pattern of tubular ridges that interlock as hexagons and pentagons around the entire surface of the ball. In testing, Callaway says that its HX ball flies farther than any ball it has tested while providing high-performance feel characteristics. Ogg claims that the HX has better distance control that the Pro V1 or any other ball, and is more consistent in any orientation whether it is teed up or lying in the fairway.
Callaway's move from dimples to tubular lattices -- hexagons and pentagons -- may be the next major step in golf ball design. Dimples were a part of golf ball construction for the better part of the twentieth century, and an intentionally roughened surface of the golf ball has been around since the introduction of the gutta percha ball in the mid-1800s.
The first golf balls may very well have been the roundest stones that shepherds could find to bat about the fields to relieve the boredom of tending the flock. The Dutch played the earliest known form of golf (called colf) from the late 1200s to the early 1700s using wooden balls made of beech or elm. In the middle 1700s came the age of the featheries, leather balls stuffed with cow's hair or boiled bird feathers. Featheries may have been easier to get airborne than wooden balls, but they were full of faults. They weren't perfectly round, got soggy in the rain, and were easily cut along their sewn seams.
In the 1840s the gutta percha ball debuted. Gutta percha is a sap from Asian trees that could be molded and hardened. It could be made more perfectly round and produced much more quickly than the featheries. As golf grew in popularity, it became necessary to produce more balls than the feathery makers could turn out, and the solution was gutta percha. The surface of the original guttie was basically smooth. If these balls, like the featheries, were not hit flush and on plane, they duck-hooked and snap-sliced with abandon.
But some players noted along the way that if the smooth surface of the balls was roughed up, they would fly somewhat straighter and would definitely fly longer. Thus, the art of making a golf ball like the feathery would be displaced by the science of constructing one. This is where the Bernoulli Principle came into play, even if ball makers didn't know what it was. This is also where fluid dynamics became important, even if ball makers may have thought that it referred to golf balls floating on water.
The Bernoulli Principle describes the lifting properties of an object flying through the air. In its general form, it applies to a golf ball and a 747 jumbo jet. It says that an object propelled through the air attains lift from the air if the air speed at the bottom of the object is slower than it is at the top. This creates a lower-pressure area above the ball, or airplane wing, and causes it to rise.
Airplane flight and golf ball flight differ widely in the desired amount of stability. With a golf ball, turbulence is good. With a wing, turbulence is bad, as many a flier will attest when their newly poured cup of coffee comes in contact with their newly-pressed wool pants. Golf balls need turbulent flight to fly farther, and that's why manufacturers put dimples on them. The first gutties designed to produce turbulence had raised bramble and reversed hatch mark designs on the surface. The depressed dimple ball, known as the Haskell ball, was introduced in the early 1900s as an improvement in a new line of rubber-cored balls wound with rubber bands. Ball research was now in full flight.
The reason that balls need turbulent flight is to narrow the region of dead air immediately behind the ball, by closing down the airflows. "In aerodynamic terms, in turbulent flight the air stays attached, the molecules flow closer to the surface, " says Ogg.
"You end up with a smaller wake. Think of the difference between a rowboat and a kayak. With a rowboat you have those big swirling eddies behind the hull. In a kayak the flow stays attached along the surface of the boat instead of creating those swirling eddies with a dead space in between. What you want to do with a ball is try to eliminate as much of that dead air region behind it as possible, which means you are eliminating drag. A ball without dimples flies maybe 40 percent as far as a ball with dimples."
With manufacturers then competing with rubber-cored and dimple-covered balls for greater and greater distances, the USGA took steps, starting in 1930, to regulate them. The process culminated in a set of weight, diameter and initial velocity specifications adopted in 1942 that are still used today. In 1976 the overall distance standard of 296.8 yards was introduced. That year, the USGA also debuted for testing purposes the swing machine know as Iron Byron, which was modeled after the swing of legendary player Byron Nelson. There have been subsequent versions of Iron Byron, but the USGA is still swinging the same model club -- a steel-shafted, wooden-head driver -- at a speed of about 109 miles per hour and belting balls into a large expanse of mown fairway behind its headquarters in Far Hills, New Jersey.
By the 1990s, golf balls had become highly engineered products that were increasingly marketed. Golf ball makers began making balls for specific players at specific price points. While in the 1960s, say, there were cheap balls and expensive balls, there now is a whole range of ball prices and ball performance characteristics.
The cheaper the ball, the less complex it will be and the more it will be geared for distance and durability. Cheaper balls are two-piece balls; the more expensive, high-performance balls are three-piece balls. In two-piece construction, a core is surrounded by a thin cover, which is usually harder than the cover on three-piece balls. The harder the cover, the less backspin is imparted on the ball. That lowers ball flight and allows for greater run-out when it hits the ground. The average player wants as much distance as he can get, both in yards and the number of holes he can play with a single ball.
Soft-covered three-piece balls spin faster, rise more quickly and don't run out as far at the end. But the soft cover allows talented players with superb short games to impart spin on the ball on approach shots coming into greens, which makes the ball check up more quickly and precisely. Soft-covered balls also have a better feel during putting.
Ball makers are trying to account for both talent and the conditions of ball launch. "There are three things that affect ball flight that can be influenced in that half millisecond of initial impact," says Tom Kennedy, the vice president of research and development for Spalding Sports Worldwide Inc. "They are launch angle [the degree of upward slope], the ball speed and the spin rate. Hard-cover balls have better distance because they launch high, but because of lower spin rate they don't climb as high. Soft-cover balls launch lower but climb higher because of higher spin rate."
Poor players want all the distance they can get. Average players generally want more distance, but also some sort of feel around the green. Very good players aren't usually concerned that much with distance because they have high and consistent swing speeds. They can hit a soft-cover ball farther than other players hit a hard cover, so they are willing to trade distance for the feel that comes with soft covers on and around the greens.
The three-piece ball is a finely honed piece of technology. In introducing the Pro V1 ball, Titleist began to move away from the wound-ball technology of high-performance balls that had been hanging around for decades. The Pro V1, like virtually all high-performance balls, is of three-piece construction with a poly-butadiene core (synthetic rubber) surrounded by an inner layer that is in turn surrounded by the cover. The core of the Pro V1 is 1.55 inches in diameter. Around that goes a .035-inch boundary layer (or mantel) of ionomer resin (known by the trade name Surlyn). The cover is .030 of an inch of thermal-set eurethane.
"The Pro V1 was a major change for us," says Herb Boehm, the executive vice president and general manager of golf ball operations for Acushnet. "We were known for making balls with liquid-center cores that were wound with rubber bands. But the trend in golf ball development is against that type of construction. Our new ball [for 2002] will be a companion product to the Pro V1 rather than a new line. It's the Pro V1 Star. It has a very soft rubber center that reduces spin off the driver while producing longer and straighter flight. It has a very soft, very thin cover for performance around the green."
Golf balls today are right up against the USGA specifications. Since the initial velocity can't exceed 255 feet per second, the only way that manufacturers can achieve longer distance is through better aerodynamics, reducing drag and achieving optimum flight trajectories. There are still a few yards of wiggle room in the USGA's overall distance standard of 296.8 yards. And there are still a lot of golf balls to be consumed, which is why Callaway and Nike Co. got involved in the marketplace in the late 1990s.
For Nike, it was a chance to introduce its brand name into a new market. "Our brand name is associated with new and exciting products," says Gary Tavares, Nike's product development manager for golf balls. It didn't hurt that the company had recently signed Tiger Woods to a huge endorsement contract, although Woods would not trade in his Titleists for the new Nike Tour Accuracy balls until the 2000 season. "He didn't have to play them unless he was satisfied with the way they performed," says Tavares. "He plays them now. We have a three-piece high-performance ball that we think stands up to anybody."
Whatever new balls companies introduce will have to pass USGA testing to be declared legal. But in line with new research and development in the golf industry, the USGA recently announced that it was designing a new indoor, computer-aided testing facility that would replace its outdoor testing.
"We'll keep testing balls outside, then enter those specifics into our indoor computer to come [up] with a ball's flight specifications," says the USGA's Rugge.
With the new facility may come a new club for Iron Byron. The old steel-shafted and wooden-headed driver may be replaced by a modern metal-headed club. Though the USGA intends to maintain the initial velocity rule of 255 feet per second, the overall distance standard may be pushed slightly higher to reflect the modern aerodynamic designs of golf balls and the properties of modern clubs.
While manufacturers keep improving the ball, marketers keep shoveling the hype about them. "What we sell is hope," says John Calabria, the vice president of research and development for the Dunlop Sports Group, which markets the high-performance Maxfli and Slazenger balls. "We will always come out with something that says, 'This can improve your game,' and we certainly hope it does."
Now, if this new three-piece wonder of aerodynamics can just get your 70 bucks back from Mike the Weasel, it will be well worth the 50 bucks you paid for a dozen.
Robert Lowell is a freelance writer based in New York


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For seven years, Pastor Michael Mitchell said he ran from God�s call. Instead of preaching and pastoring, he became addicted to prescription drugs.
For seven years, Pastor Michael Mitchell said he ran from God�s call. Instead of preaching and pastoring, he became addicted to prescription drugs.
�I went through a lot and put my family through a lot,� Mitchell said. �I worked all the time and I got so tired and fed up with my life that I knew there had to be something better. I wanted a change. I know what that change was � I had gotten out of church.�
After he went through rehabilitation, he told his wife he was going to do what God had called him to do.
�God laid on my heart �Walking with the Wounded� ministry,� he said. �For people who have been in churches and have gotten hurt through legalism or people who have been in storms. I want to serve God and to feed and clothe people and to see them come to Christ.�
Church building found on Craig�s List
The first service at his new church, New Life Free Will Baptist, 1473 Foust Road, Shelby, was held in February. The church is a block building that Mitchell and his first two members, Steve and Tina Jenkins, found on Craig�s List.
Mitchell, who lives in Clover, S.C., had been looking at a building in Dallas, but it was going to take too many improvements to transform a former tanning bed salon into a church building.
�The building inspector said we needed to find a building that used to be a church,� Mitchell said.
He and his wife, Melissa, thought that would be impossible, but that night, he started looking on Craig�s List and saw the building in Cleveland County.
�A church just magically appeared,� Mitchell said. �We fell in love with the building and the community.�
Included with the building were church pews, a podium, a piano and organ.
�God brought it together,� Jenkins said.
�Wanting to do something for God�
Jenkins met Mitchell at a church in Dallas, where Mitchell was preaching a revival.
�My wife and I wanted to do something for God,� Jenkins said. �We met him, and he wanted to do the same thing. He had a thirst for the same thing. We have been saved and brought out of the darkness into life, and we want other people to experience what we have.�
Attending the first Thursday night service held in February were Jenkins and his wife and Mitchell and his wife and two daughters. In two months, they have welcomed 10-16 people on Sunday mornings and have two new members.
They have also reached out to the community and have already gathered food and clothing to give to those in need.
�We are looking out for the people who need help,� Mitchell said. �The people who really need help won�t come to you and ask for it.�
Want to go?
New Life Free Will Baptist Church is located off N.C. 150 (Cherryville Road) at 1473 Foust Road, Shelby. Service times are:
Sundays: 10:15 a.m. leadership class, 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. worship services
Thursdays: 7 p.m.
For more information, call 803-524-1944.


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Steve Brooks
The wonderful Steve Brooks brings his wisdom and his musical talents to a November service at UUCL.
Our New Building
A picture of our new building, located at the SE corner of 9th and W Gore Blvd., just across the street from Country Mart.
A Meditation Group
One of our covenant groups (small groups that meet for a specific purpose) that teaches and practices meditation.


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For Audio Connoisseurs: The A 2 Headphone Amplifier
For Audio Connoisseurs: The A 2 Headphone Amplifier
The sound experts at beyerdynamic are fulfilling the desire of many audio fans for music performance that is as accurate as possible. The A 2 was developed from the ground up to deliver an uncompromisingly level of performance with the goal to achieve the highest sound quality reproduction possible. In addition, the ability to use two dynamic at the same time while maintaining full performance, has also be achieved.
The A 2 impresses not only with its unbelievably natural and powerful airy sound but also with its clear and partially transparent housing design, which allows a glimpse into the fine inner workings of the amplifier. For this reason it has just been awarded the renowned "Red Dot Award: Product Design 2014".
Beside its powerful and lively response the A 2 fascinates with a precise control that can be enjoyed via all headphones that are connected, regardless of their impedance. With equally brilliant resolution, the A 2 is capable of effortlessly handling delicate highs as well as absolutely authentic mid-range and voice reproduction as well as a deep, natural bass.
As a particular highlight, the A 2 provides separate adjustments for the impedance and sensitivity of the connected headphones (from 16 – 600 Ohm). A new wireless remote control accessory provides full volume adjustment.
Each A 2 comes with a new extraordinary headphone stand made of aluminum, which can be attached to the underside of the base and keeps the headphones always ready.


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Wed, 20 April 2011
Getting Iowans ready to speak to the nation... then, which gets more negative press? Earth Day or Easter? Dan Gainor says it ain't even close. Then, we hear from a representative from the atheist community as they are in convention in Des Moines. Tasty.
Direct download: mickelson-2011-04-20.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:39pm CDT


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Information Technology Services, acting as a host, provides the computer infrastructure for faculty and staff who require a secure environment for housing servers, databases and applications.
Services include:
- Server Hosting – Consulting, server procurement, installation, administration, network connectivity, security, monitoring, and backup and recovery services, as negotiated
- Database Hosting – Hosting, consulting and administration of Microsoft SQL and Oracle databases for faculty, staff, departments, colleges and administrative units
Server Hosting
ITS offers a fee-based, securely managed environment to host servers used to provide essential university services and information. Hosting Services include consulting, server procurement, installation, administration, network connectivity, security, monitoring, and backup and recovery services. All hosted systems are housed and managed in one of the university's data centers to provide controlled access to the physical site, network firewall security, and power, temperature and humidity controls. Systems housed in ITS data centers are monitored by software or staff at all times. Hosted servers are backed up based on your requirements with the backups stored securely on and off-site.
There are two types of server hosting services:
Virtualized Server Hosting Package: Provides hosting services while optimizing physical resources, and through VMware technologies, supports high-availability options.
- Small Linux: $744 (1CPU, 2GB RAM, 50GB Storage)
- Medium Linux: $1320 (2CPU, 4GB RAM, 50GB Storage)
- Large Linux: $3672 (4CPU, 8GB RAM, 50GB Storage)
- Small Windows: $864 (1CPU, 2GB RAM, 50GB Storage)
- Medium Windows: $1440 (2CPU, 4GB RAM, 50GB Storage)
- Large Windows: $3804 (4CPU, 8GB RAM, 50GB Storage)
Additional charges:
- Memory per GB: $120
- Storage per GB: $4.20
All of these costs are annual. There is also a $250 one-time setup charge for the server.
Physical Server Hosting Packages (Platinum, Gold, Silver): Provides hosting services for systems that are housed and managed in a university data center with physical access control.
- Physical Platinum Hosting Package – $3,600
- Physical Gold Hosting Package – $1,350
- Physical Silver Hosting Package – $900
To request either virtual or physical server hosting/housing in a centrally managed data center, (including initial setup, administration, network connectivity, security, monitoring, and backup and recovery services) submit a Server Hosting request through the ServiceNow portal (sign-in may be required).
Database Hosting
Faculty and staff who use Microsoft SQL or Oracle databases may contact ITS to request administration of these databases, including maintenance, updates, security, reporting and backups of the databases, as well as general consultation on database/application issues.
To request a consultation or for ITS to host your database, contact the ITS Service Desk at 617.373.4357 (xHELP), email firstname.lastname@example.com or initiate a chat session.


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A solution to an old problem
The problem, "How to increase sales"There are many ways to increase sales, and each company has it own preferred methods. The Internet has radically changed how companies market and sell product and services. Social Networking has taken a prime position in marketing efforts to push sales up.
The SEOclinic has created an interesting article that shows new light on an existing solution that can be adapted to small and medium company use.
When asked, what is a sale worth, only individual companies can supply the information, but armed with this figure, a highly effect marketing tool is available, that is used by some of the largest companies in the world.
Posted in: on Tuesday, August 27, 2013 at at 1:38 PM 1 comments


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And you know when you find new cousins that you're all about looking into the lines that connect you. Well I have FIVE new cousin correspondents!
Actually, I can't claim the first two as cousins. It's our hubbies that are actually the cousins. Miles Austin is hubby's 4th great-grandfather and he has been a major brick wall for years! So now I have two others to help in the Austin effort.
Next, a granddaughter of my great-aunt Lillian found me when she googled "Paris, Idaho" and my grandpa Smedley showed up. She said to herself, "That's my grandma's brother!"
|Calvin Buck Smedley Lillian Buck Smedley
I have also been corresponding with her sister who has all of great aunt Lillian's genealogy research and boxes of ephemera that she had saved. I have been trying to track that stuff down for years!
They are both newbies at family history so I have been helping them out a bit.
Then just last week I heard from a third cousin on the Buck side who found me through the Luddite Bicentenary - 1811-1813 blog.
I look forward to sharing all that comes from these connections.


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Womens Bridal Veil - Style VL022A with Comb
|Ships same day or next business day
|Retail Price:
|Our Price:
This is a gorgeous womens bridal veil made with exquisite bridal quality. The double layer veil is decorated with stunning bugle beads hand sewn along the edge. The veil is attached to a bridal comb to secure into hair. This veil measures 31 inches x 35 inches 58 inches in width. For sanitary reasons, these are sold as Final Sale.
Please note:
- Eligible items can be returned or exchanged within 30 days of the date received.
- Any item that states "Special Order" in the availability line are ordered specifically to cover and fill your order-therefore they are eligible for EXCHANGE ONLY. You may use this credit for future use one year date of issue for anything on our website.
- Any item that is marked as "Sale" or with a red tag is sold as Final Sale.
- Please keep in mind when ordering that if there is a special order item on your order, your order will be held and you will receive your entire order in one shipment.
For a full explanation of our policies, see the Policy page.


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The Hitman celebrates WWE's Attitude Era
The cover of the video game WWE 13, featureing Bret the Hitman Hart, is shown. (HO/ THE CANADIAN PRESS)
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
Published Thursday, November 22, 2012 12:52PM EST
By one count, former pro wrestling star Bret (Hitman) Hart has been in 21 video games.
But the 55-year-old Calgary native has a soft spot for "WWE 13." That's because the game features Hart and others in classic playable storylines from the so-called "Attitude Era" years starting in the late '90s.
For Hart, the mid-80s and pro wrestling icon Hulk Hogan were "much more about cartoon characters." A change was needed.
"By the early '90s when I was sort of in my prime, we started moving to the Attitude Era and I like to think that I kicked the doors open for the Attitude Era," Hart said in an interview.
"It was more about the wrestling," he added. "It wasn't so much about the characters, even though we were in a lot of ways much more interesting characters.
"The titles really seemed to mean a lot to the wrestlers in that era. Winning and losing and being on top was sort of critical.... Winning titles meant prestige and better pay. The top guys were making the best money. So there was a lot at stake.
"I think all that played into that Attitude Era. I know for me probably in '97, for sure, I had my greatest matches in the WWE. I was for sure in my prime, (doing) my best stuff."
Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker, all of whom are in the video game, were all part of that.
Hart beat the Undertaker in the 1997 "Summer Slam," winning the title for the fifth time.
"One of my favourite matches of all time," he said.
Hart notes how the Undertaker changed his wrestling style by that '97 bout, upping the tempo and "doing all sorts of moves."
"Whereas in the beginning, he was kind of like Frankenstein, kind of moving around slow and ponderous in the ring, and was very methodical. But times changed and by the mid-90s, Undertaker had revamped his whole character."
Austin had also changed his act.
"I like to think I was carrying the flag for the whole company, where it wasn't about the wrestlers being cartoon characters," said Hart. "It was about the wrestlers being committed stars that were trying to get to the top."
The bottom line was the wrestlers weren't one-trick ponies.
"I don't want to rag too much on Hulk Hogan but he's pretty one-dimensional," said Hart. "Very big guy. The great, magnificent body that he had -- the 22-inch arms and all that kind of stuff. But after a while, after (The Ultimate) Warrior came, it was like, 'Enough of the body-building, let's go on with who can actually do a drop-kick and who can actually climb up on top and do stuff.'
"I think the wrestling really did change from these sort of dinosaurs to the guys who were really picking it up and doing the moves."
Hart, who had a stroke in 2002, still plays a role in the WWE although not as a full-on competitor.
He says he has recovered well from the stroke, but has issues with his ankle and has a few other nagging injuries.
"But for the most part, I'm pretty good," he said.
He has plenty of respect for today's wrestlers "especially because it's a much more drug-free environment."
"There's a lot of innovators," he said, citing Rey Mysterio, CM Punk and Daniel Bryan.
"When I was done wrestling in 2000 -- that's when I got hurt and retired -- I had just about run out of every move. I couldn't think of anything else, at least at the time. I remember thinking I've done everything I could possibly think of as far as endings to my matches, moves, counters to my moves, little add-ons to different sequences of moves, I always felt I had personally exhausted myself out."
Today's top wrestlers have shown him differently.
"They've really stepped up a lot. They might not be as big and as bulky as the wrestlers back in the '80s were, but they're every bit as hard-workers as this industry has seen. I think they're working harder today than they've ever been working."
He's also impressed with today's video games.
"I find that they've really raised the bar the last five years or so with the detail. The figures or characters all look pretty much the way I remember them."
The game also allows you to use the kind of ring psychology he used in his matches, he says.
"In a lot of ways you can put together a real match and have as close to the real thing as you can get now in a video game."
The Attitude Era is just part of the game, which includes today's wrestlers and the ability to create your own storyline.
The WWE game is developed by Yuke's Co. Ltd, a Japanese company with a long history of wrestling games.
Rated T for Teen, "WWE 13" is available for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii.


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Pro ASP.NET Web API shows you how to build flexible, extensible web services that run seamlessly on a range of operating systems and devices, from desktops to tablets to smart phones—even the ones we don't know today.
ASP.NET Web API is a new framework designed to simplify web service architecture. So if you're tired of interoperability issues between inflexible web services and clients tied to specific platforms or programming languages, or if you've ever struggled with WCF, this book is for you.
To start with, you'll get up to speed on Web API's modern HTTP programming model, REST and your hosting options. You'll then dive into building a real application over a series of three chapters, so you can get an immediate feel for how this technology works in practice. The second half of the book features dedicated chapters on topics like routing, controllers, validation and tracing, and the authors close with discussions on performance, hosting and an all-important look at unit testing to help you prepare your application for the real world.
ASP.NET Web API makes HTTP a first-class citizen of .NET. With Pro ASP.NET Web API, you can build HTTP-based web services for your company or business, expose your data to the world across different formats and devices and gain the best possible global reach for your application.
What you'll learn
The basics of HTTP web services
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Consuming HTTP-based web services across several different clients
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Whether you've previously worked with WCF or are an ASP.NET developer diving into web services for the first time, Pro ASP.NET Web API will show you a clean, modern approach to building HTTP web services.


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Few concepts are as abstract as "social inclusion". No wonder it generates questions, confusion and even some misunderstandings among practitioners.
Since social inclusion is a pillar of sustainability and part of new World Bank Goals of reducing poverty and promoting shared prosperity, the term has come into even greater usage. But what is it? We define social inclusion as the process of improving the terms for individuals and groups to take part in society. People take part in society through markets (e.g. labor, or credit), services (access to health, education), and spaces (e.g. political, physical).
Based on the background work conducted by the Social Inclusion team from Social Development for an upcoming report Inclusion Matters: The Foundation for Shared Prosperity, below are four of the most common misconceptions about social inclusion and exclusion.
1. Social exclusion is synonymous with inequality and poverty
While inequality and poverty are outcomes, social exclusion is both an outcome and a process. Social exclusion is often more than poverty and in some cases it is not about poverty at all. Further, while concepts such as poverty and inequality often have material conditions associated with them, social inclusion is to a large extent about non-material aspects of a person's life. Take for example a hypothetical homosexual man living in a rich neighborhood. He may not be poor, he may not even be affected by inequality, but he is certainly excluded, and in some countries, at risk of death. One's identity can be a primary marker of exclusion.
2. Social inclusion is the flip side of social exclusion
Although it sounds logical and intuitive, inclusion is not necessarily the flip side of exclusion. Here is why.
Social exclusion occurs when people are systematically prevented from taking part in society. But individuals and groups may have to participate in markets, services, and spaces under unfavorable terms. This is called "adverse inclusion". For example, immigrants may be included in the host country's labor market, but under very poor working conditions and for a wage lower than is paid to local residents. Take the case of the Roma who are part of the labor force but are paid less. Roma males have higher labor force participation rates than the majority group in Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia, yet their average wages are just 40-70% of the non-Roma men. If you can call this inclusion, then it is inclusion under very disadvantageous terms.
3. Social inclusion is mainly a developing country issue
Challenges related to social exclusion are not distinctive to developing countries. People all over the world face exclusion, discrimination, or chronic poverty. In many developed countries, the discourse around immigrants and restrictions for them to get access to markets and benefits is highly debated. Almost all European countries are dealing with issues of inclusion because of their need for foreign labor and yet immigrants are often discriminated against. Pick most any country and you will find issues of inclusion never fully addressed or new ones constantly emerging.
4. We should rely only on objective/economic indicators when measuring social inclusion.
More and more, subjective measures (of happiness, attitudes and perceptions, for example) have gained interest among policy makers around the world. They are helpful in diagnosing social inclusion and tracking progress over time. And if analyzed in tandem with objective indicators, they can explain why some people get left out from progress.
Attitudes matter because they are a barometer of people's potential behavior. Attitudes and perceptions can determine who gets excluded and included in the society and how. When certain attitudes become widespread they can affect the way people and institutions treat others, and the way policies are implemented or even designed.
For example, World Values Survey asks respondents whether they think men should be given preference for jobs when jobs are scarce in the economy. This question reflects social norms of men as breadwinners and has impact on women's economic empowerment. Respondents in a vast majority of countries believe men should be given preference. In fact, the most discriminatory attitudes are found in countries that have the lowest female labor force participation rates.
We invite you to join the conversation about social inclusion on Facebook and Twitter #inclusionmatters. Tell us what inclusion means in your country. Tell us what inclusion means to you.
The report Inclusion Matters: The Foundation for Shared Prosperity will be launched on October 9, 2013. Learn more about social development and social inclusion.
Join the Conversation
Thank you very much for this article/blog. It provides a clear and thorough description of what I try to do everyday in my work. The more we take the time to bring up this topic, share, explain and promote the better. Starting with our own circle of friends and network..
Is a discussion of social inclusion a discussion that embraces and furthers a specific set of values? For example, if we orient a discussion around social inclusion we may implicitly be undermining the values of traditional societies that have a preference for male employment when jobs are scarce. According to the narrative above this may play a role in women's social exclusion, which is framed as undesirable. Unless colleagues at the Bank would indicate that they are neutral on social exclusion or view some instances as beneficial it would seem that the Bank is aiming to prefer one set of values over another. Is this the role of a governmental or an intergovernmental institution, which is even further removed from the affected population? Perhaps, but I am curious if this has been or is being discussed.
Hassan, you raise a very important point. As you know, there is a vibrant global discourse on whether values are culturally determined or some values are universal. I suppose I would say (not official World Bank position)as the lead author of the report - lets ask women what they would like. Lets not make decsions for others. And in many cultures women may well prefer to have men in jobs when there is a crunch. But these values change over time and young women have different aspirations from their mothers' generation. Lets honor their aspirations.
It is important, I believe, to discuss power when talking about social inclusion/exclusion. Almost always, those who threaten others with death, deportation or loss of services are often in a position to enforce the threat.
As a determinant of social inclusion or exclusion, how individuals or groups acquire power, how it is used and controlled affects the ability of others to live free, fair and full lives.


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Mar 29, 2011 | 416 Pages
"the most charming and irresistible cookbook I've come across in ages."
—Mother Jones, Favorite Cookbooks of 2011, 12/3/11
"I would love to cook my way through this book one delicious meal at a time. The range of recipes, from simple to more complicated, makes it a great book for new cooks, but there's also plenty here for seasoned cooks, too."
—TheKitchn, 6/22/11
"the food is ace"
—NYTimes.com, Summer Cookbook Roundup, 6/2/11
"This book's overarching theme of fresh, local seasonal foods everyday for everyone comes naturally, with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's charming voice leading the way. Whether you incorporate a few of his recipes into your repertoire or cook from it every day, it will go a long way towards keeping you on a good food track."
—Devour The Blog, Cooking Channel, 3/29/11
"The perfect book for anyone looking for new recipes for feeding their family."
—The Family Kitchen blog, Babble.com, 3/28/11
"A crowd-pleaser. . . . The past few years have delivered a library's worth of 'quick-easy-thrifty' cookbooks. Global economic crisis will do that, and from Britain, where pulling your socks up in the face of austerity is a matter of patriotic pride, we have new books in this vein by Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson, and even the late Elizabeth David. A surprising one is River Cottage Every Day, an accessible collection of recipes from the farmer-cook Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Compare, for instance, Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage Meat Book, which opens with a photo essay depicting the slaughter, skinning, and sawing in half of a cow. River Cottage Every Day, by contrast, begins with a photo of the author scarfing honey-smeared bread. . . . Fearnley-Whittingstall is, at heart, a philosopher, and these new recipes make a case for approaching daily cooking with intention—or, as he puts it, finding 'things to savor and share that don't just fill up, but make us feel good."
—Saveur, March 2011
"Throughout this wonderfully illustrated book, Fearnley-Whittingsall's passion is palpable, his genuine, spiritual love of food inspiring."
—Publishers Weekly, 1/17/11
"Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's recipes are the solid, no-nonsense kinds of dishes you want to eat again and again."
—Bruce Aidells, author of The Complete Meat Cookbook
"There is more cooking know-how in Fearnley-Whittingstall's little finger than you will find in the graduating class of any cooking school in the country."
Introduction 8
Making breakfast 20
Daily bread 60
Weekday lunch (box) 90
Fish forever 136
Thrifty meat 178
Vegetables galore 248
The whole fruit 330
Treats 368
Index 406
Acknowledgments 415


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Would it surprise you if one of my favorite pieces of literature was written about whiskey? Or more specifically about the great Mint Julep? Probably not, and hopefully after reading it you will understand why. For those that have seen it already, I do apologize. It has made the rounds in recent years, brought to the fore by Chris McMillian, a New Orleans Bartender (and drinking historian) at Bar Uncommon. If you visit there while Chris is working, you might be able to coax him into reciting this gem as he crafts a handmade Mint Julep for you.
This bit of prose published in the Lexington Herald in the late 1800's, was written by Lexington, KY journalist and judge Joshua Soule Smith. Hopefully it will strike a chord with you as it did me. It's Kentucky Derby week and it's time to talk about that Southern Institution – The Mint Julep.
The Mint Julep by Joshua Soule Smith
Then comes the zenith of man's pleasure. Then comes the julep – the mint julep. Who has not tasted one has lived in vain. The honey of Hymettus brought no such solace to the soul; the nectar of the Gods is tame beside it. It is the very dream of drinks, the vision of sweet quaffings.
The Bourbon and the mint are lovers. In the same land they live, on the same food they are fostered. The mint dips infant leaf into the same stream that makes The Bourbon what it is. The corn grows in the level lands through which small streams meander. By the brook-side the mint grows. As the little wavelets pass, they glide up to kiss the feet of the growing mint, and the mint bends to salute them. Gracious and kind it is, living only for the sake of others. Like a woman's heart it gives its sweetest aroma when bruised. Among the first to greet the spring, it comes. Beside gurgling brooks that make music in the fields, it lives and thrives. When the bluegrass begins to shoot its gentle sprays towards the sun, mint comes, and its sweetest soul drinks at the crystal brook. It is virgin then. But soon it must be married to old Bourbon. His great heart, his warmth of temperament, and that affinity which no one understands, demands the wedding.
How shall it be? Take from the cold spring some water, pure as angels are; mix it with sugar till it seems like oil. Then take a glass and crush your mint within it with a spoon – crush it around the borders of the glass and leave no place untouched. Then throw the mint away – it is the sacrifice. Fill with cracked ice the glass; pour in the quantity of Bourbon which you want. It trickles slowly through the ice. Let it have time to cool, then pour your sugared water over it. No spoon is needed; no stirring allowed- just let it stand a moment. Then around the brim place sprigs of mint, so that the one who drinks may find the taste and odor at one draft.
Then when it is made, sip it slowly. August suns are shining, the breath of the south wind is upon you. It is fragrant cold and sweet – it is seductive. No maidens kiss is tenderer or more refreshing, no maidens touch could be more passionate. Sip it and dream-it is a dream itself. No other land can give you so much sweet solace for your cares; no other liquor soothes you in melancholy days. Sip it and say there is no solace for the soul, no tonic for the body like old Bourbon whiskey.
Drink your Bourbon!


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Director Judy Braha has drawn first-rate performances from a gifted cast and provided them with strikingly original blocking in a mesmerizing production of Christopher Sergei's stage adaptation of Harper Lee's classic American novel "To Kill a Mockingbird." Set in the South during the 1930s in segregated and rampantly racist times, Lee's novel won the Pulitzer Prize.
Much of Act I is devoted to introducing three normal kids, two of them the children of Attorney Atticus Finch, and one visiting a neighbor. These three young actors have real chemistry and are wonderfully believable as they act like typical kids.
Nathaniel Oaks is particularly vivid as the older Finch brother Jem, with fluid and original body language and a highly expressive face.
Carly Williams is clear and convincing as his younger sister Scout and Gabriel Magee creates an interesting character as visiting youngster Dill.
Amanda Collins is smooth and gifted as the grown-up Scout Finch, weaving the evening together with humor and insight as she narrates the action.
As compassionate and loving family man Atticus Finch, Lewis D. Wheeler is natural, warm and convincing. During the trial scene in Act II, he does a masterful job delivering the well-written summation to the jury during the trial of a black man unjustly accused of rape.
Cliff Blake delivers a deliciously eccentric performance as trial witness Bob Ewell -- both hilarious and sinister by turns. Wild body language and vocal pyrotechnics make his an unforgettable performance.
Cheryl D. Singleton's sweet face and gentle voice as the Finch children's caretaker Calpurnia creates a comforting presence during turbulent times for the family.
Douglass Bowen-Flynn as trial prosecutor Mr. Gilmer employs a subtly smug look at times in a first-rate turn as the confident prosecutor.
Aaron Dowdy is touching and believable as the bewildered and unjustly accused young father on trial for rape.
Teresa Langford is both sexy and downtrodden as trial witness and alleged rape victim Mayella Ewell -- when she's not busy as the horribly mean and cartoonish old crank Mrs. Dubose.
Stewart Evan Smith is elegant and handsome as Rev. Sykes.
Thomas Rhett Kee is touching as unlikely hero Heck Tate.
The script is laced with moments of kindness and humor, but also with dark and truly frightening violent imagery at times, and liberally sprinkled with the "n" word. It might be too intense for very young children. It is certainly brilliantly done and many audience members were overheard saying it was the best production they had ever seen at Gloucester Stage.
Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" continues through Oct. 27 at Gloucester Stage. Evening performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, with 2 p.m. matinees on Saturdays and Sundays. There are special evening performances at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 11, Tuesday, Oct. 24 and Thursday, Oct. 26.
Following the 2 p.m. Sunday matinees on Oct. 15 and Oct. 22,audiences are invited to a free post-show discussion with the artists.
Ticket prices are $32 to $42 with discounts available for Cape Ann residents, senior citizens, and patrons 25 years old and under. Performances are at Gloucester Stage, 267 East Main St., Gloucester. For information or tickets, call the box office at 978-281-4433 or visit www.gloucesterstage.com


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Toyohiko had been displeased with much of his own seminary experience because he found that the students there were far more interested in arguments, rhetoric, persuasion, and the fine points of doctrine and textual study. He repeatedly begged them simply to live out what Jesus had taught in the parable of the Good Samaritan. He knew he was asking for much of the seminarians but he hoped that they would--as far as people go--be the most likely to answer a call to genuinely and sincerely practiced allegiance to Jesus as Lord and Savior. When he finished speaking to the assembled Princetonians he accepted some questions and then dismissed them quietly and gathered his things from the podium. As he was doing so, two of the seminarians turned to each other in their seats and discussed his lecture.
One insisted that it had not been quite what they had expected from a man who was so well respected around the seminary. Turning to his friend, he quipped, "He didn't have much to say, did he?"They shared their own little laugh knowing that they were better educated than Toyohiko but not knowing that they were still fools. Both of them had heard of his background and how he had been the illegitimate child of a powerful Japanese man and a geisha. He was hated by his mother and liked by his father but soon both his mother and father had died and he was orphaned. He was given over as the ward of the widowed wife of his father. She and her mother struggled not to resent little Toyohiko because it had not been his decision to be a child of infidelity but they failed in their struggle and Toyohiko knew he was hated by them. They sent him away to a boarding school. He began attending a bible study given by a Christian minister so that he could learn and practice his English. Yet while he was learning the language, he was hearing and considering the truths and teachings of the Faith of the minister. When he was a teenager, he converted to the Christian Faith that had gripped him by the heart over a long time of reflection and meditation. Soon after this conversion he knew clearly that he would be a minister of the Gospel that had spoken to him when he had walked in darkness, desperation, and death.
Though they didn't seem to prize it, those two young seminarians knew that after receiving more education in preparation for the calling he was already living into, Toyohiko had stepped out in faith and moved into the Shinkawa district of Kobe. These slums were some of the worst--if not the absolute worst--in all of Japan. He lived in a three-walled dwelling so filthy and small (only six feet wide by six feet long) that it would be an overstatement to call it a shack. For nearly fifteen years he tended to the sick, suffering, hungry, poor, and dying in Shinkawa. Toyohiko was able to make a little money (not nearly as much as he would have been able to if he had moved out of Shinkawa, though) but he spent it all on medicine, food, and clothing for those who came to him asking for it. He was regularly abused and beaten for his love and compassion. At one point, a band of thugs accosted him knowing him as an "easy mark" who would give over anything to them not out of fear but out of love. They demanded his clothing and mentioned that they knew he was a Christian. He took off his clothing and handed it over to the criminals and they walked away with filthy rags and an increasing awareness of the goodness of Toyohiko's God and their own inherent sinfulness shown by their willingness to beat and strip a poor and loving man in the slums.
Those two young seminarians probably had no idea that Toyohiko had spent nearly every night for nearly fifteen years tending for the sick and homeless in his own meager dwelling. He gave over his bed to the sick and filthy people he loved and slept in the cold with little to protect himself from the elements. He gave over his food and drink with such regularity that he was regularly ill from hunger. He did not have intense theological debates but he regularly lived out the teachings of Jesus in a way that granted him an inherent understanding of the Gospel that Jesus brought into this world. Every night for four years he held the hand of a murderer as that murderer drifted off into a fitful sleep in Toyohiko's own bed. The murderer could not bear what he had done any longer but Toyohiko still spoke of forgiveness to and refused to abandon the poor man who feared isolation and judgment. He organized workers in the slums and shipyards all while fighting for increased voting rights in Japan. Eventually, he was arrested and held in prison for two particular crimes: 1) he organized the voiceless so that they might speak in unison to those with power and be heard, and 2) he apologized to the Chinese for the Japanese occupation of portions of China. Toyohiko's commitment to peace--one he felt compulsory for all who hoped to follow Jesus even if it cost them their lives--made him a dangerous criminal in the eyes of Japan.
Perhaps the two young seminarians knew that a terrible earthquake hit Tokyo and Yokohama in 1923. The ruins of those cities were flooded with the sick, suffering, hungry, poor, and dying. The government was overwhelmed by the need and was uninitiated into taking care of its citizens since it had been so long practicing power and control and forsaking compassion and mercy. So they came to Toyohiko in prison and released him. They knew he had made a difference in the lives of those needing help and they also knew that it was Toyohiko who would be able to do it again. They made him Chief of Social Welfare and offered him a home and a sizable salary. He rejected them and insisted that he could neither help the poor from a position of comfort nor allow his Christian duty to be purchased. He slowly helped rebuild cities devastated by earthquake, neglect, and need. For this he was lauded and honored even as he insisted that he was only doing the bare minimum of what God had called him to do.
As the two seminarians continued to share their own criticism of Toyohiko they ignored that Toyohiko was struggling to see the steps he was trying to descend. He had acquired a serious eye disease because of his practices of offering hospitality even in the slums. Those he lived with were sick and soon so was Toyohiko. As the two men missed the point of all they had heard and continued to pass the drug of intelligent pride back and forth an elderly lady overheard them and interrupted them. She leaned forward to interject one simple sentence into their conversation while pointing at Toyohiko as he carefully descended the stairs: "You don't need to say much when you're hanging on a cross."
Thursday, April 27, 2017
April 27 - Toyohiko Kagawa, Poet, Pacifist, Friend of the Poor
Posted by Joshua Hearne at 7:00 AM
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