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This combination photo shows H.E.R. performing at the 2019 Essence Festival in New Orleans on July 6, 2019, left, and Missy Elliott performing at the 2019 Essence Festival on July 5, 2019. (Photo: AP)
Almost three years ago, Missy Elliott sent a tweet to a then under-the-radar artist whose music she admired and told her that "she was going to blow up."
Fast forward to 2020 and H.E.R. has been nominated for a total of 10 career Grammys, won two and is now starring with the rap legend in a new Pepsi commercial that will debut for the Super Bowl.
"When Pepsi reached out and said we want to have you on the Super Bowl commercial and the other person would be H.E.R. I was like, 'Oh my God, this is major'" Elliott said.
Elliott first heard of the "Best Part" singer from a friend who had her debut album on repeat. Elliott thought the record was "hot" and "immediately started Googling her," but couldn't find much information beyond her mixtape.
"It made me fall in love with her music," Elliott told The Associated Press in a recent phone interview. "I didn't get into what she looked like, what she said, what she had on, it was just the lyrics and the tracks and all that and I was like, 'This girl is really talented'."
Now the pair are collaborating on a cover of the Rolling Stones' classic "Paint it Black" for the commercial.
The animated ad for Pepsi Zero Sugar features H.E.R's sultry sound awash in red, surrounded by fluid dancers swishing long, red trains before it melds into a black stage punctuated by an upbeat rap from Elliott. The new track was co-produced by Elliott and longtime collaborator Timbaland with original lyrics from both artists and guitar and vocals from H.E.R.
"It's scary when you're having to recreate something that is so iconic and make sure that you do it justice," said Elliott, who performed at the Super Bowl with Katy Perry in 2015.
The two are the latest to join Pepsi's ad lineup, joining the ranks of Ray Charles, Michael Jackson, Tina Turner and Britney Spears.
They bonded in the studio, where H.E.R. said they got to know each other on a more personal level.
"She was telling me tour stories ... I felt like I had the inside scoop. It was really cool to peek into her world," said H.E.R. "She's just dope musically…there's nobody like Missy."
She added she's always admired Elliott's individuality and creativity as a producer.
"Missy's vibe is what I really loved and looked up to growing up, just how different she dared to be."
So can fans expect to see the artists make an appearance in Miami for the big game?
H.E.R. is still recovering from her whirlwind Grammy weekend: She performed on the telecast and was nominated for five Grammys, including record, song, and album of the year. And Elliott is, um well, a little afraid to come to Miami even though she owns two houses here.
"Last time I was there I went to open the door and a gecko lizard jumped on my shoulder and I swore I'd never come back. I was so scared ... those little gecko lizards are everywhere."


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In Ebensse, the teenagers Nina, her boyfriend Martin, Clemens, his girlfriend Alex and Mona are best friends since their childhood. On their high-school graduation day, they all receive the same message in the cellular: "In three days you will be dead!", but they believe is a stupid joke from their weird schoolmate Patrick. However, when Martin is found dead in the lake Traunsee, the group realizes that it is not a prank. When Nina is attacked and Patrick is killed trying to save her, they recall a tragic incident from their childhood.
A murder mystery thriller meets slasher flick that more or less is a formula straight off the "I know what you did last summer" assembly line. The main difference here is this film is Austrian and is filmed in some of the most beautiful settings I've seen as of late. We got hip young Austrian teens who just graduated college and are ready to party and figure out there lives. Low and behold they all get "texted" that they will be dead in 3 days. As expected, they snuff it off as a prank and go on partying.
Though as one of there friends Martin disappears per a gag, tied hands and a weighted tied to his legs while he's thrown overboard, they start to perk up a bit and take it pretty seriously. Now of course a film like this fits a certain demographic, so its my guess that it was release to appeal to that age group. Most of us frequent TV viewers though will see right though it and call it for what it is. A foreign copy cat film. The killer even wears the same get up in this film as "I know what you did last summer" minus the ice hook.
What's the motive you ask? Well, they all share a past that a childhood tragedy occurred, and now one of the kids relatives is out for blood. The plot is a bit more involved than that but you get the main idea at least. The teens of course are pretty tight bonded with a friendship that extends from childhood. So of course they party, date, go clubbing and all that fun cinema stuff you see teens kids pretty active in. The texting thing is definitely a 21st century plot add in. I've seen now 3 films that use "texting" in the tension aspects, though really it could of worked fine without it. Something about a slasher "texting" his victims seems a bit too slasher hip for a psychotic…… what next, haunted IPOD's?
A bonus for me was that they included an Eglish voiceover for its release which if you've ever had to listen to Austrian accents for too long it can get a bit annoying. Andreas Prochaska, the director of the film is a pretty competent guy as evidenced in some thought out interesting camera shots. I was impressed with a few shots that could have gone over the top but instead used camera framing to sell the idea without really calling in Savini to show alot of excess. Like it or not, this is the proof of a well directed scene. Especially the beautiful bird's eye view of the killer dragging a victim under the rain-falled lighting…..very nice! Sabrina Reiter who plays Nina is a cute feisty little thing that holds her own pretty well and provides the greatest on screen presence. In other words, you don't want to see her die like the others who you could care less about. The ending throws a couple loops in it that you weren't expecting. My thought though was was there an original ending that they added on to to give it a positive spin? Possibly??
So with all that said is the thriller thrilling? I'd say it runs a good run. It's got some foreign appeal with a touch of slasher fun thrown in for good measures. When all is said and done…. I really have to check out that location…what a cool looking place to live!! This film will fit perfectly on your teen slahser thrillers shelf log with the rest of them. You wont find alot of innovation but you will find familiarity.

subset: commoncrawl


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Union Pacific Corporation Elects David B. Dillon to Board of Directors, Names CEO Jack Koraleski Cha
Union Pacific Corporation today announced that David B. Dillon has been elected to the company's board of directors, effective immediately. The board also voted to elect the company's chief executive officer Jack Koraleski, chairman of the board.
Dillon, 62, is the chairman of The Kroger Co., based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Kroger employs 375,000 associates who serve customers in more than 3,700 supermarkets, convenience and jewelry stores in 34 states and the District of Columbia. Kroger also operates 38 U.S. food processing plants. Dillon has served in a variety of leadership roles within The Kroger Co., beginning in 1990 with his appointment as executive vice president. In 1995, Dillon was named president and chief operating officer and he served as chief executive officer from 2003 - 2013. Dillon is a member of the board of directors of DirecTV and also serves on the board of trustees for the University of Cincinnati Foundation, the board of trustees for the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati, the board of trustees for the University of Kansas Endowment, and the board of directors for Catalyst.
"Dave understands rail operations from a customer point of view," said Koraleski. "Having led a large retail business, Dave brings a unique perspective and strong knowledge of complex logistics operations to Union Pacific."
Dillon earned a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Kansas and a law degree from Southern Methodist University.
Koraleski, 63, succeeds the late Jim Young, who served as Union Pacific Corporation chairman from January 2007 until his death in February 2014. Since joining the railroad in 1972, Koraleski has served in a number of senior leadership roles, including controller of Union Pacific Corporation, executive vice president of Marketing and Sales and executive vice president of Finance and Information Technology for Union Pacific Railroad. He was named president and chief executive officer in March 2012, and was elected to the board of directors in July 2012.
Koraleski is a member of the national advisory committee for the College of Business Administration at the University of Nebraska Omaha, and honorary member of the board of directors of the Nebraska Methodist Hospital and the Nebraska Methodist Hospital Foundation. He also serves on the advisory board of the Women's Center for Advancement. He earned both a bachelor's and master's degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska Omaha.
All Union Pacific Corporation board members serve concurrently on the board of the company's principal operating subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad.
Union PacificUnion Pacific Railroad is the principal operating company of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP). One of America's most recognized companies, Union Pacific Railroad connects 23 states in the western two-thirds of the country by rail, providing a critical link in the global supply chain. From 2007-2013, Union Pacific invested more than $21.6 billion in its network and operations to support America's transportation infrastructure. The railroad's diversified business mix includes Agricultural Products, Automotive, Chemicals, Coal, Industrial Products and Intermodal. Union Pacific serves many of the fastest-growing U.S. population centers, operates from all major West Coast and Gulf Coast ports to eastern gateways, connects with Canada's rail systems and is the only railroad serving all six major Mexico gateways. Union Pacific provides value to its roughly 10,000 customers by delivering products in a safe, reliable, fuel-efficient and environmentally responsible manner.
The statements and information contained in the news releases provided by Union Pacific speak only as of the date issued. Such information by its nature may become outdated, and investors should not assume that the statements and information contained in Union Pacific's news releases remain current after the date issued. Union Pacific makes no commitment, and disclaims any duty, to update any of this information.


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New Data Reveals Female Motorcycle Riders Feel Happier, More Confident and Sexier Than Women Who Don't Ride
MILWAUKEE, Dec. 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Soon, women everywhere will be thinking about New Year's resolutions they could make to live a more fulfilled life in 2014 and beyond. Once they make those resolutions, they may turn to self-help books, fad diets and online advice to try and make them a reality. But who knew that the key to happiness might be where women least expect – out on the open road, and on two wheels.
A new study shows that women who ride their own motorcycles are noticeably happier – in life, in relationships, and even in the bedroom – than women who don't ride.
The study, conducted by Kelton and commissioned by Harley-Davidson, interviewed 1,013 adult female riders and 1,016 adult female non-riders, and the findings make it clear that riding a motorcycle greatly improves a woman's feelings of overall self-worth. Key insights surrounding women who ride motorcycles in comparison to those who don't include the following:
More than twice as many always feel happy (37 percent of riders vs. 16 percent of non-riders)
Nearly four times as many always feel sexy (27 percent of riders vs. 7 percent of non-riders)
Nearly twice as many always feel confident (35 percent of riders vs. 18 percent of non-riders)
According to the study, more than half (53 percent) of women who ride cite their motorcycle as a key source of happiness and nearly three in four (74 percent) believe their lives have improved since they started riding.
"Riding a motorcycle is the ultimate form of freedom and self-expression, so it makes sense that women riders are happier in life and, in general, feel more fulfilled," said Claudia Garber, Director of Women's Outreach for Harley-Davidson. "That's why learning to ride a motorcycle is the perfect gift you can give yourself and the best resolution to make for a truly life-changing new year."
Riding Improves Relationships
Beyond positively impacting a woman's sense of self, the study also shows riding can improve relationships. When it comes to romance, women who ride leave non-riders in their dust, being more content with:
Communication with their significant other (60 percent of riders vs. 38 percent of non-riders)
Physical intimacy (51 percent of riders vs. 35 percent of non-riders).
Stress can cause tension between significant others, but since more than a third (34 percent) of women riders report that they now feel less stressed after starting to ride, it's not surprising that 50 percent of them are extremely satisfied with the state of their current relationships.
Where Women Can Get Started
Women can jumpstart their journey to live a more fulfilled life in 2014 and beyond by learning to ride a motorcycle. Women are encouraged to visit the Women Riders section of the Harley-Davidson website at www.h-d.com/women. The site equips women with a number of tools to start their journey toward riding, including testimonials, overviews of motorcycles and gear, and news about special Harley-Davidson Garage Party™ events designed to give women hands-on demos and tips in a comfortable environment. Women can search for a Garage Party™ in their area at www.h-d.com/garageparty.
The site also features information about Harley-Davidson's Rider's Edge® New Rider Course, which is offered at select dealerships around the country. The course features 25 hours of expert guidance in the classroom, as well as the practice range, where you'll learn everything you need to know to ride with confidence. To sign up for a Rider's Edge® course at your local dealership, visit www.h-d.com/mytime.
About Harley-Davidson Motor Company
Harley-Davidson Motor Company produces custom, cruiser and touring motorcycles and offers a complete line of Harley-Davidson® motorcycle parts, accessories, riding gear and apparel, and general merchandise. For more information, visit Harley-Davidson's website at www.h-d.com.
About the Harley-Davidson Female Riders Survey
The Harley-Davidson Female Riders Survey was conducted by Kelton, a leading global insights firm, May 20 to May 28, 2013 among 1,013 adult American women who ride motorcycles sometimes or regularly and 1,016 adult American women who never ride motorcycles, using an email invitation and an online survey.
Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. For each sample, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample. The margin of error for any subgroups will be slightly higher.


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Get a Coach
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Five steps to find a trail-running mentor
Illustration by Ben O'Brien
I used to think that a coach for trail running is like a tour guide for travel. When it comes to training, like trip planning, I can research, plan and do it all myself. Unless you're trying to medal at a high-stakes race or explore a hostile destination, who needs a coach?
Or so I smugly thought until I stared at the puzzle of our family calendar. How would I train and recover around a series of shorter races while building up for a 100-miler in the midst of an erratic schedule involving kids, work and travel?
It suddenly hit me that I needed a coach, who would handle the planning, monitor my training and take my race readiness to a new level. But searching for a coach who is the right fit can be as hard as finding the right doctor or architect: Areas of expertise, styles and personalities all differ.
If you ask someone to coach you simply because you're in awe of his or her race times and physique, you might make a big mistake.
"The fact that someone is an excellent runner does not mean they will be an excellent coach," notes Liza Howard of San Antonio, Texas, past winner of the Javelina Jundred and Rocky Raccoon 100-milers and a USA Track & Field national champion in the 50-mile.
As with others interviewed for this article, Howard has both the perspective of being a trail-running coach and of being coached. Her coach is Matt Hart, who writes Trail Runner's Ask the Coach column.
She and others say, when hiring a coach, you're embarking on a relationship that will strongly influence your life for at least several months. You need to partner with someone you trust and respect enough to relinquish control of your routine and put your training in that person's hands. It behooves you to devote time to find the right person.
Getting into a relationship.
Ultrarunner Jimmy Dean Freeman of Los Angeles, head coach and founder of the Coyote Running group in Southern California, says a coach-athlete partnership "is like a dating relationship: It takes at least a month of feeling things out to get to know each other's styles and develop your compatibility. In that first month we're putting our best self out there. All the habits and tendencies of the athlete and coach may not the surface until you work together for a while."
Ian Torrence of Flagstaff, Arizona, the head ultrarunning coach for McMillan Running Company, prefers working with clients for at least two years, saying it takes that long to see the most significant growth and development in a runner. Many coaches offer monthly packages with a three-month minimum, but "three months is a very short time and basically all you can do is help a runner stay healthy and not go overboard before a big race," says Torrence. If the client is training for a first ultra, he adds, then the coach can also "help with race-day nutrition, gear and that sort of thing."
Given that Googling "running coach" yields hundreds of results, how do you find one that's right for you? Try these five steps.
1. Define goals.
"It really helps to make a list of things you desire in a coach," says Howard, such as, "Will you be able to ask questions at any time, and will the person respond right away? If things aren't going well, how open will the coach be to adjusting your schedule?"
Ask yourself, what are your short-term and long-term goals? For example, do you want to finish your first 50K or lower your 50-mile PR at a specific race?
Do you want someone who will ask you to log your nutrition and encourage you to modify what and how much you eat, or would you prefer a coach who accepts your beer-and-burger habit? Do you seek a local coach to train with you and accompany you to your goal race—which generally costs more and can limit your choices—or can you work well with someone long distance via phone and computer?
Also consider that some coaches provide services through training groups, while others coach individuals. "I highly believe in both styles, so I often encourage individual clients to come to group training sessions to do workouts and meet others who would be a good match for long runs," says elite-level runner Caitlin Smith of Oakland, California, head coach of The Endurables trail-running group, who also coaches individual clients.
2. Get the right fit.
As you begin to research coaches online and check references, look for someone who has deep experience in running and coaching for the type of race and terrain that matches your goal race. In other words, if your goal is to finish Colorado's rugged, high-altitude Hardrock 100, don't hire someone who is famous for training Olympic marathoners.
Most coaches have an "About" section on their website that lists highlights of their running careers, including races run. You can find out more about a coach's running background by searching the Ultrasignup.com or RealEndurance.com databases. Find out how long the coach has been coaching and whether any of his or her clients are accomplished trail runners. If the coach's website has testimonials from clients, try finding those clients online and contacting them with questions. Or simply ask the prospective coach to provide references.
Whereas road racing has national organizations to train and certify coaches, distance trail running is a wilder frontier where credentials carry less weight.
"You can be a great coach with a very scientific and accredited background, but in the uncharted waters of ultrarunning and distance trail racing, experience becomes paramount," says Matt Hart, whose credentials include winning the Tahoe Rim Trail 100 and traversing "Nolan's 14" (14 14,000-foot peaks in Colorado) in under 60 hours. "A good coach has personal experience and book smarts, follows the research and is extremely curious."
Adds Karl "Speedgoat" Meltzer, who holds the record for most 100-mile wins and who coaches clients in between racing and race directing, "I have no certifications. My coaching is all about experience."
3. Begin the courtship.
Good communication is essential. "The whole point of having a coach is not getting the typical cookie-cutter approach," says Smith. "It's about finding out what works for you and what helps you attain your short-term and long-term goals. You need to talk with your coach about how you're feeling both mentally and physically regarding workouts, races, etc."
Howard recommends interviewing a potential coach over the phone, rather than by email, to assess early on whether you enjoy talking to that person and can be completely honest and open. It's important to feel comfortable admitting that you didn't do a scheduled workout, for example, so that the coach knows what's really going on with your training.
Adds Hart, "You need to be able to ask them anything about your training plan. There truly are no dumb questions, and the more comfortable you are with the coach, the better."
4. Do your part.
Coaching is a two-way street. It's up to you to provide specific goals up front so the coach can design and refine your schedule. Write down the daily details of your workouts and report them to your coach. Use the opportunity to ask questions to get the most from your coach's knowledge.
Beware of a coach who emails a standard three-month plan and rarely if ever fine tunes it. "There's no such thing as a generic schedule," says Meltzer. "Eighty-five percent of people don't follow a schedule exactly. That's normal—we all have lives. The idea is to learn how to work around not following it. The coach has to find what works for the client."
5. Be ready to move on.
It's OK to break up. Smith, for example, was once coached by the legendary Jack Daniels, who was called "the world's best coach" by Runner's World. She experienced significant improvement, thanks to his prescribed workouts. However, because Daniels lived out of state and was in great demand, his availability was limited.
Then she switched to Mark McManus of Mill Valley, California, and works with him in person. "He has been amazing," says Smith. "He has seen me get really frustrated and sad after races. He listens to my venting and encourages me to let it go and move forward; he's super reassuring [but also] pushes me in workouts and races."
Meltzer says if he were hiring a coach, he'd do so early in the season, then "follow the coach's program tightly and learn as much as possible. But would I have that same coach for years? Probably not."
In my quest for a coach, I considered several options, both local and online. I didn't need a warm-and-fuzzy cheerleading type, as much as I needed a technical, precise coach to fine tune my training.
Ultimately, I chose someone whose advice I've been following in Trail Runner's pages for several years: Matt Hart. Now that I have a plan and know my coach will check up on me, I'm running more and feeling extra motivated. I'm also doing some things I've never tried before, such as sets of strides at the end of an easy run. My schedule calls for strength and flexibility exercises that have shaken up my old routine of pushups and situps, and I'm getting feedback on nutrition and race performance. My phone buzzes with texts such as, "2 recent races and some niggles means a recovery week."
Trail running coaches—who needs 'em? I guess I do after all.
Sarah Lavender Smith runs the trails near her home in the San Francisco Bay Area. She blogs about training and travel at TheRunnersTrip.com. This story originally appeared in our October 2013 issue.


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AUGUSTA — Requiring bidders for the state's liquor contract to pay the state a guaranteed $200 million — either up front or in 10 annual installments — could cost taxpayers over the long term, according to the head of Maine liquor operations.
In a work session before the Veterans and Legal Affairs committee, Gerry Reid, director of the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations, said a contractor's cost of financing up-front fees would ultimately be paid by taxpayers in the form of reduced profit-sharing revenues.
Reid's comment came on a Democratic bill, L.D. 644, one of two competing proposals for farming out the state's liquor operations — and paying the state's debt to Maine hospitals.
The other proposal, L.D. 239 — put forward by Gov. Paul LePage — would pay the successful bidder an annual fee to manage liquor operations for 10 years. Under the plan, the state would issue a bond to repay the hospital debt and pay off the bond with revenue from the liquor operations.
The bill sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Seth Goodall, D-Richmond, would use the up-front payment or payments to repay the hospital debt.
Reid told the committee that using up-front money "presents a philosophical problem."
"(A contractor) who does that has a right to charge for that," he said. "Money has a value. There's no need for that cost to be borne by taxpayers."
Currently, the state is winding up a 10-year contract with Maine Beverage Co., which agreed to run liquor operations in exchange for an up-front payment of $125 million that helped close a budget gap at the time. That contract guaranteed Maine Beverage a minimum profit margin, with the state sharing in profits above the minimum.
"L.D. 644 is conceptually very similar to the old deal," Reid said.
When the existing liquor contract was forged, "I don't believe many people had in their minds the up-front cost — the cost of capital," he said.
Reid said a liquor contract could be awarded by fall, for implementation in mid-2014.
If a new vendor is chosen, Reid said, there is only a slight chance that service would be disrupted during the transition.
"There's always that risk, but in my judgment it would be very small," he said.
Goodall said after the work session that the costs of the governor's bill also are unknown.
"We agree that we need to know all of the costs. How much is the governor's proposal going to cost to issue a bond? Can he issue a truth in lending statement?" Goodall said.
"The key of my proposal is that it doesn't borrow money, it creates a competitive process and the value of the business is very well known, so it will be a very close bidding process."
Goodall said his bill puts the risk on the bidders rather than the state.
The existing contractor, Maine Beverage Co., does not support or oppose either liquor bill, said Maine Beverage President and Chief Executive Dean Williams.
When asked if Maine Beverage would bid under the contract outlined by LePage's plan, Williams said would keep his options open but prefers the current model.
"A fee-for-services model is not where our strengths are. We are best at operating the business and investing in the future and looking long term," Williams said.
A fee-for-service model "dumbs things down and takes away the incentives to build and strengthen the business."
But Ford Reiche, president of Dirigo Spirit, which plans to bid for the contract, said the governor's plan makes more sense financially. "The state's going to make the most money if they do a fee-for-service arrangement," he said.
"The up-front fee in L.D. 644 sells off the (future) revenue stream. . . . You have to guarantee the person who wrote the up-front check a return," Reiche said.
One aspect of L.D. 239 calls for the state to reduce the price of certain spirits to be more competitive with New Hampshire.
Reid said the state could adjust prices every three months, if needed, to fine-tune its strategy of improving competition with New Hampshire.
Rep. Jeffery Gifford, R-Lincoln, a committee member, said he'd like the new liquor contract to add an education component about the dangers of substance abuse and to set aside money for that initiative. Reid said some educational programs are already in place, but more could be done.
Another committee member, Rep. Diane Russell, D-Portland, expressed concern about liquor companies marketing to children and said the state should have the right to pull products off the shelves if distillers target minors in any promotions or labeling.
The state already has the right to review brands, labels and promotions from spirits distillers and it takes that responsibility seriously, Reid said.
Another work session on the competing liquor proposals is scheduled for Friday.
Staff Writer Jessica Hall can be reached at: 791-6316
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PORTLAND — There will be at least one new at-large member on the City Council this year.
After serving two terms, incumbent John Anton is not seeking re-election to his seat, which represents the entire city. And two familiar names will be on the Nov. 5 ballot to replace him.
Former state Rep. Jon Hinck and businessman Wellington "Wells" Lyons are vying for Anton's seat on the council, which oversees a budget of $215.5 million.
Lyons is a 31-year-old co-owner and in-house attorney for Rogue Industries, a Portland-based manufacturer of wallets, shaving kits, credit card holders and electronics cases.
Last year, Lyons challenged longtime City Councilor Nicholas Mavodones Jr. for an at-large seat. His campaign raised $14,000, but he lost to Mavodones by roughly 3,500 votes.
Hinck is a 59-year-old lawyer who has served three terms as a state representative. Hinck, who co-founded Greenpeace USA in 1979, placed third in the four-way Democratic primary race for the U.S. Senate seat vacated last year by Olympia Snowe.
During interviews with the Press Herald, the candidates traded barbs over the city's controversial sale of Congress Square Plaza to Ohio-based Rockbridge Capital, which is renovating the former Eastland Hotel and plans to build an event center on the plaza.
Hinck said he supports the council's decision to sell the plaza, but would have advocated for Rockbridge to provide the city with an equal or greater amount of new public space. He points to a parking lot on Free Street next to the Children's Museum as a potential open space site.
Lyons testified against the sale at the council's public hearing, arguing that a well-designed public space would be a better asset for area businesses than the event center.
Hinck accused Lyons of flip-flopping on the issue, because Lyons originally supported the proposal.
"It wasn't any new facts that resulted in a flip-flop," Hinck said. "It was a change in principle."
Lyons rejected that assertion, however, saying that details in the purchase agreement,which allows conversion to another hotel use in the future, contributed to his change of heart. Also, the groundswell of support for keeping the park a public space made him optimistic that the underlying reason for the sale – that the park was a failed public space – could be corrected, he said.
"I don't think people want name-calling and accusations to be going on at the local level," Lyons said.
Lyons, meanwhile, questioned Hinck's commitment to nitty-gritty city issues such as trash, parking and education. Had each one won his respective election last year, Lyons said he'd be in Portland, while Hinck would be in Washington, D.C.
"It's fair to say Jon's attention is on the national level," Lyons said. "My primary concern is local politics."
Hinck said he is interested in public policy more than politics and, despite remaining vocal in social media about national political issues, the progressive Hinck said he wants to make Portland a better place to live. For example, he'd like the city to offer incentives for weatherization, which would reduce heating costs for homeowners and businesses and combat climate change, he said.
Hinck also believes his experience as a state legislator would be an asset when dealing with state funding issues.
Both candidates would like to see changes to the city's trash system.
Lyons would like the city to begin using covered trash and recycling receptacles to reduce litter. Hinck would like the city to model its trash collection efforts after South Portland, which uses a single truck to collect both forms of waste. Hinck also would like to eliminate the city's blue bag system.
As a small-business owner, Lyons said, he would focus on growing the local economy and supporting education. He would like the city to create financial incentives – whether tax credits or grants – for businesses that hire people who have a history of being homeless. He'd also like to explore changes to its parking system, such as reinstating the parking amnesty program (in which the first ticket every year is a warning) and possibly charging for parking after 6 p.m. in areas such as Commercial Street.
Both candidates support the legalization of marijuana, an issue that is the focus of a city-wide referendum Nov. 5.
Hinck said the council should "send signals" to police officers to respect the will of voters, even though the state's prohibition of the drug would supersede a city ordinance. Lyons said he would need to examine how other cities have handled the enforcement issue.
Both candidates acknowledge that residents are near their limit in terms of property taxes.
Lyons said he would look for savings by consolidating the city's human resources and finance departments with the school district's. He also believes that the amount of overtime paid to firefighters – which recently topped $2 million – is a red flag and should be examined further.
Hinck, meanwhile, said he would ensure the city was run effectively and efficiently. Any department that is an outlier among its peers – including the fire department – would receive additional scrutiny.
Lyons has received the endorsement of Anton, City Councilors Kevin Donoghue and David Marshall, and school board member Sarah Thompson, as well as the Maine League of Young Voters.
Randy Billings can be contacted at 791-6346 or at:
Twitter: @randybillings
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One of the savory items he prepared that night was this paprika palmier. Now I have to mention a detail that stuck in my craw. Malgieri prepared and included in the book a recipe for instant puff pastry. This pastry was prepared in a food processor and was then rolled and folded. For me, it was not puff pastry. This is what he used for these palmiers, and the sample was delicious, and he did point out that the pastry would not achieve the volume of a true puff pastry. So, maybe if it were called quick pastry that tastes good but isn't quite like puff pastry, then I would have accepted it and moved on. For a palmier, savory or sweet, I wanted the pastry to be of the real puff variety. That's why I chose purchased puff pastry to prepare this quick hors d'oeuvre for a holiday party this past weekend. Great news: Whole Foods now makes their own brand of all-butter puff pastry, and it's found in the freezer section.
These little gems came together incredibly simply. Roll out pastry. Brush an egg wash over entire surface. Sprinkle on grated parmigiana reggiano, smoked Spanish paprika, and sea salt. Roll, chill, cut, and bake. Smoky, nutty, salty, and buttery flavors melded into lovely, little cocktail snacks. I'd love to attempt making my own pate feuilletee, but the pre-made all-butter version is a great alternative. I've flipped through The Modern Baker, and every recipe in it looks like a winner. There are a few cookies from it that are already on my Christmas baking list and several tarts and cakes that I look forward to trying too.


text: Target said Thursday it investigated but ultimately dismissed early signs of a data breach, a decision it likely regrets after suffering one of the largest payment-card and personal-data breaches on record.The retailer said it logs a vast number of technical events each week, and "a small amount of [the criminals'] activity was logged and surfaced to our team. That activity was evaluated and acted upon," Molly Snyder, a Target spokeswoman, said in an emailed statement on Thursday."Based on their interpretation and evaluation of that activity, the team determined that it did not warrant immediate follow up," Snyder wrote. "With the benefit of hindsight, we are investigating whether, if different judgments had been made the outcome may have been different."The breach of Target's network resulted in the loss of 40 million payment card details, plus 70 million other personal records, causing U.S. lawmakers to question whether companies are doing enough to protect personal data. Target's data was stolen between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15, the busiest shopping period in the U.S.Snyder wrote that despite investing hundreds of millions of dollars in security, "the unfortunate reality is that we experienced a data breach."She declined to provide a timeline for the early clues, but said the retailer was notified by the U.S. Department of Justice of a possible breach on Dec. 12. Target confirmed the breach three days later.Target's cash registers, known as point-of-sale (POS) terminals, were infected with a type of malware called a "RAM scraper." The malware recorded payment card details after a card was swiped and the unencrypted data briefly sat in a system's memory.Security experts believe a variant of "Kaptoxa," also called "BlackPOS ," was used against Target. The malware was spotted by security companies as early as March 2013.AThe style of attack, which also affected luxury retailer Neiman Marcus, was notable for finding weaknesses despite a long-running effort to implement better security around card handling with the Payment Card Industry's Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS).Send news tips and comments to email@example.com. Follow me on Twitter: @jeremy_kirk


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Get to know your site's visitors how they look and dynamically change your site to improve online results. Our Manifesto: The web is about people, not websites Navegg is the 1st Brazilian company fully dedicated to online optimization...
Reduce costly downtime. Don't lose visitors and customers. Our Uptrends worldwide checkpoints will monitor your website, network and services from around the globe. Alerts by SMS / text messages/ RSS, IM or email.
OneStat is leading in Top 1M Sites and The Entire Web.
In terms of market share, Navegg is clearly lagging behind, losing to OneStat in all segments.
OneStat has better usage coverage in more websites categories. Including Hobbies & Leisure, Arts & Entertainment, Science & Education, Computers Electronics & Technology and 18 other categories.
Navegg hasn't got a lead over OneStat in any websites category.
OneStat is leading in most countries, including Netherlands, United States, Belgium, United Kingdom and 62 other countries.
Navegg hasn't got a lead over OneStat in any country.


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Martello Tower Home by Luigi Rosselli Architects
This contemporary two-storey residence located in Collaroy, Australia, was designed in 2015 by Luigi Rosselli Architects.
Description by Luigi Rosselli Architects
Situated on the highest point of a ridge overlooking Sydney's Middle Harbour is a solid, 3 storey brick house built during the between the late 1950s and early 1960s, which has been complemented by contemporary additions bearing all the signature hallmarks of Luigi Rosselli Architecture: the sandstone base, the whitewashed walls, and the aerofoil vertical louvres placed next to "log-cabin" exterior wall cladding.
The front of the house features another Luigi Rosselli Architects key element – a lightwell containing an elliptical stair – framed by the sandstone Martello Tower* entry porch that, in its "partially ruined" state, opens up to the horizontal whitewashed concrete beams and roof lines that complete the new street elevation.
Gentle alterations to the existing house have left ninety-five percent of the original structure standing including the 1950s sandstone fireplace in the lounge, while the additions to the front of the house and the new lower ground floor level at the back have enlivened its somewhat bland appearance. Internally, the interiors created by Romaine Alwill incorporated the client's favourite Mediterranean Blue colour into a timeless palette to create a comfortable and luminous family home that is ready to survive another 50 years.
*Sometimes known simply as Martellos, Martello Towers are small defensive forts that were built across the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the French Revolutionary Wars onwards. Most were coastal forts.
Photography by Justin Alexander & Edward Birch
Visit Luigi Rosselli Architects- by Matt Watts


text: NO long term contract NO big prepayment of airtime NO credit check PUT FREE PAGERS ON YOUR KIDS - Give one to your loved ones - For FREE Here at Paging America we are excited to be offering you this exclusive, top of the line, full featured pager in your choice of color for FREE. This side viewable display pager is one of the smallest and lightest pagers on the market today. Call TOLL FREE 877-699-8547 to be Guaranteed Your FREE Pager Today Your pager will hold up to 20 numeric messages. It has 9 music alerts and silent vibration. New FLEX technology provides three times the battery life. Also, message time and date stamping and smart alarm so you can set a daily or weekly reminder. This pager comes in black, teal and blue. To receive your free pager ALL WE ASK is that you allow us to provide you with the monthly airtime cancelable at any time. There is NO long term contract. Just call the toll free number and we'll ship your Free pager to you immediately in your choice of color already programmed with a local telephone number for your town. Make this easy phone call and we will deliver your pager immediately. CALL Toll free 877-699-8547 to get in on this exciting offer today Under Bill s. 1618 TITLE III passed by the 105th Congress this letter cannot be considered spam as long as the sender includes contact information and removal instructions. This is a one-time e-mail transmissiom. No removal is necessary. ---


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US AID Sudan Property Rights Programme
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Sudan Property Rights Programme (SPRP) is working with Southern Sudan Land Commission (SSLC) to develop a land policy for the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS). The policy will be based upon an extensive programme of public consultation and research. Throughout consultations in each southern Sudan's 10 states, women's land rights were a contentious subject, particularly related to land ownership by women in rural areas. Further, women were not always adequately represented in some State consultations. Thus, SPRP staff identified the need for a separate thematic consultation focusing specifically on women's rights to land and how to address this issue in the land policy. A workshop was convened on May 6th in Juba, Southern Sudan, for 33 policymakers, practitioners, and women leaders from government, traditional institutions, and civil society organizations to discuss how the land policy can best provide a basis for strengthening women's land rights.
Source publication:
Sudan Women's Access to Land and Property Rights Workshop Report May 2010, USAID Land Tenure and Property Rights Portal


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Featured Care Guides
Administering Medications to Your Cat
The first part of successfully administering medication to your cat is to ensure that you understand the instructions for giving the medication. These instructions include route of administration (for example, by mouth, into the ears, or into the eyes), dosing frequency (for example, once daily, every 12 hours, or every 8 hours), duration of treatment (for example, 7 days, until gone), and other special considerations (for example, give with food, follow with water).
Aggression in Dogs
The most common and serious behavior problems of dogs are associated with aggression. Canine aggression includes any behavior associated with a threat or attack (e.g., growling, biting).
Barking is one of several types of vocal communication by dogs. You may appreciate your dog's barking when it signals that someone is at your door or that your dog needs something. However, dogs sometimes bark excessively or at inappropriate times. Because barking serves many purposes, determine why your dog is doing it before attempting to address a barking problem. Does your dog use barking to get what he or she wants? For example, dogs that get attention for barking often learn to bark for food, play, and walks as well. Therefore, training your dog to be quiet on command is important so that you can teach your dog a different behavior (such as "sit" or "down") for getting what he or she wants. Dogs of certain breeds and dogs that aren't spayed or neutered may bark more than other dogs; therefore, it can be more difficult to reduce barking in these dogs.
Bringing a New Kitten Home
Bringing a new kitten home is exciting. These guidelines will help you and your kitten adjust to this big change in your lives.
All Care Guides
10 Household Plants That Are Dangerous to Dogs and Cats
Asparagus fern (also called emerald feather, emerald fern, sprengeri fern, plumosa fern, and lace fern) is toxic to dogs and cats. The toxic agent in this plant is sapogenin—a steroid found in a variety of plants. If a dog or cat ingests the berries of this plant, vomiting, diarrhea, and/or abdominal pain can occur. Allergic dermatitis (skin inflammation) can occur if an animal is repeatedly exposed to this plant.Read More
10 Ways to Help an Arthritic Dog
Here are tips to manage this condition and minimize your dog's discomfort.Read More
A Pet Owner's Guide to Flea Control
Fleas are blood-feeding parasites that can infest many species of birds and mammals. Although fleas on dogs and cats don't infest people, fleas may bite people if an area is heavily infested. Flea infestation is one of the most common medical problems veterinarians see, and pets suffer greatly from this condition. Flea bites can trigger severe allergic reactions in some pets. The intense itching caused by flea infestation causes pets to scratch and bite themselves. This can lead to skin wounds, skin infections, and general misery for your pet. Even if your pet is not allergic to flea bites, fleas can transmit serious diseases, such as bartonellosis (the bacteria that causes "cat scratch disease" in people), and other parasites, like tapeworms.Read More
ACTH Stimulation Test
Glucocorticoids (primarily cortisol) and mineralocorticoids are two important types of hormones produced by the body's adrenal glands. Glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids help regulate numerous complex processes in the body and participate in critically important functions.Read More
Abdominal Radiography
A radiograph (sometimes called an x-ray) is a type of photograph that reveals the body's internal organs. The procedure for obtaining a radiograph is called radiography. Radiography is a very useful diagnostic tool for veterinarians because it can help obtain information about almost any organ in the body, including the heart, lungs, and abdominal organs, as well as the bones.Read More


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I've mentioned before that stuffing is my families favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal, so I had to have a post devoted to it this year. This stuffing or dressing recipe makes about 4 servings so it's perfect for a single serving Thanksgiving dinner with leftovers, or for a couple. You can stuff it in a bird if you want, but I tend to make it in a casserole dish so I know it's cooked through and don't even have to think about food poisoning. This year I decided to take that one step further and cooked it in individual servings.
If you cook yours in individual serving dishes just check it at 10, 15, and 20 minutes to make sure it doesn't burn. This is basically my hodgepodge stuffing that I wrote about last year, but I cleaned up the recipe AND I have a nicer camera now! I love stuffing because it's a simple side that tastes amazing and uses ingredients I usually have on hand. In fact I just served it with pomegranate chicken for lunch the other day, and often make it just for a snack. You don't have to save stuffing for the holidays!!!
I HIGHLY recommend simply using a baguette or other bakery (or homemade) bread for stuffing rather than the stuffing mix in a bag or box. The first is that it gives a better texture, but the most important is that it's CHEAPER! A loaf of French bread is usually $1 at our local store, I just checked and the bag of "stuffing" is $4 on sale!!!! Just make sure to cut your bread into chunks that are 1/2 inch or 1 inch at the most, and let them dry out a bit. If you're in hurry, just toast them lightly in the oven before mixing everything together. One last important step is to make sure to leave any excess broth in the mixing bowl. You don't want the dressing to be too soggy. Oh yeah, and if you don't have chicken broth on hand you can make some from bullion.
Easy Thanksgiving StuffingServes 2-4
12-14 inch length crusty french bread
1 shallot
1 celery stalk
3 cloves garlic minced
1 TBS butter
salt and pepper
2 cups chicken broth
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut bread into 1/2 inch chunks. Chop shallot and celery then saute with garlic in butter until tender.
Season lightly with salt and pepper then mix into the bread in a large bowl. Pour in enough broth to well moisten the bread. Mush with your hands to absorb the liquid and slightly break apart bread chunks.
Dump into a baking dish (with out any excess broth) and pat down. Bake for about 20-30 minutes or until golden and crusty on top.
Approximate cost/serving: It only costs $1.45 to make the whole dish. It serves two as a single side, or 4 with multiple sides like for Thanksgiving. So only 36 cents a serving.
Vegetarian: You can make this vegetarian by subbing vegetable broth for the chicken broth.


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Zooey Deschanel -- Officially Divorced
Zooey Deschanel Officially Divorced
It's official -- Zooey Deschanel and her Death Cab for Cutie singer husband Ben Gibbard are finally divorced.
TMZ broke the story ... Zooey filed for divorce in January, blaming the split on "irreconcilable differences." She and Gibbard were married in 2009 and have no kids.
A judge signed off on the divorce decree on December 12th.
But this is interesting ... according to the divorce docs, both Zooey and Ben waved their rights to spousal support.
Kinda makes sense considering Zooey's in impressive financial shape -- with a net worth hovering around $3 million ... and basically zero debt.
As for Ben -- Death Cab ain't exactly a garage band.


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From Microsoft:
Windows XP SP3 includes previously released updates for the operating system, as well as a small number of new fixes and additions that should not significantly change the Windows XP experience. Windows XP SP3 will be released to the web (RTW) on April 29, 2008. For customers deploying Windows Vista, enhancements to Windows XP SP3 (such as Network Access Protection or NAP) will make it easier to co-manage Windows XP and Windows Vista within the same corporate environment. For further information regarding Windows XP SP3 RTM, please visit the TechNet Forum blog post at http://forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/default.aspx?SiteID=17.
I received the final code recently and will publish a few install shots later today.


text: Ghiora-Aharoni-Jobim1 Jobim 276 The Jobim 276 coffee table, inspired by the silhouettes of 1930s Brazilian furniture, translates the industrial materials of wired glass and powder-coated steel into a curving, expressive profile. The table melds opaque black and transparent glass surfaces into a form that is simultaneously utilitarian and sensuous. The table, which was introduced at the Collective Design Fair in New York City in 2015 by Donzella Gallery, is available in two sizes: Standard (15"H x 24"W x 60"L) and Large (15"H x 36"W x 60"L), each in a limited edition of 18. Jobim 276 may also be commissioned in custom sizes.


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Skip to Content
Skip to Main Navigation
Skip to Footer
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You Are Here: The Faculty
To Portal Page
Here you will find general information on our Faculty.
The Reiffmuseum was donated in 1902 by the former professor for freehand drawing and painting with water colors, Franz Reiff. However, the museum soon had to give way to the expanding Faculty of Architecture which was located in the same building. Even today, the »Reiff« is still the main building of the Faculty.
read more...zu: Faculty of Architecture
more...zu: Contact and Map


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Rosh HaShanah is coming, and the temple bulletin says about something called Selichot. What's that? Do I want to attend?:
1. WHAT IS SELICHOT? Loosely translated, it means "Please forgive." The word has two meanings at this time of year: (1) prayers asking God's forgiveness for misdeeds and (2) a service of such prayers, usually on the evening of the last Saturday before Rosh HaShanah.
2. WHAT HAPPENS AT THE SERVICE? The Selichot service marks the beginning of the High Holy Day season. While individuals may have been observing Elul, this is the point at which we see big changes in the synagogue. Torah covers are changed from the regular covers to white ones. The clergy may begin wearing white, or white robes. The music and the tunes of the prayers change from the familiar tunes to the High Holy Day tunes. We read lists of sins (vidui) that individuals or the whole community may have committed.
3. WHAT ARE HIGH HOLY DAY TUNES? For a taste of the High Holy Day nusach (tune), listen to this playlist of melodies assembled by Student Rabbi Ahuva Zaches. It's particularly nice because it shows you the words while you learn the tunes, and because it is so simply done that you can really hear the melodies.
4. WHY READ LISTS OF SINS, ESPECIALLY IF THEY AREN'T MY SINS? First, we are fallible human beings, and it is easy to forget things, especially things we do not want to remember. Going over a list jogs the memory and the heart. Secondly, we approach the High Holy Days both as individuals and as a community, responsible for one another. While I am not responsible for the sins of my neighbor, he and I are responsible for each other's well-being, and so his sins affect me. Finally, some sins are communal: for instance, we may talk about "the poor" and the need to "love the stranger" but what action have we as a community actually taken? Are we a community who fosters sinful behavior such as gossip? The lists bring up those questions as well.
5. WHY IS IT HELD SO LATE AT NIGHT? In some communities, Selichot may be a midnight or late night service. Traditionally, the hours between nightfall and midnight are hours of din, of stern justice, but the hours after midnight are a time when the presence of God is gentler. We are asking for mercy in these prayers, so we say them late at night. (This has to do with the darkness, which will begin to lift towards morning.) In more modern terms, it gives a very solemn feel to the service, and breaks us out of our usual routine, which is a way of saying, "Look out! The High Holy Days are almost here!"
6. WHAT IF I DON'T BELIEVE IN GOD? Even if you don't believe in God, you may need to deal with things you have done. If you find the idea of a God who sits in judgment problematic or even ridiculous, that's OK. When we sin — do things that damage relationships, do harm to the world or ourselves — our actions have consequences. When we pray for mercy, we are praying that those consequences will be light. However, wishing alone won't do the job — we have to take responsibility for our deeds, and take action to minimize the damage we have done. That's teshuvah, or repentance. All the sins listed in the vidui (list of sins) are things that left unchecked will have bad consequences and hurt someone. If we have done any of those things, we need to take responsibility (ask forgiveness), and take action to fix and prevent in the future.
7. WHAT IF I USUALLY FIND SERVICES BORING? Selichot is a different kind of service, wherever it is held. You will get an introduction to High Holy Days music. It is usually not a long service. But more than anything else, it is a service with a very distinct purpose: to get us ready to change our ways for the better. This is not your usual synagogue service. Also — added bonus! — if you are not going to be able to go to the High Holy Day services for some reason, this is a small taste of them that does not require tickets.
L'Shana Tova Umetuka! I wish you a good and a sweet New Year!
Related articles
- Beginner's Guide to the High Holy Days (coffeeshoprabbi.com)


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#348 The Rails API Gem
May 09, 2012 | 9 minutes | Controllers, Plugins, Rack, APIs
It is often asked: Is Rails a good fit if I only need to serve an API? In this episode I show how to use the Rails API gem to create a slimmer Rails application designed to respond with JSON.
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- source codeProject Files in Zip (32 KB)
- mp4Full Size H.264 Video (27.2 MB)
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- webmFull Size VP8 Video (13.7 MB)
- ogvFull Size Theora Video (33.5 MB)


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Terms and Conditions
You may not:
Distribute, reproduce, publicly display or otherwise use the Materials for any public or commercial use; "mirror" or include Materials on your own Web site, server or documents; modify or use the Materials on this Site without the express written permission of -FINISH AS FAST AS ALLOWED, LOWEST PRICE BY LAW $25
You may:
Print copies of the Materials for your own personal use only; and store the Materials on your own computer for your personal use only.
Traffic collisions in Texas annually take the lives of thousands of people and cause billions of dollars in economic losses. Death, injuries, and property damage have to be reduced, and drivers must improve their attitudes and skills. It is particularly important that Texas citizens identify and implement all reasonable means to reduce human suffering and property loss that result from vehicle collisions. To those ends, this driving safety course is intended to improve your knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes about driving.
By law, all driving safety classes must cost at least $25 and must be six hours in length in order to dismiss a traffic citation. You'll be signing a statement on your Certificate of Course Completion that you have completed the entire six-hour driving safety course. If you sign this statement falsely, you could be charged with tampering with a government document, and the penalty for tampering with a government document is two to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
During this course, you will be asked to complete a Student Information Form. It is very important that this information be accurate and readable because it will be used to print and mail your course completion certificate to you. Your certificate must be mailed to you, not to the court. The address that you provide needs to be your current mailing address, and it may not necessarily be the one that is on your driver's license. Do not fill in the court's address as the mailing address of the certificate. On another part of the Student Information Form, you will need to identify the court that has jurisdiction of your case. Please be specific. Writing in "JP" or "Municipal" is not sufficient. The court information that you provide will be printed on your course completion certificate. It must be accurate, so write in the name of the judge, justice of the peace, or city municipal court exactly as it appears on your traffic citation. If you try to guess and get it wrong, the court may not accept the certificate. Pay close attention to the date that the court gave to you for submission of your completion certificate to the court. You must abide by the court date so you don't end up with a warrant for your arrest.
Your certificate of course completion will not be given to you at the end of this class. The course providers shall issue all original and duplicate uniform certificates of course completion using first-class or enhanced postage, equivalent commercial delivery method, or department approved electronic issuance method. When you receive the certificate envelope, open it carefully and make sure you keep all parts of the document to ensure that you have both your court and insurance copies. If you have not received your course completion certificate after 21 days, call 888-897-2087.
Remember… the court needs the course completion certificate that you receive in the mail – not your receipt.
Finally, if you leave here believing that this course did not provide you with accurate information that will improve your knowledge, procedures, and attitudes about driving, please inform TDLR.
By working together to change our way of thinking, attitudes, and skills, we can make Texas roads and highways a safer place to drive.
This introduction was produced by Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation (TDLR)


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Happy Holidays! The SoundCloud Christmas Song
Merry Christmas to all of you from team SoundCloud! We hope you're enjoying this time of the year with your loved ones and we would like to say Thank You for making 2009 such a fantastic year for SoundCloud. From all of us at SoundCloud, we wish you happy holidays and a great new year! Here is the 'official' SoundCloud Christmas Song by Melissa Axel from Denver, USA:
Melissa wins a yearly Premium Lite account! Congrats, consider yourself upgraded!
Again – thank you so much for being with us! See you all again in 2010!


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Congratulations to Help Volty!, the GameSalad Game of the Month – November!
We are pleased to award this months Game of the Month winner to the development team Tvndra!
While we here at GameSalad are often impressed and amazed at the innovation and creativity employed by our developer community, sometimes a title comes along that raises that bar even higher. Help Volty is one such title. Combining beautiful design, art and playability, Help Volty is the perfect example of how dedicated to their craft GameSalad devs can be.
We sat down with team Tvndra to learn a little more about their journey creating Help Volty, and about the developers themselves:
GameSalad: Hey Tvndra! (And individual greetings to Pim, Ceciel and Marnix) We're glad you took the time to talk with us! Tell us about Help Volty –
Tvndra: Help Volty is a multitouch puzzle adventure in a kind of medieval steampunk setting. It is about Volty, a beetle-like creature who is trapped inside a wooden box. The merchant, who caught him with his net has "enhanced" Volty with electric wiring and a big button on his back. The box itself is not an ordinary box, but actually a series of connected mechanical and electrical devices made by the Merchant. And Volty is not the only creature that is trapped inside. At the start of the game, you will meet the Merchant with his box, and you will trade your only coin to play his game to try and free Volty.
GameSalad: What inspired your game design?
Well, we all have been gaming from when we were small, and so we have developed a taste for certain things, like, strange worlds, atmospheric settings and such. We also love thick books with epic stories, and movies and series. And music is a great way to get inspired too. The idea for Volty started with the desire to build something for the iPad, to do something creative and completely free for ourselves.
Very early on we had a character running in a couple of side scrolling levels. We were really just searching then, trying to figure out what we would like in a game. But as we thought more about it, we tried to come up with other ideas, things that would only be possible with touch. We made a lot of quick concepts to see how an idea would feel on an iPad. One of those was trying to catch or guide creatures with your fingers, viewed from the top. This seemed to be potentially fun, so we started to come up with ideas around that, like, what are these creatures, and what could be the goal of guiding them? These story-like ideas automatically required ideas for gaming elements to form and reach goals in the story. This eventually turned out to be a scene within the world of Volty.
GameSalad: In your own words, what do you feel makes Help Volty a unique, must-play gameplay experience?
Tvndra: Help Volty doesn't look like a typical mobile game, and that hopefully catches people's attention at first glance. We try to make the potential player curious, to give a sense that Help Volty is something different and that there is more to explore.
I think people who like to play games on PCs and consoles often miss a bit of depth in mobile games, like a backstory, a setting, characters etc. These things are very well done in a lot of "big" games, while lots of mobile games tend to have a cartoon-look to it, and are often more about a game-mechanic, or puzzling with words and things like that. These kind of games are great in their own way, but for people who like to play games as a real hobby, there are not a lot of games that go a bit deeper or further. We tried to immerse the player as much as possible in an otherworldly place when playing Help Volty. And we always tried to avoid standard elements and solutions. That approach comes across, we hope, to give people a gaming experience they haven't had before on a mobile device. The reviews we've been getting so far are super enthusiastic, so we're really exited.
GameSalad: When you're not developing games, what are some of your hobbies outside of GameSalad?
Tvndra: Books, movies, games and music. We have a Unimog which we bought and rebuilt and we do short road trips when there is time for it 🙂 (Editor note: I may or may not have threatened to hijack said Unimog in an overly-elaborate heist…)
GameSalad: How did you discover GameSalad?
Tvndra:When we decided to go and built something for the iPad, we didn't have a clue where to start, because coding and designing games was very different from what we normally do. So we Googled and researched a couple of days and it became apparent that with Gamesalad, noobs like us could have cool results fairly quickly, plus there seemed to be a vibrant community with great people eager to help. When you first start working with GS, it may seem limited but as you get more experienced you will learn there is SO much that you can do with this program! Because the GS interface is so visually, new ideas come automatically and that is why we really love it…
GameSalad: When developing games, do you work independently or with a team?
Tvndra: We have been friends for years and for our day jobs we have been working as a team since 2003, so it felt completely natural to do the same with Help Volty. We each had our own tasks of course, which we also did at home. It was fun to show the others your results and new ideas the next morning and see what other ideas would come from that. It is a very fruitful way of developing something.
GameSalad: Any new projects on the horizon we can look forward to? What are you currently working on?
Tvndra:Although the game is out, we are still left with a lot of questions regarding Volty's world and those who inhabit it, and that is for us part of the fun. We are thinking about revealing more of the world, introducing more characters or telling more about existing ones. We have some early rough concepts running on iPhone right now. The phone is a different device than a tablet, not just physically, but also in the way people use it. That demands a different kind of game. Something you can do in a short session, while waiting in line at a store, and maybe playable with just one hand, I don't know. It will be interesting to see what works with those different circumstances. We haven't got a clear idea what it will become, so we are going to play around a lot more to see what we can discover.
Thanks again for taking the time to talk with us, Tvndra! If your next title is as strong as Help Volty, Tvndra has a bright future ahead!
Grab it today and perhaps you, too, can save Volty…
For iPad


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Despite his unending fascistoid comments, NBC invited Donald Trump to host a Saturday Night Live show on November 7. When Latino personages protested against this astonishing decision, NBC stuck to its guns. Recently a group of Latino legislators, hoping to iron out any animus resulting from Trump's appearance, met with NBC executives to discuss the issue.
(Image source: Wikipedia)
The meeting began on a bad note. NBC News President Deborah Turness's comments about a young Latina girl were intended to show compassion. Instead, they were racially insensitive and a California legislator reacted negatively and made his views known:
Near the start of the meeting, Turness was describing a story her network had covered about Pope Francis' interaction with a young girl who said she feared her parents would be deported. Turness referred to the girl's parents as "illegals." This statement did not sit well with the attendees. California Democrat Rep. Juan Vargas protested: "I'm going to stop you right there. We use the term undocumented immigrants."
Turness apologized and attempted to mollify members of the audience by stating that "We love the Hispanic community…Yo hablo español."
Ms. Turness's statements were patronizing and reminded me of the old racist saying "Some of my best friends are . . ." The Latino legislators came to the meeting to discuss issues that concerned them, including Trump's Saturday Night Live performance, and Ms. Turness' response says "I like you and your language." This interaction makes perfect sense when we view it in light of the dominant white racial frame, with its white arrogance and stereotyping of Latinos. It's not necessary to reason with Latinos about grievances as long they know you like them. The belief is that Latinos' minds are like children's minds.
One would expect major NBC executives to address Trump's appearance, which had created such a furor in the Latino community. But this would not be the case. Incredibly, these top executives stated that Trump's appearance just "was a matter for NBC Entertainment, whereas only representatives from the news division were present" at the meeting with Latino legislators.
As Rep Tony Cárdenas (D-Cal) put it:
You know that [Trump is] an issue on all of our minds and as soon as you start talking about it, you say none of the executives for the entertainment (division) are here. It was a cop out. It was disingenuous.
In all likelihood NBC's decision was based on their expectation that a program featuring Trump would receive high ratings, and they were right, for that SNL had a whopping 6.6 household rating on Saturday night. It was a question of priorities: the folks that support Trump (mostly white) count more than Latinos who don't deserve to receive even the most basic respect and courtesy.
~ José A. Cobas, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus of Sociology, Arizona State University


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Topics > neuter
The third declension has many of the most interesting Latin words. This video covers the declension of third declension nouns in the masculine and feminine genders, how they are translated, and other peculiar features of this fascinating grammatical group.
feminine masculine neuter nouns third declension
The fourth declension is the u declension, and once you see the endings, you will understand why. This video covers the full declension of words like manus and domus, and other peculiarities of this u-nique (or not?) group of nouns.
fourth declension masculine neuter nouns
All Latin nouns have a gender - they are masculine, feminine, or even neuter. Why? Sometimes it's because they refer to males or females, but much more frequently the gender of a noun is just one other fact of the word. Sure, it's different from English (and the neuter is foreign to many Romance languages), but not too difficult to master.
feminine masculine neuter nouns
Slightly different from masculine nouns, neuter nouns of the second declension follow specific rules for neuters. Learn these rules, and you won't have to learn an entirely different neuter declension. And then you can apply these same rules when you learn Greek, German, Russian, and many other languages. It's as easy as that.
neuter nouns second declension
Adjectives are always bothersome. We know they describe nouns, but in Latin they take the same case, number, and gender as the noun they modify. This can be easy if the nouns is of the same declension, but a bit more tricky if we cross declensions, where a 1st/2nd declension adjective modifies a 3rd declension noun: magnus leo.
adjectives feminine first declension masculine neuter second declension
Much like their first and second declension counterparts, third declension endings modify nouns, with which they agree in three ways: case, number, and gender. It's just that these adjectives have third declension endings, and that there are three different types of these adjectives.
adjectives feminine masculine neuter third declension
The word is, ea, id serves double duty as both a demonstrative adjective ("that") and the third person pronoun ("he, she, it" etc.). It may be little, but its size betrays its power and importance.
adjectives feminine masculine neuter nouns
Numbers in Latin are as easy as one-two-three, except that the numbers one, two, and three are declined to match the same case, number, and gender as the noun they are describing. This video covers Latin cardinal numbers, the numbers we use to count.
adjectives culture feminine masculine neuter
I, me, you, we, us, all of these are personal pronouns, and Latin has different forms for these words depending on how they are used in the sentence. Yes, the pronoun is declined too. But don't worry, the forms of ego, tu, nos, and vos aren't so different from each other.
cases feminine introduction masculine neuter nouns
The third declension has nouns of all genders, including the neuter. Unlike the regular masculine/feminine declension, neuter nouns must follow our rules of neuter, which makes their declension slightly different. This video also covers how neuter i-stems are formed.
neuter nouns third declension
*This* video teaches the Latin word for "this" in all of its wonderful forms and parts of speech. hic, haec, hoc is not just a good (and popular) demonstrative adjective, but it has many substantive (noun-like) and adverbial uses.
adjectives feminine masculine neuter nouns
That is a lot like this. This video covers the declension and use the demonstrative ille, illa, illud. That is the word which gives us the il, el, elle, le, la, los, les, and and las of the Romance languages.
adjectives feminine masculine neuter nouns
The demonstrative iste, ista, istud has a lot in common with its cousin ille, illa, illud: both mean "that", both are declined in an almost identical fashion. But iste carries with it a second person nature that sometimes can be negative. That brother of yours, that video of yours...
adjectives feminine masculine neuter nouns
The fourth declension neuter is essentially just two words: cornu and genu. These are the only ones you'll ever see really, and this video covers their declension and use.
fourth declension neuter nouns
There is a set of adjectives in the first and second declension that doesn't quite follow the standard set of rules. We call these pronominal adjectives, because they function more like pronouns than describers. But you can refer to them as the Naughty Nine, or with the mnemonic UNUS NAUTA.
adjectives feminine first declension masculine neuter second declension


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In the 2002 film Panic Room, directed by David Fincher, Forest Whitaker plays a burglar named Burnham that shows signs of being a good man. In the thrilling climax of the movie he is seen all set to escape with the money but comes back to save the life of Jodie Foster's character Meg Altman. This endagers his own safety as he is quickly caught by the Police thereafter.
In the last scene we see Meg and her daughter Sarah sitting on a park bench looking for a new house in the newspaper, but there is no mention of that guy.
As I remember, in one scene of the movie another burglar says to Burnham "I want that money, but you, you need it".
So after the movie was over I thought for sometime, what would have happened to Burnham?