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IO Changed Hitman: Absolution Following Nun Controversy
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Most "gamers", especially the ones that are likely to play Hitman didn't have much of a problem with this. (they had a problem with the game not looking much Hitman-like though)
Feminists and a few of those gender study-biased gaming journalists on the other hand...
Whatever, they will know who it is likely better to appease, potential customers willing to buy their games or feminists looking for controversy and outrage.
Work on your damn grammar, dude.
We all know videogames are an interactive medium. It doesn't give games a free pass on all the etiquette other media has to burden. It's reasonable etiquette, and it's the kind of etiquette that has helped other new media rise above distraction status to art form status.
"It's a videogame" and "the people who play videogames aren't supposed to play videogames" are not valid points. We all know that nobody gives a fuck about ESRB. We also know that the contingent of M+ rated games has skyrocketed over the last half of a decade, and the age of people buying them has probably lowered. So when you say "oh those games are M+ rated", it's an utterly empty and worthless statement because that's not how rating works and that's not how censorship works.
The disconnect between real life and videogames is also not something on debate here. You're trying to go for the right thing, but the word you're looking for is context. Context is the thing that makes a child rape murder scene more than a child rape murder scene. Context is what ironically shields The Witcher 2 from all these accusations in the face of its sexism and racism. Context is what more games need in order to be taken seriously and most importantly be shielded from this misguided and sensationalist dumbshit that's being thrown at them and that takes attention away from many significantly more serious problems gaming is having.
And don't worry, "dumb game to just have fun with without worry" is a good context too. That's why Saint's Row 3 was so good and nobody criticized it for the things they're criticizing TR and Absolution for.
Also, if you understood what misogyny is, you wouldn't come with the old "men are being objectified too" shtick. It's a side of the same coin, gender roles work both ways.
props to you sir.
I'll miss boobs when they're outlawed.
No I'm not shitting you. Actually, I'd argue that movies have a greater prevalence of "unrealistic characters" in them. Movies objectify both men and women. Most of the time, they don't do it as hyperbole, mockery or satire.. they just do it. Movies are still quite sexist and it's applied to both males and females. Games are actually adapting (rather obviously) to create more believable characters because you actually have to play them, and live with them for an absurd amount of time over movie characters.
Actually, no it isn't. Journalism is not supposed to be "Politically Correct". Maybe you have a different definition of "being PC", but in my view political correctness is the exaggeration of non-issues. There is a difference between "being offensive" and being "politically correct".
They have grown up, actually. I don't remember the last game I played that "objectified women" to such a degree as you're exaggerating. Maybe you just play a lot of shitty games. Most of the women I play/observe in my games are real adults and proper characters with flaws and traits; Clothed properly no less.
Again, where are all these "harlots" you speak of? I'll warrant your claim if we were still living in the 90's, but alas...
Also, for complaining about 'sexism' so much, you are being blatantly and absurdly sexist. "Stupid teenage boys, etc". I don't know, maybe it's just me.. but perhaps the "Nun" thing was meant to be funny, and frankly it kinda was/is. If they were muscle-clad Chippendale's priests, would that have been as offensively sexist? Just wondering.
Your generalizations and lack of awareness to irony is a bit ridiculous. So if I complain about excessive "political correctness", I'm supposed to think "being nice to people is bullshit". Honestly, how do you even level that one out?
This is all incredibly silly. I can't believe "scantily clad assassin Nuns" is an actual issue right now. Every day I feel as if I'm living in a simulation designed to be deliberately absurd. I love that it's okay they're assassins and cold-blooded murderers, but we have a serious problem if you see some cleavage. This reminds me of watching Edited-for-TV movies in America. I watched a movie where a woman killed a dozen people, violently, and with gratuitous amounts of gore.. Later she got in the shower, the towel slipped below her waist and exposed the upper 2-inch portion of her crack. They blurred it out, because THAT IS INAPPROPRIATE, SEXIST AND TOO MUCH FOR TV. What world am I living in? (Don't answer that.)
Well if you do get reported to the mods, it wasn't me. I'll swear too. Fuckity fuck.
NEVER GONNA HAPPEN! We must band together, my boob loving friends! My D Cup Connoisseurs, My Funbag Fanatics! The breastless future is nigh, and we must hold the line, and fight back these harbingers of a flat chested humanity!
So let us band together battle brothers! We fight for our friends! For our country! For great giant TITTIES OF JUSTICE!
Sounds like a good thing as come from there overreaction...more developed hot sexy nuns to murder.
well i hope people enjoy the new and more detailed backstory to the weaponised nuns
It was some CGI trailer! Who cares about the characters back story? It was just an awe and gasp teaser trailer!!!!!
Get the fuck off my lawn, you damned kids now-a-days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's fiction. Why do people get worked up over it? It's not like they're suggesting that all nuns behave that way, nor are they suggesting that all women should dress skimpy, nor are they suggesting that it's okay to beat women up. There is nothing offensive about that trailer at all. They should be able to send scantily-clad nuns to try to assassinate their main character if that's what they want to do. It's just fantasy, it doesn't have any special meaning beyond that. Nobody seriously looks at that trailer and then magically starts thinking, "Huh, you know what? Women are inferior after all. I'm gonna go beat my wife now." That's just ridiculous.
And you know what else? I'll say it: The cutscene was freakin' awesome. Seriously some people are impossible to please.
If it's not what you're into, that's fine. But there's no reason for this video to be any kind of a "controversy." For crying out loud. If you don't like it, don't play it.
The controversy was more about the murder of the women than the scantily clad part. The gaming audience saw the out of context murder of several woman and were offended by it.
As for me, I want context with my murder. If they are telling me to murder someone, I would like to know why.
Because they've come to kill you. They had weapons. 47 acted in self-defense. Do you need a better reason than "They're trying to kill me and I don't want to die." to kill someone? I'm just saying. It's not like 47 went after them. They went after him.
Not to mention the extreme silliness of it all is always present in the Hitman games. Has everyone forgotten the Hitman series this much that everyone should become extreme feminists?
People, people, people. Media or controversies are like trolls. The more gamers get worked up about it, the more we're feeding their delusional fantasies as if we're defending our crimes.
Wow, is it just me or 2012 is shaping up to be the worst year in videogame history since 1983?
I mean, we walked a couple of steps back with God of War, Tomb Raider and now Hitman being castrated in order to please everyone and the E3 was the blandest in quite a while.
The real problem isn't the violence against women, its the fact that it inserted something ridiculous into an otherwise plausible universe.
You want to make a game about killing sexy killer nuns go make that game. Keep them out of Hitman.
This is mostly why I'm offended:
The trailer for blood money shows strategy, cunning, silenced weapons, disguise and about half a second of automatic fire and women.
The trailer for Absolution shows Hitman callously offing eight women in BDSM gear, all of them after the first three are clumsy and not planned at all and the way it's depicted makes me think that this game thinks it's competing against "God of War" or "The Matrix: Path of Neo".
I'm pretty sure some modder somewhere is hard at work.
Notice how every single scenario you just described there basically proves my point. In none of those situations were shitty action movie setpieces employed, unlike the trailer. All signs point to the game being exactly that. Blockbuster movie shlock...probably with shitty cover mechanic tacked on for good measure.
Ehm, no. The controvery wasn't than you killed woman. No one gives a fuck if you kill or can kill woman.
The problem was the "scantily clad" part. The obvious pandering to the teenage male audience. The only trait those women had was that they were sexy and they portrayed it in a way I am already sick of since the 90s dark age of comics.
Why did they have to bring it up again? I don't think them saying they tweaked some shit is actually going to change the minds of anyone who was offended by the trailer. That ship has sailed.
This is going to result in more gender threads isn't it?
Ah, well allow me to further explain my point; 47 is an assassin, his job is to blend in to any number of environments (usually urban ones) not military complexes hence him being in a suit, typically he carries a silenced pistol or two and a blade, so for 47 to be effective in this world, he is the way he is, sure he looks bad ass, but it's practical bad ass, as lets face it a bald man in a business suit is either just that or if he's built like a brick private security and you wouldn't look twice. Ergo his costume is an effective and efficient choice for his style and methods of assassination. To wear full combat gear given his chosen environment would be like wearing a massive exclamation point over his head.
As for the nuns, unless they spend their time in goth clubs or S&M hotels, which they very well could do, their costumes do not make sense beyond basic titillation. In other words, they break the sense of disbelief... I can believe 47 pulling a shotgun out of his ass, even taking them all out without taking a single hit, but I can't believe that those nuns have ever been effective at their jobs, then again, the use of a rocket launcher does belie any sense of subtlety and maybe that's their schtick, that they aren't subtle at all.
It's basic character design 101... and admittedly without seeing any real context for the nuns, it fails.
But of course, you're welcome to disagree with me on this and I doubt I've changed your mind any, I just thought I'd offer an expanded explanation of what I said.
As an aside; "Well it's just a fictional world" is fine for some people, but personally I consider it a weak excuse, a fictional world needs to be consistent to it's own internal logic and that's the difference between believing a man can fly and scoffing at nuking the fridge.
Silly Darkmantle!
PS: In-before MovieBob to the rescue!
PPS: Are some people in this thread purposely acting like idiots, or what?
People aren't offended by scantly-clad nuns.
It would be like putting those same nuns in The Godfather movie. It would make no sense!
Murdering police officers, US soldiers and doctors: deal with it.
Sexy Nuns: OH DEAR GOD HOW COULD ANYTHING BE ANY WORSE THAN THIS!!!! People can't handle THIS!
While I can understand how badly the PR department shot themselves in the foot here, I don't like the "Rape turned her into a badass" argument. After a freaking shipwreck, she was left alone on an island for a while, hunting and helping others she found survive. Whilst (presumably) being hunted by Mercs or some other force. This is a more gradual character change that led into her becoming Lara Croft as we know her: An adventurer who can survive the odds and come out on top. The attempted rape moved things along by being her first ever murder.
Protip: It wasn't the fans of Hitman who were the ones complaining and especially not demanding that anything be changed.
I mean this is a series about an utterly cold blooded murderer who is the type of guy to execute a man in a wheelchair, to kill policemen, serving Marines, Federal agents, secret-service agents, and even medical staff and anyone who gets in his way for no higher purpose than to kill people... for money. He killed his own father(s) with his bare hands.
It would be the height of hypocrisy to be fine with all that but then suddenly object to some risqué nun outfits that weren't even very revealing*. No. The complaining was done by people who had no investment nor interest nor understanding with the Hitman universe. A universe where one of your targets is a variously a 500lbs sumo wrestler, a gay BDSM club owner dressed in bondage gear, a cake obsessed riverboat captain, a melodramatic opera performer killed mid rehearsal, a former olymic champion stripped of his medals for taking performance drugs you have to kill him and his girlfriend when they are dressed in bird costumes as they try to assassinate a Presidential candidate, a decrepit old evil Hugh Heffner type, and none other than the Vice President of the United States killed in the Oval Office no less.
*seriously, you didn't see any cleavage, buttocks or midrif. The only thing this was was shocking that you had traditionalist Catholic attire that is normally deathly afraid of sex (and by some dumb logical extension the female body itself) being combined with type of very typically revealing clothing for the 21st century.
Putting aside any potential offense to be taken at the content, I don't think the fact the trailer failed was because the content was insulting to someone. I think it failed because it was so STUPID. The Hitman games have generally had a fair sense of realism to them (or if you don't want to call it realism, they've had a fair sense of believability). Their plots and settings have been played relatively straight, with believable antagonists like terrorists, gangsters, drug dealers, corrupt military officials, crooked businessmen, and so forth. Now suddenly we get a trailer of latex-clad nuns with automatic weapons; extreme tonal shift from the previous games and somewhat off-putting.
Now picking the offensiveness back up, this isn't an attempt at censorship. Yes, artists have the right to express themselves however they wish. However, people everywhere have the right to express their opinion on artists' work, even if that opinion is that the work is bull$#!t. Really, people shouldn't take every bit of criticism thrown at something for its message as an attempt at censorship. That in itself is an attempt at censoring the general public or even professional critics from expressing its/their collective thoughts on something.
Ohhhh oh... I think I got it, I know what IO were trying to do, they were making the Zork to the previous games Mysts.
Watch this space, I guarantee a trailer showing 47 as a Brony.
The "rape made them tough" is 100% ENTIRELY MADE UP by the very critics OF the idea.
They make up the idea and then say they object to it when that was NEVER anyone's idea. No one ever said "Entirely because she was raped, that made her a badass... like spiderman's spider bite".
Nope. Characters enduring suffering has always been used as an EXAMPLE of how badass they are, it's not even a trope, it's a fundamental tenement of storytelling.
If John Rambo had had a comfortable life filling out tax returns and dying of old age, how would you know he was a badass? No. He is shown in a prison camp being sliced up and electrocuted and broken down to almost nothing, that doesn't make him badass, but rising up again does. Ditto for Casino Royale.
I never heard anyone calling for a boycott of Deliverance or The Shawshank Redemption for the attempted or actual rape of the main character in those films. I wonder what difference it makes that they were men being raped?
Tend to?
Nope. The evil villains of film do tend to be rapists though, that's true in film and true in real life for the worst kinds of people you'd fight against.
Backward-ass, yes. But he's parroting poorly conducted psychology studies when they question male gamers on their attachment to character and many of them did say they were being protective but the study did not correct for how the people surveyed would give more the answers they were expected to give (men are expected to be protective of women and not expected to identify with them) rather than their genuine but hard to express stance. It's a poor analysis of how outsiders think ALL men view ALL female characters in games, not Lara in this particular situation.
Semantics. It doesn't matter whether or not it was staged like anything. Your original argument indicated that the trailer didn't "look like Hitman". I'm telling you that the Hitman games have featured such outlandish scenarios throughout its entire history that the whole franchise took on an air of ludicrousness. Half the fun of the games is seeing which bats***-crazy scenario you'll get involved in next.
Again, don't presume to speak for an entire fanbase when you have no idea what you're talking about. Even your notion that this is suddenly "action schlock" was proven false by the advertising for previous games - Silent Assassin's "Ready to Die" trailer played it up as a nonstop killfest where you use a fire axe to split heads and run into buildings while firing wildly. Blood Money's print campaign had images of scantily-clad women shown in death poses with gunshot wounds in their foreheads. Even Absolution's first trailer had 47 walking in on a woman in a shower to kill her.
With all the hypocritical complaining you've done, I'd wager I'm a bigger fan of the franchise than you are. At least I've played every game in the series, and know how outlandish the material is...our problem is with a bunch of assassins who 47 kills before they can kill him. Right.
Its always nice to see a studio calmly listening to its fans.
I agree with you, Hitman has always had the air of wackiness and ludicrousness about it, but the wackiness always felt like it somehow fit. The trailer just seemed way to over the top, and its absurd sexualization made it feel juvenile. Now if 47 had dressed up as a nun to infiltrate the Catholic Church's secret drug ring or something like that, that would be something I could get on board with :)
WHAT! It's got villains pulled straight out of the most Over-the-top comic books, it's got 500lbs sumo wrestlers who guard their boss dressed AS a sumo wrestler, it's BDSM clubs located underneath a meat-packing factory, it's "heaven and hell" nighclubs, it's a pornographers hedonistic party in his mountain mansion, it's assassinating larger than life rich Sheiks in a Vegas casino. The series is like James Bond, only the evil mirror universe bond where the hero is the villain with smatterings of goodness rather than the inverse.
What Hitman games have you played? If any???!?!
The term you don't address is "Self-censorship". They aren't changing this to be more true to the work that their fans have been following, but to cater to the people who have no understanding nor investment in the series who want it changed. The trailer is not inconsistent with what the fans of the series have come to expect, I don't mean in terms of misogyny but in terms of EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING being exploited to the extreme.
I disagree. There is schlock, and there is hyper-absurdism.
While I agree that Hitman is silly action schlock at times, it has never really before passed through the plane of plausibility. Even the final levels of Codename47.
It's Faceoff vs Kill Bill. One gives some justification, however flimsy, for events in its narrative. The other just has events and visuals because they look awesome.
In fact lets look at Kill Bill even further. There is something called the Tarantinoverse.
The movies set in the Tarantinoverse are schlock. The movies in the Tarantinoverse are hyper-absurd.
And sexy killer-nuns is definitely hyper-absurd and it's not the feeling I want in a Hitman game.
You sure this isn't just a hang up with a society that is so comfortable with sadistic murder of innocents yet neurotic about characters being wilfully sexual in any way?
I don't get why everyone rants about Lara Croft's "sexualisation" who doesn't even show any cleavage yet pays no mind to her murderous and cruel tendencies. The British press are a bit more clued in on this, from the very earliest days the main concern was how flippantly she gunned down endangered species (even collecting ivory trophies) and showed no remorse in annihilating entire tribes of indigenous people even though she is the one trespassing in their most sacred domains and stealing their most precious relics. I mean she illegally owns machine guns and automatic-pistols IN BRITAIN!!! Not to mention that time she went to America and killed over 50 military police officers as well as leading a mass prison break or murdered the head of a cosmetics company to steal her jewellery. Self-defence my arse, she broke into her offices then left with her personal possessions from her looted body.
But oh no SHE'S WEARING SHORT SHORTS!!! Ooooh the humanity! You can kill an many illiterate foreigners and police-officers as you like, but don't show your legs!!! [/sarc]
It's quite clear the complaints are coming from passers by who see JUST the advertising as outsiders and ignore the games themselves.
I disagree.
Hitman may not always be realistic, but it's always plausible. Sexy-Killer-Nuns is not plausible and drags me out of the fiction.
I can envisage Japanese mob boss guarding himself with sumo wrestler for the theatre of it.
I know what doesn't exist though and that's a "Funky Force Five" of "Sexy Ninja Bondage Nuns".
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Difference between revisions of "Copenhagen/Vestegnen"
Revision as of 15:12, 18 September 2009
Get in
Two S-train directions run from the centre of Copenhagen through the district
Approaching the district by train from west or south, you will get off at Høje Taastrup Station and continue by S-train
Get around
The easiest way to get around is by S-train. For destinations between S-train stations or away from the main traffic channels you can take one of the local buses, most of which do not run as frequent as in the central part of the city.
There are taxi stands almost all S-train stations, but it will quite often be that no taxis are available and you will have to call one. Vest-Taxa (+45 43 45 45 45) is usually the fastest in the western suburbs and Taxa Selandia (+45 70 10 66 66) in the far southwestern suburbs. Taxa 4x35 (+45 35 35 35 35) is a good option closest to the central part of the city, but further away some waiting time can be expected.
Filmbyen (The Movie city)[52] , also known as Avedørelejren, is an old army garrison erected in 1913. When the army moved out of the area in the 1990'ties, it was taken over by the municipality, and the famous Zentropa studios (home of Lars von Trier and much of the Dogme movement) as well as several smaller studios and production companies moved into the historic buildings. Today, apart from being something of a creative powerhouse, the scenic area has been beefed up by some rather funky new architecture mixing in with history, and also houses some cultural attractions listed below. There is also a hostel Belægningen and a restaurant Messen on the premises, which are listed in the appropriate sections below. To get here catch bus 133 from Avedøre station on the S-tog A line, Bus 1A from down town also stops quite close by at the Avedøre skole stop.
There are serveral good beaches along the coast, such as Brøndby, Ishøj & Vallensbæk strand. The whole area is dubbed Køge Bugt Strandpark [53], and covers 7 kilometers of white beaches, sand dunes, meadows and lakes. It's very popular on warm summer days, but there are usually plenty of space if you look around. Facilities include jetty's, toilets and several Kiosks dishing out popular ice creams. During late June to early August there are lifeguards present. Access by any station along the A and E S-train lines between Brøndby-Strand and Greve stations.
Theaters and concert halls
Expect bands mainly to be Danish bands, and theatrical performances in the Danish language, since none of these venues are really geared for tourists.
When city planners turned this area of former villages and farmland into unending suburbia (a transformation they now much regret), they turned to their North American counterparts for inspiration, and erected some huge impersonal shopping centers, complete with the usual, characterless chain stores, which leaves the shopping in Vestegnen a bit to be desired. You can find these shopping centers opposite almost every S-train station in the district. The largest of these malls are the aptly named City2[54], a short walk away from Høje Taastrup station, with 110 stores and a large cinema complex over 100.000 m², and Rødovre Centrum[55] a bit off the main public transport corridors, also with 110 stores.
Except for Arti'kok you can safely disregard these listings if you are not staying in the district, as there are much better restaurants nearer the city centre.
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Once Again Court Says FCC Can't Fine Janet Jackson For Wardrobe Malfunction
from the fleeting-fcc-rules dept
The FCC had already lost this case for its rules being "arbitrary and capricious," but the Supreme Court had asked the court to reconsider its ruling, following the fleeting expletives ruling. However, the court here points out that, basically, nothing in that ruling changes anything about how the court feels about the wardrobe malfunction, and (if anything) it just reinforces the position it already took. The interesting thing, however, may be that the earlier decision was unanimous -- and the judge who wrote that decision, Anthony Scirica, actually changed his mind on the case this time around. He dissented, while the others on the panel upheld their earlier ruling, arguing that the FCC's claim that while its "fleeting expletives" policy had changed, it's position on nudity had never changed, was not at all compelling. The dissent, from Scirica, more or less buys the FCC's claim that broadcasters give up 1st Amendment rights and also argues that there's no evidence of a real policy change here.
Either way, this triumverate of cases may not be complete yet as the Supreme Court is expected to weigh in again on these cases on the First Amendment question (separate from the 'arbitrary and capricious' question). So, fear not, we'll still have more to talk about with all of these cases...


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JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (March 18, 2014) – The day to renew ETSU's most storied basketball rivalry has arrived.
The ETSU men's basketball team will welcome Chattanooga to the ETSU/MSHA Athletic Center Tuesday night at 7 p.m., as the Buccaneers and Mocs meet in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. It will be the first meeting between the two teams since November of 2009, but it is a sneak peek of a traditional rivalry that will be rekindled next season when ETSU rejoins the Southern Conference.
This will be the Bucs' second appearance all-time in the CIT, and the 13th overall postseason trip for the program (which includes nine NCAA Tournament and two NIT appearances). The Bucs have reached postseason play six times in head coach Murry Bartow's 11 seasons on the ETSU bench.
Great seats remain for the game, and fans can purchase those prime tickets in the Dome's lower bowl by visiting ETSUBucs.com and clicking on the ticket link, or by calling the ETSU ticket office at 423-439-3878. For more ticket information, fans can click on the link located to the right.
For more on Tuesday night's matchup, read the game notes below or click on the game notebook link to the right. For more on ETSU men's basketball throughout the CollegeInsider.com Tournament, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the men's hoops link.
We are "ETSU"
The ETSU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics would like to ask both the print and broadcast media to honor our request to be called "ETSU" ... East Tennessee State University in first reference is acceptable, but subsequent references should be ETSU ... On TV graphics please use ETSU ... Our nickname is the Buccaneers, but Bucs is also acceptable.
Bucs add to postseason resume
The ETSU men's basketball team has enjoyed its share of postseason success and ranks as one of the nation's most prestigious basketball programs ... The Buccaneers have earned berths to the NCAA Tournament nine times (1969, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010) and NIT twice (1983, 2007) ... This will be the Bucs second time in the CIT Postseason Tournament, and the program's 13th postseason tournament appearance all-time ... In the Bucs first CIT appearance, ETSU went 2-1 with wins over Furman and Ohio, advancing to the tournament semifinals before losing to Iona in a hard-fought 83-80 contest at the Dome.
ETSU "only" A-Sun team picked among nation's best "Prestige" programs
Since the beginning of the modern era for NCAA Division I-A basketball – marked by the expansion of the NCAA Tournament field to 64 teams in 1984-85 – the ETSU men's basketball program ranks in the Top 30 percent of the 300 programs that were eligible for the postseason at that time, this according to ESPN.com's "Prestige" ranking released back in 2008 ... Since that time, the Bucs have only added to their list of prestigious honors, with back-to-back NCAA appearances in 2009 and 2010, followed by CIT appearances in 2011 and 2014 … Since the 1984-85 season, the Buccaneers, who have enjoyed nine NCAA Tournament trips, one NIT berth, two CIT berths, 11 20-win seasons, and a slew of conference regular season and tournament championships in that time, ranked tied for 82nd out of 300 teams, meaning they were in the Top 27 percent of schools making the list. ETSU was ranked ahead of every current Atlantic Sun Conference team, as well as former Southern Conference rivals Appalachian State, Western Carolina, Georgia Southern and UNC Greensboro. In addition, the Bucs ranked ahead of SEC schools such as Tennessee, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Mississippi State, Georgia, Mississippi and Auburn, as well as other major programs such as Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, DePaul, Bradley, Clemson, California and Florida State.
Last time out in the CIT
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (March 26, 2011) - In a game with multiple offensive swings and plenty of exciting play, the ETSU men's basketball team had no answers for the high-powered Iona offense in the second half and came up short in a thrilling 83-80 loss to the Gaels in the semifinals of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament Saturday afternoon at the ETSU/MSHA Athletic Center. ... The Gaels were led by the powerful inside presence of forward Mike Glover, who finished with a double-double on a game-high, 33-point, 10-rebound effort. Iona also got 20 points from Sean Armand, and point guard Scott Machado had a game-high 11 assists. ... Meanwhile, ETSU seniors Micah Williams (Manchester) and Mike Smith (Vandalia, Mo.) once again led the way with 23 and 18 points, respectively, while junior guard Adam Sollazzo (Tampa) had 21 points and senior guard Justin Tubbs (Trussville, Ala.) added 13. ... It was the first time this season that ETSU had scored 70 points or more and still lost, giving even more validity to the quality of the Iona offense.
The series vs. Chattanooga
In what is widely considered the longest and most heated rivalry in ETSU basketball history, the Bucs and Mocs have met 75 times with ETSU trailing the all-time series 33 to 42 ... The two teams shared the same conference from 1979 to 2005, spending several years battling in the Southern Conference ... The Bucs lost the last meetign 85-76 back on Nov. 17, 2009 in Chattanooga.
Last time out vs. Chattanooga
CHATTANOOGA (Nov. 17, 2009) - A double-double effort and career high 26 points from junior forward Tommy Hubbard (Boston) were not enough to overcome ETSU's poor foul shooting and second half offensive struggles inside the McKenzie Arena, as the Buccaneers relinquished a nine-point second half lead to fall 85-76 to former Southern Conference rival Chattanooga. ... The Bucs (1-1), who were a disappointing 14-of-29 from the charity stripe and hit only eight field goals in the second half, looked on as Chattanooga (2-0) went 22-of-27 from the foul line and outscored the Bucs 38-24 in the second half. ETSU senior guard Mike Smith (Vandalia, Mo.) was in street clothes on the bench and his offensive presence was missed in the loss.
ETSU and Chattanooga similarities striking
The rivalry between the Buccaneers and Mocs is in many ways directly related to the similarities between the programs. Both teams' successes have mirrored each other:
ETSU Chattanooga
Overall championships 21 28
Regular Season ( to include North Titles) 12 18
NCAA Appearances 9 10
Sweet 16 Appearances 1 1
Players of the Year 9 5
Coaches of the Year 8 6
The two teams have met five times in tournament title games, with ETSU holding a 3-2 advantage in those matchup, winning in 1992, 2003 and 2004, while the Mocs have victories in 1983 and 1993. Over a 17-year span from 1981 to 1997, the Bucs and Mocs represented the SoCon in the NCAAs a remarkable 12 times (ETSU four times and Chattanooga eight times).
Last time out
FORT MYERS, Fla. ( March 6, 2014) – Faced with playing on the road in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament semifinals against No. 1 seed Florida Gulf Coast, the ETSU men's basketball team simply wanted a chance late in the game. They had that opportunity. ... Unfortunately, despite leading 62-61 with three minutes left, the Bucs missed some critical shots down the stretch and the Eagles managed just enough offense in the final minutes to escape with a 69-64 victory inside a sold out Alico Arena. ... While defense had been a challenge for the Bucs throughout the year, they clamped down on the Eagles in this game, holding FGCU to just 37 percent shooting from the floor and only 17 percent from 3-point range. However, while the Bucs defended better, their offensive game let them down, as they shot just 33 percent from the floor, 32 percent from beyond the arc.
Rembert, Riley, Merriweather earn All A-Sun honors
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. ( March 3, 2014) – The ETSU men's basketball team has enjoyed quite a turnaround from its 2012-13 season, and a trio of Buccaneers were honored Monday for their contributions to those successes by being named to various All Atlantic Sun Conference teams. ... In a vote of the league's head coaches, junior guard Rashawn Rembert (Tampa, Fla.) was named first-team All A-Sun, freshman guard A.J. Merriweather (Jackson) was voted to the league's all-freshman team, and junior guard Jalen Riley (Racine, Wisc.) was picked as the A-Sun's Newcomer of the Year. ... Rembert led all scorers in A-Sun play at 18.3 PPG, as he connected on 3.4 three pointers against conference foes. His 96 three's made this season is tied for 10th most in the A-Sun record books, and his 43.4 percent shooting from behind the arc ranked first in the A-Sun. Meanwhile, Riley added more scoring punch to the Buccaneer line-up this season as he registered 12.7 PPG in only 19.8 minutes per game and shot 86.2 percent from the charity stripe; second-best in the league. Riley increased his scoring to 13.1 PPG in league play as he came off the bench in all but one game this season. As for Merriweather, he continues to lead the Bucs in rebounding and steals per game.
Bucs have tradition of postseason appearances, success
The ETSU men's basketball team has enjoyed its share of postseason success and ranks as one of the nation's most prestigious basketball programs ... The Buccaneers have earned berths to the NCAA Tournament nine times (1969, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010) and NIT twice (1983, 2007) ... In 2011, the Bucs made their first ever appearance in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, winning twice and advancing to the semifinals of that event ... It was the program's 12th postseason tournament appearance all-time. ... This 2014 CIT appearance is the Bucs' sixth postseason trip in Coach Murry Bartow's 11 seasons at ETSU.
Rembert making place in history during 2013-14
Junior guard Rashawn Rembert (Tampa, Fla.) has become one of the most feared shooters in the Atlantic Sun Conference, and this season he has rewritten ETSU's record books ... With 103 3-pointers so far this season, Rembert has eclimpsed the program record of 86 makes in a season, set by Courtney Pigram (Memphis) in 2006-07. ... Rembert's numbers are also some of the best in the nation for an outside shooter ... For those statistics, look to the column on the left of this page.
Resurgent Wilson giving Bucs a lift on offense
With his career high 31 points and seven made 3-pointers in the Jacksonville game (2/20), sophomore Lester Wilson (Knoxville) continued his recent resurgence as a major offensive weapon for the Bucs ... Since Jan. 25, Wilson is averaging 15.4 points and 4.8 rebounds a game, while shooting 48 percent from the field, 42 percent from 3-point range, and 95 percent at the foul line ... By comparison, before his recent streak, Wilson had averaged 7.5 points and 2.6 rebounds per game on just 33% shooting from the field and 26% shooting from 3-point range.
Free throws key to ETSU victories this season
What a difference a year can make ... Last season, the Buccaneers struggled for consistency at the foul line, but this year has been a different story ... The Bucs currently lead the Atlantic Sun Conference with a 75 percent shooting clip from the charity stripe, and their numbers are also good enough to rank 22nd in the country in free throws made as of March 17 with 625 makes ... In fact, the Bucs matched the program record for free throw percentage in a game against Jacksonville (2/20), going 18-of-18 for 100 percent at the charity stripe. ... In addition, the Bucs have currently hit 609 free throws this season, which is a new school record, breaking the old mark of 589 makes in 1991-92 ... The Bucs' 75 percent shooting mark would also rank first in program history, besting the .749 clip set in 1989-90, and individually, junior Jalen Riley (Racine, Wis.) is currently third on the all-time list for makes in a year.
Merriweather continues to shine, posts double-double
Freshman guard A.J. Merriweather (Jackson, Tenn.) has certainly made an impression this season, and he continued to make more news with his third career double-double in the win over Kennesaw State (1/4) ... In that game, Merriweather also netted a career high with 19 points, while grabbing 10 rebounds ... His current team ranks are first in rebounding (6.5 rpg), fifth in scoring (9.5 ppg), first in steals (1.4 spg), and third in minutes played (26.6 mpg).
Three-point streak for Bucs dates back nearly 20 years
Since Feb. 16, 1987 in a game against Davidson, the Bucs have made at least one 3-pointer in 827 consecutive games. ... ETSU was 0-for-8 in that 1987 game. ... The Bucs currently rank as the 7th longest streak in the NCAA, just behind Arkansas and ahead of Oakland.


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According to the AEB Automobile Manufacturers Committee (AEB AMC), sales of new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles in Russia increased by 15% in June 2017 compared to the same month of 2016. This May 141,084 units were sold; 18,405 units more than in June 2016.
In the first half of 2017, 718,529 cars and LCVs were sold in Russia.
Top 10 brands in June, 2017:
Lada: 27,396 units
Kia: 16,755 units
Hyundai: 14,673 units
Renault*: 12,239 units
Toyota*: 9,059 units
Volkswagen: 7,357 units
Nissan*: 6,900 units
Škoda: 5,656 units
GAZ*: 5,175 units
Ford*: 4,557 units
*LCV sales are included into total brand's sales.
Detailed press release is available on the AEBRus website.
If you are interested in Central and East European automotive markets, we've got all the data you need! Please let us know your needs.
Zithromax in http://1canadianantibiotics.com/buy-zithromax-online/ is a well tolerable drug but commonly it can perform some side effects which are considered to be a variation of norm and do not require any additional treatment. In most cases these side effects are a response from digestive system: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. Such reactions can be easily corrected with proper nutrition during and after treatment. Mind that the side effect can keep presence up to a month after the end of the treatment.
Zithromax belongs to the risk group B and this means that it can be administered to patients during pregnancy and breast feeding. However it is not recommended to take the drug without prior seeing a doctor and getting individual recommendations.
The drug must be avoid in infants younger than 6 months old. In all other cases only a doctor can calculate a proper dosage of the drug for treatment of bacterial infections in infants and children.


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Gladys Valentin has always been a woman with goals. One of her greatest goals was achieved after she realized that as a single mom, she needed to complete her education in order to give her two children the kind of life she wanted for them.
In January of 2001, Gladys was hired as the secretary for the EOF Department at Montclair State University. After securing the position and fulfilling the required one year of employment, she was eligible for tuition reimbursement. Gladys returned to the classroom as an EOF transfer student to finish her Bachelor of Arts degree. While holding down a full-time job, she enrolled as a full-time student.
Gladys took the first step toward reaching her goal at a community college. She said "I already have an Associate's Degree in Office Systems Technology from Essex County College." Gladys found support through the Educational Opportunity Fund Program (EOF), a program that exists to serve underrepresented populations in the successful transition to college by providing them with academic support, personal counseling, career enrichment, financial assistance, and leadership development.
"I was scared at the beginning," she said. She recalled her first semester, "when finishing a degree it looked like a huge, daunting task, but after I started seeing success, I actually saw myself finishing and overcame all obstacles." The EOF staff offered her support and words of encouragement, especially her EOF counselor, Maria DeLourdes Torres. "EOF is family," she said.
As a Spanish major, Gladys took Spanish history, literature and Spanish grammar courses. She found the grammar and literature courses the most challenging. "I met a lot of new friends," she said. "Everyone was very helpful." She remembers her professors, Dr. Maria Jose Garcia Vizcaino, Dr. Linda G. Levine, and Dr. Diana Guemarez-Cruz who were very supportive through her years as a Montclair State student. Gladys was also able to foster a number of collaborations as she continued to work on her BA.
By 2005, Gladys proudly received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and was awarded the Excelsior Award from the EOF Program for outstanding services and dedication. In addition, she was promoted to the position of Program Assistant to Dr. Allyson Straker-Banks, the Assistant Vice President for Student Academic Services Department providing administrative support to the office and assisting with office management until the year 2011.
Currently, Gladys works as the Program Assistant to Dr. Daniel Jean, Executive Director of EOF and Academic Development. Gladys proudly provides administrative support to this department. Serving as Program Assistant to Dr. Jean allows Gladys to experience working with the EOF Department/Summer Program, providing incoming EOF Scholars and freshmen with an opportunity to become acclimated to Montclair State University, completing three to six credits of course work and gives students an introduction to overall college life. For Gladys, guiding students through this process is a rewarding way to give back to the program that did so much for her. She stated "That is what I really like, helping students." Gladys also shares her story with students who struggle juggling families and careers, "You are not alone, and you think you can't do it as a single mom, but I can relate to all those women out there, set your goal and make it happen."
Finishing her degree was liberating and Gladys advises other students to give it their all to succeed. "Have faith in yourself," she continued. "You can succeed and create a better life for yourself and your family!"


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Obama embraces 'Obamacare,' says it's here to stay
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — In his warm-up for the Democratic National Convention, President Barack Obama is tangling with a couple of rivals, only one named Mitt. The other is voter apathy, especially among the young.
Obama's pre-convention tour of battleground states has been heavy on college crowds, where he's implored supporters to register and vote by painting the choice in stark terms: It's his education tax credits versus Mitt Romney's tax breaks for the rich; his "Obamacare" versus "Romney doesn't care," his "forward" versus "same old."
And when those crowds boo the references to Romney, Obama tells them to convert that negative energy into votes Election Day.
Obama addresses a United Auto Workers Labor Day rally in Toledo on Monday before getting his first look at the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac in a stricken parish outside New Orleans. He's to meet emergency personnel who've been laboring since the storm hit last week to restore power and tend thousands of evacuees from flooded lands.
In Boulder, Colo., on Sunday, Obama warned a college crowd that "the other side is going to spend more money than we've ever seen in our lives, with an avalanche of attack ads and insults and making stuff up, just making stuff up."
"What they're counting on is that you get so discouraged by this, that at a certain point you just say, you know what, I'm going to leave it up to somebody else." Obama did not mention his own side's arsenal of negative advertising.
The Republican convention behind him, Romney was staying low for a few days, ceding the political attention to his rival and preparing for the October debates as Democratic conventioneers gathered for the opening of their event Tuesday in Charlotte.
Younger voters gave Obama a big boost four years ago and he can ill afford to see their support drop off in a tight election where the sluggish economy is the dominant issue in the nation and a specific drag to many young people coming out of college or trying to afford it.
But his campaign surely has a more immediate need for young people, too — helping to fill the seats for Obama's address Thursday. With 6,000 delegates at the convention and thousands more attached to the event, Democrats hope to pack the nearly 74,000-seat outdoor stadium for the prime-time speech.
Obama has only fitfully defended his health care law from the bully pulpit since its enactment but on Sunday took it on directly. The president declared, as he has on occasion, that "I like the name" Obamacare despite its Republican origins as an insult.
"I do care," he said. "I don't know exactly what the other side is proposing; I guess you could call it 'Romney doesn't care.' But this law is here to stay." Republicans have rallied around the idea of repealing the law, although Romney has not laid out a detailed alternative.
Vice President Joe Biden joined the fray, accusing Republicans of seeking to undermine the decades-old federal program millions of seniors rely on for health care. "We are for Medicare," he said. "They are for voucher care." That was a reference to a proposal in Congress by Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, the GOP vice presidential nominee, to offer future retirees the option of buying health insurance with a government subsidy.
The president and vice president campaigned separately across three battleground states as delegates descended on the Democrats' convention city before their first official meeting Tuesday in the Time Warner Cable Arena.
Some 800 demonstrators marched through the streets around Charlotte's convention hall, protesting what they call corporate greed as well as U.S. drone strikes overseas, said to kill children as well as terrorists. Dozens of police officers walked along with the protesters' parade, carrying gas masks, wooden batons and plastic hand ties. One arrest was reported, for public intoxication.
Biden's itinerary, in particular, underscored the threat that a sluggish recovery and high, 8.3 percent unemployment pose to Democrats seeking another term in power. He was in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, states that have received little attention previously as the candidates, their parties and outside allies concentrate on the areas of the country deemed most competitive. His presence suggested the race in both states was tightening.
Obama's aides and allies flooded the weekend talk shows. All talked down Romney, but, when asked, none gave a clear answer to the classic campaign question: Are Americans better off than they were four years ago?
There is no rosy answer, given that Obama took office during a deep recession that ended in official terms six month later but yielded a paltry recovery with persistently high unemployment, now at 8.3 percent.
"No," Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley said, before turning the blame to Obama's Republican predecessor. "But that's not the question of this election. The question, without a doubt — we are not as well off as we were before George Bush brought us the Bush job losses, the Bush recession, the Bush deficits, the series of desert wars."
Said Obama White House David Plouffe: "We've clearly improved … from the depths of the recession."
And another aide, David Axelrod: "I think the average American recognizes that it took years to create the crisis that erupted in 2008 and peaked in January of 2009. And it's going to take some time to work through it."
But Democrats didn't miss a beat when it came to criticizing Romney and drawing contrasts between the convention that launched him into the last leg of the race and their own gathering ahead.
"This is not a reinvention convention like the Republican convention was last week," Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on the Air Force One flight to Ohio late Sunday. "We know that the convention is a huge platform with a big megaphone, and there is no question that next Friday, when the American people look back, they're going to know what the choice is, they're going to know what his forward-looking agenda is. "
She branded the Romney and GOP agenda an "empty pool with no water and dead leaves."
Romney spent Sunday at his Wolfeboro, N.H., vacation home, leaving only to attend church services with his wife, Ann. Aides said he would spend much of the Democrats' convention week preparing for three fall debates with Obama, beginning on Oct. 3.
Obama aides said they expected Romney and Republicans to outpace the president and his party in fundraising in August because Obama spent less time raising cash than in the month before and because the GOP held its convention — usually a big money draw — in August.
Biden, campaigning in York, Pa., on Sunday, took a swipe at Romney on foreign policy.
"He said it was a mistake to end the war in Iraq and bring all of our warriors home," the vice president said. "He said it was a mistake to set an end date for our warriors in Afghanistan and bring them home. He implies by the
speech that he's ready to go to war in Syria and Iran. "
Democrats have been critical of Romney for making no mention of the war in Afghanistan when he accepted the Republican nomination in Tampa, Fla., last week. He previously
criticized Obama for setting a public date for the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from the war.
Romney also has faulted Obama for allowing the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad to remain in power. Yet his aides have refused to say for a week if he agrees with French President Francois Hollande's promise to extend diplomatic recognition to a provisional government if Syrian rebels form one.
At the Democratic convention, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro delivers the keynote speech on Tuesday, followed by first lady Michelle Obama's remarks. Obama and Biden will be nominated for second terms on Wednesday night, when former President Bill Clinton takes the stage as star speaker. Biden and Obama close the convention Thursday night with their nomination acceptance speeches.


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On Waiting For College Basketball…Posted by Connor Pelton (@ConnorPelton28) on November 14th, 2014
Just 221 days ago we looked on as Connecticut outlasted Kentucky in the National Championship game. What you've done with those 221 days, I have no idea. But I know what college basketball has been doing; waiting. Just sitting there, letting the rest of the world pass it by. Sure, there were a few interesting stories that came out during the dog days of summer, but in the end, this was one of the most boring offseasons in recent history. And you know what, that's okay. Because the time for waiting is over. Starting this very morning, games will be played again. Real games that count. Games with outcomes that might be listed on tournament résumés come March.
What I advise of you is to take it all in. Follow your team from the start. Do not give up after a bad loss. Celebrate a big win. Because this sport is way too fun to not watch it all from the beginning.
It's funny what memories stick out in our minds. Some of the most vivid ones of mine are related to sports, and the majority of those have to do with basketball. I remember having back surgery when I was nine years old and my first request after waking up was for one of the nurses to turn the channel in my room to an Oregon State-Portland game. I remember March afternoons in grade school asking to go to the bathroom, then going to the library instead to use a computer and check the scores of Tournament games. Now I just take an extra long lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings. Some things never change.


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posted by Thom Holwerda on Thu 10th Apr 2008 12:57 UTC, submitted by estherschindler
"In a session at the Gartner Emerging Trends conference today, analysts Neil MacDonald and Michael Silver identified many reasons that Windows (and thus Microsoft) are in trouble. Microsoft's operating system development times are too long and they deliver limited innovation; their OSs provide an inconsistent experience between platforms, with significant compatibility issues; and other vendors are out-innovating Microsoft. That gives enterprises unpredictable releases with limited value, management costs that are too high, and new releases that break too many applications and take too long to test and adopt. With end users bringing their own software solutions into the office... Well, it's just a heck of a sad story for Microsoft."


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Popular swing band Manouche will feature at our Christmas market at Hathersage Farm on Wednesday 18 December!
Gather friends, family and a picnic blanket, and join us in the beautiful tree-lit setting of Hathersage to enjoy their infectious rhythm! Browse the craft stands for something special or indulge in a range of delicious eats and treats. Hathersage offers a variety of wine labels.
Adults ~ R20
Children enter FREE
Creative art station and games for the children. Father Christmas will be there!
Market times: 5pm – 10pm
Band plays from 7pm
Contact: 082 295 1758
The Market Place has recently teamed up with Rodenburg Butchery to bring you specialised market delights from our small shop at Chelsea Village, all week long!
Following age-old, traditional methods of curing and smoking, Rodenburg Butchery supplies THE MARKET DELI with a full range of charcuterie including Local Parma Ham, Peppered Beef, Smoked Ham, Mustard Salami, Roast Beef, Pastrami, Smoked Bacon and more. Their selection of meats includes rabbit, guinea fowl, duck, ostrich, lamb, beef and veal.
Familiar market delights along with specialised gourmet finds line the shelves to enchant discerning foodies and those who need just a little more inspiration.
Visit us at Chelsea Village, 4 Bright Street, Somerset West. We're there daily!
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There'll be plenty of Festive Cheer and Gifts Galore at our Christmas night market this season! Gather friends, family, a picnic blanket and a torch, and join us in the beautiful tree-lit setting of Hathersage Farm for an evening of gift-gathering, wine-tasting, lip-smacking, soul-soothing goodness! Come and source a special gift from our many local crafters and designers ¨C thereˇŻs something for everyone!
There will be plenty of delicious foods to choose from, Marimba under the Camphor tree, Christmas crafting for the kiddies, and even an appearance from Santa himself! Entry is free!
Please help us to support Nceduluntu Sanctuary Trust who will distribute any unwanted childrenˇŻs clothing, toys and supplies to organisations who care for abandoned children in The Helderberg Basin. Visitors are encouraged to please bring along an item or two to place under our special Tree of Hope.
Edible flowers have graced tables across cultures throughout the centuries. It isn't a new fad or the latest fashion, and you will be surprised just how many flowers there are that can be used for your salads, soups, puddings and dishes. And for those of you who don't think you could ever eat flowers, if you have ever eaten cauliflower, broccoli and artichokes, then you have eaten flowers! However, along with edible flowers, and edible fruit flowers, there are also some words of caution that go with this and common sense prevails.
There are two types of edible flowers: ornamental flowers and herbal flowers. Where there is a great diversity in the taste of the various ornamental flowers, eating herbal flowers tastes no different to their parent plant leaves and stems. Take care and be sure you know exactly what you choose to consume. If you are allergy-prone, itˇŻs probably best to forego consumption of flowers, however, here are some I've been tossing into my salads lately…
Borage blossoms – With its small brilliant blue flowers, Borrage creates a perfect decorative element to your garden. This can then be transferred to the dishes in your kitchen. With a light cucumber flavour it would work very well in salads. Companion planting ¨C tomatoes, squash, strawberries. Repels the tomato worm.
Calendula: With its vibrant yellow to orange colour it will stand out in your garden. Often called the poor man's saffron, it will lend its spicy, tangy, peppery taste well to your food, as well as add a golden hue to your dishes. A tea infusion of the dried flowers can be cooled and used in an ear dropper to treat ear infections.
Chive blossoms – Delicate, savory, lavender-hued chive blossoms are simply wonderful in salads, soups, omelets, and with cheese or as garnish. Chives are best planted near to carrots. They repel Root Fly.
Garlic flower ¨C Planting garlic around your roses and amongst most vegetables will help to repel Ants, Aphids, Japanese Beetle, Spider mites and Apple Scab. The Garlic Flower tastes like the bulb but is milder.
Geranium - One very interesting aspect of geraniums is that the taste of the blossoms is specific to the color. The rose-scented ones actually taste like rose, and from there the taste extravaganza goes on!
Marigolds – their spicy petals are used extensively in edible flower circles. Companion planting ¨C tomatoes. Repels Nematodes, Aphids, Whitefly.
Nasturtium – Nasturtiums come in so many different varieties and colors, but all of them are edible. For a crisp, peppery taste, add nasturtium flowers to any salad, wrap, or dip. Companion planting ¨C radish, cabbage, squashes. Repels Aphids, Squash Bugs, Whitefly.
Pansy – Pansies are petite annual flowers that beautify gardens each spring. They appreciate a sunny location when temperatures are cool, at the beginning and end of the growing season. They offer a sweet, fresh, grassy flavour to salads. They come in many different colours and all are edible. Pansies are a terrific garnish that can make an otherwise nondescript dish look like it is fit for a king.
Squash/Zucchini ¨C Zucchini flowers have a sweet yet lightly bitter flavour with a delicate, earthy, velvety feel. Companion Planting ¨C Mielies, Marigolds, Nasturtuims. Just remember not to snip off all of those flowers or you wonˇŻt have any squash later in the summer and autumn!
Violets – With their beautiful purple colour they work wonderfully in a garden and in a dish! They have a sweet, nectar-like taste.
This seasonal chart is a guide only and will vary according to climate and location within South Africa.
Vegetables: asparagus, artichoke (globe variety), baby marrow, beetroot, beans, broad beans, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, courgettes, cucumber, endive (limited), garlic, green beans, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, mielies, new potato, onion, parsley, parsnips, peas, potato, pumpkin, radishes, rhubarb, spinach, Swiss chard, squash, spring onion, sweet potatoes, turnips, waterblommetjies
Fruit: avocados,apricots, bananas, Cape gooseberry, cherry, grapefruit, guava, kumquats, kiwi, lemons, limes, melons, mulberries, naartjies, oranges, paw paw, peaches, pineapple, plums, rhubarb, spanspek, strawberries, tomatoes, watermelons
Herbs: basil (perennial), bay leaves, bloody sorrel, bulb fennel, calendula, cat mint, chives, dandelion, dill, fennel, French tarragon (limited), garden cress, garlic chives, lavender, lemon grass stems, lime leaves, marjoram, mint, mustard ¨C green & red, nasturtiums, nettle, oreganum, parsley, rocket, rosemary, sage, sorrel, thyme, winter savoury
Fish: Cape salmon, elf, hake, haarders, hottentot, kabeljou, kingklip, monkfish, musselcracker, red roman, red steenbras, skate, snoek, sole, stumpnose, tunny, trout, tuna, tunny, yellowtail (galjoen ¨C protected species)
Nuts: almonds
Source: Natural Nutrition – Fax 086 611 5551
It's been some time since we gathered at Hathersage to share in local fare… Here's a little something to whet your appetite.
Recently established events company, LˇŻAmour Events (based at Hathersage Farm), will host their first annual Biltong Festival on Heritage Day, 24 September 2012. It's a day when meat-lovers will come together to sample their way through a range of cured meats, and will feature some of our regular Market Place traders, as well as a line-up of live entertainment, kiddiesˇŻ fun and a Braai Competition to celebrate National Braai Day.
The market will be making a guest appearance at the fest and weˇŻd love to welcome all market lovers back to Hathersage farm – after months of hibernationˇ
We are as eggcited as you are about our upcoming Easter Night Market at Hathersage…
This Thursday, gather your friends, family, holiday guests and a picnic blanket, and hop on over for an evening of eating, shopping, drinking and enjoying. The Easter Bunny will be there! What a great way to start your Easter weekend! Join us in the beautiful tree-lit setting of Hathersage Farm from 5pm-10pm.
Vegetables: artichoke (globe), asparagus, beetroot, butternut, baby corn, brinjal, cabbage, carrots, celery, chillies, chives, courgettes or baby marrow, cucumber, endive [limited supply], garlic, green beans, kohlrabi, large variety of lettuce, mange tout, marog, mealies, mushrooms, okra, onions, parsley, potatoes, pumpkin, radishes, radicchio, rhubarb, spinach, spring onions, sweet peppers, sweet potatoes, Swiss chard, squash, turnips
Fruit: apricots, apples like golden delicious, top red, starking, golden delicious (towards end of summer), bananas, berries like blue berries, strawberries, black berries & raspberries, cherries (1 to 2 weeks only), elderberries, figs, grapes, granadillas, guava, kiwi fruit, lemons, litchis, mangoes, melons like honeydew & pepino, nectarines, paw paws, peaches, pears, pineapples, plums, pomegranates, prickly pears, quince, spanspek, tree tomatoes, watermelons
Herbs: basil, bay leaves, borage, dill, fennel, lemon grass, marjoram, mint, oreganum, rocket, rosemary, sage, thyme, winter summer savoury
Fish: Cape salmon or geelbek, elf or shad, haarders, hake or stockfish, hottentot (bream) kabeljou, kingklip, monkfish, musselcracker, red roman, red steenbras, skate, snoek, sole, trout, stumpnose, tunny, yellowtail.
Nuts: coconut
Source: Natural Nutrition – Fax 086 611 5551
I am loving how my garden grows this season! Just look what I have here – lemons, plums, apricots, raspberries, nectarines and pears! The trees are heavily laden with fruit, and there'll be more on the way soon with my avo tree showing signs of its first little emerald beads, the fig tree studded with tiny heavenly fruit (and looking beautiful as ever), and the pomegranate bush budding again. Even my peculiar orange tree is boasting fragrant blossoms! My 4-year old apricot tree is carrying a record load of 341 fruit (we counted them with great care and enthusiasm) and I lie in bed many a night thinking up ways to dry, blitz, preserve, juice and devour them…
The Festive Fair at Hathersage is a 3-day exhibition of specialised gifts, d¨¦cor items, clothing and accessories, jewellery and all things gorgeous! Around 80 exhibitors will showcase their wares to the local and surrounding communities on the stunning Hathersage Farm in Somerset West. Some of the goods on offer include edible treats, art, stationery, linens, d¨¦cor items, ceramics, furniture, toys, plants & flowers and more!
Hathersage House ¨C exclusive wedding and function venue and home to Hathersage wines ¨C will be hosting an exhibition including one select company in each field related to the hospitality industry. A jeweller, events coordinator, florist, make-up artist, dress-maker, photographer and stationer will showcase their services and offer direct advice for anyone planning an important event.
Attractions at this yearˇŻs event include Nia and interactive demonstrations, a small vintage car display, live late-afternoon music, wine tastings, crafts and pony rides for the kiddies.
Entry is FREE!
This week's featured product is Doctor Juice.
Find out more...
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Copernicus' Expanded Storage Royal Reading and Writing Center provides tons of storage space for an on-the-go teacher. The sturdy metal frame houses a magnetic whiteboard with a movable book ledge/marker tray, four open storage tubs and plenty of wire shelving for books and other supplies. Snap-on chart and accessory hooks give you the option of adding flip charts, maps and other instructional material. Four locking casters provide convenient mobility.
Key Features
- Magnetic dry erase board
- Premium book ledge/marker tray
- Four sliding storage tubs
- Multiple wire shelves
- Snap-on chart and accessory hooks
- Four locking casters
- Frame material: Powder-coated steel
- Tub material: Plastic
- Height: 57"
- Width: 30"
- Depth: 28"
- Lifetime warranty on frame and tubs
- Assembly required


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Value Line is regarded as the best independent research available. More than just recommendations, Value Line provides the rationale behind its picks for greater understanding.
Deere & Co. (DE) has a legendary place in the history of U.S. agriculture. From its humble beginnings in the early 1800s as a business dedicated to "blacksmithing, plowmaking and all things thereto", it has developed into the world's largest manufacturer of farm equipment, with more than $33.5 billion in sales during fiscal 2012 (all years end on October 31st). While most of the company's revenues and profits still come from the U.S. and Canada, the biggest catalyst going forward is likely to be growing overseas demand for agricultural output in relatively new markets.
The company divides its business into three main segments. The agriculture and turf unit, which accounts for the vast majority of the company's operating profits, manufactures and distributes agricultural equipment such as tractors, loaders, combines, corn pickers, and cotton and sugarcane harvesters. It also makes turf equipment, such as riding lawn equipment and walk-behind mowers, golf course, commercial mowing, and irrigation equipment. The construction and forestry division manufactures and distributes machines and service parts used in construction, earthmoving, materials handling, and timber harvesting. Meanwhile the financial services business finances equipment sales and leases by John Deere dealers.
Deere's fortunes have traditionally been closely linked to those of the U.S. farm sector, and by that measure, recent years have been plentiful. Cash receipts at U.S. farms are at all-time highs, having nearly doubled over the past 10 years, as agricultural commodity prices have experienced a long rally. U.S. farm balance sheets are in strong shape as well, and with farm-equity booming in recent years, debt-to-equity ratios are set to reach the lowest levels in decades in 2013. This has left farmers in a stronger position to make large equipment purchases than at any time in recent years.
As a result of the strengthening agriculture sector, Deere has posted impressive growth numbers over the past 10 years. Earnings rose at a 25% annualized clip over this extended period, while cash flow rose at an 18% yearly rate. The company has a long history of putting this cash flow to investors' benefit, as the dividend has increased at a 13% compound annual growth rate over the past decade, while the share count has declined steadily due to an aggressive share buyback program.
Further, the balance sheet is strong. At the end of fiscal 2012, the company had over $5 billion in cash assets on hand. While it carries a sizeable debt load, including $5.4 billion of long-term debt, the burden can be easily sustained, due to low interest rates and strong earnings.
Deere has adopted a strategy to capitalize on these trends. The company has set ambitious sales goals (including a target of $50 billion in revenue by 2018), which will require substantial capital investment. To this end, over the past two years Deere has announced plans to build seven factories in developing markets. For example, it is building facilities for the production of construction equipment, engines and large farm machinery in China. Another two construction-equipment factories are being built in Brazil, a farm tractor manufacturing site is being developed in India, and finally, a facility is being constructed in Russia for seeding, tillage, and application equipment. With most of these sites set to begin production in fiscal 2013 or 2014, the company's presence in emerging-markets is set to bloom. The farm equipment maker company has set up new parts centers and finance operations around the world in the past year, as well.
The outlook for fiscal 2013 indicates moderate growth for the agriculture and turf segment. Relatively high commodity prices and strong farm income are expected to continue supporting demand for farm machinery. Demand also should be pushed by global expansion. However, while sales in South America are forecast to rise due to favorable commodity prices and aggressive planting intentions, momentum in Asia is set to slow as India and China face more challenging economic conditions than some had previously expected. Construction and forestry, on the other hand, is expected to be a strong contributor to growth, with sales forecast to rise significantly due to the slow improvement in U.S. economic conditions. The financial services segment is expected to get a boost from an expanding credit portfolio and lower crop insurance claims (which have been elevated in recent years due to drought conditions).
The stock's rise from $24.50 a share at their trough during the last boom market in 2008 and 2009, to almost $90 now, raises concerns that the shares may be getting more richly capitalized. However, on a P/E ratio basis, the valuation seems reasonable as they carry a forward P/E of about 11, which is significantly below the Value Line median. However, this measure is based on peak earnings, which have skyrocketed in recent years. Thus, the shares may be vulnerable to short-term reversals in fortunes in agricultural commodities prices.
It is widely estimated that by 2050, global agricultural output will need to approximately double to meet demand, largely because of increased demand in emerging markets. With the top brand name in farming equipment, the company is well positioned reap the benefits. Further, migration from rural regions to cities, which is continuing across the developing world, will drive demand for more mechanized farming methods, as manual labor becomes scarce and productivity growth becomes vital to the farming sector.
Urbanization and economic development will likely lead to greater infrastructure spending as well, which could bolster the company's construction and forestry segment going forward. However, in that area, Caterpillar (CAT - Free Caterpillar Stock Report) poses stiff competition, and Deere's biggest gains should come in agriculture, where the John Deere brand name still rules the roost.
Overall, Deere & Co. presents an opportunity for investors to take ownership of one of the world's strongest brand names, and a competitive advantage in its core business of agricultural equipment. Global trends look set to reward such qualities in the long term. However, we don't foresee the company increasing its sales and earnings at the same staggering rates as in the last 10 years, and we see this equity as more of a steady, long-term growth opportunity.
At the time of this article's writing, the author did not have positions in any of the companies mentioned.


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Asia-Pacific: multiple initiatives for youth
In early 2013, UNESCO continues its efforts to empower youth. Development and capacity building of young people, their civic engagement, their democratic participation and their role in social innovation, as well as in the formulation of public policies, remain key objectives for which UNESCO has worked tirelessly.
Pursuing the idea that young people must benefit simultaneously from competences and opportunities allowing them to engage as true actors of change for peace and sustainable development, UNESCO is striving to help them achieve and exercise their rights, to participate fully in decisions, policies and programs, which include among others: employment, citizenship, education and learning about cultural and public life.
This approach is all the more necessary because recent studies have revealed that 9 out of 10 young people will be living in developing countries by 2025, half of which with less than 2 US$ per day.
In Asia-Pacific countries where the young population keeps growing, youth has thus become a national priority. Not only does its situation need to be improved but also that of society in general. Hence, in February 2013, four major events focusing on young people will be implemented by UNESCO in the Asia-Pacific region, in partnership with the Indonesian, Indian and Timorese governments.
UNESCO supports a National Conference on Youth Migration and Development in India, organized in cooperation with the School of Youth Studies and Extension (SYSE), the Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD) and the Arunodhaya Migrants Initiatives (AMI) of Chennai. The purpose of the meeting held on 8 and 9 February 2013, in Chennai, on the campus of the RGNIYD, aims to develop a better understanding of migration issues, and highlight migration policies and the relevance of the Millennium Development Goals in this area. It will also provide a platform for students and young researchers to share their research findings.
In Indonesia, UNESCO organizes a Training Session on Youth Participation and Advocacy. Even if it is clear that young people are involved in their societies, it is still necessary to give them the knowledge and ability to participate in civic life. That is the challenge launched by the UNESCO Office in Jakarta and the Indonesian Government in organizing a four-day training to build the capacity of young women and men to cope with the responsibilities of adult life. This event will be held in Jakarta from 15 to 18 February 2013, and will focus on civic participation of young people in their communities, on advocacy in favour of youth, as well as on leadership.
UNESCO supports Indonesia in organizing a National Dialogue on Inclusive Youth Policies. Aware of the central role of youth policies for the development of rights and needs of young people in Asia and the Pacific, and mainly in Indonesia, the Indonesian Ministry of Youth and the UNESCO Office in Jakarta decided to hear the voice of the young population. This approach is all the more necessary because the growing number of young people in Indonesia makes these citizens key actors of development. The National dialogue on youth policies to be held in Jakarta on 19 February 2013, is thus a major event which will allow to take into consideration young people's expectations in national policies which affect them directly.
National Consultation on Policies and Laws Affecting Women and Youth in Timor-Leste. Thanks to the Center of Studies for Peace and the Development, and with the support of the UNESCO Office in Jakarta, young women and men will be at the heart of attention in Timor-Leste on 26 February 2013, during a National Consultation in direct continuity with the special mission of the United Nations in this country, which has just ended. This event will concentrate on policies and laws affecting these two vulnerable groups in order to improve the policies and make sure that they take their needs into account. Because young people under 18 who are unemployed, and excluded from a social, economic and political perspective, are most affected by violence, special attention will be given to social inclusion and employment. On this occasion, several policy recommendations will be formulated and discussed during the national workshop which will be attended by about fifty participants, including representatives from various districts and ministries, as well as representatives of NGOs and the media.
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This year's neutron star collision unlocks cosmic mysteries
Discovery offers clues to heavy element formation, universe's expansion and more
NSF, LIGO, Sonoma State Univ., A. Simonnet
In 2017, scientists went all in on a never-before-seen astronomical event of astounding proportions: a head-on collision between two neutron stars, the ultradense remnants of exploded stars.
The smashup sent shivers of gravitational waves through Earth, and the light show that followed sent shivers of excitement down astronomers' spines. A real-life scientific drama quickly unfolded as night after night, astronomers around the world raced the sunrise, capturing every possible bit of data before day broke at their observatories.
Scientists had long fantasized about using light together with gravitational waves to forge a new kind of astronomy capable of unlocking otherwise unknowable secrets of the cosmos. "Now we're finally here," says Vicky Kalogera, an astrophysicist at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.
Almost overnight, the discovery vanquished some theories and vindicated others. It has had implications for the origins of the universe's heaviest elements, the mysterious dark energy that makes up about 70 percent of the cosmos and the source of brilliant-but-brief flashes of high-energy light known as short gamma-ray bursts. In the last two decades of astronomy, the detection "is more significant than any other event," says theoretical astrophysicist Avi Loeb of Harvard University.
The two neutron stars converged in the galaxy NGC 4993, 130 million light-years from Earth, emitting gravitational waves in the process (SN: 11/11/17, p. 6). Those waves, predicted by Einstein's general theory of relativity, stretched and compressed spacetime, traveling outward like ripples on a pond. As the waves began their outbound journey 130 million years ago, Earth was in the midst of the Cretaceous Period: Dinosaurs were large and in charge. Life capable of building the complex detectors necessary for spotting the gravitational rumbles wouldn't arise for many millions of years.
A worldwide network of telescopes sprang into action to look for light in the region of the sky where LIGO and Virgo predicted the waves came from. Less than 11 hours after the gravitational waves appeared, astronomers spotted a new point of visible light in the sky. That finding kicked off an astronomical free-for-all: "Basically every telescope pointed at this thing," says LIGO member Daniel Holz of the University of Chicago. As a result, he says, "there's just this wealth of information."
Telescopes captured visible, infrared and ultraviolet light, followed by X-rays and radio waves days later. Each observation was precious: The light faded rapidly and changed colors over time, says Josh Simon, an astronomer with Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena, Calif. "This is a fairly rare occurrence in astronomy," he says. "Most things we look at don't change over time at all."
Researchers announced October 16 that Advanced LIGO (the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) and its sister experiment, Advanced Virgo, had detected gravitational waves from colliding neutron stars — a cosmic crash also observed by more than 70 observatories around the world.
Observations revealed a previously theorized process dubbed a "kilonova" — thought to be a source of heavy elements like gold, silver, platinum and uranium — which could form as neutron-rich material is ejected from the stars. Light from the collision directly confirmed this hunch for the first time. "My wedding band emerged from a neutron star merger," Loeb marvels.
The intensity of observations outstripped all previous astronomical finds, said astronomer Edo Berger of Harvard University at an October 16 news conference in Washington, D.C. "I don't think there has been anything like this before." Roughly 15 percent of all astronomers were involved in the discovery, estimates astronomer Bryan Gaensler of the University of Toronto. One of the many papers announcing results, published in Astrophysical Journal Letters, boasted over 3,000 authors. Additional papers appeared in that journal, as well as in Science, Nature and Physical Review Letters, among others.
Already, this event has ruled out hundreds of theories that provide alternatives to dark energy, a perplexing facet of our universe that is the most common explanation for why the cosmos is expanding faster and faster. Some of these theories aren't consistent with the near-simultaneous detection of light and gravitational waves, several teams reported online October 17 and 18 at arXiv.org (SN: 11/25/17, p. 10).
Researchers also made a new measurement of how fast the universe is expanding, a number that could help solve a lingering puzzle. Observations of supernovas suggest that the universe is expanding at 73 kilometers per second for each megaparsec (about 3.3 million light-years). That's significantly faster than measurements made using the cosmic microwave background, ancient light from the early years of the universe (SN: 8/6/16, p. 10), which peg the expansion rate at 67 km/s per megaparsec. The new measurement is right in between the previous two, at 70 km/s per megaparsec, researchers reported online in Nature. Resolving the impasse will require catching additional neutron star mergers.
Gravitational waves also topped Science News' list of discoveries in 2016. That honor marked the first direct detection of gravitational waves (SN: 12/24/16, p. 17), which the LIGO team captured in the aftermath of a merger of two black holes. This year, three pioneers of LIGO, Rainer Weiss of MIT and Kip Thorne and Barry Barish, both of Caltech, received the Nobel Prize in physics for that discovery (SN: 10/28/17, p. 6).
With the neutron star collision, gravitational wave hunters continue their streak of successes. The sighting came just days after a detection of two merging black holes — LIGO's fourth and the first made in conjunction with Virgo (SN: 10/28/17, p. 8). A fifth black hole merger was reported in November (SN Online: 11/16/17). LIGO and Virgo are now shut off for upgrades until the fall of 2018. Additional gravitational wave detectors, like KAGRA in Japan and LIGO-India, are planned for the future, filling out a global network for monitoring the heavens' temblors.
Both the fourth black hole collision and the neutron star crash appeared during a short window of less than a month when all three existing gravitational wave detectors were simultaneously operational. That was a stroke of amazing luck: Three detectors are needed to narrow down the location of a neutron star collision and pinpoint its light.
"It's a little unreasonable how lucky we are," Holz says. "It really was this gift — just a gift."
B.P. Abbott et al. GW170817: Observation of gravitational waves from a binary neutron star inspiral. Physical Review Letters. Published online October 16, 2017. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.161101.
B.P. Abbott et al. Multi-messenger observations of a binary neutron star merger. Astrophysical Journal Letters. Published online October 16, 2017. doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/aa91c9.
I. Arcavi et al. Optical follow-up of gravitational-wave events with Las Cumbres Observatory. Astrophysical Journal Letters. Published online October 16, 2017. doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/aa910f.
J. Hjorth et al. The distance to NGC 4993: The host galaxy of the gravitational-wave event GW170817. Astrophysical Journal Letters. Published online October 16, 2017. doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/aa9110.
M.C. Diaz et al. Observations of the first electromagnetic counterpart to a gravitational-wave source by the TOROS collaboration. Astrophysical Journal Letters. Published online October 16, 2017. doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/aa9060.
B.P. Abbott et al. Gravitational waves and gamma-rays from a binary neutron star merger: GW170817 and GRB 170817A. Astrophysical Journal Letters. Published online October 16, 2017. doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/aa920c.
E. Troja et al. The X-ray counterpart to the gravitational-wave event GW170817. Nature. Published online October 16, 2017. doi: 10.1038/nature24290.
I. Arcavi et al. Optical emission from a kilonova following a gravitational-wave-detected neutron-star merger. Nature. Published online October 16, 2017. doi: 10.1038/nature24291.
The LIGO Scientific Collaboration and The Virgo Collaboration, The 1M2H Collaboration, The Dark Energy Camera GW-EM Collaboration and the DES Collaboration, The DLT40 Collaboration, The Las Cumbres Observatory Collaboration, The VINROUGE Collaboration & The MASTER Collaboration. A gravitational-wave standard siren measurement of the Hubble constant. Nature. Published online October 16, 2017. doi: 10.1038/nature24471.
D. Kasen et al. Origin of the heavy elements in binary neutron star mergers from a gravitational wave event. Nature. Published online October 16, 2017. doi:1038/nature24453.
S.J. Smartt et al. A kilonova as the electromagnetic counterpart to a gravitational wave source. Nature. Published online October 16, 2017. doi: 10.1038/nature24303.
E. Pian et al. Spectroscopic identification of r-process nucleosynthesis in a double neutron-star merger. Nature. Published online October 16, 2017. doi: 10.1038/nature24298.
S. Covino et al. The unpolarized macronova associated with the gravitational wave event GW 170817. Nature Astronomy. Published online October 16, 2017. doi:10.1038/s41550-017-0285-z.
M.M. Kasliwal et al. Illuminating gravitational waves: A concordant picture of photons from a neutron star merger. Science. Published online October 16, 2017. doi: 10.1126/science.aap9455.
P.A. Evans et al. Swift and NuSTAR observations of GW170817: Detection of a blue kilonova. Science. Published online October 16, 2017. doi: 10.1126/science.aap9580.
G. Hallinan et al. A radio counterpart to a neutron star merger. Science. Published online October 16, 2017. doi: 10.1126/science.aap9855.
D.A. Coulter et al. Swope Supernova Survey 2017a (SSS17a), the optical counterpart to a gravitational wave source. Science. Published online October 16, 2017. doi: 10.1126/science.aap9811.
M.R. Drout et al. Light curves of the neutron star merger GW170817/SSS17a: Implications for r-process nucleosynthesis. Science Published online October 16, 2017. doi: 10.1126/science.aaq0049.
B.J. Shappee et al. Early spectra of the gravitational wave source GW170817: Evolution of a neutron star merger. Science. Published online October 16, 2017. doi: 10.1126/science.aaq0186.
C.D. Kilpatrick et al. Electromagnetic evidence that SSS17a is the result of a binary neutron star merger. Science. Published online October 16, 2017. doi: 10.1126/science.aaq0073.
P.S. Cowperthwaite et al. The electromagnetic counterpart of the binary neutron star merger LIGO/Virgo GW170817. II. UV, optical, and near-infrared light curves and comparison to kilonova models. Astrophysical Journal Letters. Vol. 848, October 20, 2017, p. L17. doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/aa8fc7.
R. Chornock et al. The electromagnetic counterpart of the binary neutron star merger LIGO/Virgo GW170817. IV. Detection of near-infrared signatures of r-process nucleosynthesis with Gemini-South. Astrophysical Journal Letters. Vol. 848, October 20, 2017, p. L19. doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/aa905c.
R. Margutti et al. The electromagnetic counterpart of the binary neutron star merger LIGO/Virgo GW170817. V. Rising X-ray emission from an off-axis jet. Astrophysical Journal Letters. Vol. 848, October 20, 2017, p. L20. doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/aa9057.
L. Grossman. What detecting gravitational waves means for the expansion of the universe. Science News. Vol. 192, November 25, 2017, p. 10.
E. Conover. Neutron star collision showers the universe with a wealth of discoveries. Science News. Vol. 192, November 11, 2017, p. 6.
E. Conover. Trio of detectors tracks gravitational waves to their home. Science News. Vol. 192, October 28, 2017, p. 6.
E. Conover. Rumors swirl that LIGO snagged gravitational waves from a neutron star collision. Science News Online, August 25, 2017.
E. Conover. Year in review: Gravitational waves offer new cosmic views. Science News. Vol. 190, December 24, 2016, p. 17.


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Percentage of foreign MLB players down slightly
The commissioner's office says that 28.1 percent of Major League
Baseball players on opening day rosters were born outside of the 50
United States.
It's the fourth-highest amount in big league history, trailing
last season, 2007, and 2005. There were 241 players born outside
the U.S. out of the 856 players on 30 big league rosters, the
disabled list and restricted list.
The Dominican Republic, winner of the recent World Baseball
Classic, was the best represented country with 89 players.
Venezuela was second with 63, then Canada (17), Cuba (15) and
Mexico (14).
Puerto Rico had 13 players, Japan had 11 and Colombia and Panama
had four each. Australia, South Korea and Nicaragua each had
Milwaukee had the most foreign-born players with 14 and Texas
was next at 13.