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36 comments:
- Newsfox said...
yeah I barely wathed semis or finals (first time in years) due to that exact sense of inevitablity.
What an enigma Maguire is - he was the only one who could push Ronnie but he just seems to have lost his A game much like Shaun Murphy has.
A great first round but the qualifiers never really pushed on to the level Ronnie was playing at, as you would expect.
That said, I am not surprised Ryan Day has fallen down the rankings as he seemed to have already lost the form he had just regained.
Shame the world cup is not on again, won't be watching much snooker for a while. Hearn says he wants tournaments with identities but they are all looking pretty similar to me!
- 1:54 pm
bask? are you for real?
great player. id rather bask in the sunshine being eaten by a crocodile.
- 1:55 pm
For me (my 31st year of viewing it) an average tournament with some great moments outshining some tedium.
In the side poker match, it's advantage Ronnie as he lays down his terms to continue playing. Barry it's your serve, be careful what you wish for.
- 2:15 pm
barry hearn really wont give a dam about Ronnie he will just say "close the door on the way out mate".
- 3:34 pm
Has to be said I thought the best bit this year was the BBC documentary on Barry Hearn.
- 3:45 pm
Great event David. Hendry's deserved ovation last night, got me emotional, wacthing and recording, as I was, from home. All things to talk about. Great event.
- 3:55 pm
Not a vintage championship by any means. In fact after about Wednesday of the 1st week I'd say it was well below average in terms of interest and watchability.
What rarely seems to be mentioned is that the Final rarely seems to be anything special. I thought it was a poor final with a couple of exceptions (e.g. Ronnie's break of92). Perhaps the problem is that, in their efforts to make the Championships the ultimate "marathon", they ignore the fact that most players are pooped by the end of the 17 days and the quality of the snooker is rarely anything special in the final as a result. And there have been some absolute stinkers in recent years - Dott/Ebdon perhaps the most obvious.
- 4:45 pm
The unequal parallels between the dignity of Stephen Hendry's swansong and the abject lack of dignity, grace, style, panache, class & worthiness of the Mark Allen exit after he lost was noteworthy.
His diatribe against the Chinese shows him up for what he is and yet another half apology afterwards shows the transparancy of this buffoon.
- 5:55 pm
Ronnie will always be many things to many people, although there are the darker moments, I am glad I did not have a ticket to see him play in Ireland this year, there is so much else.
For me his middle session against Mark Williams was little short of perfect. However where Ronnie stood proudest was in clearing the final balls, no banging tables, no screaming, no gestures, just a touching extended chat to Ali Carter when they shook hands, for a moment or two Ronnie ignored all but his beaten opponent and his later words were clearly heartfelt.
This was not just Ronnie the popular champion, but also Ronnie the gentleman.
- 7:07 pm
I take it you missed the "Reardon at 80" documentary. It was a fascinating insight into the origins of a champion. I kept thinking though shouldn't they have saved this for next year, when he actually is 80?
- 7:59 pm
Kind of funny how Hearn won't reduce the number of frames for the one tournament that probably could do with it — both for reasons of player fatigue and the fact that the longer the matches are, the more chance of it becoming a foregone conclusion long before the end.
- 8:51 pm
reply to annoymous 4:45 PM
I echo what this guy said; the quality is usually very poor by the time it gets to the final.
In fact, the second round and quarter-finals usually produce the matches of the tournament because anyone who has survived into the second round are already fired up with the first round nerves completely gone.
The semis is where you see players becoming a little bit worn out and missing simple shots here and there.
By the time the final comes round, the finalists are totally worn out.
I was just thinking it wouldnt do any one harm if there is a full day break in between the semis and the final. David, perhaps you could put forth to Barry Hearn this idea - we dun want to see utter dross in the final really just because the players are too shagged. Even Wimbledon has a Sunday break so why not do one at the Crucible too to let players recharge.
- 9:15 pm
I disagree Dave that O'Sullivan had a very difficult route to the final, Robertson was an extremely difficult match for him other than that the rest were breeze cases. Let's look at the evidence:
- Ebbo - not a chance of ever getting near O'Sullivan, of the 16 I've looked at the list and say he was about the 3rd easiest draw he could have got
- Williams - the easiest of the lot as he cacks his pants every time he sees O'Sullivan anywhere near a table, that guy had class but totally ruined his chances by becoming embroiled in twitter and his interviews about hating the Crucible and only caring about money silly silly boy and will never be endeared by the fans the way an O'Sullivan, Hendry or Davis is because he doesn't recognise or acknowledge the fans
- Robertson - a class act, by far the joint best player in the tournament along with O'Sullivan. He's the only guy in the current era you could genuinely see reaching 3 or 4 titles
- Stevens - absolute joke to suggest a hard match for O'Sullivan, he won it in his sleep
Carter - poorest finalist we've had in a long time, again like Williams has no class in how he acts away from the table, talks about being selfish, talks about not caring about the game, a disgrace to the game
We all know O'Sullivan in himself is not perfect but at least he embrace the fans and is the last true blockbuster act left in the game - Higgins has gone now and won't come back, especially after his disgusting behaviour off the table which lead to a 6 month ban, never can be considered a true great.
- 9:45 pm
The problem isn't the number of frames, the problem is the second semi-final having two sessions and possibly a late finish on the day before the final. There are a couple of steps they could take to alleviate this:
1) Knock the semis back down to 31 frames. The extra couple of frames may not look a lot, but can add an hour on the match, and it can be a killer if it's a late finish.
2) Play QF1 and QF2 simultaneously, so two sessions are played on the first day, and the last session on the second day: QF1/2-QF3/4-QF1/2, QF2/3-QF1/4-QF3/4. Then play the semis as 3:3:2: SF1-SF2-SF1, SF2-SF1-SF2, n/a-SF1-SF2 so each finalist only has one session the day before the final.
It aint brain surgery Barry!
- 1:04 am
to all those saying change the format...
its not broke. many played the same format for years and we had great semis and finals back then.
to all the members of the ronnie police....no need to have a go at all the other players. your guy has behaved worse than any player ive ever seen.
people in glass houses
- 6:53 am
Strange that people start talking about changing the world championship and thus devaluating it. Don't want to watch because it seems boring? Fine, don't watch. But the one tournement Barry shouldn't change is this one. The exact thing people moan about is what makes this event so special and to win it still means as much to players now as it did 30 years ago.
- 10:11 am
@ Unknown at 9.15pm
Completely agree with you, especially wrt R2/QF being the best matches of the tournament with a declien in SF/F.
- 11:09 am
- JC105 said...
Slightly off-topic: have you guys seen Hearn's reaction to Ronnie latest comments? Hearn's not impressed, as one could expect, see:
- 11:12 am
I just want to pick up on the Reardon comment and express my disgust at the 'legend'. Why? I shall explain.
A few years back, I took my dad and his partner to the Crucible and on this particular day, quite a few of the stars of the day made themselves available for autograph hunters. They were all pretty good, especially Stephen Hendry, who went out of his way to make sure everyone got his signature who wanted it. He was class that day.
Now, Reardon was a different case in point entirely. He walked past us towards the Crucible entrance and my dad politely asked him if he could sign his partner's programme (she was a huge snooker fan). He turned to my dad with a sarcastic grin on his face and said: "I have been here all week and if you haven't got it by now then it's tough." With that he calmly just strode off leaving my dad bemused and somewhat irate to be talked to in such a manner.
Reardon a legend? Do me a favour, he is a buffoon and I lost all respect for him that day. Hendry on the other hand is and always will be a class act.
- 2:41 pm
1.04. Id safely say not one person read your 2nd paragraph. Back to the drawing board for you.
- 4:39 pm
It surprised me when the commentators said Ronnie's 141 break was the highest for a world final.
But on second thoughts, it is no surprise - the final is usually a weary affair with 2 players dragging their feet and cues to the table and hardly in the right frame of mind to play attacking snooker.
Putting in a day break between the semis and the final would be the best solution really. It builds up the suspense to the final even more i would say.
- 6:49 pm
I think the dodgy accountant in Barry is coming through there. 60 days out of 365 doesn't sound much but let's put it into context:
Snooker players are entitled to a couple of days a week off in lieu of the weekends they play, which translates to 261 working days per year. For each day of tournament play a pro probably has to put in at least a couple on the practice table, so in reality that 60 days translates to roughly 180 days of playing snooker.
However, those 60 days probably break down to about 20 separate engagements: seven tournaments, eight PTCs and five Premier League bookings. The 15 tournament events will add about 30 days of travelling to his schedule, and the Premier League about 5 (if he travels down on the day he plays), so that takes his 'working' days up to 215 days.
215 working days out of 261 days, leave 46 'holiday' days; the average worker has about 30/35 days a year off, so at most Ronnie is only working a couple of weeks less than the rest of us. In reality he probably has to meet with sponsors, do endorsements etc, so he probably has more time taken up by work than the average 'working' man.
- 11:16 pm
- JC105 said...
You really did think this through! Your calculation must be just about spot on. Hopefully the introduction of a (partial) money list-based ranking sytem, as announced by Hearn, will better suit -and be fairer to- Ronnie (and indeed other "older" players with a family). However, O'Sullivan, while acknowledging the introduction of that new system, seems to "blackmail" Hearn in order to force him to quicken-up the changes. Don't think this will have any effect though...
- 8:18 am
Davey, any chance you can put up one of those 'century of century' lists? The one at Chris Turner's archive doesn't get updated anymore, and I would like to see how everyone stands now we're at the end of the season.
- 12:27 pm
Why do world snooker continue to display important information using that PDF format.
The draws for Q school and the calendar are virtually unreadable. Can they not colour code TV ranking events?
A 10 year old would come up with a better presentation. Disgraceful for a company that turns over so much money.
- 10:17 am
- The Blog said...
I think Stephen Hendry has more integrity than Ronnie O'Sullivan. During this year's semi-finals O'Sullivan said he planned to quit (or words that effect). He went back on that 'claim' when he won. Stephen Hendry lost his match and said "I quit!" and he did.
How many times has O'Sullivan threatened/said/hinted at/lied/made it up (etc) that he was quitting? Must be in the double figures!
Putting that to one side, congratulations to O'Sullivan for winning the title. :) I doubt he can look back in the future and claim he's underperformed. Four WC titles is great by anyone's measurement of 'achievement'.
- 12:59 pm
- jamie brannon said...
My awards for the 2011/12 snooker season:
Player of the Year: Ronnie O'Sullivan.
Was the only man to win two major ranking events. He also triumphed in five tournaments, two more than anyone else.
Tournament of the Year: UK Championship
A vintage staging of one of snooker's greatest events, capped off with a classic final. Would still prefer the best of 17 frame format but the quality and excitement wasn't diminished. The crowds in York were vindication of this.
Match of the Year: UK Championship final - Trump v Allen
A match played to a fantastic standard, initally by the audacious Trump, and then by a spirited, century-laden comeback by the pugnacious Ulsterman.
Break of the Year: Ronnie O'Sullivan making 92 in the World Championship final.
Can see why Hendry won the magic moment award for his 147, but in terms of the intrinsic difficulty of the break, O'Sullivan's 92 was different class. When Willie Thorne said he wouldn't make twenty, I thought he might be right, but you can never discount genius. A microcosm of the outrageous talent O'Sullivan has.
Most Improved Player of the Year: Jamie Jones
Enjoyed watching the fesity Welshman make a name for himself at the Crucible. A shock win over Murphy was backed up in the next round, and he did with a nice balance in his game.
Performance of the Year: Ronnie O'Sullivan beating Mark Williams 13-6 in the World Championship
The Rocket once again found his unplayable top gear for the first time in four years. It lit up a wet, wild and dull Sunday afternoon. Was at one point lauging in my chair about how great this man is.
Commentator of the Year: Terry Griffiths
Nice, dry humour, mixed in with good technical and psychological insight.
Referee of the Year: Leo Scullion
Moving up the ranks quickly. Handled his semi-final well.
- 3:26 pm
jamie in love with ronnie brannon...
that 92 break was full of great shots and some equally as bad.
he was very lucky 3 times to leave himself on a ball
and you think that break, with no pressure was better than a 43 year old making a maximum for 50k£ or something, in his already made up mind last appearance?
blinkered and biased to the core!
- 8:26 pm
- jamie brannon said...
The seventh frame of a world final is still a lot of pressure.
I'm happy to take all the flak about O'Sullivan bias, but I've given him only one more award than he received at the official awards.
I will admit I used certain language that a fan might use, but was absolutely delighted he won a fourth world title, so a litle forgiveness please.
I was particularly pleased as fear it could be his last. In addition, to move level with Higgins on world titles and ranking events made it very sweet.
As for performance of the year, I looked at it on a single match basis. However, World Snooker seem to be looking at it on a tournament basis.
In this regard, would have selected Pter Ebdon for his battling China Open win at 41. More surprising than Bingham.
- 12:45 pm
a world final frame when youre nowhere near the end, if you dont clear you wont be leaving much on and its that special.
nice to see you missed the part where he was lucky 3 times to land on balls or not snooker himself / in off
and just saying, thats still pressure? thats nowhere near the same pressure as a 147 in youre already determined last every wc.
i accept and know your biased, but not being able to put both these breaks in context shows stupidity, not fan bias.
yes, the break was excellent. it had many great shots, but they were needed as he played several kamikaze ones. and his opponent couldnt have cleared them with a brush.
pressure? pfft. wake up!
- 7:19 pm
7.19. How can you denigrade that wonderful 92 break?
Luck? Breakbuilding is riddled with luck, you play the percentages and sometimes you get good luck, sometimes bad.
There were lucky shots in Hendrys max as well, especially at the start when he ended up on the only awkward red, with automatic position for the black.
And pressure? What pressure is on Hendry? Hes made loads of max's and 50 grand is only a few exhibitions for him. Max's are ten a penny these days anyway.
There have been ten or twelve miracle clearances over the last decade or so with all the balls safe and they have nearly all been made by Ronnie. Best breakbuilder ever, by a mile. We're not worthy.
- 12:05 pm
hi 1205.
obviously a member of the ronnie police.
- 1:06 pm
yeah, maximums at the crucible are more common than frame winning breaks in the middle of a match where your opponent would need a hoover to be able to clean up
same pressur, obviously
- 3:26 pm
- jamie brannon said...
A total failure to understand the difficulty of the break. Any luck he had was made by supreme positional accuracy.
Of course, Hendry was under pressure, but think we too often select maximums as best break. It would have been second.
- 2:51 pm
jamie, ive forgot more about snooker than you will ever know!
youre usually in a minority of 1 v the rest on here and its not because you like to be different. its because youre clueless
- 6:48 pm
I've just watched vthe break on u tube and I cant find any lucky shots, unless you call going into a bunch of reds and finishing on one lucky. 6.48, Your the clueless one. Brannon got it spot on.
- 10:24 am


text:
Chevron Says Argentina Future Clouded by Seizure of Assets for $19 Billion Ecuador Judgment
Associated Press
29 November 2012
Buenos Aires, Argentina – Chevron Corp.'s Argentina subsidiary ran full-page ads in the nation's leading newspapers Thursday saying that its operations have been complicated by a court order freezing its earnings.
A judge in Buenos Aires embargoed Chevron's Argentina earnings, acting on behalf of plaintiffs in Ecuador who are trying to collect a $19 billion judgment they won over oil spills in the Amazon. Both Chevron and the Ecuadorean plaintiffs have accused each other of committing fraud in the case.
The environmental judgment is only the latest trouble Chevron is facing in Argentina, where it has become a leading partner of the state-controlled YPF SA oil company since President Cristina Fernandez expropriated it from Grupo Repsol in Spain.
Repsol has sued in Madrid accusing Chevron and YPF of unfair competition, for drilling for shale oil and gas in the "Vaca Muerta" basin that was discovered when Repsol ran the company.
Repsol also is suing Argentina at the World Bank's International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes, seeking $10 billion in compensation for the controlling stake in YPF that Fernandez seized, and said it would sue any other international oil company that tries to partner with YPF.
"I don't see the future of Chevron in Argentina as very auspicious under these conditions. They can turn it around, but it's difficult," said Emilio Apud, a former Argentine energy secretary who now works as a consultant. "The numbers just won't add up, and if they had a hope of future profits in Argentina from Vaca Muerta, that too is in doubt."
Chevron's ad called the Ecuadoran judgment fraudulent, and said that "we are seeking the lifting of this embargo as soon as possible, to avoid its negative impacts on the country, the government, the company, and the energy future of Argentina."
The Ecuadorean plaintiffs have denied Chevron's accusation and have filed a lawsuit in a U.S. court accusing the oil company of fraud.
Pablo Fajardo, the lead lawyer for the plaintiffs, issued a statement Thursday saying: "Now that the law has again caught up with Chevron in Argentina, the company is buying newspaper advertisements to improperly pressure the court system to rule in its favor. Argentina is too strong a country to fall for Chevron's game of tricks."
Chevron, based in San Ramon, California, has had a collaborative relationship with YPF since the early 1990s. The companies signed a memorandum of understanding in September to jointly develop Argentina's shale reserves, the world's third largest after the U.S. and China. But Chevron hasn't announced new investments since then, and the Ecuador suit is only complicating matters.
"The judicial embargo limits the capacity of Chevron Argentina to operate and reinvest, since the order affects more than 90 percent of the income from crude sales," the company said. This money pays salaries for 1,500 employees, as well as royalties to the provinces of Neuquen and Rio Negro, taxes to the national government and investments needed to develop unconventional oil reserves.
"This income is a resource that has been generated in Argentina and should be applied to productive investment and the recovery of the country's energy self-sufficiency," it argued.
YPF needs billions of dollars to go after this unconventional oil and natural gas, but major oil companies have held back from investing. Repsol's threat to sue any company that steps forward is one major disincentive; another has been Argentina's elaborate system of keeping consumer energy prices far below international market rates.
Fernandez announced a three-fold increase in well prices for natural gas on Thursday, to $7.50 per million BTU, for any company making new investments in energy development. YPF CEO Miguel Galuccio, who appeared with the president, said the new price should motivate more shale development. But even that price remains far below the $12 per million BTU that Argentina now pays to import gas from Bolivia.
In Canada on Thursday, the Ecuadorean plaintiffs ran into a judge's skepticism when they sought to have the $19 billion judgment enforced against Chevron's Canadian subsidiary.
Ontario Superior Court Justice David Brown did agree to hear the case, but he questioned whether he could issue a ruling since an appeal of the judgment is pending in Ecuador's constitutional court.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The Washington Times recently reported that "A media watchdog group is criticizing Delta Air Lines for making the graphic HBO series 'Rome' and other bawdy shows available for in-flight viewing after a passenger complained that children could see nudity and sex scenes." Apparently, the offending material was shown on overhead movie screens during a May 6 flight from Atlanta to Duesseldorf, Germany. According to the Times article:
Delta officials say the programs were intended as an option for viewing on private screens in the back of the airplane's seat and were shown on the public overhead screens by mistake. "As soon as our flight attendants became aware it was being shown, it was cut off and we made an immediate apology to passengers," said Betsy Talton, a spokeswoman for Atlanta-based Delta.
But a passenger who lodged a complaint with the captain during the flight and got the flight attendants to cut off the program, also notified the media activist group Morality in Media, which fired off a news release about the incident to the press last week.
I found this incident interesting because I'm about to release a new book entitled "Parental Controls and Online Child Protection: A Survey of Tools and Methods." As the title implies, it's a broad survey of everything on the market today that can help parents deal with potentially objectionable media content, whether it be on broadcast TV, cable, music, cellular phones, video games, the Internet, or social networking websites.
As I show in the book, there has never been a time in our nation's history when parents have had more tools and methods at their disposal to deal with unwanted material. Indeed, I actively set out to find instances of media exposure that could NOT be controlled using various tools, ratings, filters, etc.. And one of the few examples I identified was in-flight entertainment. After all, when you're in an airplane and stuck in assigned seats with your kids, there's not much you can do to avoid potentially objectionable content from being shown on the screen overhead. And it is also true that even personal screens on the seat heads can be viewed by others sitting nearby.
So, what can parents do about it? The primary answer is public pressure. Parents and other organizations might be able to work together to pressure airlines to self-regulate materials that cannot be blocked with parental control technologies. For example, Morality in Media and other organizations can pressure airlines to better screen material that will be shown on drop-down screens during flights. Another new group, KidSafeFilms.org, already does that. The group pressures airline operators to take steps to further restrict or edit what is shown in the open cabin space since parents have no control over it. Unfortunately, the organization is also asking visitors to the site to sign a petition to Congress asking for the regulation of such things, but that doesn't mean that the alternative approach of using public pressure won't work and encourage airlines to be more selective about the content they show on drop-down screens.
Incidentally, Morality in Media already has such a strategy for television programming. Its website has a section outlining several strategies parents can use to influence advertisers, programming executives, and cable operators before resorting to calls for censorship. To allow parents to pressure advertisers, the group publishes a book listing the top 100 national advertisers, with addresses, phone and fax numbers, names of key executives, and their products, along with a products list cross-referenced to the manufacturer. The group produces a similar book that lists the names and addresses of the CEOs of the leading broadcast and cable companies in America so that viewers or listeners can complain directly to them. Similarly, the Parents Television Council (PTC) awards its "seal of approval†to advertisers who only support programs that the PTC classifies as family-friendly. PTC also encourages parents to send letters and e-mails to advertisers who support programming they find objectionable and encourage those advertisers to end their support of those shows. There's no reason that similar approaches couldn't be used for in-flight programming.
Such efforts have been effective at changing corporate behavior in other contexts. For example, in late 2006 after years of pressure from various health groups and average parents, 10 major food and beverage companies announced new, self-imposed restrictions on advertising to children. These 10 companies, which included McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Kraft Foods, and Hershey, account for more than two-thirds of all food and beverage advertising aimed at children. Among their commitments, they agreed to not advertise products in schools; devote half their advertising to promoting healthier lifestyles and foods; limit the use of popular third-party characters (such as cartoon characters) in their ads; and limit ads seen in interactive video games or promote healthy alternatives in those ads. The initiative will be monitored by the Council of Better Business Bureaus, which helped craft the agreement.
If public pressure can help change corporate attitudes and outputs when it comes to food and beverage advertising, there's every reason to believe that it can also change other types of media behavior. For example, in late 2006, intense public pressure forced News Corp. to abandon the publication of a controversial book by O.J. Simpson in which he described how he might have killed his ex-wife and her friend. Washington Post columnist Shankar Vedantam argued that this episode "showed that shame remains a powerful tool in America.†Likewise, in April 2007, radio talk show host Don Imus had his CBS Radio show and MSNBC television program canceled after making offensive remarks about the Rutgers University women's basketball team. Public outcry was so intense that almost all his largest advertisers pulled their support for his show less than a week after the incident occurred. Again, all this was done without resorting to government censorship.
So, even though I'm a father of two young kids and share concerns about what they can see on flights, I believe there's a better way to deal with objectionable content even when parental controls are not available to me. I will let the airline know when I think they have crossed a line, and I will work with others to put more pressure on them to curtail certain types of programming I might find offensive. But I haven't found the need to do that so far. I usually just bring my own DVD player or laptop and 2 sets of earphones along for the trip so that I can control what my kids are watching or listening to. And, luckily, they're not tall enough to see the drop-down screens from their seats yet!


text:
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text:
by Tahsfenz » January 22nd, 2013, 10:43 pm
by Breanni » January 23rd, 2013, 6:37 am
Tahsfenz wrote:Are there any plans to be able to see what ability values are at different levels?
Tahsfenz wrote:Or is that just a coding nightmare?
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text:
Arby's has introduced its new $2.99 Grab-N-Go Meal Deal which allows customers "to go behind the counter at any franchise location and grab as much roast beef as they can with their bare hands" for $3. We're pretty sure this means we'll have to do the Four Color Freak-Out at the local Arby's from now on as Bobby has decided to move into their lobby.
Oh Onion, this is why love you.
{ Comments on this entry are closed }


text:
|2012-04-03, 03:40
|Link #1041
Kamen Rider Muppeteer
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Unknown
Age: 34
|2012-04-03, 17:53
|Link #1042
Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Obviously being a play on New York is the point, although I wouldn't call it a joke because it isn't really funny. But they don't actually call it "Shin York City" in Japan. So in this case calling it "Yorkshin" over "York New" is less blatant. It's still obvious what they're going for if you know what the word means but it doesn't jump in your face every time you see it.
That and it doesn't look jarring due to looking wrong from being backwards (not because we think it's supposed to be New York, but because we're not used to "New" coming after something's name in general)
|2012-04-04, 07:59
|Link #1043
Kamen Rider Muppeteer
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Unknown
Age: 34
Footnotes, are, well.. Lets not get into an argument about footnotes. It's a choice that fan translators sometimes make, but localizers don't get, lets keep it at that. I will keep using the name Yorknew if you don't mind.
|2012-04-04, 12:47
|Link #1044
Amor Fati
Join Date: Oct 2011
|2012-04-04, 14:51
|Link #1045
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
The story so far...
Introduction (ep. 1)
Hunter Exam Arc (ep 2-20)
Zoldyck Family Intro (ep 21-25)
Heavens Arena Arc (ep 26 - ??)
I imagine at some point we will be introduced to the Phantom Troupe similar to this last mini-arc.
Soooo...Killua is like the Sasuke of HxH (friend that will eventually betray the group)? That last comment from his father foreshadows it. I don't know what to make of his behavior during the final exam phase from ep. 21 (where it is suggested Killua isn't responsible for what happened). This is just a guess about future events based on past ones and shouldn't be considered a spoiler (as I have not read the manga).
|2012-04-04, 15:12
|Link #1047
Join Date: Aug 2004
Age: 32
Yeah, Sasuke is clearly based on Kurapica. Revenge for his family, eyes that change colors, etc.
Killua is... unpredictable. That's about all we know for now. He clearly wants friends, but he also has his assassin upbringing lurking in the background. Illumi thinks that he'll eventually want to kill Gon, and Killua seemed pretty jealous of Gon's ranking in the final Hunter exam, but Killua also honestly wants to escape his life as an assassin and have a real friend.
|2012-04-04, 16:14
|Link #1048
Senior Member
Daamn .. This was progressing so slowly that I went and watched the original series.. And damn was it good. Feels almost like pointless to watch this now .. But I really hope that with so much material available right now, once this anime one day reaches G.I. Final arc and passes it, it will continue and not also end right there.
I tried reading the manga from where the original OVA's left off but god, how could anyone read that? The '' art '' is so simple and boring it can hardly be called art.
|2012-04-04, 16:17
|Link #1049
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
|2012-04-04, 16:36
|Link #1050
Senior Member
Hmm ..? When I googled that just now from picture search, I got a result with much better look, indeed. This was around ch200. However the same site still had that crappy look on ch185 which is where I should continue from. Does that chapter just look that bad or does it actually look good if I bought the manga? I just have hard time believing that if an english translation of that manga exists then why would all the copies floating on the net be magazine scans?
I don't mind buying the manga, if it looks good. I don't even read manga generally but I just can't take how the original anime ended .. >.<
Also looking at the wikipedia, the release of the manga volumes confuse me? Volume 29 was released on April 2011 and the next volume is set to be released on April 2012? How can it take an year for next volume to be released? Not to mention the english translations that seem to have taken even longer.
|2012-04-06, 14:59
|Link #1053
❤Ichigo 100%❤
Join Date: Jan 2011
Start with the new one, but you might be tempted to watch the old one, once you caught up.
|2012-04-06, 20:22
|Link #1054
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Old series seem too stretched out sometimes by having a lot of content that I think could be dismissed.
However, new series seem to be shortening some scenes way too much... I would say it's the same problem as with first 10 episodes of FMA: Brotherhood where things went so fast that it made me not care =/
But the rest was up the equality.
New series arcs are half shorter than what was shown in old series.
I personally don't regret watching old series but I have no idea how this will reflect when I'll start new series...
But then again you can always miss out the same stuff through new series and wait for new content.
|2012-04-07, 03:55
|Link #1055
Kamen Rider Muppeteer
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Unknown
Age: 34
^ Pretty much that. I will have to add that most of the "apparently" shorter episodes are from the filler being cut. I say "most" because the new anime does do SOME things differently and DOES dispense with some things. I blame it on an attempt to not become a carbon copy of the original anime.
|2012-04-08, 07:57
|Link #1057
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2007
Honestly you talk as if the 1999 series didn't have the same amount of tension. When I first watched through that part of the show, you could feel the tension in the air. You weren't sure how serious they were, and as another poster put, that ambiguity is important in the story. And then when Killua makes his appearance the curtain is pulled open, and you see that Gotoh was merely "acting" or was he? You're unsure, but just like how he talked about the game being a good way to pass the time, you get drawn into that, and get absorbed into the pacing.
Instead, in this series you get this very forced tension, which is done worse. I think in the original and how it's suppose to be portrayed, you aren't suppose to be sure whether or not they are serious, in this one, there is only one answer, and it's that they were serious. Gotoh goes from being shown as someone with two sides, to someone with only one. What I mean is he still gives off the Yakuza feel in the original, but then shows his lighthearted side when all is said and done. In this one he seems way to one dimensional, no ambiguity I think is bad in this case, because HxH as a series takes a very ambiguous stance in all the arcs, getting rid of it seems silly.
They're definitely making changes to try to set themselves apart from the original, but it ends up changing the storylines enough to make it less appealing, and less like the feeling the manga gave off, even tho they are following the manga better. It's disappointing.
|2012-04-08, 16:59
|Link #1059
Kamen Rider Muppeteer
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Unknown
Age: 34
It follows the manga exceptionally well... Except in those times that it doesn't. Some of the time it adds something, some of the time we're left wondering "Why change this at all?". Like the expansion of Canary's backstory was nice, but as a tradeoff them entering the trial gate was cheapened. I'm not even sure why they had Killua arrive early this time round. They could just as well just have waited. Ah well, maybe the writers here actually didn't catch the original writer's original intent. They can't be right all the time can they?
|action, shounen
|Thread Tools


text:
Peter Voser will leave Shell at the end of March 2014, marking the end of 29 years with the Company.
Van Beurden, 55, has been Downstream Director since January 2013.
"I am delighted to announce Ben van Beurden as the next Chief Executive Officer of Royal Dutch Shell," said Chairman Jorma Ollila. "Ben has deep knowledge of the industry and proven executive experience across a range of Shell businesses. Ben will continue to drive and further develop the strategic agenda that we have set out, to generate competitive returns for our shareholders."
"Van Beurden's selection came after a comprehensive assessment and review of internal and external candidates led by the Board Nomination and Succession Committee," Ollila added.
Van Beurden joined the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies in 1983 and has held a number of technical and commercial roles in both the Upstream and Downstream businesses. He has worked in The Netherlands, Africa, Malaysia, USA and, most recently, the UK.
Van Beurden, a Dutch national, graduated with a Master's Degree in Chemical Engineering from Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands. He is married and has four children.
Notes to editors
Ben van Beurden joined Shell in 1983, after graduating with a Master's Degree in Chemical Engineering from Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands.
Ben's career in Shell spans both Upstream and Downstream activities. He has held a number of operational and commercial roles, including some 10 years in the LNG business, and a variety of positions in Downstream.
In January 2005, Ben became Vice President, Manufacturing Excellence, based in Houston, USA. In this role he was responsible for standards in operational excellence and high-performance initiatives in refining and chemicals manufacturing.
In December 2006, he was appointed Executive Vice President, Chemicals, based in London, UK.
During his tenure in the role, Ben was appointed to the boards of a number of leading industry associations including the International Council of Chemicals Associations and the European Chemical Industry Council.
In January 2013, Ben was appointed Downstream Director and a member of Shell's Executive Committee. He also has regional responsibility for Europe and Turkey.
Ben is married to Stacey and has three daughters and a son. He enjoys reading, running and travelling with his family.
Shell Media Relations
International +44 207 934 5550
Americas +1 713 241 4544
Shell Investor Relations
International +31 70 377 4540
North America +1 713 241 1042
Cautionary Note
The companies in which Royal Dutch Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate entities. In this announcement "Shell", "Shell Group" and "Royal Dutch Shell" are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words "we", "us" and "our" are also used to refer to subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These expressions are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular company or companies. "Subsidiaries", "Shell subsidiaries" and "Shell companies" as used in this announcement refer to companies in which Shell either directly or indirectly has control, by having either a majority of the voting rights or the right to exercise a controlling influence. The companies in which Shell has significant influence but not control are referred to as "associated companies" or "associates" and companies in which Shell has joint control are referred to as "jointly controlled entities". In this announcement, associates and jointly controlled entities are also referred to as "equity-accounted investments". The term "Shell interest" is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect (for example, through our 23 per cent shareholding in Woodside Petroleum Ltd.) ownership interest held by Shell in a venture, partnership or company, after exclusion of all third-party interest.
This announcement contains forward looking statements concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Shell and the Shell Group. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management's current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Shell and the Shell Group to market risks and statements expressing management's expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as "anticipate", "believe", "could", "estimate", "expect", "goals", "intend", "may", "objectives", "outlook", "plan", "probably", "project", "risks", "seek", "should", "target", "will" and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Shell and the Shell Group and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward looking statements included in this announcement, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for Shell's products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserves estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments including regulatory measures addressing climate change; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; and (m) changes in trading conditions. All forward looking statements contained in this announcement are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward looking statements. Additional factors that may affect future results are contained in Shell's 20-F for the year ended 31 December 2012 (available at www.shell.com/investor and www.sec.gov). These factors also should be considered by the reader. Each forward looking statement speaks only as of the date of this announcement, 9 July 2013. Neither Shell nor any of its subsidiaries nor the Shell Group undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward looking statements contained in this announcement.


text:
*Pianist, keyboardist, bandleader and composer Herbie Hancock and musician/songwriter Carlos Santana will be among the chosen few for the 2013 Kennedy Center Honors.
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced Thursday that Hancock and Santana were selected alongside pianist, singer and songwriter Billy Joel, actress Shirley MacLaine and opera singer Martina Arroyo for the 36th annual national celebration of the arts.
In a statement, Hancock said he was "overwhelmed with emotion and, frankly, speechless when I was told that I was selected as a Kennedy Center Honoree. This is a most coveted award. To realize that my name will be among those whose outstanding work in the performing arts I most admire is very humbling."
The honorees will be saluted during a star-studded celebration at the Kennedy Center on Dec. 15. The gala will be taped to air at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Dec. 29 on CBS.
It's a weekend of festivities that includes a dinner hosted by Secretary of State John Kerry and a pre-gala reception at the White House with President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama.
Previous honorees include Frank Sinatra, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Martin, Chita Rivera and Morgan Freeman.


text:
Innovative Collaboration on Medication Management and Community Resources
Andy Oram is an editor at O'Reilly Media, a highly respected book publisher and technology information provider. An employee of the company since 1992, Andy currently specializes in open source, software engineering, and health IT, but his editorial output has ranged from a legal guide covering intellectual property to a graphic novel about teenage hackers. His articles have appeared often on EMR & EHR and other blogs in the health IT space. Andy also writes often for O'Reilly's Radar site (http://oreilly.com/) and other publications on policy issues related to the Internet and on trends affecting technical innovation and its effects on society. Print publications where his work has appeared include The Economist, Communications of the ACM, Copyright World, the Journal of Information Technology & Politics, Vanguardia Dossier, and Internet Law and Business. Conferences where he has presented talks include O'Reilly's Open Source Convention, FISL (Brazil), FOSDEM, and DebConf.
Although experts agree that the future of health is coordinated care, it is sorely lacking in the US health care system now. This article focuses on the single, relatively simple issue of medication management. Patients are prescribed barrels of pills, but there is little coordination other than looking for contra-indications and drug interactions–and these often suffer from the caretaker's not knowing the patient's full complement of drugs.
Sandra Raup, president of Datuit, points out that all kinds of subtleties get lost when patients are simply told how often to take a medication. For instance, if medications are spaced out throughout the day instead of being being taken all at once when we remember to take them (as so many people do), they may be absorbed more effectively and tolerated by the body. Patients–especially those with lower incomes and less education, who are more likely to be on multiple medications in the first place–need all sorts of support.
Here we come to an interesting twist: coordinated care does not have to be initiated by doctors. Given the doctor shortage and the forces keeping clinicians from adopting new models of treatment, other professionals can take on the long-term goals of improving patient health.
In a pilot ramping up in a residence for low-income seniors and the disabled in Maryland, Connected Health Resources is working with Alfa Specialty pharmacy using its Community Health Gateway to help patients straighten out their medications and keep to their schedules. This works because the pharmacy is in a somewhat unusual position: they have supported this community for some time and have built relationships with patients informally. The Gateway pilot has created a service, using Datuit's SafeIX public API, that can potentially fulfill these needs with less work on the pharmacist's part. The service is designed for easy navigation by the patients and their family caregivers, making it attractive to the patients and the pharmacists.
The SafeIX Platform is designed using modern programming technologies to integrate data from multiple sources (including EHRs and HIEs) into a patient record for both patients and healthcare providers to use, based on their rights to access and share it. In the Gateway implementation, the pharmacist uses the SafeIX Platform to receive CDA documents from the HIE and to auto-assist medical data reconciliation between the various documents.
This information, along with the pharmacist recommendations, are organized into a daily medication calendar using an application from Polyglot Systems Incorporated, a company that offers medication regimen summaries in 18 languages. Low health literacy and the estimated 50 million people who do not speak English at home result in many patients not understanding their medication instructions. The plain language and multilingual, easy-to-use daily calendar can make the difference between understanding and total confusion.
Datuit's SafeIX Platform uses interoperability standards (including, in test mode, the next-generation FHIR standard) to create a patient record that can show patients everything seen by multiple clinicians and allow a patient's self-selected care team to view and add to a shared care plan. Datuit is encouraging app developers to build mobile apps for SafeIX that would prompt patients to take medications and record whether they did so, but that's outside the scope of the pilot. There are plenty of challenges just fulfilling the tasks they have already taken on.
First, Connected Health Resources has to break down the clinical data silos that make it difficult for patients to collect their information. According to co-founder Shannah Koss, Maryland has a relatively advanced Health Information Exchange (HIE) called CRISP. However, it is defined as a provider-to-provider exchange, so it was only after a long-term relationship and negotiation that Connected Health Resources could collect medical data on behalf of the patients. This is the first time CRISP has allowed data to be retrieved for a patient-facing organization that is not a provider.
When enrolling, the patient gives the Gateway permission to get data through CRISP. Family and friends can be invited by patients to be part of their health community and enroll in the Gateway. The invitation includes a unique code that allows the Gateway to securely share records and help with health and social services navigation. If the patient wants help or is incapable of managing the medication list, a caregiver can do so.
CRISP transmits data primarily from hospitals. To round out a more comprehensive listing of medications from clinics and other healthcare providers, CRISP has enabled the ability to query Surescripts, which provides prescription fill data from chain pharmacies and pharmaceutical benefit management companies.
Pilot participants authorize the Gateway and the Alfa pharmacists to access their medication information and maintain, share, and augment the information in the secure SafeIX Platform. The CRISP data gives more complete medication records for the pilot participants. CRISP also provides an event notification system that let's the pharmacist know whether a patient has been admitted to a hospital or visited the emergency department. These types of transition are precisely when medications get changed, but the clinicians at those crucial junctures often don't know all of a patient's current medications.
Finally, over-the-counter (OTC) medications can play an important role in a patient's care. This has to be added to the daily calendar. The Alfa Pharmacist is helping round out the complete medication picture by working with the patient and family to identify OTC medications, supplements, and the medications that are actually being taken through the medication therapy management (MTM) program. The Gateway provides the means for everyone to better understand and manage the medicines for the best outcomes.
Further, the Gateway Community Resource Finder has enabled information about important resources such as transportation, meal delivery, social services, and home nursing. The MTM pharmacist knows that patients without food or transportation to their physicians cannot adequately manage their health or medications. The underlying SafeIX Platform also allows the Gateway to offer secure messaging that looks like email and lets the pharmacist, patient, friends, and family exchange messages about the patient's care.
Traditional EHRs don't accommodate treatment plans of the specificity designed by the pharmacy for patients in the pilot. This is where Datuit is pushing the EHR to new horizons: its SafeIX Platform helps multiple clinicians (including long term care providers), patients, and family caregivers contribute data. For example, patients can enter their own healthcare problems, such as fear of falling. The patients, families, and clinicians can then add interventions to address them.
Like other new organizations I've spoken too in health care, Connected Health Resources has grand plans beyond the current pilot. They are taking it slow, because Koss believes personal health records (PHRs) have tried to do too much at once and have overwhelmed their users with too many possibilities. But she would like Connected Health Resources to grow in response to what patients and families say they need. The Gateway tools already include the ability to generate multi-lingual discharge instruction from Polyglot. The initial pilot purposefully focuses on the more narrow scope of medications along with the health and social services support. The next step will be to engage hospitals to provide the plain language multi-lingual discharge instructions.
Chronic care ultimately goes beyond medications to things supported by a patient-centered medical home (PCMH), community health workers, and the many community-based service providers. The Gateway in partnership with the Datuit SafeIX Platform are poised to allow all participants identified by the patient and families to contribute to and be part of their health community.


text:
Ralph, the responsible leader of the children in `Lord of the Flies`.
Project description
Ralph is an asset management system for your data center. It lets you see what hardware and software is installed. It also lets you keep track of who is using every device, for what, and how much it costs.
Ralph's database can be accessed through a web interface, a RESTful API and through command line tools, the most important of which is the discovery command, which lets Ralph gather information about your data center automatically. You can also export and import parts of the database into different formats.
Change Log
Released on October 19, 2012.
- bumped Django version to 1.4.2
- fixes order of database migrations
- fixes a problem in Django 1.4.x with built-in unit tests failing because of settings used
- minor CMDB fixes
- more unit tests
Released on October 15, 2012.
- role properties available in API
- virtual CPU count in the main ventures report
- deprecated devices now have a zero monthly cost
Released on October 10, 2012.
- cloud usage is visible in the main ventures report
- several minor fixes in UI and new plugins
Released on October 8, 2012.
- Donpedro introduced: a new dedicated discovery agent for Windows. Works as a background Windows service; a lightweight alternative to SCCM
- a new plugin to discover Xen hypervisors (with support for information about pools and hardware usage)
- a new ssh_linux plugin that discovers Linux machines by logging into them; an alternative to Puppet storeconfig
- lots of minor bugfixes in UI, CMDB and discovery
Released on September 24, 2012.
- Price catalog updated: history of changes tracked, a more intuitive UI for prices per unit of size
- bug fixes in discovery and UI
Released on September 19, 2012.
- Deployment of new machines using PXE implemented
- CMDB: change acceptance
- DHCP can be served and reconfigured remotely
- Improved reports: new report types for devices, main menu entry for generic reports, a details view for devices in reports
- API supports throttling
- A new component kind, OperatingSystem, with information about CPU, memory and disk storage visible from the operating system
- Operating system components included in pricing
- OpenStack pricing now includes pricing margins
- Extra costs are now a dictionary
- Improved date pickers in UI
Released on August 20, 2012.
- Pricing: cached prices updated after changes in the catalog; component price calculation includes custom sizes when relevant
- ralph commands no longer display the unhelpful "Error opening file for reading: Permission denied" message
- Usability improvements in editing CI relations
- Preliminary timeline view for CMDB added
- Git configuration change from Puppet agent now knows if a change was successful
- minor bugfixes
Released on August 13, 2012.
- OpenStack plugin now accepts OPENSTACK_EXTRA_QUERIES setting, containing a list of tuples in the form (url, query) of additional data sources to check.
- make the discovery plugins use soft delete
- the proxmox discovery plugin now counts local storage used
- added a "delete" link in the addresses view
- positions in racks are now numbered from the bottom
- CMDB: enabled removing relations, faster git handling
- bugfixes in CMDB and UI code
Released on August 08, 2012.
- edit links for devices and components
- soft-deletable devices
- a view showing physical layout of racks
- add a filter form in the networks view
- small usability improvements in the history user interface
- added a "zabbixregister" command for automatically creating hosts and host templates in Zabbix
- bugfixes in the CMDB
- bugfixes in the discovery plugins
Released on August 01, 2012.
- a rudimentary reports tab on device lists to filter devices according to specified rules
- venture tree collapsible
- CMDB integration scripts integrated into framework
- CMDB supports distributed plugins
- minor fixes in the Web app
Released on July 23, 2012.
- ralph chains command to list available plug-in chains
- fixed regression from 1.0.1: settings-local.py works correctly again
- ability to create new devices from the web application
- several minor bugfixes
- added cmdb charts for dashboard
Released on July 18, 2012.
- ralph management command introduced as a shortcut to python manage.py
- ralph makeconf management command introduced to create configuration from a template
- PyPI package fixed by including all resources in the source package
- minor fixes for the SQLite backend
- minor documentation fixes and updates
Released on July 16, 2012.
- initial release
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text:
Express Mail is the premium delivery service offered by the Postal Service. It is the quickest way to mail an article to its destination, providing delivery overnight, or second day. It is the only class of mail for which a delivery time for domestic shipments is guaranteed. Any mailable article that conforms to size (length plus girth
Express Mail International Service is also available for most foreign countries. Please note that Express Mail does not deliver to all ZIP Code areas; please call us to determine the availability of this service. Express Mail may be received at the post office between 9:00 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. Express Mail envelopes and boxes are available at no extra charge.
Merchandise sent via Express Mail is insured against loss or damage at no additional cost to the sender, with a coverage maximum of $100; additional insurance may be purchased with a coverage maximum of $5000. Document reconstruction insurance is also provided for non-negotiable documents with a maximum liability of $100.
Express mail may be tracked by calling 1-800-222-1811 or at the website www.usps.gov. A full postage refund is made for all domestic shipments delivered later than the guaranteed commitment.
Priority Mail is actually an extension of First Class Mail. Anything sent as First Class Mail which weighs over 13 ounces is considered Priority Mail. Pieces weighing less than 13 ounces may be sent Priority Mail at the sender's request. Priority Mail delivers items weighing up to 70 pounds in two days between major markets, and provides three day service elsewhere. Please note that the Postal Service does not guarantee two-day delivery of Priority Mail. Priority Mail may be used for sending contracts, documents, forms or any important items that require prompt, but not overnight delivery.
"Flat-rate" Priority envelopes are available at no charge. If an items fits into this special envelope, it may be sent Priority Mail, regardless of the weight. Priority envelopes, boxes and labels are available at the post office. Special services that are available for First Class Mail may also be purchased for Priority Mail.
All First Class Mail has two common features. It is provided expeditious handling and is closed to postal inspection. First Class Mail must be used for:
First Class Mail weighs 13 ounces or less. Letters cannot exceed 11 1/2" in length, 6 1/8" in height, 1/4" in thickness, or 3.5 ounces in weight. If one dimension or weight exceeds any one of the above, the piece becomes a Large Envelope. Maximum dimensions for a Large Envelope are 15" in length, 12" in height, and 3/4" in thickness. If one dimension or weight exceeds any one of the above, the piece becomes a Package. The maximum weight for a Package is 70 lbs. and length plus girth combined cannot exceed 108". Postcards cannot exceed 4 1/4 inches by 6 inches to qualify for the postcard rate. Special services that may be purchased with First Class Mail include certified, registered, return receipt, and restricted delivery. Insurance is not available for ordinary First Class Mail. Letters that only contain correspondence cannot be insured. Insurance is for material of intrinsic value only. Correspondence may be sent by certified mail.
Parcel Post is used for parcels weighing one pound or more. Parcels may weigh up to 70 pounds and measure to up 108 inches in length and girth combined. The delivery standard for parcels is 2-9 days, depending on the distance to the destination. Standard rates are determined by weight of the parcel and the distance to the destination ZIP Code. Special services that may be purchased include insurance and return receipt service.
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Return receipt is the sender's proof of delivery and identifies the article by number. The receipt will be returned to the customer after the item has been delivered and will show who signed for it, the date of delivery and the addressee's address (if different). For an additional fee, the customer may request Restricted Delivery service by which delivery is made only to the addressee or to an individual authorized in writing to receive mail of the addressee. Return receipt may be used with Express Mail, Certified Mail, Registered Mail and Insured Mail.
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Insured mail is designed to provide indemnity for loss, rifling or damage. The maximum indemnity payable is $5,000. This service provides the sender with a mailing receipt and a record of delivery is maintained at the addressee's post office. No record is kept at the post office from which insured mail is sent. Packages may not be insured for more than their value. No payments are made for sentimental losses or for any expenses incurred as a result of the loss. Return receipt, restricted delivery, and delivery confirmation may also be purchased with insured mail. Insured mail must bear the complete names and addresses of the sender and the addressee, and must be adequately packaged to withstand normal handling. Packages insured for $50.00 or less do not require the recipient's signature; item's insured for amounts over $50.00 require a signature.
Registered mail is designed to provide security for valuable and important mail, plus evidence of mailing and delivery and indemnity in case of loss or damage. Registered articles are placed under tight security from the point of mailing to the point of delivery. It is the most secure service the Postal Service offers. The maximum insurance liability is $25,000. Fees are based on the value of the article being mailed. Registered mail may be used with First Class and Priority Mail.
Registered mail must be sealed with paper tape.
If your insured, registered, or Express Mail article has been lost or damaged, you can file a claim for indemnity. We will be glad to assist you in completing a claim form. You will need to provide the original mailing receipt and evidence of value. Certain waiting periods and time limits apply.


text:
Rolla 17-under baseball team to host Waynesville in home finale.
It's been a solid summer of improvement for the Rolla Bulldogs 17-Under summer baseball squad.
The team, which figures to make up a large core of the Rolla High School's 2014 varsity baseball squad, have gotten in 15 games while dodging the raindrops during a wet month of June.
The Bulldogs are 10-5 after sweeping a doubleheader on the road at St. Clair on Tuesday 9-0 and 9-1, with Brad Lohr and Brett Hoffman gaining the victories on the mound.
Over the weekend Rolla finished 1-2 in the St. Louis Mid-Summer Jam, sponsored by Vianney High School and held at O'Fallon. In the St. Louis event the Bulldogs defeated Kirksville and lost to O'Fallon and Jefferson City Helias.
Rolla's final home games are scheduled for today, when the Bulldogs are slated to host the Waynesville Warriors in a doubleheader starting at 6 p.m. on the First Community National Bank Field at the Bray Sports Complex. Waynesville entered Wednesday's game against Plato 10-10 and riding a three-game winning streak.
Rolla is scheduled to end its season on Friday at Camdenton.
"We've had a good summer," said coach Karl Odenwald, who also is the Rolla High baseball head coach. "Jake Stephens has really improved a lot for us this summer. And Brett Hoffman, who is an incoming sophomore, has established himself as a good hitter. And our other players have been consistent."


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Dr. Michael J. Hicks
Ball State University
Michael Hicks, Ph.D., is director of the Center for Business and Economic Research and professor of economics at Ball State University. He is also an adjunct scholar with the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. He has held faculty and research positions at the Air Force Institution of Technology, Marshall University and the University of Tennessee, and holds degrees in economics from Virginia Military Institute and the University of Tennessee.
With research focusing on regional economics and public finance he is author of three books, more than forty academic papers and more than a hundred technical reports. His research has been reported in such places as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, and has appeared on NPR, CSPAN, CNBC and The Nightly Business Report. He also writes a weekly syndicated business column.
Michael is a retired reserve infantry officer and veteran of combat and peacekeeping service in the Middle East, Africa and Korea. He makes a home with his wife and three children in Muncie, Indiana.
From Dr. Michael J. Hicks
Governor's 6-Year-Old Corporate Handout Program Should Be Shuttered
Study: Michigan Business Development Program of Questionable Merit
An Assessment of the Michigan Business Development Program
A response to Oxford Economics' Review
State Tourism Subsidies Unnecessary, Ineffective and Unfair
Studies of Government-funded Tourism Promotion Withstand Criticism
Tourism Promotion Study Criticism Absurd, Ironic
Tourism Officials Invited To Debate Efficacy of Pure Michigan
State Not Transparent with Effectiveness of Multi-Million-Dollar Program
The State Claims 'Pure Michigan' is Worth Tens of Millions. It Isn't.
Pure Michigan's 'Budget Justification'
Study: Pure Michigan a Poor Investment
An Analysis of State-Funded Tourism Promotion
Pure Michigan: An Economic Development Program That Doesn't Create Any Development
Pure Michigan Campaign Ineffective, Needs To End
MEDC's Priority: Defend Its Budget
Note to Michigan's Tourism Lobbyist: GEICO Pays For Its Own Advertising and You Should Too
State Tourism Spending Ineffective
Right-to-Work Laws Improve Growth Prospects
Right-to-Work Laws Work
Right-to-Work Laws Improve Economic Well-Being
Economic Growth and Right-to-Work Laws
A Tale of Two States: Indiana and Michigan
The Puzzling Differences Between Michigan and Indiana in This Recession
MEGA Marks 15th Anniversary
Both studies found that the program had no impact on overall job creation in the state. Another study found that Michigan would have been better off economically if the state had just cut taxes for all businesses instead of operating a targeted tax break program. … more


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Kotaku: When playing video games, it's easy to get caught up in the notion of utility. Is this ability useful to me, does this skill make my character more powerful, will it improve the ratio of my numbers to my opponents' numbers, robot, robot, numbers, beep, boop, etc.
I've found uses for it. It's good to quickly move from place to place especially when you're in a shop or something that forces you to walk. You can also use it to chase down enemies that run from you.
Just vote down Kotaku. I do everytime I see one their articles.


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Arts and culture
Norwegian art and other forms of cultural expression have won international recognition and a number of Norwegian artists, writers and musicians rank among the best in the world. Norwegian architecture, design, music, literature and films are finding their way to other countries, and are raising Norway's profile abroad.
The Government aims to provide a good framework for ensuring quality, breadth and diversity in the cultural sector. Internationalisation of Norwegian arts and culture has increased awareness of, and interest in, Norway as a nation of cultural innovation and knowledge. Through various support schemes and different forms of project cooperation, the Norwegian Government helps Norwegian artists and cultural professionals to participate on the international stage, thus enabling them to bring new ideas and inspiration back to Norway.
- Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) is one of the world's most widely performed dramatists, while Jon Fosse is one of the most widely performed living dramatists.
- Edvard Munch (1863-1944) captured his own anguish – and arguably the suffering of the human condition – in his iconic painting The Scream. Today, Tori Wrånes creates a whole world of images through sculpture, performance, music and drama.
- Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) was a National Romantic composer who revolutionised the music of his day. Today, Kygo is revolutionising electronic dance music, Mari Boine is mixing traditional Sami chanting song (joik) with elements of jazz, and Black Metal has become one of Norway's largest cultural exports.
"… one of the leading figures in European jazz, helping to forge an identity distinct from the music's American roots."
David Honigmann, Financial Times on saxophonist Jan Garbarek
Deeyah Khan is a film director, record producer and human rights defender. In 2016, she was appointed UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador on artistic freedom.
Among the architecture firms that have made their mark abroad is Snøhetta, the firm behind the Oslo Opera House, the Library of Alexandria and the 9/11 memorial pavilion at Ground Zero in New York City.
A great many Norwegian books have been translated and published abroad. For example, Karl Ove Knausgård's books have been translated into 30 languages, and Jo Nesbø is one of the world's bestselling crime writers.
Support to Cultural Cooperation and Events in Croatia
The role of the Embassy is to support and facilitate initiatives and events that further strengthen the cultural cooperation and exchange between Norway and Croatia.Read more


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Let Us Find It For You - 2018 Ford Transit Dove Creek Implement Co.
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It's easy to use add-on systems with these available switches. Four circuits can operate high-power relays for heavy-duty accessories. They're integrated into the instrument panel for fast power access and upfit operation.
Long-arm power mirrors are available with heat feature and turn signals.
Pewter Gray Leather, 10-Way Power Driver and Front-Passenger seats are optional on Transit Van and available for Passenger Wagon XLT*. Includes Safety Canopy® side-curtain airbags, driver-side and front-passenger-side front airbags, inboard armrests and heated driver and front-passenger seats. Passenger Wagon rear passenger seat rows are also leather.
The Trailer Brake Controller requires Heavy-Duty Trailer Tow Package.
Convenience like this means there will be no lapse in productivity when you're out there on the road. Use or recharge your computer, recharge your smartphones or connect your portable printer.
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Program Resources
The resources below offer a broad orientation to the Master of Liberal Arts (MLA) program, information about administrative aspects of the program and include forms you may need while you pursue your studies.
Virtual information session
During this information session, MLA Program Director Dr. Chris Pastore discusses the MLA program, its curriculum and what MLA graduates are doing with their degrees.
If you have a problem viewing this video, you can watch it on YouTube.
Student handbook
For guidelines on MLA degree requirements, structuring your individualized curriculum, capstone and policies, refer to the Master of Liberal Arts Student Handbook (PDF).
Academic resources
MLA students at Penn are part of a vibrant intellectual community, with access to a wide range of academic and cultural resources, including:
- Lectures, readings and discussions at Kelly Writers House
- The Critical Writing Program
- The Reference Department at Van Pelt Library
- Learning Resources Center
As you continue your MLA studies, refer to the following forms as needed:


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Narrow Selection
The Haggadah is the book used during the Jewish holiday of Passover to tell the Passover story. The Haggadah story tells the tale of the Jewish enslavement under the Pharaoh and the miraculous exodus from Egypt all in one book. This Judaica text is read at the Passover Seder to fulfill the commandment to 'tell your son' about the Jewish liberation from Egypt. It is a Mitzvah for Jews to tell this Passover story from generation to generation, so no one should forget what happened in Jewish history.
What is the Passover Seder? The Passover Seder consists of reading the Haggadah out loud as a community with family and friends. The Seder also includes a Passover meal with specific Seder foods and rituals. A Seder plate is put out on the table with six Seder ingredients, these foods symbolically represent the Jewish experience in servitude and the lessons that can be learned from Passover.
The Haggadah lists the order of the Passover Seder, including when to drink the four cups of wine, when to eat the Seder plate ingredients, when to present Elijah's Cup, and much more. This Hagaddah is important for completing the Mitzvah of sharing the Passover story for years to come. The Hagaddah keeps everyone on the same page and keeps the Jewish oral tradition written down in an orderly manner.
The Haggadah book can come in a variety of styles and designs. The book itself may vary from paper back to hard cover leather bound books. Hazorfim Judaica offers stunning leather bound Hagaddah books. The Haggadah can come in Hebrew or English, but these days most Haggadah books feature both languages. Some Haggadahs have illustrations for children, while others display only text. Many Haggadahs have a song section for joyful Passover singing. If you have questions about Passover Haggadahs, feel free to Contact Us.
Haggadah Guide
One of the most important Jewish holidays is Passover that commemorates the exodus from Egypt. The exodus is celebrated with the 8 dyad holiday of Passover that is started with a meal known as the Seder in which Matzah and bitter herbs are eaten. During the meal, the story of the exodus is read in the book called the Haggadah.
What is a Haggadah?
The Passover Haggadah is the book that is read during the Passover Seder. The book contains the different courses of the Seder known as "steps" and most importantly, the story of the Exodus from Egypt in Hebrew, usually with some kind of commentary, usually by Jewish commentators and Rabbis from the past. Haggadahs also frequently sport translations in to English and other languages such as German, French and Spanish.
Decorations on the Cover
Passover Haggadahs can be decorated with the gamut of Judaica symbols on the cover. However, all Haggadahs have the Hebrew words "Haggadah Shel Pesach" – "The Passover Haggadah" in English – in the center in a clear Hebrew font with a translation directly below. The cover also typically features Judaica related to Passover such as Kiddush Cups, Matzah Covers or some artistic interpretation of the Exodus. However, they may also feature images of Jerusalem, Stars of David and even an image of the sheep used in the traditional Passover sacrifice.
The text inside the Haggadah is usually formatted so that the Hebrew text is on the right side and any translation on the left. The commentaries are usually situated beneath the Hebrew and translation and are usually in a smaller font. Because nearly every single Jewish leader has a different interpretation of the Exodus, the commentary varies between books.
In addition to the text, many Passover Haggadahs have illustrations depicting slavery in Egypt, the ten plaques and the Crossing of the Red Sea. These illustrations may be in color or black and white and varies by publisher.
For More Information
For more information about Haggadahs, Tehillim, prayer books and covers, and other Judaica items, please feel free to contact our judaica experts with any questions or concerns.


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Understanding HIV: GBV-C and HIV -- Better Together?
November 2004
Since the early days of AIDS research, some scientists have wondered if HIV could be slowed or rendered harmless by another virus. A number of studies suggest that hepatitis G (GBV-C) may be just such a virus, reducing disease progression and death in some people who are co-infected with both HIV and GBV-C. The authors of a recent article in The Lancet, went so far as to suggest that GBV-C be used as a model for designing new treatments for HIV. Other researchers, however, remain skeptical that GBV-C is responsible for slowing down HIV. Nevertheless, the findings so far demand further research.
What Is GBV-C?Originally named hepatitis G, the GBV-C virus was discovered fairly recently. Scientists did not uncover its unique genetic structure until the early 1990s, showing that it is closely related to hepatitis C virus (HCV). Unlike HCV, however, GBV-C does not cause illness or liver damage.
GBV-C is highly transmittable through blood-to-blood contact. Therefore, nearly all IV drug users with either HIV or HCV have probably also been infected with GBV-C. It is also transmitted through sexual contact and some studies have found evidence of current or previous infection with GBV-C in up to 55% of people with HIV.
What Does the Research Show?A number of studies have found that, in general, people who are infected with both HIV and GBV-C have slower disease progression and death rates than people with HIV who are not infected with GBV-C. Several studies presented at the Ninth Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in 2002 and subsequently tell a more complex story.
GBV-C infection can be shown in a couple of ways, through an antibody test (anti-E2) or a viral load test (GBV-C RNA). However, only the GBV-C RNA test can confirm that a person is actively infected with GBV-C. This is because it is possible to become infected with GBV-C, develop antibodies, and then clear the infection while still retaining those antibodies for some time after. Therefore, the anti-E2 only provides evidence that an active infection has occurred at some point in time. It may be current or the body may have cleared it long ago.
To add further complexity, it is believed possible to become infected with GBV-C without ever developing antibodies, and still clear the infection. So some people who test negative for GBV-C RNA and the anti-E2 test may have actually been infected at some point. Gaining this knowledge has been key to developing a better understanding for how GBV-C may be protective against HIV disease progression.
The most recent studies have found that only people who have an active GBV-C infection (i.e., a positive GBV-C RNA test) will also have delayed HIV disease progression, and that this protection is lost when and if the body clears GBV-C. It was reported in some studies at the 2002 CROI that people living with HIV who cleared GBV-C infection may actually be worse off than people who never had GBV-C infection. More recent analysis of this same data indicates this may not be true.
Some researchers, however, remain skeptical that GBV-C infection plays any role at all in delayed HIV disease progression. It has been shown that GBV-C uses CD4+ cells to reproduce, thus competing with HIV. In studies documenting a survival benefit it has been shown that active GBV-C reproduction ceases at the same time as CD4+ counts begin to fall.
A number of researchers interpret this to mean that CD4+ counts are falling because the body has cleared GBV-C. Other scientists argue that the truth may actually be the opposite: when CD4+ cell counts drop, GBV-C no longer has a place to reproduce and is thus eliminated. A study appearing in the June 19 edition of The Lancet may convince at least some skeptics.
The study, out of the Iowa VA Medical Center, tested the degree to which GBV-C was able to reduce HIV replication in cells. In a test tube, HIV-infected cells were infected with different quantities of GBV-C virus. HIV reproduction was significantly decreased in all cell cultures where the strain of HIV in the test-tube was dependent on one of two very common cell receptors (CCR5 or CXCR4). Moreover, the quantity and timing of the dose of GBV-C was strongly linked to the degree by which HIV reproduction decreased.
The researchers were also able to measure the effect of GBV-C and HIV infection on cellular factors that have been identified as protective against HIV. GBV-C-infected cells had fewer receptors like CCR5 on their surface, and they expressed chemical messengers (chemokines) known to block HIV entry into cells. (For more information, read Project Inform's publication, "Co-Receptors-CCR5: Understanding HIV.")
The exact manner by which GBV-C infection accomplishes this is not yet known. These data certainly suggest that examining GBV-C co-infection is a promising avenue for further research. Might it be possible to build drugs based on how GBV-C protects cells? Would it be helpful or possible to infect people with GBV-C as a way to control HIV? Could a strain of GBV-C be used as a vehicle for some kind of gene therapy? The answer to any of these questions may very well lead us toward a cure for AIDS.
This article was provided by Project Inform. It is a part of the publication Project Inform Perspective. Visit Project Inform's website to find out more about their activities, publications and services.


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The Lord is righteous and hath loved righteousness; upon uprightness hath His countenance looked. (Prokeimenon, from Psalm 10, 6th tone, for Wednesday in the First Week of Great Lent)
Why be righteous? It can be so hard sometimes.
Why be righteous? To see the Lord's face (His countenance). The Lord loves righteousness, because, it causes His beloved creatures to be most like Him. The reason to struggle for righteousness is to become like Him, so that we can see Him as He really is. To the pure all things are pure. If we strive to become pure, we can gaze upon He who is above all purity, and understand.
Do you want to see God? Do you want eternal happiness, and peace and completeness? Only the countenance of God offers these things. And the only way to behold God's face is to strive to become like Him, as He has revealed Himself, through His only begotten Son.
How marvelous is the Word of God, and how sublime the God-breathed divine services which are a beautiful tapestry, woven throughout with the Word of God. Even a small Prokeimenon, during a weekday service can teach us the whole evangelical gospel and the purpose of life!
O Lord, help us to love righteousness, so that we may behold Thy countenance!


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In a shock move, hundreds of firefighters including firemen from New York and Ireland have been barred from the Savannah, Georgia parade because of repeated drinking violations.
Savannah host the largest parade in the south and claims to be the second largest in the nation after New York.
The group which marches under the banner "Our Nation's Firefighters" and has units from all over received a letter from the Saint Patrick's Parade Committee banning them from the parade because of repeated violations of the no alcohol policy. The committee held a press conference on Monday night to explain their decision.
"I was shocked," firefighters chairman James Grismer told the local media, WTOC 11. "If I had gotten the letter months ago I might have easily handled it but it is certainly the eleventh hour.
"And there are literally hundreds of very angry people out there and I'm thinking about the hotels here in Savannah," said Grismer. "There's going to be a lot of cancellations."
New York firefighters may be issued a separate last minute invitation according to one report, given their popularity after 9/11
"It's like being disgraced or dissed but there's little I can do," said Grismer. "They tell me there's no appeal. But I would like the parade committee to at least understand the depth of our hurt."
Grismer denies the firemen were drinking during the parade but the parade committee begs to differ.
"The firefighters were noted to be drinking before the parade, which must certainly shock people that somebody may be drinking before the parade," said Grismer. "The second thing was that the men were drinking in the line of march. That is untrue. This is closely monitored because of an incident in 2007."
New York firefighters were removed from the parade under similar circumstances that year.
However parade organizers beg to differ, "We went in depth with this and had major discussion on this more so than any other unit that's in the parade concerning the issues we've had in the past," said parade chairman Brendan Sheehan.
"It's not that we want to limit anybody having fun," said Sheehan. But if you want to have fun and drink alcohol do it outside of the parade route. Do it where there's no possibility that you're going to harm somebody 'cause you're driving a vehicle and you're marching in the line and that you're going to hurt somebody in the parade."
Here's WTOC 11's report:


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Poems and Writing For All Occasions
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Our beautiful 15 year old son lost his life in a tragic schoolboy prank on Monday evening 24th April 2006 in Durban, South Africa. Other than telling me about how excited he was to play in his first rugby match the next day and how much he loved me and his mom, the words of this story were the last words he spoke to me on the phone across the oceans from South Africa to Santa Barbara. He had recently been enrolled at my old school, Clifton, one of South Africa's finest educational establishments and was loving its rigorous challenges. My remarkable wife was enjoying devoting all her efforts to Mathew and to making being a mom the number one priority in her life.
He was making outstanding academic progress and his easy smile, warm personality, mischievous sense of humor and good looks had him surrounded him with a circle of wonderful new friends. He was effervescent and laughing and looking forward to seeing me in the next few weeks.
An hour after the phone call he was taken from us, from a prank gone awry. Our boy loved life and life loved him back. He liked surfing; he loved downhill bike riding and liked going fast and riding radically. I'd sent him a new front fork for his bike and he just loved it, "Dad, I can manual for as long as I want he'd say" – manualling is a difficult maneuver, doing a wheelie without pedaling while riding down hill. It took skill and balance, something he innately possessed. He liked swimming and water polo and we had some great days together body surfing and getting bombed in the wild shore break at Waimea Bay in Hawaii.
Carla had taken him to Maritzburg, a neighboring town on numerous occasions and she watched his first race when he was so thrilled to be lent gloves by World Downhill Champ Greg Minar. At the event he met Nigel Hicks who became one of his close friends and took him on many downhill adventures.
He was truly thriving in his new school at Clifton and really enjoying the adventures associated with his new lifestyle in South Africa and becoming acquainted with his African roots. A recent trip to a game park with his aunt demonstrated that Africa had never left his heart. He was really excited to see the wild up close for the first time. He truly was a nature boy.
On this note we'd like to leave you with the essay he wrote on Monday, his last day of school. Our beautiful boy was so proud of what he'd written and read in English class that day and my wife and I would like to share his beautiful words with our friends all over the world. As a young boy he knew instinctively why we surfers love what we do and had the sensitivity to understood the subtle interplay between aloha and respect.
My wife Carla and I will miss him more than the depth of the oceans and the breadth of the sky. Hold your children tight and then hold them tighter again. Love them with everything you have, every minute of every second of every day. Listen to them and learn from them and teach them the right way, and from us, teach them that they are not invincible. With our love and with our deep sadness,
Shaun and Carla Tomson
" Becoming a Man" by Mathew Tomson
Deep inside the barrel, completely in tune with my inner self, nothing else matters, the hard wind and spit shooting past me from behind, my hand dragging along the wall, the light shines ahead. My long hair carried by the wind. My feet are in perfect placement on the board. As I lean forward I feel myself speeding up getting faster and faster as the barrel starts to close. I crouch down until my legs burn and I then pull out to the whole line up cheering. My body tingles with joy and happiness. I finally felt respected. I got back on my board and paddled to the outside. I turned my head to the right to find Keone and his crew paddling towards me. My joyful feeling disappeared as fast as they came, my mouth went dry and I was truly afraid. He stopped in front of me and raised his hand. I ducked, but no pain was to come. I opened my eyes and put my hand out and firmly grasped his hand. This was not a handshake; it was a sign of respect. I looked into his eyes and we paddled to the point together without saying a word. The moment was much more powerful than any words could explain. For the rest of the season I was allowed to take off on as many waves as I wanted. I could have never imagined being part of "The Crew" but I was and I will always be. That was the day I became a man.