text:
Via Massively, I learned yesterday that Funcom released a ton of new details about Secret World at the Game Developers Conference. They also now have a website for it with trailers, class info, and such. Secret World really piqued my interest when I first heard about it, but has somehow managed to fly completely under my radar recently.
I have to say what I am seeing there looks fantastic. The setting looks great, very different from all the elfy fantasy fare I feel that the market is currently glutted with. Sort of Left for Dead meets an a fantasy MMO set in modern times, with a dash of global shadow conspiracy thrown in for good measure. The character development system also looks interesting, it will be skill based rather than class based. I'm once again really looking forward to the game. I just hope, for their sake and mine, that the release doesn't jam up too closely to the release of SWToR.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Secret World: the floodgates are open
Labels: Secret World
3 comments:
- AnonymousMarch 10, 2011 at 12:36 PM
The Secret World has been one of those games I've been looking forward to for a while now. But with Rift and news of GW2 and SWTOR, lately it's taken a bit of a backseat. The new trailer Funcom released the other day though, got me excited all over again.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 10, 2011 at 12:47 PM
And by other day, I meant of course, earlier today. My fingers don't seem to be typing the same things my brain is thinking...ReplyDelete
That trailer was indeed awesome. I would say this is the gam I'm most looking forward to now, apart from SWTOR.ReplyDelete
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text:
For Immediate Release
Mark Mitchell, OK.gov
405-524-3468 Ext. 120
OK.gov Celebrates Ten-Year Anniversary
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA. – December 20, 2011 – OK.gov, Oklahoma's official state website celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2011. Through the years, OK.gov has been an online source for Oklahoma citizens to find everything pertaining to Oklahoma state government.
YourOklahoma, the Oklahoma State Portal, was created in May 2001 through the passing of House Bill 1662, and was operated through an agreement between NIC Inc. and Oklahoma's Office of State Finance. In 2004, the Portal underwent a facelift and changed its branding from YourOklahoma to the current, OK.gov.
"OK.govprovides user-friendly applications and websites that connect Oklahoma citizens with elected officials and state agencies," said Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin. "I congratulate them on their 10th anniversary."
Since 2001, the portal received multiple best-in-class awards for applications developed for the state of Oklahoma. In 2009, OK.gov received national recognition, placing in the Top 10 for Digital Government Achievement Awards.
In the last decade, Oklahoma Interactive has launched 418 custom-designed eGovernment applications. Some of the more notable online services include:
- Oklahoma State Treasurer: Online Treasury Auction
- Oklahoma Tax Commission: Online Vehicle Tag Renewal System (CARS)
- Oklahoma State Department of Health: Step UP Performance Management System Application
- Oklahoma Emergency Management: SoonerSafe Safe Room Rebate Program
OK.gov staff are currently designing and implementing challenging new applications such as the Oklahoma Department of Library's Student Literacy Tracking application and an online Governor's Appointee Application Form, which are scheduled for launch in 2012.
"We have worked hard to make OK.gov an easy-to-use and comprehensive place for businesses and citizens to interact with the state," said Mark Mitchell, OK.gov general manager. "In the future, we plan to build upon this success by enhancing citizen interaction, managing important content effectively and efficiently, and building online services that save the state, citizens and businesses time and money."
Oklahoma Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of NIC Inc. that manages OK.gov, celebrated its anniversary with an open house for all Oklahoma state agency partners at Oklahoma Interactive offices in downtown Oklahoma City. The open house allowed agency partners to meet the entire Oklahoma Interactive staff and learn more about the history of the company.
About OK.gov
OK.gov is the Official website of the state of Oklahoma and a collaborative effort between the Oklahoma Office of State Finance (OSF) and Oklahoma Interactive, LLC to help Oklahoma government entities web-enable their information services. OSF is responsible for OK.gov. Oklahoma Interactive operates, maintains, and markets OK.gov and is part of eGovernment firm NIC's (NASDAQ: EGOV) family of companies.
About NIC
NIC Inc. (NASDAQ: EGOV) is the nation's leading provider of official government portals, online services, and secure payment processing solutions. The company's innovative eGovernment services help reduce costs and increase efficiencies for government agencies, citizens, and businesses across the country. NIC provides eGovernment solutions for more than 3,000 federal, state, and local agencies across the United States. Additional information is available at http://www.egov.com.
- 30 -

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Friday, March 23, 2012
Urine luck! {or} Misadventures in Sewing.
Half my church is pregnant or post-natal, so I've been in baby-gift mode ever since my mom left. With one shower I missed plus three more in the next three or four weeks, I'm kind of scrambling to get things done. But the really crazy thing I'm doing right now is a wedding dress.
Yup. That's right. Pure crazy right there.
It's something I've always wanted to do, so when my friend told me that she had a shell of a vintage dress that she wanted to make into something awesome I was all over that. The other day she brought it over and started explaining what she wanted. Her mom had already taken some seams out, reduced a giant full skirt down to a fitted, straight skirt, and put some ribbon loops in the back for a corset-like lace up closure. She wanted to add a transparent, voluminous overskirt with an embellished sash over the top, and to make the back look better. My brain was immediately on fire with ideas and I got to work.
First on my agenda was some repair work on the bodice.
A section of the lace had a big hole in it that someone had half-heartedly attempted to fix with some darning. I cut out a matching section of lace from a jacket that came with the dress and hand-sewed it over the hole. That worked pretty good.
Can you spot the patch? I'm just curious.
There were some darts put into the skirt to make it more fitted around the hips, but the placement of them made funny little points jutting out so I removed them and made smoother ones. I also removed the standard zipper so that I could attach the overskirt to the underskirt, and put an invisible one in later.
Yesterday I woke up, having gotten next to no sleep and feeling stuffed up and raw-throated, and thought about sewing. I shouldn't have, but the wedding is only four weeks away. So I went to Joanns and got fabric, then came home and started working. Well, three failed attempts at sewing the overskirt with a tiny, mostly hidden seam later, I finally figured out how to do it right.
Feeling good, I went to iron it. Somehow the setting had gotten bumped up to high and I burned a hole right through the fabric. Seriously!!?? Fortunately I'd gotten extra fabric, so no harm done, but I figured that this was a pretty good sign that it was time for me to step away from the sewing room.
But I had to do one last thing. I wanted to press all the wrinkles out of the fitted satin skirt so I could hang it up to get it ready for the overskirt. I laid it on the ironing board and started ironing, and the smell that came off of it was truly horrific. It went beyond "vintage musty" and into a realm of yuck. Then I got down to the hem, which was oddly stiff, and the iron hit it and WHAM. It was like someone had punched me in the face with reek.
Because I'm really, really stupid, I decided to lift the hem to my face and see what was up, and what was up was a double whammie of hot cat pee right up my nose.
Hot. Cat. Pee.
In the post-traumatic fog that ensued, my delirious brain yelled at me in incoherent snippets of CAT PEOPLE ARE CRAZY and HELP IT'S UP MY NOSE with a little dash of WHY, GOD? WHY!? thrown in for good measure. When I awoke later in the fetal position on my sewing room floor, my resolve had crystallized. I knew that vintage or not, that skirt was going in the washing machine. If it disintegrated, so be it. No bride is walking down the aisle smelling like cat urine. I'll make a new skirt if I have to. The end. Period.
Fortunately the skirt survived not one but two cycles through my washer and is currently hanging up in my sewing room ready for the next step. Today is a new day and hopefully will not end in tears and feeling the need to be decontaminated. Wish me luck!
8 comments:
- Lynz said...
*snort* I'm not laughing. *snigger* no really. *coughgiggle* who am I kidding?!?
BUA-HA-HA!! Hot cat pee??? Eeeew!!! But your repair looks awesome. *hiccup* Really great. You clever girl. *sighs* I need a lie down after all that laughing...
- March 23, 2012 at 7:23 AM
- Kelly Smith said...
Oh my goodness. That was hilarious! I am so sorry for your cat pee adventure, but I agree with you... some cat people are crazy... we took our 2 yos trick-or-treating for the first time this past October and the first house we stopped at reeked of cat pee... all she did was open the door and wham, we were hit with that smell. One of my boys said "stinky" but thankfully I think she missed that. Yuck, yuck, yuck! I hope today is better, and if not, maybe washing it with baking soda... I am so not the person to comment on vintage things though, so go with your gut. Oh! Great repair too! I looked and could not spot it!
- March 23, 2012 at 9:11 AM
- 'Manda said...
Oh no! At least you found the pee before the wedding day. No bride wants to smell like cat pee.
Your repair is amazing!
- March 23, 2012 at 12:42 PM
- Krista said...
Hahahaha. Hey now, us cat people are NOT crazy! (but I see your point...) I think I found the spot where your repair was, but only because I looked for a seam, then looked to the left to find the pattern of the piece you cut. So ya, I'd say that's a pretty stellar patch job!
- March 24, 2012 at 9:17 AM
- Krista said...
I can't tell from the photo that it was a patch job, in case I didn't make that clear! I'm only assuming that spot is where it's located, based on deductive reasoning, lol. Just wanted to clarify!
- March 24, 2012 at 9:19 AM
- Terri said...
Ha!!! Maybe it's a good thing your nose was little stuffed up!
- March 24, 2012 at 1:40 PM
- Rachel Hauser said...
Vintage sewing is dangerous! I'm so glad you had a cold to defend yourself with. I also could not locate the patch!
- March 26, 2012 at 7:30 AM
- jennifer smith said...
amazing!! linda told me about this as i haven't checked my bloggieland dashboard in forever. as if i needed another reason to be impressed by you...so cool.
lemme see you soon!
- March 28, 2012 at 11:45 AM


text:
Teen Scene
April 2018
Recent Releases
The Poet X
Elizabeth Acevedo
15-year-old Xiomara, who isn't afraid to speak with her fists when she's harassed on the street, but who discovers that poetry offers an outlet for her family frustrations, her doubts about her Catholic faith, and her feelings about her secret boyfriend.
About the author:
lam poet Elizabeth Acevedo makes her debut with t
his bittersweet, hard-hitting novel in verse.
Try this next:
Isabel Quintero's
Gabi, A Girl in Pieces,
for another memorable Latina character finding her voice
Children of Blood and Bone
Tomi Adeyemi
Zélie, a divîner with dormant magic abilities who's fed up with King Saran's brutal oppression; Amari, the rebellious princess who hopes to reawaken the magic in Zélie and others like her; and Inan, the crown prince who's determined to stop them.
Book buzz:
This vivid, fast-paced trilogy opener is already generating excitement among readers on social media.
Further reading:
Looking for another richly drawn Afrofantasy series? Try Nnedi Okorafor's
Akata Witch
or Tochi Onyebuchi's
Beasts Made of Night
A Girl Like That
Tanaz Bhathena
What it's about:
piecing together how (and why) headstrong orphan Zarin and her childhood friend Porus wound up dead by the side of a highway in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Who it's for:
With postmortem narration, a diverse cast, and an unflinching portrayal of abuse,
A Girl Like That
will grab readers looking for unconventional stories about girls who defy society's rules.
Time Bomb
Joelle Charbonneau
What it's about:
A bombing at their high school leaves students Frankie, Rashid, Tad, Z, Diana, and Cas trapped together, dependent on each other to survive but all too aware that any of them could be the bomber.
Read it for:
Multiple perspectives, shifting alliances, and steadily building suspense.
Reviewers say:
"a powerful page-turner that doesn't let up until its explosive finale" (
Publishers Weekly
The Belles
Dhonielle Clayton
What it's about:
Only the Belles can beautify the gray, red-eyed people of Orleans, and though 16-year-old Belle Camellia is thrilled to become the favorite of the royal family, she soon discovers that the palace is full of ominous secrets, and that there's more to her magic than she ever suspected.
Series alert:
Lush and thought-provoking, this series opener will leave you desperate for the next book.
For fans of:
Keira Cass'
The Selection
or Scott Westerfeld's
Focus on: Australian Fiction
The Lines We Cross
Randa Abdel-Fattah
What it's about:
the unlikely romance between Mina, a smart prep school student whose family came to Australia as refugees from Afghanistan, and Michael, a white classmate whose family founded a very vocal anti-immigrant group.
Why you might like it:
Along with realistic dialogue and alternating narration, this love story offers insight into the deeply personal side of politics.
The Dead I Know
Scot Gardner
What it's about:
Even as Aaron Rowe struggles with sleepwalking, repressed memories, and an unstable family situation, his new job at a funeral parlor provides him with an unexpected sense of belonging.
Who it's for:
If you appreciate dark humor, psychologically complex characters, and you're not squeamish about corpses, this book is for you.
Try this next:
Jason Reynolds'
The Boy in the Black Suit
for another teen guy who finds solace at a funeral home.
The Dark Days Club
Alison Goodman
Lady Helen Wexhall, whose supernatural abilities complicate her social debut in 1812 London and provoke a personal dilemma: should she marry the Duke of Selburn and be a respectable lady, or join the rakish Earl of Carlston as a demon-fighter with the Dark Days Club?
For fans of:
Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle trilogy.
Series alert:
This atmospheric historical fantasy series continues in
The Dark Days Pact
Lucy and Linh
Alice Pung
What it is:
a series of letters from Lucy Lam to her friend Linh, describing Lucy's experience as a poor, Chinese-Australian scholarship student at a wealthy, mostly-white prep school in Melbourne -- a place where fitting in comes at the cost of being yourself.
Why you might like it:
Whether or not you've experienced mean girls and microaggressions like the ones Lucy faces, you can relate to her attempts to figure out who she is and who her real friends are.
Six Impossible Things
Fiona Wood
What it's about:
After his dad announces that he's bankrupt, gay, and leaving, Dan and his mom have a tough time: they move into a smelly old house, and private school student Dan has to transfer to public school. Thank goodness for Estelle, his dazzling new neighbor and fellow misfit.
Who it's for:
"Effervescent and sweet" (
Kirkus Reviews
), this quirky tale will please romance readers as well as those looking for guy-centric coming-of-age stories.
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Cooper-Siegel Community Library
403 Fox Chapel Rd
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15238
(412) 828-9520


text:
Trend Micro™ Password Manager - 1 year
The Only password you'll ever need.
Trend Micro™ Password Manager
software manages all your website login IDs (user names and passwords)in one secure location, so you only need to remember one password.
Password Manager works on PCs, Macs, iOs, and Android mobile devices. Conveniently, you can use it on as many of these devices as you want. It features:
Effortless sign into websites without having to remember multiple passwords
Passwords when and where needed, across multiple devices


text:
LIVERMORE — A fast-moving brush fire fueled by high winds swept through a rural part of Alameda County Friday morning burning nearly 150 acres before it fizzled out on a day that kept firefighters all over the greater Bay Area scrambling.
The morning fire in northeast Livermore, called the Highland Fire, broke out just before 7:30 a.m. north of Interstate 580, Alameda County Fire spokeswoman Aisha Knowles said.
Initially firefighters from six agencies were battling about 60 acres that went up in flames but because of the high winds, the blaze nearly tripled in size to 150 acres, Knowles said.
But by 9:50 a.m. the fire faded out in a recently plowed field and was considered contained, fire officials said. By 11 a.m., officials were checking for hot spots.
Dry conditions and high winds expected to hit up to 50 mph triggered a Red Flag warning Friday for elevations about 1,000 feet in the northeast Bay Area.
The warning was expected to remain in effect until 6 a.m. Saturday.
"Red Flag days are not the time to start mowing grass or any dry vegetation because you can cause a spark," said Cal Fire spokesman Robert Chew, standing at the smoky scene of the Livermore fire. He noted that sustained winds reached 22 mph in the Livermore area with gusts up to 28 mph.
Fire teams used eight engines, two bulldozers and one helicopter to nix the flames.
"This fire would have been all the way to (Interstate) 580 had it not run into a plowed field," said Mike Martin, a Cal Fire battalion chief. "It could have easily been 1,000 acres (given the weather conditions)," he said. "In this wind, it's all luck."
No injuries were reported and no homes or structures were affected.
The blaze came on the heels of another vegetation fire that broke out overnight in Contra Costa County on the Tesoro Refinery property in Martinez.
That fire was reported just before 12:45 a.m. in a marsh area on Solano Way north of Highway 4, said Ken Dami, Tesoro's manager of government and public affairs. Smoke and flames could be seen in a wide area.
The fire broke out on the north east end of the refinery and was not near any refinery structures or equipment.
The blaze was under control at 1:07 a.m., Dami said.
Contra Costa County firefighters cleared that scene about 1:54 a.m. and Tesoro took watch over the blaze until it burned out, Dami said.
The fire was completely out at 7:35 a.m., he said, and the cause of that fire remained under investigation Friday.
On Friday afternoon, another brush fire broke out in Solano County in Suisun.
That fire near Highway 12 and Scally Road spanned 200-acres, fire officials said. The smell of smoke reached as far as Oakland.
Because of heavy smoke from that fire and the Livermore blaze, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District on Friday afternoon put out a Bay Area-wide health advisory.
Spokeswoman Lisa Fasano said that while smoke particulate levels did not exceed standards, the agency was warning people to try to stay upwind of smoke, close windows and doors and keep air conditioners on recirculate.
The smoke, she said appears to be staying low to the ground and "funneling" into the Bay Area.
On Thursday night, firefighters tackled yet another 200-acre fire near Lake Berryessa in Napa County. The Putah Fire, as it was named, burned in a rural area near Berryessa Knoxville Road on the north side of the lake. No injuries were reported.
As of Friday morning, the fire had burned 376 acres and was 75 percent contained, according to Cal Fire.
As a result of the high fire danger, football fans attending Saturday's UC Berkeley game against Washington State are being asked to limit use of barbecue grills and cooking stoves during tailgating activities, according to a statement released from the school.
The restrictions in place for this weekend include:
* No cooking on Tightwad Hill or at the Centennial, Strawberry Canyon or Coffer Dam parking lots.
* No cooking within 20 feet of vegetation or a tree canopy at the Bowles, Foothill, Botanical Garden, Lawrence Hall of Science, Hill Terrace, Space Science or Mathematics Science Research Institute parking lots
Contact Natalie Neysa Alund at 510-293-2469. Follow her at Twitter.com/nataliealund.


text:
The mid-fall is one of the best times of year for sports fans.
Major League Baseball crowns a champion. Pro and college football teams play meaningful games every weekend. Basketball (and, in most years, hockey) gets underway. The top stock car drivers chase the Sprint Cup. And all the world's top soccer leagues are in action.
Of course, in years divisible by 4, the mid-fall in the United States is also election season.
Frequent Intersection of Sports and Presidential Politics
While sports serves as a welcome respite from the mudslinging and discussion of complex issues that accompanies any major election, the realms of sports and politics have never been mutually exclusive.
During the rise of spectator sports in the twentieth century, several sports lovers ascended to the nation's highest office.
Herbert Hoover, for instance, was a student manager for the Stanford football and baseball teams before beginning his career in politics.
More recently, Bill Clinton was often seen jogging in an Arkansas Razorbacks sweatshirt and was in the stands at the 1994 Final Four to see his Hogs win a national title.
Some commanders in chief have been not only lovers of sport but also respectable athletes and sportsmen in their own right.
Here's a look at eight presidential athletes, listed from oldest to most recent:
1. Theodore Roosevelt
Sportsman, Football Reformer, Tennis Court Builder
Teddy Roosevelt is well-known for being a sportsman in the classic sense of the word.
Before becoming president, he spent time on his ranch in the North Dakota Badlands, hunting and roping livestock. Following his presidency, he turned to big game on safaris in Kenya and the Congo.
But TR was also involved in sports in the 21st-century sense of the word.
When 25 college football players died from on-field injuries during the 1905 season, President Roosevelt intervened. Legend has it that Roosevelt threatened to eliminate the sport altogether if there weren't immediate reforms.
But Taylor Branch, in his 2011 book The Cartel, suggests that Roosevelt never intended to bring an end to football and instead wanted to preserve the sport and help it save face. The president brought together representatives from Harvard, Yale, and Princeton (three of the nation's football powers at the time) to make substantial changes to the game's rulebook.
The meeting led to the creation of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Harvard football coach Bill Reid managed to become secretary of the new organization and put in place new rules that not only made the game safer but also that favored Harvard's style of play. This outcome pleased President Roosevelt, a Harvard grad and Crimson football fan.
"The Hero of San Juan Hill" was also responsible for installing the White House tennis court. The court has moved a couple times since, but thanks to TR presidents for more than a century have been able to enjoy an afternoon of tennis without leaving home.
Tennis seems like a safe way to get some exercise, but it wasn't for Calvin Coolidge, Jr.
During a game against his older brother John on the White House Courts in 1924, "Silent Cal's" youngest son developed a blister on his right foot. The blister got infected, eventually leading to blood poisoning and the younger Coolidge's untimely death at the age of 15.
* * * * *
2. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, architect of the New Deal and President when the United States entered World War II in 1941, spent his record 12 years in the White House confined to a wheelchair (or propped up so that the public wouldn't realize that he was confined to a wheelchair).
FDR contracted an illness in 1921, diagnosed as polio (though that diagnosis has been disputed), that left him paralyzed from the waist down. But these physical limitations didn't keep the younger Roosevelt from enjoying his favorite sport: sailing.
Growing up, FDR spent his summers on Passamaquoddy Bay, between Maine and New Brunswick. There he developed a love for water sports, particularly sailing, swimming, fishing, and canoeing. He got his first sailboat, a Knockabout called New Moon, when he was 16.
In 1921, after serving two terms as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy during the Wilson administration, Roosevelt purchased a sailboat called Vireo. He was sailing Vireo in the Passamaquoddy Bay the day he was stricken with polio (or another, unidentified, illness).
Franklin Roosevelt would serve one term as governor of New York before winning a whopping four straight presidential elections. He led the country through the Great Depression and much of World War II before his death in 1945.
* * * * *
3. Dwight D. Eisenhower
Football Player, Fencer, Gymnast, All-Around Athlete
Ike was the most esteemed graduate in a West Point class (1915) that saw 59 of its own become generals in the United States Army. But during his time in school, future president Dwight D. Eisenhower was a very average student, graduating 61st in his class.
His grades may have been better if he hadn't spent so much time playing sports.
Eisenhower played one season at running back and linebacker for the Army football team, a season that included a game against football legend Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indians.
Eisenhower broke his leg in the final football game of the season. Ike gave up football (and other sports that exacerbated his injury, including boxing and horse racing) and focused on gymnastics and fencing. (I'm not sure why fencing or especially gymnastics were any better for his leg than boxing.)
The future five-star general and war hero didn't give up football entirely. He stayed involved in the West Point football program as a junior varsity coach and a cheerleader. (Some sources say "yell leader," but I don't really see a need for gender-specific terms to describe people who lead cheers.)
Eisenhower had a long and distinguished military career and became a household name as the Supreme Allied Commander in World War II. He was in charge of the forces that stormed the beaches of Normandy, liberated France, and secured victory for the Allies in Europe.
After the war he served as Army Chief of Staff and President of Columbia University before running for President in 1952.
He won the presidency in a landslide and spent two terms in the Oval Office, during which he signed the bill leading to the creation of the Interstate Highway System and helped establish the armistice that would effectively (but not technically) end the Korean War.
* * * * *
4. John F. Kennedy
Collegiate Swimmer
One of Harvard's most esteemed graduates, John F. Kennedy actually began his college career at Princeton. But he contracted an illness during his first semester, withdrew after a few months, and the next fall enrolled at Harvard, the alma mater of his father and older brother.
When JFK arrived in Cambridge in 1936, at least according to this article from the Harvard Crimson, he was more interested in athletics than academics.
Kennedy was a starter on the freshman football team. Coach Henry Lamar said of the future president, "The most adept pass catcher was John Kennedy, but his lack of weight was a drawback."
Kennedy's best sport at Harvard was swimming. After a successful season on the freshman team, JFK spent two years on the varsity squad, earning a varsity letter.
His aquatic skills would help him during World War II when a Japanese destroyer rammed his patrol torpedo boat in waters near the Solomon Islands. Kennedy and other surviving members of the crew had to swim to shore. Kennedy, who injured his back in the wreck, managed to tow a badly wounded shipmate to safety.
After the war, Kennedy served in Congress and the Senate before winning election to the presidency in 1960.
During his brief tenure in the White House, JFK averted disaster in the Cuban Missile Crisis and laid the groundwork for the Apollo space program that would take earthlings to the moon nearly six years after Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963.
* * * * *
Click to continue reading and learn about:
- A Michigan Man who was a football superstar before eschewing the NFL.
- A college baseball captain who received "The Babe."
- Perhaps the best runner to ever man the White House.
- Barry O'Bomber an the Rat-Ballers.


text:
Federer, Wawrinka lose Davis Cup doubles match; Kazakhstan leads Switzerland
GENEVA — Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka lost the doubles match to Andrey Golubev and Aleksandr Nedovyesov on Saturday, giving Kazakhstan a 2-1 lead over Switzerland in the Davis Cup quarterfinals.
Golubev and Nedovyesov never trailed after breaking Federer in the opening game and completed a 6-4, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (6) victory.
The Kazakh pair converted their first match point when Wawrinka could not control Golubev's powerful return of Federer's serve.
"Against those guys you have to play almost the perfect match. I'm happy that we did today," Golubev said.
In Sunday's reverse singles, No. 3-ranked Wawrinka is scheduled to play the 56th-ranked Mikhail Kukushkin before Federer takes on the 64th-ranked Golubev, who beat Wawrinka in Friday's opening singles.
"I'm actually very excited for tomorrow," Federer said. "We are still the favorites for each singles match tomorrow, but with no more margin for error and we're aware of that."
The winner plays Britain or Italy in the semifinals in September. Led by Andy Murray, Britain is ahead 2-1 in Naples on the Italians' favored clay surface.
Federer and Wawrinka, the Australian Open champion, won gold in doubles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and were loudly supported by the 16,000 spectators in the indoor Palexpo arena.
"Pretty excited, especially that we beat the Olympic champions. It makes it special," said Nedovyesov, who is ranked No. 76 in singles.
The Swiss were a service break up in the second set, but the Kazakhs broke back when Wawrinka served for the set at 5-3.
The visitors clinched a two-set lead when Federer sent a half-volley wide as he approached the net.
Federer and Wawrinka served out the third set after breaking in the fifth game.
Federer's serve came under pressure again in the fourth set, trailing 0-30 when down 6-5 before forcing the tiebreaker. Switzerland held a set point but Federer's backhand lob drifted long.
"It was two difficult days but I'm going to be ready for tomorrow," said Wawrinka, who lost to Kukushkin in a 2010 Davis Cup relegation playoff.
Federer must wait to see if he needs to play against Golubev, whom he described as "the man of the match."
"I've been very impressed by him," Federer said. "He made the difference in the doubles at the end. I'm looking forward to that challenge."


text:
NBCUniversal and Lexus are partnering on a novel advertising campaign that will encourage viewers of "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" to suggest concepts in real time for an ad that will be performed live later during the same night's telecast.
NBC and Lexus advertising executives have been honing their "real-time marketing" concept for the last few months.
The four-week campaign is set to roll out during Fallon's Thursday night show to promote the new Lexus IS vehicle.
ON LOCATION: Where the cameras roll
Here is how it will work: A team of improv comedians will encourage viewers of the show to pitch concepts for a "live commercial." The audience will be instructed to submit their ideas using social media, including Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram and Facebook, with the hashtag #LexusIS.
Then, in the final commercial segment of that night's broadcast, the comedians will act out the winning concepts during a "live commercial" under the Brooklyn Bridge.
"We're always looking for new ways to engage consumers and capture their attention by delivering information in innovative ways," Brian Bolain, Lexus corporate manager of marketing communications, said in a statement.
Advertisers increasingly are looking for innovative ways to get viewers to watch their messages rather than fast-forward through the spots with digital video recorder technology. "Late Night" was selected because Lexus is hoping to reach younger viewers who are fans of the show.
PHOTOS: Cable versus broadcast ratings
"By utilizing social and broadcast media simultaneously, [this campaign] breaks the traditional commercial mold and showcases the all-new IS in an entirely unique and DVR-proof way," Bolain said.
Financial arrangements were not disclosed.
There will be two separate commercials created during each Thursday night broadcast. The first will be generated based on suggestions made during the East Coast telecast of "Late Night." The second will incorporate ideas submitted during the West Coast feed of the show.
The campaign has been dubbed "It's Your Move After Dark." New York improvisational comedy groups, including Fun Young Guys, Magnet Theater Touring Company, MB's Dream and Stone Cold Fox, will perform the commercials toward the end of "Late Night."
The ploy is also designed to create buzz and keep viewers engaged throughout the hour-long program. Lexus is represented by Team One, an ad agency based in El Segundo.
"The Queen Latifah Show" turns in solid debut
Fox News shuffles prime time to make way for Megyn Kelly
Former Nickelodeon and Spike TV exec Albie Hecht to head HLN
Twitter: @MegJamesLAT
ON LOCATION: People and places behind what's onscreen PHOTOS: Biggest box office flops of 2013 PHOTOS: Celebrity production companies
ON LOCATION: People and places behind what's onscreen
PHOTOS: Biggest box office flops of 2013
PHOTOS: Celebrity production companies


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I am delighted you want to check out my personal website, however
please talk to my agents about commissions as they handle all of that for me.
I look forward to working with you.
Shanghee Shin creates whimsical and delightful illustration with pens and acrylic ink. enjoy the world of animamaly!
Shanghee Shin is an illustrator based in Seattle. She graduated from Art center College of Design at Pasadena, CA as illustration major in 2011. Animamaly, which is a whimsical world created by her, depicts unique and lovely animals and nature.
Fine pen, acrylic ink and watercolor are her favorite tools, and also she passionately recreates three-dimensional works with various materials based on her line arts.
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Next month, I'm traveling from Des Moines to Indianapolis and making a return trip about five days later.
At first glance, it makes a lot of sense to fly. It would take me from Des Moines through Chicago to Indianapolis in about four and a half hours. Alternately, I could drive this trip and it would take eight hours. The same is (essentially) true of the return flight, as my total flying time would add up to about ten hours whereas driving time would add up to sixteen. Flying saves me six hours of travel time.
Also, I could get a round trip ticket for this route for about $130.
If I were to drive, the full round trip would put about 1,000 miles on my vehicle. Assuming it gets about 20 miles to the gallon (which is a good estimate), that would be 50 gallons of gas, which, at $3.50 per gallon, adds up to $175 right there. That doesn't even include the maintenance costs and depreciation.
Flying is a no-brainer, right?
Not necessarily.
For starters, I am able to carpool on this trip. I have four people who will be riding with me and sharing the driving costs. Let's say each of them contributes $40 toward gas, which is reasonable. That adds up to $160 off of the fuel cost, dropping my personal fuel cost down to $15. Of course, there's maintenance and other expenses on top of that, but that's a significant reduction.
Another factor is that I now have plenty of space to bring food items for the trip. I'll be taking along breakfast and lunch foods for the entire time I'm in Indianapolis. It would be difficult to do this if I were flying, as it would require additional luggage. I would almost certainly have to check a bag to pull this off.
Bringing along my own food to cover most of the meals will save me at least $20 a day while I'm there, adding up to $100. That savings would be significantly reduced if I had to pay to check a bag.
Car travel also has the bonus of flexibility. If the group decided by consensus that it would work better for everyone to leave two hours earlier or later, then it can easily be done. Not so with a flight.
For these reasons, car travel seems like the best option for this trip. However, it's not the best option for every trip.
What about train travel? Not only would I have to drive at least an hour to the nearest train station, there are no tickets that get me to Indianapolis in less than eleven hours each way. It's substantially slower than car travel and, although it saves me a little bit of money, it doesn't save me much as compared to other travel options. For this trip, given the availability of carpooling, travel by car wins out.
Here are my rules of thumb when it comes to figuring out how to travel.
Airplanes are the best option if you're traveling alone, your trip can be planned far in advance, the distance is significant (more than a few hundred miles), and every hour is vitally important.
Trains are the best option if cost is the top factor and time is a small factor. If you don't mind taking a long time to get there, trains can be very cheap.
Cars are the best option if you're traveling with a small group, a bit of extra storage space is really useful, and a balance of time and money is desired.
Each trip is different, so it's worth looking at all of the options and figuring out which one best meets your needs. I have used all three options in the past for various trips and each option has advantages and disadvantages.


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Thursday, December 15th, 7:00pm
Lancaster Alliance Church, Lancaster
A Servant Stage audience favorite - the Old-Time Gospel Radio Hour is back with a special Holiday broadcast! Tune in for some foot-stompin', toe-tappin' tidings of comfort and joy! Featuring classic favorites and inspiring new arrangements, this high-energy Christmas celebration is sure to be a memorable and joyous addition to your family's Christmas celebration, from the First Noel to the final curtain!


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Home >> Course Descriptions >> College of Business Administration
Advanced Taxation.
Three semester hours.
This course covers topics in corporate taxation, partnership issues, estate planning, taxation of foreign operations, and other current issues. Prerequisite: ACC 3350 with a grade of "C" or better.
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Undergraduate Degrees - Academic Graduate Regulations -
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Appendix A - Appendix B - Appendix C - Appendix D


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Graded spelling list for 5th Grade students. Words starting with g.
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This is the first entry in a twenty part series discussing the wonderful time and priority management book Making It All Work by David Allen. New entries in this series will appear on Tuesday mornings and Friday mornings through December 10.
Earlier this year, I did a chapter-by-chapter review/walkthrough of David Allen's excellent time management book Getting Things Done (a series which you can read here). Getting Things Done was one of the books that changed my life – it really enabled me to re-think how I was spending my time and how much stuff I was simply letting fall through the cracks. It made me more efficient, more reliable, and much more capable of taking on new endeavors – one of which was The Simple Dollar, which eventually evolved into a new career path.
In 2009, Allen produced a follow-up, entitled Making It All Work, which is the subject of this series. Rather than just re-hashing Getting Things Done and maybe adding a few ideas, Allen took something of a different tack.
Getting Things Done basically described a time management toolbox. It spent almost three hundred pages describing a modular system for organizing all of the stuff a person has to get done – and that system works really well. I use it in my own life to manage this website, polish off the writing of two books in two years, and deal with a household that has three children under the age of five running around.
Rather than continuing to talk about the system itself, Making It All Work is much more philosophical. It instead focuses on how exactly one sets priorities and how one connects all of the day-to-day busywork that people do to the bigger things they want out of life.
When reading Getting Things Done, I felt motivated to get started on accomplishing things. When reading Making It All Work, I found myself reflecting deeply on why I was doing all of this stuff. What was it building towards in my life? What did I want out of my life, and how do I connect that to all of the things I have to do every day?
Allen words that idea a bit differently on page 5:
While Getting Things Done offered a primer and a simple manual, Making It All Work is intended to provide you with a road map – one that will enhance your abilities to process life and work in tandem. The tools for operating your car are different from the manual for fixing it and the map you need to keep you on course and get where you're going.
Knowing how to drive a car is much different than knowing where you're going when you're driving it, yet the two skills work very much in tandem. Having a far-off destination isn't too useful if you don't have the means to get there, and knowing how to drive a car isn't useful if you don't have anywhere to go.
This all connects back very neatly with the stuff I work on every day. I am much more motivated to work on particular things when I can clearly see why I'm doing this thing. If I don't have that connection, it becomes just another thing to procrastinate on. Similarly, it's easier to not work on things that are vague or unclear.
Allen hits this point a bit on page 2:
Approaching work is a game, and one that's fun to play, as long as we know the purpose, the boundaries, the contents, and the rules. When any of those parameters are unclear, we develop unnecessary stress and are ineffective.
One simple piece of that sums up a big theme of this whole book: "the purpose, the boundaries, the contents, and the rules." Whenever you're doing something during your day, can you define the purpose, the boundaries, the contents, and the rules of what you're working on?
Even more importantly, we tend to avoid those things in our life where those elements are unclear. If a project seems really big and nebulous, most people tend to avoid it. If the end goal of something we're trying to do isn't in line with what we want most out of our life, it's a lot harder to work for it. Getting in shape. Quitting smoking. Success on things like these – and any other project in our life – works best when we know why we're doing it and we have a clear idea of how to do it (on some level).
The reverse is also true. When we don't see the overall purpose of a task – or we're not really engaged in that overall goal – it's pretty hard to stay focused on that task. How often does your mind wander at work when you're not engaged in the project at hand or see only busywork in front of you?
On another topic, Allen mentions something that I think is an essential part of reading any book that you want to get value from. On page 10:
I highly recommend that you keep a notepad and pen or other recording device close at hand as you continue to read (or listen to) this book. Doing so would be implementing one of the core principles itself – noticing what you are noticing, which might be something you would want to do something about, and capturing it when you have the thought.
I very rarely read anything without some sort of note-taking device nearby, whether it's Evernote or a notepad and a pen. I do it for the very reason Allen describes above – if I see a great idea in a book and it makes my mind start to churn, I jot it down so that I can return to that useful thought or idea or task later on.
Of course, a key part of this is to actually process these notes later on, but that's part of the whole Getting Things Done system.
Finally, here are a couple of final points from this opening chapter that are worth sharing. From page 13:
Nothing is perfect, final, or fixed in this material world. As soon as we are tempted to believe it is, we've probably set ourselves up for disappointment.
I devoted an entire chapter in my book to this principle (and an earlier post that covered some of the ideas in that chapter). To put it simply, the future isn't as predictable as we'd like to believe that it is – and it's almost always a mistake to bank on the future being perfect, final, or fixed.
This basic idea is what's behind a lot of personal finance advice. You don't know what's coming in the future, so you're far better off making some more difficult choices today so you're not forced into very difficult ones later. This means keeping out of debt, having an emergency fund, and so on.
Allen argues the same thing when it comes to managing the things you have to do in the future:
What we're truly striving for is the permanence that we can count on, amid all the change nad flux. And the most permanent, secure, and stable thing we can possess is a foolproof way to deal with impermanence, insecurity, and surprise.
In other words, skills that enable you to manage all of the stuff that life will bring at you – today or tomorrow – is one of the best investments we can make in our futures. I agree with him almost completely – an emergency fund and a plan for getting out of debt are pretty worthwhile moves for the future, too.
Next time, we'll take a look at the second chapter, which somewhat provides a "catch up" primer on Getting Things Done.


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We think it's time that Lancaster County joins the growing number of school districts in the state that offers single-gender classes to their students.
About 90 school districts in the state now offer single-gender classes to their students. There are no single-gender classes here, but the school district is exploring the option.
We're told some schools may begin testing single-gender classes in the fall. A.R. Rucker Middle School, for instance, is looking at making single-gender classes available for sixth-graders next year.
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