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AmeriCares begins water purification projects in Sri Lanka
Improved systems will provide clean water for 46,000 people...
STAMFORD, CT, April 18, 2005 (PRNewswire) -- AmeriCares, the nonprofit disaster relief and humanitarian aid agency, is launching a $1,000,000 water purification program in Sri Lanka this week that will improve the water quality and provide permanent sources of clean water for more than 46,000 survivors of last December's devastating tsunami.
On April 19 at 1:47 a.m. an AmeriCares airlift will depart from Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Conn., carrying more than 50,000 tons of water equipment. The flight will be met in Colombo, Sri Lanka by an AmeriCares water emergency team already on the ground.
AmeriCares water initiative covers six different projects in three of the worst affected areas of Sri Lanka: Galle, Ampara and Batticaloa. It includes improving the water quality and increasing the volume at a 700-bed hospital in Ampara; as well as installing water purification systems in reservoirs contaminated with toxic algae and providing filters and training for the systems at four different locations that are currently home to more than 35,000 people living in displaced camps.
The AmeriCares projects are being undertaken with the support of Tempest Environmental Systems of Durham, NC, a leading designer and manufacturer of water purification systems. Dr. Roddy Tempest, CEO of Tempest Environmental Systems, has been consulting with AmeriCares on this project and will oversee the installation of these comprehensive treatment systems throughout the project.
"The expertise of Dr. Tempest, leveraged with the strong support and collaboration we are receiving from Sri Lanka's government, will enable us to quickly make a difference in the availability of pure, safe water to displaced survivors who are still struggling to return to normalcy," said AmeriCares President and CEO Curt Welling.
The groundwork for this project was laid in January, when AmeriCares sent its water engineering team to Sri Lanka for a 10-day needs assessment. Working with Sri Lanka's National Water Supply and Drainage Board, as well as other relief agencies, the AmeriCares team gathered data on the quality of water by testing more than 200 sites.
"The water purification projects we have identified and are installing in Sri Lanka will have a major impact on the public health and quality of life for the survivors of the December 2004 tsunami disaster. With up to 80% of infectious diseases being waterborne, AmeriCares' proactive Clean Water Program will have a lasting impact on the protection and improvement of community health in this country for many years to come," said Dr. Roddy Tempest, CEO of Tempest Environmental Systems.
These latest efforts in Sri Lanka are only part of AmeriCares' comprehensive relief program in the tsunami-affected countries. Between December 30, 2004 and January 20, 2005, AmeriCares sent seven airlifts to Sri Lanka, Indonesia and India, carrying aid valued at more than $12 million. Currently, AmeriCares relief teams on the ground in these countries are working with local partners to begin the rehabilitation of healthcare infrastructure, such as hospitals, clinics and laboratories.
To learn more about AmeriCares work in Asia and other areas around the world, log onto www.americares.org or call AmeriCares directly at 1-800-486-HELP.
AmeriCares is a nonprofit humanitarian aid and disaster relief organization that supports long-term medical assistance programs and provides emergency relief in the U.S. and around the world. In the U.S., AmeriCares provides basic medical services for the uninsured, refurbishes the homes of the physically and financially disadvantaged and gives a summer camping experience to inner-city children affected by HIV/AIDS. Since it was established in 1982, AmeriCares has distributed more than $4 billion in humanitarian aid to 137 countries.


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Planned regulations on e-cigarettes are overdue
Could someone please send the Food and Drug Administration a copy of the latest study on teenagers and e-cigarettes? The agency obviously needs a push to come out with its overdue regulations.
Drawn from two surveys of tens of thousands of American middle-school and high-school students, the research found that adolescents who tried battery-powered nicotine vaporizers were more likely to smoke tobacco cigarettes. And if the kids were already regular smokers at the time they experimented with "vaping," they became less likely to quit. It's evidence, as the authors say, that e-cigarettes are "aggravating rather than ameliorating the tobacco epidemic among youths."
This comes as no surprise, because while hardened adult smokers might find that e-cigarettes help them quit the un- prefixed kind, teenagers are more likely to try vaping before they try smoking.
Yet the FDA has still not begun to regulate e-cigarettes, despite pledging to do so by last fall. Some states and cities -- including, just this week, Los Angeles -- have already started to impose regulations. Meanwhile, the number of vapers keeps rising; U.S. consumers will spend $3 billion on e-cigarettes this year, twice last year's total.
Last month, the European Parliament passed a list of e-cigarette restrictions, including a ban on advertisements, a requirement for childproof packaging with pictorial safety warnings, and a limit on nicotine content. Those are all smart rules, as is a ban on sales to minors and restrictions on candy flavors that are meant to appeal to kids.
More research is still needed to discern the specific health hazards of electronic cigarettes, as well as their relative safety compared with burning tobacco. Yet it's not too soon to conclude that regulation is needed to keep them out of the hands of children.

subset: commoncrawl


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I've decided to finally start writing my memoir! I already have bits and pieces of it, and it's time to put it all together and really follow my dream of being a published author. I realized that if I had a goal for a book proposal of 50,000 words and was able to write at least 1,000 words a day, then I would have my book finished in 50 writing days. So roughly 2 months – or 10 work-weeks. 1,000 words a day is super easy, and I even did my calculations based on only writing M-F since we have the boys on the weekends and things can get hectic. I just consider it my "job", what I have to do M-F. So I took a look at the calendar and since I started writing last Friday, theoretically, I will have my memoir finished by Friday, April 26.
As far as publishing goes, I'm still exploring my options. I'm thinking about going digital and doing self-publishing like this clever lady. Whatever gets my story out and food on my table the quickest. ;)
So, what's my book about? Why, thank you for asking!
It is called Redefining Faith: The Story of a Perfect Little Christian Girl.
It documents the last 8 or so years of my life and reflects upon my childhood and Christian upbringing. I'm my memoir, my ultimate soliloquy. It shows that even though I've had a radical shift in beliefs, I'm still faithful and connect to the Spirit now more than ever. I never lost my faith – I just redefined it a bit. I started looking at it through a different lens.
I've realized that faith is a personal thing. What works for you may not work for others and vice versa. And that's ok. That's how the world is supposed to be. We need to start focusing on what we have in common instead of our petty differences. And it was that realization that got all of this going.
It's not a secret that my beliefs have recently been laid out on the table in front of those close to me, and that some of my views or opinions may drift a bit from the conventional Christian belief system.
When all the you-know-what hit the fan, I think those involved would agree that our family kinda fell apart there for a bit. And we're still working on putting all the pieces back together.
After everything happened, I was so full of anger about how it all unfolded that I could barely function. To be laid out bare like that, exposed. It completely turned my world upside down. I went from being constantly full of love to being constantly full of anger and fear.
I was already still exploring my spirituality and trying to figure it all out, and then all of a sudden, I'm exposed under everyone's microscope while doing so. (Then on top of that, I had to start defending my husband and our relationship and reassure him because he felt like everyone in my family hated him, and it hurt my heart because I was wondering if he could be right. Our love is questioned, such a mournful sound.)
So I got defensive. I said some things I shouldn't have, and I still have a problem with not getting too offensive or forceful with my beliefs. There were a few months where I kind of shoved it down everyone's throat and made myself out to be this bitter, condescending, Christian-condemning, mess. I alienated myself. I took every chance I had to "prove" myself and show that I wasn't automatically a terrible person because of my new ideals. Unfortunately, in doing so, I may have hurt a lot more people than I realized. But I'm realizing it now, and I guess that's what's important.
It is true that I have had a change in beliefs. It's not that I'm denouncing Christianity at all, despite how I may have made it sound in the past. In fact, I'm embracing Christianity now more than ever because I'm going back to my basics. Jesus is who captured and moved me, and I still feel like he's on my side. So we're going to work together so that I can explain, process, and balance my current inner beliefs and feelings with those that I had growing up.
So this memoir will document my journey over the past few years and hopefully explain myself and my views a little more clearly. And hopefully help heal some hearts and offer some encouragement along the way.
There's a lot of oppression going on in the world today, especially religious oppression. People in power are telling society that they can't, that that won't, that they aren't, that they will never be. It's time for the religious and political oppression to end. It's time for humanity to start believing in itself again and know that it is worthy of love no matter where you come from or what your religion is. I want to tell people that they can, that they will, that they are, and that that will ALWAYS be!


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Cabrinha IDS flyers: I am interested in unbiased info about what the relaunch chances are after a deployment of the IDS total depower over 1) water, or 2) sand. Do the slackened lines have a chance to wrap over the back of the kite, or the kite to flip, invert, or bow-tie while out on the total depowered leash? Does the standard IDS limit the bar travel toward the kite to limit the slack?
In short, when you recover the bar after total depower, and a period of inattention to the kite, are you likely to find your lines crossed, braided, etc. as is usually the case with single-front-line-tethered leash systems?
I also would like to know roughly the largest diameter of the center strut, when inflated. The trend toward smaller struts has left many brands with flimsy struts, which do not support the kite shape well in the water during flopovers, unless they are inflated hard enough to endanger the leading edge bladder envelope. Cabrinha websites and photos are not very helpful in learning about this.
Any help is appreciated.


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Have you ever noticed that while planning for a relaxing vacation, you can pile on even more stress than usual? Travel plans, kid or pet-sitting arrangements, activities to take part in while on vacation, dining options – it can seem overwhelming! Plus, isn't the point of your getaway to RELAX?
Romantic New Years Oregon Getaways, planned by your Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
We love to help couples de-stress. In fact, the winter months here on the Oregon coast is a perfect time for couples to find a weekend for themselves. Rates are cheaper, kids are in school, streets and restaurants are quieter. These factors can help you find time and means to get away and focus on each other while you are away. Plus, if you never leave the room during a dark and wet Oregon weekend, you don't have any guilt. 😉Our luxurious Cannon Beach lodging is perfect for your Oregon Coast wedding, honeymoon, anniversary or romantic getaway.
Just one call to us and we can set up a romantic special getaway in order to help you reconnect, relax and rejuvenate. No thinking involved! Want something romantic to do for New Year's? Just call us with a budget and perhaps an idea about something special you want do during your stay at our Cannon beach bed and breakfast.
Do you have a sore back from staring at the computer all day at work? Try an in-room massage. Make it a couples massage for double the fun!
Trying to show your wife, partner or girlfriend that they're still the only one in your heart? Let us chill the champagne and cut the roses. They will be waiting in your room for when you arrive.
Need a date night? We can make dinner reservations and acquire tickets to special events.
Every day, wonderful food comes your way. First, a three course breakfast is served to you every morning. In the afternoon, wine and appetizers appear. The food is warm and ready for you, while dirty dishes magically disappear.
Please allow us to make at least one weekend this winter a special memory for you and your partner to share. It's our pleasure.


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A debut feature by Chiu Li-kwan, a big shot in the entertainment business whose career spans nearly 30 years, David Loman brings back bawdy humor and grassroots comedy that have subsided after the heyday of stand-up comedian Chu Ko Liang (豬哥亮), who rose to superstardom and became a household name in the 1980s. Tailor-made for the now 66-year-old Liang, the movie is a well-executed work of entertainment highlighting off-color humor without compromising a solid story line.
Liang plays David Loman, a simple country bumpkin who accidentally becomes a big boss in the criminal underworld. A decade passes, and life seems to go on as usual — drinking tea, solving everyday problems for locals and receiving "protection fees" — until one day a deity tells David through a medium that he needs to find a double to avoid a catastrophe. Panicky, the boss seeks help from Old Ho, a fortune teller also played by Liang, who agrees to pass as David for a few days, but is assassinated when attending a gathering with fellow gangsters.
The mastermind behind the killing is Pinch Junior, played by funnyman Kang Kang (康康), the son of the late Boss Pinch, who passed his authority on to David 10 years previously.
Blaming David for his father's death, Xiao Ho (Tony Yang, 楊祐寧) soon reconciles with the boss who vows to avenge Ho's murder. They become apprentices to Silly Pork, played by veteran actor Chen Po-cheng (陳博正), a kung-fu warrior who used to be a bodyguard for former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), and quickly masters the one-finger, martial-arts technique.
It doesn't take long before David's estranged daughter Jin (Amber Kuo, 郭采潔) finds out the truth and joins the team. Fighting bad guys at night, the three masked fighters win popularity among locals, and in the process, David is also able to make up for lost time and rebuild the father-daughter relationship with Jin.
David Loman 大尾鱸鰻
Directed by: Chiu Li-kwan
Starring: Chu Ko Liang (豬哥亮) as David Loman and Old Ho, Amber Kuo (郭采潔) as Jin, Tony Yang (楊祐寧) as Xiao Ho
Language: In Mandarin and Hoklo with Chinese and English subtitles
Running time: 98 Minutes
Taiwan release: Today
The day of reckoning arrives when Pinch Junior holds a public memorial ceremony for his late father and declares his legitimacy as the rightful big boss.
Wearing a floral print shirt and wooden clogs, Liang thrives in the title role as a good-natured, foul-mouthed old man constantly hurling quips and risque jokes that often involve a fixation with the male and female sex organs. The film's boisterous and boorish humor relies heavily on cleverly written wordplay in Mandarin, English and Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese). A good example can be found in the title of the movie, which is a phonetic translation of "underworld boss" in Hoklo.
While Liang's untamed humor recalls the pre-feminist era, director Chiu updates her comedy with contemporary elements such as the syndicate using Facebook to boost its popularity. More interestingly, the conventions of kung-fu and superhero movies are borrowed to create a comic, satirical effect. The elegant moves of wing chun (詠春) are replaced by the one-finger technique which can be easily mastered by banging one's finger with a hammer. And the much revered deity Guan Gong (關公) becomes an inspiration to the trio of homegrown superheroes and heroine. To director Chiu's credit, no comic segment ever spins out of control or is disconnected from the rest of the movie, showing an all-too-rare ability to weave seemingly peripheral humor into a sensible whole.
Meanwhile, romance kindles between Kuo and Yang, who make a lovable on-screen couple, though the toothsome Yang looks nothing like a zhainan (宅男) — the Taiwanese equivalent of the Japanese otaku, or nerd — even wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses. The movie is also delightfully supported by a string of cameos by actors and entertainers including actress Su Chu (素珠), Jeff Huang (黃立成), Ma Nien-hsien (馬念先) and Yin Wei-min (應蔚民), better known as Clipper Xiao Ying (夾子小應).


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The kidnapping of two Western tourists from their beachfront holiday homes in an upmarket resort on Kenya's north coast has raised fears of a worrying shift in tactics of both Somalia's pirates and its Islamist insurgents.
Both attacks took place in the Lamu archipelago, a string of white-sand islands that are the first significant settlement south of the Somali border, and one of Kenya's major tourist draws.
In the most recent raid, a retired French journalist, Marie Dedieu, was seized early Saturday from the thatched cottage she rented for half the year on Manda Island.
Somalia-watchers are confused. For both pirates and Islamists, taking Westerners hostage from Kenya would be a major change in tactics. Al Shabab has never gone this far out of its way to kidnap foreigners, and the pirates have never struck on land before.
"Two instances doesn't equal an increasing trend," says Roger Middleton, a Somalia expert at Chatham House, an independent think tank in London. "But if somebody has success in carrying out an attack like this, and shows the possibility of benefitting from that attack, you're likely to see other people replicate that model."
[ Video is no longer available. ]
Soft targets
The reason why attackers seem to be choosing tourists on the northern Kenyan coast is that they are "soft targets," adds Mr. Middleton. "There's a general assumption that tourists are easy targets, and easy to get money out of them if you hold them for ransom. It's much harder, of course to get money from tourists than it is from journalists or aid workers or a shipping magnate, but there's no shortage of people in Somalia who are looking for soft targets and an easy way to make money."
As a result of the attacks, both France and Britain have advised their citizens to avoid the district of Lamu. But Middleton says that the twin kidnappings would be of concern all up and down the tourist-friendly Kenyan coast, and as far away as the Seychelles. "It's worry for Kenya of course," Middleton says, "but also for someplace like the Seychelles, which has had a number of pirate attacks in the past, and which certainly has tourists on the beach."
In the Saturday attack, armed men shot their way into the property, which like many has no fence, no locked door, and is sold on its rustic simplicity right on the beach. Kenyan police said Sunday that Ms. Dedieu had already been taken into Somalia, 60 miles to the north. Dedieu uses a wheelchair, which her attackers left behind. Stephen Ikua, District Commissioner for Lamu, said he strongly suspects that Al Shabab, Somalia's Al Qaeda-linked Islamists, were responsible.
No group to date has taken responsibility for either the kidnapping of Dedieu, or of a previous attack three weeks ago on a British couple staying at a high-end beachfront lodge in Kiwayu, 30 miles closer to the border than Lamu.
In that raid, gunmen killed David Tebbutt, a publishing executive, as he tried to protect his wife, Judith, a social worker.
Mrs. Tebutt was taken hostage, bundled into a fast boat and sped north over the border. In the intervening weeks, she was first spotted in southern Somalia, at Kismayo, Al Shabab's stronghold. But pirates based far to the north, close to Haradheere, have now said that they are holding Tebbutt. Regional authorities have confirmed that she is in the area.
In previous kidnappings of journalists and aid workers, carried out inside Somalia, victims have often been captured by one group and then sold on to another group to seek ransom.
With no group taking credit in these two cases, it's difficult to know if Al Shabab carried out the attack The Islamists are under pressure: They have been forced to abandon positions in Mogadishu, and famine plaguing their territory has robbed them of the ability to tax the now destitute local population.
The pirates, facing increased international patrols in the Indian Ocean, are perhaps also looking for softer targets.
If pirates had carried out the kidnappings, one would expect them to have tried to contact their victims' relatives. If Shabab had carried out the attack, they would have paraded their trophy, probably in a video posted on an Islamist website, said one security source in Nairobi, the capital of Somalia's neighbor, Kenya.
Tourism takes hit
That hasn't happened. Equally, sources with the British foreign office have confirmed that as of late last week, they were unaware of any credible contact from anyone claiming to be holding Tebbutt for ransom.
In Lamu, where more than 80 percent of locals' income derives from tourism, there is deep dismay at the twin attacks, which have prompted both France and Britain to advise their citizens to avoid the area.
There have already been significant cancellations, including one couple who were due to marry there in front of 100 friends.
"We're two months from Christmas and New Year, our busiest time, and already people are pulling out," says Muhudin Athman, who owns a guesthouse in Shela, a village at the head of Lamu island's famous eight-mile beach.
There is deep anger in Lamu at the Kenyan police, who stand accused of failing adequately to increase security following the first attack.
Kenyan tourism has repeatedly bounced back from such shocks before, first following Al Qaeda attacks in 2002 on a hotel popular with Israelis, and then from post-election violence in 2007-08.
The most popular stretches of Kenya's coast, around Mombasa, Malindi, and Watamu are unaffected by international travel advisories.
Monitor staff writer Scott Baldauf contributed to this report from Boston.


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That Time Jennifer Love Hewitt Thought Melissa Joan Hart Got Her High on the Can't Hardly Wait Set
Jun 2, 2015 5:35 PM EDT
Remember the movie Can't Hardly Wait? Remember Melissa Joan Hart's uncredited cameo? Well filming that one party scene with Jennifer Love Hewitt made for a pretty amazing behind-the-scenes story where Jennifer Love Hewitt pretty much thought Hart got… Read more


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Start the conversation on your next move.
Here at Andrews, we have over 70 years' experience in bringing people and property together. Our first branch opened in 1946 in Surrey, and we've been growing and helping the local community in Southville since 2010.
Whether you're a first time buyer looking to fly the nest, or a retiree looking to downsize, Andrews is here to help you every step of the way on your property journey. We're an agency you can trust, and you can rest assured knowing that from start to finish, your home is in very capable hands.
Our branch footprint runs from East to West across South England. Arranged in clusters, our local branches ensure we are always contactable, and always have a physical presence wherever you need us. We're always looking for ways to be helpful, so we developed the Andrews app to ensure we're online and ready to help at any time of day. Whether you're on your 8am commute or at your 9pm happy hour, your My Andrews account is your own personal branch right in your pocket.
Arranging our branches like this ensures that our customers have access to our unparalleled local knowledge, of both the area and its housing market. We're the experts, both in property and our local communities, so let us help you with everything property.
Truthful, trustworthy and tailored for you, we take the upmost pride in treating our customers fairly. Trust is earned, so our service ensures no small print, no shortcuts and no hidden fees.
Whether you're looking to invest, get on the property ladder or on the lookout for your forever home, choose Andrews for an agent you can trust.
Check out our available properties
You can see the properties we're currently marketing for rent by clicking the button below:View properties


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Spring clean your complexion the old-fashioned way!
Spring has officially sprung, and I've got one thought on my brain: spring cleaning. Closets, drawers, windows, floors—nothing is off-limits once this annual bout of motivation strikes, including, of course, my complexion. Instead of investing in a series of peels, I prefer to steam-clean my face in the comfort of my own home. During this season of renewal, I turn to natural plant materials to serve as the active ingredients in DIY herbal and floral steam facials. Not only does this relaxing ritual cleanse the skin, it also works wonders on clearing up my allergy-ridden, stuffy sinuses. (Talk about a two-fer!) Here's how it's done.
Step One: Gather up your ingredients. Head to your local co-op or natural foods store and make a beeline to the bulk tea and spice aisle. When measuring your ingredients, bear in mind that you'll use approximately 1/2-cup of dried herbs per steam. Don't worry if you can't find every single one of these herbs. Aim for a mix of two or more and you'll be in great shape. Once you've purchased your herbs, mix them together and store them in a jar for easy access.
For normal skin: chamomile, lemon-balm leaves, rose petals, lavender, linden flowers
For dry skin: calendula flowers, fennel seeds, rosemary, rose petals, chamomile
For oily skin: lemongrass, lavender, rosemary, thyme, arnica flowers, peppermint leaves, eucalyptus
Step Two: Ready your supplies. You'll need a large pot, a big heat-proof bowl, water, a hair clip or binder and a clean towel. (Complementary essential oils are optional.)
Step Three: Bring your pot of water to a boil. While the water's heating, pull your hair back using your clip or binder and wash your face. At a rolling boil, carefully add your combination of dried herbs (1/2 cup total), and a few drops of essential oil (if you prefer) and swirl it all around. Remove the pot and carefully transfer the hot water to the bowl. Using hot-pads or heat-proof gloves, move the bowl to a stable spot where you can stand or lean over it comfortably.
Step Four: Take your towel and drape it over your head and the bowl of water, trapping in that lovely, scented steam. (Use caution at first as the water will be hot!) If the steam is too intense, move your face away or move the towel so some air can flow through.
Step Five: Close your eyes and relax. Take deep breaths through your nose. Let the steam do its magic for anywhere between three to 10 minutes before calling it quits. When finished, strain and throw out the herbs to avoid clogging your drain.
Step Six: Pat your face dry with a clean towel and then spritz on your favorite toner. Boots Botanics Rosewater Toning Spritz is great. (Find it at Drugstore.com with these coupon codes!) Follow up with your go-to night cream or moisturizer and your skin will thank you with a healthy-looking, nourished glow!
Before You Shop: If your skin is really parched, slather on a thin layer of organic coconut oil after cleansing, before steaming. The heat from the steam helps the moisture from the coconut oil enrich the skin and penetrate deeply.


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Anonymous at on
tutorials for the tools
Currently, tutorial videos are under 'Supporting document' tab and it is not so obvious for the users. Could you put a link for the tutorial videos on the 'About' tag or the right hand side of the first page? This will help users to find them easily.


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TIME LightBox presents a new monthly round-up of the best books, exhibitions and ways to experience photography beyond the web—from the Reportage Photography Festival in Sydney and a new Mitch Epstein book to Martin Parr's 'Life's a Beach' at Aperture in New York and an André Kertész show in London.
'The Guide' on LightBox will be published monthly. If you have submissions or suggestions for upcoming round-ups of the best books and exhibitions, feel free to pass them along via email before May 10. We'll also be updating this gallery throughout the month.
See the previous Guide for April 2013.


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Depending on where you stand, the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company is a savvy 145-year-old brewery that has evolved with the times, a cultural touchstone for nostalgic residents of the Upper Midwest, or a middling brewer with an evil corporate parent.
Jake Leinenkugel, the 60-year-old president of the northern Wisconsin brewery, has heard it at all.
"We have competitors who don't think we're craft," Leinenkugel said this week in Denver, an early stop on a 22-market promotional tour that will stretch into the fall. "Well, we've been craft longer than you have."
For 125 years, Leinenkugel's was a small Midwestern regional brewery specializing in German helles lagers.


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Wallingford Back Mine
projects I've done for clients, or I've taken on for myself, or with fellow photographers...
No photographs may be used without the explicit permission of Luckham Creative. Due to licensing and copyright, some photos are not available for purchase.
If you would like to purchase prints click on 'Buy Photos' in any gallery or find the specific photo you want and click on 'Buy'. If the Buy link is not available for the print/gallery you're interested in send an email to firstname.lastname@example.com


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Politics & Government
Legislature must pay $186,000 legal bill for redistricting dispute
FRANKFORT — The Legislative Research Commission must pay $186,855 in legal fees incurred by House Republicans and Democratic state Sen. Kathy Stein, who successfully challenged the redrawing of legislative district boundaries earlier this year, a judge ruled Thursday.
Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd gave the LRC 30 days to appeal his ruling or pay the $112,375 legal bill for House Republicans and the $74,480 bill for Sen. Kathy Stein's legal team.
Bobby Sherman, executive director of the LRC, said he will seek guidance on the matter from legislative leaders. Sherman said a full meeting of the LRC, which is made up of House and Senate leaders, has not been set for December.
"I will be talking to legislative leaders in the next few days about what they would like to do," Sherman said.
If leaders decide to pay the legal bill, Sherman said, there is enough money available in the legislature's budget to cover the cost.
The legal bills for the fight over legislative redistricting now top $206,000. In June, former Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville, and House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, decided to pay the Legislative Research Commission's legal bill of $19,758 to defend the lawsuit. Williams has since resigned from the Senate.
House Republicans and Stein successfully challenged new legislative maps that were approved early this year by the Democrat-led House and Republican-led Senate. The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled that the maps were not properly drawn and upheld a temporary injunction to stop lawmakers from moving Stein's district in Fayette County to northeastern Kentucky.
Shepherd ruled in August that the LRC should have to pay the opposing sides' legal fees. He ordered the two sides to complete negotiations over the amount of the legal bills by Aug. 30. Those negotiations stalled, and the matter was sent back to Shepherd.
Stumbo said Thursday that he doesn't think taxpayer money should be used to pay the challengers' legal fees. He said House Minority Leader Jeff Hoover, R-Jamestown, failed to provide the employment contract Republicans had with their attorneys.
"The taxpayers should not be asked to pay more than the parties were obligated to. It smells. No, it stinks to high heavens," Stumbo said in a written statement.
Hoover's office referred questions to Jason Nemes, one of the lawyers that represented House Republicans. Nemes declined to comment.
Shepherd, in his ruling, said attorneys for House Republicans and Stein had supplied the court with a detailed accounting of their fees. He declared them to be reasonable.
Hoover said in February that he wanted to raise money privately to pay for his caucuses' challenge to the maps. Stumbo has said he expects Hoover to keep his word and not use taxpayer dollars to pay for the legal challenge.
The legislature is expected to again tackle legislative redistricting in the 2013 General Assembly, which begins in January.


text: The Bulls have been hard-hit by injuries, yet they keep winning. That's what happens when you can plug in Brian Scalabrine off the bench for 23 minutes. Big Scal set the tone for Chicago's fourth straight victory with a move that should make Kris Humphries very happy: it'll be shown on TV for a long time to come. The layup was reminiscent of Dr. J's baseline move, only a thousand times more impressive, because it's Brian Scalabrine.


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Recipe Remix: Cured Fish/
Tradition and culture can be found in some of the most unexpected places, this standing true for lox and other cured fish. What is seen as a traditional brunch menu item to some actually dates back to several different cultures and eras, yet it still gives us a delicious mash up of flavors and textures. When brunch comes around, a bagel and lox seems like the go to, but lox and other smoked fish can actually be used at dinner time as well, just ask Marcus who grew up eating smoked and cured fish in Sweden. As NPR: The Salt and The NY Times puts the spotlight on bagels and lox, transforming these items into a everyday meal, you can turn your next weekend gathering with a new delicious menu. Smoked fish like sable and trout, and accompaniments like capers, thinly sliced red onions, farmers market tomatoes, and other fresh produce are a great meal any time of the day.
Head to Red Rooster Harlem and dine on the Smoked Trout appetizer, served with herb salad, pumpernickel, and green goddess dressing, and check out these different ways to get you started on a great weekend brunch item:


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Ellen Macadam logged six hits in two games Tuesday against the Bulldogs (Harvard Athletic Communications)
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Harvard softball team tallied 23 run in 13 innings, coming from behind in Game 1 and invoking the mercy rule in Game 2 of a doubleheader sweep of Yale Tuesday at Soldiers Field. The pair of wins gives the Crimson a four-game cushion in the Ivy League standings heading into the final weekend of league competition.
The Bulldogs got to Harvard starter Rachel Brown early, bringing in four runs in the top of the first thanks to a two-run triple and a two-run home run. The Crimson began chipping away immediately as Ellen Macadam led off the game for Harvard with a triple and came home on a Stephanie Regan RBI groundout. Shelbi Olson cut the deficit to 4-2 in the second with a sacrifice fly that plated Jessica Ferri in the second.
Harvard tied the score in the third when Allison Scott launched an opposite-field, two-run home run and back-to-back long balls from Jane Alexander and Olson gave Harvard its first lead after four full innings. The Bulldogs answered back with a two-run shot of their own in the top of the fifth but a Mari Zumbro sacrifice fly pushed the score to 7-6 in Harvard's favor at the end of five. The Crimson looked to have put the game out of reach in the sixth, driving in four runs on three hits and three Yale errors, but the Bulldogs rallied in their final at bat, plating five runs on just two hits to knot the score at 11-11 heading into the bottom of the seventh. Alexander missed a walk-off homer by a matter of inches and ended up with a triple to start the bottom of the seventh, and Macadam notched the game winning hit one batter later to cap the 12-11 victory.
Macadam led all players with three hits in the game while Scott, Alexander and Olson all had two in the contest. With 12 strikeouts in the contest, Brown upped her season strikeout total to 260, breaking the Ivy League single-season strikeout record of 258, set by Princeton's Erin Snyder in 2006. Laura Ricciardone recorded the win for Harvard, recording two outs for the Crimson.
Yale took an early lead in Game 2 as well, taking a 2-0 lead on a two-run home run in the second. Harvard answered with a vengeance in the next half inning, scoring six runs on three hits and one Yale error. Whitney Shaw came home with Harvard's first run on a fielder's choice and an RBI single from Macadam followed by back-to-back two-RBI doubles by Regan and Kasey Lange gave the hosts a 6-2 edge after two full frames.
After Yale put up another run in the fourth, Harvard stretched its lead to 9-3 with three more in the bottom of the inning. Macadam popped her second triple of the day and Lange plated her with a two-run blast to right-center. Scott followed with an RBI double to the right field gap that plated Shaw, who reached via a hit-by-pitch. The Crimson ended the game early as Macadam and Lange each ripped RBI singles in the bottom of the fifth, sealing the 11-3 win and series sweep for the Crimson.
Lange's five RBI was a game high and she and Macadam each went 3 for 4 on the day. Ricciardone picked up her second win of the afternoon, allowing three runs on five hits in five innings of work for her 12th win of the year.
Harvard now looks to clinch the Ivy League North Division title and home field advantage in the Ivy Championship Series when it takes on Dartmouth in a home-and-home series next weekend. The first doubleheader will be played Saturday in Hanover, N.H., while Sunday's twinbill will take place at Soldier's Field.


text:
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text:
# of watchers: 56
|Wiki-page rating
2008-10-01 [Triola]: Keep dreaming, dear *pats head*
2008-10-01 [All_Most PUNK]: I'm finally in a meme *starry eyes*
2008-10-01 [Triola]: I need two extra people besides my Skurpists, and since I spend a lot of time being looked down on by Viking and annoying you, it felt natural to include the two of you :P
2008-10-01 [All_Most PUNK]: You could have just said "Yes, you are!" instead of destroying any hope that I had been included because I deserved it.
2008-10-01 [Triola]: Awws, but you should have learned by now that I express affection in backhanded ways when it comes to the two of you :P
2008-10-01 [All_Most PUNK]: Yes, I know, but still :P
2008-10-01 [Triola]: You were chosen before most of my relation list, that should tell you everything you need to know.
2008-10-03 [Triola]: Come on, people! Do the M! meme!
2008-10-03 [Chrilith of Akhai]: Gods, I need more friends XD Two-thirds of the folks that'll be in my M!-meme barely know me, if they even know me at all!
2008-10-03 [Teufelsweib]: *points and laughs*
2008-10-03 [Jeccabee]: most of the people I talk to on ET are female...but I guess it could still work with some of the questions. :P
2008-10-08 [Triola]: Earlier use of Acme products considered, I think [kay-chan] has more to fear than you, [NOOOPE] :P
2008-10-08 [Aeolynn]: lol Kay... you make me look sexy... funny thing is that couch scene WOULD happen between mine and someones char... in a roleplay... no joke.
2008-10-08 [kay-chan]: Dude, that Coyote bitch had nothing on me. It's ACME!Ikea. ...dammit I'm doomed.
I make you look realistic, Aeo i watch you when you sleep
2008-10-08 [Aeolynn]: I found it already. Have you found mine? Yours just has a recorded video playing every night =P
2008-10-08 [Doormat]: This page reeks of awesome.
Too bad my art would cause people to perform acts of auto-enucleati
2008-10-09 [Aeolynn]: Hey kay... whats shoop?
2008-10-09 [Jewl]: lol Kay that's one of the most creative I've seen.
2008-10-09 [kay-chan]: Yeah, I have a short recording of your voice on my phone. I listen to it when I'm sad and alone... Or, y'know, just alooooone. ;D Aaaand shoop is short for photoshop. :D
Yeah, Doormat... I'll auto-enucleate ALL over your meme, winkwinknudgen
And I probably put way too much effort into that meme.
2008-10-09 [Aeolynn]: lol it looks awesome Kay :]
and... I don't use photoshop hehe that is my neighbor i put that cam over her computer. I use macromedia fireworks ^^
2008-10-09 [kay-chan]: Well, sort of just general slang for photo manipulation. XD For instance "Hm, that looks shooped. I've seen a lot of shoops in my time. Look at the pixels." I mean, it mostly refers to shopping something (it might only be my friends that say 'shoop' cuz we're like that) but yeah, I think it's still applicable. :P
2008-10-09 [Doormat]: I thought shoop referred to...
2008-10-09 [Aeolynn]: OMG daisy I didn't realize i was in the meme! omg I feel so bad! >.> Major HUGS!!!
2008-10-09 [kay-chan]: SHOOP DA WHOOOP! That's probably why my friends say 'shoop' instead of 'shop.' So that's half-inside-jo
2008-10-09 [Jeccabee]: ptew ptew....gatcha
2008-10-10 [Daisy_Sandybanks]: Lol. It's okay ... I don't do/say much around here anyhow .. I usually tend to get overlooked :P
2008-10-10 [Aeolynn]: :[
2008-10-13 [Calico Tiger]: *tacklehuggles Daisy*
2008-10-13 [Jeccabee]: *tackleslobber
2008-10-14 [Calico Tiger]: *rapes Jecca's legs*
*realizes some people could get offended at that word*
*doesn't care*
*rapes Jecca's legs again*
2008-10-14 [Daisy_Sandybanks]: XD
2008-10-14 [Yuriona]: *video tapes Cali raping Jecca's legs*
2008-10-14 [nehirwen]: *wants to see the video*
2008-10-14 [Jeccabee]: *swats Cali away with a newspaper* bad kitty!
*goes to clean off leg* I dont even want to know what that purple stuff is!
2008-10-14 [Jeccabee]: btw...a friends dog raped my leg once...fortuna
2008-10-16 [Jewl]: oh man.... My friend's dog raped my leg when i was asleep at her house once... ewwwwwwwwwwwww
2008-10-16 [Yuriona]: A chihuahua tried to rape my leg once and it was all I could do to keep from punting it across the room. Luckily for it, its master got a hold of it and put it in another room. D<
2008-10-16 [Doormat]: You're sure it was a dog right?
2008-10-16 [Yuriona]: I'm sure.
2008-10-16 [Aeolynn]: Two chihuahuas attacked my male cockatiel a few weeks ago (he's fine only 2 bites drew blood and he lost most of his tail feathers) but he's lucky I can scale a fence! >.>
2008-10-16 [Yuriona]: Dern things. ><
2008-10-16 [Viking]: I'm still not convinced that chihuahuas are actually dogs. They're much closer to some sort of barking rodent.
2008-10-16 [Kyrinn]: rats. No, really, I mean they are rats. :D
2008-10-16 [Viking]: I'm not sure they're that high of a life form...
2008-10-16 [kay-chan]: 'Bout sums it up:
2008-10-16 [Doormat]: Noah died of velociraptors.
2008-10-16 [Jeccabee]: Hey I like chihuahuas...w
2008-10-16 [kay-chan]: Yeah, the mixes are kinda cute. I'm generally against small dogs, though. The smaller they are, the meaner they are... As far as I can tell. Although that might be the owner's fault.
2008-10-17 [Doormat]: Am I the only one who wants to curbstomp Paris Hilton's chihuahua? :<
PS: And her for the matter.
2008-10-17 [Viking]: I hate chihuahuas, but I'd rather send them to Mejico. But Paris is fair game...
2008-10-17 [NOOOPE]: I've never met a chihuahua who wasn't a quivering, growling, snippy little sonovabitch. They should be nuked. Them and poodles. I have never had a good poodle encounter.
2008-10-17 [Lothuriel]: quivering, growling, snippy little sonovabitch. sure you aren't talking about my boss?
2008-10-17 [NOOOPE]: I dunno, is your boss a chihuahua?
2008-10-17 [Lothuriel]: He acts like one....
2008-10-17 [Aradon Templar]: "If the boot fits" I believe is the phrase.
2008-10-17 [Lothuriel]: LOL
2008-10-18 [Jeccabee]: long haired chihuahuas and long haired dochshounds are more docile than the bald ones. They arent as mean either.
2008-10-18 [Viking]: Eh, I prefer a good Pedigreed Mongrel anyway.
2008-10-18 [Jeccabee]: my boyfriend wants a beagle...but I'm not a fan of them cause they howl and are kinda nasty.
2008-10-18 [Viking]: Bah, they're inbred freaks. Tell him to get a Mutt.
2008-10-18 [Yuriona]: Beagles suck... not only are they noisy and hyper but they love to run away. >< Mutts are definitely the way to go.
2008-10-18 [Kyrinn]: Everyone says that labs are great dogs. I had to give mine away because mine was dumber than a sack of wet rocks and never got the whole house breaking thing. I understand he still craps right where he sleeps and is surprised when he gets into trouble. >.>
2008-10-18 [Yuriona]: Ugh... Labs are puppies for the first two years and you have to really train them intensely. ><
2008-10-18 [Jeccabee]: I like goldens...they
I kinda want a mix this time around mostly cause they have less health problems. Pure breeds are most likely inbreed so they have a LOT of health problems.
2008-10-18 [Kyrinn]: Id have to get something small if I got one now. Pixie would probably adopt it. O.o
2008-10-18 [kay-chan]: Australian shepards. Crazy happy puppies that are also ridiculously smart if mine is anything to go by. (She's a bit of a mutt too, though, so that might help.) They just require a lot of energy in the beginning... they will be puppies until the day they die.
2008-10-18 [Jeccabee]: oooh those are pretty dogs too! But yeah they need lots of space and attention or they will become distructive. I knew a guy with one and he lived in this tiny house with hardly any yard and the dog went nuts!
2008-10-19 [kay-chan]: Ugh. We have a large yard, but yeah... I have a blue merle colored aussie, no brown at all, we get a lot of compliments on her. Both in her manner (my mom trains dogs really well) and that she's pretty.
2008-10-20 [Jeccabee]: ooh those are pretty! Does she have two different colored eyes?
2008-10-20 [Jewl]: lol Kyrinn! Pixie already adopted your son, she might mother a small dog.
2008-10-21 [kay-chan]: She actually doesn't, just brown eyes.
...all this talk of puppies is making me sad-faced, cuz we can't have pets in my apartment. ;____;
2008-10-21 [Kyrinn]: LOL @ [Jewl] yeah, probably would.. SHe practically tried to climb into the bathtub with him the other day to try and drag him out, lol!!
2008-10-21 [Jewl]: omg! My cat pippin does that. And he knows how to open the bathroom door, so i have to lock it to get any privacy when i want a bath.
He'll jump in and just start swimming around....
2008-10-21 [Kyrinn]: O.o wow... Pixie will stand by the tub and cry while we are in there showering. its hilarious. and she uses her big cat butt to push open the door, she HATES closed doors. Though when I get out the vacuum cleaner she runs for the back of the house and actually slams the door shut!!
2008-10-21 [kay-chan]: I'm hoping my cat never learns how to work a doorknob... he always sits outside of whatever door we're behind and meows. He could easily just stretch up to open a door... He's a BEAST. >.<
2008-10-21 [Kyrinn]: Pixie is the biggest cat Ive ever owned. She doesnt run around the house, she lopes about like a panther. O.o
2008-10-21 [Jewl]: Pippin, the little kitten in my et house
is just a little bat-cat. His adult teeth just came in and for a while he had two sets of canines, and now the adult pair sticks out from his mouth and he looks like a vampire bat.
2008-10-21 [Yuriona]: My cat Clyde is missing a canine. It got broken when he was hit by a car a couple of years ago and it eventually fell out on its own. Doesn't stop him from hunting and killing stuff though.
2008-10-22 [kay-chan]: Heh, I know my cat has all his teeth because he does the love-gnawing of the hand. Gotta love that. >.<
2008-10-22 [Jeccabee]: I'm allergic to cats...so I'm more of a dog person. though I like cats...just cant be around them for very long.
2008-10-22 [kay-chan]: I'm gonna be the crazy cat lady, I've decided.
2008-10-22 [Viking]: You already have an action figure:
2008-10-22 [Jeccabee]: that...is AWESOME! LOL
2008-10-22 [Jewl]: I want one now... -.- On Elftown I see so many things that make my checkbook empty...
2008-10-22 [kay-chan]: Seen it. I'm gonna be the HOT crazy cat lady.
2008-10-23 [Jewl]: I'm gonna be the crazy "good witch" who has long white hair and a huge overrun garden with 14 cats.
2008-10-23 [Jeccabee]: oooh nice!
2008-10-23 [Jewl]: Well it's my dream. Kids will dare eachother to touch my front door... XD
2008-10-23 [Jeccabee]: lol awesome! are you going to start a rumor that you have some crystal ball or glass eye that can see into the future?
that was the story in Big Fish.
2008-10-23 [Jewl]: hehehe, no, but I'd start the rumor that I do potions, and have a huge cauldron
2008-10-24 [kay-chan]: There'll be a rumor that for my job, I go cut up dead people. And the rumor will be true. And I'll snap latex gloves at the brats who walk on my grass. USED latex gloves.
2008-10-24 [Jeccabee]: eeeeww!!
2008-10-24 [Viking]: That's a lot less disgusting than if you were to become a proctologist..
2008-10-24 [Jeccabee]: double eww
2008-10-24 [Mom]: That's a pretty sh*tty job. XP
2008-10-24 [kay-chan]: LOLOLOLITERALL
2008-10-24 [Jeccabee]: oooh bad pun. :P LOL
2008-10-24 [smakeupfx]: it will come out OK in the end XD
2008-10-25 [Jewl]: mrrr... bad image... >.<
2008-10-26 [Viking]: You started it, with your rumor stuff and all =P
2008-10-26 [smakeupfx]: Yep, no butts about it ;-P
2008-10-27 [Jeccabee]: omg...will it ever end? (damn another pun)
2008-10-27 [smakeupfx]: We'll get the to bottom of it sooner or later
2008-10-27 [Jewl]: oh so it's my fault? Then I guess the sh*t just hit the fan, cause no one will stop.
2008-10-27 [smakeupfx]: it's all in the way you were reared *smirk*
2008-10-29 [Jewl]: *falls over laughing*
2008-10-30 [Jeccabee]: *sigh*
2008-11-03 [smakeupfx]: I crack my self up (hey not that crack either...jeez you people ;-P
2008-11-03 [Jeccabee]: LOL when I was little...like <5 yrs, if I had a wedgy..or my underwear was ridin up, I'd say that my underwear is crackin me up. It made my mom laugh ever time.
2008-11-16 [sequeena_rae]: omg is me! With boobs and a wine bottle...hey! *beats Trin*
2008-11-16 [Triola]: Took you long enough :P *dodges*
2008-11-19 [smakeupfx]: crackin me up, up your crackin..... either or XD
"with boobs and a wine bottle" bwahahaha
2008-12-04 [maryanne]: Wow.. clearly I have spent too much time on the Internets... I read about 20 of those before realizing that the I's were replaced with 1's.
2008-12-04 [Jeccabee]: 20 of what? comments? I hadnt notice either.
2008-12-04 [Jewl]: no, the memes
2008-12-04 [Jeccabee]: oh yeah! LOL I didnt notice that either.
2009-01-26 [de Morte]: I'm working on one!
2009-01-26 [kay-chan]: Dude yes!
2009-01-27 [de Morte]: Waiting for people to OK me using their pictures... or find pictures that work... *cough*[smakeupfx]*cough*
2009-01-29 [de Morte]: Gah... anyways... done!
2009-01-29 [Aeolynn]: :D
2009-01-29 [de Morte]: like it?
2009-01-29 [Aeolynn]: yeah!
2009-01-29 [de Morte]: ^^!
2009-01-29 [nehirwen]: Me toooo <3
2009-01-29 [playslashwrite]: aaaahw so cute ^^ *hugs!*
2009-01-29 [kay-chan]: Somebody needs to make a new meme for me to do... <3
2009-01-30 [de Morte]: *hugs back*
2009-01-30 [Jewl]: awesome meme!
2009-01-31 [de Morte]: I think I got a little crazy working on peoples faces because it was a nice little challenge and I get obsessively perfectionisti
This is going to cause me trouble
2009-01-31 [Neferoth, the lethargic stigmata]: I look like me!
2009-02-01 [de Morte]: I hope so!
2009-02-01 [Jewl]: ooh i wouldn't mind sending you a few...
2009-02-02 [de Morte]: I made a wiki...shh!
2009-02-04 [smakeupfx]: Hehehe, that's awesome De Morte :D thank you!
2009-02-04 [de Morte]: I couldn't find a very big pic of you... at all!
2009-02-05 [smakeupfx]: i'm really quite tiny... like Tom thumb, only... Tim *snort*
2009-02-15 [iippo]: Suc-cess :3
2009-02-15 [SilverFire]: 'Bout damn time. :P
2009-02-15 [Viking]: No kidding. She's such a slacker.
2009-02-15 [de Morte]: Yay! New meme! ^^
2009-05-30 [Teufelsweib]: got my tablet for 2 days now and just had to make a meme, finally :P so that explains the crap quality of the drawings, but it was fun to do anyway^^
2009-05-30 [Chimes]: I have a question for you: How do you pronounce your username? :P
2009-05-30 [Teufelsweib]: hmm... it's german, I don't know if that'll help ye much? I'm not that great in phonetics :P
2009-05-30 [Teufelsweib]: I guess something like toy-fells-waib would come close, but I ain't sure :P
2009-05-30 [Chimes]: ... I know fragmented german XD So it helps a little. :P
2009-05-31 [Aradon Templar]: Almost :P The 'weib' is actually pronounced 'vibe', because the W has a V sound, and the rule for ie and ei is that you follow the sound of the second vowel. In this case, 'ei' is pronounced 'eye' :)
2009-06-01 [Teufelsweib]: ai and eye aren't pronounced the same?
and I forgot that in english you indeed pronounce the w quite different than here ^^;
2009-06-01 [Linderel]: Well... think how you pronounce the word 'pain' and you'll notice the difference :P
2009-06-01 [Teufelsweib]: told you I sucked in phonetics :P
2009-06-01 [Linderel]: *pets* :P
2009-07-11 [The green Bastard]: hey guys send me a message then send me a request, fist one who does get to be my boyfriend
2009-07-11 [Chimes]: Uh... no thanks...
2009-07-11 [NOOOPE]: Hahahahahahaha
2009-07-11 [iippo]: I've always wanted to be someone's boyfriend. I'd be an awesome boyfriend.
2009-07-11 [SilverFire]: Wait, you're not my boyfriend? :(
2009-07-12 [Viking]: Damn! I could have had a girlfriend, but [iippo] beat me to it!
*shakes fist at [iippo]*
2009-07-12 [The green Bastard]: wait what happend last night?
2009-07-12 [NOOOPE]: That's a great question.
2009-07-12 [Viking]: I have no idea what happened last night. I just hope I don't have my name listed in the police reports of the local newspaper >.<
2009-07-12 [NOOOPE]: I'm pretty sure the FBI's monitoring my house now.
2009-07-12 [The green Bastard]: well when i got home i hat a bunch of hate mail, and my room was full of lawn lights
2009-07-12 [Viking]: What do you have in your house that the Foam Blowers of Indiana would be interested in?
2009-07-12 [NOOOPE]: You can never know with those sneaky bastards.
2009-07-12 [The green Bastard]: yeah the world is weird, but i respect that, i love you guys
2009-07-12 [Viking]: Well, really they're pretty much just interested in beer and the ingredients of beer...
2009-07-12 [Chimes]: *was so going to possibly be mean then*
2009-07-12 [The green Bastard]: be well ...
2009-07-12 [Viking]: What stopped you? =/
2009-07-12 [The green Bastard]: *sits down and looks at chimes*
2009-07-12 [kay-chan]: Yeah, we're up for some funny-fun.
2009-07-12 [The green Bastard]: yeah but hate is no fun, why dont we just get along, and talk in peace, and have a good day, for goodness sake...lets eat some cake
2009-07-12 [Viking]: What kind of cake?
2009-07-12 [The green Bastard]: cokane, no cocoa
2009-07-12 [Viking]: What about angel food, with butter cream frosting?
2009-07-12 [NOOOPE]: Hah! Knew it. High as a kite. That explains things.
2009-07-12 [Viking]: A kite flies too high,
Melts in the heat of the sun.
Poor, poor Icarus.
2009-07-12 [The green Bastard]: What?! what do you man?
2009-07-12 [Chimes]: It being 3am stopped me :P I'm dead to the world.
2009-07-12 [The green Bastard]: HEHEHEHEHEHEHE
2009-07-12 [Viking]: Dead to the whole world,
No meanness from the Chimesey,
And no fun for us.
2009-07-12 [kay-chan]: I check the comments,
Expecting harsh ridicule.
Such disappointment
2009-07-12 [The green Bastard]: why, were you expecting me to be a dick? You guys are my bro's my buds my palss my fellas, i love you guys
2009-07-12 [Viking]: Comments I shall shun
Unless they meet the pattern:
Five, seven, and five.
2009-07-12 [The green Bastard]: that wasa hai co
2009-07-12 [kay-chan]: Haiku, Japanese.
Spell the word right, or much scorn
Will rain upon you.
2009-07-12 [NOOOPE]: Prepare to be enlightened. Ahem,
The ducks flew away
Ducks ducks ducks ducks ducks ducks ducks
They flew far away
2009-07-12 [kay-chan]: ...I lol'd so, so hard.
Omnomnom duckies.
2009-07-15 [Jewl]: Wow that was funny
you are all really quite good
at haiku writing.
2010-10-16 [Jitter]: *pokes to revive*
2010-10-16 [SilverFire]: Moar people need to do the M! Meme. :O
Maybe we should do a Christmas meme, too. :3
2010-10-16 [Kyrinn]: Christmas theme would be fun!
2010-10-16 [kay-chan]: ...Christmas at Ground Zero theme? >3>
2011-06-07 [Sagacious Turkey]: !
2011-06-07 [Mortified Penguin]: That's what she said.
2016-11-18 [Mortified Penguin]: Mine is still the best.
Number of comments: 539
|Show these comments on your site


text:
Junior Andy Nguyen made his prescence felt from the No. 6 position, as he was one of four Harvard players to prove victorious in singles play against Virginia Tech. (Gil Talbot)
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 24 Harvard men's tennis lost team the doubles points but used three singles wins and a late medical forfeit to advance to the second round of the 2012 NCAA men's tennis tournament at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex in Gainesville, Fla., Saturday morning. The match was once again clinched by the efforts of freshman Denis Nguyen who outlasted his opponent in the third set to help to lead the Crimson to the postseason victory.
In doubles play senior Alistair Felton and sophomore Casey MacMaster opened up a healthy 3-0 lead against Degl'Incerti Tocci and Somen, and were able to carry that momentum throughout the match, downing the Hokies duo, 8-5. Freshman Denis Nguyen and junior Andy Nguyen found themselves with an early 5-2 deficit but stormed back scoring three-straight points to make it 5-5. The Virginia Tech team of Koontz and Kujundzic were able to turn the tide back in their favor however, winning the next three points to defeat "team Nguyen", 8-5. With the doubles point on the line, Harvard and Virginia Tech looked to the deciding match of Jon Pearlman and Christo Schultz vs. Daciek and Oliveira. Much like "team Nguyen," Schultz and Perlman erased a two-point deficit by scoring straight points to make it 6-6. With both teams looking on, it was Daciek and Oliveira who prevailed, outlasting the Harvard tandem, 8-6. The Hokies headed to singles play up 1-0.
Virgnia Tech took a 2-0 lead in the match after Patrick Daciek downed Schultz, 6-0, 6-2. Harvard struck back as Andy Nguyen made short work of Kujundzic, 6-4, 6-2. Freshman Alex Steinroeder followed suit out of the No. 5 position also winning in two sets, 6-2, 6-4. Freshman Shaun Chaudhuri gave Harvard its first lead of the afternoon as he won a three-set battle with Corrado Degl'Incerti Tocci, defeating the senior from Reggio Emilia, Italy, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. With the score 3-2, Harvard had two more matches to earn one victory for the win. Denis Nguyen was locked in a battle with Oliveira which had reached the third set, while Pearlman was entrenched in his own duel with Luka Somen.
In Denis Nguyen's match, the freshman from Anaheim Calif., battled from being down early in the first set to come back and take it 6-3. In the second stanza it was Oliveira's turn to battle back, as Nguyen had the Hokies player on the ropes with a 6-5 mark. Oliveira fought back to tie it and force a decisive third set. In the third set Denis Nguyen opened up a 2-1 lead over Oliveira but as the match was nearing its fourth hour and with the sun beating down on Linder stadium, health concerns arose for the junior from Sao Paulo, Brazil, who began to cramp up, which forced Virginia Tech to concede the match to Harvard, giving the Crimson a 4-2 victory.
With the win, Harvard remains undefeated against Virginia Tech in the program's history, having gone a perfect 11-0 against the Hokies. This is also the first time since 2004 that Harvard has advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. The Crimson will attempt to travel the same path they followed in 1997 when it defeated both Virginia Tech and Florida in the first and second rounds when it advanced to the land of 16. The Crimson will wait to see who it faces in the next round as the No. 11 Gators take on Navy this afternoon. The second round match is slated for Sunday at 2 p.m.
Doubles (order of finish: 1, 3, 2*)
1. Felton/MacMaster (Harvard) def. #48 Tocci/Somen (VT), 8-5
2. *Daciek/Oliveira (VT) def. Pearlman/Schultz (Harvard), 8-6
3. Koontz/Kujundzic (VT) def. A.Nguyen/D.Nguyen (Harvard), 8-5
Singles (order of finish: 3, 6, 5, 4, 2*)
1. Jonathan Pearlman (Harvard) v. #48 Luka Somen (VT), DNF (4-6, 6-2, 0-4)
2. Denis Nguyen (Harvard) def. Lucas Oliveira (VT), 6-3, 6-7 (2), 4-1 w/d injured
3. Patrick Daciek (VT) def. Christo Schultz (Harvard), 6-0, 6-2
4. Shaun Chuadhuri (Harvard) def. Corrado Degl'Incerti Tocci (VT), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
5. Alex Steinroeder (Harvard) def. Mauricio Antun (VT), 6-2, 6-2
6. Andy Nguyen (Harvard) def. Trpimir Kujundzic (VT), 6-4, 6-2
Updated Records: Harvard 23-2; Virginia Tech 11-12
NCAA Seeding: Harvard – 17-32; Virginia Tech – 33-48
ITA National Ranking: Harvard – 24; Virginia Tech - 45


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Testimony 'Reveals' Faked Proposal, Other Scenes in "Kardashians"
(LOS ANGELES) -- It's perhaps a surprise to no one, but sworn testimony in the Kris Humphries/Kim Kardashian divorce case from a Keeping Up with the Kardashians producer indicates several scenes of the reality show were faked.
While some producers of "unscripted" shows occasionally re-do scenes for various reasons, Life & Style magazine reports a deposition reveals major sequences -- including Humphries' proposal to Kardashian, and her "crying" about a rough spot in their 72-day marriage -- were as phony as Kardashian's eyelashes are.
As part of his fraud lawsuit against Kardashian, lawyers for Humphries took a deposition from Keeping Up producer Russell Jay last month, and he reportedly admitted Kardashian didn't expect the NBA star to pop the question to her, and as such, she didn't like her impromptu reaction.
She allegedly requested another take, saying, "Can we just like, have me come back in one more time and be, like, really surprised?"
Jay also stated in the deposition that a tear-filled heart-to-heart between Kardashian and her mom, Kris Jenner, about the difficulty of the new marriage was actually shot after she filed for divorce in 2011, and the tears may have been prompted by a chemical irritant tool called a "tear stick."
The magazine quotes a "pal" of the NBA star as saying, "Kris feels vindicated...This will prove how fake Kim and the show are."
Kardashian, now pregnant with Kanye West's baby, is expected to provide sworn testimony in a deposition in the case in two weeks.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio


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Geek Things of 2010/
This was possibly one of the best years that I've had in a long time. There were geek things abound, in all facets of life: in literature, film, current events, science, music and people. 2010 was a fantastic year for me. In roughly chronological order, here are the notable geek moments of the year:
This year seems to have been the year for newly-published authors. Nora Jemisin exploded out of the gate with her book The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, the first of a trilogy in an excellently conceived of world, one where gods and humans interact and where there are consequences for those who were chained, and those who held the chains. I was particularly blown away by this book, and look forward to diving into book two: The Broken Kingdoms sometime in 2011.
Canadian Science Fiction author Peter Watts became a bit of a martyr in the eyes of many in the science fictional world when he was thrown into jail for resisting arrest at a border crossing earlier this spring. News of his imprisonment and the details of his predicament spread like wildfire, spurring outrage. Watts has since been convicted and released, and won't be able to travel into the U.S..
I trooped in February with the 501st in New York City to support a product launch. What a surreal day: who would have thought of the combination of Star Wars, Snoop Dogg and Adidas?
The long-running UK show Dr. Who saw its latest rejuvenation in the form of Matthew Smith this year, along with show runner Steven Moffat, who's penned some of the best Dr. Who episodes that I've seen in the latest run. I only was able to catch a couple of the new episodes, but what I saw, I really liked.
One of the films that was a sure train wreck from the trailers was Clash of the Titans. It's decent, mindless monster porn with action and special effects, but for a regular movie? It was pretty bad, and the slapped together 3D helped show audiences that it's a stunt on the part of movie studios to rake in more money per ticket. Where 2009 saw Avatar as the big bright moment for 3D, 2010 saw that it was only good when natively filmed with the extra dimension, rather than slapped on with additional CGI.
Another new author broke into the ranks of the published, author Blake Charlton, with his first novel, Spellwright. While the novel wasn't perfect, it was enjoyable, and I've had the good fortune to talk extensively with him over the course of the year (while he splits writing time with his medical education). This book in particular draws upon Charlton's own experiences with Dyslexia, which allows the book a unique feel when it comes to the mechanics of world building and magic. Bring on book two, Spellbound, due out this year. !
One of my favorite authors from high school / camp, Karin Lowachee, returned from several years of absence for a new book titled The Gaslight Dogs, one of the better Steampunk books that I've read thus far. Set in an unconventional world to the North, Lowachee weaves together some interesting characters and settings in an entertaining novel. I eagerly await the sequels for this planned trilogy.
Earlier this year marked a major uproar when amazon.com attempted to flex its muscles against Macmillan publishers, who had been pushing for higher prices for its new hardcover books. Amazon pulled the books from the publisher, which outraged a lot of people - authors who found that their books weren't being sold for a couple of days before they were all put back into place.
April 20th saw a massive explosion on the Deep Water Horizon oil rig when a plume of natural gas came up the well that they were drilling. The resulting oil spill lasted for three months and involved a major engineering and environmental effort to cap and contain the oil spill. Undoubtedly, the effects will be seen for years to come in the environmental and economic health of the region. The containment of the well itself is an achievement in and of itself, with an apt description of the process as similar to the Apollo 13 rescue.
Vermont singer/songwriter Anaïs Mitchell gained quite a lot of attention with her concept album Hadestown, a post-apocalyptic folk opera retelling of the legend of Orpheus. It's a mouthful, but an extensive cast of notable singers (such as Bon Iver and Ani DeFranco) join her in an impeccable work of music, story and art. This album was absolute perfection.
In July, at the urging of a former college professor, I drove down to ReaderCon, a regional science fiction convention that boasted an impressive list of authors and fans. Unlike most of the conventions that I've been to, this was devoted extensively to literature, and while there, I was able to meet a number of authors that I've long admired (and learned of there) such as Charles Stross, Allen M. Steele, Elizabeth Hand, Blake Charlton, Paolo Bacigalupi, David Forbes, N.K. Jemisin, and quite a few others. I had an absolute blast this year, and I'm eagerly awaiting the trip next year. Hopefully, I'll be able to visit some other similar cons this year.
I didn't catch this until later in the year, but Predators was a film that was released that had been one that I'd wanted to see in theaters. Where the first film was an 80s action film with too much brawn and no brains, this film was a smart, dynamic science fiction thriller, one that vastly improved the franchise. As io9 said, it's the perfect B movie. I'm inclined to agree.
While it was a sparse year for good genre films, one stood easily out amongst the others: Inception. It was a fantastic balance between action and story, with a thought-provoking storyline that dips its feet into the science fiction pool just as much as needed to push the story forward, exploring the mind and the possibilities of imagination. It's on my slowly growing list of top science fiction films ever.
1B1T proved that Twitter could be more than mindless, as Wired Magazine ran a poll to see if they could get all of twitter reading the same book. The result? Neil Gaiman's American Gods, broken down into an easy reading schedule – it made for a great excuse to re-read the book and talk to a number of people on a global scale.
Another new author, Charles Yu impressed me with his short story collection, Third Class Superhero this past spring and doubly so over the summer with his book, How To Live Safely In A Science Fictional Universe, a brilliant time travel story that stands out from most books that I read this year. Yu's book becomes part of the story itself, and can easily be compared to the works of Douglas Adams with its dry humor.
Last year, Paolo Bacigalupi blew me away with his novel The Windup Girl, and this year, his follow-up YA novel Ship Breaker could easily fit into the same post-oil world. Global warming is rampant, people are exploited, and with that in the background, there's a very basic and interesting story that pulls the reader through. Bacigalupi's a guy to watch, and this book demonstrated that he's no one hit wonder.
Apple launched their new device and product category this year, the iPad, and when a really good deal came through earlier this year, I bought one, something that I wasn't expecting to do. So far, it's easily the best thing that I've bought all year long. It's an amazingly good computer, and it works very well with what I've long used a computer for, while being more convenient than a laptop. It's a multi-purpose device that I've been able to use extensively over the course of the year, for writing, reading, web work, music and games. For my first Apple early adoption, it's come off far better than my first iPod.
This year's Hugo Awards presented a rare event: a tie for Best Novel: Paolo Bacigalupi's The Windup Girl and China Mieville's The City and The City (more on that in a moment) both received the award in addition to every other award that they scooped up along the way. (Quite a few!). Moon also picked up the movie award.
The animated Star Wars Clone Wars TV show has been popular, but for me, up and down in quality. The opening episode was impressive, but from everything that I've seen beyond that, it's become an exceedingly boring show. When the ads point to the passage of an arms bill in the Republic senate as the exciting bits, you should probably reevaluate. Hopefully, it'll get a bit better soon.
When it came to television shows that disappoint, LOST came to an end is year with a finale that ended the show, but one that didn't wow me like it should have. There was too much lost when it came to possibilities, and it felt more like an ending and an epilogue that wasn't needed.
Masked is a superhero anthology, featuring a number of authors taking on the super powered and the caped. I've yet to finish it, and while I've been enjoying most of it, there are only so many stories of a Batman clone before I have to question the need for the story to be included.
One of the better anthologies that I read all year, Stories: All New Tales, edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio is an impressive book that looks to the idea that stories should be things that demand that you turn the page to find out what happens next. This collection of stories, which boasts an impressive list of contributors, is one that I really enjoyed reading through - there's a bit of every genre here, from science fiction to fantasy to horror to crime fiction. Worth picking through and reading for all of the excellent stories.
Military science fiction stories are fascinating reads - I've read a number of them this year, and by far, the most thought-provoking was Adam Robert's New Model Army. The premise is one that's very modern: what happens when the wiki-culture moves into warfare? While I think that a lot of what would have happened in the book would never come to pass, it does have some interesting ideas behind it, and by far, was one of the better books that I read all year.
Iron Man 2 would have done well to capitalize on the military science fiction stories that the first was known for: a tight, interesting and well conducted special effects spectacular. The trailers looked awesome, but the film just fell flat: it was overblown, nonsensical at times, and not nearly as good as the first one. It did have its good parts, such as Sam Rockwell's zany character, and some fun action scenes.
Kirby Krackle completely rocked my world this year. Their sound is pretty basic when it comes to the actual music, but they rocked it pretty well. In a world where there a few songs that are so passionate about Green Lantern or zombies, their album E for Everyone really stood out for me, and it's an awesome bit of music to bounce around to. These guys are the new voice of fandom.
The first big cancellation from SyFy earlier this year was Caprica, which launched with a great cast of characters and a whole lot of potential, this precursor to Battlestar Galactica was a show that really needed to be trimmed down and to find its focus a bit. Numerous storylines, characters and themes all running together worked well, but the writing was on the wall early on: the show could have been just as good or better than BSG, (and was, at points), but its ratings couldn't sustain it. It's a real shame: the show could have been better than BSG.
In it's second season, Stargate Universe continued to impress me, and it's recent cancellation has me far more upset than the axing of any other television show that I've watched (even Firefly, although I saw that post-cancellation). A step up for the franchise as a whole, this season of Universe was brilliant, well acted and had a lot going for it, and I hope that the next ten episodes will see some good closure and storytelling. Still, maybe it'll be one of those shows that was awesome and never had a chance to get bad, much like Firefly.
One of the absolute best books that I read this year was China Miéville's The City and The City, which was up for a number of awards this year, including the Hugo. I picked this up after the hype started to go, and it lived up to, and exceeded my expectations by a long margin. Wonderfully plotted in a well thought-out world, Miéville crafts a murder mystery with a fantastic background, and puts to paper one of the best books of the year.
The mathematician who was responsible for some major advances in mathematics and theory died earlier this year, Benoit Mandelbrot. Also the subject of a Jonathan Coulton song: Mandelbrot Set.
Stephen Moffat ruled the Dr. Who universe for a while now, but I liked his take on Sherlock Holmes far more. Set in the modern day, Sherlock is a retelling of the story, with Martin Freeman as Dr. Watson and Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes. A far better take on the character than Robert Downey Jr.'s in the film adaptation (which was also quite fun), Sherlock was fantastic from start to cliff-hanger. I already can't wait for Series 2.
In the wake of Sherlock, Martin Freeman was selected to play Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit, which is finally moving forward, along with what looks like a great cast. It's still a shame that Guillermo del Toro isn't directing though.
Zombies have been all the rage for a while now, and (no pun intended) have been done to death. The Walking Dead falls into a couple of categories with me. The pilot episode was fantastic - one of the better takes on a man waking up to find civilization gone, but it's a story that really doesn't add much to the canon, and while it had its interesting points, it's something that I'm more or less indifferent to. We'll see how Season 2 goes.
While Zombies have been very popular, 2010 saw a bit of a decline in the hysteria over Vampires, while Steampunk came in as a solid genre. The Steampunk craze has gotten some major attention: Sherlock Holmes took on a couple of Steampunkish elements, while Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) in the show Castle became a convert as publishers such as Pyr and Tor have published a number of books in the genre. It's something that's here to stay, that's for sure.
When it comes to Pyr books, one of their offerings for the year that I read earlier this was Ian McDonald's River of Gods, which took place in a futuristic India. The Dervish House is his latest book, taking place in a futuristic Turkey. I haven't finished the book yet, but I'm loving its rich attention to culture and interconnected storyline.
Going back to geek music, a friend of mine, John Anealio, turned me towards Marian Call earlier this year at ReaderCon, and when she came through Vermont on her 49 state tour this year (an impressive feat in and of itself), I was able to catch her at Montpelier's Langdon Street Cafe for a geeky set of music and a couple of quick words with Marian. She's a lovely singer, one who's popular for all of the right reasons. Geek music was something that I focused on quite a bit this year, putting together a playlist that's almost 700 songs long, and while doing so, came across a strange trend with some of the more higher-profile stuff that trends more towards Geek Pop music. Songs like G33ks and G4m3r Girls by Team Unicorn were almost unlistenable earworms, laundry-lists of popular geek things without the real soul of "geek" stuff to begin with. It'll be interesting to see if there's more of it as geek stuff gets more and more popular.
Speaking of John Anealio, he's someone to keep an eye on, and someone that I befriended earlier this year at ReaderCon. John's an excellent geek musician, with some fantastic songs released earlier this year, such as 'Stormtrooper for Halloween' and 'I Should Be Writing'. Kirby Krackle might speak for fandom, but Anealio speaks for the fans themselves. I can't wait to see what he comes up next.
Another outfit to keep an eye out for is Symphony of Science, which continued to release a number of tracks of auto tuned scientists (namely Carl Sagan) with a wonderful collection of music that speaks to science and the wonders of the universe.
One of the films that I'm practically drooling over in anticipation for is Battle: Los Angeles, which can best be described as Independence Day meets Black Hawk Down. The early buzz from San Diego Comic Con was good, and the trailer showed that there was going to be some excellent looking action. The film is due out in March of 2011, and I really hope that it'll live up to my expectations.
While I panned iFringe when it first came out, but I've grown to love it and really rued my words: with Stargate Universe off the air, it's easily the best science fiction show on TV right now, and while its ratings have dropped and it's been moved to Friday nights, I'm hoping that the show will continue onwards. This season has seen less of the blood and gore, but has an excellent alternate universe storyline that's heating up. I can't wait for new episodes starting up later this week!
One of the coolest things to happen in the realm of space exploration happened was the Deep Impact Probe, launched on 2005 to take a look at the 9P/Tempel comet. The probe released an impactor earlier this year and took a number of high resolution pictures as it passed by and analyzed the impact to see what it was made of.
The other top book of the year was easily Joe Hill's second novel, Horns, mixing popular culture, horror iconology and religious allegory together in a story that absolutely gripped me and blew me away while I was reading it.
It was a sad day in December when Leslie Nielsen passed away. Airplane is one of my favorite comedies, while Forbidden Planet is easily one of my favorite science fiction films. He will certainly be missed. Right on the heels of Nielsen was Irvin Kershner, who directed the greatest of the Star Wars films, The Empire Strikes Back. It's a shame that his work was never quite matched with the franchise. Ironically, his film was one of 25 preserved by the Library of Congress's National Film Registry.
On December 9th, the private space firm SpaceX made history when it launched it's Falcon 9 rocket into orbit carrying a dragon capsule. It became the first private firm to orbit the earth and safely return, joining a small number of countries who have accomplished the same thing.
When it comes to dragons, a film released this year that I only just caught was How To Train Your Dragon, a great kids film with a fun story and some good graphics. At the same time, I can also recommend Toy Story 3 for many of the same reasons - excellent storytelling and a positive end for that franchise.
Wikileaks occupied most of the news coverage for the last part of the year as they released thousands of diplomatic cables in addition to their leak of classified military dispatches written over the course of the Iraq / Afghanistan war. The leaks demonstrated the power of the internet: and the necessity to keep secrets a bit more secure. Given the lack of ability of the British government to keep track of their own files, I'm surprised that they haven't been the target of more leaks.
I first saw the original Tron earlier this year in anticipation for Tron: Legacy, and I came out of the theaters with a film that met my expectations. It was a blockbuster that was fun, but it could have been so much more than it was. With Disney working on sequels and a television series, I'm not sure that the franchise is going anywhere, but box office results have been somewhat lax, given all the advanced hype and marketing for the film.
That ends out the year. It's been an impressive one, and one that marked a couple of milestones for me: I've written, talked to, read and watched so much in the speculative fiction genre, and I'm loving the immersion. There's a long list of people to thank for it: Annalee Newitz, Charlie Jane Anders, John DeNardo, John Anelio, Patrick Hester, Aiden Moher, Blake Charlton, Charles Yu, Paolo Bacigalupi, David Forbes, Jim Ehrman, N.K. Jemisin, John Scalzi, David J. Williams, Christie Yant, John Joseph Adams, Karin Lowachee, Megan Messinger, Bridget McGovern, Brit Mandelo, Scott Eldeman, Blastr, everybody at io9, SF Signal and Tor.com, people who commented and e-mailed me because of what I wrote and everyone who encouraged my writing and reasoning over the year. Most of all, Megan, for everything. It's been the best year for me to date, and I'm looking forward to an even better 2011.


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NEW YORK -- The Dow Jones industrial average is closing at its highest level in more than four years.
The fastest growth in U.S. manufacturing in 10 months gave stocks a lift Tuesday. Orders, hiring and production all rose in April.
The Dow added 66 points to 13,279, its highest close since Dec. 28, 2007.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose eight points to 1,406. The Nasdaq composite climbed four to 3,050.
All 10 industry groups within the S&P 500 were higher, led by energy companies. Chesapeake Energy Corp. jumped 6 percent on reports that the company will replace its chairman, Aubrey McClendon.
Nearly two stocks rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange. Trading volume was light at 3.7 billion.


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Stophoto necesitaba un nuevo diseño de página web y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 91 diseños de 15 diseñadores freelance.
Fratello Coffee Roasters
Fratello: We are advancing coffee culture by sourcing, roasting and sharing exceptional coffee in Calgary.
Fratello is: HAND MADE • Good enough isn't good enough, just do it RIGHT! • Hand Made • Working with sustainable responsible farmers • Relationships • Pride in our work • Fun • Love teaching and sharing • Fostering the coffee community/culture • Independent
We import only the highest quality coffee from 35 different countries, then roast it like master craftsmen, we sell to only those who want the best.
We have strong relationships with the farmers who grow our coffee in South America, Africa, Asia.
Our customers tend to be young (18-35) year old men, but not entirely. They are edgy, casual, contemporary... willing to spend good money for the best. Our name, Fratello, means BROTHER. My two brothers and I run the company - 2nd generation company. We sell our product mostly to independently owned coffee shops.
Some words that describe us:
Relentless Quality
Boutique Coffee
Guys, 18-35 years old, contemporary, edgy, skate boarders or single speed pedal bicycles, tattoos. People who live in the city (NYC or San Francisco) - urban, live in lofts, trend setters, willing to spend money on things that are done well. Not formal. Casual. Alternative.
** Look at attatched photo of a guy making coffee on a cool espresso machine. That is a picture of our type of customer.
Here is an fantastic artist with wicked artwork we like:
A lot of the customers would listen to music, enjoy album art work. Many would be listening to LP records again - as they are vintage & analog & better quality then digital recordings. Here is a cool website with tons of cool artwork from albums:
They might appreciate film photography and old vintage cameras as it is more artful & creative then shooting with digital cameras.
Key words: AUTHENTICITY, RANDOM, STREET ART
Companies who are doing coffee & image right:
We need a website & blog.
Our "brand" is random, artful and handmade. Anything goes. We do not have a "logo" or colors that we always use. We change the word mark all the time. We do NOT want to look like a huge, corporate company. More of a local, high end, micro roaster who specializes in HIGH quality.
SIMPLE, edgy, contemporary, cool, design. Photography & video are important elements as we show our customers the connection we have to the ORIGIN of the coffee... where the coffee is grown and WHO grows it. We go to the countries of origin and the story behind each coffee is important.
Our customers are interested in where the coffee is from, the varietal of the coffee plant, who grows it, the taste characteristics, growing conditions, etc. Here is an example of a few companies who do a good job highlighting this:
Our customers are interested in learning all the many different ways to brew coffee & how it changes the taste:
On this website we will talk about our coffee, where we have been, where we are going. We will educate & inform. We need a page for selling our coffee. We need a page for listing the machines & brewing accessories we sell.
We want to be able to incorporate lots of photography.
** This site needs to work on iPhone & iPad... careful with design ideas that will not work on them. Things like scroll menus versus a simple button that they can touch.
We do not like our website. The blog page is the first page - we like that the blog is always being updated and keeps people coming back, but the rest of the site sucks. Not very edgy or contemporary. Kind of messy.
Links to Twitter & Flickr is good.
We do not want FLASH.
The Online Store sucks. The way we link to "Cup of Excellence" or Direct Trade" or "Espresso Blends" is totally lame. Tiny little images, boring little font, very uninteresting - not at all contemporary.


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Export 8 results:[ Title] Type Year
Filters: Author is Matthew Klenk [Clear All Filters]
"Applying goal directed autonomy to a team shooter game", Proceedings of the Twenty-Third International Florida Artificial Intelligence Research Society Conference. AAAI Press, Daytona Beach, FL, pp. 465-470, 2010. Download PDF (785.73 KB),
"Breadth of approaches to goal reasoning: A research survey", in Goal Reasoning: Papers from the ACS Workshop, College Park MD, 2013. Download PDF (150.87 KB),
"The case for case-based transfer learning", AI Magazine, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 54-69, 2011. Download PDF (1.26 MB),
"Goal-Driven Autonomy", 2011 NRL Review, pp. 164-166, 2011. Download PDF (356.07 KB),
"Goal-Driven Autonomy for Responding to Unexpected Events in Strategy Simulations", Computational Intelligence, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 187-206, 2013. download PDF (1.15 MB),
"Goal-Driven Autonomy in a Navy Strategy Simulation", Proceedings of the Twenty-Fourth AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence. AAAI Press, Atlanta, GA, pp. 1548-1554, 2010. Download PDF (1.09 MB),
"Opponent modeling and spatial similarity to retrieve and reuse superior plays", in ICCBR Workshop on Case-Based Reasoning for Computer Games, Seattle, WA, 2009. Download PDF (447.64 KB),
"Planning in Dynamic Environments: Extending HTNs with Nonlinear Continuous Effects", Proceedings of the Twenty-Fourth AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence. AAAI Press, Atlanta, GA, pp. 1115-1120, 2010. Download PDF (656.36 KB),


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Harry Scott
Harry Scott's Details
Harry Scott's Likes
This starts with feeling good about yourself, I love seducing, when I see the pleasure on your face! That really thrills me, I love intimate words and I feel that you and I are enjoying the moment. Discover how they make you feel pleasure.
My Fantasies
A beautiful body and face like this. But a humble and sincere heart falls in love.
Additional Info
When I look directly into the eyes I feel a special and intense connection, I like to interact with elements of surprise, I like to be creative with paper. I am the sweetest environment and the most you find, let me take care of you.
My Fetishes
Cum Eating, Feet, Jerk off Instruction, Nipple Play, Piercings and Tattoos, Role Play/Costumes, Spanking
Role-Playing Scenarios
Dirty Talk, Master / Slave, Prisoner/Guard, Student/Teacher


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Lebanon's Hizbollah group will pardon any member of Israel's proxy South Lebanon Army (SLA) who kills an "Israeli or an (SLA) officer," one of its top leaders told a rally in southern Lebanon Sunday.
"Any pro-Israeli agent who kills an Israeli or an SLA official and who escapes from the (Israeli-occupied) zone will be considered to have repented and Hizbollah will ask for him to be granted an amnesty," said the group's second-in-command, Sheikh Naim Qassem.
He stressed that Hizbollah would then "do everything possible to save from death or jail any pro-Israeli agent who took this 'last chance'."
Prime Minister Salim Hoss Tuesday rejected an amnesty request from SLA leader Antoine Lahd for the members of the militia.
The 2,500 members of the SLA will face charges of "treason" for their activities, while Lahd himself has been sentenced to death in absentia for "collaboration with the Israeli enemy."
Hizbollah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah threatened last month to "liquidate" SLA members who did not hand themselves in to the authorities after Israel leaves the border strip of southern Lebanon, which it has pledged to do by July.
"The criminal collaborating traitors face a choice: leaving along with the enemy, turning themselves in to the authorities, or being shot by our mujahedeen (holy warriors)," he said -- SIDON, Lebanon (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)


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Not To Be Confused With The Villages
The Villages of Citrus Hills is Florida's Premier Master-Planned Community
Dedicated to perfecting the game of life
Here at the Villages of Citrus Hills, FL we believe your Florida Retirement experience is about enjoying pastimes and pleasures like never before. That's the vision at the very foundation of the Villages of Citrus Hills. They are Florida Retirement Communities that have been specially designed for those demanding something special from their Florida retirement and Active Adult Lifestyles.
The Villages of Citrus Hills Florida, offers you the Florida retirement experience that begins with these truly unique Gulf Coast Communities located in Citrus County, Florida just north of Tampa Bay. Affectionately known as the "Nature Coast" this picturesque area lives up to its description by delivering a locale of unspoiled natural beauty graced with the famous spring fed rivers of Crystal River, FL and surroundings distinctively highlighted by lush rolling hills, sparkling lakes and nature preserves.
Few Florida Retirement destinations provide a more ideal backdrop for boating, trophy fishing, year around outdoor recreation and endless Florida Retirement recreation opportunities as the Villages of Citrus Hills. A point further enhanced by easy access to Orlando, FL and Tampa and the nearby Florida Retirement city of Ocala, Florida.
But what makes the promise of Florida Retirement in the Villages of Citrus Hills truly come together for today's new breed of active adult retiree is its extraordinary collection of world-class community country club amenities and extensive social activities.
Find fun-filled Florida Retirement living in The Villages of Citrus Hills, whether your interests run to:
Florida Golf Retirement
World Class Tennis
Fitness Training
Gourmet Dining
Finally the Villages of Citrus Hills is a Florida Retirement Community with single family homes and maintenance free villas that have been built with today's demanding baby-boomer in mind.
Impeccably manicured, the Villages of Citrus Hills Florida has distinctive collections of fully customizable homes featuring a variety of prices and designs to accommodate everything from seasonal Florida snowbird retreats to luxury executive level Florida Retirement Living.
The Villages of Citrus Hills is Highlighted by:
The Villages of Citrus Hills Single Family Homes & Maintenance Free Single Family Homes from the upper $200k's to over $1 million
The Villages of Citrus Hills Gated Community with Richly Landscaped Neighborhoods
The Villages of Citrus Hills Country Club Amenities
Rolling Hills Golf – 3 Private Golf Club Courses
The Villages of Citrus Hills Florida Retirement Destination is conveniently located near Tampa Bay, Orlando and Ocala
Living Florida Retirement to the fullest. It's much more than an idle promise at Florida's Citrus Hills.
We now invite you to spend a few moments more exploring our website. You'll experience a new idea in perfecting your idea of quality Florida Retirement Living at the Villages of Citrus Hills.


text: This beautiful diamond engagement ring is set with a Round Brilliant diamond centre stone with small Round Brilliant diamonds channel set into either shoulder. The main diamond comes accompanied with a GIA diamond grading report. The ring has been designed so that it is compatible with one of our standard plain or diamond set wedding bands. We have kept the setting as open as possible so that it can be seen from multiple angles this also maximizes the amount of light able to penetrate the stone generating more sparkle.