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GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF DELIVERY AND SALE – Version of November 2015
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Fast Broadband with TV + Entertainment Boost
- Freeview + 13 extra channels (inc Sky One)
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subset: commoncrawl


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Enjoy some of the latest photos from our first-ever Summer After Hours last month.
Relaxing out on the new Darwin Centre Courtyard amphitheatre-style terrace as the sun set on our first Summer After Hours in June
Highlights of the evening for visitors were the Darwin Centre Courtyard terrace - the tables looked great with small hurricane lamps on them - and the Victorian-style Hendricks bar out on the terrace offering some fab summer cocktails.
Adrian Rundle's microsossil workshop in Central Hall was also popular, and those who went on the Up Close and Personal guided tour of The Deep Sea exhibition and the Wildlife Garden really enjoyed themselves.
James Maclaine, our affable fish curator, who led The Deep Sea tour, got some nice comments from those on the tour, like "I really enjoyed the tour and found the part about what happens to a whale when it dies very interesting!" Catching a magical glimpse of one of our normally shy resident fox cubs, who popped up from the undergrowth to take a look at the unexpected evening visitors, was a special treat for those on the Wildlife Garden tour.
We have another treat lined up for you at the After Hours event on 30 July - Round the World Ping. This is part of Ping London, a month-long festival of table tennis-related events. So if you fancy a little sporting activity on your Friday night, why not make a date in your diary? Bats and balls are provided! Watch this space for more news.
Click on the photos in the gallery to enlarge them
Outside tables and chairs to enjoy a drink and the picnic-style meu from the Darwin Centre bar, by lamp light
At the start of the After Hours Up Close and Personal tour, visitors gather round ready to plunge into The Deep Sea exhibition. After Hours guided tours of the exhibition are led by the Museum's Fish Curator, James Maclaine
After Hours visitors on their guided tour of The Deep Sea exhibition stop at the whale fall display - the centrepiece of the exhibition
The quirky Hendrick's Kiosk of Curious Concoctions bar out on the Courtyard terrace proved a huge hit with its cool summer cocktails. Bellinis, gin fizz, Hendrick's Buck and beer...
Jazz guitar in the Darwin Centre's atrium was performed by Michael Winawer and John Barwood from the Royal College of Music
Up Close and Personal Tour: Caroline Ware, the Wildlife Garden Manager, showing visitors around our lovely wildlife garden at dusk, where they caught a magical glimpse of one of our normally shy resident fox cubs who popped up to take a look at the visitors and baby moorhens on the pond
Adrian Rundle's fun microfossil workshop in the Museum's Central Hall attracted a lot of interest. Fact: Bill Wyman took part in this workshop when we put it on at the recent VIP launch of The Deep Sea exhibition


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Answer to the BCS Mess
What about a college football playoff that:
Keeps All Current Bowl Games In Place
Includes 16 Teams
Limits Additional Games
Reduces the Need/Desire for Teams to Schedule "Non-Competitive" Games
Retains most traditional bowl match ups
Impossible? Not really, here it is:
All 6 BCS conferences will have two divisions (ACC, Big 12, and SEC already have this in place). Big East, Big 10, and Pac 10 will have the option to add teams and split into 2 divisions. If Big East, Big 10, and/or Pac 10 do not want to split into divisions, there would be more "at large" teams. All conferences may add teams if they want up to a maximum of 10 teams per division.
Schedule will consist of 12 regular season games. Teams may NOT play more than 3 non-conference games.
Playoff will consist of 16 teams
The 12 Division winners automatically qualify. Plus an additional 4 "at-large" bids determined by BCS ranking.
First round of the playoffs (16 teams) will be the same as the current Conference championships (played the week after the regular season ends) plus playoffs between the 4 at-large" teams. BCS ranking will determine the home team.
Second round of the playoffs (8 teams) will be the following week. Home team determined the same as for the first round.
Third round of the playoffs (4 teams) will be on New Year's Day at two of the existing bowl games.
Championship game will be the next week at an existing bowl game (like it is now).
All teams that do not make the final 4 are eligible to play in any of the other bowl games (just like now).


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Cisco VP Threatens To Stalk Memo Leaker... Driving More Attention Than Original Memo
from the yeah,-not-smart dept
But... then, apparently, a VP at Cisco, Mike Quinn, got upset about the leak... and proceeded to send out an angry email telling the leaker to resign, and saying if he doesn't resign, that "finding you is now my hobby." And, of course, that new letter leaked to the same sources:
This is an open response to the person(s) that sent our internal confidential memo regarding the RFP response noted in the Subject line. I want to advise you that no matter the color of your badge (blue or red), the years of service and or your CPC rating you have decided to violate the Code of Business Conduct. The company in response to a number of requests to share internally what our RFP contained once again is insulted by the lack of respect for the business and "family" internal to Cisco. The person or persons whom felt it was cool or correct to share this internal memo should now have the intestinal fortitude to stand up and admit that they did this, then resign.And, if that doesn't sound quite threatening enough, people quickly pointed out that in the distant past, Quinn worked for the CIA.
I want you to remember that Cisco puts the groceries on your table every two weeks, not Brad Reese or other Slander Sheet Journalists. That you disrespected everyone else at Cisco. Now I know you do not have it in you to stand up and admit what you did, so I will now make you my "hobby." Ask around you will find out that I like to work on my hobbies.
Mike Quinn Vice President - Services Cisco Systems
The amazing thing about all of this is that all it's done is call much more attention to the whole thing. If they'd just let that initial leak go, it would have been mostly forgotten in a few days and people would have moved on. But now because someone went on a power trip, it's right back in the news again.


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Note: I deleted a paragraph in this post because it was based on a private conversation Moffitt and I had some time ago. He asked that I remove it, and since it was based on a private conversation, I did so.
In a meeting this morning, I got a chance to read yet another lengthy newspaper profile on Rep. Tim Moffitt, my representative in Raleigh.
This one, in the Biltmore Beacon, was a little less flattering than the one that ran in the daily paper here 10 days ago, and I believe it's more of a true portrait of this arrogant, petulant man.
First off, he tells a gathering of supporters, "… The newspaper is good to spread out for a low-country boil, but that's about it."
Really, Tim? The daily newspaper gave you a pretty glowing two-and-a-half -page profile. It hardly challenged anything you said, and when it did, it was buried close to the end of the story.
In talking about trying to get speed bumps installed on a road in the subdivision where he lives, Moffitt said he called the NC Department of Transportation, which was insisting on rumble sticks to slow traffic.
"The problem on that road is speeding," Moffitt told the gathering. "I said, 'Don't you know who I am? I want speed bumps!' They told me they knew who I was but they didn't want speed bumps."
The rumble sticks were installed.
Moffitt claimed the state budget "was widely praised by educators," but I have my doubts about that since it has resulted in the layoffs of thousands of teachers and teacher assistants in the state. I'd like to talk to the educators who are happy with the budget; I suspect they're with for-profit charter schools.
"We have funded education appropriately," Moffitt said. "I feel good about that."
In response to a question about drug testing people who need government assistance, Moffitt replied, "We've created a segment of society who are far too dependent on government."
So the wealthy, who are getting wealthier, don't want to help the people whose jobs have been shipped overseas, or those who are devastated by the housing bubble burst, or people who can't get health care, or those who are homeless because they can't get treatment for mental illnesses.
The vast majority of people who need help from the government would rather be able to earn it at a decent-paying job, and most of them don't use drugs (as the results in Florida are showing).
When I told him about the death of my son because he couldn't get care, Moffitt told me he has a chronic condition, and he was able to get medical tests without health insurance. He just paid for the procedure in installments.
I told him that my son was denied that. He was told he had to produce cash up front or go without. Moffitt didn't believe it.
"I could get care," he said.
But Moffitt was a businessman with a decent income; my son was a student who worked waiting tables to put himself through college. Moffitt, however, had trouble accepting the fact that he was treated because he had money and my son was denied because he didn't.
Moffitt's so-called successes have taken control of Asheville's airport away from the city and threatened to take the city's water system away, too. He has spoken about creating a public-private partnership for the system, which would in effect privatize the system by giving control of the water to a private entity.
The man has lied about his opponent, Jane Whilden, and about her votes on the issues. But here's the truth: If we had re-elected Jane, the state wouldn't have fracking, Asheville would not have lost control of its airport and would not be in danger of losing control of its water system. Buncombe County would still have a five-member, at-large county commission instead of a seven-member commission elected by districts.
Even looking at the more flattering newspaper profile, it's obvious that what happens to him shapes his opinions and his crusades. It's all about him, just like a petulant child.


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Friday, May 14, 2010
Saturday Photo Hunt --- Half
21 comments:
- YTSL said...
Hi jmb --
I've tried my hand in sheering sheep too! On my one and only visit to Australia back in the 1980s. Definitely not even half as easy as the professionals make it look! ;b
- May 14, 2010 at 7:31 PM
- momgen said...
hehhe that might be interesting experience...Happy hunting.
Mine is here
- May 14, 2010 at 8:01 PM
- Carver said...
I don't think that's lame at all. Very original take on the theme. Happy weekend.
- May 14, 2010 at 8:04 PM
- Gledwood said...
I hope the little white doggie stayed well clear of those clippers..!
- May 14, 2010 at 9:36 PM
So there is only half as much wool as there was for pulling over eyes :) Great choice.
- May 14, 2010 at 10:32 PM
- Mar said...
I think it is a very unique take on the theme and interesting picture!! I need a warm sweater right now, it's too cool for the season.
Happy weekend!
- May 14, 2010 at 11:03 PM
- luna miranda said...
excellent take. i'd like to try this one day.:p
- May 14, 2010 at 11:26 PM
- ipanema said...
your entry isn't lame. it fits the theme too.
anyway, i miss that experience a long while back.
- May 14, 2010 at 11:27 PM
- Heart of Rachel said...
I think it's a great idea. It must be interesting to watch that.
- May 15, 2010 at 1:01 AM
- jams o donnell said...
Great idea for the theme. I like that it is at the Agrodome! Happy weekend
- May 15, 2010 at 3:49 AM
- Sue St Clair said...
I think its a pretty good idea! Thank you for visiting my blog and happy photo hunting! :)
- May 15, 2010 at 4:41 AM
- bing said...
it looks like it is not an easy task.
nice one.
- May 15, 2010 at 5:50 AM
- CherryPie said...
I think it is a good idea for the theme :-)
- May 15, 2010 at 9:16 AM
- Pat said...
Good choice for a hard theme this week.
Happy Weekend.
- May 16, 2010 at 5:45 AM
- Voyager said...
Poor sheep!
I love the mother daughter photos in your previous post.
- May 17, 2010 at 4:08 AM
- Janice Thomson said...
An unexpected original choice JMB. In my youth I always wondered if sheep ever got annoyed at being undressed all the time...
- May 18, 2010 at 4:12 AM
- Lee said...
Ummmm.....a Kiwi and a sheep!
- May 20, 2010 at 3:30 PM
- Ellee Seymour said...
I wonder what this feels like for the sheep. I doubt it's as easy as it looks too.
- May 23, 2010 at 2:33 PM
- Ellee Seymour said...
I wonder what this feels like for the sheep. I doubt it's as easy as it looks too.
- May 23, 2010 at 2:33 PM
- Colin Campbell said...
So sad about Mutley. So there was a purpose to Blogpower. We got to meet him in virtual life. My life was enhanced by my interactions with him and his generous spirit.
- May 23, 2010 at 7:38 PM
- Welshcakes Limoncello said...
Poor thing! But I don't think that'a a lame idea at all. Award for you chez moi, jmb.
- May 28, 2010 at 2:20 PM


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Zac Efron: 'Are We Officially Dating?' Set!
Zac Efron looks suave and dapper on the set of his upcoming flick Are We Officially Dating? on Thursday (December 20) in New York City.
The 25-year-old actor stars in the romantic comedy about three Manhattan bachelors who make a pact to have as much fun as possible while remaining single.
Zac recently tweeted out his congrats to his The Paperboy co-star Nicole Kidman on her recent award nominations.
"Congrats to Nicole on much deserved @GoldenGlobes and @SAGawards nominations!!! It was an amazing experience working together. -Z" he wrote.
Zac also just signed on to the upcoming flick Parkland!


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4-Person Spirit™ SD Stereo Listening Center
The 4-person Spirit SD Learning Center offers outstanding stereo sound in a portable system. With its built-in SD card slot and USB port, it's made to work with the latest formats as well as the teacher-tested CD player, cassette recorder/ player, & AM-FM radio. It's ideal for group or individual reading activities, literacy, ELD, ESL, and other language learning programs. Includes Spirit SD 1886 Multimedia Player, foam-lined carry/storage case with extra room for recorded materials is ideal for itinerant teachers and roving AV carts, ten-position stereo jackbox with individual volume controls and our 3068AV Stereo Headphones.
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Thousands of picnickers and gold prospectors park every weekend along a two-lane road overlooking the East Fork of the San Gabriel River, then trundle down to the mountain creek with ice chests, boomboxes, shovels, sluice boxes and baby carriers strung with diapers.
They litter, light campfires, defecate in the wild, dig for gold and engage in many other banned activities along the river. U.S. Forest Service rangers try in vain to curtail the abuses but are hopelessly outnumbered.
Last Sunday, no rangers were in sight at a popular swimming hole where the air smelled of campfires and makeshift toilets in nearby bushes.
A young man hunted birds with a BB gun. A few yards upstream, half a dozen gold prospectors were digging deep holes and dragging massive boulders across the river with steel cables attached to winches.


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|2004-04-11, 19:33
|Link #81
Nitro+ fan
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Hyogo
Someone mentioned that Kono Mini has more fanservice. *shrugs* This may or may not be true, but I actually enjoyed Kono Mini's fanservice-y content, whereas Baku Ten's just bothered me. Dunno why.
|2004-04-11, 19:55
|Link #82
Combating Spoiler Scum
Join Date: Nov 2003
Age: 35
I want to like this anime, but I have a hard time respecting it because the makers obviously don't respect their audience. It's like Magus IX said- tasteful fanservice can be ok.
Somebody implied that those who complain about fanservice notice it more. Well, yes, I'm not desensitized to it and I am a very horny male (yup). But just because my hormones may say, "Oooohhhh, booobies," doesn't mean that I as an individual actually want to see that
|2004-04-11, 22:26
|Link #83
/Ultimate Magic Attack!!!
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Time Warp/Future
yeah, I guess you have to be paying more attention to the... umm... chest area to notice the nipples... so I guess you are indeed more of a horny male than some of us here... strange, I consider myself quite horny, but I rarely pay attention to those parts, and usually miss all the panty shots except those very intrusive ones (like some panty shots staying for 5 seconds in Ikkitousen @_@) guess I'm not as horny as I think
|2004-04-11, 23:46
|Link #84
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: U.M.N.
Age: 40
Is it, by chance, possible that many of you folks try to make more of it, as it really is? I mean, nobody around here has actually seen the entire show, so how can there be statements that it is mainly centered around "fanservice"?
The first episode centered mainly around action, comedy and a nice cast of 4 women and a guy...maybe this is the problem here....harem obsession^^
I fail to see most of that horny stuff anyway, i mean come on, there's a cast of female characters all of them with different personalities so everybody can relate to them and yes, they have *boobies* and *nipples* equipped.........let's not make all these natural facts another sorry *nipplegate*..it's already a screwed discussion at best.
The problem with a female cast is, that there will eventually be *fanservice* at some point and as long as you're not watching a hentai, all of it will be rather harmless, nobody will get hurt, trust me on that part. If you still don't want to see it, then just skip everything i just wrote down and go watch something different, because it is your right to do so.
|2004-04-12, 01:02
|Link #85
Combating Spoiler Scum
Join Date: Nov 2003
Age: 35
Alright, so I'll admit it- I don't want to see that stuff for moral/religious reasons. I can't help but feeling dirty as I watch an anime that so shamelessly flaunts its characters. Like I said, I want to like this anime because the action looks tight, but it looks like the way the characters are drawn and displayed will continue to be distracting. Those of you who argue that this series doesn't have much fanservice...riigghhhhttt.
I'm not saying don't watch it, I'm just saying that I may leave this one by the roadside (unless the action continues to be incredible)
|2004-04-12, 01:50
|Link #87
Join Date: Apr 2003
We'll see how they develop it, but it comes off as a bit TOO much like BGC so far IMHO. Sei is undoubtedly the Sylia of the series providing the money and equipment. Joe is your Priss -- the carefree leader of the fighting or whatever. Meg is your (can't remember her name, wears the green suit in BGC2040) who speaks her mind whenever she feels like it. Amy is your Nene/Skuld of the operation. Then you have Kyohei as your Mackey (looks damn near identical to Mackey too lol) of the group.
Sad thing is if I released my anime fiction I've been devising for a couple years now, people would think I ripped off BakuTen heavily, except for the Western setting and fanservice ;p
|2004-04-12, 04:10
|Link #89
Newbie arimasen
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Animesuki
Finally watched the Aone-Onigiri version and I have to say that I really disappointed with this series since I put too much expectation b4 watching it. It turns out to be just a normal show with a bit of hi-tech CG.
Btw, I wonder why people here so upset about slight fanservices in this series. I think it is still nothing if we compared to other series' fanservices. Showing nipple a bit behind the clothes is still in acceptable limit.
|2004-04-12, 05:54
|Link #90
Fansubber Emeritus
I was slightly annoyed with the degree of parallelism they're pulling to the charlie's angels type theme, but ... I think that's kinda the point. I walked into it with no expectations when I watched it, and I walked out thinking "hmm, titties, guns, mecha, and a kinda scrawny but somewhat resourceful dude. This could be ok, as long as we're not expecting a whole lot of plot. Interesting clothing design too..."
I await an action-packed episode 2, complete with scantily clad women of various shapes and sizes. I'm wondering how they'll go about making the dude into a part of the group (I'll be charlie, and you can all be my angels. Except for you, you can be bosley).
|2004-04-12, 07:32
|Link #91
very good show, especially the animation
As evryone said it's a bit like BGC but it also reminds me Love Hina, one cooker for 4 girls.
Jo's red eyes reminds me Alucard's one
And donno why but Meg reminds me more Naru than Asuka, maybe it's the same SEiyuu ? (Horie Yui) I have to check
|2004-04-12, 07:46
|Link #92
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: France
Age: 33
it's kinda off topic but I just wanted to ask all people who were "shocked" with the nipple thing : how do you react when you see it in a movie ?
As for Baku Ten I really enjoyed this 1st ep can't wait for an action packed ep 2
|2004-04-12, 08:41
|Link #94
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: U.M.N.
Age: 40
Okay. i think, by now, that similarities between Baku Ten and other anime shows have been mentioned enough already...i think it's save to assume that a lot of its comedy will be on a cross-reference spoof level.
I don't see anything wrong with taking popular elements and recycling them with more or less fresh ideas. In the end, after all these pseudo cameo/ deja-vu effects it will be a sovereign story with an independent cast of characters, all with their own quirky personalities and problems.
|2004-04-12, 09:44
|Link #95
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: South East Asia
Girls: Oooo, this food is great!!! Can we keep him? Please, Please!
Guy: Uh... I am not into this sorta thing...*slips away*
Next day, guy walks down the street, car screeches by and pulls him in.
Girls: HI!
I'm almost certain it will evolve into something else though
|2004-04-12, 13:15
|Link #96
I have a cunning plan
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Belgium, Meise
Nowadays, it seems that only girls can dodge bullets and make you eat lead... (Noir, Madlax, Mezzo,...)
Way to go Emancipation ! I think I'm better of learning how to cook these days. 'Don't leave your guns on the table, honey.Look, I've made you favourite dish!', and then she starts hitting me, because she's drunk. Again...
So, about the show : it looks fine, nothing annoyed me. So i'll watch more.
|2004-04-12, 13:43
|Link #97
/Ultimate Magic Attack!!!
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Time Warp/Future
|2004-04-12, 15:53
|Link #98
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Antwerp area, Belgium, Europa
Age: 42
Just finished episode one : while I usually avoid mecha, it was the preview that made me interested (and the fact I love Lunar ). Awesome opening sequence although so far it looks like it hasn't got anything to do with the actual anime. The actual animation during the episode was good. Action was nice and fast-paced, definitelly a good star.
Characterwise : another loser-guy (sigh, I'm getting tired of these), Jo looks like Rei (now that's a good thing ! ) but certainly acts differently , we got the innocent looking 2000 IQ little girl, the hot looking redhead that reminded me of Naru (I've watched too many anime), You can just feel that our cook is gonna fall for her and the last one I haven't figured out yet. So nothing really original (at first sight, i've only seen 1 ep).
Music was soso, although it wasn't bad it didn't suit the series I thought. Storywise there isn't much to tell yet, but it did remind me alot of Daphne in the Brilliant Blue (Lunar must have a fix on these kinda shows these days)
About the fanservice issues mentioned in this thread so far. Yes I noticed the nipples too but that didn't really bother me, also I don't think this show is all that ecchi, sure we got nice looking chicks but the camera isn't constatly trying to bring out their "best parts" (omg did I say that ).
Overall not a bad first episode, I'll continue watching it for now.
|2004-04-12, 16:07
|Link #100
/Ultimate Magic Attack!!!
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Time Warp/Future
Also I doubt the guy here will have as much glory as Akito of Nadesico, I mean, he's not in the OP and he's barely in the ED, and he's last in the credits... things just don't look bright for him, I think he'll at the very best end up as Maia in Daphne of Brilliant Blue, while most likely just end up like Mackie in the BGC OVA
I don't understand why people think Jo looks like Rei. Their hair colors are different, their face shapes are different, their complexions are different, their body builds are different, their personalities are different, and...um... their breast sizes are different Aside from the same eye color (which is not that rare in animes anyway), I just don't see any similarity.
Last edited by dreamless; 2004-04-12 at 16:34.
|Thread Tools


text:
Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. is preparing to split into two entities, and the company's fiscal third-quarter financials illustrated why: Its cable television and film properties continue to flex their muscles while the publishing unit's profit exhibited atrophy.
For the quarter ended March 31, News Corp. earned $2.85 billion, or $1.22 a share, compared with $937 million, or 38 cents a share, in the year earlier period.
Revenue for the quarter increased 14% to $9.54 billion, beating Wall Street estimates.
The increases primarily came from higher carriage fees for Fox's television channels as well as the inclusion of revenue from German pay-TV operator Sky Deutschland, which News Corp. now controls.
"We believe we are in incredibly strong position on many fronts," News Corp. Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey told analysts Wednesday afternoon.
Cable television, including Fox's cluster of regional sports networks, Fox News Channel and entertainment channels FX and National Geographic channels, continued to be the company's stand-out performers. Cable channels now contribute 70% of News Corp.'s operating income, Carey said.
Cable television generated $2.8 billion in revenue and $993 million in operating income, an increase of 17% over the year earlier period.
Broadcast television, which suffered through a bruising three months due to steep declines in "American Idol" ratings, was boosted by fees charged distributors to retransmit the Fox Broadcasting signal.
Broadcast television contributed $1.23 billion in revenue, an increase of 1.4% and operating income of $196 million, an increase of 14.6%.
Filmed entertainment, the company's second-largest unit, generated 17% higher revenue, rising to $2 billion. The division posted $289 million in operating income, an increase of 6.3%. The company benefited from the home entertainment releases of "Life of Pi," "Taken 2" and "Ice Age: Continental Drift."
But the publishing business, which includes the Wall Street Journal and HarperCollins book publishing, saw revenue fall 4.2% to $1.9 billion. Operating income plummeted nearly 35% to $85 million.
While British newspapers brought in more revenue, helped by the Sunday edition of the Sun, the ailing Australian economy crimped profits from down under.
News Corp. spent another $42 million in costs related to the ongoing legal troubles in the U.K. due to the phone hacking scandal at its now-shuttered News of the World tabloid.
Meanwhile, restive shareholders renewed calls on Wednesday for a diminishment of Murdoch's role at the company.
Longtime critics of News Corp., the Christian Bros. Investment Services and the British Columbia Investment Management Corp. in Canada, said they had lodged a joint shareholder proposal calling for an independent chairman, rather than the 82-year-old Murdoch, to oversee News Corp.'s board.
The Nathan Cummings Foundation also urged the elimination of the company's dual-class stock structure, which allows Murdoch to control the company through his holdings of 38% of the vote shares. The family's voice is unduly disproportionate, the foundation said, noting that Murdoch and his family's economic interest in News Corp. is a much smaller 14%.


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Urgent action must be taken to protect citizens' private lives from being exposed on social media and then archived forever on Google, the head of the UK's recent privacy and media inquiry says.
Justice Brian Leveson has warned there are no easy solutions to the problem, particularly since repeated attempts to curb the power of the mass media have failed.
At a symposium on privacy in Sydney on Friday, Justice Leveson said there was "an element of mob rule" in the defamatory publication of details of citizens' private lives online.
"To name and shame people by broadcasting their behaviour (online), there is a danger of real harm being done, and in some cases harm which is both permanent and disproportionate," he said.
"There is not only danger of trial by Twitter, but also of an unending punishment, and no prospect of rehabilitation, via Google.
"I offer no solutions or recommendations. I simply offer issues to be considered."
Justice Leveson handed down his 2000-page report on the culture and ethics of the press in the UK on November 29.
He says growth of the internet has complicated the debate about privacy which has been going on since the birth of the modern mass media.
He said it would be difficult to restrict the internet's power given that there had been a "historical failure to develop limitations on incursions into privacy by the media".
"It might reasonably be said that it is difficult to assume that any such limitations might evolve insofar as the internet is concerned," Justice Leveson said.
He noted the incident of two Australian radio hosts intruding on the privacy of the Duchess of Cambridge, calling her hospital and obtaining details of her condition by pretending to be the Queen and Prince Charles.
Justice Leveson said protection of privacy was necessary in order to properly protect freedom of public expression.
"What is often not fully appreciated is that privacy is in itself both an aspect of freedom of expression, and necessary for freedom of expression to be realised.
"The right to be silent is itself not only exercising a right to privacy but it is also a form of freedom of expression."


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D, is for the dog who keeps me company. Testor Luik's Artificial Intelligence 'Pet' brand, has been around for sometime, and the Husky collection happens to be my favorite.
These virtual pets don't require any food. Neither do they breed nor require any sort of 'health' monitoring. The HUD that comes with the A.I. Pets, is simple and easy to navigate, and there is also a clothing HUD (yes!!) for the
baby! Dog, I mean, pet! Stop by their in-world store and see who else is there!
Dooobie' sure to peruse the credits for the shinies in today's look. Essenz' Footwear is featuring the 'Seattle' at the Rock Attitude Fashion Fair, and is available separately in 6 colors. The Pier Market has just opened as well, Stitched God's Nimbus necklace, I thought would do some poetic justice to the Seattles. (Clouds? Seattle? Maybe its just me.)
Have a great weekend and Thor, wave bye bye to the people.
Dress: Kunglers Strapless Dress by Ava Kungler | The Dressing Room Fusion #036
Shoes: Essenz Seattle (Slink Mid Feet) by Senzation Domenitzo | The Rock Attitude Fashion Fair
Necklace: Stitched God's Nimbus Necklace by Caine Engineer | The Pier Market
Hair: Magika's Many
Skin: Glam Affair's Brandi 01 w/ Lips 01 (jamaica tone) by Aida Ewing | The Cutie Moon Fair
Hands: Slink Casual Mesh Hands
Feet: Slink Mid Height Mesh Feet
Nails: Action Nouveau (for Slink Av/e)
Furniture: {what next} Waterfront Chair (white) by Winter Thorn | Fifty Linden Friday (ends @ 12am 4/4)
Special Guest: Thor the Husky (literally) by Testors Luik | A.I.F. Pets (Thor's First Appearance on Cozey SL, the brat)
Additional Creds:
Fanatik Base Curtains
{what next} Studio Apartment Skybox by Winter Thorn | The Liaison Collaborative
Click here if you would like to join the Alphabet|Inventory Game @ Irez.Me!


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Attorneys for Aurora theater shooting suspect James Eagan Holmes sought Thursday to block prosecutors from obtaining records about him from the University of Colorado.
In a hearing in Arapahoe County District Court, Holmes' attorneys revealed they have filed a motion seeking to cancel a prosecution subpoena for records served on CU.
An attorney for the university turned over two sealed envelopes at the hearing to Judge William Sylvester, each containing an identical set of about 100 pages of documents. It is unclear what the documents are, except that the university's attorney said they are not medical records.
Whether the judge will ultimately give those documents to prosecutors will be determined at a hearing next Thursday.
Until then, it is not certain whether even Sylvester can look at them. Sylvester said he planned to do an "in camera" review — meaning he would look at the records in his office — to prepare for the next hearing. But Tamara Brady, one of Holmes' attorneys, objected to that, and Sylvester said he would hold off on making a decision about reviewing the documents until Brady filed a written objection.
In the meantime, the mystery records will remain sealed in Sylvester's office, "pending a determination of what we're going to do with them," the judge said.
The debate, which came during a brief procedural hearing, highlighted the inch-by-inch legal struggle likely to dominate the case for months to come. Prosecutors said they need the records from CU to prepare for another hearing over whether they are entitled to see an entirely different document also currently sitting in a sealed envelope inside a court office. That record — a package that Holmes mailed to his psychiatrist at CU — is the subject of a debate over whether it is a private doctor-patient communication that prosecutors should not have access to.
The hearing on the package, which had been scheduled for Thursday, is now set for Aug. 30.
Sylvester also set hearings for Sept. 20 and 27, and set the week of Dec. 10 as a fall-back date for the crucial preliminary hearing currently scheduled to start Nov. 13.
"It looks like we're going to be seeing a fair amount of each other for the foreseeable future," Sylvester told the attorneys Thursday.
Holmes, 24, faces 24 counts of murder and 116 counts of attempted murder in the July 20 attack at the Century Aurora 16 theater. Holmes is accused of opening fire during the premiere of "The Dark Knight Rises." Twelve people died and another 58 were wounded in the attack.
On Thursday, Sylvester signed an order allowing prosecutors to provide the names and contact information of victims and their next-of-kin to the Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance, so long as the victims consent. Prosecutor Rich Orman said COVA would take over distributing money from the victim's assistance fund established after the shootings.
The Aurora Victim Relief Fund holds $4.4 million, said a spokeswoman for the Community First Foundation, which is administering the fund. About $200,000 has been distributed so far.
"There are many victims who may be incapacitated or have lost family members and are in very dire financial straits," Orman said.
In a separate order, Sylvester denied a request from Holmes' attorneys to have a defense expert present at all scientific testing of evidence conducted by prosecutors. Sylvester wrote that the defense could have an expert at testing that would destroy evidence as part of analyzing it but otherwise would have to conduct testing of evidence separately.
John Ingold: 303-954-1068, firstname.lastname@example.com or twitter.com/john_ingold
In Aurora: Suspect officially evicted. 6A
Bad "joke": N.Y. teacher may be fired. 6A


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Best Scientific Breakthroughs for HIV/AIDS in 2017
Across the globe, scientists struggled in the lab and in the field to identify advances in the treatment of HIV/AIDS. Researchers are closing in on ways to kick dormant HIV out of the viral reservoir so that medications can kill it. They've found better ways to test for HIV and better ways to track it. They're looking to new CRSPR technology as a possible way end HIV via gene editing. And after many years, they're finally finding some success in crafting a vaccine. Doctors have identified drugs to fight HIV, and are using some, like Truvada, to prevent high-risk people from contracting it to begin with. Here are the top 20 scientific breakthroughs in HIV research in 2017.
Researchers at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute have led an effort to develop a more accurate way to gauge the incidence of HIV infections in large populations, which will improve research and prevention strategies worldwide.
The new method more correctly identifies new vs. long-standing infections -- an important distinction for determining where to target public health measures and research, and for evaluating whether interventions are successful at reducing HIV transmission.
To read more, click here.
Researchers have developed new quantitative management models that could save the lives of thousands of early infants in Africa by improving the efficiency of laboratory test procedures now used to diagnose whether children were born with the deadly HIV virus.
To read more, click here.
Current anti-AIDS drugs are highly effective at controlling viral loads, but the medications, known as antiretroviral therapy, do not rid the body of the virus, which has the ability to hide out and lay dormant in CD4+ T cells, or reservoirs, thus eluding medications. When a person goes off treatment, the virus emerges and replicates in the body, weakening the immune system and raising the likelihood of opportunistic infections or cancers that can sicken or kill the patient.
Researchers have been looking for ways to eliminate these viral reservoirs. One potential approach is "kick and kill," in which an agent "wakes up" the dormant virus, causing it to begin replicating so viral proteins on the infected cell can then be targeted to kill it. Destruction of all these reservoir cells could reduce or eradicate HIV entirely.
Now, a team of researchers from the UCLA Center for AIDS Research, Stanford University and the National Institutes of Health may have developed a synthetic molecule that both "kicks" and "kills."
To read more, click here.
Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes discovered that an enzyme called SMYD2 could be a new therapeutic target for flushing out the HIV that hides in infected individuals. Overcoming this latent virus remains the most significant obstacle to a cure.
To read more, click here.
A nine-year-old South African child diagnosed with HIV at a month old has been living with HIV in remission for his whole life, without regular medication. This is the first reported case of a child living with HIV in Africa without drugs, and only the third case globally.
Shortly after the child was born, it was placed on antiretroviral treatment for 40 weeks, then taken off. Blood tests in 2015 showed that the child was in remission, with an undetectable viral load. And when doctors tested samples from the child's infancy, they discovered that this remission was achieved soon after treatment was stopped.
Apparently, the early treatment was part of a larger research trial to investigate the potential of ART to decrease infant mortality and reduce the need for lifelong treatment.
To read more, click here.
The University of Maryland School of Medicine's (UM SOM) Institute for Global Health (IGH) and the Institute for Human Virology (IHV) have been awarded a $2 million five-year grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to study the impact exposure to HIV has on the immune systems of infants in utero and how those changes impact the ability of infants to fight off infections after birth.
The research will be conducted at the IGH's long-standing research site in Blantyre, Malawi and will follow pregnant women during pregnancy until the infants reach nine months of age. Research will be conducted at the Blantyre Malaria Project (BMP) Research Clinic in the Ndirande Health Centre, which is an affiliate of the University of Malawi College of Medicine. UM SOM researchers have been conducting clinical studies among pregnant women and others living with HIV at this location since 1998.
To read more, click here.
A recent article out of Philadelphia reports that researchers at Temple University had found success using a gene-editing technique to snip out HIV DNA from the genetic code of mice. The findings bolster the hope for an eventual cure for HIV.
The findings are the result of several years of Temple University experiments that initially showed the AIDS virus could be cut from cells in the lab.
To read more, click here.
The challenge of finding a cure for AIDS may have gotten harder. In a new article reposted with permission from VOA News, scientists have discovered another cell in the body where HIV -- the virus that causes AIDS -- hides from therapy designed to suppress it to undetectable levels in the blood.
The cells -- called macrophages -- are part of the immune system and are found throughout the body, including in the liver, lungs, bone marrow and brain. After other immune cells have done their job of destroying foreign invaders, these large white blood cells act as the cleanup crew. They surround and clean up cellular debris, foreign substances, cancer cells and anything else that is not essential to the functioning of healthy cells. In addition, they apparently can harbor HIV.
While antiretroviral drugs can drive the AIDS virus down to virtually undetectable levels, scientists know if therapy is interrupted, an HIV infection can come roaring back. That's because of a viral reservoir that until now has been thought only to inhabit immune system T-cells -- the cells that are attacked and destroyed by the AIDS virus. Much research is dedicated to trying to find ways to eradicate the T-cell reservoir.
This may mean researchers must find ways to eliminate HIV from macrophages, as well.
To read more, click here.
ABIVAX is an innovative biotechnology company targeting the immune system to eliminate viral and inflammatory diseases as well as cancer using its unique technology platforms.
In her presentation, "ABX196, a promising iNKT agonist to enhance therapeutic efficacy in oncology" Dr. Crabe presented the ability of ABX196, an agonist of invariant Natural Killer T (iNKT) cells and Abivax's lead development compound in cancer, to successfully block the growth of hepatocellular cancer (HCC) and to increase survival in a preclinical model.
To read more, click here
HIV-positive women with cytomegalovirus, or CMV, in their urine at the time of labor and delivery are more than five times likelier than HIV-positive women without CMV to transmit HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, to their infants, according to a UCLA-led study.
The research also found that they are nearly 30 times likelier to transmit cytomegalovirus to their infants.
To read more, click here.
Just ahead of another World AIDS Day, two new efficacy trials officially launched in Africa today with the potential of additional HIV prevention methods in the future.
The two trials -- one studying a new vaccine strategy from Janssen/Johnson & Johnson that could protect against multiple strains of HIV and the other with an injectable antiretroviral PrEP strategy every two months from ViiV/GSK -- join five other efficacy trials that are hoped to expand the options available to meet the varied needs women and men have for HIV prevention over the course of their lives.
To read more, click here.
Johnson & Johnson announced encouraging first-in-human clinical data for an investigational HIV-1 vaccine regimen in development at its Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies. In an oral presentation of the early stage Phase 1/2a APPROACH study at the 9th IAS Conference on HIV Science (IAS 2017), the "mosaic"-based vaccine regimen from Janssen Vaccines & Prevention B.V. (Janssen) appeared to be well-tolerated and elicited HIV-1 antibody responses in 100 percent of healthy volunteers (n=393).
"Finding a preventive vaccine has proven to be one of the biggest scientific challenges in the 35-year quest to end the HIV pandemic. A successful preventive vaccine for HIV will need to provide broad protection against a wide range of viral strains," said Professor Dan Barouch, Harvard Medical School, Director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and a key collaborator for APPROACH. "These promising, early-stage results suggest that these vaccines utilizing mosaic immunogens should be evaluated further for their potential ability to achieve this historic goal."
To read more, click here.
Cancer has become the leading cause of death for people with HIV. But until now, they and their physicians have had little data to guide them on whether they can safely use powerful new anti-cancer drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors.
A new category of immunotherapies called checkpoint inhibitors that has been highly effective against many different cancers appears safe to use in patients with both advanced malignancies and HIV, a population excluded from earlier trials of such therapies, according to an early-phase trial.
To read more, click here.
Back in 2015, EDGE reported on a National Institutes of Health study prompted by research revealing that people with HIV were 50 to 100 percent more likely to develop cardiovascular disease, including myocardial infarctions and strokes.
Over the past two years, REPRIEVE, a Randomized Trial to Prevent Vascular Events in HIV, has grown tremendously. They now have about 2,800 participants and have launched sites throughout the U.S., Canada, South Africa, and Brazil to study the connection between HIV and cardiovascular disease, and to test whether the drug pitavastatin will help reduce heart-related disease in people with HIV.
"It's going really well," said Katie Fitch, MSN, FNP, Project Manager of REPRIEVE. "We have 107 clinical sites and our demographics are about 31 percent female. We are really pleased with that."
To read more, click here.
A pill that protects people from contracting HIV can now be safely prescribed and used by young men who have sex with men. A recent report by Reuters Health reports that a new study found that pre-exposure phrophylaxis (PrEP) in the form of a pill like Truvada, which combines emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate was well-tolerated among adolescents.
"I do hope clinicians increase their comfort with being able to provide PrEP to adolescents," said lead author Sybil Hosek, a clinical psychologist and HIV researcher at Cook County Health and Hospitals System's Stroger Hospital in Chicago. Hosek hoped the new data will be submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), who would approve the pill for use by younger people for HIV prevention, as it is for adults.
To read more, click here.
America's biopharmaceutical companies are continuing the fight to conquer the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which can develop into acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), with 52 medicines and vaccines currently in development to help treat and prevent the infection, according to a report released by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) in partnership with The AIDS Institute.
Over the past three decades, continued biopharmaceutical innovation in HIV/AIDS treatment -- from the discovery of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) in the mid-1990's to the introduction of medicines to prevent the transmission of HIV, called pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) -- has revolutionized the outlook and improved the quality of life for the 1.1 million patients in the United States with HIV.
To read more, click here.
In a landmark study published in the journal Science, researchers produced genetically engineered antibodies with the highest activity and breadth of coverage yet seen against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1).
Natural antibodies recognize a single target on a foreign protein. In this study, antibodies were engineered to recognize three different target sites in one molecule. These HIV "trispecific" antibodies were highly effective in suppressing virus growth and infection.
To read more, click here.
A first-of-its-kind report draws sharp contrasts between at-risk signifiers and HIV/AIDS indicators, such as care and services for HIV/AIDS in rural Louisiana vs. New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
Louisiana ranks first in the U.S. in new HIV infections, with 15% of those living in rural areas. Yet this report reveals metropolitan solutions for HIV/AIDS are not making a difference in rural Louisiana. It is a first step toward identifying rural-appropriate solutions for people living with HIV/AIDS in this critical region and has implications for HIV/AIDS prevention and care throughout the deep South.
To read more, click here.
The number of annual HIV infections in the United States fell 18 percent between 2008 and 2014 -- from an estimated 45,700 to 37,600 -- according to new estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Seattle. Progress, however, was not the same among all populations or areas of the country.
"The nation's new high-impact approach to HIV prevention is working. We have the tools, and we are using them to bring us closer to a future free of HIV," said Jonathan Mermin, M.D., director of CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. "These data reflect the success of collective prevention and treatment efforts at national, state and local levels. We must ensure the interventions that work reach those who need them most."
To read more, click here.
Life expectancy for 20-year-olds initiating treatment for HIV has increased by about a decade in the European Union and North America since the introduction of antiretroviral therapy in the mid-1990s, according to a study co-authored by Yale researcher Dr. Amy Justice and published in The Lancet HIV. The increases are among treated individuals compared with untreated individuals, the global team of researchers said.
To read more, click here.


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Sorry about word verification which I hate myself but I have been discovered by some spammers who are inundating my posts. Hopefully it will be temporary.
Oh my goodness. I knew the prices were getting higher and that the pressure is on but oh my goodness. we spent $25 total on my son's birthday party this month, and he is six. :) It makes me very glad that we are not in those circles. Wow. The photo however is beautiful (despite the pink)!
the pressure is on for these mothers
I guess I'll never really understand that. It's a great pic but it would still be a great pic if your girl was just blowing out her candles on a home-made cake with her family singing Happy Birthday to her.
Please don't take offence... kids just don't care if it's a box of gold or paper... as long as they're having fun.
Beautiful picture!
Yikes! I just keep thinking how much more $1000 could buy if you decided not to out do everyone with a party like that. What is that kid going to want when she's 16. Makes the mother in me panic.
I like the picture and how it pertains to the topic.
What colors do you like?
Nice picture none-the-less!
I agree... I don't particularly care for pink, either, though I think that guys have been kind of brainwashed that way... especially guys in my generation. I don't know if I've ever owned any clothes that started out pink. I've had a few that came out of the wash that way.
I do think it's great that pink has become a symbol for something very important.
perhaps they have money to throw which i love to take. :)
these people sometimes, it's just to show off. status quo. perhaps they are used to this extravagant lifestyle. anyway, it's their money...hahahaha. who knows the thousand is just loose change for them. :)
yeah, they look cute! :)
Nooooo.... pink is pretty! I love pink! If I had my way, I'll decorate my house a pink Hello Kitty theme! hahaha.....
Love the entry. Sad about the parties...people really need to get rid of the "keeping up with the jones'" attitude. I makes me sad.
Awwww...so sweet! :)
Thanks for stopping by.
Seems a nice birthday party but a little expensive ! I also had difficulties to find "pink" pictures especially in this season !
what a beautiful picture!
I am glad that little girls--and big ones--can choose to be pretty in pink or show their preference for any other color. I am sad that their mothers are modeling for them that more is better.
My favorite is currently green, but lately, I have leaned toward pink as a statement. I wouldn't mind having that $1000 toward the cause. I could bake a rally nice cake for that!
That's an adorable shot. Your granddaughter looks so cute. I'm not big on pink either but it works with children. I like the fact that your granddaughter was in a different color though. Wow, that's an expensive party. When my daughter was young we did the gymnastic party one year which is a similar idea but a whole lot cheaper than what they are doing now in NY. I hope you have a pleasant weekend.
Lifestyle of the four year olds. I like that. Anyway I love looking at the tutus.
Wow, that's an expensive party! I hope I won't have those pressures later.
Great pic jmb. Perfect for this week's theme. As for the party itself? $1,000 for a party? I'm sure the kid would have been happy with a far simpler affair.
What an adorable group of ballerinas. Great choice for our pink theme.
The girls are definitely Pretty In Pink :o)
I feel the same way about pink!!! No pink in my house, no pink in my closet either...
I love little girls dressed in pink, though, that's a cute picture.
And I am shocked to hear about these bday parties!!
Okay, now I know you don't like pink and also blue. So what color(s) do you like? ;b
They look so cute, that's a beautiful photo....such a different world, different lifestyle, although for many years we had a dance teacher here (no ballet) but at the end of the year the kids would put on one hell of a concert.
Everyone so proud of them, great expression for children (and adults for that matter!) dancing.
Ha! I have one (pale) pink item of clothing, a t shirt with a beautiful photo of Marilyn Monroe on it (and glitter too.....) I must say it is kinda my favorite t shirt.
Fine shot of a beautiful group!
We have decided to do alternate year parties for our kids. We did parties every year until this year. Their birthdays are two days apart, so separate parties are not so feasible now. At least there is a party every year in November. Even with that, it can be quite expensive.
my interior is painted a soft pink but there r many masculine colors around to neutralize it.
JMB, like you, I am not fond of pink-colored clothes. Why, even my youngest daughter once said, "I don't like pink, I like blue!" Now she likes yellow, LOL.
My, party is so expensive. Even here in our impoverished country, some families spend even double that amount for birthday parties. I can guesstimate since I have been to several. I'm just happy though they still get to invite us even if we don't celebrate our children's birthdays,nowhere near like that, :)
Have a great weekend!
Great choice of pic for this week's theme. Those pesky spammers don't leave anyone alone, do they? Have a great weekend!
Depends on the hue of pink -- it can work -- sometimes.
Many little girls do love pink. :) Blue is one of my favourite colours - it's the colour of the sky, so what's not to love? I can't imagine spending that much money on a birthday party, and I don't see why the mothers feel like they are under pressure. But I guess everyone is different.
Have a charming weekend...
you can do my "meme" thing if you want:... who was your favourite Canadian/or other childhood Bear~?!?
nice picture. Same as u, i don't fancy pink colour either. I don't have any pink clothes :)
Have a great weekend :)
The girls are gorgeous. What about their expectations during the rest of their lives? Whew it's scary. Good post.
WOW! That's alot of money to spend on a birthday that will most likely be forgotten.
Guess it'll be a Lexus for the 16th birthday, eh?
When I was a kid, I got a second hand bike (probably cost $5 back in the day, if that) and I was over the moon!
The pressure must be overwhelming.
How sad that such should be the case for an event that should be more fun than extravagance. Ditto Sarabeth's comment too. What a delightful photo though! Perfect for the theme.
thanks for the compliment!
wonderful find for today's theme.
You've been Treated! Hope you come by my blog to pick it up, when you have an extra minute. Take care!
WOW!! They all look beautiful Ms JMB!! My daughter is 15 and I have never spent anything like $1000 on a birthday. Its crazy really..
Oh wow, but I must still say it's adorable!
what sweet faces
Lovely picture!! Thanks for your visit! Have nice Sunday!! Grams
Thanks to everyone who came by today to visit my Pink photo hunt.
Have a great weekend.
The only shade of pink I can wear is a deep fuschia. Your granddaughters look so cute! My mother once told me, "Men like blue" and I have found this to be true. That's a great idea that they all had a photo to take home.
Thanks for the link to Sir James, what fun to be featured somewhere else :)
oh.... they are pink and lovely. Graet shot!:)
I've heard about this phenomenon. I don't understand it. Just another form of greed, I guess.
Mama Bear
I never wear pink, I find it doesn't really suit me.
There is a lot of pressure on parents to spend a fortune on birthdays, both on parties and presents. They have become spendfests.
Have you ever seen "Party Mamas" on tv? I think it's on Slice...all these mothers who go over the top with parties for their kids, husbands, etc.
My daughter was complaining that $ is tight this year for Xmas, but she still wants to buy her almost 4-year-old a Leapster. I told her that he would probably prefer a box of inexpensive hot wheels cars. But the parents buy these things so "they" won't feel guilty about "depriving" their kids. I don't get it. I decided this year he's getting "Hungry Hungry Hippos" from me and a book because it's time he started learning how to "take turns" - seeing as how he'll be getting a new little brother or sister in March.
My kids had hot dogs and pop for their b'day parties, played games, and gave out a little goody-bag. I'd like to KILL whoever thought THAT up! They end up costing more than anything else. Great topic and by the way, your granddaughter is a DOLL!


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01.15.13: The CCRI Knights men's basketball team hosted the Wyverns of Quinsigamond Community College from Worcester, MA on Tuesday for a Region XXI non-league game. The Knights defeated Quinsigamond CC 89-65. With the victory the Knights improve to 12-8 overall and 7-2 in Region XXI play. In addition Sophomore Co- Captain Desmond Williams (Torrington, CT) vaulted himself into the No.7 spot on the CCRI all-time scoring list!
The Knights came out with intense defensive pressure Tuesday night and used it to break open a 13-9 game after five minutes of play. They increased their lead to 32-19 with 6:40 remaining in the first half. The Knights were sparked by sophomore guard Rob Alers (Central Falls, RI) who scored 11 first half points to help the Knights go on a 21 -12 run to close out the first half and go into the break with a 53-31 lead. The second half was more of the same as the Knights depth proved too much for the visiting Wyverns from Worcester. Though Quinsigamond had two players Jimmy Louissaint and Marcus Ashton with 12 points apiece, they were no match for CCRI who had 15 steals on the game and eight blocked shots while forcing 26 Quinsigamond turnovers.
Offensively CCRI had five players record double-digit scoring efforts led by Co-Captain Isaac Medeiros (Johnston, RI) charting a double-double with 20 points along with 10 rebounds, Desmond Williams scored 17 points with eight rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocked shots. Desmond came into the game with 1,029 career points so the 17 points brings his career total 1,046 career points moving into 7th place all time ahead of Bob Brooks (1,032 points), Greg Simoneau (1,036 points), current CCRI assistant coach Pat Dame (1,040 points), Doug Haynes (1,043 points). Williams needs just 10 points to tie No. 6 Rob Singleton (1,056 points) and 12 points to tie No. 5 Ken McDonald (1,058 points). Co-Captain Point Guard Bryan Yarce (Cranston, RI) added 13 points and seven assists. Also helping the Knights was Pat Marchand (Cranston, RI) with 12 points, four rebounds, and three blocked shots and Rob Alers added 11 points, two steals and two blocked shots.
The Knights' next game will be Saturday when they will travel to New York, NY to play the Division I Knights of Globe Institute of Technology at 2:00pm.
The Community College of Rhode Island, New England's largest comprehensive community college, enrolls nearly 18,000 students in credit courses and thousands more in non-credit and job training classes. Its athletic program boasts 12 varsity programs and an academic support program for all student-athletes.
This page developed and maintained by CCRI Athletics. Send comments and suggestions to email@example.com.


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Intel Lawyers Again Go Too Far In Trademark Bullying
from the back-it-down dept
Paul Alan Levy alerts us to the latest such case, where Intel has sued the operators of the Mexico Watch newsletter, because its domain is LatinIntel.com. Of course, the reason for that is that it is using the commonly accepted abbreviation of "intel" as short for "intelligence." It's common shorthand, especially within government circles, to refer to gathered intelligence as simply "intel." The owners of the site explained this to Intel, and in return were given a boilerplate explanation about trademark law, insisting that since Intel's trademark is so valuable, it still has to stop others from using it -- even if they're in a totally different business, which is an interesting interpretation of trademark law, and one not supported by the courts in most cases.
More importantly, no one is going to look at LatinIntel.com and confuse it for the world's largest computer chip maker. No one is going to look at that site and wonder how come they can't order a Centrino processor. There's simply no confusion at all. Even worse, it appears that Intel's lawyers dragged out this situation far too long. They first contacted the site back in 2007, and the site's owner responded with a clear explanation of why the name was not infringing. Since then, there have been periodic bursts of contact from different Intel lawyers (it apparently seems to change each time), followed by months of silence, before a new group of lawyers starts pestering the site again. Finally, after more than two years of this back and forth, Intel sued Mexico Watch, even though it's not even close to competitive and any "moron in a hurry" (as the popular trademark test notes) would clearly know the difference between a site about Mexican politics and a company selling microprocessors.


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GORHAM, Maine – In the first meeting between both programs, the MIT men's soccer team defeated the University of Southern Maine, 7-0, in the opening game of the Southern Maine Soccer Classic on Friday afternoon. Senior Zach Kabelac (Potomac, Md.) posted the third hat-trick of his career as the Engineers registered their 11th straight season-opening victory.
Kabelac's natural hat-trick began after 5:50 elapsed when he headed in the rebound of senior Max Stein-Golenbock's (Boston, Mass.) shot from six yards out. Exactly 12 minutes later, Kabelac capitalized on a misplay by Huskie goalie Jeremy Turner and flicked the ball in from 12 yards away. MIT increased its advantage to 3-0 in the next 35 seconds as Kabelac connected on a feed from sophomore Jonathan Tebes (Hamden, Conn.). In the 30th minute following a corner kick, junior Chris Hammond (Wilmington, Del.) found freshman Nick Diamantoni (Belle Mead, N.J.) for the goal.
The Engineers' margin grew to 5-0 just 48 seconds into the second stanza when freshman John Kramer (Glastonbury, Conn.) took advantage of a miscue by the backline and beat goalie Ian Dollen-Oliveto for his first intercollegiate marker. Fellow classmate Alexander Dago (Chicago, Ill.) converted a feed from Hammond in the 58th minute while Kramer notched the final goal of the game two minutes later.
In net, neither senior Dylan Rankin (Providence, R.I.) nor freshman Samuel Cannon (Scarsdale, N.Y.) were forced to make a save in the combined shutout performance.
The Engineers will square off with St. Joseph's College of Maine on Saturday, Sept. 3 at 3:45 p.m. to conclude the tournament.


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Even An East Texas Court Has Told Uniloc That It Can't Patent Math
from the there-are-limits,-people dept
Claim 1, then, is merely an improvement on a mathematical formula. Even when tied to computing, since floating-point numbers are a computerized numeric format, the conversion of floating-point numbers has applications across fields as diverse as science, math, communications, security, graphics, and games. Thus, a patent on Claim 1 would cover vast end uses, impeding the onward march of science.While this is nice, this is just one patent in that particular lawsuit, and Uniloc has dozens of other patents that it's using in other lawsuits. And Uniloc shows no signs of slowing down. Just the other day it filed 12 new lawsuits.


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Staff Orientation
All CIEP staff attend an annual orientation at the beginning of the academic year. The orientation provides information to the staff about curriculum, policies, procedures, and other important information. It is an opportunity to norm staff regarding requirements and outcomes necessary to pass classes in CIEP and to update employees about any changes to the program made in the past year. Below are a variety of guides and resources that are important for all new and current staff members. If you have any questions about staff orientation, please contact the CIEP: email@example.com.
Two weeks prior to the start date of new instructors, the CIEP Staff Orientation Schedule will be posted here.
Current versions of all UNI policies are maintained on the University Policy and OCEM websites at: www.uni.edu/policies and www.uni.edu/equity.
- Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination Statement (www.uni.edu/policies/1303)
- Discrimination and Harassment Policy (www.uni.edu/policies/1302)
- Student Sexual Misconduct Policy (www.uni.edu/policies/315)
- Accommodations of Disability Policy (www.uni.edu/policies/1315)
- Affirmative Action Policy (www.uni.edu/policies/1301)
For information on how to submit your time card, view your payslip or benefits, see the UNI e-business guides: http://www.vpaf.uni.edu/ebusiness/qrg.shtml
Office supplies can be ordered through the main office. Click here to view more information about ordering supplies.
CIEP Instructors will also use Gradekeeper throughout the semester. This software is installed on all CIEP staff computers. Click here to view the Gradekeeper Startup Guide.
Each session, the schedule of all classes will be distributed to staff. Click here to view the Class Schedule Guide.
Administrative staff use mail merge often for creating student reports. View the Mail Merge Guide here.
All UNI students and staff have a Google Calendar attached to his or her UNI email account. View the CIEP Google Calendar Guide here.


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- Delivery
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- All furniture deliveries £14.99
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- We want you to be confident about every order you place with us, so we keep our returns policy simple – if you're not happy with your purchase, we'll take it back*. Just call our friendly Customer Care Team on 0344 879 4166 and they'll arrange everything. We're always here to help.
*Please do read our policy on turf returns. As a perishable product, it's subject to slightly different rules.
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Blue Slate Chippings 20mm Bulk bag
Product code: 00327843
£159.99 Privilege price £143.99
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Decorative aggregates are suitable for paths, driveways, ground cover, mulch, most ponds and water features where specified by the fish friendly logo.
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- Ideal for: paths, patios, alpine and rock gardens and pond and aquatic planting
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Home deliveries are made via a carrier with a tail-lift vehicle. The aggregate is delivered in a non returnable 1 cubic metre Bulk Bag weighing up to 750kg. Please note that the pallet is manoeuvred with a hand pump truck therefore the unloading area must be smooth and level. Goods must be signed for when received. In case of a late cancellation a charge per pallet may apply due to the related cost of the heavy plant used.
Colour and size variations may occur due to the natural materials used.


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CARSON, Calif. (AP) ? Robbie Rogers is back where he feels he belongs and is most comfortable. On a soccer field playing the game he's loved since he was a boy. Now that he has revealed the long kept secret that he is gay, he's ready to move on and put the focus on resuming his career.
CARSON, Calif. (AP) ? Robbie Rogers is back where he feels he belongs and is most comfortable. On a soccer field playing the game he's loved since he was a boy. Now that he has revealed the long kept secret that he is gay, he's ready to move on and put the focus on resuming his career.
Rogers made history on Sunday night when he became the first openly gay male athlete to play in a U.S. professional league, making his Major League Soccer debut with the Los Angeles Galaxy.
"I guess this is a historic thing, but for me it was just a soccer game," he said.
The team made it easy on the 26-year-old midfielder by building a 4-0 lead over the Seattle Sounders by the time he entered as a substitute in the 77th minute.
"No pressure at all coming in," Rogers said. "I got to totally enjoy myself and take it all in."
He received loud cheers from the crowd of 24,811 as he ran onto the pitch, with fans chanting his last name. Rogers' family, including his grandparents, and friends were in the stands.
He ran by teammate Landon Donovan, who slapped his hand and patted him on the back as he took his position.
"Because of the nature of the way sports has been for so many years ? the macho culture that's been embraced by everybody ? it's of interest to everybody," Donovan said. "Now, hopefully, the hype about it is over and he can get back to being a soccer player, which is what he wants to do."
Rogers had five touches, one tackle and three completed passes in the game's final 13 minutes. He hadn't played professionally since last year. He spent the last two seasons in England.
Rogers retired from the sport in February, when he revealed in a post on his blog that he is gay. He has been training with the Galaxy since April at the invitation of coach Bruce Arena.
"I'm back here kind of where I'm supposed to be," he said, nattily attired in a blue suit with a white shirt buttoned to the neck and gold tie bar befitting his interest in fashion.
"It's crazy to me to think I stepped away from this game at 25," he said. "I'll sit in my bed tonight and thank God gave me the courage to do this and come back."
Rogers' signing on Saturday was so recent that he wasn't listed in the game day program, which featured a picture of Mike Magee in the centerfold. Magee, the Galaxy's leading scorer and a fan favorite, was traded to his hometown Chicago Fire, which held Rogers' MLS rights.
"In a lot of ways the easy part is over," Arena said. "Now the difficult part remains, which is getting him positioned to play. Our expectations for Robbie are not anything big in the near future. Hopefully, he'll get back to the way we think he can be."
Rogers has the support of his teammates, who understand how much he wants to regain the form that once earned him a spot on the U.S. national team.
"I'm sure he's delighted to get that off his back," said Galaxy captain Robbie Keane, who had his first career three-goal game in MLS. "It's time for him to concentrate on just being part of this team."
Seattle coach Sigi Schmid, who once coached the Galaxy, sought out Rogers for a supportive pre-game hug. The two men have known each other since Rogers was 7.
"When he came out and said he was going to retire from playing, I sent him a text and said, 'Don't retire from playing because you came out. If you want to play, you should play. You'll be accepted,'" Schmid said.
But it took time for Rogers to decide he wanted to accept Arena's offer to train with the Galaxy. Eventually, he knew he wanted to resume his career with the team located not far from his hometown of Huntington Beach.
Arena cautioned that Rogers needs time to regain his fitness and skill level.
"As a player he can't be judged tonight or the next couple weeks," the coach said. "It's way too early. He's got a way to go. We'll be patient with him."
Nerves began getting the best of Rogers in the hours before he left home for the stadium. Not because he was worried about the prospect of being the first openly gay male athlete to play, but because his soccer skills were rusty.
"I was like, 'Oh gosh,'" he said.
He called his sister for reassurance.
"I just needed to hear someone's voice," Rogers said. "We were talking about my dog. Just get my mind off things."
Schmid believes that in time Rogers' sexuality won't be a story anymore.
"It doesn't matter if you have a gay player on your team, it doesn't matter if you have a Jewish player on your team, it doesn't matter if you have a Baptist on your team," he said. "I think we're becoming more cognizant that it takes all sorts of people to make this world go round, and we're a lot more accepting of that."
Rogers isn't sure what awaits him as the Galaxy heads out on a five-game road trip, and he is held up as a role model.
"This is a learning process for me," he said. "I would ask these people to remember I'm human as well. I'll try to be a good person through this whole process."


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Harmon Killebrew, a Hall of Fame slugger who became one of baseball's premier home-run hitters with the Minnesota Twins, has died. He was 74.
Killebrew died Tuesday of cancer at his home in Scottsdale, Ariz., the Twins announced. He said in December that he was undergoing treatment for esophageal cancer and last week said he had entered hospice care.
He hit 573 home runs during 22 seasons with the Washington Senators, Twins and Kansas City Royals, including eight seasons in which he hit at least 40 home runs. Killebrew helped the Twins reach the World Series in 1965, where they lost to the Dodgers, and he was named the American League's most valuable player in 1969.


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Google Chairman Eric Schmidt plans to sell stock valued at $2.5 billion over the next year as part of a trading plan that would cut his stake in the Internet company by more than 40%. Scott Thurm joins digits. Photo: AP Images.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... I ... Schmidt to Sell Stake led to the hop billion dollars worth of Google's stock ... will discuss why that can be bearish for the stock on all and mall ... right here right now on Digits good afternoon and welcome ... I'm Simon Constable ... while beginning of ... the West Coast when school ... aam is standing by for us is written up around two to ... Eric Schmidt went to ... some of the destock Thanksgiving mascot ... thank you ... so ... so Wolf a lot of clients told Saddam pride ... it is I mean that your trip Elliott obviously gets a headline as the dollar's involve the ... the casing were interesting fact here is is forty more than forty percent of ... how much I Eric Schmidt still owns approval and that ... that's potentially more interesting here is that you know he's really ... on ... the interstate series can reduces Stake pre significantly over the next year ... on a sortie he already sold from over one billion of some still within the last yet so this comes on on top of that ... getting out of fuel stop getting into cash or lease a new initially ... is this something that investors the guru should be concerned about ... well some are probably well I mean you saw the stock is down about one percent a little bit more than the market in ... on some investors tend to view executive sales is that as a bearish sign in ... taking investors know when the stock is pretty ... we are richly valued and it is this if the effective chairman ... on the selling then maybe the stock is heading lower by the ... euro member that you know over the tiny Soledad billion dollars worth of stock last year Google stock rose twenty or thirty percent ... so ... you know people who made the same bet last year we've been proved wrong ... you're getting rarer out this is although they'd just this close to filing on Friday they said in a filing in actually drawn up the planned back in November ... when Google shares were considerably lower and ... again if if ... if you were trying to time the market then he would of been ... on the wrong again so here we to the last two times ... he said that Dom ... he was going to sell some stock Fox or not higher not lower ... Joel actually meant that less bullish than if you if you bought at the country and if an epic of a contrary indicator yes it was a ton of money coming from the trial of the comedy so long now one of the things that the company spokesman saying is that that that this isn't ... about diversification of assets ... yet mean you know it's hard to know we're not getting inside these guys' heads but ... you know I year-ago era and before he did not for sale year ago the ninety nine whenever percent ... of Eric Schmidt's wealth was tied up in Google stock and so are some that were happening Gruebel ... with the market went down or something else happened I mean you know he was ... he was pretty expose there and he may just be ... you know try to spread around a little bit more that thing is he's ... clearly stepping back from ... you know sort of the more intimate day-to-day responsibility there he he stepped down as CEO back in two thousand Lebanese now an active chairman ... with the sales year after year seems like the sort of been a very slowly taking a ... few steps away from the company the lead for now a decade or so ... now won one of things that ... some investors will look and say lucky he sold over one billion dollars with this talk ... about last year that gives them some cash to live on last last more than a couple weeks what with Frank ... if the fall of the spot was going high at ... why would he sell he'd be probably one with a ... he I mean again without getting inside his head it's hard to know the answer that except for the ... week you may not just wanna bear the risk of having everything tied up in a single asset rated ... so we are all sorts of things can happen to Google stock that he had ... we have no way of of being able to anticipate ... and you know even if you're just trying to ... diversify into stocks and bonds may be he wants ... to put more money into bonds and less money in stocks and thinks stocks or stocks in general are VeriFone saying nothing about ... of who rules her perform relative to the rest the market I mean ... it's impossible to know without ... asking him personally but ... now back to the point you're raising of the very reasons why some people ... sell the stock when they see news like this


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I have written a review of The Mutant Epoch and the Crossroads Gazetteer which may be helpful.
The Mall of Doom is, at heart, a good old fashioned dungeon crawl. It is also so much more. This "dungeon" truly lives and breathes. It is set in the Crossroads area; but it could be anywhere and could work with most PA games or as a module for a lot of other games. As the name suggests, it takes place in the ruins of an ancient mall. It doesn't have to be a mall though. It could also be the ruins of a small town, space port or any other place that would have various stores.
It is intended for beginning characters; however, it recommends that the players use multiple characters in case of deaths. So it can easily be used for much higher level characters. Personally, I am not a fan of players playing more than one character at a time. The Mutant Epoch has a completely random character generation system (or not, depending on your preference). The idea behind multiple characters is that the "cool one" will survive; although which one the "cool one" is can really surprise you.
Being new to the game, I ran this "as is" and had my players use three characters each. Because we used the completely random method to give the game a "test", the results were fairly interesting.
As a "1st level" dungeon it was a fairly good setting. The characters are hired...well to do some stuff. Part of the payment was up front in the way of "relics". This really helped out for the character that fortune had given a "pitchfork" as their weapon. The "dungeon" was located...well lets just say really close to a village where the characters could heal up and do some trading. This was fairly important and not for the usual reason of 1st level characters need to rest a lot. There was plenty of loot to be found! But most of it was not really valuable to an adventurer.
The best part about this dungeon was it really felt like a dangerous place. Things were in place that made it so that sometimes it was repopulated faster than it could be cleared!
Most of the players were down to one character by about 5th level. None of the players' "fav" from generation was the one left standing; but by then all of them agreed it was now their favorite. I can see where this system could have gone horribly wrong; but the "test" had bonded player with character.
Because of the way it was written, even old places felt fresh as the players worked on uncovering the secret. Their was literally more stuff to do in the same place for it to start feeling old.
The module was written with several possible endings (more on that in a minute). Ultimately, the players were able to solve the "problem". I can't say what happened next because it would give away too much. Lets just say the characters ended up just below 10th level and with a nice assortment of loot after returning to the nearby city. It wasn't their first choice of loot; but it definitely set them up for their next set of adventures.
As the first full "module" of TME that I ran for my gaming group, we had all gained a great understanding of the setting. Not only was it a great module, it was a great introduction to TME!
OK, now to the part, I would get to later. This module has two interesting features. It was made to be played as a "choose your own adventure" meaning that one person could sit down and play it without a Ref and all the encounters for each "room" were randomly rolled from several possible choices. So, "room 7" could have a collection of music discs the first time through, a hungry alligator chewing on the remains of a mutant the second time and a partially collapsed ceiling that reveals part of a car and its dead passengers the third time. It could really be run as a dungeon for the same players several times without repeating its self.
My players, after the first few attempts at rushing through it, finally settled down and approached it like the "Mall of Doom" it was meant to be! Honestly, I think the reason that they felt so attached to their characters by the end was because they really felt the "fear". Honestly, only an old GURPS module, Flight 13 has ever caused this kind of reaction in my players.
So, I have to say, its a great module! It is a good start to a TME campaign because of the pay off at the beginning. It also would work well for characters up to 10th Rank easy without modification. It would also work really well for many other games especially ones that are "dungeonny".
I would really like to run this for about a 10th level D&D group as a new "Expedition to the Barrier Peaks". Its well worth the money!
Also, if you are a bored RPer and can't get together with your gaming group for the weekend and don't feel like pugging a raid on WoW, it can make a snow day feel like a holiday!
Hope to see you at the Bohemian, where the Soylent Green has been certified to be PSH free!
This is a must have for owners of "The Mutant Epoch" RPG. Not only is it written for novice GMs but because it has so many plot ideas and pre-generated PCs it could be useful for experienced GMs as well. I personally find it useful because I've never GMed in a post-apocalyptic mutant setting and this book is a helpful tool in helping me understand how to do that. The town of Walsave and the mall are well fleshed out so this product is ready to play without much set-up. Just make sure the PCs have at least 2 characters each. The mutated post-apocalyptic future is brutal.


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DURHAM — A new tool touted by President Barack Obama that allows college-bound students to compare costs at different schools went live Wednesday, providing new data about the University of New Hampshire.
DURHAM — A new tool touted by President Barack Obama that allows college-bound students to compare costs at different schools went live Wednesday, providing new data about the University of New Hampshire.
The U.S. Department of Education's new "College Scorecard" provides information about the average cost of attending schools across the country. It also provides a look at graduation rates and student loans.
The tool is designed to help college-bound students and their parents determine where they'll get the most value for their tuition dollars.
"Through tax credits, grants and better loans, we've made college more affordable for millions of students and families over the last few years," Obama said in his State of the Union Address Tuesday. "But taxpayers can't keep on subsidizing higher and higher and higher costs for higher education. Colleges must do their part to keep costs down, and it's our job to make sure that they do."
Below is the "scorecard" information pertaining the University of New Hampshire's main campus in Durham:
What does it typically cost to attend UNH?
The average net price for undergraduate in-state students is $18,439 per year. Net price is what undergraduate students pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the institution's cost of attendance.
Graduation rate
About 77 percent of full-time UNH students received their bachelor's degree within 6 years. That's classified as a "high" graduation rate compared to other schools.
Are students able to repay their loans after they graduate?
Only about 2.5 percent of UNH students who borrowed money defaulted on their federal student loans within three years of entering repayment. The national average is 13.4 percent.
What is the typical amount borrowed for a student's undergraduate study?
Families typically borrow $23,060 in federal loans for a student's undergraduate study. The federal loan payment over 10 years for this amount is approximately $265.38 per month.
Tuition comparison
Another section of the cost-calculating website contains a listing of schools with the highest and lowest tuition rates and fees. The site indicates that for students enrolling in a four-year program, UNH is the fourth most expensive public university in the country, based on tuition rates during the 2010-2011 school year.
The school's $13,672 charge for tuition and fees was about twice the national average of $6,669.
Topping the list of most expensive public schools were Pennsylvania State University, the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Vermont. "College Scorecard"


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"They Say It's Wonderful" as written by and Irving Berlin....
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Winter Cabin Decor: Rustic Chairs, Cupboard & Painting
Everything you need for a cozy weekend in your home in the woods, far away from your home in the city.
• Hollywood, CA: Danish Lounge Chair - $795
• New York, NY: Rustic Cupboard - $112
• Tarrytown, NY: Oil Painting - $350
• Brooklyn, NY: Rocking Chair- $400
• Jersey City, NJ: Flat Woven Rug - $60
Shoppers, check out the Classifieds for many more listings. Sellers, gather up your goods and list them in our Classifieds to turn them into a little extra spending cash.
Go To: Classifieds Main Page
Apartment Therapy is not the seller of these items. This is an edited selection of our favorite offerings from our Classifieds. For more information, see How it Works. Happy Scavenging!


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The novel begins with a marriage proposal, of sorts. Lord Sheringham (known as Sherry) is proposing to Isabella Milborne (known as The Incomparable, for her beauty and desirability). My fear was that the novel would revolve around Isabella, a haughty upper class bitch who toys with men's emotions. Fortunately, she becomes a secondary character. Sherry, upset at her rejection, vows to marry the first woman he sees on a trip to London. When he happens upon Hero Wantage, a young woman who lives nearby with her cousin, she reminds him of his vow. She is mad about him; and to him, she is a bit of a lark. Hero is a kind soul, but very naïve. Making Sherry happy becomes her mission in life.
What ensues is a comedy of manners, a comedy of errors and much miscommunication. Sherry's friends, Gil and George (who has threatened to shoot himself in the head if Ms. Milborne doesn't marry him) and his cousin Ferdy act as a combination between a Greek chorus and the Three Stooges. There is much plotting and manipulation, an evil interloper – Sir Montagu – and the foil who recognizes Hero's beauty and worthiness before Sherry does.
All's well that ends well, though I thought the end would never come. In some ways this was a very fun read, but it did go on and on. Heyer managed to keep a tone of suspense through most of the novel, but it wasn't hard to guess how things would turn out. If the book were half its 423 pages, I would have rated it much higher. As it was, the silliness and manipulations wore thin with this reader.
I was curious about the crude grammar used by some of the upper class people – mostly the men. Since I know little about the Regency era (I confess I've only read one Jane Austen novel so far!), I did a bit of research on the "tongue" of the day. I found this interesting essay, "On Vulgarity and Affectation" by William Hazlitt, written in the era:
Nothing real, nothing original, can be vulgar; but I should think an imitator of Cobbett a vulgar man. Emery's Yorkshireman is vulgar, because he is a Yorkshireman. It is the cant and gibberish, the cunning and low life of a particular district; it has 'a stamp exclusive and provincial.' He might 'gabble most brutishly' and yet not fall under the letter of the definition; but 'his speech bewrayeth [sic] him,' his dialect (like the jargon of a Bond Street lounger) is the damning circumstance. If he were a mere blockhead, it would not signify; but he thinks himself a knowing hand, according to the notions and practices of those with whom he was brought up, and which he thinks the go everywhere. In a word, this character is not the offspring of untutored nature but of bad habits; it is made up of ignorance and conceit. It has a mixture of slang in it. All slang phrases are for the same reason vulgar; but there is nothing vulgar in the common English idiom. Simplicity is not vulgarity; but the looking to affectation of any sort for distinction is. ….If you choose to read this book (and, I suspect, other Heyer books of the era) I suggest having at hand a reference guide to some of the terms used. For instance, do you know what an abigail is? What about "a bit of muslin?" Good ton/bad ton? There's a handy lexicon guide online at this site.
The upper are not wiser than the lower orders because they resolve to differ from them. The fashionable have the advantage of the unfashionable in nothing but the fashion. The true vulgar are the servum pecus imitatorum -- the herd of pretenders to what they do not feel and to what is not natural to them, whether in high or low life. To belong to any class, to move in any rank or sphere of life, is not a very exclusive distinction or test of refinement. Refinement will in all classes be the exception, not the rule; and the exception may fall out in one class as well as another….
I'm sure that Heyer was true to the culture, customs and language of the times. I'm not sure I would devote so much reading time to another of her romances. I would be interested to read her historical fiction, however.