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WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama said Saturday that the killings in Afghanistan after a fundamentalist Christian U.S. preacher burned a Quran were "outrageous" while calling the desecration of the holy text an act of bigotry.
"The desecration of any holy text, including the Quran, is an act of extreme intolerance and bigotry," Obama said in a statement released by the White House.
"However, to attack and kill innocent people in response is outrageous, and an affront to human decency and dignity," he said.
At least 10 people have been killed and 83 injured in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, officials said on Saturday, on a second day of violent protests over the actions of extremist Christian preacher Terry Jones, who supervised the burning of the Quran in front of about 50 people at a church in Florida on March 20, according to his website.
A suicide attack also hit a NATO military base in the capital Kabul, the day after protesters overran a U.N. mission in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif and killed seven foreign staff in the deadliest attack on the U.N. in Afghanistan.
'Dishonorable and deplorable'
"No religion tolerates the slaughter and beheading of innocent people, and there is no justification for such a dishonorable and deplorable act," Obama said.
"Now is a time to draw upon the common humanity that we share, and that was so exemplified by the U.N. workers who lost their lives trying to help the people of Afghanistan."
Obama did not mention Jones by name in his statement.
In an interview with Reuters at the tiny church he leads in Gainesville, Fla., Jones was unrepentant and vowed to lead an anti-Islam demonstration later this month in front of the largest mosque in the United States, located in Dearborn, Mich.Story: Pastor who burned Koran demands retribution
Last year, Jones threatened to burn a Quran but did not end up following through at that time. His threat last year came amid controversy over plans by Muslim leaders seeking to build an Islamic center and mosque near the site of the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York.
Obama appealed to Americans then to respect religious freedom while warning that burning the Quran would endanger U.S. troops abroad.
The recent burning initially passed relatively unnoticed in Afghanistan, but after criticism from President Hamid Karzai and calls for justice during Friday sermons, thousands poured into the streets in several cities to denounce Jones.
The United States has said it would help the United Nations in any way after the attack.
Obama said in his statement that the American people honor the people killed in the attack on the United Nations in Mazar-i-Sharif.
"Once again, we extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who were killed, and to the people of the nations that they came from."Video: Deadly riots continue in Afghanistan (on this page)
Details of the attack
In Afghanistan, new details emerged about the attack. The top U.N. envoy there, Staffan de Mistura, said the U.N. workers had dashed into a dark bunker hoping to escape the mob. But the door was broken in.
"They were killed when they were running out of the bunker," said de Mistura, who recounted their deaths to reporters on Saturday evening. "One was pulled out alive because he pretended to be a Muslim."
De Mistura spoke in a somber tone as he described how three U.N. staff members and four Nepalese guards were killed Friday when the protesters stormed their compound in the normally peaceful city of Mazar-i-Sharif. He placed direct blame on those who burned the copy of the Muslim holy book in Florida.
"The demonstration was meant to protest against the insane and totally despicable gesture by one person who burned the holy Quran," he said.
He also said the U.N. building would not have been attacked if there had been an adequate cordon of Afghan police separating the demonstrators and the compound.Slideshow: Afghanistan: Nation at a crossroads (on this page)
A formal inquiry is under way, but de Mistura said initial reports indicate that seven to 15 insurgents infiltrated a group of as many as 3,000 demonstrators who overran the U.N. compound, which was protected by Afghan policemen and six U.N.-hired Nepalese guards. The crowd overpowered the guards — who are instructed not to shoot into crowds of civilians, even if they are threatening — and the police were not able to stop them, he said.
When the killers forced themselves inside they saw Pavel Ershov, the mission chief who is fluent in Dari, one of two languages spoken in Afghanistan. They beat him, but stopped after he convinced them, in Dari, that he was a Muslim, de Mistura said.
"He spoke the language and tried to draw their attention on himself," the envoy said. "For a moment, he hoped that they would think there was nobody else there."
But using a light, the attackers found the three other foreigners, then pulled them out and killed them one after the other. Two died of bullet wounds. The third was killed with a knife to the throat.
They were identified by officials in their home countries as: Joakim Dungel, a 33-year-old Swede who worked on human rights; Lt. Col. Siri Skare, a 53-year-old female pilot from Norway who was an adviser; and Filaret Motco, a 43-year-old Romanian who worked in the political section of the U.N.
This report includes information from Reuters and The Associated Press.
© 2013 msnbc.com


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Big Sean Opener & Freestyle At OU!
"Big Sean opens OU with the intro off his latest album "Finally Famous" and gives the crowd a few BARS afterwards.. Mad flow. " - Uploader name: Mic Jack @GetyoMicJacked
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NOTE: Google insists BBQ Express is on Bay St. It isn't.
Visited: Tuesday September 15, 2009 12:45PM
Ordered: Burger with cheese (x2), Grape Soda (x1), Bottled Water (x1)
Total Cost: $12.42 + $1.75 ATM fee
Caryl D.'s Review
The Experience – worse than Plain Jane
Dave asked if I wanted to meet him for lunch; I couldn't resist. Unfortunately, my lunch turned out to be less than I bargained for. We met at Bay and Bloor and were off to try a new burger place, only to find it hadn't opened yet. *sigh*
[ed.'s note: the place that was closed, Gourmet Burger Co. on Charles, will get reviewed once it opens.]
I suggested that we try this little hole in the wall in Yorkville - (selfishly to see if I could see any celebrities — no dice. *sad face*) It's in an alley, it's the size of my pinky finger, and it's a mish-mash of Korean grill, Italian, and Canadian. Down side, it's cash only. We order the burger, walk through the park and find a seat on some rocks. Had it not been for the shining sun and the wonderful company of my honey plus, it would have been a terrible experience.
Don't get me wrong, I love being around the Newtron, but every other aspect of this burger event was not good.
The Burger (if you want to call it that)
The bun was cold and I hate cold buns.
The meat tasted weird, really weird! Not like a normal beef burger, but some cheap imitation meat, like tofurkey, only this wasn't tofu.
Luckily, I had mustard, ketchup, and relish, accompanied with onions, lettuce, pickles and tomatoes to drown out the taste of the 'beef.'
I had a little burger envy because Dave thought it would be good to add Ranch to his burger and I wish I had done that. Damn.
The cheese was not melted. New rule: no ordering cheeseburgers for me. It's pointless: why pay extra money if I can't even taste the cheese?
Dave N.'s Review
The Experience
I was leaving the office to go work at home for the afternoon, so I decided to see if Caryl wanted to grab a burger. She was game and we eventually ended up at BBQ Express in Yorkville.
This place is a tiny, tiny little lunch counter in a brick enclosure, with room for about five customers to stand inside. It is literally shoved into the middle of an alley off Bellair St., and it totally doesn't fit in with the ultra-posh surrounds. I don't need my burger joints to be fancy at all, but this was definitely far too cramped. I found myself getting annoyed at other customers invading my bubble while we waited.
In what is becoming a common theme, these guys only took cash. Once again I had to head elsewhere (this time to a convenience store) to withdraw money before I could have a burger.
The staff were friendly — they even started getting our burgers ready while we went to get some dough — but this didn't really make up for the cramped quarters or the money thing. I guess they were fast-ish?
The Burger
This burger sucked hard. No, seriously, it was bad. Most everything about it was bland and tasteless and unexciting. Full-bodied this wasn't.
I topped my cheeseburger with lettuce, mustard and — inspired by my positive experience the other day with creamy garlic wing sauce – ranch dressing. The lettuce was moist and wilty, adding none of the crunch I was hoping for. The mustard was plain old yellow mustard. The ranch dressing was basically tasteless, and definitely not worth the extra heart-attack-inducing calories and fat content. Caryl swears the cheese was real cheddar, but it looked and tasted like a processed cheese single to me; if it was real, it was some of the blandest cheese I've ever had.
The patty itself had taste, I suppose, but it wasn't really a burger taste. To me it tasted more like meatloaf almost. I think it might have been homemade, but I couldn't really tell and it was bad enough that it didn't matter.


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This is the first thing I have tried from Lord & Berry!
Lord & Berry is a fashion house who have created a cosmetics range that focuses on lip and eye make up that works for women of all ethnic origins. They also have some base products and make up brushes!
I was sent this lipstick pencil to try out. It's a chubby pencil and I quite like it:
It's very pigmented, creamy, not necessarily hydrating but not drying either, and really easy to apply because it is like a lip pencil.
My shade is cherry – sounds like it should be a red but in fact it's more of a warmed reddish pink…
I am surprised, it's quite a juicy lip colour which I wasn't expecting.
I like this product a lot although the crayon is a little tricky to get a really sharp line with (which I prefer when wearing a bright colour).
How it looks in context:
I think this shade is softer than it looks and is also quite nice on my warm, medium skin tone.
What do you think of this colour?
Have you ever tried Lord & Berry?


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This clean and modern powerpoint is perfect for your corporate and business presentations. 100% Powerpoint, All elements are easily editable and customizable to your needs, change colors, modify shapes and charts. With more than 600 unique slides including charts for your results, the team behind your success and more. The template includes:.
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- Map World
- Easy Editable chart with SMARTART
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- Easy meet the team
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ICONIC LANDSCAPE: It's true that John Ford and other filmmakers of an earlier era returned, time and again, to places like the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley and various arches around Utah and Arizona to convey The West, capital T and capital W. But California has its own Western-flavored cinematic filming grounds. Simi Valley and the Vazquez Rocks near Santa Clarita are two longtime cowboy movie locations, yes, but one you're apt to see time and again in Westerns is Lone Pine. Make that Lone Pine, the nearby Alabama Hills, and the Sierra Nevada, too, plus not-so-far-off Death Valley. "Gunga Din" from 1939 used the area, as did 2012's "Django Unchained." Plus hundreds of other films stretching back to the very start of filmdom itself. So rife is the region with Western film history that there's an institution devoted to it right there: The Lone Pine Film History Museum. And, each and every year, for nearly a quarter century, the museum and Western cinephiles gather in the town, a burg located snug up against pretty Highway 395, to celebrate the on-screen Western.
DATES AND DETAILS: The 2013 Lone Pine Film Festival is ready to ride from Friday, Oct. 11 through Sunday, Oct. 13. "Lone Pine, Where the Real West Becomes the Reel West" is the theme, and a number of stars are set to show. (Hello, Mariette Hartley and Andrew Prine.) A concert and screenings are in the works, as well as a tour of 15 area locations including the Arches of the Alabama Hills (what film(s) the location appeared in will of course be detailed along the way). Call it a feast for fans of true-blue Westerns and Western yippee-ki-yay spunk. And call it a grand way to spotlight one of California's most beautiful natural backlots. It's country you've seen so often it'll likely feel like you're driving into the middle of a ranch romance made back in 1947.


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Samsung I110 Illusion wallpapers
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The Samsung I110 Illusion runs on Android OS v2.3 and is powered by 1 GHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor with 512MB RAM. It has a 3.5-inch, 320 x 480 pixel display. The Samsung I110 Illusion also comes with a 3.15-megapixel camera. It comes with 2GB of built-in storage, and is able to support microSD cards of up to 32GB.
Top, New and Popular Wallpapers for Samsung I110 Illusion. The collection of Free Wallpapers for Samsung I110 Illusion right here to be download. We update the collection of Wallpapers daily.
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Handyman, weekend warrior or jack-of-all-trades, we take you from "honey-do" to "honey done."
Knife River provides construction materials and contracting services in the western, central and southern U.S.
From highways to driveways, Knife River delivers the construction materials
and services you need. Tell us how we can help: Our experts are just a call or a click away.
Together, we are BUILDING A STRONG AMERICA®.
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Tim Arango Is Next NYT Baghdad Bureau Chief
In your jobby Friday media column: Rebecca Dana to Newsweek, Foster Kamer to Esquire, Tim Arango to Baghdad, and Barry Diller to the easy life. And, Emily Brill.
- We hear that veteran-but-still-young former media reporter Tim Arango is slotted to become the New York Times' next Baghdad bureau chief (he's done a reporting turn in Iraq already). Arango tells us: "looks like I'll be going back as bureau chief some time in the late-feb-early-march timeframe." Some believe that reporting from Iraq is even more heroic than being a media reporter, though we of course would argue strenuously against that assertion.
UPDATE: Tim Arango sends us the recent picture at right, illustrating his diverse interests.
- Rebecca Dana, formerly of the Wall Street Journal and currently The Daily Beast, is reportedly (according to NYO "sources") moving over with Tina Brown, to edit Newsweek's front of the book. Historical reminiscence: in 2007, Dana started talking about a new job offer (from the New York Times), and it disappeared. We doubt she'll have any problems this time. Moving upwards along with Tina Brown has long been the single most reliable way for people to get jobs at the better magazines in this town.
- Former Gawkwerer Foster Kamer is leaving the Village Voice to become online features editor at Esquire.com.
- The day after Barry Diller's abrupt departure as CEO of IAC, the general consensus seems to be that it was not a bad strategic move—first, it got him unraveled from Liberty Media, and second, he won't be stepping away from the media business, just stepping away from day-to-day management, which he didn't love, anyhow.
- CJR has put Emily Brill's long-awaited story online. We encourage everyone to read it. It is written by Emily Brill.


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Jay-Z may have "made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can," but that doesn't mean he could ever own the team.
Still, the hip-hop giant with a stake in the New Jersey Nets has surely inspired a group of mic-masters for whom purchasing a sports franchise is high on their list of things to buy.
Last month Snoop Dogg proposed to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg via Twitter that they should tag-team on an acquisition.
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
"Ayo sumbody tell Zuckerberg to holler at me. He n I need go buy a pro sports team tgether," Snoop tweeted.
Zuckerberg's sister and marketing manager, Randi, was tickled by the offer and she and Snoop tweeted back and forth about it.
"It's official. @snoopdoog is my hero," Randi Zuckerberg wrote. "Snoop, what will the team name be? The Mighty Nerds? Save me some box seats!"
Box seats, in fact, could be a big reason why certain stars are attracted to the idea of sports team ownership. Jay-Z is regularly spotted courtside at Nets games and is now linked to the team in a way most celebs can only dream about.
Following Jay-Z's lead, other members of rap royalty's inner circle have lately been eying pro team plays. Earlier this year Diddy seriously considered making a bid on the south London football (read: soccer) club, Crystal Palace. Ultimately he passed on pursuing the squad but his interest in team ownership remains strong.
"I'm always looking into different business ventures and it's definitely one of my dreams one day to be a part of a sports franchise," Diddy told an English newspaper. "Especially a football team."
He's not alone. Miami hip-hop macher Birdman (nee Brian Williams) dreams of joining pop singer Fergie and Venus and Serena Williams as a Dolphins shareholder. He's discussing doing just that with the team's majority owner, real estate industry billionaire Steve Ross.
"It's in the works," Birdman recently told a local radio station. "You have to get a clearance from the NFL. We're waiting on the clearance. Once we get cleared, we're good."
He could be waiting quite a while. The ownership groups of Major League Baseball and the National Football League are notoriously cloistered, tough-to-crack clubs.
Rush Limbaugh felt this first hand in 2009 when he was swatted aside by the NFL players union and league owners after joining a group trying to buy the St. Louis Rams. And the keepers of baseball's proud legacy, including MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, considered outspoken Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban an unsavory option when the club was on the blocks in 2008.
If a league's gatekeepers approve you personally, there's something else that prevents many aspiring owners from joining the team: a locker-room full of cash. The Chicago Cubs eventually went for $845 million to the family behind the TD Ameritrade Holding company. Even a far less desirable franchise like the Cleveland Browns were recently valued at $1.03 billion by Forbes magazine.
No matter how many gold records you've produced, that's a lot of scratch.
It makes more financial sense for the non-multi-billionaires among us to do what Fergie and the Williams sisters have done and buy a minority stake in a team. Even Magic Johnson, who's had a successful entrepreneurial career off the court, only owned 4.5 percent of his beloved Los Angeles Lakers before recently selling his share.
Now the Magic Man is looking to bring an NFL franchise back to LA. In order to do it, he'll need to find partners with far deeper pockets than he has.
Don't even think about it, Mark Cuban.
Selected Reading: Bloomberg, NPR.org, Fanhouse.com.


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The Weeknd Gets PDA Heavy With Justin Bieber's Ex & It's Not Selena Gomez
The Weeknd is definitely bouncing back well from his bad breakup with ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez.
After his headlining set at Coachella, the My Dear Melancholy recording artist was spotted getting close with Chantel Jeffries. For those of you who are unaware of who this girl is, she's another one of Justin Bieber's exes. First, Gomez and now Jeffries, Weeknd? Wow, you sure know how to pick them.
"Abel was spotted Saturday night at day two of the festival with his arm around Chantel, as they strolled around the closed-off VIP area ... drinks in hand, and all smiles," TMZ reports. "They were also seen hugging at one point, and she even leaned her head on his shoulder."
As we previously reported, Weeknd slammed Gomez on his "Call Out Me Name" song off of his latest EP. On the track, the crooner sings: "We found each other / I helped you out of a broken place / You gave me comfort / But falling for you was my mistake/ I put you on top, I put you on top/ I claimed you so proud and openly/ And when times were rough, when times were rough/ I made sure I held you close to me."
Then, Weeknd hints that he almost gave Gomez one of his kidneys, as she battled health issues, during their relationship. "I said I didn't feel nothing baby, but I lied / I almost cut a piece of myself for your life," he sang.
See photos of Weeknd getting cozy with his new potential boo Chantel Jeffries here.
Photo: Getty Images


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SARC Portal
School Accountability Report Card
Every school in California is required by state law to publish a School Accountability Report Card (SARC), by February 1 of each year. The SARC contains information about the condition and performance of each California public school.
• For more information about SARC requirements, see the California Department of Education (CDE) SARC webpage at www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/sa.
• For additional information about the school, parents and community members should contact the school principal or the district office.


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Throughout 2014, financial traders around the world have been enthusiastically taking to bitcoin as a new area for speculation. Analysts, commentators and investors have all ensured that 2014, for investments at least, may well be remembered as the year of the bitcoin.
There are two main reasons for bitcoin's rise from a misunderstood market to a home for investors of all kinds. Firstly, its well-known meteoric rise in value. In 2013, a single bitcoin's value in US dollars rose over 6000%, from around $53 to $681. At one point in the year, it surpassed $1,000 in value. The cryptocurrency's cost dropped in 2014 and levelled at around the $350-400 mark; a significant loss to those who bought at the beginning of the year, but still a huge gain for earlier investors.
The second reason is contained within that remarkable rise, then drop, for bitcoin. Volatility is hugely enticing for many traders, offering the chance for quick gains (counteracted, of course, by the possibility of quick losses) and short term trading. Traditionally, other markets have provided the best opportunity for risk traders: but in 2014, that picture changed.
Bitcoin's rise has come with huge swings in value. From February 5 to February 7 this year, the currency lost around $192.72 – or around 24% – in value. For traditional currencies, that is equivalent to the pound losing around 38 cents on the dollar almost overnight.
Bitcoin vs GBP volatility against USD, 1-2 December 2014
Even in periods of extreme volatility, such major swings in established fiat currencies are practically unheard of. And much of 2014 was spent in a period of record calm for forex, further entreating traders to look elsewhere. From May to August, forex volatility was at a 20-year sustained low, as low interest rates from central banks crushed currency movement.
Bitcoin's similarities to gold have often been noted. Its role in 2014, as a haven for investments when central banks and governments are keeping excitement contained elsewhere provides an interesting counterpoint to the precious metal: so often turned to when markets got too unpredictable in the past. Traders should be wary to the comparison between bitcoin and gold, though.
Yes, both are in limited supply, outside of the control of most central banks and require some form of 'mining' for demand to be met. But two key differences undermine the similarities: gold is not a currency, and gold does not have a uniformly steady production supply.
Bitcoin is, primarily, an alternative online currency, and new merchants accepting Bitcoin are an indication of its use. As such, and in contrast to gold, bitcoin's relative value is influenced by – and important to – a number of players outside of traditional financial spheres.
There is also no scope for a bitcoin miner to ramp up production in an attempt to price out competitors by driving down the value of bitcoin, as is possible with gold. Instead, bitcoin is released at a steady rate until it reaches the defined maximum of 21 million bitcoins in circulation.
The prospect of restricted money supply causing eventual deflation of bitcoin is perhaps why many traders in bitcoin have been so unwilling to let go of their currency. As Tim Swanson has noted, 70% of bitcoins currently in the public domain have not been traded for over 6 months, as investors hold onto their currency whilst the price is still low. This behaviour is similar to that of many longer term gold investors: keep hold of your assets until they are once again valuable.
That strategy may work for traditional assets, but for bitcoin it could prove disastrous. Quashing liquidity and keeping the price low (by making the currency less attractive), investors who are reluctant to sell coins at a loss are hurting themselves in the short term. And in the longer term, bitcoin's current performance makes the rise of another cryptocurrency –challengers, including Litecoin and Woodcoin, abound – all the more likely.
Alongside the quelling of bitcoin's value from hoarders, risk investors are exacerbating volatility and curtailing any attempts to drive the currency's value upwards with profit taking. For more established currencies – with central banks factoring in the effects of zealous traders – such behaviours are expected. For fledgling bitcoin, which needs a measure of stability and enhanced liquidity to underline its legitimacy, it can be a real problem.
So what next for Bitcoin? A rise in positive media coverage would be a big boon for the cryptocurrency, particularly if more major retailers can be convinced to take it as payment. In the larger battle of convincing businesses and consumers that bitcoin is legitimate, the problems brought about by financial traders are relatively minor. Pushing the rise of alternative investment methods in bitcoin –spread bets and CFDs that don't actually see any coin changing hands, for instance – may well go some way to improving the cryptocurrency's prospects in 2015.
Are financial traders harming bitcoin? is republished with permission from IG.com
Spread bets and CFDs are leveraged products and can result in losses that exceed your deposits. The value of shares, ETFs and ETCs bought through a stockbroking account can fall as well as rise, which could mean getting back less than you originally put in.
This information has been prepared by IG, a trading name of IG Markets Limited. The material on this page does not contain a record of our trading prices, or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instrument. IG accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of these comments and for any consequences that result. No representation or warranty is given as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. Consequently any person acting on it does so entirely at their own risk. Any research provided does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation and needs of any specific person who may receive it. It has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such is considered to be a marketing communication. Although we are not specifically constrained from dealing ahead of our recommendations we do not seek to take advantage of them before they are provided to our clients.


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Mae's spacious affordable homes aren't radical, but they work. James Pallister visits the latest arrival in Alsop's New Islington. Photography by Tim Soar
New Islington is set on a 12.5 hectare piece of land in east Manchester, just a brisk walk from Piccadilly train station.
A rural area up until the late 18th century, it became part of Manchester's expanding industrial heartland in the 19th century. Latterly it was home to Cardroom, a 'sink' estate with only half of its 204 homes occupied when it was demolished following its designation in 2002 as a site for the exemplar 'Millennium Community' programme.
Urban Splash and Will Alsop developed the ambitious masterplan for the area in 2002. Work has faltered in the economic downturn, but several schemes have completed, each a distinctive hybrid of familiar housing types.
On Guest Street dMFK took a difficult, narrow site and developed a new Victorian back-to-back housing in grey engineering brick. Alsop's 'Chips' (AJ 22.05.09) used bright colours, supergraphics and three stacked volumes to mediate the vast massing of his nine-storey apartment block. FAT's Islington Square souped-up flat-roofed courtyard blocks in white render with a jazzy brickwork facade, expressed sills and Dutch-gable style parapets.
With 'The Guts', located just off New Islington's causeway-like main road, Mae's contribution has been to create a type of oversized normality. The two-storey homes are all front door, window and gable end; a cartoonish amplification of the platonic home. Perky and peppy, these are houses that want to be houses.
Mae was appointed in 2009 by Great Places, Urban Splash's social housing partner on the New Islington scheme. The brief was for 18 units; a mix of houses for social rent and shared ownership with an emphasis on low-density and family housing. The majority of the social rent homes were for Cardoom residents with the right to return.
On Alsop's masterplan, adjacent towers were planned for the vacant lot and Mae was desperate to get some height into the scheme, says practice founder Alex Ely. Accordingly, the two four-bedroom houses that bookend the scheme at its southern edge have a third storey. Their gables are rotated 90 degrees, on axis with the street, helping to reinforce a taller, slimmer version of the dramatic gable repeated throughout the scheme. As it happens, the masterplan looks like it may develop into a much more low-rise affair.
Mae's initial plan for the block on Weybridge road - two narrow terrace blocks - relied on having a road down the middle. This was dispensed with when a demanding budget kicked in; losing the road halved the project's infrastructure costs. So two terraces of 10 houses were split into 10 semis, then rotated 90 degrees with the gables running perpendicular instead of parallel to the street. This gave more room for on-plot car parking and what Ely describes as the 'slightly unusual but expedient typology' of the side-by-side, back-to-back semis that emerged.
One of the downsides of the back-to-back arrangement is that the living rooms of the two-bedroom houses are single aspect and can get gloomy. The kitchen/dining areas, however, also look on to the street as well as the parking space, which most residents seem to use as a patio, comfortable enough with security to park their cars on the 'kerbs' of the shared surface roads. The window units throughout are generously sized at 0.9m per bay, though their shallow reveals make for a distinctively 'flat' elevation that may not be to everyone's taste.
Ely says that Mae 'wanted to create something which was robust enough to take a degree of personalisation'. This is evident already, even though residents have only been in three months, with clocks, planting and outdoor seating accessorising the balconies' grey balustrades.
Not that there would be much budget for fanatical detailing. The houses were built to £1,000/m² and the social rent units are priced at £135 per week (two-bed, three-person) and the shared ownership equivalent is at £135,000, for 2.7m ceiling heights and 94m² - 10 per cent bigger than required by the London Housing Design Guide.
Resident Georgina, 38, is happy with her new place: 'I love it, you can't hear anyone next door and it's spacious with nice big windows. It's like I'm on holiday.'
'We put the money where the value was; in coming up with a very efficient layout which minimised circulation and maximised useable rooms, albeit with a good lobby,' says Ely. The structure is traditional timber frame, with load-bearing brick in one colour on the ground storey and - in a nod to Fat's and dRMM's schemes - alternating between grey, ivory and red on the second storey.
All the houses meet Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3. Sadly the covers for the ground source heat pumps were omitted in the Design and Build process, so visitors to some houses can see the beige Mitsubishi-logoed apparatus in the front garden.
Inside, the plan is partly dictated by the Manchester Accessibility rules DFA2, with each room accounting for the turning circle of a wheelchair. Thus, the downstairs bathroom is slightly bigger than you might expect, and there's something afoot with the proportions of the rooms. It may be that so many dimensions in the rooms and corridors are derived from a turning circle of a particular radius, giving a subconscious, slightly jarring unity to the proportions. It's worth noting that while minimum space standards are desirable, so is a framework that allows the architect some give in applying them, to guard against the occasional odd, unintended spatial consequence of the application of codes in a cost-sensitive project.
In Building Dwelling Thinking, Martin Heidegger worried whether 'even [when] well-planned, easy to keep, attractively cheap, open to air, light and sun… do the houses hold any guarantee that dwelling occurs in them?' Mae's project certainly ticks off the first list, an unfortunately rare achievement in new housing and it has squeezed in enough flair within the design code requirements.
As for the dwelling, the reassuring size of the porch gives needed depth to the elevations. It looks like a good place to pull off some mucky shoes, prop up a bike or bring a seat from inside for a sit down in the sun. Prosaic, but important. It's the sort of detail that raises the day-today quality of our lives, whether we realise it or not. Hopefully these type of cheap, compact, yet grand schemes will become ever more unremarkable over the next decade.
Read more: related building studies
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Lee mold blocks are made from aluminum because of the exceptional molding qualities. The mold cavities are lathe bored for unmatched roundness and size control. Lee single cavity molds include handles and sprue plate.
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What started as a small dream has become a multi-million dollar international business selling ammunition, reloading supplies and accessories.Read Our Story


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SKU:16217Artist:Compatible Figures:N/ACompatible Software:NoInstall Types:SKU:16217Artist:Compatible Figures:N/ACompatible Software:NoInstall Types:
Control your objects with full precision and create exactly what's on your mind. The Parameters Tab controls all objects, regardless of what type of object you have selected. Tap into all the cool tweaks at your fingertips.
With Val Cameron, a.k.a. Waldemar B. from Dreamlight, bestselling DAZ 3D vendor, professional 3D artist and 3D coach.
What's Included and Features
- 30 min HD 1280 x 720 WMV / MP4 Video
- Control all your objects with full precision and create exactly what's on your mind
- How to create an open-able door
- How the Parameters Tab changes depending on what object is selected, such as lights, primitives and characters
- Master the Parameters Tab and it's amazing functions
- Translation
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- Limits
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- Features in video require DAZ Studio 4.5 Advanced
- This product includes:
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Sorry for the delay this morning, I was on Bill Press's radio show. Last night, I was on with Ed Schulz, and he mentioned this piece to me, which I had not seen, from CBS.com about the Romneys' reaction to the results:
But it wasn't until the polls closed that concern turned into alarm. They expected North Carolina to be called early. It wasn't. They expected Pennsylvania to be up in the air all night; it went early for the President.
After Ohio went for Mr. Obama, it was over, but senior advisers say no one could process it.
"We went into the evening confident we had a good path to victory," said one senior adviser. "I don't think there was one person who saw this coming."
They just couldn't believe they had been so wrong. And maybe they weren't: There was Karl Rove on Fox saying Ohio wasn't settled, so campaign aides decided to wait. They didn't want to have to withdraw their concession, like Al Gore did in 2000, and they thought maybe the suburbs of Columbus and Cincinnati, which hadn't been reported, could make a difference.
Later on, it quotes an aide saying Romney was "shellshocked."
Um. WHAT?!?
They expected Pennsylvania to be up in the air all night? Who are these people? What were they drinking and smoking? Look, I understand the bubble. I understand seeing those big crowds, which he certainly did have, and thinking you've got a great shot.
But a campaign has to keep itself connected to reality, and the reality was always, always, always that the electoral math was tough for Romney. The turnout of D+6 was surprising to most people--to me, even, as I've said. But the electoral college was Romney's Berlin Wall that it was always going to be hard to scale. If you lost purchase on that basic fact, you were in your own little fantasy kingdom (or Rove's and Morris's).
And have you read about this ORCA nightmare? Ridiculous.
I wrote Wednesday that I felt some sympathy for Romney on a human level. But having read these two pieces I'm back to feeling the normal healthy contempt for the guy. Good riddance, you dope. Please just stay home now. Or homes.


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A Charleston Family House is Reborn | The Jamestown Net-Zero
Season 40 Episode 4 | 23m 43s
New apprentices join the team in Rhode Island as the roof goes up. The homeowners visit a cabinet showroom to finalize their plans. The house gets sheathed. It's the finish line at Judith's house in Charleston. Kevin and Tom take the grand tour.
Aired: 10/25/18
Expired: 11/26/18Video has closed captioning.
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The Charleston Houses 2018
TOH heads south with new Generation Next apprentices to restore and renovate two historic
How to Add Kitchen Cabinet Storage
Gaining valuable storage space with This Old House general contractor Tom Silva.
How to Repair a Damaged Carrying Beam
Tom Silva teaches a homeowner how to repair some structural problems in his home.
Jamestown Net-Zero House
TOH heads to a century-old New England cottage in Jamestown, RI.
Episode Links
Funding for THIS OLD HOUSE is provided by The Home Depot, GMC, State Farm, Gorilla Glue and Marvin Windows and Doors.


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The complete IIT Event Calendar can be exported or its individual entries can be added to your own calendars.
To export the complete IIT Event Calendar:Click "Export as iCalendar" and follow the prompts to add events to your selected calendar.
To add individual calendar entries to your calendars: From the monthly calendar view, go to the individual calendar entry by clicking the event you wish to add to your calendar. Click either the Windows Live, Gmail, or Yahoo calendar icons at the bottom of the page to add to your selected calendar.


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Big Ten M5: 11.05.13 EditionPosted by Alex Moscoso on November 5th, 2013
- The Cliff Alexander recruitment may now need to be classified as an official circus. Earlier in the day, long-time Illinois-based recruiting analyst Roy Schmidt tweeted that when Alexander announces, the "2 final caps on [the] table will be Illinois & DePaul," effectively eliminating Kansas and Memphis from contention. After which, Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com tweeted that Alexander had not in fact cut his list to these two schools. Schmidt later clarified that his tweet did not mean Alexander will necessarily cut his list but that these two schools would be there until the end. It seems with this recruitment there is a new rumor each and every day. Alexander is supremely talented, and his recruitment is certainly worth any headache it may cause John Groce and his staff. But the topsy-turvy nature of his recruitment reflects poorly on him and begs the question of whether Alexander will be as big of a distraction on the court as his recruitment has been. It's probably in the interest of Alexander and those around him to get past this side show and back to basketball.
- Mitch McGary was instrumental in Michigan's run to the National Championship game last March. After a somewhat disappointing freshman year, relative to his standing in the rankings, McGary finally put it together and averaged 14.3 PPG and 10.7 RPG during the NCAA Tournament. Though he had the opportunity to leave for the NBA, McGary decided to come back to lead the Wolverines to a Big Ten championship and another Final Four run. On Monday, McGary was selected by the Associated Press as a Preseason First Team All-American. The departure of Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. will give McGary ample opportunity to take on a bigger role and make another leap in his development. Now that his freshman jitters are gone, McGary will need to prove he can consistently be the star that everyone thinks he can be.
- Apparently, Yogi Ferrell is still not over Indiana's loss to Syracuse in the Sweet Sixteen. In case you forgot, Indiana's high-powered offense was completely neutralized by Syracuse's zone. Ferrell went scoreless in that game and the bad taste in his mouth has driven him to address one of his biggest weaknesses from last season: shooting. Last year, Ferrell shot a very pedestrian 40.3 percent from the field and 30.3 percent from beyond the arc, but he has taken this offseason to fix his mechanics and hit the gym hard. We may have gotten a taste of what's to come when he hit six three-pointers in the Hoosiers' October 26 exhibition game. If Ferrell can be a consistent threat from deep, that will open up the driving lanes for himself and Will Sheehey. It will also give more space down low for freshman Noah Vonleh to be effective scoring on the block.
- Drew Crawford is one good teammate. He was on pace to graduate at the end of the spring semester and could have applied for a graduate transfer to another school. He could have easily gone to a school where he would have had the opportunity to do something he's never done before — play in the NCAA Tournament. Additionally, the coach that had recruited and mentored him during his tenure at Evanston was now gone. He had every reason to go but decided to stay to help his school and teammates transition into the Chris Collins era. The current environment has both coaches and players eager to make moves to the next best situation, so what Crawford did here is refreshing. Northwestern will struggle this season and Crawford will most likely never play in the NCAA Tournament in his collegiate career, but his selflessness is to be commended and admired.
- Gary Harris was selected as the Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year during media day. An outstanding freshman, he was hampered by a nagging shoulder injury last season and is still recovering from an ankle injury he suffered back in August. If there is any concern with him this season, it's his ongoing health. His performance during last night's exhibition game may have alleviated some of those fears. Harris scored 21 points and went 5-of-7 from deep. While projecting what a player will do in a season based off one exhibition game is unwise, we already know Harris is a special player and he will be in store for a special season as long as he can stay healthy.


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sanjay369 necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 60 diseños de 26 diseñadores freelance.
e y e t e n n a (remove spaces when you actually write it out for the logo) is a technology that allows people to wirelessly view the internet on their plasma TV, or iPhone like tablet device.
e y e t e n n a .com
Desired Color Scheme:
we are open to different approaches, but simpler is better.
Desired Style:
bold, iconic, suitable for emboss or print.
Accepted File Formats:
jpeg and vector file format.
The logo should convey wireless transmission of visual information...an antenna for your eye. It should have geek and science appeal, but be simple enough to use as an icon on its own. This is for hardware- not software so the logo will go on the products directly as well as on stationery, website, etc... Look at logitech to see an example of product logo to appreciate the distinction.
The first product is the e y e t e n n a receiver which is a box that plugs into your TV. The next product will be the e y e t e n n a tablet which is a smart screen that requires no built in PC to access the internet directly from any wireless enabled PC or server.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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Health issues not behind Buchholz's struggles
ST. LOUIS -- When a pitcher goes so drastically from one extreme to another, the way Clay Buchholz has between 2013 (12-1, 1.74 ERA) and 2014 (5-7, 6.20 ERA), there's bound to be speculation that health woes could be playing a role.
But the Red Sox continue to be adamant that Buchholz is as close to 100 percent as a pitcher can be at this time of year.
"There's nothing physical here," said manager John Farrell. "And by his own admission and [his] answers to that question repetitively, and every test that we do following a start, leading into a start, all those objective measures are fine."
What the Red Sox are trying to get Buchholz to do is simplify things.
"The thing that we're trying to get back to is a more focused approach from pitch to pitch rather than looking at an entire game of seven to nine innings and [thinking], 'How am I going to manage that?'" said Farrell. "It's back to a very specific 'one pitch at a time' approach, and that's the only thing that he can have control over in the moment, to put a series of 110 of those individual events together, and that's what we're working toward."
In his most recent, start against the Yankees, Buchholz seemed to be taking an unusually long time between pitches.
"Yeah, I'd like to see him pick up his pace. I'd like to see him trust his stuff a little bit more, particularly earlier in the count," said Farrell. "And by that I mean not pitching so fine. He's done it in a stretch of starts since coming off the DL. And the last three have not been equal to that."
Considering that the Red Sox traded Jon Lester and John Lackey last week, they are all but certain to rely heavily on Buchholz in 2015.
"We're confident he can turn it around," said general manager Ben Cherington. "He's got to be a piece of the puzzle, not the whole puzzle. We're confident he can turn it around, because he's healthy, and that means he's got a chance to turn it around.
"But obviously, the results right now are not what he wants, they're not what we expect from him, he knows that, so it's not, 'Wake up tomorrow and it's all better.' He's got to continue to work and get on the right track the rest of this season. ... We expect him to be part of the rotation next year, and an important part of it."


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Show/Episode: Nip/Tuck — FX, drama
Show/Episode: Hell's Kitchen — Fox, reality competition
Show/Episode: Podia Acabar o Mundo (The World Could End) — Portugal, drama
Show/Episode: Skins — U.K., teen drama
What you need to know: In the episode that actually aired on British television, the song playing in the background during this kiss was changed from Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" to a Lily Allen song. Thank God!
Show/Episode: The L Word — Showtime, drama
Show/Episode: Los Hombres de Paco (Paco's Men) — Spain, drama
Show/Episode: All My Children — ABC, drama
Show/Episode: Guiding Light — CBS, drama
Show/Episode: Verbotene Liebe (Forbidden Love) — Germany, drama
Carla, left, and Stella
What you need to know: Carla and Stella are inching towards a relationship, but Stella is still infatuated with Charlie.
Show/Episode: Emmerdale — U.K., drama
Show/Episode: Grey's Anatomy — ABC, drama
That wraps up this week's rundown of lesbian/bi women on TV — if any international readers want to send me short rundowns of what happened with the lesbian/bi storylines on your favorite shows, please email me on Thursdays at [email protected].
— by Sarah Warn


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Gene Koshinski
COUNTRY: United States
GROUP: EDUCATORhttp://www.genekoshinski.com
Percussion artist, composer, and educator Dr. Gene Koshinski (b. 1980) has delighted audiences worldwide with his dynamic performances and creative programming. Koshinski serves as Associate Professor of Percussion at the University of Minnesota Duluth and is well-known for his extraordinary versatility as a solo, chamber, symphonic, jazz, pop, and world music artist. He has performed in Austria, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Jordan, Slovenia, Canada, and throughout the United States. Most recently, Koshinski was invited to headline the 2013 Tapages International Percussion Festival in Lyon, France.
In 2002, Koshinski won the National MTNA Percussion Competition in Cincinnati, OH and in 2004, finished 3rd in the prestigious Universal Marimba Duo Competition in Sint-Truiden, Belgium. As a composer, Koshinski was named the recipient of the 2012 ASCAP Foundation Nissim Prize for best new score for large ensemble for his work Concerto for Marimba and Choir.
Throughout his career, Koshinski has worked with many notable performing organizations and artists including NFL Films, Late Show with David Letterman, Mary Wilson (the Supremes), David Samuels, Wycliffe Gordon, Tom Harrell, Ingrid Jensen, Denis Diblasio, David Bixler, Philadelphia Boys Choir, The Lettermen, Hartford Symphony, Minnesota Ballet, and is currently section percussionist for the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra and a member of Nebojsa Zivkovic's Jovan Perkussion Projekt. For his work with NFL Films, he can be heard on the Emmy award-winning soundtrack A Century of NFL. Performances have also been heard on the CBS, PBS, and ESPN television networks as well as NPR. In addition, he has recorded for the Naxos, Innova, MSR Classics, and Equilibrium record labels.
Koshinski is a founding member of the Quey Percussion Duo, a touring group established to generate new works for percussion while also bringing standard repertoire to a broad audience. He also serves as Director of Percussion at the annual 6-week Performing Arts Institute International Summer Music Festival in Kingston, PA. He recently published a method book entitled The Additive Method of Two-Mallet Study, which focuses on keyboard percussion technique and performance. As an advocate for new music, Koshinski has commissioned and premiered works by renowned composers including Stuart Saunders Smith, Alejandro Viñao, David Macbride, and Dave Hollinden.
Koshinski holds degrees from West Chester University (BM) and The Hartt School (MM and DMA). His method book, solo albums, and over 20 published compositions are distributed internationally, with many of his compositions receiving frequent global performances. Gene Koshinski is an active member of the Percussive Arts Society and is sponsored by Pearl/Adams Instruments, Sabian Cymbals, Remo, and Innovative Percussion and his works are published by HoneyRock, Bachovich, and C. Alan Publications.


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Despite being mathematically eliminated from the MLS postseason after Seattle's 3-2 victory over Toronto FC earlier on Saturday afternoon, the Philadelphia Union battled to a hard-fought 1-1 draw at PPL Park against a Houston Dynamo side that had already been eliminated from playoff contention.
An early goal from Canadian defender Andrew Hainault was canceled out by one of the Union's best goals of the season, scored by MVP candidate Sebastien Le Toux just before halftime. It was the Frenchman's 13th tally of the year, which leaves him just one goal shy of the league lead.
The visiting Dynamo had more chances in the match and played a stronger 90 minutes but were not able to walk away with a win. Forward Cam Weaver had a wide-open header in second-half stoppage time that grazed the crossbar with a chance to win it.
Houston came into PPL Park determined to play well, and in the early stages of the match they did just that, taking the match to the Union on Philly's home turf. Controlling the tempo, Houston pressured Brad Knighton's goal with a number of chances that tested the young goalkeeper's resolve.
The Dynamo were able to make the breakthrough in the 12th minute of the match after some sloppy corner coverage from the Union led to Hainault's first goal of the season. Hainault kept the play alive from the initial delivery, then followed up the rebound of a shot from Brad Davis which Knighton parried right to the Houston left back. The Canadian fired it home to give the Dynamo the 1-0 lead.
Philadelphia slowly recovered from the goal and began to see more of the ball as the first half opened up. Working the ball through Le Toux, the Union transitioned into the possession style that they have grown into as the season has gone on.
It was Le Toux again who was able to bring Philly level with a classy goal in the 40th minute. Taking the ball down magnificently in the middle of the box from a Roger Torres cross, the French striker had one touch to settle the ball and then used his next to slot it home past Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad.
The teams went into the break all level and for most of the second half were not able to do much to change the score line. Swapping minutes on the ball, Philadelphia and Houston battled to a 1-1 draw despite Weaver's late chance and a Houston claim for a penalty kick when Brian Ching appeared to be bumped out of a clear chance.
Houston Dynamo (7-14-6) vs. Philadelphia Union (7-13-7)
October 02, 2010 -- PPL Park, Chester PA
Scoring Summary:
HOU -- Andrew Hainault 1 (unassisted) 12
PHI -- Sebastien Le Toux 13 (Roger Torres 5) 40
HOU -- Geoff Cameron 2 (Brad Davis 9) 70
HOU -- Dominic Oduro 4 (Brian Ching 3, Lovel Palmer 1) 100+
Houston Dynamo -- Pat Onstad, Richard Mulrooney, Adrian Serioux, Ryan Cochrane, Andrew Hainault, Corey Ashe, Lovel Palmer, Geoff Cameron, Brad Davis (Danny Cruz 74), Brian Ching, Dominic Oduro (Cam Weaver 78).
Substitutes Not Used: Tyler Deric, Bobby Boswell, Mike Chabala, Joseph Ngwenya, Eddie Robinson.
Philadelphia Union -- Brad Knighton, Sheanon Williams, Michael Orozco Fiscal, Juan Diego Gonzalez, Jordan Harvey (Jack McInerney 83), Sebastien Le Toux, Kyle Nakazawa, Andrew Jacobson, Roger Torres (Shea Salinas 76), Nick Zimmerman (Danny Mwanga 59), Alejandro Moreno.
Substitutes Not Used: Chris Seitz, J.T. Noone, Amobi Okugo, Toni Stahl.
Misconduct Summary:
PHI -- Jordan Harvey (caution; Tactical Foul) 38
HOU -- Brad Davis (caution; Tactical Foul) 58
Referee: Kevin Stott
Referee's Assistants: Joe Fletcher; Peter Balciunas
4th official: Abbey Okulaja
Attendance: 16,115
Weather: Clear-and-70-degrees
All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial


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- Extell Development Co. Plan
- UNITY Community Dev. Plan
- Community Design Principles
- Agreements
- Contact Elected Officials
- Economic Analyses & Documents
> IRS Bond Regulations
- Environmental Documents
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> Eminent Domain Lawsuit
> EIS Lawsuit
> MGPP Lawsuit
> MTA Lawsuit
- Letitia James Remixed
- Letters
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- News Articles/Commentary
- Position Papers
- Times
- White Papers
- MTA RFP & Appraisal
Please note our new postal address when sending contributions to the legal fund:
121 5th Avenue, PMB #150
Brooklyn, New York 11217
-No Land Grab.org
Atlantic Yards Report
-The Footprint Gazette
-Brooklyn Matters
-Brooklyn Views
-The Brooklyn Papers
-New York Games.org
-Field of Schemes
don't destroy
Press Release Main Page
For Immediate Release: March 1, 2010
Judge Grants New York State Right to Seize Homes
By Eminent Domain for Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards Boondoggle
Outstanding Legal Issues Still Plague Atlantic Yards
Brooklyn, New YorkA Brooklyn Supreme Court judge today, in an
80-page ruling
, granted the Empire State Development Corporation's petition to take title ownership of the private propertieshomes and businessesin the footprint of developer Bruce Ratner's $5 billion Atlantic Yards boondoggle. The project consists of a proposed $1 billion money-losing arena and purportedly 15 skyscrapers though there are no renderings or models of anything other than the arena.
The property owners and tenants fighting for their rights will be considering all of their legal options in light of today's ruling. They also still have possession of their properties.
"Several overarching legal and financial issues still plague Ratner's Atlantic Yards project, meaning today's extreme measure by New York State to seize ownership of private property is premature," said Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn legal director Candace Carponter. "
There are two pending cases, one just completed briefing, and the other is
awaiting a judicial ruling
. Either would stop Atlantic Yards dead in its tracks and could impact today's ruling
"Today is a very sad day to be a Brooklynite. Our state government, long mired in corruption and scandal, has bent over backwards to give Bruce Ratner whatever he wants, including my home, and the homes of other citizens. I am angry with our so-called political leaders who proudly stand by their abuse of power," said Daniel Goldstein a spokesman for Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn and a homeowner targeted by New York's abuse of eminent domain for Ratner's benefit. "When the most powerful forces in state government collude with the real estate industry, injustices will happen, and today is a result of that."
"But should we win or lose the fight against Atlantic Yards, there is a bright spot. We are on the road to overturning New York's atrocious and abusive eminent domain laws.
Senator Bill Perkins proposed legislation
will bring much-needed reform to these laws that afford no meaningful protections to communities attacked by greedy developers and their political cronies.
The abuse of eminent domain
must not happen again
; Senator Perkins' bill to redefine 'blight' and reform eminent domain must be passed.
I call on my fellow citizens and elected officials across the city and state who believe that government abuse of power must be reined in, that government theft of property on the slimmest of pretexts has got to stop, to actively support Senator Perkins' bill.
And when it passes, it will be one of the legacies of the stance I and so many others have taken against the Atlantic Yards abuses, and the stand other citizens have taken in West Harlem, Willets Point, Downtown Brooklyn, East Harlem, Port Chester, Syracuse and so many other cities and neighborhoods across the State of New York."
The judge's decision to transfer ownership of the properties to Bruce Ratner comes after more than six years of a long legal battle with owners and tenants opposing what most experts agree is an abuse of eminent domain in a state that has
the worst eminent domain laws in the country
DEVELOP DON'T DESTROY BROOKLYN leads a broad-based community coalition
fighting for development that will unite our communities instead of dividing and destroying them
DDDB is 501c3 non-profit corporation supported by over 4,500 individual donors from the community.


text:
Below is a basic inflation kit that is supplied with the above kit, however these items are removed and substituted for other items if a any sort of gauge or compressor kit is purchased.
These units are from the Dunlop stable. The makers have been producing air suspensions for many years and their products are used on many lorries and buses throughout the world.
These kits were originally marketed under the name of AJV, and are of a far superior but similar design to many other kits on the market, thus not re-inventing the wheel to use a successful formula in semi air suspension design.
These Dunlop kits are designed in such a way that they can be fitted by confident DIYers with no special tools.
Please click here for general information on this product
Please click here for our frequently asked questions on semi air suspension kits - Opens in a new page.
The above kit is complete with everything to install the Dunlop kit on your vehicle (except tools) including hose and inflators, however there are gauge kits available, which can be ordered below. More information on the available gauge kits can be found here (opens in a fresh page)
We must stress, this kit, or any other air assist kit is NOT supplied with gauges or compressor, these items can be purchased as optional extras


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Your one stop shop for cake decorating supplies
FREE Mainland GB Delivery on orders over £50
Next Working Day Delivery order 'express' by 3pm
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This PME cake tin is perfect for baking cakes for any celebration.
PME Round Cake Tin - 3" x 3"
3" Seamless round anodised aluminium tin.
Professional quality, straight sides with no seams. Top hemmed rim for strength and durability.
An easy to clean smooth surface. Straight sides will give you a good, even, straight sided cake, therefore easier to ice and decorate.
3" dia x 3" (D)


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Welcome to be one of the high quality cosplay armors & props owners.
All armors from CGarmors workshop are FREE customize based at your body measurement.They are completed armors and ready to wear immediately once you received. Have problems on how to wear, click HERE to watch videos step by step.
SKU CGA063 Specifications:
- Material: EVA for armor, PVC for the prop.
- Items including: All shows in picture
- Undersuit is also customize, material is strictly selection to get a high reduction as the character.
- The boots also made based at your feet length with a comfortable shoes at the base. Enjoy taking pictures and walking around conventions.
- Monthly payment plan is available. Shipping before payment clear and there is 50% deposit request for the first batch.
- We will contact you for detail measurement data for free customize after received your order.
- Deliver time: made to order with 1-5 month hand-made time. If you want to receive at a special day, kindly CONTACT US before order.
- CGarmors do offer priority with additional charge 30%-80% of the total amount.
- Commission is welcome, check out COMMISSIONS to get in touch.


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This week, the PGA Tour is in Australia for the playing of the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne, pitting 12 of the best players from the U.S. against 12 of the best players from the rest of the world (excluding Europe -- as you know, the U.S. and Europe square off every other year in the Ryder Cup).
A match-play competition, the Presidents Cup consists of five sessions over four days: two fourball matches, two foursomes matches and 12 singles on Sunday.
So, we turned to you, our PGA.com Facebook friends and asked: What's your best match play golf tip?
Here are the best answers we received:
9. Gamesmanship. Of course, there's a fine line between being a gamesman and being unsportsmanlike, as you'll see in these answers. We don't condone all of the responses, but some gave us a chuckle.
Facebook fan quotes:
"A little gamesmanship can go a long way. Just ask your opponent 'So, do you breathe in or out when you swing?'" -- Brad Wuhs
"After you hit your shot, make a point of mentioning any hazards that you were glad to miss with your tee shot." -- Graham Donohoe
"Give your opponent the 3 or 4 footers early in the match, make them putt them late." -- Michael Grau
"I give putts early, and let them suffer over them late!" -- Aaron Duncan
"If your opposition likes to play fast then slow the pace down. Walk behind them and make them wait!" -- Jason Webb
8. Always stay positive. This has got to be the Golden Rule when it comes to match play. You're not out of it until you run out of holes.
Facebook fan quote:
"Always keep your head. Never put any pressure on yourself because you'll end up hitting a bad shot or missing a 2 footer." -- Nathan McCann
7. Don't beat yourself. I guess this is along the same lines as staying positive, but always pay attention to the situation.
Facebook fan quote:
"Make the other guy beat you, don't beat yourself." -- Adam Pladson
6. Remember, this isn't stroke play. No matter how bad you're playing on one particular hole, forget about it and move on to the next one.
Facebook fan quotes:
"Remember: one stroke or 10 strokes... when you lose a hole it's just ONE hole... there's ALWAYS time to come back!" -- Chris Evans-Abbs
"Don't ever give up... you never know when the tide will turn!" -- Rob Fraioli
5. Never leave a putt short. If you leave it short, it has no chance of going in. Give it a good run.
Facebook fan quotes:
"Don't leave 'em short." -- Stu Ellert
"When putting, get the ball to the hole!" -- Jim Lenderman
4. Be aggressive. Again, this is match play. Put some pressure on your opponent by picking your spots to flag hunt.
Facebook fan quotes:
"Be aggressive. Go for it." -- Chad Coogle
"In match play, there is no laying up. The other player will always make it." -- Lynn Morrison
"Being aggressive wins holes, being smart wins the match!" -- Robin Smiciklas
"Go BIG or Go Home. Play for birdie on every hole. While it poses major risk; it also reaps major reward. If one can put a couple birdies together early in the round, an opponent is constantly playing catch up. That only puts an opponent in the frame of mind he doesn't want to be in. Over swinging and over thinking." -- Cole Lieux
3. Relax. With the amount of strategy involved in match play, it's going to be a long day anyway. Don't rush.
Facebook fan quote:
"RELAX! The guys behind you can wait, just like you did on the guys in front of you!" -- Krag Ferris
"Relax, be calm and play your game. Know when to play percentages, and when to play risk, reward." -- Doug Marshall
2. You can only control your own game. Don't be wowed by what your opponent is doing. Focus on yourself.
Facebook fan quote:
"Focus on your game and your shot only. That's the only thing you have control of, no sense in fretting over what your opponents doing." -- Alex Pisano
1. Expect the worst... By that, we mean, expect that your opponent will hit great shots and hole every putt. That way, when it actually happens -- which it often does in match play -- you won't be left stunned.
Facebook fan quote:
"Always expect your opponent to hit a great shot and make every putt." -- Craig Ward
"ALWAYS expect your opponent to make every putt." -- Greg Roberge
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Co-payments refers to your financial requirements in terms of medical visits and services. If you have a copayment of $20 to see your primary care doctor, then you will be required to pay $20 each time you visit your physician. After you cover the co-pay, the insurance pays the remaining balance as long as the services are covered under your plan. Copayments do not count towards your deductible.
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If you are currently unemployed or are self-employed, you are eligible to purchase private health insurance. If you are an unemployed senior citizen, you are eligible to obtain financial assistance provided by the government known as Medicare. Individuals with an income that falls below average have the option to apply for a government funded program known as Medicaid.
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Why did she "retaliate"? "I believe some of her {June Walker's} comments were snide, belittling, unprofessional, and unnecessary."
We are all awaiting JW's next entry in the saga to see for which of the multitude of tax pros who commented on her "offending" post she rips new ones.
* Kay Bell tells us that Chuck Rangel, Chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, is in trouble again in her post "Ways & Means Chair In Trouble ... Again" at DON'T MESS WITH TAXES.
Bill also discusses Chuck in "Some People Never Change" at the APRIL 15.COM blog.
* Kay Bell, a member of the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP), also reports on what was discussed at the recent TAP meeting she attended on the topic of registering tax preparers in the post "More Tax Preparer Oversight Questions".
According to Kay, "My general assessment of the TAP conversation with the IRS rep regarding the tax preparer regs is that the agency truly is open, at least right now, to all ideas on this topic".
* Joe Kristan tells us about "Another Fail for the TurboTax Defense" at the ROTH AND COMPANY TAX UPDATE BLOG. I do believe that this is the third time the Tax Court has said that blaming tax preparation software for tax return FUs is not a valid defense. You sign the return - you are responsible!
The Moral, as Joe points out, is - "The 'Garbage-in, Garbage-Out' Doctrine trumps the TurboTax Defense".
Joe also points out that the Turbo Tax Defense is only successful with Presidential appointees.
* Joe also provides a quote that describes New Jersey politicians to a tee in "This Explains a Lot of the Tax Law".
Some key phrases from the quote –
"extraordinarily fixated on power and status and extraordinarily motivated to keep it" and
"exceptionally prone politicians are to narcissism, motivated cognition, self-deception, and brazen lying."
* Monica Lawver wants to know "Where Do I Sign Up?" to get involved in pushing Congress for tax simplification.
As I point out in my comment, "There is really no effective lobby for the individual taxpayer. Until there is, all the other lobbies for special interest groups, with their huge budgets, will continue to entice Congress to complicate the Tax Code in their favor."
Monica, I will be glad to work with you on a "Tax Professionals for Simplification" organization.
* TAX GIRL Kelly Phillips Erb tells us - "Laura Schultz was expecting to hear from the IRS. After all, the Denver-area house cleaner owed the IRS about $80. But when she opened up a letter from the IRS, it wasn't quite was she was expecting: a refund check for $122,783.51." As her post title puts it, "Now THAT'S A Refund!".
Kay Bell also discusses the story in "IRS Issues $122,783.51 Erroneous Refund".
* NJ is number 1 - again! Paul Caron, the TAX PROF, gives us a list of "the proportion of taxpayers paying AMT in each state in 2007" in "AMT By State, 2007".
Paul points out that (highlight is mine), "In two-thirds of the states, less than 3.5% of taxpayers were subject to the AMT, but in New Jersey 8.7% of taxpayers paid AMT, and 7.7% owed AMT in neighboring New York. More than 6.5% of taxpayers in California, Connecticut, and the District of Columbia were subject to the AMT."
* Here's another reason not to use Facebook or MySpace. While it seems that just about every tax blog had a post on this topic in the last few days, the post "Are Tax Collectors Your Friends?" at the TAX CONTROVERSY UPDATE blog by Townsend and Jones LLP first led me to the Wall Street Journal article "Is 'Friending' in Your Future? Better Pay Your Taxes First".
According to the article –
"Tax deadbeats are finding someone actually reads their MySpace and Facebook postings: the taxman.
State revenue agents have begun nabbing scofflaws by mining information posted on social-networking Web sites, from relocation announcements to professional profiles to financial boasts.
In Minnesota, authorities were able to levy back taxes on the wages of a long-sought tax evader after he announced on MySpace that he would be returning to his home town to work as a real-estate broker and gave his employer's name. The state collected several thousand dollars, the full amount due.
Meanwhile, agents in Nebraska collected $2,000 from a deejay after he advertised on his MySpace page that he would be working at a big public party."
* The IRS has issued a draft copy of the 2009 Form 8863 (Education Credits). The form has been revised to include the new American Opportunity Credit. There is also now a Page 2 to calculate the refundable AOC and the amount of nonrefundable education credits.
*Trish McIntire takes on "some marketing lines many preparers (including myself) use" in her post "Buyer Education 1", the first entry "in a small taxpayer education series" at OUR TAXING TIMES.
In this entry - "The issue isn't the actual talking point but either making it a stand alone criteria or not understanding the spin involved".
* And last, but certainly not least, Russ Fox discusses language in the new ObamaCare legislation "that may make you just a bit uneasy" in his post "Don't Worry, We're From the Government" at TAXABLE TALK.


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Hui Ying
Season 5 Episode 18 | 11m 21s
Chinese immigrant Hui Ying finds herself unexpectedly alone in an unfamiliar and hostile Wild West. She fights both natural and supernatural foes on a quest for survival as she makes her way to "The Golden Mountain." A Film by Hannah Anderson.
Aired: 11/15/17Video has closed captioning.
Problems Playing Video?
Film School Shorts is made possible by a grant from Maurice Kanbar, celebrating the vitality and power of the moving image, and by the members of KQED.


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Penn State women's soccer program will hold a silent auction, and wine and beer tasting fundraiser at 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, at Minitab, 1829 Pine Hall Road, State College, Pa.
Every four years, the Penn State women's soccer program plans an international trip. This year, the 2013-14 team is planning to travel to Argentina on March 8 to 16 with an itinerary that includes community service work with local youth and international competition. The fundraiser will help with travel expenses.
To purchase a ticket, which are $25 each, for the event or to make a financial donation, go to www.psuwsoccerbc.org.
Last Updated October 25, 2013


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The Iliad Notes & Analysis
The free The Iliad notes include comprehensive information and analysis to help you understand the book. These free notes consist of about 101 pages (30,062 words) and contain the following sections:
These free notes also contain Quotes and Themes & Topics on The Iliad by Homer.
The Iliad Plot Summary
Homer's Iliad begins nine years after the Greek armies first arrived at Troy. A plague has overcome the Greek armies because Agamemnon has refused to return the daughter of a Priest of Apollo. Achilles, the epic's central character, exposes this fact and confronts the king. Agamemnon agrees to release this girl, if, and only if, Achilles gives him his 'war-prize', Briseis in return. Achilles finds this to be tremendously unjust and withdraws from battle taking with him all of his soldiers. He asks the gods to grant him revenge and make the Greeks require his assistance in order to win Achilles remains withdrawn for the greater portion of the epic.
Agamemnon is encouraged to attack by a dream and after some trouble with his troops, rallies them. The Trojan side rallies also. The two armies move towards each other but are stopped by a challenge from Hector: Paris and Menelaus are to fight one on one to decide the war. Paris flees the battle with the help of a divinity and Menelaus rages on with his brother demanding the release of Helen and her treasure.
Zeus, the king of the gods, calls an assembly of the gods and orders them to stop helping the battle because he has decided how it is going to turn out. Meanwhile the battle continues near Troy. The Greek Diomedes makes a heroic stand and kills many Trojans. The Trojan Aeneas fights Diomedes and is wounded but eventually rescued by his mother, Aphrodite. Ares reenters the battle on the Trojan side. With Ares at his side, Hector goes on a rampage. Ares is wounded by Diomedes as Hera and Athena enter to help the Greeks.
Telamonian Ajax joins Diomedes and the Greeks begin to repulse the Trojans. Hector returns to Troy to pray for Diomedes to be taken from battle. He chastises Paris for cowardice, speaks to Helen and spends some time with his wife Andromache. Paris and Hector return to war. The Trojans rally again and then Hector challenges a Greek captain to a duel. Ajax fights him but the duel is ended by nightfall and a truce. Both sides debate the follow day of the war expressing the need for a truce to care for their dead. The Trojans propose a settlement. The Greeks reject this, but agree to a truce day for burials.
Zeus again threatens the assembled gods and for a while they heed him. The battle begins and the Trojans, with the blessing of Zeus, push the Greeks back to their earthen walls. Zeus gives an omen to the Greeks and they rally. The Trojans rally again and continue to push onward. Night comes and the Trojan army camps outside the city. The Greeks send an embassy to Achilles requesting his return to battle in exchange for treasure and an unharmed Briseis. Achilles refuses. The Greeks go to sleep but the captains stay awake and Odysseus and Diomedes raid the Trojan camps. They kill the Trojan Dolon and steals horses from the Thracian camp.
The battle begins the next day with a Greek rally led by Agamemnon. Zeus instructs Hector not to fight until Agamemnon is wounded. With this omen fulfilled, Hector rallies the Trojans and pushes towards the ships. Odysseus and Diomedes are also wounded. Achilles watches the battle and sends Patroclus to see who has been wounded. The Trojans continue attacking and with extraordinary feats of strength and bravery by Hector and Sarpedon, they storm the Greek camp. The fighting remains fierce near the Greek ships. With Zeus turned away from the battle, Poseidon inspires Ajax and Idomeneus to fight more fiercely. Hector is driven back and wounded.
Nestor, wounded, goes back to the battle with other Greek captains in order to rally the troops. Hera plots to seduce Poseidon and put him to sleep. With the king of the Gods sleeping, Poseidon enters the battle on the Greek side and the Trojans are routed.
Zeus wakes and reinvigorates the Trojan line. Apollo helps Hector back into battle and the Trojans again push to the Greek Ships. Ajax defends these valiantly and Nestor continues to spur on the Troops. Hector calls for torches to burn the boats as Patroclus observes the panic in his compatriots.
Patroclus returns to Achilles and requests to enter the battle. Achilles lets him go leading the myrmidons. Ajax and Hector continue to fight each other near the ships when the myrmidons enter battle led by Patroclus, easily mistaken for Achilles in the hero's armor. Patroclus kills the Trojan son of Zeus, Sarpedon and the battle centers around his body. Zeus has Apollo rescue the corpse of his son. The battle is pushed back to the walls of Troy Paris attempts to storm the walls of the city, ignoring the advice of Achilles. Patroclus is killed by a combination of the Trojan Euphorbus, Apollo and Hector.
With the death of Patroclus, the Trojans regain some ground as the two sides struggle for the body. Hector follows Achilles' chariot, desiring his horses. Hector is wounded and must retreat. The Greeks save the body of Patroclus. A runner brings the new of Patroclus' death to Achilles and the hero mourns requesting revenge from his mother. Thetis goes to Hephaestus and gets a new set of armor for her son which she bestows on him even though she finds him lying on the ground weeping.
Achilles goes to battle and Zeus releases the gods to fight as they desire. Aeneas stands up to Achilles but is wounded, saved again by a god. Achilles and Hector clash with their troops following and Achilles rampage continues.
Achilles splits the Trojan line and murders many in the near-by river Xanthus. The river god gets angry with him and Achilles eventually attacks the god himself. The god retaliates and chases Achilles only to be stopped by Hephaestus who repulses him at Hera's bidding. Achilles presses to the very walls of Troy. Hector exits to meet his adversary but then flees him, running around the city three times. Athena tricks him into facing Achilles who kills him after a short struggle. The Greeks dishonor Hector's body and Achilles drags him back to their camp behind his chariot.
The Greeks have a feast and build a pyre for Patroclus. They burn and then bury his body. After this, Achilles hosts a set of funeral games for his fallen friend. At night Zeus has Thetis tell her son that Hector ought to be ransomed and Iris tell Priam to ransom his son. With divine help, Priam comes to Achilles' camp and ransoms the body of his son. The two share a meal together and go to sleep. Priam leaves at the goading of Hermes before day break and the epic ends with the funeral of Hector.


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The Portuguese Association of the Castles' Friends defends sustainable development policies to our historic fortified monuments. We are working to seek and find the identity features of each monument, what makes it unique, a task that is in permanent change. For that to happen we rely on the help of several researchers as well as territory managers and planners.
We aim to promote Portugal's spectacular historic environment and ensure that its past is researched and understood. No one protects what is unknown. We have an intensive program centered in scientific visits not only in Portuguese territory but abroad as well.
We assume a commitment with cultural education using our heritage. Our goal is to help teachers, and everyone involved with educational policies and practices, how to use our cultural heritage as an educational resource.
Therefore we develop educational projects, that comply with this need, as well as theme children birthday parties, that take place in historical sites (Forte de São Bruno).


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Scientists may have found the most devastating impact yet of human-caused global warming — a 40% decline in phytoplankton since 1950 linked to the rise in ocean sea surface temperatures. If confirmed, it may represent the single most important finding of the year in climate science.
The headlines above are from an appropriately blunt article in The Independent about the new study in Nature, "Global phytoplankton decline over the past century" (subs. req'd). Even the Wall Street Journal warned, "Vital Marine Plants in Steep Decline." Seth Borenstein of the AP explains, "plant plankton found in the world's oceans are crucial to much of life on Earth. They are the foundation of the bountiful marine food web, produce half the world's oxygen and suck up harmful carbon dioxide."
We've known for a while that we are poisoning the oceans and that human emissions of carbon dioxide, left unchecked, would likely have devastating consequences — see "2010 Nature Geoscience study: Oceans are acidifying 10 times faster today than 55 million years ago when a mass extinction of marine species occurred." And we've known those impacts might last a long, long time — see 2009 Nature Geoscience study concludes ocean dead zones "devoid of fish and seafood" are poised to expand and "remain for thousands of years."
But until now, conventional wisdom has been that big ocean impacts might not be seen until the second half of the century. This new research in Nature suggests we may have much less time to act than we thought if we want to save marine life — and ourselves. The study concludes:
In the oceans, ubiquitous microscopic phototrophs (phytoplankton) account for approximately half the production of organic matter on Earth. Analyses of satellite-derived phytoplankton concentration (available since 1979) have suggested decadal-scale fluctuations linked to climate forcing, but the length of this record is insufficient to resolve longer-term trends. Here we combine available ocean transparency measurements and in situ chlorophyll observations to estimate the time dependence of phytoplankton biomass at local, regional and global scales since 1899. We observe declines in eight out of ten ocean regions, and estimate a global rate of decline of ~1% of the global median per year. Our analyses further reveal interannual to decadal phytoplankton fluctuations superimposed on long-term trends. These fluctuations are strongly correlated with basin-scale climate indices, whereas long-term declining trends are related to increasing sea surface temperatures.
The WSJ explains, "The data are more reliable for recent decades, translating into a 40% decline since 1950." It points out:
The team investigated several factors that could have caused the decline. "We found that temperature had the best power to explain the changes," said Boris Worm, a marine biologist at Dalhousie and co-author of the study.
Marine algae live in the upper layers of the ocean but rely on nutrients that circulate up from lower layers. Rising temperatures mean the different layers mix less with each other, so fewer nutrients reach the algae. However, Dr. Worm noted that algal abundance can be affected by other factors, such as shifts in predator-prey populations.
Mike Behrenfeld, an expert on phytoplankton at Oregon State University, said the paper was similar to a 1992 study that used Secchi data to show a long-term decline in marine algae in the north Pacific. "But this paper covers the globe," he said. "And the scientists also took the next step of relating the [algal decline] to sea temperatures."
Yes, I know, the marine biologist is named Boris Worm. Readers may recall that last year, Worm was lead author on a major study on fisheries in Science, and the WashPost quoted him predicting that "if fishing continued at the same rate, all the world's seafood stocks would collapse by 2048" (see "What's in a name? For the slimehead and toothfish, the extreme makeover leads to rampant overfishing"). And people think I'm a pessimist!
The Independent also catches a quote from Worm:
"If this holds up, something really serious is underway and has been underway for decades. I've been trying to think of a biological change that's bigger than this and I can't think of one," said marine biologist Boris Worm of Canada's Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He said: "If real, it means that the marine ecosystem today looks very different to what it was a few decades ago and a lot of this change is happening way out in the open, blue ocean where we cannot see it. I'm concerned about this finding."
… "Phytoplankton are a critical part of our planetary life support system. They produce half of the oxygen we breathe, draw down surface CO2 and ultimately support all of our fishes." he said.
Certainly, scientists are going to have to verify this finding in the coming years, but as AP reports:
Previous plankton research has mostly relied on satellite data that only goes back to 1978. But Worm and colleagues used a low-tech technology "" disks devised by Vatican scientist Pietro Angelo Secchi, in the 19th century. These disks measure the murkiness of the ocean. The murkier the waters, the more plankton.
It's a proxy the scientific community has long accepted as legitimate, said Paul Falkowski of Rutgers University, who has used Secchi disk data for his work.
He and other independent scientists said the methods and conclusions of the new study made sense.
Recognizing the importance of the article, Nature published a second piece by two leading ocean scientists, that discussed the methodology and findings, calling the work "an impressive synthesis of the relevant data":
Taking great care, they created time series of phytoplankton biomass in the pelagic ocean, quantified as surface chlorophyll concentrations. They find a strong correspondence between this chlorophyll record and changes in both leading climate indices and ocean thermal conditions. They also show statistically significant long-term decreases in chlorophyll concentrations for eight of the ten ocean basins, and for the global aggregate.
We ignore these results at our gravest peril.
Related Posts:
- Imagine a World without Fish: Deadly ocean acidification "" hard to deny, harder to geo-engineer, but not hard to stop
- U.S. media largely ignores latest warning from climate scientists: "Recent observations confirm "¦ the worst-case IPCC scenario trajectories (or even worse) are being realised" "" 1000 ppm