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Here is the final excerpt from Pledged. Pledged is the kick off to Gwynneth White's Soul Wars saga, and the book is available from Swallow Press. If you missed the previous excerpts, they are here and here. Be sure to order the book if it sounds interesting!
Here's the synopsis for the book:
Everyone has a soul mate. But what do you do when your soul mate would rather give his soul to the demons than be with you?
Seventeen-year-old Erin has a problem. Seth has been hers forever, but now an ancient promise is tearing him away. And Reuel, the demon to whom the promise was made, will stop at nothing to force Seth to forsake Erin and to worship him.
How can Erin win against a pledge so binding that it has damned countless others to the same fate she and Seth will face if Reuel wins – an eternity alone?
The answer lies in the past. To find it, Erin and Seth must risk all, travelling back in time to a dangerous world where love is forbidden, and life – and death – hang on a promise.
Follow Erin and Seth as they travel to ancient Shenaya to break the pledge that has plagued their families for millennia. Caught in a war between the Angelic Guardians and the Gefallen, the disembodied dead, they must fight to keep their souls in tact and their love untainted.
EXCERPT: Pledged by Gwynneth White
Meet Seth and Erin . . .
Despite the heat, Seth felt icy. Dread could do that to him. Or so he had recently discovered. Deep breathing usually calmed him, so he sucked in a lungful of desert air and told himself to relax. It didn't help. By the time he'd walked from the aircraft to the immigration hall he'd ripped off a jagged piece of thumbnail, already bitten raw. He handed his US passport to the Botswanan border official, and, after a frown, and a stamp, he joined the crowd at the baggage carousel. Botswana in southern Africa was the last place on earth he'd ever have picked for a holiday destination. But he wasn't here on holiday. Not even close.
His backpack was slow in coming. Tired from his long-haul flight from New York, he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. Almost as if to mock him, the hated vision that had brought him to Botswana burst into his mind. In an instant he was back in ancient times, watching a man he knew only as Gideon. As usual, Gideon was huddled on a windswept hill with his band of hopeless soldiers, waiting to be slaughtered by a huge army gathered in the valley below.
Seth snapped his eyes open to stop the battle from waging in his mind. It wasn't that he was particularly squeamish; he'd watched enough movies to iron clad his stomach against gory visuals. But no movie had ever left him icy with dread the way Gideon's battle did. And the reason for that was simple. The moment the visions had started, he had known that the war, fought so long ago in a place he'd never heard of, was far from over. And, as reluctant as he was, he too was being enlisted to fight in a cause he didn't understand or want.
He forced himself to focus on the present: Erin, who waited for him in the arrivals hall; his brother Kyle, whom he'd come to Botswana to visit; Kyle's expedition to find the Lost City of the Kalahari . . .
He ripped off another piece of fingernail. Thinking about the search for the Lost City was almost as bad as the war-vision. I hope Kyle never finds the damned place. He slapped his hand on his thigh. Enough! Grabbing his backpack off the carousel, he set his face into a smile and strode into the arrivals hall.
The first hurdle was finding Erin. She was due to arrive an hour earlier on a flight from Cape Town in South Africa, one of Botswana's neighbours. He'd never met her, although they had spoken over the phone once. Then she'd described herself as "a short, seventeen-year-old (a year younger than him) with a mass of ginger hair." She'd sounded nice. Meeting her was the one ray of brightness in this otherwise dark picture.
He stopped to scan the crowd. A petite girl with shoulder length, reddish-blonde curls, dressed in skinny jeans and a purple blouse, immediately caught his eye. It had to be Erin. Nice legs. What's it with girls that they always under-sell themselves? He studied her face with his artist's eye. Vermeer would've killed to paint her. Suddenly wishing he didn't look so grimy after his three plane-changes, he walked over to join her. "Hi, I'm Seth. You've got to be Erin. My brother's just married your sister Izzy."
"And after only knowing each other for about a week."
Her dimpled grin was infectious, making him crack his trademark crooked smile. "Madness."
"Mysterious." Erin cocked her head to one side, seemingly appraising him. He knew he had been accurate when he'd told her he was tall and dark-haired. But what he had failed to mention was what girls had often said they liked about him: his strong, angular face, softened by expressive brown eyes. He watched her eyes rove over his grey Muse: Resistance t-shirt, taking in his broad shoulders and chest. From there they darted down his black camo-pants to his boots. Amused by her blatant assessment, he cocked his head to one side, watching her. Suddenly Erin giggled – was she embarrassed? – and picked up her bag.
"We've yet another plane to catch. My fourth in the last twenty-four hours," Seth said, hoping to explain away his rumpled appearance. "To a place called Maun."
"So we do. Let the adventure begin."
These excerpts are issued by Swallow Press for use by bloggers participating in launch and blog tour of Pledged by Gwynneth White. Any queries can be addressed to Andrew at email@example.com
You can pre-order Pledged by clicking the widget below


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Appointment at CSJ Planning Consultants
Recent graduate Mark Sweet has joined CSJ Planning Consultants in Bristol as a planner.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Are You Vain Enough to Get Ahead?
You don't have to be a total narcissist to be a successful executive – but a solid dash of ego can help.
Self-aggrandizing individuals with a need for impact and power are slightly more likely to become leaders than the general population, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and personality testing firm Hogan Assessment Systems. But while a dose of self-confidence is necessary to raise your hand for the top job and steer a big corporation, too much can cause a leader and company to falter.
The study, set to be published in the journal Personnel Psychology, analyzes 54 prior studies touching on narcissism. Some of those studies relied on surveys, which asked leaders whether they identify with statements like, "If I ruled the world, it would be a much better place" or "I think I'm a special person." Others analyzed clues in shareholder letters: the number of self-references, for example (is it just a string of "I, I, I"?), or the size of the executives' photos.
It's helpful to think of narcissism as distributed along a spectrum. On one end, self-doubt isn't a useful characteristic in a leader—they can look weak or have trouble making decisions, according to Peter Harms, one of the study's authors and a management professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. But individuals on the other end don't take feedback well and can make reckless choices, he says.
Examples of too much self-confidence abound in the world of politics. Harms cites Jonathan Edwards, the former North Carolina senator and presidential candidate who spent lots of time grooming his hair and had an extra-marital relationship on the campaign trail, as displaying the vanity and self-centered nature emblematic of narcissists.
Another researcher went on the hunt for CEOs that display humility. Analyzing earnings call transcripts – comparing the number of times executives said "me" and "mine" versus "we" or "our," for example – an Australian management expert compiled a list of the least narcissistic American CEOs. The line-up included Target's Gregg Steinhafel, PepsiCo's Indra Nooyi and Bank of America's Brian Moynihan.
Rodney Warrenfeltz, who administers personality tests to high-level leaders as a managing partner at Hogan Assessments, uses what he calls "the bold scale" to measure where the corporate executives he works with fall along the continuum. The test incorporates statements that participants have to check off as true or false, such as, "I could get this country moving in the right direction."
Warrenfeltz says a bold score of 70 to 90 on the 100-point scale signifies someone is truly confident. Anything above that can indicate arrogance or entitlement.
"When things go wrong, they blame other people," he says of those who score at the very top of the scale. "When things go right they take the credit."
In addition to narcissism, Harms, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor, studies other "dark traits" like Machiavellianism and psychopathy. (A 2010 study found that psychopaths are more likely to be found in the corner office than on the street.) At lower levels, these attributes can be useful in the corporate setting, he says—a little psychopathy often translates to being brave. A bit of Machiavellianism is really just political skill, being able to manipulate coworkers or sell people on an idea.
Harry Kraemer, a former CEO of the health-care company Baxter International Inc., says being able to influence people is a crucial part of effective leadership. He also thinks executives need "true self confidence," a mentality where positive thoughts abound: "I know I'm good, I know I can add value, I'm going to make good decision, I'm going to get a lot of stuff done."
But he also says humility is key. If an executive's ego gets out of hand, employees won't follow him or her.
Unless, of course, you're someone like former Apple chief Steve Jobs– so intelligent and brilliant that the rules don't really apply.
"If you're that one-in-10-million person, even though you've got a mammoth ego, even though you don't treat people very well, you're so unusual that maybe people are willing to put up with it," Kraemer says.


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Really? I rather liked it a lot... Compare it to the mask stills and I think you'll be shocked. I think it's more that the mask is ****, and the paintjob on the eyes was almost always off on that too.
MMMMMMmmmmm New skiff.Maybe we'll get a new one ala the N1 when ROTJ3D rolls out.
I like all three well enough, but really another Galen Marek?
I like Marek, I just don't see the point. You've done umpteen of him, his games are either mediocre or weak efforts... Time to put that one away. Put taht kind of effort into Katarn. He's about as relevant and his games/story were much more popular at their time.
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Warming lubes taste so good you'll drink them by the glassful!
Winner of StorErotica's 2011 Lube Company of the Year award!
Made with certified organic extracts and safe for vegans
Water-based formula compatible with condoms and all types of sex toys
Grab a glass and raise a toast to your newly improved sex life with these super-tasty flavored sex lubes!
There are 5 different flavors for you to try: Vanilla Caramel, Wild Cherries, Toasted Macadamia, Citrus Burst, and Wild Strawberries. The Vanilla Caramel Lube tastes like a warm crème brûlée or all-natural maple syrup with a tangy vanilla finish. The Wild Cherries Lube tastes like a tart cherry pie with a spicy twist! Drizzle a little warm & delicious Toasted Macadamia lube to turn your lover in a delicious nutty-sweet snack! Make morning sex better by adding the refreshing zing and zest of Citrus Burst lube. And go exploring in your partner's berry patch with fruity Wild Strawberries flavor!
All these delectable lube flavors are perfect for massages as well as oral sex. Dribble some of the sex lubes over your lover's back or their erogenous zones and start lightly rubbing it in. The sex lubes warm to the touch to help soothe your lover's tense muscles and increase their arousal. And the lubes are so tasty that you'll not only lick them up afterwards, but you'll go back for seconds!
These tasty flavored lubes use a naturally derived glycerin and Saccharine, which makes every flavor safer and healthier than other flavored lubes. There's no medicinal aftertaste to worry about, and every one of these delicious flavored sex lubes are completely paraben free.
The flavored lubes are made by Intimate Organics, an award-winning company known for their high standards and use of all natural ingredients.
Intimate Organics Flavored Lube comes in a 4 oz. bottle with a flip top lid.
Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Aroma, Aqua, Alcohol, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract, Cymbopogon Schoenantus Extract, Aloe, Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Sodium Saccharin


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The Modular DVI-41616-MXP Matrix Routing Switcher is a high performance, modular DVI routing switchers, which offer up to 32 inputs and up to 32 outputs. Each Input / Output card provides 8 single-link DVI-D inputs, thereby enabling a number of different I/O configurations from 8x8 up to 32x32.
These units are non-blocking, crosspoint matrix switchers that support all single-link DVI resolutions up to 1920x1200 and 2048x1080. All inputs are internally compensated for (copper) cable lengths up to 50 meters (164 ft.). Cable compensation is done automatically, no adjustments are needed. This feature eliminates the need for external repeaters or cable extenders. Advanced EDID management options provide exceptional versatility. Each input can emulate any EDID data from any connected display, or from an internal library of 100 EDID values, 50 of which can be user-defined.
All DVI output signals re-clocked to ensure precise, jitter-free signal transmission. Furthermore the unit's internal TMDS lanes are meticulously controlled for proper differential impedance, this results in unsurpassed signal fidelity and stability. Each DVI output can power a dedicated DVI fiber optic cable over long distances thanks to a robust internal +5V power supply. The unit can be controlled either by RS232 / RS422 serial port or by a TCP/IP LAN connection using a built-in website.
Modular DVI Matrix Routing Switchers Features:
- Routing Configurations: 8x8 up to 32x32
- Non-Blocking Crosspoint Matrix Architecture
- Advanced Modular Design enables field upgrades
- Supports All PC Resolutions up to 1920x1200 and 2048x1080 pixels
- Supports HDTV Resolutions up to 1080p
- LAN / IP Webpage Interface for remote system monitoring and control
- Full RS232 or RS422 control
- Advanced EDID Management - learns, stores and emulates up to 100 EDID data sets
- Convenient Front Panel Control with lock-out feature
- Advanced Power Management, Error Detection and Diagnostics
- DVI Cable Compensation on all inputs - up to 50 meters
- All DVI Outputs are re-clocked for maximum stability
- Internal Power for Fiber Optic cables on all outputs
- Low Noise Cooling Fans
Why not buy this Modular DVI Matrix Routing Switchers today?
Modular DVI Matrix Routing Switchers Specifications:
- Inputs / Outputs: 8-port, single-link DVI-D, 24-pin female
- Routing: 32x32 non-blocking - any input(s) to any output(s)
- Resolution: 640x480 to 1920x1200 and 2048x1080
- Bit rate: Supports up to 1.65 Gbit/s per color
- Cable Equalization: 40db @ 825 MHz / automatic correction
- Re-clocking: All outputs are re-clocked for minimum jitter
- EDID memory: 50 factory preset, and 50 user programmable
- RS232 / 422: D-sub 9-pin female, 9600 Baud for Rx / Tx
- LAN: RJ-45, Ethernet 10/100 Base-T Auto-Sensing
- Power: 100 to 240 V AC or DC 3.0 Amps
- +5V current: 500mA / DVI output connector
- Compliance: CE, UL, FCC, EN 55103-1, EN 55103-2, EN 60065 Class I
- Rack Height: 4U
- H x W x D: 6.95 x 17.56 x 11.89 inches / 176.5 x 446 x 302 mm
- Net Weight: 25.35 lbs. / 11.5 kg
Questions & Answers
Ask a question about the Modular DVI-41616-MXP Matrix Routing Switchers or Call 800-841-9238


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Brief SummaryRead full entry
The diatoms are one of the largest and ecologically most significant groups of organisms on Earth. They are also one of the easiest to recognize, because of their unique cell structure, silicified cell wall and life cycle. They occur almost everywhere that is adequately lit (because most species need light for photosynthesis) and wet - in oceans, lakes and rivers; marshes, fens and bogs; damp moss and rock faces; even on the feathers of some diving birds. Some have been captured by other organisms and live as endosymbionts, e.g. in dinoflagellates and foraminifera. Because of their abundance in marine plankton, especially in nutrient-rich areas of the world's oceans, diatoms probably account for as much as 20% of global photosynthetic fixation of carbon (~ 20 Pg carbon fixed per year: Mann 1999), which is more than all the world's tropical rainforests.
Hydrosera. © David G. Mann. This image comes from the Professor Frank Round Image Archive at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Diatom cells have regular geometrical shapes. In a mathematical sense, they are always 'closed generalized cylinders' and they are usually straight ('right') but the cross section of the cylinder can vary from circular to elliptical to spicular to complex lobed shapes like the Hydrosera cell shown above. The shape is maintained faithfully, whatever the environmental conditions, because the cell wall contains a large proportion of hard, brittle silica, which is partially hydrated [(SiO2)m.nH2O] and non-crystalline. Basically, diatoms live in glass boxes. The silica shell of the diatom is called the 'frustule' and is made of two halves, each in turn composed of several different pieces. Hydrosera frustules, like those of all other diatoms, are perforated by many small holes, which allow water, dissolved material and solids (gases, inorganic nutrients, and organic substrates and secretions) to pass in or out.
Left: Living diatoms and other algae from a freshwater loch in Scotland. Right: False-colour picture of a subfossil assemblage from a muddy deposit a few metres below the surface of a mire in SW Scotland. © 2008 David G. Mann
The silica of the diatom cell wall is resistant to decay, although it will begin to dissolve once its organic coating has been stripped off. Once incorporated into silica-rich sediments, however, frustules may survive for hundreds to millions of years and can be used to monitor changes in freshwater or marine environments. The left-hand picture above shows a spread of living diatoms and other algae from a freshwater loch in Scotland. Each cell contains one to several brownish chloroplasts. Shown in the right-hand (false-colour) picture is a subfossil assemblage from a muddy deposit a few metres below the surface of a mire in SW Scotland. Here, all the cells are empty - only the cell walls remain; indeed, in many cases the cell walls have fallen apart into their component pieces. But it is still possible to identify them, because the walls retain their shape and pattern. Consequently, if the ecologies of the species are known, then the fossil assemblage can be used to estimate what conditions were like when it was formed. In the assemblage illustrated there are both planktonic species (the circular Cyclotella valves) and benthic species, which have become mixed together after death.
Life cycle series of Navicula reinhardtii valves. © 2008 David G. Mann
Because of the construction of the silica frustule and the way in which cells divide, average cell size declines during the life cycles of most diatoms. The shape often changes too, as in the series of Navicula reinhardtii valves shown. It can take a long time for cells to decline to their smallest size - often several years in nature - but sooner or later there is an abrupt restitution of size, taking a few days, involving formation of a special cell, called an auxospore. This behaviour is unique.
Variation in shape and size during the life cycle causes major problems for people trying to identify diatom species and also for taxonomists, if only a few dead specimens are available for study. If diatoms 'miss' the chance to form auxospores (for example, if suitable mates are not available, or if environmental conditions are unsuitable), the cells continue to divide, getting smaller and smaller until they die.


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Photographer and blogger Alli wrote about her Diana Camera on her blog, Kisses & Chaos, not too long ago. We loved her tips and stories so much that we asked her if she would kindly share her experience with you.
I have recently had the pleasure of partnering with Uncommon Goods…purveyors of all things quirky and awesome. If they don't have it then you don't need it… there's a little something for everyone. They have amazing gift ideas for women. Have a hard to shop for man in your life? They've got you covered with great gifts for him too…but I'm getting away from the point and my point is a good one…
A few weeks ago they were kind enough to send me the Diana F+ camera kit (which I have been wanting for ages) with some Lomography 120 black and white film (I already had the color film), asked me to go play and then tell you guys what I think. Seriously? You don't have to ask me twice, no sir. So play I did.
The instruction manual was actually helpful! Say what? I know! A helpful instruction manual? Bust out your ice skates 'cause hell froze over. It's short, sweet and to the point. That's my kind of instruction manual. No long explanations – just quick and easy. It explained the settings and (surprising) features. A toy camera with features? Yup. You heard right. It has the basics you find with any toy camera with one exception: it has a pinhole setting. It's like someone getting their peanut butter in my chocolate. This camera is Bruce Wayne by day and Batman by night…your average toy camera with vignetting and saturated colors but then BAM! it also has this secret pinhole identity which creates dreamy photographic goodness. This revelation brought about the infamous "Alli Happy Dance-Dance-Dance of Joy and Happiness™." +1
property of Kisses & Chaos
(Good god, I'm an idiot.)
Ok. Playtime details:
I have other toy cameras (Holgas, quad cams, polaroids, etc) but I have never had the chance to play with a Diana. Though really lightweight it felt sturdier than my other toy cameras. I was impressed that the back plate actually has a good locking mechanism so it doesn't accidentally pop off and expose your film. (I have had this happen with my Holga -which is why it is now held shut with electrical tape- and it is very frustrating to have a roll of film ruined due to poor construction…I'm just sayin'…some people say it's part of the "charm" of a toy camera…I think those people must have a lot of disposable income cause I get m-a-a-a-a-a-d when my film gets ruined in the name of "charm.") Safe and secure film makes Alli a happy camper. +1
The film was easy to load (unlike my Holga, which you have to man handle and knock around) : +1. The locking back plate, lens and other accessories were easy to get on and off : +1. As I wound the black and white film I noticed that I had to strain to see the exposure number on my film and it was a VERY bright sunny day. I initially thought this was a flaw with the camera, but after shooting with a different brand of film I discovered the fault actually lay with the black & white film I was using. (The extremely dark paper made it impossible to read the film. Boo.)
So as I traipsed around the countryside taking photos of cows' butts, camera around my neck, I discovered that the lens cap had fallen off somewhere amid the tall grass. I spent the next 5 minutes retracing my steps trying to find it (which I did). Loose lens cap: –1.
I decided to try out the pinhole feature using the bulb setting (which means the shutter stays open until you release it). The Diana comes with this little, well, to use the technical term, thingy-ma-bob that you pop into place to keep the shutter open for long exposures. Brilliant idea! I didn't have to hold the shutter release manually which can cause camera shake. Fantastic! +1. But it was awkward to use and kept falling out…which subsequently caused camera shake. Damn! Hopefully it will be easier to use with practice but for now it counts as a –1.
above and below: playing with the pinhole settings
Since the camera is a toy camera, the film has to be advanced manually. This has its advantages and its drawbacks. Drawback? If you forget to wind your film you wind up with double exposures. Advantage? The film doesn't wind automatically so you can have double exposures. I like to play with double exposures, so for me this was a total perk. +1
I would love to try the Diana with a flash and shoot indoors. The kit, sadly, doesn't come with a Diana flash…it has to be bought separately (-1)…of course you can also buy a hotshoe adaptor which means you can a non-Diana flash if you like, but I think I will, since I am all anal & matchy-matchy, buy the Diana flash (and the adaptor because I'm a weirdo like that).
The kit did come with a hardback book – Diana F+: More True Tales & Short Stores, which is a collection of essays and images of, you guessed it, the infamous Diana camera. I doubt I would ever buy the book separately, but I enjoyed skimming it (even if I think the book's claim of being filled with work by "Diana masters" was over-selling it a bit… Okay…totally overselling it. I think the "shoot from the hip" photo movement is absolute rubbish and an insult to photography. It's best not to get me started). +1
So let's tally up the score. The Diana F+ camera receives a grand total of…*drum roll please*… 4 points! What does this mean? Absolutely nothing. I have no point scale… but here are my final thoughts:
I will not use the film again… between the dark paper making it impossible to read the frame number and what I consider to be poor quality film I'll be sticking with my Kodak 120 for all my medium format photographic needs. I must say, however, that I do love this camera to bits and it will likely replace my Holga as my toy camera of choice. It was fun and easy to use. Thank you, UncommonGoods for giving me such a wonderful new toy! (And to dear friends and family who are reading this: I know what I'm getting you for your birthdays… whether you think you want one or not. You'll thank me later. The great and powerful Oz has spoken.)
Kisses & Chaos,
Alli Woods Frederick
image/video credits: image #1 © uncommon goods
all other images © 2012 Alli Woods Frederick. all rights reserved. use without express written permission is prohibited.


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Get the Flash Playerto see this player.
|Casting Couch Teens
Short review: Innocent teenagers perform hard-core actions on movie for the first time anywhere on this reality pornography video internet site.
Content Amount: Casting Couch Teens features adolescent top-models that are brand new to the porno world and eager to prove themselves. These dilettante newbie hussies to their cool to suck rod and fuck like pros so they can get hired by a big company and become a famed pornceleb. But not every babe can be a star, so this will probably be the only vids a lot of these chicks-a-biddy will ever star in.


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TUSTING has been part of the English leather trade for five generations (nearly 150 years) and we are now one of Britain's largest and most highly regarded manufacturers of luxury leather luggage and travel bags, leather briefcases and cabin bags, leather handbags and leather accessories in the country. These premium leather accessories are designed and handcrafted by us here in Britain, in our factory in north Buckinghamshire.
Learn more about the TUSTING story here.
We specialise in using uncoated, natural leathers which show the true beauty of the hide and offer no hiding place for inferior quality. We favour leathers tanned using a high or even total "veg" content, those which, although harder to work with, offer superior durability and which mature and improve in looks with age and use. Find out much more here about our leathers and the other luxury materials we use.
Our customers return again and again to us, (read some testimonials here) valuing not only for the great style and durability of our products and our dedicated customer service but also for the incredible value for money they offer, being world-class quality but without the global-brand price tag. Further, we remain committed to our products as long as you own them and offer a comprehensive repair and refurbishment service for our leather items.
We understand completely that choosing a (reassuringly!) expensive luxury leather bag is not usually a snap decision, and we are here to help and advise – we really know our stuff so please just get in touch any way that suits you, all the details are on our Contact Us page.


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Editor, the Record:
Editor, the Record:
Since it was recently discovered that Monroe County has a homeless problem — with a real good chance that more people will be joining that group — I have a real solution to the problem. Have our companies stop outsourcing work to foreign countries. That would be the first step; it would help end the Social Security problem and the loss of tax revenue problem.
The second step would be to raise the minimum wage to a living wage. Outsourcing is done under terrible conditions, so a handful of overpaid clowns running companies can make even more money, while the rest of us move closer to the poverty level. Unless something is done about the real problem, there will be more people dropping to that level.


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All news
There are no words. See the video on Flickr.
Stuck in a commodity category. Stuck with low brand awareness. And stuck with a 30% premium price tag. Our mission was to fix the awareness problem and justify the premium price.
At a time when wannabe competitors were trying to get on their natural chip tip, Kettle Brand answered back with an irreverent, progressive ad campaign: "Stirring the Pot."
Introducing the obnoxious mini-me who lives inside you — and the new, improved StubHub that unleashes the little hellraiser.
The first task was to address vaping, sales of which were skyrocketing, especially among kids.
Amid the merriment, it seems only fair to mention we're an award-winning ad agency that specializes in relaunching brands, that among our stellar capabilities are strategy, identity, advertising, design, UX and a lot more, and that somewhere along the line we came into possession of a penthouse tavern called the Tip.
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Mark Davis
Fund: Draper Fisher Jurvetson Gotham Ventures
Posted by RichieBlueEyes on 2007-12-14
Mark Davis though an intern writes the getventure.typepad.com blog where he breaks down the process from how to really understand VC. The whole firm is involved with the blog on some level and its is very transparent. I haven't taking funding from them but I would definitely work with them. Mark is super sharp and watch out for him in the future in a great way. Danny seems like a nice guy, we've just exchanged emails, though we did go to the same high school - at different times.PRIVATE: Members Only


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The Karnak Beech wood pendulum is slightly larger than the large Karnak brass pendulum but substantially lighter in weight. This means that the Karnak Beech wood is quick to take action and highly responsive.
The wood pendulums are neutral which means that they are not easily influenced by other ambient "fields" that may influence the action of metal or crystal pendulums.
7.5 cm / 5.0 gm – (2.95″ / 0.18 oz)


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Parents share what makes Abigail a special girlBy DAN SEUFERT
Union Leader Correspondent
December 12. 2013 9:09AM
CONWAY — Abigail Hernandez is a bright young writer and photographer who once tried unsuccessfully with her parents' help to get one of her stories published. And she is a big Beatles fan.
Her father, Ruben Hernandez, said she is also a Christian.
"What I can tell you about her has to start with her best quality. And that's the person that she is," Hernandez wrote to the New Hampshire Union Leader after being asked for comment about his daughter's personality and favorite activities.
"Her inner beauty matches her outer beauty," he said. "She is a very unique individual. She is brilliant, and very talented."
Besides her father, her mother, Zenya Hernandez, and her older sister, Sarah, Abigail has two pet "pug" dogs that she adored, Zenya Hernandez said.
"Teddie and Moe miss her very much, as we all do," her mother said.
Abigail, 15, has been missing since Oct. 9.
Zenya Hernandez, who is divorced from Ruben Hernandez, agreed that Abigail's personality is "what draws people to her."
"That and her sense of humor," Zenya Hernandez said. "I think that's what I miss about her most, she was always making me laugh."
"She is very kind, and considerate of others. She loves the Lord, and was saved and baptized," her father said.
"She is also a great writer," he said, saying she started to write stories around the age of 7.
"If you were to read some of the things she wrote back then you would think that it was written by a grown-up. She created a character, and wrote a children's story that we tried to get published."
On a more somber note, he added, "I would like to help her continue to pursue that."
Abigail has also shown talent in photography, something her parents encouraged, he said.
"She is an amazing photographer. About five years ago she took some incredible pictures of her pet snail 'Mr. Whiskers'," Ruben Hernandez said.
She has been a runner in school and also likes to play golf. "You should see her golf swing. She has the makings of a pro," her father said.
She is also a musician who plays the guitar and the clarinet.
"But she is very competitive. Likes to play chess, card games, and board games. Our favorite is Sorry," he said.
She has been a member of a local health club, her mother said, "and she exercises a lot."
She also likes to cook. "She makes the best scones," he father said. "Some of her favorite foods are arroz con pollo, and steak. I spoiled her, and her sister Sarah on filet mignon. Medium rare."
And, her mother said, Abby is a "deep thinker."
"She writes poetry. And she really likes The Beatles," Zenya Hernandez said.
Both parents continue to pray that she comes home.
"She deserves to be loved and cared for. And I will continue to trust in the Lord that he will return her to us," Ruben Hernandez said.


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Web Design Heros ::
>> Is your web design project in trouble?
Another successful Seattle Web Design project is soon to be launched! The project consists of a full featured ecommerce website complete with a modern jquery slider, social media integration and even a WordPress blog. We are excited for our clients future success! Tags: Seattle ecommerce web design, Seattle web design
Website design appeal matters more then ever. But a redesign can be a longer process then the original design process especially if much content is involved. So, with tight budgets in this economic climate we suggest a mini-face lift. A mini-face lift is adding design elements to the existing layout rather then reorganizing the whole [...]
WA National Mortgage


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Ethnic StudiesPage address: http://mnsu7700france.info.mnsu.edu/programs/ethnicstudies.html
|Ethnic Studies
|Social & Behavioral Sciences
|Program Website
|Undergraduate Degree Type(s)
|Program Description
|The Department of Ethnic Studies (ES) is an interdisciplinary program that is academically committed to promoting multicultural and ethnic knowledge, skills and values found both within and outside the United States, and to preparing our students for effective advocacy and practice across the culturally diverse global community.
The major in ethnic studies exposes students to those historical, economic, social and political forces that have contoured the crosscultural and ethnic experience within and outside the United States. This program prepares the students to cope with social injustice (e.g., racism, discrimination, social conflict) effectively and also provides students with multicultural/ethnic knowledge, multicultural/ethnic values and skills (e.g., cultural competency skills and other professional skills) so that ES majors will be academically strong and competitive in the job market. ES majors must take both ES core courses and skill-oriented or applied courses that focus on one of the following areas: Governmental/Public Area, Business/Corporate Area, Community/Human Services Area, and Extended Program courses.
|Admission Requirements
|Admission to Major is granted by the department.
Minimum University admission requirements are:
|Other Requirements
|Academic Bulletin
|A full description of the program including class listings and class descriptions are listed in the Academic Bulletin.
|Program Contact Information
|Department of Ethnic Studies
109 Morris Hall
Minnesota State University
Mankato, MN 56001
Phone: 507-389-2798
Fax: 507-389-6377
Email: email@example.com
|College Advising
|College of Social & Behavioral Sciences Advising
Melissa Iverson, Student Relations Coordinator
114 Armstrong Hall
Note: This page may not print properly from Internet Explorer.


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Main Site - :: Why Won't God Heal Amputees? ::
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The minimum wage should be calculated by adding the cost of the American Dream which is around $3000.00@ month in NC and the employers annual income. The min. wage in NC is $7.50@ hr that's $1200.00@ month.
Greed is just like any other self pleasure it is up to the individual to control it. That's where things get tricky. You don't want government involvement but I don't see any other way. When individual greed harms society what do you do about it? How do you fairly deal with it?
Then who is going to work for minimum wage, that is the backbone of capitalism and how people get so filthy rich.


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Hey joonies,
I just have to say, this day… sucks. How can any day follow Inauguration day? Seriously, as a country – we should be given the day after the Inauguration off to mentally prepare for how boring our lives really are. Hope you all had a chance to check out my Inauguration day photos via the amazing social media world of Twitter (click here).
Here is my personal favorite from the day (because it's of me obviously… and Saaghi jooooon designed it ;) ):
Anyway, I received some valuable insight today at work – always learning, my boss would be so proud – I was told this:
All men are dogs – there are the purebreds and the street dog/mutts. Purebreds can be trained… they are keepers. Mutts are for the streets.
I'm still trying to figure out the difference between a mutt and a purebred — so I can't really dissect that one for now, but I'll keep you all posted. As always.
When I graduated high school – I really didn't think about all of that. All that pressure of finding a nice guy who is responsible, well suited for dad, and treats me well (AKA a purebred) was never the main focus in my mind. Back then it was all about whether they were hot … or not.
In the early days of college, going out was about meeting boys and either bringing them back to our place or making out with them at the bar. And that was just the norm.


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Literacy Teacher
- Recruiter
- Randstad Education Cardiff
- Location
- Cardiff
- Salary
- Negotiable
- Posted
- 08 Apr 2013
- Closes
- 06 May 2013
- Ref
- Contact
- Zoe Barnes
- Sector
- Education
- Function
- Design & Creative
- Contract Type
- Interim
- Hours
- Full Time
Randstad Education require a long term QTS literacy teacher in the Cardiff area.
Randstad Education is the UK market leader. We have been helping teachers and support staff to find temporary and permanent education jobs for nearly twenty years. Working with over 2,500 schools each week we can find the right match for your skills.
Due to our current success in the Cardiff area matching teachers to the right schools, we currently need more teachers to help us meet the demand of our local schools.
All applicants must have relevant experience and be available from June 2013.
In return for your hard work the academy offer a bespoke CPD programme, a supportive senior leadership team, access to all of our community facilities at a discounted rate, child care vouchers, and a sociable and welcoming teaching team. Your application will be managed by a dedicated specialist education consultant who will guide and support you through the process in an honest and trustworthy manner to ensure you find the right match for you.
If you are a qualified music teacher and you are looking for a long term role, please submit your CV
(All applicants must meet Randstad Education's strict recruitment criteria and hold a clear enhanced CRB criminal records bureau disclosure)


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We are sorry, this product is currently not available.
Sunshine, pools, cocktails & palm trees! Dress up your drinks with this fabulous Palm Springs themed acrylic drink stirrers, packaged in a set of six. Inspired by the poolside cocktail culture of Palm Springs. A great addition for any Palm Springs getaway, wedding, bachelorette party or the perfect way to think of fun in the sun year-round. Set includes one each of the following stirrers: classic car, cactus, Palm Springs, twin palm tree, mid century breeze block and an airplane. Also sold individually in sets of six of the same stirrer. Check out our other listings for each individual stirrer. Laser cut with love in sunny Palm Springs, California from high quality shatterproof acrylic. All products are reusable, retain their color & can last for years if handled carefully & hand washed. Not a toy, or for young children.


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Dell Latitude E6400 14in business laptop
Dredd-ful new design?
The lower half will clearly take some knocks - but we're not sure the screen will.
Ports to left...
Our unit came with Dell's 1440 x 900 LED-backlit display, though it also offers a cheaper, 1280 x 800 non-LED job. We can't address that panel's quality, but we quite liked the higher resolution one, though with the default, dark desktop wallpaper, it did look a trifle gloomy at first, and it doesn't go as bright as other LED-backlit panels we've seen.
The E6400 weighs in at just under 2kg, and doesn't feel too much of an encumbrance. Its other dimensions are 335 x 238 x 31mm. It feels large for a 14in machine, though it's no bigger than the 14.1in Sony Vaio C2 we have sitting next to it at the moment. But then the Sony has those consumer-friendly curves, so clearly all those straight lines and right angles make the Dell not only seem serious but large too.
Prices start at £549 exc. VAT, rising to £774 for the model we reviewed and beyond as you run through the many spec options. The test unit came equipped with a Core 2 Duo P8400 processor clocked to 2.26GHz, 2GB of DDR 2 memory and a 160GB hard drive. It also comes with 802.11n Wi-Fi - 802.11b/g is an option, either Dell's unit or Intel's - and Bluetooth on board.
...ports to the right
There's a similar array of operating systems available, running through the range of 32-bit and 64-bit Vistas. Ours had 32-bit Vista Business Edition, which scores the E6400 with an Experience Rating of 3.8, derived from CPU, memory, desktop graphics, 3D graphics and HDD scores of 5.2, 5.9, 4.1, 3.8 and 5.2, respectively.


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Share "Kilim LXXX - Rug" with a friend
This product belongs in the following collections:
This product belongs in the following collections:
This rug is 3'4" x 3' and is finished with our signature gold plate.
This Turkish flat tapestry-woven kilim rug originates from the tribal and nomadic cultures of Anatolia. The design of this kilim reflects the distinctive patterns and colors of the Konya province. Kilims are used either as prayer rugs or purely for decoration. In recent years, these textiles have become an increasingly popular collector's item around the world.


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For Southerners, barbecue — like college football — inspires pride, intense rivalries and seemingly endless debates.
For Southerners, barbecue — like college football — inspires pride, intense rivalries and seemingly endless debates.
Over the course of the fall and winter, University of Alabama history professor Joshua Rothman and two graduate students will explore Alabama's food culture of barbecue as well as a broader focus on foodways — how the state's regional cuisine developed — after receiving an $18,000 grant from the Southern Foodways Alliance, a nonprofit organization based at the University of Mississippi that documents and celebrates the food cultures of the South.
"I think the goal ultimately is to figure out how barbecue came to be in that place where it stands as emblematic of Southern culture," Rothman said.
The grant will fund research for two essays on the topics, according to Rothman, who said work had just begun. The essay on barbecue, to be written by doctoral candidate Mark Johnson, is expected to be completed by December and the paper of foodways, to be completed by graduate student Dana Alsen, is expected by May or June. Rothman said he is unsure where they will be published.
Rothman, director of the Frances S. Summersell Center for the Study of the South at UA, said there is also talk of having an event such as a food tasting or a film showing in conjunction with the essays but no definite plans have been made.
The goal for the essays is to be as wide ranging as possible in research, according to Rothman. The research will focus on the history of barbecue and local cuisine in Alabama, but it will also consider the topics in the context of the broader culture of the Southeast.
Likely research topics would include, but not be limited to, the emergence of modern barbecue restaurants and competitions, as well as the historical significance of pork as a food staple in the South and its methods for preservation, according to Rothman.
"I think there are a lot of different ways you can get at the history of the evolution of foods," he said.
Rothman, whose research is on slavery in the South, said foodways are part of a broader interest for him in Southern culture and community.
"One reason that barbecue stands out as worth doing, is that it is something that is very communal," Rothman said.
Many barbecue recipes make enough servings for multiple people, and traditional methods of preserving pork before refrigeration in the South often saw community gatherings to process pigs.
Rothman said the idea for the essays arose from a conversation started last spring during a visit to the University of Mississippi. Rothman met with Southern Foodways Alliance director John T. Edge and mentioned he would like to do more work on foodways. Edge subsequently suggested Alabama barbecue once the group was offered funding for the research project from the state of Alabama, according to Rothman.
In addition to funding scholarship, the nonprofit also stages symposia, produces documentary films, collects oral histories, mentors students and publishes, according to its website.
Rothman said the grant will cover research for this year but hopes the barbecue project will lead to more partnerships between the nonprofit and the university.
Reach Ed Enoch at email@example.com or 205-722-0209.


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General Human Development Report Albania 1998
The Albanian report gives a summary of the development within certain fields of the society such as the economy, social cohesion and the transition process. The principal chapter focuses on the rise and fall of the economy.
Principal Contributors: Dr. Ylli Cabiri - ChairpersonMilva EkonomiPiro MishaRemzi LaniDr. Vasillaq LenoProf. Dr. Ylli Pango
Human Development (General)


text:
Consensus Report
Evaluation of Criteria for Selecting a Salt Processing Alternative for High-Level Waste at the Savannah River Site: Interim Report (2001)Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board
Topics: Environmental Quality, Health, and Management Water Chemical Sciences and Technology Nuclear and Radiation Studies Hazardous Waste, Superfund Sustainability and Energy Water and Soil Cleanup Nuclear and Radioactive Waste Management Ecological Studies, Environmental Impact
Each report is produced by a committee of experts selected by the Academy to address a particular statement of task and is subject to a rigorous, independent peer review; while the reports represent views of the committee, they also are endorsed by the Academy. Learn more on our expert consensus reports.
About this Report
Primary Board:Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board
Collaborating Unit(s):Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology
Other Report(s) in this series:Research and Development on a Salt Processing Alternative for High-Level Waste at the Savannah River Site (2001)
Alternatives for High-Level Waste Salt-Processing at the Savannah River Site (2000)


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BAGHDAD (AP) — Attackers disguised in military uniforms killed seven anti-al-Qaida militiamen in Iraq early on Friday as anti-government protests once again raged in Iraq's Sunni provinces.
The militiamen, members of the Sahwa group, were killed outside the town of Tuz Khormato, about 210 kilometers (130 miles) north Baghdad. Police said they were lured to a checkpoint where gunmen overpowered them, tied them up and executed each with a gunshot to the head.
Sahwa joined forces with U.S. troops to fight al-Qaida during the Iraq war. Ever since then, it has been a target for Sunni insurgents who consider its members to be traitors.
Elsewhere, in a northern suburb of Baghdad, a car bomb killed one civilian bystander and wounded three policemen when it hit a police convoy, police said. Hospital officials confirmed the casualties. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to brief reporters.
The killings happened hours before tens of thousands of Sunnis rallied in several cities to complain about perceived discrimination by the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
They renewed threats to march on the capital if the government continues to ignore their demands, echoing comments a prominent sheik, Ahmed Abu Risha, made to The Associated Press earlier this week.
"The people urged you (the government) to end the injustice and the discrimination, but we've only seen negligence and heard empty promises," Sunni cleric Mohammed Taha told the thousands-strong crowd at Friday prayers in the city of Samarra.
Taha's speech was interrupted several times by protesters who chanted "Baghdad we are coming to you" and "Baghdad will be returned to its people."
Organizers considered holding mass prayers in the capital last week but later backed off after government forces sealed off approaches to the city.
In the western cities of Fallujah and Ramadi — former insurgent strongholds — demonstrators as in past weeks poured onto the main highway to preform Friday noon prayers. In Mosul, thousands gathered in the northern city's main square.
For the past two months, Sunni Muslims have been protesting what they describe as unfair treatment by the country's Shiite-led government, extending concerns over rising sectarian tension in the country.


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To order books: Click the "BUY" button with each book and follow the instructions. Discounts are available for multiple copies of the same book. For discounts contact Doorway Publications at or phone Gary Chiang at 905-648-2139 ext 4241.
EBOOK - PDF - The Biography of Arthur C. Custance
Dr. Custance compiled a wealth of literature that has blessed Christians world wide, but he wrote very little about himself. At the insistence of many of his 'fans,' Evelyn White, Arthur's long-time administrative assistant and friend, penned an account of Arthur's walk with the Lord. This walk is an example of the sovereignty of God quietly ordering the circumstances of one life to prepare His child for an appointed task. It is an amazing story of a young man going from riches to rags, from working as a farm hand to becoming a Greek and Hebrew scholar, an anthropologist, a research scientist in physiology, and a writer.
PDF will be released upon payment
If the pdf does not appear in your inbox, please check your spam.
PDF is for personal use only.
Home | Custance Biography | Custance Books Online | Search | Order Books/eBooks | Contact Us


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Style # 213648
With sheer lace detail at sides, contrasting back and front and luxe lightweight drape, this bebe top is sure to amp up any bottom. Try it tucked into a skirt with a pair of your highest heels for an instant going-out outfit.
- 100% polyester
- Center back to hem: 24" (61 cm)
- Hand wash
- Imported
- Model is 5'9" and is wearing a US size S


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Anywhere Filter is built to provide mobile devices with internet content filtering, supporting schools 1:1 initiatives.
Not satisfied with how your solution handles mobile filtering? Get the new Anywhere Filter Cloud for schools.
Learn how CFAUSD uses Anywhere Filter Cloud for no-proxy Chromebook filtering with GAfE integration.
BASCOM has been a great partner to have as we rolled out our 1:1 program. Their Anywhere Filter™ is easy to install, available on several platforms, and gives me great control of the content accessible on my devices. Also BASCOM's Tech Support has been super-responsive to all of our requests and suggestions for future product development.
Gabriel Forrester
Mendon CUSD #4, Mendon, Illinois
Thank you BASCOM for the outstanding telephone support your knowledgeable technical support team provides for your web filter solutions built for schools. Because of your dedication to delivering outstanding service, you ease my workload and make my job as a one person IT department so much simpler. I truly appreciate it.
Michael Raimondi
Ss. Colman-John Neumann School, Bryn Mawr, PA
BASCOM is expert in education. Since 1996, we've specialized in solutions for safely using the Internet for learning. Our school content filters are developed by working closely with schools and libraries.
Technology changes and new challenges emerge. BASCOM continues to build innovative web and mobile filters that enable focused, productive learning. We also provide exemplary technical support.
In K-12 schools, an Internet filter is mission critical. It must keep students safe and be able to support instruction. A BASCOM school web filter does both. It can address the different learning scenarios while also delivering security.
BASCOM built the technology to support our philosophy. Our patented filtering with BASCOM Smart Access Technology™ performs intelligent site evaluation to deliver appropriate educational sites. Students using school-owned devices are focused on instructional content both on and off network. Our patented method also minimizes response time to improve learning and bandwidth usage to save money.
BASCOM is committed to education. We support learning by contributing BASCOM Faculty Room, a complimentary and comprehensive Internet resource of online tools. These free resources for educators are available anytime, anywhere by visiting teachers.bascom.com
Anywhere Filter Cloud
Anywhere Filter Cloud™ delivers a school web filter without the need for a local hardware solution. With seamless integration to the Google Management Console and Google Apps for Education™ (GAfE), it provides Chromebook™ filtering with reporting for 1:1 Chromebook initiatives.
Anywhere Filter
Anywhere Filter™ provides a school web filter for mobile devices deployed on a BASCOM filter appliance or a virtual appliance. It easily integrates with an existing filter or deploys as a standalone solution.
Frontera™ delivers web security built for learning. It provides filtering for internal networks, mobile devices, and YouTube. It includes an integrated firewall, web cache, and reporting and can be deployed as a virtual appliance or on a BASCOM filter appliance.
Patronus™ is built specifically for libraries. It combines flexible, unobtrusive filtering with robust Internet security. It includes an integrated firewall, web cache, and reporting and can be deployed as a virtual appliance or on a BASCOM filter appliance.
BASCOM's school content filters unite technology with instruction. Join the hundreds of schools and libraries around the country that are currently using our technology to facilitate student achievement.


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Palo Alto software maker VMware reported a solid fourth quarter but offered an outlook for 2013 below expectations, pushing its shares down 11 percent.
VMware, a publicly traded division of data storage equipment maker EMC, said on Monday that it expects revenue of $1.17 billion to $1.19 billion for the first quarter, an increase of 11 percent to 13 percent but less than the $1.25 billion estimated by analysts on average.
For the full year, it aims to reach revenue of $5.23 billion to $5.35 billion, also lower than estimates of $5.42 billion.
"They delivered a strong quarter, but investor eyes are focused on the outlook," FBR analyst Daniel Ives said.
He added that VMware tended to be conservative in its guidance.
Net income in the fourth quarter was $206 million, compared with $200 million a year earlier. Revenue was $1.29 billion, sightly above average analyst expectations of $1.28 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Shares of the company were down 10.6 percent at $87.95 in extended trade.


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Mission accomplished: Returning Marine surprises Dad at breakfastBy APRIL GUILMET
Sunday News Correspondent
January 25. 2014 7:47PM
LONDONDERRY - Some secrets are worth keeping.
For the past two weeks, the friends and neighbors of Bedford resident Paul Joyce worked on one very special mission: to surprise the Marine veteran with an unexpected visit from his son, Steven.
It was no simple task.
Marine Lance Cpl. Steven Joyce, 28, a member of the 1st Combat Engineers, 1st Marine Division, had been deployed to Afghanistan since September, but unbeknownst to his father, he returned to the States this month.
"I enlisted my team," said Rose Hodgdon, a neighbor and close family friend.
So before the sun rose on Saturday, Hodgdon was driving to Boston's Logan International Airport to meet the young Marine as he arrived from Camp Pendleton, Calif., while another group of friends whisked the elder Joyce off to Poor Boy's Diner in Londonderry.
Paul Joyce, 50, was halfway into his first cup of coffee when his son, clad in his Marine dress blues, strode into the dining room.
"Hi, Dad," he said.
Months of separation faded away as the two Marines embraced, the proud father wiping away the tears that began to flow so freely. A small audience of fellow diners and friends clapped.
"I had no idea this was happening," said Paul, who'd spoken to his son on the phone early last week and was under the impression Steven wasn't coming home until late April.During Steven's deployment, Paul managed his son's bills online. About a week ago, Steven changed his banking password so his father could no longer trace his son's actions."I told him my account had been frozen," the younger Marine said. "Those two weeks of little white lies were well worth it.
"He's done a lot for me," Steven Joyce added. "He deserves this."
"So, does this mean your account isn't really frozen?" his father said with a laugh.
Paul Joyce, who served in both Desert Shield and Desert Storm as well as in Beirut, reflected on how times have changed and how emails and Skype sessions have replaced envelopes and stamps.
"Communications are a lot easier now than they were back in my day," he said. "I spent just about every holiday away from home. This experience sure brought back a lot of memories."
A proud Marine family, Steven's sister, Kelli Joyce, is a sergeant in the Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 2, 2nd Marine Division. Sgt. Joyce has completed three tours in Afghanistan and is now based out of Cherry Point, N.C.
Steven is the family's most recent Marine, having enlisted just two years ago. His recent deployment was his first, though not likely his last.
"They're a very proud family and really take pride in serving and protecting our country," said Patty Gale, a planning and zoning assistant for the town of Bedford who got to know the family over the holiday season when she was putting stars on the town's Christmas tree in each Marine's honor.
Paul Joyce said it's a huge relief to see his son in person, noting that things have recently heated up in Afghanistan's valley region.
"You go in there and do your job, you do what you've been trained for," he said. "But when you're the parent, things are a lot different.
"I'm so glad he's home now," said Paul Joyce.
Lance Cpl. Joyce will be in the Granite State for several weeks before returning to California.
Father and son will be spending plenty of time together until then, visiting with friends, going to the target range and simply enjoying each other's presence.
NH People Afghanistan New Hampshire Top Section Stories Veterans


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Watch The ::God Is Imaginary Videos On YouTube ::
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Robin Van Persie is a very good Dutch soccer player.
"Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservative."
Welcome back but it is always dangerous to name yourself after a living person - what if he is caught strangling baby kittens? : )


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PHILADELPHIA, N.Y. (AP) — As a 25-year veteran teacher and coach, Bob Kuba is always ready for the unexpected. Police and school administrators say his cool demeanor likely prevented a tragedy.
On Wednesday afternoon, a 15-year-old student brought a very large object covered in a blanket into Kuba's earth science class at Indian River High School in northern New York and said he wanted to show them a science experiment. When the class was coming to a close, the student removed the blanket, revealing a gun case with a rifle inside.
Kuba reacted in a flash.
"When he opened the case, I grabbed the rifle before he could," Kuba told The Associated Press on Thursday. "He offered no resistance at all. I had the gun in one hand and him in the other."
The school went into lockdown.
"The class actually was surprised, but at no time did I ever feel threatened, and neither did the class," Kuba said. "You don't know what's going to happen, but it worked out fine."
Jefferson County Sheriff John Burns told the AP that the student had "a very detailed plan," but the sheriff wouldn't reveal what it was.
Officials credited Kuba for stopping a potential shooting at the high school in the town of Philadelphia, 140 miles northwest of Albany.
"He's an absolutely outstanding professional," school Superintendent James Kettrick said. "His actions were decisive and contributed greatly to averting what could have been a tragedy."
The student was taken into custody. Police aren't releasing his name and said he hadn't been charged as of Thursday morning.
Kuba said school officials are always on the lookout for bullying, but "I never saw this young man being bullied."
He said he met with the class Thursday morning. "They seemed fine, but I'm sure some are still hurting inside," he said. "Some were concerned and wanted to make sure the kid was OK."
Kuba has three children, including one who is a student at the high school. He said previous school shootings had prompted discussions within the school district.
"We talked about these things after Columbine," said Kuba, who coaches basketball and track. "But, unfortunately, you don't know what you're going to do until you're put in that situation. To be honest, I didn't have time to think.
"Once it was done, I had a chance to think about it. I'm just thankful the gun wasn't fired. I'm very thankful."


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... indistinguishable from magic
effing the ineffable since 1977
Harry Potter
Recent Posts
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The good, the bad and the Gutsy, redux
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You're a circle!
The reinvigoration of Classpath?
Confused but Japi
Let's moon 'em!
Dawn, the Alpha Dog
Let us think the unthinkable
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Japi Feet
Well, the Arrays bug is fixed and should be in tonight's Japi run, unless I messed up another fix for the "-p" flag. But I can't figure out what's up with DefaultTextUI. When I Japize it with the JDK on Windows it works fine, but with gcj on Ubuntu I get this with the latest cvs japitools:
sballard@tinian:~/japitest$ wget http://builder.classpath.org/dist/glibj-generics-latest.zip
sballard@tinian:~/japitest$ japize unzip as dtui packages glibj-generics-latest.zip =javax.swing.text
Processing package javax.swing.text,:=+++--+-++++++++-++++++
Failed to Japize javax.swing.text.DefaultTextUI: java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: javax.swing.text.DefaultTextUI
java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: javax.swing.text.DefaultTextUI
at net.wuffies.japi.ClassFile.forName(ClassFile.java:1550)
at net.wuffies.japi.Japize.getClassWrapper(Japize.java:1384)
at net.wuffies.japi.Japize.japizeClass(Japize.java:715)
at net.wuffies.japi.Japize.processPackage(Japize.java:503)
at net.wuffies.japi.Japize.processRootSet(Japize.java:439)
at net.wuffies.japi.Japize.doJapize(Japize.java:411)
at net.wuffies.japi.Japize.main(Japize.java:310)
sballard@tinian:~/japitest$ java -fullversion
java full version "gcj-1.4.2"
The fact that this works on the JDK suggests it's not a ClassFile bug as I originally thought. But I'm not sure what kind of bug it is. Does gcj have known issues in java.util.zip? And why would they trigger on this file only?
If it makes you Japi...
I've just made a few more tweaks to the nightly Japi scripts. This may result in some false positives in the nightly diff emails, or it may result in the nightly diff emails being completely screwed up or missing entirely due to me having messed up the changes. Here's what I've done:
On an entirely trivial note, cleaned up the nightly processing script to move a bunch of repetitive code into functions. This shouldn't have any concrete effects but made the other changes, and hopefully future changes, easier to implement.
Added reverse comparisons against
in addition to the forward ones that were already happening. (Those links will be broken until such time as the run happens successfully)
Changed the Japize process for all the JDK versions from 1.2 up to use the new japiextractpkgs tool to pull the package list from their documentation. I'm pretty sure I'd got these right by hand, but automating the process doesn't hurt and certainly saved time getting jdk6 and 7 right.
Added a new "-p" flag to japicompat. This is intended for use in the reverse comparisons (classpath-vs-jdk15 for example). Up to now, if the classpath japi file had included any packages that aren't part of jdk15, those would have been reported as "missing in jdk15" and skewed the percentages, so it was important to make the list of packages in the classpath japi file match jdk15 exactly and exclude any extra packages. On the other hand this made it impossible to get a true result against jdk6 even in the forward direction, in case some of those packages that got excluded were actually needed for jdk6. With the "-p" option, japicompat will simply ignore any missing packages and calculate the percentages accordingly.
While working on these changes I've discovered a couple of bugs: JDK6's java.util.Arrays class cannot be Japized - apparently it uses an array type in some context where Japize believed arrays were illegal - and neither can classpath-generics's javax.swing.text.DefaultTextUI (Japize simply complains about "class not found" - but if it didn't find it, how did it even know to look?)
I'm sick this weekend which means (a) lots of relaxation trying to persuade my body to recover fast, but (b) possibly a bunch of free time to hack on this stuff. I
even get to working on Annotation support which is the last 1.5 language feature missing in japitools and the big showstopper for a 1.0 release.
Many Japi Returns
So in the end I did get around to finding a way to extract those mystery JDK6 "bin" files. It turns out they're just heavily disguised zip files. Very heavily disguised - looking at the content of the files first points to being shell scripts, then if you look closer you'll see that they're in fact embedded ELF executables. The only way to tell as far as I could figure out to discover that they're really zips was to actually try unzipping them and discover to your astonishment that it works.
So based on Andrew's code I cobbled together a script using a combination of wget, perl and shell that'd go identify the most recent jdk6 (or theoretically jdk7) download; extract the relevant bits, and produce a japi file from it.
It's still a bit rough round the edges but preliminary results are available:
Classpath Generics versus JDK6
Classpath Generics versus JDK7
. Well actually they're not yet available as I write this, but the script that'll hopefully produce them is running as I type. So perhaps they'll be there by the time you're reading this. If not, maybe I screwed up the scripting... but it's the thought that counts, right?
These japi files are also produced with the aid of a new trivial program japiextractpkgs, which parses the overview-frame.html file from any set of Javadocs to produce a list of packages which, thanks to Jaroslav's contribution, Japize can now understand. I haven't yet switched the Japi file creation for existing JDK versions to use this tool, but I will be soon once I'm completely confident it's doing the right thing.
One more step towards Japi perfection. Another step towards Japi perfection comes from David Fu contributing an HTMLWriter implementation to Classpath - this being the last completely missing class from 1.2, 1.3 and 1.4. That's a pretty big deal...
a few hours later: Looks like JDK6 worked but JDK7 didn't. Will fix tomorrow. Also, forgot to mention that the inspiration for the right approach to investigate the file format in the first place came from James Stansell's comments on the last post. Thanks James!
When a lot of things are happening that would be good to blog about, there's never enough time to blog about them. And when nothing particular's happening and there's time to catch up on the stuff you didn't blog about earlier, it all seems like old news, so why bother?
I've been in my
new apartment
now for a few weeks and am settling in nicely. It's strange to have nobody to answer to but myself - I'm still getting used to that. It's even stranger to have entire days when the only criterion determining what I do is what
decide needs to be done. This entire weekend, in fact, has been like that: there were things that needed to be done, but not because anyone else said so.
On September 30th I went to see a
midnight showing of Serenity
. I'd hoped to win a Jayne hat in the trivia, but unfortunately (a) the Jayne hat turned out to be the prize for best costume, and I wasn't in costume, and (b) the only trivia question I got my hand up in time to answer, I answered completely wrong. My hand was working faster than my brain, clearly. I
the right answer, just not quickly enough. I did have the foresight to ask whether it was okay to take a plastic dinosaur - but not the foresight to take two so that I could actually enact the scene... guess I need to buy a second one for myself. Still it was a lot of fun, as expected. And hopefully contributing to making Serenity profitable so that a sequel, or better yet a new series, gets made... please?
In the meantime I'm working my way through Buffy, which appealed to me in absolutely no way whatsoever until I discovered Firefly by the same guy (Joss Whedon, for anyone living under a rock - who also wrote the script for Toy Story). After falling head over heels in love with Firefly I had to forget about my preconceptions and give Buffy a chance, and of course it turns out to be as good as you'd expect from a Joss show. Season 1 is good, but things are really picking up in Season 2, and I'm told it only gets better from there.
I wonder if my posts describing Japi progress on a regular basis were actually helping the numbers to go down as fast as they did. Work on Classpath is proceeding as enthusiastically as ever, but since around the same time I stopped giving regular Japi updates, it seems more focused on bug-fixing and polish and other "make things work right" aspects than on pure API completeness. Japiwise, progress is being made, but not as fast as it was.
The status right now is that Classpath is
API-complete for 1.1
again (it was, then the ability to mark methods as not-implemented came along; they're all now implemented). For
the status is almost identical: one class (javax.swing.text.html.HTMLWriter - work in progress, I believe) and 62/63 methods missing. (The discrepancy, for what it's worth, is the eloquently named javax.swing.text.html.HTMLEditorKit.InsertHTMLTextAction.insertAtBoundary method - just be glad I didn't include all the parameters too). The missing methods are mainly concentrated in java.awt.font, java.beans.beancontext and javax.swing.text.html. There are also a few in java.awt.datatransfer, java.awt.dnd and java.text which might be low-hanging fruit.
completeness isn't that much further away - only another 25 or so methods scattered across various packages. Amazingly, while nobody was looking the generics branch has snuck past
95% completeness against 1.5
. Not so long ago it was below 90% - that's incredible progress!
With the divorce and the moving and my own general lack of organization I've been a very lax maintainer of Japitools - and my other open source projects - lately. When I was on vacation in England back in June (!) I received two very useful contributions. Firstly, from Jaroslav Tuloch of Sun I received an Ant task for Japize, some JUnit tests, and a patch for allowing Japize to process packages non-recursively - that is, include a package but not its subpackages. This last one could be enhanced to provide something I've wanted for ages - the ability to extract lists of packages from Javadoc documentation, so that my nightly scripts would no longer need to hardcode the list of packages for each JDK version, but could pull them from Sun's docs. I finally got around tonight to actually taking this code, compiling it, checking it into cvs and doing minimal testing on it. Currently one of the ant task tests fails, but I'm not sure why. In an ideal world I'd test it more, but holding out for perfection will just lead to another 4 month delay. So it's in now, and if I broke anything, we'll see the results in the nightly runs.
The other contribution was from Andrew John Hughes - a script to go to Sun's website and identify the filename of the latest JDK1.6 beta release, and download it. I'm just looking at that for the first time tonight too, and I have a dilemma. Sun helpfully provide the JDK only in self-extracting ".bin" format. I'm sorry, but I have no intention of downloading and executing arbitrary code unsupervised from a nightly script. Especially since it's not an https server, so there's no protection against DNS spoofing. Does anyone know of a tool which can extract this "bin" format without running it? They do provide the JRE in a jar file, but the JRE generally doesn't include any indication which methods are deprecated, so the Japi results would give erroneous errors about deprecation.
Anyway I'm hoping that by shaming myself publically by admitting how terribly slow I was to respond to these great contributions, I'll be more motivated to not do that in future. Maybe.
Copyright © 2004-2006
Stuart Ballard


text:
On Saturday, Jones was at it again, helping his club secure a 2-1 victory over Fortuna Düsseldorf. The midfielder set up the first goal for Schalke when he headed into the middle of the area, allowing Joel Matip to score from short range. The defender grabbed the other end of his brace late to give the hosts a victory. Jones picked up another yellow card during the contest.
Howard and Everton shocked late
Everton cruised into the final 10 minutes with a 1-0 lead but Norwich struck twice in the final six minutes to bury the Toffees 2-1. Kei Kamara and Grant Holt beat Howard to send the visitors home in despair.
Friedel starts, Dempsey subs as Spurs progress in Europe
Brad Friedel started on Thursday as Tottenham drew 1-1 with Lyon, progressing to the final 16 of the Europa League. The keeper was effective and was especially impressive in halting a few shots from Clement Grenier. Clint Dempsey came on midway through the second half and nearly scored on two occasions, but in the end it was Mousa Dembele who did the damage for Tottenham.
Bradley's big assists helps Roma win again
Michael Bradley started on Sunday and played very well as Roma bested Atalanta 3-2. The midfielder was back in the starting XI and made his presence felt amidst snowy conditions. With the score deadlocked at 2-2, Bradley assisted on the winning goal, lofting a gorgeous ball with his right foot which found Vassilis Torosidis, who headed in the winner in the 71st minute. The victory was Roma's second in a row and with a new coach at the helm, the club is still within striking distance of a top-five finish.
Boyd tallies in high scoring affair
Terrence Boyd played well on Sunday and scored the first of three Rapid Vienna equalizers when he headed one home shortly after the restart. The visitors battled back from 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2 down, finally finishing at 3-3 against SV Salzburg. For Boyd, it was his 10th league goal, and 14th in all competitions.
Altidore quiet in loss
Jozy Altidore fell back down to earth on Sunday as he went scoreless as AZ Alkmaar fell 1-0 to NAC Breda.
Guzan plays well in start for Villa
Brad Guzan started on Saturday and made five saves but Arsenal was just too much, ultimately taking down Aston Villa 2-1. Eric Lichaj dressed but was an unused substitute.
Chandler nabs huge assist to give Nurnberg a draw
U.S. international Timothy Chandler started and played great, dishing a crucial assist to Markus Feulner, who scored the equalizer in the 77th minute as Nurnberg drew 1-1 with Vfb Stuttgart.
Shea makes Premier League debut
Geoff Cameron started while Brek Shea came on in the 24th minute for an injured Matthew Etherington as Fulham narrowly got by Stoke 1-0 on Saturday. Shea was rusty early on but was huge shortly after the restart as he won his side a penalty kick, which Jonathan Walters had saved by Mark Schwarzer.
Edu sees red
Maurice Edu started but was shown two yellow cards on Friday as Gaziantepspor defeated Bursaspor 2-1.


text:
(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
Contact us for information about using this image.
Simeon Hawks was a Tory and having vowed that "he would go where the devil couldn't find him" he was, by 1780, established as an overseer on a plantation with 120 slaves on the island of Jamaica, West Indies. In this letter, he inquires about his Deerfield family and wonders why his brothers do not write to him. He reminds his brother that he owns property in Conway, Massachusetts, and is afraid that the government has confiscated it. It was not unusual for the Commonwealth to take possession of land owned by those who were loyal to the Crown. He also says that he received word that his sister and brother-in-law are going to Canada. They must also have been Tories.
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Letter to John Williams
Letter to Mary (Polly) Ashley
"The History of the Insurrections in Massachusetts in the year seventeen hundred and eighty six and the Rebellion"
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text:
Bacon-Wrapped Smoky Sausage
Smoky Polish sausage is stuffed with cheddar cheese, wrapped in thick applewood-smoked bacons strips and cooked on the grill. Serve on toasted hot dog buns.
4 (8-in.) Polish sausages (kielbasa)
2 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
4 thick slices applewood-smoked bacon
4 long hot dog buns, toasted
1. Make a lengthwise slit in each sausage and stuff with cheese. Wrap with a bacon slice.
2. Per order, grill sausages until bacon is cooked through and cheese melts. Serve on toasted buns.


text:
One of my friends was buying a tamagotchi a few days ago.She was so exsited she called me and explained EVERYTHING she was doing. " Oh!oh!Alex,I'm the dog toy area!That means I'm close!' and 'Ohhh!!!I have it in my hands!' Dear lord,she was over joyed.I think she brought Mountan Due when I wasn't looking.Anyway,as soon as she said that it was going though cheakout,the commershal came on. Weird!
:o ???
Started by chichimi , Sep 17 2004 03:03 PM
Started17 Sep 2004
Last Post20 Sep 2004
Posted 18 September 2004 - 07:55 PM ( #2 )
lol i havent seen the commercial since i preordered mine...weird
Posted 18 September 2004 - 09:54 PM ( #3 )
lol i havent seen the commercial since i preordered mine...weird
Posted 19 September 2004 - 04:09 PM ( #4 )
I have seen alot of the commercials,even after I got mine,hahha


text:
Humility and Simplicity: Roger Ackling's Calling Card
Artsy Editorial
Sculptor Roger Ackling made all of his work by the same method—burning marks onto found wooden objects and scraps by focusing sunlight through a magnifying glass. For Ackling, the method combined the monumentality and infinity of outer space with the intimacy of small-scale objects and alterations: Every mark documents the interaction of a ray of light that has traveled millions of miles with a discarded object that exists on the periphery of everyday experience. Ackling also curated his own exhibitions, transforming his sculptures into large-scale installations and interventions.
British, 1947-2014, London, United Kingdom, based in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom


text:
News Posts
Fieldwork Journal: Getting the Word Out about Lorises
by AMNH on
Mary Blair, assistant director for research and strategic planning at the Museum's Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, is surveying for lorises (Nycticebus pygmaeus) in Bu Gia Map National Park in Vietnam.
4/11 and 4/12: Pterosaurs and the Milstein Science Series for Families
by AMNH on
Kick off your weekend or jump-start your spring break at the Museum.
Fossil: Daddy Longlegs Once Had Second Set of Eyes
by AMNH on
Living harvestmen—a group of arachnids commonly known as daddy longlegs—have a single pair of eyes. But a newly described 305-million-year-old fossil found in eastern France shows that wasn't always the case.
Frontiers Lecture: Unraveling the Mystery of Continental Crust Formation
by AMNH on
Oliver Jagoutz, Assistant Professor of Geology at MIT, and Max Schmidt, Professor of Geology at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich discuss the formation of the Earth's crust.
Live Gila Monster in The Power of Poison
by AMNH on
The powerful venom of the Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum), which is featured as one of the live species in The Power of Poison, has medicinal capabilities as well: one of its components has been used to develop a diabetes drug.


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Note: Deer & Deer Hunting Editor Dan Schmidt has just returned from a weeklong hunt near Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. This is the first installment of a five-part blog series on his adventure. Check back each day this week for updates.
I don't know who originally penned the phrase "Go Big or Go Home," but it was certainly a diehard buck hunter. Translation: If you're going to travel 1,144 miles to hunt whitetails, you best hone your mental edge before stepping foot on that plane.
I've spent the past eight months doing just that. If you know me — and know me well — you know that I love releasing the bowstring and squeezing the trigger. I just love deer hunting (and venison) that much. But when CVA's Chad Schearer invited me to leave Wisconsin last week and hunt the wilds of Saskatchewan with him, I knew that this was a "big or nothing" proposition. I also knew that — despite the fact that we'd be hunting deep-woods bucks over bait — this would be anything but a slam dunk.
It certainly wasn't. And I learned that months before the trip happened. This was my first trip out of the country since the early 2000s. Yeah, a lot has changed since then.
Although I traveled just last week, the paperwork began four months ago when I had to apply for my first U.S. Passport. In August, I spent a good part of two days shuttling between work, our county courthouse, my safety deposit box (to retrieve my birth certificate) and the U.S. Post Office. I was lucky I started the process months in advance, because the passport showed up at my home just a few weeks ago.
From there, it was more paperwork. From copies of my firearms declarations (for entry into Canada) to the names, phone numbers and addresses of everyone I would come in contact with while visiting (every form printed off in triplicate) … I stepped into the airport feeling more like an income tax auditor than a wide-eyed deer hunter.
It's a good thing I had all of that paperwork with me, because the lines and additional paperwork at the Canadian customs took nearly as long as my connecting flight from Minneapolis to Saskatoon. But all's well that ends well, right? I began my journey to the airport at 4 a.m. last Saturday. By 7 p.m., I was standing in Mo Heisler's Garden River Outfitters camp with eight other diehard whitetail hunters admiring some of those massive, dark-chocolate-colored racks that has made Saskatchewan famous.
Click here to read part 2: "Welcome to the Whitetail Jungle."


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Either hospital grade pump is fine. And make sure your horns are the right size. Pump every 2 hours. Yes, this is a drag. But when a mom is essentially relying on a pump to maintain a milk supply you have to pump. A lot. Aim for 120 minutes of pumping every 24 hours. This means you must et up at least once between midnight and 5 am. Once he is able to nurse better, you can start backing down on pumping and slowly cut that out.
Keep trying to latch hm on, even decide to finish each feeding at the breast. This keeps his interest in breastfeeding up, or you will be trapped into EPing.
I would look into the TT again, as it isn't unheard of for it to need a second clip.
Don't give up hope. There are several mothers who have had a lot of trouble and survived.


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"If you're shocked, you're not living in America."
"There are two different Portlands. There is a disparity in treatment many white people don't understand."
"The stinking sore of racism has been exposed. The band-aid has been pulled off, the disease needs to be treated."
"This is a fight for life. This is a fight for the life of my children."
"If you can talk about it (righting the wrong), you have to BE about it."
The above were just some of the sentiments expressed at Grief, anger and fear: Black lives lost in interactions with police, Portland's own an event put on by Restorative Listening Project on Gentrification, an organization which sponsors dialogues focusing on the "stories and experiences of Portland's Black community and seeks to address historic and continuing harm and disparity."
The monthly community dialogue—this time focusing on the issue of police brutality—was attended by approximately sixty Portland residents from a variety of backgrounds and of different ages, ranging from young people to veteran activists.
At the forefront of everyone's mind was the recent fatal shooting by a white Portland police officer of Aaron Campbell, an unarmed 25-year-old African-American man. The police officer was acquitted by the grand jury, however Campbell's family has asked the Oregon chapter of Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network to conduct an independent investigation into the shooting death. The case has gotten some national attention with Rev. Jesse Jackson coming to Portland to speak and protest the police shooting on February 16.
On February 15, the experiences of a number of the members of the Portland-area African-American community and their allies resounded throughout the room. Among them were stories of loved ones lost to police brutality. Emotions as well as ideas about strategies and accounts of past actions taken to affect change were shared.
Campbell's grandmother spoke about the stress and grief she has been experiencing since her grandson's death on January 29th. She said: "I keep asking myself why. Why did they have to shoot him down like a dog? He was unarmed."
Several mothers spoke of the fear they live with; the fear of their black sons getting murdered by the police; a fear which prevents them so often from being able to sleep at night. This very fear was echoed this week in a column by Lisa McCall, an assistant principal in the Portland Public Schools, in Oregon's most widely circulated newspaper, The Oregonian. In the column, McCall writes:
"The tragic death of Aaron Campbell has brought home some of the worst fears the mother of a young black man could have. . . History is against us, against our sons, against our best efforts to protect them. Even in 2010, far from the injustices of the past, we are reminded that our fears are very real. . . .We are reminded that the system has failed to protect us. . . I do wish that police in Portland and around the country would think twice about their own contribution to the fear they see in a black woman's eyes when she instinctively pulls her son close to her while simply walking past a white officer on the street. . . Those good officers owe all those worried black mothers a little respect for that fear, and some public assurance they will try to never let something like this happen in Portland again."
Campbell's uncle and cousin were present at the dialogue as well, both of them upset, grieving, and trying to work with the family to help them heal while also being active in rallying for change in the areas of police conduct and accountability.
There have been exhaustive studies done to show empirically that people of color, especially African-American men, are many times more likely to be searched, accused of a crime, arrested, charged, even killed by the police than any other demographic. Portland is no exception to the disastrous trend of racial profiling and police brutality disproportionately affecting the Black community.
From the American Civil Liberties Union's website:
"The practice of racial profiling by members of law enforcement at the federal, state, and local levels remains a widespread and pervasive problem throughout the United States, impacting the lives of millions of people in African American, Asian, Latino, South Asian, Arab and Muslim communities.
Data and anecdotal information from across the country reveal that racial minorities continue to be unfairly victimized when authorities investigate, stop, frisk, or search individuals based upon subjective identity-based characteristics rather than identifiable evidence of illegal activity. Victims continue to be racially or ethnically profiled while they work, drive, shop, pray, travel, and stand on the street."
As ACLU states, the problem is that "many racial profiling victims walk away with traffic tickets, but too often for others the outcome of racial profiling is death."
The ACLU report continues: "It is significant to note that research confirms the existence of bias in decisions to shoot. A series of University of California/University of Chicago studies recreated the experience of a police officer confronted with a potentially dangerous suspect, and found that:
- participants fired on an armed target more quickly when the target was African American than when White, and decided not to shoot an unarmed target more quickly when the target was White than when African American;
- participants failed to shoot an armed target more often when that target was White than when the target was African American. If the target was unarmed, participants mistakenly shot the target more often when African American than when White;
- shooting bias was greater among participants who held a strong cultural stereotype of African Americans as aggressive, violent and dangerous, and among participants who reported more contact with African Americans."
At the event, the ways proposed in which citizens can advocate for change included: continue community dialogue with the aim of finding solutions and healing; push for policy change on every level: city, county, state, etc; demand police accountability; work with young men to provide safe release of anger and frustration; create a support network for fathers and sons to connect emotionally and to become more involved in the community; and empower young people to get more involved in their communities (e.g. patroling the streets) with the idea of eliminating the "need" for a police presence in the neighborhood.
As many of the event participants stressed, police brutality is not just a black or white issue; it's a matter of being one family and community. And in acknowledging our interconnectedness lies the imperative to look out for one another and to jointly keep the "powers that be" in check.
For those wanting to show support to the grieving family and those interested in engaging in community activism surrounding the issue of police brutality, there will be a rally at Pioneer Square this Friday, February 19th at 3:00 pm.


text:
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"We were very happy with the car we rented, we had to speak with one staff member about leaving the car in Toronto instead of returning it to Montreal and he was very helpful. Finding the car return in the center of Toronto..." Read more ANNIE
(Reviewed on September 12, 2014 )
"The Collision Damage Waiver cost is high (more than the car rental price itself). This seems to be the case with all Rental Companies. Otherwise, in all, a good experience." MUKUND
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(Reviewed on May 21, 2014 )
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(Reviewed on May 15, 2014 )


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Are potential asta mica 🙂 🙂
Tare dar ce canta ?
Pe bune!?! Michael jackson – Heal the world.
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