text:
Under Construction Mini Trucks - Construction Zone - July 2003
|Ryan Cavanaugh
|'98 Chevy S-10 Extended Cab, three-door
|Newark, Delaware
|Low Rollers
Wheels: 18- and 20-inch Billet Specialties wrapped in rubber bands. Suspension: Fully adjustable suspension on airbags made possible by Phil Fowler and the crew at Drop Werks. The rear of the truck has been notched and tubbed to allow the 20s plenty of room. Modifications: Ryan dealt with Emeheiser's Auto Body when it was time to smooth the truck's body out. This task included shaving the door handles, the taillights, the mirrors, the stock gas filler location (replaced by a Hagan's pop-up filler in the driver-side bed corner), rounding out the bed, modifying the new Envoy front clip, dropping in the sliding rag, installing a suicide passenger door, bolting on the Goodmark cowl-induction hood, and shaving out the tailgate area of the truck. Ryan wouldn't elaborate much on his new taillights, though. Interior: The interior of Ryan's truck is just as sweet as the outside. The tweed-wrapped interior sports 3-D graphics, flame gauges, pillar pods for air management, two 10-inch Kicker subwoofers with a DEI-1100 amp, and various billet pieces throughout. Misc: Speedliner spray-in bedliner, chrome differential cover, and a 3-3/4-inch body drop. Project Notes: Ryan would like to thank Drop Werks, Emeheiser's Auto Body, his girlfriend Amanda, and all the people who've pitched in. Plans for this clean ride include a 20-22 combination on wheels, a clean paintjob, and some chroming under the hood. Completion Date: Never!
|Josh Frachiseur
|'{{{90}}} {{{Toyota}}} standard cab
|Auburn, Georgia
Wheels: 18x7-inch BCoddington Blaster wheels.Suspension: Airbagged at all four corners, tubular notch, chrome four-link, lowered shocks, tubs in the back, and a pile of scrap parts from under the hood. Mods: The obvious mod at first glance is the 4-inch body drop, but there's more to this truck. The shaved doors, wiper cowl, taillights (replaced with Cadillac lights), mirrors, corner lights, gas door, tailgate area, and bodyline under the back window have all been worked smooth. Under the hood, the firewall has been worked on to allow the 18s to tuck deeply. The inside of the bed has also been smoothed and accented with some nice lines. The bed is home to the new gas filler and chrome cap. Interior: Josh's interior is very clean with a Momo steering wheel, a polished shifter, some tweed, and MIC air controls. Project Notes: Josh would like to thank Jody Hall of the Drop Shop in Pikesville, Kentucky, for performing all the work on his Toyota. Josh also says that there's more to come, and we look forward to seeing it. Completion Date: "Never! A truck is never done."
Trending Pages
Someone Bought the Flooded Toilet McLaren Supercar for $575,000
2023 Nissan Altima First Test: Acceptable—But Enough?
Tesla Semi Can't Stop, Won't Stop Due to Parking Brake Recall
A 12-Second Ford Maverick? This Owner Tuned His Tiny Pickup Into Muscle-Car Territory
GM EVs to Permanently Hang Up On Apple CarPlay and Android Auto


text:
My kids love Mega Rigs, and rightly so - they are awesome. This year's set appears to be all new. They tend to re-use molds a lot, but I can't recognize any parts here.
Mega Rigs are modular vehicle sets with figures. You can mix and match parts from different sets, and each has a stunning amount of detail on them. Truly one of the most underlooked toy lines in recent memory. Very kid-focused, but if you were a kid, you'd want these.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Kumar Ashwani & Associates
Chartered Accountants
As per act twice the rate of rate in force
***TDS is to be deducted on the amount of consideration paid by the transferee to the transferor This section does not take into account the stamp duty value of the immovable property, whereas, as the provisions of section per 43CA and 50C of the Act, for the computation of income under the head "Profits and gains from business or profession" and "capital gains" respectively, the stamp duty value is also to be considered. Thus there is inconsistency in the provisions of section 194-IA and sections 43CA and 50C of the Act.
Exceeding Rs.
10 Lakhs per transaction
(a) if the remittance is a loan obtained from any financial
instituted as defined in section 80E, for the purpose of Persuing any
(b) id the remittance is other than mentioned in (a) above.
(b) 5% (applicable from 01.10.2020)
0.5% (applicable from 01.10.2020)
> 1 crore
> 10 crore
Exceeding Rs. 10 Lakhs per transaction
0.5% (applicable from 01.10.2020)
Note: Last updated on 26.04.2022


text:
Battling it out for a World Cup win takes drive, skill, and a damned good bike. Trek cyclocross bikes give you every possible advantage in a full lineup of lightweight carbon and aluminum rides built to win in any conditions. We can't promise you a rainbow jersey, but we guarantee these cross bikes will wring out your best race performance yet.
{{ $t('productCompare.rack') }}


text:
Hi there. I've been sorting out my craft room, and once I had a nice and clean desk – then I just had to craft, didn't I? And – I tidied everything up afterwards! I don't think this will last, but at least I'll try.
Here is my card:
As I was tidying some of my stuff, I put new stamps and dies in a box so I could play with them. This is one of the stamp and die sets that has just been sitting around getting all lonesome…..
I started by using some Crafters Companion Neenah desert Storm card stock, and stamped the Concord and 9th 'Stuck On You' cactus in a light green, then kinda rocked a darker green over the stamp and stamped again, to get two colours of green.
I then stamped the plantar in Versafine Clare brown, and the little hearts which I placed in a row, and the notice board.
I die cut the images – except the notice board which I had to cut out by hand – and attached everything to a darker brown card base as you see.
A complete contrast to my very, very pink card yesterday………..
I shall be entering the following challenges:
Die Cuttin' Divas – die cuts with heat or dry embossing (base panel)
Water Cooler Challenges – masculine
Daring Cardmakers – cactus/cacti


text:
SAN FRANCISCO – Alex Smith quietly stayed behind the scenes after losing his job and watched from the sideline as San Francisco returned to the Super Bowl for the first time in 18 years. Yet the No. 1 overall draft pick from 2005 did make one thing known: The veteran quarterback still considers himself a starter.
And he hoped to get that chance again. Now, he appears to have it.
The Kansas City Chiefs have agreed to acquire Smith from the 49ers in the first major acquisition since Andy Reid took over as the team's new coach in early January, a person with knowledge of the trade told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal cannot become official until March 12, when the NFL's new business year begins. Another person familiar with the swap said the 49ers will get a second-round pick in April's draft, No. 34 overall, and a conditional pick in the 2014 draft.
After spending his first eight up-and-down years with the 49ers, Smith will get a welcome new start. The Chiefs will get the proven play-caller they hope can help turn things around under a new coach much the way Smith did under Jim Harbaugh in San Francisco.
'You never know when your opportunity's going to come,' Smith said late in the season. 'The good ones are ready when they do come.'
The Chiefs have gone this route before, acquiring Joe Montana from the 49ers nearly 20 years ago, in April 1993, after he won four Super Bowls but gave way to Steve Young – San Francisco's quarterback of the future.
Not so different from Smith's situation last season behind second-year QB Colin Kaepernick.
Moving Smith was hardly unexpected. He realized it once Kaepernick emerged as a capable starter over the season's final two months, and Smith all but said goodbye with his first pro team when he played briefly in the regular-season finale against Arizona to cheers of 'Let's Go, Alex!' and 'Alex! Alex!' from the Candlestick Park crowd.
With Smith now headed for Kansas City, Matt Cassel is likely headed out of town. And Reid will enter his first draft as Chiefs coach in April no longer needing to search for a quarterback.
The Chiefs' problems at quarterback are the single biggest reason they went 2-14 last season and secured the No. 1 pick in the draft for the first time in franchise history.
It's been a long-running problem for a franchise that has tried Steve Bono and Elvis Grbac (two more one-time 49ers), and more recently Damon Huard, Tyler Thigpen and Tyler Palko at quarterback. And then there's Cassel.
He was acquired by recently fired general manager Scott Pioli, and has two years left on a $63 million, six-year deal. He will likely be cut once Smith is acquired.
Cassel was benched last season in favor of Brady Quinn, who also is a free agent after going 1-7 as the starter.
If Smith can bring the steady form that defined his last two years, the Chiefs might be able to establish a much-needed consistency under center. They also found themselves a team-first player who led the 49ers through workouts during the 2011 lockout.
Under the three-year contract he signed last March, Smith is guaranteed $8.5 million in base salary for the 2013 season.
Smith thrived under 49ers coach and former NFL quarterback Harbaugh in one-plus season as the starter. Then, just like that, it all changed after he sustained a concussion.
Last week at the NFL combine, Harbaugh praised Smith and reiterated just how strong San Francisco was with Colin Kaepernick as the starter and someone with Smith's credentials at backup.
Yet everyone knew it was likely the 49ers would do their best to improve Smith's situation considering all he did for the franchise for nearly the past decade.
'Alex is really playing the best football of his career the last two years,' Harbaugh said. 'We think we got the best quarterback situation in the National Football League, feel strongly about that. Again, that'll be a process that plays out. Alex Smith continuing to be a 49er or if a trade occurs in the next weeks or months. Those are the two possibilities, most likely possibilities.'
Smith acknowledged when he lost the job to Kaepernick back in November that he had done nothing wrong but get hurt. Not only had he completed 26 of his previous 28 passes – 18 of 19 for 232 yards and three touchdowns without an interception and a 157.1 passer rating in a Monday Night Football win at Arizona on Oct. 29 – Smith had just earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors after that victory in the desert.
He then sustained a concussion in the second quarter of a 24-24 tie against St. Louis on Nov. 11 – saying later he threw a touchdown pass with blurry vision. Smith sat out the next game as Kaepernick dazzled in his debut as an NFL starter, beating the Bears handily at home on Monday Night Football.
After that, Harbaugh vowed to stick with the 'hot hand,' as he regularly put it, while complicating matters by still referring to Smith as a starter.
Smith's most poignant response to the situation was, 'I feel like the only thing I did to lose my job was get a concussion.'
Kaepernick led the 49ers to the NFC championship and a 34-31 loss to Baltimore in the Super Bowl in his second season. Now the 49ers are looking for his backup.
The 28-year-old Smith struggled for most of his career in San Francisco, plagued as much by coaching and constant coordinator changes as by his own indecisiveness. But when Harbaugh became coach in January 2011, Smith blossomed under the former QB's guidance. He was among the league leaders in passer rating (104.1) with a 70.2 completion percentage when he got hurt last season.
Fox Sports first reported the deal Wednesday.
— AP Pro Football Writer Barry Wilner and AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta contributed to this story.


text: Operations on data become more expensive when the data item is located higher in the memory hierarchy. An operation on data in CPU registers is roughly a million times faster than an operation on a data item that is located in external memory that needs to be fetched first. These data fetches are also called I/O operations and need to be taken into account during the design of an algorithm. The goal of this course is to become familiar with important algorithmic concepts and techniques needed to effectively deal with such problems. We will work with a simplified memory hierarchy, but the notions extend naturally to more realistic models. Prerequisites: In order to successfully take this course, you should already have a basic knowledge of algorithms and mathematics. Here's a short list of what you are supposed to know: - O-notation, Ω-notation, Θ-notation; how to analyze algorithms - Basic calculus: manipulating summations, solving recurrences, working with logarithms, etc. - Basic probability theory: events, probability distributions, random variables, expected values etc. - Basic data structures: linked lists, stacks, queues, heaps - (Balanced) binary search trees - Basic sorting algorithms, for example MergeSort, InsertionSort, QuickSort - Graph terminology, representations of graphs (adjacency lists and adjacency matrix), basic graph algorithms (BFS, DFS, topological sort, shortest paths) The material for this course is based on the course notes that can be found under the resources tab. We will not cover everything from the course notes. The course notes are there both for students who did not fully understand the lectures as well as for students who would like to dive deeper into the topics. The video lectures contain a few very minor mistakes. A list of these mistakes can be found under resources. If you think you found an error, report a problem by clicking the square flag at the bottom of the lecture or quiz where you found the error.


text:
Pisistratus pīsĭs´trətəs [key], 605?–527 BC, Greek statesman, tyrant of Athens. His power was founded on the cohesion of the rural citizens, whom he consolidated with farseeing land laws. His coup (c.560 BC) was probably not unpopular. His rivals, the Alcmaeonidae and the aristocracy, managed to exile him twice, but in his last years he established himself sufficiently to leave Athens in the hands of his sons, Hippias and Hipparchus. He first won Salamis for Athens and established Attic hegemony in the Dardanelles. He did much to enhance Athenian cultural prestige, held great festivals like the Panathenaea, and beautified the city. His building efforts included fountains and temples, such as the great temple of Zeus at Athens. He had an official text of Homer written down. His name also appears as Peisistratus.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Ancient History, Greece: Biographies


text:
Asus VC279H 27 " LED 90LM01D0-B01670 5 ms, 1920 x 1080 pixels, Black
|Social media:
|Exclusive GamePlus function
Exclusive GamePlus function hotkey to enable OSD crosshair and timer functions. Select from four different crosshair to suit your gaming environment, and keep track of spawn and build times with the on-screen timer.
Vivid, lifelike visuals
The latest IPS technology with 178。Wide-view angles
VC279 series feature with In-Plane Switching technology panel with a 178° wide-view angle that minimizes color shift on both horizontal and vertical planes to ensure quality visuals from almost any direction.
80,000,000:1 ASUS Smart Contrast Ratio
With ASUS Smart Contrast Ratio (ASCR) of 80,000,000:1 and 250cd/m² brightness, VC279H augments display contrast and sharpness by adjusting backlighting luminance to achieve the deepest blacks and brightest whites for truly lifelike visuals
80,000,000:1 ASUS Smart Contrast Ratio
ASUS-exclusive VividPixel Technology
The VividPixel Technology enhances outline, sharpness, and color saturation of images and videos to deliver high-quality visual experience.
Monitor without VividPixel
- Image quality mainly depends on panel itself
- Blur happens if original quality of an image is bad
- Usually people don't notice this detail because no comparison was made
VC series - In-Plane Switching technology panel incorporated with VividPixel
- In-Plane Switching technology panel known for its excellent image quality
- VividPixel default at 25 automatically fine-tunes image quality
- See more differences by choosing among 5 options in VividPixel setting
To deliver a more comfortable viewing experience, ASUS Eyecare monitors adopts Flicker free and Low Blue Light technology to clear out the distracted flicker shown on the screen and help reduce eye fatigue for long-period watching.
QuickFit Virtual Scale for true what you see is what you get
ASUS includes its exclusive QuickFit Virtual Scale feature with the VC279, allowing you to preview photos and documents on-screen in their actual size prior to printing. It can be activated via a monitor hotkey, and serves as a highly useful guide to accurately view and edit photos in their native size.
Supporting Formats :
- Document: A4, Letter
- Photo: 8"x10", 5"x7", 4"x6", 3"x5", 2"x2"
- Grid: Alignment


text:
A new twist in the Apple vs. Samsung legal proceedings spanning more than two dozen lawsuits across continents as the Federal Court in Australia lifted sales ban on Samsung's Galaxy Tab tablet today. The court unanimously overturned a ruling last month from Justice Annabelle Bennett which required that Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 be banned from sale in Australia.
Sydney Morning Hearld quoted the ruling:
Samsung will be permitted to launch the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia provided it keeps accounts of all transactions involving that device in Australia.
Samsung's Australian subsidiary says it is "pleased with today's unanimous decision". Reacting to the decision, Apple plans on appealing to the High Court. The Federal Court also honored Apple's request that its injunction remain in effect until Friday at 4pm, to allow the company time to prepare an appeal. A full hearing on copycat accusations is set for March 2012, which could still result in a permanent injunction.
Apple is also seeking a ban on the Galaxy Tab 10.1N, a revised version with an added metal frame around the edges. Samsung engineered the Galaxy Tab 10.1N after a district court in Dusseldorf blocked sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 on the grounds that the product bears too many similarities to Apple's iPad. A hearing in that case is scheduled for December 22. expand full story


text:
Adopting a new system with Calorie Credits and measuring Calorie Footprints will speed the growth of better-for-you food and drink brands.
Recently the Wall Street Journal reported that the major beverage companies are now taking ownership positions in coconut water brands. Touted as natural sports drinks, the beverages hold promise as the next wave of revenue and profit generators. More importantly, these actions are part of a pattern to shift from higher calorie products to better-for-you versions.
Large food and beverage companies are notorious for their poor track record at creating and developing new brands unless the name borrows from its legacy (e.g., Diet Coke; Honey Nut Cheerios; Grape Gatorade). Many big successes have often been acquired and examples abound:
- General Mills acquired the U.S. licensing rights to market Yoplait in 1977 before that category gained popularity in the United States. At the time, the move was considered a gamble by the cereal and cake mix company. In 2011, U.S. sales topped $1.5 billion.
- Gatorade could not break the $100 million sales barrier under baked bean canner Stokely-Van Camp. It was not until the Quaker Oats company bought the brand (now owned by PepsiCo) that it flourished, now commanding 70 percent of the $6.7 billion sports drink market.
- Before competitors could swoop in, Coca-Cola purchased Vitaminwater for $4.2 billion to guarantee its toehold in the growing non-carbonated enhanced waters segment.
The soda companies have been particularly adept at employing this line extension/acquisition strategy. When I first entered the soft drink industry 30 years ago, lower calorie beverages (i.e., diet sodas) comprised only 20 percent of sales as sugar sodas ruled. Since then, line extensions like Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero, and Pepsi Max, combined with opportunistic acquisitions, have helped beverage companies grow while lowering the number of calories they sell. According to a recent University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study, calories per capita from carbonated soft drinks (CSDs) sold by Coca-Cola and PepsiCo in the United States have actually declined 26 percent over the past decade. All this despite calls for increased regulatory action against these companies.
Yet despite high-profile acquisitions, line extensions (PDF) still represent the lion's share of new product launches. The reason is that this strategy helps mitigate the risk of failure and delivers more controlled growth. However, relying on line extensions alone slows the transformation to better-for-you items.
If we really want food and beverage companies to help pull calories off the street, improve the nutritional content of their products, and accelerate the reversal of obesity rates, we must provide a pathway to encourage them to step-up their purchases of better-for-you brands developed outside their corporate walls.
Rather than impose new regulations intended to drive the conversion to lower-calorie foods and beverages, I prefer the carrot to the stick. As demonstrated above, the soft drink industry has lowered its calorie contribution substantially without regulation primarily in response to changing consumer needs. If anything, proposals to tax and ban certain sugared beverages only serve to delay progress in adopting healthier brands as the companies are certain to resist, resulting in a protracted and costly altercation.
To trigger action, give companies Calorie Credits when they buy brands/companies that lower the overall calories they sell per capita.
The validity of each company's claim to a credit can be determined readily by tracking its Calorie Footprint, a measure of the calories sold per person or per dollar sales. Calorie Footprints for all food and beverage companies can be calculated via a credible third party institution, such as our Obesity Solutions Initiative at the Hudson Institute.
Several packaged goods marketers are already moving to shore up their product portfolios with better-for-you brands. Recent examples include General Mills' completion of the Yoplait acquisition, Group Danone's purchase of Stoneyfield Yogurt, and Coca-Cola's procurement of Honest Tea. Accelerating such activities would go a long way toward removing excess calories from the market. Given that the annual cost of obesity is estimated to be between $147 billion and $215 billion, credits to drive widespread distribution of more lower-calorie foods and beverages are more than merited. And they have been proven to be effective. A study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) concluded that the research tax credit, amounting to a $5.6 billion subsidy in 2009, fostered innovation and economic growth by reducing the cost of qualifying research by 6.4 percent to 7.3 percent.
One approach is to add a new provision to the 2010 Tax Relief Act which already allows R&D credits for such activities as new product development and ingredient research. An expansion of this definition to include the acquisition of better-for-you brands would go a long way to prompting the large food and beverage corporations to acquire and accelerate the national distribution of healthier, but less visible, brands.
Despite existing R&D credits, the food industry spends a paltry one percent to two percent of revenues on R&D. A broadened tax credit incorporating the purchase of better-for-you products would create a renewed urgency to accelerate acquisitions given their potential to more quickly impact revenues and profits.
Given the staggering price tag associated with obesity, credits are a small price to pay. They're worth a try.
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Exeter seventh grader to march in inaugural parade with service dog
EXETER — One 12-year-old's love for animals and helping others has turned into a chance of a lifetime.
On Monday, 7th grader Josie Greenston, of Exeter, will participate in the inaugural parade, along with 9-month-old dog named Manny, whom Josie has been training for the past seven months.
Josie has been training the puppy as part of her volunteer efforts for Canine Companions for Independence (CCI). After completing his training program, Manny, a Labrador and golden retriever mix, will go on to provide advanced assistance to adults and children with disabilities.
For a year and a half, Josie has been charged with teaching Manny 32 basic commands, as well as socialization, walking on a leash, not getting distracted, and bonding with humans. Her efforts will prepare him for advanced training with CCI, before the dog gets matched with a person with a disability.
CCI was one of the organizations chosen to participate Monday's inaugural parade, and through a lottery drawing, Josie became one of the CCI volunteers selected to travel to Washington, D.C., and walk beside Manny at the historic event.
"When I grow up, if I get married and have kids, I can tell my kids I walked in the inauguration parade," said Josie.
On Monday, she will be one of about 135 parade participants representing CCI. Fifty-seven dogs will be participating as well.
Josie, who wants to be a veterinarian, got involved with the CCI while searching for a project for her Bat Mitzvah, taking place this May.
"I love animals and I've wanted to help someone for a really long time," she said.
Josie's great-grandmother became paralyzed after suffering from a stoke at 27 years of age, and Josie says she's considered how much of a help it would have been for her to have an assistance dog.
So far, Josie has taught Manny commands such as "sit," "shake," "down," and "touch." The "touch" command will be helpful in teaching Manny how to turn light switches on and off down the road, she said.
The Exeter girl has even taught the dog to "hurry" — to go to the bathroom on command. Josie's mother, Holly Greenston, recalled a family visit to Lowe's with Manny, during which her husband told a family member to hurry up, making Manny go to the bathroom on the cement floor.
Because of Manny's yellow cape, telling the public he is an assistance dog in training, the puppy can travel to any public place, including movie theaters, restaurants, and stores. Josie said she is encouraged to get Manny into various environments, as part of his socialization and recalling the various commands despite a change in scenery.
Josie said she brings Manny to her synagogue, Temple Israel in Portsmouth, quite often. Now, Manny sits up whenever he hears the Adon Olam prayer.
"She's done such a good job with him," said Holly about her daughter's commitment to training Manny.
She said that Josie has had to give up activities such as sleepovers and socializing with friends, in order to fully take care of the puppy.
For Josie, the responsibility is worth it, she says.
On Monday, Josie and Manny will be walking in the inaugural parade with Lisa Richard, of CCI, who gives Josie assistance and advice when it comes to training.
"I'm really excited, I get to honor CCI. I also feel like I'm representing my school," said Josie, a student at Heronfield Academy in Hampton Falls.
Josie said that while she would love to get a chance to meet the president on Monday and say "hello," President Barack Obama will likely be "surrounded by big buff guys in black suits," she said.
In about a year, Josie will have to say goodbye to Manny, and while she admits it will be a sad day, she says it's a good feeling to know he will go on to help another person.
"He will help someone with their life — instead of sitting at home and watching TV, that person will go outside, go to the movies, and enjoy life," said Josie.
Holly emphasized that CCI, a nonprofit that highly depends on volunteers, needs more people to be puppy raisers. She said her daughter is one of just a handful of people in the state helping train a puppy for the organization.


text:
Morning Minutes: Sept. 6
Word of the Day
Moil MOYL (verb) To work hard; drudge; to be in continuous agitation; churn, swirl - www.merriam-webster.com
Website of the Day
The History of Labor Day
This website from the U.S. Department of Labor gives you the history of Labor Day and what it means. There also are resources for employees and employers on topics such as unemployment and health insurance.
Number to Know
$46,367 and $35,745: The 2008 real median earnings for male and female full-time, year-round workers, respectively. – Census.gov
This Day in History
Sept. 6, 1995: Cal Ripken Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles plays in his 2,131st consecutive game, breaking a record that stood for 56 years.
Today's Featured Birthday
Comedian/TV personality Jeff Foxworthy (52)
Daily Quote
"Sometimes it's important to work for that pot of gold. But other times it's essential to take time off and to make sure that your most important decision in the day simply consists of choosing which color to slide down on the rainbow." - Douglas Pagels


text:
Ramirez, Nolasco lead Dodgers past Red Sox
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- One mistake by John Lackey gave the Los Angeles Dodgers their fourth win in a row.
Hanley Ramirez hit a two-run homer with two outs in the fourth and Ricky Nolasco pitched eight innings of two-hit ball in a 2-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Friday night in the opener of an interleague series that began as a matchup between first-place teams.
The Dodgers earned their major league-leading 18th shutout of the season while improving to 46-10 since June 22. They opened a 10 game lead in the NL West, their biggest margin since holding the same lead on Sept. 28, 1977.
"We've been playing great," Nolasco said. "We're just staying with our focus no matter what the opponent is. We know how big it is to keep our `A' game going."
The Red Sox lost for the sixth time in eight games and fell percentage points behind Tampa Bay in the AL East standings. David Ortiz was hitless in three at-bats. Dustin Pedroia, Daniel Nava and Stephen Drew got the only hits off Nolasco.
He and Lackey dueled through much of Boston's first visit to Dodger Stadium since 2002. They combined for just five hits in a game that lasted 2 hours, 7 minutes, the Dodgers' shortest of the season.
"I had a lot of pitches going," Nolasco said. "You're just trying to match him. He just made one mistake and pitched a great game as well."
Nolasco (10-9) struck out six and walked none in tying his longest outing of the season. The right-hander reached double-digit victories for the sixth consecutive season, joining teammate Zack Greinke, Justin Verlander and CC Sabathia as the only pitchers to do so every year since 2008.
"We've had some guys throw very well against us this year," Boston manager John Farrell said. "But from a right-hander, this is probably as good a start as we've seen against us."
Nolasco is 5-1 in nine starts since being acquired from Miami. The Dodgers' starting rotation hasn't allowed a run in its last 23 innings and the staff improved to 18-2 with a 1.77 ERA in 27 games since July 26.
"As you get deeper into the season these guys start dominating," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "Ricky made it look easy. He gets a variety of breaking balls over to get ahead in the count and then he can change speeds. When he gets in a bit of trouble, he has another gear. He doesn't seem to get rattled out there."
Kenley Jansen pitched a perfect ninth to earn his 22nd save in 25 chances.
Lackey (8-11) gave up two runs and three hits in eight innings, struck out six and walked none in his first complete game since Sept. 10, 2009, when he was with the Angels. The right-hander has received no runs of support six times this season.
"That's about as good as I've felt this year. I had everything pretty much working for me," Lackey said. "It's frustrating when one pitch can decide a game. I enjoy these kind of games. I've been in a bunch of them. It definitely heightens the focus a little bit."
Ramirez sent a 1-2 pitch over the wall in center field, scoring Carl Crawford, who led off with a single and stole second. Jacoby Ellsbury climbed the wall while attempting to make the catch.
"He was trying to quick-pitch me. Maybe try to get me off-balance," Ramirez said of Lackey. "You got to stay tough and keep fighting until the mistake happens. We knew it wouldn't be easy with him. He was throwing a lot of strikes."
Crawford was part of the blockbuster, nine-player deal between the Red Sox and Dodgers last August. He was 2 for 3 against his old team. Los Angeles got Crawford, pitcher Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez and Nick Punto in exchange for James Loney, Ivan DeJesus Jr., pitchers Allan Webster and Rubby De La Rosa, and Jerry Sands.
The Red Sox had the tying runs at first and second with one out in the fifth, but Will Middlebrooks grounded into a double play to end the inning.
"With the exception of the back-to-back base hits in the fifth, every ball we squared up was right at someone," Farrell said.
NOTES: Hall of Fame announcer Vin Scully confirmed he will return in 2014 to call all Dodgers home games and road games in California and Arizona. It will be his 65th season with the team. ... Mattingly said slugger Matt Kemp is getting better, but he's not ready to return yet from a sprained left ankle. ... In 2002, the Red Sox were swept in three games in their only other trip to Dodger Stadium. ... Eight of Boston's last 12 losses have been by two runs or less. ... Boston was shut out for the 10th time this season.


text:
Test Act
Test Act, 1673, English statute that excluded from public office (both military and civil) all those who refused to take the oaths of allegiance and supremacy, who refused to receive the communion according to the rites of the Church of England, or who refused to renounce belief in the Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation. Although directed primarily against Roman Catholics, it also excluded Protestant nonconformists. In 1678 it was extended to members of Parliament. The law was modified by the Act of Toleration of 1689, which enabled most non-Catholics to qualify. However, some Protestants did not conform and were disqualified from office until the repeal of the act at the time of Catholic Emancipation. See Penal Laws.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: British and Irish History


text:
About the Site
About Techrights
Techrights deals with a variety of issues that affect our everyday computing. It works by addressing particular subjects that need to be better understood and thus resolved.
About Software Patents
Techrights opposes software patents and actively discourages their use and legitimacy in law. The resistance to software patents relates to the "Boycott Novell" initiative, which was described in 2007 as follows.
About "Boycott Novell"
"Boycott Novell" is not a blog; rather, it strives to become a community where readers and contributors share their thoughts and interpretation. This is not a hate site. This is neither a crusade nor any type of propaganda front. We have our mind set on a single goal: finding out the truth.
The Web site covers not only the Novell deal (with Microsoft), but it also discusses similar exclusionary and questionable deals. Novell's deal is the raison d'être which began this campaign and marked the beginning of something that can last for years.
It has become clear that there are coordinated attempts to undermine the purpose and goals of the Free software movement, which includes GNU/Linux, OpenOffice, and various compatibility and interoperability layers such as Wine and Samba. The site aims to look at these newly-introduced issues and resolve those that are fuelled and funnelled through disinformation and manipulation.
If you are new to this site or just happen to lurk, we encourage you to take part in the discussion. We perceive comments as discussions, not just placements for feedback and correction. We are very responsive to comments.
Together, we can make the truth be heard.
Last edited in 2007


text:
Hit-and-run victim's family turns to public for help finding driver
Luis Rodriguez in ICU at Delray Medical Center
Family members of a West Palm Beach man who was injured in a hit-and-run crash are asking for the public's help finding the driver.
It happened just after 3:30 a.m. Friday on Military Trail near Cambridge Street in Lake Worth.
According to a traffic crash report from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, a deputy in the area was flagged down by a passing motorist who stated there was a person lying in the road in the northbound lanes of Military Trail.
The victim has been identified as 32-year-old Luis Rodriguez.
His uncle, Pedro Rodriguez, said he obtained surveillance video from a nearby business that shows the vehicle hit his nephew, who was walking north next to the median.
The video then shows the driver stop the car, check for damages, get back inside and leave the scene.
"He pretty much knew he hit a person and doesn't care," Pedro Rodriguez told WPBF 25 News.
Luis Rodriguez is in the intensive care unit at Delray Beach Medical Center.
His family is urging anyone with information to contact the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.


text:
By Tenzin Namgyal Tethong, Kalon Tripa 2011 Candidate, 4/27/2011
The official results of the 2011 Kalon Tripa and Parliamentary elections of the Tibetan government were declared late last night by the Election commission in Dharmsala, India. Since early this morning I had to be available for the VOA Kunleng interview which was followed by many e-mails and calls. Hence this delay in communicating with all of you. My apologies.
I want to start by congratulating Lobsang Sangay la on his successful election to the office of the Kalon Tripa. I have already wished him success in carrying out the heavy responsibilities of the Tibetan government in exile. On a personal level, I cannot but say the results were a disappointment. However, when I look at the larger Tibetan picture, it is nowhere as critical as the suffering of the Tibetan people for over fifty years. The opportunity to offer my services and to participate in the election process was a rich and rewarding experience. I stand proud with all those who supported and campaigned for me. I believe that our efforts were a positive and meaningful contribution to this important democratic exercise.
Once more, I thank all those who supported and encouraged me to run for this office in the first place, and I especially want to thank all those who went out of their way to campaign on my behalf, offer donations, and to travel with me to many of the Tibetan communities and settlements. Your concerns for the future of Tibet and your deep involvement in our affairs is a source of great strength and encouragement to all. I also want to thank all those who came to meet me and to listen to what I had to say about the role and responsibilities of a Kalon Tripa and the daunting future we all face.
Tashi Delek and my very best wishes to all who have been elected on this important day.
Election 2011 >


text:
Feb. 22, 2007 -- Having a vasectomy may increase a man's risk of developing a rare form of dementia, early research suggests, although more study is needed to confirm the finding.
Researchers at Chicago's Northwestern University found that men with a neurological condition known as primary progressive aphasia, or PPA, were more likely to have had the sterilization surgery than men without the disorder.
PPA is a rare condition characterized by a steady loss of language skills.
It primarily occurs after age 50. Those with the disorder have increasing difficulty expressing themselves and understanding speech.
"We definitely aren't saying that having a vasectomy causes this condition or that men should not have vasectomies," researcher Sandra Weintraub, PhD, tells WebMD. "It is way too early for that. We need to do more research to understand this."
Vasectomy and PPA
Weintraub, a professor of neurology and psychiatry at the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, says she began investigating a possible link between PPA and vasectomies after a 43-year-old patient asked her if his sterilization surgery might be linked to his PPA.
He discussed the issue at a support group meeting of men with dementia, and it turned out that eight of the nine men in the room with PPA had had vasectomies.
"That is when we decided to do a systematic investigation, but it took some time because this is not a common disease," Weintraub says.
The researchers surveyed 47 men with PPA undergoing treatment at Northwestern's Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center and 57 men without dementia who were volunteers from the community. All the men were aged 55 to 80.
The researchers concluded that more than twice as many men with PPA had undergone vasectomies as men without the dementia -- 40% vs. 16%.
In other preliminary research, Weintraub and colleagues found no difference in vasectomy rates between patients with Alzheimer's disease and men without Alzheimer's
Why Vasectomy May Increase Dementia Risk
Weintraub theorized that vasectomy may raise the risk of the rare dementias by breaching the protective barrier between the bloodstream and the testes.
When that barrier is broken, as occurs with vasectomy, sperm become exposed to the bloodstream. In response, many men who have had the surgery produce antisperm antibodies.
These antibodies may affect the brain, causing damage which can lead to dementia.
But this is only speculation, and Weintraub says she hopes to conduct much larger studies to better understand the issue.
American Urological Association spokesman Ira Sharlip, MD, agrees that few conclusions can be drawn without such studies.
He points to earlier concerns about vasectomies, including research in the 1980s suggesting an increased risk of atherosclerosis in men who had undergone the procedure, and research in the 1990s suggesting a link between vasectomy and prostate cancer.
None of those concerns turned out to be valid, Sharlip says.
Sharlip is a clinical professor of urology at the University of California, San Francisco.
"There have been many large, epidemiological studies comparing vasectomized and nonvasectomized men, and none of them have shown any health risks associated with vasectomy," he says.
"Vasectomy is the single most reliable form of birth control that exists. I would hope that men would not be frightened by this study, which is very preliminary," says Sharlip.


text:
Obama inconsistent with handling the Arab world
WASHINGTON — It's hard to argue with President Obama's call for Bashar al-Assad, the bloodthirsty Syrian dictator, to step down. But it's also hard to discern any logic or consistency in the administration's handling of the ongoing tumult in the Arab world.
It is obvious that Assad, like Libyan strongman Moammar Gaddafi, has no intention of surrendering power voluntarily. It is also clear that Assad's savagery is a match for Gaddafi's. Both used armored columns to put down peaceful protests. Both ordered assassinations and arrests. Both used naval vessels to shell cities that had become hotbeds of unrest.
So do we give Assad the Gaddafi treatment? Does Obama follow up his statement with a barrage of cruise missiles? Do we involve ourselves in yet another Middle Eastern war?
I don't see how. U.S. military forces are stretched painfully thin, with large-scale deployments still bogged down in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Pentagon's enormous budget is under new scrutiny, with increasing numbers of Republicans joining Democrats in demanding deep cuts. And polls consistently show that as we near the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, with Osama bin Laden dead, the American public is weary of war.
The call for Assad to go, then, appears more symbolic than substantive. You can't call it pure theater, since it does put additional pressure on the regime and lays the groundwork for further sanctions. But if everyone knows that Assad won't leave -- and that we won't make him -- the demand from the White House sounds like an extremely tardy statement of the obvious.
What we need is something the president has refused to provide: an Obama Doctrine governing the use of force to defend civilians against their own despotic governments, or at least spelling out how the United States views its role in the still-unfolding Arab Spring.
When the United States joined with NATO allies in launching the Libya intervention, Obama said he was not operating under some general rule about when to use force. At the time, my view was that we needed some guidelines. That opinion hasn't changed.
What I worry about, obviously, is mission creep. In coordination with the White House, the leaders of France, Germany, Britain and the European Union also issued statements Thursday calling on Assad to step down. Earlier this week, the government of Turkey -- which has gone out of its way to remain on relatively good terms with Assad -- expressed its exasperation at the Syrian leader's bloody crackdown and gave him what sounded like an ultimatum.
Why now? The unspeakable violence against Syrian civilians has been going on for months. It's hard to believe that the conscience of the developed world has just awakened. It's easier to surmise — but just as difficult to accept, from the moral standpoint — that U.S. and European leaders assumed Assad would survive no matter what outside pressure was applied, meaning that someday they would again have to regard him as a legitimate head of state.
What next? If the assumption that Assad will hang on has changed, how do the Obama administration and its allies see events unfolding? The new sanctions will apply a painful financial squeeze. Perhaps the declaration that Assad must go will embolden Syrians who despise the regime but believe it is unlikely to be overthrown. If these fence-sitters join the protests because of our encouragement, are we obliged to give them protection and support?
Where else? Except in Yemen, other autocratic Arab regimes have managed to tamp down democratic uprisings — for now. But what about Bahrain, where the Sunni royal family used deadly force to crush legitimate protests by the Shiite majority? For that matter, what about Saudi Arabia and Jordan, where friendly monarchs govern without any of the inconveniences of democracy? Our approach seems to be that we seek to oust dictators only when their rule is seriously threatened.
It's predictable that Republican presidential candidates will blast Obama for his handling of the Syria crisis and the whole Arab Spring. These attacks will be cynical and unfair, because none of the GOP hopefuls has come up with a viable alternative approach — with the exception of Ron Paul, who believes we have no business meddling in other nations' affairs, even Syria's.
But what happens if Assad decides his best move is to end the protests as quickly and brutally as possible? What if he kills not hundreds but many thousands? How do we respond?
Like I said, we really need a plan.


text:
Tumors grow faster in cancer-prone mice given vitamins
Giving vitamin E and another supplement to mice with early stages of lung cancer makes the animals' tumors grow quicker.
The tumors also killed the mice twice as fast as early-stage lung lesions in mice not given the supplements, both of which are antioxidants. As expected, the antioxidants did reduce damage to DNA but also reduced levels of p53, an essential protein that suppresses tumor development, researchers report January 29 in Science Translation Medicine.
The results, confirmed in human lung cancer cells, suggest that taking antioxidants may speed up, not supress, tumor growth in smokers and other people already at a higher risk of cancer. The study does not show what would happen in healthy people.


text:
# note that this is normally a component for a ResultSet
package MySchema::ResultSet::Bar;
use strict;
use warnings;
use parent 'DBIx::Class::ResultSet';
# and then in code that uses the ResultSet Join with relation x
my $rs = $schema->resultset('Bar')->search({'x.name' => 'abc'},{ join => 'x' });
# 'x' now pollutes the query namespace
# So the following works as expected
my $ok_rs = $rs->search({'x.other' => 1});
# But this doesn't: instead of finding a 'Bar' related to two x rows (abc and
# def) we look for one row with contradictory terms and join in another table
# (aliased 'x_2') which we never use
my $broken_rs = $rs->search({'x.name' => 'def'});
my $rs2 = $rs->as_virtual_view;
# doesn't work - 'x' is no longer accessible in $rs2, having been sealed away
my $not_joined_rs = $rs2->search({'x.other' => 1});
# works as expected: finds a 'table' row related to two x rows (abc and def)
my $correctly_joined_rs = $rs2->search({'x.name' => 'def'});
DESCRIPTIONThis component is will allow you to clean up your SQL namespace. See ``NOTE'' in DBIx::Class::Helper::ResultSet for a nice way to apply it to your entire schema.
DEPRECATEDThis component has been suplanted by DBIx::Class::ResultSet::as_subselect_rs. In the next major version (3) we will begin issuing a warning on it's use. In the major version after that (4) we will remove it entirely.
as_virtual_viewAct as a barrier to SQL symbols. The resultset provided will be made into a ``virtual view'' by including it as a subquery within the from clause. From this point on, any joined tables are inaccessible to ->search on the resultset (as if it were simply where-filtered without joins). See ``SYNOPSIS'' for example.
NOTEYou don't have to use this as a Component. If you prefer you can use it in the following manner:
# in code using ResultSet: use DBIx::Class:Helper::VirtualView; my $new_rs = DBIx::Class::Helper::VirtualView::as_virtual_view($rs);
THANKSThanks to ijw from #dbix-class for the idea for this helper (originally called seal), most of the code, and most of the documentation.
AUTHORArthur Axel ``fREW'' Schmidt <[email protected]>
COPYRIGHT AND LICENSEThis software is copyright (c) 2015 by Arthur Axel ``fREW'' Schmidt.
This is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as the Perl 5 programming language system itself.


text:
Following in the footsteps of Hotties Michael Jordan, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, NBA Hottie Lebron James has been announced as the host for the season premiere of Saturday Night Live in September. It is possible he parlayed his recent stint on the ESPYs into a gig hosting SNL when he parodied Bobby Brown by singing "My Lebrongative." Hmmmm. Well considering the current state of SNL, Lebron should fit right in. Kidding! I think Manning had a very funny episode and Lebron could definitely produce something awesome as well. [Please Let Him Host Weekend Update]
Golf Hottie Tiger Woods is off to a right fine start at the Open Championship. The lucky bloke eagled the par-5 6th hole and to that I say, "Well done, old chap! Cheerio!" Tiger is currently sitting at -2 par through 18 holes, which has him tied for 7th place. He has bested fellow golf hotties Luke Donald and Retief Goosen by one stroke, with the Justin Hotties lagging behind, as it is +3 for Leonard, +4 for Rose, +7 for Kehoe and Bob's your uncle! Update: Swarthy Spanish Hottie Sergio Garcia is leading through 18 holes today at -6. Good show, ya dodgy crumpet! Have a good time on the links old boys, and when you finish with 18, don't forget to snog your bird. Toodle pip! [Turn the ol' Telly to the Beeb and See the Fellas I Fancy]
Cincinnati Reds Hottie Ken Griffey Jr. went 2-for-5 in
yesterday's last night's win over the Atlanta Braves, but the first hit was all he needed to become the 84th player in history to get 2,500 hits. Between the 2,500 Hits Club and the 600 HRs Club, Junior's having himself a nice little season. The Cincy win also marked the first 3-game sweep of Atlanta by Cincinnati since April 1990. Wow. The last time Cincy swept Atlanta, I was giving my Barbies butch hair cuts and melting army men in my grandparents' fireplace. Despite Old Man Smoltz's fanning 11 Reds in 7 innings, the Braves could not pull it out. The game went to 15 innings, clocking in at 4 hours 31 minutes. [Can You Imagine What Kind of Records Junior Would Have If He Didn't Get Hurt All The Time?]
I wanted to do something on College Football hotties but the top news stories read like this:
- 4 Gophers dismissed in sex charges case
- Wisconsin suspends RB Lance Smith
- Top Rutgers assistant pleads not guilty
- Nebraska WR Purify given probation
- FSU's Bowden leads class to be enshrined
- Weis takes stand in malpractice suit
- Arkansas RB coach Nutt resigns
What a sad state of affairs! So instead, here are some of my favorite pictures. Also, cause Holly wanted some hot baseball ass:


text:
Menlo Park's only auto factory assembles $100,000 cars
Passers-by may well have seen the sleek, gray and very modern Tesla dealership at 300 El Camino in Menlo Park, just opposite the intersection with Partridge Avenue, on a lot that once was home to Anderson Chevrolet. One of the first two U.S. showrooms (the other is in Santa Monica), this dealership has the distinction of also being the facility where Tesla assembles its $109,000 Roadster model. Four garage bays behind the showroom are home to the final assembly of the car's major components
A truly global product, Tesla's carbon fiber body panels are made in France by Sotira, then assembled into a unique chassis in Hethel, U.K., by contractor Lotus. The cars are then sent to Menlo Park, where workers install the U.S.-built Tesla AC induction motor. The 1000-pound battery pack is assembled at Tesla's Palo Alto headquarters using cells from Japan's Panasonic. The single-speed gearbox is built by Michigan-based supplier Borg Warner Inc.
The Tesla's 245-horsepower electric motor has only one moving part and weighs less than 80 pounds: the design is a direct descendant of the AC induction motor that Nikolai Tesla patented in 1888 (pictured). The lightweight motor and Tesla's custom controller electronics are also installed in Menlo Park, where many of the 1,300 Teslas now on the road have been produced.
Tesla founder Elon Musk has plans to begin producing a new car, the Model S, in the near future. The $50,000, seven-passenger sedan is meant to compete with Lexus and other luxury brands, and Musk hopes to produce about 20,000 cars per year initially. Tesla's Menlo neighbors need not be concerned about a surge in workers or parts deliveries, however. Tesla recently made a good deal for space in the now-dormant NUMMI plant in Fremont.


text:
PHILADELPHIA -- Justin Holl and the Minnesota Golden Gophers cut it about as close as possible after waiting all season to renew their long rivalry with North Dakota.
The senior defenseman scored a short-handed goal with 0.6 seconds left to give Minnesota a 2-1 victory over North Dakota on Thursday night in the NCAA hockey semifinals.
Minnesota (28-6-6) will face Union College in the title game Saturday night. Union beat Boston College 5-4 in the first semifinal at Wells Fargo Center.
"Guess it was just another boring Minnesota-North Dakota game," Gophers coach Don Lucia joked.
Holl scored his first goal of the season, beating Zane Gothberg to the glove side with a shot just inside the right post.
"Most of us were just focused on killing the penalty and getting into overtime," Holl said. "It just developed where there were 5 seconds left and I might as well jump in (the offensive rush). And it went in."
The Gophers were in the midst of killing off a power play on which North Dakota fired four shots on Adam Wilcox, but the Minnesota goalie stopped them all. Overall, Wilcox made 36 saves.
"We're a good team with a great goalie," Lucia said.
Minnesota advanced to its 11th championship game and first since 2003, the year it won the last of its five titles.
"For me it was more relief than joy," Lucia said. "But I'm happy for our kids that they found a way to win."
Sam Warning opened the scoring for Minnesota with 9:09 left, and Connor Gaarder tied it for North Dakota 32 seconds later.
North Dakota (25-14-3) entered the tournament as an at-large No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region and beat top-seeded Wisconsin and second-seeded Ferris State in double overtime.
"It's really important to know that you left everything out there. And our guys did that today," North Dakota coach Dave Hakstol said. "It's a bit of a numbing feeling to be walking away at this point in time."
After two scoreless periods, Warning finally broke through on a second-chance backhand shot in the slot. But Gaarder countered, putting the puck between Wilcox and the post on his own rebound.
North Dakota nearly found the back of the net twice in the closing minutes of the second period. First, Drake Caggiula had an open net, but whiffed on an attempted shot. About a minute later, Gaarder had a one-time chance in the same spot and similarly couldn't get his stick on the puck.
For the Gophers, North Dakota's loss was reminiscent of their own tournament exit a season ago, when they fell just 9 seconds into overtime to eventual-champion Yale in the first round.
"No one likes to go through that -- the season ending like that. It's a disappointing way to go out," Wilcox said. "After the game you really think about what they could feel like, and that could've been your spot, so you just (feel) really fortunate you're able to move on.
"We're playing the best hockey we have all year at the right time."
Game notes
The two programs last met in the NCAA tournament in 2012, when Minnesota won 5-2 in the regional finals. Minnesota is 3-2 vs. North Dakota in tournament games. ... The two former WCHA rivals didn't meet in the regular season for the first time since 1946-47 after Minnesota moved to the newly formed Big Ten hockey conference this year. ... Minnesota has 146-130-15 lead in the series that dates to 1930.


text:
Children's National Medical Center announced at the annual Children's Ball on Saturday that its "Transforming Children's Health" campaign has surpassed its goal of raising $500 million to support innovations in pediatric medicine. To date, the campaign has generated $506,178,007.
"For 140 years, Children's National has been committed to providing the best possible care to children in the metropolitan Washington area," said Edwin K. Zechman, Jr., president and chief executive officer at Children's National. "The success of this campaign underscores the generosity of our community in supporting the health of children in our community and throughout the world."
Launched in 2005, the "Transforming Children's Health" campaign helped fund programs and research in every area of the hospital, modernize its facilities and equipment, hire world-class pediatric specialists, and make significant investments in research.
Peter Holbrook, MD, chief medical officer, said, "Pediatric medicine today is defined by the ability not only to react and respond, but also to predict and prevent children's medical problems. Philanthropic support is enabling us to make a greater impact by anticipating and meeting the needs of children and their families wherever they are."
Pam King Sams, executive vice president for development, expressed gratitude for the many donors who contributed to the hospital during the campaign. "Thanks to the generous support of the community – individuals, corporations, employees, board members, government officials, and others – Children's National is already improving care for children. The investments we've made as a result of this campaign will benefit families for generations to come, and we appreciate all of our donors for their commitment."
The campaign raised money in four categories:
The campaign featured the largest gift ever made to Children's National – a $150 million gift from the Government of Abu Dhabi to create the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, which is working to make surgery more precise, less invasive, and pain-free for all children. It also supported the construction and opening of the East Inpatient Tower, a state-of-the-art facility designed with the input of families, patients, and staff, which was made possible through philanthropic support and congressional appropriations.
Contact: Mark Miller, 202-870-7408
Children's National Health System, based in Washington, D.C., has served the nation's children since 1870. Children's National is one of the nation's Top 5 pediatric hospitals and, for a second straight year, is ranked No. 1 in newborn care, as well as ranked in all specialties evaluated by U.S. News & World Report. It has been designated two times as a Magnet® hospital, a designation given to hospitals that demonstrate the highest standards of nursing and patient care delivery. This pediatric academic health system offers expert care through a convenient, community-based primary care network and specialty outpatient centers in the D.C. Metropolitan area, including the Maryland suburbs and Northern Virginia. Home to the Children's Research Institute and the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, Children's National is the seventh-highest NIH-funded pediatric institution in the nation. Children's National is recognized for its expertise and innovation in pediatric care and as a strong voice for children through advocacy at the local, regional and national levels.
For more information, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.


text:
Case Logic Computer Sleeve
Product Code: Case Logic Computer Sleeve
This subtly detailed, traditional sleeve provides a streamlined option that fits within anyone's comfort zone. The wrap construction cradles your laptop in substantial foam padding, and thoughtful details add hints of sophisticated styling. Slide this sleek sleeve easily into your briefcase, backpack, tote or other bag.


text:
The Obama administration has offered up a strange mix of copyright policies in its first year (both ACTA and Creative Commons, for instance), but it has at least made clear that "better copyright law" does not always mean "more copyright protection." In the middle of December, for instance, the administration took a stand in support of a World Intellectual Property Organization treaty on copyright exceptions for the blind. The final bit of the US statement of support is worth quoting in full (emphasis added):
We recognize that some in the international copyright community believe that any international consensus on substantive limitations and exceptions to copyright law would weaken international copyright law. The United States does not share that point of view. The United States is committed to both better exceptions in copyright law and better enforcement of copyright law. Indeed, as we work with countries to establish consensus on proper, basic exceptions within copyright law, we will ask countries to work with us to improve the enforcement of copyright. This is part and parcel of a balanced international system of intellectual property.
It's a call for "balanced" copyright taken directly to the WIPO—and it's one opposed by the deepest-pocketed copyright holders. Here's why.
No U-turns on the copyright highway
The copyright treaty in question (PDF) was proposed by Brazil, Ecuador, and Paraguay in May 2009 as way to guarantee worldwide access to copyrighted materials by the blind. In its current draft form, the treaty lays out mandatory copyright exceptions that every signatory must adopt. These include making "accessible" copies of works even without the permission of the copyright holder (usually on a non-profit basis, and after paying a government-determined fee to the rightsholder). As for DRM, groups making works available for the blind or sight-impaired would be allowed to bypass or break DRM in order to access a work.
This might not sound hugely controversial; after all, the market for large-print or Braille works is (relatively) small and compensation would still need to be paid. But what bothers big rightsholders is the fact that a WIPO treaty might switch from specifying only mandatory copyright enforcement principles (the current approach) to also specifying some mandatory exceptions to copyright.
Isn't that right, Steven Metalitz, DC copyright lawyer extraordinaire and repeated representative of the MPAA and RIAA?
The uniform approach within this global framework has been to set minimum standards of copyright protection, subject to certain exceptions or limitations which are permissible, but not mandatory. As a corollary, none of the existing treaties bars national legislation that provides stronger protection than the global minimum standard, or that declines to recognize a permissible limitation or exception... The draft treaty would turn this long-standing principle on its head, demanding that signatories limit copyright protection to an extent not even permissible under the existing treaties...
Viewed in context, the draft treaty appears to many as the not-so-thin edge of a wedge to be driven into the long- standing structure of global copyright norms. It advocates a U-turn in the approach to global copyright norms that would almost certainly not be restricted to the issue of access for the visually impaired, or even for the disabled community generally. Adoption of this proposal would be used to justify its radical approach—mandating in national law exceptions and limitations that reach far beyond what would be even permissible under global norms today—in many other fields of copyright law.
Read that again if it didn't sink in. (It's from Metalitz's commentary on the draft treaty (PDF), helpfully provided to the government.) Providing stronger mandatory copyright protections and enforcement mechanisms (think ACTA) is totally normal, right, and proper; providing stronger exceptions to copyright is "radical" and a "U-turn." And in this context, a U-turn would be a Very Bad Thing indeed.
There's no interest in balance here, and no real attempt to act like there should be. Copyright protections move naturally and logically in only one direction, toward stronger enforcement mandates. Governments are allowed to pass certain exemptions to copyright, but if they don't, and a host of blind people have limited access to certain works, too bad.
The US Chamber of Commerce, while going out of its way to laud the goals of the treaties, has the same objections (PDF): international mandates are only for enforcement, not for exceptions.
The current international intellectual property framework is based on harmonizing national laws or establishing 'minimum standards' of protection subject to flexibilities that permit limited exceptions... The treaty proposal takes the exact opposite approach by seeking to establish 'necessary minimum flexibilities,' which threaten to undermine existing norms in copyright... If the 'minimum flexibilities' approach were adopted, even in an agreement limited in scope to accessibility of copyrighted works for persons with certain disabilities, this approach could be adopted in other areas well.
In other words, patent and trademark regimes might also be subjected to the humiliation of having to accept mandated limits and exceptions.
The Chamber of Commerce has some ideas about how WIPO might better handle the issue of making works more accessible to the blind; the main suggestion is supporting "further studies" on how nations around the world handle the issue. Such a "best practices" report, whenever it might eventually be finished, could then be used to start thinking about a better approach.
WIPO actually already commissioned and received such a report—230+ pages of just such material, replete with case studies from around the globe, which was published in 2007. That report focused on copyright law and how nations handled exceptions for the blind, but the Chamber doesn't want copyright law changed; they would prefer that future reports focus on "the efforts of the private sector" instead.
The treaty as it stands does raise all sorts of legitimate questions. (Should the traditional "three-step test" for deciding if national copyright exemptions meet international treaty obligations be scrapped, for instance, in favor of mandated exemptions that rely on no such test? Can better results be achieved using existing treaties?) What's interesting about the debate isn't the treaty itself but the resistance—indeed, the bewilderment—of those who truly see mandated copyright enforcement as some natural state of affairs for international treaties and who will brook no move to a system that balances mandated enforcement with mandated exemptions.
And what's more interesting still is that the current stance of the Obama administration on these issues is to challenge this idea. Take a look again at the statement we opened with: "We recognize that some in the international copyright community believe that any international consensus on substantive limitations and exceptions to copyright law would weaken international copyright law. The United States does not share that point of view."
Now, the issue of what constitutes "balanced copyright" is hugely debatable, and it's an argument worth having. Indeed, the administration may be making a veiled reference to ACTA in its statement that the US will work to "establish consensus on proper, basic exceptions within copyright law, [and] will ask countries to work with us to improve the enforcement of copyright." In other words, we support a treaty for the blind even as we push for ACTA.
Based on our own reading of the ACTA leaked drafts to date, it's not yet clear this is really "balance" in any meaningful sense of the word (and it's certainly not "transparency"), but it is heartening to see the US actually supporting the idea that copyright legislation will need tweaking over time—and that tweaking does not always move in one direction.
When you're going the wrong way, driving faster isn't the answer; a U-turn is.


text:
Katrina Bowden Lifts More Than Spirits For FHM's May Issue
FHM's May 2012 issue contains a 30-page feature dedicated all-American college girl cheerleaders lead by 30 Rock star Katrina Bowden who can also be seen in American Reunion, which released Friday.
We knew K-Bow was superhuman hot on 30 Rock, but over the last year or so, she's really cranked up the heat. First, by winning Esquire's Sexiest Woman Alive tournament in 2011 accompanied by her intimate "Me In My Place" shoot followed by her spread in Maxim's February 2012 issue. We wouldn't mind one of these shoots every month and, at this rate, we might just get it.
Anyone else think she deserves an entire episode of 30 Rock? Maybe she switches bodies with Liz Lemon somehow? That happens a lot nowadays, right?
[Via FHM]


text:
Electric : Da-Lite Tensioned Advantage Electrol
Same great design as our Advantage Electrol except screen is tensioned for an extra flat surface for optimum image quality when using video or data projection. Tab guide cable system maintains even lateral tension to hold surface flat while custom slat bar with added weight maintains vertical tension. All fabrics listed will be seamless.


text:
February 15th, 2012
Mormons apologize for posthumous baptisms of Wiesenthal's parents
By Moni Basu, CNN
(CNN) - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has apologized for "a serious breach of protocol" in which the parents of the late Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal were posthumously baptized as Mormons.
The church also acknowledged that three relatives of Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel were entered into the genealogy database, though not referred for baptism.
Asher Wiesenthal and Rosa Rapp were baptised in proxy ceremonies in temples in Utah and Arizona, according to the database records discovered by researcher Helen Radkey in Salt Lake City.
The Wiesenthal baptisms violated a 1995 pact in which the church agreed to stop baptizing Jewish Holocaust victims.
"We sincerely regret that the actions of an individual member of the church led to the inappropriate submission of these names," said church spokesman Michael Purdy.
"These submissions were clearly against the policy of the church. We consider this a serious breach of our protocol and we have suspended indefinitely this person's ability to access our genealogy records."
Mormons believe that they may be baptized by proxy for deceased ancestors who never had that opportunity.
Church members, however, are supposed to request such baptisms only for their own relatives, Purdy said.
The agreement over Holocaust victims came about after it was discovered that hundreds and thousands of names had been entered into Mormon records.
Jewish leaders said it was sacrilegious for Mormons to suggest Jews on their own were not worthy enough to receive God's eternal blessing. Radkey, who has been tracking Mormon genealogy records for a while for people who ought not to be there, said she inadvertently stumbled upon the Wiesenthal name a few weeks ago. Among others people she discovered had been baptized by proxy is President Barack Obama's mother, Stanley Ann Dunham.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center denounced the baptisms.
Wiesenthal's father died in combat in World War I. His mother perished at the Belzec concentration camp in 1942. Holocaust survivor Simon Wiesenthal died in 2005 after spending years hunting down Nazis.
"We are outraged that such insensitive actions continue in the Mormon Temples," said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, who participated in many of the high-level meetings between Jews and Mormon officials.
"Such actions make a mockery of the many meetings with the top leadership of the Mormon Church dating back to 1995 that focused on the unwanted and unwarranted posthumous baptisms of Jewish Victims of the Nazi Holocaust," he said in a written statement.
He expressed gratitude to Radkey for "exposing the latest outrage."
Radkey also found the names of relatives of Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor, author and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
"In this case, the Wiesel family names were not submitted for baptisms but simply entered into a genealogical database," Purdy said. "Our system would have rejected those names had they been submitted."
Purdy said it was "distressing" that church members had violated policy and regretted that "an offering based on love and respect becomes a source of contention."
Radkey said the church makes such breaches possible because any member can submit a name not connected to their own family.
"There are way too many entries slipping through the cracks, including Jewish Holocaust victims," she said. "It's (the Mormons') belief to save the dead that is causing the problem."
Wiesel, meanwhile, told the Huffington Post that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who is Mormon, should speak to his own church and tell them to stop the practice of proxy baptisms on Jews.
soundoff (2,053 Responses)
About this blog
The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.


text:
NO COPYRIGHTS INTENDED - Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. As the up-loader, I am in no way using this to gain profit or compensation, this is strictly for entertainment purposes!!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a DJ Southern Guy Official "Slowed" Tape. If you are wanting requests of any kind please email me at firstname.lastname@example.com. If you are having trouble downloaded this tape or any tape please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. RIP Robert Earl Davis aka "DJ Screw" and lets "Slow The World Down"
- 52
- 28
- Favorite
- Share
- Like
- Dislike


text:
May 9, 2007 — -- Picture chefs in crisp whites, competing en masse in a dizzying display of glimmering cutlery, simmering sauces, with the aroma of baked goods permeating the air.
Now, imagine this culinary ballet without wheat flour.
Although the majority of us may scoff at the idea of tapioca starch pie crust and potato flour cakes, for those with celiac disease at the recent Gluten Free Cooking Spree in Washington, D.C., it was was truly a movable feast.
My personal experience with celiac disease involved only unprovoked fainting spells that occurred periodically during my third year of college while studying abroad in London.
After numerous unexplained episodes of passing out on the Tube, at the Tower of London and while touring Trafalgar Square, I flew home for some medical tests.
I soon learned I was so severely anemic that I would require a blood transfusion if I wanted to return to England to complete the semester. I remained in the United States and after three months of dizziness, lack of energy and nausea, doctors were able to make the diagnosis of celiac disease.
But for many, the illness lasts years, perhaps decades, before a diagnosis can be reached, and often the consequences can be far more serious.
If the disorder is not recognized, celiac disease can lead to infertility, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, neurological disorders and several additional autoimmune disorders, including diabetes, psoriasis and liver disease.
Undoubtedly, the primary difficulty in treatment is the lack of awareness of celiac disease.
At the event Friday, the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness set out to maximize exposure of the disorder in all communities.
Doctors, members of the media and health care professionals were challenged to engage in a fun-natured cooking competition using all gluten free ingredients.
The highlight of the evening: devouring an exquisite feast made without wheat, and therefore without the added worry of hidden gluten.
Awareness of food allergies has significantly increased in the public arena. In fact, several chain restaurants will cater to the special dietary needs of celiac patients.
At any Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's Italian Grill or P.F. Chang's location, the staff not only knows what "gluten free" means, but they offer a comprehensive menu closely labeled with options for celiacs.
Similar strides have been made by food retailers. Since January 2006, the Food and Drug Administration has required that if food products contain any ingredient derived from any of the eight major allergens -- wheat, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts or soy -- it must be labeled explicitly.
Although great progress has been made in research and treatment, it's hoped the Gluten Free Cooking Spree will provide an impetus for additional and continued advancement in food-producing practices and restaurant service, as well as inspire medical professionals to become more educated about celiac disease.
May has been named Celiac Awareness Month by the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, and the Gluten Free Cooking Spree Friday served as a grand initiation.
Doctors, reporters and top Washington chefs flocked to the event to learn more about celiac disease and create a night to remember for those of us who are affected by the condition.
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that impairs digestion and absorption in the small intestine.
According to the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, it is "a disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. People who have celiac disease cannot tolerate a protein called gluten, which is found in wheat, rye, and barley."
If gluten exposure is prolonged, the small hairlike villi of the small intestine are destroyed via an immune attack, preventing the absorption of any nutrients or vitamins.
An estimated 3 million people in the United States have celiac disease, however, 97 percent of those afflicted are not aware that their symptoms are related to the disorder. This is because the disease manifests itself in numerous ways, making it challenging to diagnose.
Symptoms, which vary from abdominal pain and bloating, diarrhea, muscle cramps, reproductive problems, behavioral changes, skin rashes, fatigue and anemia, often make it difficult to relate directly to celiac disease.
For more information on celiac disease, or to attend a NCFA cooking spree in your area, log on to http://www.celiaccentral.org.


text:
A Decade of Portland Fashion Flashbacks
Holly Stalder
Then: Co-owner of Seaplane | Now: Owner of Haunt
In 2008, designer dream team Holly Stalder and Kate Towers sold Seaplane, the groundbreaking independent shop and unofficial fashion incubator they'd founded on SE Belmont Street in 2000, bringing an end to an early era of Portland fashion. By 2010, Stalder had opened her own studio in the mini fashion mecca of the 811 E Burnside building. The married mother of one has since crafted a mix of evening and bridal wear with her breezy, boho vibe while keeping an eye on Portland's evolving design community. "We were just a group of idealistic young artists, and now people who start a clothing line are a little more business savvy," says Stalder. "Ten years ago locally designed, handmade clothing was really a novelty."
Elizabeth Dye
Then: Designer, Elizabeth Dye | Now: Designer, Elizabeth Dye Bridal
From 2001 to 2010, Dye designed custom gowns for discerning brides, producing more than 500 unique dresses while simultaneously running her bridal boutique, the English Dept. In the past year, she sold the West End shop to turn her attention exclusively to the high-end collection of lacy wedding gowns she launched in 2010. "Today, Portland is a recognized center for independent makers of all kinds," she says. "I think people who moved here recently have no idea that we were throwing guerrilla fashion shows in unheated, abandoned buildings not that long ago. We were pretty scrappy, and it took time to be taken seriously."
Claire La Faye
Then: Designer, Claire La Faye | Now: Designer, Claire La Faye Bridal
When we covered her in 2004, La Faye's line consisted of hand-embellished, corseted red-carpet getups for celebs like Paula Abdul and Courtney Love. In 2010, she took a sharp turn, and transitioned her aesthetic to soft, whimsical bridal gowns. The Parsons-trained designer credits the Seaplane founders for sparking our indie movement. "Kate and Holly brought an artistry and a collective design force that united some of the most determined and talented artists and designers during that era," she remembers. "They set the tone for Portland's indie design world and raised the bar for all of us."
Nathaniel Crissman & Rachel Turk
Then: Codesigners for the just-founded Church & State | Now: Codesigners, Church & State
The name may be the same, but plenty has changed for this longtime couple and business duo. In 2011, the pair teamed with designer John Blasioli to launch and steer the Portland Collection, Pendleton's acclaimed line of contemporary threads featuring its revered patterned textiles. The Spring 2014 collection will be the last for TPC, which will give Crissman and Turk space to refocus on their chic, tailored lines at Church & State. "I feel very confident about what I bring to the table, and what we've achieved," says Crissman. "Simultaneously, though, there is so much left to fulfill, so much left to learn, and so much room to improve."
Kate Towers
Then: Co-owner of Seaplane | Now: Designer, Kate Towers
After Seaplane, Towers continued to design limited runs of romantic tops and dresses with her signature ruffle detailing. She and Stalder still spend vast amounts of time together, but now their design collaboration is most often limited to watching their children play dress-up in old Seaplane pieces. With a ready-to-wear line on the horizon, Towers's focus is on the future of fashion in the city she calls home. "The Portland Garment Factory is a huge part of where Portland is going," she says of the local fashion manufacturing outfit. "Those girls are working hard and nailing it, expanding, taking risks, helping Portland to really get on the right path to sustainable and local design."


text:
Rotary switches are switches that move in a circle and can stop in a few positions they are used to connect a functional circuit within a device to a source of electricity. Rotary switches are used to control many different circuits within a single switch.
The electrical charge enters the switch and is then directed to whichever circuit is currently selected by the switch. Rotary switches provide a robust mechanical control system
Types of Rotary switches
Professional audio splitters and converters - for moving between different speakers or channels
Voltmeters and similar metering equipment - for selecting different ranges
Car dashboards - for selecting different functions such as the air conditioning or adjustable fans
To adjust the speed of conveyor belts
To control diagnostic equipment


text:
Milton man charged in 'Brim Beanie Bandit' bank robberies
Daniel Cathcart charged in Stoughton bank robberies
A Milton man was arraigned in Stoughton District Court on Friday in connection with two Stoughton bank robberies that the FBI said were carried out by a suspect authorities have dubbed the "Brim Beanie Bandit," our news partners at the Enterprise News reported.
Daniel Cathcart, 45, of 27 Kenilworth Road, Milton, has been charged with armed robbery and other charges in connection with the two Stoughton cases.
During the arraignment, Cathcart's bail was set at $150,000 with the stipulation that if he makes bail he must wear a GPS device.
Authorities believe that the "Brim Beanie Bandit" has been involved in six bank robberies across the region including, a TD Bank in Quincy on Dec. 10, South Shore Bank in Stoughton on Dec. 13, a TD Bank in Needham on Dec.19, Braintree Cooperative Bank in Braintree on Dec. 23, South Shore Savings in Stoughton again Jan. 6, and Dedham Savings Bank in Dedham on Jan. 10.
The suspect always appeared in a brimmed beanie, either black or gray in color. He did not show a weapon, but he claimed to have a gun and threatened children in a notes passed to tellers.
However, Cathcart was not charged Friday in connection with any of the other robberies that the "Brim Beanie Bandit" has committed.


text:
Motorists Beware! Zombies Ahead!
Unsuspecting motorists got either a shiver or a laugh yesterday morning in Portland, Maine as they drove by a construction site whose warning sign had been hacked: instead of the typical caution, they were told 'Warning Zombies Ahead!'
Portland authorities are not amused.
"These (signs) are deployed and used as a safety precaution. They're not a toy," Portland spokeswoman Nicole Clegg told the Portland Press Herald. She says the prank is a crime.
Perhaps the hacking prankster is elated about the new season of 'The Walking Dead'; after all, the third season featuring the never-say-die humans battling the creepy zombies begins Sunday evening on AMC. (Sneak peek clip here.)
Maybe the miscreant recently registered for one of the four upcoming Zombie Buffet 5K runs in Columbus, Ohio, Phoenix, Ariz., Jacksonville, Fla, or Nashville, Tenn. You can choose to be a runner or a zombie. But if you run as a human and zombies snatch both the flags tied at your waist, you're 'infected'. You go over to the dark side and start searching for humans. Here are the race rules.
Or perhaps the alleged imp is excited about 'Thrill the World', the upcoming tribute to the late Michael Jackson set for October 27. It's a global attempt to set a world record for the largest number of people performing the well known zombie dance to Jackson's 'Thriller" tune. There are rules and a registration page here.
Whatever his motivation, Portland authorities say they're looking for the hacker. If caught, the suspect could face up to a $1,000 and a year in jail.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
Movie review: 'Rodrick Rules' offers dorky laughs
The second entry into the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" franchise, "Rodrick Rules," is a lot like the first –– it really shouldn't be analyzed from a grown-up perspective. The film, like the series of books on which it is based, is made for 8- to 12-year-old-boys, or thereabouts.
And, so, coming from that perspective, I say they're going to love it.
After seeing this movie, I might have been longing for the next Pixar flick, but the audience I saw "Rodrick Rules" with laughed and winced in all the right spots. Gags and simple sketches involving bird poop, fake vomit and a boy in his tighty-whiteys had them rolling in the aisles.
Now, did these kids pick up on the "brotherly love" theme that was being laid down? Guess we'll have to ask them.
In any case, the story resumes after summer vacation as series hero Greg Heffley (Zachary Gordon, cute as a button) and the gang head back to school. Greg sees seventh grade as a fresh start. He's lost the "cheese touch" and is crushing on the new girl (Peyton List). Except he's still got the same problems: an older brother, Rodrick (Devon Bostick), who torments him, a younger brother who torments him and dorky friends who embarrass him.
Small, not athletic and guilty of trying too hard, Greg's middle-school existence is worsened by parents who force him to spend time with his brother, and theirs is hardly a bromance. Misery and humiliation ensue. After all, no one can fix you quite like an older sibling.
Fans of the series will be happy to know that Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah again wrote the script, so the story maintains its continuity –– and predictability. David Bower ("Astro Boy"), however, takes over the director's duties from Thor Freudenthal, who helmed the first film. Jeff Kinney wrote the best-selling books and again served as producer.
In this installment, the relationship between Greg and his high-school-age brother Rodrick takes center stage. Rodrick realizes his little brother can be useful, especially when they're keeping a secret from their parents. They even become friends bonded by deception.
Once the cat's out of the bag, though, it's cutthroat vengeance. While neither boy is a typical role model, kids enjoy watching them. They make bad decisions and can even be troublemakers, but most of their actions are played for laughs.
The butt of some of those laughs is Greg's best bud, the good-hearted cherub, Rowley Jefferson, played by a movie-stealing Robert Capron. If there's a true role model here, it's him –– he loves his mother (OK, maybe, too much), hates lying and is the only character who is always true to himself.
Unfortunately, Chloe Grace Moretz isn't back as the artsy writer who befriends Greg in the first movie. Moretz is onto bigger and better things, such as "Kick-Ass." She's missed.
"Rodrick Rules" is the second in a five-book series. Naturally, a third "Wimpy Kid" film is planned.
DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: RODRICK RULES (PG for some mild rude humor and mischief.) Cast includes Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron, Rachael Harris, Devon Bostick, and Steve Zahn. 2 stars out of 4.