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NOT MUCH ABOUT GOLF escapes Geoff Shackelford. Geoff diligently blogs at GeoffShackelford.com, writes for major golf publications, and has authored several books about golf and golf course design.
Called the Herbert Warren Wind of golf bloggers by Sports Illustrated, Geoff serves up multiple, daily tidbits from the golf media, and his many golf-savvy readers chime in. It's a lively forum.
Last week Geoff answered a few questions for ARMCHAIR GOLF.
ARMCHAIR GOLF: Now that the buzz has died down, any lingering thoughts on the Ryder Cup?
GEOFF SHACKELFORD: I continue to think of all the great shots, clutch putts and overall exciting play, and how shocked some people seem to be at how thrilling golf can be if you just let the boys play. The folks at Valhalla did a great job cleaning up the hillsides and removing trees to create some amazing amphitheaters that added to the fun, because some of those roars were amazing. But the course setup really woke people up to just how absurd so many setups have become. People saw that golf can an exciting game when you combine great players being allowed to play and big crowds. Rough was not a factor in any way.
And I continue to scratch my head thinking of certain strategic decisions by Faldo each day. He bungled the foursomes pairings and the Sunday singles lineup made no sense. It's just amazing that such a smart guy had two years to plan and understand some pretty basic things and didn't get it right. But pressure does funny things to humans. Which is why the moral of this story is: surround yourself with multiple assistant captains who aren't afraid to speak their mind!
ARMCHAIR GOLF: Who is your player of the year?
GEOFF SHACKELFORD: Tiger. Sorry Padraig, but the U.S. Open win was epic and Tiger won more events in a shortened season than Padraig.
ARMCHAIR GOLF: Give your assessment of next year's majors venues.
GEOFF SHACKELFORD: Augusta: probably the last year of the second cut before they use the groove rule change as cover for getting rid of it; Bethpage: should be exciting in terms of the buzz and fun to see how Mike Davis repairs the various blunders of 2002 and what other fun stuff he has in mind; Turnberry: figures to be an ugly week if the course changes are as bad as I've heard; Hazeltine: this is going to be huge for the PGA of America because Oakland Hills was lousy just a year after they had one of their all-time best events at Southern Hills where low rough and short grass made the players grind in the way that is most interesting and rewarding.
ARMCHAIR GOLF: What are your favorite golf courses?
GEOFF SHACKELFORD: Anything people describe as a "fun little" course is my cup of tea. I love that slightly derogatory description. I heard it yesterday about Rustic Canyon and just laughed. It's the ultimate compliment. Unfortunately, we have a severe shortage of fun little courses.
ARMCHAIR GOLF: Will Tiger still be Tiger when he comes back?
GEOFF SHACKELFORD: Probably better since he was in such bad shape. And he's got to be so bored, so when he comes back he'll be refreshed and really ready to grind. It's just not looking good for his competition.
ARMCHAIR GOLF: What are you working on?
GEOFF SHACKELFORD: My website, some really neat magazine assignments, some videos of our course projects, and I'm preparing for our restoration project at L.A. Country Club, which I am really excited about. It's going to be so fun to get George Thomas's vision very close to how he left it. That will make the course unique both because he did some amazing things at LACC North, and also considering how poorly his other courses have evolved.
−The Armchair Golfer


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The strong winds brought down a huge eucalyptus tree near the Lake Chalet at Oakland's Lake Merritt. The base of the tree is approximately 30-feet in diameter.
Many people saw pictures of the downed tree on social media and felt compelled to head over to see it firsthand.
"I think that trees remind you of, if you look right behind us, your roots," Oakland resident Dania Cabello said. "You know, a connection to the earth. So I wanted to come and pay my respects."
Oakland's Department of Public Works says it received 190 calls of downed trees as a result of the windstorm.
One of them is hanging precariously over a home on Rio Vista Ave., where PG&E power lines are the only thing keeping it from falling onto the house.
The homeowner has been told crews are coming but it may take a while because they've been so busy responding to other emergencies.
"I'm just trying to stay positive," Oakland resident Starr Saunders said. "We're all safe, we're all out of the house, meaning my roommate and my dog, so you know right now I would just like to get it fixed."
The downed trees caused traffic backups throughout Oakland. One tree fell on Fifth St. causing a backup on the 880 Jackson St. off-ramp.
But trees weren't the only thing that came down. The winds were so strong they even toppled light poles at Lake Merritt.
"Yeah, I don't know, I'm still taking inventory of the neighborhood," Oakland resident Sunshine Swinford said. "Where can we ride our bikes still or get around."
The winds howled overnight in the Hillcrest Estates in the Oakland Hills.
"I was actually praying last night, hoping that they would not smash down on our house," Oakland Hills resident Karina Hsieh said. "Or hit any of us, cause there are some really close to the house."
One tree came down Thursday night on Skyline Boulevard. It crashed into a fence and a horse barn. The family didn't want to talk on camera, but said they were all okay.
Neighbors were still in the dark Friday morning. They described the frightening sounds during the wind storm overnight.
"We could hear all the trees scraping against the house," Oakland Hills resident Mike Hsieh said. "It sounded like ghosts running around the house."
In Berkeley, winds made a mess near the Cal campus. Trees, branches, and other debris were blown into the middle of Telegraph Avenue.
Oakland's Department of Public Works says their workers are working as fast as they can, but because of limited crews and the scope of the damage they say it's going to take a while before it's all cleaned up.
A high wind advisory is in effect until 10 p.m. with winds of between 20 and 35 mph expected in some areas, and gusts of up to 45 mph possible in the valleys. In elevations higher than 900 feet gusts could be between 45 and 69 mph.
Authorities investigate two windstorm-related deaths
We are learning more about how the wind caused two deaths overnight. A driver was killed when he hit a toppled tree on Skyline Boulevard in the Oakland Hills. And another man died in East Oakland on Austin St.
William Merida of Oakland looks up at this big tree that lost a limb last night. The high winds brought it down. But it was where it landed that shocks him the most -- on top of man.
"He was passing by with a miniature motorcycle and one of the branches hit him and he fell right here," Merida said.
The man died in front of Merida's house. The situation became even more dangerous because the power lines also came down. The tree is on Austin St. near Fruitvale Ave. It has a red "X" mark spray painted on it. It was not on the city of Oakland's list to be cut down because it is on private property. It should have been done by the owners of the house.
"It's really dangerous because every branch is dangling even when there is a little bit of wind," Merida said. "They need to cut it down."
Another man died last night on Skyline Blvd. when he apparently tried to avoid hitting a downed tree while driving. Oakland police say the man collided with another tree on the center median.
Inspectors with Oakland's Department of Public Works say homeowners need to be more vigilant when it comes to their trees.
"This tree had a defect, a known defect, and the wind took advantage of it," inspector Mitch Thompson said. "This is a weak connection here, when you have two trunks coming together in a narrow angle."
The agency says now is the time to inspect your trees before the next storm.
Power outage doesn't stop Danville dance performance
Store surveillance video shows the exact second when the wind toppled a large price sign at the World Gas Station on Clayton Road Thursday night.
"The wind was whistling and, like, gusting very hard," said Ashwani Sharma with the World Gas Station. "The wind velocity too, it was too much."
Across town at Concord High school, the scoreboard at the football field collapsed in pieces. School administrator Robert Bass says students are already worried about next year's football season.
"We came out to assess the damage from yesterday and found out it was all gone," Bass said. "Right now, we have no idea how we're going to pay for it. It's not like we have a lot of money in the coffers."
In Danville, the wind caused the power to go out just as dancers at San Ramon High School were beginning a performance. Once the audience turned on their cellphones, the dancers performed one of their routines.
"That was definitely one of my favorite moments, because everyone had their phones and were shining the lights on so they could see," San Ramon student Natalie Brown said. "It was just awesome how the audience stayed."
The full performance has been rescheduled for Friday evening.
Windstorm causes power outages
The storm knocked out power to thousands of people. At the peak of the outage, 67,000 were without power. But crews made progress Friday. As of 7 p.m., about 2,800 people are without power in the East Bay and approximately 2,700 people don't have power in the North Bay. In San Francisco, the South Bay, and along the Peninsula, only a handful of people are waiting to get their electricity turned back on.
PG&E says if customers experience a power outage, they should call the utility agency at 1-800-743-5002 and take safety precautions, such as avoiding downed power lines and using flashlights instead of candles to reduce the risk of accidental fires.
(ABC7 News reporter Lilian Kim, Laura Anthony, Lyanne Melendez, and Matt Keller contributed to this story)

subset: commoncrawl


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The scientists who created an airborne and extremely contagious strain of bird flu say they are temporarily halting their research for 60 days. Oh good! Looks like we don't have to be cripplingly terrified until April.
A two-month hiatus is perhaps not all that comforting, but it does buy time for scientists around the world to seek the best way to deal with some of the most dangerous research on earth. Whether the research should continue is one issue, another is whether the work should be published in a scientific journal where anyone could read it.
In November at an influenza conference in Malta, virologist Ron Fouchier announced that he had created "probably one of the most dangerous viruses you can make." In December, U.S. health officials urged Foucher and another group at the University of Wisconsin–Madison who performed similar research not to publish their recipe for the super deadly avian flu strain, which could kill half the world's humans.
Since then there's been an outcry among scientists who say it's important not to censor research. Their arguments against censorship make a lot of sense: censorship of any kind is a dangerous precedent, lots of dangerous information is published all the time, and who would enforce the security situation? But some government officials fear that bioterrorists or a laboratory accident could release the engineered germs into the air or the wrong hands. So in a letter published on the journal Nature's website, the virologists have agreed to pause their work, and want to reassure the public that their research is as safe as apocalypse-style virus research can be:
Despite the positive public-health benefits these studies sought to provide, a perceived fear that the ferret-transmissible H5 HA viruses may escape from the laboratories has generated intense public debate in the media on the benefits and potential harm of this type of research. We would like to assure the public that these experiments have been conducted with appropriate regulatory oversight in secure containment facilities by highly trained and responsible personnel to minimize any risk of accidental release. Whether the ferret-adapted influenza viruses have the ability to transmit from human to human cannot be tested.
I don't expect a nice neat agreement among the international science community in two months. But I hope we can find a place that's not censorship, but also not releasing some of the most dangerous data known to man to bad guys.


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Found 3 results in 7 milliseconds.
Meet us
The Go France guide was created by Audencia´ s Career Center and Alumni Team as a resource for internationals considering a career in France after their studies. The launch event of the 6 Februa
From 5 to 7 June, Audencia will yet again be an integral part of this year's Web2day Festival, the gathering place for all things digital which is being held in Nantes. Undergraduates on the Aud
The EIBM program conducted a visit the 12 of December to 10-Vins with professor Jessica POUGET and director Olga KAPITSKAIA to view its innovative new idea which has been realized into a successful bu


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All faculty and administrative staff.
Student employees are paid on a monthly basis during the academic year at times specified by the Payroll Office.
Prior to the beginning of employment, students must complete the required I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification form) and tax withholding forms.
All campus employers must complete a Student Employment Authorization form for any student who will be working for them during the academic year.
Completed forms must be returned to the Student Employment Coordinator in the Financial Aid Office prior to the beginning of employment.
Tax withholding and student employment authorization forms can be picked up at the Student Employment Office/Financial Aid in the Administration Building.
Employment Eligibility Verification forms must be completed in the Student Employment Office.
Student time cards should be verified and signed by the supervisor, then sent to the Student Employment Office no later than the date specified by the Payroll Office.
Cabinet reviewed 7/97


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Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Help a cat this Christmas
Do you want to help a cat this Christmas?
I have decided to donate 50% of Avalon's royalties of the entire month of December to the cat shelters Cat Rescue and Ever'y Cat in Brussels, Belgium.
About Avalon:
Some cats need nine lives to make a difference. Avalon only needed one.
From Amazon bestselling author Vanessa Morgan, Avalon is the heartwarming and once-in-a-lifetime love story of a girl and her neurotic Turkish Van cat.
With humor, the author details how Avalon made other creatures cringe in distress whenever he was around, how he threw her dates out by means of special techniques, and how he rendered it almost impossible for her to leave the house. Avalon was so incorrigible that even her landlord ordered her to get rid of him. But beneath Avalon's demonic boisterousness, Vanessa recognized her own flaws and insecurities, and she understood that abandoning Avalon would be the worst she could do to him. Thanks to her unswerving loyalty, Avalon transformed into a tender feline, and even landed a major role in a horror movie. In turn, Avalon made it his mission to be there for his human companion.
Avalon is a memoir for anyone who has ever been obsessively in love with a pet.
Around three o'clock that night, Avalon was fed up with the strange man in his bed. He plonked his rear down on Gilles' pillow, complaining fretfully in his ear while tapping him on the face.
After nearly an hour of incessant wailing and poking, more drastic measures were required. The new solution: pushing Gilles out of bed.
Avalon succeeded.
Climbing back under the covers wasn't an option. Unable to sleep, Gilles got up. "I guess I didn't pass the test."
"Give Avalon some time. Maybe he was just irked because you took his side of the bed."
But Gilles had already understood that this wasn't going to be a one-time event.
For several minutes, Gilles and Avalon sized each other up. Then Gilles said, "I'd better leave the two of you alone now. It's clearly what the little guy wants."
I swear I could see Avalon smirking when Gilles put on his jacket and left.
Instantly, Avalon leapt onto me, and compensated for the evening before. He entered a kiss-induced trance. This cat was all about exclusivity, and when granted that exclusivity, his love was immense.
"Are you really that happy that Gilles is gone?"
In reply, Avalon looked at me with swoony eyes and purred loudly, then swatted out his paw to urge me to continue to pet him, which I did.
A phone call interrupted our tender moment. It was Gilles.
"There won't be any train to Brussels for hours," he said. "Is it okay if I come back to your place for a while?"
"Of course." His return would offend Avalon, but I couldn't possibly leave Gilles outside in the rain for several hours. As soon as Gilles appeared at the front door, Avalon's pupils widened to a pitch black.
Let's see who's the boss here, he seemed to be thinking.
Being a cat of action, Avalon went through his usual attention-seeking routine: making a selection of irritating noises, scratching the wallpaper, and pushing objects to the ground. When that didn't work, Avalon opened Gilles' overnight bag and threw out a piece of clothing. His eyes so dark and evil they could be gateways to hell, Avalon stared at his adversary and waited for a reaction. He then pulled out a box of gel wax. Again, he looked up at Gilles to make sure he understood that all this bungling was meant to get a message across. A third object followed, then a fourth, a fifth, a sixth, until there was nothing.
Hell-bent on winning the game, Avalon took Gilles' coat in his mouth and towed it toward the front door. There, he used his right paw to tap the keys hanging from the wooden doorframe.
Avalon's message couldn't be any clearer: there was room for only one man in my life. A feline one.
Normally, I don't ask people to buy my books, but this time I am. Please get your copy of Avalon today while 50% my royalties for this individual story are being donated to Cat Rescue in Brussels. It's a heartwarming Christmas present for all the cat lovers in your life. Avalon can be found at the following locations: Amazon US, B&N, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon CA, etc.
And if you'd also like to check out my other books, they can be found at the same locations.
Please help me spread the word for this cause by sharing this post on your social media (Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, StumbleUpon, GooglePlus, etc).
Thank you so much for helping out a good cause, and I hope you enjoy the book. Merry Christmas!
9 comments:
- Robin said...
This is a great way to give back! I bet all of those kitties will be very thankful. All we can do is help one at a time. :)
- December 3, 2015 at 6:25 AM
- A Tonl said...
What a wonderful & generous way to give back!!
- December 4, 2015 at 12:53 AM
- Midwestern City Girl said...
What a wonderful way to use your profits! I hope you get to help a lot of kitties.
- December 5, 2015 at 2:19 AM
- meowmeowmans said...
What a wonderful way to give back! We already bought our copy of your awesome book, but we hope lots of others do so this month!
- December 9, 2015 at 5:22 AM
- Sandra Cox said...
What a worthy cause to donate your earnings too.
- December 30, 2015 at 3:13 AM
- paperwriting.xyz said...
Ohh. I'd really wanna adopt every and everyone of this cats. But unfortunately I really have no time to take care of them. Besides I can't have a pet at my place now. But I helped a dog shelter this Christmas.
- January 15, 2016 at 2:47 PM
- Unknown said...
- February 18, 2021 at 4:10 AM
- Adele said...
If you've got a cat that keeps peeing all over your house, it becomes annoying after a while.
The bad smells and the effort involved in cleaning up makes life a misery.
So much so that some people consider getting rid of their cat...
Cuz that seems to be the only logical way to solve the problem.
But the great news is you don't have to do this.
You CAN keep your cat and stop the problem.
All you have to do is try "Cat Spraying No More".
It's a PROVEN step-by-step system guaranteed to stop your cat peeing outside its litter box.
You'll discover how to use your cat's own instincts to stop the problem.
And it's also backed up by a 60-day money back guarantee, so there's no risk.
>>>No More Cat Urine Everywhere<<<
>>>Use THIS and Your cat will ALWAYS pee in its Litter Box <<<
>>>No More Cat Pee Everywhere<<<
>>>Peace of Mind For A Messy Cat<<<
>>>Go here to find out more… <<<
Talk soon,
- February 19, 2021 at 3:48 AM
- UP01 成人休閒娛樂站 said...
真愛旅舍 聊天室
- March 29, 2021 at 8:44 AM


text:
Great headphones are great. No argument there. But it is possible that you also need a pair of janky earbuds like your life depends on it.
The reason is simple: car horns, sirens, bike bells, whatever––tuning these things out is great when you want to enjoy your music unmolested. But who among us hasn't gotten too far into the zone, stepped off the curb and out into the street, narrowly escaping certain death because we simply did not hear that car/ambulance/fire truck?
AIRbudz are the perfect solution; built right into each earbud, their slatted air channels allow you to listen to your music without distortion while simultaneously filtering in ambient sound.
Think of them as your "don't get run over for the sake of your fave Deftones song" earbuds. There, all better. [Ubergizmo]


text:
The occasional time a ladder comes in handy makes it worth keeping one around, but they can be cumbersome to store in the meantime. So a Barcelona-based design shop has re-thunk the folding ladder idea, and come up with this brilliant design.
The Corner Ladder, as it's aptly-named, features rungs that split in two and grooves in the rails so the whole thing collapses into a fraction of its original size. So it's easy to stash in the corner of a closet, or slide into the smallest of crawl spaces.
And the intelligent way the rungs fold away means the ladder is still incredibly sturdy when unfolded. So you're not sacrificing safety just so it doesn't take up a lot of space in your basement storage room. [Company & Company via Yanko Design]


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Just like yours, my wallet is stuffed with rewards cards and loyalty cards. I've got at least six: four retail loyalty cards, two credit cards with reward programs, and a couple of stamp-earning cards for use in local food shops (I'mso
close to getting a free coffee!). And apparently I'm a light user: The average American is a member of 18 of these programs. But research shows we're leaving one-third of our rewards (around $200 worth) unused each year. You can avoid that — and rack up every bit of "bonus" that you can — with these smart strategies.
Go for the Money...
There are few rewards better than cold, hard cash. When it comes to credit cards, the American Express Blue Cash Everyday Card is a winner, especially for families with big grocery and gas bills. With no annual fee and unlimited rewards, it gives you 3% back on groceries, 2% back at gas stations and department stores, and 1% back on everything else. Plus, grab an extra $100 cash back if you spend $1,000 within the first 90 days. Upgrade to a Premier version of the card (with an annual fee of $75) to double your grocery rewards and bring gas-and-department store savings to 3%. Why it's worth it: Six percent cash back on $150 worth of groceries a week is $36 a month (more than $400 a year!).
KEEP IN MIND: These cards work best if you don't carry a balance; paying interest can cancel out your savings.
More From Good Housekeeping
...Or, Go for the Bonus
A $100 signing bonus may not be enough incentive to open another line of credit and jam one more card into your wallet. No worries. In this super-competitive card climate, if you have great credit (say, a FICO score of 760 or more), you can probably earn an even bigger reward bonus. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card (the Visa or MasterCard name just tells you who processes transactions) offers 40,000 bonus points (which translates to $500 for travel booked through Ultimate Rewards), plus two points per dollar on travel (including airfare, hotels, and car rental) and dining, plus one point per dollar on all other purchases. There is an annual fee of $95 after the first year.
KEEP IN MIND: You will need to spend a hefty $3,000 on the card within three months to get those rewards. And be cautious about charging that amount to snag those perks: Carrying a $3,000 balance at the card's regular rate of 15.24% could cost you $632 in interest if you pay only the minimum every month.
Being Organized Saves Bucks
That "lost" $200 a year in rewards mentioned earlier? That's partly due to people failing to keep track of reward and loyalty points and expiration dates — which means they can't use 'em! I avoid this problem by using only one rewards credit card for nearly all my spending — so I can see all my points in one place, on the card's website. If you've got multiple rewards cards (one for an airline plus one for a hotel chain plus...) as well as retail loyalty cards, it's time to consolidate. Awardwallet.com does this for you, and for free. You don't have to enter the rewards earned each month manually; the site automatically updates this info for you once you enroll in a program. You can't actually redeem rewards on awardwallet.com, but it helps you track what you've got.
What if you've hoarded several thousand airline reward points but know you won't be flying at all this year? Don't just let them expire; usually there are easy and inexpensive ways to extend the validity of your points. But if you know you will never use them, consider points.com, where you can exchange them for other rewards you can really use, like a Starbucks rewards card (though some value is lost in the exchange). Or, you can often use them to fund your PayPal account or shop for gift cards from favorite retailers.
KEEP IN MIND: These secure services keep your account info encrypted.
Phone In Rewards
With a smartphone, you can now earn rewards just for walking into a store.
CheckPoints (iPhone and Android, free), for instance, is an app that has you "check in" inside a store; you can then unlock special deals and earn points just by scanning particular products' bar codes (you don't actually have to buy anything). Then redeem your rewards in the form of retailer gift cards, airline miles, or even actual products. (Note: You can scan each participating product only once per day at each store.) CheckPoints says its shoppers earn the equivalent of a $2 gift card at every store — around $208 a year.
Shopkick (iPhone and Android, free) is another app that rewards you for visiting stores and scanning certain products; Target, Toys "R" Us, and Crate & Barrel are among the service's 11-plus retailers.
KEEP IN MIND Having retailers know where you are and what you're shopping for may feel a little creepy, but the info is similar to what's gathered when you shop online. At least you get compensated for this.
Stick to a Single Chain
How many different drugstores, online and in person, do you shop at? How's that 20 points here, 10 points there, and 15 points somewhere else working for you? I thought so. If the prices are similar among stores, move all your drugstore shopping to one retailer to rack up more savings. For example, the Rite Aid Wellness+ loyalty program will net you 10% off nearly everything in the store for a year if you earn 500 points (one point per dollar spent on most items and, in most states, 25 points for prescriptions). Even if you decide to shop at another chain, you'll earn more rewards if you focus on one retailer.
KEEP IN MIND: If you live near several stores, quickly compare the prices of the items you buy most often. Rewards are great, but if prices are higher (say, 10% or more) at one location, your loyalty rewards may be moot.
As for all those other cards plumping up your purse? Stash them in a drawer — then revisit them during the coming holidays, when your shopping behavior changes, and you could get a big boost!
Tip Jar
Surprise: That bonus you get when you sign up for a rewards card, before you even use it, may be taxable under IRS policy.
It can be considered income, rather than an untaxable rebate (which is how rewards granted to you after you spend money are classified). So keep an eye out for a 1099 form from your card issuer in January. If you received, say, 25,000 bonus points upon signing up — that's about $250 of free spending on the card — then paying taxes may still benefit you: Your bill from Uncle Sam on this amount would be about $70 if you're in a 28% tax bracket.
Have a question? Send it to Carmen at email@example.com.


text: Rapper Eminem's daughter Hailie Jade Scott Mathers sex tape and nudes photos leaks online. She is going viral again. The pretty 23 year old is now a model, and she's been low key releasing modeling pics on Instagram now for months. Hailie Jade Scott Mathers is from Detroit, Michigan. While her dad is the famous rapper, her mother is his high school girlfriend Kimberly Anne Scott, 43.


text:
A comment on my post about the "missing link" fossil raises a question that I thought deserved a whole separate response: How can one be involved in medicine, and be a creationist? Don't mutating viruses and drug-resistant bacteria show that evolution occurs?
Great question. I'm so glad you asked. 🙂 There are two different kinds of evolution, which most people think of lumped together. There is macro-evolution, and then there is micro-evolution. Micro-evolution is the fact that all DNA is always mutating, and that changes do occur within species. Darwin's famous finches are an example of this: In one setting, one type of beak was most advantageous, and thus most common; under other circumstances, a different kind of beak promoted survival better, and was more common. BUT: This was variation within a species, or kind. The birds were still finches. They didn't change into chipmunks, or hawks, or even sparrows. And, the original information was still there: they could move back to the first kind of beak when the environment on the island shifted.
This is the kind of evolution that we see in viruses and bacteria. Absolutely, mutations occur in bacterial DNA which make them resistant to antibiotics and give them a survival advantage. Gradually the bacteria without that mutation die out, and the ones with it become more numerous. When penicillin was first discovered, all the gram positive cocci were susceptible to it. Now, 40% of Strep pneumo are resistant. Methicillin-resistant Staph aureus may become the next major public health hazard, as it spreads out of hospitals into the general community. HIV, even since it was first discovered, has mutated to become resistant to the most popular anti-viral medicines.
BUT: Has anyone ever documented a plateful of Strep pneumo mutating into E coli? Or even into Strep pyogenes? I didn't think so. They mutate, and they exchange information. But they remain separate species, with their own unique characteristics. Staph aureus remains unique in possession of the coagulase enzyme; E coli remains identifiable by its lactose metabolism. They are all separate species and geni; and they definitely are not progressing into amoebae or protozoans.
Macro-evolution, then, is the belief that one kind of life can change into another kind; that by an almost unimaginable series and accumulation of mutations, some random process could turn an amoeba into a plant, and then into a primitive fish, then into an amphibian, and so eventually into "the miraculous race that we are" (to quote G.K. Chesterton's poem). Macro-evolution is the idea that a species of fish mutated, and turned into a land-walking amphibian. It's the idea that an ape mutated, and became an intelligent, (occasionally) rational, artistic, human. To me, this sounds like some of the wilder science fiction plots.
So: I believe that God created the world in six 24-hour days, out of nothing. He made every animal kind himself. Part of the natural order that he set up included the ability for DNA to mutate. BUT: When DNA mutates, it generally loses information. The mutation that makes Strep pneumo resistant to penicillins is the loss of a protein (called, in the usual utilitarian manner, penicillin-binding-protein). Dogs are another good example of this. Many of the different breeds we have today resulted from breeding for specific characteristics. Some of these are so extreme that they can't even breed with each other any more (eg, Great Danes and chihuahuas). But the breeding didn't add any information; it took it away. The chihuahua lost the ability to grow large; the labradors lost the ability to grow curly hair; and so on. These species and subspecies did not add anything; they lost it.
Thus, it is quite reasonable to believe in the fact of micro-evolution, since it can be seen on a regular basis in the world around us. It can be measured in the lab, and witnessed, and reproduced. This does not in any way necessitate a belief in the theory of macro-evolution, that life originated from non-life, or even that God made the bacteria and then let everything get along from there. Macro-evolution is definitely a theory, since it has not been witnessed or verified by any scientific standard (meaning the standards that applied before scientists got carried away with trying to make a philosophical explanation for the origin of the universe).
(And Tu: I was amused by your saying I don't sound like a "typical anti-evolutionary theorist." I got all these ideas here from a very typical creationist teaching organization, Answers in Genesis, and one perhaps innovative creationist biology professor, who liked to shock his students, but is nevertheless very orthodox by our standards.)
Open for discussion. . .


text:
This was the headline in the Natal Witness of January 8 1880 and the original report follows:
A tragic event occurred on the Conway Castle during her voyage out this last time, particulars of which have been furnished us (Advertiser) by a gentleman who arrived here on Melrose and was a witness of the whole affair. It appears that a man named Robert Ross took a steerage passage in this steamer and came out to work for a firm in Durban. He had not been long at sea, in fact was in the Bay of Biscay, when he expressed himself dissatisfied with the arrangements below, and told some to whom he was known that he should sleep upon the deck. This was on Sunday night before reaching Madeira and the next morning (Monday) at 7.30, there was a cry of 'man overboard', and it was found that Ross had disappeared in the sea. The boatswain states that Ross leaped overboard, but there were many who had their doubts of this. Anyway, the ship was stopped for half an hour and Mr Brown, the first officer, in a very smart manner, got a boat lowered and went down himself in charge. The search proved unsuccessful and the boat was hauled up, when, just as the vessel was under weigh, they passed the body floating face upward in the water. The captain was on the bridge, but said it was no use stopping, the man's head was knocked in and he was dead, and the vessel proceeded on her voyage. Our informant asks the rather pertinent questions: How could Captain Jones know this? And would it not have been more satisfactory to make himself and all on board assured of the fact? For our own part, having known Captain Jones when on the Florence, we cannot believe him capable of doing anything that lacks of courtesy and consideration for the feelings of others, but at the same time are fully convinced of the correctness of our informant's story. Ross leaves a wife and family at home to mourn his untimely end. The passengers on board got up a subscription for them.
The story illustrates the fact that even by 1880, there was a chance that those leaving England for South Africa may well have said a last farewell to their home and loved ones and that the great adventure held as many hazards as did the days of sail.
It's also useful as a practical example of how to find maritime events: the precise death date of the unfortunate Robert Ross is given on www.FamilySearch.org under the collection 'United Kingdom, Maritime Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1787-1933': Robert Ross, death, 1 Dec 1879, vessel Conway Castle. The Conway Castle reached Natal by 8 January 1880 but the death at sea occurred about a month before while the ship was in the Bay of Biscay, as reported in the Natal Witness. From the FamilySearch site there's a facility to follow up the information on www.findmypast.com and, for a fee or through subscription to the latter site, to obtain an image of the register page giving further details.
Conway Castle (2,966 tons) built in Glasgow in 1878, was a regular mail steamer until 1883, during which period the above tragedy occurred, and was later transferred to the intermediate service when the Roslin Castle, Norham Castle and Hawarden Castle joined the Line. She underwent considerable improvements in 1892, fitted with triple-expansion engines, her funnel lengthened and with iron bulwarks replacing the open deck rails. The passenger accommodation was upgraded too, with refrigerating machinery and electric light being installed. Not long afterwards, on the Mauritius route, she ran ashore on May 10th 1893 50 miles south of Tamatave while on a voyage to Durban. Her passengers were ashore for 10 days until the Union liner Arab conveyed them to South Africa. But it was the end of the Conway, which could not be brought off the rocks and finally broke up.


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Get ready to experience the simplest, gentlest 28-day jumpstart to the life-changing practice of meditation for beginners. I'm going to teach you the number one secret to have more peace, tranquility and balance in your life. It is doable, realistic, time-friendly and all-inclusive and will provide you with physical, mental and emotional harmony.
Before I tell you more about the PROVEN meditation techniques that have changed the outlook of meditation for thousands of people around the world, I am going to reveal the 3 most common barriers you are facing that are stopping you from getting the peace of mind and anxiety-free living that you deserve.
Your mind is just too busy to sit still for extended periods of time.
Let me tell you something my friend, join the club. Millions of people all across the planet suffer from the syndrome "I-Can't-Sit-Still-itis". We live in a society that has us over-stimulated on every level…cell phones, iPads, computers, tvs, billboards, car radios and the list goes on. It's no wonder you can't quiet your mind and sit still for any period of time.
That's why we're going to start you with baby steps. I'm not going to ask you to sit for 10, 20 or 30 minutes when you first begin. That's like asking someone who struggles to drink one glass of water a day, to drink in excess of eight glasses a day. That's a recipe for failure. Your body and your mind would rebel against this.
To find success, you would encourage the person to begin by drinking perhaps 3 glasses a day, then slowly increasing the amount as they found comfort. Likewise, since you're probably struggling to sit still at all, I'm simply going to ask you to meditate for only 180 seconds a day. That's right, 180 seconds a day! Once you realize, "Hey, I can do this!", naturally and gradually you may begin to add time.
Get ready, I am about to show you a very unique and doable approach for beginning to meditate.
You can't fit it into your already super busy schedule.
Listen, these days, if you're anything like me, you've got a gazillion things that seem to demand your time. If it's not one thing, it's another. The crazy thing, is that today, our society makes us feel like we've always got to be doing, doing, doing.
At some point, though, if you're always doing, doing, doing, and going, going, going…you're going to hit a breaking point. I know I certainly did!
Each and everyone of us, myself included can find 3 minutes a day to meditate…it's that simple. I'm here to tell you from personal experience, it's imperative that you do. Your life depends on it.
Here's the truth though (just in case you think it's a waste of time), simply by taking a few short minutes a day to sit and be still, to refuel yourself, you will become that much more productive and present when you're doing what you're doing, whether it's working, playing, studying, or loving 🙂
You'll discover the most efficient and effective way to get the most out of your meditation time.
You want to start meditating but don't know how and don't want to spend lots of money to learn.
You've probably heard it said before, but it's the starts that stop people. Just breaking the inertia that keeps us from getting from where we are to where we hope to be is very challenging for just about everybody. Truthfully there is a ton of information out there about how to begin meditating, it's just that a lot of it can be confusing and/or expensive.
It's time to put an end to this, let's get you off the blocks!
As it relates to getting into the wonderful world of meditation, if you're tired of feeling like you're spinning your wheels and getting nowhere fast, then keep reading and you will find the SOLUTION you have been longing for. It's easy to understand, simple to do and super inexpensive!
I want to let you know that all of the above barriers are NOT YOUR FAULT, BUT YOU NEED TO SET THE GAME UP TO WIN!
And you don't need to be a spiritual aspirant, monk or mystic to get it.
YOU are capable of doing this! I doubted myself when I first started as well. But I finally figured out what I was doing wrong.
Once I learned the proper way to really meditate and create stillness of mind and body, I became doubtless.
Now I get to share it with you.
YOU can have the peace of mind you have always wanted. Believe in yourself and just follow what I am about to show you.
Follow it to the exact letter and I guarantee you will be on your way to a life filled with peace, positivity, vitality and connectivity.
These 3 barriers are STOPPING you from getting the life you've been longing for. It's time to make a change.
I've created a NEW cutting-edge version of my practice, what I call 3-Minute Meditations. They are for beginners or folks short on time. They are super-short, super-simple, uncomplicated introductions to the art and science of meditation. With these breakthrough methods, you'll be well on your way to getting all the benefits of meditation while sitting about 1/10th of the time of other programs.
3-Minute Meditations is guaranteed to lead you to incredible results if you practice daily. And the best part is it only takes 180 seconds a day.
3-Minute Meditations is built around 7 guided audio meditations/visualizations systematically utilized throughout the four weeks. These include Intentional, Oneness, Mantra, Forgiveness, Mindfulness, Heart & Healing meditations/visualizations.
With a simple, intentional, easy-to-implement practice, you'll witness an increase in peace, joy & gratitude and a decrease in stress, anxiety & overwhelm in your life.
You Get All Of This…
Component 1:
The 3MM Book and 28-Day Challenge ($19 Value)
I've written a book called 3-Minute Meditations where I simplify and demystify the life-changing transformational technology of mediation and I've made it doable for everybody.
In this 32 page primer on the 2500 year old practice of meditation, you're going to learn what meditation is, the 12 top effects you'll experience, the 4 different types of brain waves and how to access them, as well as the 3 keys to success.
Within the book I've created a 28-Day Meditation Challenge where I ask you, the reader, to sit and meditate using the techniques I provide, for just 3 minutes a day for 28 days straight. That's right you heard me correctly, just 3 minutes a day!
Sound like something you can do? I bet it does! And I'm quite confident that if you do, you'll be hooked and you will be taking your first step on the journey of a lifetime.
If you've ever wanted to meditate, this is your opportunity to get in the game, my friend.
Component 2:
3-Minute Meditations
Audio Accelerator Package
Get Even FASTER RESULTS! ($27 Value)
Because you have chosen to take action today, your order includes 9 follow-along, guided AUDIO meditations, which are systematically practiced during the 28-day meditation challenge contained within the 3-Minute Meditations book. These are quick and easy audios with relaxing, soothing music in the background. They include Intentional, Oneness, Contemplative, Existential, Mantra, Forgiveness, Mindfulness, Heart & Healing meditations/visualizations.
You can download them as mp3s so you can listen to them anywhere… at home, in your car, when you're on a run, or in between getting your coffee and getting to the office. All you have to do is push play and get in the flow!
Component 3:
Joyful Living Journal ($19 Value)
In component 3, the Joyful Living Journal, you'll have the opportunity to consciously cultivate more gratitude and joy in your life over the course of 28 Days.
This is the perfect companion to the 28-Day meditation challenge you'll go through in the 3-Minute Meditations book.
Each day I will provide you with 2 thought-provoking questions for you to ponder and write about.
All of this is done to afford you the opportunity to get to know YOU better than you ever imagined. From this space of self-awareness, you will be better able to begin living a joyful, grateful life.
Secrets For Meditation Success Videos ($27 Value)
When it comes to meditating, there are certain practices you can do BEFORE you begin that will greatly increase your chances of enjoying the experience. In these 2 videos Adam Michael Brewer gives you insider secrets for meditation success.
Video 1 – Finding your spot to meditate and relaxation exercises
Video 2 – How to sit to meditate
"Done For You" Meditation X(tended) Pack ($47 Value)
Ready to sit longer than 3 minutes? Then this is what you're looking for.
An additional 10-guided audio meditations of extended lengths where Adam Michael Brewer leads you through four 5-minute Mindfulness Meditations, three Intentional Meditations (5 min, 10 min & 15 min) and three Oneness Meditations (5 min, 10 min & 15 min).
That's an additional 2 HOURS worth of guided audio meditations!
Once the 28-Day Challenge is completed,
- Be far more patient with your loved ones so that you can have a deep meaningful relationship with the people you care about most.
- Feel comfortable in all situations so that you can go to all cocktail parties, social gatherings, banquets, meetings without feeling anxiety, sweaty palms and pitting out.
- Have greater energy levels throughout the day so that you can be more productive at work, do the things you love doing, and just keep going and going and going.
- Save money on a therapist or medications so that you can take the vacation you've always dreamed of, go to the restaurants you love, and save for your future.
- Become less likely to suffer from anxiety attacks so that you can take full control of your life, dominate your path and become the best version of you ever!
Just imagine enjoying all these benefits simply by sitting down
and being still for
"Adam!!! I want to share my immense gratitude to you for sharing 3 Minute Meditations and the 28 Day Meditation Challenge. I have been meditating for years, but NEVER consistently. Now, by putting into practice a daily 3 minute meditation, I am able to meditate daily, sometimes multiple times daily, and often for longer amounts of time. Shifts in perspective, peace of mind, and HUGE new opportunities are entering my life… MIRACLES!
Meditation is such an important spiritual tool and I feel like you've given me such a huge gift. I'm forever grateful.…AMAZING!!! THANK YOU!!! I AM BBD!"
Beth Bloom
Los Angeles, CA
"3 Minute Meditations provided an easy to follow introduction to meditation. Adding three minutes of meditation to my routine has been relaxing, energizing, and grounding. It has become regular part of my day that I will enthusiastically continue.
I would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a systematic method of learning to implement daily meditation. Amazing how just three minutes of meditation can be so energizing! Ready to go workout! Thank you for including me, Adam!"
Julie R. Schulte, MA, CCC-A
Zionsville, Indiana
"Thank you Adam for giving me just what I needed to start a meditation practice. I have heard and read for years about the benefits of meditation, but always found excuses not to try, or would try and not stay consistent. When I read about the 3 minute format, I thought to myself, "now that's something can do". Within the first week I was naturally craving to sit longer, and am now meditating daily. Something I have always wanted to do for myself, I am now doing.
I have developed a daily ritual I look forward to which nourishes me. I truly see the value in developing this practice even more deeply, and you were just what I needed to get started. Thank you again! Namaste."
Jennifer McKinney
Los Angeles, CA
"As a freelance television producer working sometimes 60+ hours a week while juggling my teenage daughter's schedule and trying not to neglect my husband, my days are almost always stressful! So when Adam offered the 28-day-meditation challenge to sit for three minutes a day, I seized the opportunity to incorporate the practice into my life.
I am thrilled to report that during the challenge, I was better able to deal with tense situations and difficult people. My anxiety levels have most definitely dropped (see ya Xanax). Once the challenge ended, I have continued my practice and extended my meditation time. I would highly recommend Three Minute Meditations to anyone who is interested in exploring meditation but isn't sure how to begin – the practice has truly added value to my life (and by extension, the lives I touch on a daily basis). Having Adam as my guide into this practice has been a real blessing, and I believe that his unique perspective and approach has the potential to so many people who, like me, find themselves overwhelmed by the demands of the multi-tasking, fast-paced world in which we live."
Leslie Lindsey Ward
Santa Monica, CA
"The depth of my gratitude is simply boundless. Today was day 28 of the 28 day meditation challenge for me. I have practiced various forms of meditation, prayer, chanting since the mid to late 80's and where I have always struggled was keeping a daily practice truly daily for more than a few weeks. The 3 minute meditations made it so easy for me to really commit this time. I love having the various guided meditations. I love setting my intention and creating a field of gratitude.
I have had more sustained peace and joy over the past 28 days than I can really ever remember. Or maybe simply I have come to know a greater depth of the peace and joy and gratitude and it stays with me throughout the day. When it doesn't, I simply give myself the time to use the tools from this program to center myself again and come back to that attitude of gratitude. As I celebrate completing the 28 day challenge, I also look forward to sustaining my practice and continuing on the path of spiritual progress, health, healing and happiness.
I've heard it said that at the moment of commitment, the entire Universe conspires to assist you. My thanks to the Universe for bringing me to this program. Adam, this was exactly what I needed. Thank you!"
Dave Drezner
"I recently finished my 28 day challenge and all I can say is how appreciative I am for having been given this most amazing gift. I feel so much calmer and more connected than I ever have. I have also been dealing with a lot of emotional turmoil lately – aging and ill parents that could send anyone into a tailspin, but with the tools Adam has provided, I have been able to keep calm, breathe and move forward without losing it!
Thank you Adam for blessing me with a gift I didn't even know I needed or wanted. I am so grateful to have met you and I look forward to learning and growing with your guidance and support. I am actually going to do the challenge again using the guided meditation-excited to see where that takes me!!"
Kathy Donovan
Los Angeles, CA
"As a 46 year old trying to balance work and family life, I found the 3 minute meditation to be a great stress reliever. 3MM provides big impact for such a small commitment of time and is very easy to do. I recommend it for anyone who is looking to improve the quality of their lives."
Dan Schuman
Cleveland, OH
"The 3 Minute Meditations book takes you thru a 28 day journey, enveloping the core of all things life has to offer, opening our minds into accepting all the goodness there is within ourselves and others. You can do these 3 minute meditations anywhere at anytime with ease. These 3 minutes a day can really change your life!"
Janae Brand
Marina Del Rey, CA
"Before I even go into my kitchen in the morning —before I enter the chaos and look at my schedule for the day, I stay in my room and do my 3 minutes of meditation and it just seems to get me focused for my day—it energizes me and makes me very positive and ready take on the challenge. I try very hard to do it again in the evening and it just helps me to breathe out all of the chaos of the day!!
Thank you Adam for helping me de-stress!!"
Leigh Ann Oberski
Toledo, OH
"I tried both morning and evening and found I prefer the evening/night. I do it as a part of getting ready for bed and I find it helps me relax, unwind and sleep happy. Thank you Adam!"
Jennifer Stump
Marina Del Rey, CA
"Due to my mommy and work schedule I have been using your 3-minute meditations in the morning, mid day or at night. Ideally the morning is best, but if it was a high intensity day, night is amazing to wind down with a 3MM. Mid day actually has been great for me too, if business just gets a lil hectic. It's good to take that time to release and regroup.
My goal is to get it to the same time everyday as many days as possible. All in all its brilliant for me so far. Muah AMB!!! Thank you for this beautification!"
Shaina Fast
Los Angeles, CA
"I want to call your attention to Adam Michael Brewer. He has launched his ebook on meditation. The peace that is over this guy can only described as heaven sent. He is truly centered and has taught me through example how to ascend.
I can't stress enough the benefits of meditation. It doesn't take a lot of time and its not a difficult thing to do but his book will show you how. Please, please, hit him up and he'll advise you how to join his group and obtain his book. – be blessed!!!"
Scott A. Williams
Los Angeles, CA
Hi, I'm Adam Michael Brewer; meditation guide, wellness coach and mind/body specialist. I live in Playa Del Rey, CA with my partner Liz and our son Skye. Simply put, meditation has been the greatest gift I have ever given myself. In short, it was a serious Game-Changer. It found it's way into my life back in 2003 at a time when I desperately needed to find solid ground in my life.
I've been practicing meditation for the last 15 years and have been teaching it to others for the last 3 years. I can't wait to share it with you too. Very soon you will learn the secret to living with more joy, peace of mind and greater vitality than you've ever imagined.
What are you waiting for? You've come this far and you're just one click away from experiencing this life-changing program!
Q & A's
Q. Will this program work if I'm in my 40's and 50's?
A. Yes, the beautiful part about this program is that it works at any age.
Q. I've been meditating for years, just not consistently. Will this be for me?
A. YES!!! The real benefits of meditation are felt and experienced through daily meditation. I intentionally picked a length of time for the meditation that anyone can fit into their days, whether you've been at this before, but it didn't stick or this is your first time.
Q. What if I already have a consistent meditation practice?
A. That is completely fine. Consider this another option for when you are time crunched… kind of like meditation-to-go!
Q. I'm not religious. Does this technique have any particular religious affiliation?
A. This practice is not affiliated with any religion. It is for anyone… whether you're religious, spiritual or anywhere in between.
Q. Is 3 minutes of meditation really enough to get results?
A. Absolutely!!! Just look at some of the testimonials to hear about the results people got whether or not they had meditated before or had never tried it. The best part about it being 3 minutes is that it allows you to create a HABIT. What most people experience is that they eventually, if not very quickly, love the feeling and they naturally want to sit longer. 🙂


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Free Spirit
A Quintessential Rum Cocktail is the Cuba Libre'. If Bourbon is used instead of rum it can be called a Buckeroo. In Canada (and the US), when Crown Royal Whisky is used it is usually called, Crown and Coke,and when we use other Canadian whiskies we just call it Rye and Coke (although for all those whisky based versions the lime is usually omitted).
I decided some time ago that the Cuba Libre' style bar drink when made with Canadian Whisky deserves a better name than just Rye and Coke, so I when I make it (and when I use the lime garnish inside the glass) I call this mixed drink, The Free Spirit.
The Free Spirit
1 1/2 oz. Canadian Whisky
2 to 4 oz Coca Cola
Lime slice
2 – 3 Large Ice Cubes
Build the The Free Spirit over ice in a rocks or highball glass
Rub the lime over the edge of the glass
Drop in a lime slice in and stir
And remember, the aim of my blog is to help you drink better spirits, not more spirits!
Note: If you are interested in more of my original cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!


text:
Google's Flutter platform does look very interesting. In many ways it is similar to React Native.
I would say though that Flutter is not battle-tested yet.
- reactive-style programming patterns for views
- reactive-style "virtual DOM" for updating "real DOM" (note: in a native app there is not actually a browser DOM, but a tree of UI components; same concept though)
- backed by big companies (RN = Facebook, Flutter = Google)
- open source: RN = https://github.com/facebook/
react-native, Flutter = https://github.com/flutter/ flutter
- Language: RN = JavaScript, Flutter = Dart (AOT compiled, strongly typed) [comment: it's a cool language, but who uses Dart outside of Google really?]
- UI Widgets: RN = native UI components, Flutter = provides its own customized components drawn on a native canvas (OpenGL or similar), which interestingly is like Adobe AIR or Unity
- Real World App Examples:
- RN = Facebook, Instagram, WIX, Facebook Ad Manager, Telsa, Walmart, Skype, Bloomberg, AirBnB, Gyroscope, Myntra, UberEats, Discovery VR, …
- Flutter = Hamilton, ?
- Time period since initial release: RN = Jan 2015 (initial release), Flutter = May 2017 (initial release), changed current status from "alpha" to "beta" in Feb 2018 (days ago)


text:
Spike TV's "UFC Prelims" broadcast returns for May's UFC 130 event, and after a little bit of shuffling, the special's two guaranteed fights have been selected.
Spike TV officials today announced that Tim Boetsch vs. Kendall Grove and Demtrious Johnson vs. Miguel Torres will air on the May 28 broadcast.
A fight between Thiago Alves and Rick Story had been initially considered for the slot, but that fight was recently elevated to the evening's main card.
UFC 130 takes place May 28 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Following the cancellation of Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard III, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Matt Hamill was promoted to the main-event slot.
Boetsch (12-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) likely finds himself in a must-win situation after losing to Phil Davis in a November 2010 bout at UFC 123. The loss dropped Boetsch to 1-1 in his most recent stint in the octagon.
The 30-year-old debuted for the promotion in 2008 but was released following a 2-2 run. Boetsch then won three straight fights outside of the promotion and was welcomed back at UFC 117.
Meanwhile, Grove (12-8 MMA, 7-5 UFC) is also in danger of losing back-to-back fights after suffering a unanimous-decision loss to Demian Maia this past December. A winner of "The Ultimate Fighter 3," Grove has alternated wins and losses in his past six outings and is just 4-5 in his past nine.
Johnson (9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who was originally scheduled to face Renan Barao at UFC 130, has won three consecutive fights since his lone career loss. They included a decision victory over Nick Pace at WEC 51, a submission victory over Damacio Page at WEC 52, and a decision win and signature career victory over Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto in his UFC debut at UFC 126 back in February.
Torres (39-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC), a former WEC 135-pound champion, lost his belt to Brian Bowles in 2009 and suffered a subsequent submission defeat to Joseph Benavidez in early 2010. The back-to-back losses snapped the veteran's 17-fight win streak, which was built mostly in his native Indiana. However, he got back in the win column with a submission victory over Charlie Valencia at WEC 51, and recently at UFC 126, he scored a tactical decision victory over Antonio Banuelos.
For more on UFC 130, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.
(Pictured: Kendall Grove)


text:
Carol Lamont
Town Square
Affordable Housing Planned for SOFA
Original post made by Carol Lamont, Palo Alto High School, on Jul 7, 2006
Carol Lamont
Comments (8)
a resident of Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on Jul 9, 2006 at 7:09 pm
Eww! Palo Alto is not the place for low income housing! I pay big money to live here, I don't think we should give people a break to live here. There are plenty of other surrounding low income areas where these people can move to.
a resident of Charleston Gardens
on Jul 9, 2006 at 9:22 pm
Please ask the school board to provide their strategic plan to provide space and services for the influx of students from this and other high impact South Palo Alto residential developments already underway . Their answer at this time seems to be "Let them Eat Cake", aka "Mandarin Immersion" which will be a highly customized special enrichment program that will be a very costly (inefficient on a per student basis)use of tax payer dollars, while serving only 240 out of the existing 5000 elementary students (and growing!). If the community continues to add significant housing developments, the school board should be required to come up with realistic plans to cover the growth before they add high maintenance, low efficiency speciality programs. The board needs to justify how "Mandarin Immersion" helps meet this important need. PLEASE send a quick letter to the school board asking them to vote no on MI so the district can focus on the basic priorities to support the wave of growth in our community.
a resident of Barron Park
on Jul 10, 2006 at 9:42 am
Just a response to Brett's interesting post. I believe it is strongly in the self-interest of affluent households here to foster economic diversity in our town. To truncate a long argument, I'll just that I grew up in a 100% affluent community in Southern California that was in many ways a terribly stunted environment for its children. Diversity is like fresh air. I think that maintaining or fostering economic diversity here is just about the best gift we can give to our children. Thanks,
a resident of Midtown
on Jul 12, 2006 at 9:55 pm
What is the purpose of the Planning Commission and City Council? Is it not to support the best interests of the citizens? Does this mean representing the best interests of the population or special interests?
What is the benefit of high density housing in Palo Alto? Is it meant to improve the quality of life for the citizens of Palo Alto, or to provide a cheap labor source for businesses?
High density (cheap) housing serves one purpose. It ensures businesses and wealthy citizens have cheap labor to provide their services. Gardeners to mow their lawns and chefs to flip their fast-food burgers.
Palo Alto has limited resources: a fixed amount of open space, parks, road capacity, water, and garbage facilities. Adding population and thereby increasing usage (i.e., increasing demand) only does one thing, it increases the cost of living for the current residents.
The increased cost of living, and erosion of our quality of life, is presented in two forms: overtly through increased cost of services, and discretely through over usage of our public property. The price of water has gone up over 25% in the last few years. The city dump is out of space, and will begin shipping our garbage elsewhere in our lifetime. Our city streets have become more crowded and dangerous.
Families want room for their kids to play. They do NOT want housing in a high density, high-rise building, where the kids need to take an elevator to go out and play. Calling high density housing in downtown Palo Alto, (or anywhere) family housing is an oxy-moron.
In a nutshell, high density housing is subsidized by the citizens of Palo Alto in the form of a hidden tax. A tax which erodes our quality of life by increasing the cost of living in Palo Alto, visibly through the higher cost of basic services (e.g., water, garbage, etc), and invisibly through increased congestion on our streets, which leads to longer commute times, more costly trips to the local grocery store, and so on.
Fortunately for the special interest groups (generally developers, business, and housing proponents ) who are promoting this and other high density housing, these costs are not easily quantifiable, and thereby do not appear to warrant any protest from the populist. And so, as so often happens with housing in Palo Alto, special interests prevail over the public good. High density housing to support fast food businesses wins out over safe streets and neighborhoods for our kids and senior citizens.
This is just another example of the city council pushing an agenda of high density housing to support local businesses and ensure the city government has enough revenue to support an inflated budget. Poor decisions by our city council continue to make Palo Alto a more expensive place to live, and push families out of town. Does anyone have the energy to fight the insanity?
a resident of Evergreen Park
on Aug 15, 2006 at 12:56 pm
I'll vote for Bob Gardiner if he wants to run for city council!
a resident of Midtown
on Aug 16, 2006 at 9:52 am
Bob you have my vote too!
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Aug 16, 2006 at 8:19 pm
Bob, you don't have my vote. I believe Palo Alto needs to grow, not stay a bedroom community like Saratoga, Los Altos, Altherton, Hillsborough, and stay flat. We're too built out to build more suburb housing, so high density is our main option. It doesn't have to be extremely high density, but reasonable.
That's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it!
a resident of Professorville
on Aug 16, 2006 at 10:30 pm
The idea that dense housing is the result of some kind of conspiracy between wealthy residents and business to guarantee an ample supply of servants and low wage workers is unbelievably stupid. Go to a city council or planning commission meeting and see who speaks out against denser housing. Those ain't poor people.
So far as high rise housing not being family friendly, I spent my first ten years living on the fifth floor of an apartment building in New York City. Then my parents decided to move to the suburbs "for the children." What a mistake! We went from a vibrant, exciting, diverse community to white bread, car oriented boredom.
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Top Ten Authors I've Only Read One Book By, And Need More!
My Goodreads account was used to help me compile today's list, these are authors I've only read one book by, ordered by most recent-first. I'm going to hold-off on including a poll at the end of this TTT, but feel free to recommend great reads by any of these authors! For those who are interested in how I'm doing with the polls, I have read and reviewed The Perks of Being A Wallflower (winner of the TTT Books That Give Me Bookish-Indecisive Syndrome), I'm currently in the middle of Throne of Glass (winner of the TTT Books People Tell Me I HAVE To Read), which leaves Cinder to read (winner of the TTT Books I Can't Wait To Read (But Don't Own Yet)). Bonus points for also reading If I Stay, which was a runner-up in one of the polls – review to follow!
1. Tess Sharpe, author of Far From You – I recently read and reviewed Far From You, and thoroughly enjoyed this debut. Based on Sharpe's debut novel, which handled some very tough issues expertly, I'm really looking forward to reading more by her.
2. Mila Gray (Sarah Alderson), author of Come Back to Me – I buddy-read this with Brandie @ Brandie is a Book Junkie, you can check out our review here. I don't think I've ever read anything by Sarah Alderson, and I know she's working on her next New Adult piece under pen-name Mila Gray, which I'm already looking forward to. Writers are upping the game when it comes to the NA age range, and I'm loving it.
3. E. Lockhart, author of We Were Liars – A book that has taken internet-book-lovers by storm, I finally gave in and read this one quite recently (my review). I had never been drawn to an E. Lockhart book previously, OK let's be honest, I'd never heard of her before We Were Liars, but having read it I'd be interested to check out more of her stuff.
4. Juliana Stone, author of Boys Like You – I requested this book to review via NetGalley. I'd never heard of Stone before, so I was surprised to discover just how many books she has written, as I'd assumed Boys Like You was a debut. It was the cover that initially grabbed me, and having snooped around Stone's Author Page on Goodreads, it's safe to say this is the best cover she has, which stands out on her profile.
5. S J Watson, author of Before I Go To Sleep – I read this book a few years ago and was absolutely hooked to it. I didn't realise it was being made into a movie until quite recently, and I can't wait to see it. I always thought S J Watson was a female author though, so I got quite the shock today on Goodreads!
6. David Nicholls, author of One Day – I watched the movie before I read the book – something I rarely do! And the book by far outshines the movie adaptation. I was so disappointed in Anne Hathaway's performance (and I love her), and credit to the book – the shock factor still got me quite hard even though I knew what was going to happen. Surprisingly, I don't think I've read anything else by Nicholls, but I intend to.
7. Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Traveller's Wife – I adored this book, and I really enjoyed the movie adaptation (I know some people didn't like it, but I cry every time I watch it, and I don't cry easily!). I've recently heard there's a sequel in the pipeline, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I'd like to read something else by Niffenegger though, if anyone has any suggestions?
8. Lionel Shriver, author of We Need To Talk About Kevin – It's probably weird to LOVE such a dark book with such a twisted main character, but I talk about this book all the time. Any time anyone needs a book recommendation, guaranteed this is the first title out of my mouth. I first read it when I was 17, and I've loved it ever since.
9. Sarra Manning, author of Pretty Things – I first read this when I was in my teens, and it managed to survive many of the culls I made of my collection when I grew into adulthood. I really enjoyed this story, and it was one of the first YA books I encountered that dealt with sex, sexuality and the confusion of being a teenager so well.
10. Sarah Dessen, author of Someone Like You – People seem to either love or dislike Sarah Dessen. I read Someone Like You when I was a teen and really enjoyed it, I think I cried. I have Just Listen in my physical TBR pile, so should I get to that one sooner rather than later?
Which authors made your list today? Do you have any great reads by my authors that you'd recommend? Link me up or let me know in the comments! Happy reading, Book Geeks!


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Today, as I walked to class, I started to think about all the little awesome things I am thankful for at Mount Mary. In high school, I dreaded going to class every morning, and often avoided class completely. Now that I'm in college, I actually like going to school! Here are the little things in my day that make me love my college experience:
1. Underground tunnels that lead me from building to building, without ever stepping foot outside! Now that it is winter in Wisconsin, just the thought of stepping outside in the frigid weather makes me cringe. With the tunnel system, I can go to class in leggings or slippers, without worrying about frostbite!
2.Healthy dining food options
— Today at lunch, I had a salad, rice and zucchini (something I would never eat at home!). I LOVE how Mount Mary offers an array of food choices for our meals, most of them being healthy. In high school, everything was fried and processed, but here, we have fresh AND yummy food :)
More From Seventeen
3. My own bathroom! At Mount Mary, you have the choice of having your own bathroom or using a community one. This year, I chose to have a personal bathroom in my dorm, and I am loving every minute of it! It's so nice to have privacy when I am getting ready for a night out, and not to mention, no late night trips down the hall when I have to pee super bad!
4. Small class sizes are a BIG plus! I love knowing the names of all the girls in my classes. We all bond really well, and everybody is able to be a part of classroom discussions. The teachers can get to know us on a personal level too. It makes learning so much easier and [a little] fun!
5. A really cool roommate! Right now, my room is a total disaster. My clothes, books and papers are scattered everywhere. Thankfully, my roommate doesn't care at all! I would feel so guilty if I had a neat person for a roomie. It's nice when I can enjoy the fact that my roommate and I don't stress about the little things.
What are the little things that you love about your school? Shout 'em out in the comments below!


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The South African Furniture Removals Alliance (SAFRA) now offers Moving Companies and related businesses advertising packages that offer a high return on investment (ROI).
Most of our advertising packages are bundled with furniture removal leads which means we offer advertising with guaranteed results and exceptional benefits. No more paying fees towards advertising that comes with empty promises.
The SAFRA network consists of more than 50 integrated websites, all designed and optimized to attract maximum traffic. Every month we serve at least 7 500 unique visitors with a direct interest in getting furniture removal quotes.
Visit the SAFRA Website today for more information on our advertising packages and other services that are available to furniture removal companies all over South Africa.


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BERLIN – German automaker Volkswagen AG said Friday its net profit increased 41 per cent for 2012, but earnings fell a little short of analysts' expectations and the company issued a cautious forecast for this year.
Full-year earnings rose to €21.7 billion ($28.7 billion) from €15.4 billion the previous year; analysts surveyed by FactSet had expected them to come in just above €22 billion. Earnings were boosted last year in part by an accounting boost from the complex deal that made Porsche one of Volkswagen's 12 brands.
Revenues were up 21 per cent, rising to €192.7 billion from €159.3 billion. The number of vehicles delivered worldwide last year by the group topped 9 million for the first time, rising 12.2 per cent to nearly 9.3 million as growing demand in North America and Asia offset more sluggish sales in Europe, where many countries are in recession.
The company said it expects revenue and deliveries to customers to exceed last year's level in 2013 but that, "given the ongoing uncertainty in the economic environment," its aim is to match the 2012 level of operating profit.
Last year's operating profit came in at €11.5 billion, a 2.1 per cent increase over 2011. Volkswagen proposed raising the dividend on ordinary shares to €3.50 from the previous year's €3.00 and on preferred shares to €3.56 from €3.06.
The company noted that "we are not completely immune to the intense competition and the impact this has on business."
Volkswagen shares dropped sharply after the earnings statement, falling 6.3 per cent to €165 in Frankfurt trading.
The company did not detail fourth-quarter earnings. Friday's statement of key 2012 figures came ahead of a full annual report planned for March 14.
Volkswagen said its supervisory board has adjusted the rules for executive compensation, with the result that managers' pay will decrease compared with 2011 despite the higher operating earnings.
The company said that CEO Martin Winterkorn's earnings for 2012 total about €14.5 million, compared with the previous year's €17.5 million — a change that had been expected. The management board's total pay will sink to about €56 million from €70 million.


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ppmtv (1) - Linux Man Pages
ppmtv: make a portable pixmap look like taken from an American TV
ppmtv - make a portable pixmap look like taken from an American TV
SYNOPSISppmtv dimfactor [ppmfile]
DESCRIPTIONReads a portable pixmap as input. Dims every other row of image data down by the specified dim factor. This factor may be in the range of 0.0 (the alternate lines are totally black) to 1.0 (original image).
This creates an effect similar to what I've once seen in the video clip 'You could be mine' by Guns'n'Roses. In the scene I'm talking about you can see John Connor on his motorbike, looking up from the water trench (?) he's standing in. While the camera pulls back, the image gets 'normal' by brightening up the alternate rows of it. I thought this would be an interesting effect to try in MPEG. I did not yet check this out, however. Try for yourself.
AUTHORCopyright (C) 1993 by Frank Neumann


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Enough people like checking in with Gordon Ramsay's Hotel Hell series that the folks at FOX have ordered a second season. This marks the fourth TV series on the network that features the no-nonsense chef.
The four episodes of Hotel Hell that have aired thus far have averaged a 2.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 5.32 million total viewers.
Compared to the rest of FOX's summer series, Hotel Hell receives a "C+" grade. There are two episodes left in this season and they're both slated to air tonight in a special two-hour finale.
Here's the network's press release regarding the second season renewal:
Gordon Ramsay to Fix More Struggling Establishments in Trouble
FOX has ordered a second season of HOTEL HELL, the hit Gordon Ramsay series in which the award-winning chef and hospitality expert travels the country to fix horrid hotels, awful inns and just plain bad bed and breakfasts.
"The response to HOTEL HELL has been truly extraordinary, and we're really excited to have the opportunity to turn around many more hotels in dire need of intervention," said Gordon Ramsay.
"With HOTEL HELL, Gordon has proved once again that he's one of the most successful and appealing personalities on television," said Mike Darnell, President of Alternative Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. "He delivered an amazing new show for us this summer that fans immediately embraced, and I can't wait for him to get started on an even more exciting Season Two."
In HOTEL HELL, Ramsay endures hotels at their worst – from filthy bedrooms and mold-ridden bathrooms to dreadful room service and incompetent management – all so unsuspecting guests don't have to. After he uncovers all the dirty secrets, Ramsay puts the hotel owners and employees to work as he attempts to turn around these failing establishments. With reputations on the line, one thing is certain: if they can't meet and maintain Ramsay's five-star standards, they will never check out of HOTEL HELL.
After posting the highest-rated series debut of the summer, HOTEL HELL has quickly become this summer's No. 1 new series among Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34, Adults 25-54, Women 18-49, Women 25-54 and all key men demos. In addition, HOTEL HELL ranks as one of the Top 10 shows overall this summer among Adults 18-49.
Tune in to the two-hour season finale airing Monday, Sept. 3 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX, when Ramsay checks into two inns struggling to stay afloat. Established in the 1880s, the River Rock Inn in Milford, PA is falling apart. It's in desperate need of a cleaning, there are dead bugs everywhere and Ramsay discovers a disgusting galaxy of stains on one particular bedspread that sends him through the roof. Then, Ramsay checks into the Roosevelt Inn, a converted 16-bedroom schoolhouse in Coeur D'Alene, ID, where the owner is more interested in dressing up like Sherlock Holmes for murder mystery nights than he is in updating the hotel's musty décor. Find out if Ramsay's efforts are enough to save these inns, in the special two-hour "River Rock Inn/Roosevelt Inn" season finale episode of HOTEL HELL.
If you are an owner who would like to apply for HOTEL HELL, or know of a hotel in serious need of Gordon Ramsay's help, please email: firstname.lastname@example.com.
HOTEL HELL is produced by One Potato Two Potato Inc. (part of the All3Media group). Gordon Ramsay, Ben Adler, Patricia Llewellyn and Adeline Ramage Rooney serve as executive producers. "Like" HOTEL HELL on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HotelHellonFOX. Follow the series on Twitter @HotelHellonFOX and join the discussion at #hotelhell. Meet the maid from hell at www.maidfromhell.com by connecting through your Facebook account.
About One Potato Two Potato:
One Potato Two Potato was co-founded by Gordon Ramsay and Optomen Television in 2008 to exclusively create and produce worldwide content for Ramsay ventures across all media, including television, digital and publishing. Renowned for award-winning original programming, the company produces high-quality TV shows on both sides of the Atlantic, including the smash-hit HOTEL HELL, which is the highest-rated new network show of summer 2012; and MASTERCHEF, both for FOX; as well as massive U.K. hit "Gordon Ramsay Behind Bars" and "Gordon's Great Escape" for Channel 4; and "My Kitchen," for UKTV's Good Food Channel. Ramsay's groundbreaking and hugely popular Channel 4 series, "Cookalong LIVE," aired as a special on FOX and has since become a successful format around the world. OPTP is also currently in development on several exciting unscripted and scripted projects, within and beyond the food genre, for network, cable and digital platforms in the U.S., U.K. and Australia. OPTP distributes its hugely popular TV programming and formats to more than 200 territories via Optomen International. The company became part of the All3Media group in 2010. Find out more about One Potato Two Potato at www.onepotatotwopotato.tv.
What do you think? Do you like the Hotel Hell TV series? Are you glad that it's been renewed for a second season?


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And then,
one of the most beautiful memory pops-up in his Facebook notification.
It is a picture of her with him quoting.. "One year ago, on this day". 💑 🙂
Her heart blossomed in the sky.
When broken, it became a star. ⭐
Tweeting: @thebrokenspecss
"Where is your girlfriend?", She asked.
"Very far", He replied.
"Is it a long distance?", She asked.
"You can call it a long distance",
He said while staring at the sky.
Tweeting: @thebrokenspecss
And then,
Chocolates and Cigarettes
became her new friends. 😐
Tweeting: @thebrokenspecss
Hi 🙂
It's 14th of November, 40 days to go for Christmas and 47 days to New Year but here we are celebrating children's day in India. It's a day to honor children. Universal Children's Day takes place annually on November 20. June 1st is also celebrated as Children's day in many parts of the world.
Childhood memories are sweetest of all. They can be savored for a lifetime. Children's day celebration is fun for the little ones but it is important for the parents too. Every parent must understand the importance of the children's day. Parents should be well aware about the little desires of their angels.
During my school days, November month was very exciting because Children's day was celebrated in every school of India. Children's who had performed well in there last year grades used to get prizes from the School Teacher. I was never the one getting those awards or prizes 😀 I remember many events used to happen that day and the assembly time was increased . In the end, children's used to get sweets and chocolates. It used to be a very exciting day. 🙂
The guys who are currently in school needs to enjoy every moment of it. I know you hate school very much but honestly you gonna miss these days when you go to your university. These are the days you should make memories of, rejoice every moment of it with your best friends. Respect your teachers because they are making a sea of students ready for there future.
So, go out and celebrate, enjoy and remember your school days.
After all Children are like precious gems.. 🙂


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Twitter today announced what could lead to a reduction of hostilities in the patent wars threatening to engulf Silicon Valley: a pledge to do no evil.
The pledge, which could become a kind of Hippocratic Oath for tech companies with patents, gives Twitter employees more control over their inventions -- and, most importantly, promises that the patents will only be used for defensive purposes, not to block other companies from innovating.
"One of the great things about Twitter is working with so many talented folks who dream up and build incredible products day in and day out. Like many companies, we apply for patents on a bunch of these inventions," Adam Messinger, vice president of engineering, wrote in a blog post. "However, we also think a lot about how those patents may be used in the future; we sometimes worry that they may be used to impede the innovation of others. For that reason, we are publishing a draft of the Innovator's Patent Agreement, which we informally call the 'IPA.'"
Under the IPA, inventors will maintain control over their patents, and Twitter agrees not to use the patents to file offensive lawsuits designed to block technology development at other firms without permission of the inventor.
"This is a significant departure from the current state of affairs in the industry. Typically, engineers and designers sign an agreement with their company that irrevocably gives that company any patents filed related to the employee's work," the post says. "The company then has control over the patents and can use them however they want, which may include selling them to others who can also use them however they want. With the IPA, employees can be assured that their patents will be used only as a shield rather than as a weapon."
The IPA will be implemented later this year and be applied retroactively to all past patents, the company said.
Twitter is talking with other companies about adopting the IPA, which is published on GitHub, and is asking Twitter users for feedback.
The move is in response to what has become a battle of patents of late. Technology companies are building up massive war chests of intellectual property to better defend their businesses. Earlier this month, for instance, Microsoft spent $1 billion on 800 patents from Web pioneer AOL, a move that trailed Facebook's acquisition of some 750 patents from IBM, which covered "software and networking" technologies. Both of those companies are currently embroiled in lawsuits that center on patents, where the end goal can be keeping a product from being sold, or simply threatening that in the hopes of reaching a profitable settlement.
Such acquisitions come at a price though. For instance, Nortel's patent portfolio, which contained some 6,000 patents related to communication technologies, was bought by a consortium of companies that included Apple, EMC, Microsoft, and Research In Motion, among others in a $4.5 billion deal. It was big enough to warrant an investigation from the U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust division, which later noted that those companies committed to license those patents to others, as well as keep from using them against others in disputes.
Meanwhile, a courtroom in San Francisco is hearing opening testimony this week in a case to decide whether Google's Android operating system violates Oracle-owned patents to the Java programming language. And Facebook and Yahoo are embroiled in a patent litigation involving a range of technologies including online ads and customizing views for social users.
The move was praised by some as a reasonable way to stop big software companies from using patents to interfere with technology development at other firms to thwart competition. Software code is already protected from theft by copyright, but patents are being used to block other companies from adding the same features to their products, say patent critics. A former Yahoo employee argues for abolition of software patents and wrote about how Yahoo "weaponized" his technology in a recent Wired article.
"Instead of companies competing with each other on the best product they are suing each other to prevent rivals from competing with products," said David Sacks, chief executive at Yammer. "Patents give the patent holder a monopoly on that type of functionality. You shouldn't be able to steal code, but we don't want to outlaw feature wars...Every patent is like a micro law that says no one else can innovate in this area."
"It's no secret that software patents can cause great harm for inventors, companies, and innovation," said Julie Samuels, staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "Twitter's IPA gives those companies and inventors a powerful tool to take a system that's broken and make it work for them, which in turn will benefit us all."
But one patent expert criticized Twitter's IPA plans, saying it could leave the company wide open to wholesale intellectual property theft.
"On the face of it, it appears that this agreement, if adopted wholesale, will make their IP nearly impossible to transact, crippling a potentially important underlying value driver of the company," said Erin-Michael Gill, managing director and chief intellectual property officer for MDB Capital. "At the minimum, this agreement gives a small team of developers outsized leverage in potentially leaving Twitter for companies like Facebook, Microsoft and Google to work on exactly the same projects and functionality."
Twitter's announcement comes during the company's quarterly Hack Week, in which employees work on projects that are outside their regular day-to-day work.
Updated 1:07 p.m. PT with reaction from patent experts and 11:57 a.m. with background on patent purchases and lawsuits.
CNET's Declan McCullagh and Josh Lowensohn contributed to this report.


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I was on Ashwalker tonight, again, having a great night of level 70 PvP, again, when Alterac Valley comes up. I love Alterac Valley in its current form, though I'd love to see it become even better and return to its former glory.
I liked AV when I first encountered it on Cynwise, as a warlock. Hitting it on Cynwulf as a level 59 DK twink gave me a new part of the game – tanking the zerg with as many warmasters up as I could. This was back before the nerf bat had ever been waved towards the DK, when you could flip over to Frost Presence and pretty much be totally invulnerable.
Things are different now. I enjoy AV on Ash, and for much the same reasons as 'wulf – being a Prot Warrior in a BG which requires a tank is pretty much guaranteed to make for 5 minutes or so of running and then waiting, then a minute of ferocious tanking, and then it's either over or it's time to go rez, PvP, and see how things really turn out.
Tonight, there were three tanks down in FWV, so the other two started posturing about who was going to tank Drek. I sized it up, realized it wasn't worth getting into, and dropped:
/bg I'll get the wolves and warmasters.
I immediately got a whisper back from a shammy saying, "I got you then."
Aw, yeah. Sweet, sweet shammy lovin'.
So in I went as the off-tank with all four towers up. I've not actually been able to tank Drek+4 at level 70, though I did several times in the 50s and 60s – I'm not sure if this is because of my healing team, Drek's buffs, my tanking, or what. Normally I revel in being the MT, of saying I HAVE THIS, RAWR.
But saying, no, you guys figure it out, I'll take the adds, get the job done on the big guy – it felt pretty good. It solved the problem in /bg, but it also solved the problem in Drek's room – if all the tanks fight over the boss, the adds are going to wipe out everyone.
Tanking the warmasters was interesting. I thought the wolves were going to pack more of a punch, but they went down pretty quickly. Three of the four warmasters vanished about 15 seconds in, as their towers went down, but Iceblood stayed doggedly with me. I didn't really have a good strategy, other than keep it away from whirlwinding other people, so I'd be like… excuse me, coming through … mind the angry orc, please … excuse me … make way, whirlwinding boss here … make way please!
(People stand where they want in Drek's room. It never bugged me so much – until tonight.)
It seemed like it took forever to take down Drek tonight, as the Iceblood Warmaster chased me all over the room. All DPS was on the blind guy who should be in a wheelchair, as it should be.
But when he did go down, it was a surprisingly satisfying victory.
I could get used to this.
3/4 tonight in the 70 bracket, with Flurry and Drop It Now!, 4 cap of EotS, successful defense of Strand, and an AV zerg. It was a nice cure for my earlier PvP blahs.
I am not missing the endgame at all right now. BGs filled with competent players? Quick gearups with no threat of a grind to keep it up to date every few months? Enough abilities to have the class function as designed, but not be overwhelming?
I may never get another profession over 450.


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University Counseling Center
WIU Home > Student Success > UCC > Resources
The College-Level Examination Program® (CLEP) gives candidates the opportunity to receive college credit for what they already know by earning qualifying scores on any of 33 examinations. Earn credit for knowledge acquired through independent study, prior course work, on-the-job training, professional development, cultural pursuits, or internships. View more information on CLEP testing.
Western Illinois University's policy regarding CLEP credit states that a maximum of one-fourth of the credit (30 semester hours) required for graduation may be earned through external testing (CLEP, etc.) and/or military credit.
Subject Examinations
Credit is awarded for the CLEP Subject Examinations. If college credit has been earned at an equal level to, or exceeding that, of a particular examination prior to taking the test, no credit will be awarded for that test.
The student who has received credit hours for CLEP Examinations at another institution prior to transferring to WIU will receive the credit as entered on the official transcript of the previous institution provided that their CLEP scores are recorded on said transcript or they have documentation from CLEP stating their scores.
The student who wishes to have scores reviewed must request that the official scores be sent directly to: Western Illinois University, Admissions Management Center, 109 Sherman Hall, 1 University Circle, Macomb, IL 61455 from the Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ 08540. For more information, or to schedule an examination, contact Western Illinois University Counseling Center at (309) 298-2453.
Scores at the 50th percentile or higher on CLEP examinations are accepted for credit at WIU as follows: CLEP Subject Exams
Contact Info
University Counseling Center
Memorial Hall 1st Floor
1 University Circle
Macomb, IL 61455
Please call to schedule an appointment. Appointments cannot be made through email.
Phone: (309) 298-2453
Fax: (309) 298-3253
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com