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Yahoo's board has decided that Microsoft's $44.6 billion, $31-per-share acquisition offer undervalues the company, and it plans to formally reject the bid, according to reports today by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous sources. The Journal, citing its source, reports that Yahoo "is unlikely to consider any offer below $40 per share."
Yahoo is still considering a Google partnership as a means of fending Microsoft off, the papers say.
Microsoft isn't yet commenting on the reports of the rejection, and it's not clear what the company will do next. But these are some of its options, based in part on recent interviews with lawyers and other experts in mergers and acquisitions.
Another bid: Microsoft could treat Yahoo's rejection as a negotiating tactic, an effort to induce a larger bid. The $40-per-share reference made by the Journal's source could lead to that conclusion. Microsoft would then need to decide whether it wants to boost its offer beyond the original $31 per share, which was a 60 percent premium over Yahoo's previous closing price.
Tender offer: Microsoft's original bid was limited to a public expression of interest and proposed terms — a "bear hug," as it's known in the mergers and acquisitions trade. That left it to the Yahoo board to decide how to proceed. With the offer rejected, Microsoft could go further and launch a formal hostile bid, making a direct tender offer to buy shares from Yahoo's shareholders. However, Yahoo could use a "poison pill" defense mechanism to thwart such an attempt. See this earlier Reuters story for background on that possibility.
Board maneuver: Microsoft could nominate its own slate of directors for the Yahoo board, to push the deal through. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer may have been hinting at this possibility in his Jan. 31 letter to the Yahoo board, saying that the company "reserves the right to pursue all necessary steps to ensure that Yahoo!'s shareholders are provided with the opportunity to realize the value inherent in our proposal." Yahoo's latest proxy statement set March 14 as the deadline for shareholders to nominate directors.
"It is a date I'm sure both parties are acutely aware of," said Doug Cogen, co-chairman of the mergers and acquisitions group at law firm Fenwick & West in San Francisco, in an interview earlier this week.
Let it go? Microsoft could, of course, decide to throw in the towel and give up the Yahoo bid. This is unlikely, given the merit that Microsoft executives say they see in the deal, and the fact that it has persisted despite past rejections from the Yahoo board.
Microsoft "probably expected this move," said Matt Rosoff, industry analyst at Kirkland-based research firm Directions on Microsoft. "They hit the ball over the net once and now they're going to hit it back again. It's going to go back and forth a few times."


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Mortal Kombat 1: The Movie
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|Inevitable film version of mega popular arcade game intended to cash in fast on the game's popularity. Shameless nirvana for youngin's with permanent joystick scars on their hands. Grown-ups forced to sit through it may get into some of the eye-popping special effects and nifty martial arts sequences if they can block out the contrived plot, lame acting, and Lambert's presence as Thunder God.
|Directed by:
|Paul Anderson
|Christopher Lambert, Talisa Soto, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Bridgette Wilson

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Justin Newcombe brings the bush into the garden with a retaining wall made of ponga logs.
At first glance, I've always thought retaining walls made with ponga just looked temporary. But they can actually last a very long time indeed. I wouldn't build a major structural wall out of them, but a small garden edging job can be completed easily and quickly using the trunk of our national emblem.
It's easy to think of the ponga log as a fashion dinosaur from the 1970s but I think that really just comes down to how they are used. And anyway, what's wrong with dinosaurs? or the 1970's for that matter?
Aesthetically the ponga log is a real nod to nature and works perfectly for a backyard vege bed. I've often used ponga trunks for soil stabilisation on steep sites where they blend in perfectly with mulches and hold the soil in place until planting can establish itself.
The classic of course is the ponga fence, a row of vertical ponga trunks trenched into the ground and wired together. Over time many of these can sprout to create a real living wall. Even with a small garden wall it is possible to get fronds sprouting out of the end of your wall. And then there are the myriad trees and shrubs you might find sprouting forth once the log takes on a bit of moisture: the ponga log is quite a good nursery.
Many of the plant species in the bush will have seeded into your ponga log. Rata vine makes a nice job of covering your logs, putting on a good show in spring.
Installation is a relatively easy affair. I've used a leftover fence post cut into three and set in concrete, then drilled a couple of holes through the posts, threaded some wire which I've looped around the trunk and tightened it at the back of the post. The ponga logs are available in 1.8m or 2.4m lengths. Because the end which grows closest to ground is thicker than the foliage end, I've top and tailed the logs to keep the wall relatively level.
Step 1
Run a string line beyond the two ends of the retaining wall so the pegs holding the line don't get in the way. My string line is for the posts, not the front of the wall. The ponga logs will sit on the front of the posts meaning the face of the wall will sit approximately 150mm out from my string line.
Step 2
Clear the ground in the position of the wall. I usually dig back approximately 300mm from the string line to give me plenty of room to work in.
Step 3
Dig three holes per 2.4m ponga log. My holes are as deep (450mm) as my wall is high (450mm).
Step 4
Mix concrete and place a 50mm blob at the bottom of each hole then set the post to the string line make sure it is level both ways. If you use instant concrete, put a paver in the bottom of the hole instead of 50mm of concrete.
Step 5
Drill two holes 50mm apart for each log on each post then run a piece of wire through the bottom hole.
Step 6
Put the ponga in place then thread the wire for the top hole and tighten by pulling the wire with a pair of grips, then twist using a screwdriver. Be careful not to over-tighten the wire as it could snap.
Step 7
Repeat for the second layer and remember to top and tail the logs so the thin end sits on the thick end.


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Today it's my day! I thought for my project, I would play around with making Christmas ornaments. I'll break this up into two parts: one, designing in EQ and two, making up the ornament.
There are so many possibilities for these ornaments, but for this venture, I kept it simple with circles.
Create the Design in EQ7To begin, create a new block: EasyDraw + PatchDraw. On the EasyDraw worktable, draw a circle using arcs.
Select all four arcs and resize the circle at 90%. Move the circle down and add a rectangle at the top. Save in the Sketchbook.
How easy is that? Now it's time to add applique to the center. To begin, I did a Category search in the Block library for Christmas blocks. I moved a few simple ones into the Sketchbook – choosing both applique blocks and pieced blocks. For the moment, though, we're just going to play with some applique.
1) Open one of the applique blocks onto the worktable. Select All and Copy.
2) Once again open the circle ornament on the worktable. Click the Applique tab and then click paste. The applique will be added.
3) The applique, of course, is too large. Just grab the corners to resize and then reposition to center it. Save in the Sketchbook.
4) I printed my ornaments as a block sized at 4" square. Because of the technique I'm using to sew them up, I printed onto a printable stay-in foundation. I also printed a template sheet.
Assembly1) I began by making the topper to the ornament. Cut two rectangles 1" by 1 3/4". Cut a hanging cord 8" long.
2) Fold the cord and line up along the edge of one of the patches. (If you look closely, you'll notice little glue dots. That's because Roxanne's Glue Baste-It is my best buddy. Little dots of glue in the seam allowance holds everything in place when I sew the little pieces together.)
3) Place the other rectangle right sides together. Sew the two sides and the top. After sewing, trim the corners.
4) Turn right side out. (I forgot to take a picture of this but it's pretty self-explanatory, right?)
5) Trace the applique pieces onto fusible web and iron onto your fabric. Cut out to size. (Okay, so I'm presuming you all know how to work with fusible applique).
6) Place the foundation printed side up on a lightbox. Place a background fabric over the foundation. (I used a charm square so it's larger than I need. You could get away with a smaller piece).
7) Place the patches in place and then iron to fuse.
8) Cut out a circle of fusible fleece that is a little smaller than the printed circle and fuse onto the back of the foundation.
9) If you are so moved, stitch the fused applique pieces down. (Another picture I forgot to take. I plead grading-head. Essays. Midterm Exams. Occupational hazard.)
10) Take the ornament top and place it on the fabric side of the ornament, raw edges to the top. (I use a couple glue dots to hold it in place). Be sure that the cord is inside the circle.
11) Cut two backing pieces for the ornament 2 3/4" by 4 1/2". For one of the pieces, fold the long edge under 1/2" and press.
12) Place the folded backing on the fabric side, right sides together.
13) Now place the second backing piece down.
14) Flip the foundation over and sew on the circle all the way around.
15) Trim away the excess, leaving about a quarter-inch seam allowance.
16) Turn right side out. There will be an opening left from where the two backing pieces overlap. You could hem-stitch it closed. Me, personally, I avoid hand sewing whenever possible. I used a quarter-inch strip of fusible web to close the opening.
And there you have it: cute little ornaments easy as can be.
Then, draw a square inside the circle.
From here, you can use the merge feature to add blocks to the center of the square. There are so many possibilities. Here are just a few.
Now, if you try and print these as a foundation pattern, it won't work. The block you merged in won't show up. However, if you print it as a Block, you will get everything you need.
I printed this one a little smaller: 3" square.
And you could do the same with heart shapes, or hexagons, or diamonds. You could take a simple circle and add stripes and triangles and geese. You could simplify further and make them out of wool. So many possibilities . . .
And, of course, we need a giveaway. I'll let Mr. Random Generator pick a winner this Saturday evening. So, if anyone is interested, let me know and I will enter you in the drawing. If Mr. Generator picks you, I'll send you a packet of printed foundations to play with.
Meanwhile, there's more blog hopping ahead. Be sure to check out these other fun ideas:
Monday, Oct lst SewCalGal
Tuesday, Oct 2nd Marjorie's Quilting Bee
Curious Orange Cat
Wed., Oct 3rd Love Bug Studios
Thursday, Oct 4th Kissed Quilts
Bits & Pieces (you are here!)
Friday, Oct 5th I Quilt Scarlett & Grey
EQ Blog: http://www.doyoueq.com/blog/
And, as always, thanks to SewCalGal for organizing such a fun week!


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Glencoe, a large, brick, two-story dwelling, is located on a tract of land overlooking the New River in the West Radford section of the city of Radford, Virginia. The elaborately detailed building incorporates features of the second Empire and Italianate styles with a variation of the regionally widespread double-pile, central-passage plan. The hip-roofed house stands on a high English basement, its stark rectangularity relieved by one-story, projecting bays, side and front central gables and a wide, one-story, front porch. The four main rooms on each of the floors, including the basement, are served by wide passages containing a generous stairway. The first floor incorporates elaborate painted finishes known as graining and molded plaster ceilings. The basement contains an interesting division into family and servant domains.
The Glencoe Museum, located at 600 Unruh Dr., is open Thursday-Saturday from 11:00am to 4:00pm, Sunday from 1:00pm to 4:00pm, and Monday-Wednesday by appointment only. Call 540-731-5031 or visit the museum's website for further information.
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OTISVILLE — Otisville firefighters are rekindling a proposal to form a joint Otisville-Mount Hope fire district that would assume fire protection for Otisville and most of Mount Hope.
The Otisville Fire Department – which has about 20 active members and whose commissioners are the four trustees and mayor of Otisville – covers all of Mount Hope except a small area covered by the Howells Fire District.
In late October, the two municipalities had passed a resolution calling for a public hearing to be held Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Otisville firehouse to hear from the public about the formation.
Otisville then rescinded that resolution at a Nov. 1 meeting, with a three-to-one vote. Otisville Mayor Brian Wona said he abstained from that vote, but feels the village isn't ready to proceed with a fire district. Wona said one reason against creating the district is that "it would be creating another layer of government."
Mount Hope Supervisor Bill Novak said the town will hold the meeting whether or not Otisville shows up. Creating a new fire district would take the budgeting out of Otisville's hands and onto a 5-member board of elected fire commissioners. The fire department's spending was about $434,000 in the 2010-2011 budget.
The fire district dispute isn't new. In 2006, Mount Hope refused to pay all of its fire tax bill until Otisville put tax money for fire department funds into a separate account for better record keeping. Mount Hope residents pay about 80 percent of the district's operating budget, said Novak. "We're spending (about) $300,000 for something we have no equity in," he said.
Otisville firefighters have rattled the saber in response to Otisville officials backing out of a joint meeting. In a statement from the Otisville fire company Nov. 5, they say: "A complete abandonment of this project would be a terrible loss and would result in Otisville volunteers looking solely to the Town of Mount Hope for financial and administrative support." The statement is attributed to board of directors Ed Myslinski and Robert Zawasky; and vice president Paul Barth and president Lou Dodd, according to Frank Simeone, the fire company attorney.
Otisville firefighters also want a special election called before Jan. 11 so voters can bring their choice to the ballot box.
Otisville firefighters want merger with town
OTISVILLE — Otisville firefighters are rekindling a proposal to form a joint Otisville-Mount Hope fire district that would assume fire protection for Otisville and most of Mount Hope.


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Heard on this morning's TJMS:
Tom Joyner: What's the n-word in Swedish?
Sybil Wilkes: The same. It's universal.
There seems to be a certain level of glee in the discussions about what might or might not have contributed to golfer Tiger Woods' car accident near his home. Glee from all sorts of places, but right now I am interested in the glee coming from some quarters of Black folks.
I guess I should speak for myself in admitting that I have had an ambivalent relationship with Woods over the years. I am speaking for myself—but suspect others feel similarly.
I have rooted for him, and taken some level of satisfaction when he has achieved at the top of his field. I do not like golf one bit. Once when my father-in-law—an avid golfer since his childhood days—took me out to the course with him I got sunstroke and swore no golfing green would ever see my body again. Watching televised golf for me is only slightly more exciting than watching TV test color bars. But still I rooted for him and even watched SportsCenter highlight of his shots.
I have grieved for him. I sensed how close he and his father had been and knew what he must have been feeling when his first and biggest fan died. To me they made the cutest pair: the pride emanating from the elder man, Tiger with his baby face and broad grin by his side. I am not one to talk about folks "looking down from heaven" and being pleased (or displeased). I generally hope that if there is a heaven, there will be something more and better to do than keep tabs on the goings-on here on earth. But in Tiger's case, I generally have hoped that his Dad was tuning in to tournaments and continuing to take pride in his boy's accomplishments.
I have scratched my head at him. His characterizations of his racial identity have challenged me to walk my talk. I firmly believe that people should have the freedom to self-identify as they please, in such a way that feels authentic to them—the rest of us be damned. At the same time, I feel that choosing to self-identify as Black in a nation in which Black is degraded can be an important—and brave—political act. I believe that people should have the freedom to love who they want to love and who loves them back—the rest of us be damned. At the same time I am aware that some people in our society are deemed more "lovable" than others, and Black women are often holding the short end of the dating game desirability stick.
So against this context I took in the initial reports of Woods' one-car collision. My first thought centered on the initial reports that his injuries were "serious." I thought about how none of us really knows what is in store for us by dusk when we rise out of bed at dawn. How each moment is precious. How money and fame cannot protect us against the great equalizers.
Then the story seemed to stray off of the fairway into the rough. The developing story is starting to read like an action movie that starts out great, but then develops so many holes that you are no longer able to enjoy the plot or even the special effects. Your whole viewing experience dissolves into pointing out to your movie mates how implausible different aspects of the film are. This, actually, becomes the source of most of your enjoyment such that if these loose strings were somehow tied logically in the final act, you'd be disappointed. You cannot wait to review the film for all your friends and relations—telling them that they must see it for its non-intended laugh-value alone.
So the story of Tiger's accident has developed. I'm not so much worried that he has suffered great injuries—and certainly I am no longer worried that he is on death's door—as I am interested in the story he has given to the police (apparently) and to the public as well as the public's reaction to that story. Which brings me back to the glee I am detecting in the reactions.
Again, I'll speak to myself. (Though I think I could ask these same questions of others.)
I ask myself: do I feel vindicated to see that Woods is being exposed, perhaps, as a regular male human being with normal failings? Am I happy that White women may, after these rumors, no longer be perceived by some Black men as the higher value, lower drama alternative to Black women? Am I relieved that whatever happened in that driveway resulted in Tiger wearing cuts and scratched instead of his wife? Am I tickled and entertained at the implausible (though, I must say, still possibly true) details Woods is sharing with us? Am I titillated by the proactive "lawyering up" of the other woman identified in the gossip around this case? Do I secretly wish that through this experience that Woods may realize that no matter how loved and accepted he may be by mainstream media and White fans, he can still be knocked down to size (and race)?
Am I hoping I am the first to think of the following board-game-inspired punchline to some joke about the affair: Mrs. Woods, in the driveway, with a nine iron?
Am I "wrong" for any or all of these reactions?
On the other hand, do I fear that the familiar apologies for domestic violence—e.g., most of the time it's the woman who starts it—will be given fuel? Am I sad that whatever the case may be, two little children will have to suffer the upset to their family life and privacy? Am I wary that Blacks harboring unresolved ambivalence toward Woods will be singing the same chorus as Whites harboring unresolved bigotry toward him? Will I be tricked, as I have been in the past, by letting my attention drift to this new, shiny thing instead of focusing on more important national and global matters?


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A while back one of my guildmates was looking for a good guide for Resto Druid PvP, as he had just leveled his to 80 and had really gotten into the PvP aspect of the game with his druid. Naturally he asked me and I offered the following, well educated and eloquent response: "um….". Not feeling satisfied with this, I scoured the internet long and hard looking for a definitive guide on Resto Druid PvP, I asked around on my blog if anyone had any resources for Resto Druid PvP, and still nobody had anything. Apparently the secrets of Resto Druid PvP were being tightly locked away in the tightest vault know to…well the internets! I bet the goblins of Gringots couldn't have cracked this sucker!
Today, my friends, that has changed!
I recently received an note from Oombulance letting me know that he has finally unlocked that vault and released the secrets of Resto Druid PvP healing in his very own Resto Druid PvP Guide! I was really excited to see this guide, as I really did feel that something like this was missing in the community, so thank you Oom for all of your hard work! I finally have a reference to provide to people who ask me about PvP resources, which beats my standard response of "um…." 😉
If you have any interest in Resto PvP whatsoever, I strongly recommend going over and seeing what Oom has to say about the state of Resto Druid PvP!


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Did you see the 2011 Israeli film "Rabies"? Me either but some guys I know did and they liked it so that's pretty much an Oscar win in my book. Well the film's creators, Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado, has set "Big Bad Wolves" as their next project with a 2013 release in mind. The film follows three men who are linked by a series of terrible murders. Kind of like a fun club or something. But without the fun. And no one wants to be in the club.
"The Last Exorcism Part II" may or may not turn out to be hot dookie but that doesn't mean that the folks behind the film can't come up with some pretty entertaining ways to promote the flick. Case in point, a pretty dandy prank they played on a number of beauty shop goers. Is it funny? Yes it is. Is there a chance any of these people will come back to the shop? No. No there isn't.
I think Hot Topic ruined "The Crow" for all of us so I don't think anyone is really excited about the remake that's been kicking around for some time now. But what if I were to tell you that James McAvoy is being tossed around as a possible lead for the film? Would that change your mind? He was good in "Wanted" right? No, you're right. This still sounds awful.
Kodi Smit-Mcphee, the annoying kid from "The Road" is going to be in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes". He may or may not play a monkey. Alright fine, he won't.
Anne Hathaway and James McAvoy are rumored to be up for the roles of Elizabeth and Darcy in the upcoming big screen version of "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies". I have no idea who those characters are so I couldn't tell you if this is a good idea or not. I also can't remember who James McAvoy is but I do enjoy the work of that girl from "The Princess Diaries".
Guillermo del Toro apparently has 30 different movies in production and now he's got a video game. The game is called "inSANE" and there's a teaser on the nets even though the game doesn't come out until 2013. There's no game footage, no hint about what the game is and really no info whatsoever but hey, Guillermo del Toro, right? Right.
I am not the least bit ashamed to admit I watch "Glee" and by far my favorite character on the show is Brittney played by Heather Morris. Well, Morris is now rumored to be the front runner for the upcoming "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" reboot which means I may actually want to see it. Of course that's only if she plays a cheerleader with a pretty hefty learning disability. I think that's what the original Buffy was about anyway though, right?
If you're going to call your movie "Roid Rage" you should probably have some high school football players who go nuts and start murdering everyone. But the trailer for the film shows none of that, not even a Barry bonds reference. I'm starting to think the movie doesn't even have steroids in it. All of this would be shameful if it wasn't for the great one liner at the 54 second mark. I don't want to spoil it for you.


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First Annual "Batting for Boobies"in partnership with Slugger's World Class Sports Bar in Chicago on October 13, 2013. The inaugural event, held in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, will raise money that directly supports local women financially impacted by breast cancer.
When: Sunday, October 13, 2013, 2:00pm – 6:00pm
Where: Slugger's World Class Sports Bar, 3540 N Clark St Chicago, IL 60657
What: batting cages, raffles, live entertainment and $2 PINK jello shots
Why: One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. The proceeds raised from this event help Busted Foundation provide assistance to local women experiencing financial challenges as the result of fighting and living with breast cancer. Donations go directly to support these women who are overwhelmed with medical bills and their ongoing treatment.
Slugger's World Class Sports Bar is donating the use of the entire upstairs with two bars, four batting cages, arcade games including pop-a-shot and skeeball, live music, and its famous dueling pianos. Although adult beverages will be served, including special pink Jello shots, the entire family is welcome to spend an afternoon at this lively event.
General admission tickets are $35 in advance $40 at the door, providing guests with entry plus four raffle tickets, three drink coupons, batting tokens, and access to music, comedy, food, special celebrity appearances, a silent auction and many chances to win a variety of prizes. VIP tickets are also available for $50, which not only includes everything mentioned above, but also free drinks for the duration of the event. Buy tickets at www.battingforboobies.com or make a donation if you cannot attend.
Live Entertainment- Xoe Wise
Nick Lynch & Silversmith
Dueling Pianos
"Bat your way to courtside tickets to Bulls game!"
The winner of our batting contest will get courtside tickets to a Bulls preseason game, Oct.25th vs. the Denver Nuggets, plus a parking pass.
Win fabulous raffle prizes like: Gift Cards for: Wilde, Hamburger Mary's, Lady Gregory, The Chicago Diner, Bar One, a mani/pedi at Aveda, Fanny Jam boom boxes and other great prizes!
Bulls Package: Court Side Tickets with parking pass to the Toronto game Dec. 14th
White Sox Package: Tickets, book & signed baseball
Blackhawks Package: Tickets & signed Andrew Shaw puck
Bears package: Signed Forte jersey & cooler, hats, & decals
Cubs Package: Book and signed baseball
Greenbay Packers tickets: Tickets to Greenbay/Steelers
Health & Fitness opportunities like:
- 3 personal training sessions @ Windy City Crossfit
- 1 month unlimited membership and socks @ Bar Method
- 3 personal training sessions & ipod armband @ DavesFit4U
- 2 private lessons @ Midtown Tennis
- 1 month unlimited classes @ CorePower Yoga
- 3 class package @ Shred312
- A personalized facial @ Dr. Dayan Med Spa
- A 1-hour in-home massage from Salli Walker, massage therapist for the Chicago Bulls.
Entertainment packages including:
- A Date Night: Gift certificates for the W hotel, cocktails at the Berkshire Room, and Bliss Spa
- 3 plays at 3 different theaters: Goodman, Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare
- A Tom Hanks Autographed Jersey and Hat from his 50th birthday 5 stadiums in 5 days baseball tour.
- A Signed Matrix Box-set, poster and Leather Crew Jacket
- The opportunity to blow the starting whistle at the last home game for the Windy City Rollers & tickets to the game
Plus lots of cool stuff:
- A Luis Pons Photo (recently featured on Buzzfeed)
- A Girly Package: including a purse, watch, & cloth necklace
- 2 different Caffeine dream packages: with coffee & either a coffee maker or an espresso machine
Special Thanks to our Sponsors:
John J Cahill Inc- Plumbing, Heating & A/C


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Economy grows at 2.5 percent rate in first quarter
WASHINGTON -- U.S. economic growth accelerated from January through March, buoyed by the strongest consumer spending in more than two years. The strength offset further declines in government spending that are expected to drag on growth throughout the year.
The Commerce Department says the overall economy expanded at an annual rate of 2.5 percent in the first quarter, rebounding from the anemic 0.4 percent growth rate in the October-December quarter.
Much of the gain reflected a jump in consumer spending, which rose at an annual rate of 3.2 percent. That's the best since the end of 2010. Businesses responded to the greater demand by rebuilding to their stockpiles. And home construction rose further.
But government spending fell, led by another deep cut in federal defense spending.


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After 16 Years, Lucien French Bistro Still Has Plenty to Say
The conversation starts shortly after you walk through a heavy red drape, dramatic and split in two like a stage curtain, hung by the door to keep the cold out. The room you enter is timeless, though over time, the walls at Lucien have succumbed to a collage of pictures. Jean-Luc Godard. Actors. Headshots. Famous folk. Introverts. Smiles. The only break in 8x10s is for the occasional Lillet advertisement and dusty mirror.
Lucien is the sort of place you can go when you know what you want to eat, so long as what you want to eat is classic bistro fare. The menu is so joyously predictable someone should talk to Merriam-Webster about it. But there is great risk in running a menu like the one at Lucien. It's all about dialogue. The food needs to be articulate and speak to guests in special, intimate ways, less the whole concept prove hollow and soulless. Lucien opened in 1998. After 16 years, the restaurant's got a way with words.
The dialogue comes in waves. First as triangles of lightly spiced Pâté Maison ($11) with snappy cornichons and pink peppercorns. A basket of warm bread is served in synch with your choice of water and its contents take to the creamy pate with risqué enthusiasm. Frisée aux Lardons ($14) are served on a plate that reminded me of something from Kenny Shopsin's kitchen: strangely decorated, oddly sized, and ambiguously kitschy. The plate, unlike the chilled one with the pâté, was the same temperature as the runny poached egg and chunks of rendered bacon.
We turned to Salmon Tartare ($14) and Moroccan Merguez ($14). We talked about pieces of fresh pink fish chopped just right so that each once graciously melted on the tongue. Capers popped here and there and half a lemon was offered to draw out the fish's bright flavor.
The conversation was dry when polenta came up. A warm disc of it sat beneath two homemade lamb sausages that otherwise had plenty to say, charred on a hot grill with a balance of savory spices within. But yellow polenta seemed tired and in need of a bed. Either that or a pad of butter.
There was one last thing I wanted to talk to Lucien about: Steak Frites ($28). The restaurant says the steak should only ever kiss the grill, really just as long as it takes to warm through. Frites aren't frites unless they're cut thin, fried hot, and salted well. Lucien serves a butter-based sauce with the steak frites. It's loaded with cracks of black pepper and hit with a dash of brandy before it comes off the stove. You might think there's too much of it given its richness, but you'll find yourself smashing the last of the frites into the ramekin's corners in search of the last drop.
Lucien runs off an old, seemingly forgotten, formula from a time when nasturtium and nettles were just weeds. The food is reliable, seasoned well, and portioned with hunger in mind. It isn't necessarily progressive or trendy or challenging, but that's exactly why eating there is so great. A meal transpires with ease and no forced conversation. After all, 16 years is a long time to keep the talk going.
About the Author: Craig Cavallo is a writer with an addiction to New York City's food and drink. Learn more about his problem at digestny.com.


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Chittenden, Vermont
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Chittenden is a town in Rutland county, Vermont. It was formed in 1780 in Vt. from the following county/ies: Bennington. It has used the following other name(s): Philadelphia. The probate and court district for Chittenden is Rutland. For more information, contact the town at 337 Holden Rd., P.O. 89, Chittenden 05737. On the attached map, Chittenden is shown as 6 in Rutland county.
For information about the state of Vermont see Vermont Family History Research.


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Department of Economics
Why study economics?
The study of economics provides students with the knowledge required to be a strong citizen-participant in economic affairs. Economics students are prepared for a wide variety of careers, including:
- government
- business
- finance
- politics
- education
- international studies
The writing and mathematical skills that a student can acquire in our program can prove to be very valuable to graduates, no matter what road they follow.
Learn more about our areas of study:


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In New Zealand's most northern regions, food and wine are never far from anyone's thoughts.
Auckland City has a plethora of exciting restaurants, bars and night clubs to experience, and in the wider Auckland region you'll find three distinct and delectable wine districts. Further up the island, subtropical Northland will treat you to fresh seafood, boutique cheeses and tropical fruit, served against a backdrop of stunning golden sand beaches.
Viaduct Basin, Chancery and the inner city suburbs of Ponsonby and Parnell are rich sources of restaurants, but there's more to experiencing Auckland's food and wine than simply sitting down to eat.
How about cooking lessons at the Auckland fish market? Or shop for some delicious souvenirs at BeesOnline in Kumeu, where you'll find speciality honey products and a café that demonstrates the culinary uses for honey.
Another option is to embark on a tailor-made food and wine tour, where you'll be whisked from one delicious destination to the next in style.
For a divine wine time, Waiheke Island, Matakana and Kumeu are all within easy reach of the central city. Auckland's wine growing areas produce rich, ripe merlot, cabernet sauvignon and syrah, as well as smooth, fruity chardonnay and pinot gris.
Many wineries welcome visitors for tasting sessions; some, such as Soljans Wines near Kumeu, offer restaurant dining.
If relaxation is your mission, luxury retreats beyond Auckland's city limits make it easy to enjoy exceptional food and wine without moving a muscle. At Te Whau Lodge on Waiheke Island, for example, a heavenly hilltop location is complemented by outstanding cuisine and the best local wines.
The subtropical climate of Northland nurtures a huge array of fresh ingredients - from blueberries and avocados to cherimoya and red pineapple. A great way to take your tastebuds on tour is to download a food and wine trail map from Destination Northland's website.
The map will lead you to many delectable memories - chocolate, nuts, oysters, award-winning cheeses, olive oil and much, much more.
Northland's most iconic eating experience is probably fish and chips in the port town of Mangonui - you can select the fish you want, then watch it being prepared and cooked.
At the other end of the scale, a seven-course degustation menu awaits your pleasure on the Russell waterfront in the Bay of Islands. Or do it yourself in Paihia, where there's a fabulous cooking school located within a luxury resort.
Delicious events flavour the Northland year - Taste Bay of Islands is held in Paihia each September, Savouring the Source happens in Waimate every November and Taste Northland is Whangarei's February food festival.
Farmers markets are weekly events - every Sunday in Kerikeri and every Saturday in Whangarei.
Wineries in the far north are a showcase for heat-loving grape varieties. You'll find ripe, well-rounded whites, sensational syrah and substantial, savoury cabernet/merlot blends.
The majority of wineries are on the east coast - around Whangarei, Kerikeri and on the Karikari Peninsula.


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Give to the College of Business
Annual Department or Program Funds | Annual Faculty Scholars
Your financial support of the JMU College of Business helps maintain the high quality of the Madison Experience that you lived when you were a JMU student. Please consider supporting current operational needs through an annual gift or make an endowed gift, which will have lasting a lasting impact.
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Ways You Can Give
Gifts can be in the form of cash, stock transfer (no capital gains), real estate, insurance policies, and/or many types of deferred giving. Many companies match charitable gifts. To find out if your company has a matching funds program, click here. Also, ask your company or foundation to support the CoB.
Annual Gifts
Annual gifts are how most alumni begin making their pledges upon graduation. These gifts usually range from $1 - $5,000 and alumni increase the size of their annul gift over time. Typically, alumni at other universities make annual gifts throughout their lifetime. These gifts can be made to the College of Business as a whole or to a specific department.
Planned Gifts
Planned Gifts include wills, annuities, trusts and estate planning. Notify Diana Kiser if you have included JMU in your will, and you will become a member of Madison Founders' Society.
Endowed Gifts
Endowed Gifts are critical because they are a perpetual gift to your alma mater. The donor is able to both name the gift (usually for their family, a professor or someone else important to them they wish to honor or memorialize) and direct its use for faculty support or student scholarship. The minimum amount to establish an endowment is $10,000 for 5 years.
While the donor may add to their fund in future years as prosperity allows, once the fund is established it becomes available for others to contribute to as well. Anyone may contribute any amount to an established endowment. Giving to the principal of an endowment raises the total endowment of JMU.
Endowment Levels:
- $50,000-$250,000 Scholarships
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Payment Options
CHECK: Make all checks out to JMU Foundation, Inc. On the memo line, please write the endowment name or the name of the annual fund you wish to support.
Mail checks to JMU Advancement Gifts and Records, MSC 3603, Harrisonburg, VA 22807.
PHONE: Please call (855) 568-4483 or (540) 568-2821.
STOCK TRANSFERS: Call Diana Kiser at (540) 568-7792.


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OUTRAGE! Carrie Mulligan Is The Rumored Favorite To Star In 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' Over Kristen Stewart!
K-Stew fans, can you believe this? We KNOW you don't want to see this huge role go to Carey!
BFFs — when we polled you earlier this month, a whopping 83 percent of you said you'd rather see Kristen Stewart, 20, play computer hacker Lisbeth Salander in the movie adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo books over Carey Mulligan, 24. But now the UK's Times Online is reporting that Carey, a huge fan of the Dragon books, is inching ahead in the competition — she's even won over the family of the book series' author, Stieg Larsson!
Lisbeth, the books' leading lady, is a rough-around-the-edges bisexual — a role K-Stew is all too familiar with (Runaways, anyone?) The book was already made into a movie in Sweden, but this new American version is going to be a BIG deal. If done right, we think the role could even be Oscar potential for Carey or Kristen!
Here's what a few of you told us earlier this month in support of your girl K-Stew:
- emma: Kristen should get the part for many obvious reasons. … Kristen all the way. No arrongance, no over the top attitude, a very wise, dedicated, and polite young woman. she should get it !!!!
- brynne: the obviously choice is K.Stew. If you've seen the Runaways and her other movies then you know that the girl can act. Carey is amazing but she wouldn't carry this role.
- Kate: I've read the books and I can not see Carey in the role – she looks too sweet and delicate. Kristen would rock this role…she's edgy, gorgeous and definitely has the right attitiude.
Keep showing your support for K-Stew, BFFs! It ain't over till that contract is signed!


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Tonia Kendrick's (of Tonia's Genealogy Blog) first challenge of 31 Weeks to a Better Genealogy Blog - to write an elevator pitch for our blogs - has become this week's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun at Randy' Seaver's Genea-Musings.
This is mine:
I'm crazy about genealogy and I'm addicted to it. Some people think I'm just a crazy addict. The purpose of this blog is to show you why I'm hooked on genealogy and why you should be, too. Should you decide to give genealogy a try, I'll provide some pointers on how to find your ancestors. Once you have felt the thrill of the hunt, you'll never want to stop.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: My Elevator Speech
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So, it can't have escaped everyone's notice that last week was the final touchdown of Shuttle Discovery on STS-133, the third-to-last mission for the Space Shuttle program as a whole. As readers may know I'm very interested in space, and in particular the human exploration of (read: manned missions to) space – but I'm a little worried about the future of these missions.
I love Shuttle. It's brilliant. Liftoff is just as good every time I see one, and I watch as many as I can. It's particularly impressing these days when we can sit at our computers looking at websites like NASA HD TV or Spaceflight Now, and watch realtime as Shuttle takes the first precarious, powerful step on the latest sojourn into orbit.
The craft itself is truly awesome – beautiful, graceful and a sheer feat of humankind's ingenuity and perseverance in our many scientific endeavours (no pun intended). Watching it in action is a pleasure, and things like the Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver, it looks almost unreal. Thousand of minds and man-hours have gone into creating and maintaining one of our greatest achievements, a craft that "can launch like a rocket, go into orbit, change into a spacecraft and then land as a hypersonic airplane" – and the only craft which can do so.
But just because we can do it, does not mean that we should.
When I was a kid, I happened to be in Florida when Shuttle Discovery took off on mission STS-48. At that time, to me the shuttle was a thing of true, flawless wonder, and in my head that's what I thought of when people said 'NASA'. Of course I had read about past missions, regardless of which nation had undertaken them, and had obviously heard Neil Armstrong's famous words, and seen pictures of the various Apollo vehicles – but Shuttle was the spacecraft of my generation. As I grew older I learnt more about space, and the other methods by which we have travelled there, and still Shuttle remained to be an awesome thing. Then, one day, everything changed for me. A drastic turnaround of my thoughts and opinions occurred, and my heart sank.
The Shuttle program was a failure.
You've probably guessed that I'm talking about the terrible Columbia disaster, and indeed I am – but it was not that fated day on which my thoughts occurred, it was some time later, after the findings of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board had been published. I read an amazing, eye-opening article in a broadsheet (I can't remember which one) which had a detailed synopsis of these findings, and it was this that made me change my mind. I have since read a lot more on the subject and watched numerous programs and documentaries, and all of these sources say the same thing: the disaster was caused by an initial problem with the technology, and furthermore massive organisational failings in NASA management – and this cause rings true for both Columbia and the Challenger disaster as well.
Now, I could go on for hours about the various findings of the reports in terms of the managerial failings that should have been dealt with or should never have happened, but I'm only going to touch on these. There are many many books, articles and documentaries which cover the minutiae a lot better than I can. If you want to (and I suggest you do), go and look it up. Read the various Wikipedia (and other) articles I've linked to, watch the documentary, or read Richard Feynman's book What Do You Care What Other People Think? (which I haven't read but is on my list).
I'm going to talk about the technology, because that is where the fundamental problem lies. This excerpt from David 'Doc' Searls blog is actually an article written by him in 1986, and was sent to me by my good friend Pete Sigrist. If you only read one of the links in this post, read this – it inspired the (admittedly rather grotesque) title of this blog post and gives a good summary of what I'm talking about:
Consider for a moment that the shuttle program is, after all, the bastard offspring of a dozen competing designs, and constrained throughout its history by a budgetary process that subordinates human and scientific aspirations to a variety of military and commercial interests. And consider how, as with most publicly-funded technologies, most of the Shuttle's components were all produced by the lowest bidder. And consider the fact that many of the Shuttle's technologies are, even by NASA's admission, obsolete. If we had to start at Square One today, we'd probably design a very different program.
The Shuttle is brilliant, but ultimately flawed – a technology so precariously balanced and tightly strung that in the words of many NASA engineers, scientists and both shuttle disaster investigations, it is a genuine surprise (albeit a welcome one) that there have been so few accidents. What your average person does not realise – and what I didn't realise as a child – is that most shuttle launches have been far from problem free, and this is not unknown by NASA management either. Both the O-ring failure in Challenger and the 'foam shedding' which saw the demise of Columbia and its crew had been categorised by NASA as "normalization of deviance" – acceptable risk – despite the fact that this conflicted with supposedly stringent design and safety specifications. Ultimately, in many cases one single failure in myriad vastly complicated, intricate systems, all depending on each other to work, would be the undoing of any launch. This is unavoidable with such a complex machine as the Shuttle – it is simply too complicated to be considered a truly safe mode of transport into space – and astronomically expensive to run.
Of course, the reason we don't think about any of this is because of the way shuttle has been portrayed over the years, as day-to-day, routine – and this portrayal is by no means accidental. Physicist Richard Feynman played a large role in the Rogers Commission Report and was aghast at the disparity between the reality of the perilous balance in which Shuttle sits, and the view of NASA management that the Shuttle was almost infallible:
"It appears that there are enormous differences of opinion as to the probability of a failure with loss of vehicle and of human life. The estimates range from roughly 1 in 100 to 1 in 100,000. The higher figures come from the working engineers, and the very low figures from management. What are the causes and consequences of this lack of agreement? Since 1 part in 100,000 would imply that one could put a Shuttle up each day for 300 years expecting to lose only one, we could properly ask "What is the cause of management's fantastic faith in the machinery? It would appear that, for whatever purpose, be it for internal or external consumption, the management of NASA exaggerates the reliability of its product, to the point of fantasy. For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled."
Feynman's beef was mostly and rightly with NASA which is well illustrated in that quote – but the most salient point for me is that the technology is not as reliable as we have come to take for granted.
Of course there have been major advances and changes in both Shuttle design and NASA strategy; there have been multiple contingencies devised for crew rescue in case of disaster and from STS-114 onwards (the return-to-flight mission two years after Columbia) procedures implemented to safeguard against the 'foam shedding' problem, such as the R-Bar or Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver I mentioned earlier, but ultimately these are just patching holes in a too-flawed system. I wouldn't say I'm exactly glad to see it go and I revise the thinking that Shuttle is a failed experiment; but an experiment it is, and it has proved not to be the correct path.
So we move unto the future, and Shuttle is simply not what we need any more. However, in the wake of the cancelled Shuttle program, we have very little in place for our next move, and a lot of questions as to what that move will be. The NASA pilots themselves seem to be asking the same questions. I'm no qualified scientist so I can't say what is the best course of action, but Medium and Heavy Lift Launch Vehicles (MLLV and HLLV) as an initial method seem to be the best option. Cheap, reliable, and proven. The Soyuz rocket is the most frequently used, and most reliable launch vehicle in the world – over 1700 launches since the mid sixties with a tiny percentage of failures – and is very low cost. I might also add that it was the only thing we used to resupply and perform crew changeovers for the International Space Station during the time when Shuttle was grounded after Columbia.
Breaking out of Low Earth Orbit – a hitherto unaccomplished task for humans – is what most people (including myself) seem to think we should be doing, and there are some plans afoot for a manned mission to Mars. But how are we going to get there? The cancelled Moonbase plans leave us without a, well, base of operations from which to launch longer duration missions, which would seem to be the sensible thing to do; the ability to construct, or at the very least refuel craft outside Earth would help us a lot on our outward journey as it would be much easier to launch from the Moon than Earth itself. This of course is easier said than done, and creates a whole load more questions, like how we get the raw materials up there in the first place. Still, I would have really, really liked to see a Moonbase in our time.
So, finally, we find ourselves on the edge of space in need of a method for the next step – but I'm glad it's not Shuttle – lest we end up with another monstrous white Y in the sky.


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Do Patents On Medical Diagnostics Violate The First Amendment?
from the certainly-seems-possible deptWe've been following the extremely worrisome Prometheus Laboratories v. Mayo Collaborative Services case for a while now. This is the case in which Prometheus patented some basic medical diagnostics tests, and then sued the Mayo Clinic for daring to do similar diagnostics without paying up. Tragically, CAFC, the court of appeals for the Federal Circuit, has ruled that it's just fine and dandy to patent a diagnostic test. The Supreme Court agreed to hear the appeal on this in the upcoming term, and folks at the Cato Institute have filed a very interesting amicus brief, arguing that such a diagnostic test should not be patentable on two key points. I don't know that it'll convince the court, but they try out the argument that doing so would actually be a First Amendment violation, and even cite the famous Eldred case to make their argument (emphasis mine in the quote here):
Prometheus's patents will also impermissibly restrict public domain activity. These patents' final step is entirely mental. Patents whose final step is mental have the effect of transforming non-infringing, public domain activity into infringing activity for those who are aware of the thought that triggers infringement. This effect discourages the dissemination of knowledge, because access to patented knowledge places individuals in situations where they must elect to cease doing what was previously a public domain activity—such as reading the results of medical tests—or inadvertently infringe a patent.This is a creative argument and compelling to me... but I would guess that the court won't buy it. While it's true that the court has said that First Amendment scrutiny for copyright only comes into play when the traditional contours of copyright law are altered, to date, the Supreme Court doesn't seem to recognize any alteration as violating the traditional contours. Within copyright law, for example, it's hard to reasonably argue that the shift from an opt-in copyright system with formalities, to an "everything is automatically copyrighted pretty much forever," was not a change to the traditional contours of copyright law... but the Supreme Court didn't think it met that standard. So I'm not sure they'll be convinced by this argument, unfortunately. Still, if it somehow is effective -- and, for whatever reason, the court seems more sympathetic to arguments of harm done by bad patent law than it does with copyright law -- it actually could turn around and be useful precedent for copyright as well. Here's hoping the court actually surprises and finds this argument compelling.
For similar reasons, the patents at issue unconstitutionally restrict freedom of thought, by putting parties at risk of incurring damages for patent infringement when they recognize the correlations described in the patents at issue. The First Amendment protects freedom of thought and places limits on patent protections, just as it does on copyright protections. As the Court stated in Eldred v. Ashcroft, 537 U.S. 186 (2003), copyrights could require First Amendment scrutiny if "the traditional contours of copyright protection" were altered. The patents at issue here represent an unprecedented departure from the traditional contours of patent protection; only recently have parties sought patent protection for claims which final element encompasses pure thought. Even if the patents at issue are otherwise patentable subject matter, these patents unconstitutionally restrict freedom of thought in violation of the First Amendment and should be invalidated.
The briefs other main argument may have less overall impact on things like copyright, but could be more compelling, and if accepted, could have a nice impact on patent law. In this case, the argument is that such things do not actually qualify as a "process" as was traditionally understood under patent law, and this case represents an opportunity to re-establish the "traditional contours" of what constitutes a process for patentability purposes:
The patents at issue are not "processes" as the term was understood when section 101 of the Patent Act of 1952 was adopted. The Patent Act's legislative history explains that the term "process" meant "art," as it had been used in earlier patent statutes. Patentable arts were limited to processes which aimed to produce an effect on matter, and these patents do not.Again, I'm hopeful, but not expecting this to convince the court. So far, with cases like Bilski, the court has been hesitant (and I'd argue even that's a generous word choice) to recognize the evidence of the patent system holding back innovation or harming US business. So while the brief is really well written and argued, and I find it compelling, my guess is that the Court will continue to have a big blind spot on this.
Moreover, the patents at issue here do not describe a process by either a historic or general definition of the term. A process is a series of actions, and the "indication" element of the claims does not describe an action.
Enforcing the patents here will have a deleterious economic effect on the healthcare and medical research industries and will retard innovation. Empirical evidence shows that other abstract process patents, such as software and business-method patents, have resulted in aggregate financial losses for American firms and have discouraged rather than encouraged innovation. The effect of abstract process patents on software and financial firms will spread to the healthcare and medical research industries if patents such as Prometheus's are permitted.
Filed Under: first amendment, patents, processes, traditional contours
Companies: mayo clinic, prometheus


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A couple of weeks ago, MJD told you about blogger Manny Stiles auctioning off his team loyalty, setting up an eBay auction (with proceeds going to AIDS research) for a bidder who would want him to write about his/her favorite team. It was a clever idea, and the bidding eventually reached $535.
And who was the winning bidder, you ask? Why, none other than Devil Rays president Matthew Silverman. That's right: The president of the Devil Rays officially bought himself a fan.
We have to say, this is the most proactive move we've seen the Devil Rays organization make — Silverman also donated another $1,000 to AIDS research — and now they have another blogger. We now have a new favorite baseball exec ... though we're not masochistic enough to follow the Devil Rays any closer because of it.
Ebay Charity Auction Won by MLB Executive [ArmchairGM]
Devil Rays Acquire The Rights Of Free Agent Blogger For $535 [Rays Index]
What Would It Take You To Blog About The Devil Rays For A Year? [Deadspin]


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Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Live from the Isaac Mizrahi Showroom in NYC, Holli Ehrlich, Wedding Podcast Network, interviews Isaac, award winning fashion designer and television personality, about his bridal collection exclusively for The Aisle New York. Six wedding dresses are available made-to-measure and made-to-order to achieve a custom fit. Isaac tells us what sets his wedding collection apart from others and how he wants a bride to feel when wearing one of his wedding gowns. What's Isaac's favorite color and flower? You'll have to watch to find out.


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Friend or Foe
- $3.99
- Published By: Devine Destinies
- Author: Frances Pauli
- Page: 90
- Word Count: 18682
- Publication Date: May 25, 2011
- Heat Level:
- Available Formats: Adobe Acrobat, Epub, Hiebook, Microsoft Reader, Mobipocket, Mobipocket (.mobi), Palm DOC/iSolo, Rocket, Sony PDF
- Categories: Fantasy, Romance
Qty + -
When Simon Maxwell's archenemy backs out of the annual competition, he thinks the prize is in the bag. But a surprise appearance from The Spartan's long-lost sister leaves Simon scrambling for a foot hold. He's sworn to protect the town, but the girl from his past has him spinning in circles from the start. Is she here to help her brother, or are her motives pure? When every turn hides another trap and each twist holds a new secret, Simon risks more than just his honor. Can he win the girl before the finish line? And how can he save the town, when winning the race means losing his heart?
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NBA Playoff Preview - New York vs. Indiana
The New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers won't have much time to game plan against each other.
Less than two days after tough first-round, Game 6 victories, the Knicks and Pacers will jump it up Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
"Looks like we have to get our hard hats back on, because we've got a game in less than 48 hours," Pacers guard George Hill said minutes after the team's win on Friday.
It will be a "hard-hat series."
The Pacers surrendered 88.8 ppg in their six-game triumph over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday. The Knicks were even better in their six-game advancement. They held the offensively-pathetic Boston Celtics to an average of 82.3 ppg.
These playoff runs were reminiscent of the battles the two teams had a little over a decade ago.
The Knicks and Pacers met three times in the postseason over a four-year span. The last time the two sides duked it out in the playoffs was in 2000. The Pacers dispatched the Knicks in six games to advance to the NBA Finals.
That playoff run was the last time the Knicks won a postseason series until Friday. After a 3-0 lead against the Boston Celtics, the Knicks lost two in a row and even withstood a 20-0 run in the second half of Game 6 to advance.
There was even a "funeral" where the Knicks dressed in black before Game 5 in Madison Square Garden. Throwing dirt on the Celtics at that point proved premature, but New York took care of business a few nights later.
Not that they are touting their accomplishment.
"We haven't done anything," said backup big man Kenyon Martin. "We have a tough opponent in Indiana. We're staying humble."
The Pacers ended a long losing streak in Atlanta in their Game 6. Indiana hadn't won in Atlanta since 2006 before squashing the Hawks on Friday.
"I'm very proud of our guys to come in here -- a tough place to win, particularly tough place for us to win," said Pacers coach Frank Vogel. "It's good to end that streak but more importantly, it's good to advance."
The Knicks have gone 6-5 over the Pacers since the start of the 2010-11 season. New York is 4-1 at home over the Pacers during that time and Indiana is 4-2 in its own building.
BACKCOURT: The Knicks' Raymond Felton was New York's second-leading scorer in the Celtics series. He improved his scoring almost 5.0 points per game and, at times, appeared to be the Knicks best player. Pablo Prigioni was inserted into the starting lineup late in the season and the team took off. He's a great defender and, at 22 minutes per game, almost anything you get from him offensively is gravy. Prigioni shot 42 percent from the 3-point line in the quarterfinals.
George Hill is a great scoring point guard. He's not a sensational facilitator of the offense. Lance Stephenson is out there for his defense.
FRONTCOURT: Carmelo Anthony led the NBA in scoring. He is going to finish in the top five in MVP voting. When the offense sputters, or things go bad, Anthony takes the ball. When he's shooting well, like Game 6 when he put the game out of reach, the Knicks are awesome. When he's not shooting well, losses happen. Iman Shumpert was a revelation in the Boston series, shooting 52 percent from long range. He is a disruption defensively. Same can be said for last season's Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Chandler, whose scoring numbers were cut in half in the playoffs.
"They have a great core of bigs," said Knicks swingman J.R. Smith.
He was talking about Indiana and he wasn't lying.
The Pacers' front line of All-Star Paul George, David West and Roy Hibbert is one of the game's best. They score, as the three combined for 49.7 ppg against the Hawks. They rebound (24.1), they defend and they are physical. Indiana's front line also helped anchor the second-best defense in the NBA during the regular season.
EDGE: INDIANA (slightly)
BENCH: The Knicks have the Sixth Man of the Year winner in Smith. Jason Kidd plays big minutes off the Knicks bench as does Martin. Steve Novak is a lights out shooter.
Indiana relies basically on D.J. Augustin and Tyler Hansbrough as their key reserves.
COACHING: Mike Woodson has a lot of veteran leadership to help him with the Knicks. However, they made some curious decisions during the Celtics series, including the "funeral," which was silly and dumb, but it made the papers. Woodson had to waste time talking about it. His offense gets stagnant at times, especially when things go bad, but Woodson has a good handle on this group. When they defend like they did at the beginning of the season, we are talking about an elite team.
Vogel was the right man for the job. When he took over the Pacers, the players fell in love with him. He has less talent to work with than Woodson does, but he maximizes what he has. Defense is the mantra in Indianapolis.
PREDICTION: There were parts of the Celtics series that were disturbing for the Knicks. The funeral thing didn't play in New York the way it did in Dallas, where Kidd and Chandler said they did it every chance they could.
"We learned a lot about our team," Kidd said after beating the Celtics in Game 6.
The bruising front line of the Pacers will work well since the Knicks employ Anthony at the "power" forward spot. But West may have to cover Anthony on the other end and that's a huge mismatch in New York's favor.
Depth is going to be an issue. That's not even a fair fight since the Pacers really go two-deep off the pine. Homecourt won't mean a ton. Both teams have won at the other's arenas enough in recent history.
If Shumpert continues to be a presence, like he was against Boston, he can disrupt George. That will be a critical matchup for the Pacers.
The fact is, the Knicks are slightly better. They can defend, not at Indiana's level, but well enough. And the Knicks' offense is way better than the Pacers'. They should be able to score enough.
SPORTSNETWORK PREDICTION: NEW YORK in 7.


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Gun Hill touchscreen gloves leopard cuffs
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A superb gift for the woman in your life.
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When we receive your order, you'll receive a confirmation message and will be able to track your order if you already use, or download, the Shop app - incidentally, the app lets you log in and pay at Gun Hill and many other online stores, swiftly, securely and easily.
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If it's Monday to Saturday, during the day, we'll pick and pack your order immediately from Burnham Market or Holt and take it to the post office and you should receive it the next day. If your order is placed towards the end of the working day, the post office may not be open or will have had their collection for the day, in which case your order may take an extra day to arrive. Overnight orders will be posted the following morning, Sunday orders will be posted on Monday morning. In any case, we will always try to ensure that your order is sent to you as quickly as possible.
Shipping information
- Orders over £50 are sent free of charge in the UK. We usually specify first-class signed-for but occasionally use second-class signed-for for heavier items.
- European orders are charged at £15.35 - the standard cost to us for a parcel up to 2kg across Europe.
- Worldwide orders are charged at £32.15 - the standard cost to us for a parcel up to 2kg for the rest of the world.
- Smaller, lighter items may be sent at lower rates, or a service that can take a week or two to arrive can be used, do contact us for a quote, we're always happy to see if we can get your order to you as inexpensively as possible.
Store pick-up and local delivery
If you've chosen store pick up, your item(s) will be ready for you usually within two hours. If you would like them sooner (or later) just let us know and we'll do our best to help. If you live in a mile radius of the store at Burnham Market, we'll deliver it ourselves, usually during the day, but occasionally on our way home.
Returns and refunds
If you're not happy with any item, just let us know and return to us in its original packaging in the same condition we sent it and we'll refund or replace or work something out with you. No worries. Just call us on 01328 730015 - we're a friendly bunch and we love chatting with our customers.
Can we help?
If you have any questions or we can help you in any way with an order from Gun Hill, just let us know. We're dedicated to making sure you're happy with every aspect of ordering from Gun Hill.
Experience - Established since 1994 we've got plenty of real-world experience under our belts having shops in superb areas such as Burnham Market and Holt in Norfolk. We are proud that thousands of customers visit us each year and our online shop is an extension of our bricks-and-mortar stores, rather than an anonymous pop-up website.
Relationships - We've been working with our brands for many years now and are on first-name terms with them. We know our quality brands inside and out, the fit, the cut, the length of a hem. We live and breathe our brands and this is one of the reasons Gun Hill has built a reputation for quality.
Customer Service - We have some customers who don't buy their clothing anywhere else than Gun Hill, others that come in and ask for a member of staff by name - we carry on that level of friendly, professional customer excellence online too. You can absolutely buy from us with confidence. No quibbles on returns too.
Trust - Having been in business all these years, we are proud of our relationships with our customers and every member of staff always likes to make every single customer feel special and trust us to keep them dressed well. By the way, we often reward our loyal customers with discount codes - why not sign up and receive them too?
Security - Our website is 128-bit SSL secured, payments are handled through one of the largest payment processors and each transaction is as secure as it can be. Check the padlock icon in your browser.
Gun Hill - Made in Britain - As well as our brands, we have our own label which encapsulates everything about our other brands - quality, superlative materials, second-to-none workmanship, style and durability with exclusivity. Our Gun Hill range meets (and often exceeds) the quality of our luxury brands and is made in Britain too.


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Zoom is the ultimate portfolio and product showcase theme. This theme is optimized for touch on the iPad and even supports keyboard control (arrow keys and spacebar). Once you install the theme, the home page becomes a setup guide with step-by-step instructions and videos!
What buyers are saying:
"Buyers if you want something original here you have it. Great Job!"
– Phoenix
"Woohooo! Finaly! Bought immediately and yeah… five stars"
– mackemac
"PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT : Not only is this an awesome theme with an ingenious design, but it comes with the support you would and should expect from a theme of this Standard."
– Zena
"Very easy to set up, the videos were extremely helpful and the forums for the creator had many questions answered already. "
– FrankyFourfingers
"What a great theme… the new updates just make it even more awesome."
– mimieux (purchased 50-99 items)
- NEW! Theme options via WP Theme Customizer
- NEW! Localized
- NEW! Font Awesome font icon library support
- NEW! Image-only portfolio page template
- Home page setup guide
- Localized (.POT file included)
- Font Awesome font icon library included
- Valid HTML5 markup
- Supports Google custom fonts library
- Easy thumbnail images with built-in WordPress system
- Unlimited background options
- iPad optimized with touch support (swipe up, down, left and right)
- Keyboard support (arrow keys and spacebar)
- Full screen image background
- Portfolio slideshow
- Slideout sidebar with slider controls
- Advanced jQuery animations and effects
- Promote your social network with 70+ icons!
- Built-in contact form
- FREE updates
v2.1.3 - Oct 2016 * Fixed loading animation error. v2.1.2 - March 2016 * Code improvements & optimizations. v2.1.1 - Jun 2015 * Added: ZoomBox lightbox plugin zip file to files folder (optional). * Removed: prettyPhoto lightbox plugin due to vulnerability. v2.1.0 - May 2015 * Added support for WordPress 4.2 sidebar requirements. * General code optimizations and improvements v2.0.0 - May 2014 * Added image-only portfolio page template * Added Font Awesome font icon library * Added zoom in/out control via clicking main image * Added localization support * Optimized code * Updated design v1.3.1 - Nov 2013 * Fixed loading animation bug in Chrome. v1.3.0 - Sept 2013 * Added WP Theme Customizer support (replaces OptionTree theme options panel). v1.2.2 - Feb 2013 * Updated theme options panel. v1.2.1 - Nov 2012 * Updated theme options panel appearance and updated/added support tab. v1.2.0 - Aug 2012 * Added built-in theme options. Plugin no longer required. * Improved/optimized code and removed deprecated functions. * Fixed dropdown menu issue on iOS devices.
Latest Release… VYSUAL
Words can't express how satisfied I am not just with this theme, but the support… Looks exactly like a professional movie site should. My production has a very high standard and it was crucial the website reflected that standard. Thank you Chris!!!
- samgosper


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AUSTIN, TX – 19 May, 2017 – "Turn your passion into a platform" is the underlying theme of a workshop taking place in downtown Austin. The event is a gathering of female entrepreneurs and professionals looking to grow in their business and make a bigger impact in their local communities.
"This is an opportunity for women nationwide to come together in beautiful downtown Austin, and celebrate where they are going as entrepreneurs while learning from the achievements of other women who have helped pave the way" says event host, Erica Latrice.
Her commitment to helping female entrepreneurs "stand on their story" began more than 5 years ago when she found herself in a struggle.
"Years ago, I had no job, I was literally starting from scratch, The company I worked for closed and I was going through divorce, there were just so many different challenges," said Latrice.
She took what she learned from battling these obstacles and turned it into a website with advice and tips. Her website became so popular, she turned it into a business called "Be Inspired". Now, she's teaching women how to follow in her footsteps through the AmplifyHer events.
The workshops feature lessons on how to accomplish goals and follow through on tasks. It is not limited only to entrepreneurs, women from various walks and from all across the country have come together to attend.
"I was a woman who was very much in the shadows and kind of wanted to walk with my head down and my face covered, no one look at me I don't have anything to say. I felt like my voice didn't really matter," said Staci Gustiuc, who attended the seminar.
After working with Latrice for several months, Gustiuc now runs her own business and has overcome her fear of public speaking. She will be a featured speaker for the AmplifyHer tour.
Registration information is available online at www.AmplifyHerLife.com for interviews and more information contact Erica at (252)864-9528
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SloLuKNEB-U
Media Contact
Company Name: Be Inspired! Inc.
Contact Person: Erica Latrice
Email: email@example.com
Phone: 252-864-9528
Country: United States
Website: www.ericalatrice.com


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Daesh's Child Soldiers
Dozens of underage Daesh fighters detained in Fallujah BY Suadad Al Salhy Mustafa's gaze seemed lost, frightened and his eyes were erratic. His childish looks appeared strange among the harsh military faces surrounding him. His 13 years of existence did not fit the cruelty of the place, which houses suspects, hardened criminals and Daesh leaders.


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I'm having some trouble using the easing equations suggested by Robert Penner for ActionScript (http://www.robertpenner.com/easing/, and a Flash demo here) in my C# XNA game. Firstly, what is the definition of the following variables passed in as arguments to each equation?
float t, float b, float c, float d
I'm currently calculating the new X position of a sprite in the Update() loop, however even for the linear tween equation I'm getting some odd results. I'm using the following values:
float t = gameTime.TotalGameTime.TotalMilliseconds;
float d = 8000f;
float b = x.Position.X;
float c = (ScreenManager.Game.GraphicsDevice.Viewport.Width >> 1) - (x.Position.X + x.frameSize.X / 2);
And this equation for linear easing:
float val = c*t/d + b;


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Bailey's career-high 12 K's not enough vs. Bucs
Baker defends decision to leave righty in with high pitch count
CINCINNATI -- It's the kind of late-inning decision managers will get second-guessed on within milliseconds of making it. When is the right time to take out the starting pitcher?
Reds manager Dusty Baker already knew the questions would flow like Niagara Falls following Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Pirates. The circumstances were right out of the textbook of a second-guessing 101 class.
Baker's starting pitcher, Homer Bailey, had a brilliant day of pitching and a career-high 12 strikeouts. But as Bailey crossed the 100-pitch mark in a 1-1 game on a hot and muggy afternoon, Baker stuck with his right-hander as Pittsburgh threatened.
"I wanted to give Homer a chance to win the game," Baker said. "People don't understand, but it doesn't matter to me because I'm going to do what I think is right for my team and right for him. It's tough to go out there and get a no-decision or a loss the way he's throwing the ball. I can see a level of frustration on his face down there that we haven't gotten him any runs."
A loser in his last two starts since his July 2 no-hitter vs. the Giants, Bailey had plenty of octane in the arm in his first post-All Star break outing after a nine-day break. His fastball often crossed 95 mph, including a 99-mph high heater that struck out Michael McKenry to end the top of the fourth.
Bailey's only early blemish came in the second inning with one out when Garrett Jones slugged a first-pitch breaking ball into the right-field seats for a 418-foot solo homer. A McKenry single followed, but Bailey went on to retire 15 of his next 17 batters.
With the game tied at 1-1 in the seventh, fortunes changed for Bailey when McKenry worked through a 10-pitch at-bat and hit a one-out double to the wall in left-center field. At that point, reliever J.J. Hoover was warming up in the bullpen.
"That last inning, McKenry had just a great at-bat," Bailey said. "He fouled off a 2-2 slider that I couldn't have thrown any better."
Jordy Mercer ended Pittsburgh's 0-for-29 drought with runners in scoring position with a rolling single up the middle that scored the go-ahead run. Clint Barmes added an soft rolling infield single to the shortstop. Zack Cozart's hurried throw was in the dirt, but Barmes would have been safe anyway.
Bailey was at 120 pitches as pinch-hitter Jose Tabata stepped in, but he said he didn't feel too fatigued.
"Not as much tired as I was frustrated a little bit," Bailey said. "The ground balls that were hit were just slow enough. If the one to Cozart was hit a little faster, he gets him at first. Little stuff like that."
Bailey's next pitch was his final one. A 95-mph fastball was scorched for a lined single just over Brandon Phillips' glove for an RBI single by Tabata and a 3-1 Pirates' lead.
"In that situation, I needed to put up a zero. We made some really good pitches. It just didn't work out for us," Bailey said. "There were two ground balls where the game of inches really played out. In McKenry's at-bat, he fouled off, fouled off, and took some pitches he swung at in the past. The game of inches kind of bit me today."
Bailey gave up three runs and seven hits over 6 1/3 innings with one walk. His previous career high in strikeouts was 10.
"I know Homer had a lot of pitches," Baker said. "But he was throwing as hard when I took him out as he was [all game]. They had a couple of balls that were nearly caught. It's not like they were banging him all around."
Cincinnati, which notched only three hits in the game -- two of them by Shin-Soo Choo, who extended his hit streak to 15 games -- missed out on notching a three-game sweep of its National League Central rival to fall three games back of the second-place Bucs.
Pirates lefty Jeff Locke, now 2-0 with a 1.22 ERA in four starts lifetime vs. the Reds, was effective and didn't give up another hit following Choo's leadoff single in the first inning. But there were chances to take back the game.
Trailing, 1-0, into the fifth, Locke became wild and walked two batters. Runners were on second and third with two outs when a wild pitch in the dirt to Choo scored Cozart with the tying run.
Choo's second hit, a single through the right side against reliever Mark Melancon, put runners on the corners in the eighth inning with no outs. Melancon then walked Chris Heisey to load the bases for Joey Votto. Derrick Robinson scored as Votto grounded into a nicely-turned 3-6-1 double play by Pittsburgh to snap Melancon's 15-inning scoreless streak. Brandon Phillips grounded out to short to end the inning.
"Melancon just really showed up big with the at-bat and the matchup with Votto," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "He doesn't pull many balls, but when you got a cutter, you can work a ball in and get him to roll over. [Gaby] Sanchez started that play, we turn it in the middle. It was as good a play as we've made all year in a tight situation."
Heading out for an 11-game road trip on the West Coast, the Reds trail the first-place Cardinals by five games.
"It hurts when you have an opportunity," Baker said. "That's kind of been the offense most of the year."


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From Reqs to Specs.
In my other piece, I wrote how business requirements documents don't work very well, how they create a trial and error process, and prototypes make it into production.
Much of the reason is that there is no analysis, general design, or detailed design. Nor is anyone in charge of these areas.
Much of my work in development has been doing the analysis and design that were not done in the first place. Here are some of the techniques that I've used. And some that have been very useful when others have done them for me.
Read the rest of this entry »


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Utah State University hosts the Pendulum Duo in concert Wednesday, Oct. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in the Morgan Theatre of the Chase Fine Arts Center on the Logan campus.
"We are excited to have this internationally-renowned percussion duo here on campus," said Jason Nicholson, professor and director of the percussion program in the Caine College of the Arts. "They are phenomenal percussionists and with their incredibly high level of musicianship the students will greatly benefit from this experience."
Audiences have a chance to appreciate the duo's skill as well.
Featuring percussion works composed in the past century, the performance includes techniques and instruments from around the world. For several of the pieces, students will perform alongside the guest artists. While in Logan, the duo will also teach master classes and clinics for students and community members interested in attending.
"To have talent like this in Cache Valley is not a rare occurrence, but what makes this an excellent opportunity is to have two professional musicians here for four days, working closely with students," Nicholson said.
The Pendulum Duo, with Joseph Krygier and Susan Powell, was formed in 1992. Performing a variety of styles, the duo has performed throughout the United States and in Mexico, Poland, Lithuania, Sweden and Canada. Krygier received his master's degree in performance from Northwestern University and is a senior lecturer at Ohio State University's School of Music. Powell is a professor and director of percussion studies at the School of Music at Ohio State University and is an active composer of percussion pieces.
The duo's trip to Utah State was made possible through sponsorship by Malletech, a manufacturer of mallet percussion instruments, and Zildjian, a manufacturer of cymbals.
The Pendulum Duo performance on Oct. 2 is in the Morgan Theatre, located in the Chase Fine Arts Center on USU's campus. Tickets are $10 adults, $8 seniors and youth, $5 USU faculty and staff and free for USU students with ID. For more information on the concert or to purchase tickets, contact the CCA Box Office in room 139-B of the Chase Fine Arts Center, call 435-797-8022 or see the college's Production Services website.
Related links:
Writer: Kara Rindlisbacher, 435-797-9203, firstname.lastname@example.com
Contact: Denise Albiston, 435-797-1500, firstname.lastname@example.com


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Ramat Gan Safari Park Welcomes a Second Asian Elephant Calf
October 14, 2013
Two female Asian Elephant calves have been born at Ramat Gan Safari Park in Israel. The first female to give birth was 7.5 year-old La-Belle, on August 2. As she is a very young mother, her own mother La-Petite, heavily pregnant herself, took over and nursed the calf. After a few nerve-wracking days of 24-hour monitoring, keepers could rest assured that the calf was getting enough milk, suckling from both her mother and her grandmother alternately. The calf, born a bit small, was named Latangi which means 'slim girl' in the Sanskrit language. (See our first story about Latangi here.)
After exactly two months of anticipation, a second female calf was born to 28-year-old La-Petite. This time the calf was bigger and stronger and received the Hindi name 'Lalana' meaning 'a girl'. Both mothers and calves are doing great. They are spending their days in the exhibit happily, together with the father Motek. The birth of the two calves is wonderful news, especially as Asian Elephants are a unique and endangered species.
Photo credits: Tibor Jager / Ramat Gan Safari Park
See video of the calves and mothers together:
See more photos after the fold!