Sunday, September 30, 2012

95% Searching for Sugar Man

All Critics (84) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (80) | Rotten (4)

The search for a long-lost pop icon has an unexpected payoff.

[A] moving, lyrical account ...

Director Malik Bendjelloul's engaging, cleverly structured documentary about the legendary folk singer Rodriguez is shaped like a mystery.

If you like music, a good mystery or, better yet, a combination of both, you won't be disappointed.

An electrifying illustration of music's power to inspire and change lives on both sides of the footlights.

Submitted for your approval: one Sixto Rodriguez, a Mexican-American singer/songwriter whom Rod Serling would surely embrace, in or out of the Twilight Zone.

This is not only the best documentary I've seen this year, it's one that shows other documentaries how to do it.

Searching for Sugar Man reminds us that a wise man knows lasting riches are never the result of record sales.

Searching for Sugar Man" is a saga about the power of music, living life on one's own terms and the joy of second chances.

Two fans, Stephen Segerman and Craig Bertholomew, made it their business to find out exactly what happened to the singer Rodriguez. And, "Searching for Sugar Man" is the fruits of their labor. The fruit is tasting pretty sweet.

It starts as a bittersweet parable about the cruelty of commerce, but the wonder of "Searching for Sugar Man" will not soon slip away.

You watch "Searching for Sugar Man" at first fascinated by the mystery - what happened to Rodriguez? Where did he go? Then you become infuriated by its revelations of financial injustice.

An unexpectedly fresh nonfiction tale that rustles up deep feelings of a life stolen -- part docu-mystery, part uplifting valentine about the universality and resonating power of music.

Generates immediate interest in a forgotten artist, permitting the delicate yet barbed tunes to guide the experience, returning a sense of excitement to a man who unfortunately missed out on the highlights of his career.

It isn't that Searching for Sugar Man's plot developments are gotcha!-like, but this documentary does boast some bowl-you-over reveals best experienced blind.

Ultimately, for Rodriguez, musical redemption transcends the greed and soul-sapping breaks he encountered.

Rodriguez's life story is only part of what makes "Searching for Sugar Man" such a revelation.

The man and his music are worth checking out, even if the movie is not.

Ultimately an ode to Rodriguez's artistic modesty and the power of his music-a rousing crowd-pleaser that asks you to save questions for another film.

A rousing and all-encompassing look at a man who becomes even more of a mystery after we've gotten to know him.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/searching_for_sugar_man/

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Drought-stricken farmers, ranchers can postpone tax on some ...

I grew up in West Texas so I know about living in an arid region. In recent years, that drier lifestyle is something that many more folks across the rest of the Lone Star State have had to learn to live with.

Texas, like much of the rest of the United States, has been dealing with drought conditions for years. Late September data from the National Drought Mitigation Center show that 54.77 percent of the country is in moderate drought or worse, the largest percentage so far recorded at that level and a slight increase from the previous week's percentage.

Remnants of a Pacific tropical storm system are sending some much needed rain Texas' way today. But it's probably too little too late this year for many folks, especially farmers and ranchers whose livelihoods are largely at Mother Nature's capricious mercy.

Drought effects on, IRS help for businesses: With feed crops reduced because of the lack of rain, many livestock owners were forced to sell cattle before they planned.

Marathon cows October 2007_Photo by Kay Bell
Cows in Marathon, Texas, October 2007; photo by Kay Bell

Now, however, they getting a break from the Internal Revenue Service.

They now have more time in which to replace the livestock and defer tax on any gains from the forced sales, the Internal Revenue Service has announced.

Farmers and ranchers who, due to the drought, sell more livestock than they normally would, typically get to defer tax on the unplanned for extra capital gains from those sales as long as they replace the sold livestock within four years.

The IRS is now giving them an extra year to buy more horses or cattle.

This one-year extension of the replacement period generally applies to capital gains realized by eligible farmers and ranchers on drought-prompted sales of livestock held for draft, dairy or breeding purposes. Sales of other livestock, such as those raised for slaughter or held for sporting purposes, and poultry are not eligible.

The tax relief is provided to qualifying agriculture operations in a county, parish, city or district that is listed as suffering exceptional, extreme or severe drought conditions by the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) during any weekly period between Sept. 1, 2011, and Aug. 31, 2012.

This covers farmers and ranchers in all or part of 43 states. Any county contiguous to an NDMC-listed county also qualifies for this relief, according to the IRS.

This means the qualifying farmers and ranchers whose drought sale replacement period was scheduled to expire on Dec. 31, 2012, will in most cases now have until the end of next tax year.

Because of previous drought-related extensions affecting some of the localities in the most recent IRS announcement, the replacement periods for some drought sales before 2008 also are affected. Additional extensions will be granted if severe drought conditions persist.

And because no one can really predict the weather (just ask your local TV weathercaster!) the IRS is authorized to extend this period if the drought continues.

More details, including a complete list of eligible drought areas, are in IRS Notice 2012-62.

You also might find these items of interest:

Source: http://dontmesswithtaxes.typepad.com/dont_mess_with_taxes/2012/09/drought-stricken-farmers-ranchers-can-postpone-tax-on-livestock-sale-gains.html

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Saturday, September 29, 2012

New York Museum Show Just Crawling with Spiders - ????


27 September, 2012

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.

I'm June Simms.

On our show this week, we tell play a few songs from new albums by Green Day, Mumford & Sons and Lupe Fiasco.


We also tell about a Native American man working to help keep his culture alive.

But first, we go to a New York City museum to learn about some eight legged creatures.

What has eight legs, comes in forty-three thousand species and has a serious public image problem? If you said a spider, you are right!

The spider family has lived on Earth for about three hundred million years. But it has had trouble making friends with people. A new show at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City hopes to improve those relations. Christopher Cruise has more.

"Spiders Alive!" includes live examples of twenty different spider species. Visitors can get up close and personal with arachnids including the famed tarantula, the small but powerful black widow and the little known fishing spider. And there are many more spiders to learn about at the exhibition.

The American Museum of Natural History claims the largest collection of the animals in the world.

Most people think of spiders as insects. But insects have wings and antennae. Spiders do not. And spiders' bodies are made up of two parts while insects have three. Finally, spiders, like all arachnids, have eight legs. Insects have six.

Scientist Norman Platnick has been gathering and studying spiders for more than forty years. He was responsible for organizing the exhibit.

Mister Platnick says people need spiders because the creatures help keep the insect population down. He says they can eat more than thirty-five kilograms of bugs each year on about less than half a hectare of land.

"If the spiders were not here, we might not be here either because insects would have devoured all those crops."

Another interesting fact about spiders: they can live after the loss of a leg.

"And, in fact, if it happens young enough when the spider still has several molts before it becomes an adult, it can even regrow that leg. So clearly, if you lose them, having more is an advantage."

The show explains the strange spider method of capturing and eating its food. Human beings begin to break down food inside our mouths. But most spiders do not chew. So they break down food before it enters the body. A spider will inject its victim with a poison that very quickly makes the prey unable to move. Then a spider spits digestive fluid into the body of the prey. This turns the food into a liquid that the spider can suck up.

It sounds like a horrible death. But spiders can also have what seems like a soft touch. For example, some spiders carry as many as one hundred young around on their back for up to a week. And although most spiders carry some kind of poison, few can hurt humans. In fact, says Norman Platnick, some spider venom may be good for human health.

"So, for example, some spider venoms or some component of the venoms of some species of spiders seem to be able to inhibit the transmission of certain nerve impulses across synapses. So people are looking at those kinds of venoms as potential cures for certain kinds of neurological diseases like epilepsy that involve those kinds of transmissions."

The new exhibit is a good start at undoing the web of mystery and misunderstanding that surrounds the spider. The show closes December second.

In the middle to late seventeen-hundreds, special schools were opened on Native American reservations in the United States. The goal was to make young Indians become Christian and accept other parts of European culture.

The use of native languages and culture was not supported in the schools. Over time, many Indian children grew up knowing little about their culture or languages.

But, Tsimshian tribesman David Boxley of Washington state is working to keep his native culture alive.

Mr. Boxley is a dancer, songwriter and wood carver. He is also an ambassador for Tsimshian culture and heritage.

"We call it art now, but it was a way for people to say, This is how I am. This belongs to me, or this is my clan, this is my crest, this is my family history, carved and painted in wood."

Mr. Boxley was raised by his grandparents. He says the influence of Christian missionaries was strong while he was young, so he learned little about his native culture.

After college, he went to work as a teacher. He also began to research Tsimshian wood carving in museums and other cultural collections. In nineteen eighty-six, he left teaching to spend his time on wood carving and bringing attention to Tsimshian art and culture.

"I guess I came along at the right time. Our people really needed a shot in the arm. Our culture wasn't very prominent after all that missionary influence, and years and years of not having anybody be in that kind of position to guide."


That was almost thirty years ago. Since then Mr. Boxley has created seventy totem poles. Totem poles tell a story. Earlier this year, he finished carving an especially important totem pole, made of red cedar wood.

"The title is Eagle and the Young Chief."

The totem pole tells the story of a young chief who rescued an eagle caught in a fishing net. Years later, when the chief's village was starving, the eagle repaid the chief for his kindness.

"A live salmon fell out of the sky, and he looked up and he saw the eagle flying away. And every day for days and days, the eagle brought salmon to feed the village."

"The Eagle and the Young Chief" was transported to Washington, DC. It now stands at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, as part of its permanent collection.

Mr. Boxley says a totem pole that he carved in honor of his grandfather is closest to his heart. But, he says, the one at the museum is a close second.

"This one is going to be seen by millions over the next hundred years. And it is not just me and my son; it is all of my people that are proud. My tribe."

Some huge names in music released albums this month. We decided to take a listen to a few of them in one show. Mario Ritter has more on the new records from Green Day, Mumford and Sons and Lupe Fiasco.

Green Day's new album "Uno!" is the first of a series of three albums. "Dos!" And "Tre!" are to follow. The California band had spent most of the last few years producing the rock opera "21st Century Breakdown" and a show for Broadway, "American Idiot: The Musical."

Most critics say "Uno!" is a return to Green Day's punk roots. The single "Oh Love" entered Billboard Magazine's American rock songs chart at number one.

Lupe Fiasco's real name is Wasalu Muhammad Jaco. The thirty-year-old has been performing hip-hop music for over ten years. He became a star in two thousand six with his first album, "Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor."

Now comes the release of album number four, "Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Part One." The album is political just like its singer. Fiasco raps about unfair treatment of blacks and Native Americans in the United States, as well as the struggles of oppressed minorities around the world.

But like most musical artists, unreturned love is also a theme, as in Fiasco's song "Battle Scars."

Finally, Mumford & Sons new album "Babel," is having huge sales in album stores and digitally. Billboard Magazine reports six-hundred thousand copies of the album are expected to sell by the end of its first week released.

The British band helped put folk music back in style with the first group's first album "Sigh No More," released in two thousand nine. Mumford & Sons continues to favor soft, quiet lyrics and mostly non electric versions of guitar, banjo, accordion and other instruments on "Babel." We leave you with the album's first single "I Will Wait."

Source: http://www.51voa.com/VOA_Special_English/spiders-native-american-totem-greenday-mumfordandsons-fiasco-47004.html

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Pastors Protest Hobby Lobby Birth Control Fight In Oklahoma

Hobby Lobby Pastors Protest

In this Sept. 12, 2012 file photo, a woman walks from a Hobby Lobby Inc., store in Little Rock, Ark. Christian pastors plan to deliver petitions to Hobby Lobby officials in protest of the Oklahoma-based company?s lawsuit challenging health care guidelines that require the coverage of the morning-after pill. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File)

OKLAHOMA CITY ? A coalition of liberal Christian groups has come out against Hobby Lobby's lawsuit challenging federal health care guidelines that require companies to provide insurance that covers the morning-after pill.

The Rev. Lance Schmitz says more than 80,000 people signed petitions opposing the Oklahoma-based arts and crafts chain's lawsuit. The Oklahoma City pastor tried to deliver the petitions Thursday to Hobby Lobby headquarters but was ordered to leave the property. He says he will mail the petitions instead.

Hobby Lobby, which operates more than 500 stores in 41 states, says providing coverage for the morning-after pill violates its Christian owners' "deeply held religious beliefs."

The petitions say Hobby Lobby's owners shouldn't use their beliefs to deny women access to birth control. The company says it has no objection to preventive contraceptives.

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/27/pastors-protest-hobby-lobby-birth-control-fight_n_1919993.html

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Friday, September 28, 2012

PNoy's speeches: When the president speaks the language of the ...

Finally, we have a president of the republic who speaks the language of the people?both the educated and the less-educated, the haves and the have-nots. The publication of President Benigno S. Aquino III?s Kayo ang Boss Ko sa Daang Matuwid: Mga Piling Talumpati (Filipinas Institute of Translation, 2012) is a milestone in the history of the Philippines, especially in the development of Filipino as the national language.
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The book consists of 37 speeches delivered by PNoy on various occasions all over the country. It opens with his inaugural address ?Tayo Na sa Daang Matuwid? on 30 June 2010, and ends with his third State of the Nation Address (SONA), entitled ?Sambayanang Filipino ang Gumawa ng Pagbabago,? delivered last 23 July 2012.
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The speeches are arranged chronologically, serving as veritable records of the achievements of PNoy?s administration. Many of the speeches (especially the SONAs) are also well-supported expos?s of the excesses of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo?s administration.
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Political and practical utilities aside, however, the speeches in this book are also examples of well-written and well-argued essays. The use of Filipino is almost elegant.
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?Matatala si PNoy sa kasaysayan bilang ang pangulong ganap na nagbigay-daan sa Filipino bilang tunay na opisyal na wika ng gobyerno at kapaki-pakinabang na instrumento ng pambansang komunikasyon at pagsusulong ng kapakanan ng sambayanan. Mula rito, masasabi natin kung tunay nga ba siyang naging Pangulong maka-Filipino hindi lamang sa salita kundi lalo?t higit sa gawa,? according to the book editors Romulo P. Baquiran, Jr. and Michael M. Coroza.
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Both editors are award-winning poets, and also recipients of the prestigious Southeast Asian Write Award from the royalty of Thailand. Baquiran is on the faculty of the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman Department of Filipino, while Coroza is with the Filipino Department of Ateneo de Manila University.
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Filipino or Tagalog?
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While the book is a laudable effort, I can already imagine the violent comments from non-Tagalog speakers about PNoy?s brand of Filipino. Why, it sounds very much like Tagalog! Is the president supporting, or worse, making it official?the Tagalization of our so-called national language? What is so national about it when it is just Tagalog?
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Admittedly, this is a very difficult question to answer without fanning the flames of regionalism. Some would even call it ?nativism? in today?s language politics, which can be potentially emotionally messy.
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But perhaps we should look at the issue from a historical perspective.
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The idea of a national language was based on an indigenous language first mentioned in the 1935 Constitution, during the time of President Manuel Quezon. One year later, Quezon created the Surian ng Wikang Pambansa, which chose Tagalog as the basis of the national language.
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As expected, the choice was questioned by the Visayans. Why not Cebuano, which is widely spoken in the Visayas and Mindanao? This became the start of the ?the war of the languages.?
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Nevertheless, President Quezon was dubbed ?The Father of the National Language? despite his Tagalog-centric leanings, considering that he is from the Tagalog heartland of Tayabas. Everyone recognized that his vision to develop a national language is an achievement in itself.
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In the 1987 Constitution, under the presidency of Corazon Cojuangco Aquino, the national language is clearly named?Filipino. It is still Tagalog-based, but there is a conscious effort to have it developed and enriched by other Philippine languages as well as other foreign languages like Spanish, English, and Arabic.
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This means that the national language is still more an ideal than reality. Nonetheless, academic institutions like the University of the Philippines Sentro ng Wikang Filipino (SWF), aside from the Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino under the Office of the President, are seriously and actively attempting to make the concept of the national language real and tangible.
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For example, the SWF in U.P. Iloilo, first directed by Palanca Hall of Famer Leoncio P. Deriada, gathered words and concepts in the three languages of Panay, namely Aklanon, Kinaray-a, and Hiligaynon. Deriada also gave creative writing workshops in the different schools in Western Visayas, where he promoted his brand of Filipino that he calls ?Visayan-laced Filipino.? This is a type of Filipino that is Tagalog-based, but is open to vocabularies and syntax from the Visayan languages.
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From Gloria to PNoy
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PNoy?s Filipino today is definitely Tagalog-based. Maybe he should, with the help of his speech writers, consider incorporating non-Tagalog words into his future speeches. Perhaps, if he is giving a speech in Cebu, he should use more Cebuano words. If he is in Iloilo, why not use Hiligaynon and Kinaray-a words? If he is in Ilocandia, why not put Ilocano words in his speech? And so on.
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Or maybe we can just leave PNoy in his Tagalog-based Filipino. Since he was brought up in Metro Manila, he cannot help but be Manila-centric and Tagalog-centric in his language. Perhaps, we should wait for another great president who can speak several Philippine languages, and mix these languages in order to create a real and more representative national language that would truly be Filipino in form and content.
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Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo could have been this kind of president. I heard her once giving a radio interview when she was still President. It was broadcast all over the Philippines, and she was answering questions in Tagalog, Kapampangan, Cebuano, and Hiligaynon. Sayang, she squandered her chance to be a president who would champion the national language.
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Whatever his future holds until 2016, once he leaves office, PNoy will perhaps be remembered as the president who spoke the language of the people. After all, more than 90 percent of the population can understand and speak Tagalog-based Filipino because of mass media.
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?In the words of National Artist Virgilio Almario on the back cover of this yellow book, ?Tumutulong ang mga talumpati ng Pangulong PNoy upang burahin ang mga guwang at hanggahang panlipunan, upang mabilis na mapalaganap sa buong kapuluan ang anumang mensaheng pambayan, at upang higit na mailahok ang sambayanan sa pamamalakad ng bansa. Napakahalagang isipin ng madla na ?kinakausap? sila ng kanilang Pangulo ng Filipinas.? ? YA/VS, GMA News

J. I. E. Teodoro is an award-winning writer from San Jose de Buenavista, Antique. He is an assistant professor of Filipino at Miriam College in Quezon City. Read his other writings at bantaytvatpelikula.blogspot.com and literaturanghiligaynon.blogspot.com.?
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Source: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/275906/lifestyle/reviews/pnoys-speeches-when-the-president-speaks-the-language-of-the-people

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Colorado "Frozen Dead Guy" festival to go on with or without corpse

DENVER (Reuters) - The frozen corpse that has inspired a Colorado town's whimsical "Frozen Dead Guy Days" celebration may soon be put on ice somewhere else, but festival organizers said the body's removal will not have a chilling effect on the annual event.

"We will continue on whether or not Bredo Morstoel is here," festival owner Amanda MacDonald said Wednesday of the man whose body has been packed in dry ice outside Nederland, Colorado, since 1993.

A financial dispute between Morstoel's grandson, Tryve Bauge, and the man hired to replenish the dry ice on a monthly basis, Bo Shaffer, has led to Bauge threatening to move his grandfather's body out of Colorado.

Each month for 18 years, Shaffer has hauled 1,700 pounds (770 kg) of dry ice - carbon dioxide in solid form - to a remote shed above Nederland to keep the corpse of Morstoel at minus-24 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-31 degrees Celsius) and in a state of cryonic suspension.

But Shaffer said he quit after Bauge refused to pay for the rising costs of fuel and ice, which has made the endeavor unprofitable.

"It takes two of us to make the four-hour roundtrip," Shaffer told Reuters. "My quitting is the only way to get his (Bauge's) attention."

Bauge, who lives in Norway, did not immediately return an email message seeking comment about the dispute. But he told the Boulder Daily Camera newspaper that he is exploring the possibility of moving his grandfather to the Cryonics Institute in Michigan.

Cryonics is the process of freezing and storing a corpse to prevent decomposition in anticipation of medical technology that could bring the dead back to life. Liquid nitrogen, which is far colder than dry ice, is typically used for cryonic preservation.

Morstoel died of heart failure in his native Norway in 1989, and Bauge had his grandfather's body frozen and transported to a cryonics facility in California. Ultimately he had the corpse moved to Nederland, where Bauge lived at the time.

When Bauge was deported because of an expired visa, he hired Shaffer to act as an unofficial caretaker.

COFFIN RACES, HEARSE PARADE

At first, townspeople in the mountain village 17 miles southwest of Boulder, Colorado, were aghast at the thought of a frozen body being stored in their midst.

But they ultimately embraced the idea of an annual festival surrounding its most famous, albeit deceased, resident.

The late-winter celebration features activities such as coffin races, a hearse parade, a frozen salmon toss and snow beach volleyball. There are even tours to the site of Morstoel's sarcophagus, although his remains are not open for viewing.

MacDonald said the festival attracts about 10,000 people over its three-day run, which is held in early March, and has taken on a life of its own, with or without its namesake dead guy.

The nonprofit Cryonics Institute in Clinton Township, Michigan, was founded by the late physicist Robert Ettinger, who was known as a pioneer in cryonics.

His son, David Ettinger, said by telephone that privacy concerns prevent him from discussing any potential patients. However, he did say ideal candidates for suspension are people who have recently died.

Such was the case with his father, he said, who was prepared for the procedure in the days before his death in 2011 at the age of 92.

"We've never had a patient presented to us under those circumstances," he said of a corpse that has been packed in dry ice for nearly two decades.

The institute has about 100 suspended corpses, and charges a one-time $35,000 fee and $120 annually for "human cryopreservation."

(Editing by Steve Gorman and Xavier Briand)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/colorado-frozen-dead-guy-festival-without-corpse-013547563.html

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Lynyrd Skynyrd face Confederate flag flap

J. Countess / Getty Images file

Lynyrd Skynyrd members, from left, Johnny Van Zant, Mark "Sparky" Matejka, Rickey Medlocke and Gary Rossington perform during a "FOX & Friends" concert in New York in August.

By Randee Dawn, TODAY contributor

To many above the Mason-Dixon line, the Confederate flag is a symbol of a divided country and an empathy with slavery and racism. To many below it, however, the "Rebel" flag is a symbol of unity, heritage and standing up for state's rights. To Lynyrd Skynyrd, it's all part of the band's brand -- good-time Southern rock ("Sweet Home Alabama") made by men with flowing locks and cranked-up guitars -- and it's made an appearance at virtually every one of their shows since they formed in the 1960s.?

But as band members learned recently, it's not so easy to lower the flag.?

It all started on Sept. 9, when three members of the band (Gary Rossington, Rickey Medlocke and Johnny Van Zant) appeared on CNN to discuss their new album, "Last of a Dyin' Breed." Toward the end of the discussion, interviewer Fredricka Whitfield asked about the band appearing to disassociate themselves from the flag.

"It became such an issue about race and stuff where we just had it in the beginning because we were Southern, and that was our image back in the'70s and late '60s ... but I think through?the years, people like the KKK and skinheads and people kind of kidnapped the Dixie or Rebel flag from the Southern and the heritage of the soldiers," explained guitarist and sole original band member Rossington. "We didn?t want that to go to our fans or show the image like we agreed with any of the race stuff or any of the bad things.?

That didn't go well with some fans; messages left on the CNN board indicated they felt that leaving the flag out of the routine was a slap in the face and kowtowing to political correctness. "By ignoring and denying the flag that is part of their history, they are leaving a large segment of their fan base behind," wrote G.D. Smith on the boards. "It's a shame that money is now more important than honor or heritage."

"We hope you never come back to 'Sweet Home Alabama,'" wrote another fan, L.E. Thompson.

Well, never let it be said that Skynyrd isn't responsive to its fans; last Friday, Rossington posted a message on the band's website to "clarify the discussion of the Confederate Flag" in the interview, writing:

"Myself, the past members and the present members (that are from the South), are all extremely proud of our heritage and being from the South. We know what the Dixie flag represents and its heritage; the Civil War was fought over States rights.

"We still utilize the Confederate (Rebel) flag on stage every night in our shows, we are and always will be a Southern American Rock band, first and foremost. We also utilize the state flag of Alabama and the American flag as well, ?cause at the end of the day, we are all Americans. I only stated my opinion that the confederate flag, at times, was unfairly being used as a symbol by various hate groups, which is something that we don?t support the flag being used for. The Confederate flag means something more to us, Heritage not Hate?"

And based on the comments left on the website following that post, this is an issue that remains still unresolved -- but many are backing up his decision to try and find a balance.

"I think all of us do well to let our conscience be our guide, and Mr. Rossington has given an example," wrote Walk In My Shadow.

And, added Toolbox, "Lynyrd Skynyrd is a true American band and are proud of their Southern heritage. Do you think for one minute that they would denounce their Southern roots?? Your wrong. Just listen to their music."

More in NBCNews Entertainment:

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Source: http://entertainment.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/26/14111155-lynyrd-skynyrd-lower-then-raise-the-confederate-flag-following-interview-flap?lite

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Large 2012 earthquake triggered temblors worldwide for nearly a week

ScienceDaily (Sep. 26, 2012) ? This year's largest earthquake, a magnitude 8.6 temblor on April 11 centered in the East Indian Ocean off Sumatra, did little damage, but it triggered quakes around the world for at least a week, according to a new analysis by seismologists from the University of California, Berkeley, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The April 11 quake was unusually large -- the tenth largest in the last 100 years and, similar to a few other recent large quakes, triggered small quakes during the three hours it took for seismic waves to travel through Earth's crust.

The new study shows, however, that some faults weren't rattled enough by the seismic waves to fail immediately, but were primed to break up to six days later.

The findings are a warning to those living in seismically active regions worldwide that the risk from a large earthquake could persist -- even on the opposite side of the globe -- for more than a few hours, the experts said.

"Until now, we seismologists have always said, 'Don't worry about distant earthquakes triggering local quakes,'" said Roland Burgmann, professor of earth and planetary science at UC Berkeley and coauthor of the study. "This study now says that, while it is very rare -- it may only happen every few decades -- it is a real possibility if the right kind of earthquake happens."

"We found a lot of big events around the world, including a 7.0 quake in Baja California and quakes in Indonesia and Japan, that created significant local shaking," Burgmann added. "If those quakes had been in an urban area, it could potentially have been disastrous."

Burgmann and Fred F. Pollitz, Ross S. Stein and Volkan Sevilgen of the USGS will report their results online on Sept. 26 in advance of publication in the journal Nature.

Burgmann, Pollitz, a research seismologist, and their colleagues also analyzed earthquake occurrences after five other recent temblors larger than 8.5 -- including the deadly 9.2 Sumatra-Andaman quake in 2004 and the 9.0 Tohoku quake that killed thousands in Japan in 2011 -- but saw only a very modest increase in global earthquake activity after these quakes. They said this could be because the East Indian Ocean quake was a "strike-slip" quake that more effectively generates waves, called Love waves, that travel just under the surface and are energetic enough to affect distant fault zones.

Burgmann explained that most large quakes take place at subduction zones, where the ocean bottom sinks below another tectonic plate. This was the origin of the Sumatra-Andaman quake, which produced a record tsunami that took more than 200,000 lives. The 2012 East Indian Ocean quake involved lateral movement -- referred to as strike-slip, the same type of movement that occurs along California's San Andreas Fault -- and was the largest strike-slip quake ever recorded.

"This was one of the weirdest earthquakes we have ever seen," Burgmann said. "It was like the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, a strike-slip event, but it was huge -- 15 times more energetic. This earthquake and an 8.3 that followed were in a very diffuse zone in an oceanic plate close to the Sumatra subduction zone, but it wasn't a single fault that produced the quake, it was a crisscrossing of three or four faults that all ruptured in sequence to make such a big earthquake, and they ruptured deep."

The seismologists analysis found five times the expected number of quakes during the six days following the April 11 quake and aftershock. An unusually low occurrence of quakes during the 6-12 days before that 8.6 quake may have accentuated the impact, possibly because there were many very-close-to-failure faults sensitive to a triggering shock wave, Pollitz said.

One possible mechanism for the delayed action, Burgmann said, is that the East Indian Ocean quake triggered a cascade of smaller, undetectable quakes on these faults that led to larger ruptures later on.

Alternatively, large quakes could trigger nearly undetectable tremors or microquakes that are a sign of slow slip underground.

"One possibility is that the earthquake immediately triggers slow slip in some places, maybe accompanied by detectable tremor, and then that runs away into a bigger earthquake," Burgmann speculated. "Some slow slip events take days to a week or more to evolve."

The work was supported by the USGS.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - Berkeley. The original article was written by Robert Sanders.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. Fred F. Pollitz, Ross S. Stein, Volkan Sevilgen, Roland B?rgmann. The 11 April 2012 east Indian Ocean earthquake triggered large aftershocks worldwide. Nature, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/nature11504

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/j7ZHkFyBI3Q/120926133105.htm

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Tuesday, September 25, 2012

New Business Account Manager (Internal Telesales Role) ? Naas ...

Job Title

New Business Account Manager (Internal Telesales Role)

Salary

?24,000-?26,000 + commission

Location

Naas AND International

Job Description

Our client is a well-established business supplies provider. Operating for over 10 years, it has grown to be one of the largest providers in Ireland distributing nationwide from is distribution center and offices in Naas.? They are now looking to recruit industry experienced Business Account Managers, to join their growing team.

The position will involve building up a database of customers which they will then manage themselves. Some existing business will be provided, but potential candidates would be expected to build on this database quickly.

Position: New Business Account Manager (Internal Telesales Role)

Salary: Basic ?24-?26K ? Industry experience led

Commission: ?4-8K

Person Specification:

  • Self-motivated, ambitious, target-driven
  • Strong inside sales acumen in leading opportunities from generation to close
  • Consistent record of achievement of target
  • Strong communication skills
  • A general understanding of Database management
  • Dynamic, energetic and committed to making a positive impact on the company

Duties:

  • Build and maintain excellent communications and a strong working relationship with our external clients
  • Dealing with Account issues
  • Dealing with customers on daily basis regarding orders, quotes and queries
  • Making proactive outbound calls to customers regarding promotions and bringing in new accounts
  • Working to achieve performance targets for sales on a weekly and monthly basis
  • Providing the highest level of customer service in Computer Consumables and Office Stationery
  • Managing over 200 Customer?s accounts
  • Providing stock orders and tenders for customers on a monthly and weekly basis .

If you have all of the above requirements and are interested in this exciting opportunity, I urgently need to speak with you!? Please feel free to contact me directly at mosullivan@chase.ie or 066 9762 007: Please feel free to tell your friends and colleagues all about these opportunities too!! If they are of interest, send an updated CV for an immediate response.

If not right for you, why not introduce the opportunity to a friend or colleague ? Chase Resourcing ? All our jobs can be viewed via www.chase.ie

Source: http://www.chase.ie/new-business-account-manager-internal-telesales-role-naas/

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Fast algorithm extracts and compares document meaning

ScienceDaily (Sep. 25, 2012) ? A computer program could compare two documents and work spot the differences in their meaning using a fast semantic algorithm developed by information scientists in Poland.

Writing in the International Journal of Intelligent Information and Database Systems, Andrzej Sieminski of the Technical University of Wroclaw, explains that extracting meaning and calculating the level of semantic similarity between two pieces of texts is a very difficult task, without human intervention. There have been various methods proposed by computer scientists for addressing this problem, but they all suffer from computational complexity, he says.

Sieminski has now attempted to reduce this complexity by merging a computationally efficient statistical approach to text analysis with a semantic component. Tests of the algorithm on English and Polish tests work well. The test set consisted of 4,890 English sentences with 142,116 words and 11,760 Polish sentences with 184,524 words scraped from online services via their newsfeeds over the course of five days. Sieminski points out that the complexity of the algorithm used on the Polish documents required an additional level of sophistication in terms of computing word means and disambiguation.

Traditional "manual" methods of indexing simply cannot now cope with the vast quantities of information generated on a daily basis by humanity as a whole in scientific research more specifically. The new algorithm once optimised could radically change the way in which we make archived documents searchable and allow knowledge to be extracted far more readily than is possible with standard indexing and search tools.

The approach also circumvents three critical problems faced by most users of conventional search engines: First, the lack of familiarity with the advanced search options of search engines, with a semantic algorithm advanced options become almost unnecessary. Secondly, the rigid nature of the options that are unable to catch the subtle nuance of user information needs, again a tool that understands the meaning of a search and the meaning of the results it offers avoids this problem. Finally, the unwillingness or unacceptably long time necessary to type a long query, semantically aware search will require only simply input.

Sieminski points out that the key virtue of the research is the idea of using the statistical similarity measures to assess semantic similarity. He explains that semantic similarity of words could be inferred from the WordNet database. He proposes using this database only during text indexing. "Indexing is done only once so the inevitably long processing time is not an issue," he says. "From that point on we use only statistical algorithms, which are fast and high performance."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Inderscience, via AlphaGalileo.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. Andrzej Sieminski. Fast algorithm for assessing semantic similarity of texts. Int. J. Intelligent Information and Database Systems, 2012, 6, 495-512

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/6rner5aVOFk/120925091540.htm

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Monday, September 24, 2012

Local GOP shows support for Romney

September 20, 2012 Updated Sep 20, 2012 at 7:37 PM CDT

PEORIA, Ill. -- A group of local Republicans joined the Illinois State Treasurer Thursday in showing their support for GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

Dan Rutherford is also the chairman of the Romney campaign in Illinois.

He told those gathered at Peoria County Republican headquarters that Romney's experience in business should be considered a plus for someone who'll be asked to fix the economy.

Rutherford also addressed the distraction created by a secretly-recorded video-tape of Romney that surfaced this week.

On it, Romney says, "there are 47 percent of people who will vote for the president no matter what" and that those are people "who are dependent on government."

"It has side-tracked the message for the last couple of days," said Rutherford, "but the reality of it is, I think the public is going to focus in on the debates particularly. We're going to have the two men there in an environment that is very non-blogosophere, non-tweeted, non-distorted. You're going to be able to see the real material right there in front of everybody."

Rutherford added that in his travels around a state that leans democratic support for Romney is surprisingly strong.

Source: http://www.cinewsnow.com/news/political/Local-GOP-shows-support-for-Romney-170560956.html

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Amazing Apple Cookies

Ingredients

Preparation

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Sift the dry ingredients together and add to the creamed mixture along with the juice. Fold in, by hand, the apples, nuts, and raisins.

Push the dough from the tip of a teaspoon with the back of another onto a buttered cookie sheet, leaving about 1-1/2 inches between each cookie. Bake in a preheated 375?F oven 10 to 12 minutes or until a light brown. Yields about 4 dozen cookies.

Yield

Makes 24 cookies

Cook Time

Prep Time: 15 mins.
Cook Time: 15 mins.

Nutrition information is provided as a resource. Values will vary depending on specific ingredients used.

Serving Size: 1
Number of Servings: Makes 24 cookies

Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 178
Calories from Fat: 135


Amount per Serving

% Daily Value*

Amount per Serving

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 15g

23%

Carbohydrates 37g

12%

Dietary Fiber 9g

36%

Saturated Fat 13g

65%

Calories 178kcal

8%

Cholesterol 20mg

6%

Protein 13g

21%

Sodium 92mg

3%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Source: http://www.myapplemarket.com/Recipes/RecipeFull.aspx?RecipeID=23469

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yes and yes: Long distance relationships! Retiring young! Self Love ...

Entry #1458, August 12, 2012 All work and no play make Jack a dull boy. Well, it?s true! Your kids need time off from school, and stressful activities and a playroom is one of the best ways. Creating a kids? playroom that is inspirational, fun, and creative will help them enhance their physical skills to [...]

[ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], ?http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p?, ?[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]?, ? ?, ?630?, ? ?, ? ?, ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ? http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO?, ?[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]?, ? ?, ?630?, ? ?, ? ?, ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], ?http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ?, [...]

A powerful enough solar flare could knock out our power grids, disrupt our GPS satellites, and bring the global economy to a halt, warns a British scientists. A stream of highly charged particles from the sun is headed straight toward Earth, threatening to plunge cities around the world into darkness and bring the global economy [...]

If your finances are at breaking point, you may need a little extra help with debts. This is where a specialist debt management service can point you in the right direction. One option that is available to you is to take out an IVA (Individual Voluntary Arrangement) or in Scottland, a Trust Deed. Both of [...]

Communication is crucial to run any successful business. Ensuring your network and telephone system is working efficiently may not seem like a priority. However, data cabling is an essential tool when communicating with clients and colleagues. There are many data cabling companies who will assess you cabling needs and ensure your network system is running [...]

Source: http://stoptbpartners.org/2022/yes-and-yes-long-distance-relationships-retiring-young-self-love/

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Bargain 5 inch HD touchscreen Rearview Mirror Built-in GPS ...


Hot Spots:

Complete Car Rearview Mirror Kit with 5 Inch HD Touchscreen

Bluetooth for safe and hands-free calls

Built-in GPS navigation

720P HD DVR

Easily fits over your standard factory mirror

2x Free 4GB Micro SD cards included

Specifications

Display Information: 5 inch Resistive Touch Screen 800*480 Pixel Screen Resolutions

Main System Information:

- Chip Type: MTK3351

- Frequency: 468mhz

- SDRAM: 128MB

- Internal Memory: 128MB

- External Memory (Micro SD card support): 4GB included (supports up to 16GB)

- Operating System: Windows CE 6.0

- Bluetooth: Headset

- Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian

- Power: Car Cigarette Adapter

DVR Info:

- Color sensor: 300w CMOS

- Video System: PAL

- Lens: f: 2mm, F: 2.0 (IR lens)

- Min LUX: 0.1LUX

- Viewing angle: 60 degrees

- Cycled Recording: Yes

- Max external memory: 16GB (include 4GB included card)

- Nightvision: Yes

- Number IRs: 7

- Video resolution: 1280*720/640*480@30fps, AVI format

- Image resolution: 4032?3024, 3246?2448, 2560?1920, 2048?1536, 1600?1300, 1280?1028, 648?480@JPG

GPS Information:

- GPS Chip: SiRF Star III

- Frequency: 1.57GHZ

- Signal Channels: 24

- Hot Startup Time: 5s

- Warm Startup Time: 35s

- Cold Startup Time: 42s

- Voice: Yes

FM Transmitter:

- Frequency:76 MHz to 108Mhz

Media Information:

- Video: Support MP4/MPG/ WMV/ AVI/ 3GP

- Music: Support MP3/WMA/WAV, LRC

- Photo: Support BMP/JPG/GIF/PNG Document: Support TXT

Build in Camera Dimension: 31*11*4 (cm)

SKU#:GPS518MD

Package Contents

Car Rearview Mirror with Built-in GPS Navigation

Bluetooth Headset

AV & Power cable

User Manual

2x 4GB Micro SD Card

USB cable

Car Charger Replace your normal rearview mirror with this complete all-in-one Bluetooth Rearview Mirror, featuring hands-free phone calls, built-in GPS navigation, multimedia on-the-go, 720 HD DVR, and a 5 inch HD touchscreen. Bluetooth for safe calling while driving: Phone calls are made safe and easy with this Bluetooth Rearview Mirror. Just connect your Bluetooth-enabled cell phone to the device and you can talk directly to others with the included Bluetooth headset and listen through the speakers. Finally, a way to keep your eyes on the road, hands on the wheel, and without having to cut off cell phone communications! Reliable GPS right in front of you: Designed with your safety in mind, this Rearview Mirror offers fast and powerful GPS navigation right in front of you, which means you can keep your eye on the road while tracking your destination. Built right into the 5 inch HD touchscreen, you have fast and up-to-date directions available at your fingertips. Safe and conveniently placed: Designed with your safety in mind, this Rearview Mirror makes everything available directly in front of you, which means you can keep your eye on the road while tracking your destination. A DVR capable of record 720P HD video is also included so you can record what happens inside (and outside) of your car, making it useful as video evidence in case of traffic accidents. Entertainment while you wait: Stuck in traffic, waiting to pick up your kid from school, or just plain bored in the car? Well this handy Rearview Mirror has something for everyone and includes high resolution video playback, speakers for music playback, and plenty of entertaining touchscreen games!

http://kno-it.com/sale-jofran-071-series-rectangular-wood-cocktail-table-in-light-oak-finish

Source: http://ccunl.com/bargain-5-inch-hd-touchscreen-rearview-mirror-built-in-gps-navigation-with-bluetooth-headset-and-720p-hd

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Sunday, September 23, 2012

2003 Ford StreetKa Luxury from UK and Ireland

Traded in an Audi A6 3.0 TDI Quattro due to being made redundant and being accepted into University for the next years. Decided to go for the StreetKa, as it's very practical for my student needs and I will not be doing anywhere near the miles that I did in the Audi (was doing around 1200 - 1500 miles per week in the A6... will be doing at most 400 - 500 miles per week now).

It all boiled down to costs; the A6 was becoming an expensive town car.

I was initially very worried about the StreetKa and fuel economy after a number of reviews saying it was terrible. However, I have been very pleasantly surprised by a fuel economy of around 270 - 300 miles per tank, which is roughly between 27 - 30mpg, which for a 10 gallon tank I think is very good... the Audi had a a fuel tank at least twice the size, so cost twice as much for only a fraction more miles... so already this little car has saved me a lot of money in running costs.

Insurance is very cheap, OK, it's a group 7, but I was receiving more expensive quotes for Fiestas!

Being a convertible, it has that added element of fun in that the roof can go down... it's a manual roof, but takes less than 20 seconds to fold down or up.

The leather interior and heated seats help make this car feel very comfortable to drive and be in.

Parking is no issue, as the StreetKa is very small and extremely easy to park.

It seems that the StreetKa is generally considered to be a "woman's car", but I am a man and very proud to drive this car (and just to note, I'm also very comfortable with my sexuality!), however, admittedly, my partner loves this car and she keeps saying she wants it... which leads me onto another point that the resale value of the StreetKa is good, as they will generally hold their value, as apparently, they are sought after cars.

The car is a looker, and will attract attention, so I will say to any men considering it, ensure you don't mind attention and the occasional jibe about driving a more "feminine" car.

Source: http://www.carsurvey.org/reviews/ford/streetka/2003/

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Facebook to include your searches in activity feed

13 hrs.

Facebook is rolling out a new feature that adds recent searches to the activity feed located on your Timeline. So when you search Facebook, whether it's for bacon, a friend, or an ex, that search will show up on your feed.?Don't worry, it doesn't show publicly, and you can disable the feature easily.

The Activity Feed is a feature that keeps track of everything you do, from commenting to liking, but is only visible to you. Others may see things you've okayed for public consumption, like new friends and posts from apps, but the full feed is private. This is where the new search info will go.

In the post announcing the new feature, Facebook is careful to mention that "It's important to remember that no one else can see your Activity Log, including your search activity." Just making extra clear that this is not something your friends can see.

That said, the general trend on Facebook has always been toward public posting as the default, so if you're concerned that your searches might some day be published more widely, you can easily disable it.

As soon as the search activity shows up in your feed for the first time (you should see?it in the next couple weeks, according to the announcement), simply hit the "x" in the upper-right-hand corner and select "Hide Similar Activity from Timeline."

Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. His personal website is coldewey.cc.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/facebook-include-your-searches-activity-feed-1B6042211

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Saturday, September 22, 2012

JWoww and Roger Mathews: Engaged!!


JWoww and Roger Mathews are engaged.

The reality star's longtime boyfriend proposed to her last week, and it was all filmed for Jersey Shore spinoff Snooki & JWoww. Because Roger's proposal was among the more elaborate ones you'll ever see, though, the cat's out of the bag.

How did it go down, exactly?

JWoww and Roger Mathews

Roger Mathews popped the question to the reality star when they were skydiving, according to WetPaint, which quotes a production insider as saying:

"It happened the middle of last week during filming for season two of Snooki & JWOWW ... (JWOWW) and Roger went skydiving and jumped out of a plane together. After landing securely, Roger shocked her by getting down on one knee and proposing."

"Of course, she said yes!”

As for Jenni's ring, "It's beautiful!" said the insider, "and big." Just don't expect to see it anytime soon, as the big reveal is being saved for her MTV show:

“The crew took great pains to make sure they weren’t followed; the footage is being kept tightly under wraps. Everyone will have to wait to see it.”

Snooki & JWoww was recently picked up for Season 2. Congrats to JWoww and Roger, assuming this report is true! What a way to get engaged.

[Photo: WENN.com]

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/09/jwoww-and-roger-mathews-engaged/

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{ttle}

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Friday, September 21, 2012

D'oh! Homer Simpson votes for president

FOX

Homer Simpsons heads to the voting booth.

By Anna Chan, TODAY

Homer Simpson is doing his civic duty once again this election season. In a new "Simpsons" short released on YouTube Wednesday, the doughnut-loving goofball heads to the polls to decide whether to vote for Barack Obama or Mitt Romney ... and he's not too pleased with having to do so.

"Why do we have to choose our leaders?" he gripes. "Isn't that what we have the Supreme Court for?"

Oh, snap!

The digs about politics and the elections keep on coming after that, with references to new voter ID laws, health care reform, religion and more.

Homer also targets Obama and Romney with his insightful observations.

"He promised me death panels and Grandpa's still alive!" he complains of the president.?

As for Romney, "I hear he wears magic underpants," Homer says suspiciously.

But after some serious consideration, he does finally cast his vote ... and instantly regrets his choice. Check it out:

This isn't the first time Homer has performed?his civic duty. In 2008's "Treehouse of Horror" episode, he tried to cast his vote for Obama ... with deadly results.

Season 24 of "The Simpsons" premieres on Sept. 30 at 8 p.m. on Fox.

What do you think of "The Simpsons" jokes about the current state of U.S. politics? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

?

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Related content:

More in The Clicker:

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Source: http://theclicker.today.com/_news/2012/09/20/13991281-homer-simpson-casts-his-vote-for-president?lite

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LaCie Rugged USB 3.0 Thunderbolt (120GB SSD)


If you need the fastest rugged portable storage, the LaCie Rugged USB 3.0 Thunderbolt ($299.99 list) is the external drive you want. This solid-state drive (SSD) is made for a Mac, but is strong enough for a PC, especially now that Thunderbolt is available on Windows laptops. Solid-state drives are a little pricey on a GB-per-dollar basis, but the LaCie drive totally makes up for it in speed and flexibility, earning it our Editors' Choice nod for rugged, portable drives. If you are a speed demon with a Thunderbolt-equipped Mac or PC, this drive should be in your commute bag.

Design and Features
The Rugged USB 3.0 Thunderbolt is similar in size and design to the LaCie Rugged Mini (500GB) ($114.99 list, 3.5 stars) we looked at last year, down to the pocket-sized metal and plastic enclosure wrapped in a protective orange rubber bumper. Put side by side, you'd need to look at the interface ports or the label to tell them apart. The last Rugged Mini sported a spinning 500GB hard drive, while the Thunderbolt drive contains a 120GB SSD. This puts it in the same class as the Editor's Choice ioSafe Rugged Portable SSD (120GB) ($499 list, 4.5 stars)].

LaCie rates the drive to survive a four-foot drop, but since this is a SSD with no moving parts, we're sure it will survive an even higher drop. With no moving parts, the drive will work fine even in a high vibration/movement environment, like in the back of an off-road vehicle ambling down a steep, rock strewn dirt road. Unlike a spinning drive, I wouldn't worry about using the LaCie drive actively while in that truck. With a spinning drive, you're going to worry about every pothole and rut causing the drive head to skip and damage your data. The drive comes with both a USB 3.0 cable and a Thunderbolt cable, which will save you the $49 purchase price of the Apple-branded Thunderbolt cable. Both cables are in the 1.5- to 2-foot range, much shorter than the six-foot long Apple cable. The length is more convenient for the commuter or business traveler who is carting around a laptop like a MacBook Air.

The Rugged USB 3.0 Thunderbolt drive has no other accessories, but the drive doesn't really need any extras. The drive is ready for Time Machine backup right after a quick setup session. The drive first brings up a small partition when you plug it into your Mac, which prompts you to run a LaCie setup program. The setup program will format the drive, with one or two partitions for Mac and PC compatible formatting. You're prompted to size the partition, anywhere from fully Mac, to 50/50 Mac and PC, to fully PC compatible. The first partition (called "LaCie") is formatted HFS+ for efficient use on any Mac running OS X. The second partition (Called "LaCie Share") is formatted FAT32, and can be used by both PCs and Macs. The setup program keeps a copy of itself on the LaCie Share drive, just in case you want to repartition the drive in the future. A 50/50 split is the most flexible, but that of course means that your drive is effectively separated into two 60GB volumes. If you have no need for PC file transfer, then I suggest making the drive a 120GB HFS+ volume for the Mac.

The LaCie Setup program will prompt you to install a few optional utilities, including Intego Backup Assistant (a basic timed backup program), LaCie Private Public (a 256-bit AES encryption program), the drive documentation (in PDF format) and a Wuala cloud storage. All LaCie hard drives come with 10GB of Wuala cloud storage for a year. After the year is up or anytime during that year, you can upgrade cloud storage depending on how much storage you need. For example, 100GB is going for $11.99 per month these days.

Performance
The Rugged USB 3.0 Thunderbolt is one of the fastest single mechanism drives we've tested. It was able to return a 4,344 point score on the PCMark7 HDD test, which outpaces the 3,946 point score that the ioSafe SSD got late last year. Both drives were tested using USB 3.0 on our Windows 7 PC testbed. Both are much faster than the 1,449 point score we got on our current EC for spinning hard drives, the Seagate Backup Plus ($139.99 list, 4.5 stars).

Mac testing reinforced the LaCie's speed edge over rivals. The drive took only 17 seconds to finish our 1.2GB drag-and-drop test on Thunderbolt and an equally quick 20 seconds on USB 3.0. Contrast this with the Western Digital My Passport Studio (1TB) ($179.99 list, 4 stars), which took 19 seconds using the FireWire800 interface and 40 seconds with USB 2.0 (The My Passport Studio we tested doesn't support USB 3.0).

Where the LaCie drive really shines is throughput. It returned an insane 432 MB/sec read and 191.5 MB/sec write throughput via USB 3.0 on our AJA system test, which tests the drives' throughput on video operations. The LaCie returned similar numbers on the Thunderbolt interface (379 MB/sec read, 200 MB/sec write), showing that the SSD is the speed demon in the equation. These numbers are close to LaCie's Little Big Disk Thunderbolt (240GB SSD) ($899.99 list, 4 stars) (476 MB/sec read, 252 MB/sec write), our previous recommendation for a transportable, SSD-based Thunderbolt drive.

The closest pocket-sized rival to the LaCie Rugged is the Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt Portable HDD (HD-PA1.0TU3) ($229.99 list, 4 stars), which uses a 1TB spinning hard drive. As a result, the Buffalo MiniStation is quite a bit slower on read and write operations (110 MBps read, 96 MBps write). That's three times faster than the WD My Passport under USB 2.0, but still slower than the SSD-equipped drives.

So here's the dilemma: What portable drive is best for you? The LaCie Rugged USB 3.0 Thunderbolt is a speedy drive that is both more portable and a lot less expensive than the Thunderbolt drives that came out earlier this year, like the LaCie Little Big Disk Thunderbolt and the Promise Pegasus R6 ($1,999 list, 3.5 stars). The LaCie Rugged fully takes advantage of the speedier USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt interfaces as well. The Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt beats the LaCie Rugged on the dollar per GB basis, but not the speed. The closest competitor in functionality, capacity, and price is the former Editor's Choice for rugged portable hard drives, the ioSafeRugged Portable SSD. Both the ioSafe and the LaCie have a 120GB capacity, and both are ruggedized. The ioSafe is undoubtedly still the choice for the user that will need to use the drive in an extreme environment like on a safari in the Congo or an Arctic expedition to the Yukon. However, for regular 9-to-5 commuters that aren't gentle with their equipment, the LaCie is a much more affordable, and is faster too. Thanks to those factors, we crown the LaCie Rugged USB 3.0 Thunderbolt as our new Editors' Choice for rugged portable hard drives.

COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the LaCie Rugged USB 3.0 Thunderbolt with several other hard drive side by side.

More hard drive reviews:
??? LaCie Rugged USB 3.0 Thunderbolt (120GB SSD)
??? CRU-DataPort ToughTech Duo 3SR
??? Western Digital My Passport (2TB)
??? Seagate Backup Plus
??? Western Digital My Book Studio Edition II 6TB
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/S_FRqoST7XQ/0,2817,2409961,00.asp

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