Thursday, January 31, 2013

Cuban baseball defector returns home under new law

Cuban pitcher Jose Contreras (R) meets fans in Havana January 29, 2013. A decade after he defected to the United States to play Major League

By Jeff Franks

HAVANA (Reuters) - A decade after he defected to the United States to play Major League Baseball, Cuban pitcher Jose Contreras has returned to his homeland in the first test of the island's liberalized travel laws.

He was welcomed on Tuesday at Havana's Hot Corner, a mecca for baseball fans, by about 200 people who crowded around to get photos and autographs from the lanky right-hander.

Contreras, 41, signed baseball caps, dollar bills, Cuban money and a woman's dress as he mixed happily with his fellow countrymen in an emotional return home.

"After 10 years, I've had the opportunity to come back to Cuba, to my land, my country, and it's like a dream come true to be here with my family, with my fans," Contreras told Reuters in an occasionally tearful interview.

Before January 14, when new travel regulations went into effect, high-profile defectors such as Contreras were effectively barred from returning to Cuba, but now they can return if they have been away for at least eight years.

Much to the chagrin of Cuban officials, many Cuban athletes have left the country over the years to cash in on their sporting prowess.

Contreras was in Mexico playing for the Cuban national team when he defected in 2002 and signed a four-year, $32 million contract with the New York Yankees. He went on to pitch for the Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies and Philadelphia Phillies.

Contreras was the first big-name athlete known to have tested the new law, returning to Cuba from the United States a few days ago, driven not only by a desire to see his homeland, but to be with his 77-year-old mother Modesta Camejo, who is ill.

THANKFUL TO COMANDANTE

Camejo, wheelchair-bound after surgery to amputate one of her legs, told Reuters she was grateful to former Cuban leader Fidel Castro for the change.

"I am very thankful to the Comandante who gave (us) that law," she said at a beach house near Havana where the family was staying. "Now things are different."

The law is part of wide-ranging reforms enacted under President Raul Castro, who succeeded older brother Fidel as president in 2008. Many Cubans still think of the elder Castro as Cuba's leader.

The change also allows Cubans to travel abroad without need of an exit visa for the first time since the government imposed restrictions half a century ago to stanch the flow of people fleeing the country after the 1959 revolution.

Contreras, who played for the Phillies last year but is currently a free agent, wears two bejeweled rings, one of them for the White Sox' World Series in 2005 and another for the Yankees' 2003 American League championship.

Before defecting, he was a star in Cuban baseball and a favorite of Fidel Castro for helping the Cuban national team win gold medals in the 1996 Olympics and the Baseball World Cup in 1998 and 2001.

At the Hot Corner, where people gather in Havana's tree-shaded Parque Central to loudly discuss baseball, there were no hard feelings against Contreras for leaving the island and its paltry average monthly salary (equivalent to $20) to make his fortune.

Contreras smiled broadly as the crowd, mostly men, chanted his name.

"It makes us immensely happy that Contreras is here in Cuba, his land, the country where he was born, a place he defended in other moments. The decision he has made is very personal and it has to be respected," said Miguel Diaz, who wore a red cap with the New York Yankees emblem.

Contreras said he was pleased to be home after so many years away and hoped that other exiled Cuban athletes would follow in his footsteps and visit the island.

"I am very happy, very happy for me personally and for all the other guys, all the people outside of Cuba, who can come back and be here again in the homeland," he said.

(Editing by Kevin Gray and Stacey Joyce)

Source: http://wkzo.com/news/articles/2013/jan/30/cuban-baseball-defector-returns-home-under-new-law/

birth control recall nick carter leslie carter aaron carter sister pfizer signing day 2012 football gasland

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Miami New Times' Releases Images Of Mentions Of Washington Nationals' Starter Gio Gonzalez In Notebooks Of Alleged PED Supplier

Washington Nationals' left-hander Gio Gonzalez's name is mentioned five times in the notebooks of alleged PED supplier Tony Bosch, whose clinic "Biogenesis" is the subject of a Miami New Times' investigation. The Miami New Times released images from Mr. Bosch's notebooks this afternoon.

According to a Miami New Times' report released on Tuesday, Gio Gonzalez's name was mentioned, alongside those of several other major league players, in the notebooks of Anthony Bosch, a 49-year-old "clinic chief" at a Florida-based anti-aging company called, "Biogenesis." The clinic is believed to have been, "... selling performance-enhancing drugs, from human growth hormone (HGH) to testosterone to anabolic steroids," before, following a previously established pattern detailed in the Miami New Times' report, "... it closed last month and its owner abruptly disappeared."

? LINK: "The Gio Gonzalez Files: Every Mention of The Nationals Pitcher in Tony Bosch's Notebooks" - Miami New Times - Riptide 2.0

An employee of the company provided what is described in the report as "an extraordinary batch of records" to the New Times, including the personal notebooks believed to belong to Mr. Bosch. According to the Miami New Times' report, they conducted, "Interviews with six customers and two former employees," who corroborated, "the tale told by the patient files, the payment records, and the handwritten notebooks kept by the clinic's chief."

The Nationals' left-hander was one of nine pro athletes named in the article, though its author, Tim Elfrink, noted that Gonzalez's was a "curious case":

"There's also the curious case of Gio Gonzalez, the 27-year-old, Hialeah-native, left-handed hurler who won 21 games last year for the Washington Nationals. Gonzalez's name appears five times in Bosch's notebooks, including a specific note in the 2012 book reading, "Order 1.c.1 with Zinc/MIC/... and Aminorip. For Gio and charge $1,000." (Aminorip is a muscle-building protein.)

Gonzalez's father, Max, also appears on Bosch's client lists and is often listed in conjunction with the pitcher. But reached by phone, the Hialeah resident insists his son has had no contact with Bosch.

"My son works very, very hard, and he's as clean as apple pie," the elder Gonzalez says. "I went to Tony because I needed to lose weight. A friend recommended him, and he did great work for me. But that's it. He never met my son. Never. And if I knew he was doing these things with steroids, do you think I'd be dumb enough to go there?"

As several sources noted, none of the items mentioned in connection to the Nats' starter in yesterday's article were on MLB's banned substance list. Gio Gonzalez, through his his personal (verified) Twitter account @GioGonzalez47) released a statement disputing the information in the report and claiming he'd never met with Mr. Bosch :

Nationals' GM Mike Rizzo released a statement last night which read simply, "The issue is currently being reviewed by Major League Baseball and it would be inappropriate for the Nationals to comment until that review is completed." Major League Baseball released a statement shortly after the Miami New Times' article was published which said that they were investigating the claims made in the report:

"We are always extremely disappointed to learn of potential links between players and the use of performance-enhancing substances. These developments, however, provide evidence of the comprehensive nature of our anti-drug efforts. Through our Department of Investigations, we have been actively involved in the issues in South Florida. It is also important to note that three of the players allegedly involved have already been disciplined under the Joint Drug Program..."

Gonzalez has never failed a drug test. His name is mentioned five times in Mr. Bosch's notes according to a follow-up article this afternoon entitled, "The Gio Gonzalez Files: Every Mention Of The Nationals Pitcher in Tony Bosch's Notebook." You can now see photos of the actual notes which have been posted at the Miami New Times, which posted all of the mentions of Alex Rodriguez in the notebooks yesterday. The first image has Gonzalez's name mentioned alongside Texas Rangers' slugger Nelson Cruz and Toronto Blue Jays' outfielder Melky Cabrera, who was suspended for 50 games last year after he tested positive for testosterone.

In the second Gonzalez's name appears along with his father's. The third image, dated 2/20, shows Gonzalez's name and a comparison of two rows of stats next to a what is said in the article to be a formula for "pink cream" which Yahoo!Sports.com's Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) noted on Twitter this afternoon, is, "a synthetic testosterone."

The final entry in the notebook refers again to Gonzalez's father.

Reports this afternoon by both The Washington Post's James Wagner and The Washington Times' Amanda Comak are now noting the Nationals' starter's connection to, "Jimmy Goins, the strength and conditioning coach for the [Miami] Hurricanes baseball team for the past nine seasons," who was mentioned in Tuesday's Miami New Times' report as well:

"Goins is recorded in multiple client lists; in one detailed page dated December 14, 2011, Bosch writes he's selling him Anavar, testosterone, and a Winstrol/B-12 mix and charging him $400 a month. Another, from this past December, includes sales of HGH and testosterone."

Gonzalez posted a photo of himself with Mr. Goins earlier this winter via Instagram, writing that Goins was his, "offseason strength coach." Mr. Goins, through his attorney, denied any wrongdoing or connection to the clinic as reported in a Florida Sun Sentinel article by Michael Casagrande:

"He hasn't done anything wrong either personally or as a representative of the University of Miami," said Fenderson, an attorney specializing in DUI defense with offices in Jacksonville and Coral Gables. "And as far as being on a client list of a certain doctor, any connection of the University of Miami or their baseball program would be purely coincidental."

Neither Gonzalez, the Nationals or Major League Baseball have made any further statements today.

You can view the images alleged to be from Mr. Bosch's notebooks below:

LINK: "The Gio Gonzalez Files: Every Mention of The Nationals Pitcher in Tony Bosch's Notebooks" - Miami New Times - Riptide 2.0

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Source: http://www.federalbaseball.com/2013/1/30/3933854/miami-new-times-images-of-mentions-of-washington-nationals-gio-gonzalez-notebooks-tony-bosch

oral roberts les paul fred thompson fred thompson red hook romney tax return the tree of life movie

Obama on immigration overhaul: 'Now is the time'

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Declaring "now is the time" to fix the nation's broken immigration system, President Barack Obama on Tuesday outlined broad proposals for putting millions of illegal immigrants on a clear path to citizenship while cracking down on businesses that employ people illegally and tightening security at the borders. He hailed a bipartisan Senate group on a similar track but left unresolved key details that could derail the complex and emotional effort.

Potential Senate roadblocks center on how to structure the avenue to citizenship and on whether legislation would cover same-sex couples ? and that's all before a Senate measure could be debated, approved and sent to the Republican-controlled House where opposition is sure to be stronger.

Obama, who carried Nevada in the November election with heavy Hispanic support, praised the Senate push, saying Congress is showing "a genuine desire to get this done soon." But mindful of previous immigrations efforts that have failed, he warned that the debate would be difficult and vowed to send his own legislation to Capitol Hill if lawmakers don't act quickly.

"The question now is simple," Obama said during a campaign-style event in Las Vegas, one week after being sworn in for a second term in the White House. "Do we have the resolve as a people, as a country, as a government to finally put this issue behind us? I believe that we do."

Shortly after Obama finished speaking, cracks emerged between the White House and the group of eight senators, which put out their proposals one day ahead of the president. Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, one of four Republicans in the group, criticized Obama for not making a citizenship pathway contingent on tighter border security, a central tenant of the lawmakers' proposals.

"This provision is key to ensuring that border security is achieved, and is also necessary to ensure that a reform package can actually move through Congress," Flake said in a statement.

House Speaker John Boehner also responded coolly, with spokesman Brendan Buck saying the Ohio Republican hoped the president would be "careful not to drag the debate to the left and ultimately disrupt the difficult work that is ahead in the House and Senate."

Despite possible obstacles to come, the broad agreement between the White House and bipartisan lawmakers in the Senate represents a drastic shift in Washington's willingness to tackle immigration, an issue that has languished for years. Much of that shift is politically motivated, due to the growing influence of Hispanics in presidential and other elections and their overwhelming support for Obama in November.

The separate White House and Senate proposals focus on the same principles: providing a way for most of the estimated 11 million people already in the U.S. illegally to become citizens, strengthening border security, cracking down on employers who hire illegal immigrants and streamlining the legal immigration system.

A consensus around the question of citizenship could help lawmakers clear one major hurdle that has blocked previous immigration efforts. Many Republicans have opposed allowing illegal immigrants to become citizens, saying that would be an unfair reward for people who have broken the law.

Details on how to achieve a pathway to citizenship still could prove to be a major sticking point between the White House and the Senate group.

Obama and the Senate lawmakers all want to require people here illegally to register with the government, pass criminal and national security background checks, pay fees and penalties as well as back taxes, and wait until existing immigration backlogs are cleared before getting in line for green cards. Neither proposal backs up those requirements with specifics.

After achieving legal status, U.S. law says people can become citizens after five years.

The Senate proposal says that entire process couldn't start until the borders were fully secure and tracking of people in the U.S. on visas had improved. Those vague requirements would almost certainly make the timeline for achieving citizenship longer than what the White House is proposing.

The president urged lawmakers to avoid making the citizenship pathway so difficult that it would appear out of reach for many illegal immigrants.

"We all agree that these men and women have to earn their way to citizenship," he said. "But for comprehensive immigration reform to work, it must make clear from the outset that there is a pathway to citizenship."

"It won't be a quick process, but it will be a fair process," Obama added.

Another key difference between the White House and Senate proposals is the administration's plan to allow same-sex partners to seek visas under the same rules that govern other family immigration. The Senate principles do not recognize same-sex partners, though Democratic lawmakers have told gay rights groups that they could seek to include that in a final bill.

John McCain of Arizona, who is part of the Senate immigration group, called the issue a "red flag" in an interview Tuesday on "CBS This Morning."

Washington last took up immigration changes in a serious way in 2007, when then-President George W. Bush pressed for an overhaul. The initial efforts had bipartisan support but eventually collapsed in the Senate because of a lack of GOP support.

Cognizant of that failed effort, the White House has readied its own immigration legislation. But officials said Obama will send it to the Hill only if the Senate process stalls.

Most of the recommendations Obama made Tuesday were not new. They were included in the immigration blueprint he released in 2011, but he exerted little political capital to get it passed by Congress, to the disappointment of many Hispanics.

Some of the recommendations in the Senate plan are also pulled from past immigration efforts. The senators involved in formulating the latest proposals, in addition to McCain and Flake, are Democrats Charles Schumer of New York, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Michael Bennet of Colorado, and Republicans Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Marco Rubio of Florida.

Also Tuesday, in another sign of Congress' increased attention to immigration issues, a group of four senators introduced legislation aimed at allowing more high-tech workers into the country, a longtime priority of technology businesses. The bill by Republicans Rubio and Orrin Hatch and Democrats Amy Klobuchar and Chris Coons would increase the number of visas available for high-tech workers, make it easier for them to change jobs once here and for their spouses to work, and aim to make it easier for foreigners at U.S. universities to remain here upon graduation.

___

Julie Pace reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Erica Werner contributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-immigration-overhaul-now-time-201019150.html

the walking dead the walking dead Walking Dead Season 3 vampire diaries derek jeter Red Bull Stratos Redbull Stratos

Cultural evolution changes bird song

Jan. 29, 2013 ? Thanks to cultural evolution, male Savannah sparrows are changing their tune, partly to attract "the ladies."

According to a study of more than 30 years of Savannah sparrows recordings, the birds are singing distinctly different songs today than their ancestors did 30 years ago -- changes passed along generation to generation, according to a new study by University of Guelph researchers.

Integrative biology professors Ryan Norris and Amy Newman, in collaboration with researchers at Bowdoin College and Williams College in the U.S., analyzed the songs of male Savannah sparrows (Passerculus sandwichiensis) recorded over three decades, and found that the songs had changed distinctly from 1980 to 2011.

"The change is the result of cultural transmission of different song elements through many generations," said Norris.

Norris added that the change in tune resembles changes in word choice and language among humans.

"If you listen to how people used to talk in the 1890s and how we talk today, you would notice major differences, and this is the result of shifts in culture or the popularity of certain forms," he said. "The change in sparrow songs over time has occurred much the same way"

The sparrows, which live on Kent Island, N.B., in the Bay of Fundy, can generally sing only one song type that consists of several parts. Male sparrows learn that song early in their first year and continue to sing the same tune for the rest of their lives.

"Young male sparrows learn their songs from the birds around them," said Norris. "It may be their fathers, or it could be other older male birds that live nearby."

Each male sparrow has his own unique sound, added Newman.

"While the island's sparrows all sing a characteristic 'savannah sparrow song,' with the same verses and sound similar, there are distinct differences between each bird," she said. "Essentially, it is like karaoke versions of popular songs. It is the rise and fall in popular cover versions that has changed over time."

The research team found that, in general, each song has three primary elements. The first identifies the bird as a Savannah sparrow, the second identifies which individual is singing, and the third component is used by females to assess males.

Using sonograms recorded from singing males each breeding season, the researchers determined that, while the introductory notes had stayed generally consistent for the last 30 years, the sparrows had added a series of clicks to the middle of their songs. The birds had also changed the ending trill: once long and high-frequency, it is now shorter and low-frequency.

"We found that the ending trill of the song has become shorter, likely because female sparrows preferred this, because males with shorter trills had higher reproductive success," Norris said.

Kent Island has been home to the Bowdoin Scientific Station since it was donated by J. Sterling Rockefeller in 1932, and the birds have been recorded since the 1980s. Individual birds are also monitored throughout their lifetime.

"We know the identity and history of every single sparrow in the study population" said Norris, who has led the project with Newman since 2009. "To have 30 years of recordings is very rare, and it was definitely surprising to see such drastic changes."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:


Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Guelph.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Heather Williams, Iris I. Levin, D. Ryan Norris, Amy E.M. Newman, Nathaniel T. Wheelwright. Three decades of cultural evolution in Savannah sparrow songs. Animal Behaviour, 2013; 85 (1): 213 DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.10.028

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_science/~3/LwCj0OG8ALE/130129121937.htm

pittsburgh penguins record store day jennie garth space needle nashville predators king arthur king arthur

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Victoria Beckham: "I Am a Control Freak" with Fashion

Victoria Beckham might not be perfect in all facets of life, but she does know best when it comes to her fashion sense. The model and designer -- and, of course, former Spice Girl -- admits it hasn't been easy learning to rely on other people as her fashion empire grows.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/victoria-beckham-talks-fashion-elle-uk/1-a-518342?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Avictoria-beckham-talks-fashion-elle-uk-518342

us open Hurricane Isaac 2012 bill nye Snooki Baby terrell owens terrell owens neil armstrong

Ice, snow threaten messy commute across Northeast

By Alastair Jamieson, Staff writer, NBC News

A winter storm that brought ice and travel disruption to the Midwest will move across the Northeast Monday, threatening a messy commute for millions.

A mixture of freezing rain and sleet is expected along the I-95 corridor with snow in some areas, prompting some schools and employers to announce a later start to the working week.

It follows a weekend of disruption in the Midwest, with many flights in and out of Chicago, Minneapolis and St. Louis being grounded by icy runways on Sunday, according to Reuters.

Hundreds of churches across Iowa called off Sunday services as sidewalks were turned to sheets of ice by the storm that covered the region in about a half-inch of ice, Reuters said.

That system will bring ice and snow from New England to Virginia and in northern Michigan on Monday, and rain from southern Michigan to the lower Mississippi Valley, according to The Weather Channel:

Snowfall of up to 3 inches is possible from central and northern New York through central and northern New England. It will change to sleet and freezing rain in southern New York, northeastern Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey.

Morning sleet and freezing rain becomes afternoon rain in western Virginia, central and southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware.

In New York City, snow should arrive in the late morning, changing to rain along the coast by the afternoon, NBCNewYork.com reported. Major accumulations are not likely.?

A winter weather advisory will be in effect across the Washington, D.C., area between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. ET Monday, NBCWashington.com reported.

School districts - including the District of Columbia - announced late openings and several major employers allowed employees to come in late, NBCWashington.com added. The federal government will open at noon.

Icy weather across parts of the Midwest affected roads and airports, particularly at O'Hare in Chicago, where nearly 200 flights were canceled. The Weather Channel's Mike Seidel reports.

Philadelphia is braced for light snow during the morning commute and ice during the evening rush, NBC10.com reported. "Temperatures will remain below freezing north and west of I-95 so significant ice or sleet accumulation is possible there during the day,? it warned.

Meanwhile, a storm bringing rain to the southwest Monday was expected to move into the southern Plains and southern half of the Mississippi Valley on Tuesday.

Damaging wind gusts, hail and tornadoes are possible from eastern Oklahoma and northeast Texas to central and southern Illinois, western Kentucky, western Tennessee, northwest Mississippi and northern Louisiana Tuesday.

Weather.com, Reuters, NBCNewYork.com, NBC10.com and NBCWashington.com contributed to this report.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/28/16733866-ice-snow-threaten-monday-commute-across-northeast?lite

sun storm tri international criminal court ios 5.1 apple tv update new ipad release pregnant jessica simpson

Family Party: 30 Great Games Obstacle Arcade Review - Nintendo Life

Obstacle to fun, maybe

If you were to poll gamers at large and ask them what they felt were the worst things about the Wii, chances are you'd hear "waggle" and "bad minigame collections" pretty frequently. In fact they often went hand in hand, and Family Party: 30 Great Games Obstacle Arcade is trying its hardest to make sure both of things carry over into the Wii U generation. We can only hope that they don't.

Family Party: 30 Great Games Obstacle Arcade ? it just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it? ? is, as you might guess, a collection of short games that you can play with up to three friends. You might also guess that the games would revolve around an "obstacle" theme, but you'd be wrong; many of them are standard rounds of target practice, hide and seek, or, erm, picking the balloon with the number two on it after the game tells you to pick the balloon with the number two on it. That last one's not much of a game really, but there you go.

The collection is given a sort of theme park approach, with the games broken up into smaller, unlockable areas. Again, you'd expect the space area to contain space-themed games and the Western area to host games with a cowboy flair but by and large everything is just thrown at the wall with no regard for where it lands, and there's no telling what you'll encounter where. Fortunately, we guess, whatever you encounter will be reliably awful, so there's that to look forward to.

The games are hosted by a dead-eyed teddy bear with a stare so cold and creepy that we were constantly on edge for that inevitable moment when he'd pull out a knife. Half of his face is frozen in a bizarre semblance of what we can only assume is the developer's attempt at "'tude", while the other half just passively smiles. This, combined with the fact that his lips don't move when he talks, makes it seem like we've walked in on the bear in the middle of a massive coronary that's doomed to go untreated.

The entire package feels like a holdover from the previous generation; none of the graphics come anywhere near the capabilities of Nintendo's newest console, and the Wii U GamePad barely factors in at all, with each of the games requiring instead a Wii Remote and, often, Nunchuk. This means Family Party: 30 Great Games Obstacle Arcade plays identically to every other poorly-responsive, uninteresting, lazily slapped together mini-game collection you've been doing your best to avoid since 2006.

Every game supports four players; if there are fewer human players than that, the CPU will fill the void. Human players can enter any name for themselves that they like, but oddly the game also requires you to choose a separate name for the bear to call you by. This is because the developers only gave the bear a limited bank of audio files from which to draw, so you may tell the game that your name is William, but then you'll have to choose whether it calls you Chano or Shamus or Julio instead. It's bizarre to say the least.

In each game you'll compete against the other three for points. This nearly always involves waggling as quickly as possible, but sometimes it can rely on maneuvering crosshairs around the screen instead. No game is any more complicated than that, and it often feels as though the developer went out of its way to assign the most frustrating control schemes possible. Some games, for instance, are races that see you hopping from platform to platform. Despite the fact that each player has a perfectly good D-Pad and A button to use, Family Party: 30 Great Games Obstacle Arcade requires you to thrust the Wii Remote in the direction you wish to jump. Not that it cares where you actually thrust; it's a crapshoot whether or not the game will ever recognise your input. It's a needless and mandatory use of the least reliable control scheme possible, which is pretty much par for the course here.

The Wii U GamePad only comes into play during the bonus rounds. The rest of the time it features the glass-eyed bear glowing creepily at you and loudly narrating minor gameplay developments without moving his mouth. During the bonus rounds the winner of the previous game spins a roulette wheel, which determines what the bonus game will be. Here the GamePad is used differently than the Wii Remotes, but it's certainly no more fun, and it really does feel like a tacked on addition to what's essentially a low budget Wii cash-in.

The sound effects are beyond terrible, as the four players on-screen avatars laugh and hoot and holler over each other throughout every event, turning everything into a clamorous, cluttered aural monstrosity. The bear barks meaningless platitudes about every minor thing that happens ? from a player grabbing a coin to a player not grabbing a coin ? and while you're not likely to come away from this game feeling fulfilled you're more or less guaranteed a headache.

We'd like to close on a positive note of some kind, but we genuinely can't. This is an absolutely terrible game, and you don't want it. Trust us.

As clunky and poorly considered as its title, Family Party: 30 Great Games Obstacle Arcade is awful. Relying entirely on the shallow and repetitive waggle that should have died along with Wii, there's absolutely no reason to recommend this obnoxious, screaming, clattering monstrosity at all. It's mindless entertainment at its worst, but, on the bright side, it might be the perfect way to cure your childrens' burgeoning video game addiction.

Source: http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu/family_party_30_great_games_obstacle_arcade

Comcast Pokemon X and Y Rob Ryan Silver Linings Playbook david bowie elvis presley elvis presley

How Often Do You Use Your Phone to Make Actual Calls?

Smartphones. The more you think about it, the more the term just seems antiquated. A relic that just stuck around, sort of like the word "rewind." With hulking phablets coming out more frequently and in larger sizes, it seems like the phone part of a phone is increasingly incidental. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/TPuiqnX1P6s/how-often-do-you-actually-make-phone-calls

jcpenney toys r us toys r us kohls target target walmart

More than 230 killed after devastating fire hits Brazilian nightclub

SANTA MARIA, Brazil (AP) ? A fast-moving fire roared through a crowded, windowless nightclub in southern Brazil early Sunday, filling the air in seconds with flames and a thick, toxic smoke that killed more than 230 panicked partygoers, many of whom were caught in a stampede to escape.

Inspectors believe the blaze began when a band's small pyrotechnics show ignited foam sound insulating material on the ceiling, releasing a putrid haze that caused scores of university students to choke to death. Most victims died from smoke inhalation rather than burns in what appeared to be the world's deadliest nightclub fire in more than a decade.

Survivors and the police inspector Marcelo Arigony said security guards briefly tried to block people from exiting the club. Brazilian bars routinely make patrons pay their entire tab at the end of the night before they are allowed to leave.

But Arigony said the guards didn't appear to block fleeing patrons for long. "It was chaotic and it doesn't seem to have been done in bad faith because several security guards also died," he told The Associated Press.

Later, firefighters responding to the blaze initially had trouble getting inside the Kiss nightclub because "there was a barrier of bodies blocking the entrance," Guido Pedroso Melo, commander of the city's fire department, told the O Globo newspaper.

Authorities said band members who were on the stage when the fire broke out later talked with police and confirmed they used pyrotechnics during their show.

Police inspector Sandro Meinerz, who coordinated the investigation at the nightclub, said one band member died after escaping because he returned inside the burning building to save his accordion. The other band members escaped alive because they were the first to notice the fire.

"It was terrible inside ? it was like one of those films of the Holocaust, bodies piled atop one another," said Meinerz. "We had to use trucks to remove them. It took about six hours to take the bodies away."

Television images from Santa Maria, a university city of about 260,000 people, showed black smoke billowing out of the Kiss nightclub as shirtless young men who attended the university party joined firefighters using axes and sledgehammers to pound at the hot-pink exterior walls, trying to reach those trapped inside.

Bodies of the dead and injured were strewn in the street and panicked screams filled the air as medics tried to help. There was little to be done; officials said most of those who died were suffocated by smoke within minutes.

Within hours a community gym was a horror scene, with body after body lined up on the floor, partially covered with black plastic as family members identified kin.

Outside the gym police held up personal objects ? a black purse, a blue high-heeled shoe ? as people seeking information on loved ones crowded around, hoping not to recognize anything being shown them.

Teenagers sprinted from the scene after the fire began, desperately seeking help. Others carried injured and burned friends away in their arms. Many of the victims were under 20 years old, including some minors. About half of those killed were men, about half women.

The party was organized by students from several academic departments from the Federal University of Santa Maria. Such organized university parties are common throughout Brazil.

"There was so much smoke and fire, it was complete panic, and it took a long time for people to get out, there were so many dead," survivor Luana Santos Silva told the Globo TV network.

The fire spread so fast inside the packed club that firefighters and ambulances could do little to stop it, Silva said.

Another survivor, Michele Pereira, told the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper that she was near the stage when members of the band lit some sort of flare that started the conflagration.

"The band that was onstage began to use flares and, suddenly, they stopped the show and pointed them upward," she said. "At that point, the ceiling caught fire. It was really weak, but in a matter of seconds it spread."

Guitarist Rodrigo Martins told Radio Gaucha that the band, Gurizada Fandangueira, started playing at 2:15 a.m. "and we had played around five songs when I looked up and noticed the roof was burning."

"It might have happened because of the Sputnik, the machine we use to create a luminous effect with sparks. It's harmless, we never had any trouble with it," he said. "When the fire started, a guard passed us a fire extinguisher, the singer tried to use it but it wasn't working."

He confirmed that accordion player Danilo Jacques, 28, died, while the five other members made it out safely.

Police Maj. Cleberson Braida Bastianello said by telephone that the toll had risen to 233 with the death of a hospitalized victim. He said earlier that the death toll was likely made worse because the nightclub appeared to have just one exit through which patrons could exit.

Officials earlier counted 232 bodies that had been brought for identification to a gymnasium in Santa Maria, which is located at the southern tip of Brazil, near the borders with Argentina and Uruguay.

Federal Health Minister Alexandre Padhilha told a news conference that most of the 117 people treated in hospitals had been poisoned by gases they breathed during the fire. Only a few suffered serious burns, he said.

Brazil President Dilma Rousseff arrived to visit the injured after cutting short her trip to a Latin American-European summit in Chile.

"It is a tragedy for all of us," Rousseff said.

Most of the dead apparently were asphyxiated, according to Dr. Paulo Afonso Beltrame, a professor at the medical school of the Federal University of Santa Maria who went to the city's Caridade Hospital to help victims.

Beltrame said he was told the club had been filled far beyond its capacity.

Survivors, police and firefighters gave the same account of a band member setting the ceiling's soundproofing ablaze, he said.

"Large amounts of toxic smoke quickly filled the room, and I would say that at least 90 percent of the victims died of asphyxiation," Beltrame told the AP.

"The toxic smoke made people lose their sense of direction so they were unable to find their way to the exit. At least 50 bodies were found inside a bathroom. Apparently they confused the bathroom door with the exit door."

In the hospital, the doctor "saw desperate friends and relatives walking and running down the corridors looking for information," he said, calling it "one of the saddest scenes I have ever witnessed."

Rodrigo Moura, identified by the newspaper Diario de Santa Maria as a security guard at the club, said it was at its maximum capacity of between 1,000 and 2,000, and partygoers were pushing and shoving to escape.

Santa Maria Mayor Cezar Schirmer declared a 30-day mourning period, and Tarso Genro, the governor of the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, said officials were investigating the cause of the disaster.

The blaze was the deadliest in Brazil since at least 1961, when a fire that swept through a circus killed 503 people in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro.

Sunday's fire also appeared to be the worst at a nightclub since December 2000, when a welding accident reportedly set off a fire at a club in Luoyang, China, killing 309.

In 2004, at least 194 people died in a fire at an overcrowded nightclub in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Seven members of a band were sentenced to prison for starting the flames.

A blaze at the Lame Horse nightclub in Perm, Russia, killed 152 people in December 2009 after an indoor fireworks display ignited a plastic ceiling decorated with branches.

Similar circumstances led to a 2003 nightclub fire that killed 100 people in the United States. Pyrotechnics used as a stage prop by the 1980s rock band Great White set ablaze cheap soundproofing foam on the walls and ceiling of a Rhode Island music venue.

The band performing in Santa Maria, Gurizada Fandangueira, plays a driving mixture of local Brazilian country music styles. Guitarist Martin told Radio Gaucha the musicians are already seeing hostile messages.

"People on the social networks are saying we have to pay for what happened," he said. "I'm afraid there could be retaliation".

___

Sibaja reported from Brasilia. Associated Press writers Stan Lehman and Bradley Brooks contributed to this report from Sao Paulo.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/deadly-smoke-lone-blocked-exit-230-die-brazil-201703681.html

frank martin pink slime eagle cam trayvon martin case affordable care act the line us soccer

Twenty One Pilots: From Bedroom Gigs To 'The Biggest Band In The World'

The Ohio band has paid their dues, and now, as MTV Artists To Watch, are gunning for global domination.
By James Montgomery


Twenty One Pilots
Photo: MTV News

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1700873/twenty-one-pilots-artist-to-watch.jhtml

tomb of the unknown soldier HMS Bounty dominion power Heather Clem Con Edison LaGuardia Airport weather radar

Monday, January 28, 2013

We Are What We Are: Sundance Review - The Hollywood Reporter

PARK CITY ? In the deliciously seasoned genre treat, We Are What We Are, director Jim Mickle and his screenwriting partner Nick Damici take the bones of the 2010 Mexican film of the same name, about a family of ritualistic cannibals, and reassemble them into an entirely different creature. Exchanging impoverished urban anxiety for rural creepiness in upstate New York, this reimagining serves up chilling contemporary American Gothic that slowly crescendos into an unexpected burst of gloriously pulpy Grand Guignol. You may never look at a bowl of beef stew the same way again.

Picked up for U.S. release soon after its Sundance premiere by eOne Distribution, the film is that rare modern horror movie that doesn?t simply fabricate its scares with the standard bag of post-production tricks. Instead it builds them via a bracing command of traditional suspense tools ? foreboding atmosphere, methodical plotting, finely etched characters and a luscious orchestral score that effectively plays against the ominous tone of some scenes while dramatically heightening the tension of others. This is polished film craft.

One of Mickle and Damici?s smartest moves is to flip the gender of the surviving family figurehead from Jorge Michel Grau?s original. Instead of losing their father at the start of the movie, it?s the Parker kids? mother (Kassie Depaiva) who dies in an accident while picking up groceries in the backwoods Catskills town during the beginning of a torrential rainstorm.

That shifts the film?s dynamics to center on teenage sisters Iris (Ambyr Childers) and Rose (Julia Garner), who are expected to continue the woman?s sacred role of preparing the family meal. Staging the most macabre element of the story in scenes that evoke classic American family tradition ? the pioneer look of the Parkers? supper clothes, the solemnity of grace before meals, the folk songs heard playing softly ? makes it all the more disturbing. It also helps convey that the arcane ways of this unwholesome brood go back a long time.

But while grieving patriarch Frank Parker (Bill Sage) refuses to change plans for their mysterious ritual, which begins with three days of fasting, Iris and Rose have increasing qualms. Their young brother Rory (Jack Gore) is just hungry. In a scene that?s both shockingly funny and horrifying, he confesses as much when he bites the thumb of their kind neighbor, Marge (Kelly McGillis), who babysits him during his mother?s funeral.

While the townspeople are busy dealing with post-storm flood damage, a distraught couple reports that their daughter has gone missing. At the same time, Doc Barrow (Michael Parks) performs an autopsy on Mrs. Parker that yields surprising findings about her condition. More inexplicably, his dog sniffs out what appears to be a human bone washed up in the creek. When the sheriff (Damici) shows little interest in his discovery, the doctor gets Deputy Anders (Wyatt Russell) on board. Back in town after training and eager to advance his high school crush on Iris, Anders is more than willing to go poking around the Parkers? property.

Making the family a part of the community and not the usual isolated weirdos adds an interesting layer. This is particularly so with the two girls, whose blond hair and alabaster skin give them an angelic appearance. They can be abrupt and suspicious when cornered, but their extreme distress the first time we see them doing their grisly duty reveals how deeply troubled they are by the warped scriptures laid down by their father.

Both actresses are terrific. A sweet-faced beauty, Childers? Iris shows the internal struggle of a girl who can picture a normal life, even if she somehow knows that prospect has been bred out of her nature. Garner ? memorable in Martha Marcy May Marlene, which this film at times recalls in its stretches of glowering stillness ? has a watchful intensity that foreshadows her resourceful behavior when the situation grows more dangerous.

Also serving as editor, Mickle modulates the tension with only one or two pardonable detours into ghoulish excess en route to the climactic carnage. He intercuts effectively among the family?s frictions, the doc?s investigation, and flashes of late 18th century action prompted by Rose?s reading of the family journal.

The showdown between Doc Barrow and Frank is right out of a Western. In a role that easily could have toppled over into fire-breathing quasi-religious fanaticism, Sage drags Frank?s menace from the depths of a somber man, all but broken by the death of his wife. Yet his eruptions of monstrous rage are scary indeed. And Parks? timeworn intelligence makes it seem less of a stretch that this small-town medic could be such an ace in the research department, his persistence fueled by lingering pain from the unexplained disappearance of his own daughter.

Among the smaller roles, Russell brings a nice relaxed manner to Anders? touching scenes with Iris; Gore strikes the right balance in a child who?s both innocent and haunted, his young face transformed at times into a ravaged death mask; and McGillis brings salt-of-the-earth warmth to her brief appearances.

Russell Barnes? production design and Elisabeth Vastola?s costumes cleverly support the evidence of the Parkers as descendants of another time and way of life.

The film was shot in locations still recovering in the wake of widespread flooding following Hurricane Irene in 2011, a reality echoed in the power outages that hit the town in this story after the storm. Cinematographer Ryan Samul casts a subtle graveyard gloom over the exteriors, bringing muted tones and a malevolent eye even to some gorgeous scenic shots.

We Are What We Are sustains not only suspense, but also internal logic. The Walking Dead showed that a comic book about a zombie apocalypse could yield muscular American survival drama with non-stereotypical characters. In a comparable way, Mickle and his collaborators have taken one of the more lurid horror subgenres, the predatory cannibal movie, and treated it with stylistic restraint, narrative integrity and even moments of gentle lyricism.

The film grips from start to finish, offering a slyly subversive reflection on clans ? cultists, fundamentalists, or just plain crazies ? who impose their diseased thinking from one generation to the next.

Venue: Sundance Film Festival (Park City at Midnight; eOne Distribution)

Cast: Bill Sage, Ambyr Childers, Julia Garner, Jack Gore, Kelly McGillis, Wyatt Russell, Michael Parks, Nick Damici, Kassie Depaiva, Odeya Rush

Production companies: Memento Films International, in association with Uncorked Productions, The Zoo

Director: Jim Mickle

Screenwriters: Nick Damici, Jim Mickle, based on the screenplay ?Somos lo Que Hay,? by Jorge Michel Grau

Producers: Rodrigo Bellott, Andrew D. Corkin, Linda Moran, Nicholas Shumaker, Jack Turner

Executive producers: Emilie Georges, Tanja Meissner, Brett Fitzgerald, Mo Noorali, Rene Bastian, Jacob Pechenick

Director of photography: Ryan Samul

Production designer: Russell Barnes

Music: Philip Mossman, Darren Morris, Jeff Grace

Costume designer: Elisabeth Vastola

Editor: Jim Mickle

Sales: WME, Memento Films

No rating, 105?minutes.

Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/we-are-what-we-are-415662

dharun ravi george clooney arrested ravi leigh espn greg oden st patricks day

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Afghan orphans hope music to win 'American hearts'

In a country where the arts and music suffered heavily under the Taliban, young musicians ? including dozens of girls ? are representing the potential in Afghanistan's future.

By Thanh Truong, Correspondent, NBC News

KABUL, Afghanistan - From the cold basement of an orphanage in Kabul, the beat of a bass drum bounces through the halls.

Hitting the high hat and cymbals was Laila, a 13-year old orphan and the only known female drummer in Afghanistan.?

"I like playing the drums and there are no other girls in Afghanistan playing the drums,? Laila said with a big smile. ?I'm the only girl and I want to become well known as an Afghan girl playing drums.?

For now, she plays in a basement, but soon it'll be D.C.'s Kennedy Center and New York's Carnegie Hall.?

Laila and 10 other girls from her orphanage will be joining ensembles from the Afghan National Institute of Music as they make their U.S. debut.?

For many of the performers, it will be their first time out of the country and their first time in America.?

"I hear it is very clean and has big buildings and you have such freedom there,? 10-year old Sapna said. "I forget the name of the president of America, but I have heard of him."

Sapna plays the piano and likes the "fast songs" that allow her to move her little fingers quickly over the keys.?

As the security in Afghanistan crumbles, 'Nightly' returns to an orphanage that Brian Williams first visited in 2009 to find girls with big dreams who are focused on getting into college.

Music is part of the curriculum at this orphanage run by Andeisha Farid, the executive director of the Afghan Child Education and Caring Organization.?

'Hope for a better future'
In a country where female freedoms are few, Farid said these young girls represent the potential in Afghanistan's future.

"Afghan women, they suffer so badly. They even struggle for their very basic human rights,? Farid said. ?We hope for a better future for Afghanistan. If we can properly invest in these children, a long-term investment, they realize that there is hope in Afghanistan.?

The sheer fact that dozens of girls are practicing and learning music is a sign of progress in a country where only an estimated 15 percent of women can even read and write, never mind read music or play an instrument.

The arts and music suffered heavily under the Taliban, and not just for women.?

Oct. 30: Brian swaps eyewear with one of the girls at the Kabul orphanage.

Since 2001 a small group of Afghans have worked to bring music back to the country. Ahmad Sarmast, who holds a doctorate in music, spearheaded the movement and the effort culminated in the 2010 establishment of the Afghan National Institute of Music.?

Musicians and their mentors from the ANIM will embark on a two-week tour of the U.S. starting February 2. They'll be playing a combination of classical and Afghan pieces.

Music has given these children an opportunity that so few have in Afghanistan and they are eager to share what they've learned.

"People can understand each other's hearts through music. American people can understand Afghan hearts and Afghans can understand American hearts. It's universal," said Sapna.

Yet, hurdles remain.?

Oct. 30 2009: Andeisha Farid is making a difference in a dangerous place, providing a safe haven in Afghanistan. NBC's Brian Williams reports.

Twelve-year-old Fareshta said pressure from her home village prevented her from playing the trumpet.

NBC first met Fareshta when Brian Williams visited her orphanage.

Fareshta said people in her village threatened to make her family outcasts if she kept on attending music school.?

She now only plays when she is in the orphanage. And, while the other girls prepare for their performances in the U.S., she won't be going.?

"I want to go music school and play more music," Fareshta said.

She shrugged when asked if it all seemed unfair. After all, so much that has and is happening in Afghanistan seems unfair.

But after listening to a girl like Laila practicing on the drums, it is easy to understand that the music these young people create is a message of hope in a country awash with disappointments.?

Related:?

Tears of joy: The moment an Afghan teen learned of Oscar nomination

Steeple, cross at U.S. Army base on Afghan frontier raise hackles

Afghanistan: Where actresses risk their lives for their art

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/27/16662922-afghan-orphans-hope-their-music-will-win-over-american-hearts-at-carnegie-hall?lite

chipper jones chipper jones dancing with the stars cast mickael pietrus heart transplant the international preppers

What is there to do in Pine/Strawberry during the winter? | Life in ...

Welcome to PineWelcome to Strawberry

It always surprises us when people from the Metro Phoenix area visit the Pine/Strawberry area for the very first time and remark with surprise that they?ve lived in the Valley for years and never before heard of Pine and Strawberry. ?We?ve often heard visitors exclaim that the Pine/Strawberry area is ?Arizona?s Best Kept Secret.? What?s more, many Valley residents think of the Pine/Strawberry area only as a warm weather destination, and they wonder what those of us who live here full-time could possibly do during the winter. Well, of course, those of us full-time Pine/Strawberry residents who are not retired still go to work every workday, and work and recreate in our homes, just like folks in the Valley and beyond. The following are some of the fun things we do in Pine and Strawberry during the winter and throughout the year, and which you might want to do some time, too:

During the cold months, on dry days, many of us still go for hikes on the many numerous trails in the area, many of which extend from the Pine Trail Head just south of town. (Visit?http://www.arizonahikingtrails.com for a comprehensive list of Rim Country trails.) ?Those of us that have ATVs or UTVs sometimes take to the trails in those, even when there is snow on the ground. ?Sometimes we?ll take along a picnic, too, so we can spend the whole day enjoying the gorgeous weather and views.

For those who enjoyhorseback riding, Gentle Hands Equine Center?At Betsy Ross Acres?in Strawberry (www.paysontrailrides.com) is a great place to go for a nice guided trail ride.

A visit to The Ranch at Fossil Creek in Strawberry is fun for kids of all ages. ?There one can see and even help feed live goats and llamas, and sample and purchase outstanding locally-produced goat cheeses and fudge. ?For information, visit:?www.ranchatfossilcreek.com.

If going out to breakfast is your thing, you can get a good quick breakfast in Pine at The Early Bird, H.B.?s place, or the Pine Creek Smokehouse, or at the Strawberry Lodge in Strawberry.

For a more leisurely breakfast (or lunch) and excellent gourmet food, be sure to visit the?Randall House, where you can also browse through artwork and gift items available for sale while waiting for your meal to arrive. ?During the warm weather, you can bring your dog and sit outside.

Sometimes it?s fun just to browse through some of the local shops, such as Moose Mountain Gifts & Antiques, Tymeless Antiques & Treasures, Pine Country Antiques, Auntie Gail?s Collectibles, Coach House Antiques & Boutique, the Pine-Strawberry Senior Center Thrift Shop, and Carol?s Country Crafts. ?At the Gingerbread House, one can hunt through a few rooms full of antique treasures and also enjoy the offerings of their old-fashioned soda fountain and homemade ice cream. ?For quilters, a visit to The Quilt Shop at?3972 N. AZ. Hwy. 87 is always fun.

A tour through Myra?s Art Gallery and Studio (just north of Sunny Mountain Realty?s Pine Office) is always worthwhile. ?In addition to her own work, she features original paintings and gicclee prints from several renowned Rim Country artists, including William Ahrendt (www.williamahrendt.com), as well as the work of numerous other artist in a variety of mediums, including ceramics, wood carving, and jewelry design.

A trip to the Pine Deli on Hardscrabble Road is great for a good lunch to eat there or take along for a picnic. ?They offer great lunch and dinner specials daily as well as great pizza, to eat-in or take-out. And, if you plan to dine in, you may bring in your own bottle of wine, if desired. H.B.?s Place is another good choice for a good hearty homemade lunch or dinner, including a great Friday night fish fry, but make sure to bring cash as they no longer accept credit cards. ?The Pine Creek Smokehouse has good hamburgers and is also offering Friday night fish fry and other specials.

Sometimes it?s just fun to go to Sidewinder?s Saloon (corner of S.R. 87 & Hardscrabble Rd.) for some adult libations and to play pool and grab a bite to eat for lunch, dinner or appetizers. ?During the winter, they feature live music and dancing, and tasty barbeque?ribs every other Friday night (during the summer it?s every Friday night.) ?Sidewinder?s features various events and celebrations as well as six televisions and surround sound. For information, visit?www.sidewinderssaloon.com.

Another great gathering place is Pine?s one and only microbrewery, THAT Brewery & Pub, located ?on S.R. 87 at the south end of town. ?According to their Web site (www.thatbrewery.com), ?THAT Brewery is for beer enthusiasts, foodies, nature fanatics, mountain bikers, hikers,?sightseers, antique shoppers, families, home brewers and well, just about everyone!? It is a family-friendly restaurant with a dog-friendly patio, weather permitting. They also feature a great Friday night fish fry.

There are some good dining options in Strawberry, too. ?The Strawberry Lodge, which offers breakfast, lunch and dinner, has a great Friday night fish fry, featuring a delicious corn meal batter. ?On Saturday, the specials typically include delicious prime rib or prawns, and the Sunday pot roast special is also delicious. ?They often feature live music on weekends. And, if you?re into pie, they always have a great selection. ?Mama Joe?s offers delicious Italian food, including their own special pizza. ?And, for adult libation and recreation in Strawberry, you can visit the Sportsman?s Chalet or the Flying Grizzly. ?All of these places are located on S.R. 87 in Strawberry.

Finally, if we feel like taking in a movie, we run down to Payson and take in a show at the Saw Mill Theatre. (Visitwww.sawmilltheatres.net for listings.)

These are just some of the things there are to do in our area. ?In the coming months, we will use this blog to feature information about the numerous activities and events in the Pine/Strawberry and Payson area.

Why not check out the Pine/Strawberry area sometime soon? ?And, when you do, be sure to stop by Sunny Mountain Realty and say hi!

Sunny Mountain Realty, Pine, AZ

?

?

?

?

Source: http://www.az85544.com/2013/01/27/what-is-there-to-do-in-pinestrawberry-during-the-winter/

hope solo tesla model s tesla model s act Black Ops 2 Secede ben roethlisberger

Saturday, January 26, 2013

67 dead cats and 99 live cats taken from NY home (Providence Journal)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/279729865?client_source=feed&format=rss

Mayans camilla belle NASA Robert Bork instagram mark sanchez christina aguilera

Ex-CIA officer gets prison time for leaking agent's name

John Kiriakou, a former CIA officer, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for leaking the name of a covert officer to a reporter in 2007. Kiriakou was among the first to confirm the use of waterboarding in interrogating al-Qaida terrorists.

By Matt Barakat,?Associated Press / January 26, 2013

Former CIA officer John Kiriakou, (l.), and his attorney John Hundley, leave federal court in Alexandria, Va., Jan. 23. Kiriakou, who disclosed an agent's name to the media, was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison.

Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Enlarge

A federal judge rejected arguments that a former?CIA?officer was acting as a whistleblower on the agency's use of torture when the officer leaked a covert agent's name to a reporter, sentencing him to more than two years in prison.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

A plea deal John Kiriakou made with prosecutors required the judge to impose a sentence of two-and-a-half years. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema said she would have given him much more time if she could.

Kiriakou's supporters describe him as a whistleblower who exposed aspects of the?CIA's?use of torture against detained terrorists. Prosecutors said his claim was laughable, given that the first public statements he made largely defended the?CIA's?use of waterboarding.

Kiriakou's 2007 interviews about the interrogations of al-Qaida terrorist Abu Zubaydah were among the first by a?CIA?insider confirming reports that several detainees had been waterboarded.

The 48-year-old pleaded guilty last year to violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act. No one had been convicted under the law in 27 years.

Absent the plea deal, federal sentencing guidelines would have called for a prison term of at least eight years, which the judge said she would have imposed. She said she understood the government's desire to secure a deal, given the difficulties in holding a public trial for national security cases that invariably delve into classified evidence.

Kiriakou chose not to speak at Friday's hearing, to which Brinkema responded, "Perhaps you've already said too much."

Kiriakou did give a brief statement outside the courthouse after the hearing, thanking supporters.

"I come out of court positive, confident and optimistic," he said.

Kiriakou was an intelligence officer with the?CIA?from 1990 until 2004.

In 2002, he played a key role in the agency's capture of Abu Zubaydah in Pakistan. Abu Zubaydah, who was waterboarded by government interrogators, revealed information that exposed Khalid Sheikh Mohamed as the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

Accounts conflict, though, over whether the waterboarding was helpful in gleaning intelligence from Abu Zubaydah, who was also interrogated conventionally.

Kiriakou, who did not participate in the waterboarding, expressed ambivalence in interviews about waterboarding, but he ultimately declared it was torture.

In court papers, prosecutors said the investigation of Kiriakou began in 2009 when authorities became alarmed after discovering that detainees at Guantanamo Bay possessed photographs of?CIA?and FBI personnel who had interrogated them. The investigation eventually led back to Kiriakou, according to a government affidavit.

Prosecutors said Kiriakou leaked the name of a covert operative to a journalist, who disclosed it to an investigator working for the lawyer of a Guantanamo detainee.

In previously sealed court papers that were made public late Thursday, Kiriakou's lawyers say that the journalist who him told about the covert officer was not actually a journalist but an investigator working for Guantanamo defense attorneys.

"Mr. Kiriakou now realizes that he made a very serious mistake in passing any information to Journalist A, but he would not have done so had he known how Journalist A would make use of that information," defense attorney Robert Trout wrote.

Prosecutors say that leak was one of many that Kiriakou made and that they simply lacked the resources to bring charges for all of the leaks.

Kiriakou was initially charged under the World War I-era Espionage Act, but those charges were dropped as part of a plea bargain.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/S5UjBe2mRcE/Ex-CIA-officer-gets-prison-time-for-leaking-agent-s-name

deplorable mls draft mark davis marine urination video cadillac ats bain capital marines urinating

ROCK HILL: Finalists for Winthrop president selected | Education ...

? For the first time in more than two decades, Winthrop University will host presidential finalists hoping to hold its top leadership position.

The finalists, announced Friday morning, are ?top flight? and it?s time to ?sell Winthrop to them,? said Bob Thompson, a Winthrop Board of Trustees member.

Those in the running to succeed retiring President Anthony DiGiorgio were chosen from more than 100 applicants and passed through two in-person interviews and reference and background checks.

Next, finalists will each embark on three-day visits to meet with students, employees and community members.

The finalists are Jeff Braden of North Carolina State University; Jayne Marie Comstock of the American Council on Education and Butler University; Elizabeth Dale of Drexel University; and Ulysses Hammond of Connecticut College.

?The candidates are student-focused,? said Kambrell Garvin, Winthrop?s student representative on the presidential search committee.

?They go out on their campuses, and they really do attempt to engage students and that?s something that we found to be really, really exciting.?

Campus visibility is important to faculty and staff, said Cliff Calloway, the committee?s faculty representative.

?If you talk to the faculty, you?ll get a pretty wide range of opinions,? Calloway said. ?A lot of the faculty ? at least as far as a common theme ? would like a new president that will be interactive with the faculty across campus.?

The university plans to use an online survey for students, faculty and staff to share opinions about the finalists after they?ve visited campus, said Kathy Bigham, trustees board vice chairwoman.

Visits start Sunday

A dean at N.C. State University in Raleigh, Braden will be the first finalist to make an official visit to Winthrop. He?s no stranger to the campus, Braden said Friday.

He has worked with Winthrop faculty in the past, helping support educational psychology development in Lancaster County schools. Winthrop, he said, is a ?beautiful campus? that, unlike many places, actually ?looks better in person than it does in pictures.?

Dale is the senior vice president for institutional advance at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Her Winthrop visit starts Wednesday.

She said she is looking forward to seeing Winthrop ?flourishing? next week with student activities and classes

She took a ?self-guided? tour of the campus last month during a time students and faculty were on winter break.

?It is a beautiful and well-manicured campus, and I was impressed by how well the newer facilities were integrated into the Neo-Georgian architectural style of the historic buildings,? she said.

Winthrop will host Hammond and Comstock throughout the first full week of February.

Hammond is vice president for administration at Connecticut College in New London, Conn.

Next month?s trip will be Hammond?s third Winthrop visit.

?The stunning beauty of the campus,? he said, and friendliness of the people at Winthrop and in Rock Hill have impressed him.

He likes Winthrop?s size, Hammond said, which allows ?the development of close relationships between faculty, students and staff.?

Comstock is the director of the executive leadership group at the American Council on Education in Washington, D.C.

She has visited Winthrop a few times in the past several years, she said ? most recently dropping in last weekend with her husband.

?We tried to view the campus as prospective parents and determined that Winthrop would be a top choice,? Comstock said Friday.

Comstock was named as a finalist in October for a presidential post at Jacksonville University in Florida.

Winthrop?s final hiring decision is expected to be made by the end of February by Winthrop?s trustees board.

DiGiorgio is the longest-serving president of any public university in South Carolina. His successor will be Winthrop?s 10th president, transitioning into the role after June.

Meet the finalists

Braden will be at Winthrop Sunday through Tuesday, Dale Wednesday through Friday, Hammond Feb. 3-5 and Comstock Feb. 6-8. The Herald will list times and locations of meet-and-greet sessions as that information becomes available.

JEFF BRADEN

Current position: North Carolina State?s dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences in Raleigh.

Before arriving at N.C. State, Braden taught and directed school psychology programs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, San Jose State University and the University of Florida.

Education: Graduate degrees from the University of California-Berkeley, Gallaudet University and Beloit College.

Family: Married to wife Jill for more than 35 years; has one daughter in law school at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and one son who is a junior at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

JAYNE MARIE COMSTOK

Current position: Director of the Executive Leadership Group, American Council on Education, Washington, D.C.; on sabbatical from her role as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Butler University in Indianapolis.

Before arriving at Butler, Comstock served as vice president for academic affairs at Millikin University and as vice president and dean of the college at Baker University.

Education: Bachelor?s and master?s degrees in communication from Illinois State University and a doctorate in communication from the University of Arizona.

Family: Married to husband Larry A. Williamson, a retired Navy captain with experience in university administration and faculty positions. They have a 9-year-old Chesapeake retriever named Cocoa.

ELIZABETH DALE

Current position: Senior vice president for institutional advance at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Before arriving at Drexel, Dale served as vice chancellor for University Advancement at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She was the founding executive director of the UMass Amherst Foundation.

Education: Master?s degree in public administration and a doctorate in educational policy, research and administration from UMass Amherst.

Family: Significant other is David Wright, who also lives in Philadelphia. Dale has one daughter who attended Harvard University and graduated from Smith College with a degree in Studio Art. Her daughter has started her own business and lives in Boston.

ULYSSES HAMMOND

Current position: Vice president for administration at Connecticut College, New London, Conn.

Before arriving at Connecticut College, Hammond served as the executive officer of the Courts of the District of Columbia.

Education: Bachelor?s degree in political science at Kenyon College in Ohio and both a master?s degree in public administration and a juris doctorate degree from Wayne State University Law School in Michigan.

Family: Married to wife Chris for 33 years; they have two children and six grandchildren.

Source: http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/01/25/4569553/finalists-for-winthrop-president.html

crystal renn matilda cab calloway melissa gilbert deadliest catch dwts sean hannity

Friday, January 25, 2013

The Best Guide On How To Be Successful In Internet Marketing ...

If you are completely new to the world of internet marketing, then you are probably thinking that a list of tips on internet marketing will help you so that you can begin successfully promoting your website. Listed below are some tips to get you started with your internet marketing plans.

Tracking your customers is a great way to see when they?re coming, when they?re going, and how they?re getting to your site. Find resources to help you uncover this data and practice reading the data so that you can quickly and efficiently spot trends and follow them to improve your business.

It is imperative to track visitor data so that you can improve your business. Important data to track is inbound telephone calls to your business. All you need is a dedicated phone number for your business. This number should feature prominently on your website. Use a telephone tracking company that generates call reports. The type of data you would receive would be the caller?s name, telephone number and the length of the phone call.

Use offers and discounts to lure in new customers. This is a time-honored technique used in all aspects of business, but it?s actually much easier to do online because most of the back-end stuff can be handled automatically. You can also use these offers as a loss-leading lead-generation tool for other products.

Always have a pen, paper or notebook with you during the course of the day. You will never know when you will have a new idea. When it comes up, try to maximize your potential and write it down. Implement the new idea as soon as possible on your site to get it off and running.

Maximize the impact of your banner ads by not just sticking with one mind per each product. Don?t go overboard with creating a ton of different ads and posting them all at once, but try posting a small variety of different ones to see what really attracts the traffic to your site.

Add something of value to your sales proposition that can give you a leg up over the many others trying to sell the same product. Offer additional money back guarantees or a copy of an ebook that you created. Having extra added value will net you sales that might have otherwise gone elsewhere to buy.

Offer a guarantee. People are more likely to buy from you if they know that they will have some recourse if they are not satisfied. This can be a guarantee for a specific period of time, or a lifetime guarantee if you prefer. Make sure that you mention the guarantee several times in your ad, and you are more apt to make a sale.

One Internet marketing tactic that can pay off is partnering with complementary businesses. This means steering traffic from the website to suppliers of a product or service that complements the websites business without competing with it. The partner supplier returns the favor. In this way non-competitive businesses can tap into one pool of potential customers that share interest in their products.

Offering limited-time promotions can give you impressive results in Internet marketing, just as it can through more traditional channels. One feature of special offers that makes them particularly attractive is that they drum up business from both loyal customers and new business. When you offer a special bargain everyone sits up and takes notice.

Well, hopefully the aforementioned collection of tips were enough to give you a great start on what to do and expect, when it comes to marketing your own website. This collection was carefully constructed to add another resource in your arsenal, so that you can begin honing your internet marketing skills, which will then begin growing your online presence.

For more information we advice you to look on Best seo services and Ppc services

Related posts:


  • How To Be A Successful Internet Marketer A collection of tips on how to begin internet marketing, makes the perfect starting point for a beginner to emerge and hopefully begin marketing their own website much smoother. Below is just such a collection that will hopefully assist the eager novice into eventually becoming a pro, when it comes to internet marketing....
  • Finding The Right Private Label Rights Membership Site What are Private Label Rights membership sites and what will it do for me?...
  • The Benefits Of Working With Internet Marketing On Social Media A lot of people are afraid to get into marketing on the web because of the failure factor. Knowing that you may not succeed is a huge deterrent for many people. Just know that the success stories out there are anything but rare, and if you follow wise advice like the tips provided in this article, you can become one of those happy endings....
  • Good, Simple Strategies For Internet Marketers To Provide Great Article Rewriter Many internet marketers don't realize how important article rewriter is, even to businesses that are web based. article rewriter may actually be more important if you run a web based business. On the internet, you are competing with at least hundreds of similar websites who are all trying to sell in the same niche. What will make anyone notice you with all this competition? This is why it's so crucial to offer top notch article rewriter! If customers who visit your site are made to feel that you care about their needs, they are more likey to buy from you....
  • Sharing Knowledge For Internet Marketing Success Are you feeling frustrated by the overwhelming amount of information on the 'net about online marketing? Sometimes, it becomes tough to sort through all the garbage and pull out the meaningful tips and advice that really work. Look for advice only from people who can show a track record of demonstrated success....

Source: http://blog.onewaylinksite.com/the-best-guide-on-how-to-be-successful-in-internet-marketing/

falling skies rodney king Webb Simpson Fathers Day Quotes Stevie J mothers day 2012 cinco de mayo