Somalia Sends First-Ever Ambassador to South Africa

? For the first time ever, Somalia has sent an ambassador to South Africa, the continent?s economic powerhouse. New Ambassador Sayid Sheriff said he?s optimistic about planting Somalia?s diplomatic flag after decades of instability, and said he plans to reach out to the thousands of Somali refugees living in South Africa. South African President Jacob Zuma said his nation also plans to embark on ambitious projects to help the Horn of Africa nation get back on its feet after decades of war.

Sheriff is the first ambassador from Somalia to be sent to South Africa, the continent?s magnet for refugees, which attracts more asylum seekers than any other nation.

The arrival of new diplomats typically is a pomp-filled affair, and Tuesday night?s event in Pretoria was no different in that respect. The other 10 diplomats dutifully shook hands with South African President Jacob Zuma, handed over their credential letters and posed for photos.

Somalia?s presence at this ceremony, however, was special. That?s because for much of the last two decades, Somalia hasn?t had a functioning central government. The Horn of Africa nation is Africa?s poster child for disaster: It?s been wracked by civil war, it harbors al-Qaida-affiliated insurgents, it recently was ravaged by drought and famine, and it is the continent?s piracy hub.

Overcoming myriad challenges

Zuma recognized those hurdles in a speech addressed in part to the new ambassador.

?Their suffering through war and famine has been our suffering, and now that they are on the road to recovery and prosperity, we wish to walk beside them and to assist wherever we can with rebuilding your country," he said. "But I believe that what comes first is what Somalian people themselves do to be assisted. I was with the president in the [African Union] who made a very good speech in thanking Africa but at the same time, guaranteeing that Somalia will never go wrong again, but asking the support for us to help.?

Zuma said his nation has allocated 100 million rand - about $11 million - to help rebuild Somalia?s infrastructure and institutions.

After the ceremony, Sheriff said in an exclusive interview with VOA that Somalia has long had close ties to South Africa. The country supported the African National Congress during its fight against the apartheid government. But by the time South Africa became a full-fledged democracy in 1994, Somalia was mired in a civil war after the overthrow of its longtime dictator.

Rebuilding relationship

Sheriff said the two nations have a lot of catching up to do.

?We want to strengthen and consolidate the relation as much as we can. At the same time we have a very large community here in South Africa. The South Africans are absolutely assisting them. We are here now to serve them... so they can go back to their country and come back here, that?s why we are here now,? he said.

Sheriff warned that change would not come to Somalia immediately, and cited a setback - a Tuesday morning suicide blast near the presidential palace.

?You know when you are having a kind of civil war for 21 years, 22 years, you cannot turn it overnight. The peace cannot just come as a miracle from the sky. So, relatively, it?s quite peace[ful] and when we just compare with the past,? he said.

The Somali Embassy in Pretoria is now open for business. And in show of traditional Somali hospitality, Sheriff said "you are all welcome."

Source: http://www.voanews.com/content/somalia_sends_first_ever_ambassador_to_south_africa/1593795.html

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'This time, action must follow'

Undocumented immigrant Katherine Taberes watches Obama's immigration speech from New York. (Mario Tama/Getty I??

President Barack Obama unveiled his vision for immigration reform in a speech on Tuesday afternoon in Las Vegas, Nev., telling Congress that he will send them his own bill and call for a vote if they don't move fast.

"If Congress is unable to move forward in a timely fashion, I will send up a bill based on my proposal and insist that they vote on it right away," Obama said to applause from students at Del Sol High School.

"It looks like there's a genuine desire to get this done soon, and that's very encouraging," Obama said, mentioning a blueprint put forward by a bipartisan group of eight senators on Monday. "But this time action must follow."

Obama's speech was the latest move in a chess match between the White House and some Republicans in Congress to craft an outline for reform that can both be enacted into law while meeting the expectataions of the growing population of Hispanic voters who now overwhelmingly favor Democrats.

Some Republicans want to support immigration reform in part to combat the party's demographic challenges, but the more involved the president is with the bill, the politically riskier it becomes to support it.

In his speech, Obama laid out "markers" for reform, saying any comprehensive immigration bill must give most of the nation's 11 million illegal immigrants a chance to earn their citizenship gradually if they pay a fine, learn English and pass a background check. Immigrants would also have to get to "the back of the line," which means people who have already applied for green cards would have their applications processed first.

The president's bill would also include an employment verification system, more border security and a revamping of the legal immigration system to provide more visas for top graduates of U.S. universities and to reduce lengthy wait times for visas for relatives of U.S. citizens.

The president mentioned the blueprint for reform laid out by senators including rising Republican star Marco Rubio of Florida and John McCain of Arizona, Obama's 2008 GOP presidential rival.

The principles of that outline "are very much in line with the principles I?ve proposed and campaigned on for the last few years," Obama said.

The senators pre-empted Obama's speech by a day to release a blueprint that differs from Obama's earlier immigration proposal in some respects.

Both Obama and the senators agree that the nation's illegal immigrants should be given a chance to legalize and eventually become citizens if they meet certain conditions, but the senators' bill includes a spate of border security requirements that must go into effect before the immigrants are eligible for green cards. Rubio said on Tuesday that he will not sign onto a bill that does not include these border enforcement triggers.

Another potential difference between the plans is that the president believes same-sex partners should be able to sponsor their immigrant husband or wife for citizenship in the same way heterosexual married couples can do now. The Senate proposal does not mention same-sex couples.

Obama said he recognized that immigration is an issue that inflames "passions," but he called on Americans to remember that they belong to a nation of immigrants.

"It's easy sometimes for the discussion to take on a feeling of 'us' versus 'them,'" Obama said. "When that happens a lot of folks forget that most of us used to be them. ... Unless you?re one of the first Americans, a Native American, you came from some place else. Somebody brought you."

Welcoming immigrants has made the country stronger, he said. "That's how we will ensure this century is the same as the last, an American century, welcoming of everybody who aspires to do something more, is willing to work hard for it, is willing to pledge allegiance to our flag."

Leaders in the Republican-controlled House have not yet released a significant blueprint or proposal for immigration reform. In response to the speech, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner urged the president to keep his distance while Congress undergoes what will likely be a lengthy legislative process to reach a final bill addressing immigration reform.

?There are a lot of ideas about how best to fix our broken immigration system. Any solution should be a bipartisan one, and we hope the president is careful not to drag the debate to the left and ultimately disrupt the difficult work that is ahead in the House and Senate," said Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck in a statement.
McCain said in a statement after Obama's speech that despite the "differences" in their approaches, he is "cautiously optimistic" that a bill will go forward.

Immigrant groups and labor organizations are rallying behind the new push for reform. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka told Yahoo News on Tuesday that organized labor is ?entirely behind? comprehensive immigration reform and will mount a ?full-fledged? campaign to help drive it through Congress.

?Olivier Knox, Rachel Rose Hartman and Chris Moody contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/obama-announce-immigration-reform-plan-las-vegas-113806207--election.html

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More People Are Using Facebook via Phone For the First Time Ever

It's time for another quarterly earning, that kooky game wherein companies announce how much cash they've raked in, and then investors spank or hail them without much correlation to reality. Now up: Facebook, which has just entered crazy new territory. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/RpuJ27kHYfQ/more-people-are-using-facebook-via-phone-for-the-first-time-ever

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Don't Worry, Be Happy: Personal Finance Tips That Work ...

Personal finance is stressful for most people. With a little knowledge, though, it does not have to be overwhelming. In this article, you will read advice that can help you learn to deal with your finances in a productive manner.

If you want your property to stay under control, pay attention to your cash flow. Keep track of all your cash receipts and expenses to assess your investment?s performance each month. Ensure you have a budget written down to look to as a guide.

Allow yourself a weekly cash allowance to prevent splurging your savings wastefully. You can use this cash for whatever you want (new clothes, a movie, etc.) though once you spend it all you can not get more until it is time to pay yourself. This way you can still allow yourself to enjoy little treats without destroying your monthly budget.

TIP! In order to buy small items, carry a little cash around with you. There are new laws that let merchants require you to make a purchase above a certain amount if you are using credit cards.

If you have children and you are planning on sending them to college, it best that you start saving money as soon as they born. College is expensive and by waiting to save money until your child?s teenager years, chances are you will not enough to send them to college.

Giving up a home is something everyone wants to avoid. What you should do is look at a home with more affordable payments, this can help make your financial situation better. You do not want to lose your home, no matter what. It may be wiser to take action now to save money.

Simply said, spend less, earn more, is the best financial advice out there. People who spend 100% of their income each pay period, or worse, 110% of their income, never increase their net worth since they are spending everything that comes in. Your income should always exceed your expenses.

To eliminate the most debt quickly, pay off credit card debt first. You may think the best way to pay debts is to pay them evenly, but the higher ones should be paid off first. This can save you a lot more after a while. It is important pay off your credit card debts first because credit card interest rates are rising.

TIP! If you?re not yet 21 years of age and are looking for a credit card, you should know that things have changed recently. In the past, cards were given to college age students freely.

Make wise choices. Do you wish to save $100 every month? This may be hard to do but try cutting out the coffee you buy every day! Coffee from Starbucks can cost in excess of $5 a cup, but homemade coffee can deliver the same taste for much less, especially if you use some whipped topping and flavored creamer. Pour your home-brewed coffee into a polystyrene cup and take your coffee with you!

If your paycheck quickly is used to cover your expenses, look at where you can pare down spending in your budget. A great example is dining out. You will more than likely not be able to eat at home forever. You will want to eat out eventually. It will probably be more effective in the long run if you cut the number of times that you dine out per month in half. In that way, you can reduce your expenses and still have the satisfaction of eating at your favorite restaurant on occasion.

Like the introduction of this article said, dealing with your personal finances can stress you out. Knowing how you can administer your personal affairs will aid in relieving a bit of that burden. The information that was provided in this article should give you greater peace of mind now that you understand the steps you can take to improve your financial situation.

Get comfortable with living without the assistance of credit cards. Furthermore, find ways to pay off your loans that are charging you interest on a monthly basis. If you aspire towards frugality, then know that paying interest on anything is wasteful of your money. In time, you can stamp out all interest payments from your life.

Source: http://www.projectpb.net/blog/index.php/personal_finance/dont-worry-be-happy-personal-finance-tips-that-work-2/

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Surfer rides amazing wave, but was it a new record?

Hawaiian big-wave surfer Garrett McNamara will go to any lengths to chase a massive swell. On Monday that pursuit took him back to Praia do Norte, a tiny coastal village about 60 miles north of Lisbon, Portugal, where he got pulled into a massive wave that has the entire surfing world in awe.

What's remarkable about the wave McNamara rode Monday is how much bigger it appears than his record-breaking ride at the very same spot back in November of 2011. That 2011 ride is currently recognized as the Guinness World Record for the largest wave ever surfed.

The decision to give McNamara that record was a controversial one, as it was ruled a single foot bigger than the 2008 record set by Mike Parsons at Cortes Bank, a wave that breaks 100 miles off the coast of Southern California. Naturally, the debate over whether McNamara's wave was truly worthy of the honor raged.

Related:Garret McNamara not to blame in Cortes Bank controversy

At issue was the questionable method of measuring the wave, which is a problem that faces the judges every year during the annual Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards. The XXL Awards are the most prestigious honors for big-wave surfers, thanks mostly to the judging panel comprised of experienced big-wave legends, leading surf forecasters, and experienced photographers, all of whom examine all the evidence that exist for each ride to pinpoint a measurement.

VIDEO:Watch McNamara's world record ride from 2011

"The hard part isn't locating the top of the wave," says Bill Sharp, director of the XXL Awards. "It's finding the bottom of it, because that's the point where you start measuring from. The challenge is photos and video can both be deceiving depending on the angle of the shot, the size of the lens used, and even stuff like mist and water color."

The latest example is McNamara's wave from Monday. At first glance, it looks incredibly massive. Bigger, even, than his 2011 ride. But will it hold up under scrutiny?

"It's hard to say," says Sharp. "We should be seeing video of it in the next week or so, and that will be a lot more revealing because it allows us to see where and when the surfer reaches the bottom."

So what do you think? Where's the bottom of this beast? Is it a new record? Weigh in.

More on GrindTV
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PHOTOS - Blizzards, blankets, and icy white beaches: all part of surfing in Maine

Source: http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/50833/did+garrett+mcnamara+just+break+his+own+world+record/

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Celebrity Nose Jobs: Before & After Photos

Celebrity Nose Jobs: Before & After Photos

Many celebrities have had a little work done, but some drastically changed their appearance! A rhinoplasty, or more commonly known as a nose job, can make a huge difference in a person’s looks and we have the photos to prove it. Let’s check out some Hollywood stars that went under the knife to either make ...

Celebrity Nose Jobs: Before & After Photos Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/01/celebrity-nose-jobs-before-after-photos/

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Suspect in India gang rape to be tried as juvenile

NEW DELHI (AP) ? A juvenile court has ruled that a suspect in the fatal gang rape of a young woman in New Delhi last month was a juvenile at the time of the attack.

A lawyer present in the court said a magistrate announced the decision Monday after going over documents presented to the court by officials of the suspect's elementary school that indicated that he was a juvenile at the time of the Dec. 16 attack.

The lawyer could not be named because he was not authorized to brief media.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/suspect-india-gang-rape-tried-juvenile-110304827.html

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Epic Drives: Cheating Death Valley in a Ford ... - Automotive Blogs

For those of us that live in Los Angeles, the madness and crush of the city, the sensory overload of any city, can be too much. On the latest episode of Epic Drives, the crew escape the city to the wild and desolate Mojave Dessert. But the question remains, what vehicle is suited to tackle such a feral environment? The Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, of course. With off-road capability as extensive as its name, the Raptor extracts power from its massive 6.2-liter V-8 engine, good for 411 horsepower.

The crew encounters snow, sand dunes, mountains, elevation changes and desolate landscape. From old mining country, to old native American trails and lands, this is one truly Epic Drive. ?You can catch all the action and the beautiful scenery in the video below.

Source: Epic Drives

Source: http://blogs.automotive.com/epic-drives-cheating-death-valley-in-a-ford-svt-raptor-125777.html

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At Downsize Fitness gyms, the slender need not apply

NEW YORK (Reuters) - At Downsize Fitness health clubs, the treadmills are wider, the head trainers are weight-loss veterans and new members must be at least 50 pounds (22.7 kgs) overweight.

It's all about creating a more welcoming environment to battle the bulge and drop the excess weight.

Francis Wisniewski, a hedge fund manager, started Downsize Fitness in 2011, when he was struggling to lose weight and found himself intimidated by one-size-fits-all gyms.

"I figured if I was uncomfortable, a lot of people must be. Overweight people feel like they're on display," said Wisniewski, who has gyms in Dallas and Chicago.

His inspiration came from the hit television reality show "The Biggest Loser."

"We wanted to make it the ?Biggest Loser' in real life," he said. "Most people would be successful if they could spend 15 weeks just exercising. In real life we have jobs. You go to the gym one hour, five times a week and change your diet."

The gym provides nutritional counseling, and the equipment is built for heavier people.

"A lot of equipment supports only up to 350 pounds," he said. "Ours is over 600. And our personal trainers are used to working with overweight people. Two of our head trainers have lost over 100 pounds on their own."

Wisniewski said people can lose 50 pounds in six-to-12 months of training.

"We didn't want people who need to drop 20 pounds for a wedding," he added.

Comfort and camaraderie are what matter to Dave Chiscon, a 38-year-old Chicagoan who joined Downsize Fitness in late August.

"I walked in and people my size were really working out hard," said Chiscon. "We're all in the same boat. We're all moving in the same direction."

Chiscon, who has lost 30 pounds in four months, said the gym is the highlight of his day.

"I work hard and I burn 1,200 calories," he said.

Along with his cardio and resistance routines, he's become a fan of group fitness classes, such as yoga, Pilates and boot camp.

"At other gyms, if I'm doing jumping jacks and my belly flops out of my shirt, I would stop," he said. "At this gym I don't care. The woman next to me is doing the same thing."

Gary Liguori, an expert in exercise science with the American College of Sports Medicine, called Downsize Fitness a unique behavioral approach for getting people active because they don't have to worry about being self-conscious.

He said historically overweight people have not been successful with exercise and it's not unusual for them to feel intimidated at gyms.

(Editing by Patricia Reaney and Leslie Adler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/downsize-fitness-gyms-slender-not-apply-183608202.html

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Invest in HP's High-Speed LTO-5 Backup Tape Technology and ...

Author: Shawn | Total views: 157 Comments: 0
Word Count: 563 Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2013 7:59 AM

Every company needs backup technology in the world of today regardless of size, type or the field they specialize in. Small businesses that have newly started out require backup technology so that they can store information regarding taxes, progress, balance sheets, interest rates, loaners, etc. Medium sized businesses would require such technology so that they can keep a track of how they can progress further. Some medium sized businesses come up with projects and products that would help them get greater profits and they may need to research about these products before they can bring these into the market. Backup technology would also be required in order to store such information and to protect this information from getting into the wrong hands because often businesses steal each other?s ideas and patent and copyright problems make cases and litigation confusing, long and expensive. Big businesses (and multinational corporations) face similar issues.

In addition to the need for the storage of important information there is the problem of having to protect data from other businesses that are willing to go to any length in order to ?cut down the competition? and get to a point where they can monopolize the market and manipulate prices so that they can maximize their profits. Many businesses hire hackers so that they can gain access into another company's computer and extract information that they can use this data for their own gains and purposes. Yes, this does happen in real life, not just in movies.

Backup technology would help these companies protect any important data on to a separate device rather than on to their databases which can be affected by viruses or hacked into by hackers. These come in the form of DDS tapes, LTO tapes and flash drives and USBs. USBs are mostly used by individuals such as students, teachers, employers, etc. When it comes to saving large documents, digital files, sensitive information and data that is vital to a company?s existence DDS and LTO tapes are the right backup technology devices because they have more storage capacity. If you are looking for the right devices then, the HP LTO5 tape is just the thing you need.

This LTO 5, the fifth generation of leading Linear Tape Open system, has a backup storage capacity of 3 TB of compressed (and 1.5 TB of native) data. You could store digital files and large documents into this tape and use it whenever you want. The advantage of using this tape is that it is compact and light, so you can hide it and/or store it anywhere you want. Another plus point about these tapes is that they come with an AES encryption which would add to the security granted to information stored inside.

The HP ultrium 5 system is very affordable and would be of great use to businesses (medium sized). HP has a number of other LTO tapes which small and medium sized businesses can purchase if they require tapes with less storage capacity considering the size of the business.

The HP ultrium 5 system is very affordable and would be of great use to businesses (medium sized). HP has a number of other LTO tapes which small and medium sized businesses can purchase if they require tapes with less storage capacity considering the size of the business.

Frank Miller is the Marketing Manager of Backuptape and markets Fuji LTO3 tape and Sony LTO6 tape. He has vast experience in the marketing and trading industries and has been helping buyers who have the backup needs and guide clients about the technology.

Frank Miller
Backuptapes.net
111 Deerwood Road, Suite 200
San Ramon CA 94583-4409
Tel: 888-686-8273
Fax: 888-449-5050
Email: sales@backuptapes.net

Related to: HP LTO-5 tape - lto-5 - lto5 media - lto 5 ultrium

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Good news is that the LTO ultrium-5 customers can further elevate their performance.

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Cisco 5500 series is a smart choice for campus environments, large businesses and mid-sized IT centers.

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Source: http://www.content4reprint.com/computer/hardware/invest-in-hps-high-speed-lto-5-backup-tape-technology-and-confidently-scale-your-storage-capability.htm

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VIDEO: Performing Arts Education Centers Opens to the District ...

The LVUSD Performing Arts Education Centers (PAEC) in Agoura Hills and Calabasas kicked off their grand opening festivities Friday night in both cities.

The $18 million each identical facilities, located on the Agoura Hills and Calabasas high school campuses, were entirely funded through Measure G, which passed in 2006.

"I like to describe these as 'welcome to our new classrooms,'" Dan Stenosky, LVUSD superintendent, said at the Agoura Hills site reception. "This is a cultural community assett."

The gala weekend long festival entitled "LVUSD Festival of the Arts and Education: A Grand Opening Celebration" in Agoura began the evening with a donor reception and facility tour followed by performances from the Agoura High School music program.

Agoura High Principal Larry Misel, who is retiring at the end of this year, expressed his enthusiasm over the finished product.

"This is really designed as an educational facility, so kids are not only performing, they're learning everything they'll be able to use to go right out into the world to get a job," he said.

The debut of the program is a dream long held by former superintendent Don Zimring, who attended the celebration. "This was part of the vision we had backin 1996," he said. "It took us this long to get here but we never wavered ... I was hopefully one of its strongest, loudest advocates."

The center, designed by architect John Sergio Fisher, houses a 650-seat main theater and the smaller 'black box' for educational classes and smaller productions. The state-of-the-art facility will offer the school district theater arts education, cross-curricular instruction, virtual programs, lectures, live presentations and more.

In addition, the buildings are open for rental to outside groups.

"This will be a cultural hub where the arts and education will not only enrich the students but also the greater community," said Lesli Stein, school board president.

Theater student and senior Sydney Heller, a back-stage tour guide for the evening, said she feels fortunate to be a part of this program.

"With a lot of public schools across the country cutting back on arts programs, this is really a big deal for us, because it shows that our community really respects what we do," she said.

Another unique aspect of two district theaters is the opportunity for Agoura and Calabasas to join creative forces, according to theater manager Gilles Chiasson.

"I will continue to stress the notion that students from both communities will have an opportunity to perform at both venues, regardless of where they live," he said. "I don't see the rivalry."

Box offices at both sites will offer tickets to either theater. For program information and to purchase tickets, go to the PAEC website.

Source: http://agourahills.patch.com/articles/performing-arts-and-education-center-opens-with-flourish

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eftinasrin: French Day: Faux traveling, a whole new Staycation ...

I grew up the daughter of an airline family.? At various points in my life my mother, father, grandfather, uncle, older sister, two aunts and two uncles all worked for an airline in one way or the other-ticket counter, manager, pilot, management, flight attendant, reservations, you name it.? In the airline industry, you put up with a lot of stress in exchange for travel benefits.? So, we traveled.? A lot. I grew up with the expectation that every couple of months you take a long weekend or longer to Arizona, or Hawaii, or Disneyland.? Sometimes even on more adventurous vacations out of the country.? After graduating high school I was terrified of the prospect of losing that lifestyle so I went to work for the airlines myself.? But after a couple of years I realized, as previously mentioned, those benefits come at the price of lots of stress.? And, starting out, I made so little money I rarely could afford to go anywhere anyway, even with the benefits.? Skip forward, for this and many other reasons, I decided to finish the degree I had been slowly, spottily working on.? I figured I could get a degree and be able to afford to travel full fare anyway.? Voila, right?

Ha.? Years and years later and I still have the expectation and itch to go somewhere every couple of months.? I get very antsy if I don?t have some change of scenery.? I think that is also why I have moved so much, or constantly rearrange the furniture.? But it doesn?t work out that often, beyond visiting relatives by car-the most 5 hours away.? If we go anywhere that is truly a vacation, it?s every couple of years, and with my parents who we love to travel with, but makes me still feel like a child sometimes.? It requires carefully saving up money and miles. I know some people rarely go anywhere at all, and maybe this sounds snobbish, but it really is an uncontrollable itch.? Needless to say we, or more importantly, I do not scratch the itch as much as I feel I need to, whether the itch is rational or not.

As a parent, I look back on the experiences traveling I had as a child.? How it shaped me.? My travels stirred compassion, awe, inspiration, tolerance and awareness.? I wouldn?t be the person I am today without witnessing poverty in the streets of Hong Kong; the contrast of overcrowded industrial cities vs. the vastness of the desert or other quiet parts of the world; the colors of the Great Barrier Reef, the rich life hidden below the surface of the water, invisible to the rest of the world. The colors of the world.

I want that sense of inspiration and understanding for my children too, even if we can?t physically go far.? Not too long ago I read ?Paris in Love? by Eloisa James and was telling my children about Paris.? They were particularly impressed when I told them about all the yummy food and the typical meals there.? I had them at ?In the summer, sometimes French children eat ice cream for breakfast,? something I had read on the internet but had no idea if it was really true.? The response was ?Let?s go!?? We wished.? To let them down gently I said ?Let?s pretend to go.?? And so French Day was born.

The question was, how do you extract the essence of a far away place and infuse it into your home, a day in your very different life?? It?s hard to actually pretend like you are standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. ? We could attempt to build a model of the Eiffel Tower.? We could check out books at the library and study the country, learn the facts.? But that all feels so schoolish, and that takes the fun out of it.? This is no homeschooling, this is vacation, a kind of staycation.

We were just going to have to be French, I thought.? And what are the French about?? Fashion and food?? Well, I had little chance of luring the boys into the fashion world, but my boys are like men: the way to their hearts is through their stomach.

We would eat.? And through eating, we would experience.? So, I donned my fanciest scarf and skinny pants, a nod to the fashion part, and headed out the door one recent morning to Sweet Life Patisserie.? If the name has French in it, good enough for us.

If the French indulge in moderation, we would too.? We all chose one item, plus one extra, and shared.? A croissant, a cherry chocolate scone, a French cinnamon breakfast muffin, and the very French pain au chocolate.? The boys had hot chocolate and I had a cafe au lait.

Breakfast

We took our time, really savoring each delicious bite, enjoying the rare treat.? We discussed our opinions on which was the best.

Nothing compares to flaky pastries.

We went about our day, going to the library and even checking out some books on France to look at.? We cut these out and used them as a backdrop on our dining room table.

Paper City Paris

I made a four course lunch of a simple salad, beef stewed in red wine with a baguette, French cheese (mimolette-like a hard sharp cheddar -nothing stinky!) pears, a French red wine (it wasn?t very good so I won?t bother posting the name) and custard eclairs we took home from Sweet Life.? The paper city also provided some discussion prompts over our long, lingering lunch.? We ate for two hours.? But mimicking the French, we ate so slowly and moderately that after lunch I was pleasantly full, instead of stuffed.? It was nice.

We spent the afternoon looking at books and talking about France.? We looked at pictures of the art, read about the architecture, learned about it?s geography and it?s people.? We practiced speaking French with a CD from the library.? I told them stories my French teacher in college told me.? But really, for us it was all about the French art of eating.? The breaks between meals was intermission, with eager anticipation of what was next on the menu.

Supper was simple, simple for the French anyway: roast beef and crudite with French onion dip, a sausage and bean cassoulet with the last of the baguette, and more cheese, fruit and wine.? We took our time and I asked the boys what their favorite part of the day was.? Breakfast at Sweet Life was the star, and I admit for my sweet tooth as well.? I asked if they had learned anything about France.? They came up with nothing.? Which is ok, because for me I learned that this staycation was more than a vacation, more than experiencing a different culture, more than it?s food,? more than it?s language.? For me, the unexpected learning experience was that I learned a different way to be with my children.? I learned to give into indulgences with them, and to be fully present with them.? Our daily operating status, like many families I believe, is the kids are off playing or reading or whatever, while I am cleaning, cooking, or whatever I need to do to maintain our home, the chickens, the garden, the schedule.? As they grow older, I spend less bonding time with them.? French Day, our mini vacation, was not just a vacation into a different world, it was a vacation from how we operate on a daily basis.? We sat together at the table, talking for long periods of time.? We spent time looking at books and delving into our subject.? For a whole day.

Even if we were actually on vacation, if we truly were in France, my methodical and systematic mind would be focused on organizing our sightseeing, that days plan and the next.? I would be focused on the different awareness I adopt when traveling, in retrospect a rather cranky one, that focuses on ensuring I don?t lose my children in a foreign place and keeping them from making too much noise in a hotel room.

What I learned was how to be leisurely with my children.? Which is funny, because part of being French is leisure.

I also learned that they like expensive cheese.

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Source: http://wholeheartfamily.wordpress.com/2013/01/25/french-day-faux-traveling-a-whole-new-staycation/

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Source: http://eftinasrin.blogspot.com/2013/01/french-day-faux-traveling-whole-new.html

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Communications Students Ready for Super Bowl Media Blitz ...

You are here: Home / News / Local News / Communications Students Ready for Super Bowl Media Blitz

January 26, 2013 at 6:00 AM by Gant Team ? ?

By Steve Sampsell, Penn State

Melissa Schiller and Rob Roselli will work as volunteers at the Super Bowl from Jan. 25 through Feb. 4. (Provided photo)

UNIVERSITY?PARK ???Two Penn State communications students ? Rob Roselli, a senior from Marlton, N.J., and Melissa Schiller, a senior from Blue Bell ??? have been selected to work as volunteer media relations members for the NFL at Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans.

This is the third consecutive year Penn State students have been selected to complete the intensive opportunity. The students will be on site from Jan. 25 through Feb. 4 as part of a staff of nearly 100 volunteers ? a mix of NFL team personnel, other professionals and college students.

Responsibilities for volunteers include things such as transcribing player and coach interviews, editing and fact-checking press releases, escorting former players and football celebrities to interviews along Radio Row at the Super Bowl Media Center, staffing a media information desk and other duties. The Super Bowl will attract more than 5,200 media members.

Students? are selected for this opportunity through an application process. Both Roselli and Schiller are public relations majors who have previously completed several high-level, sports-related internships and work experiences.

Roselli has worked for Penn State Public Information, the Philadelphia 76ers and Penn State football.

?I imagine I will be doing a variety of standard media relations tasks, including distributing fact sheets and general information to the media, transcribing interviews and assisting wherever possible with media-related tasks,??Roselli?said. ?From what I?ve seen on TV, the Super Bowl week is media bliss, so there will be plenty of opportunities to help.?

Schiller completed an internship with the NFL this past summer. She has also worked for Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics, the Washington Redskins and Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia.

?I am very excited for the opportunity, and I hope to learn a lot from my experience,??Schiller?said. ?I am interested in event planning and public relations, and there?s no better place to gain event experience than the Super Bowl.?

The students will find many Penn Staters as media members and public relations professionals at the Super Bowl. Members of that group include Michael Signora, who earned his Penn State degree in journalism in 1996 and now serves as vice president of football communications for the NFL; Marisol Renner, a 1997 advertising/public relations alumna who works as a publications and public relations specialist for the Baltimore Ravens; and Kimberly Jones, a 1991 journalism graduate who works as a reporter for the NFL?Network. Jones also serves as a member of the advisory board for the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State.

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Source: http://gantdaily.com/2013/01/26/communications-students-ready-for-super-bowl-media-blitz/

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Ireland says horse DNA in its burgers came from Poland

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Beef containing horse DNA that was supplied by an Irish company to major food companies like Tesco originated in Poland, Ireland's agriculture department said on Saturday.

The British food industry has been rocked by the revelation retailers sold beef products that contained horse DNA, a scandal that has also left Ireland's 2 billion euros (1.6 billion pounds) beef industry reeling from the knock-on effects.

Results of tests showed that Polish ingredients used by Irish burger manufacturer Silvercrest contained 4.1 percent horse DNA, the agriculture department in a statement.

It said further tests of the Polish ingredient concerned showed up to 20 percent horse DNA content relative to beef, confirming the raw material from Poland to be the source of equine DNA content in certain burgers.

Tests on samples taken from Irish food ingredients were negative for equine DNA and agriculture minister Simon Coveney said the results maintained the integrity of Irish food production.

Burger King, one of the most popular fast-food chains in Britain and Ireland, said on Thursday it had stopped using Silvercrest's products. There was no horse DNA found in products sold by Burger King.

Smaller retail chains Aldi, Lidl and Iceland have also sold beef products found to contain horse DNA.

Silvercrest's parent company ABP Foods reiterated the plant had never knowingly sold equine products and that it would appoint a new management team, independently audit third party suppliers and source all future raw material from Britain and Ireland.

Tesco, which withdrew from sale all products supplied by Silvercrest, said in a statement that the source of horse DNA identified by the department correlated with the results of its own investigations at the plant.

Food safety experts say horse DNA poses no added health risks to consumers, but the discovery has raised concerns about the food supply chain and the ability to trace meat ingredients.

(Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Jason Webb)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ireland-says-horse-dna-burgers-came-poland-201252193--finance.html

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Quantum communication: Each photon counts

Jan. 25, 2013 ? Ultrafast, efficient, and reliable single-photon detectors are among the most sought-after components in photonics and quantum communication, which have not yet reached maturity for practical application. Physicist Dr. Wolfram Pernice of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), in cooperation with colleagues at Yale University, Boston University, and Moscow State Pedagogical University, achieved the decisive breakthrough by integrating single-photon detectors with nanophotonic chips. The detector combines near-unity detection efficiency with high timing resolution and has a very low error rate.

The results have been published by Nature Communications.

Without reliable detection of single photons, it is impossible to make real use of the latest advances in optical data transmission or quantum computation; it is like having no analog-digital converter in a conventional computer to determine whether the applied voltage stands for 0 or 1. Although a number of different single-photon detector models have been developed over the past few years, thus far, none have provided satisfactory performance.

Several new ideas and advanced developments went into the prototype developed within the "Integrated Quantum Photonics" project at the DFG Center of Functional Nanostructures (CFN). The new single-photon detector, tested in the telecommunications wavelength range, achieves a previously unattained detection efficiency of 91%.

The detector was realized by fabricating superconducting nanowires directly on top of a nanophotonic waveguide. This geometry can be compared to a tube that conducts light, around which a wire in a superconducting state is wound and, as such, has no electric resistivity. The nanometer-sized wire made of niobium nitride absorbs photons that propagate along the waveguide. When a photon is absorbed, superconductivity is lost, which is detected as an electric signal. The longer the tube, the higher is the detection probability. The lengths involved are in the micrometer range.

A special feature of the detector is its direct installation on the chip, which allows for it to be replicated at random. The single-photon detectors built thus far were stand-alone units, which were connected to chips with optical fibers. Arrangements of that type suffer from photons being lost in the fiber connection or being absorbed in other ways. These loss channels do not exist in the detector that is now fully embedded in a silicon photonic circuit. In addition to high detection efficiency, this gives rise to a remarkably low dark count rate. Dark counts arise when a photon is detected erroneously: for instance, because of a spontaneous emission, an alpha particle, or a spurious field. The new design also provides ultrashort timing jitter of 18 picoseconds, which is 18 times 10-12 seconds.

The novel solution also makes it possible to integrate several hundreds of these detectors on a single chip. This is a basic precondition for future use in optical quantum computers.

The detector demonstrated in this study was designed to work at wavelengths in the Telekom bandwidth. The same detector architecture can also be used for wavelengths in the range of visible light. This would allow the principle to be employed in analyses of all structures that emit little light, i.e., photons, such as single molecules or bacteria. ?

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. W.H.P. Pernice, C. Schuck, O. Minaeva, M. Li, G.N. Goltsman, A.V. Sergienko, H.X. Tang. High-speed and high-efficiency travelling wave single-photon detectors embedded in nanophotonic circuits. Nature Communications, 2012; 3: 1325 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2307

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/matter_energy/electricity/~3/ow-KbzYPjFA/130125104056.htm

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Medical aid group: Thousands flee Congo fighting

GOMA, Congo (AP) ? Aid group Doctors Without Borders says thousands of people are without access to medical care after fleeing fighting between the army and a local militia in southeastern Congo ? putting their lives at risk.

The exodus from villages in Katanga province and into the bush follows an army operation begun two weeks ago against loyalists of local warlord Gedeon Kyungu Mutanga. He escaped from prison in a mass prison break in 2011 while serving a conviction of crimes against humanity.

The aid group said Friday that thousands of people can no longer access its medical facilities, most children in its nutrition programs have left and a measles vaccination campaign has been suspended.

Many locals fear the militia that pillaged villages and was behind hundreds of killings between 2003 and 2006.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/medical-aid-group-thousands-flee-congo-fighting-165858656.html

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Web Hosts Features And Offers | Myx' World of Foods

Posted by Myx in Technology and Gadgets on Jan 24th, 2013

The things customers want from web hosting companies are uptime guarantee, online security, email accounts and affordability. Ipage offers these and more in their web hosting plans. They have been in the business for over 10 years providing social, personal and non-profit websites. The company has several options to create websites. Customers have the freedom to create their online presence that will reflect their personality or brand of business. To create a great website, iPage offers the best support for building online sites and software for front page, blogging applications and writing codes with HTML. To build sites, they have more than 100 easy to use templates and 20 scripts and applications.Email is a rapid means of communication and today the service is extremely important for organizations and businesses. It is one of the most important services a web hosting company should provide which makes it equally important for the web hosting company to guarantee 100% uptime. When uptime fails, businesses will suffer and financial losses could be extremely high. This web host guarantees 100% uptime. Through extensive testing they make sure emails are sent and received instantly and spam is filtered effectively. They offer unlimited mailboxes and forwards, extensive spam filtering and upgrades for larger organizations. Their system is extremely tight and secure.

Source: http://www.ladymyx.info/2013/01/web-hosts-features-and-offers/

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Apple's Savior: A New Cheaper iPhone? | Daily ... - Yahoo! Finance

Apple (APPL) shares were continuing to sink Thursday morning after the tech giant missed Wall Street's estimates for the fiscal first quarter. The stock has fallen roughly 10% on the news, which disappointed investors by falling short of their expectations.

But if you've looked at the numbers, you might wonder what the problem is, because Apple had a record quarter in more than one way. Here are the results, according to Apple:

• The company posted record quarterly revenue of $54.5 billion and record quarterly net profit of $13.1 billion, or $13.81 per diluted share. These results compare with revenue of $46.3 billion and net profit of $13.1 billion, or $13.87 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter.
• It sold a record 47.8 million iPhones in the quarter, compared to 37 million in the year-ago quarter.
• Apple also sold a record 22.9 million iPads during the quarter, up from 15.4 million last year.

Related: Apple Could Fall to $350 But More Likely a ?Bear Trap?: Ritholtz

Apple did, however, offer cautious guidance about the upcoming quarter and announced it will change the way it will provide earnings forecasts. The company will no longer provide a single number benchmark, which it has historically clobbered, but will instead offer a range for guidance.

"Beginning this fiscal year, we are reorganizing the presentation of our results to provide greater transparency," Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer said on the earnings call. ?In recent years, our guidance reflected a conservative point estimate of results every quarter that we had reasonable confidence in achieving. Going forward, we plan to provide a range of guidance that reflects our belief of what we are likely to achieve.?

Apple predicts its fiscal second quarter will rake in between $41 billion and $43 billion in revenue, a stark decline from the latest quarter.

Related: Apple Cuts iPhone 5 Production, Stock Falls: Is the Age of Apple Over?

In the wake of the headlines, no less than seven analysts have cut their ratings for Apple.

Walter Piecyk, analyst at BTIG, joins The Daily Ticker in the accompany video to make sense of the numbers. He's had a neutral rating on Apple since last April when cell phone carriers tightened the rules around their upgrade policy. "Frankly, even in this quarter, had Verizon (VZ) and AT&T (T) and Sprint (S) not tightened up those upgrade policies, Apple probably could have sold 50 million iPhones," Piecyk says.

Related: A Real Concern For Apple's Stock: Telecom Carriers Threaten to Kill Subsidies on Phones

The other issue Apple faces is trying to penetrate global markets where people cannot afford a $600-plus phone.

"In order for Apple to stimulate growth, I think they need a cheaper phone," says Piecyk. Earlier this month, we reported that Apple may be contemplating a low-cost model of the iPhone to release later this year.

Tell Us What You Think

Do you think shares of Apple will fall lower?

Got a topic you?d like covered? Have a guest you?d like to see interviewed? Send us an email: thedailyticker@yahoo.com. You can also look us up on Twitter and Facebook.

More from The Daily Ticker

Apple's Cheap iPhone Is A Great Move For The Company

How Investors Can Join the 3-D Printing Revolution

Microsoft Has No Business Selling Tablets: Josh Brown

Female Hedge Fund Managers Ruled the Markets in 2012

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/apple-savior-cheaper-iphone-152151964.html

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Daily Chronicle | KishHealth launches home care program

DeKALB ? Everything and nothing changed Jan. 1 for Lisa Hardcastle.

When the new year came, Hardcastle was still the director of a home care division, but it was no longer for the DeKalb County Health Department. Instead, Hardcastle assumed the same position under the KishHealth System banner, completing a transfer of the program that had been discussed for months.

Some of the 16 home care employees laid off by the county, including Hardcastle, were hired by KishHealth System to create a seamless transition for the roughly 70 home care patients in the program. Hardcastle said it has been an exciting process moving from an agency with fewer than 100 employees to an organization with more than 1,500 employees and immense resources.

The potential for growth is starting to be realized, she said, with plans to expand to communities surrounding DeKalb and Sandwich. Hardcastle said there also are opportunities to integrate other hospital resources such as dietitians in the home care experience.

?Nursing is nursing is nursing no matter where you go and those core services are going to stay the same,? she said. ?But there are a lot more resources here at the hospital and the challenge now is learning to navigate that.?

Home care services provide skilled nursing, home health aides, physical, occupational and speech therapy, and medical social workers to those with chronic illnesses or who are recovering from surgery.

The county health department decided to end the home care program, which it had operated since 1966, to help reduce its deficit.

The program served 772 people in 2011 with county staff making 13,162 visits. It generated $1.9 million in fee revenue but ran a deficit. By shedding the program, the health department is expected to reduce its estimated deficit of $340,500 to about $56,500 in 2013.

Cost drivers such as cuts to Medicare compensation and changes to health care laws that hurt the county program are more easily absorbed by larger organizations, said Pam Duffy, president of KishHealth System?s home care division.

She said there has already been resource shifting to handle the cost of adding the program.

?We just have more resources,? she said. ?It?s a lot easier on us than a smaller facility.?

KishHealth System?s addition of the home care service also provides an opportunity for Kishwaukee Community Hospital and Valley West Community Hospital to reduce hospital admissions, which saves the patients and agency money, Hardcastle said.

Hardcastle, who also serves as president of the Illinois Home Care and Hospice Council, said a home visit is about $150 a day compared to the more than $1,000 a day for hospital and nursing home stays.

?There is such a push with health care reform ... to decrease hospital admissions,? she said. ?If we can prevent patients from going to the hospital that?s great. Home is where patients want to be.?

There are 36 hours, 45 minutes remaining to comment on this story.

Source: http://www.daily-chronicle.com/2013/01/15/kishhealth-launches-home-care-program/aywisbf/

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Police: Shots fired at Houston community college

Police say multiple people were shot at Lone Star College in Houston. NBC's Janet Shamlian reports.

By Jeff Black, Staff Writer, NBC News

Multiple people were reported shot when gunfire erupted at a Houston-area community college, law enforcement sources said.

A law enforcement source told NBC News that three people were shot and one person possibly suffered a heart attack.

NBC station KPRC-TV reported that police had one person in custody and were searching a subdivision near the North Harris campus of Lone Star College?to determine if another person who fled the scene could be a possible suspect.?

Live aerial video taken by the station showed emergency crews moving two people on stretchers into ambulances.?

Police officers in SWAT gear were shown on the video entering buildings on the campus and bringing out students.

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At least one person has been detained at the college, deputy constables told KPRC, but they did not say if that person was suspected of shooting anyone. Deputies were also searching a sub-division for another person who fled the scene. It has not been confirmed if that person is a suspect in the shooting.

A spokesperson for Ben Taub General Hospital confirmed to NBC News that two patients from the shooting had been treated there. It was unclear where the other reported shooting victim received aid.?

Witness Amanda Vasquez told KPRC she was in English class with about 25 other students when she heard shots fired, she thought in the hallway. She said she got under her desk, while other students ran out of the classroom.?

"Someone pushed a table against the door, Vasquez said. "And we were hiding and I was just trying to call me mom."

Police came in after about 20 minutes and said they could come out.

Jed Young, a spokesman for the college system, told The Associated Press that a "shelter-in-place order" was issued at the college due to reports of a shooter on campus.?Students, faculty and staff were advised by the college website to take immediate shelter where they were. The school later said it was on lockdown.?

On the its Twitter page, the school later said the shooting was between two individuals at about 12:31 p.m. "Danger has been mitigated. Situation under control," said the tweet.

Harris County sheriff?s deputies told KPRC-TV that the shooting was reported shortly after noon CT at the North Harris campus.

Lone Star College is a community college system based in the Houston region and has six campuses associated with it.

Lone Star College's North Harris campus is 20 miles north of Houston in unincorporated Harris County. The campus has roughly 18,000 students.

According to the Lone Star College website, weapons are not allowed on the campus. The school offers firearm safety courses through its Second Amendment Academy.?

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for more details.

NBC's Jonathan?Dienst contributed to this report.

Student Amanda Vasquez emotionally describes the scene when a shooter entered the Lone Star College campus in Texas and began to open fire to KPRC. The witness claims she heard "five or six" gunshots and saw one of the shooters.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/22/16645383-shots-reportedly-fired-at-houston-community-college?lite

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Downton Abbey, Season 3

Bates is in jail, surrounded by criminals who hate him, and his big problem is ? interrupted mail service

Photograph courtesy of ? Carnival Film & Television Limited 2012 for Masterpiece.

There?s a certain strand of TV criticism that is obsessed with stakes?what?s on the line at each turn of the plot, what outcomes are viewers rooting for and against. Consequences, in other words. Judging from the conversations on the great Nerdist Writers Panel podcast, the people who create American TV shows also spend a lot of time thinking about stakes.

This week, Downton Abbey proved time and again that it is perversely determined to reduce its dramatic stakes to the lowest possible setting.

Let?s review this week?s plot developments: Bates is in jail, surrounded by criminals who hate him, and his big problem is ? interrupted mail service. Ethel is a common prostitute, and her darling boy ? is safe with his posh paternal grandparents. (It?s very sad, but she already has a powerful ally in Isobel Crawley.) Matthew discovers that the Downton estate, into which he has invested his recent windfall, is being mismanaged by his father-in-law, but there?s no attempt to describe the existential threat to the Crawleys? way of life; instead Matthew?s biggest worry seems to be avoiding ?putting people?s noses out of joint.?

Even the story line with the biggest real-world resonance?the Irish people?s struggle to establish an independent state?was reduced to a question of manners. It needn?t have been. Tom Branson?s hasty departure from Dublin left pregnant Sybil alone in a hostile environment, and Tom?s political activities put the police on his trail?I could almost see him joining Bates on York Prison?s mailbag assembly line. But just as soon as Julian Fellowes set up these legitimately terrifying possibilities, he resolved them swiftly off-stage: Sybil hopped a ferry to England and made it to Downton unharmed, and Lord Grantham saved Tom?s behind with a word to a friend in London. Sure, Sybil and Tom?s lives have been disrupted, but they?re out of danger. Now they?re living in a vast country home far from the Irish conflict, cosseted by servants, arguing about where their child will go to school and whether it was bad form of Tom to burn down a castle that belonged to someone who was presented at court the same year as Mary.

(By the way, Lord Grantham accidentally revealed himself to be a closet Irish republican. When he told Branson: ?Good God almighty! You abandon a pregnant woman in a land that?s not her own?? he implicitly indicated that Sybil?s ?land? and Ireland are not one and the same, which is exactly the cause that Branson and his comrades were fighting for.)

Salon?s Willa Paskin wrote that this week?s episode ?revealed how deeply Downton has become not just a soap, but?only?a soap, which is to say a drama that is interesting only when big-time melodramatic events?like a wedding or an interrupted wedding?happen.? She?s right, I think. The strange thing is that British soaps consistently manage to turn everyday events, like infidelity and workplace intrigue, into high-stakes affairs. Last week, Hulu added Coronation Street, a British prime-time soap that is consistently the second-highest-rated show on U.K. television, to its lineup, and like a true addict, I inhaled 15 episodes over the course of a few days. Corrie is stuffed with silly, absurdly low-stakes plot lines?an epic feud between a taxi driver and a school crossing guard stretched out far longer than I ever imagined possible?but its classic soapy stories about extramarital affairs and meddling ex-lovers consistently carry serious consequences: lost paternity rights, homelessness, unemployment, and even death.

This makes me wonder if perhaps Julian Fellowes chooses to minimize the potential impact of Downton Abbey?s plot twists to distinguish his classy series from ongoing working-class soaps like Coronation Street and EastEnders. If so, I think he?s making a terrible mistake. I can?t stop watching those shows. If stakes don?t get higher at Downton, why wouldn?t I stop watching this one?

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=97499dc5c2e128589df21342c36911cc

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RolePlayGateway?

Are you interested in joining? Yay! Click riiiiiiiight.....here.
This roleplay hasn't started yet!

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Asphodel Meadows

Two otherworldly creatures have their eyes set on Earth. One wants to use Earth like a farm for its army, the other is curious about the life on Earth. They've warred over the control of Earth, but neither has won. After much deliberation, they created a game where the people of Earth decide whom will control the fate of Earth. This game takes place in Port City, a bustling metropolis on an island. The participants in this game are Chosen Ones, people who are given gifts and partners and are able to enter the war in a separate dimension called Asphodel Meadows, which takes place in the mind of the Dreamer.

Port City

In Asphodel Meadows, the world is warped, odd... strange. Those who enter cannot stay for long before they become a piece of the fabric of the dream world. To end the existence of the Meadows, the Chosen Ones must find the Dreamer and end the dream. The fate of Earth depends on it. But the Dreamer has the power to create and the creations aim to protect the Dreamer from anything.

Port City: Asphodel Meadows

Still, even to gain entry to the world, the Chosen One must follow one of the two creatures. The followers of Nyarlahotep, who wishes to farm Earth, are one team. The followers of Demiritashotep, who is curious about the life on Earth, is the other. Whichever team reaches the Dreamer first is the team whose leader has won.

That's where you come in. What is the fate of life on Earth? Will we be farmed like cattle and used as food? Or will we be at the whim of a curious overseer? Pick a side, pick a partner... and join the game.

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Rules

So if you visit the page for Asphodel Meadows, there's like, a million rules. It seems like a lot... but they're mostly just guidelines. I actually don't expect most people to read more than just the general rules, which I'm posting here! The remaining rules are there mostly so that when something goes wrong I can point you to the front page. It's just that I can see tons of places where this can go horribly wrong and I'm trying to circumvent that before the roleplay begins.

Sirius is the judge/quest giver in-game, as well as the character who will remove your character from the game (usually) via death.

General Rules

-No Godmoding. You get one warning in game from Sirius and one warning in the OOC and then you're out of the game.

-You can have more than one character. I might ask you to wait, especially if we have a lot of characters, but that doesn't mean you can't have them. If you create a profile and I agree to create your character but we have too many characters playing at the moment, I'll probably wait about a week before letting your new character play.

-Romance is allowed, but it's not the forefront so please obey the rules of the site on that one as far as what you can post is concerned.

-There is a high school in Port City. If your character goes there, that's fine. However, this is not a high school roleplay, so there is probably not going to to be anything worth discussing at the highschool. Therefore, I request that you timeskip over high school activities if you are going to use them.

-Sirius will appear to you to answer questions if you have them and you don't want to go to the OOC, but you can't fight Sirius. So please, no calling Sirius out to fight.

-Cursing? Totally allowed. I ask that you don't just spend an entire post cursing up a storm unless it's absolutely necessary for your character to do so, though.

-Please, please, please read posts before yours carefully. It doesn't have to be EVERY post before yours because I understand that's difficult. Do try to carefully read at least the ones that have to do with your character, though.

-I don't have a limit on your posts, but... I don't like horrendous grammar. So please try to have good grammar, thank you very much. Spelling I can handle to an extent. I don't want to say you need to be "semi-literate", because that seems more like a question of whether or not you're able to read. I'm asking that you use proper language. If you're not a Native English speaker, that's fine. But you'll have to let me know beforehand that you're not native-speaking.

-Even though there's no limit on your posts, please don't rapid fire one sentence responses. It's fine if it's a few times, but if all of your posts are one liners, it gets kind of annoying for everyone else. If people start complaining about it, I might ask you to clarify.

-As far as time is concerned... your character has to leave Asphodel Meadows every now and then. I'd say... for the beginning of this roleplay, anyway... If your character isn't fighting someone but uses their lowest powered spell five times, then they can't use their spells anymore. In a battle, it can be more than that, but your character has to rest after a battle. So, if you're in a battle that occurs and you fight a ton, you should probably stay out of Asphodel Meadows for a few posts. Sirius will eventually power up your character/this will change if we end up with problems, so don't start thinking I'm trying to restrict how much happens in Asphodel.

-Outside of Asphodel, your character has a job and a family. It's not necessary to talk about it (see the high school rule above), but you can use the outer world for planning and sabotage and things like that. I'm trying to say there's action everywhere, not just in Asphodel.

-I will warn you when you're treading on the rules (and you only have two warnings), but I will remove warnings. When I do that, have your character give Sirius a piece of candy in-game. Random gifts of candy to Sirius when you aren't in trouble are fine too, but I probably will check in-game rather than the OOC when I'm just quickly looking over the game.

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Characters

Human characters in this game have partners who share their bodies until the human enters Asphodel Meadows. Therefore, on this page I'll list characters, partners, and also the Gift given to the character. But there are none right now.

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Contact

Are you confused? Dislike something? Want to give me endless praise? (That last one is probably not a thing you want to do.) Use the OOC thread for most things... or PM me any questions having to do with your character specifically.

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