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cnn

(CNN) -- Uncertainty over the fate of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was further compounded Saturday by reports that two men whose names matched those on the passenger manifest had reported their passports stolen. Malaysian authorities apparently did not check the stolen documents on an international law enforcement agency database, CNN has learned. After the airline released a manifest of the 239 people on the plane, Austria denied that one of its citizens was on the flight as the list had stated. The Austrian citizen was safe and sound, and his passport had been stolen two years ago, Austrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Weiss said. Similarly, Italy's foreign ministry confirmed that no Italians were on the flight, even though an Italian was listed on the manifest. Malaysian officials said they were aware of reports that the Italian's passport was also stolen but had not confirmed it. On Saturday, Italian police visited the home of the parents of Luigi Maraldi, the man whose name appeared on the manifest, to inform them about the missing flight, said a police official in Cesena, in northern Italy. Maraldi's father, Walter, told police that he had just spoken to his son, who was fine and not on the missing flight, said the official, who is not authorized to speak to the media. Maraldi was vacationing in Thailand, his father said. The police official said that Maraldi had reported his passport stolen in Malaysia last August and had obtained a new one. U.S. law enforcement sources, however, told CNN they've been told that both documents were stolen in Thailand.

cnn

(CNN) -- I've returned to Washington after a long time away in my home in Britain to get a sense of the political mood in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election. And I'm pretty depressed to discover that everyone is talking about Jeb Bush. It's not that he wouldn't make a strong candidate for the GOP. It's that the thought of a third Bush in the White House feels distinctly un-American. Like you're all giving up on the whole "revolution" thing in favor of English-style aristocracy. Speculation was reignited -- one suspects entirely by accident -- when George P. Bush told ABC that his father is "giving [the presidency] serious thought and moving ... forward." I've heard the opposite, that the candidate hasn't quite got the requisite enthusiasm. He also has plenty of weaknesses hidden by the fact that he hasn't declared yet (voters are always far keener on people who aren't officially running than those who are). As Chris Cillizza wrote in The Washington Post, the former Florida governor's polling is unspectacular, he disagrees with the GOP base on some important issues and his patrician tone is better-suited to a general election than to a primary campaign. Having said that, Jeb would still be a more than worthy addition to the race that right now is full of newbies to national politics (Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, etc.). He has gravitas, executive experience in a major state and a record of winning votes among the groups to which Republicans know they need to reach out.

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Bill Fulton doesn't remember losing his wallet, but its return helped him remember the past. The leather stayed smooth and the cowboy design unblemished . And when he looked inside, the contents brought back memories from 1946, when he apparently dropped the wallet behind the balcony bleachers in the Baker Middle School gym. Fulton's Social Security Card and bicycle license, bearing the address where he lived during his teenage years, were positioned in their respective compartments, apparently untouched since the year after World War Il ended. Worker Nathan Osborne found the wallet -- along with old homework, lost library books and a 1964 talent show program -- while removing the bleachers for renovations on June 17. It was brought to Fulton's door the following day by Melanie Trindle, the Baker Middle School secretary. Middle School Principal Mindi Vaughan said the brown pine bleachers were connected to the gym balcony's brick wall and had remained in the same place since the school, known as the Helen M. Stack Building, opened in 1936. Fulton, 78, said he probably lost the wallet while cheering for the Baker High basketball team with a group of friends. Fulton said the bicycle ID was needed because he delivered medicine for Rodamar Drug. He was surprised, however, that his bicycle ID wasn't inside. He said he always kept it there. But rather than focus on what was inside the wallet, Fulton said the recovery has led him to reflect on his life -- one that took him to the Korean War and Berlin before the return to Baker City. He worked at Ellingson Lumber Company for 30 years, from March 1964 to April 1994. Since his retirement, Fulton has enjoyed spending time with his 11-year-old black dog, Smokey. The two often hike the nearby mountains. Trindle's knock on the door, wallet in hand, induced a slight ripple in his life, prompting him to consider the times he hadn't thought about in many years. "Where did all the times go?" Fulton said with a deep sigh. "It' s hard to believe that the times have gone so fast."

race

Is there intelligent life on other planets? For years, scientists said "no" or "We don't know." But today this is changing. Seth Shostak and Alexandra Barnett are astronomers. They believe intelligent life exists somewhere in the universe. They also think we will soon contact these beings. Why do Shostak and Barnett think intelligent life exists on other planets? The first reason is time. Scientists believe the universe is about 12 billion years old. "This is long enough for other planets to have intelligent life," say Shostak and Barnet. The second reason is size--the universe is huge. "Tools like the Hubble telescope have shown that there are at least 100 billion galaxies," says Shostak. "And our galaxy, the Milk Way, has at least 100 billion stars. Some planets going around these stars might be similar to Earth." In the past, it was hard to look for signs of intelligent life in the universe. But now, powerful telescopes allow scientists to discover smaller planets--the size of Mars or Earth in other solar systems. These planets might have intelligent life. Have beings from space already visited Earth? "Probably not," says Shostak. "It's a long way away. However, intelligent beings may contact us in other way, such as radio signs. In fact, they may be trying to communicate with us now, but we don't have the right tools to receive their messages. However, this is changing. By 2025, we could make contact with other life forms in our universe and we might help each other."

wikipedia

The Liberal Party was a political party which, with the Conservative Party, was one of the two major parties in the United Kingdom in the 19th and early 20th century. The party arose from an alliance of Whigs and free-trade Peelites and Radicals favourable to the ideals of the American and French Revolutions in the 1850s. By the end of the nineteenth century, it had formed four governments under William Gladstone. Despite splitting over the issue of Irish Home Rule, the party returned to power in 1906 with a landslide victory. It passed the welfare reforms that created a basic British welfare state. H. H. Asquith was Liberal Prime Minister between 1908 and 1916, followed by David Lloyd George, 1916-22. Although Asquith was the Party leader, the dominant figure was Lloyd George. Asquith was overwhelmed by the wartime role of coalition prime minister, and Lloyd George replaced him as the coalition prime minister in late 1916 but Asquith remained Liberal party leader. The two fought for years over control of the party, badly weakening it in the process. Historian Martin Pugh in "The Oxford Companion to British History" argues that Lloyd George: The Lloyd George coalition was dominated by the Conservative Party, which finally deposed him in 1922. By the end of the 1920s, the Labour Party had replaced the Liberals as the Conservatives' main rival. The party went into decline after 1918 and by the 1950s won no more than six seats at general elections. Apart from notable by-election victories, the party's fortunes did not improve significantly until it formed the SDP–Liberal Alliance with the newly formed Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 1981. At the 1983 General Election, the Alliance won over a quarter of the vote, but only 23 of the 650 seats it contested. At the 1987 General Election, its vote fell below 23% and the Liberal and Social Democratic parties merged in 1988 to form the Liberal Democrats. A splinter group reconstituted the Liberal Party in 1989. It was formed by party members opposed to the merger who saw the Lib Dems diluting Liberal ideals.

cnn

(CNN) -- A 7-year-old Georgia girl fought off a man who'd grabbed her in the aisle of a Walmart, with police eventually tracking down the suspect they accuse of attempted kidnapping. Georgeann Baxter told HLN's Jane Velez-Mitchell that she was in the Bremen store with her daughter, Brittney, on Wednesday. "We were walking around the Walmart, and we felt safe," the mother said, talking about how they were looking at Valentine's Day cards and toys in the west Georgia store, about 45 miles west of Atlanta. When Baxter asked her daughter if she wanted to join her to get strawberries, the girl said that she wanted to stay in the toy aisle for a few more minutes. Soon thereafter, surveillance video from the Walmart -- later released by Bremen police -- shows a man approaching her. "He came up to me and started a conversation," Brittney recalled Thursday to HLN. "After ... I said, 'I'm going to get my Mommy." The man is seen in the video picking up the young girl and starting to carry her away, as she flailed. Brittney said she responded as she'd been taught by family, including her brother in the U.S. Army, and a school counselor in a lesson on how to respond if you're touched inappropriately. "Punch, kick and scream as hard as you can, and then tell somebody that you trust," she said of what she did -- and what she'd tell others to do, if they're in the same situation. Eventually, the man put the girl down and fled the store. Police later caught and arrested Thomas Woods, whom they accuse of trying to kidnap Brittney.

cnn

(CNN) -- Jodi Arias and her legal team began fighting for her life Tuesday when a new jury heard opening arguments on whether she should receive a life or death sentence for her murder conviction. It's been a long legal journey for Arias, 34, whom a jury found guilty last year of first-degree murder in the gruesome killing of ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander, 30. This week's court proceeding in Arizona is a retrial of the penalty phase. In 2013, the same jury that convicted her became deadlocked later on whether she should be executed for the 2008 murder of Alexander, who was stabbed 29 times, shot in the face and had his neck slit from ear to ear. The impasse came when the jury voted 8-4 in favor of the death penalty for Arias, a source with knowledge of the jury's vote said at the time. "The tale of this relationship is one of infinite sadness," Arias's lawyer, Kirk Nurmi, told the jury onTuesday. "The story of this relationship is one of tragedy, friendship, spirituality, lust, passion, forbidden sex, abuse and violence." Nurmi said Arias went through an abusive childhood and developed a personality disorder early in life but had never committed a crime before the killing. She also suffered emotional abuse at the hands of Alexander, he said. She is very remorseful and is punishing herself, he said. The only appropriate sentence is life in prison, Nurmi concluded. The prosecutor in the case, Juan Martinez, cast doubt on Arias's feelings toward Alexander, saying "she loved him so much that after she slaughtered him she showed up at his memorial service."

wikipedia

Unlike the Spanish milled dollar the U.S. dollar is based upon a decimal system of values. In addition to the dollar the coinage act officially established monetary units of mill or one-thousandth of a dollar (symbol ₥), cent or one-hundredth of a dollar (symbol ¢), dime or one-tenth of a dollar, and eagle or ten dollars, with prescribed weights and composition of gold, silver, or copper for each. It was proposed in the mid-1800s that one hundred dollars be known as a union, but no union coins were ever struck and only patterns for the $50 half union exist. However, only cents are in everyday use as divisions of the dollar; "dime" is used solely as the name of the coin with the value of 10¢, while "eagle" and "mill" are largely unknown to the general public, though mills are sometimes used in matters of tax levies, and gasoline prices are usually in the form of $X.XX9 per gallon, e.g., $3.599, sometimes written as $3.599⁄10. When currently issued in circulating form, denominations equal to or less than a dollar are emitted as U.S. coins while denominations equal to or greater than a dollar are emitted as Federal Reserve notes (with the exception of gold, silver and platinum coins valued up to $100 as legal tender, but worth far more as bullion). Both one-dollar coins and notes are produced today, although the note form is significantly more common. In the past, "paper money" was occasionally issued in denominations less than a dollar (fractional currency) and gold coins were issued for circulation up to the value of $20 (known as the "double eagle", discontinued in the 1930s). The term eagle was used in the Coinage Act of 1792 for the denomination of ten dollars, and subsequently was used in naming gold coins. Paper currency less than one dollar in denomination, known as "fractional currency", was also sometimes pejoratively referred to as "shinplasters". In 1854, James Guthrie, then Secretary of the Treasury, proposed creating $100, $50 and $25 gold coins, which were referred to as a "Union", "Half Union", and "Quarter Union", thus implying a denomination of 1 Union = $100.

wikipedia

Valencia (/vəˈlɛnsiə/; Spanish: [baˈlenθja]), or València (Valencian: [vaˈlensia]), is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third largest city in Spain after Madrid and Barcelona, with around 800,000 inhabitants in the administrative centre. Its urban area extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of around 1.5 million people. Valencia is Spain's third largest metropolitan area, with a population ranging from 1.7 to 2.5 million. The city has global city status. The Port of Valencia is the 5th busiest container port in Europe and the busiest container port on the Mediterranean Sea. Valencia enjoyed strong economic growth over the last decade, much of it spurred by tourism and the construction industry,[citation needed] with concurrent development and expansion of telecommunications and transport. The city's economy is service-oriented, as nearly 84% of the working population is employed in service sector occupations[citation needed]. However, the city still maintains an important industrial base, with 5.5% of the population employed in this sector. Agricultural activities are still carried on in the municipality, even though of relatively minor importance with only 1.9% of the working population and 3973 hectares planted mostly in orchards and citrus groves.

cnn

(CNN) -- An 11-mile stretch of the Mississippi River near Greenville, Mississippi, was closed Monday to most vessel traffic because of low water levels, idling nearly a hundred boats and barges in the stream, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. "We are allowing a limited number of vessels based on size" to attempt to pass, said New Orleans-based Coast Guard spokesman Ryan Tippets, adding that the closure was affecting 97 vessels Monday afternoon and was halting both northbound and southbound traffic. Salt creeping up the Mississippi River This same area near Greenville, which sees about 50 vessels pass on an average day, has been closed "intermittently" since August 12, when a vessel ran aground, said Tippets. The Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers have continued surveying the area and deemed it "dangerous for vessels to travel through," he said. The Army Corps of Engineers also has being dredging in the area to deepen the channel and help navigation. Complete coverage of the drought A historic drought and excessive heat have reduced water levels and scorched wide sections of the U.S. Midwest. Flooding last year may have worsened the situation on the Mississippi by leaving deposits of silt and debris in areas that would normally be clear. Tippiets said he was unsure when the river would reopen or, once that happens, how long it would take to undo the gridlock. Interactive map: Watch drought overtake U.S. Are you affected by the drought? Let us know on CNN iReport.

cnn

Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue on Tuesday rescinded punishments against four players in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal. The ruling overturned a decision made in October by Roger Goodell, the current commissioner, against Jonathan Vilma, Anthony Hargrove, Will Smith and Scott Fujita. SI: Goodell the big loser here Under the bounty program, Tagliabue wrote, Saints players were given incentives during the 2009 through 2011 seasons to render opposing players unable to play. They were called "cartoffs" and "knockouts." In addition, it was alleged that the Saints offered a bounty for injuring Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre during the NFC Championship game in January 2010. In October, after he upheld suspensions, Goodell appointed Tagliabue to review player appeals. In his 18-page order, Tagliabue found that Fujita's actions "were not conduct detrimental" and vacated a one-game suspension imposed by Goodell. Tagliabue wrote that Fujita "did not participate in the program including cartoffs and knockouts and that his participation in a 'non-injury' pay-for-performance pool is typically subject only to club discipline." Tagliabue found that Hargrove, Smith and Vilma engaged in "conduct detrimental to the integrity of, and public confidence in, the game of professional football," but ordered their punishments also be rescinded. Read Tagliabue's ruling (PDF) Hargrove had been suspended for seven games but was credited with having served five. Goodell found that Hargrove falsely answered an NFL investigator's questions about the misconduct. But Tagliabue said it was not clear Hargrove lied about the program and noted that he was "under tremendous pressure to follow the chain of command in order to keep his job." Tagliabue concluded that there was insufficient evidence that Hargrove's alleged misconduct merited a suspension.

wikipedia

Adobe Systems Incorporated is an American multinational computer software company. The company is headquartered in San Jose, California, United States. Adobe has historically focused upon the creation of multimedia and creativity software products, with a more recent foray towards rich Internet application software development. It is best known for Photoshop, an image editing software, Acrobat Reader, the Portable Document Format (PDF) and Adobe Creative Suite, as well as its successor Adobe Creative Cloud. Adobe was founded in December 1982 by John Warnock and Charles Geschke, who established the company after leaving Xerox PARC in order to develop and sell the PostScript page description language. In 1985, Apple Computer licensed PostScript for use in its LaserWriter printers, which helped spark the desktop publishing revolution. , Adobe Systems has about 15,000 employees worldwide, about 40% of whom work in San Jose. Adobe also has major development operations in Newton, Massachusetts; New York City, New York; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Lehi, Utah; Seattle, Washington; San Francisco and San Luis Obispo, California in the United States. The company was started in John Warnock's garage. The name of the company, "Adobe", comes from Adobe Creek in Los Altos, California, which ran behind Warnock's house. Adobe's corporate logo features a stylized "A" and was designed by the wife of John Warnock, Marva Warnock, who is a graphic designer.

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Technology is creating big changes in the music industry. Music lovers listen to and buy music on the Internet. They can watch live concerts of favorite artists online. And music makers, as well as music industry officials, use social media to reach an increase public interest. Nick Sherwin is the founder of the band called Suburban Skies. He says today's technology permits a band to control its own future. He said, "Social media is a wonderful thing. You can make use of it to reach the public." Sherwin says the Internet and social media have created possibilities for musicians. He says the new way to success is to give visitors more than one type of experience. "The most important thing is the content. You have to have songs and videos to show the audience. But I think it is extremely important to do shows, to build your brand, and to make you well known, " Sherwin said. Music industry officials discussed the future of the business during an international conference in Los Angeles, California. They said musicians are choosing to perform live across the country, following the drop in CD sales in the Unites States. Rob Light is head of music with a creative artists agency. He said, "Most of the income for artists is now coming from the live marketplace." Along with the popularity of live music there has been a big increase in the number of music festivals. These events are advertised on social media. Pasquale Rotella leads Insomniac, a company that produces electronic dance music festivals in several countries. "Someone could make it in their bedroom and put it out there. People can gain fans online without anyone's help. That has completely helped the growth of dance music. " said Rotella. Bob Pittman leads the radio organization -- Clear Channel Communication. He says music lovers are still listening to the radio, although there are new ways of finding music. He says 70 percent of Americans say they discover new music from what they hear on the radio. But Rob Light says radio will soon be a thing of the past. However, Nick Sherwin is not worried. He just wants to reach everyone who likes his style of music with the help of the Internet.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XII Vivian read the note over a thousand times. He could not retire to rest. He called Essper George, and gave him all necessary directions for the morning. About three o'clock Vivian lay down on a sofa, and slept for a few hours. He started often in his short and feverish slumber. His dreams were unceasing and inexplicable. At first von Sohnspeer was their natural hero; but soon the scene shifted. Vivian was at Ems, walking under the well-remembered lime-trees, and with the Baroness. Suddenly, although it was mid-day, the Sun became large, blood-red, and fell out of the heavens; his companion screamed, a man rushed forward with a drawn sword. It was the idiot Crown Prince of Reisenburg. Vivian tried to oppose him, but without success. The infuriated ruffian sheathed his weapon in the heart of the Baroness. Vivian shrieked, and fell upon her body, and, to his horror, found himself embracing the cold corpse of Violet Fane! Vivian and Essper mounted their horses about seven o'clock. At eight they had reached a small inn near the Forest Councillor's house, where Vivian was to remain until Essper had watched the entrance of the Minister. It was a few minutes past nine when Essper returned with the joyful intelligence that Owlface and his master had been seen to enter the Courtyard. Vivian immediately mounted Max, and telling Essper to keep a sharp watch, he set spurs to his horse. "Now, Max, my good steed, each minute is golden; serve thy master well!" He patted the horse's neck, the animal's erected ears proved how well it understood its master's wishes; and taking advantage of the loose bridle, which was confidently allowed it, the horse sprang rather than galloped to the Minister's residence. Nearly an hour, however, was lost in gaining the private road, for Vivian, after the caution in the Baroness's letter, did not dare the high road.

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When an NBA player is young he thinks he can win the championship by himself. It is only later when he has aged and been through many battles that he learns an important lesson: there is no "I " in "team". There is no better example of the value of teamwork than the Boston Celtics. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett were all superstars on three different teams. Yet, none of them had any titles to show for it. Then, last season, they decided to sacrifice money and individual statistics to play together. Garnett and Allen joined Pierce on the Celtics and changed the NBA in the process. It started in simple ways. Garnett and Allen are two of the most intense athletes in the world. They treat every second of every practice like it is the NBA championship. If you want to play alongside them then you will have to do the same. So, the young guys on the Celtics started giving their full effort too. Pierce had been the star of the Celtics for many years. He used to shoot the ball many times a game. But with the addition of Allen and Garnett he shot less and focused on defense. His selflessness showed the young players that doing what made the team better was the only thing that mattered. When the Celtics were winning and the game was almost over, Garnett, Pierce and Allen would come out of the game. But they wouldn't just sit on the bench. Instead, they stood and cheered and screamed for their teammates. They wanted to support their friends and teammates. Now, the guys who don't play know they can still affect the game by cheering so they scream and cheer when Garnett, Allen and Pierce are playing. The Celtics have developed a strong relationship. They are more than just teammates. They are brothers. The result: the Boston Celtics won the championship and are considered the favorites to win the Eastern Conference championship again this year. There is a saying that goes, "A successful team beats with one heart." If that is the case, the Celtics may have the biggest heart in the NBA.

cnn

(CNN) -- The Northwestern football union case is going to Capitol Hill next week. Minnesota Republican John Kline, chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, said in a news release that the committee will hold hearings Thursday on the National Labor Relations Board's recent decision to categorize football players at Northwestern University as employees who can unionize and seek benefits. Kline questioned the decision. "The NLRB's decision represents a radical departure from longstanding federal labor policies," Kline said. "Classifying student athletes as employees threatens to fundamentally alter college sports, as well as reduce education access and opportunity. The committee has a responsibility to thoroughly examine how the NLRB's decision will affect students and their ability to receive a quality education." Kline isn't alone in his skepticism. The ruling has been divisive within the world of college sport and in politics. Several state-level politicians have proposed legislation because of the ruling. The communications director for the committee, Alexandra Haynes Sollberger, told CNN that a witness list for the hearing has not yet been released. Team holds union vote, but result is cliffhanger When contacted Friday afternoon, Ramogi Huma, a leading force behind the union and the president of the National College Players Association, said he had just learned of the hearing and didn't have any details. In February, the National Labor Relations Board in Chicago ruled that Northwestern's football players are considered employees of the university, since they make money for their university and are compensated with tuition. The judge ruled they often have to devote more than 40 hours a week to sport and sometimes sacrifice classwork.

wikipedia

Sarajevo is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its current administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area, including Sarajevo Canton and East Sarajevo is home to 643,016 inhabitants. Nestled within the greater Sarajevo valley of Bosnia, it is surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans. Sarajevo is the leading political, social and cultural center of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a prominent center of culture in the Balkans, with its region-wide influence in entertainment, media, fashion, and the arts. Due to its long and rich history of religious and cultural diversity, Sarajevo was sometimes called the "Jerusalem of Europe" or "Jerusalem of the Balkans". It is the only major European city to have a mosque, Catholic church, Orthodox church and synagogue within the same neighborhood. A regional center in education, the city is also home to the Balkans' first institution of tertiary education in the form of an Islamic polytechnic called the Saraybosna Osmanlı Medrese, today part of the University of Sarajevo. Although settlement in the area stretches back to prehistoric times, the modern city arose as an Ottoman stronghold in the 15th century. Sarajevo has attracted international attention several times throughout its history. In 1885, Sarajevo was the first city in Europe and the second city in the world to have a full-time electric tram network running through the city, following San Francisco. In 1914, it was the site of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria that sparked World War I, after which the city experienced a period of stagnation as part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. The establishment of the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina within the Second Yugoslavia led to a massive expansion of Sarajevo, the constituent republic's capital, which hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics. For 1,425 days, from April 1992 to February 1996, the city suffered the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare, during the Bosnian War and the breakup of Yugoslavia.

gutenberg

CHAPTER II. EVENTS AT TEN ACRES. THERE was no obstacle to the speedy departure of Romayne and his wife from Vange Abbey. The villa at Highgate--called Ten Acres Lodge, in allusion to the measurement of the grounds surrounding the house--had been kept in perfect order by the servants of the late Lady Berrick, now in the employment of her nephew. On the morning after their arrival at the villa, Stella sent a note to her mother. The same afternoon, Mrs. Eyrecourt arrived at Ten Acres--on her way to a garden-party. Finding the house, to her great relief, a modern building, supplied with all the newest comforts and luxuries, she at once began to plan a grand party, in celebration of the return of the bride and bridegroom. "I don't wish to praise myself," Mrs. Eyrecourt said; "but if ever there was a forgiving woman, I am that person. We will say no more, Stella, about your truly contemptible wedding--five people altogether, including ourselves and the Lorings. A grand ball will set you right with society, and that is the one thing needful. Tea and coffee, my dear Romayne, in your study; Coote's quadrille band; the supper from Gunter's, the grounds illuminated with colored lamps; Tyrolese singers among the trees, relieved by military music--and, if there _are_ any African or other savages now in London, there is room enough in these charming grounds for encampments, dances, squaws, scalps, and all the rest of it, to end in a blaze of fireworks." A sudden fit of coughing seized her, and stopped the further enumeration of attractions at the contemplated ball. Stella had observed that her mother looked unusually worn and haggard, through the disguises of paint and powder. This was not an uncommon result of Mrs. Eyrecourt's devotion to the demands of society; but the cough was something new, as a symptom of exhaustion.

race

First lady Michelle Obama turns 50 on Friday, Jan. 17, 2014. Michelle Obama has spent the first half-century of her life breaking barriers and checking off a series of firsts. Now, as she reaches her milestone birthday Friday, the nation will be watching to see in what other areas she will leave her mark. Five years after moving into the White House, and without a re-election campaign to worry about, she has more room to relax in her role and, political watchers say, possibly become more vocal on political issues in the three years left in office. So far, critics have complained about Michelle's silence on issues where they expected to hear her voice: Last year, at the start of her husband's second term, she disappointed advocates for tighter gun-control measures after she failed to push harder on the issue in response to the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. She also disappointed some feminists who wanted her to defend their causes instead of falling back on her self-described role as the nation's "mom-in-chief." Nor did she handle racial issues during her second term, as some had expected. "The most important thing to remember is, whether you are black, white or Hispanic, you're the first lady and the president of all the people in the United States. That's a huge melting pot, so to reinforce that she's African American over anything else would not be wise," said Anita McBride, who directs programming and national conferences on the legacies of America's first ladies and their historical influence at American University. Valerie Jarrett, a top White House adviser and a close friend of the Obamas, said the first lady doesn't want to " _ " "She really wants to have a maximum impact and to do that in fewer areas," Jarrett told the Associated Press. "That, she said, "is better than trying to take on every single possible cause." But Robert Watson, a Lynn University professor, said he expects Obama to "go a little harder at issues" over the next several years. "Second-term first ladies usually feel more at ease to speak more forcefully about issues close to their heart," he said. Myra Gutin, a Ryder University communications professor and frequent lecturer on first ladies, said she expects Obama to continue making both of them a priority in her remaining years in the White House, given their success. Michelle launched the "Let's Move" campaign in 2010. It in particular has gained widespread support, ranging from the National Football League to the Sesame Street franchise , which even gave permission to the produce industry to use its licensed characters for free on fruits and vegetables. "There's no such thing as a traditional first lady, not anymore in this technology-filled world. Is Mrs. Obama cutting edge? Is she an activist? No. As first ladies go, I think she's been politically careful because she does not want there to be a major flare-up that would require her husband to use his political capital to clean up," she said. "But she's not exactly just sitting in the White House pouring tea and having receptions, either."

race

There are three photos of my good friends on my desk. In the first photo you can see Jerry. He is a tall and cool boy with short and straight hair. He is the captain of our basketball team. He is very popular. All my classmates like him very much. In the second photo, you can see the boy with glasses. His name is Jack. He is short and a little bit heavy. But he is very smart and funny. He often tells us funny stories and makes us happy. In the third photo, you can see two girls. They are drinking water. The girl on the left is Lucy. She is a beautiful girl from London. She has long blond hair and big eyes. She can sing very well, and she can also speak a little Chinese. The girl on the right is Li Yun. She is a Chinese girl with beautiful black hair. She studies very hard. She says she wants to be a scientist when she grows up.

race

Colleges taking another look at value of merit-based aid Good grades and high tests scores still matter--a lot--to many colleges as they award financial aid. But with low-income students projected to make up an ever-larger share of the college-bound population in coming years, some schools are re-examining whether that aid, typically known as "merit aid", is the most effective use of precious institutional dollars. George Washington University in Washington, D.C., for example, said last week that it would cut the value of its average merit scholarships by about one-third and reduce the number of recipients , pouring the savings, about $2.5 million, into need-based aid. Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa., made a similar decision three years ago. Now, Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., says it will phase out merit scholarships altogether. No current merit-aid recipients will lose their scholarships, but need-based aid alone will be awarded beginning with students entering in fall 2008. Not all colleges offer merit aid; generally, the more selective a school, the less likely it is to do so. Harvard and Princeton, for example, offer generous need-based packages, but many families who don't meet need eligibility have been willing to pay whatever they must for a big-name school. For small regional colleges that struggle just to fill seats, merit aid can be an important revenue-builder because many recipients still pay enough tuition dollars over and above the scholarship amount to keep the institution running. But for rankings-conscious schools in between, merit aid has served primarily as a tool to recruit top students and to improve their academic profits. "They're trying to buy students," says Skidmore College economist Sandy Baum. Studies show merit aid also tends to benefit disproportionately students who could afford to enroll without it. "As we look to the future, we see a more pressing need to invest in need-based aid," says Monica Inzer, dean of admission and financial aid at Hamilton, which has offered merit scholarships for 10 years. During that time, it rose in US News & World Report's ranking of the best liberal arts colleges, from 25 to 17. Merit aid, which benefited about 75 students a year, or about 4% of its student body, at a cost of about $ 1 million a year, "served us well," Inzer says, but "to be discounting the price for families that don't need financial aid doesn't feel right any more." Need-based aid remains by far the largest share of all student aid, which includes state, federal and institutional grants. But merit aid, offered primarily by schools and states, is growing faster, both overall and at the institutional level. Between 1995-96 and 2003-04, institutional merit aid alone increased 212%, compared with 47% for need-based grants. At least 15 states also offer merit aid, typically in a bid to enroll top students in the state's public institutions. But in recent years, a growing chorus of critics has begun pressuring schools to drop the practice. Recent decisions by Hamilton and others may be "a sign that people are starting to realize that there's this destructive competition going on," says Baum, co-author of a recent College Report that raises concerns about the role of institutional aid not based on need. David Laird, president of the Minnesota Private College Council, says many of his schools would like to reduce their merit aid but fear that in doing so, they would lose top students to their competitors. "No one can take one-sided action," says Laird, who is exploring whether to seek an exemption from federal anti-trust laws so member colleges can discuss how they could jointly reduce merit aid, "This is a merry-go-round that's going very fast, and none of the institutions believe they can sustain the risks of trying to break away by themselves." A complicating factor is that merit aid has become so popular with middle-income families, who don't qualify for need-based aid, that many have come to depend on it. And, as tuitions continue to increase, the line between merit and need blurs. That's one reason Allegheny College doesn't plan to drop merit aid entirely. "We still believe in rewarding superior achievements and know that these top students truly value the scholarship," says Scott Friedhoff, Allegheny's vice president for enrollment. Emory University in Atlanta, which boasts a $4.7 billion endowment , meanwhile, is taking another approach. This year, it announced it would eliminate loans for needy students and cap them for middle-income families. At the same time, it would expand its 28-year-old merit program. "Yeah, we're playing the merit game," acknowledges Tom Lancaster, associate dean for undergraduate education. But it has its strong point, too, he says. "The fact of the matter is, it's not just about the lowest-income people. It's the average American middle-class family who's being priced out of the market." A few words about merit-based aid: Merit-based aid is aid offered to students who achieve excellence in a given area, and is generally known as academic, athletic and artistic merit scholarships. Academic merit scholarships are based on students' grades, GPA and overall academic performance during high school. They are typically meant for students going straight to college right after high school. However, there are scholarships for current college students with exceptional grades as well. These merit scholarships usually help students pay tuition bills, and they can be renewed each year as long as the recipients continue to qualify. In some cases, students may need to be recommended by their school or a teacher as part of the qualification process. Athletic merit scholarships are meant for students that excel in sports of any kind, from football to track and field events. Recommendation for these scholarships is required, since exceptional athletic performance has to be recognized by a coach or a referee . Applicants need to send in a tape containing their best performance. Artistic merit scholarships require that applicants excel in a given artistic area. This generally includes any creative field such as art, design, fashion, music, dance or writing. Applying for artistic merit scholarships usually requires that students submit a portfolio of some sort, whether that includes a collection of artwork, a recording of a musical performance or a video of them dancing.

cnn

Spielberg, Austria (CNN) -- Inside the Red Bull Ring -- home to the returning Austrian Grand Prix -- Mercedes toreadors Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were effectively left to slog it out by their peers in Sunday's race. Hamilton flew from ninth to fourth by the end of the first lap to once again put himself into a fight with his teammate and chief world title rival. The two Mercedes circled each other like silver sharks in the final 20 laps around the undulating circuit but each time Hamilton bit into Rosberg's lead, the German responded. There was to be no final attack and Rosberg took a third win of the season to stretch his lead in the 2014 Formula One drivers' championship to 29 points. "It's a nice gap," said Rosberg, who remains determined to stem rising expectation that he will emulate his father Keke and be crowned world champion. "It's still so early in the season. I'm more or less taking it step by step, and every weekend my aim is to extend the lead. "It worked out well and I'm extremely happy with the result." Interactive: Results and standings Hamilton had hampered his chances of clawing back ground on his rival and long-term friend after making a mistake in qualifying Saturday. The 2008 champion's fastest time was scratched because he infringed the rules by running wide at Turn Eight and he then spun on this second attempt to grab pole position. Hamilton made amends Sunday with a sensational start, which saw him jump five places on the opening lap.

cnn

(HLNtv.com) -- The father of two Southern California children who went missing after their mother was killed pleaded Tuesday for their suspected abductor to release his daughter. A massive manhunt is under way for James DiMaggio, whom law enforcement authorities describe as a friend of the mother, Christina Anderson. The whereabouts of Anderson's children, Hannah, 16, and Ethan, 8, are unknown. Investigators believe they may be with DiMaggio, 40, the owner and sole resident of the burned home where Anderson's body was found, along with the unidentified remains of a child. "Jim, I can't fathom what you were thinking. The damage is done. I'm begging you to let my daughter go. You've taken everything else," Brett Anderson, the children's father, told reporters. "Hannah, we all love you very much. If you have a chance, you take it, you run. You'll be found," he said. The father did not mention Ethan in his remarks, prompting a reporter to ask San Diego Sheriff's Department Lt. Glenn Giannantonio whether the child's remains might be those of the boy. "We don't know who that is that was found in the rubble. It is a possibility that it's Ethan. It's a possibility that's another child that we haven't identified yet, or don't realize is missing yet," Giannantonio said. "Right now, we just don't know, and we're praying that it wasn't Ethan," he said. Authorities are following up on tips and casting a wide net for DiMaggio and the children. "We've received some information that either Texas or Canada may have been the destination he was heading to. Realistically, we don't know where they're going," Giannantonio said. "We're looking everywhere."

wikipedia

The Mahābhārata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the "Rāmāyaṇa". The "Mahābhārata" is an epic narrative of the Kurukṣetra War and the fates of the Kaurava and the Pāṇḍava princes. It also contains philosophical and devotional material, such as a discussion of the four "goals of life" or "puruṣārtha" (12.161). Among the principal works and stories in the "Mahābhārata" are the "Bhagavadgītā", the story of Damayantī, an abbreviated version of the "Rāmāyaṇa", and the story of Ṛṣyasringa, often considered as works in their own right. Traditionally, the authorship of the "Mahābhārata" is attributed to Vyāsa. There have been many attempts to unravel its historical growth and compositional layers. The oldest preserved parts of the text are thought to be not much older than around 400 BCE, though the origins of the epic probably fall between the 8th and 9th centuries BCE. The text probably reached its final form by the early Gupta period (c. 4th century CE). The title may be translated as "the great tale of the Bhārata dynasty". According to the "Mahābhārata" itself, the tale is extended from a shorter version of 24,000 verses called simply "Bhārata". The "Mahābhārata" is the longest epic poem known and has been described as "the longest poem ever written". Its longest version consists of over 100,000 "śloka" or over 200,000 individual verse lines (each shloka is a couplet), and long prose passages. About 1.8 million words in total, the "Mahābhārata" is roughly ten times the length of the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey" combined, or about four times the length of the "Rāmāyaṇa". W. J. Johnson has compared the importance of the "Mahābhārata" in the context of world civilization to that of the Bible, the works of Shakespeare, the works of Homer, Greek drama, or the Qur'an.

wikipedia

Human Rights Watch (HRW) is a New York City-based international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Along with HRW headquarters in New York City, the organisation has offices in Amsterdam, Beirut, Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Nairobi, Paris, San Francisco, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Washington, D.C. and Zürich. Human Rights Watch in 1997 shared in the Nobel Peace Prize as a founding member of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, and it played a leading role in the 2008 treaty banning cluster munitions. The organization's annual expenses totaled $50.6 million in 2011 and $69.2 million in 2014. Human Rights Watch was founded by Robert L. Bernstein as a private American NGO in 1978, under the name Helsinki Watch, to monitor the former Soviet Union's compliance with the Helsinki Accords. Helsinki Watch adopted a practice of publicly "naming and shaming" abusive governments through media coverage and through direct exchanges with policymakers. By shining the international spotlight on human rights violations in the Soviet Union and its European partners, Helsinki Watch says it contributed to the democratic transformations of the region in the late 1980s. Americas Watch was founded in 1981 while bloody civil wars engulfed Central America. Relying on extensive on-the-ground fact-finding, Americas Watch not only addressed perceived abuses by government forces but also applied international humanitarian law to investigate and expose war crimes by rebel groups. In addition to raising its concerns in the affected countries, Americas Watch also examined the role played by foreign governments, particularly the United States government, in providing military and political support to abusive regimes.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XIII. AUGUST 1ST, 1714. "Does my mistress know of this?" Esmond asked of Frank, as they walked along. "My mother found the letter in the book, on the toilet-table. She had writ it ere she had left home," Frank said. "Mother met her on the stairs, with her hand upon the door, trying to enter, and never left her after that till she went away. He did not think of looking at it there, nor had Martin the chance of telling him. I believe the poor devil meant no harm, though I half killed him; he thought 'twas to Beatrix's brother he was bringing the letter." Frank never said a word of reproach to me for having brought the villain amongst us. As we knocked at the door I said, "When will the horses be ready?" Frank pointed with his cane, they were turning the street that moment. We went up and bade adieu to our mistress; she was in a dreadful state of agitation by this time, and that Bishop was with her whose company she was so fond of. "Did you tell him, my lord," says Esmond, "that Beatrix was at Castlewood?" The Bishop blushed and stammered: "Well," says he, "I . . ." "You served the villain right," broke out Mr. Esmond, "and he has lost a crown by what you told him." My mistress turned quite white, "Henry, Henry," says she, "do not kill him." "It may not be too late," says Esmond; "he may not have gone to Castlewood; pray God, it is not too late." The Bishop was breaking out with some banale phrases about loyalty, and the sacredness of the Sovereign's person; but Esmond sternly bade him hold his tongue, burn all papers, and take care of Lady Castlewood; and in five minutes he and Frank were in the saddle, John Lockwood behind them, riding towards Castlewood at a rapid pace.

wikipedia

A mandolin (Italian: mandolino pronounced [mandoˈliːno]; literally "small mandola") is a musical instrument in the lute family and is usually plucked with a plectrum or "pick". It commonly has four courses of doubled metal strings tuned in unison (8 strings), although five (10 strings) and six (12 strings) course versions also exist. The courses are normally tuned in a succession of perfect fifths. It is the soprano member of a family that includes the mandola, octave mandolin, mandocello and mandobass. There are many styles of mandolin, but four are common, the Neapolitan or round-backed mandolin, the carved-top mandolin and the flat-backed mandolin. The round-back has a deep bottom, constructed of strips of wood, glued together into a bowl. The carved-top or arch-top mandolin has a much shallower, arched back, and an arched top—both carved out of wood. The flat-backed mandolin uses thin sheets of wood for the body, braced on the inside for strength in a similar manner to a guitar. Each style of instrument has its own sound quality and is associated with particular forms of music. Neapolitan mandolins feature prominently in European classical music and traditional music. Carved-top instruments are common in American folk music and bluegrass music. Flat-backed instruments are commonly used in Irish, British and Brazilian folk music. Some modern Brazilian instruments feature an extra fifth course tuned a fifth lower than the standard fourth course.

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Lots of people make it as their aim to get to the top of Mount Everest. Mark is one of them. The difference between Mark and other climbers is that he lost both his legs when climbing. New Zealand's highest mountain, Mount Cook. He was caught in a big ice hole and he had to have his legs cut below the knees after he was saved. But that couldn't make Mark lose heart, who has become the first person with man-made legs to reach the top of Mount Everest. From the top of the world's highest mountain, Mark called his wife to say he made it. His wife, Anne got the phone when she was sleeping. She couldn't hear him clearly on the phone. She was unable to say when he reached the top but thought it was around mid-day. She also said his "legs" didn't work well sometimes, so her husband was carrying a spare leg and repair tools. Mark used to be a mountain guide before his accident. He said it was not important that no one like him had ever reached the 8850-meter mountain. "I'm not doing this to be the first. I have been climbing most of my life and I just feel Mount Everest is really a great aim. I want to send a message that I can do-anything better."

cnn

New York (CNN) -- Brooke Astor's son got one to three years in prison Monday for scheming to bilk millions of dollars from the late philanthropist's estate. Anthony Marshall, 85, had been found guilty of 14 of the 15 counts against him. Marshall was convicted in October of the most serious charges -- first-degree grand larceny and scheming to defraud. He faced a minimum of one to three years, or as much as eight to 25 years in state prison. Marshall's wife, Charlene, sobbed after hearing the sentence as supporters hugged her. One of the most serious convictions involved Marshall giving himself a $1 million-a-year raise for handling his mother's affairs, said Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann. Marshall's former attorney, Francis Morrissey, was also convicted of five counts relating to the case, including forgery and scheming to defraud Astor. Seidemann on Monday recommended a sentence of 1.5 to 4.5 years in prison. He objected to bail pending appeal but told the judge he had no problem with Marshall staying out of prison until the first of the year. He asked for restitution of $12.3 million. Defense attorneys argued Monday for the lowest sentence of one to three years in state prison and asked that the judge not impose restitution. The defense team raised concerns about Marshall's health and indicated that it will appeal the verdict. In a brief statement to the court before the sentence was announced, Marshall only said, "I have nothing to add to what my attorneys have said."

gutenberg

CHAPTER II: The Jacobite Agent. So twelve years passed. Ronald Leslie grew up a sturdy lad, full of fun and mischief in spite of the sober atmosphere of the bailie's house; and neither flogging at school nor lecturing at home appeared to have the slightest effect in reducing him to that state of sober tranquillity which was in Mrs. Anderson's eyes the thing to be most desired in boys. Andrew was less deeply shocked than his wife at the discovery of Ronald's various delinquencies, but his sense of order and punctuality was constantly outraged. He was, however, really fond of the lad; and even Mrs. Anderson, greatly as the boy's ways constantly disturbed and ruffled her, was at heart as fond of him as was her husband. She considered, and not altogether wrongly, that his wilderness, as she called it, was in no slight degree due to his association with her husband's brother. Ronald looked forward to the periodical visits of the drover with intense longing. He was sure of a sympathetic listener in Malcolm, who listened with approval to the tales of the various scrapes into which he had got since his last visit; of how, instead of going to school, he had played truant and with another boy his own age had embarked in a fisherman's boat and gone down the river and had not been able to get back until next day; how he had played tricks upon his dominie, and had conquered in single combat the son of Councillor Duff, the butcher, who had spoken scoffing words at the Stuarts. Malcolm was, in fact, delighted to find, that in spite of repression and lectures his young charge was growing up a lad of spirit. He still hoped that some day Leslie might return, and he knew how horrified he would be were he to find that his son was becoming a smug and well conducted citizen. No small portion of his time on each of his visits to Glasgow Malcolm spent in training the boy in the use of arms.

cnn

(CNN) -- Here's what I want for Father's Day: I want my children to develop a passion for science. I've decided to grease the wheels. I've called the best for advice. His name is Brian Greene, professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University. He's getting kids engaged at his World Science Festival. He has even written a children's book based on relativity, "Icarus at the Edge of Time." Icarus was the boy in the ancient Greek myth whose father crafted him wings of wax. The father warned Icarus not to fly too close to the sun. Icarus ignored him. His wax wings melted, and he died. Greene's reincarnation of Icarus was born on a space ship -- part of a community of explorers on a 25-trillion mile search for life on another planet. He is 14, which gets my attention, because it's about the same age as my oldest daughter. The length of the spaceship's journey means Icarus must live his whole life within the confines of that ship. "But," writes Brian Greene, the boy "had a palpable yearning for something beyond the life he'd been handed." One day the ship's captain, Icarus' father, announces: "We are making an emergency course diversion to avoid an uncharted black hole." Icarus has built his own small spacecraft. He has done the calculations. He ignores his father's warning. He sets out to approach the black hole, to get within "a hairsbreadth above the point of no return." He miscalculates ever so slightly and is thrust 10,000 years into the future. He is found by a new generation and is briefed on the long history he just missed, including the fact that the universe was now, as a result of the mission his father commanded, in an era of interstellar cooperation and lasting peace.

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Online with Linda Sheila Posted 18-12-18.25 I'm very worried about my friend,Joleen.She's thin but she thinks she is fat.She is always on a diet.She thinks it's necessary for her to lose more weight.She wants to be model.She has photographs of thin models on her bedroom walls.I think she's getting too thin,but if I talk to her about this,she get worried .How can I help her? Simon Posted 18-12-19.00 Sometimes ,I'm concerned about the pressure I get from my frinds.For example,yesterday I was with a group of frinds.We saw a woman lying on the street.She looked very sick.My friends made some jokes about her and laughed,but I wanted to help her.However,my friends told me not to,and I listened to them.Now I feel ashamed.It was cruel of my friends to laugh at her but I wasn't strong enough to say anything. Dear Sheila, You are right to be worried about friend,Joleen.This is a serious problem.She should not continue to be on a diet if she is very thin,she may have an illness called "anorexia".Anorexia people are afraid of eating food.You must advise her to see a doctor soon. If she won't do that,you should talk to her parents or to a teacher. Dear Simon, You feel ashamed because you should have helped the woman.You are right.Your friends were cruel to that woman.We all want our friend to like us.But we don't have to follow our friends all the time.You're a good boy.You should be strong enough to make up your own mind next time.

cnn

(CNN)Just how cold and miserable is it in upstate New York? It's apparently so miserable that even those whose job it is to encourage visits to Ithaca are telling tourists they probably should make other plans. Web visitors who go to VisitIthaca.com, the Ithaca/Tompkins County Convention and Visitors Bureau website, will now see a pop-up banner that says, "That's it. We surrender. Winter, you win. Key West anyone?" Bruce Stoff, director of the Visitors Bureau, came up with the unconventional marketing campaign. "It was 5 degrees below zero this morning when I woke up," Stoff said Monday. "Everyone in the Northeast is beaten by winter now, and we're dreaming of being someplace that is warm." The message goes on to say, "Due to this ridiculously stupid winter, Ithaca invites you to visit the Florida Keys this week. Please come back when things thaw out. Really, it's for the birds here now." It provides a link to the Keys website at fla-keys.com. A spokesperson for the Florida Keys Tourism Council called the initiative "the wackiest thing I've ever seen in my life from a tourism marketing standpoint." Andy Newman got a call from Stoff last week pitching the idea and asking for permission to use pictures of the Florida Keys homepage. This wasn't an advertising campaign, Newman said, and no money was exchanged. "I didn't believe he'd actually go through with it," Newman said. But considering the weather conditions in the Keys right now, he understands. "It's in the 70s, there's no snow and no frost on the ground," Newman said.

mctest

Bill was cleaning his room and giving away some of the toys that he no longer used. Bill put a duck and a truck in the pile to give away. He added a car and a blanket and a push mower to the give a way pile. Bill liked the car and took it out of the give a way pile, so he did not give the car away. Bill put a broken phone into the trash can. Bill also threw away two books and some used crayons. As Bill was cleaning his room his mother came in to help. Bill and his mother cleaned most of the room. When they were almost finished Bill's father also came in to help. Bill picked up the duck and the truck and took it to the car. Bill's father picked up the blanket and the push mower and took them out to the car. Bill's mother carried the trash can down to the large garbage can outside. Bill's room was all cleaned.

wikipedia

The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Busch Stadium has been their home ballpark since 2006. With origins as one of the early professional baseball clubs in St. Louis, entrepreneur Chris von der Ahe purchased a barnstorming club in 1881, then known as the Brown Stockings, and established them as charter members of the American Association (AA) the following season. Upon the discontinuation of the AA, St. Louis joined the NL in 1892; at that time, they were called the Browns and the Perfectos before they were officially renamed as the Cardinals in 1900. One of the most successful franchises in baseball history, the Cardinals have won 11 World Series championships, the second-most in Major League Baseball and most in the National League. Their 19 National League pennants rank third in NL history. In addition, St. Louis has won 13 division titles in the East and Central divisions. While still in the AA, St. Louis won four league championships, qualifying them to play in a forerunner of the World Series. They tied in 1885 and won outright in 1886, both times against Chicago, in the first meetings of the Cardinals–Cubs rivalry that continues to this day.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XXXIV THE CONSUMMATION It was hot outside in the noisy streets, but the Somasco Consolidated offices were quiet and cool when Alton entertained two of his friends there one afternoon. There is no special sanctity attached to a place of business in the West, and nobody who knew Alton would have been astonished to find plates of fruit upon the papers which littered his table, and a spirit lamp burning on the big empty stove. A very winsome young lady also sat in a lounge-chair, and Forel close by glanced at her with a most unbusinesslike twinkle in his eyes. Seaforth had been married recently, and his wife had called in to see, so she told Alton, that he was not working him too hard. "You will give Mrs. Charley some tea," said Alton. "Your husband, madam, has been brought up well, but there was a time when I had real trouble in teaching him. Forel, you'll find some ice and soda yonder as well as the other things." Nellie Seaforth laughed a little as she thrust the cup away. "No," she said; "I know where that tea comes from, and I would sooner have some ice and soda with out the other things. Have the strawberries gone up, Harry?" Alton nodded. "That's a fact, and I am very glad," he said. "You see, we are sending out about a ton of them every day, and there are none to equal ours in the Dominion. Still, if Charley wasn't so lazy he'd give you some. Can't you find that ice, Forel? There was a big lump yesterday."

gutenberg

CHAPTER IV. MONNA VALENTINA In after years the Lord of Aquila was wont to aver in all solemnity that it was the sight of her wondrous beauty set up such a disorder in his soul that it overcame his senses, and laid him swooning at her feet. That he, himself, believed it so, it is not ours to doubt, for all that we may be more prone to agree with the opinion afterwards expressed by Fanfulla and the friar--and deeply resented by the Count--that in leaping to his feet in over-violent haste his wound re-opened, and the pain of this, combining with the weak condition that resulted from his loss of blood, had caused his sudden faintness. "Who is this, Peppe?" she asked the fool, and he, mindful of the oath he had sworn, answered her brazenly that he did not know, adding that it was--as she might see---some poor wounded fellow. "Wounded?" she echoed, and her glorious eyes grew very pitiful. "And alone?" "There was a gentleman here, tending him, Madonna; but he is gone with Fra Domenico to the Convent of Acquasparta to seek the necessaries to mend his shoulder." "Poor gentleman," she murmured, approaching the fallen figure. "How came he by his hurt?" "That, Madonna, is more than I can tell." "Can we do nothing for him until his friends return?" was her next question, bending over the Count as she spoke. "Come, Peppino," she cried, "lend me your aid. Get me water from the brook, yonder." The fool looked about him for a vessel, and his eye falling upon the Count's capacious hat, he snatched it up, and went his errand. When he returned, the lady was kneeling with the unconscious man's head in her lap. Into the hatful of water that Peppe brought her she dipped a kerchief, and with this she bathed the brow on which his long black hair lay matted and disordered.

wikipedia

The region, as part of Lorraine, was part of the Holy Roman Empire, and then was gradually annexed by France in the 17th century, and formalized as one of the provinces of France. The Calvinist manufacturing republic of Mulhouse, known as Stadtrepublik Mülhausen, became a part of Alsace after a vote by its citizens on 4 January 1798. Alsace is frequently mentioned with and as part of Lorraine and the former duchy of Lorraine, since it was a vital part of the duchy, and later because German possession as the imperial province (Alsace-Lorraine, 1871–1918) was contested in the 19th and 20th centuries; France and Germany exchanged control of parts of Lorraine (including Alsace) four times in 75 years. With the decline of the Roman Empire, Alsace became the territory of the Germanic Alemanni. The Alemanni were agricultural people, and their Germanic language formed the basis of modern-day dialects spoken along the Upper Rhine (Alsatian, Alemannian, Swabian, Swiss). Clovis and the Franks defeated the Alemanni during the 5th century AD, culminating with the Battle of Tolbiac, and Alsace became part of the Kingdom of Austrasia. Under Clovis' Merovingian successors the inhabitants were Christianized. Alsace remained under Frankish control until the Frankish realm, following the Oaths of Strasbourg of 842, was formally dissolved in 843 at the Treaty of Verdun; the grandsons of Charlemagne divided the realm into three parts. Alsace formed part of the Middle Francia, which was ruled by the youngest grandson Lothar I. Lothar died early in 855 and his realm was divided into three parts. The part known as Lotharingia, or Lorraine, was given to Lothar's son. The rest was shared between Lothar's brothers Charles the Bald (ruler of the West Frankish realm) and Louis the German (ruler of the East Frankish realm). The Kingdom of Lotharingia was short-lived, however, becoming the stem duchy of Lorraine in Eastern Francia after the Treaty of Ribemont in 880. Alsace was united with the other Alemanni east of the Rhine into the stem duchy of Swabia.

mctest

Jim rode his bike quickly. It was Friday and he wanted to get to the lake. The path to the lake was long and winding. It was wetter on Tuesday. Jim had to wash his boot. His boot had once been frozen. It was frozen because he left it outside on Sunday. He had to leave his boot outside for a long time. The lake was facing the tree. Jim had to go home. He wanted food very badly. Jim went home. He got inside and looked up at the ceiling. He walked to the refrigerator. Jim took the yogurt out of the refrigerator. Some milk was on the table and he grabbed a cup so he could pour himself some of the milk. Jim also had a candy bar. Jim sat down and rested. He was tired from the long bike ride. He finished his yogurt and began planning his next trip to the lake. It would not be long before he returned. He and his boots were ready for more fun outdoors Monday.

cnn

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- Mexican authorities were searching Wednesday for two politicians accused of belonging to the Familia Michoacana drug cartel, which is blamed for killing more than 30 federal police officers in a series of attacks since Saturday. Drug violence is up in Michoacan state, shown by recent attacks on police in at least a half-dozen cities. Julio Cesar Godoy Toscano, elected July 5 to the lower house of Congress, is accused of being in charge of protection for the cartel, said Monte Alejandro Rubido Garcia, head of the National Public Security Council. Godoy Toscano is half-brother to Michoacan's governor, Leonel Godoy Rangel, who Wednesday urged his relative to surrender. Authorities also said they are searching for Saul Solis Solis, alias "El Lince," who lost his bid for a congressional seat this month. He is accused of being in charge of the cartel's activities in the Huacana area. Solis is a cousin of Enrique Plancarte Solis, a Familia Michoacana leader, Rubido said. Both suspects report to Servando Gomez Martinez, known as "La Tuta," Rubido said. Godoy Toscano was elected as a member of the opposition Democratic Revolutionary Party, known as the PRD. The party said Wednesday it would not protect Godoy Toscano or any member who has broken the law. Godoy Rangel, the Michoacan governor, told a radio station there's nothing he could do to help his fugitive brother. "I cannot protect anyone, not even my children," the government-run news agency Notimex quoted him as saying. He said Wednesday that he has no intention of resigning, because he has done nothing wrong, Notimex said.

wikipedia

The Jewish Encyclopedia is an English encyclopedia containing over 15,000 articles on the history, culture, and state of Judaism and the Jews up to the early 20th century. It was originally published in 12 volumes by Funk and Wagnalls of New York City between 1901 and 1906 and reprinted in the 1960s by KTAV Publishing House. The work's scholarship is still highly regarded: the American Jewish Archives has called it "the most monumental Jewish scientific work of modern times" and Rabbi Joshua L. Segal noted that, "For events prior to 1900, it is considered to offer a level of scholarship superior to either of the more recent Jewish Encyclopedias written in English." It is now in the public domain and hosted at various sites around the internet. The encyclopedia's managing editor was Isidore Singer. The editorial board was chaired by Isaac K. Funk and Frank H. Vizetelly. The other editors participating in all twelve volumes were Cyrus Adler, Gotthard Deutsch, Richard Gottheil, Joseph Jacobs, Kaufmann Kohler, Herman Rosenthal, and Crawford Howell Toy. Morris Jastrow, Jr. and Frederick de Sola Mendes assisted with volumes I & II; Marcus Jastrow with volumes I, II, & III; Louis Ginzberg with the first four volumes; Solomon Schechter with volumes IV through VII; Emil G. Hirsch with volumes IV through XII; and Wilhelm Bacher with volumes VIII through XII. William Popper served as the assistant revision editor and chief of translation for Vols. IV through XII.

wikipedia

The Biographical Directory of the United States Congress is a biographical dictionary of all present and former members of the United States Congress and its predecessor, the Continental Congress. Also included are Delegates from territories and the District of Columbia and Resident Commissioners from the Philippines and Puerto Rico. The online edition also includes a guide to research collections (a list of institutions where member's papers, letters, correspondence, and other items are archived) as well as an extended bibliography of published works concerning the member (a shorter bibliography is included with the member's biography). These additional resources when available can be accessed via links on the left side of the member's page on the website. Charles Lanman, author, journalist, and former secretary to Daniel Webster, gathered the first collection of biographies of former and sitting members of Congress for his "Dictionary of Congress", published by J. B. Lippincott & Co. in 1859. Lanman intended his "Dictionary of the United States Congress" to serve primarily as a guide for sitting Members of Congress, much as the "Congressional Directory" functions today. In 1864, the House of Representatives and the Senate approved the publication of an updated version of Lanman's "Dictionary of Congress" by the recently established Government Printing Office. In the late 1860s Congress offered Benjamin Perley Poore, a journalist and clerk of the Senate Committee on Printing and Records, the job of preparing a "Congressional Directory" with biographical sketches and the kind of reference information found in the "Dictionary of Congress".

gutenberg

CHAPTER XIX DEFEAT OF THE ENGLISH The explosion of the musket had been so unexpected that for the moment Dave and Henry hardly knew what had happened. Dave felt something hit him on the bottom of his left cheek and putting up his hand withdrew it covered with blood. Henry, too, was hit by a flying fragment of the gun barrel which clipped off a lock of his hair. Poor Barringford lay like one dead. Before Dave could recover the Indians were on them, whooping as if their very lives depended upon it. One threw a tomahawk at Dave, but the aim was poor and the weapon buried itself in the log which had sheltered our friends. But just at this moment, when all seemed lost, the battleground shifted and instantly thirty or forty English red-coats burst from the woods directly behind the Indians. A volley rang out and four of the redmen pitched forward, shot through the back. Other bullets hit the log behind which our friends lay, but Dave, Henry, and Barringford were not touched. Attacked so unexpectedly from a new quarter, the Indians appeared dazed. They attempted to turn upon the English soldiers, but when two more were laid low, they fled to one side, where there was a dense growth of walnuts. The soldiers at once made after them, and another skirmish took place in the forest. "Are you hurt much, Sam?" asked Henry, when he had recovered sufficiently to speak. "I--I reckon not," was the gasped-out answer, after a long silence. Barringford opened his eyes and gazed ruefully at the gun stock which lay at his feet. "Busted! Well, by gum! Didn't think Old Trusty would do it nohow. Ain't ye ashamed?" And he shook his head dolefully. He had carried the firearm for many years, as our old readers know, and to have it "go back on him" like this hurt him more than had the explosion.

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Fifteen years ago, I entered the Boston Globe, which was a temple to me then. It wasn't easy getting hired. But once you were there, I found, you were in. Globe jobs were for life-guaranteed until retirement. For 15 years I had prospered there--moving from an ordinary reporter to senior editor. I would have a lifetime of security if I stuck with it. Instead, I had made a decision to leave. I entered my boss's office. Would he be angry? I wondered. He had a famous temper. "Matt, we have to have a talk," I began. "I came to the Globe when I was twenty-four. Now I' m forty. There' s a lot I want to do in life. I'm resigning. " "To another paper?" he asked. I reached into my coat pocket, but didn't say anything. I handed him a letter that explained everything. It said that I was leaving to start a new media company. We were at a rare turning point in history. I wanted to be directly engaged in the change. "I' m glad for you," he said, quite out of my expectation. "I just came from a board of directors meeting and it was seventy-five percent discouraging news. Some of that we can deal with. But much of it we can' t," he went on. "I wish you all the luck in the world," he concluded. "And if it doesn't work out, remember, there is always a place here for you." Then I went out of his office, walking through the newsroom for more good-byes. Everybody was saying congratulations. Everybody--even though I'd be risking all the financial security I had carefully built up. Later, I had a final talk with Bill Taylor, chairman and publisher of the Boston Globe. He had turned the Globe into a billion-dollar property. "I' m resigning, Bill," I said. He listened while I gave him the story. He wasn't looking angry either. After a pause, he said, "Golly, I wish I were in your shoes. "

mctest

Kerry was playing with his toy airplane in the backyard after school one day when he saw something moving in the corner of the yard. He put down his toy and went over to look. He found a small frog, about two inches cross, jumping across the grass. Carefully, Kerry followed the frog as it jumped across the grass. He didn't know where the frog had come from or where it was going, but he knew that frogs needed water. He wanted to help the frog. He ran inside and got a plastic pail that he used to use at the beach for sand. He filled it up with water and brought it to the backyard. It took him some time to find the frog again. It seemed to be moving slower than it had before. He waited for it to pause, then scooped it up with his bare hands and dropped it into the water. He watched the frog swim around for a bit, and then carried the pail around to the front of the house. It was a short way to a nearby creek running through his neighborhood. Kerry walked slowly, trying not to spill the water. The pail seemed to grow heavier and heavier as he walked. Finally, he reached the creek. He set the pail down next to the water and tipped it over until the frog was swimming in the stream.

mctest

Paul worked as a cook in a restaurant. For Valentine's Day, he made chocolate desserts. He tripled the recipe to feed all the people. He separated the eggs and measured the sugar. Then he melted the chocolate. He mixed the egg whites until they made a thick foam. He mixed the egg yolks with the sugar. But as he was ready to mix everything, his boss asked him to do a different job. Paul chopped some vegetables. When he came back, Greg had taken over his work and made a mistake. The mix was much too thin. It looked like chocolate soup. It wouldn't rise at all. Luckily Paul was ready. He had practiced the dessert recipe before. It looked like it didn't have enough egg whites. Paul separated more eggs and mixed the egg whites. He added the extra egg whites to the mix. His addition worked. The desserts rose high in the oven. He saved the day!

gutenberg

CHAPTER V. Time and Faith are the great consolers, and neither of these precious sources of solace were wanting to the inhabitants of Cherbury. They were again living alone, but their lives were cheerful; and if Venetia no longer indulged in a worldly and blissful future, nevertheless, in the society of her mother, in the resources of art and literature, in the diligent discharge of her duties to her humble neighbours, and in cherishing the memory of the departed, she experienced a life that was not without its tranquil pleasures. She maintained with Lord Cadurcis a constant correspondence; he wrote to her every day, and although they were separated, there was not an incident of his life, and scarcely a thought, of which she was not cognisant. It was with great difficulty that George could induce himself to remain in London; but Masham, who soon obtained over him all the influence which Venetia desired, ever opposed his return to the abbey. The good Bishop was not unaware of the feelings with which Lord Cadurcis looked back to the hall of Cherbury, and himself of a glad and sanguine temperament, he indulged in a belief in the consummation of all that happiness for which his young friend, rather sceptically, sighed. But Masham was aware that time could alone soften the bitterness of Venetia's sorrow, and prepare her for that change of life which he felt confident would alone ensure the happiness both of herself and her mother. He therefore detained Lord Cadurcis in London the whole of the sessions that, on his return to Cherbury, his society might be esteemed a novel and agreeable incident in the existence of its inhabitants, and not be associated merely with their calamities.

cnn

Prosecutors are seeking additional charges against the Cleveland man accused of keeping three women captive in his home for a decade, they told a judge. At a eight-minute hearing Wednesday, Ariel Castro, 52, kept his head down, often closing his eyes and speaking only to answer "yes" or "no" to the judge's questions. Prosecutor Timothy McGinty told Cuyahoga County Judge Michael Russo there is a possibility of more charges. "We are presenting additional evidence to the grand jury next week and the week after. We expect we are going to request further indictments," he said. Castro faces 329 counts, including one count of aggravated murder for allegedly causing the unlawful termination of a pregnancy. Castro's lawyers have filed a speedy-trial motion, which would mean the case would have to be tried by August 4. However, that deadline could change if Castro's attorneys change course and ask for more time to prepare for the case. Russo set the next pretrial hearing for June 26 and told the prosecution and defense that any plea deal would need to be in writing. The defense has said in the past that it would be open to a plea deal if the death penalty was taken off the table. This week, Castro entered a not guilty plea to all charges, including 139 counts of rape and 177 counts of kidnapping Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Georgina "Gina" DeJesus. Castro fathered a daughter with Berry, according to authorities. Police have alleged Knight was impregnated by Castro five times, but he would punch her in the stomach, resulting in miscarriages and termination of all the pregnancies.

wikipedia

Wikispecies is a wiki-based online project supported by the Wikimedia Foundation. Its aim is to create a comprehensive free content catalogue of all species; the project is directed at scientists, rather than at the general public. Jimmy Wales stated that editors are not required to fax in their degrees, but that submissions will have to pass muster with a technical audience. Wikispecies is available under the GNU Free Documentation License and CC BY-SA 3.0. Started in September 2004, with biologists across the world invited to contribute, the project had grown a framework encompassing the Linnaean taxonomy with links to Wikipedia articles on individual species by April 2005. co-ordinated the efforts of several people who are interested in getting involved with the project and contacted potential supporters in early summer 2004. Databases were evaluated and the administrators contacted, some of them have agreed on providing their data for Wikispecies. Mandl defined two major tasks: Advantages and disadvantages were widely discussed by the wikimedia-I mailing list. The board of directors of the Wikimedia Foundation voted by 4 to 0 in favor of the establishment of a Wikispecies. The project was launched in August 2004 and is hosted at species.wikimedia.org. It was officially merged to a sister project of Wikimedia Foundation on September 14, 2004.

wikipedia

Stockholm is the capital of Sweden and the most populous city in the Nordic countries; 942,370 people live in the municipality, approximately 1.5 million in the urban area, and 2.3 million in the metropolitan area. The city stretches across fourteen islands where Lake Mälaren flows into the Baltic Sea. Just outside the city and along the coast is the island chain of the Stockholm archipelago. The area has been settled since the Stone Age, in the 6th millennium BC, and was founded as a city in 1252 by Swedish statesman Birger Jarl. It is also the capital of Stockholm County. Stockholm is the cultural, media, political, and economic centre of Sweden. The Stockholm region alone accounts for over a third of the country's GDP, and is among the top 10 regions in Europe by GDP per capita. It is an important global city, and the main centre for corporate headquarters in the Nordic region. The city is home to some of Europe's top ranking universities, such as the Stockholm School of Economics, Karolinska Institute and Royal Institute of Technology (KTH). It hosts the annual Nobel Prize ceremonies and banquet at the Stockholm Concert Hall and Stockholm City Hall. One of the city's most prized museums, the Vasa Museum, is the most visited non-art museum in Scandinavia. The Stockholm metro, opened in 1950, is well known for its decoration of the stations; it has been called the longest art gallery in the world. Sweden's national football arena is located north of the city centre, in Solna. Ericsson Globe, the national indoor arena, is in the southern part of the city. The city was the host of the 1912 Summer Olympics, and hosted the equestrian portion of the 1956 Summer Olympics otherwise held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

cnn

New York (CNN) -- A self-described "ex-madam" who claims she supplied fellow city comptroller candidate Eliot Spitzer with escorts several years ago is facing charges of illegally distributing prescription drugs, authorities said. Kristin Davis, 38, was arrested on Monday night and charged with selling Adderall, Xanax and other drugs. She's also accused of orchestrating the sale of approximately 180 oxycodone pills for cash. The candidate was released Tuesday on $100,000 bail, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for September 5. Prosecutors said she will have strict pretrial supervision. "Prescription drug abuse is the fastest-growing drug problem in this country, resulting in more overdose deaths than heroin and cocaine combined, and this office has a zero tolerance policy towards anyone who helps to spread this plague at any level," Preet Bharara, Manhattan U.S. Attorney, said in a statement. Spitzer, Weiner and why New York is talking about sex Davis is charged with four counts of distributing and possessing with intent to distribute a controlled substance. She faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each count, if convicted. Prosecutors allege that from 2009 through 2011 Davis bought ecstasy pills, Adderall pills and Xanax pills from an FBI cooperating witness at least once a month, paying hundreds of dollars for each purchase. She told the witness she provided these drugs to people at house parties, authorities say. An attorney for Davis was could not be immediately reached for comment. Davis' campaign manager, Andrew Miller, said he was aware of the arrest but couldn't provide any information.

cnn

(CNN) -- Middle-Eastern investment is continuing apace in the English Premier League despite the tough economic climate, with Dubai-based Sulaiman Al Fahim completing his long-awaited takeover of Portsmouth. Sulaiman Al Fahim has continued his interest in English football with a buyout of Portsmouth. Al Fahim, a board member of the Abu Dhabi United Group which bought out Manchester City a year ago, has been named chairman of the cash-strapped club after passing the EPL's "fit and proper" ownership test. He replaces Alexandre Gaydamak, who became co-owner of the south-coast club in January 2006 and took over full control six months later. Gaydamak initially invested a lot of money in Portsmouth, but with the economic downturn taking its toll, he announced last December he could no longer devote enough time to the club. Al Fahim, who spearheaded the City takeover before Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan emerged as the main backer, struck a deal with Gaydamak in late May before undergoing legal and financial due diligence. The subsequent uncertainty at Fratton Park saw full-back Glen Johnson join Liverpool in a $28 million deal, while England team-mate Peter Crouch has been allowed to talk to other clubs after voicing his unhappiness. "This appointment brings stability to the club and is excellent news for Pompey supporters," chief executive Peter Storrie, who will retain his position, told Portsmouth's official Web site on Tuesday. "I have every reason to believe that together with the new chairman we will be able to take the club forward to further achievements, building on the successes of the past three years."

cnn

Cairo (CNN) -- Thousands of Egyptians gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square Tuesday night to protest what they call a coup by Egypt's military rulers and show their support for the Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate. Conflicting reports about the health of ousted President Hosni Mubarak overshadowed the protest, as one news agency reported he was clinically dead, which the military quickly denied. "He is not clinically dead as reported, but his health is deteriorating and he is in critical condition," Gen. Mamdouh Shahin, a member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, told CNN. Conflicting reports about whether Mubarak has died "They're playing with us," one Tahrir Square demonstrator said. "All of the sudden, all of this? If he's really dead, it's God's will. I would hope he lives to see the new president." Both candidates in what the United States called Egypt's "historic" presidential runoff over the weekend are claiming victory, the latest twist in the country's chaotic political upheaval. A spokesman for Ahmed Shafik -- the last prime minister to serve under Mubarak -- said Tuesday that Shafik had won, state-run Nile TV reported. At a news conference, Mahmoud Abu Baraka said the campaign was certain it had the correct numbers. Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, claimed victory Monday and vowed to build an inclusive government. "No one's rights will be left out of it, and no one will dominate over the other," he said. Egypt has not announced an official result. The dueling announcements come amid questions over just how much authority the president will even have in the new Egypt. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which has run Egypt since Mubarak's ouster, stripped the position of much of its power.

wikipedia

Alabama () is a state in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama is the 30th largest by area and the 24th-most populous of the U.S. states. With a total of of inland waterways, Alabama has among the most of any state. Alabama is nicknamed the "Yellowhammer State", after the state bird. Alabama is also known as the "Heart of Dixie" and the "Cotton State". The state tree is the longleaf pine, and the state flower is the camellia. Alabama's capital is Montgomery. The largest city by population is Birmingham, which has long been the most industrialized city; the largest city by land area is Huntsville. The oldest city is Mobile, founded by French colonists in 1702 as the capital of French Louisiana. From the American Civil War until World War II, Alabama, like many states in the southern U.S., suffered economic hardship, in part because of its continued dependence on agriculture. Like other southern states, Alabama legislators disfranchised African Americans and many poor whites at the turn of the century. Despite the growth of major industries and urban centers, white rural interests dominated the state legislature from 1901 to the 1960s; urban interests and African Americans were markedly under-represented. Following World War II, Alabama grew as the state's economy changed from one primarily based on agriculture to one with diversified interests. The state economy in the 21st century is based on management, automotive, finance, manufacturing, aerospace, mineral extraction, healthcare, education, retail, and technology.

gutenberg

CHAPTER VII HOW JOB HASKERS WENT SLEIGH-RIDING On the instant the noise in Dormitory No. 12 came to an end. Shadow Hamilton dropped the chair and sat upon it and Luke Watson swung his banjo out of sight under a bedspread. Dave remained on one knee, picking up the books that had been scattered. "You--you young rascals!" spluttered Job Haskers, when he could speak. "How dare you throw books at me?" He glared around at the students, then strode into the dormitory and caught Dave by the shoulder. "I say how dare you throw books at me?" he went on. "I haven't thrown any books, Mr. Haskers," answered Dave, calmly. "What!" "I threw that book, Mr. Haskers," said Roger, promptly. "But I didn't throw it at you." "Ahem! So it was you, Master Morr! Nice proceedings, I must say. Instead of going to bed you all cut up like wild Indians. This must be stopped. Every student in this room will report to me to-morrow after school. I will take down your names." The teacher drew out a notebook and began to write rapidly. "Who knocked over that stand?" "I did," answered Shadow. "It was an--er--an accident." "Who was making that awful noise dancing?" "I was dancing," answered Sam. "But I don't think I made much noise." "It is outrageous, this noise up here, and it must be stopped once and for all. Now go to bed, all of you, and not another sound, remember!" And with this warning, Job Haskers withdrew from the room, closing the door sharply after him.

wikipedia

In computing, cross-platform software (also multi-platform software or platform-independent software) is computer software that is implemented on multiple computing platforms. Cross-platform software may be divided into two types; one requires individual building or compilation for each platform that it supports, and the other one can be directly run on any platform without special preparation, e.g., software written in an interpreted language or pre-compiled portable bytecode for which the interpreters or run-time packages are common or standard components of all platforms. For example, a cross-platform application may run on Microsoft Windows on the x86 architecture, Linux on the x86 architecture and macOS on either the PowerPC or x86-based Apple Macintosh systems. Cross-platform programs may run on as many as all existing platforms, or on as few as two platforms. Cross-platform frameworks (such as Qt, Xamarin, Phonegap, or Ionic) exist to aid cross-platform development. "Platform" can refer to the type of processor (CPU) or other hardware on which a given operating system or application runs, the type of operating system on a computer or the combination of the type of hardware and the type of operating system running on it. An example of a common platform is Microsoft Windows running on the x86 architecture. Other well-known desktop computer platforms include Linux/Unix and macOS - both of which are themselves cross-platform. There are, however, many devices such as smartphones that are also effectively computer platforms but less commonly thought about in that way. Application software can be written to depend on the features of a particular platform—either the hardware, operating system, or virtual machine it runs on. The Java platform is a virtual machine platform which runs on many operating systems and hardware types, and is a common platform for software to be written for.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XLVII. KERRYCULLION. Captain Clayton was thoroughly enjoying life, now perhaps, for the first time since he had had a bullet driven through his body. It had come to pass that everything, almost everything, was done for him by the hands of Edith. And yet Ada was willing to do everything that was required; but she declared always that what she did was of no avail. "Unless you take it to him, you know he won't eat it," she would still say. No doubt this was absurd, because the sick man's appetite was very good, considering that a hole had been made from his front to his back within the last month. It was still September, the weather was as warm as summer, and he insisted on lying out in the garden with his rugs around him, and enjoying the service of all his slaves. But among his slaves Edith was the one whom the other slaves found it most difficult to understand. "I will go on," she said to her father, "and do everything for him while he is an invalid. But, when he is well enough to be moved, either he or I must go out of this." Her father simply said that he did not understand it; but then he was one of the other slaves. "Edith," said the Captain, one day, speaking from his rugs on the bank upon the lawn, "just say that one word, 'I yield.' It will have to be said sooner or later."

gutenberg

CHAPTER XXVIII A DISCOVERY OF INTEREST It was a stinging rebuke, and everybody within hearing felt its effect. There was a sudden hush, and then Bolton turned and skated away, muttering savagely under his breath. Once more the game proceeded, but before the puck could be gotten within striking distance of either goal the whistle blew; and the first half of the game came to an end. "Wonder what Nat Poole thinks of his team now?" remarked Roger, as the boys gathered in a group to discuss the plays made. "He is as mad as hops," reported Plum. "He says Bolton was not to blame, and that it wasn't fair for Mr. Dodsworth to rule him off." "They ought to be satisfied," said Messmer, who was close by. "Langley, the substitute, is as good as Bolton, if not better." "Say, we must keep them from scoring in the second half!" cried Ben. "That will break Nat's heart. He has been blowing constantly that he was going to do us up." "Look out for tricks," cautioned Dave. "They may have something up their sleeve they haven't tried yet--although I doubt it." Promptly on time the second half of the game started. As soon as the puck was put into action it was seen that Nat's team had adopted new tactics. This was to "worry" the disc along close to the side line, and in such a manner that Dave's seven had to either miss it or run the risk of off-side plays.

cnn

LONDON, England (CNN) -- British police are reviewing the death of Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones, 40 years after the hard-living rocker was found dead in a swimming pool. An autographed photo of Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones who was found dead in July 1969 Police in Sussex, in southern England, have confirmed they are examining documents given to them by an investigative journalist who has been researching events surrounding Jones' death. Scott Jones, who is not related to the musician, has spent four years reviewing the evidence and speaking to key witnesses in the case. In an article published in the Daily Mail in November 2008, Jones wrote, "I'm convinced Brian Jones' death was not fully investigated. The only question that remains is why?" Brian Jones' body was found in the swimming pool after a party at his home in Cotchford Farm, East Sussex in July 1969. He was 27. An inquest returned a verdict of death by misadventure, despite post mortem results showing he had not taken illegal drugs and had only consumed the alcoholic equivalent of three and a half pints of beer. One of the most popular conspiracy theories that followed was that Jones was murdered by his builder, Frank Thorogood. The theory gained credence after Thorogood allegedly confessed to the killing before his death in 1993. The storyline formed the basis of the 2005 film "Stoned." Sussex police told CNN they could not say how long it would take to review the new material, nor whether it could lead to a full investigation.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XXXIII. TIME FLIES. Eighteen months passed away in England, and nothing more was heard of the two fugitives to Africa. Lady Emily's cup was very full indeed. On the self-same day she learned of her husband's death and her son's mysterious and unaccountable disappearance. From that moment forth, he was to her as if dead. After Granville left, no letter or news of him, direct or indirect, ever reached Tilgate. It was all most inexplicable. He had disappeared into space, and no man knew of him. Cyril, too, had now almost given up hoping for news of Guy. Slowly the conviction forced itself deeper and still deeper upon his mind, in spite of Elma, that Guy was really Montague Nevitt's murderer. Else how account for Guy's sudden disappearance, and for the fact that he never even wrote home his whereabouts? Nay, Guy's letter itself left no doubt upon his mind. Cyril went through life now oppressed continually with the terrible burden of being a murderer's brother. And indeed everybody else--except Elma Clifford--implicitly shared that opinion with him. Cyril was sure the unknown benefactor shared it too, for Guy's six thousand pounds were never paid in to his credit--as indeed how could they, since Colonel Kelmscott, who had promised to pay them, died before receiving the balance of the purchase money for the Dowlands estate? Cyril slank through the world, then, weighed down by his shame, for Guy and he were each other's doubles, and he always had a deep underlying conviction that, as Guy was in any particular, so also in the very fibre of his nature he himself was.

race

Peter was walking in the street with two big and heavy boxes. A stranger walked up to him and asked, "What is the time?" Peter stopped, put down the boxes and looked at his watch. "It's five fifteen," he said. "Hey, what a nice watch!" said the stranger. Peter smiled a little and said, "Yes, it's not bad. Look at this." Then he showed the stranger the time for 86 big cities in the world. He hit a few buttons and it told the time in Chinese. Peter went on ," You can set it in English, Chinese, Japanese and so on." The stranger looked very interested in the watch. "That's not all," said Peter. He then pushed a few more buttons and there was a small map appeared on the watch. "The map can show where we are," said Peter. "I want to buy this watch!" said the stranger. "Oh, no, I' m not selling it. I designed it myself. I spent nearly two years making it." said Peter. "Oh, you are the designer. I'll give you $ 1,000 for it!" "Oh, no, I spent more than that." "I'll give you $ 5,000 for it!" Peter stopped to think. The stranger quickly gave him a check and said ,"$ 5,000. Here it is." Peter finally agreed to sell the watch. When the stranger was going to leave with the watch, Peter pointed to the two big boxes and said, "Hey, wait a minute. Don' t forget your batteries ."

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Caught in the Web A few months ago, it wasn't unusual for 47-year-old Carla Toebe to spend 15 hours per day online. She'd wake up early, turn on her laptop and chat on Internet dating sites and instant-messaging programs - leaving her bed for only brief intervals. Her household bills piled up, along with the dishes and dirty laundry, but it took near-constant complaints from her four daughters before she realized she had a problem. "I was starting to feel like my whole world was falling apart - kind of slipping into a depression," said Carla. "I knew that if I didn't get off the dating sites, I'd just keep going," detaching herself further from the outside world. Toebe's conclusion: She felt like she was "addicted" to the Internet. She's not alone. Concern about excessive Internet use isn't new. As far back as 1995, articles in medical journals and the establishment of a Pennsylvania treatment center for overusers generated interest in the subject. There's still no consensus on how much time online constitutes too much or whether addiction is possible. But as reliance on the Web grows, there are signs that the question is getting more serious attention: Last month, a study published in CNS Spectrums claimed to be the first large-scale look at excessive Internet use. The American Psychiatric Association may consider listing Internet addiction in the next edition of its diagnostic manual. And scores of online discussion boards have popped up on which people discuss negative experiences tied to too much time on the Web. "There's no question that there're people who're seriously in trouble because they're overdoing their Internet involvement," said psychiatrist Ivan Goldberg. Goldberg calls the problem a disorder rather than a true addiction. Jonathan Bishop, a researcher in Wales specializing in online communities, is more skeptical. "The Internet is an environment," he said. "You can't be addicted to the environment." Bishop describes the problem as simply a matter of priorities, which can be solved by encouraging people to prioritize other life goals and plans in place of time spent online. The new CNS Spectrums study was based on results of a nationwide telephone survey of more than 2,500 adults. Like the 2005 survey, this one was conducted by Stanford University researchers.About 6% of respondents reported that "their relationships suffered because of excessive Internet use." About 9% attempted to conceal "nonessential Internet use," and nearly 4% reported feeling "preoccupied by the Internet when offline." About 8% said they used the Internet as a way to escape problems, and almost 14% reported they "found it hard to stay away from the Internet for several days at a time." "The Internet problem is still in its infancy," said Elias Aboujaoude, a Stanford professor. No single online activity is to blame for excessive use, he said. "They're online in chat rooms, checking e-mail, or writing blogs. not limited to porn or gambling" websites. Excessive Internet use should be defined not by the number of hours spent online but "in terms of losses," said Maressa Orzack, a Harvard University professor. "If it's a loss you're not getting to work, and family relationships are breaking down as a result, then it's too much." Since the early 1990s, several clinics have been established in the U. S. to treat heavy Internet users. They include the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery and the Center for Internet Behavior. The website for Orzack's center lists the following among the psychological symptoms of computer addiction: * Having a sense of well-being or excitement while at the computer. * Longing for more and more time at the computer. * Neglect of family and friends. * Feeling empty, depressed or irritable when not at the computer. * Lying to employers and family about activities. * Inability to stop the activity. * Problems with school or job. Physical symptoms listed include dry eyes, backaches, skipping meals, poor personal hygiene and sleep disturbances. People who struggle with excessive Internet use maybe depressed or have other mood disorders, Orzack said. When she discusses Internet habits with her patients, they often report that being online offers a "sense of belonging, and escape, excitement fun," she said. "Some people say relief...because they find themselves so relaxed." Some parts of the Internet seem to draw people in more than others. Internet gamers spend countless hours competing in games against people from all over the world. One such game, called World of Warcraft, is cited on many sites by posters complaining of a "gaming addiction." Andrew Heidrich, an education network administrator from Sacramento, plays World of Warcraft for about two to four hours every other night, but that's nothing compared with the 40 to 60 hours a week he spent playing online games when he was in college. He cut back only after a full-scale family intervention , in which s told him he'd gained weight. "There's this whole culture of competition that sucks people in" with online gaming, said Heidrich, now a father of two. "People do it at the expense of everything that was a constant in their lives." Heidrich now visits websites that discuss gaming addiction regularly "to remind myself to keep my love for online games in check." Toebe also regularly visits a site where posters discuss Internet overuse. In August, when she first realized she had a problem, she posted a message on a Yahoo Internet addiction group with the subject line: "I have an Internet Addiction." "I'm self-employed and need the Internet for my work, but I'm failing to accomplish my work,to take care of my home, to give attention to my children," she wrote in a message sent to the group."I have no money or insurance to get professional help; I can't even pay my mortgage and face losing everything." Since then, Toebe said, she has kept her promise to herself to cut back on her Internet use. "I have a boyfriend now, and I'm not interested in online dating," she said by phone last week. "It's a lot better now."

race

Johnny Smith was a good math student at a high school. He loved his computer. He came home early every day, then he worked with it till midnight. But Johnny was not a good English student, not good at all. He got an F in his English class. One day after school Johnny joined his computer to the computer in his high school office. The school office computer had the grades of all the students: the math grades, the science grades, the grades in arts and music, and the grades in English. He found his English grade. An F! Johnny changed his English grade from an F to A. Johnny' parents looked at his report card. They were very happy. "An A in English!" said Johnny's Dad. "You're a very clever boy, Johnny." Johnny is a hacker. Hackers know how to take information from other computers and put new information in. Using a modem, they join their computers to other computers secretly. School headmasters and teachers are worried about hackers. So are the police, for some people even take money from bank computer accounts and put it into their own ones. And they never have to leave home to do it! They are called hackers.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XXIII THE SPRINGTIME OF LIFE "A fight! a fight!" came from the crowd, and soon Tom and Koswell were surrounded by a number of students and some outsiders. The blow from the bully angered Tom greatly, and skating forward he made a pass at Koswell. But the latter ducked, and then came back at Tom with a blow that sent the fun-loving Rover into several students standing by. "Say, Rover, look out, or Jerry Koswell will eat you up!" said one of the seniors. "Koswell is a good scrapper," came from another. "I gave him one lesson and I can give him another," answered Tom. "There, take that!" He turned swiftly and rushed at Koswell. One blow after another was delivered with telling accuracy, and Koswell went flat on his back on the ice. When he got up his nose was bleeding. "I'll fix you!" he roared. "Come on to shore and take off your skates!" "I'm willing," answered Tom recklessly. He knew fighting was against the rules of the college, but he was not going to cry quits. The pair moved toward the shore, the crowd still surrounding them. They soon had their skates off. "Now, Jerry, do him up brown!" came from Larkspur, who was present. "Give him the thrashing of his life!" added Flockley, who had come up. "He has got to spell able first, and he doesn't know the alphabet well enough to do it!" answered Tom. "What's up?" cried a voice from the rear of the crowd, and Dick appeared, followed by Sam.

wikipedia

Saint Barthélemy (), officially the Territorial collectivity of Saint-Barthélemy (), called Ouanalao by the indigenous people, is an overseas collectivity of France in the West Indies. Often abbreviated to "St-Barth" in French, and St. Barths or St. Barts in English, the island lies about southeast of St. Martin and north of St. Kitts. Puerto Rico is to the west in the Greater Antilles. Saint Barthélemy was for many years a French commune forming part of Guadeloupe, which is an overseas region and department of France. In 2003, the island voted in favour of secession from Guadeloupe in order to form a separate overseas collectivity (COM) of France. The collectivity is one of four territories among the Leeward Islands in the northeastern Caribbean that comprise the French West Indies, along with Saint Martin, Guadeloupe ( southeast), and Martinique. Saint Barthélemy, a volcanic island fully encircled by shallow reefs, has an area of and a population of 9,278 (Jan. 2013 census). Its capital is Gustavia, which also contains the main harbour to the island. It is the only Caribbean island which was a Swedish colony for any significant length of time; Guadeloupe was under Swedish rule only briefly at the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Symbolism from the Swedish national arms, the Three Crowns, still appears in the island's coat of arms. The language, cuisine, and culture, however, are distinctly French. The island is a popular tourist destination during the winter holiday season, especially for the rich and famous during the Christmas and new year period.

wikipedia

Adult contemporary music (AC) is a style of music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, rhythm and blues, quiet storm, and rock influence. Adult contemporary is rather a continuation of the easy listening and soft rock style that became popular in the 1960s and 1970s with some adjustments that reflect the evolution of pop/rock music. Adult contemporary tends to have lush, soothing and highly polished qualities where emphasis on melody and harmonies is accentuated. It is usually melodic enough to get a listener's attention, and is inoffensive and pleasurable enough to work well as background music. Like most of pop music, its songs tend to be written in a basic format employing a verse–chorus structure. Adult contemporary is heavy on romantic sentimental ballads which mostly use acoustic instruments (though bass guitar is usually used) such as acoustic guitars, pianos, saxophones, and sometimes an orchestral set. The electric guitars are normally faint and high-pitched. However, recent adult contemporary music may usually feature synthesizers (and other electronics, such as drum machines).

race

Hello Sandy, We have just returned from our holiday. We went with our friends Edward Smith and his wife Tina to the Yorkshire Moors. This is a beautiful place. It is a natural park. There are lots of places to walk on the tops of the hills, miles of grassland with no people, just sheep and birds. Edward, who had just come out of hospital, could not walk as far as be used to. However this meant that we walked in the mornings, and then stopped at a cafe for lunch each day, before returning to the place we live. Edward and I slept in front of the fire all afternoon, while the ladies went for another walk. Very pleasant! I have taken lots of photos from the place we live, across the valley below us, of the morning sunrise, and the mist in the valley. Also, in England, the old steam powered trains are very popular. I have taken many photos of the train and from it. Yesterday we had the first snow of this winter. It is very early (we usually expect snow in January). It rained all day, then snowed in the evening. Today we have bright sunshine! Both Jenny and I are well I don't know if I told you, in the last e-mail, that Jenny is now working in a hotel. Although she has to work hard, people there are nice and she is enjoying the work. Please write to us to tell us your news. Yours, Victor

race

"I left Tangier, my birthplace, the 13th of June 1325 with the intention of making the pilgrimage to Mecca... to leave all my friends both female and male, to abandon my home as birds abandon their nests." So begins an old manuscript in a library in Paris-the travel journal of Ibn Battuta. Almost two centuries before Columbus, Ibn Battuta set off for Mecca, returning home three decades later as one of history's great travelers. Driven by curiosity, he journeyed to remote comers of the Islamic world, traveling through 44 modern countries, three times as far as Marco Polo. Little celebrated in the West, his name is well known among Arabs. In his hometown of Tangier, a square, a hotel, a cafe, a ferry boat, and even a hamburger are named after him. Ibn Battuta stayed in Mecca as a student for several years, but the urge to travel soon took over. In one adventure, he traveled to India seeking profitable employment with the sultan of Delhi.On the way, he described his group being attacked in the open country by 80 men on foot, and two horsemen. "We fought... killing one of their horsemen and about twelve of the foot soldiers... I was hit by an arrow and my horse by another, but God in his grace preserved me... ". In Delhi, the sultan gave him the position of judge, based on his _ study at Mecca. But the sultan had an unpredictable character, and Ibn Battuta looked for an opportunity to leave. When the sultan offered to finance a trip to China, he agreed. IbnBattuta set off in three ships, but misfortune struck while he was still on the shore. A sudden storm grounded and broke up two ships, scattering treasure and drowning many people and horses. As he watched, the third ship with all his belongings and slaves (one carrying his child), was carried out to sea and never heard from again. After a lifetime of incredible adventures, Ibn Battuta was finally ordered by the sultan of Morocco to return home to share his wisdom with the world. Fortunately, he agreed and wrote a book that has been translated into numerous languages, allowing people everywhere to read about his unparalleled journeys.

wikipedia

JPEG XR (abbr. for JPEG extended range) is a still-image compression standard and file format for continuous tone photographic images, based on technology originally developed and patented by Microsoft under the name HD Photo (formerly Windows Media Photo). It supports both lossy and lossless compression, and is the preferred image format for Ecma-388 Open XML Paper Specification documents. Support for the format is available in Adobe Flash Player 11.0, Adobe AIR 3.0, Sumatra PDF 2.1, Windows Imaging Component, .NET Framework 3.0, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Internet Explorer 9, Internet Explorer 10, Internet Explorer 11, Pale Moon 27.2.As of August 2014, there were still no cameras that shoot photos in the JPEG XR (.JXR) format. Microsoft first announced Windows Media Photo at WinHEC 2006, and then renamed it to HD Photo in November of that year. In July 2007, the Joint Photographic Experts Group and Microsoft announced HD Photo to be under consideration to become a JPEG standard known as JPEG XR. On 16 March 2009, JPEG XR was given final approval as ITU-T Recommendation T.832 and starting in April 2009, it became available from the ITU-T in "pre-published" form. On 19 June 2009, it passed an ISO/IEC Final Draft International Standard (FDIS) ballot, resulting in final approval as International Standard ISO/IEC 29199-2. The ITU-T updated its publication with a corrigendum approved in December 2009, and ISO/IEC issued a new edition with similar corrections on 30 September 2010.

cnn

(CNN) -- An interview with a choreographer for the Miss Universe pageant spurred controversy Wednesday over alleged claims that Donald Trump personally selects some of the finalists. Donald Trump is at the center of a brewing controversy over the Miss Universe finalists. The Q&A with Michael Schwandt, which appeared on Guanabee.com, quotes him as saying that "it's just kind of common knowledge that [Trump] picks six of the top 15 single-handedly." "And, his reason for doing so, as he told me and he's told the girls before, is that he left it all up to preliminary judging in the past, and some of the most beautiful women, in his opinion, were not in the top 15, and he was kind of upset about that," the story quotes Schwandt as saying. "And he decided that he would pick a certain number and let the judges pick a certain number." Via e-mail, Schwandt said that he "was speaking in hypothetical jest" when he said Trump picks some of the finalists and said the mogul has never spoken to either him, or any of his team, about the selection process. "The story posted on that site contains many misquotes and [is] highly inaccurate," Schwandt wrote. "I would like to disassociate myself from it completely and anything negative in regards to Miss Universe or even suggesting that Donald Trump 'rigs' his event. I'm perplexed as to why Guanabee.com would run a story such as this when they are aware that it is inaccurate." Daniel Mauser, publisher of Guanabee, said his site stands by the story, which resulted after Schwandt was contacted about his role choreographing both the pageant and a much talked-about performance by reality-star-turned-singer Heidi Montag.

gutenberg

CHAPTER 6 Can piety the discord heal, Or stanch the death-feud's enmity? --Scott It must not be supposed that such a history of Guy's mind was expressed by himself, or understood by Mrs. Edmonstone; but she saw enough to guess at his character, perceive the sort of guidance he needed, and be doubly interested in him. Much did she wish he could have such a friend as her brother would have been, and hope that nothing would prevent a friendship with her nephew. The present question about the horse was, she thought, unfortunate, since, though Guy had exercised great self-denial, it was no wonder Philip was annoyed. Mr. Edmonstone's vexation was soon over. As soon as she had persuaded him that there had been no offence, he strove to say with a good grace, that it was very proper, and told Guy he would be a thorough book-worm and tremendous scholar, which Guy took as an excellent joke. Philip had made up his mind to be forbearing, and to say no more about it. Laura thought this a pity, as they could thus never come to an understanding; but when she hinted it, he wore such a dignified air of not being offended, that she was much ashamed of having tried to direct one so much better able to judge. On his side Guy had no idea the trouble he had caused; so, after bestowing his thanks in a gay, off-hand way, which Philip thought the worst feature of the case, he did his best to bring Hecuba back into his mind, drive the hunters out of it, and appease the much-aggrieved William of Deloraine.

race

The first Ml choir rehearsal of the school year took place in the school hall. All the students joined together to sing. I watched as my elder sister and her grade came in and took their places next to us on the stage. Meanwhile, I could hear laughing. Some students were pointing at a girl standing next to my sister. I'd never seen this girl before. A girl whispered in my ear, " Did you know she's wearing diapers ?" After school that evening, I asked my sister about the girl I'd seen. She told me her name was Theresa and that she was a very nice girL ." Why were those kids being mean to her? I asked, "Because they're stupid," she said. One day, I was walking home from school when I heard voices behind me. "There's the little idiot's sister. Does your sister wet her pants too?" I walked a little faster and then I felt a atone hit me in the back. When I got home, I ran down to my sister's room. I pushed my way into her room, screaming at her. "Why do you have to be that giri's friend? I don't see anyone else being nice to her, " Janelle yelled back, Because she is a wonderful person and she is dying!" I will remember those words as long as I live. Theresa wet her pants because she had an illness, which was killing her. My sister was the only one nice enough to be her friend and stick up for her. A few months later, Hieresa passed away. I felt proud that Janelle was my sister. Throughout the years I watched her, and she always made friends with everyone. It didn't matter if they ware fat, thin, brilliant or not. She never left anyone feeling isolated or alone. It was she who changed me and taught me to never look at anyone in the same way again.

wikipedia

Motown is an American record company. The record company was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, and was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960, in Detroit, Michigan. The name, a portmanteau of "motor" and "town", has also become a nickname for Detroit. Motown played an important role in the racial integration of popular music as an African American-owned record label that achieved significant crossover success. In the 1960s, Motown and its subsidiary labels (including Tamla Motown, the brand used outside the US) were the most successful proponents of what came to be known as the Motown Sound, a style of soul music with a distinct pop influence. During the 1960s, Motown achieved spectacular success for a small record company: 79 records in the Top Ten of the "Billboard" Hot 100 record chart between 1960 and 1969. Following the events of the Detroit Riots of 1967, and the loss of key songwriting/production team Holland-Dozier-Holland the same year over pay disputes, Gordy began relocating Motown to Los Angeles. The move was completed in 1972 and Motown expanded into television and film production, remaining an independent company until June 28, 1988. The company was then sold to MCA Inc. Motown was later sold to PolyGram in 1994, before being sold again to MCA Records' successor, Universal Music Group, when it acquired PolyGram in 1999.

cnn

(CNN) -- A couple weeks after attending his first United Nations General Assembly meeting as president, Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. What a difference three years makes. Back in his first months in office, simply being Barack Obama was enough to bring cheering crowds into the street. Whether it was because he was not George Bush or because he was promising to end American policies that were widely despised or whether it was because -- as the first African-American to be elected U.S. president, he embodied an ideal of opportunity for all that was core to this country's appeal -- it hardly mattered. Convene a crowd, and they would find something to like about Barack Obama. Back then, he seized the moment with great speeches that offered a vision for a new era in American leadership. In Cairo, he spoke of new relations with the Islamic world. In Prague, he spoke of eliminating nuclear weapons. He embraced the G-20 as a mechanism of coordinating the response to the global economic crisis. He didn't bully. He charmed. Indeed, Obama is probably the first person ever to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize largely for his charm. Or, alternatively, he may be the first person ever to have won the Nobel Peace Prize for the simple achievement of not having been the guy who had the job before him. (This can be an important achievement. Former U.S. Commerce Secretary Pete Peterson once said one of the secrets to job success is picking the right predecessor.)

race

Country singer and songwriter Adrienne Young brings together music and agricultural activities.She even included seeds in the album cover of her first CD. Adrienne Young wants people to know that she supports the movement in America to increase local farming.She offers information about agricultural issues on her Web site.And now part of the moneyfrom her third and newest release, "Room to Grow",will be donated to help support community gardens. Adrienne Young's family has lived in Florida for seven generations.Her ancestors helped develop the agriculture industry there.The state of Florida is the nation's second largest producer of fruits and vegetables, 'after California. Adrienne Young has said that her interest in nature was shaped by the fact that she did not grow up on a farm.She grew up in a house her grandfather build on what had been farmland two generations ago.But the land was developed and was now part of a highway. Adrienne Young has teamed up with two organizations that support local farming and gardening efforts.One is the American Community Gardening Association.The other is FoodRoutes,a group she has represented for several years. FoodRoutes says buying locally grown food is not only about taste and freshness.The group says buying locally also helps to strengthen local economies and protect the environment.Exports say food in the United States travels all average of more than three thousand kilometers from farm to store.

wikipedia

The Government of India (GoI) is the union government created by the constitution of India as the legislative, executive and judicial authority of the union of 29 states and seven union territories of a constitutionally democratic republic. It is located in New Delhi, the capital of India. The full name of India is the Republic of India. The names of India have a long and complex history which stem all the way back to the Greek and Roman times. It is thought that the word Hindustan comes from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, which means "the sea". This evolved in the word Hindu and Hindustan. India comes from the Indus river and the Greeks and Romans wrote about it as India. This became widespread in their writing and then commonly used to refer to the area between the Indus and the Ganges. As time went on, the British favored using India on their maps and this became more commonplace than Hindustan. Affecting the Westminster system for governing the state, the union government is mainly composed of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, in which all powers are vested by the Constitution in Parliament, the Prime Minister and the Supreme Court. The President of India is the Head of State and the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces while the elected Prime Minister acts as the chief executive (of the executive branch) and is responsible for running the union government. There is a bicameral Parliament with the Lok Sabha as a lower house and the Rajya Sabha as an upper house. The judicial branch systematically contains an apex Supreme Court, 24 high courts, and several district courts, all inferior to the Supreme Court.

wikipedia

Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) is a set of communication standards for simultaneous digital transmission of voice, video, data, and other network services over the traditional circuits of the public switched telephone network. It was first defined in 1988 in the CCITT red book. Prior to ISDN, the telephone system was viewed as a way to transport voice, with some special services available for data. The key feature of ISDN is that it integrates speech and data on the same lines, adding features that were not available in the classic telephone system. The ISDN standards define several kinds of access interfaces, such as Basic Rate Interface (BRI), Primary Rate Interface (PRI), Narrowband ISDN (N-ISDN), and Broadband ISDN (B-ISDN). ISDN is a circuit-switched telephone network system, which also provides access to packet switched networks, designed to allow digital transmission of voice and data over ordinary telephone copper wires, resulting in potentially better voice quality than an analog phone can provide. It offers circuit-switched connections (for either voice or data), and packet-switched connections (for data), in increments of 64 kilobit/s. In some countries, ISDN found major market application for Internet access, in which ISDN typically provides a maximum of 128 kbit/s bandwidth in both upstream and downstream directions. Channel bonding can achieve a greater data rate; typically the ISDN B-channels of three or four BRIs (six to eight 64 kbit/s channels) are bonded.

cnn

(CNN) -- At an auction at a gallery in New York recently, a piece of artwork sold for a higher price than had been anticipated by the auctioneers: $4,080. It wasn't a very big piece of art -- just 8-by-10 inches. Technically, it wasn't even art. It was a glossy black-and-white photograph. It had a slight imperfection: there were staple holes in the upper left-hand corner. Someone had written all over the front of the photograph. The person who had scrawled on it was, in fact, the subject of the photograph. He had written: "To Patricia Keating, with very best wishes, John Kennedy" That is what made the photo so valuable to someone: Kennedy had held it in his hands, had run his pen over it. The owners of Swann Galleries, where the signed photo was auctioned, believe that Kennedy had autographed the picture in 1956, when he was a United States senator. The picture itself wasn't worth much; but his signature, personalized to Patricia Keating. ... "As far as we know, she wasn't anyone famous," Rebecca Weiss, a Swann Galleries employee, told me on the day after the auction. "There's no particular significance to her name." Then why would someone pay more than $4,000 for the photo? Weiss told me that the identities of the buyers and sellers at Swann auctions are kept confidential, so she could not disclose who had consigned the photo for sale, or who had purchased it. But she said there is a pretty safe rule of thumb about the sale of autographs of renowned men and women:

cnn

New Delhi (CNN) -- A lawyer who says he's representing three of the five men charged with raping and fatally beating a woman on a New Delhi bus said Tuesday that he has advised his clients to plead not guilty. "So far they have agreed to my advice, but a clearer picture will emerge by tomorrow evening," the attorney, Manohar Lal Sharma, told CNN. "I fear they might come under pressure to change their mind." Sharma said one of those he is representing is Ram Singh, the main accused in the case. The other two are Mukesh Singh and Akshay Thakur, he said. The horrific attack on the 23-year-old woman in New Delhi on December 16 has prompted angry protests over the country's treatment of women and handling of sexual attacks. India's interior minister has said he was also working with security officials to strengthen laws regarding rape and assault following the attack, which also stirred outrage worldwide. Proceedings against the five adult suspects began Monday, when a New Delhi judge ordered the trial closed after tempers flared inside the packed courtroom. Some lawyers loudly criticized colleagues for offering to represent the suspects, with one young lawyer shouting at Sharma, "You will not defend those barbarians." The magistrate, Namrita Aggarwal, ordered that the hearing take place behind closed doors and barred news outlets from publishing proceedings related to the case without the court's permission, citing concerns about the suspects' safety. The five men in court this week are charged with murder, rape and kidnapping, and could be sentenced to death if convicted. A juvenile court will take up the matter of determining the age of a sixth suspect, who claims to be 17 and therefore not old enough to be tried as an adult, CNN affiliate IBN reported.

wikipedia

Copyright infringement is the use of works protected by copyright law without permission, infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, such as the right to reproduce, distribute, display or perform the protected work, or to make derivative works. The copyright holder is typically the work's creator, or a publisher or other business to whom copyright has been assigned. Copyright holders routinely invoke legal and technological measures to prevent and penalize copyright infringement. Copyright infringement disputes are usually resolved through direct negotiation, a notice and take down process, or litigation in civil court. Egregious or large-scale commercial infringement, especially when it involves counterfeiting, is sometimes prosecuted via the criminal justice system. Shifting public expectations, advances in digital technology, and the increasing reach of the Internet have led to such widespread, anonymous infringement that copyright-dependent industries now focus less on pursuing individuals who seek and share copyright-protected content online, and more on expanding copyright law to recognize and penalize – as "indirect" infringers – the service providers and software distributors which are said to facilitate and encourage individual acts of infringement by others.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XXV THE MAN AT POINT VIEW LODGE At first it was an even race. Reff Ritter knew how to handle an iceboat to perfection and brought his craft up in the breeze in a manner that won considerable admiration. "Take care that he doesn't beat you, Fred," said Pepper. "If he does, he will never get done crowing over you." "This race isn't over yet," answered the owner of the _Skimmer_. "Wait till we round the bend yonder." When the bend mentioned was gained the _Rosebud_ was a good three lengths in the lead. "Good-by!" shouted Coulter. "Here is where we leave you behind!" "Your iceboat isn't in it with this," added Mumps. "We'll tell them you are coming by-and-by!" came from Ritter. "Don't answer them," whispered Jack. "Fred, can we do anything to help the boat along?" "Just shift a little more to the left--that's it," was the reply. "Now we'll soon get the breeze and then we'll do better." Fred's words proved true. As the _Skimmer_ rounded the bend, a good, stiff blast struck her sails and away she started after the _Rosebud_. "Now we are going some!" cried Andy, his face brightening. "Make her hum!" cried Pepper. Slowly but surely the _Skimmer_ crept up on the _Rosebud_, until the bow of the second craft overlapped the stern of the first. "Not walking away so fast now, are you?" questioned Pepper, cheerily. "Just wait, we'll beat you, see if we don't!" growled Coulter. "Swing the mainsail over!" cried Ritter.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XIII DORA, GRACE AND NELLIE That Tad Sobber was in a thorough rage was easily to be seen. His eyes were full of hate and he looked ready to fly at Tom and tear him to pieces. All of the boys expected to see a great fight, and some backed away from the landing, to give the contestants more room. But before anything could be done Dick leaped to the front and barred the bully's further progress. "Stop it, Sobber," he said quietly but firmly. "Get out of my way, Dick Rover!" roared the bully. "This is none of your affair." "Then I'll make it my affair," answered the eldest Rover boy. "You shall not attack my brother here." "Don't worry, Dick--I can take care of him," put in Tom, undauntedly, and doubled up his fists. "Maybe he'd like to go down stairs again and smash some more dishes." "Not when John Fly am carryin' dem," put in the colored waiter, who stood looking at the wreckage with a sober face. "I don't want no moah such knockovers, I don't!" And he shook his woolly head decidedly. The noise had summoned numerous cadets to the scene, and now George Strong, the head teacher, appeared. "What is the trouble here?" he demanded. For the moment nobody answered him, and he gazed in wonderment at the broken dishes and the scattered food. "Been a accident, sah," said John Fly. "Dat young gen'man dun fall down de stairs an' knock me ober, tray an' all, sah."

mctest

Laura wanted to go to the park and play because she wanted to see her friends. When she got to the park Laura did not see anyone. After looking, she saw her friend George by the basketball hoop. George was playing all by himself. George was happy when he saw Laura. Laura and George played basketball they saw the ice cream man driving in his truck. George asked Laura if she wanted him to buy her an ice cream cone. Laura said she would like him to do that. Laura sat on the bench as George walked to the ice cream truck. Laura looked in the sky and saw a pretty bird flying in a large circle. The bird flew away. George came back with two ice cream cones. One of the ice cream cones had rainbow sprinkles on it. George gave the ice cream cone with sprinkles to Laura. George and Laura sat on the bench and watched a group of boys play football as they ate their ice cream cones. One of the boys broke his leg. When George and Laura were finished with their ice cream, Laura ran home before the street lights came on.

race

Edith Cavell was born in a little English village. She was a clever; hard-working girl and did well at school; especially in music and French. After she left school; her first job was to take care of the children of a rich family in Belgium . The language they spoke was French; so she found that her school studies were useful. She could understand them easily; at the same time she taught the children to speak English and play the piano. After hearing that her father was seriously ill; Edith returned home to look after him. She then decided to become a nurse. Afterwards for five years she worked in an English hospital where she proved to be highly professional at her job. A Belgian doctor was so impressed that he invited her to his country to organize a training school for nurses. The First World War broke out in 1914 and Edith Cavell's school of nursing became a hospital. She stayed there to look after the sick and wounded soldiers . Edith treated them with kindness. Between November 1914 and August 1915 she secretly helped about 200 wounded soldiers and prisoners escape from the Germans. Later the German army found out what Edith had done and they arrested her. Finally; the Germans killed her; but they could not _ . A tall statue has been built in Trafalgar Square; London; in honor of the brave English nurse.

mctest

Joey got a German Shepherd for his birthday present. He had never had any pets before, but was always excited to see the other dogs and cats in his neighborhood. Since his birthday was in June, he spent a lot of time playing outside with his new puppy, which he named Max. Max and Joey would often run through fields in a game of chase. They also liked to go through the small forest behind the house, making a game of hide and seek. They never went near the lake because Joey was afraid of water. One day, Max hid a little too well and Joey couldn't find him. Joey spent the afternoon looking for his German Shepherd where they often played, like the field and forest. Joey was a shy boy who often read by himself, and Max was his best friend. After dinner, he went to look for Max one last time before he had to take a bath and go to bed. He heard some barking on the next street, so he ran to see if it was his puppy. Sure enough, he saw Max playing with a poodle. The dogs were having so much fun. Joey brought Max home, happy that he had his puppy back. Max seemed to be happy to have his human by his side as well as a new doggy friend. All summer long, Joey took Max to the poodle's house so they could play without having to worry about losing his present.

mctest

Once upon a time there was a cow. It was a very happy cow. The cow put his chin in the window. Then the cow put a rock in a window. The cow was done putting things in the window. The cow talked to his daddy. Then the cow talked to his granddaddy. Then it was time for the cow to eat lunch. The cow took a long time to eat lunch. The cow ate some chips for lunch. The cow didn't eat a sandwich or a pickle for lunch. The cow was getting very sleepy. The cow wanted to take a nap. The cow went to his bed. There was a book on the bed. The cow could not sleep on his bed. The cow took the book off his bed. Then the cow could take a nap. The cow was very happy that it could take a nap on its bed. The cow was a good cow.

cnn

(CNN) -- Polk County, Florida, detectives arrested a man Tuesday in connection with the slaying of a priest in Mississippi. Jeremy Manieri, 31, was wanted by Waveland, Mississippi, police in connection with the Rev. Edward Everitt's death Sunday, said Donna Wood, a Polk County Sheriff's officer. "Mr. Manieri was one of the last people ... that we know of to see Father Everitt," said Waveland Police Chief James Varnell. "We believe that his motive is robbery." Everitt, 70, was found dead Monday in the Dominican Retreat house in Waveland, Varnell said. He presided over the Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Hammond, Louisiana. "This tragic loss of Father Ed's life leaves a deeply felt void in all our lives," said Bishop Robert Muench of Baton Rouge. Everitt was spending a few days of vacation at the Waveland house, which had been rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina, said a statement from the Southern Dominican Province, an order of friars. Everitt and Manieri had met two weeks before the death in Waveland. Everitt was going to hire Manieri to do a construction project there, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said. Judd said police got a "very detailed confession" out of Manieri upon his arrest. Sunday, Manieri and Everitt argued in the Waveland house, according to the confession, Judd said. Manieri found a firearm and shot Everitt twice. Manieri took Everitt's wallet and his vehicle, a 2011 silver GMC HHR, then called his ex-wife, Judd said. Manieri told his ex-wife he was working on an oil rig and would take her, her son and his daughter to Disney World in Florida when he got his first paycheck, Judd said. The family left Sunday night after the homicide, stopping in Mobile, Alabama, for one evening.

cnn

(CNN) -- Lucky fans were treated to the first ever footage from upcoming teen dystopic film "Divergent" at Comic-Con yesterday. The primary cast of the film, as well as director Neil Burger ("Limitless") and book author Veronica Roth, spoke about the film's potential as the so-called next "Hunger Games" and offered hints about what's to come from the franchise. The futuristic film stars Shailene Woodley as a teenager named Tris who is forced to decide between the societal faction her family belongs to and the one she feels is right for her. It will be released in theaters on March 21, 2014. Woodley, who finished filming only two days prior to Comic-Con, is already preparing for the wash of fame that will follow should the movie be a success. Harrison Ford talks 'Ender's Game' "I did audition for 'The Hunger Games' back in the day," Woodley told reporters at a press conference on Thursday, July 18. "Jennifer Lawrence actually helped me with 'Divergent' because I asked her to tell me how her life has changed from going from small indie movies to something as big as 'Hunger Games.' And she gave me really beautiful advice saying how much she appreciated it and how much it's changed her life in positive ways. She really helped me on this journey." The actress cited filming the book's integral scene on Chicago's famous Navy Pier -- Ferris wheel as her favorite moment in the film -- as well as one of her favorite moments in her life. The big-budget, action-based picture is a far cry from some of Woodley's previous roles, which include "The Descendents" and next month's "The Spectacular Now." For the actress and her co-stars, many of whom are largely unknown actors, "Divergent" was a chance to experience new methods of filmmaking.

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Liverpool is famed for many things -- most especially The Beatles and its football team. But few would associate the city with one of the most famous political speeches in history. Yet tourism officials in the city have published the claim that Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" was written at a city centre hotel. The allegation has been made in a guide to a major art event named Liverpool Discovers. A map in the guide shows more than 20 locations where famous people were born along with places associated with celebrities and events in their life. The guide claims, "Martin Luther King visited his supporters in Liverpool three times, and the first draft of his famous speech 'I Have a Dream' is claimed to have been written at Adelphi Hotel." The speech, delivered to civil rights campaigners on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington in 1963, is one of the most quoted texts in history and was a definitive moment in the American Civil Rights Movement and in the fight for racial equality. Dr. King's biographer, Godfrey Hodgson, said that the suggestion did not fit the facts. He said, "I don't believe it. If he had been to Liverpool, there would have been massive media reports, as he would have been a big figure by then. Dr. King did visit the UK on a number of occasions but he was not in the UK around the time of this famous speech in 1963."Prof. John Belcham, a history lecturer of University of Liverpool who wrote an 800year history of Liverpool in 2008, confirmed that he was unaware of any connection between Dr. King and the city.

race

BALTIMORE. MARYLAND--An old postcard changed the lives of an eleven-year-old boy and a very sick woman. The postcard had a picture of the steamship Titanic. The Titanic was the largest ocean ship in the world. It hit an iceberg and sank on April 14. 1912. More than 1,500 of the 2,200 people on the ship were killed. The postcard was passed from one person to another for more than 80 years. Then it appeared at a card show for people who liked to collect postcards. An eleven-year-old boy, Joey Russell, came to the show with his grandfather. His grandfather knew everything about the Titanic and its trip from England to New York. "Let's buy that postcard." he told Joey. "It will be important someday." Two years later, Joey's grandfather took him on a special trip. They went on a trip to the North Atlantic ocean to watch as workers pulled the Titanic up from the bottom of the ocean. Joey put his special postcard in his bag for the trip. On the ship, Joey met Edith Haisman. This woman was on the Titanic when it sank. She was one of the people who were _ Joey pulled the postcard out of his pocket. "Please sign this, Mrs. Haisman." he said. She was happy to write her name on the back of the postcard. When Joey got home, he put the postcard away and forgot about it, Then Kate Shelley, one of Joey's friends, told him that her mother was very sick. She needed an operation, but there was a problem. The operation was very expensive, and the family needed $80, 000 to pay for it. Friends and relatives tried to help. But where could they get so much money? Then when Joey went to see the new movie "Titanic", he had an idea. "Millions of people are seeing this movie and reading about the Titanic." Joey thought. He remembered the old postcard with Edith Haisman's signature on it. "Maybe I can sell it for some money. Then I can help Kate's mom." Joey told his mother and father about his idea to help Mrs. Shelley. His parents helped him try to sell the postcard to the person who would pay the most money for it. Joey's story was on television and in newspapers. Joey and Kate even went to New York to be on a national TV show. After the show, many people called in to offer money for the Titanic card. Someone bought it for $60. 000. Joey's kind heart and the old Titanic postcard worked together to save a woman's life.

cnn

Washington (CNN) -- At its essence, the presidential inaugural symbolizes American democracy's peaceful transition or extension of power. Every four years, the winner of the preceding November election swears to defend the Constitution. Cannons boom and bands play. It all unfolds outside in public, usually before a massive throng that thunders its approval. The simple practice and symbolism of inaugurating a president has remained consistent throughout American history -- 56 times before Sunday -- although the date, the pomp and the ceremony have changed since George Washington took the first oath 224 years ago. 13 reasons to follow the inauguration on CNN's platforms and nowhere else The first Thirteen years after the Declaration of Independence and more than a year and a half after the Constitution was ratified, Washington was sworn in on April 20, 1789, at Federal Hall in New York. The capital city later named for Washington was just a swamp at the time. He set the precedent of kissing the Bible after the oath. Champagne glasses and buttons galore: Obama swag at Inaugural store Franklin Pierce broke the tradition of kissing the Bible. He placed his left hand on it instead in 1853. Washington is also credited with creating other traditions. For instance, he started the inaugural parade when government officials, members of Congress, Army units, and prominent citizens escorted him to the ceremony. The oath The oath of office is specified in Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution. The oath for other federal officials, including the vice president, is not in the Constitution.

cnn

(CNN) -- Chinese pair Yuan Cao and Yanquan Zhang claimed gold in Monday's men's synchronized ten meter diving final. The reigning world champions scored 99.36 with a near faultless final dive to claim the Olympic title. The silver medal went to Mexican pair Ivan Garcia-Navarro and German Sanchez-Sanchez, who pushed the American team of David Boudia and Nicholas McCrory into the bronze medal position with a strong final set of dives. "We're very happy. Coming from China, of course, we hope we can win more medals," said Cao. "If we are strong at diving it comes from good coaching, diving every day and hard work. Nothing more." Tom Daley, icon of the British team, and his partner Pete Waterfield led after two rounds, but blew their chances of a medal with a poor dive in round four. British Prime Minister David Cameron made his first trip to the aquatics center to see Daley and Waterfield in action, but he couldn't spur the pair to a podium finish. Cao, 17, and Zhang, 18, had been favorites to take gold in London after a dominating display in February's world championships, also held at the Olympic aquatic center. China now have two diving golds after Wu Minxia and He Zi won the women's synchronized three meter springboard diving on Sunday. "We had the highest score we have ever got after the first three, but at this level of competition, you can't afford to miss a single dive," Daley said afterwards. The 18 year old diver refused to blame a mistake from Waterfield, 31, in the fourth round for their failure to win a medal, declaring that "you win as a team and you lose as a team."

gutenberg

CHAPTER XXI Graham, riding solitary through the redwood canyons among the hills that overlooked the ranch center, was getting acquainted with Selim, the eleven-hundred-pound, coal-black gelding which Dick had furnished him in place of the lighter Altadena. As he rode along, learning the good nature, the roguishness and the dependableness of the animal, Graham hummed the words of the "Gypsy Trail" and allowed them to lead his thoughts. Quite carelessly, foolishly, thinking of bucolic lovers carving their initials on forest trees, he broke a spray of laurel and another of redwood. He had to stand in the stirrups to pluck a long- stemmed, five-fingered fern with which to bind the sprays into a cross. When the patteran was fashioned, he tossed it on the trail before him and noted that Selim passed over without treading upon it. Glancing back, Graham watched it to the next turn of the trail. A good omen, was his thought, that it had not been trampled. More five-fingered ferns to be had for the reaching, more branches of redwood and laurel brushing his face as he rode, invited him to continue the manufacture of patterans, which he dropped as he fashioned them. An hour later, at the head of the canyon, where he knew the trail over the divide was difficult and stiff, he debated his course and turned back. Selim warned him by nickering. Came an answering nicker from close at hand. The trail was wide and easy, and Graham put his mount into a fox trot, swung a wide bend, and overtook Paula on the Fawn.

wikipedia

Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I, George II, George III, and George IV—who reigned in continuous succession from August 1714 to June 1830. The style was revived in the late 19th century in the United States as Colonial Revival architecture and in the early 20th century in Great Britain as Neo-Georgian architecture; in both it is also called Georgian Revival architecture. In America the term "Georgian" is generally used to describe all building from the period, regardless of style; in Britain it is generally restricted to buildings that are "architectural in intention", and have stylistic characteristics that are typical of the period, though that covers a wide range. The style of Georgian buildings is very variable, but marked by a taste for symmetry and proportion based on the classical architecture of Greece and Rome, as revived in Renaissance architecture. Ornament is also normally in the classical tradition, but typically rather restrained, and sometimes almost completely absent on the exterior. The period brought the vocabulary of classical architecture to smaller and more modest buildings than had been the case before, replacing English vernacular architecture (or becoming the new vernacular style) for almost all new middle-class homes and public buildings by the end of the period.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XX FAST IN THE ICE "Well, there is one piece of luck," said Barwell Dawson, the next morning. "Our collier is here, so we can take on coal at once, and get away from here inside of three or four days." "Yes, we want to take advantage of the weather while it lasts," answered the captain of the _Ice King_. And the task of transferring the coal began an hour later. Andy and Chet asked for permission to go ashore, and, after word had been sent to the governor of the place, they entered a steam launch in company with Barwell Dawson and Professor Jeffer. The explorer knew what was on Chet's mind, and aided him to find out if the _Northland_ was at Upernivik. "She is here," said Barwell Dawson, after making inquiries. "I will have you taken to her." Chet found Tom Fetjen, a Danish-American, tall and powerful, with a shrewd but kindly face. He listened to the boy's story with interest, and then shrugged his big shoulders. "I no can tell you mooch 'bout dat whaler, _Betsey Andrews_," he said, slowly. "I not know for truf what happen to him. But I hear som't'ing las' year. Two Esquimaux men come to me an' da say dat de whaleboat he got stuck by de ice far up dare." And Tom Fetjen waved his hand northward. "Stuck in the ice?" queried Chet. "Dat is what de Esquimaux men say. Da climb up de ice mountain an' see him ship stuck fast, but go--what you say him?--float, yes, float up dat way," and again the trader pointed northward.

cnn

(CNN) -- The biological mother of a missing 7-year-old Oregon boy has written an open letter to her son saying, "I am sorry that I was not there to protect you." "I am so soooooo sorry that this has happened," Desiree Young wrote to Kyron Horman in a letter that was released Monday to NBC News. "I will never be able to forgive myself for being so many hours away when you needed me the most. I pray that you come back to me because I am afraid that I can't live without you." The letter comes more than two weeks after the boy disappeared on June 4. The boy's stepmother, Terri Horman, said she last saw Kyron walking down the hallway towards his classroom at Skyline Elementary School, police said. Cell phone records indicate she may not have been at the school at that time, according to a report in People Magazine. Authorities refused to comment on the report. In the emotional letter, Young speaks directly to her young son. "When you come home I will show you all of [the] things that everyone did for you, just to find you," she wrote. "There are literally hundreds of thousands of people that don't know you and yet they pray for you every night. They know how much I miss you and need you and they just want to bring you home to me. There are so many wonderful people working on this case and they are going to find you soon.

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By the time Rihanna was seventeen ,she had released her first album and had an international hit with her first single Pon de Replay. Rihanna was born in Saint Michael , Barbados in 1988 . She grew up there with her two younger brothers . As a child , she loved singing . She formed her first group with friends from secondary school when she was just fifteen . In 2004 friends introduced the group to American record producer Evan Rogers ,who was on holiday in Barbados . Rogers thought Rihanna could be a star in America,so she moved there aged sixteen to take up music after she finished school. Rihhanna lived with Rogers and his wife . Then she worked for Def Jam Recordings and started working on her first album , Music of the Sun .It came out at in 2005 and got into the top ten . Over 69,000 copies of the album were sold in the first week alone . It went on to sell over two million copies worldwide and Rihanna quickly became a big star . Her second album , A Girl Like Me ,came out a year later and included the song SOS , which was her first number one hit in America. In 2007 Rihanna brought out her third album , Good Girl Gone Bad ,which had more dance music than the first two albums. Rihanna sold more than fifteen million album and forty - five million singles worldwide between 2005 and 2010 ,the most of any artist at the same time . However ,she manages to find time for her charity work ,too . She has performed in several concerts to raise money for charity and in 2006 she created her Believe Foundation to help sick children . She also took part in Gucci's activities to raise money for children in Africa.

wikipedia

Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (Literally "Frankfurt on the Main", ), is a metropolis and the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2015 population of 732,688 within its administrative boundaries, and 2.3 million in its urban area. The city is at the centre of the larger Frankfurt Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region, which has a population of 5.5 million and is Germany's second-largest metropolitan region after Rhine-Ruhr. Since the enlargement of the European Union in 2013, the geographic centre of the EU is about to the east of Frankfurt's CBD, the Bankenviertel. Frankfurt is culturally and ethnically diverse, with around half of the population, and a majority of young people, having a migration background. A quarter of the population are foreign nationals, including many expatriates. Frankfurt is an alpha world city and a global hub for commerce, culture, education, tourism and transportation. It's the site of many global and European corporate headquarters. Frankfurt Airport is among the world's busiest. Frankfurt is the major financial centre of the European continent, with the HQs of the European Central Bank, German Federal Bank, Frankfurt Stock Exchange, Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank, DZ Bank, KfW, several cloud and fintech startups and other institutes. Automotive, technology and research, services, consulting, media and creative industries complement the economic base. Frankfurt's DE-CIX is the world's largest internet exchange point. Messe Frankfurt is one of the world's largest trade fairs. Major fairs include the Frankfurt Motor Show, the world's largest motor show, the Music Fair, and the Frankfurt Book Fair, the world's largest book fair.

cnn

(CNN) -- Cristiano Ronaldo provided the perfect riposte to FIFA president Sepp Blatter after scoring a hat-trick as Real Madrid beat Sevilla 7-3 on a night when Gareth Bale grabbed his first goals at the Bernabeu. Days after Blatter had made a bizarre impersonation of the Portuguese while saying the star spent "a lot of money at the hairdressers", the 28-year-old scored his third career hat-trick against Sevilla to go top of the scoring charts in Spain with 11 goals. He celebrated his first goal from the penalty spot with a military salute in a mocking response to Blatter's description of him as a "commander" last week. The absorbing victory also allowed Real to put Saturday's defeat by Barcelona behind them, not just because of the three points but also because Bale, the most expensive footballer in history, began to repay some of his fee. Making his first start as a home player at the legendary Bernabeu, the Welshman scored twice, made another two and also managed to complete his first 90 minutes in his seventh appearance for Madrid. Despite Bale's largely anonymous display at Camp Nou, which was blamed on a lack of match practice, Real coach Carlo Ancelotti was wholly vindicated by his decision to keep faith in the 24-year-old, who curled home a fine opener before a free-kick was deflected in as he handed Real a 2-0 lead. On a satisfying night for the hosts, for whom substitute Xabi Alonso made his first appearance of the season after injury, Karim Benzema also grabbed a brace as Real moved up to third in the table, six points behind Barca.