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Nick Vujicic Imagine getting through your busy day without hands or legs.Picture your life without the ability to walk,care for your basic needs,or even hug those you love.Meet Nicholas Vujicic.Without any medical explanation or warning,Nick was born in 1982inMelbourne,Australia,without arms and legs. The early days were difficult.Throughout his childhood,Nick not only dealt with the typical challenges of school and adolescence,but he also struggled with depression and loneliness.Nick constantly wondered why he was different from all the other kids.He questioned the purpose of life. After experiencing many difficulties,Vujicic eventually began to realize that his experiences were inspiring to many people and began to be thankful for being alive.A key turning point in his life was when his mother showed him a newspaper article about a man dealing with a severe disability.This led him to realise he was not the only one with major struggles.When he was seventeen,he started to give talks.He has traveled around the world,sharing his story with millions,sometimes in stadiums full of people,speaking to a range of various groups such as students,teachers,young people,business professionals and so on.He has visited more than 50countries and given thousands of talks.Now he is an encouraging speaker with TED. Vujicic promotes his work through television shows and through his writing.His first book,Life Without Limits:Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life,was published by Random House in 2010.He markets a motivational DVD,Life's Greater Purpose,a short documentary filmed in 2005.He markets a DVD for young people titled No Arms,No Legs,No Worries!In March 2008,Vujicic was interviewed by Bob Cummings for the 20/20 American television show. According to Nick,the victory over his struggles,as well as his strength and passion for life today,can be owning to the power of hope.His family,friends and the many people he has met along the journey have inspired him to carry on,as well.Today this energetic young gentle man has achieved more than most people achieve in a lifetime.

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Every day, young people across the globe are doing their part to keep the Earth healthy and green. These are just a few kid heroes for the planet. Manatee Minder When she was in second grade, Stephanie Cohen read about a baby manatee hit by a boat off the coast of Florida. Marine biologists saved the manatee. But caring for the sea creature was costly. Stephanie took up a collection and raised $ 27 in one day. Now 18, Stephanie still raises money to help these " gentle giants". She sells manatee decorations, candles and cards on her website kmad. Org. Color Us Green! At Clarendon Elementary School, in Secaucus, New Jersey, the students know what to do with old, used and broken crayons .Recycle them ! They collect the crayons and send them to Crazy Crayons, where they are made into different shapes and sizes. In the past eight years, new Jersey students have recycled nearly nine tons of crayons. Goodbye, Paper Bags! When Adrienne Boukis, 15, was in sixth grade, in Walnut Creek, California, she noticed that many of her classmates carried paper lunch bags. To help kids cut down on waste, she invented a reusable lunch bag, which is partially made from recycled plastic bottles. She sells the bags at greengearbag. Com and some of the _ go to charity that is in need of money. He' s Skiiing to Save the Earth Parker Liautaud, 15, wanted to raise awareness about the effects of climate change on the polar regions. He set out to become one of the youngest people ever to ski to the North Pole. Parker feels he met his goal to inspire others. "All young people have the power to make a change."he said in an interview.

cnn

Jeb Bush name-checked Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein and Mark Zuckerberg on Monday while telling University of South Carolina graduates that "young people and newcomers are often the great discoverers." The former Florida Republican governor's commencement speech -- short, optimistic and apolitical -- came the day after he'd said he planned to release 250,000 emails from his days in office. He will also write an accompanying eBook that he'll release next year. Bush's preemptive approach is one of the clearest signs yet of how seriously he is considering a run for president and allows him to address potential areas of criticism before opposition researchers dig in. On Monday, Bush made no references to his own political future, but did sound a number of optimistic notes -- and he told the new graduates not to fear failure. He said graduates shouldn't "be afraid to shake things up," and that they should embrace a rapidly changing economy even when doing so is daunting. "Most of America feels that way -- you're not alone. And in many ways, that's OK. Because that anxiety can be positive," he said. "When you're thrown into new situations, you don't just challenge yourself. You see things that other people might not see." The point of his speech, Bush said, was to tell graduates to "dream big, don't be afraid of change and find joy everywhere you can." And they shouldn't see their ages as impediments, he said. "Darwin was 29 when he developed the theory of natural selection. Einstein was 26 when he developed the theory of relativity. And Mark Zuckerberg, for crying out loud, was 19 years old when he developed Facebook," Bush said.

cnn

The rare moments Christos Sourovelis can take a break from running his own painting business, he can be found toiling away on his family's dream house in the suburbs of Philadelphia. "I'm a working guy. I work every day, six days a week, even seven if I have to," Sourovelis says. One day this past March, without warning, the government took his house away, even though he and his wife, Markella, have never been charged with a crime or accused of any wrongdoing. "I was so upset thinking somebody's going to take my house for nothing. That makes me crazy," Sourovelis says, shaking his head. The nightmare began when police showed up at the house and arrested their 22-year-old son, Yianni, on drug charges -- $40 worth of heroin. Authorities say he was selling drugs out of the home. The Sourvelises say they had no knowledge of any involvement their son might have had with drugs. A month-and-a-half later police came back -- this time to seize their house, forcing the Sourvelises and their children out on the street that day. Authorities came with the electric company in tow to turn off the power and even began locking the doors with screws, the Sourvelises say. Authorities won't comment on the exact circumstances because of pending litigation regarding the case. Police and prosecutors came armed with a lawsuit against the house itself. It was being forfeited and transferred to the custody of the Philadelphia District Attorney. Authorities said the house was tied to illegal drugs and therefore subject to civil forfeiture.

cnn

(CNN)Two days after Odin Lloyd was found dead, New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez looked into the eyes of team owner Robert Kraft and said he was innocent, Kraft testified Tuesday in Hernandez's murder trial. Kraft, answering questions from a prosecutor and one of Hernandez's attorneys on the witness stand in a Massachusetts courtroom, recalled a private conversation that he had with the star Patriots tight end on June 19, at the Patriots' Gillette Stadium, as news spread that Hernandez was being investigated in Lloyd's death. "He said he was not involved," Kraft testified in the courtroom in Fall River. "He said he was innocent." Hernandez has been charged with murder and has pleaded not guilty to orchestrating the death of Lloyd, a semipro football player who was found dead in Massachusetts on June 17, 2013. Hernandez also has pleaded not guilty to a gun and ammunition charge. His co-defendants, Ernest Wallace and Carlos Ortiz, also pleaded not guilty and will be tried separately. Kraft testified that he asked to speak with Hernandez in an office near a weight room in the stadium, and asked the player to look him in the eye and tell him if he was involved in Lloyd's death. According to Kraft, Hernandez told him during that meeting that he hoped the time of Lloyd's death "came out," because Hernandez had been at a club that night. According to testimony from Hernandez's fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins, the player had not been at a club, but was at dinner with her and some friends before the shooting.

cnn

(CNN) -- A federal grand jury Thursday charged two friends of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev with obstructing justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice, the U.S. attorney's office in Boston said. Azamat Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbayev -- 19-year-old roommates and Kazakh nationals who began attending the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth the same semester as Tsarnaev -- were charged in May with conspiracy. It is not clear whether Thursday's indictment represents a second conspiracy charge. Thursday's indictment accuses Tazhayakov and Kadyrbayev of helping Tsarnaev after the April 15 bombing by taking items from his dorm room to keep them from investigators. Photos of Tsarnaev released after Rolling Stone complaints If convicted, Tazhayakov and Kadyrbayev could be sentenced to a maximum 20 years in prison on the obstruction count and up to five years on the conspiracy count, the U.S. attorney's office said. They also could be fined $250,000. Arkady Bukh, Tazhayakov's attorney, said his client is not discouraged. He also said that Tazhayakov did not touch any of Tsarnaev's items. "He feels very strongly he'll be able to be able to convince a jury that's he's innocent," Bukh said. "There's no evidence of intent, no incentive to help (Dzhokhar), no motive to destroy anything." The three students socialized and texted each other, the indictment says. On April 18, three days before the FBI searched Tsarnaev's dorm room, Tazhayakov and Kadyrbayev allegedly went into the dorm, took Tsarnaev's laptop and a backpack containing Vaseline, a thumb drive, fireworks and a "homework assignment sheet" and took them back to their New Bedford apartment, the indictment states.

race

This will make you think twice about dismissing the physical abilities of women. Serena Williams If know Serena Williams, then you know better than to harbor any illusions that you can take on the top female tennis player even on your best day. Nicknamed by the media as the Queen of the Court, she has won 19 Grand Slam singles titles and 13 Grand Slam doubles titles as of May 2015. By the way, she can send the ball hurtling towards your face on the excess of 120 miles per hour on her serve. Ronda "Rowdy" Rousey Former Olympic judo gold medalist Ronda 'Rowdy' Rousey has been dominating women's MMA for the past several years. She earned the nickname "The Arm Collector" for winning the majority of her fights via armbars. As of May 2015, no other female MMA has put up much of a challenge against Rousey, but some think that the next entry on this list just might give her trouble. Cristiane 'Cyborg' Justmo Many believe that Cris Cyborg will give Rousey trouble and may even have an outside chance of beating her. While Rousey is an excellent grappler owing to her judo background, Cyborg is a more well-rounded fighter with excellent standup and groundwork skills. This means that just like Rousey, Cyborg can lay some serious beatdown on you. Missy Franklin So you think you are a good swimmer. Well, no matter how good you think you are, you'll very likely still be eating Missy Franklin's pool dust. Missy is a four-time Olympic gold medalist and has also won a bunch of gold medals in the World Championships. Mirinda Carfae Do you think you can swim 2.4 miles, ride a bike for 115 miles, and still have enough gas to run for 26 miles? Mirinda Carfae certainly can and she proved that she can do it faster than any woman winning the Ironman World Championships women's division in 2010, 2013, an 2014.

wikipedia

Labour runs a minority government in the Welsh Assembly under Carwyn Jones, is the largest opposition party in the Scottish Parliament and has twenty MEPs in the European Parliament, sitting in the Socialists and Democrats Group. The party also organises in Northern Ireland, but does not contest elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Labour Party is a full member of the Party of European Socialists and Progressive Alliance, and holds observer status in the Socialist International. In September 2015, Jeremy Corbyn was elected Leader of the Labour Party. The Labour Party's origins lie in the late 19th century, when it became apparent that there was a need for a new political party to represent the interests and needs of the urban proletariat, a demographic which had increased in number and had recently been given franchise. Some members of the trades union movement became interested in moving into the political field, and after further extensions of the voting franchise in 1867 and 1885, the Liberal Party endorsed some trade-union sponsored candidates. The first Lib–Lab candidate to stand was George Odger in the Southwark by-election of 1870. In addition, several small socialist groups had formed around this time, with the intention of linking the movement to political policies. Among these were the Independent Labour Party, the intellectual and largely middle-class Fabian Society, the Marxist Social Democratic Federation and the Scottish Labour Party.

cnn

(CNN) -- Former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier died of a heart attack in Port-au-Prince at the age of 63, a family member told CNN Saturday. Known by his nickname "Baby Doc," the so-called "President for life" actually fled Haiti in 1986 and stunned Haiti when he returned 25 years later. He was charged with human rights crimes within days of his return, but he successfully argued in court that the statute of limitations had expired on charges that included torture, rape and extrajudicial killings. Human rights groups decried the court ruling that spared Duvalier. In February, a Haitian appeals court ruled that the lower court was wrong and that there is no statute of limitations for human rights violations. The ruling reopened the possibility that Duvalier could face such charges, but he died before a judicial investigation decided whether to pursue the charges. Duvalier inherited the title of "President for life" in 1971 upon the death of his father, Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier, who had ruled with an iron fist through his paramilitary force, the Tonton Macoute. Just 19 years old when he came to power, Baby Doc became one of the world's youngest heads of state. Haitians initially celebrated his ascension, thinking the young man would be less oppressive than his father, but that didn't turn out to be the case. Duvalier used his father's security apparatus to continue ruling in a totalitarian fashion. Fast facts on Duvalier His 15 years of rule were a time of repression in Haiti that included the torture of opponents and the taking of political prisoners.

wikipedia

Saint Athanasius of Alexandria (/ˌæθəˈneɪʃəs/; Greek: Ἀθανάσιος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Athanásios Alexandrías; c. 296–298 – 2 May 373), also called Athanasius the Great, Athanasius the Confessor or, primarily in the Coptic Orthodox Church, Athanasius the Apostolic, was the twentieth bishop of Alexandria (as Athanasius I). His episcopate lasted 45 years (c. 8 June 328 – 2 May 373), of which over 17 were spent in five exiles ordered by four different Roman emperors. Athanasius is a renowned Christian theologian, a Church Father, the chief defender of Trinitarianism against Arianism, and a noted Egyptian leader of the fourth century. T. Gilmartin, (Professor of History, Maynooth, 1890), writes in Church History, Vol. 1, Ch XVII: On the death of Alexander, five months after the termination of the Council of Nice, Athanasius was unanimously elected to fill the vacant see. He was most unwilling to accept the dignity, for he clearly foresaw the difficulties in which it would involve him. The clergy and people were determined to have him as their bishop, Patriarch of Alexandria, and refused to accept any excuses. He at length consented to accept a responsibility that he sought in vain to escape, and was consecrated in 326, when he was about thirty years of age.

cnn

(CNN) -- Martina Hingis and Anna Kournikova will team up again to play at this year's Wimbledon championships. The popular pair won the 1999 and 2002 Australian Open doubles titles, but will be returning the SW19 to play in the legends doubles event for players who are retired from the professional circuit, the management company Octagon said Tuesday. Swiss star Hingis won five grand slam singles crowns and nine in doubles during a glittering career which ended under a cloud in 2007, when she was suspended for two years for testing positive for cocaine at Wimbledon. The 29-year-old denied taking the drug, but did not appeal the ban, which ended last September, prompting speculation that she may attempt a return to the WTA circuit. Kournikova is a year younger, but has not played regularly on the main tour for seven years after being hit by a string of injuries. The Russian, who reached a career-high of number eight, made it to the semifinals of the singles at Wimbledon in 1997, but grand slam success eluded her. The pair were once labeled as the 'Spice Girls' of tennis, with the height of their fame coinciding with the peak of popularity of the British all-girl band, which included David Beckham's wife Victoria. As well as winning two grand slam titles together, the pair also reached No.1 in the WTA doubles rankings. "I'm so excited to be returning to the UK to play doubles with Martina again," Kournikova told her official Web site. "This tournament has always held a special place in my heart, and it will be a great honor to play on the courts of Wimbledon again. I'm looking forward to having a lot of fun."

cnn

(CNN) -- As Easter comes into view, the thoughts of billions of Christians turn to Jerusalem, to a sacred weekend that includes the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Of course, people regard these events with various degrees of literalness. But Easter retains its power. It is, in fact, the essential Christian celebration, as the Gospels focus hugely on this part of the Jesus story. They describe in slow motion his entry into Jerusalem and the final week leading up to the crucifixion on Good Friday, the uncertain stillness of Holy Saturday, when the world seems to have slipped into total darkness, then the joy of the Resurrection itself, with a sense that boundaries have been broken -- most aggressively, the membrane between life and death. Questions arise, of course. Did Jesus really rise from the dead? What would that look like? Many Christians imagine some literal wakening from the dead and refuse to accept the slightest hint that the Resurrection might be regarded as symbolic without denigrating it. Indeed, if you read the Gospel narratives closely, it's not easy to say what actually happened. All four of them skip the actual Resurrection. That is, we never see Jesus waken. The first inkling of change comes when a few women close to him visit the tomb. Accounts differ on who turned up at the tomb that morning: Mary Magdalene, a close friend of Jesus, alone or with Mary, his mother, and with Salome (who is either Mary's sister or the mother of apostles James and John).

cnn

(CNN) -- Presidential candidates Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain are detailing their plans for solving the country's energy crisis and criticizing each other's proposals this week as they campaign in battleground states. Here's a look at the candidates' energy proposals: Overall strategy McCain, the presumptive GOP nominee, has proposed a national energy strategy that would rely on the technological prowess of American industry and science. McCain has said he would work to reduce carbon emissions 60 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. He has said he would commit $2 billion annually for 15 years to advance clean coal technology. He also has pledged to oppose a windfall profits tax on oil companies that, according to his campaign Web site, "will ultimately result in increasing our dependence on foreign oil and hinder investment in domestic exploration." McCain also believes the U.S. needs to deploy SmartMeter technologies, which collect real-time data on the electricity use of individual homes and businesses. Meanwhile, Obama laid out his comprehensive energy plan Monday in Lansing, Michigan. "If I am president, I will immediately direct the full resources of the federal government and the full energy of the private sector to a single, overarching goal -- in 10 years, we will eliminate the need for oil from the entire Middle East and Venezuela," the presumptive Democratic nominee told a crowd. Obama's plan also would invest $150 billion over the next 10 years and leverage billions more in private capital to build a new energy economy that he said would harness American energy and create 5 million new jobs.

cnn

(CNN) -- A number of establishment Republicans are privately blasting former Rep. J.C. Watts and his comments about considering a run for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee. They call him arrogant for even suggesting he could do the job, and some have said the talk is more about his ego than a vision for the party. In fact, he has been likened to former RNC Chairman Michael Steele. Both are conservative, but clearly that comparison is based on their skin color and not anything else. The Republican Party establishment should tread carefully here, because even if members choose not to vote for Watts -- if he decides to even seek the job -- it is his skin color and perspective that is central to the GOP having any sort of presidential future. We might as well not play footsie: The Republican Party is a group largely composed of and targeting white Americans. Yes, there are minority Republicans. But considering how President Obama was able to destroy Mitt Romney at the ballot box last month with a racial coalition that rolled up massive support among blacks, Hispanics and Asians, the GOP has a problem. The day has passed when the GOP can win the presidency by focusing on white Americans. Folks, this is simple math. With the nation moving toward becoming a majority-minority country, the Republican Party cannot afford to continue to ignore, alienate and, frankly, tick off minority voters. What J.C. Watts is trying to do is to get party leaders to understand that as a former college football legend at the University of Oklahoma, he knows when a failed game plan needs to be thrown out. In football, if you lose, you often get rid of the coach and find someone who can recruit better players to put you on the path to winning.

cnn

Four years after Michael Jackson died, his oldest son is ready to tell a jury about the last days of his life. Prince Jackson, now 16, was 12 when he followed an ambulance carrying his father to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center on the afternoon of June 25, 2009. On Monday, in the Jackson family's wrongful death lawsuit, Jackson lawyers informed AEG Live attorneys that Prince will be the next witness after a doctor who is an expert in medical conflicts of interest completes his testimony Tuesday. That would likely put Prince on the stand Wednesday, a day after the fourth anniversary of his father's death. Paris Jackson: Superstar's daughter builds own identity in spotlight Prince, Paris and Blanket Jackson and their grandmother Katherine Jackson are suing AEG Live, accusing their father's last concert promoter of negligently hiring, retaining or supervising Dr. Conrad Murray, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's death. Jackson lawyers argue that the promoter and producer of the "This Is It" shows pressured Murray to get Jackson to rehearsals but failed to get Jackson help despite numerous red flags that he was in trouble. Murray told police he used the surgical anesthetic propofol nearly every night for two months to treat Jackson's insomnia. The coroner ruled that an overdose of propofol killed him. AEG Live lawyers argue that Jackson chose and supervised Murray and that their executives had no way of knowing the doctor was using the dangerous treatment. Remembering Michael Jackson's music A medical conflict of interest

wikipedia

Mexico City, or the City of Mexico (Spanish: Ciudad de México audio (help·info) American Spanish: [sjuˈða(ð) ðe ˈméxiko]; abbreviated as "CDMX"), is the capital of Mexico. As an "alpha" global city, Mexico City is one of the most important financial centers in the Americas. It is located in the Valley of Mexico (Valle de México), a large valley in the high plateaus at the center of Mexico, at an altitude of 2,240 metres (7,350 ft). The city consists of sixteen municipalities (previously called boroughs). The Greater Mexico City has a gross domestic product (GDP) of US$411 billion in 2011, making Mexico City urban agglomeration one of the economically largest metropolitan areas in the world. The city was responsible for generating 15.8% of Mexico's Gross Domestic Product and the metropolitan area accounted for about 22% of total national GDP. As a stand-alone country, in 2013, Mexico City would be the fifth-largest economy in Latin America—five times as large as Costa Rica's and about the same size as Peru's.

gutenberg

CHAPTER IV. Notwithstanding the earnest injunction that Maria had given to Mr. Delafield to continue where she left him, until her return, she expressed no surprise at not finding him in the room. The countenance of this young lady exhibited a droll mixture of playful mirth and sadness; she glanced her eyes once around the apartment, and perceiving it was occupied only by her friend, she said, laughing-- "Well, Charlotte, when is it to be? I think I retired in very good season." "Perhaps you did, Maria," returned the other, without raising her face from the reflecting attitude in which she stood--"I believe it is all very well." "Well! you little philosopher--I should think it was excellent--that--that is--if I were in your place. I suspected this from the moment you met." "What have you suspected, Maria?--what is it you imagine has occurred?" "What! why Seymour Delafield has been stammering--then he looked doleful--then he sighed--then he hemmed--then he said you were an angel--nay, you need not look prudish, and affect to deny it; he got as far as that before I left the room--then he turned to see if I were not coming back again to surprise him--then he fell on his knees--then he stretched out his handsome hand--it is too handsome for a man's hand!--and said take it, take me, take my name, and take my three hundred thousand dollars!--Now don't deny a syllable of it till I tell your answer." Charlotte smiled, and taking her work, quietly seated herself at her table before she replied--

gutenberg

CHAPTER III SAM BRINGS NEWS As Tom ran over to his brother's side he could not help but give a glance at the flying machine, which was rising higher and higher in the air, with a noise from the engine that sounded like a battery of gattling guns in action. "Hi! hi! Wot's that?" came in a startled voice from the other side of the barn, and Jack Ness, the Rovers hired man, came running into view. "By gum, if them boys ain't gone an' flew without waitin' fer that man to show 'em! Who's doin' it? I don't see nobuddy." And the hired man blinked in amazement at the sight before him. "Is Sam in there?" "Nobody is in the machine," answered Tom, who was kneeling beside his brother. "Oh, gracious! Look at that!" he exclaimed. "There goes the chimbley!" roared Jack Ness, as the biplane swooped just high enough to clear the roof of the Rover homestead. One of the wheels underneath struck a chimney a glancing blow, hurling the bricks in all directions. As they came clattering down, from the house out ran Mrs. Rover, followed by her husband and the hired help. Anderson Rover was away on business. "What is the matter--is it a--er--a cyclone?" gasped Randolph Rover. "I don't know, I'm sure," answered Mrs. Rover. "But it's a terrible noise." "Look! look!" shrieked the cook, pointing upward. "Saints preserve us!" she moaned. "'Tis the end of the world!" "A flying machine!" murmured Randolph Rover. He gazed around hurriedly. "Can it be the boys?"

gutenberg

CHAPTER XIV. 'Well,' said Elizabeth, drawing a long breath, as she went out to walk with Anne and Helen, 'there is the even-handed justice of this world. Of the four delinquents of last Friday, there goes one with flying colours, in all the glory of a successful deceit; you, Anne, who, to say the best of you, acted like a very great goose, are considered as wise as ever; I, who led you all into the scrape with my eyes wilfully blinded, am only pitied and comforted; poor Kitty, who had less idea of what she was doing than any of us, has had more crying and scolding than anybody else; and Lucy, who behaved so well--oh! I cannot bear to think of her.' 'It is a puzzle indeed,' said Helen; 'I mean as far as regards Harriet and Lucy.' 'Not really, Helen,' said Elizabeth; 'it is only a failure in story book justice. Lucy is too noble a creature to be rewarded in a story-book fashion; and as for Harriet, impunity like hers is in reality a greater punishment than all the reproof in the world.' 'How could she sit by and listen to all that Papa and Mrs. Hazleby were saying?' said Helen. 'How could she bear the glance of Papa's eye?' said Elizabeth; 'did you watch it? I thought I never saw it look so stern, and yet that contemptible creature sat under it as contentedly as possible. Oh! it made me quite sick to watch her.' Are you quite sure that she knew whether my uncle was aware of her share in the matter?' said Anne.

wikipedia

A cappella [a kapˈpɛlla] (Italian for "in the manner of the chapel") music is specifically group or solo singing without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It contrasts with cantata, which is accompanied singing. The term "a cappella" was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato style. In the 19th century a renewed interest in Renaissance polyphony coupled with an ignorance of the fact that vocal parts were often doubled by instrumentalists led to the term coming to mean unaccompanied vocal music. The term is also used, albeit rarely, as a synonym for alla breve. A cappella music was originally used in religious music, especially church music as well as anasheed and zemirot. Gregorian chant is an example of a cappella singing, as is the majority of secular vocal music from the Renaissance. The madrigal, up until its development in the early Baroque into an instrumentally-accompanied form, is also usually in a cappella form. Jewish and Christian music were originally a cappella,[citation needed] and this practice has continued in both of these religions as well as in Islam.

cnn

Los Angeles (CNN) -- The City Council of Fullerton, California, approved Tuesday evening the hiring of an independent consultant to reform the city's police force and review last month's arrest and subsequent death of a homeless schizophrenic man, a spokeswoman said. Before a gallery of residents angry about the death, the council voted 5-0 to award a one-year $50,000 contract to Michael J. Gennaco, a consultant whose rate is $260 an hour, to examine the police department's policies and practices, city spokeswoman Sylvia Palmer Mudrick said. The council then approved 4-1 a second contract, also for up to a year, paying Gennaco $30,000 to prepare a public report looking at the July 5 incident involving police and the death of Kelly Thomas, Mudrick said. Gennaco told the council he will begin investigating the death after the Orange County District Attorney's office completes its own inquiry into the incident, Mudrick said. Gennaco is currently chief attorney for a civilian oversight committee created by the Los Angeles County supervisors to monitor the sheriff's department. Thomas, 37, died five days after what the Orange County district attorney has called "a violent and desperate struggle" last month with Fullerton police. Meanwhile, a Los Angeles attorney said he is planning to file a police brutality lawsuit in federal court this week against Fullerton officers in a new unrelated case. But one of the officers in that case was also involved in the Thomas arrest, said the attorney, Garo Mardirossian. Mardirossian is also representing Thomas' father, Ron, who is alleging that his son was a victim of police brutality and has notified Fullerton city officials that he plans to pursue legal action against them.

wikipedia

European Union law is a body of treaties and legislation, such as Regulations and Directives, which have direct effect or indirect effect on the laws of European Union member states. The three sources of European Union law are primary law, secondary law and supplementary law. The main sources of primary law are the Treaties establishing the European Union. Secondary sources include regulations and directives which are based on the Treaties. The legislature of the European Union is principally composed of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, which under the Treaties may establish secondary law to pursue the objective set out in the Treaties. European Union law is applied by the courts of member states and the Court of Justice of the European Union. Where the laws of member states provide for lesser rights European Union law can be enforced by the courts of member states. In case of European Union law which should have been transposed into the laws of member states, such as Directives, the European Commission can take proceedings against the member state under the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The European Court of Justice is the highest court able to interpret European Union law. Supplementary sources of European Union law include case law by the Court of Justice, international law and general principles of European Union law.

cnn

Washington (CNN) -- More than 42 years after Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Richard L. Etchberger died on a Laotian mountaintop, President Barack Obama on Tuesday awarded him the Medal of Honor, saying, "It's never too late to do the right thing. It's never too late to pay tribute to our Vietnam veterans and their families." Etchenberg's three sons were at the White House for the ceremony. For decades they didn't know about their father's heroism. Cory Etchberger was in third grade in 1968, when he was told that his father had died in a helicopter accident in Southeast Asia. At age 29 he learned the truth, when the U.S. Air Force declassified his father's story. "I was stunned," he told CNN during a visit to his hometown of Hamburg, Pennsylvania. During the Vietnam War, U.S. troops weren't supposed to be in neutral Laos, so Richard Etchberger and a handful of colleagues shed their uniforms and posed as civilians to run a top secret radar installation high on a Laotian cliff. Called Lima Site 85, it guided U.S. bombers to sites in North Vietnam and parts of Laos under communist control. "Dick and his crew believed they could help turn the tide of the war, perhaps even end it," said Obama. The North Vietnamese wanted to eliminate the installation, and early on the morning of March 11, 1968, its soldiers succeeded in scaling the 3,000-foot precipice and launching an attack. Timothy Castle, of the CIA's Center for the Study of Intelligence, wrote the book "One Day Too Long: Top Secret Site 85 and the Bombing of North Vietnam." He calls Etchberger "a hero."

mctest

Anna really likes school. She does well in school and gets good grades. Anna's favorite class time activities are reading, math, and writing. She also enjoys playing with her friends at recess. Anna has a lot of friends in her class. Anna's favorite books to read are mysteries. She has read several Nancy Drew books which are about a young woman who solves exciting mysteries. Anna also likes to read comic books. She tries not to read comic books in class because they often make her laugh out loud. Laughing very loud during quiet reading time could get her into trouble! When playing at recess, Anna likes to make up new games to play. She and her friend Lily enjoy playing games like tag, where you run around chasing after each other. Their games are different than tag because when you tag the other player you call out a math question they have to answer to become "It". Anna always tries to play active games; it makes recess much more fun for her. Sometimes, if the balls are out, she plays soccer with some of her friends. Soccer always makes her very tired. Anna really enjoys playing during recess as it helps her to be ready to work hard in class.

wikipedia

The Anglo-Saxons were a people who inhabited Great Britain from the 5th century. They comprise people from Germanic tribes who migrated to the island from continental Europe, their descendants, and indigenous British groups who adopted some aspects of Anglo-Saxon culture and language. Historically, the Anglo-Saxon period denotes the period in Britain between about 450 and 1066, after their initial settlement and up until the Norman conquest. The early Anglo-Saxon period includes the creation of an English nation, with many of the aspects that survive today, including regional government of shires and hundreds. During this period, Christianity was established and there was a flowering of literature and language. Charters and law were also established. The term "Anglo-Saxon" is popularly used for the language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons in England and eastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century. In scholarly use, it is more commonly called Old English. The history of the Anglo-Saxons is the history of a cultural identity. It developed from divergent groups in association with the people's adoption of Christianity, and was integral to the establishment of various kingdoms. Threatened by extended Danish invasions and military occupation of eastern England, this identity was re-established; it dominated until after the Norman Conquest. The visible Anglo-Saxon culture can be seen in the material culture of buildings, dress styles, illuminated texts and grave goods. Behind the symbolic nature of these cultural emblems, there are strong elements of tribal and lordship ties. The elite declared themselves as kings who developed "burhs", and identified their roles and peoples in Biblical terms. Above all, as Helena Hamerow has observed, "local and extended kin groups remained...the essential unit of production throughout the Anglo-Saxon period." The effects persist in the 21st century as, according to a study published in March 2015, the genetic make up of British populations today shows divisions of the tribal political units of the early Anglo-Saxon period.

mctest

Once upon a time there was a cowgirl named Callie. Callie was the most beautiful cowgirl in all the land. She rode a beautiful horse. Her horse was brown. There are plenty of other horses. There are black horses, white horses, and red horses, but Callie's brown horse was the only horse in the world. Callie lived in a beautiful house with her husband. Her husband's name was Henry. Henry was a very good farmer. He grew tomatoes. His neighbor grew corn, potatoes, and bananas. His neighbor's name was David. David had a son named James who played in Henry's field. One day James fell and Henry almost ran him over with his horse. It was very scary. James was very careful when playing in the field. His dad told him never to play in the field again and he listened. Henry was very sorry for scaring him and sent him a basket of tomatoes.

wikipedia

A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term "borough" designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. The word "borough" derives from common Proto-Germanic "*burgz", meaning "fort": compare with "bury", "burgh" and "brough" (England), "burgh" (Scotland), "Burg" (Germany), "borg" (Scandinavia), "burcht" (Dutch), "boarch" (West Frisian), and the Germanic borrowing present in neighbouring Indo-european languages such as "borgo" (Italian), "bourg" (French), "burgo" (Spanish and Portuguese), "burg" (Romanian), "purg" (Kajkavian) and "durg" (दर्ग) (Hindi) and "arg" (ارگ) (Persian). The incidence of these words as suffixes to place names (for example, Aldeburgh, Bamburgh, Tilbury, Tilburg, Strasbourg (Strossburi in the local dialect), Luxembourg, Edinburgh, Grundisburgh, Hamburg, Gothenburg) usually indicates that they were once fortified settlements. In the Middle Ages, boroughs were settlements in England that were granted some self-government; burghs were the Scottish equivalent. In medieval England, boroughs were also entitled to elect members of parliament. The use of the word "borough" probably derives from the burghal system of Alfred the Great. Alfred set up a system of defensive strong points (Burhs); in order to maintain these settlements, he granted them a degree of autonomy. After the Norman Conquest, when certain towns were granted self-governance, the concept of the burh/borough seems to have been reused to mean a self-governing settlement.

wikipedia

USB was designed to standardize the connection of computer peripherals (including keyboards, pointing devices, digital cameras, printers, portable media players, disk drives and network adapters) to personal computers, both to communicate and to supply electric power. It has become commonplace on other devices, such as smartphones, PDAs and video game consoles. USB has effectively replaced a variety of earlier interfaces, such as serial and parallel ports, as well as separate power chargers for portable devices. Unlike other data cables (e.g., Ethernet, HDMI), each end of a USB cable uses a different kind of connector; a Type-A or a Type-B. This kind of design was chosen to prevent electrical overloads and damaged equipment, as only the Type-A socket provides power. There are cables with Type-A connectors on both ends, but they should be used carefully. Therefore, in general, each of the different "sizes" requires four different connectors; USB cables have the Type-A and Type-B plugs, and the corresponding receptacles are on the computer or electronic device. In common practice, the Type-A connector is usually the full size, and the Type-B side can vary as needed.

cnn

Washington (CNN) -- For political junkies, 2013 was expected to be a quiet year following the presidential election and it basically followed the script. Nonetheless, there were some interesting developments at the ballot box. New Jersey, as expected, returned Gov. Chris Christie to office and also sent Cory Booker to the U.S. Senate. Bill de Blasio became the first Democrat elected New York City Mayor in two decades, and Democrats, led by Terry McAuliffe, swept the top three executive offices in Virginia for the first time in recent memory. Were these outcomes isolated or do they mean anything for 2014, when candidates will heat up the campaign trail big time ahead of next November's congressional midterms and key gubernatorial elections? In the new year, 435 House seats are up as are 35 in the Senate. There will be 36 gubernatorial races as well. Most of these campaigns won't be nail biters, but there could be collective power shifts in Washington and in state houses. Here, CNN Politics focuses on the Senate, where Republicans aim to retake control. Republicans must pick up six seats to claim the majority and key races are wide open at this point. The top 12 campaign questions of 2014 Five key races: Kentucky The incumbent is Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who is under pressure from two fronts: Democrats, naturally, and from a tea party challenger within his own Republican Party who says he's not conservative enough. While McConnell is likely to defeat his primary opponent, Matt Bevin, he is expending money and other resources he'd rather use in a general election campaign against Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes.

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My summer hols wr CWOT. B4, we usd 2 go 2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & thr3:-@ kids FTF. ILNY, it's gr8. Can you understand this sentence? If you can't, don't feel too bad; neither could the middle school teacher in England who received this as homework. This is Netspeak: the language of computerized communication found on Internet or cell phones. To new comers, it can look like a completely foreign language. So, what is the translation of the sentence above? My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother, his girlfriend, and their three screaming kids face to face. I love New York. It's great. School teachers and parents say this new form of writing is harming the English language. Increasing spelling and grammatical mistakes can be seen in students' writing. They fear the language could become corrupted . "Everyone should just relax", say linguists . They believe Netspeak is in fact more of a good thing. David Crystal, from the University of Wales, argues that Netspeak and Internet create a new language use and the almost lost art of diary writing, has been picked up again. Geoffrey Nurberg, from Stanford University, agrees. "People get better at writing by writing," he says. "kids who are now doing text messaging, e-mails, and instant messages will write at least as well as, and possibly better than their parents." Linguist James says, for centuries, it is believed without exception that young people are harming the language. And you can _ that when today's teenagers become tomorrow's parents. They too will think this way. James argues that languages do not and cannot become corrupted. They simply change to meet the new needs. However, Netspeakers do agree that it is important to teach young people how to speak and write standard English. Cynthia McVey says, "I can understand Netspeak worries teachers and it's important that they get across to their pupils that text messaging is for fun, but learning to write proper English is a must for their future." Perhaps we should give teenagers a little more trust anyway. Erin, aged 12, says, "I wouldn't use text language in my homework. Texting is just for fun. "

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The Greeks had long kept certain more or less formal relations with the people of Macedonia . The Macedonians from their side had kept themselves well informed about conditions in Greece. Now it happened, just when Sparta and Athens had finished their disastrous war, that Macedonia was ruled by an extraordinarily clever man named Philip. He admired the Greek spirit but he looked down on the Greek lack of self-control in political affairs. It angered him to see a perfectly good people waste its men and money upon fruitless quarrels. So he settled the difficulty by making himself the master of all Greece and then he asked his new subjects to join him on a voyage which he meant to pay to Persia in return for the visit which Xerxes had paid the Greeks 150 years before. Unfortunately Philip was murdered before he could start this well-prepared expedition . The task of avenging the destruction of Athens was left to Philip's son Alexander, the beloved pupil of Aristotle, wisest of all Greek teachers. Alexander left Europe in the spring of 334 BC. Seven years later he reached India. In the meantime he had destroyed Phoenicia(,), the old rival of the Greek merchants. He had conquered Egypt and had been worshipped by the people of the Nile valley as the son and heir of the Pharaohs . He had defeated the last Persian king -- he had overthrown the Persian Empire, he had given orders to rebuild Babylon -- he had led his troops into the heart of the Himalayan mountains and had made the entire world a Macedonian province and dependency. Then he stopped and announced even more ambitious plans. The newly formed Empire must be brought under the influence of the Greek mind. The people must be taught the Greek language -- they must live in cities built after a Greek model. The Alexandrian soldier now turned school-master. The military camps of yesterday became the peaceful centres of the newly imported Greek civilisation. Higher and higher did the flood of Greek manners and Greek customs rise, when suddenly Alexander was stricken with a fever and died in the old palace of King Hammurabi of Babylon in the year 323BC. His Empire did not long survive him. A number of ambitious generals divided the territory among themselves. But they too remained faithful to the dream of a great world brotherhood of Greek and Asiatic ideas and knowledge. They maintained their independence until the Romans came.

wikipedia

Easter Island is a Chilean island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. Easter Island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called "moai", created by the early Rapa Nui people. In 1995, UNESCO named Easter Island a World Heritage Site, with much of the island protected within Rapa Nui National Park. Polynesian people most likely settled on Easter Island sometime between 700 and 1100 CE, and created a thriving and industrious culture as evidenced by the island's numerous enormous stone "moai" and other artefacts. However, human activity, the introduction of the Polynesian rat and overpopulation led to gradual deforestation and extinction of natural resources which severely weakened the Rapa Nui civilization. By the time of European arrival in 1722, the island's population had dropped to 2,000–3,000 from an estimated high of approximately 15,000 just a century earlier. European diseases and Peruvian slave raiding in the 1860s further reduced the Rapa Nui population, to a low of only 111 inhabitants in 1877. Easter Island is one of the most remote inhabited islands in the world. The nearest inhabited land (around 50 residents in 2013) is Pitcairn Island, away; the nearest town with a population over 500 is Rikitea, on the island of Mangareva, away; the nearest continental point lies in central Chile, away.

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Years after throwing a bottle-up note into a lake for a class project and just one year after his death, a man's childhood message was found and returned to his mother. Eleven years ago, a then 10-year-old boy, Joshua Baker, wrote the message, folded and put it in an empty container, his mother, Maggie Holbrook said. He died last February in a motor vehicle accident in California. He had recently returned after a serving in the Middle East as a US marine. "I think he was just letting us know he was OK and keep doing what we are doing." Holbrook said. The message surfaced in White Lake in late April, just days after the 11th anniversary of its being thrown into the lake. It was found by one of Baker's closest friends, Steve Lieder, she said. Lieder and two friends were chatting near the lake when Lieder looked down and saw the bottle. He broke it open and found the note inside. "My name is Joshua Baker. I am 10. If you find this, put it on the news. The date is 4/16/98." They immediately took it to Holbrook, who said she is now having the note preserved and will display it in her home. She can remember when her son wrote the message for the school project. She said she always wondered why he didn't put it in the nearby Wolf River, which has a much stronger current. "I still remember the day he wrote it, " Holbrook said. "I couldn't understand why he threw I in the lake. No one would never see it again. Now I know."

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Starting from this month, you won't be hearing the word "NBA" on sports programs on CCTV. Instead, sport hosts will give the full Chinese name when they refer to the NBA - National Basketball Association. You also won't hear any other English abbreviations on CCTV's Chinese programs, such as GDP (gross domestic product) or WTO (World Trade Organization). You will hear their Chinese translations. CCTV received a notice from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, telling it to avoid using English-language abbreviations in their reports to protect the "purity" of the Chinese language. A few other TV stations also received the notice. Fu Zhenguo, an editor of People's Daily, is one of the people who proposed the change. "Using English in a Chinese-speaking environment is against Chinese law," he said. "Using English on Chinese TV programs is unfair to people who don't understand English. It will have a bad language influence on kids and teenagers." But some experts have a different opinion. Liu Yaoying, a professor at the Communications University of China, said the move shows cultural conservatism . "If Western countries can accept some Chinglish words, why can't the Chinese language be mixed with English?" Liu said. A lot of people have criticized the move, saying that it will cause problems for them. "I understand what CD, VCD and DVD mean when I hear them. But I won't know what the TV programs are talking about if I hear those products' full Chinese names," a person wrote in a BBS post. Following the same post, another person wrote jokingly: "I'm not listening to my MP3 now. I'm listening to my Moving Picture Experts Group-1 Audio Layer 3. Some people also question why CCTV is keeping its logo, since it is also an English abbreviation.

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What am I going to wear today? That daily question often wastes us time and causes stress. Some people have many clothes and might still think , "There 's nothing to wear . "But, what if they have only six items of clothing to choose from and wear for an entire month ? That's the idea behind Six Items or Less. Six Items or Less is a social experiment , a gentle way of saying "no" to fashion consumerism and the high cost of clothing . Heidi Hackemer came up with the idea . She shared their idea with her friends . And all of a sudden , they had almost 100 people from around the world saying that they wanted to take part in this experiment . It was an interesting month for them . Hackemer was surprised at how few people noticed that she was wearing the same six items the whole month . Having fewer choices reduced stress in her life . " I learned what's really important and what's really worth stressing . I also found that this simplicity exists in other parts of my life . I realized that physical things that we allow into our world , really blocks our mind . And our mind can be quite a powerful and positive thing if we cleared up a little bit ." Kristy Hogue said the experiment inspired her to reexamine her life . With six items , at first she was really excited and everything was working out perfectly and she never got bored . Then she started to feel a little bored . Then she eventually accepted it and started to be more relaxed . Alexander was one of the 40 men "sixers". The most difficult part for him was having to wash clothes by hand every day . But the experiment changed his opinion on what makes people happy . "We have many choices for everything . But all those choices don't necessarily lead up to any kind of satisfaction . We are crazy about novelty . In fact , slowing down a little bit and considering your choices a little tightly , actually leads to more time , more happiness and more content .

cnn

(CNN) -- Audiences will be getting a new look at Abraham Lincoln this weekend with the wide release of director Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln," and they'll be seeing a lot of America, too. The film, which recreates the former president's life through the crucible of the Civil War, was filmed at several historic locations. Lincoln's life took him through a number of states before and during the war, which gave Spielberg and his crew a wide geographic canvas. It was while shooting "War of the Worlds" in Rockbridge County, Virginia, that Spielberg began discussing returning to the state, said Andy Edmunds, interim director of the Virginia Film Office. Edmunds worked with production designer Rick Carter for nine years, helping him scout locations across the state. Yet there is so much more to Lincoln than the movie that bears his name. For history and film buffs looking to explore Lincoln's life, here are five locales that go beyond a trek to the National Mall. DON'T watch these 11 movies on a plane City Point: Hopewell, Virginia One of Spielberg's Virginia stops was City Point, now Hopewell, which served as Ulysses S. Grant's headquarters during the Siege of Petersburg. Lincoln spent two weeks there in 1865 with his family, traveling aboard the war ship River Queen, which filmmakers replicated in full, said Rita McClenny, chief executive officer of the Virginia Tourism Board. From there, Lincoln watched the fall of Petersburg, later visiting the city, which was also shot on location, Edmunds said. Indeed, many pivotal wartime decisions "were made on Virginia soil," McClenny said.

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Frank was clever, but he never liked to work hard. He often said to his friends, "If you work hard, you will make a lot of money, but it is not so good. I want easy work and a lot of money. That's the most interesting thing in the world."So he could only be a thief. But he still thought it was too much work, so he only told his friends what to do and got money from them. One day, Frank sent one of his friends to a very large and beautiful house. He told him to get money from that rich family. It was evening, and a man and a girl were in the room. They were playing a duet on a piano. Then the thief came into the house. When he returned, Frank asked him what he had got. But he said, "I didn't take anything. That family can't have much money. You know, two people were playing on the same piano there. They did not have money to buy another piano."

wikipedia

The 1924 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the VIII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1924 in Paris, France. It was the second time Paris hosted the games, after 1900. The selection process for the 1924 Summer Olympics consisted of six bids, and Paris was selected ahead of Amsterdam, Barcelona, Los Angeles, Prague, and Rome. The selection was made at the 20th IOC Session in Lausanne in 1921. The cost of the Games of the VIII Olympiad was estimated to be 10,000,000₣. With total receipts at 5,496,610₣, the Olympics resulted in a hefty loss despite crowds that reached 60,000 people at a time. 126 events in 23 disciplines, comprising 17 sports, were part of the Olympic program in 1924. The number of events in each discipline is noted in parentheses. Seventeen sports venues were used in the 1924 Summer Olympics. Stade de Colombes served as the final venue for the 1938 FIFA World Cup between Italy and Hungary. A total of 44 nations were represented at the 1924 Games. Germany was still absent, having not been invited by the Organizing Committee. China (although did not compete), Ecuador, Haiti, Ireland, Lithuania, and Uruguay attended the Olympic Games for the first time while the Philippines competed for first time in an Olympic Games as a nation though it first participated in 1900 Summer Olympic Games also in this city. Latvia and Poland attended the Summer Olympic Games for the first time (having both appeared earlier at the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix).

cnn

(CNN) -- Hilary Duff says her new album is "very positive" but admits that it started out "a lot heavier and a lot darker" because of the separation from her husband, Mike Comrie. "I'm separated from my husband right now, which has been a very difficult thing to go through," she told Billboard's "Pop Shop" podcast. "In the beginning, the album was a lot heavier and a lot darker, because I had to get that out. Once I did get that out, a lot of fun came." Duff married Comrie, a former pro hockey player, in 2010 after dating for three years. Their son, Luca, was born in 2012. Duff and Comrie announced their separation in January. Duff, 26, admits that she's "nervous" after being away from music for seven years. Her just-released single, "Chasing the Sun," is from her still-untitled album, which will be her first studio release since 2007's "Dignity." She says she first started thinking of new material when she was pregnant with her son. After having the child and taking another year, she was even more anxious. "I felt like I was missing a big part of myself," she said. Duff established a successful singing career on the heels of her popular Disney show, "Lizzie McGuire," which aired from 2001 to 2004. She spent most of her teenage years touring and says that turning 20 was a big factor in leaving the road. "It was time for me to be a person, and the break just ended up being a long time," she said.

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A sense of humor is just one of the many things shared by Alfred and Anthony Melillo, 64-year-old twin brothers from East Haven who made history in February 2002. On Christmas Eve, 1992, Anthony had a heart transplant from a 21-year-old donor. Two days before Valentine's Day in 2002, Alfred received a 19-year-old heart, marking the first time on record that twin adults each received heart transplants. "I'm 15 minutes older than him, but now I'm younger because of my heart and I'm not going to respect him," Alfred said with a big smile, pointing to his brother while talking to a roomful of reporters, who laughed frequently at their jokes. While the twins knew that genetics might have played a role in their condition, they recognized that their eating habits might have also contributed to their heart problems. "We'd put half a pound of butter on a steak. I overdid it on all the food that tasted good, so I guess I deserved what I got for not dieting properly." The discussion moved to Anthony's recovery. In the five years since his heart transplant, he had been on an exercise program where he regularly rode a bicycle for five miles, swam each day, and walked a couple of miles. He was still on medication, but not nearly as much as Alfred, who was just in the early stage of his recovery. "Right now I feel pretty young and I'm doing very well," Anthony said. "I feel like a new person." Alfred said his goal, of course, was to feel even better than his brother. But, he added, "I love my brother very much. We're very close and I'm sure we'll do just fine."

wikipedia

Nonverbal communication describes the process of conveying meaning in the form of non-word messages. Examples of nonverbal communication include haptic communication, chronemic communication, gestures, body language, facial expression, eye contact, and how one dresses. Nonverbal communication also relates to intent of a message. Examples of intent are voluntary, intentional movements like shaking a hand or winking, as well as involuntary, such as sweating. Speech also contains nonverbal elements known as paralanguage, e.g. rhythm, intonation, tempo, and stress. There may even be a pheromone component. Research has shown that up to 55% of human communication may occur through non-verbal facial expressions, and a further 38% through paralanguage. It affects communication most at the subconscious level and establishes trust. Likewise, written texts include nonverbal elements such as handwriting style, spatial arrangement of words and the use of emoticons to convey emotion. Fungi communicate to coordinate and organize their growth and development such as the formation of Marcelia and fruiting bodies. Fungi communicate with their own and related species as well as with non fungal organisms in a great variety of symbiotic interactions, especially with bacteria, unicellular eukaryote, plants and insects through biochemicals of biotic origin. The biochemicals trigger the fungal organism to react in a specific manner, while if the same chemical molecules are not part of biotic messages, they do not trigger the fungal organism to react. This implies that fungal organisms can differentiate between molecules taking part in biotic messages and similar molecules being irrelevant in the situation. So far five different primary signalling molecules are known to coordinate different behavioral patterns such as filamentation, mating, growth, and pathogenicity. Behavioral coordination and production of signaling substances is achieved through interpretation processes that enables the organism to differ between self or non-self, a biotic indicator, biotic message from similar, related, or non-related species, and even filter out "noise", i.e. similar molecules without biotic content.

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England has been the birthplace of most of the great English-language theater written throughout history. Most of the plays in England that are truly famous have something in common. They usually come from a playwright with several famous plays. Shakespeare William Shakespeare is considered the most famous British playwright. Shakespeare has a large catalog of tragedies, comedies and history plays, and each category is home to some of the most famous plays ever written. _ are all tragedies and performed in theaters around the world every year. Famous comedies include A Midsummer Night's Dream and Much Ado About Nothing. In the history category, Richard III and Henry V are very famous. Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw Several hundred years after Shakespeare, English people began to enjoy the works of Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw. Wilde's plays are still popular now, and The Importance of Being Earnest is both performed and studied extremely frequently. A Woman of No Importance and An Ideal Husband are among his other famous works. Shaw and Wilde were born within a few years of each other, but Shaw was a much more productive writer. His most famous plays include Pygmalion and Candida. Shaw's plays are loved so much that an entire theater company is devoted to performing his work in Niagara-on-the-Lake in southern Ontario. Harold Pinter The plays of Harold Pinter certainly have an international presence. His writing was so widely recognized for its importance that he was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 2005. Pinter is especially known for his style of writing. Many of his plays such as Betrayal, The Dumb Waiter and his first play, The Room, are extremely well known.

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Robert and Peter study in the same university. They do everything together and help each other. But they often play jokes on each other. The school year was over last month and they decided to travel through the country in America. They drove a car and could stop wherever they were interested in and started whenever they wanted. Of course they enjoyed themselves. It was very hot one day and they were both hungry and thirsty. They stopped in front of a restaurant by the road. They came in, sat down at a table and ordered some dishes. Robert looked around and found there was a small bowl on the table. He thought there was some ice cream in it and took a spoonful of it and put it into his mouth. Immediately he knew it was mustard ,but it was too late. Tears ran down his face, but he pretended nothing had happened. The other young man, seeing his friend crying, asked, "What are you crying about, Robert?" "I'm thinking of my father who was hanged twenty years ago," was his reply. After a while, Peter made the same mistake. Tears ran down his cheeks, too. And his friend asked him why. "I wonder why your father hadn't been hanged before he got married!"

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Erica McElrath calls herself " The Happy Lady". And by now, you may have caught her singing and dancing with her mp3 player on any of several city street corners. " I don't want money," said McElrah, 40, of St. Louis. " I come out here to make people smile." McElrah lost her full-time job in January. Since then, she has spent her days doing what she loves-dancing in the street. Her message to people in hard times: do something that you enjoy, no matter what your circumstances. " Life isn't that bad," she said. " If you're working 40 hours a week, you shouldn't be complaining." McElrah graduated from parkway Central High School and has spent the past 21 years working as a nursing assistant, She began singing and dancing publicly on her days off a few years ago to help her through the pain of her second divorce. Her favorite spot is the northwest corner of Chouteau Avenue and South Grand Boulevard near St. Louis University. McElrah's mp3 player is loaded with hundreds of classic rock hits and 80's pop songs, including those by Joe Cocker, Tina Turner, Neil Diamond and Toto. But her favorite artist, by far, is Stevie Nicks. Videos of McElrah have appeared on YouTube, a video-sharing website on which users can upload, share, and view videos. "People think I'm crazy, but I don't care," She said. " I can dance a little. I just go with the music." Even a rude gesture from a passing motorist doesn't bother her either. " I just smile and wave," she said. McElrah's show of bravery recently earned her a job opportunity with Liberty Tax Service, which temporarily offered her a job as a dancer Statute of Liberty to promote a new place near Grand Center starting in January. " Just be happy and do what you love," she said. "The money will come."

gutenberg

CHAPTER XXIV. OUTBREAK OF THE CREW THE purpose of Bembo had been made known to the men generally by the watch; and now that our salvation was certain, by an instinctive impulse they raised a cry, and rushed toward him. Just before liberated by Dunk and the steward, he was standing doggedly by the mizzen-mast; and, as the infuriated sailors came on, his bloodshot eye rolled, and his sheath-knife glittered over his head. "Down with him!" "Strike him down!" "Hang him at the main-yard!" such were the shouts now raised. But he stood unmoved, and, for a single instant, they absolutely faltered. "Cowards!" cried Salem, and he flung himself upon him. The steel descended like a ray of light; but did no harm; for the sailor's heart was beating against the Mowree's before he was aware. They both fell to the deck, when the knife was instantly seized, and Bembo secured. "For'ard! for'ard with him!" was again the cry; "give him a sea-toss!" "Overboard with him!" and he was dragged along the deck, struggling and fighting with tooth and nail. All this uproar immediately over the mate's head at last roused him from his drunken nap, and he came staggering on deck. "What's this?" he shouted, running right in among them. "It's the Mowree, zur; they are going to murder him, zur," here sobbed poor Rope Yarn, crawling close up to him. "Avast! avast!" roared Jermin, making a spring toward Bembo, and dashing two or three of the sailors aside. At this moment the wretch was partly flung over the bulwarks, which shook with his frantic struggles. In vain the doctor and others tried to save him: the men listened to nothing.

mctest

I couldn't believe today had come! It was finally my birthday and that meant I could start working at the nearby pet store. First off, let me say that my name is Lilly, and as I'm sure you know, today's my birthday! Working at the pet shop has been my dream ever since I was a little girl, so actually getting to work with and help take care of the kitties, puppies, lizards and all sorts of animals is the coolest thing to happen to me. Some people dream of being a doctor, or a nurse, or even a teacher, but I've always wanted to work with pets. I'll say, like many people, I do have fears and that fear is snakes so I won't get to take care of them! \tabI arrived at the pet store around nine in the morning and was greeted by the friendly woman that owned it who I talked with over the phone. Her hair was covering her name tag so I couldn't tell if her name was Martha, Margaret, or Mary, but it turns out she told me it was Margie so none of them were right. Margie helped me become friendly with all the animals, and I had so much fun the whole day. I fed them, gave them water, and even got to play with them! Margie didn't think I was ready to clean up after them yet so she said that could be done another day. It was everything I ever hoped and I can't wait for tomorrow!

cnn

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- There are no immediate plans to commit more U.S. troops to the ongoing war in Afghanistan, President Obama said Wednesday. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, left, and President Obama meet in Washington on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters alongside Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Obama said he would consult with U.S. allies before determining a strategy in Afghanistan after last month's elections there. "I'm going to take a very deliberate process in making those decisions," Obama said. "There is no immediate decision pending on resources, because one of the things that I'm absolutely clear about is you have to get the strategy right and then make a determination about resources." The United States has about 62,000 U.S. troops in the country, and NATO allies -- including Canada -- have another 35,000. The Pentagon is planning to add 6,000 troops by the end of the year. There have been indications that Obama soon could be asked to commit even more American troops. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, however, has signaled he would like to gauge the impact of the 6,000-troop increase before considering whether to send more. Support in the United States for the war in Afghanistan has dipped to an all-time low. Just 39 percent of Americans favor the war, while 58 percent oppose it, according to a national CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Tuesday. Recent polling suggests that the increasing violence and slow pace of progress are also taking a toll on support for the war in Canada. Obama thanked Harper for his country's commitment to Afghanistan, where more than 2,800 Canadian troops and dozens of civilians are stationed.

wikipedia

Agnosticism is the view that the existence of God or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable. According to the philosopher William L. Rowe, "agnosticism is the view that human reason is incapable of providing sufficient rational grounds to justify either the belief that God exists or the belief that God does not exist". Agnosticism is a doctrine or set of s rather than a religion. English biologist Thomas Henry Huxley coined the word "agnostic" in 1869. Earlier thinkers, however, had written works that promoted agnostic points of view, such as Sanjaya Belatthaputta, a 5th-century BCE Indian philosopher who expressed agnosticism about any afterlife; and Protagoras, a 5th-century BCE Greek philosopher who expressed agnosticism about the existence of "the gods". The Nasadiya Sukta in the Rigveda is agnostic about the origin of the universe. Being a scientist, above all else, Huxley presented agnosticism as a form of demarcation. A hypothesis with no supporting objective, testable evidence is not an objective, scientific claim. As such, there would be no way to test said hypotheses, leaving the results inconclusive. His agnosticism was not compatible with forming a belief as to the truth, or falsehood, of the claim at hand. Karl Popper would also describe himself as an agnostic. According to philosopher William L. Rowe, in this strict sense, agnosticism is the view that human reason is incapable of providing sufficient rational grounds to justify either the belief that God exists or the belief that God does not exist.

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What would you do if you found a snake in your house? Many people might be afraid or try to kill it. However, if you live in North Carolina in the USA, one thing you can do is to call the Snake Catchers. The Snake Catchers are four men who love snakes, even poisonous ones. Their newspaper advertisement says, "Snake Catchers: free snake removal Please do not kill them -- Call us. " The Snake Catchers, who started their service in 1998, don't charge anything for helping people. "We do this as a hobby," explained Fred Johnson, one of the Snake Catchers. Because of their love of snakes, the Snake Catchers try to keep them alive. "One man asked us to kill a python , so he could make a pair of boots from the skin. We refused, because we like snakes, and we don't want to see them killed, " said Fred. Some of the snakes that they catch are kept as pets; some are given to the North Carolina State University. Most, including the poisonous snakes, are set free in the wild, usually in a national park. Fred suggests that people should treat snakes with care. "Actually snakes are very shy and gentle creatures. They only attack if they are frightened. However, you have to know how to treat a snake properly!" According to one happy family, the Snake Catchers are good. One day, the Greenwood family found a snake skin in the kitchen. They looked very carefully and saw a snake sleeping behind a cupboard. They thought about what to do. Then Steve Greenwood remembered the advertisement for the Snake Catchers. He called them. "The Snake Catchers arrived within an hour and they finished the job quickly too," said Steve Greenwood. "One of them went into the kitchen, found the snake and took it out alive. The Snake Catchers did a very good job." Last year, the Snake Catchers removed more than seventy snakes from houses in North Carolina.

cnn

(CNN) -- A federal appeals court has upheld an obstruction of justice conviction against Barry Bonds, according to court documents released Friday. The court ruled that the evasiveness of the testimony the former baseball star gave to a grand jury investigating sales of performance-enhancing drugs was sufficient to convict him. In an opinion filed by the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge Mary M. Schroeder said the three-judge panel rejected Bonds' contention that he could only have been indicted for obstruction if his testimony had been flatly false. Attorneys for Bonds had argued that Bonds' statements to the grand jury were factually true, and that language in the federal statute under which he was charged is unconstitutionally vague. The appeals court rejected that argument. "When factually true statements are misleading or evasive, they can prevent the grand jury from obtaining truthful and responsive answers," Schroeder wrote. "They may therefore obstruct and impede the administration of justice within the meaning of the federal criminal statute." Bonds' testimony in December 2003 was part of an investigation that targeted his personal trainer, Greg Anderson, and employees of the California drug testing laboratory known as the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative, or BALCO. The testimony that led to Bonds' conviction came when a grand jury prosecutor asked Bonds whether Anderson ever gave him "anything that required a syringe to inject yourself with." Bonds told the grand jury that only his personal doctors "ever touch me," and he then veered off the subject to say he never talked baseball with Anderson.

gutenberg

CHAPTER VII There was a good deal of speculation at the Sheridan Club, of which he was a popular and much envied member, as to the cause for the complete disappearance from their midst of Francis Ledsam since the culmination of the Hilditch tragedy. "Sent back four topping briefs, to my knowledge, last week," one of the legal luminaries of the place announced to a little group of friends and fellow-members over a before-dinner cocktail. "Griggs offered him the defence of William Bull, the Chippenham murderer, and he refused it," another remarked. "Griggs wrote him personally, and the reply came from the Brancaster Golf Club! It isn't like Ledsam to be taking golfing holidays in the middle of the session." "There's nothing wrong with Ledsam," declared a gruff voice from the corner. "And don't gossip, you fellows, at the top of your voices like a lot of old women. He'll be calling here for me in a moment or two." They all looked around. Andrew Wilmore rose slowly to his feet and emerged from behind the sheets of an evening paper. He laid his hand upon the shoulder of a friend, and glanced towards the door. "Ledsam's had a touch of nerves," he confided. "There's been nothing else the matter with him. We've been down at the Dormy House at Brancaster and he's as right as a trivet now. That Hilditch affair did him in completely." "I don't see why," one of the bystanders observed. "He got Hilditch off all right. One of the finest addresses to a jury I ever heard."

gutenberg

CHAPTER XXXII MORRISON IS DESPERATE Certainly it was a strange little gathering that waited in Morrison's room for the coming of Laverick. There was Lassen--flushed, ugly, breathing heavily, and watching the door with fixed, beady eyes. There was Adolf Kahn, the man who had strolled out from the Milan Hotel as Laverick had entered it, leaving the forged order behind him. There was Streuss--stern, and desperate with anxiety. There was Morrison himself, in the clothes of a workman, worn to a shadow, with the furtive gleam of terrified guilt shining in his sunken eyes, and the slouched shoulders and broken mien of the habitual criminal. There was Zoe, around whom they were all standing, with anger burning in her cheeks and gleaming out of her passion-filled eyes. She, too, like the others, watched the door. So they waited. Streuss, not for the first time, moved to the window and drawing aside the curtains looked down into the street. "Will he come--this Englishman?" he muttered. "Has he courage?" "More courage than you who keep a girl here against her will!" Zoe panted, looking at him defiantly. "More courage than my poor brother, who stands there like a coward!" "Shut up, Zoe!" Morrison exclaimed harshly. "There is nothing for you to be furious about or frightened. No one wants to ill-treat you. These gentlemen all want to behave kindly to us. It is Laverick they want." "And you," she cried, "are content to stand by and let him walk into a trap--you let them even use my name to bring him here! Arthur, be a man! Have nothing more to do with them. Help me to get away from this place. Call out. Do something instead of standing there and wasting the precious minutes."

cnn

Washington (CNN)John Boehner and his allies scrambled to lock down support for his reelection as Speaker on Tuesday morning as the small army of conservative lawmakers promising to vote against him continued to expand. A senior House GOP leadership source tells CNN that Boehner is reaching out to members to urge support as they try to stave off the coup attempt. Voting was underway Tuesday afternoon with several Republicans already voting for people other than Boehner. Bad weather and the funeral proceedings for former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo, however, made conservatives' challenge tougher as the two incidents combined ensured some lawmakers wouldn't make the vote. With fewer lawmakers voting, conservatives will need more Boehner opponents to force the vote to a second ballot. Conservative call for Boehner coup grows louder Still, Monday morning conservatives were optimistic as more prominent members in their ranks came out opposed to the Speaker. Rep. Justin Amash, one of the original dozen that opposed Boehner for speaker in 2013, said in a Facebook post that while "Speaker Boehner has given his best to our conference...it's time for Republicans to change our leadership." Incoming Rep. Curt Clawson, via tweet; South Carolina Rep. Jeff Duncan, via Facebook; and Kansas Rep. Tim Huelskamp, via tweet, also joined the 10 lawmakers that announced their opposition to Boehner over the weekend and into Monday. Conservatives say they've locked down at least a dozen and as many as 15 certain no-votes, with more expected when the vote happens Tuesday afternoon. Florida Rep. Ted Yoho, who is just starting his second term in the House, is one of the conservatives collaborating to spark a second round of voting, and has offered him up as an alternative to the Ohio Republican, along with Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert.

wikipedia

John the Baptist (, "Ioánnes (h)o baptistés" or Ἰωάννης ὁ βαπτίζων, "Ioánnes (h)o baptízon", known as the Prophet Yahya in the Quran), also known as John the Baptizer, was a Jewish itinerant preacher in the early first century AD. John is revered as a major religious figure in Christianity, Islam, the Bahá'í Faith, and Mandaeism. He is called a prophet by all of these traditions, and is honoured as a saint in many Christian traditions. John used baptism as the central symbol or sacrament of his messianic movement. Most scholars agree that John baptized Jesus. Some scholars believe Jesus was a follower or disciple of John. This idea is strongly controverted, however, by John the Baptist's own words in scripture, although several New Testament accounts report that some of Jesus' early followers had previously been followers of John. John the Baptist is also mentioned by the Jewish historian Josephus. Some scholars maintain that John was influenced by the semi-ascetic Essenes, who expected an apocalypse and practiced rituals corresponding strongly with baptism, although no direct evidence substantiates this. According to the New Testament, John anticipated a messianic figure greater than himself. Christians commonly refer to John as the precursor or forerunner of Jesus, since John announces Jesus' coming. John is also identified with the prophet Elijah.

cnn

Perugia, Italy (CNN) -- The father of American student Amanda Knox says prosecutors have "no case left," after an Italian judge rejected a request for new DNA testing of evidence. "It really appears to me that they want to find the truth," Curt Knox said of Judge Claudio Pratillo Hellman's decision Wednesday. "I'm very hopeful that by the end of the month, we'll be able to bring Amanda and Rafael home." Amanda Knox is fighting her conviction for killing her British housemate, Meredith Kercher. Knox and her ex-boyfriend, Rafael Sollecito, were found guilty of the killing in 2009. The judge also rejected prosecution efforts to introduce newly found records about the original testing and to hear a new witness -- all victories for Knox's defense, which opposed the motions. Curt Knox said his daughter is "handling it a step at a time. She's not pessimistic by any means. But she's also not saying, you know, I'm coming home." He told CNN that the family will be allowed to see Amanda on Friday and will have a better sense of her reaction to the court's decision then. Still, he acknowledged that "it was very good news for Amanda." Even the prosecutor's office told CNN that its attorneys are less certain of the outcome. The prosecution is still confident that the verdict will be upheld, but is aware that it could go either way, the office said. But Francesco Maresca, an attorney for the Kercher family, said that the rulings were not a defeat and that he understood why the judge rejected the requests.

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Bum rate is the speed at which a startup business consumes money. My rate would be $ 50,000 a month when my new media company started. So, I began looking around for individuals who would be my first investors. "Angel money" it was called. But when I reviewed my list of acquaintances to find those who might be able to help, I found the number got small. With no other choices, I began meeting with the venture-capital companies. But I was warned they took a huge share of your company for the money they put in. And if you struggled, they could drop you cold. As I was searching for "angel money", I started to build a team who trusted me even though I didn't have money for paychecks yet. Bill Becker was an expert in computer programming and image processing at a very famous Media Lab at M. I.T. With his arrival, my company suddenly had a major technology "guy" in-house. Katherine Henderson, a filmmaker and a former real-estate dealer, joined us as our director of market research. Steve White came on as operating officer. He had worked for the developer of a home-finance software, Quicken. We grabbed him. We had some really good people, but we still didn't have enough money. One night, my neighbor, Louise Johnson, came for a visit. She and I were only nodding acquaintances, but her boys and ours were constant companions. She ran a very good business at the time. Louise was brilliant and missed nothing. She had been watching my progress closely. She knew I was dying for money and I had prospects but could offer no guarantees of success. She told me that her attorney had talked to mine and the terms had been agreed upon. She handed me an envelope. Inside was a check for $ 500,000. I almost fell down. I heard her voice as if from heaven. "I have confidence in your plan," she said. "You' 11 do well. You're going to work hard for it, but it' s satisfying when you build your own company." Who would have thought I'd find an angel so close to home? There were no words sufficient for the moment. We just said good night. She left and I just stood there, completely humbled and completely committed.

cnn

A high-profile murder case involving one of America's most well-known political families took a dramatic turn Wednesday when a judge ordered a new trial for Michael Skakel, the nephew of Robert and Ethel Kennedy. Skakel, who has spent more than a decade behind bars, is accused of killing 15-year-old neighbor Martha Moxley with a golf club in 1975. Twenty-seven years after her death, he was convicted and sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. For years, Skakel fought unsuccessfully for his conviction to be overturned. But a Connecticut judge gave Skakel, 53, a chance for a fresh start Wednesday, ruling that the defense during his 2002 trial had been inadequate. State's Attorney John Smriga said prosecutors plan to appeal, but are still reviewing the judge's decision. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has long maintained his cousin's innocence, described the judge's order as a "blessed event." "I think everybody who knows Michael's overjoyed with it," Kennedy told CNN's "AC360." Martha Moxley's mother said the judge's ruling does nothing to change her mind. "There's not a way they can erase what was said during the first trial. ... I have not given up and I do believe Michael Skakel killed my daughter," Dorthy Moxley told CNN's "Piers Morgan Live." "If there is a new trial, I will be there." Judge: Defense 'constitutionally deficient' In a lengthy opinion Wednesday, Connecticut Appellate Judge Thomas Bishop ruled that defense attorney Michael "Mickey" Sherman's representation of Skakel was "constitutionally deficient." "The defense of a serious felony prosecution requires attention to detail, an energetic investigation and a coherent plan of defense (capably) executed," Bishop wrote in his decision. "Trial counsel's failures in each of these areas of representation were significant and, ultimately, fatal to a constitutionally adequate defense."

gutenberg

CHAPTER XI FUN AT PUTNAM HALL "Back to Putnam Hall at last!" "Yes, boys, back at last! Hurrah for the dear old school, and all the boys in it!" Peleg Snuggers, the general utility man of the Hall, had just brought the boys up from Cedarville, to which place they had journeyed from Ithaca on the regular afternoon boat running up Cayuga Lake. With the Rovers had come Fred Garrison, Larry Colby, and several others of their old school chums. (For the doings of the Putnam Hall students previous to the arrival at that institution of the Rover boys, see The Putnam Hall Series, the first volume of which is entitled, "The Putnam Hall Cadets."--PUBLISHERS) "Glad to welcome you back, boys!" exclaimed Captain Victor Putnam, a pleasant smile on his face. He shook hands all around. "Did you have a nice trip?" "Splendid, sir," said Tom. "Oh, how do you do, Mr. Strong?" and he ran to meet the head teacher. He could not help but think of how different things were now to when he had first arrived at Putnam Hall the year previous, and Josiah Crabtree had locked him up in the guardroom for exploding a big firecracker in honor of the occasion. "Well, Thomas, I hope you have left all your pranks behind," observed George Strong. "How about it?" And his eyes twinkled. "Oh, I'm going in for study this session," answered Tom demurely. And then he winked at Larry on the sly. But his words did not deceive George Strong, who understood only too well Tom's propensity for mischief.

mctest

John was excited for the treasure hunt. He called up his friends to help him find all of the items on the list. First he called Phil. Phil said he would come right over to help him find items. Next he called James. James said he could help, but had to finish breakfast first. Finally he called Pat and Paul. They were twins and were excited to join the treasure hunt. Finally, all his friends arrived. They were ready to look for the treasure hunt items. The items on the treasure hunt list were a cup, coin, apple, bell, mitten, and rock. The boys spread out in all directions, looking for the items. John found an item first. He found the rock. Phil found a coin on the sidewalk. He also found a mitten. James found an apple in the yard. Pat and Paul found a cup. All that was left to find was the bell. They looked and looked and finally, James found a bell beneath a bench. The boys were happy about finding all of the items.

wikipedia

Antwerp is a Flemish city in Belgium, the capital of Antwerp province in the community of Flanders. With a population of 510,610, it is the most populous city proper in Belgium. Its metropolitan area houses around 1,200,000 people, which is second behind Brussels. Antwerp is on the River Scheldt, linked to the North Sea by the Westerschelde estuary. It is about north from Brussels, and about from the Dutch border. The Port of Antwerp is one of the biggest in the world, ranking second in Europe and within the top 20 globally. Antwerp was also the place of the world's oldest stock exchange building, originally built in 1531 and re-built in 1872, it has been derelict since 1997. Antwerp has long been an important city in the Low Countries, both economically and culturally, especially before the Spanish Fury (1576) in the Dutch Revolt. The inhabitants of Antwerp are nicknamed "Sinjoren", after the Spanish honorific "señor" or French "seigneur", "lord", referring to the Spanish noblemen who ruled the city in the 17th century. Today Antwerp is a major trade and cultural centre, and is the world's second most multi-cultural city (after Amsterdam) home to 170 nationalities. It is also known as the "diamond capital" of the world for its large diamond district. The city hosted the 1920 Summer Olympics.

gutenberg

CHAPTER IX. The appearance of the Cadurcis family on the limited stage of her life, and the engrossing society of her companion, had entirely distracted the thoughts of Venetia from a subject to which in old days they were constantly recurring, and that was her father. By a process which had often perplexed her, and which she could never succeed in analysing, there had arisen in her mind, without any ostensible agency on the part of her mother which she could distinctly recall, a conviction that this was a topic on which she was never to speak. This idea had once haunted her, and she had seldom found herself alone without almost unconsciously musing over it. Notwithstanding the unvarying kindness of Lady Annabel, she exercised over her child a complete and unquestioned control. Venetia was brought up with strictness, which was only not felt to be severe, because the system was founded on the most entire affection, but, fervent as her love was for her mother, it was equalled by her profound respect, which every word and action of Lady Annabel tended to maintain. In all the confidential effusions with Plantagenet, Venetia had never dwelt upon this mysterious subject; indeed, in these conversations, when they treated of their real and not ideal life, Venetia was a mere recipient: all that she could communicate, Plantagenet could observe; he it was who avenged himself at these moments for his habitual silence before third persons; it was to Venetia that he poured forth all his soul, and she was never weary of hearing his stories about Morpeth, and all his sorrows, disgusts, and afflictions. There was scarcely an individual in that little town with whom, from his lively narratives, she was not familiar; and it was to her sympathising heart that he confided all his future hopes and prospects, and confessed the strong pride he experienced in being a Cadurcis, which from all others was studiously concealed.

race

Northern Europeans spend a lot of time in their cold and cloudy winters planning their summer holidays. They are proud of their healthy color when they return home after the holiday. But they also know that a certain amount of sunshine is good for their bodies and general health. In ancient Greece people knew about the healing powers of the sun, but this knowledge was lost. At the end of the nineteenth century a Danish doctor, Niels Finsen, began to study the effect of sunlight on certain diseases, especially diseases of the skin. He was interested not only in natural sunlight but also in artificially produced rays. Sunlight began to play a more important part in curing sick people. A Swiss doctor, Auguste Rollier, made full use of the sun in his hospital at Lysine. Lysine is a small village high up in the Alps. The position is important: the rays of the sun with the greatest healing power are the infra-red and ultra-violet rays; but ultra-violet rays are too easily lost in fog and the polluted air near industrial towns. Dr. Roller found that sunlight, fresh air and good food cure a great many diseases. He was particularly successful in curing certain forms of tuberculosis with his "sun-cure". There were a large number of children in Dr. Roller's hospital. He decided to start a school where sick children could be cured and at the same time continue to learn. It was not long before his school was full. In winter, wearing only shorts, socks and boots, the children put on their skis after breakfast and left the hospital. They carried small desks and chairs as well as their school books. Their teacher led them over the snow until they reached a slope which faced the sun and was free from cold winds. There they set out their desks and chairs, and school began. Although they wore hardly any clothes, Roller's pupils were very seldom cold. That was because their bodies were full of energy which they got from the sun. But the doctor knew that sunshine can also be dangerous. If, for example, tuberculosis is attacking the lungs, unwise sunbathing may do great harm. Today there is not just one school in the sun. There are several in Switzerland, and since Switzerland is not the only country which has the right conditions, there are similar schools in other places.

race

Most people know that Marie Curie was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize, and the first person to win it twice. However, few people know that she was also the mother of a Nobel Prize winner. Born in September, 1897, Irene Curie was the first of the Curies' two daughters. Along with nine other children whose parents were also famous scholars, Irene studied in their own school, and her mother was one of the teachers. She finished her high school education at the College of Sevigne in Paris. Irene entered the University of Paris in 1914 to prepare for a degree in mathematics and physics. When World War I began, Irene went to help her mother, who was using X-ray facilities to help save the lives of wounded soldiers. Irene continued the work by developing X-ray facilities in military hospitals in France and Belgium. Her services were recognized in the form of a Military's Medal by the French government. In 1918, Irene became her mother's assistant at the Curie Institute. In December 1924, Frederic Joliot joined the Institute, and Irene taught him the techniques required for his work. They soon fell in love and were married in 1926. Their daughter Helene was born in 1927 and their son Pierre five years later. Like her mother, Irene combined family and career. Like her mother, Irene was awarded a Nobel Prize, along with her husband, in 1935. Unfortunately, also like her mother, she developed leukemia because of her work with radioactivity . Irene Joliot Curie died from leukemia on March 17, 1956.

wikipedia

Before forming Queen, Brian May and Roger Taylor had played together in a band named Smile. Freddie Mercury (then known by his birth name of Farrokh "Freddie" Bulsara) was a fan of Smile and encouraged them to experiment with more elaborate stage and recording techniques. Mercury joined the band in 1970, suggested "Queen" as a new band name, and adopted his familiar stage name. John Deacon was recruited prior to recording their eponymous debut album in 1973. Queen first charted in the UK with their second album, Queen II, in 1974, but it was the release of Sheer Heart Attack later that year and A Night at the Opera in 1975 which brought them international success. The latter featured "Bohemian Rhapsody", which stayed at number one in the UK for nine weeks and popularised the music video. Their 1977 album, News of the World, contained "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions", which have become anthems at sporting events. By the early 1980s, Queen were one of the biggest stadium rock bands in the world. Their performance at 1985's Live Aid is ranked among the greatest in rock history by various music publications, with a 2005 industry poll ranking it the best. In 1991, Mercury died of bronchopneumonia, a complication of AIDS, and Deacon retired in 1997. Since then, May and Taylor have occasionally performed together, including with Paul Rodgers (2004–09) and with Adam Lambert (since 2011). In November 2014, Queen released a new album, Queen Forever, featuring vocals from the late Mercury.

wikipedia

In 2007, two FAA whistleblowers, inspectors Charalambe "Bobby" Boutris and Douglas E. Peters, alleged that Boutris said he attempted to ground Southwest after finding cracks in the fuselage, but was prevented by supervisors he said were friendly with the airline. This was validated by a report by the Department of Transportation which found FAA managers had allowed Southwest Airlines to fly 46 airplanes in 2006 and 2007 that were overdue for safety inspections, ignoring concerns raised by inspectors. Audits of other airlines resulted in two airlines grounding hundreds of planes, causing thousands of flight cancellations. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held hearings in April 2008. Jim Oberstar, former chairman of the committee said its investigation uncovered a pattern of regulatory abuse and widespread regulatory lapses, allowing 117 aircraft to be operated commercially although not in compliance with FAA safety rules. Oberstar said there was a "culture of coziness" between senior FAA officials and the airlines and "a systematic breakdown" in the FAA's culture that resulted in "malfeasance, bordering on corruption." In 2008 the FAA proposed to fine Southwest $10.2 million for failing to inspect older planes for cracks, and in 2009 Southwest and the FAA agreed that Southwest would pay a $7.5 million penalty and would adopt new safety procedures, with the fine doubling if Southwest failed to follow through.

cnn

(CNN) -- The Syrian government has told the parents of a missing American journalist that it doesn't know where their son is, the man's father said Monday at a news conference in Beirut, Lebanon. Austin Tice last contacted his family on August 13 while in Syria reporting on the uprising there against the government of President Bashar al-Assad. He was reportedly preparing to leave Syria for Lebanon when he went missing, according to his family. Read more: Family working for journalist's release plans visit to Lebanon In October, a shaky video surfaced on YouTube showing a man believed to be Tice surrounded by armed men walking him up a hill. Tice's father, Marc Tice, said that family members have been in touch, "directly and indirectly," with Syrian government officials, but they have learned nothing about his son's location despite traveling to Beirut to seek his release. "We're reaching out to everyone that we can get in touch with," he said. Tice's parents say they are willing to go to Syria if that what it will take to get their son back. "We have no idea what will be required, and we would like to know from whoever is holding him what it is that we need to do," Marc Tice said. Austin is the oldest of the couple's seven children. "We are a big, close family. We have all felt the void [of] his absence," said his mother, Debra Tice. With the holiday season approaching, they are "dismayed by the empty chair at our family table," she said. "We miss Austin. Knowing his smile, big laugh, great storytelling."

gutenberg

CHAPTER LXVIII King Media Dreams That afternoon was melting down to eve; all but Media broad awake; yet all motionless, as the slumberer upon the purple mat. Sailing on, with open eyes, we slept the wakeful sleep of those, who to the body only give repose, while the spirit still toils on, threading her mountain passes. King Media's slumbers were like the helmed sentry's in the saddle. From them, he started like an antlered deer, bursting from out a copse. Some said he never slept; that deep within himself he but intensified the hour; or, leaving his crowned brow in marble quiet, unseen, departed to far-off councils of the gods. Howbeit, his lids never closed; in the noonday sun, those crystal eyes, like diamonds, sparkled with a fixed light. As motionless we thus reclined, Media turned and muttered:--"Brother gods, and demi-gods, it is not well. These mortals should have less or more. Among my subjects is a man, whose genius scorns the common theories of things; but whose still mortal mind can not fathom the ocean at his feet. His soul's a hollow, wherein he raves." "List, list," whispered Yoomy--"our lord is dreaming; and what a royal dream." "A very royal and imperial dream," said Babbalanja--"he is arraigning me before high heaven;--ay, ay; in dreams, at least, he deems himself a demi-god." "Hist," said Mohi--"he speaks again." "Gods and demi-gods! With one gesture all abysses we may disclose; and before this Mardi's eyes, evoke the shrouded time to come. Were this well? Like lost children groping in the woods, they falter through their tangled paths; and at a thousand angles, baffled, start upon each other. And even when they make an onward move, 'tis but an endless vestibule, that leads to naught. In my own isle of Odo--Odo! Odo! How rules my viceroy there?--Down, down, ye madding mobs! Ho, spearmen, charge! By the firmament, but my halberdiers fly!"

wikipedia

John Winston Ono Lennon, (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician, and activist who co-founded the Beatles, the most commercially successful and musically influential band in the history of popular music. He and fellow member Paul McCartney formed a much-celebrated songwriting partnership. Born and raised in Liverpool, Lennon became involved in the skiffle craze as a teenager; his first band, the Quarrymen, was named the Silver Beatles, and finally evolved into the Beatles in 1960. When the group disbanded in 1970, Lennon embarked on a sporadic solo career that produced albums including "John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band" and "Imagine", and songs such as "Give Peace a Chance", "Working Class Hero", and "Imagine". After he married Yoko Ono in 1969, he added "Ono" as one of his middle names. Lennon disengaged himself from the music business in 1975 to raise his infant son Sean, but re-emerged with Ono in 1980 with the new album "Double Fantasy". He was shot and killed in front of his Manhattan apartment three weeks after its release. Lennon revealed a rebellious nature and acerbic wit in his music, writing, drawings, on film and in interviews. Controversial through his political and peace activism, he moved from London to Manhattan in 1971, where his criticism of the Vietnam War resulted in a lengthy attempt by the Nixon administration to deport him. Some of his songs were adopted as anthems by the anti-war movement and the larger counterculture.

gutenberg

Chapter XI. --NUSSLER IN NEISSE, WITH THE OLD DESSAUER AND WALRAVE. The Old Dessauer with part of his 20,000,--aided by Boy Dietrich (KNABE, "Knave Dietrich," as one might fondly call him) and the Moravian Meal-wagons,--accomplished his Troppau-Jablunka Problem perfectly well; cleaning the Mountains, and keeping them clean, of that Pandour rabble, as he was the man to do. Nor would his Expedition require mentioning farther,--were it not for some slight passages of a purely Biographical character; first of all, for certain rubs which befell between his Majesty and him. For example, once, before that Interview at Chrudim, just on entering Bohemia thitherward, Old Leopold had seen good to alter his march-route; and--on better information, as he thought it, which proved to be worse--had taken a road not prescribed to him. Hearing of which, Friedrich reins him up into the right course, in this sharp manner:-- "CHRUDIM, 21st APRIL. I am greatly surprised that your Serenity, as an old Officer, does not more accurately follow my orders which I give you. If you were skilfuler than Caesar, and did not with strict accuracy observe my orders, all else were of no help to me. I hope this notice, once for all, will be enough; and that in time coming you will give no farther causes to complain." [King to Furst Leopold (Orlich, i. 219-221).] Friedrich, on their meeting at Chrudim, was the same man as ever. But the old Son of Gunpowder stood taciturn, rigorous, in military business attitude, in the King's presence; had not forgotten the passage; and indeed he kept it in mind for long months after. And during all this Ober-Schlesien time, had the hidden grudge in his heart;--doing his day's work with scrupulous punctuality; all the more scrupulous, they say. Friedrich tried, privately through Leopold Junior, some slight touches of assuagement; but without effect; and left the Senior to Time, and to his own methods of cooling again.

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A little boy called Dhon lived in a small village in India. One afternoon Dhon's mother told Dhon, "I am going to bring firewood, Son. Do not go out. Play near the hut ." "Mama, may I go a little way in the woods to pick blackberries ?" he asked one day. "All right," his mother said, "but do not go very far." So Dhon went to the woods. He was happy to hear the birds singing in the trees. He _ some blackberries in his pockets. Then Dhon tried to catch some beautiful butterflies. He chased them far into the woods. He ran and he jumped. He forget he had to go back home. By that time the sun had set. Dhon was frightened. He thought of his mother and he cried. Suddenly, he saw a speck of light flying then he heard a voice. "I am a firefly . Why are you crying, little boy?" "I have lost my way. I want to go home to my mother," replied Dhon. "Don't cry, little boy, I will take you home. Follow me. But you must promise never to catch me." Dhon promised and followed the firefly through the trees. Soon he reached home and was safe in his mother's arms. That is why there are so many fireflies twinkling like little stars near the village huts in India.

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When Lew Alcindor was 13, and obviously still growing, a group of schools began offering him scholarships . The Alcindors decided to send their only child to Power Memorial Academy, a small school on Manhattan's West Side. At Power, Alcindor came under the control of Coach Jack Donohue, a strict young an who already gained his fame as one of the best coaches in the city.Donohue brought Alcindor along slowly.As a first-year student, the boy was not able to do much but wave his long skinny arms and shoot a basket now and then.But by the second year, when he was 15 years old and nearly 7 feet tall, Alcindor was quick and skillful enough to make the high school All-American team and to lead Power to an undefeated season. From then on he simply got better.Some rival coaches used to take their teams quickly away from the floor before Power warmed up so that their players would not see him any sooner than they had to.Wearing size 16 D shoes and sucking a lollipop , Alcindor would loosen up by starting his leaping lay-ups .Then he would casually shoot the ball with either hand, to the delight of the fans. When reporters and photographers began to follow Alcindor closely, Donohue protected his boy firmly.He simply ordered Lew to talk to no member of the press, and this suited Lew fine.He was not comfortable talking to grown-ups, perhaps because he towered over them.Discouraged photographers began following him in secret as though he were an easily-frightened giraffe.Once after ducking into a subway to escape, Alcindor told a friend that it was all becoming like policemen and robbers."People want you not for yourself," Donohue warned him, "but because you're a basketball player.Don't forget that."

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What is the hottest topic at your school? In Hangzhou Yongjin Middle School, it's money. The school had an activity called "making a living" recently. About 800 Junior 1 and Junior 2 students were divided into 112 teams. They went out to make money by selling things. What did they choose to sell? Some sold newspapers; some chose bottled water; some sold environmentally friendly shopping bags and bamboo baskets. Huqi's team decided to sell educational books in front of the Children Activity Centre. They thought parents would like to buy books for their children. But unfortunately , they came across urban management officers . The officers asked them to leave. "We played hide-and-seek with the officers for the whole morning," said Hu. "Finally we gave up and moved to other place. Wang Yongyi and her team sold ice cream in a square. They didn't meet any officers. But few people were interested in what they were selling. The team then put up a board saying the money was to help the "Project Hope" for country kids. It worked. More people came to their stall. A foreigner even gave them 100 yuan. Meng Zhaoxiang and his team were luckier. They sold all their cakes in four hours, spending 39.5 yuan and getting back 80 yuan. "It was not easy to make the money," said Meng. "Some people just looked. Others just tasted but didn't buy. Now I know how hard it is for our parents to earn the money we need to lead happy lives."

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Bill dug a small hole and placed the seed inside. Then, he covered up the hole with dirt, and poured some water on it. It was such a small seed, and it was hard to believe that it would turn into a giant pumpkin. Every day, Bill went out to the garden to check on the seed. Some days, if the ground was dry, he poured more water on it. After a few days, a tiny green plant started coming out of the ground. Bill kept checking every day, and the plant kept getting bigger and bigger. Soon, there were tiny leaves on the plant. As the summer went on, the whole plant kept getting bigger and bigger. Soon, he could see tiny fruits starting to grow. They kept getting bigger and bigger. Eventually, he could tell that they were pumpkins! That fall, the pumpkins were really big. Bill picked the biggest one and brought it to the fair. He got a blue ribbon for the biggest pumpkin! Bill's parents had other plants in their garden. They had strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, and many other fruits and vegetables. But they all started as tiny seeds.

wikipedia

St. Louis () is an independent city and major U.S. port in the state of Missouri, built along the western bank of the Mississippi River, on the border with Illinois. The city had an estimated 2016 population of 311,404, and is the cultural and economic center of the Greater St. Louis area (home to 2,916,447 people), making it the largest metropolitan area in Missouri and the 19th-largest in the United States. Nine of the ten Fortune 500 companies based in Missouri are located within the St. Louis metropolitan area. Prior to European settlement, the area was a major regional center of Native American Mississippian culture. The city of St. Louis was founded in 1764 by French fur traders Pierre Laclède and Auguste Chouteau, and named after Louis IX of France. In 1764, following France's defeat in the Seven Years' War, the area was ceded to Spain and retroceded back to France in 1800. In 1803, the United States acquired the territory as part of the Louisiana Purchase. During the 19th century, St. Louis developed as a major port on the Mississippi River. In the 1870 Census, St. Louis was ranked as the 4th-largest city in the United States. It separated from St. Louis County in 1877, becoming an independent city and limiting its own political boundaries. In 1904, it hosted the Louisiana Purchase Exposition and the Summer Olympics.

wikipedia

An Internet service provider (ISP) is an organization that provides services for accessing, using, the Internet. Internet service providers may be organized in various forms, such as commercial, community-owned, non-profit, or otherwise privately owned. Internet services typically provided by ISPs include Internet access, Internet transit, domain name registration, web hosting, Usenet service, and colocation. The Internet was developed as a network between government research laboratories and participating departments of universities. By the late 1980s, a process was set in place towards public, commercial use of the Internet. The remaining restrictions were removed by 1995, 4 years after the introduction of the World Wide Web. In 1989, the first ISPs were established in Australia and the United States. In Brookline, Massachusetts, The World became the first commercial ISP in the US. Its first customer was served in November 1989. On 23 April 2014, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was reported to be considering a new rule that will permit ISPs to offer content providers a faster track to send content, thus reversing their earlier net neutrality position. A possible solution to net neutrality concerns may be municipal broadband, according to Professor Susan Crawford, a legal and technology expert at Harvard Law School. On 15 May 2014, the FCC decided to consider two options regarding Internet services: first, permit fast and slow broadband lanes, thereby compromising net neutrality; and second, reclassify broadband as a telecommunication service, thereby preserving net neutrality. On 10 November 2014, President Barack Obama recommended that the FCC reclassify broadband Internet service as a telecommunications service in order to preserve net neutrality. On 16 January 2015, Republicans presented legislation, in the form of a U.S. Congress H.R. discussion draft bill, that makes concessions to net neutrality but prohibits the FCC from accomplishing the goal or enacting any further regulation affecting Internet service providers. On 31 January 2015, AP News reported that the FCC will present the notion of applying ("with some caveats") Title II (common carrier) of the Communications Act of 1934 to the internet in a vote expected on 26 February 2015. Adoption of this notion would reclassify internet service from one of information to one of the telecommunications and, according to Tom Wheeler, chairman of the FCC, ensure net neutrality. The FCC is expected to enforce net neutrality in its vote, according to the New York Times.

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In order to save money for a trip to Thailand to visit her family and friends, Emma White, a keeper in California, worked overtime. She saved more than 900 dollars and was planning to buy a ticket, but she lost her purse with all her money and credit cards . Emma looked through the garbage and all the buildings where she worked but came up empty-handed. She went home heartbroken. She believed that she had lost her money forever. While Emma was at home, sad and depressed, a homeless man was searching through the garbage looking for things to sell. As he was looking through a garbage bag, he found something wrapped in a plastic bag. The homeless man, who did not want to be recognized, took the purse to Sherry Wesley, because Sherry Wesley knew him from her volunteer work at a homeless shelter. The homeless man came to Sherry Wesley with the wad of money and said, "This probably belongs to someone that you work with; can you find the owner?" Sherry Wesley works in one of the buildings that Emma cleans and she knew Emma had lost her purse. Emma was amazed when she heard the good news. "I couldn't believe it when they called me," she said. "He has a very big heart. If someone else had found the purse, the money would be gone." As a reward, Emma gave the man 100 dollars. The homeless man gave half of the money to Sherry Wesley and asked her to donate it to charity for him.

gutenberg

CHAPTER NINE. HESTER INTRODUCED TO A NEW HOME AND NEW FRIENDS UNDER PECULIAR CIRCUMSTANCES, AND A NEW NAME. Long before their flight was discovered Hester Sommers and Dinah had penetrated into a dense thicket, where the negress proceeded to produce a wonderful metamorphosis. "Now, my dear," she said, hastily undoing a large bundle which she carried, while Hester, panting and terrified, sat down on the grass beside her, "don't you be frighted. I's your fri'nd. I's Dinah, de sister ob Peter de Great, an' de fri'nd also ob Geo'ge. So you make your mind easy." "My mind is quite easy," said Hester; "and even if you were not Peter's sister, I'd trust you, because of the tone of your kind voice. But who is Geo'ge?" Dinah opened her eyes very wide at this question, for Peter had already enlightened her mind a little as to the middy's feelings towards Hester. "You not know Geo'ge?" she asked. "Never heard of him before, Dinah." "Geo'ge Foster?" "Oh, I understand! It was your way of pronouncing his name that puzzled me," returned the girl, with a faint smile. "I'm glad you are his friend, too, poor fellow!" "Well, you _is_ a babby!" exclaimed Dinah, who had been mixing up what appeared to be black paint in a wooden bowl. "Now, look yar, don't you be frighted. It's a matter ob life an' deaf, you know, but _I's_ your fri'nd! Jest you do zackly what I tells you." "Yes, Dinah," said Hester, alarmed, notwithstanding, by the earnestness and solemnity of her new friend, "what am I to do?"

gutenberg

CHAPTER VII. Prince Ricardo and an Old Enemy. {The Yellow Dwarf: p123.jpg} "There is one brute I wish I could get upsides with," said Ricardo, at breakfast one morning, his mouth full of sardine. "Really, Ricardo, your language is most unprincely," said his august father; "I am always noticing it. You mean, I suppose, that there is one enemy of the human race whom you wish to abolish. What is the name of the doomed foe?" "Well, he is the greatest villain in history," said Ricardo. "You must have read about him, sir, the Yellow Dwarf." "Yes, I have certainly studied what is told us about him," said the king. "He is no favourite of mine." "He is the only one, if you notice, sir, of all the scoundrels about whom our ancestors inform us, who escaped the doom which he richly merited at the sword of a good knight." You may here remark that, since Dick took to his studies, he could speak, when he chose, like a printed book, which was by no means the case before. "If you remember, sir, he polished off--I mean, he slew--the King of the Golden Mines and the beautiful, though frivolous, Princess Frutilla. All that the friendly Mermaid could do for them was to turn them into a pair of beautiful trees which intertwine their branches. Not much use in _that_, sir! And nothing was done to the scoundrel. He may be going on still; and, with your leave, I'll go and try a sword-thrust with him. Francalanza says I'm improving uncommon."

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"Get out of the plane!" Justin shouted. Teddy and he dropped to the ground,.... When Kathy and Victor reached the edge of the grassland, flames were shooting more than five meters into the air. Kathy couldn't believe what she was seeing. One glance told her they needed medical attention immediately. She questioned Justin, " Is there anyone in the plane?" "No," he said. "Where are you able to radio for help?" "There was no time." " I'm a distance runner." Kathy said, "I'll go for help." Looking at the seriously injured men, she said, "It may take me several hours to get out." She started out. When she was 23, Kathy set a women's-course record in a Marathon. She had run 42 kilometers. But now she was running the race of her life. She had nearly 30 kilometers of hard wilderness to cover to get help. Kathy had been running for two hours. This was far back into the wilderness. The trail grew unclear. She stopped to take a quick compass reading. She had run for more than 20 kilometers. Her heart fell, her muscle aching. Finally she saw her car in the distance. She jumped into the car and sped away. She reached a holiday house and called the police. During the wait she walked around, relaxing her legs and drinking water. It took almost two hours for a helicopter to reach her. They needed her for one more task.

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CHAPTER THIRTY TWO. BRANWEN VISITS GUNRIG. Before going off on his mission the Hebrew paid a visit to his own residence, where he found Branwen busy with culinary operations. Sitting down on a stool, he looked at her with an expression of mingled amusement and perplexity. "Come hither, my girl," he said, "and sit beside me while I reveal the straits to which you have brought me. Verily, a short time ago I had deemed it impossible for any one to thrust me so near to the verge of falsehood as you have done!" "I, Beniah?" exclaimed the maiden, with a look of surprise on her pretty face so ineffably innocent that it was obviously hypocritical--insomuch that Beniah laughed, and Branwen was constrained to join him. "Yes--you and your father together, for the puzzling man has commissioned me to set out for the Hot Swamp, to tell Bladud that he is urgently wanted at home. And he would not even allow me to open my lips, when I was about to broach the subject of your disguises, although he almost certainly knows all about them--" "What! my father knows?" interrupted Branwen, with raised eyebrows. "Yes, and you know that he knows, and he knows that I know, and we all know that each other knows, and why there should be any objection that every one should know is more than I can--" "Never mind, Beniah," interrupted the girl, with the slightest possible smile. "You are a dear, good old creature, and I know you won't betray me. Remember your solemn promise."

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CHAPTER IX DOCTOR PATSY Next morning Uncle John and the Weldons--including the precious baby--went for a ride into the mountains, while Beth and Patsy took their embroidery into a sunny corner of the hotel lobby. It was nearly ten o'clock when A. Jones discovered the two girls and came tottering toward them. Tottering is the right word; he fairly swayed as he made his way to the secluded corner. "I wish he'd use a cane," muttered Beth in an undertone. "I have the feeling that he's liable to bump his nose any minute." Patsy drew up a chair for him, although he endeavored to prevent her. "Are you feeling better this morning?" she inquired. "I--I think so," he answered doubtfully. "I don't seem to get back my strength, you see." "Were you stronger before your accident?" asked Beth. "Yes, indeed. I went swimming, you remember. But perhaps I was not strong enough to do that. I--I'm very careful of myself, yet I seem to grow weaker all the time." There was a brief silence, during which the girls plied their needles. "Are you going to stay in this hotel?" demanded Patsy, in her blunt way. "For a time, I think. It is very pleasant here," he said. "Have you had breakfast?" "I took a food-tablet at daybreak." "Huh!" A scornful exclamation. Then she glanced at the open door of the dining-hall and laying aside her work she rose with a determined air and said: "Come with me!" "Where?" For answer she assisted him to rise. Then she took his hand and marched him across the lobby to the dining room.

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Taking part in charity is not just for adult people. Kids can do it too! Melvin Sheppard, 14, an American student, has done charity work for 8 years. He has also encouraged his classmates to join him. Melvin studies at William Allen Middle School in Philadelphia. Recently, he collected $ 1,500 by himself and $487 from his classmates to donate to Cooper University Hospital. Melvin was born nine weeks premature in Cooper University Hospital, weighing 2.6kg. His father told him how Cooper saved his life, so he feels thankful to the hospital. Melvin's classmates joined him once they found out about his kind behavior. Their teacher, Michael Bemer, also held a class with them about helping others. "It wasn't really about the money," Bemer said. "It was about the fact that they were doing something good." "It feels great, helping someone that I know." said Jordan, Melvin' s classmate. Melvin's neighbors also helped out. Since Melvin was 6, he and his parents have given money to Cooper University Hospital every year. This year, Gray E. Stahl, the head of Cooper's division of neonatology , went to Melvin's school to accept the money. The money goes to a part of the hospital that helps about 500 young patients every year. "When they leave, we call them graduates," Stahl said, "my co - workers and I are pleased when our graduates and their families do well, like Melvin and his family."

gutenberg

CHAPTER XXII AN UNEXPECTED MEETING ON THE WATER It was plainly to be seen that the first mate of the _Dogstar_ was in no wise an agreeable person to meet, and the Rovers and Hans were sorry that he and the others had come aboard the steam yacht. The two sailors from the lumber schooner were also rough men and probably under the thumb of the mate. "We can give you what is on board of the _Mermaid_," said Dick, a little stiffly. "I have not looked for liquor, so I can't say if there is any on the vessel or not." "Captain, and don't know what's aboard!" exclaimed Sid Jeffers. While he was speaking Sack Todd and Dan Baxter had been looking around the deck in the semi-darkness. "Where are the rest of the people on this boat?" demanded the ex-counterfeiter. "I don't see anybody," declared Dan Baxter. "Say, do you know what I think?" he cried suddenly. "I think these fellows are all alone!" "Humph!" muttered Sack Todd. "If they are--" He did not finish, but smiled quietly to himself. "Where can we get something to eat?" demanded the first mate, after a rather awkward pause. "In the galley or the cabin, as you please," said Dick. "But you will have to prepare it yourselves. We have no cook on board." "Oh, that's it, eh? Well, Guirk can cook pretty good and he can do the trick for us, eh, Guirk?" "Aye, aye!" answered one of the sailors. "Just show me the victuals an' the stove, an' I'll be after doing the rest in jig time. I'm hungry enough to eat 'most anything."

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Every year,there have been the Christmas specials for almost every sitcom and cartoon,which nod in sincerity towards the holiday season.Since Charles Schultz,the American cartoonist who created Charlie Brown and Snoopy,first got his hit on the holiday with A Charlie Brown Christmas in 1965.characters from television and comic books have tried on the Christmas clothes. This year,Fox has brought out its new"lce Age":A Mammoth Christmas,which was first shown on Thanksgiving day.The "Ice Age"films,which began in 2002,with a fourth feature for 2012,have been successful.one thing many fans would love the film is that they can have a chance to spend more time with the memorable animal characters from the series:Manny,Diego,and Sid.The film.tells the story of the birth of the Christmas tree,Santa'S deer,his sleigh and other things. It is also a"Christmas Must Be Saved" story and a"You Must Believe"story.Like the other"Ice Age" films,it involves a dangerous journey and time is found to cause sufferings to the poor little squirrel,Scrat. Christmas has been tied on to"Ice Age"like antlers on to a dog.In fact,the film-makers behind A Mammoth Christmas have spent most of their time working on the film itself rath--er than its Christmas special.It feels as if someone had merely made a list of tllings associated with the holiday. However,Sid,the series'most likable character,is a high point of the film.In the film,he's still got his silliness,enthusiasm and useful amusing shape.Whatever else is happening,the filmmakers make Sid reliably funny.

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Fiona Famous was a very popular girl at school. She was clever and fun, and got on well with everyone. It was no accident that Fiona was so popular. From an early age she had tried hard to be kind and friendly to everyone. She invited the whole class to her birthday party, and from time to time she would give presents to everybody. She was such a busy girl, with so many friends. However, she felt very lucky, no other girl had so many friends at school and in the neighborhood. But everything changed on National Friendship Day. On that day, at school, everyone was having a great time, drawing, painting, giving gifts. They had to make three presents to give to their three best friends. However, when all the presents had been made and shared out among classmates, Fiona was the only one who had not received a present! She felt terrible, and spent hours crying. How could it be possible? So much she had done to make so many friends, and in the end no one saw her as their best friend? Everyone came and tried to comfort her for a while. But each one only stayed for a short time before leaving. When she got home that night and asked her mother where she could find true friends. "Fiona, my dear," answered her mother, "you cannot buy friends with a smile or a few good words. If you really want true friends, you will have to give them real time and affection . For a true friend you must always be there for them, in good times and bad". "But I want to be everybody's friend! I need to share my time among everyone!" Fiona argued. "My dear, you're a lovely girl," said her mother, "but you can't be a close friend to everybody. There just isn't enough time for everyone, so it's only possible to have a few true friends. The others won't be close friends". Hearing this, Fiona decided to change her ways so that she could finally have some true friends. That night, in bed, she thought about what she could do to get them. _ Her mother was always ready to help her. She could stand all of Fiona's dislikes and problems. She always encouraged her. She loved her a great deal... That was what makes friends! And Fiona smiled happily, realizing that she already had the best friend anyone could ever want.

cnn

Managua, Nicaragua (CNN) -- Daniel Ortega marked the beginning of his third term as Nicaragua's president during an inauguration ceremony Tuesday -- an event both buoyed by his pledges of moderation and marred by months of discord over voter irregularities. The Nicaraguan leader pledged that his socialist government would continue efforts to promote peace and attack poverty. "Savage capitalism, it is no longer possible. There is no space on this planet for savage capitalism," Ortega said in a wide-ranging inauguration speech that touched on a international events, including war in Afghanistan, last year's earthquake in Japan and the killing of former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. Shortly after taking his oath of office, Ortega hugged Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who were among a number of dignitaries at the ceremony. "People have tried to give many interpretations to the visit of (Ahmadinejad). I think they still don't understand that it is necessary to look for an authentic path toward peace," Ortega said during his inauguration address, stressing that it was within Iran's right to use nuclear technology for energy needs. "They cannot deny that right to any people," he said. Ahmadinejad's Latin American tour Ortega is known as a Venezuela ally, had been a public supporter of Gadhafi and remains a stalwart U.S. critic. In his speech Tuesday, the Nicaraguan president decried Gadhafi's killing. "A head of state in Libya was assassinated in the most brutal manner, with some television media basking in the crime. If there were accusations, it was logical to detain him," he said.

gutenberg

CHAPTER VIII IN THE SWAMP "There she is!" "She seems to be all right!" "Shall we go on board?" Such were the cries from the Rovers and their friends as they came in sight of the _Dora_. The view of the houseboat filled them all with pleasure. "Wait!" said Harold Bird. "Don't show yourselves!" Dick at least understood and held the others back. "Keep out of sight--we want to investigate first," he said, in a low tone. "There is no use in our running our heads into the lion's mouth." "Mine cracious, vos der a lion aroundt here?" demanded Hans, turning pale. "Maybe you'll find a lion if you don't keep quiet," answered Sam, with a snicker. After that but little was said. Gradually they drew so close that they could see from one end of the _Dora_ to the other. Not a person was in sight. "Really does look as if the craft was deserted," was Harold Bird's comment. "Perhaps they got scared when they saw what a crowd was following them." "I move two of us go on board and the rest stay here," said Tom. "Then, if there is trouble, the crowd to stay behind can come to the rescue." "That's a good scheme," answered his elder brother. "Supposing Sam and I go? You can lead the rescuing party, if it becomes necessary." This was also agreed to, and a minute later Dick and Sam, with their pistols in hand, crawled from the bushes and made for the side of the houseboat. A gangplank was out and they saw the footprints of several men and also two horses.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XIII SHOCKS ALL ROUND Billie had been standing near the wall, inspecting a portrait of the late Mr. Josiah Appleby, of which the kindest thing one can say is that one hopes it did not do him justice. She now shrank back against this wall, as if she were trying to get through it. The edge of the portrait's frame tilted her hat out of the straight, but in this supreme moment she did not even notice it. "Er--how do you do?" she said. If she had not been an exceedingly pretty girl, one would have said that she spoke squeakily. The fighting spirit of the Bennetts, though it was considerable fighting spirit, had not risen to this emergency. It had ebbed out of her, leaving in its place a cold panic. She had seen this sort of thing in the movies--there was one series of pictures, "The Dangers of Diana," where something of the kind had happened to the heroine in every reel--but she had not anticipated that it would ever happen to her; and consequently she had not thought out any plan for coping with such a situation. A grave error. In this world one should be prepared for everything, or where is one? "I've brought the revolver," said Mr. Peters. "So--so I see!" said Billie. Mr. Peters nursed the weapon affectionately in his hand. He was rather a shy man with women as a rule, but what Sam had told him about her being interested in his revolver had made his heart warm to this girl.

wikipedia

KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) is a collection of databases dealing with genomes, biological pathways, diseases, drugs, and chemical substances. KEGG is utilized for bioinformatics research and education, including data analysis in genomics, metagenomics, metabolomics and other omics studies, modeling and simulation in systems biology, and translational research in drug development. The KEGG database project was initiated in 1995 by Minoru Kanehisa, Professor at the Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, under the then ongoing Japanese Human Genome Program. Foreseeing the need for a computerized resource that can be used for biological interpretation of genome sequence data, he started developing the KEGG PATHWAY database. It is a collection of manually drawn KEGG pathway maps representing experimental knowledge on metabolism and various other functions of the cell and the organism. Each pathway map contains a network of molecular interactions and reactions and is designed to link genes in the genome to gene products (mostly proteins) in the pathway. This has enabled the analysis called KEGG pathway mapping, whereby the gene content in the genome is compared with the KEGG PATHWAY database to examine which pathways and associated functions are likely to be encoded in the genome. According to the developers, KEGG is a "computer representation" of the biological system. It integrates building blocks and wiring diagrams of the system — more specifically, genetic building blocks of genes and proteins, chemical building blocks of small molecules and reactions, and wiring diagrams of molecular interaction and reaction networks. This concept is realized in the following databases of KEGG, which are categorized into systems, genomic, chemical, and health information.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XVI. A VISIT HOME. The new purchase, which was named the _Suzanne_, was towed alongside the _Tigress_, and the crew began at once to get up the cargo and transfer it to her hold. More method was observed in restowing the cargo than had before been possible. The dried fruit, as the heaviest of the goods, was placed in the middle of the brig; the European goods, whose brands and packing enabled them to be easily distinguished from the rest, were placed forward; and the Eastern bales packed aft. This was done under the direction of the petty officers. During the four days that it took to complete the work, Edgar boarded several of the Italian craft, and succeeded in inducing ten active young sailors to join him, by the offer of a rate of pay several times higher than that they earned in their native craft, and of a free passage back on the first opportunity. Condor was appointed to the command of the _Tigress_, as two supernumerary lieutenants and four midshipmen had been sent out from home to the _Tigre_, and two midshipmen received acting orders as his lieutenants. There was much satisfaction among the junior officers of the _Tigre_ when they heard from Wilkinson the nature of the spoil he had gathered, and all sorts of guesses were hazarded as to its value. "I cannot help you there in the least," he said. "I know that Turkish and Eastern carpets fetch a big price at home; and of course silk, and gold and silver embroideries, are valuable; but, as I only know the contents of about a hundred bales, I have no more idea of what the total is likely to come to than you have."

cnn

(CNN) -- A British theater producer who was briefly jailed in Uganda because of his play about the challenges facing gay people in the African nation said Wednesday the case against him had been dropped. Homosexual acts are illegal in Uganda, where most gays and lesbians face physical attacks and are treated as social outcasts. David Cecil told CNN he was in the Ugandan court when the magistrate dismissed the case. Read more: Uganda lawmakers to vote on anti-gay law Speaking by phone from Kampala, he said the magistrate told the court Cecil had complied with the investigation, and was clearly not afraid to face the charges. However, the magistrate said the prosecution failed to provide evidence to substantiate the charges, Cecil said. The charges themselves have not been dropped, Cecil added, but if the state wanted to reopen the case, the magistrate made clear it would have to start again from the beginning. Cecil said he was confident the state would not reopen the case. He said plans to stay in Uganda, where his family lives. Read more: Uganda bans 38 agencies it says are promoting gay rights Cecil was briefly jailed in September after he was arrested on charges of "disobedience of lawful orders" for staging the play without authorization. His lawyer, John Onyango, said then that Cecil could be imprisoned for two years, if convicted. The play, "The River and the Mountain," features an all-Ugandan cast, and tells the story of a gay businessman killed by his employees.

race

"It was amazing, just impressive," Holly Budge, a 29-year-old British woman, said after making a safe landing at a spot 12,350 feet (3,765 meters) above sea level -- the highest "drop zone" achieved by a parachutist . "We had one minute of freefall and while we were above the clouds you could see Everest and the other high mountains popping out of the top," she said. Ms Budge and her two fellow daredevils, Wendy Smith, from New Zealand, and Neil Jones, from Canada, jumped out of an aircraft at about 29,500 feet, just higher than the peak of the world's highest mountain. They fell at speeds reaching 140mph, past the highest ridges of the snow-covering Himalayas, before each released a parachute . The jumpers wore oxygen masks to keep their lungs working as they fell. Wearing neoprene underwear was compulsory -- to prevent them from being frozen to death. The adventure, advertised by its organizers as "a feast for those who seek to stimulate all their senses to the full", appeared to have lived up to its billing. "I had never seen so many mountains before," Ms Smith said. "To be on top of the world was simply stunning ." The expedition also offered a way by which to celebrate her 30th birthday later this month, she said. Besides, her jump raised funds for charities in Britain and Nepal, including more than PS10,000 for the Hampshire Autistic Society. In the next few days the feat will be repeated by about 30 others, weather permitting. Each has paid at least PS12,675 to High and Wild, the British adventure travel company behind the project. Ms Budge said: "It was worth the money. It is something that has never been done before."

wikipedia

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, also known as UNC, or simply Carolina, is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. It is one of the 17 campuses of the University of North Carolina system. After being chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolling students in 1795, which also allows it to be one of three schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States. The first public institution of higher education in North Carolina, the school opened its doors to students on February 12, 1795. The university offers degrees in over 70 courses of study through fourteen colleges and the College of Arts and Sciences. All undergraduates receive a liberal arts education and have the option to pursue a major within the professional schools of the university or within the College of Arts and Sciences from the time they obtain junior status. Under the leadership of President Kemp Plummer Battle, in 1877 North Carolina became coeducational and began the process of desegregation in 1951 when African-American graduate students were admitted under Chancellor Robert Burton House. In 1952, North Carolina opened its own hospital, UNC Health Care, for research and treatment, and has since specialized in cancer care. The school's students, alumni, and sports teams are known as "Tar Heels".

mctest

It was Saturday afternoon and Andrew was bored. He had been watching TV all day. He told his dad, "There's nothing to do!" Andrew's dad said, "I think the newspaper is here. Maybe we can find an idea in the newspaper." Andrew looked outside the window and saw the newspaper by the door. On the front was a picture of an elephant. He picked up the newspaper and brought it to his dad. Andrew and his dad read the story. The circus was in town! Andrew had never been to the circus. He asked his dad, "Can we go?" "Yes, we can,' Andrew's dad said, 'but first you need to feed your goldfish." Andrew fed his goldfish some goldfish food. He promised to bring it some peanuts from the circus for later. Andrew and his dad went to the circus. The people and animals at the circus did lots of tricks. The elephant even went down a slide! Andrew and his dad ate lots of peanuts. There weren't any peanuts left to bring home to the goldfish. Andrew and his dad had a lot of fun at the circus.

wikipedia

Domesday Book ( or ; Latin: "Liber de Wintonia" "Book of Winchester") is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William the Conqueror. The "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" states: Then, at the midwinter [1085], was the king in Glocester with his council ... . After this had the king a large meeting, and very deep consultation with his council, about this land; how it was occupied, and by what sort of men. Then sent he his men over all England into each shire; commissioning them to find out "How many hundreds of hides were in the shire, what land the king himself had, and what stock upon the land; or, what dues he ought to have by the year from the shire." It was written in Medieval Latin, was highly abbreviated, and included some vernacular native terms without Latin equivalents. The survey's main purpose was to determine what taxes had been owed during the reign of King Edward the Confessor, which allowed William to reassert the rights of the Crown and assess where power lay after a wholesale redistribution of land following the Norman conquest. The assessors' reckoning of a man's holdings and their values, as recorded in Domesday Book, was dispositive and without appeal. The name "Domesday Book" (Middle English for "Doomsday Book") came into use in the 12th century. As Richard FitzNeal wrote in the "Dialogus de Scaccario" ("circa" 1179):

wikipedia

Mammals include the largest animals on the planet, the rorquals and other large whales, as well as some of the most intelligent, such as elephants, primates, including humans, and cetaceans. The basic body type is a four-legged land-borne animal, but some mammals are adapted for life at sea, in the air, in trees, or on two legs. The largest group of mammals, the placentals, have a placenta, which enables feeding the fetus during gestation. Mammals range in size from the 30–40 mm (1.2–1.6 in) bumblebee bat to the 33-meter (108 ft) blue whale. The word "mammal" is modern, from the scientific name Mammalia coined by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, derived from the Latin mamma ("teat, pap"). All female mammals nurse their young with milk, which is secreted from special glands, the mammary glands. According to Mammal Species of the World, 5,416 species were known in 2006. These were grouped in 1,229 genera, 153 families and 29 orders. In 2008 the IUCN completed a five-year, 1,700-scientist Global Mammal Assessment for its IUCN Red List, which counted 5,488 accepted species.

gutenberg

CHAPTER XII FAIR AND FOUL FIGHTING As Dick went down, Tom and Sam uttered cries of chagrin and horror. The eldest Rover had been struck on the chin, and the blood was flowing from a deep scratch. "Get up! Get up, Dick!" cried Tom. "Don't say you are beaten!" "Yes, yes; get up and go at him!" added Sam. The urging was unnecessary, as Dick was already scrambling up. Dan Baxter made a dash at him, intending to strike him while he was down, but a fierce look from Tom stopped him. "You'll fight fair, Baxter," were Tom's words. "Yes, he'll fight fair," repeated Dick, throwing back his head as if to collect himself. "Fellow-students, Dan Baxter is not fit to be a pupil at this academy." "Why not?" came in a chorus. "He is not fighting me fairly." "What do you mean?" blustered Mumps. "Don't find fault because he knocked you down," added another of the bully's cronies. "I say he is not fighting fair," repeated Dick stoutly. "He has something in each hand." At this unexpected announcement Dan Baxter started back and changed color. Then of a sudden he placed both hands into his trouser pockets. "He is putting the things out of sight!" cried Tom, who saw through the bully's intentions. "Come, Baxter, show us what you had." "I didn't have anything," growled the bully. "If you say I had I'll punch your head off. This is only a ruse to, let Dick gain time to get his wind."

cnn

(CNN) -- A week can be a long time when you're one of the planet's best young skiers. On Wednesday, Mikaela Shiffrin turned 18. On Saturday she added the World Cup slalom crown to last month's world championships title, and on Tuesday she'll be back from Europe to appear on U.S. national television. "Hopefully I don't trip when I'm going on stage. If you knew me for longer than a day you would know that I spill things and I break things and I trip a lot. You would not think I'd be good at slalom." But she's so good that she denied the world's best female skier this season yet another accolade at the finale in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. Tina Maze had been poised to add the slalom title to her overall, giant slalom and super-G Crystal Globes, having been denied the downhill when fog canceled racing on Shiffrin's birthday. The Slovenian was the fastest on the opening run, and led the standings by seven points, but Shiffrin made up a 1.17-second deficit to claim her fourth World Cup race this season and become the fourth youngest woman to win the title. She is only the third non-European to win the slalom globe, following compatriot Tamara McKinney in 1984 and Canadian Betsy Clifford in 1971. No other non-European woman has won four World Cup races in a season. "I was freaking out, this time there was really too much emotion," said Shiffrin, who last month in Austria was the youngest winner of the slalom title at a world championships since 1974.

cnn

ARLINGTON, Virginia (CNN) -- A suburban Washington man was bitten Monday by a rattlesnake that found its way into his luggage, a fire department spokesman said. An Eastern diamondback rattlesnake appears in a photo from the U.S. Geological Survey. "He felt a sharp pain, brought his hand out and saw the bite," said Benjamin Barksdale, assistant chief and chief fire marshal of the Arlington County, Virginia, Fire Department. Andrew Bacas zipped his bag shut and called 911 at about 9:30 a.m. ET, the official said. "He was conscious and alert but a little anxious," Barksdale said of the victim. The bite from the young Eastern diamond rattlesnake was not life-threatening, and the man is being treated at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, he said. "We took the bag outside and used a [carbon dioxide] fire extinguisher to freeze the snake," killing it, Barksdale said. Bacas, a high school rowing coach, had been on a six-day trip to Summerton, South Carolina, with about 80 students, said Mike Krulfeld, director of student activities at Yorktown High School in Arlington. Krulfeld said he did not think the incident was a student prank. "It's been rare to find a coach who is as well-liked and highly regarded as Andy. I would find it hard to believe they would do anything even in the name of a prank that would cause harm to him," Krulfeld said. The Web site of the school's crew team warned members to take precautions unpacking from the trip, adding, "It's advisable to open bags and unpack outdoors."

race

Australian Flag Designs by Readers of the Sun-Herald We received dozens of responses after inviting readers to send in their designs for a new flag. The designs we received include: James Anthony, Drummoyne James reduces the Union Jack down in size and changes its shape to become a reminder of the British tradition rather than canceling it altogether. At the same time he suggests enlarging the stars of the Southern Cross. His design attempts to use the best of both worlds in a newly designed flag. As he says, "the British part of the Australian Flag is too big and the Australian bits are too small. When you make the stars bigger the Australian flag can look impressive." Joe Bollen, Turranmurra Joe's flag has the main elements of a risen sun, white horizon , red earth at the base and the Southern Cross. He intends to make the risen sun a special Australian symbol on the flag. He believes it represents life. The Southern Cross shows that we live in the Southern Hemisphere. Maria Ieraci, Sydney Maria deleted the Union Jack but otherwise kept the flag as is with the Southern Cross and Federation Star. She says, 'There is only one correct way to change the Australian flag" and that is "to drop the Union Jack ---- when Australia becomes a Republic", which she hopes will be before 2010. Ron Bennett, Sydney Ron recommends using the Aboriginal colors but replacing their image of the sun with the map of Australia. He says, "Australia is unique being an island continent with an instantly recognizable outline at that" and "this will leave no doubt as to which country the flag belongs."