 |  |
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/p0vUGvIve-I/story01.htm
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Tuesday, January 31, 2012
This was our Macworld
This was our Macworld. Other Macworlds were different. But this one was ours. Macworld | iWorld 2012 was not the event of old, where Steve Jobs put sneaker to keynote
Monday, January 30, 2012
For Sale: Detailed Voter Profiles
For decades, the most prized asset a state Democratic Party owned was its voter file. In its simplest form, a voter file is a roster of registered voters assembled from the rolls of local election authorities. But state parties were able to add reams of individual-level information gleaned from years of interacting with voters: their phone numbers, volunteer histories, and pet issues. In some states, the voter file provided enough texture to offer an ethnographic lens on local activist culture. The New Hampshire file, for instance, flagged individuals who had displayed lawn signs or brought food to a campaign headquarters to feed volunteers. This was information that campaigns could not get elsewhere, and party bosses put a price on it, either selling their voter file to candidates or saving it as a prize that could be extended only to those they endorsed?often a crucial way of protecting incumbents or playing favorites in primaries.
Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=f80841c54d7d2294c5688265ba26ab40
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Warren Buffett: Shut up, he explained (Powerlineblog)
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Positive Reinforcement May Help Patients Take Their Meds (HealthDay)
FRIDAY, Jan. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Positive reinforcement, such as receiving small, unexpected gifts and introducing upbeat thoughts into daily routines, seems to help patients with high blood pressure take their medication as directed, according to a new study of black Americans.
The findings are significant because poor blood pressure control can lead to heart problems and death, the researchers from the Center for Healthful Behavior Change at NYU School of Medicine noted in the report published online Jan. 23 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
For the study, Dr. Gbenga Ogedegbe and colleagues examined 256 black patients with high blood pressure (also called hypertension) to determine if positive reinforcement in addition to patient education would help them follow their treatment plans and take their medication correctly.
The researchers divided the patients into two groups: those who only received patient education; and those who received positive reinforcement as well as patient education.
Both groups received educational materials, including a self-management workbook, a behavioral contract and two phone calls each month.
However, patients who received additional positive reinforcement were given an extra chapter in their workbook that discussed how positive moments could be used to help them stick to their treatment plans.
In addition, during their semi-monthly phone calls, these patients were asked to remember positive moments in their lives and use those optimistic feelings to help them overcome any challenges that made it hard to take their medicine. This group was also given token, unexpected gifts in the mail before their phone calls.
The investigators found that medication adherence at one year was higher in the positive reinforcement plus education group (42 percent) than in the education-only group (36 percent).
"Our findings suggest that [patient education] enhanced with behavioral constructs drawn from positive psychology and designed to foster [self-affirmation] produced significantly greater medication adherence in hypertensive African Americans than [patient education] alone," the authors wrote in a journal news release.
The study authors noted that more research is needed to determine if incorporating positive reinforcement into treatment for high blood pressure would be cost-effective.
More information
The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more about hypertension.
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Secret Windows 8 Weapon: Kinect Built Into Your Laptop
The Windows release of Kinect is coming up in a couple days, but for most people that won't be a major event: the Kinect they have is sitting on their TV or in a drawer, waiting to be taken out for an impromptu Dance Central 2 party. Of the 10 million Kinects out there, the only ones connected to computers are the ones being fiddled with by the various hackers and students making science projects out the things. But according to the Daily, Microsoft is hoping to remedy this particular situation by building Kinect sensors right into your laptops. TechCrunch alum Matt Hickey got to handle a pair of prototypes, which were confirmed to be official, not just one of the many experiments that hide within Microsoft's various lairs.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/irPofZjjM9Q/
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Saturday, January 28, 2012
Bring it Back! SmackDown's Fist Set
Competition in WWE is grueling. The rigors of the ring can frustrate Superstars ? often to the point where they want to put their fist through something. That rush of emotion may have been the inspiration for one of WWE?s most iconic television sets.
How did the fist set come about? Arguably, it was out of necessity. As SmackDown?s second anniversary approached, Rhino Gored Chris Jericho through the show?s original entrance setup at the end of the Aug. 9, 2001 episode, leaving WWE with the daunting task of coming up with something new in a hurry. One week later, the huge fist debuted, and quickly made its way into arenas across the country ? and into the hearts of the WWE Universe.
Think of all the Superstars that have made their way to the ring from that iconic set. Who can forget Rey Mysterio leaping out from under the stage to make his WWE debut? Hall of Famers like Hulk Hogan, Edge and ?Rowdy? Roddy Piper, legendary icons like The Undertaker and the Superstars of today ? including? John Cena and Chris Jericho ? have all emerged from under the clenched fist to the roar of the WWE Universe. It would have a tremendous impact on today's up-and-coming ring warriors, helping them project an even more powerful, larger-than-life image of themselves.
SmackDown is exciting, unpredictable and action-packed. It deserves a set reflecting that absolute adrenaline rush. Bringing back the classic fist would surely be an instant knockout from the moment a Superstar emerged from underneath it.
Source: http://www.wwe.com/inside/bring-back-smackdown-fist
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BP must cover some Transocean oil spill damages (Reuters)
(Reuters) ? A federal judge on Thursday said BP Plc must indemnify Transocean Ltd for some compensatory damage claims over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier, who oversees multistate litigation over the spill, agreed with Transocean that the Swiss driller was not responsible for compensatory damage claims raised by third parties for oil spilled below the ocean surface.
He also ruled, however, that London-based BP need not indemnify Transocean for punitive damages, or civil penalties imposed by the U.S. government under the federal Clean Water Act.
Thursday's decision reduces the potential liability Transocean faces over the April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion that caused 11 deaths and the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.
Transocean owned the rig, while BP owned a majority of the Macondo well whose blowout led to the spill.
Shares of Transocean rose 8.9 percent in after-hours trading, and BP shares fell 0.6 percent.
"Indemnification from compensatory damages is key for Transocean," whose litigation exposure is now "materially diminished," UBS Securities LLC analyst Angie Sedita wrote in a research note. She has a "buy" rating on Transocean.
Sedita said BP has estimated its Clean Water Act liability at $3.5 billion, but that other estimates are as high as $6 billion. She also said Transocean has $950 million of insurance coverage for personal injury and third-party claims.
Barbier oversees several hundred cases related to the spill, including a $40 billion lawsuit that BP filed against Transocean last April.
Both companies welcomed parts of the judge's decision.
"This confirms that BP is responsible for all economic damages caused by the oil that leaked from its Macondo well, and discredits BP's ongoing attempts to evade both its contractual and financial obligations," Transocean spokesman Lou Colasuonno said in an email.
BP spokesman Daren Beaudo said in an emailed statement that the decision "holds Transocean financially responsible for any punitive damages, fines and penalties flowing from its own conduct. As we have said from the beginning, Transocean cannot avoid its responsibility for this accident."
Transocean had argued that its drilling contract obligated BP to defend it from claims over subsurface pollution, even if Transocean was found grossly negligent or "strictly liable."
BP countered that its responsibility to indemnify Transocean did not extend that far.
Barbier did not decide whether Transocean will be liable for punitive damages or the civil penalties, or rule on BP's claim that Transocean breached its drilling contract.
The New Orleans-based judge has set a February 27 start date for a trial to apportion blame.
Transocean shares rose $4.19 to $51.45 in after-hours trading in New York, after closing regular trading down 10 cents at $47.26.
BP's American depositary receipts fell 27 cents to $44.50 after hours, after dropping 13 cents to $44.77 during the day.
The case is In re: Oil Spill by the Oil Rig "Deepwater Horizon" in the Gulf of Mexico, on April 20, 2010, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana, No. 10-md-02179.
(Reporting By Jonathan Stempel)
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Friday, January 27, 2012
Newer radiation technology improves head and neck cancer patients' long-term quality of life
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sPnpZaKrH7VbvXZZxOEJY_79DJpSgy4gPS0m8MvNMw-jL_RVaImsEqYJQhobPwAjo5rYCnS43o0Lg23E6LoMyk-OCwFp4HEeTtNZsT2Q4=s0-d){kind=small}
Public release date: 26-Jan-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Nicole Napoli
nicolen@astro.org
703-839-7336
American Society for Radiation Oncology
Patients treated with IMRT for head and neck cancer report an increasingly better quality of life post-treatment when compared to patients receiving other forms of radiation therapy, according to a study presented at the Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Symposium, sponsored by AHNS, ASCO, ASTRO and SNM.
Intensity modulated radiation therapy, or IMRT, is a highly specialized form of external beam radiation therapy that allows the radiation beam to better target and conform to a tumor. It is a newer treatment that has become widely adopted for treating head and neck cancer. Prior studies have shown that IMRT decreases the probability of radiation therapy related side effects, including dry mouth and chewing and swallowing problems, but no study has been conducted to measure long-term quality of life in head and neck cancer patients treated with various forms of radiation therapy.
Investigators from the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, prospectively administered the University of Washington Quality of Life instrument, a standardized, previously validated questionnaire that patients complete after radiation therapy, to 155 patients undergoing treatment for cancers of the head and neck and analyzed the scores over time. Fifty-four percent of patients were initially treated with IMRT and 46 percent were treated with non-IMRT techniques.
The researchers showed that the early quality of life gains associated with IMRT not only are maintained but become more magnified over time. At one-year post-treatment, 51 percent of IMRT patients rated their quality of life as very good or outstanding compared to 41 percent of non-IMRT patients. However, at two-years after treatment, the percentages changed to 73 percent and 49 percent, respectively. Also, 80 percent of patients treated with IMRT reported that their health-related quality of life was much better or somewhat better compared to the month before developing cancer. In contrast, only 61 percent of patients treated by non-IMRT techniques felt similarly.
Although the researchers acknowledged that quality of life is somewhat of a subjective concept, they nonetheless believe their findings support the widespread use of IMRT for head and neck cancer.
"Hopefully, these results provide some reassurance to patients that radiation therapy using contemporary techniques in the hands of expert specialists can maintain their function and long-term quality of life, while still curing them of cancer," Allen Chen, MD, lead author of the study and director of the radiation oncology residency training program at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine in Sacramento, Calif., said.
"Radiation therapy for head and neck cancer is without a doubt an intensive process and very intimidating to most patients. Folks think about the prospects of six to seven weeks of radiation and naturally expect the worst. It is nice to know that technological advances have made the treatment much more tolerable than in the past."
###
The abstract, "Intensity-modulated radiotherapy is associated with improved global quality of life among long-term survivors of head and neck cancer," will be presented as a poster viewing. To speak with one of the study authors, contact Beth Bukata or Nicole Napoli on January 26-27, 2012, in the press room at the Arizona Biltmore at 602-912-7854 or 703-839-7336. You may also email them at bethb@astro.org or nicolen@astro.org.
About the American Head and Neck Society
The American Head and Neck Society (AHNS) is the single largest organization in North America for the advancement of research and education in head and neck oncology. The purpose of the AHNS is to promote and advance the knowledge of prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of neoplasms and other diseases of the head and neck; to promote and advance research in diseases of the head and neck; and to promote and advance the highest professional and ethical standards.
About the American Society of Clinical Oncology
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is the world's leading professional organization representing physicians who care for people with cancer. With more than 30,000 members, ASCO is committed to improving cancer care through scientific meetings, educational programs and peer-reviewed journals. ASCO is supported by its affiliate organization, the Conquer Cancer Foundation, which funds ground-breaking research and programs that make a tangible difference in the lives of people with cancer. For ASCO information and resources, visit www.asco.org. Patient-oriented cancer information is available at www.cancer.net.
About the American Society for Radiation Oncology
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 10,000 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As the leading organization in radiation oncology, biology and physics, the Society is dedicated to improving patient care through education, clinical practice, advancement of science and advocacy. For more information on radiation therapy, visit www.rtanswers.org. To learn more about ASTRO, visit www.astro.org.
About SNMAdvancing Molecular Imaging and Therapy
SNM is an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to raising public awareness about what molecular imaging is and how it can help provide patients with the best health care possible. SNM members specialize in molecular imaging, a vital element of today's medical practice that adds an additional dimension to diagnosis, changing the way common and devastating diseases are understood and treated.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 26-Jan-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Nicole Napoli
nicolen@astro.org
703-839-7336
American Society for Radiation Oncology
Patients treated with IMRT for head and neck cancer report an increasingly better quality of life post-treatment when compared to patients receiving other forms of radiation therapy, according to a study presented at the Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Symposium, sponsored by AHNS, ASCO, ASTRO and SNM.
Intensity modulated radiation therapy, or IMRT, is a highly specialized form of external beam radiation therapy that allows the radiation beam to better target and conform to a tumor. It is a newer treatment that has become widely adopted for treating head and neck cancer. Prior studies have shown that IMRT decreases the probability of radiation therapy related side effects, including dry mouth and chewing and swallowing problems, but no study has been conducted to measure long-term quality of life in head and neck cancer patients treated with various forms of radiation therapy.
Investigators from the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, prospectively administered the University of Washington Quality of Life instrument, a standardized, previously validated questionnaire that patients complete after radiation therapy, to 155 patients undergoing treatment for cancers of the head and neck and analyzed the scores over time. Fifty-four percent of patients were initially treated with IMRT and 46 percent were treated with non-IMRT techniques.
The researchers showed that the early quality of life gains associated with IMRT not only are maintained but become more magnified over time. At one-year post-treatment, 51 percent of IMRT patients rated their quality of life as very good or outstanding compared to 41 percent of non-IMRT patients. However, at two-years after treatment, the percentages changed to 73 percent and 49 percent, respectively. Also, 80 percent of patients treated with IMRT reported that their health-related quality of life was much better or somewhat better compared to the month before developing cancer. In contrast, only 61 percent of patients treated by non-IMRT techniques felt similarly.
Although the researchers acknowledged that quality of life is somewhat of a subjective concept, they nonetheless believe their findings support the widespread use of IMRT for head and neck cancer.
"Hopefully, these results provide some reassurance to patients that radiation therapy using contemporary techniques in the hands of expert specialists can maintain their function and long-term quality of life, while still curing them of cancer," Allen Chen, MD, lead author of the study and director of the radiation oncology residency training program at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine in Sacramento, Calif., said.
"Radiation therapy for head and neck cancer is without a doubt an intensive process and very intimidating to most patients. Folks think about the prospects of six to seven weeks of radiation and naturally expect the worst. It is nice to know that technological advances have made the treatment much more tolerable than in the past."
###
The abstract, "Intensity-modulated radiotherapy is associated with improved global quality of life among long-term survivors of head and neck cancer," will be presented as a poster viewing. To speak with one of the study authors, contact Beth Bukata or Nicole Napoli on January 26-27, 2012, in the press room at the Arizona Biltmore at 602-912-7854 or 703-839-7336. You may also email them at bethb@astro.org or nicolen@astro.org.
About the American Head and Neck Society
The American Head and Neck Society (AHNS) is the single largest organization in North America for the advancement of research and education in head and neck oncology. The purpose of the AHNS is to promote and advance the knowledge of prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of neoplasms and other diseases of the head and neck; to promote and advance research in diseases of the head and neck; and to promote and advance the highest professional and ethical standards.
About the American Society of Clinical Oncology
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is the world's leading professional organization representing physicians who care for people with cancer. With more than 30,000 members, ASCO is committed to improving cancer care through scientific meetings, educational programs and peer-reviewed journals. ASCO is supported by its affiliate organization, the Conquer Cancer Foundation, which funds ground-breaking research and programs that make a tangible difference in the lives of people with cancer. For ASCO information and resources, visit www.asco.org. Patient-oriented cancer information is available at www.cancer.net.
About the American Society for Radiation Oncology
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 10,000 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As the leading organization in radiation oncology, biology and physics, the Society is dedicated to improving patient care through education, clinical practice, advancement of science and advocacy. For more information on radiation therapy, visit www.rtanswers.org. To learn more about ASTRO, visit www.astro.org.
About SNMAdvancing Molecular Imaging and Therapy
SNM is an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to raising public awareness about what molecular imaging is and how it can help provide patients with the best health care possible. SNM members specialize in molecular imaging, a vital element of today's medical practice that adds an additional dimension to diagnosis, changing the way common and devastating diseases are understood and treated.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/asfr-nrt012412.php
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Scientists create first free-standing 3-D cloak
ScienceDaily (Jan. 25, 2012) ? Researchers in the US have, for the first time, cloaked a three-dimensional object standing in free space, bringing the much-talked-about invisibility cloak one step closer to reality.
Whilst previous studies have either been theoretical in nature or limited to the cloaking of two-dimensional objects, this study shows how ordinary objects can be cloaked in their natural environment in all directions and from all of an observer's positions.
Published Jan. 26 in the Institute of Physics and German Physical Society's New Journal of Physics, the researchers used a method known as "plasmonic cloaking" to hide an 18-centimetre cylindrical tube from microwaves.
Some of the most recent breakthroughs in the field of invisibility cloaking have focussed on using transformation-based metamaterials -- inhomogeneous, human-made materials that have the ability to bend light around objects -- however, this new approach uses a different type of artificial material -- plasmonic metamaterials.
When light strikes an object, it rebounds off its surface towards another direction, just like throwing a tennis ball against a wall. The reason we see objects is because light rays bounce off materials towards our eyes and our eyes are able to process the information.
Due to their unique properties, plasmonic metamaterials have the opposite scattering effect to everyday materials.
"When the scattered fields from the cloak and the object interfere, they cancel each other out and the overall effect is transparency and invisibility at all angles of observation.
"One of the advantages of the plasmonic cloaking technique is its robustness and moderately broad bandwidth of operation, superior to conventional cloaks based on transformation metamaterials. This made our experiment more robust to possible imperfections, which is particularly important when cloaking a 3D object in free-space," said study co-author Professor Andrea Alu.
In this instance, the cylindrical tube was cloaked with a shell of plasmonic metamaterial to make it appear invisible. The system was tested by directing microwaves towards the cloaked cylinder and mapping the resulting scattering both around the object and in the far-field. The cloak showed optimal functionality when the microwaves were at a frequency of 3.1 gigahertz and over a moderately broad bandwidth.
The researchers, from the University of Texas at Austin, have shown in previous studies that the shape of the object is irrelevant; oddly shaped and asymmetric objects can both be cloaked using this technique.
Moving forward, one of the key challenges for the researchers will be to demonstrate the cloaking of a 3D object using visible light.
"In principle, this technique could be used to cloak light; in fact, some plasmonic materials are naturally available at optical frequencies. However, the size of the objects that can be efficiently cloaked with this method scales with the wavelength of operation, so when applied to optical frequencies we may be able to efficiently stop the scattering of micrometre-sized objects.
"Still, cloaking small objects may be exciting for a variety of applications. For instance, we are currently investigating the application of these concepts to cloak a microscope tip at optical frequencies. This may greatly benefit biomedical and optical near-field measurements," continued Professor Alu.
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Journal Reference:
- D Rainwater, A Kerkhoff, K Melin, J C Soric, G Moreno, A Al. Experimental verification of three-dimensional plasmonic cloaking in free-space. New Journal of Physics, 2012; 14 (1): 013054 DOI: 10.1088/1367-2630/14/1/013054
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/1wOJuVCgzEI/120125195535.htm
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Thursday, January 26, 2012
Common explains feud with Drake (AP)
PARK CITY, Utah ? The Sundance Film Festival became the unlikely center of hip-hop's latest feud when actor-turned-rapper Drake and rapper-turned-actor Common came to town.
Common was promoting his role in upcoming family drama "LUV," while Drake was performing at one of the many late-night parties.
The two have traded insults recently via their raps, but Common said he didn't want to say anything else about Drake not in rhyme form.
"I feel like I said everything I really needed to say on the record. I just looked at it as like `Hey, it's just a hip-hop battle,'" he explained in an interview this week.
"The time to talk is on record as far as I'm concerned. If we in the ring, then we just handle our business in the ring."
Common had the most recent entry into the battle, by adding his verse to a Rick Ross song and naming Drake directly ? a move that the Chicago native said he felt obligated to make.
"Ice Cube, when he was going at N.W.A., once he left N.W.A., you knew who it was. Jay-Z and Nas ? Jay-Z said, `Smarten up, Nas.' And you just knew. Cats would say names," he continued.
"So that's just the way that I feel like you've got to do it. I don't want to like leave anything _I don't want anybody else to think I'm talking about them. I want you to know, `Hey this is who I'm talking to.'"
Common, known more lately for his acting than his rapping, started the battle with a song called "Sweet" on his new album, "The Dreamer/The Believer."
"He (Drake) felt offended by it. And the song is really discussing how hip-hop has a softer side," said Common.
"And I made it clear that I'm not talking about anyone specifically. For me it was no different than when Jay-Z addressed with `DOA,' he was talking about Auto-Tune. I was talking about, `Hey, you know hip-hop is starting to become more just saturated with softer songs,'" he said. "And I don't see anything the matter actually with the love songs. I do love songs. So I don't see anything the matter with it, but when the music becomes saturated with it, I mean, I speak up. I love hip-hop music."
The festival continues through Sunday.
___
Online:
http://www.thinkcommon.com/
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Public spending fuels Ecuador leader's popularity (AP)
QUITO, Ecuador ? Amparo Martinez's universe is two small, tidy rooms in a poor Quito neighborhood that she shares with her 83-year-old mother and a severely handicapped daughter.
Her predicament makes holding a job impossible, so the three depend on a $240-a-month government stipend introduced by President Rafael Correa under a program for the disabled.
Martinez adores Correa.
"I hope he's re-elected many times," she says.
Correa is regularly assailed by human rights, press freedom and business groups as intemperate, autocratic and intolerant of dissent. Yet he is popular among millions of Ecuadoreans for programs which, like the initiative for the disabled, have improved their lives.
An array of state-funded programs implemented or broadened since Correa's 2006 election have brought stability to this traditionally unruly South American nation that previously churned through six presidents in 10 years.
A doubling in public spending under Correa adheres to a formula that has also aided the political longevity of his leftist allies Presidents Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, Cristina Fernandez of Argentina and Evo Morales of Bolivia.
But Ecuador devotes a greater share of its economy to public investment than any other nation in Latin America and the Caribbean, spending 10 percent of gross domestic product.
The main strategic ally of this tall, pugnacious U.S.- and European-trained economist has been the high price of oil, currently at $99.50 per barrel, which helped fuel 8.9 percent economic growth last year. Oil accounts for about a third of government revenues in this OPEC member nation.
Straying from Latin American custom, Correa has also engineered a vertiginous rise in income tax collection, boosting compliance by businesses and professionals. From $4.9 billion in 2007, income tax receipts rose to $8.4 billion last year.
He has exhibited uncanny resolve in coaxing higher numbers into the revenue columns of the balance sheet in a country that made the U.S. dollar its national currency in 2000.
That included rewriting oil extraction contracts with multinationals to radically boost the state's share of windfall profits. Some multinationals left, others stayed.
The government is now on the verge of reaping more raw material royalties. It is set to shortly sign contracts designed to yield the state $3 billion annually from the mining of gold, copper and other metals.
Correa has been coy on whether he'll run for re-election in balloting that could come as early as a year from now. If voting were held today, he'd be difficult to beat. Never in five years in office has Correa's approval rating dipped below 50 percent. It currently stands around 70 percent.
Critics accuse Correa of building castles in the air by creating expectations on the uncertain promise of continued high oil prices. If oil drops below $73 a barrel, they say, his ambitious public spending will need to be curbed.
"It's not sustainable as an economic model over time," said Xavier Ordenana, an economist with the Escuela Politecnica del Litoral in Guayaquil. "It can last for some years but not forever."
Ordenana says the government realizes the private sector must also grow or it risks insolvency. Heavy industry, export-oriented manufacturing and high-tech work remain scarce in Ecuador.
In all, 5 million of Ecuador's total population of 14 million have personally benefited in some measure from government largesse, researchers at the FLACSO graduate school calculate. Under Correa, the state has built homes for 30,000 families, plowed $8.5 billion into education and $5.3 billion into health care. It has rebuilt or improved nearly 3,400 miles (5,500 kilometers) of roads, nearly two-thirds of Ecuador's highway system, spending $4.5 billion.
Other programs have zeroed in on helping individuals and families.
The government says the program for the disabled, a flagship Correa initiative, has benefited 300,000 people. They receive medical attention, welfare payments and equipment including wheelchairs. Some have even been given housing. Public wheelchair access is improving.
Another popular program provides a $35 monthly boost to 1.6 million poor people, chiefly homemakers with no other formal income.
"My husband died many years ago but now I have the president as a spouse because he gives me a little money every month," said Maria Pillajo, a stooped 67-year-old who scrapes by washing clothes and loading baskets in the market of Quito's poor southern district of El Camal.
"Until poverty is eliminated it's a good measure," Correa said of the program when asked about it during a recent meeting with foreign correspondents. The government says the poverty rate stands at 29 percent, down nine percentage points from when Correa took office. Meanwhile, unemployment is officially at 5.1 percent.
It's not just the poor for whom the government is writing checks.
Some 100,000 middle-class first-time home buyers have received a $5,000 one-time "housing subsidy" grant that enable them to afford down payments.
"The payments have a direct bearing on the president's image. In political terms, they have the excellent effect of sustaining his political project," said Simon Pachano, a FLACSO political scientist.
Correa has also plowed millions into education, giving free uniforms to a million students, texts to 3 million and regularly feeding 1.6 million breakfast.
"It's a great relief because sometimes we just don't have the money," said Francisco Carvajal, a 28-year-old father of three who said he earns $750 a month from his job as a construction material sales company.
His children got free uniforms and texts as well as English and computing classes free of charge.
Correa is far from Ecuador's first populist leader. Yet he has been hounded by none of the accusations of corruption that drove previous presidents from office.
His popularity is anything but universal, however.
In striving for what he and Chavez call "21st-century socialism," Correa has alienated bankers, industrialists, the Roman Catholic Church and even indigenous groups. Initially backing him, the latter now object to his insistence that the state can extract minerals from their traditional lands without their consent.
Many business leaders are angry with Correa over his chumminess with Iran, fearing that he is distancing Ecuador from Washington, still the country's top trading partner.
On no adversary has Correa unleashed such bile as on the opposition news media, which he claims "oligarchs" have used to seek to discredit him.
Correa has had a columnist and three directors of the opposition newspaper El Universo successfully prosecuted for criminal defamation. They have been sentenced to three years in prison each and a collective total of $40 million in fines, though the sentence is on appeal.
Human Rights Watch has decried how Correa used a May referendum to obtain a popular mandate for reforms that could "constrain media and influence the appointment and dismissal of judges."
It also complained that people involved in protests where violence occurs "may be prosecuted on inflated and inappropriate terrorism charges."
___
Associated Press Writer Frank Bajak contributed to this report from Lima, Peru.
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Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Liz Taylor-owned Dutch master sells for $2M in NY
This undated photo provided by Christie's shows the early 1630s, painting by Dutch master Frans Hals titled, "Portrait of a Man." The portrait that once hung over the fireplace of Elizabeth Taylor's Bel Air home - and only recently reattributed to Hals - is expected to fetch up to $1 million at auction Wednesday, Jan 25, 2012, at Christie's in New York. (AP Photo/Christie's)
This undated photo provided by Christie's shows the early 1630s, painting by Dutch master Frans Hals titled, "Portrait of a Man." The portrait that once hung over the fireplace of Elizabeth Taylor's Bel Air home - and only recently reattributed to Hals - is expected to fetch up to $1 million at auction Wednesday, Jan 25, 2012, at Christie's in New York. (AP Photo/Christie's)
NEW YORK (AP) ? A 17th-century portrait that once hung in the living room of Elizabeth Taylor's California home ? and was only recently reattributed to the Dutch master Frans Hals ? sold at auction Wednesday for $2 million.
"Portrait of a Man," painted in the early 1630s, went to a buyer bidding by phone at Christie's sale of Old Masters.
Its presale estimate had been $700,000 to $1 million.
A Hals scholar, Seymour Slive, had listed the painting as a "doubtful" work by the Dutch artist in a 1974 catalog, judging by a black and white photo of the work.
After Taylor hung it in her California home in the 1950s, "it academically fell off the radar," said Nicholas Hall, head of Christie's Old Master paintings.
But last summer, Christie's and Pieter Biesboer, the retired curator of Old Master paintings at the Frans Hals Museum in Holland, confirmed the work was by Hals.
"From 20 yards away one could tell that it was an utterly authentic Hals, a totally characteristic picture with all the bravura, brushwork ... the very expressive face," Hall said.
Depicting a gentleman in a black coat and white collar with his hands folded, the painting is signed "FH."
Taylor's art dealer father, Francis Taylor, acquired it and gave it to her in the 1950s. She hung it over her fireplace near an iconic lithograph portrait of herself by Andy Warhol that sold at Christie's in December for $662,500.
"Portrait of a Man" was the only Old Master she owned.
She was very fond of it. In 1956, while recuperating from back surgery at New York Presbyterian Medical Center, she had her hospital room decorated with "Portrait of a Man" and several other paintings, including a Renoir and Monet.
"She really digs the Frans Hals," her husband, Mike Todd, told reporters at the time.
The auction record for Hals is $13.9 million for his "Portrait of Willem van Heythuysen, seated on a chair and holding a hunting crop." It sold at Sotheby's in 2008.
Taylor died in March at age 79. Other paintings from her collection will be sold by Christie's in London on Feb. 7-8.
In December, the auction house sold her collection of jewelry, fashion and memorabilia. Among the highlights was a pearl necklace that sold for $11.8 million.
___
Online:
Christie's: http://www.christies.com/
Associated PressVideo: Donald Trump's South Carolina Reaction
Donald Trump, Chairman & President, Trump Organization, offers insight on the GOP candidates that are left standing.
Related Links:
Business & financial news headlines from msnbc.com
Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/46099935/
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Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Darius A. Gray: Watch Night
As 2011 came to its close, many of us watched the annual rituals at Times Square on our flat-screened televisions. Around the country, songs were sung and parties enjoyed, but I wonder how many of us or our children remembered that December 31st is Watch Night. It was on this date in 1862 that Blacks in this nation, freeborn and enslaved, crowded into churches and other buildings, or huddled as families at home waiting for the event scheduled to happen on the first day of 1863. President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, an executive order freeing many of the nation's slaves was to take effect. The actual order had been signed in September 1862, and was set to free the slaves held by the states in rebellion against the Union. (With the war's end in April 1865, and passage of the 13th Amendment in December of that year, all slaves would be freed.) Our ancestors had heard rumors of freedom's coming and were "watching" for this great event. They awaited word by all possible means. There were no cell phones or text messages that night, but word spread nonetheless. Yes, the president had signed the order. All Blacks in this nation had cause to celebrate.
My grandfather, James Louis Gray, was born in 1859. He was born enslaved. Slavery is my heritage. I've wondered what my grandfather's parents did on Watch Night. They lived in the border state of Missouri, which had already been technically freed by state law. Nonetheless, I imagine that they kept watch with others. Did they have cousins in other states who would be emancipated by Lincoln's order? Friends? I believe that they understood how inter-woven our destinies are. As Dr. King wrote in his great Letter from Birmingham Jail: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality."
My parents spoke easily of the way things were "back in slave days." It was simply a part of our family history, and not far away at all. Because of this, I had particular interest in the genealogical work I helped facilitate with Marjorie Taylor: The Freedman Bank records. Though the bank itself failed, a treasure survived. It had nothing to do with money, but with names.
If you're a former slave seeking to identify yourself in a new, post Civil War world where you can have a bank account and actually be paid for your labors, you have no Social Security card, no driver's license, no identification we would take for granted today. As a result, you would identify yourself by your relationships.
The microfilmed bank records we dealt with when doing the extraction (which were ultimately made available on CD) had priceless and sometimes heartbreaking notes to identify the owner of the account. In an interview, the former slave establishing an account would answer questions. Their answers would be written down. They would identify their parents, children, siblings. Each account might give generations of names, which their descendants can now look up. Family connections mattered deeply to our slave ancestors and they worked hard at maintaining those relationships -- even through the horrible years of slavery and reconstruction.
How well have we remembered this legacy and the hard history we share? Next year will be the 150th anniversary of "Watch Night." Let us teach our children to understand and value their roots. Let us never forget the lessons which remind us that what affects one affects all. Let us remember that we are still watching for freedom -- ours or that of anyone in the family of God.
May we all be blessed,
Darius A. Gray
(A Christian in the Mormon Tradition)
?
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/darius-a-gray/watch-night-history_b_1221892.html
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Seal Opens Up About Heidi Klum Split (omg!)
There have been some ugly splits in Hollywood, but Seal says that his and Heidi Klum's separation won't be one of them.
"We're just not those kind of people -- we never really have been," the singer, 48, said in an interview with PBS talk show host Tavis Smiley, which took place Monday afternoon in L.A. "We've never been attracted to that. Of course it's a difficult situation that we have to handle right now and it's never easy. In terms of our love and respect for each other, that hasn't changed at all."
PHOTOS: A look back at Heidi Klum and Seal's relationship
After rumors began circulating over the weekend that Klum, 38, was planning on filing for divorce and citing "irreconcilable differences," the couple release a joint statement early Monday morning, confirming that their marriage was coming to an end.
The statement read: "While we have enjoyed seven very loving, loyal and happy years of marriage, after much soul-searching we have decided to separate. We have had the deepest respect for one another throughout our relationship and continue to love each other very much, but we have grown apart. This is an amicable process and protecting the well-being of our children remains our top priority, especially during this time of transition. We thank our family, friends, and fans for their kind words of support. And for our children's sake, we appreciate you respecting our privacy."
PHOTOS: Stars who had difficult divorces
The pair has three biological children together, Henry, 6, Johan, 5, and Lou, 2, plus Klum's 7-year-old daughter from a previous relationship, Leni, whom Seal adopted in 2009.
PHOTOS: Heidi Klum's amazing body evolution
In the interview with Smiley, which airs this Friday on PBS, Seal added, "Just because you decide to separate, I don't think you all of the sudden stop loving each other. I don't think you all of the sudden stop becoming friends."
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Monday, January 23, 2012
Magnitude 6.2 quake strikes off central Chile (Reuters)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck off the central Chilean town of Concepcion on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
It said the quake struck 31 miles north of Concepcion at 1:04 p.m.(1604 GMT) at a shallow depth of 12.2 miles below the seabed in the Pacific Ocean.
The USGS earlier reported it as a magnitude of 5.8.
(Writing by Sandra Maler; Editing by Jackie Frank)
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Sunday, January 22, 2012
Yemen grants Saleh immunity to try to end crisis
SANAA?? Yemen's parliament approved a law on Saturday granting outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh immunity from prosecution, part of a deal for him to formally step down after nearly a year of unrest.
Opposition politicians have accused the security forces, controlled by the president and aides, of using snipers to kill hundreds of demonstrators who, inspired by revolts elsewhere in the Arab world, protested since last January against his rule.
Lawmakers also voted for Vice-President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi becoming the candidate for all parties in a presidential election next month to replace Saleh following his 33-year rule.
The immunity law, backed by a majority, stops short of giving full protection to Saleh's aides after being amended to say they would only be protected for "politically motivated" crimes committed conducting official duties, not those considered "terrorist acts."
The deal, part of the plan hammered out by Yemen's wealthier Gulf neighbors to ease Saleh from power, will cover Saleh's entire presidency and cannot be cancelled or appealed.
Neighboring top oil exporter Saudi Arabia and the United States had backed autocratic Saleh for much of his rule, but endorsed the transition deal, fearing continued unrest would be exploited by al-Qaida's Yemen-based regional wing, seen by Washington as the network's most dangerous branch.
Visit to U.S.?
Yemeni officials said Saturday Saleh will leave soon to Oman, en route to medical treatment in the United States.
Washington has been trying to get Saleh out of Yemen ? though not to settle in the U.S. ? to allow a peaceful transition from his rule. However, there appear to be differences whether Saleh would remain in exile.
Senior ruling party official Mohammed al-Shayef said Saleh will return to Yemen to head the party after medical treatment. Al-Shayef told The Associated Press that Saleh will leave for Oman in the coming days, then head to America.
An official in the prime minister's office, however, said Saleh is "supposed to go back to Oman" after the U.S. He says Saleh's son Ahmed is currently in Oman arranging a residence.
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On Saturday, a senior Yemeni official said Saleh would have diplomatic immunity if and when he traveled to the United States.
"We are waiting for a third country to approve the president's short visit prior to traveling to the U.S.," said the official, who is not authorized to speak to the press and so declined to be named. The official suggested that the third country was an Arab nation.
Some activists said the immunity deal showed that the successes of the protests could easily be overturned.
"We have lost all faith in the political opposition. If they can grant Saleh this kind of pardon perhaps they will pass more laws against us in the future, maybe next time they will pass laws banning demonstrations. We, as the youth, can longer trust them," said protest leader Faizah Suleiman.
But activist Abdulaziz Sakkaf, 22, said: "It is of course controversial but it is necessary if a peaceful transfer of power has any chance of succeeding. I don't support it in principle, but for pragmatic reasons."
Slideshow: Yemen in the spotlight (on this page)Yemeni Nobel Peace Prize winner Tawakul Karman told Reuters Saleh and his inner circle must be barred from returning to power if the country was to have any chance of restoring stability.
Analysts say Yemen may become a failed state as the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country also faces challenges including Shiite rebels in the north, a resurgent southern separatist sentiment and al-Qaida-linked militants who have seized several towns in the south.
A tribal negotiator said on Saturday talks broke off with Tareq al-Dahab, leader of an Islamist militant group that took over the town of Radda, 105 miles southeast of the capital Sanaa, after he demanded that 16 al-Qaida militants be freed and Islamic law be enforced in the town.
Dahab had earlier said his fighters would withdraw if his brother and several others were freed.
Army forces and pro-government tribal fighters clashed with the militants after the talks broke down, targeting a historic fort where the Islamists have taken positions, residents said
Saleh's opponents accuse him of ceding territory to Islamists to bolster his assertion that his rule alone keeps al-Qaida from growing stronger in Yemen, and ultimately aiming to retain power by sabotaging the transition deal.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46081478/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/
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Travis Barker Nude Photos Leak, Drummer Threatens Lawsuit
Travis Barker is doing all he can the public from seeing naked photos of himself and, for that, allow us to say the following to the veteran musician:
THANK YOU!
A handful of these images broke loose online yesterday morning, leading Barker's lawyer to fire off a cease and desist letter to any site that posted them.
Obtained by TMZ, it reads that the pics were over five years old, private and "never intended for public viewing or to be seen by anyone else." The letter also threatens anyone who posts them with a lawsuit, deeming the action "unauthorized use of private photos."
Barker's face is reportedly unseen, but the tattoos make it clear to whom the penis in question belongs. Some sites still have them live, and we'd link over to the shots... but, come on. Does anyone really want to see them?
[Photo: WENN.com]
Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/travis-barker-nude-photos-leak-drummer-threatens-lawsuit/
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Saturday, January 21, 2012
SC voters take in topsy-turvy week before primary (AP)
CAYCE, S.C. ? For weeks, Renee Boling was sure she was going to vote for Mitt Romney in South Carolina's Republican presidential primary. But a series of events this week changed her mind, and seemingly the minds of many others across the state.
Romney repeatedly refused to release his income tax return and was on the defensive in two debates, while Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum made forceful arguments that led Boling to rethink whether the former Massachusetts governor was really the best candidate the GOP could offer. The 37-year-old administrative assistant said Friday she was leaning toward Santorum, but could change her mind in the hours before she votes.
"He just didn't back down," Boling said of Santorum's performance at Thursday night's debate. "He stood his ground."
The dynamics of South Carolina's campaign have shifted dramatically in the last week after a series of events threw the race into turmoil and left countless voters undecided about who to support. Romney was positioned to win here after his commanding victory in New Hampshire. But polls now show he has slipped from the front of the pack to what he described Friday as a neck-and-neck contest with Gingrich. Santorum and Texas Rep. Ron Paul trail in surveys.
The chaos of the South Carolina campaign was clear on Thursday alone.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry dropped out of the race and endorsed Gingrich, who had to fend off his ex-wife's accusations that he had asked her for an "open marriage." Romney, meanwhile, spent the day repeatedly resisting calls to release his tax returns immediately. A cantankerous debate ? the second of two this week ? capped off the surreal day.
Perhaps illustrating the new reality of the race here, the raucous debate audience booed Romney as he answered a question about his refusal to release the tax returns. The crowd gave two standing ovations to Gingrich as he defended himself against his ex-wife's allegations.
All this in a state where the Republican establishment constantly reminds the rest of the nation that "we pick presidents," given that whoever wins South Carolina has gone on to win the party's nomination since the primary was established in 1980.
"I've never seen anything like it. It is funny, I suppose," marveled Colette Kent, a 78-year-old from Fort Mill, who turned out Friday to meet Santorum. She said values were the reason she was backing him, calling the former Pennsylvania senator "a good and decent man" and "a Christian man."
At first glance, the allegations by Gingrich's ex-wife would appear to be deadly in a state smack in the middle of the Bible Belt. But more than a million people have poured into South Carolina over the past 20 years, increasing the population by nearly 33 percent and watering down some of its evangelical fervor.
Stephanie Irick, 55, was among those still sticking by Gingrich. She thinks Romney is a flip-flopper and the allegations by Gingrich's ex-wife didn't shake her support.
"Do I believe it? I don't have a clue," Irick said while at a Gingrich rally in Walterboro on Friday. "What goes on in people's bedroom is their own business."
Others said the timing smelled bad.
"This comes out now, after he's been running how long? It doesn't seem like a coincidence," said Mike Smith, 52. The Fort Mill resident who backed President Barack Obama over Sen. John McCain four years ago planned to vote for Santorum. Smith shrugged at the rollicking nature of the race, saying the real issues were about paying the mortgage and feeding families.
"Everything else is a distraction," he said. "We need jobs, not gossip."
That's what Gingrich seemed to argue at Thursday's debate in Charleston when he tore into CNN moderator John King for making the opening question about Gingrich's former wife.
A few days earlier at a debate in Myrtle Beach, Gingrich also earned the biggest cheers of the night by tangling with Fox News Channel contributor Juan Williams, who asked Gingrich to defend his comments that Obama was "the greatest food stamp president." Williams also asked Gingrich to defend as not racist his suggestion that poor children could earn money by doing janitorial work at their schools.
"He hit that out of the park. It has nothing to do with race," said 62-year-old Ed Cheek, a hospital chaplain who was at a Santorum rally Friday in Lexington but planned to vote for Gingrich.
Santorum, for his part, has been presenting himself as a good alternative to voters bothered by Gingrich's three marriages and affairs and who think Romney is too moderate.
Deborah Braun was at Santorum's rally because she thinks he can beat Obama and has the kind of values she wants in a president. The 62-year-old mother of five and grandmother of 10 said Gingrich "has too much baggage. He's not trustworthy."
All the discussion of tax returns and cheating spouses have drowned out Paul's supporters.
"He is ready to do the hard things that we need to do to turn things around," said David Oberly, a 40-year-old geologist who was eating lunch in a West Columbia restaurant. "I don't care what a person does in their private life. It's issues that matter."
There was one final wrinkle that has turned the South Carolina race into even more of a circus.
Comedian Stephen Colbert attracted thousands to a rally Friday in his hometown of Charleston. Write-ins aren't accepted on the ballot, so Colbert is asking his supporters to vote for Herman Cain, who dropped out of the race last month.
Caroline Simmel attended Colbert's rally. The 18-year-old College of Charleston student voting in her first election said the events of the past few days had left her more confused.
"I don't know that I like any of the candidates out there right now," Simmel said. "I think I would rather have Stephen Colbert running the country."
___
Associated Press writers Charles Babington in Lexington, Philip Elliott in Fort Mill, Shannon McCaffrey in Walterboro and Bruce Smith in Charleston contributed to this report.
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Many Politicians Softening Opposition to Same Sex Marriages (ContributorNetwork)
COMMENTARY | A major step in the effort to legalize same-sex marriage was taken on Friday, January 20, when a coalition of 80 mayors announced their support for legalizing marriage between gays.
Mike Bloomberg, mayor of New York City and head of Mayors for Freedom to Marry said ,"Mayors understand that welcoming committed gay couples to the rights and responsibilities of marriage isn't just the right thing to do." Mayors of Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles are each supportive of such measures.
This announcement comes one day after New Jersey Governor Chris Christie softened his opposition to same-sex marriage and that is a good thing. His most recent statement is that he will make a "deliberate and thoughtful" decision if the New Jersey legislature passes a bill. Previously, in 2009, he vowed to return to the legislature any bill legalizing same-sex marriage "with a big red veto across it."
Governor Christie and other politicians may have been influenced by a recent poll conducted by Quinnipiac University which showed that a majority of New Jersey voters favor legalizing marriage between same-sex partners. This is the first time that more than 50 percent of the respondents favored same-sex marriage. The key word here is "marriage", because New Jersey has recognized domestic partnerships or civil unions since 2006.
If, and when the bill is passed and signed into law, New Jersey would then become the seventh state where same-sex couples can get married. There are also 10 states which recognize civil unions or domestic partnerships.
This is important because during the Republican debates, many candidates, including front-runner Mitt Romney, have called for a Constitutional amendment defining marriage as being between a man and a woman. You need 39 states to ratify an amendment and the more states which recognize marriage, the less likely that passage would occur.
While it is wonderful that some states recognize same-sex marriage, the real progress will only come when the federal government and the IRS recognize that two people of the same sex can be married.
Unfortunately, much of the discrimination is in the form of financial punishment. Gay couples cannot save on their federal income taxes by filing a joint return. They are not entitled to the unlimited marital deduction which is available to heterosexual couples, and that makes their estate issues more complex and expensive.
Heterosexual couples can contribute to a spousal IRA even if one spouse does not work. Gay couples are denied that right. In a traditional marriage, the surviving spouse is entitled to roll over the retirement assets of their deceased loved one without incurring tax consequences. This process is denied gays.
Granting same-sex couples the same rights and entitlements that heterosexual couples receive should be fundamental and the sign of a maturing society.
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Friday, January 20, 2012
Mitt Romney's 15 Percent Woes, Paula Deen's Diabetes Damage Control and American Idol Returns!
Plus, the Italian cruise ship captain who allegedly abandoned ship, how Burger King could soon be delivering to a home near you and Jennifer Lawrence's Oscar connection.
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Thursday, January 19, 2012
[OOC] A Love Through Conflict
Forum rules
This forum is for OOC discussion about existing roleplays.
Awesome!!!
This forum is for OOC discussion about existing roleplays.
Please post all "Players Wanted" threads in the Roleplayers Wanted forum!
This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?A Love Through Conflict?. Anything posted here will also show up there.Topic Tags:
Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.Hey, this seems like fun! ^^
But.. I have school soon, so I'll have to make the character after school, if you don't mind!
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MirrorMirror1498 - Member for 1 years
Awesome!!!
No problem, i understand the school thing. [i have a couple classes in about an hour! =P], and i can't imagine too many people, if anyone really, to post while you're at school! So i look forward to your CS when you get home!! <33
If someone else does post a CS though, i'll still wait for yours and then decide! ^_^
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I'm a Radical Dame! - Member for 1 years
Post a reply
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