On Friday, September 14, 2012, a side-event panel was held during the 5th Conference of State Parties for the UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). The panel focused on the implementation of Article 30.5 of the UNCRPD, which guarantees the right to sport, recreation, and play for all persons with disabilities. Representatives from the Paralympics, Deaflympics, Special Olympics, and the UN Office on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP) spoke about current initiatives to support the implementation of Article 30.5 as well as areas where progress still needs to be made.
Eli Wolff of Brown University, and program director of the Inclusive Sports Initiative for the Institute of Human Centered Design, moderated the event. Panelists included Eric Dienes, Liaison Officer for the UNOSDP, Ann Cody, Governing Board Member for the International Paralympic Committee, Craig Crowley, President of the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf, and Kristin Hughes, Senior Manager of Communications of Special Olympics International. Ann Cody, Craig Crowley, and Kristin Hughes all noted significant increases in participation in their respective sports programs over the past few years. Ms. Cody also pointed to the increase in participation of female athletes in the Paralympics, which has more than doubled over the past 10 years to 1,513 participants.
Panelists also discussed some of their local-level initiatives that were being conducted around the world to promote access to sport for people with disabilities. The UNOSDP, whose goal is to use sport to promote the millennium development goals and other development initiatives, has established the promotion of the right to sport for persons with disabilities as one of its five priorities. The organization has mandated the inclusion of persons with disabilities in its Youth Leadership Camps, which provides select youth from around the world with sport for development training. According to Mr. Dienes, ?We bring these young men and women together to further develop their skills in project development and leadership so that they can strengthen their communities.? Ann Cody discussed the IPC?s sport-specific junior programs that increase access to sports for people with disabilities below the age of 25. Special Olympics has also focused on grassroots efforts to increase access to sports for people with intellectual disabilities. There are currently four million Special Olympics athletes around the world and over 50,000 competitions took place in 2011 alone. Special Olympics also uses their sports program to reach the Millennium Development Goals by promoting social inclusion and providing health screenings, health education, self-advocacy training to athletes.
While these initiatives demonstrate that opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in sport are growing, all of the panelists asserted that more work needed to be done to reach parity in access. The UNOSDP coordinates the International Working Group on Sport for Development and Peace and one of the five thematic working groups is sport for persons with disabilities. This group remains inactive due to a lack of leadership by member states. Mr. Dienes called on member states to step forward to activate this group. Mr. Crowley asserted that the Deaflympics, which addresses the specific communication needs of deaf individuals, needs further acknowledgement in both the disability community and the greater sporting community. All panelists mentioned that, while programs have grown tremendously in the past decade, a large population is still not being reached. Kristin Hughes noted that, while Special Olympics reaches 4 million people with intellectual disabilities, that constitutes only 2% of the global population of 200 million people with intellectual disabilities.?
The panel introduced areas where progress is being made for people with disabilities, but also highlighted that there is much room for improvement in the fields of policy, participation, and media coverage. Despite being affirmed as a human right by the UNCRPD, people with disabilities have yet to achieve parity with their non-disabled peers in access to sport. The power of sports participation for self-efficacy, self-esteem, and social inclusion makes sports participation all the more necessary for people with disabilities. As Dr. Ted Fay, Senior Research Fellow with the Institute for Human Centered Design and Professor of Sport Management at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Cortland, concluded, ?Many of us, personally or in advocacy for others, have witnessed shame and the destruction of life based on a person's identity group.? We will no longer accept any excuses.? We are coming from a cloak of shame to a future of fame! ?
Moffitt Cancer Center researcher helps develop prostate cancer testing, treatment guidelinesPublic release date: 29-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Kim Polacek kim.polacek@moffitt.org 813-745-7408 H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute
Prostate Cancer Awareness Month brings changes in treatment; controversy remains regarding diagnostic screenings
Julio M. Pow-Sang, M.D., chair of Moffitt Cancer Center's Department of Genitourinary Oncology, and colleagues have published two prostate cancer articles in the September issue of JNCCNThe Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. The articles review and clarify recent updates made to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network's (NCCN) guidelines for the screening and treatment of prostate cancer.
According to the NCCN, nearly 242,000 cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in 2012, accounting for 29 percent of new cancers among men. It is estimated that more than 28,000 men will die from the disease this year.
According to the journal, prostate cancer is "over diagnosed and over treated" and is subject to a controversy "fueled by large screening studies." This month, Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, the NCCN has offered support for active surveillance, a strategy by which men with low-risk tumors, often classified as clinically insignificant, are monitored over time.
"Depending on the disease characteristics and the patient's life expectancy and personal preference, active surveillance may be a viable alternative to immediate and radical treatment," Pow-Sang said. "For others with high-risk, localized tumors or locally advanced disease, there are recent treatment advances that should be considered."
New agents and therapy combinations
According to the NCCN, external beam radiation and androgen deprivation therapy have been the traditional treatments for patients with high-risk tumors. However, the NCCN reports that brachytherapy, either permanent seed implant or temporary placement (high dose radiation), combined with external beam radiation and androgen deprivation therapy is increasingly being used for these patients.
The first article, Prostate Cancer, version 3.2012, noted that two new agents abiraterone acetate and immunotherapy sipuleucel-T are welcome therapeutic additions for patients with late-stage disease and poor prognosis.
Abiraterone acetate, which inhibits a key enzyme related to prostate cancer, can be given to patients after their chemotherapy. Studies have shown that it can also be used in chemotherapy-nave patients.
Sipuleucel-T, a second line therapy, is a live cancer vaccine approved in 2010 for treating asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic patients with metastatic prostate cancer. The NCCN has recommended the new drug for use after chemotherapy failure or as treatment along with chemotherapy.
"The new NCCN guidelines highlight important updates to the management of prostate cancer," concluded Pow-Sang and his co-authors. "These protocols are updated annually and more often when new, high-quality clinical data become available. The guidelines are based on evidence from clinical trials combined with expert consensus."
Active surveillance and PSA density, percent free, and biopsy cores
In a second article, Enrollment Criteria Controversies for Active Surveillance and Triggers for Conversion to Treatment in Prostate Cancer, Pow-Sang and co-author David D. Buethe, M.D., a urologic oncology fellow at Moffitt, examine the controversy and criteria for implementing active surveillance for patients with asymptomatic prostate cancer and identify the triggers that would convert active surveillance patients to active treatment status.
The authors note that for those patients with prostate cancers at low-risk for progression, the active surveillance strategy was proposed a decade ago but is recently receiving more attention as a viable management option.
"However, critical uncertainties still surround active surveillance," Pow-Sang said. "The criteria that qualify a patient as low or very low risk are not clear, nor is the definition of disease progression."
In this article, Pow-Sang and Buethe reviewed recent literature regarding those uncertainties, examining criteria for assisting in selecting men for active surveillance, including PSA density, percent free versus percent total PSA, biopsy positive core results and "volume of involvement" data.
"A PSA density of greater than 0.08 ng/mL/g has been identified as a significant predictor of future disease progression in those with low-risk prostate cancer," reported Pow-Sang. "However, some clinicians use a level of 0.15 ng/mL/g as a threshold."
Percent-free PSA has been found to be a significant predictor of organ-confined disease, said Pow-Sang and Buethe, noting that some reports have shown a significant indirect correlation between percent-free PSA and prostate cancer volume; but as yet this parameter is "not widely accepted as a predictor of cancer extent."
They also looked at studies on positive cores from biopsies and the extent to which core results could be used to develop criteria for treatment. Reports have shown the predictive value of positive biopsy cores, but the frequency for performing prostate biopsies remains controversial for outcomes of active surveillance patients, Pow-Sang said.
"Biopsies are not without consequences," he said. "Rectal bleeding and serious infectious complications from frequent biopsies need to be considered."
Additionally, no standard protocol exists, and controversy remains, for the frequency of PSA testing and the digital rectal exam for patients who are under active surveillance.
"Current guidelines vary," Pow-Sang said. "There are recommendations that the PSA and digital rectal exam should be performed every three to six months, or the PSA every three months and the digital rectal exam every six months. The frequency of biopsies is also variable, from once a year to up to every three years."
New potential tools
Pow-Sang and Buethe also report that a new tool, the PCA3 urinary marker, may be useful. PCA3 is a urine test used to quantify copies of the known prostate cancer gene 3. A PCA3 score of 35 or greater is considered possibly malignant. The test is prostate cancer specific and unaffected by prostatitis or benign prostatic hyperplasia, both of which have confounded the results of PSA testing.
The future of active surveillance
"Most studies report that 30 percent of active surveillance-classified men will be reclassified in the short term to clinically significant cancer that may require treatment," noted Pow-Sang. "Once more, PSA velocity (how quickly the PSA score rises) or PSA doubling time (how often the score doubles) has no clear role in active surveillance."
When counseling men with early prostate cancer, all treatment options, risks and complications should be discussed, Pow-Sang confirmed.
"Active surveillance is a reasonable management strategy for low-risk and very low risk prostate cancer, but allows for continual reassessment and identification of progressive tumors."
###
About Moffitt Cancer Center
Located in Tampa, Moffitt is one of only 41 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, a distinction that recognizes Moffitt's excellence in research, its contributions to clinical trials, prevention and cancer control. Since 1999, Moffitt has been listed in U.S. News & World Report as one of "America's Best Hospitals" for cancer. With more than 4,200 employees, Moffitt has an economic impact on the state of nearly $2 billion. For more information, visit MOFFITT.org, and follow the Moffitt momentum on Facebook, twitter and YouTube.
Media release by Florida Science Communications
[ | 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.
Moffitt Cancer Center researcher helps develop prostate cancer testing, treatment guidelinesPublic release date: 29-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Kim Polacek kim.polacek@moffitt.org 813-745-7408 H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute
Prostate Cancer Awareness Month brings changes in treatment; controversy remains regarding diagnostic screenings
Julio M. Pow-Sang, M.D., chair of Moffitt Cancer Center's Department of Genitourinary Oncology, and colleagues have published two prostate cancer articles in the September issue of JNCCNThe Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. The articles review and clarify recent updates made to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network's (NCCN) guidelines for the screening and treatment of prostate cancer.
According to the NCCN, nearly 242,000 cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in 2012, accounting for 29 percent of new cancers among men. It is estimated that more than 28,000 men will die from the disease this year.
According to the journal, prostate cancer is "over diagnosed and over treated" and is subject to a controversy "fueled by large screening studies." This month, Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, the NCCN has offered support for active surveillance, a strategy by which men with low-risk tumors, often classified as clinically insignificant, are monitored over time.
"Depending on the disease characteristics and the patient's life expectancy and personal preference, active surveillance may be a viable alternative to immediate and radical treatment," Pow-Sang said. "For others with high-risk, localized tumors or locally advanced disease, there are recent treatment advances that should be considered."
New agents and therapy combinations
According to the NCCN, external beam radiation and androgen deprivation therapy have been the traditional treatments for patients with high-risk tumors. However, the NCCN reports that brachytherapy, either permanent seed implant or temporary placement (high dose radiation), combined with external beam radiation and androgen deprivation therapy is increasingly being used for these patients.
The first article, Prostate Cancer, version 3.2012, noted that two new agents abiraterone acetate and immunotherapy sipuleucel-T are welcome therapeutic additions for patients with late-stage disease and poor prognosis.
Abiraterone acetate, which inhibits a key enzyme related to prostate cancer, can be given to patients after their chemotherapy. Studies have shown that it can also be used in chemotherapy-nave patients.
Sipuleucel-T, a second line therapy, is a live cancer vaccine approved in 2010 for treating asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic patients with metastatic prostate cancer. The NCCN has recommended the new drug for use after chemotherapy failure or as treatment along with chemotherapy.
"The new NCCN guidelines highlight important updates to the management of prostate cancer," concluded Pow-Sang and his co-authors. "These protocols are updated annually and more often when new, high-quality clinical data become available. The guidelines are based on evidence from clinical trials combined with expert consensus."
Active surveillance and PSA density, percent free, and biopsy cores
In a second article, Enrollment Criteria Controversies for Active Surveillance and Triggers for Conversion to Treatment in Prostate Cancer, Pow-Sang and co-author David D. Buethe, M.D., a urologic oncology fellow at Moffitt, examine the controversy and criteria for implementing active surveillance for patients with asymptomatic prostate cancer and identify the triggers that would convert active surveillance patients to active treatment status.
The authors note that for those patients with prostate cancers at low-risk for progression, the active surveillance strategy was proposed a decade ago but is recently receiving more attention as a viable management option.
"However, critical uncertainties still surround active surveillance," Pow-Sang said. "The criteria that qualify a patient as low or very low risk are not clear, nor is the definition of disease progression."
In this article, Pow-Sang and Buethe reviewed recent literature regarding those uncertainties, examining criteria for assisting in selecting men for active surveillance, including PSA density, percent free versus percent total PSA, biopsy positive core results and "volume of involvement" data.
"A PSA density of greater than 0.08 ng/mL/g has been identified as a significant predictor of future disease progression in those with low-risk prostate cancer," reported Pow-Sang. "However, some clinicians use a level of 0.15 ng/mL/g as a threshold."
Percent-free PSA has been found to be a significant predictor of organ-confined disease, said Pow-Sang and Buethe, noting that some reports have shown a significant indirect correlation between percent-free PSA and prostate cancer volume; but as yet this parameter is "not widely accepted as a predictor of cancer extent."
They also looked at studies on positive cores from biopsies and the extent to which core results could be used to develop criteria for treatment. Reports have shown the predictive value of positive biopsy cores, but the frequency for performing prostate biopsies remains controversial for outcomes of active surveillance patients, Pow-Sang said.
"Biopsies are not without consequences," he said. "Rectal bleeding and serious infectious complications from frequent biopsies need to be considered."
Additionally, no standard protocol exists, and controversy remains, for the frequency of PSA testing and the digital rectal exam for patients who are under active surveillance.
"Current guidelines vary," Pow-Sang said. "There are recommendations that the PSA and digital rectal exam should be performed every three to six months, or the PSA every three months and the digital rectal exam every six months. The frequency of biopsies is also variable, from once a year to up to every three years."
New potential tools
Pow-Sang and Buethe also report that a new tool, the PCA3 urinary marker, may be useful. PCA3 is a urine test used to quantify copies of the known prostate cancer gene 3. A PCA3 score of 35 or greater is considered possibly malignant. The test is prostate cancer specific and unaffected by prostatitis or benign prostatic hyperplasia, both of which have confounded the results of PSA testing.
The future of active surveillance
"Most studies report that 30 percent of active surveillance-classified men will be reclassified in the short term to clinically significant cancer that may require treatment," noted Pow-Sang. "Once more, PSA velocity (how quickly the PSA score rises) or PSA doubling time (how often the score doubles) has no clear role in active surveillance."
When counseling men with early prostate cancer, all treatment options, risks and complications should be discussed, Pow-Sang confirmed.
"Active surveillance is a reasonable management strategy for low-risk and very low risk prostate cancer, but allows for continual reassessment and identification of progressive tumors."
###
About Moffitt Cancer Center
Located in Tampa, Moffitt is one of only 41 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, a distinction that recognizes Moffitt's excellence in research, its contributions to clinical trials, prevention and cancer control. Since 1999, Moffitt has been listed in U.S. News & World Report as one of "America's Best Hospitals" for cancer. With more than 4,200 employees, Moffitt has an economic impact on the state of nearly $2 billion. For more information, visit MOFFITT.org, and follow the Moffitt momentum on Facebook, twitter and YouTube.
Media release by Florida Science Communications
[ | 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.
Russian and Mongolian special task forces were focused on joint counter-terrorism measures, blocking and destroying imaginary illegal armed groups trying to break through the Russian border into Mongolia.
The two countries? servicemen for the first time employed attack aircraft during the drills. They also honed the tactic of evacuating civilians from a militant-infested area.
In case you haven?t noticed, the craft spirits scene is booming in Chicago. Like, big time.
It began in 2004 with Lake Bluff?s North Shore Distillery, was followed up by Koval ? the first distillery within Chicago proper ? in 2008, and continued last year with the debut of FEW Spirits in Evanston.
But just as Andy Warhol once said: ?One?s company, two?s a crowd, and three?s a party.? And this party?s just getting started.
2012 has marked the start for three new area distilleries ? Letherbee, Quincy Street, and Tailwinds ? and, not uncoincidentally, it also marks the city?s first Craft Sprit Week.
Organized by North Shore, Koval and FEW, Craft Spirit Week Chicago is a collection of events around town focusing on the small batch work done here and elsewhere, and it brings together like-minded folks to celebrate everything scratch-produced. The festivities run next week ? October 1 -6, 2012 ? and feature interesting bar programs, spirit-driven dinners, and the Independent Spirits Expo.
?
The most-up-to-date details as well as times and prices (if applicable) can be found on the Craft Sprit Week Calendar of Events, but here?s a quick smattering of where the best drinks are to be had next week.
Tuesday, October 2 ? Spirit Specifics
During the day, ? Who needs work anyway? ? there are two major educational opportunities with a whiskey class at the Columbia Yacht Club and the first of a four-part ?Mezcal Master? class at Binny?s South Loop. Both are big bucks and require reservations. Space is limited.
More up my alley, however, are the chances for hands-on learning happening later in the evening. Simultaneous cocktail and spirit tastings are popping up all around town with either no, or small covers. Serious whiskey aficionados can hit up Jerry?s in Wicker Park or Delilah?s for spirit samples, but those looking for something a little more out of the ordinary might want to check out Evolution Wines & Spirits in Bucktown ? which is featuring unusual rums from Great Lakes, Old Sugar, Barrel House and Seven Fathoms ? or Fountainhead ? which is featuring a program on aperitifs and digestifs with Koval. And for those looking for fun over erudition, The Whistler is hosting a ?Left Coast v. Third Coast? gin cocktail smackdown. As much as a love the stuff from St. George and Anchor, I?ve got to root for hometowners Letherbee.
Finally, for the late-night set, the evening ends with a cocktail competition at Watershed titled ?Bring the Weird.? Your guess is as good as mine, but the downstairs space has never left me disappointed.
Wednesday, October 3 ? Independent Spirits Expo
Wednesday marks the second time the Indie Spirits Expo has come to Chicago and the event has greatly expanded since last year. Running from 5:00-9:30 pm at the Carmichael?s Steakhouse Warehouse in the West Loop, this bazaar offers meet-and-greets and samples from nearly 100 craft distilleries. VIP and regular admission tickets are still available at $75 and $55.
If four and a half hours of booze isn?t enough ? or if you don?t want to drop the dime for the main event ? a free afterparty runs all night at Delilah?s.
?Thursday and Friday, October 4-5 ? Spirit Dinners
On the third day, the bible tells us, God created food to soak up the alcohol. Or so I think I heard in Sunday school.
Regardless, eats are getting paired with spirits on Thursday at a Fountainhead/FEW dinner and a Big Jones/North Shore dinner, with oysters and absinthe being paired later at the newly opened Savoy.
North Shore returns for another dinner at 2 Sparrows on Friday.
Saturday, October 6 ? Distillery Tours
Finally, Craft Spirit Week Chicago ends quite fittingly with a peek behind the scenes at the DIY drive being so many of these outfits. Most of Chicagoland?s distilleries will be open for tours as well as both Journeyman and Great Lakes nearby in Michigan. Swing by to see how your favorite hooch is born.
For more information, check out the Craft Spirit Week Chicago website or check their Facebook page for the latest updates.
?David McCowan
It is not far away.? Chicago Craft Beer Week is making its return on May 19th, as a number of organizations and bars are sponsoring beer related-events across a number...
The craft beer market in Chicago has simply exploded.? Local breweries are popping up like dandelions on your lawn in the springtime.? Out of town craft brews have staged a...
Top Democrats are defending Ambassador Susan Rice after a top House Republican called for her resignation because of questionable statements she made about the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has been hammered by Republican critics ever since she went on five interview shows on Sunday, Sept. 16 to say the attack on on the U.S. consulate was a "spontaneous" reaction to the outcry in Egypt over an anti-Muslim video posted on YouTube. Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, went so far as to say Rice should resign for intentionally misleading the American people about what really happened.
"I believe it was such a failure of foreign policy messaging and leadership, such a misstatement of facts as was known at the time," King said in an interview on CNN. "For her to go on all of those shows and, in effect, be our spokesman for the world and be misinforming the American people and our allies and countries around the world - somebody has to pay a price for this."
That prompted a quick response from Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
"I'm deeply disturbed by efforts to find the politics instead of finding the facts in this debate," Kerry said in a written statement. "I'm particularly troubled by calls for Ambassador Rice's resignation. She is a remarkable public servant for whom the liberation of the Libyan people has been a personal issue and a public mission. She's an enormously capable person who has represented us at the United Nations with strength and character."
In the days immediately following the attack in Benghazi, several other U.S. officials, including White House press secretary Jay Carney, also suggested it was spontaneous attack. But more recently, U.S. officials, including Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, have said the incident was a pre-planned terrorist attack.
In a statement Friday, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper called it a "deliberate and carefully planned terrorist attack" - although Clapper said U.S. intelligence agencies initially believed the attack was spontaneous and shared that information with the White House.
Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., the second-highest-ranking Democrat in the House, also rallied to Rice's defense on Friday.
"Susan Rice is an exemplary public servant who has worked effectively on behalf of the U.S. and allies like Israel at the U.N.," Hoyer said in a written statement. "The loss of five Americans in Libya, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, is a horrible tragedy and we should be focused on bringing the perpetrators to justice, not playing politics. My understanding is that the information Ambassador Rice expressed reflected the intelligence community's most current assessment at that time."
In his statement, Kerry also pointed to an investigation ordered by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton into what happened in Benghazi.
"Everyone who cares about the five fallen Americans in Benghazi would do well to take a deep breath about what happened and allow Secretary Clinton's proactive, independent investigation to proceed," Kerry said. "Our committee in the Senate has unanimously asked that some highly detailed, highly specific questions be answered as part of the current investigation. Congress will have plenty of time to examine those answers, and to discern what happened in Benghazi once the investigation is fully underway and the facts become clear."
The other night, for the first time, I watched a 7-year-old beauty pageant contestant?on TLC?a network now too embarrassed to call itself ?The Learning Channel??jump around on a sofa, mug before the cameras, and opine on gay rights.??The Honey Boo Boo Show??I?m not even going to bother looking up the program?s actual title?included a six-fingered baby, the only teenage girl in the world who would let her mother nickname her ?Chubbs,? an English-speaking family that required subtitles, and a manic title character who 10 years from now will show up on the cover of People after robbing a liquor store.
The?Honey Boo Boo spectacle?for those who haven?t seen it, think The Beverly Hillbillies meets Jurassic Park?is now dominating the 2012 election season.?Recently, the guy running to be the leader of the free world took time to answer a question about her from Kelly Ripa, in the vain hope that he might look like he was ?with it.?? The program actually beat the Republican convention in the ratings.?And now most of the candidates running for high office have taken a page from the show: focusing on spectacle, weird asides, and name-calling to try to grab America?s attention.
READ MORE Samuel L. To Voters: 'Wake The F*$% Up!'
You will find no better example of this deplorable turn than Massachusetts, the cradle of American liberty and one-time home of John Adams, where this year?s most expensive Senate race between Elizabeth Warren and Scott Brown has boiled down to whether or not one of the candidates looks minority enough.??Professor Warren claimed she was a Native American, a person of color,? Sen. Scott Brown charged in a recent debate. ?And as you can see, she is not.??The charge led people to pore through Warren?s employment history, which then led Democrats to ask whether Brown thinks you can identify people?s ethnicity just by looking at them, which then led alleged Brown supporters to do a tomahawk chop mocking Warren, which then led to an apology demand from a Native American leader, which then led? you know, I?m just going to stop right there.
Scott Brown has been in the United States Senate for more than two years.? For just as long, Elizabeth Warren has been a well-known ?consumer advocate.??Neither is an unknown entity to the people of Massachusetts.?So what is this back and forth all about??And what do these charges and countercharges possibly mean about their capacity to govern?
READ MORE Which Senator Held Up VA Benefits?
This, then, is the Honey Boo Boo campaign?mindless.?A race in which the Republican, Mr. Brown, has spent millions trying to prove that he?s a better Democrat than the Democrat running to replace him. ?I can name a litany of Democratic-sponsored bills that would not have passed without me,? the senator boasted, even airing a television commercial that included praise he?d received from President Obama.?Is this the same Scott Brown who nearly every Republican pundit and politico in Washington panted after as a future president simply because he took Ted Kennedy?s seat and pledged to repeal Obamacare?? Oh, and about that ObamaCare pledge?
Earlier this year, the two candidates pledged a clean campaign,?one that was above the fray, serious-minded.?They promised to denounce super PACs that aired ugly commercials on their behalf.??I?m pleased Professor Warren has joined with me in signing my People?s Pledge,? Brown crowed. ?A great victory for the people of Massachusetts,? Warren exulted.
READ MORE RNC Fires Voter-Fraud Firm
We should have known how that was going to turn out. Brown began calling his opponent ?Professor Warren? as often as possible.?This was considered a brilliant political tactic.?After all, why would the people of Massachusetts ever want to be represented by someone who shows any sign of being educated??Warren, meanwhile, worked to depict Brown as a right-wing extremist while others started to question everything she ever said or did.?The most recent charge is whether she practiced law without a license 17 years ago.
So?with weeks to go and a narrow lead for Warren in most polls, the race has turned to the core issues that really matter in a country where millions are jobless: Whether she is a liar and he is a racist. Well, good luck on that, Massachusetts.? At least the rest of us don?t have to deal with such nonsense.
READ MORE Romney Aimed to ?Harvest? Profit
Oh, wait?
What?s interesting about the Massachusetts mudfest, in fact, is how closely it tracks with the presidential contest.?In both cases, a Harvard-trained academic said to be aloof and arrogant is running against a nice-looking nice guy determined to prove to voters that he is something that he isn?t.?Both races are among the most expensive in our history.?The estimated $2.5 billion spent on the presidential race alone?that?s billion with a ?b??has allowed advocates on both sides to pretend to talk about health care and taxation and energy and the environment. But with weeks left, the presidential race is really down to two main issues: whether the president is a liar and Romney is a heartless bigot.
READ MORE Anderson Cooper: 'Administration Officials Knew Almost Immediately That This Was a Terror Attack'
?I like to get in the mud,? Honey Boo Boo once said, ?because I like to get dirty like a pig.??At least she has the self-awareness to admit it.
Political candidates have never been strangers on the low road.?In prior elections, there were attacks on Abraham Lincoln?s homeliness and Grover Cleveland?s illegitimate child.?But there used to be more of a focus on the big ideas too?Should America make its way to the Pacific Ocean??Should we send a man to the moon by the end of the decade??Should we pass new civil rights legislation? Should we return the Panama Canal? Should we trust the Soviet Union?s intentions? Should we bolster our nuclear arsenal or get rid of nukes altogether?
READ MORE Samuel L. Jackson Makes Pro-Obama Video
Today, in 2012, what big idea is really at stake?
So far the most profound concept anyone has put forward this year comes, again, from this campaign?s poster child. ?I?d love to have six fingers,? Honey Boo Boo said the other night, ?because then I could have me more cheeseballs.??Can?t argue with that one.
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??Grieving pet owners have started warning other consumers with fliers, cards and posters about potentially dangerous chicken jerky treats from China. After the death of her German shepherd, one Illinois woman gathered 60,000 signatures demanding retailers stop selling the treats.
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Magic Pets is a new casual adventure game with the pets-capturing in the core. It takes place in the land of Elunia where wild pets hide here and there, evil creatures play and the Trappers steal pet eggs for secret purposes. What?s the myth around the land? Will you be able to find it out?
You come to help an old man to get his stolen egg back from the cactus-like thief. And he turns out to be a magic master who is willing to teach you how to capture wild pets and form your own pet team to defeat evils. Alongside your adventure, you will explore to the neighboring areas that are covered in mist and darkness, rescuing NPCs out of their traps and revealing more of the myth around the land. The Trappers, the Rune Stone crafter and other figures will show up one by one to lead to the depth of the loose story.
The game doesn?t spin an engaging yarn, which only serves to offer a vague backdrop for the bulk of turn-based battles. Use your first pet to capture more wild pets and send your pet team to defeat or capture even more. That?s what the game is mainly about. In the unlocked areas, you can search various trees, bushes, rocks and dry branches to get different materials and items or chance upon different pets you can capture or defeat for gold coins and other rewards. Battle is turn-based and animated in a way pet capturers are familiar with. You take turns to attack, use skills when you have enough mana, switch your fighting pets in-between when you have to or choose to, and get the result of triumph or defeat in the end.
There are four types of pets belonging to Fire, Water, Earth and Wind. Different from many games of this type, to capture and to defeat a creature is not the same matter in the game. You reduce the health of a pet to defeat it, but need to use the Rune when a pet is low in health to capture it. So, without Runes, you can?t capture pets to recruit in your team. Runes can be crafted but over a long time, one per 8 hours to be exact. Even more time-consuming is the hatch of a pet egg, which usually takes 24h if without the helps you ask from at least 3 friends.
In addition to the missions, you can challenge friends to PvP as well. Not much difference from the battles of PvE, though. Honestly, the game becomes grinding very quickly with the same style of battles and contents. You can get a large group of pets at disposal, but can only take two to battles at a time in default. And it takes a lot of grinding to level up your pets in battles, which is compounded by the restriction of team slots. You can unlock more slots for your team only if you spend Rubies, the premium currency. As to Rubies, you have four for free to start off, win occasionally in the game, and have to buy if you really want the great advantages it grants.
In the game, you also have a small land where you need to buy decorations or buildings to keep the pets fed and happy and provide a safe place to hatch the eggs you get or buy. Yet, it is just a tuck-on feature, the one that drains your hard-earned gold coins quickly.
Magic Pets is a homely Jane, shortly put. It is not outstanding in either graphics or gameplay. The slowly and repetitive pet-capturing gameplay as well as the mediocre pet variety and visuals need to be overhauled. The very thing that livens the game? Magic Pets simply doesn?t have.
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There are many individuals who come across job opportunities in a number of countries. However, most of them drop the offer due to language barriers. These schools are a boon to individuals looking forward to Sprachaufenthalt Englisch courses at affordable rates. The best part is that these providers do not charge more than the schools if you were to enroll to it directly. They maintain a strong relationship with around 300 schools in 100 countries who offer them a good commission and customer service costs. So, be assured to get the best rates that will not be heavy on your pockets. Having undergone the course, speaking English will seem like a cakewalk. Next time you come across a good job opportunity, the language will certainly not be a problem.
Apart from English, these providers offer courses for a number of languages like Chinese, Russian, German, Arabic, Spanish, Italian, and many others. All their courses are smartly designed to help individuals learn rapidly and comfortably. Special attention is given to the basics of the Sprachreise you choose to learn, as it facilitates learning faster and better. They provide informative materials for reference. Each student is given special attention. From children and students to working professionals and adults, all are eligible to enroll for the course.
Reputed language schools are internationally recognized. Most of them maintain an informative website that offers comprehensive details about their courses and functioning. You can also register for a course through their site. For more details, you can also get in touch with them via telephone or e-mail. Their friendly executives will furnish you with the necessary information. In case you want to meet them in person to learn about the course, you can book an appointment through their online portal. You can also request for a catalog and ask them if you are eligible for any offers, as these schools keep coming up with special offers at timely intervals.
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The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) jointly with UNESCO has presented a Broadband Commission?s report for 2011 ? ?State Broadband 2012: successes of digital connection for everybody?, abc.az reported.
According to the report, Azerbaijan occupies the 58th place and became the 3rd in 2011, after Russia and Belarus, among the CIS counterparts on the penetration of fixed broadband network per every 100 people, with the index of 10.7%, ahead of neighboring Turkey, Georgia and Kazakhstan.
The level of penetration of mobile broadband communications per every 100 active users, Azerbaijan holds 3rd place in the CIS after Russia and Kazakhstan.
According to a report in 2011, in Azerbaijan 39.5% of households were equipped with internet, as a result of which the country has taken 22th place among developing countries, after Kazakhstan, Turkey and Belarus.
By the number of people using the Internet, Azerbaijan took 59th place with 50%, thus taking the first place in the CIS. Russia and Kazakhstan on this index hold 61st and 65th seats respectively, and Turkey ? 73rd place.
Among the developing countries Azerbaijan occupies the 23th place in the number of people using the Internet, with a target of 50%, ahead of Kazakhstan (27th), Turkey (32th) and Georgia (38th).
If you've been paying attention, you know the quantum computing revolution is coming -- and so far the world has a mini quantum network, not to mention the $10,000 D-Wave One, to show for it. Researchers from the University of Melbourne and University College, London, have now developed the "first working quantum bit based on a single atom of silicon." By measuring and manipulating the magnetic orientation, or spin, of an electron bound to a phosphorus atom embedded in a silicon chip, the scientists were able to both read and write information, forming a qubit, the basic unit of data for quantum computing.
The team used a silicon transistor, which detects the electron's spin and captures its energy when the spin's direction is "up." Once the electron is in the transistor, scientists can change its spin state any way they choose, effectively "writing" information and giving them control of the quantum bit. The next step will be combing two quibits into a logic step, with the ultimate goal being a full-fledged quantum computer capable of crunching numbers, cracking encryption codes and modeling molecules that would put even supercomputers to shame. But, you know, baby steps.
More than 150 leaders in philanthropy and finance gathered at the White House on Thursday for a private meeting on ?innovation in philanthropy? that featured Jean Case, chief executive of the Case Foundation, as a keynote speaker.
Ms. Case appeared with U.S. Treasurer Rosie Rios to discuss ?impact investing? and strategies for getting more donors to channel their money into for-profit businesses that are advancing social missions. Ms. Case said more people would participate in impact investing if foundations could unite to devise uniform standards for tracking and measuring success.
?People with unbelievable track records of investing are sitting on the sidelines of impact investments,? Ms. Case said in an interview.
She announced at the meeting that Sonal Shah, the first director of the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation, was joining the Case Foundation as a senior fellow to spur an increase in impact investments.
Ms. Case said one of the most innovative approaches discussed at the forum was a ?crowd-funding? idea presented by Megan Kashner, founder of Benevolent. The Chicago nonprofit provides a platform for people to post their individual needs?school supplies for their children, for example?then verifies the request is legitimate and identifies a nonprofit that can help.
?That was really interesting,? said Vikki Spruill, chief executive of the Council on Foundations.
The Cleveland Foundation was also featured during the event for a job project called the Evergreen Cooperatives, which helps locally owned businesses get started in economically struggling neighborhoods. (See this profile of the Cleveland Foundation?s work from The Chronicle?s archive.)
Both Ms. Case and Ms. Spruill said the event comes at a time when philanthropic organizations need to escalate innovation efforts.
?A lot of conversation was about catalyzing innovation at this critical moment in time when needs so outweigh what any of us individually can solve,? Ms. Spruill said. ?How can government and philanthropy work together to take risks, to identify solutions, to catalyze change, to pilot innovative ideas??
Administration officials who attended the forum were Valerie B. Jarrett, senior adviser to President Obama, and Jonathan Greenblatt, director of the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation.
Other philanthropic leaders at the event included Judith Rodin, president of the Rockefeller Foundation; Emmett Carson, chief executive of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation; and Paul Shoemaker, executive connector at Social Venture Partners Seattle.
Ms. Spruill and Ms. Case said they hope collaboration among organizations and with government will improve following the forum. It was unclear what the White House planned to do with the information gathered at the forum. The meeting was closed to the press, and the Office of Social Innovation did not provide a public statement on the forum.
?I think there was a real sense of collaboration that we can do this, to find innovative ways to move forward as a sector,? Ms. Case said.
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Welcome to Growing Up Geek, a feature where we take a look back at our youth, and tell stories of growing up to be the nerds that we are. This week, we have our very own Mark Hearn!
I can vividly recall the first gadget that I ever owned. It was 1986 and I was re-gifted my brother's old Atari 2600. While the cool kids were making Mario run, jump and shoot, I was mastering future classics, such as Mouse Trap and Megamania. A year later my parents bought me a NES for my birthday and it was on like Donkey Kong! I didn't know it then, but the practice of plucking away at 8-bit classics would be the foundation for my love of gizmos and gadgets.
DENVER (AP) ? A catchy pro-marijuana jingle for Colorado voters considering legalizing the drug goes like this: "Jobs for our people. Money for schools. Who could ask for more?"
It's a bit more complicated than that in the three states ? Colorado, Oregon and Washington ? that could become the first to legalize marijuana this fall.
The debate over how much tax money recreational marijuana laws could produce is playing an outsize role in the campaigns for and against legalization ? and both sides concede they're not really sure what would happen.
At one extreme, pro-pot campaigners say it could prove a windfall for cash-strapped states with new taxes on pot and reduced criminal justice costs.
At the other, state government skeptics warn legalization would lead to costly legal battles and expensive new bureaucracies to regulate marijuana.
In all three states asking voters to decide whether residents can smoke pot, the proponents promise big rewards, though estimates of tax revenue vary widely:
? Colorado's campaign touts money for school construction. Ads promote the measure with the tag line, "Strict Regulation. Fund Education." State analysts project somewhere between $5 million and $22 million a year. An economist whose study was funded by a pro-pot group projects a $60 million boost by 2017.
? Washington's campaign promises to devote more than half of marijuana taxes to substance-abuse prevention, research, education and health care. Washington state analysts have produced the most generous estimate of how much tax revenue legal pot could produce, at nearly $2 billion over five years.
? Oregon's measure, known as the Cannabis Tax Act, would devote 90 percent of recreational marijuana profits to the state's general fund. Oregon's fiscal analysts haven't even guessed at the total revenue, citing the many uncertainties inherent in a new marijuana market. They have projected prison savings between $1.4 million and $2.4 million a year if marijuana use was legal without a doctor's recommendation.
"We all know there's a market for marijuana, but right now the profits are all going to drug cartels or underground," said Brian Vicente, a lawyer working for Colorado's Campaign To Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol.
But there are numerous questions about the projections, and since no state has legalized marijuana for anything but medical purposes, the actual result is anyone's guess.
Among the problems: No one knows for certain how many people are buying black-market weed. No one knows how demand would change if marijuana were legal. No one knows how much prices would drop, or even what black-market pot smokers are paying now, though economists generally use a national estimate of $225 an ounce based on self-reported prices compiled online.
"It's difficult to size up a market even if it's legal, certainly if it's illegal," said Jeffrey Miron, a Harvard University economist who has studied the national tax implications of the legalization of several drugs.
In Colorado, the $60 million figure comes from Christopher Stiffler, an economist for the nonpartisan Colorado Center on Law & Policy. He looked at the state's potential marijuana market in a study funded by the pro-legalization Drug Policy Alliance. The figure comes from a combination of state and local taxes and projected savings to law enforcement.
Marijuana smokers and dealers, he argued, pay a premium now because the drug is illegal, and if government can find a way to capture that excess, tax collections should rise.
"You can basically take advantage of economies of scale, and the price of marijuana will go down and government can come in and capture the difference," Stiffler said.
The biggest unknown: Would the federal government allow marijuana markets to materialize?
When California voters considered marijuana legalization in 2010, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder warned that the federal government would not look the other way and allow a state marijuana market in defiance of federal drug law. Holder vowed a month before the election to "vigorously enforce" federal marijuana prohibition. Voters rejected the measure.
Holder hasn't been as vocal this year, but that could change. In early September, nine former heads of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration called on Holder to issue similar warnings to Colorado, Oregon and Washington.
That political uncertainty could translate into states spending thousands of dollars to defend the laws, critics say.
"I think it's important that this ballot lay out for the voters how much litigation is going to result from this," said Colorado assistant Attorney General Michael Dougherty, a critic of the legislation.
Legalization proponents counter that some of the 17 medical-marijuana states already collect pot taxes in violation of federal law, which does not condone medical use of the drug. Colorado collects several million dollars a year in pot-related taxes, including sales taxes, licensing fees and fees paid by patients to acquire the drug. Oregon last year doubled the cost of a medical marijuana card to raise money for things like clean water and school health programs.
"Marijuana can be regulated, can be taxed, can be sold. We're doing it now, just currently to sick people," said Vicente, the lawyer working on the Colorado legalization campaign.
Backers concede there are big questions about how marijuana would be taxed and regulated, but they are hoping to sell voters on taking the chance.
"We're like Star Trek. We're heading into a new world," said Art Way of the Drug Policy Alliance, answering tax questions recently posed by law students gathered at the University of Denver to learn about Colorado's initiative.
In the end, voters deciding the marijuana questions won't be making up their minds based on the impact on taxes, said Miron, the Harvard economist.
"It's small potatoes," Miron said of marijuana's tax implications. "I'm as firmly in the pro-legalization camp as anybody in the world, but it's because I think smoking marijuana is not the government's business.
"That is the question ? not whether it will produce revenue, but whether these drugs should be legal."
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Cooper reported from Salem, Ore.
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Follow Kristen Wyatt at http://www.twitter.com/APkristenwyatt
Breath by Sound Liberation and Chanda Rule - YouTube - Sound Liberation and Chanda Rule (Music Video)
Sound Liberation, accompanied by Chanda Rule, has collaborated with Luma Launisch to create a beautiful artistic video for the song "Breath". This video juxtaposes two layers of video; the vocalist's emotional performance on one and a landscape style shot of an everyday city on the other. The artistic prowess of the video is made evident from the first dissonant synth hit that builds into a great indie-R&B fusion score. The vocalist demonstrates incredible power with a strong, confident singing voice. She guides the viewer through various cultures of the city, exposing the beauty in everyday life. This video is clearly a first-class production and the results is an amazing video. Email: tv@musicdish.net Website: http://www.soundliberation.net-Breath by Sound Liberation and Chanda Rule - YouTube Ranked 4.00 / 5 | 948 views | 0 comments
Click here to watch the video (00:00) Submitted By: Muzu Tags: Muzu Music Sound Liberation And Chanda Rule Indie Sound Liberation And Chanda Rule Breath By Sound Liberation And Chanda Rule Youtube Categories: Music & Dance
Singing All The Time - Plastic Operator (Music Video)
Plastic Operator-Singing All The Time Ranked 4.00 / 5 | 7 views | 0 comments
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Music Showdown: New Kids on the Block Vs. Backstreet Boys
They?re both boy bands who were propelled to superstardom thanks to a young female fan base. Join http://www.WatchMojo.com as we host this showdown between NKOTB and BSB. Ranked 3.34 / 5 | 4780 views | 0 comments
Click here to watch the video (05:08) Submitted By: watchmojo Tags: New Kids On The Block Backstreet Boys New Kids On The Block Nkotbsb Boy Bands Pop Group Bands Music Donnie Wahlberg Jordan Knight Joey Mcintyre Brian Littrell Nick Carter A.jmclean Showdown Comparison Competition Versus Singing Dancing Vide Categories: Music & Dance
Music Showdown: New Kids on the Block Vs. Backstreet Boys
They?re both boy bands who were propelled to superstardom thanks to a young female fan base. Join http://www.WatchMojo.com as we host this showdown between NKOTB and BSB. Ranked 3.29 / 5 | 221 views | 0 comments
Click here to watch the video (05:08) Submitted By: watchmojo Tags: New Kids On The Block Backstreet Boys New Kids On The Block Nkotbsb Boy Band Pop Group Bands Music Donnie Wahlberg Jordan Knight Joey Mcintyre Brian Littrell Nick Carter A.jmclean Showdown Comparison Competition Versus Singing Dancing Video Categories: Music & Dance
Meet YouTube Superstar Justin Bieber, American Music Awards
We chat with teen sensation Justin Bieber about his music career, as well as what it's like to be discovered by superstar Usher. Ranked 4.28 / 5 | 107296 views | 1 comments
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The Opera Singing Dentist
Think you're afraid of going to the dentist? Wait until you hear this guy sing. Ranked 3.14 / 5 | 934 views | 0 comments
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Michael Buble` - Feeling Good
Michael Buble's Feeling Good music video. This song is one of the best songs that he sings. It is my favorite. Enjoy. Ranked 4.34 / 5 | 123651 views | 2 comments
Click here to watch the video (04:01) Submitted By: cowmilk9 Tags: Michael Buble Feeling Good Singing Dance Cool Music Songs Bands Categories: Entertainment Music & Dance
Spongebob Sings "Hips Don't Lie"
Spongebob and friends sing "Hips Don't Lie" originally by Shakira. Ranked 4.49 / 5 | 160446 views | 12 comments
Click here to watch the video (03:25) Submitted By: mappum Tags: Sponge Bob SpongeBob SquarePants Shakira Hips Don't Lie Singing Music Mappum Categories: Comedy Art & Animation
Me Singing ``what Goes Around`` Justin Timberlake
"Outta here itunnes link http://tinyurl.com/cp9gz5 http://twitter.com/esmeeworld http://myspace.com/esmeeden... This is one of my favourite songs on the future sex love sound Album!! Ranked 3.42 / 5 | 204434 views | 2 comments
Click here to watch the video (02:41) Submitted By: Laserfreak123 Tags: Justin Timberlake Esmee Denters Timbaland Future Sex Love Sound What Goes Around Video Music Nelly Shockvalue Categories: Music & Dance
Aguilera..braless
Wanna see a lot more videos? Visit us at http://i-vid.blogspot.com/ Ranked 4.42 / 5 | 608191 views | 12 comments
Click here to watch the video (00:19) Submitted By: canteeq3 Tags: Christina Aguilera Braless Topless Music Artists Academy Singing Categories: Entertainment
Umrao Jaan Aishwarya Rai
Medley of hit song clips with aishwarya rai, abhishek and amitabh bacchan, shahrukh khan, kareena kapoor Amazing Stuff Ranked 4.44 / 5 | 411538 views | 21 comments
Click here to watch the video (05:27) Submitted By: imkalki Tags: Amitabh Bachchan Abhisheka Aishwarya Rai Shahrukh Khan Bollywood Kareena Kapoor Don Cheadle Umrao Jaan Rajshri Salman Khan Amir Sushmita Sen Rani Raveena Tandon Movies Tv Songs Music Singing Dancing Dancers Clips Categories: Entertainment Music & Dance
Three Cute Korean Girls Singing
Three Cute girls from Korea perform a nice song. Ranked 4.52 / 5 | 63351 views | 27 comments
Click here to watch the video (03:29) Submitted By: pual_paul Tags: Cute Girls Korea Music Songs Controversial Titles Categories: Entertainment Music & Dance
Sweet Home Alabama
A brother duo performing "Sweet Home Alabama," but the really special thing here is how the kid plays the harmonica. I have NEVER seen anything like it - and neither had the judges. Amazing! Ranked 4.64 / 5 | 234391 views | 36 comments
Click here to watch the video (02:32) Submitted By: JuggyJasmine Tags: Sweet Home Alabama Amazing Kids Singing Music Vidos America's Got Talent Brandy David Hasselhoff Piers Harmonica Categories: People & Stories Music & Dance
Amazing 11 Year Old!!!
A godly voice on this kid, Bianca Ryan from America's Got Talent! Ranked 4.71 / 5 | 4940090 views | 619 comments
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I'll Never Smoke Weed With Willie Again
Toby Keith & Scott Emerik sing a song they wrote for Willie ( Willie Nelson 70th Birthday Special ) Ranked 4.56 / 5 | 190864 views | 15 comments
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Ruby Egyptian Singer
Very Sexy Very Hot Very Oriental Ranked 4.47 / 5 | 188223 views | 53 comments
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Hot Pussycat Dolls Clip
Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like her ? Ranked 4.55 / 5 | 133439 views | 20 comments
Click here to watch the video (00:36) Submitted By: j_benz Tags: Pussycat Dolls Pop Music Dance Singing Categories: Music & Dance
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Public release date: 29-Sep-2012
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Organized by North Shore, Koval and FEW, Craft Spirit Week Chicago is a collection of events around town focusing on the small batch work done here and elsewhere, and it brings together like-minded folks to celebrate everything scratch-produced. The festivities run next week ? October 1 -6, 2012 ? and feature interesting bar programs, spirit-driven dinners, and the Independent Spirits Expo.
More up my alley, however, are the chances for hands-on learning happening later in the evening. Simultaneous cocktail and spirit tastings are popping up all around town with either no, or small covers. Serious whiskey aficionados can hit up Jerry?s in Wicker Park or Delilah?s for spirit samples, but those looking for something a little more out of the ordinary might want to check out Evolution Wines & Spirits in Bucktown ? which is featuring unusual rums from Great Lakes, Old Sugar, Barrel House and Seven Fathoms ? or Fountainhead ? which is featuring a program on aperitifs and digestifs with Koval. And for those looking for fun over erudition, The Whistler is hosting a ?Left Coast v. Third Coast? gin cocktail smackdown. As much as a love the stuff from St. George and Anchor, I?ve got to root for hometowners Letherbee.
