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VIDEO: Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 Story Trailer
October 12, 2017 Craig Majaski 0 Comments Switch-Lego-Marvel-Super-Heroes-2
There hasn't been a shortage of Lego games for the Nintendo Switch. We've already had three of them since the console launched back in March and another one is on the way next month with Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2. This marks one of the first times that the Nintendo version of a Lego game will have all of the content and options that other consoles have. Even the Deluxe Edition, which includes the season pass, will be available for purchase on November 14. Check out the new trailer for more details!
Recently debuted at New York Comic Con (NYCC), the video stars lovable canine, Cosmo the Spacedog – telepathic Soviet cosmonaut, Knowhere's chief of security and ally to the Guardians of the Galaxy – who is tasked with alerting and assembling an elite team of Super Heroes to take on the time-travelling Super Villain, Kang the Conqueror. Kang has stolen numerous Marvel cities and locations from across time and space to form the expansive Open Hub World of Chronopolis, in hopes to take over the universe. As a result, Cosmo's call to action brings together a diverse group of Marvel Super Heroes from different time periods and realities – including Star-Lord, Thor, Spider-Man, Spider-Gwen, Hulk, She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel, Rocket Raccoon, Iron Man, Cowboy Captain America, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, Black Panther, Groot and many more – who must all band together to foil Kang's diabolical plans.
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 Season Pass details were revealed and will feature six Level Packs and four Character Packs. The Level Packs will feature content inspired by a number of upcoming Marvel films and television series, including Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Marvel Studios' Black Panther, Marvel Studios' Avengers: Infinity War, Marvel Studios' Ant-Man and The Wasp, Cloak & Dagger and The Runaways. The Character Packs, including Agents of Atlas, Champions, Out of Time and Classic Guardians of the Galaxy, will add more than 60 new characters to the main game's diverse roster of over 200 Super Heroes and Super Villains. The Season Pass will be available separately for $14.99, or as part of the LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 Deluxe Edition, which features the main game, Season Pass, early access to the Classic Guardians of the Galaxy Character Pack and an exclusive Giant-Man LEGO minifigure (included in physical version only) for $74.99.
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Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 Gets Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 DLC Today
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Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 Trailer
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Video Update: Fire Emblem Warriors, Mario & Luigi, Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 & Picross S
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Game 6: Wells Fargo Center
Sixers 96, Pistons 73
PHILADELPHIA — Call it a throwback night. Or better yet, a way back night. In opening the home schedule for the 2011-12 season, the brand-new owners of the Philadelphia 76ers decided to call on some of the heroes from the franchise's best era of extended glory.
More specifically, it was the players from the 1983 NBA Championship team that were summoned to a building that none of them ever played in. Earl Cureton, the bench player whose job was to give the MVP frontline players a break and to grab a few rebounds, was there. So too was Bobby Jones, the reed thin forward who was known for his ability to play defense and fill the lanes on the fast break.
In fact, Jones was so good a defender that he was nicknamed, "The Secretary of Defense." In the early 1980s, the shoe company Nike put out posters of Jones that depicted him behind a big, oak desk as if he were some sort of military giant. It was an interesting look for Jones, knowing that he was (and is) a devout Christian.
Moses Malone and Julius Erving made it back, too. Frankly, the Sixers can't reasonably have a reunion of former players without the inclusion of Moses and Doc. What would be the point? Not only were they the catalysts behind the championship team, but unarguably the two most popular players, too.
Certainly there isn't very much we can add here to further the legends of Moses and Doc.
No, the real legend in the building that night chose not to participate in the public celebration of the championship, though he was shown on the video board above the arena.
Indeed, Andrew Toney had finally returned to the basketball arena in South Philly.
Reportedly back at a Sixers game for the first time since his playing career ended prematurely because of a foot injury, Toney seemingly has buried the decades long grudge against the organization that was spurred on by the poor treatment he reportedly received from former owner Harold Katz.
Toney had it all. He was a shooting guard, but built like a forward. He played with a mean streak and was fearless with the basketball in his hands. It didn't matter who was guarding him because Toney wasn't going to back down.
To the folks who were too young to see Toney play, I described him as Allen Iverson with a jumper and the ability to play in a team structure. He could pass it almost as well as he could shoot it…
And boy could he shoot it.
In his first five seasons with the Sixers, Toney averaged more than 20 points per game, made two all-star teams, got to the Eastern Conference Finals three times and the NBA Finals twice. He was rewarded with a big contract (for the time) before his sixth season because it would have been stupid not to keep him in town. Not only was Toney good, but also he was popular. Ask any kid born in the early 1970s who their favorite Sixers player was and undoubtedly the answer would be Andrew Toney.
I know he was my favorite Sixers player ever. Living so close to Franklin & Marshall College where the team held its preseason training camp, I was lucky enough to see Toney play from close up. Better yet, as the resident gym rat of F&M's Mayser Center, I often rebounded shots for Toney when he remained after practice to shoot jumpers. The farther he went out on the court, the softer the ball seemed to float as it would nestle itself into the net only to be returned and fired up there again.
Truth is I saw Toney's shooting technique so much from so close that his method became mine. Going up against the competition in the CYO league, my jumper started with a half step of my right foot before rising up to let it fly.
Believe it or not, the result didn't change all that much from idol to fan.
For those lucky enough to have seen Toney in his prime, they know that he was The Truth. Called the Boston Strangler for the way he wrecked the Celtics during the postseason as well as the Silent Assassin, Toney was on the way to a Hall of Fame career until the injuries came. He was the second-leading scorer on the Sixers the year they won the championship, but the most-feared player on the team.
Larry Bird said Toney was the best clutch player he had ever seen and Charles Barkley claimed he was the best teammate he ever had.
Malone doesn't disagree, either.
"Andrew was tough, man," Moses said. "He had a way to get it done. He played with a lot of heart and he loved the game. If you're like that you'll be the best."
But Toney's career ended abruptly and with controversy that no man should endure. After he got that big contract, Toney appeared in just six games during the 1985-86 season because of stress fractures in his foot. The problem never got much better and Toney played two more abbreviated seasons before he packed it in at age 30.
Before that he was derided and belittled by the owner Katz, who aside from being cheap when it came to running his ballclub, didn't believe Toney was really injured. Katz forced Toney to take drug tests and questioned his fortitude in public because he couldn't take the floor. Reportedly, Katz even went so far as to hire private investigators to find out if his well-paid but injured All-Star had a nefarious side.
So when his playing days in Philadelphia ended, Toney never looked back and never stepped foot at another Sixers' game…
Until Friday night home opener.
Toney did not take part in the brief, pregame ceremony, nor did he show up for the media availability with his old teammates, either. But Toney, who these days works as an elementary school teacher in suburban Atlanta, was introduced to the crowd during the second quarter of the game.
Obviously, the crowd went crazy.
"Andrew finally made his mind that he had to come back and see the fans," Malone said. "He knows they love him."
And the elusive great one finally returned, too. If you blinked, though, you missed it…
Kind of like Andrew Toney's entire career.
Posted at 03:56 PM in 1983 NBA Champions, 76ers, Andrew Toney, Bobby Jones, Earl Cureton, Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Sixers | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Forget the draft (just win, baby!)
Even though the 76ers are playing some decent basketball lately and slowly making up ground for the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, some fans of the team are actually aghast. Winning games and slipping into the playoffs doesn't serve these guys well, the argument goes.
There is some logic to that, but not much. Sure, the Sixers might be able to add a missing piece to help build for the future, however, even if they lose every game for the rest of the season they have a small shot at nabbing the top pick.
So what's wrong with making the playoffs? Based on the Sixers' draft history winning ball games and trying to rebuild with free agents (always difficult to do with the NBA's salary cap) might be the best tact.
Sure, we know all about the recent picks like Jrue Holliday, Marreese Speights, Thaddeus Young, Lou Williams, Andre Iguodala and Sam Dalembert, who are all solid players and should help the team in the future. All of those players were selected well out of the top 10 picks (except for Iguodala) from draft classes that weren't known for being particularly deep, so in that regard the team did pretty well.
It's just when the Sixers get into the top handful of picks where things get crazy. Yes, Allen Iverson was the top overall pick in 1996 and he's headed for the Hall of Fame, and Charles Barkley was taken fifth overall in the famous 1984 draft. But for every Iverson and Barkley there is a Shawn Bradley, Sharone Wright, Charles Smith, Keith Van Horn, Marvin "Bad News" Barnes and whatever the hell that was in 1986.
Indeed, June hasn't been the kindest month for the Sixers.
Just look at what happened from 1973to 1975 where the Sixers had four picks in the top five and six first-round selections. That's where following the NBA-record nine-win season the team took Doug Collins with the top pick in '73 (not bad), took Roman Catholic and St. Joe's alum Mike Bantom with the fourth-pick before it was disallowed for some reason[1], and then snagged Raymond Lewis from California State University at Los Angeles at No. 18.
Collins, of course, was a four-time All-Star and scored 22 points per game in during the run to the Finals in 1977. However, injuries ended Collins' career before he turned 30. Bantom spent nine seasons in the NBA before closing out his career with the Sixers in 1982. Instead of latching on with the '83 title team, Bantom played in Italy.
The dubiousness of the '73 draft was trumped in a big way in 1974 where the Sixers took Bad News Barnes with the second overall pick. It actually might have been an interesting pick had Barnes not jumped to the Spirit of St. Louis in the ABA before becoming the poster child for the era of bad behavior in the 1970s.
In the history of nicknames, Barnes' was perfect. During his rookie season with St. Louis, he disappeared for days presumably to renegotiate his contract—in the middle of his first season, no less. After days off the grind (much easier to do in 1974), Barnes was finally located with his agent in a pool hall in Dayton, Oh.
They always turn up in the first place you should look…
Barnes played in just 315 pro games, made the playoffs once in the ABA and appeared in two ABA All-Star Games. That was when he was in relative control. When Barnes was in full Bad News mode, it was pretty dark. Check out this interview he gave to Fanhouse last December:
"I was making 40 to 50 grand a week [selling] the drugs,'' said Barnes. "I was making so much money (in the selling of marijuana) it was hard to stay focused (on basketball).''
Barnes said he served as an investor with drug kingpin Paul Edward Hindelang Jr., who would later cooperate with the government and forfeit $50 million in drug-trafficking proceeds. Barnes said Hindelang's right-hand man was Roosevelt Becton, a friend of the basketball player whom he describes as the "godfather'' who "ran St. Louis.''
"Hindelang was the guy who started the 'mother ship,' which would park five miles away and boats would shoot for the (Colombia) shore,'' Barnes said. "He got a two-ton freighter a bunch of us (contributed for financially). Then it would go down and buy two tons of Colombian marijuana.
"It was the best marijuana. We bought it from the Colombian government for a dollar a pound ... I was investing money (in the operation).''
Talk about wasted talent:
"I was one of the five best players on the planet, period"
"I would have been one of the 50 greatest players of all time,'' said Barnes, 57, who now works with at-risk teenagers in his Men to Men program in his hometown of Providence, R.I., telling them the pitfalls of drugs. "I was one of the five best players on the planet period (with St. Louis). Just ask anybody (from) back then ... I was kicking some butt. ... But I was going on a downhill spiral. I met drug traffickers in St. Louis and they showed me another way of life. And that was detrimental to my basketball career.''
Maybe it wasn't so bad that Barnes didn't end up with the Sixers. Imagine Barnes in the frontcourt with Darryl Dawkins and Julius Erving with a team that featured Collins, George McGinnis, World B. Free, Henry Bibby, Steve Mix and Caldwell Jones. That's a team that could have gone 11 deep with Jellybean Bryant and Harvey Catchings filling roles, too.
Instead, Barnes was a wasted No. 2 pick in a deep draft where the Sixers could have snapped up any one of the 18 players who went on to play at least 550 games in the NBA. This includes Hall of Famer George Gervin.
The team finished up the three-year stretch of top picks by getting Dawkins with the No. 5 pick before swiping Free in the second round. In 1975, the Sixers did about just as well as they could do, arguably getting the two players that went on to have the best careers of the draft class.
Still, the team didn't really come together until Doc came aboard in 1976. And despite the loss to the Blazers in the '77 Finals and to the Lakers in '80 and '82, the championship squad wasn't built on top draft picks, though Andrew Toney was the No. 8 pick in the 1980 draft.
They got Mo Cheeks late in the second round in 1978, Clint Richardson late in the second in 1979, as well as Franklin Edwards and Mark McNamara late in the first rounds of the 1981 and 1982 drafts. Otherwise, the best Sixers' team was built with trades and signings… Bobby Jones came from Denver for McGinnis; they bought Doc from the Nets; Marc Iavaroni was signed after the Knicks waived him; and Moses arrived in a trade with Houston in which the Sixers gave up Caldwell Jones and their first pick of the '83 draft.
If only the Sixers could have drafted as well when given a top pick. Oh sure, Barkley and Iverson were hard to mess up, especially since two of the greatest players ever were taken ahead of Sir Chuck (Hakeem Olajuwon and Michael Jordan). But just imagine what could have been if the Sixers had simply drafted Brad Daugherty with the top pick of the 1986 draft and dropped him into the frontcourt with Barkley and Moses.
Instead, just before it was their turn to make the No. 1 pick, owner Harold Katz sent it to Cleveland for Roy Hinson (yes, Roy Hinson!) before dealing Moses and Terry Catledge to Washington for Cliff Robinson and Jeff Ruland.
/shakes head/
Those trades made little sense in 1986 and make even less sense now.
Imagine those three up front with Cheeks and Hersey Hawkins in the backcourt.
Go ahead… we'll wait.
Now imagine that the Sixers can knock off the Celtics or Pistons as the '80s end and instead of taking Christian Welp at No. 16 in 1987, they get Mark Jackson (third all-time in assists) or Reggie Lewis (perennial All-Star before his untimely death). Sure, the No. 3 pick of Charles Smith and subsequent deal for Hawkins worked out, but what if the Sixers would have just kept the pick and taken Mitch Richmond instead. That lineup turns to Moses, Barkley, Daugherty, Cheeks and Richmond.
Strangely, the Sixers eventually have had a bunch of No. 1 picks in recent years, starting with Iverson, Joe Smith, Derrick Coleman, Elton Brand and Chris Webber.
What? They couldn't swing a deal for Kwame Brown?
Try this out—from 1990 to 1999 drafts, the Sixers have had 20 top 10 draft picks end up on their roster. Ready for them?
1990—Coleman (No. 1 to New Jersey) and Willie Burton (No. 9 to Miami)
1991—Dikembe Mutombo (No. 4 to Denver)
1992—Jim Jackson (No. 4 to New Jersey) and Clarence Witherspoon (No. 9)
1993—Webber (No. 1 to Orlando), Bradley (No. 2) and Rodney Rogers (No. 9 to Denver)
1994—Donyell Marshall (No. 4 to Golden State), Sharone Wright (No. 6) and Eric Montross (No. 9 to Boston)
1995—Joe Smith (No. 1 to Golden State) and Jerry Stackhouse (No. 3)
1996—Iverson(No. 1)
1997—Keith Van Horn (No. 2) and Tim Thomas (No. 7 to New Jersey)
1998—Robert Traylor (No. 6 to Dallas) and Larry Hughes (No. 8)
1999—Brand (No. 1 to Chicago) and Andre Miller (No. 8 to Cleveland)
So the Sixers certainly have had chances to rebuild with the draft, only it really hasn't worked out that way. Even the roster for the 2001 run to the Finals was constructed with trades and free-agent moves. Considering that as recently as 1995 to 1997 that the team had a top three pick each year and kept one player longer than two seasons explains all one needs to know about the Sixers in the draft.
Tank it? No t'anks.
[1] My research came up small. Why did the Sixers draft Mike Bantom No. 4, have the pick disallowed and then watch Banton go to Phoenix at No. 8?
Posted at 05:21 PM in Allen Iverson, Brad Daugherty, Charles Barkley, Doug Collins, Julius Erving, Marvin "Bad News" Barnes, Moses Malone, Philadelphia 76ers, World B. Free | Permalink | Comments (2)
Halladay the latest to join greatest era in Philly sports history
Sometimes it's easy to get excited about the littlest things. Maybe it's a new episode of a TV show, or a favorite meal. Or it could be a small gift or a short trip to a favorite place.
You know what they say—sometimes it's the small things that matter the most.
So when the team you've written about for the past 10 years gets the game's best pitcher who just so happened to be the most-coveted player on the trade/free-agent market, it should be pretty exciting…
Yawn.
Sitting there and listening as Roy Halladay was being introduced to us media types during Wednesday's press conference in Citizens Bank Park, a different feel pervaded. Usually, during such settings it's not very difficult to get swept up in the emotion. After all, teams usually trot in family members, agents, front-office types and other hangers-on. In rare cases, like Wednesday's Halladay presser for example, the national cable TV outlets turned out to aim cameras at the proceedings.
But when a team introduces its third former Cy Young Award winner since July after trading one away, there's a tendency to become a little used to big events like introductory press conferences. Think about it—this year the Phillies have added Pedro Martinez, Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay. That's five Cy Young Awards right there.
At the same time, Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels, Charlie Manuel, Jayson Werth and Ruben Amaro Jr. all got new contracts since the Phillies won the World Series. Not to mention, the team signed Placido Polanco, Brad Lidge, Raul Ibanez and, of course, had that little parade down Broad Street.
In other words, you can see why it was easy not to get too worked up over Halladay's arrival. That's doubly the case considering the Flyers fired a coach and the Sixers welcomed back Allen Iverson within the past two weeks. Add in the facts that the deal for Halladay took three days to come together after Amaro spent the week in Indianapolis denying involvement of anything and it's easy to get a little jaded.
Wait… is Ruben denying he was even in Indianapolis now?
Of course with success comes boredom. In fact, a wise man once told me that championships were boring and bad for business. Perhaps he is correct, because while people are excited about the recent developments with the Phillies, they also are expected now. It's not quite complacency, but during the past decade every Philadelphia team has been in the mix to acquire the top players on the market. Sure, we're still getting used to all of this largesse and therefore go a little wild for guys like Halladay, but really…
That brings us to the grand point—this is the greatest time ever to be a Philadelphia sports fan. Ever. Since 2001, every team but the Flyers have been to the championship round of the playoffs and every team has made gigantic, stop-the-sports-world acquisitions.
Just look at the list of names:
Roy Halladay
Chris Pronger
Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo
Jevon Kearse
If the team wants them, they are pretty darned good at getting them.
Certainly that wasn't always the case. A friend's dad often tells the story about how he and his friends were amazed that a Philadelphia team could get a player like Julius Erving, and I remember watching on TV when Pete Rose signed his four-year, $3.2 million deal with the Phillies. The fact that the Pete Rose signing was on live TV proves how big it was because, a.) there weren't a whole lot of channels on the dial back then. Just 12 and none of them offered all sports programming. Cable? What?
And, b.) I didn't even live in the Philadelphia region when Rose signed. Hell, I didn't even live in Pennsylvania.
Oh, there were other big deals, too. Like when the Sixers traded Caldwell Jones to get Moses Malone, for instance. But they were few and far between. For every Moses, there was always a Lance Parrish lurking at the podium ready to take questions about how he will deliver the championship.
As far as those big moves go, the mid-season trade for Dikembe Mutombo was the first major move for us at the CSNPhilly.com site. We had three people on the staff back then and the trade came down on a snowy February afternoon that kept us cooped up in our little corner of the second floor in the Wachovia Center. Better yet for the Sixers, the deal for Mutombo was one of the few that worked out as designed. Mutombo gave the team the defense and presence in the middle it lacked and made it to the NBA Finals.
With Shaq and Kobe in mid dynasty, a trip to the finals for a team like the Sixers was as good as winning it all.
Jim Thome's arrival was bigger yet. Not only was Thome the biggest name on the free-agent market, but also he was a symbol that there were big changes coming. Of course the unforgettable moment of Thome's first visit to Philly was when he popped out of his limo to sign autographs and pose for pictures with the union guys from I.B.E.W. who held an impromptu rally outside the ballpark to try and sway the slugger to sign with the Phillies.
Moreover, Thome's introductory press conference was memorable because the big fella was reduced to tears when talking about the switch from the Indians. It was a scene that hadn't been repeated in these parts until Allen Iverson got a bit weepy when talking about his return to Philadelphia.
Oh yes, Philadelphia will make a guy cry.
Or maybe even do a bunch of sit-ups in the front yard.
Maybe in a different era, the acquisition of Roy Halladay would be a bigger deal. Maybe when the contract plays itself out—potentially five years and $100 million—we'll view it differently. Until then he's just another big name in a veritable cavalcade of superstars that seem to wind up in our town.
Posted at 07:22 PM in Allen Iverson, blockbuster trades, Dikembe Mutombo, Jim Thome, Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Pete Rose, Phillies, Roy Halladay, Terrell Owens | Permalink | Comments (0)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Aug 20th – Sep 2nd, 2018.
Vaasa Airport, Aug 20th via Helsinki.
Vaasa Airport, Sep 2nd via Helsinki.
Finnair (http://www.finnair.fi) have flights between Helsinki and Vaasa.
16 - 20 participants, interested in nature and wild life.
week you will learn, from wild life experts, how to make shelter, how to cook and how to sleep in the wild. During the camp week you will sleep both indoors and outdoors.
Participants pay their own costs to and from Vaasa and shall have their own pocket money. Organizing Rotaries will meet the student in the airport and will take care of all ground transportations in Finland.
The applicant must use the official Rotary Youth Exchange – Short-Term Exchange Program (STEP) Application form when applying to the camp. The deadline for the applications is 16th April, 2018.


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"Slimani wanted to leave" - Fenerbahce VP reveals Leicester City striker almost switched loan clubs
The Leicester City striker is currently on a season-long loan in Turkey
Jamie Kemble
Leicester City striker Islam Slimani almost swapped loan clubs during the January transfer window, a Fenerbahce official has revealed.
The Algerian striker wanted out of the Turkish club in the winter window after enduring a torrid spell so far, scoring just three goals in 19 appearances.
During the latter stages of the window, it emerged that Slimani was close to joining Real Betis on loan with Leicester City refusing to take the player back.
However, the deal went quiet and Slimani remained with Fenerbahce until beyond the deadline, meaning he will spend the rest of the season in Turkey.
And Fenerbahce vice president Semih Ozsoy has revealed how it all unfolded, admitting that "Slimani wanted to leave" with La Liga club Real Betis looking to secure his signature.
Controversial James Maddison substitution defended by Claude Puel
Speaking after the capital club's win over Goztepe at the weekend, Ozsoy told sports news outlet De Marke Sports: "Slimani wanted to leave.
"We held talks with Betis. After we considered, we decided for him to stay until the end of the season. If he left the club then we needed to buy a striker, but he will be with us."
Slimani is on a season-long loan with Fenerbahce and and despite spending £28million to acquire his services in 2016, Leicester City made it clear to the Turkish club that he couldn't return in January.
Ben Chilwell's message to the Leicester City Blue Army
To shift the 30-year-old, the Turkish club would have had to find a new loan club, and it seems they almost achieved that.
Fenerbahce manager Ersun Yanal, who has since eased on his stance, was even reported to have threatened Slimani with no play-time in the second half of the season if he didn't leave.
However, with not enough time left on the window clock to replace him, Slimani will now continue his spell in Istanbul with Fenerbahce pulling the plug on a potential move.
He must now look to improve on the latest of his disappointing campaigns.
Leicester City FCLeicester City vs Brighton kick off time, TV channel, live stream and how to watchAll the details on how to follow Leicester City's Premier League showdown against Brighton at the King Power Stadium
In the NewsNew £350,000 gallery and interactive dinosaur displays among exciting changes at city museumsA new immersive experience is also coming to the city's King Richard III Visitor Centre


Opening a new art gallery is challenging, and keeping it open even more arduous unless you have unlimited resources. The latest crop of small-gallery owners has discovered a way to display one-of-a-kind works from emerging artists while making ends meet: by cohabitating gallery space and sleeping space, thanks to Airbnb. While financially beneficial to the owners (and in some cases, the artists as well), it also has myriad benefits for guests desiring an immersive art experience.
Owners like Kellen have found artists to be keen on the concept, too, because it gives them an opportunity to intimately display their work to a captive audience. Whether the works are for sale or for viewing pleasure only, exposure to these pieces can help guests forge a deeper connection with the community in which they're staying.
"We joke that you can buy art that you want to marry, but [here] you can just sleep with art," says Kascha Snavely, who co-owns a gallery-Airbnb in Seattle called the Vestibule with her husband, John.


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Sympistis fifia is a species of moth in the family Noctuidae (the owlet moths).

The MONA or Hodges number for Sympistis fifia is 10066.

References

Further reading

fifia
Articles created by Qbugbot
Moths described in 1904

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: Why doesn't my toe consistently register as a touch? I was sitting on my couch watching Harry Potter with my kids, even though I didn't want to. My phone flipped on to the floor when I got up for something. When I can back I wanted to see if my friend texted me so instead of bending over I touched it with my toe so the screen would turn on. I couldn't get it to register as a touch. Since the first time, it takes about 5-10 touches before the screen comes on.
What gives? Do I have more electric charge in my fingers than I do my toes? How convenient.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


An attractive three bedroom bungalow in a lovely location overlooking Inismacnaghtan Island in a quiet cul de sac that offers easy access to Shannon, Ennis and Limerick. This attractive property is located down a quiet country road and it is in good condition throughout. It is located 1 km from The Honk. It would make an ideal family home for those looking to escape to the country but with the convenience of being close to amenities. It would make an ideal family home and it be easily extended.


For 2015, integrated financial services group Guardian Holdings Ltd (GHL) achieved a $51 million increase in profit before tax.
Consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31 show that the $449 million profit was 13 per cent higher than the $398 million recorded in 2014.
Chairman Arthur Lok Jack, in his statement to shareholders, said continued growth in GHL's various business units yielded net income of $662 million from insurance underwriting activities. This was an increase of $172 million or 35 per cent from $490 million in the previous year. He said the group also benefited from "the favourable impact of reserve releases arising from changes to Jamaica tax legislation governing the insurance industry".
Lok Jack said 2015 had been challenging on the investment front and GHL's net income from those activities declined by $82 million from $870 million to $788 million. He said this was mainly driven by a $94 million swing in fair values, reflecting turbulent market conditions.
"We are actively continuing to rebalance our investment portfolio and are well positioned to take advantage of significant opportunities to improve our investment performance as interest rates rise," he said.
GHL was also affected by an increase in operating expenses, from $859 million in 2014 to $866 million last year. This included a $13 million one-off levy from the change in the tax regime for insurance companies in Jamaica.
However, Lok Jack said, the group is beginning to benefit from projects to drive down costs.
The chairman added: "The Guardian Group consists of the strongest portfolio of insurance companies across the Caribbean, holdings a strong number one position in Trinidad and Tobago, which is the largest insurance market in the English-speaking Caribbean, as well as number one or number two positions in other key markets.
GHL's annual general meeting takes place on April 29 at 4.30 pm at the Guardian Corporate Centre in Westmoorings.


The PACTS Annual Review for the years 2013/14 & 2014/15. A copy can be found here. Download the document.
PACTS has published its Annual Review for the year 2012/13. A copy can be found here. Download the document.


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Milwaukee Brewers News
Tuesday's Frosty Mug
By Kyle Lobner Jan 31, 2012, 10:15am CST
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Some things to read while flying your tiny blimp.
We're 18 days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training and the Brewers are using what will likely be a slow news week to announce their 2012 bobbleheads, one at a time. Yesterday they announced that Jonathan Lucroy will be the first player featured on April 22. Follow @Bernie_Brewer to see today's announcement.
Meanwhile, the Brewers have released the final version of their 2012 schedule. Tom Haudricourt has the changes (which mostly involve Saturday game times being adjusted to accommodate national TV) behind the JS paywall.
Given our current lack of other developments, it's possible we'll have wall-to-wall coverage of this for the rest of the week: Nyjer Morgan is going to work out with the NHL's San Jose Sharks tomorrow.
Yesterday I mentioned that the Brewers reported progress in their negotiations with Shaun Marcum, and suggested a one year deal is probably still the most likely outcome. Reviewing the Brew has a counter proposal: They want the team to sign him for four years.
Most of yesterday's news centered around quotes gathered at On Deck this weekend. The Janesville Gazette's Peace and Glove blog was there and shared some pictures from the festivities.
The Brewers made a minor transaction yesterday, leading to some minor irritation: They signed outfielder Corey Patterson to a minor league deal (FanShot). He won't be invited to big league spring training, but is invited to early minor league camp and is expected to play left field for Nashville. Patterson is a career .252/.290/.400 hitter in 1230 major league games over 12 seasons, and was a Brewer briefly in 2009.
With that said, maybe a deep breath is in order. Bill Petti of Beyond the Box Score has a chart showing the Brewers are the best team in baseball at keeping below replacement level players off the field, and just 6% of their players since 2002 have had sub-zero wins above replacement totals. That blew my mind a little.
Tom Haudricourt has lists of non-roster invitees to spring training and minor leaguers invited to early camp. The former list is all names we've seen before, but this is the first time I'd seen the latter.
Carlos Gomez's winter league season is over, as he went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts in Aguilas' 6-5 loss to Escogido, who won the Dominican final series 5-4. You can read more about that in today's Winter League Notes.
The Caribbean Series opens Thursday and Carson Cistulli of FanGraphs has a list of the major leaguers involed, including Martin Maldonado of Mayaguez.
Wisconsin Sports Tap has a list of the top outfielders in the Brewer organization, led by Logan Schafer.
Brewer Nation's "Brewers By the (Jersey) Numbers" series continues today with a profile of Brock Kjeldgaard.
The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers have the first of many videos to promote their Opening Day bobblehead giveaway.
Meanwhile, Caleb Gindl leads Cody Scarpetta by about 35 votes for the #10 spot in our Community Prospect Rankings. We'll close that poll at 1 today and open the voting for #11 at 2.
If you're easily angered or discouraged you might want to skip today's projections and power rankings:
The Replacement Level Yankees Weblog used Marcel projections to predict 81 wins and a third place finish for the Brewers.
The Hardball Times has them winning 79 games, which turned my stomach a bit. (h/t Lookout Landing)
The Outside Corner has the Brewers 13th.
Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune has the Brewers 17th and uses some epic hindsight to blast Doug Melvin for Ryan Braun's contract extension.
Angels: Signed pitcher Francisco Rodriguez (the other one) to a minor league deal.
Braves: Signed pitcher Buddy Carlyle to a minor league deal.
Cubs: Signed pitcher Trever Miller.
Indians: Acquired infielder/outfielder Russ Canzler from the Rays for cash.
Orioles: Signed pitchers Armando Galarraga and Pat Neshek and catcher Ronny Paulino to minor league deals.
Rangers: Signed manager Ron Washington to a two year contract extension through 2014.
Rays: Outfielder Justin Ruggiano is expected to refuse an outright assignment to the minors and become a free agent.
Yankees: Signed pitcher Manny Delcarmen to a minor league deal.
In former Brewers:
Dennis Sarfate is remaining in Japan with the Hiroshima Carp in 2012.
Outdoor hockey is a pretty big sporting fad lately, but it's worth noting that it comes at a significant cost: Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia is having all of its turf replaced before Opening Day after the old surface was ruined by the ice rink.
The Angels have spent a lot of money on the free agent market this winter, but it's also worth noting that they're taking a significant hit in the draft: They lost their 2012 first and second round picks when they signed Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson and won't pick for the first time until the second half of the third round.
The Brevard County Manatees (@BCManatees) note that it's a pretty big day for baseball birthdays, as Nolan Ryan, Ernie Banks and Jackie Robinson were all born on January 31. Today In Brewer History has a fourth name to add to that list: Yuniesky Betancourt turns 30 today.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to drawing pineapples.


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text:
Former hot-head after hat-trick at Flemington
The calming effects of country trails and life away from major training centres has had a profound effect on South Australian galloper Arran Bay.
The son of All Too Hard had tested the patience of his trainer Phillip Stokes but on Saturday will be chasing a third straight win when he lines up in the Efficient Living Legends Plate (1400m) at Flemington.
Stokes said it was son Tommy and his partner, Adelaide jockey Kayla Crowther, that had got Arran Bay under control to the point where he has returned to Melbourne chasing a $71,500 first prize on Saturday.
"He was a bit of a hot-head and he's racing a lot better," Stokes told RSN.
"Tommy and Kayla have a little farm up at Wilunga and they work him in the forest up there.
"They've put a lot of work into him and it's paying off."
After one run as a two-year-old, Arran Bay was turned out for a spell before finding the 900m trip too short when resuming at Murray Bridge in October.
Taken to Morphettville on Melbourne Cup Day, Arran Bay broke his maiden status before leading throughout on the Morphettville Parks track, registering a 4-¾ length win, on November 20.
"This is a harder race but his sectionals and everything he's done over there suggest that he is up to this class," Stokes said.
"It's his first trip away to the big stage at Flemington and as long as the day doesn't get away from him, I'm sure he'll run very well."
Stokes said he will not be messing around with riding instructions for apprentice Alana Kelly.
After Kelly's 3kg claim, Arran Bay will carry 55kg on Saturday.
"That's why we've gone with the claim," Stokes said.
"We'll let him roll forward, get him into a nice rhythm and hopefully he can run out a strong 1400 metres at Flemington, and if he can, he will be hard to beat."
Stokes said Arran Bay had returned to familiar territory last week having spent time at his Pakenham stable as a younger horse.
"He eats great. He had a maintenance gallop on Tuesday and I can't fault the horse," Stokes said.
Previous: Adelaide sprinters to battle it out in Kensington Stakes
Next: Race experience to aid French import


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What Is Matter? The Materialist Perspective
The fundamental issue in the debate between materialists and design theorists is metaphysical. What is the basic nature of things that exist, and how did they come about? If we make a mistake on these basic metaphysical questions we can't hope to get the questions or the answers that follow from them right. If our metaphysics is wrong, our physics and biology and neuroscience will be wrong, too.
My colleague David Klinghoffer has an excellent post in which he asks this question of fundamental importance: What is matter? He quotes astrophysicist Adam Frank:
Materialists appeal to physics to explain the mind, but in modern physics the particles that make up a brain remain, in many ways, as mysterious as consciousness itself.
When I was a young physics student I once asked a professor: "What's an electron?" His answer stunned me. "An electron," he said, "is that to which we attribute the properties of the electron." That vague, circular response was a long way from the dream that drove me into physics, a dream of theories that perfectly described reality. Like almost every student over the past 100 years, I was shocked by quantum mechanics, the physics of the micro-world. In place of a clear vision of little bits of matter that explain all the big things around us, quantum physics gives us a powerful yet seemingly paradoxical calculus. With its emphasis on probability waves, essential uncertainties and experimenters disturbing the reality they seek to measure, quantum mechanics made imagining the stuff of the world as classical bits of matter (or miniature billiard balls) all but impossible.
Like most physicists, I learned how to ignore the weirdness of quantum physics. 'Shut up and calculate!' (the dictum of the American physicist David Mermin) works fine if you are trying to get 100 per cent on your Advanced Quantum Theory homework or building a laser. But behind quantum mechanics' unequaled calculational precision lie profound, stubbornly persistent questions about what those quantum rules imply about the nature of reality — including our place in it.
Those questions are well-known in the physics community, but perhaps our habit of shutting up has been a little too successful. A century of agnosticism about the true nature of matter hasn't found its way deeply enough into other fields, where materialism still appears to be the most sensible way of dealing with the world and, most of all, with the mind. Some neuroscientists think that they're being precise and grounded by holding tightly to materialist credentials. Molecular biologists, geneticists, and many other types of researchers — as well as the nonscientist public — have been similarly drawn to materialism's seeming finality. But this conviction is out of step with what we physicists know about the material world — or rather, what we don't know…
What exactly is quantum mechanics telling us about the world? What does the wave function describe? What really happens when a measurement occurs? Above all, what is matter?
Dr. Frank is asking the right question. What is matter?
The materialist conception of matter derives in part from Democritus and Lucretius (two ancient materialist philosophers), but I believe that the most cogent view of matter as held by modern materialists is that of Descartes.
Descartes defined matter as res extensa — literally, substance extended in space. Matter, in the Cartesian view, is characterized by extension — length, width, and depth, and by associated properties such as mass that accompany extension in space. In the Cartesian view, all subjective mental properties, such as qualia and intentionality, were defined away — excluded — from matter itself. How, then, could the mind exist if subjective properties had no basis in matter? In order to explain subjective experience and the mind, Descartes posited the existence of a second substance, res cogitans, which entailed subjective mental experience and which was composed to matter in human beings. This was Cartesian substance dualism. The body and the mind were separable substances, each existing in its own right. Furthermore, Descartes believed that only humans had minds. Animals were automatons, essentially mindless machines made of meat.
Famously, Descartes' view of man as a composite of two separated substances, one extended in space, the other mental, gave rise to the interaction problem (the "ghost in the machine"): How can mental substance interact with material substance? Modern materialists have discarded Descartes' mental substance, and have tried to explain nature and consciousness via matter alone. Modern materialists are Descartes' descendants: although they have discarded Cartesian dualism, they retain Cartesian materialism. To the modern materialist, what really exists is matter extended in space, tangible stuff, and all intangible stuff (like the mind) needs to be explained in terms of tangible matter. Hence the bizarre cornucopia of materialist theories of mind, such as philosophical behaviorism, identity theory, computer functionalism, and eliminative materialism. Each materialist theory of mind is abject nonsense.
Materialist metaphysics, derived from Cartesian res extensa, constrains materialist physics, biology, and neuroscience. Doing science and philosophy from the perspective of materialist metaphysics is like swimming with lead weights. Materialist metaphysics is constantly pulling materialists down, and keeping them from getting anything right and from really understanding nature.
Materialism is a conceptual catastrophe. How, from a materialist perspective, can we explain the laws of physics? How can we explain abstract things, like universals and mathematics, if all that exists is matter extended in space? How can the mind arise from matter — how can meat think? How can we square the materialist understanding of nature with quantum mechanics, which reveals very non-materialist properties of matter at its most fundamental level?
Materialism isn't really a metaphysical theory. It's just a mistake. It's a woefully inadequate understanding of nature.
So how can we understand matter, nature, and the mind? There is another way of understanding matter, which is the way of Aristotle. That is my topic for a post tomorrow.
Image: René Descartes, by Frans Hals [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
Adam FrankAristotlebiologyCartesian dualismDavid KlinghofferDavid MerminelectronmaterialismmetaphysicsneurosciencephysicsRené Descartesres cogitansres extensa


Basically, pit seats surrounded by the stage. And the only way to get these rare and coveted seats was to win them. I went on a mission and stalked the Madonna site waiting for the New Orleans contest to go live. Two days before showtime, I got my chance. I had to take a photo of myself holding the already purchased tickets to be entered into a drawing for a chance at 50 Golden Triangle passes.
I am happy to announce that your entry was picked out of the valid entries collected during our "New Orleans Golden Triangle" contest! Congratulations!
I won!! I won!! I won!!!! So we went from nosebleed to the rare and coveted Golden Triangle just like that.
We were going to skip the opening act and show up for Madonna time. But, we arrived really early to stake out our spot in the triangle. The Triangle was fairly empty, so we had our pick and chose to stand a little to the back right along the cat walk. The wait was long. Much too long. We had arrived well before 7 and Madonna didn't take the stage until 10:30. Some of the show content was very dark and violent... somewhat disturbing!! It was cool that we were so close to her and I got awesome pictures. I do wish she would have thrown in a few more old school songs as I'm not as familiar with all the new songs. And I wish she would have come back for an encore. Madonna sure is in great shape and is so tiny!! She talked politics for all of three minutes and got "booed" and somehow the media went crazy over it. All in all it was a great night and it was awesome being part of The Golden Triangle.
Veronica has discovered she can record herself with my iPod. The other night she decided to pretend she was an announcer on Wipe Out. Funny, funny stuff.
She also is suddenly interested in singing rounds all the time. Here we are singing Twinkle Twinkle together. She holds her part pretty good for a 5 year old.
I am in LOVE with the Shutterfly Christmas cards! This is our first holiday with our baby girl, so finding the perfect card to send out has been so much fun-they have a lot of great options! Thanks for this great giveaway!
Congratulations!! Shutterfly has been notified and you will receive your code via email shortly.
Thanks for everyone for playing along.... Hopefully I will have a few more giveaways in the future!!
entered my $50 SHUTTERFLY GIVEAWAY??
You have a few more days to enter!!!
Both Valerie and Veronica decided to be Pink Princesses this year for Halloween. I was not about to pay ridiculous prices for a costume that they will only wear once!! I did some eBay shopping and found two gorgeous flower girl dresses for dirt cheap. They are Hong Kong knock offs of something better I'm sure, but they are just perfect. And they are REAL dresses - not cheaply made over priced costumes. Today we did a trial run including hair and make-up.
Here are Val and Roni in their bubble gum princess glory!!
October is almost half way over, so that means it is nearing the time to start thinking about those Christmas Cards!!! It is never too early to start planning for the holidays!! Every November, we take a family photo to use for our cards. My favorite place to order our custom cards is Shutterfly. Check out these cute and colorful cards! I love that you can put multiple photos on them.
Shutterfly has SO many great designs to choose from. I never can decide on just one, so I usually order several different cards with different photos on each. I just love how simple and elegant these are!!
So, when you are ready, be sure to check out Shutterfly's Photo Christmas Cards for some great ideas. Also, you can find great deals on other items on Shutterfly's Special Offers Page.
Shutterfly will give one lucky reader $50 off their purchase. Please note, it does not include shipping and cannot be combined with any other promos.
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I will choose a winner at random on October 29, 2012.
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Valerie has done it again.... she was picked to be Student of the Month! I surprised her with flowers at school today for the ceremony. Val had no idea! She couldn't stop smiling.
Very proud of my big girl. Straight As so far this year and now this.