Monday, November 26, 2012

The way to Locate the top Places to get a Tattoo in your Town ...

I like to share with you my thoughts to help you come across the best tattoo artist in your area, so you might get your dream tattoo. I know from my personal encounter getting the correct person may be daunting, and you need to get this step suitable simply because there?s no point getting the most beneficial tattoo style, in case your tattoo artist isn?t the ideal.

So, how do you find a definitely great?tattoo shop within your area? Word of mouth can be a really superior choice because the individual who is giving you this information can show you the artist function on their body, so you?ll be able to decide for your self when you like his or her style, and this is a crucial point, as tattoo artists are like any other artist, in that they?ve their preferred style, as we do. I consider it could be greater to operate with somebody in sync with your personal tips as opposed to just going by means of the motions.

When you use the above technique I?d also get the name of the tattoo parlour this particular person works at, and spend a visit just before you commit to some thing you might regret. Appear around to view how clean the shop is, an important point in the event you don?t need to walk out with over a tattoo. Go through the flash catalogues and what is on the walls to see when you like what they present. Also, does it appear like a pleased function spot; you do not want the body inked by somebody who is tense or angry.

Secondly, for those who do not know anyone with tattoos then don?t be afraid to stroll up to an inked particular person and ask concerns. Most tattooed people today are pretty proud of their tattoos and are satisfied to speak about them.

A different selection is to join a reputable tattoo style internet site. In the finish of this short article you?ll see a link to my website exactly where I?ve facts on the most beneficial four design internet sites online. To offer you some idea of why to choose this selection, one of these internet sites has more than 10,000 tattoo studios to choose from 38 countries, and I can let you know from knowledge this was a major help. I am from Melbourne, Australia and I located lots of excellent artists to choose from, plus they?ve an location exactly where members rate tattoo artists, each great and undesirable. Helpful information, I?d say.

Plus a membership in one of the above style web pages provides you access to thousands of award winning designs, and also you get to find out these patterns within the comfort of one?s personal lounge space. Now, in the event you do not think that is essential I will tell you a story of exactly where I went wrong. For my first tattoo I produced all the above mistakes. I picked a tattoo parlour (simply because it was close to home), I had an thought in my head what I wanted (snake and dagger tattoo), and I walked out having a tribal butterfly tattoo?

How could this come about, you could possibly ask? Negative preparation, for starters; when you?ve decided on your design take a copy of it and say this is what I want. Your tattoo artist can usually make ideas to alter or enhance your decision, and there is nothing incorrect with that, but within the finish it?s important to be happy, or finish up like me, paying for an pricey cover-up.

So, do not do as I have completed, do as I do, and join a tattoo design web-site, you will not regret it. I hope this article has been of some advantage to you and in case you would prefer to now visit my website and see what I was talking about, right here it truly is: tattoo shops

This entry was posted in Arts and Entertainment

Source: http://www.mediacityballet.com/arts-and-entertainment/638/

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Sunday, November 25, 2012

?The best opportunity for innovation lies in the innate curiosity and ...

After working in the Oakland, California schools for 24 years ? one of the toughest districts in the country ? Anthony Cody has seen and led a good bit of change in education. From teaching high needs students to building collaborative communities of teachers, Cody has made a big difference.

Now an active blogger (he writes the Living in Dialogue blog for Education Week), Cody is able to apply what he?s learned through guiding other teachers, many of whom are struggling with same? issues he did as a teacher. One of the biggest issues? Students facing poverty and other difficulties at home often simply can?t meet expectations at school. In 2011, Cody organized the Save Our Schools March in Washington, D.C., responding to frustration with federal policies ? namely the continued focus on standardized tests.

Today, Cody shares more about what he?s learned over a long career, and what he hopes for the future of education.

Can you describe how your professional achievements have advanced innovation in education?

In the Oakland schools, where I worked for 24 years, I developed a program called TeamScience that paired experienced science teachers with novices in order to give them support and help them become effective. This program started in 2007, and has served more than 100 teachers in the District. Now in its sixth year, it has served to increase the retention of both the experienced teachers and novices, and student performance in science has improved significantly.

I also worked with the Oakland Effective Teaching Task Force and helped organize the first Oakland Teachers? Convention. The recommendations from this event resulted in an expansion in teacher-led professional development and teacher inquiry in the schools there.

I have contributed to two reports addressing important issues for the teaching profession, written with other members of Accomplished California Teachers. The first, A Quality Teacher in Every Classroom, reviews current teacher evaluation practices and suggests ways the evaluation process could be strengthened. The second, Promoting Quality Teaching, was just released, and it offers ways to improve teacher pay and career pathways.

What has changed as a result of your efforts?

TeamScience, the mentoring program I described, has helped create a stronger level of collaboration and collegial support among science teachers in Oakland, and improved teacher retention and student outcomes.

The Mills Teacher Scholars has expanded as a result mainly of the excellence of their work, but was also helped by the attention I helped bring through my blog.

The reports I mentioned have been used by a number of school districts and the California state legislature when contemplating changes to evaluation and compensation systems.

How can others facing similar challenges implement what you?ve learned through your work?

The posts I reference provide more detailed advice about how to implement these strategies.

How have you applied technology in innovative ways to support your work?

In preparing the reports, we hosted online meetings where participants could share their thoughts in a live discussion, through their computers.

What is the biggest obstacle you have had to overcome to ensure students are receiving a quality education?

The Oakland schools are a challenging place to work, as are many high poverty school systems. These conditions, and the low pay, result in very high turnover levels for teachers. This makes it difficult to raise the level of teaching at a school, because we lose people just when they are getting their feet under them.

What is your region doing well currently to support education?

The voters of California just voted to raise taxes to support education. This will allow us to recover a bit from years of harsh budget cuts. ?There is also an innovative program in California called the Quality Education Investment Act (QEIA), which provides high poverty schools with support to lower class sizes and give teachers more time to collaborate.

What conditions must change in your country to better support education?

The first conditions that must be changed are those affecting the lives of our students. Political leaders are operating under the mistaken idea that our schools can improve student outcomes while we ignore the fact that more and more of our students are living in poverty. For the past decade we have attempted to spur growth by punishing teachers and schools for low test scores. This has only served to narrow the curriculum and encourage teaching to the test. In order to support education, we need to stop equating learning with test scores, and allow schools far greater flexibility in measuring student outcomes. We should expand programs like QEIA, which provide schools with resources needed for teacher collaboration and small class sizes.

What is the best opportunity for innovation in education?

The best opportunity for innovation lies in the innate curiosity and creativity of our students and teachers. If we can only unleash it by abandoning the idea that excellence will come from standards and tests.

What advice would you give a new teacher (or to anyone wanting to make a difference in education)?

Choose your school carefully. Make sure you do not land in a school where you are handed a script and a set of test blueprints to prepare your students for. Learn who your students are, in every dimension. Pay attention to their culture, to the challenges they face in their community, and to the ways you can get support from their family. Look to all of these for things that strengthen your student, for assets they bring to school. Build on these strengths.

What educational ?trend? do you think is helping students? Is there a trend that is getting in the way of learning?

I think the trends towards authentic ?place-based? and ?project-based? learning are very encouraging. The trend towards virtual education is a big concern. I think online education is being aggressively sold, and is likely to be disappointing.

If you could give one educational tool to every child in the world, what would it be? Why?

Self-confidence. Students need experiences that confirm to them their own powers of observation and analysis. They need practice acting on the world and succeeding at understanding and changing it. Once they own this power, they can use it throughout their lives.

About Anthony Cody
@AnthonyCody

Anthony Cody spent 24 years working in Oakland schools, 18 of them as a science teacher at a high-needs middle school. He is National Board certified, and now leads workshops with teachers focused on Project Based Learning. With education at a crossroads, he invites you to join him in a dialogue on education reform and teaching for change and deep learning. For additional information on Cody?s work, visit his Web site, Teachers Lead.

  • Birthplace: Berkeley, California
  • Current residence: Willits, California
  • Education: BS and teaching credential, UC Berkeley; Masters in secondary science education, San Jose State University
  • Website I check every day: http://www.edweek.org/tm/index.html
  • Person who inspires me most: Aija Simmons
  • Favorite childhood memory:? Helping out in Dan Peletz? kindergarten class.
  • Next travel destination (work or pleasure): Seattle, Washington

Source: http://dailyedventures.com/index.php/2012/11/24/cody/

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Why Is Linux Web Hosting Cheaper Than Home Windows Web ...

Internet hosting a web site isn?t really the latest principle specially to individuals who have keen desire to generate profits purely choose keeping using the web in touch together with the facts that really should be up-to-date every single and each time nearly anything visible comes in the current market for totally sure. In these kinds of a milieu; a cPanel dedicated server will come into the picture as not a thing much less priceless than a blessing for anyone internet site proprietors ready to host their web pages concerning the Net platform. It?s not when you consider that a cPanel focused server will come inside of a packet with intense consumer welcoming qualities and also the versatility that a beginner pick up thru these kinds of an software is spectacular in addition to actually considerable.

What?s more there is certainly also tons most individuals; who?re intrigued to go for that Windows dedicated server for your very same holding many of the sides of pace and accuracy driving to assistance the carrying out paradigm for a total. In addition to those; there are certainly increased reputed names for focused servers in United states not merely for powerful efficiency and also in supporting hell number of application what so at any time prior to internet hosting a website. It?s not that only the online site entrepreneurs have demonstrated their great offer of whims and desires to return across an unmetered dedicated server for the objective of preserving an observe of their online business what so ever. Even so the figures are authentically huge and can certainly sustain an observer inside a dumb struck condition if whatsoever they cares to perform a study in counting the heads of folks who are developing with their insatiable curiosities for implementing a cPanel committed server both of those for personal and proficient disciplines.

As everyone knows that running a blog is an individual these types of trait that folks have picked up in some serious large speed not merely to deliver gentle with the principal visible matters likely approximately from the culture and also to find a fantastic desired destination to unleash their inventive knack. In these types of a milieu; a Dallas devoted server has distinguishably a very hot loved for each solitary specific with the same minds not simply to highlight their ingenious work but also to create a healthful community with other engaged on-line folks for gaining priceless detail on any issue or issue. All these functionality including aspects of compatibility can be liked or availed for people who have some genuine countable zeal for by making use of a cPanel focused server in internet hosting an internet site that addresses all guidance of a specified service or product. So this is often an individual like attribute inside area of science and technological know-how that could never fade with time nor will at any time diminish with any undeserving illness of a tide.

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  5. Why Choose Cpanel Linux Internet Hosting

Source: http://www.hugohosting.com/why-is-linux-web-hosting-cheaper-than-home-windows-web-hosting.html

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Two powers, Qatar and Iran, try to sway Hamas

FILE- In this Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012 file photo, Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani waves to the crowd as he and and Gaza's Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, not pictured, arrive for corner-stone laying ceremony of a Qatari funded rehabilitation center in Gaza City. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa, Pool, File)

FILE- In this Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012 file photo, Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani waves to the crowd as he and and Gaza's Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, not pictured, arrive for corner-stone laying ceremony of a Qatari funded rehabilitation center in Gaza City. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa, Pool, File)

FILE- In this Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012 file photo, the Emir of Qatar Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, second right, and Gaza's Hamas Prime minister Ismail Haniyeh, third left, arrive for the corner-stone laying ceremony of a new center providing artificial limbs, in Bait Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip. (AP Photo/Ali Ali, Pool, File)

In this picture taken on Friday, Nov. 16, 2012, an Iranian female worshipper holds an anti-Israeli placard, in a pro-Palestinian demonstration after Friday prayer, in Tehran, Iran. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

In this picture taken on Friday, Nov. 16, 2012, Iranian worshippers hold posters showing supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, in a pro-Palestinian demonstration after Friday prayer, in Tehran, Iran. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) ? The courtship of Hamas between rivals Iran and Qatar has been one of the Middle East's intriguing subplots of the Arab Spring. The bloodshed in Gaza has now sharpened their competition for influence with the Palestinian militant group and the direction it takes in the future.

Qatar has sought to use its vast wealth to win over Hamas with investments and humanitarian aid and encouraging Arab partners to do the same ? part of the hyper-rich U.S. allied nation's broader campaign to bring under its wing Islamist movements that have risen to power in the region the past two years. Qatar's influence with Hamas could edge it away from armed action toward diplomacy.

Iran, meanwhile, is invigorating its longtime role as the builder of the rocket arsenal for Hamas' military wing.

For Hamas, there are benefits in both directions ? and it's happy to play both sides. During a celebration rally in Gaza City after an Egyptian-mediated cease-fire came into place ending fighting between Israel and Hamas, Gazans wildly waved flags of Qatar, along with those of Egypt and Turkey, in gratitude for those countries' diplomatic support.

At the same time, Hamas' leader-in-exile Khaled Mashaal, who is based out of Qatar, gave a very public thanks to Iran for standing by Gaza with crucial military assistance. Fighters in Gaza also hailed the new reach of their arsenal, with Iranian-designed Fajr-5 rattling Israel by reaching the outskirts of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Visiting the Syrian capital Damascus on Friday, Iran's parliament speaker Ali Larijani, who is close to the country's supreme leader, promised leaders of Palestinian militant groups that his country would continue to boost "the resistance's capabilities in confronting the Zionist arrogance and aggression," according to Palestinian official Khaled Abdul-Hamid, who attended the meeting.

The reminder of Hamas' reliance on Iran for weapons could help smooth a relationship that has been running through a rough patch because of the civil war in Syria, Iran's top ally.

Embarrassed by the Syrian regime's crackdown on a mainly Sunni Muslim uprising, Hamas leaders based in Damascus for years broke with Syria and left for Qatar and Egypt. Though Iran continued to send weapons to Hamas, the break undermined the "Axis of Resistance" grouping Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas that Iran has assembled in the Arab world.

It's doubtful Iran can fully reclaim its position as the main big brother for Hamas. But Tehran's image is certain to receive some lingering boost in Gaza.

For Hamas, hyper-rich Qatar is a political and economic lifeline, a key part of the militant group's attempts to bolster its ties with the Western-backed Gulf states in efforts gain more international legitimacy. Last month, Qatar's emir became the first head of state to visit the Gaza Strip since Hamas took control five years ago. The Gulf state pledged nearly $500 million in aid and a song called "Thank you, Qatar" played on Gaza radio and TV as the emir was given a hero's welcome.

During the heat of the Gaza battle the past week, Qatar's prime minister gave a blistering dressing down to the Arab League during an emergency meeting, saying Arab nations had to do more to fight Gaza's poverty and isolation than just pass resolutions.

"We can't give hope without delivering," Sheik Hamad Bin Jassem Al Thani told the gathering last week in Cairo.

Two days after his outburst at the Arab League meeting in Cairo, Sheik Hamad suggested that his country would be willing to open dialogue with Israel on a long-term Gaza truce if it leads to lifting the blockade. The Arab Spring, he added, has made Israel feel more vulnerable, but also perhaps more ready to make deals.

"We need to talk with everyone to reach a comprehensive peace," he told CNN on Monday.

For Qatar, the outreach to Gaza also is part of far wider ambitions to become a major policy-shaper in the Middle East. The tiny Gulf nation has emerged as a strong backer of the Muslim Brotherhood, which has risen to power in Tunisia and Egypt after the fall of those countries' autocratic leaders in early 2011.

In February, Qatar brokered talks between Hamas' Mashaal and his longtime rival, internationally backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Qatar has also sought to influence Syria's rebels. This month, it hosted Syrian opposition groups in a breakthrough effort to unite rebel factions under one coalition, which has opened the way for greater international recognition and promises of aid. Qatar had led calls to supply Syrian rebels with heavy weapons to counter air and tank attacks by Bashar Assad's forces. Qatar also was a key backer of the Libyan uprising.

On Thursday, Qatar also invited the newly formed Syrian opposition coalition to appoint its ambassador to the Gulf state, the Qatari news agency reported.

Salman Shaikh, director of The Brookings Doha Center in Qatar, said it's not a matter of "having to go all for Iran or all for Qatar.'

"What Qatar is trying to do is change the reality. They are trying to blaze a trail that will weaken the international isolation of Gaza from the Israeli blockade," he said.

Qatar has so far stopped short of offering any kind of military support for Gaza to avoid a rift with Washington, Israel's most powerful ally.

Iran takes a very different view.

Officials in Tehran boasted this week about its longtime arms support for Hamas militants ? part of Iran's bookend strategy to equip anti-Israel factions in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon on Israel's northern border.

Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, the head of the Revolutionary Guard, said Iran supplied fighters in Gaza with the technology to "quickly" produce the Fajr-5 missiles. The statement fits with previous Iranian denials that it is not directly sending missiles to Gaza, but suggests close coordination on construction and movement of supplies, presumably through the smugglers' tunnels linking Gaza and Egypt.

The Gaza fighting, at the least, bought Iran some restored street credibility as its image was battered by its backing for the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

"The war with Israel reminded Hamas that Israel is the main issue not Syria," said Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, a professor in politics in Tehran's Allameh University.

But Hamid Reza Shokouhi, editor of Iran's independent Mardomsalari daily, said the bump in Iran's popularity with Gazans could be only "short-term." He questioned whether Iran could sustain its influence in Gaza against the almost unlimited resources of Qatar and its Gulf partners.

Iran's Foreign Ministry and a parliamentary committee have applied for permission to visit Gaza in the coming weeks via the border crossing with Egypt, said Hasan Qashqavi, deputy foreign minister in charge of consular affairs.

Qatar's prime minister said the competition for influence is Gaza only likely to intensify as other nations such as Turkey and Egypt reach out.

"We are not trying to take Hamas from anybody else, from Iran or others," he said in the CNN interview. "Hamas, they have to decide for themselves. I think they are pretty mature to decide for themselves."

___

Associated Press writer Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-11-23-Mideast-Gaza's%20Suitors/id-773a840d64574e54904180e95f1a9026

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Saturday, November 24, 2012

Three Essential Tips On Growing Mushrooms At Home

Three Essential Tips on Growing Mushrooms at Home

Growing your own mushrooms can be a lot of fun and provide you with a new hobby that can help you save money and enhance your cooking skills.

There are three basic types of prerequisites that you should be familiar with. To start with you will require the "do' s", the beneficial aspect, what you should do. To ensure success, you must realize what has to be executed to ensure your success in growing mushrooms at home.

Second would be the "don't s", the detrimental, need-to-avoid aspect. You should also know everything you need to protect against and what to avoid. To maintain from destroying or reducing your ability to succeed, you will have to know this, therefore you specifically want to ensure you never fail outright.

So then let's have a look at three of the "do' s" and three of the "don't s" of growing mushrooms at home:

First "Do": Make sure to research everything about the right growing conditions for your type of mushroom you plan on growing. The reasons behind this are because each of the different types of mushroom species have specific growing conditions regarding their light and temperature requirements, and also they may require certain types of substrate or casings to allow the mushrooms to fruit properly.

First "Don't": Forget to use very sterile conditions when setting up your substrate. This implies learning how to use sterile techniques when inoculating your mushrooms because the results can be detrimental if you fail to do so.

Second "Do": Make sure you have all of the proper equipment for growing mushrooms in your home. You have to make sure to provide a consistent environment for your mushrooms to thrive.

Second "Don't": Use low quality ingredients for your substrate. Instead you should make sure to use high quality nutrients for your mushrooms, to get the best tasting mushrooms.

Third "Do": Learn the proper techniques for making a good quality spore print. You really need to use this since you will want to continue to keep growing mushrooms in your home. And also, be able to keep the highest quality mushrooms while being able to save money by growing them in your house.

Third "Don't: Allow the substrate to get too old or dry out while you are growing mushrooms. You need to remember that the substrate conditions must be keep moist, but not over saturated to allow the mushrooms to fruit. You can give your mushrooms the most optimal conditions by using a mushroom grow kit.

You will certainly improve your chances for being successful and greatly lower the probability of failure in growing mushrooms at home. All you need to do is to pay attention to the "do' s" and "don't s" defined above. Make sure to do the all of the "do' s" and avoid all of the "don't s! Just adhere to these suggestions and you will be assured that the final results are going to be a lot better than you would typically expect!

Source: http://www.streetarticles.com/crafts-hobbies/three-essential-tips-on-growing-mushrooms-at-home

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South Africa spent $3 billion on 2010 World Cup

FILE - In this June 24, 2010 file photo, from left, Japan's Yuji Nakazawa, Marcus Tulio Tanaka, Yasuyuki Konno, and Makoto Hasebe celebrate following the World Cup group E soccer match between Denmark and Japan at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, South Africa. Japan was the first nation to qualify for both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, and the Asian champion could achieve the feat for a third straight tournament with a win at Oman on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

FILE - In this June 24, 2010 file photo, from left, Japan's Yuji Nakazawa, Marcus Tulio Tanaka, Yasuyuki Konno, and Makoto Hasebe celebrate following the World Cup group E soccer match between Denmark and Japan at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, South Africa. Japan was the first nation to qualify for both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, and the Asian champion could achieve the feat for a third straight tournament with a win at Oman on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

(AP) ? South Africa spent more than $3 billion on the 2010 World Cup, and in return gained an "intangible legacy" from the first world soccer showpiece in Africa, the country's government said Friday in its final report on the tournament.

In the "2010 FIFA World Cup Country Report," released nearly 2? years after the event, South Africa's government said it spent $1.1 billion on building and upgrading stadiums alone.

Transport was the biggest cost, with $1.3 billion dedicated to improving road, rail and air links and a further $392 million on the country's main ports of entry.

In the absence of any final definitive figures on how much South Africa earned in total from being the host, the report said the World Cup had left an intangible legacy of pride and unity among South Africans and had changed the country's image as undeveloped, crime-ridden and dangerous in the eyes of the rest of the world.

"To top it all, we didn't have lions roaming the streets and we did have ATMs," the report, published by the ministry of sport, added light-heartedly.

It did predict a $6 billion boost to South Africa's economy as a result of the monthlong World Cup, according to a study by risk analysis and finance company Grant Thornton, but that was a mid to long-term projection.

FIFA reported it made a $631 million profit from the 2007-10 World Cup cycle and earned income of $3.65 billion from 2010 World Cup contracts. FIFA said it spent $1.298 billion on the World Cup in South Africa and also gave $100 million to the World Cup Legacy Trust, a fund that supports grassroots soccer projects.

"The World Cup in South Africa was a huge, huge financial success for Africa, for South Africa and for FIFA," FIFA president Sepp Blatter said in 2011 as the world body published its own financial report.

While critics have said that such a huge outlay on a 30-day sports event was impractical for South Africa ? and the final word on whether it was an economic success was still pending ? the government could argue that it had already earned over $400 million from the more than 300,000 tourists that visited for the World Cup.

The upgrade to much of South Africa's transport infrastructure was a long-term investment, the government said.

The expensive World Cup stadiums are still underused, however, and some are losing money. The Cape Town Stadium ? reportedly the most expensive of the seven new venues at $600 million ? is in the most trouble.

"This report will also serve as a reference guide and benchmark for planning other major sporting events," South Africa's government said in a statement to introduce the publication, which featured the 2010 World Cup logo and was embossed with shiny gold letters.

South Africa has said it is considering a bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-11-23-SOC-South-Africa-World-Cup/id-766e8389a19e476f92e6434abdbdb65d

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Character Profiles

Apologies, I didn't mean to click the submit button on the profile generator. Here is the character for your approval.

Name: Sarah Briggs

Synopsis: "The only thing more frightening than a cornered animal is a trained one"

Name: Sarah-983

Picture: Image

Callsign: Hyena

AI: Kouga

AI Personality: Quiet, thoughtful and calm in all the ways his partner isn't, Kouga strives to be the yang to Sarah's yin. He is full of old sayings and proverbs (as well as a few that he's made up himself) that he warps to any situation to suit his needs.

Kouga's avatar is a samurai, his definition of the ultimate warrior.

Age: 27
Height W/O Armor: 6' 1"
Height W/ Armor: 6' 5"
Weight W/O Armor: 234 lbs.
Weight W/ Armor: 278 lbs.

Hair Color: Blonde
Eye Color: Amber
Skin Tone: Pale
Notable Physical Traits: Extended canine teeth, coated in titanium. Several facial piercings. "Vive" and "Mort" tattooed across her left and right hand's knuckles, respectively.

Personality: Sarah's only got three speeds, "off", "on" and "hellbender". She lacks what some would call refinement or gentleness, but makes up for it with heart and loyalty. Just one of the guys, Sarah's most at home with her fellow SPARTANs, though she doesn't look down on the other crew. She's a bit excitable and prone to rushing headlong into a problem without thinking about it. When Sarah's nervous or in the thick of a really good fight, she'll cackle in a high pitched voice, which is why the other's gave her the nickname "Hyena" as that's exactly what she sounds like. It suits her.

Sarah Briggs isn't one to be shamed by a faux pas, much to her superiors' chagrin. She's usually involved in some hijinks or other aboard the ship, but since she always means it in the best of spirits, they usually let her off with a wrist slapping. In combat, Sarah prefers "blitzkrieg" tactics to standard military "cover to cover". She has charged piss poor odds more times than anyone else on the team wants to remember, but somehow she always manages to survive till they come to back her up.

Likes/Dislikes: A hearty believer in booze, bad behavior, and shenanigans (usually mixed together), Sarah enjoys the party life. She's also a fan of listening to Kouga talk, though she'd never admit it to him.
Quirks: Though she's never been to Ireland, Sarah picked up the lilt from somewhere. Once she's had a few drinks in her, she's unintelligible. She also habitually chews on things, usually a bullet or the handle of her knife.

Equipment/Training History:Guerrilla warfare has always been Sarah's specialty, even as a child. She was often praised by her cadre for finding the most unorthodox or sideways tactic to solving a problem, especially in combat scenarios.In actual hand-to-hand, however, her instructor described her as "hopeless". She eschewed forms and accuracy for raw power, which although she usually won the fights, she celebrated from a rack in the infirmary.

Booms and bangs were her other love affair. Since she was so mobile and hard to track, the role of saboteur and explosives expert fell onto her as easily as a saddle on a horse. She learned chemistry, electrical engineering, fabrication, combat wiring, and anything else that would improve her "scores" in combat. She never goes anywhere without some sort of explosive, whether it's issue or handmade.

Biography: Born in 2560, on a dusty shitball of a planet called Orokos, Sarah's parents never thought she'd amount to anything. That made sense, on account of them being stim fiends and neglectful, but that didn't stop Sarah. On the fateful day that the men in suits came to her neighborhood, she was at her meanest. Her parents had freshly beaten her that morning, and denied her breakfast for the fourth day in a row. Hurt and angry, Sarah wandered the streets until she met up with a group of boys having lunch. She tried asking politely for them to share, then trying to cut a deal, but after they denied her over and over, she'd had it. Later on, she'd hear how she wasn't even the candidate they were interested in, but after Sarah beat their candidate (as well as his four buddies) to an inch of his life over a scrap of bread, they decided that if they could tame this child, she'd make a good warrior.

Basic training was the rudest wake up no-one had ever prepared her for. At eight, Sarah was small for her age, and as such she was at a disadvantage. Learning to respond to orders the first time was probably the most difficult, yet the most important lesson she learned in her entire training career. Her cadre refused to praise her when she did things right, but to Sarah, the fact that she did it right at all was praise enough. Her team became her family, and she swore to herself that she'd give her all for this family like she never could for her old one. In any team exercise, Sarah excelled when the team recognized her strengths and weaknesses, incorporating her into their dynamic fluidly.

After three years of basic, Sarah's class moved on to the advance course. Weapons, tactics, fighting and school were the flavors of the day, though they still had to keep up their basic skills. The cadre found out early on that though she was a fair shot with almost any weapon, her accuracy was no sparkling apple. Likewise, she never reached the top of the class in fisticuffs, though the head boys lived in fear of getting into fights with her. No one likes mutually assured destruction, after all. Tactics and school were where Sarah excelled, however. Her cunning mind and off the wall thinking often put her teams ahead on obstacle courses or survival scenarios. In the classroom, she was a juggernaut. Every scrap of knowledge and information was sucked into the hungry maw of her mind and locked away forever. Not only could she regurgitate the information, but Sarah learned how to apply it to new situations as well.

At the ripe age of ninteen, the initiates had to make it through a competition that would test everything they'd learned, in order to prove their worth to the SPARTAN program. The contest was straightforward enough. Run the obstacle course, navigate a maze, beat an AI in a game of logic, and fight one of the older SPARTAN's. Sarah ran the course faster then the other children, but got caught up in the maze and AI games. She eventually bested the AI, but it put her in the disqualifying half of the team. Her last hope was to beat the SPARTAN before any others, and she tackled the problem head on. Literally. Her opening move was a shoulder check that caught her sparring partner by surprise and threw him to the ground. They wrestled for a bit, trading blows and shouting at each other, before the SPARTAN surrendered. He shook her hand and confessed that Sarah'd frightened him a bit, earning a big smile from her.

While she didn't pass with honors, Sarah Briggs wasn't last in line either. The selectees were congratulated on their progress and sent to medical to begin the procedure. They had the process down from so many years of performing the surgeries, so it was simply routine as normal for the doctors. Sarah wasn't unfamiliar with surgery either, calling the Infirmary a "second home" in basic. In the following weeks, when asked how she felt, Sarah always replied, 'Finnaly feels like I got th' strenght o' body ta fit me spirit!'. She spent the allotted two weeks they were given after the surgery to bulk up a little more, reveling in the new power she had at her disposal.

Sarah knew exactly what she wanted her armor to be when they called her in. She wanted mobility and carrying capacity, even if it meant sacrificing armor plating. She debated hotly back and forth with the engineers about it until they reached an agreement. The armor would be slightly less armored than most other SPARTAN suits, but to compensate it would have a higher capacity shield generator. While she waited for the suit design and fabrication to start, Sarah was led to the most crucial part of the armor, the A.I. The scientists left her alone with the holoprojector that contained her unit, telling her to get to know it better than anyone else she'd ever known. At first Sarah thought the projector was broken, because for half an hour it sat dark. She began poking and prodding at it, musing to herself out loud, before stumbling across the on button. Her AI popped up immediately, startling her and causing her to fall backwards onto her rear.

They discussed a great many things in that first couple hours together, and Sarah quickly learned why this particular AI was chosen for her. He countered her perfectly in every way, yet still meshed with her in a harmony that is normally only dreamed of. Finally, a scientist came in and moved Kouga to a portable holo tank so they could continue getting to know each other while Sarah made the final decision on her armor. She of course loved it, and they began production immediately.

After many months of training and getting used to her armor, Sarah was assigned to her first unit, Spartan team Halsey. She was of course reverent of the reputation she'd now have to uphold. It was a great honor to her to be assigned to a unit named after the creator of the SPARTAN program. During the first weeks with her team, she spent most of her time quietly observing the others, but once she felt she knew them enough, Sarah let her true personality shine through. She knows with confidence that she'd take a bullet for any one of them.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/EScHcS3Wsqk/viewtopic.php

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