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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/21134540/vp/51809711#51809711
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Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Bay Area Favorite Small Business | 7x7
We love celebrating the Bay Area's entrepreneurial spirit and vibrant economic scene. In the spirit of San Francisco's Small Business Week (May 13 - 18), we present 7x7's third annual Small Business Awards!
We want you to nominate your favorite local small business that you think helps make the Bay Area one of the best places ever to live and work.?
The winner of our Small Business Awards will receive an integrated marketing package from 7x7?including a print ad, sponsored post, online ad impressions,?social media, and presence in our daily e-newsletter (a total value over $5,000!).
Nominee Criteria:
? Less than $5M annual revenue?
? Less than 100 full-time employees?
? In business for more than 2 years
? Place of business is in San Francisco, Marin, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz or Monterey counties. (For this competition, entrants from other Bay Area counties are not eligible to win).
The voting rounds:
? We're accepting nominations from today, May 6 through Wednesday, May 15.
? Finalist Voting: Thursday, May 16 through 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 28.
? Winner announced Wednesday, May 29!
Teevan?secured last year's win, and Ike's Place won in 2011. Now, get nominating!
Source: http://www.7x7.com/arts-culture/bay-area-favorite-small-business
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SIIA Announces CODiE Award Winners for Education Technology ...
SIIA presented the 2013 CODiE Awards in education technology tonight during a special awards reception and dinner, held during SIIA?s annual Ed Tech Industry Summit. Overall, 28 winners were recognized for their products and services deployed specifically for the education technology market.
All of the education technology nominated products and services were first reviewed by a group of tech-savvy educators from across the nation, whose evaluations determined 82 finalists. SIIA members then reviewed these finalists and voted to select 28 CODiE Award winners, listed here by category, company, and product/service:
| Best Classroom Management Solution | Stoneware | LanSchool 7.7 |
| Best Corporate Learning/Workforce Development Solution | GlobalEnglish | GlobalEnglish Product Suite |
| Best Cross-Curricular Solution | SoftChalk LLC | SoftChalk Cloud |
| Best Education Community Solution | ConnectYard, Inc. | ConnectYard |
| Best Education Game or Simulation | Triad Interactive Media, Inc. | PlatinuMath: An Online Formative Assessment Math Game for Preservice Elementary Teachers |
| Best Education Reference Solution | PBS | PBS LearningMedia |
| Best Educational Use of a Mobile Device | School Improvement Network | PD 360 Mobile |
| Best Instructional Solution in Other Curriculum Areas | Florida Virtual School- Global Services Division | Mawi Leadership Course |
| Best K-12 Course or Learning Management Solution | CompassLearning | CompassLearning Odyssey |
| Best K-12 Enterprise Solution | Schoology, Inc | Schoology |
| Best Mathematics Instructional Solution | DreamBox Learning | DreamBox Learning Math |
| Best PK-12 Personalized Learning Solution | DreamBox Learning | DreamBox Learning Math |
| Best Postsecondary Course or Learning Management Solution | Pearson | OpenClass |
| Best Postsecondary Enterprise Solution | McGraw-Hill Higher Education Group | McGraw-Hill Tegrity Campus |
| Best Postsecondary Learning Solution | Atomic Learning | Tech Skills Plus Training Package |
| Best Postsecondary Personalized Learning Solution | Cengage Learning | MindTap |
| Best Professional Learning Solution for Education | Pearson | Pearson Compass Suite |
| Best Reading/English/ELL Instructional Solution | Learning A-Z | ReadingA-Z.com |
| Best Science/Health Instructional Solution | Cengage Learning | myNGconnect |
| Best Science/Health Instructional Solution | ExploreLearning.com | ExploreLearning Gizmos |
| Best Social Sciences Instructional Solution | ABC-CLIO | American Government |
| Best Solution for Special Needs Students | Brighter Futures for Beautiful Minds | Wonkidos Animated Social Skills |
| Best Solution for Special Needs Students | Learning A-Z | Raz-Kids.com |
| Best Student Assessment Solution | Curriculum Associates | i-Ready Diagnostic & Instruction |
| Best Virtual Learning Solution | Adaptive Curriculum | Adaptive Curriculum |
Three top winners were also chosen during the awards ceremony:
| Best K-12 Solution | PBS | PBS LearningMedia |
| Best Postsecondary Solution | Atomic Learning | Tech Skills Plus Training Package |
| Best Education Solution | Atomic Learning | Tech Skills Plus Training Package |
SIIA?s 2013 CODiE Award winners show that innovation and growth is alive in many areas of the educational technology industry. Among these 26 visionary winners, you?ll find the many of the most exciting ed tech products and services out there. I look forward to seeing the impact they have on the PK-12 and postsecondary markets.
For more information about the CODiE Awards, visit http://www.siia.net/codies/2013/
Karen Billings is Vice President for the Education Division at SIIA. Follow the SIIA Education Team on Twitter at @SIIAEducation
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Heritage study sets off immigration bill squabble
WASHINGTON (AP) ? A bipartisan Senate immigration bill would cost the government a net $6.3 trillion over the next 50 years to provide benefits for millions of people now living in the U.S. illegally, the Heritage Foundation said in a report Monday, setting off a fierce dispute with fellow conservatives who attacked the study as flawed and political.
The Heritage study said immigrants granted new legal status under the bill would eat up more than $9 trillion in health, education, retirement and other benefits over their lifetime, while contributing only around $3 trillion in taxes. Republicans and conservative groups who support the bill quickly countered that the study failed to measure broader economic benefits from an immigration overhaul, including a more robust workforce that would boost the gross domestic product.
"The Heritage Foundation document is a political document; it's not a very serious analysis," said former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, a Republican who's part of a task force with the nonprofit Bipartisan Policy Center that supports the bill. "This study is designed to try to scare conservative Republicans into thinking the cost here is going to be so gigantic that you can't possibly be for it."
Former Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., the Heritage Foundation's new president, dismissed such criticism.
"It's clear a number of people in Washington who might benefit from an amnesty, as well as a number of people in Congress, do not want to consider the costs," DeMint said. "No sensible thinking person could read this study and conclude that over 50 years that it could possibly have a positive economic impact."
The brouhaha developed as both sides prepare for the landmark bill to undergo its first tests later this week in the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will begin voting on amendments Thursday. It underscored the high political stakes for both supporters and opponents, as each jockeyed to define the legislation. And it laid bare splits within the Republican Party, where business-oriented leaders such as Barbour and anti-tax activist Grover Norquist are pushing for immigration reform, while more ideologically focused lawmakers and groups are voicing increasingly loud opposition.
The Heritage report was a reprisal of a study the group released at the height of the last congressional debate on immigration, in 2007, which said the bill being considered then would have cost $2.6 trillion. That figure, too, was disputed, but it carried weight with Republicans and helped lead to the legislation's eventual defeat in the Senate.
This time, supporters of the bill are determined not to let opponents wrest control of the debate. Anticipating Heritage's release of its new report, bill supporters responded quickly with conference calls and talking points criticizing its methodology and the foundation's agenda.
The Heritage authors acknowledged their report does not attempt to offer a comprehensive analysis of the entire 844-page immigration bill, which would boost border security, change legal immigration and worker programs, require all employers to check their workers' legal status and offer eventual citizenship to the estimated 11 million immigrants already living in the country illegally.
Instead, the Heritage study focused almost exclusively on the added costs the government would incur in providing benefits to immigrants here illegally once they gain legal status. These include Social Security, Medicare, unemployment insurance, health care, welfare, public education, and services like police and fire protection, highways and parks. The study said an average adult now living in the U.S. illegally would receive $592,000 more in government benefits over a lifetime than he or she would pay in taxes.
"It becomes extraordinarily expensive," the lead author, Robert Rector, said at a press conference near the Capitol for unveiling the report.
Costs are higher for this bill than the last one in 2007, Rector said, partly because government spending itself has grown more generous.
Heritage is not the only conservative voice opposing the bill. A number of lawmakers led by Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., have also been working to defeat it. Some talk radio hosts, including Mark Levin and Rush Limbaugh, have begun to voice deep unease despite the efforts of the bill's conservative standard bearer, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to sell the legislation to them and other conservative opinion leaders. Talk radio was instrumental to the bill's defeat in 2007.
But other opposition groups have been less influential, and so far, opposition has remained relatively muted compared to what it was in 2007. Meanwhile, supporters have assembled a wide and diverse coalition in support of the bill.
Several groups in that coalition criticized the Heritage report's assertions Monday, including an assumption that most newly legalized immigrants would remain in households that consume more government benefits than they pay in taxes, discounting the possibility that many of them would become upwardly mobile, move into higher tax brackets, pay more in taxes and use fewer services.
"It doesn't match what has happened in America," Barbour said.
Barbour was joined on a conference call by economist Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former director of the Congressional Budget Office and chief economic adviser to Republican Sen. John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign who now heads the American Action Forum, a conservative public policy institute.
Holtz-Eakin dismissed the Heritage study, saying it failed to measure broader economic benefits from the legalization of a large new workforce and that 50 years is too long a time frame for an accurate assessment of the impact. Holtz-Eakin has conducted an analysis concluding that because of low U.S. birth rates, the economy and population will decline without immigration. An immigration overhaul, he said, would boost annual GDP growth by nearly a percentage point and reduce federal deficits by more than $2.5 trillion over 10 years.
"All that is absolutely absent from this study, which as a result is a narrow, incomplete look at the immigration reform issue and focuses, in what should be a benefit-cost analysis, almost exclusively on costs," Holtz-Eakin said.
The Libertarian-leaning Cato Institute also made experts available to criticize the study, which it derided ahead of time as "fatally flawed." House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who's taking an increasingly visible role backing immigration legislation, weighed in with a statement saying, "The Congressional Budget Office has found that fixing our broken immigration system could help our economy grow. A proper accounting of immigration reform should take into account these dynamic effects."
Authors of the immigration bill, which was introduced last month by a group of four Republican and four Democratic senators, are waiting to get an official estimate of the costs of the bill from the Congressional Budget Office. They have pledged it will not cost the government money, partly because the bill puts immigrants who have been in the country illegally in a provisional legal status for 10 years during which they can't get government benefits. The CBO typically measures costs of bills over a 10-year period.
___
Follow Erica Werner on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericawerner
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/heritage-study-sets-off-immigration-bill-squabble-204014086.html
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Monday, May 6, 2013
Mental Scars Run Deep Years After BP Spill: Op-Ed
Matthew Lee?is a professor of sociology and associate vice chancellor in the Office of Research and Economic Development at LSU?and has been closely involved in LSU's research response to the BP Deepwater Horizon drilling disaster. He contributed this article to LiveScience's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.
It's been three years since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 workers and forever changing the way the world views the Gulf Coast. While the $4 billion verdict against BP has finally been handed down as justice for damages, it's not going to help many of the people directly impacted by the spill's impacts. It's time for a reminder of the long-term impacts accompanying technological disasters ? and for the development of a better system for addressing the mental well-being of coastal residents and their communities after these all-too-frequent events.
As a sociologist in Louisiana, I've tracked the status of these men, women and families ? people who have history in their geography, whose families have worked the same jobs in the same places for generations. These people do hard, back-breaking labor to provide our nation with seafood, oil and gas. They maintain the largest port system in the world, and are exposed to some of the worst hazards imaginable ? hurricanes and oil spills, just to scratch the surface.
Through our research, published this week in the journal Social Science Research, my colleagues and I have demonstrated the deep impact the spill had on coastal residents. We conducted the study during the BP spill, several months after the well was capped, and a year after the spill erupted, and we have documented how stressful that event has been on the psyche of the affected citizens.
Not surprisingly, households involved in the fishing industry were particularly impacted, and unlike households employed in other industries, their stress levels actually got worse over the year following the event, not better. We know that a number of factors affected the mental health of this population, but it is safe to say that personal economic status was a top contributor.
There is a significant lesson to be learned here. Policymakers who oversee disaster-relief efforts should be tuned in to the fact that some groups ? for example, those that make a living off of natural resources and deal largely in cash-based economies ? will have recovery needs that are different from people in other types of settings. "One size fits all" disaster relief packages cannot possibly be efficient or effective in meeting the needs of local communities that have unique cultural and ethnic histories, different community-based resources or specific labor-force configurations. [Disaster Laws: Will Gulf Oil Spill Change Anything?]
Louisiana's coastal population is indeed one of a kind, but it is a major contributor to our national economy. Our state provides the largest fishing haul in the lower 48 states ? a catch that nets the United States more than $3 billion annually. As the top producer of domestic oil, we also inject more than $70 billion in energy profits into the economy each year. During these lean financial times, such numbers cannot be ignored.
As the fishing households of coastal Louisiana remind us, technological disasters don't affect all local residents equally, and relief programs ? which are supposed to help community residents recover and move forward with their lives ? have a responsibility to remain flexible enough in their resource allocation guidelines to be able to assist all those who have been harmed. There needs to be a serious re-evaluation of the way Louisiana's coastal communities ? and others who have been impacted by such disasters ? are faring. Right now, they need help ? help specifically targeted to their needs.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher.
Follow us @livescience, Facebook?& Google+. Original article on LiveScience.com.
Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mental-scars-run-deep-years-bp-spill-op-124635000.html
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Melanoma Monday: How to Spot Skin Cancer
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Source: http://www.aad.org/spot-skin-cancer/
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Sunday, May 5, 2013
Ask Engadget: best desktop PC speakers?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from James, who wants to break into audio mixing, but needs some noisyboxes for his desk. If you're looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.
I'm no audiophile, but I would like some decent quality sound for my desktop. I've tried 4.1, 2.1, 2.0 setups but none of them made me very happy, which isn't helping my attempts to get into professional audio work. Is there a lower-end line of speakers that the pros use that I'd be able to afford?
Fortunately for you, James, we can turn this question over to our podcast producer, who suggested that you could do worse than a pair of KRK RP6G2 Rockit speakers, which come in at $400 for a pair. They're studio monitors rather than purely desktop speakers, but if you want to start working in audio then you're probably better off with these. Of course, it wouldn't be Ask Engadget unless we turned this question over to our clever crew of commenters, so if you know of anything that's better (or cheaper) then fire your answer into the comments below.
Filed under: Desktops, Portable Audio/Video
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/xDNjxEqL6T4/
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Saturday, May 4, 2013
RolePlayGateway?
A small yet humble fire stove proved to be the only source of warmth on this cold, wintry night. Snow blew in incessant flurries against the broad of the home of a family of four. Though sturdy, the household's temperature dropped low enough to chill to the bone, making nights sleeping near the wood stove a necessity. A little boy, seven years of age, was huddled nearest to the crackling heat inside his woolen blanket his mother had made him only a few weeks prior.
Warmth was taken unerringly serious in the mountainous village of Salus. Winters were harsher there because of the altitude, though being located on the treeline of Mt. R?et garnered beautiful summers. The village had roughly 200 residents, filled with those of various professions due to it's rustic marketplace. Simple compared to some of the larger towns, but it at least brought the traders through every once in a while, giving those with goods to sell a source of income. The town was also home to an inn, smithy, and a mining outpost, along with the general buildings one would expect a small town to have.
Over the crackling of the fire, the mother of the boy--who had been rocking the boy's little sister to sleep--spoke up in a whisper.
"What story shall I tell tonight, little one?" The mother inquired.
The boy stirred, his eyelids drooping. After a moment, he decided."Tell me about the dragons again."
The rocking chair squeaked to a halt momentarily before it resumed its swaying. "I just told that one last night. Are you sure?"
The boy nodded, staring through the grates of the stove pretending it was the belly of one of the mythical beasts.
With a whimsical sigh, the mother began.
"Before you, I, or even my great grandmother was born, there lived a beast so complex that most chose to fear it. No other creatures that has ever existed have proven to be as mysterious and graceful as they were fearsome. They were the protectors of nature, undoubted in their dominion. Only a few hundred have lived over the past eons, yet their impact will forever send trembles through the strings of time. They were..."
"Dragons..." the boy whispered dreamily. His gazed shifted from the fire towards his mother, whom he could see through his peripheral vision. "Tell me about the black ones!"
"Let me tell the story," his mother chided, though amusement colored her tone. "Four kinds were known to exist. They all shared so basic characteristics. For instance, they were solitary creatures, only rarely seen with its own kind. As you may expect, they also tended to harbor temper problems, though some more than others. There was the green dragon who's home and domain were the forested regions. Their loyalty to their realm was unequaled, protecting it at the cost of their lives."
The mother paused for a moment to see if her child had any comments, like usual. When none came, she continued.
"There were the blue dragons who preferred the water's many coastlines. These dragons were sleek and slender, with a large wingspan for faster flight. She dove into a long-winded tale of one such blue dragon who, ages ago, saved a fishing vessel in the middle of a maelstrom by guiding it back to land.
The boy's eyes lit up in wonder. "Is that all true?"
The mother gave a soft smile. I don't know, but it's nice to think so, isn't it?"
"And what of the black ones?" He asked eagerly.
"Patience, for we are almost there. Next comes the red dragons, known to live in a variety of dry landscapes such as deserts or in volcanic regions. They were broad and ferocious, though living in such taxing environments kept their wits razor-sharp. These were known to be one of the more intelligent types of dragon.
"...And now?" the boy hinted.
The mother chuckled. "and now, we come to the most mysterious dragon of all: the black dragons. Only two have ever been known to exist in thousands of years. Their black scales made them nightmares in the night, and their size made them titans. They were said to outsize any previous dragon tenfold, and live for many centuries. It's hard to tell what has become exaggerated over the years, but it was said you could fool a sleeping black dragon for a large hill!"
The boy giggled at the thought. The mother spent several more minutes detailing the time of dragons, before finally cutting herself off.
"I hope I satisfied your need for dragon stories, little one," she started, but now it's time for--"
"I want to hear the ending," the boy interrupted.
The rocking chair once again squeaked to a stop as a looming silence built in the room. "You know this is not one with a happy ending," the mother whispered with a hint of sadness.
"I know, I want to hear it anyway."
After debating with herself, she gave in and began to ponder how to begin.
"Centuries ago, a family rose to the throne in our kingdom who called themselves the Ulysians. The throne was contested for long, but through the ashes, Rotovin Ulysian took the throne. You know him as Ulysian the Slayer."
A knot formed in the little boy's throat, but he muttered not.
"It was he who slayed the first dragon. They had found each other by chance on the borders of the Josameyn Woodlands. The dragon retaliated against the king whom had taken to razing the forest to mark the place of his new castle. Some say the king alone fought the dragon, and after a long battle, Rotovin was victorious. The green dragon was to be the first domino to fall. The glory it brought the king was unparalleled, and all considered his right to rule absolute.
"And so began a time where dragon hunting became popular and those few who managed to...best the dragons were given glory, status, and riches. It went on for generations until finally..."
The mother stopped when the boy sniffed. It was obviously upsetting him, so she chose to stop. After a silence only broken by the timber ablaze in the stove.
"Are there any dragons left?" the boy whispered coldly.
The mother looked on apologetically. I do not know, my love. If so, they have found a way to hide for over a century.
The boy turned as his eyes grew soggy. "We're the monsters."
The mother considered this as she laid her baby daughter in her crib. "Yes, we are."
Her agreement confused the little boy, who turned to look at her. She was already by his side, ready to embrace him. He took it.
"But it's never too late to be who we might've been."
Thus far it had been a disappointing hunting trip. With naught to return with except a few rabbits, Christopher began to feel the anxiety of his duties. He was 21 years of age now, and if he couldn't provide food for his sister, then no one would. He could only imagine her all by herself in the homestead; it made him antsy. He wanted to return as soon as possible, but he wanted to at least string a doe first. The meat and coin from that would at least last a while.
His hunting trip had led him several days into the eastern forest known as Lilliwood. Down the mountain he trekked to an old spot of his where deer were usually teaming. Something was off about this year though; all day he had stalked the landscape without evening coming upon so much as a track. It was demoralizing.
But finally, after endless waiting, he spotted a doe naught a hundred paces away, walking slowly with muscles tense over to a small brook that babbled through the area. With the noise and wind his ally, he flashed a hungry smile, drawing his bow and stealthily creeping closer like the perfect predator.
As he drew nearer, the doe's head suddenly darted up. Christopher froze.
There's no way he could have seen me, Christopher thought exasperated. He had to think fast; the doe would surely make a move before long.
Just before he sprung up to take a shot, the doe bolted. He cursed under he breath as he let loose the arrow and--
FFFFFFFRRROOOM!
The noise of crashing thunder overhead was instantaneously followed by darkness that covered the land around him. It was if the sun had exploded and waves of violent energy were pinning him to the ground. Surrounded by ethereal night, Chris had no control over any of his senses.
And then quickly, it was over. His eyes darted skyward in an attempt to locate the source, but his beating heart rendered his hearing useless. Panting, he quickly strung another arrow, crouched down, and waiting to see what would happen.
A minute passed. Two. Three. Slowly, he let his muscles relax and let the bowstring fall limp. He fell back onto the ground with his head in his hands. He could not even begin to comprehend what just happened, but he didn't have much time until he found out.
"Dragon!" came a far-off shout. "It went that way!"
Christopher blood turned to ice. There's no way he heard that correctly. Dragons? A real dragon? Is that what darted overhead. Pure disbelief left him shocked for several moments before he noticed a good number of shouting voices coming straight for him. With little time to react, he jumped up into one of the trees and quickly climbed as high as he would dare. As the shouting grew uncomfortably near, he froze and watched from his branch.
Underneath, twelve lightly-clad warriors darted past his tree faster than any human should be able to run. From the brief sight of them, their dark-tanned skin, grey-tanned leather armor, and their tall stature, Christopher recognized their description from one of the stories his mother had told him as a child.
"The Jamuntetai," he whispered icily. Centuries ago they had been the king's personal dragon trackers, and then in the later years, his slayers. Christopher always assumed that they disappeared with the dragons. If they were here, that could really mean that a dragon was close.
And they were headed for Salus.
The next 24 hours were an adrenaline-filled blur. Chris had run after the Jamuntetai, managing to somehow keep pace a few leagues away. He followed the tracks all the way back up the mountain until finally the tracks seem to deviate slightly from Salus. For the first time in a day, he allowed himself to pause and take a breath of relief. He felt much better knowing that this confrontation was heading away from his hometown. Still, he needed to be absolutely sure that the tracks wouldn't veer back towards his town, so he decided he would track the Jamuntetai until he was positive they were clear of the area.
Further up the mountain he went, past the treeline and stepping into the more treacherous, rocky parts of the mountain. Still, the incline wasn't too bad yet and the tracks were still fresh, so onward he followed. Soon he was satisfied that the tracks led far off from Salus, and began to backtrack.
That's when he heard the roar.
A roar so earth-shatteringly loud, he fell to the ground covering his ears. It lasted for several long seconds and then it once again drifted into silence. Chris got himself up, now just as worried as he had been. That roar couldn't have been more than a few leagues away, and if the warriors had found the dragon...
Christopher was torn. His boyhood fantasy had always been to see a dragon with his own eyes; to know that all the stories of heroics and mystery were true. But he also wanted desperately to know if his sister was alright. He knew he should return at once; the roar would've been heard clear as day in the village. She would be so frightened.
It was nearly settled, until heard the sound of another roar; quieter than the first. It wasn't a roar meant to scare or intimidate. This was a roar of distress.
Chris's eyes darted towards the mountain, then back towards Salus. He had never been so torn in his life, when finally with a loud curse, he sprinted off towards the mountain. With new-found energy, it only took him a quarter of an hour to reach the end of the tracks. They ended at the mouth of a cave.
Not just any cave. A cavern. The ceiling was so high that he first didn't recognize it as a cave. For a moment, Chris wondered if the entire mountain was hollow, but quickly rid his head of such nonsense. As he entered, it quickly became too dark to see. He swore quietly to himself as he went deeper into the tunnel as the only source of light--the mouth of the tunnel--became smaller.
That when the first sound of combat resonated off the walls, followed by another roar that forced Christopher to cover his ears once again. Suddenly, he saw light further down the tunnel. He hid behind a bolder and peered around just in time to see it.
Fire. It filled the cave further down, bright enough that made him shield his eyes. There, on the other side of hell, was the silhouette of what appeared to be doubtlessly the largest creature he had ever laid eyes on. For a brief moment, the flickering flames sparkled off the creature. Chris saw black scales. He mouth dropped open because he couldn't believe his eyes.
It was a black dragon.
And the Jamuntetai were all over it.
Chris watched in the horror of the firelight as several of the warriors could be seen on the beast, slashing and stabbing with the efficiency and coldness that could only come from years of training. Several bowmen dodged the trashing dragon and were aiming for what Chris could only guess was the dragon's weak points: mostly up towards the dragon's face or belly. The thrashing wasn't making their job easy.
With his heart pounding out of his chest, Chris ran to get a closer look, hiding behind a boulder that was too close for comfort. The ground shook like an earthquake as the dragon flailed desperately, trying to get it's assailants off. It's movements were slowing though, and Chris knew before long that the expert dragon slayers would soon claim what was possibly the last existing dragon as their own.
He knew that he couldn't stand by and watch this candle be extinguished forever. In the heat of the moment--with adrenaline pumping more than blood--he decided to act. He quickly strung his bow, peaked out from his rock, and took aim.
He closed his eyes momentarily, knowing what he was about to do and how there was no turning back. Then he refocused, and let loose the arrow.
It sailed through the air like a silent killer, and hit it's mark: one of the Jamuntetai at the base of the black dragon. He slumped over dead.
The five archers immediately switched aim towards Alex, who only by the skin of his teeth, managed to jump back behind the rock as a hail of arrows clacked off the walls and rocks around him. He knew at once that he was outmatched and it was only a matter of time before they were upon him.
It turns out that that didn't matter, for his shot had killed the warrior that had been keeping the dragon stationary. With a mighty roar, the dragon charged forward right into the archers, who scrambled to get out of the way. It was as successful as trying to dodge an avalanche.
With a final scream of panic, the dragon made quick work of the archers. Without the support, those on the dragon tried to abort their task. Most of them tried jumping off and running, but like the archers, they couldn't hope to escape the wrath of the dragon. Soon, all the warriors had been slain.
The black dragon let loose a triumphant roar that echoed off the walls, but something was off. The dragon was shaking under it's own weight, swaying dangerously. Without much time to react, the dragon collapsed on the ground, sending a tremor through the group that made Christopher topple over. After he had recovered, he slowly peaked out from his rock to access the damage. Although most of the fire had died, there were still patches on the cave wall the provided enough illumination to see how hurt the dragon really was.
It's wings were punctured in several places as they hung limp on the ground. There was an uncountable number of gashes and cuts that covered its entire body. Finally it's face, which was the closest to Chris, was bloodied with the arrows that were still embedded deep into the flesh. The beast's eyes were beginning to glaze over, and the massive eyelids threatening to close any moment.
Throwing caution to the wind, Chris exited the relative safety of his rock. The second the dragon spotted him, his eyes re-sharpened and furled into a menacing snarl. It let loose a growl the trembled the cave around them.
Chris raised his hands in omission, slowly unstrapping his bow and throwing it clear away. He gulped, wondering how the dragon would choose to kill him.
The dragon attempted to stand, but its weight proved too much and it just ended back up on the ground. Another thunderous vibration echoed through the cave. After several long moment of Chris standing as still as statue with the dragon glaring at him, he decided to speak up.
"I-I'm not...," Chris stuttered, but realized he was talking to quietly. He cleared his throat and tried again. "I'm not with them. I'm the one who shot the arrow that freed you."
He slowly motioned over towards his bow. The dragon's eyes followed his hand towards the bow. All of a sudden, the snarling ceased. The dragon's eyes lulled back and the eyelids shut closed. The beast's whole body went limp.
"Oh... oh no. Oh no, no, no, please no," Chris muttered to himself in disbelief.
Once again forgetting all imminent danger he ran over towards the beast. It was only when he was so close that he realized how truly massive it was. Everything he had heard about the black dragon was true; its head alone was the size of a small house. A row of fangs stuck out of its mouth; they were all larger than him!
He ran over to the side of the beast and touch a portion of exposed belly. After a few seconds, he felt it breath faintly. It was still alive. Chris didn't know how much of a difference it would make, but he began heal the dragon's wounds as best he could. He started with the dragon's enormous head, where he noticed arrows that punctured through the weaker scales on the dragon's face. He took some time, but he managed to remove a good number of them (the ones he could reach; some were too high) and he applied some salve to the cuts to help them close. He was lucky he brought the stuff hunting.
After he felt he did all he could with the face, he moved onto a foreleg. He couldn't do anything about the larger gashes except try to bandage them, but it was like trying to bandage a great oak. Just as he was applying the salve to some of the smaller, more manageable cuts, the dragon stirred.
Christopher froze in place as the dragon's massive neck craned around and looking down on him. They were now face-to-face. Smoke plumed out of the dragon nostrils as it began to lean forward with a menacing snarl upon its lips. It was the most terrifying thing the young hunter had ever experienced.
"I'm trying to help you!" Chris shouted. "Help! Heal! Your cuts are deep and you won't last long! Don't you see that I'm only trying to assist!"
The dragon stopped, it's eyes cold and analyzing. Chris's mouth hung open.
"Can...can you understand me?" he spoke, barely audible.
The dragon's gaze intensified.
"L-listen! I am not like them! I can't express how truthful that is! All I want to do is make sure you live through your wounds, but I can't do that if you kill me!"
The snarling ceased, but the gaze was as piercing as ever. For a minute, nothing happened. The two stared each other down with unblinking eyes. The dragon was accessing him; Chris saw great intelligence behind those eyes. Finally, for a brief moment it's eyes flickered away from Chris towards the wounds he hand been healing. Just as quickly, his eyes returned.
"I can fix this," Chris started with growing confidence. "Please let me help you. I have he means to heal you further, but not here. I have to return to my village. There's people there I trust who are a lot better at this than I."
The beast growled at the mention of other people.
Chris decided to take a chance and be bold. "You are going to die here, don't you see? I am your on chance at survival. I promise you that on my return, I will do everything in my ability to make things right."
Another minute passed in silence. The dragon's eyes shimmered in the failing firelight. Fear and doubt danced across its visage. Chris thought he would simply decide to take his chances by himself, and gobble him up.
He was never so happy to be wrong. The dragon closed it's massive eyes as it relented, craning it's neck forward to it's original spot. He laid on the ground and let out a huge breath of air. It was most likely the closest thing to a sigh a dragon could muster.
With the head out of the way, the way back became clear. Chris took the initiative and started running for the entrance.
"I'll be back, you'll see!" Chris's jaw set firmly as he focused on sprinting. He peered back at the dragon one last time. It was watching him.
"I'm not a monster," he muttered under his breath.
The story is of Christopher Boddec, a hunter from the town of Salus. In a cave higher on the mountain, he discovers a black dragon (most likely the last of its kind), being brutally attacked by the king's dragon trackers/slayers, the Jamuntetai. As the dragon appears to be losing, Chris throws all caution to the wind and decides to fire an arrow at one of the warriors and kills him. As all the warriors' attentions focus on him, it provides enough of a distraction to go on a rampage and kill all of them.
Wounded, the dragon collapses and eventually faints. Chris does what he cans to heal the wounds that he can find, but the dragon is absolutely massive and some of the gashes go too deep. The dragon wakes up to find Chris healing him, and after initial hostilities wear off, the dragon allows Chris to leave the cave, who has vowed to return to his village, and return with more help.
After Chris returns to the village, he finds many willing to help him. They all return to the cave and begin the arduous task of healing the wounded black dragon. Several days past as the dragon becomes the main focus of the town. Everyone wants to pitch in and do what they can. Some provide food, water, and supplies. A few take the more difficult task of bandaging the larger wounds. After two weeks of this, the dragon is finally strong enough to stand, but only just.
The dragon seems intelligent enough to understand what they are saying. It's tension against the village eases up as the days go by and its strength returns.
Days turn to weeks and the dragon starts becoming accustomed to the visits of humans. Though still wary, the beast has seemed to cease most hostilities towards the people of Salus.
Something wonderful is thing discovered deeper in the cave: dragon eggs
Months pass. The dragon has been give to the name Devliot and responds to it. As Devliot begins to trust the villagers of Salus more and more, he allows them closer and closer to the clutch of eggs he seemed to have been guarding. After much talking from the villagers to Devliot, they come to an agreement that seems beneficially to the draconic race: they will help raise these dragons in secret. But for how long can this secret last? How long before the king comes looking for his missing soldiers? Who can they trust?
Your character will be a villager in Salus, though the specifics are up to you. You will also be given one of the dragon eggs for safe-keeping. It is a responsibility that you don't take lightly, and you respect the black dragon for taking such a huge risk to keep its species alive. You may choose between a green, blue, or red dragon egg (black dragons are incredibly rare. Not entirely sure I'd want another one running around considering how big they get, but if you think you can convince me otherwise then go for it). They will hatch soon after you obtain one.
Our job is to continue the healing process of the wounded dragon, and take care of the hatchlings, all while remaining undetected in a land that seems dead-set on wiping out the draconian race.
I'm very tired after writing this thread. I'll probably go back later and add some more detail about the actually RP specifics, but I'm sleepy and sick so I'll leave what I have for now. Feel free to ask any questions
Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/RolePlayGateway
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APNewsbreak: States fear loss of health care aid
FILE - In this April 30, 2013 file photo, President Barack Obama answers questions during his new conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington. State officials say thousands of people with medical problems are in danger of losing coverage as the Obama administration winds down one of the earliest programs in the federal health care overhaul. At risk is the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan, a transition program that has turned into a lifeline for the so-called ?uninsurables? _ people with serious medical conditions who can't get coverage elsewhere. The health care law capped spending on the program, and now money is running out. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)
FILE - In this April 30, 2013 file photo, President Barack Obama answers questions during his new conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington. State officials say thousands of people with medical problems are in danger of losing coverage as the Obama administration winds down one of the earliest programs in the federal health care overhaul. At risk is the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan, a transition program that has turned into a lifeline for the so-called ?uninsurables? _ people with serious medical conditions who can't get coverage elsewhere. The health care law capped spending on the program, and now money is running out. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)
FILE - In this April 12, 2013 file photo, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. State officials say thousands of people with medical problems are in danger of losing coverage as the Obama administration winds down one of the earliest programs in the federal health care overhaul. At risk is the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan, a transition program that has turned into a lifeline for the so-called ?uninsurables? _ people with serious medical conditions who can't get coverage elsewhere. The health care law capped spending on the program, and now money is running out. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Thousands of people with serious medical problems are in danger of losing coverage under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul because of cost overruns, state officials say.
At risk is the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan, a transition program that's become a lifeline for the so-called "uninsurables" ? people with serious medical conditions who can't get coverage elsewhere. The program helps bridge the gap for those patients until next year, when under the new law insurance companies will be required to accept people regardless of their medical problems.
In a letter this week to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, state officials said they were "blindsided" and "very disappointed" by a federal proposal they contend would shift the risk for cost overruns to states in the waning days of the program. About 100,000 people are currently covered.
"We are concerned about what will become of our high risk members' access to this decent and affordable coverage," wrote Michael Keough, chairman of the National Association of State Comprehensive Health Insurance Plans. States and local nonprofits administer the program in 27 states, and the federal government runs the remaining plans.
"We fear...catastrophic disruption of coverage for these vulnerable individuals," added Keough, who runs North Carolina's program. He warned of "large-scale enrollee terminations at this critical transition time."
The crisis is surfacing at a politically awkward time for the Obama administration, which is trying to persuade states to embrace a major expansion of Medicaid under the health care law. One of the main arguments proponents of the expansion are making is that Washington is a reliable financial partner.
The root of the problem is that the federal health care law capped spending on the program at $5 billion, and the money is running out because the beneficiaries turned out to be costlier to care for than expected. Advanced heart disease and cancer are common diagnoses for the group.
Obama did not ask for any additional funding for the program in his latest budget, and a Republican bid to keep the program going by tapping other funds in the health care law failed to win support in the House last week.
Brian Cook, a spokesman for the HHS agency overseeing the health care law, took issue with idea that thousands of people could lose coverage, though he did not elaborate.
"These actions are part of our careful management of the program to ensure that there is a seamless transition...for enrollees, and that funding is spent appropriately," he said in a written statement.
The administration has given the state-based plans until next Wednesday to respond to proposed contract terms for the program's remaining seven months.
Delivered last Friday, the new contract stipulated that states will be reimbursed "up to a ceiling."
"The 'ceiling' part is the issue for us," Keough said in an interview. "They are shifting the risk from the federal government, for a program that has experienced huge cost overruns on a per-member basis, to states. And that's a tall order."
State officials say one likely consequence of the money crunch will be a cost shift to people in the program, resulting in sudden increases in premiums and copayments. Many might just drop out, said Keough.
If a state and HHS can't come to an agreement, the federal government will take over that state's program for the rest of this year. Amie Goldman, director of the Wisconsin program, said that would be an unneeded and possibly risky disruption for patients who'll have to change insurance next year anyway, when the pre-existing conditions plan formally ends.
Goldman said in her state, for example, the University of Wisconsin hospital isn't part of the federal government's provider network. "My colleagues in other states have similar concerns about holes in the network," she said. "I think it puts people at medical risk."
At his news conference this week, Obama acknowledged the rollout of his health care law wouldn't be perfect. There will be "glitches and bumps" he said, and his team is committed to working through them. However, it's unclear how the pre-existing conditions plan could get more money without the cooperation of Republicans in Congress.
The program got off to a slow start, partly because insurance isn't cheap. It offers policies at market rates, and that can mean premiums of $500 a month for someone in their 50s. The first inkling of financial problems came in February, when HHS announced a freeze on new applications.
The plan was intended only as a stopgap until the law's main push to cover the uninsured starts next year. Subsidized private insurance will be available through new state-based markets, as well as an expanded version of Medicaid for low-income people. At the same time, virtually all Americans will be required to carry a policy, or pay a fine.
States are free to accept or reject the Medicaid expansion, and the new problems with the stopgap insurance plan could well have a bearing on their decisions.
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Friday, May 3, 2013
History is made high above NYC
May 1 (Reuters) - Post position for Saturday's 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs after Wednesday's draw (listed as barrier, HORSE, jockey, trainer) 1. BLACK ONYX, Joe Bravo, Kelly Breen 2. OXBOW, Gary Stevens, D. Wayne Lukas 3. REVOLUTIONARY, Calvin Borel, Todd Pletcher 4. GOLDEN SOUL, Robby Albarado, Dallas Stewart 5. NORMANDY INVASION, Javier Castellano, Chad Brown 6. MYLUTE, Rosie Napravnik, Tom Amoss 7. GIANT FINISH, Jose Espinoza, Tony Dutrow 8. GOLDENCENTS, Kevin Krigger, Doug O'Neill 9. OVERANALYZE, Rafael Bejarano, Todd Pletcher 10. PALACE MALICE, Mike Smith, Todd Pletcher 11. ...
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-flag-covered-spire-hoisted-nys-wtc-roof-155823396.html
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Iraq Just Had Its Deadliest Month in 5 Years
May 1 (Reuters) - Post position for Saturday's 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs after Wednesday's draw (listed as barrier, HORSE, jockey, trainer) 1. BLACK ONYX, Joe Bravo, Kelly Breen 2. OXBOW, Gary Stevens, D. Wayne Lukas 3. REVOLUTIONARY, Calvin Borel, Todd Pletcher 4. GOLDEN SOUL, Robby Albarado, Dallas Stewart 5. NORMANDY INVASION, Javier Castellano, Chad Brown 6. MYLUTE, Rosie Napravnik, Tom Amoss 7. GIANT FINISH, Jose Espinoza, Tony Dutrow 8. GOLDENCENTS, Kevin Krigger, Doug O'Neill 9. OVERANALYZE, Rafael Bejarano, Todd Pletcher 10. PALACE MALICE, Mike Smith, Todd Pletcher 11. ...
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iraq-just-had-deadliest-month-5-years-124835948.html
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