What:Texas basketball at Big 12 media days

When:Rick Barnes news conference at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Myles Turner at 10:55 a.m.

Who:Along with Barnes and Turner, players Isaiah Taylor and Jonathan Holmes will attend.

Where:Sprint Center, Kansas City, Mo.

The Longhorns are coming off a surprisingly successful season last year, as some unexpectedly strong play from several underclassmen led Texas to a Round of 32 appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

This off-season the Longhorns added even more young talent as Myles Turner, the second best prospect in the nation according to ESPN.com, committed to play for Rick Barnes. Texas also added power forward Jordan Barnett, another ESPN100 guy, and Shaquille Cleare, a center who transferred over from Maryland.

Here are three Texas basketball story lines to get you ready for Wednesday's Big 12 media day in Kansas City, Mo.

1. High expectations.Aside from sophomore guard Martez Walker, who was dismissed from the team after being charged with assault, everyone from last year's squad is back in 2014. Led by Johnathan Holmes, the only senior on scholarship, the Longhorns landed second, just behind Kansas, in the Big 12 preseason coaches poll earlier this month. Turner will likely find his way into the starting lineup, and the addition of Barnett and Cleare will add depth to an already solid Texas bench. The return of so many players from last year's upstart bunch, combined with a few talented additions, has some touting the Longhorns as a team with potential to make a deep run in this year's NCAA tournament.

2. Freshman Phenom.From the moment he signed at Texas, the pressure has been mounting on Myles Turner. The incoming freshman center is already being labeled as the best Rick Barnes recruit since Kevin Durant and some outlets have him as a potential top-ten pick at next year's NBA Draft. After an illustrious career at Trinity High School in the DFW area, a lot is expected of Turner in his first season as a Longhorn. His length, athleticism and shooting range make it easy to compare the Bedford, Texas native to Durant. But if he is even just half as productive as Durant was in his lone year in burnt orange, Turner's first (and probably only) year on the 40 Acres will be considered a success.

3. Posts aplenty.If you haven't already noticed, Texas didn't lose any big men this off-season, but it added three more to an already crowded front court. Holmes, who spent last season playing the power forward position for the Longhorns, will likely move to small forward, but it will still be difficult to find playing time for each of Texas' post players. Juniors Cam Ridley and Prince Ibeh are expected to share time with Cleare at the center position while Turner, Barnett and junior Connor Lammert will probably rotate at the power forward spot. Barnes' will love having so much depth, but don't be surprised to see a couple players fall out of the crowded rotation by season's end.

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Three Texas Longhorns basketball storylines heading into Big 12 media days

Investigators think both men planned to buy and sell large amounts of high grade marijuana. They arrested a 44-year-old man in Wausau Friday afternoon.

Investigators then served search warrants in the city of Wausau, Town of Rib Mountain, and Town of Guenther. They then arrested a 43-year-old Wausau man.

Dustin Gottschalk left the jail Friday morning around 11:00 a.m. He was supposed to go to work at Ski's Meat Market on Rib Mountain Drive. Gottschalk was due back at the jail by 7:00 Friday evening, but did not return.

Hunters usually set their stands in trees 12 to 20 feet tall. People have been seriously hurt or even died from the fall.

"Even in Oneida County, we've had incidents where we've had people fall out of tree stands and die as a result of their injuries," said DNR conservation warden Jim Jung. "I believe it was three or four years ago. In Piehl Township, we had that occur; [a] hunter fell out of a stand."

Paul Loucks of Weston and Ted Wasson of Rhinelander appeared in court today.

Wasson is a registered sex offender.

He was convicted of 2nd degree sexual assault of a child in 2004.

Both arrests were part of a statewide sting targeting online predators.

The criminal complaint says the Oneida County Sheriff's Office pretended to be a young girl and a young girl's mother.

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Wausau firefighters battled two fires

Warner Bros has disclosed its animation schedule, announcing that two untitled movies will be released in 2018 and 2019.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the releases could be Lego titles, following the success of the first Lego Movie earlier this year.

May 25, 2018 and May 24, 2019 are the exact dates set by Warner Bros for its latest additions, which both fall on the US Memorial Day weekend.

It is possible that a third Lego Movie could come on a 2018 date, while a second instalment in the Ninjago story could follow in 2019.

The Lego Movie - starring Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks and Will Arnett among the voice cast - proved a global hit, earning approximately $461 million in ticket sales.

Yesterday (August 6), Warner Bros announced that it had moved the release date of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice from May 6, 2016 to March 25, 2016. It also dated its upcoming DC Comics films through to 2020.

Watch the stars of The Lego Movie speak to Digital Spy below:

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Warner Bros to release more Lego Movies in 2018 and 2019?

Dog walking may be a more popular form of exercise in New Zealand than playing squash or tennis, if the review of the countrys consumer price index is a guide.

The cost of buying a kitten or adopting a dog are among 15 new items added to the inflation gauge in its latest review, Statistics New Zealand said in Wellington. Squash club memberships and tennis rackets are among 12 items removed.

The three-yearly review reflects different spending patterns as tastes, incomes and the availability of goods and services change, the statistics agency said. The new items will appear in the index from the third quarter, which will be published on Oct. 23.

The costs of adopting a cat and gaining a dog license are also being included as the agency attempts to measure the price of keeping pets. Pet food and accessories are already in the index.

Other additions include breakfast food drinks and cider, while womens dresses join after being previously considered too difficult to price.

Declining expenditure on video cameras, car stereos and car alarms sees those omitted. The hire of video games and the cost of mens tracksuit pants will also be left out.

The countrys consumer prices rose 1.6 percent in the second quarter from a year earlier. The pace will slow to 1.3 percent in the third quarter, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand forecast last month.

Statistics New Zealand has adjusted the weight each item takes in the CPI to reflect relative spending, with household utilities and housing costs, including rent and insurance, taking up a bigger share. It will also start using retail transaction data to measure price changes for 12 types of consumer electronics, rather than manually collecting prices by visiting stores.

To contact the reporter on this story: Tracy Withers in Wellington at twithers@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Stephanie Phang at sphang@bloomberg.net Iain McDonald, Edward Johnson

See the article here:
Hello Kitty, Goodbye Squash as New Zealand Reviews CPI Makeup

October 6, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL) Chicago Wolves HERE WE GO AGAIN

The Chicago Wolves return to action this weekend with a home-opening doubleheader against the Charlotte Checkers. Head coach John Anderson will resume his duties behind the bench and will be flanked by two new additions in assistant coaches Mark Hardy and Brad Tapper. The Wolves are 12-6-1-1 (.650) in home openers, including a 4-1-1-0 (.750) mark when they begin the season in their own barn.

WOLVES HEADLINERS

--- TY RATTIE: Posted four points (3G, A) in two preseason games, including a hat trick against Iowa on Oct. 3 ... Led the Wolves last season with 31 goals and 48 points, the first rookie in franchise history to do so ... Tied for the league lead among first-years with 31 markers, making him the first Wolves player to crack the 30-goal barrier since Mark Mancari (2011-12) and first rookie since Brett Sterling (2006-07) ... Held scoreless in two games with St. Louis in 2013-14, including his NHL debut on April 11

--- MATT CLIMIE: Spent the majority of training camp with St. Louis before being assigned to the Wolves on Oct. 4 ... Enters his fourth season with the team ranked among the franchise's top five all-time for wins (55), shutouts (7), saves (2,929), games played (108), minutes (6,321) and assists (4) ... Posted an 11-10-2 record with a 2.84 goals-against average and .900 save percentage in 23 games last season ... Earned his 100th AHL win on March 9 at Abbotsford

--- COLIN FRASER: Assigned by St. Louis on Oct. 5 ... Member of three of the last five Stanley Cup-winning teams (Los Angeles 2014, Los Angeles 2012, Chicago 2010) ... Recorded two assists and 30 penalty minutes in 33 games with the Kings last season ... Contributed six points (3G, 3A) in 10 games with Manchester in the AHL ... Has accrued 58 points (20G, 38A) in 358 NHL tilts spanning eight seasons (2006-14) with Chicago, Edmonton, and Los Angeles ... Registered 108 points (44G, 64A) in 230 AHL contests spanning four seasons (2005-08, 2013-14) with Norfolk, Rockford, and Manchester

--- BRENT REGNER: Returns for his second full season with the Wolves to anchor the team's blue line ... Ranked second on the team with 21 assists and third among Wolves defensemen with 24 points last season ... Served as an alternate captain and provided a steady presence for a young defensive group ... Recipient of Chicago's Tim Breslin Unsung Hero Award ... Accumulated 113 points (18G, 95A) in 317 AHL games spanning five seasons (2009-14) with Syracuse, Springfield, Peoria, and Chicago

WOLF TRACKS

--- Fifteen players who suited up for the Wolves last season are returning to the squad: eight forwards (CODY BEACH, PAT CANNONE, SHANE HARPER, NATHAN LONGPRE, GERGO NAGY, TY RATTIE, YANNICK VEILLEUX, and SEBASTIAN WANNSTROM), five defensemen (JAKE CHELIOS, JOEL EDMUNDSON, JANI HAKANPAA, BRENT REGNER, and DAVID SHIELDS), and two goaltenders (JORDAN BINNINGTON and MATT CLIMIE).

--- This will be the second time in franchise history that the Wolves will open the season with a weekend doubleheader at home against the same opponent; Chicago kicked off the 2012-13 season with back-to-back wins against Rockford at Allstate Arena.

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Wolves Weekly Notes

TAMPA People all across Hillsborough County have built additions to houses and businesses without obtaining the required permits.

How widespread is the problem?

The Hillsborough County Property Appraisers office, using new imaging software that shows wide-ranging views of property, is finding millions of dollars worth of untaxed construction, from enclosed carports to an entire house appraisers didnt know about.

Were going to do it for all 500,000 parcels in the county, said Bill Ward, a spokesman for the property appraisers office. Were doing commercial too, and were finding a lot of stuff.

The scofflaws are saving themselves the money theyd spend on permits and perhaps on the costs of better construction materials and methods. But theyre also risking the safety of their families, friends or customers, county officials say. Pulling a building permit triggers inspections and reviews that ensure compliance with building codes.

In other words, permits prevent shoddy construction.

Unpermitted construction also doesnt show up on the tax rolls, depriving local governments of dollars needed for police and fire protection, schools, parks and libraries.

A hotbed of this unlicensed activity appears to be the working class community of Palm River, southeast of Tampa. David Moore, an activist there, documented five houses within one or two blocks of his home that were built without proper permits.

Its very evident when somebodys building, sawing, Moore said, explaining how he found out about the work. I checked on these properties. Its amazing what I found.

The countys building code compliance section confirmed that building permits were never issued for additions and out-buildings at three of the homes Moore brought to the Tribunes attention. Owners of the other two houses obtained permits after the construction was started because someone had complained to code enforcement.

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Hillsborough cracks down on unpermitted building

The NHLs Central Division was the center of attention during a free-wheeling, big-spending scramble for talent this offseason.

Six of the divisions seven teams kept busy in a bid to dethrone the defending Stanley Cup-champion Los Angeles Kings - or maybe just to keep up with the pack.

The moves were a hot topic of discussion among players including Sidney Crosby and Patrick Kane during a recent hockey camp in Vail, Colorado, recalled Avalanche forward Matt Duchene.

We talked about how it was an arms race in our division, Duchene said. If anything, its about how strong our division is, and how much it loaded up.

And thats not even counting the Blackhawks, who added free-agent forward Brad Richards and signed Kane and captain Jonathan Toews to matching eight-year, $84 million contract extensions.

Heres a look at a number of the major signings and trades that occurred this offseason:

BLUES BROTHER: Paul Stastny left Colorado to sign with the St. Louis Blues, where his father, Hall of Famer Peter, and brother Yan once played. The six-time 20-goal-scorer provides even more punch to a lineup that includes T.J. Oshie, David Backes and up-and-coming star Vladimir Tarasenko.

BIG DEAL IN BIG D: The stars keep aligning in Dallas. A year after acquiring high-scoring forward Tyler Seguin in a deal with Boston, GM Jim Nill pulled the trigger on another blockbuster by acquiring Senators captain Jason Spezza in a trade that sent forwards Alex Chiasson and Nicholas Paul to Ottawa. The Stars also signed free agent forward Ales Hemsky, who finished last season playing alongside Spezza.

VETERAN HELP: Youth played a factor in Colorado losing Game 7 of its first-round series at home to Minnesota. The Patrick Roy-coached team is now suddenly brimming with veterans after adding forwards Jarome Iginla, Danny Briere, Jesse Winchester and defenseman Brad Stuart to a roster that already includes Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog and rookie of the year Nathan MacKinnon.

LIGHTNING STRIKES: Tampa Bay was among the few Eastern Conference teams to make noise with GM Steve Yzerman landing several additions to bolster a team already flush with young talent. The Lightning grabbed New York Rangers defenseman Anton Stralman and center Brian Boyle, and also signed left wing Brenden Morrow and goalie Evgeni Nabokov. Dont forget, Tampa Bay already acquired Ryan Callahan in a late-season trade. And Steven Stamkos is back after missing 45 games last season with a broken leg.

View original post here:
Offseason splashes: NHL Central stockpiled talent

[Warning! This article contains SPOILERS forAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.!]

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ABC and MarvelsAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.has only just entered its second season, and its about to be one of a crowd of comic book-based television properties. Unlike the recently-debutedGothamon Fox, NBCs upcomingConstantine or even the CWsArrow/The Flashcontinuity,Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.must tie intoan established cinematic universe while finding its own voice.

With episode 2 of season 2 arguably delivering on its late-first season promise,Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.appears to have established a solid narrative from within and is poised to contain some dynamic storytelling from here on out. The intriguing new additions to the cast only augment the sense that there are plenty of surprises in store.

Aside from the ongoing mystery of whats wrong with S.H.I.E.L.D.s new director, Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), the season 1 finale also left us hanging when it came to the fate of tech wizard Fitz(Iain De Caestecker) promo images revealed him to be alive and well, but as weve seen in the seasons first two episodes, hes also a bit cracked, having invented an imaginary Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge)to compensate for what he cant remember or articulate.

Which leads to the big questions still on our minds: What happened to Simmons? Why would she leave Fitzs side? Where is she now? Thanks to the clip below, courtesy ofTV Guide, we know a bit more than we did before.

It appears that Simmons is now working in a Hydra lab. While a promo for season twos third episode Making Friends and Influencing People hinted that Simmons allegiance may not be with S.H.I.E.L.D. any longer, this clip confirms that she is now firmly with the enemy.

Is this a permanent shift for Simmons character? Fans will likely want to think not, but with the latest episodes reveal of some surprising story elements Agent Mays knowledge of Coulsons episodes, for example we have to wonder if its time to reevaluate what we knew about Simmons. It seemed unthinkable that she would leave Fitzs side, but she did.

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New Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Clip Reveals [SPOILER]

This past week in Tokyo saw the end of the second Persona 3 musical's run. And while I had not seen the first, I decided with my vast knowledge of the series I owed it to myself to give Persona 3: The Weird Masquerade: The Ultramarine Labyrinth a watch.

But while I can now say that Persona 3 makes for a darn enjoyable stage play, it's unfortunately not quite up to being a musical.

Much like the BlazBlue stage play I saw earlier this year, the special effects and backgrounds were all provided by projection mapping onto the all-white stage set. This allowed for a wide variety of awesome looking locations. But where the projection mapping technology really paid off was in the fight scenes. While some actors played lesser shadows for the characters to fight against, the bosses were all animated projections. Personas were likewise projected on the set when summoned. And hats off to the SFX crew. Its timing of the special effects was perfectit always looked like the characters really were attacking the projected monsters.

But as good as the combat effects were, my favorite effect was Fuuka's persona which was projected on a semi-transparent screen with Fuuka standing on the far side. It gave the optical illusion that Fuuka was standing inside her Personajust like in the games.

Originally when Persona 3 was released, the player character was male. But when the game was re-released on the PlayStation Portable, they added a female version of the protagonist with her own Velvet Room companion and gender specific events and romances. Like Persona 3 Portable, The Ultramarine Labyrinth also has two versions of the protagonistsome performances had the male lead while others sported the female one. Thus, the play had minor changes depending on who the lead was. For the female route (which I saw) Kotone, the female protagonist, fell in love with Shinjiro. More than that, she also managed to find his missing watch and return it to him, thus changing his story in a major way. Also only in the Kotone version of the story was a comedic scene where all the girls were lost in an island jungle. The male version of the musical instead follows the boys as they hit on various girls at the beach.

All in all, staging the production with both protagonists adds rewatch value to the show as well as more than a little fanservice to anyone who played the PSP version of the game.

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Persona 3 Works as a Stage Play, But Less So as a Musical

Sterling Heights, MI (PRWEB) October 03, 2014

UHY Advisors, sponsor and co host of the informative, focused and lively afternoon of Angel Investing activities. Find out what it means to be an Angel Investor and its free. Spend the first part of the afternoon participating in Live pitches from some of the areas up and coming businesses. Come see and hear what its all about. Stay for the second half of the program to hear from experts on what it takes to be an accredited investor and how angel investing can provide a strong return on investment while supporting regional prosperity.

Finding profitable investment opportunities can be a challenge but community-based Private equity might be an overlooked area.

Regional economic growth requires new businesses and an ecosystem able to support startups. The most cited failure in addressing this need has been available seed capital. Recent economic studies have documented that virtually all net new job creation comes from startups, yet local financial support continues to evaporate.

While the lack of startup financing has become the highest priority for startups, it is creating new financial practices to take advantage of these investment opportunities.

This workshop provides an overview of angel investing through organized networks that provide the operational support, shared diligence and diversification opportunities that can be vital additions to an investors portfolio.

Join this workshop hosted by Ken Kousky, founding member and President of BlueWater Angels and CEO of MidMichigan Innovation Center, to learn the ropes of this angel investing concept.

Topics will include:

Bankmybiz.com is a matching algorithm based website that connects small business owners and small business lenders. While other small business lending site are trying to disrupt the business loan market by attempting to commoditize loans bankmybiz.com has built a powerful tool for the enormous banking industry to help combat the disrupters. To date the bootstrapped startup as helped create over $9,000,000 in new relationships. Not only does bankmybiz.com provide lead generation but it also acts as a knowledge resource and a data collecting site. The company is currently raising a $500,000 seed round to execute an extremely focused 18 month new user acquisition campaign.

Coupon Wallet bridges the gap between paper and digital coupons with a patent-pending marketing & analytics platform that builds brand loyalty, reduces fraud, and provides a much higher ROI than traditional paper coupons. Our team's vision is to become the #1 digital coupon processor.

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Angel Investing Workshop - Community-Based Private Equity: Learn the Fundamentals of Angel Investing