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James Gandolfini, who won three Emmy Awards for his indelible role as mob boss Tony Soprano in HBO's "The Sopranos," died while on vacation in Italy at age 51. While Tony Soprano was a larger-than-life figure, Gandolfini was exceptionally modest and obsessive — he described himself as "a 260-pound Woody Allen." HBO called the actor a "special man, a great talent, but more importantly a gentle and loving person who treated everyone, no matter their title or position, with equal respect."

MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) — Former investigators are pushing to reopen the probe into the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800, saying new evidence points to the often-discounted theory that a missile strike may have downed the jumbo jet.

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in Federal Trade Commission v. Actavis that permitted the Federal Trade Commission to sue pharmaceutical companies for potential antitrust violations when they enter into “pay-to-delay” agreements. (Lyle Denniston of SCOTUSblog has...

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Bruins came from behind to tie the Chicago Blackhawks for the third time and sent Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals into overtime with the teams even 5-5 on Wednesday night.

photo: www.wildwoodguitars.com Greg Koch probably does the best Strat demo videos on Youtube. Wildwood Guitars features Greg in dozens of vids pimping their huge Fender Custom Shop inventory. Besides being a great guitarist with top gear to play with, Greg is also a rapid recall, walking-talking encyclopedia of tunes, riffs and iconic licks-- with a crazy personality to boot! Kind of a Joe Bonamassa meets Penn Jillette, if you will. I enjoy watching the videos for name that guitarist/lick trivia time! Wildwood also lists a few teasers at Wildwood Guitars eBay Store Hi-end Strats Current Listings - Top Sellers - Vintage, Custom Shop & Boutique Lines If you didn’t read this at Stratoblogster.com Guitar Blog, it’s been bootlegged! ©2006 - 2013 JP Holesworth. All rights reserved. This article may not be reprinted, distributed or duplicated without author’s written permission.

ESSAY: The shoddy science of sceptic-bashing LOG12 paper by Lewandowsky attempts to turn rational criticism into a psychological illness. “As the influence of environmental thinking has increased its hold over the political establishment, the failure to win the public support … Continue reading →

Check out 6 seconds to a clean room! by mftkoehler a short 6 second film for the Adafruit #adafruit6secs electronic film festival (Youtube playlist here for all the entries on YouTube).

My first reaction on hearing James Gandolfini of "The Sopranos" had died was stunned disbelief. Denial, stonewalling, shock, avoidance -- I tried all the techniques Tony Soprano used in his sessions with Dr. Melfi. With enough displays of stubbornness and willful blindness, I could make the news of Gandolfini's death go away, right?We can't make it go away. And soon denial cratered into a wave of sadness for his family, his friends and those who knew him in his professional and personal lives. I can only imagine the shock and heartbreak they are going through Wednesday evening.More...

(Orin Kerr) Over at The Law School Cafe, Deborah Merritt has a very interesting post on the placement results for graduates of Washington & Lee’s law school, which adopted a much-discussed practice-oriented program for the 3L year. Just a taste: Employers say they are eager to hire . . . better-trained, more rounded, more “practice ready” lawyers — and they should be. That’s why the employment results for Washington & Lee’s School of Law are so troubling. Washington & Lee pioneered an experiential third-year program that has won accolades from many observers. Bill Henderson called Washington & Lee’s program the “biggest legal education story of 2013.” The National Jurist named the school’s faculty as among the twenty-five most influential people in legal education. Surely graduates of this widely praised program are reaping success in the job market? Sadly, the statistics say otherwise. Washington & Lee’s recent employment outcomes are worse than those of similarly ranked schools. The results are troubling for advocates of experiential learning. They should also force employers to reflect on their own behavior: Does the rhetoric of “practice ready” graduates align with the reality of legal hiring? Let’s look at what’s happening with Washington & Lee graduates. For earlier VC posts on whether W&L’s program has been successful, see David B’s posts from February of this year here and here. Hat tip: TaxProf

Meet a Giant Rodent Who Hugs Cats "In some ways capybaras are even more magical than unicorns," Melanie says, "because they are real." ROUS previously on the blue in hot tubs and in song, poetry and literature.