text:
Frobysher Surname Ancestry Results
Our indexes 1000-1999 include entries for the spelling 'frobysher'. In the period you have requested, we have the following 2 records (displaying 1 to 2):
Try these...
froane froar froast froat froatt frobe frobel frobelius frobenius froberg frobesher frobezer frobischor frobischore frobiser frobisher frobishier frobose frobosher frobyser frocester frocetour frocetur frochcwaig frock frockelton frocker frockford frockhart frockmorton frocks frod froda froddesham froddingham froddisham frode froder frodesham frodesley
These sample scans are from the original record. You will get scans of the full pages or articles where the surname you searched for has been found.
Your web browser may prevent the sample windows from opening; in this case please change your browser settings to allow pop-up windows from this site.
Research your ancestry, family history, genealogy and one-name study by direct access to original records and archives indexed by surname.


text:
The Ohio State University
Creating the Extraordinary Student Experience
Time: Thursday, February 28, 2019 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Location: Ohio Union, Multicultural Center, Alonso Family Room
Advocates for Inclusion and Diversity through Education (AIDE) is a student organization at Ohio State that strives to educate the campus community about social justice issues. We host workshops and events on campus and around the community while collaborating with other student groups to promote diversity and inclusion on campus.
Each meeting will feature a dialogue about a social justice issue, a workshop or training about a particular topic, or a guest speaker. Meetings are open to all students and we accept new members throughout the year at anytime. We also have opportunities for YOU to be a facilitator for the workshops we host on campus. If you are interested, please come to one of our meetings or visit our website: http://mcc.osu.edu/get-involved/a-i-d-e/
This event also counts for 1 DICE Credit toward your DICE Certificate. More information about DICE and how to earn credits can be found here: go.osu.edu/dice.
Join us on Thursdays at 8 p.m. in the Student Life Multicultural Center!
Alex Winkowski
Add to your calendar
© 2020 The Ohio State University – Multicultural Center
Ohio Union, Suite 1000, 1739 North High Street, Columbus, OH 43210
Phone: 614-688-8449 | Fax: 614-292-4462 | firstname.lastname@example.com
If you have trouble accessing this page, request an alternate format.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Listen up; if your business is going to be successful you are going to have to stop telling your employees that they are worthless.
I know that you don't walk up to every member of your staff and shout in their face that they are a meaningless layer of scum on the bathtub of existence, but you might as well have. Your employees already know that you think they are worthless because of the environment and the tools that you have given them to work in.
They have old and creaking uncomfortable chairs which tell them that you don't care about whether their backs are sore after a full day of hunching over the computer for you. They have bad florescent lighting which shows that you don't mind if their eyes hurt and they have headaches at the end of the day. They have completely disorganized filing systems, which means that it takes them ten times longer to find that important contract or memo when they need to and you don't care.
Basically, the environment that you create for your employees to work in shows them how much you care about their success and productivity. Give them a poor environment to work in and pretty soon they will feel like drones in a factory, waiting for their escape.
But My Employees Aren't Worthless!
"They are not worthless at all!" you might protest. You are correct of course, they are in fact one of the most important resources that you have. If your employees can be inspired to do well, they will propel your company to new heights that you could not have imagined before.
Part of managing a team is about hiring great employees and the other part is about bringing out their best work. This includes giving them the best environment to work in that you can. There are many ways that you can show your employees that you think they are amazing and encourage them to perform the very best they can.
- Give them an ergonomic chair to work in. Poor quality chairs will cause back and neck strain, cut off circulation to the legs and cause your employees to be very uncomfortable throughout the workday. They won't get much done if they are constantly getting up to stretch their sore backs.
- Upgrade the lighting in your office. A high quality lighting system will reduce eye strain and will keep your employees feeling refreshed rather than tired and headachy.
- Help them get organized. Put some effort into developing a filing and storage system that is easy for everyone to understand and stick to it! This will make finding important documents not such a nightmare.
- Give them computers that work. It can be unbelievably frustrating to try to complete a project on a computer which keeps freezing, crashing or going aggravatingly slow. If you can supply your employees with the technology that they need they will be able to do their job faster and easier.
- Go above and beyond every once in a while. After you have upgraded the office to a good condition, you don't have to stop there. If you want your team to really know how much you appreciate them you can offer them special rewards for when they do well. For example, you could promise to upgrade to a higher quality coffee maker when the office meets a certain target. That way, each employee gets a tangible reward for their hard work.
Take a moment to look around your office and ask yourself whether you are making your employees feel worthless by subjecting them to your outdated equipment and furniture. Could you make an investment in the working environment that would pay off in employee productivity?
Are all of your office facilities outdated and falling apart? How do you think that makes your employees feel about how important they are? You can find some good quality cheap office furniture online that will make your office a much better place to work.


text:
By Colby Hess
Here are some uncomfortable historical facts that are largely ignored, glossed over, or blatantly suppressed in most American school curricula:
1) The United States government (largely through the CIA and its predecessors) is directly responsible for the overthrow of at least half a dozen democratically elected governments around the world over the past hundred plus years. Among these are many of our neighbors in Latin America such as Guatemala in 1954, Brazil in 1964, and Chile in 1973. Further afield we have Iran in 1953, which is particularly ironic considering the dire straits of our present day relationship. This list doesn't include the toppling of non-elected governments (almost all of them replaced by brutal dictators) such as Syria in 1949 and Ghana in 1966. It also doesn't include direct invasion by U.S. troops such as the Philippines in 1898, Panama (first in 1895 and again at least eight more times since), Grenada in 1983, and most recently, Iraq in 2003. Although many Americans cannot even point these countries out on a world map and remain blissfully ignorant of American interference with their internal affairs, the residents of these countries have certainly not forgotten and in many cases haven't completely forgiven us either. Can anyone blame them?
This long history of meddling with sovereign nations severely complicates geopolitical affairs in the present day in both practical terms as well in relation to our stated values and governing principles. For instance, in 2006, just months after George W. Bush gave a major speech on the imperative of spreading democracy throughout the world, democratic elections in Palestine resulted in a designated terrorist group, Hamas, coming to power – a result which led to an almost total boycott of the Gaza strip by most Western nations. The Arab Spring has further complicated matters as many dictators who had long been propped up by the U.S. have now been overthrown by populaces largely hostile to U.S. interests. Many of these countries seem likely to elect Islamist governments in coming elections, potentially creating a bunch of theocratic mini-Irans throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Such is democracy in action (but we can rest easy knowing any lingering resentment is due solely to them "hating our freedom.")
2) The U.S. military is currently deployed in over 150 countries around the world. That's over three quarters of all the supposedly independent countries on the planet. If neocon hawks have their way, Iran (see above) will soon be joining this list. Of those places where troops are already present, at least two of them are active war zones (Iraq and Afghanistan), and another is seldom considered one simply because most of us happen to live there. Thanks to passage of the NDAA, the U.S. military can now arrest and indefinitely detain American citizens within our own borders – a disturbing development vehemently opposed by the ACLU and one of the central grievances the American colonists had against the British king before declaring independence.
The purpose of stationing all these troops everywhere is presumably to act as a sort of unrequested and often unwelcome global police force, paid for by the generosity of the U.S. taxpayers. After all, the U.S. – accounting for just five percent of the world's population – is responsible for over forty percent of global military expenditures. Curiously, despite the smug moral high ground we like to believe we inhabit (preferring the term "liberator" to "invader/occupier"), these Team America superheroes generally seem to step in only when there are high-dollar corporate interests at stake such as in Iraq or Libya, preferring to sit idly by as slaughter proceeds unchecked in economic backwaters such as Rwanda or Darfur. And if anyone dares to oppose U.S. global hegemony by so much as speaking out – even if it's a close and historical ally like France – we respond with protests and product boycotts, or if all else fails there's always the trump card of renaming foods in the Capitol cafeteria. Anyone care for some "victory cabbage" to go with their "freedom fries"?
3) The U.S. is single-handedly responsible for the total global prohibition of recreational drugs and the police state that goes hand in hand with efforts to curtail their production, distribution, and use. More specifically, blame for the "War on Drugs" and its many excesses can be squarely assigned to one unhappy individual with a messianic complex and a deep hatred for all things pleasurable – America's first "drug czar," Harry J. Anslinger. If you've ever stopped to wonder why, say, the leader of Nepal would care in the slightest if some hippy wants to smoke a chillum with a sadhu on the steps of a temple in Kathmandu, Anslinger's the answer, for it was he that pushed his agenda to be adopted by the newly formed United Nations.
There is so much money involved in this failed enterprise – on the order of hundreds of billions of dollars a year in direct foreign aid for crop eradication and drugs interdiction, domestic policing, building and operating of prisons, propaganda efforts, plus the loss of taxes on some of the biggest cash crops across the globe – it continues to exist largely out of mindless inertia and economic habit. Despite the fact that recent polls show a majority of Americans now support outright legalization of marijuana, and despite pleas from the leaders of several of the Latin American nations most negatively affected by America's insatiable appetite for mind-altering substances, even President Obama feels compelled to continue to oppose any change to the status quo. This stance was clearly on display at the recent Summit of the Americas meeting in Cartagena (for all those who read beyond the distraction of the auspiciously timed Secret Service prostitution scandal.)
4) While no longer the largest contributor of greenhouse gases thanks to China's rapid industrialization in recent years, the U.S. continues to be the greatest impediment to concerted global action on addressing anthropogenic climate change. Back in 1997, following a meeting in Kyoto of delegates from nearly every country on Earth, a deal was reached agreeing upon a framework for reigning in worldwide CO2 emissions. Of the 192 countries who signed the protocol, only one has subsequently failed to ratify it. That's right, one – the good old U.S. of A. Although the American delegation of scientists was fully in agreement with the overwhelming consensus on display there, after languishing in Congress for years awaiting approval, it was finally killed after being summarily dismissed by George W. Bush who claimed it would be too expensive to implement.
This line of unreasoning is beyond absurd. If facing a sentence of life in prison but offered the chance of near-certain acquittal simply by hiring the right high-profile attorney, most people wouldn't hesitate to pay whatever it might cost to avoid incarceration. Likewise with disease. If faced with a life-threating illness, having a world-class surgeon available to perform life-saving surgery would be priceless, and most people would willingly give away everything they have if it meant they could go on living. We as a nation obviously don't seem to care much about the plight of the polar bears or the fate of places like the Maldives, who, through no fault of their own, are on track to sink beneath the waves within the next century, but just looking at the freakish weather and severe storms of the past few years, it's clearer than ever that global warming has arrived on our doorstep. To paraphrase the founder of the modern sustainability movement, "The real question we should be asking when discussing the economic impact of environmental measures is, 'Can we afford to exist?'" Are we really prepared to answer that question, "no"?
Pundits and hyper-patriots love to talk about "American exceptionalism." In plain terms this translates as, "Don't mind us. We're just better than you." How incredibly arrogant and off-putting to everyone else. It seems to go hand in hand with another favored myth, "Manifest Destiny," which supposedly justified our genocidal land grab against the native inhabitants of North America. It also ties into "God Bless America," which implores the all-powerful creator of the entire universe to play favoritism with one particular segment of upright primates, who happen to live within an arbitrarily delineated geographic region of one small planet, circling an ordinary yellow star, in the outer reaches of one of at least a hundred billion galaxies. Wow. Furthermore, if we're going to talk the talk, we sure as hell better walk the walk to back it up. As related above, our actions continually fall far short of the lofty rhetoric we proclaim to the world (and to ourselves). No wonder there's so much rampant anti-Americanism on display among the other ninety-five percent of humanity.
The great irony of it all is that I guarantee many people will read this article and consequently brand me a traitor, a naysayer – any number of derogatory, reactionary terms to draw attention away from things they would prefer not to think about and certainly don't want advertised. While not surprising, it's profoundly discouraging (not to mention childish, unfair, and counterproductive.) It's like a monkey throwing poo at his handler for bringing him medicine.
Despite all the travesties I've just listed, I love my country and I care deeply about what happens to it. If I didn't why would I bother to write about it? My family has been here for eleven generations and it's the place I call home. Having traveled extensively on five continents, I can honestly say the U.S. is still one of my favorite places when it comes to natural beauty, civil liberties, and the kindness and generosity of the people. I'm proud of the many amazing things we as a nation have achieved: the first functional democracy since ancient Greece, the first national park anywhere, invention of the airplane and the Internet, landing a man on the moon… even our "Colgate smiles." Yet loving one's country does not preclude it being a tough love nor does it require monogamy, for I also love my planet and the fact that we exist as conscious beings to enjoy it.
Right now we're heading down a dark path. We're destroying our environment and we're pissing away our hard-fought freedoms faster than we can fix things. We cannot simply carry on with business as usual, plundering the world's resources and bullying anyone who opposes us. America has long fancied itself "a shining city upon a hill." Just as a city choked with smog and traffic jams and plagued by rampant crime and high unemployment doesn't make for a very desirable place to live, we had better work on cleaning up our act if we expect anyone to respect us or take us seriously. If average citizens don't begin standing up and loudly demanding change, then we're on a one-way road to ruin. We're heading the way of every empire in all of history – the Romans, the Mongols, the Ottomans, the British. It's far better to scale back on our own terms than to have those terms thrust upon us by the inevitable confluence of events. The best way to accomplish this is to change course now, and any meaningful change must start with the facts; otherwise we're not just misguided but downright delusional.
I'll wind this down with two pieces of advice, and these apply to anyone willing and able to make the required effort. First, unless you're desperately poor and struggling just to put food on the table, then if you don't have one already, obtain a passport and go visit other parts of the world, even if just Canada or Mexico (only 35% of Americans have passports – double the number from a decade ago but still far less than in many other developed countries.) There is no single greater way to literally expand your horizons; to dispel xenophobia and see life from a totally different perspective. You're way less likely to want to bomb people whom you've spoken with, laughed with, spent time and shared meals with. It doesn't have to break the bank either, for living as a backpacker often costs far less than working a dead-end job to pay for a crappy apartment. Even if you hate everything about traveling abroad, you'll at least know what else is out there and perhaps learn to appreciate what you already have (and are rapidly losing) that much more.
Secondly, gather as much information as possible about history, about current events, and about science, and try to then integrate these ideas into your worldview. We're living in the Information Age. We are surrounded by information, deluged by it. Although in many ways it's harder than ever to sort through it all to separate fact from fiction, give it an honest and concerted effort. Read things that make you uncomfortable. Follow people on Twitter whom you disagree with. Click the hyperlinks in interesting articles and follow up with your own research. Question your most basic assumptions. If they're sound, you have nothing to fear. If they're not, you have everything to gain and you'll emerge a wiser, better person for your efforts.
It seems that we are currently experiencing a fairly rough patch of what has been an incredible experiment in people power, but we as a nation still have enormous potential to do good. Despite all the mistakes we've made and the trust we've betrayed, we're still the world's only remaining superpower and we still wield enormous influence. Let's use that influence to tackle humanity's most pressing problems and to steer us all toward a brighter, happier, more just and peaceful future, for the alternative is too depressing to even consider.
Colby Hess is a freelance writer and photographer living near Seattle, WA. He is currently writing a book about science, philosophy, and freethought. Follow him on Twitter: @ColbyTHess.
Originally published (in modified form) as:
"Why the Rest of the World Should Tell the U.S. to F*** Off" on April 26, 2012 by Addicting Info > http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/04/26/why-the-rest-of-the-world-should-tell-the-u-s-to-f-off/
Re-published as:
"Why The Rest of the World Should Tell the U.S. to F*cK Off" on April 28, 2012 by Disinformation > http://www.disinfo.com/2012/04/why-the-rest-of-the-world-should-tell-the-u-s-to-fck-off/


text:
- Home
- About
- 内容
- 社区
- 服务
- 搜索
- 活动
- 操作
|The National Audiovisual Institute
From the very beginning of its existence, the mission of the National Audiovisual Institute has been to make the most noble and significant examples of Polish audiovisual culture widely available. As Polish Audiovisual Publishing House, founded in 2005,
it rediscovered for the audience excellent documentaries ("Polish School of Documentary Movies") and animations ("The Anthology of Polish Animation" series), which having been digitised and reconstructed, enjoy new life and attract young audience. In addition to publishing activities related to documentaries and animation,it also brought to the audience selected theatrical and opera performances and initiated cultural eventsdrawing attention to artistic phenomena.
With time the scope of tasks broadened, and in the past two years – due to increasing and urgent need to save audiovisual archives of Polish culture - PAPH substantially modified its mission.
On 1 April 2009 Polish Audiovisual Publishing House was renamed to National Audiovisual Institute, which is to become a leading cultural institution in the field of digitisation and publishing of archives documenting Polish Audiovisual heritage. Effective implementation of these tasks goes beyond technological and structural processes. The topic of archives and making them available to the broad spectrum of audiences is also closely related to copyright issues, reflection on cultural memory (including continuous changes to the medium itself, which determines perception of contents) and the necessity to create a friendly and modern space giving the opportunity to familiarise oneself with digitised audiovisual resources.


text:
Franking credits: what's fair?
Taxation will be the dominant issue in the election, and Labor's policy to stop the refund of franking credits will be top of the charts. But most voters have no idea how the imputation system works.
The word 'imputation' means credit given for something, and the imputation system was introduced to prevent double taxation of company dividends. Dividends from Australian shares are the only Australian income stream where profits are taxed before you receive them. The franking credits are simply a credit for tax paid by the company on behalf of the investor.
If you invested in direct property or a property syndicate, or received interest from a bank account, the income from that investment would be paid to you in full and you would pay tax on it at your normal marginal rate.
Think about two investors - one receives a franked dividend of $700 plus a franking credit of $300 for tax deducted by the company. The other receives a $1000 distribution from a property syndicate and no tax is deducted by the company paying it.
If they were both retirees on zero taxable incomes, the franking credit of $300 would compensate the first investor for tax deducted by the company paying the dividend and under present policy would be refunded to him by the tax office. Therefore, both investors would receive $1000 net.
An analogy would be a person who is a PAYG employee and has tax taken out of their pay. When they do their tax at the end of the year, losses from activities such as negative gearing may reduce their taxable income. They will then get a refund from the tax office of part of the PAYG tax deducted by the employer.
Now, with numbers, you can always offer different interpretations. Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen was recently quoted as saying: "Think about a nurse who earns $67,000 a year - we make her pay $13,000 in tax. Yet a retired shareholder with a substantial balance in superannuation could receive $67,000 in income with his fund paying zero tax. On top of that he expects the government to write the fund a cheque for $27,000. That is not fair."
But there are many anomalies that could be described as "not fair". Why should Chris Bowen get 49% back from the government on tax losses if he negatively gears an investment property, while the nurse gets back just 34.5%? Why should some politicians be allowed to access their superannuation before they turn 60?
Our superannuation system is designed to encourage people to invest for their retirement, which means people with money in super will be often be better off tax-wise than people out of it.
But our retiree could get around the franking credit changes by transferring his self-managed super fund to a retail or industry fund, where the franking credits will be used to pay contributions tax and earnings for members in accumulation phase.
There is only one group who will be left stranded. They are the self-funded older retirees who are not in super and can't contribute because of their age.
For example, think about a self-funded retiree who has invested in shares in their own name, not through a super fund, and whose income from dividends is $67,000 a year. Their taxable income would be $95,714, after adding on $28,714 in franking credits. Tax on that $95,714 would be $24,825 ($22,911 tax, plus Medicare levy of $1914) leaving a refund of just $3889. That's way different to the $27,000 the Shadow Treasurer is bandying around.
Furthermore, the retiree's effective tax rate is nearly 30% - the nurse's is 19.4%. Is that fair?
- Noel Whittaker is the author of Making Money Made Simple and numerous other books on personal finance. firstname.lastname@example.com
Discuss "Franking credits: what's fair?"
Please note: All comments made or shown here are bound by the Online Discussion Terms & Conditions.


text:
- Stocks To Watch
Good News for JC Penney, Bad News for Bed Bath & Beyond
- Order Reprints
- Print Article
JC Penney's (JCP) stock has been undergoing something of a renaissance during the past month. Bed Bath & Beyond's (BBBY) has been standing still. Could the two be related?
Shares of JC Penney have surged 42% higher during the past month of trading, while Bed Bath & Beyond has gained 3.7%. Credit Suisse analysts Gary Balter and Andrew Kinder explain why Bed Bath & Beyond's future is tied to JC Penney:
From 2007 through 2012, JC Penney, once one of the biggest home retailers, lost over $2.6 billion in home furnishing sales, including an amazing 40% drop in 2012 alone. We believe that one of the top beneficiaries of]JC Penney's] largesse was Bed Bath and Beyond, which grew its home furnishing sales from 2007 through 2012 by $3.9 billion. We estimate [Bed Bath and Beyond's] share of the segment rose from 5.6% to 9.3% during that period.
The U.S. housing recovery still has legs and should also be sustained by a pickup in household formation as employment figures improve [Bed Bath and Beyond's] efforts to upgrade its website, invest in distribution, and improve service have been paying off with comps relatively solid the last few quarters. With [JC Penney] planning to relaunch its home area and
Internet retailers continuing to grow faster than the industry, the question is whether [Bed Bath and Beyond] will be able to continue to execute with most of the low-hanging fruit now gone. We continue to rate [Bed Bath and Beyond] Neutral.
Shares of JC Penney have ticked up 0.2% to $8.73, while Bed Bath & Beyond is up 0.1% st $68.38.


text:
Thanks for the welcome,your fogs are lovely. Annie and charlotte
Hi Tsuni, i was told you know about Pyrenees needing shaving. I have a pyr girl that has some pretty bad matts. How in the world do I go about this? I am not sure what I can do.. Please help if you can! Thanks
Hey Tsunibear,
It's MeandMayaDog. I just logged in and saw this little note saying that you had sent me a message about three weeks ago about Maya's pin-up shot. Sorry I haven't seen your note sooner!
I'm glad you like the picture, that is one of my favorites too. The funny thing about it is that when I came up with the idea for Maya's Halloween costume my DH rolled his eyes at me. Then when I showed him a couple of pictures taken on my instant camera the budding professional photograph just sparked. He set up the lights and the background for a full fledged photo shoot! (LOL)
If you're interested, here is a slide show of some of the best shots. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAUfS-POSjc
Puppy (New Member)
Old Dawg (Senior Member)


text:
Posted by Editoress on 03/30/08
UCI Press Service
The UCI and Look announce the launch of the "UCI Bikes for the World presented by Look" programme
Mr Pat McQuaid, President of the International Cycling Union (UCI) and Mr Thierry Fournier, Director General of the French company Look Cycle International, today signed a partnership contract to establish a new programme entitled "UCI Bikes for the World presented by Look" at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Manchester (Great Britain).
Under the programme, around 100 racing bikes will be sent to National Federations wanting to develop cycling in their country every year for a period of four years. This figure is set to increase in the future.
Bike frames (road and track), pedals, seatposts, track stems and handlebars will be supplied by Look while other components will be provided by a range of UCI sponsors.
Many Federations do not have the means to acquire a sufficient quantity of bikes for their young riders. The "UCI Bikes for the World presented by Look" programme offers a solution to this problem.
Federations interested in participating in the programme can apply to the UCI. The UCI will draw up a list of beneficiaries of the programme. One of the conditions of taking part in the programme is that the Federation must have set up training programmes recognised by the UCI: courses for coaches or training camps for riders.
The UCI welcomes this development of its partnership with Look. Look has been a major UCI partner since 2002. From this time the company has supplied considerable amounts of equipment to the World Cycling Centre (WCC), the UCI's training centre devoted to developing cycling around the world. The WCC has assisted in the training of some 600 riders since opening its doors. Many of these are now among the best athletes in the world and still ride Look bikes.
Look's Director General Thierry Fournier said that he was delighted to support the development of cycling around the world.
|Return to Canadian Cyclist homepage | Back to Top


text:
When the pieces
Came together, that last stubborn cardboard tease
Fell into place with a smug click
Smirking, "took you long enough
To find me"
I was awestruck.
I shook my head,
Barely able to believe
All the time spent, made me lose sight
Of the bigger picture
Caught up in sorting each scenario
Inside the entire scene.
But now it's there,
And I see the outcome
Of the endless task I undertook
And it has an end,
May have taken a while to get here
All the more reason to celebrate.
I gently glue
All the pieces into a frame
Mentally name this project
"A Season of Joyful Tragedy"
Hang it on the wall of learned lessons
And dive in on the next puzzle.
Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.4


text:
U.S. Army via Getty Images
Retired Lt. General William G. Boykin is seen in front of a flag. He has been criticized for anti-Muslim remarks.
Updated at 9 p.m. ET
West Point issued a brief statement late Monday saying that retired Lt. Gen. William Boykin has decided to withdraw from speaking at the Feb. 8 prayer breakfast and another speaker would be lined up in his place.
The Army is drawing protests from veterans' and Islamic groups for inviting a retired general who many have called anti-Muslim to speak at a West Point prayer breakfast.
Lt. Gen William G. Boykin has been criticized for speeches at evangelical Christian churches in which he made disparaging remarks about Islam. Boykin has said that Muslims are trying to implement Shariah Law in the United States and that Islam is the greatest threat America faces.
According to The Associated Press, Boykin has also said that America's enemy was Satan, that God had put President George W. Bush in the White House and that one Muslim Somali warlord was an idol-worshipper.
Groups such as VoteVets.org, Military Religious Freedom Foundation, as well as Forum on Military Chaplaincy all petitioned the Pentagon to stop Boykin from speaking at the Feb. 8 breakfast, Stars and Stripes reported.
VoteVets.org told Army Gen. Raymond Odierno in a letter that allowing retired Boykin to speak at the Feb. 3 National Prayer Breakfast Service would be contrary to Army values and disrespectful to Muslim cadets.
'Incompatible with Army values'
"These remarks are incompatible with the Army values, and a person who is incompatible with Army values should not address the cadets of the United States Military Academy," VoteVets chairman Jon Soltz said in the letter, according to The Associated Press.
Army public affairs didn't immediately comment, though West Point's Lt. Col. Sherri Reed said cadets are "purposefully exposed to different perspectives and cultures" during their four years at the academy.
"The National Prayer Breakfast Service will be pluralistic with Christians, Jewish, and Muslim cadets participating," Reed said in a prepared statement. "We are comfortable and confident that what retired Lt. Gen. Boykin will share about prayer, soldier care and selfless service, will be in keeping with the broad range of ideas normally considered by our cadets."
The Council on American-Islamic Relations is also asking officials to retract the invitation.
"Having a guy like that speak at a respected institution like the U.S. Military Academy gives credibility to his extremist views of hatred toward Muslims," Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for Council on American Islamic Relations, told msnbc.com. "We are strong defenders of the First Amendment. What we are saying is that he not be allowed to spread views at West Point. He can go shout his hatred on the streets if he wants to."
Hooper calls the argument that Boykin represents an alternative viewpoint "ridiculous," and equates it with inviting a racist white leader to speak at West Point since some of the cadets are African American.
"I doubt that they would invite a KKK speaker and claim that they want to expose the students to a variety of opinions," CAIR's national executive director, Nihad Awad, told the Associated Press, referring to the hate group the Ku Klux Klan.
Just last week, CAIR and People for the American Way had asked officials in Maryland to rescind an invitation for Boykin to speak at a prayer breakfast. Boykin attended and spoke about his faith and did not mention Islam.
Before his retirement in 2002, Boykin was chastised by military commanders for comparing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to a holy war. Boykin later issued a written statement apologizing and said he didn't mean to insult Islam.
Pentagon investigation concluded that Boykin violated regulations by failing to make clear he was not speaking in an official capacity when he made nearly two dozen church speeches beginning in January 2002. It also found that Boykin, who made most speeches wearing his uniform, didn't get prior clearance for the remarks.
Boykin couldn't immediately be reached by msnbc.com for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News


text:
What do you get when you take the crispiest pretzel rod you'll ever crunch, dip it in caramel, then cover it with one of 5 classic candy favorites? An unbelievably excellent treat that's only for the sweetest of the very sweet. They'll love munching on this satisfying snack. It's easy to share – if they dare.
10 crispy pretzel rods coated with caramel and 5 candy favorites (2 of each flavor)
Arrives in a whimsical pattern gift box
Would you like to ship each item to a different recipient or ship all items to one recipient ?
Ship to multiple recipients > - or - Ship to one recipient >


text:
Astros select Fields, Freiman in Major League portion of Rule 5 Draft
Burgess, Lamb added in Triple A phase
NASHVILLE, TN - The Houston Astros selected right-handed pitcher Josh Fields and infielder Nate Freiman in this morning's Major League portion of the Rule 5 Draft at MLB's Winter Meetings in Nashville, TN. In the Triple A phase, Houston selected outfielder Michael Burgess and right-handed pitcher Cameron Lamb.
Fields, who was the first overall selection today, was chosen out of Boston's organization, while Freiman was in San Diego's system. By rule, the Astros will pay each team a $50,000 fee for Fields and Freiman, who must both remain in the Major Leagues for the entire 2013 season, or be offered back to their former organizations.
Fields, 27, went 4-3 with a 2.01 ERA (13ER/58.1IP) with 12 saves last season in 42 appearances between Triple A Pawtucket (10g) and Double A Portland (32g). The right-hander had one of the top SO/9IP ratios in minor league baseball with 78 strikeouts and just 18 walks in 58.1 innings pitched. Opponents hit just .183 off him throughout the year. He was originally selected by the Seattle Mariners in the first round (20th overall) of the June 2008 draft before being traded to the Red Sox on July 31, 2011. Over his four-year minor league career, Fields owns an 11-8 record with a 3.57 ERA (70ER/176.2IP) and 206 punchouts.
Freiman, 25, posted a .298 (154x516) batting average with 31 doubles, 24 homers, 105 RBI and an .872 OPS (.370 OBP/.502 SLG) in 137 games with Double A San Antonio in 2012, earning both mid-season and post-season All-Star honors in the Texas League. In 483 career minor league games (462 as a first baseman), he owns a .294 (551x1876) average with 131 doubles, 71 homers, 368 RBI and a .364 on-base percentage. The 6-foot-7 right-handed hitter was originally drafted by the Padres in the eighth round of the June 2009 Draft out of Duke University.
Earlier this year from Sept. 19-23, Freiman participated in the World Baseball Classic Qualifiers as a member of Team Israel, which was managed by former Astros catcher Brad Ausmus. Freiman hit .417 (5x12) with four home runs and seven RBI in three games before Israel was ultimately eliminated by Spain, 9-6, in the Jupiter, FL, Pool Finals.
Burgess, 24, hit .259 (86x332) with 22 doubles, 10 homers, 43 RBI and a .350 on-base percentage last season in 119 games with Double A Tennessee. The left-handed hitting outfielder was originally drafted by the Washington Nationals with the 49th overall selection of the June 2007 Draft out of Hillsborough High School in Tampa, FL. Burgess owns a .252 (596x2368) average with 131 doubles, 18 triples, 102 homers, 388 RBI and a .344 on-base percentage in 680 career minor league games with the Nationals (2007-2010) and Chicago Cubs (2011-12) organizations.
Lamb, 23, went 2-1 with a 2.10 ERA (6ER/25.2IP) last season in 12 appearances with the Arizona League Giants (3g) and the Class A Short Season Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (9g). In limited duty, Lamb recorded 19 strikeouts along with seven walks in 2012, while opponents hit just .194 off him throughout the year. A native of Perth Western in Australia, he was originally signed by the Giants as a non-drafted free agent on Jan. 26, 2007. Over his six-year minor league career, Lamb owns an 11-10 record with a 4.26 ERA (86ER/181.2IP) and 150 punchouts.
With the addition of Fields and Freiman, the Astros 40-man roster now stands at 39.


text:
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) and Credit Suisse Group AG CSGN.VX will pay a combined $416.9 million to settle U.S. civil charges that they misled investors in the sale of risky mortgage bonds prior to the 2008 financial crisis, regulators said on Friday.
JPMorgan will pay $296.9 million, while Credit Suisse will pay $120 million in a separate case, with the money going to harmed investors, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said.
Both settlements addressed alleged negligence or other wrongdoing in the packaging and sale of risky residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS), including at the former Bear Stearns Cos which JPMorgan bought in 2008.
The banks settled without admitting wrongdoing, and in separate statements said they were pleased to settle.
"In many ways, mortgage products such as RMBS were ground zero in the financial crisis," SEC enforcement chief Robert Khuzami said in a statement. "Misrepresentations in connection with the creation and sale of mortgage securities contributed greatly to the tremendous losses suffered by investors once the U.S. housing market collapsed."
Each settlement is significantly less than the $550 million that Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) agreed to pay in 2010, also without admitting wrongdoing, to settle SEC charges that it misled investors in a complex mortgage bond transaction.
They are also the latest SEC settlements not to punish individuals. In July, the SEC lost its first financial crisis-related trial against an individual when a Manhattan federal jury cleared former Citigroup Inc (C.N) mid-tier executive Brian Stoker of wrongdoing in the sale of a mortgage bond transaction.
On a conference call with reporters, Khuzami said it is hard to bring cases against individuals over "structured" financial transactions because different people work on different aspects, making it hard to pin blame.
"We by no means are shying away from charging individuals where we find we can identify them as being responsible," he said.
The enforcement actions are the second and third from a "working group" of federal and state agencies created this year by President Barack Obama to investigate misconduct related to RMBS that contributed to the financial crisis.
Last month, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who like Khuzami is a co-chair of the group, filed a still-pending civil fraud lawsuit against JPMorgan over Bear's packaging and sale of mortgage securities.
Khuzami told reporters on the conference call that the working group is probing other RMBS transactions.
JPMorgan shares closed up 14 cents, or 0.4 percent, at $39.53 on the New York Stock Exchange. Credit Suisse shares closed in Europe down 2.3 percent at 20.66 Swiss francs.
The SEC accused JPMorgan of materially overstating in a prospectus the quality of home loans that backed a $1.8 billion RMBS offering it underwrote in December 2006.
According to the SEC, the largest U.S. bank represented that just four loans were delinquent by 30 to 59 days, when in fact there were more than 620, or about 7 percent of the total. Investors lost at least $37 million as a result, the SEC said.
The regulator also faulted Bear's failure to disclose its having arranged discounted cash settlements with originators that left investors stuck owning many problem loans, rather than forcing the originators to buy the loans back. It said Bear reaped at least $137.8 million from the practice.
Credit Suisse failed to disclose similar settlements, which netted $55.7 million, the SEC said.
The Swiss bank also misled investors by falsely claiming when it would buy back mortgage loans in two offerings in which borrowers had defaulted on their initial payments, and that "all first payment default risk" had been removed, the SEC added.
About $84 million of JPMorgan's payout and $39 million of Credit Suisse's represented fines. The JPMorgan accord requires approval by a federal judge in Washington, D.C., while Credit Suisse's case was resolved in an SEC administrative proceeding.
JPMorgan had in June 2011 agreed to pay $153.6 million to settle a separate SEC fraud case over its sale of mortgage securities to investors, also without admitting wrongdoing.
James Freedland, a spokesman for Schneiderman, said Friday's SEC accords help provide "accountability" for misconduct linked to the housing market's collapse.
In the Citigroup case, that bank had agreed last year to pay $285 million to settle with the SEC.
U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan rejected that accord, saying he could not tell if it was fair because the bank did not have to admit or deny liability. The SEC and Citigroup have asked a federal appeals court to overturn his decision.
The cases are SEC v. JPMorgan Securities LLC et al, U.S. District Court, District of Columbia, No. 12-01862; and In re: Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC et al, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, No. 3-15098.
(The story is refiled to add dropped word 'we' in ninth paragraph quote)
Reporting by Aruna Viswanatha and Sarah N. Lynch in Washington, D.C.; and Jonathan Stempel, Karen Freifeld and Jed Horowitz in New York; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick and Richard Chang


text:
Peterson records hit in first big league at-bat
WASHINGTON -- The bus that carried the Double-A San Antonio Missions hadn't gotten too far down I-35 late Thursday when manager Rich Dauer sat down next to infielder Jace Peterson.
"He said, 'What would you say if I told you that you were going to the big leagues,'" Peterson recalled.
It's been a blur ever since for Peterson, who was officially added to the 25-man roster on Friday after the team placed third baseman Chase Headley on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right calf.
Entering the Padres' 11-1 loss as part of a double-switch in the sixth inning, Peterson had a hit on the first pitch he saw in the seventh inning and finished 1-for-2.
"It was good, the guys in here made it very easy for me. It felt like Spring Training," said Peterson. "I was looking for a fastball to hit, and it happened to be on the first pitch."
Peterson, who was watching "Happy Gilmore" on the team bus at the time of the news, celebrated the news with his teammates. The bus was heading from Frisco, Texas to San Antonio.
"All of my teammates were just as excited as I was," he said.
Peterson is no stranger to manager Bud Black and his staff, not after appearing in 20 games during the spring when Headley was down with a strain of his left calf. Peterson played some third base and also shortstop, hitting .161 in 30 at-bats with one home run and five RBIs.
"That weighed into it quite a bit," Black said. "We liked what we saw and thought he played well at shortstop and third base. Of all the options we had [internally], this seemed the move to make."
Peterson, 23, was the 58th overall pick in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft out of McNeese State, where he also played football. He was hitting .311 with a .386 on-base percentage in 74 at-bats at the time of his promotion.
Peterson said his experience in big league camp this spring, his first, helped in terms of his development and confidence.
"I really felt like I learned a lot being around the guys," he said.
In parts of four Minor League seasons, Peterson has a .283/.376/.400 line. He's topped 39 stolen bases in each of his first three professional seasons.


text:
Morrison earns Colony Invitational title
Chugiak senior Garrett Morrison pinned Kodiak's Charlie Johnson with nine seconds left in the second period of their 182-pound championship match at the Colony Invitational wrestling tournament on Jan. 6 to claim the only individual title for a Chugiak or Eagle River wrestler at the 16-team tourney.
Morrison's victory helped the Mustangs to a 10th place finish. Eagle River was 12th.
Chugiak's Alex Medeiros (195 pounds) also made the finals, but had to settle for second after dropping a narrow 7-6 decision to West's Austine Gonzalez.
Robert Huffer placed fifth for Chugiak.
Other top performances were turned in by Jake Wenzl (132) and Richard Burroughs (220), who each won their respective consolation brackets.
Logan Sheets was Eagle River's top performer with a third-place showing at 170 pounds and Ed Hall finished fourth in his season debut at 182 pounds. Zach Luff also earned placing points by finishing sixth at 120 pounds for the Wolves.


text:
NEW YORK (AP) — David Villa of Spain has signed a three-year contract with New York City FC, becoming the first player on the expansion Major League Soccer team that starts play next season at Yankee Stadium.
"Throughout my career, I've always tried to keep pushing myself to achieve new targets, and this represents another important goal for me," Villa said in a statement Monday. "I want to try and help MLS continue to grow, through playing, working hard, scoring goals and at the same time try to make New York City FC become the best team in the league."
NYCFC starts play in March, and the team plans to loan him to an unspecified club to keep him in shape until training starts in the third week of January. Claudio Reyna, the team's director of football, said loaning Villa to NYCFC parent Manchester City was not an option.
The 32-year-old forward helped Spain win the 2008 European Championship and the 2010 World Cup. He is a member of his country's roster for next month's tournament.
He missed the 2012 Euros, which Spain also won, after breaking his left leg while playing for Barcelona in the Club World Cup. He holds Spain's record with 56 international goals.
MLS said Villa was acquired on a free transfer from Spanish league champion Atletico Madrid, where he scored 15 goals in 47 games in all competitions last season.
He previously played for Sporting Gijon (2001-03), Zaragoza (2003-05), Valencia (2005-10) and Barcelona (2010-13). He helped Barcelona win the 2011 Champions League title.
Reyna wouldn't say whether NYCFC is interested in signing English midfielder Frank Lampard, who has been with Chelsea since the 2001-02 season.


text:
Salaam and Greetings of Peace:
"There is no existence save His existence. The existence of the beggar is His existence, and the existence of the sick is His existence. And the existence of all created things, both accidents and substances, is His existence; and when the secret of one particle of the atom is clear, the secret of all created things, both outward and inward, is clear; and you do not see in this world or the next anything except God." – ibn Arabi
Ya Haqq!
Note: See also this poem.


text:
Ridley Scott's film Prometheus is perhaps the first to bring in specific references to the Annunaki, the ancient aliens who make their appearance in Sumerian tales dating back to 5,000BC. I'm particularly interested to see this story reaching a more mainstream audience, not least because it has specific relevance to the Tale of Tilly Greenway and the Secrets of the Ancient Keys.
For those of you who do not know about the Annunaki, the first-known stories about them were written in cuneiform on clay tablets some 7,500 years ago. These tablets, of which there are many thousands, have been unearthed from the sands of Iraq, Iran and neighbouring areas. Whilst they range over a wide number of topics, from the creation of the world to the Flood, they all talk of a group of gods and goddesses, called the Annunaki, who visited the Earth some 250,000 years ago.
But are the tales myth or do they refer to real events? Were these gods and goddesses figments of imagination, or were they in fact three-dimensional extra-terrestrials who landed on Earth a quarter of a million years ago? This is a debate that has raged quietly behind closed doors for a long time. Now it is being opened to a wider audience.
Well-known early depiction of one of the Annunaki "gods" – note how much larger he is than the humans shown in the carving
I believe that there are many truths hidden under the label of "myth" or "legend". So let's take a look at the story of the Annuna-ki and see if we can find any evidence for them being more than simple flights of fancy.
The Sumerian word Annunaki translates as "those who came to Earth from the sky/heavens", the "ki" standing for Earth. In the Tilly Greenway tales, I call them simply The Anuna – "those who are from the sky" – because the tablets make it very clear that these early gods/space-travellers visited many other planets as well as our own.
Early in the Prometheus film we hear about a "star map" that gives directions to the planet where the aliens in the movie come from. This star map is real. Artefacts bearing its design have been discovered on every major continent, all virtually identical. (In Watchers, it features very early on, in Tilly's dream).
This in itself is remarkable, bearing in mind there was not supposed to be much travel between places such as South America and Africa until relatively recently. How, and why, would separate civilizations create the very same story, with identical images, if there were not some unifying agent? The collective subconscious is powerful for sure, but something like this is too much to be dismissed as mere "coincidence".
Who were the Annunaki and what were they doing here?
In Prometheus, the line of enquiry as to who the Annunaki were and what happened after they arrived on Earth is not answered (perhaps it will be in a second film?). In the Tilly Greenway tales (which are really a modern day rendering of the most widespread and oldest legends) I explore the idea in depth.
In much the same way that myths contain hidden truths, the accepted version of history often conceals many lies. There's a simple reason for this: victors always seek to wipe out any threat to their control by asserting their own supremacy. You could say that the accepted version of history is as much propaganda as it is a genuine record of events.
It's not surprising, then, that when conventional wisdom is challenged, those who walk the corridors of the Establishment do their best to laugh their challengers out of court. After all, they have a vested interest in maintaining their version of events, no matter how false they may be.
Right now, most modern historians and archaeologists ridicule the idea of an alien race visiting Earth at any point in its history. Yet, as time passes and more and more discoveries are made (many of them, like Gobekli Tepi, forcing us to re-think our concepts of how far back the earliest civilizations go), some are beginning to stand against the tide, especially when it comes to the possibility of early civilizations being far more developed than we have thought.
The Creation Myth – Fact or Fiction?
With over 100,000 clay tablets covered in cuneiform, the Sumerian tales are too long to do more than touch on them in one blog post (we'll revisit them in future) but the essential story is this: whilst here, the "ones who came to the Earth from the sky" (whether you choose to call them gods or extra-terrestrials is up to you) discovered a primitive hominid, presumably an ape of some kind. They then used advanced techniques to create a hybrid species, mixing their own DNA with that of the hominids to create a "worker" to mine gold for them.
One fascinating point for me here is that the tablets speak specifically of a number of medical procedures that were carried out by Annunaki scientists that were thousands of years ahead of their time. My question here is: how would those who wrote the tablets even have known about transfusions, transplants and so on if they were not happening at that time?
It was not an easy process. The tablets talk of many failed experiments in which the half-hominid, half-Annunaki "babies" were born with serious medical defects. Modern day genetic experiments have come across exactly the same issues, including the sterility of genetically-engineered hybrids – something that crops up in the Sumerian tales.
It is only when the chief Annunaki scientists use surrogate mothers from the Annunaki females (rather than the hominid females) that they are able to produce offspring that can both survive and breed. According to the tablets, these offspring were the forerunners of homeo sapiens.
In other words, thousands of clay tablets from one of the earliest known human civilisations, state quite clearly that our ancestors were all hybrids between a terrestrial and an extra-terrestrial race!
This Ubaid figurine shows a clearly non-human female nursing a non-human child
Is this such a huge leap of faith? It would certainly explain the sudden and extreme advancement in our intellect that happened somewhere between 250,000 and 150,000 years ago, for which no one has yet come up with a good answer. It might also explain other mysteries, but that is something to leave for another time. Let's just say that the potential for a cover-up is huge, which is why the Tilly Greenway saga is as much a conspiracy-story as a fantasy!
Why would I, or anyone else, suggest that there might be more to these clay tablets than meets the eye (apart from the fact that it makes for an interesting background to a novel!)? One reason is the extraordinary similarity between the Sumerian myths and those told elsewhere. Another is the unmistakable correlation between aspects of the Sumerian tales and passages that are contained within the Bible, where the very same story of the creation of mankind is told, except that the Anunnaki have been replaced by certain aspects of Yahweh.
The parallels are striking. In the Sumerian stories, the first male hybrid created by the Annunaki is called the Adamu. He and his female partner are kept in a place called The Edin. They gain knowledge which displeases some of the Annunaki hierarchy and they are removed from The Edin to fend for themselves.
Bear in mind that the Sumerian tablets pre-date the Bible scrolls by several thousand years. Is it possible, therefore, that they had no influence at all upon the scribes of the most-read "book" in the world?
For me, the "coincidences" are too great to ignore. And it doesn't stop there.
The Sumerian tales talk of the Annunaki being much taller than humans. Are there references in the Bible to giant creatures? Yes there are. Do the giants in the Bible interbreed with the indigenous population? Yes they (or their offspring, or the "sons of God") do.
Here are some of them (my italics).
"When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, "My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years." The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown." Genesis 6: 1-4
"But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, "Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it." Then the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are." So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, "The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them." Numbers 13: 30-33
"The Emim formerly lived there, a people great and many, and tall as the Anakim." Deuteronomy 2:10
"For only Og the king of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaim. Behold, his bed was a bed of iron. Is it not in Rabbah of the Ammonites? Nine cubits was its length, and four cubits its breadth, according to the common cubit." Deuteronomy 3:11
You can see from these quotations that the writers accepted the presence of giants on Earth. Note too the echo of the Sumerian word "Annunaki" in the references to the "sons of Anak" and the "Anakim" – both of whom are described as being much taller than regular humans. (For those of you who like your sci-fi, you'll recall that Darth Vader's name, before he donned the helmet and heavy-breathing act, was "Anakin")
Of course, the references to the Nephilim and the sons of God are not clear cut. Are they the same, or different? There is certainly nothing explicit here about aliens from outer-space! But whoever they were, they were clearly giants.
I'll revisit this topic of the role of giants in our history another time, especially the references to the "Watchers" or Fallen Angels which come into a number of the scrolls that were edited-out of the Bible some 1600 years ago (if you are interested, have a look at the Book of Enoch, Ethiopian text).
Tales of the Fallen Angels run deep in our psyches
To finish-up for today, I'll just float another interesting point out there.
The Sumerian tablets say that the creation of the Adamu and other hybrids took place in what we call South Africa. This is the very location that the mitochondrial DNA of the first human female, to whom we are ALL related, is now known to have originated. We have only recently discovered this, thanks to the advance in our understanding of genetics.
Could it be just "another coincidence" that stories written 7,500 years ago pointed to exactly the same place of origin as our scientists have only just discovered? Of course it could. But it's an interesting one…
Whether myth or truth, the whole rigmarole of the "ancient aliens who visited Earth" makes for an exciting back-history to the plot of a series of books, which is why they form the backbone to the Tale of Tilly Greenway and the Secrets of the Ancient Keys, a work of fiction in which I delve deep into our past from a very contemporary setting. The story draws on much documented history and my study of different myths and legends from all over the world, but essentially it is still a story, a new rendering of some of the oldest-known creation-myths of all, rather than an allegory.
What I can promise you, however, is that my research has taken me to some very interesting frontiers, beyond any of those that are currently circulated in public. As such, the series will not draw its head back into a shell, as Dan Brown's Lost Symbol did. There are some eyebrow-raising revelations to come.
You can certainly expect plenty of dark intrigue and deeds of evil as the series progresses, as well as riddles and prophecies both old and new. Then again you can expect plenty of good old-fashioned adventure, with mythical and magical creatures too!
That's the fun of blending fact and fiction. At the end of the day, it's just a story. A bit like life, really.


text:
Crash Davis: Well, he really hit the shit outta that one, didn't he?
Nuke LaLoosh: I held it like an egg…
Crash Davis: Yeah, and he scrambled the son of a bitch. Look at that, he hit the &#%$ing bull! Guy gets a free steak! You having fun yet?
Nuke LaLoosh: Oh, yeah. Havin' a blast.
Crash Davis: Good.
Nuke LaLoosh: God, that sucker teed off on that like he knew I was gonna throw a fastball!
Crash Davis: He did know.
Nuke LaLoosh: How?
Crash Davis: I told him.


text:
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that online TV service Aereo Inc, backed by media mogul Barry Diller, violates copyright law by using tiny antennas to provide subscribers with broadcast network content via the Internet.
On a 6-3 vote, the court handed a victory to the four major TV broadcasters and cast Aereo's immediate future into doubt.
The court said the service constitutes a public performance of copyrighted content. For the networks, the victory protects the estimated $3 billion in so-called retransmission fees that broadcasters get from cable and satellite TV systems.
Justice Stephen Breyer said in the majority opinion that the ruling should not spell trouble for cloud-based content services in which personal files — including TV shows and music — are stored remotely on the Internet on servers from companies such as Google Inc, Microsoft Corp, DropBox Inc and Box Inc.
Aereo had argued that cloud services use the Internet in the same way as it does to store and transfer copyrighted content.
The case came before the court when Walt Disney Co's ABC network, CBS Corp., Comcast Corp's NBCUniversal and Twenty-First Century Fox Inc. appealed a decision by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in April 2013 that denied their request to shut Aereo down while litigation moves forward.
Aereo, backed by Barry Diller's IAC/InterActiveCorp, charges users a low monthly fee to watch live or recorded broadcast TV channels on computers or mobile devices. Aereo does not pay the broadcasters.
(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Howard Goller and WIll Dunham)


text:
PINK FLOYD - The Story Of Wish You Were Trailer Posted
June 11, 2012, 8 years ago
Eagle Rock Entertainment recently announced the simultaneous release on June 26th of PINK FLOYD - The Story Of Wish You Were Here, on DVD and Blu-ray. This is the authorized story of the album made with the full involvement and approval of the members of Pink Floyd.
Wish You Were Here, released in September 1975, was the follow up album to the globally successful The Dark Side Of The Moon and is cited by many fans, as well as band members Richard Wright and David Gilmour, as their favorite Pink Floyd album. On release it went straight to #1 in both the UK and the US and topped the charts in many other countries around the world. This program tells the story of the making of this landmark release through new interviews with Roger Waters, David Gilmour and Nick Mason and archive interviews with the late Richard Wright. Also featured are sleeve designer Storm Thorgerson, guest vocalist Roy Harper, front cover "burning man" Ronnie Rondell and others involved in the creation of the album. In addition, original recording engineer Brian Humphries revisits the master tapes at Abbey Road Studios to illustrate aspects of the songs' construction.
The band members discuss the album's themes of absence, the greed of the music business and former band member Syd Barrett, who is famously celebrated in 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond', which both opens and closes the album. The program also covers the unexpected visit Barrett paid to Abbey Road during the recording, the difficulties of the early recording sessions and how the decision to split 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' into two sections was the catalyst for the album's successful completion.
The DVD and Blu-ray releases contain additional bonus material not featured in the TV broadcast version, including further interviews with Roger Waters, David Gilmour and Nick Mason plus Roger Waters and David Gilmour performing excerpts from the Wish You Were Here album.
The Story Of Wish You Were Here is a fascinating document and fitting tribute to Pink Floyd's outstanding achievement in the creation of this masterpiece.
Check out a new trailer below:


text:
My time in Africa: Lessons, experiences and concessions
- 9 September 2015
- From the section Africa
We've paid off the six armed guards who've been protecting us, haggled over excess baggage, and I'm now writing this in a small plane heading south from the sun-baked Somali port of Bosaso, across the vast, yellow-brown plains of the Horn of Africa, towards Nairobi.
It's a special moment for me.
I've spent just over a decade living and working on this continent, and this is the end of my final trip in this particular job, and so a chance - first of all - to say thank you for taking the trouble to read this blog, and the many others I've written, in courtrooms, under trees and stars, in tents, hotel rooms, stadiums, bars, huts and airports all over Africa.
It's been a wonderful, enthralling, sometimes sobering privilege. And now, of course, comes the temptation to offer you some grand conclusions about the future of the continent.
But fear not.
Read full article My time in Africa: Lessons, experiences and concessions
Somalia warns of return to piracy
- 31 August 2015
- From the section Africa
In northern Somalia, government officials are warning of a revival of piracy, unless foreign nations - and the naval armada patrolling the coast - do more to help create jobs and security ashore, and to combat illegal fishing at sea.
At first glance, the ramshackle fishing port of Eyl looked much like it did in 2009, when I first drove down a narrow canyon from the surrounding plateau, accompanied by armed security guards, and walked across the white sands towards the sea.
How the US and China compete for influence in Africa
- 24 July 2015
- From the section Africa
As US President Barack Obama visits East Africa this weekend there is an understandable focus on issues like security and counter-terrorism, as well as entrepreneurship.
But for many people on the continent, America's role appears to be a distant, nebulous one, increasingly overshadowed by that of another emerging global super-power.
Read full article How the US and China compete for influence in Africa
Ethiopian journalist on fear of returning to prison
- 14 July 2015
- From the section Africa
It's never an easy decision: Should I interview someone who wants to talk in public, but who knows that a word out of line could mean arrest and imprisonment?
I've wrestled with the issue before in Myanmar, also known as Burma, Zimbabwe, Iraq and elsewhere.
Read full article Ethiopian journalist on fear of returning to prison
The Ethiopians who predict an end to international aid
- 13 July 2015
- From the section Africa
The rains have been poor again in this mountainous corner of north-eastern Ethiopia - the site of the 1984 famine in which hundreds of thousands of people starved to death.
But just north of the small market town of Korem, bright green fields and neatly terraced hillsides surround a vast lake, and in the brand new local hospital, the ward reserved for severely malnourished babies is all but empty.
Read full article The Ethiopians who predict an end to international aid
Fifa corruption: South Africa cash 'worrisome'
- 14 June 2015
- From the section Africa
A key figure in South Africa's football World Cup bid has broken ranks with the government to suggest there might be some truth to a claim that a $10m bribe was paid to secure the 2010 tournament.
Tokyo Sexwale told the BBC the US allegations were "worrisome".
Read full article Fifa corruption: South Africa cash 'worrisome'
South Africa nerves unsettled amid World Cup bribe scandal
- 9 June 2015
- From the section Africa
As South Africa's football executives, and indeed its government, wait anxiously for more details about the FBI's claim that the 2010 Fifa World Cup vote was rigged, a steady leak of emails and letters appears to be doing little to calm nerves in the country.
Indeed at the weekend, in perhaps the most forceful and curious outburst yet, a former Safa boss, Molefi Oliphant, said he had felt "betrayed" by the current Safa president, Danny Jordaan.
Read full article South Africa nerves unsettled amid World Cup bribe scandal
Fifa bribe claim: South Africa comes out fighting
- 3 June 2015
- From the section Africa
South Africa's sports minister was on fiery, bombastic form in Johannesburg, as he lashed out against the bribery allegations being levelled against his country.
Fikile Mbalula made it clear he believed "vested interests," and "imperialism" led by a United States "parading itself as "the world's policeman," were behind the FBI's sensational claim that South Africa paid $10 million to secure the 2010 World Cup.
Read full article Fifa bribe claim: South Africa comes out fighting
Did South Africa pay a World Cup bribe?
- 3 June 2015
- From the section Africa
So did South Africa really pay a $10m (£6.5m) dollar bribe to make sure they won the right to host the 2010 World Cup?
This is one of the several corruption allegations engulfing Fifa, whose president, Sepp Blatter, has just announced he will be resigning.
South Africa new visa rules: Paranoia or security?
- 1 June 2015
- From the section Africa
Is it a bold move to fight child trafficking and protect South Africa's borders? Or a paranoid gamble that will damage one of the country's most important industries and add to soaring unemployment?
South Africa has introduced new rules, requiring any child crossing its borders to be in possession of - or to have earlier submitted during a visa application - a full, unabridged birth certificate.
Read full article South Africa new visa rules: Paranoia or security?


text:
That's about the sum total of what I could get from her. I connected a USB mouse (can't find my USB keyboard?!?) which allowed me to get into Device Manager to see a flag next to the keyboard. I thought the simplest thing would be to uninstall the keyboard, reboot and let it reinstall, which it did. Now there's no flag, however, it still doesn't work. To add insult to injury, now there's a flag next to the Elan pointing device."My address book was hacked and all of a sudden my touchpad and my keyboard don't work."
I'm wondering if I shouldn't just back up her data and reinstall Windows. What do y'all think?
Jack (unfaithfulsfan under another user name, hopefully temporarily)


text:
Aug 5th, 2020, 05:30 PM
We want to hear from you. Let us know if you have any suggestions or ideas for NEW products that you would like to see Meguiar's come out with.
Dec 20th, 2019, 11:53 PM
Which new product would be of...
Dec 8th, 2016, 02:27 AM
Dec 23rd, 2018, 05:37 PM
Feb 21st, 2020, 02:59 PM
There are currently 6 users browsing this forum. (0 members & 6 guests)


text:
Knowing what a product does may help you decide to purchase that product. When you know all about a food dehydrator you may decide you have to have this product. Dehydrating food is a way to preserve it without refrigeration. From fruits, herbs and meat you can have your favorites anytime and anywhere you are.
Browse Our Top Picks
Drying fruit is a great way to always have something healthy with you to eat. Grapes become raisins and you have a snack great for everyone's lunch or tail mix. Sometimes you may even have a recipe that calls for dried fruit. If you have this product in hand not only will you have what you need for your recipes, but you can have dried and delicious fruit anytime.
Beef Jerky has become a great family favorite snack. Not only is beef jerky quick and easy you can take it almost anywhere. From packed lunches for school to a backpack for a nature's hike, beef jerky is a great treat. Being able to make your own will mean that you will have better value because you can make as much as you need.
Your options to the healthy snacks and recipes are endless when you have all the products you need for every recipe and idea. Knowing what they can do for you and your family may make it your next small appliance purchase.
Dehydrating Saves On Your Budget
Being able to have fruit on hand whenever you need it even if it isn't fresh will allow you and your family to enjoy healthy fruit snacks. You can make your own fruit roll ups and even your own raisins when you have one of these dehydrators in your kitchen. Bananas can be dried to enjoy whenever you want them. All this and more will help you get the most value from your grocery budget.
You will be able to make your own herbs, again saving more money. Drying your own herbs will allow you to enjoy great taste and pride in knowing that you were able dry them yourself. Getting the most of every dollar you spend at the grocery store may be a little easier when you choose from any model to add to your kitchen.
We also have information at this site about and other supplies!


text:
Cardigan Island sits like a crescent moon at the northern tip of the deep bight of the Teiifi Estuary where the river enters Cardigan Bay.
It once had a thriving puffin colony, but in 1934 the passenger ship Herefordshire foundered on the rocky shore of the island and, when rats left the sinking ship it signalled the end of burrow-nesting birds. It was a rat's paradise with such vulnerable birds at their mercy. They had a living larder of food to last them a lifetime.
In recent years the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, who manage the island as a nature reserve, have conducted a rigorous eradication project to rid the island of the rats, and following the success of this Pied Piper operation, efforts have been made restore the Puffins and Manx Shearwaters to Cardigan island, the Trust's first island reserve acquired 50 years ago. People on the mainland or in passing boats, scanning the island through binoculars, were prompted to hail the return of the birds when they saw some perched on the cifftop. But these birds were not busy collecting sand-eels to take back for their young, they were in fact modelled replicas placed at strategic points to encourage the real birds to return. The Trust also tried to attract the Shearwaters back both by introducing young birds from Skomer and Skokholm, in the hope that they would return after their winter wanderings, and by attempting to lure them there with solar-powered nocturnal call sounds. But all in vain. It is thought the flourshing colonies of predatory gulls are as much a deterrent as the marauding rats.
The island is out of bounds to visitors, except for bona fide naturalists and scientists authorised by the Wildlife Trust to go there for research purposes, for it is a protected reserve, the home of seals, seabirds and a flock of rare Soay sheep, the descendants of animals which were introduced to both Skomer and St Margaret's Island near Tenby a few decades ago. They are a breed of sheep the Vikings introduced to islands all round the British coast in days gone by.
On the headland opposite the island is a very different wildlife colony. There the clifftop is populated by wallabies, llamas, goats, cattle, pigs, Shetland ponies, guinea pigs and goats in the rather misleadingly named Cardigan Island Coastal Farm Park some 200 yards from Gwbert Head. The only thing this unusual tourist attraction has in common with the island is the magnificent panoramic views over Cardigan Bay and the chance for the visitors to catch a glimpse of the Bottle Nose Dolphins and porpoises which are present in the bay. The Park is open from March to October and, in addition to the attractions, particularly for children, of feeding some of the animals by hand, playing in the adventure playground, or taking rides in the tractor-drawn trailer taxi, visitors can enjoy views of the seals in the breeding cove below.


text:
#1-rated data collection software in the world
Carlson Software combines advanced functionality, ease-of-use, and sheer capability to make it the first choice in data collection software. Users have the freedom to choose their hardware provider through Carlson Software's support for a variety of RTK GPS and conventional/ robotic Total Stations, new and legacy.
Accurate data collection is the basis for any successful project. View Carlson Software's choices with SurvCE for handheld data collectors or SurvPC and Field for rugged PCs. All provide a highly graphical and intuitive user interface that prompts the user so no detail is missed. Carlson data collection software supports the widest range of popular and new release RTK GPS and conventional/robotic total stations or use with Carlson-branded data collectors.
Existing SurvCE users, feel free to visit the resource center: SurvCE.com


text:
An otherwise pleasant opening weekend at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival ended with a small band of gay-hating zealots getting shouted down by a crowd of local high school students, with some help from pot-stirrer Kevin Smith.
Considering that Smith has cited Westboro Baptist founder Fred Phelps as an inspiration for his new horror film, "Red State," which was making its world premiere Sunday, it's hardly surprising that eight members of the church showed up at the Eccles theater to express their displeasure. In fact, the church has been talking up its protest for weeks beforehand, and Smith has been planning his retaliation for just as long.
"Red State" tells the story of three horny teens who respond to an online ad allegedly from a middle-aged woman interested in group sex. Instead of the time of their lives, the kids find themselves confronted with a terrifying monster that thinks its doing God's work
U.S. & World
The church, which made a name for itself by having picketing military funerals with signs reading such epithets like, "God hates fags," showed up around 2 pm at Eccles carrying signs and chanting, but were quickly swarmed by some 200 kids from Park City High, the school that is home to the theater.
"To me, it's offensive. It's unnecessary to shove it down people's throats," Grant Sanderson, a senior at the Park City High School told the Park Record.
A few Westboro folks showed up a couple hours later, shortly before the 6:30 premiere, where they were met by a smaller crowd carrying absurd signs of their own, saying things like, "God Hate Crowds," "Thor Hates Straights," and "God Hates Mewes" (a reference to Smith's frequent collaborator Jason Mewes). Smith himself gleefully grabbed signs and carried them with him on his way into the theater.
"This is just a beautiful preaching opportunity," Westboro Baptist's Shirley Phelps-Roper told the Los Angles Times. "Kevin Smith can keep mocking and scoffing but we're just going to climb on his back."
The whole thing sounds like a publicist's dream.