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This black finish energy efficient aluminum desk lamp by Koncept comes equipped with one touch dimming and on/off capabilities.
Additional Info:
The Gen 3 Z-Bar Solo desk lamp is a compact design with an LED head that can fold flat against the body. It produces 40% more light than Gen 2 models and features improved design and adjustability. The LED arm can swing up and down and pivot left and right to precisely illuminate the task at hand. Slide your finger along the touchstrip to dim gradually, or touch anywhere on the strip to jump directly to any brightness, including off. The energy efficient LEDs produce a cool light that will last for up to 50,000 hours.


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Dementia Friends & Hospice Tour
Course date29 March 2018
Course Times10:00 - 12:00
Who is this course for?
Any health care professionals and members of the community who want to learn more about dementia and the small ways you can help and/or would like to know more about the work of the Hospice.
Course Content:
A Dementia Friend learns a little of what it is like to live with dementia. Anyone of any age can be a Dementia Friend. These sessions are run by Dementia Friends Champions who are trained and supported by the Alzheimer's Society.
We invite you to come and get to know North London Hospice and learn more about the services we provide. Our aim is to get people talking and thinking about hospice care, dispel common myths and encourage people to support their local hospice. During your visit you will be given a tour of the hospice site, receive information about the services we provide and how the hospice is funded as well as have the opportunity to ask any questions.
You are welcome to attend both the Dementia Friends session and Hospice Tour together or either session alone.
Fee: Free
Tours are free of charge, however donations towards patient care are welcome

subset: commoncrawl


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Rugged Luxury Watches With a High-Flying Story
The rugged, stylish watches from Bremont come from two aviation-obsessed brothers with a rich history. Michael Clerizo joins Lunch Break as they prepare to offer their designs online, an uncommon move for luxury timepiece brands. Photo: Bremont Chronometers.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
I ... oh ... toys for ... boys and girls I mean the luxury aviation watch brand ... aims to break ground where few high-end timepieces dare think Allen F the internet ... one marking shipments favor is an incredible backstory behind the brand Joinus right now is WSJ's ... timepiece correspondent Michael ... every said Mike thanks for being here you almost couldn't make this story up behind Braemar money to summarize quickly two brothers in great Britain their father teaches them to fly planes in the early days ... during one flight the plane crashes ... kills the father leaves one of the sun's face a long road to recovery You Flash fourteen now ... they both left their jobs in finance to create something more fulfilling which is this watch company now what I'm curious about to hear from you is what are some of their creations like and who is the clientele buying them ... why else are great aunts tennis email today asking them brand ... average age is in the late thirties early forties either people in the fourth watch anywhere from five thousand dollars ... to sixty thousand dollars ... launches ... himself ... from a classic in that in their good looks ... we waited too long never go out of fashion ... Nevada style that are good and the board in the ... future climbing up the difference ... they have partnered with some interesting companies I and and and and enterprises to create these watches designed them and give them the names tells about it here the Michael ... Whelan ... it's called the U two ... and they are ... small ... U two spy plane pilots in California ... why is this watch it's especially a close in the dollar ... so that a pilot can see a lonely ... it also can withstand extremely cold conditions ... and ... can withstand greater acceleration great key words ... they've also the same thing with the crews of the team owners ... so they're they're they're worth every aspect of their watches and that is a huge buyer words is in ... Israel Australia ... the U K all of the world to me and that filters through ... to the look you want to see body shops ... McNamara now to the extent and to sell online the men's wear site called Mr Porter and before we delve into that ... and ... why the luxury ... watch world generally is so again selling online ... Citi's is really where the case when his ministry brands have spent generations building retail networks and distribution networks and they spent hundreds of millions of dollars to do this that it produces around ten is designed to happen in New Bond Street ... and they don't want to see that investment ... the Indians to buy suddenly someone online also they will annoy a lot of retailers and distributors ... if they didn't sell on ... secondly ... the internet is seen as a discount media ... in these people don't want to sell their watches to step ... in the late the ... buying experience on the internet was just the U K there a day been ... very very boring compared to what you get ... when you go into a shop ... devise a lot to read watch ... they give you a much better time ... instead it ... works ... in an SEC trumpets in the campaign ... all those things happen you get down into the founders of Raya not they have this sort of amazing story behind both both themselves and the brand as well as individual walks and wondering why ... this Mr Porter online ... I've distribution outlet appeals to them I ... yes ... because first of all ... this reporter has a similar demographic ... added eighteen there is a daddy's that people are very busy work a lot when you travel often are very successful ... they don't want to spend there it's me time shopping ... and spending their families are enjoying themselves ... secondly ... Mr Porter sells leather jackets for ten thousand dollars ... it's a sign that doesn't this can't ... say that's not an issue ... and thirdly ... it was a lot of information inside is almost like a magazine that you can ... they are already down there and see something one body ... click on a bomb ... so it's the shopping experience that is the wet way and so ... on ... enjoyable really ... an APU locked in addition to their online magazine and frame honestly just insane is a wonderful story and all that kind of information is on the website sealer by the law they ... are I have been interesting test of Andre Watson can read more about this see more on the watches the often section tomorrow with hippies Michael thank so much for being


text: See What Others Can't See ASUS ZenPad 10's PixelMaster camera captures memorable moments. PixelMaster Camera comes with best technology that combines software and optical design to deliver incredible images. Capture life's precious moments in any environment ASUS ZenPad 10's 2MP rear-facing camera takes astounding images. The 0.3MP front-facing camera shoots sharp selfies and clear video chats. *May vary by SKU and country 2MP REAR CAMERA f/2.2 APERTURE Incredible super HDR photography for extreme backlight scenario ASUS ZenPad 10's PixelMaster camera technology includes HDR to improve the light balance. Innovative pixel-enhancing technology increases the brightness and details of shaded areas; HDR ensures that the photos you capture look just what your eyes see. Don't leave anyone out with selfie panorama 140-degree panoramic selfies ASUS ZenPad 10 lets you think broader and shoot wider! With Selfie Panorama mode of up to 140 degrees, you'll capture more of your happy times. Snap yourself and all your friends together or landscape backdrops! For an even more glamorous you Easy-to-use beautification tools that adjust in real-time ASUS ZenPad 10's Beautification mode makes you or your subjects even better looking before your eyes. Just let ASUS ZenPad 10 balance facial features, soften complexions and remove skin blemishes to create flawless photos — and all in real time!


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In his first major public address since losing last November's presidential race, Mitt Romney offered gratitude and some advice to a ballroom full of enthusiastic conservative activists Friday.
"Now, as someone who just lost the last election, I'm probably not in the best position to chart the course for the next one," Mr. Romney said to laughter at the 40th annual Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC.
Then he made a well-received strong pitch to follow the lead of the Republican governors.
"Perhaps because I'm a former governor, I would urge us all to learn lessons that come from some of our greatest success stories," Romney said. "And that's 30 Republican governors across the country."
He pointed in particular to Republican governors in Democratic-leaning and swing states, such as New Jersey, Virginia, Ohio, New Mexico, Wisconsin, and Nevada. Notably, two of those governors – Chris Christie of New Jersey and Bob McDonnell of Virginia – were not invited to speak at CPAC, presumably because of recent actions that broke with conservative orthodoxy.
Romney's reception at CPAC was perhaps his warmest yet for a man who governed Massachusetts as a moderate and who has had a mixed relationship with conservatives over the years. The crowd cheered and stood when he took the stage, and stood again as he finished.
Overall, the CPAC crowd – many of them college students – was energetic and attentive, happy to be among like-minded people and receiving the attentions of leading conservative political figures.
Last year, Romney raised eyebrows when he told CPAC he had been a "severely conservative governor." But he went on to win the group's annual presidential straw poll anyway, though just barely, beating former Sen. Rick Santorum, 38 percent to 31 percent. Romney had also won the CPAC straw poll from 2007 to 2009. In 2008, when he lost the Republican nomination to Sen. John McCain of Arizona, he was seen as the conservative alternative.
In 2013, it was a different Romney who took the CPAC stage, held this year at a big convention center in suburban Maryland. He looked tanned and rested, not so much eager to please as eager to stay involved as the Republicans seek to recover from last November's failures.
Romney acknowledged mistakes, but did not go into specifics.
"Of course, I left the race disappointed that I didn't win," he said, adding that he was "honored and humbled to have represented the values we believe in."
"You are a winner!" an audience member shouted.
"It's up to us to make sure that we learn from our mistakes and my mistakes and that we take advantage of that learning to make sure that we take back the nation, take back the White House, get the Senate, and put in place conservative principles," Romney said.
He gave shout-outs to numerous GOP governors, citing the actions of some.
"Gov. Nathan Deal in Georgia secured a constitutional amendment that makes sure they can have charter schools," Romney said. "Gov. Rick Snyder – [cheers, applause] – got in place right-to-work legislation in Michigan. [Cheers, applause.] A number of these Republican governors were able to secure tort reform, and a whole horde of Republican governors inherited budgets that were badly out of balance and have replaced deficits with surpluses."
Romney also spoke fondly of his former running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan (R) of Wisconsin. But earlier in the day, when Congressman Ryan spoke from the same podium, Romney's name did not come up. Instead, Ryan wore his hat as chairman of the House Budget Committee, lampooning the budget released earlier this week by Senate Democrats.
"When you read it, you find that the Vatican's not the only place blowing smoke this week," said Ryan, a possible contender for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination.
It was the job of a CPAC panel Thursday morning to examine what went wrong in the 2012 race. The segment was called "CSI Washington, D.C.: November 2012 Autopsy."
Tucker Carlson, the moderator and editor of The Daily Caller website, called the Romney campaign "a totally mediocre effort."
"Some of it was the consultants, but ultimately the candidate selects the consultants," said panelist John Fund, a writer at The American Spectator.
On Thursday, the first day of CPAC, one of the panels was called "Should We Shoot All the Consultants Now?" Friday's autopsy panel agreed it wasn't necessary to go that far. But panel members didn't struggle to put forth other ideas. For starters, they agreed that the Democrats cleaned the Republicans' clocks with their use of data, technology, and micro-targeting.
"I would suggest the Republican Party probably needs a more gritty, populist approach to dealing with the electorate," said Mr. Fund.
Former Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle (R) of New York, who lost reelection in November after serving one term, made a plea for more outreach to women and minorities – but not to apologize for being conservative.
"[Republicans] have to understand that the days of the good old boy party, the days of the establishment … are forever gone," said Ms. Buerkle, who was elected in 2010 on a wave of tea party support.
"If they don't embrace change," she added, "the party will become extinct."
Fund suggested this year's gubernatorial race in Virginia, which is expected to be competitive, is a good place to start.
"The road to 2016 is through Virginia," he said. "The way to come back is to win, the way to win is to absorb the lessons of 2012 and use them in 2013. The best place to begin that is right across the river in Virginia."
On Monday, the Republican National Committee will release its own "autopsy" on what went wrong last November.


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6 Russians die in snowmobile crash in Italy
ROME (AP) -- Six Russians were killed and two seriously injured when the snowmobile and sled they were riding veered off an Italian Alpine ski slope at night, slammed into a barrier and flew through the air into a ravine.
The accident occurred Friday, and when rescuers arrived at the scene six of the victims were found dead on the slope of Mount Cermis, in the Trentino-Alto Adige region of northeast Italy, said Cavalese Fire Department Cmdr. Roberto Marchi.
"It is clear that the fundamental cause is recklessness and imprudence," Marchi told Sky TG24 TV in an interview on the slope Saturday. It is labeled "pista nera" or the black ski run, indicating a level of steepness and other difficult conditions suitable only for the most experienced skiers.
Six of the people involved in the accident were Russian tourists and the other two were Russians who worked in Italy in the tourist industry.
Cavalese Mayor Silvano Welponer said that putting a driver and passenger in the snowmobile and having it pull six passengers in the sled "made for a very heavy load. You have to know what you are doing and have the experience" to safely handle that, he said. The ANSA news agency said authorities were performing tests to determine if the snowmobile's driver -- who survived the crash -- was drunk.
The sled-towing snowmobile cut a spectacular trajectory after it veered off the slope on a curve, hit the manmade barrier, flew through the air while shearing the tips off tree branches, then landed in the ravine, Italian news reports said.
RAI state radio said the slope was unlit, and other Italian news reports quoted local officials as saying it had been closed for the day and that the only vehicles allowed on it when it is open are staff or rescue ones. The Russians were believed to have dined at the top of the slopes and were heading back to their hotel when they crashed, the reports said.
The Russian consul general in Milan, Alexei Parmonov, said on Russian state television that he was in contact with Italian investigators, who he said suspect the crash was caused by excessive speed.
They also were checking the possibility of a mechanical malfunction. Italian prosecutors formally opened a probe to see if manslaughter charges should be filed, Italian news reports said.
Parmonov identified the four men and two women who died in the crash.
Five of them and also one of the injured men were tourists from Krasnodar, a region in southern Russia that includes Sochi, which is preparing to hold the 2014 Winter Olympics. One of the dead women and the other injured man worked in Italy in the tourist industry.
The Russian diplomat identified the dead as Denis Kravchenko, Irina Kravchenko, Vyacheslav Sleptsov, Yulia Yudina, Lyudmila Yudina and Rafilya Pshenichnaya. The injured, he said, were Boris Yudin and Azat Agafarov. All except Pshenichnaya and Agafarov were tourists from Krasnodar. Yudin's 17-year-old son, who stayed behind in the hotel, lost his mother and sister in the accident, while his father was hospitalized with multiple fractures, Parmonov said.
A day of entertainment had been planned for the Val di Fiemme ski resort area Saturday, ahead of the World Cup cross-country ski competition, but the festivities were canceled because of the accident.
Two high-profile deadly accidents have occurred on Mount Cermis.
In 1998, a U.S. Marine jet, flying low on a training run from a nearby air base, sliced a ski gondola's cable, sending the cable car crashing to the ground and claiming 20 lives. The accident triggered months of tension between Italy and the United States, two traditionally good allies.
In 1976, a ski gondola broke off from its cable and plunged to the slope, killing 42 people.


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Your DMV Smog Check Renewal Notice
Most vehicles in California are required to pass a Smog Check every two years for registration renewal. Your DMV Registration Renewal Notice will indicate if your vehicle needs a Smog Check. You may take your vehicle to any Smog Check station, unless it requires a Smog Check at a STAR station.
Where do I get a Smog Check?
What should I take to the Smog Check station?
If you are renewing your registration, you only need to take your vehicle, your Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Registration Renewal Notice, and a method of payment for the Smog Check.
What happens during a Smog Check?
While performing a Smog Check, the licensed inspector will connect testing equipment to your vehicle. This equipment is connected to computers at the Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR).
If the vehicle passes the test, the vehicle information and test results are electronically transmitted to the DMV. The staff at the Smog Check station will provide you with a receipt and a copy of the test results, known as a Vehicle Inspection Report (VIR).
What do I do next?
If your vehicle passes Smog Check, you may continue your vehicle registration with the DMV. Although test results are submitted electronically to the DMV, it's a good idea retain your VIR paperwork in case the electronic transmission was not received by the DMV.
If your vehicle fails a Smog Check, you have several options to meet your Smog Check obligations.
You can:
- Have it diagnosed and repaired at a licensed repair facility
If you choose to have your vehicle diagnosed and repaired, keep in mind that all emission-related repairs to correct a smog test failure must be performed by a licensed Smog Check repair technician at a licensed Smog Check repair station.
After repairs are completed, you may have your vehicle re-tested at any Smog Check station. If your vehicle requires an inspection at a STAR station, you must have your vehicle re-tested at a STAR station.
- Get a second opinion from the Referee
The Referee can assist you with disputes from a previous Smog Check, inspections of unusual vehicles, and locating hard-to-find emissions parts.
- Apply for financial assistance for emissions-related repairs from the Consumer Assistance Program (CAP)
Up to $500 in emission-related repairs is available to consumers whose vehicles fail a biennial (every other year) Smog Check if they meet income eligibility requirements.
- Seek a Repair Cost Waiver through the Referee Network if you cannot afford to repair your vehicle
The Repair Cost Waiver process is available if you have had some repairs performed to reduce emissions and cannot afford further repairs to pass the smog test.
- Apply for Vehicle Retirement through the Consumer Assistance Program (CAP)
If you feel your vehicle is not worth repairing, you can retire it from operation for up to $1,500 at a State-approved dismantler.


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Population structure and sexual maturity of the calico box crab Hepatus epheliticus Linnaeus (Brachyura, Hepatidae) from Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
Estructura poblacional y madurez sexual en el cangrejo caja moteado Hepatus epheliticus Linnaeus (Brachyura, Hepatidae) procedente de la Península del Yucatán, México
Patricio Hernáez1, Artur Rombenso2, Marcelo A.A. Pinheiro3 & Nuno Simões4
1Laboratory of Bioecology and Crustacean Systematics, Postgraduate Program Department of Biology, FFCLRP, University of São Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes 3900 CEP 14040-901, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil ]]>
2Oceanology School of the University of Federal of Rio Grande
3Research Group in Crustacean Biology (CRUSTA), University Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Campus Experimental do Litoral Paulista (CLP), Praça Infante Dom Henrique s/n Parque Bitaru, 11330-900, São Vicente, SP, Brazil
4Unidad Multidisciplinaria de Docencia e Investigación de Sisal, Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Nacional Autonoma of Mexico
Corresponding to:
ABSTRACT. The calico box crab Hepatus epheliticus is an abundant species from shallow and continental shelf waters of the Atlantic coast of USA and Mexico. Information about population structure and sexual maturity is absent, even though this crab is caught to be used as bait for the octopus fishery in the Campeche Bank, Mexico. In order to achieve such information, a total of 768 individuals were collected from January to March 2010 through baited traps installed in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Our results showed that sex ratio is biased towards more males than females (1:0.55), contradicting to that reported in other brachyuran crabs. The absence of ovigerous females suggests that they did not enter into the traps during embryogenesis. Males reached a larger maximum size than females (64.0 ± 6.15 and 58.4 ± 5.60 mm carapace width, respectively). The general scheme of growth being positive allometric throughout ontogeny of both sexes. Males presented a transition phase from juveniles to adult corresponding to the puberty moult. The estimation of the onset of functional sexual maturity revealed a steady situation for the population, with 21.5 and 13.8% of males and females, respectively, morphologically immature at the time of catch. This study constitutes the first report on population structure and sexual maturity in a population of the calico box crab H. epheliticus.
Keywords: population structure, sexual maturity, biometry, Hepatus epheliticus, Yucatan Peninsula, México.
RESUMEN. El cangrejo caja moteado Hepatus epheliticus es un abundante braquiuro perteneciente a la familia Hepatidae, distribuido desde aguas someras hasta la plataforma continental en la costa atlántica de Estados Unidos y México. La información sobre su demografía poblacional y madurez sexual es actualmente inexistente, aun cuando esta especie es intensamente capturada como carnada en la pesquería del pulpo del estado de Campeche, México. Entre enero y marzo de 2010, se colectaron 768 especímenes usando trampas instaladas en la Península de Yucatán, México. Los resultados mostraron una proporción sexual completamente inclinada hacia los machos (1:0,55), lo cual contradice el esquema general reportado en otras especies de braquiuros. La ausencia total de hembras ovígeras, sugiere su resistencia a ingresar a las trampas durante el periodo de incubación de los embriones. Los machos alcanzaron un tamaño promedio mayor que las hembras (64,0 ± 6,15 y 58,4 ± 5,60 mm de ancho del caparazón, respectivamente), siendo el crecimiento de tipo alométrico positivo a lo largo de la ontogenia de ambos sexos. Los machos presentaron una fase de transición desde juveniles a adultos correspondiente a la muda de pubertad. La estimación de la madurez sexual funcional mostró una situación normal para la población, con 21,5 y 13,8% de machos y hembras respectivamente, morfológicamente inmaduros al momento de ser capturados. Este estudio constituye la primera aproximación a la estructura poblacional y madurez sexual del cangrejo caja moteado H. epheliticus.
Palabras clave: estructura poblacional, madurez sexual, biometría, Hepatus epheliticus, península de Yucatán, México.]]>
The calico box crab Hepatus epheliticus Linnaeus (Hepatidae) is an abundant subtidal crab that lives buried in sandy substrate between depths of 2 to 91 m (Franks et al., 1972). This species occurs throughout the Chesapeake Bay to western Bay of Campeche, Mexico (Rickner, 1977), but it has also been reported from Cuba, Jamaica and Dominican Republic (Williams, 1984). In the Campeche Bank, Mexico, this crab is heavily fished and used as bait for the octopus fishery (Octopus maya Voss & Solís-Ramírez, 1966). In Mexico the octopus fishery is the third most important not only in volume, but also in value, and it is concentrated in the Campeche and Yucatan coastal states (Salas et al., 2009). From early August to mid December, the octopus fishery demands high numbers of crabs for bait, which are used tied at the end of slowly dragging lines over hard bottom, to which the octopus grabs (Arreguín-Sánchez et al., 1987, 2000). The calico box crab is also fished as by-catch in the baited crab traps set up for portunids ("jaibas"), popular year-round on the local seafood market. Although there are reports on the octopus fishery, little is known on the catch statistics of H. epheliticus and collateral effects of the octopus-jaibas fishing pressure on their populations. In fact, as far as we know, there is no report on neither size-frequency distribution, sex ratio nor on sexual maturity of this crab. Such lack of data on the population biology of this crab species impedes any attempt for ecosystem based management by the local authorities, as the species is a natural prey item of both octopus and other demersal fishes.
The present study examines for the first time the population structure and sexual maturity in the calico box crab H. epheliticus from the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Such information provides valuable insights into the ecology of this crab and could facilitate future sustainable management of this species in the gulf of Mexico.
Specimens were collected between January and March 2010 from subtidal zone along the coast of Sisal, Yucatan Peninsula, Gulf of Mexico (21°10'N, 90°00'W). Crabs were collected using baited traps (2 cm diameter mesh) and identified according to Williams (1984). After collecting the crabs, each individual was sexed based upon macroscopic characters such as the morphology of the abdomen (Fig. 1), presence of gonopods (males) and number of pleopods. Specimens of each sex were grouped into 1 mm CW size classes (CW = carapace width); thereafter, data were plotted as length-frequency histograms to analyze the population structure of each morphotype (males, females without eggs, and ovigerous females). The normal component of each sex was separated using the Bhattacharya method and confirmed by Normsep routine, both included in FiSAT software (Gayanilo et al., 1996). This analysis, based on the identification of each cohort's mean, allows the separation of each modal component. Sex ratio was estimated as the number of males divided by the number of females. Departures from the expected 1:1 ratio were tested statistically using a chi-square test (P < 0.05, Sokal & Rohlf, 1995). The data distribution was tested using a goodness of fit proof.
Figure 1. Morphometric variables measured in the a) carapace, b) gonopod, c) chela, d) abdomen of the adult male, and e) female. Where CL: carapace length; CW: carapace width; PL: chelar propodus length; PH: chelar propodus height, GL: gonopod length; A6: width of sixth abdominal segment. Scale measurement is valid for all structures.
Figura 1. Variables morfométricas medidas en los individuos: a) caparazón, b) gonópodo, c) quela, d) abdomen masculino y e) femenino de ejemplares adultos. Donde CL: longitud del caparazón; CW: ancho del caparazón; PL: longitud del propodio de la quela; PH: altura del propodio de la quela, GL: longitud del gonópodo; A6: longitud del sexto segmento abdominal. Escala de mediciones válida para todas las estructuras.
The following measurements were made with a precision vernier calipers (nearest 0.1 mm) on each specimen: carapace length (CL: from the anterior margin of the rostrum to the posterior margin of the carapace), carapace width (CW: measured between the base of the principal lateral teeth), and length and height of the propodus of the chelipeds (PL and PH, respectively; Fig. 1). Gonopod length (GL) and 6th abdominal somite width (A6) was measured on males and females, respectively (Fig. 1). To determine the growth pattern in H. epheliticus, the allometric equation (Y = aXb) was used to represent biometric relationship between each dependent variable with respect to the independent variable (CW) for growth phase (juvenile and adult) to obtain the allometric growth constant "b" (see Somerton, 1980). The accuracy of each allometric equation was determined by the coefficient of determination (r2, P < 0.05), obtained for the log-transformed equations. To analyze the chelae symmetry, a comparison between PL of both chelae was realized (Student's t-test, P > 0.05, Sokal & Rohlf, 1995). When t-test analysis was carried out, the Cochran tests were used to test for homogeneity of variances (Zar, 1996).
All biometric relationships were submitted to the MATURE software (Somerton, 1980; Somerton & Macintosh, 1983), and statistical data were confirmed by the program "R" Version 2.5.0 (Ihaka & Gentleman, 1996), to identify break point(s) in the empiric point trend during ontogeny (puberty size). The MATURE program was developed to estimate the size at sexual maturity specifically for crustaceans, based on morphometric data. During postlarval development, brachyuran crabs can display body changes with the onset of the development of secondary sexual characters (Hartnoll, 1974), with two phases (juvenile and adult) separated by a critical molt (puberal or pubertal molt). Each phase is represented by a mathematic equation (power function) following one of four patterns described by Somerton (1980). In a simpler pattern (e.g., chelar variables in males) there is no overlap between phases, where dependent variable (y) grows better of the independent one (x), where pubertal molt occurs. The MATURE program requests a size (CW) range that contains a "visible" inflection in data trend (size at maturity) established by a smaller "x" value (only juveniles) and a greater one (only adults). A linear regression (log-transformation of Y = ab) was fitted to each subset and established an initial intersection value. The data were grouped according to each ontogenetic phase, and regression lines were obtained interactively until the best one with a minimum residual sum of square was found. After this interactive process, a statistical test was performed to determine if the resulting two lines fit the data better than a single one. If the fit was not significantly better, there was little justification for using two lines to describe the data, revealing the need for other procedures to estimate maturity.]]> Maturity size can be estimated using different criteria (Hernáez & Wehrtmann, 2007). In our study, the size at morphological sexual maturity (MSM) was estimated by biometric analysis of males (GL x CW and PL x CW) and females (A6 x CW and PL x CW). The constant "b" of the power function provides information concerning the increment of one biometric dimension in relation to another. We considered growth to be isometric when "b" ranged between 0.90 and 1.10, negative allometric when b < 0.90, and positive allometric when b > 1.10 (Pinheiro & Fransozo, 1993; Hernáez & Wehrtmann, 2007). Student-t test was used to verify the significance of this value related to the unit (P > 0.05) (see Pinheiro & Hattori, 2006). All incomplete individuals were excluded from these analyses.
A total of 768 individuals of H. epheliticus (497 males = 65%; and 271 females = 35%) were analyzed. Males captured ranged from 48.4 to 82.7 mm CW, and females from 40.3 to 73.3mm CW. Average CW of males was significantly larger than females (64.0 ± 6.2 mm vs 58.4 ± 5.6 mm CW, t = 12.46, P < 0.05). The size structure in both sexes was polymodal, and the majority of males (59%) and females (58%) were registered in the range of 61.0 to 70.0 mm CW and 51.0 and 60.0 mm CW, respectively (Fig. 2). The cohort analysis revealed the presence of five and four cohorts in males and females, respectively (Fig. 2). Males were significantly more abundant than females (test χ2 = 66.5, P < 0.05). No ovigerous female was caught during the study period.
Figure 2. Size and age structure by sex of the benthic population of the calico box crab, Hepatus epheliticus, from Yucatan, Mexico.
Figura 2. Tamaño y estructura de edad de ambos sexos en la población bentónica del cangrejo caja moteado Hepatus epheliticus procedente de Yucatán, México.
The empirical points in each biometric relation analysed were well aligned and fitted the power function (Table 1). MATURE and "R" routines revealed in the relations PL x CW (males) and A6 x CW (females), a similar growth pattern throughout the ontogeny (Table 1). In males, two break points were indicated for the relationship PL x CW (Fig. 3) between 59.3 and 67.3 mm CW (Fig. 3), where the puberty molt occurs. In contrast, in females the biometric analysis of A6 x CW (using "R") did not reveal a distinction between line phases; however, at the last one was observed two regression lines (juvenile and adults) with an overlap registered at 51.3 mm CW (Fig. 3).
Table 1. Regression analyses by biometric relation evaluated for the calico box crab Hepatus epheliticus from Yucatan Peninsula, gulf of Mexico. All relations were significant (P < 0.01), where: GL: gonopod length; PL: major chelar propodus length; 6th abdominal somite width and CW: carapace width; JM: juvenile males; AM: adult males; TM: total males; JF: juvenile females; AF: adult females; TF: total females. *The best equations to represent the relative growth: allometric levels related to isometry (0), negative allometry(-) and positive allometry (+).]]> Tabla 1. Análisis de regresión para las relaciones biométricas en el cangrejo caja moteado Hepatus epheliticus procedente de la península del Yucatán, golfo de México. Todas las relaciones fueron estadísticamente significativas (P < 0,01), donde: GL: longitud del gonópodo; PL: longitud del quelípodo mayor, ancho del 6to somito abdominal y CW: ancho del caparazón; JM: machos juveniles; AM: machos adultos; TM: machos totales; JF: hembras juveniles; AF: hembras adultas; TF: hembras totales. *Representa la mejor ecuación para el crecimiento relativo: 0, - y + : nivel de alometría relacionado a isometría (0), alometría negativa(-) y positiva (+).
Figure 3. Chelar propodus length (PL) versus carapace width (CW) scatterplot in males (n = 256) and females (n = 138) of the calico box crab, Hepatus epheliticus, from Yucatan, Mexico. The arrow indicates the size when juveniles transform into adult crab in each sex.
Figura 3. Relación entre la longitud del propodio de la quela (PL) y el ancho del caparazón (CW) en machos (n = 255) y hembras (n = 138) del cangrejo caja moteado Hepatus epheliticus procedente de Yucatán, México. La flecha indica el tamaño en el cual los juveniles de ambos sexos pasan a la etapa adulta.
A comparison of the PL of both chelae revealed that males and females (n = 30 each) have symmetric chelae (paired Student's t-test, males: t = -0.61, P > 0.05; females t = 0.45, P > 0.05). Therefore, data from the left chelae was used to estimate MSM. A comparison between the left and right GL revealed significant differences of this variable in males (paired Student's t-test, males: t = 8.37, P < 0.05).
Crabs used as bait (e.g. Callinectes spp., Libinia dubia, Cardisoma guanhumi, and H. epheliticus) are normally sold at around US$ 2.00-2.25 per kg depending both on the availability of crabs and time passed since the beginning of the octopus fishery period, with higher prices towards the end of the fishing season. The bait-crabs are supplied by local fisherman, fishing with baited traps close to the shore, but crabs are also imported from other states of Mexico (e.g. Tabasco, Chiapas and Veracruz). In average, each small fishing boat uses 5-10 kg of bait-crabs per fishing day which accounts to nearly 20% of operation costs of the fishery (CONAPESCA, 2009). According to the Mexican Carta Nacional Pesquera (2010, data from 2004), there are two main states fishing octopus in the south coast of gulf of Mexico: Campeche and Yucatan. This adds up to 16 and 418 large and 1,617 and 3,300 small fishing fleet vessels in Campeche and Yucatan, respectively. Data corrected to Yucatán during 2008 (CONAPESCA, 2009) reports 2,731 small boats fishing in Yucatan. A simple projection using this last fleet figure fishing for 90 days (75% of the fishing period) and using minimum bait-crab volume per boat (5 kg) would totalize more than 1 million metric tons of bait-crab used. Information obtained in 2011 from local Yucatan markets reveals that each kilogram price of bait-crabs reached an historical peak above US$ 3.5 (N. Simões, pers. comm.). This high price during 2011 can be explained by reduced crab catches due to fishery demand. This may be the first sign of alert for a possible overexplotation of the crab population in Yucatan.
In many species of brachyuran crabs, the apparition of secondary sex characters allows to estimate the onset of functional sexual maturity (Hartnoll, 1974, 1978; Hines, 1982). These traits include the release of abdominal somites from the thoracic sternites and opening of gonopods (Guinot, 1979), the conspicuous growth of certain cheliped segments (mainly the propodus) (Hartnoll, 1982; Pinheiro & Fransozo, 1993), and colour pattern enhancement of cheliped propodus and dactylus (Hopkins, 1963; Ryan, 1967). The general scheme of growth in crustaceans is confirmed by our data. The growth pattern of H. epheliticus was characterized by allometric body symmetry, with slight changes in the biometric relations through ontogeny. However, an analysis of A6 x CW did not reveal a distinction between line phases. It seems necessary to obtain a greater number of points to achieve a better approximation of the size of the morphological sexual maturity, mainly for females smaller than 60 mm (CW).
Only 35% of the total individuals analyzed were females. The major percentage of males observed in the population of H. epheliticus contradicts the scenario reported in other crab species (including hepatid crabs), where females predominate in all habitat types from shallow waters (Wolff & Cerda, 1992; Mantelatto et al, 1995; Jesse & Stotz, 2003). The deviation from the expected 1:1 sex ratio is very common in decapods (Wenner, 1972), and may be attributed to spatial segregation (Jesse & Stotz, 2003) and/or temporal variations in sexual composition of the population (Wenner, 1972; Bas et al., 2005). However, when the capture method involves baited traps, it is common that ovigerous females do not enter (Howard, 1982; Smith et al., 2004). This suggests that ovigerous females of H. epheliticus may concentrate in other locations to incubate their eggs, which explains the disparity of the sex-ratio observed during study period. The total absence of ovigerous females during the study period supports this hypothesis. However, we do not discard temporal migrations of the females to other areas away from the fishing area. Long-term studies are necessary to answer this question.
This is the first evaluation concerning the population structure and sexual maturity of the calico box crab H. epheliticus. The antecedents compiled in this study reveal a stable situation for the population studied, with 21.5% and 13.8% of males and females, respectively, morphologically immature at the time of catch (Fig. 4). Finally, our results suggest that the breeding cycle and spatial distribution of each population component are aspects that require a more thorough revision, especially considering the development of management strategies for a future sustainable fishery of this resource in the waters of Mexico and neighboring countries.]]>
Figure 4. Size frequency distribution of the calico box crab, Hepatus epheliticus from Yucatan, Mexico. Mature morphological individuals are represented by darker bars.
Figura 4. Distribución de frecuencia por clase de talla en el cangrejo caja moteado Hepatus epheliticus procedente de Yucatán, México. Los individuos morfológicamente maduros corresponden a las barras obscuras.
The first author is grateful to the Red de Macro-universidades de América Latina y El Caribe (Red MACRO) by financial support during their stay in Sisal, Mexico. We are also grateful to the Unidad Multidisciplinaria de Docencia e Investigación de Sisal, Yucatan, Mexico (UMDI-UNAM) for providing facilities for this study and specifically to the technical assistent of laboratory Maribel Badillo Alemán, the researchers Carlos Rozas and Xavier Chiapas, and students Ana Kiel and Mariana Mata-Lara.
Arreguín-Sánchez, F.J., J.C. Seijo, D. Fuentes & M. Solís-Ramírez. 1987. Estado de conocimiento de los recursos pesqueros de la Plataforma de Yucatán y región adyacente. Contribuciones de Investigación Pesquera. Documento técnico. Secretaria de Pesca, Instituto Nacional de la Pesca, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Pesquera, Yucaltepén, 4: 1-41. [ Links ]]]>
Arreguín-Sánchez, F., M. Solís-Ramírez & M.E. González de la Rosa. 2000. Population dynamic and stock assessment for Octopus maya (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) fishery in the Campeche Bank, Gulf of México. Rev. Biol. Trop., 48(2-3): 323-331. [ Links ]
Bas, C., T. Luppi & E. Spivak. 2005. Population structure of the South American estuarine crab, Chasmagnathus granulatus (Brachyura: Varunidae) near the southern limit of its geographical distribution: comparison with northern populations. Hydrobiologia, 537: 217-228. [ Links ]
Carta Nacional Pesquera. 2010. Comisión Nacional de la Pesca. SAGARPA, México, 230 pp. [ Links ]
Comisión Nacional de Acuacultura y Pesca (CONAPESCA). 2009. Programa maestro de pulpo en el estado de Yucatán. Sistema producto pulpo de Yucatán, SAGARPA, México, 263 pp. [ Links ]
Franks, J.S., J.Y. Christmas, W.L. Siler, R. Combs, R. Waller & C. Burns. 1972. A study of nektonic and benthic faunas of the shallow gulf of Mexico off the state of Mississippi as related to some physical, chemical and geological factors. Gulf Res. Rep., 4: 1148. [ Links ]]]>
Gayanilo, F., P. Sparre & D. Pauly. 1996. FAO-ICLARM stock assessment tools: user's guide. FAO-ICLARM, Rome, 23 pp. [ Links ]
Guinot, D. 1979. Données nouvelles sur la morphologie, la phylogénèse, et la taxonomie des Crustacés Décapodes Brachyoures. Mem. Mus. Nat. Hist. Nat. Nouv. Ser. A. Paris, 112: 1-354. [ Links ]
Hartnoll, R.G. 1974. Variation in growth patterns between some secondary sexual characters in crabs (Decapoda, Brachyura). Crustaceana, 27: 131-136. [ Links ]
Hartnoll, R.G. 1978. The determination of relative growth in Crustacea. Crustaceana, 34: 281-293. [ Links ]
Hartnoll, R.G. 1982. Growth. In: L.G. Abele (ed.). The biology of Crustacea. 5. Embryology, morphology and genetics. Academic Press, New York, pp. 111-196. [ Links ]]]>
Hernáez, P. & I.S. Wehrtmann. 2007. Population biology of the burrowing shrimp Callichirus seilacheri (Decapoda: Callianassidae) in northern Chile. Rev. Biol. Trop., 55(1): 141-152. [ Links ]
Hines, A.H. 1982. Allometric constraints and variables of reproductive effort in brachyuran crabs. Mar. Biol., 69: 309-320. [ Links ]
Hopkins, T.H. 1963. Sexual dichromatism in three species of portunid crabs. Crustaceana, 5(3): 238-239. [ Links ]
Howard, A.E. 1982. The distribution and behaviour of ovigerous edible crabs (Cancer pagurus), and consequent sampling bias. J. Cons. Int. Explor. Mer, 40(3): 259-261. [ Links ]
Ihaka, R. & R. Gentleman. 1996. R: a language for data analysis and graphics. J. Comp. Graph. Stat., 5(3): 299-314. [ Links ]]]>
Jesse, S. & W. Stotz. 2003. Spatio-temporal distribution patterns of the crab assemblage in the shallow subtidal of the north Chilean Pacific coast. Crustaceana, 75(10): 1161-1200. [ Links ]
Mantelatto, F.L.M., A. Fransozo & M.L. Negreiros-Fransozo. 1995. Population structure of Hepatus pudibundis (Decapoda: Calappidae) in Fortaleza Bay, Brazil. Rev. Biol. Trop., 43(1-3): 265-270. [ Links ]
Pinheiro, M.A.A. & A. Fransozo. 1993. Relative growth of the speckled swimming crab Arenaeus cribrarius (Lamarck, 1818) (Brachyura: Portunidae), near Ubatuba, State of São Paulo, Brazil. Crustaceana, 65: 377-389. [ Links ]
Pinheiro, M.A.A. & G.Y. Hattori. 2006. Growth of the speckled swimming crab, Arenaeus cribrarius (Lamarck, 1818) (Crustacea, Brachyura, Portunidae), in Ubatuba (SP), Brazil. J. Nat. Hist., 40(21-22): 1331-1341. [ Links ]
Rickner, J.A. 1977. Notes on a collection of crabs (Crustacea: Brachyura) from the east coast of Mexico. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., 90: 831-838. [ Links ]]]>
Ryan, E.P. 1967. The morphometry of sexually mature instars in the crab Portunus sanguinolentus (Herbst) (Brachyura: Portunidae). Proc. Symp. Crust. India, 2: 715-723. [ Links ]
Salas, S., M. Cabrera, L. Palomo & E. Torres-Irineo. 2009. Uso de indicadores para evaluar medidas de regulación en la pesquería del pulpo en Yucatán dada la interacción de flotas. Proc. Gulf Caribb. Fish. Inst., 61: 111-121. [ Links ]
Smith, K.D., N.G. Hall, S. de Lestang & I.C. Potter. 2004. Potential bias in estimates of the size of maturity of crabs derived from trap samples. J. Mar. Sci., 61: 906-912. [ Links ]
Sokal, R.R. & F.J. Rohlf. 1995. Biometry, the principles and practices of statistics in biological research. W.H. Freeman, New York, 859 pp. [ Links ]
Somerton, D.A. 1980. A computer technique for estimating the size of sexual maturity in crabs. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci., 37: 1488-1494. [ Links ]]]>
Somerton, D.A. & R.A. Macintosh. 1983. The size at sexual maturity of blue king crab, Paralithodes plaripus, in Alaska. Fish. Bull., 81(3): 621-628. [ Links ]
Voss, G.L. & M. Solis-Ramirez. 1966. Octopus maya, a new species from the Bay of Campeche, Mexico. Bull. Mar. Sci., 16: 625-634. [ Links ]
Wenner, A.M. 1972. Sex ratio as a function of size in marine Crustacea. Am. Nat., 106: 321-350. [ Links ]
Williams, A.B. 1984. Shrimps, lobsters, and crabs of the Atlantic coast of the eastern United States. Smithsonian Institute Press, Maine, 550 pp. [ Links ]
Wolff, M. & G. Cerda. 1992. Feeding ecology of the crab Cancer polyodon in La Herradura Bay, northern Chile. I. Feeding chronology, food intake, and gross growth and ecological efficiency. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 89: 213-219. [ Links ]]]>
Zar, J.H. 1996. Biostatistical analysis. Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 328 pp. [ Links ]
Received: 10 November 2011; Accepted: 16 June 2012
Corresponding author: Patricio Hernáez (email@example.com)]]>


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"Spring Plant Phenology And False Springs In The Conterminous Us During The 21St Century". Environmental Research Letters no. Volume 10, Number 10. Environmental Research Letters (2015). doi:10.1088/1748-9326/10/10/104008..


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Using Sytel's outbound campaign simulator, Oceanic™, take an outbound test drive to experience how effectively Softdial Plugin® works under compliance.
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I've still got Chloe Moretz fever. I say still because I'm pretty sure I've used this joke before and I know you jag-offs at home are keeping score so I wanted to play it safe. The news here though is that Moretz is in talks with Inferno Entertainment to play a zombie in their new film "Maggie". The film follows Maggie's 6 month transformation into a zombie and will be awesome. Unless Dakota Fanning somehow ends up playing the role. That would blow.
You had me at "From the producer of 'The Crow'". That's sarcasm by the way, I don't want you to ever mistake my sarcasm as love for "The Crow". When I was in High School I was on the football team and there was this prick Marty who painted his face like the Crow before a game. I will hate that kid till the day I die for that reason alone. Well his odd passion for country music too but mostly the crow thing. My point is Edward R. Pressman is working on an adaptation of the graphic novel "Feeding Ground".
"'The Raid' WILL EXPLODE IN OVER 280 CINEMAS ACROSS THE UK & IRELAND ON 18 MAY". I don't care how old I get saying something will "explode" will always make me chuckle. Think about it. Ya know... like when a man... NEVERMIND! But the rumors are true, the little movie that could about a lone cop left standing after a drug raid will be hitting selected theaters this month for your viewing pleasure. Unless of course you're in the US. Then you get no pleasure.
The guys who wrote a bunch of those "Not Another..." movies are now writing a spoof of "The Hunger Games" called "The Starving Games". I don't think I can do this anymore.


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With fiscal cliff negotiations slowing to a near-halt, the IRS is warning that absent a deal, up to two-thirds of U.S. taxpayers will have to wait next year to file their returns.
In a letter to the top House and Senate tax writers from both parties, acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller said that between 80 million and 100 million taxpayers won't be able to file on time. That's up from a November estimate, in which he told lawmakers that around 60 million taxpayers might have trouble filing.
Most taxpayers wouldn't be able to file their returns until at least the end of March, Miller said.
The warning underscores the real-world chaos that would ensue if President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner don't reach a budget deal by Dec. 31.
The trouble all stems from uncertainty over how Congress might handle the alternative minimum tax. The parallel tax system has been in place for decades to ensure that even the richest Americans pay some level of tax. But it was never indexed for inflation, so Congress has to agree to a "patch" every few years.
The last patch expired at the end of 2011. Unless Congress acts, the tax would suddenly hit 30 million additional taxpayers – many of whom aren't aware of the potential hit – on their 2012 tax bills.
Miller said the IRS has programmed its computers to assume that Congress will agree to a last-minute patch, as it has in previous years. But if a deal doesn't come together, Miller said that millions of Americans will have to wait for the IRS to alter its programs.
"If an AMT patch is not enacted by the end of this year, the IRS would need to make significant programming changes to conform our systems to reflect the expiration of the patch," Miller wrote.
Many lawmakers have suggested that they could address the AMT in early January if Washington falls off the fiscal cliff. But Miller said that even that scenario creates problems.
"If Congress were to enact a new AMT patch, the time and substantial expense necessary for the IRS to reprogram its systems to reflect expiration of the patch would ultimately be wasted," he wrote.
Low-income taxpayers and others who clearly wouldn't be subject to the AMT won't get a break either. Miller said that the agency would be reluctant to process some returns while waiting to fix its computers to handle other filings.
"Allowing only some taxpayers to file as we reprogram could substantially increase the risk of fraud and error in initial filings as well as create the potential for a large number of amended returns," he wrote.
Source: POLITICO
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The main page for this idea is Summer Coding 2010 ideas - GNU Smalltalk package revamping.
Status: Idea
Summary of idea: The GNU Smalltalk virtual machine is a monolithic package in Fedora, and is not updated often. By contrast, the Debian package separates all of the provided bindings into separate packages, which allows to install the VM with fewer dependencies—for example without GTK+ support, or without Expat, and so on.
The project aims at providing a similar level of flexibility for the Fedora package. In addition, it would be good to have a way to generate from the same source the Fedora .spec file, the Windows installer (currently done with a custom shell script that uses the Fedora mingw32 cross-compilation environment), and the Debian package.
Contacts: Paolo Bonzini
Mentor(s): Paolo Bonzini


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The US government has run budget deficits for years, but the problem may no longer be something the nation can easily ignore. What's changed in the past two years is the scale of the red ink – and the resulting surge in the national debt.
The fiscal crunch is suddenly more visible on several fronts:
•President Obama has laid out a budget in which, even when the economy recovers, deficits would remain far above what most economists believe is sustainable. The president has called for a fiscal commission to offer ideas on how to reduce the gap.
•Government debt has soared high enough that it could crimp economic growth, some economists say.
•Baby boomer retirements are adding to strains on entitlement programs. Social Security is poised to pay out more in benefits this year than it takes in.
The United States isn't facing an immediate revolt by creditors, as Greece is, but the issue is no longer an off-in-the-future one.
"What we used to refer to as 'long term' isn't long term anymore," says Robert Bixby, who heads the Concord Coalition, which promotes fiscal responsibility. "The long term has arrived."
Here's a look at the fiscal challenge and how it might be addressed:
How bad is the problem?
It's severe but far from unresolvable. The hardest part is political – finding a way to nudge both major parties toward bipartisan action.
The Government Accountability Office estimates that if Congress extends all the Bush tax cuts and does not tame spending, the debt problem will quickly spiral out of control. By 2019, interest due on the debt would more than triple as a share of gross domestic product (GDP), or the overall output of goods and services. The trend would persist, driven by Medicare costs and by tax revenues that fail to keep up. (See chart.)
So, are taxes going up?
Slowing the surge in spending is the vital part of any budget fix. But the looming budget gap is so large that many finance experts say taxes must rise. Mr. Obama has called for higher taxes on households earning more than $250,000 a year. He also drew sharp criticism from Republicans when he said he was "agnostic" on whether his fiscal commission would consider broader-based tax hikes.
Robert Gibbs, White House spokesman, said Obama hasn't reneged on his campaign pledge not to raise taxes on the middle class, that he has only said he wants his commission to be able to discuss all options.
"I cannot see how he can solve this problem without backing down on that [campaign] pledge," says Mr. Bixby.
What role can a commission play in finding solutions?
Sometimes plans offered by an independent commission can provide cover for lawmakers as they prepare to take a politically sensitive vote. The goal is bipartisan buy-in, since neither party would want to be viewed as responsible for a big tax hike or entitlement cut.
On Feb. 18 Obama named Erskine Bowles, President Clinton's former chief of staff, and former Republican Sen. Alan Simpson of Wyoming to head his fiscal commission. The panel's success will depend on how both parties size up the mood of the electorate. A key question is whether Republicans feel they have more to gain by criticizing Obama and the commission than by seeking a bipartisan fiscal deal.
Should we attack the deficit while the economy is so weak?
Many economists say it would be bad to cut government spending or raise taxes when the economy needs stimulus. But fiscal decisions can kick in a year or more down the road. Taking steps now might reassure lenders and businesses that America will remain financially strong.
What might a solution look like?
Here's how one panel of budget experts, put together by the Peterson Foundation and Pew Charitable Trusts, recently tackled the challenge. Its goal: to hold public debt to 60 percent of GDP in 2018. That revealed a need for $4.4 trillion in spending cuts or tax hikes over a seven years.
The panel outlined spending cuts from farm subsidies to weapons, from Social Security (a retirement-age hike) to healthcare.
Matching that would be nearly $2 trillion in tax hikes. (They called for a new tax on carbon emissions.) The payoff: This would keep the debt lower and save $600 billion on interest. And fiscal stability might enhance economic growth.
But imposing such changes won't come easily. The gross national debt (public debt plus what the Treasury owes to other government programs such as Social Security) has hit the danger zone of 90 percent of GDP, says economist Carmen Reinhart of the University of Maryland. Beyond that level, she says, economic growth is typically impaired.


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Striker, Cecil L., b. 1932
Extent: 28 linear feet
Dr. Cecil L. Striker was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and attended Oberlin College for his undergraduate degree. While working on his M.A. and Ph.D. at The Institute of Fine Arts at New York University, Striker supplemented his studies in programs at Harvard University, the University of Marburg, and Technische Hochschule Munich. Dr. Striker came to the University of Pennsylvania in 1968 as an Associate Professor in the Department of the History of Art. Full professorship was bestowed in 1978. Striker represented Dumbarton Oaks during restoration and investigative field work at Kalenderhane Camii in Istanbul. The materials relate to Striker's major area of work, the archaeology and architectural history of the Late Antique, Early Christian, Byzantine and Medieval periods (fourth through 15th centuries A.D.). Its geographic focus is on the lands of the former Byzantine Empire (modern Turkey, Greece, ex-Yugoslavia and Albania). There is also some material from Latin West.


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After it was discovered last week that the number of "official" DICE and EA Battlefield 3 servers on console had dropped significantly in the wake of a new rental scheme, the developer has moved to bring a large number of them back.
We were told last week that no servers had gone offline; instead, DICE's own had been rented out to fans, who were customising game styles to their own whims. Sadly, that didn't appeal to the large numbers of people who wanted to play a "normal" game of Battlefield 3, so the developer has brought a ton of them back into the fold.
"You should see DICE-hosted servers up today", EA told VentureBeat. "I do not have the exact percentage or number of servers, but we'll continue to monitor this to make sure all players are having the best possible gameplay experience."
A search on PS3 turned up over 170 servers alone, all across the planet, so yeah, they're back.
EA returns official DICE servers to Battlefield 3 [VentureBeat]


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burlivesleftnut wrote:That guy looks like another bland hollywood go-boy. Fuck him. Someone needs to time travel back in time 20 years and fetch us Brad Johnson! That's the only rational thing to do.
burlivesleftnut wrote:No, I am going to be a total fanboy douche and suggest Steve Buscemi for Sivana. Just imagine him bald with glasses.
Nordling wrote:I want the Rock to play Shazam. He's a much better actor than people give him credit for.
buster00 wrote:Grrr....
OK, last time.
Shazam = the old wizard dude.
Captain Marvel = Billy Batson's super alter-ego.
Sorry. Pet peeve.
Ribbons wrote:Dr. Sivana audition tape?
Conroy420 wrote:I can really only picture the Rock as Captain Marvel. You really need a over-the-top wrestler typer person for this role, and he's the only one that can act.
Conroy420 wrote:Captain Marvel is a pretty goofy concept.
I really want a GREEN LATERN movie dammit!
"Shazam!" Talking to John August
What super-hero screenwriter will you not see at Comic-Con this year? That would be John August, who is toiling on the first draft of "Shazam!" the New Line Cinema film that is expected to bring Captain Marvel to the screen in one of the next few summers. "I've never been to Comic-Con. I'm sure I will be going down the road. I hear it's pretty intense, pretty massive."
Massive and intense is exactly right, and the fans take their beloved heroes pretty seriously, as August is already learning. He's familiar to genre fans for his work with director Tim Burton ("Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "Corpse Bride" and "Big Fish") but the Colorado native was never a comic-book guy ("I was," he says, "a Dungeons & Dragons kid.") and some Captain Marvel fans aren't happy with him already, thanks to his blog comments about the classic 1940s comics that introduced the hero: "What you quickly realize is that old-time comic books were awkwardly written, crudely drawn, and bewilderingly inconsistent with their rules." Some fans of the venerable hero are also alarmed by the choice of director: Peter Segal brought the world "The Longest Yard," "50 First Dates," and "Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult."
I caught up with August for the lunch the other day and, while he was mum on details, he revealed a lot about his hopes for a project that New Line expects to make a franchise. He's looking for a movie that will be funny and light-hearted but respectful of the classic elements of the comics: A boy named Billy Batson meets a wizard and is told that when he utters the word "Shazam!" a bolt of magic lighting will transform him into an adult hero in a cool red suit. The movie will be set in modern day, not the WWII-era that some fans hoped for. The classic costume-red and yellow with a white cape that is loosely tied around his neck-will be honored. There will be a super-powered villain, too, and while August wouldn't say whom, he did smirk a bit when I praised Black Adam as the wonderful counter-point to the sunny Captain Marvel. "No comment," August said.
August said that his work on "Chocolate Factory" likely led to this project: "Like Charlie, Billy Batson has an innate goodness, he's is pure, and that is why Billy is chosen to be a hero and why Charlie succeeds." I mentioned the movie "Big" and August nodded that, yes, that is a strong reference point for the boy-in-a-man theme of the film, although he added that he rarely cites it because it might give "the super-fans" something new to fret about. (We didn't talk about casting because it's way too early in the process, but Jake Gyllenhaal has been mentioned and IMDB lists the Rock as "in talks" for the role. IMDB also cites Brandon Molale as possible and he is an absolute dead ringer for Marvel; he may not have major name recognition but he did appear in "The Longest Yard," so Segal knows him.)
I mentioned to August that two years ago I chatted with one of the "Shazam!" producers, Michael E. Uslan, and he told me even then that any Captain Marvel movie's great challenge would be answering one question: If you were a little kid who could turn into an all-powerful, handsome adult, why on Earth would you ever change back? August's answer: "That's absolutely a key part of the movie. Billy doesn't want to turn back, that's central to the story. And a lot of the movie hinges upon that and Billy's relationship with his best friend and that disparity. They are two teen friends and then suddenly one of them is 30 and a hero. So it creates tension. You know, as a screenwriter, that's the thing, to take what seems to be a problem and make it a key element of the story. But Michael hit it on the head, that's one of the emotional cores of this story. So to me it's a great problem to have."<p>
In the 1940s, Captain Marvel comics actually outsold Superman for a time and August thinks the character could fly high again. One thing does worry him: All these comic book movies might be wearing on moviegoers. "Inevitably there is going to be a fatigue. At this point, too, every movie has to be bigger. The scale has gotten so big. What I like about 'Shazam' is that a lot of what is great about the movie and what is most fun about the movie is small."
-- Geoff Boucher
SilentBobX wrote:Forget Super-Emo Returns.
Forget the Justice League Movie.
Forget The Dark Knight.
THIS is the comic book movie to keep our eyes on.
SilentBobX wrote:Proclaim all ye wish.
unikrunk wrote:
This sounds crazy, and I suppose it is, but Marvel is such a cheese-dick that a beefed up Ben Affleck would be fitting for the role. He did the George Reeves thing spot-on...
Yes, I am aware that I just recommended Affleck for a role. Let the name calling and naysaying begin; I brought some marshmallows for the fire.
TheButcher wrote:"Billy Batson and the Legend of Shazam" is the new title of the movie.
source : iesb
Nachokoolaid wrote:What's wrong with calling it SHAZAM!
Do they think people will actually think of Shaq?
Spifftacular SquirrelGirl wrote:Nachokoolaid wrote:What's wrong with calling it SHAZAM!
Do they think people will actually think of Shaq?
Mebbe they'll think it's some strange movie about Gomer Pyle?
Tyrone_Shoelaces wrote:Spifftacular SquirrelGirl wrote:Nachokoolaid wrote:What's wrong with calling it SHAZAM!
Do they think people will actually think of Shaq?
Mebbe they'll think it's some strange movie about Gomer Pyle?
10 points to the 19-year-old girl for the Gomer Pyle reference.
Another 10 for beating me to it.
buster00 wrote:That's just what it smelled like to me too, I.K.
Or is it...
(*rips off instant_karma's mask*)
You almost got away with it, Rowling. Almost.
The second contender for a WB summer 2009 release is BILLY BATSON AND THE LEGEND OF SHAZAM directed by Peter Segal and written by John August. This superhero has been looked at with more interest in the last few months due of the success of Iron Man.
The script has developed through a couple of drafts and they are waiting for John August to do some further re-writes. But because of the writers strike earlier this year, August has a backlog of work. Plus, Peter Segal has been busy with Get Smart's post production and press tour schedule. So the filmmakers haven't been able to nail down a final draft of the script.
Q: You're working on an adaptation of Billy Batson and the Legend of Shazam. Why depart from comedy?
A: I think superheroes are heroes with flaws, and in their flaws, there is a sense of humor. A few people have asked me if I'm trying turn the film into a light comedy, and I'm saying absolutely not. However, real fans of Shazam know there's a great sense of humor just in the fact that a 13-year-old boy morphs into a 28-year-old superstud, Captain Marvel. There's almost a genre for movies like that - Big, 13 Going on 30 -- but they're all following in the footsteps of Shazam.
Q: There are a lot of similarities between this property and Superman. In fact, DC successfully sued for infringement in the '40s. Do you worry people will continue to connect the two?
A: I'll name two incredibly successful comics right now that are about a millionaire who wants to fight crime and uses technology to build suits and gadgets to help him do so. But quite frankly, I was concerned: Superman literally squashed Captain Marvel in the '40s. There are a lot of Captain Marvel fans who are saying he got a raw deal. And since there seems to be some legal trouble in ever bringing another Superman to the screen, now feels like the right time.
http://blogs.amctv.com/scifi-scanner/20 ... erview.php
Robinov wrote:It's like, how much more black could Black Adam be? and the answer is none. None more black.
MICHAEL FLEMING wrote:Warner Bros. has staked "Get Smart" director Peter Segal and his Callahan Filmworks partner Michael Ewing to a three-year first-look deal.
Segal and Ewing kick off the pact with "Liam McBain: International Tennis Star and Proper English Geezer," a Chip Hall-scripted spec. Segal will develop to direct a film that follows the rise, fall and ultimate redemption of a fictional British tennis star of the '80s.
As part of the deal, WB has also acquired the John August-scripted "Captain Marvel"; Segal will direct the DC Comics adaptation. He and Ewing began working on the film two years ago at New Line, but the property has moved over to WB. Pic tells the story of teenaged Billy Batson, who transforms into the superhero when he says the word "Shazam!"
Segal and Ewing met on "Naked Gun 33 1/3" and formed a company named after the auto parts company in the Segal-directed 1995 Chris Farley comedy "Tommy Boy." Their last deal was at Paramount, where Segal directed "The Longest Yard" remake.
Deal comes as Segal prepares to direct a sequel to "Get Smart" for WB and Village Roadshow Pictures. Ewing was a producer of the original pic, along with Chuck Roven, Alex Gartner and Andrew Lazar. Segal was an executive producer.
Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember returned to write the sequel script, and the film is expected to shoot next year, depending upon the availability of Steve Carell, who'll return with Anne Hathaway and Alan Arkin.
TheButcher wrote:From Latino Review: Remember That Shazam! Movie? Looks Like It's Dead.
Rick Marshall wrote:DC's Captain Marvel has the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules and various other attributes that provide an acronym for "SHAZAM!" (the word that transforms Billy Batson into Captain Marvel) — but what about his ability to make a move to the big screen? After the on-again, off-again project seemed to fall back into limbo last week when screenwriter John August said the Captain Marvel/Shazam film "won't be happening," the film's producer Michael Uslan told MTV News that fans shouldn't abandon hope of seeing the hero in theaters.
"I will only say one thing — and all I will do is quote Samuel Clemens to you," hinted Uslan. "This is direct from Captain Marvel himself: 'The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.'"
While that certainly doesn't mean we'll be seeing anyone utter "Shazam!" on the big screen any time soon, it should offer some hopeful signs of life for a project that many viewed as flat-lining after last week's news. Heck, maybe we'll still get to see Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson play Black Adam after all!
For those that haven't been keeping track, the Captain Marvel/Shazam film (also referred to as "Billy Batson and the Legend of Shazam") made a big splash at San Diego Comic-Con International last year with Johnson's announcement that he plans to play Black Adam in the film. In November, it was announced that the project was moving from New Line Cinema to Warner Bros — appropriately enough, given its ownership of DC Comics — and co-directors Peter Segal ("Get Smart") and Michael Ewing were attached to the film.
Just last week, however, screenwriter John August dashed many fans' hopes when he wrote on his blog that the film "won't be happening," and that he didn't think "it's on the studio's radar at all."
While Uslan wouldn't comment further on the status of the Captain Marvel/Shazam movie, his tease would seem to insinuate that there's still a chance moviegoers will get to see Billy Batson call down a bolt of lightning down the road.
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Financial Improvement and Post Audit Operations
The Financial Improvement and Post-Audit Operations group (FIPAO) consists of three offices that are responsible for resolving financial management issues for the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO).
Indirect Cost Group (ICG)
Serves as the Department's focal point for cost oversight management duties cut-across program and Federal Agency lines. ICG monitors Federal stewardship via State-wide interface to ensure Federal dollars make their way to places where students learn.
Post Audit Group (PAG)
Serves as support staff to the Chief Financial Officer in his/her role as the Department of Education's (ED) Audit Followup Official. As such, PAG oversees the Department-wide Post Audit system.
Internal Control Evaluation Group (ICEG)
Focuses on providing leadership in conducting internal control reviews, risk assessments, monitoring, performance analysis and internal controls training.


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Study shows e-Rx systems not cutting back on errors
Outpatient electronic prescribing systems don't cut out the common mistakes made in manual systems, suggests research published online in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (JAMIA).
And not all systems are the same: some perform worse than others, the study shows.
The rapid adoption of electronic prescribing systems has in part been fueled by the belief that they would reduce the sorts of errors commonly made in manual prescribing systems, the authors say.
The authors base their findings on an analysis of just under 4,000 computer generated prescriptions received by a commercial pharmacy chain in three different U.S. states over a period of four weeks in 2008.
They looked at the number of mistakes made and their potential to cause harm, as well as the frequency of particular mistakes and whether these were associated with one type of system.
Of the 3,850 prescriptions assessed, more than one in 10 (452; just under 12 percent) contained a total of 466 errors. Of these, a third (163; 35 percent) were deemed to be potentially harmful.
Mistakes were classified as: "significant," but posing little serious threat to life, such as rash, headache, or diarrhea; serious but not life threatening, such as low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), reduced heart rate (bradycardia), and fainting (syncope); and life threatening if not treated, such as heart attack and respiratory failure.
Among the 163 potentially harmful errors, over half (58 percent) were significant and the remainder (42 percent) were serious. None was life threatening.
Four out of 10 medication errors involved anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics (anti-infectives), and the most common types of drugs associated with errors were nervous system drugs (27 percent), cardiovascular drugs (13.5 percent), and anti-inflammatories/antibiotics (12.3 percent).
The prevalence of prescribing errors varied considerably, depending on the system used, ranging from 5 percent to 37 percent among the 13 systems analyzed. The frequency of certain types of errors was also associated with particular systems.
For example, in system A, omitting to specify length of treatment and dose were common, and "miscellaneous" errors accounted for more than one in four mistakes (27 percent). And while system B's error rate was less than that of system G, system B incurred substantially more potentially harmful errors.
Around 60 percent of errors related to missing information, which the authors suggest should be relatively easy to eliminate by some judicious tweaking or providing better training for the users.
Options might include "forcing functions" which would not allow a prescription to be completed if certain information were missing; decision support systems, such as maximum dose checks; and calculators, they say.
"Providers appear to be rapidly adopting electronic health records and computerized prescribing, and one of the major anticipated benefits is expected to be through medication-error reduction," they write.
But they warn: "Implementing a computerized prescribing system without comprehensive functionality and processes in place to ensure meaningful use of the system does not decrease medication errors."


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Capuano likely to be reliever with Red Sox
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Chris Capuano, who is expected to land in Fort Myers on Friday and undergo a physical, should have his Red Sox uniform on by Saturday's workout.
The completion of the physical is the last hurdle before Capuano officially signs a one-year, $2.25 million deal that offers the Red Sox some added depth in the rotation and bullpen.
"He has experience both starting and pitching out of the bullpen," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "He clearly gives us a depth starter if that need were to arise. At the moment, all things considered, he would pitch out of the bullpen for us."
The Red Sox have Craig Breslow and Andrew Miller already penciled in as lefties in their bullpen. Farrell doesn't think that Capuano's arrival would make too many southpaw relievers.
Though Capuano has the added value of being able to pitch lengthy bullpen stints, Farrell is keeping options open for what his role will be.
"I don't want to limit it," Farrell said. "When he switched to the bullpen last year with the Dodgers, there was very good performance. That's the one thing that's attracted us to him, in addition to the experience as a starter as well if that need were to arise. I'm not looking at naming a role or defining a role at this point."


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Andy Friedman, political consultant with the Washington Update, says in his commentary released Thursday that the country is split almost equally among Republican, Democratic and independent voters according to the Rasmussen Report, noting that "it is not difficult to predict how the bulk of the first two categories will vote."
The election, Friedman says, is likely to turn on the independent vote, with his "longstanding analysis" being that President Barack Obama "has the better chance of capturing the majority of the Independent vote" for at least three reasons:
- "Independents are more concerned with economic than social issues. The Republicans have shown a greater tendency to get bogged down in debates over social issues, a discussion that is unlikely to resonate with independents."
- "The conventional wisdom is that President Obama cannot win re-election with an unemployment rate over 8%. But Obama is deflecting that blame to Congress by noting that the economy took a U-turn only in 2011, when the Republicans gained control of the House and blocked his programs. Although Republicans will find this assertion unpersuasive, it can resonate with independents, who give Congress exceedingly low approval ratings."
- "Independents generally do not object to higher taxes on wealthy Americans. The Republicans' insistence on maintaining the current tax system for all Americans—no matter how much money they make—might strike independents as unduly intransigent, particularly in light of the large federal deficit."
Friedman also cites a USA Today poll conducted last week, which found that 3 in 10 independents said they were now less likely to vote for Romney in the wake of his comment that "there are 47% of Americans [who don't pay income tax,] who are with Obama, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe that government has a responsibility to care for them."
The poll, Friedman says, "illustrates the uphill struggle Romney faces with independents." The Washington-based political analyst also updated past analysis of the impact government policy will have on the economy. Friedman warned that the high level of uncertainty on major tax questions expected to be handled or further deferred by a lame-duck Congress will likely increase market volatility rather than decrease it, as elections normally do.
The continuing uncertainty stems from Congress having adjourned last week without addressing the "fiscal cliff"—the looming expiration of Bush-era tax cuts and simultaneous inception of "sequestration" cuts in the new year. The Congressional Budget Office predicts that the combination of ensuing tax hikes and spending cuts will send the economy into recession for at least the first half of 2013.
Because the next session of Congress will be the current Congress, despite the outcome of November elections, it is highly uncertain what will or even can be done about the large dose of austerity currently set to automatically take effect.
Friedman says that if lawmakers act to shield the economy from the effects of $2.1 trillion in spending cuts, credit rating agencies Standard & Poor's and Moody's have already warned they would downgrade U.S. debt. Yet the fact that half of the planned spending cuts are politically sensitive reductions in defense expenditures make it highly uncertain Congress will go through with the plan.
The fate of the Bush tax cuts is equally uncertain. If they are extended in their current form, Friedman cites Obama's advisors signaling a veto is likely. But if Republicans craft a compromise bill that restores lower tax rates for the middle class but allows current lower rates for wealthy Americans to expire, they will run afoul of "Norquist" pledge to not raise taxes.
Thus, the matter may be deferred until the new Congress convenes in January—after the Bush-era law expires. That way, there would be no technical violation of the Norquist pledge if Republican lawmakers must compromise with a re-elected Obama.
"Such shenanigans would be unfortunate, as it would perpetuate the uncertainty over taxes beyond year-end," Friedman writes.
Since elections usually resolve political uncertainties, but the current environment seems to suggest uncertainty will prevail after the elections, Friedman sees grounds for market volatility to persist. But he points out that, regardless of what happens with the Bush tax cuts, there is certainty that taxes on the wealthy are going to rise in the new year in other areas. The Supreme Court's upholding of Obamacare means the wealthy will see an additional tax of 0.9% on compensation income and a 3.8% additional tax on interest, dividends, capital gains, rents and royalties. The increased taxes on investment income could drive investors to lock in gains by selling assets before the new year, Friedman says.
The analyst says unexpected events—such as a Mideast war—could change the election dynamics currently favoring the president's re-election. "Those handicapping the election in the weeks ahead are best advised to follow polls solely of independent voters," he says.


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CALGARY — American-based agency Fitch says house prices are overvalued by approximately 20 per cent in real terms across Canada, with regional variations.
But in releasing its ratings on Monday, it said Alberta's market is overvalued by 15 per cent.
"Because of the effects of inflation and price momentum, it is not expected that prices would drop by this amount," said the Fitch report. "If growth halted and prices began to drop, it would be expected to take several years for home prices to revert to their sustainable values, depending on a number of factors such as government support and credit availability. With this time frame, the actual observed decline in prices could be as low as 10 per cent."
It said rises in prices have continued with small corrections since 1996, and specifically since 2008 have risen when underlying fundamentals suggest that growth is unsupportable.
It said the Ontario market is overvalued by 21 per cent, Alberta by 15 per cent, British Columbia by 26 per cent and Quebec by 26 per cent.
"Actual nominal declines could range from the low single digits (for Alberta), up to more than 15 per cent (for B.C. and Quebec) over the next several years assuming values start falling immediately and taking into account inflation and other market dynamics," said Fitch.
"Of the four major provinces, Fitch estimates Alberta to be the least overvalued. This is largely attributable to a correction in prices that has kept values below their 2007 peak. A boom in construction on the back of rising oil prices in the years leading up to the financial crisis left Alberta's housing market especially vulnerable to macroeconomic shocks. When crude oil prices fell in 2008 triggering a rise in local unemployment, the excess inventory generated by the increase in new construction compounded the negative effect on home prices."
The Fitch Ratings "exposure draft" details a "new loan-level model for estimating losses on prime Canadian residential mortgage pools."
Prices in Calgary's resale housing market continue to climb as an all-time average sale price record was set in February, eclipsing the mark which has stood since the boom in July 2007.
According to the Calgary Real Estate Board, the average MLS sale price for a single-family home during the month was $518,452, up 10.30 per cent from last year while the average price for overall MLS sales in the city was $457,120, up 7.46 per cent year-over-year.
The previous single-family home record high for average sale price was $506,671 in July 2007 and it was $452,589 in July 2007 as well for overall MLS sales in the city.
Meanwhile, the Bank of Montreal over the weekend dropped its posted five-year fixed mortgage rate by 0.10 points to 2.99 per cent in an effort to attract new borrowers.
In a statement, Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said he has taken several steps — including reducing the maximum amortization period to 25 years from 30 in July — to discourage marginal buyers from being lured into taking on a bigger mortgage than they can afford over the lifetime of the loan.
Flaherty also warned banks to be wary.
"As I have said repeatedly before, my expectation is that banks will engage in prudent lending — not the type of 'race to the bottom' practices that led to a mortgage crisis in the United States."
With a file from Canadian Press


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The layout was inspired by sketch #31 @ Unscripted Sketches (rotated 90 degrees clockwise):
The picture was taken on Sukkot eve. My parents, my brother & my MIL came to eat dinner...
I used: DCWV cardstocks (Latte stack), Imaginisce I top, Fiskars border punch, Sharpie, grosgrain ribbon.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
5:12 PM Posted by Unknown
4 comments labels DCWV, Fiskars, Imaginisce, layout, Sharpie, sketch, Unscripted Sketches
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Directory Listing
vesafb-tng rediff for 2.6.13
Support for nvidia mcp5x SATA in 2.6.13
Don't patch the sparc64 Kconfig in speakup.
sparc Kconfig updates to rc4-git2.
New speakup from gregkh's tree
revive speakup
fbsplash and uac rediffs
Support promise TX4200 hardware
Squashfs 2.2
I marked ffb broken, so don't even bother with this patch any more.
More Kconfig cleanup.
Further cleanup of the sparc Kconfig.
Further cleanup of the sparc Kconfig.
Updated sparc Kconfig goodies
Updated sparc Kconfig goodies
alpha UAC rediff
speakup needs work as usual
New fbsplash and vesafb-tng
Drop sparc kconfig rework, does not apply cleanly
Remove patches which are already applied
Creating 2.6.13-pre branch from 2.6.12
Add irqpoll boot option for buggy BIOS workaround
Correct modpost to work with newer glibc on sparc
Revert bridge fix; Fix buggy conntrack behaviour
Fix odd NTP timing behaviour on PPC
netfilter conntrack bridge device fix
Gameport probe order fix
Convert ppc64 makefile fix from DOS format
...with an unmount fix many thanks to Anton Altaparmakov
inotify returns...
Add PPC64 makefile fix for multilib
Add 126.96.36.199 ACPI IRQ fixup
Temporarily removing inotify due to bug 97219
Rename legacy megaraid pci_driver.name to prevent conflict
Linux 22.214.171.124
inotify 0.23-15
Megaraid driver update, and a patch to allow both megaraid drivers to be built side-by-side
Add it8212 storage driver
skge tree update
skge: Fix startup bug for yukon-lite cards
Support MCP51 and MCP55 hardware in nv_sata driver
Support MCP55 hardware in amd74xx IDE driver
New hardware support for forcedeth and a bugfix
Support Elecom (Laneed) LD-USBL/TX in pegasus driver
Support Planex FNW-3602-TX in tulip driver
Support USR 997902 in r8169 driver
Support >2TB capacity in libata
Remove Makefile hunk
e1000 spinlock fix
Fix remap_pte_range BUG
Add pci-driver typo fix
Linux 220.127.116.11
Speakup returns
Remove AHCI ATAPI patch. We aren't going to be able to support SATA-ATAPI for 2005.0.
Remove unneeded nfsacl patch
add forgotten patch
Add ice1712 SN25P support
Remove PDC2027x patch as it is already available as an IDE driver
Add support for pdc20619
Add support for BCM5785
Add ATAPI support on AHCI
add sata bridge lockup fix
inotify compile fix
alpha uac rediff
Add qla2xxx initialization fix
2.6.12-pre --> 2.6.12
inotify 0.23-12
Remove speakup, its broken, upstream is working on it
inotify 0.23-9
fbsplash 0.9.2-r3
Readme update
Renumber alpha UAC patch
inotify 0.23-8
dm-bbr returns
SPARC patch updates
Remove obselete patches
Create 2.6.12 branch
Add 2.6.11 patches
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Chaminade-Madonna defensive lineman Khairi Clark has committed to the Florida Gators.
The six-foot-two, 320-pound defensive tackle committed to Will Muschamp's program in a tweet Saturday afternoon at 5 p.m. The No. 4 player in the Sun Sentinel Broward County rankings will join No. 6 Anthony Moten on the Gators defensive line if the commitments hold.
Clark told the Sun Sentinel in a text message that he fell in love with the program and the school after a visit in February.
The pairing of Clark and Moten was a dream scenario the for University of Miami, who recruited both players hard —but its the future reality of Florida.
Clark said that the South Florida DT pair excites him too. Moten committed to Florida in April.
Clark is a prototypical line-clogger, the kind South Florida has not produced in many years. A four-star rated player by the major scouting services, Clark was inundated with offers. Miami, Florida, Arkansas, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Louisville, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, UCLA, Vanderbilt and Wisconsin offered, and he was close to offers from Alabama and Ohio State.
To say that Clark's commitment to Florida is a big deal is an understatement.
The Gators have taken to the two best defensive linemen in South Florida from the Class of 2014 and kneecapped the Hurricanes, which had both players high on their recruiting board.
Clark said that Florida's membership in the Southeastern Conference played a big role in his commitment.
"The SEC is a better division of football."


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How do Pershing's customers—specifically independent broker-dealers who clear at Pershing and RIAs who custody with Pershing Advisor Solutions—benefit from the company's worldwide footprint?
Pershing CEO Brian Shea (left) answered that question in an interview Wednesday by noting first that "the world economic scene is being restructured" as we speak, and said that the economices of emerging market nations may, for the first time, "pull developed nations out of recession."
Furthermore, because of the deleveraging in developed nations, especially in Europe, pressure is being placed on growth rates, he said. While Shea wouldn't comment on the wisdom of the austerity measures now being painfully put into place in nations like Greece, he did say that "spending discipline" was appropriate.
While many of Pershing's affiliated advisors remain U.S.-centric in their investing strategies, Shea said that many of its customers are also global, and mentioned that Pershing is building on its international expertise by successfully building out the IFA (independent financial advisor) channel in the U.K., where he said Mark Tibergien, CEO of Pershing Advisor Solutions, "has been of great value."
"We execute, clear and report in 65 countries" around the world, Shea pointed out. As a further example of how advisors and their end clients are benefiting from Pershing's global operations, he said that Lockwood, part of Pershing's Managed Account Solutions, is now working with BNY Mellon's investment management unit to build separately managed accounts that invest globally.
Turning to regulation and the current debate on everything from an advisor SRO to a fiduciary standard for all professional advice givers, Shea first pointed out that while the current regulatory system is a "patchwork quilt" and that if "you were starting from scratch today, there's no way you would build it as it is," efforts like Dodd-Frank to reform the system are important, but cautioned that "no regulatory system can reduce risk 100%."
Shea said that while he could make a strong argument supporting both sides in the debate over a fiduciary standard of care, the needs of the investor are being overlooked. "We're talking to people, quietly," on all sides of the debate to retreat from "too much of a focus on the business model" and to place that focus instead on safeguarding investors.


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