text:
|Previous Page | Table of Contents | Index | Next Page
What Is the Basis of Your Depreciable Property?(p11)
Words you may need to know (see Glossary)
Cost as Basis(p11)
Assumed debt.(p12)
Settlement costs.(p12)
Property you construct or build.(p12)
Other Basis(p12)
Property changed from personal use.(p12)
Property acquired in a nontaxable transaction.(p12)
Adjusted Basis(p12)
Basis adjustment for depreciation allowed or allowable.(p13)
|Previous Page | Table of Contents | Top of Page | Index | Next Page


text:
Just in case Matt Gallagher didn't indulge enough on Thanksgiving, an impromptu party was thrown for him and his Maine-Endwell football players at a catering hall on Saturday night.
Just in case Matt Gallagher didn't indulge enough on Thanksgiving, an impromptu party was thrown for him and his Maine-Endwell football players at a catering hall on Saturday night.
The occasion?
Led by Gallagher, a 1984 Minisink Valley graduate, Maine-Endwell took the Class B state championship earlier in the day with a 42-12 win over Glens Falls in Syracuse. Glens Falls defeated Marlboro 28-17 in the Class B semifinals last week. Gallagher's brother, Kevin, is Minisink Valley's football coach.
"It feels fantastic," said Gallagher, Maine-Endwell's coach for five seasons. "These kids set their mind to this and they worked hard every week. They deserve everything they get and I'm just happy for them. To win one is tough enough, to win two in a row is really something. We're all proud of this."
Maine-Endwell won the Class A state title last season. The Spartans were moved to Class B this year. Maine-Endwell (13-0) has won 25 games in a row, outscoring opponents 669-125. One of Gallagher's sons, Kyle, a junior, is Maine-Endwell's returning starting quarterback.
He was named the MVP of the Class B state championship and is being recruited by Ivy and Patriot League schools. Another son, Adam, a sophomore, starts for Maine-Endwell at wide receiver.
How good is Maine-Endwell?
Kevin Gallagher and Chenango Valley coach Jay Hope, who coaches against Maine-Endwell, think the Spartans can play with any team, in any class, in the state.
"Maine-Endwell is bigger, faster and stronger than last year," Hope said. "They have all the components, size up front, speed, along with good coaching. They can win at any level and it might not even be close."
Added Kevin Gallagher: "I'll tell you, if Matt couldn't win AA, it would be awfully close. It would be a heck of a game. They have no weak spots, they have absolute studs."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
A new website launched by the police department in Roseville, Calif., helps victims of theft recover their stolen goods. Launched this April, the website features photos of stolen items like bicycles, computer equipment and jewelry that users can claim by offering serial numbers or a detailed description.
Police say the website was created so more people can get their stolen property back, rather than having it auctioned off online. Stolen property found by the department that goes unclaimed for 90 days is typically sold through PropertyRoom.com, and 50 percent of the proceeds go back to the department. The funds the department receives are insignificant, so they might as well try harder to get the property back into the hands of its owners, a department spokesperson said, the Sacramento Bee reported.
Roseville's approach to stolen property is uncommon, but not unique. The police department in Redwood City, Calif., maintains a Pinterest account to share images of stolen property. Watches, jewelry and bicycles are shown alongside the department's phone number for recovery. After 30 days, found items "may be purged at the discretion of the agency."
The Metropolitan Police Department for the District of Columbia maintains a Flickr account to share images of stolen property. Albums of stolen goods are created by month. An album of stolen bicycles for January 2014 contains 76 photos of bicycles of all sizes – one of a small pink scooter.
The most common solution for police departments around the country is to simply have residents file a report when property is stolen and the information given is matched against the department's inventory. The use of image hosting websites is becoming more common, however, even if just for isolated incidents.
Detectives from the Sammamish Police Department and the King County Sheriff's Office in Washington state posted images (Password: SammamishPD) online on Photobucket after catching a couple of burglars who had committed more than 80 residential burglaries in 2012 and 2013. The album contains hundreds of images of property stolen by the burglars, from prescription medication and gold watches to autographed baseballs and flip flops.


text:
In a cool mix of fashion and technology, a former Google engineer is unleashing bicycle gloves, and your cycling experience may never be the same.
Zach Vorhies used to be an engineer for Google Earth, and for Lucasfilm. He's been working with a fashion designer and robotic consultant, and the result is a new kind of bike glove. This one comes complete with turn signals.
Now, you may (logically) ask: Don't I already use my arms to signal my turns? Good point. But, as it gets darker earlier, it can't hurt to have signals that light up as you signal. Check out the video from the company called "Zackees" (located on the Kickstarter page, as the venture tries to raise money): http://tinyurl.com/mqr94q2
Zackees claims the gloves will give you two months of battery life with regular use. Look for them in a bike lane near you, soon.
Scott, about to try the gloves, is on Twitter: @scottbudman


text:
Most Wanted - I am looking for information about these ancestors. Can you help?
What's New - View the latest updates made to the site.
Blog Post - Read recent and past blog entries.
This site powered by The Next Generation of Genealogy Sitebuilding ©, v. 11.1.1, written by Darrin Lythgoe 2001-2020.


text:
I really suggest reading the graveyard when you get the time. Doesn't have to be the entire chat, but at least the last phase where you can see us discussing ways on how town could still pull off a win! I can summarize for you here, though I'd have to recollect my thoughts first xDdumytru wrote:I still don't understand why the game didn't ended after blurf was lynched.
Interesting points under your reply to Kleene! Thank you for sharing because at the last phase, fellow graveyarderz and I don't have a clue as to what exactly is going on in town's side. We were truly hoping you not lose the fighting spirit to tackle on the BO and reading from your notes, it looks like you did try your best til the end \o/ I'm curious as to why you guys decided to lynch blurf though? There don't seem to be any evidence found action-wise against him? Or did I miss it?
Also, just to note, it would've been a fun time continuing my early alliance with you! Somehow, I had flashbacks from when you and cinna were BOs and couldn't seem to trust you right away this time! xD
As for Moon, did no one catch her saying..
MoonRaven wrote:...
No, Henry, my friend...
This was a red flag for me 'coz it sounded like he was in contact with Henry right before he died (which was true). She may not have been the one to send the actual aptx (points for Kleene) but what she said hopefully had made town keep a closer eye on her a little bit earlier.


text:
Maternal Grace
Little John Newton, six years old, hoisted himself up in his chair, leaned across the table, and stared out the parlor window at the sunlight dancing on the surface of the Thames. Away flew his thoughts, beyond the river and the estuary, over the wide world, to the dim and distant figure of his father, a stern-faced man in a merchant-captain's coat, cresting the blue Mediterranean swells at the wheel of his ship.
"What are God's works of providence?"
John turned at the sound of his mother's voice, gentle but insistent at his side. A dog-eared copy of "The Westminster Shorter Catechism" lay open in her lap.
"What are God's works of providence?" she repeated, glancing up at him.
The boy brushed the hair from his eyes. Then he blinked, rubbed his nose, and grinned. She gave him an encouraging nod. "God's works of providence," he ventured, brightening beneath her smile," are His most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing of all His creatures, and all their actions."
"Good!" she beamed. "And what special act of providence did God exercise towards man in the estate wherein he was created?"
John bit his lip and frowned. "I'm sorry, Mother," he said, his father's grim and serious face flashing before his mind's eye. "I guess I haven't learned that one yet."
"No matter," she said, hooking a finger under his chin and lifting his face up to her own. "You shall learn it tomorrow! But can you remember the song we sang together yesterday?"
"Oh, yes!" he said, clapping his hands. "Let's sing it again!"
She lifted him into her lap, and the fresh, clean smell of her white linen apron and blue taffeta skirts filled his nostrils. He snuggled close to her and they began:
"Let children hear the mighty deeds which God performed of old;
Which in our younger years we saw, and which our fathers told."
"Another!" he shouted when they had finished. "Can we sing another?"
"Why not?" she said, taking another book from the table – "The Hymns and Psalms of the Reverend Isaac Watts." "Can you read this?" she asked, holding it up in front of him.
"O God," he said, squinting at the page, "our Help in ages past, our Hope for years to come. Our Shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal Home."
From somewhere on the street below came the laughter and shouts of neighborhood children. They were loud and exuberant at their play, but John never heard their calls. He was too full of the scent of his mother, too enraptured with the words of the song as it rose and fell on the gentle waves of her voice.
He was in his own personal heaven.
"If the foundations are destroyed," says David in the eleventh Psalm, "what can the righteous do?" (Psalm 11:3). It's a question well worth pondering.
But suppose the foundations are not destroyed. Suppose that on the contrary, they are laid deep in the hidden bedrock of the unchanging grace of God. Suppose that they are so well established and so painstakingly constructed that they stand unshaken despite the ravages of time and tide and chance. What then?
In that case, the righteous can hope to do all things (Philippians 4:13). In that case, we can expect the blind to see, the lame to walk, and the dead to live again. Best of all, we can look forward to the happy spectacle of prodigals coming home to the house built firm upon the Rock.
The story of the Reverend John Newton is the story of a beloved son, errant blasphemer, slave of slaves, and preacher of the everlasting gospel. It's a story that ends well because it begins well – in spite of a bleak and disastrous "middle passage."
We don't want to miss that good beginning. It's absolutely essential to everything that follows. Because for all its subsequent sordidness and sorrow, our narrative starts with a tender, touching scene: a child on his mother's knee, singing hymns and reciting verses from the Bible. An unlikely point of departure, perhaps, for a foul-mouthed sailor and a dealer in human flesh.
Elizabeth Newton, by her son's own account, was a "pious, experienced Christian"1 – a woman whose life was built around a solid vertical core. She was a genuine believer whose knowledge of God went deeper than mere doctrinal orthodoxy and whose experience of the Savior's love was warm and immediate and inextricably interwoven with the details of everyday existence.
That in itself simply had to rub off on young John. No doubt it would have even if his mother had never said a word to him about it. There is, after all, a great deal of truth in the old maxim that faith is more effectively caught than taught. But Mrs. Newton wasn't the kind to be content with such assurances. No; she personally directed every aspect of her son's education. She saw to it that the seeds of God's righteousness, truth, and mercy were planted deep in the soil of his soul from the earliest moments of childhood.
And so, almost from the time her son could speak, Mrs. Newton began to teach him. She took his training firmly in hand with enthusiasm, devotion, and fervent prayer. The results were impressive. At three her boy was already learning to read. By four he had practically mastered the skill. At five he was memorizing Scripture, enduring the rigors of the Catechism, and filling his mind with the words and melodies of the hymns of Isaac Watts. By six he was ready to embark on the study of Latin. And all because of the industry and care of a loving mother whose heart's desire was that her son might someday serve the Lord as a minister of the Word.
But then tragedy struck. Elizabeth died before John turned seven, the victim of her own weak constitution and the ravages of consumption (or tuberculosis), one of the deadliest and most feared maladies of the day. As a result, by the time John was twenty-one, his closest companions would have been hard pressed to detect even the slightest traces of his mother's influences upon him. Among other things, anger at God over her death drove him to abandon the path she had taught him to tread. But that, as we shall see, wasn't to be the end of the story.
Though in young manhood, Newton did his level best to "sin away" every last vestige of these early impressions, he never fully succeeded. "They returned again and again," he tells us, "and it was very long before I could wholly shake them off; and when the Lord at length opened my eyes, I found a great benefit from the recollection of them."2 In other words, Mrs. Newton's chickens eventually came home to roost.
The well-worn and oft-quoted words of Proverbs 22:6 immediately come to mind: "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it." It is true, of course, that many godly parents have suffered greatly because of their wayward sons' and daughters' ill choices. As wise as this saying may be, it doesn't necessarily mean it's an unqualified promise or absolute guarantee. But neither should the life-giving principle it conveys be too easily dismissed. It does, after all, make a very real difference how a child is raised. Moses acknowledged this in his instructions to the people of Israel:
"And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up." Deuteronomy 6:6-7
It needs to be said that, allowing for anomalies and departures from the rule, this kind of investment generally yields a rich dividend, a dividend that can manifest itself in surprising ways. Consider the case of young Samuel, whose course in life was fixed when his mother Hannah "lent him to the Lord" (1 Samuel 1:28); or Timothy, whose "genuine faith … dwelt first in [his] grandmother Lois and [his] mother Eunice" (2 Timothy 1:5). We know that God can use anyone or anything to draw hearts to Himself and prepare a pathway for His people. And yet there is no substitute for the tender affections of a godly mother. Newton himself felt this keenly: "[My father] was a man of remarkable good sense, and great knowledge of the world; he took great care of my morals, but could not supply my mother's part."3
"In the Torah," observes Chaya Saskonin, a member of Brooklyn's Lubavitch Jewish Community, "women are called akeret ha-bayit, the foundation of the home. That doesn't mean washing dishes. It means educating our children in everything we think about life. That's the nature of what a mother is."4
And so it is. It's also the nature of the God who made mothers; the God who weaves each one of us together in the womb (Psalm 139:13) and shelters us under His wings like a brooding hen (Psalm 17:8; Matthew 23:37). This is the same God who, in His infinite wisdom and mercy, both gives and takes away: the God who granted John Newton an excellent parent for his early spiritual upbringing, only to remove her from his life at an unexpected hour. It seemed a cruel blow. But the upshot was that John, in the fullness of time, became "an unusual proof of His patience, providence, and grace."5
No wonder they call that grace "amazing."
Maternal Grace
In the beginning, there is grace.
1John Newton, introduction by Bruce Hindmarsh, "The Life and Spirituality of John Newton" (Vancouver, BC: Regent College Publishing, 1998), 17.
3Ibid., 18.
4Quoted in "A Faith Grows in Brooklyn," by Carolyn Drake. National Geographic, February 2006.
5Newton, Hindmarsh, "The Life and Spirituality of John Newton," 18.
Excerpted from "Finding God in the Story of Amazing Grace." Copyright 2007 by Kurt Bruner & Jim Ware. Used by permission of SaltRiver Books (an imprint of Tyndale House Publishers).
Kurt Bruner is a graduate of Talbot Seminary. He has authored books with combined sales of over 500,000 copies.
Jim Ware studied at Fuller Theological Seminary and is now a writer living in Colorado Springs with his wife and six children. Jim's books include "God of the Fairy Tale" and "Finding God in the Land of Narnia."
Bruner and Ware are the co-authors of "Finding God in the Lord of the Rings" and "Finding God in the Land of Narnia."


text:
(This post contains affiliate links.)
One of the questions that I've been asked frequently over my years of blogging is, "What do you do about ticks?" My family spends a lot of time outdoors, so I guess it's an obvious question. My answer has always been, "We check for them everyday, and we hope for the best." I understand the concern about Lyme disease, but it never made sense to me to avoid the outdoors because of that risk. Maybe the hope was that I would have some secret for avoiding ticks. I am not a fan of spraying chemicals on my kids, though when I was in forestry school, we all sprayed ourselves without a thought, every time we went out in the field.
I don't have any good method for avoiding ticks. They are abundant where we live, and we just consider them part of life. I did buy a flock of guineas just before Silas' birthday in May this year, but as guineas do (based on what I've heard from others), our flock went from ten to two over the course of the past few months. But I do think they've helped. We've seen fewer ticks this summer.
Just before Mabel was born, Silas had an episode of swelling and pain in one of his knees. He told us his legs were broken. We assumed he had bumped it, fallen down while running around in the yard. After a day or two the swelling went down and he stopped complaining. We were caught up in preparing for Mabel's birth, but I think both Jonny and I were a little troubled. Was this the first time he'd complained? Was this the first time his knee swelled? Or had this happened before?
After we brought Mabel home, Silas' behavior turned wild and crazy, more so than his typical five year old self. We blamed it on the new baby and hoped he would eventually chill out. Then, in early September, he had another episode of swelling in his knee. This time, I called our pediatrician and made an appointment for the same day. I knew that this wasn't normal. Examining his warm, swollen knee, she was concerned that he might have rheumatoid arthritis. She ordered labs testing to rule out leukemia, arthritis, and lyme disease. "I see a lot of Lyme this time of year," she said.
Preliminary results ruled out the scariest scenarios, though his blood work indicated that he was fighting a parasite, or maybe allergies. "Let's wait on the Lyme results, and go from there," she told me. The following day, she called with his positive test for Lyme disease. I felt terrible for not having had him tested sooner, for dismissing his swollen knee as the probable result of a bump. My doctor reassured me, "This is better than the other possibilities we were testing for. I can treat this."
We started him on a month long course of antibiotics, and almost immediately, his behavior became worse. That month was incredibly difficult with Silas, my thoughtful artistic child, wild and explosive, screaming erratically and bouncing off the walls. (And of course Job copies his every move.) We blamed the red dye in the medicine, the die-off of all his body's good bacteria. I blamed myself. I know the signs of Lyme, why did it not occur to me to have him tested the first time his knee swelled?
We are about two weeks post treatment now, and I think Silas is calming down. I am working to rebuild his gut with healthful food and supplements, and trying not to be haunted by the countless Lyme horror stories out there. (Yes, I have googled, and googled, and read, and read.) We've eliminated family ice cream nights, and sugary desserts in general. I'm thankful that I can buy fermented pickles at the grocery store, one of the few fermented foods that Silas will eat. I made a big batch of my favorite fermented food, cranberry relish. It's really good for you! We eat it in plain whole milk yogurt, and also use it to make cranberry granola. I pulled my copy of Fermented Vegetables off the shelf and made sauerkraut, though we haven't tasted it yet. A friend recommended chlorella in smoothies, so we're doing that every day. Greens, goat milk, bananas, berries, pineapples, sometimes cranberry relish, and always the chlorella (can't even taste it.) The same friend recommended rose geranium oil to repel ticks, so we're going to try that as well.
At the end of the day, I can't change the past, but I can do my best moving forward to help Silas heal.
I'm still working to make peace with nature. It hasn't been easy for me, the girl nicknamed Nature Girl, no less, in her childhood. Ever since my dear friend Sarah was attacked by yellow jackets on a nature walk with her kids, resulting ultimately in her death, I've been battling fear, even two years later. It lurks deep inside me, surfacing when I least expect it. About a month after Mabel was born, I ventured out into our backyard with her, just wanting to get outside, to walk around a bit in the fresh air. About a hundred yards away from the house, I started to feel nervous. I had the thought, "What am I doing out here with a baby? How reckless to have her out here like this!" I turned to walk quickly back to the house, to get her to safety. It took me a few minutes to recognize that my thoughts weren't rational, but based in fear, in past trauma. So yeah, I've still got work to do, but I'm battling it, and I'm beating it.
Every day, I'm more myself, and so is Silas. These things can't be forced, but I pray that his body heals faster than my heart and mind have.
p.s. I realized I'd written a post all about Silas, without a single photo of him in it! Mabel is much better at sitting still for photos. Here are a few from the other day when he made
a big mess pokeberry dye on the milking stand, (Gabe's dirt bike project in the background.)


text:
Some things in the garden need to be planned out in advance while others happen by chance. For instance, this year when our spring rains stopped dead in their tracks I gave up adding any more acidifier to my hydrangeas. You need to change the pH of the soil around hydrangeas well before they set buds. I like mother nature to water for me early in the season and she didn't cooperate. As luck would have it, the flowers this year are majestic purple, mauve and magenta where before they were sky blue. Frankly, I'm thrilled with this years color palette. Hooray for serendipity.
Early summer is the right time, however, for many other garden activities that you don't want to leave to chance.
Many plants, both vegetable and ornamental, are bothered by aphids and other sucking insects as well as foliage and flower eating bugs. From cucumber beetles, flea beetles, stink bugs, weevils, curculios to borers , the list of trouble makers is endless. . To help deter them mix up some pepper spray in your kitchen.
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce or 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 quart warm tap water
Let stand I hour, strain and spray plants either in the morning or evening.
Apply the second fertilizer application for the year to your citrus and fruit trees. The last one should be immediately after harvest. Apply the fertilizer to the soil around the drip line of the tree where feeder roots are located and scratch into the surface. Water in well. As with all fertilizers, make sure the trees are moist before you fertilize. Young trees in their first, second or third growing season should receive half the rate of established trees.
If your fruit trees are starting to produce too heavily, remove excess immature fruits. Doing so allows remaining fruit more room to grow and prevents branches from breaking under the weight. When apples, pears and stone fruits such as apricots, nectarines, peaches and plums reach 1/2' in diameter, pick some off, leaving the remaining fruits spaces 6-10" apart along the branch. Later, to protect your ripening fruit, enclose the tree with bird netting, hang strips of mylar flash tape near brach tips or substitute old CD's.
If you battle dandelions and don't want to use chemical weed killers around pets and children, get out the white vinegar from the cupboard. On a hot sunny day spray straight white vinegar directly on the weed. This method will kill whatever it touches so direct the spray carefully. If the dandelion is in the lawn, wait a week, pour some water on the dead spot to dilute any lasting effects of the vinegar. Then poke a bunch a holes and drop in some grass seed. Sprinkle a bit of fertilizer where the seed is planted and keep the area moist. In three weeks you won't remember where the dead spot was and the dandelion will be long gone.
Another garden to-do this month includes summer pruning of wisteria. To increase flowering next spring and keep these vines under control cut new growth back to within 6" of the main branch. If you want to extend the height or length of the vine, select some of the new streamer-like stems and tie them to a support in the direction you wish to train the plant.
To encourage continued bloom on annuals, perennials and shrubs, remove faded flowers before they start to form seeds. Make sure you remove the entire flower head and the base where seeds form ( such as the bulbous part of dahlia, petunia or fuchsia flowers) and not just the petals. Cut the stem down to where leaves start. The season has just started and you'll be enjoying lots more flowers in the months to come if you deadhead regularly.
Another maintenance tip is to shear spring blooming perennials to keep them full and compact. Candytuft, phlox subulata, aubrieta and other low growing perennials benefit if you cut off spent bloom and an inch or two of growth. Other perennials and shrubs that benefit from the same treatment to keep them compact are erysimum, lavender and Pink breath of heaven.
Also re-apply mulch if it's getting thin in spots. Check ties on trees to make sure they aren't cutting into the bark. Cultivate lightly around trees to discourage weeds and allow water to penetrate.
Don't be afraid to move a plant that is not working where its growing now. Make a note in your journal reminding yourself to transplant it sometime in the fall. Gardening is a dynamic and fluid process. Enjoy piecing together pieces of the puzzle.


text:
Acer Aspire R7 Gives New Meaning to "All-in-One" PC
They put the trackpad where?
That was my first thought when I heard about Acer's new Aspire R7 Windows 8 notebook.
Unveiled today at an event in New York, the Aspire R7 is a Windows 8 laptop, but its design is unique.
Part notebook, part all-in-one PC, part tablet, the machine features a 15.6-inch, 1,920 by 1,080-pixel touchscreen that's mounted on an "Ezel" hinge so you can reposition the display to your liking. You can angle it to use it like a regular laptop, flip the screen over to watch movies, or lay it on top of the keyboard to use it like a tablet.
Acer also switched the location of the keyboard and trackpad: The trackpad is now located at the top of the laptop, with the backlit keyboard just below it. WTF, right?
Acer's thinking is that you can simply angle the display right to the edge of the keyboard, and use the touchscreen rather than the trackpad to launch applications, click on items and so on.
I get what Acer was going for, but I'm not entirely sold on this design. There are still times where a trackpad might be more useful than a touchscreen, and having to reach over the keyboard to use it seems awkward and uncomfortable.
While PC manufacturers have been toying with these new hybrid designs of late, they come with compromises, and many times you'd be better off going with a standalone notebook or tablet. But I'll reserve judgment on the Aspire R7 until I've actually used it in person.
As far as the guts of the machine, it has an Intel Core i5 processor, a 500 gigabyte hard drive, a 24GB solid-state drive and 6GB of memory. Ports include three USB ports, HDMI and an SD card reader.
The Aspire R7 will be available exclusively at Best Buy on May 17, with a starting price of $1,000. You can preorder one starting today.
In addition to the R7, Acer announced the 7.9-inch Iconia A1 Android tablet and the Aspire P3 Windows 8 Ultrabook convertible, a slimmed-down version of its Aspire V5 notebooks and Aspire V7 Ultrabook.


text:
NickPicHost is an image host created when we realized a distinct lack of hosts that cater toward forums. On our Harry Potter, RPG called Fidelius we were afraid that our many hosted images would begin to disappear from hosts no longer allowing hotlinking. This rule change that occurred across the board, resulted in many RP and Graphic forums needing a new quick image host.
We found that many image hosts are in it for the money. We are not! The staff of NickPicHost simply wanted a host that was free, easy to use, and allowed hotlinking of graphics for role plays. There was a need, thus a service was born. We cater exclusively to small time forum owners who use remotely hosted services, aspiring graphic designers who share their work on forums, and message board users like you! We know you'd love it, because, we do too!
As of this moment, we serve 2,079,918 images. Amazing. Right? This number is all live images, that doesn't include the ones that got deleted, the thumbnails, or medium size images we store!
Our team is made up of talented designers, community managers, and story tellers that are here, standing besides you every step of the way as you create your world and your designs to share with us all. We love all this art. We thank you for making us a part of it.
We have a great ragtag team of people running NickPicHost and we are grateful for everyone that helped shape us into who we are today. We value transparency and ease of access. We opened to a closed base of users from our own forum on February 14, 2016. We became a public host on February 22, 2016.
The staff of NickPic.Host is called the Council. Meet the current members of our Council:
Nick - Founder & Owner
Nick is the founder of NickPicHost. He's honestly a very terrible graphics designer and okay at codes. But, he does love his characters. He exclusively plays male characters and has a hard time saying no to a gay male character. He tends to go overboard on character history. Nick is a great map designer, and can draw your entire fantasy world out beyond what you expected! Nick seems to do rather well at technical things to be honest, and was once in charge of RPG-Directory's server for years. Now days he runs and tries to keep NickPic.Host stable and reliable for everyone!
Jen - Senior Administrator
Jen likes wine. No, seriously. She does. If you ever meet her you better bring a bottle. She is a talented designer (like everyone on our team but Nick is) that is eager to help people out. We're all still wondering how she can manage so many characters with vastly different personalities. So. Many. Characters. If you don't flag your adult content, trust us, Jen is one of the first to notice and will flag it immediately to keep innocent eyes away from it. We allow adult content, but, it must be flagged.
Remy - Senior Administrator
Remy is the most committed person you'd ever meet. She enables all of us to be the very best that we can be. She also has a pet mountain, ask her how it's doing one day! As a member of our staff, Remy keeps a vigilant eye out for plagiarism and fights against plagiarism with passion and with the support of the entire Council. Honestly, Remy is our guinea pig too. She's very good at breaking things and here is PROOF!
Sam - Senior Administrator
This is Sam. He's shy. Sometimes he may turn into a dragon and catch things on fire. Sam's pretty much the person who'd alert Nick when someone has an issue and guarantee they get personal support. Sam is the voice of reason. No matter what direction we try to take, he always offers an opposing view before agreeing to it. Sam does this, because he knows we want this. By having the opposing view, it forces us to consider all options. When we need to get the word out, Sam's the guy who can do that!
Former Staff - When staff leave NickPic.Host, we like to remember their contributions. Once you're part of our family, you always are part of our family. It is one of our core beliefs.


text:
Your cart is empty
US Domestic Orders over $40 Ship Free
I don't know about you, but our favorite part of a bear is the back. It just feels different, okay? That's something we can all agree on, gay OR straight.
Machine wash: warm (max 40C or 105F); Non-chlorine: bleach as needed; Tumble dry: low heat; Iron, steam or dry: medium heat; Do not dryclean
US Domestic Orders Over $40 Ship Free
All Soap Dropper products are made to order with love! We usually ship your order out within 4-5 days followed by 2-3 day shipping. Depending on the product and time of year, it may take longer to print and package your order.
Returns/ExchangesBecause we produce your purchases on demand, all sales are final. We can not offer exchanges or refunds. Size Forgiveness PolicyFirst time shopping with us? No worries! If your purchase doesn't fit, we will replace/exchange 3 items with a different size free of charge. Due to health regulations, underwear is excluded.
Read Full Refund Policy


text:
Does anyone know which wire of the two is the positive?
Or if you know which one is the negative I can figure the rest out.
Does anyone know which wire of the two is the positive?
Or if you know which one is the negative I can figure the rest out.
That was funny.
For real though, you can get a small line tester at your local auto parts store for a couple of bucks to be sure. Or better yet, a new wire that goes from your unit to your fuse box if you are looking to hardwire.
Well I cut the plug off and out of curiosity I looked inside the plug. There is a tiny board with diode's and resister's attatched. The instructions clearly state that using other method's may damage the unit. So I'm going to purchase the hard wire kit SIR-PVK1 to install properly.
By the way I'm installing the Sirius onto my BMW motorcycle and need to run the wires from the handle bars to the rear seat area to a fuse panel.
You have to come back an post some pics in the installation forum when you are done. I wish I had stereo system on my road king but my bike doesnt lend itself well to that kind of thing.
Just about there,had to order another plug. Wired a plug socket in yesterday. Removed all the body work to run the wiring the length of the bike. Bought an antenna with a 12" lead instead of coiling up the 21 feet of antenna wire (looked like hell). I'll post pics when I'm finished.
My ride is a FatBoy and I've received accolades for the Stiletto 2 system I put together from several online sources. I purchased the handlebar chrome satellite/gps mount and ultratilt from an outfit called LeaderMotorcycle.com (http://www.leadermotorcycle.com/PROD/ED-CH-SAT.html). I used the Sirius automobile cradle kit and combined it with the small motorcycle antenna mount and motorcycle antenna that is sold as part of the Siruis Motorcycle Mount Kit from tss-radio.com (http://www.tss-radio.com/sirius-for-...593322606922d0). I had my local Harley dealer install the automobile wiring up and under the tank, placed the antenna mount on the clutch handlebar, and ran the headset wiring to under the riders seat where I use a simple stereo plug splitter so my wife or passenger can plug in and listen to Sirius, too. The whole thing comes off in a snap to take into into a restaurant or hotel at night.
Sorry for the delay kids. Here's the finished product.
Well done. Does that thing have speakers or are you going to hook into it with headphones inside your helmet? I have never had a bike with built in speakers... can you really hear the music when you're riding with the engine noise and wind?
Do you ever worry about not being able to hear traffic around you? Ever have any close calls?


text:
ALCALA DE HENARES, Spain – Cash-strapped officials in Europe are looking for a way to ease their financial burden by upending centuries of tradition and seeking to tap one of the last untouched sources of wealth: the Catholic Church.
Thousands of public officials who have seen the financial crisis hit their budgets are chipping away at the various tax breaks and privileges the church has enjoyed for centuries.
But the church is facing its own money troubles. Offerings from parishioners have nosedived, and it has been accused of using shady bank accounts and hiding suspect transactions.
Now, along come officials like Ricardo Rubio.
Rubio is leading an effort to impose a tax on all church property in Alcala used for non-religious purposes. The financial impact on the Catholic Church could be devastating. As one of Spain's largest landowners — with holdings that include schools, homes, parks, sports fields and restaurants — the church could owe up to 3 billion euros ($3.9 million) in taxes each year.
"We want to make a statement that the costs of the crisis should be borne equally by every person and institution," said Rubio, a 36-year-old former accountant in his first term in office.
Similar efforts that target church coffers or powers are under way in neighboring countries. In Italy, Prime Minister Mario Monti has called for a tax on church properties or on those portions of properties that have a commercial purpose. In Ireland, the minister of education is fighting to end church control of many of the country's primary schools, and the government has halved the grants it gives poor families for First Communions. More than half the city councils in Britain have eliminated state subsidies for transportation to faith-based schools, leading to a precipitous drop in enrollment.
Once an untouchable institution in some parts of Europe, the Catholic Church has come under fire for its government subsidies at a time when the continent's economies are faltering and the population is subject to painful cuts in jobs, benefits and pensions.
Political groups have seized on the crisis as an opportunity to open up a larger debate about whether it is time to unwind some of the deals struck generations ago between church and state in predominantly Catholic countries in Europe.
"The separation of church and state is the big issue here," said Charles Zech, director of the Center for the Study of Church Management at Villanova University, which focuses on the Catholic Church's finances.
The Vatican and representatives of the church — Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco in Spain and Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco in Italy, who head the council of bishops in their respective countries — have released statements saying they intend to comply with all laws. But they have declined to comment further except to emphasize that current norms recognize the "social value" of church activities.
Efforts to pare down its financial privileges could not have come at a worse time for the Catholic Church, which is experiencing money troubles despite its great wealth.
The net worth of the Vatican and the Catholic Church dioceses is difficult to estimate, but it is believed to be astronomical, Zech said. The Vatican's treasure of gold alone is thought to be worth several billion dollars. The church's nearly 3,000 dioceses serve individual countries, regions or cities that defer to the Vatican in matters of doctrine but maintain their own finances.
With most of its assets tied up in buildings and artwork, the church has faced a cash-flow problem in recent years. Contributions have fallen dramatically in the wake of the global economic downturn. The clergy abuse scandal cost the church hundreds of millions in settlement costs, further eroding cash reserves.
Mismanagement has been another problem, especially for the Vatican, which this year reported its worst deficit — $19 million — in a decade. The Vatican bank has been embroiled in scandal for the past two decades, from the recent ousting of its president to accusations of money-laundering, ties to the Mafia, a possible murder and the disappearance of $1 billion.
The issue of church tax payments has been simmering for several years. In 2010, European Union regulators launched an investigation into the Catholic Church and the taxes it pays in various countries.
EU competition czar Joaqin Almunia has said the tax breaks could be considered state aid and illegally distort competition in the market. But the issue wasn't at the forefront of the debate until earlier this year when Monti, the Italian prime minister, called for assessing higher taxes on church properties.
Spain's prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, has come down on the other side of the debate. He has called proposals to impose property taxes "irresponsible." The church, he said, deserves the exemptions because it serves a "very important social function."
Meanwhile, at least 100 cities in Spain have passed resolutions supporting municipal taxes on the church, and several thousand more cities are debating them, according to Europa Laica, a pro-secularism group.
In the city of Buenavista del Norte in the Canary Islands, Mayor Antonio Gonzales Fuertes, 30, says he's trying to collect 6,000 euros (about $7,750) from the church for a rental villa and a banana farm it operates.
Fuertes would like to use the money for efforts that have had to be cut, such as children's recreation programs. "The city's financial situation is very bad," he said. "It doesn't make sense to allow for-profit properties to have special treatment while social services are suffering."
For David Cerdan, 38, a council member in the textile town of Aspe in eastern Spain, tax collection efforts are more a matter of principle — an attempt to distinguish between the church's religious role and its role as a moneymaker.
In June, Aspe's council passed a measure supporting the collection of property taxes on church-owned buildings and land with no religious or charitable function, such as a restaurant in the center of town.
"This is a moment for the country to stand up to the power of the church," Cerdan said.
On the other side of the debate is Vicente Amad, a council member in the shoe-making town of Elda, which in August passed a resolution supporting a church tax. Amad abstained from voting on the measure.
He said he doesn't think this is the right moment for such a step. "It is in times of economic hardship that we need the church the most and need to support it," he said.
Famous for being the birthplace of Miguel de Cervantes and Catherine of Aragon, Alcala, about 22 miles northeast of Madrid, is one of the first Catholic Church districts in Spain. The local government has long had close ties to the church — the local bishop lives in a majestic 13th-century palace in the city's center — but in recent months, relations have become strained.
The city is facing a budget shortfall of 33 million euros (nearly $43 million) that has forced cutbacks in everything from security patrols to the number of street lights that can be illuminated at night. In May, the city council backed a proposal to collect municipal taxes from properties within its jurisdiction. The city of 203,000 is tallying which church properties would be affected and drawing up an estimated tax bill.
One big challenge is determining which properties should be considered commercial, as many operate in a gray area. For example, Rubio asked, should a sweet shop that sells almond nougat and is run by nuns be considered a business?
Rubio, who considers himself Catholic, said he doesn't see the proposal as a religious issue and believes all entities that enjoy special privileges — including political parties and unions — should be taxed.
But efforts to collect the money have been blocked, and the debate has divided small Spanish towns.
In Alcala and Aspe, the city councils were told by attorneys that three national laws allow the Catholic Church to operate in the country without paying property taxes and that they would have to appeal to the national government to change those laws before handing the local diocese a bill. In Buenavista del Norte, the tax collector refused to send the bill despite an order by the city council.
Fuertes said that he is preparing to take the issue as far as the supreme court until the taxes are paid. "We need to force the church to answer why it should continue to have these benefits while the rest of us suffer," he said.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Kennebunk Post
Guest Column
Letter to the Editor: Grant program a lifesaver for small business
Letter to the editor: Critic of Portland shelter plan overlooks unmet human needs
The Forecaster
People & Business: Dec. 2
Times Record Opinion
Jase Graves: A Christmas cell phone miracle


text:
I don't know how we missed this, but it's the best thing that is or has ever been on the internet or in the world.
Now, please recline, plug in your Hitachi Magic Wand, and experience complete elation as Rachel Dratch, Martha Plimpton, Junot Diaz, Amy Sohn, and Elna Baker read Deenie, Judy Blume's white hot ode to masturbation/excellent coming of age tale.
Rachel Dratch sounds just like what Mrs. Rappaport sounded like in my head; a truly underused comic gem, that woman. Oh man, just listening to this transports me to reading it under my covers in sixth grade. I was already a Judy Blume fan, and then she was my goddess. And to think, I didn't even know about Wifey yet! I had a lot of living to do, folks.
[via Hyperlocal]


text:
Marlins' rally in ninth dashed on unusual play
Last out recorded in rundown after pitch gets past Braves' catcher
MIAMI -- A chance for the Marlins' first walk-off win since July 13 turned into an unimaginable caught-in-a-pickle loss.
In a bizarre finish, Jake Marisnick was tagged out in a rundown between second and third in the ninth inning on Tuesday night, preserving a 4-3 Atlanta victory over Miami before a baffled 19,095 at Marlins Park.
"That kind of sums up how we're going right now," Marlins manager Mike Redmond said of the team's four-game losing streak.
The Marlins had a chance to tie the score in the ninth, but were thwarted on an unusual final out. Braves closer Craig Kimbrel issued a one-out double to Placido Polanco, and Marisnick entered to pinch-run.
Kimbrel threw a slider in the dirt to Ed Lucas, and the ball went through catcher Brian McCann and to the backstop. Marisnick broke for third, but the ball deflected perfectly back to McCann.
Trapped halfway, Marisnick was thrown out in a 2-5-4 rundown to end the game, giving Kimbrel his 46th save.
"It's a rough one," Lucas said. "It's kind of find-new-ways-to-lose style. Tough bounce right there. You can't really fault anyone there. He's going to try to be aggressive right there."
Marisnick was caught in a perfect storm for Atlanta. After being tagged by second baseman Dan Uggla, the Miami rookie used two hands to smack his helmet to the ground in disgust.
"You could say, 'Oh, you're in scoring position,' " Lucas said. "But you can't really predict something like that."
On the pitch, Lucas was looking fastball, and he stayed off the slider.
"It was kind of a dirty slider that was in the dirt," Lucas said. "It got away from Mac. I can't believe it bounced back to him like that. It couldn't have been any more perfect. It was like a fastball right down the middle, off the wall.
"I'm like, 'Now, he's on third, if he throws another one, the run scores.' Before I even knew what was happening, Mac was throwing to third. We were in a pickle."
Like they had all night, the Braves executed when they had to.
"It's not an easy play," Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "[McCann] is all the way to the backstop. He's got to throw the ball to third base. You don't practice that play."
For most of the night, the Marlins were playing catchup.
Tom Koehler scratched out five innings on Tuesday night, but the right-hander was tagged for four runs that Miami was unable to overcome.
Julio Teheran yielded three runs in 6 1/3 innings, while Evan Gattis drove in two runs to lift Atlanta.
Koehler snapped a string of three straight games in which Miami's starter did not work more than four innings. But he also let a first-inning lead slip away.
"We're in a funk, pitching-wise," Redmond said. "We're having a struggle to get through four innings, five innings. Not to take anything away from the Braves. They've got a great team and that's a tough team to pitch to, especially with as many time as we've played them now. But we've got to do a better job of eliminating runs early to give ourselves a chance."
Miami has dropped four straight, and the Braves' magic number to clinch the National League East was trimmed to seven.
The Braves have taken the first two of the four-game set. Miami looks to get on track on Wednesday, sending rookie phenom Jose Fernandez to the mound against Mike Minor.
Koehler got into two-out trouble in the first inning, surrendering three straight hits that gave Atlanta an immediate two-run lead. Freddie Freeman started things with a single, then scored on Gattis' double. McCann added an RBI double for a 2-0 lead.
Miami's deficit didn't last long as the Marlins countered with a three-run first off Teheran.
Lucas singled with one out and Christian Yelich walked. Giancarlo Stanton, back in the lineup after sitting out two games with a sore right ankle, blistered an RBI double to left. Logan Morrison's floater into center dropped from an RBI single.
Stanton gave Miami a 3-2 lead when he scored on Donovan Solano's fielder's choice grounder.
Miami threatened in the seventh inning, loading the bases with two outs for Stanton. Chris Coghlan walked, and Lucas singled to left, ending Teheran's night after 111 pitches. Lefty Luis Avilan pegged Yelich with a pitch on a 2-2 count, bringing up Stanton. Luis Ayala relieved Avilan and struck Stanton out on three pitches, getting the slugger to swing through a sinker.
In the third inning, the Braves reclaimed the lead, scoring twice on four hits. Again, Atlanta was able to string together hits, opening the inning with three consecutive singles.
Justin Upton and Freeman singled, and Upton scored on Gattis' RBI hit. With one out, Chris Johnson added a run-scoring single, putting the Braves on top, 4-3.
"You've got to try to minimize those guys," Koehler said. "Those are some big RBI guys. If it's a little bit extra focus, or whatever it takes. You've really got to work on trying to get those guys out or holding them. They were able to hit some balls in the game with guys on, and kind of just three or four hits in a row got them going."


text: CDD> Zoning and Development> Cambridge Redevelopment Authority Cambridge Redevelopment Authority The Cambridge Redevelopment Authority (CRA) undertakes urban redevelopment projects and other activities provided for in the enabling legislation. In recent years the CRA has focused its attention on the Kendall Square area. While the CRA works with the Community Development Department on occasion, the Authority is not staffed by CDD and is not under the Department's jurisdiction. CRA Web Site Be sure to visit the new CRA web site at www.cambridgeredevelopment.org. Cambridge Redevelopment Authority Membership Kathleen L. Born, Chair (appointment through April 2017) D. Margaret Drury, Vice Chair (appointment through April 2018) Christopher F. Bator, Treasurer (appointment through April 2020) Conrad Crawford, Assistant Treasurer (appointment through April 2016) Barry Zevin, Assistant Secretary (State appointee through 2019) Meetings and Agendas The CRA holds regular Board meetings, usually on a monthly basis. Agendas, minutes and other meeting materials are found on the CRA web site. Documents Adopted Strategic Plan July 21, 2014 Current By-Laws Kendall Square Urban Renewal Plan and Amendments Background of the Kendall Square Urban Renewal District Parcel 2 Development Agreement Parcels 3 and 4 Development Agreement See also the documents What is Urban Renewal on the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development web site. City of Cambridge Ames Street Land Disposition The City has approved selling a 20-foot wide strip of public land along the eastern edge of Ames Street between Main Street and Broadway in Kendall Square. The land will be sold to a private owner with the condition that it would be combined with adjacent land to enable the construction of a residential building with ground floor retail. Learn more about this project. For More Information For more information about the CRA please contact Tom Evans, Executive Director, at email@example.com or 617/492-6801. The CRA's offices are located at 255 Main Street, 4th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02142.