text:
The Associated Press reports on the beta website ThePudding.com, which is offering users "free" voice over IP (VoIP) calls, with an invasive catch -- it uses voice-recognition software to serve you ads based on the conversation you're having.
Perhaps the most chilling implication of this "service" is its potential impact on your constitutional right to privacy in your phone calls. Fourth Amendment protections against government eavesdropping rely on your having a "reasonable expectation of privacy" in your calls, something you'll arguably be trading away by using ThePudding.com's VoIP service.
The government can and likely will argue -- as it has argued when it comes to your Gmail in the case of U.S. v. Warshak -- that allowing a company to scan your communications for ad-serving purposes eliminates any Fourth Amendment privacy protections in those communications. Far from being "free," you may be paying for ThePudding.com's service with your constitutional rights.
For the AP report, "New Service Eavesdrops on Internet Calls":
Read EFF Activist Richard Esguerra's complete post:
Thursday, October 4, 2007
ThePudding.com Turns Your VoIP Calls Into Ad-Serving keywords
The Associated Press reports on the beta website ThePudding.com, which is offering users "free" voice over IP (VoIP) calls, with an invasive catch -- it uses voice-recognition software to serve you ads based on the conversation you're having.
Gepostet von thatguy unter 2:52 AM 0 Kommentare
Labels: eff, electronic frontier foundation, internet calls, news, telephony, thepudding.com, voice-recognition, voip
Cultural Borrowings: Appropriation, Reworking and Transformation - Call for Papers
Cultural Borrowings: A Study Day on Appropriation, Reworking and Transformation
University of Nottingham, UK
Wednesday March 19th, 2008
Plenary Speakers will include Professor Christine Geraghty (University of Glasgow) and Professor David Hesmondhalgh (University of Leeds).
Throughout history, artists have appropriated, sampled or borrowed elements from pre-existing work for use in new cultural texts. When hip-hop artist Dangermouse mixed samples from The Beatles White Album with Jay-Z's Black Album to produce The Grey Album; or when Todd Haynes paid homage to the works of Douglas Sirk in the film Far From Heaven (2002); or when Jean Rhys reworked Jane Eyre to tell the story of the creole Antoinette in Wide Sargasso Sea, they were all appropriating elements from prior cultural texts for use in the creation of new works.
This one day conference, in association with the MeCCSA Postgraduate Network, seeks to interrogate the nature of such cultural borrowings, looking at how we can draw together insights from across the disciplines in order to further develop academic models of appropriation, reworking and transformation.
Submissions will be welcomed from both research students and interested academics working in the fields of film and television studies, cultural studies, literature, media anthropology, history, music, new media and sociology.
Topics may include, but are not limited to the following:
- Remakes and Reworkings
- New media/Convergence culture
- Globalisation and cultural/regional crossings
- Rethinking postmodernism/postcolonialism
- Fandom (fan films/slash fiction)
- Borrowings between high and low culture
- Sampling and remixing in music
- Appropriation in the visual arts
- The Politics of Pastiche/Parody/Camp
- Culture Jamming/Adbusters
- Fair Use and intellectual property
Please submit an abstract of 200-300 words along with a short biographical note to:
Iain Robert Smith: firstname.lastname@example.com
Iain Robert Smith, Cultural Borrowings Conference
School of American and Canadian Studies
University of Nottingham
Nottingham NG7 2RD
Deadline for abstracts is 30 November 2007 http://www.meccsa.org.uk/pgn/
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Labels: call for papers, conference, cultural borrowings, culture jamming, fair use, globalization, iain robert smith, intellectual property, MECCSA, new media, parody, pastiche, remix culture
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
MySpace with wrinkles / Starbucks does itunes
2 interesting and content related news bits I thought.
Starbucks and Apple have announced a new wireless iTunes music service. The partnership will allow users of Apple's iPhone and iPod to download songs playing in a Starbucks shop directly to their portable devices.
>>> click here for video report
Social networking sites usually target teenagers and 20-somethings. But a new batch of start-up sites are going after their parents and grandparents.
>>> click here for video report
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Labels: apple, itunes, myspace, news, social networking, starbucks, video
ICA Pre-conference on "Bridging Scholar/Activist Divides in the Field of Communications" May 22, 2008, Montreal
Bridging Scholar/Activist Divides in the Field of Communications
ICA Half-Day Pre-Conference Call for Participants
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Annual Meeting of the International Communication Association
Le Centre Sheraton Montreal
Montreal, Canada
Organized by:
Becky Lentz, Visiting Scholar, New York University and Senior Ford Foundation Fellow
Philip M. Napoli, Director, Donald McGannon Communication Research Center
Milton Mueller, Professor, School of Information Studies, Syracuse University
Joe Karaganis, Social Science Research Council and Director of the Necessary Knowledge for a Democratic Sphere Program
Deadline for submissions: 5pm EST on November 1st
"Communicating social impacts" requires deliberate attention to the role that scholarship plays in affecting social change. This pre-conference for the annual meeting of the International Communication Association addresses divides between research and advocacy in the field of communications in issue areas such as public health, media diversity, communications policy, global communications and Internet governance, journalism, technology usage and diffusion, and political communication.
When it comes to connecting research and advocacy, the field of communications often seems riven by contradictory impulses. On the one hand, the field has long lamented its historically marginalized position in the academy and in policymaking relative to economics, sociology, political science, and other established disciplines. Yet communications scholars often share a hesitancy to engage with policymakers or policy advocates out of fear of sacrificing academic objectivity, or out of a desire to avoid "applied" scholarship, though foundational scholars in the field, ranging from Harold Lasswell to James Carey, have consistently advocated more public engagement by communications researchers - particularly in relation to policy issues. And in
communications policy, the size and diversity of the issue advocacy community in the U.S. and internationally has increased considerably in recent years, as have the needs of this community for high quality research to ground their claims for a more democratic and just media.
The intensification of activism around communication-information policy issues suggests that scholars conducting research on those issues have exciting opportunities to link up with advocacy communities or to directly engage with journalists, government and industry policymakers with research that proposes or supports particular policy solutions. There are, however, a range of practical and institutional impediments that prevent such linkages and discourage scholars from advocating policy positions derived from their work. These impediments include institutional disincentives within academia (particularly within the social sciences) for "applied" or "engaged" scholarship; a dearth of fora and communication channels linking advocacy and academic communities; and sometimes divergent perspectives among scholars, advocates, and policymakers, on the appropriate role and function of research in policymaking.
This pre-conference -- which is part of the annual meeting of the International Communication Association in Montreal (www.icahdq.org) -- seeks to build upon recent successes forging tighter linkages between researchers and advocates (see, for example, Robert McChesney's work via Free Press; the National Consortium for Media Policy Studies [COMPASS], the Necessary Knowledge for a Democratic Public Sphere project at the Social Science Research Council; the Global Internet Governance Academic Network, or GigaNet; the Collective Behavior and Social Movements division of the American Sociological Association; Sociologists Without Borders, the Civil Society Practitioner Program at the Oxford Internet Institute, the post-graduate diploma in Media Advocacy being offered by the Centre for Culture, Media and Governance in New Delhi, and other organized forms of engaged scholarship), with an eye toward developing concrete solutions that could contribute to an environment in which researchers and advocates are better able to engage in mutually beneficial collaborations, and in which, ideally, the traditional distinctions that have existed between scholars and advocates can be diminished.
We encourage participation from individuals or groups in academe, journalism, industry, government, and civil society who are engaged with advocacy issues or conducting research on those issues. The goal is to coalesce a set of concrete proposals for institutional change that can lead to tighter linkages between research and issue advocacy.
The tentative plan is for the meeting to be organized along three tracks:
Track 1: Bridging Organizational Cultures
What aspects of the cultures of advocacy groups and academic researchers inhibit stronger linkages between research and advocacy? What specific institutional changes are needed to facilitate changes in these organizational cultures? Are there lessons to be derived from specific disciplines, or from specific national contexts, that can illuminate possible approaches to bridging research and advocacy? Can the overlaps and distinctions between "applied," "engaged," and "public" scholarship as they relate to communications research be clarified in ways that could reduce scholars' inhibitions related to engaging in advocacy-related work? Can graduate programs be implemented in ways that better incentivize and acculturate researchers on how their research can have social impact? Are there other forms of training/certification that could be implemented to nurture scholar/advocate hybrids? Findings from the SSRC's Collaborative Grants project and other systematic efforts at bridging research and advocacy will be shared.
Track 2: Mapping Research Needed for Social Impacts
What are the key policy questions (local, national, regional, global) being addressed by advocates and movement leaders that would be helped by research attention? What mechanisms currently in place have successfully facilitated the kind of information exchanges, networking and coordination that would create a strategic complementarity between research scholars and advocacy communities? When has this relationship failed to work properly and why? Are there new types of bridging organizations that are - or that should be - in place to facilitate this exchange?
Track 3: Engaging in Public Scholarship: Communicating Social Impacts
What strategies and tactics can best move the results of scholarship out of the academy and into the hands of decision makers? What are the key barriers to communicating scholarship to various constituencies (the press, policymakers, NGOs, industry, funders/donors, the specific constituencies, etc.) that need to be overcome? Are there particular exemplars in terms of institutional structures or programs that can inform and guide efforts in the communications research field?
* * * *
Those interested in participating in this pre-conference are asked to submit an abstract of no more than 500 words addressing one of the three tracks outlined above that includes how the participant intends to address one or more of the questions outlined in one of the three track descriptions. Included with this abstract should be a background statement of no more than 300 words about the participant that includes a brief summary of any recent or ongoing activities /research by the participant that address the subject matter of the relevant track.
Scholars researching social movements in the field of communications are encouraged to submit abstracts.
This half-day pre-conference will take a workshop format, with selected participants asked to give very brief, informal presentations that trigger active conversation and informed discussion related both to their presentation and to the presentations of the other conference participants across all three tracks.
Participants will also be asked to contribute to a process of issue mapping and sharing of models and ideas ahead of the meeting, via a wiki and/or other tools such as the SSRC's Media Research Hub (http://mediaresearchhub.ssrc.org). This will be hosted by the SSRC, as part of its 'Necessary Knowledge for a Democratic Public Sphere' program. If there is independent interest in continuing these conversations, these services can be maintained (or spun off).
Deadline for submission is 5pm EST on November 1st. Abstracts should be submitted electronically (as a Word attachment) to Jessica Crowell of the Donald McGannon Communication Research Center at Fordham University at email@example.com. Please include "ICA Pre-Conference Submission" in the subject line.
* * * *
About the Pre-Conference Organizers
Becky Lentz is a Visiting Scholar at New York University and a Senior Ford Foundation Fellow. She was the founding program officer of the Ford Foundation's Electronic Media Policy portfolio, which has sought to forge tighter linkages between researchers and advocates in the communications policy arena. (firstname.lastname@example.com)
Philip M. Napoli is an Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Business and Director of the Donald McGannon Communication Research Center at Fordham University. The McGannon Center has long-served as a research partner and resource for the public interest and advocacy communities. (email@example.com)
Joe Karaganis is a Program Officer in the Social Science Research Council and Director of the Necessary Knowledge for a Democratic Public Sphere program, which is dedicated to enhancing the role that research plays in a wide range of issue areas related to communications, culture, and the democratic process. (email@example.com)
Milton Mueller is a Professor in the School of Information and Co-Director and Founder of the Convergence Center at Syracuse University. He is a partner in the Internet Governance Project, an interdisciplinary consortium of academics that conducts research and advocacy work in the areas of international governance and Internet policy. (firstname.lastname@example.com)
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Labels: becky lentz, call for participation, communications, ica, organizational cultures, pre-conference, public scholarship, social impacts, ssrc
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
VII World Congress of Computer Law
VII World Congress of Computer LawWhen: 3-7 December 2007
Where: San Juan, Puerto Rico
Steering Committee: University of Puerto Rico
Association / Inter American University of Puerto Rico / Alfa-Redi
Website: http://www.alfa-redi.com/viicongress/
About Congress:
The Puerto Rico Bar Association, the School Of Law of University of Puerto Rico, the Inter American University of Puerto Rico and Alfa-Redi, cordially invite you to the VII World Congress on Cyber Law to be held from December 3 to December 7 in the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The VII World Congress on Cyber Law is a continuation of the worldwide congresses held in the cities of Quito (Ecuador), Madrid (Spain), Havana (Cuba), Cusco (Peru), Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) y Edinburgh (United Kingdom).
These congresses have been the starting point of new proposals, the development of laws adopted in several countries, and laws that were welcomed as guidelines by different decision-making public and private organizations involved in the area of new technologies and the development of the information society. These international events are directed towards academic, regional and international stakeholders, government employees, and individuals representing organizations from the Civil Society involved in the processes related to Policies and Regulatory Framework of the Information Society at a regional and international level.
These spaces of dialogue are evoked to promote encounter, discussion and proposal developing in diverse topics of the Information Society, as can be shown in the different Web pages of past Congresses.
The subjects raised for this congress are:
1. Privacy and Personal Data Protection
2. E-Governance
3. Information and Communication Technologies in the Information Society
4. E-Commerce and Cyber-banking
5. Virtual Worlds
6. Copyrights and Intellectual Property
7. E-gaming
Given the global, international and transforming nature of the thematic relationship among policies and the regulatory framework of the information society, we consider of utmost importance the participation of international experts to provide a perspective to the participants of the event who will be able to make comparisons with their own experience, emphasizing on the harmonization processes that have been promoted by diverse international organizations.
This Congress will include workshops which will be imparted by international organizations interested in delivering lectures on specific subjects. These workshops will have a duration of one to two hours, being held during the first two days of the Congress, concerning issues such as Privacy and eGovernment, FTAs and Information Society, Licensing models of contents, Playing games in the net and E-commerce, realities and perspectives. If your organization is interested in delivering a lecture on any of the above mentioned subjects, please contact us.
More Information:
Website: http://www.alfa-redi.com/viicongress/
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Labels: computer law, congress, copyright, cyber law, e-governance, gaming, ICT, information society, intellectual property, personal data, privacy, protection, virtual worlds
Forecast: Search and Video to Drive Internet Ad Spend
Internet advertising spend is expected to grow year-over-year an average of 23 percent between 2007 and 2009.
via clickz.com
The Internet ad spend is expected to climb from $25.9 billion in 2006 to $48.1 billion in 2009, an 85 percent increase, according to a forecast released yesterday by U.K.-based ZenithOptimedia a unit of Publicis Group. The forecast attributes the hike in Internet advertising primarily to online video and local search.
Online represents the fastest-growing category within the overall ad spend, though ZenithOptimedia expects the growth rate will slow in coming years . In 2006, spending on the Internet increased by 34.9 percent over the previous year. The forecast projects year-over-year growth of 29.9 percent for 2007, 23.5 percent in 2008, and 15.6 percent in 2009, or an annual average of 23 percent.
The forecast is in line with findings from a TNS Media Intelligence report on advertising spending for the first half of 2007.
Internet still surpasses television advertising, which is expected to go from $161.7 billion in 2006 to $192.2 billion in 2009, a total increase of 18.8 percent.
As the size of the Internet ad spend gets larger, it takes more dollars to show an increase in percentage points.
"The very rough growth of the Internet is creating a huge amount of inventory," said Jonathan Barnard, head of publications at Zenith Optimedia. Added inventory, particularly rich media and video units, can be attractive to advertisers used to making media buys on television.
Online video and local search are cited as two drivers of Internet growth now and in coming years. The two categories are responsible, in part, for taking dollars from other media. Though in many cases, the cross-channel publisher retains money from advertisers as it cross to other media.
"Networks seem to be at the forefront of the development of online video, helping to offset some of their losses to the Internet," said Barnard. In some cases television networks are creating multiple distribution channels for shows and content. The NBC and News Corp joint venture Hulu slated to launch later this month will initially stream content from both networks, while NBC recently announced NBC Direct where consumers can download limited playback of the network's TV content.
"At this stage nobody really knows what the successful model of the future will be," said Barnard. "There is a lot of experimenting."
Newspapers continue to see dollars shift from offline to online. "Newspapers are losing directly to the Internet, either to other classifieds, search, or auction sites," Barnard said. "Their Web sites tend to be quite large and get advertising, but unfortunately they are not making enough to offset offline."
Not all new search dollars come directly from newspapers. "It's the fact that it's opening up the Internet to other types of advertisers that only have a small market in which they sell," said Barnard. "A national or international ad on a large search engine wouldn't have been cost effective, but now they're able to localize their results, and are able to draw in small advertisers."
The overall ad spend is expected to increase by 18.3 percent between 2006 and 2009. Television will likely see a peak of 7.3 percent growth in 2008, due to heightened advertising activity during the Olympics.
Gepostet von thatguy unter 12:43 AM 0 Kommentare
Labels: advertising, business, forecast, internet, local search, market growth, marketing, online, online video, publicis
Monday, October 1, 2007
Adapting the Nineteenth Century - Call for Papers
'The past is never dead. It's not even past'
- William Faulkner
An interdisciplinary conference to be held at the University of Wales Lampeter on August 22 - 24 2008
The nineteenth century continues to preoccupy modern thought, exerting its influence upon contemporary film, art and literature, and the fascination with the period shows no signs of diminishing. This conference seeks to address the ongoing interest in and engagement with the history, culture, literature and art of the nineteenth century, asking how our proclivity for adapting the past impacts not only upon modern perspectives of this period, but also upon the production of contemporary works.
Possible topics for papers/panels might include, but are not limited to:
• Television/stage/film adaptations of 19th century literary classics
• Hollywood and the literary film
• Audiences and adaptation
• Theories of adaptation/theorising adaptation
• Adaptation: commodification and commercialism
• New media and the nineteenth century
• The historical novel
• Neo-Victorian art/architecture/fiction
• Adapting women of the nineteenth century
• The nineteenth-century heritage industry
• The nineteenth century in popular culture: Dickensian Christmas; Dickens World; Austen as self-help; the mythology of the nineteenth-century monster etc.
• The influence of and contemporary response to nineteenth-century thought: Darwinism; imperialism; spiritualism; feminism etc.
To express an interest in this event, ask to be placed on the mailing list, or to submit an abstract, email: adaptationsconference_at_lamp.ac.uk
For further details, visit the conference website:
Abstracts should be 300-500 words, and should be accompanied by a short biographical note.
Deadline for abstracts: 15th March 2008
Conference Organisers: Alexia Bowler, Jessica Cox
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Labels: adaptations, alexia bowler, call for papers, conference, film, jessica cox, new media, novels, television
'Networking Knowledge: Journal of the MeCCSA PGN
The MeCCSA Postgraduate Network are very proud to announce the launch of our new e-journal, 'Networking Knowledge: Journal of the MeCCSA PGN.'
Edited and produced by postgraduates in Media, Communications and Cultural Studies, the journal shall publish selected papers from our conferences and regional events.
The first issue, 'Minding the Gap: Reflections on Media Practice & Theory' collects together papers from our recent event at the Reuters Institute in Oxford.
Visit the page at:
Gepostet von thatguy unter 1:28 PM 0 Kommentare
Labels: communications, cultural studies, free journals, journal, MECCSA, media, pgn, postgraduate students, reflections on media practice and theóry


text:
Advocacy is the act of supporting a cause or idea. It involves speaking out on issues that you care about and offering ways to improve upon them.
Anyone can become an advocate! The IMF Advocacy group helps guide individuals to advocate for critical health issues that affect the Myeloma community. Whether you are a myeloma patient, caregiver, doctor, nurse, or friend, your opinion does matter. The only way we can make a difference is to TAKE ACTION!
Helpful information for multiple myeloma patients and caregivers.
The responsibilities of caring for a sick or disabled relative can be challenging. The following information is designed to make you more comfortable in your role as a family caregiver so that both your relative and you can feel better during this difficult time.
Over the years, the IMF has been a resource for veterans seeking information about myeloma. Talking with vets has made us aware that many are in need of resources that can guide them through the process of applying for Veterans Administration (VA) benefits, including disability. The IMF's new Veterans Against Myeloma (VAM) website addresses that need, providing key links to relevant VA websites, to state veterans assistance offices and to national veterans service organizations whose service officers help vets with the VA process.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
August 1st, 2015 | By QGODFEAR
God speaks to each of us in his own way. This morning God showed me a vision of a jail cell with rounded bars in front of it, made with hard mud walls. The cell had no way in (just bars, no door) and no way out (once inside). Standing outside the cell within this day dream, I looked above and the cell said JOHN CHAPPLE on top with QGODFEAR written below it on a wooden plaque. The words were written in Black on a lacquered wooden plaque. This represented Hells anticipation on my coming. NO thank you.
This cell obviously was empty as I'm here writing you. God told me to tell YOU that HELL has an eternal Jail cell with YOUR name on it as well.
SATAN seeks to fill those cells with you and I for eternity.
The time is now, to stop playing with fire (Our Sins) ,REPENT and walk wholeheartedly on the righteous path. We all make or have made (In our past) excuses on why we don't need to Worship Jesus, and how crazy CHRISTians must look and sound.
I would rather yell "THE TRAIN IS COMIN, GET OFF THE TRACKS" and sound like a fool before mankind, then stand inside HELLS jail cell trying to preach my way out, as many are doing right now. Hell is never full, so let go and give in to HEAVENs pull for your souls eternal peace. Jesus is the only way to God and through GOD is the only way to Heaven. Blessings.
John Q. Chapple
Re·pent: verb; feel or express sincere regret or remorse about one's wrongdoing or sin.
Sal·va·tion: noun: Deliverance from sin and its consequences, believed by Christians to be brought about by faith in Christ.
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text:
Ancient Dinosaur Art from Indonesian Islands; Kalimantan, Bali, Sumatra
The enormous number of Indonesia's islands and their location in a tropical, equatorial climate has produced an unrivalled diversity of plant and animal life. With only 1% of the world's land area, Indonesia is home to over 10% of all mammal species, and 17 % of all birds.
Indonesia is over 80% water. For marine creatures it is a vast melting pot, at the influence of both the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The mingling of life from these two great oceans around thousands of islands has created the greatest diversity of marine life on Earth.
Location, Geography and Climate
Indonesia is composed of seventeen thousand islands that stretch over five thousand miles along the equator. The Malay peninsula and Indochina are situated to the north-west, and the continent of Australia lies due south. Northward lie the Philippines and Micronesia.
The world's largest archipelago, Indonesia's constellation of islands straddles the divide between the Asian and Australian continental plates. Parasaurolophus, then and now.
As a result, the islands offer a stunning variety of topographies and ecologies Mist-shrouded volcanoes and mountains, unexplored rain forests, thousands of miles of beaches, and endless offshore reefs support a dazzling abundance of wildlife, making Indonesia an ideal destination for adventure and eco-travel.
The great majority of the country's constituent islands are of negligible size, but it does hold--wholly or in part--several islands that are enormous.
These include Sumatra, Kalimantan (formerly Borneo, and shared with Malaysia), Sulawesi, and Java.The Indonesian state of Irian Jaya occupies the western half of New Guinea, which is the world's second largest island (behind Greenland).
The most populous of the Indonesian islands by far is Java, home to the sprawling capital city of Jakarta. Other notable islands include the exotic, popular resort island of Bali, Lombok, Catholic Flores, and Komodo, home of dragons. …. Indonesia Travel
Kalimantan is the huge southern part of Borneo, the third largest island in the world, with 30% of the land mass of Indonesia and only 5% of its population. It has vast swamps and overland travel is difficult - it is easiest to fly or go by boat along the rivers.
Kalimantan is a mythical place of jungles and rivers, traditional dayak longhouses and boats which conjure up images of head hunters and heroism. Ancient rainforest is still intact here despite extensive logging. Orang Utan, Proboscis Monkey, elephant and rhino can still be found.
The ancient Sumatrans produced multiple pieces of art depicting long-tailed, long-necked creatures with a headcrest. Some of these animals resemble hadrosaurs or other types of dinosaurs.
Top of page:left; this is a wooden pterosaur sculpture from the Dyak culture. The literature describes this item as a "funerary bird".
On the top, right, artistic representations of "dinosaurs" from the book and the museum; Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde, Leiden National Museum of Antiquities, The Netherlands No. 125/I. Art of Indonesia, --Art of the Ancient Peoples—Toba Batak, Sumatra By Tibor Bodrogi 1972 Translated from the Hungarian. Included is another representation of a pterosaur, warriors riding the back of a large dinosaur type animal and an artistic representation of a dinosaur family.
Back on the left (red background)I believe is an obvious wooden sculpture from the same book of a type of hadrosaurs--duck billed, crested dinosaurs-. Specifically, it appears that the men here are riding the back of a Parasaurolophus. One of that type is pictured on the right. Parasaurolophus was about nine meters (28 ft) long and weighed up to four tons.
Back on the left again is another curious item from the same museum and book. Several large animals, which appear to be another type of dinosaur which according to science, these ancient people shouldn't have seen is what appears to be a Corythosaurus. Note the similarities to the Corythosaurus drawings picured to the right of the page opposite.
Back on the left (sepia toned)"Ancient" painting of a type of crested duck-billed dinosaur whose bones have been found in New Mexico (and other places).
Photo from "Clues to the Past", by the Archaeological Society of New Mexico:#16, 1990, edited by Duran and Kirkpatrick. The painting is attributed to the Pueblo 4 culture-AD 1300 to AD 1500.
"The duck-billed dinosaurs Parasaurolophus and Kritosaurus and the horned dinosaur Pentaceratops were the most common dinosaurs living in northwestern New Mexico during the Late Cretaceous."New Mexico State Museum--Dinosaurs of New Mexico. Compare the painting with this drawing of lambeosaurus.
Historical Dinosaurs around the World
"The respected Greek explorer Herodotus described small flying reptiles in ancient Egypt and Arabia. These animals sound amazingly like the small Ramphorhynchus (RAM-foe-RING-kus). They had the same snake-like body and bat-like wings. Many had been killed near the city of Buto (Arabia). He was shown a canyon with many piles of their back-bones and ribs.
Herodotus said that these animals could sometimes be found in the spice groves. They were "small in size and of various colors." Large numbers would sometimes gather in the frankincense trees.
When workers wanted to gather the trees' valuable juices, they would use smelly smoke to drive the flying reptiles away. The well-respected Greek, Aristotle, said that in his time it was common knowledge that creatures like this also existed in Ethiopia. Similar animals (three feet long) were also described in India by the geographer Strabo.
REFERENCES & FOOTNOTES See the writings of Herodotus. (There are a variety of published translations available.) Perle S. Epstein, MONSTERS: THEIR HISTORIES, HOMES, AND HABITS (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1973), p.43. Herodotus lived during the fifth century B.C.
"The reliability of Herodotus as an accurate eyewitness is more and more being recognized. De Selincourt writes thus: 'As to the reliability of Herodotus's information about Egypt, one can safely say that he is accurate and trustworthy when he describes what he saw with his own eyes. ' ... His turn of mind was skeptical; he was a born investigator. ... Since Herodotus is said to have seen the flying serpents, it would follow that his account is 'accurate and trustworthy.'" (William A. Springstead), "Herodotus, the Bible, and Flying Serpents," BIBLE-SCIENCE NEWS (May 15, 1971), p.5. Ireland (c.900 AD)
An Irish writer recorded an encounter with a large beast with "iron" on its tail which pointed backwards. Its head was shaped a little like a horse's. And it had thick legs with strong claws. These details match features of dinosaurs like the Kentrosaurus (KEN-tro-SOR-us) and Stegosaurus (STEG-oh-SOR-us). They had sharp-pointed spines on their tails, thick legs, strong claws and long skulls.
The dragon was first seen on May 13, 1572, hissing like a snake. He had been hiding on the small estate of Master Petronius near Dosius in a place called Malonolta. At 5 PM, he was caught on a public highway by a herdsman named Baptista of Camaldulus, near the hedge of a private farm, a mile from the remote city outskirts of Bologna. Baptista was following his ox cart home when he noticed the oxen suddenly come to a stop.
He kicked them and shouted at them, but they refused to move and went down on their knees rather than move forward. At this point, the herdsman noticed a hissing sound and was startled to see this strange little dragon ahead of him.
Trembling he struck it on the head with his rod and killed it. Aldrovandus was surprised that the reptile did not run when he saw the man, but instead bravely raised its head and stood its ground.
Aldrovandus reported that it was definitely a reptile and the first of this type that he had seen. The creature was rather strange in appearance, but seemed to be completely harmless. It was a small specimen; Aldrovandus believed that it was only a baby judging by the incompletely developed claws and teeth. The corpse had only two feet.
It moved by slithering like a snake and by using its feet, he believed. It could hiss like a snake and hold its head up in the air. Its slender neck had white markings circling its neck. It had a very long tail and neck and a thick body. Aldrovandus mounted the specimen and put it on display for some time in a museum.
-- Ulysses Aldrovandus, THE NATURAL HISTORY OF SERPENTS AND DRAGONS (Bologna, Italy: Mark Antony Bernia, 1640), p.402. -- Henry F. Scott-Stokes, PERSEUS: OF DRAGONS (NYC: E.P. Dutton and Co., 1925). Has a loose and imcomplete translation of the account.
France and Europe The city of Nerluc in France was renamed in honor of the killing of a "dragon" there. This animal was bigger than an ox and had long, sharp, pointed horns on its head.
There were a number of different horned dinosaurs. The Triceratops (try-SER-ah-tops) is one example. A well-known, old science book, the Historia Animalium, claims that "dragons" were not extinct in the 1500's. But the animals were said to be extremely rare and relatively small by then.
REFERENCES & FOOTNOTES Konrad Gesner, HISTORIAE ANIMALIUM (Tigvri: C. Froschovervm, 1551-1587). Verrill, p.224. The above article is excerpted from:Answers in Genesis.org
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43
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text:
By Randy Dotinga
HealthDay Reporter
SATURDAY, March 8, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A combination of two hormones might make a difference in reducing suffering in people with chronic pain, according to a small, preliminary study.
Seven of 9 patients reported a 30 percent to 40 percent decrease in pain after taking doses of oxytocin and human chorionic gonadotropin, the researchers found. In addition, the level of opioid (narcotic) painkillers needed by these seven patients also declined by 30 percent to 40 percent.
Patients also reported improvement in the intensity of pain flare-ups and longer time between flares, the study authors said.
Oxytocin is known as the "love hormone" and has been linked to positive human emotions. Human chorionic gonadotropin plays a role during pregnancy. Levels of both hormones increase during and after childbirth, and they're thought to contribute to lower levels of pain in pregnant women.
Study author Dr. Forest Tennant, an internist who specializes in chronic pain at the Veract Intractable Pain Clinics in West Covina, Calif., said there were few side effects with the treatment.
"The benefit that these patients mostly talk about is somewhat subjective but relates to what patients routinely call a 'feeling of well-being,' 'more alive' or [increasing] 'will to live,'" he said in a news release from the American Academy of Pain Medicine. "They also believe the combination is one they want to continue."
One study patient said the hormones had no effect, while another said oxytocin made her emotional. But she continued taking the other hormone, according to the news release.
Tennant said the next step is more research to determine whether the hormones could be an alternative treatment for chronic pain.
The research was presented March 7 at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, in Phoenix. Research presented at medical meetings should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.


text:
Welcome back to the Kotaku Game Club. Today we're wrapping up our discussion series on The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and 2011. Since we've all (hopefully) completed the game, let's talk about the game's final dungeons and the ending.
Since we'll be discussing the entire game today, including the ending. Players who haven't finished the game yet and want to stay spoiler free should come back when they're done.
Stumbled onto the page for the first time? Let me give you a rundown: The Kotaku Game Club plays one video game every month, and meets weekly to discuss their thoughts on the game as a group, looking at it piece by piece as we play. In the past I've tried to emphasize the idea that you'll get more out of Game Club by keeping pace with our discussions.
Since it's our last week with this game, and the year, I don't think you guys need a jump-off. Talk about the ending. Give your final thoughts. Based on the past three weeks, I can tell that some of you have been holding back for today's discussion.
That's it! This is our final meeting for Skyward Sword! As usual, we'll discuss the options for what game to play next month, and let you guys know ASAP. I had a blast talking games with you this past year and I'm looking forward to playing even more with you guys in 2012!
Happy New Year!


text:
Check here for important dates and news about our school.
We know how busy families are today, so we maintain our detailed calendar online, as well as a school year overview. You will also find our our school menu and monthly newsletters here.
We are open with limited capacity and increased health and safety measures due to CDC guidelines. Please contact us for a virtual information session.


text:
From ROHWrestling.com:
After a visit to the doctor earlier today, Roderick Strong was advised not to wrestle this weekend in Pittsburgh. Given the unfortunate circumstances we have no choice but to postpone the 2/3 Falls match with Paul London that was for a future Title shot. Adam Cole's 2/8 Main Event opponent for "State of the Art" in San Antonio, Texas is now TBD until further notice.
Turning the negative into a positive, Nigel McGuinness has decided to give Cedric Alexander the opportunity to step up and prove that he deserves to hang with the best. This is the biggest opportunity in the young career of Alexander and a chance to make his mark. While Cedric has mostly been known as a tag team competitor, a match against an international superstar like Paul London is exactly what he needs to cement himself as a singles threat in ROH.
Roderick Strong will be on commentary and is not happy with his replacement as he says London's new opponent should have been one one of his fellow Decade members, Jimmy Jacobs or BJ Whitmer.
You can expect Ring of Honor to book Strong vs. London 2/3 Falls at a future time once we get the schedules lined up.
In addition, just signed for Pittsburgh …
The Romantic Touch vs. Michael Bennett with Maria Kanellis
Plus high-flying specialist Andrew Everett will be in action!
Tickets are going fast and we expect a packed house. Don't miss you chance to be there live! Tickets for "Wrestling's Finest" are available HERE
Ring if Honor Presents "Wrestling's Finest"
3 Way Tag Team Elimination Match
ROH World Champion Adam Cole & Matt Hardy vs Chris Hero & "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin vs Jay & Mark, The Briscoes
"Intrepid Traveler" Paul London vs Cedric Alexander
3 Way Match for the ROH World TV Championship
ROH World TV Champion "Sicilian Psychopath" Tommaso Ciampa vs Jay Lethal vs Matt Taven
The Finals of the 2014 Top Prospect Tournament
Special Challenge Match
"Mr Wrestling" Kevin Steen vs ROH World Tag Team Champion, Kyle O'Reilly
Tag Team Match
The Decade (Jimmy Jacobs & BJ Whitmer) vs Adrenaline RUSH (ACH & Tadarius Thomas)
The Romantic Touch vs. Michael Bennett with Maria Kanellis
– Andrew Everett
– Plus Steve Corino & Kevin Kelly will be calling the action LIVE!


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|Kamsky wins Mayor's Cup!
|By Jennifer Shahade
|June 30, 2006
Mayor's Cup Final Standings
1. Gata Kamsky 6.5
2. Susan Polgar 6.0
3. Alexander Onischuk 5.5
4. Boris Gulko 5.0
5. Ildar Ibragimov 4.0
6. Alexander Stripunsky 3.0
(Scroll down for complete crosstable)
Any event at the New York Athletic Club is an experience. Tournament winner Gata Kamsky called it like going back in time. From the chandeliers to the porcelain bathrooms, it's all about elegance. There's also a dress code, and many a chessplayer in sneakers and jeans has been denied entrance to the club. Not that long ago, NYAC barred more than the casually dressed. Until the 80's, women were not accepted as members.
Susan Polgar Foundation.The event brought together six of the top players in America for a rapid (Game 25/5) double round robin. For most of the players, the event was a kind of "World Open" warm up, where up to 50K will be at stake. The schedule, five games of rapid chess in a row, was grueling.
Everyone played fighting chess, even without an official "30-move rule" (which prohibits agreed draws before move 30.) It seems as though the rule is catching on in players' subconscious and it may soon be superfluous to mandate fighting chess.
Boris Gulko was the star of Day 1. The eldest player in the touranment defeated both Kamsky and Susan Polgar to head the crosstable by the end of the play.
Boris Gulko has still got bite.
On day two, Gata emerged as champion with a plus four score (6.5/9). See Gata's insightful comments on his games below. For the number one rated player in America, the win was a confidence boost that will make him one to watch in Philly for the World Open.
This was an uncontestably great event to watch. However, few spectators came- a surprise considering the popularity of chess in New York, and the star-studded field. Clearly the reason was lack of public awareness, not lack of polished shoes. Most New York chess fans just didn't know about it. This is a typical problem in American chess. The new www.uschess.org will do its part to see the American chess public is more aware of great events.
Gata's favorite game from his tournament was his calm positional win with black (above game) against runner-up Susan Polgar . Susan wanted very badly to beat Gata, for reasons of personal rivalry (she's never won against him before) and tournament strategy: it was the penultimate game and they were tied for first place. The winner of this game was bound to go home with the Cup.
After 19...Rc7 Susan is worse if she just sits and waits for Black to pressure her c-pawn. So she played 20.g4!?, signalling that she was out for Gata's king.
Kamsky explains his thoughts at the time, "21...Ne4 was necessary to diffuse her plan of Rg1, g5 etc. After Ne4, black has a small but lasting plus due to her weakness on c3." Gata pinpoints 24. Qxe4 as an innacuracy on Susan's part, which allowed black a superior pawn structure after 25...f6. Black's pawn structure is easily defensible, while white's c-pawn and even her a and h pawns are vulnerable. Instead he recommends 24. Qxg5 after which Black's advantage is slighter.
Gata also had some great insights on his second game against Ildar Ibragimov, in which he played the black side of a Panov-Botvinnik (transposed from 1.c4).
After 21....Bxa4, black seems better according to traditional positional thought because of his two bishops. In fact, Gata didn't think the two bishops were a real advantage in this game, since they didn't have much breathing room.
Gata gave himself a ?! for 23... Re4, because it allows white to push the rook away with 25.Ng3, followed by 26. Bf4!, zeroing in on black's sole weakness. In the game, 26....Be5 instead of Bf8 is well met by 27. Bxe5 Rxe5 (de5? Ne4!) 28. Ne2 , with the idea of relocating the knight to f4. (Kamsky) This line shows the weakness of the seemingly solid pawn structure f7, g6, h5. A white knight on f4 would function as an outpost because g5 is an unrealistic prospect.
A better way to hone an advantage was 23.. g5! (instead of 23...Re4)
Ildar's mistake was in trading dark squared bishops with 35.Bxe5?!, allowing Gata to amass a menacing pawn phalanx. Still he had drawing chances until he allowed Gata's bishop to land on d3.
Ildar Ibragimov
However, Gata has the most to say about his loss against Gulko, rattling off ways to save the rook endgame or passionately wondering where he went wrong psychologically. His heightened intellectual involvement with a loss says a lot about his character; many chess players forget their losses as soon as possible.
Keep checking Chess Life Online throughout the next couple of weeks for another web exclusive on Gata Kamsky. We'll publish a new photo gallery and IM Josh Friedel will annotate games from Gata's astonishing Mtel result.
Susan's back
Susan Polgar had a fantastic event, scoring plus three (6/9). She reached the following position against Boris Gulko:
Susan played 24.d5! here. After ed5 25.g3 (less strong is Rd5 Nh4!) Be5 26. Be5 Ne5 27.Nd4 Rcc8 28.Nxb5, white is on top and went on to win after 57 moves.
Susan was thrilled with her final result. After defeating Stripunsky in the last round, she was beaming for an hour straight. With a result like that, her fans can only hope that one day she'll play in the U.S. Championship and take down some of America's top GMs when it counts the most.
U.S. Champion Alex Onischuk(right) was the only player who didn't lose a single game. However, he only won one. GM Kamil Miton from Poland (left), co-champion of the Chicago Open came to observe.
Gata Kamsky, with his Mayor's Cup.
Susan giving a speech after the prize ceremony.
Round Five of the Mayor's Cup.


text:
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text:
- Review: John Wick 3 (C)
Scott Sycamore
- Weekend Box Office
May 17 - 19
- Crowd Reports
Avengers: Endgame
- Us
Box office comparisons
- Review: Justice League (C)
Craig Younkin
This schedule of May Blu-Ray releases includes movies that opened in US theaters. TV shows and other releases are not included.
<< April 2018 May 2018 Blu-Ray Releases June 2018 >>
|Blu-Ray Title
|Box Office Total
|Blu-Ray Title
|Box Office Total


text:
|From Wikipedia.
As a spoiler, the bottom line of my presentation is that we're not even using 10% of what the web technologies have to offer us. Slowly we are getting there, but too slow in my opinion. For some weird behavioral law, the larger the organization the less innovation gets done (some pointers).
Anyway, I only had 20 minutes, and in that time you cannot do justice to the web technologies.
Wiener, H. Structural determination of paraffin boiling points. Journal of the American Chemical Society 69, 17-20 (1947). URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ja01193a005.
Murray-Rust, P., Rzepa, H. S., Williamson, M. J. & Willighagen, E. L. Chemical markup, XML, and the world wide web. 5. applications of chemical metadata in RSS aggregators. J Chem Inf Comput Sci 44, 462-469 (2004). URL http://repository.ubn.ru.nl/bitstream/2066/60101/1/60101.pdf.
Rzepa, H. S., Murray-Rust, P. & Whitaker, B. J. The application of chemical multipurpose internet mail extensions (chemical MIME) internet standards to electronic mail and world wide web information exchange. J. Chem. Inf. Comput. Sci. 38, 976-982 (1998). URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ci9803233.
Willighagen, E. et al. Userscripts for the life sciences. BMC Bioinformatics 8, 487+ (2007). URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2105-8-487.
Willighagen, E. L. & Brändle, M. P. Resource description framework technologies in chemistry. Journal of cheminformatics 3, 15+ (2011). URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1758-2946-3-15.


text:
Attorney marketing provides a unique set of challenges for marketers not well versed in attorney ethics rules and law practice customs. When you are looking for an internet marketing firm you should begin by looking for a firm that builds law firm websites, provides search engine optimization services (SEO for Google), social network marketing services, and can tie all of your marketing together through a combined on-line/off-line marketing strategy.
While search engine optimization is a critical component of attorney marketing, it is only one piece of a complicated machine that must be well honed and tended to in order to get you the highest return on your investment (ROI).
Website SEO begins with legal websites. A small, but critical component of how well your website will perform is your website SEO, which begins with your SEO design. Google SEO looks at how you site is designed, constructed, flows, and functions as part of where you end up in the SERP (Search Engine Results Page). If your site is designed, is constructed, and functions the way Google wants, it will have higher SERP results.
All SEO is geared towards Google since if you rank well in Google you will rank well with all of the other major search engines as well. We build law firm websites with a firm understanding of Google SEO requirements. SEO for Google is the goal. Getting the highest rank possible on Google is the challenge.
The challenge for all of the best SEO companies is to effectively convey the information our clients wish to communicate in a Google SEO friendly way. This requires knowing what questions your potential client want to ask a lawyer, and conveying that information plainly using effective web design and logical information flows.
We are the firm you need when you need an internet marketing firm that builds effective law firm websites, and provides search engine optimization services, combined with social media and offline marketing strategies. SEO for Google requires a careful detailed plan, but it is only part of overall Attorney marketing plan. Call us today to see how we can help you grow your practice.


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On linux systems, one can check for available entropy (useful to know if you're tapping
/dev/random for any PRNG purposes) with
cat /proc/sys/kernel/random/entropy_avail
However, there is no equivalent of
/proc on a Mac (AFAIK). How can I check for available system entropy on a Mac? I'm running OS X 10.7.3 (Lion)
To update with some of my comments under Kyle's answer — One of the reasons for Macs not displaying this information is that it isn't needed (in most cases). Linux systems will block calls to
/dev/random if there isn't enough entropy in the pool. On Macs, it periodically keeps adding to the entropy pool using the
SecurityServer daemon.
However, it also notes that if the daemon fails for some reason, the output quality will decline without any indication of failure:
The quality of its output is however dependent on regular addition of appropriate entropy. If the
SecurityServersystem daemon fails for any reason, output quality will suffer over time without any explicit indication from the random device itself.
So even though the amount of entropy is not made available easily, it doesn't mean it isn't there and there might be instances where its knowledge might be helpful.


text:
Connection Finder
20,982,198 people are connected to each other on our global family tree.
Enter any two WikiTree IDs below to see their connection. more information
Member of the Week: Pamela Culy began her genealogical journey to find her biological father. Now she spends most of her time on WikiTree volunteering as an Adoption Angel, assisting adoptees and others with unknown parentage find their own biological families.
"I like building family trees and researching, so I am not the first angel the applicant meets, rather the 'closer' who walks that long road with the applicant until we identify their biological parents. I get satisfaction 'paying it forward' to someone who faced the same hurdles as I once did."Check Chaney-602's connection. Check Peets-13's connection.
Profile of the Week: Sean Connery, the "original" James Bond. Check Chaney-602's connection. Check Peets-13's connection. Which James Bond character are you most closely connected to?


text:
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JanSport Superbreak Backpack - Black Monochrome
JanSport Superbreak Backpack - Black Monochrome
Black Monochrome
Style #: 17777Take on the next semester in style with the JanSport Superbreak Backpack! Featuring a spacious main compartment with padded back panel, lightly padded shoulder straps, and a front organizer pocket, the Superbreak Backpack is the perfect way to tote your scholastic necessities. Available online at Journeys.com!
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It was 1967. The Summer of love. The summer JanSport was born in the back of a Seattle transmission shop. Seattle native and backpacker Skip Yowell and his cousin Murray Pletz graduated from college with no interest in real jobs. Murray's girlfriend Jan Lewis knew how to sew. Murray told her, if she whipped up a prototype and they got it into a store he would marry her and name the company after her. She did. It did. And JanSport was born.


text:
Put Consumers First
Electric co-op leaders take the members' case to
Washington, D.C. during annual NRECA Legislative Conference
by Bob McEowen
Their appointment
was for 2 p.m. but at 10 minutes til U.S. Rep. Ike Skelton opened the
door to his Washington, D.C., office and invited a delegation of rural
electric cooperative managers, employees and directors into his office.
"Come on in here,"
he said. "I have a hearing starting at 2. If I'm not there they'll hold
up the hearing waiting for me. Make yourselves at home and I'll be back."
With that Skelton
left, leaving the group of co-op leaders from the Fourth Congressional
District to visit with an aide in his Rayburn Building office. Twenty
minutes later he returned, took his seat behind his desk
and said, "What's up?"
For the next half
hour the congressman gave his undivided attention to these visiting constituents
and listened as members of the group delivered the rural electric co-op
message a message of "consumers first."
The visit to Skelton's
office was just one of several calls Missouri electric co-op leaders made
early in May. In town for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association's
2001 Legislative Conference, 35 co-op employees and directors from Missouri
made contact with every member of Congress representing our state. In
each case they told our elected officials or their staff that as America
considers its energy future the nation can look to cooperatives to fight
for consumers.
"Together, as
a mighty voice, we will explain to our representatives and senators how
to put consumers first in the legislation being considered right now,"
said Dena Stoner, vice president for government relations at NRECA, the
national association of electric co-ops.
Speaking at a
briefing session for 2,800 conference attendees from 42 states, Stoner
brought co-op leaders up to date on pending legislation and offered a
unified message for America's member-owned electric co-ops.
"You must say
to members of Congress, 'I am a member of an electric cooperative. I and
34 million owners like me am prepared to provide my own energy needs.
I don't need extensive red tape from FERC regulation to make myself give
myself reasonable rates,'" Stoner said.
Recent proposals
to bring electric co-ops under the jurisdiction of the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission was one of several topics on the minds of visiting
co-op leaders.
In recent months
some lawmakers have claimed non-FERC regulated co-ops are part of California's
energy mess. In Washington, co-op leaders responded by pointing out that
co-ops are conspicuously absent from lists of utilities accused of price
Other issues on
the minds of co-op leaders included fairness in tax policy and a move
to repeal the Public Utility Holding Company Act, or PUHCA, which has
protected consumers from monopoly abuse since 1935.
While obscure
federal laws and regulatory agencies seem a world away from Missouri electric
co-ops, unfortunately, they are not.
"It's a political
world," says Gene Dorrel, manager of Maryville based United Electric Cooperative
and chairman of the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperative's Legislative
and Government Relations Committee. "You either get involved in politics
or be prepared to live with laws enacted by your adversaries."
And while the
entire history of electric cooperatives is steeped in politics, rarely
has involvement in the process been more important than today, says Dorrel,
who attended this year's conference.
"When you look
at deregulation there is nothing that has come to pass in the last few
years that could have more direct effect on our business," he says.
But unlike other
businesses which take their case to Washington, D.C., co-ops have a different
motivation. "It's all about the members. It always has been," says Jay
Turner, a cattleman from Columbia and president of the Boone Electric
Cooperative board of directors.
Turner, who has
participated in more than a dozen legislative conference trips, reacts
strongly to any comparison to some others who call on Congress.
"It really aggravates
me when someone says we're going there to do 'special interest' work.
It's a bad word. That's a huge chemical company, a big manufacturing company,
the tobacco group," he says. "We're not special interest. We do want some
special attention but the benefits go to all of us."
Because, ultimately,
it is members who benefit when co-op leaders take their consumers-first
message to Washington, Turner says he's willing to take time
away from his farm to make the trip.
"I feel privileged
to have some input and hopefully some effect, a small voice, for the people
in Boone Electric's area my neighbors, my friends, people I don't
know, but still one family as we are all members of Boone Electric," he
Judging by the
warm reception offered by congressional leaders, it appears our representives
understand that a visit from co-op leaders is a visit from consumers.
Whether the calls on Congress had any effect remains to be seen though,
Turner says.
"We'll never
know if we made a big difference but if we didn't go, and we hadn't tried,
we would know what kind of difference we made," he says. "It would have
been zero."


text:
Futures are slightly higher this morning, here's the overnight action on the Dow and the S&P:
Yesterday's move up was obviously the large move called for by the small movement in the McClelland Oscillator on Friday. It was a powerful 90% up day. I look at that move as either the beginning of wave c up of wave B up, or it is a wave 2 up of 3 down. For it to be a wave 2, prices will need to begin to fall again very soon which is so far not indicated by the price action. You can see the waves on this 30 minute SPX chart pretty well. Note that we retraced 50% of the most recent down wave already. The short term stochastics are overbought up through the 60 minute timeframe:
We have just entered what could be an important turn window which bolsters the case that we may have completed wave b down of B and are beginning wave c up. Also bolstering the c case is that /ZB just broke it's most recent uptrend this morning and thus could be headed lower in price, higher in yeild:
Of course Goldman did wind up making a huge $3.44 billion profit in the second quarter. Lovely. Bonuses for all of them while the taxpayers are saddled with the debt of bailing out AIG and passing their money into the quasi government (4th branch thereof) hands!
Yesterday the latest treasury budget numbers were released, another record as explained by Mike Larson at Interest Rate Roundup:
More record-setting deficit figures to chew on
Hope everyone is having a decent Monday. One item that's worth noting this afternoon is the latest budget update from the U.S. Treasury. Turns out the June deficit came in at $94.3 billion, the first time there's been a deficit for that month since 1991. It's also the largest June deficit ever. The year-to-date tally of red ink? A record $1.1 trillion in the first nine months of the fiscal year that ends September 30, 2009.
There was quite a bit of data out this morning and I'm running out of time so I'll post this and will add the economic data in a separate post in just a few minutes.
Hope everyone has a great day,
Here's Oliver receiving a little on the job training on behalf of Goldman Sachs:
Oliver! - You've Got To Pick A Pocket Or two


text:
Small-batch lovelies from Padilla.
This small-run, box-pressed release is special from head to toe. Besides the snazzy presentation, each cigar utilizes a rare wrapper leaf, which really adds some simmer to the sauce....and also makes for a highly appealing flavor profile. Coming from the mind of Ernesto Padilla, and hand rolled at Tabacalera Oliva, this limited release cigar brings a lot to the table.
Vintage Reserve starts with a natural reddish-brown Pennsylvania broadleaf wrapper (the rare leaf I was talking about before) that imparts a unique, exceptional flavor to the cigar. Inside you'll find a hearty mix of Cuban-seed Corojo filler leaves aged a minimum of 3 years and expertly layered inside a Nicaraguan Habano binder for a complex, captivating blend. Expect rich notes of coffee and molasses to lead the charge as a bevy of subtle undertones also enter the fray. Rich, smooth and balanced, this medium to full-bodied creation is poised to turn some heads real quick like. Production is extremely limited with only 500 boxes of each size set for release.
note: each cigar band and box is individually numbered.
I had this cigar for the first time last year while I was at a cigar shop/restaurant. Man oh man was I blown away. So much flavor and very creamy. Easily my pick for cigar of the year in 2014. I bought a 5 pack of Churchills which I have resting in my humidor. I'm going to try and get a box of double Robusto and age 'em for a few years. This is a vintage cigar that needs to be collected.
I had one of these for the first time last night and it's easily one of THE best cigars I've ever had. I'm currently trying to get my hands on a box and try not to smoke them all at once! BUY THIS STICK.
I cannot believe no one else, customer or staff, has weighed in on this splendid cigar. It is my favorite smoke. Great draw and burn every time. A beautiful cigar with enough flavor to be interesting without too much spice. I can't wait for the new Padilla offerings promised for 2014. The toro and the robusto both provide a pleasurable experience. Paired with a good scotch or a good rum this cigar is hard to beat.


text:
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Found 166 resultsTitle
Filters: Author is Flaura K Winston [Clear All Filters]
Child bicyclist injuries: are we obtaining enough information in the emergency department chart?" Inj. Prev.. 2002;8(2):165-9."
Estimates of the incidence and costs associated with handlebar-related injuries in children." Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2002;156(9):922-8."
Evaluation of a child with pre-existing disabilities after a traumatic event." Pediatr Emerg Care. 2002;18(3):197-9."
Exposure to traffic among urban children injured as pedestrians." Inj. Prev.. 2002;8(3):231-5."
The influence of harness type on child restraint system misuse." Annu Proc Assoc Adv Automot Med. 2002;46:261-9."
Injuries to children in forward facing child restraints." Annu Proc Assoc Adv Automot Med. 2002;46:213-30."
Pediatric pelvic fractures in side impact collisions." Stapp Car Crash J. 2002;46:285-96."
Risk of injury to child passengers in compact extended-cab pickup trucks." JAMA. 2002;287(9):1147-52."
The risk of injury to children in compact pickup trucks." LDI Issue Brief. 2002;7(6):1-4."
The role of restraint and seat position in pediatric facial fractures." J Trauma. 2002;52(4):693-8."
Skateboard-associated injuries: participation-based estimates and injury characteristics." J Trauma. 2002;53(4):686-90."
Child occupant protection: a summary of current safety recommendations." Prim. Care Update Ob Gyns. 2001;8(4):141-148."
The effect of seating position on risk of injury for children in side impact collisions." Annu Proc Assoc Adv Automot Med. 2001;45:61-72."
Factors influencing pediatric injury in side impact collisions." J Trauma. 2001;51(3):469-77."
Partners for child passenger safety: a unique child-specific crash surveillance system." Accid Anal Prev. 2001;33(3):407-12."
The premature graduation of children from child restraints to vehicle seat belts. United States Government Printing Office: Traffic Tech; 2001.
Protecting the child's abdomen: a retractable bicycle handlebar." Accid Anal Prev. 2001;33(6):753-7."
Rear seating and risk of injury to child occupants by vehicle type." Annu Proc Assoc Adv Automot Med. 2001;45:51-60."
Trends in booster seat use among young children in crashes." Pediatrics. 2001;108(6):E109."
Actions without consequences: injury-related messages in children's programs." Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2000;154(4):366-9."
Assessing child restraint misuse by parental survey." Inj. Prev.. 2000;6(2):145-7."
The danger of premature graduation to seat belts for young children." Pediatrics. 2000;105(6):1179-83."
Discovery of predictive models in an injury surveillance database: an application of data mining in clinical research." Proc AMIA Symp. 2000:359-63."
Factors influencing pediatric injury in side impact collisions." Annu Proc Assoc Adv Automot Med. 2000;44:407-28."
The learning classifier system: an evolutionary computation approach to knowledge discovery in epidemiologic surveillance." Artif Intell Med. 2000;19(1):53-74."


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The Qeng Ho fleet was the first to arrive at the OnOff star. That might not matter. For the last fifty years of their voyage, they had watched the torch-plumes of the Emergent fleet as it decelerated toward the same destination.
This was a situation where treachery might be rewarded, and both sides knew it.
Title: A Deepness in the Sky
Author: Vernor Vinge
Year: 1999
Rating: 5/5 stars
This novel is set in the same universe (the "Zones of Thought") as Vinge's A Fire Upon the Deep, and although it's not necessary to have read that previous novel in order to appreciate this one, that is still the easiest angle of approach, so that's where I'll start (and hey, you should read them both anyway, since they're both fantastic). In Fire we meet the character of Pham Nuwen, who is actually a sophisticated recreation of the original Pham Nuwen, constructed by one of the super-advanced Powers from the Beyond. This artificial being has the personality and memories of the actual living Nuwen, and throughout the book we get tantalizing glimpses into his long-ago life as part of the Qeng Ho trading culture in the Slow Zone. A Deepness in the Sky takes us back to that time, some twenty thousand years earlier, and lets us share some of the exploits of the real Pham Nuwen. And once again, Vinge scores a hit, delivering a modern space opera classic.
As the story opens, Nuwen is in hiding after being betrayed and toppled from his position of power many years ago, just when he was on the brink of achieving his greatest dream — the dream of a network capable of holding humanity together throughout the galaxy without the periodic dark ages it has been accustomed to. Now, after a long and massive search, one of his former captains has tracked him down, and convinces him to join an expedition that offers unique and unprecedented opportunities for profit. Astronomers had long known of the OnOff star, a mysterious stellar object that goes dark for 215 out of every 250 years, but no one had ever investigated up close. But it has suddenly become urgent, since radio signals have been picked up from a planet orbiting OnOff — signals suggesting the world is home to the first alien species ever discovered by humanity.
But the Qeng Ho are not the only ones to recognize the opportunities of the situation. Another of humanity's countless long-separated branches happens to dwell near enough to send an expedition. The Emergents, as they call themselves, see OnOff and the alien civilization there differently than the Qeng Ho — as a resource to be ruthlessly exploited, rather than as a potential trading partner. The rigidly authoritarian and dictatorial Emergent culture is the antithesis of the libertarian, free-market-loving Qeng Ho, and as the two race toward their common destination, a clash of civilizations is inevitable. But the Emergents have a secret weapon to use in that clash: a certain virus found on their homeworld, tamed over centuries, that has profound effects on the human brain. In a weaponized form called "mindrot" it is a crippling disease that shuts down higher mental functions. In a different form called "Focus," it's a tool for turning a human being into a living computer. The Focused are like idiot savants, concentrating their entire mental life on their one specialty (navigation, translation, physics, or whatever) with nothing left over for anything else, even simple human interaction. These genius zombies are loyal to their creators (without enough individual will to resist), and are the backbone of Emergent power. And even as the Qeng Ho face the most ruthless adversaries they've ever met, Nuwen faces a temptation: is Focus the answer to his long-held dream of a unified human galaxy?
But there's more going on here. Just as its companion novel does, A Deepness in the Sky tells half of its story from the perspective of an alien species. The Spiders (so called by the Qeng Ho for their general arachnid appearance) have a unique culture shaped by the unusual circumstances of their environment. On a planet that only gets significant sunlight for 35 out of every 250 years, survival through the Long Dark is paramount. While the world goes cold and the atmosphere itself freezes and snows to the ground, the Spiders hibernate in their deepnesses (caverns dug in the ground) awaiting the next cycle of light and warmth, when their society will flourish again. Or, I should say, societies; for the Spiders are split into different nations and factions with a range of social and political beliefs, and a willingness to wage war for them. Just as the humans in space above battle over their various ideals, so it goes for the Spiders below. Those two arenas of conflict, and their interactions and resolutions, are what this novel is all about.
The book is full of familiar human issues (freedom vs. authoritarianism, liberalism vs. conservatism, Big Brother-style surveillance, the costs and benefits of progress) played out in another part of the galaxy, and played out very well. From the machinations of the Emergents, to the history of Nuwen and the Qeng Ho, to the mystery of the OnOff star itself, every part of this book makes for an intensely satisfying read. Vinge is one of the best at this sort of novel, and I really hope he writes more in this universe, since the ending left me eager for more.


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Mt Emei, China, the Sacred Way Place to Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, see link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p8SKEsGTbw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
A film by Liang Bibo. The credits are at the end of the film. The film is put up by kind permission of Liang Bibo, a distinguished Chinese documentary film maker who works for Chengdu Television. Made in the later 1990s. There are twenty nuns living in the Fuhu temple practising Buddhism.


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Insurance industry officials continue to push for rate increases and seek to kick people out of Citizens
The close of the 2012 tropical weather season Friday marks seven years without a hurricane hitting Florida, but don't expect property insurance rates to drop anytime soon.
Just consider the theme of an insurance industry conference here this week: "Staying the Course." In Florida, property insurance has been on a course of higher rates and efforts to kick people out of state-run Citizens Property Insurance.
In keeping with that theme, industry officials said homeowners can expect rates to continue their upward trend in the near future, although one prominent Florida political leader warned them Thursday not to increase premiums by too much too fast.
Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater said insurers should not push for changes next year that will be too costly for homeowners, because many Floridians are still struggling financially.
Atwater presented figures showing median household income declined 6.5 percent statewide since 2004, but the average household is paying 67 more percent more for property insurance.
Property insurance now eats up 4.6 percent of the average household's income, compared to 2.6 percent in 2004.
"We cannot expect that our urgency to the right market, as any one of us might see it, can outpace the ability of the consumer to adjust to the cost," Atwater said.
Many insurance business leaders insisted they still are not making enough money to cover their costs, despite the absence of a direct hurricane hit on Florida. They used terms like "rate inadequacy" and "rate suppression" to describe the problem, and pointed to a variety of reasons for the industry's struggles during the annual Florida Chamber of Commerce Insurance Summit, which continues Friday.
Blame went to regulatory efforts by former Gov. Charlie Crist to hold down rates, competition from Citizens and a big uptick recently in non-hurricane loses stemming from sinkholes, water damage and other issues.
"We haven't yet gotten to a place where the premium dollars that are coming in are adequately covering the risk," said Don Brown, an insurance agent and former state lawmaker who works as a consultant for two of Florida's largest property insurance companies.
The chamber event is meant to help set the stage for the annual legislative debate over insurance issues in Florida. The Legislature will convene for its 60-day session in March.
In recent years the chamber has worked with insurance companies on a series of bills designed to shrink Citizens and move more policies into the private market.
The efforts have included a strong push – so far unsuccessful — to lift the 10 percent annual cap on Citizens' rate increases.
Private insurers complain that Citizens' rates are too low to cover claims after a major disaster, and that competition from the company prevents them for charging adequate rates. But consumer advocates say Citizens has helped protect homeowners from large rate increases and note that the company has enough resources to pay claims in all but the most catastrophic event.
Citizens' new CEO Barry Gilway told the conference attendees Thursday that raising the company's rates is one of his top priorities, although he added that price increases must be incremental.
Gilway said Citizens has taken 31 steps to make the company less attractive to consumers by no longer covering certain risks, from car ports and pool cages to expensive homes. But each coverage reduction was "designed to make up for the one issue that we truly have to face ultimately, and that is that we have rate inadequacy."
Citizens raised the price of a typical homeowner's policy by 10.8 percent this year, 6.2 percent in 2011 and 10.3 percent in 2010.
Some private insurers have enacted even larger increases. State regulators allowed increases of up to 18 percent for private companies this year and more than 30 percent for multiple insurers in 2011.
Despite the increased revenue coming in, many Florida insurers have done a poor job of growing reserves and improving their overall financial stability, analysts say.
Gavin Magor, a senior financial analyst with Weiss Ratings of Jupiter, said Florida's property insurance companies remain remarkably weak considering the hurricane lull. Many companies are not adequately balancing their risks with the appropriate amount of cash reserves and reinsurance.
It's a recipe for more rate increases, but they may not always be justified, Magor said.
Florida insurers have drawn criticism for shifting profits to unregulated affiliates.
"Profitability is an accounting term," Magor said, adding that "it's not in your interest to appear profitable if you're asking for a rate increase."
Through the first six months of this year, five of the state's 10 largest private Florida-based insurers reported underwriting losses, according to data from the state Office of Insurance Regulation. Four of the five companies received rate increases in 2011. Reserves used to pay claims declined at three of the five over the last year.
Of the 10 companies, only one improved its financial picture enough over the last two years to warrant an upgraded rating from Weiss.
Weiss generally gives poor ratings to Florida property insurers. Five of the state's 10 largest private insurers are rated "weak" and one is rated "very weak," which means Weiss believes there is a good chance they could fail in a large hurricane.
"Florida is still not generally in a strong position despite the fact that we haven't had any hurricanes," Magor said.


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DWTS Mark Ballas' New Pepsi Commercial And Miss America Preview For Tonight (Videos)
Who plans to tune in to the Miss America Pageant tonight at 9:00pm ET (ABC) to watch Dancing With The Stars pro Mark Ballas judge? I think I just might!! Here is a little sneak preview for what happened in preliminaries this week….
The Las Vegas Sun also has a cool summary on the Pageant preliminaries which mentions Mark in it. Be sure to read it here if interested as he won "Judge of the Year" and it explains why he is singing above.
Also, below is the Diet Pepsi commercial that Mark choreographed starring Sofia Vergara and his Dad Corky!! I'd say they've got themselves a winner here! What do you think?
If you haven't seen it yet, you can view some behind the scenes footage in an earlier posting here. Way to go, Mark!!


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Optus MVNO Yatango Mobile is attempting to attract deflecting Kogan Mobile customers, offering them a free 30 day trial that provides the same 6GB of data and unlimited voice calls and SMS as the soon to be defunct network.
The company has negotiated an exclusive deal with Kogan Mobile, contacting all of its customers by email yesterday advising them of a free, unlimited offer that lasts 30 days. The email includes a unique coupon code to redeem the free trial through Yatango.
Following the free 30 days, Yatango Mobile says it will "build a flexible month-to-month plan" for Kogan customers.
Yatango's slider-based online interface allows its customers to build their own personalised plan, so users can adjust the amount of voice minutes, SMS messages, mobile data and international voice minutes every month.
The 'packs' of voice, SMS and data have a 30 day expiry but can be reconfigured at any time, month to month, with no lock-in contracts.
However, the Yatango plans are significantly more expensive than Kogan Mobile. As an example, 200 voice minutes, 200 SMS messages, and 3GB of data will cost $39 per month.
Despite the higher prices, Yatango Mobile's founder and CEO, Andy Taylor, said that many customers simply need to better understand their usage.
"We encourage Kogan Mobile customers to continue to challenge the status quo and seek out providers that help them to understand their usage - once you understand your usage, you can save money. Our data shows that 90 per cent of customers who switch to Yatango stand to save money."
"Australian mobile customers need to know that they don't have to accept the inevitability of overspend or 'devil in the detail' of traditional operators. There are other options available that offer greater simplicity, control and transparency."
Read more: Yatango Mobile owes shoppers hundreds of thousands in refunds
Yatango confirmed any Kogan Mobile customers who take up the free 30 day trial will be provided with a summary of their mobile and data usage at the end of the month. The company will also recommend a personalised plan based on usage.
Yatango only launched in Australia earlier this year, and like Kogan Mobile, is purely a BYO mobile, SIM-only network.
The MVNO currently offers a 3G-only service on the Optus network, but promises that 4G will be available "in the coming months."


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Browsing Faculty and Researcher Data and Papers by Author "Qiu, Chunfang"
Now showing items 1-1 of 1
Associations of depression and depressive symptoms with preeclampsia: results from a Peruvian case-control study Qiu, Chunfang; Sanchez, Sixto E.; Lam, Nelly; Garcia, Pedro; Williams, Michelle A. (2007)Background: Preeclampsia involves endothelial dysfunction, platelet dysfunction/activation and sympathetic over-activity similar to cardiovascular disorders (CVD). Depression, an independent risk factor for progression of ...


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Daniel Fleetwood, the terminally ill "Star Wars" fan who got to see "The Force Awakens" two months before the film's release, died Tuesday at age 32.
Daniel's father, Dennis Fleetwood, confirmed to NBC News that Daniel passed away Tuesday morning, just days after watching the unfinished version of the movie.
His wife, Ashley Fleetwood, posted on Facebook that her husband "is now one with God and with the force."
U.S. & World
"He passed in his sleep and in peace," Ashley wrote. "He will always be my idol and my hero."
Fleetwood, of Spring, Texas, was diagnosed with a rare connective tissue cancer, called spindle cell sarcoma, two years ago. On Sept. 2, doctors gave him two months to live.
To grant him one last wish, Ashley posted a photo of her husband on Twitter with the caption, "#forcefordaniel help my man get his last wish, to see a screening of Star Wars before cancer takes him. @bad_robot."
The hashtag soon sparked an Internet-wide campaign and caught the attention of the film's director, J.J. Abrams.
He allowed a private showing at the Fleetwoods' home on Nov. 5. The film opens on Dec. 18.


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Stephen Strasburg could be appearing on your video game console as soon as midnight, and when he does, he'll be the 15th-best starting pitcher in all of MLB 2K10 - just seven innings into his career.
2K Sports told Kotaku this afternoon that Strasburg, the Washington Nationals phenom who fanned 14 Pittsburgh Pirates in an appointment-television debut on Tuesday night, will be in the game's next roster update, and it may be available as soon as midnight tonight, U.S. Pacific Time.
When that roster is available, Strasburg will debut as an 87-rated starting pitcher - ahead of mainstays like the Yankees' A.J. Burnett, Houston's Roy Oswalt and grenade-spam hater Cole Hamels. He will be by far the best starter on the Nats' staff - Livan Hernandez is currently rated a 75 - and would be the top starter on 15 other ballclubs.
MLB 2K10's "MLB Today" mode allows folks to play with the day's real-life games with their actual starters and lineups. These rosters update periodically, usually every couple of weeks.
Strasburg was not available yesterday, either because his start wasn't announced by the time of the last roster update or, more likely, because the likenesses of minor league players are prohibited from appearing in a video game unless and until they have a game of major league service. So unfortunately, MLB 2K10 was shut out of the most heavily anticipated springtime baseball game in recent memory.


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text: Aston Martin Racing News Tags AMOC Awards Brand Extension Centenary Corporate Dealers Events Films Gaydon GTE Heritage le mans Licensees Models Motor Shows Nürburgring Partnerships People Promotion Q by Aston Martin Racing Social Media Videos Aston Martin starts 2014 Nürburgring campaign Date: Mar 28, 2014 Tags: Racing Aston Martin Racing's 2014 Nürburgring campaign gets underway this weekend (29 March) as customer team Leonard Motorsport races its brand new V12 Vantage GT3 in the first round of the circuit's VLN series. Aston Martin Racing partners with Hasselblad for 2014 Date: Mar 26, 2014 Tags: Racing The iconic camera-maker Hasselblad has become official photography partner to Aston Martin Racing. The Swedish brand joins the team as it takes on the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship and embarks upon its fourth Aston Martin GT4 Challenge season. Motorbase Performance confirms new GT line up Date: Mar 25, 2014 Tags: Racing Motorbase Performance has revealed its full GT driver line up that will run under the Oman Racing Team banner competing in the Avon Tyres British GT Championship this year alongside a parallel campaign in the Blancpain Endurance Series. Interview with Alex MacDowall Date: Feb 28, 2014 Tags: Racing Alex MacDowall, experienced touring car driver, is no stranger to the world stage; afterall he has competed in the FIA World Touring Car Championship with Bamboo Engineering. This year he has made his move into GT racing and is getting prepared for the FIA World Endurance Championship, but how is he finding the #99 Vantage GTE? Interview with David Heinemeier Hansson Date: Feb 28, 2014 Tags: Racing David Heinemier Hansson has joined the #95 Young Driver Vantage GTE for the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship season. He competed in the championship last year in an LMP2 car and is looking forward to returning to Le Mans, this time aiming for the top step. Interview with Fernando Rees Date: Feb 28, 2014 Tags: People, Racing Fernando Rees, 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship GTE-AM champion, is an Aston Martin Racing works driver for the 2014 season. The Brazilian will be driving in the #99 Bamboo Engineering V8 Vantage GTE at each of the eight rounds of the championship including the world-famous 24 Hours of Le Mans. Aston Martin celebrates ten years of Aston Martin Racing with largest programme to date Date: Feb 28, 2014 Tags: Racing Aston Martin is running its largest motorsport programme to-date this year as it enters the most challenging and demanding endurance races in the world with a full range of Vantage-based race cars. Aston Martin GT4 Challenge Gets Refreshing New Partner, The Luxury Drink Gize Date: Feb 26, 2014 Tags: Racing Aston Martin Racing is proud to announce Gize, the gold filtered mineral water, as the latest partner to the 2014 Aston Martin GT4 Challenge. TF Sport named official Aston Martin Racing Partner Team Date: Feb 25, 2014 Tags: Racing Newly-launched TF Sport has joined an exclusive and esteemed club this week as it is selected as an official Aston Martin Racing Partner Team, a prestigious and sought-after title that is shared among only ten teams worldwide. Aston Martin winter test a huge success Date: Feb 24, 2014 Tags: Racing At Aston Martin Racing's winter test session in Portimao, Portugal this weekend (21/22 February), 16 Vantage-based GTE, GT3 and GT4 race cars took to the 4.7km-long circuit in preparation for the season ahead. Triple finish for Aston Martin at Daytona Date: Jan 27, 2014 Tags: Racing Aston Martin Racing added to its history books today, as all three of its Vantage GT race cars crossed the finish line of the 2014 24 Hours at Daytona after a 28-year absence for the manufacturer team. Aston Martin Racing Kicks Off 2014 With Return To Daytona Date: Jan 23, 2014 Tags: Racing Aston Martin Racing will be on the starting grid for the world famous Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona this weekend (23-26 January), for the first time since 1985. Aston Martin Denied World Championship Title in Bahrain Date: Dec 01, 2013 Tags: GTE, Racing Aston Martin qualifies on pole in GTE AM and third in GTE PRO Date: Nov 29, 2013 Tags: Aston Martin aims for world title glory in its centenary year Date: Nov 26, 2013 Tags: Centenary, Corporate, GTE, Racing ...11121314151617181920... Cars Teams Series Partners History News Contact


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About CCHS
Adventures In History Radio Show
The Clatsop County Historical Society is an educational organization dedicated to preserving and presenting the history of Clatsop County Oregon and the surrounding area.
The Clatsop County Historical Society offers four distinctively different museums all housed in historic buildings for you and your family to explore during your visit to Astoria.
|Captain George Flavel House
Experience the elegance of the late Victorian period by touring the home of Captain George Flavel. This 1886 Queen Anne home features original Eastlake influenced woodwork, period furnishings, and exotic hardwood fireplace mantels. Begin your tour at the Carriage House Visitor Center (located behind the house on the corner of 7th & Exchange Streets), which houses additional exhibits, the museum store, and orientation video.
|Heritage Museum
Built in 1904 as Astoria's City Hall, this building is now home to the Clatsop County Historical Society's regional museum. Explore the history of Clatsop County through temporary and permanent exhibits featuring Native Americans, early pioneers, immigrants, and local industries. The Liisa Penner Research Center and Archives are also at this location.
|Uppertown Firefighters Museum
The Uppertown Firefighters Museum houses an extensive collection of fire fighting equipment dating from 1873 to 1963. Featured are hand-pulled, horse-drawn, and motorized fire engines, as well as fire fighting memorabilia and photos. Seasonal Hours. Please call for availability.
Phone: 503-338-4849 for more info
Clatsop County Historical Society
714 Exchange St.
PO Box 88
Astoria, OR 97103-0088


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Promote your beer to thirsty patrons looking for it.Learn More
Heads up! Coronado Low Tide Session Amber may not be available near you. Follow this beer to get notified when it's available nearby, try searching in a different area, or discover some similar beer.
American Amber Ale5.5% ABV24 IBU
No Label Brewing CompanyKaty, TX
Available at a few places nearby
Dark American Amber with strong flavors of caramel and roasted malts. Balanced with just the right amount of Cascade and Golding hops for a sweet but slightly bitter ale.
American Amber Ale5.4% ABV
Parish Brewing Co.Broussard, LA
Available at very few places nearby
Belgian Dubbel8.5% ABV
Saint Arnold Brewing CompanyHouston, TX
Available at very few places nearby


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Elegantly appointed rooms, sumptuous beds with crisp, freshly laundered linen atop deeply divine quilts, luxurious, pristine en-suite bathrooms - plus every contemporary convenience.
If this is your idea of holiday heaven, then join us at Number One, and enjoy the best boutique B&B experience you've ever had! Quietly located in Blackpool's South Shore, Number One St Luke's is the perfect place for a hassle-feee stay in this bustling seaside resort.
Hosts Mark and Claire Smith have a wealth of experience as hoteliers and are dedicated to making every guest's visit a memorable one. Ideally suited to business travellers weary of impersonal hotel rooms, or couples seeking a romantic break in friendly surroundings - with all the attractions the region has to offer - Number one St Luke's offers an intriguing, affordable alternative, and the unmissable opportunity for a spot of sybaritc self-indulgence.


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Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, who directed "28 Weeks Later", arguably the second best of the time later movies, has been confirmed to be directing "The Crow" remake which is full steam ahead after delays out the ying yang. I played football in High School and for one game this kid painted his face like "The Crow" because he thought it would be frightening to the opposing team. Holy crap we harassed that kid to the point of tears. Good story huh? "The Crow"!
Holy mother of god the remake goodness just keeps flowing. Here it is folks, the first stills from the "Fright Night" retelling for your peepers and man are they.... there. I mean look at Evil Ed! He looks so... not evil, I'm sorry I can't do this today. Let's move on.
Javier Bardem, who is my all time favorite air gun murderer, is close to signing on to play Roland Deschain in the "Dark Tower" series that will be spread over three films and a TV series. I never read the books, should we be upset or really excited about this?
I only know Madeline Zima as the girl who likes to punch guys in the face while she makes the nasty on "Californication" but apparently she's done some other things. Things meaning she's signed up for the new people trapped in a bunker thriller "Storage". I've got high hopes for this one people, mostly because it seems like Madeline has no problem getting nude, so I assume this movie is going to be great.
Your latest "Fright Night" remake news, straight from McLovin's mouth. It will be rated R. Man, that was exciting, wasn't it?
Wes Craven seems to have been attending the Rob Zombie school of marketing your movie in the 21st century. Or at least I assume so, based on the flood of BTS video and pictures hitting the internet since the film started shooting... YESTERDAY. I don't think I can handle this every day leading up to the projected 2011 release date.
Neil Marshal talks about his next project after "Centurion". Something something something, "bodies exploding", "3D", "produced by Sam Raimi". That's the gist, anyway.
Tilda Swinton cast as the infamous Elizabeth Bathory in "The Blood Countess.