text: Bogdan Costescu wrote: > On Thu, Jul 1, 2010 at 5:11 AM, Joe Landman > <landman at scalableinformatics.com> wrote: >> At the end of the day, the fundamental question we are debating is, does >> the "prestige" of working with a top university/national lab have any >> real tangible value that you can ascribe to the bottom line, does it >> actually impact sales. >> >> I posit that the answer to this is a resounding "no". You obviously >> disagree. > > I also disagree, but I have another point of view: the fact of working > with a top university/national lab can be important for the > development of the product or line of products. A top This isn't the issue. The issue is, will a discount which amounts to you as a vendor paying your customer to taking your product, in order to garner prestige ... will this prestige translate to the bottom line in the near term ... will it positively impact sales. > university/national lab is considered top because it has clever people > who are renowned for their way of thinking and/or published results; This of course impugns the quality of people at "not-top" sites, places which may produce excellent science, but don't have the name brand of the "top" folks. My experience is that innovation happens where bright people are, whom are motivated to innovate. Excellent science happens many places which are not "top" sites. > given a new (type of) parallel machine, they might come up with > amazing results and/or might allow them to become even more famous - > their publications will mention the (type of) parallel machine on > which their results were obtained and other people looking to obtain > similar results or looking for even better results (=competitors :-)) "Might" "might allow" "will mention" Which one of these directly impacts against the bottom line? Which one of these actively increases sales and revenues? > will become interested. This doesn't necessarily mean that they will > buy the same (type of) parallel machines now but, if the results were Exactly. They won't necessarily buy. That does impact the bottom line. > amazing enough, the _next_ generation of parallel machines from this > or other vendor will be able to achieve the same amazing results > because, by then, buyers will ask for it. So it effectively becomes an > investment in the future. ... but this doesn't matter, unless you are quantifying this return on investment by classifying the discount as an investment. The danger in doing this, and there is a profound danger in doing this, is that *everyone* will want you as the vendor to "invest" in them. This does happen, and that is why the NDA is such an important tool for vendors to control the distribution of the deal details. Morever, these investments, as I have indicated, and again, I haven't seen a single indication in email (private or public) otherwise, simply don't have a meaningful ROI. They aren't accretive to the bottom line. Which means, if you start giving everyone a discount and couch this as an investment, all you have done is lowered your margins to close to zero or below. You have no real expectation of a return on this "investment". Again, I am not bashing anyone. I do think people need to think these arguments over very carefully before they present this stuff to their vendor of choice. Most I have spoken to over the last year have told me that any discount comes with a significant quid pro quo, something that will help offset other costs elsewhere, e.g. have a measurable impact upon the bottom line. Prestige adds nothing to be bottom line, it gives you talking points. It won't steer a detectable/measurable number of customers your way. Investment in product development happens generally independently of the sales efforts. That is a real cost to the bottom line. If you couch this as product investment, then you have a cost center. Which negatively impacts bottom line. > Bogdan Joe -- Joseph Landman, Ph.D Founder and CEO Scalable Informatics Inc. email: landman at scalableinformatics.com web : http://scalableinformatics.com http://scalableinformatics.com/jackrabbit phone: +1 734 786 8423 x121 fax : +1 866 888 3112 cell : +1 734 612 4615


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Committed writer researchers should collect numbers of files separating various notes, information scraps and, perhaps, even relevant source articles sorted into ordered chaos. Because, for me, source articles invariably make different points or propose content that is not particularly relevant to illustrated paradigms, I don't find these so important. Nevertheless, it is easy to collect clutter, perhaps with view to rebranding. Writing original content that parries with the educated spontaneity of Jon Rappoport, for instance, is a whole different ball park. That is what separates professionals from amateurs. For the seasoned few, thinking up beautiful, poignantly meaningful titles is probably the most challenging step of the process.
In my cache of "blog posts" mixed in with published content, I have composed eight new standalone working titles this year. Each, in word format, is content free and crying out for a spot on the Ozzie Thinker blog. Recently I created a special "to be written" file as many have been pending, neglected for several months. The item first selected was a lone blank page under the guise of "Problem, Reaction Deception". Half an hour of serious brain straining came up with nothing productive by way of content so it has been put aside to tease muted inspiration. Of course, that isn't to say I couldn't represent the subject, but ideas were too jumbled, contrived and directionless for the Ozzie Thinker mission. Thus there was going to be no post on this topic today. "Prophesies, Predictions, Preconditioning" has punch. That would surely well up an avalanche of content? But no, it didn't meet the requirement of the moment, so I selected the mildly innocuous "Why Atheism?"
Why indeed?
I am not a great fan of expletives. It has always seemed to me that when writers run out of ideas, have nothing to say on subjects explored, they stoop to base sentiment. Nevertheless one of my great heroes is the late but ever-present George Carlin whose foul terms sketch that dreadfully foul world around him. So, by the power of satire, I have used expletives with pride this time. Indeed, the conversational style of this piece, in part, reminds me of one of those deep, profound bar meetings, though, I assure readers, all information is free of intoxication. Also, unlike my other "to be written" entries, "Why Atheism?" at least had some content attached, though I cannot for the life of me remember what thought processes had conjured it or for what wider purpose I had been writing at the time. Oh yes, the simple message is straightforward enough by why did I begin with?
Conservation is "pointless"
Was the plan to foment yet another us versus them infomercial championing the environmentalists? The American "black hat white hat" syndrome is spreading to other parts of the globe. If the fantasy fits, then it must be unadulterated truth and you are either with us or "agin" us by that flawed reasoning. No, I will not sell out to truth because I like "side A". Bullshit is bullshit if it is bullshit and not because who said it. The truth is non-negotiable.
There is a good reason for "conservation is pointless", but the truth will not endear environmentalists as they are pawns of a largely hidden game. Jon Rappoport, I mentioned earlier, is one of the few that is beginning to get the gig, but it took him some time. He is beginning to see the light and coming to realise that light is very dark indeed. Let me rephrase that, for clarity. I said I only peddled the truth. The truth is I don't know what Jon knows and I can only make assumptions by measurement of his writings. These, upon evaluation, have subtly changed over the months, years. He didn't instantly draw the written conclusions he has. There has been a painstakingly thorough evaluation process.
I run another blog that specialises in matters that go beyond the human reality plane. It moves into the realms of mysterious paranormal, spiritual energies, hidden unseen forces with alien agendas supported by bizarre technologies that may make the impossible possible. All of this is part and parcel of what's loosely termed exo-politics (which, from the Greek, means "outside the affairs of the people"). Exo-politics very much impacts atheist globalism. Yes, and the reason "black hat, white hat" is consuming other nations now is this is all part of the globalists' divide and conquer strategy. To divide and conquer, you need "us" and "them".
Here's a good example of how clever they are (the powers that control) compared to stupid human slaves. In the United States of America, corporate Medias (that represent the globalist governing elite) tell us that a very bad man has been thrown in jail because he conned a lot of people. This collapsed the housing market and saw honest, God fearing (but really, really complacent) folks reduced to homelessness. However, if you apply clarity to the picture, all their money is bogus. Yours is too. It's not bogus because of the Federal Reserve or the "Banksters" or the Government or the Pretenders or Kevin Spacey or even Mickey Mouse. It's bogus because you poor, stupid slaves endorse it every time you use it. By accepting it makes it real. That means some arbitrary bureaucrat can declare unoccupied housing (that would end the homelessness crisis in a heartbeat) belongs to someone important because of those pariah systems protecting bogus money. Ownership is ultimately imposed because of monetary support. If there was no money, rights would be determined by needs and/or priorities.
Warm up over, let's broach the subject, "Why Atheism?" Atheism runs deep. It perpetrates the core of existence and proposes spontaneous, hi-tech living robots must have no arbitrary right to anything as there is no God. You see, this is the primo [muted] message of atheism. Only historic ownership counts, providing the savages don't lay claim to the land, because they don't rate. If there was a God, then, ultimately, He would own all lands and humans along with the various animals, plants and insects would be ungrateful (is that the right word? Yes, I think it is) tenants. Oh how we whine! We are not even slightly grateful for our lives and then have the gall to complain when someone dies. The idea, survival of the fittest, is an extension of that reasoning. Per the "I've only got one life" ideology, I can amass 284 housing blocks with a write down value in excess of $1 billion and keep them empty because I am a survivor; I'm the fittest.
Why atheism?
Atheism is because I am not connected to God as the communion umbrella linking all humans to everything. It means there is no obligation to support anything or anyone that contravenes the objectives of self-serving survival. With individual consciences battered and bruised, the people are expected to succumb to dogmatic laws that do their upmost to promote and enforce the agendas of the chosen few. If we take rhetoric and legislation defining murder, it has done nothing for the arbitrary massacres resulting from constant wars generated by the same bodies that lay claim they only exist to serve the needs of the people (creating strict policies designed to stop people murderin' each other on their home turf). Over 1.5 million innocent Iraqis have laid down their lives because atheism wants to make a point. That point is it does not discriminate because every life is an expendable statistic when that suits the narrative line. Atheism doesn't care.
Control does impact sharing. Just as with the farmer that regularly bombs his disused barns with insecticide to keep them clean, globalists have the same view about population masses. They kill off the pests with distain, using their dumb, ignorant militias. But hey, don't fret.
It's all for a great cause – Atheism.
To divide and conquer successfully you need causes; lots of them. False paradigms project environmentalists as the good guys supporting everything worthwhile. But the problem is "worthwhile" costs too much; there's that bogus money again, so the pragmatists opt for industrial pollution.
What the eye can't see must be ok, right? Remind me again; what colour is radiation? Well, it's sure made some mushrooms and other things go funny colours in Japan. Was one baby born without a head? I don't know, maybe that's labouring the point.
Environmentalists either support or don't support the scientists' fake global warming and other strategies. That depends on whether they are with the mainstream or the alternative mainstream. Even "science" has branched into political fronts; notably geology versus archaeology. That's because there is disharmony at the top and science religious-dogma is branded to suit the campaign needs of the individual sellers – those peddlers of reality. Believe it because we tell you what it looks like. You've got to trust us. We're credentialed scientists who know so much goofy stuff (pot calling the kettle black? But some good points nonetheless here). And if that doesn't work, you'd better "shut the fuck up" because otherwise we'll shut you out and send you to Coventry. No one will believe you after we're done with you. We can't have that reality bubble threatened in any way.
Look, I feel sure that there are many scientists out there that have done the research privately, instinctively knowing they are selling lies or distortions, but pretty much all have been warned by employers, peer groups, journalists that there are no go areas. The pyramids could only have been put up by savages using stone tools or some other stupid shit, in spite of the evidence, because that fits the dialogue. And it's all done for control purposes augmented by bogus dollars. Medical too! Oh yeah, that's the worst of the lot. Did you know they deliberately pollute the Earth to make people sick so they can heal the ones they want to "save"?
I feel we've come full circle. Now I am starting to remember why I wrote "conservation is pointless". He's not my friend, because I haven't even met him, but I feel we would become friends if we ever did meet. So, by those terms, my friend, Jon Rappoport, has been tirelessly beating the drum over fake viruses, vaccines that seem to do little more than attacking the immune system and genetic modification of the foods we eat (we are what we eat, right?). Maybe I've been a little bit influential, because I said right out, from the start, that all (not "some") viruses are caused by pollution. This isn't some crackpot pseudo-science, because Wikipedia affirms my position. Let's hope the "powers that be" don't strike this reference because of me. Anyway here it is:
"[Viruses] are external particles that have found a way to exist in bodies whilst having no metabolic growth or reproductive capability"
Eh? Viruses are caused by inorganic matter that corrupts cell systems similar to the way cancers work. In many cases our bodies cope with attacks only producing flu-like symptoms but, in others, a virus can strip all the chromosome information (SARS) or turn cells into mush (Ebola). What's the cause? It is the same in both cases: different forms of pollution. And, you know, the green monkey or the yak have different body functionalities (as much as "science" likes to humanise everything – one Godless standard for those damned accountants), so Ebola-style pollution symptoms might come out as, say, HIV in primates. Fancy that? That's why the polio vaccine that was grown in the kidneys of chimpanzees and green monkeys transported HIV to humans that took the medication. Old failed chemo "wonder drug" AZT converted it into AIDS.
You can see where this is going? It doesn't take too much to join the dots. Years ago, before the emergence of science, Kings worked with religions to control the sheep (this is the name given to the people by the Bible). Over time people became more and more rebellious, because the bright ones saw through all the superstitions (that's the fancy word for bullshit). Anti-royal forces (made up of rich merchants with next to no royal blood) backed science to usurp power from the aristocrats. There were other methods and strategies, but the science route supports the dialogue thus far, so that's the one I'll explore.
Initially the religions still had enormous sway and the people could not do without their kings or queens. But over the centuries, incessant Medias challenged the reality bubble, finally smashing it with the onset, firstly, of the silver screen, but more radically with television – piped propaganda 24/7. People stopped going to church because of TV, so it's not all bad. Ha.
This coincided with the sexual revolution, consumerism and mass production of vaccines in the 1960's (also opening up futures markets in support of Vietnam…oh boy). Never a more ugly combination of factors altering the group psyche of humanity could be imagined. Indeed, it was the success of toxic vaccines and contraception geared to sterilise useless eaters that ensured people embraced alternative religions. But, no matter what badge they waived in authority, Christian, Buddhist, Jew, Islamic, everyone was atheist as all religions had been compressed into a common, centralised dialogue that supported globalist diktat.
Initially, pollution wasn't taken seriously, but the New Age aspect of atheism pushed the idea of a nurturing authority championing environmentalists, accountants that stood against the negative aspect of wars, health and a new proto-religion that twosteps with Catholicism's "cosmic Christ". The United Nations was the universal atheist voice that cared; only interested in people's wellness.
Atheism had broken the Russian peoples from 1917 and this was the globalists' test. But, in order to confuse, they reintroduced religions there after the veil of communism (an alternative?) was lifted. Reinstated traditions may have been the payoff, but the problem was all ancient wisdom had been sucked out in order to reinforce the globalist agenda to deny conscience. People visit these houses of God to be good atheists.
By the turn of the 19th century it was becoming clear how damaging pollution was to man. In the interests of producing able bodied fodder for war, mild attempts were made to clean up the globe. Nevertheless super speed technological advancements gave industrialisation an "energy fizz" which saw rapid acceleration of projects outpacing globe-saving efforts. Advancements in medical science gave the powers confidence that they could pollute with irreverence because drugs would always save the chosen ones (or harvested organs for more serious complaints).
One of the great global polluters is oil (plastic is a bi-product that caused consumerism and mass production). This and toxic vaccines are designed to weaken everyone's immune system (elites included). Bogus money supports both enterprises and the people are so mesmerised by it, they cannot break free of its hold. Oil is so powerful, it affects the value of money and this impacts the price of good drugs to use against pollution. Professional deceivers, parading globalist backed credentials, provide verbose overanalyses in loving support of their masters who, in turn, create armies of affirmers (or debunkers against the alternative position) to champion flawed or false churned reasoning.
That is…why atheism?

subset: commoncrawl


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By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com All photos contained in this article were taken by DefenseReview.com, and are copyrighted. DefenseReview.com owns the copyright on these photos. The photos were shot with a Canon PowerShot S90 10-megapixel digital camera (still camera with video capability). February 28, 2010 Updated on 4/01/10 There were a few new pistols that DefenseReview viewed …Read More »
Tag Archives: glock 21 sf review
FN FNP-45 High-Capacity .45ACP Semi-Auto Combat Pistol: Where does it fit in the tactical .45 pistol race?
By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com July 13, 2009 While FN Herstal is much better known for its assault rifles (M16A4, etc.) and machine guns (M249 SAW, M240 MMG/GPMG, MK46, MK48, etc.), the company has also developed a line of pistols. One of them is the FN FNP-45 high-capacity (14+1 shots) .45ACP (also written .45 ACP) semi-auto pistol, …Read More »
Smith & Wesson M&P45 and Glock 21SF .45 ACP Pistols at NDIA Small Arms Symposium
by David Crane [email protected] Speaking of NDIA Small Arms Symposium 2007, DefenseReview also got to test-fire two of the latest "tactical plastic" (i.e. polymer) .45 ACP pistols, the Glock 21SF (G21SF) and the Smith & Wesson M&P45. Both weapons were very comfortable to handle and shoot, but we had some trouple hitting steel pepper poppers initially with the Glock 21 …Read More »


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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
So this week's theme is basically anything to do with characters! You can put any spin on it that you'd like and I decided to do diverse characters since we could always use more diverse book recommendations, am I right? The characters I'm including are diverse in ethnicity and sexuality and there's also some mental illness rep here as well.
I'm slowly working my way through the diverse books on my TBR but putting this list together has made me realize I really need to read more of them faster!
These are in no particular order and I will link each book title to my full review in case you're interested!
Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova
This book has a Latino main character who also happens to be a bruja (witch) and when she seeks to rid herself of her power she ends of losing her family and to find them again she must enter a magical realm to save them. This is a very creative and magical book, highly recommended for Halloween coming up too!
While I wasn't the biggest fan of this book I did still enjoy it and it's diverse cast of characters (mostly Taiwanese) and Pon's tackling of many big issues such as global warming, pollution, and poverty within the plot line. Still a very interesting book even though the pacing was a little off for me.
Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust
While this isn't the most diverse book on this list it still includes a really adorable F/F romance between the main character and another side character, I don't want to give it away. This is a Snow White retelling that really delves into new representations of "Snow White and the Evil Queen" in a very unique way.
This is a very underrated book that's set in a steampunk Victorian London with a gay main character who falls in love with a clock tower's spirit. It's so incredibly adorable and heart warming! Plus it's something I've never seen done before!
The Steep & Thorny Way by Cat Winters
Cat Winters is an incredible writer and her books should be in the lime light a lot more than they are! This book deals with a biracial girl in the 1920's dealing with racism and hate crimes who is starting to suspect her father's death wasn't an accident. There is also the inclusion of a gay character dealing homophobia and hate crimes as well. This is said to be a sort of retelling of "Hamlet" and there is a bit of the paranormal in the plot as well.
Probably the most diverse book included on this list! We have bisexual characters, gay characters, characters of different ethnic backgrounds, characters with mental illness or other disabilities. Everything is also handled and represented incredibly well due to it being an #OwnVoices book and I personally can speak for the anxiety rep as well. There is so much adorableness and so many heart warming moments as well, overall fantastic book full of diversity!
A Gentleman's Guide To Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
A story with a M/M romance and the characters both think the other doesn't love them back, but it's also full of some crazy shenanigans and a trip across Europe. You'll ship these two so hard, trust me!
Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller
This was a huge surprise to me, I found it way more enjoyable than I had originally anticipated! This is what I wanted "Throne of Glass" to be, full of violence and a main character who isn't afraid to show their skill and do anything it takes to win. The main character is also gender fluid!
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Pretty sure everyone's heard of this one by now! This is a fantastic story with a very powerful plot which includes an African American girl as our wonderful main character who is dealing with the aftermath of a police officer shooting her unarmed friend. As I said it's incredibly powerful and so well written, I highly recommend reading it.
The Hollow Girl by Hillary Monahan
The main character of this book is Welsh Romani (which we definitely do not get to see very often in books at all) and is studying herbcraft (and hopefully witchcraft) under her Gran. However, her and her friend are brutally assaulted and in order to save his life she must harvest body parts from the boys who did it. I recommend checking out my trigger warnings in my review before reading this one.
Have you read any of these books as well? What did you think?
Do you have any of these on your TBR?
What are some of your favorite books with diverse characters?
Let me know in the comments!


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As a student at DEIF, the world will open for you. An exciting education, international cooperation, good colleagues, respect and responsibility from the first day is what you can expect when you become part of DEIF.
At DEIF we strive to employ many interns, apprentices and trainees every year. We recruit students for an internship for a shorter period. As a student at DEIF, you get a unique opportunity for creating a solid foundation for your future. Our organisation is characterised by highly motivated, independent and responsible employees, whom all put our customers in the centre.
Please select below and attach your application, recommendations etc.
MSc graduate looks back on 'unforgettable' internship at DEIF
Natasa Rašeta
MSc graduate - Internship at DEIF
At DEIF, positions as trainees and apprenticeship are highly appreciated, as we want to take active social responsibility, help young people to get an education and establish themselves in the labour market, as well as ensure a multitude of staff. We consider it a shared responsibility for managers and employees to create an inclusive environment where trainees and apprentices are thriving and challenged based on their professional and personal level.
If you are eager to learn, DEIF employs trainees and apprentices who have the desire to learn and develop in exciting global business on a yearly basis. We seek independent young people who, with new knowledge and a can-do spirit can contribute to good results and a good working environment.
An apprenticeship has an average duration of two years, where the time horizon for apprentices depends on the individual's educational background. Both traineeships and apprenticeships are a combination of theory and practice with emphasis on practical experience. We aim to create a good framework for learning and development for our students and apprentices, through independent work and support from colleagues.
As an apprentice/trainee at DEIF, you will also become part of our internal network of trainees and apprentices.
Project collaboration
Are you looking for a company to write a project with? We offer project collaboration for students who are writing either their bachelor or master thesis. As a student, you will gain insight and knowledge of a specific area, and you will learn more about DEIF as a business. Besides, you will get insight into the newest knowledge through your project collaboration.
"DEIF is a good apprenticeship because it is a great place to learn from experienced colleagues and expand your skill-set. Everyone is always ready to help one another out and therefore the team spirit is really strong. The social life at DEIF is also very good. DEIF arrange many social activities and in addition, when being an apprentice you are automatically part of a student-network where interns, apprentices and trainees meet and arrange social events by themselves as well."
Jacob Lindbjerg Callsen
Data Technician Apprentice, IT


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Americans are generally extroverted, friendly, talkative—and apparently, workaholics. As the Europeans put it, Americans live to work, while they work to live.
Image source: From infographic on lack of vacation time in U.S. Produced by Column Five for Rasmussen College.
Studies by various travel companies and polling groups have shown that Americans are among the group of nationalities that take the least amount of vacation (others being the Japanese, Taiwanese, South Koreans, Singaporeans, and Mexicans). Part of the reason may be that the United States is the only developed nation in the world that does not guarantee any paid holidays for workers by law. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics concluded in a recent report that only seventy-two percent of wage earners in the United States received both holidays and paid vacations voluntarily granted by their employers. The rest of the employed population does not get paid vacation.
It's unfortunate that Americans regularly skip using all their allotted vacation days*. [*See also: Schwartz, Tony (February 10, 2013). "Relax! You'll Be More Productive" The New York Times.] Surveys of people in the U.S. report that they do not feel their bosses support taking leave, and they fear that being away from work looks like they are not committed to their jobs. Understandably, workers are afraid to look less than absolutely dedicated in this job market. Looking at our lack of vacation days and our failure to take advantage of them, one could conclude that we are not a well-rested people.
Image: December 2012 infographic on why Americans don't take more vacation time. Created by: Ally Bank from various public sources.
However, health researchers, sleep researchers, and psychologists have found that there is a direct correlation between rest and good health, and rest and productivity. Taking your vacation is almost a tonic against occupational stress.
Stop and Smell the Roses at a National Park or Trail
If you do get a paid vacation and have been putting off your annual jaunt, it's time to sit down and plan one before summer ends. Many Federal Government agencies offer great resources for planning your next vacation or recreational activity.
For example, three excellent publications from the National Park Service– National Trails System: Map and Guide, National Park System Map and Guide, and the National Park System (Wall Map Poster) — can aid you in planning your trip to America's best vacation destinations, our national parks and trails!
While most Americans are familiar with our fabulous national parks, fewer are aware of our 45 year-old National Trails System which is…
"…the network of scenic, historic, and recreation trails created by the National Trails System Act of 1968. These trails provide for outdoor recreation needs, promote the enjoyment, appreciation, and preservation of open-air, outdoor areas and historic resources, and encourage public access and citizen involvement." (National Park Service)
With the help of these National Park Service maps, you can hike interesting trails and learn history while you are appreciating the outdoors and getting a workout. Or you can pick a national park you've never visited before, and experience something new to spur your creativity. If you enjoy visiting cities, pick a park not far outside of town so that you could get a taste of nature in addition to some cultural experiences.
For example, the Washington, DC, area where the Government Printing Office is headquartered is a prime tourist and staycation destination with its many national parks and historic sites. Our Washington DC Area Tourism & Recreation collection includes maps, history and guidebooks about the area, including the new 2013 Washington DC tourism map by the National Park Service that includes all the newest monuments and museums. and the wonderful Capital Engineers: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Development of Washington, D.C. 1790-2004, (reviewed earlier on Government Book Talk blog) that tells "The Untold Story Behind the Engineering of Washington DC" and its many famous landmarks.
Once you pick a park, search the Web site recreation.gov to find the activities available there. If you look at the National Park system map and find yourself spoiled for choice, you may be able to narrow down your options when you discover the types of activities available at the parks. And if you are interested in vacationing in a city or a resort, but want to hit a nearby recreation center, you can search for alternatives just by entering a city or zip code. For example, if you plan to visit Las Vegas, but you'd like some time to enjoy rock climbing, too, you might rent a car for the day and drive to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, 12.57 miles from the city center. Most of the National Parks have guidebooks available to help you plan your trip: a number of them are available for sale from the U.S. Government Bookstore.
Of course, the money and time needed for a vacation are no joke. You may be one of the unlucky 28% that does not get a paid vacation. Or getting time off work may just be impossible. If any one of those factors applies to you, try a weekend getaway someplace nearby instead. The National Park Service has suggestions for quick breaks or "staycations" all the country. Once you've selected a site, you can fine-tune your plans with the information about reservations and camping available at recreation.gov.
Support for Your Pursuit of Happiness
As our nation has declared the pursuit of happiness a self-evident truth and an inalienable right, it seems we have a patriotic duty to pursue a holiday. The Federal government definitely supports your vacation. After all, each one of our modern presidents has set a prime example for the people by taking vacations to better handle the rigors of the job. As President Nixon put it: "Like other presidents, before and after me, I felt the need to get out of the White House and out of Washington in order to keep some sense of perception."
Image: U.S. President Barack Obama and family vacationing at the Grand Canyon National Park in August 2009. Source: White House.
How can the public find these tourism and recreation maps and guidebooks?
- Shop Online: Browse our entire National Parks publications collection on the U.S. Government Online Bookstore under the Art, Maps & Travel category and buy these featured titles:
- National Trails System: Map and Guide
- National Park System Map and Guide
- National Park System (Wall Map Poster)
- Washington: The Nation's Capital (2013 Map) (Package of 100)
- You can find more tourism books under Travel, Tourism and Recreation, including:
- Order by Phone: Call our GPO Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.
- Visit our Retail Store: Buy them at GPO's retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, (202) 512-0132.
- Find them in a Library: Search for them in a Library.
How can Federal Depository librarians access these publications?
- Find the records for these titles via the cataloging records in GPO's Catalog of Government Publication or CGP.
- Find them in a federal depository library.
About the author(s): Adapted from an original article on the FDLP Community Blog by Jennifer K. Davis from GPO's Library Services & Content Management Division that supports the Federal Depository Libraries Program (FDLP). Editor and additional content by: Government Book Talk Editor-in-Chief and , GPO Promotions & Ecommerce Manager, Michele Bartram.


text: Hi folks Trying to trace something annoying down, and see if we are running into something that is known. OFED 1.5 on a 22.214.171.124 kernel. Running a file system atop IPoIB (many reasons, none I care to get into here at the moment). Under light load, the file system gradually grabs memory. Possibly a leak, not entirely sure. Could be the OFED stack underneath. Backing file system is xfs. That is has been (on this hardware in other situations) rock solid stable. Here, xfs, OFED/IPoIB all toss their cookies (and fail allocations) under moderate to heavy load. Working with the file system vendor on this. I am not sure we have the answer nailed, so I wanted to see who out there is running a big ( >512 nodes) cluster, doing large data transfers (preferably over IPoIB), for data storage, and running a late model OFED. If you fall into this category, please let me know, as I'd like to ask a few questions offline about any observed OFED/IPoIB failure modes. I am not convinced it is OFED/IPoIB, but I'd like to see what other people have run into ... if anything. Thanks! Joe -- Joseph Landman, Ph.D Founder and CEO Scalable Informatics, Inc. email: landman at scalableinformatics.com web : http://scalableinformatics.com http://scalableinformatics.com/jackrabbit phone: +1 734 786 8423 x121 fax : +1 866 888 3112 cell : +1 734 612 4615


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The UK flag owner won 76.3 million prize winners in the Friday EuroMillions drawing, which made them richer than Daniel Craig and Harry Styles.
Only one player complied with the five numbers and the two Lucky Star numbers to pick up a jackpot drawn since the beginning of October.
The winner is close to the wealth collected by Ed Sheeran (£ 80 million) but surpasses James Bond's star Craig (£ 74 million) and the former One Direction singer (£ 50 million).
"There are a lot of champagne that we celebrate long ago," said Andy Carter, Advisor to the National Lottery Winners.
The winner's main EuroMillions numbers were 05, 15, 17, 37, 44 and the winner Lucky Star numbers 07 and 11 in the Friday call.
Each ticket has a total of 76,369,806.80 £.
This is the biggest EuroMillions win since Aberdeen's pair, Fred and Lesley Higgins, claimed £ 57.9 million in July.
The biggest British EuroMillions winner this year was an unnamed chip holder who collected 121 million pounds in April and another anonymous player in July was 77 million pounds.
Currently, the largest lottery prize in the United Kingdom comes from Colin and Chris Weir, Largs North Ayrshire, who earned £ 161 million in EuroMillions in 2011.
Mr Carter has said that he is buying a EuroMillions ticket and will help raise money for good reasons.
"On average, about GBP 30 million is raised each week in the UK for large and small projects, including funding from local community projects to preserve the nation's legacy," he said.
Source link


text:
Wildwalks Images
This is a great walk to take the kids on, with a fenced playground, a swimming area and pelicans. For mum and dad, there is parking, a Federation interpretive display, picnic and toilet facilities and views over the Hawkesbury River from Flat Rock Point above. This short walk complements a fresh seafood lunch in Brooklyn, making for a great summer treat.
Total climbing: 24m
931 m Circuit
30 mins
Moderate track
This short track is excellent walk for those with young children. The track passes the fantastic McKell Park playground facilities, which stand next to the Federation Interpretive Display. For the warmer months, enclosed beach pool is right next to the track. The views of the Hawkesbury River are quite stunning and the protected Parsley Bay is popular with pelicans.
Total climbing: 29m
1.4 km Return
30 mins
Very easy
This Cowan to Brooklyn Station walk is a popular section of the Great North Walk, with scenery ranging from foreshore to ridge top lookouts. You will follow the Great North Walk from Cowan Station down to the picturesque Jerusalem Bay, then climb up over a series of ridges before descending into Brooklyn. This walk is a great one-way trip from station to station with numerous water views, including a circumnavigation of Brooklyn Dam whilst enjoying a wonderful diversity of flora along the way.
Total climbing: 654m
13.4 km One way
5 hrs 30 mins
Hard track


text:
E10 (Everyone 10+)
Single Player, HD (High Definition). Wasn't that cool? Well, it gets even cooler. Purchase the full version of RoboBlitz™ and you'll get even more weapons, more baddies, and more of that juicy physics magic you just can't get anywhere else on Xbox Live® Arcade. See if you can score the full billion points. Buy RoboBlitz today! There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.
- 12/10/2009
- Naked Sky Entertainment
- Microsoft Studios
- Action & Adventure
Get it here. Play it there.
Buy Xbox content on Xbox.com. Your Xbox 360 console will automatically download the content next time you turn it on and connect to Xbox Live.Learn More


text:
Made of flexible and rugged natural rubber, the Natural Rubber Stick Toy is fashioned to strengthen the bond between you and your best friend. Its natural shape offers rambunctious bounce for those games of fetch in the backyard or the park, paving the way for more realistic and rewarding play. Bring it to the lake for even more floating fun! Meanwhile, its featured grooves massage gums and help maintain doggie dental hygiene as they nibble along. Add even more fun with spread-on treats for a yummy, stimulating time!
- 12" floating natural rubber toy
- Fashioned to strengthen the bond between you and your best friend
- Natural shape offers rambunctious bounces for realistic chase
- Enrich the fun with spread-on treats
- Featured grooves massage gums and helps clean teeth for dental hygiene
- Ideal for dogs, who love to fetch and some floating fun!
- Dishwasher safe
How Do You Source Your Products?
We identify sellers who share our mission to ensure that all pets have a healthy/happy home and create safe and effective products with that mission in mind. Our goal is to eventually 100% source from sustainable producers here in America.
Can I Only Shop Here for Rescue Dogs?
Of course not, silly! All dogs are welcome here.
Do You Allow Returns?
Yes, we have a refund policy onsite and would be happy to work with you to make sure you are ultimately satisfied with your purchase. Email us at email@example.com with any questions.
Do You Have Size Guides for Products
We try to provide manufacturer suggested size guides on our product pages but as we know different brands have different sizing, please email us at firstname.lastname@example.com if you need further consultation and we'll get back to you ASAP.
We have a 30-day return policy, which means you have 30 days after receiving your item to request a return.
To be eligible for a return, your item must be in the same condition that you received it, unworn or unused.
To start a return, please contact us at email@example.com. Items sent back to us without first requesting a return will not be accepted.
You can always contact us for any return question at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Damages and issues
Please inspect your order upon reception and contact us immediately if the item is defective, damaged or if you receive the wrong item, so that we can evaluate the issue and make it right.
Exceptions / non-returnable items
Certain types of items cannot be returned, like perishable goods (such as food, flowers, or plants), custom products (such as special orders or personalized items), and personal care goods (such as beauty products). Please get in touch if you have questions or concerns about your specific item.
Unfortunately, we cannot accept returns on sale items or gift cards.
We will notify you once we've received and inspected your return, and let you know if the refund was approved or not. If approved, you'll be automatically refunded on your original payment method. Please remember it can take some time for your bank or credit card company to process and post the refund too.


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In the fall of 2007 a creative project began that would become a life-changing experience for everyone involved. The Lord said, "out of small and simple things, great things shall come to pass". The Reflections of Christ project has become such. Like a polished stone dropped into a calm sea, the ripples continue to reach out exponentially in all directions.
I am one of those who had never heard of this artistic project. This week a link to view a "cool slideshow" popped up into my already burgeoning email box. 'Oh brother' (insert groan), I thought, 'here's another "FamSpam"'. However, because this one was sent from a dear friend, I dutifully clicked on the link.
I was not expecting to be transported. I was not expecting to have a spiritual experience. I was not expecting anything at all. And, I certainly was not prepared to meet my Savior Jesus Christ. Yet, all these gifts and more were suddenly placed before me. Words cannot adequately describe my experience. Profound. Comforting. Moving. Joyful. Enlightening. I immediately wanted to share it with the world!
Arizona native Mark Mabry embarked on a photo-shoot of epic proportions from November 2007 through February 2008 recreating the great moments of Jesus Christ's life and ministry. Mabry shares:
"The creative process behind Reflections of Christ is a singular event in my life….Aesthetic was secondary to spirit. There was really more care taken to ensure a proper spirit on the shoot than any of the technical aspects. …There was a higher power in play that I freely acknowledge…"
Along with the incredible images that Mabry has captured, original music and a documentary of the experience was commissioned to compliment the photos. In March, the photos and documentary were placed on exhibit in the visitor's center of the Mesa Arizona Temple. This coincided with the yearly Easter pageant performed there. On March 8, 2008 the Salt Lake Tribune published an interview with Mabry (I missed it) Here is an excerpt:
Photographer Mark Mabry Jr. will display 26 images of Christ doing ministry and service to others. His photo model for Christ is Robert Allen, who played the Savior in four previous Easter pageants, and other men and women were used to portray those he met and served.
"I wanted to do a Christ-centered project," said Mabry, a Mesa-based photographer who trained at Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, Calif….he set his sights much higher for more authentic settings. Working with aerial photographer Steve Porter, he identified Arizona locations comparable to terrains where Jesus walked. The entrance to a cave is the setting for the nativity, for example. Some photos were shot near Arivaca near the Mexican border.
"The past several months have been full of the most gut-wrenching, bar-raising and rewarding experiences of my life, artistically speaking," he said. Among the images are Joseph watching over Mary and the baby Jesus, Christ touching the eyes of the blind man as an act of healing, and his talking to the adulteress in a message of fostering forgiveness and breaking down walls.


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It seems that the Basketball Wives have split up into mini-cliques. Suzie and Jennifer have bonded, while Evelyn and Tami are at the "mean girl" table snatching wigs at will. Kesha and Kenya's spots in the crew are as outcasts, and Royce is on an island by herself, with occasional visits from others. Mother Hen Shaunie, drops in this episode, for some instadrama and dips right back out.
Kenya's Video Shoot – Kenya seems serious about pursuing a music career, so she decides to shoot a video. According to Suzie, Kenya tried to rent a club space called Juliette for $50 an hour for the shoot. In New York, you can't even rent a cardboard box under a bridge for $50. Somehow, she finds a space and the video looked cheaper than the pleather lingerie she rocked in it. If only music videos could go straight to DVD.
Jen's Lonely Lucid Launch – Jennifer launches her Lucid Lipgloss line with a photoshoot and store opening. At the opening, the only members of the cast there are Suzie and Kenya. The lack of support might have been due to the fact that Jen didn't invite anyone else. According to Tami, that was her reason for not going. Jen should know she needs all the support she can get for a lipgloss line that isn't unique. I'm pretty sure I can get the NYX versions of Lucid lipglosses for cheaper, but kudos to her anyway.
Kesha's Charitable Lecture – At Kesha's charity event, Suzie, Shaunie, Evelyn, Tami and Kenya show up to support the cause. In her way of showing gratitude, Kesha proceeds to lecture them about how serious they need to take the event and ask them to watch Suzie so she doesn't drink too much and act up. Understandably, the ladies are offended and Tami sums it up with "We felt like…she was chastising us because of one of our classmates who acted a fool on the last museum trip." As if that wasn't enough, Kesha then tells Suzie that the ladies are being "Debbie Downers." REALLY MA'AM? Tami was clearly not there for her condescension so she picked up her bag and left. Welp.
Tami Questions Kesha's Blackness – After the charity event, the ladies get together for what seems like a ritual debriefing. As soon as Kesha sits down, it was on! Evelyn brings up the problems between the Tami and Kesha, and started with "I'm all about let's talk about it and move on." Clearly, Ev has never met herself and lacks self-awareness. Anyway, the one of the main issues was about Kesha feeling like Tami keeps questioning her identification as a Black woman because she's biracial. But Tami isn't trying to hear it since Kesha took it to everyone else first. Old Tami, pre-therapy creeps out and she calls her a bitch three times, like a cuss word Beetlejuice.
Then there's the issue of Kesha's lecture at the charity event. Tami thinks it was unnecessary because "we don't show our ass every time we leave the house." You're right, Tami, because y'all only act up most of the time. Meanwhile, Kenya was in her seat cackling at Kesha's humiliation. We'll just wait until she gets her busted wet n' wavy snatched one day, and I bet nothing will be funny then.
Next week, the ladies prove how much they know how to act by getting into a couple of confrontations at dinner, hurling cuss words like rice at a wedding. Suzie and Tami have some words for one another, while Evelyn and Jen call each other everything but God's children. And this is why they cannot have nice things.
Luvvie is a writer, social media strategist and Red Pump Rocker, who blogs at Awesomelyluvvie.com. You can follow her on Twitter @luvvieig and like her on Facebook.


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After a long time without a release of maven-proxy, I decided to take care of making this one.
It includes improvements to the maven 2 support and now it comes also with a war file to deploy in your appserver.
You can get it from http://maven-proxy.codehaus.org/Downloads. Be sure to read the installation and configuration instructions because it's not trivial.
This will be probably the last release of maven-proxy as its functionality will be included in the next Maven Repository Manager.


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I started my post-college career in retail and spent a number of years as the manager of a high volume bookstore in a busy suburban mall. The store was only around 4,000 sq ft in size but required two dozen employees to work in it during the holiday season. Our usual procedure was that if a customer asked for a specific book, we would walk them directly to the section where they could find it.
On Black Friday the store would be so crowded that employees couldn't move around much so I would position between 12-15 employees to just stand all day in various book sections. They would point and wave to guide customers through the store in a kind of relay. By the end of the day, which for some of us was 12 hours long, we were all wiped out.
There is starting to be some push back on the growing commercialism of the Christmas season, but a slow economy has made retailers nervous since they actually run on pretty thin margins and often rely on volume for profits. Despite a glitzy appearance, many stores really don't make huge profits, except for Walmart and other huge chains that is. They get great discounts on merchandise because of volume, and by running lean on staff and services they can pad the bottom line much better than a small family-owned shop can.
From the viewpoint of a Harvard Business student the Walmart model is retailing at its most efficient. They have squeezed every penny from every aspect of their operation. From a humanistic viewpoint it's a nightmare. Not only have the big chains destroyed small businesses, their treatment of employees is often deplorable. Among other things, I've heard first-hand stories of how sales people may not be allowed to work more than 39 hours a week so the store can avoid paying benefits. Not nice.
The backstory today is not about me, but is really about the people who work in the stores. It's not easy work and they are not well compensated. Their bosses and home offices may be completely obnoxious about advertising, opening times and the rest, but the people you see on the floor are just trying to survive the day and get home to their own families in one piece.
Despite the frenzy of Black Friday, if you do venture out I encourage you to say something nice to just one sales person in any store. That one act of kindness will guarantee good service for the next dozen customers who walk in after you. Let's put some "good will" back into the holiday season!


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Each year after the winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture is announced, I immediately buy it, if I don't already have it in my collection.
I didn't see "The Shape of Water" in a theater, but my 4k copy arrived today. And tonight, March 21, I was treated to true cinema magic as this wonderful fantasy/science fiction/love story that even weaves a little sinister government "big brother" conspiracy into this amazing movie. And there's a magical, musical segment that fits perfectly into this film.
Set in 1962 in Baltimore, we finally have a movie in which the creature has a happy ending. This film is almost an extension of "The Creature from the Black Lagoon," but it is so much more.
I have a list (chiefly in my head) of movies that I call "Ronald" movies. They have a certain almost magical spirit that is so uplifting and inspiring.
The "Ronald movies" include Frank Capra's "Lost Horizon," "Field of Dreams" and "Cinema Paradiso." There are others, but I am adding "The Shape of Water" to that list now.
Thank director/co-author Guillermo Del Toro, actors Sally Hawkins (no known relation), Richard Jenkins, Michael Shannon, Octavia Spencer and Doug Jones, an amazing artistic team and others for creating one of my all-time favorite Academy Award Best Winners.
Having finally seen and written about the most recent winner, we'll be continuing our posts about the previous best picture winners soon.


text:
I used to write about my life. The insufferable isolation of raising very young children at home provided very little outlet for commiserate camaraderie. Sure I often met with other mom friends, organized baby groups and frequented indoor play parks; but in those places the privileged middle class conversations either felt superficial or left me wanting broader strokes to paint my experience. I began mommy blogging in 2006 as a way to keep my writing craft sharp, distract me from mediocre tedium, and to connect to other like-minded moms through the interwebs.
But as someone who literally wrote an open book about her life, what happens when things become so terrible that I cannot speak of it? Someone else takes an action and to write about that action becomes a confession capable of damaging others' lives and inviting judgment of one's own. What happens when a woman who publicly discusses the intimate details of baby poop, weening toddler twins and discovering a diagnosis of autism can no longer talk about the very personal details of her life?
The site goes dark and no one hears from her again.
Mommy bloggers drop out of the game all the time. Or it was part of the 2008 zeitgeist when Facebook took over our collective isolation and brought us together with mere one-sentence statuses rather than through poignant posts and the feathering tails of comments billowing out the bottom of wordpressed pages. Instead we created a reunion community of one-liners and Friday night hilarity. We shared wine across 1,000's of miles with high school buddies who hadn't partied together since that time we crashed that frat house and the cops came. Remember, remember? If I'm remembering all those good times, I'm not thinking about this present life.
But on Facebook, I created a persona that belied the life that was taking place on the other side of the computer screen. I maintained composure and choose to keep my personal life a secret. It only hurt me more. I refused to be a victim, but I was protecting the perpetrator of my pain.
So is it my story yet? At what point does my experience belong to me again without the fear of reprisal, shame or judgement.
Do you want to know the dirty details? Do you want to know what happened to me? It's really not that big of a deal. It happens all the time.
My husband had an affair.
And it wasn't just one. Does it sound bad yet? Marriages weather affairs, it's not that complicated you either get over it and move on or you go your separate ways. But what if you choose to stay but you can't move on? What if you stay because you're 6 months pregnant with a fourth planned child and then you have a medical crisis and you're worried about finances and how your older three children will cope. And then what if you husband has another affair and you have a newborn and you're worried about single parenting four young children and not having health insurance. Do you leave yet? What if your cheating husband then loses his job and the family health insurance? What if you have to sell one of your cars and borrow money from his parents; do you leave him then? When do you jump off of a speeding freight train? The reality of that metaphor only happens in action films like Mission Impossible, and that's what my life began to feel like: an impossible mission.
Then one night in March the earth moved. It shook an island country in the Pacific Ocean and swirling currents of water raked the land of human life. I woke feeling something was wrong. My husband had been working 4-10's out of town and I thought he would come creeping home from his late flight. He wasn't in the bed or in the house. I checked my phone for messages and turned on my laptop. I was astonished to find walls of water billowing and churning as I watched horrifying images being posted across my screen from my bed at 2 o'clock in the morning, my infant son resting peacefully beside me. Japan had experienced a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and was under the threat of multiple tsunamis.
I never went back to sleep that night. I tried calling him, my absent man. We had friends all over Japan; I belonged to a community of people with families in Japan. I watched and waited for news instantly cast out over the internet. I did not hear from my husband the whole night or all the next day. I was conflicted with fear and anger. I had already begun to hate him. Night after night following the affairs, I lay in bed next to him seething with resentment. But I still wanted to hear from him after an event like this to connect, to be reassured. I thought he was coming home.
Later that morning a tsunami warning spread to the US west coast. My husband had been in Seattle. Seattle was on the water. I felt safe inland, Portland was miles from the coast, I didn't worry about a tsunami reaching us here. But then when I still didn't hear from him later that afternoon, the ubiquitous scenarios ran through my tired mind.
I had coordinated a farewell event that night for 17 Japanese interns who worked in my daughter's school. After one year in Portland, it was time for them to return home to a suddenly uncertain Japan. Our community was fraught with anxiety and more than our expected numbers came and rallied together for the evening's presentation in the school's small cafeteria. We all wanted to be together; strength in numbers; support. I spent two hours standing on stage holding my 14-month old baby, always scanning the audience for my husband who surely should have been home before I left the house. He was supposed to watch the children so I could give my attention to my volunteer job. I stood on the stage, presented gifts, expressed thank-yous, introduced faculty, passed out a relief fund jar and the entire night I tried not to think that I had been widowed from the unlikely clash of an angry tide ripping the Seattle sound from it's nook in the Pacific Ocean.
The night progressed and word from friends in Japan trickled in through our community. Everyone I knew was safe in Japan, but I still had not heard back from my missing husband in Seattle. I gathered my errant feral children and ushered them protesting into the car after an expired bedtime. They all immediately fell asleep and I drove home in silence and reflection. I imagined that my husband of 12 years was dead and I began to plan my life without him. I thought of all the financial tallies I would have to tidy, all the ways I would have to streamline my lifestyle as a single parent. And as easy as that, I resigned to a new life raising my four children widowed and alone.
As I pulled in front of my house, the front door opened to reveal my husband. There he was, unapologetic, alive and well. I wasn't happy to see him. I wasn't even relieved. I was angry – all over again. And I was pissed at him for ruining my newly constructed life. I knew it was time to jump off the train.


text:
We recently mentioned J. Scott Campbell's, uh, idiosyncratic comic book remixes of the Disney princesses, which more or less recast the Magic Kingdom's sovereigns as extras in a commercial for fermented hops.
Giving Optimus Prime a Proper Back Story | io9 Interview
io9 commenter Gawd has pointed us to equally über-extreme Disney art by Deviant Artist Atom Basher. Yes, those are characters from Lilo & Stitch and Monsters Inc. looking like they leapt off of a hologram cover. And yes, now you are insane.


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It's time for a shakeup at the Secretary of State's Office.
Pete Peterson, executive director of Pepperdine University's Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Participation, can provide fresh leadership and solid experience in the skills needed to update this pathetically ineffective office. We recommend him.
Few elected officials have promised so much and delivered so little as Secretary of State Debra Bowen, who is termed out.
She won the office as a champion of technology to increase public access to government. Soon after taking office she decertified California's touch screen voting equipment because of legitimate security concerns, and then she — did nothing. Or next to it.
She failed to advance technology in the elections operation. She failed to develop standards for electronic balloting systems and left many county registrars in the lurch with equipment they could not use or update. The office's public database for tracking campaign contributions lags a decade behind today's Internet capabilities, and that's inexcusable.
Meanwhile, voter turnout and registration rates are among the nation's lowest. Those are two of 17 indices that explain why California's election system has sunk to 49th among the 50 states and District of Columbia, according to a Pew Charitable Trusts analysis.
Both Peterson and his opponent, state Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Los Angeles, would be better than Bowen. But Petersen presents an unusual opportunity. He's a breath of fresh air.
While registered Republican, he shows no signs of partisanship in his professional history or his campaign. As a consultant, he helps local officials use technology and the Internet to collaborate with constituents on policy decisions.
This work is devoid of political agenda, and it's exactly the skill set needed at the Secretary of State's Office. We must better engage citizens. Peterson is eloquent about improving access to voting and public information.
Padilla is a respected lawmaker and voices similar goals as Peterson. His legislative experience might be helpful when changes or funding require lawmakers' approval. But that experience comes with liabilities. Bowen stepped from the state Senate to her current post, and it didn't help her succeed.
In addition, Padilla's campaign contributions suggest he's just another legislator who leverages his position financially to move up to the next office. That's particularly inappropriate for the secretary of state, who must rise above partisanship and special interests.
Peterson's lack of elective office experience won't hold him back for long. He's very articulate, and he'll approach the job as a professional, which is what's needed at this critical time. His energy, ideas and keen appreciation of the importance of public participation make him the superior candidate.


text:
he said, the young man at my side
"Now I understand."
Sitting in a mighty Cathedral for the first time,
this beautiful young man just looked;
his eyes followed the marble pillars, the ceilings;
work of incredible beauty and strength.
I kept quiet whilst he drank it in.
After a while, with unshed tears shimmering he said:
"Now I understand"
It is Devotion ".
So simple, so big his words came.
I couldn't believe in any religions, they all fight and kill.
Same with politics, he said. They haven't understood us
at all.
It is Devotion, it is the best word I can think,
said the 16 year old.
He made tears fill my eyes; I love him so.
I took his hand and and said; " I see God in your face"
I also hear him in music you create.
We shared a moment that will forever last.
I look at your face and I see God,
also in music from the heart;
I see him in a great paintings too,
I hear God in the whispering grass.
So don't paint God with long beard
He might be a she – or a storming cloud;
the Sun that warms and give light,
or the smiling moon keeping watch at night.
Create with passion and devotion
in shimmering marble, coloured glass;
in the music you hear in your heart;
We are all part of the Stars.
© miriam ivarson


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Date & Time:Tuesday 04/23/2019
All Day
Organizer:Bureau of Land Management
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
Event Details
What desert is Las Vegas in? What makes it a desert? Does anything live here? What's that pointy plant? Do I have to worry about snakes? All questions will be answered on this easy short walk around the Red Rock Canyon Visitor Center. Program starts at 2PM. All ages. No registration necessary. Meet at the front doors of the Visitor Center.


text:
A videotape (shown below) by Trump supporters has horrified Democrats and Republicans alike in depicting Trump savagely murdering his political opponents like Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden while wiping out media figures. It is a take-off of the church massacre scene from the 2014 film Kingsman: The Secret Service with Trump superimposed for one of the main characters, Colin Firth. The delay in denouncing this film is only fueling the recriminations. I have previously criticized Trump for his reckless attacks on American media as "the enemies of the people." There is no evidence that this video was approved or even known by the Trump campaign. I assume that it would have been taken down immediately if it were known (as it happened when organizers ultimately learned of its screening). However, there is a rising concern that Trump's over-heated rhetoric against the press has fueled the anger of some supporters.
The violent video below shows a happy Trump massacring everyone in a "Church of Fake News." It is a juvenile attempt at humor but, given the anger in this election, it is a disgraceful and dangerous parody. Trump was previously criticized for retweeting violent videos showing him attacking the media.
The video was shown at a three-day conference held by a pro-Trump organization called American Priority at the Trump National Doral Miami last week. It was attended by former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders; the president's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and others.
Given Trump's rapid response to other news, there should already have been a statement denouncing this videotape from the President.


text:
I'm off to the House of Blues tonight—which is neither a house nor is featuring any blues—to see a man known as Jim James, who I have never heard of, the lead singer of a band known as My Morning Jacket, which I have heard of but never heard. I've waffled back and forth on whether I should brush up on the Oeuvre or just fly blind, ultimately landing I think on flying blind, because it might be more exciting. Ironically this show would have been about 30 fucktillion times easier to attend a few months ago, back when I was living over on that part of town and could have easily just walked or called a Lyft or something, cause now I gotta deal with stinky parking. But it's cool, my buddy snagged the tickets and I get to sit up on the balcony like a legitimate old person, which I am rapidly becoming.
For instance, last weekend the highlight of my life was finally installing some track-based sliding curtain panels in the bedroom, a mammoth victory in this new house with its camping chairs and bar stools being used as honest to goodness living and dining room furniture. I was so happy with the curtains that even today I stood there in front of them admiring them, wondering if there was anything else I could do to make this house more like a home aside from any one of the numerous pie in the sky projects that pretty much all start with "rip up the."
It is a brave new world for me, such as it is, adapting to a new commute, handling some increased pressure at work, experiencing for the first time the joys and peculiarities of home ownership, and trying to continue to support my lady on her quest to become a badass principal. But we are in better places than we were three years ago today, when she was getting ragged on by her administration and I was just finishing up a gig temping at a greeting card company as the days ticked by from "still have a job" to "too late for anyone to order any Christmas cards now, see ya." Compared to those days, four months back in the United States, buried in insurmountable daily debt, wondering if anyone would ever deem me fit to perform even a cursory task in exchange for money, things are practically taking place in an alternate galaxy. Now, with Home, we are merely buried in inconceivable debt, easing right into our new lives as Americans.
– We started watching a television show called Westworld, which is to say Jessy managed to pull herself away from her lesson planning for long enough to enjoy a single hour of recreation
– I cannot decide whether Mint Oreos or Mint Oreo Thins are better, you get less Thins in a package, but they are so crispy, and the Stuf is portioned out just a little more conservatively which I appreciate, but that classic Oreo cookie is hard to beat
– These are the only two happenings of note that immediately came to my mind
We're probably off to Pennsylvania for the holidays, which poses a variety of new and interesting travel quandaries, like what to do with this gosh darn cat, who against(?) his wishes was lugged as part of my gage all the way from Kobe to here. I don't mind leaving him, but a week or so is kind of a long time. Whatever we decide to do with him, I expect the trip will be like olden days, me and Jessy kickin' up dust as we roll across this great nation, bleary-eyed and convenience store fueled, rest stop aficionados.


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Johnny Football joins Browns
BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Johnny Football's long wait is over.
The Cleveland Browns selected Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel with the 22nd overall pick of the NFL draft on Thursday night, moving up to nab college football's most exciting player who waited most of the first round to be selected.
The Browns made two earlier trades and passed on Manziel. With a chance to land him again, the Browns traded with Philadelphia and jumped from No. 26 to No. 22 to nab Johnny Football, who walked on Radio Music City Hall's stage doing his signature "money" gesture.
Manziel will certainly sell tickets in Cleveland, but the Browns need him to win and there are questions about the 5-foot-11 QB's durability.
Manziel is expected to compete with Brian Hoyer, who is coming off knee surgery.


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The NBA season is over. But that doesn't mean that the NBA is completely done for the season. Officials with ESPN have announced that the Worldwide Leader in Sports will have exclusive coverage of the league's annual draft this year.
The 2014 NBA Draft presented by State Farm will be broadcast live this Thursday, June 26th on ESPN. It marks the twelfth consecutive year that ESPN has broadcasted the annual draft event. It also marks the second consecutive year that the draft has come live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Rece Davis will anchor the broadcast from ESPN's main set. Davis will be joined by ESPN college basketball inside Jay Bilas and ESPN NBA analysts Jalen Rose and Bill Simmons.
Thursday's live broadcast from the Barclays center will be preceded by ESPN's NBA Draft Preview Show Wednesday, June 25th at 7pm on ESPN2. ESPNU will also broadcast the ESPNU Draft Special each day this week from 4 – 5 and the ESPNU Draft Recap at midnight Thursday after the draft.
Throughout Thursday's broadcast of the 2014 NBA Draft presented by State Farm, audiences will get extra in-depth analysis from ESPN basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla and ESPN NBA analyst Tom Penn. Fran Fraschilla will offer insights on international prospects. Jeff Goodman, Heather Cox, Chris Broussard, Andy Katz and Jay Williams will each have reports and interviews. Marc Kestecher will anchor ESPN Radio's simulcast of the 2014 NBA Draft presented by State Farm. Analysts P.J. Carlesimo and Ryen Rusillo will offer extra commentary for the broadcast.
More information on Thursday's coverage of the 2014 NBA Draft presented by State Farm is available online at http://espn.go.com/nba and http://www.facebook.com/NBAonESPN. To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and "Like" it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil's Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.


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Quick fact about me- I have two bachelor degrees, Art History and Studio. Art has always been a constant thru my life, since I was bored at the dinner tables as a young girl asking what I should draw with the free box of crayons, to the present day sitting in the chef meetings "taking notes". When asked though by people how I ended up in the culinary profession, it takes some people a few minutes to connect how being a chef and art degrees correspond. Yes,food is tasty, but it should also draw out emotion or memories, in other words- is art.
I have made gnocchi fresh a bunch of times and have found it really simple, you just have to be careful of over mixing the when you add the flour, like all dough's. I started off using this recipe from Michael Chiarello and now I am able to eyeball it. Anytime I have the chance to make dough I am excited, it must be the get your hands dirty method involved!
You know those look fun make!
Gnocchi Recipe
- Kosher salt
- 1 pound russet potatoes
- 3 to 4 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon gray salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting board and dough
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Spread a layer of kosher salt on a baking sheet and arrange the potatoes on top (see Cook's Note). Bake until a bit overcooked, about 45 minutes. Let sit until cool enough to handle, cut in half, and scoop out the flesh. Reserve the potato skins, if desired, for another use and vacuum seal them, they stay 3-5 times longer fresh than without sealing them, I learned about vacuum sealers from Vacuumsealerre twitter page, everyone check it out. It will improve your food experience.
Pass the potatoes through a potato ricer or grate them on the large holes of a box grater. You should have about 2 cups. Make a mound of potatoes on the counter with a well in the middle, add 3 of the egg yolks, the cheese, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Mix in the potatoes and mix well with hands. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the flour over the potatoes and, using your knuckles, press it into the potatoes. Fold the mass over on itself and press down again. Sprinkle on more flour, little by little, folding and pressing the dough until it just holds together, (try not to knead it.) Work any dough clinging to your fingers back into the dough. If the mixture is too dry, add another egg yolk or a little water. The dough should give under slight pressure. It will feel firm but yielding. To test if the dough is the correct consistency, take a piece and roll it with your hands on a well-floured board into a rope 1/2-inch in diameter. If the dough holds together, it is ready. If not, add more flour, fold and press the dough several more times, and test again.
Keeping your work surface and the dough lightly floured, cut the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 1/2-inch in diameter. Cut into 1/2-inch-long pieces. Lightly flour the gnocchi as you cut them. You can cook these as is or form them into the classic gnocchi shape with a gnocchi board, ridged butter paddle, or the tines of a large fork turned upside down. Rest the bottom edge of the gnocchi board on the work surface, then tilt it at about a 45 degree angle. Take each piece and squish it lightly with your thumb against the board while simultaneously pushing it away from you. It will roll away and around your thumb, taking on a cupped shape — with ridges on the outer curve from the board and a smooth surface on the inner curve where your thumb was. (Shaping them takes some time and dexterity. You might make a batch just for practice.) The indentation holds the sauce and helps gnocchi cook faster.
As you shape the gnocchi, dust them lightly with flour and scatter them on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or waxed paper. Set gnocchi filled cookie sheet in front of a fan on low for 1/2 hour (turning gnocchi after 15 minutes). If you will not cook the gnocchi until the next day or later, freeze them. Alternatively, you can poach them now, drain and toss with a little olive oil, let cool, then refrigerate several hours or overnight. To reheat, dip in hot water for 10 to 15 seconds, then toss with browned butter until hot.
When ready to cook, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Drop in the gnocchi and cook for about 90 seconds from the time they rise to the surface. Remove the cooked gnocchi with a skimmer, shake off the excess water, and serve as desired.
Cook's Note: Baking potatoes on a layer of salt allows heat to circulate 360 degrees. Scrape the salt into a jar and reuse it again and again. If you do not have time to shape the gnocchi, you can freeze the dough, defrost it in the refrigerator, and then shape it. To freeze shaped gnocchi, line baking sheets with waxed paper and dust with flour. Spread the gnocchi on the prepared sheets and freeze until hard. Remove to individual-portion-size freezer bags. Store in the freezer for up to 1 month. To cook, drop the frozen gnocchi into boiling salted water. Cook for about 2 minutes after they rise to the surface.
To finish the meal off I looked in the fridge to see what I had to make a sauce- a half a can of pumpkin, some chicken sausage and a green pepper; perfect for a Pumpkin Sage and Chicken Sausage Gnocchi Dish.
Pumpkin Sage Sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon diced yellow onion
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 3/4 teaspoon ground sage
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
To make the quick sauce:
In a heavy bottom medium saucepan, add the olive oil and allow to heat. Add in the onions, followed a minute later by the garlic and sauté until fragrant and transparent. Pour in the white wine and stir to deglaze the pan. Allow the wine to come to a simmer and cook for a minute. Stir in the heavy cream and the pumpkin and mix well. Spinkle in the sage, black pepper, sea salt and nutmeg. Allow the sauce to come to a slow simmer and reduce naturally. You can always add a roux or cornstarch slurry if you prefer.
To bring it all together:
- 12 ounces chicken sausage, sliced on bias
- 1 medium green bell pepper, large diced
- 3 tablespoon sliced green onions
- Gnocchi
- Pumpkin Sage Sauce
Heat a large nonstick sauté pan over medium high heat.* Add in the chicken sausage and sauté. Follow with the diced peppers and boiled gnocchi, if needed add a splash of olive oil, depending on the fat content of the sausage. When the sausage is cooked and nice color on the gnocchi is achieved ladle in the pumpkin sauce and give a quick stir. Serve in pasta bowls and garnish with green onions.
*You may need to work in batches if your sauté pan is not large enough.
Serves 4-6 guests
Gnocchi is a great way to show your kids how fun cooking can be, and also how rewarding making food from scratch can be. I think any chance to get the kiddos into the kitchen do something more than lick the spoon is important. More importantly it will give them a memory of a moment when they created something wonderful.
Go ahead- get your hands dirty!!!


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Bags packed, ticket confirmed, heading south-west to Austin, Texas, for a short but much anticipated family celebration. Time to break away from all life's constraints and just float on all the love flowing with that warm breeze and big sky.
Although I'll have little more than "36 Hours in Austin" I do hope to have plenty to report on the other side. In the meantime my dear ones, I suggest you take a walk in the outdoors or do some yoga, but either way certainly dance a bit.
The news is fearful, the politics offensive and the Spring tardy, so just keep the TV off, the radio on anything that makes you move and smile simultaneously, and try to remember we are powerfully loving beings on this tiny planet. Doctor's orders! xxoo


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An 'In Memoriam' advertisement appearing in New Delhi newspapers on September 30, for Soumya Viswanathan, the Headlines Today journalist, who was found murdered in Delhi in 2008, shortly after leaving work for home.
In 2009, United News of India (UNI) reported that Soumya's employers, TV Today Network, were fined Rs 250 for violating the capital's working hours. The 26-year-old journalist had left her place of work at 03:02 am, say police, who got word of the incident at 3.41 am.
Also read: What we can learn from The Daily Telegraph
S.D. Rohmetra: founder-editor of Daily Excelsior
Charudatta Deshpande: journalist turned corp comm manager
Sivanthi Adityan: editor of Tamil daily, Dina Thanthi
Alfred D' Cruz: TOI's first Indian sub-editor
Tarun Sehrwat, 22 and killed in the line of duty
Chari, a lens legend at The Hindu
Harishchandra Lachke: A pioneering cartoonist
T.N. Shanbag: Man who educated Bombay journos
Rajan Bala: cricket writer of cricket writers
Jyoti Sanyal: The language terrorist and teacher
Russy Karanjia: The bulldog of an editor
Sabina Sehgal Saikia: The resident food writer
M.G. Moinuddin: The self-taught newspaper designer
Naresh Chandra Rajkhowa: Journo who broke Dalai Lama story
J. Dey: When eagles are silent, parrots jabber
E. Raghavan: Ex-ET, TOI, Vijaya Karnataka editor
Prakash Kardaley: When god cries when the best arrive
Pratima Puri: India's first TV news reader passes away
Tejeshwar Singh: A baritone falls silent watching the cacophony
N.S. Jagannathan: Ex-editor of Indian Express
K.M. Mathew: chief of editor of Malayala Manorama
Amita Malik: the 'first lady of Indian media'
K.R. Prahlad: In the end, death becomes a one-liner
M.R. Shivanna: A 24×7 journalist is no more


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Sergio Aguero insists his hunger for goals comes second to his desire to win trophies.
Manchester City's irrepressible record goalscorer was close to his blistering best on Sunday as he bagged a hat-trick in the champions' scintillating 6-0 thrashing of Chelsea.
The treble was his 11th in the Premier League, equalling the record of Alan Shearer, his second in three games and his 15th in City colours.
It also saw him become City's leading scorer in league football with 160 goals, extending his overall tally for the club to 222 in the process.
Despite all the accolades, the Argentinian claims all that really matters is winning trophies and this emphatic victory took quadruple-chasing City back to the top of the Premier League.
Aguero said: "I am happy for the hat-trick and to break records in the Premier League and for the club.
"I try to keep those good memories, and special thanks to my team-mates for helping me, but what matters most is winning.
"I always try to play my game and help the team as best I can. My mentality is always to try to focus on my work and if it is with goals all the better.
"What matters to me is finishing the season in the best way and winning trophies."
City brushed aside a surprisingly poor Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium, doing most of the damage in a whirlwind opening 25 minutes that yielded four goals.
Raheem Sterling opened the scoring after four minutes, Aguero added a quickfire double and Ilkay Gundogan also got on the scoresheet. Aguero completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot after the break and Sterling finished the rout late on.
Aguero's afternoon could have been even more profitable as he missed a sitter in the early stages and later headed against the bar.
City now switch their attention to knockout football with games against Newport in the FA Cup, Schalke in the Champions League and Chelsea again in the Carabao Cup final before they are next in league action.
They do so having regained first place from Liverpool on goal difference. Their lead is a slender one, and they have played a game more, but the manner of their latest victory, which improved their goal difference advantage over the Reds to 10, was a powerful message.
Aguero said: "We had a good game. I think it might be one of the best performances of this team.
"We had great games against United, Liverpool and Arsenal but I believe it was a very nice game and an even more important result."
Reflecting on his remarkable miss in front of an open goal from two yards, which occurred when the score was 1-0, Aguero said: "Sometimes those things happen but the annoyment lasted for five seconds.
"Then I need to carry on, think about the team and try to score goals. Luckily in the next play I managed to do that."


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Ukraine accuses Russia of sending in tanks, armor
NOVOAZOVSK, Ukraine - Ukraine accused Russia on Thursday of entering its territory with tanks, artillery and troops, and Western powers said Moscow had "outright lied" about its role and dangerously escalated the conflict.
Russia dismissed the allegations, describing the fighters there as "Russian volunteers." The Kremlin has repeatedly denied arming and supporting the separatists who have been fighting Ukrainian troops for four months in the gravest crisis between Russia and the West since the end of the Cold War.
NATO said at least 1,000 Russian troops are in Ukraine and later released what it said were satellite photos of Russian self-propelled artillery units moving last week.
Two columns of tanks and other equipment entered southeastern Ukraine at midday, following heavy shelling of the area from Russia that forced overmatched Ukrainian border guards to flee, said Col. Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for Ukraine's national security council.
"Russian forces have entered Ukraine," President Petro Poroshenko said in Kiev, canceling a foreign trip and calling an emergency meeting of his security council.
He urged Ukrainians to remain calm.
"Destabilization of the situation and panic, this is as much of a weapon of the enemy as tanks," Poroshenko told the council.
U.S. President Barack Obama spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and both leaders agreed Russia must face consequences for its actions.
"We agree - if there was ever any doubt - that Russia is responsible for the violence in eastern Ukraine," Obama said. "The violence is encouraged by Russia. The separatists are trained by Russia, they are armed by Russia, they are funded by Russia."
He added that Russia "has deliberately and repeatedly violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and the new images of Russian forces inside Ukraine make that plain for the world to see."
But Obama ruled out a military confrontation between the U.S. and Russia. He said Russia's activity in Ukraine would incur "more costs and consequences," though these seemed to be limited to economic pressure that will be discussed when Obama meets with European leaders at a NATO summit in Wales next week.
At an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council, Western representatives expressed outrage.
"Now we see irrefutable evidence of regular Russian forces operating inside Ukraine," said British Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant.
U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power said Russia "has manipulated. It has obfuscated. It has outright lied."
Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin offered a spirited defense, saying Kiev "is waging war against its own people."
He did deny not the Russian presence, saying "there are Russian volunteers in eastern parts of Ukraine. No one is hiding that."
But Power countered: "A Russian soldier who chooses to fight in Ukraine on summer break is still a Russian soldier."
Churkin questioned the presence of Western advisers and asked where Ukrainian troops were getting weapons. He said he wanted to "send a message to Washington: Stop interfering in the internal affairs of sovereign states."
Russian stock markets fell as Switzerland joined the European Union in imposing restrictions on Russian state banks and fears grew that the U.S. and EU could impose more sanctions on Russian businesses and individuals in response to the military escalation. Russia's MICEX index dropped nearly 2 percent on Thursday, and major Russian state banks VTB and Sberbank dropped more than 4 percent.
The strategic southeastern town of Novoazovsk, which has come under shelling for three days, appeared to be in the control of separatists, creating a new, third front in the war. That raised fears they want to create a land link between Russia and the Crimea Peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in March. The town lies along a road connecting the peninsula to Russia.
Lysenko said the missiles from Russia were fired at Ukrainian positions about 11 a.m. About 90 minutes later, two columns, including tanks and other fighting vehicles, began an attack, entering Ukraine from Veselo-Voznesenka and Maximovo in the Rostov region of Russia, he said.
A senior NATO official said the estimate of 1,000 Russian troops in Ukraine was a conservative one, adding that another 20,000 Russian troops were right over the border. The troops who entered Ukraine had sophisticated equipment, he said.
"The hand from behind is becoming more and more overt now," Brig. Gen. Nico Tak said at NATO's military headquarters.
Russia's ultimate aim was to stave off defeat for the separatists and turn eastern Ukraine into a "frozen conflict" that would destabilize the country indefinitely, he said.
Russia's ambassador to the European Union, Vladimir Chizhov, told the BBC that "NATO has never produced a single piece of evidence" of Russian troops operating in Ukraine. He said the only active duty Russian soldiers in Ukraine were the 10 captured this week, who Moscow insists had mistakenly wandered across the border.
Speaking in Casteau, Belgium, Tak said that in the past two weeks, "we have noted a significant escalation in both the level and sophistication of Russia's military interference in Ukraine."
"Russia is reinforcing and resupplying separatist forces in a blatant attempt to change the momentum of the fighting, which is currently favoring the Ukrainian military," he added.
NATO also produced satellite images to provide what it called additional evidence that Russian combat soldiers, equipped with sophisticated heavy weaponry, are operating inside Ukraine's sovereign territory. The grainy images of the terrain near Krasnodon, Ukraine, showed what appeared to be a convoy of military units with artillery, and NATO said it had "confidence the equipment is Russian."
"This is highly sophisticated weaponry that requires well-trained crews, well-trained command and control elements, and it is extremely unlikely that this sort of equipment is used by volunteers," Tak said.
He said the satellite images were only "the tip of the iceberg" in terms of the overall scope of Russian troop and weapons movements.
Southeastern Ukraine had previously escaped the fighting that has engulfed areas to the north, and the only way rebels could have reached the southeast was by coming through Russia.
If the separatists create a land corridor from Russia to Crimea, it could give them or Russia control over the entire Sea of Azov and the gas and mineral riches that energy experts believe it contains. Ukraine already lost roughly half its coastline, several major ports and significant Black Sea mineral rights in Russia's annexation of Crimea.
In Mariupol, a city of 450,000 people about 30 kilometers (20 miles) to the west of Novoazovsk, a brigade of Ukrainian forces arrived at the airport Wednesday, while deep trenches were dug a day earlier on the city's edge.
National Guard spokesman Ruslan Muzychuk told Associated Press reporters in the city that the government has evidence that large amounts of weapons have been brought into Novoazovsk from across the Russian border.
He added that National Guard reinforcements were taking up positions in Mariupol.
"The positions are being strengthened," the spokesman said. "The road from Novoazovsk to Mariupol is under the control of Ukrainian troops."
AP journalists on the border have seen the rebels with a wide range of unmarked military equipment - including tanks, Buk missile launchers and armored personnel carriers - and have encountered many Russians among the rebel fighters.
In Donetsk, the largest rebel-held city, 11 people were killed by shelling overnight, city officials said.
The leader of the insurgency, Alexander Zakharchenko, said in an interview on Russian state TV that up to 4,000 Russians have fought on the separatist side since the armed conflict began in April.
Heintz reported from Kiev, Ukraine, and Casert reported from Casteau, Belgium. Also contributing were Peter Leonard in Mariupol, Ukraine; Laura Mills and Lynn Berry in Moscow, and Cara Anna and Trenton Daniel at the United Nations.


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The Veterans Affairs Department in Culpeper County, Virginia is a federal agency that provides services to veterans, including veterans of the Armed Forces and the Reserves. The Culpeper County VA offers a range of benefits, such as housing assistance, medical benefits, and disability compensation. Veterans may also qualify for education and vocational benefits, such as the G.I. Bill, pension services, and benefits for the spouses and family members of veterans. The Veterans Affairs Department medical benefits include VA-run medical centers, outpatient clinics, and nursing home care. Local Vet Centers provide veterans benefits such as employment assistance, counseling services, and assistance applying for other Culpeper County VA benefits. The Culpeper County VA also offers assistance with qualifying for benefits and receiving VA benefits. The Veterans Affairs Department provides additional information about VA benefits and Vet Centers on its website.
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2524 Culpeper VA 1375 Sperryville Pike 22701 540-825-1910
Vietnam Veterans Of America Culpeper VA 14050 Ridgelea Avenue 22701 540-825-5672
A Social Security Office in Culpeper County, Virginia acts as a local branch of the federal Social Security Administration, which provides retirement benefits and disability benefits for qualifying people. Social Security also offers veterans work credits for qualifying military service, which can raise monthly retirement benefits. In addition to Culpeper County VA disability benefits, veterans can also receive Social Security benefits. Social Security Offices process applications for Culpeper County disability benefits for veterans wounded while on active military service, including expedited processing of disability benefits applications for veterans with a VA compensation rating of 100% permanent and total. A Culpeper County Social Security Office can help veterans determine if they qualify for benefits, process applications for Social Security disability benefits or retirement benefits, and assist with receiving benefits. Social Security Offices provide additional information and resources about veteran benefits on their website.
Culpeper Social Security Office Culpeper VA 1014 South Main Street 22701 877-531-4694


text: > >> (or maybe his student Justing Moore who frequents this list) > > > > Jousting Justin? Justice? > > Yeah, that's him, Jousting Moore. You know him, I think...:-p Greg was just referring to my tendency to walk around the office in full armor while holding a lance. It's the safest way to collaborate with Greg, especially when something goes wrong. :) -jdm P.S. We now continue with our regular Beowulf programming. -- Department of Computer Science, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0129 Email: justin at cs.duke.edu Web: http://www.cs.duke.edu/~justin/