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United Nations Committee Against Torture - Concluding Observations
and Other Cruel, Inhuman
or Degrading Treatment
or Punishment
19 February 2008
Original: ENGLISH
Thirty-ninth session
Geneva, 5-23 November 2007
1. The Committee considered the second periodic report of Latvia (CAT/C/38/Add.4) at its 788th and 790th meetings (CAT/C/SR.788 and 790), held on 8 and 9 November 2007, and adopted, at its 805th and 806th meetings (CAT/C/SR.805 and 806), the following conclusions and recommendations.
2. The Committee welcomes the submission of the second periodic report of Latvia and the information presented therein, and expresses its appreciation for the replies by the State party to the follow-up procedure of the Committee. The Committee also expresses its appreciation for the State party's thorough written responses to the list of issues (CAT/C/LVA/Q/2/Add.1), which provided additional information on the legislative, administrative, judicial and other measures taken by the State party in order to prevent acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Furthermore, the Committee notes with satisfaction the constructive efforts made by the multi-sectoral State party delegation to provide additional information and explanation during the dialogue.
B. Positive aspects
3. The Committee notes with appreciation that in the period since the consideration of the last periodic report, the State party has acceded to or ratified a number of international instruments, including:
a) The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, on 22 February 2006;
b) The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, on 19 December 2005;
c) The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, on 6 June 2005; and
d) The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, on 25 May 2004.
4. The Committee notes with satisfaction the ongoing efforts at the State level to reform its legislation, policies and procedures in order to ensure better protection of human rights, including the right not to be subjected to torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, in particular:
a) The Criminal Procedure Law which entered into force on 1 October 2005;
b) The Law on the Procedure for Holding Apprehended Persons which entered into force on 21 October 2005;
c) The Law on Procedure of Detention on Remand which entered into force on 18 July 2006;
d) The amendments to the Medical Treatment Law which entered into force on 29 March 2007, introducing a procedure of judicial review of compulsory voluntary placement of patients in the psychiatric hospitals and their subsequent treatment;
e) The establishment of the new Ombudsman institution on 1 January 2007, replacing the Latvian National Human Rights Office;
f) The establishment of the State Legal Aid Administration in 2006 and the enactment on 17 March 2005 of the Law On State-Guaranteed Free Legal Aid;
g) The Concept on the Development of Penitentiaries which was adopted by Cabinet Decision No. 280 of 2 May 2005 to provide all inmates with treatment that would comply with the necessary standards;
h) The adoption in 2004 of the State Programme on the Prevention of Trafficking in Human Beings (2004-2008); and
i) The adoption on 5 December 2003 of the Professional Ethics and Conduct Code of the State Police Personnel.
5. Notwithstanding the State party's assertion that under the Latvian Criminal Code all acts that may be described as "torture" within the meaning of article 1 of the Convention are punishable, the Committee is concerned that the State party has not incorporated into domestic law the crime of torture as defined in article 1 of the Convention (arts. 1 and 4).
The State party should incorporate into domestic law the crime of torture and adopt a definition of torture that covers all the elements contained in article 1 of the Convention. By naming and defining the offence of torture in accordance with the Convention and distinct from other crimes, the Committee considers that States parties will directly advance the Convention's overarching aim of preventing torture, inter alia, by alerting everyone, including perpetrators, victims, and the public, to the special gravity of the crime of torture and by improving the deterrent effect of the prohibition itself.
Ombudsman institution
6. The Committee notes the establishment on 1 January 2007 of the new Ombudsman institution, replacing the former Latvian National Human Rights Office. While noting the broad mandate attributed to the Ombudsman institution and the increase in its financial and human resources in 2007, the Committee is concerned that these remain insufficient to respond to the institution's expanded mandate and increasing workload (art. 2).
The State party should take appropriate measures to ensure the effective functioning of the Ombudsman institution, including the requisite human and financial resources. Furthermore, the State party is encouraged to seek accreditation with the International Coordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions to ensure that it complies with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (the Paris Principles), annexed to General Assembly resolution 48/134, including with regard to its independence.
Fundamental safeguards
7. The Committee notes that the new Criminal Procedure Law includes a specific reference to fundamental legal safeguards for detainees, such as access to a defence counsel, but it regrets the lack of a specific reference to the right of access to a doctor. Furthermore, the Committee expresses its concern at reports that the right of effective access to a lawyer is not always realized in practice. In this respect, the Committee is concerned at reports of a shortage of State-funded defence lawyers in several districts, especially rural areas, and that the working conditions provided for lawyers in detention and remand centres are not always satisfactory (arts. 2, 13 and 16).
The State party should take effective measures to ensure that all detainees are afforded fundamental legal safeguards in practice, including the right to have access to a lawyer and a doctor. The Committee emphasizes that persons in custody should benefit from an effective right of access to a lawyer, as from the very outset of their deprivation of liberty and throughout the investigation phase, the whole of the trial and during appeals. Furthermore, the State party should ensure that the lawyers are provided with proper working conditions in the detention and remand centres equivalent to the facilities available in prisons and finance the newly established Legal Assistance Agency.
8. While noting the amendment of the Asylum Law on 20 January 2005 with the deletion of the provision requiring the asylum application to be submitted in writing, the Committee regrets the lack of clarity on the total number of persons seeking asylum in the State party as well as the low asylum recognition rate. The Committee is also concerned at the detention policy applied to asylum-seekers and at the short time limits, in particular for the submission of an appeal under the accelerated asylum procedure. Furthermore, the Committee notes that detained foreigners, including asylum-seekers, have the right to contact the consular services of their respective country and are entitled to receive legal aid but is concerned at information provided by the State party delegation that no asylum-seekers have requested such legal aid (arts. 2, 3, 11 and 16).
The Committee recommends that the State party:
a) Take measures to ensure that detention of asylum-seekers is used only in exceptional circumstances or as a last resort, and then only for the shortest possible time;
b) Ensure that anyone detained under immigration law has effective legal means of challenging the legality of administrative decisions to detain, deport or return (refouler) him/her and extend, in practice, the right to be assisted by assigned counsel to foreigners being detained with a view to their deportation or return (refoulement);
c) Extend the time limits established under the accelerated asylum procedure, in particular in order to guarantee that persons whose applications for asylum have been rejected can lodge an effective appeal; and
d) Provide, in the next periodic report, detailed and disaggregated statistics on the number of persons seeking asylum in the State party and the number of such persons in detention.
Furthermore, the State party is encouraged to promptly adopt the draft law on asylum in the Republic of Latvia which was formally approved during the session of the Committee of the Cabinet of Ministers on 26 March 2007 and is currently being examined in Parliament.
9. The Committee notes with appreciation the detailed information provided by the
State party on training for judges, including investigative and criminal judges, court staff, the personnel of the Imprisonment Facility Management Board (including medical personnel), employees of the Ministry of Health (including personnel of psychiatric hospitals), public prosecutors, employees of the Ministry of Interior and its subordinate structures (including the State Police and the State Border Guard). However, the Committee regrets the limited information on monitoring and evaluation of these training programmes and the lack of available information on the impact of the training conducted for law enforcement officials, prison staff and border guards, and how effective the training programmes have been in reducing incidents of torture and ill-treatment (art. 10).
The State party should further develop educational programmes to ensure that all law enforcement officials, prison staff and border guards are fully aware of the provisions of the Convention, that breaches will not be tolerated and will be investigated, and that offenders will be prosecuted. All personnel should receive specific training on how to identify signs of torture and ill-treatment. The Committee recommends that the Istanbul Protocol (Manual on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment) become an integral part of the training provided to physicians and that the Manual is translated into Latvian. Furthermore, the State party should develop and implement a methodology to assess the effectiveness and impact of such training/educational programmes on the reduction of cases of torture, violence and ill-treatment.
Detention on remand, including pre-trial detention
10. While noting the new Criminal Procedure Law, which reduces the apprehension phase from 72 to 48 hours and introduces the system of an investigative judge who shall decide on the application of detention on remand, as well as reports that the duration of detention on remand has been reduced, the Committee remains concerned at reports of prolonged periods of detention on remand, including pre-trial detention, and the high risk of ill-treatment which it entails and regrets the lack of use of alternatives to imprisonment. While noting that the Law on the Procedure of Holding Detainees requires the procedure of holding criminal suspects in police short-term detention cells and sets standards for conditions of detention in these cells, the Committee is concerned at information that this does not apply to cells in small police stations where detainees can be held up to 12 hours (arts. 2, 11 and 16).
The State party should take appropriate measures to further reduce the duration of detention in custody and detention before charges are brought, and develop and implement alternatives to deprivation of liberty, including probation, mediation, community service or suspended sentences.
11. The Committee notes a number of initiatives taken by the State party to improve the conditions of detention for persons under the age of 18 including in juvenile correctional facilities, such as the establishment of the Ministry of Children and Family Affairs and the State Children Rights Protection Inspectorate under its auspices to monitor the regime and conditions of juvenile detention, and the adoption of the Basic Policy Guidelines for the Enforcement of Prisons Sentences and Detention of Juveniles for 2007-2013. However, the Committee expresses its concern at reports that juveniles are often held in pre-trial detention for prolonged periods and at the high percentage of juveniles remanded in custody (arts. 2, 11 and 16).
The State party should increase its efforts to bring its legislation and practice as regards the arrest and detention of juvenile offenders fully in line with internationally adopted principles, including by:
a) Ensuring that deprivation of liberty, including pre-trial detention, should be the exception, to be used only as a last resort and for the shortest time possible;
b) Developing and implementing alternatives to deprivation of liberty, including probation, mediation, community service or suspended sentences;
c) Adopting an action plan based on the Basic Policy Guidelines for the Enforcement of Prisons Sentences and Detention of Juveniles for 2007-2013 and ensuring the necessary resources for its effective implementation and follow-up; and
d) Taking further measures to improve the living conditions in detention facilities, elaborating more contemporary and modern programmes aimed at resocialization, and ensuring training of prison personnel to raise their professional qualification in light of their work with juveniles.
Conditions of detention
12. The Committee is concerned that notwithstanding the measures taken by the State party to improve conditions of detention, including the adoption of the 2005 Concept on the Development of Penitentiaries and the establishment of the new Olaine Prison Hospital on 1 August 2007, there is continuing overcrowding in prisons. The Committee takes note of information provided on the improvement of conditions in some detention facilities and prisons but is concerned at the overall conditions in other prisons, remand centres and police short-term detention cells, including unsuitable infrastructures and unhygienic living conditions. The significant increase in the number of applications lodged with the Latvian National Human Rights Office (now the Ombudsman institution), including alleged violations of the right to human treatment and respect for human dignity (alternatively treatment in places of deprivation of liberty) in different kind of institutions, including closed institutions, is also a matter of concern. Additionally, the Committee is concerned at the occurrence of inter-prisoner violence and lack of statistical data that may provide breakdown by relevant indicators to facilitate determination of root causes and design of strategies to prevent and reduce such occurrences (arts. 11 and 16).
The Committee recommends that the State party should:
a) Continue its efforts to alleviate the overcrowding of penitentiary institutions, including through the application of alternative measures to imprisonment and the increase of budgetary allocations to develop and renovate the infrastructure of prisons and other detention facilities in the context of the Concept on the Development of Penitentiaries;
b) Take effective measures to further improve living conditions in the detention facilities, including prisons and police short-term detention cells; and
c) Monitor and document incidents of inter-prisoner violence with a view to revealing root causes and designing appropriate prevention strategies and provide the Committee with such data, disaggregated by relevant indicators, in the next periodic report.
Furthermore, the Committee encourages the Ministry of Justice to proceed with the drafting of the standards of the places of deprivation of liberty.
13. While noting the elaboration and implementation of the 2005 guidelines for prison personnel providing instructions for the treatment of persons at risk of committing suicide, the Committee is concerned at the high number of suicides and other sudden deaths in detention facilities (arts. 11 and 16).
The State party should strengthen its efforts to prevent suicide and self-harm risks in custody. The State party is encouraged to adopt a suicide prevention policy for prisons, including screening, reporting, data collection, training and education and establish social rehabilitation units for prisoners as indicated in the training seminar on "Suicide Prevention in Prisons" on 18 May 2005. The State party should also ensure that all incidents of suicide and other sudden death are promptly and effectively investigated.
Independent monitoring
14. The Committee notes information provided on State-guaranteed and NGO-based monitoring of places where personal liberty is being limited and that article 13, paragraph 3, of the Ombudsman Law provides the right "at any time and without a special permit to visit closed-type institutions, to move freely within the territory of the institutions, to visit all premises and to meet in private the persons held in closed-type institutions". However, the Committee is concerned at the lack of systematic and effective monitoring of all places of detention and reiterates its concern noted in paragraph 6 above on the insufficient resources allocated to the Ombudsman institution. The Committee is also concerned at the lack of a comprehensive listing of all places of detention, including those of aliens (arts. 2, 11 and 16).
The State party should take the necessary measures to effectively and systematically monitor all places of detention. The Committee recommends that the State party develop a comprehensive listing of all places of detention, including places of detention of aliens, and establish a central register of inmates or, alternatively, finalize the development of a common database to be used by the Imprisonment Facility Management Board and the State Probation Service which will allow tracking down every detainee and/or convicted prisoner within the penitentiary system, as well as within the probation system.
Conditions in psychiatric institutions and hospitals
15. The Committee notes the recent amendments to the Medical Treatment Law, introducing the procedure of judicial review of compulsory involuntary placement of patients in the psychiatric hospitals and their subsequent treatment, and the establishment of a new modern ambulatory mental assistance centre in Riga. However, the Committee remains concerned at conditions in psychiatric institutions and hospitals, including the use of physical restraints and isolation (arts. 11 and 16).
The State party should review the use of physical restraints, consider establishing guidelines on the use of such restraints and limit the use of solitary confinement as a measure of last resort, for as short a time as possible under strict supervision and with a possibility of judicial review. The State party is encouraged to promptly adopt the draft programme on improvement of the mental health of the population for 2008-2013.
Use of force and ill-treatment
16. The Committee expresses its concern at the high number of allegations of use of force and ill-treatment by law enforcement officials, especially in the course of or in relation to apprehension, and the low number of convictions in such cases. The Committee is also concerned that officials accused of torture and ill-treatment seem to be given disciplinary sanctions or warnings and it regrets the lack of a separate account of such disciplinary sanctions (arts. 12 and 16).
The State party should take effective measures to send a clear and unambiguous message to all levels of the police force hierarchy that torture, use of force and ill-treatment are unacceptable, including through the enforcement of the 2003 Professional Ethics and Conduct Code of the State Police Personnel, and ensure that law enforcement officials only use force when strictly necessary and to the extent required for the performance of their duty. Referring to article 4, paragraph 2, of the Convention, the Committee underlines that the State party should apply sanctions that are proportional with the offences, and the State party is encouraged to initiate the collection of statistics on disciplinary penalties imposed.
Prompt and impartial investigations
17. While noting that several complaints bodies are mandated to review individual complaints about police misconduct, the Committee is concerned at the number of complaints of physical use of force and ill-treatment by law enforcement officials, the limited number of investigations carried out by the State party in such cases, and the very limited number of convictions in those cases which are investigated. The Committee also notes with concern that the offence of torture, which as such does not exist in the Latvian Criminal Code but rather is punishable under other provisions of the Criminal Code, might in some cases be subject to a statute of limitations. The Committee is of the view that acts of torture cannot be subject to any statute of limitations (arts. 1, 4, 12 and 16).
The Committee recommends that the State party:
(a) Strengthen its measures to ensure prompt, impartial and effective investigations into all allegations of torture and ill-treatment committed by law enforcement officials. In particular, such investigations should not be undertaken by or under the authority of the police, but by an independent body. In connection with prima facie cases of torture and ill-treatment, the alleged suspect should as a rule be subject to suspension or reassignment during the process of investigation, especially if there is a risk that he or she might impede the investigation;
(b) Try the perpetrators and impose appropriate sentences on those convicted in order to eliminate impunity for law enforcement personnel who are responsible for violations prohibited by the Convention; and
(c) Review its rules and provisions on the statute of limitations and bring them fully in line with its obligations under the Convention, so that acts of torture as well as attempts to commit torture and acts by any person which constitute complicity or participation in torture, can be investigated, prosecuted and punished without time limitations.
Compensation and rehabilitation
18. While noting information on treatment and social rehabilitation services provided to, inter alia, detainees and children victims of violence, the Committee regrets the lack of a specific programme to safeguard the rights of victims of torture and ill-treatment. The Committee also regrets the lack of available information regarding the number of victims of torture and ill-treatment who may have received compensation and the amounts awarded in such cases, as well as the lack of information about other forms of assistance, including medical or psycho-social rehabilitation, provided to these victims (art. 14).
The State party should strengthen its efforts in respect of compensation, redress and rehabilitation in order to provide victims with redress and fair and adequate compensation, including the means for as full rehabilitation as possible. The State party should develop a specific programme of assistance in respect of victims of torture and ill-treatment. Furthermore, the State party should provide in its next periodic report information about any reparation programmes, including treatment of trauma and other forms of rehabilitation provided to victims of torture and ill-treatment, as well as the allocation of adequate resources to ensure the effective functioning of such programmes.
Rights of vulnerable groups and discrimination
19. While noting a number of measures adopted by the State party, including the recent amendment to article 48 of the Criminal Law to include racial motivation as an aggravating factor for criminal liability, the Committee expresses its concern at report of acts of violence against and discrimination of vulnerable groups, including Roma and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The Committee is concerned at reports that the number of allegedly racially motivated crimes has recently increased and that the number of reported hate crimes is underestimated due to the lack of an effective hate crime recording and monitoring system. Furthermore, while the Committee takes note of the efforts made by the State party in recent years in the process of naturalization, it remains concerned at the continued existence of the status of non-citizens and stateless persons, affecting a large group in Latvian society (art. 16).
The State party should intensify its efforts to combat discrimination against and ill-treatment of vulnerable groups, in particular Roma and the LGBT community, including through the strict application of relevant legislation and regulations providing for sanctions. The State party should ensure prompt, impartial and thorough investigations into all such motivated acts and prosecute and punish perpetrators with appropriate penalties which take into account the grave nature of their acts, and ensure adequate training and instructions for law enforcement bodies and sensitization of the judiciary. The State party is encouraged to adopt the draft national programme to facilitate tolerance and to provide detailed information in its next periodic report on the effective measures adopted to prevent and combat such acts. The State party should simplify and facilitate the naturalization process and integration of non-citizens and stateless persons.
Domestic violence
20. The Committee, while noting various measures undertaken by the State party, including the Action Plan for 2004-2013 of the State Family Policy Document, expresses its concern about the persistence of violence against women and children, including domestic violence. It is also concerned that domestic violence is not defined in national legislation and that marital rape is not recognized as a specific crime. The Committee further regrets the lack of State-wide statistics on domestic violence and that statistical data on complaints, prosecutions and sentences in matters of domestic violence were not provided. While noting the existence of some assistance programmes, including in the areas of rehabilitation and legal assistance, these are mostly run by non-governmental organizations and supported by outside donors, and the Committee regrets the lack of direct State involvement in such programmes (arts. 1, 2, 12 and 16).
The State party should increase its efforts to prevent, combat and punish violence against women and children, including domestic violence. The State party should, inter alia, include a definition of domestic violence in its Criminal Code and recognize marital rape as a specific crime. The State party is encouraged to participate directly in rehabilitation and legal assistance programmes and to conduct broader awareness campaigns for officials (law-enforcement agencies, judges, law officers and welfare workers) who are in direct contact with the victims. The State party is also encouraged to adopt the draft programme on gender equality for 20072010 as announced by the Ministry of Welfare on 26 April 2007 and to elaborate an action plan to prevent sexual and gender-related criminal offences.
21. While recognizing the existence of legislative and other measures to address sexual exploitation and trafficking in women and children, including the State Programme for Elimination of Trafficking in Human Beings(2004-2008), the Committee is concerned about persistent reports of cross-border trafficking in women for sexual and other exploitative purposes. The Committee notes the information provided on social rehabilitation for victims of trafficking, including the provision of State-financed social rehabilitation, but regrets the lack of information on training of law enforcement personnel and other relevant groups (arts. 2, 10 and 16).
The State party should continue to take effective measures to prosecute and punish trafficking in persons, including through the strict application of relevant legislation. The State party should conduct nationwide awareness-raising campaigns, provide adequate programmes of assistance, recovery and reintegration for victims of trafficking and conduct training for law enforcement officials, migration officials and border police on the causes, consequences and incidence of trafficking and other forms of exploitation.
Data collection
22. While noting that some statistics have been provided, the Committee regrets the lack of comprehensive and disaggregated data on complaints, investigations, prosecutions and convictions of cases of torture and ill-treatment by law enforcement officials, as well as on trafficking and domestic and sexual violence. The Committee also regrets the lack of statistics in respect of asylum-seekers and non-citizens as well as inter-prisoner violence. However, the Committee takes note of the establishment in August 2007 of the Statistics and Analysis Unit of the Internal Security Bureau of State Police by an order of the State Police, tasked, inter alia, to analyse statistics on the offences committed by police officers (arts. 12 and 13).
The State party should establish an effective system to gather all statistical data relevant to the monitoring of the implementation of the Convention at the national level, including complaints, investigations, prosecutions and convictions of cases of torture and ill-treatment, trafficking and domestic and sexual violence, as well as on compensation and rehabilitation provided to the victims. The Committee recognizes the sensitive implications of gathering personal data and emphasizes that appropriate measures should be taken to ensure that such data collection is not abused.
23. The Committee encourages the State party to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
24. The Committee invites the State party to ratify the core United Nations human rights treaties to which it is not yet a party.
25. The Committee recommends that the State party consider making the declarations under articles 21 and 22 of the Convention.
26. The Committee invites the State party to submit its core document in accordance with the requirements of the Common Core Document in the Harmonized Guidelines on Reporting, as approved by the international human rights treaty bodies and contained in document HRI/GEN/2/Rev.4.
27. The State party is encouraged to disseminate widely the reports submitted by Latvia to the Committee and the conclusions and recommendations, in appropriate languages, through official websites, the media and nongovernmental organizations.
28. The Committee requests the State party to provide, within one year, information on its response to the Committee's recommendations contained in paragraphs 7, 8, 11, 17 above.
29. The State party is invited to submit its next periodic report, which will be considered as the fifth periodic report, by 30 December 2011.
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Staff writer
At 5 feet, 7 inches, Marion's mayor, Mary Olson, has maintained her goal weight of 150 pounds for 13 years.
"It's a new lifestyle," she said. "If you want to be healthy, you do it. It's hard. You have to work at it."
She doesn't do anything different during the holidays than what she does all year long.
For one thing, she likes to bake, but instead of keeping the goodies around the house to tempt her, she shares them with neighbors. When she bakes for special community events or family dinners, she gives away any leftovers.
When she knows she will be eating out, she prepares herself mentally for how she will eat. She said she avoids "comfort" foods like potatoes and gravy and fills up on salads or lighter fare. She eats small portions of desserts and other sweets.
Olson maintains a walking routine and stays as active as possible.
"If I can't exercise as much as usual, I cut the number of calories I eat," she said.
She eats a good breakfast every day and after lunch, keeps herself busy all afternoon. She said the long evenings during the winter are a problem, but she keeps fresh fruit on hand for when she feels the need to eat something.
"It's a new lifestyle," she repeated.
She has belonged to a weight-loss support group, TOPS KS 0899, Marion, since 2000.
"The support is good," she said, "but you have to do it yourself."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
This time around I primed over my notes in past pages with metallic blue acrylic paint, then loaded up my Viva Las Vegastamps! Optical Background stamp with gesso. I stamped on both pages. (Note: gesso usually washes off, especially if you wash with soap and water immediately after stamping. But you may need to pick out dried bits of gesso from the stamp afterward).
When the gesso dried, I colored over with the white with colored markers (the pink and yellow colors). Then I inked up my Balloon Airship stamp using a Staz-on Midnight Blue stamp pad. I stamped on the right page, and the used up the rest of the ink by stamping on the left page.
Obviously, in this picture, a giant Kraken (sort of a giant squid) has reached out from the oceans and pulled down this poor air balloon! Now isn't that a cool thing to be drawing during a time that would otherwise be boring as all get out?


text:
Based on your subscription amount and the fund's past performance, the revenue is calculated as follows:
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risk warning:The income measurement is for reference only, and past performance does not predict future performance.
Net value estimate(19-02-01 15:00)The net value is estimated to be updated in real time from 9:30 to 15:00 on each trading day (QDII fund is an overseas trading session). It is estimated according to the fund position, index trend and fund's past performance. The estimated data does not represent the true net value. It is for reference only. Please refer to the fund manager's disclosure of the net value.
Unit net value (2019-02-01)
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|Fund Manager:Zhang ShengxianWait
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text:
Not sure what Singularity is all about? This trailer for its multiplayer - now there's an irony - should clue you in. For starters, it's got projectile-vomiting, time-traveling zombies, a real one-up of that conventional foe.
That bug that possesses you and makes you shoot your teammates looks like a barrel of fun. Looks like you also get some time-manipulation, teleportation, and healing-ray capabilities.
Singularity, from Raven Software, is due out on Tuesday.
[Thanks to egnaro for the tip]


text:
Philly Flower Show
UD class presents award-winning display at Philadelphia Flower Show
1:50 p.m., March 4, 2014--Thanks to an interdisciplinary class and a new registered student organization (RSO), the University of Delaware again has an exhibit at this year's Philadelphia Flower Show, which runs through March 9 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. This year's educational exhibit takes on an ecological theme, specifically the key role of American shad, a fish that once held a prominent place in the Brandywine River but has seen a drastic population decline in recent years.
The project aims to raise public awareness of the issue by helping educate those in attendance on the importance of shad and the ecosystem services they provide to the Brandywine, which supplies the city of Wilmington's drinking water. The UD group received a "Special Achievement: Best Achievement in Social Change Messaging" award for the display.
Campus Stories
From graduates, faculty
Doctoral hooding
The class is called Design Process Practicum and is taught by Jules Bruck, associate professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences; Anthony Middlebrooks, associate professor in the School of Public Policy and Administration; and Jon Cox, assistant professor in UD's Department of Art.
The newly formed RSO is called Design and Articulture (DART) and its members many of whom are also in the class helped with the creation of this year's display.
The exhibit examines the Brandywine River and features flowers native to the Brandywine Valley that would naturally grow along its banks in the spring, as well as showing how shad once populated the river in large numbers. "Prior to settlement along the Brandywine we've read accounts of the water 'boiling black' with shad," said Bruck, who explained that a lot of the dams along the Brandywine have prevented the shad from swimming upstream.
Some of these dams are historical treasures that can't be removed such as the dam at Hagley Museum and part of the exhibit displays an alternative to dam removal known as a fish ladder. Bruck explained that a fish ladder is one of several techniques that can be used when there is a dam impeding fish trying to upstream.
"A fish ladder has short steps that the fish can flop up and over and get through them pretty easily, and depending on how high the water is, it's easier at some times than others," said Bruck, who explained that the group's version of a fish ladder was a very contemporary version, not a realistic one. "It's an idea that we just want people to be aware of," she said.
The reason the group chose to focus on shad is that the fish is important culturally, historically and as indicator species to the relative health of the Brandywine.
Culturally, the shad were once linked to the Brandywine much like blue crab are linked to Baltimore. Middlebrooks explained that Gerald Kauffman, project director for the Water Resources Agency, was a guest speaker at a class session and explained the historical significance of the shad. Kauffman related to the class a story about how Washington's troops were starving at Valley Forge and the shad migrated north just in time to provide a food supply.
Shad are also a very important indicator species. "Of course we're interested in the species and their success but as many experts have now told us, shad are very indicative of water quality in the Brandywine watershed, which, of course, supplies all of Wilmington's drinking water," said Middlebrooks.
DART is a relatively new RSO and Weber Stibolt, a sophomore in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) and club president, said that its members wanted to form a group to get more recognition for the project. "It's been kind of an underground project these past couple of years; not a lot of people have known about it."
Stibolt said that the club has 12 members right now and that his favorite part of working on the project has been learning about aspects of agriculture that he doesn't get exposed to in his major.
Sydney Bruck, freshman in CANR and member of DART, said the RSO offers students who are in the class now and want to help out with the exhibit next year but might not have room in their schedule to take the class again a chance to participate. "If you don't want to take the class again next year to be involved, you can still be part of the RSO and be involved," said Bruck.
Bruck also said she enjoyed the interdisciplinary aspect of the project. "I think when you get a bunch of landscape designers together for a flower show, it's missing something. It's not complete. Or if you have a bunch of designers or art majors for an art project, it's still very one sided. But I think we have a very well-rounded exhibit because of all the people, and I think the students really enjoy learning from each other, too."
Future benefits
Another reason the professors enjoy having the students work on the flower show is that it looks great on their resumes when they apply for future jobs or internships.
Jules Bruck said that a student who worked on the show in the past came to her and said he applied for an internship and the Philadelphia Flower Show project was on his resume. "There's no doubt in my mind that I got my internship because of the Philadelphia Flower Show. When I got my interview, that's all they wanted to talk about," Bruck said the student told her.
Middlebrooks said that the project is "really much more consequential for students long term. It provides yet another opportunity for them to get engaged with professors, get engaged outside the University. They make a variety of connections and I know a number of students have explicitly credited the flower show being on their resume with landing internships, even a Disney internship."
Middlebrooks also noted that the interdisciplinary and creative aspects of the class help the students in the long run because, in his experience, when people apply for jobs, companies are looking for two main things: creativity and collaboration. "So we're always looking for ways to really maximize that. And that's really limited if you just do that in your own discipline, or in a single class, so the flower show has always and continues to serve as an opportunity to cross disciplines," said Middlebrooks.
Hometown roots
The project is particularly important for Cox who grew up along the Brandywine and said that he remembers playing in the river as a child.
"Some of my earliest memories are actually going down the Brandywine in this little inflatable Sevylor two-person boat with my sister," said Cox. "So the Brandywine has always been special to me and we go canoeing a couple times a year and we started taking my son there now and he is two and a half now and so he'll be able to grow up and have some of the same experiences."
Group effort
Of course, the flower show couldn't happen without the flowers, and getting the native plants to bloom and look like they would in the spring was no easy feat, especially during such a rough winter.
Bruck was in charge of growing the plants and the students helped out as well. Bruck also thanked Rodney Dempsey, Bill Barts and Joyce Zayakosky, members of the UD Greenhouse staff, for all that they did to get the flowers blooming on time.
The group also thanked the Center for Teaching and Effectiveness and Learning (CTAL), the Office of Undergraduate Research and the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society for help funding the project, and Kauffman and Sherri Evans-Stanton, director of the Brandywine Conservancy, for speaking to the class about the shad.
Article by Adam Thomas
Photos by Jon Cox


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Visual Learning: Boom!
Images, photos, and pictures stimulate the mind. For the viewer, they offer a chance to connect and question. They also offer potential for play and imagination, and pulling the observer into purposeful messages.
Most often, newspaper and magazine readers take a quick glance at photos and their captions. With this YES! lesson plan, you and your students can luxuriate—and pause—to truly understand an image, its message, and why it's interesting (or not).
Download this lesson plan as a PDF
STEP 1: What do you notice?
Ask your students to make sense of the photograph by trusting their instincts of observation and inference. In doing so, the photograph offers possibilities and interpretations beyond a typical reading where the reader glances at the picture to reinforce their interpretation of the picture's title or caption. Do not introduce any facts, captions, or other written words outside of the image. You may hear: long curving rope-like things, blue space, brown-white chunky coils, rusty orange slab, patterned texture.
STEP 2: What are you wondering?
After you've heard what your students are noticing, you'll probably hear the peppering of questions: Are those snakes or hoses? Are they wet? Are they alive? Is that blue stuff water? This is a good time to reveal the photo's caption, accompanying quote, and facts about the actual situation. Watch how the conversation shifts from what they believe to be true to discerning the facts about the photo.
Photo caption
June 2010. "Hundreds of feet of booms—large floating barriers that round up and contain or absorb surface oil—lie linked together, waiting to be placed off the coast of Louisiana to protect surrounding fragile islands. The once-white booms absorb oil, while the rust orange boom contains oil." Photo by Kris Krug.
Photo facts
Vancouver B.C. photographer Kris Krug snapped this picture from a small motorboat in the Gulf of Mexico in June 2010 to document the devastation caused by the BP oil spill. For Krug, capturing the horrifying impact of our dependence on oil was "my chance to take a little bit of my power back." To those who feel emotionally overwhelmed by the disaster, Krug advises: "Do something. Action is the antidote to that despair you're feeling."
On April 20, 2010, an explosion on the BP-operated Deepwater Horizon oil rig resulted in the continuous leaking of oil into the Gulf of Mexico for three months. Between 53,000 and 62,000 barrels of oil leaked from the gushing wellhead every day. It was the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry.
The absorbent booms used in the Gulf of Mexico worked like sponges and were filled with straw or hair. One pound of hair can absorb one quart of oil in one minute. Pet groomers and salons all over the country donated hair that was stuffed into nylon stockings to make "hair booms." About 600,000 feet of containment booms were used during the cleanup process.
Some islands affected by the BP oil spill are rookeries for the Brown Pelican. The Brown Pelican was removed from the endangered species list only five months before the spill, and miraculously remains off the endangered species list due to years of successful protection.
Additional resources around the image:
EXPLORE :: YES! Recommended BP Oil Spill Curriculum & Resources
VISIT :: Kris Krug
PHOTO ESSAY :: The BP Oil Spill—photos and audio by Kris Krug
STEP 3: What next?
Learning more about a photo leads to bigger questions and an opportunity to discuss broader issues and perspectives.
- How might an oil spill affect human lives? There are fisherpeople, cleanup workers, marine biologists—who else?
- The BP oil rig exists because we rely on oil to fuel our economy and our way of life. Does the BP oil spill change your thoughts about oil dependency?
- Has disaster—natural or human-made—ever touched your community? How did people respond? What do you think needs to happen after a disaster to rebuild lives?
- Photographer Kris Krug has shared his BP oil spill photos at conferences and in numerous magazines, including National Geographic. Why is photojournalism powerful? How are Krug's photos different than photos you might find in the newspaper?
- In 1973, Congress established the Endangered Species Act. Many states struggle deciding which fish, birds, reptiles, and mammals need extra protection from hunting and development because they face possible extinction. What animals are endangered in your area or state? How have endangered animals disrupted the economy? Hint: think Spotted Owl.


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Hawaii ranks 5th in the nation in funding programs to prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit, according to a national report released today by a coalition of public health organizations.
Hawaii currently spends $8.9 million a year on tobacco prevention and cessation programs, which is 58.8 percent of the $15.2 million recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Other key findings for Hawaii include:
Hawaii this year will collect $186 million in revenue from the 1998 tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes, but will spend just 4.8 percent of it on tobacco prevention programs. This means Hawaii is spending less than 5 cents of every dollar in tobacco revenue to fight tobacco use.
The tobacco companies spend $24.7 million a year to market their products in Hawaii. This is 3 times what the state spends on tobacco prevention.
The annual report on states' funding of tobacco prevention programs, titled "Broken Promises to Our Children: The 1998 State Tobacco Settlement 14 Years Later," was released by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Lung Association, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights.
Hawaii has been a leader in the fight against tobacco with a high cigarette tax ($3.20 per pack), a strong smoke-free workplace law and its tobacco prevention and cessation program. However, the state this year cut funding for tobacco prevention by 17 percent. Hawaii has one of the lowest high school smoking rates in the nation at 10.1 percent, compared to 18.1 percent who smoke nationally.
"Hawaii has been a leader in the fight against tobacco, but needs to sustain its commitment to tobacco prevention in order to continue making progress," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "Even in these difficult budget times, tobacco prevention is a smart investment for Hawaii that protects kids, saves lives and saves money by reducing tobacco-related health care costs."
In Hawaii, 1,500 more kids become regular smokers each year. Tobacco annually claims 1,100 lives and costs the state $336 million in health care bills.
Nationally, the report finds that most states are failing to adequately fund tobacco prevention and cessation programs. Key national findings include:
The states this year will collect $25.7 billion from the tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes, but will spend just 1.8 percent of it – $459.5 million – on tobacco prevention programs. This means the states are spending less than two cents of every dollar in tobacco revenue to fight tobacco use.
States are falling woefully short of the CDC's recommended funding levels for tobacco prevention programs. Altogether, the states have budgeted just 12.4 percent of the $3.7 billion the CDC recommends.
Only two states – Alaska and North Dakota – currently fund tobacco prevention programs at the CDC-recommended level.
As the nation implements health care reform, the report warns that states are missing a golden opportunity to reduce tobacco-related health care costs, which total $96 billion a year in the U.S. One study found that during the first 10 years of its tobacco prevention program, Washington state saved more than $5 in tobacco-related hospitalization costs for every $1 spent on the program.
Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S., killing more than 400,000 people each year
More information, including the full report and state-specific information, can be obtained at www.tobaccofreekids.org/reports/settlements .
Filed under: aloha, Announcements, Education, Hawaii, Health, Kids, National Affairs, State Affairs Tagged: | American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hawaii, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation


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The Man With The Iron Fists
Quentin Tarantino presents The Man With the Iron Fists, an action-adventure inspired by kung-fu classics as interpreted by his longtime collaborators RZA and Eli Roth. Making his debut as a big-screen director and leading man, RZA—alongside a stellar international cast led by Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu—tells the epic story of warriors, assassins and a lone outsider hero in nineteenth-century China who must unite to destroy the clan traitor who would destroy them all. Since his arrival in China's Jungle Village, the town's blacksmith (RZA) has been forced by radical tribal factions to create elaborate tools of destruction. When the clans' brewing war boils over, the stranger channels an ancient energy to transform himself into a human weapon. As he fights alongside iconic heroes and against soulless villains, one man must harness this power to become savior of his adopted people. Blending astonishing martial-arts sequences from some of the masters of this world with the signature vision he brings as the leader of the Wu-Tang Clan and as one of hip-hop's most dominant figures of the past two decades, RZA embarks upon his most ambitious, stylized and thrilling project to date.
RZA, Russell Crowe, Rick Yune, Lucy Liu, Jamie Chung, Cung Le, Byron Mann, Daniel Wu, Zhu Zhu, Pam Grier, Gordon Liu, Andrew Ng, Chen Kuan-Tai, Yoyao Hsueh, Telly Liu, Dong Wenjun, Zhan De Re, Lu Kai, MC Jin, Ka Yan Leung, Liu Changjiang, Brian Yang, Hu Mingwu, Masanobu Otsuka, Grace Huang, Andrew Lin, Eli Roth, Darren E Scott, Dennis Chan, Osric Chau, Zhou Gang, Celina Jade, Terence Yin, Dave Bautista, Beau Van Erven Dorens
Marc Abraham, Eric Newman, Eli Roth, Tom Karnowski, Thomas Bliss, Kristel Laiblin, Doris Tse, Joe Carlone


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Symptoms associated with long-term HIV
I really wasn't sure to which forum to submit my question, but this seemed like the most appropriate. I've been HIV positive for 17 years, and was relatively asymptomatic for the first 12 years or so. About five years ago I began having mild symptoms like fatigue, shortness of breath, diarrhea, unexplained fevers, and frequent bouts of illness. Over the five years, my symptoms increased in severity, frequency, and duration, then became so painful and disruptive suddenly that I became unable to work at my job. Consequently, I've been on STD through my employer's plan for the last six months. I cannot make any correlation between the dramatic increase in my symptoms with any particular event. I began HAART in August 2008, about eight months before the symptoms got so bad, so there is no connection there. Besides, many of my symptoms began, as I said, five years ago, before I started meds. I have severe, constant fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, headaches, unexplained fevers, night sweats, dizziness, mild neuropathy, constant malaise, weight loss, and other symptoms that are not as severe. My doctor has been checking for possible OIs, and has changed my meds a few times, but nothing has changed. My CD4 and viral load look pretty good, no worries there. My question is: can these symptoms be caused by HIV itself or, more specifically, by the damage HIV has caused to my immune system over the previous 17 years? My own research indicates that these problems can be attributed to long-term, advanced HIV progression, and I've met other HIV-positive individuals with similar backgrounds to my own who describe similar symptoms. Yet, my doctor shrugs off and immediately dismisses this possibility. What can you tell me about symptoms of HIV disease in long-term survivors on HAART, and with no identifiable OIs? Thank you in advance for the benefit of your expertise.
Good set of issues /questions for which good data is still lacking. Chronic HIV infection may accelerate aging and frailty which can manifest itself in a number of ways which are often non-specific. The effect of antiretroviral therapy may be positive but warrants lots more research. The push towards earlier initiation of antiretroviral therapy is being driven partly due to interest in ameliorating the non-AIDS negative health effects of untreated HIV infection (such as increased risk for heart disease, cancer, liver,kidney disease, osteoporosis and aging)seen even at higher CD4 counts (> 350). In one study frailty was seen earlier in HIV+ patients and is manifested by decreased strength, fatigue, and low energy levels. Precise data is still limited so studies focusing on treatment at higher CD4 counts are urgently needed. KH


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South Junction
727 E. Mann Circle; 726. E. Mann Circle; 725 W. Mann Circle; 35 W. Georgia Ave.; 649 Florida St.; 18 W. Carolina Ave.; 9 E. Carolina Ave.Memphis, TN 38103Permit Costs: $1.5 million; $1.5 million; $1.5 million; $1.5 million; $1.5 million; $1.5 million; $1.4 million
Project Cost: $10.4 millionPermit Date: Applied August 2013Completion: TBAOwner: Henry TurleyTenant: South Junction apartmentsContractor: Montgomery Martin Contractors LLCDetails: A development group led by Henry Turley Co. has filed a series of building permits totaling $10.4 million for the 197-unit South Junction apartments Downtown.
Henry Turley Co. filed seven multifamily permits with the city-county Office of Construction Code Enforcement for the vacant northwest and southeast corners of Carolina Avenue and Florida Street, in the South Main Historic Arts District.
The permits call for "three-story wood framed apartment buildings" at the following addresses: 727 E. Mann Circle, 726. E. Mann Circle, 725 W. Mann Circle, 35 W. Georgia Ave., 649 Florida St., 18 W. Carolina Ave. and 9 E. Carolina Ave.
The first six addresses show permit amounts of $1.5 million each, and the last shows a permit amount of $1.4 million.
The project's owner, South Junction Partners, was granted a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) incentive through the Memphis Center City Revenue Finance Corp. that will save the company $4.1 million in taxes over 15 years.
Plans filed with the CCRFC call for an "urban infill multifamily residential development," according to the application for 178,678 square feet of space.
Henry Turley Co. submitted the plans and application to the Design Review Board and Turley is one of the partners in South Junction along with Billy Orgel.
Montgomery Martin Contractors LLC is the general contractor for the project.
7859 U.S. 64Memphis, TN 38133Sale Amount: $3 million
Sale Date: Aug. 19, 2013Buyer: 7859 Stage LLCSeller: CM&W GPLoan Amount: $1.8 millionLoan Date: Aug. 19, 2013Maturity Date: N/ALender: JPMorgan Chase Bank NADetails: A local affiliate of Delray Beach, Fla.-based Belford Ventures has paid $3 million for the multi-tenant retail building at 7859 U.S. 64 (Stage Road) in Northeast Memphis.
The entity 7859 Stage LLC bought the 72,472-square-foot building in an Aug. 19 warranty deed from Memphis-based CM&W GP, a partnership composed of Phil Chamberlain, Jon McCreery and Jack Whitaker. That group bought the property in 2005 from SKN LLC for $2.5 million. Built in 1993, the retail property sits on 2.8 acres on the south side of Stage Road east of Kate Bond Road and near Wolfchase Galleria. The Shelby County Assessor of Property's 2013 appraisal is $3.2 million.
The building formerly housed Richwell Furniture Gallery and is now home to American Freight Furniture and Mattress, which opened its first Memphis store in November. The store marked the Delaware, Ohio-based retailer's fifth location in Tennessee and 75th store nationwide.
In conjunction with the purchase, 7859 Stage LLC filed a $1.8 million loan through JPMorgan Chase Bank NA. William Belford signed the trust deed as managing member of the borrower.
4230 Powers RoadMemphis, TN 38128Sale Amount: $1.4 million
Sale Date: July 22, 2013Buyer: BSJW Real Estate Holdings GPSeller: Raleigh Court Townhomes LLCLoan Amount: $1.3 millionLoan Date: July 22, 2013Maturity Date: July 19, 2020Lender: Triumph BankDetails: The 59-unit Raleigh Court Townhomes at 4230 Powers Road in Raleigh has sold for $1.4 million.
BSJW Real Estate Holdings GP bought the 43-year-old property in a July 22 warranty deed from Raleigh Court Townhomes LLC, which had acquired the property in 2004 for $1.9 million.
Built in 1970, the Class D, 82,434-square-foot townhouse complex sits on 4.4 acres along the west side of Powers Road at its intersection with Jones Road near Raleigh-Millington Road.
The Shelby County Assessor of Property's 2013 appraisal is $1.5 million.
In conjunction with the purchase, BSJW filed a $1.3 million deed of trust through Triumph Bank. Jack Whitaker, trustee of the Whitaker Revocable Living Trust, and Brandon Smith signed the deed as the borrowing entity's partners.
6335 Wheel CoveMemphis, TN 38119Loan Amount: $4.8 million
Loan Date: Aug. 7, 2013Maturity Date: N/ABorrower: Wheel LLCLender: FirstBankDetails: The owner of the Bluff City Jaguar Land Rover dealership at 6335 Wheel Cove in East Memphis has filed a $4.8 million loan for the property.
Wheel LLC filed the Tennessee deed of trust, assignment of leases and rents and security agreement Aug. 7 through Memphis-based FirstBank. No loan maturity date was listed.
C. Harrell Schaeffer signed the trust deed as member of Wheel LLC.
The 38,729-square-foot dealership, which was built in 2007, is on 3.9 acres at the dead end of Wheel Cove, which intersects with Quince Road north of Tenn. 385. The Shelby County Assessor of Property's 2013 appraisal is $4.1 million.
Wheel LLC bought the then-vacant property in April 2006 for $1.1 million. According to loan documents, the company began leasing the property to Bluff City Jaguar Inc. in June 2006 through an unrecorded lease agreement that has since been amended twice.
Copyright 1995 -
by The Daily News Publishing Co. Inc. - All Rights Reserved


text: Mark Nocera has carved a special niche for himself in the dance community and over the years has made quite the name for himself. Following a very successful professional career which brought him all the way to representing the U.S. at the World Championships, Mark has continued his endeavor for excellence in the dance world. At Studio 665 in Boston, Mark has choreographed and coached many top amateur students and couples going on to win National and International competitions for over 25 years. He also is the head coach of the Tufts University Ballroom Dance team. More recently, Mark became the organizer for the Eastern U.S. Dancesport Championships which draws top competitors from around the World to Boston to compete for this prestigious title. In just 3 short years, the Eastern has made a huge splash on the East Coast and has even perked a sizable interest abroad drawing couples from Canada, Italy, Slovenia, and more! Furthermore, Mark is recognized as a World-class adjudicator by the National Dance Council of America, WDC and IDSF and is a national examiner for DVIDA (Dance Vision International Dance Association). Mark, his wife Dawna, and two daughters Charisse and Miranda live in Nahant, Massachusetts.


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If you can't hear someone when using in-game chat or private chat on your Xbox 360 console, try the following solutions.
You might have a Network Address Translation (NAT) problem. To find out, test your connection.
Here's how:
A NAT warning appears as a yellow exclamation mark at the bottom of the test results screen. If you get a NAT warning, see the Xbox Live NAT Error Solution.
Note NAT only affects the ability to connect and communicate with other players. If your problem is lag or speed related, please see the Xbox Live Slow Performance Solution.
If you don't have a NAT problem, try the next solution.
Have your friends (the people you can't chat with) test their Xbox Live connection using the above steps.
If your friends do not have a NAT warning, try the next solution.
Make sure that your console settings are not blocking voice chat.
Here's how:
If you are using a child profile, you will be prompted for the parent account's Microsoft account.
If you still can't chat with friends, try the next solution.
If you still can't chat with friends, try the next solution.
If you still can't chat with friends, try the next solution.
If you can't hear your friends, you might need to change the channel you are using for chat.
Here's how:
You can switch back and forth between different chat channels using these steps.
If you still can't chat with friends, try the next solution.
Check to see if you only have chat problems with a particular game. You can do this by starting a private chat outside of a game (see Solution 6: Change your chat channel for steps).
If the problem only occurs with a particular game, check the game manual to see if you need to press a specific button to talk to other players during the game.
If you're using the Kinect sensor as a chat microphone, try the following solutions as well:
Check the Kinect microphone setting
If you're using the microphone in the Kinect sensor for chat, make sure that no headsets are connected to your console (wired or wireless). Then, make sure that the chat microphone on the Kinect sensor is on.
To turn on the Kinect chat microphone:
If this solution did not work, try the next solution.
Use the Kinect audio tuner
Calibrate the Kinect sensor for speech and audio using the Kinect audio tuner. Have your friend on Xbox Live try using the Kinect audio tuner as well.
If you're getting an error code or a status code when you try to use Xbox Live chat, search for the code at Error & status code search.
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Closing Statements from the candidates for Vermont's U.S. House seat from the debate held at Middlebury College Mead Chapel on Sept. 26.
Peter Welch, Democrat:
"I believe our foreign policy must go in a new direction. We know that we face global challenges, the war on terrorism, AIDS, global warming, failed African states. And no single country can solve these problems alone. Global problems require global solutions.
"This election, in many ways, is about competing philosophies. The philosophy of the Bush presidency and the Bush Congress, both in domestic and foreign affairs, can be simply stated: You're on your own.
"In domestic affairs, if you want healthcare, get a health savings account. And even if you're one of the millions of American families that can't balance their budget at the end of the month, you're on your own. You want clean air and clean water, move. It's not the job of your government to make certain that those are available to you and your family. To our young soldiers who are sent off to Iraq and Afghanistan and Kuwait on our behalf, with patriotic speeches, when they come home, it's with the message that we've cut their veteran benefits. You're on your own.
Closing Statements from the candidates for Vermont's U.S. House seat from the debate held at Middlebury College Mead Chapel on Sept. 26.
Peter Welch, Democrat:
By CYRUS LEVESQUE
BRISTOL — Lincoln resident Jen Connel had hoped to open the Green Mountain Pie Company on Main Street in Bristol in the space formerly occupied by Showtime Video, but her plans have hit an unforeseen snag in recent weeks, as the town has reached the limit of the sewage capacity it can assign to new businesses or developments in the downtown area.
"I don't know what I'm going to be able to do in that space," said Connel, who had rented the space before the town realized it didn't have the sewage capacity she needed. "As the flows stand right now, Bristol cannot grow."
In July, an annual reassessment by the wastewater management division of the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) set the limit of reserve sewage capacity Bristol could allocate at 1,260 gallons per day. However, the selectboard had voted in April to reserve 990 gallons to the Bristol Trading Post, owned by John Moyers, which is expected to open by mid-November.
By JOHN FLOWERS
BRIDPORT — Bridport voters will have an extra reason to turn out at the polls for the Nov. 7 General Election. That's because the ballot will feature a question asking residents if they'd like to reconsider their decision last August to spend $600,000 on a new town garage and renovated fire department facilities.
Town officials confirmed last week that they'd received a reconsideration petition bearing 81 signatures, almost double the minimum 43 signatures required to force the revote.
Officials surmised that some residents were concerned about the $600,000 price tag of the project, approved by an 81-75 margin on Aug. 17. That project includes erecting a new, five-bay garage on a 16-acre parcel of town-owned land at the intersection of Crown Point Road and Short Street. The Bridport Public Works Department and its equipment have outgrown the current four-bay bay garage on Crown Point Road in the village.
By JOHN FLOWERS
ADDISON COUNTY — The Vermont Downtown Development Board (VDDB) on Thursday awarded $837,039 in tax credits to redevelopment of older and/or historic buildings in 11 communities, including a combined total of $236,344 for the renovation of structures in Middlebury and Vergennes.
Among those awarded tax credits were Middlebury's Town Hall Theater ($160,640); the Grist Mill at 360 Main St., Vergennes ($61,693); and 94-96 Main St., Vergennes ($14,011).
Projects on the list involving private property are now entitled to tax deductions to help underwrite qualifying renovations. Nonprofits on the list can sell their credits to a bank to raise cash for their projects, under a new program approved by the Legislature last year.
Property owners cannot claim any of the credits until their respective building repairs are completed.
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text: Boulevard Brewing's lineup includes seven year-round beers, five seasonal beers and 13 beers in its Smokestack series. Frank Morris/KCUR hide caption toggle caption Frank Morris/KCUR The Salt When Craft Beer Goes Global: A Kansas City Brewery's Tale KCUR 89.3 December 16, 2013 Boulevard Brewing has become a Kansas City staple since its founding in the 1980s. It has many loyal local fans — and soon, a new international owner, Duvel. The deal says a lot about how the world now values a product made with a firm sense of place. When Craft Beer Goes Global: A Kansas City Brewery's Tale Listen · 3:29 3:29 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/250798096/251462032" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript


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Eric and Olivia Deliver Cute Performance of Maroon 5′s 'Moves Like Jagger' on 'America's Got Talent'
During last night's round of 'America's Got Talent' auditions in Austin, we met Eric and Olivia, who together sound more like a clothing line, but are actually musicians. Admit it: You were thinking the same thing.
The duo performed an acoustic version of 'Moves Like Jagger,' a song we would normally be sick and f—— tired of, but thanks to saving graces Adam Levine (our boyfriend) and Christina Aguilera (we love her — deal), we're surprisingly not.
Their rendition of the song left the judges split. We're not entirely sure how "split" it can be since there are only three judges, but that's a conversation for another time. Howard Stern said the two should move on to Vegas and then start a relationship; Sharon Osbourne compared Olivia to Amy Winehouse (def not, she totally reminds us of the older sister Laurie Partridge from 'The Partridge Family'); and Howie Mandel wasn't at all impressed and compared Olivia to a lounge singer. Hey, whatever pays the bills, right?
Sharon and Howard said yes. Howie said no. Therefore, Eric and Olivia moved on to the next round.
Watch Eric and Olivia Perform 'Moves Like Jagger' on 'America's Got Talent'


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Were you SO inspired by a Hypnobabies birth, your own or one you witnessed, that you are now wanting to shout the news about Hypnobabies from your rooftop?! Do you tell everyone who will listen how amazing Hypnobabies is for easy, comfortable birthings?
You might want to join an amazing nationwide team of instructors and share the news ona regular basis…and get paid to do so. Become a Hypnobabies® Childbirth Hypnosis Instructor. We love our 'work'!
Join us!
MARCH 4-7 in St. Louis, Missouri (This training is 3/4 full and filling fast, please register soon to reserve one of the remaining spaces!)
JULY 15-18 in Cypress, California
(Bring your entire family, stay for the week and make it a vacation! Cypress is close to Disneyland, the Orange County beaches, and lots of other fun vacation spots in southern California, plus the weather is fantastic!)
See our website for the details!
or to learn more about us, join our communities:
'Like' us on FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/Hypnobabies
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Show & Prove:
Reppin': Atlanta, GA
Martha Stewart probably doesn't listen to rap music, but even she has to appreciate Rocko's do-it-yourself attitude. As CEO of his own development company, Rocky Road, the Atlanta native experienced some brief success with the release of his former client Hitman Sammy Sam's 2003 album, The Stepdaddy. But when working with Sam turned into more trouble than it was worth, and his only other artist, a pre–Grand Hustle Young Dro, wound up in jail, it was time for Rocko to explore a Plan B.
"At that point, I told myself that, if I find another guy I want to invest in, his swag has to be better than mine," says the man born Rodney Hill. "I wasn't able to run into a guy I wanted to put my money into, so I did it myself."
Rocko's first venture as a solo artist was "Umma Do Me," which led to a deal with Def Jam in October 2006. The easy-riding ode (produced by Drumma Boy) to all things better than yours is a peek into what Rocko has dubbed "swag rap." "Swag rap is doing you to the fullest," says Rocko, who has done behind-the-scenes writing and producing for the likes of Lil' Flip and Dem Franchize Boyz. "With me, I feel like I'm the best thing that has touched the earth, and we all should feel like that. I could care less what you think about me."
After dropping "Umma Do Me" independently last August, Rocko released his DJ Scream–hosted Swag Season mixtape, which featured steadily growing street records like "Dis Morning" and "Tomorrow." With his name spreading across the southern United States, Rocko was sought out and signed by the senior vice president of A&R at Def Jam, Shakir Stewart. Now the brash rookie's debut album, Self Made, is set to be released in March, with production from DJ Toomp, Jazze Pha and Cool & Dre.
"Majority of the time, people are haters [anyway]," says Rocko about those who are unhappy with his sudden rise to rap stardom. "For every one person that don't like me, five people do. As long as I'm reaching who I'm supposed to, I'm comfortable."


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How to Use Webinars to Sell Your Products and Services | Leslie Samuel, Webinar Marketing
Are you struggling to sell your products or services? Do you wish you could have a solid strategy for engaging your audience and turning them into customers?
In this webinar, Leslie Samuel (founder of Become a Blogger) will show you how to use webinars to make sales.
You'll see a step-by-step process for:
- Creating
- Promoting
- Making money from your webinars


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New Holland's new SF210 and SF216 field sprayers feature heavy-duty construction to ensure dependable and accurate performance even across bumpy, varied field conditions.
The SF210 has a 1,000-gallon capacity and the SF216 has a 1,600-gallon capacity. Both sprayers are available in suspended-boom or wheeled-boom configurations.
Stability, accuracy
The suspended-boom models are available in 80-, 90-, 100-, 120- and 134-foot widths. They feature an innovative, high-clearance suspension with parallel tank designed for stability and accuracy. A joystick provides in-cab control of the boom lift, tilt, transport fold and optional foam marker.
An outer breakaway boom impact release helps protect the sprayer. The spray boom on suspended-boom models is available in steel or polypropylene.
Wheeled-boom models range in widths from 80 feet to 134 feet and feature an auto-fold feature which allows the operator to change from field to narrow transport position from the cab.
Large bore, automotive-style shock absorbers on the boom wheels ensure a smooth ride. A boom breakaway system provides impact protection. Stainless steel, PVC or dry booms are available for wheeled-boom models.
Changes simple
A choice of FlexControl or SP655 electronic auto-rate control allows the operator to make simple application rate changes while driving and provides on-the-go control and monitoring of speed, rate, area covered and volume of spray applied.
Safer mixing
An induction tank mounted at ground level makes adding and mixing chemicals safer and easier. For operator convenience, the valve tree simplifies control of plumbing and makes for easy drainage, and a large sight gauge allows the operator to instantly see tank levels at a glance.
Both the SF210 and the SF216 come with an optional windscreen that reduces drift by 86 percent over open-boom sprayers. A perforated design offers excellent protection from the wind, yet allows enough airflow to reduce turbulence.


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Hatco Booster Heater & Water Heater
Hatco booster heaters are designed to bring water up to temperatures as high as 180 degrees F, the temperature necessary to sanitize dishes for the final rinse cycle. A Hatco booster can be interfaced with high-temp dishmachines or compartment sinks. Other Hatco water heaters can be used to build food rethermalizing systems, which take advantage of a gentle water bath to reheat chilled food in bags or containers.


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Call Now: 239-275-2134
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Modifying child support in Florida
Monday, February 15, 2016
Shirlarian Williams Named to The National Black Lawyers "Top 40 Under 40"
Shirlarian Williams has been named by The National Black Lawyers as one of its "Top 40 Under 40." The firm congratulates her on receiving this honor. Membership in The National Black Lawyers' Top 40 Under 40 is invitation-only and is limited to the top 40 black attorneys under the age of 40 from each state or region who have demonstrated excellence in their legal practice. The selection process included peer nominations combined with third party research. Ms. Williams' selection is in
Interested in Sealing or Expunging a Criminal Record...
In Florida a person may apply to have a criminal record sealed or expunged if they meet certain criteria. Sealing a criminal record A person who is arrested for an offense other than those excluded by F.S.943.059, who receives a withheld adjudication, completes all the requirements of their sentence, has never had a case sealed or expunged before and has never been adjudicated guilty of any other felony or misdemeanor (including some traffic misdemeanor offenses) in adult or juvenile court may
Security Deposits
I'm often asked, "Can my landlord keep my security deposit?" The answer is usually it depends. Under Florida Statute 83.49, a landlord has 15 days to return your security deposit after you have notified him that you have vacated the property and returned the keys. If the landlord intends to keep any or all of your security deposit, he has 30 days to inform you in writing of his intent to impose a claim. If the landlord fails to send you a notice of intent to impose a claim within the 30 day
Wills… Wills… Wills…
Did you know that the majority of people in America don't have a will? If you die without a will (this is called dying "intestate"), your property will be distributed to your heirs (family) according to a formula fixed by law. This means that the State of Florida will essentially divide how your property is split amongst your family members and there is usually no exception for those in unusual need. To avoid the State of Florida determining how your estate (property) should be split, you
Final Judgment of Foreclosure is Reversed at the Appellate Level
While at her previous firm, attorney Shirlarian N. Williams filed an appeal to reverse a Final Judgement of Foreclosure that was entered against her clients. Attorney Williams argued that the Bank was not entitled to a judgement of foreclosure because they had not sent a proper notice of acceleration (a conditions precedent) to her clients prior to the Bank filing its mortgage foreclosure complaint. She received notice yesterday that the Fourth District Court of Appeals agreed with her argument,
Facing foreclosure? You may have defenses...
In Florida, one of the most basic elements of a foreclosure case is that the Bank has to prove standing. This means that must prove they legally own your promissory note or they are authorized by the person that owns the promissory note to enforce it. During the housing boom between 2005-2008, many Banks began buying and selling promissory notes like hotcakes. There were many mistakes made in terms of transferring documents and a lot of promissory notes weren't properly endorsed (transferred) to
Florida's Eviction Process
Florida law requires a landlord to delivery a 3 day Notice to the tenant before an eviction process can begin. If the tenant fails to pay the amount owed within three (3) business days of receiving the Notice, the landlord may file an eviction complaint for non payment of rent. The landlord must serve the tenant with a copy of the complaint along with his/her's supporting documents. The tenant has five (5) business days to respond to the complaint after being served. Depending upon the reason
Florida offers a Simplified Dissolution of Marriage (Divorce) option
Did you know that Florida offers a Simplified Dissolution of Marriage (Divorce) option? You may qualify if you and your spouse have no minor children and have reached an agreement as to how your martial assets and liabilities will be split. The process is typically a lot quicker than if you file a regular dissolution of marriage action. Most couples are divorced within a few months (although no guarantees can be made as to how long the process may take). Give us a call at 239.302.1435 for more
Injured in an auto accident
In Florida, you have up to 14 days after an auto accident to seek medical treatment. If you don't seek medical treatment within that 14 day window, PIP may not pay for any of your medical expenses resulting from the accident. If you've been injured in an auto accident it's important to speak to an attorney as soon as possible, please give us a call at 239.302.1435.
family law
child support
supreme court
tax refund
child support modification
auto accident
personal injury
pip benefits
estate planning
landlord tenant
criminal law
criminal records
sealing records


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Behind the scenes with eventing couple Kathryn Robinson and Giovanni Ugliotti.
About the SsangYong Blenheim Palace Horse Trials
The SsangYong Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials have been running since 1990, attracting the world's best riders and the thousands of spectators.
There are three classes held at Blenheim over the five days of the event – the showcase CCI3*, a CIC3* for eight and nine year old horses and the final leg of the Event Rider Masters series.
The CIC3* for eight and nine year old horses has been specifically developed for younger horses to complete the dressage test followed by show jumping then cross country.
The format for the CCI3* class, for older and more experienced horses, starts with dressage, followed by a longer and more technically demanding cross country phase, which provides a more exacting test and finishes with the show jumping.
The Event Rider Masters CIC3* takes place with dressage on Friday, followed by show jumping and finally the cross country, both on Saturday.
In addition to world class eventing action, there are lots of other activities on offer at the event each year. There are displays and attractions throughout the event for all the family, including children's play areas, a food and drink hall, sports and classic car displays, and more than 200 outlets in the shopping village.


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Guildie Guest Ayelena - 2 years of Playing WoW
After two years of playing this game I can say that I'm still hooked. It all started with me playing a Tauren Warrior on my son's account. Getting to level 10+ and getting annoyed about how the NPC's (not the creatures) would run away and I'd have to chase after them. I didn't like that so much, so I then created a Gnome Rogue (because I loved playing a Halfling Rogue in Dungeons and Dragons). Another melee class, but this one comes with a ranged attack. As I was still trying the learn how to play the game I enjoyed this toon for a while, but again it became annoying with the NPC's running away. I also got a chance to make a Death Knight as we bought Wrath of the Lich King and I liked this class. Especially now that I had a way to drag back the NPC who was running away. But it was becoming difficult for both my son and I to play on the one account. I had the game on the many PCs we have, but with only one account. I couldn't get on all the time.
So it was at this time that I created my own WOW account (I was hooked) and I linked to my son's battlenet account. Still exploring the different classes and using the Recruit a Friend (RAF), my son and I made a pair of Blood Elves, Ayelena & Jenkens were born. I found that I liked the versatility of the Warlock class and having a pet that added damage was great. We both levelled together for quite some time, but my son became bored with a Mage and then he created a Blood Elf Paladin (Corael). Using the RAF system I levelled his toon in front of another toon. They were watching us do this at the time and he called us both hackers until we told him it because of the RAF system, that I could level his toon. It was quite funny at the time. My son also likes to play on his first toon Skullwarrior, but it was Corael that he levelled to 80 then 85 first.
Now Ayelena had different partner, but one that could tank whilst I would DPS down the bad guy.
It was during this time that I found out about PvP and achievements. My first go at some PvP was the arena in Gadgetzan. I stumbled across the arena master and said yes. This then saw Ayelena teleported to the arena with a Rogue as my partner. I then proceeded to die very quickly every time I respawned in an arena. My partner must have thought "What a noob" and the opposition must have been thinking this is too easy. This experience has tainted my view on PvP, especially the arena, with me hating it to the point of never going back. I have never done any arena PvP since. I think it's because I'm an old bugger and don't have the reflexes to keep up with the younger folk. I do some battlegrounds from time to time, but it's very annoying to die all the time and not get too many kills. I only do them only to get achievements.
Achievements are much more fun and I can say that I'm in the 10k points club (Currently 7th in the guild). Apart from doing quests, this was an aspect of the game that I liked and the rewards for some achievements were very good. Getting a new title or a mount made this more rewarding that the PvP side of the game.
With this game I also found out that if you want to do dungeons or raids, the best way was to be in a guild. I initially joined a guild that was full of female toons, but they did nothing together and so I left. Joining a few guilds along the way until I met up with the Frostwolves and finding a home for all my Horde toons.
Roaming around the world of Azeroth has some interesting highs and lows. Meeting up with some interesting NPCs and watching the world change with Cataclysm have been some of the highs. The lows are all the changes to the classes just to keep the PvPers happy.
Anyway, that's about I have to say for now, so enjoy a few more pics I've taken from time to time.
About Ayelena: Ayelena joined us on Dath'remar, recruited through Mabaho's work forums, during WoTLK. Ayelena loves achievements and mounts and pets - a true collector at heart. He is often seen lurking online in the early hours of morning before work - what I affectionately refer to as "The breakfast club".


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BRIDGEWATER, N.S.—A 63-year-old Nova Scotia man has been released on $1,000 bail after he was charged Wednesday with sexual assault in a bizarre case involving the alleged confinement of a 16-year-old male.
John MacKean, of Lower Sackville, is also facing a prostitution-related charge after being arrested Monday in Fredericton.
His release is subject to a number of conditions, including orders that he stay away from anyone under the age of 18 and refrain from using the Internet.
MacKean must also stay in contact with authorities on a regular basis and he is prohibited from leaving Nova Scotia, unless his work requires him to do so.
Police launched an investigation in September after a woman in Upper Chelsea, N.S., reported that a barefoot teen showed up at her doorstep chained at his wrists and ankles.
David James Leblanc, 47, was later arrested on a logging road in northern Ontario after police received a report of a man wandering without shoes in near-freezing temperatures.
Police were also looking for 31-year-old Wayne Alan Cunningham, whose body was found near the area where Leblanc was arrested. Foul play was not suspected in his death.
Leblanc faces seven charges, including sexual assault, sexual assault causing bodily harm, forcible confinement and administering a noxious substance with intent to cause bodily harm.
MacKean's case is to return to court in Bridgewater on Jan. 23.


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Photo Booths in Bennington -
Wedding and Event Photo Booth Services in Bennington VT
Photo Magnets? Well, let me explain... A picture is taken of a person or group, and then printed right on site. Then the picture is attached to a magnet and your guests have a great party favor to... more photo booth info
467 recent listing referrals for The Picture Perfect Magnet


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Hey friends,
My beautiful sweet little daughter, Sarah was hospitalized for 3 days for an asthma :( Her first one and hopefully the last. It was heart breaking to see her tied to an oxygen mask and to a cannula! Anyway, she is better now and here is a picture of her on the day she left hospital. She was so funny in the hospital, looking for ways to escape :D She faced all this as strong as one little girl could be,God! I love them so much!
Away from all the drama, Sarah got back to her school and they were discussing fruits. I had to add my touch :p So, I prepared her some simple things. A sensory tub, a puzzle, stickers and a coloring book. Here is what is inside the tub:
- plastic fruits
- fruit erasers
- small mini trees
- fall leaves (from the dollar store)
- confetti (leaves)
- Blocks (with pictures of fruits on them)
Our dictionary
Farida was so good doing this :)
Thank you for being with us. Hope to see you here soon. We appreciate your comments!