text:
Transform your photos into one-of-a-kind, hand painted masterpieces!
Boundary: Bleed area may not be visible.
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The image is near the edges of the product but doesn't cover the entire product. Some of the background color may appear around the outside edges of the image.
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Our greeting cards are 5" x 7" in size and are produced on digital offset printers using 100 lb. paper stock. Each card is coated with a UV protectant on the outside surface which produces a semi-gloss finish. The inside of each card has a matte white finish and can be customized with your own message up to 500 characters in length. Each card comes with a white envelope for mailing or gift giving.
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text:
|New Betas! FurBuy Classifieds and FurBuy Forums
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
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text:
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Fame comes in many forms
Now given that he mentioned searching for these phrases on google, I expected a lot of people to search for them and see where they appeared. I did not expect this:
This blog is the first hit! That's absurd. It's right above the post I was referring to, the post I linked to, and most importantly, the post on Randall Munroe's blog which like 8 billion humans read. Incidentally it works without the quotation marks, too - that actually moves Randall down to #3 and I stay at #1. Nearly 200 people have found this blog by typing in that phrase. That's more, in the time since I wrote the post, than found this blog by searching for "xkcd sucks" which is the freaking url. Thanks for the info, google analytics!
Anyway, I don't know how long it will stay true so test it while you can. The internet is a strange place.
update: Well that's that. As nerodetoasabay writes in the comments, I have been overtaken, and not even by something cool, just some random page with little more than that quote, no explanation or anything. I'm still above the xkcd blog though! And I have my screen capture. My screen captures are enough for me.
20 comments:
Carl Wheeler, you make me laugh.ReplyDelete
Your star is rising! Congratulations =P
It appears that after this post your first and second, and xkcd is 4thReplyDelete
- DoubleBlackbirdDecember 11, 2008 at 4:43 AM
A comment on the XKCD blog said that the actual intended result for 'my bologna has...' can't be found any more because it was a child pornography site, and it's been taken down.ReplyDelete
Don't quote me on that, though - it was just one comment on the blog and I didn't read further.
Now that it truly amazing.ReplyDelete
This comment has been removed by the author.ReplyDelete
Don't worry, Carl, there's still an old-school (see: months-old) core of readers who arrived here by googling "xkcd sucks" and still not arriving here for several results.ReplyDelete
Captcha: fidishn! Rhymes with tradition!
Your reputation precedes you, Mr. Wheeler.ReplyDelete
I have no idea how I found this blog. I feel like I need a story. (Weird: I am hanging out with people where saying 'yeah, I'm going to be posting on the XCKD: Overrated blog' gives me nerd cred.)ReplyDelete
That is awesome. Search terms are amusing. (My blog gets a lot of "making out in public places" hits...)
I honestly don't know what to say to that. That is very cool.ReplyDelete
Double - that is a little weird. I wonder what the story is there. And whether Randall really found it through google after all.....ReplyDelete
Thomas - you know that I started this blog after searching for "xkcd sucks" and not finding anything, right? It's nice to know other people think the same way.
ROB: WHAT THE HELL. I have never, ever been in a situation where people think I am cool for writing on here AND IT'S MY FREAKIN BLOG. how do you manage to get so much fame off my work???
- SalazarDecember 11, 2008 at 7:11 PM
Carl- Your blog is like an obscure indie band. Almost nobody's heard of it, but to those who do, knowing about it gives you major cred.ReplyDelete
- SalazarDecember 11, 2008 at 7:24 PM
A small rewording.ReplyDelete
Carl- Your blog is like an obscure indie band. Almost nobody's heard of it, but in the right circles, knowing about it gives you major cred.
- AnonymousDecember 11, 2008 at 7:41 PM
I found the blog this way. It makes sense too. Who googles Adolf bologna? Only the 8 million people who saw it on xkcd and are trying to figure out who the hell would have used that phrase. No need to click on xkcd again, just came from there.ReplyDelete
Salazar - I hope that's true. It makes me feel important. Still, the point is that I'm not in any of those circles. Whatever. I'll be a celebrity soon enough.ReplyDelete
Anon - This makes a lot of sense. I wonder how my blog ended up so high, but I guess not that many people quoted it.
As of 121208, you have been moved down to #2 and replaced by this. Haven't a clue what it is.ReplyDelete
Well crap, you're right. What the hell is that, anyway. Guess I have to update the post.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousDecember 21, 2008 at 7:59 PM
Guilty. Found this blog exactly in the described manner. I simply NEEDED to know who else's bologna shared names with the Fuhrer. And as a long-time XKCD reader, I was delighted to find another so distraught by the comic's declining quality. A cynical companion for the tri-weekly updates. Rock on, Carl.ReplyDelete
You're back on top!ReplyDelete
This is how I found this blog.ReplyDelete


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Area items of interest
Out of the attic
Julius Todd Ard will hit the "big 50" Feb. 13. He is the son of Margaret Ard of Pink Hill and the late Norman Ard, born at Lenoir Memorial Hospital.
He has one brother, Joe, and one sister, Marla. He has four children, three daughters � Lauren, Abbey and Madison � and a son, Mitchell. He also has one grandson, Mason.
He has been employed with Southeastern Freight Lines for several years.
Home Solutions: Make your own non-toxic household cleaners
Take care of your wallet and the environment by making your own non-toxic cleaners to use at home. Here is a round up of �recipes.�
All Purpose Cleaner: Mix half a cup of vinegar and a quarter cup of baking soda into half a gallon of water. Use this solution for removal of water deposit stains on shower stall panels, bathroom chrome fixtures, windows and bathroom mirrors.
Bathroom Mold Cleaner: Mold in bathroom tile grout is a common problem and can be a health concern. Mix one part 3 percent hydrogen peroxide with two parts water in a spray bottle and spray on areas with mold. Wait at least one hour before rinsing or using the shower.
Oven Cleaner: Moisten oven surfaces with sponge and water. Use three-fourths cup of baking soda, one-fourth cup of salt and one-fourth cup of water to make a thick paste, and spread throughout oven interior. Let it sit overnight. Remove with a spatula and wipe clean. Rub gently with fine steel wool for tough spots.
Window Cleaner: Add half a cup of white vinegar to a gallon of water.
Dry Carpet Shampoo: Mix half a cup of cornstarch and two cups of baking soda. Shake into dry carpet and let sit for an hour. Vacuum up.
Toilet Cleaner: Sprinkle some baking soda and lemon juice into your toilet and walk away. Scrub it with a toilet brush after an hour.
Furniture Polish: Combine one part vegetable oil and one part lemon juice. Rub in and wipe clean.
Upholstery Spot Remover: Blot the stain with club soda.
Drain Cleaner: Combine one cup of salt, one cup of vinegar and one cup of soda. Pour down drain. Flush with three quarts of boiling water.
Pre-wash Stain Remover: Before laundering, soak stains in one cup of sudsy ammonia, one cup of Ivory dishwashing liquid and six cups of water.
Coffeemaker Cleaner: Fill the water reservoir of the coffeemaker with a mixture of half white vinegar and half water. Turn on the coffeemaker. Let several cups run through, then turn it off and let sit for an hour. Start the machine again to complete the cycle, discarding the vinegar mixture afterward. Run plain water through the coffeemaker a few times until the vinegar odor disappears.
Caution: Never mix bleach with any type of acid such as ammonia or vinegar. It will cause toxic fumes that are very dangerous.
Resource: Utah State University Cooperative Extension
Trudy W. Pickett is extension family and consumer agent at the Lenoir County Cooperative Extension Office, 1791 N.C. 11/55. Reach her at 252-527-2191 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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A tiny alert formed on the top corner of Morrigan's glasses. That meant that the police were en route, and that meant the window for getting clear would be short. "Shit." she said. This was supposed to be a hit and run, easy job. Kill the security, torture the target then place a bullet in his brain. Not hard at all right? No one told her that a bunch of fecking amateurs would start firing mortars and get the fecking garda on their trails from the get go.
Morrigan was slightly upset.
As she made her way up the stairwell, she listened as the shooting gradually stopped, and the screams started, then gradually stopped as well. "Don't tell me I missed all the action" she said, stopping on the floor below where her earstwhile partner was stationed in the parking garage. As luck would have it, this was when the man's security team was moving as quickly as possible towards the stairwell, attempting to keep their charge safe. "Target sited. How's the form, Smokescreen?" she asked over the hands free, watching through the door's tiny window as the security team approached. Moving away from the door, she opened her guitar case, and pulled out the old favorite, the Mossberg. Perfect for close quarters, and loaded with slugs to maximize damage versus armor. Time for a good old fashion stealthy ambush she thought as she moved to the next floor up, ready to take the group of guards through dynamic entry when they came through the door.


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Electrical contractors can streamline bond application and delivery with Web-based surety management systems.
The slowing economy, high-profile bankruptcies, and Sept. 11th attacks sent the surety industry into a tailspin, forcing more electrical contractors to secure surety bonding. Rather than get buried under a mountain of paperwork, however, some contractors are using Web-based surety management systems to manage their line of credit and keep track of outstanding bonds.
Robert Duke, director of underwriting with the Surety Association of America (SAA), Washington, D.C., defines a surety bond as a type of insurance in which the surety company guarantees the owner that a contractor will fulfill a contract.
"By providing a surety bond, the surety is saying to the owner that this contractor is qualified to perform the project and if not, it will step in and provide protection," Duke says.
Electrical contractors have been legally required to apply for bonds on federal projects for more than a century, but Web-based surety management systems have just recently come to the forefront. Duke says he is only aware of a handful of Web sites that offer online bonding.
"For the most part, we see the contractors still working through a bond or insurance agent and obtaining the bond that way," Duke says. "Some of the processes for applying for a bond, however, have been automated, which benefits the contractor by streamlining the process, reducing or eliminating the paper that has to be completed, and improving turnaround times in terms of getting a bond request fulfilled."
While the surety bonding process is not yet entirely paperless, Duke says automation has increased efficiency within the industry in three different areas — the application process, surety bond issuance, and bond execution. To apply for a bond, an electrical contractor typically calls or faxes an insurance agent, who transcribes the contractor's information and sends it to the surety company for approval. A contractor can now eliminate a step, however, by submitting that information electronically.
Electronic signatures have also streamlined the bonding process. Traditionally, the insurance company had to overnight the bond to the electrical contractor, who physically signed the paper bond with a "wet signature." Today, contractors can insert their electronic signature into the bond by signing an "e-pad," a technology commonly used for credit card purchases at department stores or supermarkets.
Along with using e-pad technology to sign their bonds, a few electrical contractors are also applying for bonds online.
Clay Foltz, president of TheBondAgency.com, says electrical contractors are qualified to use the Web-based surety management system, but many haven't yet embraced the technology and still prefer a face-to-face relationship with an insurance agent. For that reason, TheBondAgency.com assigns a local account correspondent to each contractor to provide on-site service and consultation.
"We have a lot of people that apply over the Web and then we establish their account and administer it the old-fashioned way by phone and fax," Foltz says. "We only have a small handful of clients who are actually using the full capabilities of the processing end of it."
Some Web-savvy contractors, however, have been receptive to the Internet-based surety management system.
"We're working with a lot of people that have no problem whatsoever in applying for and administering their bonds online," Foltz says. "More and more people every day are willing to come online, transmit sensitive data, and apply for a bond."
TheBondAgency.com and its affiliated insurance agency, Dover, Del.-based Delmarva Underwriters, have automated the surety bond application process for electrical contractors. Contractors can visit the Web site, complete a one-page pre-qualification form online, and get pre-approved for a bond. The company then sets up the contractors with a user name and password and a personal home page, where they can complete a detailed application form, update their company profile, and review the status of their account.
Having the contractor's information available on the Web makes it easier to communicate with the surety company, Foltz says. The contractor's financial statements, however, aren't posted on the Web due to their sensitive nature. Instead, they are sent electronically to the surety company through e-mail.
"Our industry is driven by what I call second and third generation faxes," Foltz says. "The contractor faxes information to me, and then I have to fax it to an underwriter. By the time the underwriter gets it, it's third generation and is difficult to read. One of the hurdles we always struggle with is how to transfer papers. The more I can put out on the Web for the underwriter to look at, the easier it becomes."
Insurance agencies aren't the only ones developing Web-based surety management systems. A Montvale, N.J.-based surety company is dealing directly with electrical contractors to issue surety bonds online rather than working through an insurance agency.
"We underwrite the account and give contractors their limits in writing like you would with a credit card," says Wayne Nunziata, president of Colonial Surety Co., which was founded in 1930. "That's very different than what anyone else is doing in the industry. We give the contractor power of attorney to issue our bonds. In essence, the contractors get more control of their business."
Before electrical contractors can perform online bonding, they must undergo an in-depth application process. After the contractor completes a detailed application and submits two to four years of financial records, Colonial Surety Co. calls each of the contractor's references to make sure the company is running a profitable and professional business.
"If we get bad references, we don't write the contractor, even if his financials are great," Nunziata says. "If his financials are questionable but we get good references, then we talk to the contractor on where we can go with it. We rely on their ability to perform."
Once the contractor has completed the application process and been approved for a line of credit, Colonial Surety sends a letter to the contractor confirming its single and aggregate limits. When the contractor accepts the offer, a field representative visits the company to install the necessary software and train the staff on how to use the system. The contractor can then start issuing bonds and drawing upon its line of credit. With the Partnership Account, contractors can manage their company's line of credit anytime and anywhere with a user name and password. Nunziata says his company launched its Partnership Account program last year and now has 250 subscribers.
"Contractors love it," he says. "We've gotten a considerable amount of new business. People are moving to us not for cost, but control — especially in this market."
Nunziata says he gives his customers more authority than insurance agents.
"They're given power of attorney to issue bonds up to $10 million in a single project without asking us," he says. "It's a different way of doing business, but in the long run, electrical contractors will see how they can improve their business that way."
From an insurance agent's perspective, however, bid bonds and performance bonds are still more of a face-to-face function, says Bill Krumm, vice president of Near North Insurance Brokerage Inc., Chicago.
"The broker has a better handle on the current state of the industry, knows which companies may best suit the contractor's needs, has a relationship with the underwriters, and can aggressively seek the best deal out there for the contractor," he says. "While electronic delivery of financial- and job-related information is an excellent tool, it is more important than ever to get surety underwriters in front of potential clients. The real gem of the Internet will be the ability to deliver bid bonds, performance, and payment bonds electronically."
Sidebar: 10 Things You Need to Know about Surety Bonding
Here are some things to keep in mind when applying for a surety bond, either online or through an insurance agent.
A surety bond is a three-party agreement among the contractor, surety company, and owner. Surety bonds used in construction are called contract surety bonds.
The three types of contract surety bonds are bid bonds, performance bonds, and payment bonds.
Surety bonding is like bank credit. The surety company's primary obligation is not to lend a contractor money, but to use its financial resources to back the contractor's commitment to completing the contract.
Since 1893, the U.S. government has required contractors on federal public works contracts to obtain surety bonds. The current federal law, the Miller Act, requires performance and payment bonds for all public work contracts in excess of $100,000 and payment protection for contracts above $25,000.
Contractors undergo an in-depth pre-qualification process before being issued a surety bond. The contractor needs good references, experience matching the requirements of the contract, and the ability to obtain the necessary equipment to do the work.
Surety bonds offer assurance that the contractor is capable of completing the contract on time, within budget, and according to specifications. The risk involved with construction is shifted from the owner to the surety company.
In the event of contractor failure, the owner must formally declare the contractor in default. The surety company may then re-bid the job for completion, bring in a replacement contractor, provide financial and/or technical assistance to the existing contractor, or pay the penal sum of the bond.
The cost of the performance bond is a one-time premium, which ranges from 1% to 2.5% of the contract amount, depending on the size and type of the project and the contractor's bonding capacity.
To bond a project, the owner specifies the bonding requirements in the contract documents. Obtaining bonds and delivering them to the owner is the responsibility of the contractor who will consult with a surety bond producer.
Contract surety bonds assure project completion, guarantee that the laborers, suppliers, and contractors will be paid, and screen out unqualified contractors and irresponsible competition.
Source: Surety Association of America, Washington, D.C.
Sidebar: The State of the Surety Industry
The surety industry is experiencing one of the most tumultuous periods in its history, says Bill Krumm, vice president of Chicago-based Near North Insurance Brokerage, Inc. "We're seeing capacity decreasing, pricing increasing, and underwriting tightening," he says.
Wayne Nunziata of Montvale, N.J.-based Colonial Surety Co. says the number of reinsurance companies has recently decreased from more than 20 to less than 10. "You have the consolidation of the national companies and the elimination of a lot of local and regional companies because they just went out of business," he says. "They just wrote too freely."
The industry has also had a terrible loss ratio, Nunziata says. The pure loss ratio last year, before commissions, expenses, and overhead, was more than 70% last year, compared to 30% five years ago. While many surety and insurance companies have closed their doors, a lot of contractors have also folded. About 10,000 contractors go out of business each year, according to Dun and Bradstreet.
"It's difficult for everyone to obtain bonding right now," says Clay Foltz, president of TheBondAgency.com. "The recession, even though it wasn't that severe in terms of duration or extent, still caused a lot of contractor failures, which has cost the surety industry some losses. We are in what's called a hard market and that's for everybody, not just electricians."
Sidebar: For More Information
For more information on Web-based surety management systems, visit the following Web sites.
TheBondAgency.com provides contractors with a user name and password and personal home page. Contractors can prequalify for surety bonds online, download forms, receive bonds by e-mail, and update their company profile.
Contractors can track the amount of bonding they have available and work off a line of credit through Colonial Surety's Partnership Account. The surety company works directly with the contractor rather than going through an insurance agency.
The Surety Information Office's (SIO) Web site has a wealth of information on topics such as the basics of surety bonding, how to obtain bonds, and filing bonds electronically. Contractors can also order a free CD on surety bonding through SIO's Web site.


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Wednesday, February 9, 2011
TEDx Free live streaming food talks this Saturday
Just a quick note that TEDx Manhattan's theme this Saturday, February 12th is "Changing the way we eat" and they will be holding a free live-stream of all the speakers from 10:30AM to 6 PM with dozens of awesome food speakers including president of Slow Food national Josh Viertel. Check out the speakers and how to stream on their site here: http://www.tedxmanhattan.org/ its a great chance to catch a number of talks while kicking back after a trip to you favorite farmer's market.
1 comment:
- Runescape Gold said...
Saturday, feb . 12th is "Changing the way in which we eat" plus they are able to be holding a definitely free live-stream of all the speakers from 10:30AM.
When we play the WOW, we need to try get the WOW Gold Cheap,thst's to say, spend less money, do we have any good way to get theCheap Aion Kina from trust friends or some way else? When we have that we can play the game becomes more quickly and update the levels more easy.
- October 28, 2011 at 1:46 AM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Friends, I wanted to let everyone know that I have started a new blog that will follow Nathan and I on our journey as we become parents. Please follow us at Mazerisms-Life As A Mazer
You can also follow us on Twitter: Click to follow
Or you can follow our facebook fan page Mazerisms on Facebook
Thanks for your support! Best, Tara


text:
Earthquake Hits Queensland And It Could Lead To A Tsunami
An earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale has hit off the coast of Queensland near Bowen.
#BREAKING There's been an #earthquake off the coast of Bowen in north #Queensland— David Taylor (@DavidTaylorABC) August 18, 2016
Tremors have been felt in Airlie Beach, Mackay and Townsville.
**UPDATE** Magnitude 5.8 earthquake occurred offshore from Bowen, North Queensland. https://t.co/k269SqMMxi #7News pic.twitter.com/AJA45GAndH— 7 News Adelaide (@7NewsAdelaide) August 18, 2016
Early reports had said the quake is 'Potentially Tsunamigenic' but this has now been denied and residents should only call triple zero if they need urgent help.
Just experience my first ever #earthquake in Moranbah, Central Queensland. Very scary & shook our whole office building (which is huge).— Taylor Battersby (@taylorbattersby) August 18, 2016
There is currently no reports of any damage.
More as we get it.


text:
|Winnebago County Sheriff's OfficeNews Media Release
|News Release Number 2011-029
|Information: Update on Off-Duty Shooting Incident Involving Deputy Frank Pobjecky
|Date: 10/20/11
|Time: 2:00 PM
|Page 1 of 1
Narrative:Sheriff Richard A. Meyers announces that earlier today an administrative review of the incident involving the shooting of four armed robbery suspects, (Michael Sago, Desmond Bellmon, Brandon Sago, and Lamar Coates, Jr.) by Deputy Frank Pobjecky on October 1, 2011, at 1513 Charles Street, (Marie's Pizza) in Rockford was completed. It is important to recognize that Deputy Pobjecky was injected into a situation created by four armed robbery suspects who were carrying out a violent forcible felony while armed with a weapon. This was a real time, dynamic situation in which Deputy Pobjecky was in fear of his life and the lives of others in the business at the time of this robbery. It is our opinion that there was no opportunity for Deputy Pobjecky to react differently or use any other alternative action based upon the actions of the four suspects. This matter has been investigated by the Rockford Police Department, reviewed by the Winnebago County State's Attorney's Office, and the Winnebago County Grand Jury, and all of these processes have supported Deputy Pobjecky's actions. After reviewing the situation the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office believes that Deputy Pobjecky was in compliance with all department policies and procedures and he acted according to proper police training. We wholeheartedly support Deputy Pobjecky's commendable actions, and he will be reinstated to his normal working assignment.


text:
Biology of the Algae Lab
EEB 3250/5250 Lab
Mondays 2-4:50pm
TA: Karolina Fučíková
Contact: email@example.com
Office hours: Monday 1-2 in TLS 115 and by appointment
General Info
The labs will follow the syllabus outlined on the Biology of the Algae website. The handouts will be posted here by Friday before each lab. It will save you some time and stress if you read the handout at least superficially before the lab.
Not all, but most of the labs will likely take the full 3 hours they are scheduled for. FYI.
Lab 1 - August 25th
We are going outside, so dress accordingly (including footware).
Here are the handouts we will be using in the first lab:
1st Field Trip - September 6th
In spite of the weather threat, we've collected algae at Harkness Memorial State Park - yay! I will bring them to lab on Monday. We have extras for those who didn't come out with us, so everyone will be able to get a few specimens pressed. I WILL BE IN LAB FROM 1 PM (office hour). YOU CAN COME PRESS YOUR ALGAE THEN IF YOU ARE WORRIED YOU WON'T HAVE TIME DURING OR AFTER LAB.
Lab 2 - September 8th
- Some terms you should look at before you go to lab on Monday
- Handout for labs 2 and 3. This is the minimum you need to know for the upcoming quiz, including specified parts of the supplemental handouts I will bring to lab on Monday. There may be some optional material for you to look at, but you will not be quizzed on that.
Lab 3 - September 15th
We will be using the handouts from last time. Don't forget to bring them to lab. This lab may not be as busy as the previous one, but take this as an opportunity to look at the specimens and slides again if you need to. There is a quiz coming up the following Monday.
Lab 4 - September 22nd
Lab Quiz 1: I will ask you to identify several herbarium specimens (mostly to genus) and place them in the correct class and/or order, identify structures on permanent slides and determine what stage of the life cycle they represent. I will NOT ask you to draw life cycles of red algae, but you should be familiar with them enough to answer fairly detailed questions about them.
Handout for this and next lab to be posted soon...
We will go over life cycles (yay!) of brown algae, so bring your handout from Wednesday's lecture.
Some cool links
If you'd like to explore the amazing world of algal diversity, here's a couple of links I personally find cool.
The Tree of Life is a nice one to start with. Can you locate algae on the tree of life? Are they in a single place, all neatly together? Well, look and see.
This is a nice gallery of algae images, sorted by phylum.
If you know what organism you are looking for, you will likely find it here. No pictures though.
Some info on macroscopic marine algae.
Here you can find information on some of the morphologically most impressive algae - diatoms and desmids.
More about desmids here.
- Virtual Phycology Collection at the George Stafford Torrey Herbarium, University of Connecticut. This contains over 800 images of pressed, dried algae on herbarium sheets.


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DSIS is hosting several events for new 5th grade students who will be attending DSIS this coming fall. Each elementary feeder school will have a designated date for students to tour our building. Please consult the following list for your home campus:
April 23rd - 9:15 am Nancy Neal Elementary
12:15 am Tarver Renden Elementary
April 24th - 9:15 am Mary Jo Sheppard Elementary
12:15 am D. P. Morris & Alice Ponder Elementary
The second opportunity is a parent information night on Thursday, May 3rd from 5:00 - 6:30 pm. This is an opportunity for parents and students to tour the building and get information on courses, PTA opportunities, clubs, and extra-curriculars offered at DSIS.
So plan to attend!
Send Your News Tips
605 East Broad Street • Mansfield, Texas 76063 • (817) 299-6300 Terms of Service | Accessibility | Site Map | Contact Us©


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mobilevet necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 52 diseños de 17 diseñadores freelance.
I am a BIG fan of 99 designs and can't wait to see the logo designs that you come up with for my new business! 'Mobile Vet Vaccinations' will allow your dog(s) and cat(s) to be vaccinated and health-checked by a veterinarian in the comfort of their own home.
Mobile Vet Vaccinations
I am wanting a logo design that is eye catching. It will perhaps , but not neccessarily be suggestive of the service on offer. The logo will be used in all aspects of the business - eg: Business cards, marketing, web-page, car-magnets. Ideally the logo will include both the business name and a symbol. It will be simple, contemporary, professional, funky and stylish in design. I AM HOWEVER OPEN TO ANY SUGGESTIONS/ IDEAS!!!
Business name included - Capitals not neccessarily required.
A symbol suggestive of the service on offer . ie) A VEHICLE OR VEHICLE OUTLINE.
A logo that is easy to read quickly - ie) If seen on a passing vet vehicle.
A colour scheme that will be easy to read whilst still being classy, contemporary.
I will confirm the formats that I need for the printing company. But all formats that will be needed for webpage design and stationary etc will be required. (ie vector format + others?)
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text:
Tonight at Rogers Arena, the Ring of Honour will pay tribute to Kirk McLean. McLean came to the Vancouver Canucks via trade with the New Jersey Devils in 1987 with Greg Adams and 2nd round pick for Patrick Sundstrom, 3rd round pick, and 4th round pick. He ended up being the Canucks starting goaltender from 1987 to 1998 before being traded away to the Carolina Hurricanes by then Vancouver Canucks GM, Mike Keenan.
In 1991 he set an NHL record for most wins in the month of October with nine (later tied by Felix Potvin in 1993 and Manny Legace in 2005). He was also nominated for the Vezina trophy in the 1991-1992 season coming in second in voting losing out to Patrick Roy. He was a stand-up goaltender, whose technique as many would say was 'textbook'. McLean was a solid tender backstopping the Vancouver Canucks for 11 years.
As for many who remember Kirk McLean, his shining moments happened in the 1994 Stanley Cup Playoff run. He and the rest of the Canucks took the New York Rangers to the seventh game and were a goal away from winning the Stanley Cup.
I will never forget Kirk McLean's toe-save on the Calgary Flames' Robert Reichel in the first round of the playoffs.
How can we forget Western Conference final where he out-duelled Felix Potvin of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
He also became the first goaltender to record back-to-back shutouts in the semi-finals since the Red Wings' Terry Sawchuk did so against the Maple Leafs in 1952. McLean's shutout streak lasted a total of 143 minutes and 17 seconds. Kirk McLean opened the series with a 52-save performance, including 17 in overtime, to win the first game 3–2.
I don't think there was a goaltender in the 1994 playoffs that saw the puck better than Kirk McLean, including Mike Richter. In fact, I don't think anybody played any better than Kirk McLean in the 1994 playoffs, but they just ran out of gas in Game Seven against the Rangers. He is still to this date, my favourite Canuck goalie and it was mostly because of his 1994 playoff performance.
For those that didn't get to experience, I hate to tell you but you had to be there to get the full understanding, but watch some old highlights and you'll get the gist of why us 'old-timers' are so high on him. Kirk McLean had the hopes and dreams of Canucks fans all around and it all had to do with the timing of his saves and how he reacted to the shots. It was almost…no correction, it was magical.
When they put him up on that ring of honour tonight, the memories will flood back and a smile will form on my face because I'll remember, I'll be nostalgic and I will never forget what Kirk McLean has done for the Vancouver Canucks.
Thanks Captain Kirk, tonight we beam up you in the Ring of Honour. Congratulations.
Justine Galo [tweetmeme]


text:
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Beencounter hasn't got a lead over Yandex API in any country.


text:
Bad Tires Create Safety Problems,One of peoples' worst nightmares is having a flat tire and chances are, it will happen to each one of us at some point in our lifetime. If we are lucky, there will be someone around who both knows how to change a tire and is willing to help us. If not, we are faced with finding a phone and summoning the help of a professional, or changing the tire ourselves. In most cases, hiring a professional can prove to be somewhat expensive, so it would be beneficial for each of us to know how to safely and effectively change a tire. Some problems exist simply because people are unaware of the correct tire changing process. They will often find themselves with a spare that has gone flat or is low in air pressure. Or when everything appears to be in order for changing a tire you find that parts of the jack or some tools are missing.
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For more Results of Tire in Los Angeles,California click here; http://us.wowcity.com/losangeles/?what=Tires
First thing you should remember is to check the pressure in your spare tire each and every time you check the tires which are on your vehicle. Spare tires can lose pressure just as easy as the tires you are using. As rule of thumb, tires should be checked a minimum of once a month.


text: Hi, I've successfully set up mail server with relaying through my provider's smtp server with below 2 tutorials: http://www.howtoforge.com/virtual-users-and-domains-with-postfix-courier-mysql-and-squirrelmail-ubuntu-12.04-lts http://www.howtoforge.com/postfix_relaying_through_another_mailserver So now I'm able to send mails using smtp.xy.com:25 (after authentication), as outbounf port 25 is allowed by ISP. I have dynamic IP so I use dyndns...I guess port 25 inbound is not allowed by provider. Also I use one dynamic dns name "02.dyn.com" set in field "mx record" for 01.dyn.com, as, although I have a paid account, mx record is not covered in it... But how could I RECEIVE mails from gmail, for example? Thank you!


text:
Conceptual and UI stuff:
A lot of what I have to say is about damage done and damage received. Having the game have us do math to accomplish puzzles is great. Number of hits taken vs given. Number of spells + damage etc. Addition, substraction and a bit of multiplication. But Lets stop the math at third grade! Ok I am joking but really percents are a nightmare at time to figure out how much I am going to do, and how much I am going to take. Don't get me wrong, the bars on the mobs? Awesome. So much better than before. But I have commented on a few classes that just do an extra percent damage sometimes. We have a nice damage calculator but it doesn't tell us things in these cases. One of those cases is a tier 1 class. It is frustrating. Same goes for taking damage. I have 10% resist. Ok I can get 10% of a number. However, now I am asking myself is it rounded up or down? Is there carry over? I don't know. The bar says I can only survive one hit, but it is relevant one whether or not I am 1 hp away from taking two hits or 5 or whatever. When percents become things like 12% this is just busted and I am whipping out a calculator. Blah on calculators. The game should TELL me how much damage I am doing to the target(minus some features which are not directly related to my attack, like reflex hits, or mana shield, both of these can be done by hand and that isn't a bad thing). The game should tell me how much damage I am taking. I think some more strategies around finesse and fancy item/glyph usage might form with this information. Or maybe I am thick and lazy!
I believe I mentioned it before, but knowing what type of monsters are or could be in a dungeon before entering would be neat.
I already stated an opinion in another thread about "are you sure?" however I would like to say again that this should be an early crutch built into the game. Partially because while you are learning after you die, you may not have enough feedback to realize what went wrong. Tutorials can cover a lot of bad status effects. Death is a weird thing to learn despite being so frequent sometimes.
Game flow is nice currently. However I think hard dungeons actually might pop up a little too fast. I know vets are going to cry because that is what they want faster, but I think the game should encourage players to spend a bit more time in the directional dungeons(like it does with den of danger quests) before opening up the hard dungeons. Maybe higher money requirements for a quest so some early farming is encouraged. Or quests to get certain badges in the directional dungeons. (Intro to badges/money making with them.) I think currently it is like 4 normal dungeons runs after the tutorial and you see a hard mode. A total of 7 and you see a lot of hard modes. Not sure the unwashed masses picking this game off of steam deals will be prepared.
Questing: I like quests. I like goals. I am terrible at making goals for myself in a game. Just how I am. Fully realizing that this game has to get released someday, but more quests that showcase individual classes in rough and tumble situations would be fun. Because feeling like you are following a story for your class AND the game is a lot of fun and provides interesting goals. On that same thought I was looking at the status screen and based on the statistics there are a lot of neat goals that could be created. I kept waiting for a badge or a goal for having a positive average kill level. Or even a positive 1 average kill level. Or a goal to do a certain amount of damage and win.
There will be more on diverse topics later as well. Several things I haven't fully fleshed out in my head.


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Despite its pleasant sounding name, the so-called Sandbox Effect is more like quicksand than a playground to many webmasters.
Named for the phenomenon of new websites being held back, in the search engine results pages (SERPs) by leading search engine Google, the Sandbox Effect has many website owners upset. When a new website is indexed in Google, it often receives what many observers consider to be a new site bonus. The brand new site will rocket to the top of the SERPs charts for a brief, shining moment. From there, it's all downhill.
After the initial glorious days at the top of the search rankings for the most important keywords, the site finds itself so deeply buried in the Google SERPs as to be almost non-existent. Even though the website may have strong Google PageRank, many powerful and themed incoming links, and good content, the site will still feel the dampening effect of the Sandbox.
While the website is buried deeply in the sand at Google, the same site may enjoy strong search rankings, for the same keyword phrases in Yahoo and MSN Search. The Sandbox Effect appears to be a Google only event.
You need to examine what you can do to get out of the Sandbox. How you can use the time spent in the sandy desert, can help your site explode back into the SERPs when the damper is removed.
{mospagebreak title=What is the Sandbox Effect?}
The Sandbox Effect appears to be a search ranking damping filter, applied by Google, to sites for their first two to four months after the initial launch "fresh site bonus". The bonus for brand new sites is to appear very highly in the SERPs for a short time, based on Google's preference for fresh content.
As formerly new content ages slightly, the Sandbox filter kicks in. That is the Sandbox Effect. The average length of time for a site to remain trapped in the sand is about ninety days, although stays in the holding pattern lasting four months, are not uncommon.
Most sites appear to share the damping down effect, regardless of keyword category. The Sandbox filter appears to apply to all sites, whether or not they have many incoming links or not. Having well themed links appears to make little difference either. Content rich sites also get mired in the quicksand. Because of the near universality of the Sandbox, it must be part of Google's algorithm.
What is the Purpose of the Sandbox?
Many observers believe the purpose of the Sandbox filter is to discourage unscrupulous webmasters from using practices that are against Google's Webmaster Guidelines. Some of the techniques that Google is attempting to disrupt are the use of throw away spam sites to build early traffic, and to slow down the purchase of expired domain names to get a jump start from any pre-existing Google PageRank.
Short-term link renting and placement, until more permanent links are added, will not provide much benefit for a new site. The possibility also exists that Google doesn't give full PageRank benefit during the first few months that a site is indexed. The non-crediting of PageRank form of dampening effect would lower the value of incoming links to expired domain names.
Such a scenario would logically follow, if Google is attempting to prevent widespread purchase of expired domains. The Google toolbar might read PR7, for example, but the algorithm could credit zero PageRank value to the site's search placement. That, of course, would be a rather extreme position for Google to take on the matter.
Another practice Google may be discouraging is spam sites. If a pure spammer can't rank well within the first few months of operation, they may close their spam site down. Discouraging spammers has long been a Google goal.
Any allegedly good intentions on Google's part, however, sideswipe sites that are employing nothing against the guidelines as well. Many webmasters, especially those entirely oblivious to search engine optimization entirely, often are very confused by what has happened. They see good rankings in Yahoo and MSN Search, for example, and think they are not included in Google's index for some reason. Many others mistakenly believe that they have unknowingly triggered a Google penalty.
Another practice Google may be attempting to dampen is the purchase of links to gain initial PageRank. The people at Google may feel that a site should develop natural linking over time. They may not consider purchased links to be part of that natural website evolution. On the other hand, sites with only a few natural links, experience the same Sandbox dampening effect.
It is entirely possible as well, that a website is not placed in the Sandbox, but rather it's the links that are being monitored. The algorithm could consider the age of the links, their source website, the range of Internet providers hosting the links, and the overall link diversity in general. Either way, the result is the same. The website fails to rank as highly as expected.
{mospagebreak title=What to Do while Stuck in the Sandbox}
If your website has just entered the Sandbox, it's best to not panic. Google has not imposed a penalty on your site. You already know that your site has been indexed by Google. Instead, it's simply a natural, if a somewhat bewildering and upsetting part, of Google's algorithm. It can be an especially bitter pill to swallow, if the site had entered the SERPs, highly ranked from the new site bonus effect.
Treat the Sandbox stay as an opportunity to improve your site. Add as much fresh content to your site as possible. In the long run, Google always rewards content. Larger sites that feature more content pages will always rank highly as well. A fatal error for your website would be to stop adding content while under the Sandbox damper. That can happen to you if you think that your site was penalized, or will never rank well for your most important keywords.
Use the time in the quicksand to add incoming links to your website. If you intend to employ a link exchange strategy, now is a good time to do it. Seek out sites that are related to the main theme and topics of your website for cooperative efforts. Link out to interesting and helpful sites for your own visitors and potential customers. Linking to good sites can help, in the longer term, toward turning your site into a hub or an authority site. Since you have little to lose in the SERPs, the filtered time is a great time to start.
Submit to the various Internet directories, including The Open Directory Project, better known as DMOZ. Seek out useful directories as good sources of one-way links, additional PageRank, and potential visitor traffic. Because of the time lag between directory submission and inclusion, the Sandbox time period is an ideal time for directory submissions. Since not having the directory links isn't hurting your site while it's in the Sandbox, adding them will help your site make tremendous leaps in the SERPs, once the filter has been removed.
Develop other promotional and marketing ideas for your website to raise and maintain traffic levels during your time in the sand. Both online and offline promotional techniques will provide much needed visitors while Google is providing very limited numbers. An added bonus from this concept is your marketing and promotional activities will continue to boost your website visitor traffic in the long run, even when your site leaves the sand trap.
{mospagebreak title=Keeping the Sand Out of Your Shoes}
Since being placed in the Sandbox is inevitable, the best thing to do is prepare for the inevitability. Your goal is to lessen the damage, along with using the time to your best advantage. To keep the Sandbox filter from causing severe harm to your online, and even your offline business, be certain to plan ahead.
One technique, to avoid spending too long in the sand, is to purchase and register a domain name and park it. By placing the domain on a parked basis, some of the sand time will be run through the Google hourglass, by the time your site is ready for launch. During the time period of your parked domain, you can be preparing content when your site goes public.
Plan the time of your website launch to have the Sandbox time period passed when your site is needing high search engines rankings the most. If your site is a retail site, the last thing you need is to be filtered during the Christmas holiday shopping season. Plan for entering the Sandbox by putting your site live at least three months earlier than expected. By doing so, the dampening effect will already have been removed, in time for the busy retail season.
Carefully timing your website launch date is important for all seasonal websites. If it's important that your site be topping the SERPs, during a special time frame, take the Sandbox dampening period into consideration.
Google has placed a dampening filter in its search algorithm, which holds back new sites for three or four months, following the initial fresh site bonus.
The so-called Sandbox Effect places new websites into a brief moratorium, where they will not rank well, if they appear at all, in the SERPs.
Because the Sandbox appears to affect every new website, the onus is on the webmaster to plan for it happening to them. To counter the Sandbox, website owners are encouraged to carefully select their launch date to limit the damage.
During the sojourn in the sand, a tremendous opportunity exists to add content and incoming links to your website. That time period affords you the chance to find additional links, optimize your site, and submit to the many Internet directories.
With a little planning, and using your time in Sandbox hiatus wisely, your site can burst forth from the filter to the top of the rankings for your keywords.
The Sandbox appears to be a reality. You must be prepared to dig in that sand to help your website.


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European Commission - Press release
Digital Agenda: Commission proposes more competition, more choice and lower prices for mobile phone users abroad
Brussels, 6 July 2011 - A proposal for a long-term solution to the continued high cost of using mobile phones and other mobile devices whilst travelling in the EU (roaming) has been presented by the European Commission. The directly binding Regulation proposed would for the first time introduce structural measures to boost competition by allowing customers from 1 July 2014, if they so wish, to sign up for a cheaper mobile roaming contract, separate from their contract for national mobile services, whilst using the same phone number. The proposal would also give mobile operators (including so-called virtual mobile operators, who do not have their own network) the right to use other operators' networks in other Member States at regulated wholesale prices, and so encourage more operators to compete on the roaming market.
To cover the period until structural measures become fully effective and competition drives retail prices down, the proposal would progressively lower current retail price caps on voice and texting (SMS) services and introduce a new retail price cap for mobile data services. By 1 July 2014, roaming consumers would pay no more than 24 cents per minute to make a call, a maximum 10 cents per minute to receive a call, maximum 10 cents to send a text message and maximum 50 cents per Megabyte (MB) to download data or browse the Internet whilst travelling abroad (charged per Kilobyte used).
Neelie Kroes, European Commission Vice President for the Digital Agenda, said: "This proposal tackles the root cause of the problem – the lack of competition on roaming markets – by giving customers more choice and by giving alternative operators easier access to the roaming market. It would also immediately bring down prices for data roaming, where operators currently enjoy outrageous profit margins."
The proposal aims to meet the objective set in the Digital Agenda for Europe that differences between roaming and national telecoms tariffs should approach zero by 2015 (see IP/10/581, MEMO/10/199 and MEMO/10/200). This objective will be met if competition in mobile markets gives consumers a rapid and easy choice of roaming service at, or close to, domestic prices. The proposal will be submitted to the European Parliament and EU's Council of Ministers for adoption.
A report adopted by the Commission today on the current roaming Regulation indicates that it has temporarily reduced prices for roaming phone calls and text messages but has not remedied the lack of competition in the roaming market, with prices remaining stubbornly close to the retail caps. This confirms findings of the preliminary report published on 30 June 2010 (see IP/10/851).
The Commission's proposal would tackle the current lack of competition and consumer choice by:
Until these structural solutions fully delivered their results the proposal would:
Under the new Regulation, operators would still be obliged to provide information on roaming prices to consumers when crossing into another Member State, but customers would be able to easily opt out of receiving this information.
For more information
See MEMO/11/485
European Commission's roaming website:
Digital Agenda website: http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda
Neelie Kroes' website: http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/kroes/
Follow Neelie Kroes on Twitter: http://twitter.com/neeliekroeseu
Current and proposed retail price caps (excluding VAT)
Current and proposed wholesale price caps (on prices operators charge each other):
The proposed retail caps serve as a mere safety-net for consumers, while the Commission expects that the proposed competition-enhancing structural measures will deliver innovative pan-European offers and cheaper prices, significantly below the safeguard caps
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Clovis: Obama's race shields him from impeachment
Hinton Republican, former radio host, says he can talk language of GOP base
By DOUGLAS BURNS
, Staff Writer
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sam Clovis (left) speaks with his campaign manager Chuck Laudner outside the Daily Times Herald offices following an interview Monday morning.
Listen here...
Clovis on Obama impeachment
April 8, 2014
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sam Clovis, a firebrand northwest Iowa conservative, says he believes many congressional Republicans want to impeach President Obama. The only thing standing in their way, Clovis said in an interview, is the color of the president's skin.
"I would say there are people in the House of Representatives right now that would very much like to take the opportunity to start the process," Clovis said of impeaching the nation's first African-American president. "And I think the reason that they're not is because they're concerned about the media."
In an interview with the Daily Times Herald, Clovis, who did not provide reasons for why the president would be vulnerable to impeachment, said the media would cover the issues surrounding such proceedings differently with a black president than a white one with the same record.
"It's not that what he has done would not rise to the level where it might be impeachable," Clovis said. "I don't think it's a practical, pragmatic issue. And simply because I don't think the nation is ready for it."
He said the impeachment of President Bill Clinton didn't end well.
"Now we have a situation where race is thrown into the cards as well," Clovis said. "Whether we like it or not, race is an issue."
In a wide-ranging, 45-minute interview Monday in Carroll, Clovis, a retired Air Force colonel and a former conservative talk-radio host in Sioux City, had strong criticism for Obama on foreign policy.
Clovis said the Obama administration is guilty of placating Iran, Syria and Egypt. Obama has also "agitated and aggravated" Israel and South Korea, the GOP candidate said.
"Those are all things that I think show that you really don't care about the friendships, the alliances and the long-standing relationships that we've had with a lot of these nations around the world," Clovis said.
Back on the home front, Clovis is a staunch advocate of term limits and said he would serve only two, six-year terms in the Senate. House members should be limited to 12 years as well, he said.
Breaking up the seniority system is central to cutting government spending and limiting federal power, Clovis said.
"I think that system is a system that's fraught with the potential for corruption, and I really do think the special interests, and the seniority system that are applied inside each conference in the Senate, is really something I don't think is appropriate," Clovis said,
Bottom line: It's not right for members of Congress to focus on bringing projects and funding programs in their states, Clovis said.
"If you're no longer concerned about incumbency and re-election, you have the opportunity then to really focus on what's best for the nation and then what's best for the state if you're a U.S. senator," Clovis said.
Sooner or later, he said, members of Congress need to see some of their own pet programs cut or killed for the betterment of the nation.
The Republican U.S. Senate field now includes Clovis; state Sen. Joni Ernst of Red Oak; former U.S. Attorney Matt Whitaker of Clive; Mark Jacobs of West Des Moines, the retired CEO of Texas-based Reliant Energy; and Ames car salesman Scott Schaben, a Kuemper Catholic High School alum.
U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley of Waterloo is the presumptive Democratic candidate. Veteran U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, is retiring at the end of the year.
Clovis said that recent endorsements from Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle Forum, a long-standing conservative organization with roots in the early 1970s battles over the Equal Rights Amendment for women, and the Citizens United Victory Fund, show that while other candidates in the field are getting airtime, he's stoking the grassroots base.
"That exactly where we are, and I'm not trying to be coy," Clovis said.
Polls now, several months before the June primary, are more about name recognition than substance, Clovis said,
"If you're looking for form, we have candidates you can look at that are pretty attractive," Clovis said. "If you're looking for substance the choices are pretty few. They're very few, and they're very simple - and it comes straight to me. I think this is what people are finding out across the state."
Clovis said he connects with rank-and-file Republicans who make the call on their fall candidate.
"I can talk their language," Clovis said. "Even though I have the education background and all the other factors that go into this, I have a way of being able to communicate with people and they understand."
Clovis, a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, raised questions about two of his primary opponents. It's fair to ask whether Jacobs, who recently moved to Iowa after a career in Texas, is a "certifiable Iowan" who is seeking to serve out of "genuineness," said Clovis.
"Is this an opportunistic thing that's occurring?" Clovis said. "Did this come about because of some plan, or did he just think it was a good idea?"
Clovis said the clearest distinction on the GOP side of the Senate race is between his candidacy and that of Jacobs.
What's more, conservatives will have trust issues with Ernst, Clovis said, citing support her campaign has from Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds and party insider David Oman, a former chief of staff to Govs. Terry Branstad and Robert Ray.
Ernst's connections with the establishment will trouble many GOP primary voters, Clovis said.
"I would suggest that it might," Clovis said.
He added, "The situation as I see it is that you are known by the people with whom you associate."
Clovis said Iowans can clearly see that there are "big government people" endorsing other Republicans in the race.
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They know that you can only be impeached for doing something illegal and not just something they don't like, right?
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Joe C
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Mr. Clovis: Obama's skin is 1/2 white, so YOU trying to pull a racial issue from this is clear evidence of your own feelings, not the feelings of the American citizenry!
Obama should be impeached based solely on the multiple breaches of our U.S. Constitution, of his failure to act in a non-treasonous manner concerning Benghazi, of his inability to follow the laws that exist in this country, of his openly hostile attitude towards our citizens and our flag!!
If you are running for political office, then you should acquaint yourself with the U.S. Constitution, because if you flaunt your disregard for it as harshly as Obama does, then you, too, should face impeachment!
Read up on PatriotsforAmerica.org ~ they are a highly organized group who truly believe our GOD is being violated by this administration, so much so that we are planning to "visit" Washington DC on May 16th, with full intentions of not leaving until all appropriate impeachments have taken place.
Our existing Representatives have all been served with our itinerary and a copy of the Articles of Impeachment that we are demanding be filed.
A little antiquated to take the stand that "Americans won't impeach based on race" ~~ we won't impeach based on race. You are right. We have so many reasons, all of them with such higher validity that race!
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Kathy Stimer
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Not sure why anyone would take him as a serious candidate for elected office... except that western Iowa continues to put Steve King in office.
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Barry Wilson
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Why wasn't George Worthless Bush impeached? He started 2 wars on false claims of WMD's. He killed over 7000 young americans on his lies. wounded over 40000 young troops so bad they will never recover. spent over $3 trillion on his wars on lies. Killed over 100000 innocent iraquis for nothing. He should have been impeached but the republican house refused and I suppose as clovis said because of his color, white and a republican. Clovis is a nightmare in the eyes of good republicans. This is what congress does not. We have enough there already that said on the day Obama was inaugurated that they main objective for the next 4 years was to make Obama a one term president. That is all they have done for the last 5 years. The party of NO!!
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Gary Venteicher
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Obama can, and should, be impeached. However, Senate Democrats would block conviction. Therefore, I would like to offer this alternative:
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Kevin Groenhagen
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Yeah...nevermind that Obama hasn't done anything that is an impeachable action...we just can't do it because the black folk will get all uppity on us.
When will these disgusting bigots go back into the closet?
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laurie sampson
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Sam Clover is throwing red meat to the base. What Clover seems to be implying without actually stating verbatim is that he would like to or would try to, if elected, impeach the President, but uses the media as a loophole or wiggle room per se, presumably knowing there is no case to be made.
But there is a difference between saying the president should be impeached and actually having a legitimate case to make that proves President Obama has committed treason, bribery and/or other high crimes.
Since there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that even comes remotely close to convicting President Obama then of course there would be a huge backlash from media and the public both. It does not, however, have anything to do with his race.
So Clover is doing the next best thing: underhandedly misleading the base, none the wiser, into believing something that is untrue so they will vote for him.
Any candidate, incumbent or challenger, who willingly, deliberately & knowingly engages in such dishonest tactics is untrustworthy and thus undeserving of office. IMHO
Unfortunately, I suspect, the base is likely to disagree.
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Mindy Huie
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University Policy
Adopted by the President
October 6, 2010
Purpose: Establishes University-wide Policy on:
Applies to: All faculty and staff
Covers: All Contracts between the University and others, including employees, outside vendors, non-profit and for-profit entities
Questions: Contact Office of Counsel 273-5824.
Employees may sign Contracts in the name of the University only if they have authority to sign as set forth in this Policy. Students, faculty, consultants and independent contractors do not have authority to sign Contracts that bind the University. The term "Contract" is defined, broadly, to mean any document intended to set forth an agreement or arrangement between the University and an outside party (see Section VI of this Policy for further definition). This policy does not apply to internal memoranda of understanding or similar agreements that govern internal relationships between University schools, divisions or subsidiaries.
It is the responsibility of anyone who presents a Contract for signature and who signs a Contract in the name of the University to read and understand the terms of the Contract, assure that the Contract has been reviewed and approved as set forth in this Policy and that the business terms of the Contract are fair and reasonable to the University. This policy assumes that those who present Contracts for approval and signature have followed the normal business practices and policies of the University relating to initiating a business relationship or transaction, getting approval for capital spending, and the like.
Under the Code of Conduct, an employee who has a conflict of interest with respect to a Contract does not have authority to sign the Contract and should not be involved in the approval process with respect to the Contract. The Code of Conduct applies whether the subject of the Contract is commercial or academic.
Signing a Contract on behalf of the University is an important responsibility and should be done only by someone with authority and an understanding of the obligation being undertaken. A person who signs a Contract on behalf of the University without authority may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination. A person who signs without authority in some cases even may be liable for the obligations, debts and risks under that Contract. The individual's liability may be personal. The University will not be bound by the terms of a Contract signed by an individual without authority unless an Officer of the University subsequently agrees that the University will honor the Contract.
All University Contracts must be in writing, which may include electronic (but not email) form. No contract will bind the University unless in writing and signed according to this policy.
This Policy applies equally to amendments and terminations of Contracts.
This Policy supersedes any conflicting practice, policy, delegations or guidelines.
The President of the University must be informed in advance about all Significant Commitments, before the commitment is communicated to any Counterparty. Contracts relating to Significant Commitments must be reviewed and signed by an Officer of the University and reviewed by the General Counsel of the University.
A Significant Commitment is one that meets any ONE of the following criteria:
University Officers have authority to approve and sign all Contracts except those reserved to the President. It is expected that Officers will only sign Contracts within their general areas of authority.
Deans have authority to approve and sign Contracts that:
Deans, and not Department Chairs or other faculty with administrative appointments, have the sole authority to make verbal or written offers to and sign appointment letters with faculty in their schools.
Medical Center Officers have authority to approve and sign Contracts that:
A contract that impacts central systems or budgets or those of divisions or units of the University other than those that are the responsibility of the Dean or Medical Center Officer can be signed by a University Officer after consultation with those responsible for the other areas potentially impacted. A contract that exceeds $1 million, but is not otherwise described as beyond the signature authority of the Dean or Medical Center Officer, can be signed by an Officer of the University. If a contract contains terms that could result in unusual risk or liability for the University, the President and the Office of Counsel must be consulted before the contract can be signed.
The Department Chair or head of the Unit whose budget will bear an expense does not have authority to sign Contracts by virtue of the budgetary effect alone. Contracts can be signed only by the administrators who are named elsewhere in this policy or by administrators who have been delegated authority to sign that kind of Contract by a delegation on file with Office of Counsel. See the Office of Counsel Website for current delegations. Individual faculty members do not have authority to sign contracts that bind the University. However, if the budget of a department or unit will be charged for an expense related to a Contract, other than through allocation of central University, Medical Center, School or Division expenses, the head of the department or unit must be given an opportunity to understand the essential terms of the Contract before it is signed.
The Office of Counsel reviews certain Contracts and parts of Contracts, as described below, but it does not sign Contracts for the University, except as specifically provided in the table in Section F.
Those who are authorized to approve and sign Contracts may delegate their authority to others. Delegation must be in writing and specifically limited by agreement type and dollar amount. (See Appendix 3 for Sample Delegation Document). A person to whom authority is delegated cannot further delegate that authority to another, without the written approval of the person who made the original delegation. The person who delegates authority retains responsibility for the actions of the person to whom authority is delegated.
A copy of all delegations, re-delegations, or revocation of delegations of authority to approve and sign Contracts must be sent to the Office of Counsel to be effective and honored by the University. Delegations currently in effect are posted on the Office of Counsel website or by clicking here.
The following table identifies who must approve and sign various types of common obligations or contracts (except in cases of unavailability, when any University Officers may sign.) Others may not sign unless they are University Officers or unless they have been delegated authority elsewhere in this Policy or in a written document on file with the Office of Counsel. The table also lists review and approval required before signature. If a Contract does not appear on the table, consult the Office of Counsel to determine appropriate review and signature. All of the authority below is subject to the limitations described in Section II A-G of this policy, above.
All Contracts that involve the provision of goods or services to the University should be on University purchase orders, except for those Contracts that are within the approval and signing authority of others besides the Director of Corporate Purchasing according to the above table. Preferably, even those Contracts should be in the form of University purchase orders if for goods or services normally acquired by a purchase order. The only exceptions are those Contracts that typically contain unique terms, such as for construction/renovation and contracts for accounting, public relations creative, legal and investment services.
All Counterparties, before entering into a Contract with the University to provide any goods or services, whether or not in the form of a purchase order, must complete the Supplier Qualification Process. This process insures that resulting contracts with the Counterparties are governed by standard terms that the University has developed to protect its interests. Completing the Supplier Qualification Process is done by visiting the Corporate Purchasing website at www.rochester.edu/purchasing/qualify.cfm and providing the required information and forms to Corporate Purchasing. No Contract should be presented for signature until each Counterparty has completed the Supplier Qualification Process.
Note: The University's standard terms and conditions are not intended to serve as a Contract in its entirety. A Contract also must include the business terms, outlined in the sample term sheet in Appendix 2 of this Policy. Other unique terms may be appropriate depending on the nature of the transaction. It is the responsibility of the person presenting a Contract for signature to properly document and make part of the Contract the relevant business terms.
Some Counterparties may ask for changes to the University's standard terms or may present their own form of contract to be used along with, or instead of, the University's terms. In such cases, Corporate Purchasing will review the Counterparty's requested changes. Corporate Purchasing may negotiate changes to the standard terms that do not require review of Office of Counsel per this Policy.
Unless the Contract is in a standard format previously approved by the Office of Counsel and the essential terms have not been modified, the following Contracts require Office of Counsel review before they can be signed:
Contracts presented to counsel for review or to the appropriate signatory ideally should be accompanied either by a term sheet (See Appendix 2 for a sample) or a memorandum describing the core business terms agreed upon with the other parties, but at a minimum should be discussed with counsel and not simply sent to the office without any detail about the arrangement. All exhibits, appendices and other documents referred to by, or incorporated into the Contract must be provided because they are part of the legally binding agreement. This can include requests for proposal and responses, statements of work or services, policies and procedures, insurance requirements and certificates of insurance, and property or equipment descriptions.
In general, Office of Counsel review is limited to legal terms and not business terms, for which the signatories remain ultimately responsible. In particular, where the Office of Counsel reviews a contract because it contains one or more of terms on the above list, the Office of Counsel is not therefore responsible for review of the business terms in the agreement or for the decision to enter into it. Other offices, including Corporate Purchasing and/or the department initiating or implementing the Contract, have the primary responsibility to negotiate and review the overall agreement to make sure that it is in the best business interests of the University and consistent with University policy generally.
Contracts can include terms that may seem innocuous or insignificant to administrators, but may be legally important. All personnel are encouraged to consult with the Office of Counsel if they have any question about the meaning of language in a Contract.
Anyone that initiates or becomes involved in a potential Significant Transaction on behalf of the University should report this fact to senior leadership and the Office of Counsel even before a memorandum of understanding, letter of intent or a Contract is prepared. A potential Significant Transaction is one that (1) involves expenditure of funds that are significant in relation to the budget of the department, unit or school that will be the source of funding, or (2) is likely to generate significant positive or negative publicity or controversy, (3) could result in unusual or significant liability or (4) involves international or out of state operation. See further the definition in Section IIA of Significant Commitments that require review by the President, Senior Leadership and the General Counsel.
Because of the unusual compliance and risk issues associated with transactions involving other countries, any University transaction or arrangement that involves permanent University operations, presence or offices in a state outside NYS or a country outside the U.S., or the transfer of material or technology outside the U.S., must be reviewed with the Office of Counsel and the President. Such an agreement must be signed on behalf of the University by the President. The only exception to the above concerns study abroad arrangements or individual, intermittent faculty research. Review is particularly critical if an office will be maintained by the University or employees or agents paid in a foreign country.
The Official Repository (as identified by the Policy on Retention of University Records should keep the original, signed Contract for the period indicated in that policy. A copy of the signed final Contract (if reviewed by the Office of Counsel) should be sent to the Office of Counsel (to the attention of the attorney who reviewed it).
"University" includes all of its constituent divisions, departments and units. Appendix 1 lists the divisions that are legally part of the University of Rochester, to which this policy applies.
"Officer" means Officer of the University. It includes (1) the Chair of the Board of Trustees, (2) the President, (3) the Provost, (4) the Treasurer, (5) the Secretary, and (6) the full Vice Presidents of the University (which include the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Sciences and Engineering and the Dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry). Officers of the University do not include Deans (other than noted above), vice provosts, assistant or associate vice presidents, or Medical Center Officers (who are not also University Vice Presidents.)
"Medical Center Officer" for purpose of this policy only means: (1) CEO of Strong Memorial Hospital, and (2) the Chief Financial Officer of the Medical Center.
"Deans" means the Deans of (1) the School of Arts and Sciences, (2) the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, (3) the College, (4) the Eastman School of Music, (4) the School of Nursing, (5) the Warner School of Education, (6) the Simon School of Business, and (7) the River Campus Libraries as well as (8) the Directors of the Eastman Institute for Oral Health, the Memorial Art Gallery and the Laboratory for Laser Energetics. The term "Deans" does not include deans other than those listed above, Center directors, or assistant or associate deans.
"Vice President" includes titles that imply a higher level of authority, such as "Senior" or "Executive," but does not include those that imply a lower level of authority, such as "Associate" or "Assistant."
"Contract" means any document intended to set forth an agreement or arrangement between the University and an outside party. A document need not be labeled "contract" to be covered by this policy. A document labeled "agreement," "memorandum of understanding," (or MOU) "lease," "license," "letter of intent," and even a letter, or any other similar written item indicating or implying a legally enforceable document, is a Contract under this policy if it describes an obligation of the University, either to do or not do something or to pay money. A purchase order is a Contract, although an internal requisition is not, because it is purely internal and does not document an agreement with an outside party. A Contract can be in electronic form. This policy does not apply to internal memoranda of understanding or similar agreements that govern internal relationships between University schools, divisions or subsidiaries. Any question whether a document is a Contract should be referred to the Office of Counsel.
"Counterparty" means any person or entity that is a party to a Contract with the University. A "Joint Venture" is an undertaking or arrangement between the University and a Counterparty whereby the two work toward a common purpose and in which the University and the Counterparty have equal control over operations or governance and both share in the profits or losses.
"Significant Commitment" is defined in Section IIA and in Section III C.
The responsible office for the Policy on Contracts, Signatures and Financial Authority is the Office of Counsel. Questions about this Policy can be addressed to the Office of Counsel.
The following policies relate to this policy and should be consulted:
Capital Spending Policy
Business Code of Conduct
Policy on Retention of University Records
Policy on Transactions and Ventures with For-Profit Businesses


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One of the main principles of passive house construction (read about this fantastic energy-saving way of building in this recent New York Times article) is making the building envelope as close to airtight as possible–to keep heat and cold from leaking in and out where they're not supposed to. Several construction techniques unique to passive house design help achieve that goal, most notably the principle of keeping the inside and outermost layers of the house detached from the framework studs so they don't have to be punctured for screws. But special construction techniques aren't the only way to keep your house airtight: If you're building from scratch, you can reconsider what appliances you'll be installing, too.
Your clothes dryer (if you even use one) is especially important, because the exhaust vent leading to outdoors a traditional dryer requires typically allows far more air in and out of the house than just the hot air from the dryer. A more energy-conserving option is a condensing dryer. These dryers dispose of hot, damp air by turning the water in it into condensation and draining it away, then keeping the heat from the air to keep drying the clothes–as opposed to just sending the heat and moisture outside as waste, like a conventional dryer does. And since a condensing dryer doesn't send anything outside, it doesn't need a vent—so you don't have to cut a leaky hole into your house for one!
And while you're saving energy by installing a condensing dryer in your house, you can save it inside the machine, too. Wool Dryer Balls look like tennis balls, and dropping a few in the dryer with your clothes not only shortens drying time but reduces wrinkling, too. And there are countless green cleaning products for the wash. Among Green Depot's favorites: Oxy-Boost is a fantastic alternative to chlorine bleach, and Charlie's Soap Laundry Powder works like a charm without phosphates or fragrances–and comes in a nifty old-timey package, too.


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Reptile, any member of the class Reptilia, the group of air-breathing vertebrates that have internal fertilization, amniotic development, and epidermal scales covering part or all of their body. The major groups of living reptiles—the turtles (order Testudines), tuatara (order Rhynchocephalia [Sphenodontida]), lizards and snakes (order Squamata), and crocodiles (order Crocodylia, or Crocodilia)—account for over 8,700 species. Birds (class Aves) share a common ancestor with crocodiles in subclass Archosauria and are technically one lineage of reptiles, but they are treated separately (see bird).
The extinct reptiles included an even more diverse group of animals that ranged from the marine plesiosaurs, pliosaurs, and ichthyosaurs to the giant plant-eating and meat-eating dinosaurs of terrestrial environments. Taxonomically, Reptilia and Synapsida (a group of mammal-like reptiles and their extinct relatives) were sister groups that diverged from a common ancestor during the Middle Pennsylvanian Epoch (approximately 312 million to 307 million years ago). For millions of years representatives of these two groups were superficially similar. However, slowly lifestyles diverged, and from the synapsid line came hairy mammals that possessed an endothermic (warm-blooded) physiology and mammary glands for feeding their young. All birds and some groups of extinct reptiles, such as selected groups of dinosaurs, also evolved an endothermic physiology. However, the majority of modern reptiles possess an ectothermic (cold-blooded) physiology. Today only the leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) has a near-endothermic physiology. So far no reptile, living or extinct, has developed specialized skin glands for feeding its young.
General features
Most reptiles have a continuous external covering of epidermal scales. Reptile scales contain a unique type of keratin called beta keratin; the scales and interscalar skin also contain alpha keratin, which is a trait shared with other vertebrates. Keratin is the main component of reptilian scales. Scales may be very small, as in the microscopic tubercular scales of dwarf geckos (Sphaerodactylus), or relatively large, as in the body scales of many groups of lizards and snakes. The largest scales are the scutes covering the shell of a turtle or the plates of a crocodile.
Other features also define the class Reptilia. The occipital condyle (a protuberance where the skull attaches to the first vertebra) is single. The cervical vertebrae in reptiles have midventral keels, and the intercentrum of the second cervical vertebra fuses to the axis in adults. Taxa with well-developed limbs have two or more sacral vertebrae. The lower jaw of reptiles is made up of several bones but lacks an anterior coronoid bone. In the ear a single auditory bone, the stapes, transmits sound vibrations from the eardrum (tympanum) to the inner ear. Sexual reproduction is internal, and sperm may be deposited by copulation or through the apposition of cloacae. Asexual reproduction by parthenogenesis also occurs in some groups. Development may be internal, with embryos retained in the female's oviducts, and embryos of some species may be attached to the mother by a placenta. However, development in most species is external, with embryos enclosed in shelled eggs. In all cases each embryo is encased in an amnion, a membranous fluid-filled sac.
In the agriculture industry as a whole, reptiles do not have a great commercial value compared with fowl and hoofed mammals; nonetheless, they have a significant economic value for food and ecological services (such as insect control) at the local level, and they are valued nationally and internationally for food, medicinal products, leather goods, and the pet trade.
Reptiles have their greatest economic impact in some temperate and many tropical areas, although this impact is often overlooked because their contribution is entirely local. A monetary value is often not assigned to any vertebrate that provides pest control. Nonetheless, many lizards control insect pests in homes and gardens; snakes are major predators of rodents, and the importance of rodent control has been demonstrated repeatedly when populations of rodent-eating snakes are decimated by snake harvesting for the leather trade. The absence of such snakes allows rodent populations to explode. Similarly, turtles, crocodiles, snakes, and lizards are regularly harvested as food for local consumption in many tropical areas. When this harvesting becomes commercial, the demands on local reptile populations commonly exceed the ability of species to replace themselves by normal reproductive means. Harvesting is often concentrated on the larger individuals of most species, and these individuals are often the adult females and males in the population; their removal greatly reduces the breeding stock and leads to a precipitous population decline.
The overharvesting of crocodiles for the leather industry in the 1950s and 1960s caused the widespread extirpation, or localized extinction, of many crocodilian species. In addition, surviving populations experienced a near-worldwide drop in numbers. Since then, regulations at the national and international levels have greatly reduced the harvests, and proactive conservation and management measures have allowed many crocodilian populations to rebound. Regulated harvesting currently provides an adequate number of skins to the leather trade and also allows crocodiles to resume their role as top predators in many aquatic ecosystems. The late 20th-century return of the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) from near extinction in the southeastern United States demonstrates that successful management of reptile populations is possible if it is closely supervised.
Regulated harvesting of large snakes and lizards is also underway in parts of Indonesia. In addition, several groups of reptiles (tegu lizards in Argentina, freshwater turtles in China, and green iguanas [Iguana iguana] in Central America) are raised as livestock. Often the process of regulated harvesting begins with the removal of a few eggs, juveniles, or adults from wild populations. Stocks of reptiles are raised on farms and ranches. Farms and ranches then sell some individuals to commercial interests, while others are retained as breeding stock.
Reptiles have contributed significantly to a variety of biomedical and basic biological research programs. Snake venom studies contributed greatly to the care of heart-attack patients in the 1960s and 1970s and are widely studied in the development of pain-management drugs. Field studies of lizards and other reptiles and the manipulation of populations of various lizard species (such as the anoles [Anolis]) have provided scientists opportunities to test hypotheses on different aspects of evolution. Reptile research remains an important area of evolutionary biology. Similarly, lizards and other reptiles have provided experimental models for examining physiological mechanisms, especially those associated with body heat.