text:
Houston police Captain Mark Aguirre fights his battles on many fronts.
From a battered office in the aging depths of the South Central Division's headquarters, under the large "Don't Tread on Me" flag that dominates one cheaply paneled wall, the stocky 45-year-old oversees 18 square miles of the city. About 90,000 people live within the borders of the area he and his 150 or so officers are charged with protecting, from the gentrifying yuppies lofting into Midtown and Montrose to the established urbanites around Rice University and outside Bellaire, to the more hardened city dwellers near South Main and the east side.
There are the additional tens of thousands who come each day to work or visit the Medical Center. There are the untold numbers of new and not-so-new immigrants in the Asian areas. There are the hundreds of former prison inmates who get dropped off each month at the downtown bus station.
There are hot-sheet hotels on OST. There are stores in the Third Ward selling empty baby-food jars to hold liquid codeine or jeweler bags to hold crack.
There's graffiti on Dumpsters and buildings. There are vacant lots filled with abandoned furniture or appliances or tires.
So Aguirre has plenty of battles to choose from.
He never thought his toughest one would be fighting his own department.
But the navy veteran, the guy who can't remember a time when he didn't want to be a cop, has managed to annoy, offend and exasperate both the police brass above him and the rank-and-file below. He has accused the police chief of perjury; he treats his officers "with total disrespect," according to one police union leader.
The department, Aguirre says, is "filled with political stooges and amoral careerists" who hate to work hard. "The ones that like to work hard, I'm their hero," he says; "the other half are malingerers, crybabies and whiners."
They can all -- the chief, the officers, other divisional captains -- take their place in the complaint line behind the City Hall staffers, the advocates for the homeless, the Greyhound bus company, the civic groups that don't have the proper volunteer spirit: everyone Aguirre has managed to piss off one way or the other in his 22 years on the force.
Aguirre couldn't care less what they think. He insists he knows what works when it comes to policing, and if the city would just listen to him, instead of taking up his time with petty-ass bullshit internal-affairs complaints against him, instead of forcing him to deal with butt-covering politicians in and out of elected office, he could damn well show the world.
He'll probably never get the chance, though. After three years of shaking up the South Central Division, and much of the rest of the Houston Police Department, he may just have had enough.
Aguirre doesn't know where his lifelong urge to be a cop comes from. "It's just always been an intrinsic desire, and as I grew older it just solidified," he says. "I don't know, maybe in a previous life I was an officer or something."
The urge certainly didn't come from the "gang-infested neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago" where he grew up. "Officer Hidalgo," the local cop in that Hispanic section, "was seen as a traitor to the neighborhood -- he was just real rough with people, and he was from the neighborhood originally," Aguirre says. "People always thought he was just going around settling old scores."
Aguirre ignored the temptations of the gangs -- again, he doesn't know exactly why, it just never seemed an option to be considered -- and headed for the navy after graduating from high school in 1974.
Serving as a signalman on a destroyer escort and an aircraft carrier, he spent two years in Japan and reveled in the discipline and order of military life. He got out in 1978, pretty much broke, and went to live with his parents. His father, a blue-collar installer for Illinois Bell, had by then taken a job with Southwestern Bell, and the family had moved to Houston.
Aguirre found he "loved the climate." He waited out the one-year residency requirement before joining the Houston force in 1979 as "a young skinny policeman" patrolling the Third Ward.
"It was everything I thought it would be," he says of those early days as a cop. "I didn't want to go home and take off my uniform at the end of a shift. I could really relate to baseball players or football players, people who get paid to do something they love."
The department was different back then, he says. It was about half the size it is now, and officers stuck together more. They cared about their jobs more, too; although, Aguirre says, "That's what everyone says when they get old -- 'The kids today aren't like we were.' People have been saying that since time immemorial, so I don't know. But it seems there was more of a sense of brotherhood back then."
He got married, but like a lot of police marriages, it didn't take. She was a college classmate of Aguirre's sister, but after three years, with no kids, the couple split.
"We worked better as boyfriend and girlfriend," says Aguirre, who still hopes to have children someday. "Her mom said we were two chiefs and someone needed to be an Indian. And it wasn't going to be me being the Indian, I can tell you."
Aguirre played a role in two high-profile task forces designed to clean up high-crime areas in Gulfton and the Stella Link/Loop 610 area.
He was working at the jail in February 1990 when he got a call to help out on the Gulfton project from a supervisor who recalled his enthusiasm for the job. "It was in a moribund state, and I received a call from my captain to come over and get it off the ground," he says, "and that was very unusual, because I was not even working in that division at the time. I asked if I could bring some people with me, and we just went over there and made a tremendous, tremendous impact."
The project included assigning patrol units to stay in hot areas and crack down on loitering, public drunkenness and other offenses, coupled with drug raids and other aggressive actions.
The effects were "ephemeral," he says. Once the task force ended (federal funds had been paying for officer overtime costs), the crime returned.
And Aguirre went back to his climb up the HPD ladder, regularly acing the civil service exams. (He's a great reader, loving biographies of people such as Churchill, MacArthur, Napoleon, even noted socialist Eugene V. Debs. Some might say that's a list of monomaniacal fanatics, but Aguirre prefers to think of them as people "who speak to issues of leadership, how to get the most out of people and be true to yourself.")
Slowly, he says -- "like a frog being boiled alive without realizing it" -- things in the department began to change. The officers he came in with got enough seniority and began migrating to the plainclothes divisions. Not Aguirre. "Damn, I just love the street," he says.
But his gung-ho attitude began to grate on fellow officers. He developed a reputation as a by-the-book, balls-to-the-wall eager beaver genetically designed to be a king-size pain in the ass to anyone who had a more relaxed view of the job. There were no major incidents, just an ever more apparent disdain for those he thought were slacking off.
By 1999, he was in his fourth year working in the personnel section, and "champing at the bit to get back on the street."
He aced yet another civil service exam and gained his promotion to captain, and Aguirre finally got his chance. He was assigned to head the South Central Division, which included his old Third Ward stomping grounds.
The captain arrived at division headquarters -- a low-lying building, now slated for demolition, that squats beneath the Southwest Freeway and the Pierce Elevated -- and quickly saw how things had changed.
"When I came back, I was shocked at some of the things I saw. Open-air narcotics dealing as well as the mounds of trash that were ubiquitous, absolutely everywhere, even across the street" from the police station, he says.
He began meeting with community leaders, church officials and business owners. A skeptical Julian Cortinas, president of the Second Ward Association, says he warned Aguirre of the problems he would be facing.
"All we used to get was lip service from [HPD] upper management," says Cortinas, a longtime community activist. Things like unlicensed cantinas in the East End had been neighborhood blights for years, but little had been done about them.
"We had years and years and years of government dragging their feet," Cortinas says. "I don't think [Aguirre] knew what the challenges were when he came over to the area. I told him, 'You have problems in the community, problems internally. You're going to have to modify every single area. It's a bear of a problem.' He was about to hit 20 years' service, so he had to decide for himself on whether he would be able to make the commitment."
Cortinas says residents had heard all the we-want-to-help promises for years. He asked Aguirre "whether his was going to be a real effort and a strong effort and not just a PR, BS program to hype the community, where you do it for two weeks and then hide under a desk."
The answer came quickly.
Never one to think small, Aguirre envisioned a five-point program, dubbed Operation Renaissance. It was based to a large degree on the tactics used by the earlier Gulfton task force, but this time Aguirre was determined to implement changes permanently rather than for a limited time. The language was grandiose ("Out of this desire to stem the tide of putrefaction, Operation Renaissance was born a holistic approach in addressing the insidious plague which is devouring our neighborhoods"), but the details were down to earth.
Officers were to be divided up, with maybe one-third to a half of each shift assigned to the normal duties of cruising and answering calls. The rest would be part of "directed patrols" devoted to areas high in criminal activity; to a Division Nuisance Abatement squad dedicated to fighting public drunkenness, prostitution, loitering and other problems centered around the bus station; and officers assigned to getting rid of trash and graffiti.
As part of the plan, Aguirre ended what is called beat integrity. Under that traditional concept, patrol cars are assigned to a beat -- South Central has eight of them -- and stay within that geographic area. Under his plan, Aguirre says, "I don't make them adhere to any geographic boundaries because I send them to where the problems are."
It was "a new way of doing business," he says. "The officers complained, oh, vehemently."
That they did. The plan made perfect sense to Aguirre, but to patrol officers it seemed he was taking away the number of cops available to handle calls and assigning them to less important jobs.
"Officers think they're wasting their time," says a cop who wants to remain anonymous. "Operation Renaissance sparked a lot of heat because officers thought it was a useless thing. The main focus should be on answering calls, but with so many specialized units that don't have to answer calls, things start to stack up."
They compare it to the hated Neighborhood Oriented Policing concept, whose acronym some cops say stands for Nobody On Patrol.
"It can take hours and hours to answer some calls, and even days for nonemergency calls," one officer says. "And when we do answer the call, we're the ones who take the brunt of complaints and whining from the citizens about how long it took."
Aguirre sees it differently. "That's an issue they parade in front of citizens to create a groundswell of support to stop the program," he says. "In other words, a citizen says, 'What took you so long?' " and officers bad-mouth Operation Renaissance.
Officers, he says, had grown accustomed to "milking" calls. "What was happening was you had officers that were taking too long to handle simple calls -- let's say a loud-music disturbance. They're staying out at it for an hour, 45 minutes, when something like that should take five minutes."
Some of the front-line people see the problem as more serious than just a matter of calls stacking up.
"When you have just a few people running calls, it becomes an officer-safety issue in terms of the availability of backup," says Hans Marticiuc, president of the Houston Police Officers Union. "Operation Renaissance has been going on for a while, and thank God no one's been hurt so far."
Aguirre dismisses such talk. Officers "become concerned," he says, "because now they don't have two people in [beat number] 80, they might have one permanently assigned, and the other guy's roaming around between [beats] 70 and 40. So, you know, [they say] 'I'm afraid.' Well, if you're afraid, you shouldn't be a police officer anyway. And I tell them to look at the [Department of Public Safety] guys out there; sometimes they're the only rascal out there for a hundred miles out there by himself.
"And it's not like you're abandoned. I mean, we have the helicopter there, we got the radio, we're surrounded by [constable's] precinct six over here, the sheriff's over here -- it's a nonissue."
In other words, if you have doubts about his plan, you lack the physical courage to be a cop. That doesn't go down too well in the ranks.
"That's mighty brave talk from a guy who's sitting behind a desk," Marticiuc says.
Such talk, though, is Aguirre's way. "At roll calls he can be real demeaning," says a union official who gets an earful from his members. "He makes you feel like dirt, like shit it's real demeaning, condescending, with a lot of yelling and cursing."
"His management style may be too brusque," says an officer who is an Aguirre supporter. "It's 'Whatever I tell you to do, if it's not illegal or immoral, I expect you to do it.' He's pretty much no-nonsense."
A City Hall staffer who has come in contact with Aguirre says he "shows no people skills that I am aware of."
Aguirre can be laid-back, but even then he seldom censors himself.
"Unfortunately, you have two groups of officers in the Houston Police Department," he'll begin. "You have the one group that grew up and knew they wanted to be law enforcement officers and this is a calling. Without exception, it's been my experience that these are the finest, most self-motivated, energetic officers that we have. And then you have the other mentality, the people who are doing it for a paycheck, and in that crew are those who do as little as possible and within that crew also are those who will do more work trying to get out of work than you or I would care to expend Like everything else, not everyone is a go-getter, and unfortunately government jobs breed laziness."
With that sunny attitude in mind, Aguirre ignored the protests and implemented Operation Renaissance.
When it came to drugs, he threatened to foreclose on hotels, houses and stores where he thought the owners were encouraging illicit behavior. Working with the city's Forfeiture Abatement Support Team, South Central officers made cases against hotels on OST, six houses in the Third Ward and even a convenience store on McGowen.
The Indo Mart became the first store in Houston to close voluntarily for a set period in lieu of being foreclosed upon. The owner agreed late in May to close for five months and upon reopening to stop selling crack-pipe kits, small manila envelopes for holding marijuana, and other drug paraphernalia.
"It's like offering them six months in the hospital or sudden death," Aguirre says. "They say, 'I'll take the six months in the hospital and try to get well.' For the most part, they walk the line after this because they know this is a stopgap measure between losing their business and complying."
When it came to graffiti, he assigned one officer to deal exclusively with the problem, cruising the area, getting help from businesses, making cases on repeat offenders. And on weekends, Aguirre and others will regularly take up their paintbrushes or paint scrapers and tackle the problem more directly. "We knock out 15 locations in two hours; it's a lot of fun. That's a genuine feeling of satisfaction," he says. ("The sad thing is they'll come back in on Monday and half of them will be painted [with graffiti] again," an Aguirre supporter says.)
When it came to trash, he also assigned HPD's only officer dedicated solely to garbage. And the city's solid waste department has two garbage trucks at that officer's disposal.
Cruising the neighborhood with Officer Michael Frazee is definitely not a typical HPD ride. For one thing, he talks in italics, and for another, his streets are made mean by such things as the inability of citizens to know exactly when heavy trash day is.
"I write tickets for trash; I take people to jail for trash. I don't have a problem with that," says the effervescent Frazee.
Sometimes the offenders are contractors who drive their trucks into blighted neighborhoods to dump loads on vacant lots. Frazee recently caught one such crew that didn't realize it was doing anything illegal. The boss asked what the problem was; Frazee says he simply replied, " 'Two days.' And he said, 'There is no way we can get all this stuff picked up in two days,' and I said, 'I bet you can.' And I tell you, two hours later they had a huge Dumpster out there and everybody was out there, even the head construction guy, and they were loading it up. So, you know, don't tell me it's impossible."
Aguirre got two companies to donate goods and services so that 20,000 calendars -- featuring shots of local well-kept homes and individualized with the heavy trash dates for each neighborhood -- could be distributed. Lots of times, though, people don't want to wait for that once-a-month pickup, Frazee says.
"You're trying to change the way these people think, and it's very hard," he says. Frazee says he was writing a ticket to an illegal dumper recently when he noticed "a 98-year-old woman" watching from her porch across the street.
"I walked up to her and said, 'Ma'am, as long as I am out here doing the position I am doing now, you will not have to look at that.' And she said, 'That's normal.' I don't want my grandmother out on the porch having to look at trash all day long, so why should you?"
Frazee spends much of his time trying to figure out who owns the vacant lots where trash, or dozens of used tires, has piled up. "My job seems kind of easy, but believe me, it keeps me very busy just because I'm trying to track a lot of these owners," he says.
One thing he doesn't do, for the most part, is answer the standard patrol calls.
"I don't answer calls in service unless it's a code -- something in progress," he says. "If I'm in the area, of course, I'm going to go by and help out. But I don't run regular calls."
That causes some grumbling. "You get all these specialized units and they don't have to respond to calls unless they want to do it out of graciousness," one officer says. "And that just means calls will stack up for everyone else."
Aguirre also took officers off the beat to deal with what he saw as one of the biggest problems in the division: the Greyhound bus station at Main and Gray.
He hates the fact that newly freed convicts from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice hop on the bus in Huntsville and get dropped off in his turf, usually with nothing to do before reporting to a halfway house the next morning. Taxi drivers, he said, are lined up all day "drinking, shooting dice, smoking weed, taking people to do drugs and meet prostitutes."
The drivers, he says, would refuse to take elderly residents from the nearby condo building to the Medical Center because the fare would be too low.
There is security at the station -- off-duty HPD and sheriff's department officers -- but Aguirre is unimpressed. "These guys are hiding in a damn closet in there, they're not doing anything. See no evil, hear no evil. I guarantee you, every time I've gone in there they've got a little office, that door is shut."
Aguirre and officer Ken Wenzel, who's on the team assigned to the bus station area, want the facility moved to the north end of downtown next to the Amtrak station. "You could have state-of-the-art security, airport-stuff type of security," Wenzel says.
Dallas-based Greyhound would consider moving if adequate real estate were available and affordable, a company spokesperson says, but it also doesn't care for the characterization of its passengers. "Crime in that neighborhood is a neighborhood issue, not a bus station issue, and we think our customers deserve to be in an area with less crime," Lynn Brown says.
She says the station generates a lot of police calls partly because it offers a 24-hour-a-day phone that can be used to report crimes that happen off the premises. "Ninety percent of the arrests made there are of Houston residents," she says, not travelers from other cities.
And the recently released inmates? "We prefer to see them as people who have paid their debt to society," she says, "and the vast majority of them are going home, not stopping in the area."
Aguirre's tussle with Greyhound -- he has accused the company of "breaking its social contract" by ignoring problems -- has raised the ire of some City Hall staffers, who don't like to see a large corporate constituent offended. Greyhound's "intention is to work with the neighborhood, but all they've heard from him is that he wants to drive them out," one says.
"That's the last thing in the world we want to do," says Wenzel.
"Some politicos have been downright hostile" to his efforts to clean up the area, Aguirre says. He's uncharacteristically shy about naming names -- "Because I'm going to have to go back to the trough" for support, he says -- but he's been known to contact staff people and city councilmembers directly to plead his case.
Another effort that has engendered controversy involved the homeless. Aguirre set up a squad to deal with what he calls "the so-called homeless" population in the Midtown area.
"We weren't messing with anyone merely because of their status, I want to stipulate that," he says. "But these people were engaging in nuisance crimes."
Other vagrants, he said, were wanted on felony counts across the United States. "We found out a lot of the so-called homeless are not harmless."
Aguirre's officers rousted loiterers, following them on a "relentless march" through their various gathering places. "My officers are willing to get their hands dirty," he says of the unit involved. "A lot of these [homeless] guys, they defecate on themselves, they use drugs and have needles in their pockets; it's not a glamorous job. However, it is something that needs to be done, and they do it without complaint."
Aguirre's efforts haven't enthralled advocates for the homeless. "There are experts on dealing with the homeless, and Captain Aguirre is not one of them," says Sandy Kesseler, executive director of the SEARCH facility. "These are people, many of them are mentally ill, and he's trying to make them understand civility by being forceful When you have this forceful no-tolerance attitude with the homeless, they just become better at hiding, and they become more fearful."
Aguirre, of course, is not apologizing for anything. The homeless effort "was the centerpiece, the crown jewel of our program," he says, "because that's what got us started."
Operation Renaissance has drawn rave reviews from local businesses and residents. "Citizens love it," says City Councilwoman Annise Parker.
Aguirre has the statistics: In the 27 months it's been in effect, he says, there have been 180,377 arrests or tickets handed out; 8,268 illegal dumps eradicated; about 2,300 used tires removed. The numbers dwarf those of other divisions, he says, even bigger ones (HPD discourages comparisons between divisions and even individual beats because of the varied demographic makeup of the areas.)
"Crime has plummeted," Aguirre says.
In the first three months of the program, he says, aggravated assaults dropped by 80 percent, and robberies were cut in half. Since then, "we began competing against ourselves, so to speak, and it was a question of how low can you go. We've had a series of spikes up and down."
HPD stats show less dramatic cuts in crime than Aguirre claims.
Changes in population, such as the gentrification of the Midtown area of South Central, can also affect statistics from year to year. Citywide, the crime rate has been increasing as the booming economy has slowed.
Others are not convinced about Operation Renaissance. "He does have pretty good stats, and he gets his support from his statistical outcomes," says union chief Marticiuc. "But statistics can be manipulated to say anything."
Even HPD spokesman Robert Hurst mentions "the success or perceived success of Operation Renaissance." (He quickly adds, "Don't get me wrong, Captain Aguirre has done a wonderful job, and the citizens and businesses support it.")
Arrest numbers may not tell everything. "The only thing I'm unsure of is that you shouldn't have to be doing the same things over and over again," says Parker. "If there's illegal dumping, figure out who's doing it and get them, don't just write ticket after ticket. Whether that's the case is something I don't know."
The only sure thing is that Aguirre's efforts have roiled the division.
"I've paid a price, genuinely," he says, "because [opponents] use our department's internal-affairs process to slow me down."
News reports show he was hit with a 15-day suspension in 1998 for failing to follow proper procedures. Aguirre was accused of allowing one of his lieutenants to give special work privileges to a female sergeant, even though he was aware that the two staffers were in the midst of a romantic relationship. Two years earlier, the captain received similar disciplinary action for not adhering to department regulations involving a sexual harassment complaint lodged against another of his lieutenants.
Aguirre says he's been the subject of many anonymous internal-affairs complaints. The most high-profile one came last year after one officer secretly taped portions of a staff meeting where Aguirre reamed out his command officers. He denied the allegations of several staffers who said Aguirre told them he'd "grind them into dog patties and stomp them into pancakes." The captain admitted using some profanity to emphasize his points, saying the intent was "to chew ass -- pure and simple."
The complaint centered on what some officers perceived as threats, as well as his rough language, thus displaying an Emily Post-like quality to HPD that had been heretofore kept discreet.
Police Chief C.O. Bradford testified in the hearing on Aguirre's appeal that a suspension of a few days had been recommended for the captain, but Bradford reduced it to only a written reprimand, presuming that it would be adequate to teach the captain the error of his ways. After Aguirre's defiance, the chief said that in retrospect he wished he had pressed for the suspension.
Aguirre fought the charge (see "HPD Blue," by George Flynn, May 30), and during the civil-service hearing Aguirre attorney Terry Yates asked Bradford if he had ever called an assistant chief a "motherfucker." Bradford said no; the assistant said yes. And Aguirre asked the Harris County district attorney to investigate Bradford for perjury.
"Nine times out of ten, when the chief says he doesn't curse, are you going to make a big deal out of it?" asks Burt Springer, an attorney who represents many HPD officers.
"It's unfortunate, but I didn't make that man do it. He did it to himself," says Aguirre. Bradford, through a spokesperson, refused to comment on Aguirre or Operation Renaissance.
Aguirre says he's used to being arrayed against other officers. "If I know I'm doing the right thing, I don't care if they love me or not," he says.
Talk to officers about Aguirre, and often enough one will mention the 1995 incident when he crashed his city vehicle at 3 a.m.
Aguirre was in the Northwest Division at the time, but he says his attitude toward work had already alienated some officers. "They were out there at that accident scene looking for beer cans or bottles and even fingerprinting them," he says.
Aguirre was never charged with driving while intoxicated, and he says he reimbursed the city for the damage. He says he fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into a fence at a dead end near the Heights. "I believe the air bag knocked me for a loop but the other guys wanted to believe I was drunk," he says.
He admits he had been to a bar earlier that evening, but had then spent "six or seven hours," mostly sleeping, at a friend's home. A half-dozen witnesses verified his story in hearings, and he received only a written reprimand.
He says he has always been the source of rumors. "I'm a drunk, I'm a womanizer, I'm a gambler, that's what you hear, but none of those things are true," he says. "It stems from people wanting to whittle you down to their size because they're envious It's the destructive, idle, unbelievable bullshit they're always engaging in to destroy people's reputations over here."
He's aware, he says, that some officers would be eager to catch him screwing up somehow.
So, he claims, he merely plays pool and reads in his off time. "I do not hang around with anybody [from HPD]; there is not one individual from the Houston Police Department that I hang around with, because they are all gossips," he says. "Why hang out with someone so they can put my business on the street?"
It's evident that there's not likely much of an HPD career ladder left for Aguirre. One HPD veteran said his troubles began with the 1995 car crash. "He wanted to be in the group that was politically connected enough to become an assistant chief, but he got in that accident just about the time Bradford came on as chief," says the officer. "Once you get that screw-up tag, you never get back in management's good graces."
"Captain is as high as you can go in the civil service; from then on you can only get appointed or anointed as [assistant] chief," says attorney Springer. "And Aguirre is always going to be stuck at captain under Bradford."
City Councilwoman Carol Alvarado, like others, has heard rumors that Aguirre might be transferred. Aguirre would love the chance to take his Operation Renaissance theories to other divisions, and eventually citywide, but he says he realizes it would likely meet too much resistance to be adopted. And it's clear he's as fed up with the department as some of the department is with him.
"I think it's counterproductive when they start dinging me for what anyone other than my police department would say is petty," he says. "The petty stuff, we can pay attention to that, but meanwhile Rome is burning, we're not going to address that; that we have officers out here who are taking too much time for service [calls] We're not going to address supervisors not supervising [or] that some people are lazy and ought not to be here. What we're going to address is the perception they have of you that you're rude."
The more he talks about it, in fact, the more depressed the usually cheerful Aguirre becomes. "I genuinely love what I do, I can't stress that enough, and it hurts me that some people would not respect that or see that for what it is and use me properly," he says. "Yes, use me. I think that I'm a good ambassador for the police department."
Several days later, he's even more emphatic.
"I'm almost gone. I'm gonna finish the year and that will be it," he says. "It's gotten to be too much. I don't see staying in a profession that does not reward excellence. If they're going to mess with you and make it intolerable to do what you have to do, why stay? I'll go to the private sector, where you're rewarded commensurate with your effort.
"I love doing this, but at what health cost to me? I'm the only one rowing the boat here. I've only got one oar, and I'm going around in circles."
If you like this story, consider signing up for our email newsletters.
You have successfully signed up for your selected newsletter(s) - please keep an eye on your mailbox, we're movin' in!
Some will be sorry to see him go. "Captain Aguirre, whether he stays in office or whatever road he takes, he's delivered something to this city that will never be forgotten," says Second Ward activist Cortinas.
Others will be more dry-eyed. "There wouldn't be a lot of tears," says one officer. "But I'll believe he's leaving when he actually leaves."
If Aguirre turns in his badge -- and that's a big if for someone who loves being a cop as much as he does -- the ramshackle halls of the South Central Division will be much quieter.
Far less certain is how quiet the streets beyond those walls will be.


text:
Run your main tenders more efficiently
Pain points
You usually receive a limited number of quotes from subcontractors and suppliers.
Procurement executives are bogged down by administrative tasks that affect their efficiency.
You have difficulty planning ahead and assigning resources across the business.
Tendering made easy
SmartTender is a cloud-based eTendering platform for construction and facility management, allowing companies to run tenders quickly, discover and reach more vendors and secure better prices.Learn more
SmartTender by the numbers
- 3
- Minutes to publish a tender
- 200,000
- Companies to invite
- >20%
- Better prices
- Issue tenders more efficiently.
- Invite more companies and get better prices.
- Plan projects ahead of time, and track their progress along the way.
- Create a tender in 3 minutes, including information such as timeline, who can bid, and who will manage the project.
- Invite bids from your preferred companies, or leave it open to all vendors.
- Keep track of all your projects and tenders efficiently with our tracking and planning modules.
Package recommended for you
SilverPer monthFromS$99Buy nowPackage includes following features:
- 3 minutes to create an opportunity.
- Public opportunities.
- Max 10MB of attachment per opportunity.
- Advanced communication with sellers.
- Secure cloud.
GoldPer monthFromS$299Buy nowPackage includes following features:
- All SILVER features +
- Private opportunities
- No volume limitations for attachments
- Document management solutions
- Internal user hierarchy
- 'Smart clarification' module
- AI-based recommendations of subcontractors
- Inverted auction system
- 5 Due diligences/month
PlatinumUpon RequestContact usPackage includes following features:
- All GOLD features +
- Run opportunities on behalf of another client.
- NDA signature
- Audit functions
- Access to bid forms
- Creation of letter of awards
- Two-factor authentication
- Secure private cloud
- Integration with other ERP
- 20 Due diligences/month
What if I want to invite a company and they are not users? and how many companies can I invite?
Companies you want to invite, they only need to register to our platform and they will be able to bid for the tender. You can invite as many companies as you need.
How many users can use this platform in my company?
As many users as you want, each of them with their own license for SmartTender.
When can I access the bids to my tender?
In order to be compliant, bids will be able to be seen once the tender is over.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Garage Door Opener - Synergy 360
Synergy 360 1/2 HP DC Motor 7' or 8' Belt Drive Garage Door Opener with LED Lighting
Ideal for basic residential garage doors up to 8' high, Synergy 360 offers high end features you would expect from a Marantec garage door operator. The DC motor provides for very smooth and quiet operation and integrated LEDs offer 500 Lumens of energy efficient lighting and the optional battery back-up system will provide you with access to your garage during a power outage. Synergy 360 can also be upgraded with a timer-to-close module that automatically closes your garage door for you. Safety and convenience for you and your entire family.
*HPCS = Horse Power Comparable in Strength
Designed and built in Germany with highest standards for safety and quality, Synergy 360 is the first residential garage door operator system that offers integrated LED lighting. Not only is LED lighting very energy efficient but with a life expectancy of over 30.000 hours you will never have to replace a burnt-out light bulb in your garage door operator again. LED extension kits are available to double the lighting capacity from 500 Lumens to 1100 Lumens. An optional battery back-up system ensures that you can open and close your garage door in case of a power outage. As an additional benefit, the LED lights of the Synergy 360 will continue to work when the opener is running off of battery power! A pre-tensioned, 3-piece belt rail system allows for an extremely easy assembly, while a 1/2 HPcs* motor provides for an amazingly quiet and powerful operation for heavy carriage house or wind loaded garage doors. Synergy 360 offers programmable door travel speeds up to 7.0 inches per second and can be set separately for the up and down travel cycles. An integrated LCD display guides you through the simple 3-step programming sequence while the Synergy 360 automatically calculates and maintains the force and sensitivity levels required to open and close your garage door. Considered the safest and most reliable garage door operator system available, Synergy 360 will provide you with many years of reliable and maintenance free performance.
Synergy 360 Garage Door Opener Features
- Limited Lifetime Warranty on the motor, gears, and rail assembly
- 500 Lumens of integrated LED lighting provides over 30.000 hours of illumination. Optional LED extension kits are available to increase lighting capacity to 1100 Lumens
- LED lighting does not attract insects – less bugs in your garage
- Optional battery back-up system available
- Extremely quiet operation makes the Synergy 360 a perfect fit for garages adjacent to living spaces
- Equipped with programmable speed levels up to 7.0 inches per second. Speed levels can be programmed separately for door open and door close travel cycles for enhanced operation of heavy garage doors.
- Easy to assemble 3-piece belt rail for doors up to 8 feet high
- LCD display guides you through the basic programming process
- Two 315MHz 2-channel remote controls are included. Multi-bit code technology ensures interference free performance
- Compatible with a variety of alarm system and home automation providers
- Soft Start and Soft Stop functionality is reducing wear and tear on the operator system, garage door, and hardware
- Optional wireless keyless entry system equipped with battery saving mode and one button to close function available
- Integrated battery back-up system
- HomeLink compatible
- The photo eye safety system is equipped with UV filters in order to eliminate interference created by sunlight – safety when you need it most
- The multi-function wall control station is designed to fit over a junction box and can be seamlessly combined with additional Marantec wall control stations
- Operator and rail system are maintenance free
- HPcs indicates that Synergy 360 meets Marantec's specifications for 1/2 HP garage door operators (HPcs = Horse Power comparable in strength)
Our range of accessories for enhanced safety and comfort.
Click here to find accessories for your opener - select just what you need for your requirements and wishes.
Comfort accessories
Safety accessories
Click here for more information about your opener
3-piece Rail Assembly Instructions


text:
It all began in December of 2002 in a sadly neglected garage. After a complete makeover it became our first location featuring locally designed furniture and an ever expanding array of funky home furnishings. Between customers we restored antiques. On Oct 9, web 2004, advice Canadian Thanksgiving, no rx we foreswore the turkey and fixings and in one fell swoop armed only with an enormous truck we migrated down the road to our current headquarters at 145 CowBay road. And what cool new digs! Formerly the workshop of Love Electric, the premises are perched over the ocean on pilings with a view of the forest, mountains, sky and nearby yacht club full of boats.
In 2006 Homework added clothing to its retail mix, incorporating another original Prince Rupert business, Ware Haus, under its banner. Our commitment is to sell contemporary and funky home furnishings, furniture, life accessories, toys, books and clothing. We promote local industry, regional designers and Canadian made product. We pride ourselves on having an esthetic that blends the beautiful with the diverting. In summer we cater to the growing cruise market with a number of tasteful souvenir lines. Our aim is for your visit to our store or our website to be entertaining and welcoming.
Homework is owned and operated by Lucy Pribas and David Smook.
In October of 2007 we opened our second location in the heart of Prince George, B.C. Our new partner in this venture is Anthony Voitik. We hope you enjoy your shopping experience with us.
Don't forget to do your Homework!


text:
Our film for March is a remake of the 1966 film, of the same name, that starred Michael Caine and Shirley Mclaine. In this one the roles are taken by Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz with Alan Rickman playing the bad guy. It is directed by Michael Hoffman and was released in the UK late last year. The script is by the Coen brothers and is played for with broad humour. The art gallery at Compton Verney House was used for filming some scenes.
As usual, we will be at the Capel Village Memorial Hall, doors opening at 7.30 pm for an 8 pm start. Tickets are sold on the door at £4.00 per person, cash only. The date is Tuesday 5th March for Gambit.
In April we will be showing the BAFTA award winning – Argo.


text:
Rolf Rendtorff's book is the fruit of a lifetime of research and study in the Old Testament. It does not disappoint. Rendtorff not only provides many insights into particular texts and theological themes, but he also develops a different methodological approach that highlights areas in biblical theology. The author combines the historical methodology of Gerhard von Rad and the canonical perspective of Brevard Childs. Consequently Rendtorff follows the historical outline of the text itself (in von Rad's words "from Adam to the Son of Man") while paying close attention to the biblical books in their final form.
The book is divided into three unequal parts: 1) a retelling of the biblical story in the canonical order of the Hebrew Scriptures (414 pp.); 2) Major Themes (301 pp.); 3) Hermeneutics of an Old Testament Theology (39 pp.). An extensive bibliography (22 pp.) and helpful indices (31 pp.) complete this finely produced volume.
In choosing the Hebrew order to structure his theology, the author shows that "the most important theological event in the second half of the century is Christian theology's discovery of Judaism" (p. 740). He believes that Christians have frequently hijacked Israel's Bible and imposed upon it their own alien categories. (B. Childs, who helped inspire Rendtorff's approach, is also the target of his criticism at times [p. 755]). The arrangement of Israel's Bible—the Law, Prophets and Writings—is viewed as providing a natural interpretive framework for communicating Israel's understanding: God's action (Law), God's speech (Prophets), and Israel's response (Writings). Rendtorff thus uses this structure to provide the outline for the retelling of the biblical story (Part 1), the presentation of major themes (Part 2), and the content for many methodological reflections (Part 3). Rendtorff seeks as much as is possible an "inside" view of Israel's theology, an emic versus an etic viewpoint.
With little orientation, Rendtorff begins with the biblical story-line and the resulting insights come from a mind that is attuned to the developing story as well as the completed one. The reader learns that Abraham is directly encountered by God in Genesis 18 in a way that has not happened since the Garden of Eden; the expression ha'elohim is used only once in the patriarchal narratives (Genesis 22); Israel is first described as a people by the Egyptian Pharaoh; Exodus 32 is the second time in human history that "God breathed such a radical plan of destruction"; Samuel's call to prophecy is the first time God has entered into conversation with anyone since Moses; David is the most frequently named person in the entire Hebrew Bible; the genealogy concluding Ruth echoes those found in the patriarchal narratives. And so on. These are just a few of the insights that await the reader of Rendtorff's book and many of them are the result of the Bible as a book, with a beginning, a middle, and an end.
The only issue I would have with this section is that certain books merit more treatment than others, which simply indicates the obvious—that the author is working with a principle which relegates more importance to some books. For example, the Megillot receive seventeen pages of reflection; the book of Genesis thirty-one. The marginalization of apocalyptic is shown by the scant two pages given to Daniel. This can be compared with the twelve pages given to the reconstruction movement reflected in Ezra-Nehemiah. One wonders whether a certain strand of Judaism—namely later Pharisaic Judaism—has influenced Rendtorff more than others.
In the second part of the book, Rendtorff treats themes as they emerge in their canonical order. The following themes are discussed: Creation; Covenant and Election; the Fathers of Israel; The Promised and Entrusted Land; the First and Second Exodus; The Center of Israel's Life: The Torah; The Location of Life before God: the Cult; Moses; the Kingship of David; Zion; Speaking of God; Israel in Conflict; Prophecy; Israel at Worship and Prayer; Israel's Wisdom; Israel, the Nations, and the Gods; How Does Israel View Its Past? What Does Israel Expect in its Future? Rendtorff is able to bring the various voices of scripture together with these important themes. Thus in dealing with creation, the statements in Genesis are dealt with along with those of the Psalms and Isaiah 40–55, but because of their canonical priority, the Genesis passages are given more profile. Some sub-themes of creation are highlighted while others are omitted. For example, there is a focus on the full equality of the sexes while surprisingly little attention is given to ecology. Major themes are also omitted, perhaps because of the Jewish emphasis. The introduction of chaos and evil plays a large role in the early chapters of Genesis, and in other portions of Scripture but there is no substantial discussion of these concepts. Some of the thematic sections are also uneven. Israel's worship and wisdom receives four pages in total, while the Torah has 30 pages. Thus it is clear that while Rendtorff has followed his mentor, von Rad, in eschewing a centre for Old Testament theology, it does not mean that all themes are equal.
The last section of the book should have been placed at the beginning, for here Rendtorff sets out his method and how it contrasts with others while also dealing with the topic of a Jewish versus a Christian theology. This material would have functioned as an excellent orienting introduction to the book as a whole. Rendtorff argues that contrary to the views of some, Jews are really interested in biblical theology just not the Christian variety "with its efforts to systematize and unify the polyphonic voices of the Hebrew Bible and of its interpretation of OT statements in the context of Christian theological schemes" (p. 745). There follows a discussion of terminology for The Old Testament, namely "First Testament," "Hebrew Scriptures" and "Israel's Bible." As evident in the book's title, the problem of terminology is never fully resolved.
Rendtorff's ambivalence about terminology carries over into the discussion of biblical theology. Perhaps some would argue that Rendtorff has already laid his cards out on the table by specifically not treating the New Testament. Yet as a Christian scholar he at least needs to consider the relationship between the Testaments. Rendtorff emphasizes both continuity and discontinuity: continuity is reflected in the long and variegated revelation reaching its climax in Christ; discontinuity in that long and variegated process itself. In my judgment, Rendtorff stresses the discontinuity more, specifically distancing himself from Childs, who sees the importance of seeing the Old Testament in the light of the New.
This "discontinuity" perspective thus has to leave areas of tension in the Old Testament unresolved. One such tension runs through Rendtorff's theology like a connecting thread, namely the tension between God's Torah and justice and God's mercy and grace. Thus Rendtorff remarks about Israel in the wilderness: "The book of Numbers is dominated by the tension between divine commandments which Israel received on Sinai and Israel's constantly reemerging inability to live up to these commandments…[consequently both are revealed] in the punishment of God and the longsuffering of God with which in the end he keeps to his covenant and does not reject Israel" (p. 73); "Repeatedly, and in quite different contexts, the Hebrew Bible emphasizes that despite everything Israel does, and despite all the punishments that he will visit upon Israel, God will keep to his covenant, remember and not forget it." (p. 76, cf. pp. 272, 634, 689). But when does this triumph of mercy over judgement come about? Moses staves off the inevitable in the Torah; the prophets cannot intercede for Israel in the judgments that befall the Northern and the Southern Kingdoms. Later Rendtorff makes the point in Deuteronomy that Israel will be unable to live unless it keeps the divine Torah. But that is precisely the problem even though a passage in Deuteronomy 30 suggests that it is an easy thing to keep the Torah (30:10–14) (pp. 683–84). Rendtorff makes the suggestion that Deuteronomy 30 here refers to the fact that this is possible when the heart will be circumcised in the last days (cf. Jer. 31:31). This of course sounds very much like the New Testament, but it is a tension never fully resolved in the Hebrew Bible.
Rendtorff's theology with its stress on discontinuity between the Testaments probably does not emphasize enough the discontinuity that exists at points within the Hebrew Bible itself. For example, the prophets are regarded as commentary on the Torah (p. 660) but more might be said about their radical newness which exceeds the boundaries of their inherited traditions.
Overall this volume is a learned and fascinating study. Despite the criticisms above, in my judgment, this is one of the best Old Testament theologies ever written. It attempts to give more of an "inside" view of the Hebrew Bible, presenting themes in the context of the story of ancient Israel.
The errors in such a voluminous work are kept to a minimum. That the nation of Israel was (always) viewed as the suffering servant in Jewish tradition (p. 194) is not quite true; the Targum of Isaiah and the LXX suggest a Messianic figure. There are a number of typos and mistakes which should be corrected in another edition of this book: Here is a short list:


text:
When the Wii U first made an appearance on the world stage back at E3 2011, there were whispers going around that it was going to be equal to or greater in power then the Xbox360 or the PS3. Oh how many people laughed and scoffed at the idea. Now those whispers may been proven true, a new spec list for the wii u has been "leaked" onto the web by a "Japanese Developer" who is currently working on porting an existing PS3 title onto the wii u. So what's in it? The leaked spec sheet show the Wii
(Read More…)


text:
Working Smarter: The Paradigm Shift in Business Collaboration
For the last few years I have had a growing conviction that my workplace collaboration tools were fundamentally broken and needed to be reinvented. So, last year when I was given the opportunity to join Cisco as the leader of their collaboration business I jumped at it. The way we work has changed dramatically over the last twenty years. The expectation that you can work from anywhere, at any time, has become the norm. Change is always hard within IT, but, as you read in my last post, it is the companies that embrace these new models of work who will benefit from a more innovative, efficient, and happier workforce.
Let's face it, our primary collaboration tools were invented over twenty years ago when "working" looked very much like what you see in the popular TV show Mad Men – what I call the "Don Draper era." A time when you went into the office, sat at your desk, had a physical landline, and a desktop PC loaded with legacy business tools; an environment that assumed we would always be in the office during normal business hours and behind the walled garden of IT. Fast forward to 2013 and look around, the way we work today is fundamentally different than the way we worked twenty years ago, yet many of our business IT systems and tools have been slow to catch up. In frustration, many employees are turning to the collaboration tools they use in their personal lives such as Dropbox, FaceTime, Gmail, Evernote, and Facebook to get their work done.
The rise of cloud and mobility have driven an acceleration in consumer technology so quickly that today, ironically, the technology we use at home to connect with friends and family has gotten better than the collaboration technology we use at work.
Through disruption by these consumer technologies and the emergence of BYOD – laptops, cell phones, and tablets – our expectations of the tools we use to collaborate have changed. What was the exception twenty years ago now becomes the rule and we now want the same tools from home at work. Take Scott Berkun's new book, The Year Without Pants, where he declares this new paradigm "the future of work." Backing up his claim, he gives a detailed account of WordPress.com, the 15th mosttrafficked website in the world, where everyone works from home and uses IM, wikis, and other social tools to get their job done instead of traditional email communication. Or we hear from Steven Sinofsky, former President of Microsoft's Windows Division, who recently wrote about what he calls Continuous Productivity – an era that fosters a seamless integration between consumer and business platforms.
It was with these disruptive forces in mind that we have created a new philosophy and strategy in the Collaboration business at Cisco. As the leader in voice, video, and web conferencing, and with a strong track record of capitalizing on market transitions, Cisco has the assets, the talented engineers, and the market position to be able to make a massive impact. With that as the backdrop, we have embarked on a new mission here at Cisco collaboration to revolutionize workplace collaboration tools.
In four weeks, I'll be unveiling our new vision and strategy at the Cisco Collaboration Summit in Boca Raton, FL. Please join me on October 23rd, 2013 at 8:30 a.m. ET – you can hear my keynote streamed live here: http://cs.co/vecs2013
Now, let's get Don Draper and his friends up to speed on their collaboration tools!
Photos by James Minchin III for Rolling Stone.
In an effort to keep conversations fresh, Cisco Blogs closes comments after 60 days. Please visit the Cisco Blogs hub page for the latest content.
2 Comments
Rowan I know that many 'collaboration influentials' are with you at Cisco Collaboration Summit but I can't help but call out how the old-fangled technology of "Leave a Reply" undermines your whole approach.
At the very least surely the bottom of this (excellent) article should have had a chat box – with a presence element indicating you were 'at a Conference' – allowing me to leave an IM for you to reply to personally on your handheld in between your duties in Boca Raton.
Now THAT would have been a clear message that you truly mean to ruffle some feathers and disrupt the space with a totally new end-to-end approach to realtime collaboration.
What say?
Jeremy G. | @jg21
President & CEO
21st Century Internet Group
David Chao
Interweaving Mad Men and Don Draper into the blog, gotta love it!


text:
California is known not only for its calm and beautiful weather, but for its lively environment. The state captures beauty in all sorts of ways. We spend days at the beach, going on hikes and exploring new places everyday. The city is beautiful during the day and alive at night. California is known as the entertainment capital of the world. Where else would we enjoy all of our amazing Hollywood movies like the fast and furious series and others. This photo not only captures the beauty of California, but also the peace it brings me. There is nothing more I enjoy doing than exploring my hometown.
California Through My Eyes


text:
When we think of novels based around certain children, we might think of the dreaded child celebrity that has started to sweep across the world. Today, more and more kids are trying to claim the spotlight and generate some sort of fame through any sort of outlet. This topic made me think of certain children from the novels we have discussed in class like the Llewelyn Davies boys from the Peter Pan stories or Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh. But what we see from these children is a drastic 180 degree flip from how children today react to the fame and recognition.
I find it fascinating that today children like Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson are celebrate as Harry Potter and Hermione but embrace the fame and fortune. They were not teased or picked at for embracing the characters from the famous novels; no they loved it! So why is it different for the children of the novels we have read? It could definitely be the large generational gap from then until now. Obviously there was not a large "Hollywood" glamorization or novels being made into movies. But still, I know that if I was a child, I would love having stories written about me! But at the same time, there could have been enormous pressure from fans to live like the characters from the novels.
So what made these children hide from the world? I cannot give an answer. But the stark contradiction of today's celebrity children status compared to that of Christopher Robin's time is totally different. If we still lived in a society where celebrity status was not being craved for every small thing, how strange would our world be? Just some food for thought!


text:
Full access from just $11/month
} ;
How close relationships between design and engineering help make better cars
Travelling to Tehran instead of Geneva proves an interesting and worthwhile decision
Revised and expanded in-depth look at key developments large and small
Peter Stevens reports from a day of discussions surrounding the industry's hottest topic
From formats to forms, details to colour and plenty more besides, here's our round-up of every major design trend spotted in the Frankfurt show halls
Tracing Abarth's impact on design since the 1969 Turin Motor Show
Are carmakers doing it right when it comes to creating fun sportscars?
Peter Stevens covers everything a designer needs to know about defeat devices, testing regulations and more
Miko makes a microfiber textile called Dinamica for car interiors which we thought also might look great for our book cover. Here's how we did it...
A closer look at how well-resolved design details can make all the difference


text:
Crimson Trace LG-360G-S Front Green Laserguard S&W M&P Full-Size/Compact. LG-360G Green Laserguard is a green laser sight specifically designed for Smith & Wesson M&P Full-Size and Compact pistols.
User-installed in moments, and fully adjustable for windage and elevation, the LG-360G is securely mounted to the trigger guard and accessory rail. Featuring a bright green laser that is highly visible in all lighting conditions, the Laserguard runs for more than two hours with included battery. The LG-360G features Instinctive Activation which allows the laser to be activated when the pistol is held in a normal firing grip.
Specifications: - Platform: Laserguard - Material: Polymer - Color: Black - Activation Location: Front Activation - Master On/Off Switch: Yes - Attachment: Trigger Guard Attachment - Battery Type: One CR2 Lithium Battery - Finish: Polymer Housing with Rubber Overmold Activation Pad - Installation: User Installed - Laser Battery Life: Over Two Hours - Activation Mode: Pressure Activated - Sighting: Factory Sighted at 50' - User AdjustableWindage and Elevation - Wrench Size: 0.05 - Dot Size: Approx. 0.50 at 50' - Fits: Smith & Wesson M&P Full-Size & Compact Pistols. To be honest, we are not much different than our customers! We are a family owned and operated company, filled with hunters, police officers, military, and gun enthusiasts. We even have a survivalist or two floating around, both of whom would like to remain anonymous.
We love what we sell, and we have a passion for it. As fellow enthusiasts ourselves, our #1 goal is to treat you as we would wish to be treated ourselves. Here are a few of the things we offer: Authorized Dealers for all products we sell. We always strive to provide you the best shopping experience possible. You will know the status of your order every step of the way - in real time.The item "Crimson Trace LG-360G-S Front Green Laserguard S&W M&P Full-Size/Compact" is in sale since Tuesday, October 16, 2018. This item is in the category "Sporting Goods\Hunting\Scopes, Optics & Lasers\Lights & Lasers".
The seller is "fuddlebucks" and is located in Vandalia, Missouri. This item can be shipped to United States.


text:
"Landscape means an area, as perceived by people, whose character is the result of the action and interaction of natural and/or human factors." (European Landscape Convention, 2000)
The European Landscape Convention (ELC) is the first international convention to focus specifically on landscape, and is dedicated exclusively to the protection, management and planning of all landscapes in Europe.
The ELC was signed by the UK government on 24 February 2006, ratified on the 21 November 2006, and became binding on 1 March 2007.
The convention highlights the need to recognise landscape in law, to develop landscape policies dedicated to the protection, management and creation of landscapes, and to establish procedures for the participation of the general public and other stakeholders in the creation and implementation of landscape policies. It also encourages the integration of landscape into all relevant areas of policy, including cultural, economic and social policies
Specific measures include:
The convention also promotes European co-operation, mutual assistance and information exchange on landscape issues. There is a particular emphasis on the need for co-operation in implementing programmes relating to landscapes that cross administrative and national boundaries.
Speaking at the time of the UK's signing of the convention, Natural England's Director of Policy Andrew Wood said: "This is good news for landscape and Natural England. Effective, forward looking sustainable planning and management of landscapes everywhere will be at the heart of Natural England's work, for the delivery of a better natural environment and the wider benefits that distinctive landscapes brings to people and places."
The UK is recognised as already putting much of the principles of the ELC into practice. Our distinctive landscapes contribute to our identity and reflect local cultural influences as well as ecological diversity. This is shown through the Joint Character Area map of England and also through the well established practice of using Landscape Character Assessment to inform local policy making.
Three networks have been set up to support organisations and authorities that work with landscape, to promote the principles and objectives of the European Landscape Convention and encourage the sharing of experience: ENELC caters for local and regional authorities, Uniscape for universities and Civilscape for non-governmental organisations.
The LCN website has an ELC resources section containing downloads, information and links relating to the Convention, including: the text of the convention and its explanatory report; the Council of Europe's Guidelines for Implementation of the ELC; the Framework for Implementation of the ELC in England, produced by Natural England with Defra and English Heritage.
Go to the European Landscape Convention pages on the Council of Europe's website


text:
Foley Truck Accidents Lawyer
Fierce Representation for Truck Crash Victims
Large trucks form the backbone of our commercial transportation system and are an essential part of our economy, but they can create a hazard to drivers and passengers in smaller vehicles and others on the road.
Trucks have the potential to do substantial damage to passenger vehicles because of the tremendous difference in weight. In 2011, 3757 people died as a result of large truck accidents and another 88,000 were injured. If you were injured due to a truck accident contact our Foley truck accident attorneys at Caldwell Wenzel & Asthana.
State & Federal Trucking Laws
If you are injured in a truck accident, you should always make certain that the lawyer who represents you is familiar with both state and federal trucking laws.
Federal and state regulations dictate such things as:
- Maximum loads
- Maintenance schedules
- Required inspections
- Liability insurance
- Number of hours a driver is allowed to drive at a stretch.
The personal injury attorneys at Caldwell Wenzel and Asthana have extensive truck accident experience, understand the complex laws that govern the trucking industry, and are proficient at identifying violations that point to driver or owner liability when an accident causes injuries to others.
Types of Commercial Trucks
- Semi-trucks are the largest of the commercial trucks, weighing in at around 80,000 pounds when fully loaded, compared to a passenger vehicle weighing only several thousand pounds. These monsters of the road are responsible for more than their share of injuries and fatalities.
- Tanker trucks carry liquid cargoes which are sometimes flammable or toxic. If a tanker is not fully loaded and the liquid sloshes from side to side, it can throw the truck off balance, causing it to overturn. This can cause an accident with another vehicle or can injure people in the vicinity by exposing them to toxins or by catching fire.
- Delivery trucks such as UPS, DHL, and FedEx are ubiquitous. Drivers have strict schedules and delivery quotas, which at times predispose their drivers to be more concerned with speed than with safety.
- Sanitation trucks (garbage trucks) prowl through both residential and commercial areas where they often must maneuver in small areas, backing up frequently creating a danger to pedestrians, cyclists, and other vehicles.
- Construction trucks include dump trucks, cement mixer trucks, and flatbed trucks that move construction equipment and materials. They are heavy and unwieldy, and a crash or back-over can result in serious damage to other vehicles on the road and workers on the construction site.
Truck Owner & Driver Negligence
Many commercial truck accidents are caused by driver or trucking company negligence. These are just a few of the many causes of truck accidents that might be attributable to negligence, giving victims the right to bring a legal action to recover damages:
- Speeding
- Driver use of alcohol or drugs
- Failing to yield the right of way
- Careless lane changes
- Driver distraction
- Disregard of traffic laws, signs, or signals
- Failing to set the parking brake on a slope
- Braking abruptly
- Missing under-ride guard
- Skipping scheduled maintenance
- Overloading
- Failing to conduct legally mandated inspections
- Driver fatigue
- Insufficient training of drivers
When a Truck Accident Occurs
If you or a family member has been seriously injured in an accident with a large commercial truck, it is important to retain an experienced truck accident attorney as soon after the accident as possible — before you engage in any conversation with the adjuster for the truck's insurance company. Get medical attention immediately, and then contact an experienced truck accident attorney.
The Foley personal injury attorneys at Caldwell Wenzel & Asthana offer a free case consultation in which we will answer all your questions and discuss your legal options from the liable parties. Call us now at (251) 444-7000.


text:
St. Louis turns turn 4 double plays in 5-3 win over Arizona
PHOENIX (AP) Lance Lynn pitched six effective innings with the help of four double plays and Yadier Molina hit a two-run single in the seventh inning, lifting the St. Louis Cardinals to a 5-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night.
Lynn (10-8) allowed two runs on nine hits and induced three straight inning-ending double plays, including with the bases loaded in the fourth and fifth. Trevor Rosenthal gave up a run-scoring single to David Peralta in the ninth inning before closing out his 39th save.
Matt Carpenter hit a solo homer off Jhoulys Chacin (0-1) and the Cardinals broke open a tie game with a three-run seventh inning. The Cardinals, who have the best record in baseball, have won 10 of their last 11 games against Arizona.
Arizona's Wellington Castillo hit a solo homer, but flew out with the bases loaded to end the seventh. The Diamondbacks had 14 hits, but left 11 runners on base to end a four-game winning streak.
Lynn allowed two hits in 6 2-3 innings his last start, but the Cardinals had two hits in a 2-0 loss to San Francisco.
He gave up the homer to Castillo in the second inning and a run-scoring double to Aaron Hill that tied the game at 2-all in the sixth.
The double plays kept the Diamondbacks from doing any more damage against Lynn. The St. Louis right-hander ended the third inning with a double play, then got Hill and Paul Goldschmidt to do the same with the bases loaded in the fourth and fifth.
The Diamondbacks signed Chacin as a free agent in June and he went 5-3 with a 3.39 ERA in 12 starts at Triple-A Reno.
Arizona purchased his contract so he could start Monday night's game and the right-hander was solid in his first start in more than a year. Carpenter ended a 0-for-21 slide with a solo homer in the third inning and Chacin gave up an unearned run on a fielder's choice in the sixth after an error by left fielder David Peralta.
Chacin was lifted with one out in the seventh inning after Greg Garcia singled and took third on a heads-up play on a sacrifice bunt. Pham hit a run-scoring single off Daniel Hudson - charged to Chacin - and Molina made it 5-2 with a two-run single punched into right field.
Chacin allowed three runs -two earned - on six hits.
Cardinals: 1B Matt Adams, who is coming back from quadriceps surgery, could begin playing in rehab games as early as next week. ... OF Matt Holliday has started hitting and throwing, but is still limited running after suffering a second quadriceps strain.
Cardinals: LHP Jaime Garcia, Tuesday's starter against Arizona, is 4-0 with a 2.78 ERA in four career starts against the Diamondbacks.
Diamondbacks: LHP Robbie Ray got an extra day's rest between starts heading in Tuesday's game against the Cardinals after the Diamondbacks brought up Chacin to pitch Monday. Ray has not won since July 7 at Texas.


text:
Melody Ovitsky, OTR/L has devoted her entire career to AOT, Inc. Her first position as a new graduate was as an occupational therapist in its acute care division. In the following years, however, she pursued her specialty of choice, pediatrics, focusing on school-age, preschools, and early intervention services. Today, Melody oversees and supervises school-based and outpatient pediatric services, reporting directly to the vice president, M. Marlene Seeger.
- University of Pittsburgh, Bachelor of Science degree, Occupational Therapy
- Certification, Neuro-developmental Treatment (NDT)
- Certification, Therapeutic Listening
Melody is one of AOT's most respected professionals. Her keen clinical skills and insight have earned her a reputation as a knowledgeable mentor among staff members. Her confident personality, positive attitude, and interpersonal skills make her an adept negotiator who responds assertively to issues and concerns that arise in the course of fulfilling her responsibilities as a supervisor. She has been recognized by a tri-county agency as an expert in early intervention feeding practices. As such she was chosen to develop feeding protocols.
Over the years, Melody has honed her expertise in pediatric occupational therapy specialties via continuing education certification programs, seminars, and research. In 1996, she achieved certification in Neuro Developmental Treatment (NDT), which is a hands-on, therapeutic approach used in working with children and adults who have central nervous system deficits. In 2007 she was certified in therapeutic listening. Other specialty areas that Melody has pursued are the treatment of feeding disorders and sensory processing disorders.


text:
Low melting point alloys to meet
customer specifications
A Comprehensive Range of Low melting point alloys
At William Rowland, we offer various alloys with low melting points, all of which are produced on-site at our foundry, located in Birmingham. We have extensive experience producing high-quality alloys, tailored to our customer's needs.
Below you will find a technical overview of the low melting point alloys we offer, each with their own unique set of properties. If you require assistance or if you have any questions about low melting point alloys, we have a team of experts standing by. Alternatively, you can fill out a quick enquiry form by clicking the link below.
|make a quick enquiry today
Base Alloy
We supply base alloys that are produced on site at our foundry in Birmingham to both industry standards and tailor made to customers own requirements where practical.
Base alloy is one of the eutectics, i.e. it has a sharp melting point (124°C). Unlike bend alloy, tool alloy and press alloy, which expand immediately on solidification, base alloy first shrinks and then grows slowly, reaching the dimensions of the mould some 5 - 7 hours after casting. This characteristic is of value since castings can be removed easily from the mould and measurements taken accurately when the casting has reached mould dimensions. It is also useful as a bending medium instead of bend alloy where the latter's expansion characteristic is too great. Base alloy is manufactured from virgin metals and is guaranteed to give complete satisfaction under normal working conditions.
|Chemical Specification
|Base Alloy Ingots
|25kg Boxes
Bend Alloy
Efficient supply of bend alloy tailored to your specific needs
William Rowland Limited is able to produce a wide range of low melting point alloys at our foundry in Birmingham. All of our low melting point alloys are compliant with industry standards. We are also able to produce alloys that are tailored to meet our customers' specific requirements.
One type of low melting point alloy William Rowland produces is bend alloy: WR 70.
WR 70 bend alloy, a low melting point alloy
Bend alloy is one of the most extensively used alloys in industry. Part of the widespread need for bend alloy is due to its primary characteristic of expansion on solidification from the molten state. This makes bend alloy an ideal material to support metal tubing with thin walls during bending operations.
The alloy has a sharp melting point of 70 degrees Celsius and can consequently be melted with hot water.
Professional and credible supplier of bend alloy
If you are looking for a credible, professional and efficient supplier of bend alloy, William Rowland can deliver bend alloy and a wide range of metal products to you quickly and efficiently.
Having been a leading metal supplier since 1830, we have developed an international reputation in the metals trade.
International delivery
If you require bend alloy to be delivered to you without delay, William Rowland Limited can distribute these low melting point alloys around the world and for a competitive price.
|Chemical Specification
|Bend Alloy Ingots
|25kg Boxes
Get in touch with the William Rowland team of metals trade experts today to discuss all your bend alloy requirements.
Casting Alloy
Quality casting alloy supply with William Rowland
Casting alloys are a range of low temperature alloys based on tin, lead or bismuth that are suitable for production of jewellery, models, figures, artwork, collectibles, ornaments and memorabilia.
William Rowland produces many different grades of casting alloy to suit the customer's process and production requirements, however we will also produce to a customer's individual specification. Our casting alloys are suitable for the professional or hobbyist and we produce many grades that are safe and easy to work with using only the minimum of basic equipment.
Lead-free pewter alloys are popular for jewellery, artwork and collectibles where reproduction of fine detail and cast finish are important, as well as being safe for human contact . These alloys are commonly high in tin and alloyed with copper and antimony. As-cast finish is very good and cast objects polish very well to a silver lustre.
For applications in which lead can be tolerated, the range of alloys is extensive, generally providing cheaper alloys but ones which can be tailor-made for specific purposes such as thin or bulky items, reproducing fine detail, malleability or achieving a particular surface finish. These alloys commonly contain tin, lead and bismuth but may also contain antimony and zinc.
William Rowland casting alloys are suitable for a range of casting techniques such as centrifugal and gravity casting into rubber or silicon moulds.
Efficient casting alloy delivery with first-rate customer service
William Rowland prides itself on the supply of alloys and other metal products, professionally, efficiently and cost-effectively. All of our casting alloys are made from primary metals in our onsite foundry in Birmingham, they can be adapted to customer requirements as needed.
Global distribution of casting alloy
No matter where you are based in the world, William Rowland can deliver your casting alloy or other metal products, internationally.
William Rowland Limited is able to offer unwavering reliability and a quick turnaround in the supply of casting alloy.
|Chemical Specification
|Casting Alloy Ingots
|25kg Boxes
If you require the supply of high quality casting alloy that is tailored to your specific requirements, get in contact with William Rowland's team of metals trade experts, and get casting alloy delivered to your doorstep without delay.
Fusible Alloy
William Rowland are specialists in the delivery of fusible alloys
Looking for high-quality fusible alloy? Look no further than William Rowland, specialists in the metals trade and distributing alloys and other metals around the world.
Fusible alloy is essentially a type of metal alloy which can be fused with ease. These metal alloys can be melted at temperatures that are relatively low. They are typically eutectic alloys, meaning they have a sharp melting point.
Fusible alloys are often used as the term to describe alloys that have a melting point which is below 183 degrees Celsius.
What are fusible alloys used for?
Fusible alloys are irreplaceable in a range of applications where their low melting point is fundamental:
Tube and profile bending
Work holding of delicate or irregular pieces
Fusible cores for plastic or composite moulding techniques
Fusible plugs for boilers and pressure vessels
Fusible safety devices for fire prevention such as sprinklers
Lens blocking
Rapid prototyping of press tools
Fusible alloy distribution
William Rowland Limited can supply fusible alloys around the world. Experienced in the manufacturing and distribution of fusible alloy, we will ensure your metal alloy requirements are delivered to you safely for a competitive price.
One fusible alloy we can deliver without delay is bend alloy, one of the group of bismuth based alloys with a low melting point. Bend alloy is the most widely used fusible alloy in industry.
Our fusible alloys can be tailor made to cater for your individual circumstances and requirements.
If you require the use of fusible alloy and would like to discuss your requirements, get in touch with the William Rowland team, specialists in fusible alloy distribution.
Lens Alloy
William Rowland, specialists in lens alloy production and supply
William Rowland are specialists in the supply of lens alloys. Our high-quality lens alloys are produced at our foundry in Birmingham. All of the lens alloys produced by William Rowland can be made to our customers' specific requirements. Our metal products, including our lens alloy, comply with industry standards.
Lens alloys are part of the group of bismuth-based 'fusible' alloys. Indium is added to the alloy in order to give it a considerably lower melting point
A sharp melting point
William Rowland lens alloys are eutectic alloys, characteristically possessing a sharp melting point at 58 or 47 degrees Celsius.. This low temperature is ideal for acting as a 'button' or holding medium in the grinding of lenses.
Possessing stable characteristics, and being easy to melt, lens alloy can be reused repeatedly if required.
Primary use of lens alloy
The primary use of lens alloy is in grinding operations when it proves invaluable in holding glass or plastic lenses. Due to its low melting properties, lens alloy is also a suitable component in the fuses of safety equipment. Lens alloy can also be effective in proof casting.
Having been in operation for more than 180 years, William Rowland is one of the oldest traders of lens alloy and other metal products in the world. Since founding in 1830, William Rowland has been committed to put innovation, quality and high levels of customer service at the ethos of our business.
|Chemical Specification
|Lens 117 Alloy
|Lens 136 Alloy Ingots
25kg Boxes
|Lens 147 Alloy
|Various specifications available
|Lens 158 Alloy
|Various specifications available
If you require lens alloy delivered at a competitive price and without delay, contact William Rowland, specialists in providing high purity metals, metal powders, alloys and inoculants around the world.
Lens Blocking
Use William Rowland for all your lens blocking supplies
If you are looking for lens blocking alloys then you are in the right place, as William Rowland are one of the world leaders in the supply of metal products, including lens blocking alloys.
Lens blocking alloys are part of the group of bismuth based low melting point alloys. Possessing low melting temperature characteristics, lens blocking alloys are simple to use and can be reused when required. They also conform to any configuration of lens.
Lens blocking alloys are used in grinding processes and attach optical lens blanks to surfacing blocks.
Our high quality low melting point alloys are produced in-house at William Rowland's production facility in Birmingham. We produce a wide range of low melting point alloys, including base alloy, bend alloy, casting alloy, lens alloy, press alloy, tool alloy, as well as lens blocking alloy.
Lens blocking quality assured
One principle objective at William Rowland Limited is produce and deliver quality assured material in a timely, cost-effective manner.
Part of our unwavering commitment to always meet the needs and expectations of our customers is to deliver high quality metal products that meet their specification, are on time, and are delivered to the right place and for the right price.
A bespoke service
All of our low melting point alloys can be tailormade on our state-of-the-art equipment at our main facility in Birmingham so they adhere to the unique specifications and requirements of our individual customers.
If you need lens blocking alloy delivering, no matter where you are located in the world, William Rowland Limited can supply high-quality lens blocking and other low melting point alloys, quickly, efficiently and for a competitive price.
Get in contact with the William Rowland team of metal trade specialists today, for all your lens blocking requirements.
Press Alloy
We supply press alloys that are produced on site at our foundry in Birmingham to both industry standards and tailor made to customers own requirements where practical.
Press alloy is one of the eutectics, i.e. it has a sharp melting point (138°C) and like the majority of bismuth based alloys it expands on solidification. This material is free flowing and its versatility makes it a unique tool in a great variety of industries. Its low melting point ensures easy and safe handling and under normal conditions it can be re-used almost indefinitely. Press alloy is manufactured from virgin metals and is guaranteed to give complete satisfaction under normal working conditions.
|Chemical Specification
|Press Alloy Ingots
|25kg Boxes
Tool Alloy
We supply tool alloys that are produced on site at our foundry in Birmingham to both industry standards and tailor made to customers own requirements where practical.
Tool alloy, one of the well-known group of low-melting point bismuth based alloys, is solid below 100°C and liquid at about 230°C. Unlike eutectic alloys, tool alloy exhibits plasticity in the temperature range between 100°C and 230°C . It expands on solidification and in this respect is unique as an anchoring medium.
Tool alloy is manufactured from virgin metals and is guaranteed to give complete satisfaction under normal working conditions.
|Chemical Specification
|Tool Alloy Ingots
|25kg Boxes


text:
March 16, 2012 11:10 am ET filed under Foreign Policy Matters
Making Sense Of Jennifer Rubin's Iran "Engagement" Rhetoric
January 23, 2012 10:39 pm ET filed under Video
Gingrich: "Most Economists Agree" We'd Be Worse Off Without Bush Tax Cuts
From the January 23, 2012, NBC News Republican presidential debate in Florida:
January 05, 2012 5:06 pm ET filed under Foreign Policy Matters
Mitt Romney Embraces the Neocons
January 03, 2012 2:30 pm ET filed under Blog
Ambitious Republicans Conveniently Discover Opposition To Abortion Just In Time To Woo Conservative Voters
September 21, 2011 10:36 pm ET filed under Fact Check
What Happened To The Republican Consensus On Climate Change?
In May right-wing activist Marc Morano said Republican candidates "can believe in the science of global warming ... if you keep your mouth shut about it and you advocate no quote-unquote solution to the problem." By contrast, the following statements show that in previous years, prominent Republicans spoke about both the robust body of evidence indicating that human activities are changing the climate and the need to address the problem. While the political discourse has since regressed, the scientific consensus has not.
September 09, 2011 3:34 pm ET filed under Foreign Policy Matters
WaPo's Michael Gerson: Bush Was Not A Neoconservative
September 02, 2011 2:35 pm ET filed under Blog
Why Did Republicans Stop Acknowledging The Economic Importance Of Demand?
August 31, 2011 12:25 pm ET filed under Video
Cheney Misrepresents Record On Torture And Bin Laden
From the August 30, 2011, edition of Fox News' Hannity:
August 31, 2011 10:43 am ET filed under Blog
Cheney Misrepresents Record On Torture And Bin Laden
August 25, 2011 3:10 pm ET filed under Blog
Time-Traveling Rick Perry: Obama Policies Have Us 'At The Precipice Of Defaulting'
August 11, 2011 6:40 pm ET filed under Fact Check
GOP Social Security Schemes Would Only Harm Retirees
As the anniversary of Social Security nears, it's important to remember how Republicans have approached the program. Beginning with a Bush-era commission on Social Security reform and continuing up through Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's (R-WI) "Roadmap for America's Future," Republicans have sought over the last decade to disrupt the Social Security system via a variety of schemes. Their proposals, which have often included privatization plans and "progressive price indexing," would introduce uncertainty into retirees' lives by attaching payouts to the ups and downs of the market, and would amount to substantial benefit cuts for many Americans.
July 29, 2011 10:22 am ET filed under Fact Check
Rep. Camp Blames Obama For Debt From GOP Policies Camp Supported
During a July 28 speech on the House floor, Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI) produced a chart comparing the debt accumulated under the Obama and Bush administrations. According to Camp, "President Obama's actions" have led to "twice the debt in half the time" as his predecessor. However, Camp's wildly misleading assertion blames President Obama for a projected FY 2009 deficit that was already over $1 trillion when he took office, while ignoring the fiscal impact that Bush's policies are still having. Not surprisingly, Camp voted for the Bush policies that caused the deficit to explode.
July 18, 2011 2:22 pm ET filed under Blog
Graham Forgets The '90s
June 27, 2011 5:15 pm ET filed under Blog
Heritage Foundation Has Different Standards For Bush And Obama
June 07, 2011 10:02 am ET filed under Blog
Bush Tax Cuts: A Decade Of Failure
June 07, 2011 10:01 am ET filed under Fact Check
Bush Tax Cuts: A Decade Of Failure
Today marks the 10th anniversary of the first of the two massive tax cuts signed by President George W. Bush and is yet another great opportunity to illustrate that both tax packages failed to deliver on their promised results. Bush told the country that the tax cuts would result in economic growth and sustained prosperity, but the economy got neither. In fact, from 2001 to 2007, the economy experienced the weakest job growth since the end of World War II. While the nation's millionaires and billionaires were enriched, average household income fell for the first time on record. Worse, since the Bush tax cuts did not pay for themselves — as many conservatives claimed they would — the two tax packages added trillions to the nation's deficit. During the current debate on deficits and debt, it's important to remember just how much the Bush tax cuts accelerated the fiscal troubles we're now facing.
May 03, 2011 11:34 am ET filed under Video
Condoleeza Rice: Bush At Ground Zero 'Probably The Most Important Moment In American History'
From the May 3, 2011, episode of Fox & Friends on Fox News:
May 03, 2011 11:32 am ET filed under Blog
Condoleezza Rice: Bush's Bullhorn Speech "Probably The Most Important Moment Maybe In American History"
May 02, 2011 1:42 pm ET filed under Blog
FLASHBACK: Bush Insisted U.S. Needed "To Be Invited" To Pursue Bin Laden In Pakistan
January 31, 2011 12:19 pm ET filed under Foreign Policy Matters
Neocons Take Credit For Egyptian Uprising
July 30, 2010 3:53 pm ET filed under Blog
The Modern Republican Party: Brought To You By Fraud & Tax Evasion
July 19, 2010 3:48 pm ET filed under Blog
The GOP's "Back To Bush" Strategy
March 08, 2010 4:05 pm ET filed under Blog
On National Security, Americans Prefer Obama To Bush
February 12, 2010 11:36 am ET filed under Fact Check
Rep. Ryan's "Roadmap" Mixes & Matches The Worst Policies Of Bush And McCain
On January 27, 2010, Republican Rep. Paul Ryan, the ranking member on the House Budget Committee, released a "Roadmap for America's Future" budget proposal. Despite Ryan's efforts to frame the plan as fresh and new, a quick glance shows his ideas are simply mixed and matched from the worst policies of President George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain.
August 11, 2009 4:51 pm ET filed under Blog
Emails Show Bush White House Staffers Joked About Following Orders Like Nazis
June 16, 2009 10:43 am ET filed under Fact Check
Rep. Latta Echoing Failed Policies Of President Bush
On June 15, 2009, Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH) wrote an op-ed in The Hill in which he echoed the failed energy policies of President Bush.
June 10, 2009 3:07 pm ET filed under Fact Check
Republican "American Energy Act" Is Identical To President Bush's Failed Plan
At a time when Americans are seeking new solutions to rebuild our economy and break our dependence on foreign energy sources, House Republicans have proposed the same tired policies embraced by President Bush.
May 28, 2009 2:10 pm ET filed under Fact Check
Senate Republicans Echo Bush on Nuclear Power
By urging the construction of "100 new nuclear plants by 2030," Senate Republicans are once again echoing the Bush/Cheney energy plan.


text:
Your shopping cart is empty!
Wall units and display cabinets designed to organise all your tableware items close at hand in a and displayed beautifully to give elegant look to your dining room and living rooms. Check out our huge range of contemporary and classic designed wall units / display cabinets.


text:
Shareholder Information
ASX InformationKip McGrath Education Centres Limited is a publicly listed company on the Australian Stock Exchange.
For information on the current share price, please visit the KME listing on the ASX website.
As part of its regulatory requirements and Code of Ethics, Kip McGrath Education Centres Limited makes available Financial Statements and Announcements to the Market, regarding events within the company that may affect share prices. The latest announcements are also available on the ASX website.
Share RegistryAccess the following range of online services to assist you in effectively managing your holding and keep informed about the affairs of Kip McGrath Education Centres.
- Update your details online
- Obtain information on your holding
- Download standard forms
- Receive electronic notification of general meetings and dividend statements
The KMEC's share register is managed by Computershare Investor Services PTY Limited (Computershare), which can be accessed from the Computershare main site. For more information, please view the Computershare Contact Details page.


text:
In which we highlight the past week in food, either at home or abroad.
- "'It's the food I grew up with, but my version,' says the chef." Josef Centeno's Bar Amá Opening Tomorrow.
- "Each of the cookies listed below is locally made, fresh baked and available to order for all of your holiday cookie-gifting or snacking needs." 10 Best Cookies in Los Angeles.
- "Once you get the pig it's a no brainer." Chefs Cook At Home, The Holiday Edition: Canelé's Corina Weibel.
- "In Bangkok and barely over jetlag, Night + Market chef Kris Yenbamroong of helped his diminutive 81-year-old paternal grandmother, Vilai Yenbamroong, into the back of a white van for what he calls 'an epic trip.'" Night + Market's Kris Yenbamroong: New Dishes + A Trip to Thailand.
- "Tape it on your refrigerator, or maybe to the dashboard of your car. Just the thing to look at when you're stuck on the 10 in miserable traffic, right?" 100 Favorite Dishes: The Whole Menu.
- "It wasn't long ago that finding a great croissant, one that essentially resembled a fine slab of French butter empowered with crunch, flake, and tenderness, was a exercise that ended in either disappointment or compromise." Croissant Food Fight: B1 Breadshop vs. Bread Lounge vs. Maison Giraud.
- "To simplify your piña colada making, Austrialian fruit Frankensteins have created a pineapple that tastes like coconut." Scientists Create Pineapple That Tastes Like Coconut.
- "The monks of St. Sixtus don't allow sales of the beer outside the abbey, with the exception of café In de Vrede adjacent to the brewery, because profits of the beer allow only for the continuation of their way of life." Westvletern 12: World's Best Beer Finally Released in the U.S.
If you like this story, consider signing up for our email newsletters.
You have successfully signed up for your selected newsletter(s) - please keep an eye on your mailbox, we're movin' in!


text:
Lodsys has threatened to sue several independent iPhone app developers if they don't pay patent licensing fees for technology that Apple makes available for in-app purchases and upgrades, and now it appears that Apple may have decided how it plans to handle the situation. So far, Apple hasn't made a public statement on the situation, but comments from developers on Twitter, coupled with a letter the company sent to Lodsys, make it clear that the Cupertino-based company is ready and willing to throw its legal weight behind third-party iOS app coders.
James Thomson, one of the developers that was hit with legal threats from Lodsys, tweeted "Good news for everyone!"
Iconfactory co-founder Talos Tsui echoed that sentiment by tweeting "Way to go, Apple! Thanks!"
Craig Hockenberry, also of Iconfactory fame, added "DEAR STEVE I WANT TO KISS YOU HUGS CHOCK"
In a letter to Lodsys CEO Mark Small, Apple's legal team made it clear it sees the patents it licensed as open and available to third-party developers that code for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
"Apple is undisputedly licensed to these patent and the Apple App Makers are protected by that license. There is no basis for Lodsys' infringement allegations against Apple's App Makers," Apple's letter stated, according to Macworld. "Apple intends to share this letter and the information set out herein with its App Makers and is fully prepared to defend Apple's license rights."
Apple went on to state that "while we are not privy to all of Lodsys's infringement contentions because you have chosen to send letters to Apple's App Makers rather than to Apple itself, our understanding based on the letters we have reviewed is that Lodsys's infringement allegations against Apple's App Makers rest on Apple products and services covered by the license."
Several independent iOS app developers where sent letters in May from Lodsys demanding that they turn over about half of a percent of their in-app sales or face patent infringement lawsuits. The patent holder alleged that the developers needed to pay their own licensing fee for the use of the technology even though Apple was already paying to license the patent in question.
The patent in question, 7222078, loosely describes "methods and systems for gathering information from units of a commodity across a network."
For its part, Lodsys claimed Apple's license "does NOT enable them to provide 'pixie dust' to bless another (3rd party) business applications."
With Apple throwing its legal guns into the patent battle, Lodsys will likely have more than a few headaches — and substantially higher legal expenses — defending its claim that individual app developers must pay it licensing fees.
And in case there was any question on the part of Mr. Small as to Apple's expectations, the company's letter ended with "Therefore, Apple requests that Lodsys immediately withdraw all notice letters sent to Apple App Makers and cease its false assertions that the App Makers' use of licensed Apple products and services in any way constitute infringement of any Lodsys patent."
Apple hasn't replied yet to The Mac Observer's request for a comment.
[This article has been updated with additional information about Apple's response to Lodsys]