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The lights are on
Clearly, GI just hates America. That's the only reason i can think of as to why they gave this amazing game a 2. 2 people. That's a whole 1 less than 3, and a WHOPPING 8 less than the 10 this gem deserves. Never in my life have I felt like I was fighting for the freedom of my fellow Americans. Pathetic "military" shooters like MW3 and BF3 just pretend to be militaristic. They have no where near the same strategic gameplay that BW delivers. When was the last time you had to rip the pin out the grenade with your teeth in BF3? When was the last time you had to actually KICK in a door in MW3? THATS RIGHT, NEVER! All you do is press stupid buttons in that game. How stupid is that? I go out and pay 60 FREAKING dollars of my hard earned money scamming kids out of lunch money, and all I do is press buttons? Seriously, so stupid. BW takes your hardcore gaming to the next level, the EXTREME level.
I cannot believe GI gave this horrific review. Dan Ryckert clearly just sucks at video games. You want to see a video game pro? Watch that F-ing trailer! That's a gamer!
Dan hates America.
This is hilarious.
It wasn't until the source of your hard-earned money was told that I noticed this was a patriotic review. Good show sir, good show.
This man deserves a medal! XD
I think he's serious
This must be sarcasm
To anyone asking....
This is...
high review
wasn't serious
wasn't trolling
effective satire
generally pretty funny
gg wp.
Great trolling sir
You have won the day.
LOL reminded me of this:
So freakin funny
I've never laughed so hard before at a review


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Ships in 1 - 2 Business Days
Product Details
- Material: Iron
- Width: 1-3/4"
- Height: 2-1/2"
- Depth: 3"
- Mounting Hardware Included: Yes
- Made of cast iron.
- Beeswax iron features a protective layer of natural beeswax. It creates an aged finish and allows metal to naturally patina and wear while providing protection from the elements.
- 1-3/4" W x 2-1/2" H.
- 3" projection.
- Concealed mounting hardware.
- Includes fastening hardware.
- Sold individually.
- Technical Information
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®by PowerReviewsElegant Cast Iron Handrail Bracket
Reviewed by 2 customers
Comments about Elegant Cast Iron Handrail Bracket:
The wall screws provided are only 3/4" long and they need to be at least 1-1/4" long to extend through sheetrock to secure 3/4" into the wall stud. I am not happy that I have to go find longer screws with a similar finish.
Comments about Elegant Cast Iron Handrail Bracket:
The mounting lag screws that thread into the bracket are smaller than the hole they thread into, which means that under force (like trying to screw them into a stud), they spin in the hole, or be pulled straight out, like I could do by hand. Even if you unscrew the lag from the bracket, the bracket will still pop off the screw. I'm sure that a dab of epoxy would cure the problem, but that shouldn't be the answer.
They look pretty nice, though.

subset: commoncrawl


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TALLAHASSEE — Toney Douglas' second-half scoring eruptions have carried Florida State all season.
He did it again Sunday, and it propelled the Seminoles into an opening-round bye in the ACC tournament.
The 6-foot-1 dynamo scored 16 of his 22 in the second half to lead No. 24 FSU to a 63-53 win over Virginia Tech. He scored 12 in the minutes after the Hokies pulled within 45-42.
"I feel like I can score whenever I want," Douglas said. "I know what I'm going to end up doing. I had to take over."
FSU secured the fourth seed in the ACC tournament and dealt a major blow to Virginia Tech's NCAA hopes. Coach Seth Greenberg could only shake his head about the player he said might be the league's MVP.
"Every time down the stretch he makes a play," the former USF coach said. "I don't think there's been many times this season when he's had the opportunity to make a play that he hasn't."
Greenberg had warned his players Douglas would try to take the game over after it got close.
"We knew they'd go to him," he said. "(And) he comes down and makes two 3-pointers."
It didn't surprise Douglas' coach, Leonard Hamilton.
"I could see it in his eyes," Hamilton said. "He wanted this day to end right."
Playing his final game before home fans on senior day, Douglas, tops in conference play with more than 23 points per game, didn't get his first field goal until 10:30 was gone in the first half, finally hitting a runner just outside the lane.
Then he came alive, sparking the run that gave the Seminoles a 59-49 lead, and they cruised from there. He also led the team with three assists and two steals, giving him 60 on the season.
FSU (23-8, 10-6) led 32-25 after a ragged first half in which the teams combined for 23 turnovers and the Hokies shot 24 percent. The Seminoles led all game.
"We just couldn't get over the hump," Greenberg said.
A.D. Vassallo scored 14 to lead Virginia Tech (17-13, 7-9). Vassallo, the Hokies' leading scorer, didn't get his first field goal until 2:09 was gone in the second half. He managed only two free throws before the break.
The Seminoles' 23 wins are their most since the 1992-93 team that finished 25-10 before being eliminated in the NCAA's round of eight by Kentucky.


text:
1986 Jay Bee Values, Specs and Prices
Select a 1986 Jay Bee Model
Jay Bee Note
For further information, see Bassmaster Boats Inc.
(1997 - 1977)
A manufacturer of fiberglass runabout vessels, the powerboats produced by Jay Bee are suited for fishing and skiing. Ranging in sizes between 14 and 20 feet, Jay Bee boats are found with outboard and stern driven powerplants. Jay Bee was built within marine company Bassmaster Boats Incorporated until the 1997 model year.


text:
Research Topics
Affiliation: Texas Medical Center
Country: USA
Detail Information
- The influence of rurality on the volume of non-urgent emergency department visitsMD MONIR HOSSAIN
Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, USA
Spat Spatiotemporal Epidemiol 2:311-9. 2011..Results also demonstrated that estimates of effects of rurality on ED use that do not account for spatial random effects would be biased...
- Using hospitalization for ambulatory care sensitive conditions to measure access to primary health care: an application of spatial structural equation modelingMD MONIR HOSSAIN
Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Research Design BERD Core, Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, UT Professional Building, Room 1100 25, 6410 Fannin Street, Houston, TX 77030, USA
Int J Health Geogr 8:51. 2009....
- Risk score for identifying adults with CSF pleocytosis and negative CSF Gram stain at low risk for an urgent treatable causeRodrigo Hasbun
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
J Infect 67:102-10. 2013..We aimed to derive and validate a risk score that identifies adults with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pleocytosis and a negative CSF Gram stain at low risk for an urgent treatable cause...
- Human papillomavirus vaccine coverage among females aged 11 to 17 in Texas counties: an application of multilevel, small area estimationJan M Eberth
Division of Quantitative Sciences, Department of Biostatistics, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
Womens Health Issues 23:e131-41. 2013..The purpose of this study is to describe the county-level geographic distribution of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine coverage among adolescent females in Texas using multilevel small area estimation...


text:
Drawing on its technology and experience, Japan should continue to export nuclear reactors despite the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant, ruling party policy chief Seiji Maehara said Wednesday.
"I think trust in the safety of Japanese nuclear power plants hasn't wavered," the Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker said in a group interview with the Japan Times, citing ongoing talks with Vietnam, Hitachi Ltd.'s talks with Lithuania and the power plant venture between Hitachi and General Electric Co.
Maehara, 49, pushed for exporting reactors to Vietnam when he was foreign minister under Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who resigned earlier this month.
"We're responsible for investigating the cause of the crisis, reinforcing safety measures, applying technology to improve safety and sharing such technology with the world," he said.
In the interview, he also said the government should sell shares in Japan Post Holdings Co. to redeem government bonds issued to fund reconstruction efforts in the Tohoku region.
The cost of postdisaster reconstruction is expected to reach ¥16.6 trillion, and the government plans to gather ¥5 trillion in nontax revenue by selling government assets and cutting spending to minimize the size of future tax hikes.
Maehara stepped down as foreign minister in March after admitting he received ¥50,000 from a Korean woman with a Japanese name. In August, he acknowledged he received a combined ¥590,000 from four foreigners and a firm headed by a foreigner between 2005 and 2010. He returned all of the money and said he was either unaware of the donations or that the donors were foreigners. The Political Funds Control Law bans contributions from foreigners.
Maehara, who was DPJ president from September 2005 to April 2006, ran in the DPJ presidential election last month instead of supporting longtime ally Yoshihiko Noda, who won the race and became prime minister.
Both Maehara and Noda are graduates of Matsushita Institute of Government and Management, better known as Matsuhista Seikei Juku, a private school for grooming future leaders that was established by the founder of the Panasonic group, the late Konosuke Matsushita.
A media poll in August showed Maehara was the most popular candidate with the public. He also is a vocal critic of indicted party kingpin Ichiro Ozawa.


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A Hendersonville city employee returned to work Monday, nearly a year after being paralyzed in an ATV accident.
Larry Conley works for the city's Parks and Recreation Department.
Last year he was critically injured while riding an ATV on his property as he was getting ready for duck hunting season.
The ATV rolled on top of Conley, breaking his neck.
"When it started to roll, I jumped and hit the ground and by the time I started to get up, it hit me in the back of the neck," Conley recalled.
He continued, "It hit me in the back of the neck, crushed my C5, broke my C4 and C6 and 7. I knew when it hit me that I had broken my neck."
City employees worked the past year during weekends and after work modifying his home to allow Conley to move about his home on Cherokee Drive.
Monday, the former mechanic returned to the parks department in a new position, doing clerical work.
"I've always gone to work. I enjoy coming down here and being with the guys. My wife was glad for me to come back to work too," Conley said.
According to parks and recreation director Dave LeMarbre, the city determined Conley was capable of returning to work despite being in a wheelchair and being unable to move below the waist.
Workers built a desk in a new office fitted for Conley's wheelchair and added a remote controlled door to allow him to enter and exit the building which was previously non-ADA accessible.
"We've never had a person come back in a wheelchair so we didn't know what to do, I'll be honest with you. It was a difficult situation," LeMarbre said.
"We had to be careful that he was protected, he wasn't going to get hurt anymore than me or any of our employees could get hurt," said LeMarbre.
The 20-year employee for the city will handle all clerical work with the department such as time-sheets and equipment acquisition.
Previous Story:


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Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant Reviews
addictiveDermalogica Daily Microfoliant is innovative and worth the money. I use this in the shower every morning and it does just enough to exfoliate my sensitive skin without stripping the protective barrier. I highly recommend it. — 9 years, 9 months agoplatinum | 55 reviews
This review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 2 of 3 people said helpful
My favoriteI use this daily- it gives just enough scrub without harming my face and gives it a fresh shine that lasts all day!! A little powder goes a long way so scrub is a good value!! — 9 years, 9 months agolyndaj | 23 reviews
This review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 0 of 1 people said helpful
I love this!I've been using Daily Microfoliant for over a year and love the way my skin feels. It is a gentle exfoliant, giving my skin a smoothness, softness, and glow that I love. It's gently enough to use every day and even though my skin is quite sensitive to different products, I've never had problems with breakouts, etc., from this product. — 9 years, 9 months agoangiegrim | 5 reviews
Best exfoliant yet!I religiously use this product every night and I could not live without it. After using this, my face feels smooth and ultra clean (not a cleanser). It does not dry out or irritate my sensitive skin. A definate keeper! — 9 years, 9 months agojennlee | 3 reviews
This review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 2 of 3 people said helpful
perfect!this is so gentle you really can use it daily. it is not shredding your skin. in fact is is so gentle i use in on my eye area with zero problems. that is t hard area to exfoliate but for me, it tends to get dry. this is the perfect remedy. the scent is sort of lemony. get it!!! — 9 years, 9 months agobutterbean | 35 reviews
wowThis is an amazing product. my skin feels so smooth after just one use. I only use the product 2 times per week and the results are wonderful. My skin is very sensitive and this is not irritating to it at all. — 9 years, 9 months agotravel4fun1 | 3 reviews
This review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 1 of 1 people said helpful
I found the plant extracts to be irritatingI love that this product is the most gentle (in terms of abrasiveness) physical exfoliant I've ever used on my sensitive skin. It leaves my skin smooth without being overly harsh--except for all the plant extracts, some of which irritate both my nasal allergies and my skin. If I could find a similar product without the plant extracts, I would consider purchasing, but I won't buy this product again...read more. Ingredients: Microcrystalline Cellulose, Talc, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Colloidal Oatmeal, Rice Bran, Rice Starch, PCA, Allyl Methacrylates Crosspolymer, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Limonene, Methylparaben, Titanium Dioxide, Allantoin, Salicylic Acid, Grapefruit Peel Oil, Papain, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Licorice Root Extract, Cyclodextrin, Melaleuca, Tea Tree Leaf Oil. — 9 years, 9 months agozernelle | 130 reviews
This review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 5 of 5 people said helpful
GlowingSince using microfoliant my skin has been less flaky and has more of a glow. This product smells good and is easy to use. Makes my face feel refreshed. — 9 years, 9 months agoJoyBow | 2 reviews
This review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 0 of 1 people said helpful
Best exfoliator I've used for sensitive skinI'm in the middle of pregnancy and my skin was out of control. I tried several products but they couldn't get rid of the little bumps that appeared all over my face. This made my skin super smooth after only one use and seemed to calm it as well. I alternate this with the Dermal Clay Cleanser and that system has worked very well for me. — 9 years, 9 months agomarly71 | 3 reviews
Mild and effectiveGreat product, especially for my combination, sensitive and acne-prone skin. The product is not harsh and doesn't make my skin red unlike other mechanical exfoliants I've used. It gets rid of the dry patches that I sometimes get from using prescription retinoids and makes my skin glow after using. Took one star off for the exorbitant price. However, will repurchase. — 9 years, 9 months agojasamie | 3 reviews
This review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 6 of 6 people said helpful
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My Reasons for Reporting This


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Pawan Kalyan shows special interest on a heroine !
Thu, Apr 23, 2015, 11:44 PM
Pawan Kalyan is a star and everyone know what are the positives in him to attain that status. Now Pawan Kalyan is getting ready for Gabbar Singh 2 movie and he rounded up on Anish Ambrose. Sources say that Pawan Kalyan has in fact recommended and ordered the makers to take Anisha for the movie. The latest buzz is that he has arranged a special training sessions on acting for Anisha Ambrose. . . . . .


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My experience: I am the same with everyone who has acne scar and wants to remove the terrible scar. At first, I always compare Pixel Laser and Fraxel Laser. Finally, I choose to try the Pixel Laser. It depends on you. I cannot instead of you making a decision. My experience as follows:
06/29/2012 6 PM I did the Pixel Laser. The doctor required me to eat each one pill- Valacyclovir HCL in the morning and afternoon in order to sterilize. One hour before surgery, the doctor required me to eat two pills Ibuprofen in order to reduce the face's pain during the surgery. The doctor also suggested me to drink a lot of water. Before the surgery, the nurse gave me a lotion to let me clean my face, and then she coated anesthetic and a cream on my face. During the surgery, they let me put a special eye protector on my eye. And then the doctor put the laser gun on my face. I could feel my face's burn. The pain was under my toleration. The doctor said that she wanted to increase the laser's energy in some part of my face in order to have a good result. So, it was moderate painful not a little bit painful. I felt the rubber band beat my face on the other part. The procedure lasted about 45 minutes. When the surgery was finished, I still felt my face was like the needle pricked my face but not pain. In the evening, I ate the Ibuprofen pill to relieve the pain and also had the Valacyclovir HCL pill to reduce the infection after one hour of Ibuprofen pill. When I went to sleep, I was suggested to sleep straightly and carefully.
06/30/2012 I felt my face seemed that the needle pricked my face. I had the Valacyclovir HCL pill and ate the Ibuprofen pill. My face was very red but slight swell. Some small part of face was bleeding but not serious. My face seemed to be pricked the square needle. I only washed my skin with water for the first 2 days no chemicals or harsh soaps. After the breakfast, lunch and dinner, I coated face on Epidermal Repair Correct in order to resurface my face and diminish redness.
07/01/2012 When I got up, I felt my face swell and a little bit pain. Some small part of face still had the sepsis phenomenon. I only washed my skin with water no chemicals. After that, I coated the Epidermal Repair cream on the surgical area. I also drank a lot of water. And then I ate a bottle of LA Yogurt, a piece of cake and banana. The doctor told me not to eat the hot and spicy food. After breakfast, lunch and dinner, I had a Valacyclovir HCL pill. I found my skin color became dark.
07/02/2012 When I got up, I found my skin color became dun and dry. Some part of surgical field started to crack. Maybe it would grow the new skin. But, I felt my face had some swell and a little bit fever heart. After breakfast, lunch and dinner, I had a Valacyclovir HCL pill. In the afternoon, I coated the Vaseline on my face. In the evening, I washed my skin with water. There was the peeling phenomenon on my face. I felt my face itchy.
07/03/2012 7:15AM when I got up, I washed my skin with water and found my face continued peeling. My face took on the redness. After the shower, I put the Epidermal Repair cream on the redness area. At 10 am and 1 pm, I had a Valacyclovir HCL pill. My face was redness. I didn't feel the pain or swell. At 9:15 pm, I had a Valacyclovir HCL pill. After cleaning my face, I coated the Vaseline on my face. The peeling area was still redness and about 10% in the surgical area.
07/04/2012 7:30AM when I got up, I washed my skin with the warm water. Some areas continued peeling and were redness. I coated the Vaseline on the crust area and put the Epidermal Repair cream on the redness area. I still felt itchy. I had a Valacyclovir HCL pill after breakfast, lunch and dinner. Today the old skin continued to peel and accounted for about 40% of the surgical area. Before I fell asleep, I tied a piece of paper on my face in case for scratching.
07/05/2012 5:30AM when I got up, I used the Cetaphil lotion to clean my face. Most of the surgical area has been peeled and remained the 15% of the old skin. The new skin was redness. I coated the Vaseline on my face in order to protect my new skin. But, I felt itchy. After breakfast and lunch, I had a Valacyclovir HCL pill. The redness still existed and was diminished. To be honest, I did not see the big change on my face. The result was not significant. I called the doctor and asked how I should do after peeling. The doctor said that I did not need any cream to coat my new skin and the new skin could be recovered automatically. She was not sure how long my redness would disappear. She told me that I did not need to have the Valacyclovir HCL pill. I felt my skin was not smooth.
07/06/2012 7:15AM I got up and found my redness was relieved compared to yesterday's situation. I put the Epidermal Repair cream on the redness area.
07/07-18/2012 I did the same action on my face. The redness was reduced gradually.
07/19/2012 I searched online and bought Zenmed Skin Eraser. I tried it on my acne scar. Among the types of my acne scar, I found this product is very helpful to my rolling acne scar. So far, I still tried this product. After two weeks, I found my rolling acne scar became smooth. It does say its effective in the advertisement as two weeks. I have confidently to continue to try it.
My suggestion:If you want to do the laser, my suggestion is that you'd better do it in winter but not summer because the sun's ultraviolet will hurt your skin in summer.
My suggestion is that you can choose the part of your face to apply this laser of technology if you are not sure this laser. First, you can save your money. Second, you will know whether or not this technology is good. If this technology is not good, you won't lose a lot of money or won't be destroyed by this technology. I chose the lower half of face and cost me $400 after negotiating. You cannot expect once laser to change your face into the perfect face. It is unrealistic that once laser can change your face. Everything is step-by-step. If your acne scar is not serious, you'd better not do the laser. You can try the acne scar removal cream, in fact, there are a lot of acne scar removal creams in America. So far, I try Zenmed Skin Eraser. It works on me. I really see the change after I use it. However, everyone's situation is different. I am not sure it works on you. You can search the acne scar removal cream on Amazon.com. You can try it. Since you can afford the laser fee, why not try the acne scar removal cream? And its price is not expensive compared to Pixel laser.
My knowledge:For the first two days, when my face was dry, the doctor gave me the Epidermal to apply on the face.Since the third day, I used the Vaseline to apply on my face. Vaseline helps the dead skin retreat quickly.
We can use the Cetaphil lotion to clean face after the third day.
Don't expose skin when you feel your face itch.


text: Each year high schools throughout the Tri-County area are given the opportunity to participate in the local Literary Contest. This long story earned a second place for Triway High School student Zoe Henderson.The smell was what got me the most. Gunpowder always left a very distinct smell in the air. After the first battle, it was all I could focus on. I overlooked everything else, the wounded soldiers slowly dying on the field, the calls from underneath mountains of bodies, even the land stained with so much blood. I believed the land would forever remain red. Those are the things that got to most people, but not me. The air was always thick and hazy after a battle; and with each breath, I could taste it, and to me that was far worse than any other aspect of war.The war had started just two years ago, and I had refused to fight. The North against the South, it seemed very foolish to me. How could anyone stand to kill his own brothers? Though I still don't understand it, many people have claimed it is necessary.My son had been one of them; he'd left just over a year ago to fight for the Confederates. My wife and daughter were killed shortly after he left by a small force of soldiers looking for a place to stay. My wife stood up to them, told them that our house would not serve either side of this war; so they'd murdered her, and a short while later, my daughter. I wish it could have been me instead of them, but I was in the fields with my two youngest sons. When we heard the commotion, at the house we ran back, only to arrive in time to hear my wife's final stand against the soldiers. I watched as they told her she would pay for her insolence, and I watched as her body fell on the floor, and as they all very calmly drug her body from my house. I would have done something, but my sons needed me. They wouldn't have survived if I had left them to fend for themselves. So I took what was left of my family and moved to Tennessee. I convinced myself I'd be safe.Now, here I was, running through the woods of my own property, chasing an unknown foe. A battle had broken out not far from my new home. I heard the gunshots and the screaming grow steadily louder. I sent my two boys to the cellar and loaded my hunting gun. I never intended to fight, but I would not let this war finish what it started to do to my family. I sat in silence in my house, just listening to the din grow louder and come closer. Before long, that awful smell drifted into my house and began filling every nook and cranny. Then, three soldiers approached carrying an injured comrade. The wound was deep in his gut and constantly spilling blood onto his tattered uniform. He was gasping for breath, and the others all looked worn and beaten. A second soldier from the group was also injured, but not badly. He had a bullet hole in his right arm and a gun slung over his left. They all walked with their heads bowed and hadn't even looked up yet to speak when I fired my first shot. I knew what they wanted, and I wasn't going to comply. My first shot took the only soldier with his back to me. While his body was falling to the ground, before the others could react, I sank my knife deep into a second soldier's stomach. The soldier with the wounded arm took off running before I could move against him. I quickly reloaded my gun and began pursuing him into my forest.I hadn't done anything. I only wanted to make sure he would be safe. My best friend, who'd been there every step of this war with me, had been shot. Two others and myself had begun carrying him towards the nearest house. We just wanted to borrow any kind of medical supplies they could offer. We were already exhausted from the battle we were losing to the Yanks, and only I had brought my unloaded gun along. We never expected any trouble. I guess this war is full of uncertainties, though, and I shouldn't assume anything.When I entered this war a short while back, I hadn't truly cared on which side I would fight. I merely wanted the war to end, the sooner the better. However, as I fought in more and more battles, I began to hate the North. Those Yanks shouldn't even be considered humans, just animals. That's what they were, wild animals, but I always got even. I always enjoyed stealing money and jewels from rich Northern houses and then burning them down. However, a few months back, I ceased to enjoy it and even felt sorry for what I'd done. This was, in fact, going to be my last battle. I was going to desert the army with my friends. Then, that mad man shattered it all in a few short seconds.As I saw another friend collapse in a heap on the ground, and a second begin to join him a moment later, I had to will my tired legs to move. I began running as fast as I could in the opposite direction. I didn't want to be anywhere near that man. If I could get far enough ahead of him to load my gun, I might be able to kill him as he had done to the only friends I had left. Even if I could kill him first, what would be the point? Without a doubt, they were dead or dying, all three of them. I wouldn't be able to do anything for them except watch as they took their last gulp of smoke-filled air. Slowly, as I thought of them, my fear turned to anger. He shouldn't survive, he didn't deserve to. He'd murdered the only thing I had left in my life that had meaning to me. I felt my old hatred of the North return. Surely he was a Northern supporter. I'd change that. I put all my extra energy into running and ran until my legs gave out. I collapsed behind a log. I quickly loaded my gun and, with my little remaining strength, stood up and fired my gun, but only after a moment's hesitation.I chased him through the woods. I easily gained ground on him because he was on the verge of death. Suddenly, he seemed to be invigorated by something, and he took off with renewed strength. I tried to keep up with him, but even I could not match the power of a desperate man. Just as I was prepared to give up, he collapsed behind a log. I ran forward at first but stopped when I noticed he was still moving. I shouldered my gun and prepared to fire, but when my eldest son appeared behind the log, I paused. Despite this sudden realization, I couldn't stop the hate in me from pulling the trigger.Two shots rang out; one man fell to the ground dead.


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Category: nameberry news
By Linda Rosenkrantz
Here we are with the last Babyberry Report of the year!
No multiples this month, but one name was used twice: Leo. Once again, several nature/word names found in middle place—Sparrow, Iris, Rose, Linnea—as well as some interesting moms' maiden names—Francois, Tam and Buchanan.
We're especially happy to include the announcements of two of our own Berry Juice contributors—Dantea's Amelia Lorien Sophia and Josh ('beardedberry') Murray's Zelda Louise.
By Abby Sandel
What a busy week! There's been a royal birth – no, not that royal birth. A candy entrepreneur welcomed colorfully named twins. A reality star gave birth to a son, and so did a famously private Hollywood power couple.
Every celebrity baby name in the headlines this week was on trend – colors and surnames, Biblical boys and place names for girls.
By Linda Rosenkrantz
February—a short month, so not as quite as many great babyberry announcements as usual, but what they lack in number they make up for in their full share of originality and charm, including first names, first and middle combos and sibsets.
By Linda Rosenkrantz
The month of March has brought a real bonanza of beauteous Berrybaby names—including two sets of twins, some gorgeous sibsets, and several highly creative middles. And we're lucky enough to be able to share the stories behind many of the choices. (Remember: these were babies announced on the Forums in March, even if they were born earlier.) Congrats to everyone!
There was one set of girl twins and one of boys:
Florence Abigail and Georgiana Kathleen, sisters of Oswald John
Keegan Nathaniel and Sebastian Miller, brothers of Weston Christopher
Only two names were used more than once: the boy classics Jack and Peter
The first-initial E definitely seems to be pulling ahead of the long-running A, for both girls and boys
Interesting gender-bender of the month: Gable Juliette
Most distinctive first—Escher; most unusual middle: Tesla
And here's the full list:
by Linda Rosenkrantz
June has come to a close and with it the end of the year's second quarter, meaning it's time for our report on the names chosen for their Spring babies by Berries in April, May and June, as reported in the Forums. As always, the baby names form a perfect microcosm of Nameberry style— from solid classics like Claire and Charles to vintage faves Cordelia and Cornelia to a range of highly original picks, including a girl named Happy. There are also some great first-middle name combos and terrific twin and other sibsets.
This time around there were reports of seven sets of twins (as compared with last quarter's ten):


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One of my favorite staple dishes is polenta.
Polenta is a porridge of sorts made with ground cornmeal. It is very popular in Italy, where it became a staple when corn was introduced to Europe. It's mild flavor makes it the perfect base for any number of sauces, vegetables, or what have you.
Traditionally, it was cooked in a copper pot called a paiolo over a wood stove or in a hearth, and stirred constantly for an hour or more. Although I would love to try my hand at the traditional methods, for daily cooking it's seems a little out of reach. Luckily for me (and you!), there are other options! You can get pre-cooked (which is what we're working with here today), as well as traditional, which comes in fine, medium, or coarse grinds.
Although purists would tell you that quick-cooking corn mush is heresy, I feel it's no more evil than cooking with rolled oats instead of groats or steel-cut oats. The groats, and the "real" polenta have their place in the kitchen, but for a quick snack, instant works just fine. It's a beautiful blank canvas on which you can paint a multitude of flavors!
Here is my absolute favorite way to enjoy polenta:
- 2 cups of water (preferably distilled or reverse osmosis! If you don't have easy access to filtered water, tap water will do)
- 1/2 cup of quick-cooking polenta (buy in bulk at your local health food store if you can, this is much less expensive than pre-packaged)
- Salt to taste
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- Raw or toasted walnuts
- Unsalted butter
Serves two
Yesss! Four parts water to one part polenta. I know this seems like a lot of water, but trust me, you really do need that much! You can adjust this recipe to serve any number of people, as long as you use about four parts water to one part polenta. 1/4 cup dry, unprepared polenta will cook up to about one serving.
Add a pinch of salt to the water, and bring to a boil in a medium pot on your stovetop. Slowly pour in the polenta and immediately stir or whisk. Allow to simmer, stirring to prevent lumps, for about 5 minutes or until the polenta is thickened. You don't have to stir "constantly" but it's a good idea to keep a close eye on it so it doesn't burn.
The polenta will be pourable as soon as it is cooked. If you allow it to cool, it will set and become firm and sliceable, which is great for leftovers! But for this recipe, use immediately. Pour into bowls, top with butter, salt, pepper, and crushed walnuts. I love raw walnuts with this recipe, but you can buy toasted, or toast your own in a dry cast iron pan over low heat until fragrant.
Eat immediately! If you have leftovers (or if you've made extra for later) you can let it firm up and then reheat it later. I pour my extras into a glass flat bottomed bowl with a lid (like gladware but glass instead of plastic!), then pop it into the fridge. Later on I'll slice it, and fry it up as a side dish for dinner or just as a snack. Instant polenta doesn't firm up as much as regular polenta does and tends to fall apart if treated roughly, so be careful when re-heating!
Thanks for reading! Stop back soon for more recipes!


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The survival .17?
View Single Post
January 6, 2013, 01:02 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: October 4, 2007
Location: All the way to NEBRASKA
Posts: 8,113
from john's link:
Got my first deer with my 17 HMR at about 125 yards i hit her in the head and she dropped on the spot. When we get about 5 feet away from it it jumps up and starts running in circles and i shoot her again and she trips and falls and then gets back up and starts chasing after my brother and then she falls again and i shoot her again and she gets back up again and i hit her in the lungs that time and she falls and tries to get back up but she couldn't get back up so we walked up to it and i shot her again to make sure she was dead. And that was the end of her. i hit her in the head 4 times in the lungs once and i know your going to laugh but i hit her in the butt on accident lol. Overall it was a great Hunt
What is so great about wounding a deer repeatedly with an inferior caliber?
I think a 17WSM would be a decent enough survival round, what with the potential 3000fps and about 400 foot pounds at the muzzle. The faster and stronger than 9mm!
The OP is talking about using a 7" barrelled HMR revolver .... I doubt he is going to get those numbers out it.
Even if he did use a .17WSM, penetration is the key, and a 17-20 grain bullet would likely go "poof" on contact at that speed (I know a 130 grain soft point will), leaving a nasty surface wound ..... and the guy trying to get some calorieswill end up expending a lot of them chasing a wounded animal.
Dumb idea .....both of them.
TheGolden Rule of Tool Use: "If you don't know what you are doing, DON'T."
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text:
Oden: Hey Kevin, this must be where we get the trophies
Durant: Greg, you are too old for them
Oden: I'm first pick, so I GET first pick
'); var yuipath = 'clientscript/yui'; var yuicombopath = ''; var remoteyui = false; } else // Load Rest of YUI remotely (where possible) { var yuipath = 'http://yui.yahooapis.com/2.9.0/build'; var yuicombopath = 'http://yui.yahooapis.com/combo'; var remoteyui = true; if (!yuicombopath) { document.write('
Oden: Hey Kevin, this must be where we get the trophies
Durant: Greg, you are too old for them
Oden: I'm first pick, so I GET first pick
sorry about the huge photo. How do I make it smaller?
Durant: What are you gonna do now that you have a million dollars?
Oden: I'll tell you what I'd do, man...Two chicks at the same time, man.
Durant: That's it? If you had a million dollars, you'd do two chicks at the same time?
Oden: Damn straight. I always wanted to do that, man. And I think if I were a millionaire I could hook that up, too, 'cause chicks dig dudes with money.
Durant: Well, not all chicks.
Oden: Well, the type of chicks that'd double up on a dude like me do.
Last edited by JayRedd; 07-16-2007 at 09:44 PM.
Is that Maria Sharapova in the picture?
Whose the Brunette?
Ash from Army of Darkness: Good...Bad...I'm the guy with the gun.
Durant: Man I heard it was nice but I guess having it in front of you is even better.
Oden: Eh It's aight.
Durant: Don't act like you'll pass this up!
press pause on the second slow-mo replay around 0:12 mark
(what would Kobe do?)
Oden: Okay, let me ask you a question, which one do you want cause we're gonna stick to this?
Durant: I've always had a thing for blondes.
Oden: Good, cause I'll take anything.
I'd like to give some captions, but I have a meeting with the Bobs.
Stern: And with the first pick in the 2007 draft Greg Oden picks...........
U mean UKWKWD
(U Know What Kobe Would Do)
Oden: I'd like to use my Buckeye on them!
Durant: I bet they would prefer my Longhorn!
Mal: Take it to the Shout Box guys
Hey man, why do I feel like a double stuffed OREO Cookie all of a sudden?
Now that is freaking hilarious!
Ever notice how friendly folks are at a shootin' range??.
Aw ***, I finally I finally make the BIG money and I end up with a pair of lesbians.
I decided to keep the really nasty one to myself
Last edited by indygeezer; 07-16-2007 at 09:39 PM.
Ever notice how friendly folks are at a shootin' range??.
Durant: Check out the funbags on that hosehound.
Oden: I'd like to eat her liver with some fava beans and a bottle of Chianti.
Oden & Durant: "I'd hit it"
Maria: In your dreams, boys. Yall might be the new, hottest post players in the West, but my man Stanko runs the whole Eastern block.
Sharipova: I make more money than both of you, and now I'm stealing your woman. How you like them apples?
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. - Winston Churchill
If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to serve as a horrible warning. - Catherine Aird
Make every shot a powershot.


text:
The Maputo Project is a plan to plant an urban church in the Mozambican capital that will serve as a leadership training base in the country. Even though there is a sizable middle class living in Maputo today, there is not one church that is effective in making disciples among them. Ekklesia Institute's Brazilian partners are well suited in the project's church planting effort and IBC Fortaleza has been making disciples among the middle class in Fortaleza for decades. Lord permitting, this future congregation will be exemplary as a thoroughly biblical ministry. As such, it will also serve as a training base for the Ekklesia Institute to equip African pastors to multiply the disciple-making efforts in other Portuguese-speaking cities on the continent. The Maputo Project embraces church planning as well as leadership training.
Last March, the President of the Baptist Convention of Mozambique, Isaias Uaene, invited the Ekklesia Institute to organize a pastor's conference in Maputo. They were asked to teach about Understanding a Biblical Philosophy of Ministry and Pastoral Integrity. At the conference, the majority of the evangelical leaders in Maputo were present with about 150 leaders attending. TMS Graduate Tyler Hopkins (M.Div. '96), Armando Bispo, and Sergio Queroz were the conference key speakers and delivered their messages in Portuguese.
The Maputo Project is being directed by the Ekklesia Institute, a ministry of Central Baptist Church of Fortaleza and a partner with TMAI. Over the next twenty-five years, the Ekklesia Institute seeks to train one hundred men in each of the Portuguese speaking nations of the world. Portuguese is ranked sixth among the world's languages in numbers of native speakers (well over 200 million). In Mozambique, Angola and Cabo Verde, it is the official language. So training Brazilians makes sense—not just for making disciples in South America, but for theologically equipped Brazilians to go out into other nations of the world as disciple-makers.
For more information on the Maputo Project and the Ekklesia Institute, visit www.tmai.org.
Yours for the Master, Bob White Vice President Development and Operations
© 2017 The Master's Seminary
Accredited by since 1988
Maps & Directions


text:
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text:
100 more days!
I'll be back tomorrow with more discussion of this Dre/Fiddy/Teh Ghey madness, but I figured today I should do something special to mark my 100th post on this site. If I had to guess, I'd say I've written somewhere in the neighborhood of 50,000 words on this bitch in the past six months or so. As Mel Gibson would say, that's a lot.
It would be cliche and also untrue to say that I couldn't have done it without the great team we have here at XXL, but I'll go ahead say it anyway: Without you guys, I'm not sure where I would be right now. As such, I'd like to take a little time out to thank each and every one of you individually.
In order of whiteness.
Tara Henley: Thank you for all of your enlightening stories on Canadian rap and how hard it is to be a female hip-hop journalist. I'm sure it's awful, and I doubt I've helped matters any by constantly referring to you as my baby's mother. The fact that you've been able to deal with this with such aplomb, rather than getting all upset for no reason and dropping sneak disses in every other one of your posts, is a true testament to your strength as a woman.
Noz: Despite the fact that I spend basically all of my time now drinking beers and listening to rap music, there's so much rap music that I never would have bothered listening to if it wasn't for Noz. For example, never would I have guessed that a Dogg Pound album released ten years after the fact would be worth listening to. In fact, I could care less about the first one. That's why you're my go-to guy.
Brendan Frederick: It's been said by people who've spoken to both of us that Brendan Frederick sounds blacker over the phone than I do, and it really is true. He must have gone to the same prep school as Damon Dash. Anyway, he gets a fat shout out for being nominally in charge, but basically letting me write whatever I want and only bothering giving me a call when Elliott Wilson forces him to.
DJ Drama: I think DJ Drama and I hit it off on the wrong note when I suggested that mixtapes are retarded and mocked TI's personal assistant for getting killed in Cincinatti. While I won't necessarily admit to being wrong on either account, I will apologize, and I'd be willing to forget that you called me a heartless bastard, if you're willing to let those things slide. In fact, I think we should forget than any of this ever happened and start all over. What do you say?
Elliott Wilson: XXL boss Elliott Wilson and I once spoke briefly when I was going to interview him for my own site last year. Contrary to the image he puts forth in his stunning editorials each month, he struck me as being surprisingly well-adjusted and not on cocaine. Being married must do that to a guy. Aww dang, I went there!
Sickamore: If there's one regret that I've had since I've been with this site, it's that I've been reading your blog for six months now and I've yet to determine what "a&r-ing" someone's album means. Still, I'm holding out hope for your 31 days of blogging in the month of August. Also, the next time you're in St. Louis, we should meet up for a little Midwestern/Carribbean American cultural exchange. No homo. I could introduce you to Natural Light, and you could introduce me to whatever it is that you're into.
kris ex: Speaking of which, I'd like to thank kris ex for sending me a video of some Asian broad (smokin') taking a shower, which I inadvertently managed to open while sitting at the kitchen table with my mom the other day, thinking it might have had something to do with hip-hop. Fortunately, her reflexes have never been that good, even before the aging process kicked in. It was a damn good video though.
Fresh: Fresh, I'm sure it's difficult being the only woman on a site full of angry, egotistical men and a woman from Canada, which I understand is different. And I'm sure it's only been made more so having to deal with harrassing emails from Hashim Warren. He hasn't ordered any pizzas to your house yet, has he? That said, I could use more posts out of you. Once every three days would be fantastic. Once every other day would be even better, but I don't want to push you too fast too soon.
And finally, The Transient: u a faggit ass nigga, transient


text:
Web development
Ngân sách $250-750 USD
I need a new website. I need you to design and build a website for my small business. If anybody need a room for rent then contact me
48 freelancer đang chào giá trung bình $479 cho công việc này
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text:
Cuddapah Airport compound wall collapses - Tv5
Tue, Jun 02, 2015, 06:13 PM
The compound wall of the yet-to-be-inaugurated Cuddapah Airport collapsed in the high-speed winds and gales from the past couple of days. CM Chandrababu Naidu and Union minister Asoka Gajapati Raju were supposed to open the airport on June 7. Worried officials are trying to make temporary arrangements like constructing a wall with asbestos sheets. Meanwhile, it is feared that deer from the nearby wilds might enter the airport premises.


text:
Many travel companies are dropping the promotions they launched during the recession to dredge up sales. So the cost of summer vacation is on the rise. But deals still abound on car rentals and places to stay, especially if you're flexible. Here's how to save. Michelle Chapman, Associated Press
Where to go, and when: If your heart's set on a specific locale, that may cost you. Instead, craft a short list of possible destinations, then check travel websites like Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity for hotel and rental car prices. Or try your luck at Priceline.com, which lets users pick a price and seeks a vendor willing to take it.
Consider factors that'll give you more bang for your buck, like free attractions and walkable itineraries. Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Atlanta all have free museums, parks and tons of inexpensive dining options. In Orlando, Walt Disney World continues to offer significant discounts, and visiting nearby beaches is essentially free.
Flexibility on arrival and departure dates also can lower your costs. Hotels and rental car companies often charge less on weekdays than weekends because fewer people travel then. And if you can wait until after Labor Day — or can rush out in May or early June — you may find off-peak rates are even better.
Where to stay: When visiting a large city, check for places to stay in nearby towns with public transportation connections to downtown.
Also check vrbo.com, valuevacationrentals.com, vacationhomerentals.com or homeaway.com to rent houses, condos and apartments directly from individual property owners. And many youth hostels offer family rooms for low prices. Check hiusa.org or hostelworld.com, and remember that reservations are often a must.
And always ask about parking charges, especially in big cities. They can quickly eat up a room discount.
How to get there: With airfare deals likely scarce, a car trip may end up your cheapest option. Before you book, surf the Web for printable coupons or online discount codes. Then call companies to find out what types of specials and seasonal rates are available, suggests Alice Pereira, spokeswoman for Avis Budget Group Inc. And be sure to ask how many miles per gallon the vehicles get so you can reserve one that uses less gas, she adds.
If you're arriving by plane, look for rental car companies with offices away from the airport because they often offer lower rates than those with airport hubs. Most car rental companies provide free shuttles, but it may be worth cab fare to get the cheaper rate.
How to get around: If you're driving to a major metropolitan area, it's always cheaper — once you're there — to get from one sight to the next by bus or subway than it is to pay for parking and reparking, especially because you'll save on gas and mileage. But taxis can be the cheapest alternative for a group of three or more — and the fastest.
Where to find more info: Doing lots of research online, in books and with friends before you go will help keep you out of expensive tourist traps. Get restaurant reviews, check museum hours and shows and find offbeat musical offerings, local children's attractions and affordable things to do in bad weather.
Also check with your destination's visitor bureau, says Danielle Courtenay, spokesman for the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau Inc. Some, like Orlando's, offer cards that give discounts on dining, hotels and entertainment, and they may have other special packages.


text:
Temporal Visualization
Register flow graph
Statement flow graph
Previous slide
Next slide
Back to first slide
View graphic version
-- RFG provides a register-level abstraction, showing how data and control flow through the storage elements
-- SFG provides a statement-level abstraction, showing the precise order in which statements are executed
With these two new visualization tools, you get to see design behavior. See the registers are displayed in the register flow graph and the logic cloud in the statement flow graph. And the registers and logic cloud are unrolled over time.


text:
Reviews - Gidea Park Hotel3
115 Main Road, Romford, RM2 5EL
Customer Reviews
Our reviews are from genuine LateRooms.com customers. We verify that the customer has stayed before leaving a review.
Very Good
83% would recommend it to a friend
Customer service
Food quality
Room quality
Cannot fault anything
Excellent and very friendly staff.
The room and hotel was very clean and I would stay again.
Read More Less
Gidea Park Hotel
Was kept awake all night bye dragging noises outside our room.the room was so small you couldn't swing a cat.
I've state in quite a few hotels all over England.this has to be the worst. I would never ever stay or recommend this hotel to anyone.
Read More Less
Gidea Park Hotel
Well recieved,efficient check in,lovely clean room,super breakfast and good security.
Gidea Park Hotel
Friendly staff and good food.
Unfortunately there were building works going on in the next room that we weren't aware of when we booked. There wasn't a second bedside table or lamp in our double room. We had a problem getting the water temperature right.
Read More Less
Good Small Hotel
Stayed one night after Hen party.
had everything we needed.
Read More Less
Bedroom space was very small and choky.
Not value for money. It could have been better.
Read More Less
Ideal for a good value, short stay
We received a good welcome when we arrived and were shown up to our room.
The lady apologised that they didn't have a ground floor room available as I am disabled, but we did book very close to the day we stayed.
The room was compact but very clean but did the job for us for one night. I think if we were staying more than a couple of nights we would need a bigger room. The ensuite was fine although a step up into the shower would have caused problems for me if I had used it. The doors into the ensuite could do with some WD40 though.
It was very busy at breakfast and we were directed to another room. We weren't forgotten by the staff and had everything we needed. The staff were all very friendly and couldn't do enough for us. We would recommend this hotel made even better as we got a great deal.
Read More Less
excellent stay.Lovely beds,and a very good breakfast served
Would stay again
Last minute over night stop
Needed a last minute over night stay.
Free parking behind hotel. Although beware of bird droppings. The room was clean and well furnished. Bedding was clean and comfortable. As ground floor room, some noise from other guests on the stairs.
Read More Less
Breakfast time
When we approached the dining room for breakfast all we could hear were the kitchen staff moaning very loudly about another member of staff who hadn't done his/her job properly.
We had to sit at a table that had not been cleared from the first breakfast sitting (we were second sitting). Breakfast was good although the staff did not replenish communal items (milk/orange juice etc) unless asked and we had to ask for butter at our table. The rest of our stay (booking in etc) was fine and the receptionist was very helpful. When we wanted to check out there was no one at reception so we just left our key.
Read More Less
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- 1
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text:
Web Content, Digital Assets, Form Builder, SEO Tools, Decision Support
Multisite Management, Multilingual Support, Site Synchronization, Deployment Options, Security, Scalability
Personalization, Email Marketing, Mobile, Social Media, Analytics
Integration Platform, Connector for Salesforce, Connector for Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Connector for Marketo, Connector for SharePoint
Product Catalogs, Multiple Storefronts, Targeted Offers, Payment Processing, Order Management
Custom Content Types, UI Framework, ASP.NET MVC Support, Visual Studio Support, Comprehensive API
Behaviour Tracking, Data Integration, 360° Customer Profile
Audience Segmentation, Predictive Analytics, Campaign Recommendations, Campaign Tracking
Marketing Attribution, Conversion Tracking, Persona Profiling, Lead Scoring
Predictive Personalization, Persona-Based Targeting
Fusion Production is a certified NYS minority small business technology & e-learning services firm focused on helping associations and non-profit organizations solve complex business, process, and management problems through its consulting and domain expertise in learning and adult education, content capture and delivery, and health care IT; and differentiation with best practices leadership in technology implementation including content management platforms, learning portal platforms, integration, applications, and patient centered health care IT solutions.
As a leader and partner in the association management and health care community for over 35 years, Fusion has helped clients create exciting new ways to deliver valuable member/user experiences and provide solutions that offer both an immediate competitive advantage as well as long-term solutions that are flexible, sustainable and cost effective. Fusion helps associations achieve their business strategies and value proposition.
Their roots have been focused on research, design/strategy, and execution across 3 areas: meeting design and production, professional development/e learning, and technology consulting and deployment. They believe that strategic design of strategy, program, and technology combined with superior execution provides the basis for assisting you in achieving your vision and objectives.
Fusion produces the industry's leading conference on leadership and transformation in the digital age. This conference brings together 300 senior executives and volunteer leaders annually, centered on Fusion's value/strategy/structure model and combining world-renowned, thought-leading keynotes with practical implementation and in-depth case studies.
Need help finding a partner?
Let us help you find the right partner.
Progress, Telerik, Sitefinity and certain product names used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Progress Software Corporation and/or one of its subsidiaries or affiliates in the U.S. and/or other countries.


text:
ASA 129th Meeting - Washington, DC - 1995 May 30 .. Jun 06
Papers in 2pAO - Acoustical Oceanography
2pAO1 Effects of salinity on the acoustics of bubble plumes.
2pAO2 Direct numerical simulation of the acoustic behavior of bubble
2pAO3 A theoretical study of natural frequencies of bubbles in sediments.
2pAO4 Bubble size distribution measurement using an inverse acoustic
2pAO5 A semianalytical method for the noise emission of finite size
2pAO6 A model for underwater ambient noise at low wind speeds.
2pAO7 Depth-dependent gas fractions in acoustic models of marine
2pAO8 Recent developments in the in-situ measurement of sediment
2pAO9 Using shear waves to predict the liquefaction potential of seafloor
2pAO10 Determination of vertical correlation lengths in a channel using
2pAO11 Using Rytov acoustic wave modeling to test ocean variability
2pAO12 Mode coupling effect of Kuroshio front in Taiwan's Northeast Sea.
2pAO13 Three-dimensional ultrasonic imaging of temperature distributions.


text:
|This issue was originally printed on green paper.
On January 16, U.S. District Court Judge J. Owen Forrester, a Reagan appointee, upheld Georgia's ballot access law for minor party and independent candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives. Cartwright v Barnes, 1:01-cv-1335. Plaintiffs, who are Libertarians, are appealing. Georgia requires a petition of 5% of registered voters. That is currently 14,800 signatures per district. No candidate for U.S. House in history has ever met a signature requirement that high, in any state.
No minor party candidate from Georgia, for U.S. House, has ever complied with the petition requirement in the entire 58-year history of the law. No independent candidate has complied with it since 1964 (back then, 8,000 signatures were needed). Judge Forrester acknowledged this point, but said that since the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law in 1971, he was not willing to permit a trial.
The U.S. Supreme Court said in 1971 that Georgia's 5% petition was constitutional, because the evidence seemed to show that the burden was not severe. The evidence was scanty, but it showed that a statewide 5% petition had been completed in Georgia in both 1968 and 1966. The Supreme Court also felt that there were no "suffocating restrictions" in Georgia petitioning procedures.
In the current case, the plaintiffs assert that petitioning for U.S. House is different than statewide petitioning. Petitioning in a congressional district is far more difficult, because all the signatures must come from registered voters in the particular district. Most people don't know what district they live in, so a high proportion of the signatures will be invalid, because people from outside the district will sign. In addition, in 1971 Georgia didn't require notarization of petitions, according to the Supreme Court, but nowadays notarization is required.
Also, when the statewide 5% petitions were last completed, in 1966 and 1968, the petitions weren't due until September; now they are due in July. Plaintiffs had argued that since the law is different than it had been in the past, the case deserves a trial.
Judge Forrester is wrong to assert that the U.S. Supreme Court believes that 5% petitions are automatically valid. The Supreme Court itself overturned a 5% petition in 1979. The Supreme Court has repeatedly said "there is no litmus test" to determine valid ballot access laws from invalid ones, and that Courts must look at the precise state interests behind a ballot access restriction. In other words, they need to look at all the facts, and not apply a mechanical rule. Also, twice, the U.S. Supreme Court has said that a ballot access law which is almost never used, is almost certainly invalid.
Judge Forrester didn't mention any of those Supreme Court opinions. Nor did he mention a 1985 opinion from the 11th circuit (Georgia is in the 11th circuit) saying that even a 2.5% petition might be invalid, for president. Obviously, in that 1985 case, the 11th circuit didn't believe that 5% petitions are always automatically valid.
Forrester also failed to discuss the state interest for the 5% petition, except for one sentence.
Plaintiffs also argued that two recent Supreme Court decisions, based on Article One of the Constitution, striking down term limits laws for Congress, and also striking down discriminatory labels on the ballot, mean that the 5% petition is invalid. Under these two recent Supreme Court decisions, states cannot add to the qualifications for candidates for Congress, nor can states discriminate against a class of candidates for Congress (Article One of the U.S. Constitution sets forth how members of Congress are elected).
Forrester said the 5% petition is not a qualification; it is a procedure. A procedure is something that is needed for orderly election administration. However, historical evidence shows that the Georgia legislature did not create the 5% petition requirement in order to assure orderly elections. According to newspaper articles in 1943, when the petition was created, the law was passed to keep the Communist Party off the ballot, and also to discourage Republican candidates (under the 1943 law, even Republicans had to complete 5% petitions, if they had not polled as much as 5% at the last election for the office in question).
By denying a trial, of course it becomes impossible for plaintiffs to present evidence that the 5% petition is not a "procedure".
If Judge Forrester is correct, and if the 1971 U.S. Supreme Court decision really should be interpreted to mean that a 5% petition is always constitutional, then it would be constitutional for any state legislature to raise the petitions to 5%. If all state legislatures did this, an independent or minor party presidential candidate in 2000 would have needed 7,842,921 valid signatures to get on the ballot of all 50 states. In reality, 528,894 signatures were needed. As difficult as ballot access procedures are now for new parties and independent candidates, if Judge Forrester is correct, it would be constitutional for these requirements to be fifteen times more difficult than they are now.
See the chart below for what each state's requirement would have been in 2000, if the Forrester theory is correct and if each state exercised its right to have such requirements.
Judge Forrester's opinion is only 9 pages long. It is not posted on any web site. Anyone who desires a copy may send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Ballot Access News; a 34¢ stamp is sufficient.
On January 15, the Alabama House passed HB 40, which restores voting rights for ex-felons (unless they were convicted of impeachment, murder, rape, child molestation or treason). The vote was 65-34.
Four bills to restore voting rights for ex-felons are pending in Florida: S1826, S1880, H91 and H105.
1. Alabama: on January 17, Rep. Bob McKee introduced HB 317, to lower the vote test for a party to stay on the ballot from 20% to 10%.
2. Alaska: on January 16, the legislature override the Governor's veto of SB 103. That bill, which is now law, eases restrictions on how much money an individual may give to a political party.
3. Idaho: the legislature is about to repeal legislative term limits, even though the voters have twice passed such limits. Idaho will be the first state in which the legislators repealed term limits on themselves.
4. Indiana: on January 15, Rep. Mark Kruzan introduced HB 1344, to lower the number of signatures for minor party and independent candidates, and also to make it easier for a party to remain on the ballot. Also pending is HB 1101, which lowers the statewide petition for major party candidates (for primary ballot access) from 5,000 to 4,500 signatures.
5. Kentucky: on January 24, the House Elections Committee passed HB 32, which tells elections officials to keep a database showing which voters are registered as members of minor parties. The bill is backed by the Secretary of State.
6. Michigan: on January 29, the House Elections Committee heard HB 5237, which would make it easier for a party to remain on the ballot. The Committee hasn't acted yet.
7. Nebraska: on January 23, the Government Committee heard LB 975, which permits voters who vote in a primary to sign a petition for an independent presidential candidate. The Committee hasn't acted yet.
8. New Hampshire: on January 15, the House Election Committee heard bills to make it easier for political parties to remain on the ballot. The Committee may recommend lowering the vote test from 4% to 3%.
9. New Jersey: S2665, which would have formalized rules on how voters may register as members of minor parties, failed to pass before the legislature adjourned. There is no similar bill yet in the new session.
10. Ohio: Rep. Merle Kearns has agreed to introduce a bill soon to let petitioning candidates in the general election choose a partisan label, which would be printed on the petition and on the November ballot.
11. Oklahoma: Rep. Sue Tibbs has introduced HB 2654, which makes it easier for a party to get on the ballot and to remain on the ballot.
12. Tennessee: Senator Tim Burchett is about to introduce a bill for ballot labels for candidates who use the independent petition procedure.
13. Vermont: bills to establish Instant-Runoff Voting are S94 and H175. At least nineteen town meetings will vote in March on whether to endorse these bills.
14. Virginia: on January 17, Delegate Beverly Sherwood introduced HB 1256, to provide for ballot labels for the candidates of all political parties.
15. Washington: bills to implement Instant-Runoff Voting in general elections have been introduced. They are SB 6562 by Senator Dan Swecker and 6 co-sponsors, and HB 2698 by Rep. Hans Dunshee.
16. West Virginia: activists are optimistic that the legislature will repeal one particular ballot access restriction this year: the law that says petitioners must tell voters that if they sign the petition, then the voters can't vote in the primary. In fact, voters can do both; the instruction is literally an untruth.
17. Wisconsin: on January 9, a group of Republican Assemblymen introduced AB 710, to abolish same-day voter registration. Republicans control the Assembly but not the State Senate in this state.
The U.S. Senate is likely to vote on S. 565 during the first week of February. This is the bill that would set minimum standards for the states, for voting procedures. The chief author is Senator Chris Dodd, for the Senate Rules Committee. A somewhat similar bill, HR 3295, already passed the House. The two bills are not identical, and (assuming the Senate bill passes) a conference committee will write the final legislation.
S. 565 would mandate that states require voters who register by mail to show identification, the first time they vote. This provision was added to garner support from the Republican leadership. To read the bill, see http://thomas.loc.gov/ and put S565 in the 'Search' box.
On December 31, 2001, SB 173 was signed into law, abolishing the "party lever" or "straight-ticket device" on Michigan ballots. There are now only 15 states which still use such a device: Alabama, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
The Michigan Democratic Party will attempt to obtain enough signatures on a petition to hold a referendum on SB 173. The party is using its website (http://www.mi-democrats.com/) to find volunteers to circulate its referendum petition.
On January 9, a U.S. District Court denied Louisiana's motion to dismiss the lawsuit Rosenthal v McKeithen, 00-612-C. As a result, there will be a trial in a few months.
The lawsuit challenges the state's policy of refusing to print any ballot label whatsoever on the ballot, for candidates, unless they are members of a qualified party. The plaintiff, Anita Rosenthal, an independent, sought to have "independent" on the ballot next to her name when she ran for Congress in 2000. This lawsuit is mostly funded by COFOE, the Coalition for Free & Open Elections.
The Court has set hearing dates for these two cases:
1. On February 26, the Court will hear Watchtower Bible & Tract Society v Stratton, Ohio, 00-1737. The issue is whether governments can require solicitors to obtain a permit. If the Jehovah's Witness church wins the case, probably West Virginia could no longer require petitioners to obtain a permit.
2. On March 26, the Court will hear Republican Party of Minnesota v Kelly, 01-521, over whether states can forbid judicial candidates from revealing their political ideas.
On January 22, the Court agreed to hear another election law case, Utah v Evans, 01-714. It concerns the dispute over whether Utah or North Carolina deserves a new member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
1. Alaska: on January 15, a lower state court ruled that the state's independent voters do not constitute a qualified political party. Non-Partisans v State, 3AN-00-5367. Alaska law says parties may qualify if they have registered members of least 3% of the last gubernatorial vote. The number of registered independents is greater than this, but the court found no intent on the part of these people to create a party.
Alaska (2): on January 18, two judges of the 9th circuit refused to overturn a lower court order, which suspended a state law limiting contributions to political parties (if the contributions are not to be used for candidates). If the 9th circuit later upholds the law, of course the law will again be in place; the ruling only covers the period while the lawsuit is pending. Jacobus v State of Alaska, 01-35666. The two judges were Michael Hawkins and Barry Silverman, both Clinton appointees.
Alaska (3): a case is pending in state court over whether the State Constitution grants petitioning and other First Amendment rights in shopping malls. Fred Meyer Stores v Heyworth, 3AN-01-12878.
2. Arizona: on January 10, the State Supreme Court agreed to hear the state's appeal in Browne v Bayless, cv-01-0383. The issue is the whether mid-June petition deadline is too early for independent presidential candidates. The case had been filed in 2000 by Harry Browne. He lost in the lower court but won last year in the mid-level court.
3. California: on January 15, a U.S. District Court in Los Angeles refused to order the state to print Art Olivier on the Libertarian primary ballot. Olivier is a candidate for Governor. Olivier v Jones, 01-cv-9902. The issue is a state law which bars candidates from a primary unless they were a registered member of the party for the previous three months. Olivier was registered "independent" during part of that period. The denial of relief was based mostly on Olivier's failure to file the lawsuit earlier. A decision on the validity of the state law has not yet been made.
California (2): on January 16, the State Supreme Court accepted San Francisco's appeal of Edelstein v Fado, 102530. The issue is whether the State Constitution requires write-in space on all ballots, even run-off ballots.
4. Georgia: the lawsuit over the validity of the state's new congressional districts is moving slowly. Georgia v Ashcroft, 01-cv-2111-EGS, federal court in D.C. While it is pending, it is impossible for minor party and independent candidates to be petitioning, since the districts are not yet final. This may make it possible for the number of signatures to be reduced, for this year only, when the districts are final.
5. Idaho: the state is appealing Idaho Coalition United for Bears v Cenarrusa, 02-35030, to the 9th circuit. The lower court had struck down the county distribution requirement for initiative petitions (see B.A.N. of Jan. 1, 2002). This case is sponsored by the Initiative & Referendum Institute.
6. Illinois: on January 3, James Tobin, Libertarian candidate for Governor in 1998, asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear his appeal.
The issue is whether he may sue members of the State Board of Elections for removing him from the ballot, even though the staff had determined that he had enough valid signatures. The 7th circuit had said Board members have immunity. Tobin for Governor v Illinois State Board of Elections, 01-998.
Illinois (2): the Libertarian Party is a fully-qualified party in the 39th Representative district, which is entirely in DuPage County. Therefore, the party is entitled to a primary in that district. However, the county refuses to let anyone run for precinct committee (a party office), because it says that a party must be qualified in the entire county, to elect any precinct committeemen. The party contests that ruling, and recently filed a lawsuit to overturn it. Semon v DuPage Co. Board of Elections.
7. Massachusetts: on January 25, the State Supreme Court ruled that the legislature must fund the campaign public financing law passed by the voters in 1998. Bates v Sullivan, 08677. The vote was 5-2. Still to be decided is whether the legislature can simply repeal the public financing law. The Court will hold a hearing on that issue shortly.
8. New Mexico: the last B.A.N. said that the Green Party had filed a new lawsuit to restore its major party status. At the last minute, the party decided not to file, since its attorney had just been appointed to be a judge, and the party didn't have an alternate attorney ready to act.
9. Ohio: on January 10, the 6th circuit canceled the hearing in Nader v Blackwell, 00-4274, implying that the case doesn't deserve a hearing, because it is obvious the state will win. The issue is labels for candidates who use the independent procedure, and the state already won a similar Libertarian case last year. However, Ralph Nader has filed a rehearing request, on the grounds that the issue is different for presidential elections.
10. Oregon: on January 11, the State Supreme Court invalidated the legislative term limits law, on the grounds that the initiative violated the "single-subject" rule.
Oregon (2): last year, the Voting Integrity Project asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its case against Oregon's all-mail balloting system. The Court has asked the state to file a brief explaining why the Court shouldn't take the case. Voting Integrity Project v Keisling.
11. Texas: on November 5, 2001, the 5th circuit ruled that public housing authorities cannot prevent candidates for public office from handing out campaign literature in internal outdoor walkways. Vasquez v Housing Authority, 271 F 3d 198.
Texas (2): a case is currently pending in state court over whether the State Constitution grants petitioning and other First Amendment speech rights on the property of shopping malls. Independent Texans v H. E. Butt Grocery Co., GN1-03876, 345th jud., Travis Co.
Texas (3): supporters of Instant-Runoff Voting recently asked a state court to rule that the State Constitution does not prohibit charter cities from using that voting system. Austinites for IRV v Secretary of State, state court, Travis Co.
12. national: the lawsuit to open post office sidewalks for petitioning is making good headway. The judge will decide in a few months whether a trial is needed. If one is needed, it will be October 7, 2002.
Citizens in Charge has been founded to expand the initiative process to more states. Its first priority is to work for HF 643, now pending in the Minnesota legislature. HF 643 passed various House committees last year, and will soon be before the full House. http://www.citizensincharge.org/, (703)-580-7130.
The Initiative & Referendum Institute formerly was the only organization working to expand the initiative, but the Institute is busy defending the initiative process in states that already have it. Citizens in Charge is a "spin-off" of the Institute.
Winning Campaigns Online, by Emilienne Ireland and Phil Tajitsu Nash. Published by Science Writers Press, http://www.sciencewriterspress.com/, (301)-263-9303. $24.95 plus shipping. Published in late 2001.
The purpose of this book is to persuade any candidate for public office that he or she ought to have a campaign website, and then to explain how to obtain one. The book is most interesting when it talks about bad campaign websites, and shows how a faulty website injured those campaigns. Of course, the book also features success stories. One of the most interesting tidbits is the conclusion that Ralph Nader could not have qualified for primary season matching funds in 2000, without his well-designed website. He used it to raise money. The authors feel that, if Nader hadn't raised the money, he would have qualified for the ballot in few states.
The book discusses "online checks", which are an alternative to credit cards. It also features an example of a campaign "volunteer kit" which can be downloaded. It refers to non-partisan organizations which maintain their own web sites, with space made available to candidates.
The book is not technical; it does not explain how to build a website. It is primarily motivational.
The Dec. 1, 2001 B.A.N. carried a review of The Rise and Fall of the Whig Party, and mentioned that it was selling for $38.50 on Amazon. The same book is for sale for $14.95 plus shipping of $3.50, from Edward R. Hamilton, Falls Village, Ct 06031, http://www.edwardrhamilton.com/.
The annual COFOE (Coalition for Free & Open Elections) Board meeting will be on March 2 in Washington, D.C. New officers will be elected, and plans to advance HCR 263 (the Congressional resolution on presidential debates) will be made. It is possible that Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., will attend.
The Democratic National Committee has repealed a national party bylaw which did not recognize presidential primaries earlier than March (except for New Hampshire). As a result, the presidential primary battles for 2004 are likely to be settled earlier than ever, perhaps even in February. The Republicans never had such a rule.
1. South Carolina, U.S. House, 2nd district, Dec. 18, 2001: Republican 73.09%; Democratic 25.42%; Libertarian .76%; Constitution .73%.
2. Georgia, state House, dist. 16, Jan. 22, 2002: Grasse (Republican) 456 votes, 39.07%; Auffrey (Republican), 359 votes, 30.76%; Korff (Constitution), 352 votes, 30.16%. Georgia special elections are technically non-partisan, but the party affiliation of each candidate was known. Bryan Korff, the Constitution Party candidate, only missed the run-off by 7 votes.
3. Oklahoma, U.S. House, 1st dist., Jan. 8, 2002: Republican 53.79%; Democratic 44.34%; Libertarian 1.53%; independent .34%.
In 2002, for the first time in 14 years, both major parties are running a candidate for every Texas statewide office. Since parties remain on the ballot by polling 5% in any statewide race (or 2% for Governor), this new development will make it more difficult for the state's two ballot-qualified minor parties to re-qualify in November. The two parties on the ballot are Libertarian and Green.
Senator Ramon S. Guerrero of the Northern Mariana Islands was elected as the candidate of the Commonwealth Reform Party, back in November 2000. The Northern Mariana Islands is a possession of the United States, in the western Pacific Ocean. Guerrero considers himself a member of the U.S.-based American Reform Party, which split off from the Reform Party in 1997.
|1998 Registration Total
|Actual 2000 Requirement
| 5% of 1998 Registration Total
|New Hampshire
|New Jersey
|New Mexico
|New York
|North Carolina
|North Dakota
|Rhode Island
|South Carolina
|South Dakota
|West Virginia
This shows how many signatures were needed in 2000 to get a minor party or independent presidential candidate on the ballot, and how many would have been needed, if every state had a law like the law which was upheld in 1971 in Jenness v Fortson.
On December 7, 2001, a jury in Virginia ruled that the Reform Party must pay $70,000 to the company which planned to handle the arrangements for the party's proposed national convention in Minneapolis in 2000. Reform Party of U.S. v Young, Fairfax Co. Circuit Court 192721.
Ironically, the lawsuit had been filed by the Reform Party to recover $200,000 already paid to the company. If the lawsuit had never been filed, the party would have been spared the need to pay anything [more] to the company.
The lawsuit forced the jury to deal with the question of internal Reform Party decision-making. In late 1999, the party's national Executive Committee had voted to hold the party's presidential nominating convention in Long Beach, California. But then the party's national committee, in a mail ballot, overturned that decision and chose Minneapolis. At that point, the party's Treasurer, Ronn Young, entered into a contract with a company to handle administrative work for the Minneapolis convention. The contract was for $270,000. The company received $200,000. Later, the Executive Committee charged that the National Committee may not make any decisions except in a physical meeting, and called the National Committee into an emergency meeting in Nashville, Tennessee. That meeting chose the Long Beach site, and also recalled the party's national chairman, Jack Gargan, and the treasurer. The jury had to decide whether the party's treasurer had been justified into entering into the contract for the Minneapolis convention. The jury felt that the treasurer's action was justified at the time, so the party is liable for the full amount specified in the contract.
For more than 30 years, the Lyndon LaRouche movement published a newspaper, New Solidarity, later changed to New Federalist. Their frequency was never less than weekly. However, no issue has been published since the issue dated August 13, 2001. The paper says it will resume publishing when finances improve.
On January 19-20, in New Orleans, the Green Alliance was launched. It will act as a national "club" within the Green Party US, to preserve the ideas and interests of most members of the former The Greens/Green Party USA.
A new party has qualified for the 2002 ballot in Nebraska. It is called "The Nebraska Party" and has a conservative platform. See http://www.nebraskaparty.org/, (402)-586-2579.
Louis Fisher, 1972 presidential candidate of the Socialist Labor Party, died on November 18, 2001 in Illinois. He was 88. Fisher was the party's top vote-getting presidential candidate. The Socialist Labor Party contested every presidential election 1888 through 1976, and Fisher's 1972 total of 53,814 was the highest presidential vote total in party history. The Socialist Labor Party still exists and still publishes a monthly newspaper, but it hasn't run any candidates for public office since 1981. See http://www.slp.org/.
The Libertarian Party is finished in Hawaii. The Missouri Green Party has started petitioning. The Mississippi Green Party has asked the state to recognize it as a party (in Mississippi, no petition is needed; a group merely needs to show that it has a state organization). The Mississippi Secretary of State has asked for more details.
1. Green: Philadelphia, July 18-21. Speakers are still being chosen. See http://www.gpus.org/
2. Libertarian: Indianapolis, July 3-7. Speakers will include Otto Guevara, a Libertarian congressman in Costa Rica, and Arizona Superior Court Judge John Buttrick, a party member. See http://www.lp.org/
3. Reform: dates and city not chosen yet, but it will be in an eastern state in July or August.


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Washington -
A UN-mandated global watchdog on Friday agreed to end year-long monitoring controls on Zimbabwe's diamond trade, after it found the government had allayed concerns over its Marange mines.
Zimbabwe's diamond industry has been tarnished by allegations of human rights abuses since 2008 when Harare deployed security forces to drive away small-scale miners from the Marange fields.
Rights activists said 200 miners were killed in the operation, and the country was suspended from the so-called 80-member Kimberley Process (KP), which certifies global sales of "conflict-free diamonds."
In 2011, Zimbabwe was allowed to start selling diamonds from the Marange mines again but under a strict monitoring process imposed for a year by the global watchdog, set up to combat "blood diamonds."
"Over the course of that year, Zimbabwe put in a significant good faith effort. It did, in the opinion of the monitors who went on repeated occasions to Zimbabwe... achieve most of the things that they needed to achieve, and in some cases did better than what one might have hoped," said Gillian Milovanovic, the body's current chairwoman.
"Based on the monitors' evaluations... it was determined that in fact Zimbabwe had complied with that which was expected of it," she told journalists at the end of a four-day meeting in Washington.
"So the sunset clause entered into effect, and the special monitoring regime is no longer in effect."
But the decision is likely to anger rights groups and non-governmental organizations, which are also part of KP and which have been arguing in vain for a broader definition of the term "conflict diamond."
Earlier this month, the non-governmental organization Partnership Africa Canada (PAC) said a network of ministers and military officials had siphoned about $2 billion worth of diamonds out of Zimbabwe in the past four years.
"We continue to have concerns about... revenue transparency related to diamond revenues" in Zimbabwe, PAC's director of research Alan Martin told the press conference in Washington. - Sapa-AFP


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Joe Gandelman: The flight of Marco Rubio
Isn't it time to do a new political version of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's famous "Flight of the Bumblebee?" The musical piece has had various incarnations in American culture. In the 40s, it was the theme for "The Green Hornet" radio show. In the 60s, jazzed-up adaptation performed by trumpet player Al Hirt was the theme for the TV show — and it became a worldwide hit when it was re-used in the 2003 film "Kill Bill."
Today, you can almost hear a new version of that theme when you watch Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio flee from his own immigration reform bill: you can almost hear the jazz trumpet playing "Flight of the Ambitious Politician." It's a tragedy for Rubio, the Republican Party and the United States as we watch the Florida Senator's almost humiliating retreat from a position he had once defended with such passion and courage.
Once upon a time, Rubio had been part of the bipartisan Senate "Gang of Eight" that came up with a comprehensive immigration reform solution that included a pathway to citizenship. When Republicans suffered their massive 2012 election defeat and talk about "rebranding" started, Rubio was perceived as symbolic of a "new" GOP: a young, first-term, Hispanic Senator who had creds with conservatives, general electorate appeal. He was a prospect for the 2016 Republican Presidential nomination who talked with conviction about the need for multi-faceted immigration reform. He walked the walk working with Democrats to try and achieve something built on bipartisan consensus.
Bu then he went on conservative talk shows to argue for his bill and found minimal support or outright hostility. Far right pundit and talkers called him naive, a sell-out, a traitor, charging the Senate bill would doom the GOP by adding millions of Democratic voters. Then ambitious Texas Sen. Ted Cruz became the darling of the anti-comprehensive immigration reform conservatives Rubio was wooing for a likely 2016 Presidential run.
The result? Rubio began inching away from his previous position as surely as a kid playing "Red Light." Rubio's spokesman Alex Conant recently told news outlets that Rubio now doesn't think the bill he himself helped draft should be combined with a House passed bill. He now favors a series of individual bills that could get House support. If you think a Tea Party dominated House passed bill will be comprehensive, I can sell you Microsoft Corporation for $320.
Some analysts insist "real" immigration reform isn't dead. The Politico's Seung Min Kim writes that Rubio's "latest comments supporting scaled-back immigration reform may not be the death knell for the effort that they seem..." Bloomberg's editors hope Republican moderates help:
"Obstacles abound, of course, but a few potential pathways to success can still be discerned," they write, pointing to a clamor from immigration activists and business leaders for reform. "After the government shutdown fiasco, some Republican representatives are newly vulnerable. Their re-election could be further threatened if Speaker John Boehner continues catering to the far right by refusing to bring immigration legislation to the floor."
Rubio's effort to distance himself from his own bill brings to mind a classic radio comedy moment when Jack Benny, playing a cheapskate millionaire comedian named Jack Benny, is confronted by a robber. "Your money or your life!" the robber says. A long pause. "Your money or your life!" the robber repeats. Still no answer. So he shouts: "I said 'Your money or your life!" "I'm THINKING IT OVER!" Benny shouts back.
It's like the GOP's conservative base told Rubio: "Your principles or your defeat!" Except Rubio didn't need much time thinking it over.
But I will say that whenever I see him, I can almost hear "Flight of the Bumblebee."
Joe Gandelman is a veteran journalist who wrote for newspapers overseas and in the United States. He can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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What are the key elements that transform a promising idea into truly breakthrough entrepreneurship?
Jon Burgstone, co-founder of Ariba-acquired SupplierMarket, and journalist Bill Murphy, Jr. suggest in their book Breakthrough Entrepreneurship that "the practical steps" to founding a successful venture "logically self-organize into seven components." The first of those seven steps is to "find and fill an important unmet customer need."
Burgstone and Murphy advise startups facing difficulties planning, launching, or running a venture to let the customer be the compass. Using Zipcar founder Robin Chase as an example from Breakthrough Entrepreneurship, the authors point out that Chase "focused on figuring out who her customers were and how her idea for a company could help satisfy their needs – even needs they didn't realize they had." Chase also employed other strategies common to successful entrepreneurs: adapting an idea from another market, drawing two or more ideas together, and identifying an underserved, niche market. After all, "Chase didn't need to dream up the entire concept of a car-sharing service." She only had to think about how people like her would benefit most from it.


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Alain Prost thinks Grosjean is suffering mentally after a difficult start to the 2013 season.
Apr.17 (GMM) Romain Grosjean needs to rebuild his tattered confidence if he wants to get back on terms with Lotus team leader Kimi Raikkonen.
That is the advice of France's quadruple world champion Alain Prost, who thinks 26-year-old Grosjean is suffering mentally after a difficult start to the 2013 season.
While Finn Raikkonen won in Australia, finished second in Shanghai and is only 3 points off leading the drivers' championship, Frenchman Grosjean has struggled in the sister E21, scoring just 11 points versus his teammate's 49.
"His self-confidence is missing, particularly because of Raikkonen's good performance.
"Last year, Romain was fighting on an equal footing with him (Raikkonen), but this time he has been unable to," added Prost.
Grosjean has puzzled as to the reasons for his struggle, but Prost commented: "Maybe he just needs a good weekend, so he can start again with a clean slate.
"I tend to think this is more about the mental side than his speed," he opined.
Lotus team boss Eric Boullier agrees that Raikkonen's top form could explain the extent of Grosjean's struggles.
"Romain faces the very tough challenge of driving the same car as one of the most gifted drivers around," said the Frenchman.
"This will be frustrating for Romain at times as it's very, very difficult to beat the Kimi who arrives at the track this season," added Boullier.
"But it's also a tremendous opportunity as he's learning from the very best.
"If he can learn these lessons whilst bringing home points for the team, then he's doing the job we want from him."


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Choose Between Two Options
- $49 for a set of eyelash extensions (a $99 value)
- $59 for a set of eyelash extensions with a two-week fill (a $119 value)
Bella Skin Salon Boutique
The relaxation rooms situated in all three locations of Bella Skin Salon Boutique live up to their name. They melt away stress like butter in jet-engine exhaust with a steam room, a sauna, napping hammocks, and a mud bath. No time limit exists for the rooms, because the staff wants clients to feel at ease during their pampering services. The staff employs stone therapy, foot massages, reflexology, hypnotherapy, Swedish massages, and medical massages to address whatever issues each client faces.