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By MICHAEL FALCONE and AMY WALTER
President Obama and one of his top potential Republican presidential rivals each face their own test today just hours before the first significant GOP debate of the primary season.
For former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the challenge is whether he can successfully deflect the focus of his fellow Republican opponents from health care to fiscal issues at tonight's debate in New Hampshire. For President Obama, it's whether he can look like he's sufficiently focused on getting American economy back on track.
Romney and Obama have a lot in common. Both realize that to win they've got to own the economic debate, even as their rivals try to undercut them with attacks on their health care reform plans.
In response to Tim Pawlenty's coining of the pejorative term, "ObamneyCare" -- a reference to the similarities between the health care plan Romney signed in Massachusetts and the one Obama pushed nationally -- on "Fox News Sunday," the Romney campaign urged Pawlenty to keep his eye on the ball. http://abcn.ws/iXEAP6
"Republicans should keep the focus on President Obama's failure to create jobs and control spending," a statement from Team Romney read. "People are looking for leadership on the economy and the budget. Mitt Romney wants to be that leader."
And this morning his campaign released a new video (titled "Bump in the Road") aimed not at his GOP rivals, but at the president. Romney's been using the "bump in the road" theme often since President Obama told Chrysler plant workers in Toledo, Ohio on June 3 -- the same day the nation's unemployment rate his 9.1 percent -- that "there are always going to be bumps on the road to recovery." Romney's video features people telling the president that they are Americans, not just "bumps in the road." http://mi.tt/BumpInTheRoad
Meanwhile, President Obama wants to talk about the economy too. He will head to Durham, N.C., today to meet with his Jobs and Competitiveness Council and receive their input on ways to spur economic growth and promote job creation.
According the White House, the council will propose ideas for short, medium and long-term job creation, with a focus on high growth sectors.
"We've been at work for the past 90 days to develop recommendations for a series of immediate, actionable steps to accelerate job creation," jobs council head and General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt, wrote in an Op-ed in today's Wall St Journal. "Today we are presenting an initial 'progress report' to the president that includes a series of steps that can help spur hiring in the short term in areas like construction, manufacturing, health care and tourism." http://on.wsj.com/k5gzdL
He added, "No single idea, however well-conceived, will solve our nation's employment challenge. So we're taking a comprehensive approach with eight teams focused on specific areas such as skills and training, regulatory reform, and innovation."
Before the president's meeting with the Council, he will tour Cree, Inc., a manufacturer of energy efficient LED lighting. Later in the afternoon the president will address Cree workers. As ABC's Mary Bruce points out, this is not the president's first trip to the company. He visited the manufacturer during the 2008 campaign as well. http://abcn.ws/jssTUx
BOTTOM LINE: The strength of the economy is the key to the fate of both Obama and Romney. Obama, of course, has to prove that despite the slow and unsteady recovery, he's got a steady hand and the right vision to put the country back on track. Romney, meanwhile, has to convince skeptical primary voters to look beyond his record in Massachusetts and focus instead on his record in business.
DEBATE DAY IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. MANCHESTER, NH -- ABC's Z. Byron Wolf is in the Granite State for the first major presidential primary debate of the year. The debate, sponsored by the New Hampshire Union Leader, WMUR-TV, and CNN, will take place at St. Anselm College starting at 8 p.m. Wolf reviews the cast of characters:
The GOP front runner -- Mitt Romney is the man to beat. The former Massachusetts governor, who failed to secure the nomination in 2008, is better recognized than any of the other Republican candidates who will be on the stage Monday. The First Casualty -- Newt Gingrich is wounded and his campaign is limping into New Hampshire after most of his top staffers quit last week. The Rabble Rouser -- A newly combative Tim Pawlenty is trying to stir things up in the Granite State. The only candidate with public events on Sunday, Pawlenty tied Romney to President Obama and the divisive health reform law that Washington Democrats passed in 2010 and which Republicans generally oppose, derisively calling it "Obamacare." The Wildcard -- Who is in the top three in recent polling? Herman Cain. The former Godfather's Pizza CEO and political neophyte ranks third in the most recent poll. His unlikely candidacy has support from the Tea Party and his main issue is opposition to raising the debt ceiling. The Candidate on the Fence -- Michele Bachmann is the social conservative firebrand who has not entirely jumped into the race. She'll make that decision and announce it later this month in Iowa, where she would likely focus her campaign. The Unheard -- Rick Santorum is struggling to be heard amongst all the other candidates. He officially announced his candidacy in Pennsylvania last week. But the former senator has had trouble gaining traction. The Godfather -- Ron Paul was not allowed in every debate four years ago, when he ran for president. The Libertarian-minded Republican's small-government idealism had a small but dedicated following then. It still does, although he seems prescient now and is in many ways the ideological godfather of the Tea Party. http://abcn.ws/jMFeFk
RETURN OF ROBERT GIBBS. "Former White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs will be in New Hampshire to present a rebuttal to expected attacks at the Republican presidential debate," WMUR Political Scoop's James Pindell notes. "WMUR has learned that Gibbs will be in the Granite State today as seven Republicans explain to Granite Staters and a national audience why they want to have a chance to challenge President Barack Obama in the 2012 election. He will also be in the state on Tuesday. Gibbs has been a regular figure in the Granite State over the years. Prior to visiting the state as an Obama staffer, he was also the communications director for John Kerry's presidential campaign before a staff shake-off in the Fall of 2003. Gibbs left the White House in February." http://bit.ly/m8smaH
ON TODAY'S "TOP LINE": GARY JOHNSON. ABC's Amy Walter and Rick Klein interview one of the presidential candidates who is not allowed to participate in tonight's presidential debate: former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson. Also on the program, Greg Mueller, president of CRC Public Relations, the firm that is promoting the new film about Sarah Palin, "The Undefeated." Watch "Top Line" LIVE at 12:00 p.m. Eastern. http://bit.ly/ABCTopLine
CORKER: WAR IN AFGHANISTAN 'NOT SUSTAINABLE.' In another sign of growing bipartisan concern about American involvement in Afghanistan, one Republican senator on the Foreign Relations Committee says the war is "unsustainable," ABC's Jonathan Karl and Gregory C. Simmons report. "I think all of us who have been in Afghanistan on the ground multiple times know that what we're doing there on the ground is just not sustainable," Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said in the latest installment of ABC's "Subway Series." Outgoing Defense Secretary Robert Gates has suggested the troop withdrawals scheduled to begin this summer should be "modest," but Corker joins others in Congress who are looking for a significant draw down of American involvement in Afghanistan by the end of the year -- including scaling back what he called the U.S. "nation-building effort" in Afghanistan. "We've got this huge nation-building effort under way [and] I think if our citizens saw our footprint in Afghanistan, saw what was happening there from the stand point of all the things we're investing in this in this country, the distortions in its culture -- we've got to change our footprint," Corker said. "This is not a model that we can replicate in other Middle Eastern countries." http://abcn.ws/k7AXXZ
Did you know ABC's "Subway Series" has its own website? Check it out for current and archived interviews: http://abcnews.go.com/politics/subwayseries
WHAT WE LEARNED FROM THE SARAH PALIN E-MAILS. ABC's Michael Falcone and The Daily Beast's Shushannah Walshe along with producers Eloise Harper and Laura Ganis spent several days reviewing the thousands of pages of Sarah Palin's emails released last Friday in Juneau, Alaska. Here is a sampling of what we found out about the former Alaska governor and potential 2012 presidential candidate:
Her view of the media took a turn for the worse in 2008. After her selection as John McCain's running mate, Palin and her staff back at the state capitol in Juneau, believed that the press scrutiny she was receiving as the VP nominee was overwhelming and unwarranted. It was also Palin's first major experience in the national media spotlight. "Arghhh! I am so sorry that the office is swamped like this! Dinosaurs even?! I'll try to run through some of these in my head before responding," she wrote to a press aide. "And the old, used tanning bed that my girls have used a handful of times in Juneau? Yes, we paid for it ourselves. I, too, will continue to be dismayed at the media and am thankful you and Sharon are not part of the strange going's-on in the media world of today."
She had her eye on the VP slot early. Palin kept a close watch on her constituent mail in the months before Sen. John McCain picked her as the vice presidential nominee, especially a series of flattering messages suggesting she join the Republican presidential ticket. "Sarah Palin should run for Vice President of the United States," Richard Casey of Fort Collins, Colo. wrote in a message sent to the governor through her website in June 2008. "She is terrific! A vote from Colorado." Palin, who was evidently personally monitoring her constituent email, forwarded the message -- without comment -- to Jessalyn Rintala, Palin's coordinator of constituent relations and Janice Mason, the governor's scheduler and executive secretary.
She's quirky. For Sarah Palin, it is almost a term of art. When something goes wrong, it's not just bad, it's "unflippinbelievable," or alternately, "flippin unbelievable." Palin's used the softer version of the coarser expletive repeatedly in her email conversations. "Unflippinbelievable. Please have him clarify asap," Palin wrote in an Aug. 4. 2008 missive to several aides in response to a quote in a newspaper article that the governor did not like. On July 9, 2008, she has a similarly unfavorable reaction to a story in the Anchorage Daily News, telling staffers, "It's flippin unbelievable that the ADN allows lies like this to be posted. I'm calling." http://abcn.ws/mPJEIu
She can keep a secret. Let this be a lesson for 2012 watchers engaging in the endless will-she-or-won't-she speculation about whether Palin will jump into the presidential race. We may not know until she's ready to tell us. Why? Here's a case-in-point: In the days before Sarah Palin's unveiling as Sen. John McCain's running mate she was busy with the everyday business of governing. She approved future press requests and meetings at the Republican National Convention -- meetings that she would later have to cancel -- and received words of encouragement from supporters hoping she would be chosen as McCain's vice presidential pick. She did all of this while keeping her location -- Arizona not Alaska -- a secret even from some of her closest aides. Many members of her stunned staff wrote congratulatory notes to Palin once the news broke, some saying they watched her convention speech on television with tears in their eyes. http://abcn.ws/lEMPT9
HUNTSMAN'S WEEK? "Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman said Democratic President Barack Obama is 'absolutely' beatable, given the 'economic backdrop,' and said he may decide this week to seek the Republican presidential nomination," Bloomberg's Peter Cook and Bob Willis report. "'We've got everything that any country would hope for in order to hit it out of the ballpark,' said Huntsman in a weekend interview with Peter Cook on Bloomberg Television's 'Bottom Line' in Manchester, New Hampshire. 'We just don't have a plan, we don't have vision, we don't have the right leadership to get us there.' Huntsman, 51, is seeking to capitalize on his business, government and foreign-policy credentials to position himself as a credible alternative to Republican front-runner Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who formally entered the race last week. With a Republican debate set for today in New Hampshire, Huntsman is drawing closer to declaring. 'We're moving in that direction,' he said in the interview, airing today. 'We've got about all the boxes checked.'" http://buswk.co/jDobdI
GINGRICH DODGES PRESS IN L.A. "Newt Gingrich spent much of Sunday evening seemingly trying to get away from an army of cameras and reporters attempting to get him to say a word. He had no media handlers to keep reporters back as he was mobbed walking through the Beverly Hilton before and after his 40 minute speech to the Republican Jewish Coalition," ABC's Alex Stone reports. "He repeatedly told reporters to 'cover the speech.' At one point the media had him cornered in a hotel elevator. He stood staring at us silently despite getting questions from the assembled reporters. His assistant ordered reporters to not board the elevator and shut the elevator doors. After the speech, Gingrich got into a black SUV and sped away (very fast through the valet area of the Beverly Hilton). Getting into the SUV he was asked by a fan for an autograph and said 'no' and shut the door. He was off to the airport for a red-eye flight to New Hampshire. During his speech, Gingrich spent most of his time on the topic of relations with Israel." http://abcn.ws/jMgGyQ
WHO WILL GET 2012'S TEA PARTY NOD? "Tea party activists are struggling to rally behind a single presidential contender as disparate groups with conflicting priorities balance candidate viability with conservative purity on policies that extend well beyond the spending concerns that spawned the movement just two years ago," Roll Call's Steve Peoples notes. "And Republican presidential campaigns are actively courting the grass-roots conservative movement for the passion, money and army of volunteers that fueled massive Republican gains last fall. 'Whoever the Republican nominee is, if they want to defeat [President Barack] Obama, they need to have the support of the tea party movement,' Tim Pawlenty spokesman Alex Conant told Roll Call. Reading between the lines, of course, one sees the suggestion that a GOP presidential candidate would not survive tea party hostility. And looking back at the last election cycle, it's apparent the tea party is perhaps better suited to tear down candidates than to propel them to victory." http://bit.ly/jK7tpd
OBAMA SEEKS WALL STREET MONEY. "A few weeks before announcing his re-election campaign, President Obama convened two dozen Wall Street executives, many of them longtime donors, in the White House's Blue Room," The New York Times' Nicholas Confessore writes. "The guests were asked for their thoughts on how to speed the economic recovery, then the president opened the floor for over an hour on hot issues like hedge fund regulation and the deficit. Mr. Obama, who enraged many financial industry executives a year and a half ago by labeling them 'fat cats' and criticizing their bonuses, followed up the meeting with phone calls to those who could not attend. The event, organized by the Democratic National Committee, kicked off an aggressive push by Mr. Obama to win back the allegiance of one of his most vital sources of campaign cash — in part by trying to convince Wall Street that his policies, far from undercutting the investor class, have helped bring banks and financial markets back to health. Last month, Mr. Obama's campaign manager, Jim Messina, traveled to New York for back-to-back meetings with Wall Street donors, ending at the home of Marc Lasry, a prominent hedge fund manager, to court donors close to Mr. Obama's onetime rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton. And Mr. Obama will return to New York this month to dine with bankers, hedge fund executives and private equity investors at the Upper East Side restaurant Daniel." http://nyti.ms/mn2Py5
PRESSURE MOUNTS ON WEINER. "The second-ranking House Democrat on Sunday joined the party leadership in urging Rep. Anthony Weiner to quit because of his sexting scandal, a request the New York lawmaker has sidestepped in favor of a temporary leave of absence," according to a dispatch from the AP's Andrew Miga. "The Republican Party chairman criticized Democratic leaders for not taking a more forceful stand earlier on the affair, which has overshadowed much of the legislative business on Capitol Hill over the past week. Weiner has acknowledged exchanging messages and photos, ranging from sexually suggestive to explicit, with several women online. The latest to surface appeared on the gossip website TMZ. The photos posted Sunday were purportedly taken in the House members' gym and show a shirtless Weiner with a towel around his waist and his hand on his crotch. In one photo he is naked and holding the towel over his crotch. TMZ said the photos were sent online to at least one woman. Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the No. 2 House Democrat, spoke of Weiner's 'bizarre and unacceptable behavior' in sending inappropriate pictures of himself to young women. Hoyer said it would be 'extraordinarily difficult' for Weiner to continue to represent his constituents effectively." http://yhoo.it/k04CyY
More on the Weiner situation from ABC's Jonathan Karl on "Good Morning America" today: http://abcn.ws/mTHQpE
@t hegarance : MT @evanmc_s How progressives plan to make tonight's debate in NH all about Medicare (w praise for Romneycare thrown in) is.gd/a5PUrc
@ pwire : Bob Dole says Republicans should nominate Gen. David Petraeus in 2012: "We need another Eisenhower." http://pwire.at/k90WOm
@ Taylor_West: VERY happy to announce that Chris @Frates is joining our @nationaljournal team - fantastic addition!
@CBSNewsHotSheet : Poll: Most want Medicare changes, but wary of GOP plan http://bit.ly/iRKrDX
@ jasondhorowitz : Can Philippe Reines, Hillary Clinton's loyal rogue and life of the perpetual DC party, move on? wapo.st/jnA34q
* The New Hampshire Union Leader, WMUR-TV, and CNN will present the state's first Republican presidential primary debate in Manchester, N.H.
* Iowa tea party supporters will kick off a three-week bus tour with plans to stop in 20 cities across the state. Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum are scheduled to appear during the course of the tour.
* Ron Paul will attend a meet-and-greet at the StoneCliff Winery's Riverfront Alliant Amphitheater in Dubuque, Iowa at 11:30 a.m.
* Newt Gingrich releases his 24th book, "A Nation Like No Other: Why American Exceptionalism Matters."
The Note Futures Calendar: http://abcn.ws/ZI9gV
* Get The Note delivered to your inbox every day.
* For breaking political news and analysis check out The Note blog: http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/ and ABCNews.com/Politics: http://abcnews.com/politics


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Virginia school gets high-rise expansion
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (WJLA) - A local elementary school is getting creative when it comes to its exploding enrollment. The solution? A high-rise expansion.
"I think it's a new adventure," said Principal Marie Lemmon of Bailey's Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences.
This fall, Bailey's 3rd, 4th and 5th graders will move into a five-story office building on Leesburg Pike in Seven Corners. Younger students will stay put.
"Right now, we're at 1,356 students," explained Lemmon of the need for growth. "We're the largest elementary school in the state of Virginia."
Students have outgrown their current school, as the building is at 130-percent capacity.
"We were really hesitant when we moved into the neighborhood about the overcrowding," admitted April Ege, a mother of two.
Space is so tight inside, learning happens outside too. Nineteen trailers serve as classrooms in the school's backyard, and Principal Lemmon and many parents are thanking commercial real estate for relief.
"I think it's going to be a fabulous place for them to learn," said Ege.
Her daughter Amelia is in Kindergarten at Bailey's. She and other moms and dads we spoke with say if you can't build out, build up.
"I think it's a very unique idea in terms of building a school here in this area inside the beltway where space is very limited," said Jen Keefer, who has two kids attending Bailey's.
The architectural brains behind the project says that lack of land is why more and more students in the suburbs are getting schooled like they live in the city.
"20, 30, 40 years ago we had green space, we had 10-acre sites, 40-acre sites," explained project manager and Cooper Carry senior Associate Lauren Ford. "You kind of had your pick and you could really develop a pretty prototypical school with all the amenities and have a similar layout."
Ford says the times are changing. "Now we're getting priced out [and] the parcels of land available are not exactly what we're used to seeing."
Bailey's new layout has many excited about "making the grade" at new heights.
"It's just going to be an example for other counties and other districts across the U.S. and across the state," said Ege.
Bailey's Elementary School is even using its upcoming move as a tool for education. Kids are spending time with the architects and studying design -- they even made their own layouts showing what they want inside and where.
Schools saved some cash by not having to build a building from ground-up. They're retrofitting one for $9.37 million. That's money from the 2013 school bond referendum.

subset: commoncrawl


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Prosecution for health care fraud nationally this year has already outpaced all of 2010. And an analysis shows that revved-up efforts by the Justice Department should reach an 85 percent increase over last year's cases.
That's the word from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, housed in Syracuse University, which has reported 903 prosecutions so far this fiscal year. The numbers were bolstered, it says, by a series of Federal Bureau of Investigations cases. In Puerto Rico, for instance, 420 defendants were charged this year. And in the 50 states, cases in the Southern District of Florida accounted for one-ninth of all prosecutions for health care fraud.
The full report says the current pace would mean 1,355 prosecutions this year, an increase of 85.4 percent over last year, when 731 cases were prosecuted.
The numbers were tracked using data obtained from the Executive Office for United States Attorneys, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, the TRAC report said. It says the current caseload is a 157 percent increase from five years ago.
"Justice - FBI" accounted for 75.7 percent of prosecutions. The rest were primarily from investigations by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
As for the charges, most were listed as health care fraud, followed by "mail fraud attempt and conspiracy". No. 3 was "mail fraud - fraud and swindles." Other categories each had fewer than 100 cases prosecuted.
Of the top 10, bank fraud was "the one showing the greatest projected increase in prosecution — up 2,000 percent — compared to one year ago." That statute also had the largest projected increase compared to five years ago, TRAC said.
Kelly Kennedy wrote for USA Today that the government recovered a record $4 billion in health care fraud cases.
That article noted one February case led to indictments of 111 people, "the largest take-down to date for the Medicare Fraud Task Force.... In that case, doctors, nurses and executives were accused of falsely billing Medicare more than $225 million."
There were 23 trial convictions last year for Medicare fraud and 24 convictions have been obtained this year.
"That's just a stunning number when you see it in the first eight months," Justice criminal division Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer told USA Today. "We're just going to build on this model and we're going to hold those responsible who are stealing from the government."
Health fraud prevention has been an ongoing effort. In late July, for instance, the federal government launched a pilot project in New Jersey that relies on public reporting of suspected health care fraud.
Data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is sometimes used to find fraud, experts said. The site also has detailed instructions on how to report suspected billing fraud for the two federal programs.
USA Today said the fraud in Puerto Rico netted more than $7 million from bogus claims to American Family Life Insurance Company. It said some people submitted hundreds of accident claims, while paying a doctor $10 to $20 to fraudulently handle them.
EMAIL: email@example.com, Twitter: Loisco


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Sumlin's squad reports to Arlington
Updated 10:04 pm, Saturday, December 29, 2012
COLLEGE STATION — New Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury was simply a spectator in Reliant Stadium on Friday night during the Red Raiders' 34-31 victory over Minnesota in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. ESPN briefly interviewed Kingsbury in the stands, and the scene looked strikingly familiar from a season prior.
Kevin Sumlin was only an observer in Reliant during Texas A&M's 33-22 victory over Northwestern on New Year's Eve in the Meineke Bowl as the Aggies' incoming coach. During a TV interview, Sumlin spoke of his excitement of leading A&M into the Southeastern Conference, and 364 days later, the Aggies tote a 10-2 record into Arlington for the 77th Cotton Bowl.
Sports Channel
"What we've shown in one year in the SEC is that not only do we belong and that we can compete, but we can win," Sumlin said over Christmas break.
The Aggies reported Saturday for Friday's Cotton Bowl against 10-2 Oklahoma in Cowboys Stadium. The teams will hold their first interview sessions this morning and hold closed practices.
In the sometimes small world of college football coaching, Sumlin is searching for an offensive coordinator because of the exit of Kingsbury, who left A&M for his alma mater Dec. 12 after directing the SEC's top offense behind Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel of Kerrville Tivy.
Sumlin said from the beginning he intends to take his time in tabbing a coordinator to fill Kingsbury's sizable headset, and in the interim, running backs coach Clarence McKinney will call the plays against the Sooners. McKinney, a former Houston Yates head coach, was alongside Sumlin with the Houston Cougars as running backs coach from 2008-11.
McKinney also was alongside Kingsbury in the press box directing the Aggies' rushing attack over a dozen games.
"I've been around him for five years, and we're not going to change what we're doing," Sumlin said. "There are a lot of moving parts offensively, and there's no need to change anything (for OU)."
OU has won 11 of the past 13 meetings between the former Big 12 South foes, but A&M had hovered around .500 during the past decade under Dennis Franchione and Mike Sherman. The Aggies won at least 10 games this season for the first time since 1998, when they earned their lone Big 12 title under R.C. Slocum.
bzwerneman @express-news.net Twitter: @brentzwerneman
Twitter: @brentzwerneman


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Dara Karr of Cnet.com reports that the Wikimedia Foundation is set to launch a new ad-free travel website, Wikivoyage. Karr writes, "Want to know more about the German spa city called Baden Baden, or 'Bathing Bathing?' Or how to get to Khajuraho — an Indian town known for its ancient erotic rock carvings? All this and more will be in the Wikimedia Foundation's new travel site, called Wikivoyage. A bare-bones version of the site has already been up and running since September, but the official launch of the filled-out site is tentatively scheduled for January 15, according to Skift."
Karr continues, "Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales appeared on The Colbert Report yesterday and confirmed that the site would be launching 'soon.' Wales told the show's host that the site does not have a business model and will not have any advertising — as is the case for all sites run by the Wikimedia Foundation. The goal of Wikivoyage is to provide users with information on travel destinations and recommendations on restaurants, hotels, nightlife, and more. The site's content is filled out with the open source wiki tool that lets users create, update, and edit any article on the site."
Image: Courtesy Wikivoyage


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Customers of the budget fashion store T K Maxx in Bury St Edmunds are being asked to give up clothes for good.
The chain has begun a year-long partnership with Cancer Research UK to raise money for work on children's cancers.
Customers are asked to donate clothes they want to 'give up' into a collection box in the Robert Boby Way store.
T K Maxx and its sister HomeSense stores have already raised £13.5 million for Cancer Research.


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Mark your calendar to attend one of two town hall presentations by branding agency 160over90 to see what we've accomplished during the first seven months of the University's branding initiative.
The meetings will be held at the following dates and times:
– Monday, March 3, from noon to 1 p.m. in Konover Campus Center (Feel free to bring your lunch. Soda, water, and coffee will be provided.)
– Tuesday, March 4, from 9 to 10 a.m. in Wilde Auditorium


text: the dollars right out of my Wallet. Just sprang for a PB1 Plus last night. My first sub, and from my time on this forum the question of which brand was never in doubt. I almost sprang for a cylnder TWO years ago, but the wife just wouldn't have it. When I saw the PB1 Plus on the SVS website I knew it was game over. It will probably arrive while I'm travelling to San Jose the week of the 22nd with my luck.


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Vizag emerges as cyber crime capital
By T Karnakar Reddy | ENS | Published: 17th June 2013 01:56 PM |
Last Updated: 17th June 2013 01:56 PM | A+A A- |
Vizag seems to be emerging as the cyber crime capital of the State. The city stood second in cyber crime, next only to Bengaluru, among the 53 mega cities in the country, the National Crime Records Bureau's 2012 report reveals. And, powering it to the top are its young generation of Net addicts.
According to the report, 153 cases were recorded under the IT Act in Vizag in 2012, compared to 107 the previous year. Delhi with 73 cases, Mumbai 33, Chennai 15, Kolkata 45 and Hyderabad 42 are far behind the steel city which registered a "positive growth" of 43% in cyber crime. Hyderabad, on the other hand, had a negative growth rate of 37.3% as the cases booked under the IT Act in 2011 were 67.
Speaking to Express, Commissioner of Police, Visakhapatnam, B Sivadhar Reddy, downplayed the stats, pointing out that police had been proactive in filing cases under the IT Act to send a strong message to the public. "Visakhapatnam has more number of IT companies after Hyderabad and computer literacy has increased rapidly in the last few years," he observed. Most of the cases booked in Vizag, about 89 of the 153, are related to eve-teasing and sexual harassment. Overall, Andhra Pradesh, for a change, did not top the list of cyber crimes in the country. That dubious distinction went to Maharashtra. At the same time, cyber crimes under the IT Act are still on the rise in the State with a growth rate of 22.9%. The total number of cases under the IT Act shot up to 429 in 2012 from 349 in 2011. Most of those arrested under the IT Act (Cyber Crime) are aged between 18 and 30.
As many as 1,486 were arrested under the Act across the nation in 2012 and of them, 908 (61 per cent) are in this age group. In the State, 170 were arrested under the IT Act and of them 125(73 per cent) are aged 18-30.
This is in keeping with the general nature of the cases. Of the 429 cases booked in the State, 145 pertain to eve-teasing or sexual harassment. Vijayawada too made it to the list with seven cases in 2012, exactly the same as in 2011.


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Application Security
Bronze Award:
Citrix Application Firewall (2008)
Citrix Systems' Citrix Application Firewall utilizes what the vendor calls a positive security model that establishes a baseline of approved application behavior, and any application traffic deviating is blocked.
"There are no concerns with zero-day attacks, which can be an issue for products that rely on signatures or blacklists for protection," says Citrix product manager Morgan Gerhart.
Readers gave Citrix Application Firewall good marks for its threat protection and integration with other security tools for reporting and remediation. It can be purchased standalone, or as a module on the Citrix NetScaler Application Delivery System.
Gerhart says the vendor plans enhancements around integration, simplicity and performance, in particular, addressing performance issues for smaller companies running the firewall on an entry-level server. Future versions will also look at XML traffic and SOA applications.


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These Hydro Flow® fittings with 150 Mesh Screen removes particles from water, preventing clogged lines and providing a debris free watering source. Choose from the four types to meet your needs.
— Ships from SS: WA, CA, CO, MI, TN, PA, FL USA. Note: the WA warehouse is moving in Jul & Aug, some orders may be delayed 1-2 days.


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Two quick reactions to Kevin Drum's mostly critical piece on Marco Rubio's recent poverty plan (or what I've decided to more accurately call his Big-Ass Block Grant plan).
First, on wage subsidies, Drum says:
"Wage subsidies show some promise, but they're untested and extremely sensitive to program design. We'll know how serious Rubio is about this stuff based on how much thought he ends up putting into his final proposal."
Actually, we have plenty of research on wage subsidies (results are relatively mixed). One way to measure Rubio's seriousness about wage subsidies would be to see if he would support extending and further fine-tuning the temporary wage subsidy program created as part of the Recovery Act. For more on that program, see research by MDRC and the Economic Mobility Corporation.
Second, on marriage, Drum says:
"...I think we should encourage marriage. In fact, I wish this were a more popular notion among the educated liberal class, which pretty clearly thinks marriage is a great thing but is often skittish about "imposing" its values on others. ...generally speaking, marriage has a ton of benefits: for the couple itself, for their children, and for society... That said, I'm pretty skeptical that the government should be in the business of encouraging or discouraging marriage, and I'm even more skeptical that offering a few more or a few less dollars in welfare programs is likely to have any effect anyway."
This leaves me somewhat confused. If "we should encourage marriage" because it has "tons of benefits", then why shouldn't government be in the business of encouraging it?
A more sensible and inclusive progressive position would be that we, including government, should encourage and support healthy and stable adult marriages and unmarried partnerships. And we should also support healthy and stable parent-child relationships, regardless of the structure of the parents' relationships. In general, the focus should be on the quality of bonds, rather than on simply increasing the quantity of the ones that take a particular legal form.
The reality is that most couples that marry today live together as unmarried partners before marrying. This is a positive development. Among other things, it has probably contributed the increased stability of the marriages of what Drum calls the educated liberal class. But we've done relatively little (in official statistics or policy, for example) to acknowledge the social normalization of unmarried partnerships.


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Posted on May 28, 2008 at 5:53am 2 Comments 0 Likes
Giacomo Zafarano and Desiree Telles perform dips while taking cues from Joseph Gonzales.
Posted on May 14, 2008 at 12:34pm 8 Comments 0 Likes
Posted on April 28, 2008 at 7:52am 18 Comments 0 Likes
On a recent bike ride along the bosque's riverside trail where it flanks the Tijeras Arroyo, I spotted two men on four-wheelers in the bottom of the concrete ditch, gunning their way west toward the river. This is the end of the miles-long run for the Tijeras Arroyo, which carries runoff all the way from the Sandias through the city and eventually merges with the South Diversion Channel before cascading through the outfall (an image-rich word… Continue
Posted on February 1, 2008 at 7:32pm 2 Comments 0 Likes
While getting ready for VERB Collective's upcoming tiny painting auction this Saturday, a story unfolded in the production process that clearly demonstrates the true power of art. To illustrate it for you here, let me give you a little background on our particular group of…Continue
Posted on January 29, 2008 at 4:51pm 1 Comment 0 Likes
Why does Jesus curse? He was a carpenter, after all, and besides, his second coming appearance at Revolutions International Theatre Festival is made easier for us mere mortals when he talks like a real human being and not the Almighty.
Comedy Jesus, played by Troy Conrad, was preaching to the…Continue
HUGE BIG GIGANTIC HUGS AND EXCITEMENT! I saw on the MEW yahoo list that you are, again, one of the mains for this years event! That's WONDERFUL! Are you going to be in town this weekend, or are you off somewhere? The 5th Annual Southwest Burlesque Showcase is at the Kimo and I'd love to see you! I'll be struttin my stuff saturday night, ushering and such on friday.


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The Collecting of Campaign Buttons Has Become "America's Last Great Treasure Hunt"
(continued from page 2)
"I don't understand this investing in futures," says auction expert Al Salter. "I don't remember any Bush, Reagan or Carter buttons reaching those heights the first year after their election." Bush items, he notes, still haven't increased that much in value.
Clinton supporters should not necessarily crow over the surge in prices for their candidate's buttons. It could prove to be an evil omen, since "investing in futures" for button collectors might mean they are indicating their preference for a potential loser. In a November 1992 auction, Bush items attracted more bidders than any other grouping--perhaps a harbinger of his eventual defeat.
Although buttons remain vitally important to political groupies and collectors, some observers fear that television attack ads, campaign videotapes, 800 numbers and other forms of electronic electioneering have shunted the pin-back button aside. This year, for the first time, presidential candidates have even gone on the Internet. Pioneering political memorabilia collector Ralph E. Becker, whose mammoth horde of campaign paraphernalia formed the core of the Smithsonian Institution's 100,000-item collection, lamented in Hail to the Candidate: "Posterity is the loser in this new game of political campaigning."
There are those at the University of Oklahoma who might disagree. There, the Political Commercial Archive was established in 1985 by Julian Kanter, a former general manager of television stations in New York and Florida, who began collecting political TV and radio ads in 1956. Today, the archive contains the tapes of more than 55,000 political commercials, all housed in a brick storeroom chilled to 55 degrees to help preserve them.
Yet no matter how hard-hitting, funny or effective a TV or radio spot may be, you cannot hold a sound bite in your hand. You cannot marvel at how it has escaped the ravages of time, wonder about whose lapel or blouse it once adorned or ponder the devotion it inspired. You can only do that with a button.
Neil Grauer is a Baltimore writer and the author of Remember Laughter: A Life of James Thurber (University of Nebraska Press). Pushing The Right Buttons
American Political Items Collectors (APIC), the national organization for fans of every sort of electioneering doodad, offers a broad range of advice about how to avoid being burned when button hunting. Among the tips:
* Take time to learn about the field, especially about the reproductions--dubbed "brummagem"--that are worth nothing but often pop up in flea markets, collectibles shops, antique shows and even auctions. Books about collecting political Americana are a good source of information, as are experienced collectors.
* Minor flaws (such as an off-center design) or damage (such as fading, nicks or cracks in the celluloid, or splotches of brownish discoloration called "foxing") can dramatically reduce the value of a button.
* Rarity also is a key to value. Some buttons, worth a great deal in a rare size, are worth far less in more common dimensions, even if the design is identical.
* To get a feel for the price range of various buttons, become familiar with useful indicators, such as advertisements for items in such publications as APIC's monthly newspaper, The Political Bandwagon; the prices put on items for sale at collectors' meetings; the prices obtained at APIC meetings and conventions; and the prices obtained in mail and phone auctions. Even among experienced collectors, price estimates vary. It can be a volatile hobby.
* Almost all fakes of antique celluloid buttons are actually acetate-covered. Acetate, developed in the late 1930s, has been used nearly exclusively by button makers since 1952. To check, use an incandescent light and tilt the button so the light is reflected off the surface to your eyes. Celluloid has an irregular surface and absorbs light; acetate is almost 100 percent light-reflective.
* New fakes rarely feature old pins. The difference between
an old pin and a new one is obvious.
* There were no presidential pin-back buttons prior to 1896, celluloid or lithograph.
* The problem of fakes should not be exaggerated. In 99 out of 100 cases, items have not been reproduced, and most reproductions that do exist are of commonplace buttons. High-profile, extremely valuable buttons are rarely faked, since experts would examine them too closely. Usually reproductions were made as commemorative items, often as an advertising gimmick, without any intention to deceive.
Mail auctions are a main source for political
Americana. Among the leading ones:
Al Anderson
P. O. Box 644, Troy, Ohio 45373
phone: 513/339-0850, fax: 513/339-8620
Subscription rate (U.S.): $20 for three issues of catalog,
$37.50 for six issues; overseas: $30 for three issues
Bob Coup
P.O. Box 348, Leola, Pennsylvania 17540
phone: 717/656-7780, fax: 717/656-8233
C. Wesley Cowan
747 Park Avenue, Terrace Park, Ohio 45174
phone: 513/248-8122, fax: 513/248-2566
Subscription rate: $30 for three catalogs; sample, $12
Tom French
P.O. Box 65360, Tucson, Arizona 85728
phone: 520/577-8302, fax: 520/577-8674
Auctions held as material becomes available. Fully illustrated
catalog for October 1996 auction, $7. Sales list of less expensive ($1 to $10) beginner items available for $1
David J. Frent
P.O. Box 455, Oakhurst, New Jersey 07755
phone: 908/922-0768, fax: 908/922-6488
Subscription rate: $12 for three catalogs; sample, $4
Theodore Hake, Hake's Americana
(Dept. 269), P.O. Box 1444, York, Pennsylvania 17405
phone: 717/848-1333, fax: 717/852-0344
$7.50 for catalog (contains items other than political pieces)
Tom Slater, The Political Gallery
5335 North Takoma Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana 46220
phone: 317/257-0863
Subscription rate: $20 for four catalogs; sample, $5
Jack Wilson,
P.O. Box 49271, Austin, Texas 78765
phone: 512/451-8122, fax: 512/451-6973
Subscription rate: $12 for four catalogs; sample, $3
Collecting Political Americana
by Edmund Sullivan
(second edition, 1991) Christopher Publishing House,
24 Rockland Street, Hanover, Massachusetts 02339
Phone: 617/826-7474. $40 plus postage.
Hake's Guide to Presidential Campaign Collectibles:
An Illustrated Price Guide to Artifacts from 1789-1988
by Theodore Hake (1992)
Hake's Americana and Collectibles,
P.O. Box 1444, York, Pennsylvania 17405
Phone: 717/848-1333. $21 postpaid.
Hake's Encyclopedia of Political Buttons,
a three-volume set cataloguing more
than 15,000 items, is $96 postpaid; 1991 price guide
(admittedly outdated) comes with set.
Hail to the Candidate:
Presidential Campaigns from Banners to Broadcasts
by Keith E. Melder (1992)
Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.
Phone: 1 800/782-4612. $24.95 (paperback)
Running for President: The Candidates and Their Images
Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.,
editor; David Frent and Fred Israel, associate editors.
Two volumes, 1789-1992 (1993) Simon and Schuster.
Available from the LBJ Museum Store,
2313 Red River Street, Austin, Texas 78705
Phone: 1 800/874-6451. $195
Collector Organizations
American Political Items Collectors,
P.O. Box 340339, San Antonio, Texas 78234
(Joseph D. Hayes, secretary/treasurer.) $30 annual membershi dues includes subscription to monthly newspaper, The Political Bandwagon, and thrice-yearly magazine, The Keynoter. (If you have some buttons you wish to have appraised, APIC will do so for free if you send Xeroxed copies of the buttons and a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Hayes.)
Log in if you're already registered.
Or register for Cigar Aficionado today—it's free.
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Search our database of more than 17,000 cigar tasting notes by score, brand, country, size, price range, year, wrapper and more, plus add your favorites to your Personal Humidor.


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GRAND RAPIDS, MI — The usual unity that marks the monthly meetings of the Interurban Transit Partnership was ushered aside Wednesday when it came time to discuss the evaluation and pay raise of Peter Varga, CEO of The Rapid.
What ultimately came to be approval of a 2 percent, or $3,760, pay raise to Varga's $188,032 salary sparked a lengthy, hearty debate on questions of sacrifice and perception at a time when the ITP Board is facing pushback from local activists looking to remove a city from The Rapid's six-community system.
Voters in Walker will decide in November whether to withdraw from the ITP, thanks to a successful petition drive by the Kent County Taxpayers Alliance that was given final approval this week.
As opponents and proponents of The Rapid launch their respective campaigns ahead of that vote, the significance of approving Varga's pay increase was not lost on the ITP Board.
The ITP board is composed largely of city leaders — mayors, councilmen and commissioners — from each of the six cities served by The Rapid.
Wednesday's debate centered on a pay increase for Varga at a time of economic strife, with cities gutting services and facing crippling budget shortfalls.
After the raise takes effect Oct. 1, Varga's salary will sit at nearly $191,800. The actual number will be more, when benefits are taken into account.
"I think at this time, in my community, I can't support an increase in the salary even though I think our CEO has done an incredible job," said Walker Mayor Rob VerHeulen, an ITP Board member.
VerHeulen noted he also voted against Varga's 2 percent increase last year, but said it was no judgement against the CEO.
"It reflected all of the local units were facing financial struggles, and I think for the most part, we still do," VerHeulen said.
VerHeulen's remarks sparked the protracted discussion among ITP Board members. He was joined in dissent by Steve Kauffman, a Grandville councilman whose city also was targeted by the Taxpayers Alliance's petition drive over the summer.
Although the Alliance failed to gain enough signatures to put the question of withdrawing from The Rapid before voters in Grandville, Kauffman said he worried how Varga's pay increase would be perceived.
"I'm going to tell you, we're going to give them a whole lot of ammunition at Walker," Kauffman said Wednesday.
Still, he added, "I couldn't agree more with ... all of the people sitting at this table. We have an exceptional leader, I have confidence in Peter. It's the appearance of what could happen from it."
Varga, whose 2011 salary topped $202,000 once benefits are included, sat quietly as ITP Board members posited their opinions on his pay raise. Supporters of his 2 percent raise outnumbered the two dissenters, and included Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell, East Grand Rapids Mayor Amna Seibold and Kentwood Mayor Richard Clanton.
Perhaps most interestingly, though, is the ITP Board's chairwoman is Walker's Mayor Pro Tem, Barb Holt, who broke with VerHeulen and supported Varga's raise.
"Sometimes, it's a little difficult to navigate through the land mines that the public puts out there for us," Holt said during the discussion, "and we have to do what we know in our minds and in our hearts is right to do."
Seibold stood firm in her reasoning for supporting the increase, pointing to the 2 percent pay raise for all of The Rapid's staff for the fiscal year that will begin Oct. 1. Like others who voted for the pay increase, Seibold also pointed to Varga's glowing evaluation.
"Just to say no because we know there's people out there saying we shouldn't exist, I think that's wrong," Seibold said. "We're saying we do exist, we're doing an excellent job and we're compensating staff appropriately.
"I don't want to run scared, kowtow. I think what we're doing here is appropriate. I know that I could back up my rationale for supporting it," she added. "Let the naysayers say what they're going to say. We backed up our decision to do it, it's not just capricious and inappropriate."
Others invoked The Rapid's birth from the now-defunct — and, some have argued, dysfunctional — Grand Rapids Area Transit Authority, or GRATA. Heartwell noted what he called strides in service offerings, including extended hours that began this year and what will be construction of Michigan's first bus rapid transit line next year.
Heartwell argued The Rapid is a public entity that has grown over time, despite drastic cuts to municipalities and economic turmoil.
"This organization has grown, it is strong, it is fiscally strong. Its reality is wholly different than my city, than your city, than our cities," Heartwell said, addressing VerHeulen.
"That is the reason I can on the one hand be concerned about cost reductions in the city of Grand Rapids," he continued, "and making sure that salaries aren't growing unfairly, and yet in this organization I can feel very comfortable voting for this increase."
During his monthly CEO report to the board after the debate, Varga measured reference to the at times tense discussion, expressing thanks for the "kind words" that were shared throughout.
At the meeting's conclusion, Varga reiterated his thanks for praise of his leadership by ITP Board members during the discussion, calling it "very heartwarming."
"I think there was a lot of good comments; I really appreciated hearing them," Varga said.
"This is a board decision," he continued, "and so it has always been a board decision since I've been here, and I've always respected the opinion and the counsel and the comments of the board."
For the board members who dissented, though, the board's decision might have done more harm than good.
"Two percent is a cup of coffee and a donut," Kauffman said of Varga's increase. "It's not about the money. It's about the appearance, in my mind. We are in a battle in Walker."


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Kind of like the "name this pain" thread but I, being the 6th time mama, for some reason don't know what this one is.
I keep getting these waves of pressure in the rectum like uh-oh I better go to the bathroom, I have to have a BM but there is nothing and its happening in waves regularly (not timeable that I am aware of just very constant). Also having tons of BH now that are lasting longer and more intense. Losing a bit of plug today for the first time this pregnancy. Baby engaged in the pelvis yesterday though I don't recall my last few doing that until the beginning of labor maybe, I don't know I didn't notice. Hard to ignore this time as its making it impossible to walk when paired with severe SPD. I literally need crutches.
I know rectal pressure, especially for a posterior baby is totally normal and since she is so low now, it makes sense but anyone else getting this intense waves of pressure in the behind that makes you feel like you have to poop?
mama to the Brady bunch 3 boys, 3 girls.
DS Jan '02, DD Jan '04, DD Oct '05, DS Spt '07, DS Jan '10, DD Jun '11 Our
Well, my babe isn't posterior, but every time I have a contraction, I have an intense desire to go empty my bladder and bowels too. No fun because I have my very first hemorrhoid which I have been caring for with tucks and comfrey salve. I haven't been contracting a lot though, so that is a blessing. I'm not sure how it's going to be in real labor. MORE rectal pressure sounds like no fun!
Happy Wife since 12/31/05 ~ Blessed Mama to 2/8/09 and 6/11/11, with on the way due 2/24/14
I have some of that with ctx. Baby is LOA so he's in a great position. I think I'm feeling the rectal and bladder pressure simply because his head is SO far down in my pelvis that it's unavoidable for the pressure to be felt in my rectum and bladder.
Momma to my boy (1/99) & girl (7/00), Birthmomma to my Ladybug (8/09), the new baby monkey boy born 6/6/11!
Student nurse, doula, future midwife, and breastfeeding, bedsharing, babywearing, organic gardening, God-loving single momma
Sharita, I had that ALL last evening and night! I swear I went no less than 12 or 15 times. It was nutso, and each time I was like "oh, god, not gonna make it!" I have no idea what this is, but I was having a bit of bloody show each time, and tonight, when I went, I had a lot, so I guess it's doing SOMETHING good! I don't know whether or not I'm having contractions or stronger BH, because I feel my uterus get tight and something hurts up top. Oh, well, I guess we'll see. My baby hasn't dropped yet, though (I think). Except I'm trying desperately to go into labour on my own this weekend, cause otherwise I'm being induced Monday :(
2014: 30/70lbs, 4/52 crafts
I'm having more rectal pressure this preg, too. Lately, when I roll over in bed in the morning I all-of-a-sudden have to go...now! I don't know if it's related to this being baby #4 (i.e. muscles are all stretched out) or what...Not so fun to feel like you always have to poo!!. I have hemorrhoids for the first time, too. Def not fun.
"So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world." - Jack Layton
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This property has been removed by the agent. It may be sold or temporarily removed from the market
3 bedroom maisonette for saleBROMYARD
Property Description
Full description
This appealing modern apartment fronts Pump Street and is situated at the Tanyard, a popular courtyard development situated close to the centre of Bromyard Town. The property has easy access to a range of amenities including Shops and Stores, a Bus Service, Schools and Doctors Surgery which is situated opposite the property. Bromyard is a lovely former Market Town with easy access to Worcester and Hereford (14 miles), Leominster and Ledbury (12 miles), motorway access M5(Jct.7) is available near Worcester (17 miles).
Built about seven years ago, the property has rendered elevations under a tiled roof and provides well proportioned accommodation on three floors. Completed to an individual, contemporary style, the property is provided with quality fittings throughout and is maintenance free with the benefit of gas fired central heating and double glazed windows. There is a large Open-Plan Living Room with adjoining Kitchen Area complete with integrated refrigerator, freezer, washing machine and split-level cooker. The upper floor accommodation includes 3-Bedrooms, En-Suite facility and Family Bathroom. Carpets are provided throughout and in detail the property comprises:-
Entrance Hall approached through panelled door with small double glazed window and having sunken ceiling spotlights, room thermostat, radiator, carpet and mat-well.
Cloakroom with pedestal wash basin (h&c) with tiled splashback, low level WC, upright ladder radiator, extractor, ceiling spotlight and carpet.
Large Open-Plan Living Room with Kitchen Area
Living Room 14' 4'' x 14' 2''(average) ( 4.37m x 4.3m) having wide double glazed picture window providing a pleasant westerly aspect, radiator, TV aerial point, telephone point, carpet and through access to adjoining Kitchen Area 8' 10'' x 7' 2'' ( 2.69m x 2.2m) having a range of quality fitments including single drainer sink top with mixer tap (h&c) inset into wide worktop with cupboard and integrated washer/drier below, adjoining worktop with integrated dishwasher, cupboard and drawer below, breakfast bar with integrated refrigerator and freezer below, three eye-level wall cupboards, matching cupboard housing Ideal wall mounted gas fired combination boiler with electronic programmer control providing central heating and domestic instant hot water, part-tiled wall surrounds, New World split-level cooker including four ring gas hob with overhead extractor canopy and integrated grill and oven below, radiator, tiled floor and sunken ceiling spotlights.
Landing with balustrade and approached over winding staircase, radiator and carpet (also fitted to staircase). This room has a wide window to the side with a pleasant north-easterly outlook.
Bathroom having white coloured suite including panelled bath (h&c) with tiled surround and overhead mains shower fitment with screen, pedestal wash basin (h&c) with tiled splashback and low level WC, upright ladder radiator, sunken ceiling spotlight, extractor, wall light/shaver socket and carpet.
Master Bedroom 14' 5''(average) x 14' 2'' ( 4.39m x 4.3m) having wide double glazed picture window with double doors opening onto a Juliette Balcony, radiator, TV aerial point, carpet and door to En-Suite Shower Room having tiled shower cubicle with mains shower fitment, pedestal wash basin (h&c) with tiled splashback and low level WC, wall light/shaver socket, extractor, sunken ceiling spotlight and carpet.
Spacious and Light Galleried Landing having window to the side, radiator and carpet (also fitted to staircase).
Bedroom 2 15' 2''(average) x 14' 2'' (max) ( 4.62m x 4.3m) having high sloping ceilings, an outlook to the front, two radiators, TV aerial point and carpet.
Bedroom 3 9' 9'' x 5' 5'' ( 2.97m x 1.7m) having high sloping ceiling with double glazed rooflight, radiator and carpet.
Although there is no garden, the Purchaser has rights to use the communal parking area and surrounds.
Outside meter cupboards.
Mains water (metered), electricity, drainage and gas are connected. The property has the benefit of gas fired central heating. Telephone (subject to transfer regulations).
Council Tax is Band 'C' payable for 2013/14 - £1414.71. Water - metered supply. There is a service charge of £22.00 per month which covers maintenance of the communal area.
Freehold with vacant possession on completion.
Some furniture, fittings and effects may be acquired by separate negotiation.
From the junction of Broad Street and High Street in Bromyard Town Centre turn left by the Falcon Inn into Pump Street. Continue for approximately 120 yards and the property will be found on the left-hand side directly opposite the entrance to the Doctors Surgery.
Strictly by appointment through the Agents, Flint & Cook, Bromyard (01885) 488166.
To comply with Money Laundering Regulations, prospective purchasers will be asked to produce identification documentation at the time of making an offer. We ask for your cooperation in order that there is no delay in agreeing the sale.
Mortgage Valuations, RICS Home Buyers' Reports and Building Surveys all undertaken by a qualified Surveyor. For further details please contact Mr G Flint FRICS on (01432) 355455.
We have a long established Residential Lettings and Property Management Service, and are always actively looking for new landlords. For further details please contact Jackie Eversham (01432) 355455.
MONDAY - FRIDAY 9.00 am - 5.30 pm
SATURDAY 9.00 am - 1.00 pm
GEF BD014142 August 2013 (5)
Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) graphs
Listing History
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Market Info
Disclaimer - Property reference GKY0011344. The information displayed about this property comprises a property advertisement. Rightmove.co.uk makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of the advertisement or any linked or associated information, and Rightmove has no control over the content. This property advertisement does not constitute property particulars. The information is provided and maintained by Flint & Cook, Hereford. Please contact the selling agent or developer directly to obtain any information which may be available under the terms of The Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 or the Home Report if in relation to a residential property in Scotland.
Map data ©OpenStreetMap contributors.


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I had smartlipo a year ago. I look worse than I did with lumps, sagging, uneven skin tone, uneven legs, stomach and arms.
I was told when I went in for the last appointment by one of the nurses that no one is usually happy with this procedure. I wonder why doctors are getting away performing this? my guess is because we all look at the before and after photos and believe them and they are all doing it for the money (don't be fooled); please don't do this to yourself, all the pain and now not able to wear shorts (forget about wearing a bathing suit) or shirts that show any of the upper arm areas (yes I look that bad).
After the procedure my doctor gave me some other treatments to firm the areas and then did painful unsatisfactory mesotherapy. After all that I've come to the realization that I made a huge mistake and there is nothing now that I can do but warn others please do not do this to yourself. Seeing the look in my partner's eyes now says it all.


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McLain Ward Keeps the Blue Ribbons Coming in $50,000 Spy Coast Farm Grand Prix Qualifier at Hampton Classic
[Bridgehampton, NY] There must be something in the air at the Hampton Classic Horse Show that gives McLain Ward an especially sharp edge, for when he rides here, it seems that he always rides to win.
Ward and Pjotter Van De Zonnehoeve over the final jumpoff fence.
Fresh off the Olympic Games earlier this month in London, Ward proved that he is right at home on the green grand prix field in the Hamptons when he placed 1st and 3rd this afternoon in the $50,000 Spy Coast Farm YHS Grand Prix Qualifier CSI4*. This win follows two previous jumper wins that Ward claimed earlier this week at the Hampton Classic.
Ward qualified both Grant Road Partners' Antares F and Luisburg Farm's Pjotter Van De Zonnehoeve over a first round track that ran the gamut in varying questions. The 12 obstacles constructed by Guillherme Jorge were meant to thin the field from among the 51 riders entered, all who were hoping to move on to the $250,000 FTI Consulting World Cup Qualifier Grand Prix coming up two days from now.
A triple bar set as the A element in a one stride right before the finish timers came down time and time again for riders that had the unfortunate luck of feeling their horses tire at the end of the course. And several horses didn't like the look of the Spy Coast Farm triple combination midway through the track – there were several refusals there.
Beezie Madden tacked up two horses for this afternoons class, but Cortes 'C' had an unfortunate rail at an oxer, and she ran into trouble in the same area with Amadora, a new mount for her that is also owned by Abigail Wexner.
Kent Farrington was the only thing that stood in front of Ward and the top two placings, and just barely. He piloted Raylyn Farms' Venus to a speedy jumpoff time that set Ward on a mission to beat when he followed with Antares F. But while both riders were clean, Ward finished just two hundreths of a second behind Farrington.
Farrington and Venus
Ward and Antares, picture perfect in Round 1
When Ward places anywhere lower than first, you can bet he's going to return with a vengence, and that he did with Pjotter later in the jumpoff. He pulled off a clean round that was a full two seconds faster than his previous time, securing the win and easily qualifying for Sunday's feature grand prix.
That class has been won by Ward a record six times, including last year when he won it with Antares F. Add to that fact the extra detail that this grand prix is the second leg of three in the new Taylor Harris Triple Crown Challenge, which awards a $200,000 bonus to the same horse/rider combination that can pull off wins in the $200,000 Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon, the $250,000 FTI Grand Prix at the Hampton Classic, and the $250,000 Alltech Grand Prix this November at the Alltech National Horse Show.
As the winner of the Grand Prix of Devon this past May, Ward is primed to take home this second leg of the challenge if all continues to go well. You can watch Ward try and do just that on www.USEFNetwork.com on Sunday, September 2nd starting at 2:00pm EST. For more information and results from the Hampton Classic, visit www.HamptonClassic.com, and stay with ProEquest all weekend as we report on the ground from Bridgehampton.
Richie Maloney and Slieveanora were 4th
Kirsten Coe and Baronez jumped into 5th
Until tomorrow...
Top Ten - $50,000 Spy Cost Farm YHS Grand Prix Qualifier CSI4*
Rider | Horse | Round 1 Faults | Jumpoff Faults | Jumpoff Time
- McLain Ward | Pjotter Van De Zonnehoeve | 0 | 0 | 40.33
- Kent Farrington | Venus | 0 | 0 | 42.26
- McLain Ward | Antares F | 0 | 0 | 42.28
- Richie Maloney | Slievanorra | 0 | 0 | 43.78
- Kirsten Coe | Baronez | 0 | 0 | 45.87
- Darragh Kerins | Lisona 0 | 0 | 50.28
- Luis Larrazabal | G&C Flash | 0 | 4 | 41.90
- Darragh Kenny | Sandor de la Pomme | 0 | 4 | 42.85
- Derek Braun | Lacorolus | 0 | 4 | 44.82
- Rodrigo Pessoa | Winsom | 0 | 4 | 45.68
Photos ©ProEquest


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installing ubuntu botched network adapter
On my desktop, I have Windows 7. I just also installed ubuntu on a partition in order to dual-boot. The installation worked fine, however now I cannot use the internet on either os.
I have a Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller
On Windows 7, the LAN flashes from "Enabled" -> "Identifying" -> "Network cable unplugged". It does this on a seemingly continuous loop. When I disable it, it will not let me enable it. It says it can't start. Also, I uninstalled and re-installed the driver for my ethernet with no change.
On Ubuntu, when I try to do "ifconfig eth0 up" and "dhclient eth0" I get the message "No DHCPOFFERS received. No working leases in persistent database - sleeping."
I have been looking for a long time for an answer to this problem. Posting here is a last resort for me. I have never posted on any forums before, so I apologize in advance if I do something wrong. Thanks.
Does the link light illuminate when a cable is plugged in? Have you tried a different Ethernet cable? Did Internet work prior to installing Ubuntu? Are other PCs on your network able to access the Internet?
With two different OS's both having issues, more than likely it's hardware related than the local configurations.
Yes, it is plugged in right now, and there is an orange light blinking. I have tried a different ethernet cable, and I also put the current one in my laptop to make sure it still worked.
Yes, the internet worked before, even on backtrack 4. And yes, my laptop (which I'm on right now) is able to connect to the network.
Check this thread, same problem: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...my-nic-805148/
EDIT: And this one: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...indows-806770/ Specifically this:
thanks for the info. I will certainly try disconnecting the power. I'll let you know if it works
hey guys, thanks a lot!
I just unplugged the psu and then held down the power button for 30 seconds (supposedly this discharges the capacitors or something). After that, I waited while I watched a movie (so about 90 minutes). After I turned the computer back on, the internet now works just fine across all operating systems.
Thanks again! I would have never thought this could be an issue.
|All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:49 PM.


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Home > World News > Article
Desperate efforts by Prince Charles's personal staff to quash rumours of a sexual incident involving the future king failed yesterday, buried under a tidal wave of media reports in Europe and on foreign-language websites.
Though still not officially confirmed, the rumours surround a purported sexual contact between Prince Charles and Michael Fawcett, one of his closest advisers.
While British papers were last night fighting a court battle to publish the names of those involved, readers in other parts of the world could find out on the web what Britain is still waiting to read.
According to one report on The New York Times wire service, the allegations come from a tape found in a mahogany box owned by the late Diana, Princess of Wales.
George Smith, a former royal servant who suffered from alcoholism and post-traumatic stress syndrome after fighting in the Falklands War, said on the tape he had been raped by another male royal aide. But far more explosively, he also claimed to have witnessed a compromising homosexual encounter between a senior royal aide and a member of the royal family.
This was the claim that Prince Charles was denying - although he didn't say so - on Thursday.
"Anyone who knows the Prince of Wales at all would appreciate that the allegation is totally ludicrous and, indeed, risible," his secretary Sir Michael Peat said in an unprecedented statement on the matter. His pleas for restraint were echoed by the Prince's former private secretary Sir Stephen Lamport, who accused the media of pursuing an agenda which undervalued the Prince as a "force for good" who had touched the lives of so many.
The publication of the rumours came as the Prince was preparing for a private dinner in Muscat with Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said.
The issue first surfaced last year during the trial of Paul Burrell, Diana's former butler.
Mr Burrell was unsuccessfully prosecuted on charges that he had stolen possessions from the Princess's estate and from other members of the royal family after her death in 1997.
One of the items he was accused of stealing was a cassette tape that Diana had recorded several years earlier and that she kept in a special mahogany box.
The matter then died down until last month, when Mr Burrell began publicising his tell-all book, A Royal Duty. When he mentioned the now-notorious tape and said that revealing its contents would have disastrous consequences for the country, newspapers seized on the issue again and began ramping up the speculation.
Yesterday's rash of stories in the continental media followed Clarence House's controversial decision to break its silence to denounce the rumours.
In Britain, the Popbitch email bulletin also broadcast details of the rumours, while TV stations flashed up images from Italy's Corriere della Sera, the first newspaper to publish the story.
It is also understood that the London-based The Mail on Sunday, which was injuncted at the request of Michael Fawcett when it sought to publicise the allegation, has had the terms of its injunction relaxed.
It will be allowed, like the rest of the nation's media, to publish whatever is in the public domain. However, this is unlikely to open the floodgates as the details in foreign media are not generally regarded by the courts as part of the public domain in Britain.
The report on page 19 of yesterday's Corriere della Sera was filed by its London correspondent, Alessio Altichieri. Before detailing the allegations, the paper said that "the most lurid accusation against the British royal household came dramatically into the open yesterday".
A semi-pornographic Italian website has also set out the central allegations. Other websites carried versions of the claims in Flemish and Portuguese.
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text: The first N-3B jackets were produced in the 1950s for air crews who were assigned to transport troops in extremely cold climates. The parkas were originally made of a Dupont flight silk nylon outer shell and the lining padded with a wool blanket type material. The padding was changed to polyester wadding in the 1970s. The long jackets became known as the "Snorkel Parka" because the fur-trimmed hood could be zipped right up leaving only a small tunnel for the wearer to look out of. The modern N-3Bs have slant packets at the chest and flap pockets lower on the coat, and a panel that fastens with loops across the zipper to keep out wind. Most modern versions use synthetic fur around the hood. The N-3B was the first jacket Alpha Industries made for the U.S. government in XXX and we went on to produce it for the consumer market in XXX. Today we make several variations of the traditional N-3B.


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Rays open camp
James Shields, right, pitches from the practice mound. [Times photo | Dirk Shadd]
In a word, manager Joe Maddon said he was "pleased" with the first day of camp. There were no players restricted by injury, no unpleasant surprises and nothing that went wrong.
The Rays did announce that nine players had agreed to terms on one-year deals, including RHP Matt Garza, RHP Edwin Jackson and C Dioner Navarro. The others are RHP Mitch Talbot, RHP Calvin Medlock, OF Fernando Perez, OF Justin Ruggiano and LHP Kurt Birkins. They are all players with 0-3 years of service time, which means they make at or near the major-league minimum of $390,000 and the Rays have the option of setting their salary if they don't agree to a deal.
Catcher Dioner Navarro was not at Friday's workout, having had to return home to Venezuela for what the team said was "a family emergency," which involved the health of his mother. The Rays don't know yet when Navarro will return, but his absence should not affect his job status as the starting catcher.
Navarro, 24, has had to deal with a number of family issues during his brief career, including complicated medical matters with his wife and son.
The sun shone brightly on the Rays Friday morning as they opened their 11th spring training with considerable optimism and high expectations.
Of the 35 pitchers and catchers expected to be on the field, the only one missing appeared to be reliever Juan Salas, who was delayed by the typical visa problems in the Dominican Republic.
Manager Joe Maddon was the first out the door of the clubhouse at 9:55 a.m., ahead of all the players, noting "Nobody's out here." Moments later he was joined by the group with reliever Chad Orvella leading the players out the door and J.P. Howell the first to hit on the grass.
Among position players on hand as well were B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria.


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Howard Hughes was once the richest man in the world-he was also one of the strangest, a complete recluse for the last 20 years of his life.
Hughes died more than a quarter-century ago, but, as correspondent Lesley Stahl first reported back in 2003, his vast fortune is still making a powerful impact on the world.
In suburban Washington, D.C., hidden behind trees so big and signs so small that even some neighbors don't know it's there, is the Howard Hughes Medical Institute - one of the richest and quietest charities ever created.
How large is the endowment? Tom Cech, the institute's president, says it's $11 billion, making the Hughes Institute the second-largest philanthropy in the country, behind Bill Gates' foundation.
The institute's mission: to unlock the secrets of life. Hughes funds hundreds of the best biologists and geneticists in America.
Some of its great discoveries include: the discovery of the genes responsible for cystic fibrosis; muscular dystrophy; a non-invasive test for colon cancer; a new drug that fights leukemia; breakthroughs in AIDS research; work that may lead to a cure for spinal cord injuries; and much more.
All of these discoveries were made by "Howard Hughes investigators." There are 303 in the U.S., and they're the cream of the scientific crop and include 12 Nobel Prize winners at the moment. Tom Cech won his own Nobel for his work on RNA.
How much does Howard Hughes spend a year funding all these projects? "It's about a million dollars per investigator per year. About $450 million a year," says Cech. "Who would have thought that the Howard Hughes fortune would end up supporting biomedical research?"


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During his six years circumnavigating the globe after departing corporate shores, Larry accumulated priceless and hard-won souvenirs — new insights on how to master fears and limitations, persevere through the inevitable storms on the way to success, and live out childhood dreams against all odds.
Share your life experiences with Larry so he can create a Retirement Plan of Action that combines your passions with your skills, experience, and knowledge to create a life of Fulfillment and Purpose.
I now enjoy more time with family and friends, am intellectually challenged from consulting work, and I fulfill my desire to help others by volunteering on the boards of several non-profits. Larry helped me to access my own courage and develop a strategy that keeps me challenged while honoring my competing internal and external desires.
-Richard C.
Transitioning from being a busy and respected CEO to being a retiree with no plan was challenging. A friend recommended I enroll in Sail Into Retirement. Larry's energetic perspective was contagious, and I found myself laughing and looking forward to discovering the possibilities. I have found my self-worth again, along with a sustainable, positive schedule.
-Franklin E.
Larry inspired confidence in my ability to be a successful presenter and writer. Having heard Larry talk about his sailing experience having read his book and having listened to his TED talks, I knew that Larry had the back ground, experience and personality help me craft my story. Through working with Larry as my coach, I discovered that my newly focused presentation allowed me to draft my book.
-Elaina B.
Want to talk?
Larry Jacobson: (510) 500-4566
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Larry Jacobson, Buoy Coaching. All Rights Reserved. 2015-2016. Template Design by ZABAVA. Waking Girl Web Design.


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May 30, 2010, 09:20 PM
I've never owned a cartridge conversion revolver (I'm dying to change my uberti 1851) but I've never understood how you eject a cartridge from the cylinder that way. Do you use the loading lever? And if you do, then how do you eject them if you take the loading lever off (which of course I want to)? I'm guessing by hand, but I can see how that is a tad impractical.


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Classic of the week: Pulser - My Religion
May we have your attention please? Have you fastened your seat bells? Put the volume on max? Cause it's time to go back to the roots of trance… It's classic time!
If one track deserves the 'classic trance tune' title, it's Pulser's 'My Religion'. Being the second release on the world famous A State Of Trance imprint, this energetic uplifter will remind you of the early ASOT sound. 'My Religion' has a strong, edgy bass line that'll let each sound system shake to its foundations. After the surprisingly smooth intro part and the mesmerizing break, the track proceeds to the recognizable main lead, and that's exactly when it kicks in hardest!
Back in 2003, 'My Religion' was the theme song for one the biggest events at the time: Global Gathering, held at Long Marston Airfield, Warwickshire, England. The man behind this big room tune is Andy Perry. He's been in the EDM scene for more than a decade and has a massive discography consisting of many great tunes, like 'Cloudwalking', 'Point of Impact' and 'Square One'.
'My Religion' is part of the Armada Trance Top 1000 on Spotify. Want to hear more classic tunes of the Trance Top 1000? Then check out our Spotify Channel!


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A DRAMA group wants to bring the spirit of a First World War humorist back to life in centenary celebrations.
Meeching Amateur Dramatics has secured funding from Newhaven Town Council and Lewes District Council to revive West End production The Better 'Ole.
The musical comedy, which was first performed in 1917, was based on the book co-written by Bruce Bairnsfather, who sketched humorous drawings of English soldier Old Bill from the Great War.
The musical will be performed at Newhaven Fort from Thursday to Saturday at 7.45pm.


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World champion gymnast gets proposal from NFL boyfriend after meet
Seattle Seahawks receiver Kevin Norwood proposed to his girlfriend, Alabama gymnast Kayla Williams, after her final home meet on Friday night.
According to AL.com, Norwood had been planning the proposal since October, and has had the ring since November. Williams' coach helped Norwood plan the proposal.
SHE SAID YES!! 🙏☝ pic.twitter.com/pookHsBrdq— Kevin Norwood (@MrClutch_83) March 14, 2015
From AL.com:
The plan culminated on the gymnastics team's Senior Night Friday, an elaborate scheme that began with Norwood handing out post-meet awards and posing for a picture with Williams and Duckworth before turning Williams around and beginning his proposal.
Norwood and Williams met at Alabama, where Norwood played football. He was drafted by the Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft. The receiver told AL.com that the past season was the first time the couple had spent a significant time apart. The distance, Norwood said, helped him realize he wanted to propose to Williams.
"Being in Seattle by myself and not knowing anyone and stuff like that, I just had more time to think to myself of what I really wanted in life, so that was pretty much the game-changer for me," Norwood said. "I've known for awhile that I wanted to be with her and stay with her for the rest of my life."


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Director general of Livestock and Animal Health Syukur Iwantoro said: "Based on the calculation of supply and demand, the supply shortage of beef next year will amount to 75,000t. We will meet the shortage with imports. Beef imports will be divided into 60% from feeder cattle imports and 40% from frozen beef imports."
Although data on the predicted shortage of beef has been obtained, said Iwantoro, beef import quotas will be determined through a coordination meeting with Indonesia's Ministry of Coordinating Economic.


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Members of a planning committee have deferred an application from Tottenham Hotspur Football Club to build a 500-seater stand at their training ground.
The controversial plan would the premier league side erect the stand at their Enfield base in Whitewebbs Lane in Bulls Cross.
The club also applied for new floodlighting.
At an Enfield Borough Council planning meeting this evening, Councillor Ertan Hurer suggested all members of the committee should visit the site to determine what action should be taken.
Resident Jill Simpson has campaigned against the plans since Spurs announced its initial proposals to move to the site in 2008.
She said: "The report recommends the application be granted and Spurs' need has been cited as the main reason and probably the only reason. The new developments are, despite how it has been worded in the report, against all national and local planning laws for the green belt.
"If you or I lived in the green belt in a conservation area, would we be allowed to build a permanent structure that would affect our neighbours just because a club we were a member of required it?"
Members of the committee voted in favour of the deferral and will now make a visit to the Enfield site before making a decision.


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Several people have asked me why I described the pre-crucifixion scourging of Jesus Christ in such bloody and graphic terms; especially in light of the fact that three of the Biblical Gospels merely cover it with a single sentence and one doesn't cover it at all:
Mathew Chapter 27:26: "Then he released Barabbas to them, but after he had Jesus scourged, he handed him over to be crucified."
Mark Chapter 15:15: "So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas to them and, after he had Jesus scourged, handed him over to be crucified."
John Chapter 19:1: "Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged."
Luke omits mentioning the pre-crucifixion scourging altogether even though Jesus himself prophesized that he would be scourged: Luke 18:32-33. There are two instances in Luke where Pilate says he will have him flogged and then released, 23:16 & 23:22 but the Jews shout him down both times and demand his crucifixion instead.
The sparse descriptions in the Gospels do not detract from the evilness of the act itself. Scourging was a horrible heinous travesty on any man condemned to receive it and it was meant to humiliate the victim in the worst way possible. When the Gospels were written in the First Century, the ancient audience was quite familiar with what scourging entailed. It was unnecessary for the Gospel writers to include detailed accounts of the act itself as just the word scourge evoked terrible memories and visions in the minds of those who heard it. Today, when modern men and women read the word scourging or hear it in church during the Easter Season their minds might conjure a whipping but most have no inkling of the vile abomination that the word actually represents.
The scourging victim was stripped of all clothes and tied to a tall post with his hands above his head exposing his unprotected back, buttocks, legs and even neck to the whips of his torturers.
Two soldiers, usually legion auxiliaries, administered the flogging; one on each side with alternating strikes. The instrument used was a whip called a flagrum or flagellum by the Romans. They came in many different configurations but the most vicious and the one most likely used on Jesus consisted of three or four braided leather thongs secured to a wooden handle. Each of the thongs was fitted with alternating lead balls and sharp pieces of bones tied at various intervals. The inherent weight of the lead balls which was increased proportionally to the viciousness and strength of the individual scourger would cause ugly contusions of the skin and would drive the sharp bones deep in the flesh of the victim. The results would be horrific lacerations from the pieces of bone ripping through the flesh like miniature grapnels leaving a bloody mutilated backside of torn and hanging flesh. Pain was intolerable, blood loss was profuse causing hypovolemic shock, and the remaining part of the skin became cold, clammy, and with a bluish cast.
Scourging was an integral part of the crucifixion process and was used as a determinate for the length of time the victim would be on the cross. If the victim was to hang for a long period, the flogging was light. If the victim was scheduled to die quickly because of time restraints like those in Jesus's case, the flogging was severe. The Jewish hierarchy had requested he die before the Sabbath started at sunset.
If you wish to read scholarly accounts of the Passion Narrative, I refer you to The Death of the Messiah, a two volume set of exemplary books by Raymond E. Brown. The scourging of Jesus is covered in Sections 34 and 35 of Volume 1. The crucifixion is covered in great detail in Volume 2. These books are the most in-depth outstanding tomes on the subject that I or anyone else has had the privilege to have read.


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Just a reminder that tomorrow night, Monday, February 4th, we are welcoming back Jennifer
Haigh to Book Club Girl on Air to discuss her interconnected short story
collection, News from Heaven. Check out the reading group guide before the show, and if you haven't
read it already, start here with an excerpt. During
the live show you can send in questions via the chat function (be sure to register
on the site beforehand - choose the free option) or you can call in and ask Jennifer
a question directly by dialing 347-945-6149. Set your reminder for tomorrow night's show at 7 pm ET here and
return to that same link to listen live tomorrow night!


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Today, gurus are everywhere. They're on television, the Internet, and most forms of media. It's hard to turn on the radio and not hear some self-acclaimed financial expert tout the joys of everything from debt reduction to using paid advisors who pay him to push their services on his audience. But please remember one thing about gurus:
Gurus are really just salespeople
When the blond with the short hair goes on Oprah and talks tough about money, she's there to do one thing: sell her books. When the guy on the radio calls you stupid and dumb for getting into debt, he believes it but really just wants to sell his "university" course on achieving peace of mind financially.
What gurus sell is a dream
It may be a dream to be debt free and scream it to millions of people over your telephone. It may be to start your own successful company because your dad was the "poor one" doomed to life as an employee for 45 years. It may be a dream to create a multi-million dollar portfolio by simply refusing a frou-frou coffee drink and investing that $4 per day instead. But one thing you can be assured of: gurus didn't get rich by cutting up their credit cards, foregoing the lattes, pinching their pennies, buying distressed properties, or purchasing discounted mortgages. They got rich by selling a dream that reverberated with the average person cruising through a bookstore, listening to AM radio, watching late night TV or watching Oprah at 3:00 in the afternoon.
Some guru information IS good
The guy on the radio that fancies himself a financial expert because he did "dumb" things a long time ago does know how to help people reduce their debt: it all boils down to motivation and a "dream" of financial freedom. He's great at it, using words like "KOO-EWL", and "YOU PAID OFF TEN BAZILLION DOLLARS IN 2 YEARS? THAT'S FREAKIN' AWESOME!"
The blond on CNBC who was prominently featured on Oprah (you know the one who always seems to wear a trench coat?) also gives out some decent information, especially on her television show where people present their financial situation and ask if she thinks they can afford a six month 'round the world cruise while deep in debt and earning only $16,000 per year (duh — NO). I guess her Bachelor's degree in social work helped her figure that one out.
Some guru information is used poorly, impossible to do, or just plain wrong
The guy with the poor father also relies on motivation, but uses a lot of jealousy and invented stories about his childhood to motivate people to start businesses. That guy cracks me up when he claims that if he were starting over today he would be in multi-level marketing. As if he would be selling vitamins or soap or jungle-juice door to door and drawing circles on a white board in some trailer park every night … especially when we all know he would be the one at the top yelling, "Go Diamond!"
Some of the most egregious information I've heard from these gurus:
- Count on a 12% to 15% return in the stock market over the next 25 years
- Six to eight percent is a more realistic number
- Invest 100% of your portfolio in stock mutual funds
- No, diversify and spread your risk over multiple asset classes
- Mutual fund fees aren't anything you need to worry about
- Fees can erode your returns rapidly
- Figure on an 8% withdrawal rate in retirement
- The standard is four percent but three is even safer
- All college education is a waste of time and money
- College graduates consistently make more money than those without that education
- Use these commission-based advisors (who've paid me to endorse and push them)
- Do I really need to explain how this is a MASSIVE conflict of interest?
- Only use Roth IRAs (never a traditional IRA or employer-sponsored plans)
- Different accounts are best for different people at different times in their different lives
- Don't even concern yourself with tax brackets
- Taxes are the only thing that can erode your returns faster than fees
- If you work for someone else, you're a worthless pawn
- No you're not, you're earning a living and providing for your family
- Ignore all ETFs, fixed annuities, bonds, CDs, and REITs. There is NO time those are ever okay to invest in
- Wrong, wrong, wrong. These have their place in a diversified portfolio
- Cut back drastically on every aspect of your lifestyle and you'll be able to retire rich sooner than you think
- Cutting your spending is smart, it just needs to be balanced with earning more
- And, though not a bad idea, just incredibly hard to implement – save 8 months of income in an emergency fund
- Umm, yeah … how long would this take? The recession would be over by the time most people could save that much in their emergency fund.
Where is the best source to get good financial information and counseling?
Professionals. People who've been trained and know what they're talking about. People who aren't out just to sell you a course, a book, or a set of CD's or DVD's that explain how they got rich.
One fantastic source to find these professionals is WiserAdviser, a site that matches you to a financial advisor, tax accountant, or other financial professional that can help you sort out your finances. I highly recommend this site.
An alternate source to get your initial financial information is the Internet and blogs. Don't discount the hours of research that goes into a blog post but don't rely exclusively on it either. Use financial blogs as a springboard to further educate yourself on the ins-and-outs of whatever financial topic you need help understanding.
Here are some great blog posts from the past few weeks:
- Why You Should Get a Seasonal Job
- Eliminate Taxes With a Roth IRA
- I'm Afraid of a Bond Bubble
- Five Totally Weird Ways To Invest Your Money
- Don't listen to the business media for investment direction.
- The Payday Loan Trap
- Consumers May Have Won This Round, But The Bank Fee War Is Far From Over
- Save Money When Making a Big-Ticket Purchase
- Important Money Skills to Teach Your Children
- Five Reasons To Be Optimistic About Student Loan Debt
- The Average Family Has Over $100,000 in Loans
- Maintenance and Preparation for Winter