text:
A new "upscale-casual" bar and grill is coming to this fall.
Real estate broker Theresa Schulz, of Schulz Properties in Downers Grove, announced Wednesday that Tap House Grill will open this September in Lemont Village Square, 1243 State St.
The 5,300-square-foot restaurant will take over the space formerly occupied by Slammers Pub and Grill, .
Tap House Grill describes itself as an "upscale-casual" pub with "addictive food and creative brews."
The menu offers a variety salads, sandwiches, flatbreads and wings, as well as a large selection of appetizers.
Schulz said the restaurant will eventually be expanded to accommodate private parties, banquets and catering.
The Lemont location will be the seventh for Tap House Grill, which currently has restaurants in Glen Ellyn, Highwood, Oswego, Plainfield, Westmont and St. Charles.
For more information on Tap House Grill, visit www.taphousegrills.com.
Looking for more Lemont business stories? We've got you covered.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Like what you see? Sign up for our daily email newsletter.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Business Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Tuesday, Oct 31, 2006
Home Page
Economic Offences
Info-Tech - Telecommunications
Government - Policy
Shut mobile networks to check cheating, rigging
Thomas K. Thomas
New Delhi , Oct. 30
What does one do to prevent rigging in elections and mass copying during exams? Various State Government authorities seem to think that shutting down mobile services will do the trick.
During the last week, cellular operators have received letters from district authorities in Meerut, Karnal and Sahranpur to shut down all mobile services for an entire day on various grounds, basically to prevent cheating in exams, prevent rigging and spreading of rumours during local elections.
The operators have received orders from District Magistrate, Meerut stating that since the election of Chairman and councillors was about to take place in the city, mobile services should be closed down (jammed) from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on October 31 so that free and fair elections can take place. Similarly, a notice was issued by the Superintendent of Police, Karnal on October 28ordering all the cellular operators to close down in public interest from 9.45 a.m. to 12 noon because the Haryana State Staff Selection Commission was holding examination for selecting State Taxation Inspectors and aspirants use mobile phones for leaking out the question papers and for mass copying.
Cellular operators are not taking it lying down and have shot off a protest letter to the Department of Telecom.
"The above are unreasonable and incorrect orders issued by the State authorities as not only do they disregard public interest, but also are incorrectly expecting the cellular operators to do their job for them." said Mr T. V. Ramachandran, Director-General, Cellular Operator's Association of India.
More Stories on : Economic Offences | Telecommunications | Policy
Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page
Stories in this Section
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription
Group Sites: The Hindu | The Hindu ePaper | Business Line | Business Line ePaper | Sportstar | Frontline | The Hindu eBooks | The Hindu Images | Home |
Copyright © 2006, The
Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu Business Line


text:
Bikini check! Sunscreen check! Shorts check! OK, ready to go! Another week in the city passed and yet another weekend arrived to pack our stuff and we're off to the beach! A few more days there and then London baby!!! This week was all about relaxing at home with my lovely boys, watching the European water polo championship held in Budapest. I know I promised to update my blog more often the other time and I failed miserably..I will try better this time! Before I go, here's some favorites links as of late!
Have a fabulous weekend friends!
Have a fabulous weekend friends!
Anyone else obsessed with HONY?
Watermelon pizza. It looks delicious!
Awesome trick for bike (and skirt) lovers.
Upper body workout using hand weight.
Easy steps to tie a head scarf. I wish I saw that yesterday!
Summer guide to NYC (for the lucky that are visiting this incredible city)
Au revoir!!!


text:
Routes Sorted
L to R R to L Alpha
The Glen Comfort crag is located on a relatively small rib of rock located in the National Forest on the north side of US Highway 34 above the now closed (washed away?) Glen Comfort Indian store. There is no public access from the area near the store, so please approach from the Forest access road as described below. Even though the crag is fairly close to the road, it is tucked between unique rock formations and feels secluded. There is a pretty good variety of climbing styles. Everything from low a angle hand crack on �Lil� Sadie� (5.7) to the steep, slab �flake� climbing and the technical, powerful moves over the steep bulge on �Dark Holler�(11c).
A. Lil' Sadie, 7, 1p, 60', gear.
Getting There
From Estes Park, drive down US Hwy 34 about 3 and a half miles east of Mall Rd past the now closed (washed away?) Glen Comfort Indian Store on the right and Noels Draw (road) on the right. Take the next dirt drive on the left (with a stone post) just around a left bend in the highway. Follow it to the National Forest access at the road's end.
Climbing Season
3 Total Routes
Featured Route For Glen Comfort Crag
Dark Holler 5.11c 6c+ 24 VIII- 24 E4 6a CO : Estes Park Valley : ... : Glen Comfort Crag
This is the best route at the crag. Although it has a few rests, the climbing has multiple cruxes and feels sustained. Climb up to clip the 1st bolt before pulling a bouldery move left to reach the shallow, flaring water grooves. Continue past another bolt on the cruxy slab (10+) using the flake-like grooves to reach the horizontal break where you can clip the 3rd bolt and rest before pulling the crux moves. Step right under the crack above and pull a couple hard moves (11c) to surmount the bulg...[more] Browse More Classics in CO
Local Information for Glen Comfort Crag
Latest Regional Forum Messages
From Colorado Go to Forum | What's New | Post New Topic


text:
So the speculation of late seems to center around some supposed shift in running philosophy. Orangebloods and several of ya'll have recently alluded to ideas of Cody Johnson as being the starter and having Colt take the snap from under center and have a fullback...etc.
From what I'm hearing this is going to be something they toy with in the spring in hopes of using it situationally throughout the season.
The first thing that comes to mind to me is..."not gonna happen". This seems to have "q package" written all over it.
Who sees real results coming out from this spring.


text:
First couple lambast Herald for 'mischief'
First couple lambast Herald for 'mischief'
The country's First Couple yesterday hit out at the Herald, accusing the paper of showing no charity to the Labour Party and "fomenting happy mischief". In a TV interview, she said money linked to election-year ads might have been a factor in the Herald campaign against electoral finance law changes.
The Herald did not point out that the TV interview was on Alt Tv, and the full question put to Helen on Altv tv's 'Lets be Frank', hosted by Oliver Driver (Tuesday 8.30pm, Sky Digital 65) was....
"Let's talk media bias, the Electoral Finance Act has been described by the Herald as 'Democracy under attack', when really it should be 'Heralds profits under attack' as your bill will guard against plutocracy by restricting paid speech – do you see a self-interested bias in the way the Herald reports against Labour?
Let's take the way they covered your award from the UN, a significant event for any world leader yet the Herald dedicated only one paragraph in the news in briefs and Audrey Young, their political editor, graded you lower for your first speech against John Key's because she claims your youth policy would be reduced to ""raising the school leaving age to 18" headlines when she was the first journalist to reduce it to that headline – is the Herald simply anti-Helen Clark?"
... I can see why the Herald didn't want to credit us, so concerned they were at the suggestion of bias the Herald put out a statement at the end of the story ... Helen Clark's claim that commercial issues were a factor in the Herald campaign against the Electoral Finance Bill was rejected emphatically by Herald editor Tim Murphy. The campaign was solely motivated by the law's restriction on free speech and its anti-democratic nature... R-i-g-h-t the restriction on advertising that will hit the Herald in the pocket HAS NOTHING to do with their 'Herald profits under attack' campaign, funny how the right can scream about the self interest of Labour but not mention their self interest isn't it?


text:
Beane has tried to bring in big-name power for the last three years. But for whatever reason, whether it be injuries, the ballpark or weak lineups, the results just don't match up to the dollars spent. Cust, on the other hand, has demonstrated consistent power and on-base production at a fraction of the cost. During the same three-year period in the chart below, Cust clearly shows the ability to consistently hit for power in Oakland's pitcher-friendly ballpark. Billy Beane is aware of the value of having a player like Cust. The following information is interesting and is a good reason to bring back Cust.
Oakland A's Cost Of Offensive Power Production (2007-2009)
- Bold/Italics denotes team leader
As you can see, the A's spend almost 21 million compared to 3.5 million they paid Cust. Over a three-year period, since Cust joined the A's, he led the A's in 11 categories. People say that Cust is slow, but he has scored more runs than any other Oakland player in the past three years despite being pinch run for numerous times late in games. In fact, if you look at Cust's Minor League career, he has always been at or near the top in runs scored. He is an average runner who has reached base 649 times over the last three years – more than any other Oakland player.
As a power hitter, here is the list of at bats per home run in the Major Leagues the past three years and you will see Cust is in the Top 10 with some formidable players who play in better ballparks to hit in with better offensive lineups.
Cust is also criticized for not being clutch because he doesn't drive enough runs in. Here's a look at the same home run hitters the percentage of runners who score from third with less than 2 outs when that batter is up. Also reflected is the total number of base runners for each player's plate appearance as well as pitches per plate appearance for the last three years alone with the MLB ranking in parenthesis.
You can also see that all of these guys have had more opportunities to drive in runs as they have more base runners available. Another valuable trait of Cust is his pitches per plate appearance. This skill is not as effective in Oakland because you need multiple players working counts which has a compounding effect on opposing pitchers and simultaneously increases the teams on base percentage as well as other offensive statistics.
To sum it up, Oakland's problem is not Cust. He can actually be part of the solution. Oakland's problem is they need more base runners and offense so they have more scoring opportunities. If we had six players like Cust, we would have a formidable offense.
As stated, I think Beane is no dummy and he knows how valuable Cust is in Oakland. We will need a veteran presence on the team and Cust not only provides that, but he produces as well. Why not keep Cust long term as a building block with Taylor and Carter? With the recent trade for Kevin Kouzmanoff, our offense is continuing to improve.
There might be some truth to the old saying, "You don't know what you've got until it's gone." I think Beane knows what he's got and we should too!


text: Google to drop H.264 support for Chrome in favour of WebM Technology 12 January 11 by Mark Brown Tweet Google Google has made the latest move in the ongoing war over web standards and HTML 5 video. The search company will be ditching support for the video codec H.264 in its web browser, Google Chrome, to focus support on its own WebM format.H.264 is currently the go-to video codec, used and supported by a powerful consortium of technology leaders. Blu-Ray discs use it for video compression, Sony and Panasonic video cameras have adopted it as their primary recording format, web streaming sites like YouTube and Microsoft Silverlight use it and Apple is counting on its success in its fight against Adobe Flash.But despite its ubiquity, web standards advocates aren't so keen on it becoming the standard format for HTML5 video. H.264's compression techniques are patented, and any technology or software developer that wants to use the codec must cough up royalties to MPEG-LA. Some proponents of web standards argue that H.264's patents make it unwelcome in the open future of the internet.Google agrees that video should be open, and has been making its own media format alongside video codec company On2, which the Search giant acquired in 2009. Google released the royalty free, completely open format WebM, and has been pushing it as the new standard codec for online video.It's success rate is spotty: Firefox, Opera and Chrome all support WebM, natively, in their browsers. Apple and Microsoft have held out, though, with their mobile devices and web browsers doggedly sticking with their favoured format, H.264.Now, Google has gone one step further, removing native support for H.264 entirely, and shifting all its focus in the direction of WebM. "Though H.264 plays an important role in video," Google Product Manager Mike Jazayeri writes, "as our goal is to enable open innovation, support for the codec will be removed and our resources directed towards completely open codec technologies." It's yet another development in the topsy turvy HTML5 landscape, as various companies, codecs, browsers and devices struggle to decide on a singular, standard format. When putting a video online today, web developers have to decide between H.264, WebM and Flash -- or a combination of the three -- to ensure that everyone can see their footage. Edited by Duncan Geere Comments Flash supports H.264 (and will support WebM) so there is no real need to decide between H.264,WebM and Flash. Justin Mclean Jan 12th 2011 I think you missed the real reason for this move completely! As I have said before:"The reason is simply that Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox cannot support H.264. This is a simple concept. There is a licensing deadlock between these browsers and the H.264/AVC standard. The free cost of licensing is not the issue. The issue is that the licenses behind Chrome and Firefox require that users have the same rights to redistribute the code of these softwares as Google and Mozilla do. But the H.264 patent license does not pass down from Google and Mozilla to you if you use these browsers - if it did, this would mean that the H.264 patent holders will never, ever be able to suck money out of H.264 in the future. Hence this is a legal quagmire that can only be bypassed by the H.264 patent holders. Google and Mozilla do not hold all the copyrights required to change their licenses. Only the H.264 patent holders can change their licensing terms. Until that happens, it is fully illegal for Chrome or Firefox to use H.264!" Buggy Jan 12th 2011 How can you call WebM success spotty, if Firefox, Chrome and Opera support it? Have you looked at browser share data recently? In Europe Firefox, Chrome and Opera together have about half of the entire browser market share! stoffer Jan 13th 2011 Reply to a comment Name Email Comment Submit » Read more on Google The search and advertising company behind Gmail, Android and Chrome Technology Google has been developing delivery drones for two years Technology Gmail app hack works 92 percent of the time Technology How Google's Project Tango and depth sensors will disrupt apps Technology Sharks wage war on undersea internet cables Science How 'Google Science' could transform academic publishing Technology Yahoo and Google to collaborate on encrypted email Read more on Apple Maker of the iPhone, Mac, iPad, iPod and birthplace of everything iTunes and iCloud Technology Apple reveals top reasons for App Store rejection Technology Apple quiet on iCloud exploit after celebrity nudes leak Technology Apple's confirmed 9 Sep event may be a massive one Gaming Flappy Bird creator's new game was better before it got nerfed Technology PayPal offering 25 percent iTunes discount in the UK Technology 'VistaMac' and other bizarre Apple facts revealed Read more on Firefox An open-source web browser from Mozilla and chief rival to IE, Opera, Safari and Chrome Politics Microsoft to support UK digital enterprise youth scheme Business Mozilla stands firm on selling Firefox tab ads Technology Mozilla scraps Windows Metro version of Firefox technology Here's the £15 Firefox smartphone -- and why it exists Technology Mozilla calls on users to protect Firefox from the NSA Technology Lightbeam: Mozilla releases add-on that reveals online data tracking Latest on wired.co.uk


text:
|America's independent, non-partisan advocate for overburdened taxpayers.
|Home | Donate | RSS | Log in
Blog Contributors
Government Spending
In Defense of the Sequester: Why Congress Should Honor Its Word
With the presidential election behind us, the political playing field shifts to the rapidly approaching"fiscal cliff"---the combination of automatic across-the-board spending cuts and the expiration of a whole host of tax cuts set to take effect Jan. 1, 2013 as a result of 2011's Budget Control Act (BCA).
Last week, NTU was joined by 22 other organizations who share the goals of reduced spending and lower taxes, in sending a letter beseeching Congress to honor its commitment to cut the sequester's $109 billion in spending and continue to stave off tax hikes.
With a 16 trillion dollar and growing national debt, it is absolutely imperative that Congress take sensible steps to reduce the nation's spending, and the BCA's $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction over the next 10 years is as good a place as any to begin that process. Although some argue that the cuts to defense would put the nation's national security at risk, it is worth noting that the requested reduction in military spending under the BCA is only 10%, or in dollar amounts equivalent to the defense budget of George W. Bush in 2007. Not exactly draconian, and still preserving plenty of revenue to ensure the U.S.'s safety is not jeopardized. However, NTU and the other signers left the door open to altering the 'across the board' approach to the sequester cuts and urge reductions to other parts of the budget.
The slightly lesser portion of the cuts under the BCA come from non-defense spending (examples include education, food inspections and air travel safety), which would sustain a mere 8% cut.
Equally as vital to putting the U.S. on a fiscally sustainable path is a continued commitment not to raise taxes, including preserving the Bush Tax Cuts for all income levels. Allowing these to expire would result in higher income taxes for 90 percent of the population, with the average household seeing their taxes rise an astounding $3,500 per year. Investors would also sustain a hike in the capitol gains tax and a higher dividend tax, among other alterations to the code whose net result is taxpayers being forced to fork over more of their earnings to Washington.
It is obvious to fiscal conservatives and taxpayer advocates that significant changes must be made in the way that Washington taxes and spends in order to return our nation to fiscal soundness. The hastily approaching "fiscal cliff" offers Congress an opportunity to begin the tough work of downsizing spending, while honoring commitments they have made to not raise taxes on families.
1 Comments | Post a Comment | Sign up for NTU Action Alerts
The Late Edition: November 8, 2012
Today's Taxpayer News!
Amity Shlaes, a view columnist for Bloomberg, highlights NTU tax findings to place Tuesday's take hike ballot initiatives in historical context.
Vice president Joe Biden asserts that Tuesday's presidential election results translate into an almost inescapable "mandate" to raise taxes on higher income Americans.
According to a recent article citing Tax Policy Center data, if the Bush Tax Cuts are allowed to expire at the end of this year a full 90% of households will see their taxes increase, with the average household seeing taxes raised an astounding $3,500 per year.0 Comments | Post a Comment | Sign up for NTU Action Alerts
Campaign Finance Reform
As the 2012 election cycle comes to a close, we've witnessed record amounts of cash flowing in and out of political campaigns. Mitt Romney and Barack Obama have each raised over $1 billion, and recent figures show Romney has spent $777 million on campaign efforts, while Obama has spent over $887 million. It's been a record-breaking year for spending in Congressional races across the country as well.
Some lawmakers have proposed reforming the campaign system through public financing. NTUF identified two specific bills, introduced in the 112th Congress, that give taxpayers an indication of how those types of reforms might affect the budget.
Congressional Races
H.R. 1404, the Fair Elections Now Act (and the Senate version, S. 750), would provide for public funding of congressional races. In order to qualify for that funding, candidates would have to raise a "large number of small contributions", limited to $100 each.
Part of the funding would include "media vouchers" to help offset the cost of running mass media advertisements, and would apply to primary & general election campaigns.
According to the Fair Elections Act website, "[t]he cost of Fair Elections for Senate races would be borne by a small fee on large government contractors and for House races would come from ten percent of revenues generated through the auction of unused broadcast spectrum." The bill's sponsors estimate the cost at "somewhere between $700 and $850 million per year."
Presidential Races
For public funding of presidential campaigns, NTUF found S. 3312, the Presidential Funding Act. The bill would eliminate public funding for national party conventions - which amounts to millions of dollars - and increase public funding available for presidential campaign runs. According to the Congressional Record, similar legislation introduced in the 111th Congress - S. 3681 - carried an estimated cost of $1.1 billion over four years.
Important to note is that S. 3681 included a budgetary offset that would render the bill budget neutral; S. 3312 does not include any such offsets, which would result in new spending.
Combined, these two bills would amount to an annualized cost of $1.125 billion - a first year cost of $850 million, and $1.1 billion over 4 years.
NTUF found that Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren, running in Massachusetts, would support public financing reforms for federal elections. You can read the full analysis and compare her agenda to rival Scott Brown's here.
NTUF does not endorse any candidate or position.1 Comments | Post a Comment | Sign up for NTU Action Alerts
The Numbers Behind President's Deficit Reduction Plan
Last week, I posted an article about the spending proposals that have been highlighted by the Obama re-election campaign on its website and in a policy brochure that was released to the media in late October. Dollar figures for his proposals were drawn from the Administration's budget and related legislation that has been scored and included in NTU Foundation's BillTally study.
As promised, here is a look at the President's deficit reduction plan.
In His Own Words
Here is how the Obama campaign has described the plan:
The paragraph above links to an image of a chart, that states, "Obama's Balanced Approach: More Than $4 Trillion in Deficit Reduction, After investing in jobs and economic growth including $2 trillion already enacted into law[.]"
The chart also lists the following 10-year deficit reduction totals:
This is as much detail as the campaign provides on its website, and it includes a mix of already enacted laws, current policy, new tax hikes, and new spending cuts. It also includes an estimate of the resulting reduced interest payments on the national debt.
In our candidate platform analyses, NTUF attempts to provide cost information on new proposals that affect outlays, and NTUF does not count any savings in interest on the debt that might result from program cuts. Instead, NTUF takes into account only the specific programmatic savings.
Previously Enacted Reductions
$1.78 trillion comes from "spending cuts already enacted." I assume that the bulk of this amount comes from the Budget Control Act that was enacted in August 2011. This law placed limits on spending through discretionary spending caps and includes provisions for additional spending cuts in the amount of $1.2 trillion over ten years. The remaining amounts probably include the $741 billion of direct spending cuts that were enacted in the Patient's Protection and Affordable Care Act. The largest cuts were to Medicare for fee-for-service payments and Medicare and Medicaid "disproportionate share hospital" payments to certain hospitals with a large share of low-income and uninsured patients.
The second item on the chart credits $850 billion from "savings from ending Iraq & Afghanistan wars." I'm not exactly sure how that number was calculated: The President's FY 2013 Budget requested $96.7 billion for what it labels "Overseas Contingency Operations," i.e., spending related to the military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Budget also called for $44.2 billion per year for Fiscal Years 2014 to 2022 (Budget of the U.S. Government, Fiscal Year 2013, Summary Tables, page 239).
Moreover, this isn't new policy. All but a small force of troops were already removed from Iraq by early 2011. And in May, 2012, President Obama said, "Last year, we removed 10,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Another 23,000 will leave by the end of the summer. After that, reductions will continue at a steady pace, with more and more of our troops coming home. And as our coalition agreed, by the end of 2014 the Afghans will be fully responsible for the security of their country."
New Proposals for Deficit Reduction
The largest amount comes from $1.9 trillion in new revenues: "Closing corporate loopholes and tax increases on high income earners." And remaining is $590 billion for "health & other mandatory initiatives" and $70 billion for "other." The campaign's website does not specify where these cuts would be made, but I assume this is a reference to the mandatory spending proposals introduced in the President's FY 2013 budget, and updated in the Fiscal Year 2013 Midsession Review: Budget of the U.S. Government (MSR).
The MSR notes, "… [T]o build on the work done to reduce health care costs through the Affordable Care Act, the President proposes $326 billion in additional reforms to Medicare, Medicaid, and other health programs over 10 years. Third, he puts forward $254 billion in additional mandatory savings over the next decade." These figures add up to $580 billion, in the ballpark of the campaign's figure.
The specific proposals are included, beginning on page 44, in Table S-10, Mandatory and Receipt Proposals. The table projects $237 billion in cuts to Medicare providers, $35 billion in savings from "structural reform," and $50 billion from enacting Medicaid reforms.
It is hard to ferret out what could be included under the $70 billion in savings listed as "other." My guess is that about $30 billion of this would be from savings in agricultural producer subsidies. The complete list of taxes, reductions, and fee increases are available in Table S-10 of the MSR.
Bottom Line
A lot of analysts have questioned how the President's deficit reduction plan adds up. With the lack of specificity, it has been difficult to figure out exactly what he is talking about. I am assuming that the campaign was looking for nice round figures to highlight and that those figures are rooted in the Administration's proposed budget.
Despite this $4 trillion deficit reduction plan, the President's own latest budget projection in the MSR shows outlays exceeding receipts in each year over the next decade. And this includes perhaps rosy economic estimates that forecast an average annual growth of GDP by 3.14 percent. Without that growth, the amount of tax receipts will be lower than the Administration currently expects. In that event, the persistent spending problem will loom even larger.
See here for a detailed list of the President's spending proposals.
See here for a round up of the campaign platform studies conducted by NTUF this year, including Mitt Romney's agenda.2 Comments | Post a Comment | Sign up for NTU Action Alerts
The Spending Proposals in Obama's Agenda for a Possible 2nd Term
Over the course of this election season, NTUF has completed several candidate agenda analyses. In the course of our research, we look for any spending-related issues and policies that candidates are promising to work on if elected. After conducting these studies over several election cycles now, we've found that incumbent politicians running for re-election or a new seat will often highlight their record rather than what they intend to do. President Obama had been facing criticism for this, even though he did highlight a number of issues on his campaign website. He eventually put out a pamphlet with some additional policy proposals. NTUF has not analyzed an incumbent President's agenda because his Administration is responsible for putting out a detailed budget with plans and projections for a ten-year period. The latest budget projections were released in the Fiscal Year 2013 Midsession Review: Budget of the U.S. Government.
Given the questions about his possible second term agenda, I took a look at the spending proposals that Obama has highlighted on his campaign website and in the new pamphlet. With one exception, these are all proposals that the President has previously introduced in his budget. The one item I hadn't heard from the Administration before is a call to open up areas of the Arctic Ocean for oil exploration and development.
Below are the highlights and, where possible, annualized cost estimates for the President's campaign issues. The estimates either came from the Administration's own budget documents or Congressional Budget Office estimates for related legislation that has been scored in NTUF's BillTally program. BillTally tracks the cost of bills sponsored or cosponsored by each Member of Congress. A more detailed document, including links to the President's quotations and to the sources for all of the cost estimates, is available here. A look at the President's "deficit reduction plan" will follow in a separate blog post. [Update: an attempt to track down the numbers in the "$4 trillion deficit reduction plan" is available here.]
Economy, Transportation, and Infrastructure:
Education, Science, and Research:
Energy, Agriculture, and the Environment:
Government Reform:
Homeland Security and Law Enforcement:
See here for complete documentation and sources.1 Comments | Post a Comment | Sign up for NTU Action Alerts
The Late Edition: October 24, 2012
Today's Taxpayer News!
NTU's Pete Sepp weighs in on the various proposals for altering state income taxes depending upon who wins the Presidential election on November 6th.
The Daily Finance has the scoop on an array of new taxes associated with the implementation of ObamaCare, two of which will take place within the next few months.
NTUF crunched the numbers on the two Wisconsin Senate candidates' spending proposals, finding an astounding $1.3 trillion separates Tammy Baldwin from Tommy Thompson.0 Comments | Post a Comment | Sign up for NTU Action Alerts
In the Fight Over Defense Cuts, Taxpayers Are the Real Losers
When it comes to defense, much of the rhetoric surrounding this issue, both in the Virginia senate race where defense contractors are a major source of employment for citizens of the state, and in the Presidential race, has focused on the potential effects of pending sequester cuts that will take $55 billion off the top of the current $562 baseline budget on January 3.
Unfortunately, by focusing solely on potential job losses (sincerely unfortunate though they would be), the larger more serious problem of the entrenched military-industrial complex, that a departing President Eisenhower so famously warned us about, and the enormous waste associated with the bloated Pentagon bureaucracy has been largely ignored.
For years, NTU has maintained a steady drum beat against costly, wasteful, and all too often unnecessary projects and programs. These include the risky and highly experimental IIB version of the Standard Missile-3, the costly Medium Extended Air Defense System, the superfluous F-35 joint strike fighter engine, the unreliable V-22 Osprey, and the similarly beleaguered F-35B aircraft - just to name a few!
At a time of record spending and debt, with tough cuts looming just over the horizon, it can be hard to understand why programs with obvious, severe flaws that make little budgetary or strategic sense aren't simply discontinued. This article from CNN, "Army to Congress: Thanks, but no Tanks," articulates just how wasteful some defense spending can be, and just how hard it is to change:
CNN was allowed rare access to what amounts to a parking lot for more than 2,000 M-1 Abrams tanks. Here, about an hour's drive north of Reno, Nevada, the tanks have been collecting dust in the hot California desert because of a tiff between the Army and Congress.
The U.S. has more than enough combat tanks in the field to meet the nation's defense needs - so there's no sense in making repairs to these now, the Army's chief of staff Gen. Raymond T. Odierno told Congress earlier this year.
If the Pentagon holds off repairing, refurbishing or making new tanks for three years until new technologies are developed, the Army says it can save taxpayers as much as $3 billion.
But guess which group of civilians isn't inclined to agree with the generals on this point?
To be exact, 173 House members - Democrats and Republicans - sent a letter April 20 to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, urging him to continue supporting their decision to produce more tanks.
That's right. Lawmakers who frequently and loudly proclaim that presidents should listen to generals when it comes to battlefield decisions are refusing to take its own advice.
You need to read the whole thing. The article goes on to describe the toxic combination of deep-seated special interests, campaign donations, and jobs that are spread out through as many congressional districts as possible for maximum influence. As former NTU staff member Andrew Moylan put it back in July:
The Defense Appropriations bill before the House this week spends $3.1 billion more than was even requested by military leaders. When you're outspending the wishes of budget-hungry bureaucrats, that's a serious problem.
It's clear that despite the obvious problems and even more obvious opportunities to save money without negatively impacting our national security, there's a serious lack of political will to enact the real reforms that are so urgently needed.
Sadly, when big government and big business collude in this manner it's the taxpayers who end up on the hook for things like the 2,000 tanks gathering dust in the desert. And while it's true that halting the pointless production of ever more unwanted tanks and other machines will mean a loss of jobs, what the candidates aren't talking about it the increased prosperity that can flourish in other areas when funds aren't so dramatically misallocated. Cutting spending means less borrowing and debt, decreasing the enormous drag on our economy. If taxpayers don't have to shell out for a fighter jet engine we don't need, that's money that will still do enormous economic good, that has untold potential.
1 Comments | Post a Comment | Sign up for NTU Action Alerts
Pentagon's Bad Bookkeeping Helps GAO Scoop Ig Noble Prize
Each year, the creative people at Improbable Research honor "achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think" by awarding the Ig Nobel Prize in fields such as physics, fluid dynamics, peace, and chemistry to name a few. While denizens of DC might not be familiar with the great work of Rouslan Krechetnikov and Hans Mayor, who finally unlocked the secret as to why coffee spills when walking, many will recognize the winner of this year's prize in Literature: the U.S. Government General Accountability Office (GAO).
Founded in 1921 by the Budget and Accountability Act, it is the role of the GAO to investigate "how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars." To this end it conducts audits, examines the performance of programs, and keeps an eye on our growing debt. As the number crunchers in Congress it is surprising that they would be so honored for their work in literature.
The winning piece, published in May, is called "Actions Needed to Evaluate the Impact of Efforts to Estimate Costs of Reports and Studies." If that gripping title isn't enough to make you pick up the report immediately for a quick read, the piece was summarized thusly for the Ig Noble Awards:
The US Government General Accountability Office, for issuing a report about reports about reports that recommends the preparation of a report about the report about reports about reports.
It would be easy to dismiss this as yet another reason why we can't have nice things – because the government spends time and taxpayer money on reports about reports about reports. But a quick glance at the summary reveals a far more sobering side to the funny report. Everyone loves a good report about a report about a report, but the underlying story is about how poorly the Department of Defense (DOD) estimates costs by deviating from the accounting standards published by the GAO and using inconsistent practices that can miss the full scope of DOD costs. GAO points out that not only are costs going unaccounted for, but also DOD cost estimates are lacking when it comes to documentation and accuracy.
With defense spending at the center of sequestration discussions and serious belt tightening needed across the board to halt our out of control spending, it is disconcerting to find that this budgetary third rail can't even begin to get its books in order. It is unjustifiable that when defense spending consumes 25% of the federal budget of government spending, the DOD can't say exactly where that money is going.
The Ig Nobel award points less to any dysfunction on the part of bureaucrats at GAO than it does to the extreme bookkeeping ineptitude at DOD that necessitated the report in the first place. In light of looming cuts and repeated failed attempts to root out waste at the Pentagon, Sens. Coburn (R-OK) and Manchin (D-WV) have introduced S. 3487, the Audit the Pentagon Act.
Writing in the Washington Examiner, Coburn explains:
Auditing the Pentagon is critically important not just because it is the law but also because our ignorance of how we spend defense dollars undermines our national security. When the Pentagon can't tell Congress -- or itself -- how it is spending money, high-priority defense programs face cuts along with low-priority programs, the exact situation in which we find ourselves today under sequestration. In short, this bill helps the Pentagon to help itself. For instance, the United States Marine Corps did a study in which the corps found that "for each $1 spent on financial improvement, an estimated $2.77 in value was created for the warfighter." A thorough financial audit, done correctly, will free up existing resources for national security.
DoD's inability to pass an audit has potentially wasted billions and undermined our readiness and morale. For example, as Sen. Manchin has noted, while DoD is considering laying off service members, the Pentagon overspent $8 billion -- almost half of NASA's budget -- on information technology programs that are failing in part because DoD's books are such a mess. This would be enough money for more than 15,000 active-duty troops.
Some of the more egregious wastes of taxpayer funds at DOD such as microbreweries and an iPhone app for monitoring caffeine intake are themselves deserving of Ig Nobel prizes. CBS reports:
Pentagon dollars also funded studies that concluded:
- Men are perceived as more muscular if they're holding a gun, instead of tools.
- New Yorkers and Californians use different regional slang on Twitter.
- The first prehistoric bird probably had black feathers.
- The same basketball teams will always dominate March Madness.
Though the Ig Nobel award ultimately lampoons the extremely serious lack of financial accountability at the Pentagon, on the bright side according to a summary of this year's prize winners and ceremony, GAO did not send a representative to the ceremony last week at Harvard University, thus saving taxpayers money. Had it been the Pentagon receiving an award for any of their wasteful studies, it would no doubt have involved a full report on The Curse of the Bambino and a flyover.1 Comments | Post a Comment | Sign up for NTU Action Alerts
The Late Edition: September 12, 2012
Today's Taxpayers News!
A number of Democrats in the House and Senate appear willing to work with Republicans in order to formulate a plan for debt reduction through friendlier tax structures. But will the President be willing to compromise as well?
Hundreds of groups which represent business, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Business, sent a letter to President Obama and Congress. The Groups beseeched lawmakers to address the fiscal realities that lay before us and work to avoid the sequester and its assortment of tax hikes and spending cuts.0 Comments | Post a Comment | Sign up for NTU Action Alerts
The Late Edition: September 11, 2012
Today's Taxpayers News!
NTU's Pete Sepp wrote a piece for The Hill commending the Senate Appropriations Committee's decision to direct funding towards the SM-3 missile defense program known as Block IB. This program would be ready for use earlier than the second option, Block IIB; and is a less costly, but proven, option.
On November 6th Californians will vote on a ballot measure, "Proposition 30", which would increase sales taxes by one-fourth of a cent and add a surcharge to those with incomes exceeding $250,000 a year.
Asserting that California's fiscal recovery is imperative in order for the rest of the nation to pull out of the economic downturn, the US Chamber of Commerce has revealed its California Jobs and Growth Agenda; which offers the Golden State real solutions for balancing its budget and revitalizing its economy.
0 Comments | Post a Comment | Sign up for NTU Action Alerts


text:
It strikes me as an odd to have *alpha* access to a game & the pricing is weird. That being said, I'm an old fart that used to buy software on the shelves in CompUSA. This has a very Kickstarter type feel to it with the pricing and rewards and it is fun to be involved in the beginning of the project. I will be signing up as a "breather" and checking it out. It looks 'cute' for lack of a better description and I like those more casual style of games.
Spacebase DF-9 sim game released through Steam Early Access
Double Fine Productions - the developer behind Psychonauts, Brütal Legend and other fine games - has released a new game called Spacebase DF-9, a simulation game set in outer space where you build a space station for humans and aliens. The game is still in development, but is already getting an early release through Steam as part of Steam's Early Access program. It's available for Mac, Windows and Linux.
A sort of SimCity in space, Spacebase DF-9 has you laying out the basics for your space station, providing suitable accommodations designed to meet all the needs of wayward space travelers. You mine asteroids for resources, discover derelicts and handle crises like meteor impacts, explosive decompression and the occasional alien invasion.
- $25 - Download now


text:
Turmeric futures traded on a positive note on Friday buoyed by reports of likely lower acreage and low arrivals.
Speculators also indulged in value buying since prices have plunged sharply of late.
On the NCDEX, October contracts ended up Rs 92 at Rs 5,790 a quintal. November and December futures rose by Rs 80 and Rs 22 respectively to Rs 5,780 and Rs 5,800.
The likely fall in output and expectations of a rise in export demand supported prices.
However, sufficient stocks with traders may cap further gains. Of the two major turmeric markets — Nizamabad and Erode — the former is likely to have lower acreage while the latter is set to harvest more.
Rainfall in Nizamabad is 15 per cent lower than the normal as on September 12. Turmeric sowing in Andhra Pradesh was down 18.4 per cent from a year ago at 54,465 hectares. Erode is expected to produce 55 lakh bags of turmeric — a 29 per cent rise compared with last year.
Turmeric production for 2011-12 has been projected at 90 lakh bags (of 70 kg each) compared with 69 lakh bags in 2010-11.
An expected pick-up in demand is supporting prices of the yellow spice. According to the Spices Board of India, exports in April were up 1 per cent at 7,300 tonne.
Spot prices were down and at Nizamabad (Andhra Pradesh), turmeric was quoting at Rs 5,628.5 a quintal. The Erode market was shut in connection with local elections.


text:
Evansville Fire crews were called for a second time to a fire that rekindled on the 200 block of South New York Avenue Thursday night.
The first fire started around midnight.
Crews on scene reported two houses were on fire.
Officials tell 14 News it appears the fire started at 208 South New York and spread to a neighboring house.
Witnesses at the scene told firefighters they thought homeless people were using both houses as shelter. Fire officials told 14 News that is a possibility, but would not comment on if that was the case or not.
Crews were able to put both fires out in just under an hour.
However, around 4:30 Thursday morning the fire rekindled.
Both houses are being considered a total loss.
Officials say one of the homes is slated for demolition for reasons not connected with Thursday's fire.
Just moments before midnight fire crews were called to another working structure fire on Line Street.
Officials say crews found a blanket on fire inside the home, but are not sure why it caught fire.
Both investigations are ongoing.
14 News is continuing to follow any new developments, and we will have the latest on air, online at 14News.com and on mobile with the 14 News mobile app.
Copyright 2013 WFIE. All rights reserved.
1111 Bull St.
Columbia, SC 29201
(803) 799-1010
FCC Public File
EEO Report
Closed Captioning


text:
Tail Spin
Full blue transparent sections are included between drops to add light into the slide. This is a high-energy single/double inner tube ride that features fast acceleration off the start and transitions into a tight series of figure eight high banking curves. The ride is fully enclosed and provides a smooth yet thrilling level of energy.


text:
Jacquelynn Powers sits down with Mark Soyka, the legend behind some of Miami's most iconic restaurants, as he prepares to celebrate News Cafe's 25th anniversary.
Tagged with: Best Tomatoes in Miami Mark Soyka News Cafe News Cafe 25th Anniversary Ocean Drive Soyka Where to eat in Miami
One comment
I remember the OPENING of NEWS CAFE in the eighties!
Mark's big welcoming smile keeps us coming back.


text:
A Kanawha County man accused of impregnating his daughter and fathering three of his grandchildren may not go to trial.
Charles Shamblin appeared in Kanawha County Circuit Court to address his recent psychological examination.
The defense team's doctor ruled that Shamblin is not competent to stand trial.
Now, the state is going to do its own evaluation with a different doctor.
A final decision on competency will be made after the second evaluation.
State Police arrested Shamblin earlier this year after allegations that he sexually abused his daughter and fathered three of her children.
DNA results confirmed that he did father her children.


text:
- Citations
fiqhArticle Free Pass
- Read
- Edit
- View History
- Feedback
fiqh, (Arabic: "understanding"), Muslim jurisprudence; i.e., the science of ascertaining the precise terms of the Sharīʿah, or Islamic law. The collective sources of Muslim jurisprudence are known as uṣūl al-fiqh.
Do you know anything more about this topic that you'd like to share?


text:
HAND LOTION ANTI STATIC 8 OZ. ZERO CHARGE PUMP BOTTLE Tech Spray Zero Charge Anti-Static Hand Lotion, Capacity: 8 oz, Pump bottle, Features: Helps dissipate static charge from operators hand, fast absorption, penetrates deeply, does not contain lanolin, oils, greases or silicon
Login Here to rate and review this product.
21-1080 - Lint Free Cotton Wipes
High-quality, high-technology cleaning pads Made of specially woven lint-free cotton Specially designed thread weave traps and holds dirt particles away from surface being cleaned Static free Solvent and acid resistant 100 per bag
21-6960 - Reztore Topical Anti-static Surface and Mat Cleaner
Ideal for cleaning static dissipative mats, conductive mats, computer monitors, and keyboards.
94-554 - A1007 Replacement Nozzle for Hakko 470B/471/472B/473/702/703/808
A1007 Replacement nozzle for Hakko models 470B/471/472B/473/702/703/808.
20-2281 - TechBrush General Cleaning Brush - 2032
Five tons of pressure are applied to each metal brush handle to ensure that the bristles remain intact during the most rigorous applications.
MCM Cat 57, Page 1113
MCM Cat 56, Page 1046
Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.


text:
The countdown is on: tomorrow is the Battersea Dogs & Cats Home's Collars & Coats Gala Ball 2012.
Due to the high numbers of animal lovers in the fashion world, the annual charity fundraiser is always a glittering event.
ELLE is able to bring you a sneak preview of some of the dogs in their outfits: click through the gallery above to enjoy the canine couture by the likes of Henry Holland, Julien Macdonald and Jenny Packham.
The event will take place tomorrow at Battersea Evolution in Battersea Park, London, and as well as a host of pooches and pups in designer jackets there'll be live music from British jazz star (and husband of supermodel Sophie Dahl), Jamie Cullum.
The designer coats will then be auctioned later in the evening to raise much needed funds for the home. For more information, visit: www.battersea.org.uk
To see House of Holland's Spring Summer 2013 collection and read ELLE's report, click here


text:
Kim Kardashian Reveals Her Swim Suit Secret
Emma Watson's Intentional "Side Boob"
11 Celebrities Who Are Aging Backwards
54 Photoshopped Celebrity Before and After Photos
The Olsen Twins' Style Transformation
The Hottest Pictures of Old Celebrities When They Were Young
Proof That Beyonce's Not A Perfect Mother
These Celebrities' Natural Hair Colors May Surprise You
The Plastic Surgery That Changed Lisa Kudrow's Life
What Game? Kate Upton and Justin Verlander's PDA Fest
Kate Upton Shows Us Why Her Legs Are Famous
2014 MTV's VMAs Best and Worst Dressed
Style Queen Blake Lively's Top 10 Fashion Moments
Kylie Jenners $1 Million Plastic Surgery Shocker
The Most Educated Rappers in The Game
7 Celebrities Who Look Better After Having Babies
Victoria's Secret Angels Without Makeup
Kendall Jenner Gets A Completely New Look
Images of Iconic Celebs That Will Shatter Your Perception of Them
30 Child Stars Who Died Young
Kendall Jenner Drops Her Famous Last Name
Celebrities You Didn't Know Share Exactly the Same Face
Inside Kim and Kanye's $20 Million Mega Mansion
Ariana Grande's Secret to Huge Hair
Shakira Makes a Thrilling Baby Announcement!
The 8 Most-Hated Celebrities in Recent History
Top 11 Best Celebrity Selfies
Top 10 Celebrities with No Talent
Is This Harry Styles' New Girlfriend?
Extreme Fans Who Got Plastic Surgery to Look Like Celebrities


text:
If he can see it, why can't Zorn?
""You have a philosophy, a West Coast philosophy, and nobody fits that mold," said Hoge, who comprehensively reviewed the Tampa game on tape. "I don't think they try to take advantage of their strengths. It's like they've got a philosophy and they want to run it regardless. Shoot, I'd run the ball, run a lot of run action, stack receivers, bunch 'em coming off the line. I'd use a different philosophy to take advantage of their strengths. The West Coast is not their strength." "The great demise for any coach is when he's unwilling to adapt his philosophy to the strengths of his personnel," Hoge said. "I don't care what level you're at, eventually you have to evaluate the strength of your personnel and adjust your philosophy to those strengths." ESPN analyst Merril Hoge talks about the Skins, via DC Sports Bog. Can he become our head coach?


text:
Announcing the Angels schedule for 2011. Here is an SBNation post that links ALL of the schedules for next year.
- Season opener in Kansas City on Thursday, March 31
- Home Opener vs. Toronto on Friday, April 8
- 12 game road trip at the end of June (SEA, NYM, FLA, LAD)
- Interleague against the NL East (ATL, NYM, FLA, WAS)
- Finishing the season with three games vs. TEX at home
Looks like a decently easy interleague schedule next year, and an easier schedule at the beginning of the year to help our Halos get off on the right foot. Any thoughts on the 2011 schedule?


text:
John Holsinger, the Old Dominion University biospeleologist who has spent a lot of his career in caves researching the blind crustaceans that live in them, has had to adjust his eyes recently to the limelight.
Colleagues in the National Speleological Society (NSS) paid tribute to Holsinger's more than four decades of research by organizing a special symposium honoring him and his work at the society's 2007 convention late this summer in Marengo, Ind.
In addition, two newspaper articles, including one in The Washington Post, pointed out Holsinger's contributions to cave ecology and subterranean biodiversity in Virginia.
Holsinger, who is an eminent scholar and professor of biology as well as graduate program director for the ecological sciences Ph.D. program, has had flatland ODU as his base since 1968 as he built a reputation around the globe for his highland work in caves and karst. (Karst is the geological term for the irregular limestone terrain containing sinkholes, underground streams and caves.)
He traces his interest in caves and spelunking to his undergraduate days at Virginia Tech, which is in a mountainous part of the state. "There is a lot of caving activity there and I got involved," he says. "I was a biology major, so cave organisms became my focus." Holsinger continued with the focus through his doctoral studies at the University of Kentucky, another institution with karst and caves nearby. He got his Ph.D. in biological sciences in 1966 and two years later joined the faculty at Old Dominion.
He is best known for painstaking research to document different species of subterranean amphipod crustaceans, specimens of which float in alcohol in hundreds of jars in his laboratory. The creatures resemble shrimp or crayfish. A number of cave-adapted invertebrate animals, including species of amphipods, isopods, spiders and snails, have the official Latin name holsingeri. Even two genera, an amphipod and a snail, are named Holsingerius and Holsingeria, respectively.
At the four-hour NSS symposium in Indiana that was dedicated to Holsinger, his colleagues invited him first to the lectern to present "Forty-some Years of Caves, Karst and Speleobios," in which he recounted the high points of his career. "I had gotten wind that the other speakers (there were seven on the program) were going to roast me, as well as speak about my work and how they had interacted with me," Holsinger says. "So during my presentation I got some licks in at them, too. It was a lot of fun. At the conclusion they had an open mike, and some of the people who got up to speak I hadn't seen in 15 or 20 years."
The colleagues' presentations at the symposium were about Holsinger's work with the Virginia Speleological Survey, the Virginia Cave Board, subterranean biogeography, systematics and taxonomy, global collaborations and students.
The ODU scientist has served on the Virginia Cave Board from the time it was formed in 1978 to the present, with the exception of a few years in the middle of the span. The Virginia Star, a newspaper in the mountainous southwestern part of the state, published a profile article on him in September that explored his work with the board, which has a governmental mandate to conserve and protect the state's 4,400 documented caves.
Holsinger said he is proud of the board's efforts to preserve Virginia's caves. "We try to influence zoning and conservation management, and have gone so far as to convince the highway department to route roads away from sensitive karst areas," he says. The board also deals with more mundane threats, such as damage done by people who dump garbage in caves, destroy geological formations, write on walls or commit other acts of vandalism. One way the board members influence public policy is through cave educational programs it promotes in schools. The board also lobbied successfully for passage of the Virginia Cave Protection Act.
Keeping caves pristine helps to protect the quality of underground water, and it gives subterranean amphipod crustaceans, some of which are endangered species in Virginia, a chance to thrive. In some cases, environmental diligence may keep species of yet unidentified crustaceans protected long enough for Holsinger to discover them.
The article in The Washington Post on Aug. 31 noted that Holsinger wrote the authoritative "Descriptions of Virginia Caves" (a book-length work that appeared in the Virginia Division of Mineral Resources Bulletin in 1975). He was quoted in the article as saying the potential for discovery of new species is greater in remote underground domains than anywhere on the earth's surface, with the possible exception of the rain forests. His work with cave crustaceans ranges far beyond Virginia, to places such as South Africa, Russian Far East, India, Brazil, Oman and Mexico.
This article was posted on: October 25, 2007
Old Dominion University
Office of University Relations
Room 100 Koch Hall Norfolk, Virginia 23529-0018
Telephone: 757-683-3114
Old Dominion University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution.


text:
While I know we all hate the Pittsburg Steelers with passion, I would honestly say, for the sake of our division, rooting for them is the best option.
Yes, we're reduced to rooting for our most-loathed team in the NFL (that's how much we're reduced to in this shitty season), but it remains clear: NFL teams that win the Superbowl often do very well in the following seasons and make it into the post-season. On the other hand, teams that lose the Superbowl often do not make it into the post-season and/or drop out of the 'elite' status the team once was. There are statistics that back this up (though, I can't find it at the moment). And, yes, I guess the Seahawks were sort of an exception.
That being said, I'd rather have the Cardinals lose and have a downward spiral that helps us get back to being the divisional champs.


text:
Elizabeth Warren, the Harvard law professor and architect of the consumer watchdog agency set up by the Obama administration after the meltdown on Wall Street, was elected to the Senate yesterday, winning a hard-fought victory against Republican Sen. Scott Brown in the year's most expensive Senate contest in the nation.
The race took on epic proportions as the candidates spent a total of more than $68 million and hurled charges and countercharges in an increasingly bitter campaign that was watched closely by both national parties while they dueled for control of the upper chamber of Congress.
Warren becomes the first woman elected to the Senate from Massachusetts.
With about 83 percent of the vote in at about midnight last night, Warren had almost 53 percent to 47 percent for Brown. An exit poll conducted by the University of Massachusetts showed that Warren won the women's vote by 20 percentage points, while men split evenly between the candidates.
"You and I have waged a great campaign," Brown told supporters at a Boston hotel in conceding defeat. "We stood strong in the fight, and we stand strong now even in disappointment."
Warren, a Democrat making her first attempt at elected office, was tapped by President Obama to build the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in the wake of the mortgage crisis and the financial abuses exposed on Wall Street. Brown went to Washington after stunning the Democrats by winning a 2010 special election for the late Sen. Edward Kennedy's seat.
Brown won every community in the Merrimack Valley except for Lawrence, which Warren took in a landslide. He squeaked by in Haverhill, winning by 1,450 votes out of 27,499 cast, and won by comfortable margins in Methuen and the Andovers. In Lawrence, Warren won 15,244 to 4,092.
Sean and Jen Kelley, who voted at Tenney Grammar School in Methuen yesterday evening, said they voted for Brown because they liked the senator's bipartisan record.


text:
Young musicians cling to Cajun, zydeco traditions
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Singer John Mayer sang his hits after local-born bluesman Dr. John performed hometown favorites such as "Iko Iko" on Friday to close out the sun-drenched first day of the 2013 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
They were among the final performers on a day heavy on Louisiana-influenced music, such as T'Monde, a band of 20-somethings that kicked off the festival with century-old, fiddle-heavy Cajun tunes.
"Je vais faire accoire, que tu m'aimes toujours," sang Drew Simon (pronounced SEE-mon), while playing the accordion to lyrics from an old Cajun song that loosely translated means "I'm going to make believe that you still love me."
T'Monde (pronounced TEE-mone), in Cajun French can mean "little world" or "little people." The group based in Lafayette, La., opened one of the festival's 12 stages Friday under sunny skies, 70-degree temperatures and a gentle breeze.
Jazz Fest spans two weekends. It continues through Sunday and then resumes May 2-5.
A strong police presence was evident as the festival opened less than two weeks after the Boston Marathon bomb explosions. Police on foot and in electric carts were out in force and veteran Jazz Fest patrons said bags were checked more thoroughly.
Couples danced in the grass as T'Monde played on the Fais Do-Do (FAY-doh-doh) stage, where Cajun and zydeco music would be performed throughout the festival.
Simon, who at 29 is the eldest of the T'Monde trio, said he studied old recordings of Cajun music dating back to the early 1900s. The music was common at Cajun parties known as a "fais do do," where couples would two-step to music played with just a handful of instruments, usually a fiddle or guitar and an accordion.
Jazz Fest producer Quint Davis said Cajun and zydeco music are as important to the festival as jazz.
"There are certain aspects of culture that only exist here," Davis said. "We're the birthright of jazz, everybody knows that, second-line music, the Mardi Gras Indians go along with that. The other wonderful culture in southwest Louisiana is the French-speaking people that are Cajun and zydeco in terms of music."
Davis said about 25 Cajun bands and 25 zydeco bands will perform at this year's festival.
"The younger generations are really keen on the music and keeping it alive, so there's traditional Cajun music, which is dance hall music, and then there's zydeco, which is like French rock `n' roll," Davis said.
Corey Ledet (pronounced LUH-day), another opening day act, said he can't remember a time when zydeco music wasn't a part of his life.
Ledet's great-grandfather played an upright bass, while his grandfather, father and uncle are drummers. He said his grandfather often played with Grammy-winning Creole and zydeco legend Clifton Chenier of Opelousas, La.
"It's in my family, all around me and it fell on me like a ton of bricks," said Ledet, of Parks, La. He said he's been playing both the accordion and drums for 22 of his 31 years. He said he feels obligated to do his part in keeping alive the musical traditions he's learned from elders in his family.
"I would like to see the tradition survive," he said. "I'd hate for ours to be the only one that dies off."
A Jazz Fest veteran, Ledet said he looks forward to the performance every year.
"The fans are just always fired up and ready to party. Rain or shine, it's one big, endless party," he said.
That party atmosphere fits right in with his genre of music, Ledet said.
"Creole and zydeco are basically happy music," he said. "It makes me feel good no matter what's going on in my life. And, it's very addictive. Once it gets in your blood, it's hard to get out."
Jazz Fest first-timer Suzi Peterson Steward of Ann Arbor, Mich., bobbed to the music as Ledet and his band played.
"I love zydeco. It's infectious. You can't stand still," she said.
Ledet said the festival also boosts his band's exposure. They've played Paris twice and have had gigs in Germany, Amsterdam, Malaysia, Hawaii and Alaska.
In all, hundreds of acts will perform over the next two festival weekends, covering genres such as Cajun, zydeco, jazz, blues, rock, hip-hop and gospel. Louisiana artists will perform among national headliners including Billy Joel, Hall and Oates, Kem, Maroon 5 and Fleetwood Mac.
On Friday, Dr. John, blues guitarist Gary Clark Jr., John Mayer, George Benson and Wayne Toups and his ZeDeCajun band were all scheduled to perform.
Associated Press writer Chevel Johnson contributed to this report.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
- CBS Sports analyst: Arizona Wildcats coach Rich Rodriguez will be Pac-12 Coach of the Year
- AD Greg Byrne: Arizona Wildcats will schedule tougher non-conference foes in future
- Report: Class of 2016 quarterback Shea Patterson decommits from Arizona
- Arizona coach Rodriguez on starting QB: 'The truth is I don't really know'
- Arizona Wildcats picked fourth in Pac-12 preseason media poll
- Greg Byrne, University of Arizona Athletic Director - Friday August 8Greg Byrne talks about the new ruling that gives autonomy to the Power 5 conferences.
- Bucky Brooks, NFL Network draft analyst - Friday May 2Bucky Brooks discusses what the Cardinals should do with the 20th overall pick.
- Bearing Down with Adam and Jarrett - Tuesday April 15Adam and Jarrett talk about UA's early departures.
- Bearing Down with Adam and Jarrett - Thursday April 3Adam and Jarrett recap a tough loss as well as the season itself.
- Bearing Down with Adam and Jarrett - Friday March 28Adam and Jarrett talk about Arizona's run to the Elite 8.


text:
The short answer is "Yes," but consider a few facts. First, how old is your baby and how is your exhaustion level? If you've been a runner for years prior to having your baby, you'll bounce back quicker than a beginner. However, even if you're newer to running, nothing should be stopping you. In either case, start your postpartum routine out slowly and pick up the pace as you feel yourself getting back into the groove. Don't push too hard at first. You'll know what you can handle within weeks of beginning your training.
Second, your milk supply is an extremely important factor to consider. The goal is to maintain the quality and quantity of your breast milk. During any form of intense exercise, you must superhydrate your body: In other words, drink a lot of water. Also, before a long run, remember that you're burning a lot of calories and need to eat plenty of carbohydrates to sustain your supply. You already need 500 extra calories a day while breastfeeding. But take into consideration that you'll use extreme amounts of energy training for a marathon. So you'll have to increase that by at least another 500.
Finally, keep in mind that your breasts may be sensitive and bigger than usual, so make sure that your sports bra is comfortable yet extremely supportive. Remember, also, to wear nursing pads.
Good luck with your training. Your body has already been able to withstand an intense journey. This should seem like a piece of cake.


text:
Eitner Lecture--Mary Beard: Mistaken Identities: How to Identify a Roman Emperor
Thursday, September 29 at 6:00 PM
Levinthal Hall, Stanford Humanities Center, 424 Santa Teresa Street, Stanford Campus
What did the Roman emperor look like? Among the thousands of surviving Roman imperial marble heads, how do we put a name to a face, or a face to a name? This lecture will take a critical look at this process: it will not only question some of our modern certainties about who is who, but it will ask what we can learn from our mistakes.
One of Britain's best-known Classicists, Mary Beard is a distinguished Professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge and recently named Fellow of the British Academy. Her interests range from the social and cultural life of Ancient Greece and Rome to the Victorian understanding of antiquity. Mary is Classics editor of the Time Literary Supplement and writes an engaging, often provocative, blog, A Don's Life.
- Login to post comments


text:
Incontinence FAQs (cont.)
Synonyms and Keywords
bladder control problems, bedwetting, detrusor instability, detrusor overactivity, dribbling, enuresis, incontinence, incontinent, urinary incontinence, stress incontinence, urge incontinence, mixed incontinence, overflow incontinence, neuropathic incontinence, fistula, traumatic incontinence, congenital incontinence, obstruction to urine flow, dribbling incontinence, functional incontinence, involuntary loss of urine, Kegel exercises, leaking urine, micturition, overactive bladder, peeing in pants, urinary tract, urination, urine leak, wetting pants, prostate disease, urinary tract infection, UTI, impacted stool, overactive bladder, bladder disease, bedwetting, bed wetting, nocturnal enuresis
Medical Author:
Sandip P. Vasavada, MD
Raymond Rackley, MD
Medical Editor:
Next Page:
(Page 14 of 16)
Must Read Articles Related to Incontinence FAQs
Bedwetting Bedwetting (nocturnal enuresis) is the involuntary passage of urine while sleeping. Causes of bedwetting include urinary tract infection, diabetes, emotional pr...learn more >>
Bladder Control Problems Bladder control problems, or urinary incontinence, affect over 13 million people in the U.S. Causes include urinary tract infection, overactive bladder, blocked...learn more >>
Cystoscopy Cystoscopy is the use of a scope (cystoscope) to examine the bladder. This is done either to look at the bladder for abnormalities or to help with surgery being...learn more >>
From WebMD
Women's Health Resources
Featured Centers
- Symptoms of a Severe Allergic Reaction
- Breast Cancer Treatment Options
- Is Your Body Ready for Pregnancy?
Health Solutions From Our Sponsors
Read What Your Physician is Reading on Medscape
Incontinence, Urinary: Nonsurgical Therapies »
Urinary incontinence is defined by the International Continence Society as the involuntary loss of urine that represents a hygienic or social problem to the individual.


text:
Near-record warmth prevailed across central Louisiana for midweek. Afternoon highs ranged through the upper 70s, with Many reporting 79 degrees. In the Alexandria/Pineville metro area, AEX reported 77 and Esler airport maxed out at 78. The average is 60 and the record is 79 set in 1978.
Scattered rain was felt across the area as a moist flow of air from the Gulf of Mexico responded to the strong storm system out west. Oakdale airport measured 0.61 inches from a heavy shower and Esler airport counted 0.30 inches.
I expect more rain after midnight as a strong cold front plows through the area. Specifically, I expect the front to pass through between 3AM and 6AM with the potential for brief downpours and strong wind with storms that accompany the front. Windy and chilly conditions will be the rule all day Thursday. Prepare for yet another freeze Thursday night.
Tom Konvicka


text:
A collection of news and information related to Bill Burr published by this site and its partners.
Top Bill Burr Articles
Displaying items 12-21
New comedy club to open inside Chinese 6 multiplex
Author Sarah Dessen, "Bonsai People" and Bill Burr at SoBe Comedy Festival
Go Guide Weekend Preview: Perpetual Groove comes to an end
TICKET BOX: Scott Weiland at Sands Event Center, Tim McGraw in Camden, Beyonce in Philly among new shows this weekStory | Feb 14, 2013 | 4:26 AMWelcome to Lehigh Valley Music's Ticket Box, listing new shows on sale. Stone Temple Pilots' lead singer Scott Weiland at Sands Bethlehem Event Center, Tim McGraw at Susquehanna Bank Center, Beyonce at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, and fun. with.......
The Vince Vaughn bro show wraps up an impressive almost-festival at TBS Just for Laughs
Comedian Jim Breuer On Heavy Metal Family Man Tour
Monday's Talk ShowsStory | Oct 30, 2011 | 9:36 PMTV listings for the week of Oct. 30 - Nov. 5 in PDF format (from latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv) Weekly TV Listings and more can be found at: www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv This week's TV Movies The Early Show (N) 7 a.m. KCBS Today Brian...
Monday's TV Talk ShowsStory | Sep 12, 2011 | 4:36 AMMonday's TV Talk Shows...
Thursday's TV Talk ShowsStory | Aug 24, 2011 | 9:36 PMThe Early Show (N) 7 a.m. KCBS Today Author Kathy Reichs. (N) 7 a.m. KNBC KTLA Morning News (N) 7 a.m. KTLA Good Morning America Lexi St. George. (N) 7 a.m. KABC Good Day L.A. (N) 7 a.m. KTTV Rachael......
Joel McHale, Demetri Martin part of Just For Laughs 2011 lineup


text:
All Jokes Aside, I see where they are coming from. Underneath the glaring problems that everyone points out and the problems hidden underneath those problems, they have some real talent. Super Bowl caliber coaching, a quarterback with experience in the playoffs and the Super Bowl, great receivers, ball hawks on the side defensive side of the ball, etc, etc. They have a great deal of talent. I think this team could easily get to at least 5 wins and be a force to reckon with in the NFC East.
If you think I'm crazy then please readjust your sarcasm meter and reread the post.


text:
At Muleshoe ISD's elementary schools, they are being forced to split classrooms in two, the portable classrooms are full and they've added five new teachers this year. They expected to grow, but not by 40 students!
Dillman Elementary Principal, Todd Newberry says, "I think we're all scratching our heads thinking 'Where in the world are these kids coming from?'" Assistant Superintendent, Don Wood, says, "We've grown 50 kids so we're up 50 kids in the last two years." Forty of those kids are new this school year alone, but why the increase?
Wood says, "Muleshoe is in the heart of dairy industry and when new dairies come in, they want to locate diaries where things are booming and Muleshoe is a hub for this area. The reason it's a hub I believe is the school district is one of the best in the area."
David Brunson is the Muleshoe City Manager. He says, "The natural resources are here. We're located close to Portables. They have a dairy processing plant there. They're building a cheese plant in New Mexico. That's another boost I think. A lot of it is the community and the attitude of community and business folks and people who live here who are just progressive minded."
Brunson says economic growth will lead to 125 to 150 news jobs in Muleshoe over the next year or year and a half and local retailers have already felt an impact. Brunson says, "I think we've just started."
In the meantime, Muleshoe ISD is reimbursed for each new student through the state so money is not an issue, but they are forced to figure out where to put their influx of elementary children. Wood says, "That's a good problem. We'd rather have this problem than empty classrooms." Newberry says, "We don't want classes too large. We want to make sure our teaching is effective."
Right now, even with their new hires, there are 20 kids at Dillman Elementary for every one teacher. They'd prefer that ratio was more like 15 to 1. The district's assistant superintendent did tell NewsChannel 11 they plan to hire a consultant to come in soon and determine how to best handle their growth.
5600 Avenue A
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2014 Worldnow and KCBD. All Rights Reserved.
For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.


text:
Alternative Breaks
Each year, Misericordia students participate in Alternative Spring Break Trips, which is visible on the main Campus Ministry page. This year, we were able to coordinate our first ever Fall Break trip. We sent 13 students and 2 chaperones to Rhode Island for a trip with Sisters of Mercy learning simple living techniques. Students were hard at work preparing the garden for winter, cooking vegetarian meals, and reflecting on new ways to live environmentally conscious lifestyles.
Thanksgiving Food Drive


text:
In the film, Foulkes plays the daughter of a couple who bicker about the merits of a blanket. That's it. In most of the movie, she's obscured behind the other actors or a table. It's a three-hander and she has the fewest lines of all.
Another TV pilot she was attached to, "Powers," has yet to surface.
Foulkes doesn't need the money, of course. But it would be nice to see her career evolve beyond shilling Androids.
The director is Claudine Marrotte. Earlier, Marrotte shot Foulkes in an equally uninspired two-hander about a couple discussing whether they feel comfortable enough to burp and fart in front of each other in the bathtub:


text:
September 2, 2014
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) -- Fire officials say they have accounted for everyone who lived at a Virginia apartment complex where a Navy fighter jet crashed.
Capt. Tim Riley is the battalion chief and spokesman for the Virginia Beach fire department. He said Saturday morning that the last three people at the apartment complex had been accounted for, and that there appeared to be no fatalities.
Riley says crews are not actively searching for anyone, but that could change if there may have been a guest in an apartment that authorities don't know about.
The fighter jet was being piloted by a student and his trainer Friday when the plane malfunctioned over Virginia's most populated city. The men ejected moments before the jet crashed into the apartment complex.
To comment, the following rules must be followed:
Comments may be monitored for inappropriate content, but the station is under no legal obligation to do so.
If you believe a comment violates the above rules, please use the Flagging Tool to alert a Moderator.
Flagging does not guarantee removal.
Multiple violations may result in account suspension.
Decisions to suspend or unsuspend accounts are made by Station Moderators.
Links require admin approval before posting.
Questions may be sent to firstname.lastname@example.com. Please provide detailed information.
Click Here to access the online Public Inspection File
Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or email@example.com.


text:
Penn State's path the National Championship Game begins with the loss by every team ranked above us in the polls. And then again. And again. And then some other stuff has to happen. But that path begins tonight, with an Oregon Duck upset.
UCLA has already wiped the floor with Texas, another NC favorite prior to the season, why not again? And why not on Thursday night, a night notorious for #2's to be upset?
Let's do this.


text:
whihathac's Den
Cast: Aamir Khan, Sharman Joshi, Madhavan, Kareena, Boman Irani. Directed by : Rajkumar Hirani Length: 2 hours 50 mins (approximately)
Loosely based on novel '5 Point Someone' by Chetan Bhagat, '3-Idiots' is a feel good movie which is hilarious, filled with emotions and comes with a clear message for the current education system. Set in the background of an Engineering college, the movie focuses on the real ground issues prevalent in current system as theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge, exam stress, career rat race, student suicides, peer and parents pressure.
The film starts with Farhan (Madhavan) who has boarded a plane and a frantic call from his college friend "Silencer" who tells them that Rancho (Aamir) has been found. He manages to get the plane do an emergency landing by enacting a cardiac arrest and is on route to pick up Raju (Sharman). Soon they find that he is in Shimla and they start the journey to meet him. Then movie goes into a flashback.
Shot in IIM-Bangalore, the 3 students Farhan, Raju and Rancho enter the Imperial College of Engineering (ICE), the premier college of Engineering in India of which Viru Sahastrabudhhe aka 'Virus' (Boman Irani) is the dean of. College starts with Ragging of the newcomers where seniors are trying to force undo their pants. Rancho takes the charge and pulls of the plug on the senior with his plain simple knowledge of science. Following these are very comic sequences in college involving Rancho and various professors and the dean himself.
The movie rides on the emotional drama unfolding at various check points where Rancho emerges as the savior. Rancho is the best friend who makes his friends realize their dreams, the unknown stranger who ignites a break-up and then falls in love with Pia (Kareena) who is actually Viru's daugher, the scientist who comes up with innovations that come from applying theory to practice. The ultimate timings of the dialogs and the jokes will engross you so much that you wouldn't want the movie to stop.
Rancho emerges as the Student of the Year while he graduate and mysteriously disappears. And movie then comes back to the present. And from here to "All Iz Well" is the happy ending of the movie.
There is so much to write in the review. But wouldn't want to spoil the fun for the movie-goers. :).
Positives: Movie is a laughter riot. Based on a strong script Aamir, Sharman and Madhavan delivers the positive message that Hirani wishes to tell as he has done with the MunnaBhai series. You can relate Rancho with Munnabhai, and will fall in love with the fun-loving, patient and extremely soft hearted character. The Music is notably good. Boman is also an respectable and adorable in his role.
Negatives: Kareena was in a short 20 min cameo role. (I'd rather consider it as a positive, but for the junta).
Verdict: 5/5. After all the movie is inspired from "5 point someone" ;). The movie is a total paisa-wasool and is right for this festive season. I am really lucky to see the 2 awesome movies – Avatar and 3 Idiots back to back, a good start to the end of this year. I am ready to watch any of the movie again. Any goers ?
Regards,Bhavik Original Post: http://blog.bhavikvora.com/post/2009/12/24/3-Idiots-(2009-e28093-Hindi).aspx
Tags: hindi, movie
Movie Review
Well firstly thanks to Bhavir Thakkar, who has inspired me to write these review at places where its more accessible to the necessary folks. Well then, This is my first review. Will try to sum it up in few lines.
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Shazahn Padamsee (daughter of AlyquePadamesee), Prem Chopra, Gauhar Khan.
The Movie starts with a real good ground reality on How Salesmen work and how they are ruled by the Sales Target deadlines. The characters in the movie are well carved in the 1st half including the "boss" of the trainee – Ranbir who is fun to watch. Also the timings of the dialogs of folks (boss, receptionist, the assembler and few folks) are too good :). The movie unfolds into a situation where the hero is forced to start his own company in the company he's currently working. The drama goes smooth until the MD finds out about the ruckus. Prem Chopra makes a warm come-back.
Over usage of few dialogs (Superman). Movie drifts apart at some scenes. Inclusion of the Herione/Introduction could have been done much better. (Also could have carved some more parts for her sister ;)). Actor does a descent job in his role which i liked him breaking the "i-wanna-be-the-center-of-attraction" tag but still wears the "I-wanna-grab-every-piece-of-emotional-attention-i-can" which is tolerable. The movie shapes into a typical Hindi Movie into fictitious situations and an imaginary end. Use of Scotty Pep+ :p
Overall Feedback:
Nice to watch. I'll give it 3/5. Just go in for watching the real characters (side actors) that make the movie really fun. Its lovely to watch the comics of "boss" and "Assembler" and sometimes the Actor. Not really worth spending a fortune to watch the movie.
Powered by BlogEngine.NET 126.96.36.199
Theme by Mads Kristensen
Bhavik Vora is currently working as a Sr. Software Development Engineer at Microsoft India.
This site's content contains my own personal opinions and does not represent my employer's, or anyone else's view in any way. All posts are provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confer no rights.


text:
The time for a new "old Soviet Union"?
Homebase, Politics and SocietyNo Comment
The Russians have a saying: "Moscow wasn't built at once". Apparently the Kremlin is employing the same concept in its foreign policy in Kyrgyzstan. At least that is the impression one is left with observing how patiently Moscow has been crafting a government it is now happy with. It all started, as local observers argue, with the April 2010 events, which were "inspired" by the Kremlin following the "trick" ex-President Kurmanbek Bakiyev tried to play on Dmitriy Medvedev and Vladimir Putin. The trick mentioned is receiving money from the Russians for the Kambar Ata hydro-electric power station in exchange for terminating the contract with the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition's base in Kyrgyzstan, which the Bakiyev administration insisted was not so.However, Bakiyev did promise that and even announced the decision during his trip to Moscow in February 2009. However, once he was back home among friendly mountains and family, the decision was reversed; although presented as "altered". The alteration of plans, i.e. merely renaming the airbase into "a transit center" and not pointing to the door, cost Bakiyev his seat.
"Dropping curtsies in the Kremlin's direction by those who ascended to power following [Kurmanbek] Bakiyev's and [Viktor] Yushchenko's removal suggest that Moscow is, too, capable of installing people it needs," an observer in Bishkek told us.
The new Kyrgyz Prime Minister Almazbek Atambayev has not even attempted to prove it otherwise. In fact, during his "campaign speech" to the parliament prior to running for PM, he has even said he'd pay his first official visit to Moscow, which, according to now PM Atambayev, "is Kyrgyzstan's major strategic partner and no alternatives exist".
So it happens: Atambayev led a group of Kyrgyz delegates to meet his Russian counterpart in Moscow for an indeed fruitful meeting. According to official information, the Kyrgyz delegation has raised a number of issues: financial support, investments and debts, political cooperation. Atambayev returned from Moscow with a full basket of promises and plans: Putin said Russia would indeed invest in various fields in Kyrgyzstan–metallurgy, energy, gas pipelines–and cancel the exports fee on fuels introduced exactly a week before Bakiyev's ouster. But Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev said in summer that a parliamentary country would be "a catastrophe" for Kyrgyzstan. Then why are Putin and Co so friendly to this country and its PM?
Logically because they want something in return, you will probably answer. Besides, Atambayev has himself said free cheese is available in a mouse trap only. Then, let us have a look at just what Russia could be eyeing in Kyrgyzstan.
The American airbase near Bishkek has always been a headache for the Russian leadership ever since it was established in late 2001. So ending the contract with them would logically be the first thing the Kremlin would wish to see happening. They even offered the previous administration around 2bn dollars in attempt to bargain its removal. However, Speaker Akhmatbek Keldibekov said earlier this week that the parliament is not going to be considering this issue any time soon. Given the fact that he occupies his current post largely, as some argue, thanks to the Kremlin's efforts (which is rumored to have blocked "pro-Western" Omurbek Tekebayev's appointment), the issue can rise as one of pressing ones at any time. Now, given the fact that both President Roza Otunbayeva and PM Atambayev want to see a Kyrgyz-Russian joint company delivering fuel to the airbase in question, it seems logical that both the parliament does not want to discuss this issue and Atambayev-led delegation has not raised the question in Moscow.
Based on how meticulously Russia was shaping a pro-Russian government in Kyrgyzstan and the impressive range of fields it wants to get financially involved here, it is probably safe to conclude that Kyrgyzstan will not only maintain its status quo of the only country in Central Asia which has the Russian language as an official language, but will also completely–financially, politically, socially–turn towards North. Although the cheese piece in the mousetrap might seem to be free, it still costs the mouse its life in the end.
We have already written that the Russian soldier was again setting foot on the Fergana Valley. Apparently the Kremlin clock now indicates a time of taking over the whole region.