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September 19, 2003
Yellow Bamboo Surprise, Fear of Technology, and Answering Montague Keen...
Surprise, surprise! A man who visited Bali to test the "Yellow Bamboo" group, who make supernatural claims that they can knock down an attacker just by shouting, has reported to me that he actually fell to the ground during the test! As soon as I get around to looking into this further, I'll give you a full report. This might actually be something….!
I've often said that one reason for the publics easy acceptance of paranormal and/or supernatural claims is the general lack of "connection" they feel with modern science and technology. Confronted with the facts of modern physics, for example, the average person feels bewildered and adrift. Everyone uses computers, telephones, and other very sophisticated bits of advanced high-tech without understanding how they work, or how they were designed. Much easier is the attitude that "science doesn't have the answers," and "it's not really understood by anyone." With that going for them, the hoi polloi find acceptance of speaking-to-the-dead and "your lucky lottery numbers" easy to accept.
I was sent an article that describes a parallel to this default position, one on the ever-popular "conspiracy" theme, from the London Times. This is an excerpt:
Patrick Leman, a psychologist at Royal Holloway College, London, who has been studying why conspiracy theories are so appealing, said: "Conspiracy theories feed into a feeling of disconnection with government. People don't like gaps in their accounts; they have a need to believe them. They invent fantastical things that protect them from the real world."
From Thomas Gray (1716-1771): "Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise."
I promised last week that I'd try to prepare a detailed response to the irresponsible attack being made on me and on the JREF via the Internet, by one Montague Keen. In doing so, I will not be gentle; my "other cheek" is not easily turned. I'll answer his attack in kind, but without any veneer of false manners, the way academics maneuver about to be politically correct. Keen knows better. He's well-educated, intelligent, and perceptive in some ways, which allows him no escape from censure for his unfair and virulent assault against me. He is practicing willful ignorance; he knows the truth, but chooses not to use it. This has caused much joy among the grubbies, who exult mightily whenever one of their standard-bearers marches forth to proclaim the imminent demise of the skeptics and delivers a tirade that Shakespeare seems to have anticipated in Scene V of Macbeth. The Keen attack is, considering its errors, hyperbole, and lack of real substance, "a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."
Keen delights in dragging in academics who appear to be supporting his bizarre beliefs. Two weeks ago, I pointed out that such luminaries as Jacques Benveniste and Brian Josephson suffer from that certain kind of intellectual myopia that clouds the perception of so many academics. That is unfortunate for their appreciation of reality, but more so because people like Keen can quote these misguided souls to lend illusionary support for nonsense. French author and philosopher Montaigne (1533-1592) in one of his Essays, observed:
There is a kind of rudimentary ignorance which precedes the learning process; another doctoral, following that learning an ignorance which learning does beget, even as it spoils the first.
In effect, he is saying, as Sir Arthur C. Clarke once told me, that some people have been educated far beyond their intelligence. Bear that in mind as you find Keen eagerly throwing in PhDs to bolster his argument.
A huge document has been circulated by Keen following a recent program in the UK by Fulcrum TV, a show which obviously caused much consternation among the gullible in that country. Titled, "The Ultimate Psychic Challenge A Challenge to James Randi," Keen's attack has been quoted from from extensively by those desperate to devalue my work. Please note that Keen doesn't make any attempt to accept or meet the JREF challenge, but chooses to offer his own, as we've so often seen in this field. More on that, later.
I do not normally respond to furious tirades such as this. However, knowing that so many anonymous persons delight in firing off these unguided missiles in all directions without checking their facts, I am issuing this brief response for those who might wish to use the contents to oppose the erroneous accusations made here. I've selected just pertinent parts of this mess on which to comment. My day is far too full to do more, and besides, all of this has all already been done on my web site, in my articles, and in my books a fact that the author of the tirade has wisely chosen to ignore, since his entire fabrication would be shredded by reference to those sources. I've chosen only the relatively important parts of his attack to comment on, since the rest is not worth consideration. This also sends the grubbies scrambling through the content I've ignored, trying to find the "smoking gun" that they feel I'm afraid to mention; that keeps them off the street, at least.
I still have not seen a videotape of the "Ultimate Psychic Challenge," which in any case was hardly "ultimate" in nature, though I've had much of it recounted or sent to me by UK readers who have seen it and studied it. One of those readers referred to the "impossibly pompous twit Keen whose twisted logic always enables him to arrive at his hoped for decision whatever the facts." Let's examine here that opinion.
As a good example many more will follow! of the manner in which Keen plays with the truth, in describing the opening of the TV taping session and the obviously failed "cold reading" section of the taping, he writes that it was "so unsuccessful that the embarrassed floor manager had to announce a technical fault and stop the show." No, it was aborted and edited out simply because the producers had at first felt that I would not be recognized by a UK audience, and that the audience would react accordingly, accepting me as a "real" psychic doing the same tired old act. As my own unscripted question to that audience subsequently showed, the majority of them were well aware of my identity, and being largely believers, they sat there fiercely refusing to respond as they might have done, were they of the opinion that I was a "genuine" psychic reader. I note that the author of this attack conveniently does not mention that fact. Even as I walked into the studio, I heard audience members commenting, "That's James Randi!" and it was evident to me that the planned attempt at "cold reading" would certainly fail; the victims have to believe that the artist has supernatural abilities, or they cannot accept what always follows in such a routine. Even the media's photographers who snapped me before the taping began, called me by name. However, I'd accepted to make the effort, to satisfy the intent of the producer and director of the show. They had visited me in Florida in preparation for the show, and though I was sure I'd be recognized, we agreed to give it a try, with the provision that it could be aborted if it turned out that I was recognized.
To add to the inevitability of my being recognized, I found that the agency assigned to obtain a studio audience for this taping, had featured on the Internet an appeal for persons to attend a program with a psychic subject, and featuring the "world's best-known skeptic of psychic powers." I modestly accept this designation, but I was shocked to see it so revealed that I would be a participant. Anyone reading that would be very likely to assume that I was going to be there, and I'm not too hard to identify by appearance.
Perhaps we should ask, at this point, just who is this man Montague Keen? He describes himself as a journalist, agricultural administrator, magazine editor and farmer, a member of the Council of the Society for Psychical Research (SPR) for 55 years, chairman of its Image and Publicity Committee and secretary of its Survival Research Committee. He apparently believes in everything and anything. His book on Crop Circles, he says, presents "scientific evidence" for that practical joke, and is now available for Ł2.50, knocked down from Ł3.95. This is a man who desperately needs all the flim-flam to be so, and is desperate when the truth threatens to be expressed.
One reader, responding to a frantic bleat sent out by a man named Zammit to whose web page I sent you last week to view the Keen rant tried to reason with Zammit:
. . . the only other argument you have against him is his failed cold reading. Given that you already said that most of the audience knew who he was, it was unlikely that a cold reading would work I'm amazed he agreed to it. However the "hot" reading was bound to work, they had evidence that would point to one person in the audience, and it did, but only the person involved seemed amazed (because, obviously, the others knew he was using a back door method).
But there's much more here that you're not told by Keen nor by Zammit. We'd researched the audience in preparation for the "hot" readings, using very ordinary means such as published data bases, newspaper files, school records, and telephone directories, and we'd gotten very specific data on one woman, a Rebecca, who was a confirmed believer. When I asked her to identify herself during the "hot" reading, though I knew exactly where she was seated, she decided not to do so, sitting grim-faced and defiantly staring at me. It's her right, of course, to refuse to participate, and perhaps it was my fault that she did so, because I did not specify, as did Keith Charles, the "genuine medium" to whom Keen refers, that subjects must "be honest" with him.
The reading by Keith Charles that Keen refers to by saying, "His on-floor readings were likewise impressive, save when an opaque screen precluded sight of a studio guinea pig," was such a farce, I can understand why Keen is terrified to go into details. Here is the transcript of this "blind reading," given after a subject chosen from the studio line-up outside had been secretly introduced behind an opaque screen. Charles stood on the other side, and the subject was admonished by the presenter [host] Kate Galloway, to only answer with nods, but no sounds. "C" is Charles, "G" is the host. Mr. Charles began:
C: Well, I'll let you know when I've got somebody here, ummm.
Not to anyone's amazement, a woman was found in the audience who began nodding vigorous assent to everything Charles said. Now, Ms. Galloway should not have allowed this blatant target switch, of course, but she was unfamiliar with the wiles of these scam-artists. And yes, that is a cop-out, Mr. Charles! It's a standard ploy to re-direct a failed reading to someone else, and you had almost a hundred people out there who were not only believers, but eager to see you succeed. And we never got to see the scar that was "accepted"...
But hold on. Going back to that dismal "blind" reading, can you tell the gender of the person behind the partition? No, you can't. You don't know, any more than Keith Charles knew. He referred to the subject only as "the person" or "recipient," just as if he didn't even know the correct gender because he didn't know! For your information and Keith's it was a middle-aged man, who never stopped shaking his head in denial, for the full 77 seconds of that reading. It was "no" to every one of Charles' guesses. I note, too, that Charles also didn't know the gender of the person in the audience who picked up on his "miss," and that attempt also floundered around and went nowhere.
Keen wrote:
When [James Randi] practices as a stage illusionist, the audience know they are being entertained and deceived: they suspend their disbelief and enjoy the show. To pretend to be a genuine psychic, and to connive with the TV staff without the knowledge or consent of the victims to garner details about members of the audience, their friends and their sitting positions, with a view to misleading them even though the ruse is later acknowledged is to employ deception in what was claimed to be a serious program about a very serious subject.
Keen knows full well that the attempted "deception" was planned so that the audience might accept my performance in the same way that the act of a "genuine psychic medium" is taken. Had the audience been told that I was a conjuror, they would have reacted in a hostile manner, by refusing to co-operate in accepting the guesses, errors, and generalities that the "real" performers offer. Mind you, that's exactly what did happen, though for different reasons, as we've seen! Notice: this is Keen's willful ignorance at work. He knows the answer, but chooses not to use it.
But now Keen zeroes in on a dastardly act on my part which he simply salivates over. Assuming that the world revolves about him, and that nothing could occur of which he would be unaware, he chortles:
. . . to illustrate Mr. Randi's dedication to objectivity, I must also provide a more accurate account of the incident to which he devotes so much spleen on his website: his encounter in the exit corridor with a "very obese, unattractive woman" and his reaction to her "direct affront, a rude insult and an uncalled-for accusation" who "stabbed her finger at me, her face red and contorted with hatred" who called him a fake and a fraud, to which he calmly retorted in his best Churchillian manner, "Madam, you are ugly, but I can reform."
An event of this sort was related on my August 15th web page. That insult was thrown at me following the program taping, and was preceded by about one minute by another episode, the one to which Keen refers. By the time the second one occurred, I'd more fully recalled the encounter ascribed to Winston Churchill, and when a very obese and angry woman, being assisted from the studio due to her weight, then abused me, I was prepared to deliver a riposte more properly. I did so, with a certain satisfaction, and that is the event I reported. I assure all that there was no "staggering" nor "stammering" involved, nor was I at all "astonished" in either encounter at the virulence exhibited; I'm accustomed to it. And yes, I now know that it was Mrs. Braddock, not Lady Astor, who was the target of Churchill's splendid comment. That mistake of identity was not, in my opinion, a serious breach of honesty, but only evidence of my ignorance. Note how Keen cherishes this "discovery" of my villainy and my abandonment of "factual reality." I agree that facts and reality have been abandoned here, but I am not the agent.
Moving on in this comedy of errors, Keen states:
Now for the more serious bit: first, the $1million prize. Loyd Auerbach, a leading USA psychologist and President of the Psychic Entertainers Association (some 80% of the members of his Association believe in the paranormal, according to Dr. Adrian Parker, who was on the program, but given no opportunity to reveal this) exposed some of the deficiencies in this challenge in an article in Fate magazine.
For those unfamiliar with Fate Magazine, from their own web page we see that they publish stories on "alien abductions, angels, archaeological hotspots, fringe science, ghosts, hauntings, life after death, monsters, paranormal investigations, psychic pets, psychics, readers' personal mystic experiences, reports of the strange and unknown, spirit animals, spiritualists, and UFOs" to only begin. Not recognized as a scholarly journal, in my opinion. And the Psychic Entertainers Association (PEA) is a group of magicians who make their living doing mentalism! Mentalism is defined as conjuring that appears to be done with the mind. The principal requirement for membership in the PEA is quite straightforward: a serious and vested interest in the ethical performance of psychic entertainment, including mentalism, bizarre magick, hypnotism, cold reading, and allied arts. The monthly journal of the PEA is "Vibrations," a collection of tricks and methods that can be used to give the impression that the performer is a genuine psychic. Are we very much surprised to learn that members say they believe in the paranormal? That doesn't mean that they use paranormal powers, does it? I believe in violin-playing, but I can't play the violin. And what the hell does belief in nonsense have to do with the JREF prize? This is one of the small rocks that people like Keen throw into a discussion freely, though this rock turns out to be only a pebble. What Keen is hoping to accomplish by this diversion, I cannot imagine. But then, he's a rather large enigma, anyway.
Keen states:
. . . it was lucky for Mr. Randi that Charles was given no opportunity to say why the $1m challenge was both misleading and worthless, an omission I hope to remedy below.
Well, we'll examine that in detail. What follows is a series of points whereby Keen seeks to "prove" the "misleading and worthless" nature of the JREF one-million-dollar challenge. Remember, he already knows the facts that I use to refute these accusations. This is more of his use of willful ignorance. NOTE: The following material discussing his errors re the JREF challenge, were sent to Mr. Keen by e-mail on August 22, 28+ days ago, yet he persists on publishing the material on several websites even though he knows it is spurious! This shows you clearly just how honest, responsive, and direct the man is!
Keen writes:
Under Article 3, the applicant allows all his test data to be used by the Foundation in any way Mr. Randi may choose. That means that Mr. Randi can pick and chose the data at will and decide what to do with it and what verdict to pronounce on it.
No, this is a blatant, knowing, lie. He mis-quotes the article, which actually states, "all data," not "all test data." That includes written and spoken agreements, and protocol discussions. There is no "verdict" to be arrived at, and this article 3 also covers the use of data obtained during the test procedure. As Keen well knows, our tests are designed with the participation of the applicant so that no judging nor verdict needs to be made ever. The results must be self-evident. All parameters, including the standard for success in a test, are stated and agreed to, in advance. It is ludicrous to imply as Keen does that I or any person with the JREF could "pronounce" on any evidence.
Under Article 7, the applicant surrenders all rights to legal action against the Foundation, or Mr. Randi, no matter what emotional, professional or financial injury he may consider he has sustained.
Keen chooses to omit an italicized phrase in article 7, "as far as this may be done by established statutes." No one can under American law, at least surrender his/her basic constitutional rights; any effort or action by the JREF to slander or libel an applicant, or to purposely cause injury, would be actionable, regardless of article 7. This is a convenient omission by Keen to misrepresent article 7. Potential applicants are carefully informed of all this well in advance so that they may avoid any subsequent embarrassment or distress due to their failure. Consider: We are offering one million dollars, the applicant offers nothing, and enters the testing procedure knowing all the parameters. This article 7 is sensible and sane and fair.
Thus even if Mr. Randi comes to a conclusion different from that reached by his judges and publicly denounces the test, the applicant would have no redress.
Again, there are no judges, ever! That is clearly stated. I cannot come to any "conclusion" that can affect the outcome. That's all out of my hands. Evaluation may be done independently, but the actual, binding, result will always be plainly evident. And I certainly would never "denounce" any test of which I had approved! What is Montague Keen thinking of here? Or is there any thinking involved, sir?
The Foundation and Mr. Randi own all the data. Mr. Randi can claim that the judges were fooled.
What "judges"? There are none! I am as much committed to abiding by the results, as any one else, legally, ethically, and publicly. Claims mean nothing here, only evidence, an element with which Keen seems unfamiliar.
The implicit accusation of fraud would leave the challenger devoid of remedy.
Not "challenger," but "applicant." We of the JREF are the challenging agent. Read the rules. Since the preceding assumption is false, this comment is without any merit or application. Keen should talk to a lawyer/solicitor/barrister to become at least rudimentarily acquainted with the law.
These rules, be it noted, are in stark contrast to Mr. Randi's frequent public assertions that he wanted demonstrable proof of psychic powers.
No, I have never so stated. Never. This is a good example of a technique frequently used by those such as Keen. They invent attitudes, statements, and opinions for me as straw men and then knock them down. I have no goal in mind except to determine whether or not an applicant can give evidence supporting his/her claim. I'm not looking for psychic powers. I don't have any goal but to ask those who purport to have these powers, to give evidence under a carefully-designed protocol one acceptable to both sides of the discussion that will show the existence of such powers. Should that evidence be offered, I have publicly, legally, openly, agreed to pay the JREF one-million-dollar prize. I'm absolutely committed to it. It's that simple, Mr. Keen.
First, his rules are confined to a single, live applicant.
Total nonsense. Where Keen got this notion, except from his fertile imagination, I cannot guess. There is no limitation and he knows this full well on the number of persons involved. Yes, the applicant must be "live." I find that much more acceptable than the alternative.
No matter how potent the published evidence, how incontestable the facts or rigorous the precautions against fraud, the number, qualifications or expertise of the witnesses and investigators, the duration, thoroughness and frequency of their tests or (where statistical evaluation is possible) the astronomical odds against a chance explanation: all must be ignored.
True. I believe that with a million dollars at stake, any sensible person would hesitate to accept data generated in the past by persons who in most cases have little or no expertise in detecting or controlling against chicanery. With the "Alpha Experiment," years ago, we proved that very strongly. We sent two young men into the leading and best-funded parapsychological laboratory, and for three years they deceived the scientists there, only revealing the project when the scientists were ready to publish what they thought were positive results. Incidentally, the scientists quoted the odds of the performances they viewed, as "billions-to-one against chance." "Published evidence," which Keen so dotes on, will be discussed up ahead.
Mr. Randi thrusts every case into the bin labelled 'anecdotal' (which means not written down), and thereby believes he may safely avoid any invitation to account for them.
Again, very wrong. First, the word "anecdotal" means, "based upon incidental observations or reports rather than systematic evaluation," according to the Webster's Dictionary, and the Oxford English Dictionary says that it means, "of, pertaining to, or consisting of, anecdotes." The Oxford defines an anecdote as, "The narrative of a detached incident, or of a single event, told as being in itself, interesting or striking." The "not written down" reference by Keen applies to the meaning given in the Oxford as, "unpublished narratives or details of history," and does not apply here. Second, I will not undertake to account for "narratives" or "anecdotes," but I am willing to consider the results of a proper here-and-now test. Is that unreasonable? I think not. And again, Keen, don't assign attitudes, statements, or opinions to me. And buy a dictionary, so I won't have to correct your usage. I'm too busy to educate you.
Keen now selects an entirely anecdotal, impromptu, typical performance by Uri Geller as evidence that I cannot refute. He refers to tests done well after the event, a bit too late, as if those tests establish the genuine nature of the event. I have a collection of bent objects including a scrap of titanium-steel alloy that could be examined for a century by any number of scientists, without their having any notion of how they were bent, though any number of modalities could apply. Demanding explanations for such past events is much like telling a card expert how much money you lost in a poker game on a cruise taken years ago, and expecting him to tell you whether anyone at the table cheated, and if so, how. In Keen's mind, is this one of his "white crows" he holds so proudly aloft? Here is what he writes about this miraculous event:
. . . the production of a spanner [wrench] bent by a force considerably in excess of the capacity of the strongest man, created at the request and in the presence of a group of mechanics gathered round a racing car at a pit stop by Mr. Randi's long-time enemy, Uri Geller, would run foul of the small print, which requires a certificate of a successful preliminary demonstration before troubling Mr. Randi himself. A pity, because scientists at Imperial College have tested the spanner, which its current possessor, the researcher and author Guy Lyon Playfair, not unnaturally regards as a permanent paranormal object, and there is a standing challenge to skeptics to explain its appearance.
I need not comment further on the naivety or cunning demonstrated by that account. On the John Edward matter, Keen writes:
[James Randi] . . . reported that one of the gifted mediums, John Edward, could have seen the sitter through a 2" curtain gap, regardless of the facts that the crack was about quarter of an inch, was subsequently sealed from ceiling to floor, and that readings were later done long distance. Mr. Randi declined an invitation to see all the raw footage for himself, while protesting that he would never [be allowed to] see it. Yet all the media representatives who visited the Arizona laboratory saw the raw footage, as did magicians and visiting scientists. Mr. Randi specifically declined an invitation to be videoed viewing the data and commenting on it.
Reference my web page of March 23, 2001, and see Edward at work. The small bit of sleeve at the right of this frame belongs to Dr. Gary Schwartz, the man conducting this airtight test of Edward. In that video, he is looking directly at Edward, who is peeking through the gap in the partition which is certainly far more than "about quarter of an inch," as Keen claims and that "peek" immediately preceded one of the readings that Schwartz claims and Keen believes to be "evidential." Keen wrote that I "reported that . . . John Edward, could have seen the sitter through a 2" curtain gap." Mr. Keen, this is sheer invention a lie. I never said nor wrote any such thing. This is the kind of "isolation" between subject and "reader" that Schwartz takes such pride in. Keen points out that "subsequently" this blatant error was remedied. Remember the old adage about locking the barn door after the horse has been stolen? I imagine that Keen and Schwartz have never been in the horse business.
Yes, I declined the invitation from Schwartz. That man had eagerly agreed, in person at the JREF, to not only follow the protocol that we outlined to him for testing John Edward, but to supply us with all the raw data (written, video-ed, etc.) before issuing his report. From that day to this, we've heard nothing from him. He not only broke his agreement with us, but he ignored our input for which he'd expressed much admiration and rushed into print. He was seen everywhere on television and in the media extolling the validation of speaking-to-the-dead that he imagined he'd obtained. I don't trust him, nor will I offer him any further participation after his betrayal of our trust and confidence. I believe that is a proper and sensible stance. He has proven himself.
And, statisticians who examined the very limited amount of data that Gary Schwartz actually published, are aghast at the twisting and misapplication he made there of statistical methods. They've called them "voodoo" statistics, and even "crazy." Schwartz just doesn't understand probability, and doesn't know what he's doing. In my opinion, he's put parapsychology back twenty years. And parapsychology, a legitimate investigative science, needs less of that kind of damage, and more input from careful workers like Richard Wiseman. There's a man who knows what he's doing, though I'm sure that Montague Keen can provide us with a rant on him, too.
If we'd had that original material Schwartz promised to provide, we could not only have made our observations on that "peek," but many others, as well. But we'll never see that. What I'm pointing out here is that the opportunity to peek was certainly there, and it should not have been, had Schwartz known how to or cared to implement proper security. It's not too hard to do, Dr. Schwartz, even for a Ph.D. from Harvard.
Keen continues:
Equally, despite his confident assertions that cold reading can produce results as impressive as any from a platform medium, he declined an offer to prove it by comparing his performance with that of a genuine medium, surely a crucial test.
Codswallop. I am not experienced in "cold reading," though I know others who are. Keen here is setting up a situation similar to that of my being presented with a violin and being challenged to play Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto. I profess no ability to play the instrument, but my failure to perform in no way indicates that Itzhak Perlman is supernatural. This is not in any way a "crucial test," at all. But Keen knows that, unless he's an idiot.
Kenn writes:
Similarly, Mr. Randi accused the experimenters of "blatant data searching", i.e. remembering the hits and forgetting the misses. This was false, and could readily have been shown to be so. He thereafter publicly declined to read any of Professor Schwartz's emails, having confined himself to deriding the Professor for believing in the tooth fairy, making wild claims and being a "doctor who embraces bump-in-the-night theories without a trace of shame". Further, that he had been a colleague at Harvard of Dr John Mack, "the man who has never met anyone who hasn't been abducted by aliens", and similar abuse. This is the language and conduct of the gutter, not of an honest difference of opinion expressed in civilized and restrained terms about scientific issues.
Well, let's look into this matter of "language and conduct" as compared to "restrained terms," shall we? Here is a selection of language used by Montague Keen, in his present tirade alone, that you might find interesting.
Fulcrum TV, the skeptic community, and I, are accused of various faults, using terms such as: "misleading and worthless," "tissue of lies," "gross hypocrisy," "naivety," "arrogance and inadequate research," "cavalier and misleading," "sheer gimmickry," "deliberate suppression of important and relevant material," "dishonest as well as deliberate," "grossly misleading," "pathologically bigoted," and "inevitably tarnished reputations."
Smooth talker!
Keen continues to run on about the tired old situation with Ted Serios and Jule Eisenbud, getting this material from Internet sources. But he avoids the Internet material from my web page, of course; that might provide data he finds damaging to that case. The Serios tricks are ancient history, being done now by kid magicians at amateur shows. Eisenbud's demands that I replicate an anecdotal performance by Serios, dressed in a seamless rubber suit and drunk, as Serios usually was when performing, even though I don't drink at all. He even wanted me to have the same blood-alcohol level as Serios! These provisions, and others, were just comical, and below serious consideration. When I very effectively replicated the basic Serios trick on a live TV show in New York with Serios and Eisenbud present, Eisenbud was flabbergasted. Serios just didn't care, and smiled wanly. And yes, I have the videotape.
Keen, once more:
Worse still are the multiple errors of fact, admixed with derision, abuse and misrepresentation, which Mr. Randi makes in his book Flim-Flam (1980) about a number of distinguished scientists, notably Russell Targ, Harold Puthoff and Charles Tart and their roles in the remote viewing experiments with Ingo Swann and the clairvoyant claims of Uri Geller. That Randi's denunciations turned out to be mainly a tissue of lies is apparent from the penetrating account given by parapsychologist D. Scott Rogo in Psychic Breakthroughs Today (Aquarian Press, 1987, pp.216-226), and devastatingly amplified in a recent website publication by Michael Prescott.
Try as I might, I've been unable to get any of these people to point out the "multiple errors of fact" in "Flim-Flam!" that so dismay them. Show me, Keen!
Keen follows with his assurance to us that he is "not applying for Mr. Randi's $1 million, but only for some evidence that his challenge is genuine." Now that I've cleared that up, will Montague Keen now apply? Listen! That's the same chorus of crickets heard when we ask Sylvia Browne to respond….
At this point Keen presents a list of twenty "cases suggestive of survival" that I'm supposed to explain. Conveniently, at least seven of the authors of these "miracles" are very dead, and others are unreachable, anyway. That's the kind of references Keen prefers. We have no indication that any of these are factual, only that they were reported. Let's look at a few other examples where parapsychologists and mystics went into party mode, only to fall silent and retreat from them when the truth became known. These were very prominent "evidential" cases of the same strength as those held aloft by Keen, and I only mention a few of them here. Please recall that there was a time when a large part of the scientific world believed in "N-rays," because they were "discovered" by a tenured, laurelled, respected French scientist, and multiple papers from equally respected scientists had validated their existence. Today, we know this was a delusion. When parapsychologists at the prestigious Stanford Research Institute (now "Institution") in the 1970s lauded the performance of Uri Geller and issued and published in Nature Magazine a "scientific" account of his feats, a percentage of the academic world accepted that as fact, until it was shown that those in charge had not actually tested Geller, but only allowed him to do demonstrations of his specialty. A magician was involved in the investigation. We'd be hard-pressed to find any acceptance in science, today, for those claims. The world of bump-in-the-night was agog when a young girl named Tina Resch was validated by parapsychologists as a poltergeist agent, the newspapers were full of it, and scientists clambered aboard that rickety bandwagon; today, Tina is out of consideration, and some scientists are nursing wounds from that episode. The same magician was involved in the investigation. Ted Serios, the Chicago bellboy, was once touted highly as the "thoughtography" wonderworker, and was the subject of books and glowing articles from the parapsychological community; now his tricks are forgotten, and never discussed in academe. The magician was brought in there, too. One Pavel Stepanek, beginning in 1961, was the current "golden boy" of parapsychology, having astounded parapsychologists with a series of tests which had odds of success by chance alone of 1/1,125,899,906,824,464 a result thereafter never repeated. The 1970 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records even proclaimed him "the best clairvoyant ever tested." The bottom line here is that when test controls were tightened the design suggested by a magician Stepanek's success ratio fell to the level of chance. The "testing" of this psychic superstar is a classic example of self-interest conflicting with the interest of science, and ambition colliding with common sense. Stepanek "retired" in 1971, then emerged from obscurity in April of 1989 for an experiment in Amsterdam with parapsychologist Jan Kappers. The results were slightly below chance expectation. Stepanek and his wonders faded from view.
Are these "scientific results," once so endorsed and celebrated by parapsychologists, mentioned by Keen? No. But those that did not come under the eye of a competent magician, are rhapsodized on by Keen. There's a message to be found there….
Keen runs on about the voting carried on at the Fulcrum TV show, showing an increase in audience belief as the show went on. But even Keen admits,
. . . as Randi rightly said, the evidence is determined by scientific investigation (plug for his $1,000,000 offer amid cries of 'phoney') not by votes.
Nor, I would add, by Tarot cards or rune-casting. That may shock Keen, but I have no faith in these methods.
Only one more example of Keen's perfidy:
The program ended with a slightly botched experiment in psychometric reading by Charles for which there was quite inadequate time . . .
That hardly describes it. Charles screwed that one up, entirely. He was very wrong, and he chortled, when he discovered what he was supposed to be revealing, that this was a case which he, a former police officer, had actually worked on. He apparently presented this as a reason for his failure while this fact should have given him even more of an advantage, if he'd had any genuine "psychic" powers! This test was not "slightly botched up." It was a total disaster. By these standards, Keen might consider the last sailing of the Titanic to be "less than satisfactory."
I believe that my reluctance to examine the entire tirade written by Montague Keen, can be seen to be understandable. If it takes me more than 6,000 words to refute just a small portion of his entire text, it would consume two days or more of my time and talent to do it all, an investment I'm unwilling to make. Nor am I required to; I've done it all before. At risk of wearing out quotations and sayings, I'll apply this old English proverb: "A fool can ask more questions in one hour than seven wise men can answer in seven years."
Keen did not look into the matter sufficiently. He simply chose to accept and quote from the canards that have been created by those desperate to avoid the confrontation between fact and myth, a confrontation that bears no terrors at all for me, but which obviously frustrates and angers them. He is a master of willful ignorance and sheer invention.
I apologize to my regular readers for using up almost all of this weeks page with my abbreviated rebuttal of Keen's attack. About every two years, I have to "clean house," so to speak, but just as Joan Rivers once said, "House-cleaning is ridiculous. You do the laundry and the dishes, you sweep the floors, you take out the trash, and four months later you have to do it all over again!" Well, I get two years of relative rest before someone comes along with a harangue that requires handling. Mind you, the damage is not neutralized; it persists, because it's too good to let go of. The believers have not much to cling to, so they snatch at the tatters and comfort themselves.
Next week, I'll try your patience with a detailed analysis of one of the "readings" done in that TV studio by Keith Charles a feat highly evaluated by Montague Keene….


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Tel: (770)748-9320
School Overview
|Religious Affiliation
|Grades Offered
|Grades Kindergarten - 9
|Year Founded
Student Body
|Total Students
|25 students
|Student Body Type
|% Students of Color
State avg.: 22%
|Students by Grade
Academics and Faculty
|Total Classroom Teachers
|4 teachers
|Student : Teacher Ratio
National avg.: 13:1
|Average Class Size
|6 students
|Classroom Dress Code
Finances and Admission
|Admission Deadline
|None / Rolling
|Yearly Tuition Cost
|Tuition Notes
|Yearly rate
|Acceptance Rate
National avg.: 85%
|Admissions Director
|Alana Hutchins
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RomeDarlington School
1014 Cave Spring Rd Sw
Rome, GA, 30161
(706)236-04108.2 mi | 808 students | Gr. PK-12
RomeMontessori School Of Rome
165 Dodd Blvd Se
Rome, GA, 30161
(706)232-7744Montessori School12.5 mi | 131 students | Gr. K-7
RomeSaint Mary's Catholic School
401 East 7th Street
Rome, GA, 30161
(706)234-4953(Roman Catholic)13.5 mi | 192 students | Gr. NS-8
Mount BerryBerry College Elementary School
Po Box 490247
Mount Berry, GA, 30149
(706)236-224214.2 mi | 140 students | Gr. KG-8
RomeUnity Christian School
2960 New Calhoun Highway NE
Rome, GA, 30161
(706)292-0700(Christian)17.2 mi | 343 students | Gr. NS-12
School Reviews
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Updated October 26, 2014
What do you do when you are dissatisfied with your local public schools? Homeschool your children? Send them to private school? Let's look at your options.
Your religion matters to you. You want your child to attend a school which will combine academics and religious education. Here is an overview of what is available together with some links to denominational web sites.
Add things up and you'll quickly find the answer- math is crucial both in academics and the real world. By following these strategies and following personal training programs, students can uncover their weaknesses and conquer math.

subset: commoncrawl


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A diminutive alien menaces a remote Scottish Isle in this Sci-Fi thriller from the 'King of the B-Movies," Edgar Ulmer.
If next week's Thanksgiving meal leaves you feeling a bit sluggish, this week's releases offer a great opportunity to plop in front of your entertainment delivery system.
Two classic television series and a pair of new movies combined for a perfect week for winter renters.
A pair of American ladies vacationing in the Mediterranean run afoul of the titular monster in this "creature feature" that rocks some hot locations and a cool sea beast.
November got off to a good start for renters, with an equal mix of blockbusters and more modestly budgeted flicks.
A Bengal tiger runs amok in a quiet mountain community in this SyFy Channel flick that deserves merit for managing to avoid CGI effects while borrowing heavily from the 1976 classic "Jaws."
This year, they decided to celebrate Halloween by releasing only a handful of horror flicks. At least they're good ones.
Location, ST | website.com
|Prestonsburg Gas Prices provided by GasBuddy.com


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Fourbit Ford Campground
The campground and campsites are located along Fourbit Creek in the City of Medford watershed. This remote and picturesque campground is a short distance from Willow Lake and Fish Lake, and nearby to ...[more]
From Medford, OR travel north approximately 16 miles on Highway 62 going through Eagle Point to the Butte Falls/Willow Lake turnoff. Turn east (right) and travel 16 miles to the town of Butte Falls. Continue through Butte Falls on County Road 821 for 9.1 miles to Forest Road 3065. Turn north (left) and travel 1.4 miles to the campground entrance to the west (left).
Additional InformationCalifornia State Tourism>California State Road Conditions>
Weather InformationNational Weather Service (NOAA)


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A 1-1 mapping of the Riot Developer APIs to a Ruby Gem with a convenient abstraction to get the most from the API (always growing).
gem install league_api
In order to use the API you must have a developer key which can be obtained at (https://developer.riotgames.com/):
export LOL_KEY="your-key"
Once you set the LOL_KEY (will be changing to API_KEY in the near future) you can start to play with the API methods that Riot provides (https://developer.riotgames.com/api/methods).
Available Methods
$ LeagueApi.available_requests will return all requests that can be made
Since the API returns JSON there is typically more information than we typically want. Because of this there are / will be more, convenience methods available.
LeagueApi.get_champion_list #Fetch array of champions names
LeagueApi [ get_item_names, get_summoner_id(name), last_game_played(summoner_id) ]
Right now there are not many methods available
Is very much appreciated so feel free to submit a PR and we can see if we can get it merged in.


text: In this sequel to the 1994 horror cult item, nearly 20 years after his father, a mass murderer named Morty, committed suicide in front of his mother and himself, Mike Hawthorne (Gordon Currie) invites several of his friends to his family's old cabin in the woods for a Halloween party. While playing a game in which guests are supposed to confess and confront their worst fears, Mike attempts to conjure up the spirit of his late father. Mike is more successful than he imagined when he discovers that Morty's malevolent soul inhabits a wooden Indian in the cabin. The statue comes to life, and Morty's bloodthirsty habits begin anew. The Fear: Resurrection was also released on video under the title The Fear: Halloween Night. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi


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FORT WAYNE – The changes in personnel for the Purdue football program make a dizzying laundry list.
It all happened in a few days, coach Darrell Hazell said, and the bye week between the Boilermakers' game against Northern Illinois and its matchup Saturday against Nebraska turned into a full-fledged overhaul.
The changes started at the most important offensive position. Freshman quarterback Danny Etling is the new starter.
Fifth-year senior quarterback Rob Henry is now a safety.
He can throw every ball, Hazell said of Etling, the Terre Haute native, who will get the first start of his career against the Cornhuskers. I watched him the other day throw an out cut across the field from the left hash to the right sideline on a line. That makes you cover the whole field defensively. When you start playing from sideline to sideline and goal line to goal line, you start involving your wide receivers, that creates issues for defenses.
The 6-foot-3 freshman has a businesslike approach to the job that jibes with Hazell. The first-year coach joked that he worries his new starter might spend a bit too much time in the film room, dissecting his play and that of opposing defenses.
It's just tireless, Hazell said. He better be going to class.
The move brought some life to a Purdue offense that is averaging 17 points per game, which is tied for 112th out of 123 Football Bowl Subdivision teams. The Boilermakers are 117th in total offense with 301.6 yards per game, all indicators to Hazell that a change needed to be made.
But that wasn't the only switch. The Boilers will look different from the team that started the season 1-4 and 0-1 in the Big Ten.
Redshirt freshman offensive lineman Jordan Roos moved to starting right guard. Senior defensive tackle Bruce Gaston moved to defensive end, and freshman Ra'Zahn Howard will move up the depth chart in the middle.
Freshmen Evan Panfil and Jake Replogle will help out on the outside with senior defensive end Greg Latta hindered by a hamstring injury.
Freshman receiver Dan Monteroso is back from a broken collarbone and will likely take a prominent role in the passing game, as will DeAngelo Yancey, a freshman who had a career day with Etling at the helm in the second half against Northern Illinois.
For those keeping track, that makes seven first-year players who shift into key roles for the Boilermakers after the bye week. Being able to play some of those younger guys gives those guys an opportunity to push some of those older guys, Hazell said. I think that drives the older guys to do better.
Hazell said the inexperience could hurt against a team such as Nebraska (4-1, 1-1), but at the moment, it's revitalized his squad.
Etling is a big part of that.
We threw an incomplete pass yesterday to Danny Anthrop down the field about 45 yards, and the sideline erupted because they were excited we were able to throw the ball down the field, Hazell said Tuesday. Just those little things give you cues that, you know, guys are locked in a little bit more.
Whether the new look means a better team will be determined Saturday.
I think our energy's a little bit better right now coming off some of the changes, Hazell said. It is. That's real.
Note: Hazell said junior safety Landon Feichter, a Bishop Dwenger grad, could be back from a broken leg suffered Sept. 7 as soon as Nov. 2 against Ohio State.


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The White Tulip Hostel
Real Reviews
Real reviews from fellow travellers
These are trusted reviews from guests who have actually stayed here. We hope you find them helpful.
Note: we only give a property a rating once it has received a minimum of 3 reviews.
- Page:1/1
- " The staff was really kind and helpful. The cleanliness was not the best. My concern was that the first night I got bug bites and I suspected of bed bugs. The person in the lobby helped me and checked it right away as he knows the risk of a huge problem. I just want to highlight it again so they ensure there are no bedbugs. "
- 10 Nov 2014 Katia Mexico
- " Prefekt place for a weekend stay. You get what you need at a reasonable prize. Nice guests and staff. "
- 04 Sep 2014 Johan Sweden
- " Great location, friendly staff, cool atmosphere in irish bar and 20% discount for guests! It was pretty clean. I can recommend this hostel. "
- 20 Jun 2014 Maria Russia
- " Location is everything. Won't stay there again thou. "
- 30 Apr 2014 Marcus Sweden
- " Four showers for the whole hostel were too few, I hope they're done with renovating soon. Showers were a bit small. The bathroom on the second floor seemed like it was not cleaned once...rooms were cozy and okay, we think a mirror was missing and the radiator was broken (could not be turned off).apart from this the hostel has a great location and the staff is really kind and helpful. Pricing was quite good for the area. "
- 29 Mar 2014 Lea Germany
- " The overall experience was good. It was quite ideal - centrally located, clean and comfortable. The only issue I had was with the showers - very small so there was no dry space to change and clothes that were hung on the hook got soaked. "
- 12 Feb 2014 Tabinda Pakistan
- " The hostel itself was fine... room wasn't too cramped, and other than the weekend rates (which are obscene throughout Amsterdam), the price was good. The big problem with this hostel was the guests and the staff's lack of enforcement of rules. One night, a rowdy group who were staying in the room came back at 6am, pounded on the door to be let in (even though 3 of them had keys), then blasted music and talked loudly for an hour. I told the front desk and they did nothing. Unacceptable! "
- 27 Nov 2013 Anonymous USA


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Former NFL offensive mind currently the head man for Montreal of the CFL. Dave Miller
According to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle, Montreal Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman met with Oakland owner Al Davis to discuss the Raiders' head coaching position.
Of course, the position isn't exactly open, as Tom Cable technically remains the team's head coach after leading the Raiders to a 9-18 mark in less than two years with the club. But it's become clear since the season has ended that Cable's days with the Raiders seem numbered.
Trestman is one of at least two men to have met with Davis recently to discuss the position, with the other being former New York Giants head coach Jim Fassel.
According to another report earlier today, Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh rejected the Raiders' overtures when he was contacted about a potential opening.
In two seasons leading the Canadian Football League's Alouettes, Trestman has compiled a 26-10 mark with two appearances in the league's Grey Cup and a championship this past November, the first title for Montreal since 2002. The 53-year-old signed an extension with the team shortly after the season that runs through 2012.
From my perspective, turning to Trestman makes a lot of sense for the Raiders.
He already is acquainted with the franchise, as he held the position of quarterbacks coach and then offensive coordinator from 2001-03. He played a key role in elevating the game of QB Rich Gannon, who led the team to a Super Bowl appearance in 2003.
That season, the Raiders led the NFL in total offense at 389.8 yards per game and passing yards at 279.7 per game.
Since that year, the team hasn't won more than five games in a season.
He clearly hasn't lost his knowledge and passion for the game, specifically when it comes to the offensive side of the ball, which is an area the Raiders have been striving to improve on for years.
This past season, the Alouettes led the CFL in nearly every offensive category and QB Anthony Calvillo was named the league's most outstanding player.
Granted, Trestman isn't a miracle worker—don't expect JaMarcus Russell to improve overnight. But if Davis' interest in Trestman is genuine, he isn't such a far-fetched candidate for the head gig—assuming that Cable indeed gets the ax.
Follow me on Twitter at Miller_Dave
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NOV 26 Joel Corry
Inside a performance-based contract
Elvis Dumervil will be handsomely rewarded after his big night in New Orleans.
NOV 25 Jeff Fedotin
Does Mike Evans deserve Rookie of the Year?
Tampa Bay wide receiver has a TD in four straight games.
NOV 20 Joel Corry
Will there be first ballot Hall of Famers in 2015?
A detailed look at the eight candidates vying for that unique honor.


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The Who - Who Are You?
Music video by The Who performing Who Are You?. (C) 1998 Polydor Ltd. (UK)...
- published: 22 Jan 2010
- views: 8042150
- author: TheWhoVEVO
The Who have announced a 50th anniversary UK tour that is likely to be their last. The rock group, whose hits include Substitute and My Generation, announced the Who Hits 50 tour would include songs from across their career. "This is the...BBC News 2014-06-30
A motorcyclist who lives in Jamestown is accused of felony driving while intoxicated in connection with a Friday traffic arrest on Fairmount Avenue. State...Buffalo News 2012-09-02
Rock star turned actor says his trust in director Ken Russell was so great he would do anything for him Roger Daltrey trusts Ken Russell the way Gabriel trusts God. Filming...IMDb 2013-03-26
"All you rich rock stars out there: get off your butts!" yelled Roger Daltrey, lead singer of the Who, to today's packed lunchtime house at the National Press Club in...Yahoo Music 2012-11-12
The Guardian
The Siasat Daily
Like World News?
Who frontman Roger Daltrey says the inevitability of a new record by the band isn't so much a question of "when" as it is "whether." Speaking to the NME, he said that both he and guitarist Pete Townshend have the makings of a new LP should they choose to rise to the occasion. "Pete's got hundreds of songs so the only question is whether we get around to it," the vocalist said....Rollingstone 2014-01-30
LONG BEACH, Calif. — Who's next at Long Beach? Just the lead singer of The Who, Roger Daltrey. Daltrey's latest amazing journey takes him to the streets of Long Beach, where the famed frontman will mix racing with philanthropy at the Toyota Grand Prix. Daltrey will attend the IndyCar Series race to raise awareness of Teen Cancer America. Daltrey, inducted in 1990 into the Rock...Boston Herald 2014-04-12
Daltrey was invited to perform in a ceremony to unveil a bust honoring former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, one of the United States' staunchest allies and instrumental in defeating the Nazis in World War II. Democrat and Republican House and Senate leaders united for a few moments to honor the Prime Minister and enjoy a couple of songs from the British icon at the...The Inquisitr 2013-10-31
Share PhotoReddit✉ Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey are taking The Who on the road for a series of shows in the U.K. celebrating the band's 50th anniversary. Daltrey referred to the tour as the start of the Who's "long goodbye" during a news conference Monday at Ronnie Scott's jazz bar in London. "Well, it just has to be really," the 70-year-old Daltrey said. "We can't go on...U~T San Diego 2014-07-01
A biopic telling the story of Keith Moon, the Who's notoriously misbehaved drummer who died of an overdose in 1978, is now under production. The group's frontman, Roger Daltrey, has given the project his support, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Roger Daltrey Looks Back at 'Tommy' Daltrey, who recently confirmed that the Who would be embarking on their "last big tour" in...Rollingstone 2013-11-11
"I hope I die before I get too old…and become a drain on the NHS." Roger Daltrey, the Who frontman, has called for a halt to medical advances which could extend mortality well beyond the age of 100 and urged society to face up to the inevitability of death. Daltrey, 69, unveiled the first set of acts who will perform at the annual Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT) gigs, which he...The Independent 2014-01-29
LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Who's next at Long Beach? Just the lead singer of The Who, Roger Daltrey. Daltrey's latest amazing journey takes him to the streets of Long Beach, where the famed frontman will mix racing with philanthropy at the Toyota Grand Prix. Daltrey will attend the IndyCar Series race to raise awareness of Teen Cancer America. Daltrey, inducted in 1990 into the...Seattle Post 2014-04-12
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey (lead vocals, harmonica and guitar), Pete Townshend (guitar, keyboards and vocals), John Entwistle (bass guitar, brass and vocals) and Keith Moon (drums and percussion). They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction. The Who have sold about 100 million records, and have charted 27 top forty singles in the United Kingdom and United States, as well as 17 top ten albums, with 18 Gold, 12 Platinum and 5 Multi-Platinum album awards in the United States alone.
The Who rose to fame in the UK with a series of top ten hit singles, boosted in part by pirate radio stations such as Radio Caroline, beginning in January 1965 with "I Can't Explain". The albums My Generation (1965), A Quick One (1966) and The Who Sell Out (1967) followed, with the first two reaching the UK top five. They first hit the US Top 40 in 1967 with "Happy Jack" and hit the top ten later that year with "I Can See for Miles". Their fame grew with memorable performances at the Monterey Pop,Woodstock and Isle of Wight music festivals. The 1969 release of Tommy was the first in a series of top ten albums in the US, followed by Live at Leeds (1970), Who's Next (1971), Quadrophenia (1973), The Who by Numbers (1975), Who Are You (1978) and The Kids Are Alright (1979).


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Prenatal Yoga: Sat Nov 22, Wed Nov 26 and Thur Nov 27
Yoga for Women: Sat Nov 22, Wed Nov 26, and Thur Nov 27
All of our session based classes (Baby, Tot, and Tyke classes and Fertility Yoga) are on break Nov 17 - Nov 29th.
Winter I session begins Sunday Nov 30 and end Sat Dec 21st (3 weeks). Registration is open online for Winter I classes.
**All students registering for Winter I (Baby, Tot, Tyke, and Fertility classes as well as Prenatal and Yoga for Women) classes will receive a special holiday gift!**


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With Rate-Setting Proposal, MA Leads Pricing Race to the Bottom
Granted, the story goes on to mention that the panel sees this action as a "near-term" solution to address "unjustified" provider price variation, whatever that means. I don't know about you, but I read "near-term" as code for "desperate" and "unjustified" as "expensive" in a state that is spending—for a variety of unpredictable and very predictable reasons—vastly more on its universal healthcare plan than it ever imagined.
Excuse me for extrapolating Massachusetts' grand experiment with what we're undergoing more slowly on a national scale, but the structural similarities between the two lead one to believe that many of the same problems eventually will crop up nationally.
Bluntly, this plan sounds suspiciously like rate-setting. We tried, as a nation, a very crude form of healthcare rate-setting in the Nixon administration, when healthcare wages and prices were frozen. That failed miserably.
But despite protestations to the contrary, how can anyone see this Massachusetts proposal as anything but rate-setting? It seems unlikely that hospitals would be on the winning side in most of the decisions put before the panel, so it's in their interests never to have to appear before the committee. That puts an unseen ceiling on healthcare costs that is far from competition-driven.
The serious question I ask about all this as it goes on in Massachusetts is whether we want healthcare to be provided by the low bidder as determined not by economics, but by the vote of a committee.
In reading the story earlier this week, I was reminded of a quote from astronaut Alan Shepherd: "It's a very sobering feeling to be up in space and realize that one's safety factor was determined by the lowest bidder on a government contract."
Again, it's an imperfect analogy, but it occurred to me that if Massachusetts is a Petri dish under which many of the provisions of healthcare reform are being tested, one day, we all might legitimately co-opt Shepherd's quip by replacing "up in space" with "in a hospital bed."
Philip Betbeze is senior leadership editor with HealthLeaders Media.
Comments are moderated. Please be patient.
Doug (11/28/2011 at 11:42 AM)
short and brief: Since Healthplans dont understand hospital billing, Hospitals dont understand hospital billing, the Patient doesnt understand hospital billing, then why are we suppose to pay the bill assuming ofcourse the higher bill means "better" quality
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Home � NH Angle
First Baptist Church of BF to pray for family and friends of fallen hero
BELLOWS FALLS -- There is a ministry of hate and fear being preached by the poor misguided people of the Westboro Church from Kansas as they plan to picket in Peterborough, N.H., at the funeral of a fallen soldier this weekend. We at the First Baptist Church of Bellows Falls pray for the those affected harshly by this news and event.
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Tillotson pulls first glove on Nov. 11 after manufacturing moved from former Balsams plant


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10:55 8th April 2013
Club once again thanks loyal supporters
Following the end of Early Bird Extra Time - the second and final phase of the Early Bird campaign - an additional 973 fans have taken-up the special offer.
This brings the final Early Bird total to 9,036 season ticket holders.
Click HERE to read Chief Executive, Jez Moxey's thank you to the Club's most loyal supporters, which was issued mid-way through the Early Bird campaign.
Jez added: "Once again, we'd like to thank all our fans who've chosen to renew despite a hugely disappointing season.
"We'll need every one of our supporters to be at Molineux for Saturday's crucial match versus Huddersfield. Everyone knows the importance of this game and the team will have a better chance of winning if the Stadium is full of noisy, supportive Wolves fans."
Wolves complete the loan signings of Jordan Graham from Aston Vill....
14 hours 48 mins ago
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17 hours 36 mins ago
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21 hours 25 mins ago
Ikeme calls for Wolves to respond
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Jackett says midfielder will bounce back
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Gaffer still confident in squad
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|Blog Posts
www.globalgiving.org/donate/1429/arts-for-all/ ) Arts for All is an arts outreach organization serving in-need children ages 4-19 in greater New York City. Professional artists work with children who have little means or opportunity to explore the arts due to economic disadvantages, physical and mental disabilities, hospitalization, socialization issues, emotional trauma, or any other life challenge. They hope to open children's eyes to artistic skills they may not realize they have, to possible artistic careers, and/or to positive alternatives for releasing energy and creativity.As a member of GlobalGiving's "Pay It Forward Challenge," I made a $25 donation to the Arts for All ( India Literacy Project . Their goal is to establish 100% functional literacy in India! This begins with educating 3,600 kids in Jharkhand, India, a region with a largely trial and uneducated population. The India Literacy Project hopes to achieve 100% school enrollment and retention of kids in school for 10 years. My $25 donation helped 23 pre-schoolers to enjoy school. What an awesome gift!
Waves for Water ( www.globalgiving.org/projects/karma-kit-w4w-and-clean-water-courier-missions/ ) Many of the places surfers travel to find the best waves also happen to be places where local citizens have little access to clean water. Waves for Water's Karma Kits contain a filtration system, a canteen, fin key, surf wax and other needed items. When surfers arrive in a village without clean water, they can provide filtration systems to villagers to give them access to clean water for years to come.
Sanitary Pads in Uganda ( www.globalgiving.org/projects/girl-support-project-in-uganda-africa/ ) In Uganda, drop-out rates are high for rural girls, often because they are forced to miss several days of school each month during their periods. The people behind this project in Uganda work to keep girls in school by providing pads, women mentors and teachers, girls-only bathrooms and education about puberty, menstrual cycles, and safe sexual practices.
Alternative Livelihoods and Elephant Rescue Thailand ( www.globalgiving.org/projects/elephant-rescue-thailand/ ) Elephant Rescue Thailand is working to move as many Asian elephants, an endangered species, from circus life back to the wildlife. Living in natural social herds in the forest has a tremendous impact on elephants' psychological health and provides a balanced diet, dramatically increasing life expectancy. They've thought of the elephants' owners too -- they have included a training program to help both elephant and master live a longer, better, circus-free life.
GlobalGiving gift cards are 100% tax-deductible, and come in the form of print-at-home cards, e-cards, or beautiful biodegradable physical cards (with free shipping ~ order by December 12th for December 24th delivery). Gift cards can be purchased using a credit/debit card or PayPal. The purchaser makes the tax-deductible donation, and the recipient chooses the charity project that receives the funds. If, for any reason, the recipient is unhappy with their donation, it's covered by the GlobalGiving Guarantee.
So, are you ready to give to someone in need or select a GlobalGiving gift card for someone you love? CLICK HERE to begin.
Disclosure: I received a gift card to donate to a project of my choice on GlobalGiving. All opinions expressed here are 100% my own.
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Description: Amateur Submission - Jerking Off On A Train An Filming While No One Watches
Duration: 02:27
Views: 49681
Date: 53 months ago
Tags: Amateur
Uploader: Anonymous
Description: Amateur Submission - Jerking Off On A Train An Filming While No One Watches
Duration: 02:27
Views: 49681
Date: 53 months ago
Tags: Amateur
Uploader: Anonymous
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Tag Archives: seth macfarlane
A Million MacFarlane Tropes: Promotional Photo Shoot For Film
Kaelyn Kelly-Colon writes for Bleeding Cool: A Million Ways to Die In The West is a movie I have absolutely no interest in seeing. However, that being said, the promotional photo shoot held near the entrance of the convention center is …
Matt Groening And Seth MacFarlane Draw Each Other
The season premier of Family Guy this year will take the Griffin's out of Quahog and into Springfield as they meet the Simpsons. EW focused on the event with a series of different Family Guy/Simpsons covers this week as well …
Mila Kunis Out, Amanda Seyfried In As Ted 2 Female Lead
There are no plot details yet, so not sure how that's gonna work, since Ted, John and Lori seemed to have it all worked out at the end of the first film.
Already, A New Edit Of The Million Ways To Die In The West Trailer, As Plugged During The Super Bowl
A commercial aired during the Super Bowl a few minutes ago, telling folk that they can see the trailer for Seth MacFarlane's A Million Ways to Die in the West on t'internet… well, here you go.
Deadly Red Band Trailer For Seth MacFarlane's A Million Ways To Die In The West
There is some modern-sounding cussing and a lot of death. The title should have set you up for that.
From Sarah Silverman To Seth MacFarlane – The Cast And Character Posters Of A Million Ways To Die In The West
These evoke character and tone and that's more than the two stills we've seen in the past.
New Million Ways To Die In The West Image Of Amanda Seyfried, Neil Patrick Harris, Seth MacFarlane And Charlize Theron
MacFarlane's comedy western.
You Were Right About Family Guy All Along, But Does That Make You Happy?
You might consider the following a spoiler. Or you might have the most mild, meek drop of cynicism in your blood, and that will have been enough to spot it coming.
Dubious Rumor About A Family Guy Spinoff Series For Brian
I think the concept of a solo Brian spinoff series is flawed, whether this report is true or not.
Ted 2 Gets A 2015 Passover Release Date
Seth MacFarlane is reportedly shooting the sequel in May 2014 for an April 2015 release.
Seth MacFarlane Has Apparently Been Asked Back To Host The Oscars Again
If he can just squeeze it onto the edge of his plate.
Seth MacFarlane Casts Amanda Seyfried As His Girlfriend In His Comedy Western
MacFarlane gets his other love interest.
Charlize Theron To Teach Seth MacFarlane To Shoot (And Love?) In A Million Ways To Die In The West
Sounds more like Silver Linings Playbook than Blazing Saddles to me. Sort of.
Some Bits And Pieces Of Trivia About The 2013 Oscar Nominations
Prepare yourself for pub quizzes to come.
Seth MacFarlane Says Family Guy Movie Plot "Would Be Impossible To Do On TV"
Following in the footsteps of the Simpsons.
Win! Seth MacFarlane's Ted And Your Very Own Talkin' Ted
Win Ted and, if you're lucky, a Ted of your own.
Seth MacFarlane Will Host The 2013 Oscars
Lucky there's a man who positively can do awards ceremonies.
Universal Hatching Sequels For Bourne With Renner And Weisz, Ted With… That Bear
Studio to become a franchise and toon factory.


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September 5th — October 25th, 2015 • Saturdays, Sundays, & Labor Day Monday • 10:30am – 6:00pm
Check back for 2015 Ticket options and pricing.
Ohio Renaissance Festival
P.O. Box 68
Harveysburg, OH 45032
Phone: 513.897.7000
©2013 Ohio Renaissance Festival. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy
A Creative Solution by: RUBYHAUS
Please observe the village policies: No pets. No outside food or beverage may be brought into festival. All weapons must be tied in a sheath at all times.


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Who We Are
The Colorado Clean Water Coalition is a bipartisan coalition of Municipal, County, Business and Special District stakeholders who strongly support the goals of the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the requirements of the Clean Water Act. As such, our members demonstrate a strong and unwavering commitment to water quality and environmental stewardship in Colorado. We support thoroughly-vetted, cost effective, regionally appropriate and geographically-specific Stormwater Regulations.
Please join us.
Donald Rosier – 2014 CCWC Chair
Jefferson County Commissioner
Roger Partridge – 2014 CCWC Vice-Chair
Douglas County Commissioner
Hot Topics
October 21, 2014
As a member of the CCWC we know you support the goals of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) regarding the requirements of the Clean Water Act – as well as regionally appropriate, flexible, and cost effective environmental regulations that are implementable.
All members of the Colorado Clean Water Coalition are encouraged to submit comments on the Proposed Rule on behalf of their organizations and we hope you will.
Additionally the CCWC intends to submit comments on the Proposed Rule – on behalf of its members – consistent with the comments submitted by Douglas County Government.
Douglas County retained the services of Denver-based, Wright Water Engineers, Inc. to perform an impacts analysis of the Proposed Rule. Their analysis addresses and significantly represents the impacts that would be caused by the Proposed Rule for the majority of CCWC members. It is this analysis on which Douglas County based their comments – which were submitted on October 14.
For additional information please contact Tom Repp by email email@example.com by October 27, 2014.
What You Can Do?
Show your support for regionally appropriate, cost effective and flexible stormwater rules and regulations that are best suited to protect Colorado's water resources by sending a letter of support to the Coalition.
A letter template is located on this Web page.


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Our cereals, cookies and snacks are made with pure organic ingredients and flavors that you'll love. You don't have to compromise on taste when you choose Country Choice Organic!
Recent Updates
The Beauty of Thanksgiving
I never appreciated Thanksgiving until I learned how to cook. For the first two decades of my life, my years revolved around Christmas—Thanksgiving was just the annual prequel. Then I moved out of college dorms and had to prepare my …
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Social Media Jobs: C-SPAN, OneMinuteNews, Three Across
By Nadine Cheung on November 30, 2012 2:00 PM
This week, C-SPAN is hiring two local content vehicle VJs, as well as a local content vehicle community relations rep. Meanwhile, OneMinuteNews needs a director of audience development, and Three Across is on the hunt for a managing director. Get the scoop on these openings and more below, and find additional social media jobs on Mediabistro.
- Local Content Vehicle VJs C-SPAN (Washington, DC)
- Local Content Vehicle Community Relations Rep C-SPAN (Washington, DC)
- Director of Audience Development OneMinuteNews (Greenville, SC)
- Managing Director Three Across (Norwalk, CT)
- Social Media/Web Strategist Fletcher Allen Health Care (Burlington, VT)
Find more great social media jobs on our job board. Looking to hire? Tap into our network of talented AllTwitter pros and post a risk-free job listing. For real-time openings and employment news, follow @MBJobPost.
- Social Media Jobs: Tenthwave, Hamilton College, The Woods & Co
- Social Media Jobs: United Nations Foundation, Lionbridge, WellPoint
- Social Media Jobs: genConnect, Style.com, LeadDog Marketing Group
- Social Media Jobs: Syracuse University, Tech Times, AIAA


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Recipe of the Day
Dark Dreams
Light and crisp, almond flavored Swedish cookies.
Similar Recipes | More Daily Recipes
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Swedish Cookies (Brunscrackers)
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Pepparkakor II
Chocolate Bombs
Swedish Cream Wafers
Swedish Ground Almond Spritz Cookies
Spritz Orange Crisps
Swedish Spritzs
Swedish Nut Bars
Fork Cookies
Traditional Swedish Pepparkakor
Swedish Tea Cookies
Swedish Dream Cookies
Pepparkakor I
Choose from dozens of top-rated roast turkey recipes, from stuffed to deep-fried.
We're counting down from now until Thanksgiving with a great pie every day. Join the fun.
Delicious recipes, party ideas, and cooking tips! Get a year of Allrecipes magazine for $5!
Become a cookie decorating artist!
Follow this simple recipe for perfect homemade cookies.
Turn the flavors of soda bread into quick-and-easy cookies.


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Peppercorn Steak
- Total Time:
- 25 min
- Prep:
- 10 min
- Cook:
- 15 min
- Yield:
- 4 servings
- Level:
- Easy
- Total Time:
- 25 min
- Prep:
- 10 min
- Cook:
- 15 min
- Yield:
- 4 servings
- Level:
- Easy
- 4 (7-ounce) top sirloin steaks
- 4 cups water
- 1/2 (1-ounce) package au jus mix
- 2 tablespoons margarine
- 2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup heavy cream (recommended: Minor's Culinary Cream)
- 2 ounces brandy
- 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly ground coarse black pepper
Heat a grill to medium. Put the steaks the grill and cook to desired doneness.
Bring the water to a boil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the au jus mix and the brandy. Let boil for 10 minutes. While that cooks, in a separate small saucepan, combine the margarine and the flour to make the roux. Let the roux cook for 5 minutes. Add roux to the au jus mixture and stir with a wire whisk until smooth. Stir in the cream and the black pepper. Arrange the steaks on serving plates and serve drizzled with the sauce.
This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.
Recipe courtesy David Egan, head chef of Cattlemen's Steakhouse in Oklahoma City, OK.
More Recipes and Ideas
Red Wine and Pomegranate Hanger Steak with Cipollini Onions
Recipe courtesy of Sunny Anderson
Giddy-Up Steak with Onion-Date Compote
Recipe courtesy of Aarti Sequeira
Rosemary-Garlic Steaks with Arugula, Tomatoes and Parmigiano-Reggiano
Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray


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Grammy-winning rapper Kanye West's recent streak of being friendly and non-confrontational to paparazzi has come to a sudden halt heading into the weekend.
According to reports and new photos, Ye faced off with a photographer early Friday (September 27) in Los Angeles.
Kanye West strikes again. In a matter of 24 hours, the 36-year-old rapper has managed to verbally attack late-night host Jimmy Kimmel and flip out on another paparazzo. Still facing charges of battery and attempted grand theft in an airport altercation with a photographer over the summer, West lashed out at another shutterbug around 4 a.m. Friday. According to TMZ, unwanted photos of the "Black Skinhead" singer were being snapped outside his former bachelor pad when his short fuse began to rear its ugly head. (New York Daily News)
West was pushed to the edge when asked about his publicized feud with late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.
In a video obtained by the gossip site from X17 Online, photographers set off West when they started heckling him about his Twitter feud with Kimmel hours before. "Good morning, Kanye," a photographer said. West immediately fired back, "Shut the f–k up." "Are you mad at Jim Kimmel? Do you think he was too much with you?" the photog continued about his social media rant. "How's it going?" "Don't' say anything to me," West angrily replied. "You are outside my house at 4 a.m. telling me, 'How's it going?' It's not going good. … Y'all here to make money off of us. That's how it's going." (New York Daily News)
To avoid any further issues, Kanye and his girlfriend Kim Kardashian avoided flying out of Los Angeles International Airport.
Kanye West and Kim Kardashian just arrived at San Francisco International Airport, en route to Paris … and they did exactly what we said they would do … avoid the paparazzi at LAX. Kim and Kanye took off from the Van Nuys Airport a few hours ago and landed at SFO. They're transferring to a commercial flight that will take them nonstop to Paris. As we first reported, Kanye has been advised by his reps NOT to fly out of LAX, because they don't want another confrontation with photogs while his criminal battery case is pending. Problem is … the reps didn't bank on photogs showing up at his house early this AM … resulting in yet another confrontation. The paparrazzi at SFO — not ours — also shot video of Kanye and Kim, and much like this morning … they're clearly getting under Kanye's skin. (TMZ)
Mr. West's mid-summer physical assault on a photographer has turned into a significant lawsuit.
City attorney's spokesman Frank Mateljan says West was also charged Friday with one count of attempted grand theft. The rapper's arraignment has been set for Oct. 10 but he is not required to appear if he has an attorney. Photographer Daniel Ramos claims West punched him in an unprovoked attack and wrestled his camera to the ground during an incident at the airport on July 19. Prosecutors declined to file felony charges against West, but city prosecutors decided to pursue misdemeanor charges. Each carries a penalty of up to six months in jail or a $1,000 fine. (ABC News)
Need to spice up your music playlist? Drake's Nothing Was The Same not quite enough for you? Check out the top five reasons you need Mack Wilds' New York: A Love Story right now!


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low bandwidth
Churches operating in the southern Sudan plan to initiate and promote ecumenical peace centres to propagate peace and justice issues among local Christians.
This was one of the resolutions reached during the recent executive committee meeting of the New Sudan Council of Churches (NSCC), held here from November 7-12.
Disclosing this to APS, a member of the NSCC executive committee, Anglican Bishop Manasseh Dawidi said, "It was strongly felt that the move would contribute greatly in the area of educating the local people on issues pertaining to peace and justice among the southerners".
The move would take the Church closer to the grassroot people, especially in the area of peace and justice, which is crucial for lasting people in the war torn East African country, he further said. According to the Sudanese clergy, the move is part of a greater intention by NSCC to move its entire pastoral operations closer if not closest to the intended local Christians.
This is part of the greater move of this church body to shift its pastoral operations among southern Sudanese, currently being run from Nairobi, Kenya.
The NSCC meeting coincided with the October 31 to November 11 regional Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) peace talks on Sudan. The latter failed to resolve the long-standing conflict between the Khartoum government and the Southern rebels, postponing the talks to April 1998.
Asked to comment on the current situation in Sudan, taking into account both the IGAD and NSCC meetings, the Sudanese clergymen noted; "Currently there are a lot of voices coming from different corners, but all somehow heading to one direction - seeking a lasting peaceful situation in the Sudan. It is my prayer and that of the fellow Sudanese church leaders and churches in general that God will continue to guide us in this struggle." And in a statement, put out by the Information Office of the NSCC, Nairobi, leaders of the Sudanese churches and NSCC partners appealed to their country's warring parties to continue with dialogue under the auspices of Inter-Governmental Authority on Development in order to facilitate the conclusion of a comprehensive and just peace process in the country. Said the statement issued in Nairobi on November 18, "We denounce hatred, hostilities and violence that pits leaders against leaders, people against people, communities against communities, brothers and sisters against brothers and sisters.
"We deplore the practices and methods of war and fighting that are taking the lives of Sudanese, especially innocent people, including women and children".
The statement, issued after a three-day round table conference held in Nairobi, the Sudanese spiritual leaders and NSCC partners expressed concern over the collapse of IGAD peace talks and urged Sudan political leaders to abstain from hatred and violence in order to find a just lasting solution to the conflict.
According to the church statement, the IGAD 1994 Declaration of Principle (DOP) has served has the basic framework of the negotiations. Like the four previous peace talks, the just ended peace talks deadlocked over the issue of "confederation". The period between now and next April also gives the NSCC and its member churches an opportunity to put pressure on the two sides before they return to the peace talks, the clergy said. And the NSCC and its partners, according to the church statement, have offered themselves and their services to encourage and facilitate negotiations, and asked the Sudanese leaders to remain committed to the IGAD Declaration of Principles (DOP). Meanwhile Sudanese Anglican clergyman, Manasseh Dawidi of the Kajo Keji Diocese has blamed the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) for failing to avail adequate security to the Sudanese refugees in northern Uganda.
The Sudanese clergymen in a statement to the NSCC Information Office claimed some UNHCR officials were only interested in enriching themselves without any human feeling for the sorry state of the refugees. Bishop Dawidi suggested to the UNHCR to relocate Sudanese refugees from the insecure areas to save lives following recent attacks on six refugee camps in northern Uganda.
Scores of people were killed and several others seriously injured last month, when rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) attacked the camps of Kali, Aliwara, Belameling, Palorinya, Muglalla and Maaji in Moyo district in West Nile.
And early this month, Bishop Dawidi added, the rebels returned and attacked Aliwara Refugee camp, killing six people and injuring scores. Those injured, some with severed limbs, are in Oliji Transit Camp Dispensary, he added.
He also complained of insecurity problems in Palorinya, Kali, Itula and Belameling, citing cases of robberies in September. During this incident, two refugees were killed and two were admitted in Moyo Hospital, he added. But approached for a comment over the UNHCR blame, the organisation's regional Information Officer in Nairobi, Mr Peter Kessler, said it was wrong for the Sudanese clergymen to put the entire blame on the UNHCR over the issue.
"It is an open secret that the area in mention, where some of the Sudanese refugees are being settled is facing insecurity problems and not only for the refugees (Sudanese) but also the local Ugandans," he said. According to him, the UNHCR was doing everything possible to bring down the problem and so was the Uganda Government. "It is good we all get down to serious business in finding a lasting solution rather than engaging in blames and counter blames issues," he told APS in a telephone interview.
Published by the Anglican Communion Office © 2014 Anglican Consultative Council
To learn more about the Anglican Communion visit www.anglicancommunion.org Find out how to embed Anglican News on your website here
Built thanks to the generosity of the Church Mission Publishing Company and the Compass Rose Society


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Seahawks Blog
Danny O'Neil covers the Seahawks for The Seattle Times.
Blog Home | E-mail Danny | Subscribe | Twitter feed| Seahawks forum
Report: Brandon Browner, Richard Sherman appealing suspensions for performance-enhancing drugs
By Adam Schefter | ESPN.com
Richard Sherman, Brandon Browner face suspension
By Gregg Rosenthal, NFL.com
Filed to ESPN: Seattle CBs Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner facing 4-game suspensions for violating performance enhancing drug policy.— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 25, 2012
Seattle cornerbacks Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner are two of the most important players on the Seahawks' defense. They are also facing four-game suspensions under the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs, according to a report from ESPN.
An NFL spokesman said the policy is not to comment on reports of this nature. The report came after the Seahawks had left Miami stadium to return to Seattle so no team officials were available for commment.
According to ESPN, Browner and Sherman are appealing the suspensions with a hearing coming as soon as this week. A message to Browner's agent was not immediately returned.
I interviewed both Sherman and Browner after Sunday's game. Neither gave any indication of league discipline that might be looming.
Seattle rookie safety Winston Guy was suspended for four games, the league announced last Monday, November 19.Update, 9:18 p.m.: NFL.com, which is owned by the league, later corroborated the looming suspensions and reported the substance in question was Adderall, a prescription stimulant that can be used to treat attention deficit hyper-activity disorder (ADHD). While not a steroid, it is among the league's banned substances though players can seek and receive an exemption with prior permission from a doctor.
Dec 24 - 6:10 AM Looking back: Revisiting Sunday's scouting report
Dec 24 - 1:09 AM Seahawks' scoring binge
Dec 24 - 1:01 AM Video: Summing Seattle's victory
Dec 24 - 12:58 AM Video: Russell Wilson post-game comments
Dec 24 - 12:21 AM Rookie passing roll call
Trending with Readers
On seattletimes.comMore Trending
- Team meeting produces a unified effort by Seahawks
- Marshawn Lynch is impossible to understand but beloved by Seahawks teammates
- With no indictment, chaos fills Ferguson streets
- Thanksgiving: What can and can't be prepped ahead
- Scientists may be cracking mystery of big 1872 earthquake
- In Seattle, a march, 'die-ins' and police pelted with rocks
- Seattle-area home prices keep cooling
- Parents of Lake Stevens boy shot in mouth had argued about guns in home
- More National Guard troops roll into Ferguson
- 'Nutcracker' closing, after 1,235 performances — and a marriage proposal


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We're excited to welcome wonderful speakers to the Columbia Club and the Grand Hyatt New York next week as Zillow, the Progressive Policy Institute and Columbia Business School host "America's Housing Crisis: Private-Sector Responses and Public Policy Innovation." Today, we're announcing the full agenda of this two-day event. To register, click here.
Pingback: America's Housing Crisis: Agenda


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Machine to Machine Communications
USAT Corp. specializes in improving the efficiency of mission critical operations by implementing M2M solutions over the air. USAT provides, configures, and deploys the exact network devices that best fit the business requirements and budget of a wireless connectivity initiative.
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Wireless sensor networking is fueling M2M and the Internet-of-ThingsAccording to a recent report from ON World, a leading global business intelligence company, wireless sensor networking is playing an integral part of the M2M and Internet-of-Things current and future success. The company published three reports this month as part of... read more
ETSI releases new specification for embedded communication modules for M2M communicationsETSI's Industry Specification Group (ISG) for Surface Mount Technique (SMT) has revealed its group specification for embedded communication modules for machine to machine (M2M) communications. Embedded communication modules based on surface mount technology... read more
Smart grid and smart water technology are on the riseRecent developments concerning the smart water market, corporate funding in the solar industry, and smart grid technologies have started to surface within the last week. Global corporate funding in the solar industry, including private equity, venture capital, debt... read more
Secure ATM Networking with 3G/4G LTE
Automated teller machines and bill-pay terminals deliver an increasing selection of financial services—and an important revenue stream to financial institutions. To protect that revenue and maintain customer satisfaction, it's crucial to…read more
Verizon certifies the u-blox LTE MPCI-L100 module for M2M applicationsSwiss u-blox, a provider of wireless and positioning modules and semiconductors, has announced that its MPCI-L100 LTE mPCIe module has been certified on the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network. The MPCI-L100 is a versatile, dual-band LTE-only data module, ideal for... read more
New Product Notice: Variants of TransPort WR11 availableNew Product Notice Digi TransPort®WR11 – New LTE Variants Digi is introducing 4G LTE variants of the TransPort WR11 enterprise router and new pricing to increase resale partner margins. The TransPort WR11 with LTE provides a reliable, enterprise-grade 4G LTE... read more
Company Profile:
Incorporated in 1996, USAT is a privately held company with business headquarters in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. USAT is both a state-certified minority/woman business enterprise (MWBE) and certified SBA WOSB. These certifications qualify us as a diverse supplier to our clients' supply chains. We are registered with the Department of Defense's Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database, and can leverage GSA 70 to provide some hardware and software solutions. We are proud to count among its many clients, some of America's largest utility and energy companies along with many local, state and national security public safety agencies.
We are a stocking distributor of top-tier cellular modems, cellular gateways, cellular routers, and ruggedized managed and unmanaged switches designed for critical infrastructure applications. We design and fabricate antenna assemblies that maximize the performance of this type equipment on the cellular network. If a client's data acquisition needs requires outdoor deployment, we can build custom environmental enclosures and off-the-grid power sources that can operate in harsh climatic conditions.
We specialize in improving the efficiency of our clientele's mission critical operations by implementing M2M solutions. We provide, configure, and deploy the exact durable, field-tested intelligent network devices that best fit the business requirements and budget of a wireless connectivity initiative.


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Samsung Partners With Dutch Retailer For NFC Window Shopping
Samsung and Dutch online retailer JeansOnline have partnered to promote NFC. The retailer opened a pop-up shop in Amsterdam which lets customers using an Samsung equipped with NFC technology access exclusive deals by tapping a TecTiles NFC sticker or scanning a QR code on the shop's window.
Topics: 01
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