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The Brick Newsletter June 2010
Page 4: Shocks, Struts
Orders placed through our website will automatically receive any discount pricing associated with this promotion.
If you call to place your order, please be sure to mention media code "ME" to ensure that the correct sales pricing is applied to your phone order.
Sale pricing valid from Thursday, July 01, 2010 through Saturday, August 21, 2010
Performance Shocks for Your High-Performance Volvo
If maximum ride control, handling performance, and long life are what you want, then Bilstein Heavy Duty or Koni Sport shocks are for you. At this level of quality, shocks and struts become the "defining feel" of your car. Both of these options are recognized by passionate Volvo enthusiasts as the best shocks and struts available for 200, 700, and 900 series models. When combined with upgrades like lowering springs, sway bars, and chassis braces, the outstanding performance potential of your favorite Volvo can be brought to life. Which brand is better? Well, that's hard to determine, as both provide top-of-the-line performance. For most enthusiasts, it boils down to ride preference. The low pressure gas Konis feel a bit softer in the early stages of the suspension travel while the Bilsteins have a tighter "gas-charged" feel right from the start.KONI Shocks & Struts
- Top level sport performance, yet compliant at low speeds
- Adjustable rebound control
- Popular alternative to Bilstein when comfort is also important
- Made in Holland of top quality materials
- Not uncommon for Konis to last 100,000 miles or more
- Lifetime warranty
Bilstein Heavy Duty Shocks & Struts
- Best performing for Sport / Enthusiast
- Premium German construction & materials
- On the firm side, but not too harsh
- Patented digressive valving minimizes sharp impacts
- Most popular enthusiast upgrade shocks
- Not uncommon for Bilsteins to last 100,000 miles or more
- Lifetime warranty
See Application and Pricing Below
Exceptional Quality in a Long Life Shock
If you're proud of your Volvo, plan on keeping it for a few years, and are looking for a budget priced performance shock, then consider upgrading to Bilstein Touring Class dampers. They provide exceptional ride quality as well as improved safety and handling. Bilstein Touring Class dampers give excellent performance for the price and offer a ride a bit firmer than stock shocks without feeling too stiff for the daily commute or family hauling. Bilstein Touring Class shocks and struts are gas charged, come with a lifetime warranty and will work well on both stock height and lowered cars.BOGE Turbo Gas Shocks & Struts
- Budget upgrade for most non-turbo models
- Twin tube gas design; not too stiff on the family hauler
- Most popular replacement: good price & performance
- Lifetime warranty, typically last 50,000 to 60,000 miles
Bilstein Touring Shocks & Struts
- Engineering and valving by Bilstein
- Economical twin tube gas design
- Popular budget upgrade, a little stiffer than the Boge Turbo Gas
- Lifetime warranty, typically last 60,000 to 75,000 miles
See Application and Pricing Below
Shocks & Struts for the Budget-Minded
If you're on a budget and want the best value in replacement shocks and struts that offer performance and ride quality equal to what your Volvo offered when it was new, then Boge Automatics or Boge Turbo Gas are good choices. Boge Automatics have a 2-year warranty, are what came stock on most Volvos, and will provide good performance for several years. For a moderately priced upgrade with a slightly more controlled feel than stock, consider the gas charged Boge Turbo Gas. The Boge Turbo Gas has a lifetime warranty and is acceptable for use on stock height or lowered cars. Boge Automatics are not recommended for lowered cars.BOGE Automatic Shocks & Struts
- Original equipment on many Volvo models
- Great choice if you like the way your Volvo rode when new
- Hydraulic design offers compliant performance
- Economy replacements for the quality-conscious
- 2-year unlimited mileage warranty
See Application and Pricing Below#]
Shock and Strut Fitment Guide
(1) This part number incudes spacers for use in 240 turbos and 200 series models originally equipped with gas charged inserts.
Sale pricing valid from Thursday, July 01, 2010 through Saturday, August 21, 2010
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But it wasnt a fatal blow to the brand. Johnson & Johnson pulled all 31 million bottles of Tylenol from store shelves, created a new tamper-proof bottle, and even offered to replace for free consumers existing Tylenol with the safely packaged product. It cost Johnson & Johnson well over US$ 100 million, but the investment paid off. Consumer confidence recovered and, one year later, Tylenols market share rebounded to 30 percent.
Today, its toys and pet food. Mattel toys (subject of a Brandchannel Brand Debate) was forced to recall nearly 20 million toys manufactured in China because of lead paint that could be toxic and small magnets that could be dislodged.
Mattel did three things right, says Harvard Business School professor John Quelch in his marketing blog: The companys CEO stepped in and took personal responsibility, Mattel aggressively got the word out about the recall, and the companys recall website is a model of excellence. If the recalls are the only damage, Quelch says, Mattels brand reputation should survive.
But what happens when a product recall affects countless brands, all of which, it turns out, rely on the same distributor? Such a massive recall not only shakes a consumers confidence in a preferred brand, but in every brand in the tainted product category.
The pet food was pulled from supermarket shelves, and Menu Foods and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a comprehensive list of the products involved. According to the FDA, the adulterated food contained wheat gluten that was tainted with melamine, a plastic derivative used as fertilizer. Melamine, which can be toxic to cats and dogs, is not typically used in pet food manufacturing, but it was apparently utilized by a Chinese manufacturer who supplied Menu Foods with the wheat gluten.
Since the initial recall, other recalls of cat and dog food have been issued for a variety of reasons. In May 2007, for example, American Nutrition, another distributor in the US, recalled 28 products because of possible melamine contamination. In June, multiple brands of pet food tested positive for acetiminophen, a substance commonly found in Tylenol, that can be harmful to cats and dogs.
After the widespread panic started to subside, pet owners were left with a nagging question: What is the value of purchasing a particular brand, if virtually every brand is being manufactured by the same source?
Consider the size of the pet food market. According to the American Pet Product Manufacturers Association (APPMA), over 69 million US homes have a pet. Americans spend over US $16 billion per year feeding their pets, and one of the fastest growing segments of the pet food industry is gourmet and niche product offerings. Globally, cat and dog food sales are over US$ 42 billion, says Euromonitor International.
Now look at the top players in the pet food industry. According to Pet Food Industry magazine, the leader is Mars Inc. (Pedigree, Whiskas, Waltham, Cesar, Sheba, and other brands; in 2006, Mars acquired Doane, the worlds largest supplier of private label pet foods). Second is Nestlé SA (Purina, Friskies, Alpo, Beneful, Fancy Feast, Mighty Dog and other brands). Between them, Mars and Nestlé dominate the worldwide pet food market with almost 50 percent market share. Brand powerhouse Procter & Gamble (Iams and Eukanuba) is third, followed closely by Colgate-Palmolive (Hills). Del Monte (9 Lives, Cycle, Gravy Train, Kibbles n Bits, Skippy, Meow Mix, Alley Cat, Milk-Bone and other brands) rounds out the top five.
The recall revealed a dirty little secret of the pet food industrya large number of dog and cat food brands, even premium brands, are essentially comprised of the same ingredients and produced by the same source. In fact, Menu Foods says it is a contract manufacturer for five of the top six branded pet food companies, and a private-label pet food manufacturer for 17 of the top 20 North American retailers.
Makers of premium cat and dog food brands caught in the recall had to defend their products and price points. According to a story in The Wall Street Journal, Procter & Gamble explained it this way: A less-expensive brand can copy an ingredient list but might not have the same combination to the way the recipe is put together, says company spokesman Kurt Iverson. The quality of ingredients and the way they are combined affects how nutrients are absorbed by the animal, he says.
The pet food industry is certainly not unique in its use of generic products, or the same ingredients from brand to brand. Generic versions of pharmaceuticals are commonplace. (Today, for example, acetiminophen and Tylenol are widely recognized as virtually interchangeable). Grocery shelves are loaded with generic versions of brand-name products, and consumers can choose whether to pay more for a recognized brand.
Yet the pet food and toy recalls are vivid reminders to consumers that the branded world in which we live is not always what it appears to be. When toy products put children at risk because of foreign outsourcing, consumers question the integrity of the brand. And when the ingredients and manufacturing source for pet food brands turn out to be the same, consumers question why one brand is better, or why a premium brand should cost more. Its during these nightmare scenarios that brand marketers must be able to intervene in a crisisand defend the value proposition of their brands.
Barry Silverstein has been a frequent brandchannel contributor since 2007. He has thirty years of advertising and marketing experience and is currently a freelance writer and marketing consultant. He founded and ran his own direct marketing agency and held executive positions with Epsilon, a leading database marketing firm and Arnold, a major ad agency. Silverstein is the author of three marketing books, including the McGraw-Hill book, The Breakaway Brand, which he co-authored with Arnold CEO Fran Kelly.

subset: commoncrawl


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One of the major factors bedeviling the auto industry today is that more would-be buyers than ever are "upside down" in the loans on their current cars and trucks.
Being upside down -- also called being "underwater" or having negative equity -- means you haven't finished paying off your existing vehicle and you owe more on it than it's worth as a trade-in or resale.
Right now, as many as 6 million underwater car owners are postponing buying a new vehicle, according to J.D. Power and Associates, the research and consulting firm.
U.S. auto sales in 2008 were about 13.2 million, down from 16.1 million in 2007. That's about an 18 percent drop in sales, and some of it is due to people putting off new-vehicle purchases.
What's more, the number of upside-down owners is growing in today's market for two reasons, says Gary Dilts, senior vice president of J.D. Power.
Used-car values are down for most types of cars and trucks. For instance, the average wholesale auction price for minivans was about $9,400 in January, according to used-car auction firm ADESA Inc. That was about $1,000 below the year-ago month. Luxury sport utility vehicles fell about $1,800 in the same time period, to about $18,600, according to ADESA.
Auto lenders are also in financial distress. GMAC Financial Services and Chrysler Financial each have received U.S. government help, echoing emergency loans for GM and Chrysler.
Until recently, auto lenders were willing -- often even happy -- to allow you to add the remaining balance on your existing car to the loan you took out for the new car, but because of the economic conditions, they're no longer anxious to do that. That rollover of the existing balance was so common that, judging by questions Bankrate receives from readers, people are likely to be surprised and disappointed to learn that they really do have to pay off the old loan.
"It's not like he (the consumer) can will his way out of this," says Dilts. "There has always been negative equity," he says. It just hasn't always been such a big problem.
That's where cash rebates come in. Even as automakers accept bailout cash from the government, they offer rebates as a common escape hatch for upside-down buyers. That is, instead of putting the cash rebate directly toward the new vehicle, buyers can use it toward paying off the loan on their trade-in. That's one reason why cash rebates are the discount of choice for many car companies.
The alternative is to put off buying a new vehicle, which is exactly what many people are doing, Dilts says. He says that in the fourth quarter of 2007, the age of the average trade-in was 68 months, but by the fourth quarter of 2008 the average age jumped to 76 months from the year-ago quarter, or about 12 percent older. "That's a big increase. If you look back over many years, that is a big move in only a few months," he says.
If you have a car question, e-mail it to us at Driving for Dollars.


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@fify-- I think a combination of emails and telephone calls is the best and most reliable way to communicate in your situation.
I work for a business that has about that many employees and we're all in different states. For important conversations and interviews, we use the phone. But for routine communication such as questions about content or payment, we use email. It's been working fine for us this way.
If the employee number increases, getting back to emails can become more difficult. In that case, you might have to switch to mass emails or teleconferencing. But for now, communication can probably mostly be handled with email.


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2011 is a quadrennial reassessment year. The assessor viewed properties in the City of Galesburg and assessed values were adjusted. All property owners will receive an assessment notice from the Knox County Chief County Assessment Office in 2011 which will show the change made to the assessed value.
The 2011 assessment changes were published November 9, 2011 in The Register-Mail. If you do not agree that your assessment is correct, you must file a complaint with the Knox County Board of Review. ALL complaints must be filed in one of the assessment offices (NOT POSTMARKED) no later than 4:00 p.m. on December 16, 2011. You can download the complaint procedures and the complaint forms listed below from the Document section on the Township Assessor page.


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ESPN McCarron Apology Not Needed Says AJ Girlfriend Katherine Webb
Katherine Webb made an appearance on The Today Show on Wednesday where she revealed that Brent Musburger and ESPN were not obligated to apologize for the comments that the sportscaster made about her physique.
The reigning Miss Alabama who became an overnight celebrity thanks to the remarks received the following apology from ESPN:
"…However, we apologize that the commentary in this instance went too far. Brent understands that."
A.J. McCarron's girlfriend Katherine Webb revealed that she was not troubled by Brent Musburger's remarks because she believes that he was simply trying to make a nice compliment on her beauty.
Her parents – Leslie and Alan Webb have also asked the media to leave Brent Musburger alone.
Katherine Webb who has almost 300k followers on Twitter has been asked by Donald Trump to be a judge at the Miss USA Pageant that will take place in Las Vegas.
Category: TV


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"Because the purpose of business is to create a customer, the business enterprise has two–and only two–basic functions: marketing and innovation. Marketing and innovation produce results; all the rest are costs."
– Peter Drucker
It should come as no shock that marketers love talking about innovation. And you'd think that if — as Drucker once said — marketing and innovation are the only two basic functions of the enterprise, then the marketers who can crack the code on innovation, bringing the two together into a single, sublime discipline, would be bathing in tubs full of hundred dollar bills. But somehow, most marketing innovations amount to little more than shiny object chasing; one-off gimmicks followed by second, third and fourth rate rip-offs; or promotional razzle dazzle that pays little attention to product, pricing or place. If you've spent more than a wee bit of time in this business (brand-side or agency, it doesn't matter) you've heard the lip service, maybe even lipped it yourself, then wondered why your big innovative idea didn't actually do much to drive business impact.
The problem, in my opinion, might be rooted in a shoddy definition of marketing innovation. A definition that is more likely to name check channels, apps or technologies than it is to cut to the chase. True marketing innovation better addresses customer needs, opens up new markets, or newly positions a firm's product on the market, with the objective of increasing the firm's sales. Period. This may not be an especially sexy POV, but that doesn't necessarily mean you need to unearth something new to the world, or even new to your category. You just need to do something new for you.
And let's be honest — in an age when the rules of marketing (and business) change almost daily, marketing innovation just might be (is?) the main engine for business growth. It should be a component of every plan you pen and every program you put in the market. Because, as they say, "If you're standing still, you're moving backwards."
But that means innovation has to happen more than once in a blue moon. And when it does happen and it actually works, you need to know how to repeat your success over and over and over again — not by aping yourself but by applying lessons learned and principles proven. For this to happen, innovation can't be an event; it must be always-on. It can't be happenstance; it must be a core capability of your organization.
This is something I've been thinking about for a while and I've developed a simple — but I hope elegant, in a mutually exclusive collectively exhaustive kinda way — framework for making innovation a core capability. My point of reference may be marketing, but I'd say my framework applies no matter when, how or where you hope to establish a truly sustainable innovation capability in your organization.
And so — because as anyone who has worked with me knows, I do love me some alliteration — let's take a look at The 6P Model for Making Innovation a Core Capability.
That sure is a pretty picture, but let's unpack it a little and you'll see what I'm talking about.
Align Innovation With Your Business Strategy
Purpose: Innovation of any kind — not least of all marketing innovation — must (not should and certainly not could) be purpose-driven. In other words, it must be fully aligned with your organization's overarching marketing strategy and its foundational business strategy. This sounds obvious, but I've worked with enough big brands and inside enough agencies to know that — more often then not — this clear sense of strategic purpose is the exception more often than it is the rule. We have a name for innovation for innovation's sake — we call that the shiny object syndrome. And while a quick, creative approach to some new new thing can sometimes pay-off, the "once is witty, twice is shitty" principle comes on fast, and you're rarely left with a properly grounded, repeatable process for making magic time and time again.
Purpose means starting with why — why must we innovate in the first place. It means considering what — what do we hope to achieve through innovation. It then uses your overarching corporate strategy as a no-nonsense filter to turn innovation into a how — how will innovation in this area empower us to more effectively deliver upon our top priorities; whether those priorities are revenue generation, top notch service delivery, cost savings, vertical or horizontal expansion, or just about anything else that differentiates your company from its competitors.
Are you grounding your call for innovation with a clear sense of purpose?
Build an Innovation Program of Substance
This is where the rubber hits the road, as an organization puts in place all the necessary elements to deliver on its innovation purpose (or purpose-driven strategy, if you will). Here lies the difference between talking a good game and actually doing the work. Truly sustainable, always-on marketing innovation isn't an event — it's not the stray brainstorm the account director or brand manager organizes when it's time to come up with something new and different. And it also isn't rampant, unfettered "think outside the box" creativity. It needs to be (or if it isn't today: become) an organizational capability — just like account management, media planning, art direction, or even accounting. And like any core capabilities, you'll need the right resources in place. And that's when we come to People, Process, Platforms, and (we're working in the social era, after all) Partners.
People: You've already got people, right? But have you got the right people? If you're like many companies I've worked with over the years, you probably have senior leaders on the wrong side of the digital divide (that's less about age and more about mindset btw), too vested in the status quo, too resistant to change (or scared of the repercussion), or too beholden to this quarter's P&L. You probably have staffers too tapped with their current workload, who mean well but lack the charter to drive change from within and the authority to make it happen, or might be disengaged or disenfranchised (it's an epidemic). All of that said, these people may be very good at what they do and incredibly valuable to the company. But they're not the right people to drive an innovation effort.
This doesn't mean you need to restock your team or your company with Steve Jobsian innovation super-humans. iPhone-caliber marketplace disruption is only one flavor of innovation, and it may or may not be what your business needs — and you certainly don't need, and probably can't withstand daily disruption anyway. It also doesn't mean you need a wonk with a Monocle subscription and the word innovation on his business card. So what do you need? The right mindset, for starters — individuals committed to the challenge of change; who are well aware of the world outside your walls; who can view your business challenges through a series of new lenses, apply solutions from beyond your account team, department, company or even industry. And then you need to guide them, support them, and give them permission to fail. (Which — not coincidentally — moves us nicely to the next P.)
Are you staffing your business with innovative thinkers that bring uncommon, outside perspectives and approaches to their work every day?
Process: OK, so now you've got your free spirits and free thinkers — set em loose, right? Well, not exactly. Sustainable innovation, done right, means you'll capture new ideas from all corners of your company. All. The. Time. You know how you've gone into all those standalone brainstorms, spent an inspiring hour batting about cool new concepts, then went back to your workaday world as your new ideas die on the vine? We all have. A true innovation capability has clearly defined processes that govern how ideas get surfaced, how they get evaluated, what criteria they must meet to advance to the next stage, and what happens when the company commits to testing the idea in the market. Process may not be sexy, but it's necessary if you want your innovation efforts to succeed.
Have you defined and communicated clear processes to guide your innovation efforts?
Platforms: Systems and software go hand-in-hand with old fashioned process, making it easier — and at scale, possible — to move ideas to execution efficiently, cost effectively, and with the right number of checks and balances. My purpose here isn't to pimp specific platforms; there are lots (from Imaginatik to Innocentive, from Brightidea to Spigot). They make your life as an innovator easier and the output of your process more viable. Without them, even the best innovation intentions will give way to chaos over time.
Do you have innovation platforms in place today?
Partners: You didn't think you could do it all yourself now, did you? If you truly intend to innovate (to create new value for customers in order to realize new value for the company) you might want to think of your customers themselves as your partners in innovation. You may know this as crowdsourcing… But as much as the lines are blurring between company and customer, the lines are also blurring between company and company (even company and competitor). Large corporations might consider ways to bring nimble upstarts into the fold in order to up the fresh ideas quotient, while leading edge start-ups might consider how well resourced multinationals could fund edgy new ideas. Public sector and private sector can work together. The possibilities for partnership are limited only by your willingness to collaborate with others.
Do you involve your partners — customers, competitors, collaborators and other companies — in your innovation approach today?
Define, Measure & Reward Innovation Success
Performance: Way back at the First P, I wrote that everything starts with purpose. But, truth be told, performance is as good a place to begin and one of the most critical components for innovation success. Let's be frank — it feels good to talk about innovation, but it's a different matter to rework the way we incentivize our people to make it worth their while to bring new ideas, process improvements and more to the table on a routine basis. Simply put, innovation will never become a core capability (much less a cornerstone of a company's culture) when the only measures of performance relate to near term profits, successful completion of day-to-day tasks, and other measures of the here-and-now. Of course those things are important — there's no sense in prepping your business for tomorrow while you run the risk of going out of business today. But a truly innovative organization knows that the right incentives, rewards, and recognition systems are necessary conditions for innovation excellence. Think intrinsic rewards (status, recognition) as well as extrinsic rewards (prizes, money). Think beyond the check box on the performance appraisal…
How do you measure the impacts of innovation and reward the people who make it happen?
Now… like innovation itself, the 6P model is a work in progress. Open to inputs from partners — like you. I'd love your thoughts. Chime in. In the meantime, I'll be working on a Part II of sorts that takes a deeper dive into a framework for generating, vetting and bringing to market truly innovative marketing (and business) ideas.
Like this post and want to download the 6P framework as an ebook (PDF format)? Grab a copy on Slideshare.
Need some help putting this model to work for your business? Get in touch.


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If you're like me, you're having some difficulties focusing today. Most likely, because of this. I doubt that this lil' North Dakotan blog reaches all that many people on the east coast, but assuming it does and no one else has already told you to do so, be safe. Maybe get out of there, if you can. Our thoughts are with you, and I'm hoping things won't be as bad as they're saying they will be, somehow.
Anyway, rather than focus on that, I have the following post that I actually wrote several weeks ago, right before the Examiner page went down for a few days. I'll put it up for you today, even though most of it is passive-aggressive whining. Maybe it'll help distract us all from the upcoming savagery of Mother Nature. Probably not, but important thing being, I'm not in the mood to write anything new.
I've been having sort of a rough go about it the last couple of weeks, which sucks, I probably don't need to tell you. So in that time, I've had one distraction keeping me as close to sane as I'm capable of, and that's The Simpsons: Tapped Out game for my iPhone. Because while things may kind of suck in my real life, at least I could focus on things in my cartoon world and not notice as much.
If you're not familiar, which you probably aren't, The Simpsons: Tapped Out is a game that's sort of like Sim City, in that you build your own Springfield with all of the characters from the Simpsons inhabiting the town. The buildings and the characters all cost money, which you earn from the characters doing jobs and the buildings gathering interest. There are, by my estimate, about thirteen brajillion of these kinds of games available to play on the iPhone/iPad, and of that number, my daughter is currently playing about seven brajillion of them simultaneously. I, however, only have the one. That being the Simpsons. Because of what a nerd I am.
The Simpsons: Tapped Out is what's known to the kids as a "freemium" game. What that means is that the game is free to download (Yay!) but costs you money (Boo!) in that you have two forms of currency – regular and premium. You earn lots and lots of the regular currency, but very little of the premium, so of course, most of the important purchases you need to make are with the premium currency. But don't fret! Because you can get the premium currency that you need by giving the makers of the game, Electronic Arts, some of your actual money in exchange for it. For the sake of this blog, let's say that I may have done this. Because let's say that I am not all that smart of a man.
So anyway, I had been playing this game for about two or three months, and in that time I had built my Springfield to Level 21, which is a very advanced level to be at. I had a great many accomplishments that I had accomplished through daily play on the game. It had been occupying so much of my time that I'm not certain that I've had an actual conversation with another human being for at least the last three weeks. Which is fine. I suck at interacting with humans. But this game, that I enjoyed interacting with. Up until four days ago.
So last Friday, it happened. I was logging into my game, which I am apt to do, as I mentioned, when something a bit different happened to me. Rather than logging into my game, I instead was asked by prompt if this Level 2 game happened to belong to me. Here is photographic evidence.
Fun, right? I had a Level 21 game, and now it was a Level 2 game. Good trade-off. So I did what I expect most people would do and mashed on the NO button, as hard as I could, assuming that the computer would then react with "Oh, okay. I was just checking. Here's your actual game." Turns out, not so much, as the game then instead told me that it would be happy to start a brand new game for me. So Level 2 or Level 0 are my options. You could say I wasn't all that happy with either of them.
Now I, gentle reader, am a human being, and as such I have what are known as emotions, one of which happens to be anger. And I cannot control becoming angry, but I do have control over how I express that anger. And I, constructive person that I am, chose to outlet that anger into yelling at the people at Electronic Arts via electronic mail. Or that was the plan at least. This plan was somewhat stifled by what I will charitably refer to as EA's "customer service page." See it for yourself. If you have a couple of hours of free time, I challenge you to figure out how to make a complaint on there. Go on. It'll be a fun challenge. I know I had a blast.
Fast forward to however long it took me to figure out what I was doing. Eventually, after much frustration, I came to a form that said that I could email, live chat, or phone someone in customer service. Except not live chat or phone. Those options are not offered currently. So just email. Which I did. Many, many hours later, I receieved an email that stated thusly…
- Hello Erik,
- Thank you for your interest in Electronic Arts.
- It's really sad that you suddenly lost your game and progress. Being an avid game player, I can understand how much this means to you and apologize for the inconvenience caused to you. I have mentioned some steps to you to resolve the issue. Give them a try and see whether they restore your account or not.
- Here are the steps:
- 1. Launch the game and let the game load to the "Tap to Continue" screen.
- 2. At the "Tap to Continue" screen, look to the bottom left corner at the Origin Orange "O" icon.
- 3. Click on the Orange "O" icon with the words "Login" to sign into your Origin account.
- 4. Once you are logged into the correct Origin Account, you should be able to access your saved Springfield.
- 5. Your Springfield should be back to normal after you log in to Origin. Tap the icon on the bottom left to get in.
- If you still didn't receive your Springfield back, please reply to this email with following information:
- 1. User name used to play the game.
- 2. Email account associated with username.
- 3. Date of birth mentioned the the account.
- I will look forward to your reply.
- Best regards,
- Electronic Arts – World Wide Customer Experience
Let's break down some of that for you. First off, EA would like for me to know that they appreciate my interest in Electronic Arts, despite the fact that I have none of that whatsoever. Then, as an "avid game player," they know exactly how much it does not feel good to have had money stolen from them by a crappily-designed video game. I'm glad they can relate to me, simple corn-fed peon that I am. And then, of course, the solution to my problems: Did you try logging into your game? Try logging into your game and that will work.
(Insert sound of a massive stroke occurring inside of my brain here.)
To this, I responded by telling them that no, I am not actually as stupid as they believed me to be and I had already tried that. Could you please maybe solve the problem by attempting to fix it? Which they then did. Or said they did. As they checked my account and determined that it was "fine." Oh, hey, cool! I'm glad to hear that I didn't actually have a problem this whole time! Thanks for letting me know!
It was at this point that, having solved my problem for me by not solving it, they let me know that they were closing my support case. And that's when I blacked out for a couple of days, from the rage.
Anyway, I followed up with more emails, telling them that hey, just saying that you solved my problem isn't actually the same thing as solving my problem. To which they asked for me to fill out a questionaire to be forwarded to their "senior staff." I did that. That was three weeks ago. Since then, nothing. Not a word. So I've determined that at Electronic Arts, "senior staff" is code for "kindly get bent, paying customer."
So I emailed Apple instead. Told them that EA had taken my money and given me nothing back in return. They refunded my money within a couple of hours. It was weird.
Quick addendum time! Hopeful optimist that I am, I decided that while I waited for EA to fix my problem and restore my game, I would start another game to pass the time. Which I did. Which in three weeks, I got up to Level 16. You can probably see where this is headed.
Yupper. Screw me once, shame on you. Screw me twice, IT'S STILL SHAME ON YOU, BECAUSE YOU ARE STILL TERRIBLE REGARDLESS OF HOW GULLIBLE I AM.
And there you have it, a bunch of stuff that I'm certain only I probably care about, but which I mention anyway for two reasons. One, if I didn't get it out of my brain, I was liable to start hitting people with my car. Two, is this really what customer service has come to? A series of canned replies until the complainer gives up and goes away? Which is a good system, I'll admit, because it works. Here I am, about a month later, and ain't nothing been done to help me. But as I mentioned at the start, a whole bunch of other people are currently dealing with something just a tad more catastrophic with a massive storm headed their way, which helps put things in perspective just a bit. There are things in this world more important than video games.
Still, I am pretty mad about all this.
Bismarck resident Erik Hagen is the author of the SodBlog and relatively certain that if anyone at EA reads this post, they will do even less to help him, which is sort of like dividing by zero. Send your rage-filled complaints to email@example.com or visit his website at SodBlog.com.


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Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Ducks represent a seasonally available food supply to midcontinent foxes. They become available at the time of year when fox food demands are increased because of care of pups (Sergeant 1978). Returning ducks spread out across the midcontinent area to nest, and in the Prairie Pothole Region most fox families feed on them. Hence, the arrival of ducks in spring is a timely infusion of an abundant, desirable, large prey. Our data establish that large numbers of dabbling ducks are taken by foxes each year and that predation focuses on upland nesting hens. The predation occurs at the time of year when duck populations are at their lowest levels and adjusted to prevailing habitat conditions. Although predation by foxes does not jeopardize the survival of any midcontinent duck species, it does affect annual production, population composition, and may, when coupled with other mortality factors, be sufficient to hold populations at much lower levels than would otherwise occur.
The effect of fox predation on the sex composition of some dabbling duck species is noticeable. The preponderance of drakes in most dabbling duck populations is well known but largely unexplained, although it is generally believed to be caused by factors other than hunting, including predation on nesting hens (Bellrose et al. 1961: 24-25). Johnson and Sargeant (1977) examined the impact of fox predation on mallard sex ratios in the pothole region of North Dakota during 1963-73 and concluded the predation was sufficient to cause a disparate sex ratio of about 1.2 drake/hen, which was comparable to the sex composition of the population. The disparate sex ratio would have been much more pronounced if hunting by man had not been drake selective (Johnson and Sargeant 1977:16-17). Similar relations likely exist among most dabbling ducks because fox predation on all species was hen selective.
Because of little-understood compensatory mechanisms affecting duck populations (Anderson and Burnham 1976), caution must be exercised before assuming that losses of adult ducks to foxes during 1 spring necessarily affect population size the following spring. Nevertheless, fox predation of nesting ducks decreases both adult survival and recruitment of young and thereby acts to suppress density of local populations in subsequent years. The effect of reduced predation (all types) on size of local populations may at times be pronounced. Doty and Lee (1974) noted that homing by adult hens and their progeny resulted in buildup of local breeding populations of mallards using predator proof nesting structures. Deubbert and Lokemoen (1980) also found a buildup of ducks, primarily mallards, in an area with greatly reduced predator densities (including red foxes).


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How to Plan a Bachelorette Party. Posted December 5, 2012 | 2 Comments Hello, hello!
If you're a MOH (Maid of Honor) and wondering how to plan a bachelorette party, you're in luck: today we're showing you how to plan a bachelorette party from start to finish! One of the most important tasks as the MOH is planning the bachelorette party, and knowing where to start is essential. MapCrunch - Random Google Street View - StumbleUpon. Vintage kop en schotels. Buro. Originele trouwkaarten: creatief & opvallend. Makkelijk online te bestellen. Ook op maat!
Webshop - Le Goût des Couleurs - Online Shop. 25 Spectacular Movies You (Probably) Haven't Seen. Midnight in Paris Woody Allen's latest places starving writer Owen Wilson in Paris with his fiancée, Rachel McAdams.
Searching for inspiration for his incomplete novel, Owen begins taking strolls around the city at night where he discovers an unexpected group of people. Classics - A Nerd's Guide to Reading. Set in the Kingdom of Denmark, the play dramatizes the revenge Prince Hamlet exacts on his uncle Claudius for murdering the king, Claudius's brother and Prince Hamlet's father, and then succeeding to the throne and taking as his wife Gertrude, the old king's widow and Prince Hamlet's mother.
The play vividly portrays both true and feigned madness – from overwhelming grief to seething rage – and explores themes of treachery, revenge, incest, and moral corruption. Cool Finds: In My Dream... Bathroom! My home decor daydreams are continuing, and this time we're headed to the one of the smallest rooms in any given house.
I enjoy bathrooms which are simple, minimalistic, cheerful, inviting & homey. Walk-in showers, claw foot tubs, natural elements and a lot of while are all things that make smile! Make your own camera bag out of an old purse. A Fun DIY Idea To Keep Kids Entertained At Weddings. This is such a simple yet brilliant idea… All you need is a printer, some card, pencils and a disposable camera!
{via Martha Stewart Weddings} Send children on a photo scavenger hunt with this game of i-spy! They have to spot a variety of typical wedding day occurrences / outfits and tick them off on their list. This works really well for older children 7-11 who will be able to do this independently but younger children will need adult help or help from older siblings. Writingfonts - Make Your Own Handwriting Font.
Beelden/strips/foto's. Filmpjes. Suggesties. How To Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon - StumbleUpon. Rent Textbooks. Buy Textbooks. Cheap Textbook Rentals for College. OutsaPop Trashion recycled style DIY fashion eco sustainable refashion blog. MysticalBall.com - The Magical Crystal Ball - StumbleUpon.
International Volunteer HQ - StumbleUpon. Best Time Saving Websites - college meow - StumbleUpon. Spreeder free online speed reading softwarequick math encalcinstacalc solves algebra equations, plots graphs, helpful for intermediate college math and basic algebra like integrals and differentiationbibliomaniaottobib tracks sources and generates bibliography in MLA and APA high beam research easy way to find good resources for free viper plagarism checker double check teachers wont fail you for cheating-whether you used others work or not college cram study lessons, quizzes, study guides, worksheets, for subjects struggle with prezi procrastination powerpoint presentation software study blue get note cards and study guides from specific classes and teachers rate my professors this isn't exactly a study site but it's definitely a time saver.


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MORTAL KOMBAT X Box Art and Game Details Revealed
By Armi Dimaranan on June 4, 2014
Get ready for your spines to tingle. Mortal Kombat X pre-orders are here and the box art reveals everyone's spear-throwing favorite, Scorpion, ready to kill.
NetherRealm Studios is back for the tenth installment of the graphically intense and gory fighting game set to release next year. If you haven't already seen the epic reveal trailer between Scorpion and Sub-Zero, stop right now and watch the video below:
Series creator Ed Boon has already confirmed that Mortal Kombat X will feature new characters, game modes, and a graphics engine that you should definitely be hyped for if you've seen the trailer above. There's more to get excited for as Mortal Kombat X will feature for the first time different variations of characters which will highly impact not only your character's fighting style, but your own strategy of playing. It's a feature that's been spotted in Street Fighter games, but only time will tell how well NetherRealm can execute it compared to Capcom. Additionally, the game has become more competitive as every fight matters since you're thrown into a persistent online contest that will rank you globally.
You can pre-order a copy of the game for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC on the official Mortal Kombat website. The game will release in 2015 and will make an appearance next week at E3.
What returning characters are you looking to shed some blood with? Let us know in the comments below.
Will we ever get the Street Fighter v. Mortal Kombat game we've dreamed of since Grade School?
why is it that you only show xbox art box of mortal kombat, what about pc and ps4
because the box art is the same for all the different systems so it really doesn't matter which one they show
[…] Nerdist, image via Mortal Kombat […]
[…] Nerdist, image via Mortal Kombat […]
[…] Nerdist, image via Mortal Kombat […]


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Demonstrates the tools and techniques necessary to create, edit, and publish music and podcasts in GarageBand '11.
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Music Box Invites
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You want your wedding to be a magical experience, and Music Box Invites can help you set the tone of the wedding with unique custom invitations that express your own personal vision and style.
Imagine receiving a beautifully adorned box in the mail and when you open it, music plays as you lift out the most exquisite invitation you have ever received – a visual and musical work of art that your guests will talk about for years to come! With personalized music or sound, sumptuous fabrics, custom jeweled products featuring fine details and superior workmanship, the end result is always a one-of-a-kind creation that is truly a work of art.
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Akshaya-tritiya is an important day in Vedic culture as any donation performed for the right cause is declared to yield inexhaustible results. Devotees consider this day as a reminder to surrender whatever they have in the service of the Krishna. It marks the beginning of Chandana-yatra.
Chandana-yatra is a festivity that runs for three weeks. To keep the Deities cool from the scorching heat of the summer sun, the devotees apply sandalwood paste (chandana) over Radha Madhava and the other Deities. All devotees, including children and pilgrims, are offered a chance to grind chandana for the pleasure of the Deities. For the first week, both the large and small Radha Madhava Deities are covered with chandana. During the second and third weeks, the small Radha Madhava Deities are entirely covered with chandana.


text: VALENTINE'S DAY How To Impress Relationship Drivers: DIY Gifts Back to Top ▲ Relationship Drivers: DIY Gifts 9 Romantic Tree Swing Share on Facebook Share on Twitter 0 Shares A Beautiful Mess Nothing says quaint, country romance like a good old fashion wooden rope swing. But be careful, this is for advanced tool users only. If you have the skill set -- or just the brains, patience and wherewithal to pull this garden gift off -- your girl will be absolutely touched. We highly recommend this one if your lady is big on her garden. Next Page TOP 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Comments Show Comments More Like This Promoted Around the Web Special Features


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What does MFJ mean in Telecom?
This page is about the meanings of the acronym/abbreviation/shorthand MFJ in the Computing field in general and in the Telecom terminology in particular.
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"MFJ." Abbreviations.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2015. Web. 4 Mar. 2015. <http://www.abbreviations.com/term/571042>.
MFJ also stands for:
- Makes Faulty Junk
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One of the most backward yet promising wines of the vintage is the 2003 Harlan Estate. Its dense opaque plum/purple color is accompanied by a sumptuous bouquet of graphite, camphor, creme de cassis, smoky barbecue wood and a hint of forest floor. Similar flavors hit the mouth with full-bodied splendor, a multidimensional mouthfeel and texture, and the sensational finish lasts more than 45 seconds. Some tannins are still present, and this wine seems much younger than expected at ten years of age, so give it 4-5 more years of bottle age and consume it over the following 20-25 years. (RP) (6/ 2013)
Another spectacular Harlan...It shows the earthy quality that marks wines off the estate, with an aroma suggesting a warm bale of hay under the summer sun, a sweet straw and bay laurel scent that adds savory richness to the cherry, blackberry and chocolate flavors... (12/ 2007)
Deep ruby-red. Aromas of plum syrup, black licorice, menthol and roasted nuts. Can't match the 2004 for depth of flavor or consistency of ripeness but conveys a fairly refined texture. A bit chunkier than the best vintages of this wine, but there's strong underlying backbone here for aging. In spite of its firm tannic spine, the finish shows lovely floral persistence. (6/ 2010)
Mature and a bit muddled, rich and potent, with a mix of loamy earth and dry dark berry notes, ending with a touch of mocha and metal. The better of two bottles tasted.2003 California Cabernet blind retrospective (July 2013). Drink now. (Web-2013)
Below is a listing of the wine review scores we frequently reference in our notes. While these sources remain an excellent source of information, we always recommend that you trust your own palate. Scores in these publications often represent the personal taste of an individual critic, which may not always coincide with your own. We have a huge team of excellent wine professionals that can match wines you've had in the past with new arrivals that meet your flavor profile.
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1995 York Creek Spring Mountain District Meritage (Previously $55) $24.99
2005 Berthoud "Ursus Minor" Sonoma Valley Bordeaux Blend $12.99
2005-2008 Quilceda Creek Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Vertical $700.00
2005 Quilceda Creek Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $289.99
2003 Mount Eden "Estate" Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon $99.99


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Mr. Harbert led an early venture into television by The New York Times.
Early Foursquare employee Tristan Walker launched his own startup this week, Walker & Company. Walker, an African-American, is selling razors and shaving cream for black people.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The father of Edward Snowden, the fugitive former U.S. spy agency contractor, predicted on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will stand up to pressure from Washington as the two nations spar over Moscow's decision to grant his son asylum.
Raised in the NSA's shadow, a life of disillusionment, a decision to leak secrets...
Last summer, Edward Snowden became an overnight sensation who leaked details about the National Security Administration's (NSA) practice of massive and sweeping surveillance of Americans' browsing habits.
NEW YORK — An American television host prompted outrage Friday after boasting online that she had killed a lion in South Africa. Melissa Bachman, an avid hunter who produces programs on the American outdoors, posted a photograph on Facebook and Twitter of her holding a rifle and smiling beside the corpse of a large male lion. "Incredible day in South Africa," the self-styled "hardcore huntress" said of her pursuits at the Maroi Conservancy, adding: "Stalked inside 60-yards on this beautiful male lion – what a hunt!"
OTTAWA – Federal Liberal leader Justin Trudeau has been named 2013′s "most valuable" politician by The Hill Times, the weekly political publication of record in Canada's capital. Trudeau finished ahead of Green Party leader Elizabeth May and Prime Minister Stephen Harper. In an unscientific online survey for the publication, Trudeau garnered 18.4 per cent of the vote in the value category, with May snapping up 10.2 per cent and Harper taking the bronze with eight per cent. The Hill Times said 135 people voted, up from the 117 votes cast last year.
The Washington Post and The Guardian won the Pulitzer Prize in public service Monday for revealing the U.S. government's sweeping surveillance programs in a blockbuster series of stories based on secret documents supplied by NSA leaker Edward Snowden. The Pulitzer for breaking news was awarded to The Boston Globe for its "exhaustive and empathetic" coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing and the manhunt that followed.
The Wall Street Journal has obtained a federal government report on the most recent background check of Edward Snowden by U.S. Investigations Services LLC, and the limited scope with which the company investigated Snowden's history is startling.


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- 152Promote
Phone Skins
Skins are thin, easy-to-remove, vinyl decals for customizing your device. Skins are made from a patented material that eliminates air bubbles and wrinkles for easy application.
Love it! With amazing fierceness and attitude, this is such a great modern day superspy version of Frida.
The photo of Frida with a gun is not real, it was made by Robert Toren by combining a Frida photo & one of his own. I am wondering if that is what you used as reference or if there is a real photo I have not seen, just because I really love Frida Kahlo! :)
Morgaen, probably you were right all the time i check it out and yeah it's pretty possible that is a photo montage ;)
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Pretty Little Liars [1] returns for a fifth season tonight. The show's villain, "A," [2] always signs letters and text messages with — A, which inspired us to create a sweet confection with a scary surprise inside. To create this cake at home, you'll need the following recipes: red velvet cake [3], white cake [4], and buttercream frosting [5].
On Brandi: MOTEL [6]


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Updated on
August 20, 2010,
asks from
Kyle, TX
April 18, 2010
Mothers Day for Mom Who Has Lost Her Child
My fathers new wife has been our lives for many years. They just married this last year.
Her daughter was killed in a tragic accident about 5 years ago. This was her only child and she was college age. Needless to say, she has never and will never get over the loss of this beautiful young woman.
In the past I have sent her a card letting her know I was thinking of her, but this year I would like to do something for her. Holidays, birthdays and anniversaries are always very emotional for her so I do not want to go overboard, but I want her to know I now consider her one of my moms.
Any suggestions.. FYI, on top of all of this, she is younger than me.
Thank you for your ideas.
So What Happened?™
Thank you all so much for your suggestions!
I spoke with my father and he let me know he was going to take her away for a week of golfing out of state.
I spoke with her this morning (mothers day) and she sounded great. It is the first time I can remember on Mothers Day, that she could even talk on the phone!
My family and I gave her a gift certificate for a Mani/Pedi at her favorite nail place. I also told her iif she wants company on the day she goes to let me know and I would join her, or she could just enjoy the quiet, without me.. Hee, hee..
I did print out your suggestions for future events. Again thanks for taking the time to help.
Featured Answers
L.W. answers from Austin on April 19, 2010
Wonderful ideas...a card and maybe send flowers? Simple yet she'd know you were thinking of her as a mom. Did this for a neighbor who lost her grown daughter to cancer a 2 years ago and she said it meant a lot to her.
1 mom found this helpful
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K.S. answers from Minneapolis on April 18, 2010
Do they live somewhere they plan on being "forever"? If yes, maybe buy a tree and pay the nursery to deliver and plant it. Maybe a tree that flowers around Mother's Day?
3 moms found this helpful
M.C. answers from Nashville on April 19, 2010
I'm sure people on here get tired of hearing me talk about these, but I can't help it. =0) I just love them! They are called Willow Tree Angels and there is one for just about every sentiment or occasion you could think of. There are angels and figurines. Each one has it's own little saying. You can order them online, or you can usually find them at any Hallmark store and most Cracker Barrels. Here's the website.......you should browse around and read them. I just think they are precious. My mom and I collect them. =0)
2 moms found this helpful
L.N. answers from New York on April 18, 2010
you are wonderful. i got goose bumps reading your post. The donation idea is ok, for some reason, I am not jumping on supporting that. I think something personal, just for her, like flowers, or an outing (not on mother's day, but a day you two could do it) just you two, maybe you let her talk, if she needs to talk. This is so sweet of you. best I can come up, is take her out somewhere. just you two.
2 moms found this helpful
L.G. answers from Austin on April 19, 2010
Hi L.
I like the idea of taking her out for a nice lunch, just the two of you,and just letting her talk. Have the whole lunch be about talking about her daughter. I mean, who doesn't like to talk about their child/children, right? Remembering the funny things she did or said, her friends, her hobbies, etc; you know, to bring happy memories back for her on Mothers Day.
Just be there for her on that day, laugh with her, cry with her, remembering her daughter with her.
Whatever you decide, I'm certain it will mean alot to her.
1 mom found this helpful
P.G. answers from Tulsa on April 18, 2010
Tough call. How about a donation to MADD or some such organization in her daughter name? Mother's Day is going to be hard no matter what.
1 mom found this helpful
S.R. answers from Odessa on April 19, 2010
Piggy backing on the suggestion made by an earlier post, I like the idea of a charm bracelet. I'd give her the bracelet with two charms...one that symbolized the daughter she lost and another for the joy of current relationships that may be indicative of a memory or something that you share with her. Then each year you can add a charm that symbolize the treasure of the warm memories you share with her and her child is always included. She is fortunate to have such a loving and thoughtful DIL.
1 mom found this helpful
R.Y. answers from New York on April 18, 2010
I think you have a good impulse to remmember her on Mother's day. A card with a note about how she is not your mom but is a mentor or role model would be nice. Once you are a mom there is no changing back--your body/mind/emotions all change starting during pregnancy. Ask her how or if she wants to do something like go out to eat or have a family dinner. Then you can plan what she feels comfortable doing.
1 mom found this helpful
P.G. answers from Dallas on April 18, 2010
You are so lovely to be thinking of her and doing something special for her. A card that tells how much she means is always good. Perhaps a donation in her child's name to a college fund of some kind? I don't know if that would make her sad or happy...but it would be a nice memorial.
1 mom found this helpful


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March.8th 2013
I spent 3 months in waiting for my hyacinth to bloom. It did! It repaid me with dainty violet flowers. But its vitality only lasted for less than 3 weeks, withering and decaying, as it fell into the dirt. Just like the people around us: some take an entire life to understand something, but when it suddenly dawns upon them, the time comes and they have to rest in peace willy-nilly. Some take many years to realize who they really love, but when staring into the mirror, they see a wrinkled face and hair the color of a gloomy sky. As for their true love, they are already dead and gone. Perhaps, this is what we call "the world is a flower and a flower is the world."
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A poet once called a ring a relationship worn on your fingers. If rings could talk — and we are not referring to inscriptions here — we've come across a few that could tell stories of their bearers. One, with granite inlaid into wood by the UK-based Eco Wood Rings, tells you of the rock climbing couple's favourite route. Another, made by Japanese artist and designer Sakurako Shimizu, cuts the waveform of a couple's voice in metal. German designer Thomas Giesen won a Red Dot design award for translating the contours of people's profiles into metal.
GN Focus | Valentine's Day
Unique wedding and engagement rings
From bands inlaid with dinosaur remains to those that spark flames, designers are creating concept pieces that are truly one of a kind
- Image Credit: Supplied
- Bona fide designs: Johan Rust's rings are inlaid with rare materials such as dinosaur bone and meteorite
While diamonds say, I love you forever, quite adequately, many couples opt for rings that uniquely celebrate their relationship. One British couple reportedly had a ring made from a culture of their bone cells grown on a circular scaffold.
Designers are finding new ways of celebrating love. Industrial designer Ken Goldman has created Spark, a pair of his-and-hers rings with flint set in sterling silver, which can be struck to literally spark a flame. For the geeks among us, a matching set comes with a pair of male and female cable Ethernet plugs. More geek chic is a concept by designer Jennifer Flume who has created the USB Engagement Ring in partnership with Swarovski. The USB stick is capped by crystals that come in a variety of cuts and sizes.
For couples with a conscience, wedding planners list a whole host of suppliers that make it their business to source ethical products, including gold and diamonds.
Shimizu, for instance, says that 100 per cent recycled gold and precious metals are used for the rings she makes. "This test piece was made with some gold rings from my mother. I melted them," she writes in a blog post.
Eco Wood Rings creates handcrafted rings carved from salvaged and sustainably-grown wood. While they have standard designs, they can work with materials of your choice.
"Most of our orders are either for couples or for someone getting ready for a proposal. Very few of our requests are made by the intended wearer. More than half of our orders are for custom rings, with customer choosing woods and inlay materials that are particularly symbolic to them," Steve Sutherland, Founder, Eco Wood Rings, tells GN Focus.
Inlays can be made of anything from shells to granite, diamonds or pearls. He cites an example of a customer from Australia whose partner's ancestors came from the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England. "He asked us to source some wood from there and we managed to get hold of some Opepi Teak from the old pier at Ryde. This wood is more than 200 years old and was walked on by Queen Victoria herself," he says.
The requests are far from clichéd and, to a visitor from another planet, could show the many dimensions of love. "A rock climber from Australia recently sent us some granite from a favourite climbing route. We also had a palaeontologist who supplied us with some Tyrannosaurus rex bone to inlay into a ring," says Sutherland, who counts among his customers a couple from Dubai.
US designer Johan Rust makes rings with materials that include meteorite, dinosaur bone, deer antler and animals' ashes. He also claims to have set a human tooth into a ring once, on special request.
"We've put everything from granite a customer provided to antler and ashes into our rings," he writes in a blog post.
Regardless of where they are based or who orders them, these rings remind couples of the unique aspects of their love. Giesen says that it is customary for his customers to shed some tears when they see their favourite person's contours in metal.
"So far I have made around 1,000 Contura rings for people in eight different countries," the designer tells GN Focus.
While costs for standard designs are specified, custom rings can cost a lot. Cliccmi, Giesen's new Red Dot winner, costs anywhere between €65 (about Dh325) up to €3,600. It is made of high-quality Plexiglas and a ball fashioned from either a matte or polished gemstone. The rings and balls can be exchanged and combined.
Eco Wood Rings' standard designs range from £190 (about Dh1,155) for the The Apple Tree ring to £400 for the Love is Now design.
Waveform I do rings cost anywhere between $560 (about Dh2,056) to more than $2,000, depending on the material.
"Of course our custom designs can cost more than this depending on the materials used and the complexity of the design," says Sutherland. The most expensive Contura ring Giesen has made costs $55,000.
Made to measure
For a customised Contura ring send a 300dpi profile photograph with white background, along with ring size, width and your favourite material. Designer Thomas Giesen will send back an estimate within 24 hours. The ring will be with you within two to four weeks, depending on the material.
For Waveform wedding rings, designer Sakurako Shimizu says on her website that any words and phrases can be recorded (not necessarily I do). Once you send in the order, Shimizu will instruct on how to record your voice.
With Eco Wood Rings, you can even send in your own piece of wood. A piece of wood measuring 30cmx5cmx5cm is enough to craft a ring. However, if you don't have that much wood or any other material available, it can still be incorporated into the inlay of the ring.
Like those taking orders via email, Designer Johan Rust places great emphasis on sizing your rings well and even gives you tips on how to find out your partner's ring size without their knowledge.


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Free Photo Archive of over 30,000 vintage photographs. Find people and the places were they lived. Search for your surnames. Find photos of your ancestors. Make connections with genealogy cousins. Add your family's photos. |
Lemuel and Mary Anne Ritenour
Married 10 Aug 1871 Middletown, Frederick Co, Va
Lemuel was born 18 Dec 1847 and died 27 Mar 1921 , Mary Anne Ritenour was 01 Oct 1848 and died 12 Feb 1929 both of them in Fort Valley Shenandoah County, they had 12 children
To make this photo larger, click on the word "original" above.


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A Walk through the Yeosu Expo
Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea will be held from May 12 to August 12 under the theme of 'The Living Ocean and Coast'. As the first world expo to take place on the oceanfront, it boasts 80 exhibition facilities in addition to exhibits by 106 countries and 10 international organizations.
- Date
- May 2012
- Source
- Korean Culture and Information Service (KOCIS).
- Language
- English
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12:00 PM Basketball - Middle School - Girls
6:00 PM Basketball - Varsity - Boys
7:30 PM Basketball - Varsity - Boys
7:30 PM School Board Meeting
Walk indoors – GHS Fieldhouse
The Griffith High School field house indoor track is open again this year for public use through March 27th, Monday – Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. Please use door "T" off Wiggs Street.
MISSION To meet the diverse educational needs of each child in our schools and to provide a quality education that prepares all students to become productive members of society. VISION A school we are proud to call home! Core Values We believe: •A culture of high expectations produces high achieving students. •Successful schools result from collaboration that includes a well-informed and involved school, home, and community. •Responsibility for our students' education and future is shared by the community, as together we focus on promoting student ownership and lifelong learning. •A clean, inviting, and safe facility promotes learning and fosters hometown pride. •Great learning follows great and passionate teaching. •Great teachers utilize best practices enhanced through continual assessment and improvement. •Great schools meet the needs of the whole student providing a variety of activities and experiences for students' diverse interests. |
New Teacher Training Program 3.7 | |
Middle and High School New Teacher Induction Program | Started 8/2014 |
Professional Development Plan 3.11 | |
Professional Learning Communities | Started 8/2014 |
English and math data coaches for primary and secondary | Started 8/2014 |
District-wide Improvement Process 5.5 | |
District Wide Improvement Process Presentations | Nov. 4, 2014 |
Website Communication Tool | 10/2014 |
Griffith Public Schools
602 N Raymond
P.O. Box 749
Griffith, IN 46319
219 924-4250
219 922-5933


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8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tsp garlic, minced
2 tsp spanish paprika
salt and pepper
1 lb Chorizo sausage, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup olive oil
2 small yellow onions, diced
12 cloves garlic, minced
1 large red pepper, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 can 28 oz. tomatoes, chopped
3 cups Calrose rice
4 bay leaves
5 sprigs thyme, fresh
1 tsp Spanish paprika
salt and pepper, to taste
pinch saffron
5 cups fish stock
1/2 cup white wine
24 mussels, scrubbed
1 cup green peas, fresh or frozen
24 large shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
Prepare chicken for grilling, by marinating in olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, spanish paprika, salt and pepper.
Preheat grill to MEDIUM and and brush grids with olive oil to prevent sticking. Grill chicken thighs (4 minutes per side) and sausage (10 minutes per side). Set aside and keep warm while rice is being prepared.
Meanwhile, place a large sauté pan directly on top of the grids. Heat olive oil in a sauté pan and add onions and garlic to pan. Sauté 2 minutes, taking care not to brown them. Add green and red peppers and tomatoes, and saute 2 minutes longer. Add rice, bay leaf, thyme, paprika, saffron, salt and pepper, white wine and fish stock. Stir well, bring to a boil and cover. Reduce heat to LOW, close cover and let cook gently for 20 minutes.
Place chicken thighs, sausage, mussels and peas on top of rice, cover pan and cook for 7 minutes over low heat until mussels are open. Meanwhile, place shrimp on grids around the pan and grill 2 minutes per side. Place shrimp on top of Paella and garnish with chopped parsley.
Shared by our Broil King Partners at the Barbecue Shop in Spain


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With 'The Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' having hit cinemas on the 17th of July we reckon a fair portion of you guys went to see it over the weekend, so we're keeping an eye out for your informed opinions, especially as the murmurings in the online world are implying an Oscar victory for the movie at this year's academy awards.
An Audience with Alien: Isolation
The original Alien is an incredible film. Arguably the granddaddy of space horror, it took the 70's corporation paranoia into the black, littered flawed and earnest characters throughout a floating factory and gave birth - quite literally - to one of the most terrifying creatures in cinema history.


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""Our loyal, brave people… should know the truth. They should know that there has been a gross neglect and deficiency in our defenses; they should know that we have sustained a defeat without a war, the consequences of which will travel far with us along our road… and do not suppose that this is the end. This is only the beginning of the reckoning. This is only the first sip, the first foretaste of the bitter cup which will be proffered to us year by year, unless by a supreme recovery of moral health and martial vigour, we arise again and take our stand for freedom as in olden time." ~Winston Churchill, in protest against the Munich settlement, 1938
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October 31, 2014—Who Knows What Evil Lurks?
By Henry F. Cooper on October 31, 2014 in Henry F. Cooper, High Frontier, ISIL, ISIS, Islamic State, Israel, Missile Defense, SDI
Memories . . . and Things Yet to Be . . .
By Henry F. Cooper on March 18, 2013 in Henry F. Cooper, High Frontier, Reykjavik Summit, Ronald Reagan, SDI, Space Defense, William R. Van Cleave
Next week, we celebrate Ronald Reagan's March 23, 1983 address that launched his Strategic Defense Initiative. Thanks to SDI and those who've braved ridicule to stand with President Reagan, Defense Secretary Hagel could say last Friday that we have an "iron-clad" commitment to missile defense, including for our overseas troops, friends and allies. "How sweet it is!" More to come . . .
Ambassador Cooper Speaks at South Carolina Coalition of Tea Parties Convention
By Henry F. Cooper on January 14, 2013 in Ambassador Henry F. Cooper, Electromagnetic Pulse, EMP, High Frontier, Iranian Missile Threat, Missile Defense, SDI
High Frontier participated in the January 12-13 Tea Party Coalition Convention at the Springfield Beach Resort in Myrtle Beach, SC. In particular, Amb. Cooper discussed the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) threat and what can be done to counter it, as has been described in our previous three email reports. Many of the several hundred attendees indicated […]
South Carolina Tea Party Convention – EMP Response Panel
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IWG Capitol Hill Conference on Aegis Sea-based Missile Defense: Present Status and Future Requirements, June 26, 2014
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The Day The Lights Went Out – Video Courtesy of New York Times
Expert Panel on EMP Threat: New EMP Coalition!
Gingrich endorses SHIELD Act, praises Maine EMP legislation
Jim Woolsey: Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) is existential threat to America
President Reagan announces SDI on March 23, 1983
Remember March 23, 1983 when President Reagan launched SDI, the Strategic Defense Initiative—watch an excerpt. Click Here to watch Speech.
President Reagan on 10 Year Anniversary of High Frontier
High Frontier was there before SDI began! Listen to President Reagan's best wishes to on High Frontier's Founder, Lt. Gen. Daniel O. Graham on our 10th anniversary.Click here to listen to phone call.


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Vesicular stomatitis
Vesicular stomatitis (VS) is a viral disease affecting horses, ruminants such as cattle, sheep and members of the deer and llama families, and swine. While VS causes discomfort to affected animals, and may result in loss of markets for live animals, meat and animal genetics, it is most significant because it closely resembles foot and mouth disease (FMD). Foot and mouth disease affects ruminants and swine, and is a devastating disease for producers.In Canada, vesicular stomatitis is a reportable disease under the Health of Animals Act, and all cases must be reported to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
Information we provide for producers and the livestock sector includes:
- Countries recognized as free from the disease
- Fact Sheet
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Kojima Productions
Subsidiary of Konami | |
Industry | Game development |
Founded | April 1, 2005 |
Headquarters | Roppongi Hills, Roppongi, Tokyo, Japan |
Number of locations
2 |
Key people
Hideo Kojima |
Products | Video games |
Owner | Konami |
Number of employees
100 (2005) 200 (2008) |
Parent | Konami |
Website | www.konami.jp/kojima_pro/ |
Kojima Productions (Japanese: 小島プロダクション Hepburn: Kojima Purodakushon?) is a Japanese video game development studio under the guidance of game designer Hideo Kojima. The company is a subsidiary of Konami, and is located in Roppongi Hills in Roppongi, Tokyo.[1] The studio had just under 100 employees in 2005 but has since grown to over 200 people for the development of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.[2][3] The company takes its logo from the emblem of the FOX unit, which first appeared in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.
The developer was formed on April 1, 2005, after Konami merged several of its subsidiaries including Hideo Kojima's team at Konami Computer Entertainment Japan.[4]
The company was intended to relieve Kojima of the business management and administrative responsibilities he had previously as KCEJ's vice president. As the head of Kojima Productions, Kojima is able to focus solely on creating games.[4] In regards to his current position at Konami, he stated:
" | "To elaborate a little bit more, I am now in a position within Konami as one of the members of the board, and it's true that I do have a responsibility, and also respect, within the company. However, when I say as a creator, "I want to create this new game", it's still the same as twenty years ago! People still ask, "will that sell, will that be good?" Nobody really understands whether it would be an instant hit or whatever. I'm not just talking about the top executives, but even the development staff! But that is my challenge, actually. That's what's interesting. They do not understand what they cannot see instantly, so they can't say "that's a great idea" straight away. That's my challenge, and my satisfaction when I present to them, saying I want to create this new thing. And if I get more 'boos' about it - if they say, "No! We don't know what you're talking about!" then this is actually the fun part.[5] | " |
The company has recently completed and released Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection, a compilation of Metal Gear Solid 2, 3 and Peace Walker. They have also recently released Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D for the Nintendo 3DS. It is a port of the original game. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes was released in early 2014, it acts as a prologue to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain which is currently due for release in 2015.
Following MGSV's reveal, Kojima Productions opened their first international studio in Los Angeles. Their first project will be the 3rd entry of the Zone of the Enders series, while others will be more focused on Multiplayer. Kojima confirmed both studios in Tokyo and LA are working on The Phantom Pain.
Though Hideo Kojima has produced games at Konami since 1987, the "Kojima Productions" studio was not formed until 2005. However, Konami retroactively refers to Kojima's earlier productions as belonging to the studio.[6] All Kojima Productions games were published by Konami. Games published with the Kojima Productions studio name are bolded.
Metal Gear[edit]
- Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (PS3, PS4, X360, XONE, WIN, 2015)
- Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (PC, PS3, PS4, X360, XONE, WIN, 2014)
- Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection (PS3, 2013)
- Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (PC, PS3, X360, 2013)
- Metal Gear Solid: Social Ops (Mobile, 2012)
- Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D (3DS, 2012)[7]
- Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (PS3, X360, PSVita, 2011/2012)
- Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (PSP, PS3, X360, 2010/2011)
- Metal Gear Solid Touch (iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad, 2009)
- Metal Gear Online (PS3, 2008)
- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3, 2008)
- Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus (PSP, 2007)
- Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (PSP, 2006)
- Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel (PSP, 2006)
- Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (PS2, 2005)
- Metal Gear Acid 2 (PSP, 2005)
- Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2, 2004)
- Metal Gear Acid (PSP, 2004)
- Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (GCN, 2004)
- Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance (XB, PS2, PC, 2002)
- The Document of Metal Gear Solid 2 (PS2, 2002)
- Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (PS2, 2001)
- Metal Gear: Ghost Babel (GBC, 2000)
- Metal Gear Solid: Integral (PS, 1999)
- Metal Gear Solid (PS, PC, 1998)
- Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (MSX2, 1990)
- Metal Gear (MSX2, NES, 1987)
- Silent Hills (PS4, TBA)
- Zone of the Enders HD Collection (PS3, X360, 2012)
- Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (X360, PS3, 2010)
- Gaitame Baibai Trainer: Kabutore FX (DS, 2009)
- Lunar Knights (DS, 2007)
- Kabushiki Baibai Trainer Kabutore (DS, 2007)
- Shin Bokura no Taiyō: Gyakushū no Sabata (GBA, 2005)
- Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django (GBA, 2004)
- Boktai: The Sun Is in Your Hand (GBA, 2003)
- Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner (PS2, 2003)
- Zone of the Enders (PS2, 2001)
- Policenauts (PC-98, 3DO, PS, SAT 1994-1996)
- Snatcher CD-ROMantic (PCE, 1992)
- SD Snatcher (MSX2, 1990)
- Snatcher (PC-88, MSX2, 1988)
- ^ Karlin, David (2005-09-28). "Hideo Kojima Blogs About Life, Metal Gear". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
- ^ Blevins, Tal (2005-08-19). "GC 2005: Hideo Kojima Interview (Page 3)". IGN. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
- ^ Nutt, Christian (2007-10-15). "Infiltrating Kojima Productions: Ryan Payton Talks Metal Gear Solid 4 (Page 5)". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
- ^ a b "Hideo Kojima Exclusive Q&A". GameSpot. 2005-05-20. Retrieved 2008-03-12.
- ^ Doree, Adam (2008-08-24). "Hideo Kojima: The Kikizo Interview 2008". Kikizo. Retrieved 2012-09-01.
- ^ "Kojima Productions Lineup". Konami. 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-04.
- ^ "Kojima Pro E3 2010 Special Site". Konami. 2010-06-15. Retrieved 2010-06-15.
External links[edit]


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Cher confirmed via Twitter she's finally done recording her 26th album. The as-yet-untitled album is her first since the 2001 release 'Living Proof.' The 66-year-old singer released her new single 'Woman's World' in November, and the new album, which is rumored to feature collaborations with Lady Gaga, Pink and Timbaland, was supposed to be released in March but got pushed back to September.
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Narrow your search
While Bluetooth proximity unlocking and the GPS locator features of Viper SmartStart and SmartKey come in handy, it is a fairly big installation and will apply to limited scenarios and vehicles.
Due to the lower monthly fees, Viper Home is a more intriguing option than Oplink if you want to add accessories like a camera and a siren. If you don't, stick with iSmartAlarm.
Viper's new SmartKey system includes the ability to unlock your car through Bluetooth, and offers GPS location features.
Browse our list of cameras to see if do-it-yourself home security is right for you.
Remix masters Eclectic Method pay tribute to R2-D2, C-3PO, Gonk, Probot, and other "Star Wars" robots in this catchy music video. Crave chats with Jonny Wilson about droids' contribution to dub step.
Hoping for a smart home gadget this holiday season? Start here.
We round up eight car technologies that you can add to update the ride you already own.
A puppy who was born without his front legs is zipping around thanks to a caring vet and the owner of a 3D-printing company.
Unhappy with the official ending for this week's episode of "Game of Thrones," one fan re-created it the way we all wanted it to go down.


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The Ayatollah Under the Bed(sheets) - By Karim Sadjadpour. In the early years of the Iranian Revolution, an obscure cleric named Ayatollah Gilani became a sensation on state television by contemplating bizarre hypotheticals at the intersection of Islamic law and sexuality.
One of his most outlandish scenarios -- still mocked by Iranians three decades later -- went like this: Imagine you are a young man sleeping in your bedroom. Military court hears evidence in Egyptian "virginity tests" case. February 27, 2012 by Shahira Amin A Cairo military court on Sunday heard witness testimony in a case against a soldier who allegedly performed "virginity tests" on seven female protesters on 10 March 2011. 22-year-old Samira Ibrahim filed a lawsuit against the military doctor whom she accuses of conducting the tests on her and six other female detainees near Tahrir Square.
In December, Ibrahim won an earlier case against the Supreme Council of the Armed Force (SCAF) when a Cairo Administrative Court ruled that virginity checks should not take place again in military prisons. Who'd be a Woman in Egypt? On : Wednesday, 13 Jun, 2012 Egypt Unwrapped Recent attacks on female protesters in Tahrir Square have focussed attention on one of Egypt's ugliest issues.
Egyptian demonstrators shout slogans against former President Hosni Mubarak and members of former regime in Cairo's Tahrir Square. Egypt: Military Impunity for Violence Against Women. (New York) – The March 11 acquittal of the only military officer charged in the "virginity tests" trial is a blow for any hopes of accountability for the abuses women have experienced at the hands of the Egyptian military over the past year, Human Rights Watch said today.
The military has failed to investigate and punish credible claims of other instances of violence by its members against women, including the beating and torture of women demonstrators by military officers on March 9 and December 16, 2011. The investigation and trial in the case, in which female protesters who had been detained testified that a military doctor subjected them to "virginity testing," underscore the lack of independence of the military justice system in trying such cases, Human Rights Watch said.
Who Cares How Many Women Are in Parliament? - By Joshua Foust and Melinda Haring. Last month The Economist published its annual infographic about the dearth of women in parliaments around the world.
Not surprisingly, some of the most-developed countries -- Sweden, Germany, New Zealand -- top the charts. (Also present are two African countries, Rwanda and South Africa, that have mandated parliamentary quotas for women.) Equitable representation of women in politics and government is an ideal promoted by every development organization and to which every Western government aspires. Though women comprise over 50 percent of the world's population, they are underrepresented as political leaders and elected officials.
The National Democratic Institute puts it plainly: "Democracy cannot truly deliver for all of its citizens if half of the population remains underrepresented in the political arena. " To Be a Woman in Pakistan: Six Stories of Abuse, Shame, and Survival - Zara Jamal - International. Interviews with a handful of the country's 88 million women and girls Brides-to-be wait during a mass wedding ceremony in Karachi. Reuters According to a 2011 poll of experts by the Thomson Reuters Foundation Poll, Pakistan is the third most dangerous country for women in the world. It cited the more than 1,000 women and girls murdered in "honor killings" every year and reported that 90 percent of Pakistani women suffer from domestic violence.
Westerners usually associate the plight of Pakistani women with religious oppression, but the reality is far more complicated. In a Baghdad E.R., Women's Psychological Wounds Go Untreated. I had been working at a trauma center in Baghdad for some time when an opportunity came up to transfer back to my old job — at a maternity hospital in Sadr City.
But I backed out at the last minute. I knew the transfer would be good for me: I'd be far away from the stress and drama of the E.R., where I had spent a lot of time. I told myself that getting away would let me process what I had seen and experienced. Kuwait: Court Victory for Women's Rights. (Beirut) –A court decision on April 22, 2012, cancelling a ministerial order barring women from entry-level jobs at the Justice Ministry is an important victory against legally-sanctioned discrimination in Kuwait, Human Rights Watch said today.
Human Rights Watch urged the Kuwaiti government to act on the decision, to guarantee women equal access to all public jobs, and to amend or repeal gender-based discriminatory provisions from all its legislation. In July 2011, the Justice Ministry announced in local newspapers that it would accept applicants for "entry level legal researcher" – a first step to becoming a prosecutor. The advertisement specified that the positions were only open to male candidates, without providing any rationale for the restriction. Status of Women in 'Reformist' Morocco. Just three years ago, a teenager from Western Sahara (which has long been occupied by Morocco) left a human rights meeting, at which point she was accosted, as she reveals in a YouTube video, by six plainclothes Moroccan policemen.
They pushed her into a waiting vehicle, blindfolded, and handcuffed her. And then they raped and sodomized her with truncheons, in the presence of high ranking Moroccan officers. Once that was done, they told her she would be killed if she decided to talk about her treatment at their hands. Several months later, on August 27th, yet another teenage human rights activist, Nguia el-Haouassi, found herself abducted by Moroccan police, stripped naked, and subjected to what was called "physical and psychological torture."
Saudi Feminism: Between Mama Amreeka and Baba Abdullah. On 9 May 2012, Manal al-Sharif was awarded the Havel Prize for Creative Dissent at the Oslo Freedom Forum in Norway.
This came shortly after al-Sharif was honored as one of TIME's 100 Most Influential People in the World at a Gala in New York City. Such events have given rise to a pattern: just as numerous pictures and videos of activists attending various conferences and receiving numerous awards surface, waves of criticism pour in. Their motives are viewed with suspicion, worthiness is questioned, and a movement's progress is reassessed. The most prevalent criticism of Manal al-Sharif was that she was accepting an award for political dissent when she was only, at most, a social activist. This criticism was not meant to undermine her efforts but rather to allocate them a bit further down the activist totem pole, so to speak, in order to remove them from the high pedestal they had been placed on. Why Afghan Women Risk Death to Write Poetry.
Women, democracy and dictatorship. The electoral success of Islamic parties in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco, has raised worries about policy and legislation on family and gender issues, this despite re-assuring noises from leading figures.
Earlier electoral successes of Islamists in Iraq had brought about a disorderly mix of family policies and rule of disparate religious authorities, accompanied by much constraint and intimidation. This may be a good time to reflect on the record of various Middle Eastern countries on these issues over the course of the twentieth and twenty-first century and their relations to political regimes. The Uprisings Will be Gendered. Women's rights and the regulation of gender and sex norms in the Arab world have long been put under the spotlight by local and international activists in addition to local and international politicians and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). This year, the ongoing uprisings in the Arab world have brought into focus some dominant ways that sexual and bodily rights are framed, gendered, and politicized. These can be grouped under three loose themes, each of which deserves further study: One is the equation of gender with women and/or sexual and gender minorities.
Young Women Demanding Justice and Dignity: By All Means Necessary. Amina Filali was a young Moroccan girl who was raped at the age of 15 then forced to marry her rapist. She was battered, bruised, and starved until she committed suicide in March 2012. She was 16 years old. Contributing to Amina's suicide are her rapist turned husband, article 475 of the Moroccan penal code that absolves an aggressor of his crime once he consents to marrying his rape victim, the judge who called for a mediation instead of a prosecution against the offender, the police, and the religious clerics who have given their blessings to the rapist. Women, democracy and dictatorship. Women: The Libyan Rebellion's Secret Weapon. How Not to Study Gender in the Middle East. One: Gender is not the study of what is evident, it is an analysis of how what is evident came to be. Two: Before resolving to write about gender, sexuality, or any other practice or aspect of subjectivity in the Middle East, one must first define what exactly the object of study is.
Be specific. What country, region, and time period forms the background picture of your study? Furthermore, the terms "Middle East," "the Islamic World" and the "Arab world" do not refer to the same place, peoples, or histories, but the linkages between them are crucial. Moreover, the "state" is a relatively new phenomenon in the Middle East. Setbacks For Arab Women Have Outpaced Gains. A protest leader gives directions to fellow protesters as they march during a demonstration in Sanaa May 10, 2012. (photo by Reuters) Author: Barbara Slavin Posted May 15, 2012 Women have participated prominently in the popular protests that have swept the Arab world in the past 15 months, but are in danger of losing social, political and economic gains made under previous regimes.
Summary⎙ Print Women are in danger of losing social, political and economic gains made under previous regimes in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, writes Barbara Slavin. Culture versus Rights Dualism: a myth or a reality? Why Do They Hate Us? - By Mona Eltahawy. Between You and Me. Hatred and misogyny in the Middle East, a response to Mona el Tahawy. Politics at the Tip of the Clitoris: Why, in Fact, Do They Hate Us? Let's Talk About Sex. War of Position and War of Maneuver: Sexperts, Sex Pervs, and Sex Revolutionaries.


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Posted: May 16, 2014 8:39 AM by Hunter Robinson
Source: Associated Press
SHREVEPORT - Shreveport police say a 6-year-old boy has died after being hit by a school bus.
Cpl. Marcus Hines says Brenden Houston was pronounced dead at University Health Medical Center Thursday afternoon.
Hines says Houston was hit after he exited the Caddo Parish school bus.
He says the driver, 59-year-old Debra Kay Stevens of Hosston, was detained by police for a routine toxicology screening and questioning.
Hines said police did not suspect the driver of being impaired.
He says investigators are in the process of reviewing video surveillance from the bus for further details on what events led up to the accident.
Houston attended Herndon Magnet School.


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The Fort Venango Mike and Key Club invites the public to amateur radio field day on the afternoon of Saturday June 22nd. You can meet amateur radio operators, see stations in operation, get information aend even get on the air from 2p-5p. The event is located at the Victory Heights Community League grounds on route 322 between Franklin and Cranberry Mall. Watch for the sign at the entrance on Victory Church Road. License testing is also planned. For information call Will McDevitt at 814-428-1583.
Saturday, June 22, 2013 - 2:00pm


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