text:
Town-N-Country Cottages
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Photos of Town-N-Country Cottages
TripAdvisor Reviews Town-N-Country Cottages Manitou Springs
Travel Blogs from Manitou Springs
Back to Civilization
... s castle home in Colorado Springs. It was a fun get together.
Wednesday, Sept. 18th, was the day to have some minor repairs on our tow at the Subaru dealer. Friend Bill Morr, cousin, Bill Baum & Kate joined us for a sushi dinner downtown.
Thursday Sept. 19th, was spent reprovisioning our motorhome at all the wonderful store options that we hadn't seen in our travels since leaving California.
Kansas is our next stop.
Todd and Emily's Wedding
I went out to Colorado Springs for Todd and Emily's wedding. It was a fabulous weekend with family and friends. The wedding was really nice--it fit Todd and Emily so well. The weather was perfect too! I got to see the Garden of the Gods and the Air Force Academy.
Ring Hunting
... It was a ceramic disk that had the imprint of an aspen leaf. We walked all the way to the round about with no luck on the ring front.
We crossed to the other side of the street and began to repeat the process. In one of the stores the lady did not have what Leslie was looking for, but she thought she knew of a store that would. She took us outside and pointed out a store on the other side of the street. We crossed over ...
Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs
July 6 - by Katelyn
Today we hung out at Garden of the Gods
Today we went to Garden of the Gods National City Park. Here, we went on a short hike and learned a lot about the park and its history and geology. This park was created all because of Charles Elliot Perkins and his kids. At first, Charles Perkins bought this land that is now called Garden of the Gods. Charles Perkins always ...
Last things
... back to the Pike's Peak Inn, the sidewalks were getting slightly icy which reminded us of Lee Vining much earlier in our trip and many miles and States away.
Back in our warm and cosy room, we sorted through our suitcases, trying to make everything fit, in readiness for leaving the next day. We didn't want to go; we never do. We'll be back soon.


text:
Federal Agency Retracts Fossett Statement After KOLO 8 Probe
Updated: 09/21/2007 - A federal agency in charge of investigating aircraft accidents has revised its initial report on the incident involving the disappearance of Steve Fossett.
Updated: 09/21/2007 - A federal agency in charge of investigating aircraft accidents has revised its initial report on the incident involving the disappearance of Steve Fossett.
Posted: 09/20/2007 - Washoe County's first-in-the-nation family drug court is rated as one of the best in the nation, according to a national study.
Posted: 09/20/2007 - A lawyer for a co-defendant in the O.J. Simpson armed robbery case accused prosecutors Thursday of "overreaching" with charges against his client and the former football star.
Posted: 09/20/2007 - Scrapping its 2006 ruling against closed Parole Board hearings, the Nevada Supreme Court says such proceedings aren't subject to terms of the state's open meeting law.
Updated: 09/20/2007 - Health officials on Wednesday warned parents not to give their children a liquid herbal supplement that is marketed as a remedy for colic and teething pain because several bottles tested positive for a parasite that may have a sickened a 6-week-old infant in Minnesota.
Updated: 09/20/2007 - Over objections of the state attorney general, the Nevada Pardons Board has commuted drug-crime sentences of eight convicts, all illegal immigrants, as part of an effort to ease prison overcrowding by deporting illegals.
Posted: 09/20/2007 - Five more cases of West Nile virus have been detected in rural Nevada.
Updated: 09/20/2007 - A Reno couple who played video games while their two children went hungry and neglected have been sentenced to four years each in prison.
Updated: 09/20/2007 - The rumble of Street Vibrations has rolled into Reno once again, bringing some 30,000 bikers to the Biggest Little City this weekend.
Updated: 09/20/2007 - When you dial 911, it's often because of an emergency. But a shortage of dispatchers, could mean it's going to take longer to get an operator on the line.
Updated: 09/20/2007 - Fall doesn't begin until Sunday, but signs of winter made an appearance Wednesday night in the Sierra west of the Truckee Meadows.
Posted: 09/19/2007 - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, stepping up efforts to block new coal-fired power plants in Nevada, is introducing a bill requiring most power transmitted over a proposed cross-state line to come from alternative energy sources.
Posted: 09/19/2007 - Single mothers and fathers need child support checks to help raise their children...so why is the government taking some of that money away?
Updated: 09/19/2007 - Washoe County has decided to hire an independent facilitator to help an elections task force review the integrity of ballots, voting machines and tallying machines before the 2008 election.
Posted: 09/19/2007 - A Reno man has pleaded guilty during his first-degree murder trial in which he was accused of binding the victim with a cat toy and her husband's pajama bottoms and stuffing a glove down her throat during a robbery.
Updated: 09/19/2007 - State lawmakers, the Gibbons administration and the attorney general's office are scrambling to clear up confusion over fuzzy wording in a new law that's making it tougher for some qualified Nevadans to get home loans.
Updated: 09/19/2007 - Leaders of the search for Steve Fossett scaled back the aerial operation again Wednesday but insisted they are "not giving up" their effort to find the millionaire adventurer missing for 17 days.
Posted: 09/19/2007 - Another black bear has wandered into a Reno neighborhood -- this time in the Zolezzi (zoh-LEH'-zee) Lane area south of town.
Updated: 09/19/2007 - Summer is ending and fall is beginning right on schedule in northern Nevada.
Updated: 09/19/2007 - Additional tests will be needed to determine the cause of death of an eight-year-old boy who died Saturday in Minden after collapsing during a flag football practice.
Updated: 09/19/2007 - O.J. Simpson walked out of jail Wednesday, after a judge granted bail and set strict conditions for his release while he fights criminal charges in connection with the armed robbery of sports memorabilia collectors at a Las Vegas hotel.
Posted: 09/19/2007 - A bear left dangling for nearly 24 hours off the side of a bridge is finally back on solid ground!
Updated: 09/19/2007 - Several streets in downtown Reno will be closed for Street Vibrations.
Posted: 09/19/2007 - Street Vibrations kicks off today in Reno.
Updated: 09/19/2007 - Sparks Police met with residents and explained how to tell if a meth lab is nearby.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Toews signs $84-million deal with Blackhawks
Jonathan Toews signed his new contract with the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday afternoon.
Yes, it was as big as anticipated.
The eight-year, $84 million deal for the former UND star marks the largest annual value of a contract — and salary cap hit — in NHL history, surpassing Alexander Ovechkin.
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Facebook | Twitter | dA | The Leapdaypeapicker | Leapdaybride.com | BUY as Greeting Card
Model: Aimee Fitzgerald | DAP-Starry
featured in "The Patchwork", 11/2011
Winter Fairy iPhone Case also featured in above capture.
featured in "Artistic Assignments", 11/2011
Jolie iPhone Case also featured in above capture
featured in "The Sisterhood", 11/2011
featured in "Living Christianity", 12/2011
featured in "The Group", 12/2011
Thank you so much for the feature Sally!! I am thrilled to be featured in this group! YAY!!! ♥
– leapdaybride
this is just awesome, reminds me of a van gogh
Excellent Image!
Please participate in this features forum. CLICK HERE
Please Vote for your fellow members in The Group Challenge, CLICK HERE
Thank you so much for the feature deborah! I am truly honored and it is MOST appreciated ♥
– leapdaybride
Very beautiful work and image!
this is gorgeous, Carla! WOW!
gorgeous, congrats on the feature!
Wonderful work !!! Bravo!!!
Your host, Deb
September 12, 2012


text:
10 Minnesota Beers to Drink Right Now
By Jerard Fagerberg
Sip a Cricket Milkshake at Wayback Burger in...
By Mecca Bos
13: Chili Crab at the Rabbit Hole
Campus Pizza Closing
Anoka's First Craft Brewery Hits This Summer
By Loren Green
14: Bogart's Brown Butter-Glazed Doughnut
By Junita Bognanni
Chocolat Celeste's Mary Leonard is Serious...
A Benefit for Motley Crews Food Truck
15: Butterscotch Budino at 112 Eatery
By Suzy Piper
Hey, Joe! Free Breakfast!
Sponsor Content


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Allison D.
|Profile Views
What I want to do
End hunger in every community, give every child the best education possible, and adopt every animal that has been abused or abandoned.
Syracuse, NY USA
Click here to get your favorites badge.
What I Did
My Role: General Member of the Public &
Food Bank of Central New York Syracuse, NY USA 04/15/12


text:
Image Unavailable
- Sorry, this item is not available in
- Image not available
- To view this video download Flash Player
|Brand Name
|Gadget Smarts
|Item Weight
|3.6 pounds
|Product Dimensions
|11.8 x 10.9 x 5.4 inches
|Manufacturer Part Number
|Best Sellers Rank
|#157,543 in Office Products (See top 100)
|Shipping Weight
|3.6 pounds
|Date First Available
|November 3, 2009
Within a month of purchasing this, the felt on the top panel (where the charging cords come through) started peeling off. Read morePublished 21 months ago by Ava Isabella
This product is a perfect compliment for any nightstand. I always struggled with placing my keys and my everyday watch in a place that wouldn't scratch my wood tabletop. Read morePublished on June 9, 2012 by Mike
good case, sturdy enough construction, works well, holds multiple phones, conceals cords in back, drawer for storage works well, can run more phones than described, just a matter... Read morePublished on January 24, 2012 by TB
I purchased this piece because I needed something to contain all of our chargers and it happens to match a much nicer organizational piece that I got someplace else. Read morePublished on January 2, 2012 by philly girls
This is a very well made product. Attractive which allows it to be placed in all common areas without being an eyesore to guests and others. Read morePublished on September 17, 2011 by AnthonyZ28
The item functions just fine but takes up a decent amount of space, is pretty ugly and has a velvet like top which will get dusty and be a real pain to clean. Read morePublished on June 29, 2011 by pen name


text:
should arisaema seed be dried?
lilydudeOctober 1, 2006
I just collected some Arisaema candidissimum seed that fell off the plant, even though the "berries" are still green. Should I plant them now, or should I let them dry?
geoforce(z7a SE PA)
There's a page on these on aroid.org. I've put the link below.
Here is a link that might be useful: Arisaema seed


text:
Pronunciation: fasírt
Added on: 2013-03-31 Listened: 17 timesin: Germanism
Pronunciation in Hungarian [hu]
- Pronunciation by kp77 (Male from Hungary)
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Could you do it better? different accent? Pronounce fasírt in Hungarian
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- Random word: Lászlót
by Yandex Translate English translation:
fasírt = meat
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text:
Book your room at Inn On Long Lake
Standard 2 QueenMax Occupancy: 4 guests (up to 3 children, 3 infants)
Studio 2 QueenMax Occupancy: 4 guests (up to 3 children, 3 infants)
Business Class KingMax Occupancy: 2 guests (up to 1 child, 1 infant)
Family SuiteMax Occupancy: 6 guests (up to 5 children, 4 infants)
Executive SuiteMax Occupancy: 4 guests (up to 3 children, 3 infants)
Eco-friendly hotel with free breakfast and fitness center
Located in the heart of Nanaimo, this eco-friendly hotel is 2 mi (3.2 km) from Woodgrove Shopping Centre and 2 mi (3.2 km) from Frank Crane Arena. Brechin Lanes and Nanaimo Regional General Hospital are also within 6 mi (10 km).
Hotel Features
A fitness center, a spa tub, and a sauna are available at this smoke-free hotel. Free continental breakfast, free WiFi in public areas, and free self parking are also provided. Additionally, a business center, meeting rooms, and dry cleaning are onsite.
Room Amenities
All 62 rooms offer free WiFi and free wired Internet, flat-screen TVs with cable channels, and comforts like pillowtop beds and Egyptian cotton sheets. Other amenities available to guests include balconies or patios, refrigerators, and microwaves.Information missing or incorrect? Tell us!
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Amenities
In addition to a spa tub, Inn On Long Lake features a sauna and a fitness center. Public areas are equipped with complimentary high-speed wired and wireless Internet access. This hotel offers access to a business center and meeting rooms. A complimentary breakfast is offered. This eco-friendly hotel also offers dry cleaning/laundry services and an elevator (lift). Complimentary self parking is available on site.
Inn On Long Lake is a smoke-free property.
- Total number of rooms - 62
- 24-hour front desk
- Business center
- Free breakfast
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Elevator/lift
- Fitness facilities
- Free WiFi
- Free wired high-speed Internet
- Meeting rooms
- Free self parking
- Sauna
- Smoke-free property
- Spa tub
Family Friendly Amenities
- Free Wi-Fi
- Refrigerator
- Microwave
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi , Free wired high-speed Internet
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi , Free wired high-speed Internet
Free self parking
Room Amenities
- Balcony or patio
- Free newspaper
- Access via exterior corridors
- Phone
- Free local calls
- Refrigerator
- Coffee/tea maker
- Microwave
- Daily housekeeping
- Private bathroom
- Hair dryer
- Shower/tub combination
- Iron/ironing board
- Desk
- Blackout drapes/curtains
- Cable TV service
- Flat-panel TV
- Free WiFi
- Free wired high-speed Internet
- Egyptian-cotton sheets
- Pillowtop mattress
- Connecting/adjoining rooms available
- Cribs/infant beds (surcharge)
Where to Eat
A complimentary continental breakfast is served between 6:30 AM and 10 AM.
Nearby Things to Do
Recreational amenities at the hotel include a spa tub, a sauna, and a fitness center.
To make requests for specific accessibility needs, complete the "Special or Accessibility Requests" section of "Trip Preferences" when you book your hotel.
- Accessible parking
- In-room accessibility
Hotel Policies
Minimum check-in age is 21
Check-in time starts at 3 PM
Check-out time is 11 AM
Payment types
Pets allowed
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on hotel policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
We should mention
The property has connecting/adjoining rooms, which are subject to availability and can be requested by contacting the property using the number on the booking confirmation. Guests can arrange to bring pets by contacting the property directly, using the contact information on the booking confirmation.


text:
Senior Member
I was wondering why my Mordekaiser guide had become to popular over the past few weeks. It makes me laugh that I see this much rage on the forums all because of little old me. It really is a great build, your all probably getting owned hence the rage. Anyway I just wanted to get that out there.
Honest question, how old are you?
EC Defiler
It takes courage to admit someone used Warmogs on Mordekaiser, as that is by far the most terrible thing to build. You're better off building Mana Regen Mundo.
Probably because using warmog on Morde is trash compared to the other alternatives.
I think you meant huehuehue
Edit: OH GOD ****IT WAS I REALLY BEATEN BY THAT LITTLE?!
Yup as I thought you were all owned. Feed me your rage kiddies, its just so tasty. I still can't believe that this has to do with all this Morde rage.
Erotic Asphyxia
Hmmm Dragonk is your... build on... mobafire.com? >_>
Pixie Styx
I'm not sure how you could get owned by a champion that doesn't deal damage.
Brazilians must praise this guy. Too bad we're not Brazilian.
© 2015 Riot Games, Inc. All rights reserved. Riot Games, League of Legends and PvP.net are trademarks, services marks, or registered trademarks of Riot Games, Inc.


text:
i want to add a class library to my project in C# 2008 and that class library is a wrapper for a C++ library. i added the reference to the .NET wrapper and it says io.notfind exception. i copied C++ DLLs to my project and again it says file not find exception. what can i do to fix this? the original C++ libraries where 2 DLLS that has lib files to but i did not copy those lib files because as i know they are for static linking
the library that i want to use is "awesomium" and the wrapper is awesomiumdotnet


text:
RECIPE: Question about Crock Pot Apple Butter
I have it in the crock pot now, but I didn't read the directions before I started. Here's the recipe:
Enough apples to fill a crock pot
1/2 c. vinegar
3 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
3 tsp. cinnamon
Pinch cloves
Peel and slice enough apples to fill a crock pot as full as possible. The apples will shrink as the cooking process starts. Add vinegar to apples and cook on high for 8 hours and lower heat to low for 10 hours. After a total of 18 hours of cooking, add the rest of ingredients. Let cook 4 more hours. Put in jars and seal.
#1 question: I combined everything and set the crock pot on high before I read the part that says to add the sugar and spices after cooking for 18 hours. So should I just go ahead and let it cook for the full 23 hours, or start over?
#2 question: The recipe doesn't say anything about a boiling water or pressure cooker process. What little bit of canning I've done I've used the BW method for sealing. Is it ok to do this and, if so, how long should I cook the jars in the canner?
I posted these questions very late last night so I didn't really expect anyone to find it in time for advice -- I just took a chance that someone might still be online.
So. The crock pot is still cookin' away, and this is what I did: I turned it back down to Low and left it until 4 a.m. At that point I turned the setting back up to High and it's still going. In other words, I reversed the timing and settings.
This doesn't tell me what to do about adding the sugar & spices AFTER the 18 hours, but the stuff smells so wonderful I'm just going to leave it and see what happens. I can adjust the taste during the last four hours when I was SUPPOSED to add them.
Now. What do I do about the BW bath? I know I have to adjust most things for my altitude, which is 4,230-something feet.
I'm very new at canning, but I really am loving it and right now the Farmers' Market is just brimming with local fruits and vegetables at very good prices.
I'm reading from the Ball Blue. To the prepared pulp, add sugar and spices in a large heavy clad bottomed pot. Cook slowly until thick enough to round up on a spoon. As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking. Ladle hot butter into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece lids. process 10 minutes in BWB. You may add 5 or 10 minutes for your altitude. I used my crockpot and left the cover off for the last 3 hours to thicken up.
Thank you, Shirley. I ended up with a mess black as tar, so I threw the whole thing out. It didn't taste bad, in fact the flavor was pretty good except that it was waaay too sweet. My mistake was adding the sugar in the beginning, and that's what turned it all black. Oh well, the Farmers' Market is still open for two more weeks so I'll try again.


text:
The Corinium Schools Partnership
Read the proposals here...
Cherry Trees:
Once Upon a Time
Year 1:
Are You Sitting Comfortably?
Year 2:
Seeing the Light
Year 3:
Scavengers & Settlers
Year 4: Treasures,
Tombs & Temples
Year 5:
Full Power!
Year 6:
Being Human
Click picture to see more.
The Monthly Events Calendar is Here...
Weather Widget by The Met Office


text:
Skip To Content|
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Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinsons Disease This publication provides an overview of deep brain stimulation (DBS), a surgical procedure used to treat several disabling neurological symptoms—most commonly the debilitating motor symptoms of Parkinsons disease, such as tremor, rigidity, stiffness, slowed movement, and walking problems. The procedure is also used to treat essential tremor and dystonia. The publications describes the DBS system and its advantages for patients. Also discussed is NINDS-funded research on DBS, including studies to further improve the system. A list of sources of additional information about Parkinson's disease is included as well.
Know Stroke. Know the Signs. Act in Time.
This brochure describes the importance of knowing the symptoms of stroke and acting immediately to get treatment.
Neurological Diagnostic Tests and Procedures
This publication discusses the diagnostic tests and procedures that researchers and physicians use to detect, manage, and treat neurological diseases.
Spinal Cord Injury: Hope Through Research
This publication provides in-depth information about spinal cord injuries, including a description of how the spinal cord works and a summary of what happens when it is injured. Also included are discussions of immediate available treatments, diagnosis, and injury...
Traumatic Brain Injury: Hope Through Research
This publication provides in-depth information about traumatic brain injury, including common symptoms, diagnosis, and available therapies. Also discussed is NINDS-funded research to increase scientific understanding of traumatic brain injury. Sources of additional...
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text:
Searched for: "smart translation ios"
About 11 results for "smart translation ios"
5 Reasons why BYOD survived 2014 and will prosper in 2015
BYOD faced some criticisms in 2014 but appears set to evolve further this year.
A Study on the Android-to-iOS Smart Game Content Converter
Mobile communication companies choose different Smartphone platforms, so that game developers must create content designed specifically for each platform or use a conversion proces...
Apple pushes iOS for business, discounts 20 top productivity apps
As part of a larger effort to promote using the iPhone and iPad as office devices, Apple has worked with developers to discount 20 popular productivity apps.
The future of the enterprise service desk is mobile
After reviewing MyIT from BMC Software, Will Kelly sees a mobile future for the staid enterprise service desk.
Top IT job skills for 2014: Big data, mobile, cloud, security
The IT job market is on the rise, and top jobs include anything in big data, mobile, cloud or security. Learn more about the latest hiring trends with TechRepublic's roundtable of ...
How to get started with Responsive Web Design
Ryan Boudreaux explains the concept and methods behind Responsive Web Design. Here are some easy examples to help you get familiar with RWD.
Apple's Siri: Cheat Sheet
The iPhone 4S' virtual voice assistant - ask and you shall receive (an answer)...
Developer Spotlight: Damian Conway
Builder AU recently caught up with the Australian Perl guru to talk about Perl 6, his reasons for choosing Perl, PHP, and the upcoming Open Source Developers Conference in Melbourn...
Take the new I/O in JDK 1.4 for a test drive
The new Java 1.4 APIs offer increased support for buffers, regular expressions, and channels. Take a quick tour of what this new functionality can do for your Java applications.
Understand the evolution of firewalls
Learn how firewalls have progressed from simple packet filtering to more sophisticated application-level filtering.


text:
We stayed in this comfortable condo for 3 nights and enjoyed every bit of it! The description was accurate and the owner was easy to work with and very receptive. The master BR has it's own full bathroom within the bedroom area. It creates some privacy in a condo setting. The two additional bedrooms are spacious and all the beds... more
Problem with this review?


text:
A car crashed into the window of an Arlington Heights laundromat Saturday afternoon, police said.
The crash occurred at 5:28 p.m. at Big Coin Laundry, 1756 W. Algonquin Road, Arlington Heights Police Sgt. Tom Boggs said. No injuries were reported.
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The driver, Rigoberto Morales, 25, of Rolling Meadows was attempting to back a Ford Contour into a parking space when he accidentally put the car into drive instead of reverse, Boggs said.
Morales was issued a citation for no valid driver's license.
The exact cost of damages is unknown, Boggs said, but they amounted to more than $1,500.


text:
Sketchplate is pre-project tooling for starting projects quickly.
##pre-project tooling for getting started quick
Sketchplate is a system for quickly generating projects with the collections of libraries and processes that you use frequently. It provides tools to maintain various templates, retrieve and update your favorite libraries, quickly copy your template into a specified folder and launch it in your favorite editor. It is published on NPM for Node.js. Sketchplate currently supports OSX. Support for Linux and Windows is in future plans.
There are currently 3 main components to sketchplate:
- Templates - create and manage your own templates
- Fetching - manage and automate retrieval of external resources
- Hooks - express execution of common tasks after project creation
##Installation $ npm install -g sketchplate
##Creating your first new project $ sketchplate new ./my-sketchplate-project
##CLI Interface
Usage: sketchplate <command> [options]
-h, --help output usage information
-V, --version output the version number
- new [options] - create a new project at <location> with hooks for [options]
- template [options] [command] - perform commands on your sketchplate templates
- fetch [options] [names…] - perform resource fetches on your projects and templates
- hooks [options] [location] - perform any of the hooks on existing projects
- config [options] [command] - edit your sketchplate configuration
##new Specify the location for the new project and any combinations of hooks to perform upon completion. In this example the user has their editor set up as Sublime Text 2, the current default editor
Usage: sketchplate new [options]
-h, --help output usage information
-b, --browse Open project in file browser
-e, --editor Launch project in editor orion
-g, --git-init [remote] Initialize a git repository with template committed, optionally provide a remote URL
-n, --npm-install Run npm install
-s, --server [port] Start a static file server with connect on [port]
-v, --verbose Display details including server log
-f, --fetch Update all fetched assets before creating project
-t, --template [template] Create with [template] template
Usage: sketchplate template [options] [command]
new [options] [name]
create a new template
edit [options] [name]
edit an existing template
fetch [options] [names…]
fetch resources for a template
list all of the installed templates
install <package> [folder]
install a new template
remove <name>
remove an existing template
set <name>
set the default template, currently `node-server`
-h, --help output usage information
###template install
sketchplate template commands help you manage your collection of templates; its 'install` sub-command allows you to install
any repository or zip archive as a new template, below are several ways to make a template from html5-boilerplate:
# fetch by github <user>/<repo>:
sketchplate template install h5bp/html5-boilerplate
# use a specific tag:
sketchplate template install h5bp/html5-boilerplate#v4.2.0
# use a url to a git repository:
sketchplate template install https://github.com/h5bp/html5-boilerplate.git
# use a zip archive, any provide what to name the folder (otherwise this would be named _v4.2.0_):
sketchplate template install https://github.com/h5bp/html5-boilerplate/archive/v4.2.0.zip html5-boilerplate
Usage: sketchplate fetch <command> [names…]
There is a global
fetch.json which you can use to add urls to resources you wish to keep track of and add to any project. The retrieval and updating of those resources is automated and doesn't use any package manager (Volo, Bower).
Use in an existing project with:
sketchplate fetch add [id1] [id2] or
-i for interactive mode. To assist in maintaining the dependencies of your templates, a template.json is used. The
sketchplate template fetch command is used to update your templates resources.
Usage: sketchplate fetch [options] [command]
add [options]
add fetched resources to your project
-h, --help output usage information
-e, --edit Edit fetch.json in your editor
To use, you simply describe where it is, and where you want its contents to go. currently supports file, zip, clone:
####Download a file, copy it to the target:
"file": "https://raw.github.com/caolan/async/master/lib/async.js",
"target": "js/vendor/async.js"
####git clone a repository and copy its
src/dat folder into
"clone": "https://code.google.com/p/dat-gui/",
"target": {
"src/dat": "js/vendor/dat"
#####git clone a repository, checkout a
tag and copy its entire contents:
"clone": "https://github.com/hapticdata/toxiclibsjs.git",
"tag": "v0.2.0",
"target": {
"lib/toxi": "js/vendor/toxi-v0.2.0"
#####git clone a repository, checkout a
branch and copy its targets:
"clone": "https://github.com/hapticdata/toxiclibsjs.git",
"branch": "feature-color",
"target": {
"lib/toxi": "js/vendor/toxi"
####Download a zip, extract it, copy its targets:
"zip": "https://github.com/twitter/bootstrap/zipball/master",
"target": {
"js/": "js/vendor/bootstrap",
"less/": "less/vendor/bootstap"
Once a new project has been created there are several things you may want to do immediately or any future time you are working with that project, I call these Hooks. Each of these are available as options on
sketchplate new [options] <location>
or can be used relative to your current directory with
sketchplate hooks [options]
Usage: sketchplate hooks [options]
-h, --help output usage information
-b, --browse Open project in file browser
-e, --editor Launch project in editor "Sublime Text 2 (osx)"
-g, --git-init Initialize a git repository
-n, --npm-install Run npm install
-s, --server [port] Start a static file server with connect on [port]
run any combination of these hooks. These are also available for
sketchplate new
sketchplate template add and
sketchplate template edit.
for use with existing projects with
sketchplate hooks
For example, This will open
./www in you configured editor, initialize a git repository, open the folder in Finder and start serving it on port 8080:
sketchplate hooks ./www -egb -s 8080
Usage: sketchplate config [options] [command]
editor [options]
setup your editor
templates <path>
change the directory of your templates, currently `../templates`
-h, --help output usage information
-e, --edit Edit the config.json in your editor
###Editors Set your editor to one of the following with:
sketchplate config editor
- atom
- BBEdit (osx) (select install command-line support on welcome screen)
- orion (bundled with sketchplate)
- Sublime Text 2 (osx)
- Sublime Text 3 (osx)
- Sublime Text - in $PATH (run
- Textmate (osx) (install shell support)
- Vim
- Vim - in new terminal (osx)
- WebStorm
Add many other editors easily. Say you have coda-cli (or Command-Line-Coda) installed and want to use Coda as your editor:
- launch your config.json in your editor with
sketchplate config -e
- add
"coda": { "cmd": "coda", "args": ["<%=workspace%>"] }to the
- change
You can also edit any of the editors to use additional flags. The token
<%= workspace %> will be replaced with the project path.
Your editors launch configuration has 3 properties:
cmdthe command to launch the editor, such as
argsan array of arguments to send the editor
cwdthe "current working directory" in which the editor should be launched from
Any of these variables can contain underscore
_.template() variables, it will be provided an object such as:
{ workspace: location, //the absolute path of the project created workspaceDir: dir, //workspace but always a directory, never a file sketchplatePath: sketchplatePath, //the location of `sketchplate` process: process //process object, env variables in process.env}
Rules of Sketchplate
- New projects, fast. Creating a new project quickly is more important than filling in details. There should be no questions asked when creating a new project. (Unless you care to use a hook that involves confirmations)
- Withold opinions. The root of sketchplate is that you know how you like to work and its likely different than others prescribe. Sketchplate won't tell you how to structure your project or what tools to use and will always emphasize personalization.
- Never leave a mark on a project. Sketchplate will never place any meta or configuration details into a project (i.e. component.json, Gruntfile.js)
- All projects are equal. It doesn't matter if you created your project with sketchplate or not, any project / folder will interface the same with sketchplate.
Roadmap / Contributions
Contributions are welcome and much-appreciated, here are a list of some of the features anticipated for Sketchplate:
- User-contributed hooks. Currently the hooks system is part of the core library. I anticipate that in the future there will be an installed 'hooks' folder next to the 'templates' folder and there can be user-defined hooks available within sketchplate's options.
- Template-specific hooks sitting along side the
templatefolder in a template, there will be a
hooksfolder with template-specific hooks to be called everytime a project is generated with that template. These will be specified in a
hooksproperty in the template.json
Sketchplate was initiated by Kyle Phillips on April 8th, 2012


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The cost of the motor and all accessories could come to about Rs 15,000
Farming operations involving machines are similar to any mechanised industry.
"The only difference is that while factory employee's work in shifts at scheduled times, farmers do not work at any stipulated time. For them, it is completing the work as soon as possible that matters," says Mr. Kamruddin Saifi from Uttar Pradesh, who developed a fodder cutter machine fitted with automatic lock system.
Fodder cutter machines are used practically everyday by farmers in north India to cut the fodder for feeding their livestock.
No support mechanism
"Also the concerned company takes care of the workers if they hurt themselves, as a farmer operating any dangerous machine lacks the support mechanism in terms of financial back up if he meets with some serious accident.
"If a worker hurts himself, his company foots the bill for the treatment. If he dies, his immediate kin is given a job on compassionate grounds. But for farmers, both these facilities just do not exist. His family suffers if he hurts himself or dies. There is practically nobody to take care of his family if he is not there." adds Mr. Saifi.
"Compared to many agricultural equipment, the chaff cutter is considered quite dangerous, as there are reports of large number of people who have lost one or both their hands while working on it.
"If you visit the western tracts of Uttar Pradesh, one can get first hand information on the number of farmers and/ or their family members who have lost their limbs to the chaff cutter," says Mr. Ramesh Patel, Secretary, Sristi, Ahmedabad.
Manual feed
The cutter is a simple machine used to cut and remove the unwanted chaff from the harvested bundle.
Farmers manually feed the harvested crop bundle into the cutting wheel and slowly push it on the blades for cutting.
While doing this, sometimes the hand along with the bundle gets cut by the rotating blades that rotate at a high speed.
As the rotational speed of the blades is very high with an electric or diesel powered cutter, it becomes almost impossible to take any protective measures once the hand gets trapped in the blades.
"I was pained when I saw a newly wed bride losing her hands while working in the cutter in my region.
Personal experience
"I decided to use my four-decade mechanical experience to try and develop a cutter that would stop immediately when the hand gets stuck.
"After months of toil and my own investment, I developed this cutter with a locking system," says Mr Saifi.
The machine by Mr. Saifi, consists of a simple mechanical clutch and a brake operated by a foot lever.
When one presses the lever, the blades immediately get locked and disengage the power source from the cutter. To operate it again one needs to reopen the lock.
"I do not make and sell it commercially like a regular vendor but if anybody places an order I can make it for them.
"The cost of the motor and all accessories could come to about Rs 15, 000," says Mr. Kamruddin Saifi from Uttar Pradesh. Many developing countries are now undergoing a transition phase from employing labour to using machines. However India is still very backward in mechanising agriculture operations compared to many western countries.
Specific problem
"Though the reasons are many, innovators like Mr. Saifi are addressing specific problems in their locality on their own initiative.
This is something that the Government or State must be doing. In the absence of any external funding or support these innovators are driven by their imagination to turn their dreams into a reality," says Mr. Ramesh.
For more information readers can contact Mr. Kamruddin Saifi, Vikas FAbrication works, Delhi- Meerut road, near Thana Muradnagar, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh: 201206, mobile; 09837845492.
Keywords: Farmers' Notebook, agricultural equipment


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Wind energy is in vogue these days, so perhaps it comes as a surprise that someone would take on a clean energy source. But that is in fact what first-time director Laura Israel does in her doc "Windfall," which had its European premiere at the recent International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) after debuting earlier in the year in Toronto and Woodstock. The New York City resident actually had initially wanted a windmill on her own land in the Upstate New York town of Meredith, New York, which had been approached by a wind energy company about constructing numerous turbines in the town, a proposal that eventually deeply divided t...Read More »
For a rookie with one film out of the gate, Mexican director Jorge Michel Grau has had quite year. His feature film debut, "We Are What We Are" ("Somos lo que hay"), a grisly cannibal family melodrama and horror mashup, began its journey in March at the Guadalajara International Film Festival, went ...Read More »
British photographer Andy Taylor Smith was at the SilverDocs fest this June for the world premiere of his first film, the short "This Chair is Not Me." By the end of popular documentary event held annually in Silver Springs, Maryland, "Chair" won the Sterling Award for Best Short Film. Smith's first foray into filmmaking was a natural progression, citing his work in photography projects, which he feels, often took on narrative elements. The film itself centers around a pivotal moment in the life of Alan Martin, a dancer with cerebral palsy who gives workshops and performances, played by newcomer Andre Mahjouri. Smith tells his story re-enac...Read More »
Born in Jamaica and raised in Maryland, director/writer Tanya Hamilton used what she knew best to craft her debut feature, "Night Catches Us." Inspired by her mother's close friend who in 1965 took part in organizing a sit-in at the White House in protest of the violence in Selma, Alabama, Hamilton ...Read More »
Canadian actors who move South of the border to kick start their careers are a dime a dozen. Rachel McAdams, Mike Meyers, Michael J. Fox, Ryan Gosling, Sandra Oh - the list is endless. Newcomer, and fellow Canuck Richard de Klerk, who's worked with Canadian director Carl Bessai twice in "Repeaters" ...Read More »
This weekend at AFI FEST in Los Angeles, American audiences will get their first opportunity to take in Kitao Sakurai's "Aardvark." Already a staple of the European festival circuit after premiering in Locarno this summer, the film uniquely portrays the real-life relationship between a blind man re...Read More »
"Slackistan" director Hammad Khan is on a mission.Read More »
One of the Gotham Awards' nominees for best film not playing at a theater near you, Mike Ott's "Littlerock" has been slowly making the festival rounds since its debut at the San Francisco International Film Festival earlier this year. But with the Gotham nod and a slew of upcoming festival plays, ...Read More »
Filmmaking newcomer Jeff Reichert opens his first feature documentary this weekend, and the former film distribution exec is taking on a relatively little-known political ploy that seriously questions the widely held belief that America is a beacon of democratic values. "Gerrymandering," which opene...Read More »
Greenland, with just 50,000 people across its 836,000 square miles, had never produced an international feature film until Torben Bech and Otto Rosing's "Nuummioq." The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, and is currently making the rounds on the festival circuit. And now...Read More »


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We showed up to the resort with no reservation at around 7 pm. The reception was closed but the friendly security guard called the owner and he let us into a room for the night and we paid for it the next day. The security guard handed the phone to us so that the owner could give us recommendations of place to eat for dinner! The rooms were simple but beautiful and the outdoor shower was awesome. We especially loved the hammocks and wished we could take one home :). The receptionist was extremely helpful and friendly and even made some phone calls for us in Spanish because our Spanish was a little rusty. They definitely went above and beyond what was expected of them and we really appreciated it. We would recommend this accommodation AND we would definitely stay here again!
- Official Description (provided by the hotel):
- Indigo Yoga Surf Resort is a boutique hotel in Mal Pais, on the southern-most tip of the Nicoya peninsula. Just 2 kilometers from the Cabo Blanco Natural Reserve and steps away from the Pacific Ocean, it provides everything a person seeking relaxation and comfort needs:our eleven spacious rooms and one fully-equipped villa combine warm colors and local materials with a modern design. They are located in a tropical garden, which iguanas, squirrels and many birds call their home. We also offer a fine-dining restaurant, a coffee shop, a pool lounge area, as well as our own spa and yoga deck. ... more less
- Reservation Options:
- TripAdvisor is proud to partner with Booking.com so you can book your Indigo Yoga Surf Resort reservations with confidence. We help millions of travelers each month to find the perfect hotel for both vacation and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers.
- Also Known As:
- Beija Flor Hotel Mal Pais
- Beija Flor Mal Pais
- Indigo Yoga Surf Resort Costa Rica/Mal Pais


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Dear Obama: Really?
The NYT's White House reporters got an exclusive interview with Pres. Obama, and one of the pressing questions on their minds was what his ideology is. They asked if, given his spending priorities, he is a socialist, to which he said no, and when they asked if he was a "liberal" or a "progressive" or any other one-word answer, he declined to comment. I can understand him saying that.
But then, after the interview, the president called the reporters back, like he'd thought up a really good zinger after the fact:
It was hard for me to believe you were entirely serious about that socialist question. I did think it might be useful to point out that it wasn't under me that we started buying a whole bunch of shares of banks. It wasn't on my watch. And it wasn't on my watch that we passed a massive new entitlement – the prescription drug plan – without a source of funding. And so I think it's important just to note when you start hearing folks thro[w] these words around that we've actually been operating in a way that is entirely consistent with free-market principles and that some of the same folks who are throwing the word 'socialist' around can't say the same.
Q. So who[se] watch are we talking about here?
A. [*Chuckle*] Well, I just think it's clear by the time we got here, there already had been an enormous infusion of taxpayer money into the financial system. And the thing I constantly try to emphasize to people is that if, coming in, the market was doing fine, nobody would be happier than me to stay out of it. I have more than enough to do without having to worry the financial system. And the fact that we've had to take these extraordinary measures and intervene is not an indication of my ideological preferences, but an indication of the degree to which lax regulation and extravagant risk-taking has precipitated a crisis.
This is bittersweet, because on the one hand, he clears up any misconception that Bush was effectively conservative (or as John Kerry claimed, extreme libertarian). He says, to his credit, that buying up shares of banks and passing a massive new entitlement (or at least one financed by borrowing) are inconsistent with free-market principles.
I like how Obama says that the financial bailout wasn't on his watch, when he voted for it as a Senator. But he's right about Bush. With Obama's help, a Republican president did dump mountains of wealth into the thermal boreholes of the most heavily regulated sector of the economy–that's the financial sector, dear reader, although health care is way up there. And afterward, Bush was frank enough to admit that he had "abandoned free-market principles," although he had the monumental cheek to say he had done so "to save the free-market system."
But on the other hand, Obama claims that his team's been operating in a way that is "entirely consistent with free-market principles"! I feel like launching into one of those "Really!?!" segments from SNL, only less funny and more desperate.
Really, Mr. President? And you're not shoveling piles of taxpayer money into the financial system? You're not planning any massive expansions of entitlement spending? Really? And you're going to come up with a source of funding for all of this? Without taxing anyone but the top two five percent? Really.
Really, Mr. President, all you've talked about since this crisis started is how everyone in the private sector needs a regulatory cavity search deep enough to do a ventriloquist act. As if what we really need is more Sarbanes-Oxley, SEC and FASB rule changes – because it was our lax regulation that all those businesses ran overseas to escape.
And if I'm putting together a line-up of who caused the "extravagant risk-taking" like the massive overborrowing that inflated the residential real estate bubble, shouldn't my first suspects be Fannie & Freddie, the Fed and government subsidies?
Your response to this crisis is to borrow more money to subsidize energy, public transportation, public education and state-mandated health care, and really, isn't that what the free market is all about? Thanks for the assurances that you're not in favor of bigger government.
Your budget, the stimulus, that second stimulus you hinted at, and rescuing all those giant institutions, some of them for the second and third time: these are all entirely consistent with free-market principles? I mean, really.
Someone help me out. Exactly which free-market principles has the president adhered to, either in his campaign promises or in his actions in office? Tell me why Obama is not mistaken or lying.
The "Deregulation" Bogeyman
As Dale has mentioned before, ginning up support for massive federal expenditures and deepening deficits was much easier for FDR because he had Nazis. Obama does not have any such luxury, so he has to invent an equivalent enemy. Luckily for him, decades of propaganda have cemented the idea into many heads that capitalism=rightwing=nazi, leading to the inexorable conclusion that anyone or thing whose primary purpose is to make profit is dangerous and must be controlled.
Dovetailing nicely with that need is the meme that deregulation is to blame for the current financial mess. Although it's a fairly ridiculous claim (as I've pointed out before), that won't stop "studies" like this from being published and reported on:
Steps to Financial Cataclysm Paved with Industry Dollars
March 4 – The financial sector invested more than $5 billion in political influence purchasing in Washington over the past decade, with as many as 3,000 lobbyists winning deregulation and other policy decisions that led directly to the current financial collapse, according to a 231-page report issued today by Essential Information and the Consumer Education Foundation.
The report, "Sold Out: How Wall Street and Washington Betrayed America," shows that, from 1998-2008, Wall Street investment firms, commercial banks, hedge funds, real estate companies and insurance conglomerates made $1.725 billion in political contributions and spent another $3.4 billion on lobbyists, a financial juggernaut aimed at undercutting federal regulation. Nearly 3,000 officially registered federal lobbyists worked for the industry in 2007 alone. The report documents a dozen distinct deregulatory moves that, together, led to the financial meltdown. These include prohibitions on regulating financial derivatives; the repeal of regulatory barriers between commercial banks and investment banks; a voluntary regulation scheme for big investment banks; and federal refusal to act to stop predatory subprime lending.
The quote above comes directly from the report's financial backers, Essential Information and the Consumer Education Foundation. The former is a non-profit that was created by Harvey Rosenfield, a lawyer who also controls the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog, formerly known as the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights. The latter is an entity created by Ralph Nader. None of that information is found either in the press release, or in the news stories reporting on (i.e. quoting) the release.
The organizations are a nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy groups which push for stronger consumer protection laws and to curb "excessive corporate power."
The report alleges that excessive deregulation of the financial sector combined with undue influence from the billions spent in lobbying and political contributions resulted in the current financial crisis.
And CBS' Political Hotsheet finds:
The two men behind the report are California lawyer Harvey Rosenfield of the nonprofit Consumer Education Foundation and Robert Weissman of Essential Information, a Washington nonprofit "that seeks to curb excessive corporate power."
The report argues that the lobbying and contributions kept financial derivatives from being regulated, led to the repeal of regulatory barriers between commercial banks and investment banks and kept the government from stepping into halt predatory subprime lending.
The remainder of the reporting is merely quoting and paraphrasing the press release. Absolutely zero analysis of the actual report is offered. Why would they report anything else? Well, just looking at the press release provides one clue:
Financial deregulation led directly to the current economic meltdown. For the last three decades, government regulators, Congress and the executive branch, on a bipartisan basis, steadily eroded the regulatory system that restrained the financial sector from acting on its own worst tendencies. "Sold Out" details a dozen key steps to financial meltdown, revealing how industry pressure led to these deregulatory moves and their consequences:
1. 1. In 1999, Congress repealed the Glass-Steagall Act, which had prohibited the merger of commercial banking and investment banking.
2. Regulatory rules permitted off-balance sheet accounting — tricks that enabled banks to hide their liabilities.
3. The Clinton administration blocked the Commodity Futures Trading Commission from regulating financial derivatives — which became the basis for massive speculation.
4. Congress in 2000 prohibited regulation of financial derivatives when it passed the Commodity Futures Modernization Act.
5. The Securities and Exchange Commission in 2004 adopted a voluntary regulation scheme for investment banks that enabled them to incur much higher levels of debt.
6. Rules adopted by global regulators at the behest of the financial industry would enable commercial banks to determine their own capital reserve requirements, based on their internal "risk-assessment models."
7. Federal regulators refused to block widespread predatory lending practices earlier in this decade, failing to either issue appropriate regulations or even enforce existing ones.
8. Federal bank regulators claimed the power to supersede state consumer protection laws that could have diminished predatory lending and other abusive practices.
9. Federal rules prevent victims of abusive loans from suing firms that bought their loans from the banks that issued the original loan.
10. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac expanded beyond their traditional scope of business and entered the subprime market, ultimately costing taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars.
11. The abandonment of antitrust and related regulatory principles enabled the creation of too-big-to-fail megabanks, which engaged in much riskier practices than smaller banks.
12. Beset by conflicts of interest, private credit rating companies incorrectly assessed the quality of mortgage-backed securities; a 2006 law handcuffed the SEC from properly regulating the firms.
The damning list offers only one instance of actual deregulation (the Glass-Steagall Act), at least seven instances of regulation that the authors simply disagree with (nos. 2-5, and 8-10), one claim each of "global regulators" and ratings agencies failing to do their respective duties (nos. 6 and 12), and two allegations that federal regulators didn't pursue their jobs aggressively enough (7 and 11). So, despite the bold claim that "Financial deregulation led directly to the current economic meltdown," the authors produce almost no evidence to support their conclusion.
It seems like that may have been a little more newsworthy than simply regurgitating the press release.
Then there is the fact that a Ralph Nader organization is partly responsible for the funding. Not only has the man run for president four times, one of those times perhaps leading to the election of George W. Bush, he's notorious for his left-wing politics, including having a serious distaste for corporate America and capitalism.
Could be relevant, no?
But the real failure of journalism here was to take anything that Harvey Rosenfield has to say at face value.
The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR) [owned by Essential Information creator, Harvey Rosenfield] has decided to re-brand itself as "Consumer Watchdog." Will a simple name change help shore-up the eroding reputation of this "consumer group?"
Few days pass without someone from FTCR pontificating in a newspaper story or TV report. Agents of this organization often are quoted — without explanation of their credentials — about auto, fire or health insurance, gasoline pricing, stem-cell research, or just about any public policy debate on the FTCR's mind.
Behind the pithy quotes from FTCR's leaders lies an organization with too much to hide and too many faults to be taken seriously anymore. It has survived by quietly pocketing millions of dollars in fees stemming from an initiative it wrote and sponsored nearly two decades ago. Along the way, it has engaged in hypocritical and speculative stock trading, enjoyed the secret patronage of wealthy trial donors, and either cozied up to or bullied politicians. All of this came despite operating under IRS rules as a "public-benefit" charity.
Of course, the public has no idea what is really motivating FTCR because its agents refuse to disclose their financial backers. Their reasons for hiding the facts are insulting to the average Californian's intelligence.
FTCR declined to release a list of donors on its website by ludicrously equating their work to the civil rights movement in the South. It's refusal to list details about its financial backers is particularly galling since FTCR spends a lot of time lambasting politicians for alleged corruption surrounding their own political donations.
One source of income is clear, thanks to some available public disclosure forms. Following the disastrous 1994 Northridge earthquake, founder Rosenfield extracted $5 million in a consumer-protection settlement with Allstate Insurance. The money was placed in a new group he controls, the Consumer Education Foundation, which was supposed to prevent the kinds of insurance disasters that followed the Northridge quake.
But nearly a decade after the group was formed, its biggest accomplishment appears to be paying Rosenfield a $100,000 salary and writing a few grant checks … including to Rosenfield's own FTCR, to fund its operations. One wonders what the judge in the Allstate settlement would think about this cozy relationship, let alone why Northridge consumers have yet to see much benefit from the $5 million that was paid out supposedly for the public good.
It gets even more absurd.
Rosenfield's Consumer Education Foundation invested some of its Northridge windfall in Enron stock — the Texas company that bilked California consumers out of billions of dollars. This laughable investment, which the CEF was forced to reveal in disclosure statements, is almost too incredible to believe. The "consumer" foundation put its money in one of the biggest consumer ripoff companies in U.S. history.
Enron wasn't the only hypocritical stock purchase made by the Rosenfield's Consumer Education Foundation. The group purchased stock in Abbott Labs, Amgen, Merck, Pfizer, Idec Pharmaceuticals, Johnson and Johnson, and Proctor and Gamble. Meanwhile, FTCR would soon get busy lambasting politicians for accepting campaign donations from these same companies. And while FTCR has lashed out at automobile and chemical companies, the "consumer" foundation has invested in Clorox, DuPont, General Motors, Ford Motors, and Toyota Motor Credit.
There's more on Rosenfield's endeavors here (scroll through the comments to the ftcrfollies.org stuff), but the original site is now defunct, so caution is warranted.
In any case, it seems that Rosenfield's alleged background as an agent provocateur should raise enough red flags to warrant at least a mention that perhaps the report he's funded (written?) should be taken with a grain of salt. Instead, we get news stories that basically repeat exactly little more than the juiciest allegations from the press release, absolutely zero analysis of the actual report (or the press release for that matter), and nothing more than the bare bones information regarding the provenance of the report.
With apologies to Mike Judge, "What would you say ya do here, MSM?"
NYT Asks: "Why Can't Cerberus Foot the Bill?"
Welcome to the club. I've been asking that question for some time now. Better late than never, I suppose:
Chrysler said the only reason it was back asking for more money so soon was that the car market was worse than it had expected two months ago.
This cavalier approach to the public purse raises a very big question. If Chrysler is really on track for a turnaround and all it needs is some financing to get over a bad patch in sales and debt markets, why doesn't Cerberus Capital Management, which owns 80 percent of the company, put up the money itself? Why should taxpayers have to take the risk? That's what private equity funds like Cerberus are supposed to do.
Cerberus and Daimler, which retained a stake in Chrysler, have promised to convert $2 billion in loans to Chrysler into equity, which should help reduce its debt. But Cerberus said giving fresh money would violate its fiduciary duty to investors, breaking company rules limiting how much it can commit to any given investment.
We suspect these rules would be more pliant if Cerberus deemed Chrysler to be a good deal.
It seems the secretive private-equity fund is willing to gamble on Chrysler's survival with the taxpayer's dime, but not its own.
The real question is, if it is violative of Cerberus management's fiduciary duty to bail out its own company, why is it fiscally responsible for the federal government to do so?
And what does it say when the leader of liberal opinion has more qualms about a bailout than the federal government? Nothing good I would think.
WaPo Offers Obama A Three Week Grade
While it was clear they wanted to write a gushing approval of his first days in office, even WaPo couldn't quite bring themselves to "suspend disbelief" enough to do that.
I started chuckling at the second sentence:
But the presidency does not come with a magic wand; nor, we have learned, is Mr. Obama, however talented, a wizard.
They're just "learning" that? My goodness, how in the tank were they?
Second discovery by WaPo:
The president's admitted mistakes on nominations have served as a reminder that he is, after all, rather new to the game of national politics and the art of balancing the lofty aims of campaign pledges against the real-world demands of governing.
Campaign rhetoric, most remember, which was steadfastly supported (and apparently believed) by the Washington Post. As most of us understood, but WaPo is now discovering, inexperience in national politics has its price.
The narrow and rushed passage of his stimulus package underscored the difficulty of living up to his grand promises of transparency; the campaign trail talk about not cutting deals behind closed doors yielded to the demands of the moment. And if it was this hard for Mr. Obama to lure Republican votes to spend money, how will he manage to entice Republican support to deal with even more contentious issues, such as climate change or health care?
Grand promises of transparancy that were additionally unfulfilled on two pieces of legislation which weren't rushed – the equal pay and S-CHIP legislation. Neither were delayed the 5 days his campaign had promised voters for them to review the bills prior to signing. Neither required the rush they received. The stimulus bill is just the worst of the bunch.
And while it isn't necessary to entice Republican support on the more contentious issues in order to pass the bills, such support provides invaluable political cover. Given how badly both Democratic Congressional leaders and Obama handled the bi-partisan effort on the stimulus bill, there's nothing that says they'll ever change enough to entice Republicans.
Then there is Timothy Geithner:
The immediate challenge for the new administration, one that is harder and more important than the stimulus measure, will be to bring stability to the nation's banking system. On that task, "chastening" is a mild word to apply to Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner's debut of the administration's plan. The president promised that his treasury secretary would offer "very clear and specific plans," after which Mr. Geithner laid out a blueprint only. The result was to undermine both Mr. Geithner, who is abler than he seemed at the rollout, and the plan, which is more promising than its reception would suggest.
Geithner, the man who was so important to the bailout effort that his tax cheating had to be ignored, has been less than impressive. Perhaps that will change, but to this point, he has done little to inspire confidence either among voters or the financial sector. The WaPo's declaration that Geithner is "abler than he seemed" has yet to be proved.
WaPo then leavens its criticism with some faint praise, overstating the importance of the first two bills signed. They were simply retreads of bills Democrats had tried to pass during the Bush administration. Unlike what the Post tries to imply, there was no real leadership exercised by Obama or his administration in their passage.
Unfortunately for Mr. Obama and the nation, the current economic situation does not allow for the usual margin of error; fairly or not, he will not be measured against normal historical standards. Sooner rather than later, he will have to find the right balance between reassurance and alarmism; sooner than in past administrations, he needs a full team in place.
Sooner is much preferable to later. Part of the problem we're experiencing today is the alarmism being spread from the nation's premier bully pulpit. "Catastrophe" is a word to be used sparingly from that platform and should be reserved for actual catastrophe. After calling for swift action and passage of the bill on Friday and claiming the nation couldn't wait another hour, we understand now he won't be signing the bill until Tuesday, a weekend Valentine get-away taking priority. That's not leadership, and it certainly will cause critics to discount any such future warnings as more fear-mongering.
WaPo then contradicts itself:
Fortunately for the nation, while Mr. Obama has an experience deficit, he possesses a surfeit of smarts and steadiness.
He certainly has an experience deficit, and that is becoming increasingly apparent. However, given his recent penchant for alarmism as discussed in the article, it seems rather contradictory to then laud him for his "smarts and steadiness". Smart and steady people don't resort to fear-mongering to drive their agenda. However the unsure and inexperienced do.
WaPo then concludes that things will straighten out, and the nation's optimism in Obama will be rewarded and, now that he has lowered expectations (through his alarmism), will patiently wait the years, not months, necessary to see the recession through. I find that to be mostly wishful thinking.
All totaled, the Washington Post, to use a phrase that has become rather trite in the last year, is trying to put lipstick on a pig. Following a WaPo article touting the passage of the massive pork laden spending bill as a "victory of historic proportion", it stands to reason they'd try to double down on their presidential bet, hoping it all works out as they've imagined it will. But by their own words, the dream isn't off to a good start.
They Just Won't Leave it Alone
he Democrats in Congress keep talking about it, and talking about it: The Fairness Doctrine. The newest musings about it come from Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY).
More and more Democrats in Congress are calling for action that Republicans warn could muzzle right-wing talk radio.
Representative Maurice Hinchey, a Democrat from New York is the latest to say he wants to bring back the "Fairness Doctrine," a federal regulation scrapped in 1987 that would require broadcasters to present opposing views on public issues.
"I think the Fairness Doctrine should be reinstated," Hinchey told CNNRadio. Hinchey says he could make it part of a bill he plans to introduce later this year overhauling radio and t-v ownership laws.
When Bruce addressed this recently, commenter PogueMahone responded:
Well then you are kooks. This is no fairness doctrine. Despite the wishes of some, there will be no "fairness doctrine" bill passed.
Huh. maybe. But for people who aren't going to pass it back into law, they sure talk about it a lot.
Poll Battle
Do Americans support the stimulus bill proposed by Congress, or hate it? The only way to glean a credible answer is by looking to reliable polls. Bruce did that earlier with respect to the ATI-News/Zogby poll which found that:
Amidst all the rhetoric surrounding President Barack Obama's first signature piece of legislation, a massive $800 billion economic "stimulus" bill, one thing is clear: a majority of Americans reject the President's handiwork. A just-released ATI-News/Zogby International poll shows that clear majorities of Republicans and Independents are against it.
On the other hand, a USA Today/Gallup poll found that support for the bill has dramatically risen [HT: Hot Air]:
Public support for an $800 billion economic stimulus package has increased to 59% in a USA Today/Gallup poll conducted Tuesday night, up from 52% in Gallup polling a week ago, as well as in late January.
So which is it? Is support up or down? Frankly, I don't think we can really tell. Here's why.
Both polls reveal the number of people questioned, and break down the results by party affiliation (although the ATI-News commissioned poll did not provide any numbers for Democrats). However, neither poll details how many participants of each party were polled, and/or whether the results were weighted. In short, if the ATI-News poll included substantially more Republicans and Republican leaning people among the 7,010 voters questioned, then the results should predictably skew towards the Republican side of the issue. Similarly, if there were significant number of Democrats and Democratic leaning independents among those 1,021 national adults polled by the USA Today poll, then we should expect that poll to favor the Democratic side.
Because we aren't informed as to the breakdown of the total by party affiliation, we really can't say how reflective the polls are of the country as a whole. Seeing as how the polls contradict one another, it's safe to say that neither one accomplishes that task.
It's tempting to conclude that, since the ATI-News poll was conducted over 5 days, as opposed to one, and interviewed almost 7 times as many people as the USA Today poll, the larger sample provides a more accurate picture. Moreover, the poll showing that the public is against the stimulus bill claims a margin of error (+/- 1.2%) that is far lower than the other poll (+/- 3.5%). Yet, the confidence interval for the latter poll is 95% and none is given for the ATI-News offering. If it was only 90%, I think (but could be wrong) that makes the USA Today poll slightly more accurate. In addition, without knowing how many answers came from each party (D/R/I), it's impossible to say just how representative the poll actually is.
By the same token, the USA Today poll appears to offer a more comprehensive look at those questioned, and the questions asked seem less likely to evoke biased answers. For example, the main USA Today poll question was this:
As you may know, Congress is considering a new economic stimulus package of at least $800 billion. Do you favor or oppose Congress passing this legislation?
Compare that question to the following:
Most Republicans oppose the currently proposed stimulus bill supported by President Obama because they say there is too much money being spent for non-stimulus items. Do you agree or disagree that too much money is being spent on items that won't improve the economy?
The first question above is simple, straightforward, and doesn't present any potential bias words with respect to the issue. The second, however, sets up a premise, attaches "Republican" to it, and then asks for agree or disagree. Not surprisingly, the second question elicited a much stronger response from Republicans (93% agreed) and Independents (66%) than the first (56% Independents; 28% Republicans). Perhaps then the USA Today poll, despite its small sample, is the more accurate?
Once again, we don't know how many of each party were questioned. If it was overwhelmingly Democratic Party leaners, then the results would have to be expected. In addition, the USA Today poll questioned all adults, while the ATI-News poll only queried voters, whom one might assume are somewhat better informed. Finally, the fact that any poll of voters could find a string correlation between the words "agree" and "Republicans" suggests that the wording was not causing any undue bias (unless, of course, it was mostly Republicans interviewed, which is pretty unlikely).
In the end, I don't know how to view these two contradictory polls in a way that sheds any light on how the populace is actually feeling about the stimulus bill. Other than the glaring fact that Democrats overwhelmingly favor its passage, while Republicans do not, there is nothing definitive to be learned. I do agree with Bruce's assessment that Independents are the best to look for answers, however the poll numbers we have don't seem to match up.
I guess its possible that the a majority of people are ambivalent about the stimulus bill — yeah it'll probably be a big screw up, but we have to do something, don't we? — which would explain some of the apparent contradiction. And maybe Obama's sales job made the difference in the numbers (the ATI-News poll ended on the 9th, while the USA Today poll was taken on the 10th).
Whatever the reason for the contradiction, I think it's interesting that each day we have a different poll telling us that the public loves/hates the stimulus package, yet we never see any polls testing the public's knowledge of what's in the bill (much less anyone in Congress). Maybe if people were better informed about the contents of the legislation we see more consistent polling. Instead of constantly reading polls asking if the Republicans are right or wrong, or if $800 billion is a good number to spend, perhaps we'd learn more about what the public really thinks if we asked them how stimulated they would be by $4.2 billion for "neighborhood stabilization activities," or $34 million to renovate the Department of Commerce headquarters, or $88 million to help move the Public Health Service into a new building, or $55 million for Historic Preservation Fund, or $6.2 billion for the Weatherization Assistance Program, or $2.4 billion for carbon-capture demonstration projects. Now there's a poll I'd like to see.
More Fairness Doctrine Talk
The rent-seekers find another ally:
BILL PRESS: …And, thanks for your leadership, thanks for your good work, it's great to have you there Senator. And, great to have you on the show. Appreciate it.
SENATOR TOM HARKIN (D-IA): Well, anytime – just let me know Bill. I love being with you, and thanks again for all you do to get the truth and the facts out there. By the way, I read your Op-Ed in the Washington Post the other day. I ripped it out, I took it into my office and said 'there you go, we gotta get the Fairness Doctrine back in law again.'
BILL PRESS: Alright, well good for you. You know, we gotta work on that, because they are just shutting down progressive talk from one city after another. All we want is, you know, some balance on the airwaves, that's all. You know, we're not going to take any of the conservative voices off the airwaves, but just make sure that there are a few progressives and liberals out there, right?
SENATOR TOM HARKIN (D-IA): Exactly, and that's why we need the fair—that's why we need the Fairness Doctrine back.
BILL PRESS: We'll work on that together. Hey, thanks, Senator! Always good to talk to you.
SENATOR TOM HARKIN (D-IA): Thanks Bill, see you, bye.
BILL PRESS: There it is – you heard it here on the Bill Press Show. Senator Tom Harkin: bring back the Fairness Doctrine!
If you can't make it on your own merit, get the government to step in and grant you what you haven't earned.
Good work there, Billy.
Fairness Doctrine Needed for Presidential Press Conferences?
Also included at the press conference was a blogger from the left-wing Huffington Post (and more power to him, I might add):
Longtime members of the White House press corps who are accustomed to sitting in the front row of presidential press conferences were surprised to find their prime real estate occupied by Ed Schultz, a strident liberal who hosts a nationally syndicated radio program originally based in Fargo, N.D., but of late broadcasting from the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C.
So, since no right-wing bloggers or talk show hosts were included, does this mean we need a Fairness Doctrine for Presidential press conferences?
Clearly, President Obama was making a point of showing deference to the Left at his first prime-time press conference, which was broadcast to millions from the stately East Room of the White House on Monday.
Like such a show was actually necessary. I can't wait for Sen. Debby Stabenow to bring the Fairness Doctrine up again in the Senate. Watching someone embarrass themselves is usually pretty entertaining.
Newspeak: Bi-Partisan Redefined
I won't go into the whole kit'n kaboodle about how "bi-partisan" has recently come to mean "all of one party plus 3 of the other," but instead point to this (supposedly) journalistic effort to shore up the new definition:
Harry Reid spokesman Jim Manley on Heath Shuler's comment that Reid and Nancy Pelosi "failed" on bipartisanship.
It's a good one
Quite the set up, eh? It must be something awfully devastating. The way that Glenn Thrush, the Politico "reporter" detailing Shuler's walk into the wilderness, leads into the allegedly withering comments with little more than a snarky swipe at the Congressman's dubious NFL career ("Manley sacks Shuler")one would think that Manley had something important to say. One would be wrong.
Before getting to Manley's "sack" (in Thrush's words), let's take a look at the sole account of Shuler's misdeed, which incidentally is from Glenn Thrush:
"In order for us to get the confidence of America, it has to be done in a bipartisan way," Shuler said in Raleigh following an economic forum, according to the AP.
"We have to have everyone — Democrats and Republicans standing on the stage with the administration — saying, 'We got something done that was efficient, stimulative and timely … I truly feel that's where maybe House leadership and Senate leadership have really failed."
Shuler, rumored to be mulling a '10 Senate run, was one of 11 House Democrats to vote "no" on the stimulus and was already deep in Pelosi's doghouse. Now he'll have to build a Harry Reid wing.
Apostasy! How dare a Democrat call the incompetent leaders of the House and Senate incompetent. What is he, a Republican? It's almost as if Shuler really bought into all that post-partisan claptrap that Obama spouted on the campaign trail. Well, Earth to Shuler. The campaign's over. Time to get in line and do what your told like the rest of America.
But I kid.
According to Thrush, Manley had a much better takedown of Shuler's insubordination:
Let me get this straight – this is coming from a guy who threw more than twice as many interceptions than touchdowns?
Maybe Someone should tell congressman Shuler that under the leadership of President Obama we have put together a bipartisan bill that will create or save 3 to 4 million jobs, and that We have been more than willing to work with our republican friends. We have accepted some of their ideas and will continue to do so. But not at the expense of creating jobs, investing in our future of helping the middle class. He can stand on a stage if he wants, but senate democrats are busy trying to pass legislation that will provide essential investments designed to create and save jobs.
Hmmm. I didn't realize that Shuler's career as an NFL quarterback was somehow relevant. Didn't get that memo. But Thrush sure did:
In four years as an NFL QB — three with the Redskins, one with the Saints — Shuler threw 32 INTs while tallying only 15 TDs. Shuler was the third overall pick in the 1994 NFL draft and held out for a seven-year $19 million contract, but completed fewer than half his passes — with a rock-bottom 54.3 lifetime passer rating.
In 2008, ESPN rated him the 4th biggest draft bust in league history.
Ummm … OK. So, that's it? That's the "good one"? Cracking on Shuler's life before becoming a Congressman? I mean, I see that Shuler's point concerning the lack of bi-partisanship is roundly countered by Manley's response to the effect of "Nuh'uh." But is that really so devastating? Does that have anything to do with Shuler's point about the failure to include Republican's in the Mother of All Spending Bills? Judging from Thrush's reporting, the "good one" was little more than a schoolyard taunt.
Perhaps the larger point was that Thrush simply wanted to generate some controversy so that he'd have something to write about. Take a critical remark from a supposed friendly and use it to elicit a stinging retort. That's the world of lazy journalism and tabloid reports.
But Thrush misses the real story here in a spectacular fashion. Where Schuler takes a political risk in challenging the leaders of his own party by pointing to the actual lack of any Republicans signing onto the bill, Thrush instead focuses on the sarcastic response, completely ignoring the glaring fact that only three out of 219 have been brought on board. Manley's retort may generate guffaws in the Democratic lunchrooms, but it's hardly the caliber of a "good one" even for a sophomore in high school. Thrush has reduced himself to little more than a gossiping sycophant, content with relaying the latest insults delivered by the cool kids in order to ingratiate himself with the in-crowd. And in the process, he has perpetuated the myth that the stimulus bill is any way bi-partisan.
One would think there was a good story in there somewhere. That is, if one were really a journalist.
Paging Ashley Judd…
Reality is calling:
Fish and Game Director Cal Groen told the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee that Idaho's estimated 824 wolves are impacting the state's deer and elk population.
He says big game populations are decreasing by as much as 15 percent a year. Without the wolves, Idaho's deer and elk herds would be increasing 7 percent a year.
Groen says the wolf packs have become overcrowded and wolves have begun to kill each other.
I assume Judd has an opinion about this too.