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OMB reworking financial system requirements to focus on outcomes, not inputs
Tuesday - 5/21/2013, 5:27am EDT
CAMBRIDGE, Md.— The Office of Management and Budget is finalizing a new directive to change federal financial management processes.
The goal is to make it easier for agencies to balance their books, and for vendors to provide software to help them do that.
Adam Goldberg, the executive architect for the Treasury Department, said this new guidance, which is about 30 days or so away from being finalized and made public, would update Circular A-127.
Adam Goldberg, executive architect, Treasury
A-127 defines the processes and policies agencies should follow when managing their financial management systems. Goldberg said A-127 instructs agencies on how to meet the requirements based on which systems meet government requirements and testing.
Goldberg said Treasury, working as OMB's implementation arm, changed the approach to determine the requirements of financial management systems.
"We took the 550 requirements that we were generating. Those were business input, system requirements, and reduced them to 60 output or outcome requirements," Goldberg said Monday during a panel discussion on shared services at ACT-IAC's Management of Change conference. "The first we have to do is begin to shift the mindset away from inputs to outcomes and begin to shift the community's mind in that area. Again, I'm not buying requirements. I'm buying services."
OMB last revised A-127 in January 2009, shortly before President Barack Obama took office.
Opportunities for new vendors
Goldberg said the Federal Financial Management Improvement Act calls for agencies to meet certain requirements in how they report financial data. The revised A-127 will tell agencies what the end results have to look like, rather than saying how or by what systems, and they can get there anyway they see fit.
He added this change likely will open the door to new vendors to provide shared services or partner with one of the four federal shared service providers for financial management.
"There was such a high-bar to reach to provide financial management software or services that it now will be lowered," Goldberg said.
Additionally, Goldberg said Treasury is developing a product/service catalog for financial management services.
"We will at some level assign a price to every provider and service," he said. "We will ask for some element of pricing for every product or service and the more people who use it, the lower the price. I imagine we will pilot the catalog with government shared-service providers first. We expect this to reduce our costs too."
Goldberg said the catalog pilot should be in place by the end of the calendar year.
Easing transition to a SSP
All of these efforts build on OMB's requirement from March for agencies to move to a shared service provider for financial management when it's time to upgrade their systems.
Goldberg said reducing the number of requirements and focusing them on outcomes or outputs will make it easier to make the transition.
"One of the things that we learned as we've been looking at shared services is a practice that takes place with our federal shared service provider. They do something called discovery," he said. "They sit down with their potential customer before they've actually awarded the final agreement and they work through the business needs with them to try to find out what things they can do and what things they can't do. And for the things they can't do, they find out why."
Goldberg added the discussion or discovery process helps address any challenges or potential problems on the front end, as well as deal with unnecessary custom changes to the system.
While the memo focused on financial management services, agencies are seeing the value of shared services across the board.
Keith Trippie, the Homeland Security Department's executive director of the Enterprise System Development Office, said the agency has invested in more than 10 IT shared services in the cloud, including email, test and development and collaboration tools.
But now DHS also is moving toward financial management and human resources shared services. He said the idea of using shared service providers is much easier now.
HR, financial management on tap at DHS
Trippie said the culture change is getting people to understand that buying shared services is like buying an airplane ticket: they don't need to own the plane to get across country. They just have to worry about the end result, in this case getting to their destination.
Keith Trippie, executive director, Enterprise System Development Office, DHS
"A great example where we agreed that shared services could be brought together to get an enterprise service was around HR," Trippie said. "We started with thousands and thousands of requirements. A lot of people wanted to buy planes out there. And we finally rationalized it down to where the group, the community on the business side agreed, 'We'll just buy in plane ticket.' So that was transformative in and of itself, but now we have to go look across the other communities."
He said an award for the HR shared services, learning and performance management systems, could be made in the next 60-to-90 days.
As for DHS' financial management system, Trippie said the desire to consolidate and use shared services is real this time.
DHS has tried two other times unsuccessfully to consolidate financial management systems under programs called Emerge2 and TASC, only to fail. The latest attempt was to bring the components, such as FEMA, which need new systems the most under other component systems that are in better shape.
"There are several shared services providers that are out there. The department has a bunch of legacy financial systems that we've been on," Trippie said. "Culturally over the past year, we've moved the needle where most folks are saying 'We will buy a shared service. We don't have to build that. It's not our core competency. It's not how we want to do business.'"
An executive steering committee, led by the DHS chief financial officer and chief information officer, is leading the effort to move to a shared service for financial management. Trippie said there still is a lot of work that needs to be done including potentially an acquisition.
Looking internally for consolidation
Besides the governmentwide shared services, agencies, such as the Commerce Department, also are looking internally to create shared services.
Commerce has been out in front in consolidating commodity technology services.
Kirit Amin, the agency's deputy CIO, said in the near term Commerce is setting up three shared services: email in the cloud, Web hosting and IT services desk.
Kirit Amin, deputy CIO, Commerce Department
"We are going to cloud email and we saw that NIST was already out there, going and getting a contract. We scaled on that and made it departmentwide and now we are going with the Microsoft 365 as a departmentwide initiative for email," Amin said. "That shows how innovation, collaboration and how from a leadership standpoint you go scale something that is already there. It's not really revolutionary. It is evolutionary. How do you go leverage what is happening out there across your enterprise?"
He added Commerce always is looking across the 12 bureaus for best practices and good ideas. He said when OMB came out with PortfolioStat version 2 that included a requirement for a strategic plan, headquarters looked around and decided NOAA's was a good model and expanded it across the entire agency.
NOAA also awarded a contract last fall for its tier one help desk support, called the National Service Desk. It's available for all components in Commerce to use and the more bureaus that use it, the lower the price.
Matchmaking for mobile
Agencies also are looking for help to find software that other agencies are already using.
Gwynne Kostin, the director of the Digital Services Innovation Center at the General Services Administration, said agencies are specifically looking for mobile apps that they can reuse.
"One of the things we work very hard on at the Digital Services Innovation Center is really, what I will call, almost matchmaking because if we could actually speed somebody's mobile product's time to market because they are using another agency's statement of work or they actually have a set of good practices so they don't actually have to have version one of their app [be] lousy, which happens sometimes," she said. "They could actually leapfrog based on the experience of other agencies. They will get their product out faster and be able to do it using less resources."
Kostin said about two dozen agencies have come to the innovation center for help whether it's with contracting or terms of service agreements or existing software.
Additionally, the Digital Services Innovation Center last week released a code sharing catalog on GitHub. Agency developers can easily download and reuse the entire app fairly easily, Kostin said.
OMB mandates use of shared service providers for agency financial systems
Shared services becoming new normal in financial modernization


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Posts Tagged 'Prostitutes'
What's in a headline
June 25, 2010 Leave a comment
Interesting twist on statistics in a story in today's Globe and Mail.
It's a story based on a survey of people visiting sexual-health clinics in the Netherlands. Headline: "Swingers' STI rates higher than prostitutes, study says."
Correct as far as it goes but not, in my opinion. the most interesting aspect of the story. Here are the stats on the sexual practices of people with STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections) visitng the clinics::
- Swingers – 10.4 per cent infection rates
- Straight people – "just over 10 per cent"
- Female prostitutes – "just under 5 per cent"
Key takeawayfact in all this – BOTH straights and swingers showed higher infection rates than the hookers. The headline I'd have put on this story:
"Prostitutes healthier than straights or swingers."
But would that be too embarrassing to too many people?
Categories: Culture, media Newspaper headlines, Prostitutes, STIs, Straights, Swingers

subset: commoncrawl


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Help Members to Avoid A Part D Doughnut Hole Crisis
Help Members to Avoid A Part D Doughnut Hole Crisis
MANAGED CARE October 2008. ©MediMedia USA
Educating members about Medicare Part D saves patients a lot of anguish and payers a lot of money
Woody Eisenberg, MD
Londoners are very familiar with the expression "mind the gap," a warning to subway passengers of the sometimes large gap between the train door and the station platform. On this side of the Atlantic, it could aptly apply to many Medicare beneficiaries who could be risking their health by not taking the precautionary steps necessary to avoid or delay reaching the Medicare prescription plan coverage gap.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 3 million Medicare beneficiaries reached the coverage gap in 2007, double the number who reached the gap in 2006.
Being unprepared for the coverage gap can lead enrollees down a dangerous path of noncompliance, with patients cutting back on their medications or forgoing them altogether — behaviors that put them at greater risk for higher health care costs and poor clinical outcomes like increased hospitalizations. Health plans also feel the effects, with their medical costs increasing as a result of their members' actions. Effectively communicating with members about the coverage gap can help avoid such scenarios. By doing so, health plans not only change behaviors but also improve plan satisfaction and retention.
Gap in care
Evidence shows that Medicare beneficiaries are reaching the coverage gap earlier in the year and spending more time in it than they were during the first years of Part D. According to Medco research, 20 percent of Medicare enrollees reached the gap by July 2007, and by December, nearly half were in the gap or in the catastrophic coverage phase. Wolters Kluwer Health found that beneficiaries spent an average of 35 more days in the coverage gap last year than they did in 2006.
For health plans, the coverage gap presents inherent risks because of medication noncompliance when members fall into the noncovered period. The Wolters Kluwer Health report shows that when faced with increased costs for their medications, many enrollees took prescription decisions into their own hands, with 16 percent discontinuing therapy. And the longer beneficiaries remain in the coverage gap, the more prone they are to become nonadherent with their medication regimen.
A Medco analysis of patient compliance by beneficiaries using cholesterol-lowering statin medications in different stages of the Medicare benefit found that beneficiaries in the coverage gap were nearly twice as likely to stop taking their medications as those in the initial phase of coverage.
For patients and health plans, the impact of noncompliance can be costly. For example, not remaining compliant with cholesterol-lowering medications can lead to increased risk of heart attack or stroke, resulting in significant hospitalization costs. Compliance is also essential for reducing costs for diabetes patients. A study in the journal Medical Care found that for every $1 spent on medications for diabetes, patients saved $7 in disease-related medical costs.
Improved compliance
Interestingly, the Medco analysis did show that those using a generic statin were more likely to take their medications continuously than those using brand-name medications. Another study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine confirms that using generic drugs as the primary course of therapy can help improve compliance, showing that patients who took a generic drug had close to a 13 percent increase in drug therapy adherence compared to patients who took brand name third-tier drugs covered by their plan.
The cost difference between generics and brand name drugs for patients in the coverage gap can be significant. The average cost of 30 days of branded therapy of lipid-lowering medications for standard eligible patients is $30.89 versus $7.06 for a generic. Yet in the coverage gap, this increases to $88.44 for brands and $16.19 for generics. Encouraging members to use generics as the initial course of therapy will not only delay their entry into the coverage gap, but also lessen the economic burden once they reach the gap, making it more likely they will stay adherent.
There is a tremendous amount of misunderstanding among Medicare beneficiaries about how the Medicare Part D plan works. According to Medco's research on coverage gap knowledge, while a majority of enrollees are aware of the gap, they don't fully understand the specifics. Many are unaware that total cost of their medication — including both their copayment and the balance of the cost of the medication paid by the plan — counts toward the $2,510 threshold before coverage gap entry. Because of this basic misunderstanding of the way the plan works, an unpleasant surprise becomes inevitable when the beneficiary reaches the gap far sooner than expected.
Much as in the London subway, proactive communication is key to helping beneficiaries understand and delay the coverage gap. In a survey of 1,000 Medicare beneficiaries, 78 percent said they felt that it was important for their health plan to communicate how to save on prescription drug costs as a way to delay reaching the gap. In addition, a majority indicated that programs alerting them to their proximity to the gap were significant factors in their decision to continue coverage with that organization for the next plan year.
Additional research by Medco shows that fewer than half of retirees use all the available tools at their disposal to save money on their medications, and nearly 1 in 4 claim to use very few to none of the cost savings tools available to cut their medication expenses.
To protect against incurring avoidable costs and the wrath of dissatisfied members, health plans should consider a communications strategy that fully educates members on gap specifics, alerts them when they are approaching the gap, and makes a clear case for the use of generics and mail order to reduce costs so as to defer entry into the gap and remain adherent to their medication regimen.
Plans should also work to educate beneficiaries on the dangers of failure to comply with medication regimens and the dangers of abruptly stopping therapy without guidance from their physician.
Providing members with personalized information on how much they can save is another useful option.
In the case of generics, simplicity is the key to successfully affecting member behavior. Providing prescription forms that members can take to their physician and offering to contact the doctor on their behalf can increase the likelihood that their brand name prescriptions will be switched to a generic.
Awareness programs
Health plans can also take a proactive approach, such as coverage gap awareness programs that use mailings and phone calls to alert members of their proximity to the gap long before they reach it, as well as provide updates on coverage gap status whenever a member contacts customer service for any reason.
This also creates an opportunity to engage the member on cost-saving options that can help delay their entry into the gap.
Actively keeping members apprised of their status and minimizing the financial effect once a beneficiary reaches the gap can help members remain compliant with their medication regimen and ultimately help to reduce costs for both the member and the health plan.
Woody Eisenberg, MD, is vice president for retiree solutions and chief medical officer for Medicare at Medco Health Solutions.
Doughnut hole keeps getting bigger
Patients in Medicare Part D may find the coverage gap, or doughnut hole, more and more difficult to fill with their own money. The health data collection company Wolters Kluwer Health reports that "Between 2006, when Medicare Part D started, and 2008, the out-of-pocket spend by the patient to the coverage gap has risen from $2,250 in 2006 to $2,400 in 2007 to $2,510 in 2008." The deductible also rose during that time.
Wolters Kluwer Health analyzed prescription data of 8.8 million patients in 2006, and 9.1 million in 2007 in reaching its findings.
Source: "Medicare Part D — Market Dynamics," Wolters Kluwer Health, June 2008
Medicare Part D becoming less of an advantage
Medicare Part D patients pay less for medications then patients in commercial plans, but the gap between the two groups appears to be shrinking, according to a study by the health information processing company Wolters Kluwer Health. "In 2006, Medicare patients paid, on average, $17.58 for a 30-day supply of branded drugs in the top 10 therapeutic categories," the study reports. "Comparing this to the average patient pay of $37.54 for commercial patients, there is a significant cost savings for the Medicare patient in 2006."
That advantage seems to have lessened in 2007, however, with the gap in what patients have to pay in Medicare Part D and those in commercial plans closing considerably.
Average cost to patients for Part D's leading therapy classes in Medicare and commercial plans
Source: "Medicare Part D — Market Dynamics," Wolters Kluwer Health, June 2008


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Call (210) 458-UTSA (8872) or click here to order your mini plan today
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2014 Mini Plan Ticket Information
The mini plan for the 2014 season offers the ultimate in flexibility. The details include …
· Pick any three home games you want.
You can purchase your mini plan right now and pick your exact seats for this season by calling (210) 458-UTSA (8872) or click here to purchase online.


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Cats are now the most common pet in the United States, with over 85 million owned cats reported in a recent survey. Approximately one third of U.S. households now have at least one cat living in them, and more than fifty percent of these homes have more than one kitty. Interest in and concern for non-domestic cats has also flourished in the form of support for conservation efforts that span the globe. Clearly, we love cats, and we are concerned for their welfare and happiness.
Here at the Cornell Feline Health Center, we are dedicated to improving the welfare of all cats by supporting research into a variety of issues that affect feline health and well-being and to the dissemination of information to cat owners, breeders, veterinary professionals, conservationists, and cat lovers worldwide. Through the generous support of our donors, we continue our long-standing tradition of fostering feline well-being and supporting those who share our love of these unique and wonderful creatures.
If your cat has been under the care of a veterinarian for a condition we're studying, providing a small clinical sample can help Cornell veterinarians and scientists study the very disease that struck your own cat. Even healthy cats can help our work, in some cases.
Click here to learn more about how you and your kitty can get directly involved in FHC-funded studies.


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Faculty/Staff People
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- Represent the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University well by adhering to all CSB/SJU policies, especially the prohibition on any alcohol or drug use
- Engage freely and enthusiastically in all direct service experiences
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Contact Carley Castellanos if you have any questions at firstname.lastname@example.com


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- GIS | Health & Hazards Lab
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The Geography Major
Geography offers a BA with three concentrations:
|Environmental Geography Concentration—2009-2010 Roadmap
The Bachelor of Arts in geography with a concentration in environmental geography provides learning opportunities that exceed the 23-credit-hour geography core requirements. In addition to required upper-division courses (two in geographic information science and one in social geography), students may choose among course offerings in atmospheric science, climatology, environmental change, polar and glacial environments, natural resources and soils geography. students who choose this concentration can pursue careers in environmental science and planning, disaster management, conservation of natural resources, and environmental education, or they may choose to study these and related fields at a graduate level.
|Geographic Information Concentration—2009-2010 Roadmap
The Bachelor of Arts in geography with a concentration in geographic information science (GIS) provides students with a comprehensive background in the field of geospatial technology. This involves the study and application of theory, method, technology, and data knowledge to processes, relationships, and patterns in both human and physical geography. This rapidly growing field can be divided into three areas: GIS (capturing, checking, integrating, analyzing, and displaying spatially referenced data); remote sensing (the analyses and interpretation of aerial data and satellite imagery); and global positioning systems. Students in this concentration will gain quantitative and technical skills that will prepare them for jobs in both the public and private sectors, or for further study in graduate school.
|Social Geography Concentration—2009-2010 Roadmap
The Bachelor of Arts in geography with a concentration in social geography includes courses that involve the social science and humanistic aspects of geography. Students can choose from a variety of upper-division courses in urban (including planning), economic, political and historical geography. In addition to at least four courses in this concentration, students take three distributional requirements: two in geographic information sciences and one in environmental geography. Potential careers include urban planning, transportation, government at all scales, business, international relations, mapping and geography education. Students may choose to pursue graduate studies in these or related fields.


text: Set a casual table with the rich colors of handcrafted ceramics – without the worry of breakage. Our La Med Melamine Dinnerware Collection looks just like hand-painted earthenware, but they're made of bamboo fiber and melamine, a high-quality material that is hefty, shatterproof and scratch-resistant. Dishwasher safe. BPA-free. Dinner plate, 11" diam., set of four. Individual bowls, 9" diam., set of four. Salad plates, 8 3/4" diam., set of four. Condiment tray, 16" x 6 3/4". Handled tray, 22" x 11". Platter, 17" x 13". Serving bowl, 14" diam., 3 3/4" high. Made in China.


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Prep boys basketball: Sehome 68, Cedarcrest 54
The loss ended Cedarcrest's season while Sehome advanced to a winner-to-regionals game against Anacortes or Sultan on Friday.
Sehome outscored Cedarcrest 19-6 in the game's first eight minutes and the Red Wolves didn't threaten from that point.
Zach Taylor scored 18 in his last game for Cedarcrest. Teammate Jordan Corpus added 18 and two 3-pointers for the Red Wolves.
Cedarcrest made a run in the fourth quarter, but the Mariners hit enough free throws down the stretch to hold the Red Wolves at bay.
At Mount Vernon H.S.
Sehome 19 15 12 22 -- 68
Cedarcrest 6 16 10 22 -- 54
Sehome--Mo Williams 2, Evan Miksovsky 12, Leif Anderson 2, Charlie Linneman 21, Noah Cyr-Moore 12, Jake Manson 0, Willy Lallas 9, Gabe Sanchez 5, Bo Banner 5. Cedarcrest--Bennett Minnie 0, Zach Taylor 18, Nick Peden 0, Brett Young 0, Jordan Corpus 18, Jerry Gates 0, Austin Patsy 0, Xavier Turner 4, Chad Klingenberg 2, Austin Paxman 3, John Soule 5. 3-point goals--Corpus 2, Paxman 1, Taylor 1, Linneman 1. Records--Sehome 18-5 overall. Cedarcrest 13-10.
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The Banshee Amp was designed to be a light, tight, and strong dirt jump bike. Banshee had their sponsored dirt jump riders test several version of the AMP to dial in the geometry. They kept the chainstays short and the front of the bike low by using an integrated headset, which makes the bike feel really flickable in the air, and is easy to throw into corners and pump through sections. Banshee used internally ribbed seat and chainstays to keep the frame stiff and predictable. By removing material where stresses were low, the frame stayed super light weight. The Banshee Amp has a high strength to weight ratio.
|Top Tube Length
|Seat Tube Length
|Head Tube Angle (80mm Fork)
|Head Tube Angle
(100mm Fork)
|Head Tube Angle (120mm Fork)
|Seat Tube Angle
(80mm Fork)
|Seat Tube Angle
(100mm Fork)
|Seat Tube Angle
(120mm Fork)
|Head Tube Length
|Chainstay Length
|BB Height (80mm Fork)
|BB Height (100mm Fork)
|BB Height (120mm Fork)
|1024 - 1049mm
|1048 - 1073mm
|Standover Height
Reviewed by 1 customer
Best Uses
Comments about Banshee Bikes Banshee AMP DJ Frame 2012:
The Good: The Banshee AMP frame is light, and decked out with the right components getting it sub 25 should be no problem. Another thing that is good, about the frame is the 45/45 integrated headset. They are super easy to find and very cheep. Don't get me wrong I would much rather a tapered headset but I do love cheep, reliable and readily available components.
The Not So Good: I purchased the long AMP in hopes of having more foot clearance for bar spins. However even with 170mm cranks and 2.0 tire there is little more then an inch of clearance from pedal to tire. In comparison to my Deity Streetsweeper v1 which has around the same amount of clearance with larger tires and 175mm cranks.
Riding Impressions: I found the AMP to be very stable at speeds. However with the longer top tube I did find it harder to pull up into a manual and into hops. As far as spins go it is quite easy to throw around due to the short rear end and light weight. I would not recommend for any other riding style other then dirt jumps. It feels sluggish in the skatepark and on the streets unless I'm moving at a significant pace.
Notes: The Banshee web sight lists the 2012 and up frames as tapered head tubes. This played a major role in my purchase of this frame. However when I received it, I noticed immediately that it was 1.125 STRAIT steerer. Had I known this, I would have opted for a different frame with a tapered head tube. Honestly if I had to choose a frame with a strait steer tube I would not have chosen the Banshee AMP.
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Repo Opera/The Devil's Carnival **with Emilie Autumn- Chicago, IL 9:30pm
The Devil's Carnival
Thursday, March 14, 2013 at 9:30 PM (CDT)
Step right up and get your tickets
SINNERS, get ready to TESTIFY with a DOUBLE FEATURE.
The Devil's Carnival / REPO! The Genetic Opera
Exclusive limited engagement - a double bill with the creators.
Director Darren Lynn Bousman, Writer/Star Terrance Zdunich & co-composer Saar Hendelman LIVE and in person!
SINNER: One Ticket to TDC/REPO! double bill, including a live Q&A with the creators.
RINGMASTER: VIP Experience: One Ticket to TDC/REPO! double bill, including a live Q&A with the creators, PLUS an autographed event poster, AND a MEET & GREET WITH DARREN LYNN BOUSMAN, TERRANCE ZDUNICH, and SAAR HENDELMAN.
This Double Feature is an unrated program. All ages are welcome; Parents should use discretion, however, when bringing children to the event. The films include gore, some foul language, and scary imagery, and the Question and Answer portion of the evening will be unscripted and may contain foul language.
Please note, that due to time restrictions the only time to get anything autographed in person is through the VIP experience. The boys will not be signing after the event, and will only be signing official TDC/REPO! Merchandise. Official merchandise will be available at the theatre for cash only purchases.
Sensitivity Warning: Some strobe effects are used in the films.
(*Sales tax and fees included in price)
Please note this is a NOT The Devil's Carnival Road Tour... This is entirely unique and different from past tours.
See ya at the show!
*inquiries can be directed at firstname.lastname@example.com
In 2008, director Darren Lynn Bousman and writer/actor Terrance Zdunich collaborated on REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA, a film hailed by The Hollywood Reporter as "the next Rock Horror Picture Show". In 2012, the boys reunited and joined forces with composer Saar Hendelman to create Episode One of THE DEVIL'S CARNIVAL, a groundbreaking musical film series, touted as "One of the single greatest Devil-centric stories every told" by Ain't It Cool News.
This special limited engagement double feature will begin with a screening of Episode One of THE DEVIL'S CARNIVAL, followed by a live audience Q&A with Darren, Terrance, and Saar, where they will discuss the films and reveal sneak peeks of the upcoming Episode Two. The evening will conclude with a screening of REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA.
In THE DEVIL'S CARNIVAL, sinners are invited to a theme park where they endure the repetition of their transgressions. What chances do a conniving kleptomaniac, a gullible teenager, and an obsessed father stand when facing their own moral failings? Lucifer and his color full cast of singing carnies invite you to grab a ticket to THE DEVIL'S CARNIVAL to find out! (55 Minutes, Not Rated)
REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA: In the not-so-distant future, a worldwide epidemic of organ failures devastates the planet. Out of the tragedy, a savior emerges: GENECO, a biotech company that offers organ transplants... for a price. Those who miss their payments are scheduled for repossession and hunted by THE REPO MAN. (98 Minutes, Rated R)
For more info on THE DEVIL'S CARNIVAL, visit: http://www.TheDevilsCarnival.com.
For more info on REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA, visit: http://www.Repo-Opera.com.
In order to purchase these tickets in installments, you'll need an Eventbrite account. Log in or sign up for a free account to continue.


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Ayah Bdeir:
Building blocks that blink, beep and teach
Imagine a set of electronics as easy to play with as Legos. TED Fellow Ayah Bdeir introduces littleBits, a set of simple, interchangeable blocks that make programming as simple and important a part of creativity as snapping blocks together.
Similar topics
- TED Conference
- TED Fellows
- Creativity
- Education
- Technology
- Toy
This talk was presented at an official TED conference, and was featured by our editors on the home page.
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HOME NFL San Diego Chargers Gear San Diego Chargers Home Office & School San Diego Chargers Home Office & School Imagine that (111 items) Product ID: 482988
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Your San Diego game day isn't complete without a frosty beverage. Protect your table while showing off your love for the Chargers with these unique 4.25" ceramic coasters. They feature custom printed artwork which creates a team-spirited way to enjoy your favorite beverage while protecting your furniture! Each set contains four individual coasters, so you can invite some buddies over to enjoy a cold one while watching the Chargers cream the competition!
- Full cork pad
- Imported
- Made of ceramic
- Officially licensed NFL product
- Package of four
- Printed artwork
- Skid & stain resistant surface
- Team colors and logo
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Customized items can be personalized with options such as your name, your favorite number, and/or designs. Some options may be limited by league rules.


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My Anthony Davis website: http://thebrow.uphero.com/
The development blunder i blame Scott for was JR Smith. He was a headcase no doubt, but he could have been a huge asset for us.
"I don't know if people know I dislocated my pinkie finger. And [Tyreke] told me, 'You wanna go home or you wanna be here?' I want to be here. And he said, 'All right, then go tape it up and let's play. Let's go. We not stoppin' at no stores. Straight gas. That's what we do, just keep going.'"
His stats are all thrown off I think by the amount of minutes he plays, he is a very raw player who is forced into the starting lineup. I think once Gordon returns and he is coming off the bench we will see more improvement.
I had stats explained to me as being there to challenge or confirm what our instinct and perception tell us.
For example, we know Rodman was an excellent rebounder. Stats can easily confirm this.
However, it was often said that he cheesed for rebounds in ways that would actively hurt his team. Some guy did a lot of research and found that Rodman went for fewer rebounds in close games than in blowouts (in either direction).
This seems to refute the thought that Rodman went for rebounds to the detriment of his team in games that were in question.
Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk 2
I am fairly objective and I'll tell you right now, with decent amount of money on the line having bet the Hornets to surpass 27 wins this season, I would rather the ball be in Rivers hands every possession instead of Vasquez.
Here is the article I am talking about: http://skepticalsports.com/?page_id=1222
It is pretty long and has lots of graphs and numbers, but he does a good job of explaining it in plain english. The guy was trying to present a case on why Rodman should be in the HOF (before he was actually inducted).
The advanced metrics and eyeball test tells me that Rivers has been one of the worst players in the league so far. I'm not surprised and I expected it since he had mediocre metrics last season at Duke. But hopefully he improves in the offseason.
Emeka Okafor - Joe Smith - Carmelo Anthony - Manu Ginobili - Jason Williams
Al Jefferson - James Posey - Aaron McKie - Shaun Livingston
1) Considering how young he is, Rivers should be one of the worst players in the league. He needs to add strength to absorb contact at the rim, and that will do him wonders. He also needs to refine his shooting mechanics, which he has already begun to do.
2) We shouldn't be measuring Rivers on production, yet somehow, everyone always seems to do so. I don't get it. He was labeled a project by Demps from day 1. He told us to not expect much from him for a year or 2, yet people still do. I just don't get it.
3) Rivers has already begun adding things to his game. The floater, his passing is better, his defense is way better, he has improved his shooting mechanics some, etc... The list goes on and on. Let the kid grow this season and stop giving him so much **** for being one of the youngest guys in the league. He is right on par with most other rookies, but his upside is significantly higher.
Man is this a real question??? Scratch that.......... Is this a real thread? Did somebody really write a column about how this dude is the worst player in the league?.......at 20? It doesn't matter if he was on the Hornets or if he was on the Raptors how can we pass judgement on not only a rookie who is "struggling" but a rookie who is "struggling" at a young age in a season that isn't even half over yet. The craziest part is that it was written by ESPN and this whole discussion based on some sort of magical metric scale, by some random ESPN columnist...... Seriously? Someone said it best earlier I rather use my eye balls to judge Austin, and personally not magical scales.
He'll have to do MAJOR work on that floater of his and find confidence in his shooting stroke (in regards to free throws mainly, rest will come after he fixes that, not encouraging him to be a chucker lol) before he can get this monkey off his back. Finishing his sometimes crazy drives would be nice too. I still have faith in him though. I posted not long ago how Beal / Waiters / Ross are struggling from the field too, especially weird for Beal considering hes an 84% FT shooter.
The NBA game really is just different. The rules are different, the standards are higher, the defense is bigger, stronger, rotate better. Its all about working ur *** off and also having a coaching staff that can help you / keep faith in you.
That's my main concern, is the staff giving up on Rivers like they did with JR Smith, Brandon Bass, Marcus Thornton, Heck even Collison. What did we get back for those guys compared to what they produce today?
His passing is getting better, his defense is better (which isn't really saying something since it was turrible to begin with but 27 games in and that's progress), his 3PT shooting is still good, his floater is also slowly becoming a weapon. I just wish Monty could loosen the reins on Rivers a bit -- let the kid just flat out play there even if it's terrible. I am of the opinion that players trained to be scorers should be allowed to play through their mistakes (especially if they have a high basketball IQ) so that they know what's right and what's wrong.
Of course, all this things I see with my 'eyes' will be pretty useless if I can't back it up with numbers. So right now? Production wise, he is one of the worst (and actually on pace to become one of the worst rookies ever) but his production is slowly creeping up, and his decision making is getting better (just by watching).
I still feel skeptical about his chances of becoming a legitimate and efficient scorer some day because he still has a LONG ways to go but I don't see him being out of the league after his rookie contract (something people are suggesting 27~28 games into his young career).
So yeah, I hated the pick but he's a Pelican now and he's our guy.
Ryan Anderson is the only shooter on this team,
His defensive rotations are improving greatly.
His shot selection is improving.
Passing is improving.
Going to his left (still finishing with his right though)
I dunno I've been watching him since summer league and I am noticing the work he is putting in.
I honestly feel if/when this kid puts it all together he could be a poor man's westbrook / harden. Call me crazy.
Last edited by WhoDatPelican; 12-28-2012 at 08:36 AM.
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Surveyor's Table Lamp Base Coffee
Traditional antique surveyor's scopes sat atop tripods with telescoping legs. We leveraged the same structure here to support a light bulb and shade, lending a vintage sensibility to a child's space.
- Crafted of wood with a metal post and antique-brass finished accents
- Telescoping center post and legs offer 2 points of height adjustment
- Includes one 13W CFL bulb (60W incandescent bulb equivalent); 60W max.
- On/off switch
- Shade sold separately
Shown with small Solid English Barrel Shade.
Surveyor's Table Lamp Base Coffee
- Lamp: 6½" diam., 22-30"H
- Shade: 12" diam. 8¾"H
Surveyor's Table Lamp Base Coffee
Solid English Barrel Shade


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Life for the B-24 heavy bomber began in 1939, when the Army Air Corps initiated a request for a new bomber designed to exceed the performance of the B-17. Consolidated Aircraft responded quickly with its proposal, labeled Consolidated Model 32 and, on March 30th, 1939, was awarded the contract. One day short of nine months later, on December 29, 1939, the first flight of the XB-24 bomber prototype took place.
Slightly smaller than the B-17, the turbosupercharger-equipped B-24 flew farther with a bigger bomb load than the much more publicized Boeing aircraft. Of seven service-test YB-24s, six were sent to the Royal Air Force (RAF) under the export designation LB-30A. Because they lacked turbosuperchargers and self-sealing fuel tanks, the RAF found them unsuitable for combat duty over Europe. Instead, they were stripped of their armament and put into service as transports on the Trans-Atlantic Return Ferry Service, which had been established to send air crews to Montreal to take delivery of American aircraft consigned to the British war effort.
Flying for the Army Air Corps as the B-24, and the U.S. Navy as the PB4Y-1, the plane also saw service in the Royal Air Force where it was known simply as the Liberator. There was also a transport version known as the C-87, one of which was Winston Churchill's personal aircraft, carrying him to historic meetings at Moscow and Casablanca, among other locations.
Pictured here is a 1:48 scale replica of a USN Consolidated PB4Y-1 Liberator heavy bomber that was used for Anti-Submarine Patrol, and based out of England during 1943. Sold Out!
Wingspan: 27-1/2 inches
Length: 16-3/4 inches
Release Date: February 2009


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The process of converting your repository from Subversion to Git is a straight-forward process. It can be done manually by the project committers once the Git repository has been created.
Alternatively, Codehaus Support can migrate the repository automatically during provisioning. We keep a full online backup of your Subversion repository for a "long time" (you may be consulted at some point about removal of the backup).
To have Codehaus Support migrate your repository
- raise a JIRA covering the repository to create / migrate
- decide whether you want an in-place migration, a side-by-side migration, or an empty Git repository
- tell us whether you are ready for this to occur immediately (git rebase can update your Git repository with new commits occurring in Subversion if you are doing a side-by-side migration).
We will lock the repository during the in-place migration, so no commits will be lost. Users may be confused by the change in repository however.
Project Committer Migration
If you requested an empty Git repository, you are able to perform the migration yourself using commands similar to that below.
|No Format
REPO=montage mkdir $REPO.conv cd $REPO.conv git svn clone https://svn.codehaus.org/$REPO cd $REPO git push ssh://firstname.lastname@example.com/$REPO-git.git master
This is functionally equivalent to what we do internally (however we have the performance advantage of having your Subversion and Git repositories located on the same server).
If you are a Git Guru, and see something flawed in any of our documentation, then please contact us


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|A wedge of vanilla cornbread. Gluten-free yum.
Playing Dress Up.
This is not your average weeknight cornbread. You know, the one you toss together from a gluten-free mix to serve with a bowl of white chicken chili as you catch up with Mad Men season four. Nope. This tender cake-like cornbread is a pinch more elegant. A gently sweet treat you might serve at high tea with a gaggle of girlfriends (or low tea, depending upon the company you keep). Picture fresh cut flowers on the table, stemmed glasses filled with dewy fresh berries, a pot of Earl Grey tea or organic chamomile buds steeping beneath a cozy.
This is the sort of cornbread that begs to be served with style. That longs to be gussied up. The kind of cornbread you eat with a fork.
This is the sort of cornbread that begs to be served with style. That longs to be gussied up. The kind of cornbread you eat with a fork.
A cornbread that secretly dreams of being cake.
|Vanilla cornbread. Is it cake?
Karina's Gluten-Free Vanilla Cornbread Recipe
This isn't the typical green chile studded cornbread we usually make around here. It has more brown sugar than my original recipe (gasp!) and a dose of deeply dark bourbon vanilla extract. It sports a touch more cinnamon and a hint of nutmeg. Which makes this cornbread perfect for tea time or brunch. Serve it when you need a little civilized indulgence in your life.
Whisk together:
1 cup certified gluten-free cornmeal
3/4 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 rounded teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
3/4 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 rounded teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
Add in and stir:
2 organic free-range eggs or 1 tablespoon Ener-G Egg Replacer whisked with 1/4 cup warm water till frothy1/2 cup two tablespoons light olive oil
1 cup very warm water (I microwave it for 30 seconds)
1 tablespoon bourbon vanilla extract
Preheat your oven to 375ºF. Grease and prepare a 9-inch cake pan or line it with parchment paper.
Beat by hand until a smooth batter is formed, about one minute. Add up to 2 extra tablespoons of warm water, if needed, to thin. The batter should be like thick cake or muffin batter- but not too stiff.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake in the center of a pre-heated oven for 25 to 35 minutes (depending upon your altitude), until firm to the touch in the center. Here at sea level it baked in 30 minutes. (A wooden pick inserted into the center should emerge dry.)
Place the pan on a wire rack and allow the cornbread to rest 15 minutes before cutting. This helps keep the slices from crumbling apart. Use a very sharp knife to slice it into pieces.
Serve warm and offer heated maple syrup for dipping. Or add fresh berries to the side with a dollop of tangy yogurt.
Yields 8 to 10 slices.
Recipe Source: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com
All images & content are copyright protected, all rights reserved. Please do not use our images or content without prior permission. Thank you.
Recipe Notes:
The photos show this recipe baked with no eggs- totally vegan. I used 1 tablespoon Ener-G Egg Replacer whisked with 1/4 cup warm water.
I have also made this cornbread with a half cup less brown sugar, I confess. It's less sweet (duh) and more akin to a hearty, regular cornbread with a hint of vanilla. So if you prefer your treats with less sugar, try it with less, and let me know what you think.
The deep golden color of the cornbread comes from the organic light brown sugar.
I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Cornmeal because the cornmeal is milled in a dedicated gluten-free facility (an aspect becoming more and more important to me). The texture is less refined, more stone-ground (you can see the flecks of the cornmeal in the photograph). I love the whole grain texture. --And, as always, I bought the cornmeal on my own, it was not given to me as a sample to publicize.
|Vanilla laced cornbread.
Enjoy sugary treats in moderation. Gluten-Free Goddess advises consuming no more than 2 tablespoons of sugar a day, Babycakes.


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This contest is now over, and the winner is ... Lauren Smith. CONGRATS! If you didn't win this time, no worries, Sign up for our newsletter and be the first to know when the next giveaway launches.
Please note, this contest is over, thank you!
|Shopping cart is empty.
This contest is now over, and the winner is ... Lauren Smith. CONGRATS! If you didn't win this time, no worries, Sign up for our newsletter and be the first to know when the next giveaway launches.
Please note, this contest is over, thank you!
Welcome to Vermont and meet our bride Lauren and her groom Matthew! We absolutely loved working with Lauren in creating her stationery for her special day. Read on for some advice from an event planner turned bride and we'll let the photos speak for themselves
What was your highlight of the day?
The entire day was the best ever. A million highlights strung together. But if we have to pick... We chose to not see each other until the ceremony, so laying our eyes on one another for the first time was a moment we will never forget. Another highlight was our first dance. We had a family member sing our song (Songbird, by Fleetwood Mac), and the whole room was mesmerized by her voice. It was pretty surreal. And one last one - one of my personal favorites - was when Matty gave a speech at our reception. My new husband had me doubled over laughing one minute, followed by tears streaming down my face the next.
Do you have any advice to couples that are planning their upcoming wedding?
If you can, host a welcome party for all of your guests the night prior. This gave us an opportunity to truly talk with everyone for hours, so when it came time to party the next night, we could let loose and just have fun.
Have fun leading up to the wedding with your bride or groom to be. Those memories you share leading up to the big day will make it all the more special.
Most of all….Relax and have fun. Remember what it is all about - you, the love of your life, your family, your friends. And an epic dance party. The second you lose sight of that, the second you start wasting time thinking about things that don't matter. You will not remember what the flowers at Table 7 looked liked, but you will remember what your mom's face looked like when she put you in that gown.
Lauren & Matthew chose our In Cursive design for their wedding Invitations, Response cards,, wedding Programs and Thank You cards
Wedding Location
Woodstock Inn & Resort
Photography by
Event Planning & Design
These free printable wine tags will certainly jazz up your wine bottle for any occasion, whether it is to celebrate a birthday, get together for a good time, or just because! This design is available in 2 color options; a blush / orange for the ladies and a navy / gray for the gentlemen.
Simply download these printable wine tags for free, print them on a cardstock and cut them out. Fold the wine tag on the end of the pattern so the tag will hang over the bottle. Don't forget to check the appropriate box before handing over your wine bottle present!
Mother's Day is coming up soon (Sunday May 12th) so we created some free printables . These cards will come in handy to write your mom a special note and tell her how much you appreciate her. The matching gift tags will make any present extra special. The cards can be downloaded here and are available on a Salmon or White background, which card color do you prefer?
The 3 winners of the Printable Best Mom Cards + Gift Tags are Mallory Mundy, Emily May Faulkner and Roz Kravitz. Please send us an email with your mailing address and we'll get these out to you asap.
More giveaways coming soon. You can download these free items in our printables catalog.
Good day, friends! :-)
The one and only Love vs Design Newsletter will be sent to your inbox in the next hour! If you still aren't subscribed to our weekly Love vs Design Newsletter yet, we recommend to sign up now. Don't miss out on the latest exclusive offers, new free printables and freshest designs.
The Love vs Design Team
Including a wedding program for your guests is a thoughtful detail that helps guests follow along with your ceremony, especially if there are traditions that may not be so familiar. Whether they are curious as to the name of your wedding song, or the name of your maid of honor, a wedding program will let your guests feel more engaged with the ceremony. It's also a great way to extend your thanks to those who made this day possible and is a great keepsake for those guests who love weddings!
Not sure what to include in your program? No worries, we've listed here some suggested items you may want to include:
- Processional – Wedding March by Wagner
- The Officiate's Greeting – Mike Smith, friend of bride and groom
- Solo by Sara Knight – You light up my life
- Exchanging of Vows & Ring Ceremony
- Pronouncement of Marriage
- Recessional Music – March Triumphant - Sassmannshausen
Again, this is your day so feel free to go a step further and personalize your wedding ceremony programs a little more by adding a photo or special quote. If information gets to be too much for the front, we do offer backside printing our programs as well. The day of your ceremony, you may either place them at each guests seat or have a designated friend or family member be in charge of greeting and handing the programs to the guests. We recommend checking out our collection of wedding programs to get an idea of different layout options.
Love vs Design is excited to offer personalized wedding website designs that match some of our most popular wedding invitations. There is no registration fee or upgrade package cost! You'll be able to experience many amazing website features, including online RSVP capabilities, adding photo galleries, sending group emails and much more.
Get started today and share your wedding plans with friends & family. Make sure to sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest wedding planning tips, exclusive offers and more!
Setting up your personalized wedding website is easy:
Step 1: Create your mywedding.com account
Step 2: Select your favorite wedding website design
Step 3: Build your site
Shop matching wedding invitations
Chalkboard Blossom
Heart to Heart
Le Jardinier
In Cursive
Live and Love
Chalkboard Lettering
Love Struck
Place to Be
Sweet Bloom
Simply Krafty
Get a clear idea of how many guests to expect on your big day by choosing one of our reply postcards. There are no envelopes needed and reply postcards will save you some money on postage. You can choose a response postcard to match your wedding invitations, or an entirely different design to compliments your other wedding stationery.
Shop a variety of styles and personalize your response card wording, colors and design. Many couples find RSVP postcards also a great way to gather meal preferences from their guests as well. Now available in more than 100 different designs.
Today's Real Wedding features the union between Lauren Coalson and Chris Hardy in Atlanta, GA. We loved this wedding for all of the traditions & special touches the couple incorporated to truly make this day a part of them.
What was your highlight of the day?
The most special moment of our wedding day for both of us was the ceremony. Everyone always tells you how quickly the day will go by, so I wanted to be sure to really soak in and be completely present at the ceremony.
We incorporated the Celtic tradition of tying the knot into our vows, which was very meaningful and special. A stole was fastened around our embraced hands and as the sweet words were being read. I will remember that part vividly for the rest of my life.
What kinds of special touches did you choose to have on your special day?
Chris & I always joke that someday we will move out of the city & own a farm, so for the escort cards we had all different gold-painted farm animal figurines with the guests names tied around their necks written on kraft paper with peach yarn. We knew they were a big hit because they were all stolen by our guests.
In terms of the design of the room, the swinging benches filled with flowers hanging over the tables mixed with the ombre peach colored ribbon and café lights that went from the outer tables to the center of the dance floor, gave the room such a special and magical feel. I felt like I was underneath a carousel all evening. And candles covered every space possible. It was so lovely.
In the months leading up to the big day, I collected a variety of vintage china, so each guests at the estate table would have a different plate. They gave the table such a great, authentic Southern look. We had fried chicken, mac n' cheese-the works. All served family style. It felt like you were having Sunday dinner with your family. I wish I had enough time to find plates for every guest!
I purchased a vintage suitcase & vintage postcards from Mexico to use as our guestbook. We asked guest to write down marriage advice to read on our honeymoon, which was so fun to read and something we will always treasure.
Do you have any advice to couples that are planning their upcoming wedding?
It is a fun process, but with full time jobs, it was a lot to manage, so we wanted to give ourselves a year to plan. If you find yourself becoming overwhelmed, adopt "no wedding Wednesdays" or weekends where wedding planning is not allowed. Everyone needs a break every once in a while. We had our vision but no idea how to execute it, so if you have room in your budget, hire an event/floral designer and day of coordinator! That was our saving grace!
Thinking back, is there anything you would have liked to do differently?
It goes without saying that no wedding day goes off without a hitch. I stumbled down the staircase during our entrance and put out some of the candles with my dress-thankfully, it wasn't a full on tumble. Moments like that turn out to be hilarious memories that you will always look back on and laugh about. That being said, I wouldn't change a thing!
Lauren and Chris choose our Le Jardinier Invitation & Le Jardinier Response card for their wedding stationery.
Wedding Location
Summerour - Atlanta, GA
Photography by
These thank you notes can be used for many different occasions. You can use them as wedding thank you cards, bridal shower thank you cards, baby shower thank you notes or business thank you cards.
Download them for free and print them on your favorite paper stock. The cards in these photos have been printed on white and kraft stock to mix things up a bit.
These cards can be folded in half so you can write your personal message on the inside. Thank You for visiting our website :)
Thanks everyone for entering our contest. The winner of our giveaway of 5 printed Thank You Cards is Laura Dallaston, congrats! More giveaways coming upsoon!


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0.22" (5.5mm), 800.0 fps, Synthetic, Ambi, Black
Underlever. Includes barrel-clamp bipod and adjustable sling
1-year limited warranty
List Price $400.00
Want it delivered 06-02-2015?
Order it in the next 16 hr and 53 min and choose Next Day Air Morning at checkout. Details
Average Customer Review4.0 (4 reviews)
Create an online reviewand share your thoughts with other customers
Things I liked:Once I got her broken in and adj the trigger to my liking, she has become my go to rifle for target shooting. I love the adj comb on the stock.
Things I would have changed:The combo weaver dovetail. Make up your mind. That's it.
What others should know:Take your time, break her in and you will be very happy.
Things I liked:The Weight of the rifle combined with the SAS system reduce the recoil to a very manageable level. The Quattro trigger is nice and adjustable, and very predictable. This is my first underlever and it wont be my last, I like the design over a break barrel.
Things I would have changed:I would have the synthetic stock feel less hollow and plastic like. My Ruger Air magnum stock is much better quality, and the gun is about half the price. Not a deal breaker by any means though. oh and FYI, I would buy a second one if it had a gas ram and maybe a power levels closer to the 125/135 line. (1000fps in 22)
What others should know:The gun is more manageable than people have led me to believe (cocking effort and weight) IM 165 pounds and put about 300 rounds through it in about two hours without a problem. If you prefer utility over attractivness, this is the underlever youre looking for. Its also not very pellet fussy, at least mine isnt.
This gun is not a 125/135. If you want that kind of power, sorry, but that probably won't be happening anytime soon, in this specific configuration.
Things I liked:Wow , This is like the M1 Garand of air rifles - Big , heavy and powerful. At first I was kind of put off by the size and weight, however when I shot it I changed my mind. This is now my favorite air gun !
Things I would have changed:I would change the scope mounting rail set up. I put a UTG 3x9 Bug Buster scope on it and it was kind of tricky. I ended up having to adapt the UTG weaver scope rings to the 11mm dovetail to make it work. It all ended up good.
What others should know:The cocking lever requires more than average force to charge it. I don't mind, I love this gun.
After I had posted this review, I have shot this air rifle quite a bit and have found that it seems to shoot well just about any weight or style pellet I put through it. I have had excellent results with Eunjin 28.5 grain domed and JSB 25.4 grain exact jumbo monster pellets. This air rifle is outstanding !
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Frowd, Charlie, Lee, Clare, Petkovic, Anna, Kamran, Nawaz and Bashir, Yasmeen (2009) Further automating and refining the construction and recognition of facial composite images. International Journal of Bio- Science and Bio- Technology, 1 (1). pp. 59-74. ISSN 1976-118x


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The "pteropod" Clione limacina belongs to a group of marine gastropod mollusks that lack shells. This species has been the subject of extensive investigations into the neurobiology of swimming behavior. Its geographic distribution was long considered to include both the northern and southern ends of the Earth, with northern and southern hemisphere subspecies. However, work by Gilmer and Lalli (1990) suggested that southern populations should possibly be treated as a distinct species, C. antarctica. Clione limacina is widely distributed in the North Atlantic and Subarctic Oceans and is found also in the North Pacific Ocean and along the Atlantic coast of North America in the waters of the cold Labrador current south to the Cape Hatteras region (around 35 N).
Clione limacina breeds and spawns in all types of water masses within the vertical range it commonly inhabits, i.e., from the surface to around 500 m. The most intensive spawning is correlated with the spring/summer period of annual heating of local water and the highest abundance parallels maximum growth of phytoplankton, which serves as food for veliger larvae and early polytrochous larvae. After the end of this period, spawning intensity in local C. limacina populations declines sharply, although spawning continues at low intensity during the autumn/winter season.
Clione limacina feeds exclusively on shelled "pteropods", such as Limacina helicina (Lalli and Gilmer, 1989). Only the veliger stage ofC. limacina does not feed on Limacina, instead consuming phytoplankton during this life stage. However, 48 to 72 h after metamorphosis from the veliger stage to polytrochous larvae (at around 0.3 mm length) C. limacina begin feeding on Limacina veligers. At sizes greater than 0.6 mm, C. limacina begin to consume metamorphosed Limacina prey and they do so exclusively once they exceed 1.75 to 2 mm in length. Clione capture their Limacina prey with their six buccal cones and the proboscis is used to draw the body out of the shell (the neurophysiology of buccal cone function was investigated by Norekian and Satterlie (1993). The feeding specialization of Clione is reflected in numerous adaptations. Because even the early polytrochous larvae of Clione feed on Limacina, the life cycles of predator and prey are necessarily closely synchronized. The feeding behavior of C. limacina is described in detail by Lalli and Gilmer (1989) and Hermans and Satterlie (1992).
See additional images and information at the Sea Slug Forum for both the arctic and antarctic forms
(Mileikovsky 1970; Lalli and Gilmer1989; Gilmer and Lalli 1990; Hermans and Satterlie 1992)
- Gilmer, R.W. & Lalli, C.M. 1990. Bipolar variation in Clione, a gymnosomatous pteropod. American Malacological Union Bulletin 8(1): 67-75.
- Hermans, C.O. and R.A. Satterlie. 1992. Fast-strike feeding behavior in a pteropod mollusk, Clione limacina Phipps. Biological Bulletin 182:1-7.
- Lalli, C.M. and R.W. Gilmer. 1989. Pelagic Snails: The Biology of Holoplanktonic Gastropod Mollusks. Stanford University Press, Palo Alto, California.
- Mileikovsky, S.A. 1970. Breeding and larval distribution of the pteropod Clione limacina in the North Atlantic, Subarctic and North Pacific Oceans. Marine Biology 6: 317--334.
- Norekian, T.P. and R.A. Satterlie. 1993. Co-activation of antagonistic motoneurons as a mechanism of high-speed hydraulic inflation of prey capture appendages in the pteropod mollusk Clione limacina. Biological Bulletin 185: 240-247.
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FERS pioneers examine past, present and future of retirement fund
Wednesday - 12/12/2012, 8:02pm EST
In the 25 years since the Federal Employees Retirement System went into effect, much has changed when it comes to federal retirement.
At the time the new federal pension system was created, the vast majority of federal employees were slated to one day draw benefits from the Civil Service Retirement System. Now, federal experts project at most just 300,000 CSRS employees are left in federal service — out of a workforce of 2.6 million.
When Congress began mulling legislative changes to federal retirement, federal-employee groups and unions lobbied hard against many of the more dramatic changes. Now, federal unions staunchly defend the FERS system against a new wave of proposals.
The Thrift Savings Plan, one of the most popular provisions of the FERS program, has also undergone its own series of changes: from three funds in 1987 to 10 today, and the addition of a new after-tax investment option.
Tom Trabucco, the former longtime director of external affairs at the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, and Judy Park, the former legislative director of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) Association, joined Your Turn with Mike Causey for a look back at the creation of FERS and how it has evolved over the years. Both Trabucco and Park worked for federal employee groups at the time FERS was enacted and had a hand in shaping the eventual program.
Legislative history
President Ronald Reagan signed the law creating FERS in June 1986, and the new system officially went into effect in January 1987. But the legislative groundwork was actually laid years earlier, Trabucco said.
In 1983, Congress voted to require federal employees, for the first time, to contribute to the Social Security system.
Tom Trabucco and Judy Park at the Federal News Radio studios.
There had been discussion throughout the 1970s and early 1980s about reforming the Civil Service Retirement System, Trabucco said, driven mostly by high inflation and the generous cost-of-living increases granted federal employees that "were piling up," he explained.
"The system had been under fire for a while, but the big moving force was the enactment in 1983 of the Social Security amendments that brought ... future hires into the Social Security system," Trabucco said. "At that point, something had to be done to integrate the federal employees' retirement system with Social Security."
The legislative wrangling went on for more than two years.
With the passage of the Social Security amendments, federal groups knew they lost the "long battle" to keep feds out of the Social Security system, Park said. But rather than opposing, wholesale, the creation of a new system, federal unions began working to ensure it would be a good deal for federal employees.
Park said unions considered three factors essential to a new plan.
- Comparability. The plan would have to provide the same level of benefits as CSRS. That included both comparability in terms of future benefits and in the amount employees contributed to the system.
- Portability. This would ensure federal employees could take their accrued benefits with them if they left federal service.
- Sustainability. The new system would have to ensure that both the legacy CSRS system and funding for the new system would be fiscally sustainable.
In contrast to many of today's legislative battles, the process was largely bipartisan, Park said. Former Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) led the effort in the upper chamber and Rep. William D. Ford (D-Mich.) led the activity in the House.
Differences between the two plans
FERS and CSRS, the system it replaced, are very different.
CSRS is based on a simple formula, Park said. The federal annuity earned by retirees is directly based on years of federal service.
"So, it's an easy one to calculate ... It's just a simple staff retirement plan," Park said.
At the maximum length of service, federal retirees under CSRS could earn about 80 percent of their pre-retirement income, fully indexed to inflation.
FERS, on the other hand, is a three-part program.
- The base is Social Security, which covers most private sector workers as well.
- FERS also provides a defined benefit similar to CSRS but only half as generous. At an employee's minimum retirement age, this portion of FERS would provide 30 percent of an employee's pre-retirement salary.
- Finally, feds under FERS can make contributions to the Thrift Savings Plan, which are eligible for matching agency contributions.
When the new system was created, newly hired federal employees were automatically funneled into FERS, and existing feds had the option of joining or staying put in CSRS.
Only about 2 percent of CSRS employees decided to take the leap into the unknown.
Trabucco said mostly higher-paid, newer employees switched over, lured by the promise of the TSP. "It just seemed like a better deal for them because they weren't invested that heavily in the CSRS system," he said.
Later, in the 1990s, feds were again given the option to move out of CSRS and into FERS. Again, about 2 percent of eligible employees did so.
The age-old question — Which is better, CSRS or FERS? — is answered only by a vague, "it depends."
CSRS is clearly more beneficial for "lifers," people who stay in federal service their entire careers.
But FERS is likely a better system for employees who don't expect to be in federal service their entire careers or if they plan to also work in the private sector at some point.
One of the downsides of CSRS, according to analysts, was that it created "golden handcuffs," forcing people to stay in the government because its benefits were not portable. If employees left federal service, they would also leave behind their earned retirement benefits unless they agreed to defer them until they retired — albeit not indexed to inflation.
"The portability factor was a major one in the development of the FERS program, because there had been concern before about leaving government after so many years or leaving and coming back," Park said.
A portable retirement system doesn't only benefit employees, she said.
"I think the government, itself, benefits from people leaving for a while, getting experience in other areas — perhaps which they already had some expertise in — and then coming back and bringing that experience with them," she added.
TSP has also evolved
The TSP — just one portion of the FERS program — has also evolved over the years.
Trabucco, who served as the TSP board's spokesman for two decades, pointed to three major areas where the TSP has changed over time.
"It was a very limited program when it first came out," he said. "You could contribute small amounts of money; your investments were quite limited."
For example, some FERS employees were only able to contribute to the G Fund, the government-securities fund, and many others could invest only small portions of their income in the private funds, such as the C and F funds.
Employees were also restricted to contributing 10 percent of their basic pay to the TSP, and the Internal Revenue Service capped contribution rates at $7,000. Finally, the plan offered only a single tax treatment — pre-tax contributions.
Over time, those limits and restrictions were removed, Trabucco said.
Today, participants can contribute as much as $17,500 (the IRS limit) with additional contributions allowed for those over 55.
And while, initially, there were limits on how much money participants could invest in the private funds, "Now, you can put all of your money wherever you want to do it," Trabucco said. "You are in complete control of that."
In the last year, the TSP board also launched a Roth option, which allows participants to contribute after-tax contributions, which means withdrawals from the TSP, including earnings, are not taxed.
Over the past few years, the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board has been besieged by proposals from participants and lawmakers to include even more options, such as a "gold fund" or a "socially-responsible fund."
Trabucco said the clamor for more options was difficult for the agency. But ultimately, Congress decided to defer to the board's judgement about what options were feasible.
That made sense, he said, because the board is the only true fiduciary of the system, meaning it looks out only for the interests of the participants.
"We don't really care, in setting up funds in the TSP, whether it works for the insurance industry or the real estate industry," he explained. "We only care if it works for the participants."
More from FERS: 25 Years Later
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25 years later, FERS still 'excellent' plan for feds
Fight for federal retirement overhaul offers lessons for today's fiscal challenges
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Carrollton Plastic Surgeon Doctors for Tummy Tuck ( Abdominoplasty)
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A certification by the Board of Plastic Surgery; practitioners deal with the repair and reconstruction of defects of form and function of the skin and its underlying systems, with emphasis on the head and neck, the upper and lower limbs, the breast, and the external genitalia. It includes aesthetic surgery of structures with undesirable form.
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Are sit-ups just not giving you the taut tummy you desire? If you've got a little too much flab or excess skin in your abdomen that won't diminish with diet or exercise, you may want to consider an abdominoplasty, popularly ...
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The WebMD 'Provider Directory' is provided by WebMD for use by the general public as a quick reference of information about Providers. The Provider Directory is not intended as a tool for verifying the credentials, qualifications, or abilities of any Provider contained therein. Inclusion in the Provider Directory does not imply recommendation or endorsement nor does omission in the Provider Directory imply WebMD disapproval.