text:
Friday, 19 December 2008
Are You Satisfied With Your Life?
Online somewhere, I ran across the question that is today's headline and was surprised to realize I had never considered it.
Well, that's not entirely true. When we choose to make changes in how we live – new job, new house, new car, get married or divorced, paint the kitchen, retire – we often are improving our lives or, at minimum, removing a dissatisfaction, making our lives better in some manner.
I've made those decisions many times, but I hadn't thought that they were to increase satisfaction. Most of my life has been a series of moves designed to fill a need or desire, to smooth rough edges. But overall satisfaction? This is the first time I've asked myself…
What's not to like. I have a comfortable home, a beautiful and funny cat companion to share it with, a room that is the real library I've dreamed of having since I was a kid, a collection of seven or eight thousand music MP3s (more than I can listen to again in my lifetime). The ocean is a short, two blocks away where I can walk for miles and if you discount the necessity of digging out my car, magical snowy winters and pleasant summers to mark the passage of time.
There are friends here and scattered about the world – some even travel to visit me for a few days now and then. There are many more online friends who are no less important for being at a cyber-distance. My "job" of blogging every day keeps me intellectually stimulated. And it's thrilling to live in the era of the internet where there is so much to see, do and learn.
I have more than enough interests to fill my days; the real problem is in the choosing.
In comparing my life now to the many "thens" of the past, I was much less satisfied when I was young. There was always something more I wanted: a different job, a husband, a larger apartment, to be prettier, smarter, skinnier or more successful. The dissatisfactions changed year to year and even week to week - and there was no dearth of them.
But not so many now. It would be good to have some additional money but more for the comfort of knowing there would be enough should I need expensive care in the future than to buy anything. For travel too, but it doesn't feel like I'm deprived. It is easier at my age now to accept limitations that chafed when I was young.
Often in the past, reading about the Great Depression, I lamented its effect on elders, people who had worked hard all their lives whose final years turned out to be even harder. Younger people had time to recover, when the economic tide eventually turned, for their old age. We are faced now with a similar situation, causing similar deprivation. But the blog question today is of personal, not social or political satisfaction and if inflation doesn't get out of control, I can weather this downturn.
If I had my druthers, I would live in New York City or Portland, Oregon. Choosing Portland, Maine was one of the larger mistakes of my life and the economic crisis makes a remedy difficult. But it's not as though I'm miserable.
I suspect satisfaction is easier when we're old than when we are young. Ambition wanes in old age – or, at least, mine has – along with striving and competition. I especially like living on my schedule rather than an employer's; any deadlines these days are self-imposed.
So, yes, I'm satisfied with my life. What about you?
[At The Elder Storytelling Place today, Nikki Stern has composed a Belated Requiem.]
Posted by Ronni Bennett at 02:36 AM | Permalink | Email this post
Ronni, I have wondered about your decision to move north and whether you were happy with it. You mentioned having to dig out your car - which will surely get harder and harder as you age.We are at the point of thinking about what to do regarding our current home, which is really too big for the two of us. Decisions get harder to make these days, and the greater possibility for mistakes looms large. It is easier to do nothing, but we realize that would be the worst mistake of all.
I read with much interest this early morning post and also kenju's comment. I can relate to much that you share Ronni. I have lived a full life. A beginning of not much then an opportunity to experience in most ways all the world offered.
After a divorce 30 years ago a new lifestyle emerged. 18 months ago moved to the middle of the city to be near children and grandchildren. I do not like it.
I love being surrounded by nature for writing and photography and I am researching building a smaller home on my old homeplace. Weighing advantages and disadvantages. Guess the biggest is now I am near health facilities if I get sick. My children are busy and my two little ones in a short time will have there own interest. Grandma is really at the bottom of the list unless needed for babysiting. I know if I do not do this now that it will be too late. It may already be too late. Have not decided.
I do know the question in mind "Do I Want To Spend The Rest Of My Life In The Middle Of The City"?
I think it is an impossibility to be truly satisfied with one's life and perhaps somewhat boring. If we did not have things to strive for or changes to consider, we might as well be dead. Our lives will change without us doing anything, so to be happy with one's life is acceptable, but satisfied means to me we pretty much have given up living.
Tabor says "satisfied means to me we pretty much have given up living."
However, I have often thought that living a life without regrets is my personal goal.Fifty years ago, in movie theater on the Champs Elysee in Paris, I watched a newsreel showing a squad of Foreign Legionnaires board a truck in the Algerian desert and ride away from their fort that they were abandoning to the Algerians. In the background Edith Piaf was singing "No Regrets" The experience and sensation of grief remain with me to this day. It was then that I knew that "Regrets" can destroy the soul and one must try to avoid them- at all costs.
Obvously, one way to prevent regrets is to avert any action or decision that could be the source of regrets in the future i.e. "Don't do anything that you'll regret" and this entails a careful examination of all the possible results of one's actions. In addition to the preemptive action, we can also try to live "sans regrets" by making lots of lemonade and doing the best with the cards we've been dealt with.
Have I made mistakes over the course of the last 75 years? You bet! Do I regret making them? No.
Your question is one that has loomed large for me recently. I have certainly enjoyed much of my retirement years and Elyn and I have had many adventures. I've been mulling the question of what the end of life might be. Will I have regrets? My goal is to end life without regret. That means doing what my soul calls me to do now. It will be the things I do or don't do now that will be the source of regret at the end. This perspective has led me to make some rather major changes in how I am doing myself these days. As I've made these changes I find my satisfaction going up day by day. This perspective calls me every day to make the day one that I won't regret later. So far, I'm "having a lot of fun" with my days and I hope you are too.
Am I satisfied with my life as it is today? No. Am I content? Yes.
Contentment means coming to terms with and accepting all of life's foibles and vicissitudes, including the regrets, the little guilts, and the disappointments. Contentment has a large measure of forgiveness in it -- for oneself as well as for others.
I am happier now than I've been in a long time, but I am not satisfied. To be satisfied, I would have to try to freeze my life just as it is, to give up on the future.
One of the things I have always believed in is potential. Even now, I like to think that I have as much potential I have always had. Maybe for different things, but potential nonetheless.
To be satisfied would be to give up a belief that is at the core of my being, and that I cannot and will not do.
When the market improves, and it will one day, move to the other Portland next door to Powells. That would be my vision of nirvana.
I just wrote a long comment which I lost due to my computer ineptitude. But there is something else I wanted to say anyhow. It's about us elders planning for the future and making major life changes, like going into retirement homes. That is a great solution for some people, but not for others, who wish for more privacy, more of an individual lifestyle, the country or the city or whatever. And I don't think many of us have to go the group living route. I watched my mother and my aunt live out most of their lives how and where they wanted to. My mother loved La Jolla and she was fiercely independent. She briefly moved into a retirement place near me, but longed for sunny California and the lifestyle she knew, and she moved back to La Jolla when she was 90 and stayed there happily till 97, when, alas, dementia set in and it was no longer possible. I think dementia is the most dreadful scourge of old age, and is the one thing that terrifies me. I looked after her for her last 3 years, but it was not a good time for either of us. The point is, though, that she lived as she wished for a very long time. My aunt loved the country and had a 200 year old house in Peterborough New Hampshire. She never learned to drive a car, but her neighbors loved her and helped her, and there were social services available. She lived the way she wanted to until she died at 88. There are many ways to solve these end of life problems, but I advocate letting what one really wants be the primary consideration. Most of the time the practical difficulties can be worked out.
"I can't get no satisfaction..."
Growing up as a younger boomer, there has always been a lot of dissatisfaction with the world at large. America is a place that teaches us to never be satisfied, to always be striving for more, more more.
My saving grace has been the Tao Te Ching, which taught me much about finding the satisfaction within the moment, developing peace of mind, and connecting with the world around me, at whatever moment and place I am in. 81 simple verses, but they still speak to me.
So even stuck in the suburbs, in a place I've tired of, longing to explore more of the world and try new things, I find satisfaction moment to moment.
The trick is to be satisfied within the moment, with yourself, accepting wherever you are at an any particular time. And yet, still knowing that the mind will always push you to do more, want more, want different things or places than you have.
It is enough simply to be. To be yourself, in whatever moment, place and time you are in. That is what leads to satisfaction and true happiness. Tomorrow, later today, the next moment, it might be different. And in that moment, in that place or time, you can be yourself and find satisfaction there, too. If you are connected to the larger whole, and know you are part of it, there is always enough. The separation, being stuck in one's one mind, is what leads to unhappiness.
Connect with those around you, share what you have, and you will find satisfaction. Maybe Portland, Maine, still has something to teach you...
I don't know how to really answer this question. I always feel as though I'm a work in progress. Certainly I'm satisfied to have all I need to live each day comfortably. I'm very satisfied with the people I've been fortunate enough to call friends and to be a part of this blog. The satisfaction to have a few trusted friends to complain to, cry and laugh with is priceless. It's sometimes fascinating to realize that some things once so important or desirous are now meaningless to me. Am I satisfied with my life? It all depends on the day that you ask.
I'm in my early 50s, struggling by each year on part-time, temporary work contracts. I worry about remaining employed the next 19 years, which is my estimate of the time left I have to work. My pension plan guarantee is precarious. The universal health plan is not what it once was. Yet, as odd as it may seem, I am learning and believing in the motto "live slow and live with less". I was raise on the notion that success had everything to do with gain. Now I'm thinking success has everything with learning to live within reason and within one's means. So, yes, Ronni, I am happy with my lot, as precarious as it is.
There is a measure of self-pity in Ronni's post and in too many of the comments. Ronnie has her blog and writin, reaching out and perhaps changing lives. What else is there but to be in touch, relatively healthy and, most of all, alive. The other day was Beethoven's Birthday and I listened to his Seventh Symphony. Is there anything more life asserting than listening to music so sublime. When I was in a hospital recovering from a stroke, I discovered to my joy that I still had an ear for Traviata. Strokes sometimes kill your musical sense. Five years ago, I battled cancer. The other night I attended a performane of the Messiah! How lucky I was to be able to experience that miracle. So what the heck are you complaining about or dwelling on?...I shoulda, woulda,coulda.... If you're healthy and have wits enough about you to write here..Do what you shoulda...Remember Prufrock..."There is time..."
I can't remember the quote but it's something like the world is not changed by satisfied people. I am not sure satisfaction is even a virtue. Might it also be complacency or accepting things as they are instead of fighting to make them better? I am not dissatisfied, but satisfied? I can't really say I am. I always can think of things that I could do or try or that might make it better than it is. I don't think you have to be unhappy to be dissatisfied and always reaching out to improve your lot. I thought a lot about this though as it's not something I think about often-- being satisfied or not. I mostly just am but I often have plans or ideas for something more which likely I would not if I was totally satisfied.
I had to think about this post allll day! No, my life isn't what I want it to be but I'm alive and reasonably well and thirty years ago the docs said that wasn't in my future -- even whether I had a future was a question. And yeah, I have regrets. Someone wiser than I said, "A life without regrets is a life not lived." I have lived my life for better or worse and survived both. I have every intention of continuing to do so for another 30-40 years. The past is a bucket of ashes and the future is a big question mark and I can't do anything about either except deal with the latter as it careens my way.
You made me stop and think for a moment, then I smiled because I realized that I am happy with my life. Satisfied no - there are always things that I will want more of, different things to do, go visit or something better, but at this stage of my life I am very happy with the direction my life has taken me.
After retiring from the military, I was in an unhappy marriage, made some mistakes and went through a messy divorce. I don't regret the divorce, but I regret terribly what it did to my kids - that is the part that will always bother me and that they are not a part of my life as much today as they could be (geography does that).
But I met a beautiful woman who has taught me so much about life and myself. We have made a good life together and even though there have been some tough times, we have had a stable and loving relationship.
Professionally I bounced around a bit and have found a job that I really do like being an AmeriCorps Grant Program Officer - a way that meets my need to "give back" (only if I could get someone else to be the "bad guy" and manage the money).
So the choices in my life have led me to being very happy today, but not satisfied, I still have a lot of living left to do and as another reader said, when I become satisfied, it will probably be time for me to go.
Thank you for bringing a smile to my lips (my wife is looking at me, like okay what did you just do look). Good night
Snowed in, I sit alone in my warm sweet home and ponder your question. The truth is, as I made selfish choices in the past, I always thought there would be lots of time to make up for things in the future. I wish I had been a better parent - we can never redo the attention not given, the experiences not offered. I wish I had hugged them more. So yes...there are regrets..But over the years I have learned to live and love each day without putting the important things off for the future. I am peaceful knowing finally, that this day..this moment is the the time I have been given. The future is right here, right now.
Our perception is the only true reality. My younger brother, who died ten years ago of cancer once wrote to me from his new home in Michuacan, Mexico that "What we've got isn't much but it's enough and that's a lot". If I were to summarize all of the good stuff that's been posted here, it could probably be synthesized in a simple phrase:
"It's enough and that's a lot"
Don't worry- be happy!
To me, if I was satisfied then I'd be done, and I'm not done. If I had a do-over I might make two choices differently, but then I'd miss everything that came after and who knows what would have happened then.
I'm okay.
Hmmm, I've pondered this one and can only say that feeling satisfied comes to me after some activity - a job well done, a meal well cooked and enjoyed, a good dig, plant and prune in the garden.
For most of the time I live in the moment and do relish the feeling that my timetable is mainly of my own creation.
I've felt contentment for a few years now. Thanks Mythster for the "it's enough and that's a lot" - that says it all.
Thank you Ronni for this subject and sharing your views. I turn 59 in a few weeks, getting very close to 60, and I've been thinking about the same thing...am I satisfied with my life? I sure enjoy retirement and not having to live by someone else's schedule or goals, but then I have problems sticking to my OWN schedules or goals! I love living with my sister and our two wonderful retired greyhounds, and although the summers are brutal, I love the pool and the wide open spaces of Arizona. So why do sometimes I feel like the line from that old Sinatra song, "Is that all there is, my friend?" Then again I feel guilty if I'm the least bit dissatisfied for I am so fortunate in so many ways, when others are struggling in these hard economic times. What do I have to complain about?? Really, nothing that I can only blame myself for. Like you I am intellectually stimulated by the Internet, learning and keeping informed; and I love my pursuits in photography. So overall, I must say yes, I am satisfied, but I could do better to make my life even more enjoyable by practicing better self-discipline!
I just want to say Amen! and thanks to Anne Gibert, who wrote:
"There are many ways to solve these end of life problems, but I advocate letting what one really wants be the primary consideration. Most of the time the practical difficulties can be worked out."
A wonderful reminder not to let the practicalities drown out the possibilities. Happy Holidays, Anne -
What is it in our souls that seems to quiet with age? I am still torn between yearned for the younger craving for a world expanded beyond measure and a need for a settled peaceful secure bubble... I hope in some ways that I am never, ever, never satisfied...
I am trying to post a comment again, but don't really know what I'm doing. I'm not computer illliterate but am also not totally savvy about it all. So here goes.
I am 74 years old and sorry to say I don't think I'm really satisfied with my life. I had a very successful career and was single for many years. Married late in iife (in my fiftys). I had an active social life when I was working and single but I find it very different now that I am older, retired and married. My husband and i have few friends, most of them have escaped the Great Northeast for warmer climes where I am told friendships are easy to come by because everybody is a transplant and are all looking for new friends. We live in Upstate New York ( I call it SmAlbany), My husband likes it here, I prefer to look for greener pastures, especially in the winter. But here I am. I have a nice home and am comfortable, and probably shouldn't be complaining but I am, because i feel that I'm not really satisfied with my life.
We have family in Portland ME and I love it there when I visit. I find it much more exciting than SmAlbany as far as good restaurants, shopping, sightseeing, etc. I'm sorry Ronni, that you are not all that happy with Portland ME but I think that it was not a terrible choice.
There is a saying in the Ethics of the Fathers "Who is wealthy? - One who is satisfied with his lot." This could also read who is happy - one who takes what comes and says Praise the Lord - I am still here doing the best I can. That is what I am trying to do - Self Acceptance and Joy in living and being. To get up in the morning and know .... what else can one be but grateful. Sometimes I think too much and have to pull myself back and say - I have a home - a nice husband of 45 years who does the laundry and never nags me and I AM ALIVE -BARUCH HASHEM!!!
Ronni, since I've always admired and envied your life after retirement I was a little disturbed by your statement of regret about moving to Maine. I've always wondered why you moved north when most retirees head south. I would love to live in New York City too, but it doesn't sound very retired person friendly though.
I've always loved cold weather, but in the last couple years it's started to bother me, making me think all those folks who retire to Florida and Arizona know something.
I'm troubled in my thinking about where to retire. On one hand, staying where I know all the ins and out and where all our friends live has many advantages, but on the other hand going someplace new sounds fun, and being able to pick a elder friendly environment feels like the practical thing to do.
This post and its comments gives me more fuel to confuse my thinking about where to retire.
I don't think I'd like to be old and frail and dealing with digging my car out of snow, but then when I get old and frail I don't expect to be driving either.
Hi Ronni,
It's probably no coincidence that many of us are asking similar questions around this time of year. I just wrote a blog post on the Famento blog about doing a end-of-year life review. I think the fact that we're asking ourselves these questions, instead of avoiding them, is a healthy sign. I recently watched Randy Pausch's "The Last Lecture" video on youtube, and highly recommend it (link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo). It really reminds us to constantly ask ourselves, am I happy with what I'm doing in my life? Am I doing things that will allow me to achieve my dreams?
Verify your Comment
Previewing your Comment
This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.
As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.
Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.


text:
CNU Salons
The Magic Kingdom of HartfordSubmitted by barefooturbanist on Wed, 06/04/2014 - 8:26am
supply, demand and housing costsSubmitted by MLewyn on Mon, 06/02/2014 - 11:38am
I've read numerous blog posts and articles asserting that gentrification or rich foreign investors increase housing costs by increasing demand. But people who raise this argument aren't always sensitive to the role of supply in the law of supply and demand: for example, one New York Times article states that increasing demand has raised rents, yet cites one housing advocate's statement that "Increasing the supply is not going to increase the number
The Rise of De-GentrificationSubmitted by MLewyn on Sun, 05/25/2014 - 12:31am
A recent study by a Portland-are consultant and professor analyzed the rise of high-poverty neighborhoods, finding that only 105 census tracts with poverty rates over 30 percent in 1970 had poverty rates below 15 percent in 2010. By contrast, 1231 tracts with 1970 poverty rates below 15 percent have poverty rates over 30 percent today. (However, the study does not address the location of either group of tracts- that is, to what extent the gentrifying tracts are urban, and to what ex
Chicago Green Roofs and Energy ConsumptionSubmitted by Gary Scott on Fri, 05/23/2014 - 12:00am
Author Noah P. Boggess is a Master of Art's student in Sustainable Urban Development at DePaul University, in Chicago, Illinois. In June, he will be joining CNU as a Transportation Summitt Project Assistant. For inquiries on his research, contact Noah P. Boggess at firstname.lastname@example.com
Turn Lanes Are Anti-Pedestrian & Therefore Anti-UrbanSubmitted by jmassengale on Tue, 05/20/2014 - 2:08pm
A NEW YORK CITY MTA Bus almost ran me over this morning as I WALKED my bike in a crosswalk with a green light. Before he almost ran me over the driver honked at me, loudly, to tell me to get out of his way. And I repeat, I was walking in a crosswalk, with the walk light.
John Norquist Commentary: Cities as Cradles of Progressivism?Submitted by Gary Scott on Fri, 05/16/2014 - 12:00am
This article was originally posted on Public Sector Inc
By John Norquist
Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia once said that there is no Republican or Democratic way to pick up garbage, and he's still largely right. Most mayors focus much more on service delivery than ideology. There is just too much to do on any given day for mayors to indulge in the hyper-partisanship that dominates Washington and the nation's state capitals.
If You Don't Want An Apartment, Don't Have OneSubmitted by MLewyn on Fri, 05/09/2014 - 2:23pm
One of my favorite political slogans (more because of its catchiness than because of its wisdom)* is "If You Don't Want An Abortion, Don't Have One."
It occurs to me that this slogan would be quite appropriately adapted to an urbanist context. In response to NIMBY attacks on compact development, one might create bumperstickers with slogans like:
"If You Don't Want An Apartment, Don't Live In One."
"If You Don't Want A Small House, Don't Buy One."
Cities, Suburbs and Commute LengthSubmitted by MLewyn on Thu, 05/08/2014 - 5:20pm
I recently discovered a fun tool: the Census Bureau's Census Explorer, which is full of maps about all kinds of things. In particular, I spent some time exploring commute length.
One reason why NYC is so expensiveSubmitted by MLewyn on Wed, 05/07/2014 - 6:00pm
Between 2000 and 2010, the number of renter-occupied housing units in New York increased by only 1.8 percent, while the number of households increased by 2.9 percent. I would imagine that if you add that to the increased demand arising from the post-recession difficulty of financing a home, you should have expected zooming rents, which is of course exactly what New York has.
DeBlasio's Unimpressive Housing Plan: No Substitute For The Free MarketSubmitted by MLewyn on Tue, 05/06/2014 - 9:22am
New York's new mayor, Bill DeBlasio, has just proposed to spend $8 billion in taxpayers' money to create 80,000 new housing units. 80,000 is certainly better than nothing.
On the other hand, New York has 3 million occupied housing units today, so even if the DeBlasio plan works, the city's housing supply will increase by a grand total of 2.7 percent over the next decade- barely enough to keep up with population.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
While some think of backcountry skiing as an extreme adrenal rush, cross country skiers find it a quiet way to explore the woods and see familiar summer surroundings made mystical by blankets of snow. Read more . . .
Ron Watters turns a grooming breakdown into a festive night of winter stargazing. Read more . . .
"The polar bears will eat you, you're too old, and why would you want to do something like that?"
After Barbara Hillary made up her mind to visit the North Pole, many people felt it was their responsibility to stop her from pursuing such a folly. Read more . . .
By Stacie Grossfeld — Cross Country Skier readers may be able to relate to this classic case of plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the soft tissue that attaches to the heel bone. Read more . . .
By J.D. Downing — Last spring I wrote a column for Cross Country Skier that touched on many of the emerging competitive realities for race organizers. Here I'll take a look at what the emerging global realities mean for the international and domestic elite circuits. Read more . . .
The skiing opportunities are so plentiful that one could easily devote a week or more to exploring the 130-plus kilometers of trails just in the immediate Anchorage area. Read more . . .
Bethel, Maine, (printed magazine only)
Dakota Ridge, British Columbia (printed magazine only)


text:
Hey, next time break the quote txt so I can reply to you...
Oh and hey, how many Shnyder, Hunt or any other providers are getting payed $2 a mile?
Nice rip, smart ass. It aint the owners of the companies driving them:rolleyes
Last I checked drivers get payed by the mile, and it sure as hell aint $2 per mile. IMO lot of them do it just to say they did it.
How many MC riders pass through Deals just to say they did it?
Don't tell me what freight costs to move, b/c I already know.
I drove the sportbike of trucking, an Expediter.
Just cause you drive, correction, are foolish enough to carry a CDL and ride yer bike...
Where are the CDL drivers looking at this shit and screaming "LOC!".
Yet HTT riders get on here and the 1st pic they see of a 2ft wide, 4ft long MC LOC and it's tisk-tisk.
What was that word??? Oh yeah, irony...
What it said was: It costs about $2 a mile to operate a semi truck...
He didnt. Like you in this post, I was trying to make a point.
The last person that gives two shits what it costs to move that truck, was the guy driving it...
The CPM (cost per mile as you probably can't handle acronyms) includes things like fuel, maintenance, taxes and paying the driver.
If your truck driving buddies were getting paid $2 per mile it would likely cost around 4.25 per mile to run the truck.
Love your sig line... (that's pun intended for all the HTTs)
I'll just sit here and tap my fingers on my PC till the HTT's that slammed me for saying trucks don't belong up there, see your post.
.............still waiting
I just have one question..............
Why do they allow semi trucks on that road? It's clearly not safe to have those big assed MoFo's on those turns. Is there no other route? WTF?
I seriously don't know why it's legal there and not places like the Natchez Trace.
Hell, I just went on it (the Trace) from TN to MS and there wasn't so much as a sharp turn.
I honestly see them using that section as just a place to see and to be able to say they did it.
I'd take one look at that on a map and say hell no, find me a way with less squiggly lines. Damn at the gear shifting alone!
Many states do post maximum length limits for really curvy roads. I don't know why TN doesn't.
The Natchez trace and BRP don't allow Commercial vehicles because they are for recreational use, not because of tight curves.
As for an alternate route to Deals Gap, there are some but they are a long way around.
I'm also wondering if I'm the only one who hasn't bought into the "Dragon" hype and still calls it Deal's Gap???
My questions or comments arent more about why is the Trace this, or that.
But more like, why isnt Deals?
If I was a PI/ Liability attorney, I'd live up there... CHA-CHING baby!
When I hauled cell tower equipment, I often had to use roads like the dragon and worse. Was it legal? Yes. Did I ever need both lanes? Yes. Did it suck? Yes. But sometimes that's the job.
Using a road like the dragon is a driver fail unless it is the only option. Doing it for fun? They wont be a driver long.
Why is it part of the national network allowing commercial traffic? I don't know.
|Times are GMT -7. It's 08:30 PM.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.5
Copyright ©2000 - 2015, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ADVrider 2011-2015


text:
Joined: 19 September 2012
Posts: 6916
The following 2 member(s) liked the above post:
KamliKudi, ---nishu---,
Chidiya Ghar fame Mendak Prasad in critical condition at KEM ...
Shashi Sumeet Mittal's upcoming show Hum Aapke Ghar Mein Rehte Hai ...
Disclaimer: All Logos and Pictures of various Channels, Shows, Artistes, Media Houses, Companies, Brands etc. belong to their respective owners, and are used to merely visually identify the Channels, Shows, Companies, Brands, etc. to the viewer. Incase of any issue please contact the webmaster.
Popular Channels :Star Plus | Zee TV | Sony TV | Colors TV | SAB TV | Life OK
Quick Links :Top 100 TV Celebrities | Top 100 Bollywood Celebs | About Us | Contact Us | Advertise | Forum Index


text:
The Greek crisis has exposed the fundamental flaws in the Euro project: it stripped countries control over the price of money and allowed political elites to undermine Europe's post-war social contract.
This is the story of America's most famous street, Wall Street. Exploring its development through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Wachtel charts its dramatic transformation, offering a window on the past that helps us understand how it became the center of world finance that we see today.


text:
You never know what you're going to see when you pick up your remote controlled helicopter and take it out for a spin.
RC chopper pilot Eirik Solheim recently did just that and wound up capturing some magnificent footage of a moose roaming around in the Norwegian woods.
The footage has now gone viral, amassing more than 60,000 views on YouTube in just one day.
Check it out below.


text:
"Follow my time, this journey through the mind, recollections darkness and the malicious untwined.
Fictional... : True Confessions » Read
» Users
Welcome Visitor:
No history available
About | News | Contact | Your Account | BooksieSilk | TheNextBigWriter | Self Publishing | Advertise
© 2013 TheNextBigWriter, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Privacy Policy.


text:
There is currently no text in this page. Would you like to create Flu or Search for Flu in Uncyclopedia?
If you just created this page, wait a few minutes and reload in case of database delay. Our servers are run by hamsters on caffeine, so some database delay is to be expected. It may also have been deleted.


text:
Our Commitment
We are committed to helping our customers be more successful in the global lighting and energy efficiency markets
Where we do it
We work with new markets, new technologies and new customers who are creating huge opportunities in the fast-changing world of energy efficiency
How we do it
We do this by providing them with access to their target audience and to insightful, business-critical information with live events, publications, data analysis or digital media
Lux Magazine
the smart guide to energy-efficient lighting
Technology and the need to save energy are transforming the world of lighting. Lux magazine – the official publication of the Lighting Industry Association – is the smart, sensible guide for lighting decision-makers.
Our readers include lighting manufacturers, engineers, designers, distributors, and of course the people at the end of the chain – the end users – who are looking for the best ways to light spaces and save energy.
Every month we publish the best case studies of retrofit and new build lighting projects, independent product tests, as well as sharp analysis and debate on the hottest trends.
Lux Review
Lux Review magazine is an exciting publication and on-line offering that reaches a high quality audience of lighting buyers globally
Its emphasis will be on low-energy lighting products, projects and techniques. It shares knowledge globally and bring the benefits of the latest lamps, luminaires and controls to specifiers and clients with large lighting estates.
It is produced to the highest standards of journalism and design by the team behind the successful Lux magazine in the UK.
Regional correspondents in Europe, Africa, Australia and Asia will report on developments and drivers for energy reduction in their regions.
Read More…
Lux Review Australia
We publish the best case studies of retrofit and new build lighting projects, independent product tests, as well as sharp analysis and debate on the hottest trends in the sector.
We keep the industry up to date and help the users of lighting solutions to get the best results.
Lux Review Australia is produced to the highest standards of journalism and design by the team behind the successful international Lux Review Magazine and Lux Magazine in the UK.
Regional correspondents in Europe, Africa, Australia and Asia report on developments and drivers for energy reduction in their regions.
Read More…
the most ambitious and exciting lighting exhibition ever to be staged in the UK
Now in its third year, it brings together specifiers and end-users, providing an unparalleled opportunity to showcase your company's products and services at the UK's leading lighting event.
Organised by the Lighting Industry Association and Lux magazine and supported by all the leading organisations in this sector, the 2013 show takes place at Earls Court on 20 and 21 November.
LuxLive reflects the vibrant UK lighting industry and covers the commercial, industrial, architectural and exterior sectors.
Read More…
Lux Awards
the prestigious Lux Awards take place at The National History Museum on 6 November
Organised by Lux magazine and the Lighting Industry Association, the awards are designed to celebrate creativity and sustainability and crucially, recognise clients and end users who have used lighting in exceptional ways to improve their lit environment – and reduce energy.
Retail Lighting and Energy Conference
28th February 2013 – Cavendish Conference Centre, London
With increased competition from the internet and rising costs, retail is tougher than ever.
In this special one-day conference, you can gain competitive advantage by learning how to deliver first-class stores that work on every level.
Experts and tops names from the worlds of retail and lighting will share their insights, showing you how to make dramatic reductions in energy using the latest technology while increasing sales and improving brand perception.
Future of Lighting Fixture Design Conference
5 and 6 June 2013, Central London
New technologies, materials, standards and techniques mean that lighting fixtures are set to undergo the most radical redesign in a century. To help understand this transformation and position your company ahead of the curve, we're bringing together in London the world's top experts in solid state technology, optics, thermals, drivers, standards and testing.
Aimed at manufacturers, suppliers and specifiers, this vital two-day event gives insights that will drive your business forward and ensure you stay at the forefront of the lighting revolution.
Revo Media's events portfolio includes conferences, awards, forums, briefings, product launches and showroom openings
They are a unique opportunity to exchange ideas, network, learn and influence.
Our expertise in bringing manufacturers, end users and industry professionals together to discuss issues affecting lighting and energy efficiency is unparalleled.
Chaired or introduced by Lux Magazine, each event is written up in a special feature in the publication. Additionally, a professionally-produced five-minute video, including interviews with the participants, is created and uploaded to and promoted on Lux and partner websites.
Topics include Public Transport, Controls, LED Specifications, Retail, Energy Efficiency Funding, Lighting as a Service Company Provision, Office, Industrial and Public Spaces.


text:
Narrow your search
Maxis is finally launching a much-requested offline mode to the city-building game Tuesday around the world.
A mere ten months after launch, Maxis confirms that offline play will be included in the next SimCity update.
Maxis confirms that the next update to the city-building game will allow you to play without an Internet connection.
Consumer watchdog Choice has given EA Games a less-than-coveted Shonky Award over the high charges on its SimCity helpline.
The game making giant said Frank Gibeau has "chosen to transition on from Electronic Arts," after having most recently led its mobile efforts. Gibeau held some of the most influential positions in the company.
When disaster strikes, the Red Cross helps real people in need, and thanks to a new SimCity add-on, the organization can simultaneously help virtual citizens, too.
SimCity has launched for Mac, but it's suffered problems, just as the PC version did back in March. Doh!
The State Government of Adelaide, Australia, has asked young Minecraft players to design their perfect park in-game.
Splines are not reticulating for the Mac version of SimCity. Can Electronic Arts please launch an online game without issues plaguing users?
SimCity is still horribly broken, even after a patch that promised to fix the long suffering game.


text:
Syrian rebels storm training center of Assad's Palestinian allies
Special to WorldTribune.com
NICOSIA — Sunni rebels have attacked a key Palestinian ally of
Syrian President Bashar Assad.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that hundreds of rebels attacked the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command in Damascus. The British opposition group said the assault on a PFLP-GC training facility on Nov. 24 resulted in casualties on both sides.
Rebels also said they captured a Syrian Air Force base 15 kilometers
east of Damascus. They said two helicopters were destroyed and 15 military personnel captured.
"The fighters captured the combat brigade training center of the PLFP-GC after violent clashes," Syrian Observatory said.
Both PFLP-GC and the Assad regime acknowledged the rebel assault on the facility, located in the Damascus suburb of Duma. The official Syrian Arab
News Agency blamed the attack on Israel's Mossad.
PFLP-GC has been deemed the leading Palestinian ally of Assad. Sunni
rebels have been attacking the Syrian-sponsored militia in the Palestinian
refugee camp of Yarmouk on the outskirts of Damascus.
"With God's help, the Marj Al Sultan airbase in eastern Ghouta has been
liberated," a rebel commander said in a video statement.


text:
Natalia Paris POSE FOR bLOGNAKAL.blogspot.com – We are casting Photos Actress Model Sexy, Special Editions Actress.
Pictures Gallery Hot Actress, Nude Girls, Naked Picture, sexy Bikini, Photo Sexy Model Actress, Hot Model, Hot Celebrity Playme2x, Playmates, of the Month, featured playmates, directory, xtra Sex, Sex personal pages spotlight, Cyber Girls, of the week, of the month,of the year, Hot Amateurs, casting calls, sex cells, sexiest bartenders, women of walmar, Hot Models, busty babes,model of the year, girl next door, girls with girls, Sex video on demand, naughty amateurs hot & spicey, Sex special editions Hot sex xtreme, spotlight, Celebrities, nudes on film, actresses, Sexy Hot super models, Hot Sexy celebrity central, SexSpecial Editions, current issues, Hot casting calls
Name : Natalia Paris
Profession : Model
Date of Birth : 12 - 8 - 1978
Place of Birth : Medellin, Colombia
Natalia, who's mother was also a model, graduated San Jose del la Vega School as a publicist. She is one of the more successful Colombian models; in spite of not being a Top Model at any international level. She has succeeded due to her charisma and phenomenal figure. No other model has as many admirers in Colombia as she does. Lately, she has done a lot of work raising money for poor children both in her own country and elsewhere in the world. Presently, she is the exclusive model for Crystal Gold Beer and Besame Lingerie.
Natalia Paris pictures, picture gallery, Natalia Paris greeting cards, photos, pics, snaps, high quality pictures, rare pictures, Natalia Paris wallpapers.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Lingerie-Natalia Paris
0 comments:
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Tips on Hiring a Website Developer
It seems that every business in the world now relies on the Internet for simple day-to-day operation.
One reason for this is that many people are now attached to the Internet and therefore, a good online presence will provide companies with great deal of exposure. Secondly, most companies and corporations probably think the same, and so consequently, they want to get a significant chunk of online exposure as well. Thirdly, commerce has gone online. People now buy and sell stuff over the World Wide Web and if a company does not make a move to create an online presence like a website or a blog, then that company is losing out on potential buyers.
Once you decide to have a go and have a website built to help you achieve an online existence and drive Internet users to buy what you peddle online, good for you. But that's the easy part. Next, you will be faced with a tough question: will you do it yourself or will you have a professional website developer build it for you? The upsides and downside are quite obvious for both choices.
Option #1 will only require you to shell out minimal cash but doing a website from scratch can be tedious for someone who does not have any know-how on website design, HTML coding, and site maintenance. Option #2 will entail you paying a hefty sum but the upside is that you will get a website that is done by a professional. Common sense dictates that if you do not have the skills, go with option #2.
But before you search the web and hire the first website developer you come across with, make sure you cover several factors. Website developers can either be expensive or affordable. Check out some job database sites and compare their salary information, but remember, do not go cheap. Just go with the best service your budget will allow.
Second, never settle for the first professional developer you meet. Always shop around. If you have several friends who know how building sites work, then it would be best to ask their advice. Another thing, always ask for a portfolio. Once you have your sights set on someone, it does not hurt to ask to see what projects they have done in the past.
One more thing is to always look for first-hand accounts and testimonies. You can gather such information by checking out website owners and ask who did their sites. Nothing beats information that you can get first hand and the same goes if you are hiring a web developer.


text:
Now available!
Alacra provides ad-hoc, pay-as-you-go research services. Register for Alacra On Demand, submit your request and Alacra's experienced researchers will work with you to craft your report and deliver it online. More than 90% of orders are fulfilled the same day we receive them, usually within a matter of hours.
Alacra On Demand offers content from many esteemed Alacra partners. View available databases here.
View Alacra On Demand Slide Show


text:
Website of the day: Tiger Time
Here's a number for you: 3,200. That's how many tigers there are left in the wild. In total...
That's astonishing, isn't it? One of the most mythical and beautiful creatures is literally on the edge of existence. And it's all our fault.
We've hunted them, persecuted them, taken away their habitats and taken away their food supplies. We have pushed them to the brink of extinction and somehow this isn't international news.
But there are quite a few people who are trying their best to change that.
If you buy Whiskas cat food at the moment, you can share pictures of your "little tiger" and pledge your support. You can adopt a tiger through the World Wide Fund for Nature, and here at Tigertime.info you can show your support by signing up and telling your friends about it. We're focusing on this last one because it might not be one you've heard of.
The David Shepard Wildlife Foundation was set up by the renowned painter to highlight the perilous sate of some of this little planet's most celebrated creatures. His artwork (you've almost certainly seen it) has helped to raise awareness, but this site is aiming to take the message to the social media masses.
So sign up today, and show your support for a big cat facing a very big problem.


text: This heavy duty fence and rail package can be retro-fitted to most saw benches with cast iron tables by simply drilling a few mounting holes in the vertical skirt of the table casting. Biesemeyer style fences offer the most accuracy and repeatability of any tablesaw fence. Features 30" (760mm) scale.


text:
Coach K Giving Injured Camper Game Tix
One of the attendees at the second session of this summer's Coach K's Duke Basketball Camp — an annual event for boys ages 9–18 — had his camp experience end prematurely when he suffered a broken leg.
While he was being treated in Duke Hospital the day of his injury, the camper got a pick-me-up from none other than Coach K himself.
"He told me how he heard that I acted real tough when I got hurt and that I would have fit in well with him in the Army," the camper recalled in a Reddit post. "He then told me he'd be glad to meet me the next day at Cameron when the camp was over."
Sure enough, Coach K was there to meet him — along with former Blue Devils stars Jon Scheyer (now a Duke special assistant coach) and Ryan Kelly. Additionally, Coach K offered the camper a courtside seat behind the Duke bench for a game at Cameron Indoor next season, to which the camper happily agreed.
Even if you hate Duke, you have to acknowledge that this is a class act.


text:
The Collector's Source for Investment Quality Classic, Muscle and Special Interest Cars - Authorized Shelby Cobra Dealer
If you've ever wanted to own a true supercar at a very reasonable price, take a look at this one. It's a stunning example... More
This fully loaded, 2014 Shelby GT500 Super Snake is virtually new with only 320 miles and loaded with options. The owner bought it at... More
This beautiful 1962 Chevy Impala SS is one of the nicest examples you'll find. It's fully restored and upgraded with performance and cosmetic improvements.... More
This beautifully restored and modified F250 long bed Super Cab is a one of a kind pick-up, ready for show and go. It has... More
This beautiful, Sunlit Gold, '68 GT Mustang coupe is fully restored with less than 5,000 miles since the restoration and nicely optioned. The current... More
This 1968 Chevelle SS 396 replica convertible comes with a period correct 396 engine and a Muncie M21 4 speed transmission. The Chevy Chevelle... More
This 1965 Mustang fastback is in great condition. The Mustang was recently painted and comes in white with maroon Le Mans stripes. The interior... More
This 1973 Mustang Mach I Sports roof is in excellent condition. Recently, the Mach I received a factory correct $15,000 Green Gold metallic paint... More
1964 Shelby FIA Cobra - One of 50 FIA Cobras built by Shelby American to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the original FIA Cobra,... More
If youd like a nice entry level collector car, the '66 Mustang coupe is a great place to start! Widely known as one of... More
This beautiful 1964 Thunderbird is ready to drive and to enjoy! With only 70,600 miles on the odometer, it has very little wear. The... More
What did Ford Motor Company get when Carroll Shelby of Shelby American got involved with a project? This 1968 Mustang Shelby GT 500 KR... More
2007 Stage 3 Roush Black Jack Limited Edition #59 of 100 With Only 800 Mies On It. 4.6l Roush~charged Engine *430 H/P* 5 Speed... More
This 2011 Shelby GT350 is the second GT350 built by Shelby American. Car #1 is displayed at the Shelby Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada.... More
If you've been watching auction prices of original Shelby Cobras, you saw a CSX2000 series sell in Scottsdale for $1,320,000 in January of this... More
Here's an opportunity to own a vintage car deep in Ford Motor Company's prosperous history! This 1930 Ford Model A pick up is in... More
1966 Mustang coupes are one of our favorite vintage cars. Red, with black interior, is also generally a plus. 66 Mustangs have proved to... More
This Factory Five Shelby Cobra replica was built to exacting specifications as a purpose built race car. The exterior is Lime green and the... More
This 1941 Ford Coupe is a good find if you're looking for some of the old cars for sale. This early 1940 Ford era... More
If you've ever wanted a ground floor opportunity to own a true collector car, you won't find a better one than this. Shelby American... More
This 1965 Mustang restomod may look like a street monster, and we guess it qualifies, but as monstrous as this classic Mustang convertible is,... More
Here is an opportunity to own an extremely rare Ford Thunderbird at an excellent price. Approximately 1,500 of these T Birds were... More
Most people's heads turn when a 57 Chevy Bel Air comes into view. This 57 Chevy is no exception. If you want to take... More
PRICE REDUCED! This beautiful 1962 Chevy Biscayne restomod was restored three years ago. It has a 6 speed Richmond manual transmission, power... More
This Mustang Shelby GT is in the Shelby registry as #899. It is a four speed car with a correct Paxton Shelby supercharger stamped... More
This original time capsule car, with the original paint job, just SCREAMS high performance. A 428-4V CJ Ram Air Cobra Jet engine powers the... More
'MCA Concours Gold Award Winner', 302 Engine, 4 Speed, Matching #s, Deluxe Marti Report, Rear Spoiler, Sport Slats, Power Steering, Fold Down Rear Seat,... More
This is one of only three Mustang Shelbys, used in the Carroll Shelby School of High Performance Driving (now the Bob Bondurant School -... More


text:
Habitat has their newest product live on their site. Decks from their newest pros and their classic guys as well. Check it out, especially Freddie Gall's cork cruiser.
Apr 11 2012
Free Lunch with Silas Baxter Neal
Dec 12 2011
Habitat Texico Tour Video
Nov 04 2011
Habitat Texico Tour
Oct 18 2011
20 Years of Fred Gall
Feb 25 2011
Fred Gall's California Vacation
Nov 16 2010
New Domestics Park Edit
The crew at Politic Skateboards want to give you some free stuff! Head inside and sign up.


text:
I know these won't work with my 3G iphone - but will they at least work with my 80GB classic?
Apple's New In-Ear Headphones Now Available to Order
For those of you waiting for Apple's new headphones, the patience you have displayed for the past 3 months has paid off. The day is finally here and you can now place your order.
blockquote>Hear every detail of your music every time you tune in with the Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic. They offer pro audio performance and impressive sound isolation, and convenient buttons let you adjust the volume and control music and video playback.
The Apple store is claiming the Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic will begin shipping within 7-10 business days and will run you $79. The earphones with remote and mic carry a 3-4 week wait and have a price tag of $29. And with that 3-4 week wait, don't expect these before the holidays.
Place your order today!
Have something to say about this story? Leave a comment! Need help with something else? Ask in our forums!
Reader comments
Apple's New In-Ear Headphones Now Available to Order
I like the new design but I hope they offer them in black too because I have a black iPhone 3G.
You guys are 100% wrong! These DO work with the iPhone 3G. The only part of these headphones that do not work are the volume controls (big deal!). That means the ear buds, mic, and playback button (call/end button) work as well. Link below for proof:
I bought the motorola S9 headphones and had to return them because of poor reception and a uncomfortable fit.. My old motorola ht820 headset worked and fit better, so I thought the newer smaller S9 would be better. They were a big disappointment.
Hmm. I can live w/o the volume control. I'd just read that they weren't going to work with it not that they'd only partially work with it. If I can find other confirmation on this, well, they're getting ordered.
Thanks for the heads-up.


text:
|Up a level
Borck, Anja (2009) Seen but ignored: Concordia University's Henry Foss Hall Building in Montréal. JSSAC: Journal of the Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada, 34 (2). pp. 61-74. ISSN 1486-0872
Borck, Anja (2013) From Disposable Architecture to Industrial Monument – The Concept of Contemporary Industrial Heritage in Quebec and in Germany. PhD thesis, Concordia University.


text:
25% OFF! - Dye Job Quickpages
By Trixie Scraps Designs
Related Products
More By This Designer
|(0 Total Votes) | Rate It
Please sign in to rate this product! Log In
Product Categories
Product Information
- Type: Embellishment Pack
- Designer: Trixie Scraps Designs
- Download Size: 140.4 MB (approximate)
Design Elements
- Page Elements: 6
Designer Notes
Do you have a Dye Job planned for the near future - an egg-dying job, that is? Well, look no further than this beautiful new collection from Trixie Scraps, perfect for all your Easter egg photos - whether you're dying them with the kids or documenting them in their Sunday best as they hunt for their eggs on the church lawn! Lots of versatile elements are included in this collection to make it perfect for your everyday Spring photos, as well. This quickpage album includes six 12x12 quickpages, saved as 300 dpi PNG files.
Make sure to check out the coordinating pieces from the whole collection!


text:
I believe I know why you decided to have this as a tip :D
Daily tip: How to find your Cydia account number
Are you jailbreaker eager to test a theme or jailbreak app and need to know how to find your Cydia account number? Chances are if you've ever downloaded or purchased an app or tweak from Cydia, you have one. In case you ever need to know where it is and how to find it, we've got you covered!
- Launch Cydia and go to the main Cydia tab.
- Tap on Manage Account.
- Cydia will ask you to log in if you aren't already. Simply sign in with Facebook or Google.
- Once signed in, you'll see a screen that shows your Cydia account information. Underneath Installable Purchases you'll see your Cydia account number in small font.
Simply make note of this number and give it to any developer you're testing for. This will allow them to give you access to paid apps so you can simply install them without having to pay first. This is very similar to how official App Store developers utilize your UDID number. Once the developer adds your Cydia account number you'll be all set to start testing their jailbreak apps. Just make sure you add their repository as well if you don't already have it.
Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you'd like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to email@example.com. (If it's especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we'll even give ya a reward…)
Have something to say about this story? Leave a comment! Need help with something else? Ask in our forums!
Reader comments
Daily tip: How to find your Cydia account number
few days ago i unlock my iPhone 4 but still i can't under stand now what i have to do, how i instal cydia option.....
thnx Inayat email@example.com
Magnificent issues altogether, you just gained a new reader. What may you recommend in regards to your put up that you simply made a few days in the past? Any positive?
MY download is takin' fo' eva!!! This isnot making me happy >:( PLEASE HURRY UP!!!! >:(MY I PHONE NEED DAH DOWNLOAD NOW!!!):<
I am so thankful that I decided to enroll with Pet Plan last fall. This year our dog ruptured a ligament in her knee and needed surgery and Pet Plan really came through for us. They re-imbursed us the exact amounts that our coverage gave us within 1 or 2 weeks of receiving our claims. It made the situation that much less stressfull, it would have been a nightmare without the Pet Plan coverage that we have. I will be happy to stay with Pet Plan for as long as I have a pet. Thank you!
Is there anyway I could find my Cydia account number without a jailbreak. I'm currently in a version that is un-jailbreakable. Please let me know if there is a way. Thanks.


text:
SUMMARY: Retaining members who start to stray is always a challenge. Using an incentive to try to bring them back may actually devalue a membership.
Find out how a trade organization used an email-postcard combination incentive not included to boost their retention rate by more than 15%. Includes 5 tactics and 3 creative samples.


text:
CEDAR RAPIDS – Brenden Baker went from feeling the worst to being first.
All the hard work and dedication to reverse the result of last year's district meet paid dividends. The Cedar Rapids Jefferson sophomore reaped the rewards, which is a chance at a state title.
"I'm getting what I finally deserve," Baker said. "It's not over yet though."
Top-ranked Baker captured the 106-pound title at the Iowa High School Athletic Association Class 3A district wrestling tournament Saturday at Jefferson. He helped the J-Hawks claim the team title and tie runner-up Linn-Mar with a tournament-best seven state qualifiers.
Baker pinned both opponents in the first period, decking Waterloo East's Kyler Lowe in 1:39 for the championship. He has continued the success from the start of the season. The dominant performance was just as important as coming away with a win.
"It's huge," Baker said. "This year in general has been a big confidence booster from last year."
During the offseason, Baker was active in freestyle and Greco-Roman, beating a previous state champion and avenging losses from last season. He worked on controlling his emotions and he has thrived.
"The mental preparation is really been the biggest factor," J-Hawks co-head coach Matt Orton said. "He's always had the talent. He always thought he was capable of it."
Baker isn't content with a district crown and just reaching state. Baker (36-0) is fixed on rolling through the field and finishing as No. 1.
"I want to prove a point," Baker said. "I'm not settling for this. I want to win state. I have to keep going."
Third-ranked Josh Allen (28-7) matched Baker, pinning his way through the 182-pound bracket for Jefferson. Allen stuck Waterloo East's Jamiir Moore in 42 seconds in the final. The J-Hawk junior overcame the competition and illness to earn a state berth.
"It shows how tough Josh is," Orton said. "Josh is a great kid and has done all the right things. I'm so happy for him."
The J-Hawks demonstrated mental toughness, grabbing four state berths through wrestleback wins by Tavian Rashed (145), Kelly May (152), Luke Sedlacek (160) and heavyweight Dalton Kuehl. They rebounded from finals losses with one more win to secure a qualifying spot.
"Those are things we prepare for," Orton said. "We run through a mock district the night before. We make sure they are ready for whatever situation it is."
Jefferson will take half its lineup to the traditional tournament and Orton was happy with the overall results, considering the field. He is optimistic about their ability next week. Jefferson sophomore 120-pounder Kyle Briggs earned his second straight state berth.
"We had tough competition," Orton said. "Seven is a god number. I feel pretty good about our seven."
The Lions crowned four champions, including top-ranked Alijah Jeffery (120) and 152-pounder Ross Lembeck. Jeffery improved to 37-0 with a fall in the finals and Lembeck (15-0) remained unbeaten with a technical fall for the title.
"Alijah and Ross were dominant," Linn-Mar Coach Doug Streicher said.
Linn-Mar's Damon Griffin (126) and Shea Hartzler at 160 beat ranked wrestlers in the finals. Third-ranked Andrew Holladay was runner-up at 195.
Sixth-ranked Hartzler defeated Jefferson's No. 5 Sedlacek, 5-1, in the championship. Hartzler took it in stride, knowing bigger opportunities remain.
"It's just a win," Hartzler said. "I have to focus on the next one."
Hartzler remained in good position, scoring the opening takedown and adding an escape and takedown in the third. He made strides from the last time he faced Sedlacek.
"He always wrestles tough, hard and aggressive," said Streicher, noting that Hartzler avoided being overly aggressive and giving up points. "He's not letting guys in on his legs like the last time. He's shown improvement."
The next one will be at state. Hartzler (32-6) competed in Des Moines a year ago, but didn't reach the podium. The plan is to return with hardware.
"I'm going down to do what everybody is trying to do," Hartzler said. "I'm going down to win the state tournament."
Linn-Mar will try to contend for a team trophy at the state meet. Seven qualifiers were expected on paper, but Streicher wanted to see others emerge.
"We knew by seeds we had seven in the top two and others in the three, four, five range and hope they make a name for themselves and step up," Streicher said. "We just didn't get that done.
"We'll take what we get out of who we had wrestle today and get ready for next week."
Cedar Rapids Xavier matched Linn-Mar with four champions. The Saints doubled the number of qualifiers from last year with Clint Lembeck (132) and 170-pounder Sean Ickes making a return trip. Third-ranked Nick Drahozal (145) and No. 9 heavyweight Cole Turner added titles.
"I'm really happy for all four of them," Xavier Coach Ryan Chambers said. "We had a good final round."
Clint Lembeck, ranked fourth, posted his second win over former state champion and fifth-ranked Matt Wempen. Clint Lembeck won another tight bout between the two, scoring the decisive move in the final seconds for a 5-3 victory.
"I just tried to get a quick takedown," Clint Lembeck said. "I really practiced that with my dad about how to do it right."
The Xavier sophomore didn't get on the board until the last 10 seconds of the second period. He hit a long sitout and cleared his hips, getting behind Wempen for a reversal. The score put him in position for a win.
"I've been hitting that through my middle school career," Clint Lembeck said. "It's my signature move on bottom. ... It came through again."
Cedar Rapids Kennedy advanced two through to state, including 113-pound champion Nolan Hromidko. The fifth-ranked Cougar improved to 31-7, beating Linn-Mar's No. 6 Noah Ajram, 7-1, in the finals.
"I had to wrestle Ajram twice in a row this season," Hromidko said. "After a while, I kind of knew what he was going for. I just developed what I needed to do."
The victory was fulfilling, who missed the postseason last year as a freshman. He said he hopes this provides a favorable draw and a chance to knock off higher ranked foes.
"I didn't get to experience it last year," said Hromidko, who will be joined at state by 126-pound teammate Logen Rodriguez. "I can't wait to go down to state and maybe surprise some people."
Cedar Rapids Washington's Trey Schuler qualified for the state meet with a runner-up finish at 138.
The top two wrestlers at each weight advance to the 2A state tournament Feb. 20-22 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
Read more: http://iowaprepsports.com/2014/02/15/hard-work-pays-dividends-for-jeffersons-baker/#ixzz2tSTbW2Zh
Read more: http://iowaprepsports.com/2014/02/15/hard-work-pays-dividends-for-jeffersons-baker/#ixzz2tSTQ5Grz
Cedar Rapids, Iowa News, Sports, and Weather
Jefferson Wins District Title, Ready For State
By K.J. Pilcher, Reporter
Most Popular


text:
Essentials of Pain Medicine E-book, 3rd Edition
|Available Formats
|PDF eBook
|(With Adobe DRM, readable with Adobe Digital Editions for PCs and Macs, and on most mobile devices except Kindle)
|Expert Consult
This third edition of Essentials of Pain Medicine offers an accessible and concise, yet complete, overview of today's theory and practice of pain medicine and regional anesthesia. From a review of basic considerations through local anesthetics and nerve block techniques, this book provides the reader with an excellent tool for exam review or practice of Pain Management.
New to This Edition
- Includes new topics such as: imaging in pain medicine, radiation safety, issues associated with the use of narcotics, intraarticular and intraperitoneal use of opioids, pain management in the emergency room and in the intensive care unit, pain management issues during pregnancy, geriatric pain, and hospice care and end-of-life issues.
- New chapters on interventional procedures include discography, intradiscal electrothermal coagulation (IDET), vertebroplasty, and piriformis injections. Truncal blocks and neuraxial blocks and anticoagulants are added to the section on nerve blocks.
Key Features
- Organized in a concise, practical quick-reference format.
- All chapters are brief and easy to read quickly.
- Offers specific strategies for the evaluation and management of a full range of pain syndromes, including cancer pain.
- Features over 230 diagrams, illustrations, summary charts and tables that clarify the information and make it easy to apply.
- Discusses the latest drugs and therapeutic approaches, such as acupuncture.
- Presents the management of pain for every setting where it is practiced, including the emergency room, the critical care unit, and the pain clinic.
Author Information
By Honorio Benzon, MD, Professor of Anesthesiology, Northwestern University Medical School; Chief, Division of Pain Medicine, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL; Srinivasa N. Raja; Scott M. Fishman, MD, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Chief, Division of Pain Medicine, University of California Medical School, Davis, Sacramento, CA; Spencer Liu, MD, Virginia Mason Clinic, Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA and Steven P Cohen, Associate Professor, Pain Management Division
Customer Reviews
20% off
- e-Book
- Imprint: Saunders
- Copyright: 2011


text:
opinionBy Adamu Adamu
In November, Alhaji Abdul Rauf Aregbesola, the governor of Osun State, declared the 15th of November 2012, which coincided with the 1st of Muharram, a public holiday to commemorate the commencement of the Islamic Hijra New Year. By the nature of things, this declaration ought to have been supported by all those who normally clamour for a proper federation. Alas, this was no to be.
Immediately after the announcement, there was what appeared like orchestrated press opposition to it; and The Punch would go to the extent of writing an editorial to castigate the governor's action, basing its opposition on the premise that a religious holiday shouldn't have been declared, because it is divisive; but in the end the logic of the editorial only succeeded in proving the opposite case.
The editorial, which appeared in paper's November 20, 2012 edition, said the issue of religion has never divided South-Westerners, a claim that cannot be true, because it is belied by the very motive that prompted the writing of that editorial. Otherwise, why should the issue of the Muharram holiday be so unwelcome and so unacceptable to a newspaper that believes the South-West possesses "prowess in forging metropolitan centres, early contact with and love for western education [which] have given it a cosmopolitan and accommodating worldview"?
The newspaper apparently gives its blessings only for the three holidays that it says the Muslim faithful hold dear--Eid el-Fitr, Eid el-Adha and Eid el-Maulud; but this contradicts its main thesis, considering the fact that these three are even more religious than the Islamic New Year which it opposes; and, which, going by the logic of that editorial, ought to have been opposed not only on that count, but on the fact that "in a secular society like Osun, whose diverse sub-nationalities have a robust history of accomplishments in education, culture, business and the professions and are renowned for their religious tolerance and political sophistication," religious holidays have no place.
It then tried to teach the governor what examples he should have taken in deciding public holidays for his state, citing the examples of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the State of Qatar, all three of which it said don't observe holiday on the first day of the Islamic New Year. But The Punch ought to know that a governor in Nigeria is supposed to take his cue not what they do in Saudi Arabia or the Islamic Republic of Iran, but from the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and extant laws. And by this type of argument alone, the newspaper has by itself proved that the holiday is, after all, not really a religious issue as such, especially since it says, it is not observed at all in Saudi Arabia, which is home to Islam's founder; nor in Iran, "whose supreme political authority flow from Islamic religion." So, what really has the paper got against the declared holiday?
In a federation that recognises and provides for the social, religious and cultural and other significant differences between the peoples of a state, one may not necessarily like what others are doing, but so long as they do it within the confines of the law, a sense of shared citizenship, tolerance and civic responsibility require that one accepts their right to be different: indeed, one is expected to defend it since it is a right protected by law.
But with all the venom spewed, you would be forgiven if you thought Aregbesola had called for the complete abrogation of the Gregorian calendar, which, by the way, he could have had the right and power to do; because besides its use for official purposes at home and the need for synchronisation of events on the international scene, the Gregorian calendar has little meaning to a majority of the people in Osun State and indeed even in Nigeria at large. And going by the logic in The Punch editorial, Muslims will then be justified in opposing the Gregorian calendar on account of its origin.
It is a thing of joy that Muslims in Osun ask only for what is theirs, and have not opposed what isn't, realising that a calendar, whatever its origins, is not without its uses; because it ordinarily provides a system for ordering the lives of a community, tracing the passage of days, the commencement of the seasons; and for those who cherish and wish not to forget, it helps keep track of special days so they can arrange uniform celebration of events important to them.
The Islamic New Year begins on the first day of Muharram, the first month of the calendar that marks the date of the migration of the Prophet of Islam [SAW]. This, no doubt, makes it religious, as indeed its name says; but so also are all the others. The Chinese calendar is based on the Zodiac of Buddhism, Mayan and Aztec calendars are based on Mesoamerican shamanism, the Julian calendar on Roman paganism, with the Gregorian being merely a Christian improvement on the Julian, and the Hijra is of course of Islamic origin.
The fact Muslims in Ogun State--and it really should have been Muslims in all states of the Federation--enjoy a public holiday on the first of Muharram will no more Islamise the country than the public holidays on Christmas and Easter have Christianised it. In fact, it may be asked: when some Christians protest what they say is the Islamisation of Nigeria, what exactly do they hope to mean? In the current case, for instance, what are they likely to lose if Muslims don't go to work on any particular day? How can the declaration of a public holiday compromise Christian interest in this country? The Punch didn't say--and couldn't.
The paper only said that the "abusive manipulation of religious causes has to stop," without saying what exactly the manipulation is and who is doing it; and based on its own created premise, it proceeded to heap the blame on religion, and not just on that manipulation, which, by talking about, we thought it had discovered: "Religion should be driven completely from the public square into the exclusively private realm. Our state governments should leave religion to individuals and concentrate on their core mandate."
But this manner of assault on religion by the secular mind--in promoting the delusion that religion is unwanted and thinking that religious values are dispensable and prescribing all such other related misfortunes--is really cheap and cheapening and quite unfortunate. Stripped of its shine, that pretended effort in an attempt to appear fair between religions that is supposed to have occasioned the writing of that editorial, is really no more than the echo of some educated noise made elsewhere; but the attempt to portray that echo as the coming of age of that secular educatedness just won't sell here.
The reality is that there is nothing in the world better than religion; and if The Punch wishes to oppose that, it should come out and do so openly; but under no circumstances should religion be made the whipping boy of anyone just because some people do misuse it. There is no good thing that cannot be--or has not been--misused and abused; but this fact has never been a rational ground for opposing good things.
And today, we live in relative peace only because the majority of the people in this country believe in and don't misuse religion, irrespective of what manner of abuse minorities on both sides have currently subjected it to. Many others live exemplary lives, true to the traditions of their faiths, being upright and honest, living and letting others live. If we are bad, it is not because of religion but because of our abandoning it. We must indeed be grateful to religion that it has given us timeless values and inculcated admirable qualities in some people.
And one good example in public life today is probably this governor that The Punch is busy unjustifiably pillorying. Aregbesola is one of the best, most humble and most upright governors in the country today, not because of the secularity that the paper wishes to promote, nor because his "state that has been exposed to mass education made free at various levels since 1954," as the editorial said; but because of his genuine adherence to the principles of Islam--belief that has been put into practice.
This should be good news to everyone, especially those who don't share his religion, and even more especially at this time when Islam is on trial and has successfully been portrayed as a religion of violence, and some Muslims as crooks in office. Nothing gives the lie to all this better than Aregbesola's conduct--simple, religious, accountable and fair to all.
The Punch said his declaration of Muharram 1st as a public holiday "has set off major alarm bells that cannot be ignored." This is in spite of the fact that the Public Holidays Act gives the governor of a state the power to appoint a special day to be kept as a public holiday in his state. And no matter how carefully you strained your ears the only bells you heard were those of that peculiar type of intolerance--the inability to coexist with what doesn't concern you and what will not affect you adversely--now championed by a national newspaper that proclaims itself the "the most widely-read newspaper" in the country. How unfortunate!


text:
Except to travel to Southeast Asia, again to study cooking. Upon her return Pomeroy moved in with Hebb, who began hatching a business plan. "He was very inspired by the meals I cooked at home. He said, 'Between you and me, this is the perfect combination: You can cook; it's always great; and I'm the same with people and marketing.'"
In 1999 they christened their as-yet-to-be-defined food business Ripe. In order to land their first catering gig, for an alternative bridal show they'd seen advertised in a fabric store, Hebb says he bluffed their credentials by telling the organizers they were Portland's next big caterers. "Delusion is key. It's the fog of war," Hebb says he told Pomeroy. "If anyone asks how busy we are, we are exceptionally busy."
Hebb's tactics worked. By 2000, the Ripe duo were catering events for Portland's burgeoning arts organizations and galleries out of the basement of their Northeast rental, which, says Pomeroy, they never had inspected by the Health Department.
In March 2001, the couple began to host their multicourse Family Suppers, in their living room. Guests–usually around 25–ate whatever Pomeroy felt like cooking. Meanwhile, Hebb orchestrated the social scene they were creating.
"We were all supposed to bring our own chair and deposit money in a bowl on our way out the door–it was all so new for us," says Lizzy Caston, a consultant who was then an urban planner with the Portland Development Commission and who attended the first Family Supper. "I got seduced right away. You have to understand: For years, Portlanders suffered from an inferiority complex. The suppers were by e-mail invitation only, and it made people feel like they were part of something really cool."
Within a year, the suppers had increased in frequency from one to six times a week, and had gone from being larded with friends to hosting an e-mail list that eventually grew to more than 12,000 names. By 2002, the couple had taken a new composite surname (they wouldn't marry until 2004): Hebberoy, which they'd given to their daughter, born in 2000. They'd also found a new space for Family Supper, in the red-brick Gotham Building, set on an industrial stretch of N Interstate Ave where, in a few years, a new MAX light-rail line would be installed.
With no outside funding, they signed a lease, and on the first floor opened an unadorned coffee shop, where customers could peruse artfully scattered copies of Dwell while sipping their lattes. Four nights a week, they hosted Family Suppers in an upstairs dining room that, in the shadow of the Fremont Bridge, felt like the most urbane and happening gathering in Portland, provided you knew how to find it: Its location was deliberately kept a secret, with only an unmarked rear entrance and zero signage.
People found it. Portland luminaries from Vera Katz to Gus Van Sant passed platters of roasted chicken and fresh sardines to one another. The suppers, the price of which had increased to $25, plus more for wine, dessert and tip, began to sell out weeks and then months in advance. With the hiring of two additional chefs, both previously of Zefiro, the menus became more ambitious and more spontaneous.


text:
On this page you can download "Faust - I've Got My Car and My TV" mp3 free. For Downloading this music click on "Download" button. For playing "Faust - I've Got My Car and My TV" online click on play button on the mp3 player. All songs on searchmp3.mobi is presented for preview proposes only, If you are the copyright owner for this song, please send us an abuse message by clicking on this Abuse link.
1 mp3 were found. Search results for I've Got My Car and My TV:


text: This is a PI motor out of a 2002 Police Interceptor. Dropped a valve in driver's side head and put a 1/4 inch round hole in #6 piston. That head is now junk. Passenger side head is fine. Engine rotates easily. There are no front accessories on this motor but do have the flywheel. Oil pan is still on it. Pick up only. $150. [email protected] or reply here.


text:
|Content Category: News Departments
|New & Noteworthy (3280 items)
|Projects & Contracts (3550 items)
|Policy Watch (864 items)
|Products & Technologies (920 items)
|FYI (4190 items)
|People (1137 items)
|RFP (203 items)
|Jefferies Hires Clegg As Clean Technology Analyst
|by NAW Staff on Wednesday August 08 2007
|Jefferies & Co. Inc., a New York-based global investment bank and institutional securities firm, has hired Paul Clegg as a senior equity research analyst covering [read more]
|Legislative Conference Uses Wind Energy Offsets
|by NAW Staff on Wednesday August 08 2007
|Leaders from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) have partnered with the Boston Convention and Events Center (BCEC) to offset the energy use of [read more]
|Youle To Join Arizona Energy Office
|by NAW Staff on Tuesday August 07 2007
|Gov. Janet Napolitano, D-Ariz., has appointed Jessica Youle to the Arizona Energy Office. Youle's career includes 12 years at the Salt River Project, where she [read more]
|MG Systems And Welding Names Vice President Of Marketing
|by NAW Staff on Tuesday August 07 2007
|Menomonee Falls, Wis.-headquartered MG Systems And Welding Inc. has promoted Ronald W. Schneider to vice president of marketing, a position in which he will be [read more]
|Garrad Hassan Iberica Opens Offices In Mexico And Portugal
|by NAW Staff on Tuesday August 07 2007
|Garrad Hassan Iberica, a provider of products and services for the wind industry, has opened new offices in Monterrey, Mexico, and Porto, Portugal. "Garrad Hassan [read more]
|Major Growth Predicted For Global RE Investment
|by NAW Staff on Tuesday August 07 2007
|Global investment in renewable energy could reach $750 billion within the next 10 years, according to the latest Ernst & Young Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness [read more]
|NRG Energy Details Wind Farm Proposals In 2Q Report
|by NAW Staff on Tuesday August 07 2007
|Princeton, N.J.-based NRG Energy Inc. has released details in its second quarter results for three wind farms the company is developing as part of its [read more]
|NRG Systems Introduces New Generation of Wind Tower Technology
|by NAW Staff on Tuesday August 07 2007
|Hinesburg, Vt.-based NRG Systems Inc., a manufacturer of wind measurement systems, has released the XHD NOW System featuring a 50- or 60-meter XHD TallTower. "The [read more]
|WindLogics Receives Patent For Wind Variability Research Methodology
|by NAW Staff on Tuesday August 07 2007
|WindLogics, a St. Paul, Minn.-based provider of wind analysis and forecasting services, has been issued a patent for its enhanced measure/correlate/predict (MCP) methodology for wind [read more]
|Bosch Rexroth Releases Hydraulic Pitch Drives For Turbines
|by NAW Staff on Monday August 06 2007
|Bosch Rexroth, a Bethlehem, Pa.-headquartered subsidiary of the Bosch Group, has released its hydraulic pitch drives to the North American market. According to the company, [read more]
|Ascot Underwriting Creates Renewable Energy Insurance Platform
|by NAW Staff on Monday August 06 2007
|Ascot Underwriting has established a specialist renewable energy unit called Ascot Renewco Underwriting. Based in London, Ascot Renewco will offer onshore and offshore coverage for [read more]
|First Ski Resort Wind Turbine Begins Operations
|by NAW Staff on Monday August 06 2007
|Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort, located in Hancock, Mass., became the first business of its kind in North America to produce its own electricity from a [read more]
|House Approves Energy Package With National RE Portfolio Standard
|by NAW Staff on Monday August 06 2007
|The U.S. House of Representatives has approved two energy bills: H.R. 3221: New Direction for Energy Independence, National Security and Consumer Protection Act - passed [read more]
|Illinois Legislature Passes Renewables, Energy Efficiency Standards
|by NAW Staff on Monday August 06 2007
|The Illinois General Assembly has approved the Rate Relief and Reform Package, which includes a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) and an energy efficiency portfolio standard [read more]
|WEICan Plans Tests Of Whale Flipper-Inspired Turbine Blade
|by NAW Staff on Monday August 06 2007
|Toronto-headquartered WhalePower Corp., designer of wind turbine blades featuring protuberances on the leading edge of the blades, has partnered with the Wind Energy Institute of [read more]


text:
The following is an archive of a post made to our
'vox mailing list'
by one of its subscribers.
On Fri, Oct 12, 2001 at 07:29:34PM -0700, Peter Jay Salzman wrote:
> is anyone playing rune?
> pete
I own Rune; it demands at least 512MB of total memory (combined
physical and swap - on Linux 2.4.x it's total swap). I didn't have
nearly that much swap on my HD, so it would crash consistently before
I could get to the second level (often before I could even start the
first). I bought a new HD recently, and took care to put a huge swap
on there, but I haven't had the chance to play it since then.
Hosting provided by:
Sunset Systems
Sunset Systems offers preconfigured Linux
systems, remote system administration and
custom software development.
LUGOD: Linux Users' Group of Davis
PO Box 2082, Davis, CA 95617
Contact Us
LUGOD is a 501(c)7 non-profit organization
based in Davis, California
and serving the Sacramento area.
"Linux" is a trademark of Linus Torvalds.


text:
Bridal Fair has strong turnout
February 5, 2012 at 2:28 pm in Worthington Daily Globe
WORTHINGTON Kasey Schafer was easy to pick out of the crowd.
As one of the few grooms-to-be at Saturday's Daily Globe Bridal Fair & Prom Extravaganza, Schafer and his fiancée, Katie Jeppesen, were two of the numerous attendees at this year's event. Continue Reading


text:
I've tried to load this figure into DS4 and I get a whole bunch of "delta out of range" errors, and attempting to apply the Lycanthropos Species morphs has no effect. I reinstalled from the files I had (bearing in mind that I can't download anything from the site at the moment) and the same thing occured. I booted up DS3 on the off chance, and there seems to be no problem with loading and morphing the figure there; however, saving it as a character preset and applying it in DS4, the Species morphs still fail to apply.
Anyone got an idea on how to fix this, beyond waiting until downloads work and hoping there's an updated file?


text:
|« Back to Article
Petraeus, Brown: Mexico's miracle: Political productivity
Tripartisan accord brought 16 governmental reforms, chance to boost prosperity
By David H. Petraeus and Neil R. Brown | July 11, 2014 | Updated: July 15, 2014 5:31pm
Photo By Eduardo Verdugo/STFMexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto greets attendees at the signing ceremony for the approved energy reforms at the National Palace in Mexico City, Friday, Dec. 20, 2013. The sweeping reforms approved by state legislators allow private companies to explore for and produce oil and gas, capping a remarkable series of legislative victories by the Mexican leader. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Photo By OMAR TORRES/StaffA U.S. government report says the demise of the Pemex state monopoly on Mexico's energy sector could improve the nation's oil production.
Robert Wuensche photo illustration/Houston Chronicle Mexico energy reforms
Robert Wuensche photo illustration/Houston Chronicle Mexico energy reforms
Imagine a U.S. congressional term during which Democrats and Republicans locked arms to reform taxes, immigration, entitlement spending, Social Security and the next dozen most significant issues preventing realization of America's full economic potential.
That type of political miracle has been unfolding in Mexico. With his presidential victory in late 2012, Enrique Peña Nieto forged Pacto por Mexico, a remarkable - and politically unprecedented - agreement by which leaders of the three main parties, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI, by its Spanish acronym), the National Action Party and the Party of the Democratic Revolution, pledged to work together on a vast set of reforms.
The pact was far from seamless, but the results were historic. Sixteen constitutional amendments were approved in Peña Nieto's first year in office, more than the total number of reforms in the 18 years of Peña Nieto's three predecessors. Among the 16 reforms were those covering the energy, telecoms, labor, education and fiscal arenas. These reforms will increase competition and spur private investment in key sectors, while boosting performance and accountability in others.
While Mexico clearly witnessed a miracle of political productivity, the question now is whether the will to reform will carry through to produce an economic miracle.
Energy is the political and economic centerpiece. Oil is the third rail of Mexican politics and protected by its constitution. State-owned energy firm PEMEX is a major contributor to Mexican economic activity and funds a third of the federal budget. Yet, oil production fell dramatically in the past decade, and PEMEX has had neither the financial nor the technical resources to turn around declining production in existing fields and develop challenging deep offshore and unconventional resources. Constitutional reforms approved in late 2013 promise to open the sector to international energy firms, thus encouraging broad-based growth.
Mexico stands apart from other emerging economies because of its close integration with the United States, broad global trading relationships and increasingly open economy. These advantages provide an economic springboard from which the reform agenda has the potential to launch renewed growth. Despite an economic slowdown over the past year, Mexican economic fundamentals are strong. Mexico benefits from open trade with multiple partners, with NAFTA and trade agreements extending across the Pacific and Atlantic. Its exports are competitive and it has robust domestic consumption, backed by firm per capita GDP. Critically, Mexico's economic integration with the U.S., 20 years into the implementation of NAFTA, currently provides a considerable comparative advantage over emerging economies overly exposed to an economically slowing China and sluggish Europe.
Expectations for results are high, but realizing the full economic benefits will take years. For example, deep offshore oil production could take the better part of a decade, and educational gains could take a generation. Nonetheless, if fully implemented, the extraordinary reform effort will help unleash Mexico's exceptional economic potential by boosting productivity and increasing confidence in Mexico at home and abroad. However, at least three principle obstacles remain.
First, political tailwinds and constitutional amendments will only be effective with finalization of implementing laws - and the laws for energy reform have been delayed - as well as efficient administration of the new rules. Moreover, new administrative responsibilities across the government will require substantial new expertise and resources.
Second, corruption remains a significant concern. Progress against corruption is less uniform at the state and local levels than at the federal level, particularly in areas of Mexico with high levels of criminality.
Third, and most critically, the greatest limit on Mexico's ability to capitalize on the extraordinary opportunities presented by the reforms of the past year will be its ability to steadily combat the challenges presented by the illegal narcotics and criminal empires that have wreaked such havoc on the country. While Mexico's staggeringly high murder rate has recently tapered a bit, kidnapping incidents have quadrupled. Surface calm can be a mask for pervasive, sophisticated criminal organizations dominating entire regions.
With continued leadership, Mexico can meet each of these challenges and realize the enormous potential created by the historic reform process. Success would deliver renewal of domestically driven growth for Mexico and contribute to the emerging success story of North America. As a neighbor with deep cultural and economic ties, we in the U.S. have a profound interest in seeing the Mexican miracle succeed.
Petraeus is chairman of the KKR Global Institute and formerly was a director of the CIA and commander of U.S. Central Command. Brown is a principal of KKR Global Institute and former senior adviser for the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.


text:
|Find court records by County
|Find court records by town or zip code
|Find court resources by category
|Find court records in other states
|Please select a Massachusetts County below to view directory of all courts with links to court record resources for each court.
|Find Massachusetts court pages by Town or Zip Code.
|Select a court record or online resource category below to view all resources at both the statewide and county level.
|Go to the court records pages for another state.
52 Academy Hill Road, Brighton, MA 02135
Phone: 617-782-6540 Fax: 617-254-2127
We're sorry your court map could not be found.
Click here to navigate to Google Maps.


text:
New kitchen ideas that work
Holiday-inspired excerpts from new book by Sensible Style columnist
About the book
"New Kitchen Ideas That Work"
Author: Jamie Gold
Publisher: Taunton; softbound; $21.95
This is the time of year when your kitchen works the hardest. It's defrosting turkeys, chilling champagne, baking pies, frying latkes, decorating gingerbread houses and hosting hordes. Is yours up to the holiday season challenge?
Over the years, I've designed hundreds of kitchens for clients who love to cook and entertain. They all share two things in common: The first is an efficient, open work/traffic flow that allows the cook (or cooks) to prepare and serve their meals while interacting with guests. The second is high-performance appliances that meet their owners' entertaining needs. Can you say that about your kitchen?
In the process of researching and writing my first book, "New Kitchen Ideas That Work" (Taunton Press), which just hit store shelves last week, I came across this enviable example of a kitchen designed to master the challenge of holiday season entertaining. It became the case study for my appliance chapter.
"Putting It All Together — The Well-Equipped Kitchen"
This modern waterfront Pensacola, Fla., home was built around the kitchen design plan for a homeowner who loves to cook and entertain. She wanted a cozy environment where friends could enjoy a glass of wine from the peninsula wine captain while she whips up dinner.
The professional refrigerator was a must, and the rest of the kitchen was built around it. The enthusiastic home chef also wanted refrigerator drawers on her island to keep prep foods in reach of the range top and prep sink. This layout lets her access the burners and fresh foods while chatting with her guests.
The challenge in this new construction project was to have a good amount of professional cooking equipment — including extras like a steam oven and built-in coffee system — and a traffic flow that didn't interfere with meal preparation. As large windows were prioritized over wall cabinets, a unique pantry/prep kitchen with supplemental tall and island storage was sited next to the main "entertaining" kitchen. This area also houses a prep sink, extra oven and icemaker. Traffic flow is optimized around the pantry appliances, too, with sliding rather than swinging cabinet doors.
Although loaded with top-of-the-line appliances and chef add-ons, the kitchen still feels homey and blends brightly with its casual surroundings.
Maybe this case study kitchen by Pensacola, Fla.-based designer Cheryl Kees Clendenon of InDetail Interiors will inspire your remodel. If you don't want to undertake a full-scale renovation, there are sections throughout the book called "Working With What You Have." The one in the Appliance chapter shares tips on replacing outdated models without having to change your cabinetry or countertops.
The New Multitaskers
If you are planning on purchasing new appliances soon, you might want to consider models that combine several functions in the space of one, delivering more performance per cubic foot than their basic competitors.
Here are some possibilities from the pages of "New Kitchen Ideas That Work," (Taunton Press, 2012).